Israel foreign minister cancels meeting with Guterres
Here are the latest updates on the Hamas-Israel conflict
Summary
- Israeli strikes killed at least 436 Palestinians in the last 24 hours
- More than 5,000 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Palestine since the conflict broke out.
- Hamas says it released two elderly captives held in Gaza after Qatari and Egyptian mediation.
- Gaza's Ministry of Health denounces "multiple massacres" by Israel.
- The Pentagon has sent military advisers, including a general versed in urban warfare, to Israel to aid in its planning for the war in Gaza.
- Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said Palestinian groups in Gaza are acting without any direction from Tehran after the US accusation.
- Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant tells Israeli forces to prepare for an "air, ground and sea" operation into Gaza, adding that the operation "will come soon".
- US President Biden held a phone call with Israeli PM Netanyahu, in which he called for the continuous flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza.
- France's President Macron has arrived in Tel Aviv on a visit intended to show France's "full solidarity" with Israel.
10:17 pm
Israel foreign minister cancels meeting with Guterres
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Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen announced on social media that he would not go through with a planned meeting with the UN chief. The cancellation comes after Guterres said the October 7 attack by Hamas did not happen "in a vacuum" and that Palestinians had been "subjected to 56 years of suffocating occupation", reports Al Jazeera. He also voiced concern over the "clear violations of international humanitarian law" by Israel.
Cohen wrote on X, formerly Twitter: "I will not meet with the UN Secretary General. "After October 7th there is no room for a balanced approach," he added. "Hamas must be erased from the world!"
8:35 pm
UN chief deplores 'clear violations' in Gaza, urges truce
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday alleged violations of international law as Israel pounds Gaza, and urged an immediate humanitarian ceasefire to bring in relief, reports AFP.
"I am deeply concerned about the clear violations of international humanitarian law that we are witnessing in Gaza. Let me be clear: No party to an armed conflict is above international humanitarian law," Guterres told a Security Council session, without explicitly naming Israel.
Guterres, who personally traveled to the crossing between Egypt and Gaza in a push to let in assistance, welcomed the crossing of three aid convoys so far through the Rafah crossing.
"But it is a drop of aid in an ocean of need. In addition, our UN fuel supplies in Gaza will run out in a matter of days. That would be another disaster," Guterres said.
8:15 pm
Italy's foreign minister disputes hospital blast death toll
Antonio Tajani has said "about 50 people, and not 500" were killed in the explosion at the al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City a week ago, adding that an Israeli missile was not responsible for it, reports Al Jazeera.
The Italian foreign minister did not attribute responsibility in the comments he made to Sky TG24, nor did he elaborate on what evidence his remarks were based on. A spokesperson for the foreign ministry told Al Jazeera that "informed Italian sources" had briefed Tajani.
Health officials in Gaza said at least 471 people were killed in the explosion. Hamas accused Israel of carrying out an attack on the hospital, while Israel blamed a misfired rocket launched by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group, which denied responsibility.
7;25 pm
UN says its Gaza operation will end tomorrow 'if we don't get fuel'
The UN's agency looking after Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has warned of a potential end to its aid work in the Gaza Strip, reports BBC.
Juliette Touma tells BBC Radio 4's World At One programme that "if we do not get fuel urgently, we will be forced to halt our operations in the Gaza Strip as of tomorrow (Wednesday) night".
6:35 pm
Israeli police close Al-Aqsa Mosque for Muslim worshippers
For the first time in months, Israeli police have closed the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem and stopped Muslim worshippers from entering the compound, according to the Islamic Waqf department which is in charge of the holy site, reports Al Jazeera.
Israeli police allowed Jewish worshippers to enter the compound in the morning and hold rituals in violation of the status quo at the mosque which states only Muslims can worship at the holy site, Palestinian Wafa news agency reported.
6:35 pm
UN says Gaza is not getting the relief supplies it needs
The UN says just 54 trucks with relief supplies have crossed into Gaza since Saturday. Tamara Alrifai, communications chief of the United Nations Palestine refugee relief agency UNRWA, described that as a drop in the ocean, reports Al Jazeera.
In addition, urgently needed fuel for generators was not included in the shipments. Instead, rice and lentils were delivered, which cannot be cooked because people don't have access to the water and gas they need for cooking, Alrifai said.
6:32 pm
More Macron on hostages …
French President Emmanuel Macron met with the families of hostages held captive saying "we will neglect nothing" to obtain freedom for French citizens, reports Al Jazeera. Nine French citizens are being held or have disappeared in the Gaza Strip.
"The first objective we should have today is the release of all hostages, without any distinction, because this is an awful crime to play with these lives of children, adults, old people, civilians and soldiers," said Macron. He also highlighted the need to "respect the rules of war" – an apparent message to Israel, which has carpet-bombed Gaza and killed thousands of civilians. "The fight must be without mercy but not without rules," Macron said.
5:16pm
Israeli army asks Gaza residents to give information on captives in exchange for security, money
The Israeli army says it has appealed to residents in Gaza to reveal information on captives held by Hamas in exchange for security and financial compensation, reports Al Jazeera.
"If you want a better future for you and your child, take action and give us as soon as possible solid and useful information concerning the abductees in your area," reads an army statement. "The Israeli army assures you that it will put forth maximum effort to provide security to you and your home, as well as a monetary reward. We guarantee you complete confidentiality," it added. The army then provided contact details to transmit the information.
5:13pm
Israeli air strikes hit near al-Wafa Hospital
As reported by Al Jazeera, the Interior Ministry in Gaza revealed that an Israeli army aircraft struck near Al-Wafa Hospital in central Gaza City.
The attack resulted in injuries, highlighting the ongoing impact of the war on civilian areas.
5:05pm
704 Palestinians killed in last 24 hours: Ministry
The Palestinian health ministry in Gaza says Israeli air raids have killed 704 Palestinians in the last 24 hours, reports Al Jazeera.
At least 5,791 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7, including 2,360 children, it said.
3:39pm
Captors 'took care of every detail'
Yocheved Lifschitz says there was a guard for each of the five people being held hostage in her group, reports BBC.
Her captors "took care of every detail", she says - including women who knew about "feminine hygiene".
Lifschitz says, while being held in the tunnels, her group were given white cheese and cucumber to eat.
It was the same food that her Hamas captors were eating, her daughter, Sharone, adds.
3:03pm
Israeli army tells residents to evacuate
Israeli top military spokesperson says the focus of the army's bombardment is Gaza City and districts in the north of the enclave.
"We continue to attack there with strength, and for your personal safety, those who did not leave – move south," said Daniel Hagari.
"We are building a humanitarian effort there that will allow conditions to exist" he added, without elaborating.
While the army has repeatedly urged residents to evacuate northern Gaza – causing the displacement of more than a million people – it has continued to bombard the strip's southern areas.
2:54pm
Qatar's emir slams international community for inaction over children's killings
Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani has urged the international community not to grant Israel an unconditional green light to continue committing illegal atrocities against Palestinians in its fight against Hamas, reports Al Jazeera.
In his speech, the emir also said the international community was "acting as if Palestinian children are worthless, like they are faceless and nameless".
2:22pm
France's Macron to meet Palestinian president in Ramallah
France's President Emmanuel Macron will meet his Palestinian counterpart Mahmud Abbas in Ramallah on Tuesday, the Palestinian leader's office said.
Macron is the latest Western leader to make a solidarity visit to Israel after the 7 October attacks by Hamas, but would be the first to visit the Palestinian Authority headquarters in the occupied West Bank during the crisis. The French presidency did not immediately confirm the meeting.
2:21pm
State of healthcare facilities in Gaza: Al Jazeera
Mohamed Zaqout, general manager of hospitals in Gaza, has given Al Jazeera these updates:
- 25 ambulances are out of service because of air strikes.
- Eight out of 24 hospitals in Gaza are out of service because of air strikes or lack of fuel and medical supplies.
- Rescue teams are unable to reach those under the rubble of buildings destroyed by Israeli attacks.
- Hamad Hospital, one of the main hospitals in Gaza, is out of service after being targeted by Israeli air strikes
2:20pm
Re-opening of schools in Israel postponed to December
The start of the academic school year in Israel has been postponed to December, Israeli media reported citing the Committee of University Heads.
According to Al Jazeera, the decision was reportedly due to the ongoing war in Gaza and the high number of students among reservists.
1:48pm
Macron expresses solidarity with Israel
The French President also said that "what happened will never be forgotten," in reference to Hamas's assault on Israel, reports Al Jazeera.
"I am here to express our solidarity," he said, as he met with his Israeli counterpart Isaac Herzog in Jerusalem.
1:20pm
International community 'acting as if Palestinian children are worthless'
We have more details coming in from Qatar emir's speech in the capital Doha where he spoke about the situation in Gaza right now.
Here are some of the key talking points from his speech:
- The emir began by condemning the violence against innocent civilians on both sides.
- He also faulted the international community for "acting as if Palestinian children are worthless, like they are faceless and nameless".
- The emir reiterated that Israel's escalating violence in Palestine is concerning, and it goes against all international laws, religious and social morals.
UN agency says six more staff killed in Israeli bombing
The UN Relief and Works Agency says another six of its staff were killed in an Israeli bombing of Gaza, bringing their workers' death toll to 35.
In total, more than 5,000 people have been killed in Gaza by Israeli bombing since 7 October, reports Al Jazeera.
Click here to read more about the Israel-Hamas war
12:30pm
London vigil to mourn children killed in Gaza
A vigil will take place today outside parliament in London "to mourn the almost 2,000 children killed in Gaza", reports Al Jazeera.
The event, organised by the group Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP), will also see demand for an immediate ceasefire in the war that has seen more than 5,000 people killed in Gaza since October 7.
"Attendees will write the name of a child on the palm of their hand. Each one is the name of a Palestinian child killed in Israel's ongoing bombardment of Gaza," MAP said in a statement. "Children in Gaza had started to write their own names on their hands, terrified that if they were killed in the bombing, their bodies would not be identified or buried with their loved ones."
12:18am
Qatar's emir addressing Israeli attacks on Gaza
We have live shots of the Qatari emir talking about the situation in Gaza, reports Al Jazeera.
He says the dangerous escalation threatens the region and the world and that Israel should not be given a green light for unconditional killing.
We'll bring you more shortly.
11:33am
Hamas says at least 140 killed in Israeli night air raids on Gaza
Gaza's Hamas government has said that Israeli air raids on the besieged territory during the night killed at least 140 people.
A statement from the government's media office said "more than 140 people were martyred and hundreds wounded in massacres committed by the occupation (Israeli) raids".
11:30am
Israel has attacked 400 targets, including mosques: Israeli spokesperson
An Israeli army spokesperson said that Israel has attacked more than 400 "targets", including mosques, in the Gaza Strip in the past day, reports Al Jazeera.
Daniel Hagari said the mosques were being used by Hamas as meeting places, in a post on X on Tuesday morning.
Hagari also said that Israel had attacked Hamas's "operational headquarters" and that it had killed three Hamas deputy commanders.
He specified several Gaza neighbourhoods that Israeli warplanes had attacked, including Jabalia. Thirty people, mostly women and children, were killed when Gaza's Jabalia refugee camp was bombed, the civil defence unit there told Al Jazeera on Sunday.
11:00am
Macron arrives in Israel on 'solidarity' visit
France's President Emmanuel Macron has arrived in Tel Aviv on a visit intended to show France's "full solidarity" with Israel, French news agency AFP reported.
Macron's office briefed AFP on the topics Macron plans to discuss during his visit. This includes resuming a "genuine peace process" for the creation of a Palestinian state and "halting the colonisation" of the West Bank with Israeli settlements.
10:20am
Power restored at Gaza's Indonesian Hospital: Report
We are getting a report from the Palestinian news outfit, Al Hadath, that the power has been restored at the Indonesian Hospital, the largest medical facility in northern Gaza, but it is unclear how long their current fuel supply will last.
We reported overnight that the hospital lost power, leaving the entire complex in the dark even as it continues to deal with the arrival of new patients injured by the continuing Israeli bombardment.
Earlier today, Gaza's Health Ministry also issued a dire warning saying that the health system in the entire Palestinian territory could collapse in the next 48 hours without the delivery of an emergency fuel supply.
The ministry also said that many infants, who were born premature, are also in danger if the power supply that allows incubators to run is shut due to fuel shortage.
10:00am
China 'deeply saddened' by civilian deaths: Wang
China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi has told Israel's Eli Cohen that Beijing is "deeply saddened" by the large number of civilian deaths in the escalating Israel-Hamas war, reports Al Jazeera.
Wang acknowledged that every country had a right to self-defence, but "they should abide by international humanitarian law and protect the safety of civilians", China's state media reported on Tuesday.
Wang is due to visit the United States later this week.
9:40am
Israeli forces arrest senior Hamas leader in occupied West Bank: Al Jazeera
A senior leader of the Palestinian group Hamas has been arrested in the occupied West Bank following an Israeli night raid of his home, according to news reports.
A video clip posted by Al Jazeera Arabic on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter, showed Adnan Hamarsheh sitting in a wheelchair and being hauled into an armoured vehicle by several heavily armed members of the Israeli force.
The arrest of Hamarsheh in his home in Jenin's town of Ya'bad was also reported by the Palestinian Al Hadath news outlet.
930am
At least 110 killed in Israel strikes across Gaza Strip: Medical sources
At least 110 people have been killed, including women and children, as a result of several Israeli air raids across the Gaza Strip late on Monday and before dawn on Tuesday, a medical source told Al Jazeera.
In the last few hours, Israeli air strikes were reported in northern Gaza's al-Shati refugee camp and al-Balad in Jabaliya, al-Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza as well as two areas in the south, Rafah and Khan Younis
Palestinian news agency WAFA also confirmed the news, saying that the highest number of casualties was in Rafah with more than 30 people killed.
08:29am
Biden urges 'continuous flow' of aid to Gaza in call with Netanyahu
US President Joe Biden underscored the need to sustain "a continuous flow" of humanitarian assistance into Gaza in a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, the White House said.
Biden also "welcomed the release of two additional hostages from Gaza earlier today, and reaffirmed his commitment to ongoing efforts to secure the release of all the remaining hostages taken by Hamas," the White House added.
He also updated the prime minister on "US support for Israel and ongoing efforts at regional deterrence, to include new US military deployments," according to the White House.
8:09am
Obama warns some of Israel's actions in Gaza may backfire
Some of Israel's actions in its war against Hamas, like cutting off food and water for Gaza, could "harden Palestinian attitudes for generations" and weaken international support for Israel, former US President Barack Obama said on Monday.
In rare comments on an active foreign policy crisis, Obama said any Israeli military strategy that ignores the human costs of the war "could ultimately backfire."
"The Israeli government's decision to cut off food, water and electricity to a captive civilian population (in Gaza) threatens not only to worsen a growing humanitarian crisis; it could further harden Palestinian attitudes for generations, erode global support for Israel, play into the hands of Israel's enemies, and undermine long-term efforts to achieve peace and stability in the region," Obama said.
8:01am
China will do utmost to contribute to Palestinian-Israeli reconciliation
China will do its utmost when it comes to contributing to Palestinian-Israeli reconciliation, its foreign minister told his Israeli counterpart in a phone call on Monday, according to Chinese state media.
China will firmly support any resolution as long as it is conducive to peace, Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Israel's Eli Cohen, calling the conflict a "major choice between war and peace", state media said on Tuesday.
Wang also called for Israel to take effective measures to protect the safety of Chinese citizens and institutions in the Middle East, adding that "all countries have the right to self-defence, but they should abide by international humanitarian law and protect the safety of civilians."
China has condemned violence and attacks on civilians in the conflict, and while Wang has declared Israel's actions "beyond the scope of self-defence" he has not named Hamas in his comments.
7:45am
Hamas frees two Israeli women, US cautions on Gaza invasion
Hamas on Monday said it had freed two Israeli women who were among the more than 200 hostages taken during its Oct. 7 rampage in southern Israel while sources said the US had advised Israel to hold off on a ground assault in the Gaza Strip.
"We decided to release them for humanitarian and poor health grounds," Abu Ubaida, spokesman for the armed wing of the Palestinian group, said on Telegram.
The Israeli prime minister's office issued a statement confirming that the women, whom it named as Nurit Cooper, 79, and Yocheved Lifshitz, 85, were handed over to the Israeli military and would be taken to a medical facility.
7:37am
Israel promises 'unrelenting attacks' on Hamas
Israel's military said it was preparing for "unrelenting attacks" to dismantle Hamas while former US President Barack Obama warned that "any Israeli military strategy that ignores the human costs could ultimately backfire."
Israeli Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi issued a statement suggesting that Israel had no intention of curbing its strikes on the densely populated Gaza Strip and hinting that it was well prepared for a ground assault.
"We want to bring Hamas to a state of full dismantling," Halevi said. "The path is a path of unrelenting attacks, damaging Hamas everywhere and in every way.
"We are well prepared for the ground operations in the south," he added, referring to southern Israel, which abuts Gaza. "There are tactical, operative, strategic considerations that have provided additional time, and troops who have more time are better prepared, and that is what we are doing now."
In public, the United States has stressed Israel's right to defend itself but two sources familiar with the matter said the White House, Pentagon and State Department have stepped up private appeals for caution in conversations with the Israelis.
7:30am
5,087 Palestinians including 2,055 children killed in Israeli strikes since 7 Oct
Gaza's health ministry spokesman said on Sunday that since 7 October, Israeli strikes on Gaza have resulted in the death of 5,087 Palestinians, of which 2,055 were children.
More than 15,273 others have been wounded during the Israeli strikes, reports Arab News.
Hamas officials reported that Israeli strikes overnight and early Monday resulted in at least 70 casualties.
The Israeli military stated that they targeted around 320 military sites in the Gaza Strip in the same time frame. The strikes aimed at tunnels containing Hamas and Islamic Jihad members, operational command centres, military facilities, and observation posts.
