Israel-Hamas war LIVE | Mass graves, unclaimed bodies and overcrowded cemeteries: War robs Gaza even of funeral rites

"The death toll linked to the Israeli aggression is past 8,000, half of whom are children," the ministry told AFP. The last toll, issued early Saturday, was of 7,703 dead.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the nation Saturday night that the military has opened a “second stage” in the war against Hamas by sending ground forces into Gaza and expanding attacks from the ground, air and sea.

Meanwhile, the health ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza said early Sunday that more than 8,000 had been killed in the Palestinian territory since the start of the war with Israel on October 7.

"The death toll linked to the Israeli aggression is past 8,000, half of whom are children," the ministry told AFP. The last toll, issued early Saturday, was of 7,703 dead.

"There are moments in which a nation faces two possibilities: to do or die,” Netanyahu said. “We now face that test and I have no doubt how it will end: We will be the victors. We will do and we will be the victors.”

The war has entered a new phase with Israel expanding its ground attacks after cutting off all modes of communication in Gaza where an estimated 2.3 million lives are in peril with Gazans cut off from the outside world and international help blocked at the border.

After weeks of a total Israeli siege, Palestinians in Gaza felt the vise tightening. Social media had been a lifeline for Palestinians desperate to get news and to share their terrifying plight with the world. Now even that was gone.

Latest developments:

Death toll of Gaza tops 8000

The death toll of people killed so far in the ongoing Israeli airstrikes against the besieged Gaza Strip has risen to 8069, reports WAFA, the News and Information Agency of Palestine.

Arab-Israeli actor charged over Hamas attack social media posts

A leading Arab-Israeli actor faces charges including "incitement to terrorism" over her social media posts that expressed support for Hamas's October 7 attack on Israel, justice officials said Sunday.

Maisa Abdel Hadi, 37, who has played in several series, films and plays, was briefly arrested earlier this month after posting a picture of an elderly Israeli woman being abducted to Gaza by the Islamist militant group.

In her Instagram story, Abdel Hadi, who lives in the northern Israeli city of Nazareth, wrote that "this lady is going for the adventure of her lifetime," adding laughter emojis.

Delhi Dialogues | 'World leaders should intervene to stop this genocide in Gaza'

At the 8th edition of Delhi Dialogues, Palestine Ambassador to India Adnan Abu Al-Haija talks about how world powers have sided with Tel Aviv amid increasing Israeli belligerence and wonders if there would ever be a ceasefire.

READ THE FULL STORYHERE

UN chief warns Gaza growing more desperate 'by the hour'

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Sunday warned the situation in Hamas-ruled Gaza is declining rapidly as he repeated desperate appeals for a ceasefire to end the "nightmare" of bloodshed.

"The situation in Gaza is growing more desperate by the hour. I regret that instead of a critically needed humanitarian pause, supported by the international community, Israel has intensified its military operations," Guterres said on a visit to Nepal's capital Kathmandu.

"The number of civilians who have been killed and injured is totally unacceptable."

Chair of UN Commission of Inquiry says Israel has ‘no intention of ending occupation’

Navi Pillay, the Chair of the UN Commission of Inquiry has discussed the findings on the ‘unlawful occupation of Palestinian Territory’.

Pillay chairs the United Nations Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel. Weeks before Hamas carried out its October 7 attack, Pillay released a report that found “the increasingly militarised law enforcement operations of Israel and repeated attacks by Israel on Gaza are aimed at maintaining its unlawful 56-year occupation,” reports Al Jazeera

UN says thousands of people break into Gaza aid warehouses for food

The United Nations warned Sunday that "civil order" was starting to collapse in Gaza after thousands of people ransacked its food warehouses.

The UN relief agency for the Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said wheat, flour and other basic supplies had been pillaged at several warehouses.

"Worrying sign that civil order is starting to break down", says Gaza's UNRWA chief

PM Modi, Egyptian President discuss Israel-Hamas conflict

Modi on Saturday spoke with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi as the two leaders exchanged views on the latest developments in the Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip.

President El-Sisi received a phone call from Prime Minister Modi and the two leaders exchanged views on the latest developments.(Read here)

Turkey-Israel ties in tatters over Erdogan address

Israel said Saturday it was recalling its diplomatic staff from Turkey after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivered a fierce attack on its military operation against Hamas militants in Gaza.

Erdogan accused Israel's allies of creating a "crusade war atmosphere" pitting Christians against Muslims.

(Read more)

Rockets, airstrikes and another hospital hit

As Israeli forces continued the bombardment, One Israeli airstrike late Saturday afternoon damaged the Indonesian hospital in Beit Lahia, according to freelance journalist Anas al-Sharif, one of the few journalists in Gaza able to connect to the outside world. He shared images of the hospital's damaged roof.

The Israeli strikes cut off telecommunications and internet access for Gaza's 2.3 million people, disrupting ambulances and aid groups and enabling Israel to control the narrative coming out of the war-torn territory.

Gaza civilians should move south where humanitarian efforts 'will be expanding': Israeli military

The Israeli military on Sunday told civilians in Gaza to move to the south of the besieged Strip, where it said humanitarian efforts "will be expanding".

An IDF spokesperson said that Humanitarian efforts to Gaza, led by Egypt and the United States, will be expanding tomorrow.

PM Modi, Egyptian Prez discuss Israel-Hamas conflict

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday spoke with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi as the two leaders exchanged views on the latest developments in the Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip, a statement released by the Egyptian side said.

As per reports in PTI, they also discussed the gravity of the continuation of the current escalation, given its formidable impact on the lives of civilians and the threat it poses to the security of the entire region, the statement said.

A spokesman for the Presidency, Counselor Ahmed Fahmy, said President El-Sisi confirmed that Egypt is pursuing its endeavours to coordinate regional and international efforts to push toward reaching a ceasefire.

The president warned of the grievous humanitarian and security repercussions of a ground offensive in the Gaza Strip, the statement said. (PTI)

Gaza connectivity 'being restored': Internet monitor Netblocks

Internet connectivity in the Gaza Strip is being restored, the global network monitor Netblocks said Sunday.

"Real-time network data show that internet connectivity is being restored in the #Gaza Strip," the company wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

A AFP employee in Gaza City said shortly after 4am (0200 GMT) that he could use the internet and phone network and had contacted people by phone.(Read more )

Confirmed: Real-time network data show that internet connectivity is being restored in the #Gaza Strip; service was disrupted on Friday amid heavy bombardment by Israel, leaving most residents cut off from the outside world at a critical moment pic.twitter.com/I7hBa9L9I9

— NetBlocks (@netblocks) October 29, 2023

Starlink internet for 'recognised' organisations in Gaza: Musk

Billionaire Elon Musk said his Starlink satellite service would support internet access for "internationally recognised aid organisations in Gaza" a day after communications and phone networks were cut across Gaza.

The Palestinian Red Crescent said this was affecting emergency calls and critical ambulance sorties. Human Rights Watch warned it could provide "cover for mass atrocities".

Starlink is a network of satellites in low Earth orbit that can provide internet to remote locations, or areas where normal comms infrastructure has been disabled. Read full story here

A spiderweb of Hamas tunnels in Gaza Strip raises risks for an Israeli ground offensive

An extensive labyrinth of tunnels built by the Hamas militant group stretches across the densely populated strip, hiding fighters, their rocket arsenal and over 200 hostages they now hold after an unprecedented Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

Clearing and collapsing those tunnels will be crucial if Israel seeks to dismantle Hamas.

The reason is simple: tunnel battles are considered some of the most difficult for armies to fight. A determined enemy in a tunnel or cave system can pick where the fight will start — and often determine how it will end — given the abundant opportunities for ambush. Read Full story here

Netanyahu says the Gaza war has entered a new stage and will be 'long and difficult'

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the nation Saturday night that the military has opened a “second stage” in the war against Hamas by sending ground forces into Gaza and expanding attacks from the ground, air and sea.

Netanyahu told the nationally televised news conference that Israel is determined to bring back all the hostages, and maintained that the expanding ground operation “will help us in this mission.” He said he couldn’t reveal everything that is being done due to the sensitivity and secrecy of the efforts.

The Israeli military said it was gradually expanding its ground operations inside Gaza, while stopping short of calling it an all-out invasion. Read full story here

WATCH HERE:

Most Palestinians in Gaza are cut off from the world

News from inside the besieged Gaza Strip trickles out in urgent tones from the few Palestinians still managing to connect with the outside world after intense Israeli bombardment plunged the crowded enclave into a communications blackout.

The Palestinian telecom provider, Paltel, said the bombardment caused “complete disruption” of internet, cellular and landline services as the besieged enclave’s 2.3 million people were largely cut off from contact with the outside world. Some satellite phones continued to function.

Nebal Farsakh, a spokesperson for the Palestinian Red Crescent, told The Associated Press that no aid trucks entered Gaza on Saturday because communication was impossible and teams inside Gaza couldn't connect with Egyptian Red Crescent or United Nations personnel. READ Full report here

Palestinians pass by the destruction after the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip in Rafah. (Photo | AP)