Biden says US can support both Israel and Ukraine: “We have capacity to do this and we have an obligation”
President Joe Biden said the US can provide support to Israel and Ukraine while still maintaining, “our overall international defense,” in an interview excerpt aired Sunday morning.
“We have the capacity to do this and we have an obligation to, we are the essential nation,” Biden said on CBS News, paraphrasing a famous quote from former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.
“We’re the United States of America for God’s sake, the most powerful nation in the history — not in the world, in the history of the world. The history of the world. We can take care of both of these and still maintain our overall international defense,” Biden added, when asked if the US could take on both wars at the same time.
“And if we don’t, who does?” the president noted.
Death toll in Gaza rises to 2,670
At least 2,670 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since October 7, the health ministry has confirmed. They include 724 children and 458 women.
More than 9,600 have been injured in Israeli attacks on Gaza, the ministry added. They include at least 2,000 children and 1,400 women.
In the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, 56 were killed by Israeli soldiers and settlers. They include at least 17 children and one woman. An additional 1,200 have been wounded.
155 held captive in Gaza: Israeli military
An Israeli military spokesperson has confirmed that 155 captives are being held in Gaza.
“We have informed the families of 155 captives held by Hamas in Gaza,” the spokesperson said.
Death toll of French citizens rises to 19
The death toll of French citizens from the Hamas attack in Israel has risen to 19, French foreign minister Catherine Colonna has said.
During a visit to Tel Aviv, Colonna stated that 13 others are still unaccounted for.
EU leaders back Israel’s right to defend itself in line with international law
The European Union’s national leaders back Israel’s right to defend itself in line with humanitarian and international law, they have stated in a statement.
“The European Union condemns in the strongest possible terms Hamas and its brutal and indiscriminate terrorist attacks across Israel and deeply deplores the loss of lives,” says the statement from the European Council, which brings together the leaders of the bloc’s 27-member countries.
While many EU leaders have issued statements on the Hamas attack since it took place just over a week ago, Sunday’s was the first by the European Council as a whole.
“There is no justification for terror. We strongly emphasize Israel’s right to defend itself in line with humanitarian and international law in the face of such violent and indiscriminate attacks,” the statement added.
“We reiterate the importance to ensure the protection of all civilians at all times in line with International Humanitarian Law.”
More than 1,400 killed in Hamas attacks on Israel: PM office
The Israeli prime minister’s office has said more than 1,400 people have been killed in Israel since Hamas’s offensive on October 7.
“Over 1,400 were killed [and] over 120 Israelis were abducted by Hamas terrorists,” Tal Heinrich, spokesperson for the prime minister’s office, told journalists.
Gaza death toll reaches 2,450: Health ministry
At least 2,450 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli shelling and air strikes in Gaza, says the Palestinian health ministry in the strip.
The number of people injured has reached 9,200, it added.
At least 50 families in the Gaza Strip have been wiped out from the civil registry, the health ministry announced.
The families were killed by Israeli shelling and in air strikes, the ministry said.
Gaza invasion could lead to ‘genocide’: Arab League, African Union
Israel’s planned ground invasion of Gaza “could lead to a genocide of unprecedented proportions”, the heads of the Arab League and African Union have said in a joint statement.
Both organisations called on “the United Nations and the international community to stop a catastrophe unfolding in front of us, before it is too late”, as Israel readies for a ground invasion of the Gaza Strip.
White House expects new Israel and Ukraine aid to be over $2bn
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan has said that a new weapons package for Israel and Ukraine will be significantly higher than $2bn.
Sullivan, in an interview on CBS’s Face the Nation, stated US President Joe Biden will have intensive talks with the US Congress this week on the need for the package to be approved.
‘Collective punishment’: Sisi on Israeli attack on Gaza
Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi told US Secretary of State Antony Blinken that Israel’s reaction to Hamas’s attack went beyond self-defence and amounted to collective punishment.
In televised comments during a meeting with Blinken in Cairo, el-Sisi also said he rejected the targeting of any civilians in the ongoing conflict.
Israel to operate ‘everywhere in the Middle East’: Army spokesperson
Daniel Hagari, Israel’s army top spokesperson, has stated the military will operate “anywhere in the Middle East”.
“We are always looking around us, in the entire Middle East,” Hagari was quoted as saying by Israeli media.
“[The army] will operate anywhere in the Middle East to fulfil Israel’s security aims. We are highly prepared in all arenas,” he added.
Pope Francis appeals for humanitarian corridors and release of hostages
Pope Francis called for the establishment of humanitarian corridors in Gaza and for the release of hostages taken by Hamas during an address at St. Peter’s Square on Sunday.
“I’m thinking of the many people who are suffering, the young people and the elderly and I renew my appeal for the release of the prisoners,” the Pope said.
“And please respect the humanitarian situation in Gaza to guarantee humanitarian corridors to help and assist the entire population.”
Pope Francis stated he was following “with great sorrow the situation in Israel and Palestine.”
“Please may there be no more blood spilled — here or in any other place,” he continued, adding, “Wars are always a defeat.”
Netanyahu says Israel will ‘demolish Hamas in Gaza’
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has convened Israel’s expanded emergency cabinet for the first time.
He said that the national unity on display, sent a message at home and abroad as the country gears up to “demolish Hamas” in Gaza.
The meeting, held in military headquarters in Tel Aviv, began with ministers standing for a moment’s silence in memory of some 1,300 Israelis killed in Hamas’ unprecedented attacks.
Sirens wail in Tel Aviv: Report
Israeli media reported sirens wailing in Tel Aviv and surrounding areas.
Hamas’s armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, has announced it fired rockets at the city in response to the killing of civilians.
There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.
There are 50,000 pregnant women in Gaza who are facing a “nightmare: UNFPA
Gaza’s 50,000 pregnant women are facing a “nightmare” situation with the enclave’s healthcare system on the brink of collapse, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) representative for the state of Palestine, Dominic Allen.
“The health care system itself in Gaza is critical. It’s under attack, on the brink of collapse and these pregnant women that we’re seriously concerned about have nowhere to go. They’re facing unthinkable challenges,” Allen said in an interview with CNN on Sunday.
Allen added that about 5,000 of the 50,000 pregnant women are expected to give birth in the coming month, and some of them could face complications.
“Imagine going through that process in those final stages and your last trimester before giving birth, with possible complications, without clothing, without hygiene, support, and not sure about what the next day, next hour, next minute will bring for themselves and for their unborn child,” Allen said.
Stories coming out of hospitals have been “harrowing,” Allen stated.
One midwife at a maternity hospital in Gaza told Allen that since the beginning of the conflict, some midwives have been unable to even reach the maternity ward to provide assistance due to the unsafe environment.
“Humanitarian aid and supplies to Gaza must be allowed through. There must be a humanitarian corridor opened, and humanitarian law abided by. The pregnant women must therefore get access to those lifesaving health services,” Allen added.
Israel seals off Lebanon border
The Israeli army announced it has decided to isolate an area up to four kilometres (2 miles) from the northern border with Lebanon, making it off-limits to public access.
It said that “entering the area is strictly prohibited”.
The move comes after Hezbollah claimed responsibility for firing a missile at an Israeli northern border village, Shtula, killing and injuring several.
World Food Programme running out of supplies in Gaza and is struggling to bring food to the enclave
The World Food Programme (WFP) is running out of reserve stock inside Gaza and is so far unable to get more food into the enclave, according to Corinne Fleischer, a regional director with the United Nations humanitarian organization.
Fleischer said the WFP has enough supplies to feed 1.3 million people for two weeks piled up on the border, ready to go, but that the group cannot yet safely enter Gaza.
“We’re talking to all parties to be able to move in. Unfortunately, we have not received that okay yet. We need to be able to cross the border, we need to have safe supply corridors to go to the shelters to distribute the food,” Fleischer told CNN in an interview from Cairo on Sunday.
“(We) are running out of time … people are really getting hungry.”
The WFP has so far provided 520,000 people in Gaza with canned food, bread and cash.
The group is expected to reach another each 224,000 people on Sunday “despite the absolute chaos and our staff being themselves in shelters with no food, no mattresses, no water and no bathrooms, no electricity,” Fleischer added.
Israeli medics say at least one killed, three injured in attack on Lebanese border
At least one person was killed and three wounded in an Israeli village close to the border with Lebanon, Israel’s national emergency medical service has announced.
The service did not mention the exact location of the attack, but noted the casualties were brought to a medical center in Naharyya, a town about 30 minutes drive from Shtula.
US will evacuate Americans in Israel by sea
The United States government will evacuate its nationals from Israel to Cyprus by sea, the US Embassy in Israel said.
Only US nationals and their immediate family members will be eligible for passage. The ship will depart Haifa, a city in northern Israel, on Monday. The journey is expected to take about 10 to 12 hours.
US citizens and their families will be responsible for arranging their own travel to Haifa and their own accommodations and onward travel from Cyprus, according to the embassy announcement.
Israeli army says it attacked targets in Lebanon
The Israeli army has announced it struck targets in Lebanon in response to an attack towards Shtula, a border town.
The Israeli army radio has also reported the attack in Shtula caused at least four casualties.
IDF killed Hamas commander overnight: Spokesman
An Israel Defense Forces spokesperson told CNN that it had killed another Hamas commander, Billal al-Qedra, who allegedly led the attacks on the Nirim kibbutz near the border.
“This just goes to exemplify that we have the intelligence in order to take out Hamas’ leadership … all the way down to the terrorists that breached, penetrated and butchered our babies in their bedrooms. So, the operation is ongoing,” Lt. Col. Peter Lerner said.
The Israeli Air Force also put out a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Sunday about the commander’s death, claiming IDF and Israel Securities Authority (ISA) “killed the Nukhba commander of the forces in southern Khan Yunis, who was responsible for the Kibbutz Nirim massacre.”
Hamas has not yet commented.
The IDF continues to urge civilians to evacuate to the south of Gaza, Lerner said, to enable the Israeli military to target Hamas.
Hamas has “physically prevented people from moving” and “booby-trapped some of the roads in anticipation” of the move, he claimed.
In preparation for the next stage of conflict, Lerner stated the IDF has recruited “several hundreds of thousands of soldiers and reservists,” with many of them in southern Israel and on the border with Gaza.
“The IDF is targeting the institutions of Hamas because they have subordinated the entire government system to build support, fund, finance and instruct and execute their terrorist activities. So effectively, what we’re doing is dismantling the entire system to begin with,” Lerner added.
Lerner said he “hopes” that the war between Israel and Hamas does not become a larger regional conflict, but he said he recognizes that “hope is not a method.”
“I would caution Hezbollah, look very closely how we are dismantling Hamas. They need to be very, very cautious with regard to Iran,” Lerner continued.
‘Life here does not feel normal’: No safe place in Gaza: Refugee council adviser
Life is a struggle for all Palestinians in Gaza as they face potential blackouts and an “inability for people to get basic necessities,” the communications adviser of the Norwegian Refugee Council told CNN in an interview from Jerusalem Sunday morning.
Shaina Low said that a colleague of hers who had just fled to the south of Gaza is experiencing a shortage of food and difficulty finding other basic needs like water. She added her colleague also had airstrikes near him, despite relocating to the south.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have been advising civilians to evacuate to southern Gaza as military activities continue in the region.
“There is no safe place in Gaza. Some people were killed while trying to make that journey to the south, and others are still facing bombardments, even once they’re relocated to the south,” Low said.
Life in Gaza had previously been challenging, Low added, but the conflict has only made things worse.
“Even before this war, Gaza was facing a humanitarian crisis, [with] the poverty rate over 50% [and] a third of the residents living in extreme poverty,” Low continued.
Some members of Low’s team in her humanitarian organization have evacuated, while others have chosen to stay behind because “they have nowhere to go in the south,” Low said, adding, “They’re worried because there’s a lack of facilities able to accommodate a mass influx of people. Others are having trouble even finding transportation because the size of their families is so large.”
With the lack of resources and diminishing fuel, Low said her team is facing increased difficulty operating.
Low added her neighborhood, which was previously “bustling,” has been “eerily quiet” this past week.
“Now what I hear besides this eerily quietness is often just the sound of warplanes going overhead, heading towards Gaza or surveilling the area. Life here does not feel normal. It feels that people are anticipating the worst.”
Palestinian Water Authority warns Gaza very low on supplies
The Palestinian Water Authority has warned that water supplies in Gaza are running very low because of the destruction of generating capacity.
It said Saturday that before the conflict began, 262,000 cubic meters of water were being drawn from wells daily. Now that figure is 14,000 cubic meters, and there is an urgent need for fuel to provide more water, it said.
The shortages are throughout Gaza, according to the water authority.
There is an urgent need for 14,000 liters of fuel per day, which would provide around 130,000 cubic meters of water, it added.
The United Nations Office for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said Saturday that most people in Gaza now had no access to water.
“As a last resort, people are consuming brackish water from agricultural wells, triggering serious concerns about the spread of waterborne diseases,” it noted.
Blinken says meeting with Saudi Crown Prince was ‘very productive’
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said his meeting in Riyadh with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was “very productive”.
The top American diplomat was answering a shouted question from a Reuters reporter as he returned to the hotel the US delegation was staying at.
A US official stated his meeting with the Kingdom’s de-facto ruler lasted a little under an hour.
Blinken’s meeting came as part of his trip to the Middle East, where he is working with regional allies to prevent the war between Israel and Hamas from spiralling into a bigger conflict, and to help secure the release of hostages kidnapped by the group.
US announces deployment of fighter jets to the Middle East
US Air Forces Central on Saturday announced the deployment of F-15E fighter jets and A-10 ground-attack jets to the Middle East region.
The movement of the warplanes from the 494th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron and 354th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, respectively, “bolster the US posture and enhance air operations throughout the Middle East,” an Air Force statement read.
It did not specify the number of warplanes involved.
A US Central Command social media post said the A-10s will join another squadron of the aircraft already in the region.
“By posturing advanced fighters and integrating with joint and coalition forces, we are strengthening our partnerships and reinforcing security in the region,” Lt. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, 9th Air Force commander, stated in a statement.
US sends second aircraft carrier to Mediterranean as Israel prepares to expand Gaza operations
The Pentagon has ordered a second carrier strike group to the eastern Mediterranean Sea, according to two US officials, as Israel prepares to expand its Gaza operations.
The US warships are not intended to join the fighting in Gaza or take part in Israel’s operations, but the presence of two of the Navy’s most powerful ships is designed to send a message of deterrence to “Iran and Iranian proxies” in the region, such as Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The first carrier strike group, led by the USS Gerald R. Ford, arrived off the coast of Israel earlier this week.
Now the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower strike group, which deployed Friday from Norfolk, Virginia, is headed to the eastern Mediterranean. The aircraft carrier was initially set to move toward the US European Command, but the officials said it will now head for the waters near Israel.
It is unclear at this point how long the Ford will stay in the region once the Eisenhower carrier strike group arrives, one official said.
The Eisenhower is the flagship of the carrier strike group, which will be joined by a guided-missile cruiser and two guided-missile destroyers, according to the Navy.
ABC News first reported the carrier strike group’s orders.
The Joe Biden administration made clear that the carrier, and its accompanying force, are not there to engage in combat activities on behalf of Israel but rather to deter others from entering the conflict, including Hezbollah.
“There is no intention or plan to put American troops on the ground in Israel,” stated John Kirby, strategic communications coordinator for the National Security Council, on Thursday.
In addition, the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, a rapid-reaction force capable of conducting special operations, is making preparations in case it is ordered closer to Israel to bolster the US force posture there, multiple US officials told CNN.
The unit, which is currently on board the USS Bataan amphibious assault ship, is composed of more than 2,000 Marines and sailors and would be capable of supporting a large-scale evacuation. Among the mission essential tasks for a Marine Expeditionary Unit are evacuation operations and humanitarian assistance.
No such order has been given yet to the unit, the officials added.
Defense officials have said repeatedly in recent days the Pentagon will be able to flow in additional forces and assets to the region quickly as needed, as Israel continues to fight a war against Hamas.
Gaza health ministry says it will not leave its hospitals
The health ministry in Gaza will not leave its hospitals “even if they are demolished over our heads,” a spokesperson for the Palestinian Ministry of Health said in a statement Saturday.
The ministry was responding to the Israel Defense Forces’ warning to some 1.1 million northern Gaza residents to evacuate as it prepares to ramp up its offensive against Hamas. The World Health Organization has said Israel’s call amounts to “a death sentence for the sick and injured” at Gaza City’s crowded hospitals.
“We will not respond to Israeli threats to evacuate hospitals, and our moral stance requires us to continue our work,” ministry spokesperson Ashraf Al-Qidra said.
Al-Qidra added the ministry demands the opening of a safe passage to let patients and the wounded out of the Gaza Strip, and to let aid, medical supplies and fuel in.
US State Department confirms 29 Americans killed in Hamas attack
The US State Department has confirmed the deaths of 29 Americans in the Hamas attack on Israel that began on 7 October.
There are also at least 15 American citizens and one permanent resident unaccounted for, the department said.
Committee to Protect Journalists: At least 12 journalists killed during Israel-Gaza conflict
At least 12 journalists have been killed and eight others injured amid the violence following the surprise attack by Hamas on Israel last week, the Committee to Protect Journalists said in a statement Saturday.
Two other journalists are missing, the group added.
The organization announced it is investigating all reports of journalists killed, injured, detained, or missing in the war, including those hurt as hostilities spread to neighboring Lebanon.
“CPJ emphasizes that journalists are civilians doing important work during times of crisis and must not be targeted by warring parties,” stated Sherif Mansour, the committee’s Middle East and North Africa program coordinator.
“Journalists are making great sacrifices across the region covering this important conflict. Measures to ensure their safety must be taken by all parties to stop this deadly and heavy toll.”
China and Saudi Arabia foreign ministers urge protection of Palestinian civilians
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke on the phone with his Saudi counterpart, Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud, with both expressing concern over the situation in Israel and Gaza, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
Faisal said Saudi Arabia “condemns all attacks on civilians and opposes Israel’s forcible relocation of Gaza residents outside the region”, according to the statement.
He urged humanitarian aid and said Saudi Arabia is willing to work with China to “promote all parties to abide by international humanitarian law, protect civilians from harm, and implement relevant Security Council resolutions on the Palestinian issue.”
China’s diplomat said that Israel’s actions have “gone beyond the scope of self-defense,” the statement said.
“It should seriously listen to the calls of the international community and the United Nations Secretary-General to stop collective punishment of the people of Gaza,” it added.
Saudi Arabia has been in talks to normalize relations with Israel in recent months, something Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in September described as a pact that would be “the biggest historical deal since the Cold War.”
Israeli army and settler attacks surge in occupied West Bank
Rights activists say the spike in violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank is a calculated Israeli plan to force the displacement of the Indigenous population as the war on Gaza unfolds.
At least 55 Palestinians have been killed and more than 1,100 others wounded in attacks in the occupied West Bank over the past week.
Activists state they want to implement “a third Nakba” by spreading chaos and disrupting Palestinian institutions in more than one place, especially those that provide services to society.
‘Israeli aggression’ targets Aleppo airport: Syrian media
Syrian state news agency SANA has reported that “Israeli aggression” has targeted Syria’s Aleppo airport.
“The consequences of the aggression against Aleppo’s airport are being assessed at the moment,” the state news agency said, without further details.
The statement comes after Israel announced it returned artillery fire after rockets were launched from Syria.
Syria’s defence ministry has also said the strike put the airport out of service.
“The Israeli enemy carried out an air attack from the direction of the Mediterranean Sea, west of Latakia, targeting Aleppo International Airport, which led to material damage to the airport and it being out of service,” the ministry added.
Israel officials indicate more time for Gaza people to flee
Israeli officials indicate more time will be given for Palestinian civilians to leave the north of Gaza ahead of an expected full-scale ground offensive.
Military spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Peter Lerner did not say there is a deadline to leave north Gaza, but told a news briefing: “We have extended once again because we realised that there is a huge amount of people that need to get out. We are continuing to encourage the population in the north of the Gaza Strip and Gaza City to go south and get out of harm’s way.”
Foreign ministry spokesman Lior Haiat told the briefing that Israel is not demanding Palestinians leave Gaza – but just to get out of the north.
“We gave them [civilians] the time to do so and we will continue to give civilians time to leave the places that we think Hamas is using for its terrorist infrastructure,” Haiat added.
Biden pledged continued support for Israel in Netanyahu call: White House
The White House has released its readout of President Joe Biden’s call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Abbas.
Biden reiterated “unwavering US support for Israel” during the call with Netanyahu as well as “US coordination with the United Nations, Egypt, Jordan, Israel, and others in the region to ensure innocent civilians have access to water, food, and medical care”, according to the White House.
The readout did not specifically reference Gaza but added that Biden “affirmed his support for all efforts to protect civilians”.
In the call with Mahmoud Abbas, Biden “condemned Hamas’ brutal attack on Israel and reiterated that Hamas does not stand for the Palestinian people’s right to dignity and self-determination”, the White House added.
Over 700 Palestinian children reportedly killed in Gaza: UNICEF
More than 700 children have been killed in Gaza and another 2,450 have been injured since last Saturday, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund, citing local sources.
“According to the latest reports by local health authorities and media, at least 2,215 Palestinians were reportedly killed, including over 700 children, and more than 8,714 people wounded, including more than 2,450 children,” UNICEF spokeswoman Sara Al Hattab told CNN on Saturday.
The Saturday figures are an update to UNICEF’s Friday statement, which said “hundreds & hundreds of children have been killed and injured,” noting the number rises every hour.
“The killing of children must stop,” UNICEF spokesperson James Elder stated, adding, “The images and stories are clear: children with horrendous burns, mortar wounds, and lost limbs. And hospitals are utterly overwhelmed to treat them.”
Elder joined calls from the international community saying, “Israeli children being held hostage in Gaza must be safely and immediately reunited with their families and loved ones.”
Palestinian Health Ministry blames Israel for killing 28 health care workers and damaging medical centers
Palestinian Health Minister Dr. Mai Al-Kaila blamed Israel for killing 28 health care workers and damaging medical centers in a statement on Saturday.
“On the eighth day of the ongoing Israeli aggression, 15 medical centers have been damaged due to Israeli bombardment, and Beit Hanoun Hospital and Al-Durrah Children’s Hospital have stopped providing services,” Al-Kaila said.
“28 healthcare workers have been martyred, and dozens have been injured, and 23 ambulances have been damaged and rendered inoperable.”
Al-Kaila urged all international human rights organizations to provide urgent protection for hospitals, treatment centers, ambulances, health personnel and the sick and wounded who are exposed daily to bombings.
Al-Kaila also pointed out “the Israeli occupation forces daily threaten to evacuate hospitals in the Gaza Strip, which is a clear threat to the lives of hundreds of patients and wounded individuals.”
The minister also added Al-Durrah Children’s Hospital was evacuated Friday after being targeted with internationally prohibited white phosphorus bombs, and Beit Hanoun Hospital has also ceased operations due to Israeli bombardment.
Ambulances being targeted by Israeli air attacks: Aid group
The Gaza programme manager for Medical Aid for Palestinians announced ambulances in Gaza are being targeted by Israeli air raids.
“Sometimes ambulances can’t go immediately to the place because there is loss of communication, and you don’t know if they’re going to be targeted immediately or not,” Mahmoud Shalabi said.
” … to die during this time is better than to get injured, because your treatment is going to be delayed. So this is actually more merciful than being injured during these attacks,” Shalabi added.
Gaza hospital evacuations ‘could be tantamount to a death sentence’: WHO
The United Nations health organisation has again condemned Israel’s order to evacuate 22 hospitals treating more than 2,000 inpatients in northern Gaza.
“Forcing more than 2,000 patients to relocate to southern Gaza, where health facilities are already running at maximum capacity and unable to absorb a dramatic rise in the number of patients, could be tantamount to a death sentence,” the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a statement.
“Hospital directors and health workers are now facing an agonizing choice: abandon critically ill patients amid a bombing campaign, put their own lives at risk while remaining on site to treat patients, or endanger their patients’ lives while attempting to transport them to facilities that have no capacity to receive them,” the WHO added.
Forty-five families wiped from Gaza civil registry: Ministry
All the living generations of 45 families have been wiped from the Gaza civil registry, the health ministry says.
At least 2,215 Palestinians have been killed and 8,714 wounded in Israeli air attacks on Gaza this week. Among the dead are 720 children.
The death toll will surge significantly if Israel launches a ground invasion into the besieged territory of about 2.3 million people.
Israel says bodies of hostages found during Gaza incursions
The Israeli military has found the bodies of some hostages abducted by Hamas during operations inside Gaza this week. It didn’t specify how many were discovered, however.
“We have found and located some bodies in the perimeter in the Gaza Strip of Israelis that were abducted,” spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Peter Lerner told a briefing.
Israel confirmed at least 120 people were kidnapped. The Israeli military has since staged “localised” raids inside Gaza.
Lerner said the bodies of hostages were found on “small, close-perimeter raids into the Gaza Strip”.
Israel admits to intelligence ‘mistakes’ in failing to predict Hamas attack
A senior Israeli official acknowledged “mistakes” made in intelligence assessments ahead of the Hamas attack last weekend, which took the country by surprise and killed more than 1,300 people.
“It’s my mistake and it reflects the mistakes of all those making [intelligence] assessments,” National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi told a press briefing.
“We really believed that Hamas learned the lesson from” its last major war with Israel in 2021, Hanegbi continued, adding Israel received no concrete warning – including from Egypt – of the October 7 Hamas incursion.
Earlier this week, US House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul said American lawmakers were told Egypt had warned Israel three days before the attack.
An Egyptian intelligence official stated Egypt had spoken repeatedly with the Israelis about “something big”, The Associated Press reported, without elaborating.
Hezbollah says fighter killed by Israel fire in southern Lebanon
A Hezbollah spokesperson told the AFP news agency the figher was killed “either in Israeli strikes or in clashes”. The announcement comes as UN officials have warned of a spillover of the conflict.
Observers have said an Israeli ground incursion into Gaza could prompt Hezbollah to more fully commit its fighters.
Israel has also warned the group against being drawn into the war, with Benjamin Netanyahu’s national security adviser suggesting it would bring about the “defacto” destruction of Lebanon.
Earlier in the day, the mayor of the Shebaa village said two Lebanese civilians had been killed in Israeli shelling.
MSF calls for Israel to maintain safe zones in northern Gaza
The humanitarian organisation Doctors Without Borders (Medecins Sans Frontieres, or MSF) has released its latest appeal as the deadline given by Israel for civilians to leave the north of Gaza expires.
Israel has said it is preparing for a coordinated “air, sea and land” operation and was building up forces “with an emphasis on significant ground operations”.
“We are extremely worried about the fate of those who will not be able to move, such as the wounded, the sick and the medical staff who we fear will be wiped out in view of the statements made by the Israeli military authorities,” the group announced.
“MSF is calling for safe zones to remain in the north and for regular ceasefire.”
At least 279 Israeli soldiers killed: Army spokesperson
At least 279 Israeli soldiers have been killed in the Hamas movement’s attack launched on 7 October, Israeli army spokesperson Daniel Hagari said.
During that same period, 126 Israelis were captured by Hamas, he added.
126 Israelis held captive in Gaza
There are 126 Israelis being held captive in Gaza, an Israeli military spokesman has confirmed.
Hamas announced it captured more than 100 people and seeks the release of all Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails – about 4,500 detainees – in exchange for the Israeli captives.
Other than Israelis, other nationalities being held include Americans, Italians and Germans.
Hamas said Israel’s air strikes have killed 22 hostages, including foreigners, so far. It did not provide their nationalities. The Israeli military denied the claim.
Israel warns Lebanon’s Hezbollah to remain out of Gaza war
The national security adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned Hezbollah not to be drawn in Israel’s war in Gaza.
“We hope Hezbollah won’t, de facto, bring about the destruction of Lebanon, because if there is a war there the result will be no less,” Tzachi Hanegbi said during a televised briefing.
Israel was focusing on the war in Gaza, Hanegbi stated, and “trying not to be drawn into a two-front war”.
He also argued that the more limited fighting across the Lebanese border showed Hezbollah was staying “under the escalation threshold”.
Israel’s army says preparing operation by ‘air, sea and land’
Israel’s military has announced it is “preparing to expand the attack” in Gaza, hinting at a long-expected land incursion into the enclave.
In a statement, the military said it was planning a wide range of offensive operations, including “coordinated attack from the air, sea and land”.
“Various battalions and army forces are deployed throughout Israel in preparation for raising the level of readiness and in preparation for the next stages of the war, especially the large ground operation,” the military said.
Two civilians killed in Israel shelling of Lebanese village: Mayor
Israeli shelling in the southern village of Shebaa has killed two Lebanese civilians.
“A man and his wife have been killed in their home by Israeli shelling,” Mayor Mohammad Harb was quoted as saying.
The deaths come one day after Israeli shelling in southern Lebanon killed one journalist and wounded six others.
Israel has traded fire with Hezbollah and allied Palestinian factions in Lebanon on a near-daily basis since Sunday, although the tit-for-tat attacks have so far remained limited.
UN aid chief says ‘humanity is failing’
Martin Griffiths of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, in his latest statement on the conflict, reflected on a “dreadful week” in which “humanity is failing”.
“I fear the worst is yet to come,” he said, adding that in Gaza, there is “no power, no water and no fuel”, food supplies are running low, hospitals are “running our medicine”, and “morgues are overflowing”.
“The humanitarian situation in Gaza, already critical, is fast becoming untenable,” he stated.
He also warned of rising violence in the West Bank and the risk of escalation between Israel and Lebanon.
Hamas chief says Palestinians will ‘never leave Gaza’
Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh has accused Israel of committing “genocide” in the Gaza Strip.
“Our enemy is doing this with the US administration and some European countries,” he said.
“The people of Gaza are staying in their land. They will never leave Gaza or flee [to Egypt],” he added.
“I salute the people of Gaza who are facing the barbaric machine of the Zionist machine. They are committed to their lands,” he stated.
Arabs reject mass displacement of Palestinians: PLO
Hussein AlSheikh, secretary general of the Palestine Liberation Organization’s executive committee, stated there is an “Arab consensus” on the “categorical rejection of the displacement of the Palestinian people from their homeland”.
Palestinians and their neighbours fear a repeat of the mass exodus of 1948, in what is known as the Nakba, or Catastrophe, when the state of Israel was created.
Netanyahu visits troops near Gaza, says ‘next stage coming’
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has paid a visit to Israeli ground forces stationed near the besieged Gaza Strip.
“With our fighters in the Gaza Strip, on the front line. We are all ready,” he said on X.
A video showed Netanyahu telling the infantrymen, “You ready for the next stage? The next stage is coming.”
Hospitals in Gaza losing “clinical, pharmaceutical, and fuel capacities”: Palestinian Ministry of Health
Hospitals in Gaza are facing unprecedented challenges as they struggle to manage the influx of casualties from the ongoing conflict, forcing the treatment of some patients in hallways and hospital courtyards.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health said Saturday Gaza hospitals have “started to lose their clinical, pharmaceutical, and fuel capacities,” the Palestinian Ministry of Health said Saturday.
Dr. Ashraf Alqudera, spokesperson for the ministry in the Gaza Strip, stated health facilities in the area have been “targeted,” noting medical crews still “did not leave their positions.”
“We have a moral and human responsibility to treat the wounded and sick under all circumstances,” Alqudera continued, adding, “We appeal to all parties to speed up the entrance of medical supplies to hospitals before it’s too late.”
At al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al Balah, Gaza, the hospital is on the brink of a medical crisis due to power outages, relying on a generator with only one to two days of fuel left, according to the director of the syndicate of nurses, Dr. Khalil al-Dekran. Without electricity, all emergency room and surgical operations will halt.
More than 1,300 individuals have been injured, and 350 — including elders and children lost their lives. Notably, a significant number of the injured “sustained head wounds” al-Dekran said in a video message sent to CNN on Saturday from the hospital.
Further complicating the medical situation, al-Dekran echoed Alqudera’s claim, stating ambulances are being targeted by Israeli airstrikes, hampering the efforts to transfer patients between medical facilities.
Pregnant women face ‘impossible choice’ in Gaza: NGO
Pregnant women in the besieged Gaza strip are facing difficult situations as they try to flee towards the south of the region, according to ActionAid, an international charity that works with women and girls.
“We are particularly concerned about the devastating impact on the 50,000 pregnant women in Gaza right now and newborn babies, who are all left without essential medical care,” Riham Jafari, ActionAid’s coordinator of advocacy and communication for Palestine, said in a statement.
Jafari added that they deserve protection “as they make the impossible choice of fleeing with no guarantee of safety or remaining at risk of almost certain death.”
UN expert warns of new instance of mass ethnic cleansing of Palestinians, calls for ceasefire
A UN human rights expert has warned that Palestinians are in grave danger of mass ethnic cleansing and has called on the global community to mediate a ceasefire.
“The situation in the occupied Palestinian territory and Israel has reached fever pitch,” said Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories.
“There is a grave danger that what we are witnessing may be a repeat of the 1948 Nakba, and the 1967 Naksa, yet on a larger scale. The international community must do everything to stop this from happening again,” she added.