Israel-Hamas war latest: IDF admits it may try ‘something different’ to ground invasion in Gaza

Israel has admitted that it may “try something different” to a ground invasion of Gaza ahead of an expected visit from US President Joe Biden on Wednesday.

Western leaders, including Mr Biden, have added caveats of late to their comments that Israel has the “right to defend herself”, adding that the Israeli forces must also show “restraint” during their offensive to avoid killing Palestinian civilians.

In previous briefings senior Israeli military officials have said clearly that the forces were amassing for “the option of a ground operation” and even that they “want to do that”.

But speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Israeli military spokesperson Lt Col Richard Hecht, said that the military was still “preparing for the next stages of the war” but that a full ground incursion was no longer certain.

More than 2,800 Palestinians have already been killed by Israeli airstrikes and the subsequent chaos caused by the bombardment of the Strip. A further 9,700 have been wounded.

Key Points

• At least six UK citizens killed and 10 missing, says Sunak

• Israel’s stance not allowing Egypt to open Gaza border, Cairo says

• Egypt crossing may open for Gazans fleeing Israeli attack

• ‘Big mistake’: Biden warns Israel against occupying Gaza

In video: Humza Yousaf’s wife says family injured in Gaza drone attack

05:35 , Namita Singh

Humza Yousaf’s wife says family trapped in Gaza injured in drone attack

Sevenfold increase in antisemitic incidents recorded in UK since Hamas attack

05:22 , Namita Singh

Antisemitic incidents in the UK have increased by almost 600 per cent since Hamas’s attack on Israel, according to a Jewish security group.

The Community Security Trust (CST), which represents British Jews on issues of racism and policing, said it had recorded 320 antisemitic incidents between 7 and 16 October, a sevenfold increase on the 47 antisemitic incidents recorded over the same period last year.

CST said 15 of the 320 incidents recorded were assaults, 14 referred to damage to Jewish property and 244 were related to abusive behaviour, with 86 taking place online.

Report:

Sevenfold increase in antisemitic incidents recorded in UK since Hamas attack

Government has ‘no immediate plans' to stop Israel arms export licences

05:11 , Namita Singh

At present there are “no immediate plans” to stop arms export licences to Israel, a Department for Business and Trade spokesperson said, after a Palestinian NGO threatened the UK with legal action if it did not stop arms sales to Tel Aviv.

“All export licences are kept under continual review, with applications assessed on a case-by-case basis against strict criteria,” the spokesperson said.

The Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT), which previously brought an unsuccessful case against Britain over allowing arms exports to Saudi Arabia, on Tuesday also called for the immediate suspension of all licences for arms exports to Israel.

Palestinian NGO tells UK to stop arm sales to Israel

05:07 , Namita Singh

A Palestinian rights group has threatened legal action against Britain unless it revokes all arms export licences to Israel, which it says has violated international law with its bombardment of the Gaza Strip.

West Bank-based Al-Haq, which documents alleged rights violations by Israel and the Western-backed Palestinian Authority, asked in a letter sent on Monday to trade minister Kemi Badenoch for Britain to confirm that no British “weapons are being used in Israel/Palestine or against Palestinians.”

Or, Britain should “immediately suspend and/or revoke all extant licences to Israel and undertake not to grant any further licences until Israel ceases to violate international law”.

If it does not receive a full response by 30 October, Al-Haq’s lawyers said the group will consider taking legal action against Britain for unlawfully licensing arms exports that could be used in breach of international law.

The group said there is “clear evidence that Israel has repeatedly and gravely breached international law in these last 10 days alone” since the Hamas assault on Israel.

Claims and counter claims over Gaza hospital attack

05:01 , Namita Singh

There have been competing claims and denials from Israeli and Palestinian officials over who was responsible for the attack on a hospital in Gaza.

The Palestinian Authority’s health minister, Mai Alkaila, accused Israel of a massacre.

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu minced no words in blaming Palestinian militants for the explosion.

“The entire world should know: It was barbaric terrorists in Gaza that attacked the hospital in Gaza, and not the IDF,” he said, referring to the Israel Defense Forces. “Those who brutally murdered our children also murder their own children.”

The IDF blamed a Palestinian militant group called Palestine Islamic Jihad which, like Hamas, is viewed by the United States as a terrorist organisation.

“Following an additional review and cross-examination of the operational and intelligence systems, it is clear that the IDF did not strike the hospital in Gaza,” IDF spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said in a video statement.

“The hospital was hit as a result of a failed rocket launched by the Islamic Jihad terrorist organisation,” he said.

Daoud Shehab, a spokesperson for Islamic Jihad, told Reuters: “This is a lie and fabrication, it is completely incorrect. The occupation is trying to cover for the horrifying crime and massacre they committed against civilians.”

Fox News host slammed for ‘shameful’ claim there’s no difference between Hamas and Palestinians

05:00 , Josh Marcus

Fox News host Jesse Watters has been slammed after saying there is no difference between Hamas and Palestinians and “they all love killing Jews.”

During Monday’s The Five, Watters discussed the recent Hamas terror attack on Israel, in which more than 1,400 people were killed, while many more were injured and dozens were taken back to Gaza as captives.

“I don’t like how people try to differentiate between the Palestinians and Hamas,” he said.

The Fox News host went on: “To me, I see people with guns. That’s Hamas. The people without the guns are the Palestinians. They believe the same thing. The Palestinians hire Hamas to run their government. You poll them; they all love killing Jews. It’s in their charter. They say they believe in suicide bombings.”

Martha McHardy reports on the controversy.

Fox News host slammed for claim there’s no difference between Hamas and Palestinians

In video: Biden departs for Israel as Gaza hospital hit by airstrike

04:55 , Namita Singh

Gaza hospital blast complicates peace efforts

04:51 , Namita Singh

The explosion in a Gaza hospital which killed at least 500 people on Tuesday has further complicated efforts to contain the crisis.

In one sign of this, Jordan’s foreign minister Ayman Safadi cancelled a summit his country was to host in Amman with US president Joe Biden and the Egyptian and Palestinian leaders.

In another, Palestinian security forces fired tear gas and stun grenades to disperse protesters in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah who were throwing rocks and chanting against president Mahmoud Abbas as popular anger boiled.

The blast drew condemnation across the Arab world, and protests were staged at Israel’s embassies in Turkey and Jordan and near the US embassy in Lebanon, where security forces fired tear gas toward demonstrators.

Television footage showed protests in Yemen’s southwestern city of Taz, as well as in the Moroccan capital Rabat and Iraq’s capital, Baghdad.

Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group denounced what it said was Israel’s deadly attack on the Al-Ahli al-Arabi hospital in Gaza, which is run by the Anglican church, and called for “a day of unprecedented anger” against Israel and Mr Biden’s visit.

West Bank protests erupt after hospital blast

04:38 , Namita Singh

About 500 Palestinians were killed in a blast at a Gaza City hospital on Tuesday that Israeli and Palestinian officials blamed on each other and that ignited protests in the West Bank and around the Middle East.

Health authorities in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip said that an Israeli air strike caused the blast while Israel’s military attributed it to a failed rocket launch by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group.

The blast was the bloodiest single incident in Gaza since Israel launched a bombing campaign to retaliate for 7 October Hamas assault on southern Israeli communities that killed 1,300 people.

The blast took place on the eve of a visit by US president Joe Biden to Israel to show support for the country in its war with Hamas, the Islamist group that rules the Gaza Strip, and to hear how Israel plans to minimize civilian casualties.

Reuters could not independently verify who was responsible for the blast.

Before Tuesday’s blast, health authorities in Gaza said at least 3,000 people had died in Israel’s 11-day bombardment.

Desperate American Palestinians still trapped in Gaza

04:30 , Josh Marcus

Hundreds of Palestinian Americans are still stuck in Gaza after the US State Department claimed they would be allowed to leave through Egypt’s border crossing near Rafah.

Families — many with children — sat with their suitcases outside the border crossing on Monday waiting for news on whether or not they’d be allowed to leave besieged Gaza.

One woman, Maha Barkat, told NBC News that her family is “surviving on sandwiches” while they wait to escape.

“We are American citizens and should be treated the same as the Americans who got put on planes out of Tel Aviv,” she said on Monday.

More details in the full story from Graig Graziosi.

Desperate American Palestinians still trapped in Gaza

Berkeley professor tells law firms not to hire his ‘antisemitic’ students

04:23 , Namita Singh

A professor at the University of California, Berkeley has urged law firms not to hire some of his students, accusing them of being “antisemitic”, as the on-campus crisis over the Middle Eastern conflict continues.

Professor Steven Davidoff Solomon, a teacher of corporate law at the prestigious California university claimed members of the student body “advocate hate and practice discrimination” – adding that antisemitic conduct on campuses including Berkeley was “nothing new”.

It comes amid feuds over free speech at colleges across the US, ignited by the war between Israel and Hamas. The furore started following a statement released by a group of student organisations at Harvard University.

Mike Bedigan reports:

Berkeley professor tells law firms not to hire his ‘antisemitic’ students

AOC slams DeSantis for saying all Gaza refugees are antisemitic

04:22 , Namita Singh

Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez laid into Florida Governor and GOP presidential primary candidate Ron DeSantis after he suggested all refugees from Gaza were antisemitic.

More than a million people living in Gaza have been driven from their homes by the Israeli Defence Force as it carries out retaliatory military actions in the wake of Hamas‘ terror attack on 7 October, which left 2,000 Israelis dead.

The Palestinians living in Gaza have nowhere to run. Mr DeSantis said the US should not take any Palestinian refugees, claiming they are all antisemitic.

My colleague Graig Graziosi reports:

AOC slams ‘destructive’ DeSantis for saying all Gaza refugees are antisemitic

UK will work to ‘find out what happened’ after Gaza hospital blast, says Cleverly

04:04 , Namita Singh

The foreign secretary has said the UK will investigate the destruction of a hospital in Gaza City which has left at least 500 dead.

In a post on X, James Cleverly said: “The destruction of Al Ahli hospital is a devastating loss of human life. The UK has been clear. The protection of civilian life must come first.

“The UK will work with our allies to find out what has happened and protect innocent civilians in Gaza.”

Read the details here:

UK will work to ‘find out what happened’ after Gaza hospital blast – Cleverly

AOC slams ‘destructive and dangerous’ DeSantis for saying all Gaza refugees are antisemitic

04:00 , Josh Marcus

Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez laid into Florida Governor and GOP presidential primary candidate Ron DeSantis after he suggested all refugees from Gaza were antisemitic.

More than a million people living in Gaza have been driven from their homes by the Israeli Defence Force as it carries out retaliatory military actions in the wake of Hamas‘ terror attack on 7 October, which left 2,000 Israelis dead.

The Palestinians living in Gaza have nowhere to run. Mr DeSantis said the US should not take any Palestinian refugees, claiming they are all antisemitic.

“We cannot accept people from Gaza into this country as refugees. I am not gonna do that. If you look at how they behave, not all of them are Hamas, but they are all antisemitic, none of them believe in Israel’s right to exist,” Mr DeSantis said during a campaign event.

Graig Graziosi reports.

AOC slams ‘destructive’ DeSantis for saying all Gaza refugees are antisemitic

‘Scotland offers sanctuary to refugees from Gaza’

03:54 , Namita Singh

Scotland is ready to offer sanctuary to refugees fleeing Israeli attacks in Gaza, said the country’s first minister Humza Yousaf.

“In the past, people in Scotland and across the UK have opened our hearts and our homes,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

“Scotland is ready to play her part. To be the first country in the UK to offer safety and sanctuary to the people of Gaza. To treat the injured men, women and children, where we can.”

Labour meets with council leaders amid resignations over party’s Israel stance

03:53 , Namita Singh

The Labour leadership is understood to have held a meeting with councillors after a number of resignations over the party’s messaging on the conflict in the Middle East.

Amna Abdullatif, a councillor in Ardwick in Manchester since 2019, said on Monday she would quit Labour after Sir Keir Starmer made “horrifying comments about Israel having the right to withhold fuel, water, food and electricity from the 2.2 million Palestinians trapped in Gaza, effectively endorsing a war crime”.

It came after Shaista Aziz and Amar Latif, of Oxford City Council, said they were resigning from Labour for similar reasons.

Report:

Labour meets with council leaders amid resignations over party’s Israel stance

Joe Biden’s Middle East summit cancelled after hospital strike, White House says

03:30 , Josh Marcus

Joe Biden’s Middle East summit has been cancelled following the deadly strike on a Gaza hospital that killed hundreds of Palestinians, the White House has confirmed.

A White House official said Mr Biden would still travel to Israel, but the planned second leg of the trip to Jordan will be postponed for now.

“After consulting with King Abdullah II of Jordan and in light of the days of mourning announced by President Abbas of the Palestinian Authority, President Biden will postpone his travel to Jordan and the planned meeting with these two leaders and President Sisi of Egypt,” the official said in a statement.

The official also said Mr Biden had “sent his deepest condolences for the innocent lives lost in the hospital explosion in Gaza, and wished a speedy recovery to the wounded”.

Graeme Massie and Andrew Feinberg have the details.

Joe Biden’s Middle East summit cancelled after hospital strike, White House says

The heartbreaking last words of six-year-old killed in anti-Muslim attack

03:00 , Josh Marcus

The 6-year-old Palestinian-American who was stabbed to death at his home in a Chicago suburb over the weekend told his mother “I’m fine” as he was dying, she revealed in a heartbreaking Facebook just hours after the attack.

Wadea Al-Fayoume, who loved running and playing soccer, uttered his last words after he was stabbed 26 times and his 32-year-old mother, Hanaan Shaheen, a dozen times.

Joseph Czuba, 71, who was the family’s landlord, was arrested over the stabbings. The Will County Sheriff’s Office said Czuba was likely motivated by “the on-going Middle Eastern conflict involving Hamas and the Israelis,” as well as the family’s Muslim faith.

The child died from his horrific injuries, and his mother remains in the hospital. Just hours after the attack on Saturday, she appeared to post her son’s last words to Facebook.

“My son’s last words were: (I’m fine). May God have mercy on him and let him dwell in the highest paradise.”

Andrea Cavallier reports.

Heartbreaking last words of six-year-old killed in anti-Muslim attack revealed

Families of 199 Israeli hostages contacted by IDF

02:30 , Josh Marcus

There are at least 199 Israeli hostages in Hamas custody.

The IDF said it has contacted the 199 captives’ families in recent days, and that the military would avoid operations that could put the hostages at risk.

“We are making valiant efforts to try to understand where the hostages are in Gaza, and we have such information,” IDF spokesman Rear Adm Daniel Hagari said at a recent press conference, The Times of Israel reports.

“We will not carry out an attack that would endanger our people,” he added.

Five Hezbollah fighters dead as Israel clashes with Lebanon

02:00 , Josh Marcus

Five Hezbollah fighters were killed on Tuesday as Israel and Lebanon engaged in cross-border skirmishes amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

IDF officials warned Hezbollah, a fellow Iranian ally alongside Hamas, not to intervene in the war.

“This is a war on the home,” Israeli military Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi said on Tuesday, the AP reports. “If Hezbollah makes a mistake, it will be annihilated.”

Fire burns outside of US Embassy in Beirut

01:45 , Josh Marcus

A fire was spotted burning Tuesday at the US Embassy compound in Beirut, Lebanon, Fox News reports.

The compound has been the locus of intense protests.

Intense demonstrations have taken place across the region as the Israel-Hamas war continues.

Israeli forces kill Palestinian protester in West Bank

01:30 , Josh Marcus

The Israel Defense Forces killed a Palestinian protester late Tuesday, Al Arabiya reports, citing the Palestinian health ministry.

Few details were immediately available about the incident, described as taking place during a “confrontation” in Nabi Saleh village, near the West Bank city of Ramallah.

Gaza hospital strike renews calls from Congress for Israel ceasefire

01:15 , Josh Marcus

The explosion Tuesday at a hospital in the Gaza Strip has given extra urgency to calls from members of Congress for Joe Biden to push for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war.

“Bombing a hospital is among the gravest of war crimes,” Democrat Ilhan Omar said in a statement Tuesday on X. “The IDF reportedly blowing up one of the few places the injured and wounded can seek medical treatment and shelter during a war is horrific. @POTUS needs to push for an immediate ceasefire to end this slaughter.”

Israel, Hamas, and Palestine Islamic Jihad all deny being behind the explosion.

On Monday, 13 House Democrats filed a resolution calling for a ceasefire.

Israel may release raw intelligence backing its claims it wasn’t involved in hospital attack

00:57 , Josh Marcus

A spokeperson for the Israel Defense Forces says the country may publicly share intelligence backing up the country’s claims that it wasn’t behind an explosion at a Gaza hospital that killed an estimated 500 people.

IDF spokesperson Lt Col Jonathan Conricus told CNN the country is considering releasing the information.

“We’re in the progress of declassifying,” he said. “I cannot promise yet that we will but maybe because of the importance and because what is at stake here that may happen.”

The Israeli bombardment of Gaza has killed at least 3,000 people, and has involved strikes on targets including refugee centres and a border crossing with fleeing civilians.

The war, which has claimed over 1,400 Israeli lives, began earlier this month when Hamas militants launched a surprise attack, killing and kidnapping numerous civilians.

What has Joe Biden said about the Gaza hospital explosion?

00:37 , Josh Marcus

Joe Biden condemned the recent explosion at a Gaza hospital as a tragic loss of civilian life, but was careful not to assign blame, as both Hamas and Israel claim the other was responsible for the killing of nearly 500 people who died in the tragedy.

“I am outraged and deeply saddened by the explosion at the Al Ahli Arab hospital in Gaza, and the terrible loss of life that resulted,” Mr Biden told reporters on Air Force One. “The United States stands unequivocally for the protection of civilian life during conflict and we mourn the patients, medical staff and other innocents killed or wounded in this tragedy.”

The president said he had spoken with King Abdullah II of Jordan and Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel since and has directed his national security team to collect more information.

Palestinian Authority fires gas and stun grenades at protesters in Ramallah

00:22 , Josh Marcus

Hundreds of Palestinians turned out in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Tuesday in protest of an explosion at a hospital in Gaza that killed an estimated 500 people amid the ongoing Hamas-Israel war.

Hamas accused Israel of launching an airstrike on the hospital, while the IDF denies responsibility and blames Palestinian militants instead.

The Palestinian Authority, which exercises partial control over the occupied West Bank, reportedly fired tear gas and stun grenades into the crowd of demonstrators in Ramallah, Al Jazeera reports.

Some of the demonstrators were reportedly chanting, “The people want the fall of the president.”

Many Palestinians are critical of PA President Mahmoud Abbas for collaborating with Israeli security services in the West Bank.

Mr Abbas, who was set to meet with US president Joe Biden tomorrow, reportedly plans to return to the West Bank immediately.

Humza Yousaf’s wife Nadia El-Nakla says family trapped in Gaza injured in drone attack

23:45 , Josh Marcus

The wife of Scotland‘s first minister has revealed that her family trapped in Gaza were injured in an Israeli drone attack.

Nadia El-Akla, who is married to Humza Yousaf, said on LBC that her three young cousins were struck by shrapnel from the drone as they were sitting outside their house.

The SNP councillor’s mother, father and many of her extended family are trapped in Gaza as the conflict between Israel and Hamas takes place around them.

The 39-year-old said her mother, a retired nurse, had been treating the family for their injuries due to the lack of hospital space.

Get the details via Independent TV.

Humza Yousaf’s wife says family trapped in Gaza injured in drone attack

WATCH: Protesters attempt to storm Israeli embassy in Jordan

23:35 , Josh Marcus

Protestors in Jordan clashed with police near the Israeli embassy in the capital of Amman on Tuesday 17 October 2023.

Police fired teargas to disperse protestors and barricaded the route to the embassy.

Demonstrations began after a strike on a Gaza hospital that Palestinian authorities blamed on Israel.

Israeli officials have claimed Palestine is responsible for the attack.

Jordan’s King Abdullah described the bombing of a Gaza hospital that killed 500 Palestinians and injured hundreds as a “massacre” and a “war crime”.

Protesters attempt to storm Israeli embassy in Jordan

Gaza hospital burns moments after deadly explosion ‘kills at least 500 people’

23:25 , Josh Marcus

Distressing footage shows a Gaza hospital on fire after being hit by an airstrike on Tuesday 17 October.

More than 500 people were killed in the explosion and fire at the Anglican Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital, the Gaza health ministry said.

Gazan authorities said Israel was responsible for the strike, though the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) denied involvement.

Israel claims the strike was the fault of a “failed rocket launch” by militant group, Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

The explosion comes on the eve of Joe Biden’s visit to Israel and because of the explosion, Jordan cancelled its summit with the US president.

Get the details via Independent TV.

Gaza hospital burns moments after deadly explosion ‘kills at least 500 people’

Hamas leaders willing to release civilian hostages if Israel stops bombing: report

23:15 , Josh Marcus

Hamas leaders reportedly say they would release many of their hostages, including Israelis, in “an hour” if Israel stops its continued bombardment of the Gaza Strip.

A Hamas official told NBC News the group would be prepared to free the numerous civilian hostages it took as part of its original suprise attack on Israel.

The official also claimed, NBC reports, that the continued bombing has made it logistically impossible to find a safe place in which to release the hostages.

The official also reportedly said the group would only release the Israeli soldiers it took if “all” Palestinians in Israeli jails were freed.

The Hamas official added that Arab intermediary countries offering help with de-escalation were aware of this condition, suggesting Israel may be aware as well.

WATCH: Biden leaves for Israel as Israel-Hamas war escalates with hospital explosion

22:56 , Josh Marcus

President Joe Biden is heading to Israel for a series of meetings with the US ally and top leaders from the region on Wednesday.

The visit comes at a moment of extraordinary tension in the Israel-Hamas war, as observers around the world were horrified when a Gaza hospital exploded, killing an estimated 500 people.

Watch the president set off via Independent TV.

Rashida Tlaib blames Biden for explosion at Gaza hospital

22:46 , Josh Marcus

US congresswoman Rashida Tlaib said the Biden administration bears responsibility for a devastating explosion at a Gaza hospital on Tuesday that killed an estimated 500 Palestinians, many of whom were being treated for injuries sustained in previous strikes from Israel.

Officials from various sides of the conflict are blaming each other for the devastation – Hamas claiming the explosion was an Israeli air strike, and Israel blaming the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad, which denies responsibility – but the Michigan legislator said that the US president’s role in the larger conflict can’t be ignored.

“This is what happens when you refuse to facilitate a ceasefire & help de-escalate,” Ms Tlaib wrote on Tuesday on X. “Your war and destruction only approach has opened my eyes and many Palestinian Americans and Muslims Americans like me. We will remember where you stood.”

So far, US officials have voiced outspoken support for Israel and its right to self-defence, while calling for the key US ally to avoid civilian casualties.

Video shows Gaza hospital burning moments after deadly explosion ‘kills at least 500 people’

22:26 , Josh Marcus

An explosion at a hospital in Gaza on Tuesday killed at least 500 people.

Officials in Gaza say Israel was behind an aistrike on the Anglican Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza City on Tuesday, while the IDF has blamed a “failed rocket launch” from the Islamic Jihad militant group for the disaster. The group has also denied any involvement.

Footage captured the hospital burning as civilians fled.

Hezbollah announces Wednesday as ‘a day of unprecedented anger’ against Israel

21:59 , Holly Evans

Lebanon’s Hezbollah group denounced what they said was Israel’s deadly attack on a Gaza hospital that killed hundreds of Palestinians, announcing Wednesday as “a day of unprecedented anger” against Israel and Biden’s visit to the country.

“The attack reveals the true criminal face of this entity and its sponsor...the United States, which bears direct and complete responsibility for this massacre”, according to a statement released by the group.

WHO says hospital evacuation order had been ‘impossible’ to carry out

21:54 , Holly Evans

In a statement, the World Health Organisation said: “WHO strongly condemns the attack on Al Ahli Arab Hospital in the north of the Gaza Strip. The hospital was operational, with patients, health and care givers, and internally displaced people sheltering there. Early reports indicate hundreds of fatalities and injuries.

“The hospital was one of 20 in the north of the Gaza Strip facing evacuation orders from the Israeli military. The order for evacuation has been impossible to carry out given the current insecurity, critical condition of many patients, and lack of ambulances, staff, health system bed capacity, and alternative shelter for those displaced.

“WHO calls for the immediate active protection of civilians and health care. Evacuation orders must be reversed. International humanitarian law must be abided by, which means health care must be actively protected and never targeted.”

Desperate American Palestinians still trapped in Gaza

21:49 , Holly Evans

Hundreds of Palestinian Americans are still stuck in Gaza after the US State Department claimed they would be allowed to leave through Egypt’s border crossing near Rafah.

Families — many with children — sat with their suitcases outside the border crossing on Monday waiting for news on whether or not they’d be allowed to leave besieged Gaza.

One woman, Maha Barkat, told NBC News that her family is “surviving on sandwiches” while they wait to escape.

Read more here

Desperate American Palestinians still trapped in Gaza

Both Islamic jihad group and IDF deny responsibility for Gaza hospital strike

21:44 , Holly Evans

A hospital in Gaza City was hit by an airstrike killing an estimated 500 Palestinians in the deadliest single incident since the Israel-Gaza conflict began on 7 October.

The Anglican Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital was holding thousands of displaced Palestinians, including women and children.

Palestinian authorities blamed an Israeli airstrike, with Hamas leader Ismail Haniyehi stating that the “hospital massacre confirms the enemy’s brutality”.

However, the Israel Defence Forces said: “Following an analysis by the IDF’s operational systems, a barrage of rockets was launched toward Israel, which passed in the vicinity of the hospital, when it was hit.

“According to intelligence information from a number of sources we have, Islamic Jihad terrorist organization is responsible for the failed rocket launch that hit the hospital.”

A spokesman for Palestinian Islamic Jihad has also denied it is responsible for the Gaza hospital strike.

Protests have already begun in the West Bank, while several Middle Eastern leaders have condemned the “barbaric” attacks, which occurred shortly before President Joe Biden’s visit to the region.

Benjamin Netanyahu says ‘barbaric terrorists’ behind attack, not IDF

21:33 , Holly Evans

Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said “barbaric terrorists” in Gaza bombed the al Alhi hospital and Israel’s military is not responsible.

Palestinian Islamic Jihad denies responsibility

21:26 , Holly Evans

A spokesman for Palestinian Islamic Jihad has denied it is responsible for the Gaza hospital strike.

It comes after Israel’s military said its intelligence showed the attack was the result of a failed rocket barrage from the militant group, intended for an Israeli city.

Map showing location of the Anglican Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza strip

21:24 , Holly Evans

Hamas leader says Washington gave Israel the ‘cover for its aggression’

21:16 , Holly Evans

The United States is responsible for the attack on a Gaza hospital that killed hundreds of Palestinians, Palestinian Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said in a televised speech late on Tuesday, stressing that Washington gave Israel “the cover for its aggression.”

“The hospital massacre confirms the enemy’s brutality and the extent of his feeling of defeat,” he said, adding that the attack will be “a new turning point.”

Haniyeh called on all Palestinian people “to get out and confront the occupation and the settlers.” He also called on all Arabs, and Muslims to stage protests against Israel.

Russia and the UAE request urgent meeting of United Nations Security Council

21:09 , Holly Evans

Russia and the United Arab Emirates have requested an urgent meeting of the United Nations Security Council on Oct. 18 after the strike on a hospital in Gaza City, Russia’s Deputy U.N. Ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy said.

“Russia and the UAE have requested an urgent open meeting of the UN Security Council for the morning of Oct. 18 over the Gaza hospital strike,” Polyanskiy wrote in his Telegram channel.

Palestinian authorities have blamed the strike on an Israeli airstrike, while Israel has claimed the rocket was launched by an Islamic jihad group in Gaza.

Israel Defence Forces say Islamic Jihad terror group responsible for hospital strike

21:04 , Holly Evans

In a statement posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, the Israel Defence Forces said: “Following an analysis by the IDF’s operational systems, a barrage of rockets was launched toward Israel, which passed in the vicinity of the hospital, when it was hit.

“According to intelligence information from a number of sources we have, Islamic Jihad terrorist organization is responsible for the failed rocket launch that hit the hospital.”

Archbishop of Canterbury renews appeal for safety of civilians

21:00 , Holly Evans

The Archbishop of Canterbury has condemned the “appalling and devastating loss of innocent lives” and has renewed his appeal for civilians to be protected.

Israel says Palestinian Islamic Jihad group responsible for hospital attack

20:49 , Holly Evans

The Israeli military has said its intelligence shows a Palestinian Islamic Jihad group is responsible for the hospital attack, the Reuters news agency has reported.

It said a rocket barrage from Gaza intended for Israel passed near the Gaza hospital when it was hit.

Doctors without Borders call hospital strike ‘a massacre’

20:47 , Holly Evans

Doctors Without Borders have said they are “horrified” by the strike, which they described as a “massacre”.

Dr Ghassan Abu Sittah said they were operating in the hospital when the explosion occurred, with the ceiling falling on the operating room.

European Council President says strike is ‘not in line with international law’

20:39 , Holly Evans

European Council President Charles Michel, responding to a reported Israeli strike on a Gaza hospital, has said that attacks on civilian infrastructure were not in line with international law.

After an emergency video conference of European Union leaders, Michel said the report “seems to be confirmed” and added: “An attack against civilian infrastructure is not in line with international law.”

Authorities in Gaza said an Israeli air strike killed at least 300 people at Al-Ahli al-Arabi Hospital in Gaza City.

UK sets Wednesday deadline for Israel evacuation flight bookings

20:34 , Holly Evans

Britain said on Tuesday any of its citizens wishing to leave Israel on a government-arranged flight should make a booking before 9am on Wednesday, an update on the foreign office’s travel advice website said.

Britain said more than 900 people had been transported home from Israel on the government-organised flights since they started last week.

Israeli air strike a ‘humanitarian catastrophe’, Palestinian presidency says

20:32 , Holly Evans

Israel’s air strike on a Gaza hospital is “genocide” and a “humanitarian catastrophe”, Palestinian presidency spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh said on Tuesday.

Also, Palestinian prime minister Mohammad Shtayyeh condemned the attack as a “horrific crime”, saying that countries backing Israel bear responsibility.

It comes as former Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal calls on supporters to immediately stage protests in front of Israeli embassies.

Protests begin in the West Bank over hospital strike

20:26 , Holly Evans

Eyewitnesses have reported that protests and confrontations have begun on the streets of Ramallah in the West Bank, after a hospital in Gaza was hit by an Israeli airstrike.

Hundreds have taken to the streets in the last hour, while leaders across the Middle East have condemned the attack.

Israel’s military said it was “still ironing out all the details” on the reports of the strikes on both the hospital and the school.

Palestinian President returns to Ramallah in the West Bank

20:23 , Holly Evans

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will return to Ramallah after the Israeli attack on a Gaza hospital that killed hundreds of people, a senior Palestinian official said on Tuesday.

He had been due to meet with President Joe Biden and other Middle Eastern leaders in Jordan.

First pictures from strike on al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza

20:14 , Holly Evans

Palestinian leader cancels meeting with President Joe Biden

20:10 , Holly Evans

A senior Palestinian official says President Mahmoud Abbas has canceled his participation in a meeting scheduled Wednesday with President Joe Biden and other Mideast leaders.

Abbas was scheduled to join Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi at Wednesday’s summit in Amman, Jordan, where they are to discuss the latest Israel-Hamas war with Biden.

But the senior official said Abbas was withdrawing to protest an alleged Israeli airstrike on a hospital in Gaza that Hamas health officials say has killed over 500 people.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the cancelation has not been formally announced.

World leaders react to hospital airstrike

20:08 , Holly Evans

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday the attack on a Gaza hospital was “the latest example of Israel’s attacks devoid of the most basic human values.”

“I call on all humanity to take action to stop this unprecedented brutality in Gaza,” Erdogan wrote on social media platform X.

Qatar’s foreign ministry issued a statement strongly condemning the air strike, saying: “The expansion of Israeli attacks over the Gaza Strip to include hospitals, schools, and other population centers is a dangerous escalation.”

Jordan’s foreign ministry also issued a statement stressing the need to provide international protection for the Palestinian people and called on immediately joining efforts to stop the war from raging in Gaza.

World Health Organisation ‘strongly condemns’ hospital attack

20:05 , Holly Evans

The World Health Organisation “strongly condemns” the attack on a hospital in Gaza, which was reportedly caused by an Israeli air strike.

If confirmed, it would be the deadliest strike in the five wars fought in the region since 2008.

Doctors describes total devastation at Gaza hospital

19:58 , Holly Evans

An unnamed doctor working at the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital has said there is total devastation at the scene of the attack, where some 4,000 displaced people were taking refuge.

He told BBC World Service’s Newshour programmed that 80 per cent of the hospital was out of service, and that hundreds of people had been killed or injured.

He said the hospital was empty as people were busy trying to rescue the survivors of the strike.

Palestinian Red Cross say thousands of displaced people were at hospital

19:51 , Holly Evans

The Palestinian Red Cross has released a video purportedly showing the aftermath of the strike on al-Ahli Arab Baptist Hospital in Gaza City.

They said that “thousands of displaced people” were “forcibly residing” there, including women and children.

The Hamas-run Palestinian health ministry says an estimated 500 people at least were killed in a strike on the hospital,

Justin Trudeau says strike on hospital is ‘absolutely unacceptable’

19:40 , Holly Evans

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday said an Israeli strike on a hospital in Gaza was “horrific and absolutely unacceptable”.

Trudeau told reporters that “it’s not acceptable to hit a hospital”. Health authorities in the Hamas-run enclave said hundreds of people died in the attack.

Egypt denounces Israeli air strike on Gaza hospital

19:32 , Holly Evans

Egypt has denounced “in strongest terms” an Israeli air strike on a Gaza hospital that killed hundreds of Palestinians, saying the international community must urgently intervene to stop such violations, according to a foreign ministry statement released late on Tuesday.

Palestinian leader declares three days of mourning after ‘500 killed’ in hospital blast - state media

19:19 , Barney Davis

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas declared three days of mourning following a deadly air strike on a hospital in Gaza, killing at least 500 Palestinians on Tuesday, state media reported.

“What is taking place is genocide. We call on the international community to intervene immediately to stop this massacre. Silence is no longer acceptable,” a statement issued by the Palestinian Liberation Organisation said in response to the attack.

Hospital was packed with wounded when hit by explosion

19:18 , Barney Davis

An alleged Israeli air strike has hit a Gaza City hospital packed with wounded and other Palestinians seeking shelter, killing hundreds, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

If confirmed, the attack would be by far the deadliest Israeli air strike in five wars fought since 2008.

Photos from the al-Ahli Hospital showed fire engulfing the hospital halls, shattered glass and bodies scattered across the area.

One dead woman is seen wrapping her arms in vain to protect a dead child from the blast in horror images emerging from the hospital.

The ministry said at least 500 people had been killed.

Several hospitals in Gaza City have become refuges for hundreds of people, hoping they would be spared bombardment after Israel ordered all residents of the city and surrounding areas to evacuate to the southern Gaza Strip.

Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said there were still no details on the hospital deaths, adding: “We will get the details and update the public. I don’t know to say whether it was an Israeli air strike.”

Anglican hospital ‘still burning’ says director of nearby hospital

18:57 , Barney Davis

Hassan Khalaf, the medical director of Al-Wafa Hospital in Gaza City, only 1km from al-Ahli Arab, says the hospital “is still burning”.

Khalaf told Al Jazeera that thousands of Palestinians have been injured and there is no safe place left.

“Where [is there] to go?” he asked.

“They want to do massacres and massacres and massacres in Gaza.”

Hundreds of people were killed in an alleged Israeli air strike on a hospital in Gaza Strip on Tuesday evening, the civil defense chief told Al-Jazeera TV.

A health ministry official in Gaza said at least 500 were killed and injured in the air strike.

Witnesses describe aftermath of horrific Gaza hospital bombing

18:46 , Barney Davis

A Civil Defense Spokesperson described to Al Jazeera Israel’s alleged targeting of the Baptist Hospital in Gaza.

He said: “We are unable to deal with the situation now. All of what we are seeing is dead bodies and beheaded babies and women. It is a massacre.”

Over 500 have been killed and injured in the bombardment of the Baptist Hospital, a ministry spokesman confirmed.

Hundreds killed in Anglican hospital blast in Gaza

18:24 , Barney Davis

The Gaza Health Ministry said more than hundreds of Palestinians have been killed in a hospital explosion it claims was caused by an Israeli air strike.

Reports the Anglican hospital in central Gaza was rocked by an explosion in the past hour.

Fleeing Palestinians describe disastrous conditions

18:17 , Bel Trew

Civilians who have fled to the south of Gaza - following Israel’s forced evacuation order - told The Independent the situation was “disastrous”.

“Since 7 October I have been displaced four times,” said Ghassan, who escaped with his family and friends from Gaza city to Deir al Salah in the centre of the country, as both their homes had been destroyed in strikes.

“The place we are at now has 35 people and zero water. My father is sick and handicapped. The children are terrified, and we are facing death every second.”

The WHO and rights groups have warned that Israel’s evacuation orders for civilians in Gaza could amount to the war crime of forcible transfer.

Prime Minister to visit Israel according to Sky News

18:02 , Barney Davis

Rishi Sunak is set to visit Israel, possibly as soon as Thursday, Sky News reported.

The Prime Minister is believed to fly to the region as part of a wider visit to the region to include Jordan and Egypt.

Six killed in school doubling as shelter for displaced Gaza families

17:57 , Barney Davis

Six people were killed and more injured in an Israeli strike on a school-turned shelter for families trying to flee Gaza, the United Nations said.

“At least six people were killed this afternoon when an UNRWA school was hit in al-Maghazi refugee camp, in Gaza’s middle area.

“Dozens were injured (including UNRWA staff) and severe structural damage was caused to the school.

“The numbers are likely to be higher.

“This is outrageous, and it again shows a flagrant disregard for the lives of civilians.

No place is safe in Gaza anymore, not even UNRWA facilities.

“The school was hit during Israeli forces airstrikes and bombardment on the Gaza Strip.

“At least 4,000 people have taken refuge in this UNRWA school turned shelter. They had and still have nowhere else to go.

“Since the war began on 7 October, UNRWA provides the coordinates of its facilities to relevant parties on a daily basis.”

Five Hezbollah fighters killed in firefight with Israel forces on Lebanon border

17:50 , Barney Davis

Violence erupted on the Lebanese-Israeli border with five fighters from Lebanon’s heavily armed Hezbollah group killed during operations against Israel, security sources in Lebanon said.

In the most serious flare-up at the frontier in 17 years, Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israeli forces have traded fire almost daily since Palestinian Islamist group Hamas attacked Israel on October 7 and Israel responded with fierce air strikes on Gaza.

The Israeli army, which said it would shoot anyone coming near the border or meddling with its fence, said it killed four people on Tuesday who had tried to cross the barrier and plant an explosive device. It did not say where this took place.

Hezbollah confirmed that five of its fighters had been killed but it was not immediately clear if any of them were the same ones referred to by Israel.

Hezbollah, an ally of Hamas and Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad which both have operatives in Lebanon, said it carried out attacks including a guided-missile strike against an Israeli army vehicle in the Israeli border town of Metula.

Dozens of fleeing Palestinians killed in Israel strikes on Southern Gaza

17:31 , Barney Davis

Israel has bombed areas of southern Gaza where it told Palestinians to flee ahead of an expected invasion, killing dozens of people.

Violence along Israel’s border with Lebanon has also led to concerns over a widening regional conflict that diplomats have been working to prevent.

In Gaza, people wounded in the air strikes were rushed to hospital after heavy attacks outside the southern cities of Rafah and Khan Younis, residents reported.

Hamas’ military wing, the Qassam Brigades, said that an Israeli air strike in the central Gaza Strip killed one of its top commanders.

Ayman Nofal is the most high-profile Hamas militant to be killed so far. Known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammed, he was killed on Tuesday in Israeli strikes that targeted the Bureij camp in the central Gaza Strip, the militant group said.

5,000 Hamas targets attacked - Israel says

17:14 , Barney Davis

Israel has attacked around 5,000 Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip since Oct 7 and has cancelled a “large number” of other strikes in an effort to avoid Palestinian civilian casualties, a senior Israeli official said on Tuesday.

Briefing Reuters on condition of anonymity, the official did not elaborate on the number of strikes cancelled during a days-long bombardment of Gaza that has killed around 3,000 Palestinians, according to local health authorities, saying only that every such operation is “approved at the highest level” of the Israeli military.

In the wake of the devastating Oct 7 incursions by Hamas, Israel was determined to eliminate the Palestinian Islamist group in Gaza “even if it takes months or years,” he said.

Fox News host claims no difference between Hamas and Palestinians

17:04 , Barney Davis

Fox News Jess Watters says the only difference between Palestinians and Hamas is that one group carries guns and both “love killing Jews”.

Sunak speaks with Middle East leaders to prevent 'further bloodshed’

16:54 , Barney Davis

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said that, during Mr Sunak’s call with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the leaders “agreed on the importance of avoiding further destabilisation across the Middle East including through Iranian proxies in the region and committed to co-ordinate action to escalate tensions”.

Mr Sunak told the Saudi leader that the UK “continued to support the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people to statehood, alongside regional partners like Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt”.

During his conversation with the Emir of Qatar, No 10 said the Prime Minister and Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani discussed “areas of co-operation” between their two countries, including on “ensuring safe passage for aid to Gaza to alleviate humanitarian suffering, and on urgent efforts to secure the release of hostages”.

Mr Sunak “thanked the Emir for his constructive role in regional diplomacy”, the spokesman said.

The Downing Street official added: “The Prime Minister updated on his conversations with other Arab leaders and they agreed that the conflict must not be allowed to destabilise the wider region and cause further bloodshed.”

The spokesman said he could not get into more detail about the conversations between the UK and Qatar leader on efforts to free Britons taken hostage by Hamas, saying only that London was speaking with Tel Aviv and other important regional partners, of which Doha was one.

The heartbreaking last words of six-year-old killed in anti-Muslim attack

16:30 , Barney Davis

Wadea Al-Fayoume, who loved running and playing soccer, uttered his last words after he was stabbed 26 times and his 32-year-old mother, Hanaan Shaheen, a dozen times.

Joseph Czuba, 71, who was the family’s landlord, was arrested over the stabbings. The Will County Sheriff’s Office said Czuba was likely motivated by “the on-going Middle Eastern conflict involving Hamas and the Israelis,” as well as the family’s Muslim faith.

Andrea Cavallier reports:

Heartbreaking last words of six-year-old killed in anti-Muslim attack revealed

Live: Blinken meets with Palestinian Authority President Abbas

15:57 , Tom Watling

Live: Blinken meets with Palestinian Authority President Abbas

Israel may not carry out ground offensive in Gaza, admits military spokesperson

15:42 , Bel Trew in Tel Aviv

The Israeli military has signalled a move away from a ground incursion in Gaza, adding the next stage of the offensive “might be something different”.

Lt Colonel Richard Hecht, an army spokesperson, said that the military was “preparing for the next stages of the war” but that a full ground incursion was not certain.

In previous briefings senior military officials have said clearly that the forces were amassing for “the option of a ground operation” and even that they “want to do that”.

On Tuesday Lt Col Hecht appeared to dial that back.

“We are preparing for the next stages of the war, we haven’t said what they will be,” he said in a briefing.

“Everyone is talking about the ground offensive: it might be something different. We aren’t talking about our plans. People are putting a concept in everyone’s head but that is not maybe how it will unfold,” he added.

His comments come amid growing concerns a ground incursion would trigger a second front along Israel’s northern borders with Lebanon and possibly a wider regional conflict dragging in Iran and its proxies in Syria.

South Africa says it discussed aid with Hamas leader, denies reports of support

15:27 , Tom Watling

South Africa has said its foreign minister held a call with the leader of Hamas about getting aid into Gaza and other Palestinian territories and denied a report of offering support to the militant group in its conflict against Israel.

South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor received a request to call Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, the government’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) said in a statement, adding that the call was in line with the country’s readiness to engage with all parties in facilitating dialogue.

Local publication News24 earlier reported a statement from Hamas that the group had received a call of support from South Africa’s foreign minister. It said the Hamas statement did not name Pandor.

“We do not have a bilateral relationship with Hamas... Support for the Palestinian struggle against occupation does not equate to support for Hamas,” South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, said on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

South Africa has long been an advocate for peace in the region, likening the plight of Palestinians to its own under an apartheid regime that ended in 1994.

Israeli air strike kills senior Hamas armed commander Ayman Nofal in Gaza

15:20 , Tom Watling

Israeli air strike killed senior Hamas armed commander Ayman Nofal in Gaza, the Hamas armed wing Izz el-Deen Al-Qassam Brigades said on Tuesday.

A member of the higher military council of Izz el-Deen Al-Qassam Brigades, Nofal was in charge of the Central Gaza area in the armed wing.

Two strikes recorded from Lebanon to Israel, claims spokesperson

15:12 , Tom Watling

Two attacks from Lebanese territory on northern Israel were recorded today, an Israeli military spokesperson has claimed.

Daniel Hagari, in a statement on X, wrote: “Further to the initial report, two launches from Lebanese territory to Israeli territory were identified.

“One target was successfully intercepted by the air defense fighters, another target was not intercepted according to policy and fell in an open area.”

According to reports earlier today, two Israelis were injured as a result of the first strike from Lebanese territory on Metula.

WHO demands access to Gaza

14:48 , Barney Davis

The World Health Organization says it needs urgent access to Gaza to deliver aid and medical supplies.

Around half of the 2,800 Palestinians killed were women and children, officials from WHO said.

Another 11,000 have been injured in Gaza since the start of Israel’s missile strikes in retaliation to Hamas’s deadly attacks.

The UN agency is meeting with “decision-makers” today to open access to Gaza as soon as possible - there’s currently no way in or out.

Officials further said there had been 115 attacks on healthcare facilities and the majority of hospitals in Gaza are not functioning, with water and electricity scarce.

“Concerns over dehydration and waterborne diseases are high given the collapse of water and sanitation services,” the UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA said in a statement. “People will start dying without water.”

Two thousand US soldiers on standby for Middle East deployment

14:30 , Barney Davis

About 2,000 U.S. military personnel have been placed on a heightened state of readiness given “the evolving security environment in the Middle East,” but no decision has been made to deploy them, the U.S. Department of Defense said on Tuesday.

The deployment of the Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group, which is nearing the end of its six-month deployment to the U.S. European Command area, would be extended, Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said in the statement.

Live stream of Committee questions Foreign Office minister on Israel evacuations

14:03 , Barney Davis

Discussions are likely to include the government’s efforts to evacuate citizens from Israel, in a week that Rishi Sunak has faced renewed pressure to add Iran’s revolutionary guard to the list of banned terrorist organisations.

As conflict in the Middle East continues, Dr Liam Fox, Conservative former defence secretary, warned that while Hamas had its “fingers on the trigger” of the violence in Israel and Palestine, the “strings being pulled” are from Tehran.

Tilda Swinton and Steve Coogan among 2,000 artists to call for immediate ceasefire and the opening of Gaza’s crossings

13:58 , Barney Davis

Tilda Swinton, Charles Dance, Steve Coogan, Miriam Margolyes, Peter Mullan, Maxine Peake and Khalid Abdalla are among more than two thousand people from across the arts who have signed a letter saying that: “Our governments are not only tolerating war crimes but aiding and abetting them.”

The artists, including Robert del Naja and playwrights Tanika Gupta and Abbie Spallen, condemn “every act of violence against civilians and every infringement of international law whoever perpetrates them”.

Citing Israeli Minister of Defence Yoav Gallant’s depiction of Palestinians as “human animals”, directors Mike Leigh and Asif Kapadia, comedians Frankie Boyle and Josie Long, authors Marina Warner, Jacqueline Rose, Gillian Slovo and Courttia Newland, and poet Anthony Anaxagorou, say Palestinians “have become people to whom almost anything can be done”.

The minister had made the comments while announcing Israel’s “complete siege”, and halting supply of water, power, food and medicine to 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza.

The letter says: “We are witnessing a crime and a catastrophe. Israel has reduced much of Gaza to rubble, and cut off the supply of water, power, food and medicine to 2.3 million Palestinians. In the words of the UN’s undersecretary for humanitarian affairs, ‘the spectre of death’ is hanging over the territory.”

The full letter can be read here.

Mother begs world to ‘bring her baby home' after kidnap video released by Hamas

13:26 , Barney Davis

French-Israeli national Mia Schem, 21, has been seen on video for the first time after being kidnapped by Hamas at a music festival.

In footage released by Hamas, Mia is seen lying on a bed with a metal brace on her arm, which has a long, fresh scar. She is seen being bandaged by someone out of frame.

Speaking at a press conference in Tel Aviv, Mia’s mother, Keren Scharf Schem, said she did not know if her daughter was alive or dead until she saw the video.

“I see she had an operation, she looks very terrified, she looks like she’s in big pain,” Keren continued.

“I can see she is saying what they tell her to say but I can see that she is stable. I can see she needs medical care.”

Keren urged the world to “gather and stop this terror and bring everybody back home”.

“She is not the only one [to have been abducted] - there were many children who went to this party, there are many babies and children and old people and Holocaust survivors who have been kidnapped, their houses were burned”.

Top UN chief to visit Egypt over worsening crisis in Gaza

12:55 , Tom Watling

United Nations Secretary-General Antnio Guterres is expected to travel to Egypt as the humanitarian situation in Gaza worsens, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter.

Guterres is expected to arrive in Cairo as early as Wednesday and meet officials including Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, the report said.

Israeli army spokesman says next phase of war may be different from expectations

12:48 , Tom Watling

The Israeli military is getting ready for the next phase of its campaign against the Gaza Strip but plans may not conform to widespread expectations of an imminent ground offensive, an army spokesperson has said.

“We are preparing for the next stages of war. We haven’t said what they will be. Everybody’s talking about the ground offensive. It might be something different,” Lt Colonel Richard Hecht told a regular briefing with reporters.

Sunak urges Israel to reconnect Gaza water supply

12:40 , Tom Watling

No 10 has urged Israel to allow water into Gaza, while refusing to say whether it believes the tactic to shut off the supply was in line with international law.

Rishi Sunak’s official spokesman said: “We continue to urge Israel as a democracy we work closely with to act within international law in their actions. I think they are taking steps to do that.”

“We are in discussions and are keen to see water restored to the area. We want to do everything possible to relieve the unfolding humanitarian issues in Gaza. Water is an important part of that.”

Urging Israel to agree to open up the Rafah crossing with Egypt, the No 10 spokesman added: “We want aid groups to have access and for aid to be provided.”

Asked if the government’s priority was to get UK nationals out of Gaza or to let aid in, Mr Sunak’s spokesman said it was “not either or”.

Below are some pictures following the southern Gaza attack this morning

12:32 , Tom Watling

Dozens of Palestinians were killed in an airstrike in southern Gaza this morning, according to the local health ministry.

You can see some of the latest photos from the attack, which struck the main city of Khan Younis, below.

Air alerts sound in southern Israel

12:25 , Tom Watling

Air raid sirens have been reported in southern Israel over fears of a rocket attack from Gaza.

The city of Ashkelon appears to be under air raid warnings at the time of writing.

The city is located between the northern region of Gaza and Tel Aviv.

Middle East on ‘brink of falling into the abyss’, warns Jordan

12:16 , Tom Watling

The Middle East is on the “brink of falling into the abyss” over Israel’s anticipated offensive in Gaza and confrontation with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, the King of Jordan has warned.

Speaking to German chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin, Jordanian King Abdullah II said: “The whole region is on the brink of falling into the abyss.”

Israel must do what Hamas criminally failed to do – and protect civilian lives

12:11 , Tom Watling

International law is absolutely clear that the intentional targeting of civilians is prohibited, writes Eric Lewis. As Israel responds, it must not descend into the same indefensible massive killing of innocents.

Israel must do what Hamas failed to do – protect innocent lives

Israeli strikes hit southern Lebanon - video

12:06 , Tom Watling

Explosions have been recorded in southern Lebanon following a series of strikes in northern Israel.

Footage has shown artillery shells hitting near the town of Rmaich.

Israel's war is on Palestinian people, not Hamas, says Palestine's UK ambassador

12:00 , Tom Watling

Iran says ‘shockwave’ will hit Israel as airstrikes in Gaza continue

11:50 , Tom Watling

Israel will face another shockwave by the resistance front if its “atrocities” do not stop in Gaza, a deputy commander of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards was quoted as saying by Iranian state media on Tuesday.

“The resistance front’s shocks against the Zionist regimes (Israel) will continue until this ‘cancerous tumour’ is eradicated from the world map,” said Ali Fadavi.

“Another shockwave is on the way, if Israel does not end atrocities in Gaza.”

Spain to ramp up aid to Gaza by 1 million euros

11:45 , Tom Watling

Spain will increase its humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip with a package worth €1 million euros (£868,000) and is prepared to send more, the country’s acting foreign minister told a news conference on Tuesday.

“The aid must reach the civilian population of Gaza, and Spain is ready and willing to participate,” Jose Manuel Albares said.

He added that more packages “will come, because everything points to the need for more (aid)”.

Family of Hamas hostage Rimon Kirsht issues tearful plea

11:40 , Tom Watling

WHO says it needs urgent access to Gaza to deliver aid, medical supplies

11:22 , Tom Watling

The World Health Organization (WHO) has said it needs urgent access to Gaza to deliver aid and medical supplies, as the United Nations agency warned of a long-term humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian enclave.

Dr Richard Brennan, regional emergency director of the WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean regional office, said the agency was meeting with “decision-makers” on Tuesday to open access to Gaza as soon as possible.

“We have aid south of Rafah and are waiting for the go ahead to get entry to Gaza,” he said, referring to the Rafah crossing with Egypt, which was a vital artery before the fighting and is now a key route for desperately needed supplies into Gaza.

WHO said its supplies had been ready to go for three days, but teams had been unable to deliver it.

“Even if you think this madness and horror stops and we think about recovery, this will be a long-term humanitarian exercise,” said Dr Richard Peeperkorn, WHO representative for the West Bank and Gaza.

Israeli military says Gaza invasion will become ‘global issue’

11:08 , Tom Watling

An Israeli military spokesperson has admitted that a ground offensive in Gaza will become a “global issue”.

“We’ve had all kinds of end games,” spokesperson Daniel Hagari told media during a news briefing, in response to a question about whether Israel’s military planned to stay and govern Gaza after its ground invasion.

“The cabinet is also discussing what that could look like … this is also a global issue, what the situation will look like in this region,” he said.

Mr Hagari said the military had “presented an operational plan” to the Israeli cabinet but did not elaborate.

“Gaza borders other countries … so when we say things on the final status, they will combine the orders of the political level and the military,” he added.

Dutch government pledges 10 million euros in extra aid to Gaza

11:04 , Tom Watling

The Dutch government on Tuesday pledged an €10 million euros (£8.7million) in extra humanitarian aid to Gaza, the ANP news agency reported, quoting the Dutch minister for foreign trade and development.

Turkey says Egypt to host summit on Gaza conflict on Saturday

10:54 , Tom Watling

Egypt will host a summit of state leaders to discuss the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on Saturday, Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan has said.

He was speaking at a joint news conference with his Lebanese counterpart in Beirut.

Israel pouring ‘fuel on the fire’ with northern attacks, claims Lebanon official

10:53 , Tom Watling

Israel is pouring “fuel on the fire” with missile attacks on southern Lebanon, the country’s foreign minister has said.

Speaking during a press conference with his Turkish counterpart, Lebanese foreign minister Abudllah Bou Habib added that he believed Israel was threatening “to set the front on fire”.

Click here to read the full blog on The Independent's website