Israel-Hamas War Live Updates: Israel's retaliatory bombardments have killed over 7,000 Palestinians
Israel launched massive strikes across northern Gaza tonight, which reports said were the most intense since the start of the war. Hamas said internet has been snapped in the Gaza Strip. Reports said contact with Gaza is lost.
Since the October 7 Hamas attack, Gaza's health ministry has said that Israel's retaliatory bombardments have killed more than 7,000 Palestinians.
The United Nations has warned that "nowhere is safe" in Gaza as Israel stepped up its bombardments in preparation for a widely expected ground offensive.
Since the Hamas attack, Israel has cut off Gaza's normal supply corridors for water, food, and other necessities.
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We Have Lost Touch With Our Staff, Health Workers In Gaza: WHO Chief World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has said that WHO has lost touch with its staff, health facilities, health workers, and the rest of its humanitarian partners on the ground in Gaza. He called for immediate protection of all civilians and full humanitarian access.
Taking to X, Ghebreyesus stated, "We have lost touch with our staff in Gaza, with health facilities, health workers and the rest of our humanitarian partners on the ground. This siege makes me gravely concerned for their safety and the immediate health risks to vulnerable patients. We urge immediate protection of all civilians and full humanitarian access."
Hamas Welcomes UN General Assembly Call For Gaza TruceHamas and the Palestinian Authority welcomed a UN General Assembly resolution Friday calling for a humanitarian truce in Gaza, as Israel increased strikes on the territory over the October 7 attacks.
"We demand its immediate application to allow the entry of fuel and humanitarian aid for civilians," said a Hamas statement. The rival Palestinian Authority's foreign ministry said that as Israel's campaign "reaches a new peak of brutality", there was "a solid international position rejecting Israel's unhinged aggression".
UN General Assembly Calls For 'Humanitarian Truce' In GazaThe UN General Assembly on Friday called by a large majority for an "immediate humanitarian truce" in Gaza, as the Israel-Hamas conflict raged for a 21st day.
The nonbinding resolution, criticized by Israel and the United States for failing to mention Hamas, received 120 votes in favor, 14 against and 45 abstentions.
US Backs 'Humanitarian Pause' For Gaza Aid: White HouseThe United States backs pauses in hostilities between Israel and Hamas to allow aid to get into Gaza, the White House said on Friday as Israel said it was extending ground operations.
"We would support humanitarian pauses for stuff getting in, as well as for people getting out, and that includes pushing for fuel to get in and for the restoration of electrical power," National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said.
Israel Says Ground Forces Will Expand In Gaza Tonight Amid Surge In Strikes Amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, Israel Defence Forces (IDF) spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said the military has ramped up airstrikes in the Gaza Strip in the past few hours and will expand activity tonight, The Times of Israel reported.
He said, "The Air Force is striking underground targets very significantly," adding that ground forces will "expand" their activity tonight. For the past two days, IDF infantry forces and tanks have carried out limited raids into the Gaza Strip.
ALERT: Hamas Calls On World To "Act Immediately" To Stop Israeli StrikesMilitant group Hamas called on the world to "act immediately" Friday to stop Israel's bombardment of Gaza, as intense strikes pounded the Palestinian territory."We call on the Arab and Muslim countries and the international community to take responsibility and act immediately to stop the crimes and series of massacres against our people," Hamas said in a statement.
The Israeli military said Friday it had increased its strikes on Gaza "in a very significant way", as AFP live footage captured intense bombardment of the territory's north.
"We will continue to strike in Gaza City and around," military spokesman Daniel Hagari said in a televised address.
ALERT: Israel Army Says "Extending Ground Operations In Gaza Tonight"
Cops Warn Israelis Of Hacker Threat, Asks Them Not To Answer Unknown CallsThe Israeli Police and the National Cyber Directorate have advised people not to answer unknown WhatsApp calls coming from abroad, in a bid to warn citizens that such calls can be part of an attempt to hack phones, The Times of Israel reported.
Such calls, including video calls, are reportedly flooding Israelis' phones, according to authorities.
The Times of Israel, too, has received at least one such call from a Toledo, Ohio, area code.
"We recommend not answering them and not calling them back," police say.
UN Chief Says Gaza Faces "Avalanche Of Human Suffering"
The United Nations chief warned Friday that Gaza faces "an unprecedented avalanche of human suffering" due to lack of food, water and power during Israeli bombing in response to the Hamas attack.
"I repeat my call for a humanitarian ceasefire, the unconditional release of all hostages, and the delivery of life-saving supplies," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a statement.
"Misery is growing by the minute. Without a fundamental change, the people of Gaza will face an unprecedented avalanche of human suffering."
US Imposes Fresh Sanctions Targeting Hamas FinancingThe United States unveiled a new round of sanctions Friday targeting Hamas's funding networks and support sources based in Iran, after the group's attack on Israel this month.
The latest US actions take aim at Hamas's sources of support in Iran, with the Treasury Department designating a Hamas official based in the country and members of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps among others.
Alert: Hamas Says Fired "Salvos" Of Rockets At IsraelHamas said late Friday it had fired "salvos" of rockets at Israel after intense Israeli bombing of the Palestinian territory.
"Salvos of rockets in the direction of the occupied territories (Israel) in answer to the massacre of civilians," Hamas's armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, said on its Telegram channel.
Gaza Death Count Rises To 7,326, Says Hamas-Run Health Ministry The health ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza said Friday 7,326 people have been killed in the Palestinian territory since the eruption of war with Israel on October 7.
The latest death count includes 3,038 children killed, a ministry statement said, while 18,967 people have been wounded across Gaza.
Nearly 29,000 Lebanese Flee Homes Near Israel Border: UNNearly 29,000 Lebanese civilians have fled communities near the border with Israel because of deadly artillery exchanges between Iran-backed Hezbollah fighters and the Israeli army, a UN agency said Friday.
Some have found refuge with family members farther from the border, while those who can afford it have been able to rent apartments on a short-term basis.
Intense Israeli strikes rocked the northern Gaza Strip on Friday evening, live footage filmed by AFP showed.The Israeli military told AFP it is "continuously striking in the Gaza Strip" against the terrorist group Hamas that rules the Palestinian territory. Read more
ALERT: Hamas Says Internet, Communications Cut Across Gaza
Hamas "Wages War From Hospitals" In Gaza, Says Israel Army The Israeli army Friday accused Hamas of using hospitals in the Gaza Strip as operational centres for directing attacks against Israel, as the war rages in the Palestinian territory.
"Hamas wages war from hospitals" in Gaza, military spokesman Daniel Hagari told journalists, adding that the Islamist group was also using fuel stored in these facilities for carrying out its operations.
Red Cross says its first medics enter Gaza during war Medics from the International Committee of the Red Cross entered Gaza Friday for the first time since the outbreak of war on October 7, a spokeswoman for the organisation said.
Six medical staff passed through Gaza's Rafah border crossing with Egypt, alongside four other ICRC specialists and six aid trucks.
The organisation's regional director, Fabrizio Carboni, said the convoy was "a small dose of relief, but it's not enough".
"Our surgical team and medical supplies will help relieve the extreme pressure on Gaza's doctors and nurses. But safe, sustained humanitarian access is urgently needed," he said in a statement.
Hamas Official Says All Its Hostages Seen As Israelis: Report Hamas officials visiting Moscow were quoted by Russian media on Friday as saying the terrorist group viewed all its hostages as Israelis, whatever additional passports they held, and could not release any of them until Israel agreed to a ceasefire.
Read here UN Says Gaza Health ministry Count In Earlier Conflicts "Credible"The UN agency for Palestinian refugees said Friday the death count given by the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza had proved to be "credible" in previous conflicts after Washington raised doubts about figures from the current war.
"In the past, the five, six cycles of conflict in the Gaza Strip, these figures were considered as credible and no one ever really challenged these figures," UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini told reporters in Jerusalem.
Israel has struck back with a relentless bombing campaign which Gaza's health ministry says has killed 7,326 people, mostly civilians, among them 3,038 children.
France Wants To Evacuate Citizens From Gaza As Soon As Possible, Says Macron France wants to evacuate its nationals as soon as possible from the Gaza Strip, which is under heavy bombardment by Israel, French President Emmanuel Macron.
"We want to evacuate them as soon as possible. That is what we are organising with both the Palestinian authorities and Egypt. And this is what several other European countries want to do in coordination with us," Macron said during a press conference after a two-day summit of European leaders in Brussels.
Macron Calls For "Humanitarian Truce" In Hamas-Israel WarFrench President Emmanuel Macron on Friday called for a "humanitarian truce" in the conflict between Hamas and Israel to ensure the protection of civilians in the Gaza Strip.
Recognising Israel's "right" to "fight against terrorism", Emmanuel Macron pointed to "the complete blockade, the indiscriminate bombardment and even more the prospect of a massive ground operation" as risks for civilians.
Medical Team, Aid Trucks Enter Gaza: Palestinian OfficialA medical team and 10 aid trucks entered the Gaza Strip on Friday via the Rafah crossing with Egypt, carrying water, food and medicine, a Palestinian border official told Reuters.
"This Friday morning, a medical delegation consisting of 10 foreign doctors entered, in addition to 10 trucks entering the Gaza Strip through the Rafah land crossing, carrying water, food and medicine, bringing the total number of trucks since the beginning of the war to only 84 trucks," the official said.
UN Food Chief Says Strict Rafah Crossing Checks Limiting Gaza AidOverly stringent checks on trucks at the Rafah crossing from Egypt into Gaza were slowing the flow of humanitarian aid to a "dribble" as hunger grows among Palestinians there, UN World Food Programme (WFP) Executive Director Cindy McCain said.
The United States is leading negotiations with Israel, Egypt and the UN to try to create a sustained delivery mechanism for aid to Gaza.
They are wrangling over procedures for inspecting aid and bombardments on the Gaza side of the border.
Release Of Hostages Requires Ceasefire, Hamas Official SaysA Hamas official tied the release of hostages held in Gaza to a ceasefire in Israel's punishing air war in the enclave, launched after a deadly rampage by Hamas militants into southern Israel nearly three weeks ago.
Israel says it is preparing a ground invasion, but has been urged by the US and Arab countries to delay an operation that would multiply the number of civilian casualties in the densely populated coastal strip and might ignite a wider conflict.
Read here UN Concerned "War Crimes Are Being Committed" In Israel-Hamas ConflictThe United Nations said Friday it was concerned that war crimes were being committed on both sides in the conflict between Israel and Hamas.The UN human rights office cited forcible transfer, collective punishment and the taking of hostages as the war continued into its 21st day.
8 More Aid Trucks Likely To Cross Into Gaza Today: UNAnother eight trucks carrying food, medicine and water are expected to cross into the Gaza Strip today, a senior United Nations official said.
"We have gotten in approximately 74 trucks. We're expecting another eight or so today," Lynn Hastings, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, told reporters in Geneva.
57 Staff "Confirmed Killed" In Gaza War: UN Agency A United Nations agency today said that 57 staff "confirmed killed" in Gaza war.
Philippe Lazzarini, commissioner general for UN agency for Palestinian refugees, said that "meaningful and uninterrupted" aid was needed for the Gaza Strip as he confirmed 57 of the agency's staff had been killed during the war.
Israel Ground Troops, Jets Strike Hamas OperativesThe Israeli ground troops and fighter jets carried out a night-time targeted raid in central Gaza Strip.
"During the last day, IDF (Israel Defense Forces) ground forces, accompanied by IDF fighter jets and UAVs, conducted an additional targeted raid in the central Gaza Strip," the army said in a statement.
"As part of the activity, IDF aircraft and artillery struck terror targets belonging to the Hamas terrorist organisation in the Shujaiya area and throughout the Gaza Strip," the statement added.
Almost Half Of Israelis Want To Hold Off On Any Invasion Of Gaza: PollAlmost half of Israelis want to hold off on any invasion of Gaza, according to a poll published on Friday.
Asked if the military should immediately escalate to a large-scale ground offensive, 29% of Israelis agreed while 49% said "it would be better to wait" and 22% were undecided, the poll published in the Maariv newspaper said.
US Won't Be Spared If Israel-Hamas War Spreads, Warns IranIran's foreign minister has warned that the US won't escape unaffected if the Hamas-Israel war turns into a broader conflict.
In a speech to the United Nations General Assembly, Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian accused the US of overseeing "genocide" against the Palestinian people.
"Today in New York and the United Nations I say frankly to the American statesmen who are now managing the genocide in Palestine that we do not welcome an expansion of the war in the region," he said.
"But I warn if the genocide in Gaza continues they will not be spared from these fires." he added.
Israel-Hamas War Live: Humanitarian Aid Continues To Arrive In GazaThe Rafah crossing with Egypt opened for the sixth consecutive day on Thursday, allowing the entry of 12 trucks carrying water, food and medical supplies. As many as 74 trucks with humanitarian aid have entered Gaza since October 21.
The entry of fuel, however, remains banned by the Israeli authorities.
Israel-Hamas War: "Nowhere Is Safe In Gaza", Says UNAs Israel continued its bombardment, the UN humanitarian coordinator for the Palestinian territories, Lynne Hastings, said that "nowhere is safe in Gaza". In a statement, she said that despite the Israeli military issuing warnings to people in Gaza City to leave, "advance warnings make no difference".
"When the evacuation routes are bombed, when people north as well as south are caught up in hostilities, when the essentials for survival are lacking, and when there are no assurances for return, people are left with nothing but impossible choices. Nowhere is safe in Gaza," she said.
An estimated 1.4 million people in Gaza are internally displaced, with some 6,41,000 sheltering in 150 UN-designated emergency shelters.
Israel-Hamas War: Arab Countries Condemn Acts Of ViolenceAmid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, Arab countries on Thursday condemned and rejected all acts of violence and terrorism against civilians and the targeting of civilian infrastructure and facilities.
A joint statement issued by the foreign ministers of Jordan, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Kingdom of Bahrain, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Sultanate of Oman, the State of Qatar, the State of Kuwait, the Arab Republic of Egypt, and the Kingdom of Morocco condemned individual or collective forced displacement, as well as the policy of collective punishment.
It emphasized that the absence of a political solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has led to repeated acts of violence and suffering for the Palestinian and Israeli people.
Israel-Palestine Crisis: EU Calls For "Corridors And Pauses" For Gaza AidThe European Union leaders on Thursday called for "humanitarian corridors and pauses" in Israel's war with Hamas to get aid into Gaza.
After five hours of talks at a summit of the bloc in Brussels, the leaders called for "continued, rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access and aid to reach those in need through all necessary measures including humanitarian corridors and pauses for humanitarian needs".
They said the EU "will work closely with partners in the region to protect civilians, provide assistance and facilitate access to food, water, medical care, fuel and shelter".
900 Troops Being Deployed In Middle East: US Amid Israel-Hamas WarAbout 900 more American troops have arrived in the Middle East or are heading there to bolster air defenses for US personnel, the Pentagon said on Thursday.
Israel-Gaza Crisis: Rocket Injures Five In Egyptian Border TownAt least five people were injured and a residential building was damaged after a rocket fired in the Israel-Hamas war hit an Egyptian town on the border with Israel on Thursday, the news agency AFP reported citing local media.
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday visited the Tekuma Authority, which is carrying out the national mission of rebuilding and developing the communities in the area adjacent to the Gaza Strip, which were attacked by Hamas on October 7.
He was briefed by Tekuma Director Moshe Edri on the activity and functions of the Authority.
Israel-Hamas War Live News: Hamas Commander Hassan Al-Abdullah Killed In Israeli Air StrikeThe Israel Defense Forces on Thursday killed Hamas Commander Hassan Al-Abdullah in an air strike. The Israeli fighter jets carried out the air strike based on IDF and ISA intelligence and killed Al-Abdullah, the Commander of Hamas' Northern Khan Yunis Rockets Array.
Israel-Hamas Conflict Live: Israel Kills Deputy Head of Hamas' Intelligence DirectorateIsrael on Thursday said it has killed Shadi Barud, the Deputy Head of Hamas' Intelligence Directorate in an aerial strike.
"He took part in the planning of the October 7 massacre and countless other deadly attacks carried out against Israelis," the IDF said on X.
"We will continue to strike and eliminate Hamas leaders and operatives responsible for the barbaric attacks," it added.
Israel-Hamas War Live Updates: Israel Kills 3 Senior Hamas Members As War Enters Day 21Israel today said it has killed three senior Hamas operatives -- Ibrahim Jadba, Rifaat Abbas and Tarek Maarouf -- in the Daraj Tuffah Battalion.
"The battalion's operatives played a significant role in the invasion and murderous attack against Israel on October 7, and is considered to be the most significant brigade of the Hamas terrorist organization," the Israel Defense Forces said on X (formerly Twitter).