Live blog: France 'strongly' condemns Israeli settler attacks on Palestinians in West Bank

Sunday, October 29, 2023

1741 GMT — France condemned "unacceptable" Israeli settler attacks on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

More than 100 Palestinians have been killed in the occupied West Bank since the outbreak of the recent conflict in Gaza earlier this month, mostly during raids by Israeli forces or attacks by illegal settlers, according to the Palestinian health ministry.

"France strongly condemns the settler attacks that have led to the deaths of several Palestinian civilians over the past few days in Qusra and Sawiya, as well as the forced departure of several communities," said a foreign ministry statement.

"The violence perpetrated by settlers against the Palestinian population is multiplying. It is unacceptable and must stop," it added.

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1909 GMT — Israel keeps blocking power, water, food to Gaza: Interior Ministry

The Interior Ministry in Palestine's Gaza stated that Israel continues to cut off electricity, potable water, fuel and food supplies to the region, resulting in a catastrophic situation in the bombarded Gaza.

Iyad al Buzm, the ministry's spokesperson, said in a press conference: "The occupier continues to cut off electricity, potable water, fuel, medicine and food supplies to the strip in a fierce war that exceeds the Holocaust."

He added: "Gaza is in dire need of fuel to operate hospital generators, potable water filtration stations, bakeries, ambulances and civil defence vehicles."

1840 GMT — Hamas playing 'psychological games' over Gaza hostages: Israel minister

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant accused Hamas of playing "psychological games" over hostages after the resistance group offered to free all captives in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.

"The stories published by Hamas are part of their psychological games ... Hamas is cynically using those who are dear to us — they understand the pain and the pressure," Gallant told relatives of some of the 230 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, a statement released by his office said.

On Saturday, Hamas's leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, said the Palestinian group was ready for an "immediate" prisoner swap with Israel.

1716 GMT — Israel shows images of tanks as war on Gaza deepens

Israel signalled intent to encircle Gaza's main city, publishing pictures of battle tanks on the Palestinian enclave's western coast 48 hours after ordering expanded ground incursions across its eastern border.

Israel's self-declared "second phase" of a three-week war had initially been kept from public view, with forces moving under darkness and a telecommunications blackout cutting off Palestinians.

The phone and internet cuts appeared to be easing on Sunday, according to Gaza residents. But they have severely hampered rescue operations for casualties of Israeli barrages wreaking destruction, especially on northern Gaza City.

1714 GMT — Palestinian Red Crescent Society vows to keep Al Quds Hospital in Gaza running

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) decided not to evacuate Al Quds Hospital in Gaza City despite Israeli threats to bomb it.

Raed al Nims, the PRCS spokesperson, told Anadolu: "Israeli aircraft are targeting the vicinity of Al Quds Hospital and have renewed their threat to bomb it."

Al Nims added: "We have decided to continue operating the hospital and not to evacuate it."

1627 GMT — Tens of thousands fill Spanish streets to support Palestinians

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets in Spanish cities to support Palestinians and call for an end to Israeli attacks on civilians.

In Madrid, the government estimates that around 35,000 protesters attended the protests, including various government ministers.

Yolanda Diaz, one of Spain's deputy prime ministers, joined the march. "Today we are expressing solidarity with the victims of war crimes and calling for an immediate ceasefire," she told media.

1551 GMT — Israeli air strike on Gaza mosque kills 12 Palestinians

At least 12 Palestinians have been killed in an Israeli airstrike on the Bilal ibn Rabah mosque in central Gaza.

Palestinian Al Aqsa TV said on Telegram: "12 Palestinians were martyred in an airstrike targeting the Bilal ibn Rabah Mosque in the Al Nusairat, central Gaza."

As the Israeli offensive entered its 23rd day, a relentless series of airs trikes, artillery shelling and naval bombardments took place late Saturday and Sunday, inflicting more casualties and injuries, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa.

1610 GMT — Hamas says engaged in 'heavy fighting' with Israeli army in Gaza

Hamas's armed wing said its fighters were engaged in "heavy fighting" with Israeli forces in Gaza after Israeli military deployed more ground forces across the Palestinian territory.

"Our fighters are currently engaged in heavy fighting with machine-guns and anti-tank weapons with the invading occupation (Israeli) forces in northwest Gaza," the Qassam Brigades said in a statement.

In an earlier statement the group said two Israeli tanks had caught fire after they were targeted by its fighters, a claim which the army has not confirmed.

1520 GMT — UN says 59 of its staff killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7

The United Nations has announced that 59 employees of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) have been killed in Gaza due to Israeli attacks since October 7.

According to a statement posted on UNRWA's social media account X, a memorial ceremony was held to honour the UNRWA employees who lost their lives in the attacks on Gaza.

"Every day is becoming a dark day for the UN and UNRWA as the number of our colleagues killed increases," the statement added.

1519 GMT — Europe must act urgently against 'planned genocide' in Palestine: Spanish minister

Spain's acting social rights minister urged Europe to act urgently against "planned genocide" in Palestine.

Ione Belarra's remarks came in a video shared on her X account, in which she spoke to reporters during a pro-Palestine protest in Madrid.

"Today we are here accompanying all the decent people of our country and also all those people throughout Europe who want to ask and demand an end once and for all to this planned genocide, this ethnic cleansing of the people of Palestine that is being carried out by the State of Israel,” Belarra said.

1424 GMT — Russia trying to persuade Israel to abandon 'scorched earth' strategy in Gaza: Lavrov

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Russia is trying to persuade Israel to abandon its "scorched earth" strategy because "it is impossible to destroy" Hamas without destroying Gaza with the majority of the civilian population.

In an interview with the Belarusian state news agency Belta, Lavrov said the reason for the current escalation on the Palestinian territories is a direct consequence of the failure to create a Palestinian state.

The minister assessed as "unreal" the prospects of direct Palestinian-Israeli talks.

1435 GMT — Burden on Israel to distinguish between Hamas and civilians: US

Israel must protect innocent Gaza residents by distinguishing between Hamas fighters and civilians in the Palestinian territory, the White House warned ahead of a call between President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Israel's military has been urged to avoid civilian casualties in Gaza, where health officials in the besieged Palestinian enclave say more than 8,000 people have already died in three weeks of air strikes that Israel has conducted in retaliation for Hamas's unprecedented deadly attacks on October 7.

"There is a burden, as I said before and as the president has said, on Israel to take the necessary steps to distinguish between Hamas... and innocent Palestinian civilians" in Gaza, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said on CNN talk show State of the Union.

1427 GMT — UK, France reaffirm commitment to two-state solution

The UK and France reaffirmed their commitment to the two-state solution for the Middle East's long-term future, according to a statement by 10 Downing Street.

"The leaders (Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and French President Macron) stressed the importance of getting urgent humanitarian support into Gaza. They agreed to work together on efforts both to get crucial food, fuel, water and medicine to those who need it and to get foreign nationals out," it said.

Expressing their shared apprehension over the risk of further escalation, particularly in the occupied West Bank, the leaders discussed their ongoing dialogues with regional stakeholders.

1256 GMT — Evacuation threats to Al Quds Hospital in Gaza 'deeply concerning': WHO chief

The report from Palestine Red Crescent Society on the evacuation threats to Al Quds Hospital in Gaza is "deeply concerning," the WHO chief said.

"We reiterate - it's impossible to evacuate hospitals full of patients without endangering their lives," Tedros Ghebreyesus said on X.

He added that healthcare must always be protected under International Humanitarian Law.

1255 GMT — 34 journalists killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7

A total of 34 journalists were killed in the intensive bombardments and attacks on the besieged Gaza by Israel since October 7.

In a statement, the Health Ministry in Gaza released the names of the journalists killed in the enclave, which has been under heavy attacks by Israel for 23 days.

34 Palestinian journalists, including three women, have lost their lives in the attacks, and many journalists have also lost their family members in Israeli attacks, according to the statement.

1225 GMT — Israeli attacks worsen Gaza's vulnerability amid climate crisis

Palestinian Environmental NGOs Network Coordinator Abeer Butmeh told Anadolu that Gaza is reeling from the effects of the global climate crisis, particularly drought.

Butmeh said Israeli aggression has worsened the situation, especially with its latest attacks that will have serious environmental consequences in the long term.

While thousands of civilians have been killed in Gaza, where Israel has continued attacks for over 20 days, the destruction in the region also brought to the fore an environmental and public health disaster.

Residents in Gaza, who have been badly affected by climate change for years, face difficulties in accessing water resources, especially because of the attacks.

1216 GMT — Israel intensifies strikes on Gaza

The Israeli military has intensified airstrikes in Gaza including near its largest hospital while thousands of people desperate for food and basic items broke into aid warehouses in the besieged enclave.

Internet and phone connectivity were restored for many people on Sunday after Israeli strikes had knocked out most communications in the territory late Friday.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced a "second stage" in the war on Gaza and said Israel is determined to bring back 229 hostages taken by Hamas during its October 7 attack.

1147 GMT — Netanyahu sorry for deleted security chiefs post on Hamas failures

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly apologised for accusing security and intelligence officials of failing to see signs of the devastating Hamas attack.

Netanyahu, who has faced strong opposition criticism over security lapses before the October 7 Hamas attack, had made his accusations in an overnight posting on X, formerly Twitter, which he later deleted, replacing it with an apology.

"Never, under any circumstance, was prime minister Netanyahu alerted to Hamas's intent to launch a war," he wrote in the now-deleted post. "On the contrary, all security officials, including the head of military intelligence and the head of Shin Bet (internal security agency), believed Hamas was deterred."

1130 GMT — Palestinian death toll in Israeli strikes on Gaza rises to 8,005

The number of Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7 has risen to 8,005, the Health Ministry in the besieged Palestinian enclave said.

The ministry in a statement said the figure includes 3,342 children, 2,062 women, and 460 elderly.

Israel has heavily bombarded Gaza since October 7 when Hamas carried out a surprise cross-border attack.

1113 GMT — Pope Francis calls for ceasefire

Pope France has called for a ceasefire in ongoing fighting in Israeli-besieged Gaza and a renewed call for the immediate release of hostages.

1032 GMT — WHO restores contact with team in Gaza

The head of the World Health Organization says they managed to communicate with the agency’s team in Gaza after internet and phone connectivity in the enclave were gradually restored.

“They said the last two nights were extremely tense with a lot of airstrikes - without fuel, water, electricity, connectivity and safe shelter to evacuate to,” Tedros Adhanom wrote on X.

He added that the WHO team, like others in Gaza, remain unsafe and called for an immediate humanitarian cease-fire.

WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic said the agency has about 25 members on the ground in Gaza.

0920 GMT — UN chief warns Gaza growing more desperate 'by the hour'

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned the situation in Israel-besieged Gaza is declining rapidly as he repeated desperate appeals for a ceasefire to end the "nightmare" of bloodshed.

"The situation in Gaza is growing more desperate by the hour. I regret that instead of a critically needed humanitarian pause, supported by the international community, Israel has intensified its military operations," Guterres said on a visit to Nepal's capital Kathmandu.

"The number of civilians who have been killed and injured is totally unacceptable."

0903 GMT — Iran's Raisi says Israeli actions 'may force everyone' to act

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on Sunday said Israel's ongoing bombardment of Gaza "may force everyone" to act in the latest warning issued by the Islamic Republic since the start of the Gaza crisis.

"The crimes of the Zionist regime have crossed the red lines, and this may force everyone to take action," Raisi said on X.

"Washington asks us to not do anything, but they keep giving widespread support to Israel," he said.

0859 GMT — Israel: troop numbers 'increased' inside Gaza

The Israeli army has raised the number of troops fighting inside Gaza, a spokesman has said as the military stepped up its attacks against the tiny Palestinian territory.

"Overnight we increased the entry of IDF forces into the (Gaza) Strip, and they joined the forces already fighting there," army spokesman Daniel Hagari said in a televised briefing.

"We're gradually expanding the ground activities and the extent of our forces in the Gaza Strip," Hagari said.

0851 GMT — Israel calls for immediate evacuation from Al Quds Gaza hospital

The Palestinian Red Crescent has said that it just received serious threats from the Israeli authorities to immediately evacuate Al Quds Hospital in the besieged Gaza, as it is going to be bombarded.

"Since this morning, there has been raids 50 meters away from the hospital," it added in a statement on X.

0758 GMT — Gaza 'civil order starting to break down' as food stores ransacked: UN

The United Nations has warned that "civil order" was starting to collapse in Gaza after thousands of people ransacked its food warehouses.

The UN relief agency for the Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said wheat, flour and other basic supplies had been pillaged at several warehouses.

"This is a worrying sign that civil order is starting to break down after three weeks of war and a tight siege," said Thomas White, Gaza's UNRWA chief.

0742 GMT — Israeli army says it attacked 450 Hamas targets in a day

The Israeli military says its air forces attacked more than 450 Hamas targets across Gaza in the last 24 hours.

The army statement said one Israeli soldier was seriously injured due to an improvised explosive device in northern Gaza overnight while another was "moderately" injured during an "encounter" with Hamas.

0627 GMT — Israel conducts strikes close to Gaza's major hospital zones

Israeli air strikes have hit areas around Gaza’s largest hospital, residents say, destroying roads leading to the facility, which is a major shelter for Palestinians fleeing Israeli bombardments.

The Israeli military has renewed longstanding allegations in recent days that top Hamas leaders and operatives have built underground bunkers below Shifa hospital and accused the group of using civilians as human shields.

Israel has not presented evidence, and Hamas denies the claims.

“Reaching the hospital has become increasingly difficult,” Mahmoud al Sawah, who was sheltering in the hospital, said over the phone on Sunday. “It seems they want to cut off the area.”

Another Gaza resident, Abdallah Sayed, described the Israeli air and land attacks in the past two days as “the most violent and intense” since the war started.

0528 GMT — Israel kills three Palestinians in occupied West Bank

Three Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank overnight, the Palestinian health ministry has said.

0457 GMT — Israel calls Gaza civilians to move south for aid as invasion 'will expand'

The Israeli military has told civilians in Gaza to move to the south of the besieged territory, where it said humanitarian efforts "will be expanding".

"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," IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari said in a statement recorded on Saturday.

"Tomorrow, the humanitarian efforts to Gaza, led by Egypt and the United States, will be expanding," he added.

Although the video was posted on X, formerly Twitter, early Sunday morning, her IDF spokesperson told AFP that the video had been recorded on Saturday, and confirmed the humanitarian efforts would be expanding on Sunday.

0320 GMT — Bombing telecommunications in Gaza endangers civilians: UN

The UN human rights chief warned Saturday that bombing the telecommunications infrastructure places civilians in the Gaza Strip in "grave danger."

"Last night’s bombardment and ground operations in Gaza by Israeli forces were reportedly the most intensive yet, taking this terrible crisis to a new level of violence and pain," Volker Turk said in a statement.

"Compounding the misery and suffering of civilians, Israeli strikes on telecommunications installations and subsequent Internet shutdown have effectively left Gazans with no way of knowing what is happening across Gaza and cut them off from the outside world," said Turk.

2300 GMT — Palestinian deaths from Israeli strikes in Gaza exceed 8,000

The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza has said that more than 8,000 had been killed in the blockaded territory since the start of the war with Israel on October 7.

"The death toll linked to the Israeli aggression is past 8,000, half of whom are children," the ministry told the AFP news agency.

The last toll, issued early on Saturday, was of 7,703 dead.

0330 GMT — Israeli troops kill three, wound 36 in West Bank

Israeli military has targeted several areas of the occupied West Bank, sparking clashes, killing three Palestinians and wounding around 36 others.

Palestinian Red Crescent Society stated in a press release that "two young men were martyred, one in the town of Tamoun near Tubas, and the other in the Askar refugee camp near Nablus."

It said a young man Ramaheh Qatishat was killed by Israeli army in the town of Tamoun near Tubas. Another young man was killed in the Askar refugee camp whose identity is being ascertained.

0300 GMT — Telephone, internet gradually returning in Gaza

Telephone and internet communications are returning gradually to Gaza, several Palestinian media outlets said on Sunday.

Gaza's connectivity is "being restored," said Internet monitor Netblocks.

"Real-time network data show that internet connectivity is being restored in the #Gaza Strip," the company wrote on X, formerly Twitter, while an AFP employee in Gaza City said shortly after 4am [0200 GMT] that he could use the internet and phone network and had contacted.

2230 GMT — Türkiye rejects slander by Israeli officials against Erdogan

Türkiye has rejected the slander and baseless allegations by some Israeli officials against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Foreign Ministry said.

"The efforts of some Israeli officials, who cannot tolerate even the expression of the truth and facts, to change the agenda accompanied by distortions and slanders in the hope of covering up the brutal massacre targeting Palestinian civilians in Gaza, will not yield results," the ministry stressed in a statement.

"The targeting of the UN, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and our President Recep Tayyip Erdogan by these authorities, who have committed a crime against humanity in front of the whole world but cannot even tolerate criticism and condemnation, is a clear indication of the weakness they have fallen into," it said.

2200 GMT — World must not tolerate 'catastrophic' Gaza situation: ICRC

The president of the International Committee of the Red Cross [ICRC] appealed for the world to act to halt the "intolerable level of human suffering" in Gaza.

"This is a catastrophic failing that the world must not tolerate," said Mirjana Spoljaric, as Israel declared its war on Hamas had "entered a new phase" with its massive bombardment of Gaza.

2230 GMT — Israel imposed blackout keeps aid outside Gaza

No international aid entered Gaza on Saturday, as the communications blackout created by Israel continued.

Nebal Farsakh, a spokesperson for the Palestinian Red Crescent, told The Associated Press that no aid trucks entered Gaza because communication was impossible and teams inside Gaza couldn't connect with Egyptian Red Crescent or United Nations personnel.

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.

2200 GMT — US aircraft carrier and strike group enter Mediterranean

The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier and its strike group has moved through the Strait of Gibraltar, putting two American carriers in the Mediterranean Sea, a rare sight in recent years.

The USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group is already in the eastern Mediterranean, part of a buildup of forces as the US supports Israel in its war against Gaza.

The Eisenhower sailed into the Mediterranean on Saturday and is slated to move through the Suez Canal to the US Central Command region as the American forces expand their presence in the Middle East.

2130 GMT — Israel-imposed information blockade has Palestinians panicking

Now that Israeli bombs have cut off cellular and internet service for most of the 2.3 million people in Gaza, it has fallen to a rare few Palestinians with international SIM cards or powered-up satellite phones to get the news out.

They described scenes of panic and confusion as Israel's military attacks from the air, land and sea in the most intense bombing yet in the three week war.

Without social media to share their plight with the world, many seem consumed with fear and hopelessness.

2100 GMT — US Republican candidates throw weight behind Israel

Republican presidential candidates have professed unbridled support for Israel in speeches to an influential GOP Jewish group in Las Vegas. The campaign stop came as Israel entered a new phase of its war on Gaza.

Former vice president Mike Pence suspended his campaign and used his last speech as a candidate to called on Democratic President Joe Biden to unconditionally support Israel. Candidates Tim Scott and Vivek Ramaswamy also said Israel's "right to defend itself" is unequivocal.

Nikki Haley noted that former president Donald Trump had lashed out at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after the Hamas attack and referred to the militant group Hezbollah as "very smart." Trump, the frontrunner, called himself "the best friend Israel ever had."

For our live updates from Saturday (October 28), click here.