Israel-Hamas war LIVE: Israel claims Hamas ‘has lost control’ in the north of Gaza as terror group releases dramatic footage of its fighters battling the IDF
PICTURED: Palestinian children huddle around fires and in makeshift shelters at the Nassr hospital after their families fled Israeli airstrikes
Aid has reached embattled Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City – but UN and WHO say it is not enough and conditions are ‘disastrous’
A rare delivery of medical supplies and medicines reached Al-Shifa hospital in the war-ravaged north of the Gaza Strip, the UN said.
Tens of thousands of displaced people have sought shelter in the hospital’s parking lots and yards.
In a joint statement, the heads of UNRWA and the World Health Organization said the aid had arrived ‘despite huge risks to our staff and health partners due to the relentless bombardments’.
While welcome, the quantities we delivered are far from sufficient to respond to the immense needs in the Gaza Strip. The medical conditions at Al-Shifa – the largest hospital in the Gaza Strip and one of the oldest Palestinian health institutions – are disastrous.
There are currently almost two patients for every bed available. The emergency department and wards are overflowing, requiring doctors and medical workers to treat wounded and sick patients in the corridors, on the floor, and outdoors
PICTURED: Medics show damage to the ceiling of a hospital in southern Gaza following Israeli airstrikes nearby
UN Chief says something is ‘clearly wrong’ with Israel’s operation in Gaza, with ‘thousands and thousands of children killed’
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said the number of civilians killed in Israel’s strikes on Gaza suggests there is something ‘clearly wrong’ with its military operations.
‘Every year, the highest number of killings of children by any of the actors in all the conflicts that we witness is the maximum in the hundreds,’ Mr Guterres told an event hosted by Reuters.
‘We have in a few days in Gaza thousands and thousands of children killed, which means there is also something clearly wrong in the way military operations are being done.’
He added: ‘It is also important to make Israel understand that it is against the interests of Israel to see every day the terrible image of the dramatic humanitarian needs of the Palestinian people.
‘That doesn’t help Israel in relation to the global public opinion.’
PICTURED: Israeli troops operate inside bombed out buildings in northern Gaza
VIDEO: Bodycam footage shows an IDF reserve division on the battleground in Gaza for the first time in decades
The IDF has shared dramatic footage of reserve troops on the frontline in Gaza.
Spokesman Daniel Hagari said it marks the first time since the First Lebanon War, in 1982, that a full reserve division is maneuvering in the Strip.
MailOnline was invited to join IDF forces taking the fight to Hamas, read the full dispatch below.
Israel claims Hamas has ‘lost control and is continuing to lose control’ in the north of Gaza
IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari has said that Gazans are continuing to flee the north of the Strip as Israeli forces continue their pounding of Hamas.
‘We saw 50,000 Gazans move from the northern Gaza Strip to the south. They are moving because they understand that Hamas has lost control in the north,’ he said.
‘Hamas has lost control and is continuing to lose control in the north.’
He added that Israeli ground forces ‘continue to deepen the attack into Gaza City, and thwart tunnel shafts adjacent to civilian sites.
‘We hit Hamas’s aerial and naval arrays hard, which were planning strategic attacks,’ he also claimed.
PICTURED: Hamas releases footage of al-Qassam Brigades fighters battling Israeli ground forces in northern Gaza with what appear to be RPGs
Rafah crossing is closed due to ‘security circumstance’, US says
The Rafah crossing on the Egypt-Gaza is the only route out of the besieged strip.
Now the US State Department has said it has been closed due to a ‘security circumstance’.
Spokesperson Vedant Patel said the US expects it will be reopened at ‘regular intervals’ so that aid can enter and foreign nationals can escape Gaza.
IDF says it ‘destroyed a terrorist tunnel’ near a UN school in northeast Gaza
PICTURED: Smoke fills the air over Gaza City as fires from Israeli airstrikes continue to rage amid bombed out buildings
Breaking: UNRWA says strike on one of its schools in Khan Younis injured 15 people
UNRWA, the United Nations Agency operating in Gaza, says 15 people were injured when shrapnel from a nearby strike fell into the yard of one of its schools.
IDF says it is ‘tightening the stranglehold’ around city of Gaza
Israeli troops were ‘tightening the stranglehold around the city of Gaza’, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said.
‘Gaza is the largest terrorist base ever built,’ Gallant said, vowing to destroy Hamas as Israel marked a month since the group’s October 7 attack.
As Israel relentlessly bombards Gaza, the health ministry in Hamas-run territory said the death toll had reached 10,569, including more than 4,300 children.
Hamas claims talks underway for release of 12 hostages in return for a three-day ceasefire
Talks are underway for the release of a dozen hostages held by Hamas, including six Americans, in return for a three-day ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, a source close to Hamas said Wednesday.
‘Talks revolve around the release of 12 hostages, half of them Americans, in exchange for a three-day humanitarian pause, to enable Hamas to release the hostages and to enable Egypt an extended (period of time) to deliver humanitarian aid,’ the source said.
IN PICTURES: Thousands of civilians flee northern Gaza as Israeli troops and Hamas fighters battle
UN rights chief says war crimes committed on both sides of Israel-Hamas conflict
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said on Wednesday war crimes had been committed by both Israel and Hamas in the conflict that erupted just over a month ago.
‘The atrocities perpetrated by Palestinian armed groups on 7 October were heinous, they were war crimes – as is the continued holding of hostages,’ Volker Turk said at the Rafah crossing in Egypt on the border with Gaza.
‘The collective punishment by Israel of Palestinian civilians is also a war crime, as is unlawful forcible evacuation of civilians,’ he added.
UN chief says ‘something clearly wrong’ with Israel’s military operations
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Wednesday that the number of civilians killed in the Gaza Strip shows that there is something ‘clearly wrong’ with Israel’s military operations against Hamas terrorists.
Israel has vowed to wipe out Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, after the militants killed 1,400 people and took more than 240 hostages in an Oct. 7 attack. Israel has struck Gaza – an enclave of 2.3 million people – from the air, imposed a siege and launched a ground invasion.
‘There are violations by Hamas when they have human shields. But when one looks at the number of civilians that were killed with the military operations, there is something that is clearly wrong,’ Guterres said.
‘It is also important to make Israel understand that it is against the interests of Israel to see every day the terrible image of the dramatic humanitarian needs of the Palestinian people,’ Guterres said. ‘That doesn’t help Israel in relation to the global public opinion.’
Breaking: Canada is calling for significant humanitarian pause in Gaza – PM Trudeau
Canada is calling for a significant humanitarian pause in the Gaza conflict to allow for the release of all hostages, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters on Wednesday.
Canada had previously called for a series of halts in the fighting to allow aid into the enclave but had steered clear of advocating a longer pause.
Rishi Sunak vows to hold Met chief ‘accountable’ over pro-Palestinian rally on Armistice Day: PM warns force must ‘safeguard’ tributes to war dead in London after commissioner says Gaza event ‘does not meet the threshold’ to be outlawed
Rishi Sunak today vowed to hold Scotland Yard’s chief ‘accountable’ over pro-Palestinian protests on Armistice Day.
The PM said Mark Rowley had decided the force can ‘ensure that we safeguard remembrance for the country this weekend as well as keep the public safe’.
He said he would be meeting the Met commissioner later to ask for assurances about how that will be done. The intervention came after the Yard claimed it had ‘no absolute power’ to ban the protest on Saturday.
In a thinly veiled swipe at the Home Secretary, Sir Mark said the laws of Parliament and intelligence gathered by its sources did not justify a ban.
Read the full report by MailOnline’s Political Editor James Tapsfield by clicking the link below.
IN PICTURES: Israeli helicopters and fighter jets fire missiles and flares during bombardment of Gaza
WATCH: Israeli forces blow up Hamas tunnels and dig them up
Israeli combat engineers are now using explosive devices to destroy a tunnel network built by Hamas that stretches for hundreds of miles beneath the territory.
IDF spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari shared the below footage, saying the expansion of Israel’s ground operations meantengineers could effectively target Hamas infrastructure with diggers and explosives.
Breaking: Israel says it does not intend to ‘reoccupy’ Gaza or control it for long time
Israel says it does not intend to ‘reoccupy’ Gaza or control it for a long time.
Qatar is mediating negotiations between Israel and Hamas for the potential release of between 10 to 15 Israeli hostages held in Gaza in exchange for a short ceasefire, it has emerged.
The ceasefire would last between one and two days, during which up to 15 hostages captured by Hamas gunmen on October 7 will be released, a source briefed on the talks said today.
The latest development provides a small slither of hope for the heartbroken families of the 240 people seized and held hostage by Hamas terrorists since the terror group’s bloodthirsty raid on Israel. They have endured a living nightmare for weeks, helplessly hoping they will see their parents, children or grandparents again.
Read the full story by clicking the link below:
Israel: Operation to wipe out Hamas is ‘the war of the free world’
Israel’s operation to wipe out Hamas in Gaza is ‘the war of the free world’, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen told EU lawmakers in Brussels today.
Cohen also said Israel was attacked not only by Hamas but by other militias in the region that are supported by Iran.
He called Tehran ‘the world number one financer of terror’.
Israeli officials have called Iran and the terror groups it backs – Hamas and Hezbollah – the ‘axis of evil’. The warn the group is hell-bent on destroying Israel. Iran calls the group the ‘Axis of Resistance’ against Israel and its western backers.
Hamas-affiliated media accuses Israel of bombing two mosques ‘within minutes’
A Hamas-affiliated new agency has accused Israel of bombing two mosques in Gaza ‘within minutes’ of each other.
The Shehab news agency posted images to social media which it claims show damage to Khaled bin al-Walid mosque, found to the west of Khan Younis in southern Gaza.
Shehab says the building was destroyed by ‘occupation aircraft’.
It then adds that the strike came ‘minutes after the destruction of al-Sahwa mosque’.
‘The second mosque within minutes.. Occupation aircraft destroy the Khaled bin Al-Walid Mosque in the Al-Maskar area, west of Khan Yunis, minutes after the destruction of Al-Sahwa Mosque in the western line of the city,’ it wrote.
As Israeli troops enter Gaza City to crush Hamas militiamen and eradicate the terror group’s power base, the future of the Gaza Strip – and millions of Palestinians – hangs in the balance.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday declared that the Jewish state would assume ‘overall security responsibility’ for Gaza once Hamas is defeated – something that is likely to take months to achieve.
But his comments on what the future of Gaza under Tel-Aviv’s control would look like were very vague, sparking rampant speculation over the hard-right Israeli government’s plans for the embattled Palestinian territory.
MailOnline has spoken to experts who have given their take on what an Irsaeli occupation of the Gaza Strip might look like. Read the full story below…
More than 150 nationals have left Gaza via Rafah crossing, minister says
More than 150 British nationals have left Gaza via the Rafah crossing as of Tuesday night, a Foreign Office minister said, PA reports.
Making a statement in the Commons on the humanitarian situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Andrew Mitchell said:
Immediately after Hamas’ brutal assault, the Government brought home almost 1,000 British nationals safely on charter and military flights, but the safety of all British nationals is our utmost priority and so we are in regular contact with those in Gaza registered with us since the conflict began. Working with partners, we have been engaging intensively with Israel and Egypt to allow foreign nationals to leave Gaza via the Rafah border crossing. This has proved possible on five of the last seven days and I can confirm to the House that as of late last night, over 150 British nationals have made it through to Egypt.
Mitchell also said the evacuees would be met with a team of consular officials, and that the UK has set up a reception centre in Cairo to recieve them.
A forward deployed team of consular officials is … close to Rafah to meet them and provide the medical consular and administrative support they need. We have also set up a reception centre for British nationals in Cairo and have arranged accommodation. We will do everything we can to ensure all remaining British nationals in Gaza can leave safely.
Breaking: Italy ‘to send hospital ship to Gaza coast’
Reuters news agency is reporting that Italy is set to deploy a hospital ship near the Gaza coast, citing the country’s defence minister.
The ship will have 170 staff on board, it said.
Reports have previously suggested countries were considering this as an option to help alleviate the deepening humanitarian crisis in the strip.
This is a breaking news update. More to follow…
IDF extends evacuation window by extra hour ‘due to substantial response’
Israel’s Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) has said the IDF extended the evacuation window from north Gaza by an hour.
‘Due to the substantial response, the IDF has extended the evacuation corridor by an extra hour, until 15:00 today (1300 GMT), allowing many more Gazans to move south for their safety,’ the division of the Israeli military said on X (formerly Twitter).
As many as 15,000 people fled the north of Gaza Strip yesterday, according to UN figures, with numbers rising each day.
WATCH: Israeli airstrikes destroy Hamas target where terrorists had launched anti-tank missiles at soldiers
The Israeli military has released footage of Israeli airstrikes destroying a Hamas target where terrorists had launched anti-tank missiles at soldiers.
The strikes destroyed the building, which was connected by an underground passage to a munitions warehouse, and killed terrorists who had fled to the roof of the building.
Breaking: Qatar ‘negotiating the release of some hostages in return for Gaza ceasefire’
Qatar is negotiating the release of some hostages in return for Gaza ceasefire, according to a source briefed on the talks.
This is a breaking news update, more to follow…
Israel extends operation of ‘evacuation corridor’ in Gaza by one hour
Israel’s military today said it had extended the operation of its ‘evacuation corridor’ where Palestinians will be able to move from the north of the Gaza Strip to the south by one hour.
The corridor was supposed to close at 2pm local time but will now be open until 3pm local time (1pm GMT).
Earlier, Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari posted footage which he claimed showed scores of Palestinians moving from the north to the south.
Israel kills Hamas weapons boss and corners mastermind of October 7 massacre as IDF advances ‘deep inside’ Gaza City and warns terror leaders they are ‘dead men walking’
Israel today said it killed a Hamas weapons boss and cornered the mastermind of the horrific October 7 massacre in his bunker as Israeli forces continue to advance ‘deep inside’ Gaza City.
Israeli airstrikes ‘eliminated’ leading Hamas armourer Mahsein Abu Zina and several terrorists who were attacking IDF troops with ground-to-ground rocket fire, the military said today.
Israeli troops also managed to corner Yahya Sinwar, the most senior Hamas leader in Gaza and believed to be a key planner of the October 7 attacks that left 1,400 Israelis dead, in his bunker.
Sinwar’s fate is not yet known but Israel’s coordinated attacks on Hamas’s stronghold in the north of the Gaza Strip comes as the Israeli military warned the terror leaders they are ‘dead men walking’.
Israeli troops are now advancing ‘deep inside’ Gaza City where they are fighting intense and bloody battles against Hamas terrorists.
Israeli representatives will not attend tomorrow’s ‘humanitarian conference’ in Paris
Israeli representatives will not participate at a Thursday ‘humanitarian conference’ for Gaza in Paris organised by French President Emmanuel Macron, his office said, according to AFP news agency.
Like other governments, Israel nevertheless has ‘an interest in the humanitarian situation improving in Gaza’, an official in Macron’s office, who asked not to be named, told reporters today.
Yesterday, Macron spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the pair will talk again once the aid conference is over, the Elysee Palace added.
Evacuations from northern Gaza picking up pace each day corridor is open, figures show
The pace of Palestinians fleeing the combat zone in northern Gaza has picked up pace in recent days as Israel’s air and ground campaign intensifies, UN figures reported by AP suggest.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said Wednesday that about 15,000 people fled on Tuesday.
That is compared to 5,000 on Monday and 2,000 on Sunday.
Israel has been opening humanitarian evacuation corridors down Gaza’s main highway in an attempt to persuade Palestinians still living in the north to flee to the south, which is seen as being slightly safer.
However, the UN and Palestinian officials in the territory have said thousands are still in the north of Gaza as fighting rages in the city.
The corridor has been opening between 10am and 2pm local time (0800GMT and 1200GMT), meaning Wednesday’s corridor will be closing shortly.
Footage shared by Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories, an Israeli military division that deals with civilian engagement, posted another video showing hundreds of people walking down the corridor.
In the clip, men, women and children can be seen waving white flags and taking with them only what they could carry. Satellite images over the corridor on Tuesday also showed a stream of people making their way from Gaza’s north to south.
Breaking: Death toll ‘rises to 10,569 Palestinians killed’ in Gaza since October 7
At least 10,569 Palestinians including 4,324 children, have been killed and 26,457 wounded in Israeli strikes on Gaza since October 7, the health ministry in Hamas-controlled Gaza said on Wednesday.
Palestine Red Crescent Society says all roads leading to Al-Quds hospital are closed
The Palestine Red Crescent Society has said all roads are closed heading to the al-Quds hospital and that ‘medical teams are unable to leave the hospital to reach the injured persons’ due to ‘Israeli bombardment’.
MAP: Situation on the ground in Gaza and Israel as IDF soldiers enter central Gaza City
IDF says it has arrested 37 in West Bank and seized Hamas equipment
The IDF said it had arrested 37 people in the West Bank last night and seized ‘many’ weapons belonging to Hamas.
The Israeli military said 10 of those arrested were associated with the terror group Hamas.
Heartbreak for Hamas victims’ fathers: Emily Hand’s parent pleads with the terror group to ‘show humanity’ and release the girl in time for her ninth birthday as Shani Louk’s father says he’s ‘happy I know she is dead and not suffering’ in Gaza
Two heartbroken fathers have described how they have been living a nightmare ever since their daughters were taken from them by Hamas during the terror groups’ bloodthirsty raid on Israel.
Thomas Hand, whose eight-year-old daughter Emily is thought to be among the 240 hostages held by Hamas, today pleaded with the terror group to ‘show humanity’ and release the little girl in time for her ninth birthday in two weeks.
For Nissim Louk, he spent weeks helplessly hoping that his daughter Shani Louk had survived the Hamas terrorist attack on the Nova electronic festival.
After weeks of waiting, Mr Louk and his heartbroken wife Ricarda were told by Israeli soldiers they had found Shani’s skull and she had been killed ‘on the spot’ by Hamas terrorists as she fled the festival in her car with friends.
For Mr Louk, that has provided some sense of solace – to know that his daughter isn’t suffering unknown horrors at the hands of Hamas terrorists.
Read the full report by clicking the link below.
Cleverly: UK wants ‘peace-loving Palestinian leadership’ in Gaza
Israeli ‘security responsibility’ in Gaza should only be temporary, British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has cautioned at the G7 meeting in Japan.
It comes after PM Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would maintain ‘overall security responsibility’ in Gaza for an ‘indefinite period’ after defeating Hamas.
Mr Cleverly indicated that the UK wanted a ‘peace-loving Palestinian leadership’ in the strip, suggesting he agreed with the US over any reoccupation of Gaza.
The United States is opposed to any reoccupation of the territory, from which Israel removed soldiers and settlers in 2005. The US has suggested that a revitalised Palestinian Authority (PA) could govern Gaza.
But the internationally recognised PA, whose forces were driven out of Gaza by Hamas 16 years ago, says it would only do so as part of a solution that creates a Palestinian state in Gaza, the West Bank and east Jerusalem.
According to Press Association, Mr Cleverly said today:
What we’re seeing at the moment is an Israeli military operation in Gaza. Their explicit aim is to remove Hamas as the government of Gaza. The UK Government’s position has long been that we want to see a Palestinian leadership for the Palestinian people, committed to peace and committed to a two state solution. In the short term, it is inevitable that Israel, because they have the troops in Gaza, will need to have a security responsibility. But our view is as soon as practicable, a move towards a peace-loving Palestinian leadership is the most desired outcome. The UK position is clear. It is unchanging. We want to see a two-state solution where a Palestinian state and an Israeli state are living side by side in peace and prosperity.
Sunak says he will hold Met commissioner ‘accountable’ for decision greenlight Armistice Day pro-Palestinian demo
Britain’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said he will hold London’s Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley ‘accountable’ for his decision to greenlight a pro-Palestinian demonstration on Armistice Day, PA reports.
The pair will meet later on Wednesday, he added.
Speaking during a visit to a school in Lincolnshire, the PM told broadcasters:
This is a decision that the Metropolitan Police Commissioner has made. He has said that he can ensure that we safeguard remembrance for the country this weekend as well as keep the public safe. Now, my job is to hold him accountable for that. We’ve asked the police for information on how they will ensure that this happens. I’ll be meeting the Metropolitan Police Commissioner later today to discuss this. More broadly, my view is that these marches are disrespectful and that’s what I’ll be discussing with the police commissioner later today.
IDF video shows large explosion in ‘attack on Hezbollah target’
IDF spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari has shared a video of what he said shows an Israeli attack on a Hezbollah target last night.
The landscape filmed from the air is quickly illuminated by a flash, followed by huge ball of fire that rises into the sky.
The blast is shown for a second time, this time with a thermal imaging camera.
It was not clear from Hagari’s post on social media what the target was, but the size of the explosion suggests it could have been ammunition or explosives.
IN PICTURES: Israel holds memorial ceremonies to mark one month since October 7
In Jerusalem last night, sobs pierced memorial ceremonies and crowds lit candles while mourning the victims of Hamas’s attack a month ago.
‘There’s not one person not impacted by these horrible attacks,’ said 52-year-old Sharon Balaban, one of thousands of Israelis attending the vigils.
‘Everyone knows somebody who was hurt, killed, murdered or impacted.’
Tel Aviv also hosted a candlelight vigil around photos of the hostages at Habima Square. Some people wept, some sang or prayed.
‘I came to look at the faces of the hostages, to feel part of it. … I want to be by the sides of the families whose loved ones are’ in Gaza, said Valeria Nesterov.
Blinken hints at support for ‘transition period’
In addition to his comments earlier (see update at 09:10) in which he said the White House did not support an Israeli reoccupation of Gaza, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has hinted at support for a ‘traistion period’ after the war.
‘Gaza cannot be continued to be run by Hamas,’ he said.
‘That simply invites repetition of 7 October. It is also clear that Israel cannot occupy Gaza. Now, the reality is that there may be a need for some transition period at the end of the conflict. We don’t see a reoccupation and what I’ve heard from Israeli leaders, is that they have no intent to reoccupy Gaza.’
Israel ‘kills top Hamas weapons manufacturer’ as it targets Gaza tunnel network
Air strikes on the Gaza Strip killed a top Hamas weapons maker and several fighters, the Israeli military said on Wednesday, as its air and ground offensive targeted the militants’ vast tunnel network beneath the besieged Palestinian enclave.
Gaza City, the Hamas militant group’s main stronghold in the territory, is encircled by Israeli forces. The military said troops have advanced to the heart of the densely-populated city while Hamas says its fighters have inflicted heavy losses.
The Israeli military statement said two separate strikes eliminated a leading Hamas armorer, Mahsein Abu Zina, and fighters engaged in anti-tank or ground-to-ground rocket fire.
ICRC says medical supply convoy came under fire in Gaza City
The International Committee of the Red Cross said a humanitarian convoy carrying medical supplies came under fire in Gaza City on Tuesday, AFP reports.
The incident leaving two trucks damaged and a driver lightly wounded. The ICRC did not specify who had fired at its convoy or from what direction the fire came.
‘These are not the conditions under which humanitarian personnel can work,’ said William Schomburg, the head of the ICRC sub-delegation in Gaza.
Separately, medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said Tuesday one of its employees was killed in Gaza along with several family members.
Mohammed Al Ahel, a laboratory technician, was killed in his home in the Shati refugee camp, MSF said.
G7 foreign ministers support ‘humanitarian pauses and corridors’
G7 foreign ministers have said they support ‘humanitarian pauses and corridors’ in the Israel-Hamas war, but have refrained from calling for a ceasefire.
The ministers said in a joint statement after talks in Japan:
We stress the need for urgent action to address the deteriorating humanitarian crisis in Gaza… we support humanitarian pauses and corridors to facilitate urgently needed assistance, civilian movement, and the release of hostages.
The statement also said the ministers ’emphasise Israel’s right to defend itself and its people in accordance with international law as it seeks to prevent a recurrence’ of the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, and urged Iran to refrain from supporting Hamas and the Lebanese terror group Hezbollah.
We call on Iran to refrain from providing support for Hamas and taking further actions that destabilize the Middle East, including support for Lebanese Hezbollah and other non-state actors, and to use its influence with those groups to de-escalate regional tensions.
IDF says it has opened evacuation corridor for civilians from northern Gaza to move south
Breaking: Israel should not ‘reoccupy’ Gaza, Blinken says
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has said Israel should not ‘reoccupy’ Gaza when the war with Hamas has ended.
His statement followed comments by Isreal’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday night, who said Israel would maintain ‘overall security responsibility’ in Gaza for an ‘indefinite period’ after defeating Hamas.
The US state department also said it opposed any reoccuppation.
‘Generally speaking, we do not support the reoccupation of Gaza and neither does Israel,’ State Department spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters.
‘Our viewpoint is that Palestinians must be at the forefront of these decisions and Gaza is Palestinian land.’
Israel removed its soldiers and settlers from Gaza in 2005.
WATCH: IDF continue to eliminate terrorist targets deep within the Gaza Strip
IN PICTURES: Smoke rises above Gaza as Israeli airforce continues its aerial bombardment
Thousands of Palestinians flee south on foot
Thousands of Palestinians are fleeing south on foot with only what they can carry after running out of food and water in the north, a United Nations agency said Wednesday, as Israel said its troops were battling Hamas militants deep inside Gaza City.
Over 70 per cent of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million have already fled their homes, but the growing numbers making their way south point to an increasingly desperate situation in and around Gaza’s largest city, which has come under heavy Israeli bombardment.
About 15,000 people fled northern Gaza on Tuesday – triple the number that left Monday – according to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. They are using Gaza’s main north-south highway during a daily four-hour window announced by Israel.
Those fleeing include children, older people and people with disabilities, and most walked with minimal belongings, the U.N. agency said. Some say they had to cross Israeli checkpoints, where they saw people being arrested, while others held their hands in the air and raised white flags while passing Israeli tanks.
Residents reported loud explosions overnight into Wednesday across Gaza City and in its Shati refugee camp, which houses Palestinian families who fled from or were driven out of what is now Israel during the 1948 war surrounding its establishment.
‘The bombings were heavy and close,’ said Mohamed Abed, who lives in Gaza City’s Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood. He said residents panicked when they heard the news late Tuesday that Israeli ground forces were fighting deep inside the city.
Israeli troops are battling Hamas terrorists deep inside Gaza City, according to the IDF, as thousands of Palestinians flee south on foot with only what they can carry.
Retaliating for a deadly October 7 attack by Hamas gunmen, Israeli soldiers have been advancing towards the heart of the city, which was home to 650,000 people before the war and is Hamas’ stronghold in the north of the Gaza Strip.
Underlining Israel’s determination to destroy Hamas, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant described Gaza City as ‘the largest terrorist base ever built’. Israel says Hamas has its central command and a vast labyrinth of tunnels built under the city.
Separately, Jonathan Conricus – the acting spokesperson for the Israeli military, described the Hamas leadership both inside and outside of Gaza as ‘dead men walking’ when speaking to Sky News Australia.
Read our full report by clicking the link below…
What you need to know as Israel-Hamas war enters its 33rd day
Hello and welcome to MailOnline’s liveblog covering the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. As the conflict enters its 33rd day, here’s what you need to know:
Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry says more than 10,300 people have been killed in the territory since the war began on October 7, when the group attacked Israel and killed over 1,400 people and took 240 more hostage.
Israeli troops are now battling Hamas terrorists deep inside Gaza City as they continue with their ground operation into the strip. The dense metropolis is home to Hamas’s stronghold in the north of the coastal strip.
Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said soldiers ‘are in the heart of Gaza City,’ adding Israel was ‘tightening the noose’ on the terror group. Hamas’ most senior leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, was isolated in his bunker, Gallant said.
Thousands of Palestinians evacuated from the north of Gaza to the south of Tuesday, heeding Israel’s warning to move to the safer part of the territory
The Hamas-run interior ministry said 900,000 Palestinians were still sheltering in northern Gaza, including in Gaza City, as troops close in
The UN says the north has been without running water for weeks, and hospitals running low on supplies are performing surgeries – including amputations – without anaesthesia
Palestinian health officials said at least 23 people were killed in two Israeli airstrikes on Tuesday in the southern Gaza
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said this week that Israel would maintain ‘overall security responsibility’ in Gaza for an ‘indefinite period’ after defeating Hamas
The US is opposed to Israel’s reoccupation of the territory
Meanwhile, in Israel, Israelis marked one month since the Hamas attack with candlelit vigils around photos of the hostages taken by Hamas
Israel kills Hamas weapons boss and corners mastermind of October 7 massacre as IDF advances
11:15
Death toll ‘rises to 10,569 Palestinians killed’ in Gaza since October 7
09:53
IN PICTURES: Israel holds memorial ceremonies to mark one month since October 7
09:29
Israel ‘kills top Hamas weapons manufacturer’ as it targets Gaza tunnel network
08:53
Thousands of Palestinians flee south on foot
08:34
What you need to know as Israel-Hamas war enters its 33rd day
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Israel-Hamas war LIVE: Israel claims Hamas ‘has lost control’ in the north of Gaza as terror group releases dramatic footage of its fighters battling the IDF