Israel-Palestine live: Israel says 39 more Palestinians freed under truce deal

Israel has targeted Damascus airport in Syria, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. 

The organisation added on Sunday that explosions have been heard in the south west of Damascus.
 

Hamas said on Sunday it had released a hostage who held Russian citizenship from Gaza.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Sunday defended comments he made about the Israeli offensive in Gaza which angered Israel, saying "it was a question of being humane", AFP reported.

During his visit to the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt on Friday with Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, Sanchez said the "indiscriminate killings of innocent civilians" in the Palestinian territory was "completely unacceptable".

He reiterated calls for a permanent ceasefire and denounced the destruction of Gaza as "unacceptable".

In turn, the Israeli foreign ministry summoned the ambassador of Spain for a "harsh rebuke" and accused him of "supporting terrorism".

White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said there was "reason to believe" a US hostage would be  among those released from captivity in Gaza on Sunday as part of a truce deal.

"We have reason to believe that one of those Americans will be released today," Sullivan told NBC.

"We have a sense of who it is but I am just not in a position to confirm it,” he added.
 

Egypt says it received lists of 13 Israelis and 39 Palestinians scheduled for release on Sunday, the third batch in the four-day truce deal brokered by Qatar, according to a statement by Diaa Rashwan, the head of Egypt's State Information Service.

"The truce is proceeding without roadblocks," the statement said, adding that 120 aid trucks crossed from Egypt to Gaza on Sunday, including two fuel trucks and two with gas for cooking.

Egypt announced on Sunday that 120 aid trucks have entered Gaza, according to the government media office. 

The aid includes two much needed fuel and cooking gas. 

However, Palestinian officials maintain that the aid is not enough for the significant needs of people, following seven weeks of Israeli bombardment. 
 

Israeli forces' killing of a Palestinian farmer in Gaza on Sunday is starting to cast doubts on the third day of the truce and the prisoner-captive exchange between Israel and Hamas.

There has not yet been any comment from Israel on the killing, however fears are growing that it could jeopardise the third phase of plans to swap captives held in Gaza for Palestinian prisoners.

A senior Palestinian source said that Sunday's phase looked "complicated". Asked by Reuters if the farmer's killing could delay a third batch of releases, the source replied: "I don't know."

According to Al Jazeera, Israeli officials have been quoted anonymously saying it might be another nerve-racking night with regards to the captives and prisoner exchange.

Photos are revealing the extent of the damage caused by seven weeks of Israeli bombing on Gaza.

Entire residential neighbourhoods have been completely demolished. 

Places of worship, schools and universities have also been destroyed. 

Residents in Gaza are struggling to reach their homes due to the amount of rubble blocking roads. Many also note that the landscape has changed due to the bombing, making it difficult to identify where their homes are.

Seven Palestinians have been wounded on Sunday by Israeli gunfire in Gaza, according to the Wafa news agency.

Israeli forces opened fire in front of the al-Quds Hospital and the Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza.

Snipers have also been targeting civilians attempting to go back to their homes and inspect the damage, particularly in the Tal al-Hawa neighbourhood, west of Gaza City. 

This comes on the third day of the four-day temporary truce brokered by Qatar. 

The truce, lasting for four days with the possibility of extension, includes the release of a number of female and child prisoners from Israeli prisons, as well as the entry of relief aid, including urgently needed fuel, into Gaza.

A spokesperson for the United Nations agency Unrwa told Al Jazeera on Sunday that at least 200 aid trucks are needed daily for the duration of two months just to meet the current needs of people in Gaza.

Officials in Gaza have added that temperatures are dropping as winter looms in the strip and most people are not prepared for the cold weather, particularly those who have been displaced.

Hamas's armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, announced on Telegram on Sunday that four of their military commanders in Gaza have been killed. 

The commanders include Ahmad al-Ghandour, a member of the military council and the commander of the north brigade.

Israel's foreign ministry has summoned Ireland's ambassador on Sunday, according to local Israeli media.

The move comes after the Irish prime minister posted on the social media platform X that a child captive taken from Israel to Gaza on 7 October was "lost" and then "found", after the child was released. 

In the post, he added: "we breathe a massive sigh of relief. our prayers have been answered".

However, the post sparked backlash from the Israeli government spokesman Eylon Levy, who said that Leo Varadkar's post was not the way to describe "a girl brutally abducted by death squads".

"This is how you describe a little girl who went missing during a stroll in a forest, then gets discovered by a friendly hiker," Levy added.

Israel's defence ministry announced on Sunday that during the bombardment of Gaza since 7 October, their forces have seized around five million shekels in cash, equivalent to around $1.3m.

They also said that they seized Iraqi dinars, Jordanian dinars and US dollars. 

The money will be "forfeited for the state", the ministry said. 

On Saturday, video footage shared online showed an Israeli soldier looting a necklace from a home in Gaza, saying that he will give it to his girlfriend. 

Palestinians have raised concerns that after being displaced by bombing, Israeli forces have entered their homes and stolen their possessions.

A funeral procession is underway in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin this morning, after Israeli forces killed five Palestinians early on Sunday.

Gaza's government media office announced on Sunday that during the seven weeks of bombardment, Israel dropped 40,000 tonnes of explosives on the besieged enclave. 

The media office said that the temporary truce is revealing the extent of the damage and that a third of the population of Gaza still does not have basic needs. 

They noted that the al-Shifa Hospital has also been rendered out of service.