LEAD

Hamas on Monday released two elderly Israeli women held hostage in Gaza as the United States expressed increasing concern that the escalating Israel-Hamas war will spark a wider conflict in the region, including attacks on American troops.

The death toll in Gaza rose rapidly as Israel ramped up airstrikes that flattened buildings in what it said was preparation for an eventual ground assault. The United States advised Israel to delay the expected invasion to allow time to negotiate the release of more hostages taken by Hamas during its brutal incursion two weeks ago.

As part of the ongoing operation known as "Operation Ajay," the sixth flight carrying Indian nationals has left Tel Aviv and is en route to Delhi. The Indian Embassy in Israel confirmed this departure through a post on social media platform X, wishing all passengers a safe journey. Individuals were proudly holding the Indian tricolor during the evacuation from Israel amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar, also shared an update on X. “#OperationAjay update Flight #6 departs from Tel Aviv,” the Indian foreign minister wrote. 

Israel has decided to completely end its responsibility over Gaza Strip while outlining three-phase offensive against the Islamist group Hamas which launched a deadly attack on October 7.

A rigid blockade has been enforced on the coastal enclave of the Palestinian National Authority since 2007 right after Hamas took control of the region.

India on Thursday reiterated its opposition to China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) against the backdrop of Maldives’ president-elect Mohamed Muizzu highlighting the role of Beijing’s flagship infrastructure programme in the development of participating countries.

The Indian side’s cooperation with the Maldives is based on jointly addressing shared challenges and priorities, external affairs ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi told a regular media briefing, referring to security and development assistance provided to the Indian Ocean archipelago by New Delhi.

In the run-up to the Telangana assembly elections scheduled for November 30, the Congress party followed the ‘Karnataka guarantee model’ and announced a slew of promises on October 18, including financial assistance for women, unemployed youth, and farmers in the state.

The party’s proposed plan was announced by its general secretary, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, while addressing a rally in Mulugu district. She asserted that the promises had been framed in view of the problems faced by the people, as the Bharat Rashtra Samithi-led government had failed to deliver on the ground.