Live blog: Israeli troops 'encircle' Gaza as Jordan warns of regional war

Thursday, November 2, 2023

Israel's army has said its forces have encircled the Hamas stronghold of Gaza following days of expanding ground invasion in the besieged Palestinian territory.

"Israeli soldiers have completed the encirclement of the city of Gaza, the centre of the Hamas terror organisation," military spokesperson Daniel Hagari told journalists.

"The concept of a ceasefire is not currently on the table at all," Hagari said.

The Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, warned Israel that its invading soldiers would go home "in black bags".

Spokesman Abu Obeida said: "Gaza will be the curse of history for Israel."

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2058 GMT — Jordan to tell Blinken Israel must immediately stop war on Gaza

Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi will tell US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Amman on Saturday that Israel must "end its war on Gaza" where he said it was committing war crimes by bombing civilians and imposing a siege.

In a Foreign Ministry statement, Safadi warned that Israel's unreadiness to end the war was pushing the region rapidly towards a regional war that threatened world peace.

2109 GMT — Israel kills Palestinian journalist in Gaza bombing

A journalist working for the Palestinian Authority's television channel has been killed in an Israeli strike on Gaza, his network reported.

"Our colleague Mohammed Abu Hatab fell as a martyr along with members of his family in an Israeli bombardment against his home in Khan Yunis" in the south of the territory, broadcaster Palestine TV station said.

Medical sources at Nasser hospital in Khan Yunis said at least 11 people were killed in the Israeli strike.

Since Israel began bombarding Gaza, hundreds of Palestinian journalists have had to flee south from Gaza City and work in fear for their lives in appalling conditions as Israeli air raids pound the territory.

The Palestinian journalists' union says that 27 of its members have been killed by Israel in the territory since October 7.

Before Abu Hatab was killed, CPJ said 35 journalists had been killed so far — 30 Palestinians, four Israelis, and one Lebanese.

2005 GMT — Israel mulling whether to allow aid into Gaza in exchange for captives' release

Israel is in discussions with the US on allowing humanitarian aid into blockaded Gaza in exchange for the release of several captives held by Palestinian resistance group Hamas, according to Israeli Broadcasting Authority, which cited an unnamed official.

Israel has prevented the entry of fuel and electricity into Gaza, while it has severely restricted the entry of water, food, and medicine since the start of the current ongoing conflict on October 7.

2055 GMT — Lebanon says Israel kills civilians in strikes and shelling

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency has said four civilians were killed in Israeli bombardment of a border area in southern Lebanon.

The agency said the four were killed in Israeli strikes on the Saluki Valley area.

The latest deaths raise to 10 the number of civilians killed on the Lebanese side of the border since tension began to rise along the Lebanon-Israel border.

1822 GMT — Morocco slams international 'inaction' over Gaza

Morocco expressed "great concern and deep indignation" over "the worsening of the humanitarian situation in Gaza", a Foreign Ministry statement has said.

It said Rabat regrets "the inaction" of the international community and the United Nations Security Council's "failure to assume its responsibilities".

The statement condemned what it called "the inability of influential countries to put an end to this catastrophic situation".

Israel's "acts of escalation are in contradiction with international humanitarian law and common human values", it said.

1813 GMT — Exploring idea of pauses in Israel-Palestine conflict: White House

The White House is exploring the idea of pauses in the Israel-Palestine conflict to help civilians in Gaza and is working with Israel to minimise casualties, national security spokesperson John Kirby has said.

"What we're trying to do is explore the idea of as many pauses as might be necessary to continue to get aid out and to continue to work to get people out safely, including hostages," he told reporters at a briefing.

He also said that the White House has not seen evidence that Hezbollah is ready to go full force.

1800 GMT — Bahrain confirms ambassador to Israel returned home, Israeli envoy to Manama left

Bahrain said the Gulf state's ambassador to Israel had returned home and the Israeli ambassador in Manama had left "a while ago", confirming an earlier statement by parliament.

The government statement did not however confirm that economic ties had been severed, as the parliament had earlier stated, citing a protest over the war in Gaza.

Earlier Bahrain's lower house of parliament announced the halting of economic ties with Israel and the return of ambassadors on both sides over Israeli attacks on Gaza.

1749 GMT — UN says four school shelters 'damaged' in Gaza strikes

The United Nations Agency for Palestinian Refugees said four schools sheltering displaced people had been damaged over the past day by Israeli strikes on Gaza.

One of the schools affected was in Jabalia refugee camp "after two days of heavy bombardments in the area," a UNRWA statement said, while the others were in Shati, or beach camp, and two in Bureij.

1721 GMT — Blinken to talk to Israel on 'concrete steps' to minimise civilian harm

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said he would ask Israel to take "concrete steps" to minimise harm to civilians in Gaza as he left on a crisis trip to the Middle East.

"We will be talking about concrete steps that can and should be taken to minimize harm to men, women and children in Gaza," Blinken told reporters at Andrews Air Force Base as he flew out.

"This is something that the United States is committed to," he said a day before he held his latest meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

1707 GMT — Israel army hits Lebanon's Hezbollah with 'broad assault'

The Israeli military said it targeted Lebanon's Hezbollah with a "broad assault", as the Iran-backed group said it had attacked 19 Israeli positions simultaneously.

Israeli "warplanes and helicopters attacked in recent hours targets of the Hezbollah terror organisation in response to fire from Lebanese territory earlier today, together with attacks with artillery and tank fire," an Israeli military statement said.

1700 GMT — Hospitals cannot be part of any combat, UN warns

The UN has warned that hospitals cannot be part of combat following reports that Gaza's main cancer hospital went out of service due to Israeli air strikes and a shortage of fuel.

"Turkish Palestinian Friendship Hospital in Gaza City reportedly ran out of fuel yesterday and was forced to stop most of its activities rendering 70 cancer patients and serious risks," UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters.

"I think this just only underscores a tragic humanitarian situation," he said, noting the need to allow fuel into Gaza.

"Hospitals cannot be evacuated and moved, he said. "It also yet another reminder of the fact that hospitals cannot be part of any combat."

1643 GMT — Two wounded by barrage of rockets near Lebanon border: Israel medics

A barrage of rockets wounded two people in the Israeli town of Kiryat Shmona near the Lebanese border, Israel's Magen David Adom emergency medical service has said.

An AFP photographer saw Israeli emergency crews checking the debris of burnt-out vehicles following the strikes in Kiryat Shmona.

1640 GMT — Israeli army admits paying 'heavy, painful price' amid Gaza ground attack

Israeli Army Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi said the Israeli forces are paying a “heavy and painful price” during the Gaza war.

At least 20 Israeli soldiers have been killed in fighting inside the Gaza since Tuesday.

“War has a heavy and painful price, but it is necessary,” Halevi said in a message to Israeli forces.

“We are in the midst of a war. It will be a long war and we will fight until the end. We are being proactive and fighting against the enemy in their territory,” he said.

1638 GMT — Lebanon's Hezbollah hits 19 positions in Israel simultaneously

Lebanese armed group Hezbollah launched simultaneous attacks on 19 different positions in northern Israel along the border with Lebanon, a senior Hezbollah source has said.

The source said the positions included military sites but did not elaborate.

1610 GMT — Time running out to prevent 'genocide' in Gaza: UN experts

A group of UN-mandated human rights experts, including the special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, said that "time is running out to prevent genocide and humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza".

"We remain convinced that the Palestinian people are at grave risk of genocide," the experts said in a joint statement.

"The time for action is now. Israel's allies also bear responsibility and must act now to prevent its disastrous course of action."

1526 GMT — Israeli troops advance past Gaza outskirts: Netanyahu

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that Israeli forces had pushed further in than the outskirts of Gaza in their assault on Hamas fighters in the northern half of Gaza.

"We're at the height of the battle. We've had impressive successes and have passed the outskirts of Gaza. We are advancing," Netanyahu said in a statement released by his office. It gave no further details.

1514 GMT — Gaza hospital evacuation orders put hundreds of patients at risk: WHO

The head of the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said the forced evacuation of hospitals in Gaza would put the lives of hundreds of patients at risk.

"Twenty-three hospitals have been ordered to evacuate in Gaza City and north Gaza, and forced evacuation in these circumstances would put the lives of hundreds of patients in a life-threatening situation," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

"We're running out of words to describe the horror unfolding in Gaza," said Tedros.

1508 GMT — Israel accuses Iranian group of supporting Hezbollah in cross-border attacks

The Israeli army accused an Iranian armed group of supporting the Lebanese group Hezbollah in carrying out cross-border attacks against Israel.

In a statement, military spokesperson Avichai Adraee said members of the Imam Hossein Brigade group had arrived in southern Lebanon to provide assistance to Hezbollah.

According to the spokesman, the group, originally formed in Syria, engaged in clashes with the Israeli army on Lebanon’s border in recent weeks.

"Hezbollah and the Imam Hossein Brigade group are forcing Lebanon to pay a heavy price for Hamas," Adraee said.

1447 GMT — Israeli atrocities in Gaza amount to 'war crimes': Pakistan

Reiterating its call for an "end to the carnage" in Gaza, Pakistan said it has concerns about Israeli "atrocities" in Gaza, which amount to "war crimes."

"Pakistan has concerns about Israeli atrocities which are taking place currently in Gaza and we believe these atrocities amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mumtaz Zahra Baloch told Anadolu during a weekly news briefing in the capital Islamabad.

1446 GMT — Hamas official criticises German ban as crime against Palestinians

A representative for the Hamas group in Lebanon has said Germany's ban on the group's activities showed that the country was in partnership with Israel on crimes against Palestinian people.

"This prompts us to question whether the German political mentality is a Holocaust mentality that affects all peoples and is not limited to one party or another," Osama Hamdan, the Hamas representative in Lebanon, said in a news conference.

1436 GMT — Residential neighbourhoods 'real target' of Israeli air strikes in Gaza: Media office

Authorities in Gaza said that residential neighbourhoods were regularly targeted in Israeli air strikes on the blockaded territory.

"Residential neighbourhoods, houses, children, women and people gathering at bakeries, hospitals and churches were the real target [of the Israeli strikes]," the Government Media Office said in a statement.

"We challenge the [Israeli] occupation to reveal the nature of these alleged military targets,” the office said.

1431 GMT — Lebanon's Hezbollah says it uses drones to attack Israeli army position

Lebanon's Hezbollah has said it had used two drones packed with explosives to attack an Israeli army command position in the disputed Shebaa Farms area at the Lebanese-Israeli border.

In a statement, the Iran-backed group said the drones were filled with "a large quantity of explosives" and had hit their targets.

Earlier they also said that the group struck an Israeli surveillance system near the border with Israel.

1430 GMT — Israeli general eyes admitting fuel to Gaza if hospitals run out

The chief of Israel's armed forces signalled a willingness to ease its wartime embargo on fuel for Gaza, saying that if hospitals there run out they could be resupplied under supervision.

"Note that, for more than a week now, they have been telling us that 'tomorrow the fuel in hospitals will run out'. So far it has not run out," Lieutenant-General Herzi Halevi said during a televised appearance, in response to a reporter's question.

"We will watch for when that day arrives. Fuel will be transferred, with monitoring, to the hospitals. We will do everything needed to ensure that it will not reach Hamas infrastructures, that it will not end up serving war aims but the real needs of treating the sick," he said.

He also said that the Israeli air force is bringing less than half of its capabilities to bear in the Gaza war.

1409 GMT — Israel orders residents of al Shati camp in Gaza to flee south

The Israeli army has ordered the residents of the al Shati refugee camp south of Gaza City to evacuate immediately and move south as Tel Aviv expanded its ground offensive in the Palestinian territory.

Israeli planes dropped leaflets on the camp demanding the immediate evacuation of its residents.

“Time is up. Our forces will bomb Hamas terrorists with overwhelming force in the coming hours. We do not promise that there will be another message. Evacuate immediately,” reads the leaflet.

1401 GMT — Dozens killed in Israeli bombing on UN school, Bureij camp in Gaza

Civil emergency services in besieged Gaza have said that 15 people were found dead in the rubble after an Israeli strike on the Bureij refugee camp.

Another 27 people were killed in a separate bombing on a school run by the United Nations, the Health Ministry in the besieged enclave said.

1348 GMT — Germany bans Hamas, pro-Palestine association

Germany banned Hamas and a pro-Palestine association, the country’s interior minister has said.

Addressing a news conference in Berlin, Nancy Faeser recalled that she decided three weeks ago, along with Chancellor Olaf Scholz, to ban the Palestinian group Hamas and the Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network (Samidoun).

Hamas is aiming to destroy the state of Israel, Faeser opined, criticizing Hamas for aggressive behaviour during demonstrations and aggressions towards Jewish institutions and homes in the country.

The minister also accused Samidoun of propaganda against Israel and Jews

1330 GMT — Israel says struck 3 targets in Lebanon after rocket fire

The Israeli army has said that it had struck three targets inside Lebanese territory after rocket fire into Israel.

A military statement said Israeli forces attacked a cell trying to fire anti-tank rockets at military positions near the Lebanese border.

According to the statement, rockets were launched at a military outpost close to the Israeli-Lebanese border. No injuries were reported.

The army said it also struck rocket launchers inside the Lebanese territory.

1305 GMT — 'Urgent scale-up in humanitarian aid' in Gaza important, UN chief, UK PM agree

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres "agreed on the importance of urgently scaling up the delivery of life-saving humanitarian aid" in Gaza.

Meeting during an AI safety summit in Milton Keynes, near London, Sunak and Guterres also "agreed on the need to reinvigorate international efforts to reach a lasting resolution to the conflict and progress work towards a two-state solution," in the Palestine-Israel conflict.

A UK government statement said the leaders "discussed the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza and agreed on the importance of urgently scaling up the delivery of life-saving humanitarian aid."

1250 GMT — Visit of Palestinian president to Russia in the works: Kremlin

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has said that a visit by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to Russia is being planned.

"It is difficult to talk about the exact date for obvious reasons," Peskov told a news conference in Moscow, referring to ongoing tensions due to the conflict in Gaza.

1244 GMT — Israel has launched over 12,000 air strikes in Gaza since Oct. 7: army

Israel has launched more than 12,000 air strikes on Gaza since Oct. 7, the Israeli army has said.

A military statement said that thousands of targets had been struck in these strikes.

This week, the Israeli army has expanded its air and ground attacks on Gaza, which has been under relentless air strikes since a cross-border operation by Hamas on Oct. 7.

1235 GMT — Israeli ground assaults hinder aid to 300,000 Palestinians: UN

The UN humanitarian office has said that the Israeli ground attack hinders the delivery of humanitarian aid to 300,000 displaced Palestinians in Gaza.

"The ongoing Israeli ground operation in northern Gaza is impeding the delivery of humanitarian aid to about 300,000 displaced people," the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a statement.

On Wednesday, the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital, the only public hospital for cancer patients in Gaza, went out of service due to Israeli attacks and fuel shortages.

"Gaza’s main cancer hospital ran out of fuel and was forced to stop its services, risking the lives of 70 cancer patients," OCHA said.

1214 GMT — US's Blinken, Saudi defence minister discuss Gaza: State Dept

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed the humanitarian situation in Gaza and the need to reinforce regional stability with Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman al Saud, the State Department has said.

"The secretary affirmed the importance of addressing humanitarian needs in Gaza, preventing further spread of the conflict, and reinforcing regional stability and security, including in Yemen," in Wednesday's meeting, the department said in a statement.

"He also emphasised the importance of working toward sustainable peace between Israelis and Palestinians, a shared priority of both the United States and Saudi Arabia."

1207 GMT — Russia warns mass displacement of Palestinians from Gaza to Egypt would be 'catastrophic'

Reported Israeli plans to relocate Palestinians to Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula would have "catastrophic" consequences, said the spokesperson for Russia’s Foreign Ministry.

Provocative statements about possible relocation fuel radical sentiments and mutual bitterness, threatening to further prolong the current Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Maria Zakharova said at a news conference in Moscow, responding to Anadolu.

"If such plans are implemented, the consequences of mass displacement of people will be catastrophic and will only worsen the situation in the region. And there will be disastrous consequences for both Palestinians and Israelis and for the region as a whole," she warned.

1158 GMT — Türkiye ready to take cancer patients from shut Gaza hospital

Türkiye is ready to take in cancer patients from Gaza's Turkish-Palestinian Friendship hospital, which went out of service on Wednesday after running out of fuel, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca has said.

In a statement on social messaging platform X, Koca said that if the necessary coordination was done Türkiye was ready to bring both cancer patients and others in need of emergency help to Türkiye to continue their treatment.

"As Türkiye... we are ready to provide any and all support in continuing the treatment of cancer patients who were forcibly discharged from the hospital due to a lack of resources," Koca said.

"The international community and relevant institutions have unfortunately not taken enough initiative to prevent the attacks on the hospital. Saving the lives of the patients is now a duty that cannot be escaped," he added.

1141 GMT — Palestinian death toll from Israeli gunfire in occupied West Bank rises to 134

The Israeli army killed four Palestinians, including two teens, in the West Bank, bringing the death toll in the occupied territory since Oct. 7 to 134, the Palestinian Health Ministry has said.

In a statement, the ministry said a 24-year-old succumbed to his injuries sustained this morning in the city of Al Bireh. 


The ministry also announced the death of a 14-year-old and 19-year-old in Nablus and Qalqilya.

Another 14-year-old Palestinian was also killed by Israeli gunfire in the city centre of Al Bireh.

1113 GMT — Gaza's largest hospital struggles over Israel's blockade: UK-based charity

Gaza's largest hospital is on its last supply of fuel as it struggles to cope with hundreds of wounded people while hosting thousands of displaced Palestinians, a senior doctor said.

“The high number of displaced people are no longer living in the courtyard of the hospital but are also living inside the hospital, including the corridors,” UK-based charity Medical Aid for Palestinians quoted Shifa Hospital’s chief of surgery, Dr Marwan Abusada, as saying. Abusada warned that illnesses can spread because of overcrowding and poor conditions.

Abusada said the overwhelmed hospital is struggling to treat more than 800 wounded people, most of whom suffer from medium or critical injuries.

"The medical team can in no way treat all these injuries, specifically with a lack of medication,” Abusada said, citing the Israeli blockade of Gaza and the small number of aid vehicles entering the territory daily.

1057 GMT — Death toll tops 9,060 in Israel's Gaza bombardments

The Palestinian death toll in the Israeli attacks has reached 9,061, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza.

Of these, 3,760 were children and an additional 32,000 had been wounded, the ministry said.

In the occupied West Bank, 130 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli raids.

More than 1,400 people in Israel have been killed and around 240 hostages were taken from Israel into Gaza by Palestinian resistance group Hamas.

1030 GMT — Israeli fire kills two Lebanese shepherds: state media

Lebanon's army has retrieved the bodies of two shepherds killed by Israeli fire, official media said, raising to 66 the number killed in Lebanon since October 7.

Lebanon's southern border has seen tit-for-tat exchanges, mainly between Israel and Hezbollah, since Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on Israel from Gaza.

The two shepherds, aged 20 and 22, had been reported missing on Wednesday as they herded their flock through Wazzani, their home village near the border, Lebanon's official National News Agency (NNA) reported.

"They were found dead after the (Israeli) occupation forces opened fire in their direction," the NNA said.

1009 GMT — New group of Gaza dual nationals depart for Egypt

A group of dual nationals left Gaza for Egypt through Rafah, a border official said, a day after the crossing point reopened for foreign passport holders and wounded Palestinians.

Wael Abu Mohsen, spokesman for the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing, said in a statement that "100 travellers of foreign nationalities" had crossed into Egypt on Thursday morning, escaping the bombarded Palestinian territory.

A total of 400 foreign passport holders as well as 60 wounded patients were due to cross by the day's end, Abu Mohsen said.

0836 GMT — Egypt says to help evacuate ‘about 7,000’ Gaza foreign nationals

Egypt will help evacuate "about 7,000" foreigners and dual nationals from the war-ravaged Gaza, the foreign ministry said, with officials saying some 400 people were expected to cross.

For the first time after weeks of the deadly Gaza crisis, the Rafah border crossing opened to let people out of the Israeli-besieged enclave.

In a meeting with foreign diplomats, assistant foreign minister Ismail Khairat said Egypt was preparing "to facilitate the reception and evacuation of foreign citizens from Gaza through the Rafah crossing", a ministry statement said.

0740 GMT — Power generator out at key hospital in northern Gaza

The power generator of the northern Gaza’s key hospital went out of service, Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza has said.

The Indonesian Hospital in Beit Lahia is near the densely populated Jabalia refugee camp, which has been the target of heavy Israeli air strikes this week.

Health Ministry spokesperson Ashraf Al Qudra said in a televised statement that the hospital is running on a smaller backup generator but had to turn off lights in most rooms, shut down oxygen generators and resort to oxygen cylinders, and turn off mortuary refrigerators.

“These exceptional measures will allow the Indonesian Hospital to work for a matter of days,” Al Qudra says. “However, if we cannot secure electricity or fuel then we will face a disaster.”

0700 GMT — Israeli strikes in Gaza's Jabalia camp claim over 1,000 lives

Casualties from Israeli air strikes on the Jabalia refugee camp in Gaza have risen to 1,000, according to the Health Ministry.

Early Thursday, ministry spokesperson Ashraf Al Qedra said on Facebook that there were "1,000 killed, injured, and missing in the massacres in Jabalia," located in northern Gaza.

This week the Israeli army has expanded its air and ground attacks on Gaza, which has been under relentless air strikes since a cross-border attack by Hamas on October 7.

More than 10,300 people have since been killed in the conflict, including at least 8,796 Palestinians and more than 1,538 Israelis.

0545 GMT — First Australians leave Israeli-besieged Gaza for Egypt

Twenty Australians were among the first group of foreign citizens to leave the Israeli-besieged Gaza and enter Egypt via the Rafah border crossing, Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs Tim Watts said.

At least 320 foreign nationals left the Palestinian enclave to cross into Egypt on Wednesday, the first to benefit from a deal mediated by Qatar.

Watts said there were still 65 Australians trapped in Gaza and the government had urged them, using all available communication channels, to move toward the Rafah crossing as soon as possible.

0516 GMT — Thailand held direct hostage talks with Hamas in Iran: negotiator

Thai officials held direct talks with Hamas in Iran last week over the fate of 22 of the kingdom's nationals taken hostage by the Palestinian resistance group in its attack on Israel, the head of the Thai delegation said.

Negotiators met Hamas officials in Tehran on October 26 and were given a pledge that the Thais would be released at the "right time", Areepen Uttarasin told reporters in Bangkok.

0514 GMT — More than 20,000 wounded people still in Gaza: MSF

More than 20,000 wounded people are still trapped in Gaza, according to Doctors Without Borders (MSF), despite initial evacuations of foreign passport holders and badly injured Palestinians across the border to Egypt.

MSF noted the evacuations of "a number of severely injured" people in a statement, saying that its 22 international staff members in Gaza had also been among those who left the territory via the Rafah border crossing.

"However, there are still over 20,000 injured people in Gaza with limited access to healthcare due to the siege," it said.

0431 GMT — Israel strikes Gaza refugee camp again as UN warns of 'war crimes'

Israel hit Gaza's largest refugee camp with renewed air strikes, prompting UN rights officials to warn that targeting densely populated residential areas "could amount to war crimes."

Bombs struck the Jabalia camp for a second time in two days, pulverising buildings and, according to local health ministry, killing dozens of people.

AFP witnessed extensive damage at the scene, with people frantically clawing through rubble to extract bloodied casualties.

Rescuers said "whole families" had died, but casualty details could not be immediately confirmed.

The United Nations decried Israel's most recent bombings, joining a chorus of international condemnation from as far afield as Bolivia, which severed diplomatic ties in protest.

The UN's top human rights body -- citing "the high number of civilian casualties" and scale of destruction -- said it had "serious concerns that these are disproportionate attacks that could amount to war crimes."

2306 GMT — Gaza says 195 Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks on Jabalia

At least 195 Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza's Jabalia refugee camp on Tuesday and Wednesday, Gaza government's media office has said.

Some 120 were still missing under the rubble, and at least 777 more were wounded, the office said in a statement.

The death toll of Palestinians killed since the start of the Israeli aggression on blockaded Gaza, has surged to 8,805, mostly children and women.

0256 GMT — Biden voices support for humanitarian 'pause'

President Joe Biden, when responding to a heckler at a Minnesota campaign event, said he thinks there should be a humanitarian "pause" in the Israel war's on Gaza to get "prisoners" out.

The 80-year-old Democrat was delivering remarks to some 200 supporters in the northern US state when a member of the audience shouted out to him.

"As a rabbi, I need you to call for a ceasefire right now," she said, referring to the deadly conflict.

The president responded: "I think we need a pause. A pause means giving time to get the prisoners out."

Asked about his remarks, the White House later clarified that by "prisoners" the president was referring to hostages held by Hamas.

Biden engaged further with the woman, referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by the nickname Bibi.

"I'm the guy that convinced Bibi to call for a ceasefire to let the prisoners out. I'm the guy that talked to [Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-] Sisi to convince him to open the door" along Gaza's border with Egypt to allow freed hostages to leave.

0238 GMT — Hezbollah says it downs Israeli drone

Lebanon's Hezbollah has said it destroyed an Israeli drone over south Lebanon with a surface-to-air missile, an account disputed by Israel's military which confirmed the missile launch but said its aircraft suffered "no damage".

It was the second time this week that Hezbollah claimed to down an Israeli drone with a surface-to-air missile, with cross-border clashes escalating as Israel wages a ground invasion against Gaza.

Hezbollah said in a statement its fighters shot down the drone just after midnight over two villages on the Lebanese side of the frontier. "It crashed and fell instantly," it said.

The Israeli military said, "There was no damage to the (drone)."

0202 GMT — Egypt's president urges int’l community to take 'decisive stance' on pursuing ceasefire in Gaza

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el Sisi said that the international community must take a “decisive stance” and sincerely pursue and immediate ceasefire and enforce a humanitarian truce in Gaza.

Sisi made the remarks in a phone call with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, during which they discussed the Israeli military escalation in Gaza, according to a statement by the Egyptian Presidency.

The statement said Sisi stressed that settling the Palestinian issue requires the implementation of the two-state solution and that military solutions will compromise the region's security and stability.

0135 GMT — Latin America ramps up condemnations of Israel's attack on Gaza

Some of Latin America's largest countries have came out to condemn Israel's attacks on a densely populated refugee camp in Gaza, widening the diplomatic rift between the region and the Middle Eastern country.

Argentina, home to Latin America's largest Jewish community, Peru and Mexico lambasted the Israeli attacks, which the Gaza government said had killed nearly 200 people while hundreds others were wounded or unaccounted for under the debris.

UN human rights officials have said the strikes could constitute war crimes.

The criticisms come a day after Bolivia cut diplomatic ties with Israel over its bombardment and siege of Gaza and mounting civilian casualties, while Colombia and Chile recalled their ambassadors to the country.

"Peru condemns, and will continue to condemn, violence from wherever it comes from," the South American nation's foreign ministry said in a statement.

Mexican diplomat Alicia Buenrostro, speaking at a UN emergency special session on Gaza, called for the "occupying power" of Israel to cease its claim to the Palestinian territories, arguing for a two-state solution.

"This needs to stop," she said, adding that Mexico would increase its aid to Palestinian refugees.

"The humanitarian situation in Gaza is more alarming by the day," Argentina's foreign ministry also said, urging Israel to allow aid into the occupied territory.

2232 GMT — Biden promises to combat Islamophobia as Gaza war rages

The administration of US President Joe Biden has said it would develop a strategy to combat Islamophobia — an announcement that comes as tensions simmer nationwide over the war between Israel and Palestine in Gaza.

"President Biden ran for office to restore the soul of our nation. He is unequivocal: there is no place for hate in America against anyone. Period," White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.

"For too long, Muslims in America, and those perceived to be Muslim, such as Arabs and Sikhs, have endured a disproportionate number of hate-fuelled attacks and other discriminatory incidents."

The strategy will be developed in concert with the communities concerned, the White House said.

Jean-Pierre singled out what she called the recent "barbaric" killing of a six-year-old Palestinian American boy outside Chicago, which police have linked to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Gaza.

2226 GMT — First Australian nationals leave Israeli-besieged Gaza for Egypt

Twenty Australians were among the first group of foreign citizens who entered Egypt from the Israeli-besieged Gaza via the Rafah border crossing, Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs Tim Watts has said.

At least 320 foreign nationals left the Palestinian enclave to cross into Egypt on Wednesday, the first to benefit from a deal mediated by Qatar.

Watts said there were still 65 Australians trapped in Gaza and the government had urged them, using all available communication channels, to move toward the Rafah crossing as soon as possible.

"We are providing all possible support we can, communicating through all available channels," Watts told ABC television. "It is not always perfect. This is a conflict zone."

2100 GMT — Yemen's Houthis claim drone attack on Israel amid Gaza war

Yemen's Houthi rebels have said they launched drone attacks towards Israel, the latest in a spate of such raids since the start of the Israel-Palestine war. "The Yemeni armed forces launched a large batch of drones during the past hours at several targets ... in occupied Palestine, and they reached their goals," said a Houthi military statement.

"The Yemeni armed forces will continue to carry out their military operations in support" of the Palestinian people, the statement added.

The latest attack came a day after the Houthis pledged more attacks against Israel if its war on besieged Gaza continues, saying it had already fired drones and ballistic missiles in three separate operations.

Israel has sent ground forces into besieged Gaza after weeks of air and artillery strikes, killing at least 8,796 Palestinians in the narrow coastal enclave, including 3,648 children.

2024 GMT — Biden says American citizens will be able to exit Gaza

US President Joe Biden said that Americans will now be able to exit war-torn Gaza and the administration will work hard to get additional Americans out of the region in the days ahead.

He also cheered regional partners for their help paving the way for some wounded Palestinians and foreign nationals, including some US citizens, to escape Gaza.

"I personally spent a lot of time speaking with Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel and President Sisi of Egypt and others, to make sure that we could open this access for people to get out," Biden said during a visit Wednesday to Northfield, Minn. "I want to thank our partners, in particular Qatar, who worked so closely with us to support negotiations to facilitate the departure of these citizens."

2012 GMT — US condemns Israeli settler violence in occupied West Bank

US has expressed concern over the increased violence by illegal Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, calling it "unacceptable", US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said.

"We have made quite clear to the government of Israel that we are very concerned about settler violence in the West Bank. We find it incredibly destabilising. We find it counterproductive to Israel's long term security," Miller said.

"In addition to, of course, being extremely harmful to the Palestinians living in the West Bank. And we have sent a very clear message to them that it's unacceptable, it needs to stop, and those responsible for it need to be held accountable."

For our live updates from Wednesday (November 1), click here.