Over 10,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli military action in Gaza since 7 October, according to new figures released by the Hamas-controlled health authority in the territory. The total number of deaths now stands at 10,022, including 4,104 children. The number of casualties in Gaza has not been independently verified.
The deaths of scores of aid workers in airstrikes on Gaza over the past month has made the conflict the deadliest ever for UN workers. At least 88 people who worked for the UN’s agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, have been killed since 7 October, and 47 of its buildings have been damaged.
Israel’s military announced late Sunday it had encircled Gaza City and divided the besieged coastal strip into two. “Today there is north Gaza and south Gaza,” Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari told reporters, calling it a “significant stage” in Israel’s war against the Hamas militant group ruling the territory.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has said it is carrying out airstrikes against sites belonging to Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. The IDF said on Monday it had identified about 30 launches from Lebanon towards northern Israel.
In its latest situational update, Israel’s military claims that Israeli jets struck 450 Hamas targets, and claims to have killed Jamal Mussa, who it says “was responsible for the special security operations in the Hamas terrorist organisation”. The IDF claims have not been independently verified.
The UN secretary general, António Guterres, has said the protection of civilians “must be paramount” in the conflict between Israel and Palestinian militants Hamas, warning that the Gaza Strip was becoming “a graveyard for children”. Israel’s foreign minister, Eli Cohen, responded by saying: “Shame on you.”
The leaders of the UN’s major humanitarian agencies as well as international charities have called for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire” in Gaza, calling the situation “horrific” and “unacceptable” in a rare joint statement. The signatories included the heads of OCHA, UNICEF, the World Food Programme, the WHO, Save the Children and CARE International.
US secretary of state Antony Blinken has said his discussions in Turkey on Monday had a focus on “efforts to significantly expand the humanitarian assistance to people in need”, and claimed that his visit to the region had helped prevent escalation of the conflict.
The border authority in Hamas-controlled Gaza has said that the Rafah border crossing is open only for evacuations by Egyptians and foreigners listed since 1 November. The authority’s statement added that those who were not listed will not be able to cross the border.
NEW About 80 dual nationals and 17 medical evacuees had left Gaza to Egypt through the Rafah crossing by early Monday evening, Reuters reported, citing Egyptian security sources, after evacuations were suspended for two days after an ambulance was hit by an Israeli strike in Gaza on Friday. END NEW
Lebanon’s top Christian cleric urged state officials on Monday to shield Lebanon from the war between Israel and Hamas.
Thailand’s prime minister, Srettha Thavisin, has told local media that the country’s chief of defence forces has informed him of a photograph that shows Thai people held by Hamas, saying it was understood this showed the hostages were still alive.
Palestine telecommunications company Paltel posted to Facebook to say that communications are gradually being restored in the besieged Gaza Strip after a third Israeli-imposed blackout of the conflict.
The Palestinian health ministry said that one Palestinian was killed and three were wounded by Israeli fire in the occupied West Bank village of Halhul, north of Hebron.
Two Israeli police officers have been seriously injured in a stabbing and shooting attack in Jerusalem. The attacker was killed at the scene by Herod’s Gate in the Old City by officers who responded.
Israel has reportedly arrested Ahed Tamimi, the Palestinian activist who made global headlines as a teenager in 2018 when she was arrested and later jailed for slapping and kicking IDF soldiers. Israel’s far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, praised Tamimi’s arrest in a post on Twitter, calling her a “terrorist”.
Jordan has airdropped a medical aid package to a hospital in Gaza, King Abdullah II has said in a social media post. Jordan’s military said in a statement that the medical supplies were dropped via parachutes from a Jordanian Air Force plane.
The European Commission’s president, Ursula von der Leyen, said the EU was increasing its humanitarian aid to Gaza by another €25m, bringing total aid to €100m ($107m / £86.5m).
Josep Borrell, the EU’s foreign policy chief, said in a speech this morning that the situation in the Middle East is “the outcome of a collective political and moral failure” due to “a real lack of willingness to solve the Israeli-Palestinian problem.”
Ireland’s justice minister, Helen McEntee, has said the government is doing everything it can to support the family of an Irish-Israeli girl believed to have been abducted by Hamas. Emily Hand was originally feared dead after the assault on kibbutz Be’eri on 7 October. However, it was reported in Israel on Sunday that the eight-year-old’s family have been informed she may still be alive and being held hostage.
The UK’s Foreign Office said on Monday it was temporarily withdrawing some British embassy staff from Lebanon. It had already advised Britons against all travel to Lebanon due to the conflict between neighbouring Israel and Gaza, and encouraged any Britons still in the country to leave while commercial flights remain.
Bulgaria’s prime minister, Nikolay Denkov, has visited Jerusalem where he has met Benjamin Netanyahu.
South Africa is recalling diplomats from Israel to assess its relationship with the country, its foreign minister has said, saying that Israel was involved in the “collective punishment” of Palestinians. “We believe the nature of response by Israel has become one of collective punishment,” Naledi Pandor said, adding the country would continue to call for a comprehensive ceasefire in Palestine.
China has said it will do its utmost to restore peace in the Palestinian territories as it takes over the presidency of the UN security council.
