Live blog: Gaza death toll surpasses 12,000 amid relentless Israeli assaults

Friday, November 17, 2023

1756 GMT — The Palestinian death toll from ongoing Israeli aggression in Gaza has surged past 12,000, the government media office in the besieged enclave has said.

"The victims include more than 5,000 children and 3,300 women, while 30,000 others have been injured," the media office said in a statement.

Some 3,750 other people remain unaccounted for, including 1,800 children, according to the statement.

"The Israeli occupation has committed 1,270 massacres," the media office said. "A total of 200 medics, 22 civil defence personnel and 51 journalists were also killed in the assaults," it added.

"The Israeli aggression has forced 25 hospitals and 52 health care centres out of service, while 55 ambulances were targeted by Israeli forces," the statement said.

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1902 GMT —Biden, Qatar's emir discuss hostages, developments in Gaza

US President Joe Biden and Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani discussed the Hamas hostage situation and other developments in Gaza in a phone call, the leaders' offices said.

"The two leaders discussed the urgent need for all hostages held by Hamas to be released without further delay," the White House said in a statement.

"The leaders also discussed ongoing efforts to increase the flow of urgently needed humanitarian assistance into Gaza and Israel’s decision to resume fuel deliveries for life-saving aid."

1850 GMT — Gulf Arab state Bahrain calls for Hamas-Israel 'hostage trade'

The crown prince of Gulf Arab state Bahrain has called for a "hostage trade" between Palestinian group Hamas and Israel in order to achieve a break in hostilities that he said could lead to an end to the Israeli war on Gaza.

Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa also said that security would not be realised without a two-state solution, in which he described the United States as "indispensable" in achieving.

"It is a time for straight talking," he said, urging Hamas to release Israeli women and children held hostage in Gaza and for Israel in exchange to release from its prisons Palestinian women and children, who he described as non-combatants.

"The intention is to break so people can take stock, can bury their dead, people can finally start to grieve and maybe people can start to ask themselves about the intelligence failure that led to this crisis in the first place," he said.

1849 GMT — Gaza ceasefire can save region from ring of fire: Turkish President Erdogan

If Türkiye and Germany jointly achieve a humanitarian ceasefire in the ongoing Israeli war in Gaza, the region can be rescued from the ring of fire, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said.

Speaking at the joint news conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin, Erdogan said thousands of Palestinians – including children, women and elderly people – have been killed so far in the war and almost all of Gaza has been destroyed due to Israel’s attacks on the besieged enclave.

"Does Israel currently have nuclear weapons? Yes, but if you ask Israel, they won’t admit it because they are very good at using lies,” the Turkish leader said.

1831 GMT — UN 'very concerned' about further Israeli operation in southern Gaza

The UN is "very concerned" about further Israeli operations in southern Gaza, said a spokesperson, adding that "no place in Gaza is safe."\

"We obviously (are) very concerned about further operation southbound by the IDF (Israeli army) and the impact that would have on civilians, but as everybody has been saying from the UN side, there’s really no place in Gaza that’s actually very safe," Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, told a daily press briefing.

Asked by Anadolu about the possible evacuation of civilians, Dujarric said: "My answer too is that there’s, at this point, there is no place in Gaza that is safe."

1823 GMT — Israel will hit Hamas all over Gaza, including south: military

Israeli troops will hit Hamas targets wherever they can find them, including in the south of Gaza, Israel’s chief military spokesperson has said, as forces continued their ground offensive in the north of the besieged enclave.

"We are determined to advance our operation. It will happen wherever Hamas exists, including in the south of the strip," Daniel Hagari told a regular briefing.

1823 GMT — 'Not asking for the moon': UN official pleads for Gaza ceasefire

A top United Nations official has renewed calls for a "humanitarian ceasefire" to allow aid to reach the 2.2 million people in the Israeli-bombarded Gaza.

"Call it what you will, but the requirement, from a humanitarian point of view, is simple. Stop the fighting to allow civilians to move safely," UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths said in an address to the UN General Assembly.

"We are not asking for the moon," Griffiths said. "We are asking for the basic measures required to meet the essential needs of the civilian population and stem the course of this crisis."

Griffiths also called for the release of all hostages held in Gaza without condition.

1629 GMT — 'Safe zone' in southern Gaza 'a recipe for disaster': WHO

The World Health Organization (WHO) chief has called Israel’s proposal for a so-called "safe zone" in Al Mawasi in southern Gaza a "recipe for disaster."

"Attempting to cram so many people into such a small area with such little infrastructure or services will significantly increase risks to health for people who are already on the brink," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a virtual address to a UN General Assembly meeting on Gaza in New York.

Tedros underscored that the WHO will not participate in the establishment of any so-called “safe zone” in Gaza “without broad agreement, and unless fundamental conditions are in place to ensure safety and other essential needs are met, and a mechanism is in place to supervise its implementation.”

1620 GMT — Six Saudi ambulances to reach Gaza: state media

Six ambulances given by Saudi Arabia will reach Gaza on Friday, Saudi state TV reported.

1617 GMT — 170 Israeli attacks on health facilities in West: WHO

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has confirmed that health care facilities in the occupied West Bank have faced more than 170 Israeli attacks since Oct. 7.

"WHO is concerned about the continued escalation of attacks on health care in the West Bank,” the UN agency said in a statement on X.

"Today, at least six paramedics (were) made to exit Ibn Sina Hospital in Jenin, after which they were searched and detained," the organisation said, adding that "three ambulances were also searched."

“Health care is not a target,” the WHO stressed, referring to international rules of war barring hospitals, schools, and other civilian facilities from being attacked.

The WHO called for “the active protection of health workers and health facilities.”

1553 GMT — Academics in Istanbul march in protest against Israeli war on Gaza

Scores of academics and university staff in Istanbul have protested against the ongoing Israeli war on Gaza since Oct. 7.

The protest took place in front of Istanbul University and was organized by the Academics and Authors Association of Islamic Countries, the Jihan al Ummah Solidarity and Cooperation Association, and Egitim-Bir-Sen, a teachers’ union.

1539 GMT — UN refugee agency needs 160,000 litres of fuel every day to run operations in Gaza

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees, or UNRWA, has said it requires 160,000 litres of fuel daily to conduct its essential operations in Gaza. “UNRWA needs 160,000 litres of fuel every day for basic humanitarian operations,” the agency said in a statement.

1530 GMT — 1 killed, several injured as police in Nigeria’s pro-Palestine rally

Nigerian police have opened fire and used tear gas on pro-Palestine demonstrators in north-central Kaduna city, killing one person and injuring several others, the country’s Islamic organisation said.

A spokesperson for the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) Aliyu Tirmiziy said police fired tear gas canisters and gunshots to disperse hundreds of pro-Palestine demonstrators who were staging a demonstration in Kaduna city on Thursday against Israel’s continued assault on Gaza.

1523 GMT — WHO welcomes evacuation of cancer patients from Gaza

The World Health Organisation has welcomed evacuation of the cancer patients from Gaza after dozens arrived in Türkiye for treatment this week.

“WHO welcomes the evacuations of people needing treatment for cancer and emphasizes that sustained, orderly, unimpeded and safe medical evacuations of critically injured and sick patients into and via Egypt through the Rafah Border Crossing are essential," the spokesperson for the UN health agency, Margaret Harris, said in response to a question by Anadolu.

1501 GMT — Scores of Palestinians dead, wounded from Israeli bombing of Gaza school

There were scores of deaths and injuries from an Israeli bombing that targeted a Gaza City school sheltering displaced people, Palestine TV reported.

More than 20 people were killed and 100 others injured in the bombing of Al Falah School, which houses displaced people in Gaza City’s southern Zeitoun neighbourhood, said the Palestinian Authority-run channel, based in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah.

1459 GMT — 24 dead in two days at Gaza's Al Shifa hospital due to power cuts

The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza has said that 24 patients have died in the past two days at Al Shifa hospital owing to power cuts, as Israeli forces search the facility for Hamas hideouts.

"Twenty-four patients in different departments have died over the last 48 hours as vital medical equipment has stopped functioning because of the power outage," said ministry spokesperson Ashraf al Qudra.

On Monday, the ministry said 27 adult intensive care patients and seven babies had already died as Gaza’s largest hospital ran out of fuel to run its generators.

1415 GMT — Connection with Palestinian Health Ministry, health workers in Gaza remains ‘sparse’: WHO

With communications with Gaza crippled, the World Health Organisation has said its connection with the Palestinian Health Ministry and health workers in Gaza remains “sparse.”

Richard Peeperkorn, a WHO representative in occupied Palestinian territories, told a UN press briefing in Geneva that for the past four days, the UN agency has not received updated data on injuries and deaths from the Health Ministry.

1326 GMT — Food and water running out at Gaza’s Al Shifa hospital: doctor

A doctor at Gaza’s Al Shifa hospital has said that food and water were running out and that supplies provided by the Israeli military were “very, very minimal”.

Doctor Ahmed el Mokhallalati told Reuters by telephone that Israeli forces were pressing on with searches of the hospital complex, but had “found nothing”.

1320 GMT — Israel bombs school housing displaced people — Palestinian media

Casualties have been reported in a bombing of a school housing displaced people in the Al Zaytoun neighbourhood, south of Gaza City, according to Palestine TV.

1255 GMT — Israel must ‘stop’ its attacks, and especially halt any push into south Gaza: UN

The UN human rights office has said that Israel should “stop” its attacks in Gaza, and pushed for a ceasefire, especially if it is pushing its operations into southern Gaza.

Taking questions from Anadolu in Geneva, Jeremy Laurence, spokesperson for the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights office, said that international humanitarian law must come first and foremost.

“The protection of civilians, their property, their livelihoods, everything has to come first,” he urged.“If they’re pushing now into the south of Gaza, (the) ultimate call is for this just to stop.”

“The ceasefire has to happen,” he reiterated, calling the current death toll in the tens of thousands “madness.”

1219 GMT — Thousands of Jordanians join Gaza solidarity events

Thousands of Jordanians have joined several events held in solidarity with the people of Gaza.

The events included marches, vigils, funeral prayers in absentia and a blood donation campaign.

The protesters chanted slogans against the US for what they consider a biased position of Washington toward Israel in its war on Gaza. They also chanted slogans supporting the Palestinian resistance.

1204 GMT — Hezbollah targets Israeli army in three separate attacks at Lebanon border

Hezbollah has said that it had successfully targeted three Israeli military gatherings in different areas opposite the southern Lebanese border.

Lebanon-based Hezbollah said in a statement that its members targeted a gathering of Israeli soldiers near the Rameem barracks in the occupied Lebanese village of Houla “with appropriate weapons” and achieved results.

‏Hezbollah fighters targeted another gathering of Israeli soldiers near the Al Marj site, opposite the Lebanese town of Markaba, the group said in a separate statement, without specifying casualties or damage to the Israeli military.

In another statement, Hezbollah said it “targeted a group of Israeli soldiers near the Tiyahat Triangle opposite the town of Meiss al Jabal.”

1200 GMT — Muslim worshippers blocked from prayers at Al Aqsa for 6th consecutive Friday

For the sixth consecutive week, Israeli authorities imposed tight restrictions on Palestinians, banning them from entering Al Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem for Friday prayers, leaving the mosque all but empty.

An official with the Waqf Department in Jerusalem told Anadolu that only around 4,000 Palestinians, most of them elderly, had managed to reach the venerated mosque to perform Friday prayers – down sharply from the usual 50,000.

Eyewitnesses told Anadolu that Israeli forces have been heavily deployed across occupied East Jerusalem, particularly in the Old City and the entrances leading to the mosque.

1154 GMT — Israel to allow two fuel trucks a day into Gaza: official

Israel’s war cabinet has approved letting in two fuel trucks a day into Gaza to help meet UN needs, an Israeli official has said

.The official, who declined to be identified, said the decision came after a request from Washington. Allowing the fuel in, the official said, gives Israel extra room to maneuver in the international arena for its offensive in Gaza.

1142 GMT — Israeli police try to block Turkish journalists, use gun to break their camera

Israeli police has tried to obstruct Turkish journalists from covering events in occupied East Jerusalem’s Old City, with one police officer breaking the journalists’ video camera.

The journalists from national broadcaster TRT Haber were reporting on Israeli forces blocking and using force against Palestinians heading to Al Aqsa Mosque for Friday prayers. The Israeli police physically interfered with the TRT Haber team, breaking their camera with the barrel of a gun as they were working to cover events in the volatile region.

Although the camera was damaged, the TRT reporter said they would continue covering ongoing attacks in Palestine. During the live broadcast, Israeli police threw tear gas into the area where the mosque is located.

1129 GMT — Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians displaced

Palestinian Bureau of Statistics has said 400,000 Palestinians were forced to flee towards southern Gaza due to Israeli bombardments, while 800,000 Palestinians remain in Gaza and northern areas.

1117 GMT — Aid deliveries halt in Gaza due to communication blackout

Aid agencies have said they had to stop deliveries of food and other basic necessities to Gaza, warning of the possibility of starvation a day after internet and telephone services collapsed in the besieged enclave with the lack of fuel due to Israel's total blockade on the territory.

The communications blackout largely cuts off Gaza's 2.3 million people from one another and the outside world — and paralyses the coordination of aid, which humanitarian groups were already struggling to deliver because of the fuel shortage.

1056 GMT — Israeli army kills seven Palestinians in occupied West Bank

The Israeli army has said it killed at least seven Palestinians in the occupied West Bank in two separate incidents.

Occupation forces raided the Jabal Abu Zaheer and Al Jabriyat neighbourhoods, the outskirts of the Jenin camp, the vicinity of the district security headquarters, the ‘cinema roundabout,’ the city centre, and the vicinity of Jenin Governmental Hospital,” the official Palestine news agency WAFA reported.

0953 GMT — UN expert urges Israel to stop using water as ‘weapon of war’

Israel “must stop using water as a weapon of war” and allow clean water and fuel into Gaza to activate the water supply network before it is “too late,” a UN expert has said.

"Every hour that passes with Israel preventing the provision of safe drinking water in the Gaza strip, in brazen breach of international law, puts Gazans at risk of dying of thirst and diseases related to the lack of safe drinking water," Pedro Arrojo-Agudo, the UN special rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation, said in a statement.

“I want to remind Israel that consciously preventing supplies needed for safe water from entering the Gaza Strip violates both international humanitarian and human rights law,” Arrojo-Agudo said, adding that the impact on public health and hygiene will be "unimaginable."

0951 GMT — WHO voices concern over spread of disease in Gaza

The World Health Organisation has said it was very concerned about the spread of disease in Gaza as weeks of Israeli bombardments have caused the population to crowd into shelters with scarce food and clean water.

"We are extremely concerned about the spread of the disease when the winter season arrives," said Richard Peeperkorn, WHO Representative in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

He said that more than 70,000 cases of acute respiratory infections and over 44,000 cases of diarrhoea had been recorded in the densely populated enclave, figures higher significantly higher than expected.

0944 GMT — Turkish president announces fee exemption for Palestinian students from Gaza

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced that Palestinian students from Gaza studying at universities in Türkiye will be exempt from paying tuition fees.

According to a presidential decree, Türkiye will cover the cost of the year's second semester for students from Gaza pursuing bachelor's and diploma degrees in the country.

The decree applies to all Palestinian students from Gaza enrolled in Turkish public universities.

0933 GMT — Situation in Gaza 'extremely worrying', no aid entering north — UNRWA

It is becoming “excruciatingly difficult” to get aid to the northern part of Gaza and the situation is “extremely worrying,” according to the head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

Current estimates are there are still between 250,000 to 300,000 people in northern Gaza, UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini told Anadolu Agency in an interview in Geneva.

“Unfortunately, since the beginning of the ground invasion, we have very little information about the situation in the north,” he said, adding that UNRWA is no longer present in the area and only has contact by phone whenever communication lines are open.

“The last time we have been able to organise convoys to the north has been ... four or five days ago when we sent a convoy to the Al Shifa Hospital before Al Shifa Hospital was surrounded,” he said, adding that it was the “only time” UNRWA has recently been able to send aid to northern Gaza.

“Our call is constantly to provide assistance wherever the people are, from Rafah to Beit Hanoun. The reality for the time being is that it has become excruciatingly difficult to organise assistance from the south to the north.”

0924 GMT — Australia calls for protection of hospitals, patients, medical staff in Gaza

Australia has called for the protection of hospitals, patients, and medical and humanitarian staff in the Palestinian-besieged enclave of Gaza.

“Australia is deeply concerned by attacks in and around hospitals in Gaza, including an Indonesian-funded hospital in northern Gaza and a Jordanian field hospital,” Foreign Minister Penny Wong said on X.

On Thursday, the government media office in Gaza said that more than 7,000 displaced people, patients, and medical staff at Al Shifa Hospital are "fighting death due to a lack of water and food" caused by the Israeli military blockade.

The office said that there is “no food, water, or milk for infants” at the hospital.

0834 GMT — WHO says negotiations continue for evacuation of babies from Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza

The World Health Organisation (WHO) is working with Egyptian officials to facilitate the evacuation of 36 premature babies in the Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza, which is currently under an Israeli military operation, an official has said.

Richard Brennan, the UN health agency's regional emergency director for the Eastern Mediterranean Region, said that the evacuation is made difficult by a lack of fuel and the security situation.

The WHO has not been able to communicate with hospitals in northern Gaza for days, he added. "It's a completely desperate situation."

Some 600 patients, including 36 newborns and 27 intensive care patients, 280 staff and 2,500 displaced people remain at the hospital, according to the WHO.

0633 GMT — Israeli defence minister claims control over western Gaza City

The Israeli army claims control over the western area of Gaza City, the country's defence minister said, announcing the start of the “next phase” of ground invasion.

Speaking to soldiers at the 36th Division's command centre in southern Israel, Yoav Gallant said: "During the past 24 hours, we took operational control of the western area of Gaza City, and the next phase of ground operations has begun."

He added: "The more we continue this operation, the more pressure we will put on Hamas and the more we will succeed in eliminating its infrastructure, including its headquarters and tunnels."

Israel's bombardment of Gaza since the October 7 Hamas attack, accompanied by a ground invasion, has killed over 11,000 Palestinians, more than half of them being women and children.

0610 GMT — Israeli army kills 3 Palestinians, injures 9 others in airstrike on Jenin camp

The Israeli army has killed three Palestinians in an air strike on the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank.

According to the official Palestinian news agency Wafa, the Israeli air strike also left nine others injured, including two critically.

The Israeli army, meanwhile, pushed more than 80 military vehicles including bulldozers into Jenin city and the Jenin refugee camp, raided Palestinian homes and detained several Palestinians.

0555 GMT — Israeli military says it retrieved the body of a captive soldier near Gaza's Al Shifa hospital

The Israeli military has said it retrieved the body of a soldier, who had been held captive by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas, in a building near Gaza's Al Shifa hospital.

The Israeli military confirmed the death of the soldier after Hamas issued a video of her alive followed by images of what the Palestinian group said was her body after she was killed in an Israeli strike.

0340 GMT — 10 Palestinians killed in Israeli air strike on southern Gaza

At least 10 Palestinians have been killed in an Israeli air strike that targeted a house in the Al Qarara area of Khan Younis in southern Gaza.

Several others were injured in the attack, Palestine TV reported.

"Israeli warplanes also targeted a residential apartment west of Rafah in southern Gaza, while intense airstrikes were reported in the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood in Gaza City," said the official WAFA news agency.

This came after Israeli army spokesman Avichai Adraee renewed his warning to the people of Gaza, calling on them to move south for their safety.

The government media office in Gaza has repeatedly reported attacks on roads that Israel declared “safe” towards the south of Gaza.

0324 GMT — US statements on Gaza hospitals 'repetition of blatantly false narrative': Hamas

American allegations about the use of hospitals and schools in Gaza as military sites are a "repetition of a blatantly false narrative" provided by the Israeli army, the Palestinian resistance group Hamas said, holding the US "politically and legally responsible" for Israel’s crimes in the enclave.

"The Pentagon's claim that Hamas used Al Shifa Hospital for military purposes... and the US State Department's claim that Hamas used hospitals and schools as military sites is a repetition of a blatantly false narrative," Hamas said in a statement published on the group's Telegram account.

It added that this "was exposed by the flimsy and ridiculous theatrics of the spokesperson for the occupying army, after their raid on Al Rantisi and Al Shifa hospitals and threatening the safety of patients and medical staff.”

0300 GMT —Thousands at Al Shifa Hospital 'fighting death'

Over 7,000 displaced people, patients, and medical staff at Al Shifa Hospital are "fighting death due to a lack of water and food" caused by the Israeli military blockade, besieged Gaza media office reported.

According to a statement released on Telegram, the office emphasised the critical situation, stating that there is "no food, water, or milk for infants at Al Shifa Hospital."

"We may lose a number of malnourished children at the hospital due to the power outage, leaving them without incubators," it said.

The media office highlighted "the dire conditions at Al Shifa Hospital, which houses 650 patients and approximately 7,000 displaced individuals.

Medical teams, patients, and displaced individuals are struggling for survival due to the absence of life's essentials."

The statement pointed out that "Israeli forces have destroyed all vehicles in the hospital compound and refuse to allow medical staff or patients to leave."

The Gaza media office "appealed for urgent international intervention to rescue those present in the compound."

It reported that "the Israeli army conducted search and inspection operations inside Al Shifa Hospital, transferring the bodies of martyrs to an unknown location.

The occupying forces have converted the facility into a military barracks."

0220 GMT — Israeli forces raid Jenin refugee camp in occupied West Bank

The Israeli army stormed the city of Jenin in the occupied West Bank and besieged the Jenin refugee camp, leading to clashes with Palestinian fighters.

Eyewitnesses told Anadolu Agency that large numbers of Israeli military vehicles entered the city accompanied by bulldozers.

They said the army approached from several directions and targeted several neighborhoods while imposing a siege on the Jenin camp.

Electricity was cut off in the camp and the Al Jabriyat neighborhood while military helicopters and drones flew over the area.

0100 GMT — Pro-Palestinian protesters slam UK Labour Party for opposing ceasefire

Pro-Palestinian protesters held a rally in East London to denounce the Labour Party over its stance against calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Gathering outside the party's office in Tower Hamlets, they also called on Labour Party lawmaker Rushanara Ali to resign after she abstained from a vote supporting a motion calling for a cease-fire in the besieged enclave.

The crowd carried signs and Palestinian flags, chanting "Labour Party, shame on you. Rushanara Ali, shame on you."

0048 GMT — PM Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel not successful in bid to minimise civilian casualties

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said attempts to minimise casualties in besieged Gaza were "not successful."

US television's CBS News asked Netanyahu whether Israel's killing of thousands of Palestinians would fuel a new generation of hatred.

"Any civilian death is a tragedy. And we shouldn't have any because we're doing everything we can to get the civilians out of harm's way, while Hamas is doing everything to keep them in harm's way," Netanyahu said.

"So we send leaflets, [we] call them on their cell phones, and we say: 'leave'. And many have left," Netanyahu said.

"The other thing I can say is that we'll try to finish that job with minimal civilian casualties. That's what we're trying to do: minimal civilian casualties. But unfortunately, we're not successful."

Israel’s bombardment and ground invasion of the blockaded enclave has left at least 11,500 Palestinians killed, over 4,700 of them children.

0038 GMT — Blinken urges Israel to take action against settler violence in occupied West Bank

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday called on Israel to take "urgent" action to stop settler violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

Blinken, in San Francisco for an Asia-Pacific summit, made the plea in a telephone call with Benny Gantz, an opposition leader who joined Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's wartime cabinet.

Blinken "stressed the urgent need for affirmative steps to de-escalate tensions in the [occupied] West Bank, including by confronting rising levels of settler extremist violence," State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said.

On the war front, Blinken with Gantz "discussed efforts to augment and accelerate the transit of critical humanitarian assistance into Gaza," Miller said.

0000 GMT — Heads of UN agencies reject unilateral proposals to create ‘safe zones’ in Gaza

The leaders of a number of UN agencies and humanitarian organisations said that they will not take part in any "safe zones" in Gaza declared by Israel, which is only one side in the conflict.

"As humanitarian leaders, our position is clear: We will not participate in the establishment of any 'safe zone' in Gaza that is set up without the agreement of all the parties, and unless fundamental conditions are in place to ensure safety and other essential needs are met and a mechanism is in place to supervise its implementation," the Inter-Agency Standing Committee, the highest-level humanitarian coordination forum of the UN system, said in a statement.

Under the current circumstances, any proposals to unilaterally establish "safe zones" are likely to harm civilians, including potentially causing significant casualties, and should be rejected, the committee said.

For our live updates from Thursday (November 16), click here.