Live blog: Palestinian death toll surges to 11,500 — Gaza authorities

Wednesday, November 15

1834 GMT — The Palestinian death toll from Israeli strikes since Oct. 7 has climbed to 11,500, including 4,710 children and 3,160 women, according to authorities in Gaza.

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1903 GMT — Qatar calls for international probe into Israeli raids on Gaza hospitals

Qatar has urged an international investigation into Israeli raids on medical facilities in Gaza, denouncing as a "war crime" Israel’s latest operation inside Al Shifa hospital targeting Hamas.

The Qatari Foreign Ministry in a statement called for "an urgent international investigation" including by the United Nations to look into "the targeting of hospitals by the Israeli occupation army".

1902 GMT — No weapons at hospital raided by Israel: Gaza health authorities

The Health Ministry in Gaza has said the Israeli military did not find any weapons when it stormed the Palestinian territory’s biggest hospital.

"The occupation forces did not find any (military) equipment or weapons in the hospital. Essentially, we don’t allow this (weapons in a hospital)," said Munir al Bursh, Health Ministry Director, in a statement.

1751 GMT — Israel PM office says hostage gave birth in Gaza captivity

A woman abducted into Gaza by Hamas fighters on October 7 has given birth in captivity, the wife of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a letter released by his office.

"One of the kidnapped women was pregnant. She gave birth to her baby in Hamas captivity," Sara Netanyahu said in a letter addressed to US first lady Jill Biden.

1733 GMT — Britain, Ireland call for faster flow of aid into Gaza

British and Irish ministers called for accelerated flows of aid into the Israeli-besieged Gaza during separate visits to the Egyptian capital Cairo.

"We need to speed that up. We need to try and make sure that we’re able to have much better flow of vital provisions through there so that it could get to the people very much in need," said Andrew Mitchell, Britain’s minister of state for development and Africa, adding that fuel is a current priority.

1720 GMT — White House denies giving Israel green light for Al Shifa Hospital raid

The White House has denied giving Israel a green light to carry out its raid of the besieged Gaza’s largest hospital, maintaining Tel Aviv acted of its own accord.

"We did not give an okay to their military operations around the hospital," National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters.

"These are Israeli military operations that they plan, and execute in accordance with their own established procedures. The United States is not is not involved in those procedures."

1705 GMT — Israel army withdraws from inside Gaza hospital: journalist

A journalist trapped inside Gaza's largest hospital has told AFP that Israeli troops had withdrawn from the building after entering it overnight and have redeployed around its outskirts.

Israeli forces had pushed into Gaza's Al Shifa hospital in the early hours of the morning, raising fears for the safety of thousands of patients, staff and displaced civilians trapped inside. The UN estimates there are at least 2,300 people inside Al Shifa.

1702 GMT — Israeli strikes hit patient rooms at Al Shifa hospital: ministry

An Israeli tank shell targeted patient rooms at Al Shifa Medical Complex, the Health Ministry in Gaza has said.

"Israeli forces targeted the cardiac care unit with a tank shell, hitting patient rooms at Al Shifa Medical Complex," the ministry said in a brief statement, adding that the tank round hit the hospital's cardiac care unit. It said the strike also damaged the specialised surgery department at the medical complex.

1644 GMT — UN 'fears the worst' if war expands beyond Gaza

The UN humanitarian chief has said he and Iran’s top diplomat had discussed fears of what an expansion of the Gaza war might entail and had agreed it "would not be good".

At a Geneva press briefing, United Nations humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths voiced deep concern Israel’s war against Hamas could expand beyond Gaza, "into the north".

"If there is to be a war in the north with Hezbollah and Israel, then I fear the worst," Griffiths said.

1642 GMT — UN Security Council to vote on call for pauses in Gaza war

The United Nations Security Council is due to vote later today on a call for urgent and extended humanitarian pauses and corridors throughout Gaza for a number of days to enable aid access, diplomats said.

Some diplomats said they expected the 15-member council to adopt the resolution, though some countries were likely to abstain. A resolution needs at least nine votes in favour and no vetoes by the United States, Russia, China, France or Britain.

It will be the fifth council attempt to take action since Oct. 7.

1643 GMT — UN relief chief calls on Israel to open Kerem Shalom crossing to reach Gaza

The UN relief chief has appealed to Tel Aviv to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza through the Kerem Shalom crossing in Israel.

"Kerem Shalom, please Israel, give us that for our crossing point," Martin Griffiths, the UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, told reporters in Geneva.

Kerem Shalom crossing was used to carry more than 60 percent of truckloads heading to Gaza before this conflict, he added.

1606 GMT — Israel rejects exchange of 50 hostages, demands 'larger deal'

Israel has opposed a deal with Hamas which could have resulted in the release of 50 Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian women and children and a three-day ceasefire commitment in Gaza, state media reported.

The Israeli Broadcasting Authority said: "Tel Aviv opposed the Hamas proposal."

Channel 12 quoted an Israeli official as saying that the mediators "know that we are demanding a larger deal."

1532 GMT — Türkiye set to receive 26 patients from Gaza: health minister

A total of 26 patients from Gaza and their 13 attendants who passed through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, will be brought to Türkiye this evening, Turkish health minister Fahrettin Koca has said.

1526 GMT — Sanchez vows that Spain will work to recognise Palestinian state

Spain's new government will work nationally and within Europe to "recognise the state of Palestine," the country’s acting prime minister has announced.

During the debate ahead of the vote expected to solidify his left-wing coalition government, Pedro Sanchez told lawmakers that this recognition and diplomatic effort is the "first commitment of this legislature."

He said the international community must recognize the Palestinian state because it is a "solution" that has long been "justly demanded" by the Palestinian people.

1515 GMT — Israel bombs Gaza's parliament building — local media

The Israeli military has bombed the Palestinian Legislative Council building in Gaza, according to several local media reports and videos circulating online.

News outlets including Channel 12 and the Times of Israel newspaper said the troops destroyed the parliament building, days after photographing themselves inside it.

1510 GMT — WHO, partners working on evacuation plan for Gaza hospital patients, staff

"A number of partners including the World Health Organisation are urgently exploring the possibility for evacuating patients and medical staff in Al Shifa Hospital," said Richard Peeperkorn, WHO representative in the occupied Palestinian territories.

1508 GMT — Harder to update Gaza casualty toll as health system buckles: official

Palestinian health authorities said it was becoming increasingly difficult to obtain accurate casualty figures from Gaza due to the collapse of the hospital and health system in parts of the Israeli-besieged enclave.

The Palestinian health ministry has been issuing a constantly updated total of the casualties from the Israeli bombardment of Gaza.

1457 GMT — Israeli minister’s call for 'voluntary migration' of Palestinians 'unacceptable': Germany

Germany has said that Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s call for a "voluntary migration" of Palestinians in Gaza is "not acceptable."

"We have noted these comments. They are not helpful. They are also not acceptable," deputy Foreign Ministry spokesperson Christian Wagner told media representatives in Berlin.

1435 GMT — Calls for peace in Gaza branded 'naive' by British PM

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said it was "extremely naive and simplistic way to look at the problem" in response to a ceasefire call at the parliament.

Scottish Alba Party’s lawmaker Neale Hanvey reiterated his call for a ceasefire during a Prime Minister's Questions session at the House of Commons.

"This is a question of humanity and morality. The prime minister has an opportunity to lead the calls for peace or endorse death, violence and destruction. Which will he choose?” Sunak responded by saying Israel has "every right" to defend itself.

1432 GMT — Palestinians ‘should not be made to pay for Hamas 'crimes': France

The Palestinian population should not pay the price for "Hamas' crimes" against Israel, France said, expressing "serious concern" about Israeli operations inside Al Shifa hospital in Gaza.

"The Palestinian population should not be made to pay for Hamas crimes, even less so the vulnerable, injured or sick and the humanitarian workers who courageously continue their work in extremely dangerous conditions," the French Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

1325 GMT — Turkish president, Italian PM discuss escalating Israeli attacks in Gaza

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni spoke over the phone and discussed Israel’s relentless attacks in Gaza, the Turkish Presidency has said.

"The call addressed the escalating Israeli attacks, including human rights violations, in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis in the region," the presidency said on X.

"Pointing out that atrocities against the Palestinian territories are deepening and civilian deaths are increasing by the minute, President Erdogan underscored that they will work for the punishment of Israel, which has committed war crimes, in international courts and that he expects support from Italy to ensure a ceasefire and lasting peace," it added.

1324 GMT — Israeli army expels children, patients from Al Shifa Hospital: official

The Israeli army expelled children, patients and their companions from the Al Shifa Hospital "on foot," Mohammed Zaqout, the head of Gaza Hospitals, said at a news conference in front of Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis in southern Gaza.

He said: "650 other patients are still in the hospital, including 22 in intensive care, in addition to 36 premature babies are still in the hospital," he said.

Zaqout noted that there are "at least 400 health care workers and 2,000 displaced people in the hospital it needed to treat and safely evacuate.”

He held the Israeli occupation "fully responsible for the safety of the medical staff and thousands of patients, displaced and children."

1313 GMT — Doctors Without Borders calls for protection of medical staff, patients

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has called for the protection of medical staff and patients inside Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza as the Israeli army raided the hospital.

"In Gaza, as Israeli forces enter Al Shifa hospital, we call once again for the protection of medical staff, patients and displaced civilians sheltered inside the hospital," MSF International said on X. "We are extremely worried for their lives," it stressed.

1308 GMT — Gaza 'carnage' must end — UN aid chief

The United Nations humanitarian chief has demanded immediate action to "rein in the carnage" in Gaza after Israeli forces raided the Palestinian territory’s largest hospital.

"As the carnage in Gaza reaches new levels of horror every day, the world continues to watch in shock as hospitals come under fire, premature babies die, and an entire population is deprived of the basic means of survival. This cannot be allowed to continue," Martin Griffiths said in a statement.

1248 GMT — First fuel convoy enters Gaza: Egypt

Egypt has announced the entry of the first fuel convoy into Gaza since Oct. 7, carrying 25,000 litres, state news agency MENA reported.

1245 GMT — Despite fuel delivery, UN warns Gaza operations ‘on verge of collapse’

Just hours after receiving its first delivery of fuel since the Israel-Hamas war began on October 7, the UN has warned its operations in Gaza were on the brink of collapse.

"To have fuel for trucks only will not save lives anymore," said Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees. "Our entire operation is now on the verge of collapse," the UNRWA chief wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

1243 GMT — Iran calls for ‘urgent’ UN efforts to get aid into Gaza

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian called on the United Nations to do more to get desperately needed aid into war-battered Gaza.

"The amount of humanitarian aid sent to Gaza is very small and almost zero, and it is necessary for the United Nations to take immediate and serious action in this regard," Amir Abdollahian said in a meeting in Geneva with UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths.

1219 GMT — Spain PM urges Israel to end ‘indiscriminate killing’ in Gaza

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has urged Israel to end the "indiscriminate killing of Palestinians" in Gaza, in his sharpest criticism of Israel since the war against Hamas broke out over a month ago.

"We demand an immediate ceasefire on the part of Israel in Gaza and strict compliance with international humanitarian law, which today is clearly not respected," he said during a debate in parliament.

"Let there be no doubt, we stand with Israel in rejecting its response to the terrorist attack that this country suffered in October," the Socialist premier added.

1201 GMT — Palestinian armed group shoots down Israeli drone in Gaza

The Islamic Jihad group has said its armed wing brought down an Israeli drone in Gaza, where it is fighting alongside Hamas.

"We shot down a Zionist (Israeli) Skylark drone and took control of it," said the group's Al Quds Brigades.

1139 GMT — Israeli army leaves Al Shifa

The Israeli army will leave Al Shifa Hospital after failing to prove the "lies and false narrative" it tried to spread to the public, media office of the Palestinian government in Gaza said.

1129 GMT — Children, cancer to leave for Egypt first: Turkish official

Children and cancer patients from Gaza to first go to Egypt, with some to later be brought to Türkiye by ambulance plane, Türkiye's health minister has said.

Fahrettin Koca met with his Egyptian counterpart Khaled Abdel Ghaffar in Cairo on Wednesday to discuss aid supply to Gaza and the transfer of cancer patients to Türkiye.

1100 GMT — Israeli army detains several from Al Shifa compound

Israeli army blindfolded and detained a number of people at Gaza’s Al Shifa Hospital after stripping them and taking them to an unknown location, a medical source tells Anadolu.

1056 GMT — Israel detains 78 more Palestinians in West Bank raids

Israeli army forces rounded up another 78 Palestinians in military raids across the occupied West Bank, a local nongovernmental organisation said.

In a statement, the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society said 17 female university students from Hebron city were among the detainees.

0945 GMT — Israel carries out 'bombings' in Al Shifa Hospital's basement – medical source

After storming the surgery, internal medicine and kidney departments at Gaza's largest Al Shifa Hospital, Israeli troops have carried out "bombings" at the facility's basement, a medical source at the hospital tells Anadolu Agency.

0933 GMT — WHO chief: have lost contact with Gaza hospital staff after raid

The head of the World Health Organization has said that the organisation has lost touch with health personnel at Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza after Israeli forces began raiding the facility.

"Reports of military incursion into Al Shifa hospital are deeply concerning," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus wrote on social media platform X.

"We've lost touch again with health personnel at the hospital. We're extremely worried for their and their patients' safety."

0924 GMT — 'Appalled' by Israeli military raid in Gaza's Al Shifa Hospital: UN aid chief

The UN's aid chief Martin Griffiths has said he is "appalled" by the reports of Israeli military raids in Al Shifa hospital in Gaza.

"The protection of newborns, patients, medical staff and all civilians must override all other concerns. Hospitals are not battlegrounds," Griffiths said in a post on X.

Meanwhile, the Israeli army has found no signs of hostages being held at Al Shifa Hospital after its forces entered the facility, Israeli media reported. "There is no indication of hostages currently being held in Shifa," Israeli Army Radio said.

0915 GMT — Red Cross says 'extremely concerned' over raid at Gaza hospital

The Red Cross has voiced alarm over military activities at Gaza's largest hospital that has been entered by Israeli forces who say they are tracking a Hamas command centre.

"We are extremely concerned about the impact on sick and wounded people, medical staff, and civilians," the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said in a statement.

It insisted "all measures to avoid any consequences on them must be taken."

0905 GMT — Palestine demands urgent int'l protection for people inside Al Shifa

Palestine has called for urgent international protection for medical staff, patients and displaced people at Al Shifa Hospital after the Israeli army raided the facility.

The Israeli raid "represents a flagrant violation of international law, international humanitarian law, and the Geneva Conventions, and an extension of all the violations and crimes committed by the occupation against our people," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

It held the Israeli government "fully responsible for the safety of the medical staff and thousands of patients, displaced and children, including premature babies, inside the complex."

0859 GMT — 'Stop this horror,' UNICEF chief says on visit to Gaza

The head of the UN children's agency decried the "devastating" scenes she witnessed during a visit to war-ravaged Gaza, urging the parties to the conflict to "stop this horror."

"What I saw and heard was devastating. They have endured repeated bombardment, loss and displacement," UNICEF chief Catherine Russell said in a statement after visiting among other things a hospital in the south of the Palestinian territory.

"Inside the strip, there is nowhere safe for Gaza's one million children to turn to."

0858 GMT — First fuel truck enters Gaza from Egypt: Egyptian media

A fuel truck has entered Gaza through the Rafah border crossing from Egypt, Al Qahera News reported, in the first such delivery since the Israel-Palestine war began on October 7.

An Egyptian source said the fuel would be delivered to the United Nations "to facilitate the delivery of aid after trucks on the Palestinian side stopped operating for lack of fuel."

COGAT, the Israeli defence ministry body that handles Palestinian civil affairs, had said earlier that "UN trucks transporting humanitarian aid through the Rafah crossing will be refuelled at the Rafah crossing, per US request."

0846 GMT — Four killed as Israeli warplanes strike house next to shelter in Gaza

At least four people were killed as Israeli fighter jets struck a house next to a shelter house in northern Gaza, the Interior Ministry in the blockaded enclave has said.

Local media reported that the Israeli strike targeted a house east of Jabalia refugee camp.

0804 GMT — Al Shifa doctor says staff hiding from gunfire during Israeli raid

A doctor at Gaza's Al Shifa hospital said that gunfire outside the compound forced staff to stay away from windows for their safety after an Israeli raid.

Israeli forces said they were raiding the complex because Hamas has a command centre underneath it and uses connected tunnels to hold hostages, an allegation that doctor Ahmad Mikhallalati denied.

0619 GMT — Two more Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza ground offensive: military

The Israeli army said another two of its soldiers were killed in Gaza, bringing the death toll from its ongoing ground offensive in the blockaded enclave to 49.

Israel began its ground offensive in Gaza on October 27.

A military statement said that four more soldiers were seriously injured in fighting in the Palestinian territory.

0533 GMT — Israeli army storms Gaza's Al Shifa Hospital with tanks, bulldozers: official

Following extensive attacks around the hospital, the Israeli army has stormed Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.

Dr Ahmad Mikhallalati, head of the Al Shifa Medical Complex's burns department, said in a press statement reported by Al Jazeera that Israeli tanks and bulldozers are now inside the complex.

Dr Muhammad Zaqout, director general of Gaza hospitals, told Al Jazeera media: "Not a single bullet was fired from inside the hospital during the occupation forces' storming of the complex. "The occupation forces stormed the surgical and emergency buildings in Al Shifa Complex, entered the emergency department, and are now searching the hospital's basement," he said.

0326 GMT — Palestine Red Crescent says it vacated Al Quds Hospital

The Palestine Red Crescent has said that it was able to vacate Al Quds Hospital in Gaza City.

"It was a challenging and perilous day. Today, we managed to evacuate the patients, the wounded, their families and the medical teams trapped in Al Quds Hospital, compelled by the tragic situation that had befallen the hospital," it said on X, formerly Twitter.

It said the move came "after more than 10 days of siege, during which medical and humanitarian supplies were prevented from reaching the hospital."

0304 GMT — 'Hospitals and patients must be protected': White House

Hospitals and the patients inside them "must be protected," the White House said when asked about its ally Israel storming Gaza's largest hospital, Al Shifa.

"We won't speak to the specifics of an ongoing Israeli military operation. As we've said, we do not support striking a hospital from the air and we don't want to see a firefight in a hospital where innocent people, helpless people, and sick people trying to get the medical care they deserve are caught in the crossfire," a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council said.

"Hospitals and patients must be protected."

0014 GMT — Israeli occupation, Biden 'fully' responsible for Al Shifa raid: Hamas

Hamas said in a statement it "holds the occupation [Israel] and President Biden fully responsible for [the] occupation army's raid of Al Shifa medical complex."

The Palestinian resistance group said Washington has given a "green light" to the raid to the Israeli forces after a US intelligence report falsely claimed that its fighters were running operation from the Al Shifa compound.

"The White House and the Pentagon's adoption of the false [Israeli] narrative, claiming that the resistance is using Al Shifa medical complex for military purposes, was a green light for the occupation to commit more massacres against civilians."

2326 GMT — Israel warns Gaza officials it plans to storm Al Shifa Hospital

Gaza Health Ministry spokesman Ashraf al Qidra has told Al Jazeera that Israel warned "us that it will raid Al Shifa Hospital complex in the coming minutes."

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.

Qidra said Gaza officials had informed the International Committee of the Red Cross about Israel's warning.

2200 GMT — US remarks meant to fuel Israeli 'massacres' at Gaza hospitals: Hamas

Hamas has said that the White House's remarks that it had a command centre at Al Shifa Hospital in besieged Gaza was a "green light" to Israel to commit "brutal massacres" targeting medical facilities in the Palestinian territory.

"These statements give a green light to the Israeli occupation to commit further brutal massacres targeting hospitals, with the goal of destroying Gaza's healthcare system and displacing Palestinians," the Palestinian resistance group said in a statement issued in English.

Hamas says 650 patients and 5,000-7,000 other civilians are trapped inside the hospital grounds, under constant fire from snipers and drones. It says 40 patients have died in recent days, including three premature babies whose incubators were knocked out.

2130 GMT — UNSC working on new 'humanitarian pauses' resolution

The UN Security Council is negotiating a new resolution that demands "immediate extended humanitarian pauses" throughout Gaza but makes no mention of a ceasefire.

The resolution, drafted by Malta, does demand that "all parties" comply with their obligations under international law.

The Security Council has rejected four resolutions on the war, and many of its 15 members have said they don't want a vote on a new resolution unless it's going to be approved.

2100 GMT — Yemen's Houthis threaten to attack Israeli ships in Red Sea

Yemen's Houthi rebels have threatened to target Israeli ships in the Red Sea, as the group said they had launched another missile targeting the country over its war in Gaza.

Rebel leader Abdul Malik al Houthi said the group was monitoring for Israeli vessels in the commercially vital waters, even those that do not have Israeli flags.

"Our eyes are open to constant monitoring and searching for any Israeli ship," he said in a speech broadcast by the rebels' Al Masirah TV station. "The enemy relies on camouflage in its movement in the Red Sea, especially in Bab al Mandab (strait), and did not dare to raise Israeli flags on its ships ... and turned off identification devices."

For our live updates from Tuesday (November 14), click here.