Israel-Hamas war LIVE: Israel will allow a daily pause in Gaza combat, as US seeks a multi-day break

The Israeli army claimed that 50,000 people left north Gaza for the south of the narrow coastal strip on Wednesday.

Palestinians living in the heart of Gaza’s largest city said on Wednesday that the Israeli forces had moved into the inner neighbourhoods of Gaza City and were closing in from all directions.

This has accelerated the exodus of thousands of civilians as food and water continues to be scarce and fighting rages between Hamas' armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, and Israeli troops.

Throngs of people filled Salah al-Din Street, Gaza’s main highway leading south, on Wednesday, appearing to be in greater numbers than on Tuesday, the United Nations said. The Israeli army claimed that 50,000 people had left north Gaza for the south of the narrow coastal strip on Wednesday.

Around 15,000 people had fled on Tuesday, compared with 5,000 on Monday and 2,000 on Sunday, said the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

Over 70 per cent of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million have already left their homes since the war began when Hamas attacked Israel and, according to Israeli officials, killed about 1,400 people, mainly civilians, and seized 239 hostages.

Aiming to destroy Hamas, Israel retaliated with a relentless bombardment and ground invasion of the Gaza Strip that, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza, has killed more than 10,500 people, many of them children.

But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected the prospect of a ceasefire in Gaza.

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Israeli official says 'no humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip'

An Israeli military official on Thursday denied the dire humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, as a conference to secure aid for the besieged Palestinian territory opened in Paris.

"We know the civil situation in the Gaza Strip is not an easy one," said Colonel Moshe Tetro, head of coordination and liaison at COGAT, the Israeli defence ministry body handling civil affairs in Gaza. "But I can say that there is no humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip," he told reporters at the Nitzana border post between Israel and Egypt. (Read here)

Israeli, US spy chiefs in Doha talks on Gaza humanitarian pause: official

Israeli and US spy chiefs were in Qatar for talks on "a potential humanitarian pause" to the war raging in Gaza since October 7, an official with knowledge of the visit said Thursday.

CIA director Bill Burns and David Barnea, head of Israel's Mossad spy agency, "are both visiting Doha for trilateral talks with the Qataris to work through the details of a potential humanitarian pause that would see the release of hostages and more aid entering Gaza", the official told AFP requesting anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue.

"Talks have been progressing well towards a deal in the past few days," the official said.

Gaza-Egypt border reopens for wounded, foreign nationals

The Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt reopened Thursday to allow a limited number of wounded people and foreign passport holders to flee the war, a Palestinian official told AFP.

The vast majority of Gaza's 2.4 million residents are unable to escape the conflict, which erupted between the territory's Hamas rulers and Israel on October 7.

The crossing's media director on the Palestinian side said Rafah "reopened to transfer the wounded, for foreign nationals to leave and aid trucks to enter".

Hamas says group chief Ismail Haniyeh in Egypt for Gaza talks

Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh arrived Thursday in Egypt for talks about the war with Israel in the Gaza Strip since massive October 7 attacks, the militant group said.

Hamas said in a statement that its delegation had met with Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel "for discussions on the current situation in the Gaza Strip".

Haniyeh's visit comes as Qatar is negotiating the release of hostages held by Hamas in exchange for a pause in fighting for a few days, according to a source close to the negotiations. (Read more)

Israel army slams new Gaza hostage video as 'psychological terrorism'

Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad on Thursday released a video it claimed showed two hostages, a woman in her 70s and a 13-year-old boy, held in Gaza.

Palestinian group Islamic Jihad releases video of hostages it claims to hold in Gaza

Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad on Thursday released a video it claimed showed two hostages, a woman in her 70s and a 13-year-old boy, held in Gaza.

"We are ready to release them on humanitarian grounds when the security conditions on the ground are met," said in the video Abu Hamza, spokesman for the group's military wing, which is believed to hold some of the 239 hostages Israeli officials say were seized during Hamas's October 7 attacks.

Israel agrees to four-hour military 'pauses' in northern Gaza: White House

Israel has agreed to begin daily four-hour military pauses in northern Gaza to allow people in the area to flee the war with Hamas, the White House said on Thursday.

"Israel will begin to implement four-hour pauses in areas of northern Gaza each day, with an announcement to be made three hours beforehand," National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters. (Read here)

Biden says 'no possibility' of Gaza ceasefire

US President Joe Biden said on Thursday there was currently "no possibility" of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

"None. No possibility," Biden told reporters as he left the White House for a trip to Illinois when asked about the chances of a ceasefire.

Fierce street-by-street combat between Israeli army and Hamas rages in Gaza City

Israeli troops and Hamas were locked in heavy, close-quarters fighting in Gaza City on Thursday, including a 10-hour battle that Israel said toppled one of the Palestinian militants' strongholds.

Hamas fighters armed with rocket-propelled grenade launchers and assault rifles were clashing with Israeli soldiers backed by armoured vehicles in the ruins of the besieged territory's north.

Broken palm trees, mangled road signs and twisted lampposts marked the remains of what was once north Gaza's main arterial route, an AFP journalist saw while embedded with Israeli troops on a controlled visit.

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France arrests influencer for mocking Israeli baby's death

A social media influencer was arrested in France on Thursday for making light of the reported killing of an Israel baby by Hamas attackers, prosecutors told AFP.

In a video, the woman -- identified by media as Warda Anwar, a model -- commented on a report by an Israeli first responder who said Hamas attackers had burned a baby alive in an oven during their assault on October 7.

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Health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says war death toll hits 10,812

The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said Thursday 10,812 people have been killed in the weeks-long war between Israel and the militant group which controls the Palestinian territory.

At least 4,412 children are among those killed, while another 26,905 people have been wounded in a blistering Israeli assault in retaliation for a deadly attack on southern Israel by Hamas militants on October 7.

8 Palestinians killed in Israeli raid on Jenin

Eight Palestinians were killed Thursday in an Israeli raid on Jenin in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry said as AFP journalists reported intense fighting.

The Israeli army said its forces were operating in the northern West Bank city, but did not provide further details.

Dozens of Palestinians have been killed in recent months by Israeli forces in Jenin, particularly in the city's refugee camp where armed groups are present alongside tens of thousands of residents.(Read here )

Rare aid delivery reaches Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City: UN

A rare delivery of emergency medical supplies and medicines on Wednesday reached Al-Shifa hospital in the war-ravaged north of the Gaza Strip

"While welcome, the quantities we delivered are far from sufficient to respond to the immense needs in the Gaza Strip," UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini and Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the head of WHO, wrote in a statement

"Without fuel, hospitals and other essential facilities such as desalination plants and bakeries cannot operate, and more people will most certainly die as a result."

Gaza aid conference to open in Paris

France's President Emmanuel Macron will on Thursday host a conference on humanitarian aid for Gaza although Israel, which has been bombarding the territory since an October 7 attack by Hamas, will be absent

All governments nevertheless have "an interest in the humanitarian situation improving in Gaza, including Israel", a Macron aide told reporters on condition of anonymity ahead of the gathering.

'Cessez-le-feu Maintenant' (Ceasefire Now) is projected on a wall along the Seine river bank at the foot of the Eiffel tower, as part of an initiative by Amnesty International, and others. (AFP)

US launches airstrike on site in Syria in response to attacks by Iranian-backed militias

The US on Wednesday carried out an airstrike on a weapons warehouse in eastern Syria used by Iranian-backed militias, in retaliation for what has been a growing number of attacks on bases housing U.S. troops in the region for the past several weeks, the Pentagon said

In Wednesday's strike, two U.S. F-15 fighter jets dropped multiple bombs on a weapons storage facility near Maysulun in Deir el-Zour that was known to be used by Iran's Revolutionary Guard, U.S. officials said

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said “Gaza is becoming a graveyard for children.” Here’s how the Israel-Hamas war has impacted young Palestinians, by the numbers.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said “Gaza is becoming a graveyard for children.” Here’s how the Israel-Hamas war has impacted young Palestinians, by the numbers. pic.twitter.com/YIrC2nqDOd

— The Associated Press (@AP) November 8, 2023

Day 34 of the war: Summary of latest developments

1. The Israeli army’s chief spokesperson, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, said on Wednesday the ground forces were deepening the offensive into Gaza City

2. Fighting is raging on between Hamas's armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, and Israeli troops

3. The Israeli army said 50,000 people left north Gaza for the south of the narrow coastal strip on Wednesday

4. One resident living near Shifa Hospital said he saw Israeli troops battling Hamas fighters on a street about 600 meters (yards) from the hospital

5. WHO said that more than 33,551 cases of diarrhoea had been reported since mid-October, the bulk of which among children under five

6. The Gaza Strip faces an increased risk of disease spreading due to Israeli air bombardments that have disrupted the health system, access to clean water and caused people to crowd in shelters: WHO

7. US launches airstrike on site in Syria in response to Iranian-backed militia attacks on bases housing U.S. troops

Israel refused to approve list of wounded to be evacuated: Hamas

A Hamas official told AFP that evacuations of wounded Palestinians and dual nationals were interrupted Wednesday despite a large crowd waiting at the crossing terminal, blaming what they said was Israel's refusal to approve the list of wounded to be taken across the border

WHO warns of 'worrying trends' in disease spread in Gaza

The World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Wednesday that the Gaza Strip faces an increased risk of disease spreading due to Israeli air bombardments that have disrupted the health system, access to clean water and caused people to crowd in shelters, Reuters reported

"As deaths and injuries in Gaza continue to rise due to intensified hostilities, intense overcrowding and disrupted health, water, and sanitation systems pose an added danger: the rapid spread of infectious diseases," WHO said. "Some worrying trends are already emerging."

WHO said that more than 33,551 cases of diarrhoea had been reported since mid-October, the bulk of which among children under five

More Palestinians fleeing combat zone in northern Gaza

IN PHOTOS:

Palestinians receive food in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip. (Photo | AP)

Palestinians flee to the southern Gaza Strip on Salah al-Din Street in Bureij, Gaza Strip. (Photo | AP)

Palestinians flee to the southern Gaza Strip on Salah al-Din Street in Bureij, Gaza Strip. (Photo | AP)

Israeli army troops are seen on the Israeli-Gaza border during a ground operation in the Gaza Strip, Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2023. (AP)

Israel-Hamas fight heats up in Gaza City, accelerating exodus of Palestinians

Families walked together, with men and women carrying young children or pushing the elderly on makeshift carts. Most had only a few belongings in backpacks.

They appeared to be in greater numbers than Tuesday, when the U.N. said about 15,000 people streamed southward -- which in turn was triple the number the day before.

One resident living near Shifa Hospital said he saw Israeli troops battling fighters on a street about 600 meters (yards) from the hospital.

“We didn’t have food or drinking water. ... They struck the bakeries. There is no life in Gaza,” said Abeer Akila, a woman fleeing south with her family.

Majed Haroun, a teacher who remains in Gaza City, said women and children who lost families go door to door begging for food. “No words can describe what we are experiencing,” he said.

Tens of thousands flee as Israel tightens Gaza City 'stranglehold'

Tens of thousands of Palestinians fled fighting and bombardment in Gaza as Israel tightened "stranglehold" around Hamas

Palestinians living in the heart of Gaza’s largest city said on Wednesday they could see and hear Israeli ground forces closing in from multiple directions

The exodus of thousands of civilians has accelerated as food and water has become scarce and urban fighting between Israel and Hamas has heated up

Clashes took place within a kilometer (0.6 miles) of the territory's largest hospital, Shifa, which has become a focal point in the war

The Israeli army claimed that 50,000 people left north Gaza for the south of the narrow coastal strip on Wednesday

Around 15,000 people had fled on Tuesday, compared with 5,000 on Monday and 2,000 on Sunday, said the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)

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An Israeli soldier stands in an apartment during a ground operation in the Gaza Strip, Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2023. (AP)