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• 20-Nov-2023

Relatives of Gaza hostages say stop talk of execution for Hamas detainees Relatives of some of the 240 people held by Hamas in Gaza urged far-right Israeli lawmakers not to pursue proposed capital punishment for captured Palestinian fighters, saying that even talk of doing so might endanger the hostages, Reuters reports.
Some of the relatives of the people held captive by Hamas in Gaza worry the publicity around the capital punishment debate could invite reprisals even as hopes of a deal to free some of them is growing.
The hostages have already been threatened with execution by Hamas and are at risk of being hurt or killed.
“It would mean playing along with their mind games. And in return we would get pictures of our loves ones murdered, ended, with the State of Israel and not them (Hamas) being blamed for it,” Yarden Gonen, whose sister Romi is among the hostages, told Ben-Gvir and his party colleagues during a parliamentary panel. “Don’t pursue this until after they are back here,” she said. “Don’t put my sister’s blood on your hands.”
24 minutes ago WATCH: Palestinian paramedic describes settler violence in West Bank
44 minutes ago Govt says Gaza conflict death toll tops 13,300 The government has said the death toll in the Palestinian territory had passed 13,300 since the conflict began on October 7 between Israeli forces and Hamas fighters, AFP reports.
The government said more than 5,600 children were among the dead, alongside 3,550 women, with another 31,000 people wounded.
The health ministry has previously said it can no longer give exact tolls as intense fighting has prevented bodies from being recovered.
1 hour ago Erdogan says Turkey to keep Israel’s nuclear weapons on global agenda Turkey will not allow the issue of Israel’s nuclear weapons to be dropped from the global agenda, President Tayyip Erdogan said, while attributing European support for Israel to what he called “the shame of the Holocaust”, Reuters reports.
Speaking after a cabinet meeting, Erdogan said the West was trying to “vindicate” what he said were Israel’s war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza, adding Western countries had a “fraternity of lies” with Israel which he called “shameful”.
“The shame of the Holocaust has literally taken European leaders hostage,” he said. “We, as Turkey, will not allow the issue of Israel’s nuclear to be forgotten.”
1 hour ago Biden says he believes Gaza hostage release deal is close US President Joe Biden has said that he believes a deal to free hostages in Gaza is close, as hopes grew for a Qatari-mediated accord to release some captives in exchange for a pause in fighting, AFP reports.
“I believe so,” Biden said, before holding up crossed fingers, when asked whether a deal was near during a Thanksgiving turkey pardoning ceremony at the White House.