Live blog: Israel hints at ground invasion as Gaza faces crippling siege

Saturday, October 13, 2023

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Israeli infantrymen outside Gaza, his office said in a statement, and an accompanying video showed him telling them: "You ready for the next stage? The next stage is coming."

He did not elaborate in the video, which showed the infantrymen nodding in response to his question.

Hamas leader said Palestinians will not leave Gaza or the occupied West Bank to migrate to Egypt, after warnings from the Israeli army for more than a million Gaza residents to leave their homes and head south.

Bakeries in Gaza were running out of bread, drinking water was in short supply and power outages left families without charged phones to find out if fleeing relatives were safe.

More updates: 👇

1841 GMT - Saudi pauses talks on normalisation with Israel: source

Saudi Arabia has suspended talks on potentially normalising ties with Israel, a source told AFP news agency.

"Saudi Arabia has decided to pause discussion on possible normalisation and has informed US officials," a source familiar with the discussions told AFP.

The source spoke the same day US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met in Riyadh with his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, on the latest stop on a six-nation tour of the region

1834 GMT - Poland completes operation to evacuate its citizens from Israel

Polish President Andrzej Duda announced that the evacuation of Polish citizens from Israel was completed.

Duda said on X: "I would like to thank the General Command of the Armed Forces, all the pilots, soldiers, rescuers and other people involved in this operation for the smooth and safe evacuation from Israel of our compatriots and guests-citizens of other countries."

Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki also said on X that all citizens of Poland and other countries that have benefited from Poland's assistance are now home.

1822 GMT - Israeli army says ready to expand Gaza offensive with broad ground operation

The Israeli army declared its readiness to “widen the scope of the offensive” against Palestine's Gaza following the deployment of its forces across all the regions for an expected “comprehensive ground operation.”

“We are gearing up to expand the offensive. Various units and defense forces are strategically positioned across the entire nation, with heightened readiness and preparations for the forthcoming phases of the conflict, notably the extensive ground operation,” the Israeli army said in a statement.

It further said: “The Israeli Defense Forces are making preparations through extensive logistical efforts and the mobilization of hundreds of thousands of reserve soldiers to execute operational attack plans of diverse natures, including preparedness for comprehensive, simultaneous operations encompassing air, sea, and land.”

Iran's foreign minister warns Israel from Beirut to stop Gaza attacks or risk 'huge earthquake'

1730 GMT - Israel admits intelligence 'mistakes' in failing to predict Hamas attacks

A senior Israeli official has admitted "mistakes" in intelligence assessments ahead of a brutal Hamas attack last weekend.

"We really believed that Hamas learned the lesson from" its last major war with Israel in 2021, Hanegbi said.

1715 GMT - Israeli military preparing for 'significant ground operations'

The Israeli military has said its forces were preparing to implement a wide range of operational offensive plans as expectations grew of an imminent invasion of Gaza.

In a statement, the Israeli army said its forces were deployed across the country, increasing readiness for the next stages of the war, "with an emphasis on significant ground operations."

1400 GMT — Red Cross 'appalled' by misery as food, water run out in Gaza

The Red Cross has said it was "appalled" by the human misery unleashed by the war between Hamas and Israel, saying its volunteers would not abandon those who needed them most.

It called on both sides to abide by international humanitarian law, protect civilians and allow humanitarian organisations to alleviate the growing levels of suffering.

1557 GMT — Palestinians in Gaza struggle to follow Israeli evacuation order

Medical officials say an estimated 35,000 have crammed into the grounds of Gaza’s main hospital, seeking refugee ahead of an expected Israeli ground offensive.

Mohammad Abu Selim, general director of Shifa Hospital, confirmed that massive crowds had thronged the building and the courtyard outside. Shifa is the largest hospital in the entire Gaza.

“People think this is the only safe space after their homes were destroyed and they were forced to flee,” said Dr. Medhat Abbas, a Health Ministry official. “Gaza City is a frightening scene of devastation.”

1547 — Two civilians killed in Israel shelling of Lebanon: mayor

Two Lebanese civilians were killed in Israeli shelling of the southern village of Shebaa, its mayor said, as border tensions rise over Israel's war with Hamas.

"A man and his wife have been killed in their home by Israeli shelling," mayor Mohammad Harb told AFP news agency.

1449 — Türkiye ‘rejects, condemns’ attacks targeting civilians in Palestine

Türkiye “rejects and condemns” attacks targeting “innocent civilians” and causing their death in Palestine, said the country’s foreign minister.

“I would like to emphasize once again that we invite Israel to adhere to international law and human values,” Hakan Fidan said in a joint news conference with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry in Cairo.

Israel, he said, “should have peace not only with Arab countries but mainly with Palestinians.”

1426 GMT — Hamas chief accuses Israel of war crimes in Gaza

Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh has accused Israel of committing war crimes and preventing humanitarian aid from entering Gaza, as Israel pounds the blockaded territory with air strikes.

"Israeli atrocities amount to war crimes," he said in a letter addressed to United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that was posted on the Palestinian group's website.

Haniyeh also condemned the "barbaric Israeli siege imposed" on the Palestinian territory, charging that "the Israeli occupation is banning entry of humanitarian aid and medical supplies to Gaza " .

1407 GMT — Demonstration in solidarity with Palestinians planned in Paris banned

A demonstration in Paris, which was planned for Sunday in solidarity with the Palestinian people amid ongoing conflict with Israel, was reportedly banned.

According to local media reports, the Paris Police Department banned the demonstration on the grounds that it posed a "risk of disturbing public order."

While local authorities allowed demonstrations in support of Israel in different cities, they banned demonstrations in support of Palestine in Lyon, Marseille and Paris this week on the same grounds.

Thirteen people were detained in Strasbourg, France after participating in a pro-Palestinian demonstration on Friday.

1403 GMT — Blinken asks China to use 'influence' for Middle East calm

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on China, a partner of Iran, to use its influence to push for calm in the Middle East.

The top US diplomat, who was visiting Saudi Arabia, had a "productive" one-hour telephone call with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said.

"Our message was that he thinks it's in our shared interest to stop the conflict from spreading." Miller told reporters on Blinken's plane from Riyadh to Abu Dhabi.

1354 GMT — Lebanon's Hezbollah says fired on Israeli positions

Lebanon's Hezbollah group said it shelled Israeli positions in a contested border area on Saturday, as tensions rise over Israel's war with Hamas.

Hezbollah and other Palestinian factions in Lebanon have exchanged cross-border fire with Israel since Hamas's surprise October 7 attack on Israel that has killed more than 1,300 people in Israel.

0936 GMT — Palestinian death toll reaches over 2,200 in Gaza

The number of Palestinians killed by a massive Israeli air assault against Gaza has risen to 2,215, the Palestinian Health Ministry said.

In a statement, the ministry said that 724 children and 458 women were among the people killed in the Israeli attacks.

The ministry also said that the number of wounded has risen to 8,714, including 2,450 children and 1,536 women.

Israeli forces launched a sustained and forceful military assault against Gaza on Saturday, following a military offensive by the Palestinian group Hamas in Israeli territories.

1302 GMT — China calls on US to play 'responsible role' in Israel-Gaza conflict: foreign ministry

China's top diplomat Wang Yi said that Washington should "play a constructive and responsible role" in Israel's war with Gaza during a phone call with his US counterpart Antony Blinken.

"The United States should practically play a constructive and responsible role, pushing the issue back on track for a political settlement as soon as possible," Wang told Blinken, according to a readout published by the Chinese foreign ministry.

1300 GMT — ‘People of Gaza must have safe, urgent access to humanitarian aid,’ say Turkish foreign minister, Egyptian president

The people of Gaza must have safe and urgent access to humanitarian aid, stressed the Turkish foreign minister and Egyptian president in a meeting, said the Egypt Presidency in a statement.

Türkiye’s Hakan Fidan and Abdel Fattah El Sisi discussed the latest developments in Gaza, said the presidency.

Fidan and Sisi “reached a consensus on the extreme danger of the current situation and its threat to the stability and security of the region, which requires intensifying international efforts to immediately end the violence, restore calm,” it added.

1240 GMT — Captives killed in Israeli air strikes: Hamas

Hamas says eight captives, including four foreigners, were killed due to Israeli air strikes in Gaza over the past 24 hours.

1220 GMT — Israel gives Palestine's Red Crescent new deadline to evacuate

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society received an order from Israeli forces on Saturday with a new deadline to evacuate its Al-Quds hospital in Gaza City by 1300 GMT (16:00 pm local), according to a statement.

An initial deadline was given for 0300 GMT (06:00 am local) but was later extended.

However, the association said they cannot evacuate the hospital and it is obliged under a humanitarian mandate to continue providing services to the sick and wounded, the statement added.

1022 GMT — Israel military says Gaza residents must not 'delay' evacuation

The Israeli military has said that Gaza residents must not delay their departure before a military offensive starts as roads out of the northern part of the territory were again jammed with people leaving.

Military spokesman Richard Hecht said there is a "window" for safe passage to south Gaza between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm. Without saying how many days the window would remain, Hecht told reporters: "We know this is going to take time but we recommend people not to delay."

1018 GMT — Humanitarian supplies cut off from Gaza Strip for one week: UN

While no humanitarian supplies have been allowed into Gaza since October 7, two million people across Gaza are in danger of running out of water, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees has said.

"It has become a matter of life and death. It is a must; fuel needs to be delivered now into Gaza to make water available for 2 million people," Philippe Lazzarini, the UNRWA commissioner-general, said in a statement.

"No humanitarian supplies have been allowed into Gaza for a week now," he said.

He added that Gaza has also been under an electricity blackout since Wednesday, which also impacts the water supply.

0944 GMT — Organisation of Islamic Cooperation condemns Israel

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has strongly condemned Israel's call for the forced evacuation of residents in northern Gaza and its ongoing attacks.

In a statement, the OIC voiced "its absolute rejection and condemnation of Israel, the occupying power’s calls for the forced displacement of the Palestinian people, and attempts to transfer the humanitarian crisis exacerbated by the Israeli occupation to neighboring countries."

The group also "strongly condemned the blockade of medical, relief supplies, and basic necessities to Gaza… as collective punishment, which is a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law."

It reiterated its appeal to the international community to take urgent action to stop Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people, which could result in a dire humanitarian crisis.

0927 GMT — Plane lands in Egypt with much-need medical supplies for Gaza: WHO

The World Health Organization (WHO) has said that a plane with much-needed medical supplies for the people of Gaza had landed in Egypt.

"A plane with WHO medical supplies to support the urgent health needs in Gaza has landed in Al Arish, Egypt – close to the Rafah crossing," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who heads the UN agency, said on X, formerly known as Twitter.

"We’re ready to deploy the supplies as soon as humanitarian access through the crossing is established," he added.

0848 GMT — Turkish plane carrying humanitarian aid for Gaza arrives in Egypt

A third Turkish plane carrying humanitarian aid for Gaza civilians arrived in Egypt on Saturday.

The plane landed at El Arish International Airport in Egypt, which neighbors the embattled strip and has allocated it for humanitarian aid to Gaza.

The military aircraft, in collaboration with the National Defense Ministry, Turkish Red Crescent, and Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), is delivering much-needed aid to the people of Gaza.

Aid items like medicine, medical supplies, non-perishable food, canned goods, blankets, and diapers are set to be transported through the Rafah Border Crossing to Gaza.

0758 GMT — More than 1,300 buildings destroyed in Gaza: UN

More than 1,300 buildings in Gaza have been destroyed, the United Nations said after nearly a week of fierce bombardment by Israeli forces.

The UN's humanitarian agency OCHA said "5,540 housing units" in those buildings were destroyed and nearly 3,750 more homes were so badly damaged they were uninhabitable.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the bombardment is "just the beginning" as Israel seeks to retaliate against Hamas after their fighters killed more than 1,300 people a week ago.

At least 1,900 Palestinians -- most of them civilians and including more than 600 children -- have been killed in missile strikes on the Gaza, the Palestinian health ministry said.

0641 GMT — Israel says killed 'terrorists' trying to cross from Lebanon

Israeli forces have killed several "terrorists" trying to cross the border from Lebanon, a military spokesman said.

The military "identified a terrorist cell which attempted to infiltrate from Lebanon into Israeli territory," the spokesman said, adding that a drone strike "targeted the terrorist cell and killed a number of the terrorists".

0555 GMT — Top Hamas commander killed in air strike, Israel claims

The Israeli military claimed to have killed a senior military commander of the Hamas who headed the group's aerial operations in Gaza.

Murad Abu Murad was killed over the past day when fighter jets struck an operational centre of Hamas from where the group carried out its "aerial activity", the military said on Saturday.

There was no immediate confirmation from Hamas.

0401 GMT — Israel continues to pound Gaza following evacuation order

Israeli warplanes have conducted intensive airstrikes in northern Gaza early Saturday amid reports of casualties.

The strikes targeted several houses and facilities in the Jabalia refugee camp and Al Mashrooh neighborhood in Beit Lahia, according to an Anadolu reporter.

Dozens of Palestinians were reported dead in the attacks. The Palestinian Health Ministry has yet to confirm the fatalities.

The Israeli military warned 1.1 million residents in northern Gaza to evacuate Friday “within 24 hours” and move south before an expected ground offensive against Hamas.

The UN warned it would be impossible for Palestinians in Gaza to obey the order to leave the north without “devastating humanitarian consequences.”

0358 GMT — Borrell calls Israel's evacuation plan 'utterly impossible'

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has said that Israel's to evacuation order to more than one million people out of northern Gaza in a single day was "utterly impossible to implement".

"I am saying that, representing the official position of the European Union,... (the evacuation plan) is utterly, utterly impossible to implement," Borrell told a press conference in Beijing on the final day of a three-day diplomatic visit to China.

"To imagine that you could move one million people in 24 hours in a situation like Gaza can only be a humanitarian crisis," he added.

0240 GMT — Hezbollah says 'prepared' for action against Israel when time comes

Lebanon's Hezbollah movement has said it would be "fully prepared" to join its Palestinian ally Hamas in the war against Israel when the time is right.

Hezbollah deputy chief Naim Qassem spoke as Hamas and Israel traded heavy fire for the eighth day, after hundreds of Hamas gunmen stormed across the fence from Gaza into Israel and killed more than 1,300 people.

Israel has bombarded Gaza since then, killing at least 1,900 people, mostly civilians and including more than 600 children, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

"We, as Hezbollah, are contributing to the confrontation and will (continue) to contribute to it within our vision and plan," Qassem told a pro-Palestinian rally in Beirut's southern suburbs. "We are fully prepared, and when the time comes for action, we will take it," he said.

Outreach by "major countries, Arab countries, and envoys from the United Nations, directly and indirectly, asking us not to interfere in the battle, will not affect us", he said, adding: "Hezbollah knows its duties."

0200 GMT — China's Middle East envoy meets Arab League

China's special envoy on the Middle East has met with representatives of the Arab League in China for an emergency session on the crisis in Israel and Gaza, according to a statement from China's Foreign Ministry.

China's special envoy, Zhai Jun, told the meeting that China supports the 22-member strong Arab League in playing animportant role on the "Palestinian issue" and will continue to provide humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people.

"The international community should earnestly enhance its sense of urgency to return to the correct basis of the Two State Solution to realise the peaceful coexistence of the two states of Palestine and Israel," Zhai said, according to the statement.

0100 GMT — Tens of thousands in besieged Gaza flee after Israeli ultimatum

Tens of thousands in Gaza are estimated to have fled south after Israel gave Palestinians 24 hours ultimatum to evacuate from the enclave's north before an expected ground invasion, UN humanitarian office OCHA has said.

Prior to the evacuation order, more than 400,000 Palestinians had been internally displaced due to the hostilities, OCHA said on its website.

0051 GMT — Anadolu Agency loses contact with news team in besieged Gaza

Türkiye's leading news agency Anadolu has said it lost contact with its news team that is covering developments from the besieged Gaza under an Israeli blockade.

Anadolu's communication with the team in Gaza City's centre in the north of the region has been completely cut off for three hours following Israel's intensive bombardment of the enclave and its energy and communication infrastructure blockade.

0049 GMT — Bahrain demands opening emergency aid corridors to Gaza

Bahrain’s Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa has highlighted the need for an urgent aid corridor to allow medical and humanitarian aid, food, medicine, water and electricity into Gaza amid airstrikes by Israel.

The crown prince met US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, who is on a Middle East tour to condemn the attacks in Israel and engage in efforts to help prevent the conflict from spreading, according to Bahrain’s news agency BNA.

The two men discussed relations between the two countries, regional and international developments and the latest situation in Gaza.

2200 GMT — Death toll in West Bank rises to 51

The death toll in the West Bank has climbed to 16 Palestinians, bringing the total to 51 since October 7, the Palestinian Health Ministry said.

2033 GMT — UN Security Council meeting behind closed doors

The UN Security Council has met behind closed doors to discuss the Israel-Palestine war as Palestinians stream out of northern Gaza following Israeli military threats.

The meeting was scheduled before the evacuation order, which added still more urgency to the discussion. The UN has said the order affects about half Gaza's population and could turn an already dire humanitarian crisis into a calamity.

Guterres implored all parties "and those with influence over them" to do their utmost to enable humanitarian access to the besieged Gaza, to release all captives immediately and to protect civilians.

The council emerged without any collective message or action from another private session on Sunday on the Israel-Palestine fighting. Divisions in the council, the UN's most powerful body, have sharpened amid Russia's war in Ukraine.

2010 GMT — 'Priority for me to urgently address humanitarian crisis in Gaza': Biden

US President Joe Biden has reiterated his support for Israel and said that it is "also a priority" for him to urgently address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

"We're making sure Israel has what it needs to defend itself and respond to these (Hamas) attacks. It's also a priority for me to urgently address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza," Biden said in an address in Philadelphia.


The US president said he is directing his teams to work in the region, including communicating directly with the governments of Israel, Egypt, Jordan, and other Arab nations and the UN.

"We can't lose sight of the fact that the overwhelming majority of Palestinians had nothing to do with Hamas and Hamas's appalling attacks and they’re suffering as a result," he said.

2000 GMT — Death toll from Israeli strikes in Gaza soars

Israeli strikes on besieged Gaza have killed at least 1,900 people, including 614 children, the Palestinian territory's Health Ministry said.

Some 370 women were among those killed in the seven days of air strikes, it said. It added that 7,696 people have been wounded.

Calling for an end to the Israeli attacks, the ministry statement said that the number of wounded people has risen to 7,696, including 2,000 children and 1,400 women.

The statement said that Gaza's Al-Durra Children's Hospital was struck with white phosphorus bombs by the Israeli army and that patients and staff were transferred to El Nasr Children's Hospital.

2000 GMT — Kuwait 'categorically' rejects Israel's calls for forced displacement of Palestinians

Kuwait "categorically" rejected Israel's calls for the forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza Strip and the continued escalation and random destruction, which is a violation of international and humanitarian law, Foreign Minister Sheikh Salem Al Sabah has said in a statement to Kuwaiti state news agency [KUNA].

The Kuwaiti minister deplored the Israeli military escalation in Gaza, indiscriminate killing of Palestinians and destruction of property as "a violation of international humanitarian law."

He urged the international community and the UN Security Council "to act swiftly to halt this dangerous escalation and war that does not differentiate between civilian and military targets."

The top diplomat demanded stopping attacks on civilians, ending the blockade, allowing the delivery of humanitarian and medical aid to the Palestinians "and ensuring providing them with water and food."

For our live updates from Friday [October 13], click here.