Israeli ground forces 'expanding operations' in Gaza, bombing intensifies
Here are the latest updates on the Hamas-Israel conflict
Summary
- Hamas, Israel negotiating ceasefire, prisoner exchange: Al Jazeera
- Qatar told US it is open to reconsidering Hamas presence, US official says
- Health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says death toll hits 7,326
- Israeli military now estimates 229 people being held hostage by Hamas
- WHO cites reports of 1,000 unidentified bodies under Gaza rubble
- Israel continues to pound several targets in Gaza overnight, hitting residential buildings and killing dozens of people, many of them women and children.
- Gaza's Health Ministry publishes names of thousands of Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks, saying "behind every number is a story of a person", after the US president questions the reliability of the death toll.
- Hamas political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, warns that ongoing Israeli "aggression" against Gaza will "destabilise the entire region", as he promised to continue resistance.
- UN General Assembly begins an emergency meeting on Gaza, with a vote on a Jordanian-drafted resolution expected on Friday.
11:59pm
Israeli military says ground forces expanding operations in Gaza
Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari said Israeli ground operations in Gaza are expanding, as bombing of the enclave were intensified tonight, reports Al Jazeera.
He added that residents of Gaza City should move south, despite Israeli air attacks continuing there.
10:44pm
Communications, Internet 'completely' cut off in Gaza Strip
Communications lost with many parts of Gaza, Tareq Abu Azzoum reports for Al Jazeera.
He said, "We don't know about anything that is happening in other districts in the territory. Maybe there are new bombardments taking place in these areas. We don't know how many victims. We can only hear bombardments everywhere, but we don't know anything about the casualties, about the situation on the ground.
"We don't know anything also about the medical conditions of doctors, medical workers, even at the Al-Shifa Hospital [the largest in Gaza]. The situation is catastrophic right now. We can no longer communicate with the international community to send our voices to the world to know what is happening on the ground. I hope that this message might reach and have access to the world despite what we have experienced throughout the last hour."
10:39pm
WHO appeals for $80m for humanitarian needs in West Bank, Gaza
The World Health Organization said it urgently needs the funds for both the occupied Palestinian territories and to undertake contingency planning for Egypt, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan through the end of 2023. Al Jazeera reports.
10:32pm
Heavy Israeli bombardment of Gaza as US ambassador speaks
Explosions are lighting up the sky in Gaza, as Israeli forces began a heavy bombing raid of the Palestinian enclave, just as Linda Thomas-Greenfield spoke at the UN. While she spoke about the need for Palestinian lives to be protected, the US has been fully supportive of Israel's bombardment, Al Jazeera reports.
10:29pm
Saudi ambassador to the UN: 'Human catastrophe' in Gaza
Saudi Arabia's Permanent Representative to the UN, Abdulaziz Alwasil, has addressed the UN General Assembly. He highlighted the civilian suffering in Gaza, calling it a "humanitarian catastrophe" that has "dire consequences and repercussions to the security of the region and the world", Al Jazeera reports.
He added that Riyadh has condemned the targeting of civilians "by any party", called for a ceasefire and an end to the siege of Gaza, and the release of captives. "We also condemn the attempts at forcible displacement and policies of collective punishment against the population in Gaza, including the starvation of civilians as a weapon of war," he said. "The current crisis is a failure of the international community to end the occupation and implement the two-state solution," Alwasil said, before calling out the "double standards" of the international community when dealing with Israel and Palestine.
10:10pm
US ambassador to the UN addresses General Assembly
The US ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, addressed the General Assembly ahead of an emergency vote on the conflict, here is what she said so far, Al Jazeera reports.
"There is no justification for terror. None whatsoever. You all know that and we must condemn Hamas's acts of terror. Hamas's goals are single-minded and they're sickening; they're determined to destroy Israel and kill Jews."
"The lives of Palestinians must be protected – the lives of UN personnel and humanitarian workers and journalists must be protected...We mourn the loss of every single innocent life in this crisis, every single one. We must not look away, and we must not become numb to the pain and the suffering of people like [Al Jazeera's] Wael Dahdouh, a Palestinian journalist whose wife, son, daughter and grandson were killed in Gaza with week.
9:28pm
Hamas rejects Israeli accusation of hospitals as 'operation centres'
Hamas has rejected the Israeli military's accusation of turning hospitals into "operation centres" to carry out its attacks on Israel, Al Jazeera reports.
A senior member of the Hamas political bureau, Izzat al-Rishq, said, "There's no basis in truth in what the spokesman of the enemy army stated".
Al-Rishq added that Israel was making the claims to "pave the way for a new massacre to be committed against our people".
9:19pm
'Catastrophic': Qatar calls for full ceasefire and prisoner release
Qatar has called for an immediate ceasefire and the release of all prisoners in the Gaza war, reports Al Jazeera.
"The Israeli attacks against innocent civilians have become catastrophic and could spiral in a manner that threatens the region and the world. We express deep regret of the UN Security Council's failure to take responsibility under its charter," said Sheikha Alya Ahmed Saif Al Thani, Qatar's ambassador to the UN.
"We renew our calls for de-escalation, a full ceasefire, and the release of all prisoners – particularly civilians. We reaffirm our condemnation of all forms of targeting civilians, particularly women and children."
9:00pm
Almost half of Israelis opposed to 'immediate' Gaza ground invasion: poll
Nearly half of Israelis are opposed to an "immediate" military ground invasion of the Gaza Strip, AFP reports citing a survey published today in daily newspaper Maariv.
According to the poll by the Panel4All institute, 49 percent of respondents said it would be better to "wait" before launching a ground offensive on the besieged Palestinian territory.
Just 29pc of the respondents said the offensive should start "immediately". The poll was carried out on October 25 and 26 with 522 people questioned for the survey in the country of approximately 10 million. The Dawn reports.
8:30pm
We do not support ceasefire that would allow Hamas to regroup: US
The US state department spokesperson has told the BBC that the US does not support a ceasefire that would allow Hamas to "rest and refit, and continue launching terrorist operations against Israel",
Matthew Miller added that in addition to 7 October attacks on Israel, "Hamas has launched rockets every day, they launch rockets today, they launched them yesterday, targeting innocent civilians in Israel".
"We would be opposed to any kind of ceasefire that would allow them to continue those operations", he added.
"I would say we do support and do think that the parties ought to consider humanitarian pauses that would allow the delivery of aid. So we worked very hard to open Rafah gate in southern Gaza," Miller added, referencing the agreement brokered by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on a visit to Israel last week.
When asked about reports that around 50 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza had been killed during the Israeli airstrikes on Gaza, Miller refused to confirm if any US citizens were among the hostages allegedly killed.
The BBC is unable to independently verify Hamas's claims about hostage deaths.
"We don't know status of hostages on the ground," Miller told the BBC, adding that Qatar had done "important work" to secure the release of two Americans this week.
8:24pm
Gaza death toll numbers 'reliable': HRW
Omar Shakir from Human Rights Watch says death toll numbers from the Gaza health ministry are "reliable" after President Biden cast doubt on the figures, Al Jazeera reports.
"When we've done our own independent verification of particular strikes. The numbers have been generally consistent with no major deviations. The reasons for that are primarily methodological; the Gaza health ministry has access to data from morgues and hospitals that simply are not available to others," Shakir told Al Jazeera.
"All this time we're debating death counts and death tolls the bodies continue to pile up, and the focus for leaders really needs to be on preventing further mass atrocities – not quibbling over numbers."
At least 7,326 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks since October 7, the Gaza health ministry says.
6:33pm
Thousands of Jordanians rally in solidarity with the people of Palestine
Tens of thousands of Jordanians demonstrated today across the country in support of the Palestinian people, currently facing an Israeli genocidal aggression both in Gaza and the West Bank, Al Jazeera and Wafa report.
In the capital Amman, a massive demonstration was organized in front of the Grand Husseini Mosque for the third consecutive Friday, drawing thousands of Jordanians who voiced their unwavering support for the Palestinian brethren and their strong rejection of the crimes committed by Israel in Gaza.
Participants chanted slogans that conveyed their solidarity with their Palestinian brethren, especially those defending the Al-Aqsa Mosque, emphasizing that these atrocities would not deter the Palestinian people from defending their rights and establishing their independent state.
The demonstrators made it clear that the ongoing Israeli atrocities in Gaza amount to war crimes, calling upon the international community to swiftly provide international protection for the Palestinian people.
5:27pm
Health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says death toll hits 7,326
The health ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza said Friday 7,326 people have been killed in the Palestinian territory since the eruption of war with Israel on October 7, AFP reports.
The latest death toll includes 3,038 children killed, a ministry statement said, while 18,967 people have been wounded across Gaza.
4:56pm
WHO cites reports of 1,000 unidentified bodies under Gaza rubble
A World Health Organization official has said the agency had received estimates that some 1,000 unidentified bodies are still buried under the rubble in Gaza which are not yet included in death tolls, Reuters reports.
"We also get these estimates that there are still 1,000 plus people under the rubble which have not been identified yet," Richard Peeperkorn, WHO Representative for the occupied Palestinian territory, said in response to a question about the death toll in Gaza.
Gaza health authorities say that more than 7,000 people have been killed by Israeli bombardments in response to cross-border attacks on Israel by Hamas on Oct 7.
4:53pm
UN says Gaza health ministry tolls in earlier conflicts 'credible'
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees said the death toll given by the health ministry in Gaza has proved to be "credible" in previous conflicts after Washington raised doubts about figures from the current war, AFP reports.
"In the past, the five, six cycles of conflict in the Gaza Strip, these figures were considered as credible and no one ever really challenged these figures," UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini told reporters in Jerusalem.
Lazzarini said 57 UNRWA staff had been killed since the conflict began, explaining how the agency's toll reflected the broader casualty rate in Gaza.
He suggested the ratio of UNRWA staff killed to the total number of agency workers was in line with the ratio of Gazans killed to the territory's overall population, as provided by the health ministry.
4:44pm
Israeli forces kill four Palestinians in occupied West Bank: WAFA
Israeli forces have killed four Palestinians during raids in the occupied West Bank, according to the official Palestinian news agency WAFA, reports Al Jazeera.
As its war against the Hamas group in the Gaza Strip continues for three weeks, Israel has stepped up operations against Palestinian groups in the West Bank, killing many Palestinians and arresting hundreds.
The Palestinian news agency says the latest deaths take the number of Palestinians killed in the territory to 110 since the Gaza war began.
Israel says one soldier was killed in a clash during the raids on Friday.
4:10pm
UN concerned 'war crimes are being committed' in Israel-Hamas conflict
The United Nations said Friday it was concerned that war crimes were being committed in the conflict between Israel and Hamas, reports AFP.
"We are concerned that war crimes are being committed. We are concerned about the collective punishment of Gazans in response to the atrocious attacks by Hamas, which also amounted to war crimes," UN human rights office spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani told a press conference in Geneva.
4:03pm
Israeli military now estimates 229 people being held hostage by Hamas
The number of people that Israel believes are being held by Hamas, in Gaza, has been updated a few times since they were captured on 7 October - the same has happened this morning. Daniel Hagari, spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), says the estimated figure is now 229, reports BBC.
Four hostages have been released by Hamas so far.
2:14pm
15 UNRWA workers killed in one day, 57 in total: Lazzarini
More from the UNRWA head:
"At least 57 colleagues of mine have been killed. In one day, we had confirmation that 15 were killed," he said.
"One of our colleagues two days ago died while he was going to the bakery to get bread. He left six children behind, six displaced children in shelter."
"There have been intense negotiations and endless diplomacy to open a humanitarian supply line.
"So far it has only resulted in a handful of aid convoys. This will not reverse the fact that Gaza is being strangled. The people of Gaza feel shunned, alienated and abandoned."
2:13pm
Trucks entering Gaza through Rafah 'nothing more than crumbs': UNRWA chief
Speaking at a news briefing in occupied East Jerusalem, Philippe Lazzarini has called for a humanitarian ceasefire, reports Al Jazeera.
"Many of us saw in these trucks [entering through Rafah border crossing] a glimmer of hope. This is, however, becoming a distraction. These few trucks are nothing more than crumbs that will not make a difference for two million people in the streets," the UNRWA commissioner-general said.
"We should avoid conveying the message that a few trucks a day means the siege is lifted for humanitarian aid; this is not true. The current system in place is geared to fail. What is needed is meaningful and uninterrupted aid flow and to succeed we need a humanitarian ceasefire to ensure this reaches those in need. This should not be too much to ask for."
1:41pm
Over 480 killed in Israeli air raids in past 24 hours: Gaza officials
At least 481 people have been killed in Israeli air raids in the last 24 hours, according to Gaza's health authority.
In the days before, the number was sometimes significantly higher, reports Al Jazeera.
In total 7,028 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the latest conflict, 66 percent of them women and children, according to the authority.
12:44pm
Israeli mass bombardment ongoing from north to south: Al Jazeera
There is ongoing mass bombardment across the Gaza Strip, from the north to the south, in what seems to be the Israeli military's strategy – the carpet bombing of every part, every city, every neighbourhood of Gaza, reports Al Jazeera.
In the past 12 hours, there has been mass bombardment in the north, in an area where the vast majority of people have already evacuated. This included air strikes, artillery shelling as well as a limited ground invasion by special Israeli forces to locate sites of Hamas fighters in that area, according to a statement by the Israeli army.
Moving to the central part of Gaza, there was more bombardment and air strikes around the Shifa Hospital complex, destroying more residential homes and blocs.
And the al-Yarmouk area in the central part of Gaza City has been the site of massive air strikes throughout the night that destroyed a number of residential blocs.
11:40am
49% of Israelis want to hold off on Gaza invasion: Poll
Almost half of Israelis want to the government to hold off invading the Gaza strip, according to the latest poll conducted by the Israeli daily Maariv.
Maariv polled a representative sample of 522 adult Israelis. When they were asked if the country's army should immediately escalate to a large-scale ground offensive, 29% agreed while 49% said "it would be better to wait" and 22% were undecided.
In Maariv's 19 October poll, 65% of Israelis supported a major ground offensive, reports Al Jazeera.
"It is almost certain that the developments on the matter of the hostages, which is now topping the agenda, have had a great impact on this shift (in opinion)," Maariv wrote.
10:48am
Death toll rises to four in latest Israeli raid in occupied West Bank: Al Jazeera
Four people were killed after the latest pre-dawn raid carried out by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank.
Sources told Al Jazeera that two of those killed were in Jenin near the northern city's refugee camp.
10:00am
Journalist among 10 killed in Israeli air strikes in Gaza's Khan Younis: Report
Journalist Yasser Abu Namous and his mother were among the 10 people killed in a series of air strikes carried out by Israeli forces in southern Gaza before dawn on Friday, according to the Palestinian news agency, WAFA.
9:30am
Oil prices spike over $1 on Middle East conflict fears
Oil prices have spiked by more than $1 following the United States' overnight strikes on Syria.
Brent crude futures, a benchmark for global oil prices, rose $1.16 to $89.09 a barrel early on Friday, after the attacks stoked fears that the Israel-Hamas war could devolve into a broader conflict in the Middle East.
US officials said the strikes were not connected to the Israel-Hamas conflict and targeted two facilities in eastern Syria that were used by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Iran-back groups.
Still, the possibility that fighting between Israel and Hamas could spread to other countries in the region, such as Iran and Lebanon, has been a concern for economy watchers.
Iran backs both Hamas, which governs Gaza, and the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, which has clashed with Israeli forces along the Israel-Lebanon border over the past several weeks.
World Bank President Ajay Banga earlier this week warned that the Israel-Hamas war would have a "serious" impact on economic development and the global economy was at a "very dangerous juncture."
9:10am
Two people killed, journalist among those injured in Israeli raid in Jenin: Al Jazeera.
The death toll after an Israeli raid in Jenin has now risen to two, and 10 others have been injured.
One of those killed was believed to be a fighter, according to Al Jazeera correspondent Nida Ibrahim, who is reporting from Ramallah. The deaths bring to 108 the total number of people killed by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank since 7 October.
9:00am
US carried out strikes in Syria following attacks on US personnel
The United States conducted strikes on Thursday against two facilities in Syria allegedly used by Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps and Iran-backed groups, the US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said in a statement.
The strikes were ordered by President Biden in response to attacks on US personnel in Syria this week, reports Al Jazeera.
One US contractor died during one of the attacks after having a cardiac incident while he was sheltering, and 21 US personnel were injured.
"The United States does not seek conflict and has no intention nor desire to engage in further hostilities, but these Iranian-backed attacks against US forces are unacceptable and must stop," the statement said.
"These narrowly-tailored strikes in self-defence were intended solely to protect and defend US personnel in Iraq and Syria. They are separate and distinct from the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, and do not constitute a shift in our approach to the Israel-Hamas conflict," the statement added.
8:45am
Number of injured in Taba explosion rises to six
That's according to local media reports in Egypt.
This map shows just how close Taba is to southern Israel. It's approximately 100km from the Gaza Strip.
8:30am
Palestinian Red Crescent workers 'shot at' by Israeli forces
The Palestinian Red Crescent said its medics have been shot at by Israeli forces as they were treating an injured person in the occupied West Bank.
The emergency aid agency said the incident took place in the city of Tubas, in the northeastern part of the occupied West Bank.
Israeli raids have been under way throughout the night across the Palestinian territory.
7:56am
Mosque destroyed in deadly Israeli strike west of Gaza City
According to Al Jazeera, a number of people have been killed and injured in another Israeli air raid, which also destroyed a mosque, according to the Palestinian news agency, Wafa.
The report said the multiple strikes at dawn on Friday hit an area in al-Shati refugee camp, west of Gaza City, resulting in the destruction of residential buildings and the nearby White Mosque.
According to Wafa, several other targets near Gaza City were also struck, including the neighbourhood of al-Zaytoun and al-Shujaiya.
7:55am
Egyptian media: Five injured after rocket falls on Taba
Egyptian media outlets are now reporting that at least five people have been injured after a missile linked to the Israel-Hamas war fell on a building in the Red Sea town of Taba, reports Al Jazeera.
Taba lies just across the border from Israel, with the Israeli city of Eilat nearby.
There has been no official confirmation of the incident from the Egyptian government.
7:54am
At least 33 people killed in latest Israeli strikes in Gaza: Al Jazeera
At least 33 Palestinians have been killed and several others wounded, following the latest Israeli air strikes on at least three residential neighbourhoods in Gaza, according to the Palestinian news agency WAFA.
The majority of the casualties in the overnight strikes were women and children, reports Al Jazeera.
At least 10 people were killed in the Israeli strike on a four-storey house owned by the al-Nadim family in the al-Zaytoun neighbourhood, southeast of Gaza City. Witnesses said the strike hit without any warning.
Another eight people were killed and dozens of others wounded after two Israeli air raids hit the residence of the al-Hur family in the Nuseirat refugee camp.
In southern Gaza, three residents were killed and several others were injured when an aircraft bombarded the home of the Satri family in the Khan Younis refugee camp.
7:53am
A recap of the developments in the last few hours:
- Over two dozen Palestinians have been killed, and several others injured, in Israeli attacks overnight across Gaza, according to the Palestinian news agency WAFA.
- The Israeli military says three "Hamas operatives" have been killed in an air strike.
- Red Crescent says emergency workers have rescued an 11-year-old girl after more than a day under the rubble.
- The Committee to Protect Journalists says at least 27 media workers have been killed in the Israel-Gaza war, including 22 Palestinians, four Israelis and one Lebanese.
- The head of Hamas's political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, warns in a televised address that the ongoing Israeli "aggression" against Gaza will "destabilise the entire region".
- UN aid chief Martin Griffiths has said the "world is failing" to reach the bare minimum of humanitarian needs in Gaza, where aid is "barely trickling in".
- US deploys 900 additional troops to the Middle East after the US confirms surge in attacks on American personnel.
Disclaimer: The information and infographics provided in this thread have been gathered from sources, including BBC, Reuters, Al Jazeera, and other news networks.