Live blog: Over 30 killed as Israel bombs Gaza's Jabalia refugee camp

Monday, 13 November, 2023

1909 GMT — More than 30 people were killed while scores were injured in an Israeli bombardment of Jabalia camp, in northern Gaza, Palestinian official news agency Wafa reported.

The agency added that the Israeli air strikes targeted 12 homes in a densely populated area near the Jabalia Services Club in the camp for Palestinian refugees.

Thousands of buildings, including hospitals, mosques, and churches, have also been damaged or destroyed in Israel's relentless air and ground attacks on the besieged enclave since last month.

More updates 👇

2110 GMT — Türkiye, Egypt discuss delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry on Monday discussed the latest situation in Gaza.

In a phone call, Fidan and Shoukry exchanged views on the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, according to Turkish diplomatic sources.

The ministers also discussed potential steps to implement the decisions made at the recent Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)-Arab League Summit, which took place in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, on Saturday, the sources further said.

2045 GMT — Israel army says 'signs' Hamas had held hostages in children's hospital

The Israeli army claimed it had evidence showing Hamas fighters had held hostages seized during the October 7 assault on southern Israel at a children's hospital in Gaza City.

Army spokesman Daniel Hagari said troops "found signs that indicate that Hamas held hostages" at the basement level of Al Rantisi hospital, showing footage of a baby bottle and a rope near a chair.

2000 GMT — Biden says Gaza hospital 'must be protected'

US President Joe Biden urged Israel to protect Gaza's Al Shifa hospital as heavy fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian fighters raged around the complex.

"It's my hope and expectation that there will be less intrusive action relative to the hospital," Biden told reporters in the Oval Office when asked if he had expressed concerns to Israel on the issue.

"The hospital must be protected."

Biden, who spoke as he was signing a women's health research initiative alongside First Lady Jill Biden, said that a deal for the "release of prisoners" was still being negotiated with the help of the Gulf state of Qatar.

2000 GMT — MSF doctor warns of 'inhuman' conditions in main Gaza hospital

Hundreds of people stranded in Gaza's biggest hospital were enduring "inhuman" conditions while heavy fighting raged around them, a doctor said as Israel declared Hamas had "lost control" over the Palestinian territory.

Witnesses reported intense air strikes, with tanks and armoured vehicles just metres from the gate of the Al Shifa hospital.

"The situation is very bad, it is inhuman," a surgeon with Doctors Without Borders (MSF), the medical charity group, wrote on social media.

"We don't have electricity. There's no water in the hospital," added the doctor, who was not named.

1847 GMT — Israel admits growing international pressure over its onslaught on Gaza

Israel's foreign minister said international pressure on Israel would increase within two or three weeks over its onslaught on Gaza.

According to the Jerusalem Post newspaper, Eli Cohen told a press conference that Israel has only two or three weeks before it loses its diplomatic battle on the international stage to stop the war on Gaza.

"From a diplomatic point of view, we recognize that pressure has begun to bear on Israel. The pressure is not very high (now), but it is increasing," Cohen said.

He stressed, however, that the Israeli military operation in Gaza will not stop until the Palestinian group Hamas is eliminated and the captives held in Gaza are released.

1843 GMT — Humanitarian disaster in Gaza 'happening in plain sight': UN

The UN voiced concern over the "really dire" situation in Gaza, stressing that the humanitarian disaster there is taking place in "plain sight."

"The situation is really, really dire. We're extremely concerned about what may happen over the next few days," Spokesman Stephane Dujarric said at his daily press briefing.

"This is not happening behind closed doors. This is happening in plain sight, this humanitarian disaster, and we need all the help that we can get," he said.

"We're continuing to deliver whatever humanitarian aid we can as safely as possible. This is one of the reasons we have and will continue to push for humanitarian ceasefire," he added.

1828 GMT — Israel defence minister claims Hamas has 'lost control of Gaza'

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant has claimed Hamas has "lost control" of Gaza it has ruled for 16 years.

"Hamas has lost control of Gaza. Terrorists are fleeing southward. Civilians are looting Hamas bases," he said without providing evidence. "They don't have faith in the government anymore," Gallant added in a video broadcast on Israel's main TV stations.

1758 GMT — Ambulances, patients struck near Gaza's Al Shifa hospital: Doctors Without Borders

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said that an ambulance and the patients inside came under attack near the Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza.

"When we sent the ambulance to bring the patients, a few metres away, they attacked the ambulance. There are injured people around the hospital, they are looking for medical care, we can't bring them inside," the French-based humanitarian organisation said on X, quoting one of its surgeons in the hospital.

"There's also a sniper who attacked patients, they have gunshot wounds, we operated on three of them," the group said.

It also noted that with 600 inpatients, 37 babies, and a patient in need of intensive care at the hospital, the medical team there refused to leave unless the patients are evacuated first.

1647 GMT — Gaza death toll rises to 11,240, including 4,630 children

The total death toll in Gaza rose to 11,240, according to the media office in the Israeli-besieged enclave.

The toll since October 7 includes 4,630 children and 3,130 women, according to the media office spokesperson.

1706 GMT — Over 190,000 applications filed for weapons licenses in Israel since October 7

Over 190,000 applications for weapons licenses have been filed with Israeli security authorities since October 7, according to a report.

"Since the beginning of the war, more than 190,000 applications for weapons licenses have been submitted to the Ministry of National Security," Israeli financial newspaper Calcalist reported.

It added that "in the first ten months of 2023, more than 210,000 applications have been submitted, and the year is not over yet."

1701 GMT — Israel blocks website of Lebanon's Al-Mayadeen TV

Israel blocked all web access to a Lebanese satellite TV channel known for its pro-Iran stance over "security" concerns, as the war in Gaza raises fears of the conflict spreading.

Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi said the security cabinet had approved emergency measures to prevent Al Mayadeen television from harming the state's security.

"The broadcasts and reporters of Al Mayadeen serve the despicable terror organisations," he said.

Network chairman Ghassin bin Jiddo insisted the move would not stop their coverage of the Gaza war, saying it was part of Israel's "ongoing policy of arrests, silencing people, and cracking down on freedom of the press and freedom of expression".

1649 GMT — Norway urges Israel to release full Palestinian tax transfer

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere urged Israel to release the full tax transfer it is withholding from the Palestinian Authority (PA), saying the payment was "critical" for the welfare of the Palestinian population.

On November 2, Israel said it would proceed with a tax revenue transfer to the PA in the Israeli-occupied West Bank but would withhold funds bound for Gaza, where the PA helps cover public sector wages and pay for electricity.

The tax transfer helped deliver essential services in Gaza and in the West Bank, he said, so withholding it was "directly affecting the welfare and health of the Palestinian population," Stoere told Reuters in an interview in Oslo.

1449 GMT — Multiple casualties after Israeli air strike in southern Gaza

At least three Palestinians have been killed and 20 others injured after an Israeli air strike hit Bani Suhaila, a town east of Khan Younis in Gaza, health officials said.

1634 GMT — OIC urges international push for ceasefire in Gaza

Ambassadors of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member states in Brussels have urged the international community, with a particular focus on the EU, to exert pressure on Israel to halt its ongoing assault on Gaza.

At a news conference in Brussels, the ambassadors of the 57-nation bloc read a statement calling upon the EU to undertake all necessary efforts to prompt an immediate and comprehensive cease-fire and bring an end to Israeli aggression against Gaza.

The statement emphasised the crucial role of the EU in holding Israel accountable for the war crimes committed in Gaza, underscoring that the Israeli attacks on Gaza cannot be justified as self-defence.

Furthermore, the statement stressed that the establishment of a Palestinian state within the borders of 1967, with Jerusalem as its capital, is the sole pathway to achieving lasting peace in the region.

1558 GMT — Spanish government minister calls situation at Gaza’s Shifa Hospital 'deeply inhuman’

Spain’s social rights minister called the situation in Gaza’s Shifa Hospital “deeply inhuman.”

"It must end NOW!” Ione Belarra posted on social media platform X in response to images showing attempts by local staff to keep premature babies alive despite a lack of functioning equipment due to power cuts and fighting.

1520 GMT — Israeli army targets journalists in Lebanese border village

The Israeli army targeted media teams and journalists in the Lebanese border village of Yaroun with rocket shells, in the country’s south.

Official Lebanese news agency NNA said at least two rocket shells were fired towards media teams who were there to cover developments across the border areas between Lebanon and Israel.

There were no injuries reported among the journalists, according to NNA.

1336 GMT — Fuel shortage to halt Gaza aid work in '48 hours' — UN

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees has warned that its operations in war-torn Gaza would shut down within two days due to fuel shortages as fighting rages between Israel and Hamas.

"The humanitarian operation in Gaza will grind to a halt in the next 48 hours as no fuel is allowed to enter Gaza," UNRWA's Gaza chief Thomas White wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

1418 GMT — Casualties reported in Israeli air strike on Jabalia refugee camp

The local authorities in Gaza reported multiple casualties following an Israeli air strike on a residential building in the Jabalia refugee camp, located in the northern part of Gaza.

According to a statement from the Gaza-based Interior Ministry, the air strike targeted a building in the centre of the camp, resulting in several fatalities and injuries.

Initial reports indicate that at least one Palestinian was killed and ten others were injured in the airstrike, eyewitnesses further stated.

1357 GMT — 1st group of Russian citizens evacuated from Gaza leaves for Moscow

Moscow said that a group of 70 people left the Palestinian enclave via the Egyptian Rafah border point earlier in the day and was then transported to the capital Cairo.

"The plane of the Emergency Ministry has already departed for Moscow (from Cairo)," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The diplomatic service thanked Egyptian, Israeli, Palestinian, and Qatari authorities for "effective assistance" in organizing the evacuation and promised that it will be continued until all willing Russian citizens leave Gaza.

1306 GMT — Borrell’s accusation provides ‘European cover’ for Israel: Hamas

Hamas has condemned EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell’s accusation for the Palestinian group of using hospitals and civilians as human shields, saying the allegation provides cover for Israeli "crimes" in Gaza.

"Borrell’s accusation…is a twist of the facts and a European cover for the occupation to commit more crimes against children and defenceless civilians," Hamas said in a statement.

"These dangerous statements ignore all the pictures, testimonies, facts, and international reports that confirm that the occupation army had killed more than 11,000 people, the majority of whom were women and children," Hamas said.

1307 GMT — Worker killed by strike from Lebanon: Israel power company

An Israeli power company worker was killed by an anti-tank missile strike across the Lebanese border, his employer said as tensions flared between Israel and the Iran-backed militia Hezbollah.

Shalom Abudi, 56, was killed on Sunday night "by Hezbollah fire during his work in the Dovev area" — just half a mile (800 metres) from the frontier with Lebanon — according to the Israel Electric Corporation.

1221 GMT — Israel loses 950,000 jobs amid Gaza conflict

The Israeli economy is estimated to have lost nearly 950,000 jobs since the outbreak of the Gaza conflict last month, according to official figures.

The country’s unemployment rate rose to 3.2 percent in September from the record low of 3.1 percent in August, the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) data showed.

The number of employed people in Israel is estimated at around four million, according to CBS.

With the outbreak of the Gaza conflict, more than 178,000 Palestinian workers were unable to cross into Israel, according to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics.

1250 GMT — Gaza fuel depot is now empty, warns of further shutdowns: UNRWA

The UN Palestinian refugee agency's fuel depot in Gaza has run dry and within a few days UNRWA will no longer be able to resupply hospitals, remove sewage and provide drinking water, its chief said.

UNRWA is sheltering nearly 800,000 people, or about half of the total population of Gaza who have fled their homes since the war began.

The agency chief, Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini, told donors that it had been slowly emptying a fuel depot on the Israeli border containing strategic reserves.

"If we project out a couple of days, by the 14th of November this will severely impact ambulances and major hospital operations. Some of them (hospitals) have a bit of solar but it is marginal, so those hospitals cease functioning," he said.

1221 — GMT Amnesty urges EU leaders to call for ceasefire

As a human rights "catastrophe" is unfolding in Gaza, the EU countries "must" call for an immediate cease-fire, rights group Amnesty International said.

"The expanding humanitarian and human rights catastrophe unfolding in Gaza urgently needs to end," Amnesty International said in a statement ahead of the European Union Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Brussels.

“While the EU has largely failed to reach a consensus position that is in line with international law or to outright call for a ceasefire, some member states, including Ireland, Belgium and Spain have called for a ceasefire, criticized human rights violations by Israel and Hamas and other armed groups, and respected people’s right to peacefully protest," Eve Geddie, director of Amnesty’s European Institutions Office, said in the statement.

1141 GMT — Palestinian PM asks UN, EU to 'parachute aid' into Gaza

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh called on the European Union and the United Nations to "parachute aid" into Gaza, which has been devastated by Israeli attacks and a total siege.

"I call on the United Nations and the European Union to parachute aid into Gaza, especially the north," he said, referring to the area where fighting is most intense.

0922 GMT — Israel strikes another UNRWA facility in southern Gaza

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees has said that Israel’s navy struck one of its facilities in southern Gaza, despite sharing coordinates with warring parties.

The agency, known as UNRWA, said Sunday’s strike caused “significant damage” to its guesthouse in Rafah, adding that no casualties were reported since UN staff left the facility 90 minutes before the attack.

“This recent attack is yet another indication that nowhere in Gaza is safe. Not the north, not the middle areas and not the south,” said UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini.

UNRWA says it has shared the coordinates of the UN international staff guesthouse twice with the warring parties, including on November 10.

1046 GMT — Gaza hospital death toll climbs to 34: Health Ministry

The health ministry in Gaza has said the hospital death toll has risen to 27 adults and 7 babies as Israel continues to bomb the health facilities in the enclave.

1000 GMT — Turkish ship carrying field hospitals docks in Egypt near Gaza: official

A Turkish vessel carrying materials for field hospitals arrived in Egypt's port of El Arish near the Rafah border crossing with the war-ravaged Gaza, a port official said.

A Turkish health official said that the vessel was carrying "materials, generators, ambulances to establish eight field hospitals".

The delivery comes as all hospitals in northern Gaza were "out of service" amid fighting with Israeli forces, officials in the enclave say.

0957 GMT — Palestine rejects temporary refugee camps

Palestine rejects setting up temporary refugee camps for displaced people in southern Gaza, prime minister says.

Palestinian prime minister also demands UN, EU to open other corridors for aid delivery into Gaza and not limit them to Rafah crossing.

0931 GMT — UN human rights office in Geneva observes moment of silence to honour fallen colleagues in Gaza

To honour the fallen colleagues, the UN offices also lowered the flag at the office building.

"Today, in solidarity with the UN family, we lower our to half-mast to observe a minute of silence - paying tribute to our UN colleagues who lost their lives on duty in Gaza," the office said on X.

"Let us honour and remember their selfless dedication to equality, freedom, and justice for all," it added.

Similar tributes were paid by the UN workers and officials elsewhere.

0848 GMT — EU calls for 'meaningful' pauses in Gaza fighting

The EU's humanitarian aid chief called for "meaningful" pauses in the fighting in Gaza and urgent deliveries of fuel to keep hospitals working in the territory.

"It is urgent to define and respect humanitarian pauses," Janez Lenarcic, European Commissioner for Crisis Management, said at a meeting of the bloc's foreign ministers in Brussels.

"Fuel needs to get in. As you could see, more than half of the hospitals in the Gaza Strip stopped working, primarily because of lack of fuel, and fuel is desperately needed."

The appeal went out as battles between Israeli and Hamas forces have raged around Gaza's largest hospital, which has become the focus in the five-week-old war.

0809 GMT — Palestinians leave Gaza's largest hospital: UN

Many displaced Palestinians, along with some medical patients, have left Gaza’s largest hospital, which is surrounded by Israeli forces, a UN health official has said.

About 650 patients, 500 healthcare workers and an estimated 2,500 displaced people remain in the sprawling Shifa hospital compound, said Mohammed Zaqout, director of hospitals in Gaza.

This would signal a significant departure since the weekend when Gaza health officials had said about 1,500 patients, along with 1,500 medical workers and 15,000 displaced people were at Shifa.

The situation at Shifa deteriorated over the weekend, with doctors reporting that the last generator had run out of fuel, leading to the deaths of several patients, including premature babies.

The UN official said that many of the displaced fled the compound and that some families took relatives with moderate injuries with them.

0727 GMT — Death toll in Al Shifa hospital rises amid Israel's Gaza strikes

A premature baby and two other patients have died in Gaza's Al Shifa hospital, the health ministry in Palestine's Gaza said, as the facility suffered fuel shortages amid intense Israeli strikes on the besieged enclave.

Youssef Abu Rish, deputy health minister in Gaza, said the new deaths brought the toll to six premature babies and nine patients since electric shortages began affecting the hospital several days ago.

Separately director of the Al Shifa hospital said the death toll climbed to 20, including six babies.

0616 GMT — Battles around Gaza's largest hospital leave many trapped

Thousands of people remained trapped in Gaza's largest hospital, where evacuations have been hampered by fierce fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinians.

The World Health Organization (WHO) and other UN agencies warned that as many as 3,000 patients and staff are sheltering inside without adequate fuel, water or food.

"Regrettably, the hospital is not functioning as a hospital anymore," said WHO director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, after making contact with on-the-ground staff. "It's been three days without electricity, without water," he said, describing the situation inside as "dire and perilous."

0454 GMT — Israel kills Palestinian, wounds others in Hebron

A Palestinian has been killed by Israeli gunfire in the occupied West Bank's Hebron city.

Israel conducts daily raids across the occupied West Bank, arresting Palestinians. Two young men were injured by live bullets during clashes with Israeli forces in the town of Yatta, south of Hebron.

Local sources say that confrontations broke out in the Saraya neighbourhood in the middle of Yatta town following the Israeli raid on the charitable society headquarters.

0433 GMT — Two more Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza fronts

The Israeli army has announced the death of another two soldiers in fighting in northern Gaza.

Sunday's fatalities pushed the death toll in Israel's ground invasion in northern Gaza to 45 since it began on October 27.

The death toll since Israel's war on Gaza on October 7 is now 363 Israeli soldiers and officers along with 59 police officers and 10 members of the Shin Bet.

0421 GMT — UN flags at half-mast for staff killed by Israeli attacks on Gaza

Flags flew at half-mast at United Nations compounds across Asia, as staff observed a minute's silence in memory of colleagues killed in Gaza during the Israeli strikes on the besieged enclave.

The blue and white UN flag was lowered at 9:30 am local time at offices in Bangkok, Tokyo and Beijing, a day after the world body reported "a significant number of deaths and injuries" in strikes on a facility in Gaza.

The UN agency for supporting Palestinians (UNRWA) announced on Friday that more than 100 of its employees had died in Gaza since the start of the conflict.

0000 GMT — Hamas calls for swift intervention to allow fuel for Gaza hospitals

The Palestinian resistance group Hamas has urged the United Nations and the international community to "immediately intervene to bring fuel into Gaza to operate hospitals."

It issued the statement in response to a claim by the Israeli army that the group had refused to receive fuel for Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza.

Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee said Sunday on X that Israeli forces had provided Al Shifa Hospital with 300 litres of fuel but Hamas had prevented the hospital from receiving it, while the group denied the allegations, describing them as "a lie."

0025 GMT — Netanyahu hints at potential deal with Hamas for release of hostages in Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggested that there could be a potential agreement with Hamas for the release of hostages held in Gaza.

"I think the less I say about it, the more I’ll increase the chances that it materialises," Netanyahu told American network NBC News. In response to a question about whether he knows where all the hostages are currently being held, Netanyahu said: "We know a great deal, but I won't go beyond that."

The Israeli Prime Minister added that any agreement would be "the result of pressure, military pressure." He said, "That's the one thing that might create a deal and if a deal is available. Well, we will talk about it when it's there. We'll announce it if it's achievable."

0013 GMT — Red Cross makes urgent call for protection of civilians in Gaza

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) issued an urgent plea for the protection of civilians in Gaza, "trapped in fighting, whether they are trying to evacuate or staying where they are."

In a statement, ICRC said the attacks are underway in densely populated areas and around hospitals which poses a risk to the lives of "the most vulnerable people, like medical staff, patients, the wounded, premature babies, people with disabilities, and the elderly."

"An unbearable human tragedy is unfolding in front of our eyes. People call us day and night, saying they are afraid to open their door for fear of getting killed and pleading to help them reach safety," said William Schomburg, the head of the ICRC sub-delegation in Gaza.

0001 GMT — 76 additional aid trucks cross into Gaza: Palestinian Red Crescent

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society announced that 76 more aid trucks have made their way into Gaza through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt.

The humanitarian group said the trucks transported essential supplies to the enclave, including medicine, medical supplies, food, water, and other relief materials.

It added that the Israeli authorities have not yet allowed fuel into the enclave. So far, 980 aid trucks have entered the enclave since October 21.

For our live updates from Sunday (November 12), click here.