Hamas video shows release of two elderly hostages

Israel has confirmed that two more hostages in Gaza have been released by Hamas, bringing the number freed so far to four. The two women have been named as Nurit Cooper, 79, and Yocheved Lifschitz, 85. Their husbands are still being held. A video from the al-Qassam Brigades - Hamas's military arm – shows the moment when the civilian hostages Nurit Cooper and Yocheved Lifshitz were released on Monday, following Egyptian-Qatari mediation efforts.

The Hamas-run ministry of health in Gaza has put out a statement on Telegram saying that hospitals in the Gaza Strip have "completely collapsed". It also warned that "hospital doors remaining open does not mean that they are providing service to the flood of wounded people".

More than 25,000 Thais were working on farms and orchards in Israel when the Hamas militants stormed in from Gaza. At least 30 Thais were among the 200 or so foreign nationals who were killed in the attack. Now the Thai government is helping others, thousands of them, to return home.

Tens of thousands of women in Iceland, including Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir, are refusing to work on Tuesday. The "kvennafrí", or women's day off, has been called in protest at the gender pay gap and gender-based violence.

(Picture: Yocheved Lifshitz and Nurit Cooper are released by Hamas militants on October 23, 2023. Credit: Reuters)