Live blog: Death toll from Israel's relentless war on Gaza rises to 43,972

Tuesday, November 19, 2024

1105 GMT — At least 50 more Palestinians were killed in relentless Israeli attacks in Gaza, bringing the overall death toll since October last year to 43,972, the Health Ministry in the enclave said.

A ministry statement added that 104,008 others were wounded in the ongoing assault.

“The Israeli occupation has committed three massacres of families in the last 24 hours, resulting in 50 deaths and 110 injuries,” the ministry said.

“Many people are still trapped under the rubble and on the roads as rescue teams are unable to reach them,” it added.

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1159 GMT — Ceasefire between Hezbollah, Israel ‘within our grasp’: US envoy

United States envoy Amos Hochstein said that a ceasefire agreement between Israel and the Lebanese group Hezbollah to end their conflict is “within our grasp.”

“This is a moment of decision-making. I am here in Beirut to facilitate that decision but it's ultimately the decision of the parties to reach a conclusion to this conflict. It is now within our grasp,” Hochstein told a press conference in Beirut following his talks with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.

“I came back because we have a real opportunity to bring this conflict to an end," he added.

The US envoy called his discussions with Berri as “very constructive.”

Over 200 children have been killed and 1,100 injured in Lebanon in the past two months, a spokesperson for the UN children’s agency (UNICEF) said.

“The number of over 200 (children killed) is just in the last two months. It’s at least 231 since the start of the war last year,” James Elder told a Geneva press briefing in response to a reporter’s question about casualties.

He did not comment on who was responsible for the killings, saying that it was clear to anyone who follows the media.

1003 GMT — Norway seeks ICJ advisory opinion over Israel’s ban on UNRWA

Norway will seek an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) condemning Israel’s recent legislative measures against the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA).

Norway's Deputy Foreign Minister Andreas Motzfeldt Kravik has initiated consultations at the UN to draft a resolution urging the UN General Assembly to request an ICJ advisory opinion, The Guardian reported.

The decision comes in response to Israel’s laws banning UNRWA’s operations within its territories and cutting state-level cooperation with the agency, which serves millions of Palestinian refugees.

0931 GMT — New rockets launched from Lebanon

Several Israelis were injured in a new rocket barrage from Lebanon as the ongoing war continues while US envoy Amos Hochstein returns to Beirut.

A military statement said 15 rockets were fired from Lebanon, triggering air-raid sirens in northern and central Israel.

The army said some of the rockets were intercepted, while others impacted open areas.

Israeli media said sirens sounded in Tel Aviv metropolitan area in central Israel after the rocket fire.

Israel's national ambulance service Magen David Adom said its medics treated four people from light wounds by broken glass in central Israel. Israel’s Army Radio also said two more people sustained light injuries, without providing further details.

Tuesday’s attack was the second on Tel Aviv area in less than 24 hours after a rocket hit the city of Ramat Gan, east of Tel Aviv, on Monday night.

1040 GMT — Hamas political office in Doha has not been permanently closed — Qatar foreign ministry

The political office of the Palestinian resistance group Hamas in Doha has not been permanently closed, Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari said.

Al-Ansari said leaders of the Hamas negotiating team were not in Doha.

1003 GMT — Norway seeks ICJ advisory opinion over Israel’s ban on UNRWA

Norway will seek an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) condemning Israel’s recent legislative measures against the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA).

Norway's Deputy Foreign Minister Andreas Motzfeldt Kravik has initiated consultations at the UN to draft a resolution urging the UN General Assembly to request an ICJ advisory opinion, The Guardian reported on Tuesday.

The decision comes in response to Israel’s laws banning UNRWA’s operations within its territories and cutting state-level cooperation with the agency, which serves millions of Palestinian refugees.

0855 GMT — Israel welcomes EU sanctions on Iran as 'necessary steps'

Israel's Foreign Minister Gidon Saar praised the European Union's decision to widen sanctions on Iran, calling it "necessary" to combat the threats from Iran.

In a post on X, Saar wrote that the fresh EU sanctions announced on Monday, imposed over Iran's support for Russia's military offensive in Ukraine, which Iran denies, were "necessary steps in the international community's fight against the Iranian threat, which constitutes the greatest danger to the security and stability of the Middle East, Europe, and the entire world."

0643 GMT — Hezbollah says it hit military targets in Tel Aviv with swarm of combat drones

The Lebanese Hezbollah group said that it carried out an aerial attack on Israeli military targets in Tel Aviv, central Israel.

In a statement, Hezbollah said that the attack, which took place on Monday evening, involved a swarm of combat drones that struck Israeli military targets in capital Tel Aviv.

It, however, did not provide further details on the attack, but said it will later reveal information about the targeted military points in Israel.

On Monday night, the daily Israel Hayom reported that a rocket fired from Lebanon hit close to a shopping center in the city of Ramat Gan, east of Tel Aviv, resulting in a fire at the site, while the broadcaster Channel 12 reported five injured in the attack.

The Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper said the work at the Ben Gurion airport was disrupted at the time of the attack.

0314GMT — Israeli strike kills 5 in Beirut as rocket on Israel kills 1

Lebanon's health ministry said five people were killed and 31 wounded in an Israeli strike in Zuqaq al-Blat. Many people have fled to the densely populated district from southern Beirut.

The official National News Agency (NNA) said an apartment near a Shia Muslim place of worship had been targeted, "causing great damage".

An Israeli strike destroyed a four-storey building in the neighbourhood of Chiyah, wounding multiple people, NNA reported.

0230 GMT — Netanyahu’s office asks Shin Bet to help him avoid testifying in his corruption trial: Report

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office has asked the Shin Bet security agency to help him avoid testifying in his ongoing corruption trial, Israel’s Haaretz newspaper reported Monday.

Netanyahu is scheduled to testify on December 2 in a case involving charge s of bribery, fraud and breach of trust.

“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office recently asked the Shin Bet security service to provide an opinion allowing Netanyahu to avoid testifying at his trial on security grounds,” the newspaper said.

The office cited security concerns, claiming that Netanyahu cannot remain in one location for an extended period of time where his arrival is known in advance.

0104 GMT — Israeli army says it intercepted 2 drones fired from Lebanon

Israel said that its air force intercepted two drones launched from Lebanon towards the Western Galilee.

A military statement said that “following sirens that sounded in the Western Galilee area regarding a hostile aircraft infiltration, two UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) that crossed from Lebanon into Israeli territory were successfully intercepted.”

Earlier, air raid sirens were activated in several locations across northern Israel including Nahariya, Betzet, Shlomi, Liman and Gesher HaZiv as part of heightened security measures following the drone threat, according to the Home Front.

0021 GMT –– G20 calls for 'comprehensive' ceasefires in Gaza, Lebanon

G20 leaders called for "comprehensive" ceasefires in both Gaza and Lebanon in a joint statement at a summit in Brazil on Monday.

The leaders of the world's biggest economies called for a US-proposed permanent ceasefire in Palestine's Gaza in return for the release of all hostages, as well as a Lebanon ceasefire “that enables citizens to return safely to their homes on both sides of the Blue Line.”

2300 GMT –– Nearly 100 food aid trucks violently looted in Gaza: UN

Nearly 100 trucks carrying food for Palestinians were looted on Nov. 16 after entering war-torn Gaza in one of the worst aid losses during 13 months of war in the enclave, where hunger is deepening, two UN agencies told Reuters on Monday.

The convoy transporting food provided by UNRWA and the World Food Programme was instructed by Israel to depart at short notice via an unfamiliar route from Karem Abu Salem border crossing, said Louise Wateridge, UNRWA Senior Emergency Officer.

Ninety-eight of the 109 trucks in the convoy were raided and some of the transporters were injured during the incident, she said, without detailing who carried out the ambush.

"This ... highlights the severity of access challenges of bringing aid into southern and central Gaza," she told Reuters.

2220 GMT –– Fresh Israeli strikes on Beirut kills 5

Israel staged a new bombing raid on central Beirut on Monday, killing five people according to the health ministry, as firefighters said a rocket launched from Lebanon killed one woman in Israel.

Israel has staged three strikes in two days against central Beirut, after weeks of air raids aimed at emptying the southern suburbs stronghold of Hezbollah.

2130 GMT –– Fate of millions of Palestinians hangs in the balance: UNRWA chief

Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), has warned that the suspension of UN operations directly threatens the lives of Palestinian refugees.

Lazzarini was in Geneva for a meeting of UNRWA's advisory commission to discuss the way forward at the organisation's "darkest moment".

"The clock is ticking fast," he told the commission, according to a transcript.

"What hangs in the balance, is the fate of millions of Palestine refugees".