This blog is closing now. You can follow the Guardian’s continuing live coverage of the Israel-Hamas conflict here.
On Tuesday the friends and family of Dana Bachar and her son Carmel mourned their loss at Gan Shlomo cemetery. The pair were killed during Hamas’ 7 October attack on kibbutz Be’eri.
Over a third of hospitals, or 12 out of 35, have shut down in Gaza and almost two thirds of primary care clinics, or 46 of 72, have closed due to damage from hostilities or lack of fuel, the UN’s humanitarian agency OCHA has said in its daily update.
As we reported earlier, UNRWA, the UN relief agency for Palestinian refugees has warned that unless fuel is allowed in to Gaza immediately, it will be forced to halt all operations as of Wednesday night.
In its update, OCHA itemised some of the aid that has been allowed in over the past few days. It noted that on Sunday trucks brought in 44,000 bottles of water, enough for just 22,000 people in one day and on Monday trucks brought enough water for just 13,000 people for one day.
It noted that the Israeli military had indicated that they have attacked 400 targets, a new high since the start of hostilities and noted that residential buildings and a busy market had been among the targets. It said:
In one of the airstrikes, a residential building in Rafah was destroyed, killing 48 people and injuring dozens. In Ash Shati refugee camp, airstrikes destroyed three residential buildings overnight, resulting in 36 fatalities, with many others reportedly missing, presumably under the rubble.
Airstrikes also struck Souq An Nuseirat with at least 20 fatalities. The incident took place at noon when the market was the busiest. Shoppers were hit while they were inside a large supermarket.
The death toll in the Israeli drone strike on the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank has risen to three, the Palestinian news agency Wafa has reported, citing Wissam Bakr, director of Jenin Governmental hospital.
The drone fired at least two projectiles, Wafa reported, citing sources in the camp.
Reuters is reporting that US intelligence officials have “high confidence” that an explosion at a Gaza hospital last week was caused by a Palestinian rocket that broke up mid-flight, and not by Israel.
The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry said 471 people were killed in the blast at the Al-Ahli Arab hospital on 17 October. Hamas said an Israeli airstrike hit the hospital, while Israel said the blast was caused by a failed rocket launch by the Palestinian militant Islamic Jihad group, which has denied responsibility.
The Reuters report was based on testimony from an unnamed official and other US media reports.
The officials said there was still uncertainty around the death toll and the number of injuries, according to the New York Times. The officials also said there was little damage to the hospital and the structure did not collapse, the newspaper reported.
The intelligence assessment was based on Israeli intercepts of Palestinian groups, publicly available video, communications intercepts provided by the Israelis and images of the blast and the aftermath, the officials told the newspaper.
British families of those being held hostage by Hamas are continuing to hold out hope after the release of two further captives.
British psychotherapist Noam Sagi, whose elderly mother Ada is being held hostage by Hamas, said the release of the two elderly hostages on Monday had offered “some hope” for the future.
Downing Street on Tuesday said that at least 12 British nationals were killed in Hamas’s attack on Israel and a further five are still missing, with some of them believed to have been kidnapped. The UK Foreign Office said that officials were working “tirelessly” to save them.
“We will continue to work tirelessly with Qatar, Israel and others to ensure all hostages come home safely,” a Foreign Office spokesperson said according to PA Media.
It comes as UK foreign secretary James Cleverly said he met with some of those whose family members were killed or are still missing.
We cannot lose sight of the evil that has caused suffering for so many.
— James Cleverly🇬🇧 (@JamesCleverly) October 24, 2023
Hamas.
Today, @tariqahmadbt and I met with the families of those who were murdered or are missing because of Hamas’ brutality.
The UK stands with you – now and always. pic.twitter.com/59FicquR8G
Israel’s military has dropped leaflets in Gaza, offering protection and a reward to Palestinians who contact them with information about hostages held by Hamas, in its latest effort to free more than 200 people seized during the terrorist attacks that killed 1,400 people on 7 October.
The move underlines the difficulties facing the Israeli government as it tries to reconcile its stated aim to “crush Hamas” with saving the lives of as many hostages as possible.
So far, four female hostages have been released after negotiations brokered by Qatar, which is also believed to be trying to reach a deal in which 50 more dual nationals held by Hamas would be released.
The Israeli military is using surveillance, special forces raids and interrogation of captured members of Hamas to draw up a picture of where the captives – including infants, children and elderly civilians as well male and female soldiers – are being held.
The leaflets will complement this effort but also seek to sow uncertainty among Hamas supporters about who might have accepted the Israeli offer. Many were torn up immediately by residents in Gaza, witnesses reported.
As the death toll from Israeli airstrikes in Gaza rises, the Associated Press has sent this report from inside the enclave:
Across central and south Gaza, where Israel told civilians to take shelter, there were multiple scenes of rescuers pulling the dead and wounded out of large piles of rubble from collapsed buildings.
Graphic photos and video shot by the AP showed rescuers unearthing bodies of children from multiple ruins.
A father knelt on the floor of the Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir Al-Balah next to the bodies of three dead children cocooned in bloodied sheets. Later at the nearby morgue, workers prayed over 24 dead wrapped in body bags, several of them the size of small children.
Buildings that collapsed on residents killed dozens at a time in several cases, witnesses said. Two families lost a total 47 members in a leveled home in Rafah, the Health Ministry said.
A strike on a four-story building in Khan Younis killed at least 32 people, including 13 members of the Saqallah family, said Ammar al-Butta, a relative who survived the airstrike. He said there were about 100 people sheltering in the building, including many who had evacuated from Gaza City.
“We thought that our area would be safe,” he said.
Another strike destroyed a bustling marketplace in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, witnesses said. AP photos showed the floor of a vegetable shop covered with blood.
In Gaza City, at least 19 people were killed when an airstrike hit the house of the Bahloul family, according to survivors, who said dozens more people remained buried.
The legs of a dead woman and another person, both still half buried, dangled out of the wreckage where workers dug through the dirt, concrete and rebar.
The Israeli historian Yuval Noah Harari has backed academics and peace activists in his home country in an attack on the “indifference” of some American and European progressives to Hamas atrocities, accusing them of “extreme moral insensitivity” and betraying leftwing politics.
Harari – the author of bestselling books including Sapiens and Homo Deus – joined 90 signatories of a statement expressing dismay with “elements within the global left … until now, our political partners” who had, on occasion, “justified Hamas’s actions”.
The 47-year-old, who has recently become a high-profile political activist in Israel, opposing Benjamin Netanyahu’s rightwing populist coalition and its plan to weaken judicial oversight, told the Guardian he intervened after speaking with peace activists in his home country who were “completely devastated” and “feeling abandoned and betrayed by supposed allies” in peace efforts, after academics, artists and intellectuals signed letters which failed to condemn Hamas.
Speaking about the reaction from parts of the left in the US and Europe while on a visit to London, Harari said it was “shocking to hear some of the responses that did not only not condemn Hamas, but placed all responsibility on Israel” and to see “the lack of solidarity with regard to the horrific attacks on Israeli civilians”.
Two Palestinians killed in Israeli raid and drone strike in West Bank, medics say
Israeli forces on an overnight raid in the occupied West Bank came under fire by a group of Palestinians whom the military then targeted with a drone strike, the Israeli military said on Wednesday, and medics said two Palestinians were killed. Reuters reports:
The military said armed Palestinians “fired and hurled explosive devices” at its forces in Jenin refugee camp, in the northern West Bank. The military then struck them with a drone, and “hits were identified”, it added.
The Palestinian Red Crescent ambulance service said two Palestinians were killed, with others injured.
The strike was at least the third use of Israeli air power in the West Bank since violence in the territory surged after Hamas’ Oct. 7 gun rampage in southern Israel.
Jenin refugee camp, a Palestinian militant stronghold, was the focus of a major Israeli military operation earlier this year.
As we look for more details of what’s happening in the city of Jenin right now, here are some of the most recent images that have come to us from the West Bank.
UN secretary general calls for immediate ceasefire in Gaza to end 'epic suffering'
The United Nations’ secretary general has called for an immediate ceasefire to end “epic suffering” in the Gaza Strip after Israeli airstrikes reportedly killed more than 700 people in a single day and hospitals began to shut down for lack of fuel.
António Guterres said the bombardment and blockade of Gaza amounted to the “collective punishment of the Palestinian people” and violated international law, comments that sparked a fierce row with Israel.
“To ease epic suffering, make the delivery of aid easier and safer and facilitate the release of hostages. I reiterate my appeal for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire,” he said.
Guterres said the 7 October attacks by Hamas were “appalling” but did not happen in a vacuum. “The Palestinian people have been subjected to 56 years of suffocating occupation,” he said. “They have seen their land steadily devoured by settlements and plagued by violence; their economy stifled; their people displaced and their homes demolished. Their hopes for a political solution to their plight have been vanishing.”
Israel’s envoy to the UN, Gilad Erdan, called on Guterres to resign immediately, accusing him of being detached from reality. “His comments … constitute a justification for terrorism and murder. It’s sad that a person with such views is the head of an organisation that arose after the Holocaust.”
Israel’s foreign minister, Eli Cohen, cancelled a planned meeting with Gutteres.
Here’s our full report on the day’s events:
Israel carries out drone strike on West Bank city of Jenin
Israel’s military has carried out a drone strike on the West Bank city of Jenin during clashes with armed Palestinians, the Israel Defence Forces has said, according to Reuters.
We’ll bring you more on that when we have more detail.
More than 90 people are reported to have been killed and 1,200 arrested by Israeli forces in the West Bank since 7 October, Bethan McKernan and Sufian Taha reported, amid fears that the occupied Palestinian territory could erupt in a fresh wave of even more violence.
At least eight Palestinian communities have been forced to leave their land in the face of escalating violence from Israeli settlers. In Wadi as-Seeq, near Ramallah, soldiers and settlers detained three Palestinians, stripping them to their underwear before beating them, urinating on them, extinguishing cigarettes on them, and sexually assaulting them. The IDF has opened an investigation.
Here’s a taste from Bethan and Sufian’s report:
In their uncle’s house, next door to the ruins of their demolished home, two young boys from Aqbat Jaber refugee camp in the occupied West Bank were still asleep at midmorning.
A few nights ago, their own bedroom was blown up during an Israel Defence Forces (IDF) operation in the camp on the outskirts of Jericho: it was targeted because the boys’ father, Maher Shalon, has been arrested on suspicion of killing an Israeli settler. A 17-year-old Palestinian was killed during the raid on Friday, six people injured, and two arrested.
After the family home was destroyed, the boys’ mother took their older brother to Bethlehem for medical treatment. The younger children are now being cared for by their uncle, Mansour, and their paternal grandmother, Hamda. According to them, the boys have not gone outside since.
“The Israelis are coming almost every day since 7 October,” said Mansour, 56, referring to the date the Palestinian militant group Hamas broke out of the besieged Gaza Strip, massacring 1,400 Israelis and sparking a new war in which more than 5,700 Palestinians in the coastal exclave have been killed.
Australia has called for humanitarian pauses in hostilities and said “the way Israel exercises its right to defend itself matters,” in a statement by foreign minister Penny Wong. She said:
Innocent Palestinian civilians should not suffer because of the outrages perpetrated by Hamas.
Hamas does not represent the Palestinian people and undermines the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people.
She said the humanitarian situation in Gaza was “dire” and called for “safe, unimpeded and sustained humanitarian access, and safe passage for civilians,” saying the access allowed in recent days was “nowhere near enough”.
She continued:
The way Israel exercises its right to defend itself matters. It matters to civilians throughout the region, and it matters to Israel’s ongoing security.
Australia’s call for humanitarian pauses: pic.twitter.com/zkFc3kJ98n
— Senator Penny Wong (@SenatorWong) October 24, 2023
The Israel Defence Force said early Wednesday its fighter jets had struck military infrastructure and mortar launchers belonging to the Syrian army in response to rocket launches from Syria a day earlier.
More detail from Reuters:
The military said it had identified two rocket launches from Syria that had landed in open areas late on Tuesday, and that it had responded with artillery fire at the sources of the launches.
In a further response, the military said its fighter jets “struck military infrastructure and mortar launchers belonging to the Syrian Army”.
The military did not provide further details. It did not accuse Syria’s army of firing the two rockets, which set off air raid sirens in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights on Tuesday.
There was no immediate comment from Syria.
Israel has traded fire with Lebanon’s Hezbollah and militants in Syria in recent days, a wider conflict over its northern border as it battles Islamist Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip following a deadly attack in Israel.
The Australian government is sending a “significant contingent” of aircraft and supporting troops to the Middle East on standby in the event “this gets worse”, as the death toll from Israel airstrikes passed 5,700.
The acting prime minister and defence minister, Richard Marles, appeared across multiple media outlets on Wednesday morning to announce two additional RAAF planes and support troops were being flown to the Middle East “as a contingency”.
Marles would not say where in the region Australia would base its troops, or how many, but told the ABC a C-17 transporter and a KC-30 tanker would join an existing aircraft on standby, in the event Australians across the wider Middle East needed sudden evacuation.
“We’re not identifying where they will be, but the point of this is to provide support to Australian populations who are in the Middle East, if this gets worse, in essence,” he said.
Here a bit more background from Reuters on the two draft resolutions put forward by the US and Russia and how they came about:
The United States last week vetoed a Brazil-drafted resolution for humanitarian pauses, arguing that time was needed for US-led diplomacy focused on brokering aid access to Gaza on the ground and trying to free hostages held by Hamas.
Twelve members voted in favor of the draft text on Wednesday, while Russia and Britain abstained.
The US then proposed its own draft text on Saturday that initially shocked some council diplomats with its bluntness in stating that Israel has a right to defend itself and demanding Iran stop exporting arms to militant groups in the region.
It did not initially call for any pause or truce. But – responding to growing international pressure – it amended the draft to include a call “for all measures necessary, such as humanitarian pauses” to allow aid access.
The US also toned down the overall draft, removing direct references to Iran and to Israel‘s right to self-defense.
But Russia put forward its own alternative draft resolution on Tuesday after saying it does not support the proposed US action ...Russia last week failed to get the minimum nine votes needed for a draft resolution that called for a humanitarian ceasefire. The draft resolution received five votes in favor and four votes against, along with six abstentions.
The US and Russia have put forward rival plans at the UN to help Palestinian civilians caught in the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza, after previous draft resolutions failed.
Both countries want aid including food, water and medicines to be delivered to Gaza but while Russia is calling for a ceasefire, the US opposes a ceasefire and is only calling for pauses in fighting to allow the aid in.
Reuters has more on the differences between a “pause” and a “ceasefire”, who supports what and what might happen next:
A pause is generally considered less formal and shorter than a ceasefire. While the differences may seem semantic, the US proposal for pauses has grown out of an initial draft given to the 15-member council on Saturday that was staunchly pro-Israel, Washington’s longtime ally.
Russia announced on Tuesday that it could not support the US plan for action and put forward its own text that calls for a ceasefire, an idea backed by Arab states.
A council resolution needs at least nine votes and no vetoes by the United States, France, Britain, Russia or China to be adopted. It was not immediately clear if or when the US and Russian draft resolutions could be put to a vote.
Here are some of the latest images coming through on the wires, taken at al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital in the central Gazan city of Deir Al-Balah:
Child casualties in Gaza a 'growing stain on our collective conscience', Unicef says
Child casualties in Gaza are a “growing stain on our collective conscience”, the UN’s children’s organisation has said, calling for an immediate ceasefire and for all crossings into Gaza to be opened to allow aid in.
Unicef said in a statement that a reported 2,360 children had been killed in Gaza and a reported 5,364 injured due to “unrelenting attacks” since the conflict erupted on 7 October after Hamas’ attack on Israel. It is difficult to verify death tolls from Gaza.
It also noted more than 30 Israeli children reportedly have lost their lives, and dozens remain in captivity within the Gaza Strip. Adele Khodr, Unicef’s regional director for the Middle East and North Africa said:
The killing and maiming of children, abduction of children, attacks on hospitals and schools, and the denial of humanitarian access constitute grave violations of children’s rights.
UNICEF urgently appeals on all parties to agree to a ceasefire, allow humanitarian access and release all hostages. Even wars have rules. Civilians must be protected – children particularly – and all efforts must be made to spare them in all circumstances,
She continued: “The situation in the Gaza Strip is a growing stain on our collective conscience. The rate of death and injuries of children simply staggering.”
This is Helen Livingstone, taking over from my colleague Gloria Oladipo.
Summary of the day so far
It’s just after 2.00 am in Gaza. Here is a summary of the latest developments:
The Health ministry in Gaza reported that at least 704 people have been killed in the past day by Israel air strikes, Associated Press reports. The territory’s health ministry, run by Hamas, said that women and children have died as a result of air strikes hitting residential buildings.
Israel called on UN secretary general António Guterres to resign after Guterres said that the “appalling attacks” by Hamas against Israel on 7 October cannot justify the “collective punishment of the Palestinian people” during a UN security council meeting.
During the security council meeting, Guterres called for an immediate ceasefire and warned that conflict in Gaza could spill out into other areas of the Middle East region.
US secretary of state Antony Blinken said on Tuesday countries should still send humanitarian aid to Palestine, adding that Palestinian civilians “must be protected”.
Jordan’s foreign minister criticized Israel as appearing to be above international law when it comes to the Gaza conflict. Foreign minister Ayman Safadi called out double standards on how leaders are handling Israel’s war “against Palestinians”.
Stay tuned for further updates.
Updated
The credit assessor S&P Global has lowered Israel’s credit outlook from ‘stable’ to ‘negative’, Bloomberg News reports.
S&P’s rating comes after concerns that the ongoing conflict in Gaza could harm Israel’s wider economy. S&P did retain Israel’s rating of AA-, the fourth highest possible rating.
Other credit assessors including Moody’s Investors Service and Fitch have not downgraded Israel’s credit but have placed the country on watch given the ongoing conflict.
Read the full article here (paywall).
Delta airlines said on Tuesday that they will temporarily halt all flights to Israel through 15 November, Reuters reports.
The international airline said the pause in flights to Israel is due to ongoing fighting in the country. Delta added that they would resume some flights beginning 1 November.
This month, United Airlines and American Airlines also announced that they would temporarily halt direct flights to Israel.
Hundreds killed by Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, the territory's health ministry reports
The Health ministry in Gaza reported that hundreds of people have been killed in the past day by Israel air strikes, Associated Press reports.
Israel said on Tuesday that it has launched 400 air strikes across the day, killing Hamas militants and hitting command centers.
But such air strikes have leveled residential buildings, killing civilians.
The Health ministry, which is run by Hamas, said that 704 people have died amid the air attacks, mostly women and children.
Health ministry officials say that hospitals and other facilities have had to close due to bomb damage and a lack of electricity.
The Guardian was not able to independently verify the fatality count in Gaza or that Israel strikes hit Hamas targets and command centers.
Updated
The foreign minister of Jordan criticized Israel as appearing to be above international law when it comes to the Gaza conflict, Reuters reported.
Ayman Safadi, Jordan’s foreign minister, called for an end to “double standards” when it comes to how leaders are handling the crisis.
Safadi added that the international community has a responsibility to end Israel’s war “against Palestinians” in Gaza.
Safadi’s comments come after Queen of Jordan called out a “glaring double standard” in how many people are refusing to condemn Israel’s treatment of Palestinians, during an interview with CNN.
“We’re seeing silence in the world, Queen Rania of Jordan said on Tuesday.
“Countries have stopped just expressing concerns or acknowledging the casualties, but always with a preface of decoration of support for Israel.”
US officials are developing a contingent plan to evacuate Americans from the Middle East in case conflict spreads to the broader region amid fighting in Gaza, Associated Press reports.
White House national security spokesperson John Kirby stressed that there are no “active efforts” to evacuate Americans outside of charter planes flying out of Israel, an effort that began earlier this month.
“It would be imprudent and irresponsible if we didn’t have folks thinking through a broad range of contingencies and possibilities,” Kirby said during the Tuesday update. “And certainly evacuations are one of those things.”
The latest development comes as the US advised Israel that postponing a planned ground invasion in Gaza could aid in securing the release of more than 200 hostages being held by Hamas.
Here’s analysis from the Guardian’s Faisal Ali on comments made by White House national security spokesperson John Kirby.
White House national security spokesperson, John Kirby, struck a different tone from secretary of state, Antony Blinken on Tuesday at a press briefing where he said the time wasn’t right to pursue a general ceasefire with Hamas. Kirby told reporters:
I think you’ve heard us say, a cease fire right now really only benefits Hamas. That’s where we are right now. And I understand the question, but I’m just not going to get ahead of where things are.
Earlier in the day speaking at the UN, Blinken said Palestinian civilians must be protected and that all options, including “humanitarian pauses” could be considered to achieve that end. Kirby however distinguished between a “humanitarian pause” and a ceasefire, warning that the situation in Gaza was “going to be messy and innocent civilians are going to be hurt going forward.”
In a breathtaking admission that more civilians would be killed in this conflict, Kirby said:
I wish that that wasn’t going to happen. But it is. It is going to happen. And that doesn’t make it right. Doesn’t make it dismissible. It doesn’t mean that we aren’t going to still express concerns about that and do everything we can to help the Israelis, do everything they can to minimise it. But that’s unfortunately the nature of conflict.
Updated
Summary of the day so far
It’s just after 10.30 pm in Gaza. Here’s a summary of the developments we’ve been following today in the Israel-Hamas conflict:
Israel has called on UN secretary general António Guterres to resign after Guterres said that the“appalling attacks” by Hamas against Israel on 7 October cannot justify the “collective punishment of the Palestinian people”.
Guterres warned that the situation in the Middle East is getting more dire by the hour. In remarks made at the UN security council meeting Tuesday in New York, Guterres called for an immediate ceasefire and warned that conflict could spill out into other parts of the region.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said countries should still send humanitarian aid to Palestine during remarks made at the UN security council. “We call on all countries” to send humanitarian aid to Gaza, he said. “A civilian is a civilian is a civilian,” Blinken said, adding that Palestinian civilians “must be protected”.
Earlier today, Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari said the military was “ready and determined” for the next stage in the conflict, adding that they are awaiting further political instruction.
Stay tuned for further developments.
Here is an update from the Guardian’s Julian Borger, reporting from Ashkelon, Israel.
The Israeli Defence Forces have said they have stopped an attempt by Hamas divers to come ashore at Zikim, about 10km (six miles) south of where I am in Ashkelon. Local residents in the Zikim and Karmiya kibbutzes, which are just 3km (less than 2 miles) north of the Gaza border, to lock themselves inside their homes while a search was conducted for any Hamas divers who might have managed to come ashore undetected.
“The IDF targeted a terrorist cell attempting to infiltrate Israeli territory; the forces are continuing searches in the area,” an Israeli military statement said. “Israeli naval forces targeted a cell of divers belonging to the Hamas terrorist organization attempting to infiltrate Israeli territory by sea in the area of Kibbutz Zikim.”
A few booms could be heard from Ashkelon, but there is no sign of a military alert here. The town, which has been the target of a lot of rocket fire from Gaza, is mostly deserted following a partial evacuation, and almost all the restaurants, cafes and other businesses in the seaside resort town are closed.
Updated
Joe Biden has had a phone call with the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, about the crisis in the Middle East, the White House has said.
The US president and the crown prince, and their controversially-warming relationship, “affirmed the importance of working towards a sustainable peace between Israelis and Palestinians as soon as the crisis subsides, building on the work that was already under way between Saudi Arabia and the United States over recent months”, the White House said.
And they “discussed ongoing diplomatic and military efforts to deter state and non-state actors from widening the conflict between Israel and Hamas”.
The attacks by Hamas out of Gaza into southern Israel on 7 October are widely believed to have been part of efforts by the Islamist Palestinian group to destabilize improving relations between Arab states and with Israel, which the US had been boosting under both the Trump and Biden administrations, and from which Palestine has been largely excluded, while progress towards a two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians has chiefly been paid only lip service.
Updated
The lack of fuel getting into Gaza is plunging hospitals into dire straits but is also affecting aid agencies, as well of course as ordinary Palestinians struggling underneath the Israeli blockade and bombardment.
The United Nations relief agency for Palestinian refugees, formally the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) has tweeted/posted a desperate message that it will run out of fuel inside Gaza by Wednesday night “forcing us to halt operations and delivery of humanitarian aid to people in need”.
🔺According to Ministry of Health, over 5,000 people have been killed in📍#Gaza since 7 October - including 2,055 children.
— UNRWA (@UNRWA) October 24, 2023
🔺@UNRWA will run out of fuel TOMORROW night - forcing us to halt operations and delivery of humanitarian aid to people in need.https://t.co/CdFUVTHGrO pic.twitter.com/TM4sgX5Msw
The agency posted the following on its website:
Nearly 600,000 internally displaced people are sheltering in 150 UNRWA facilities.
In the middle areas, Khan Younis and Rafah, nearly 430,000 internally displaced people are in 93 UNRWA shelters. This is an increase of 10,000 people only in the past 24 hours.
Since Saturday 21 October, three humanitarian convoys reached Gaza with a total of 54 trucks. UNRWA teams receive those shipments on the Gaza side and help with the storage and distribution in cooperation with other UN agencies. The convoys included some food, drinking water and medicines.
These convoys did not include much-needed fuel. UNRWA will run out of fuel within the next two days, putting at risk the delivery of humanitarian aid to people in need.
Meanwhile, Israel has accused Hamas of stealing fuel from UNRWA, with an Israeli military spokesperson stating in a quick snap on Reuters that:
Petrol that Hamas stoke from UNRWA” should be given to hospitals.
Updated
The Lebanese prime minister, Najib Mikati, has reaffirmed Beirut’s commitment to a UN resolution that ended a 2006 conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, amid border tensions as Israel fights Palestinian militants in Gaza, the AFP reports.
Mikati paid a surprise trip to southern Lebanon on Tuesday, as Israel and the powerful Hezbollah group, a Hamas ally, have been trading near-daily cross-border fire – tit-for-tat attacks that have so far been relatively contained.
He emphasised Lebanon’s commitment to implementing UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 war and which also called for the removal of weapons in southern Lebanon from the hands of everyone except the Lebanese army and other state security forces.
We came to the beloved south … to reaffirm peace-loving Lebanon’s respect for all legitimate international resolutions and its commitment to implementing” resolution 1701, Mikati said, according to a statement.
Mikati and Lebanon’s army commander Joseph Aoun visited troops and the headquarters of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) peacekeeping mission during the trip, the statement from the premier’s media office said.
Since the end of the 2006 conflict, Hezbollah has not had a visible military presence on Lebanon’s southern border, which is patrolled by UNIFIL peacekeepers.
However, experts and reports say Iran-backed Hezbollah, which enjoys broad popular support in the south of Lebanon, has positions, hideouts and tunnels in the area.
Updated
The Palestinian Authority’s foreign minister Riyad al-Maliki, a rival of Hamas, denounced inaction by the UN security council during its meeting in New York earlier today, as the conflict between Israel and Hamas continued to rage in blockaded Gaza.
While senior Israeli government officials raged against UN secretary general António Guterres’s defence of the Palestinian plight as he demanded a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, the Palestinian senior leader also had his say at the UN meeting.
The ongoing massacres being deliberately and systematically and savagely perpetrated by Israel – the occupying power against the Palestinian civilian population under illegal occupation – must be stopped. It is our collective human duty to stop them … Continued failure at this council is inexcusable,” al-Maliki said.
The foreign ministers of Egypt and Saudi Arabia also called for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war that blew up on 7 October with Hamas attacks on southern Israel.
Here is a clip from Riyad al-Maliki’s speech:
Palestine has had non-member observer status at the United Nations since 2012, a decision opposed by the US and Israel.
Updated
The war between Israel and Hamas is deeply dividing members of the UN security council, Agence France-Presse reports.
As the UN secretary general, António Guterres, gave a speech earlier alleging violations of international law in Gaza and urging a ceasefire as Israel pounded the Palestinian territory in response to Hamas attacks, senior Israeli and Arab world figures gave heated responses.
An infuriated Eli Cohen, the Israeli foreign minister, pointed his finger at Guterres at the meeting in New York and raised his voice, recounted graphic accounts of civilians killed on 7 October in the deadliest single attack in Israeli history.
Mr secretary general, in what world do you live?” Cohen asked.
Pointing out that Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005, Cohen said:
We gave the Palestinians Gaza till the last millimetre. There is no dispute in regards to the land of Gaza.”
Israel shortly afterward imposed a blockade of the impoverished territory, in place ever since after Hamas took power.
The Palestinian Authority’s foreign minister, Riyad al-Maliki, a rival of Hamas, denounced inaction by the security council, meanwhile. More detail in the next post.
Here’s a post on X/Twitter from Cohen.
I will not meet with the UN Secretary-General. After the October 7th massacre, there is no place for a balanced approach. Hamas must be erased off the face of the planet!
— אלי כהן | Eli Cohen (@elicoh1) October 24, 2023
Updated
Israel calls on UN chief to resign
Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, has called on UN secretary-general, António Guterres, to resign after his remarks earlier today saying the “appalling attacks” by Hamas inside Israel on 7 October cannot justify the “collective punishment of the Palestinian people”.
Things got pretty aggressive at the UN security council meeting at the UN headquarters in New York a little earlier, after Guterres called for a ceasefire in Israel and Gaza and said that the attacks by Hamas on southern Israel on 7 October didn’t happen “in a vacuum” and followed “56 years of suffocating occupation” for the Palestinian people by Israel.
Erdan posted angrily on X/Twitter, demanding that Guterres resign immediately.
The @UN Secretary-General, who shows understanding for the campaign of mass murder of children, women, and the elderly, is not fit to lead the UN.
— Ambassador Gilad Erdan גלעד ארדן (@giladerdan1) October 24, 2023
I call on him to resign immediately.
There is no justification or point in talking to those who show compassion for the most…
He further posted another furious condemnation of the secretary general, calling him “completely disconnected from the reality in our region and that he views the massacre committed by Nazi Hamas terrorists in a distorted and immoral manner”.
The shocking speech by the @UN Secretary-General at the Security Council meeting, while rockets are being fired at all of Israel, proved conclusively, beyond any doubt, that the Secretary-General is completely disconnected from the reality in our region and that he views the…
— Ambassador Gilad Erdan גלעד ארדן (@giladerdan1) October 24, 2023
Israel’s foreign minister, Eli Cohen, also became angry and heated in the meeting – see next post.
Updated
Middle East situation 'more dire by the hour' – UN chief
The UN secretary general, António Guterres, warned at the UN security council meeting today in New York that the situation in the Middle East was growing more dire by the hour with the risk of the Gaza war spreading through the region increasing as societies splintered and tensions threatened to boil over, the Associated Press reports.
Guterres called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire to deliver desperately needed food, water, medicine and fuel. He appealed
to all to pull back from the brink before the violence claims even more lives and spreads even farther”.
Guterres told the council’s meeting on the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict – which has turned into a major event with ministers from the war’s key parties and a dozen other countries flying to New York – that the rules of war must be obeyed.
The secretary-general said the grievances of the Palestinian people cannot justify “the horrifying and unprecedented October 7 acts of terror” by Hamas in Israel and demanded the immediate release of all hostages.
But Guterres also stressed that “those appalling attacks cannot justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people”.
Without naming Hamas or the Israeli government specifically, Guterres criticised hostage-taking [by Hamas] and unreasonable demands [from Israel] for swift evacuation of Palestinian civilians within Gaza.
The US is pushing for adoption of a resolution that would condemn the Hamas attacks in Israel and violence against civilian and reaffirm Israel’s right to self-defence. There were some expectations that it might be voted on today, but diplomats said it is still being negotiated.
The @UN Charter – which entered into force 78 years ago today – is rooted in a spirit of determination to heal divisions, repair relations & build peace.
— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) October 24, 2023
We are a divided world. We can and must be united nations.#UNDay pic.twitter.com/EJgMLCakDg
Updated
Antony Blinken urged UN member states to use all influence and leverage they have to secure the release of hostages held by militants in Gaza and also called on members to stop others opening another front in the conflict.
“Don’t throw fuel on the fire,” the US secretary of state said at the UN security council meeting moments ago.
Blinken specifically said he would work with China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, to prevent the conflict in the Middle East from spreading when they meet later this week. Wang is due in Washington DC on Thursday.
He also said the US did not seek conflict with Iran, which backs Hezbollah, the anti-Israel group based in Lebanon, to Israel’s north.
But Blinken said that if Iran or its proxies attacked the US in any form “we will defend our people, we will defend our security swiftly and decisively”.
He called for the redoubling of efforts “to build an enduring political solution between Israelis and Palestinians” and said: “It’s precisely in the darkest moments like this” that powers must work the hardest for peace.
Let us not forget that among the more than 1,400 people that Hamas killed on October 7 were citizens from more than 30 UN Member States. The victims included at least 33 American citizens. Every one of us has a stake – and a responsibility – in defeating terrorism.
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) October 24, 2023
Blinken: “The US stands ready to work with anyone ready to forge a more peaceful future for the region.”
Nothing would be a greater victory for Hamas than allowing its brutality to send us down a path of terrorism and nihilism. We must not let it.
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) October 24, 2023
The U.S. stands ready to work with anyone ready to forge a more peaceful future for the region – one its people yearn for and deserve.
Updated
Antony Blinken moments ago spoke at the UN with pleas for the release of the approximately 200 hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza and for all efforts to be made by regional and world powers to not escalate and spread the current conflict.
The US secretary of state also begged for channels to free up to get much more humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians trapped in Gaza under Israeli siege and bombardment.
“We cannot give up on peace,” he told the meeting at the UN headquarters in New York, where the security council is meeting specifically in light of the deepening crisis in Israel and Gaza.
He said the militants of Hamas, the Islamist group that controls Gaza, “must release hostages immediately and unconditionally”.
Hamas took Israeli and international hostages on 7 October after launching its surprise incursion over the Gaza border into southern Israel and killed more than 1,400 people, then taking more than 200 people back into Gaza where, barring the release of four, they have been held since in unknown locations and condition.
Updated
Blinken addresses UN security council meeting
The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, is talking this moment at a meeting of the UN security council at the UN headquarters in New York.
“We call on all countries” to send humanitarian aid to Gaza, he said.
“A civilian is a civilian is a civilian,” Blinken said, and Palestinian civilians “must be protected”.
At the heart of our efforts to save innocent lives in this conflict – and every conflict, for that matter – is our core belief that every civilian life is equally valuable. A civilian is a civilian is a civilian – no matter his or her nationality, ethnicity, age, gender, faith.
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) October 24, 2023
“That means Hamas must cease using them as human shields … and Israel must take precautions. It means food, water, medicine must be able to flow into Gaza and to the people who need it. Civilians must be able to get out of harm’s way,” he said and added that the US had “worked relentlessly” for these goals.
Updated
The al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem is in the sacred compound in the Old City that is known as Temple Mount to Jews and al-Haram al-Sharif to Muslims and is Jerusalem’s holiest site.
Any clashes here – and there have been many over the years, including just this April, during Ramadan and on the eve of Passover – tend to trigger conflict in other disputed territories such as the occupied West Bank as well as Gaza, including prompting the firing of rockets from the Gaza Strip and sometimes Lebanon into Israel.
The grey-domed al-Aqsa mosque is close to the golden-domed Dome of the Rock mosque and to the Western Wall, also known as the Wailing Wall or the Buraq Wall, part of the ancient limestone retaining wall of the hill on which the compound is located.
Updated
The Wafa news agency reports that today in Jerusalem Israeli police shut down access for Muslims to al-Aqsa mosque.
It says: “Authorities tightened entry into the mosque since the morning, where only the elderly were allowed to enter. However, this quickly changed and all worshippers of all ages were denied entry into al-Aqsa mosque, which was an unusual move not taken for months.”
It reports that Jewish residents wishing to pray within the compound were allowed entry, “in violation of the status quo”, which has been that the compound is only available for Muslim worship.
Updated
The UN secretary general, António Guterres, has called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, saying the “appalling attacks” by Hamas inside Israel on 7 October cannot justify the “collective punishment of the Palestinian people” and that “no party to an armed conflict is above international humanitarian law”.
He said at the UN in New York that he was “deeply concerned about the clear violations of international humanitarian law that we are witnessing in Gaza”, adding: “Our UN fuel supplies in Gaza will run out in a matter of days. That would be another disaster. To ease epic suffering, make the delivery of aid easier and safer and facilitate the release of hostages, I reiterate my appeal for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire.”
Guterres said the 7 October attacks did not happen “in a vacuum”, and that “the Palestinian people have been subjected to 56 years of suffocating occupation. They have seen their land steadily devoured by settlements, plagued by violence, their economy stifled, their people displaced and their homes demolished. Their hopes for a political solution to their plight have been vanishing.”
He said: “At a crucial moment like this, it is vital to be clear on principles – starting with the fundamental principle of respecting and protecting civilians.”
Updated
The Palestinian health minister, Mai al-Kaila, said on Tuesday that three hospitals in the Gaza Strip were out of action because they had run out of fuel to run their electricity generators.
Reuters reports that Kaila said in a press conference in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank that there was an urgent need to establish a safe corridor to move injured and critically ill people to get treatment in Egyptian hospitals.
Updated
The Israel Defence Forces chief of staff, Lt Gen Herzi Halevi, has spoken to the media near the Gaza border, saying that Israel’s armed forces are prepared and that the Hamas leadership will pay for its murderous assault on Israel on 7 October.
Israeli media quotes Halevi as saying:
Israel is in the midst of a war that was launched by the Hamas terror group. It already regrets it.
We’ve prepared for this. The IDF is ready for the manoeuvre, and we will make a decision with the political echelon regarding the shape and timing of the next stage.
We are making use of every minute to be even more prepared. And every minute that passes on the other side, we strike the enemy even more. Killing terrorists, destroying infrastructure, collecting more intelligence for the next stage.
This is our state, our house, and we will defend it by every means.
This war has one address: the Hamas leadership and all those who acted under its command. They will pay the price for what they did.
The IDF is fighting Hamas, it is not fighting Gaza’s populace. The IDF wants the residents of Gaza to come through this war as unharmed as possible. Every resident of Gaza should take the responsible decision for the sake of their lives.
The Israeli military has ordered residents of the Gaza Strip to evacuate south of the Wadi Gaza, the river that divides Gaza roughly into north and south. Despite that order, Israel has also launched aerial bombardments of Rafah and Khan Younis and other locations south of the Wadi Gaza.
Updated
A Hamas official, Osama Hamdan, urged Arab, Islamic countries and the UN to try to halt Israel’s assault on Gaza, in a press conference held in Beirut on Tuesday.
Hamdan also called on Arab countries to end any normalisation of diplomatic relations with Israel, Reuters reports.
The official called for humanitarian aid crossings to be opened, allowing fuel, aid and rubble removal equipment into Gaza.
The Hamas-led health ministry in Gaza has said more than 5,700 Palestinians have been killed since Israel began its latest campaign of airstrikes on Gaza Strip on 7 October. More than 2,000 of those killed are reported to be children. Israel launched the strikes after Hamas mounted an attack inside Israel that lead to the deaths of more than 1,300 Israelis, including at a music festival.
Updated
Google is disabling live traffic conditions in Israel and Gaza on its Maps and Waze apps as a safety precaution amid the Gaza war.
“As we have done previously in conflict situations and in response to the evolving situation in the region, we have temporarily disabled the ability to see live traffic conditions and busyness information out of consideration for the safety of local communities,” a Google spokesperson said in a statement first reported by Bloomberg.
Updated
Erdoğan: 'savagery' towards Palestinian lands deepening, and western silence exacerbating Gaza humanitarian crisis
Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has told Vladimir Putin that the “savagery” towards Palestinian lands is deepening.
In a call with his Russian counterpart, Erdoğan said western countries’ silence was exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and that civilians were constantly being killed. The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry has put the death toll at 700 in the last 24 hours.
Reuters reports that a statement from Erdoğan’s office repeated earlier comments that Ankara would continue working to achieve calm in the region. Turkey was one of the first countries to try to send aid into Gaza via Egypt after the conflict broke out.
Updated
The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, has posted on social media that he is in New York for a UN security council meeting. He said he would “reaffirm Israel’s right to defend itself and discuss work to secure the release of hostages, prevent the conflict from spreading, and enhance humanitarian support for Gaza.”
Updated
Reuters has a quick snap that the prime minister of the Czech Republic, Petr Fiala, and the Austrian chancellor, Karl Nehammer, will visit Israel on Wednesday.
The Czech government said the aim of the visit was to discuss support for Israel and coordinate ahead of the next EU summit.
Some analysts have suggested that the procession of diplomatic visits to Israel is one factor in delaying what it is expected to be a significant Israeli ground incursion into Gaza.
Updated
Here are some of the latest images to be sent to us over the news wires from Gaza, Israel and beyond …
Updated
Summary of the day so far …
It has just gone 4.15pm in Gaza City and in Tel Aviv. Here is a summary of the latest developments:
The Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari said the military was “ready and determined” for the next stage in the war and was awaiting political instruction. In a social media post, the Israel Defence Forces claimed to have struck more than 400 targets in the past 24 hours in what was described as “a wide-scale operation to dismantle Hamas’ terrorist capabilities”.
At least 5,791 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza since 7 October, according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry. It said the number included 2,360 children, and it said 704 Palestinians had been killed in the previous 24 hours. A spokesperson for the ministry, Ashraf al-Qidra, said they had received 1,550 reports of missing people, including 870 children, and suggested that those missing could still be under the rubble of collapsed buildings. The claims have not been independently verified.
Hamas released two more hostages from Gaza yesterday on “humanitarian and poor health grounds”. Nurit Cooper, also known as Nurit Yitzhak, 79, and Yocheved Lifshitz, 85, were kidnapped along with their husbands from the Nir Oz kibbutz near the Gaza border on 7 October.
Lifshitz described her ordeal at a press conference in a Tel Aviv hospital. The 85-year-old told reporters she had “been through hell” after being captured by Hamas fighters on motorbikes and beaten with sticks and forced to walk. She went on to describe conditions in the tunnels where she had been held, where she said she said people treated her “gently” and “looked after our needs”. The captives were fed and they slept on mattresses. She said there were doctors and paramedics there to tend to wounds. She was critical of Israel’s military for not taking the threat of Hamas seriously enough before the attack.
On Monday, Israel said it had established that there were 222 hostages being held in Gaza by Hamas. The IDF said on Tuesday it was attempting to contact residents in Gaza to offer them “a better future for you and your child” by providing information “regarding the abductees in your area”.
In a joint media appearance with the French president, Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, threatened “horrible consequences” for Hezbollah in Lebanon if it decided to join the war in a meaningful way.
Emmanuel Macron called for the release of hostages and said terrorism was a common enemy of Israel and France. He said terrorism must be fought without mercy but with rules.
Netanyahu said Hamas must be destroyed and warned that the war may take some time. He said that after it was finished, nobody would live “under Hamas tyranny”.
Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog, has described the 7 October Hamas attack as “one of the worst atrocities of modern times”, and accused Hezbollah in Lebanon of “playing with fire” in Israel’s north. He accused Iran of stoking tension between Hezbollah and Israel.
About 1.4 million of Gaza’s 2.3 million-strong population is now displaced, the UN’s humanitarian agency OCHA has said in its latest update, and the shortage of clean drinking water as well as overcrowding has become a “major concern”. Doctors in Gaza say patients arriving at hospitals are showing signs of disease caused by overcrowding and poor sanitation.
Tamara Alrifai, of the UN Palestine refugee relief agency UNRWA, has described the aid delivered to the Gaza Strip as a drop in the ocean. Just 54 trucks with relief supplies are reported to have crossed into Gaza since Saturday. Alrifai said urgently needed fuel was not supplied, and that some of the aid sent in – rice and lentils – was useless because people did not have clean water or fuel to cook them.
Overnight the UNRWA confirmed that another six of its staff had been killed in Gaza, bringing the total killed since 7 October to 35. It said 40 UNRWA installations had been damaged so far by Israeli airstrikes.
Israel’s air force said it killed someone in Lebanon who was trying to launch a rocket into northern Israel.
The UK said 12 British people were killed on 7 October in Israel and five remained unaccounted for. British-Israeli families of those thought to be held hostage held a press briefing at the Israeli embassy in London. People also took part in a vigil for children killed in Gaza in central London.
Updated
The family of Ditza Heiman, an 84-year-old former social worker who was kidnapped from the Nir Oz kibbutz, welcomed news of the release of Heiman’s neighbours Yocheved Lifshitz and Nurit Cooper.
“We are delighted that Yocheved and Nurit have been reunited with their families,” said a spokesperson for Heiman’s family, using an alternative spelling of Lifshitz’s first name. “It is our deep longing for this to also happen with Ditza. Last night’s release of Ditza’s longtime neighbours shows that there is a pathway that can enable the release of hostages.”
The spokesperson urged all national and international parties to ensure that the release of all the hostages remained a key priority, and added that the Red Cross also needed to be allowed to check on the captives’ wellbeing.
“Ditza is a person who always shows kindness, love and compassion for others,” they said. “We now wish for her to now receive this in return at a time when she so desperately needs it. Whilst Ditza is extraordinarily strong in mind, she is no longer so strong in body. She is 84 years old and requires regular medication. With each passing day, our deep concern for her welfare further intensifies.”
Updated
Doctors in Gaza say patients arriving at hospitals are showing signs of disease caused by overcrowding and poor sanitation. Nahed Abu Taaema, a public health doctor at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis, spoke to Reuters and cited “the crowding of civilians and the fact that most schools used as shelters are housing lots of people, it’s a prime breeding ground for disease to spread.”
In the temporary shelters where displaced Palestinians are crowding with their families hoping for safety from Israeli bombs, people are starting to suffer from stomach complaints, lung infections and rashes, said Abu Taaema.
One woman staying at a UN shelter, Sojood Najm, told Reuters: “It’s hot in the tent under the midday sun and there are insects and flies. At night it’s cold and there aren’t enough blankets for everyone. The children are all sick. Some are coughing, some have runny noses, some have fevers at night.”
Updated
A spokesperson for the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry, Ashraf al-Qidra, has said they have received 1,550 reports of missing people, including 870 children, and suggested that those missing could still be under the rubble of collapsed buildings.
Qidra also addressed the health crisis in the Gaza Strip, saying: “The health ministry announces a total collapse of hospitals in Gaza Strip.”
AP reports that the World Health Organization said 12 hospitals out of a total of 35 in Gaza were not functioning as of Monday. It said 46 out of 72 healthcare facilities across Gaza, or 64%, were not operating, mostly in Gaza City and northern Gaza.
Updated
The IDF reports on social media that warning sirens are sounding across central Israel.
Al Jazeera reports that Tamara Alrifai of the UN Palestine refugee relief agency UNRWA has described the aid delivered to the Gaza Strip as a drop in the ocean.
Just 54 trucks with relief supplies are reported to have crossed into Gaza since Saturday. Alrifai said urgently needed fuel was not supplied, and that some of the aid sent in – rice and lentils – was useless because people did not have clean water or fuel to cook them.
Earlier, UNRWA posted on social media: “An unprecedented catastrophe is unfolding before our eyes. Gaza is being strangled and the world seems to have lost its humanity.”
Updated
The latest piece in our diary series from inside Gaza has just been published, written by Ziad, a 35-year-old Palestinian. Here is an excerpt:
I am terrified, not because of what is happening around us, but because I am getting used to it. My lost appetite is coming back to me. Now, under the bombing, I think about what we will have for lunch.
I am thinking about what to do tomorrow and the day after tomorrow and after a week, considering my current situation to be the only situation there is. I am used to the lack of privacy, the lack of high hygiene standards, the lack of movement and the lack of feeling safe.
What is going on? Is the abnormal becoming the normal? Is that all it takes? Two weeks of misery and I start getting used to it? It is like getting used to living in darkness and forgetting about all the other colours. Can’t I think of one colour to look forward to seeing?
You can read the full diary entry from Ziad here: Gaza diary part eight – ‘I am terrified that I’m getting used to what is happening’
Here is a video report from the press conference in a Tel Aviv hospital where Yocheved Lifshitz described her ordeal of being captured by Hamas. Speaking in Hebrew, which her daughter translated in English, Lifshitz told reporters she had “been through hell” after being captured by Hamas fighters on motorbikes and beaten with sticks and forced to walk. She went on to describe conditions in the tunnels where she was held, where she was treated “more gently”.
Updated
Reuters has a quick snap that the UK prime minister’s office has revised the number of British nationals known to have been caught up in the Hamas attack inside Israel on 7 October. The figures are now put at 12 people killed and five missing.
Family members of those believed to be kidnapped held a press briefing at the Israeli embassy in London earlier.
Updated
Death toll in Gaza from Israeli airstrikes rises to 5,791 Palestinians according to Hamas-run health ministry
At least 5,791 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza since 7 October, according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry.
It said the number included 2,360 children, and it said 704 Palestinians had been killed in the previous 24 hours alone, Reuters reports.
The claims have not been independently verified.
Updated
The Israel Defence Forces spokesperson Daniel Hagari has posted to social media to say Israel is attempting to contact residents in Gaza in order for them to provide information about the location of hostages held by Hamas.
He said the message being delivered was: “If you want a better future for you and your child, take action and give us as soon as possible solid and useful information regarding the abductees in your area. The Israeli army assures you that it will put forth maximum effort to provide you with security and your home, as well as a monetary reward. We guarantee you complete confidentiality.”
Updated
Israel’s air force has said it killed someone in Lebanon who was trying to launch a rocket into northern Israel.
Updated
It has been a very busy day for press conferences. As well as Emmanuel Macron’s media appearances with first Isaac Herzog and then Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, we have heard from the released hostage Yocheved Lifshitz in Tel Aviv. There is also currently a press briefing at the Israeli embassy in London with family members of British-Israeli kidnap victims. I am monitoring that and will bring you any key lines that emerge.
Updated
Benjamin Netanyahu says “everyone will be in danger” if Hamas wins. He describes it as being part of an axis of evil trying to drag civilisation back to the middle ages. He says it is a battle for the heart and soul of the Middle East and the Arab world. “We must have a decisive victory against Hamas”, he says.
He threatens “horrible consequences” for Hezbollah in Lebanon if it decides to join the war in a meaningful way.
Updated
Emmanuel Macron has said the international community has to avoid escalation of the conflict in the region. He specifically calls on Hezbollah and Iran to act responsibly. He says he proposes that the coalition that fought against Islamic State should fight against Hamas.
Updated
Emmanuel Macron has said in Jerusalem that Israel and France are united by the same grief, and called again for the release of all hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. He said terrorism was a common enemy of Israel and France. He said terrorism must be fought without mercy, but with rules.
Updated
Benjamin Netanyahu has said in a press briefing alongside Emmanuel Macron that Hamas must be destroyed, and warned that the war may take some time. He said that after it is finished, nobody will live any more “under Hamas tyranny”.
Updated
The French president, Emmanuel Macron, and the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, are giving a joint press briefing at the moment. I’ll bring you any key lines that emerge.
Updated
Here are some of the latest images sent to us over the news wires from Gaza, Israel and beyond.
Updated
Al Jazeera is carrying an update from Foad Najem, the general manager of el-Wafa hospital in Gaza City. Najem said the hospital entrance and surrounding areas were targeted in an Israeli airstrike for which no prior warning was given. He said they could not evacuate the hospital because most of the patients were in a coma, and they had more patients than they had capacity for.
Updated
Here is how Yocheved Lifshitz appeared outside Ichilov hospital in Tel Aviv for her media appearance.
Yocheved Lifschitz has described her ordeal of being captured by Hamas, at a press conference in a Tel Aviv hospital. She is one of two women returned by Hamas yesterday, the third and fourth of the hostages to be freed. Israel said on Monday morning that Hamas was holding 222 people in Gaza.
Lifschitz spoke in Hebrew, with her daughter translating for the benefit of English-speaking media.
She said she had been through hell after being captured by Hamas fighters on motorbikes, and at one point had been beaten with sticks and forced to walk.
However, she described conditions within the tunnels she was taken to very differently, saying that people there treated her “gently” and “looked after our needs”. The captives were fed and they slept on mattresses. She said there were doctors and paramedics there to tend to wounds.
She was critical of Israel’s military for not taking the threat of Hamas seriously enough before the attack.
Updated
Yocheved Lifschitz, who was released by Hamas, has said the story of the hostages will not be over until everybody is back home. The press conference is quite chaotic, with Lifschitz’s daughter translating into English after her mother speaks in Hebrew, and lots of journalists shouting questions over the top of each other.
Updated
Yocheved Lifschitz has been giving a press conference in Tel Aviv. You can watch it live at the top of the page. You may need to refresh the page for the play button to appear.
Summary of the day so far …
It is approaching noon in Gaza City and in Tel Aviv. Here is a summary of the latest developments in the Israel-Hamas war …
The Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari said on Tuesday that the military was “ready and determined” for the next stage in the war and was awaiting political instruction. In a social media post, the Israel Defence Forces claimed to have struck more than 400 targets in the past 24 hours in what was described as “a wide-scale operation to dismantle Hamas’ terrorist capabilities”.
Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog, has described the 7 October Hamas attack as “one of the worst atrocities of modern times”, and accused Hezbollah in Lebanon of “playing with fire” in Israel’s north. He accused Iran of stoking tension between Hezbollah and Israel, and said: “I want to make clear we are not looking for a confrontation in our northern border or with anyone else. We are focused on destroying Hamas infrastructure, and bringing our citizens back home. But if Hezbollah will drag us into war, it should be clear that Lebanon will pay the price.”
Addressing the media during a visit to Israel, Emmanuel Macron said the attack on 7 October was an “immense shock”. He said France supported Israel “today, tomorrow and the day after”, saying the victims of the Hamas attack “were killed just because they were Jewish”. He said it was a duty of France to fight against terrorist groups.
Hamas released two more hostages from Gaza on “humanitarian and poor health grounds”. Nurit Cooper, also known as Nurit Yitzhak, 79, and Yocheved Lifschitz, 85, who were kidnapped along with their husbands from the Nir Oz kibbutz near the Gaza border on 7 October, are now in the care of the Israeli military, the office of the Israeli prime minister confirmed.
About 1.4 million of Gaza’s 2.3 million-strong population is now displaced, the UN’s humanitarian agency OCHA has said in its latest update, and the shortage of clean drinking water as well as overcrowding has become a “major concern”.
Overnight the UN agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) confirmed that another six of its staff had been killed in Gaza, bringing the total killed since 7 October to 35. It said 40 UNRWA installations had been damaged so far by Israeli airstrikes.
In the UK, the junior minister Victoria Atkins told Sky News that the government believes six British nationals are being held hostage by Hamas, cautioning: “It’s a very fast-moving situation and that figure may or may not change.”
Germany’s antisemitism commissioner has condemned the recent increase in anti-Jewish violence in the country, warning that it risks transporting Germany back to its “most horrific times”. In an interview with the Guardian, Felix Klein said he was also worried about an erosion of basic rights as officials sought to crack down on expressions of support for the Palestinian people.
Updated
Israel has issued still images of the returned hostage Yocheved Lifshitz at a hospital in Tel Aviv.
In the UK, her daughter, Sharone Lifschitz told the BBC: “She is very sharp and is very keen to share the information, pass on the information to families of other hostages she was with.”
She said she and her mother still dreamed of peace with Palestinians, arguing: “We have to find ways because there is no alternative. If anything, it makes me even more resolved. The way has got longer – we are dealing with grief and loss on a level we can never get over, but as nations we will have to find a way forward.”
Lifschitz said her father, who is still missing, had been “very involved” in campaigning for the rights of Palestinians and for peace. “I hope he is being looked after and has the chance to talk. He speaks good Arabic, so he can communicate very well with the people there,” she said. “My mum said they had been looked after and there was a doctor there, so this gives a lot of comfort to everybody.”
Updated
Here is a video report on the two hostages released by Hamas.
Here are some of the latest images sent to us over the news wires from Gaza and Israel.
Spokesperson: Israeli army 'ready and determined' but awaiting political instruction for next stage of war
The Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari said on Tuesday that the military was “ready and determined” for the next stage in the war and was awaiting political instruction.
Reuters reports that he said Israel was learning from US experience in the Middle East but “our war is on our borders, not thousands of miles from Israel”, and he added that he was expecting weeks of fighting ahead.
Hagari said Egypt was playing a key role in negotiations for the release of hostages from Gaza, which he said was a top priority for Israel.
Updated
Addressing the media in English during his visit to Israel, Emmanuel Macron said the attack on 7 October was an “immense shock” for the whole planet, “especially in France”.
“I do share your view that the first objective we should have today is the release of all hostages without any hesitation,” he told Israel’s president, and he accused Hamas of playing with lives.
He said he wanted Israel to be sure that it was not alone in the fight against terrorism. He described it as a “duty” to fight against terrorist groups. He said “targeted operations” were a necessity.
Macron said: “We will do whatever we can to restore peace, security and stability for your country and the whole region. What happened will never be forgotten, for sure. And we will be here today, tomorrow and the day after for peace and stability. Because these people were killed just because they were Jewish, and they wanted to live in peace.”
Updated
Herzog: Hezbollah 'playing with fire' and if it attacks Israel, 'Lebanon will pay the price'
Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog, has described the 7 October Hamas attack as “one of the worst atrocities of modern times”, and accused Hezbollah in Lebanon of “playing with fire” in Israel’s north.
In a joint media appearance with Emmanuel Macron, Herzog said he was worried by the rise of antisemitism around the world, including in France, and said the international community needed to take firm action.
He described the situation in Israel’s war with Hamas as “extremely complicated and fragile”, saying Israel demanded the “immediate release of all of our citizens abducted and hijacked”.
He said Israel did not make a distinction between those being held by Hamas with Israeli passports and “anyone who holds another citizenship”.
“They are all one,” he said, “and for us we want them back immediately.”
He accused Iran of stoking tension between Hezbollah and Israel, and said:
I want to make clear we are not looking for a confrontation in our northern border or with anyone else. We are focused on destroying Hamas infrastructure, and bringing our citizens back home. But if Hezbollah will drag us into war, it should be clear that Lebanon will pay the price.
Updated
The French president, Emmanuel Macron, and the Israeli president, Isaac Herzog, are expected to make a joint media appearance shortly. I’ll bring you any key lines that emerge.
Earlier, Macron posted to social media to say: “We are linked to Israel through mourning. Thirty of our compatriots were murdered on 7 October. Nine others are still missing or held hostage.”
Nous sommes liés à Israël par le deuil.
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) October 24, 2023
Trente de nos compatriotes ont été assassinés le 7 octobre. Neuf autres sont encore portés disparus ou retenus en otage.
À Tel-Aviv, auprès de leurs familles, j'ai exprimé la solidarité de la Nation. pic.twitter.com/d62qT7e8US
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Six British nationals suspected to be among hostages
In the UK, the junior minister Victoria Atkins has told Sky News that the government believes six British nationals are being held hostage by Hamas in Gaza.
The financial secretary to the Treasury said:
It’s a very, very fast-moving situation but the latest figure I’ve been given is that there are suspected to be six British nationals. They are our absolute priority. We understand … that they are hostages.
I do acknowledge that it’s a very fast-moving situation and that figure may or may not change, and I know how difficult that must be for the families and the friends at home here in the UK who are grappling with incredible worry and concern about their loved ones.
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Rushdi Abualouf is in Khan Younis in Gaza for the BBC, and he reports “intense airstrikes overnight”, saying: “This is the area where Israel asked 1.2 million people to come. They said it’s safer to be south, but every night there are airstrikes in this area.”
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Overnight the UN agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) confirmed that another six of its staff had been killed in Gaza, bringing the total killed since 7 October to 35. It said 40 UNRWA installations had been damaged so far by Israeli airstrikes.
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The health ministry in Israel has given a new set of casualty figures, with Haaretz reporting that 278 people are hospitalised still with injuries after the Hamas attack, of whom 40 are in serious condition, 164 are in moderate condition and 74 are in mild condition.
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Reuters reports Qatar’s ruling emir has said Israel should not be given a green light for unconditional killing.
Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, in his annual speech to open the Gulf Arab state’s advisory Shura council, said the fighting between Israel and Hamas was a dangerous escalation that threatened the region and the world.
In a social media post, the Israel Defence Forces claim to have struck “over 400 terrorist targets in the past 24 hours” in what is described as “a wide-scale operation to dismantle Hamas’ terrorist capabilities”.
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At least 10 British nationals have been killed in the conflict between Israel and Hamas, and a further six remain missing, the junior minister Victoria Atkins told Times Radio on Tuesday, Reuters reports.
Overnight, the UK Foreign Office said it would “continue to work tirelessly” on securing the release of more hostages after a British citizen confirmed that her mother, Yocheved Lifshitz, was one of the hostages returned by Hamas.
This is Martin Belam taking over the live blog in London. You can contact me at martin.belam@theguardian.com.
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Yocheved Lifshitz, 85, one of the hostages released by Hamas on Monday, has recounted being bundled onto the back of a motorbike and stolen away to Gaza. According to AFP, she told local media:
They loaded me on a motorcycle sideways so I wouldn’t fall, with one terrorist holding me from the front and the other from behind.
They crossed the border fence into the Gaza Strip, and at first they held me in the town of Abesan, which is near Be’eri. After that, I don’t know where I was taken.
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Israel’s Shin Bet security service and the police force have released footage from the interrogation of six Hamas militants captured during the 7 October attack on Israel, the Jerusalem Post reported.
All had been given explicit instructions to kill and kidnap civilians including the elderly along with women and children, the Israeli intelligence services said.
One of the men told his interrogators that they had been told “whoever brings a hostage back [to Gaza] gets $10,000 and an apartment.”
About 1.4 million of Gaza’s 2.3 million-strong population is now displaced, the UN’s humanitarian agency OCHA has said in its latest update, and the shortage of clean drinking water as well as overcrowding has become a “major concern”.
It said that in many shelters designed to accommodate 1,500-2,000 people there were now 4,400 and that overcrowding and shortages had triggered tensions, as well as gender-based violence. It said:
To ensure a safer environment, at night, women and children remain in the classrooms, while men and adolescent boys stay outdoors in the schoolyard.
It also said anecdotal evidence suggested that hundreds and possibly thousands of people were returning north, despite Israeli demands that people move south, “due to continuous bombardments in the south, and the inability to find adequate shelter”.
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Emmanuel Macron was met on his arrival in Israel by Israeli-French nationals who lost loved ones in the Hamas attack of 7 October, as well as the families of hostages.
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The French president, Emmanuel Macron, has arrived at Israel’s Ben Gurion airport:
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The US has advised Israel to hold off on a ground assault in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip and is keeping Qatar – a broker with the Palestinian militants – apprised of those talks, sources have told Reuters.
Echoing reports in other media including the New York Times, the newswire reported:
After Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October and killed some 1,400 people, the United States stood by its ally and stressed that Israel has the right to defend itself. It has also publicly stressed that Israel will decide its own timetable for retaliation.
But the White House, Pentagon and State Department have now stepped up private appeals for caution in conversations with the Israelis, two sources familiar with discussions said, as Israel’s blockade of Gaza worsens a humanitarian crisis and the death toll from its bombardment of the enclave passes 5,000.
A US priority is to allow more time for negotiations on the release of hostages taken by Hamas on 7 October, sources said, particularly after the unexpected release of two Americans on Friday. Hamas said it released two more hostages on Monday ...
One US official said the administration, mindful of Doha’s role as an intermediary with Hamas, was keeping Qatari officials informed of its advice to Israel so that they are fully up-to-speed as hostage negotiations continue.
European climate activists have staged protests and posted messages in support of Palestinians, prompting an online backlash and raising internal questions within the environmental movement.
Dutch authorities detained 19 activists from Extinction Rebellion on Monday after they occupied the entrance to the international criminal court and claimed Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, had committed “war crimes” and presided over an “apartheid regime” – charges that the Israeli government denies.
The protesters demanded the Dutch government stop military cooperation with Israel. The group said they also speak out “against the rising antisemitism we are now seeing worldwide”.
Three days earlier, the Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg drew criticism from Israel for a social media post in support of Palestine.
Israeli siege of Gaza risks backfiring, Obama says
Israel’s siege and bombardment of Gaza following the Hamas attack of 7 October risks backfiring and ultimately undermining long-term efforts to achieve peace and stability in the region, Barack Obama has said.
“Even as we support Israel, we should also be clear that how Israel prosecutes this fight against Hamas matters,” the former US president said in a statement that also emphasised Israel’s “right to defend its citizens against such wanton violence”. He continued:
The world is watching closely as events in the region unfold, and any Israeli military strategy that ignores the human costs could ultimately backfire.
Thousands of Palestinians, including many children, had already been killed by Israeli strikes on Gaza, while hundreds of thousands had been forced from their homes, Obama wrote.
The Israeli government’s decision to cut off food, water and electricity to a captive civilian population threatens not only to worsen a growing humanitarian crisis; it could further harden Palestinian attitudes for generations, erode global support for Israel, play into the hands of Israel’s enemies, and undermine long term efforts to achieve peace and stability in the region.
It was a rare foreign policy intervention for Obama and it was not clear if the statement was coordinated with the Biden administration.
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Germany’s antisemitism commissioner has condemned the country’s recent increase in anti-Jewish violence, warning that it risks transporting the country back to its “most horrific times”.
In an interview with the Guardian, however, Felix Klein said he was also worried about an erosion of basic rights as officials sought to crack down on expressions of support for the Palestinian people.
The remarks tap into a debate that has played out across Europe, and in particular in Germany and France – home to the EU’s largest Jewish and Muslim communities – as officials scramble to contain the spillover of tensions sparked by the Israel-Hamas war.
Klein, who became Germany’s first federal commissioner tasked with battling antisemitism in 2018, said many in the country were worried that the situation would continue to deteriorate.
Images have been coming in from Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza strip, where Israel has been carrying out airstrikes overnight:
Yocheved Lifshitz has been praised by her grandson as a “hero” after she was released by Hamas and returned from Gaza to Israel.
“She is talking, she can walk, she can hug her grandchildren, which [we] are very happy from that,” Daniel Lifshitz told CNN after meeting his grandmother in Tel Aviv. “We couldn’t imagine that it will happen.”
“Meeting my grandmother here was – I was thinking that I would never see her again,” Daniel Lifshitz said. “She’s a hero. She has so much courage. She’s so strong. She’s sick, and she suffered walks in tunnels.”
Yocheved Lifshitz’s husband is still being held by Hamas.
Daniel Lifshitz said “now my grandmother is back but still now I’m more afraid about my grandfather that he’s still there, and still no men being released.”
French President Emmanuel Macron is set to visit Israel on Tuesday for talks with prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as the diplomatic effort by global leaders to show solidarity with Israel while urging it to show restraint in its bombardment of Gaza continues.
Macron follows on the heels of Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte, who visited Israel on Monday, as well as US President Joe Biden, German chancellor Olaf Scholz and British prime minister Rishi Sunak.
Macron is also set to meet with President Isaac Herzog, as well as members of the Israeli war cabinet and opposition leaders, before travelling to Ramallah where he will meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, according to Israeli newspaper Haaretz.
Biden urges Netanyahu to maintain 'flow of urgently needed' aid to Gaza
Joe Biden has “underscored the need to sustain a continuous flow of urgently needed humanitarian assistance into Gaza” in a phone call with the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, the White House has said.
The phone call came after a third aid convoy, of 20 trucks, was allowed into Gaza via the Rafah border crossing with Egypt. However, the UN warned that fuel was not included and reserves would run out within the next two days.
Gaza residents are already struggling to find clean water and the lack of fuel means the strip’s water desalination plants, on which it is heavily reliant, as well as bakeries and hospitals, will cease to function.
UN officials say about 100 aid trucks would be needed daily to meet essential needs in Gaza, which is home to 2.3 million people. Some 1.4 million of those are now homeless.
In their phone call, Biden also updated Netanyahu on US support for Israel and “ongoing efforts at regional deterrence, to include new US military deployments”, the White House statement said.
The president also welcomed the release of two hostages from Gaza and reaffirmed his commitment to securing the release of the remaining hostages as well as safe passage for US citizens and other civilians in Gaza.
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Hamas releases video showing release of hostages
The military wing of Hamas have released a video showing the release of Israeli hostages Yocheved Lifshitz and Nurit Yitzhak, who also goes by the name Nurit Cooper.
The video shows masked men escorting the two women as they are met by representatives of the Red Cross. At one point, Lifshitz – who is 85 – turns to shake the hand of one of the Hamas fighters.
The Palestinian militants said they released both women on health grounds, after taking them and more than 200 others hostage during the 7 October rampage in Israel in which the militants killed 1,400 people.
Lifshitz and her 83-year-old husband, Oded, were kidnapped from their home at the Nir Oz kibbutz, close to the border with Gaza in southern Israel, the Israeli prime minister’s office said late on Monday. Oded remains captive, it added.
Lifshitz is a peace activist who together with her husband helped sick Palestinians in Gaza get to hospital for years, her grandson told Reuters.
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Opening summary
Hello and welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage of the conflict between Israel and Hamas with me, Helen Livingstone.
US President Joe Biden has urged Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to maintain “a continuous flow of urgently needed humanitarian assistance into Gaza” in a phone call, the White House has said.
The comments came after Israel intensified its bombardment of the enclave, killing hundreds of Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. A third convoy of aid trucks was allowed into Gaza on Monday, although the UN said it was far below the threshold required to meet essential needs.
Biden also welcome the unilateral release of two hostages by Hamas on “humanitarian and poor health grounds”. Two Israeli women, Nurit Yitzhak (also known as Nurit Cooper), 79, and Yocheved Lifschitz, 85, were transported by the Red Cross to Gaza’s Rafah border crossing with Israel, then taken for medical care and a reunion with their families in Tel Aviv.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) earlier said it believed Hamas was still holding 222 hostages in Gaza.
In other developments:
Reports from Israel suggested that the release of about 50 hostages held by Hamas could be imminent. The Tel Aviv news channel I24 reported “sources within Gaza” as saying “the finalization of a potential deal” brokered by Qatar was under way for the release of about 50 abductees who hold dual citizenship. Officials of Red Cross are believed to on their way to receive the group, I24 said, and the release could be concluded “in the hours ahead” if there are no obstacles.
The Biden administration does not believe the time is right for a ceasefire in Gaza, according to John Kirby, strategic communications coordinator for the national security council. Speaking to CNN, he said the US position was that all hostages held by Hamas in Gaza must be released first, echoing comments made by President Joe Biden earlier.
There were reports of an Israeli strike on Gaza’s Al-Shati camp late on Monday. “Many of the casualties are children and women who are still under rubble,” the Hamas-run health ministry said.
The ministry also said at least 5,087 Palestinians, including 2,055 children, have been killed in Israeli strikes since 7 October, with another 15,273 people wounded. The ministry put the death toll in the past 24 hours at 436, including 182 children. It said most of the fatalities had occurred in the southern Gaza Strip, to where Israel’s military has ordered Palestinians to evacuate. The claims have not been independently verified.
The White House said Iran is behind attacks by proxy on US troops in the Middle East after a barrage of drone and missile attacks over the weekend. At a media briefing on Monday, John Kirby, strategic communications coordinator for the national security council said the US was ramping up its military capabilities in the Middle East and warned Iran or other nations seeking to use the conflict as an excuse to attack US interests.
Washington is concerned that Israel lacks achievable military objectives in Gaza and does not yet have a workable plan for a ground invasion, the New York Times has reported, citing senior officials in the Biden administration.
Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi has said Beijing is “deeply concerned” by the escalating war between Israel and Hamas and called on Israel to respect humanitarian law in a phone call with his Israeli counterpart Eli Cohen, Chinese state media has reported.
Israel’s siege and bombardment of Gaza risks backfiring and ultimately undermining long term efforts to achieve peace and stability in the region, Barack Obama has said. “Even as we support Israel, we should also be clear that how Israel prosecutes this fight against Hamas matters,” the former US president said.
Almost 20,000 people have been internally displaced in south Lebanon and elsewhere since early October, a United Nations agency said on Monday, reflecting escalating violence on the Lebanese-Israeli border. The UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM) said 19,646 people had been displaced inside Lebanon since it began tracking movements on 8 October, the day after the assault on Israel by Hamas militants, the AFP news agency reported.
Israel’s military said on Monday that ground forces mounted limited raids into the Gaza Strip overnight to fight Palestinian gunmen, and that airstrikes were being focused on sites where Hamas were assembling to attack any wider Israeli invasion. The IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari said: “During the night there were raids by tank and infantry forces. These raids are raids that kill squads of terrorists who are preparing for our next stage in the war. These are raids that go deep.”
Washington has advised Israel to delay its expected ground invasion of Gaza in order to buy time to negotiate the release of hostages held by Hamas and allow more aid in to Palestinian civilians, the New York Times reported, citing US officials.
A third convoy of aid trucks entered Gaza via the Rafah crossing from Egypt on Monday. On Saturday and Sunday 34 trucks passed through. The UN said aid arriving so far was just 4% of the daily average before the hostilities and that about 100 trucks would be needed daily to meet essential needs in Gaza.
The EU foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, joined calls on Monday for a humanitarian pause in the conflict to let more aid supplies into Gaza.
Benjamin Netanyahu thanked the Greek prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, for his country’s support as the latter visited Tel Aviv. Netanyahu said of the conflict: “It’s a battle against civilization. It’s civilization against barbarism. We’re on the side of civilization. We have to unite, all together, against Hamas, which is Isis.”
The Palestinian prime minister, Mohammad Shtayyeh, has said the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip are exposed to “the Israeli murder and criminal machine”.
A Palestinian photojournalist, Roshdi Sarraj, has been killed in the Israeli bombardment of Gaza, Radio France reported. The French broadcaster said Sarraj was killed on Sunday in Israeli strikes on Tel al-Hawa, in Gaza City. His wife and one-year-old daughter were injured.
Israel’s military has claimed to have fired at a “suspicious aerial target” attempting to enter Israel from the direction of Lebanon.
A 33-year-old Dutch woman has been killed in an explosion in Gaza, the Dutch foreign ministry said. Named locally as Islam al-Ashqar, she was visiting relatives at the Nusairat refugee camp in central Gaza and was one of 22 Dutch nationals that the ministry was trying to help leave, the broadcaster NOS said.
