Israel-Hamas war live updates: Dozens of deaths reported in Gaza refugee camp airstrike; Israel says it killed top Hamas commander

Palestinian
telecommunications
provider
Paltel
said
all
internet
and
communications
services
in
the
Gaza
Strip
have
been
interrupted,
according
to
a
statement
on
X,
the
social
media
platform
previously
known
as
Twitter.

—
Christine
Wang

The
head
of
the
WHO,
Tedros
Adhanom
Ghebreyesus,
issued
an
urgent
call
for
“unrestricted”
access
to
Gaza
so
that
aid
organizations
can
deliver
life-saving
supplies.

Calling
the
scale
of
the
casualties
“staggering,”
Tedros
said
that
without
access,
“tragedy
will
continue
unfolding
before
our
eyes.”

“The
limited
aid
flow
is
a
mere
trickle
of
the
growing
needs,”
Tedros
posted
on
X.
“Without
urgent,
unrestricted
access
at
scale,
tragedy
will
continue
unfolding
before
our
eyes.
The
conflict
started
on
7
October,
the
first
aid
crossing
was
on
21
October.
Since
then,
@WHO
has
only
been
able
to
transport
enough
supplies
for
approximately
370,000
people,
including
for
traumatic
wound
and
burn
care,
and
treatment
for
serious
chronic
conditions.”

Tedros
called
for
an
“immediate
humanitarian
pause:”
“There’s
no
time
to
waste.
Every
moment
matters.”

—

Riya
Bhattacharjee

President
Joe
Biden
said
on
X
that
he
is
“not
done
pushing
for
more
aid
and
will
continue
to
support
safe
passage
for
Gaza
civilians
seeking
safety.”

“Yesterday
saw
the
largest
delivery
of
life-saving
humanitarian
assistance
into
Gaza
so
far,
and
more
trucks
are
being
cleared
to
enter
today.
But
many
more
are
needed,”
Biden
posted
on
Tuesday.

Human
rights
groups
have
been
sounding
the
alarm
about
an
escalating
humanitarian
crisis
in
Gaza
amid
heavy
bombardment
by
Israeli
troops,
as
Gaza
health
officials
report
more
than
8,500
people
have
lost
their
lives
since
the
start
of
the
Israel-Hamas
conflict
on
Oct.
7.
Stark
images
of
entire
families
stranded
without
food,
water,
sanitation
and
other
basic
necessities
have
emerged
on
social
media
and
television
networks
across
the
world,
sparking
protests
globally.

NBC
News
reported
that
although
Muslim
Americans
voted
overwhelmingly
for
Biden,

community
leaders
in
swing
states
say
that
the
president’s
handling
of
the
war
in
Gaza
risks

losing
their
support.

“It
literally
may
dissuade
enough
voters
to
sit
back
in
the
next
election
and
watch
Donald
Trump
control
the
presidency,
watch
the
Republicans
control
the
Congress
and
also
know
that
conservatives
will
have
control
of
the
Supreme
Court,”
said
Wa’el
Alzayat,
the
CEO
of
Emgage,
a
group
that
mobilizes
American-Muslim
voters.

Read
the

full
report
on
NBC
News.

—

Riya
Bhattacharjee

U.S.
Secretary
of
State
Antony
Blinken
on
Tuesday
“emphasized
the
need
to
take
feasible
precautions
to
minimize
harm
to
civilians”
during
a
telephone
call
with
Israeli
President
Isaac
Herzog,
the
State
Department
said,
amid
the
conflict
with
Hamas.

“The
Secretary
reiterated
U.S.
support
for
Israel’s
right
to
defend
itself
against
terrorism
consistent
with
international
humanitarian
law,”
spokesperson
Matthew
Miller
said
in
a
statement.

—

Reuters

U.S.
Secretary
of
State
Antony
Blinken
has
announced
plans
to
travel
to
Israel
on
Friday
to
consult
with
Israeli
officials
about
their
ongoing
war
on
Hamas.

State
Department
spokesperson
Matthew
Miller
said
Tuesday
that
Blinken
would
visit
Israel
“and
then
will
make
other
stops
in
the
region.”
He
did
not
identify
the
other
planned
stops.

Blinken
made
an
urgent
trip
to
the
Middle
East
earlier
this
month,
visiting
Israel,
Jordan,
Qatar,
Bahrain,
Saudi
Arabia,
Egypt
and
the
United
Arab
Emirates.

—

Associated
Press

Editor’s
note:
The
following
post
contains
a
photograph
with
graphic
content.

The
director
of
the
Indonesian
Hospital
said
at
a
press
conference
on
various
networks
that
the
initial
number
of
people
who
were
killed
and
injured
during
the
air
strikes
on
Jabalia
currently
stood
at
400,
NBC
News
reported.

Dr.
Atef
Al-Kahlot
said
that
recovery
work
was
still
ongoing.
The
hospital
had
reported
on
social
media
after
the
strikes
that
dozens
were
killed
and
hundreds
injured.

“The
initial
number
of
martyrs
and
injured
in
the
occupation’s
attack
on
Jabalia
is
400,”
Al-Kahlot
said
during
the
press
conference.
“We
are
still
searching
for
missing
persons
and
carrying
out
rescue
operations
from
under
the
rubble
in
Jabalia.
We
stress
the
necessity
of
supplying
the
hospital
with
medical
supplies
and
medicines.
We
stress
the
necessity
of
supplying
us
with
fuel
to
continue
the
necessary
work
in
the
hospital.
Running
out
of
fuel
will
lead
to
a
humanitarian
catastrophe,
and
we
call
for
the
opening
of
the
Rafah
crossing
to
relieve
the
wounded.
Most
of
the
bodies
and
wounded
were
seriously
injured,
indicating
the
use
of
different
types
of
weapons.”

 —

Riya
Bhattacharjee

Two
of
President
Joe Biden’s
top
advisers
asked
U.S.
lawmakers
to
provide
billions
more
dollars
to Israel on
Tuesday
at
a congressional hearing interrupted
repeatedly
by protesters
denouncing
American officials for
backing
what
they
called
“genocide”
against
Palestinians
in
Gaza.

Secretary
of
State
Antony
Blinken
and
Secretary
of
Defense
Lloyd
Austin
testified
to
the
Senate
Appropriations
Committee
on Biden’s
request for
$106
billion
to
fund
ambitious plans
for Ukraine, Israel and
U.S.
border
security.

Arguing
that
supporting
U.S.
partners
is
vital
to
national
security, Biden requested
$61.4
billion
for Ukraine,
about
half
of
which
would
be
spent
in
the
United
States
to
replenish
weapons
stocks
drained
by
previous support
for
Kyiv.

Biden also
asked
for
$14.3
billion
for Israel,
$9
billion
for
humanitarian
relief
—
including
for Israel and
Gaza
—
$13.6
billion
for
U.S.
border
security,
$4
billion
in
military
assistance
and
government
financing
to
counter
China’s
regional
efforts
in
Asia.

As
the hearing began,
a
line
of anti-war protesters
raised
red-stained
hands
in
the
air.
Capitol
police
later
removed
them
from
the
room
after
shouted
slogans
including,
“Ceasefire
now!”
“Protect
the
children
of
Gaza!”
and
“Stop
funding
genocide.”

Blinken
did
not
respond
to
the protesters,
but
when
he
was
asked
later
about
the
possibility
of
a
ceasefire,
he
said that
would
“simply
consolidate
what
Hamas
has
been
able
to
do
and
…
potentially
repeat
what
it
did
another
day.”
A
pause,
however,
for
humanitarian
reasons
can
be
considered,
he
said.

“We
do
believe
that
we
have
to
consider
things
like
humanitarian
pauses
to
make
sure
that
assistance
can
get
to
those
who
needed
and
people
can
be
protected
and
get
out
of
harm’s
way,”
Blinken
said.

Blinken
said Gaza
in
the
future
could
not
be
governed
by
Hamas,
but
could
also
not
be
run
by Israel,
adding
that
ideally
an
“effective
and
revitalized
Palestinian
Authority”
could
ultimately
run
the
strip,
while
other
countries
in
the
region
could
step
in
to
help
under
temporary
arrangements.

—

Reuters

The
Pentagon
said
it
will
deploy
an
additional
300
troops
to
the
U.S.
Central
Command
region,
which
oversees
America’s
national
security
interests
in
the
Middle
East
and
northern
Africa,
but
declined
to
say
which
countries
the
servicemembers
would
relocate
to.

“I
can
confirm
they’re
not
going
to
Israel and
that
they
are
intended
to
support
regional
deterrence
efforts
and
further
bolster
U.S.
force
protection
capabilities,”
Pentagon
spokesman
U.S.
Air
Force
Brig.
Gen.
Pat
Ryder
said
during
a
daily
Pentagon
press
briefing.

“These
additional
troops
will
provide
capabilities
and
explosive
ordinance
disposal,
communications
and
other
support
enablers
for
forces
already
in
the
region,”
he
added.

—
Amanda
Macias

The
United
Nations
said
that,
so
far,
more
than
140
trucks
carrying
crucial
humanitarian
aid
for
civilians
in
Gaza
have
moved
through
the
Rafah
border
crossing.

“The
level
of
humanitarian
assistance
that
has
been
allowed
into
Gaza
up
to
this
point
is
completely
inadequate
and
not
commensurate
with
the
needs
of
people
in
Gaza,
compounding
the
humanitarian
tragedy,”
United
Nations
Secretary-General
António
Guterres
wrote
in
a
statement.

Guterres
reiterated
his
urgent
call
for
unhindered
access
to
humanitarian
aid
for
civilians
in
Gaza.

—
Amanda
Macias

United
Nations
Secretary-General
António
Guterres
condemned
the
“intensification
of
the
conflict
between
Israel
and
Hamas
and
other
Palestinian
armed
groups
in
Gaza”
in
a
new
statement.

“Civilians
have
borne
the
brunt
of
the
current
fighting
from
the
outset.
Protection
of
civilians
on
both
sides
is
paramount
and
must
be
respected
at
all
times,”
Guterres
said,
adding
that
he
is
“dismayed
by
reports
that
two-thirds
of
those
who
have
been
killed
are
women
and
children.”

He
called
on
all
parties
to
abide
by
international
humanitarian
law.

—
Amanda
Macias

A
representative
for
the
Rafah
border
crossing
said
it
will
open
tomorrow
to
allow
some
wounded
civilians
out
of
Gaza
and
into
Egypt,
though
those
reports
are
not
confirmed,
according
to
NBC
News.

Wael
Abu
Omar,
media
director
at
the

Rafah
land
crossing,
said
it
would
open
Wednesday,”
for
a
number
of
wounded
to
leave
to
complete
their
treatment
in
Egyptian
hospitals.”

It’s
unclear
if
the
opening
will
come
to
fruition
as
neither
the
Egyptian
side
nor
Israel
have
confirmed
the
reports.

The
crossing
is
the
only
travel
point
between
Egypt
and
the
Gaza
Strip
and
the
only
land
route
out
of
the
region
not
controlled
by
the
Israeli
government.

—
Chelsey
Cox

The
Senate
voted
to
confirm
former
Treasury
Secretary
Jack
Lew
as
the
next
U.S.
Ambassador
to
Israel.

President Joe
Biden

nominated Lew
last
month.

“He’s
more
than
qualified
to
be
our
ambassador
to
Israel,”
National
Security
Council
spokesman
John
Kirby
told
reporters
at
the
White
House
ahead
of
the
completed
Senate
vote.

“We
are
very
excited
to
get
him
over
there
so
he
can
get
on
the
ground
and
start
leading
our
efforts
to
support
Israel
and
their
fight
against
Hamas
but
also
to
help
us
integrate
and
continue
to
lead
the
effort
of
getting
humanitarian
assistance
to
people
of
Gaza,”
he
added.

Read
the

full
story
here.

—
Amanda
Macias

IDF
spokesperson
Daniel
Hagari
confirmed
that
the
Israeli
military
killed
senior
Hamas
commander
Ibrahim
Biari,
one
of
the
architects
of
the
Oct.
7
terror
attack,
during
a
deadly
strike
on
the
Jabalia
refugee
camp
in
Gaza.

“Tonight
we
eliminated
the
murderous
terrorist
Ibrahim
Biari,”
Hagari
said.
“Biari
is
the
main
fighting
leader
in
the
north
of
the
Gaza
Strip
since
the
IDF
forces
entered
Gaza
and
he
also
had
a
part
in
the
massacre.
During
his
assassination,
many
terrorists
were
killed,
terrorists
who
stayed
with
him
in
Mena
and
in
the
underground
area
of
the
building.”

NBC
News
has
not
independently
verified
Biari’s
death.

According
to
Hamas,
the
strike
destroyed
at
least
20
homes.
A
hospital
nearby
reported
dozens
of
deaths.
Photos
and
videos
posted
on
social
media
and

aired
on
Al
Jazeera
show
the
devastation
in
the
area.

IDF
posted
on
X
that
IDF
troops
carried
out
a
ground
operation
during
which
they
eliminated
approximately
50
terrorists.
NBC
News
has
not
verified
this
number.

—

Riya
Bhattacharjee

White
House
National
Security
Council
spokesman
John
Kirby
said
Tuesday
66
trucks
entered
Gaza
in
the
last
24
hours.

“It’s
the
highest
single
day
delivery
so
far,”
Kirby
told
reporters
at
the
White
House
briefing.

Kirby
said
“dozens”
more
trucks
of
aid
are
expected
to
clear
by
the
end
of
the
day.

—

Emma
Kinery

Secretary
of
State
Antony
Blinken
told
lawmakers
that
Russian
President
Vladimir
Putin
hopes
to
use
the
ongoing
conflict
in
Gaza
to
distract
from
the
Kremlin’s
war
in
Ukraine.

“Putin
is
very
much
trying
to
take
advantage
of
the
Hamas
attack
on
Israel
in
the
hopes
that
it
will
distract
us,
that
it
will
divert
our
focus
away
from
Ukraine
and
away
from
his
aggression
in
Ukraine,”
Blinken
said
during
testimony
before
the
Senate
Committee
on
Appropriations.

Blinken
said
that
Putin
would
want
to
see
the
U.S.
pull
back
its
aid
and
security
assistance
to
Ukraine
and
pivot
that
support
to
Israel.

Biden’s
top
diplomat
added
that
the
State
Department
and
Pentagon
are
poised
to
continue
supporting
both
Ukraine
and
Israel.

—
Amanda
Macias

Secretary
of
State
Antony
Blinken
said
that
the
U.S.
has
not
seen
any
indication
that
Hamas
has
taken
the
critical
humanitarian
aid
delivered
through
the
Rafah
border
crossing.

“Neither
the
Israelis
nor
the
U.N.
have
said
the
aid
has
been
averted,”
Blinken
told
lawmakers
on
the
Senate
Appropriations
Committee.

National
Security
Council
spokesman
John
Kirby
told
reporters
at
the
White
House
that
the
aid
transported
into
Gaza
is
given
directly
to
humanitarian
organizations,
like
the
United
Nations.

“That’s
what
we’ve
seen
with
every
single
one,”
Kirby
said
of
the
trucks
carrying
the
humanitarian
aid
to
the
region.

—
Amanda
Macias

The
local
Indonesian
Hospital
in
Gaza
reported

in
a
post
on
its
Facebook
page
that
dozens
of
people
have
been
killed
and
hundreds
wounded,
most
of
them
women
and
children,
in
the
attack
on
the
Jabalia refugee
camp.

The
camp
is
located
at
the
northern
end
of
the
Gaza
Strip
and
is
one
of
the
most
densely
populated
places
on
Earth.

The
Government
Information
Office
in
Gaza
also
reported
that
20
homes
were
completely
destroyed
in
the
Israeli
bombing
that
targeted
a
residential
neighborhood
in
Jabalia.
It
was
unclear
whether
the
homes
were
the
intended
target
of
the
bombardment.

Earlier
Tuesday,
the
Hamas-run
health
ministry,
and
the
director
of
the
Indonesian
Hospital,
said
that
at
least
50
people
had
been
killed
in
the
blast.

CNBC
and
NBC
News
were
unable
to
independently
verify
the
number
of
casualties.

—

Karen
Gilchrist,
Terri
Cullen

Egyptian
Prime
Minister
Mostafa
Madbouly
visits
the
Rafah
border
crossing
between
Egypt
and
the
Gaza
Strip
as
trucks
carrying
humanitarian
aid
for
Palestinians,
prepare
to
move
into
the Gaza Strip,
amid
the
ongoing
conflict
between
Israel
and
Palestinian
Islamist
group
Hamas,
in
Rafah,
Egypt,
on
Oct.
31,
2023.

—
Reuters

An
Israeli
government
ministry
drafted
a
proposal
to
transfer
the
Gaza
Strip’s
2.3
million
people
to
Egypt’s
Sinai
peninsula,
in
a
move
that
has
inflamed
tensions
with
Palestinians
and
Cairo.

In
a
wartime
document
dated
Oct.
13,
six
days
after
the
Hamas
attacks
on
Israel,
Israel’s
Intelligence
Ministry
outlined
the
transfer
of
civilians
to
Sinai
as
one
of
three
options
in
the
report.

The
other
options
proposed
that
the
population
remain
in
Gaza,
either
under
the
rule
of
the
Palestinian
Authority
or
under
a
new
“local
Arab
authority.”

According
to
an
NBC
translation
of
the
document,
the
removal
of
Gazans
to
Sinai
was
assessed
as
providing
“positive,
long-term
strategic
outcomes
for
Israel”
but
likely
to
face
international
pushback.

“The
option
that
will
yield
positive,
long-term
strategic
outcomes
for
Israel,
and
is
an
executable
option.
It
requires
determination
from
the
political
echelon
in
the
face
of
international
pressure,
with
an
emphasis
on
harnessing
the
support
of
the
United
States
and
additional
pro-Israeli
countries
for
the
endeavor,”
the
document
said.

Egypt’s
government,
which
is
facing
an
economic
crisis,
has

already
rejected
the
idea
of
a
forced
relocation
of
millions
of
Palestinians
from
their
homes
and
into
the
Egyptian
desert
region.

“What
is
happening
now
in
Gaza
is
an
attempt
to
force
civilian
residents
to
take
refugee
and
migrate
to
Egypt,
which
should
not
be
accepted,”
Egyptian
President
Abdel
Fattah
al-Sisi said
on
Oct.
18.

“Egypt
rejects
any
attempt
to
resolve
the
Palestinian
issue
by
military
means
or
through
the
forced
displacement
of
Palestinians
from
their
land,
which
would
come
at
the
expense
of
the
countries
of
the
region,”
Sisi
said,
adding
that
such
a
measure
would
turn
the
Sinai
into
a
base
for
attacks
against
Israel.

Israel
dismissed
the
plans
as
a
hypothetical
“concept
paper”
after
the
document
was
seen
by
media.
Israel’s
Intelligence
Ministry
conducts
research
but
does
not
set
policy.

The
Israeli
Prime
Minister’s
Office,
in
a
statement
to
NBC
News,
called
the
paper
“an
initial
thinking
document,
of
which
there
are
dozens
at
all
levels
of
the
government
and
the
security
arms.”

It
added
that
“the
issue
of
‘the
day
after’
was
not
discussed
in
Israel’s
official
forum,
which
is
now
focused
on
destroying
the
governmental
and
military
capabilities
of
Hamas.”

—
Karen
Gilchrist,
Natasha
Turak

Editors
note:
The
following
post
contains
a
disturbing
image
of
a
child
in
a
body
bag.

The
United
Nations
Children’s
Fund,
or
UNICEF,
said
that
more
than
3,400
children
have
died
since
the
start
of
the
Israel
and
Hamas
conflict
on
Oct.
7.

“The
numbers
are
appalling;
reportedly
more
than
3,450
children
killed;
staggeringly
this
rises
significantly
every
day,”

UNICEF
spokesman
James
Elder
told
reporters
in
Geneva.

“Gaza
has
become
a
graveyard
for
thousands
of
children.
It’s
a
living
hell
for
everyone
else,”
he
added.

Elder
added
that
in
addition
to
the
active
war
zone
in
Gaza,
children
are
also
facing
a
water
crisis.

“Gaza’s
water
production
capacity
is
a
mere
5
percent
of
its
usual
daily
output. Child
deaths
–
particularly
infants
–
to
dehydration
are
a
growing
threat,”
he
added.

Elder
warned
of
the
mounting
traumatic
experiences
children
are
also
facing.

“When
the
fighting
stops,
the
cost
to
children
and
their
communities
will
be
borne
out
for
generations
to
come,”
he
said.

—
Amanda
Macias

Senate
Majority
Leader
Chuck
Schumer,
D-N.Y.,
urged
the
Senate
to
immediately
send
Jack
Lew
to
the
Middle
East
after
he
is
minted
as
U.S.
ambassador
to
Israel.

The
Senate
is
set
to
confirm
the
appointment
of
Lew,
the
former
Treasury
Secretary
under
President
Barack
Obama,
today.

“I
urge
my
colleagues
to
vote
in
favor
of
sending
an
American
Ambassador
to
Israel
today,”
Schumer
said
in
a
statement.
“With
everything
happening
in
Israel
right
now,
confirming
Jack
Lew
at
this
moment
will
be
one
of
the
most
important
and
consequential
nomination
votes
the
Senate
has
taken
in
a
long
time.”

The
ambassadorship
has
been
vacant
since

Tom
Nides
left
the
post
this
summer.

The
Senate
Foreign
Relations
Committee
approved
Lew’s
nomination
on
a
12-9
basis.

—
Chelsey
Cox

The
head
of
Israel’s
national
security
council
said
that
he
does
not
see
a
deal
for
the
release
of
hostages
as
being
close,
Israeli
newspaper
Haaretz
reported
Tuesday.

“As
of
today,
we
do
not
see
a
deal
to
release
the
hostages
close,”
Tzachi
Hanegbi
said
during
a
press
briefing.

Hanegbi
added
that
“the
day
after
the
war
is
not
close”
and
that
the
government
was
determined
in
its
goal
for
Hamas
to
“cease
to
exist.”

—
Karen
Gilchrist

Russian
Foreign
Minister
Sergei
Lavrov
discussed
the
Israel-Hamas
conflict
with
his
Syrian
counterpart,
Faisal
Miqdad
Tuesday,
the
ministry
of
foreign
affairs

said,
according
to
a
Google
translation
of
the
ministry’s
statement.

“The
government
officials
paid
special
attention
to
the
dramatic
development
of
the
situation
in
the
Israel-Hamas
conflict
zone,”
a
press
statement
said,
following
a
telephone
conversation
between
the
pair.

Lavrov
and
Miqdad
agreed
that
“an
immediate
end
to
the
bloodshed
in
Gaza,
a
solution
to
all
humanitarian
problems
arising
as
a
result
of
the
fighting,
and
a
transition
to
discussing
a
long-term
settlement
through
political
and
diplomatic
methods”
was
needed.

The
impacts
of
the
Israel-Hamas
war
on
neighboring
countries,
such
as
Syria,
is
being
closely
watched
as
the
violence
continues
in
the
Gaza
Strip.

—
Hannah
Ward-Glenton

Dozens
of
people
were
reportedly
killed
and
injured
after
an
airstrike
on
the
Jabalia
refugee
camp
in
northern
Gaza
on
Tuesday.

The
Hamas-run
heath
ministry,
and
the
director
of
the
nearby
Indonesian
hospital,
said
that
at
least
50
people
had
been
killed
in
the
blast.

CNBC
was
unable
to
independently
verify
the
number
of
casualties.

The
refugee
camp
is
located
at
the
northern
end
of
the
Gaza
Strip
and
is
one
of
the
most
densely
populated
places
on
Earth.

—
Karen
Gilchrist

A
senior
U.S.
Treasury
official
on
Monday
reiterated
support
for

humanitarian
aid
to
the
Palestinian
people
as
the
Israel-Hamas
war
continues.

The
aid
is
authorized
through
U.S.
sanctions
programs
that
ensure
assistance
for
civilians,
according
to
Brian
E.
Nelson,
under-secretary
of
the
Treasury
for
terrorism
and
financial
intelligence.

Nelson
also
outlined
Hamas’
fundraising
scheme
by
laundering
money
through
fake
charities
at
a
roundtable
with
representatives
of
non-governmental
organizations,
international
organizations,
and
U.S.
government
implementers.

The
under-secretary
again
condemned
the
attacks
by
Hamas
and
emphasized
cutting
off
resources
for
the
terrorist
group.

—Chelsey
Cox

Egypt’s
Prime
Minister
Mostafa
Madbouly
said
Tuesday
that
his
country
is
engaging
at
all
levels
to
resolve
the
“unprecedented
humanitarian
crisis”
in
Gaza,
Reuters
reported.

“Egypt
is
engaging
at
all
levels
starting
with
the
political
leadership
with
President
Abdel
Fattah
El-Sisi
to
all
state
agencies
that
are
moving
to
solve
this
unprecedented
humanitarian
crisis
that
the
innocent
residents
of
the
Gaza
strip
are
exposed
to
today,”
Madbouly
said.

During
a
visit
to
the
Rafah
crossing,
through
which
aid
deliveries
have
been
crossing
into
Gaza,
Madbouly
added
that
a
two-state
solution
for
Israel
and
Palestine
was
critical
to
ensuring
peace
in
the
region.

—
Karen
Gilchrist

The
E.U.’s
top
envoy
Josep
Borrell
once
more
called
for
the
“immediate”
and
“unconditional”
release
of
all
hostages
held
by
Hamas
in
the
Gaza
Strip,
decrying
the
“slaughter”
of
Shani
Louk.

“Horrified
by
the
slaughter
of
Shani
Louk,
a
German-Israeli
citizen,
by
Hamas,”
Borrell
said
on
social
media.
“Her
death
is
an
illustration
of
the
barbarity
of
terrorists
committed
against
hundreds
of
Israeli
&
international
citizens.”

Hamas
abducted
over
two
hundred
people
during
its
terror
attacks
in
Israel
on
Oct.
7.
Only
four
captives
have
since
been
released,
and
one
has
been
rescued
by
the
Israeli
military.

Earlier
this
week,
Israel
revealed
that
23-year-old
Shani
Louk,
a
young
woman
kidnapped
by
Hamas
during
the
Nova
music
festival,
was
confirmed
as
dead.

Louk
was
previously
seen
in
video
footage,
stripped
and
paraded
around
Gaza
in
the
back
of
a
pick-up
truck
by
Hamas
militants
on
Oct.
7.

—

Ruxandra
Iordache

The
Israel
Air
Force
said
it
deployed
the
long-range
Arrow
defense
system
for
the
first
time
since
the
start
of
its
war
with
Hamas,
intercepting
a
surface-to-surface
missile
in
the
Red
Sea
that
had
been
launched
toward
its
territory.

The
Air
Force
said
that
the
Israeli
Defense
Forces
had
earlier
in
the
day
followed
an
aerial
threat
detected
in
the
Red
Sea
region
and
addressed
“hostile
targets
flying
in
the
area,”

according
to
a
Google-translated
social
media
update.

“All
the
threats
were
intercepted
outside
the
territory
of
the
State
of
Israel.
No
intrusion
into
Israeli
territory
was
detected,”
the
IAF
said.

Earlier
on
Tuesday,
Israel
Defense
Forces
spokesperson
Daniel
Hagari
said
that
a
warning
had
been
activated
about
the
intrusion
of
a
“hostile
aircraft”
in
the
southern
Israeli
town
of
Eliat.
He
later
downgraded
the
incident
as
posing
“no
threat”
and
“no
danger.”

A
senior
official
of
the
Houthi
militants
in
Yemen
claimed
responsibility
for
the
incident,

according
to
Agence
France
Presse.

“These
drones
belong
to
the
state
of
Yemen,”
Abdelaziz
bin
Habtour,
prime
minister
of
the
Huthi
government,
said
when
asked
about
the
launch
towards
Eilat.

The
Hamas,
Houthi
and
Hezbollah
group
in
Lebanon
—
which
has
likewise
been
trading
fire
with
Israel
since
the
start
of
the
Hamas
conflict
—
are
all
backed
by
Iran,
with
whom
Israel
has
had
a
long-term
inimical
relationship.

—

Ruxandra
Iordache

U.N.
aid
chief
Martin
Griffiths
has
drawn
attention
to
the
harm
civilians
have
experienced
in
both
the
Gaza
Strip
and
Israel,
as
a
result
of
the
Israel-Hamas
war.

The
suffering
of
the
Palestinian
people
has
been
“beyond
devastating,”
he

said
on
social
media
on
Tuesday,
after
a
call
with
families
in
the
region.

“When
an
8-year-old
tells
you
that
she
doesn’t
want
to
die,
it’s
hard
not
to
feel
helpless,”
he
said.

Overnight,
he
warned
that
the
current
situation
in
the
Gaza
enclosure
“may
pale
in
comparison
with
what
is
to
come.”

Griffiths
said
he
arrived
in
Israel
on
Monday,
pleading
for
the
release
of
the
over
200
civilians
still
held
hostage
by
Palestinian
militant
group
Hamas
in
the
Gaza
Strip.

“For
the
past
3
weeks,
their
families
have
been
living
in
agony,
not
knowing
if
their
loved
ones
are
dead
or
alive,”
he
said.

Griffiths’
trip
to
Israel
had
been
under
question,
following
a
breakdown
in
ties
between
Israel
and
the
U.N.
last
week
over
comments
made
by
U.N.
Secretary-General
Antonio
Guterres,
who
said
the
Hamas
attacks
of
Oct.
7
“did
not
happen
in
a
vacuum.”

—

Ruxandra
Iordache

An
antisemitic
mob
incident
at
an
airport
in
Russia’s
republic
of
Dagestan
will
be
analyzed
to
deter
similar
incidents
in
the
future,
the
Kremlin
said
Tuesday.

“The
relevant
authorities
will
take
investigative
actions.
And
after
that,
of
course,
the
situation
will
be
analyzed,”
Kremlin
spokesperson
Dmitry
Peskov
said
in
Google-translated
comments

reported
by
Russian
state
news
agency
Tass.
“What
is
necessary
to
minimize
or
completely
eliminate
such
illegal
manifestations
in
the
future.”

Kremlin
officials
held
a
special
closed
meeting
following
the
unrest
in
Dagestan,
where
an
anti-Israel
group
stormed
an
airport
on
Sunday,
reportedly
looking
for
passengers
that
had
come
on
a
flight
from
Tel
Aviv.
Russian
President
Vladimir
Putin
levelled
accusations
at
the
U.S.,
claiming
it
had
orchestrated
the
incident
in
Dagestan
—
which
Washington
denies.

Demonstrations
either
against
Israel
or
supporting
Palestinian
people
have
been
on
the
rise
since
the
start
of
the
Israel-Hamas
conflict
and
Israel’s
siege
of
the
Gaza
Strip
enclosure.

—

Ruxandra
Iordache

West
Bank-based
journalist
Mohamed
Bader
turned
himself
in
to
the
Israeli
Defense
Forces
so
his
wife,
who
had
been
detained,
would
be
freed,
the
Committee
to
Protect
Journalists
said.

Soujoud
Al-Assi,
the
wife
of
Bader,
told
the
CPJ
non-profit
organization
that
she
was
arrested
in
order
to
put
pressure
on
her
husband
to
give
himself
up
to
the
IDF.
She
was
later
freed.

Bader
and
Al-Assi
both
work
for
the
Saudi
al-Hadath
newspaper
in
Ramallah
city
in
the
West
Bank.

News
sites

The
New
Arab,
based
in
London, and

Amad,
a
Palestinian
news
website,
reported
that
Bader
was
previously
held
by
the
IDF
for
four
months. 

—
Katrina
Bishop

Sixty-four
staff
members
of
the
U.N.
Agency
for
Palestine
Refugees
(UNRWA)
have
been
killed
since
the
start
of
the
Israel-Hamas
war,
the
organization’s
Director
of
Communications
Juliette
Touma

said
on
social
media.

The
death
toll

stood
at
63
on
Monday.

UNRWA
has
previously
urged
a
humanitarian
cease-fire
in
the
Gaza
Strip,
where
it
assists
Palestinian
civilians,
and
urged
safe
conditions
for
its
staff
to
distribute
supplies.
UNRWA-run
schools
in
the
Gaza
enclosure
have
been
transformed
into
shelters
for
refugees.

—

Ruxandra
Iordache

The
number
of
hostages
held
by
Hamas
is
currently
at
240,
according
to
Daniel
Hagari,
spokesman
for
the
Israel
Defense
Forces.

“As
I
say
this,
the
number
has
risen
to
240,
since
as
I
have
explained,
identification
is
complex,”
Hagari
said
in
a
press
briefing
Tuesday
morning.

“Some
of
the
hostages
are
not
Israeli
citizens,
and
the
process
is
complex.
It
takes
time,
and
the
number
currently
stands
at
240
—
we
have
updated
the
families
of
240
hostages.”

Militant
group
Hamas
captured
the
hostages
on
Oct.
7
as
part
of
its
terror
attack
in
southern
Israel
and
took
them
to
the
Gaza
Strip.
Israel
has
previously
said
it
will
not
end
its
siege
of
the
area,
imposed
following
the
attack,
until
the
hostages
are
freed.

—

Katrina
Bishop

The
Israeli
military
is
focusing
its
operations
in
the
northern
part
of
the
Gaza
strip
but
attacking
“all
parts”
of
the
territory,
Israel
Defense
Forces
spokesperson
Jonathan
Conricus
said

in
an
overnight
update.

“We
will
focus
our
activities
in
the
northern
part
of
Gaza,
that
is
the
center
of
gravity
of
Hamas
…
but
we
are
also
continuing
to
strike
in
other
parts
of
Gaza,
we
are
hunting
their
commanders,
we
are
attacking
their
infrastructure,”
he
said,
noting
that
Israel
had
sent
heavily
armored
vehicles,
tanks
and
bulldozers
into
the
strip.

This
equipment
is
enhanced
with
“special
engineering
constructions
to
face
threats
that
they’re
going
to
face
inside
the
densely
populated
urban
terrain,”
he
noted.

The
IDF
is
simultaneously
engaged
in
combat
with
Lebanese
militant
group
Hezbollah,
with
whom
it
has
traded
fire
since
the
early
days
of
its
conflict
against
Hamas.

“What
is
important
here
is
for
the
state
of
Lebanon
to
understand
that
they
stand
to
lose
almost
everything
and
gain
absolutely
nothing
by
allowing
Hezbollah
to
drag
them
into
a
war,”
Conricus
said.

Addressing
the
exacerbating
humanitarian
crisis
in
the
heavily
bombarded
and
resource-deprived
Gaza
Strip,
he
said:
“As
days
go
by,
I
think
we
will
be
ramping
up
the
facilitation
of
humanitarian
assistance
to
the
Gaza
Strip.
We
do
understand
that
the
situation
there
is
difficult,
but
this
isn’t
our
doing,
and
this
isn’t
what
we
wanted.”

Human
rights
groups
and
the
U.N.
have
repeatedly
called
for
a
humanitarian
cease-fire
to
allow
food,
water,
fuel
and
medical
resources
to
reach
the
Palestinian
population
through
the
Rafah
crossing
that
bridges
the
Gaza
Strip
and
Egypt.
U.N.
officials
have
said
that
the
current
number
of
trucks
able
to
reach
the
civilians
of
the
strip
represents
“a
trickle”
compared
with
their
actual
needs.

—

Ruxandra
Iordache

Rescued
hostage
Ori
Megidish,
a
private
in
the
Israel
Defense
Forces,
has
been
able
to
supply
information
to
the
military
on
the
location
and
conditions
of
her
detainment
by
Hamas,
IDF
spokesperson
Jonathan
Conricus
told
MSNBC
in
a
TV
interview.

He
confirmed
that
Megidish
is
now
“safe
with
her
family”
after
being
rescued
during
an
Israeli
ground
operation
conducted
in
the
Gaza
Strip.

“This
was
the
first
of
the
hostages
that
was
freed
in
such
a
way,”
Conricus
said.

Another
238
captives
remain
held
by
Hamas
in
the
Gaza
Strip,
following
the
group’s
terror
attacks
of
Oct.
7.
Four
other
people
were
released
by
the
Palestinian
militant
organization
following
negotiations.

Conricus
said
that
the
IDF
is
“committed
to
bringing
all
the
people
home,”
but
qualified
this
as
a
“very
daunting
task.”

Analysts
have
previously
noted
that
the
number
of
hostages
will
offer
Hamas
a
strong
bargaining
chip
in
the
event
of
an
Israeli
ground
incursion.
Hamas
officials
have
said
a
ceasefire
must
be
agreed
before
captives
are
released.

—

Ruxandra
Iordache

Japan
has
slapped
fresh
financial
sanctions
on
individuals
and
a
company
believed
to
be
linked
to
Palestinian
militant
group
Hamas,
the
foreign
ministry
said

in
a
Google-translated
statement
on
Tuesday.

Among
the
newly
sanctioned
are
individuals
believed
to
be
affiliated
with
the
Hamas
political
bureau
and
its
investment
and
financial
operations,
along
with
one
of
the
group’s
top
commanders,
Ayman
Nofal,
which
the
Israeli
military
previously
reported

it
had
killed.

This
is
the
first
set
of
sanctions
Japan
has
applied
against
Hamas
and
Hamas-affiliated
individuals
since
the
terror
attacks
of
Oct.
7.

—

Ruxandra
Iordache

Israel
Defense
Forces
spokesperson
Daniel
Hagari
said
that
there
is
“no
threat”
and
“no
danger”
in
Eliat,
a
town
in
the
south
of
the
country,
following
earlier
reports
of
a
“hostile
aircraft”
in
the
area.

“Further
to
the
initial
report,
the
IDF
systems
detected
an
aerial
target
approaching
the
territory
of
the
State
of
Israel.
There
is
no
threat
and
there
is
no
danger,”
Hagari

said
on
social
media,
according
to
a
Google
translation.

Around
30
minutes
earlier,
he
had
said
a
warning
had
been
activated
“about
the
intrusion
of
a
hostile
aircraft
in
the
Eilat
area.”

—
Katrina
Bishop

The
chief
of
the
World
Health
Organization
has
spoken
out
against
antisemitism
and
Islamophobia,
amid
a
rise
in
protests
and
deepening
divides
since
the
start
of
the
Israel-Hamas
war.

“Hatred
is
not
an
expression
of
views,
it’s
a
poison
that
divides
and
diminishes
us.
Increasing
acts
of
antisemitism
are
deeply
concerning
and
have
no
place
in
our
society,”
Tedros
Adhanom
Ghebreyesus

said
on
social
media.

“We
must
express
our
opinions
with
respect
and
empathy,
leaving
no
room
for
antisemitism,
Islamophobia
or
bigotry
of
any
kind.”

His
comments
come
after
support
of
Palestinian
civilians
in
the
Gaza
Strip
led
to
a
wave
of
protests
and
demonstrations
around
the
world.
The
enclave
has
been
under
Israeli
siege
since
early
October
in
response
to
the
Oct.
7
terror
attacks
carried
out
by
Hamas.

On
Sunday,
an
anti-Israel
mob

stormed
an
airport
in
the
Russian
republic
of
Dagestan,
looking
for
passengers
who
arrived
on
a
flight
from
Tel
Aviv.

—

Ruxandra
Iordache