Gaza: Hundreds feared dead, wounded in Israeli airstrike on Jabalia

Hamas says it will free foreign hostages 'in the next few days'

Hamas's armed wing said Tuesday it would release in the coming days some of the foreign hostages in its captivity, as it vowed to turn Gaza into a graveyard for Israel's military.

"We have informed intermediaries that we will release a certain number of foreigners in the next few days," Abu Obeida, a spokesman for Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, said in a televised address.

EU's Borrell condemns West Bank attacks by Israeli settlers

The EU's top diplomat Josep Borrell on Tuesday renewed calls for a pause in the Gaza war and condemned attacks by Israeli settlers on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

After a series of calls with senior Arab officials, Borrell's office said he had "expressed great concern over attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians, which he firmly condemned".

Brussels has previously called for civilians on both sides of the conflict to be protected, for Hamas to release hostages without preconditions and for "humanitarian pauses" to allow aid into Gaza.

But - after calls with the Saudi, Jordanian and Egyptian foreign ministers and the secretary general of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, Hissein Brahim Taha - Borrell extended his concern to related events in the West Bank.

At least 122 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers in the West Bank since October 7, according to the Ramallah-based health ministry.

On Tuesday, the Israeli army demolished the West Bank home of exiled Hamas number two Saleh al-Aruri.

UN chief 'deeply alarmed' by escalation of Israel's bombardment of Gaza

The United Nations chief said Tuesday he was "deeply alarmed by the intensification of the conflict between Israel and Hamas" as fierce fighting raged in Gaza.

The escalation includes "ground operations by the Israel Defense Forces accompanied by intense air strikes, and the continued rocket fire towards Israel from Gaza," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a statement.

"Civilians have borne the brunt of the current fighting from the outset," he said.

"I repeat my utter condemnation of the acts of terror perpetrated by Hamas on 7 October. There is never any justification for the killing, injuring and abduction of civilians. I appeal for the immediate and unconditional release of those civilians held hostage by Hamas."

Director of NY Office of UN High Commissioner of Human Rights resigns

UN’s Director in the New York Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights Craig Mokhiber has announced he is resigning in protest of Israel’s Gaza operation, calling it a genocide and criticising UN for failing the Gazans and the international community.

NEW: UN’s Director in the New York Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights resigns in protest of Israel’s Gaza operation, calling it a genocide and criticising UN for failing the Gazans and the international community pic.twitter.com/mCjJx9k8YY

— Ragıp Soylu (@ragipsoylu) October 31, 2023

Israel army confirms 2 soldiers killed in clashes with Hamas

The Israeli army has confirmed that two of its soldiers were killed and another two wounded in clashes with Hamas on Tuesday, as Israel's troops advance deeper into the Palestinian enclave.

At least 45 bodies pulled out from rubble in Nuseirat camp

The bodies of 45 people were pulled from underneath the rubble of building destroyed in an Israeli airstrike the Nuseirat camp in the central Gaza Strip, Palestinian media reported.

Egypt says engaging at all levels to resolve 'unprecedented humanitarian crisis' in Gaza

Egypt is engaging at all levels to resolve the "unprecedented humanitarian crisis" in Gaza, Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said on Tuesday during a visit to the Rafah crossing between Egypt and the Gaza strip.

"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.

The two-state solution is the comprehensive solution that will ensure peace in the region, he added.

Arab American support for Biden, Democrats plummets over Israel: poll

US President Joe Biden's support among Arab Americans, who are crucial voters in battleground election states, has plunged from a comfortable majority in 2020 to just 17%, a new poll shows, amid growing anger over the Democratic president's support for Israel's attacks on Gaza.

Arab American support for Biden, at 59% in 2020, fell even before the outbreak of the Hamas-Israel war to 35%, the poll commissioned by the Arab American Institute showed, but has halved since.

The poll, released Tuesday, marks the first time since its inception in 1997 that a majority of Arab Americans did not identify as Democrats - 32% now identify as Republicans and 31% as independents. Forty percent of those polled said they would vote for former President Donald Trump, the likely Republican candidate in 2024, up 5 percentage points from 2020.

Egypt denounces Israeli 'wartime proposal' to forcibly displace Palestinians to Sinai

Egypt's Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly reiterated on Tuesday his country's absolute rejection of an alleged Israeli plan to forcibly displace Palestinians of Gaza to the North Sinai province. 

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Iran says proxies won't 'remain silent' on Israel-Hamas war

Iran said on Tuesday it was "natural" for Tehran-backed groups to attack Israel in light of its war on Hamas, warning of a wider spillover if no ceasefire is reached.

The remarks were made by Iran's top diplomat Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in Qatar's capital Doha where he met with Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani and his Qatari counterpart to discuss a push for a diplomatic breakthrough.

"It is natural that the resistance groups and movements do not remain silent against all these crimes" committed by Israel, Amir-Abdollahian said in remarks relayed by his ministry.

"They will not wait for anyone's advice, therefore we need to use the last political opportunities to stop the war," he said after talks with Sheikh Tamim, warning the situation could "get out of control".

In the face of the growing crisis, Iran-backed groups in Lebanon and Syria as well as Yemen have launched cross-border attacks that many fear could inflame the region.

NATO's Stoltenberg condemns Hamas, urges Israel to protect civilians

NATO's Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Tuesday condemned the attacks on Israel by Hamas and said the Israeli response in Gaza must respect international law.

"We condemn Hamas' terrorist attacks against Israel," Stoltenberg said in a speech to Nordic parliamentarians in Oslo.

"At the same time it is important that Israel's response takes place within international law, that civilian lives are protected and that humanitarian aid reaches Gaza," he added.

Stoltenberg on 11 October said Israel had the right to defend itself but that he expected the response to Hamas' attacks to be proportionate.

The NATO chief on Tuesday also warned against an escalation of the war into a wider regional conflict.

"Iran, Hezbollah and others must not take advantage of the situation. The suffering in recent weeks reminds us that we must not give up working for a permanent, peaceful political solution to the conflict," he said.

Israel says will turn full attention to Hezbollah 'after Hamas'

Israel is assuming a defensive posture on the Lebanese front in order to avoid overstretching its forces as it focuses on waging the war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Israeli National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi said in a briefing on Tuesday.

Hanegbi added that, "the day after Hamas," Israel would apply "the lessons learned" against Lebanon's Hezbollah militants. He said this would have operational aspects, but did not elaborate further.

Gaza now a 'graveyard' for thousands of children: UN

The Gaza Strip has become a graveyard for thousands of children, the United Nations said Tuesday, as it feared the prospect of more dying of dehydration.

The UN children's agency UNICEF said there was a risk that the number of child deaths directly from bombardment could become eclipsed.

"Our gravest fears about the reported numbers of children killed becoming dozens, then hundreds, and ultimately thousands were realised in just a fortnight," UNICEF spokesman James Elder said in a statement.

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

"Gaza has become a graveyard for thousands of children. It's a living hell for everyone else."

"Gaza has become a graveyard for thousands of children.”

UNICEF’s @1james_elder reiterates the need for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, for aid to flow and for children abducted to be released.

— UNICEF (@UNICEF) October 31, 2023

He said the more than one million children living in the Gaza Strip were also suffering from a lack of clean water.

"Gaza's water production capacity is a mere five percent of its usual daily output. Child deaths - particularly infants - to dehydration are a growing threat," he said.

UNICEF is calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, with all access crossings into Gaza opened for the safe, sustained and unimpeded access of humanitarian aid, including water, food, medical supplies, and fuel.

"And if there is no ceasefire, no water, no medicine, and no release of abducted children? Then we hurtle towards even greater horrors afflicting innocent children," said Elder.

"There are certainly children who are dying who have been impacted by the bombardment but should have had their lives saved," Elder told reporters in Geneva, via video-link.

He said that without greater humanitarian access into the Gaza Strip, "then the deaths from the attacks, they could absolutely be the tip of the iceberg".

Elder said that according to figures from health faculties in the Gaza Strip, some 940 children were missing.

UN humanitarian agency spokesman Jens Laerke added: "It's almost unbearable to think about children buried under rubble, but (with) very little opportunity or possibility for getting them out."

The World Health Organization said people in Gaza were dying not just from direct bombardment.

"We have 130 premature infants that are dependent on incubators, of which 61 percent approximately are in the north," said WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier.

"It's an imminent public health catastrophe that looms with the mass displacement, the overcrowding, and the damage to water and sanitation infrastructure."

Most victims from Jabalia massacre women and children: health ministry

Most of the victims who died in the Jabalia strike are women and children, the Gaza Strip's health ministry has said.

There is still no final death toll, but hundreds are believed to be dead or wounded.

Gaza's government's media office says the neighbourhood struck was one of the most densely populated in the whole Gaza Strip.

Hamas rockets land in Ashdod, at least 4 wounded

A number of rockets fired from the Gaza Strip have landed in the Israeli coastal city of Ashdod, just north of the Palestinian enclave.

Other rockets were reportedly intercepted.

Videos shared on social media show vehicles alight with smoke billowing from the town.

Israeli media said at least four civilians were wounded.

⚡️ Ashdod now pic.twitter.com/CdKbR7o9Q6

— Middle East Observer (@ME_Observer_) October 31, 2023

Cyprus proposes to establish sea corridor to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza

Cyprus is working out with partners in the European Union and the Middle East the logistics to establish a sea corridor to deliver a stream of vital humanitarian aid to Gaza from the island’s main port of Limassol once the situation on the ground permits it, authorities have said.

A senior government official — who spoke on condition of anonymity because he's not authorized to publicly discuss details of the proposal — said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "wasn't opposed" to the idea pitched by Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides last week.

At least 50 killed in airstrikes on Jabalia camp in Gaza

The Ministry of Health in Gaza has said that at least 50 people have been killed and wounded following air strikes in a residential area of the Jabalia camp, Al Araby TV has confirmed.

⭕️مشاهد من المجزرة التي ارتكبها الاحتلال في مخيم جباليا قبل قليل pic.twitter.com/zkGXw6dQxS

— غزة الآن - Gaza Now (@GNNANOW) October 31, 2023

Over 35 individuals lost their lives in the tragic Jabalia camp massacre, marking another massacre carried out by #Israel. #Gaza pic.twitter.com/JxOHcxpvHh

— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) October 31, 2023

Iran's foreign minister to visit Turkey for talks on Gaza, Ankara says

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian will pay an official visit to Ankara on Wednesday to discuss the Gaza war, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.

The foreign ministers of Turkey and Iran will also hold talks on bilateral ties and other regional issues, the ministry said in a statement.

Yemen's Houthi rebels vow more attacks on Israel: statement

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels Tuesday pledged more attacks against Israel if its war on Hamas in Gaza continues, saying it had already fired drones and ballistic missiles in three separate operations.

"The Yemeni Armed Forces... confirm that they will continue to carry out qualitative strikes with missiles and drones until the Israeli aggression stops," said a Houthi military statement aired on the rebels' Al-Masirah TV.

Hezbollah says destroyed Israeli Merkava tank, resulting in casualties

Lebanon's Hezbollah militant group said it targeted and destroyed a Merkava tank near the Branit barracks in northern Israel on Tuesday with guided missiles.

The group claimed that the 2.30 pm attack killed and wounded the Israeli troops in the tank.

Egypt-based telecom operators' promise to expand services to Gaza still unmet

None of the Egypt-based telecommunication operators expanded their services to cover Gaza despite earlier promises to help end a mass blackout across the besieged coastal enclave strip as Israel's war enters its fourth week and has killed thousands of Palestinians so far. 

Read the full article here.

Russia's Lavrov discusses Middle East settlement with Saudi Arabia

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held a telephone call with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan on Tuesday to discuss a Middle East settlement, Lavrov's ministry said in a statement.

The ministers also discussed bilateral relations as well as cooperation in the BRICS forum, which Saudi Arabia is due to join on 1 January, the ministry said.

Russia, a leading oil exporter, has coordinated output cuts with Saudi Arabia over the past year in the OPEC+ grouping in order to support world oil prices.

Israel army says engaged in 'fierce battles' with Hamas in Gaza

Israeli forces were engaged in "fierce battles" with Hamas fighters inside the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, the army said, as it continued to pummel the Palestinian territory with air and artillery strikes.

Israeli forces are "engaged in fierce battles with Hamas terrorists deep inside the Gaza Strip," the army said in a statement, adding that dozens of militants had been killed in the past few hours.

Troops struck "anti-tank missile launching cells and anti-tank missile launch and observation posts," the army claimed, adding that it had seized numerous weapons, including guns and explosives.

Hamas' armed wing said its fighters ambushed troops in Al-Tawam area in northern Gaza.

Fighters "opened fire in an ambush towards invading (Israeli army) vehicles in west Tawam in the northern Gaza Strip and targeted three Zionist vehicles," Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades said in a statement.

Hamas fires rockets at Tel Aviv

Sirens sounded in Tel Aviv and central Israel as Hamas' military wing said it fired a barrage of rockets toward the city.

Videos of the missiles being intercepted over Tel Aviv were shared on social media.

It was not immediately clear if any of them landed.

#شاهد صواريخ المقاومة في سماء تل أبيب#sonarmediacenter pic.twitter.com/7pxCm9qO8d

— Sonar Media Center (@SonarCenter) October 31, 2023

Hamas says fired rockets at Nevatim base

Hamas said it fired a barrage of rockets toward the Nevatim military base in southern Israel. It was not immediately clear if any of the rockets landed.

Orthodox church condemns Israel for bombing its Gaza centre

The Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem blamed Israel Tuesday for the overnight bombing of its cultural centre in Gaza City and condemned the "direct and unjustified attack".

"This attack represents a stark embodiment of Israel's unwarranted determination to destroy the civil infrastructure and social service centres, as well as shelters for civilians trapped in the besieged enclave," the church said in a statement.

An AFP journalist saw the ruins of the Orthodox cultural centre and school in Gaza City, with smoke still rising from the rubble.

Israeli air force destroy the Arab Orthodox Cultural Centre in the city of Gaza. The centre was a concert and exhibition venue and sheltered a number of displaced families. #Gaza #GazaUnderaAttack #palestine pic.twitter.com/Y63DnTM6J1

— Palestine in the UK (@PalMissionUK) October 31, 2023

The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the strike when contacted by AFP.

A resident living near the Orthodox cultural centre told AFP he "woke up to this destruction".

"This church (property) has been targeted by missiles, what's in it? Why is all this happening?" asked Hassan Abu Mersa.

The Patriarchate said 19 places of worship, including churches and mosques, have been hit by Israeli strikes since 7 October.

Several people were killed on 20 October while they were sheltering in the compound of Saint Porphyrius Church, the oldest church still in use in Gaza, when it was hit by Israeli bombardment.

Israel used white phosphorus in south Lebanon: Amnesty

Rights group Amnesty International said it found evidence of Israel's use of white phosphorus in southern Lebanon during cross-border clashes.

"The Israeli army fired artillery shells containing white phosphorus, an incendiary weapon, in military operations along Lebanon’s southern border between 10 and 16 October 2023," Amnesty said in a report on Tuesday.

"One attack on the town of Dhayra on 16 October must be investigated as a war crime because it was an indiscriminate attack that injured at least nine civilians and damaged civilian objects, and was therefore unlawful," said the organisation.

A new Amnesty investigation has found that the Israeli army indiscriminately, and therefore unlawfully, used white phosphorous in an attack on Dhayra in south Lebanon on 16 October.

The attack must be investigated as a war crime. pic.twitter.com/RyK1CePSGj

— Amnesty International (@amnesty) October 31, 2023

Gaza death toll reaches 8,525 as power generators soon to turn off

The Gaza Strip's health ministry said the death toll from Israel's relentless bombardment has reached 8,525, including 3,542 children and 2,187 women. Several thousand more are wounded.

130 healthcare staff were killed, and 15 hospitals are now out of service along with 32 healthcare centres, health ministry spokesman Ashraf Al-Qudra said.

The ministry added that the countdown for power generators to stop running at the Al-Shifaa medical complex at Indonesian hospital in Gaza has begun, warning that they would turn off by Wednesday evening if more fuel isn't secured.

It also called on people to rush to hospitals to donate blood.

Gaza residents reeling under Israeli siege and severe shortages

The New Arab's Gaza correspondent has spoken of her struggles to keep electronic devices working amid severe fuel shortages and chronic power and water cuts in the war-torn territory.

"We need the war to stop, and we can fix [things] ourselves. Everything is hard. I have to wait a long time to charge my phone and laptop.  I do not have fuel for my car," she says.

"We only eat once a day...for water, my brothers have to wait long hours to get some gallons."

UNICEF: 940 children reported missing in Gaza

Israel intercepts 'aerial threat' near Ramon airport: media

The Israeli army intercepted an 'aerial threat' near the Eilat-Ramon airport in southern Israel on Tuesday, according to Israeli media.

It was not immediately clear if these were reports of the same drone shot down earlier near the Red Sea, which Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for.

WHO warns of 'imminent public health catastrophe' in Gaza as services break down

A World Health Organization official said on Tuesday that a "public health catastrophe" was imminent in Gaza amid overcrowding, mass displacement and damage to water and sanitation infrastructure.

At the same press briefing, a spokesperson from the U.N. children's agency warned of the risk of infant deaths due to dehydration with just 5% of normal water supplies available.

Thai FM travels to Qatar, Egypt for Hamas hostage talks

Thailand's foreign minister begins an urgent visit to Qatar and Egypt on Tuesday for talks on the fate of 22 Thais taken hostage by Hamas on 7 October.

Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said Monday his government was working hard to get Thai citizens home.

He has dispatched Foreign Minister Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara to meet the Qatari prime minister and foreign minister on Tuesday, before talks with the Egyptian foreign minister on Wednesday.

Parnpree will "discuss the situation of Thai nationals being held hostage as a result of the ongoing violence in Israel and Gaza," the ministry said in a statement.

About 30,000 Thais were working in Israel, many in the agricultural sector, when the conflict erupted.

At least 32 Thais have been killed in the war and 19 wounded, according to the ministry.

"We are more like victims of the war," Srettha told reporters before a trip to neighbouring Laos on Monday.

"We have been more affected because there are more workers from Thailand in Israel than from other countries."

Srettha said the government would provide financial help for Thais wanting to return home from Israel.

"The reason why Thais won't return to Thailand is because of money," he said.

"We are providing financial aid of 50,000 baht ($1,400) per person, including those who already returned," Srettha told reporters.

Hamas releases video reportedly showing combatants in Gaza

Hamas released a video Tuesday of what it says are its fighters engaged in clashes with Israeli forces near the Erez crossing in the northern Gaza Strip.

The video, broadcast by the group's "military media," was dated Sunday 29 October, 2023.

#كتائب_القسام تنشر مشاهد من التحام مقاتليها مع القوات المتوغلة غرب موقع #إيرز يوم الأحد#غزة_تنتصر#ابو_عبيدة#حماس#فلسطين 🇵🇸#فلسطين_تقاوم pic.twitter.com/fmka64OsYU

— محمد علاء العناسوه (@alaa_tallaq) October 31, 2023

Palestinian Red Crescent says 4 killed since 7 Oct.

The Palestinian Red Crescent says four of its paramedics have been killed and another 16 wounded in Israeli bombardment on Gaza since 7 October.

Israeli forces detain Hamas official in Tubas raid: Alaraby TV

Hamas official Nader Sawafta has reportedly been detained by Israeli forces in Tubas in the occupied West Bank, according to Alaraby TV.

The raid resulted in the death of at least one Palestinian and the wounding of several others, including one child in critical condition.

This raises the death toll in the West Bank since 7 October to 124.

تغطية صحفية: "المواجهات لا تزال مستمرة مع قوات الاحـتـلال خلال اقتحامها طوباس". pic.twitter.com/ZOsBuowoZn

— شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) October 31, 2023

Palestinian teen succumbs to wounds from Israeli bullets

One Palestinian teenager succumbed to his wounds on Tuesday after being shot by Israeli forces a day earlier during a raid on the village of Zawata, west of Nablus in the occupied West Bank.

Medical sources said Muhammad Abdulqadir Al-Kharaz, 14, died as a result of being shot by live bullets in the pelvic area.

ارتقاء الفتى محمد عبد القادر الخراز (14 عاماً) متأثراً بجراح أصيب بها أمس خلال مواجهات بلدة زواتا. pic.twitter.com/qe8qQwdkCy

— ق.ض (@Jales_tinian2) October 31, 2023

Hamas says clashing with Israeli forces in northwest Gaza

Al-Qassam Brigades – Hamas' military wing – said its fighters are clashing with Israeli troops who entered from northwest Gaza, confirming that at least two Israeli military vehicles had been targeted.

Israeli soldiers have been trying to advance deeper into the Gaza Strip from the north.

Israel says it shot down drone over Red Sea

Israeli Radio announced that Israeli forces shot down a drone over the Red Sea. Israeli Channel 13 reported that the drone came from Yemen towards Eilat.

Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen later claimed responsibility for the attempted drone attack.

Kuwait condemns Israeli 'aggression' on Gaza, calls for ceasefire: Crown prince

Kuwait's crown prince Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Sabah said on Tuesday that his country condemns Israeli "aggression" on Gaza and called for a ceasefire.

Al-Sabah was addressing the parliament on behalf of the Emir in the opening of the parliament regular second session.

157 aid trucks have entered Gaza since start of war: border authority

The Gaza Border and Crossings Authority said only 157 trucks carrying humanitarian aid had entered the enclave since Israel eased restrictions after imposing a total siege on 7 October.

This aid was far from enough, the authority said.

More trucks await at the Rafah border crossing on the Egyptian side, waiting to enter Gaza.

Israeli forces kill Palestinian senior in West Bank

A senior Palestinian man was killed Tuesday after Israeli forces raided the city of Tubas in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry said.

It had said earlier that at least nine people were wounded in the raid, two of whom were in critical condition.

Palestinians clashed with Israeli forces after they raided Tubas.

تغطية صحفية: "مواجهات واشتباكات ضارية مع قوات الاحتلال في طوباس الآن". pic.twitter.com/fB8ReSOTSU

— شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) October 31, 2023