Gaza: Jordan airdrops medical aid on field hospital, comms blackout hits strip

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Israel on Monday pounded Gaza with "significant" strikes with soldiers battling Hamas forces in the besieged territory, ignoring ceasefire calls by UN aid agencies who condemned surging civilian deaths in the month-long war.

Israeli troops and Hamas fighters engaged in house-to-house combat in densely populated Gaza, where the war has sent 1.5 million people fleeing to other parts of the territory in a desperate search for cover.

"We are striking Hamas, and we are going stronghold after stronghold, according to our plan, in a systematic effort to dismantle Hamas from its military capabilities," Israeli army spokesman Jonathan Conricus told CNN.

"We have troops on the ground; infantry, armour, combat engineers. They are striking and they are also directing fire from the air," he said, adding efforts were focused on the "underground infrastructure" network of Hamas tunnels.

But Israeli bombing has been indiscriminate during the war and has killed almost 9,800 people in Gaza.

"This strike is like an earthquake," Gaza City resident Alaa Abu Hasera said, in a devastated area where entire blocks were reduced to rubble.

There are reports of people killed after Israeli strikes in the south of the devastated Gaza Strip.

At least five members of an al-Najjar Hospital official's family lost their lives at home near Rafah, Al Jazeera reports.

Israeli forces killed two other people when they struck Khan Younis, the official Palestinian news agency Wafa reports.

The agency cites local sources as saying a home was bombed on al-Muhafadha Street.

In northern Gaza, strikes have hit al-Shati refugee camp in Gaza City and close to the biggest hospital in the strip, al-Shifa.

US Vice President Kamala Harris will discuss with foreign leaders during a Monday phone conversation the Biden administration's efforts to increase the flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza amid the war, her office said.

(Reuters)

The heads of all major UN agencies issued a rare joint statement on Sunday expressing outrage at the civilian death toll in Gaza and calling for an "immediate humanitarian ceasefire" in the war.

"For almost a month, the world has been watching the unfolding situation in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory in shock and horror at the spiralling numbers of lives lost and torn apart," the UN chiefs said.

The heads of 18 organisations including UNICEF, the World Food Programme, and the World Health Organization laid out the toll in both Israel and Gaza.

In Gaza, the UN statement said, "an entire population is besieged and under attack, denied access to the essentials for survival, bombed in their homes, shelters, hospitals and places of worship. This is unacceptable."

It called on Hamas to release the more than 240 hostages it took in its surprise 7 October attack, and urged both sides to respect their obligations under international law as the war rages on.

The UN leaders said more food, water, medicine and fuel must be allowed into Gaza to help its besieged population as Israel attacks with the stated goal of destroying Hamas.

"We need an immediate humanitarian ceasefire. It's been 30 days. Enough is enough. This must stop now," the statement said.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken holds tough talks in Turkey on Monday, aimed at soothing the anger of one of Washington's most strategic but difficult allies about the bloodshed in Gaza.

Blinken's visit comes with fury at both Israel and the West boiling over on the streets of Turkey and inside the palace of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Police used tear gas and water cannon to disperse hundreds of protesters who marched on an air base housing US forces in Turkey's southeast hours before Blinken's arrival on Sunday.

Erdogan himself plans to travel across Turkey's remote northeast on Monday in a seeming snub of Washington's top diplomat.

An Israeli army spokesperson claims the military stopped firing in northern Gaza for several hours two days in a row to create safe passage for civilians to move to the south.

"Yesterday and today, for many hours with prior notice and warning, we facilitated, we stopped firing in certain areas of northern Gaza, which is the main combat area, and we called on Palestinians to move south," Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus tells CNN.

But Israel has been bombing southern Gaza, and many Palestinians will not wish to evacuate the north of the strip, including out of fear they may eventually be pushed into neighbouring Egypt.

(Reuters, The New Arab)

Jordan has airdropped medical aid to a field hospital in Gaza, Amman's King Abdullah II says.

"Our fearless air force personnel airdropped at midnight urgent medical aid to the Jordanian field hospital in Gaza," he posts on social media platform X.

"This is our duty to aid our brothers and sisters injured in the war on Gaza. We will always be there for our Palestinian brethren."

Our fearless air force personnel air-dropped at midnight urgent medical aid to the Jordanian field hospital in Gaza. This is our duty to aid our brothers and sisters injured in the war on Gaza. We will always be there for our Palestinian brethren pic.twitter.com/HOWI2VL7hL

— عبدالله بن الحسين (@KingAbdullahII) November 5, 2023

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrives in Ankara, according to a Reuters eyewitness, where he will hold talks with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan on Monday amid the Gaza war.

(Reuters)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared to backtrack on a comment he was reported to have made earlier about the need to check if a pre-war protest among army reservists pushed Hamas to carry out its attack last month.

Israel's Channel 12 and other news outlets reported that Netanyahu said there may be a need to examine whether months of protests against his government, including by reservists who said they would no longer report for regular duty, added to Hamas's motivation to carry out the 7 October attack.

But Netanyahu's office has said: "Contrary to what was published, the prime minister did not in any way say that the [reservists'] refusal was what led Hamas to attack Israel."

After public backlash, Netanyahu said Hamas started a war because it "wants to kill us all and not because of any argument within us".

"Hamas was wrong – and therefore will be eliminated. Only together will we win," Netanyahu posts on social media platform X.

Earlier, Benny Gantz, who joined Netanyahu's war cabinet from the opposition as part of an emergency government, said Netanyahu must retract his comment.

"Avoiding responsibility and slinging mud at the time of war is a blow to the country," Gantz wrote on X, citing that all reservists showed up to serve.

(Reuters)

The Palestine Red Crescent Society highlights the impact the Gaza telecommunications blackout is having on civilians.

"Around 2.3 million Gaza civilians… are presently unable to access emergency medical services… amidst ongoing bombings, experiencing their third communications blackout since the escalation began," the Red Crescent posts on social media platform X.

🚨Around 2.3 million Gaza civilians 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦are presently unable to access emergency medical services 🚑amidst ongoing bombings, experiencing their third communications blackout since the escalation began.#Gaza_under_attack

— PRCS (@PalestineRCS) November 5, 2023

The Palestine Red Crescent Society says it has lost contact with its teams in Gaza because of the telecommunications blackout affecting the strip.

"Again we have completely lost contact with our teams in Gaza due to the third telecommunications blackout since the start of the escalation," the Red Crescent posts on social media platform X.

The humanitarian group says it hopes its teams are "safe and well".

🚨 Unfortunately, we've lost contact with our #Gaza teams during the third telecom blackout since the escalation began.
We hope they are safe and well.🙏#GazaUnderAttack #communication_blackout pic.twitter.com/qOuRcLYmO0

— PRCS (@PalestineRCS) November 5, 2023

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says she has had a "good call" with Egypt's leader Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

They agreed Palestinians shouldn't be displaced from Gaza, she says.

"We discussed the situation in the Middle East. I thanked him [Sisi] for Egypt's leadership on providing humanitarian aid to Gaza and on helping to get European citizens out of Gaza," von der Leyen posts on social media platform X.

"We agreed on the importance of protecting civilian lives, respect for international law and humanitarian law, and ensuring that Palestinians are not displaced from Gaza.

"We concluded on the need for a lasting and durable peace in the Middle East based on a two-state solution."

We agreed on the importance of protecting civilian lives, respect for international law and humanitarian law, and ensuring that Palestinians are not displaced from Gaza.

We concluded on the need for a lasting and durable peace in the Middle East based on a two-state solution.

— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) November 5, 2023

Gaza authorities say the Israeli army carried out "intense bombings" on Sunday evening around several hospitals in the north of the besieged strip, shortly after telecommunications were cut.

"For more than an hour, intense bombings have been taking place around hospitals," said Salama Marouf, the head of the media office of the enclave's government.

The vicinity of Gaza's largest hospital, al-Shifa, saw particularly heavy strikes, according to Marouf.

Israel's military says its troops engaged a vehicle "identified as a suspected transport for terrorists" in Lebanon on Sunday, and it was looking into reports there were civilians inside.

Lebanese authorities earlier said an Israeli strike on a car in the south of the country killed three children and their grandmother.

(Reuters)

A senior Israeli cabinet minister on Sunday called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to retract a comment he was reported to have made about the need to check if a pre-war protest among army reservists pushed Hamas to carry out its attack last month.

Israel's Channel 12 and other news outlets reported that Netanyahu said there may be a need to examine whether months of protests against his government, including by reservists who said they would no longer report for regular duty, added to Hamas's motivation to carry out the 7 October attack.

Benny Gantz, who joined Netanyahu's war cabinet from the opposition as part of an emergency government, said Netanyahu must retract his comment.

"Avoiding responsibility and slinging mud at the time of war is a blow to the country," Gantz wrote on social media platform X.

(Reuters)

Pope Francis makes an urgent plea for a halt to the Gaza war, calling for humanitarian aid and help for those injured in order to ease the "very grave" situation.

"I keep thinking about the grave situation in Palestine and Israel where many people have lost their life. I pray you to stop in the name of God, cease the fire," he says, speaking to crowds in St Peter's Square after his weekly Angelus prayer.

"I hope that all will be done to avoid the conflict from widening, that the injured will be rescued and aid will arrive to the population of Gaza, where the humanitarian situation is very grave."

The pontiff renews his calls for a ceasefire and for the release of hostages taken by Hamas during its 7 October surprise attack, focusing on the children, who he said "must return to their families".

"Let's think about the children, all the children involved in this war, like in Ukraine and in other conflicts, their future is being killed," he adds.

Francis, 86, has already called for the creation of humanitarian corridors and has said a two-state solution was needed for Israel and Palestine in order to put an end to wars such as the current one.

(Reuters)

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken paid an unannounced visit to Iraq on Sunday, as he tours the Middle East attempting to tamp down tensions amid Israel's war on Gaza.

After an earlier visit to the occupied West Bank, Blinken landed in Baghdad on Sunday evening for his first visit to the country as the US top diplomat and held talks with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani.

Washington wants to prevent a wider regional conflict and has stepped up diplomacy with regional countries whose populations have been angered by Israel's assault on Gaza.

Blinken landed at Baghdad's international airport, donned a ballistic vest and traveled by Black Hawk helicopter to the Green Zone, a remnant of the US occupation of Iraq after its 2003 invasion.

At the US ambassador's residence he was briefed on threats to US facilities, before heading to the prime minister's office.

Iran-backed group Kataib Hezbollah issued a warning on Saturday night that the expected Blinken visit would be met with "an unprecedented escalation".

Since the start of the Gaza war, a series of rocket and drone attacks have targeted military bases hosting US forces in Iraq.

Iraqi armed groups aligned with Iran have threatened to target US interests with missiles and drones if Washington intervened to support Israel in Gaza.

"It was very important to send a very clear message to anyone who might seek to take advantage of the conflict in Gaza to threaten our personnel here or anywhere else in the region: Don't do it," Blinken told reporters after meeting al-Sudani.

Al-Sudani has pledged to pursue the perpetrators of rocket attacks on three military bases in Iraq hosting international coalition advisers, including Ain al-Asad in western Iraq, a military base near Baghdad's international airport and Harir in the northern Iraqi city of Erbil.

(Reuters, AFP)

The Israeli army says its land assault on the Gaza Strip had on Sunday split the Palestinian territory in two, with "significant" strikes continuing in its war on the enclave.

Israeli forces "have encircled Gaza City… Now there exists a south Gaza and a north Gaza", says army spokesman Daniel Hagari.

Three French planes delivering 54 tonnes of aid for Gaza arrived in Egypt this weekend and France has three naval vessels in the eastern Mediterranean ready to respond to the evolving situation, senior officials said on Sunday.

The French aid was delivered over the weekend by two Airbus A400M planes, which are partially armoured, the French army said on X, formerly known as Twitter. Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu later said a third A400M plane of aid had arrived.

"This humanitarian cargo, which is destined for the civilian populations of the Gaza Strip, contains medicine, food aid, generators," the captain for one of the planes, Lieutenant Colonel Nicolas, said on Saturday morning before taking off.

A French helicopter carrier, the Tonnerre, which has medical support facilities, and two naval vessels were in the Mediterranean, the French Army said on X.

They were part a "robust and versatile apparatus that is capable of integrating the evolutions of the situation in the region," it added without going into details.

On Thursday, Defence Minister Lecornu announced that a second helicopter carrier, Dixmude, would be sent.

(Reuters)

An internet watchdog confirms a new telecommunications blackout in besieged Gaza amid Israel's devastating war against the strip.

NetBlocks posts on social media platform X that live network data show a "new collapse in connectivity" in the Palestinian enclave with a "high impact to Paltel, the last remaining major operator serving the territory".

"The incident will be experienced as the third telecommunications blackout since the start of the conflict," NetBlocks adds.

⚠ Confirmed: Live network data show a new collapse in connectivity in the #Gaza Strip with high impact to Paltel, the last remaining major operator serving the territory; the incident will be experienced as the third telecommunications blackout since the start of the conflict 📉 pic.twitter.com/oRcJyppVd9

— NetBlocks (@netblocks) November 5, 2023

Four relatives of a journalist were killed on Sunday in an Israeli strike in southern Lebanon, the official Lebanese news agency says, adding that the journalist was also wounded.

The National News Agency says the four victims are the sister of radio correspondent Samir Ayoub and her three grandchildren, aged 10, 12, and 14.

They were following the journalist's car in another vehicle when they were killed.

Israeli killed by Hezbollah strike across border: report

An Israeli was killed on Sunday in an attack by the Lebanese group Hezbollah over the border, Israel's military said, as cross-border tensions have escalated between Tel Aviv and the militant group amid Israel's brutal war in Gaza.

(Reuters)

Gaza experiencing heavy Israeli shelling

Gaza is reportedly under heavy Israeli bombardment in the past hour, Al-Jazeera said, where loud explosions have been heard in both central and southwest Gaza.

Moreover, Hamas says Israel carrying out 'intense bombings' around several Gaza hospitals.

20 Palestinians killed in Israeli strike on Bureij camp

Approximately 20 Palestinians were killed and many others injured by Israeli shelling that targeted several houses in the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza, Qatari outlet Al-Jazeera said.

The camp is the third of its kind to be targeted by Israeli bombing in recent days.

Israel cuts internet, phone lines in Gaza again

Israel cut internet and phone lines in the Gaza Strip Sunday night, for the third time since the start of the Israel-Hamas war on October 7, telecoms firm Paltel said.

"We regret to announce the complete shutdown of communications and internet services in Gaza after the Israeli side disconnected the servers," Paltel said in a statement.

(Reuters)

Food supplies in Gaza nearly exhausted: WFP

The head of UN’s emergency food relief agency, The World Food Programme, estimates that current stocks of essential food commodities will be sufficient for about five more days in Gaza, where the humanitarian situation is worsening.

"Right now, parents in Gaza do not know whether they can feed their children today and whether they will even survive to see tomorrow. The suffering just meters away is unfathomable standing on this side of the border," Cindy McCain said.

Khamenei, Hamas's Haniyeh meet in Iran: state media

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has met with the leader of Tehran-backed Palestinian group Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran, Iranian state media reported on Sunday, a day after a Hamas official said they held a meeting in recent days.

Iranian state media said Haniyeh, who has resided between Qatar and Turkey since 2019, "briefed Khamenei on the latest developments in the Gaza Strip and the crimes of the Zionist regime in Gaza, as well as the developments in the West Bank".

The Islamic Republic says it supports Hamas but did not play any role in the group's surprise attack on Israel last month.

"Ayatollah Khamenei praised the steadfastness and resilience of the people of Gaza and expressed strong regret over the crimes of the Zionist regime, supported directly by Washington and some Western countries," Iran's state TV said.

Without elaborating when the meeting took place, Iran's Tasnim news agency said the country's top authority Khamenei "emphasised Tehran's consistent policy of supporting the Palestinian resistance forces against the Zionist occupiers".

Iran's clerical establishment has warned Israel, which it refuses to recognise, of "harsh consequences" if attacks continue on the Gaza Strip.

Netanyahu rejects calls for a ceasefire in Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday rejected growing calls for a ceasefire in Gaza until all of the more than 240 hostages captured by Hamas on October 7 are returned.

"There will be no ceasefire without the return of the hostages. This should be completely removed from the lexicon," Netanyahu told crews at the Ramon air force base in southern Israel, reiterating the government's long-standing position.

"We say this to our friends and to our enemies. We will simply continue until we defeat them. We have no alternative."

Foreign ministers from Qatar, Saudi, Egypt, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates met US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Amman, Jordan on Saturday and urged him to persuade Israel to agree to a ceasefire.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, for his part, demanded an immediate ceasefire earlier when he met Blinken during the US secretary's unannounced visit to the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Blinken, in the region for a second time in less than a month as part of US efforts to prevent Israel's war on Gaza from spreading, has rejected ceasefire calls.

Blinken has said a ceasefire would only allow Hamas to "regroup", but has been trying to convince Israel to agree to location-specific pauses that would allow much-needed aid to be distributed within Gaza.

Israeli strike kills relatives of journalist in Lebanon

Four relatives of a journalist were killed on Sunday in an Israeli strike in southern Lebanon, the official Lebanese agency NNA said, adding that the journalist was also wounded.

The agency said the four victims are the sister of radio correspondent Samir Ayoub and her three grandchildren. They were following the journalist's car in their own vehicle when they were killed.

Turkey, Egypt agree to treat 1,000 cancer patients, wounded Palestinians from Gaza

Turkey and Egypt have agreed for some 1,000 cancer patients and other injured civilians needing urgent care in Gaza to be sent to Turkey for treatment, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Sunday, adding work was underway to plan the move.

Koca said on Thursday that Ankara was prepared to bring in cancer patients from the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship hospital in Gaza, the enclave's only cancer treatment hospital, which went out of service after running out of fuel this week.

On Sunday, Koca said he held a phone call with his Egyptian counterpart on Saturday to discuss the matter.

"Our efforts continue for almost 1,000 patients, especially cancer patients who were being treated at the Turkey-Palestine Friendship hospital in Gaza that had to stop its operations, and wounded persons we were previously notified about and who are in need of urgent care, to be brought to Egypt through the Rafah border crossing," Koca said on social media platform X.

"After that, it is being planned for the cancer patients and those in emergency conditions to be transferred to our country via ambulance planes and hospital ships," he said.

(Reuters)

Saudi Arabia slams Israel minister's 'nuclear bomb on Gaza' remarks

Saudi Arabia condemned remarks from an Israeli minister who appeared to voice openness to the idea of Israel carrying out a nuclear strike on Gaza, a Saudi foreign ministry statement said on Sunday.

The Israeli minister's comments showed the penetration of "extremism and brutality" among members of the Israeli government, the Saudi statement said.

The minister, Amichai Eliyahu, has been suspended following the comments, which triggered widespread criticism worldwide.

Over 300 US nationals evacuated from Gaza: White House

More than 300 Americans, US residents and their families have been evacuated from the Gaza Strip as Israel's indiscriminate bombing of Gaza continues, the White House said on Sunday.

The evacuation, carried out in recent days, was the result of "pretty intensive negotiations with all sides relevant to this conflict," White House deputy national security advisor Jonathan Finer told CBS News.

Despite these efforts, the United States believes there are still "a number" of Americans inside Gaza, he added.

"This is obviously a major priority and one that we're going to continue to work out until every American who wants to leave is able to do so," Finer said.

The Rafah border crossing from Gaza to Egypt opened up Wednesday after weeks of war, allowing a trickle of wounded Palestinians and people with dual nationality to leave, all desperate to escape Israel's bombardment.

(Reuters)

Lebanon: Four rescue workers wounded in Israeli strike

Four rescue workers were injured Sunday in an Israeli bombing in southern Lebanon that hit two ambulances, according to the association that owned the vehicles and state media.

The border area between the two countries has been host to multiple exchanges of fire, in particular between Iran-backed group Hezbollah and Israel, since Israel began waging its brutal war in Gaza on October 7.

Lebanon's National News Agency said the latest Israeli strike targeted two ambulances belonging to the Risala Scout association, which operates rescue teams and is affiliated with the Shia Amal movement, a Hezbollah ally.

The association said "a drone from the Israeli occupation forces deliberately targeted... the two vehicles, causing moderate injuries to four paramedics."

It said the attack took place at dawn when the two ambulances were called to evacuate wounded in the village of Tayr Harfa, some three kilometres (two miles) from the Israeli border.

Lebanon's health ministry condemned "a cowardly and barbaric attack".

Israel suspends minister who suggested 'dropping a nuclear bomb' on Gaza

An Israeli minister was suspended from government meetings "until further notice" on Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said, after suggesting in an interview dropping a nuclear bomb on Gaza.

Heritage Minister Amichay Eliyahu, an ultranationalist politician part of Netnayahu's ruling coalition, told Israel's Kol Barama radio he was not entirely satisfied with the scale of Israel's retaliation in the Palestinian territory despite killing 9,770 Palestinians and continuous striking hospitals, refugee camps and residential buildings.

When the interviewer asked whether the Israeli minister advocated dropping "some kind of atomic bomb" on the Gaza Strip "to kill everyone", Eliyahu replied: "That's one option".

(Reuters)

Turkey police fire gas at Palestinian rally outside US military base

Turkish police on Sunday fired tear gas to disperse a pro-Palestinian rally outside a military base housing US troops and weapons, an AFP photographer at the scene said.

The protest outside the Incirlik Air Base in southeastern Turkey was organised by the IHH humanitarian relief fund, which in 2010 led a flotilla to Gaza that sparked Israeli raids in which 10 civilians were killed.

Adana'da İncirlik Üssü'ne girmeye çalışan bir gruba polis müdahale etti. pic.twitter.com/tjrUzLI6av

— TRHaber (@trhaber_com) November 5, 2023

Images on social media showed several hundred people waving Palestinian flags running across a field chased by the police, who also used water cannon at Incirlik.

There were no immediate reports of injuries of arrests. US officials issued no immediate comment.

The IHH protest was timed to coincide with a visit to Ankara by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who is due to meet Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Monday.

Gaza MoH urges ICRC, Egypt to ensure safe exit of those wounded

Gaza's Ministry of Health urged the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) or Egypt on Sunday to ensure the safe exit of the wounded from the enclave.

"We call on the ICRC to provide a safe passage for the wounded, accompany them and ensure their safe arrival to the Rafah land crossing until they are discharged to hospitals in Egypt," the spokesman for the ministry of health, Ashraf Al-Qudra, said.

He said another option could be for Egypt to let Egyptian ambulances enter the Gaza Strip and transport the wounded from the enclave's hospitals to Egyptian hospitals "to ensure their safe exit". 

(Reuters)

Gaza death toll increases to 9,770: MoH

The health ministry in the war-hit Gaza Strip said on Sunday at least 9,770 people had been killed in the Palestinian territory by Israel since its brutal onslaught began last month.

The ministry said at least 4,800 children were among those killed since Israel began striking the Gaza Strip.

(Reuters)

French FM reiterates calls for 'immediate humanitarian truce' in Gaza

French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna on Sunday reiterated calls for an "immediate humanitarian truce" in Gaza, which she said must be able to lead to a ceasefire, adding that too many civilians have been killed by Israeli strikes.

Colonna said during a joint press conference with Qatar's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in Doha that schools, hospitals, humanitarian workers and journalists must be protected.

The FM added that an international humanitarian conference, to be hosted by France on November 9, will cover respecting international law, basic needs such as health, water, energy and food, and will call for concrete action for civilians in Gaza.

(Reuters)

'Period of calm needed' to secure hostages' release: Qatar

Qatar's foreign ministry said on Sunday that without a "period of calm" in Gaza its mediators would not be able to secure the release of Israeli hostages held there.

"Any hostage release has to be linked to a period of calm that allows for the hostage release to work, which is something we have not seen for a while," Majed Al Ansari, Qatar's foreign ministry spokesperson told reporters.

The Gulf state of Qatar has, in coordination with the U.S., led mediation talks with Hamas and Israeli officials over the release of hostages since the militant group led a rampage into Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,400 people and bundling more than 240 others into Gaza.

"The process of this mediation is at risk in light of the spread of false reports and leaks about the negotiations, in addition to the complexity of the field situation due to the practices of the Israeli occupation army," Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, who also serves as foreign minister, said at a press conference with his French counterpart in Doha

US will be 'hit hard' if no ceasefire in Gaza, Iran warns

Iran said that the United States would "be hit hard" if Washington did not implement a ceasefire in Gaza, the country's Minister of Defence was quoted as saying by the semi-official Tasnim news agency on Sunday.

"Our advice to the Americans is to immediately stop the war in Gaza and implement a ceasefire, otherwise they will be hit hard," Mohammad-Reza Ashtiani said.

Iran considers the US to be "militarily-involved" in the conflict.

Israel's war in Gaza to cost as much as $51 billion

Israel's war in the Gaza Strip will cost as much as 200 billion shekels ($51 billion), the Calcalist financial newspaper reported on Sunday, citing preliminary Finance Ministry figures.

The daily said the estimate, equal to 10 percent of gross domestic product, was premised on the war lasting between eight to 12 months; on it being limited to Gaza, without full participation by Lebanon's Hezbollah, Iran or Yemen; and on some 350,000 Israelis drafted as military reservists returning to work soon.

Calcalist described the ministry as deeming 200 billion shekels an "optimistic" estimate. But the ministry said it does not stand by Calcalist's data.

Over 100 UK nationals have evacuated Gaza

More than 100 Britons have been evacuated from Gaza and the government hopes more will be able to leave, Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden said on Sunday, as he urged the reopening of the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt.

The Rafah crossing was opened for limited evacuations for three days earlier this week under a Qatari-brokered deal aimed at letting some foreign passport holders, their dependents and some wounded Gazans out of the enclave.

"Over 100 UK nationals were able to cross out of Gaza into Egypt through the Rafah crossing. It is very disappointing that the crossing was closed yesterday," Dowden told the BBC.

"We are engaging very closely and we're hopeful that the crossing will reopen again today enabling further UK nationals to leave."

Abbas decries in 'Gaza genocide' in meeting with Blinken

Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas decried Sunday Israel's "genocide" in the Gaza Strip amid its war on Hamas militants there, in remarks to visiting US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

"I have no words to describe the genocide and destruction suffered by our Palestinian people in Gaza at the hands of Israel's war machine, with no regard for the principles of international law," Abbas told Blinken in Ramallah, in remarks carried by official Palestinian news agency Wafa.

Blinken made a high-security surprise visit to the Israeli-occupied West Bank Sunday, meeting with Abbas, according to photographs released by the Palestinian Authority.

The top US diplomat met with the Palestinian leader in Ramallah as global concern grows over Israel's brutal onslaught in Gaza, as well as of rising violence in the West Bank.

The trip was not announced in advance for security reasons and came after Blinken visited Jordan and neighbouring Israel on Friday.

The meeting between Blinken and Abbas lasted less than an hour, Qatari broadcaster Al-Jazeera said. 

AFP said that the Palestinian leader urged Blinken that a ceasefire in Gaza is 'needed', despite Blinken's argument that a ceasefire would only allow Hamas to 'regroup'. 

Blinken said the United States was committed to getting aid into Gaza and restoring essential services there, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a readout of the meeting.

"The Secretary also expressed the commitment of the United States to working toward the realization of the Palestinians’ legitimate aspirations for the establishment of a Palestinian state," Miller said.

Blinken has suggested an "effective and revitalized Palestinian Authority" would make the most sense to ultimately run the strip but admitted that other countries and international agencies would likely play a role in security and governance in the interim.

Israel kills three Palestinians in West Bank raids

Three Palestinians were killed Sunday by Israeli forces in the West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry said, as violence flares in the occupied territory since the start of Israel's war on Gaza.

Two men, aged 22 and 20, were killed "in an attack by Israeli occupation forces on Abu Dis", a suburb of annexed east Jerusalem separated by the Israeli wall encircling the West Bank, the Ramallah-based ministry said.

One of the two was fatally hit by a "bullet in chest" and "six others were wounded, three seriously", according to a statement.

Further south, a 22-year-old Palestinian was "killed by Israeli occupation bullets in Nuba, northwest of Hebron," the ministry said.

Meanwhile, a 17-year-old Palestinian "succumbed to his wounds after having been hit by Israeli occupation bullets several days ago in Al-Eizariya" also on the outskirts of Jerusalem, the ministry said.

The teenager was identified as Rami Izz Odeh.

Anadolu Agency cameraman loses four children in Israeli strikes on Gaza camp

Israeli airstrikes in Gaza have killed four children of Muhammed Alaloul, a cameraman with the Turkish Anadolu Agency.

Three of his siblings were also killed, the agency said, while other members if his family were wounded in Israeli shelling of central Gaza's al-Maghazi camp, where at least 45 people were killed in overnight strikes.

Israeli airstrike on Gaza kills 4 children and 3 siblings of Anadolu cameraman Muhammed Alaloul https://t.co/WWn0I2TsJ8 pic.twitter.com/2Xu4mFoNTU

— Anadolu English (@anadoluagency) November 5, 2023

The cameraman's house was also destroyed amid the bombing.

Israel arrests 46 Palestinians in occupied West Bank

Israeli forces detained at least 46 Palestinians in a series of raids into Palestinian cities, towns, villages in the West Bank.

In Ramallah, the Israeli army stormed the towns of Birzeit and Bil'in and detained a minimum of 14 Palestinians after raiding and searching their homes, according to the official Palestinian Wafa agency.

At least 14 Palestinians in Hebron were reportedly apprehended by forces, including 10 displaced workers from the Gaza Strip who were seeking refuge in the town of Nuba, Wafa saud,

In Jenin, nine Palestinians were also arrested by Israeli troops, while four others were arrested in the Nablus province.

Arrests were also reported in the provinces of Tulkarm, Bethlehem, Tubas, and occupied Jerusalem.

The arrests come as Israel unleashes its fiercest bombing in 70 years in the Gaza Strip, which have killed nearly 9,500 Palestinians.

Blinken to meet Abbas in Ramallah

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he will meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday in Ramallah, amid Israel's ongoing brutality in the Gaza Strip.

Local media reports say that Abbas and Blinken will discuss putting a stop to Israel's war in the besieged strip which has killed close to 9,500 people, as well as Israel's raids in the occupied West Bank.

Chad recalls top diplomatic envoy from Israel, citing Gaza massacres

Chad has summoned the Chargé d'Affaires of its embassy in Israel, in protest against Israeli atrocities committed in Gaza since the outbreak of the war on 7 October. 

The country's foreign ministry condemned what it described as "the huge loss of civilian life" in Gaza, while calling for a ceasefire that would lead to "a permanent solution to the Palestinian question."

Today, #Chad recalled its chargé d'affaires from #Israel amid increasing violence in #Gaza, and called for a ceasefire. pic.twitter.com/aIx9CSjQtk

— Patrick Heinisch (@PatrickHeinisc1) November 4, 2023