Gaza growing more 'desperate by the hour', says UN chief as death toll crosses 8,000

Samar Abu Elouf is a Gaza-based photojournalist and has been documenting the situation in the besieged enclave amid Israel's continuous bombing, reports Al Jazeera.

On Sunday, she shared a video on Instagram explaining how Palestinians who live near Gaza's sea are using saltwater to accommodate their daily water needs.

Israel announced a "total siege" of the Gaza Strip on October 9, including a ban on food and water.

"This is a stage where people are filling up water from the sea," she said in the video, thanking God for "the blessing of the sea" as long as it remains available to them.

"[But] For anyone who does not live [by] the sea, it will be very difficult for them to get there. Most people love the sea, but today I look at it in a different way," she added, speaking about how those who sought the sea as a means of entertainment and comfort now seek its water for survival.

Netanyahu has apologised for a tweet in which he blamed Israel's security agencies for the failures that led to the 7 October attack.

Netanyahu had tweeted that he was not presented with any intelligence ahead of Hamas's attack. He pinned the blame on the army's chief and the head of the Shin Bet for having judged that the armed group was "deterred".

"I was wrong. The things I said should not have been said and I apologize for that. I give full backing to all the heads of the security arms," Netanyahu said on X.

His apology came following a stormy morning for the PM as politicians from across the political spectrum criticised him for inflaming division within the Israeli establishment.

The Palestinian Red Crescent (PRCS) says it received "serious threats" from the Israeli forces to "immediately evacuate the Al-Quds Hospital as it is going to be bombed".

Since this morning, there have been bombs dropping 50 metres from the hospital, a statement on X said.

The hospital is located in the Tel al-Hawa area of Gaza City.

Israel says it will "use all its means" to prevent Starlink's satellite communications system to support internationally recognised aid organisations in Gaza, reports Al Jazeera.

"Israel will use all means at its disposal to fight this," said Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi in a post on X after Elon Musk had earlier said SpaceX's Starlink could help restore communications in Gaza.

"HAMAS will use it for terrorist activities … Perhaps Musk would be willing to condition it with the release of our abducted babies, sons, daughters, elderly people. All of them!"

More Israeli politicians are now coming forward to criticise Netanyahu's comments where he blamed the country's security chiefs for the 7 October attack.

"The problem is not specific warnings, but the entire misconception. The policy of containment, the imaginary deterrence, and the purchase of temporary peace at an exorbitant price, [these] are the fathers of all sins," National Security Minister and far-right leader Itamar Ben-Gvir said on X.

Such discussions though are "not for now" he said, adding that there will be "plenty of time later for a poignant reckoning".

Other Israeli leaders who joined the chorus against Netanyahu's comments include former Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi and Labor Party chair Merav Michaeli.

Thousands of Gaza residents have broken into warehouses and distribution centres of the United Nations Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) grabbing flour and "basic survival items", according to the organisation.

"This is a worrying sign that civil order is starting to break down after three weeks of war and a tight siege on Gaza," said Thomas White, the director of UNRWA Affairs in the Gaza Strip, in a statement.

"People are scared, frustrated and desperate. Tensions and fear are made worse by the cuts in the phones and internet communication lines. They feel that they are on their own, cut off from their families inside Gaza and the rest of the world.

Gazans break into aid centres taking flour, supplies, UN says

"Supplies on the market are running out while the humanitarian aid coming into the Gaza Strip on trucks from Egypt is insufficient."

Aid supplies to Gaza have been choked since Israel began bombarding Gaza in early October, reports Al Jazeera.

On Saturday, Egypt's Foreign Ministry said "Israeli obstacles" were impeding the prompt delivery of aid through the Rafah crossing.

Leader of the Israeli opposition, Yair Lapid, has slammed Netanyahu, saying the PM "crossed a red line" after blaming the country's security establishment for the failures that led to the October 7 attack, reports Al Jazeera.

"While IDF soldiers and commanders are fighting valiantly against Hamas and Hezbollah, he is trying to blame them instead of backing them up," Lapid said on X.

"The attempts to evade responsibility and place the blame on the security establishment weakens the IDF while it is fighting Israel's enemies. Netanyahu must apologize for his words."

PM Netanyahu "must retract" a statement where he blamed the country's security agencies for the October 7 attack, Benny Gantz, a retired general and member of Israel's war cabinet, said.

"When we are at war, leadership must show responsibility, decide to do the right things and strengthen the forces in a way that they can to realise what we demand from them. Any other action or statement – harms the people's ability to stand and their strength," Gantz said on X.

His comment came after Netanyahu claimed on Saturday to have not received any warning on the armed group's intention to plan an assault into Israel.

He blamed the head of the army and of the intelligence services, saying that they had estimated that Hamas was "deterred and facing a settlement" before the war.

No international aid entered the Gaza Strip on Saturday due to the communications blackout created by Israel, according to Nebal Farsakh, a Palestinian Red Crescent spokesperson.

Farsakh told the Associated Press that communication in Gaza was impossible and teams inside Gaza could not connect with Egyptian Red Crescent or UN personnel, reports Al Jazeera.

Before Saturday, a total of 84 aid trucks were let into Gaza, a tiny amount for a population of 2.3 million people in need of power, food, medical supplies and clean drinking water.

Dozens of students are marching in the cities of Jenin and Nablus in the occupied West Bank, in solidarity with the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. In videos shared on the social media by activists, the students chanted slogans in support of Gaza and against Israel.

There have also been reports that one student was arrested in the protests near the Abu Dis Boys School.

Health ministry officials have told us that at least 30 hospitals and health centres have shut down in Gaza since Israel started its war on the enclave. They have run out of medical and fuel supplies, reports Hani Mahmoud in Khan Younis, from Gaza.

Several hospitals have had to enforce part closures. In Nasr Hospital, only the emergency department is operating. Every other department had to close.

More hospitals are expected to shut down completely in the coming hours and days if no supplies are allowed into Gaza.

Israeli warplanes have carried out air raids near Gaza's largest hospital, which is packed with patients and tens of thousands of Palestinians seeking shelter, according to residents quoted by the Associated Press news agency.

Israel strikes near Gaza's largest hospital after accusing Hamas of using it as a base

Israel says Hamas have a command post under the hospital, without providing evidence.

Residents said the latest strikes destroyed most of the roads leading to Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, in the northern part of the besieged territory.

"Reaching the hospital has become increasingly difficult," Mahmoud al-Sawah, who is sheltering in the hospital, told the AP over the phone.

"It seems they want to cut off the area."

Another Gaza City resident, Abdallah Sayed, said the Israeli bombing over the past two days was "the most violent and intense" since the war started.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military over reports of strikes near Shifa.

1:20pm

Israeli army says it attacked 450 Hamas targets in a day

A military spokesperson confirmed to Al Jazeera that "humanitarian efforts" in southern Gaza would expand on Sunday without sharing any details.

Since the start of the war, 87 trucks have been allowed into the besieged enclave through the Egypt-controlled Rafah border crossing.

They carried water, food and medicine with UN agencies warning that it was a fraction of what was needed. By comparison, in pre-war time an average of 100 aid trucks used to enter in Gaza everyday, according to UNRWA.

No agreement has been reached yet on letting fuel into Gaza causing great difficulties for life-saving humanitarian operations there.

The Israeli army spokesperson has issued new evacuation warnings for residents of Gaza City and northern Gaza, telling them to move south of the Wadi Gaza river to "safer areas", adding that they would receive humanitarian aid, including water, food and medicine, reports Al Jazeera.

"Civilians in northern Gaza and Gaza City should temporarily move south of Wadi Gaza to a safer area where they can receive water, food and medicine," Daniel Hagari said in a video message recorded on Saturday.

"Tomorrow [Sunday], the humanitarian efforts to Gaza, led by Egypt and the United States, will be expanding."

Israel has issued evacuation warnings in the past through leaflets, text messages and recorded phone calls. However, areas in the south that residents were told to move to were bombed in addition to the attacks on convoys leaving Gaza City, killing hundreds and wounding many more.

Last night's intense bombardment was mainly concentrated on the northern part of Gaza which is closest to the coastal line and was hit the hardest, reports Hani Mahmoud in Khan Younis, Gaza.

A short while ago, a strike hit a residential building in Khan Younis with people in it, completely flattening it. No warning was given to the residents. We have been informed that 13 people were killed in this Israeli attack.

This morning, we heard from sources that there was an exchange of fire between Palestinian armed groups and Israeli forces near Khan Younis.

Those people also told us that the heavy tank shelling we observed this morning served as cover for the Israeli forces as they attempted to advance into Palestinian territories.

Here's a recap of recent developments, according to Al Jazeera:

• Landline, mobile and internet connectivity gradually being restored in Gaza.
• Residents "immediately" reached out to their families after services resumed earlier this morning, according to Al Jazeera correspondents.
• Israel raids in the occupied West Bank continued overnight, killing at least three Palestinians.
• PM Netanyahu said Israel has now entered the "next phase" of its operations.
• UN Security Council to meet on Monday to discuss the Israel-Gaza conflict. The UAE called for the meeting after Israel increased its ground operations in Gaza.

In his speech announcing the "second phase" of Israel's Gaza offensive, Netanyahu said the country was "more united than ever".

But Israeli media reports over the past several days hint at divisions within the Israeli premier's administration.

Israel launches Gaza war's second phase with ground operation, Netanyahu says

Israel's defence and army leaders have been clamouring to launch a full-scale ground invasion but Netanyahu has faced pressure – largely from the US – to take a more incremental approach and buy time to try to secure the release of captives held in Gaza.

As Al Jazeera's senior analyst Marwan Bishara wrote, the tension between "Netanyahu and the other two leading generals in the war cabinet, Benny Gantz and Yoav Gallant, is widening this division and creating confusion over the much-anticipated land invasion".

"The rift is driven by personal, military, political and ideological disagreements that emerged well before the war started, and are likely to shape the Israeli polity well after it ends."

People in Gaza are "immediately" trying to communicate with their families after waking up to find out that some telecommunication services have returned, Al Jazeera's Safwat Kahlout is reporting from the besieged enclave.

Kahlout described the last 24 hours as being "the hardest in the last three weeks" as people in Gaza were unable to communicate with their families immediately after Israeli air attacks as they have become used to doing.

As one of the few people with an international eSim card, Kahlout said he had been helping many people check up on their families during the blackout.

"I have been getting many calls and many messages from people living outside asking me to go and check if their family, their relatives, are still alive," he said.

The Palestine Telecommunications Company also says that landline, mobile and internet services are now gradually being restored, reports Al Jazeera.

In a post on X, the company added its technical teams "are diligently addressing the damage to the internal network infrastructure under challenging conditions".