Israel-Hamas – live: Airstrikes target Gaza refugee camp as Blinken says ceasefire risks Hamas regrouping

Antony Blinken has said a ceasefire from Israel will allow Hamas militants to regroup and carry out more attacks on its rivals as he batted for support for post-war Gaza.

“It is our view now that a ceasefire would simply leave Hamas in place, able to regroup and repeat what it did on 7 October,” he said, adding that humanitarian pauses can be critical in protecting civilians, getting aid in and getting foreign nationals out, “while still enabling Israel to achieve its objective, the defeat of Hamas”.

The top US official added that Israel had to take “every possible measure” to prevent civilian casualties in the enclave.

At least 51 Palestinians, mostly women and children, were killed and scores wounded in an Israeli bombardment of Gaza’s Maghazi camp last night, reported Palestinian news agency WAFA.

A large number of people were killed, said Ashraf al-Qidra, a spokesperson for the Gaza health ministry, without giving an exact figure.

Key Points

• Israeli bombing kills 51, mostly children and women in Gaza’s refugee camp

• Blinken says ceasefire would allow Hamas to regroup

• 400,000 still in northern Gaza

• Netanyahu says offensive will continue ‘full steam ahead’ until hostages released

• 15 killed as Israel bombs ambulance in effort to target ‘Hamas terror cell’

Pro-Palestinian crowds try to storm air base housing US troops in Turkey

15:43 , Matt Mathers

Turkish police used tear gas and water cannon as hundreds of people at a pro-Palestinian rally on Sunday tried to storm an air base that houses US troops, hours before US secretary of state Antony Blinken was due in Ankara for talks on Gaza.

Turkey, which has stepped up its criticism of Israel as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza has worsened, supports a two-state solution while hosting members of the Palestinian militant group Hamas. Since the Israel-Hamas war started, protests have erupted across the country.

Footage from the protests showed police firing tear gas and using water cannons to disperse crowds waving Turkish and Palestinian flags and chanting slogans. Protesters toppled barricades and clashed with police in riot gear.

Protesters were also seen hurling plastic chairs, rocks, and other items at police, who fired smoke bombs at crowds. Scuffles broke out between the crowds and security forces

IHH president Bulent Yildirim addressed crowds in Adana and urged them to refrain from attacking police.

300 Americans have escaped Gaza - White House

15:25 , Matt Mathers

More than 300 Americans and their family members have left Gaza but US citizens remain in the besieged enclave and difficult negotiations continue to secure the release of hostages taken by Hamas, a White House official said on Sunday.

Those released included U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents and their family members, Jonathan Finer, deputy national security adviser, said on the CBS program Face the Nation.

Finer said a number of Americans who want to get out remain inside Gaza as the Israel-Hamas conflict rages but did not specify how many.

There were around 400 American citizens and their family members, totaling around 1,000 people, who wanted to get out, US secretary of state Antony Blinken said last week.

Evacuations of injured Gazans and foreign passport holders through the Rafah crossing to Egypt have been suspended since Saturday, but Egyptian, US and Qatari officials said there were efforts to resume them.

Healy accepts Starmer’s approach to conflict has ‘caused hurt’ in Muslin community

14:49 , Matt Mathers

The shadow defence secretary has acknowledged Sir Keir Starmer’s approach to the Israel-Hamas conflict has "caused hurt to many people".

John Healey’s comments come as the Labour leader is battling to maintain discipline in the party, with several senior figures revolting against his stance of only calling for a humanitarian "pause" in Gaza.

Asked on the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme if he accepted Mr Sarwar’s criticism that Sir Keir’s approach has caused hurt to Muslim voters, Mr Healey said: "I accept that it’s caused hurt to many people and Keir Starmer would do that as well.

"But he understands why people are calling for a ceasefire and want to see an end to the fighting.

"His concern is twofold and he says that at present this is not the right time for now. First, because Israel must have the right to self-defence, it must have the right to go after the Hamas fighters and its missile launchers.

"And secondly, in the end, what’s most important now is what will best work to bring some alleviation of the suffering to people in Palestine, get more aid into Gaza and create more space for further diplomacy. And that quite clearly has been the humanitarian pauses that Keir Starmer has been arguing for, a break in the fighting if you like."

Yousaf’s in-laws ‘safe and back home’

14:21 , Matt Mathers

Scotland’s first minister Humza Yousaf has said his in-laws are "safe and back home" after they fled Gaza.

"I am pleased to say my in-laws are safe and back home," he said in a post on social media site X.

"We are, of course, elated, but my father-in-law said, ‘My heart is broken in two, and with my mum, son & grandchildren in Gaza’.

"He then broke down telling me how hard it was saying goodbye to them."

ICYMI: Schools and hospitals hit by strikes as Israel snubs US warnings with increased attacks in Gaza

14:00 , Matt Mathers

Intense airstrikes by Israel on Gaza have damaged United Nations schools, hospitals and ambulance convoys, despite mounting pressure from the US and Arab states for Tel Aviv to allow humanitarian pauses.

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu snubbed blunt warnings from Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, on Friday that Israel risks losing any hope of an eventual peace deal with the Palestinians unless it eases the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Bel Trew reports from Tel Aviv:

Schools and hospitals hit by strikes as Israel snubs US with more attacks in Gaza

UK presses for Rafah crossing to reopen to allow trapped Britons out of Gaza

13:45 , Matt Mathers

The Foreign Office is pressing for a key border point in Gaza to be reopened to allow British nationals to leave the bombarded territory.

Almost 90 people with a British passport or UK travel documents had formally requested to pass through the Rafah crossing on Saturday into Egypt, according to a list produced by the authorities running the border post.

But UK nationals found themselves turned away, with the crossing shut to foreign nationals over a reported row over evacuating injured patients.

Full report:

UK presses for Rafah crossing to reopen to allow trapped Britons out of Gaza

Recap: What has happened in Gaza over the past 24 hours?

13:30 , Matt Mathers

Israeli warplanes struck a refugee camp in the Gaza Strip early Sunday, killing at least 33 people and wounding dozens, health officials said.

The strike came as Israel said it would press on with its offensive to crush the territory’s Hamas rulers, despite US appeals for a pause to get aid to desperate civilians.

The soaring death toll in Gaza has sparked growing international anger, with tens of thousands from Washington to Berlin taking to the streets Saturday to demand an immediate cease-fire.

Full report:

Israeli jets strike Gaza refugee camp, as US fails to win immediate support for pause in fighting

Boris Johnson jets to Israel to ‘express solidarity’ after Hamas attacks

13:15 , Matt Mathers

Boris Johnson has made a surprise trip to Israel to “express solidarity and support” as the conflict in Gaza rages on.

The former prime minister is visiting alongside Australian prime minister Scott Morrison, his spokesman confirmed.

Barney Davis reports:

Boris Johnson jets to Israel to ‘express solidarity’ after Hamas attacks

Medical Aid for Palestinians calls for immediate ceasfire

13:00 , Matt Mathers

Medical Aid for Palestinians is calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza to “bring an end to the suffering” of Palestinians.

“The targeting of civilians is never acceptable. Urgent action is needed now to save lives,” the aid organisation said in a statement.

It is calling for people to contact their MPs to demand a ceasefire.

Ventilator patients left to die so medics can focus on casialties with better chance of survival

12:45 , Matt Mathers

Patients arriving at the Indonesian Hospital in Gaza who require a ventilator are being left to die so medics can work on those with a better chance of survival, a surgeon working there has said, Maira Butt reports.

“Let me tell you something horrible, that breaks my heart,” doctor Tayseer Hassan, told The Independent. “When the mass casualties arrive to the ER, and the type of injury that needs a ventilator, we leave it to die.

“As we can’t deal with it. Yes, horrible! But we have no option but to work on injuries with more chance of survival. “I cannot describe the look on family members when they know, that their loved ones will be left to die in a hospital.”

Injured patients ravaged by ‘flies’ and ‘worms’ as hygiene breaks down

12:30 , Matt Mathers

Injured patients at the Indonesian Hospital in Gaza are being ravaged by “flies” and “worms” as hygiene breaks down across wards, Maira Butt reports.

Dr Tayseer Hassan, a surgeon, said she and her colleagues were working in squalid conditions, with patients sent back to corridor floors after being operated on.

“We are dealing with mass casualties, every hour we receive tens of injured and killed, as Israel is committing massacres,” she told The Independent.

“The type of injuries we see are people who survived airstrikes and were pulled from under the rubble. So all their bodies are scratched and bleeding and full of flies. We do surgeries while the injuries are covered with flies.

“And we have worms coming out of wounds, even after we do the surgery.

“Nothing is clean, nothing is sterile. Imagine the horrific consequences. The whole hospital is full of blood and insects

“I got infections myself, just from working with patients. We are on 24-hour shifts, and then 24-hour rest.”

Situation at Indonesian hospital ‘beyond catastrophic'

12:15 , Matt Mathers

Children make up the “majority” of casualties at the Indonesian Hospital in Gaza, where the situation has been described by a surgeon working there as “beyond catastrophic”, Maira Butt reports.

Dr Tayseer Hassan said there is no capacity at the hospital and that surgeons are treating people on the floor.

“The situation is beyond catastrophic, I don’t even know where to start explaining,” she told The Independent.

“We are seeing horrific injuries, and the majority are children. The type of injuries we are seeing is not something a human mind can accept or tolerate.”

Iran says US ‘will be hit hard’ if no ceasefire in Gaza - Tasnim

11:43 , Matt Mathers

Iran said that the United States would "be hit hard" if Washington did not implement a ceasefire in Gaza, the country’s minister of defence was quoted as saying by the semi-official Tasnim news agency on Sunday.

"Our advice to the Americans is to immediately stop the war in Gaza and implement a ceasefire, otherwise they will be hit hard," Mohammad-Reza Ashtiani said.

After a surprise attack by Hamas against Israel on 7 October the Israelis have sought to defeat the militant group. Iran considers the US to be "militarily-involved" in the conflict.

Abbas told Blinken immediate Gaza ceasefire needed - spokesman

11:12 , Matt Mathers

Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas told US secretary of state Antony Blinken in Ramallah on Sunday that there must be an "immediate ceasefire" and humanitarian aid allowed to enter the Gaza Strip, his spokesperson has said.

Mr Blinken also met with the foreign ministers from Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt, in addition to the Secretary of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization on Saturday.

The US has so far declined to back a ceasefire, saying it would benefit Hamas. It is - like other Western countries - calling for a humanitarian pause in the war.

Blinken reaffirms US commitment to providing aid in Gaza

10:55 , Matt Mathers

Antony Blinken reiterated the US’s commitment to providing humanitarian aid to Gaza during talks with Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas.

The US secretary of state also made clear that Palestinians "must not be forcibly displaced", US State Department spokesman Mathew Millar.

The pair also discussed the "realisation of the Palestinians’ legitimate aspirations for the establishment of a Palestinian state" and their desire to restore “calm and stability” in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Some 3,760 children killed in Gaza since war started - UN

10:20 , Matt Mathers

Some 3,760 children and 2,326 women have been killed in the Gaza Strip, representing 67 per cent of all casualties, the United Nations has said.

“Women, children and newborns in Gaza are disproportionately bearing the burden of the escalation of hostilities” in he conflict, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency (UNFPA), and the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a statement.

180 women are giving birth a day in the Gaza strip – with 15 per cent likely to need additional medical care, the group added.

14 hospitals and 45 health centres are closed – leaving some women to give birth in shelters, in their homes and in the streets amid rubble.

Area near Gaza hospital rocked by ‘powerful explosions’

10:04 , Matt Mathers

The area around a hospital in Gaza has been rocked by shelling and airstrikes, a humanitarian organisation has said.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said there had been “powerful explosions” in the vicinity of the Al-Quds hospital.

“The intensity of the bombardment is causing the building to shake, and emergency response teams are unable to leave due to the severity of the attacks,” it said in a statement.

No Britons left Gaza on Saturday - Foreign Office

09:50 , Matt Mathers

No Britons left the Gaza Strip on Saturday, the Foreign Office has confirmed.

The Rafah crossing on the border with Egypt was closed throughout the day.

A Palestinian border official told The Independent yesterday that no foreigners would be allowed to leave until all the injured in the north of Gaza were evacuated to the south.

It followed an Israeli strike on an ambulance that killed 15 people - the IDF said the vehicle was being used by Hamas.

Over 100 Britons have been able to escape since the war started.

Oliver Dowden, the deputy prime minister, said told the BBC earlier he hoped the crossing would reopen today to allow more UK nationals to leave.

Drone footage shows wide-scale destruction in Gaza’s Maghazi refugee camp

09:20 , Matt Mathers

Drone footage shows devastation in the Maghazi refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip amid a search for survivors in rubble on Friday, 3 November following an attack by Israeli forces.

You can watch the video below.

Drone footage shows wide-scale destruction in Gaza’s Maghazi refugee camp

Dozens of aid trucks arrive in Gaza from Egypt

09:10 , Matt Mathers

More than two dozen aid trucks arrived in Gaza today through the Egyptian Rafah crossing.

According to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, the convoy contained “4 trucks of medical supplies and medicines, while the remaining trucks contain food, water, and relief items”.

Labour: Gaze siege conditions are unacceptable

08:56 , Matt Mathers

Labour has warned that the “siege conditions” in place in Gaza are unacceptable in the party’s strongest intervention yet in the Israel-Hamas war, Kate Devlin reports.

David Lammy, the shadow foreign secretary who visited the region last week, said the “number of dead Palestinian civilians and children is shocking” as he called on Israel to steps to stop a “humanitarian catastrophe”.

But he again defended his party’s refusal to call for a formal ceasefire.

Israel has attacked more 2,500 targets since ground invasion started

08:17 , Matt Mathers

Israel has attacked more than 2,500 targets in Gaza since ground operations began in Gaza, an IDF spokesman has said.

“IDF forces continue to eliminate terrorists in face-to-face battles and direct aircraft to destroy terrorist infrastructures, weapons warehouses, observation posts and operational headquarters of the terrorist organization Hamas in the Gaza Strip,” Daniel Hagari wrote on X.

Overnight on Saturday, Hagari said the army attacked a Hamas military complex, which included operational headquarters.

British citizens trapped at Rafah crossing ‘being used as bargaining chips’

08:00 , Arpan Rai

A British woman was denied passage through the Rafah border crossing into Egypt again yesterday as her mother in the UK spoke of how foreign nationals in Gaza are “being used as bargaining chips”.

Zaynab Wandawi, 29, from Salford in Greater Manchester, travelled to Gaza at the beginning of October with her husband, who is British Palestinian, and his relatives for a family member’s wedding before the Israel-Hamas war erupted.

Ms Wandawi, an English language teacher, and a group of 12 family members – 10 of whom are British nationals, attempted to cross the border into Egypt on Wednesday, but were told their names were not on the list.

Read more here:

British citizens trapped at Rafah crossing ‘being used as bargaining chips’

Blinken walks a fine line on ceasefire as thousands attend DC pro-Palestine event

07:35 , Arpan Rai

Thousands of people joined a rally in downtown Washington DC to call for a ceasefire amid Israel’s bombardment of Gaza, as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken attempts to walk a fine line between the demands of Israel and the region’s Arab countries.

Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, Mr Blinken’s Qatari counterpart, told the top US diplomat at a meeting in Amman, the capital of Jordan, on Saturday that mediation to get Hamas to release hostages is jeopardised by the Israeli bombing, the foreign ministry of Qatar said.

Mr Blinken met with the foreign ministers from Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt, in addition to the Secretary of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).

Gustaf Kilander reports from Washington, DC:

Blinken walks a fine line on ceasefire as thousands attend DC pro-Palestine event

Netanyahu says no Gaza ceasefire until hostages released – as he rejects US calls for humanitarian pause

07:00 , Tom Watling

It comes as an ambulance is struck outside Gaza’s largest hospital, which Palestinians say was evacuating the wounded but Israel says was being used by Hamas.

Netanyahu tells US no Gaza ceasefire until Hamas hostages released

UK presses for Rafah crossing to reopen to allow trapped Britons out of Gaza

06:50 , Arpan Rai

The Foreign Office is pressing for a key border point in Gaza to be reopened to allow British nationals to leave the bombarded territory.

Almost 90 people with a British passport or UK travel documents had formally requested to pass through the Rafah crossing yesterday into Egypt, according to a list produced by the authorities running the border post.

But UK nationals found themselves turned away, with the crossing shut to foreign nationals over a reported row over evacuating injured patients.

The Rafah crossing is the only route out of the territory for foreign nationals and the sole entry point for incoming aid.

Read more here:

UK presses for Rafah crossing to reopen to allow trapped Britons out of Gaza

How Hamas aims to trap Israel in Gaza quagmire

06:30 , Reuters

Hamas has prepared for a long, drawn-out war in the Gaza Strip and believes it can hold up Israel’s advance long enough to force its arch enemy to agree to a ceasefire, two sources close to the organization’s leadership said.

Hamas, which rules Gaza, has stockpiled weapons, missiles, food and medical supplies, according to the people, who declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the situation.

The group is confident its thousands of fighters can survive for months in a city of tunnels carved deep beneath the Palestinian enclave and frustrate Israeli forces with urban guerrilla tactics, the people told Reuters.

Ultimately, Hamas believes international pressure for Israel to end the siege, as civilian casualties mount, could force a ceasefire and a negotiated settlement that would see the militant group emerge with a tangible concession such as the release of thousands of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Israeli hostages, the sources said.

Longer term, Hamas has said it wants to end Israel’s 17-year blockade of Gaza, as well as to halt Israeli settlement expansion and what Palestinians see as heavy-handed actions by Israeli security forces at the al-Aqsa mosque, the most sacred Muslim shrine in Jerusalem.

On Thursday, UN experts called for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, saying Palestinians there were at “grave risk of genocide“. Many experts see a spiraling crisis, with no clear endgame in sight for either side.

“The mission to destroy Hamas is not easily achieved,” said Marwan Al-Muasher, Jordan’s former foreign minister and deputy prime minister who now works for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington.

“There is no military solution to this conflict. We are in some dark times. This war is not going to be short.”

Blinken warns Israel that humanitarian conditions in Gaza must improve to have 'partners for peace'

06:00 , Tom Watling

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is warning Israel that it risks destroying an eventual possibility for peace unless it acts swiftly to improve humanitarian conditions in Gaza for Palestinian civilians as it intensifies its war against Hamas.

You can read the full report below.

Blinken warns Israel that humanitarian conditions in Gaza must improve to have 'partners for peace'

Arab leaders press Blinken for Gaza ceasefire after school blasts

05:55 , Arpan Rai

Arab leaders publicly pressed US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to secure an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, hours after Palestinians said an Israeli air strike killed at least 15 people in a UN-run school being used as a shelter.

In a rare open display of disagreement, the top US diplomat pushed back as he stood next to his Jordanian and Egyptian counterparts at a press conference, saying a ceasefire would only let Hamas militants regroup.

“Right now we have to make sure that this war stops,” Jordanian foreign minister Ayman Safadi told the press conference afterwards.

“This war is just going to produce more pain for Palestinians, for Israelis, and this is going to push us all again into the abyss of hatred and dehumanisation,” he said in a press conference with Blinken. “So that needs to stop.”

Thousands protest ‘genocide’ at DC rally for Palestine

05:18 , Arpan Rai

The streets of Washington DC were flooded with Palestinian flags and calls for an end to the bloodshed in the Gaza Strip as thousands rallied yesterday against Israel’s ongoing military campaign.

Demonstrators centred their efforts on Freedom Plaza and began their march late into the afternoon following addresses by a number of speakers. Estimates of the crowd were difficult due to the sheer size but easily numbered in the tens of thousands, if not higher. Activists, pro-Palestinian signs, and flags could be spotted far across the city as the march was unfolding.

A speaker list for the event was not immediately available, but representatives from various Muslim-American political groups and pro-Palestine groups centred in the US were heard giving remarks over the speakers.

John Bowden reports from Washington DC:

Thousands protest ‘genocide’ at DC rally for Palestine

As seen yesterday: Aftermath of non-stop Israeli air strikes

05:02 , Arpan Rai

Hezbollah leader stops short of declaring full-scale war with Israel – but leaves the door open

05:00 , Tom Watling

As one of the leading figures in the Arab world, there has been trepidation in the West about what Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah might say, writes Kim Sengupta. But there appears little current appetite for a larger escalation.

Hezbollah leader stops short of declaring full-scale war with Israel | Kim Sengupta

Four police officers injured and 29 arrested in clashes at pro-Palestinian rally

04:49 , Arpan Rai

Four police officers were injured and 29 people were arrested after thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters gathered in London’s Trafalgar Square demanding a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war.

They were arrested for inciting racial hatred, other racially motivated crimes, violence and assaulting a police officer, the Metropolitan Police said.

Demonstrators climbed on top of the square’s famous fountains as the mostly peaceful group waved flags and banners yesterday afternoon.

Four police officers injured and 29 arrested in clashes at pro-Palestinian rally

Schools and hospitals hit by strikes as Israel steps up attacks in Gaza

04:45 , Arpan Rai

Intense airstrikes by Israel on Gaza have damaged United Nations schools, hospitals and ambulance convoys, despite mounting pressure from the US and Arab states for Tel Aviv to allow humanitarian pauses.

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu snubbed blunt warnings from Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, on Friday that Israel risks losing any hope of an eventual peace deal with the Palestinians unless it eases the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

A day later Mr Blinken, who has called for “localised pauses” in fighting over a blanket ceasefire, travelled to Amman, the capital of Jordan, to frantically lobby support from senior regional officials, who remain angry and deeply suspicious of Israel as it intensifies its war against Hamas.

Bel Trew reports from Tel Aviv:

Schools and hospitals hit by strikes as Israel snubs US with more attacks in Gaza

Israel deports thousands of Palestinian workers back to Gaza's war zone

04:36 , Arpan Rai

Israel deported thousands of Palestinian workers from the Gaza Strip back to the besieged territory, Palestinian authorities said, capping what many described as harrowing weeks trapped in legal limbo since their detention when the Israel-Hamas war erupted.

Some workers, streaming by foot through an Israeli crossing that had been sealed shut since Hamas unleashed its brutal attack on 7 October, told of violent mistreatment by Israeli authorities in detention centers. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the allegations.

“We sacrificed and they treated us like livestock over there,” one of the workers, Wael al-Sajda, said from the border, pointing to his ankle fitted with an identification bracelet.

Read more here:

Israel deports thousands of Palestinian workers back to Gaza's war zone

Obama wants ‘whole-truth’ of Israel-Gaza war to be understood

04:31 , Arpan Rai

Barack Obama has said the Israeli-Palestinian conflict can be handled constructively with the acknowledgment of the issue’s complexity, adding that the impact of conflict on Palestinians is “unbearable”.

“If there’s any chance of us being able to act constructively to do something, it will require an admission of complexity and maintaining what on the surface may seem contradictory ideas that what Hamas did was horrific, and there’s no justification for it. And … that the occupation and what’s happening to Palestinians is unbearable,” the former US president said in an interview on the podcast “Pod Save America.”

He also warned against the social media handling of the issue and “TikTok” activism.

“If you want to solve the problem, then you have to take in the whole truth, and you then have to admit nobody’s hands are clean – that all of us are complicit to some degree,” Mr Obama said.

He added that this includes people who you disagree with. “If you genuinely want to change this … you’ve got to figure out how to speak to somebody on the other side and listen to them and understand what they are talking about and not dismiss it,” he said.

Israel deports thousands of Palestinian workers back to Gaza's war zone

04:00 , Tom Watling

Israel has deported thousands of workers to the besieged Gaza Strip, capping what many described as harrowing weeks trapped in legal limbo since their detention when the Israel-Hamas war erupted.

You can read the full report below.

Israel deports thousands of Palestinian workers back to Gaza's war zone

Blinken says ceasefire would allow Hamas to regroup

03:44 , Arpan Rai

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said a ceasefire from Israel will allow Hamas militants to regroup and carry out more attacks on its rivals.

“It is our view now that a ceasefire would simply leave Hamas in place, able to regroup and repeat what it did on 7 October,” he said, adding that humanitarian pauses can be critical in protecting civilians, getting aid in and getting foreign nationals out, “while still enabling Israel to achieve its objective, the defeat of Hamas”.

The top US official added that Israel had to take “every possible measure” to prevent civilian casualties in the enclave.

Mr Blinken met his counterparts from Egypt and Jordan as the group agreed on the need to do more to protect Palestinian civilians in Gaza, but a clear point of division emerged on the question of a possible ceasefire.

Though the Jordanian and Egyptian foreign ministers urged an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, Mr Blinken took the position that that would be counterproductive and made clear the furthest he would go was supporting a humanitarian pause to give time for humanitarian supplies to be delivered and getting civilians out of Gaza.

Israel has repeatedly demanded that northern Gaza’s remaining residents flee south, and yesterday it offered a three-hour window for residents to do so. The head of the government media office in Gaza, Salama Maarouf, said no one went south because the Israeli military had damaged the road.

Israeli protesters call on Netanyahu to resign

03:21 , Arpan Rai

Thousands of Israelis are protesting outside Benjamin Netanyahu’s official residence in central Jerusalem, calling on the Israeli leader to resign in the wake of the bloody 7 October Hamas rampage that sparked the latest Israel-Hamas war.

Mr Netanyahu has so far refused to take responsibility for the attack, in which several thousand Hamas militants burst into Israel and killed over 1,400 people and took some 240 hostages back to Gaza. He says officials, including himself, will have to give answers to the public, but only after the war.

Israel has carried out weeks of airstrikes and launched a ground offensive in Gaza, with Palestinian health officials saying over 9,000 people were killed in the fighting.

During last night’s protest, demonstrators called on Mr Netanyahu to step down and called for the return of the hostages. They also held a moment of silence for victims of the attack and those in captivity.

“Where were you in Kfar Azza,” chanted the protesters, referring to one of the Israeli border communities that was overrun by Hamas.

“I came here to rescue the country,” said Nava Hefetz, a rabbi and human rights activist, who attended the protest.

Rescuers dig through destroyed homes to find airstrike survivors

03:01 , Arpan Rai

Firefighters sprayed jets of water across twisted metal and jumbled concrete as flames roared from homes destroyed by an Israeli airstrike in the Jabaliya refugee camp.

The escalating bombardment comes as Israel’s military said it had encircled Gaza City, the initial target of its offensive to crush Hamas.

It wasn’t immediately clear how many people were killed or wounded in the strike late Saturday in the northern Gaza Strip.

Rescuers shouted to each other as they tried to pull people from the wreckage.

Associated Press video showed a man, barefoot and with blood soaking through his clothes, being carried on a stretcher through the concrete skeleton of a damaged building.

“Careful, careful!” someone called out as they staggered across the rubble. Others used a bed sheet to haul a dead body from the scene. Inside a bouncing ambulance bouncing driving away, a rescuer wearing black latex gloves patted the head of a young boy cradled in his lap. A man screamed off-camera.

Israeli bombing kills 51, mostly children and women in Gaza’s Maghazi camp

02:49 , Arpan Rai

At least 51 Palestinians, mostly women and children, were killed and scores wounded in an Israeli bombardment of Gaza’s Maghazi camp last night, reported Palestinian news agency WAFA.

A large number of people were killed, said Ashraf al-Qidra, a spokesperson for the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza, without giving an exact figure.

He added that scores of people with severe injuries were lying on the ground of a hospital’s emergency ward.

Maghazi is located in the Deir al-Balah Governorate in the central Gaza Strip.

US and Arab partners disagree on the need for a cease-fire as Israeli airstrikes kill more civilians

02:00 , Tom Watling

The United States and Arab partners disagreed on Saturday on the need for an immediate cease-fire in the Gaza Strip as Israeli military strikes killed civilians at a United Nations shelter and a hospital, and Israel said the besieged enclave’s Hamas rulers were “encountering the full force” of its troops.Large columns of smoke rose as Israel‘s military said it had encircled Gaza City, the target of its offensive to crush Hamas. The Gaza Health Ministry has said more than 9,400 Palestinians have been killed in the territory in nearly a month of war, and that number is likely to rise as the assault continues.“Anyone in Gaza City is risking their life,” Israel‘s Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant said.US secretary of state Antony Blinken met with Arab foreign ministers in Jordan a day after talks in Israel with prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who insisted there could be no temporary cease-fire until all hostages held by Hamas are released.Jordan’s foreign minister Ayman Safadi said Arab countries want an immediate cease-fire, saying “the whole region is sinking in a sea of hatred that will define generations to come.”Mr Blinken, however, said “it is our view now that a cease-fire would simply leave Hamas in place, able to regroup and repeat what it did on Oct. 7.”

He said humanitarian pauses can be critical in protecting civilians, getting aid in and getting foreign nationals out, “while still enabling Israel to achieve its objective, the defeat of Hamas.”

Families of hostages in Gaza call for their release ‘now’

01:00 , Tom Watling

Thousands of people have joined a demonstration in Tel Aviv organized by families of some 240 hostages being held in the Gaza Strip.

“Now!” the crowd chanted repeatedly, calling for hostages to be freed without delay after nearly a month in captivity. Many held pictures of the hostages, who include children and older people.

Hadas Kalderon of Kibbutz Nir Oz whose two children were kidnapped, ages 16 and 12, called for a cease-fire in exchange for the return of the hostages.

Hamas militants abducted the hostages in an Oct. 7 cross-border raid that triggered the latest Israel-Hamas war. The plight of the hostages and their families has captured the nation’s attention.

Ella Ben-Ami, a 23-year-old Israeli whose parents were abducted, said she held Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responsible.

She called for a halt in all humanitarian aid to Gaza until the hostages are freed.

Biden says progression made with humanitarian pause in Gaza

00:00 , Tom Watling

US president Joe Biden has said progress is being made regarding a humanitarian pause in fighting in Gaza.

When asked by reporters whether any progress has been made on the prospect of a humanitarian pause, Mr Biden said “yes”.

Protesters mass outside Israeli PM Netanyahu’s house as anger grows

Saturday 4 November 2023 22:00 , Tom Watling

Police held back protesters outside the residence of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday, amid widespread anger at the failures that led to last month’s deadly attack by Hamas gunmen on communities around the Gaza Strip.

Waving blue and white Israeli flags and chanting “Jail now!”, a crowd in the hundreds pushed through police barriers around Netanyahu’s residence in Jerusalem.

The protest, which coincided with a poll showing more than three quarters of Israelis believe Netanyahu should resign, underlined the growing public fury at their political and security leaders.

Netanyahu has so far not accepted personal responsibility for the failures that allowed the surprise assault which saw hundreds of Hamas gunmen storm into southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing more than 1,400 people and taking at least 240 hostage.

As the initial shock has faded, public anger has grown, with many families of the hostages held in Gaza bitterly critical of the government response and calling for their relatives to be brought home.

In Tel Aviv, thousands demonstrated, waving flags and holding photographs of some of the captives in Gaza and posters with slogans like “Release the hostages now at all costs” while crowds chanted, “bring them home now”.

Schools and hospitals hit by strikes as Israel snubs US warnings with increased attacks in Gaza

Saturday 4 November 2023 21:20 , Tom Watling

Israel stepped up strikes on Gaza, that have damaged United Nations schools, hospitals and ambulance convoys, as troops pushed into the enclave’s largest city despite mounting pressure from the US and Arab states for Israel to allow humanitarian pauses.

You can read the full report by international correspondent Bel Trew below.

Schools and hospitals hit by strikes as Israel snubs US with more attacks in Gaza

Hamas armed wing: More than 60 hostages are missing due to Israeli airstrikes

Saturday 4 November 2023 20:54 , Tom Watling

The armed wing of Palestinian militant faction Hamas said on Saturday that more than 60 hostages were missing because of Israeli airstrikes on Gaza.

Late last month, Hamas said an estimated 50 captives held by the group were killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza.

Abu Ubaida, the spokesperson for the Izz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades, said on Hamas’ telegram account that 23 bodies of the 60 missing Israel hostages were trapped under the rubble.

“It seems that we will never be able to reach them due to the continued brutal aggression of the occupation against Gaza,” he said.

Second US warship arrives in Middle East

Saturday 4 November 2023 20:40 , Tom Watling

A second US warship has arrived in the Middle East amid concerns of regional escalation following the 7 October Hamas attacks and the subsequent Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip.

The US Central Command announced on X, formerly Twitter, that the Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group arrived in the area today.

The USS Gerald R. Ford is already in the area.

Turkey's Erdogan says post-war Gaza must be part of sovereign Palestinian state

Saturday 4 November 2023 20:14 , Tom Watling

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has said Gaza must be part of an independent, sovereign Palestinian state once the Israel-Hamas war is over, and Ankara will not support any plans "gradually erasing Palestinians" from history.

Erdogan made the remarks a day before U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was due to arrive in Ankara for talks on Gaza.

"Once all of this that is happening is finished, we want to see Gaza as a peaceful region that is a part of an independent Palestinian state, in line with 1967 borders, with territorial integrity, and with East Jerusalem as its capital," Mr Erdogan was on Saturday cited as saying by broadcaster Haberturk and others.

"We will support formulas that will bring peace and calm to the region. We will not be supportive of plans that will further darken the lives of Palestinians, that will gradually erase them from the scene of history."

Mr Erdogan said his intelligence chief was in contact with Israeli and Palestinian authorities, as well as Hamas, but he would no longer regard Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a counterpart. He said Turkey did not want to sever ties with Israel.

French police hunt for man who stabbed Jewish women in Lyon

Saturday 4 November 2023 19:45 , Tom Watling

Police are hunting for a man who stabbed and wounded a Jewish woman in the French city of Lyon on Saturday, while a swastika was found graffitied at her home, police and the city’s mayor have said.

“Such an act of violence is unthinkable. I offer all my support to the victim and her relatives,” said Lyon Mayor Gregory Doucet on the social media platform X.

A spokesman for the national police gave no further details about the suspect, and said he could not confirm whether police were treating the attack as an anti-Semitic hate crime.

Police in countries around the world have reported a surge in anti-Semitic and Islamophobic offences in the wake of Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7.

At least 3 arrested as Israeli protesters clash with police

Saturday 4 November 2023 19:19 , Tom Watling

At least three people have been arrested following protests outside Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s residence .

Hamas leader Haniyeh met Iran's Khamenei in Iran-Hamas official

Saturday 4 November 2023 18:51 , Tom Watling

The leader of the Palestinian group Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, met Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a visit to Tehran in recent days, a Hamas official said on Saturday in remarks broadcast by al-Mayadeen television.

Osama Hamdan, a senior official in the Iran-backed Hamas, gave no further details about the visit to Tehran, speaking in Beirut. Haniyeh has resided between Qatar and Turkey since 2019.

Four more Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza, says IDF

Saturday 4 November 2023 18:30 , Tom Watling

At least four more Israeli soldiers have been killed during fighting in northern Gaza, the Israeli Defence Forces have said.

They include Natan Cohen, 25, a company commander in the Givati Brigade’s reconnaissance unit, from Shadmot Mehola, Lior Arazi, 25, a combat medic in Shaldag, from Givat Haim-Ihud, Gilad Nehemya Nitzan, 21, a soldier in the Givati Brigade’s reconnaissance unit, from Shilo and Yonadav Raz Levenstein, 23, a soldier in the Givati Brigade’s reconnaissance unit, from Eilat.

Their deaths bring the toll of the ground operation to 28.

Protesters congregate outside Netanyahu’s residence in Jerusalem

Saturday 4 November 2023 18:10 , Tom Watling

Israeli protesters have gathered near prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s residence to demonstrate against his premiership.

Police have allegedly been forced to push back the demonstrators, including the family members of hostages being held in Hamas

US Representative Tlaib accuses Biden of supporting genocide against Palestinians

Saturday 4 November 2023 17:40 , Tom Watling

US Representative Rashida Tlaib, the first Palestinian-American woman to serve in Congress, has accused President Joe Biden of supporting a “genocide” against Palestinians and warned of repercussions in next year’s election.

In a video posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, late on Friday, the Democratic Congresswoman from Michigan repeated her calls for Biden to back a ceasefire in the almost month-long Israel-Hamas conflict.

“Joe Biden supported the genocide of the Palestinian people,” Ms Tlaib said in the video clip, which showed images of the dead and wounded from bombings in Gaza, pro-Palestinian demonstrations across the United States, Biden declaring support for Israel, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanking the US president.

White House spokespeople did not immediately respond to a request for comment on her remarks.

World Health Organisation says Israeli attacks on Gaza healthcare are ‘unacceptable’

Saturday 4 November 2023 16:41 , Tom Watling

Israeli attacks on health care in Gaza is “unacceptable”, the director of the World Health Organisation(WHO) has said.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus made the statement after reports that an ambulance had been hit this morning, killing more than 10 people.

He wrote: “Attacks on health care in #Gaza are unacceptable.

“Besides an attack on ambulances near Al Shifa hospital with at least 13 people killed and 60 injured, two further attacks were reported yesterday at Al-Quds Hospital and near the Indonesian Hospital.

“The key medicine all these patients and health workers need is for this horrifying and heartbreaking situation to end.

“We plead for a ceasefire and for working towards lasting peace.”

Israel claims Hamas attacked soldiers opening humanitarian corridor

Saturday 4 November 2023 16:20 , Tom Watling

Israel has claimed that Hamas fired anti-tank missiles at their soldiers as they tried to open a humanitarian corridor earlier today into southern Gaza.

Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari posted intelligence alleging the attack on X, formerly Twitter.

You can view his statement below.

Thousands of pro-Palestine demonstrators march through London for third weekend

Saturday 4 November 2023 16:00 , Tom Watling

Thousands of pro-Palestine demonstrators have marched through London for a third weekend. You can see a video of the march below.

Thousands of pro-Palestine demonstrators march through London for third weekend

Saturday 4 November 2023 15:40 , Tom Watling

US secretary of state Antony Blinken has said that both Washington and Arab states believe the status quo of a Hamas-controlled Gaza cannot continue.

His comments come amid mounting calls from Arab countries and protesters in the West for a permanent ceasefire.

Mr Blinken said that he has discussed with his Arab counterparts how to chart a better path forward towards a two-state solution.

Speaking at a news conference in Amman, alongside his Egyptian and Jordanian counterparts, the top US diplomat also said Washington was worried about violence by extremist settlers in the West Bank.

Israeli official accuses UN of ‘blatantly lying’ about Gaza

Saturday 4 November 2023 15:17 , Tom Watling

The Israeli representative at the United Nations has accused the body of “blatantly lying” about a strike in Gaza.

Ambassador Gilad Erdan issued a response to UN secretary general Antonio Guterres after the official said he was “horrified by the reported attack in Gaza on an ambulance convoy outside Al Shifa hospital”.

The Palestinian Red Crescent says at least 15 people have been killed in an Israeli strike on an ambulance outside Gaza City’s biggest hospital.

Addressing Mr Guterres, Mr Gilad said: “Once again, you rush to condemn Israel without even bothering to ask what happened (eg. al-Ahli hospital), you blatantly lie regarding the lack of aid entering Gaza, and you completely ignore the fact that Hamas intentionally exploits ambulances for terror.

“You didn’t ask for the truth, because you don’t care about the truth.”

You can read his full response below.

Three arrested at Piccadilly Circus for Palestine protests

Saturday 4 November 2023 15:10 , Maira Butt

Three arrests have been made at Piccadilly Circus following protests in support of Palestine on Saturday.

“Officers have made three arrests at Piccadilly Circus. One was arrested after they were seen displaying a placard that could incite hated, contrary to Section 12 of the Terrorism Act.

“Two other people were arrested; one for breaching conditions of Section 12 of the Public Order Act and the other for assaulting a police officer. All three have been taken to a central London police station.”

Saturday 4 November 2023 15:00 , Matt Mathers

The Free Palestine Coalition began its demonstration this morning at the BBC in Portland Place with a view to merging with the Palestine Solidarity Campaign rally which is due to take place later on Saturday at Trafalgar Square and is expected to attract thousands.

The demonstration at the BBC headquarters demanded the broadcaster “end its biased coverage”.

Demonstrators have moved to Trafalgar Square where they are continuing sit-in action.

Zami Jackson, a spokesperson for the Free Palestine Coalition, said: “This demonstration represents the huge numbers of people across the country who are devastated by the genocide in Gaza and are demanding the UK government calls for a ceasefire now.”

Full report:

Oxford Circus at standstill as hundreds of pro-Palestine protesters stage sit-in

Saturday 4 November 2023 14:45 , Matt Mathers

London’s Oxford Circus in London was brought to a standstill after undreds of protesters staged a sit-in for Palestine.

A huge crowd descended on the central London area at midday on Saturday, with protesters marching to the junction with Regent Street before blocking the road.

The Metropolitan Police said officers are responding to the incident.

It said: “This behaviour clearly impacts on London’s ability to function normally and we are working quickly to reopen the road.”

Dozens of officers cordoned off the group and countless buses were stopped in their tracks with no room to turn around due to the sit-in.

Huge crowds descend on central London for protest

Saturday 4 November 2023 14:30 , Matt Mathers

A huge crowd gathered in central London on Saturday afternoon to call for a ceasefire in the war between Hamas and Isreal.

Palestinian flags were held aloft as others let off flares, played bongos and lead chants of “Ceasefire now”, “from the River to the Sea” and “Israel is a terror state”.

The event was organised by The Free Palestine Coalition which includes Black Lives Matter UK, Sisters Uncut and Black Jewish Alliance

Gaza school where strike killed 20 confirmed as UN-owned

Saturday 4 November 2023 14:15 , Matt Mathers

The UN’s Palestinian refugee agency confirmed that one of its schools in Jabalia refugee camp in the north of Gaza was hit by strikes, reportedly killing as many as 20 people including children, Bel Trew reports.

“At least one strike hit the schoolyard where there were tents for displaced families. Another strike hit inside the school where women were baking bread,” said Juliette Toma, a UNRWA spokesperson.

Is it is the fifth UN school to be hit in just 48 hours, despite the fact that UN officials told The Independent they give the coordinates of all their facilities to all the parties, including the Israeli authorities every morning.

More than 695,000 people are sheltering in UN schools across Gaza.

‘Even queuing for bread - people are not safe’

Saturday 4 November 2023 13:50 , Matt Mathers

The United Nations Agency for Palestinian Refugees has said the number of people being killed in the Hamas-Israel is “staggering”.

The Gaza health ministry says that more than 9,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war broke out after Hamas’s terror attack on 7 October.

As Israel vows to continue “full steam ahead” with its offensive, UNRWA said “even queuing for bread - people are not safe” anymore.

“The number of people being killed is so staggering, it cannot be collateral anymore,” it said in a statement.

The agency added that it was almost impossible to get aid into Gaza due to the “ongoing bombardments” and communications blackouts.

30,000 to join Washington DC march

Saturday 4 November 2023 13:19 , Matt Mathers

As many as 30,000 people are expected to join a pro-Palestine rally in Washington DC to call for a ceasefire in the war in Gaza and the end of US aid to Israel.

The “National March on Washington: Free Palestine” will see demonstrators call for a pause in the fighting.

The rally is set to begin at 2pm at Freedom Plaza just to the east of the White House in downtown Washington DC at the Western end of Pennsylvania Avenue.

The rally is scheduled to end around 4pm and will be will be followed by a march to 14th and K streets, to the White House, and then back to Freedom Plaza.

You can follow live updates from the rally here:

Thousands to join DC pro-Palestine rally to demand ceasefire: Live

International medical agency condemns ‘horrendous’ ambulance strike

Saturday 4 November 2023 13:16 , Matt Mathers

An international medical agency has condemned the “horrendous” strike on an ambulance in Gaza that killed 15 people.

MSF International, which provides medical aid in humanitarian crises, described the attack as a “new low in an endless stream of violence.”

“The deadly attack outside the gate of Al-Shifa hospital impacting an ambulance is horrendous,” it said in a statement.

“This is a lethal attack outside Gaza’s main and busiest hospital, where our staff work daily to provide lifesaving medical care.

“We have repeatedly called for an immediate and total ceasefire, for the protection of healthcare facilities, as well as medics, patients and people who are taking shelter there.

“This is a new low in an endless stream of unconscionable violence. The repeated strikes on hospitals, ambulances, densely populated areas and refugee camps are disgraceful.

“How many people have to die before world leaders wake up and call for a ceasefire?”

Israeli jets hit Lebanon as Hezbollah fires more powerful missile

Saturday 4 November 2023 12:44 , Matt Mathers

Hezbollah said it carried out simultaneous attacks on Israeli positions at the Lebanese border on Saturday, as residents of south Lebanon reported some of the fiercest Israeli strikes yet during weeks of cross-border clashes.

The Israeli army said its warplanes had struck Hezbollah targets in response to an earlier attack from Lebanese territory, and was accompanying the air strikes with artillery and tank shelling.

A Lebanese source familiar with Hezbollah’s attacks said the group had fired a powerful missile not yet used in the fighting, saying it had hit an Israeli position across the border from the villages of Ayta al-Shaab and Rmeich.

Hezbollah has been exchanging fire with Israeli forces across the Lebanese-Israeli frontier since its Palestinian ally Hamas went to war with Israel on 7 October.

It marks the worst fighting at the frontier since a 2006 war, but has mostly been contained to the border area.

Gaza must be part of sovereign Palestinian state when war ends - Erdogan

Saturday 4 November 2023 12:01 , Matt Mathers

Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan said Gaza must be part of an independent, sovereign Palestinian state once the Israel-Hamas war is over, and Ankara will not support any plans "gradually erasing Palestinians" from history.

Turkey, which has sharply escalated its criticism of Israel as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza has intensified, supports a two-state solution and hosts members of Hamas, which it does not view as a terrorist organisation, unlike the US, Britain and others in the West. Turkey has called for an immediate ceasefire and offered to set up a system to guarantee it.

Speaking to reporters on a return flight from Kazakhstan on Friday, Erdogan repeated his criticism of Western countries for their support of Israel, saying Ankara’s trust in the European Union was "deeply shaken".

"Once all of this that is happening is finished, we want to see Gaza as a peaceful region that is a part of an independent Palestinian state, in line with 1967 borders, with territorial integrity, and with East Jerusalem as its capital," Erdogan was on Saturday quoted as saying by broadcaster Haberturk and others.

"We will support formulas that will bring peace and calm to the region. We will not be supportive of plans that will further darken the lives of Palestinians, that will gradually erase them from the scene of history."

Blinken thanks UN aid workers for their ‘extraordinary’ efforts

Saturday 4 November 2023 11:38 , Matt Mathers

Antony Blinken praised the “extraordinary work” of UN aid workers in Gaza and offered his condolences to the families of two who had been killed.

The US secretary of state is currently in Amman, Jordan, for talks with the country’s leaders about a humanitarian pause to the conflict.

Speaking to reporters, he praised the “extraordinary work” of the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), describin it as a “lifeline in Gaza”.

The agency says it is sheltering nearly 700,000 people in severely overcrowded schools and other facilities it runs in Gaza.

It says that 72 of its staff and aid workers have been killed since the war broke out on 7 October.

400,000 people still in the north of Gaza

Saturday 4 November 2023 11:31 , Matt Mathers

Up to 400,000 people remain in the north of Gaza amid intense Israeli bombing of the area, US special envoy David Satterfield has said.

Residents have been told by Israel to evacuate as the military steps up its ground and air attacks.

Satterfield, speaking in the Jordanian capital of Amman earlier this morning, said between 800,000 and a million people had fled since the fighting started.

Traffic allowed on main north-south road in Gaza - IDF

Saturday 4 November 2023 11:25 , Matt Mathers

Traffic will be allowed to flow on one of Gaza’s two main north-south highways so residents in the north can flee to the south of the Strip, Israel’s military has said.

Residents can use the Salah al-Din road from 1pm to 4pm local time on Saturday, the Israel Defense Forces Arabic spokesperson has said.

“For your safety, take advantage of the next time to move south beyond Wadi Gaza,” the statement said.

“If you care about yourself and your loved ones, head south according to our instructions. Rest assured that Hamas leaders are already taking care to protect themselves.”

36 journalists and media workers among the dead

Saturday 4 November 2023 11:01 , Matt Mathers

The Committee to Protect Journalists says the war between Israel and Hamas has become the deadliest period for journalists covering conflict since CPJ began documenting journalist fatalities in 1992, Bel Trew reports.

As of November 3, CPJ’s investigations showed at least 36 journalists and media workers were among an estimated 10,000 killed since the war began on October 7.

As of November 3 the CPJ says:

• 36 journalists and media workers were confirmed dead: 31 Palestinian, 4 Israeli, and 1 Lebanese.

• 8 journalists were reported injured.

• 3 journalists were reported missing.

• 8 journalists were reported arrested.

• Multiple assaults, threats, cyberattacks, censorship, and killings of family members.