Israel expands ground attack in southern Gaza: Death toll soars over 800 in a day
At least 15,500 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since October 7. In Israel, the official death toll stands at about 1,200
Israel's military has widened its ground offensive in southern Gaza as Palestinian officials say more than 800 people have been killed in the last day.
Here are the latest key developments:
- Israel bombards Gaza, including the city of Khan Younis in the south.
- An Israeli strike near Kamal Adwan Hospital in Jabalia in the occupied West Bank kills at least four, WAFA reports.
- Israel says it killed Hamas commander Haitham Khuwajari.
- Israel deploys 30 armoured vehicles in a dawn raid on Jenin, one of several overnight raids in the occupied West Bank.
- Iran warns of "war expansion" if Israel does not stop the relentless bombardment of Gaza as Yemen's Houthis target two cargo vessels in the Red Sea.
- Israeli domestic spy chief Ronen Bar promises to hunt down Hamas in Lebanon, Turkey and Qatar – "even if it takes years".
- At least 15,500 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since October 7. In Israel, the official death toll stands at about 1,200.
4:00pm
At least 60 Palestinians arrested in the occupied West Bank
At least 60 Palestinians, including former prisoners, were arrested in the occupied West Bank overnight and this morning.
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A group of those arrested were later released.
In a statement, the Palestinian Prisoners' Club said that some of the arrests were concentrated in the Dheisheh camp in Bethlehem, while the rest were distributed across the occupied West Bank.
Since October 7, more than 3,540 Palestinians have been arrested in the occupied West Bank.
Al Jazeera's Hoda Abdel-Hamid, reporting from the occupied West Bank, there were raids all across the occupied West Bank last night, including in Qalqilya, where two Palestinians were killed.
3:55pm
Row over arms distribution to Israeli civilians deepens
The head of the Firearms Licensing Department has quit his post after learning that Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir's staff issued gun permits to Israeli citizens without proper training.
Yisrael Avisar was head of the department responsible for issuing gun permits.
During a Knesset hearing, Avisar said that Ben-Gvir's staff were given the title of "temporary licensing official" after one day of training that usually lasts at least a month, Haaretz reported.
Citing security sources, Haaretz said firearm licences were granted to people who were not meeting criteria, such as mental and physical health requirements.
"They are handing out guns like candy," a security official told the Israeli newspaper.
Ben-Gvir defended his weapons distribution policy as "clear and continuous".
Since October 7, Ben-Gvir and Netanyahu have encouraged the arming of civilians. According to Channel 13 TV, there have been 150,000 applications for gun licences since the war started – compared to 42 applications the same period last year.
3:50pm
What areas in Gaza has Israel targeted today?
Overnight and early morning Israeli attacks have hit homes, commercial centres and hospitals across the north, centre and south of Gaza.
Here are some of those areas in Gaza that have come under Israeli attacks today:
- Al-Shuja'iya and al-Tuffah neighbourhoods, east of Gaza City
- Mosque in Al-Zaytoun neighbourhood, east of Gaza City
- Homes and central square in Gaza City
- Jabalia refugee camp, north Gaza
- Entrance of Kamal Adwan hospital, north Gaza
- Homes in Beit Lahia and Beit Hanoun, north Gaza
- Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza
- Deir el-Balah, central Gaza
- Homes and a commercial centre in Khan Younis, southern Gaza
- Al-Tannour neighbourhood, southern Gaza
- Al-Janina neighbourhood, southern Gaza
3:05pm
Netanyahu's corruption trial resumes
The trial of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu resumes today in the Jerusalem District Court, Israeli media report.
This comes as most courts have been ordered to resume normal activities after working only on emergency cases since the war started on October 7.
Netanyahu is exempted from attending the hearings but could be called to testify in a few months, reports said.
The prime minister is charged with fraud, breach of trust and corruption. He has pleaded not guilty and repeatedly said in the past that he is the victim of a politically orchestrated "witch-hunt" by the media and the left.
2:25pm
WATCH: Aftermath of Israeli bombardment in southern Gaza
A Palestinian photojournalist has documented the aftermath of an Israeli attack on a house belonging to the Shurrab family in the southern Gaza Strip.
The video shared on Instagram, and verified by Al Jazeera, shows the level of destruction following the attack:
2:25pm
Exchange of fire continues at Israel-Lebanon border
Three Israeli soldiers have been wounded in an overnight exchange of fire at the Israel-Lebanon border.
The Israeli military said it targeted areas inside Lebanon after one of its posts was attacked by several mortar launches.
Skirmishes along the frontier have been ongoing since October 7 but while they have increased in intensity, they have largely been limited in scope and geography. Most of the exchanges have also been limited to military targets.
Since 7 October, at least 87 Hezbollah fighters and 15 civilians, including four journalists, have been killed in the border region.
2:00pm
US delegation to Israel carries clear message for its leadership
The US delegation expected to arrive in Israel later today will reiterate the same message that VP Harris delivered to the COP28 summit in Dubai, Al Jazeera's Alan Fisher says.
Harris said the US would not accept the forced relocation of Palestinians or any redrawing of the territorial borders of the strip.
"That message will be carried out by Philip Gordon [Harris's national security adviser], who will be meeting with an Israeli delegation in the next few hours," Fisher said. "This is the White House sending this message to Israel."
1:45pm
Israeli army calls for evacuation from certain areas in Khan Younis
The Israeli army has called on residents of certain areas in central Khan Younis, southern Gaza, to evacuate further south.
The message, shared on the military's Arabic account on X, displayed a map showing Gaza split into numbered blocks, with some of these sections highlighted as zones to evacuate.
The map has a QR code which civilians are expected to scan to check if their house falls into one of the targeted blocks.
It is not clear though how residents in Gaza will be able to use such a system. Access to the internet is extremely limited in the strip after more than a month of Israeli air raids have destroyed the enclave's infrastructure, with Israelis enforcing a communications blackout.
Residents who spoke to Al Jazeera also expressed grave frustration and fear in relocating again as places that are now being targeted were previously indicated as safe areas by the Israeli army.
1:40pm
Central Gaza has turned into a battlefield
Central Gaza is now cut off from the south. Israeli attacks by air, land, and even sea are ongoing. We can hear Israeli jets and drones overhead.
Some residential areas in Deir el-Baleh have been hit, killing and injuring people. Ambulances and rescue teams have not been able to pull all the bodies out from under the rubble. Deir el-Baleh and central Gaza have turned into a battlefield.
Now, people are trying to leave for the south and are waiting for Israeli instructions… but there is no safe place to go.
1:28pm
Two Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in occupied West Bank
Palestinian officials have told Al Jazeera that Israeli forces killed two Palestinians in Qalqilya, occupied West Bank, this morning.
Israeli army radio confirmed that two "gunmen" were killed and one wounded following an Israeli army raid in the city.
Local sources told Al Jazeera that both bodies were taken away by the Israeli forces.
1:00pm
Another deadly night for the Palestinians
It's been a very deadly and bloody night for the Palestinians not just in the south but also in the central and northern parts.
Four homes in al-Janina neighborhood and a small refugee camp were completely destroyed in Rafah. At least 35 people have been reported killed and multiple critically injured.
The worst of the attacks happened here in central Khan Younis, where a commercial centre was hit. The centre is located in an area that is supposed to be safe and where hundreds of people have sought refuge in the last two days since the end of the ceasefire.
The centre was completely destroyed, burned beyond recognition. Its destruction caused severe damage to nearby areas, including homes, to the point that they are not livable.
In the eastern side of Khan Younis, the Israeli military has started to advance with tanks and armoured vehicles. A family stranded there was trying to evacuate when their three-story building was shelled by tanks and completely destroyed.
12:15pm
Head of aid group says Israel's evacuation zone map causing 'fear, panic and confusion'
Melanie Ward, chief executive of humanitarian organisation Medical Aid for Palestinians, has said Israel's so-called Evacuation Zone Map for residents in Gaza is causing confusion and panic.
"I cannot overstate the fear, panic and confusion that these Israeli maps are causing civilians in #Gaza, including my own staff. People cannot run from place to place to try to escape Israel's bombs, nor does international law expect them to. What is being done is unconscionable," Ward said in a post on X on Sunday.
Israel's military said on Friday it had introduced the map, which divides Gaza into more than 600 zones, to enable residents "to orient themselves and understand the instructions, and to evacuate from specific places for their safety if required".
12:05pm
Former US security adviser blames Iran for Gaza conflict
The Iranian government is the "real perpetrator" in the Gaza conflict, former White House National Security Advisor John Bolton told Al Jazeera, saying Tehran is using "terrorist surrogate groups" to perpetrate a "ring of fire" strategy against Israel.
"I do not consider this a war of Hamas against Israel. I consider this a war by some of America's worst enemies," he said. "I think in the Arab world in particular, if people understood this better – and I think many of the leaders do understand it – they would see this is not an attack on the Arab world. This is Israel defending itself from the leadership in Tehran."
Bolton, who was a member of the Trump administration before leaving in 2019, also called the two-state solution "irretrievably wounded" and called for a three-state solution that would hand Egypt control over Gaza and Jordan control over parts of the West Bank
12:04pm
Almost 400,000 Palestinians have lost jobs due to war, ILF says
Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in the West Bank have lost their jobs or had their salaries frozen after the Israeli authorities cancelled their work permits and imposed severe restrictions on crossings after the 7 October attacks, reports The Guardian.
Approximately 182,000 Gaza residents who work in Israel and the settlements had their employment terminated, initial estimates by the International Labour Organization (ILO) suggest, while about 24% of employment in the West Bank has also been lost – equivalent to 208,000 jobs – as a result of the Israel-Hamas war.
According to the ILO, a further 160,000 workers from the West Bank have either lost their jobs in Israel and the settlements, at least temporarily, or are at risk of losing them "as a result of restrictions imposed on Palestinians' access to the Israeli labour market and the closures of crossings from the West Bank into Israel and the settlements".
12:02pm
Israel says it killed Hamas battalion commander
Israeli forces have killed a Hamas commander named Haitham Khuwajari, the military said in an X post early Monday, The Times of Israel reports.
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) claim Khojari had led a battalion that took part in Hamas's attacks on Israel on 7 October.
They also said Khojari was in charge of security for Hamas activities at Gaza's main hospital Al-Shifa, and commandeered fighting against IDF forces at Camp Shatti, a Palestinian refugee camp in northern Gaza.
The Israeli military targeted Al-Shifa two weeks ago, claiming Hamas had built an important command centre under the hospital. The US backed these claims, which Hamas rejected.
Separately, the IDF announced that three soldiers were killed in battle on Sunday.
11:48am
US VP Kamala Harris speaks with Israeli President Herzog, PA's Abbas on flight from Dubai
US Vice President Kamala Harris spoke separately with Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas overnight on her flight back from Dubai to Washington, the White House says, reports Al Jazeera.
Harris was in Dubai for an appearance at the UN climate conference, where she also met with several Arab leaders to discuss the ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza following the terror group's October 7 massacres and the abduction of hostages, and the "day after."
Harris's National Security Advisor, Dr. Phil Gordon, stayed in Dubai and will be traveling to Israel and the West Bank this week for additional discussions, the White House says.
In her call with Herzog, Harris "reiterated the strong US support for Israel's right to self-defense" and spoke about US concerns "with steps that could escalate tensions, including extremist settler violence" in the West Bank, according to the readout.
Harris also "reiterated the importance of planning for the day after the fighting ends in Gaza, and she underscored our commitment to a two-state solution."
On Saturday, Harris was sharply critical of Israel, echoing comments from administration officials who have demanded Israel change the way it is waging the war to better protect civilians in Gaza.
11:20am
Palestine Red Crescent volunteer killed in northern Gaza
A Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) volunteer was killed in a bombing in northern Gaza's al-Faluja area early this morning, reports Al-Jazeera.
10:45am
1 in 3 Israelis showing PTSD symptoms after October 7 attacks, study says
One in three Israelis have described symptoms consistent with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following Hamas' October 7 attacks, according to a new study.
The study carried out by researchers at Achva Academic College, Haifa University and Columbia University surveyed 420 Israelis aged 18 and older about their level of exposure to the attacks and the subsequent war in Gaza, Israel's Haaretz newspaper reported on Monday, reports Al-Jazeera.
Among the respondents, 34% had symptoms consistent with PTSD, with the portion exceeding 50% for those who experienced the attacks directly or lost someone close to them, Haaretz said.
10:35am
Wafa news agency says Israeli forces made more arrests following the storming of several areas across the West Bank
The areas are:
- Jenin
- Silwad
- Jaffna
- Jalazoun
- Qalqilya
- Hebron
A separate post on X by Al Jazeera Arabic also showed the Israeli raids targeting several homes in Jenin in the north.
10:25am
Three soldiers killed in Gaza: Israeli army
The Israeli military said the three soldiers were killed in the besieged enclave during fighting on Sunday, reports Al-Jazeera.
10:00am
Six Thais held captive in Gaza to return home on Monday
Six Thai nationals held captive in Gaza by Hamas are due to return home on Monday afternoon, according to Thailand's foreign affairs ministry.
The group have been recuperating in Israel since Thai officials negotiated their release as part of people exchanges carried out during the seven-day pause in fighting.
At least nine Thais remain in captivity in Gaza among the 32 who were abducted during Hamas's October 7 attacks.
9:30am
Intense bombardment reported in southern Gaza's Khan Younis
We are following up reports of intense strikes and artillery shelling targeting areas in Gaza's Khan Younis, as Israel announced the expansion of its military operation in the southern part of the besieged enclave.
There were no immediate reports on casualties following up the early morning strike.
Israeli raids and continuous artillery fire were also reported in Gaza's neighborhoods of al-Shujaiya and al-Tuffah, further north near Gaza City.
