Live blog: Israel attack kills, wounds hundreds of Palestinians across Gaza

Thursday, November 21, 2024

1133 GMT –– The death toll in Gaza from Israel's 13-month-old war on Gaza has surpassed 44,000, local health officials said.

The Gaza Health Ministry said that more than half of the fatalities are women and children.

The Health Ministry said 44,056 people have been killed and 104,268 wounded since the start of the war. It has said the real toll is higher because thousands of bodies are buried under rubble or in areas that medics cannot access.

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0811 GMT — Israeli air strikes on Palestine's Gaza have killed over 100 Palestinians in the past several hours, according to a TRT World correspondent reporting from occupied East Jerusalem.

In the northern Gaza neighbourhood of Beit Lahia, near Kamal Adwan Hospital, at least five residential homes were destroyed in Israeli attacks targeting multiple families seeking shelter in the area.

About 200 people had gathered to take refuge in the area, many of whom were asleep at the time of the strikes.

"66 people reportedly killed, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. Most of the victims are women and children. Most of those are children and women, at least 100 have been wounded in this latest attack by Israeli forces," he said.

Civil Defense teams are working tirelessly with limited equipment to rescue survivors and recover bodies from the rubble.

Many of the remains retrieved were unrecognisable due to the scale of the destruction.

The violence has extended beyond northern Gaza.

In central Gaza, another Israeli strike killed 22 members of the Al-Arouqi family, including nine children, after hitting a residential area.

In Khan Younis, an attack on Al Mawasi claimed the lives of 10 men and three women, while another strike in the Nuseirat refugee camp resulted in additional casualties.

“All in all, it’s been a bloody 24 hours in the Gaza Strip with more than 100 Palestinians killed just in the last few hours," he said.

0640 GMT — Israeli strikes across Gaza kill 95 Palestinians overnight

Israel launched a series of attacks overnight in three areas north of Gaza continued until this morning. At least 95 people have been killed in less than 24 hours, according to Wafa news agency.

At least 66 people were killed in Beit Lahiya and dozens were wounded. In Sheikh Radian at least 22 people, including children, were killed in the air strikes and at least 7 people, including one child, were killed in Al-Mawasi.

0445 GMT — Israel targets buildings in new wave of Beirut strikes

Israeli forces unleashed three air strikes on Haret Hreik in the capital’s southern suburbs overnight, destroying a number of buildings, Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) has said.

The new wave of Israeli attacks was followed by a series of bombardment in several areas of southern Lebanon.

At least five people were killed and 23 others wounded after Israel attacked Maarakeh on late Wednesday, NNA reported earlier.

Another nine were killed and 65 wounded in Tyre, it reported.

0415 GMT — Only seven bakeries are open in Palestine's Gaza: UN

Many bakeries in Gaza have shut down due to a lack of essential supplies needed to make bread, such as flour and fuel for baking, United Nations spokesman Stephane Dujarric has said.

The remaining bakeries are also facing imminent closure, he added, noting that only seven bakeries in besieged Gaza are currently operational with support from humanitarian organisations.

"This comes at a time when parts of northern Gaza face an imminent risk of famine," Dujarric stated, highlighting a "stark increase" in severe hunger in central and southern Gaza.

0245 GMT — US Senate fails to pass trio of measures to block some offensive arms sales to Israel

The US Senate overwhelmingly has rejected evening a trio of resolutions that would have halted three offensive arms sales to Israel in response to ongoing "atrocities" being carried out in besieged Gaza.

The measures, known formally as joint resolutions of disapproval, were introduced by Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders.

They would have blocked a $774.1 million sale of 120mm tank rounds, $61.1 million in 120mm high-explosive mortar rounds, and $262 million in JDAM guidance kits.

0147 GMT — Israel kills young Palestinian, arrests three others in Nablus

Israeli forces shot and killed a young Palestinian during an early morning raid on the Al Ain refugee camp in the occupied West Bank city of Nablus.

According to Palestine's official news agency, Wafa, the young Palestinian identified as Jihad Raafat Qatouni.

Sources said Israeli troops stormed the camp, firing live bullets that critically wounded Qatouni, who later succumbed to his wounds.

Wafa also reported that three other Palestinians were arrested during Israeli home raids.

2256 GMT — Israeli army withdraws from West Bank city of Jenin after 2-day incursion

The Israeli military withdrew from the occupied West Bank city of Jenin and its refugee camp late Wednesday following a two-day incursion that left at least eight Palestinians dead and 19 injured and caused extensive damage to homes and infrastructure, according to local officials.

“The Israeli army has withdrawn from the entire city of Jenin and its camp,” Bashir Matahen, the director of public relations and media for Jenin municipality, told Anadolu.

He said dozens of homes were burned or destroyed and that four kilometres (2.48 miles) of roads and water and sewage infrastructure were demolished during the incursion.

2255 GMT — Israel strikes Palestinian house, killing three

Israel's deadly strike targeted the Nuseirat refugee camp area in central Gaza, where thousands are taking shelter, killing several Palestinians.

Wafa reported that Israeli aircraft targeted the house of the Al-Daalsa family in the camp, killing at least three people and wounding many others.

2245 GMT — Israel kills 66 Palestinians, wounds 100 in new Gaza massacre

Israel has killed at least 66 Palestinians and wounded another 100 in a new massacre at a residential area near Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, local journalists and witnesses said.

"The horrific attack targeted several displaced families," Palestinian journalist Hossam Shabat reported, adding the bombing "wiped out entire families" including the families of Al-Madhoun, Khader, Abu Wadi, Shaqoura, and Nassar.

Hussam Abu Safiya, Director of Kamal Adwan Hospital told reporters that there were 200 people at the massacre site, with a large number of "martyrs, wounded and missing people" still under the rubble of the bombed homes.

He said medical staff were retrieving the wounded and the remains of those killed by Israel, adding the hospital lacks ambulances to transport the victims of Israeli massacre.

Meanwhile, the death toll from Israeli strikes on Al-Arouqi family home in the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood rose to 22, including 9 children, officials said.

2158 GMT — Hezbollah chief says truce in Netanyahu's hands

Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem has said his group submitted feedback on a US proposal to end Israel's invasion against Lebanon, noting that a deal now depends on the Israeli response and the "seriousness" of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been scuttling truce deals in Gaza for the last 13 months.

In a televised address, Qassem pointed to Hezbollah's resilience on the battlefield, saying the group is prepared to inflict heavy losses on the invading Israeli military. He also made it clear that Hezbollah is not suspending fighting while awaiting the outcome of negotiations.

"We received the negotiation paper, reviewed it thoroughly and offered our feedback," Qassem said, adding that Lebanese Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri also had comments, which were aligned with Hezbollah's position.

"These comments were presented to US envoy Amos Hochstein and were discussed in detail."

Qassem emphasised that Hezbollah would refrain from discussing the specifics of the proposed agreement until the negotiations proceed calmly.

Concerns have emerged in Lebanon about potential Israeli demands, particularly concerning Israel's demand for freedom of movement for the Israeli army in Lebanon.

On Wednesday, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz and Foreign Minister Gideon Saar each said Israel sought to reserve the right to respond to any violations by Hezbollah under an emerging proposal, which would push the group's members and Israeli military out of a UN buffer zone in southern Lebanon.

2000 GMT — China's Xi calls for Gaza ceasefire

Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for a ceasefire in Gaza, as he visited Brazil's capital, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

Xi expressed concerns about the spread of the conflict in Gaza, and "called for a ceasefire and an end to the war at an early date," the agency said, as he met with his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

For our live updates from Wednesday, November 20, 2024, click here.