Closing summary
It is approaching 4pm in Gaza and Israel. This blog will be closing shortly but you can access all the Guardian’s Middle East coverage here.
Here is a summary of today’s main developments:
Hamas called on mediators on Friday to follow up on implementation of the remaining provisions of a US- brokered ceasefire agreement with Israel, which ended two years of war in Gaza. Hamas said in a statement that there was a need to complete the formation of a community support committee which should begin its work in administering the Gaza Strip.
It follows a warning from US president Donald Trump that he would green-light Israel to resume the war if Hamas does not live up to its end of the deal and return all of the hostages’ bodies. Hamas, however, maintains that some bodies were buried in tunnels that were later destroyed by Israel, and heavy machinery is required to dig through rubble to retrieve them.
Hamas also criticised Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu over his call to cut aid to Gaza, saying it was an attempt to manipulate humanitarian needs “for political gains”. Netanyahu has said that Israel “will not compromise” and demanded that Hamas fulfil the requirements laid out in the ceasefire deal about the return of hostages’ bodies.
A team of Turkish disaster response specialists is stationed at the Egyptian border, awaiting Israeli authorisation to enter Gaza and help in search and recovery operations, a Turkish official told Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Friday. The 81-member team from Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) is equipped with specialised search-and-rescue tools, including life-detection devices and trained search dogs. A Hamas source told AFP the Turkish delegation is expected to enter Gaza by Sunday.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that infectious diseases are “spiralling out of control”, with only 13 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals even partially functioning. “Whether meningitis … diarrhoea, respiratory illnesses, we’re talking about a mammoth amount of work,” Hanan Balkhy, regional director for the UN health body, told AFP in Cairo.
The United Nations said on Friday it would take time to reverse a famine in the Gaza Strip and urged the opening of all crossing points into the war-shattered Palestinian territory. “It’s going to take some time to scale back the famine,” the UN World Food Programme’s (WFP) spokesperson Abeer Etefa told a media briefing in Geneva, saying the WFP had five distribution points up and running but wanted to get to 145 in order to “flood Gaza with food”.
Etefa also told the media briefing in Geneva that, from Saturday until Wednesday, about 230 trucks with 2,800 tonnes of food supplies had crossed into Gaza. She said 57 trucks in two convoys, carrying wheat flour and nutrition supplies, crossed in on Thursday and reached WFP’s warehouses intact, ready for distribution. As of Wednesday, nine bakeries were running, with WFP working on getting 30 going throughout the Gaza Strip.
Israel returned the bodies of 30 Palestinians to Gaza on Thursday, the territory’s health ministry said. Under the ceasefire deal, Israel was to turn over the bodies of 15 Palestinians for every deceased Israeli returned.
Gideon Saar, the Israeli foreign minister, has described the decision to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from a Europa League match in Birmingham as “shameful” and urged the UK authorities to reverse it. Yesterday it emerged that fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv will not be allowed to attend the Europa League match at Aston Villa on 6 November owing to safety concerns.
The decision, taken by Birmingham’s safety advisory group based on advice from the West Midlands police, who said the match would be “high risk” based on “current intelligence and previous incidents”, prompted widespread condemnation from political leaders. UK prime minister Keir Starmer said: “This is the wrong decision. We will not tolerate antisemitism on our streets. The role of the police is to ensure all football fans can enjoy the game, without fear of violence or intimidation.”
A legal challenge to the ban on Palestine Action can go ahead next month after the court of appeal rejected the Home Office’s attempt to block the case. On Friday, three judges, led by the lady chief justice, upheld Mr Justice Chamberlain’s decision to grant the Palestine Action co-founder Huda Ammori a judicial review of the group’s proscription under the Terrorism Act.
Updated
Hamas urges mediators to follow up on remaining provisions of ceasefire deal with Israel
Hamas called on mediators on Friday to follow up on implementation of the remaining provisions of a US- brokered ceasefire agreement with Israel, which ended two years of war in Gaza.
According to Reuters, Hamas said in a statement that there was a need to complete the formation of a community support committee which should begin its work in administering the Gaza Strip.
