Palestinians pray for their relatives killed in the Israeli bombardment, at the Nasser hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Sunday, Nov. 19, 2023. (AP Photo)
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Israel-Hamas war LIVE: 12 killed at Indonesian hospital in Gaza; 14 Palestinians killed in two Israeli air strikes on houses in Rafah
The Israeli military issued a statement with video of air strikes and troops going house-to-house, saying it killed three Hamas company commanders and a squad of Palestinian fighters.
TNIE online desk
At least 14 Palestinians were killed in two Israeli air strikes on houses in the town of Rafah, near the border with Egypt, reports quoting health officials said on Monday.
According to Reuters, the Israeli military issued a statement with video of air strikes and troops going house-to-house, saying it killed three Hamas company commanders and a squad of Palestinian fighters, without giving specific locations.
On Monday, a shell struck the second floor of the Indonesian Hospital, killing at least 12 people, according to the Health Ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza and a medical worker inside the facility. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.
The Israeli military on Sunday said that it had uncovered a tunnel under Gaza's Al-Shifa hospital that stretched 55-metres beneath the war-torn complex where troops have been conducting a major operation. "IDF troops exposed a 55-meter-long terror tunnel 10 metres deep underneath the Shifa hospital complex," which ran under the hospital and ended at a blast door, an army statement said.
However, Mounir El Barsh, the Gaza health ministry director, told Al Jazeera television that the Israeli statement was a "pure lie". "They have been at the hospital for eight days ... and yet they haven't found anything," he said.
Israel also stepped up its accusations against Hamas and claimed that one of its soldiers was killed by Hamas inside Al-Shifa and that it had taken two foreign hostages, a Nepalese and a Thai, from its October 7 incursion, to the hospital, Reuters reported.
On Sunday, Palestinian medics evacuated 31 premature babies from the Al-Shifa hospital Sunday in a high-risk operation, the UN said, pledging to also move patients and staff who remain there. According to WHO officials, 12 babies have already been flown to Cairo.
On Saturday, a health ministry official in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip said more than 80 people were killed on Saturday in twin Israeli strikes on the Jabalia refugee camp. UN officials said thousands of displaced Palestinians had been sheltering at the school and Martin Griffiths denounced the "tragic news of the children, women and men killed".
Israel has pounded Gaza relentlessly from the air, land and sea since October 7 when Hamas militants stormed into southern Israel killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping some 240 others, according to Israeli authorities.
Since then, health officials in Hamas-run Gaza say Israel's relentless campaign has killed at least 13,000 people, also mostly civilians.
The Hamas government said more than 5,600 children were among the dead, alongside 3,550 women, with another 31,000 people wounded.
Joe Biden says he believes Gaza hostage release deal is close
US President Joe Biden said Monday he believes a deal to free hostages in Gaza is close, as hopes grew for a Qatari-mediated accord to release some captives in exchange for a pause in fighting, AFP reports.
"I believe so," Biden said, before holding up crossed fingers, when asked whether a deal was near during a Thanksgiving turkey pardoning ceremony at the White House.
WHO says 12 out of the 31 babies rescued from Al Shifa Hospital flown to Cairo; Three babies continuing treatment in southern Gaza
28 of the 31 premature babies, who were evacuated from the Al-Shifa hospital yesterday, were safely transferred to Al-Arish to receive medical treatment in Egypt.
Out of the 28 babies, 12 were flown to Cairo.
According to the Director-General of the World Health Organization, the babies are fighting serious infections and others conditions.
Hamas government says Gaza war death toll tops 13,300
The Hamas government said more than 5,600 children were among the dead, alongside 3,550 women, with another 31,000 people wounded.
The health ministry has previously said it can no longer give exact tolls as intense fighting has prevented bodies from being recovered.
A Palestinian boy carries water looted from the humanitarian aid trucks during the ongoing Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip at the border with Egypt in Rafah on Monday, November 20, 2023. (Photo | AP)
UNRWA say that the Rafah crossing from Egypt into Gaza cannot accommodate a large number of aid trucks; ask for more border openings
The Kerem Shalom border opening which is controlled by Israel has been closed since October 7, and it is the only crossing provisioned to facilitate the number of trucks.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says UN protectorate in Gaza is not a solution
Guterres said it was "important to be able to transform this tragedy into an opportunity" -- which, for him, meant moving "in a determined and irreversible way to a two-state solution."
He called for a "multi-stakeholder approach" that would see the US act as the "main guarantor" of Israel's security, while Arab nations are "essential" to support Palestinians.
"We are witnessing a killing of civilians that is unparalleled and unprecedented in any conflict since I am Secretary-General," he said.
Yemen's Houthi rebels release video of them hijacking Israeli-linked ship in the Red Sea; 25 crew held hostage
The Iran-backed Houthi rebels said they hijacked the ship over its connection to Israel and would continue to target ships in international waters that were linked to or owned by Israelis until the end of Israel's campaign against Gaza's Hamas rulers.
The Houthis said they were treating the crew members “in accordance with their Islamic values,” but did not elaborate on what that meant.
29 premature babies evacuated from Gaza arrive in Egypt
Twenty-nine premature babies arrived in Egypt on Monday, Egyptian media said, after they were evacuated from Gaza's largest hospital which has become a focal point of Israel's war with Hamas
The infants were evacuated Sunday from the Al-Shifa hospital, which the World Health Organization has described as a "death zone" as Israel seeks to uncover what it says are Hamas bases in tunnels underneath the facility
An initial 31 babies were reported evacuated from Al-Shifa to another Gaza clinic and it was not immediately clear why only 29 arrived in Egypt
Iran rejects Israel accusations over ship seized by Yemen rebels
The Iran-backed rebels in Yemen seized the Galaxy Leader on Sunday, days after they threatened to target Israeli vessels in the waterway over Israel's war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the ship "was hijacked with Iran guidance by the Yemenite Huthi militia"
At least 14 Palestinians killed in two Israeli air strikes on houses in Rafah
At least 14 Palestinians were killed in two Israeli air strikes on houses in the town of Rafah, near the border with Egypt, reports quoting health officials said
According to Reuters, the Israeli military issued a statement with video of air strikes and troops going house-to-house, saying it killed three Hamas company commanders and a squad of Palestinian fighters, without giving specific locations.
Palestinians mourn relatives killed in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip, Sunday, Nov 19, 2023. (Photo | AP)
'Horrendous events'
The level of violence ravaging Gaza in recent days is unfathomable, the UN rights chief said on Sunday
"The horrendous events of the past 48 hours in Gaza beggar belief," United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said in a statement
In Khan Yunis, in southern Gaza, the Israeli military "are dropping leaflets demanding residents go to unspecified 'recognised shelters', even as strikes take place across Gaza", he said
The World Health Organization said it had led an assessment mission to Al-Shifa hospital -- Gaza's largest and the focal point of the war in past days -- and determined it was a "death zone", urging a full evacuation
13,000 deaths
Gaza's Hamas government said on Sunday that the death toll from Israel's relentless aerial bombardment of the Palestinian territory, and fighting between Israeli troops and Hamas militants had reached 13,000 since hostilities began on October 7
The Hamas government said more than 5,500 children were among the dead, alongside 3,500 women, with 30,000 more people wounded
A Palestinian boy carries water looted from the humanitarian aid trucks during the ongoing Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip at the border with Egypt in Rafah on Monday, November 20, 2023. (Photo | AP)
Health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says 12 killed in strike at Indonesian Hospital
The health ministry in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip said Monday 12 people were killed in an Israeli strike on Indonesian Hospital in the north of the Palestinian territory
The 12, including wounded patients and their companions, "were killed and dozens wounded as a result of the Israeli occupation targeting the Indonesian Hospital", said ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra
Around 700 people remain at the hospital where they are being "besieged" by Israeli forces, Qudra said
Iran rejects Israel accusations over ship seized by Yemen rebels
Iran on Monday dismissed as "invalid" Israel's accusations that Yemen's Houthi rebels were acting on Tehran's "guidance" when they seized a Red Sea ship owned by an Israeli businessman
The Iran-backed rebels in Yemen seized the Galaxy Leader on Sunday, days after they threatened to target Israeli vessels in the waterway over Israel's war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the ship "was hijacked with Iran guidance by the Yemenite Huthi militia"
China FM says 'urgent' steps needed to ease Gaza crisis
A delegation of foreign ministers of the Palestinian Authority, Indonesia, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan are in Beijing this week for talks aimed at a "de-escalation" of the current Palestinian-Israeli conflict
"Let us work together to quickly cool down the situation in Gaza and restore peace in the Middle East as soon as possible," Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told ministers on Monday at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in the Chinese capital
With the world's eyes on Gaza, attacks are on the rise in the West Bank, which faces its own war
Israeli settler attacks have surged at an unprecedented rate, according to the United Nations
In six weeks, settlers have killed nine Palestinians, said Palestinian health authorities
They've destroyed 3,000-plus olive trees during the crucial harvest season, said Palestinian Authority official Ghassan Daghlas, wiping out what for some were inheritances passed through generations. And they've harassed herding communities, forcing over 900 people to abandon 15 hamlets they long called home, the U.N. said
U.S. President Biden and other administration officials have repeatedly condemned settler violence, even as they defended the Israeli campaign in Gaza
Before the Hamas assault, 2023 already was the deadliest year for Palestinians in the West Bank in over two decades, with 250 Palestinians killed by Israeli fire, most during military operations
“Our lives are hell,” said Sabri Boum, a 52-year-old farmer who fortified his windows with metal grills last week to protect his children from settlers he said threw stun grenades in Qaryout, a northern village. “It's like I'm in a prison.”
READ FULL REPORT HERE
Abdelazim Wadi holds up a poster of his brother Ibrahim Wadi and his nephew, Ahmed Wadi, who were killed by Israeli settlers during a funeral procession on Oct 12 in the West Bank. (AP)
Israel warns residents of Gaza's largest refugee camp Jabalia to evacuate
Israel has warned residents of Gaza's largest refugee camp Jabalia and a nearby coastal camp to evacuate, as the military said Sunday it was "expanding its operational activities in additional neighbourhoods... of the Gaza Strip"
After intense bombardment, an AFP journalist in Gaza saw columns of smoke rising from Jabalia on Sunday
Social media videos verified by AFP showed bodies covered in blood and dust on the floor of a building, where mattresses had been wedged under school tables
Israel's military has said Jabalia is among the areas of focus as they "target terrorists and strike Hamas infrastructure"
Without mentioning the strikes, the Israeli army said "an incident in the Jabalia region" was under review.
UN rights chief Volker Turk on Sunday condemned the purported strike on the school as "horrifying", adding that "the horrendous events of the past 48 hours in Gaza beggar belief"
On Monday, Palestinian news agency Wafa said the Indonesian hospital near Jabalia had also come under shelling
Palestinians pray over the bodies of people killed by Israeli airstrikes on Jabaliya refugee camp, at the Indonesian hospital, northern Gaza Strip, Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023. (AP)
Top developments at a glance
TODAY'S
At least 14 Palestinians killed in two Israeli air strikes on houses in Rafah
Heavy fighting breaks out around at Indonesian Hospital in Gaza, 12 killed
WHO says 12 out of the 31 babies rescued from Al Shifa Hospital flown to Cairo; Three babies continuing treatment in southern Gaza
Joe Biden says he believes Gaza hostage release deal is close
UNRWA say that the Rafah crossing from Egypt into Gaza cannot accommodate a large number of aid trucks; ask for more border openings
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says UN protectorate in Gaza is not a solution
Yemen's Houthi rebels release video of them hijacking Israeli-linked ship in the Red Sea; 25 crew held hostage
Iran rejects Israel accusations over ship seized by Yemen rebels
Israel has warned residents of Gaza's largest refugee camp Jabalia and a nearby coastal camp to evacuate, as the military said on Sunday it was "expanding its operational activities in additional neighbourhoods... of the Gaza Strip"
HIGHLIGHTS
Health officials said 31 premature babies in “extremely critical condition” were transferred safely on Sunday from Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza and will go to Egypt
Israel claimed that one of its soldiers was killed by Hamas inside Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza and that it had taken two foreign hostages there
Israeli military on Sunday said it had uncovered a tunnel under Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza that stretched 55-metres beneath the complex
At least two Palestinians were killed on Sunday during Israeli army raids in the West Bank, the Red Crescent said
Israel said Yemen's Houthi rebels seized an Israeli-linked cargo ship in a crucial Red Sea shipping route on Sunday
Gaza's Hamas government said on Sunday that the death toll from Israel's relentless aerial bombardment of the Palestinian territory, and fighting between Israeli troops and Hamas militants had reached 13,000
The prime minister of Qatar, a mediator which has helped broker talks to free Hamas' hostages in Gaza in return for a ceasefire, said on Sunday "the challenges that remain in the negotiations are very minor", but did not provide details or a timeline
31 premature babies are evacuated from Gaza's largest hospital, but scores of trauma patients remain
Health officials said 31 premature babies in “extremely critical condition” were transferred safely Sunday from Gaza’s main hospital and will go to Egypt, while over 250 patients with severely infected wounds and other urgent conditions remained stranded days after Israeli forces entered the compound to look for Hamas operations
The newborns from the hospital, where power was cut and supplies ran out while Israeli forces battled Palestinian militants outside, were receiving urgent care in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. They had dehydration, hypothermia and sepsis in some cases, said Mohamed Zaqout, director of Gaza hospitals. Four other babies died in the two days before the evacuation, he said
The operation in Al-Shifa has drawn widespread international condemnation, with the World Health Organization describing the hospital as a "death zone" after sending in a team to visit the facility on Saturday
The visit came after hundreds fled the hospital following what Al-Shifa's director said were Israeli army orders for it to be emptied, with an AFP journalist seeing crowds of sick, injured and displaced people fleeing on foot
Medical staff care for prematurely born Palestinian babies that were brought from Shifa Hospital in Gaza City to the hospital in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Sunday, Nov. 19, 2023. (AFP)
'Nowhere to go': UN human rights expert decries shelters being hit
UN human rights expert Francesca Albanese decried shelters being hit and urged for a ceasefire to the war.
Israeli air raids have killed many Palestinians at Al Fakhoura school, run by the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), in the Jabalia refugee camp and another school in Tall az-Zaatar, also in northern Gaza.
At least 50 people were killed in the attack on Al Fakhoura school, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said on Saturday. It said the two attacks killed and injured hundreds of people.
The Israeli military on Sunday said it had uncovered a tunnel under Gaza's Al-Shifa hospital that stretched 55-metres beneath the war-torn complex where troops have been conducting a major operation. "IDF troops exposed a 55-meter-long terror tunnel 10 metres deep underneath the Shifa hospital complex," which ran under the hospital and ended at a blast door, an army statement said.
However, Mounir El Barsh, the Gaza health ministry director, told Al Jazeera television that the Israeli statement was a "pure lie". "They have been at the hospital for eight days ... and yet they haven't found anything," he said.
Israel also stepped up its accusations against Hamas and claimed that one of its soldiers was killed by Hamas inside Al-Shifa and that it had taken two foreign hostages, a Nepalese and a Thai, from its October 7 incursion, to the hospital, Reuters reported.
19-year-old Noa Marciano, whose body was recovered near Shifa last week, "was taken by Hamas terrorists inside the walls of Shifa hospital. There, she was murdered by a Hamas terrorist," Israel army's chief spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said. Hamas had said that she died in an Israeli air strike and issued a video that appeared to show her corpse, unmarked except for a head wound.