Israel-Hamas war: Netanyahu says no ceasefire till hostages return; Iran arrests ‘Israeli spies’

As the war between Israel and the Hamas group entered its 30th day, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected any calls for a ceasefire in Gaza until all the hostages captured by the Hamas during its October 7 attack were released. "There will be no ceasefire without the return of our hostages, we say this to both our enemies and our friends…We will continue until we beat them," Netanyahu said, reiterating the government's position.

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Meanwhile, Iran has claimed that three ‘Israeli spies’ have been detained in a joint operation with Afghanistan's Taliban government. Reportedly, the three ‘spies’ held Iranian nationality.

Here are the top updates from the Israel-Hamas war:

1. An Israeli strike on a car in southern Lebanon killed four people on Sunday between the villages of Aianata and Aitaroun near the border with Israel, reported the state-owned National News Agency (NNA). According to reports, the deceased were relatives of a journalist. The incident took place when they were following the journalist's car in their own vehicle.
2. The Israeli military on Sunday said that it has exposed a network of Hamas tunnels, command centers, and rocket launchers beneath and adjacent to hospitals in northern Gaza. "Hamas systematically exploits hospitals as part of its war machine," Israel's chief military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari told the media.
3. Hezbollah lawmaker Fadallah said that the Israeli strike which killed 13 children is a “dangerous development” and that it will have “repercussions”.
4. More than 300 Americans have been evacuated from Gaza, the White House said. According to US deputy national security adviser Jonathan Finer, the evacuated persons include US citizens, lawful permanent residents, and their family members.
5. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday spoke to his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and discussed the "grave" situation arising out of the Israel-Hamas conflict. “Spoke today with Iranian Foreign Minister @Amirabdolahian. Discussed the grave situation in West Asia and the concern of the international community. Conveyed the importance of preventing escalation and providing humanitarian support. Agreed to stay in touch,” Jaishankar wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
6. Israel cut internet and phone lines in the Gaza Strip on Sunday night - for the third time since the start of the Israel-Hamas war on October 7, telecoms firm Paltel said, reported AFP.
7. An Israeli minister was suspended from all government meetings until further notice on Sunday after he suggested dropping a nuclear bomb on Gaza. During an interview with ‘Radio Kol Berama’, heritage minister Amichay Eliyahu said that dropping an atomic bomb on Gaza may be “one of the possibilities”. In a follow-up question about the estimated 240 hostages held in Gaza, the minister said that “in war, we pay a price…Why are the lives of the hostages... more important than the lives of the soldiers?”