🔴 Live: First foreign nationals evacuated from Gaza; Israel strikes Jabalia refugee camp again

Palestinians wait to cross into Egypt at Rafah, Gaza Strip, Wednesday, November 1, 2023. © Fatima Shbair, AP

At least 355 foreign passport holders – including confirmed British, US, French, Italian and Austrian nationals – and 76 wounded Palestinians crossed on Wednesday to Egypt from Gaza, according to an Egyptian official. Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry said a second Israeli bombing raid in two days had killed and wounded "dozens" Wednesday at the Jabalia refugee camp, the enclave's largest. Follow our live blog for the latest updates. All times are Paris time (GMT+1). 

Latest news in brief: 

• Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry said a second Israeli bombing raid in two days had killed and wounded "dozens" Wednesday at the territory's biggest refugee camp, Jabalia.

• Foreign passport-holders who were trapped in Gaza started leaving the territory on Wednesday as the Rafah crossing to Egypt opened for the first time since the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel. Eighty-one seriously wounded Gazans would also be allowed to enter Egypt through the crossing on Wednesday, a Palestinian border authority source said.
• The Israeli army said Wednesday that its forces had carried out attacks on more than 11,000 militant targets in the Gaza Strip since the beginning of its war with Hamas. 
• At least 8,796 Palestinians, including 3,648 children, have been killed by Israel’s military operation in Gaza since October 7, according to the latest figures from the Gaza health ministry.

11:32pm: White House vows to fight Islamophobia

The administration of US President Joe Biden said Wednesday it would develop a strategy to combat Islamophobia – an announcement that comes as tensions simmer nationwide over the war between Israel and Hamas militants.

"President Biden ran for office to restore the soul of our nation. He is unequivocal: there is no place for hate in America against anyone. Period," White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.

The strategy will be developed in concert with the communities concerned, the White House said.

10:24pm: France 'concerned' by Israeli strikes on Gaza refugee camp

France said Wednesday that it was "deeply concerned" about Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip's largest refugee camp, calling for a humanitarian pause to allow aid through.

Israeli strikes have targeted the Jabalia refugee camp twice in two days, killing and wounding dozens, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run Palestinian territory. 

Israel said Tuesday's raid was a successful hit on top Hamas commander Ibrahim Biari.

"France is deeply concerned about the very heavy toll on the Palestinian civilian population from the Israeli strikes against the Jabalia camp, and expresses its compassion for the victims," the government said in a press release.

Paris reiterated a call for "an immediate humanitarian truce so that aid can reach those who need it in a sustainable, safe and adequate way".

9:44pm: Pope says two-state solution needed for Israel-Palestine

Pope Francis said on Wednesday a two-state solution was needed for Israel and Palestine in order to put an end to wars such as the current one and called for a special status for Jerusalem.

In an interview with Italian state television RAI’s TG1 news channel, Francis also said he hoped a regional escalation could be avoided.

“(Those are) two peoples who have to live together. With that wise solution, two states. The Oslo accords, two well-defined states and Jerusalem with a special status,” Francis said.

9:28pm: Yemen's Houthis target Israel with batch of drones

Yemen's Houthis have launched a large batch of drones at several targets in Israel, the group's military spokesperson said on Wednesday.

The group will "continue carrying out military operations in support of Palestinians, until the Israeli aggression in Gaza stops," Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sareahe said.

8:37pm: First foreign nationals exit Gaza via Rafah border crossing

At least 355 foreign passport holders and 76 wounded Palestinians crossed on Wednesday to Egypt from Gaza as the first batch of evacuations left the besieged enclave, according to an Egyptian official.

Four Italians, five French citizens and a group of 31 Austrians – including a six-year-old girl and nine other minors – crossed into Egypt via the Rafah border crossing, according to the foreign ministries of each country.

The United States and Britain also confirmed that their citizens had left the besieged enclave although they did not provide exact numbers.

8:12pm: Israeli attacks on Gaza camp could amount to war crimes, says UN 

The United Nations human rights office said on Wednesday it was concerned that Israeli air strikes on Gaza's Jabalia refugee camp could amount to war crimes.

"Given the high number of civilian casualties & the scale of destruction following Israeli airstrikes on Jabalia refugee camp, we have serious concerns that these are disproportionate attacks that could amount to war crimes," the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights wrote on X.

6:57pm: Blinken will travel to Israel and Jordan on Friday

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Israel and Jordan on Friday, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said, adding that Blinken will meet with leaders of the Israeli government, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for an update on their military objectives.

"He will reiterate US support for Israel's right to defend itself in accordance with international humanitarian law and discuss the need to take all precautions to minimize civilian casualties, as well as our work to deliver humanitarian assistance," Miller told reporters.

6:55pm: Israel pursues targets in refugee camps in Gaza and West Bank, risking civilian lives 

The Jabalia refugee camp in the north of Gaza has been bombed for a second time in two days according to the Gazan health authorities. In the other Palestinian territory, the West Bank, another refugee camp has had some of its buildings destroyed after an Israeli raid. 

FRANCE 24's senior correspondent Catherine Norris Trent is in Tel Aviv with the latest.

6:37pm: Hamas must 'die' or 'surrender unconditionally', says Israeli defence minister

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant on Wednesday said Hamas has to "die or to surrender unconditionally" in the war the two sides are fighting in Gaza.

"There is no third option," Gallant said in a televised speech, addressing the militant group which rules Gaza.

6:00pm: FRANCE 24 Observers team debunks viral claims that a Palestinian social media user is pretending to be injured

Pro-Israel social media accounts have accused a Palestinian video maker, Saleh al-Jafarawi, of being an “actor” paid by Hamas. The state of Israel’s X account posted the misleading montage, though it later deleted the post. The video is still circulating online and some posts featuring the video have garnered millions of views. We show you why the claims are false. 

Read moreNo, this video doesn’t show a Palestinian pretending to be injured in the Israel-Hamas war

5:42pm: Gaza hospitals are running out of fuel

The only cancer treatment hospital in the Gaza Strip, the Turkish Palestinian Friendship Hospital, has gone out of service after it ran out of fuel, health officials said on Wednesday.

"The question of fuel – fuel meaning electricity in the Gaza Strip – being allowed in is going to be the next humanitarian issue", says FRANCE 24's Irris Makler, reporting from Jerusalem.

5:33pm: American citizens to leave Gaza on Wednesday, Biden says

US President Joe Biden said some Americans will leave Gaza on Wednesday following the opening of the Rafah crossing into Egypt.

"We expect to see more depart over the coming days," he said in a post on X.

5:21pm: France sees rise of anti-Semitism amid Israel-Hamas war

French Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne on Tuesday vowed a “merciless fight” against surging anti-Semitism after residents of the French capital discovered anti-Jewish graffiti on buildings in several districts.

Paris prosecutors have launched a probe into the incident as a possible hate crime. “The Israel-Hamas conflict is clearly being imported into France,” representative council of French Jewish institutions Robert Ejnes said.

4:50pm: At least 320 foreign passport holders cross from Gaza to Egypt

At least 320 foreign passport holders crossed on Wednesday to Egypt from Gaza as the first batch of evacuations left the besieged enclave, three Egyptian security sources and a Palestinian official told Reuters.

The Palestinian official on the Gaza side of the border said the foreign passport holders departed the strip on six buses. A first list of about 500 foreigners or dual nationals had been cleared to leave Gaza, with evacuations expected to continue in the days to come.

4:16pm: Israel army says 15 soldiers killed in Gaza since Tuesday

Fifteen Israeli soldiers have been killed fighting in Gaza since Tuesday, a spokesman for the country's military told AFP.

Israeli troops have been fighting Hamas militants on the ground since Friday, backed by heavy air strikes which have killed multiple civilians in the Palestinian territory.

3:54pm: Hamas-run health ministry says 'dozens killed' in new Gaza camp strike

Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry said a second Israeli bombing raid in two days had killed and wounded "dozens" Wednesday at the territory's biggest refugee camp, Jabalia.

It said there were "dozens of martyrs and injured in a bombing by the occupation planes", a day after Israel acknowledged the first strikes, saying they targeted a top Hamas commander. 

Images obtained by AFP showed major damage and rescuers said "whole families" were killed Wednesday, but casualty details could not be immediately confirmed.

3:35pm: UN official denounces Israel strikes on Jabalia camp

The United Nations on Wednesday decried strikes on northern Gaza's Jabalia refugee camp that killed scores of people in attacks that Israel said targeted a Hamas commander.

"This is just the latest atrocity to befall the people of Gaza where the fighting has entered an even more terrifying phase, with increasingly dreadful humanitarian consequences," Martin Griffiths, the UN humanitarian chief, said in a statement.

3:28pm: Jordan to recall ambassador from Israel over war in Gaza

Jordan on Wednesday said it would "immediately" recall its ambassador to Israel in protest at the war against Hamas militants in Gaza.

"Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi decided to immediately recall Jordan's ambassador to Israel," the foreign ministry said, adding that the move was "to condemn the Israeli war that is killing innocent people in Gaza".

2:51pm: Tensions rise in West Bank as four people killed in Israeli raids 

Claiming to root out terrorist groups, the Israeli military carried out several raids on a refugee camp in Jenin on Tuesday, killing several Palestinians in the operation.

FRANCE 24's Catherine Norris Trent has been in the West Bank a couple of times in recent days observing the rising tensions.

© FRANCE 24

2:44pm: Hamas chief accuses Israel of 'massacres' to cover its 'defeats'

The leader of Palestinian militant group Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, Wednesday accused Israel of committing "massacres" in the Gaza war to cover its own "defeats".

Israel is "committing barbaric massacres against unarmed civilians", he said in a speech broadcast by Al Jazeera, adding that "its villainy will not save them from resounding defeat". 

2:21pm: Hamas chief says hostages exposed to same 'death, destruction' as Palestinians

The leader of Hamas Ismail Haniyeh said on Wednesday that Israeli hostages held in the besieged Gaza Strip were subject to the same “death and destruction” that Palestinians have faced.

Hamas has told mediators that it was necessary for the “massacre” to stop and called on people to continue protesting, particularly in the West, to mount pressure on decision-makers, Haniyeh said in a recorded video message.

1:34pm: First group of foreigners and dual nationals fleeing Gaza arrive in Egypt

A first group of foreigners and dual nationals fleeing war-torn Gaza arrived in Egypt on Wednesday, mostly women and children, an Egyptian official told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Parents with strollers and elderly people were seen among those getting off a bus on the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing in footage broadcast by an Egyptian TV channel close to the intelligence services.

1:25pm: More than 30 journalists have been killed in Israel-Hamas war, says Reporters Without Borders

Thirty-four journalists have been killed in the war between Israel and Hamas, an international media freedom group said Wednesday, accusing both sides of committing possible war crimes.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) called on International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutors to investigate the deaths. The organisation said it already filed a complaint regarding eight Palestinian journalists it said were killed in Israel’s bombardment of civilian areas in the Gaza Strip, and an Israeli journalist killed during Hamas’s October 7 surprise attack in southern Israel.

“The scale, seriousness and recurring nature of international crimes targeting journalists, particularly in Gaza, calls for a priority investigation by the ICC prosecutor,” said RSF secretary general Christophe Deloire.

It’s the third such complaint the group has filed since 2018 alleging war crimes against Palestinian journalists in Gaza. Israel says it makes every effort to avoid killing civilians and accuses Hamas of putting them at risk by operating in residential areas.

The latest complaint also cites “the deliberate, total or partial, destruction of the premises of more than 50 media outlets in Gaza” since Israel declared war against Hamas, the organisation said.

Another media freedom organisation, the Committee to Protect Journalists, said Wednesday that it was investigating reports of journalists “killed, injured, detained or missing” in the war, including in Lebanon. It said its preliminary death toll was at least 31 journalists and media workers.

“CPJ emphasizes that journalists are civilians doing important work during times of crisis and must not be targeted by warring parties,” said Sherif Mansour, the New York-based nonprofit's Middle East and North Africa programme coordinator.

12:59pm: EU's Borrell 'appalled' by number of casualties in refugee camp bombing

The European Union's top diplomat Josep Borrell on Wednesday said he was "appalled" by the high number of casualties from the bombing by Israel of a refugee camp in Gaza and called for fighting parties to respect the international rules of war.

"Building on EU Council's clear stance that Israel has the right to defend itself in line with international humanitarian law and ensuring the protection of all civilians, I am appalled by the high number of casualties following the bombing by Israel of the Jabalia refugee camp," Borrell said in a statement on X.

12:58pm: BBC to launch emergency radio service for Gaza

The BBC will start an emergency radio service for people in Gaza in response to the ongoing conflict in the region, the British broadcaster's World Service arm said on Wednesday.

The programme will aim to provide those in Gaza with the latest information plus safety advice on where to access shelter, food and water supplies, said the BBC.

"BBC News Arabic are extremely well-placed to offer this vital service for the people of Gaza at a time of greatest need," BBC World Service Director Liliane Landor said in a statement.

Produced in Cairo and London, the Gaza radio service will run one programme from Friday and begin a second daily broadcast from November 10.

The BBC World Service also launched a service for Gaza in the summer of 2014 following an escalation in hostilities there.

12:54pm: Macron says 'hates the debate' on value of Jewish versus Palestinian lives

French President Emmanuel Macron said Wednesday he "hates the debate" over the value of "Jewish lives" and "Palestinian lives" and called for "civilians in Gaza to be protected first". 

"I hate this debate that divides people and where one says: 'for me the Jewish lives are more important' or 'for me Palestinian lives are more important'," he said on a visit to the Kazakhstan capital, adding "every life counts in this world". 

12:28pm: Turkey and Iran call for regional meeting to avert spread of Israel-Hamas war

Turkey and Iran on Wednesday called for a regional conference aimed at averting the spread of the Israel-Hamas war.

"We do not want the human tragedy in Gaza to turn into a war that affects the region's countries," Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told a joint media appearance with Iranian counterpart Hossein Amirabdollahian, who urged the meeting to be held "as soon as possible".

12:24pm: Iran says 'harsh consequences' will follow if Israel continues attacks on Gaza

Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian warned on Wednesday during a news conference with his Turkish counterpart of "harsh consequences" if attacks continue on the Gaza Strip.

12:18pm: Gaza death toll from Israel-Hamas war rises to 8,796, says health ministry

At least 8,796 Palestinians, including 3,648 children, have been killed in Israeli strikes since Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, the health ministry in Hamas-controlled Gaza said on Wednesday.

FRANCE 24 has not been able to independently verify these figures.

12:10pm: Two Filipino doctors among first foreigners selected to exit Gaza, Philippines says

Two Filipino doctors with NGO Doctors Without Borders (MSF) are among the first group of foreigners selected to leave Gaza and cross into Egypt, a Philippine foreign ministry official said on Wednesday.

"The crossing should happen anytime now," undersecretary Eduardo De Vega told Reuters.

11:12am: At least four Palestinians killed during Israeli raids in West Bank, says health ministry

At least four Palestinians were killed during Israeli raids in the occupied West Bank, Palestinian health officials said Wednesday, as violence there continued in tandem with the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

Three people were killed during a raid in the northern city of Jenin, while another person was shot dead in Tulkarem, also in the north, the Ramallah-based health ministry said.

The Israeli military said an incident took place in the Jenin refugee camp during a raid targeting an "operative" and militant "infrastructure" in the area.

The latest incident came as Palestinians declared a general strike across the territory, with shops shuttered in Ramallah.

"The most important thing we demand is to stop injustice and tyranny, to stop killing innocent people, and refrain from arbitrary revenge," 26-year-old Ramallah resident Fakhri Muhammad Shreiteh told AFP.

More than 120 Palestinians in the West Bank have been killed since the Israel-Hamas war began on October 7. Violence in the West Bank has been on the rise since early last year, marked by frequent army raids, attacks by Israeli settlers and Palestinian attacks on Israeli forces and settlers.

10:45am: First group of wounded evacuees from Gaza enter Egypt through Rafah crossing

The first group of wounded evacuees from the Gaza Strip entered Egypt on Wednesday via ambulances through the Rafah crossing, Egyptian local media and a source at the Egyptian border told Reuters.

10:28am: Iran’s supreme leader calls on Muslim countries to halt oil, food exports to Israel

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called on Muslim states to cease oil and food exports to Israel, demanding an end to its bombardment of the Gaza Strip, state media reported.

"The bombings on Gaza must stop immediately ... the path of oil and food exports to the Zionist regime should be stopped," Khamenei, referring to Israel, said in a speech according to Iranian state media.

Israel has vowed to wipe out Tehran-backed Hamas, which rules Gaza, in retaliation for the group’s deadly October 7 attack.

10:20am: Hamas says seven civilian hostages were killed in Israeli strikes on Jabalia camp

Hamas’s armed wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, said on Wednesday that seven civilian hostages were killed in Israeli strikes on the Jabalia refugee camp in Gaza, including three foreign passport-holders.

Israeli air strikes hit the densely populated refugee camp on Tuesday, killing at least 50 Palestinians. Israel said the strike targeted a Hamas commander.

Hamas has so far released four civilian hostages among the 239 hostages that Israel believes the militant group is holding.

9:35am: Up to 500 foreign passport-holders to exit Gaza through Rafah crossing today, Egyptian security source says

Up to 500 foreign passport-holders will pass through the Rafah border crossing from Gaza to Egypt on Wednesday, an Egyptian security source said, after a deal was reached to open the crossing.

About 200 people were waiting at the Palestinian side of the border on Wednesday morning, the source said.

A second source with knowledge of the deal and evacuations said there was a list of up to 500 who would leave the Gaza Strip, but that not all were expected to make it out on Wednesday.

9:25am: Israel says it has deployed missile boats in Red Sea following Houthi attacks

The Israeli military said it had deployed missile boats in the Red Sea on Wednesday as reinforcements, a day after the Iran-aligned, Yemen-based Houthi movement said it had launched missile and drone attacks on Israel and vowed to carry out more.

Images disseminated by the military showed Saar-class corvettes patrolling near Eilat port in the Red Sea, which Israel sees as a new front as its war in Gaza draws retaliation from Iran-aligned pro-Hamas forces elsewhere in the region.

The Houthis govern swathes of Yemen including the capital Sanaa, more than a thousand miles from Israel.

The Houthi movement said on Tuesday they had launched three drone and missile attacks towards Israel since the start of the Hamas-Israel war on October 7. It vowed there would be more such attacks to come "to help the Palestinians to victory".

In what appeared to be a new attack overnight, the Israeli military said it had intercepted an "aerial threat" over the Red Sea.

Israeli National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi said on Tuesday the Houthi attacks were intolerable, but declined to elaborate when asked how Israel might respond.

9:04am: 'The death toll for Israeli soldiers is sure to rise': Israeli forces clash with Hamas in Gaza

ABC News foreign correspondent Jordana Miller reported from Jerusalem Wednesday morning on the first official casualty figures for Israeli soldiers fighting in the Gaza Strip.

“I think we’re going to see more days of this kind of close encounters of battle, and of course the death toll for Israeli soldiers is sure to rise,” she said.

© FRANCE 24

8:58am: First foreign passport-holders have left Gaza for Egypt through the Rafah crossing, says AFP

Scores of foreign passport-holders trapped in Gaza started leaving the war-torn territory on Wednesday as the Rafah crossing to Egypt opened for the first time since the October 7 Hamas attacks, AFP correspondents reported.

Some 400 foreigners and dual nationals along with some 90 sick and wounded were expected to leave on Wednesday.

8:47am: Egyptian official says first foreign passport-holders to leave Gaza today

A first group of foreign passport-holders will be allowed to leave the Gaza Strip for Egypt Wednesday, an Egyptian official at the Rafah border crossing told AFP.

"A first group of foreign passport-holders is going to pass through the Rafah terminal to Egypt on Wednesday," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Television channels close to the Egyptian intelligence services broadcast live images of a fleet of ambulances entering the terminal from the Egyptian side in readiness to bring out 81 seriously wounded Palestinians for treatment in Egyptian hospitals, according to Egyptian and Palestinian officials.

A Palestinian border authority source said earlier that 81 seriously injured Gazans would be allowed to enter Egypt. 

8:15am: Qatar has mediated deal to allow foreign passport-holders out of Gaza

Qatar has mediated an agreement between Egypt, Israel and Hamas, in coordination with the US, to allow for the movement of foreign passport-holders and some critically injured people out of besieged Gaza, a source briefed on deal told Reuters on Wednesday. There is no timeline for how long the crossing will remain open, the source added.

An Egyptian official also said the first foreigners to leave Gaza would be allowed to do so on Wednesday.

A source from the Palestinian border authority said earlier that 81 seriously injured Gazans will be allowed to enter Egypt on Wednesday for treatment. 

8:01am: Israel accuses Bolivia of ‘capitulation to terrorism’ after La Paz severs diplomatic ties

Israel accused Bolivia on Wednesday of "capitulation to terrorism and to the ayatollah regime in Iran" after the South American nation cut ties in protest at civilian casualties from Israel's war with Tehran-backed Hamas in Gaza.

A statement by the foreign ministry in Jerusalem also sought to play down Tuesday's decision by Bolivia, saying "relations between the countries had been devoid of content anyway" since a government handover there.

6:45am: Israeli military says forces have attacked more than 11,000 'terrorist' targets in Gaza

The Israeli army said on Wednesday that its forces had carried out attacks on more than 11,000 militant targets in the Gaza Strip since the beginning of its war with Hamas. 

"Since the beginning of the war, the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) has struck over 11,000 targets belonging to terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip," a statement from the military said.

5:45am: Saudi Arabia condemns 'in strongest terms' Israeli strike on Gaza camp

Saudi Arabia condemned on Wednesday an Israeli bombing of Gaza's largest refugee camp, which killed at least 47 people, including, Israel said, a Hamas commander involved in the October 7 attacks.

"The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia condemns in the strongest terms possible the inhumane targeting by the Israeli occupation forces of the Jabalia refugee camp in the besieged Gaza Strip, which caused the death and injury of a large number of innocent civilians," the Saudi foreign ministry said in a statement posted on X.

5:30am: Israeli military says nine soldiers killed in Gaza fighting

The Israeli military said on Wednesday that nine soldiers had died in Gaza fighting, without immediately providing details on where or when.

3:30am: Palestinian telecom says communications, internet services completely cut off in Gaza

Palestine Telecommunication Company, or Paltel, said on Wednesday in a post on messaging platform X that communications and internet services have been completely cut off in the Gaza Strip due to international access being disconnected again.

"To our good people in the beloved country, we are sorry to announce that communications and internet services have been completely cut off in Gaza," the Palestine Telecommunications Company (Paltel) said on X. 

3:15am: Suspect in custody for posting online threats about Jewish students at Cornell University

A Cornell University student was arrested Tuesday and accused of posting threatening statements online about Jewish students at the school, law enforcement officials said.

Patrick Dai, 21, a junior from Pittsford, New York, is charged in a federal criminal complaint with posting threats to kill or injure another using interstate communications, according to a joint announcement from the US Attorney's office, FBI, New York State police and Cornell University Police.

12:30am: Biden and Jordan's king discussed increasing aid to civilians in Gaza, says White House

US President Joe Biden and Jordan's King Abdullah on Tuesday discussed their shared commitment to increasing aid to civilians in Gaza during the Israel-Hamas conflict, the White House said.

The two men also reiterated the importance of protecting civilian lives and that it was critical to ensure that Palestinians were not forcibly displaced from Gaza, the White House said.

12:00am: Egypt preparing to receive wounded Gazans through Rafah crossing

Egypt is preparing to receive wounded Palestinians from the heavily bombarded Gaza Strip through the Rafah border crossing for medical treatment, medical and security sources said on Tuesday.

"Medical teams will be present tomorrow (Wednesday) at the crossing to examine the cases coming (from Gaza) as soon as they arrive ... and determine the hospitals they will be sent to," a medical official in Egypt's city of El Arish told AFP.

People on the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing watch as a convoy of lorries carrying humanitarian aid crosses to the Gaza Strip on October 22, 2023. © Mohammed Assad, AFP

Key developments from Tuesday, October 31:

The Hamas-run health ministry said at least 50 people were killed Tuesday in Israeli bombardment of the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza. Israel's military confirmed the strike, saying that it had targeted a key Hamas commander linked to the October 7 attack.

France's foreign ministry said two French children have died in the Gaza Strip and reiterated its call for a humanitarian pause in the fighting between Israel and Hamas.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit Israel on Friday for meetings with members of the government there and then make other stops in the region, the State Department said on Tuesday amid the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels said they had attacked Israel on Tuesday, launching "a large batch of ballistic missiles" and "a large number of armed aircraft" at the country.

Bolivia said on Tuesday it had broken diplomatic ties with Israel because of its attacks on the Gaza Strip, while neighbours Colombia and Chile recalled their ambassadors to the Middle Eastern country for consultations.

Read our blog to see how yesterday's events unfolded.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)