Live blog: Communication blackout in Gaza as Israel says extending ground operations

Friday, October 27, 2023

1759 GMT — The Israeli army has said it will extend "ground operations" in Gaza on Friday night after significantly intensifying its air strikes on the Palestinian territory.

"Following the series of strikes of the last days, the ground forces are extending the ground operation tonight," military spokesman Daniel Hagari told reporters.

His announcement followed two straight nights of tank incursions into Gaza.

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1928 — 'When this is over, Gaza will be very different': Israeli PM's adviser

Israel's military assaults on Gaza are underway and Gaza will be very different, Mark Regev, an adviser to Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said on Friday.

"We are beefing up the pressure on Hamas. We're increasing the pressure that they're under. Our military operations are underway," he told Fox News.

"They will continue to be on the receiving end of our military blows until we have dismantled their military machine and dissolve their political structure in Gaza. When this is over, Gaza will be very different," he said.

1923 GMT — 'Ready' for Israel ground invasion: Hamas

Hamas is "ready" for an Israeli invasion of Gaza, a top official of the Palestinian group said late Friday after Israel announced it would extend its ground offensives.

"If (Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu decides to enter Gaza tonight, the resistance is ready," said Ezzat al Rishaq, a senior member of the Hamas political bureau, on social media platform Telegram.

"The remains of his soldiers will be swallowed up by the land of Gaza."

1911 GMT — Hamas's visit aligns with policy for contact with all sides: Kremlin

A recent visit by Palestinian group Hamas to Moscow is in line with Russia's policy to maintain contact with all sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Kremlin said.

"We consider it necessary to continue maintaining contact with all parties. And, of course, we will continue our dialogue with Israel," spokesman Dmitry Peskov said at a news conference in the Russian capital, without commenting on Israeli opposition to the Hamas delegation's visit on Thursday.

"As for Gaza, we have repeatedly said, a humanitarian catastrophe is taking place there now, which is the subject of attention and the deepest concern of almost all countries of the world," he stressed.

1823 GMT — White House: More aid trucks, fuel needed in Gaza

Ten additional aid trucks have gotten into Gaza amid Israel's aerial bombardment but more fuel is needed, White House spokesman John Kirby said.

Kirby said he has seen reports about Israel expanding its ground offensive in Gaza but would not comment on that.

He also said the US supports a pause in Israeli military attacks in Gaza to get humanitarian aid, fuel and electricity to civilians there.

1808 GMT — UN says 'no indication' Gaza Health Ministry's death toll is 'false'

The UN said it has "no indication" that the death toll figures released by Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza are "false".

"We have no indication that they are false," the UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters during a daily press briefing.

1808 GMT — Hamas calls on world to 'act immediately' to stop Israeli bombardment

Hamas called on the world to "act immediately" 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.

1738 GMT — UN: Attacking healthcare facilities in Gaza violates international humanitarian law

Any attack on healthcare facilities "will be a violation of international humanitarian law," the UN warned amid reports about a possible Israeli strike on Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza.

When asked by Anadolu during a daily press briefing if the UN is aware of a possible attack on Gaza's largest hospital and whether it is taking any precautions, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said: "We've said repeatedly that any attack on healthcare facilities will be a violation of international humanitarian law."

1701 GMT — Hamas says fired 'salvos' of rockets at Israel

Hamas has said 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, Qassam Brigades, said on its Telegram channel.

1652 GMT — Palestinian government in Gaza condemns Western media for bias, questions journalistic ethics

The Government Media Office in Gaza criticised the approach of some Western media organisations, stating that it is "far from professionalism and journalistic ethics."

In a statement, Salama Maarouf, a spokesman for the media office, expressed that "some Western media organisations have practised journalism in a way that proves that they are far from professionalism and journalistic ethics."

"We condemn the blind bias shown by Western media outlets regarding Israel's narrative," Maarouf said.

"Since the beginning of the Israeli attacks, we have observed dozens of examples where media networks such as BBC, CNN, ABC News, Fox News, Sky News and CBS were biased in favour of Israel."

1651 GMT — Gaza faces 'avalanche of human suffering': UN chief

The United Nations chief warned that Gaza faces "an unprecedented avalanche of human suffering" due to lack of food, water and power during the Israeli bombing.

"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."

1646 GMT — Hamas govt says internet, communications cut across Gaza

The Hamas government has said Israel "cut communications and most of the internet" across Gaza.

The government's media office accused Israel of taking the measure "to perpetrate massacres with bloody retaliatory strikes from the air, land and sea," as heavy strikes hit northern Gaza.

The Netblocks internet observatory also said that the internet connectivity in Gaza has broken down.

1636 GMT — Nearly 29,000 Lebanese flee homes near Israel border: UN

Nearly 29,000 Lebanese civilians have fled communities near the border with Israel because of deadly artillery exchanges between Iran-backed Hezbollah and the Israeli army, a UN agency said.

A total of 28,965 Lebanese have fled their homes, the International Organisation for Migration said in an update, adding that the figure had risen by 37 percent since its last report on Tuesday.

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.

1632 GMT — WHO says it urgently needs $80M for humanitarian needs in occupied West Bank, Gaza

The World Health Organisation said that it urgently needs an estimated $80 million to respond to humanitarian needs in the occupied West Bank and Gaza and to undertake contingency planning for Egypt, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan through the end of 2023.

1627 GMT — Intense Israeli strikes rock northern Gaza

Intense Israeli strikes rocked northern Gaza, live footage filmed by AFP showed.

The Israeli military told AFP it is "continuously striking in Gaza against the Hamas" that rules the Palestinian territory.

1458 GMT — EU Council calls for humanitarian corridor, pause in Mideast conflict

The EU Council called for the establishment of a humanitarian corridor in the Middle East amid the ongoing conflict, which is about to enter its third week.

"We call for the establishment of a humanitarian corridor and a humanitarian pause," EU Council President Charles Michel told reporters on the sidelines of a summit in Brussels.

"We expressed a united, clear, and firm position," Michel told a joint news conference alongside EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, stressing the importance of urgently delivering humanitarian aid to those in need in the region.

1457 GMT — Hamas rejects Israeli accusation it has abused hospitals

Hamas fired back at an accusation by the Israeli army that it was abusing hospitals to shield its war effort, calling the charges unfounded.

"There's no basis in truth in what the spokesman of the enemy army stated," said Izzat al Rishq, a senior member of the Hamas political bureau.

He accused Israel of making the allegations to "pave the way for a new massacre to be committed against our people."

1423 GMT — China says communicating with all parties of Gaza conflict

China refused to give a clear response to whether Beijing will hold talks with the Palestinian armed group Hamas.

"China is in communication with all parties concerned in the Palestinian issue," said Mao Ning, spokeswoman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

Beijing will "continue to make unremitting efforts to call on relevant parties to make joint efforts to push for an early ceasefire," Mao said, according to the Beijing-based daily Global Times.

1411 GMT — Hamas 'wages war from hospitals' in Gaza: Israel army

The Israeli army has accused Hamas of using hospitals in Gaza as operational centres for directing attacks against Israel, as Israeli aggression intensifies in the Palestinian territory.

"Hamas wages war from hospitals" in Gaza, military spokesman Daniel Hagari told journalists, claiming that the Palestinian armed group was also "using fuel stored in these facilities for carrying out its operations."

1346 GMT — Macron calls for 'humanitarian truce' in Israel-Palestine conflict

French President Emmanuel Macron has called for a "humanitarian truce" in the Israel-Palestine conflict for the protection of civilians in Gaza, as he said Israel's response must "better target... terrorists".

"A humanitarian truce is useful today to be able to protect those who are on the ground, who have suffered bombings," Macron said.

1328 GMT — Red Cross says its first medics enter Gaza during war

Medics from the International Committee of the Red Cross entered Gaza for the first time since the outbreak of Israel's war on the besieged Palestinian enclave 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.

1303 GMT — Qatar told US it is open to reconsidering Hamas presence, US official says

Qatar told the United States that it was open to reconsidering Hamas's presence on its territory, a senior US official said, once the crisis over scores of hostages taken by Hamas is resolved.

The understanding, which was first reported by the Washington Post, was reached during a meeting between US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani, when the top US diplomat was visiting Doha earlier this month, the official said.

1232 GMT — Israel keeps tight curbs on Al Aqsa Mosque, 5,000 pray

Israeli security forces stopped young Palestinians from reaching Al Aqsa Mosque, requiring them to say Muslim prayers outside Jerusalem's Old City, before letting several thousand elder worshippers enter under continued tight curbs.

The authority in charge, the Jerusalem Islamic Endowments Department, said 5,000 worshippers performed Friday prayers at the holy site.

1258 GMT — Palestinians rally in occupied West Bank in support of Gaza

Hundreds of Palestinians demonstrated in the streets of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, where some expressed support for Hamas amid Israel's ongoing war on Gaza.

The crowd chanted slogans including: "liberate Gaza" and "the people want the Al Qassam Brigades" in reference to Hamas's armed wing. Others waved Hamas flags along with banners representing a range of Palestinian movements.

Fakhi Barghouti, 80, said Palestinians in the occupied West Bank "need to do more about the war in Gaza".

1242 GMT — France wants to evacuate its citizens from Gaza soon

France wants to evacuate its nationals as soon as possible from Gaza, which is under heavy bombardment by Israel, French President Emmanuel Macron said.

"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.

1228 GMT — UN: Palestinian health ministry in Gaza tolls in earlier conflicts 'credible'

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees said the death toll given by the Palestinian health ministry in 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 Gaza, these figures were considered as credible and no one ever really challenged these figures," UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini told reporters in Jerusalem.

1217 GMT — Palestinian deaths from Israeli attacks in Gaza surpasses 7,300

The Palestinian death toll from the Israeli air strikes on Gaza since October 7 rose to 7,326, the Health Ministry in Gaza has announced.

Ashraf al Qidra, a ministry spokesman, said during a news conference: "The death toll from the Israeli aggression on Gaza has reached 7,326, including 3,038 children, 1,726 women, and 414 elderly individuals. In addition, 18,484 citizens have been injured since Oct 7."

He pointed out that "the Israeli occupation committed 41 massacres in the past hours, claiming the lives of 298 martyrs, the majority of whom were displaced to the southern Gaza , which the Israeli occupation claims is safe."

He also accused Israel of "deliberately committing 772 massacres against families."

"We received reports of 1,700 missing people, including 940 children still under the rubble," the spokesman said.

1212 GMT — Israel says the vast network of Hamas tunnels will make a ground offensive long and difficult

Israel's defence minister said that it expects to launch a ground offensive into Gaza soon that will be long and difficult, and aim to destroy a vast network of tunnels used by Hamas fighters.

Yoav Gallant spoke to a small group of foreign reporters after Israeli forces backed by fighter jets and drones carried out a second ground raid into Gaza in as many days, striking the outskirts of Gaza City.

He said the ground invasion would include large forces, backed by air strikes, and "will take a long time," without elaborating. He said it would be followed by a third phase of lower-intensity fighting, as Israel destroys "pockets of resistance."

1152 GMT — Israeli army destroys memorial of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh in occupied West Bank

Israeli army bulldozers destroyed the memorial of late Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, located at the entrance to the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank.

"Israeli forces stormed the city of Jenin and the outskirts of its camp, and a military bulldozer began razing Martyr Abu Akleh Street and her memorial," witnesses told Anadolu.

The witnesses explained that "the army deliberately vandalised the street and destroyed the memorial of Abu Akleh."

1125 GMT — OIC condemns 'Israel's intimidation' of UN chief

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in New York condemned Israel's recent criticism of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

Israeli top officials criticised recent remarks of Guterres on the recent escalations in Gaza, including Israeli Ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan, who demanded that Guterres resign "immediately," and said he is "not fit to lead the UN."

In a joint statement initiated by Pakistan, the OIC "expressed its strong condemnation of the disrespectful and intimidating remarks by Israel" and characterised the remarks as "an act of political coercion against the UN and its Secretary-General."

1106 GMT — US expands its effort to cut off funding for Hamas

The United States expanded its effort to cut off funding for Hamas, announcing a second round of sanctions against people and organisations linked to the group since it launched an operation on Israel.

The new sanctions highlight Iran's role in providing financial, logistical and operational support to Hamas, the US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control said in a statement.

They include a Hamas representative in Iran and members of Iran's Revolutionary Guard.

1015 GMT — Four Palestinians killed in Israeli raid in West Bank

Israeli forces killed at least four Palestinians during a dawn raid in the north of the occupied West Bank, health officials have said, with Hamas members among the dead.

"Four killed by occupation (Israeli) bullets in Jenin and Qalqilya at dawn today," the Palestinian health ministry said in a statement.

The Palestinian news agency Wafa said at least three Palestinians were killed in "violent clashes" in the city of Jenin during an incursion by "a large contingent" of Israeli forces.

A dozen others were also injured during the skirmishes, the agency reported.

0951 GMT — UN concerned 'war crimes are being committed' in Gaza crisis

The United Nations has said it was concerned that war crimes were being committed in the conflict between Israel and Hamas.

"We are concerned that war crimes are being committed. We are concerned about the collective punishment of Gazans in response to the atrocious attacks by Hamas, which also amounted to war crimes," UN Human Rights Office spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani told a press conference in Geneva.

0930 GMT — '20 trucks a day are not enough' for Gaza: UN

The World Food Programme (WFP) urged the continuation of humanitarian supplies at a scale that matches needs, saying: "20 trucks a day are not enough."

Noting that humanitarian convoys have been "trickling" into Gaza since October 21, Samer Abdel Jaber, WFP's country director for Palestine, said their scale and frequency are "nowhere near enough to alleviate the suffering of the people."

Addressing a UN press briefing in Geneva virtually, he said WFP has brought in nine trucks of food assistance today, mainly canned food with flour and other essentials, stressing that it does not make even 2 percent of the food needed.

0842 GMT — Israeli army detains 70 more Palestinians across occupied West Bank

The Israeli army detained more than 70 Palestinians from different areas across the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

In a statement, the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society said the new arrests bring the total number of Palestinians detained by the Israeli forces since October 7 to nearly 1,530.

Before October 7, the number of Palestinians detained in Israeli jails was a round 5,200, including more than 1,000 held under Israel’s administrative detention policy.

The controversial policy allows Israeli authorities to detain anyone for six months without charge or trial, which can be extended indefinitely.

0838 GMT — Eight more aid trucks expected to enter Gaza on Friday - UN

Another eight trucks carrying food, medicine and water are expected to cross into Gaza on Friday, a senior United Nations official said, as a combination of technical, political and security issues hindered deliveries.

"We have gotten in approximately 74 trucks. We're expecting another eight or so today," said Lynn Hastings, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

She said detailed negotiations were taking place with Israel to secure more humanitarian crossings in the densely populated enclave, which has been hit by unrelenting air strikes in recent days.

0835 GMT — UN agency says 'soon many more will die' from Gaza siege

The United Nations warned that "many more will die" as a result of Israel's ongoing siege of Gaza, saying basic services in the Palestinian territory were "crumbling".

"As we speak people in Gaza are dying, they are not only dying from bombs and strikes, soon many more will die from the consequences of (the) siege imposed on Gaza," said Philippe Lazzarini, commissioner general for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.

"Basic services are crumbling, medicine is running out, food and water are running out, the streets of Gaza have started overflowing with sewage."

0829 GMT — Israel 'clearly' opposes delivery of humanitarian aid to northern Gaza

Israel 'clearly' opposes delivery of humanitarian aid to northern Gaza where estimated 300,000-400,000 people remain present, UN official said.

0807 GMT — 'Meaningful and uninterrupted' aid needed for Gaza: UN

The United Nations has said that "uninterrupted" aid was needed in Gaza after nearly three weeks of Israeli bombardment that has triggered a humanitarian crisis in the besieged Palestinian territory.

Philippe Lazzarini, commissioner general for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, said that "meaningful and uninterrupted" aid was needed for Gaza as he confirmed 57 of the agency's staff had been killed during the war.

It also noted that technical, security, and political issues are slowing aid flows to Gaza.

0805 GMT — Egypt says unidentified drone crashes near hospital in Sinai town Taba

Egypt's army spokesperson said that an unidentified drone crashed near a hospital building in the Red Sea town of Taba, near the Sinai Peninsula border with Israel, injuring six people.

Earlier on Friday, Egypt's AlQahera News television, which is linked to state intelligence, reported "a rocket" falling on Taba "as part of the current escalation in Gaza".

0711 GMT — Israeli settlers threaten Palestinians with new 'Nakba'

Israeli settlers threatened Palestinians in the occupied West Bank with a new "Nakba," hinting at expelling them forcibly from their lands as happened in 1948.

According to the Palestinian Wafa news agency, the settlers posted leaflets on Palestinian farmers' vehicles on the outskirts of Deir Istiya village near Salfit province in the northern West Bank, demanding the farmers abandon their homes and villages and relocate to Jordan.

If they do not comply with the demand, the settlers will do it through violent attacks and forcibly evict them from their land, Wafa cited from one of the leaflets written in Arabic.

Commenting on the threats, the village's mayor, Firas Diyab, said the threats are clearly visible to all, urging people to remain vigilant.

0658 GMT — 12 Palestinians killed in Israeli air strikes on southern Gaza

At least 12 Palestinians were killed by Israeli air strikes on several homes in the city of Khan Younis in southern Gaza.

In a statement, the Gaza-based Interior Ministry said that 12 Palestinians were killed and dozens of others injured in a series of fresh Israeli air strikes on residential homes across the city.

For the 21st day, the Israeli army continued to target Gaza with heavy air strikes that destroyed entire neighbourhoods and killed thousands of people.

0630 GMT — Hamas: Ceasefire needed before hostages can be freed

The Palestinian Hamas group that controls Gaza cannot release hostages seized during its attack on Israel until a ceasefire is agreed, the Russian newspaper Kommersant quoted a member of a Hamas delegation visiting Moscow as saying.

It quoted Abu Hamid as saying Hamas needed time to locate all of those who had been taken from Israel to Gaza by various Palestinian factions in a Hamas attack on Oct. 7.

"They seized dozens of people, most of them civilians, and we need time to find them in Gaza and then release them," Hamid said.

0606 GMT — ‘Nowhere is safe in Gaza' amid Israeli airstrikes: UN official

The UN humanitarian coordinator for the occupied Palestinian territory, Lynn Hastings, said that "nowhere is safe in Gaza", despite the Israeli evacuation warnings.

Israeli forces have warned more than 1 million civilians in northern Gaza to evacuate their homes and move south in anticipation of an expected ground invasion.

"For people who can’t evacuate – because they have nowhere to go or are unable to move – advance warnings make no difference," Hastings said.

0550 GMT — Israel ground forces and jets raided central Gaza: army

Israeli ground forces backed by fighter jets and drones carried out a night-time targeted raid in central Gaza, the army said, as it prepares for a land invasion.

"During the last day, IDF (Israel Defense Forces) ground forces, accompanied by IDF fighter jets and UAVs, conducted an additional targeted raid in central Gaza," the army said in a statement.

The Israeli army added that aircraft and artillery struck Hamas targets in the Shujaiya area and throughout Gaza.

0430 GMT — Israeli forces raid occupied West Bank cities

A young man was killed by Israeli forces' gunfire during the raid on the city of Qalqilya.

Local sources reported that the young man, Qasam Abdel Hafiz, 26, was killed by the gunfire of the Israeli forces that invaded the city of Qalqilya.

A Young man and former prisoner Abdel Hafiz was also killed by a shot in the chest by Israeli live fire.

Israeli forces also carried out raids in Jenin, Nablus and Hebron with military vehicles and searched a few homes, according to WAFA.

In total, three Palestinians were killed in the occupied West Bank since early Friday raising the death toll to 110 since October 7 and over 1,900 people injured.

0319 GMT — EU urges 'corridors and pauses' as UN warns 'nowhere' safe in Gaza

EU leaders have demanded "humanitarian corridors and pauses" in Israel's war on Gaza, urging aid access for civilians trapped in the besieged enclave, where the United Nations says "nowhere is safe."

EU 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".

Just 74 trucks of food, water and medicine have been permitted to enter Gaza, home to 2.4 million people, since the conflict began — a figure described by aid groups as vastly insufficient.

0315 GMT — Israeli air strike targets mosque in Gaza, many feared dead

Israel carried out an air strike on the Al Abyad Mosque in northern Gaza, with many feared dead.

The attack was part of a series of air strikes on the Al Shati Refugee Camp, the Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.

Al Abyad Mosque, which was targeted with several missiles, was destroyed, it added.

0225 GMT — Israeli troops briefly raid northern Gaza

Israeli troops and tanks briefly raided northern Gaza overnight, the military said, engaging with Hamas fighters and targeting anti-tank weapons to “prepare the battlefield” before an expected ground invasion.

The third Israeli raid since the war began came after more than two weeks of devastating air strikes that have left thousands dead, and more than 1 million displaced from their homes, in the small, densely-populated territory.

0147 GMT — Israel’s former ambassador to UN calls Palestinians 'inhuman animals'

Former Israeli ambassador to the United Nations Dan Gillerman described Palestinians as "horrible, inhuman animals” in a TV interview this week, saying he is "puzzled" by the concern over their fate in the ongoing Israeli war amid a tightened blockade on Gaza.

Gillerman made the remarks during an interview with Britain’s Sky News channel when he was asked to comment on the UN’s concerns over Israel’s "collective punishment" of Palestinians in Gaza through a blockade and the cutting off of fuel.

In reply, he said “I am very puzzled by the constant concern which the world is showing for the Palestinian people and is actually showing for these horrible, inhuman animals who have done the worst atrocities that this century has seen,” referring to Hamas’s October 7 surprise attack on Israel.

0035 GMT — Missile strikes Egyptian Red Sea town of Taba

A missile has struck a medical facility in an Egyptian Red Sea resort town near the Israeli border, wounding six people, Egypt's Al Qahera News reported, and Israel's military said it was aware of a security incident in the area.

Citing sources, Al Qahera reported the blast in the town of Taba was related to fighting between Israel and Palestine's Hamas resistance fighters.

A witness in Taba, which lies some 220 kms from Gaza, reported hearing an explosion and seeing heavy smoke and dust rising.

Al Qahera reported the missile struck a Taba ambulance facility and a residential building for the administration of the Taba Hospital.

2130 GMT — More than 2,000 people under debris of bombed buildings

Authorities in Palestine's Gaza enclave have said that at least 2,000 people are reportedly under the rubble of destroyed buildings.

They said 29,000 houses have been completely flattened by Israel in its indiscriminate land and air strikes since October 7.

Israeli air strikes have ravaged swaths of besieged Gaza — leaving it looking like a wasteland from space — and residents are running out of food, water and other supplies.

2100 GMT — War on Gaza 'will put the entire region out of control'

Ismail Haniyeh, the political bureau chief of the Palestinian resistance group Hamas, has warned about the consequences of the continuation of the Israeli war against Gaza.

The war "will put the entire region out of control," Haniyeh said in a televised statement aired by Hamas-affiliated Al Aqsa TV.

He said after 20 days of fighting in Gaza, the resistance "is very well."

Haniyeh affirmed that all resistance groups in Palestine, including Hamas, "are national liberation movements," when one considers that "terrorism is the occupier, those who support it, and those who remain silent about the massacres."

"The continuation of the aggression against Gaza will put the entire region out of control. Indeed, today the region has become a hot tin roof, and no one can predict its directions or outcome," he said.

The Hamas chief demanded the opening of all crossings, especially Rafah, to allow access to everything Gaza needs "without restrictions or conditions."

2100 GMT — Muslim group says 225,000 messages urging truce sent to US lawmakers

The Council on American-Islamic Relations [CAIR] has announced that participants in its "Ceasefire Now" congressional resolution have sent almost 225,000 messages to Congress.

"More than 225,000 emails have been dispatched to members of the U.S. House and Senate," CAIR said in a statement.

The resolution is intended to send action alert messages to Congress to urge lawmakers to support a ceasefire in Gaza amid an Israeli bombardment and blockade.

"We must urgently address the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza and advocate for an immediate ceasefire. Without our voices, Congress may only hear from those who support unchecked military actions and seek to rationalize civilian casualties among the Palestinian population," CAIR's Robert McCaw said in a statement.

For our live updates from Thursday (October 26), click here.