Israel-Hamas war live: Palestinian death toll rises to more than 1,500 as Gaza supplies to run out ‘very soon’

The number of Palestinians killed has risen to 1,537, according to Gaza’s health ministry. This is 120 more deaths since their last statement earlier today.

It comes as Gaza is on the brink of running out of food, water, electricity and critical supplies, the UN warned. No aid can come in from the outside for the 2.3m residents of the sealed-off enclave, it said.

Some 220,000 displaced people are also sheltering in schools run by the UN agency for Palestine refugees as aid workers try their “best” to support residents.

Meanwhile, Gaza has been pummelled by 6,000 Israeli Air Force bombs since Hamas’s deadly attack on southern Israel on Saturday, the Israeli Defence Forces said.

“Approximately 6,000 bombs have been dropped on the Gaza Strip with a total weight of 4,000 tonnes,” the army said in a statement Thursday.

On Thursday, the chief of staff for Israel‘s military, Herzi Halevi, also admitted that the military had failed to protect civilians around the Gaza Strip from Hamas’s unprecedented attack on the country.

Key Points

• Netanyahu claims Hamas will be 'crushed like Isis'

• What is Hamas, and why did it attack Israel?

• A brief history of the Israel-Palestine conflict

• Britain deploys Royal Navy and RAF to support Israel

• Israel says no humanitarian break to Gaza siege unless hostages freed

• Israel forms wartime cabinet as Netanyahu vows to 'crush and destroy' Hamas

• Gaza’s sole power station runs out of fuel as water supply also threatened

Israel releases footage of strikes on Hamas drone positions

10:16 , Tom Watling

Israel has released footage showing the targeting of Hamas drone positions in Gaza.

Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) spokesperson Daniel Hagari, posting the video, accused Hamas of building drone launchpads “inside and on the roofs of the houses of the residents of the Gaza Strip”.

Tear gas used on Jordanian protesters near Israeli border - video

10:01 , Tom Watling

Tear gas has been used to prevent pro-Palestinian marchers near the eastern Israeli border, footage has appeared to show.

Multiple videos are circling online showing canisters of tear gas being fired into crowds of Jordanian demonstrators heeding the call of a former Hamas leader to stage a “day of rage” on Friday.

‘There is no place to go’: Gazans staying in homes despite Israeli evacuation order

09:55 , Tom Watling

From Bel Trew in Tel Aviv:

Sara, 21, in a town just outside Gaza City, has said that people are “terrified” by the news that all Palestinians should evacuate south but said they had nowhere to go.

“People here are staying in their houses as there is nothing we can do, there is no place to go,” she told The Independent, describing Thursday night’s bombardment as a “nightmare”.

“There are no places to go, everywhere is over crowded. Even the United Nations schools in the south are extremely full. The people are sleeping in the yards of the school, it is so cold at night the bombing is so heavy.”

She said everyone was extremely confused.

“Some people said that the this is fake news just to terrify us - others said it is critical news and we should take action. We see on the news that most of the UN schools in the north have just evacuated.”

More footage of strikes in Israel

09:50 , Tom Watling

More footage has been published purporting to show missiles being intercepted over the Israeli city of Ashkelon, between the northern regions of the Gaza Strip and Tel Aviv.

Updated death tolls

09:48 , Tom Watling

Nearly 3,000 people have been killed in the conflict between Israel and Hamas in the last six days.

According to the latest update, 1,537 people have been killed in Gaza, while 6,612 have been wounded.

Roughly 1,300 Israelis have been killed while 3,200 have been wounded.

‘There are no beds left’: Gaza doctors confirm hospitals at ‘breaking point’

09:42 , Tom Watling

Beds, equipment and electricity have almost run out in hospitals across Gaza as casualties continue to mount in their thousands. More than 1,500 people have been killed in Gaza and several thousand wounded as Israel’s retaliation for Hamas attacks continue along a siege blocking fuel, food and medical resources to the region.

“We’re at breaking point. There are no beds left. Wounded patients are lining the corridors,” said British surgeon Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah from Al Shifa hospital yesterday morning. “There are 5,000 wounded and we only have 2,500 capacity across all our hospitals. The refugee camp has been hit too.”

Gaza Director for Medical Aid for Palestinians, Mahmoud Shalabi, said ICUs, in-patient wards and theatres had been running out of beds as they struggled to cope with the onslaught of injured as a result of Israeli air strikes.

Reporting by Maira Butt.

Air raid sirens sound in Israel as Hamas claims it fired 150 missiles

09:38 , Tom Watling

Air raid sirens have sounded in the Israeli city of Ashkelon, located between the Gaza Strip and Tel Aviv, as Hamas claims it has fired “150 missiles” at the territory.

Air defences appear to be in full flow, footage suggests, after a 10-hour lull.

A statement, posted at 9.30am GMT, from the military wing of Hamas read: “Al-Qassam Brigades are now directing a major missile strike with 150 missiles against occupied Ashkelon in response to the displacement and targeting of civilians.”

Israel says Hamas will be responsible for civilian deaths in Gaza

09:26 , Tom Watling

Israel has said Hamas will be held responsible for all Gazan civilians injured in the northern sectors if they do not heed calls to evacuate.

Since the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) gave a 24-hour warning to Gazans in the north to evacuate, Hamas has called on civilians to remain.

Israel has accused Hamas of using these civilians as a “human shield”, but in a further development an IDF spokesperson said “the responsibility for what may happen to those who do not evacuate is on Hamas’s head”.

IDF spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari in a press conference, said: “Hamas is taking advantage of the residents of the Gaza Strip, bringing disaster upon them and calling on the residents of the Gaza Strip at this time as well not to listen to the IDF’s recommendations.”

Egypt taking ‘unprecedented measures’ to protect its border with Gaza

09:15 , Tom Watling

Egypt is taking “unprecedented measures” to prevent the collapse of its border with Gaza following an Israeli order to those trapped in the Strip to evacuate southward.

A senior Egyptian security official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told AP that they were working to ensure that Gaza’s southern border remained intact.

The Rafah crossing, through which Gazans would travel into Egypt, has been closed since Tuesday following Israeli airstrikes. That morning, an Israeli army spokesperson had suggested Gazans head to the southern border.

Egypt, which made peace with Israel decades ago and has long served as a regional mediator, is staunchly opposed to resettling Palestinians on its territory, both because of the costs involved and because it would undermine their quest for an independent state.

Israeli embassy staffer stabbed in Beijing - claim

09:11 , Tom Watling

Reports are emerging that an Israeli embassy staffer in the Chinese capital of Beijing has been assaulted.

The Israeli foreign ministry have just reported the story.

Hundreds of Jordanians march towards Israel border - video

09:04 , Tom Watling

Hundreds of Jordanians are marching towards Israel’s eastern border, heeding calls by the former leader of Hamas to demonstrate a “day of rage”.

Footage purporting to show hundreds of Jordanians holding Palestinian flags and marching towards the border.

Jordan’s King Abdullah II on Wednesday said that peace without a Palestinian state would not be possible after pro-Palestine protests were held in the capital of Amman.

US defence secretary arrives in Israel

08:48 , Tom Watling

US defence secretary Lloyd Austin has arrived in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv, footage has shown.

The White House announced his trip on Thursday evening.

Mr Austin will meet with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as well as defence officials and the new emergency government.

His trip follows a visit from US secretary of state Anthony Blinken, who is now touring the Gulf states, many of which have expressed strong sympathies with the Palestinians.

Israel has right to ‘go after’ Hamas, says Shapps

08:43 , Tom Watling

Defence secretary Grant Shapps has insisted Israel has a right to “go after” Hamas when he was challenged over the situation in Gaza.

Asked on BBC Breakfast about Israel's tactics, including cutting off electricity and issuing an evacuation order reported to cover the north of the Gaza Strip, Mr Shapps said: “The question is, what is Israel to do?

“Leave these Hamas terrorists to come in and slaughter people again? Or deal with them once and for all? And the fact that Israel gives notice... is in stark contrast.

“I think Israel finds itself in a very difficult situation, and to be clear: Israel needs to act within international law just like any other nation... But Israel will also obviously need to deal with these Hamas terrorists.”

He added: “Israel is giving due warning, but they are going after those terrorists, and we absolutely respect Israel's right to do that.”

UN moves operation centre to southern Gaza

08:40 , Tom Watling

The United Nations has moved its central operations centre and international staff “to a site in southern Gaza”.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East issued a statement this morning announcing the relocation.

They said the move was to ensure it could “continue its humanitarian operations and support to staff and Palestine refugees in the Gaza Strip”.

The relocation follows the warning by the Israeli Defence Forces that Gazans in the northern regions have 24 hours to evacuate southward.

Hamas claim 13 hostages killed by Israeli airstrikes

08:34 , Tom Watling

Hamas has claimed that 13 hostages being held in Gaza were killed by Israeli airstrikes.

In a statement on Telegram, the al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, said the “prisoners of battle, including foreigners” were killed in the past 24 hours.

They said six of them were killed in the northern regions, which are currently being evacuated.

The statement read: “The Al-Qassam Brigades announce the killing of 13 prisoners of battle, including foreigners, in the intense Zionist bombing of the North and Gaza governorates during the past 24 hours, where 6 of them were killed in the North Governorate in two separate places, and 7 in the Gaza Governorate in 3 different places that were affected by the barbaric enemy bombing.”

Israel said it attacked 750 “military targets” overnight in the Gaza Strip, including 12 high-rise buildings.

The claims by Hamas have not been verified.

IDF warning ‘alarming and horrifying’, says Palestinian charity

08:23 , Tom Watling

The Israeli Defence Force 24-hour evacuation notice is “alarming and horrifying”, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) has said.

In a statement on X, formerly Twitter, the PRCS, which is currently operating in Gaza, said: “The warnings and threats by the IDF to civilians to evacuate their homes are alarming and horrifying.”

They added that 1.2 million Gazans would be affected by the order, a revision up from the 1.1 million suggested by the United Nations.

When does the 24-hour Israeli warning run out?

08:19 , Tom Watling

While the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) have issued a 24-hour evacuation warning to Gazans to head southward, it remains unclear exactly when that order came into effect and, by extension, when it will come to an end.

A United Nations said they received the order at around midnight local time, according to a spokesperson, meaning that roughly 10 hours have already elapsed. Gaza is two hours ahead of London.

If this is taken as the official warning, not a pre-emptive notice, the deadline for Gazans to evacuate will be midnight on Saturday, which is 10pm on Friday night in London.

Scottish FM demands ‘end to collective punishment’ in Gaza

08:12 , Tom Watling

The Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf has called for an “end to collective punishment” following the Israeli order to Gaza to evacuate southward.

Mr Yousaf, whose wife has immediate family in the Strip, decried the move, suggesting it would lead to the “death of innocent men, women & children”.

Watch live: Israeli artillery maintains positions near Gaza as IDF says residents have 24 hours to escape

08:08 , Tom Watling

You can watch a live feed of the ongoing situation in Israel below.

Watch: Israeli artillery maintains positions near Gaza as residents told to leave

‘No one understands what to do’: Panic in northern Gaza as residents face 24-hour warning

08:07 , Tom Watling

Panic and confusion have set in among the northern residents of the Gaza Strip following the 24-hour order to evacuate southward.

Inas Hamdan, an officer at the UN Palestinian refugee agency in Gaza City, said that “no one understands what to do”, describing the situation as “chaotic”.

“Forget about food, forget about electricity, forget about fuel, the only concern now is just if you’ll make it, if you’re going to live,” Nebal Farsakh, spokesperson for the Palestinian Red Crescent in Gaza City said, breaking into heaving sobs.

The streets are reportedly empty as many residents sit in their homes trying to work out what to do, according to further on the ground accounts published by Al Jazeera.

How has Hamas responded to the IDF evacuation order?

07:58 , Tom Watling

Hamas leaders and officials have called on Palestinians not to leave the northern regions of Gaza following the evacuation order from the Israeli Defence Forces.

The Hamas Authority for Refugee Affairs told residents in the north to “remain steadfast in your homes and to stand firm in the face of this disgusting psychological war waged by the occupation”.

Hamas leader Mahmoud Mardawi said during an Al Jazeera broadcast: “Our Palestinian people will not leave the Gaza Strip and will not be displaced again.”

‘We have nowhere to go’: Gaza reacts to 24-hour warning to evacuate

07:42 , Bel Trew

The Israeli army’s order for civilians to evacuate south to Gaza could signal an impending ground offensive. The Israeli military has not confirmed this.

As of Thursday, they said that they were preparing for a ground incursion but no decision had been made.

But in the past a ground incursion of the tiny strip, which is only 40 kilometers long and 12 km wide, has seen an intense spike in casualties in the brutal street by street, house by house fighting.

This comes at a time when the Health ministry in Gaza has warned the healthcare system has already collapsed amid a crippling “total siege” imposed by Israel a few days ago, which cut access to water, power, food and fuel. Gaza's deputy health minister Yusuf Abu al-Reesh told The Independent they were forced to switch off life support machines in intensive care units for cases deemed hopeless to make space for the “unprecedented” influx of wounded. They had just days left of supplies.

United Nations officials meanwhile said they already had 220,000 displaced people living in 98 of their schools, which were also running out of supplies.

In Gaza, Sara a 21-year-old student told The Independent before the general order was issued Friday morning that her family had already been warned they had to evacuate by a leaflet dropped by an Israeli aircraft. She said they had “nowhere to go”.

“We tried so hard to find a place in the UN schools but they are already full. They are extremely crowded. There is no way to evacuate; there is no safe place. Even the UN schools are being bombed,” she said, as the roar of an airstrike sounded in the background.

“It is really terrifying, and scary. The children here are crying. We are four families gathering in the same house. We have nowhere to go.”

In Video: American death toll rises to 27

07:11 , Namita Singh

American death toll rises to 27 people in Israel-Palestine war

A music festival survivor fleeing the attack, a pair of Hamas militants and a deadly decision

07:11 , Namita Singh

The two militants were just ahead of him, spraying gunfire from their motorcycle at passing cars. One militant was driving, the 50-year-old man said, and the other sat behind, shooting at any target he saw. At least one wore body armor.

“He didn’t see me,” Michael Silberberg said. So Mr Silberberg made a decision.

He and two friends had already managed to escape the slaughter at the Tribe of Nova music festival, where hundreds of militants from the Palestinian group Hamas had swarmed through crowds, killing at least 260 people and taking an unknown number hostage.

They survived another attack a few minutes later, with two hiding in a roadside air-raid shelter while the other hid outside.

Soon after that they were driving away in his car, trying to get far from the massacre, when they saw the motorcycle.

How did Mr Silberberg and his friends manage to flee? Report:

A music festival survivor fleeing the attack, a pair of Hamas militants and a deadly decision

NYPD cancels leave and orders officers to report in uniform after Hamas call for global protests

06:53 , Namita Singh

Members of the New York Police Department (NYPD) have been ordered to report in uniform on Friday, following calls for global protests by an ex-Hamas chief.

The department has cancelled all time-off for officers on the day in response to the potential threat of widespread unrest, according to an internal message obtained by ABC News and other US outlets.

“All uniformed members of the service are to perform duty in the uniform of the day – effective immediately and until further notice, all uniformed members of the service, in every rank, will perform duty in the uniform of the day and be prepared for deployment,” ABC reported.

My colleague Mike Bedigan reports:

All NYPD officers to report in uniform after ex-Hamas chief calls for global protests

France uses teargas, water cannon on banned pro-Palestinian rally in Paris

06:42 , Namita Singh

French police used teargas and water cannon to break up a banned rally in support of the Palestinian people in Paris on Thursday after the interior minister said such gatherings were “likely to generate disturbances to public order”.

Despite the ban, several hundred pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered in central Paris in separate groups that police forces sought to keep from merging.

Demonstrators chanted “Israel murderer” and “Macron accomplice,” a reference to French president Emmanuel Macron, who has condemned the deadly attack by the Palestinian militant Hamas group and voiced solidarity with Israel.

“We live in a country of civil law, a country where we have the right to take a stand and to demonstrate. (It is unfair) to forbid for one side and to authorise for the other and that does not reflect the reality of Palestine,” said Charlotte Vautier, 29, an employee at a non-profit.

Two pro-Palestinian demonstrations in Paris had already been banned on Thursday for fear of outbursts when interior minister Gerald Darmanin told prefects to ban all pro-Palestinian demonstrations across the country.

France is home to some of Europe’s largest Muslim and Jewish populations and Middle East conflict can stoke tensions. Darmanin said the government had acted to boost police protection of Jewish sites, including schools and synagogues.

'Civilians of Gaza City, evacuate south for your own safety': Read the IDF's evacuation order in full

06:40 , Namita Singh

The Israeli Defence Force on Thursday directed 1.1 million Gazan living in north of the city to move towards the south.

“The IDF calls for the evacuation of all civilians of Gaza City from their homes southwards for their own safety and protection and move to the area south of the Wadi Gaza, as shown on the map,” read the order, seen by The Independent’s Bel Trew.

“The Hamas terrorist organisation waged a war against the State of Israel and Gaza City is an area where military operations take place. This evacuation is for your own safety.

“You will be able to return to Gaza City only when another announcement permitting it is made. Do not approach the area of the security fence with the State of Israel.

“Hamas terrorists are hiding in Gaza City inside tunnels underneath houses and inside buildings populated with innocent Gazan civilians.

“Civilians of Gaza City, evacuate south for your own safety and the safety of your families and distance yourself from Hamas terrorists who are using you as human shields.“In the following days, the IDF will continue to operate significantly in Gaza City and make extensive efforts to avoid harming civilians.”

France arrests 24 over antisemitic act

06:39 , Namita Singh

The French government has reported 24 arrests for more than 100 antisemitic acts in France since Hamas attacked Israel on Saturday, including verbal abuse, people caught with knives near Jewish schools and synagogues and a drone equipped with a camera spotted over a Jewish cultural centre.

More than 2,000 cases of antisemitic speech have been reported to an online watchdog force.

Interior minister Gerald Darmanin sent a directive to local prefects on Thursday calling for a further tightening of security around Jewish schools, synagogues and other sites.

It said pro-Palestinian demonstrations should be banned and those who defy bans should be arrested, “because they are susceptible to disrupt public order”.

The National Collective for a Fair and Lasting Peace between Palestinians and Israelis said it “denounces this threat to freedom of expression” and pledged to continue holding actions to support the Palestinian people.

At the banned Paris protest on Thursday, protesters wearing Palestinian flags draped around their shoulders sprayed “Free Palestine” on the monument underpinning Republic Plaza in eastern Paris. Many chanted “We are all Palestinians”.

Earlier this week, thousands of people marched in Paris in support of Israel, and the Eiffel Tower was lit up with a Star of David and the blue and white of the Israeli flag.

13 French citizens killed in Israel-Hamas war

06:30 , Namita Singh

Thirteen French citizens in Israel have been killed in the current fighting, president Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday, with 17 people missing.

Many are believed held hostage by Hamas. The Paris prosecutor’s office opened an investigation into the killings and suspected kidnappings.

‘Let us stay united’: France bans pro-Palestinian protests amid rise in antisemitic acts

06:23 , Namita Singh

France’s interior minister on Thursday ordered local authorities to ban all pro-Palestinian demonstrations, amid a rise in antisemitic acts since Hamas attacked Israel over the weekend.

President Emmanuel Macron urged French people not to allow the war in the Middle East to erupt into tensions at home.

Shortly before Mr Macron spoke in a televised address to the nation about the conflict, Paris police used tear gas and water cannon to disperse pro-Palestinian protesters who had defied a ban and demonstrated against the Israeli government.

“Let us not bring ideological adventures here (to France) by imitation or by projection. Let us not add national fractures to international fractures,” Mr Macron said. “Let us stay united.”

With several French-Israeli citizens believed to be held hostage by Hamas, Mr Macron pledged that France would protect its Jewish citizens and be “ruthless toward all those who bear hate” and noted concerns about hostility toward France’s Muslims too.

Gaza rescue worker scared and exhausted under Israel’s air strikes

06:21 , Namita Singh

Palestinian rescue worker Ibrahim Hamdan has been on duty almost constantly since Saturday, dodging Israeli air strikes that have killed paramedics even as his team tries to pull survivors from houses destroyed by the relentless pounding of the tiny enclave.

Israel’s bombardment of Gaza began on Saturday soon after the armed wing of the militant Islamist group Hamas governing the enclave smashed through barriers to send hundreds of fighters marauding through Israeli towns, killing 1,200 soldiers and civilians including children, Israel’s military says.

The bombardment is the most intense Israel has ever directed at Gaza, which is only 40km long and home to 2.3 million people living in cramped cities and refugee camps with few designated shelters and nowhere else to run.

So many buildings have been destroyed, including many occupied by civilians, that rescue services were struggling to reach new bomb sites quickly. Mr Hamdan said he was attending about 10 calls a day, some lasting hours.

Roads cratered from direct hits or blocked by rubble from nearby strikes hinder progress and initial rescue work is often done by neighbours pulling away chunks of debris in search of survivors or hoping to retrieve bodies for burial.

Lacking enough heavy machinery such as mechanical diggers and bulldozers, rescue workers also rely on shovels and other tools they wield by hand to pull away rubble.The emotional toll has been intense.

Mr Hamdan, 39, has a bandage on his left hand and wrist, injured by falling debris during a rescue attempt on Wednesday when he was only able to pull out the bodies of two girls, dead in the ruins of their home in the south Gaza city of Khan Younis, where he is based with his team of 12 other government rescue workers.

“I couldn’t stop thinking about my own four daughters,” he said, adding that all that keeps him going is the hope of finding more survivors.

Hamas attack would fall under jurisdiction of war crimes court -prosecutor

06:00 , Namita Singh

The International Criminal Court has jurisdiction over potential war crimes carried out by Hamas militants in Israel and Israelis in the Gaza Strip, even though Israel is not a member state, the ICC’s top prosecutor said on Thursday.

The occupied Palestinian territories, including the Gaza Strip fall under the jurisdiction of the ICC, meaning the court has the authority to prosecute Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that rules Gaza.

“If there is evidence that Palestinians, whether they’re Hamas or Al Quds Brigades or the armed wing of Hamas or any other person or any other national of any other state party, has committed crimes. Yes, we have jurisdiction wherever they’re committed, including on the territory of Israel,” ICC prosecutor Karim Khan said in an interview.

In his first comments since Hamas launched brutal attacks on Israel on Saturday and Israel responded with devastating bombings of the Gaza Strip, he said the images are “heartbreaking”.

“It’s horrendous what’s going on, what we’re seeing on our television screens. There has to be a legal process to determine criminal responsibility,” he said.

“One doesn’t need to be the prosecutor of the ICC. Any human being’s heart must be chilled and frozen and heartbroken at seeing the pictures that are coming out of Israel and Palestine these last few days,” he said.

Hamas’s hostages: What to know about Israelis abducted by the militant group

05:59 , Namita Singh

Fears are growing over the safety of dozens of hostages being held in Gaza after attacks by Hamas over the weekend.

Israel’s troops are battling to clear out Hamas gunmen more than two days after they carried out the deadly rampage that has left hundreds of people dead.

Hostages, including members of the Israeli Defence Forces as well as civilians, some of whom were taken from a nearby music festival on Saturday, are currently being held in the heavily-militarised Gaza area.

Lt Col Jonathan Conricus, an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson, said it was an “unprecedented [moment] in our history that we have so many Israeli nationals in the hands of a terrorist organisation”.

Below we look at everything we know about the hostage situation.

Hamas’s hostages: What to know about the Israelis abducted by the militant group

Blinken says graphic photo of baby ‘riddled with bullets’ from Hamas attack ‘defies comprehension’

05:55 , Namita Singh

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he struggled to “find the right words” to comprehend what he saw after Israeli officials showed him graphic photos of babies, including one “riddled with bullets,” from Hamas attacks.

“Images are worth a thousand words, these images may be worth a million,” he said in a moving press conference in Tel Aviv on Thursday.

The top US diplomat had travelled to Tel Aviv to meet his Israeli counterparts as the Biden administration pledges its commitment to support the allied nation amid the ongoing violence in the Middle East.

My colleague Rachel Sharp has more:

Blinken speaks on graphic photo of baby ‘riddled with bullets’ from Hamas attacks

Sunak sends Royal Navy vessels and surveillance planes to support Israel

05:55 , Namita Singh

Royal Navy vessels and surveillance aircraft are being sent to the eastern Mediterranean to support Israel, the prime minister has announced.

Rishi Sunak said the deployment of the British armed forces would “support efforts to ensure regional stability and prevent further escalation” in the conflict between Tel Aviv and Gaza.

The flare-up of violence in the Middle East, ignited by a wide-ranging Hamas attack on Israel at the weekend, has already claimed at least 2,400 lives.

Read more here:

PM sends Royal Navy vessels and surveillance planes to support Israel

Ex-Hamas chief calls for day of protests by Muslims for Palestinians

05:54 , Namita Singh

A former head of Hamas has called for protests across the Muslim world on Friday in support of Palestinians.

Khaled Meshaal also called on the people of countries neighbouring Israel to join the fight against the country.

“[We must] head to the squares and streets of the Arab and Islamic world on Friday,” said Meshaal, who in 1997 survived an assassination attempt by Israel in retribution for Ḥamas’s suicide bombings.

Details in this report:

Ex-Hamas chief calls for day of protests by Muslims for Palestinians

Israel unleashed white phosphorus in Gaza and Lebanon, says Human Rights Watch

05:33 , Namita Singh

Human Rights Watch on Thursday accused Israel of using white phosphorus munitions in its military operations in Gaza and Lebanon, saying the use of such weapons puts civilians at risk of serious and long-term injury.

Asked for comment on the allegations, Israel’s military said it was “currently not aware of the use of weapons containing white phosphorus in Gaza.” It did not provide comment on the rights watchdog’s allegations of their use in Lebanon.

Israel has been bombarding Gaza in retaliation for a Hamas rampage in southern Israeli towns that killed at least 1,300 people this week. At least 1,500 Palestinians have been killed. Israel has also traded barbs with Lebanon’s Hezbollah group.

Human Rights Watch said it verified videos taken in Lebanon on 10 October and Gaza on 11 October showing “multiple airbursts of artillery-fired white phosphorus over the Gaza City port and two rural locations along the Israel-Lebanon border”.

It provided links to two videos posted on social media that it said show “155mm white phosphorus artillery projectiles being used, apparently as smokescreens, marking, or signaling”. Both show scenes near the Israel-Lebanon border, it said.

Gaza hospitals forced into turning off ventilators to make room for ‘unprecedented’ number of wounded

05:21 , Namita Singh

Gaza’s heathcare system is “collapsing” and overflowing hospitals are just “days away” from completely running out of supplies amid the most ferocious Israeli bombardment ever recorded, Palestinian officials have warned.

Intensive care units (ICUs) across the tiny enclave are beyond capacity, forcing doctors to switch off life-support machines for patients deemed “hopeless cases”. They are doing this to make way for the “unprecedented” influx of newly wounded, Gaza’s deputy health minister has said.

“In our religion and ethics, we shouldn’t do this, but we have no choice,” Dr Yusuf Abu al-Reesh tell our international correspondent Bel Trew.

Report:

Gaza’s healthcare system ‘collapsing’ as hospitals turn off ventilators

UN raises concern as Israel directs 1.1 million people in north Gaza to leave

04:48 , Namita Singh

The United Nations has raised concerns over the Israeli military’s directive asking 1.1 million people living in north Gaza to leave in the next 24 hours.

The order that was issued a little before midnight comes as the country prepares for a ground assault on the besieged Strip.

“The United Nations considers it impossible for such a movement to take place without devastating humanitarian consequences,” the UN said in a statement.

Iran says crimes against Palestinians to receive response from axis

04:48 , Namita Singh

Iran’s foreign minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said on Thursday that the continuation of crimes against Palestinians will receive a response from “the rest of the axis” and Israel will be responsible for the consequences.

Israel has been pounding Gaza in retaliation for a Hamas rampage in Israel this week that has killed at least 1,300 people, the deadliest attack on civilians in Israeli history.

More than 1,500 Palestinians have been killed.

The Iranian minister said the displacement of Palestinians and cutting water and electricity to the Gaza Strip are considered war crimes.

“Some Western officials have questioned if there is an intention to open a new front against the Zionist entity. Of course, in light of the continuation of these circumstances that are war crimes,” he said, speaking through a translator, on television upon his arrival in Beirut.

“The continuation of war crimes against Palestine and Gaza will receive a response from the rest of the axis. And naturally, the Zionist entity and its supporters will be responsible for the consequences of that,” Mr Amirabdollahian said.

He did not specify, but the Axis of Resistance refers to an alliance among Iran, Palestinian militant groups, Syria, the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and other factions.

Israel engaging in collective punishment in Gaza, Taoiseach says

04:42 , Namita Singh

Israel is engaging in collective punishment and does not have the right to breach international law in its response in Gaza, Irish premier Leo Varadkar has said.

The Taoiseach also called for the opening of a humanitarian corridor to allow aid to reach Palestinians.

The war, which was ignited by a wide-ranging Hamas attack into Israel, has already claimed at least 2,600 lives on both sides.

Israel has cut off food, water and electricity to Gaza in response to the attack on Saturday and has carried out airstrikes in the region.

Details in this report:

Israel engaging in collective punishment in Gaza, Taoiseach says

An Israeli team begins a tour against NBA teams, believing games provide hope during war at home

04:41 , Namita Singh

Yehu Orland wore a shirt honoring a close friend who was killed two days earlier defending Israel, and he expected to have tears in his eyes on Thursday night when his country’s national anthem played before a game in Brooklyn.

But the coach of Maccabi Ra’anana believes continuing his team’s tour against NBA clubs while his country is at war was the right decision.

“We are the first team that is playing since the war started and nobody will break Israel, because we are a strong nation,” Orland said before the game.

Report:

An Israeli team begins a tour against NBA teams, believing games provide hope during a war at home

Sunak urges Israel to ‘protect ordinary Palestinians’ in fightback against Hamas

04:16 , Namita Singh

Rishi Sunak has called on Israel to “protect ordinary Palestinians” as it hunts down Hamas militants responsible for killing hundreds of Israelis.

Downing Street confirmed the prime minister spoke to his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday after agreeing to send Royal Navy vessels and Royal Air Force surveillance planes to support Tel Aviv after Hamas’ attack.

A No 10 spokesperson said that during the phone call Mr Sunak “reiterated that the UK stands side by side with Israel in fighting terror” and that Hamas should “never again be able to perpetrate atrocities against the Israeli people”.

Read the details here:

Sunak urges Israel to ‘protect ordinary Palestinians’ in fightback against Hamas

Letter from Harvard students about Israel war ignites campus crisis

04:08 , Namita Singh

Campus debates about Israel at the elite university have a way of turning into national conversations, where no one feels their rights are being respected, Josh Marcus reports.

Letter from Harvard students about Hamas-Israel war ignites campus free speech crisis

British-Palestinians ‘terrified’ for family in Gaza

04:03 , Namita Singh

British Palestinians have said they are “terrified” for their family members still living in Gaza amid Israel’s siege on the territory.

Mohammed Awad told the PA news agency his “entire close and extended family”, including his parents, siblings and young relatives, live in Jabalia in northern Gaza.

His family told him the atmosphere in Gaza is “full of the terrors of war” and they were trying to distract themselves, he said.

Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant ordered a “complete siege” following an attack by Hamas militants on Saturday, saying authorities would cut electricity and block the entry of food and fuel.

Report:

British-Palestinians ‘terrified’ for family in Gaza

Pictured: Israeli police and security forces assist a journalist taking cover

04:00 , Alexander Butler

Hamas practised in plain sight, posting video of mock attack weeks before border breach

03:53 , Namita Singh

Less than a month before Hamas fighters blew through Israel’s high-tech “Iron Wall” and launched an attack that would leave more than 1,200 Israelis dead, they practised in a very public dress rehearsal.

A slickly produced two-minute propaganda video posted to social media by Hamas on 12 September shows fighters using explosives to blast through a replica of the border gate, sweep in on pickup trucks and then move building by building through a full-scale reconstruction of an Israeli town, firing automatic weapons at human-silhouetted paper targets.

Report:

Hamas practiced in plain sight, posting video of mock attack weeks before border breach

Israelis rush home to volunteer in fight against Hamas

03:52 , Namita Singh

At least 100 people have travelled from the UK to Israel to serve in the Israeli military following the attacks by Hamas, joining others from around the world. Bel Trew and Namita Singh speak to those ready to take up arms.

Israelis rush back home from around the world to volunteer in fight against Hamas

Pictured: Smoke plumes billow during Israeli air strikes in Gaza City

03:00 , Alexander Butler

Human Rights Watch Confirms Israel’s Use of White Phosphorus

02:00 , Alexander Butler

Human Rights Watch Confirms Israel’s Use of White Phosphorus in Gaza, Lebanon on October 10 and 11, The Independent’s International Correspondent Bel Trew reports.

Pictured: Israel and Gaza

01:00 , Alexander Butler

Number of US citizens killed in Israel rises to 27

Friday 13 October 2023 00:00 , Alexander Butler

The death toll of American citizens in Israel now stands at 27, the White House said on Thursday.

The number of Americans unaccounted for is 14, John Kirby, spokesperson for the national security council, said at a White House briefing.

More than 1,500 Palestinians killed

Thursday 12 October 2023 23:00 , Alexander Butler

The number of Palestinians killed has risen to 1,537, according to Gaza’s health ministry.

This is 120 more deaths since their last statement earlier today.