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Palestinians conduct a search and rescue operation stuck under the debris of a destroyed building after an Israeli airstrike in Rafah, Gaza (Photo: Abed Rahim Khatib/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Israel said it has hit more 320 targets in Gaza as defence minister Yoav Gallant warned the military campaign could last months.
Western leaders have urged Israel to protect civilians as airstrikes continue on the Gaza Strip, with Israel also launching attacks on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon overnight.
Meanwhile, China has warned that it views the situation in Gaza as “very serious” and risks armed conflict spreading to neighbouring borders.
Overnight there were 60 air strikes in this so-called safe area in Khan Younis, where Israel asked us to go.
But the most intense air strikes were around Al-Quds hospital in Gaza City – where the director of the hospital, for the third time, received a call from Israeli intelligence asking them to evacuate the hospital.
He told me this morning they have 500 patients in the hospital. Another 1,500 people are sheltering in the hospital – they decided not to leave because he said there is no place to go.
He said there were 10 strikes within 100 metres of his hospital.
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UN – Gazans heading back north despite Israeli warnings
Some people who fled northern Gaza after Israeli forces told them to leave are now heading back, says the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.
Thomas White from the UNRWA tells the Today programme on BBC Radio 4: “It’s very dangerous in the north but people are losing their lives in the south as well.”
White said 8,000 people were taking shelter in his organisation’s warehouse complex and surviving on just one litre of water a day and small amounts of bread.
As a reminder, the Israeli military says it hit 320 targets across the Gaza Strip in the past 24 hours.
Copyright: ReutersImage caption: Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, was hit overnight
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Israel’s president says Hamas fighter was carrying chemical weapons manual
Copyright: ReutersIsraeli President Isaac Herzog has claimed in a Sky News interview that a guide to making chemical weapons was found on the body of a dead Hamas soldier.
The guide, discovered on a USB storage device that the Hamas militant had been carrying, was “al-Qaeda material” on how to weaponise cyanide, a highly toxic chemical, said Herzog.
It was found in Kibbutz Be’eri, where Hamas rampaged through on 7 October, killing dozens of people and taking hostages.
“We’re dealing with ISIS (Islamic State group), al-Qaeda and Hamas,” said Herzog, who also posted about his claims.
“In this material, there are instructions how to produce chemical weapons, this speaks about arson, speaks about various chemicals that come out and produce chemical weapons, simple as that.”
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In pictures: Khan Younis wakes to more damage
It’s just turned 09:30 in Israel and Gaza – and 07:30 in our London newsroom.
Israeli strikes have continued throughout Gaza overnight, and we’re now beginning to receive images of some of the damage.
Khan Younis, in southern Gaza, was among the areas hit:
Copyright: ReutersCopyright: ReutersCopyright: ReutersCopyright: Reuters -
Palestinian officials say 27 people killed in strikes
The Palestinian interior ministry has just said17 people were killed and dozens injured by two separate Israeli strikes in northern Gaza.
One hit a house in Jabalia while another hit an apartment in the Al-Faluga neighbourhood this morning, officials said.
Another 10 were killed in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, the ministry added.
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Analysis Israel says military campaign in Gaza could take months
Paul Adams
Diplomatic correspondent, in Jerusalem
Copyright: Getty ImagesIsrael’s Defence Minister Yoav Gallant says the military’s campaign in Gaza “may take a month, two or three, but at the end there will be no more Hamas”.
Gallant was speaking after operational briefing at the Israeli Air Force Operations Command and Control Centre.
“In terms of the operational aspects of manoeuvring, at the end of the day, nothing will stop the IDF (Israel Defence Forces)”, he said.
“This should be our last manoeuvring operation in Gaza, for the simple reason that afterwards there will be no more Hamas.”
The minister expressed his appreciation to the air force and said the next stage, a widely-anticipated ground operation, “will come soon”.
How soon remains unclear.
In the next two days, visits are expected from the Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and the French President Emmanuel Macron.
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IDF says 320 targets struck in Gaza over last day
Israeli forces have attacked 320 targets across the Gaza Strip in the last day, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
Posting on X, formerly Twitter, the IDF says it targeted Hamas infrastructure, including tunnels and operational headquarters.
It also says it hit positions that could “endanger” its forces being prepared for “manoeuvre” – that is, a ground invasion – in the Gaza Strip.
In a separate update on its activity in northern Israel, the IDF says its forces struck four Hezbollah cells on the border with Lebanon.
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What’s happened in the last few hours?
Good morning to our readers in the UK, Middle East and Europe. It’s now just past 09:00 in Gaza, which saw continued bombardment from Israel overnight.
Here’s what happened in the last few hours:
- Overnight strikes in Gaza have killed or injured “large numbers” of people, according to the Hamas-run interior ministry. There have also been reports of explosions near several hospitals, some of which Hamas claims were the result of Israeli airstrikes. An Israeli military spokesperson tells the BBC they are checking these claims
- An Israeli soldier was killed in Gaza while searching for hostages while several others were wounded, says the Israeli military
- The leaders of the US, UK, Canada, France, Germany, and Italy used a joint call to reiterate their support for Israel’s “right to defend itself against terrorism” but also call for “adherence to international humanitarian law”
- A second humanitarian convoy comprised of 14 trucks carrying aid was allowed to enter Gaza on Sunday, bringing what Martin Griffiths, the UN’s under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, called a “small glimmer of hope”
- Israel’s military said its aircraft had struck two Hezbollah cells inside Lebanon that were planning to launch anti-tank missiles and rockets towards Israeli territory
This has been Tessa Wong and Joel Guinto in Singapore – we’re now handing over the live page to our colleagues in London.
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Israeli soldier killed in Gaza while searching for hostages – IDF
An Israeli soldier has been killed during a local raid in Gaza, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have said.
Three other IDF soldiers were wounded – one moderately and two lightly – in the attack, said spokesman Daniel Hagari on social media. Hagari said soldiers had been searching for missing Israelis and clearing the area when it happened.
“An anti-tank missile fired at a tank and an engineering vehicle during a local raid carried out earlier today in the Gaza Strip, in the Kissuf area,” he wrote.
It’s not known exactly where he was killed. The Kissuf area is on the Gaza border, and the Times of Israel says it happened on the western side of the border fence, within Gaza.
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Gazan interior ministry says ‘large number’ of casualties after overnight strikes
Copyright: ReutersImage caption: The aftermath of a strike in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, on Monday morning Overnight strikes across the Gaza Strip have led to “large numbers” of deaths and injuries, according to a statement from the Hamas-run interior ministry in Gaza.
Posting on Telegram, the ministry said the strikes hit last night and early this morning. It did not provide the exact number of casualties. It said a number of homes were hit “without warning”.
The ministry also shared a series of images which appear to show blasted buildings and emergency service personnel picking through the rubble for bodies in the aftermath.
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IDF spokesperson: ‘If you can’t stand with Israel’s defence, there is something wrong with your morals’
A spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces has said that if people can’t stand with Israel in its war against Hamas, there is something “very wrong” with their morals.
Lt Col Jonathan Conricus was speaking to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, which had asked him about a brewing debate in Sydney over whether the town hall should be lit up in colours of the Israeli flag.
Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore has said she will block the light display’s proposal due to be filed today, since it will go against the city’s “values of inclusiveness and harmony”.
Conricus said: “It is very clear here. We are not the aggressors. We did not start this war. We did not go into their communities and take women and children. We are now defending ourselves. If you can’t take a stand with that, I think there is something very wrong with your morals.”
He added he was directing his message to “ordinary persons, people of power and elected officials”.
Rights groups, aid agencies and UN experts have criticised Israel’s bombardment and blockade of the Gaza Strip, which they said amounted to “collective punishment” of Palestinian civilians there.
When the blue and white Israeli colours were projected onto the Sydney Opera House earlier this month, pro-Palestine groups had staged a rally around the national icon.
Copyright: Getty ImagesImage caption: The Sydney town hall at night Copyright: ReutersImage caption: The Israeli colours were earlier projected on the Sydney Opera House, sparking a pro-Palestine rally -
WHO calls on Israel to reconsider evacuation order
Copyright: BBCAs we reported earlier, Israel has ordered everyone in Gaza’s north to evacuate the region, including those in hospitals.
But that task is “almost impossible”, says spokesperson for the World Health Organisation, Tarik Jašarević and the organisation is calling on Israel to reconsider that order.
“There are patients who are there that cannot simply be moved, many there are on mechanical ventilators, there are newborns on incubators, people in unstable conditions, and it’s very difficult to move them,” he told the BBC.
“We are calling on Israel to reconsider this order,” he said.
Jašarević said four trucks of surgical and trauma materials, as well as medicines for chronic diseases were brought into Gaza through the Rafah border crossing recently, “but that is not nearly enough”.
He said there were more trucks with supplies ready to go on the Egyptian side of the border, but lacked security guarantees that the supplies could be safely brought in.
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When will Israel launch its ground offensive?
Since the Hamas attacks of 7 October, Israel has bombarded Gaza and amassed troops by the border, in apparent preparation for a ground offensive.
In separate interviews, two spokespersons for the Israel Defence Forces addressed the question of when such an offensive would take place.
Lt Col Peter Lenner told the BBC’s Newshour that the timing would take into account efforts to release the dozens of hostages held by Hamas.
“The ground offensive, if it happens, will be at the best operational time,” he says.
Meanwhile Lt Col Jonathan Conricus told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that “the war will end” if Hamas surrenders and releases their hostages.
If Hamas refuses, Conricus said, “we will probably have to go in and get it done”.
“The end state of this war is a dismantled Hamas that never ever will have the ability to threaten any Israeli civilian,” he said.
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In pictures: Collapsed buildings and injured people in Gaza
On Sunday, Israel carried out airstrikes across Gaza that continued into the night.
Pictures filed by news agencies show collapsed buildings and injured people.
Warning: some readers may find these images upsetting.
Copyright: Getty ImagesImage caption: Emergency workers and civilians dig through the rubble of a building in the southern city of Rafah Copyright: Getty ImagesImage caption: An injured child is carried in the central city of Deir al-Balah Copyright: Getty ImagesImage caption: An injured man is lifted onto a sheet in Deir al-Balah Copyright: Getty ImagesImage caption: Two members of the Palestinian Red Crescent carry an injured child in the southern city of Khan Yunis Copyright: Getty ImagesImage caption: A photo taken from the southern Israeli city of Sderot shows columns of smoke billowing in Gaza -
Gaza hospital short on medical supplies – doctor
A doctor at Al-Shifa hospital has told the BBC’s Newshour programme about the dire conditions they’re facing. His interview was done several hours ago, before the latest reported explosions near Al-Shifa, which is the area’s main medical centre.
The hospital has run out of bandages to dress wounds, as well as pins and rods to fix fractures, says Dr Ghassan Abu Sittah.
“The disintegration of the system continues. We have more and more wounded come in,” he says.
The electricity supply is also a concern, especially for patients who are in intensive care. “Without electricity this hospital is just a mass grave,” he says.
Hospital staff are working 16 to 18 hour shifts while worrying about the safety of their families, he adds.
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Listen: BBC’s Lyse Doucet on West Bank attack and hostages
Copyright: BBCThe latest episode of Newscast features the BBC’s chief international correspondent Lyse Doucet, who’s currently in Ashkelon.
Among other aspects of the Israel-Hamas war, she discusses:
- Israel’s attacks on what it said was a terrorist compound in Jenin, in the West Bank
- Hostages and their effect on military tactics
- The BBC’s Rushdi Abualouf who she describes as being a devoted father – he has shared how his family, who usually live in Gaza City, are getting on
You can listen to the latest episode right here.
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Explosions reported near Gaza hospitals
In the last few hours there have been reports of explosions near several hospitals in Gaza. It’s still unclear if there are any casualties.
The hospitals include Al-Shifa, the largest medical complex in Gaza, as well as Al-Quds and the Indonesian Hospital, according to the Reuters news agency citing Palestinian media.
On its Telegram channel, Hamas has published a video which it claimed was an Israeli airstrike near Al-Quds. It also published pictures of a destroyed building, claiming it was behind the Kuwaiti Hospital. We are not able to independently verify the video and pictures at this point.
The BBC has asked the Israel Defense Forces to confirm if they have launched airstrikes on targets in those areas, and they’ve told us they are checking.
We’ll bring you the latest developments once we know more.
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Doctor warns of risk to babies in Gaza hospitals if generators run out of fuel
Hospitals across Gaza are desperate for supplies, and despite the first 20 aid trucks entering from Egypt on Saturday, no fuel has entered Gaza since the conflict began.
On Sunday, Unicef warned that 120 babies in incubators – including 70 premature newborns also on ventilators – are dependent on machines linked up to backup generators which were deployed when Gaza’s electricity supply from Israel was switched off.
Gaza director for charity Medical Aid for Palestinian, Fikr Shalltoot, said premature babies may not survive if the generators stop running.
“On that ward there is a 32-week-old baby who doctors managed to save after its mother was killed in an air strike,” she told the BBC. “The mother and whole family died but the baby was saved.”
Fuel trucks were earlier seen near the Rafah crossing but there’s been no confirmation that they’ve been able to cross into Gaza.
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Canadian PM reaffirms support for Israel and expresses concern for Gaza civilians
Copyright: ReutersCanadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reaffirmed Canada’s support for Israel to defend itself in accordance with international law, and his concern over the humanitarian situation in Gaza while speaking to Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
Security forces intervene with tear gas after protesters tried to cross the barbed wire in front of the US Embassy in Beirut (Photo: Houssam Shbaro/Anadolu/ Getty Images)
In a post on X, Trudeau said the pair “spoke about hostages held by Hamas, and the need for their immediate release,” as well as voicing his support “for the right of both Israelis and Palestinians to live in peace and security”.
Speaking on Thursday, Trudeau had said he was not ready to accept the US finding that Palestinian militants were behind a deadly blast at the crowded Al-Ahli hospital in Gaza City.
But on Saturday, Canada’s National Department of Defence said Israel was not behind the blast.
In a statement the defence department said analysis carried out by the country’s intelligence command indicated a “high degree of confidence that Israel didn’t strike the Al-Ahli hospital on 17 October”.
Hamas blamed Israel for the attack, while Israel blamed Hamas.
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What’s the latest?
Copyright: PA MediaGood morning to our readers in Asia and Oceania. Israel’s bombardment of the Gaza strip appears to be continuing for the 16th night – there are some reports coming in now and we’re looking into them.
Meanwhile, here’s what else happened on Sunday evening:
- A second humanitarian convoy comprised of 14 trucks carrying aid was allowed to enter Gaza, bringing what Martin Griffiths, the UN’s under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, called a “small glimmer of hope” to people in the territory
- President Biden spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and later said the two had “affirmed that there will now be a continued flow of this critical aid to Palestinians in need”
- Oxfam’s humanitarian lead, Magnus Corfixen, told the BBC that “letting in a few trucks a day is simply not sufficient” and called for aid agencies to be given “unfettered access” to Gaza
- Israel’s far-right security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, said there should be no guarantee of “continuous aid” to the territory unless Hamas agrees to release all the hostages it still holds
- The leaders of the US, UK, Canada, France, Germany, and Italy used a joint call to reiterate their support for Israel’s “right to defend itself against terrorism” but also call for “adherence to international humanitarian law”
- Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and French President Emmanuel Macron have announced that they will visit Israel next week
- Israel’s military said its aircraft had struck two Hezbollah cells inside Lebanon that were planning to launch anti-tank missiles and rockets towards Israeli territory
- Hundreds of people gathered in London’s Trafalgar Square to call for the safe return of the hostages from Gaza. Protesters carried pictures of those being held and heard speeches from MPs and leaders from the Jewish community.
- Source:BBC
