Israel-Hamas War Live Updates: The Israel Defence Forces have encircled Gaza City
Fighting continues to rage in Gaza more than a month after Hamas's surprise October 7 attack triggered a furious response from Israel. More than 1,400 people -- mostly civilians -- were killed in Israel in the Hamas attack.
The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza today said that 10,812 people have been killed in the weeks-long war. At least 4,412 children are among those killed, while another 26,905 people have been wounded in the Israeli assault in retaliation for a deadly attack on southern Israel by Hamas.
Israeli and Hamas forces are currently locked in heavy and close-quarters fighting in Gaza, with Israel saying a 10-hour battle had toppled a Hamas "stronghold".
Here are the live updates on the Israel-Hamas war:
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Gaza Population Lacks Food, Faces Malnutrition: UNAll of Gaza's 2.3 million inhabitants lack sufficient food and face malnutrition a month into Israel's devastating siege of the Palestinian enclave, a World Food Programme official said today.
"Before October 7th, 33% of the population were food insecure," said Kyung-nan Park, director of emergencies for the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP).
"We can safely say that 100% are food insecure at this moment," she added.
She said WFP needed $112 million to be able to reach 1.1 million people in Gaza in the next 90 days. "They are facing the risk of malnutrition," she said.
In addition to funding, WFP also needs regular entry into Gaza and safe access once inside to be able to reach the people in need, she said.
No Ceasefire In Gaza, Just Brief, Local Pauses: IsraelIsrael has not agreed to any ceasefires during its military campaign against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, but will continue to allow brief, localised pauses to let in humanitarian aid, the Israeli military said today.
"There's no ceasefire, I repeat there's no ceasefire. What we are doing, that four-hour window, these are tactical, local pauses for humanitarian aid," army spokesperson Lt. Col. Richard Hecht said.
Earlier, the IDF had posted a similar message on its official X (formerly Twitter) account.
"Both Israel And Hamas Have Committed War Crimes": UN Rights ChiefBoth Hamas and Israel have committed "war crimes" in the past month, the United Nations Human Rights chief Volker Turk has said.
"The atrocities perpetrated by Palestinian armed groups on October 7 were heinous, brutal and shocking. They were war crimes - as is the continued holding of hostages," said Volker Turk.
He added, "The collective punishment by Israel of Palestinian civilians amounts also to a war crime, as does the unlawful forcible evacuation of civilians."
Islamic Jihad Group In Gaza Ready To Free Two Israeli HostagesThe armed wing of the Palestinian group Islamic Jihad in Gaza is prepared to release two Israeli hostages, a woman and a boy, for humanitarian and medical reasons, a spokesperson for the al Quds Brigades said in a recorded message today.
He added that the initiative would take place once appropriate measures are met.
Israel To Begin Four-Hour Pauses In Northern Gaza: USIsrael will begin four-hour pauses in northern Gaza starting today to allow people to flee hostilities, the White House has said.
White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said the pauses emerged out of discussions between US and Israeli officials in recent days, including talks US President Joe Biden had with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
He said the pauses would allow people to get out of harm's way and for deliveries of humanitarian aid and could be used as a way to get hostages out.
"We've been told by the Israelis that there will be no military operations in these areas over the duration of the pause, and that this process is starting today," Mr Kirby said.
"We understand that Israel will begin to implement four-hour pauses in areas of northern Gaza" with an announcement to come three hours in advance," he added.
He called the news a step in the right direction.
"We think these are significant first steps here and obviously we want to see them continued for as long as they are needed," he said.
"No Possibility": Joe Biden On Gaza CeasefireUS President Joe Biden today said that there was currently "no possibility" of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
"None. No possibility," he told reporters when asked about the chances of a ceasefire.
India Calls For "Immediate And Unconditional" Release Of HostagesAmid Israel-Hamas war, India today urged both the sides to eschew violence, de-escalate the situation and create conditions for an early resumption of direct peace negotiations towards a two-state solution to the Palestine issue.
Without naming Hamas, India also called for "immediate and unconditional" release of hostages.
Time To Put Ideas On Table For Post-Gaza War: ItalyItaly's foreign minister today said said that the world powers need to stop talking about the idea of a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict and instead put forward practical proposals to make it work once the war in Gaza ends.
Speaking in Paris after a humanitarian conference on Gaza, Antonio Tajani said Rome had sent a naval hospital ship from Naples today morning to the region, but he emphasised resolving the conflict would need some more creativity to create a perspective for peace.
"We have to put ideas on the table. I don't find any other solutions than the United Nations if we want peace," he told reporters. "We have to move forward and try to convince."
At Least 4,412 Children Among 10,812 Killed In Gaza So FarThe health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza today said that 10,812 people have been killed in the weeks-long war.
At least 4,412 children are among those killed, while another 26,905 people have been wounded in the Israeli assault in retaliation for a deadly attack on southern Israel by Hamas on October 7.
Mossad, CIA Chiefs Meet Qatar PM Over Hostage Deal: ReportA trilateral meeting was held in Doha today between CIA and Mossad chiefs and the Qatari prime minister to discuss the parameters of a deal for hostage releases and a pause in the Gaza attack, a source briefed on the meeting told the news agency Reuters.
The advantage of the trilateral meeting was to bring all three parties together at one table in real time to speed up the process, the source said.
The talks also included a discussion over allowing humanitarian imports of fuel into war-torn Gaza.
Egypt Condemns "International Silence On Violations Of Law" By IsraelEgypt today condemned the "international silence on violations of international humanitarian law committed by Israel" at a Paris conference on humanitarian aid for Gaza.
"What the Israeli government is doing far exceeds the right to self-defence," Egypt's foreign minister Sameh Shoukry told the conference.
Israel-Hamas War: France's Macron Calls For Gaza CeasefireFrench President Emmanuel Macron today called for a ceasefire in Gaza at a conference on aid for the Palestinian territory.
"In the immediate term, we need to work on protecting civilians. To do that, we need a humanitarian pause very quickly and we must work towards a ceasefire," he told delegates in Paris.
"No Humanitarian Crisis In Gaza', Says IsraelAn Israeli military official today said that there is "no humanitarian crisis" in the Gaza Strip.
"We know the civil situation in the Gaza Strip is not an easy one," said Colonel Moshe Tetro, head of coordination and liason at COGAT, the Israeli defence ministry body handling civil affairs in Gaza.
"But I can say that there is no humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip," he told reporters.
Israeli Forces Capture Hamas Position After 10-Hour Long BattleIsrael today said that its soldiers captured a key Hamas outpost in the northern Gaza town of Jabaliya after 10 hours of fighting.
According to the Israeli military, soldiers killed "dozens of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists" who were "above ground and in an underground route in the area."
The soldiers seized many weapons and intelligence detailing "significant" Hamas battle plans, the IDF said.
Soldiers also uncovered tunnel shafts, including one adjacent to a kindergarten which the IDF said led to an "extensive underground route."
Israel Kills Head Of Hamas' Anti-Tank Missile UnitIsrael today said that it has killed the head Of Hamas' anti-tank missile unit.
"Ibrahim Abu-Maghsib, Head of Hamas' Anti-Tank Missile Unit in the Central Camps Brigade, was eliminated in a fighter jet strike based on ISA and IDF intelligence," the Israel Defense Forces said on X, formerly Twitter.
Israel-Hamas War Live Updates: Israel pounds Gaza City as tens of thousands flee their homesIsraeli air strikes pounded Gaza City Thursday as soldiers battled street-by-street with Hamas militants, and tens of thousands of Palestinians desperate for safety fled their homes southwards in the besieged territory.
After more than a month of intense bombardment, hundreds of thousands of people remain trapped in a "dire humanitarian situation" in battle zones without enough food and water, the United Nations said.
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said Wednesday his forces were "tightening the stranglehold" around Gaza City, as they pressed an offensive launched in response to the Hamas attacks on October 7 that killed 1,400 people in Israel, mainly civilians.
The militants also took more than 240 people hostage, among them babies and elderly people.
Israel-Hamas War Live Updates: Gaza aid conference to open in Paris
France's President Emmanuel Macron will on Thursday host a conference on humanitarian aid for Gaza although Israel, which has been bombarding the territory since an October 7 attack by Hamas, will be absent.
All governments nevertheless have "an interest in the humanitarian situation improving in Gaza, including Israel", a Macron aide told reporters on condition of anonymity ahead of the gathering.
Hamas militants stormed across the border from Gaza into Israel on October 7, killing more than 1,400 people, mostly civilians, and taking more than 240 hostages, Israeli officials say.
According to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza, the retaliatory Israeli military campaign has killed more than 10,500 people, many of them children.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said there will be no fuel delivered to Gaza and no ceasefire with Hamas unless the hostages are freed.