LIVE BLOG: Israel ramps up attacks on Gaza. Here’s how it’s unfolding
The Palestinian resistance, or Hamas, which many refer to it as, launched a major military campaign, targeting various Israeli cities and settlements.
Its day twenty eight of the war, which Hamas has dubbed operation "Al-Aqsa Storm“. We take a look at the latest developments.
5:57pm
ANC MP Mandla Mandela and anti-apartheid activist Allan Boesak have welcomed the decision by government to recall embassy officials from Israel, but said more could be done.
Mandela said the recall of the embassy officials must be followed by the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador Eliav Belotserkovsky and cutting off all diplomatic ties with Israel.
4:48pm
Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Naledi Pandor has given reasons regarding government’s decision to recall diplomatic officials from Israel.
Pandor said there was nothing strange about this, and this was normal practice where there was an issue causing a great deal of concern to government.
13.30
According to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, it has faced several challenges.
The Ministry said there is insufficient capacity of the Ministry’s trucks to see to the hospital’s needs during the emergency period.
Storage spaces within hospitals are limited, hindering their ability to accommodate emergency stocks.
The ministry also lamented the inability of international institutions to coordinate the entry of medicines and medical consumables and coordinate the movement of health professionals and transportation mechanisms.
Monday, November 6 10am
Israeli fighter jets struck 450 Hamas targets in Gaza and troops seized a militant compound in the past 24 hours, the Israel Defense Forces said, while the Palestinian enclave's health ministry said the air strikes killed dozens of people.
Sunday, November 5, 7.30pm
Internet, mobile connection in Gaza down again - Palestinian telecom operator
Communications and internet services in the Gaza Strip have been disabled again by Israel, Palestinian telecoms company Paltel said on Sunday.
"We regret to announce the complete shutdown of all communication and internet services in the Gaza Strip due to the fact that the main routes that were previously restored have been cut off again by Israel," the company said.
9pm
Israel struck an ambulance in Gaza City that it said was carrying militants, but which health authorities in the Hamas-controlled enclave said was evacuating wounded people from the besieged north to the south of the territory.
Ashraf al-Qidra, spokesperson for the health ministry in Gaza, said the ambulance was part of a convoy that Israel targeted leaving al-Shifa Hospital, adding that "a big number" were killed and wounded but without giving figures.
Qidra said Israel had targeted the convoy of ambulances in more than one location, including at al-Shifa Hospital gate and at Ansar Square a kilometer (0.6 miles) away.
7pm
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Israel to temporarily stop its military offensive on Gaza to allow for aid to enter the Palestinian enclave but faced pushback from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who rejected any such halt unless hostages held by Hamas militants are freed.
5pm
According to a report by Reuters, the leader of Lebanon's Hezbollah warned the United States that if Israel did not stop its assault on Gaza then fighting on the Lebanese front could turn into a wider war.
Hezbollah has been engaging Israeli forces along the Lebanon-Israel border in the deadliest escalation since it fought a war with Israel in 2006.
Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said in a televised speech that they are “ready for all possibilities."
4pm
According to a report from the Palestine Chronicle, the Al-Quds Brigades announced that they bombed the Israeli military crowds in the sites of Sufa, Halit, and Nir Ishaq in the Gaza Strip with concentrated missile bursts.
The report said a total of 8,000 artillery shells were dropped on Gaza.
US Secretary of State Blinken said the US will not hesitate to support Israel.
Friday 3 November 3pm
The United Nations rights office described "alarming" conditions in the occupied West Bank, saying Israeli forces were increasingly using military tactics and weapons in law enforcement operations there.
Liz Throssell, spokesperson for the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), said at least 132 Palestinians, including 41 children, have been were killed in the West Bank, 124 of those by Israeli forces and some eight by Israeli settlers,since violence there intensified in the wake of Hamas' assault on Israel from Gaza.
Two Israeli soldiers were also killed.
Thursday 2 November 3pm
According to a report by Reuters, residents of Lebanese border village of Yater said they would rebuild their town once clashes between Hezbollah and Israel end, saying Israel's shelling of their homes would not push them off their land.
Hezbollah has been engaged in daily exchanges of fire with Israeli forces along the frontier since war broke out between Israel and Hamas on Oct. 7.
8pm
The United States said it does not believe Hamas can be involved in the future governance of Gaza when the war with Israel is over, the White House said.
White House national security adviser John Kirby, speaking to reporters as President Joe Biden flew to Minnesota, also said the United States does not support a permanent settlement of Gaza civilians outside of Gaza.
6pm
U.S. President Joe Biden said some Americans will leave Gaza following the opening of the Rafah crossing into Egypt.
4pm
A news flash by AFP reported that according to Palestinian rescuers, a new Israeli strike has hit a Gaza refugee camp.
The United Nations decried these strikes on the refugee camp. It reportedly killed scores of people in attacks that Israel said targeted a Hamas commander.
1 November - 1pm
According to the health ministry in Gaza, at least 8,796 Palestinians, including 3,648 children, have been killed in Israeli strikes since October 7.
4pm
Al Jazeera has reported that plans could be afoot by the Israeli government to settle Gaza residents in Egypt.
Khalid Majzoub of Al Jazeera Fact Check said that according to a report from an Israeli think tank, there is a paper titled “A Plan for Resettlement and Final Rehabilitation in Egypt” and spells out the grand plan to rid Gaza of its inhabitants.
3pm
Air raid sirens went off in the area of the Red Sea city of Eilat and Israel's military said it downed an approaching "aerial target".
After an initial warning of a possible "hostile aircraft intrusion", which sent residents of the popular tourist resort running for shelter, the military said its "systems identified an aerial target approaching Israeli territory".
Tuesday 31 October 1pm
A "public health catastrophe" is imminent in Gaza, the World Health Organization (WHO) said, amid overcrowding, mass displacement and damage to infrastructure.
WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier warned of the risk of civilian deaths not directly linked to Israeli bombardment.
1:30pm
At least 7,326 Palestinians, including 3,038 children, have been killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza since October 7, the health ministry in Gaza said.
12pm
A Hamas official tied the release of hostages held in Gaza to a ceasefire in Israel's punishing air war in the enclave, launched after a deadly rampage by Hamas militants into southern Israel nearly three weeks ago.
Israel says it is preparing a ground invasion, but has been urged by the U.S. and Arab countries to delay an operation that would multiply the number of civilian casualties in the densely populated coastal strip and might ignite a wider conflict.
11am
Another eight trucks carrying food, medicine and water are expected to cross into the Gaza Strip, a senior United Nations official said, as a combination of technical, political and security issues were hindering deliveries.
27 October, 9am
The Israeli army said its ground forces backed by fighter jets and drones carried out a "targeted raid" in Gaza over the past day, as it prepares for a land invasion.
Black-and-white footage released by the military showed a column of armoured vehicles as a thick cloud of dust billowed into the sky after the strikes.
4pm
The U.N. agency providing aid to Palestinian civilians in besieged Gaza warned it may have to shut down operations shortly if no fuel reaches the enclave, amid an increasingly desperate need for shelter, water, food and medical services.
1pm
According to the Palestine Chronicles, Hamas said the arrests of their members in the West Bank “will not stop the resistance.“
Meanwhile, the US State Department said the US envoy to the Middle East is returning to the region, to strengthen efforts to prevent the expansion of the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
11am
EU leaders are poised to call for humanitarian corridors in Gaza and for pauses in bombardments into and out of the enclave to enable access for aid, after days of wrangling that highlighted divisions within the bloc over the Israel-Hamas war.
7am
Israel bombarded the Gaza Strip as it prepared for a ground invasion it says is aimed at annihilating Hamas as Russia warned the conflict could spread beyond the Middle East.
3am
U.S. President Joe Biden said a "path toward peace" must be forged once the Israel-Gaza crisisconcludes, with independent states for the Israelis and Palestinians and an integration of Israel among its Arab neighbors.
Thursday 26 October 00:30
Russia and China vetoed a U.S. push for the United Nations Security Council to act on the Israel-Hamas conflict by calling for pauses in fighting to allow humanitarian aid access, the protection of civilians and a stop to arming Hamas and other militants in the Gaza Strip.
6pm
Israel is preparing a ground invasion of Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a televised statement on Wednesday, but he declined to provide any details on the timing or other information about the operation.
4pm
Israel rejected Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan's assertion that the Palestinian militant group Hamas was "not a terrorist organisation".
1:20pm
A total of 6,546 Palestinians, including 2,704 children, were killed and 17,439 wounded in Israeli strikes since October 7, the health ministry in Gaza said.
In the past 24 hours, 756 Palestinians including 344 children were killed in Israeli strikes, the ministry said.
1pm
According to a report published by the United Nations trade body, Gaza needs billions of dollars in international economic aid to compensate for years of restrictions.
In its report on the economic development of the Occupied Palestinian Territory for 2022, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) highlighted the dire economic conditions in Gaza, even prior to Israeli strikes on the enclave in reprisal for the deadly October 7 attacks by Hamas gunmen in southern Israel.
11am
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said that an Israeli ground operation into Gaza would turn the fighting there into a massacre.
In a joint news conference with his Qatari counterpart in Doha, Fidan said that those supporting Israel's actions under the pretence of solidarity are "accomplices to its crimes".
8am
UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) warned operations were at breaking point and said dwindling fuel supplies could force it to stop aid operations in war-riven Gaza, as calls mounted for a humanitarian "pause" in fighting.
25 October 00:19
Israel's military suggested that the United Nations ask Hamas for fuel supplies after the U.N. agency providing aid to Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip warned it would have to halt operations on Wednesday night if no fuel was delivered.
4:30pm
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the Security Council he was "deeply concerned about the clear violations of international humanitarian law that we are witnessing in Gaza."
2pm
Doctors in Gaza say patients arriving at hospitals are showing signs of disease caused by overcrowding and poor sanitation after more than 1.4 million people fled their homes for temporary shelters under Israel's heaviest-ever bombardment.
12:30pm
According to Israeli forces, it had killed dozens of Hamas fighters overnight in strikes on Gaza but reiterated that their aim is to “destroy them”, which involves “bombarding and blockading the Palestinian enclave.”
The United Nations urged Israel to allow more aid into Gaza, trapped in a humanitarian crisis after two weeks of intense Israeli attacks, saying the aid let in so far met a tiny fraction of the needs, and fuel, still blocked, was crucial.
11am
The United Nations Palestinian refugee agency called for an “unimpeded and continuous flow” of humanitarian assistance and medical assistance to Gaza.
According to a report by Palestine Chronicle, the Israeli army said it has "many weeks of operations ahead“, adding that ”Hamas is still capable of launching rockets“.
Meanwhile, the Emir of the State of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani said that the war on Gaza has exceeded all limits and must be stopped.
Wednesday 24 October - 8am
The total death toll of the Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip since the morning of 7 October stands at 5,087 citizens. This includes 2,055 children, 1,119 women, and 217 elderly people. A total of 15,273 citizens were injured.
9pm
The Gaza Ministry of Health said Israeli forces killed 436 citizens, including 182 children, most of them from the southern Gaza Strip in the past 24 hours.
Twelve hospitals and 32 health care centres are out of service.
5:44pm
Almost 20,000 people have been internally displaced in south Lebanon and elsewhere since early October, a UN agency said on Monday, as violence escalates on the Lebanese-Israeli border following the eruption of the Gaza war.
The International Organization for Migration said 19,646 people had been displaced inside Lebanon since it began tracking movements on October 8, the day after an assault on Israel by Hamas militants and an Israeli counteroffensive on Gaza.
5:01pm
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak set out further aid for the Palestinian people, saying the government would provide an additional £20 million (about R460 million) of humanitarian support for Gaza.
"We need a constant stream of aid pouring in, bringing the water, food, medicine, and fuel that are so desperately needed," Sunak told lawmakers in an update on the Israel-Palestine conflict.
4pm
According to figures released by a United Nations agency, more than 19,000 people have been displaced in Lebanon amid an uptick in tensions between Israel and Hezbollah at the country's southern border.
12:30pm
According to a report from The Palestine Chronicle, the Islamic Jihad said the Arab and Islamic position is weak and the political movements of various countries are hesitant in the face of America and the West.
UN experts have called on lawyers who advise the Israeli army to identify what may amount to war crimes and strive to prevent it.
The Gaza Health Ministry says a large number of injured people arrived at Al-Shifa Medical Complex after the occupation targeted 6 homes in the Strip.
11am
China views the situation in Gaza as "very serious" with the risk of large-scale ground conflict growing and because the conflict has begun to spill over in the region, state media quoted the country's Middle East special envoy as saying.
Meanwhile solidarity protests continue as EFF supporters gathered at Lynnwood Gardens Estate in Pretoria where they are expected to march to the Israeli Embassy in solidarity with the Palestinians. EFF leader Julius Malema is expected to lead the march to the embassy.
Sunday, October 23 9am
Israel bombarded Gaza with air strikes and its aircraft struck southern Lebanon overnight. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened a meeting of his top generals and his war cabinet to assess the escalating conflict.
Israel's attacks concentrated on the Gaza Strip's centre and north, Palestinian media reported.
Friday, October 20
5:31pm
Trucks of desperately needed aid for Gaza remain stuck on the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing, a situation that UN Secretary General António Guterres said left him "brokenhearted" during a brief and chaotic visit to the highly militarised.
5:30pm
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi agreed that global leaders should do everything possible to avoid a contagion of conflict in the Middle East, Sunak's office said. Sunak also welcomed efforts by Egypt to reopen the Rafah border crossing with Gaza as soon as possible, his office said following a meeting between the pair in Cairo.
4:30pm
The White House on Friday asked Congress for nearly $106 billion to fund ambitious plans for Ukraine, Israel, and US border security but offered no strategy for securing the money from a broken Congress.
3:07pm
Author Salman Rushdie on Friday called for a "cessation" in fighting between Israel and Palestinian Islamist militant group Hamas, saying he was filled with "horror" and "foreboding".
Hamas militants stormed into Israel from the Gaza Strip on October 7 and killed at least 1,400 people, mostly civilians who were shot, mutilated or burnt to death, according to Israeli officials.
Israel said around 1,500 Hamas fighters were killed before its army regained control of the area under attack.
More than 4,000 Palestinians, mainly civilians, have been killed in Gaza in relentless Israeli bombardments in retaliation for the Hamas attack, according to the latest toll from the Hamas health ministry in Gaza. - AFP
1:13pm
The majority of some 200 people kidnapped in Israel by Hamas militants and taken to the Gaza Strip are still alive, the Israeli military said Friday.
"The majority of the hostages are alive. There were also dead bodies that were taken... to the Gaza Strip," an army statement said. -AFP
1:11pm
Shabbat against Genocide in Palestine
South African Jews for a Free Palestine is hosting a Shabbat against Genocide in Palestine at 6.30pm tonight.
“With hearts full of rage, love, solidarity, grief, and care in the face of the genocidal onslaught in Gaza and across Palestine by the fascist apartheid Israeli government,” the organsation said.
There will be singing, prayer, candle lighting, and words of solidarity.
“We will not allow our Judaism and the memory of our ancestors to be weaponised for further and interlinked genocidal fascist projects. We stand in full solidarity with Palestine!”
11:01am
The first aid delivery into the besieged Gaza Strip via the Rafah border crossing with Egypt should take place "in the next day or so", the United Nations said Friday.
"We are in deep and advanced negotiations with all relevant sides to ensure that an aid operation in Gaza starts as quickly as possible... a first delivery is due to start in the next day or so," the UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths said, his spokesman told reporters in Geneva. - AFP
8:06am
The Israeli army announced plans to evacuate the northern city of Kiryat Shmona on Friday, after days of clashes with Hezbollah fighters along the border with Lebanon, AFP reported.
"A short while ago, the Northern Command informed the mayor of the city of the decision. The plan will be managed by the local authority, the Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Defence," the military said in a statement.
Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah and allied Palestinian factions have traded cross-border fire with Israel for days, after Hamas gunmen attacked communities in southern Israel on October 7, killing at least 1,400 people, most of them civilians, according to Israeli officials.
More than 3,700 Palestinians, mainly civilians, have been killed across the Gaza Strip in retaliatory Israeli bombardments, according to figures from its Hamas-run health ministry.
6:50am
The Hamas-controlled interior ministry said several displaced people sheltering at a church compound in Gaza were killed and injured after an Israeli strike late Thursday.
The strike left a "large number of martyrs and injured" at the compound of the Greek Orthodox Saint Porphyrius Church in Gaza City, the ministry said.
Witnesses told AFP the strike appeared to have been aimed at a target close to the place of worship where many Gaza residents had taken refuge as the war raged in the Palestinian enclave.
Contacted by AFP, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said its fighter jets had hit a command and control centre involved in launching rockets and mortars toward Israel.
Thursday, October 19
8:40pm
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman stressed to British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak that the kingdom considered targeting civilians in Gaza "a heinous crime and a brutal attack," the Saudi state news agency SPA reported on Thursday. Mohammed bin Salman met with Sunak in Riyadh.
7:58pm
European Council President Charles Michel said on Thursday that it was very important for the United States and the EU to share information and do what is needed to avoid escalation in the Israel-Gaza conflict. Michel also noted that the authorities must be vigilant to ensure that EU funds in Gaza are not misused.
7:42pm
The US State Department has advised US citizens overseas to exercise caution in view of increased tensions in various locations around the world and the potential for terrorist attacks, demonstrations, or violent actions against the country's citizens and interests.
6:54pm
Jordan's Foreign Minister said on Thursday that the country feared the worst was yet to come in the Gaza war, with no signs of success in efforts to de-escalate.
6:13pm
Next month's MTV Europe Music Awards in Paris have been cancelled, organisers said on Thursday, citing "the volatility of world events" amid the ongoing conflict in Israel and Gaza.
15:35pm
WATCH: Gift of the Givers opens pledge line to support innocent Gazan victims of Israel-Hamas War
2pm
The health ministry in Gaza said at least 3,785 Palestinians have been killed and 12,493 wounded in Israeli strikes on Gaza since October 7.
Of the total death toll, 1,524 were children and 1,000 were women, ministry spokesman Ashraf Al-Qudra told a press conference.
Al-Qudra added that 44 health workers had been killed in Gaza while four hospitals were out of service and 14 basic healthcare services had stopped functioning.
11am
Machinery to repair roads has been sent through the Rafah border crossing from Egypt into the Gaza Strip in preparation for the delivery of some of the aid stockpiled in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, two security sources said on Thursday.
WATCH: Thousands of people gathered in Istanbul in a protest following the deadly blast at a Gaza hospital that killed hundreds of people.
8:30am
China wants the Israel-Hamas war to be stopped as soon as possible, President Xi Jingping was quoted by Chinese state media as saying.
The Chinese president said Beijing was willing to work with Arab governments for a lasting solution to the conflict.
Xi also said a ceasefire was "imperative" as soon as possible to prevent the conflict from expanding, or spiralling out of control, the state media said.
7:30am
According to an AFP report, Liverpool and Egypt football star Mohamed Salah called for humanitarian aid to be allowed into Gaza. He pleaded for an end to "massacres" in the conflict between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas.
WATCH: Protests in Arab countries blame Israel over hospital explosion
Thursday 19 October 6:40am
Xinhua has reported that Algeria has suspended all government-sponsored sports and cultural activities to show solidarity with the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, who are now subjected to Israeli airstrikes and siege.
The Algerian Ministry of Youth and Sports made the decision "in support of the resilient Palestinian people" and "in honour of the victims in the Gaza Strip," the state-run ENTV reported.
Additionally, the country's Ministry of Culture and Arts declared the postponement of all festive cultural activities nationwide, including the Annaba Mediterranean Film Festival originally slated for November 3 to 9.
The ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict has killed more than 4,000 people on both sides.
WATCH: US President Joe Biden says agreement reached with Egypt to allow 20 aid trucks into Gaza
5:28pm
The United Nations Middle East peace envoy warned the Security Council on Wednesday that the risk of expansion of the conflict between Israel and Hamas Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip is "very real, and extremely dangerous."
5:08pm
The Netherlands is sending 200 servicepeople to Cyprus to prepare for possible escalation of hostilities in the Gaza Strip, Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren said on Wednesday.
4:24pm
US President Joe Biden said on Wednesday that a deadly blast at a Gaza Strip hospital appeared to be from "an errant rocket fired by a terrorist group," and he pledged support to Israelis and humanitarian assistance to suffering Palestinians.
3:05pm
At least 471 Palestinians were killed in a blast on the Al-Ahli Arabi Baptist Hospital in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday night, said the Gaza-based Health Ministry on Wednesday.
1.30pm
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says British intelligence services are analysing evidence to independently establish the facts about the deadly blast at a Gaza hospital. Sunak added that people should not rush to judgements.
1pm
Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said that Egyptians in their millions would reject the forced displacement of Palestinians into Sinai, adding that any such move would turn the peninsula into a base for attacks against Israel.
12pm
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) should impose an oil embargo and other sanctions on Israel and expel all Israeli ambassadors.
Amirabdollahian made the call during an urgent meeting of the OIC that is taking place in the Saudi city of Jeddah to discuss the escalating Israeli-Palestinian war.
11am
US President Joe Biden on a solidarity visit to Israel Wednesday backed the ally's account that Palestinian militants caused a devastating hospital strike in Gaza, adding Hamas had brought "only suffering."
"I was deeply saddened and outraged by the explosion at the hospital in Gaza yesterday. And based on what I've seen, it appears as though it was done by the other team," Biden said as he met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv.
10am
The Israeli army said it had "evidence" that militants were responsible for the blast that killed hundreds at a Gaza hospital, saying a review proved others were at fault.
9am
Israel's military said it had seen no evidence of a direct hit on a hospital in the Gaza Strip the day before, where hundreds of Palestinians were killed in an explosion.
A military spokesperson said that there was no structural damage to buildings around the Al-Ahli al-Arabi hospital and no craters consistent with an air strike.
Meanwhile the WHO chief stated that the situation in Gaza 'spiralling out of control'.
"The situation in #Gaza is spiralling out of control," the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on X, formerly Twitter. "We need violence on all sides to stop."
8:30am
Palestinian envoy to Japan says Israel made a warning call to the Gaza hospital one hour ahead of blast.
18 October, Wednesday 8am
Russia's foreign ministry said that a strike on a hospital in Gaza that killed hundreds of Palestinians was a shocking crime, adding that Israel should provide satellite images to prove that it was not involved in the attack.
9:15pm
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will not attend the quadrilateral summit in the Jordan after the strike on a hospital in the Gaza Strip, a source in the president's office told Sputnik on Tuesday.
8:19pm
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.
7:43pm
Over 500 people have been killed as a result of an Israeli strike on a hospital in the Gaza Strip, Al-Jazeera reported on Tuesday, citing a representative of the Health Ministry of Gaza.
"Over 500 victims of the strike on the al-Ahli Arab Hospital," the ministry representative was quoted as saying by the broadcaster.
6:44pm
Several Palestinians were killed and wounded when an Israeli air strike hit the yard of a hospital in central Gaza, the Hamas-run interior ministry said on Tuesday.
6:21pm
On Tuesday, United Kingdom Prime Minister Rishi Sunak spoke with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman about the tense situation in Israel and Gaza, stressing that both countries will work closely to prevent the escalation of the war.
5:04pm
Israel's national security adviser predicted on Tuesday that the United States would get "involved" if the Gaza war escalated to the point where Iran and Hezbollah joined in on behalf of Hamas.
4:33pm
US President Joe Biden is scheduled for a brief visit to Israel, lasting approximately five hours, before heading to Jordan, where he will hold talks with King Abdullah II, according to The Times of Israel, citing Channel 12.
4:22pm
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani on Tuesday called for the opening of safe corridors to enable the delivery of humanitarian aid to people in the besieged Gaza Strip.
12pm
Egyptian aid trucks moved closer to the only crossing to Gaza not controlled by Israel, but with no agreement in place to deliver relief and the Palestinian side still closed due to strikes it was unclear when they might pass through.
Spokesman of the Ministry of Health Dr.Ashraf Alqudra said parts of the European Gaza hospital and the Emirati field hospital on the premises were damaged as a result of Israeli forces targeting the hospital entrance.
8am
According to the the Ministry of Health for the Gaza Strip, the death toll currently stands at 2,778. A total of 9,938 are injured. This is only the confirmed number of victims who have reached hospitals.
October 17 Tuesday - 7am
European Union leaders aim to settle on a united approach to the crisis triggered by the Hamas attack on Israel after days of confusion, infighting and mixed messaging.
6:32pm
US President Joe Biden's White House is wrestling with a host of thorny security and political challenges as officials plot a potential trip to Israel that may hold longer-term diplomatic advantages for Biden.
5:52pm
Scotland's leader Humza Yousaf said his wife's parents were fast running out of food and drinking water in Gaza and could die if unable to leave soon.
5:23pm
Twenty-six countries have requested Cyprus' assistance in repatriating their nationals from both Israel and the Gaza Strip, Konstantinos Letymbiotis, spokesman for the government of Cyprus, said on Monday.
4:23pm
United Nations General Assembly (Unga) President Dennis Francis on Monday called for the release of hostages taken from Israel and providing uninterrupted access of civilians to humanitarian aid in Gaza.
2pm
Egypt said Israel is not cooperating with delivery of aid into Gaza and evacuations of foreign passport holders via the only entry it does not wholly control. This is leaving hundreds of tonnes of supplies stuck.
Cairo says the Rafah crossing, a potentially vital opening for desperately-needed supplies into the besieged Palestinian enclave, is not officially closed but is inoperable due to Israeli air strikes on the Gaza side.
1pm
Israeli forces kept up their bombardment of Gaza after diplomatic efforts to arrange a ceasefire to allow foreign passport holders to leave and aid to be brought into the besieged Palestinian enclave failed.
According to Gaza residents, overnight air strikes were the heaviest yet as the conflict entered its 10th day with an Israeli ground offensive believed to be imminent.
October 16 Monday - 10am
Israel said no ceasefire had been implemented in southern Gaza even though security sources in Egypt said a deal had been reached to allow foreigners out of the besieged Palestinian enclave and aid to be brought in.
The bombardment of Hamas-ruled Gaza continued overnight, with residents saying it was the heaviest pounding yet in nine days of conflict.
Sunday - 5pm
United States Secretary of the State Anthony Blinken says the US is doing whatever it can to calm the situation between Hamas and Israel.
Egypt said that Israel’s retaliation to Hamas’ attack was beyond self-defence.
The possibility of an escalated war, involving outside nations, is a possibility according to Iranian authorities, as tensions in regions where Israel shares a boarder with Lebanon have been on the rise, Al Jazeera reported.
Israeli forces continue to launch air strikes on the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli Defence Force or IDF announced through their communications network that they killed a high-ranking Hamas commander in an airstrike.
The Hamas operative was identifed as Billal Al-Qedra, according to the Indian Times.
Al-Qedra lead the 'Nukhba' special forces unit, which was responsible for the attack on Kibbuts Nirim in southern Khan Yunis.
Sunday - 12pm
Just over 1,400 Israeli people have been killed since Hamas launched its attack last Saturday, Jewish News Syndicate reported.
Around 3,500 people have been injured and 120 people have reportedly been kidnapped.
2,329 Palestinians have been killed, the Ministry of Health confirmed while 9,042 people have been injured.
OPver 400,000 Palestinian residents have been displaced from their home.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman told US delegates that his country rejects “targeting of civilians and disruption of the infrastructure in Gaza,” Saudi Arabian authorities said.
Sunday - 8am
286 Israeli soldiers have been killed since the start of the war, according to Israeli military forces.
2,228 Palestinians have been killed since Hamas launched its attack last week.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahia met with political head in Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, in Qatar, to discuss ways to quell the situation and a peaceful release of hostages, regional news agency reported.
China state news reported that its envoy in the middle-east, Zhae Jun, will visit the region in the coming days to broker a cease fire between Hamas and Israel, AFP reported.
Iran also warned that if other countries in the region get involved in the Hamas-Israel conflict, the situation could escalate into an all out war, which could affect global peace.
Lebanon has approached the United Nations with a complaint against Israel after they launched an air strike on southern Lebanon, which killed Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah, Sputnik reported.
AFP and Al Jazeera journalists were also injured in the Israeli air strike.
Saturday - 4pm
“Free Palestine” chants were heard coming from the streets of London, as thousands of protesters took to the streets, AFP reported.
Protesters marched near the BBC headquarters in central London and were reportedly heading toward Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Downing Street office.
Saturday - 2pm
Palestinian death toll has risen to 2,215 while 8,714 wounded people have been wounded.
54 people were killed and another1,100 were injured in the West Bank, the Palestine Chronicle reported.
1 Russian citizens have been killed in the affected regions, Sputnik reported. Eight Russians are still regarded as missing while one was reportedly captured by Hamas forces.
"We regret to inform you that as of 1 p.m. [10:00 GMT] on October 14, the number of deceased Russian citizens, who also had Israeli citizenship, has increased to 16 people, based on information from Israel,“ the Russian Embassy was quoted saying.
Saturday - 11am
President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Saturday the national executive (NEC) committee pledges their solidarity with the people of Palestine.
We pledge solidarity with the people of Palestine. #FreePalestine 🇵![CDATA[]]>🇸 pic.twitter.com/3iMUhhfm98
— Cyril Ramaphosa 🇿![CDATA[]]>🇦 (@CyrilRamaphosa) October 14, 2023
More than 400,000 Gaza residents have been displaced from their homes, the UN said.
Gaza health minister Yusuf Abu al-Reesh confirmed 256 Palestinians, including 20 children, were killed over the past 24 hours. Around 500 children in Gaza were killed since the start of the war, according to Pelstine Chronicle.
Around 1,300 buildings in Gaza were destroyed by Israeli air strikes, the UN confirmed.
The Israeli army has given the administration of the Al Awda Hospital in northern Gaza until 10am on Saturday to evacuate it. This ultimatum was rejected.
World Health Organisation Chief Tedros Ghebreyesus urged Israel to reverse this demand.
"We implore Israel to reverse this decision. Moving the patients would put their lives at immediate risk, as well as the lives of the health workers," Ghebreyesus said.
Palestinian resistance forces continue to bomb Israeli sites and cities for the eight day in a row.
The Israeli government said it cannot confirm that babies were beheaded by Hamas forces. This was after they initially said that Hamas froces were beheading babies live on CNN.
8:57pm
The situation in Gaza has reached a "a dangerous new low", United Nations Secretary General António Guterres said on Friday, adding he was in constant contact with regional leaders to focus on ways to reduce suffering.
8:46pm
The United Arab Emirates sent a plane carrying urgent medical aid to the Egyptian city of Arish to be brought into the Gaza Strip through the Rafah crossing, Emirati state news agency WAM said on Friday.
7:57pm
The United Nations stands against the displacement of people out of their homes amid Israeli calls for people’s evacuation out of Gaza, the UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said on Friday.
7:06pm
Norway will increase the funds allocated to humanitarian assistance for the civilian population of the Gaza Strip by nearly 70 million Norwegian kroner (R121,772,160 million), Norwegian Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt said on Friday.
6:59pm
The residents of the city of Gaza had heeded calls to evacuate, heading south ahead of Israeli strikes on the territory, Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Daniel Hagari said on Friday.
5:13pm
The Palestinian United Nations envoy appealed to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday to do more to stop a “crime against humanity” by Israel, which has warned nearly half of the population of the Palestinian Gaza Strip to relocate.
4pm
According to an update by Gaza Ministry of Health, 1,799 Palestinians were killed, including 583 children and 351 women since the start of escalation on the morning of 7 October. A total of 7388 citizens were injured, including 1,901 children and 1,185 women.
The Hamas attack on Saturday killed more than 1,300 Israelis.
3pm
There has been no sign of exodus after Israel says north of Gaza must evacuate.
Israel called on Friday for all civilians in the northern half of the Gaza Strip, more than 1 million people, to relocate south within 24 hours, as it amassed tanks for an expected ground assault in response to an attack by the militant group Hamas.
However, Hamas, which controls the strip, told residents to stay put. By Friday afternoon there was no sign of any mass exodus as Israel prepared its onslaught.
The United Nations said evacuating everyone was impossible with power supplies cut and food and water in the Palestinian enclave running short after a week of retaliatory air strikes and a full Israeli blockade. The U.S. called it a "tall order".
1pm
The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) has revealed that two South African nationals have died in the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
Dirco spokesperson Clayson Monyela said: "There is a verification process currently underway because one of the individuals is reported to have an Israeli ID number so we need to determine whether there is dual citizenship or what the picture is. On behalf of the South African government we would like to pass a message of sincere condolences to the families and loved ones of the two nationals."
12pm
Protests were taking place in the Middle East and beyond in support of Palestinians as Israel intensified its strikes on Gaza in retaliation for the Hamas attack on Israel at the weekend.
Jewish communities in France and elsewhere were also planning rallies in solidarity with Israel following the Hamas attacks.
The Al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem was a focus of attention and a likely flashpoint.
10am
Hamas armed wing Al-Qassam Brigades said that it launched 150 rockets towards the city of Ashkelon in Israel "in response to the displacement and targeting of civilians".
8am
Several countries have clamped down on pro-Palestine protests.
As of reporting, Hungary will not allow any rallies supporting what their Prime Minister Viktor Orban called "terrorist organisations", adding that it is shocking that there are sympathy rallies supporting the “terrorists across Europe". Orban was referencing the European fallout from a Hamas cross-border attack from Gaza on Saturday.
Australian police are considering applying special stop-and-search powers for the first time in almost two decades for people attending a pro-Palestinian rally on Sunday.
Police expect more than 400 people to attend the rally in Sydney's Hyde Park.
Friday October 7am
The United Nations said Israel's military informed it that 1.1 million Palestinians in Gaza should relocate to the enclave's south within the next 24 hours.
According to UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric, the UN "considers it impossible for such a movement to take place without devastating humanitarian consequences."
7:58pm
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said in a speech on Thursday that Egypt is exerting every effort to contain the escalation in the Israel-Hamas conflict and is trying to reach a ceasefire.
7:49pm
Locals held a demonstration in Tel Aviv on Thursday and urged the Israeli government to exchange hostages/prisoners with Hamas.
6:21pm
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) said on Thursday that 12 of its employees had been killed in the Gaza Strip since October 7.
6:08pm
Russia's foreign ministry has urged Israel on Thursday to agree to a ceasefire in Gaza to allow in food and medicine.
5:48pm
The idea to conduct the Al-Aqsa Flood operation against Israel appeared back in 2021, Abu Obeida, the spokesman of the Hamas movement’s military wing, said on Thursday.
5:09pm
Iraq on Thursday decided to dispatch humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip to help Palestinians.
4pm
According to AFP, the war between Israel and Hamas has cast a shadow over the IMF-World Bank annual meetings, with warnings that it has darkened the outlook for an already sluggish global economy.
1pm
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Iran bore responsibility for helping Hamas grow to the point where it launched last weekend's attack on Israel.
Scholz said they are “no firm proof that Iran operationally supported” the attack, but say it is “clear” that without Iranian support, Hamas would never have been able to launch the attack.
Thursday October 12 11am
A group of independent United Nations experts on Thursday condemned violence against civilians in Israel and deplored the "collective punishment" of reprisal strikes against Gaza.
According to the Ministry of Health in Gaza Strip, health services have reached a critical stage, medicines, medical consumables, and fuel will run out “imminently”.
Hospitals are working at full capacity and there is no place for the wounded from Israeli airstrikes to be treated.
“The complete embargo on electricity, water, and fuel by Israeli occupation forces poses a danger to the lives of the wounded and sick people, which causes a serious health and environmental disaster,” said Spokesperson of the Ministry of Health, Dr. Ashraf Qudera.
According to the ministry, 1203 Palestinians killed since start of escalation on morning of 7 October, and 5763 citizens were injured.
9:02pm
The United Nations Palestinian refugee agency said on Wednesday it was seeking $104 million for life-saving aid to Gaza, which has been pounded by Israeli reprisal strikes following attacks by Hamas against Israel.
8:06pm
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday spoke with US President Joe Biden again amid the ongoing war with Hamas, and thanked the leader for his "unequivocal" support to the nation.
8pm
By Wednesday, around 8pm Doha (Qatar)-based international news channel Al Jazeera reported that so far, 1,200 Israelis have been killed while over 5,000 Palestinians have perished as the war rages on.
7:49pm
Negotiations are underway to allow US citizens and peaceful Palestinians to leave the Gaza Strip for Egypt before the start of a possible Israeli military ground operation, CNN reported on Wednesday, citing a senior Israeli official.
The proposal that is being discussed implies that US citizens will be allowed to pass through the Rafah border crossing after providing a US passport, and the number of Palestinian civilians allowed to leave the Gaza Strip will be limited to 2,000 people per day, the broadcaster reported.
4:52pm
Nine United Nations staffers working with the UN Palestinian refugee agency have been killed in air strikes on the Gaza Strip since Saturday, the United Nations wrote on X social media platform on Wednesday.
4:17pm
Moscow has always supported a two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday.
Speaking at the plenary session of the Russian Energy Week, Putin said that Russia's position on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has remained the same over decades, and this stance is well known in both Israel and Palestine.
3pm
The SA BDS Coalition, South African activists, trade unions and civil society took to the streets on Wednesday afternoon to show support for the Palestinian people in their struggle for justice, equality, the right to resist and achieve liberation from Israeli settler colonialism and apartheid.
The Phoenix Settlement Gandhi Development Trust and the Pietermaritzburg Gandhi Foundation have on Wednesday released a joint statement, calling on the UN and the international community to facilitate an immediate ceasefire in Israel and Gaza and a cessation of hostilities.
They said: “We urge Palestinians and Israelis not only to exercise restraint but to earnestly find a negotiated settlement to this long-standing tension in the region. The peace talks that came to a halt in the last few years must be resumed as a matter of urgency, and the various resolutions taken by the UN on the Israel/Palestine situation must be enforced and implemented.”
2pm
The Palestinian Ministry of Health says about 60% of the injuries caused by the Israeli airstrikes were among women and children in the Gaza Strip.
1.30pm
According to Deputy Minister of Health for Gaza Dr. Youssef Abu Alrish, all hospital beds, medications, and medical supplies have been fully exhausted and are on their way to depletion.
1pm
A bank account at British bank Barclays linked to fundraising for the Palestinian militant group Hamas has been frozen, Israeli police said.
According to communication from the the Gaza Ministry of Health, a total of 1055 Palestinians killed since start of escalation on morning of 7 October, and 5184 citizens were injured.
The Ministry of Health also mourns Dr. Sirin Al-Attar and her daughter who were killed during an Israeli air strike in the Bureij area.
12pm
Norway's Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt said the international community should continue to provide financial aid to the Palestinian people and institutions.
Meanwhile, Finland plans to offer to evacuate its citizens and holders of permanent Finnish residency from Israel and Palestinian territories, daily Iltalehti reported on Wednesday, citing foreign minister Elina Valtonen.
Wednesday October 11 7am
Israeli troops say they have killed at least 1,000 Palestinian gunmen who infiltrated from Gaza in incursions that began at the weekend.
In quotes carried by Israel Hayom newspaper online, chief military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said that among Hamas targets destroyed in a Gaza counter-offensive was an advanced system for tracking aircraft.
The Palestinian Chronicle reported that the Palestinian Ministry of Health said the number of Palestinians shot and killed by the Israeli occupation forces in the West Bank since Saturday has risen to 21.
The ministry added in a statement made at dawn on Wednesday that in addition to those killed, about 130 people have been wounded by Israeli bullets in the West Bank during the same period.
9:05pm
Nine hundred people were killed, including 260 children and 230 women, along with 4,600 wounded in the Gaza Strip since Saturday, the health ministry in the coastal enclave said late on Tuesday.
8pm
US President Joe Biden said he discussed support for Israel in his call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday after meeting with US national security teams "to direct next steps."
7:52pm
Israel has the right to defend itself but some of its decisions would breach international law, European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told reporters on Tuesday.
6:33pm
Activity at Israel's ports is slowing after Saturday's attacks by Hamas on towns close to Gaza, with the cost of insurance premiums for Israeli shipments soaring amid tightening supplies of food stocks, according to sources and data.
5:37pm
President Joe Biden on Tuesday will stress US support for Israel as it reels from the killing of more than 1,000 people, including at least 11 Americans, from a surprise attack launched by Palestinian Hamas militants.
4pm
According to Egyptian-based state news agency MENA, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said the escalation between Israel and the Palestinians is “highly dangerous” and has consequences that could impact the security and stability of the region.
2pm
The United States, France, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom announced that they will be co-ordinated and work together as “common friends to Israel to ensure Israel can defend itself.”
1:30pm
The Archbishop Tutu Intellectual Property Trust released a statement, saying it hoped the United States’ response to the situationwould not be on the same level of “awfulness” as that of the attackers.
“The State of Israel has the opportunity either to respond to the Hamas atrocity by perpetrating more extreme violence, as it is doing, or by breaking the cycle of violence and committing itself to a new path of justice founded on the principle of human inter-dependence and mutual respect,” said the statement that was released on behalf of Chairperson of the Archbishop Tutu Intellectual Property Trust, Dr Mamphela Ramphele.
Tuesday October 10 1pm
Israeli air strikes struck residential buildings and schools across Gaza. The United Nations Human Rights chief warned that the "sieges" were illegal under international law.
Israel says the strikes are in retaliation for Hamas militants' surprise attacks on Israel at the weekend.
Tuesday October 10 12pm
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, the number of Palestinians killed had risen to 788 and 4,100 were injured as a result of Israeli strikes since the start of the Al-Aqsa Flood operation.
The death toll within Israel from Saturday’s attacks has risen to over 900, with 2,400 injured.
Israel has vowed fuel, food, and electricity supplies to the Gaza Strip will all be stopped. The IDF has activated 300,000 reservists and now has 35 battalions at the Gaza border.
Tuesday October 10 8:00am
The Palestine Chronicles reported that three Palestinians were killed in Israeli shelling targeting a house in the town of Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
According to Israeli Army, Israeli soldiers’ death toll rises to 73, including five members from the Golani Elite Brigade.
The emergency plan by the Ministry of Health - Gaza Strip has been deployed. This means that all health facilities are functioning to respond to those who are injured by Israeli aggression
We learn that The Embassy of the State of Palestine commends the South African government, people, political parties, faith groups and solidarity organisations for their solidarity and calls for continued support for the Palestinian rights.
Monday October 9 8:48pm
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called on the UN to immediately intervene to prevent the occurrence of a humanitarian catastrophe due to the "ongoing Israeli aggression, especially in Gaza," the official news agency WAFA reported.
Monday October 9 8:29 pm
The Palestinian death toll from Israeli attacks on Gaza rose to 687, a spokesman for the health ministry said on Monday.
The spokesman also said in a press conference that 3,726 people were wounded. The deaths included 140 children and 105 women, he added.
Monday October 9 6:46pm
The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Monday that he was "deeply distressed" by an announcement that Israel will initiate a complete siege of the Gaza Strip following an attack by Palestinian Islamist group Hamas over the weekend.
Monday, October 9 2.30pm (GMT +3)
According to media reports, 12 missiles were fired from southern Lebanon toward Israel.
The Israeli Army radio said the Israeli death toll has risen to 800, and Hamas fighters are still infiltrating Israel to carry out attacks.
1:30 pm (GMT +3)
Al-Qassam spokesman said the Israeli occupation’s bombing of Gaza led to the killing of four enemy prisoners. Israelis bombed a market in the Jabaliya refugee camp, killing at least 50 Palestinians.
According to the Palestine Chronicle, sources on the ground say that the attack is a response to the Israeli army and settlers’ violence in the West Bank and the killing of a large number of children.
Israeli Defence Minister Gallant described the Palestinians as “human animals” and vowed they would act accordingly.
1pm (GMT +3)
The al-Qassam Brigades said that they bombed Tel Aviv and Jerusalem with missile salvos in response to the bombing of civilian homes in the Gaza Strip.
Sirens went off in and around Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
According to the Israeli ambulance, at least three Israelis were injured as a result of a missile attack. One person was severely injured as a result of a missile falling in Ashdod.
12:30 pm (GMT +3)
The Israeli army launched Operation Iron Swords in response to Operation al-Aqsa Flood and continues to launch intensive raids on many areas in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant said they were given orders to impose a complete siege on Gaza. This entails no electricity, no water, and no fuel.
Al-Qassam Brigades confirmed throwing rockets at Tel Aviv and Jerusalem as a response to the Israeli bombing of civilian homes in Gaza.
12:00 pm (GMT +3)
The Health Ministry in Gaza said 510 Palestinians were killed and 2,751 injured.
The al-Qassam Brigades revealed they had brought into service a locally manufactured ‘Mutabar 1’ air defence system.
11am (GMT +3)
The United Nations says that 123,000 people have been displaced in the Gaza Strip since the start of the escalation.
10:00 am (GMT +3)
Gaza authorities reported that the Israeli military has carried out massacres against a total of 15 families throughout the Gaza Strip.
8:30 am (GMT +3)
Xinhua reported that a Hamas leader told Qatar he is not against the idea of a prisoner exchange that secures the release of all Palestinian female prisoners.
It was also reported that Qatar is working to achieve a rapid prisoner exchange between Israel and the Gaza Resistance.
Saturday and Sunday
Major international airlines have suspended or limited flight services to or from Tel Aviv after the attack, saying they were waiting for safety conditions to improve.
Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin said Sunday that the US is getting ready to send additional weaponry and other military assistance to Israel.
Israel's ambassador to the United Nations on Sunday accused Palestinian Islamist group Hamas of war crimes, vowing that it was time to "obliterate Hamas terror infrastructure" as the UN Security Council met to discuss the conflict.
On Saturday Hamas kicked off a surprise attack called Operation Al-Aqsa Flood at about 6:30 am (GMT+3). This entailed infiltrating Israeli towns, targeting military outposts and firing a barrage of rockets in various parts of the country.
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