INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
China has called for a large-scale and authoritative peace conference on the war in Gaza, while Hamas aired video of three Israeli hostages
and said their fate would be disclosed on Monday.Speaking in Egypt at the weekend, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called for &the
formulation of a specific timetable and road map for the implementation of the ‘two-state solution& and support for the prompt resumption
of Israel-Palestinian peace talks&.Hamas aired a video on Sunday showing three Israeli hostages it is holding in Gaza and urged the Israeli
government to stop the offensive against the Palestinian Islamist group and bring about their release,Reuters reported.The undated 37-second
video of Noa Argamani, 26, Yossi Sharabi, 53, and Itai Svirsky, 38, ended with the caption: &Tomorrow (Monday) we will inform you of their
fate.&Of some 240 people seized by Hamas in a cross-border killing spree that sparked the war, around half were released in a November truce
Israel says 132 remain in Gaza and that 25 of them have died in captivity.Israel also says more than 1,200 people were killed in Hamas& Oct
7 assault.The Gaza health ministry has said almost 24,000 people have been killed in the Israeli offensive that followed with more than
military said on Sunday its fighter aircraft shot down an anti-ship cruise missile fired from Houthi militant areas of Yemen toward a U.S
destroyer operating in the Southern Red Sea.The midair interception is the latest incident in the Red Sea where the Houthis have been
attacking international shipping in what they say is a campaign to support Palestinians under siege from Israeli forces in Gaza.It follows a
series of American and British airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen last week that have drawn threats of a &strong& response from the
Iranian-backed militia.In the latest fighting in Gaza, Israeli tanks and aircraft hit targets in southern and central parts of the enclave
Hamas also launched a fresh salvo of rockets on Sunday at Ashdod, an Israeli town 40 km (25 miles) away
There was no word of any casualties.The Israeli military said it destroyed several silos used by Hamas to fire missiles at Israel.NEW PHASE
OF WAR
The Israeli military says it has shifted to a new phase of the war focused on the southern end of Gaza, where almost 2 million people
are now sheltering in tents and other temporary accommodation, after the initial phase centred on clearing the northern end of the strip,
including Gaza City.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has brushed off calls for a ceasefire, saying Israel will keep going until it achieves
complete victory over Hamas and recovers the remaining hostages.The military says, though, the next phase of the war will see months of more
targeted operations against the Iranian-backed movement&s leaders and positions.The post China calls for Gaza peace conference; Hamas to
disclose fate of Israeli hostages first appeared on Ariana News.
