Live blog: US rejects Israel's 'reoccupation' plan of Gaza

Tuesday, November 7, 2023

1901 GMT — The US said it does not support a "reoccupation" of Gaza by Israel after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country would take "overall security responsibility" in the territory.

"Generally speaking, we do not support the reoccupation of Gaza and neither does Israel," State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters.

"Secretary (of State Antony) Blinken was fairly clear about that during his travels as well," he said.

More updates 👇

2000 GMT — Biden reported to have told Netanyahu 3-day fighting pause could help secure release of hostages

US President Joe Biden has told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a call that a three-day fighting pause could help secure the release of some hostages, Axios reported on Tuesday, citing two US and Israeli officials.

Citing the US official, Axios reported that under a proposal being discussed between the US., Israel and Qatar, Hamas would release 10-15 hostages and use the pause to verify the identities of all the hostages and deliver a list of names of the people it is holding.

In a statement on Monday, the White House said Biden and Netanyahu discussed "the possibility of tactical pauses to provide civilians with opportunities to safely depart from areas of ongoing fighting, to ensure assistance is reaching civilians in need, and to enable potential hostage releases."

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Axios report.

1902 GMT — European commissioner warns of 'apocalypse' in Gaza

The current catastrophic situation in Gaza threatens to decline further, European Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic warned.

Speaking to Turkish reporters in Brussels, Lenarcic stressed the need for a ceasefire in the ongoing conflict in Gaza for humanitarian aid to enter into the Palestinian enclave as it faces Israeli bombardment, blockade, and ground attacks.

"Otherwise, the catastrophe in Gaza may turn into apocalypse," he said.

1858 GMT — Humanitarian convoy came under fire in Gaza City: Red Cross

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said a humanitarian convoy came under fire in Gaza City but was able to deliver medical supplies to Al Shifa hospital.

Two trucks were damaged and a driver was lightly wounded, the organisation said.

It said the convoy included five trucks and two ICRC vehicles and was carrying "lifesaving medical supplies to health facilities including to Al Quds hospital of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, when it was hit by fire."

1841 GMT — Muslim American lawmakers warn 'anti-Muslim, anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian hate' on rise

The three Muslim American lawmakers in the US Congress warned that "bigoted anti-Muslim, anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian hate" is sweeping through the nation's politics amid the ongoing Israel-Palestine war.

Representatives Andre Carson, Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, all Democrats, pointed to legislation introduced by Republican Representative Ryan Zinke last week to forcibly deport some Palestinians from the US, saying it is part of "a growing tide of bigoted anti-Muslim, anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian hate pervading our politics."

1830 GMT — No ceasefire, fuel delivered to Gaza until hostages freed: Netanyahu

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said there will be no fuel delivered to Gaza and no ceasefire with Hamas unless hostages seized by the Palestinian resistance group are freed.

In a televised statement marking the first month of Israel's war with Hamas, Netanyahu also warned Hezbollah "it will be making the mistake of its life" if it opens a new front in the war from its base in Lebanon.

1736 GMT — Israeli soldiers operating in the 'heart of Gaza City' — minister

Israeli soldiers are operating in the "heart of Gaza City", Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant has said.

In a televised news conference, Gallant said neither Israel nor Hamas would govern the Palestinian enclave once the ongoing conflict was over.

Fierce fighting between Palestinian resistance groups and Tel Aviv's forces continues, according to the reports coming from the field.

1708 GMT — Dead children in Gaza war is world's 'moral failing': Red Cross

A month after the recent Israeli-Palestinian conflict erupted, the Red Cross demanded an end to the horrific suffering of civilians, and especially children, decrying a "moral failing".

"One month on, civilians in Gaza and Israel are being forced to endure tremendous suffering and loss. This needs to stop," the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said in a statement.

1651 GMT — WHO chief urges humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza

The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) urged for all parties in Gaza to agree to a humanitarian ceasefire as "intense bombardment" in the blockaded Palestinian enclave continues into a second month.

"It has been a month of intense bombardment in Gaza. 10,000 people have died. Over 4,000 of them were children," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on X, asking: "How long will this human catastrophe last?"

WHO urges "all parties to agree to a humanitarian ceasefire and work toward lasting peace," Tedros said.

1647 GMT — More than 400 US citizens, residents have left Gaza: State Dept

The United States has helped more than 400 US citizens, lawful permanent residents and other eligible people to depart Gaza, a US State Department spokesperson said

1641 GMT — Israel, Hezbollah exchange fire as US envoy visits Lebanon

Israel and Lebanese group Hezbollah exchanged cross-border fire amid a visit by US envoy Amos Hochstein to Beirut.

An Israeli military statement said 20 rockets were fired from Lebanon at northern Israel, setting off sirens in the Upper Galilee and the Golan Heights.

Israeli forces responded with artillery fire toward the sources of the rocket fire, the statement said.

1558 GMT — Palestinian envoy to UK flays world's silence over Israeli attacks, fears 2nd 'Nakba' in Gaza

Palestinian Ambassador to the UK, Husam Zomlot, reiterated his warning about Israel’s plan for another “Nakba” in Gaza, and as proof, he shared video footage showing mass displacement of people in Gaza from north to south.

"Invading Israeli tanks are in #Gaza to force the mass expulsion of Palestinians from their homes," Zomlot wrote on X, sharing video footage purportedly belonging to a group of Palestinians forcibly displaced from the northern part of the blockaded Gaza.

1509 GMT — France says over 100 nationals evacuated from Gaza

More than 100 French nationals and their dependents have been evacuated from Gaza through the Rafah border crossing to Egypt, the Foreign Ministry in Paris said.

"Two groups of French nationals, officials and rights holders were able to leave" on Monday and Tuesday from Gaza and are now "in safety in Egypt," the ministry said in a statement.

The departures "bring the number of exits organised by France to more than 100 people," it added.

1501 GMT — Casualties as Israeli jets strike residential neighbourhood in Gaza

Authorities in Gaza said a large number of people were killed and injured in Israeli airstrikes on a residential neighbourhood in the central city of Deir al Balah.

"The bombardment has caused massive destruction in the area," Salama Marouf, a spokesperson for Gaza-based Government's Media Office, told Anadolu.

Health Ministry spokesperson Ashraf al Qudra confirmed that casualties were reported in the Israeli attack, but did not give an exact figure.

1454 GMT — Maritime corridor, floating hospitals for Gaza in focus at Paris conference

World powers meet in Paris to coordinate aid and help for the wounded in the Palestinian enclave of Gaza, with the possible creation of a maritime corridor, naval medical facilities and field hospitals to be considered, European diplomats said.

The conference brings together regional stakeholders such as Egypt, Jordan and the Gulf Arab countries as well as Western powers and G20 members - excluding Russia.

International institutions and non-governmental organisations operating in Gaza are also due to attend.

1440 GMT — Israel obstructing release of foreign hostages in Gaza — Hamas

Hamas has said that Israel had obstructed the release of 12 foreigners held by the Palestinian resistance group in Gaza.

"We had planned to free 12 hostages who have foreign nationality in the past days, but the (Israeli) occupation hindered the move," the group’s armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, said in a statement.

"We are ready to release them, but the situation on the ground and the Israeli aggression prevent this from happening," Hamas said.

1419 GMT — UN Geneva office honours dozens of UNRWA staffers killed in Gaza

The UN office in Geneva honoured dozens of United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) staffers killed in Gaza since October 7 as a result of Israeli forces' indiscriminate and intensified attacks.

The UN officials and staff observed a moment of silence to remember those who died during Israeli attacks on Gaza.

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) spokesperson Jens Laerke shared a video of the commemoration on social media platform X, writing: "A solemn and profoundly sad moment at UN Geneva today, honouring our UNRWA colleagues killed in Gaza."

1351 GMT — Israel hits residential area in central Gaza, casualties feared

A large number of casualties were feared in the latest Israeli strike on a residential neighbourhood in Deir al Balah, central Gaza, a Palestinian official told Anadolu Agency.

1330 GMT — Russia raises questions on alleged nuclear arms in Israel after minister's comments

Russia has that statements by a far-right Israeli minister that the country could launch a nuclear strike on Gaza raises "a huge number of questions" about Tel Aviv's long-cryptic stance on its alleged possession of such arms.

"Question number one is, are we hearing an official statement that Israel has nuclear weapons?" Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova asked in a live TV interview. "Where are the international organizations? Where is the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency)? Where are the inspectors?" Zakharova added.

Israel has long refused to publicly acknowledge whether it possesses nuclear arms.

1217 GMT — UN trying 'to do more' for 'desperately needed' humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza

The UN is trying "to do more" to establish a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, where Israel has continued relentless attacks for a month now, the international body's director of information services said.

Responding to Anadolu's question on what further steps the UN can take to minimise civilian harm in Gaza following weekend's Israeli airstrike that hit Al Maghazi refugee camp, Alessandra Vellucci said they have repeatedly asserted that "even wars have rules."

"You're asking if we can do more. We try to do more. We try to do everything we can," Velluci said during a UN press conference in Geneva.

1202 GMT — Belgium calls EU's reaction to Israeli war on Gaza 'shameful'

Belgium has strongly reacted to the European Union's first reaction to the ongoing armed conflict in the Middle East, calling it "shameful" and urging warring parties to sit down at the negotiating table, according to media reports.

"It is not evident to remain neutral, and things should be told as they are," Minister of Development Cooperation and Urban Policy Caroline Gennez told his country ambassadors in Brussels on Monday, Belgian daily Le Soir reported.

"Humanitarian law, law of war, and international law are all the same for everyone," she said.

1152 GMT — Israeli army claims hitting two targets inside Lebanon

The Israeli army said it hit two targets inside the Lebanese territory, including a military post of the Hezbollah group.

In a statement, the army said its artillery shelled a cell belonging to the Hezbollah group as they tried to fire an anti-tank guided missile toward Israeli territory.

In an earlier statement, the army said it also struck a Hezbollah post but didn't give further details.

1151 GMT — Palestinian economy hit hard in one month of Israeli attacks

After a month of devastating Israeli attacks on Gaza, the Palestinian economy has severely weakened.

While Tel Aviv continues to pursue its air and ground offensive on Gaza, the occupied West Bank is also facing tensions with Israeli forces that continue to raid Palestinian territories, killing nearly 160 people so far.

No official data has yet been released on the scale of the economic losses as a result of the Israeli onslaught on Gaza, where unemployment stood at 46 percent even before the attacks commenced on October 7, while 80 percent of its population was dependent on humanitarian aid.

1052 GMT — Two more Palestinian journalists fall victim to Israeli attacks on Gaza

Two more Palestinian journalists were killed by Israeli forces' intensified attacks on civilians in Gaza, bringing the total number of journalists killed since October 7 to 49.

The Gaza-based Government Media Office said in a statement that the latest Palestinian journalist victim was Yahya Abu Mnea, who worked for local Al Aqsa Radio and was killed in an Israeli air strike in Gaza City.

However, shortly after the statement, the Palestinian official news agency Wafa announced the death of another journalist, Mohammad Abu Hasira, who was killed along with a number of his family members in an Israeli airstrike on his home in western Gaza.

0854 GMT — UN rights chief travels to Middle East amid Gaza escalation

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, began a five-day visit to the Middle East to engage with government officials and civil society on the human rights violations taking place amid Israel's escalation in Gaza.

"It has been one full month of carnage, of incessant suffering, bloodshed, destruction, outrage and despair," Turk said in a statement. "Human rights violations are at the root of this escalation and human rights play a central role in finding a way out of this vortex of pain."

Turk is in Cairo on Tuesday and will visit Rafah, located on the border with Gaza, on Wednesday, before he travels to the Jordanian capital of Amman on Thursday, his office said.

0850 GMT — UAE to set up 150-bed field hospital in Gaza: official media

The United Arab Emirates is to set up a field hospital in Gaza, official media said after the number of people killed in Israeli bombardments passed 10,000.

Five aircraft flew out of Abu Dhabi for Arish in northern Egypt carrying equipment and supplies for the 150-bed facility, WAM news agency said.

An official said there was no immediate information on how the equipment will be transferred to Gaza, where there is only operational border point, the Rafah crossing near Arish.

0821 GMT — Israeli killing of Palestinians in West Bank rises to 163

The Palestinian death toll from Israeli attacks in the occupied West Bank since October 7 rose to 163, the Palestinian Health Ministry has said.

In a brief statement, the ministry said since the start of the year, 371 Palestinians across the occupied territory have been killed by Israeli forces.

According to a previous statement, the number of Palestinians injured in the West Bank since October 7 has exceeded 2,200.

0716 GMT — China, UAE urge UN to adopt ‘actionable resolution’ on Gaza

China and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have demanded the UN Security Council adopt an "actionable" resolution on Palestine.

"Amidst this catastrophic situation, we emphasise the need for the Security Council to act with urgency and adopt meaningful and actionable resolution," said Ambassador Zhang Jun, China’s top diplomat at the UN, delivering a joint statement with his UAE counterpart Ambassador Lana Zaki Nusseibeh.

Backing the call for an urgent humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza by UN chief Antonio Guterres, Zhang told reporters in New York a humanitarian ceasefire now is desperately needed for rapid and unhindered humanitarian aid delivery.

0627 GMT — Russia: Israeli remark on nuclear weapons raises many questions

Russia's foreign ministry has said that a statement by an Israeli junior minister who appeared to voice openness to the idea of Israel carrying out a nuclear strike on Gaza had raised many questions.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday suspended Heritage Minister Amihay Eliyahu, from a far-right party in the coalition government, from cabinet meetings "until further notice".

Asked in a radio interview about a hypothetical nuclear option, Eliyahu had replied: "That's one way."

0439 GMT — Israel agrees on 'little pauses' over Gaza strikes: Netanyahu

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was open to “little pauses” in its bombardments — although it was not clear whether some kind of small stoppage had been agreed to or whether the US was satisfied with the scope of the Israeli commitment.

US President Joe Biden had raised the need for humanitarian pauses directly with Netanyahu on a call earlier Monday, but there was no agreement reached, the White House said.

Lulls in the fighting are being sought to facilitate humanitarian aid deliveries and the release of some of the estimated 240 hostages that Hamas seized when it initiated Operation Al Aqsa Flood on October 7, a multi-pronged surprise attack including a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel via land, sea and air.

0155 GMT — UNSC fails to agree on war pause or ceasefire as Gaza death toll passes 10,000

The UN Security Council failed again to agree on a resolution on the monthlong Israeli assault on Gaza.

Despite more than two hours of closed-door discussions Monday, differences remained. The US is calling for "humanitarian pauses" while many other council members are demanding a “humanitarian ceasefire” to deliver desperately needed aid and prevent more civilian deaths in Gaza.

"We talked about humanitarian pauses and we're interested in pursuing language on that score," US deputy ambassador Robert Wood told reporters after the meeting. "But there are disagreements within the council about whether that’s acceptable."

0204 GMT — 118 aid trucks enter Gaza through Rafah crossing

The Palestine Red Crescent Society announced that it had received 118 aid trucks on Sunday and Monday through the Rafah border crossing, bringing the total number of trucks that entered Gaza since October 21 to 569.

The society said in a statement viewed by Anadolu that "Palestine Red Crescent teams received on Sunday 25 trucks from the Egyptian Red Crescent loaded with humanitarian aid through the Rafah crossing."

0141 GMT — Egypt receives 17 people injured in Israeli war on Gaza

Egypt's Health Ministry announced Monday that it received 17 injured Palestinians and conducted medical examinations on 166 foreigners arriving from Gaza through the Rafah crossing.

"We received a group of our Palestinian brethren who were injured in the events in Gaza," it said.

It said "medical examinations were conducted on all cases with precise diagnoses and their total number reached 17 wounded individuals."

0110 GMT — Netanyahu: Israel to take 'overall security responsibility' of Gaza after war

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that his country will take "overall responsibility" of Gaza's security for an indefinite period after its war with Hamas ends.

"Israel will, for an indefinite period, will have the overall security responsibility," he said in a television interview with ABC News broadcast.

"When we don't have that security responsibility, what we have is the eruption of Hamas terror on a scale that we couldn't imagine," he added.

0000 GMT — Palestine Red Crescent says Al Quds Hospital to run out of fuel in 48 hours

The Palestine Red Crescent Society warned that fuel reserves at Al Quds Hospital in Gaza City will run out in 48 hours as Israel has been barring the entry of fuel into Gaza since October 7.

In a statement, it said that once the fuel runs out, vital equipment at the hospital will shut down including resuscitation equipment, baby incubators and intensive care units.

It added that the hospital is already suffering from a severe lack of medicines and food and water for its medical staff, patients and displaced people.

For our live updates from Monday (November 6), click here.