Hamas fighters battle invading Israeli troops in parts of bombarded Gaza as Palestinian death toll surges above 9,220 and Arab leaders ramp up pressure on Israel and its ally US to end war — now in its 28th day.
14:11 GMT — No ceasefire with Hamas until hostages freed — Netanyahu
Israel will not agree to any temporary ceasefire with Hamas until the more than 240 hostages taken by the resistance movement during its operation on Oct. 7 are released, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said.
"Israel refuses a temporary ceasefire that does not include the return of our hostages," he said during a televised address.
13:53 GMT — Hamas Oct. 7 operation was '100% Palestinian': Hezbollah leader
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, speaking for the first time since Israel's war on Gaza began, said that the operation launched by the Hamas resistance group against Israel on Oct. 7 was "100 percent Palestinian".
A formidable military force backed by Iran, Hezbollah has been engaging Israeli forces along the Lebanon-Israel border in the deadliest escalation since it fought a war with Israel in 2006.
Nasrallah thanked groups in Yemen and Iraq, part of what is known as the "Axis of Resistance".
He said the Oct. 7 operation led to an "earthquake" in Israel and that it exposed the country's weakness. Hezbollah chief also said the US is 'entirely responsible' for the Gaza war.
13:52 GMT — Israeli tank commander killed in fighting in northern Gaza
An Israeli tank commander was killed in ongoing fighting with Palestinian fighters in northern Gaza, the country's army said.
The army identified the tank commander, 21, as Staff Sgt. Itay Saadon, said local media, including the Times of Israel news website, citing an official statement.
13:45 GMT — Pope spoke to Palestine's President Abbas on Thursday: Vatican spokesperson
Pope Francis had a phone call with the President of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas on "Thursday late afternoon," a Vatican spokesman said, without giving details of what was discussed.
13:43 GMT — French Institute in Gaza hit by Israeli air strike: French FM
The French Institute in Gaza was hit by an Israeli air strike, but no injuries were reported among staff at the site, the French Foreign Ministry has said.
The ministry added in a statement that it had asked Israeli authorities for more information regarding the strike at the Institute.
13:36 GMT — UN aid chief: 'some progress' in talks on letting fuel into Gaza
The United Nations aid chief has said that there had been "some progress" in ongoing negotiations to allow fuel into the Israeli-besieged Gaza for the first time since hostilities began on Oct. 7.
"I heard just this morning as I came in, there has been some progress on allowing some more fuel in through these negotiations," Martin Griffiths told a meeting at the United Nations in New York, referring to ongoing negotiations between the global body, Israel, Egypt and the United States. "I hope to see that confirmed during today."
13:33 GMT — Organisation of Turkic States condemns attacks on civilians in Gaza
Leaders of the Organisation of Turkic States (OTS) expressed concern over the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine and condemned all attacks targeting civilians in the besieged Gaza.
A joint declaration, adopted at the 10th Summit of the Organisation of Turkic States held in Kazakhstan’s capital Astana, called on all parties to the conflict to declare an “immediate cease-fire to protect civilians and to provide immediate and unhindered humanitarian aid throughout Gaza.”
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict can only be resolved through peaceful means based on relevant UN resolutions and the two-state solution, the Astana declaration said, adding a “guarantee mechanism” is required to ensure this.
13:28 GMT — Israeli strike kills 14 people fleeing to south Gaza
The Health Ministry in Gaza has said that an Israeli strike killed 14 Palestinians who were fleeing from the bombarded territory's north to its south.
"The occupation committed a new massacre against displaced civilians and killed 14 citizens, children and women," ministry spokesman Ashraf al Qudra said in a statement.
Witnesses said the strike hit Gaza's coastal road, which the Israeli military has previously told civilians to take to travel south.
12:37 GMT — Israeli raids kill 7 Palestinians in occupied West Bank: ministry
Israeli forces killed seven Palestinians in raids across the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Health Ministry said, as violence surges in the occupied territory in tandem with the Gaza war.
It said three men aged between 17 and 26 were killed in the northern city of Jenin, a stronghold of Palestinian armed groups and the target of frequent military incursions.
According to Palestinian official news agency Wafa, two of them died when a drone strike hit a house in the city's refugee camp.
12:36 GMT — Gaza's death toll from Israeli assault climbs to 9,227
The Palestinian death toll from the ongoing Israeli military offensive in Gaza has climbed to 9,227, the Health Ministry in the blockaded enclave has said.
"The victims include 3,826 children and 2,405 women, while 23,516 other people were injured,” ministry spokesperson Ashraf al Qudra told a news conference in Gaza City.
He said 2,100 people are still trapped under the rubble in Gaza, including 1,200 children.
"The Israeli attacks left 136 medics dead and 25 ambulances destroyed," al Qudra said.
"Sixteen massacres have been documented within the past hours, taking 196 victims, raising the total number of massacres committed by the occupation to 997," he added.
12:26 GMT — US urges Israel to protect civilians in Gaza, ensure aid delivery
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has urged Israel to do everything in its power to protect civilians caught in the fighting in Gaza and ensure they receive humanitarian aid while underscoring the country’s right to defend itself.
“We stand strongly for the proposition that Israel has not only the right but the obligation to defend itself, and to make sure that October 7 should never happen again," Blinken said.
"How Israel does this matters and it is very important that when it comes to the protection of civilians who are caught in the crossfire of Hamas making that everything to be done to protect them and to bring assistance to those who so desperately need it."
This is Blinken's third trip to Israel since the war began and he also plans to visit Amman, Jordan. It follows President Joe Biden's suggestion for a humanitarian "pause" in the fighting.
11:30 GMT — Colombian president lambastes Israel's use of white phosphorus bombs
Colombia's president decried Israel's use of white phosphorus bombs in Gaza.
Gustavo Petro shared footage on X of Israel using a white phosphorus bomb in Gaza and said: "The bomb you see in the video is made of white phosphorus. It sticks to the skin, penetrates bones, and kills in excruciating pain. The Israeli State dropped it."
Petro, stating that the use of white phosphorous bombs constitutes a war crime under international law, remarked: "There are children playing down below. The area where the bomb was dropped belongs to the UN."
"International law is not arbitrary and binds all nations worldwide. War criminals, regardless of their religion, ideology, or nationality, should be prosecuted and imprisoned," he said.
11:21 GMT — Israeli army says it killed senior Hamas military commander in Gaza
The Israeli army has said that it killed a senior military commander of Hamas’ military wing Qassam Brigades in an air strike in the south of Gaza city.
In a statement, the Israeli army and the Israeli Security Service (Shin Bet) identified the commander as Mustafa Dalul, who they said was the commander of Qassam Brigades’ Sabra and Tal al Hawa Battalion.
According to the statement, Dalul "played a central role" in fighting against the Israeli army in Gaza, and had several military positions in Qassam Brigades over recent years.
The Hamas' Qassam Brigades has yet to comment on the Israeli claim.
10:40 GMT — UN 'deeply concerned' as Israel sends Palestinian workers back to Gaza
The UN voiced deep concern as Israel began sending back thousands of Palestinian workers, who had been stuck in Israel since the start of hostilities, back to Gaza.
"They are being sent back, we don't know exactly to where," and whether they "even have a home to go to", and "we are deeply concerned about that", UN human rights office spokeswoman Elizabeth Throssell told a press conference.
10:24 GMT — Situation in the occupied West Bank 'alarming and urgent': UN
The situation in the occupied West Bank is "alarming and urgent", the United Nations said, noting in particular the violence carried out by Israeli settlers against the Palestinian population.
While much attention has been focused on the war on Gaza, "the situation in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, is alarming and urgent", UN human rights office spokeswoman Elizabeth Throssell told a briefing in Geneva.
10:17 GMT: New US ambassador to Israel resumes office
The newly appointed US ambassador to Israel arrived in the country on Friday to assume his position, which had been vacant for months, as war rages between Israel and Hamas.
Jack Lew, who was sworn in on Thursday, was on board the plane that brought US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Israel, an AFP journalist said.
Lew, 68, is due to present his credentials to Israeli President Isaac Herzog in the coming days.
4:14 GMT — Four patients have died after the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital, the only hospital for cancer patients in Gaza, fell out of service.
"Four cancer patients lost their lives today as a result of the Turkish Friendship Hospital stopping and being completely out of service due to the crisis of running out of fuel," the hospital's director, Subhi Skaik, told Anadolu news agency.
"The deaths occurred due to the lack of necessary medical capabilities," he added.
3:33 GMT — US flying drones over Gaza in search of detainees
The United States has been flying surveillance drones over Gaza in search of detainees taken by Hamas when the Palestinian resistance group launched an unprecedented blitz on Israel on October 7, according to two US officials.
The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the US was flying intelligence gathering drones over Gaza to assist with hostage location efforts. One of the officials said they had been carrying out the drone flights for over a week.
US officials have said 10 Americans who remain unaccounted for may be among the more than 200 people seized and taken into Gaza, where they are believed to be held in Hamas' extensive tunnel network.
2:50 GMT - Israeli troops kill two Palestinians in West Bank
Two people have been killed during an Israeli military incursion into the occupied West Bank city of Jenin, the Palestinian Health Ministry said, as fighting there continues alongside the conflict in Gaza.
The latest deaths in the West Bank come in addition to three Palestinians killed by Israeli troops on Thursday and an Israeli killed in a Palestinian shooting attack, according to first responders.
2:00 GMT - Israel used disproportionate force against Palestinians in West Bank: UN report
UN chief Antonio Guterres has said in a new report that Israel used disproportionate force against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and that in some cases killings "appeared to amount to extrajudicial executions."
In the report, Guterres said Israeli forces have escalated the use of deadly force in recent years across the occupied West Bank, while attacks by Palestinians also rose.
He said Israeli forces killed 304 Palestinians, including 61 boys and 2 girls, in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem during the two-year period ending May 31.
2:30 GMT - Israel stops paying tax revenues to Palestinian Authority
Israel will stop providing funding to the Palestinian Authority [PA] earmarked for Gaza and will bar Palestinians in Gaza from working in Israel, the country said in a statement.
The decision by Israel's Security Cabinet would punish the cash-strapped PA for continuing salaries. "Israel is severing off all contact with Gaza," the statement read.
Under interim peace accords from the 1990s, Israel collects tax funds on behalf of Palestinians and transfers the money to the PA each month.
For our live updates from Thursday (November 2), click here.
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