Closing summary
We’ll close this live blog now and continue our rolling live coverage of the Israel-Hamas war here. Thanks for reading. Here’s an overview of the latest developments as it approaches 7.40am in Gaza City and Tel Aviv.
Israel said it planned to intensify its attacks on Gaza from Saturday night. Speaking to reporters in response to a question about a possible ground invasion into Gaza, Israeli Rear Adm Daniel Hagari said on Saturday: “We will deepen our attacks to minimise the dangers to our forces in the next stages of the war. We are going to increase the attacks from today.” Hagari repeated his calls for Gaza residents to evacuate south.
Israel said its aircraft struck Hezbollah targets in Lebanon on Saturday and that one of its soldiers was hit by an anti-tank missile, in cross-border fighting that the Iran-backed group said killed six of its fighters. A security source in Lebanon said one Hezbollah fighter was killed in the Lebanese area of Hula, opposite the Israeli community of Margaliot, which Israel said was the target of an anti-tank missile attack. The Israeli army said it fired back. Hezbollah, which claimed attacks on Israeli military positions throughout Saturday, later said five other members were killed.
The Unites States will send a terminal high altitude area defence (Thaad) system and additional Patriot air defence missile system battalions to the Middle East, the Pentagon has said, in response to recent attacks on US troops in the region. Defence secretary Lloyd Austin also said he was placing additional troops on prepare-to-deploy orders, while not saying how many.
Israel says it killed “terror operatives” from Hamas and Islamic Jihad who were planning attacks, in an air strike on a mosque in Jenin on the West Bank. The strike hit the Al-Ansar mosque, which the Israeli military said on Sunday “was used by the terrorists as a command centre to plan the attacks and as a base for their execution”. It did not specify the number killed. The director of the Red Crescent in Jenin, Mahmoud Al-Saadi, said one person was killed and three injured.
Two Palestinians were killed and several wounded in earlier Israeli shelling on the Jenin refugee camp, the Palestinian Red Crescent said.
Canada’s defence department has said Israel was not behind the Al-Ahli hospital explosion in Gaza. Reuters quoted the National Department of Defence as saying in a statement: “Analysis conducted independently by the Canadian Forces Intelligence Command indicates with a high degree of confidence that Israel did not strike the Al-Ahli hospital on 17 October 2023.” The explosion was more likely caused by an errant rocket fired from Gaza, it said, based on analysis of open source and classified reporting. Hamas blamed an Israeli airstrike for the killings, while the Israeli army blamed a misfired rocket from Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad, which denied it was responsible.
Hamas claimed it had planned to release two more hostages “for humanitarian reasons” but that Israel refused, a Hamas spokesperson said on Saturday. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said that “we will not refer to false propaganda by Hamas” and would “continue to act in every way to return all the kidnapped and missing people home”. Abu Ubaida, a spokesperson for the Izz el-Deen al-Qassam brigades, had said it informed Qatar on Friday of Hamas’s intention to release the two hostages.
Hezbollah is “in the heart of the battle”, the deputy leader of the Iran-backed militant group in Lebanon said. Sheikh Naim Kassem vowed that Israel would pay a high price whenever it started its ground offensive in Gaza.
Gaza’s healthcare system is “facing collapse”, Médecins Sans Frontières has said. The international medical organisation said on Saturday that Gaza’s hospitals were “overwhelmed and lacking resources”.
Doctors in Gaza have warned that 130 premature babies are in “imminent danger due to a lack of fuel”. “The world cannot simply look on as these babies are killed by the siege in Gaza,” said Melanie Ward, the chief executive of Medical Aid for Palestinians.
The Rafah crossing point between Egypt and Gaza finally opened to allow in a trickle of aid on Saturday for the first time in two weeks, after intense negotiations involving the US, Israel, Egypt and the UN. Under the US-brokered agreement, only 20 trucks were allowed in on Saturday, deliveries from the Egyptian Red Crescent to the Palestinian Red Crescent organisation. Aid officials said they were not expecting a delivery on Sunday, with the next consignment due to be a UN convoy on Monday. Saturday’s entry of humanitarian aid “is a welcomed glimpse of hope but this minuscule aid represents a drop in the ocean”, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said.
The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, urged all parties to keep the Rafah crossing into Gaza open to enable aid to continue coming through.
The US on Saturday proposed a draft UN security council resolution that says Israel has a right to defend itself and demands Iran stop exporting arms to “militias and terrorist groups threatening peace and security across the region”. Russia plans to hold another UN security council meeting on the humanitarian situation in Gaza, Russian deputy UN envoy Dmitry Polyansky said on Saturday.
Qatar’s foreign minister has said it is coordinating with the US and other international partners to release more hostages and reduce escalation in Gaza. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman al-Thani spoke to US secretary of state Antony Blinken in a phone call on Saturday.
The first Palestinian American to serve as a congressman on the US Capitol is mourning the loss of several family members who were killed at the Greek Orthodox Church in Gaza that was reportedly struck by Israel. Justin Amash detailed his sorrow in a post on X/Twitter.
Up to 100,000 people marched in London on Saturday in support of Palestine, calling on an immediate end to the war.
Thirteen people were reportedly killed in an airstrike above a residential unit in the Gaza city of Deir al-Balah. The report from Reuters, citing Hamas media, has not been independently verified.
The Iraqi prime minister said at peace talks in Cairo that Palestinian people were “facing genocide” and being targeted in hospitals. “It’s a war crime on full scale,” Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said. Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas said: “We won’t leave, we will remain on our land.” UN secretary general António Guterres told the summit that the time had come for “action to end this godawful nightmare” and called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire. “I appeal for a humanitarian ceasefire now,” he said. The UN’s undersecretary general for humanitarian affairs and the emergency relief coordinator, Martin Griffiths, said the humanitarian situation in Gaza “has reached catastrophic levels”.
Updated
Israeli commanders have visited frontline units to rally troops who have massed on the border with Gaza pending an anticipated ground assault.
“We will enter Gaza,” chief of staff Lieut Gen Herzi Halevi told one infantry brigade on a visit on Saturday, Agence France-Presse reports.
“Gaza is densely populated, the enemy is preparing a lot of things there – but we are also preparing for them,” Halevi said.
A ground invasion poses myriad challenges for Israeli troops, who are likely to be confronted by Hamas booby traps and tunnels in a densely packed urban environment.
The safety of more than 200 hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7 and held in Gaza is another complicating factor.
Israel did not strike Al-Ahli hospital, Canada says
Canada’s defence department has said Israel was not behind the Al-Ahli hospital explosion in Gaza.
Reuters quoted the department as saying in statement:
Analysis conducted independently by the Canadian Forces Intelligence Command indicates with a high degree of confidence that Israel did not strike the Al-Ahli hospital on 17 October 2023.
The explosion was more likely caused by an errant rocket fired from Gaza, the National Department of Defence said, based on analysis of open source and classified reporting.
Hamas blamed an Israeli airstrike for the killings, while the Israeli army blamed a misfired rocket from Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad, which denied it was responsible.
Health authorities in the Hamas-ruled enclave originally put the death toll at 471. The US intelligence community later reportedly estimated there were likely 100 to 300 people killed, while saying the assessment may evolve.
This feature from Thursday looks into the efforts to get a clearer picture of who was behind the blast:
Updated
US to boost military equipment in Middle East, Pentagon says
The Unites States will send a terminal high altitude area defence (Thaad) system and additional Patriot air defence missile system battalions to the Middle East, the Pentagon has said, in response to recent attacks on US troops in the region.
Reuters quoted defence secretary Lloyd Austin as saying in a statement on Saturday:
Following detailed discussions with President [Joe] Biden on recent escalations by Iran and its proxy forces across the Middle East region, today I directed a series of additional steps to further strengthen the Department of Defence posture in the region.
Austin also said he was placing additional troops on prepare-to-deploy orders, while not saying how many.
The Israel Defense Forces has posted apparent images on social media of what it called “a Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorist compound” in the Al-Ansar mosque in Jenin on the West Bank.
The IDF has said it killed “terror operatives” in an airstrike on the mosque, without specifying the number, while the Red Crescent in Jenin said one person was killed and three injured.
The IDF posted on X/Twitter:
The IDF & ISA just conducted an aerial strike on a Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorist compound in the Al-Ansar Mosque in Jenin.
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) October 22, 2023
Recent IDF intel revealed that the Mosque was used as a command center to plan and execute terrorist attacks against civilians. pic.twitter.com/gQfyv6wUAV
Updated
Summary
It’s just turned 5am in Gaza City and Tel Aviv. Here’s an overview of where things stand, including the latest developments:
Israel said it planned to intensify its attacks on Gaza from Saturday night. Speaking to reporters in response to a question about a possible ground invasion into Gaza, Israeli Rear Adm Daniel Hagari said on Saturday: “We will deepen our attacks to minimise the dangers to our forces in the next stages of the war. We are going to increase the attacks from today.” Hagari repeated his calls for Gaza residents to evacuate south.
Israel said its aircraft struck Hezbollah targets in Lebanon on Saturday and that one of its soldiers was hit by an anti-tank missile, in cross-border fighting that the Iran-backed group said killed six of its fighters. A security source in Lebanon said one Hezbollah fighter was killed in the Lebanese area of Hula, opposite the Israeli community of Margaliot, which Israel said was the target of an anti-tank missile attack. The Israeli army said it fired back. Hezbollah, which claimed attacks on Israeli military positions throughout Saturday, later said five other members were killed.
Israel says it killed “terror operatives” from Hamas and Islamic Jihad who were planning attacks, in an air strike on a mosque in Jenin on the West Bank. The strike hit the Al-Ansar mosque, which the Israeli military said on Sunday “was used by the terrorists as a command centre to plan the attacks and as a base for their execution”. It did not specify the number killed. The director of the Red Crescent in Jenin, Mahmoud Al-Saadi, said one person was killed and three injured.
Two Palestinians were killed and several wounded in earlier Israeli shelling on the Jenin refugee camp, the Palestinian Red Crescent said.
Hamas claimed it had planned to release two more hostages “for humanitarian reasons” but that Israel refused, a Hamas spokesperson said on Saturday. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said that “we will not refer to false propaganda by Hamas” and would “continue to act in every way to return all the kidnapped and missing people home”. Abu Ubaida, a spokesperson for the Izz el-Deen al-Qassam brigades, had said it informed Qatar on Friday of Hamas’s intention to release the two hostages.
Hezbollah is “in the heart of the battle”, the deputy leader of the Iran-backed militant group in Lebanon said. Sheikh Naim Kassem vowed that Israel would pay a high price whenever it started its ground offensive in Gaza.
Gaza’s healthcare system is “facing collapse”, Médecins Sans Frontières has said. The international medical organisation said on Saturday that Gaza’s hospitals were “overwhelmed and lacking resources”.
Doctors in Gaza have warned that 130 premature babies are in “imminent danger due to a lack of fuel”. “The world cannot simply look on as these babies are killed by the siege in Gaza,” said Melanie Ward, the chief executive of Medical Aid for Palestinians.
The Rafah crossing point between Egypt and Gaza finally opened to allow in a trickle of aid on Saturday for the first time in two weeks, after intense negotiations involving the US, Israel, Egypt and the UN. Under the US-brokered agreement, only 20 trucks were allowed in on Saturday, deliveries from the Egyptian Red Crescent to the Palestinian Red Crescent organisation. Aid officials said they were not expecting a delivery on Sunday, with the next consignment due to be a UN convoy on Monday. Saturday’s entry of humanitarian aid “is a welcomed glimpse of hope but this minuscule aid represents a drop in the ocean”, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said.
The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, urged all parties to keep the Rafah crossing into Gaza open to enable aid to continue coming through.
The US on Saturday proposed a draft UN security council resolution that says Israel has a right to defend itself and demands Iran stop exporting arms to “militias and terrorist groups threatening peace and security across the region”. Russia plans to hold another UN security council meeting on the humanitarian situation in Gaza, Russian deputy UN envoy Dmitry Polyansky said on Saturday.
Qatar’s foreign minister has said it is coordinating with the US and other international partners to release more hostages and reduce escalation in Gaza. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman al-Thani spoke to US secretary of state Antony Blinken in a phone call on Saturday.
The first Palestinian American to serve as a congressman on the US Capitol is mourning the loss of several family members who were killed at the Greek Orthodox Church in Gaza that was reportedly struck by Israel. Justin Amash detailed his sorrow in a post on X/Twitter.
Up to 100,000 people marched in London on Saturday in support of Palestine, calling on an immediate end to the war.
Thirteen people were reportedly killed in an airstrike above a residential unit in the Gaza city of Deir al-Balah. The report from Reuters, citing Hamas media, has not been independently verified.
The Iraqi prime minister said at peace talks in Cairo that Palestinian people were “facing genocide” and being targeted in hospitals. “It’s a war crime on full scale,” Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said. Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas said: “We won’t leave, we will remain on our land.” UN secretary general António Guterres told the summit that the time had come for “action to end this godawful nightmare” and called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire. “I appeal for a humanitarian ceasefire now,” he said. The UN’s undersecretary general for humanitarian affairs and the emergency relief coordinator, Martin Griffiths, said the humanitarian situation in Gaza “has reached catastrophic levels”.
Updated
The director of the Red Crescent in Jenin said one person was killed and three others injured in the Israeli airstrike on a mosque in the Jenin refugee camp on the West Bank.
Mahmoud Al-Saadi was quoted by the Palestinian news agency Wafa, AFP reports.
Israel had said the strike killed “terror operatives” from Hamas and Islamic Jihad who were planning attacks.
Updated
Two photos just in of the compound beneath the Jenin mosque Israel hit in an airstrike on the West Bank on Sunday.
Israel said it killed “terror operatives” from Hamas and Islamic Jihad who were planning attacks, without specifying the number killed or their identities.
Updated
Israel says airstrike on West Bank mosque killed 'terror operatives'
Israel says it killed “terror operatives” from Hamas and Islamic Jihad who were planning attacks, in an air strike on a mosque in Jenin on the West Bank.
The strike hit the Al-Ansar mosque, which the Israeli military said on Sunday “was used by the terrorists as a command centre to plan the attacks and as a base for their execution”, Agence France-Presse reports.
The Israeli military said those targeted had already carried out “several terror attacks over the last months and were organising an additional imminent terror attack”.
It said they were “neutralised”, without giving details on the number killed in the strike or their identities.
The United States has proposed a draft UN security council resolution that says Israel has a right to defend itself and demands Iran stop exporting arms to “militias and terrorist groups threatening peace and security across the region”.
Reuters reports that Saturday’s draft text, which it has seen, calls for the protection of civilians – including those who are trying to get to safety – notes that states must comply with international law when responding to “terrorist attacks”, and urges the “continuous, sufficient and unhindered” delivery of aid to the Gaza Strip.
It was not immediately clear if or when the US planned to put the draft resolution to a vote. To pass, a resolution needs at least nine votes in favour and no vetoes by Russia, China, the US, France or Britain.
The US move comes after it vetoed a Brazilian-drafted text on Wednesday that would have called for humanitarian pauses in the conflict between Israel and Palestinian Hamas militants to allow aid access to Gaza.
Updated
As news broke that two Americans held hostage in Gaza had been released by Hamas after talks brokered by Qatar, telephones started ringing in Doha.
France’s Emmanuel Macron and the UK’s Rishi Sunak were among the world leaders waiting at the end of the line, officially to congratulate the tiny Gulf state on its successful negotiations but mostly to ask for help getting their own citizens home.
See Emma Graham-Harrison’s full story here on how Qatar’s role in the hostage crisis has enhanced its reputation as a global mediator:
Two reported killed in Israeli shelling of West Bank refugee camp
Two Palestinians were killed and several wounded in Israeli shelling on the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank, the Palestinian Red Crescent said, in a line snapped by Reuters.
The camp in the territory’s north is home to about 11,000 people.
Israel’s evacuation of the northern town of Kiryat Shmona near the Lebanese border allowed the military to broaden its actions against Hezbollah, an Israeli army spokesperson has said.
Israel and Hezbollah both reported exchanges of fire on other points along the frontier on Saturday, including around Lebanon’s Alma Al-Shaab and Israel’s Hanita, an area where Hezbollah – a Hamas ally – said it fired guided missiles and Israel responded, Reuters reports.
The Palestinian group Islamic Jihad, which has a presence in southern Lebanon, said one of its members was killed in Saturday’s fighting.
Israeli airstrikes hit Hezbollah targets in Lebanon as six militants killed
Israel has said its aircraft struck Hezbollah targets in Lebanon on Saturday and that one of its soldiers was hit by an anti-tank missile, in cross-border fighting that the Iran-backed group said killed six of its fighters.
Reuters reports that with the frontier region seeing its worst violence in years as Israel wages war against Hamas, the Israeli military said it traded fire with Hezbollah in at least four different areas along the Lebanese border.
The hostilities have forced residents on both sides to flee their homes.
A security source in Lebanon said one Hezbollah fighter was killed in the Lebanese area of Hula, opposite the Israeli community of Margaliot, which Israel said was the target of an anti-tank missile attack. The Israeli army said it fired back.
Hezbollah, which claimed attacks on Israeli military positions throughout Saturday, later said five other members were killed.
Israel said its soldiers struck a cell attempting to launch anti-tank missiles towards the area of Shlomi, an Israeli town about 70km (44 miles) from Margaliot.
An Israeli soldier was severely injured after being hit by an anti-tank missile near the Israeli town of Bar’am, the military said. Two other soldiers were lightly injured in the incident, it added, without saying if they were also hit by the missile.
Hezbollah and Israel’s military have been trading fire at the frontier almost daily since Hamas launched a deadly attack on Israel on 7 October and Israel retaliated with fierce air strikes on Gaza.
Israel’s military says seven soldiers have been killed since Hamas’s raid. Hezbollah says 19 of its fighters have died, including the six on Saturday. The violence has also killed civilians and journalists, including one with Reuters.
This is Adam Fulton taking over our rolling live coverage of the Israel-Hamas war and bringing you all the latest developments
Updated
The leader of Scotland, Humza Yousaf, has called for further aid to be released into Gaza and for an immediate ceasefire.
In a response to a warning from doctors of premature babies in Gaza currently in “imminent danger if fuel does not reach hospitals soon,” Yousaf wrote:
“How can this be justified? What crime have these babies committed? This is why collective punishment must be called out and condemned. Let aid in, including fuel. Otherwise, these images should haunt us for the rest of our lives. A ceasefire is needed and needed now.”
How can this be justified?
— Humza Yousaf (@HumzaYousaf) October 21, 2023
What crime have these babies committed?
This is why collective punishment must be called out and condemned.
Let aid in, including fuel. Otherwise, these images should haunt us for the rest of our lives.
A ceasefire is needed and needed now. https://t.co/otlFJrjy5K
A massive pro-Palestinian rally took place in Los Angeles today where spectators say at least 50,000 showed up to protest against the ongoing war.
Easily 50k people out in Los Angeles right now. Take a look for yourself: https://t.co/p5QUI60QMK pic.twitter.com/KYhqoEvV3Z
— People's City Council - Los Angeles (@PplsCityCouncil) October 21, 2023
Images posted online showed demonstrators holding signs that read “Ceasefire now!” as well as “End Israeli occupation”.
Los Angeles rally for Palestine #ceasefire #EndIsraeliApartheid pic.twitter.com/f8hGmrVG3Z
— Jollene 🍞🌹 (@jollenelevid) October 21, 2023
Other demonstrators chanted: “No peace on stolen land! Justice is our demand!”
NOW: Thousands marching thru downtown Los Angeles for Palestine! pic.twitter.com/nVThrQr88a
— Abraham Márquez (@abemarquez3) October 21, 2023
Updated
The organizer of Web Summit has announced his resignation following backlash over his online posts in which he criticized Israel’s policies.
On Saturday, Paddy Cosgrave, the head of one of the tech industry’s leading events, told Agence France-Presse: “Unfortunately, my personal comments have become a distraction from the event.”
“I sincerely apologise again for any hurt I have caused,” added the co-founder of the tech mega gathering created in 2009 in Dublin but held in Lisbon since 2016.
A spokesperson for the organisation said that Web Summit will “appoint a new CEO as soon as possible” and added that the 2023 summit will proceed in Lisbon as planned.
This year’s summit, to be held next month, is expected to bring more than 70,000 participants. However, several major companies including Google and Meta have announced that they are boycotting the event due to Cosgrave’s remarks.
Cosgrave had tweeted that he was “shocked at the rhetoric and actions of so many western leaders & governments” in support of Israel.
“War crimes are war crimes even when committed by allies, and should be called out for what they are,” he wrote on 13 October.
An increasing number of pro-Palestinian voices have been censored in recent weeks with conferences being cancelled and media appearances suppressed.
Updated
Here are some images coming through the newswires of aid trucks entering from Egypt into Gaza from earlier today:
The first Palestinian American to serve as a congressman on the US Capitol is mourning the loss of several family members who were killed at the Greek Orthodox Church in Gaza that was reportedly struck by Israel.
Writing on X, Justin Amash shared the loss of his relatives, saying:
I was really worried about this. With great sadness, I have now confirmed that several of my relatives … were killed at Saint Porphyrius Orthodox Church in Gaza, where they had been sheltering, when part of the complex was destroyed as the result of an Israeli airstrike.
I was really worried about this. 😔 With great sadness, I have now confirmed that several of my relatives (including Viola and Yara pictured here) were killed at Saint Porphyrius Orthodox Church in Gaza, where they had been sheltering, when part of the complex was destroyed as… pic.twitter.com/w5k1xEeTgF
— Justin Amash (@justinamash) October 20, 2023
For the full story, click here:
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has responded to the Hamas claim that it wanted to release more hostages on humanitarian grounds but that Israel had declined to receive them.
From Reuters:
Abu Ubaida, a spokesmanperson for Hamas’s armed wing, said it informed Qatar of the group’s intention to release the two additional people on Friday, the same day it freed Americans Judith Tai Ranaan and her daughter Natalie.
In a later statement, Abu Ubaida said Hamas was ready to free the two people on Sunday “using the same procedures” involved in the release of Judith and Natalie.
The Palestinian group captured around 210 people during its deadly assault in southern Israel on 7 October. Qatar, which helped mediate Friday’s release, had no immediate comment.
In a brief statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said: “We will not refer to false propaganda by Hamas.”
The statement added: “We will continue to act in every way to return all the kidnapped and missing people home.”
Updated
130 premature babies in "imminent danger due to lack of fuel" in Gaza, doctors warn
Doctors in Gaza have warned that 130 premature babies are in “imminent danger due to a lack of fuel”.
“The world cannot simply look on as these babies are killed by the siege in Gaza,” Melanie Ward, the chief executive of Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP), said in a statement.
“We call on world leaders to demand that Israel urgently allows fuel in to Gaza’s hospitals,” she added.
According to MAP, there are only six neonatal units at hospitals in Gaza, including Shifa and Nasser hospitals.
Updated
Another humanitarian organization, Mercy Corps, has joined other organizations in calling for further and urgent release of aid into Gaza following today’s initial release.
In a statement issued on Saturday, the Mercy Corps CEO Tjada D’Oyen McKenna said:
It is welcome news that an initial convoy of 20 trucks bringing food, water and medicine from Egypt has crossed into Gaza – the first since the conflict’s outbreak – but this falls far short of what will be needed to meet the alarming levels of need …
Truckloads of supplies still sit within mere miles on the other side of the Rafah crossing as people in Gaza get their first trickle of aid today. The UN, Egypt, Israel and all others negotiating the terms of aid deliveries must immediately determine a way for safe, sustained and scalable aid access and delivery. Only then can the aid community working in Gaza begin to respond to this worsening humanitarian catastrophe.
US president Joe Biden, has said that the US “remains committed to ensuring that civilians in Gaza will continue to have access to food, water, medical care and other assistance, without diversion by Hamas”.
In a statement released on Saturday, Biden said: “The opening of this essential supply route was the result of days of diplomatic engagement at the highest levels.”
He went on to express thanks to the Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the United Nations.
“We will continue to work with all parties to keep the Rafah crossing in operation to enable the continued movement of aid that is imperative to the welfare of the people of Gaza, and to continue working to protect civilians, consistent with obligations under international humanitarian law,” Biden added.
Updated
Russia plans to hold another UN Security Council meeting regarding the ongoing humanitarian situation in Gaza, Russia’s deputy UN envoy said on Saturday.
“We will definitely convene a new meeting of the Security Council. As practice has shown, no one but us dares to do so,” Dmitry Polyansky, Russia’s UN deputy permanent representative said, Agence France-Presse reports.
Polyansky did not mention when Russia would hold the meeting.
“Regarding a resolution, I don’t know how fast we’ll get to the next state of trying to pass a resolution,” he said.
Earlier this week, Russia’s resolution on a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas failed due to opposition from four council members including the US, which criticized the draft for not mentioning Hamas.
A Hamas spokesperson said on Saturday that the group had planned to release two more hostages “for humanitarian reasons” but that Israel refused, Reuters reports.
Abu Ubaida, a spokesperson for the Izz el-Deen al-Qassam brigades, said in a statement that it had informed Qatar on Friday of Hamas’s intention to release the two hostages, Reuters adds.
Updated
Here is the statement from the international humanitarian organization Care on the entry of aid into Gaza today.
Hiba Tibi, the Care West Bank and Gaza country director, said:
My team and I welcome the news of the arrival of 20 aid trucks as this is the first time in two weeks that any basic supplies have entered the Gaza Strip, where approximately 2.3 million people – half of them children – currently reside in dire conditions …
But much more is required. To give you an idea of the scale, the United Nations speaks of a minimum of 100 trucks needed per day. We need safe access for essential humanitarian aid, including water, food, fuel and medical supplies.
We need the water taps to be turned on again, as thousands of families are now drinking salty and contaminated water and the risk of waterborne diseases is increasing by the hour.
We need the electricity supply to be re-established, to power hospital generators on which the lives of the wounded, of babies in incubators, and of patients on dialysis depend.
With medical care on its knees, the injured and the sick who cannot be treated locally must be allowed to leave safely for hospitals outside the strip.
And finally, there needs to be a sustained halt to the violence. Aid cannot be distributed under the bombs. Time is not a luxury the people of Gaza have.
A top Hezbollah official has vowed that the Iran-backed militant group in Lebanon is already “in the heart of the battle” and vowed that Israel will pay a high price whenever it starts its ground offensive in Gaza.
The comments by Hezbollah’s deputy leader, Sheikh Naim Kassem, came as Israel launched drone strikes in southern Lebanon with Hezbollah firing back at Israel with rockets and missiles.
“Do you believe that if you try to crush the Palestinian resistance, other resistance fighters in the region will not act?” Kassem said in a speech Saturday during the funeral of a Hezbollah fighter, Reuters reports.
“We are in the heart of the battle today. We are making achievements through this battle.”
Israel to 'increase the attacks from today', says Israeli military spokesperson
Israel says it plans to intensify its attacks on Gaza starting Saturday night, Reuters reports.
Speaking to reporters on Saturday in response to a question about a possible ground invasion into Gaza, the Israeli Rear Adm Daniel Hagari said:
We will deepen our attacks to minimize the dangers to our forces in the next stages of the war. We are going to increase the attacks from today.
Reuters reports that Hagari repeated his calls for Gaza residents to evacuate south.
Updated
“Israel and Ukraine’s success is vital to our national security,” US president Joe Biden said in a statement on Saturday.
“History has taught us that when terrorists and dictators don’t pay a price, they cause more death and destruction.”
I know these conflicts can seem far away. It’s natural to ask: Why does this matter to America?
— President Biden (@POTUS) October 21, 2023
Israel and Ukraine’s success is vital to our national security. History has taught us that when terrorists and dictators don’t pay a price, they cause more death and destruction.
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society has issued a statement on the entry of humanitarian aid to Gaza, saying: “Today’s entry … is a welcomed glimpse of hope but this minuscule aid represents a drop in the ocean.”
We call on the international community to secure the continued flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza including through the Israeli-controlled crossings.
Furthermore, without fuel entering the Gaza Strip to support generating electricity, thousands of Palestinian lives are at risk of death in hospitals. Ambulances will no longer be able to save lives. Bakeries will no longer be able to provide bread. It shall also leave the population without potable water, and risking the outbreak of diseases.
🛑PRCS Statement on Entry of Humanitarian Aid to Gaza Strip#Gaza_Under_Attack#savealquds_hospital #NotATarget#WarCrimes#IHL pic.twitter.com/4dF0AMJTYq
— PRCS (@PalestineRCS) October 21, 2023
Updated
The Qatari foreign minister said on Saturday that Qatar is coordinating with the US and other international partners to release hostages and reduce escalation in Gaza.
Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman al-Thani spoke to his US counterpart, Antony Blinken, in a phone call on Saturday, Reuters reports.
Updated
A Hezbollah fighter was killed along the border with Israel on Saturday, Reuters reports the Iran-backed group as saying.
The fighter’s death on Saturday marks 14 Hezbollah fighters that the group has said have been killed since the conflict broke out two weeks ago.
A security source in Lebanon said the fighter was killed in the Lebanese area of Hula, which lies opposite Margaliot on the Israeli side, which Israel said was the target of an anti-tank missile attack, Reuters reports, adding that the Israeli army said it fired back.
Updated
Gaza’s healthcare system is “facing collapse,” Médecins Sans Frontières said on Saturday.
In a series of tweets on Saturday, the international medical organisation said that Gaza’s hospitals are “overwhelmed and lacking resources”.
“We recently made a large donation of medical stock, including medicines, narcotics and medical equipment to Al Shifa hospital, the main surgical facility in the strip,” the organisation added.
“We delivered everything we had left, all our medical supplies, to Al Shifa hospital in Gaza City, two days ago. We saw hundreds of people taking shelter and it was difficult to walk inside,” Loay Harb, an MSF nurse in Gaza, said.
“There were huge numbers of people inside the hospital; they think the hospital is a safe place, but there is no safe place. There is not enough space. There are patients who need surgery and they are laying on the ground,” he says.
— Doctors w/o Borders (@MSF_USA) October 20, 2023
We stand ready to provide further support to medical facilities in Gaza as soon as a window will be opened for the delivery of desperately needed aid.
— Doctors w/o Borders (@MSF_USA) October 20, 2023
Updated
Pro-Palestinian views are increasingly being censored in the US as conferences and media appearances are cancelled, while some urge the firing of those who criticise Israeli policies.
The Guardian’s Chris McGreal reports:
Widespread attempts to suppress pro-Palestinian views in the US after the Hamas attack on Israel have forced the cancellation of major conferences, prompted demands for the dismissal of workers who express support for Palestinians and led to intimidation campaigns against Arab American voices critical of Israeli policies.
Earlier this week, a leading US Jewish group forced the cancellation of a major Palestinian campaign organisation’s national conference by alleging it was a front for Hamas, which killed more than 1,400 Israelis and abducted about 200 people in its attack from Gaza.
Palestinian American activists say television networks also have censored or cancelled interviews. NPR and the BBC pulled advertising for a widely praised new book about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict after a campaign of “listener complaints”.
The Orthodox Jewish Chamber of Commerce has declared a “victory” after pressuring Hilton hotels into cancelling the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights event in Houston later this month at which the congresswoman Rashida Tlaib was to be the main speaker.
For the full story, click here:
Updated
Two Thai nationals have been injured in northern Israel on Saturday, Agence France-Presse reports medics as saying.
Since Hamas’s attacks on Israel, Israel’s security forces have been exchanging fire on its northern border with Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah as well as other allied Palestinian factions.
On Saturday, there were at least three separate incidents including a strike near the area of Margaliot along the border with Lebanon in which two Thai citizens were injured, AFP reports.
According to medics, one was moderately injured in the chest and the other had a limb injury.
Approximately 30,000 Thai nationals work in Israel, many in the agricultural sector.
Updated
Gaza's children showing ever more signs of trauma since Israel's bombardment
Gaza’s children are showing ever more signs of trauma two weeks into Israel’s intense bombardment, parents and psychiatrists in the tiny, crowded enclave say, with no safe place to hide from the falling bombs and little prospect of respite.
Reuters reports:
Children make up about half of Gaza’s 2.3 million population, living under near constant bombardment with many packed into temporary shelters in UN-run schools after fleeing their homes with little food or clean water.
“Children ... have started to develop serious trauma symptoms such as convulsions, bed-wetting, fear, aggressive behaviour, nervousness, and not leaving their parents’ sides,” said the Gaza psychiatrist Fadel Abu Heen.
More than 4,100 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza so far, including more than 1,500 children, while 13,000 people have been injured, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
“Our children suffer a lot at night. They cry all night, they pee themselves without meaning to and I don’t have time to clean up after them, one after the other,” said Tahreer Tabash, a mother of six children sheltering in a school.
“When there’s an explosion or any target getting hit nearby, they are always screaming, always frightened. We try to calm the younger ones, try telling them, ‘Don’t worry, it’s just fireworks’. But the older ones understand what’s going on,” said Ibrahim al-Agha, an engineer sheltering in the house.
A 2022 report by aid group Save the Children found the psychosocial wellbeing of children in Gaza at “alarmingly low levels” after 11 days of fighting in 2021, leaving half of all Gaza children in need of support.
Mental health experts in Gaza have said there is no such thing there as post-traumatic stress disorder because the trauma in the enclave is continuous, with repeated bouts of armed conflict stretching back nearly two decades.
Updated
Here's a summary of today's events so far:
Up to 100,000 people marched in London today in support of Palestine, calling on an immediate end to the war.
The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, urged all parties to keep the Rafah crossing into Gaza open to enable aid to continue coming through. The opening of the route this morning, he said, was the result of “days of exhaustive US diplomatic engagement in the region”.
The Iraqi prime minister, Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, said at peace talks in Cairo that Palestinian people are “facing genocide” and being targeted in hospitals. “It’s a war crime on full scale,” he said, adding that it started with the killing of unarmed people and “forcing a siege on the rest of the living”.
The UN said no further humanitarian convoys were planned until Monday with many details still unclear.
The Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, told the Cairo peace summit: “We won’t leave, we will remain on our land.”
The UN secretary general, António Guterres, told the Cairo peace summit that the time had come for “action to end this godawful nightmare” and called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire. “I appeal for a humanitarian ceasefire now,” he said.
The UN’s undersecretary general for humanitarian affairs and the emergency relief coordinator, Martin Griffiths, said the humanitarian situation in Gaza “has reached catastrophic levels”.
13 people were reportedly killed in an airstrike above a residential unit in the Palestinian city of Deir al-Balah. The report, from Reuters, citing Hamas media, has not been independently verified.
The Rafah crossing point between Egypt and Gaza has finally opened to allow 20 Egyptian trucks carrying medical supplies across, after a week of intense negotiations involving the US, Israel, Egypt and the UN. Under the agreement, only 20 trucks will be allowed today, with all deliveries from the Egyptian Red Crescent to go to the Palestinian Red Crescent organisation. A UN official said that the next convoy might not be allowed to cross until Monday.
That’s it for me for today. Handing over now to Maya Yang. Thanks for reading.
Updated
Hamas has said it will not discuss the fate of Israeli army captives until Israel ends its “aggression” on Gaza, reports Reuters.
Hamas official Osama Hamdan said in a televised press conference:
Our stance with regards to Israeli army captives is clear: it’s related to a (possible) exchange of prisoners, and we will not discuss it until Israel ends its aggression on Gaza and Palestinians.
Updated
The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said he has spoken with the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, about several areas, including the situation in the Middle East.
Writing on Telegram, he wrote: “We also discussed the situation in the Middle East and agreed on the need to ensure the protection of civilians and respect for humanitarian law.”
Updated
Up to 100,000 people join march for Palestine in London
Up to 100,000 people marched in London today in support of Palestine, calling on an immediate end to the war.
The march started at Marble Arch before heading to Whitehall and ending at Parliament Square.
The Metropolitan police estimated that up to 100,000 people had joined the protest as of 2pm local time – increasing their previous estimate of 70,000.
US urges all parties to keep Rafah crossing open
US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, has urged all parties to keep the Rafah crossing into Gaza open to enable aid to continue coming through.
The opening of the route this morning, he said, was the result of “days of exhaustive US diplomatic engagement in the region”.
He warned that Hamas “must nor interfere with the provision of this life-saving assistance”, adding: “Palestinian civilians are not responsible for Hamas’s horrific terrorism, and they should not be made to suffer for its depraved acts.”
In a newly released statement, he said:
The United States welcomes the delivery of a 20-truck convoy carrying much needed humanitarian assistance to the people in Gaza, the first since Hamas’s horrific October 7 terrorist attack on Israel.
We thank our partners in Egypt and Israel, and the United Nations, for facilitating the safe passage of these shipments through the Rafah border crossing. With this convoy, the international community is beginning to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza that has left residents of Gaza without access to sufficient food, water, medical care, and safe shelter.
The opening of this essential supply route was the result of days of exhaustive US diplomatic engagement in the region and an understanding President Biden reached with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi during his recent historic visit to Israel. Since that visit, Special Envoy David Satterfield has worked with the governments of Israel and Egypt, as well as the United Nations, to oversee its implementation.
We urge all parties to keep the Rafah crossing open to enable the continued movement of aid that is imperative to the welfare of the people of Gaza. We have been clear: Hamas must not interfere with the provision of this life-saving assistance.
Palestinian civilians are not responsible for Hamas’s horrific terrorism, and they should not be made to suffer for its depraved acts. As President Biden stated, if Hamas steals or diverts this assistance it will have demonstrated once again that it has no regard for the welfare of the Palestinian people and as a practical matter it will hinder the international community from being able to provide this aid.
Civilian lives must be protected, and assistance must urgently reach those in need. We will continue to work closely with partners in the region to stress the importance of adhering to the law of war, supporting those who are trying to get to safety or provide assistance, and facilitating access to food, water, medical care, and shelter for citizens wherever they are located in Gaza.
We continue to work urgently in partnership with Egypt and Israel to facilitate the ability of US citizens and their immediate family members to exit Gaza safely and travel via Egypt to their final destinations.
There is no higher priority than the safety of US citizens abroad, and US Embassy Cairo teams are poised to assist these US citizens. We are working tirelessly, including with partner and allied nations with citizens in Gaza, to secure their ability to safely depart the conflict area.
Updated
Turkey’s foreign minister, Hakan Fidan, called for a cessation of hostilities in Gaza and “unconditional humanitarian aid” for the blockaded enclave during his address to the Cairo peace summit. He also said the international community needed to focus its effort on long term solutions for Palestinians and Israelis:
“Simultaneously we have to revitalise every effort to return to a peace process based on a two-state solution. An independent sovereign and contiguous state of Palestine, along 1967 borders with east Jerusalem as its capital.”
Fidan also reiterated his government’s call for a “guarantee mechanism” to protect and encourage parties to any future agreement to abide by their commitments. “Turkey is ready to further develop this concept,” he said.
Updated
The Israeli military said they had today been targeting militants who they said had fired rockets and anti-tank missiles near the border with Lebanon, reports Reuters. This has not been independently verified.
“Hits were identified during both strikes,” the military said, adding that they were responding to a third round of missiles.
Updated
The UN secretary general, António Guterres, calls for “continuous delivery of aid at the scale that is needed” to Gaza.
“We are working nonstop with all relevant parties to make it happen,” he wrote on X.
A 20-truck convoy of the Egyptian Red Crescent is moving today into Gaza.
— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) October 21, 2023
The people of Gaza need a commitment for much more – a continuous delivery of aid at the scale that is needed.
We are working nonstop with all relevant parties to make it happen.
Updated
Footage of the UN secretary general, António Guterres, addressing the Cairo peace talks earlier today:
He welcomed the news of aid trucks crossing from Egypt into Gaza on Saturday, as 20 trucks carrying food, medicine and medical supplies entered the blockaded territory, and called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire.
Updated
The Rafah crossing point between Egypt and Gaza has finally opened to allow 20 Egyptian trucks carrying medical supplies across, after a week of intense negotiations involving the US, Israel, Egypt and the UN.
However, it will offer only limited relief to Gaza’s 2.3 million population, under fire and with barely anything to eat or drink.
Under the agreement, only 20 trucks are being allowed in on Saturday, deliveries from the Egyptian Red Crescent to the Palestinian Red Crescent organisation. Aid officials said they were not expecting a delivery on Sunday, with the next consignment due to be a UN convoy on Monday.
The Israeli government has demanded to see proof that the aid deliveries are not seized or diverted by Hamas, before authorising further deliveries. A UN official said on Saturday that “verification procedures are still under discussion”. Aid agencies are also negotiating with Israel to allow fuel, essential for hospital generators and Gaza’s water desalination and pumping system, to be part of the humanitarian convoys.
“The people of Gaza need a commitment for much, much more – a continuous delivery of aid to Gaza at the scale that is needed,” the UN secretary general, António Guterres, told a peace summit in Cairo. On Friday, Guterres visited the Rafah crossing where substantial quantities of humanitarian aid were waiting for the green light to cross into Gaza.
“There I saw a paradox – a humanitarian catastrophe playing out in real time,” he said. “On the one hand, I saw hundreds of trucks teeming with food and other essential supplies. On the other hand, we know that just across the border, there are 2 million people – without water, food, fuel, electricity and medicine. Children, mothers, the elderly, the sick. Full trucks on one side, empty stomachs on the other.”
The Egyptian president, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, said the hastily arranged summit aimed to produce a roadmap for humanitarian relief and to revive hopes of Israeli-Palestinian peace.
The UK foreign minister, James Cleverly, said:
We are all seeing on social media and in our communities how divisive and polarising the current situation has become.
We have a duty to work together to prevent instability from engulfing the region and claiming yet more lives.
We must ensure Hamas does not win. We must ensure that peaceful coexistence wins.
He called on Israel to “alleviate the suffering of the people of Gaza”, and said the UK had spoken directly to the Israeli government about the need to observe international law and preserve civilian lives in Gaza, urging “professionalism and restraint” from the Israeli military.
He said he “still believe[s] in the power of diplomacy” and that a two-state solution is possible.
Updated
Japan’s foreign minister, Yōko Kamikawa, said:
Japan’s position on this issue is consistent and on three points:
Immediate release of hostages.
All parties need to act in accordance with international law.
Calming down the situation.
The most imminent challenge is addressing the “extremely dire” humanitarian situation, she said.
It’s imperative to arrange evacuation of foreign citizens in the Gaza strip, she added.
Updated
Norway’s foreign minister, Espen Barth Eide, said:
We are in the midst of a deep crisis.
It threatens to become a crisis for the entire world.
He said Norway was worried about the conditions in Gaza. Save the Children says a child is dying every quarter of an hour in Gaza. “This cannot go on.”
Norway is announcing an additional 15 million krona (£1.1m) to the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration for their work in Gaza, he said.
He said there have been “good signs of rapprochement” between Arab states in Israel, but that some discussion around the two-state solution had geared towards maintaining the status quo.
We need to restart. We need to think outside the box.
This is not the time to cut the support of the Palestinian authorities.
Updated
Germany’s foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, said:
Across the region we see terrible human grief and fear.
There is no doubt, all civilian lives matter just the same.
She said the cause of the suffering was Hamas and its “atrocious crimes”.
She said the German government stood in solidarity with Israel, the security of which is “non-negotiable”.
She added the perpetrators of the terror “do not speak for the Palestinian people, they speak only for themselves”.
Updated
The Canadian foreign minister, Mélanie Joly, said:
We’re encouraged by news this morning about food, fuel and water being able to enter Gaza. But we need to see more.
Even in times of crisis there are principles, and even in times of war there are rules.
At all times, all parties and conflicts must respect international humanitarian law.
Canada recognises Israel’s right to self defence in line with international law, and also demands that Hamas releases its hostages, she said.
She added it is “essential this conflict does not spread to the region”, and Canada is “gravely concerned” by Iran’s actions to destabilise peace and security in the middle east.
Updated
Catherine Colonna, France’s minister for Europe and foreign affairs, said:
Israel has the right to defend itself in order for this not to replicate again.
But she added that the response must be “just” and “consistent with international law”.
She said that Hamas “does not represent the Palestinian cause”, adding:
These civilians are not responsible for the act of the group.
We reject the act of Hamas and call on all other international parties to condemn the acts of Hamas.
She said a consensus must be reached on how to deliver aid to Palestine in a sustainable manner. Humanitarian relief should “target the most vulnerable sectors”, and there must be a humanitarian corridor and ceasefire, with those who wish to exit the Gaza strip able to do so “without any impediment”.
Updated
Death toll at 4,385 in Gaza - Palestinian health ministry
The death toll in Gaza has risen to 4,385 dead and 13,651 injured since 7 October, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
The dead include 1,756 children and 976 women, the health ministry added.
Updated
Brazil’s foreign minister, Mauro Vieira, said that Brazil, in its current role as president of the UN security council, is pushing for a multilateral solution.
He said to the Cairo peace summit:
The paralysis of the security council is having tremendous consequence for the lives of civilians. This is not in the interest of the international community. We must strive to avoid any possibility of regional spillover of the conflict.
He said “simply managing the conflict” is not an option, and steps must be made towards the implementation of a two-state solution.
Updated
The South African president, Cyril Ramaphosa, called on countries not to supply weapons to either side of the Israel-Hamas war.
He told the Cairo peace summit that the use of force and bombing of the Gaza strip by Israel violated international law.
“We hold the firm view that the attack on civilians in Israel, the ongoing siege of Gaza and the decision to forcibly move the people of Gaza, together with the indiscriminate use of force through bombing, are violations of international law,” he said.
Widespread attempts to suppress pro-Palestinian views in the US after the Hamas attack on Israel have forced the cancellation of major conferences, prompted demands for the dismissal of workers who express support for Palestinians and led to intimidation campaigns against Arab American voices critical of Israeli policies.
Earlier this week, a leading US Jewish group forced the cancellation of a major Palestinian campaign organisation’s national conference by alleging it was a front for Hamas, which killed more than 1,400 Israelis and abducted about 200 people in its attack from Gaza.
Palestinian American activists say television networks also have censored or cancelled interviews. NPR and the BBC pulled advertising for a widely praised new book about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict after a campaign of “listener complaints”.
Where do surrounding countries of the Israel-Hamas war stand on the conflict? Peter Beaumont explains:
“There is no place for Palestinians except their land,” adds the Iraqi prime minister, calling for an immediate ceasefire.
Iraq is calling, he says, for “lifting the siege fully on the Gaza strip” and establishing a fund for the reconstruction of Gaza.
Gaza today is a 'test for the new world order', says Iraqi PM
Iraqi prime minister, Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, says the Palestinian people are “facing genocide” and being targeted in hospitals.
“It’s a war crime on full scale,” he says, that started by killing unarmed people and “forcing a siege on the rest of the living”.
“Gaza today is a test, a new test for the new world order that have failed over and over and over in applying what they called for” in justice and freedom.
“Hasn’t the time come yet to put an end to this occupation?”
Updated
Giorgia Meloni, prime minister of Italy, says “innocent civilians have left their homes and from our point of view we must respond”.
“We would like to be the starting dialogue point between Mediterranean countries and the European Union.”
It is very important for all leaders present that what is happening in Gaza is “a conflict for civilisation”.
A peaceful dialogue is very important, she says, including the issue of terrorism, which she says has weakened many states, especially Muslim nations.
Hamas “chose terrorism instead of dialogue”, she says.
Updated
Two US nationals who were taken captive by Hamas militants during their deadly attack on 7 October have been released in an agreement brokered by Qatar. Natalie Raanan, 17, and her mother, Judith, 59, were transferred through the Rafah crossing into Egypt, where they were met by Israeli security forces.
Our video team put together this report, with reaction from their family members who welcomed their release. Uri Raanan, Natalie’s father and Judith’s ex-husband, said: ‘I spoke with my daughter earlier today. She sounds very good. She looks very good.’ The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, said Washington believed 200 captives are still held in Gaza, of whom 10 are American.
Updated
“There are innocent victims on both sides,” says the Greek prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis. “Collective punishment” must be prohibited, he adds.
“Hamas is a terrorist organisation,” he says, adding that Hamas is “not the Palestinian people”.
Updated
UN says no further humanitarian convoys planned until Monday with many details still unclear
Talking to UN officials, the limitations on the humanitarian deliveries we are seeing today are even more stark. As far as they know, there is no relief convoy planned for tomorrow. The next convoy they are aware of is a UN consignment on Monday.
Although the deal was supposed to have been hammered out by Joe Biden on Wednesday, there are a lot of details that are unclear. The UN is still in talks over what verification procedures, to ensure there are no weapons or other contraband in the shipments, will be acceptable to the Israelis.
Also the UN is still trying to get fuel included in the humanitarian relief deliveries, as it is essential for running hospital generators and Gaza’s water desalination and pumping systems.
The Kuwaiti crown prince, Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Sabah, says the current conflict in Gaza is the result of inaction by the international community and calls for the opening of humanitarian corridors.
Updated
Palestinian president tells summit: 'We won't leave, we will remain on our land'
The Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, tells the Cairo peace summit: “We won’t leave, we will remain on our land”.
Updated
An excerpt from Guterres’s speech:
Excellencies,
Let’s be clear.
The grievances of the Palestinian people are legitimate and long.
We cannot and must not ignore the wider context for these tragic events: the long-standing conflict and 56 years of occupation with no end in sight.
But nothing can justify the reprehensible assault by Hamas that terrorized Israeli civilians.
And those abhorrent attacks can never justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people.
International humanitarian law – including the Geneva conventions – must be upheld.
That includes protecting civilians and not attacking hospitals, schools and UN premises that are currently sheltering half a million people.
Excellencies,
Our near-term goals must be clear:
Immediate, unrestricted and sustained humanitarian aid for besieged civilians in Gaza.
Immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.
And immediate and dedicated efforts to prevent the spread of violence which is increasing the risk of spillover.
To advance all these efforts, I appeal for a humanitarian ceasefire now.
Excellencies,
Our sustained collective efforts and resources have never been needed more.
As we focus on ending the bloodshed, we cannot lose sight of the only realistic foundation for a true peace and stability: a two-State solution.
Israelis must see their legitimate needs for security materialised, and Palestinians must see their legitimate aspirations for an independent State realized, in line with United Nations resolutions, international law and previous agreements.
The time has come for action.
Action to end this godawful nightmare.
Action to build a future worthy of the dreams of the children of Palestine, Israel, the region and our world.
Updated
UN secretary general calls for immediate humanitarian ceasefire
The UN secretary general, António Guterres, has told the Cairo peace summit that the time has come for “action to end this godawful nightmare” and called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire.
“I appeal for a humanitarian ceasefire now,” he said.
Yesterday, he said, he saw food trucks lining up at the Rafah border on one side, while there were “empty stomachs on the other”.
He says he is grateful to Egypt for their role in enabling today’s convoy, but that people in Gaza need much more.
“Nothing can justify” the assault by Hamas, he said, but added that these attacks can never justify the “collective punishment” against the Palestinian people.
The Geneva conventions must be upheld, he said, and called for immediate aid for Gaza and immediate unconditional release of hostages.
A two-state solution is the only hope for peace, he said. “The time has come for action. Action to end this Godawful nightmare.”
Updated
The Israeli military has said that aid entering Gaza will only go to southern areas and that there is no fuel going in, reports Reuters. 210 people are confirmed as being held hostage in Gaza, they said.
Updated
Jordan’s King Abdullah says that forced displacement or internal displacement of Palestinians would constitute a war crime, reports Reuters.
The Egyptian president, Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, tells the Cairo summit that he invited leaders to come to agreement for a roadmap to end the humanitarian disaster in Gaza and revive a path to peace, reports Reuters.
ActionAid communications and advocacy coordinator, Riham Jafari, welcomed today’s aid convoy into Gaza, but said it was “barely a drop in the ocean”.
We welcome this morning’s aid convoy into Gaza, but it’s clear that what’s being delivered today is barely a drop in the ocean. Before this crisis began, around 500 aid trucks would normally cross the border every day providing a vital lifeline to millions of Gazans who were already facing a humanitarian crisis. Aid trucks also did not bring with them the fuel needed to power hospitals, keep ambulances moving, or to pump water from the ground. We’re hearing stories every day of communities coming together to donate whatever fuel they have remaining to keep incubators going for newborns who are in a critical condition. With 2.2 million Gazans facing a humanitarian crisis we’re urgently calling for a ceasefire and for the opening of humanitarian corridors.
Updated
Cairo peace summit begins
Attenders of Cairo’s peace summit have taken their seats at the conference, which aims to agree on a common position on the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
However, two diplomats have told Reuters that it is unlikely that a joint statement will materialise from the gathering due to sensitivities around calling for a ceasefire and whether to include mention of Hamas’s attack on Israel on 7 October and Israel’s right to defend itself.
The absence of a top official from the US, which is represented at the summit by its embassy charge d’Affaires, and some key western leaders has also limited expectations.
It comes a short while after the Rafah crossing into Gaza from Egypt was finally opened to allow a limited number of aid vehicles through.
Updated
World Health Organization medical supplies have crossed the Rafah border, says the body’s director general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, but says much more is needed:
.@WHO medical supplies crossed the Rafah border. But the needs are far higher.
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) October 21, 2023
To meet the urgent health needs of all people in Gaza, we call for:
-safe passage of additional aid convoys across the enclave
-protection of all humanitarian workers
-sustained access for health aid
Updated
UN warns aid must reach Gaza in a 'safe, dependable, unconditional and unimpeded manner'
The UN’s undersecretary general for for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, Martin Griffiths, has released a statement on today’s aid delivery to Gaza where he said the humanitarian situation “has reached catastrophic levels”.
He said he was “confident” that it would mark the start of a “sustainable effort to provide essential supplies” safely and unimpeded. But he said it was “critical” that sufficient aid reached people across Gaza, adding: “The international community cannot continue to fail them.”
We welcome today’s announcement that an aid convoy has entered Gaza, the first since the outbreak of hostilities on 7 October.
The 20-truck convoy includes life-saving supplies provided by the Egyptian Red Crescent and the United Nations which are approved to cross and be received by the Palestinian Red Crescent, with the support of the United Nations.
The delivery follows days of deep and intense negotiations with all relevant sides to make sure that aid operation into Gaza resumes as quickly as possible and with the right conditions.
I am confident that this delivery will be the start of a sustainable effort to provide essential supplies – including food, water, medicine and fuel – to the people of Gaza, in a safe, dependable, unconditional and unimpeded manner.
Two weeks since the start of hostilities, the humanitarian situation in Gaza – already precarious – has reached catastrophic levels. It is critical that aid reaches people in need wherever they are across Gaza, and at the right scale.
The people of Gaza have endured decades of suffering. The international community cannot continue to fail them.
Cairo, 21 October 2023
Updated
13 people killed in airstrike over residential unit in Deir al-Balah, says Hamas
13 people have reportedly been killed in an airstrike over a residential unit in the Palestinian city of Deir al-Balah.
The report, from Reuters, citing Hamas media, has not been independently verified.
The Hamas media office has said the expected truckloads of aid “will not change the catastrophic medical conditions in Gaza”, reports Reuters.
Updated
Twenty aid trucks to enter Gaza as Rafah crossing opens
The Rafah crossing point between Egypt and Gaza has finally opened to allow 20 Egyptian trucks carrying medical supplies across, after a week of intense negotiations involving the US, Israel, Egypt and UN.
Under the agreement, only 20 trucks will be allowed today, all deliveries from the Egyptian Red Crescent to the Palestinian Red Crescent organisation. A UN official said that the next convoy might not be allowed to cross until Monday.
The Israeli government has demanded to see proof that the aid deliveries are not seized or diverted by Hamas, before authorising further deliveries.
Updated
The UK foreign secretary, James Cleverly, has said the aid crossing into Gaza “cannot be a one-off” as he calls for further humanitarian access.
Trucks carrying lifesaving aid are beginning to cross at Rafah into Gaza.
— James Cleverly🇬🇧 (@JamesCleverly) October 21, 2023
This aid is a lifeline for those suffering.
But it cannot be a one off.
The UK continues to push for humanitarian access to Gaza.
Updated
WHO health supplies to cross into Gaza, says director general
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director general of the World Heath Organization, said its supplies including trauma and chronic disease medicines and basic essential medicines, would be crossing today:
It seems that shortly, @WHO health supplies will finally be moving towards Gaza through the Rafah crossing.
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) October 21, 2023
The supplies include trauma and chronic disease medicines, and basic essential medicines.
WHO calls for:
- protection of humanitarian teams in Gaza
- sustained…
Updated
Rafah crossing has opened and aid trucks entered Palestinian side
Aid trucks have entered the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing, a Palestinian border official has confirmed, while Egyptian television showed trucks entering the Gaza Strip.
The border crossing was finally due to open at 10am local time to allow desperately needed medicine, medical supplies and food supplies to enter.
Aid officials have told the Guardian’s world affairs editor, Julian Borger, that 20 trucks were being permitted to cross today carrying Egyptian government aid, as per the arrangement worked out by the US, Israel and Egypt.
Egyptian television footage shows trucks surrounded by onlookers crossing the border this morning.
Updated
World leaders and international government representatives are to attend a peace summit in Cairo today.
Among those expected to attend the international conference to discuss the war between Israel and Hamas, reports Reuters, include the Egyptian president, Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, Jordan’s King Abdullah, Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the Qatari emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, Kuwait’s Crown Prince Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Sabah, the Iraqi prime minister, Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, the United Nations secretary general, António Guterres, the EU council president, Charles Michel, and the British foreign secretary, James Cleverly.
Updated
The rocket hit in the early hours of Monday morning, not far from where Jamileh Tawfiq had been sheltering with her family – as well as about 25,000 other people – at a UN compound in the city of Khan Younis in southern Gaza.
The impact saw a plume of smoke rise into the air; news soon came that two families had been killed.
For Tawfiq, a 26-year-old freelance journalist reporting for the television station Al Jazeera, and now one of the few voices still coming out of Gaza, the attack was one of dozens she has witnessed – and reported on – since Israel started bombing the coastal enclave two weeks ago.
The Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate says 17 media workers have been killed in Gaza since the airstrikes began, with 20 more injured. The Committee to Protect Journalists says 21 have died in total as of Friday morning.
“The explosions are relentless,” Tawfiq says.
You can read Stefanie Glinski’s full report here:
Updated
An Egypt official has said two aid-packed trucks entered the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing early on Saturday but that they had not passed through into the Gaza Strip.
The official spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity as he was not briefed to speak with the media.
Israel announced on Wednesday that aid would be allowed into Gaza from Egypt via the Rafah crossing but the territory’s border has remained closed. Egypt has said the crossing was damaged in Israeli airstrikes.
The report comes as the US embassy in Israel said the Gaza-Egypt border may open on Saturday and that such a move could enable foreigners to leave the besieged Palestinian enclave.
The embassy said in a social media post it had “received info” that the Rafah crossing would open at 10am (0700GMT) but did not know “how long it will remain open for foreign citizens to depart Gaza”.
Updated
Egypt is hosting dozens of regional leaders and senior western officials on Saturday for a summit on the Israel-Hamas war.
From the Associated Press:
The meeting in Egypt’s New Administrative Capital, just east of Cairo, will discuss ways to de-escalate the fighting and seek a ceasefire amid mounting concerns about a regional conflict, Egypt’s state-run media reported.
Among those attending the summit are the leaders of Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and the Palestinian Authority.
Also attending are the prime ministers of Italy, Spain, Greece and Canada and the president of the European Council, according to the state-run Al-Ahram daily newspaper.
Foreign ministers from Germany, France, the UK and Japan are also attending, the paper reported.
Rafah crossing on Gaza-Egypt border may open on Saturday, US embassy says
The US embassy in Israel said the Gaza-Egypt border may open on Saturday, suggesting that such a move would enable foreigners to leave the besieged Palestinian enclave, Reuters reports.
In a social media post, the embassy said it had “received info” that the Rafah crossing would open at 10am (0700GMT).
“We do not know how long it will remain open for foreign citizens to depart Gaza,” the embassy added.
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Here are some of the latest images coming in from Gaza and Israel over the news agency wires.
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Where do the countries around the Israel-Hamas war stand on the conflict? In case you missed it earlier, Peter Beaumont explains the complicated web of relationships that are being strained as Israel bombards Gaza in retaliation for Hamas’s attack.
The US has said it will keep working to free all Americans seized by Hamas, against the backdrop of Israel’s expected ground assault on Gaza, as the first two hostages released were reunited with family.
That came as Israeli forces continued to pound Gaza, where millions of people are still awaiting promised aid deliveries via the crucial Rafah border crossing with Egypt.
See here for our full report on the latest news:
The tiny settlement overlooking the Bedouin village of Ein Rashash is named “Angels of Peace” but, says Sliman al-Zawahri, its residents have visited only violence, fear and despair on his family.
This week the Bedouin community packed up most of their belongings and drove all the women, children and elderly people from the West Bank ridge they had called home for nearly four decades, perched above a spring and beside an archaeological site.
“They didn’t leave us air to breathe,” said Zawahri, 52, describing a months-long campaign of violence and intimidation that intensified in the last two weeks. First villagers were barred from grazing lands, and the spring, then violence reached their homes.
“They came into the village and destroyed houses and sheep pens, beat an 85-year-old man, scared our children. Slowly our lives became unlivable.”
This was not an individual tragedy. Men from Angels of Peace are part of a broad, violent and very successful political project to expand Israeli control of the West Bank that has accelerated, say activists, since the 7 October attacks by Hamas launched a war with Israel.
To read the full report by Emma Graham-Harrison and Quique Kierszenbaum, click here:
The Iraqi prime minister, Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, left Baghdad for Cairo early on Saturday to attend a peace conference over the Israeli-Hamas war, Reuters quotes the prime minister’s media office as saying.
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Opening summary
Welcome to our rolling live coverage of the Israel-Hamas war, now on day 15. As it approaches 7.45am in Gaza City and Tel Aviv, here’s a snapshot of the latest developments.
The White House has stepped back from Joe Biden’s comment apparently agreeing that Israel should delay a potential ground invasion of Gaza until more hostages can get out, saying the US president did not fully hear the question. Reuters reported that late on Friday reporters shouted questions at Biden as he was climbing the stairs to board Air Force One. One of the questions was whether Israel should delay an invasion of Gaza until more hostages could get out, to which Biden replied: “Yes.” But White House communications director Ben LaBolt said later: “The question sounded like: ‘Would you like to see more hostages released?’ He wasn’t commenting on anything else.”
Two newly freed American hostages have been reunited with family inside Israel as relatives celebrated back home in Illinois, nearly two weeks after Hamas gunmen abducted them and dozens of others near Gaza. Judith Tai Raanan, 59, and her daughter Natalie, 17, were handed over to Israeli forces at the Gaza Strip border on Friday, becoming the first captives whose release by Hamas has been confirmed by both sides. Their release was “a first step and discussions are ongoing for more releases”, Reuters cited a source familiar with the negotiations as saying. The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said the country “will not relent in our effort to return all of the kidnapped and the missing”.
Hamas spokesperson Abu Ubaida said the hostages were released in response to Qatari mediation efforts, “for humanitarian reasons and to prove to the American people and the world that the claims made by [Joe] Biden and his fascist administration are false and baseless”.
Israeli aircraft struck six homes in northern Gaza early on Saturday, killing at least eight Palestinians and injuring 45, Palestinian media reported. The Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, the main Palestinian Christian denomination, said Israeli forces had struck the Church of Saint Porphyrius in Gaza City, where hundreds of Christians and Muslims had sought refuge, Reuters reported.
Hamas’s attack on Israel on 7 October aimed to disrupt a potential normalisation of ties between Israel and Saudi Arabia, Joe Biden said on Friday. “One of the reasons Hamas moved on Israel ... they knew that I was about to sit down with the Saudis,” the US president said.
The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) has described reports that a hospital in Gaza has been ordered to evacuate as “disturbing”. The Palestinian Red Crescent said earlier on Friday that its operations at al-Quds hospital in Gaza City faced an “imminent threat” after the Israeli military ordered the hospital’s evacuation. The WHO director general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said on X/Twitter it was “impossible” for overcrowded hospitals to safely evacuate patients. Hospitals in Gaza “must be allowed to perform their lifesaving functions” and “must be protected”, he said.
Tensions flared in the West Bank as angry and sometimes armed confrontations between Palestinians and Israeli forces took place across the occupied territory after a deadly raid by Israeli troops. The Palestinian health ministry said 13 people, including five children, were killed after an Israeli assault on the Nur Shams refugee camp.
The US and the EU said they were “concerned by the deteriorating humanitarian crisis” in Gaza. “It is crucial to prevent regional escalation. We call for the immediate release of all hostages and emphasise our shared view that a two-state solution remains the viable path to lasting peace,” a joint statement said after talks between European Council president, Charles Michel, the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, and the US president, Joe Biden.
The Palestinian Red Crescent said its operations at al-Quds hospital in Gaza City faced an “imminent threat” after the Israeli military ordered the hospital’s evacuation. The PRCS posted in an “urgent appeal” on Friday saying that the hospital was “a sanctuary for over 400 patients and around 12,000 displaced civilians”.
An Israel Defence Forces spokesperson said “there’s going to be no break” in his country’s effort to destroy Hamas, amid reports that the US and European governments have been putting pressure on Israel to delay its ground invasion of Gaza to buy time for secret talks under way to win the release of hostages held by Hamas.
Israel security officials have signalled their readiness to embark on a ground offensive into Gaza that they say will be far more comprehensive and ferocious than any previous conflict with Hamas.
The UN secretary general, António Guterres, flew to the Sinai peninsula in an effort to open a humanitarian route into Gaza, with the first aid delivery expected “in the next day or two”. The border crossing on the Egypt-Gaza border had been due to open on Friday. When the crossing opens, Israel will allow 20 aid lorries to enter Gaza in an initial convoy under a deal with the US president, Joe Biden.
Biden said on Friday that he believed trucks carrying much-needed humanitarian aid should enter Gaza “within the next 24-48 hours”. Separately, the UK prime minister, Rishi Sunak, said the Rafah border crossing should reopen “imminently”.
Sunak and the Egyptian president, Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, agreed world leaders needed to “do everything possible to avoid a contagion of conflict” in the Middle East during their talks in Cairo on Friday, Downing Street said. Sunak praised Cairo’s efforts to allow movement through Rafah as he spoke about the need to ensure aid could get to Palestinians “as quickly as possible”.
Israel has evacuated its own communities near Gaza and Lebanon and announced plans to evacuate Kiryat Shmona, a town of more than 20,000 residents near the Lebanese border.
A candlelit vigil for Issam Abdallah, the Reuters visuals journalist killed last week while filming Israeli missile attacks at the Israeli-Lebanon border, was held in Beirut on Friday.
A-list Hollywood celebrities including Cate Blanchett, Joaquin Phoenix, Ramy Youssef and Andrew Garfield have penned a letter to Joe Biden urging the US president to call for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war.
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