Live blog: Gaza death toll from Israeli attacks tops 15,000

Monday, November 27, 2023

1922 GMT — Local Gaza authorities have said the death toll of Palestinians from Israeli attacks on the enclave now exceeds 15,000, in addition to thousands of others still missing under the rubble of bombed buildings.

In a statement, the Gaza-based Government Media Office said the death toll includes 6,150 children and 4,000 women in addition to untold numbers of corpses scattered in the streets.

It added that there are also some 7,000 missing people under the rubble, including 4,700 children and women.

The statement said that among the dead Palestinians are 207 medical staffers, 26 members of civil defence rescue teams, and 70 journalists.

More than 36,000 other Palestinians were also wounded, 75 percent of them children and women, the office added.

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1918 GMT — US taking 'full advantage' of pause to increase aid into Gaza: Biden

US President Joe Biden said that a humanitarian pause in Gaza has enabled "a significant surge" in additional humanitarian assistance to civilians who are suffering in the coastal enclave.

"We are taking full advantage of the pause in fighting to increase the amount of humanitarian aid moving into Gaza, and we will continue our efforts to build a future of peace and dignity for the Palestinian people," Biden said in a statement.

1808 GMT — US hopes Gaza truce further extended

The United States welcomed an agreement to extend a truce between Israel and Hamas by two days, saying it was hopeful the humanitarian pause would continue for longer still.

"We would of course hope to see the pause extended further, and that will depend upon Hamas continuing to release hostages," White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters.

Kirby held out little hope however that the truce could become a more permanent ceasefire in Gaza.

"I won't speak for the Israeli Defense Forces, but when these pauses are over, they have made it very clear that they're going to continue to target Hamas leadership," Kirby said.

1752 GMT — Gaza truce extension a 'glimpse of hope' — UN chief

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has welcomed the extension of a humanitarian pause in Gaza for two more days, saying: "It's glimpse of hope, humanity in middle of darkness of war."

Guterres also said that he was "very hopeful' that another crossing could be opened to allow aid deliveries to Gaza.

1736 GMT — French navy ship arrives in Egypt to treat Gaza wounded: port source

A French warship arrived in the Egyptian town of El Arish near the border with the conflict-torn Gaza to serve as a hospital for wounded civilians, a port source said.

The Dixmude is expected to have two operating rooms and 40 beds.

Hundreds of critically wounded Palestinians have crossed into Egypt in recent weeks with special exit permits, after the majority of hospitals in Gaza were forced out of service due to Israeli attacks, according to the United Nations.

1722 GMT — White House welcomes Israel-Hamas truce extension

The White House welcomed an agreement to extend a truce between Israel and Hamas by two days, saying it was hopeful the humanitarian pause would continue for longer still.

"Of course we welcome the announcement," National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters. "We would of course hope to see the pause extended further, and that will depend upon Hamas continuing to release hostages."

1612 GMT — Israel-Hamas truce in Gaza extended for two days — Qatar

The spokesperson for Qatar’s Foreign Ministry announced that an agreement has been reached to extend the Israel-Hamas truce for another two days.

Majed al Ansari confirmed in a statement that "an agreement has been reached to extend the humanitarian truce for an additional two days in Gaza."

Qatar, along with Egypt, has been the key mediator in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.

The announcement comes on the final day of a four-day truce between the warring sides.

The two-day extended ceasefire is expected to result in the release of 20 Israeli hostages and 60 Palestinian prisoners, according to Egypt.

1612 GMT — Working on new hostage list to 'extend truce' with Israel: Hamas

Hamas said that it was drawing up a new list of hostages held in Gaza "in order to extend the truce" with Israel.

The statement from Osama Hamdan, a senior Hamas official, came as discussions were continuing on an extension of the initial four-day pause in the fighting and exchanges of hostages for Palestinian prisoners.

1424 GMT — Egyptian-Qatari efforts close to extending Gaza truce by two days

Egypt has announced that Egyptian-Qatari efforts are on the verge of extending the Gaza truce by an additional two days.

According to Egypt, a two-day truce extension would include the release of 20 Israeli hostages and 60 Palestinian detainees.

1411 GMT — UN chief urges continued dialogue to turn 'pause' into 'full humanitarian' ceasefire in Gaza

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said the dialogue that led to the current four-day "humanitarian pause" in Gaza should be continued and transformed into a "full humanitarian" ceasefire.

He said that the aid "barely registers against the huge needs of 1.7 million displaced people," warning that "the humanitarian catastrophe" is growing worse by the day.

"The dialogue that led to the agreement must continue, resulting in a full humanitarian ceasefire, for the benefit of the people of Gaza, Israel and the wider region," according to the statement.

He reiterated his call for the remaining hostages to be released immediately and unconditionally.

1302 GMT — 150 trucks with aid enter Gaza via Rafah border crossing

About 150 trucks loaded with humanitarian aid, cooking gas and fuel entered Gaza during the humanitarian pause between Israel and Hamas.

Wael Abu Mohsen, media director on the Palestinian side of the Rafah border, said the entry of other humanitarian aid is expected to continue in the coming hours.

1232 GMT — Negotiators close to resolve differences on Gaza truce extension

Egyptian, Qatari and US negotiators are close to agreeing on an extension to the truce set to expire in Gaza but were still discussing the length of an extension and which prisoners would be freed under it, three Egyptian security sources said.

Palestinian group Hamas was seeking a four-day extension while Israel wanted day-by-day extensions, with negotiations continuing over which Palestinian prisoners would be freed, the sources said.

1145 GMT — Israeli army detains 60 more Palestinians in West Bank

The Israeli army arrested 60 more Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Prisoners Club said, bringing the total number of Palestinians detained since October 7 to 3,260.

The arrests were made between Sunday night and Monday dawn in the towns of Bani Na'im near Hebron, Kafr Nima in the Ramallah governorate, Jenin, Nablus, and Bethlehem, it said.

1107 GMT — NATO calls for an extension of the humanitarian pause in Gaza

NATO's Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg called for an extension of the four-day truce between Israel and Hamas, now in its final day, to allow for the release of more hostages.

Speaking to reporters, he also said Iran should rein in its "proxies".

1024 GMT — UN experts urge war crimes probe in Israel, Palestinian territories

UN rights experts called for independent investigations into alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity carried out in Israel and the Palestinian territories since October 7.

Morris Tidball-Binz, the United Nations special rapporteur on extrajudicial executions, and Alice Jill Edwards, the special rapporteur on torture, issued a joint statement stressing the need for "prompt, transparent and independent investigations" and accountability.

"Independent investigators must be given the necessary resources, support and access required to conduct prompt, thorough and impartial investigations into crimes allegedly committed by all parties to the conflict," they said in the statement.

"The duty to investigate war crimes and crimes against humanity, including any act of summary or extrajudicial killing, torture or other outrages on human dignity, is a fundamental legal obligation."

0904 GMT — Two-state solution is a must to stop Israel's brutality — Jordan

Jordan Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi has said that the work for a two-state solution must begin with "ensuring an end to this brutal aggression."

He was participating in the Forum for the Union of the Mediterranean in Barcelona.

Forty-two delegations are scheduled to gather at the event hosted by the Union for the Mediterranean, with many represented by their foreign ministers.

The meeting is chaired by the EU’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, and Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi.

Israel is not attending the meeting, which in past years has largely become a forum for cooperation between the EU and the Arab world.

0853 GMT — Palestinian Authority is the only partner to seek peace: Spain's FM

The Palestinian Authority is the only possible and credible partner to seek peace in the Middle East, Spanish Foreign Ministry Jose Manuel Albares has said.

He was hosting the Forum for the Union of the Mediterranean in Barcelona.

Albares ruled out any Hamas governance in the enclave saying "Hamas cannot be ruling Gaza the day hostilities stop because it does not have an agenda for peace."

He also called for an international peace conference in the short term to solve the conflict.

0834 GMT — Israel examining names of prisoners to be released by Hamas

Israel has announced that it was examining the names of the fourth batch of hostages to be released by Hamas later in the day as part of a prisoner swap deal.

"Discussions are being held on the list that was received overnight and which is now being evaluated in Israel," the country's prime minister's office said in a statement.

"Additional information will be issued when possible," the statement added.

Upon completing the procedure on Monday, Israel will have released 150 jailed Palestinians from its prisons in exchange for 50 Israelis held by the resistance group Hamas.

0806 GMT — Israel, Musk agree not to provide internet to Gaza

Israeli Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi announced that they agreed in principle with US billionaire Elon Musk, the owner of satellite internet system Starlink, not to provide internet to blockaded Gaza without the approval of Tel Aviv.

Karhi said, "As a result of this significant agreement, Starlink satellite units can only be operated in Israel with the approval of the Israeli Ministry of Communications, including Gaza."

0806 GMT — China's top diplomat to visit UN for Israel-Hamas talks

China's top diplomat Wang Yi will visit New York this week to hold a United Nations Security Council meeting on the Israel-Palestine conflict, Beijing's foreign ministry has said.

"As it holds the rotating presidency of the United Nations Security Council this month, China will hold a high-level meeting on the Palestinian-Israeli issue on November 29," spokesman Wang Wenbin said.

Wang Yi will preside over the meeting, he added.

0739 GMT — Hamas, Israel concerned over hostage lists: Qatari official

Israel and Hamas have raised concerns over the lists of Israeli and Palestinian hostages set to be released on Monday, a Qatari official briefed on the matter.

The official added that Qatari mediators are working with Israel and Hamas to resolve issues and avoid delays.

In the previous three days of the truce, Israel submitted the names of Palestinian women and teenagers it would release from jail and Hamas would submit the names of Israeli civilian hostages it would release at least 12 hours ahead of the release.

0100 GMT — Three Thai hostages released from Gaza in good health - Thai PM

The latest three Thai hostages released from Gaza after being held by Hamas fighters were in good health, Thailand Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin posted on the social media platform X on Monday.

"I'm happy," Srettha said, adding the three were healthy and not in need of urgent medical attention.

So far, 17 Thai captives have been released after being taken hostages during Hamas raids into Israel in early October and would be brought back to Thailand as soon as possible, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

0000 GMT — Hamas seeks to extend humanitarian pause in Gaza

The Palestinian resistance group Hamas has announced that it is seeking to extend a four-day humanitarian pause with Israel in Gaza.

The group said in a statement that it is making serious efforts to secure the release of more Palestinians even after the pause ends.

A Palestinian source who preferred to remain anonymous as he is not authorised to speak to the media confirmed to Anadolu Agency that Hamas informed mediators Qatar and Egypt that the resistance movements were willing to extend the current truce by two to four days.

During the first three days of the pause, Hamas released 40 Israelis and 18 foreigners, while Israel released 117 Palestinians.

A four-day humanitarian pause mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the US went into effect on Friday, temporarily halting Israel's attacks on Gaza.

2318 GMT — Palestine Red Crescent says 100 aid trucks entered northern Gaza

The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said that 100 aid trucks entered northern regions of Gaza.

PRCS said "100 aid trucks were brought into Gaza City and the northern part by the Palestine Red Crescent today containing food, water, baby milk and blankets."

It said that "for the first time, 50 Egyptian aid trucks arrived through the Rafah crossing and headed directly towards Gaza City and the northern side through the (Israeli) barrier that separates the north of the Strip from its south."

For our live updates from Sunday (November 26), click here.