Hamas releases two US captives for 'humanitarian reasons', spokesman says
As the conflict goes into day 14, here are the live updates of the Hamas-Israel war
What we know so far:
- The Greek Orthodox Saint Porphyrius Church compound was hit in an Israeli air attack in central Gaza City. 8 people were killed.
- Israel's defence minister tells gathered troops that they will soon see Gaza "from inside", suggesting an imminent ground invasion.
- United States President Joe Biden compares Hamas to Russia, says "priority" to bring US hostages home from Gaza.
- The US says it shot down missiles and drones fired from Yemen, "potentially at Israel", and confirms reports of attacks on bases hosting US troops in Syria and Iraq.
- World Health Organization chief Tedros says aid trucks are "loaded and ready to go" into Gaza as dozens of US senators urge swift implementation of the US-Egypt deal.
- At least 4,137 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza since Hamas's October 7 attack inside Israel, which killed more than 1,400 people.
- Gaza remains under siege, with Israel blocking supplies of water, electricity, food and fuel across its border
1:30am
Biden 'overjoyed' by release of US captives
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US President Joe Biden has confirmed that the two US captives were freed by Hamas in Gaza, saying that he was "overjoyed" by their release, reports Al Jazeera.
"Our fellow citizens have endured a terrible ordeal these past 14 days, and I am overjoyed that they will soon be reunited with their family, who has been wracked with fear," the US president said in a statement.
1:05am
Israel confirms captives' release
The prime minister of Israel's office has just released a statement saying that the two captives were picked up on the border with the Gaza Strip and they're now on their way to a military base in central Israel.
Israel also has identified the two freed captives as Judith Raanan, 59, and her daughter, Natalie Raanan, 17, several news outlets have reported.
12:35am
Palestine Red Crescent spokesperson says Israel was clear: 'Al-Quds hospital will be bombarded'
"We have received earlier three different threats, but today the threat was so much clearer: Immediate evacuation Al-Quds hospital will be bombarded," Palestine Red Crescent spokesperson Farsakh told Al Jazeera, referring to the hospital in Gaza City.
11:35pm
Biden says Rafah crossing will reopen in '24 to 48 hours' for aid delivery
Biden said he expects the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt to reopen in the next 24 to 48 hours.
"The highway had to be repaved, and it was in very bad shape," he said.
"I believe in the next 24 to 48 hours, the first 20 [aid] trucks will come across the border."
11:15pm
Hamas military wing says it released two US captives
The spokesman for Hamas's military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, said the group has released two US captives for humanitarian reasons,reports Al Jazeera.
"In response to Qatari efforts, Al-Qassam Brigades released two American citizens (a mother and her daughter) for humanitarian reasons," Abu Obaida said in a statement.
He added that the move aimed "to prove to the American people and the world that the claims made by Biden and his fascist administration are false and baseless".
10:30pm
Sunak says Rafah crossing will open soon
Rishi Sunak said the opening of the Rafah crossing into Gaza will now "imminently happen", following his meetings with several leaders in the Middle East.
Speaking to BBC Arabic, Sunak says the "immediate priority right now" is to get humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza.
10:25pm
Israel must 'immediately end operations amounting to genocide': Turkey's Erdogan
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called on Israel to stop its attacks on Gaza, which he said amounted to "genocide", and urged the international community to push for a ceasefire.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Erdogan said the region needed saving from the "frenzy of madness" supported by Western powers and media.
"I repeat my call for the Israeli leadership to never expand the scope of its attacks on civilians and to immediately end its operations amounting to genocide," he said.
10:00pm
Israeli ground push a 'very challenging mission': Ex-CIA chief
David Petraeus, retired US general and a former director of the CIA, told Al Jazeera that Israel's impending ground offensive will be challenging.
"Urban combat is always challenging but when you add the presence of over 200 hostages, you add in an enemy that is willing to kill himself to take Israelis with them … then this will be a very challenging mission," he said.
09:55pm
Amnesty International offers new evidence of Israeli 'war crimes' against Gaza
Amnesty International has offered new evidence of "unlawful Israeli attacks which caused mass civilian casualties and must be investigated as war crimes".
In a post on X, Amnesty said it found that Israeli forces have shown a "shocking disregard for civilian lives". "They have pulverised street after street of residential buildings killing civilians on a mass scale and destroying essential infrastructure."
9:52pm
UK PM meets with Palestinian President Abbas
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas during his trip to Egypt today, reports the BBC.
Sunak's office said that the prime minister expressed his "deep condolences for the loss of civilian lives in Gaza" and reiterated his commitment to opening up humanitarian access to Gaza.
Both leaders "condemned Hamas's terrorism and stressed that Hamas do not represent the Palestinian people".
Sunak's spokesperson said, "The leaders agreed on the need for all parties to take steps to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, and minimise the loss of innocent lives."
9:30pm
Canada is still committed to Israel-Palestine two-state solution: PM Trudeau
Canada is still committed to a two-state solution to create peace in the Middle East, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Friday, reiterating the country's long-time position in the wake of deadly Hamas attacks against Israel earlier this month.
"Canada remains firm and steadfast in our commitment to a two-state solution," Trudeau told reporters in Toronto. "The world and the region needs a peaceful, safe, prosperous, viable Palestinian state alongside a peaceful, prosperous, democratic, safe... Israel."
9:25pm
Iraqis rally against attack on Gaza
Hundreds of Iraqi protesters gathered at the western Trebil border crossing near Jordan in a demonstration organised by the Coordination Framework, an alliance of Iran-backed Shia political groups and militias in Iraq.
9:20pm
Protests flare in Egypt
Thousands of Egyptians demonstrated in cities and towns across the North African country in an expression of solidarity with Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip.
Groups of protesters gathered in Tahrir Square. In a rare move, the Egyptian government approved and even helped organise 27 locations for demonstrators to gather. Since coming to power in 2013, President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi's government has outlawed large public protests.
9:15pm
Gaza supporters rally in Turkey
In Turkey, where the government has declared three days of mourning for Gaza, thousands of people staged protests outside mosques following Friday prayers in Istanbul and the capital Ankara.
In Istanbul, protesters waved Turkish and Palestinian flags, held up placards and chanted slogans denouncing Israel's actions in Gaza.
9:00pm
British PM arrives in Egypt, calls on leaders to avoid regional escalation
The British PM has arrived in Egypt as a part of efforts to prevent the "spread of violence" and said world leaders must work together to avoid "regional escalation".
On X, Rishi Sunak wrote, " I am in Egypt as part of broader efforts to prevent the spread of violence following the Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel. All leaders must work together to avoid any regional escalation and ensure humanitarian aid reaches civilians in Gaza. The UK stands ready to help."
8:40pm
Biden requests $105 billion package, including $14 billion for Israel
US President Joe Biden requested a massive $105 billion security package Friday, including $61 billion in military aid for Ukraine and $14 billion for Israel -- but paralysis in Congress means it will hit an immediate wall.
7:45pm
Gaza church 'not the target of the strike': Israel
Israel has downplayed the attack that killed and injured a "large number" of displaced people sheltering at a church compound in Gaza.
The Israeli military said its fighter jets hit a nearby command-and-control centre that was used to carry out attacks.
7:37pm
Israeli Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Avi Dichter said on Friday that his country will target Hamas like 'human animals' during and after the war saying that the organisation have behaved like 'animals'.
"You don't need justification to fight against an organisation like Hamas that has behaved like animals hunting other animals. It's not going to stop and we are not going to take it as something that was done, and that's it. We are going to target those animals, human animals, whether during the war or after the war, nobody is going to escape," Dichter was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
He further claimed that Hamas and its associates were responsible for the explosion at the Al Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza and highlighted that the incident happened the day when the US President was scheduled to land in Tel Aviv.
The Israeli minister made the remarks as the Israeli defence minister ordered ground troops to prepare to see Gaza "from the inside", though he didn't indicate when the ground assault would begin, reports AP
7:25pm
Egypt's foreign ministry slams Western media
The spokesperson for Egypt's foreign ministry has criticised Western media for "targeting Egypt" and blaming it for the closure of the Rafah crossing.
On X, Ahmed Abu Zeid said, "Targeting Egypt in Western media is clear in the current crisis! Promoting displacement scenario, holding Egypt responsible for the Crossing closure despite Israel's targeted attacks & refusal of aid entry & recently insinuating Egyptian responsibility for obstructing third-country nationals exit".
7:15pm
Russia in contact with Hamas to free hostages: Envoy
Russia is in contact with Hamas to free hostages seized by Hamas, reports Al Jazeera.
"Of course, we have contacts with representatives of Hamas, and first of all they are aimed at rescuing the hostages from the places where they are now," the Izvestia newspaper quoted Russian ambassador to Israel Anatoly Viktorov as saying.
6:25pm
UN: Gaza aid 'in next day or so'
Trucks of international aid for Gaza should be rolling "in the next day or so", the United Nations says, with Palestinians desperate for life-saving supplies after relentless Israel bombing.
Some 175 lorries crammed with vital medicine, food, and water stretched into the distance at the Rafah crossing with Egypt, which has removed concrete roadblocks and is scrambling to repair the route into besieged Gaza – the only one not controlled by Israel.
6:10pm
Most Israelis blame Netanyahu for failure to prevent Hamas attack: Survey
Nearly 80% of Israelis blame Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the failure to prevent the deadly 7 October attack by Hamas, according to a recent poll.
The survey also showed 65% of Israelis support a ground offensive against the Gaza Strip, while 21% oppose it.
Only 8% of those asked did not hold Netanyahu responsible for the attacks in southern Israel near the besieged Gaza Strip, which killed at least 1,400 people.
The Lazar Institute conducted the survey on 18-19 October, and it was commissioned by Israel's Maariv newspaper.
5:50pm
Majority of captives are 'alive': Israeli army
The Israeli military says the majority of the 200 people held captive by Hamas are still alive.
"The majority of the hostages are alive. There were also dead bodies that were taken… to the Gaza Strip," an army statement said.
5:25pm
Israeli defence minister says war campaign consists of three stages
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant has said the war will be divided into three stages, local media reported.
The first stage, he said, was "a military campaign by fire and later by tactical manoeuvre, the purpose of which will be to assassinate operatives and damage infrastructure" to destroy Hamas.
After that, Gallant said during a meeting of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, fighting will be less intense.
He concluded that the last stage of the conflict would include "the creation of a new security regime in the Gaza Strip, the removal of Israel's responsibility for life in the Strip and the creation of a new security reality for the citizens of Israel".
5:10pm
Al Jazeera gains Rafah crossing access
Al Jazeera's Hashem Zaqout has managed to gain rare access inside the Rafah crossing, Al Jazeera reported.
5:15pm
Israel admits to damaging church in Gaza bombardment
The Israeli army has acknowledged that a church in Gaza suffered damage when its forces targeted a site it said was "close to" a Hamas commander in Gaza, reports Turkey's state-run news agency Anadolu Agency.
5:05pm
German FM warns against wider regional conflict
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock is on a mini-tour of the Middle East. Upon arriving in Tel Aviv, she warned against the danger of a broader conflagration in the region, reports DW.
5:00pm
UN chief pushes to get aid into Gaza but process is slow
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres flew to Egypt's Sinai Peninsula on Friday in a push to get aid flowing into Gaza, but it was unclear when delivery of relief materials stockpiled in Egypt would start.
The United States said details of a deal to send aid through the Rafah crossing between Sinai and Gaza were still being hammered out.
Earlier, the United States said agreement was reached for the passage of the first 20 trucks, but UN officials say that any delivery of aid needs to be done at scale and in a sustained way.
Before the current conflict between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas about 450 aid trucks were arriving in Gaza daily.
4:30pm
GCC, Southeast Asian bloc call for 'permanent ceasefire'
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the Southeast Asian bloc (ASEAN) have called for a "permanent ceasefire" and humanitarian access to Gaza.
4:00pm
Israel restricts Palestinian access to Al-Aqsa Mosque for 2nd Friday in row
Israeli authorities barred Palestinians from entering the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem for the second Friday in a row.
Dozens of Palestinian Muslims were forced to perform Fajr, or pre-dawn prayers, in alleys leading to Al-Aqsa Mosque after being denied entry by Israeli police, eyewitnesses told Anadolu Agency.
3:45pm
Greta Thunberg calls for ceasefire
Prominent Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg has called for an immediate ceasefire and said the world needs to "speak up".
On X, Thunberg wrote: "Today we strike in solidarity with Palestine and Gaza. The world needs to speak up and call for an immediate ceasefire, justice and freedom for Palestinians and all civilians affected."
3:15pm
First aid delivery due in Gaza in 'the next day or so': UN
The United Nations humanitarian office says it is in advanced talks with all parties in the conflict to ensure an aid operation into Gaza starts soon.
"We are in deep and advanced negotiations with all relevant sides to ensure that an aid operation into Gaza starts as quickly as possible and with the right conditions," said Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
"We are encouraged by reports that the different sides are nearing an agreement on the modalities, and that a first delivery is due to start in the next day or so."
3:00pm
'We hope the Rafah crossing will open today': WHO
Director general of the World Health Organization says they "continue to ask for access to deliver lifesaving supplies" into Gaza and "hope the Rafah crossing will open today.
"More delays will result in more suffering and more deaths," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus wrote on X, but stopped short of calling for a ceasefire.
2:00pm
Israel air raid destroys Al Omari Mosque: Report
An Israeli air raid has destroyed the historical Al Omari Mosque in the northern Gaza Strip, according to a statement by Gaza's Interior Ministry, Anadolu has reported.
The ancient mosque dates from the 7th century and was the third largest mosque in historic Palestine, says Al Jazeera.
1:17pm
Israel says it struck Hezbollah sites in southern Lebanon overnight: Al Jazeera
The Israeli army says it struck Hezbollah sites in southern Lebanon overnight, reports Al Jazeera.
In a statement on X, the army said its actions were in response to the launches carried out by the Lebanese group into Israeli territory.
12:52pm
New poll suggests 80 percent of Israelis think 'Netanyahu should go': Al Jazeera
The poll also suggested that 80 percent of Israelis believe Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should take responsibility for the country's failures that led to the 7 October Hamas attacks, including 69 percent of those who voted for the premier's Likud party in last year's election. Only 8 percent of the general public think he [Netanyahu] is not responsible.
"This is not a great reading for Benjamin Netanyahu. Even though he is trying to present he is a global statesman meeting world leaders, the public here in Israel think it is time for Netanyahu to go," Al Jazeera's Alan Fisher, reporting from occupied East Jerusalem said.
Moreover, 51 percent of Israelis also back a large-scale military operation on the northern front, at Israel's border with Lebanon, according to the poll, reports Al Jazeera.
11:47am
Israel prepares for ground assault: AP
Israel pounded the Gaza Strip with airstrikes Thursday, including in the south where Palestinians were told to take refuge, as the Israeli defense minister ordered ground troops to prepare to see Gaza "from the inside", though he didn't indicate when the ground assault would begin, reports AP.
Gaza's overwhelmed hospitals tried to stretch out ebbing medical supplies and fuel for generators, as authorities worked out logistics for a desperately needed aid delivery from Egypt. Doctors in darkened wards across Gaza performed surgeries by the light of mobile phones and used vinegar to treat infected wounds.
Amid the violence, President Joe Biden pledged unwavering support for Israel's security, "today and always," while adding that the world "can't ignore the humanity of innocent Palestinians" in the besieged Gaza Strip.
10:25am
Asian shares hit 11-month low on Middle East anxiety, surging yields: Reuters
Asian shares plumbed a fresh 11-month trough on Friday as fears of a regional conflict in the Middle East intensified and as a relentless rise in long-term US yields pressured valuations, while supply concerns lifted oil prices further.
The surge in the 10-year US benchmark yield overnight to 5% has raised borrowing costs around the world. On Friday, the Bank of Japan intervened in the Japanese government bond (JGB) market as the 10-year JGB yield touched a decade high.
A much-watched speech overnight from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell led to a choppy market response, although most investors leaned further into bets that the Fed will extend its rate pause in November.
Oil prices are headed for the second weekly gain on supply fears from an escalating regional conflict in the Middle East.
9:30am
Israeli raids underway in occupied West Bank: Al Jazeera
Israeli raids are underway early on Friday in several areas of the occupied West Bank, with reports of arrests being made, according to Al Jazeera correspondent Sara Khairat, who is reporting from Ramallah.
At least two Palestinian journalists were arrested as well as individuals with suspected links to the armed group, Hamas, says Al Jazeera,
"They are clearly looking to carry out specific arrests," she said, adding that Gaza residents who are working in the West Bank were also targeted.
More than 850 arrests have already been carried out by Israeli forces in the Palestinian territory since the 7 October Hamas attack in Israel.
"What's happening in Gaza have repercussions here as well because many of those living the West Bank are really worried about what's happening now and what's to come," she added.
9:25am
West accused of 'double standards' in silence on Israeli war crimes: HRW
Human Rights Watch has accused the US and its allies in Europe of hypocrisy for their failure to condemn Israel's attacks on Gaza.
HRW's deputy programme director Tom Porteous says that in the case of Ukraine, the US and Europe denounced Russian war crimes. Fast forward 18 months from Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the West is largely silent on war crimes by Israel in Gaza.
"Where are the clear and unequivocal calls for Israel to respect international norms in its attack on Gaza, let alone for accountability," Porteous asks in a statement.
"Where is the clear condemnation of the cruel tightening of the 16-year closure of Gaza that amounts to collective punishment, a war crime," he continues.
"The hypocrisy and double standards of Western states are flagrant and obvious."
9:09am
Israeli air raid kills several residents of an apartment in central Gaza: Al Jazeera
A number of people have been killed and many others wounded following another Israeli air raid in central Gaza.
According to an Al Araby TV correspondent, the strike hit an apartment in the city of Deir al-Balah resulting in the multiple casualties.
We will bring you more details on the deadly incident, including the exact number of casualties, as soon as we get additional information.
8:45am
The UN released other startling facts and figures on the devastation being inflicted on Gaza:
- At least 30 percent of all housing in the Gaza Strip has been either destroyed (12,845 units) by Israeli bombing, rendered uninhabitable (9,055 units) or lightly damaged (121,000 unit), according to the Ministry of Housing in Gaza.
- The number of people internally displaced by the bombing of Gaza has reached approximately 1 million, including more than 527,500 people sheltering at 147 UN-designated emergency shelters, which are experiencing increasingly dire conditions.
- More than 12,500 people have suffered injuries from Israeli attacks.
- Due to the shortage of water as a result of Israel's total blockade of Gaza, people are consuming water from "unsafe sources, risking death and placing the population at risk of infectious disease outbreak".
- At least 203 Israeli and foreign nationals are being held captive in Gaza and Palestinian fighters continue to fire rockets indiscriminately towards Israel, where more than 1,400 Israelis and foreigners have been killed since the October 7 attack by Hamas.
8:15am
14 Palestinians arrested in occupied West Bank
Israeli forces have arrested 14 Palestinians in an operation in the occupied West Bank's city of Ramallah, reports Al Jazeera.
The Palestinian news agency Wafa quoted the head of the Umm Safa Village Council, Marwan Sabbah, as saying that Israeli forces fired live ammunition at vehicles and homes of residents in the area.
The village council chief also told Wafa that the Israeli military continues to block the village's entrances with earth mounds, forcing residents to take long detours to reach their necessary destinations.
8:10am
Rafah border crossing to remain shut on Friday: Al Jazeera Report
Citing several sources, CNN said that the first convoy of 20 trucks would not be able to deliver the aid to Palestinians, as road repairs were needed on the Egyptian side.
The report said the delivery would likely happen on Saturday, although the situation on the ground remains fluid.
Earlier, reports said that concrete barriers have been gradually lifted at the crossing ahead of the expected partial opening.
7:30am
WHO says medical aid 'loaded and ready to go' into Gaza
Five trucks of medical supplies are ready at the border between Gaza and Egypt, the World Health Organization said on Thursday, welcoming Israel's announcement that it will not block the entry of aid into the Palestinian territory.
"Our trucks are loaded and ready to go," WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a press conference. He said he hoped the supplies would be delivered as soon as the Rafah crossing opened, "hopefully tomorrow".
7:05am
Multiple deaths, injuries reported in Israeli air raids in Gaza's Khan Younis: Al Jazeera
At least six homes were targeted in the latest Israeli strikes in the city of Khan Younis, Al Jazeera Arabic said.
Many of the injured victims were taken to the al-Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza, according to the Shehab news agency.
7:00am
Biden ends speech with call for unity
The US President says the country should not let partisan politics get in the way of its responsibility as a great nation, reports Al Jazeera.
He adds that the US is still a "beacon to the world" and concludes his speech.
6:58am
Report of rockets fired at US military base near Baghdad airport: Al Jazeera
Local police say at least two rockets landed within the perimeter of the military installation, which was reported by local media to be named "Camp Victory".
It was not clear if the attack caused any casualties, according to police.
6:55am
Biden says he recognises fears of US Jews and Muslim, Arab, Palestinian-Americans
He reminds the American people of what he describes as US values against anti-Semitism and Islamophobia, and acknowledges the fears of American Muslims of a resurgence of Islamophobia, reports Al Jazeera.
He also speaks of the importance of Israel not making the same mistakes the US did following the attacks of 11 September 2001.
6:45am
Biden delivers no criticism of Israel, despite civilian deaths
He does say that the people of Gaza urgently need food, water and medicine, though he emphasised the deal he made with Egypt to send aid over the border to Gaza.
Biden says he will be sending an urgent budget request to the US Congress on Friday which will include funding for Ukraine and Israel.
He says it will ensure the Iron Dome defence system "continues to guard the skies over Israel".
6:40am
Hundreds rally in New York City to demand release of Hamas hostages
Billboards showed the faces of people believed to be held hostage, including babies and elderly people, as the crowd chanted, "Bring them home", according to Reuters news agency.
Speakers at the rally included Ronan and Orna Neutra, whose 22-year-old son, Omer, is thought to be held captive. They described him as a natural leader and avid athlete who captained the basketball, volleyball and soccer teams at his school.
US officials have said Hamas is holding some 200 hostages, including American citizens, after the Palestinian group's October 7 deadly attack on Israel.
6:39am
Death toll rises after Israeli attack on Orthodox church
Women and children were among those killed in the attack on Saint Porphyrius Church in the al-Zaytoun neighbourhood of Gaza, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa.
Wafa said the number of people dead and wounded could still rise.
The news agency cited sources on the ground as saying the bombing led to the complete collapse of the building of the Council of Church Stewards, which housed several Palestinian families, both Christians and Muslims, who took refuge in the church amid continuing Israeli bombardment.
A video clip posted by Al Jazeera Arabic on the social media platform X showed two injured victims arriving in an ambulance at a Gaza medical facility.
Disclaimer: The information and infograpghs provided in this thread have been gathered from sources, including BBC, Reuters, Al Jazeera, and other news networks.
