Gaza war: Hundreds 'feared dead' as Israel strikes Al-Ahli hospital

Thanks for joining us tonight. This live blog has now ended. We will be back again with all the latest news from Gaza at 7am. Goodnight. 

Gaza hospital strike upends Biden's high-stakes trip to Israel

Joe Biden's summit in Jordan was meant to show the US striking balance despite its unwavering support for Israel, with Jordan cancelling it due to Israel's deadly attack on a hospital in Gaza, analysts say all Biden has left is showing unwavering support for Israel:

"U.S. President Joe Biden's already fraught trip to the Middle East was completely upended after hundreds of Palestinians were killed in an Israeli strike on a Gaza hospital on Tuesday.

After the strike, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas quickly canceled a planned meeting with Biden, then Jordan's King Abdullah canceled a summit that was supposed to bring Biden together with Egyptian and Palestinian leaders."

Read the full article here.

Attack on Gaza hospital 'unprecedented' in scale, WHO says

The attack on the Al-Ahli al-Arabi Hospital in the north of the Gaza Strip that killed hundreds was "unprecedented in scale," the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday, condemning the blast.

The strike was the bloodiest single incident in Gaza since Israel launched a bombing campaign against the densely populated Gaza Strip in retaliation for a deadly cross-border Hamas assault on Israeli communities on Oct. 7.

"This attack is unprecedented in scale," Richard Peeperkorn, WHO Representative for the West Bank and Gaza told Reuters. "We have seen consistent attacks on healthcare in the occupied Palestinian territory."

Ahmed Al-Mandhari, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, said there were patients, healthcare workers and internally displaced people in the hospital when it was struck.

"The hospital was one of 20 in the north of the Gaza Strip facing evacuation orders from the Israeli military," he said.

"The order for evacuation has been impossible to carry out given the current insecurity, critical condition of many patients, and lack of ambulances, staff, health system bed capacity, and alternative shelter for those displaced."

(Reuters)

White House: Biden will ask Israelis 'tough questions' during Middle East trip

U.S. President Joe Biden will ask "tough questions" during his visit with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli leaders, White House spokesperson John Kirby told reporters on Air Force One.

Kirby said Biden wanted to get a sense from the Israelis about their objectives in the days ahead.

Kirby said the United States was optimistic that humanitarian aid would make it into Gaza.

Palestinian NGO tells UK to stop arms sales to Israel

A Palestinian rights group has threatened legal action against Britain unless it revokes all arms export licences to Israel, which it says has violated international law with its bombardment of the Gaza Strip.

West Bank-based Al-Haq, which documents alleged rights violations by Israel and the Western-backed Palestinian Authority, asked in a letter sent on Monday to trade minister Kemi Badenoch for Britain to confirm that no British "weapons are being used in Israel/Palestine or against Palestinians."

Read the full story here. 

Iran tells Israel 'time is up'

The Iranian Embassy in Damascus has posted a tweet with the words, in Hebrew, “time is up” ...
 

הזמן נגמר#طوفان_الأقصى

— السفارة الإيرانية - سورية (@IranembassyDam) October 18, 2023

This follows the Iranian regime saying it could launch a pre-emptive strike on Israel if it goes ahead with a ground invasion of Gaza. Most analysts agree this is unlikely to occur. 

UK to 'work with allies' to find out what happened at Gaza hospital, doesn't mention Israel

British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has said that the UK will work with its allies to find out what happened at Al-Ahli hospital and protect civilian lives. The statement on X did not attribute blame and didn't even mention Israel. 

The destruction of Al Ahli hospital is a devastating loss of human life.

The UK has been clear.

The protection of civilian life must come first.

The UK will work with our allies to find out what has happened and protect innocent civilians in Gaza.

— James Cleverly🇬🇧 (@JamesCleverly) October 17, 2023

Palestinian Islamic Jihad denies Israel accusation

Palestinian Islamic Jihad described as “lies” the Israel army’s accusations that it was responsible for a strike on a Gaza hospital that killed hundreds, as reported by Al Jazeera. 

“The Zionist enemy is trying hard to evade its responsibility for the brutal massacre he committed by bombing the Baptist Arab National Hospital in Gaza through his usual fabrication of lies, and through pointing the finger of blame at the Islamic Jihad movement in Palestine,” it said in a statement.

“We therefore affirm the accusations put forward by the enemy are false and baseless.”

Israel's accusations have come under further scrutiny as the time stamp of a video they released showing a rocket fired within Gaza going off course was found by a New York Times journalist to have occurred 40 minutes after the attack on the hospital. 

Once the journalist made this known, Israel then deleted the video from social media. 

This tweet was just edited to remove video @Israel presented as evidence that Gaza hospital was struck in an outgoing barrage fired by militants — likely because NYT reporter @AricToler had already noted the clip was recorded about 8pm local time, 40 minutes after hospital strike https://t.co/qBxJnKgvEd

— Robert Mackey (@RobertMackey) October 17, 2023

Gaza hospital attack unleashes fury of Palestinians in occupied West Bank against both Israel and Palestinian Authority

We reported earlier how there had been violent clashes between Palestinian protesters  in Ramallah and the Palestinian Authority, led by Mahmoud Abbas. Protesters could be heard chanting for the downfall of Abbas' government. The New Arab spoke to a journalist in Jerusalem who wished to remain anonymous about why the Gaza attack led to Palestinians in the West Bank venting their fury about Palestinian Authority rule. 

BREAKING:

Growing street protests in the West Bank after the strike on the Al-Ahly hospital.

This crowd in Ramallah is chanting the famous slogan from the 2011 Arab Spring revolutions, "the people want the regime to fall".

This is chanted against the Palestinian Authorities pic.twitter.com/esQqOCPFWD

— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) October 17, 2023

"A majority of people within the West Bank do not like and do not agree ... with the Palestinian Authority because it hasn't done any good for the civilians located in the West Bank or in Gaza," the journalist said. 

"That's why Palestinians within the West Bank get really violent with the Palestinian Authority and that's why when protests break out you hear them chant slogans about how they need to bring down the Palestinian Authority because it isn't helping," she continued. The Gaza hospital attack by Israel seems to have been the spark that rekindled resentments and frustrations between the Palestinian people and the Palestinian Authority. 

Abbas has ruled over the Palestinian Authority for 18 years and refuses to hold fair and free elections. It is often accused by critics of doing Israel's bidding by keeping Palestinians in the occupied territories in line. 

'Flames of US-Israeli bombs' will 'consume' Israel: Iranian president

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi warned on Wednesday that "the flames of US-Israeli bombs" would soon "consume" Israel after a deadly strike on a Gaza hospital left at least 500 dead.

"The flames of the US-Israeli bombs, dropped this evening on the Palestinian victims injured at the... hospital in Gaza, will soon consume the Zionists," Raisi said, according to the IRNA agency.

How the world reacted the attack on Al Ahli hospital in Gaza by Israel

A strike on a Gaza hospital compound which health officials there said killed at least 500 people has provoked outrage and condemnation from around the world.

Here's a summary of some of the major reactions:

African Union 

The African Union chief Moussa Faki Mahamat accused Israel of a "war crime" following the deadly strike.

"There are no words to fully express our condemnation of Israel's bombing of a #Gaza hospital today, killing hundreds of people," Faki said on X, formerly Twitter, calling for the international community to act.

EU 

EU chief Charles Michel said that targeting civilian infrastructure in Gaza breaks international law.

"An attack against a civilian infrastructure is not in line with international law," Michel said after a videoconference of EU leaders.

EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell later wrote on social media that "the news coming from the Al-Ahli Arabi Baptist hospital in Gaza add horror to the tragedy unfolding before our eyes since days."

France 

French President Emmanuel Macron said "nothing can justify targeting civilians" after a deadly strike on a Gaza hospital and called for humanitarian access to the coastal strip "without delay".

"Nothing can justify a strike against a hospital. Nothing can justify targeting civilians. France condemns the attack on the Al-Ahli Arabi hospital in Gaza which caused so many Palestinian victims. We think of them," he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

"Humanitarian access to the Gaza Strip must be opened without delay."

Hezbollah 

Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah movement on Tuesday called for a "day of rage" to condemn a strike on a Gaza Strip hospital, blaming Israel for what it called a "massacre".

"Let tomorrow, Wednesday, be a day of rage against the enemy," Hezbollah, an ally of Hamas militants who are at war with Israel, said in a statement, calling the strike a "massacre" and "brutal crime".

Israel's army blamed a rocket misfired by Islamic Jihad, another Gaza-based militant group.

Jordan 

Israel bears "responsibility for this grave incident," a Jordanian foreign ministry statement said, "strongly condemning" the incident.

Amman subsequently announced the cancellation of a summit on brokering peace in the region due to involve US President Joe Biden, who postponed his trip to Amman in response.

Dozens of protesters attempted unsuccessfully to storm the Israeli embassy compound in Amman an AFP journalist said.

 Qatar 

Qatar's foreign ministry called the attack a "a brutal massacre" and "a heinous crime against defenceless civilians".

In a statement the Gulf state called the attack on Ahli Arab Hospital a "blatant violation of the provisions of international law" and a "dangerous escalation in the course of the confrontations".

 Tunisia 

Hundreds of angry protesters gathered outside the French embassy in Tunisia on Tuesday, also denouncing the US, after the hospital strike.

"The French and Americans are allies of Zionists," demonstrators shouted, according to an AFP journalist.

Protesters demanded the recall of both countries' ambassadors and shouted: "No American embassy on Tunisian territory."

Turkey 

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned the incident as "the latest example of Israeli attacks devoid of the most basic human values", in a message on social media.

"I invite all humanity to take action to stop this unprecedented brutality in Gaza," Erdogan said on social media platform X, formerly Twitter.

UN 

The UN human rights chief Volker Turk called the hospital strike totally unacceptable, insisting that the perpetrators must be held to account.

"Words fail me. Tonight, hundreds of people were killed -- horrifically -- in a massive strike at Al Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City, including patients, healthcare workers and families that had been seeking refuge in and around the hospital," he said.

"Once again the most vulnerable. This is totally unacceptable."

Russia and the United Arab Emirates called for an emergency UN Security Council meeting to be held on Wednesday following the deadly strike.

WHO

The World Health Organization condemned the deadly strike and demanded the immediate protection of civilians and health care in the strip.

"WHO strongly condemns the attack on Al Ahli Arab Hospital," the UN health agency said in a statement.

"The hospital was operational, with patients, health- and care-givers, and internally-displaced people sheltering there. Early reports indicate hundreds of fatalities and injuries."
 

Palestinians clash with Abbas' West Bank forces after Israel strikes Gaza hospital 

Palestinian security forces in Ramallah fired tear gas and stun grenades to disperse protesters throwing rocks and chanting against President Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday, as popular anger boiled over after a deadly Gaza hospital attack by Israel.

The strike on Gaza's Al-Ahli al-Arabi hospital, which officials said killed about 500 people, was the deadliest single incident in Gaza since Israel launched a campaign of airstrikes 11 days ago.

Israel's military denied responsibility for the strike, blaming it on a failed Palestinian militant rocket launch. The strike drew condemnation from the West and the Arab world, and protests were staged at Israel's embassies in Turkey and Jordan and near the U.S. embassy in Lebanon.

Hundreds of Palestinians are clashing with PA security forces in Jenin, Nablus, Bethlehem and Ramallah.

Demonstrations in Hebron, Qalqilia, Tulkarem .

From the PA administrative capital in Ramallah pic.twitter.com/1cuelQa2tb

— Younis Tirawi | يونس (@ytirawi) October 17, 2023

In the West Bank, where Abbas was returning on Tuesday after canceling a planned meeting in Jordan with U.S. President Joe Biden, hundreds of demonstrators marched in Ramallah's central Manara Square, with some chanting in support of Hamas militant leaders.

Clashes with Palestinian security forces also broke in the West Bank cities of Nablus, Tubas and Jenin, a northern city that was the focus of major Israeli military operations earlier this year, according to witnesses.

The outbreak of West Bank protests highlights long-simmering Palestinian anger against Abbas, whose forces have long faced criticism for coordinating with Israel on security in the territory.

Russia and UAE call for emergency UN Security Council meeting following deadly Israeli strike on hospital

Russia and the United Arab Emirates called Tuesday for an emergency UN Security Council meeting following the deadly strike on a hospital in the Gaza Strip that left at least 100 dead.

"Russia and the United Arab Emirates have called for an urgent public meeting of the United Nations Security Council in the morning of October 18 over the strike on a Gaza hospital," the Russian ambassador to the UN, Dmitry Polyanski, said on Telegram.

Amman summit canceled as 'there is no use in talking now about anything except stopping the war', says Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi

Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi told Al Jazeera the Amman summit is canceled as “there is no use in talking now about anything except stopping the war.”

Jordan has canceled a summit it was to host in Amman on Wednesday with U.S. President Joe Biden and the Egyptian and Palestinian leaders to discuss the situation in Gaza, Safadi said. 

Jordan cancels summit with US President Biden and Egyptian, Palestinian leaders in Amman

Jordan has canceled a summit it was to host in Amman on Wednesday with US President Joe Biden and the Egyptian and Palestinian leaders to discuss the situation in Gaza, says the country’s foreign minister Ayman Safad.

Beirut protesters allegedly 'set fire' to UN building following Israel attack on Gaza hospital

There are reports on social media that protesters in Beirut have set fire to a United Nations building in the Lebanese capital, following an Israeli attack on a hospital in Gaza that killed hundreds of people. Al Jazeera has also reported a protest outside the French embassy in Beirut and groups of protesters trying to make their way to the US embassy.

Protesters attack the United Nations building in the Lebanese capital, #Beirut, in response to the Baptist Hospital Massacre in #Gaza. #Lebanon#Palestine pic.twitter.com/0EqhYvA4OP

— DOAM (@doamuslims) October 17, 2023

Lebanon's Hezbollah announces "day of unprecedented anger" against Israel, Biden's visit 

Lebanon's Hezbollah group denounced what they said was Israel's deadly attack on a Gaza hospital that killed hundreds of Palestinians, announcing Wednesday "a day of unprecedented anger" against Israel and Biden's visit to the country, according to a statement released by Hezbollah late on Tuesday.

"The attack reveals the true criminal face of this entity and its sponsor...the United States, which bears direct and complete responsibility for this massacre", according to the statement.

Erdogan urges stop to 'unprecedented brutality in Gaza' after hospital hit

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday condemned a deadly strike on a hospital in the Gaza Strip as "the latest example of Israeli attacks devoid of the most basic human values", in a message on social media.

"I invite all humanity to take action to stop this unprecedented brutality in Gaza," Erdogan said on social media platform X, formerly Twitter.

The health ministry in the Palestinian territory said Israeli air strikes on the hospital compound sheltering displaced people had killed over 500 people.

Erdogan accused Israel of "striking a hospital sheltering women, children and innocent civilians".

Turkey's foreign ministry also condemned "these barbaric attacks in the strongest terms," in a statement.

A large crowd of protesters gathered outside the Israeli embassy in Ankara and the consulate in Istanbul, local media reported.

Saudi Arabia strongly condemns 'heinous crime' committed by Israel at Gaza hospital

Saudi Arabia strongly condemned the "heinous crime" committed by Israeli forces by bombing the Al Ahli hospital in Gaza leading to the death of hundreds, the kingdom's foreign ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

Archbishop of Canterbury denounces "appalling and devastating" Israeli attack on Anglican-run Gaza hospital

This is an appalling and devastating loss of innocent lives.

The Ahli hospital is run by the Anglican church. I mourn with our brothers and sisters - please pray for them.

I renew my appeal for civilians to be protected in this devastating war.

May the Lord God have mercy. https://t.co/47Jl1X5pf2

— Archbishop of Canterbury (@JustinWelby) October 17, 2023

Abbas snubbing Biden and calling for "common and unified position" with other Arab leaders, following Israeli attack on Gaza hospital

With Abbas now confirmed to be leaving Jordan and withdrawing from a planned summit with Joe Biden, the comments of the Secretary of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, Hussein Al-Sheikh, suggest that the Palestinian Authority are lobbying other Arab leaders to also pull out of the summit following the Israeli air strike on a Gaza hospital that killed hundreds of innocents. 

“We are holding consultations at this hour with our brothers in Jordan and Egypt to take a common and unified position towards this heinous crime that the occupation forces are committing and are still committing", Al-Sheikh told The New Arab's sister publication Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.

Jordan's King Abdullah says Gaza hospital bombing a "shame on humanity"

Jordan's King Abdullah said the bombing of a Gaza hospital that killed and injured hundreds earlier on Tuesday was a "massacre" and a "war crime" that one cannot be silent about.

In a royal court statement the monarch, who blamed the bombing on Israel, said Israel should immediately end its war against the enclave and its actions against innocent Palestinians was a "shame on humanity".

Abbas cancels Biden meeting in wake of Gaza hospital attack by Israel

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has canceled a planned meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden, following an Israeli strike on a Gaza hospital on Tuesday that killed hundreds of civilians, a senior Palestinian official said.

The meeting was due to take place in Jordan. The senior Palestinian official said Abbas was returning to Ramallah, the seat of his government in the occupied West Bank, which tonight is witnessing large demonstrations calling for his resignation. 

Large protests in Ramallah following Gaza hospital attack

Large protests in Ramallah following the attack on the Al-Ahli hospital in Gaza that killed hundreds of Palestinians. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had earlier called for three days of mourning in response to the attack, but Palestinians are marching on the streets demanding the end of his rule. Abbas was supposed to attend a summit in Amman with US President Joe Biden on the ongoing Israeli attack on Gaza, but it is now being suggested he will fly back to Ramallah tonight.

Regardless, this is a very dangerous mega-event. Ramallah now. pic.twitter.com/4SWTtoJoub

— Daniel Seidemann (@DanielSeidemann) October 17, 2023

Médecins Sans Frontières condemn "massacre" of Palestinians at Ahli hospital by Israel

We are horrified by the recent Israeli bombing of Ahli Arab Hospital in #Gaza City, which was treating patients and hosting displaced Gazans. Hundreds of people have reportedly been killed. This is a massacre. It is absolutely unacceptable...

— MSF International (@MSF) October 17, 2023

Attacking civilian infrastructure in Gaza outside 'international law': EU chief

EU chief Charles Michel said Tuesday that targeting civilian infrastructure in Gaza breaks international law after a deadly strike on a hospital, which has left hundreds of civilians dead. 

"We got this information when we were together during this virtual meeting with the leaders. It seems to be to be confirmed and an attack against a civilian infrastructure is not in line with international law," Michel said after a videoconference of EU leaders.

Israeli embassy in Jordan in flames as protesters storm it following deadly Gaza hospital attack

Following Israel's deadly attack on the Ahli hospital in Gaza, which has left hundreds of civilians dead, protesters in Amman, which will host US President Joe Biden tomorrow, have seemingly set the Israeli embassy on fire. 

The fire in front of Israeli embassy in Jordan. pic.twitter.com/cIjYZWXQ2H

— Sprinter (@Sprinter99800) October 17, 2023

Egypt condemns deadly Israeli attack on Gaza hospital

Egypt has condemned the Israeli attack on Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza, calling it “a dangerous violation” of international humanitarian law.

“This deliberate attack on civilian targets is a dangerous violation of IHL and basic human values,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement posted on social media.
 

pic.twitter.com/3stCHdYKvL

— Egypt MFA Spokesperson (@MfaEgypt) October 17, 2023

WHO condemns deadly attack on al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza

The World Health Organization’s director-general has condemned the deadly attack on Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza.

In a post on X, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called for the “immediate protection of civilians” and for Israel’s “evacuation orders to be reversed”.

.@WHO strongly condemns the attack on Al Ahli Arab Hospital in north Gaza.

Early reports indicate hundreds of deaths and injuries.

We call for the immediate protection of civilians and health care, and for the evacuation orders to be reversed.#NotATarget

— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) October 17, 2023

Abbas declares 3 days of mourning following Israeli attack on Gaza hospital

Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas has declared three days of mourning following the Israeli bombing of al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza, Palestinian news agency WAFA reports.

Various political factions have also called on Palestinians in the West Bank to observe a commercial strike on Wednesday to protest the deadly Israeli attack on the hospital.

'There is no safe place in Gaza' - medics react to Israeli bombing of Al-Ahli hospital

Speaking exclusively to The New Arab, Dr. Zaher Sahloul, Cofounder and President of MedGlobal, Chicago-based Medical NGO that provides healthcare in disaster regions and which back the hospital had this to say:

“The bombing of the Baptist Hospital by the Israeli military is the worst massacre in the history of the conflict of innocent patients, healthcare workers, and civilians staying a hospital because they believed it was safe. 

Bombing hospitals is against international law. It is a war crime. It undermines medical neutrality and the 150 years old Geneva Conventions, and deprives a distressed local Palestinian community from access to healthcare.”

Dr. Husam Abu Safeya, Palestinian Pediatrician and MedGlobal lead doctor in northern Gaza had this to say about the attack:

"We are overwhelmed. We are struggling to help the victims. We can’t deal with the large number of deaths and injuries. Most victims are women and children sleeping in the hospital. We expect more hospitals to be bombed. There is no safe place in Gaza.”

The hospital is located in Central Gaza and has around 60 beds. The hundreds killed are believed to be mostly women and children sleeping in the hospital because they thought it was safe.

More than 300 killed in Israeli air strike on Gaza Hospital - civil defense official

More than 300 people were killed in an Israeli air strike on a hospital in Gaza Strip on Tuesday evening, the civil defense chief told Al Jazeera TV.

A health ministry official in Gaza said at least 500 were killed and injured in the air strike.

Gaza Health Ministry says death toll in Gaza City hospital blast rises to at least 500

In what is a rapidly evolving situation, the death toll from the Israeli attack on what is believed to be the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza City has left 500 people dead, according to the health ministry. 

At least 200 killed in Israeli strike on Gaza hospital complex, claim health ministry. 

More news on the Israeli air strike on a hospital believed to be the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza City. The Palestinian Health Ministry are reporting that over 200 people have been killed in this single attack. If these reports are accurate, it would make it the single most deadly air strike by Israel on Gaza in history. 

 

Israel strikes hospital in Gaza City, multiple deaths reported

Several Palestinians were killed and wounded when an Israeli air strike hit the yard of a hospital in central Gaza, the  interior ministry said on Tuesday. The hospital targeted by Israel is believed to be the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza City.

Now:

The Israeli military directly bombs the Arab Baptist Hospital in Gaza city.

Many casualties pic.twitter.com/kpdI8zVvpe

— Younis Tirawi | يونس (@ytirawi) October 17, 2023

(The New Arab Staff and Reuters)

At least 6 people killed in Israeli air strike on UNRWA school in Gaza

At least six people have been killed in an Israeli air strike that hit a school run by the United Nations' Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) in Gaza's Al-Maghazi refugee camp, UNRWA posted on X social media platform.

🛑 At least 6 people were killed this afternoon when an @UNRWA school was hit in al-Maghazi refugee camp.

This is outrageous & it again shows a flagrant disregard for the lives of civilians.

No place is safe in📍#Gaza anymore, not even @UN facilities.
⬇️https://t.co/9yh38bCqvk

— UNRWA (@UNRWA) October 17, 2023

France warns against Lebanon travel, joining Western states

France on Tuesday joined several Western countries in warning its citizens to avoid travel to Lebanon as the security situation remains tense in the south, and as some airlines suspended flights.

"Given security tensions in the region and particularly on Lebanon's southern border, French travellers planning a trip to Lebanon are not advised to go there," the French foreign ministry said in a statement on its website.

France on Monday warned Lebanese officials to avert war with Israel, and the United States has urged Hezbollah to stay out of the conflict.

940 children killed in Gaza: government media office

The Gaza Strip's government media office said 940 children and 1,032 were among those killed in the Israeli bombardment so far.

The death toll in the enclave is nearing 3,000.

61 Palestinians killed by Israel in West Bank since start of war

The Palestinian health ministry in the occupied West Bank stated that 61 Palestinians have been killed and 1,250 injured in the past 11 days alone.

The Israeli army is also carrying out extensive arrests of Palestinians throughout the West Bank, with some of these detentions made on suspicion of "incitement" on social media platforms.

According to Palestinian sources, nearly 700 Palestinians have been arrested by Israeli forces in the territory and occupied East Jerusalem since 7 October.

Read the full article here.

Hezbollah says six fighters killed in south Lebanon

Six Hezbollah members were killed in south Lebanon during border clashes with Israel on Tuesday, the Iran-backed militant group said.

It announced in a statement earlier that four of its fighters had died, bringing to nine the total number of Hezbollah members killed in intensifying border skirmishes with Israel.

In statements, Hezbollah said the fighters had been killed "performing jihad."

Hours earlier, Israel said it killed four militants who attempted to infiltrate the border from Lebanon, as war rages between Israel and Hezbollah ally Hamas in Gaza. These four were reportedly Palestinian militants.

Health sector 'in dangerous phase': health ministry

The Gaza Strip's health ministry has warned that hospitals have actually reached a dangerous phase as they begin to run out of fuel and suffer from power cuts.

Around 3,000 Gazans killed in Israeli strikes: Hamas ministry

Around 3,000 people have been killed in Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip, the health ministry in the Hamas-run Palestinian territory said on Tuesday.

More than 12,500 others have also been wounded in the Israeli bombardment.

Eric Cantona shows support for Palestine in Instagram post

Former French footballer and actor Eric Cantona posted a message of support for Palestine on his Instagram account on Thursday, saying that calls for a free Palestine did not equate support for Hamas or being anti-Semitic.

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Eric Cantona (@ericcantona)

Top Hamas commander killed in Israeli airstrike

Hamas says one of its top commanders, Ayman Nofal, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Tuesday.

Israeli shelling kills 4 in southern Lebanon: Lebanese Red Cross

The Lebanese Red Cross reported four people died in the border village of Alma al-Shaab as a result of Israeli shelling, unclear if they were militants or civilians. 

Alaraby TV reported that four Hezbollah members were killed on Thursday but it was not clear if they were the same casualties.

Omani ministry suspends celebratory events in solidarity with Gaza

Oman's social development ministry said Wednesday that it was suspending its organising of celebratory events in a show of solidarity with Gaza, the Oman Observer reported Wednesday.

Among events impacted would be celebrations for Omani Women's Day on Tuesday 17 October, the news outlet said.

Muscat's Royal Opera House had cancelled its Omani Women's Day concert meant to take place Tuesday. 

The Opera House said Monday that it has cancelled all performances at the venue until further notice, in solidarity with Palestine.

21 French nationals killed in Israel since 7 October: French foreign ministry

Twenty-one French nationals have been killed in Israel since war between the two sides broke out on 7 October, the French foreign ministry said in a statement Tuesday.

Eleven French nationals are still missing, the ministry said.

It said that several of the people missing were likely being held hostage by Hamas.

The ministry also condemned Hamas' release of a video of French-Israeli hostage Mia Schem, calling the move "horrible".

16 journalists killed in Gaza

The government in Gaza says 16 journalists have so far been killed by Israeli airstrikes in the enclave, the last of whom was Mohammad Baalousha who was killed along with a number of his family members in an airstrike on his home in the northern Gaza Strip overnight.

(Al-Araby Al-Jadeed)

2,000 US troops put on deployment alert amid Middle East crisis: Pentagon

The US military has put 2,000 troops on deployment alert, the Pentagon said Tuesday, in response to the escalating conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin placed the personnel and a range of units "on a heightened state of readiness through a prepare to deploy order," the Pentagon said in a statement, to be able "to respond quickly to the evolving security environment in the Middle East."

Residents of south Lebanon border village flee amid Israeli shelling

Residents fled the town of the Lebanese-border town of Dhayrah on Tuesday after hours-long Israeli shelling which included the use of white phosphorus, a munition described as "unlawfully indiscriminate" by rights groups.

A member of the town’s council told The New Arab that phosphorus shells hit homes and that residents took shelter in schools and hotels in neighbouring cities.

"A shell fell right next to my home, breaking my window and damaging my car. I had to flee, they really hit us hard with phosphorus yesterday," Zaher Abu Sari, the town council member, told TNA.

Israel has dropped phosphorus shells on el-Hamames Hill and the village of al-Wazzani in the Marjaayoun plain in southern Lebanon. They also shelled Bab el-Mghara in the town of Kfar Kila, according to the National News Agency. Earlier in the morning, rockets were launched from… https://t.co/I21kPsnUgA

— Megaphone (@megaphone_news) October 17, 2023

Residents reported at least one severe and several moderate cases of asphyxiation from smoke inhalations which were taken to the hospital after the shelling had stopped.

Dhayrah was shelled after a clash between Israeli forces and unknown gunmen on the Lebanese side of the border.

Israel has shelled both Gaza and Lebanon with white phosphorus over the past week, earning condemnation from human rights groups for the use of the dangerous incendiary weapon.

"Any time that white phosphorus is used in crowded civilian areas, it poses a high risk of excruciating burns and lifelong suffering," Lama Fakih, Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on 13 October.

Israel killing 100 children everyday in Gaza: Euromed

Israeli bombardment on the Gaza Strip has resulted in the deaths of 100 children everyday since 7 October, according to the EuroMed Rights group on Tuesday.

إسرائيل تقتل ١٠٠ طفل يوميا في #غزة منذ السابع من أكتوبر الجاري https://t.co/LYtrAUGEPl

— المرصد الأورومتوسطي (@EuroMedHRAr) October 17, 2023

Israel's Gaza evacuation order could breach international law: UN

The United Nations human rights office said on Tuesday that Israel's siege of Gaza and its evacuation order for the north of the enclave could amount to a forcible transfer of civilians and be in breach of international law.

Speaking to reporters in Geneva, Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the U.N. human rights office, said Israel seemed to have made no effort to ensure the civilians temporarily evacuated in Gaza were provided with proper accommodation, as well as satisfactory conditions of hygiene, health, safety and nutrition.

"We are concerned that this order, combined with the imposition of a complete siege of Gaza, may not be considered as lawful temporary evacuation and would therefore amount to a forcible transfer of civilians in breach of international law," she said.

"Those who managed to comply with the Israeli authorities' order to evacuate are now trapped in the south of the Gaza Strip, with scant shelter, fast-depleting food supplies, little or no access to clean water, sanitation, medicine and other basic needs."

The term "forcible transfer" describes the forced relocation of civilian populations and it is a crime against humanity punishable by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Four or five days of food left in Gaza shops: WFP

The UN's World Food Programme said the food situation in the besieged and blockaded Gaza Strip was worsening, with only four or five days of stocks left in the shops.

WFP said stocks were getting low in warehouses inside the Palestinian enclave, but at the shop level, the situation was even more acute.

"The situation in Gaza is getting worse by the minute: the humanitarian situation but also of course the food security situation," WFP's Middle East spokeswoman Abeer Etefa, told reporters at the UN in Geneva via video-link from Cairo.

"The current stocks of essential food commodities are sufficient for only two weeks - and that's at the wholesalers' level," she said, with the warehouses located in Gaza City in the north of the territory and shops having difficulties replenishing supplies.

Update from #Gaza:

🔺On Sunday, WFP distributed fresh bread to 107,192 internally displaced people in 19 shelters in south Gaza.

🔺19,000 people redeemed electronic vouchers to buy food from the last local shops that remain open.

Update continues 1/3🧵 pic.twitter.com/OWcRcPZDAI

— World Food Programme (@WFP) October 16, 2023

"Inside the shops, the stocks are getting close to less than a few days, maybe four or five days of food stocks left."

Etefa said that out of five flour mills in the Gaza Strip, only one was operating due to security concerns and the unavailability of fuel.

"So the bread supply is running low and people are lining up for hours to get bread," she said.

Only five bakeries out of 23 in Gaza contracted by WFP were still in operation, she added.

"Our food supplies within Gaza are running really short," said Etefa.

The spokeswoman said there has been no looting of WFP warehouses, and "anyway, whatever we have left in the warehouses is so little".

Iran warns 'no one can stop' resistance if Israel keeps bombing Gaza

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned Tuesday that "no one can stop" forces opposed to Israel if it keeps up its bombardment of Gaza in response to the surprise attack by Hamas.

"If the crimes of the Zionist (Israeli) regime continue, Muslims and resistance forces will become impatient, and no one can stop them," Khamenei said.

"No one should expect" that certain parties like Iran can "prevent the resistance forces" from taking action, said the supreme leader, who has the final say in major state policies in Iran.

"No matter what the Zionist regime does, it cannot make up for the scandalous failure it suffered," Khamenei said.

"Regarding the situation in Gaza, we all have a responsibility to react; we must react," Khamenei said, without detailing what a reaction may entail.

Israeli shelling on south Lebanon after Hezbollah missile attack

Clashes renewed along the Israel-Lebanese border, concentrated around the southwestern towns of Aita al-Shaab and Rmaych, after the Israeli military claimed that Hezbollah targeted Israeli military positions with an anti-tank missile. 

The mayor of Rmaych confirmed the airstrikes, but said that no one had been injured at the time of publishing. 

قصف معاد يستهدف خراج بلدة #رميش على مقربة من مراكز تابعة لـ #الجيش_اللبناني في "أبو شنان" pic.twitter.com/2Mkaa0yfjV

— Al Jadeed News (@ALJADEEDNEWS) October 17, 2023

Turkey in touch with Hamas over hostages it holds in Gaza: FM

Turkey's top diplomat said Tuesday his country had been in touch with Hamas over some 200 Israeli and foreign hostages it is holding in Gaza, following requests from several governments.

"So far, we have received requests from various countries for the release of their citizens. As a result, we started to discuss these issues, especially with the political wing of Hamas," Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told a news conference in Beirut alongside his Lebanese counterpart, Abdallah Bou Habib.

Fidan's comments come a day after he spoke with Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh on the phone about the possibility of the release of hostages.

"Our efforts continue, especially for the release of foreigners, civilians and children. We will continue our efforts to ensure lasting peace," Fidan said on Tuesday.

He will join a meeting in the Saudi city of Jeddah on Wednesday of foreign ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.

'We are preparing for the next stage of the war': Israeli army spokesperson

An Israeli military spokesman said there would be no humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza at this stage, according to The New Arab's sister site.

"We are preparing for the next stage of the war. Everyone is talking about a ground operation, but there may be something else."

(Al-Araby Al-Jadeed)

Biden to attend Egypt summit on Palestine, meet leaders in Jordan

US President Joe Biden will participate in an international summit called for by Egypt to discuss the situation in Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territories, an Egyptian diplomatic source has said, according to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.

Biden is expected to visit Israel and Jordan on Wednesday.

The White House said he will meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Jordanian King Abdallah II in Amman.

Iran's Khamenei calls for immediate stop to Gaza bombardments: TV

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said bombardments in Gaza must stop immediately in a speech on Tuesday, according to Iranian state media.

Lebanon's MEA moves some planes to Istanbul over border tensions

Lebanon's national carrier Middle East Airlines said Monday that it had moved five of its planes to Istanbul airport as tensions rise on the southern border with Israel.

The Israeli army has repeatedly clashed with Hezbollah since Hamas' October 7 attack and there are regional and international concerns that this could develop into a full fledged war.

"Instead of parking them in Beirut we parked them in Istanbul as a precautionary measure, we’re continuing our normal operations, we’re living day-by-day, it depends on what happens. I cannot predict the future," an MEA spokesperson told The New Arab's correspondent in Lebanon.

Fuel stock at Gaza hospitals enough for 24 hours: UNRWA

The UN Palestinian refugee agency said Tuesday that hospitals in Gaza have enough fuel to last them for only 24 hours.

Head of border crossings in Gaza killed in Israeli airstrike

The Director of the General Authority for Crossings and Borders in Gaza Fouad Abu Btihan was killed in an Israeli airstrike on the Nuseirat camp in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, the Hamas-run radio station said.

Some of his relatives were also killed in the strike.

#عاجل| المكتب الإعلامي الحكومي: استشهاد اللواء فؤاد علي أبو بطيحان رئيس هيئة المعابر والحدود، وعدد من أفراد أسرته جراء قصف طائرات الاحتلال لمنزلهم بشكل مباشر pic.twitter.com/2ldQQxkBcs

— الحقيقة الدولية - Alhaqeqa Aldawlia (@factjotv) October 17, 2023

155 attacks on health facilities in Gaza: WHO

The World Health Organization says there have been 155 attacks on health facilities in the Gaza Strip.

Officials in the enclave have warned that the health sector is on the verge of collapse as Israel continues its bombardment.

54 Palestinians killed in overnight strikes in Khan Younis and Rafah

At least 54 Palestinians were killed in an overnight Israeli strike that hit homes in Khan Younis and Rafah, Alaraby TV reported, quoting Gaza's interior ministry.

مشاهد من وصول شهداء وجرحى بينهم أطفال لمستشفى ناصر، عقب قصف منزل بالحي الهولندي غرب خانيونس فجر اليوم pic.twitter.com/KDhsBT745q

— القسطل الاخباري | القدس (@AlQastalps) October 17, 2023

Israel's military says status of post-war Gaza will be 'global issue'

An Israeli military spokesman said on Tuesday that the status of the Gaza Strip after Israel's planned assault on the Palestinian enclave would be a "global issue" for international discussion.

"We've had all kinds of end games," Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari told media during a news briefing, in response to a question about whether Israel would fully occupy the territory.

"The cabinet is also discussing what that could look like ... this is also a global issue, what the situation will look like in this region," he said.

US President to visit Israel on Wednesday

US President Joe Biden will make a landmark trip to Israel Wednesday in a show of support.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Biden's visit would be a statement of "solidarity with Israel" and an "ironclad commitment to its security".

Washington has already sent two aircraft carrier strike groups to the eastern Mediterranean "to deter hostile actions against Israel."

Anti-tank missile from Lebanon wounds 2 Israeli soldiers

An anti-tank missile launched from south Lebanon targeted the Israeli settlement of Metulla Tuesday morning, Alaraby TV reported.

The Israeli army said two of its personnel were injured, and responded by shelling a number of Lebanese border villages.

Shortly after, another 10 rockets were fired from Lebanon's Kfarkela towards Metulla.

BREAKING: Resistance fighters in southern Lebanon target the colonial Israeli settlement of Metulla in northern occupied Palestine with a precision-guided missile. pic.twitter.com/yuSywAGU70

— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) October 17, 2023

Earlier on Tuesday, Israel said its troops had killed four militants attempting to infiltrate from Lebanon and launched strikes on Hezbollah targets in the country.

The Israeli army said more than 20 towns and settlements in northern Israel near the Lebanese frontier have been evacuated.