Israel-Hamas conflict as it happened: Two Israeli hostages freed as IDF says Gaza ground invasion ‘inevitable’

And that is where we will end our rolling coverage of the Israel-Hamas war.

Recapping today’s headlines:

• Hamas freed two elderly women hostages
• One of those, 85-year-old Yocheved Lifshitz, a peace activist who has helped Gazans obtain medical help, said that she went through hell, having been beaten and kidnapped from her kibbutz but once imprisoned by Hamas in their huge spiderweb of underground tunnels, was treated well
• Four hostages have been freed so far, Hamas is holding more than 200 people, including children. and babies
• Emmanuel Macron became the latest leader to visit Israel - he called for the international coalition that decapitated ISIS to fight Hamas
• The Pentagon sent advisers to Israel ahead of the long-awaited ground invasion of Gaza
• Israel’s military said it was ready but awaiting political instruction
• In Australia, the opposition called for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to call Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and send Foreign Minister Penny Wong

Thank you for joining us, we will resume our coverage in the morning.

France’s President Emmanuel Macron has proposed that the international coalition formed to fight Islamic State be used to fight Hamas in Gaza.

Macron made the suggestion at a news conference alongside Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his visit to the country.

“France is ready for the international coalition against Daesh in which we are taking part for operations in Iraq and Syria to also fight against Hamas,” Macron said.

“This fight against terror is a matter of existence for Israel, but it is a matter of existence for all of us.”

The French leaders follows in the footsteps of US President Joe Biden, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the UK’s Rishi Sunak to make the visit to Israel following Hamas’ attack on October 7.

Sharone, the adult daughter of Yocheved Lifshitz, is speaking to the media.

She said her father was still being held captive and that while she was heartened to hear that her mother was treated well by Hamas once held in the tunnels underneath Gaza, it was not necessarily the case for the remaining hostages.

Lifshitz said this was the case for her father, who Hamas is still holding captive.

“We do not know what is the story of the 175 or so other prisoners,” she said.

The United Nations agency responsible for Palestinian refugees has called for unrestricted humanitarian aid to flow into Gaza.

“We call for an unimpeded and continuous flow of humanitarian assistance and medical assistance to continue coming into Gaza,” Tamara Alrifai, from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) said.

“The trucks that have come in so far are just a trickle in the face of the immense needs of people on the street.”

World leaders have been negotiating with Israel around-the-clock to secure the first convoys of aid into the Gaza Strip via the Egyptian border.

with Reuters

Thank you for following our live coverage of the Hamas-Israel war through the day. I’m Ben Cubby and I’ll now be handing over to my colleague Latika Bourke who’ll keep you informed through the evening.

Here are the day’s main headlines:

• Two more Israeli hostages were released by Hamas, as Israel intensified its aerial bombardment of Gaza. Palestine’s health ministry says the death toll in Gaza has passed 5000 and includes many children and women.
• Prime minister Anthony Albanese, speaking during a visit to Washington, condemned Hamas and said a two-state solution to the crisis was very difficult while the terrorist group held sway in Gaza.
• US president Joe Biden said a “continuous flow” of aid convoys must be allowed to cross into the Palestinian enclave.
• While the US and Britain are defending Israel’s continued air campaign, European and Arab leaders are calling for a ceasefire. French president Emmanuel Macron arrived in Tel Aviv on a peace mission on Tuesday.
• Former US president Barack Obama has warned that the humanitarian crisis may undermine Israel’s military goals.
• NSW police were seriously concerned about the decision to light up the sails of the Opera House with the Israeli flag due to the risk of escalating community tensions, documents show.