latest news about israel and palestine:Hamas has ordered civilians in Gaza to stay at home

 

Hamas has ordered civilians in Gaza to stay at home as the UN said more than 400 children had been killed in missiles strikes on the strip.

The Hamas order came after Israel demanded that all civilians, more than one million people, flee towards Gaza’s south, ahead of an inspected invasion.

“We tell the people of northern Gaza and from Gaza City, stay put in your homes, and your places,” Eyad Al-Bozom, spokesman for the Hamas Interior Ministry, said.

The WHO says it’s “beyond cruel” of Israel to ask the entire population of Gaza City to evacuate.

The evacuation order covers Gaza City, home to hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, and sparked widespread panic among civilians and aid workers contending with a total siege and a territory-wide blackout.

Follow the latest updates below

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ByVerity Bowman ; Josh White and Rozina Sabur, DEPUTY US EDITOR

13 October 2023 • 12:46pm

12:46PM

'America’s support for Israel is iron-clad'

US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters that “it is good to be back in Israel even during such terrible days”. 

“To make something crystal clear – America’s support for Israel is iron-clad,” he added. 

Mr Austin said he is in solidarity with families living in a waking nightmare, not knowing where their kidnapped relatives are. 

“This is no time for neutrality, or false equivalence, or for excuses for the inexcusable. There is never any justification for terrorism, and that is especially true after this rampage by Hamas,” he said, 

Mr Austin added that “Hamas does not speak for the Palestinian people”. 

12:43PM

US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin speaks with Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant

A press conference is being held between US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin and Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant.

Mr Gallant described Hamas as the “Isis of Gasa”, but added that US deployment of assets in the region had sent a strong message. 

 

12:38PM

Hezbollah 'ready to contribute'

Sheikh Naim Qassem, Hezbollah’s deputy chief, said the group was “ready” and would “contribute” toward the fight against Israel with its own plan. 

12:24PM

Watch: Gaza locals flee

12:16PM

BBC journalist reporting on bloody scenes breaks down in tears

A BBC journalist broke down in tears while reporting on the bloody scenes inside a hospital in the Gaza Strip, where the wards are littered with dead and injured Palestinians killed by Israeli air strikes, reports Nick Squires. 

Adnan El-Bursh, wearing a blue helmet and body armour marked ‘Press’, wiped away tears as he delivered a piece to camera in Al-Shifa Hospital. Among the dead and wounded were friends and neighbours.

“Today has been one of the most difficult days of my career,” Mr El-Bursh said, adding: “I have seen things that I can never unsee.”

A reporter for BBC Arabic, he is also a resident of Gaza. “This is my local hospital. Inside are my friends, my neighbours, this is my community,” he said.

He said there were “bodies everywhere” in the hospital, which is the largest of the 13 hospitals in the Gaza Strip.

“The injured scream for help, you can never forget these sounds. You never want to become the story,” Mr El-Bursh said in his distressing dispatch. “But in my city, I feel helpless.”

12:04PM

Israel death toll in war with Hamas rises to over 1,300

More than 1,300 people have been killed in Israel since Hamas militants unleashed a massive attack from the blockaded Gaza Strip, the army said Friday, raising an earlier toll by 100.

Over 3,200 other people had been wounded, the Israeli army said on X, formerly Twitter, while families of 120 hostages have been contacted since attack at dawn on Saturday that spiralled into all-out war.

11:54AM

Loud bangs heard in Jerusalem

Several loud bangs were heard in Jerusalem moments before prayers were due to take place on Friday, according to reports. 

Reporters from CNN likened the bangs to stun grenades. 

Smoke could be seen near the Lions’s Gate, an entrance to Jerusalem’s Old City. 

Israeli authorities are restricting access to the old city and have sealed off the road leading to the gate. 

Only those over the age of 60 are allowed to access the al-Aqsa compound, according to CNN.

11:41AM

Senior Hamas commander killed

A senior Hamas commander was killed after Israel struck over 750 targets in Gaza overnight, vowing to annihilate the terrorists who led Saturday’s attack.

The commander led Hamas’ special “Nukhba” military unit, which was said to be tasked with infiltrating Israel.

Israeli strikes hit underground tunnels used by Hamas, as well as military compounds, residences of senior operatives and weapons storage warehouses.

Dozens of fighter jets were involved in the strikes, which Israel said included 12 Hamas military assets “each located in a multi-storey building”.
 

11:39AM

Israeli soldiers patrol Jerusalem

Israeli soldiers have been recorded in the Wadi al-Joz neighbourhood in Jerusalem during Friday prayer. 

11:33AM

PIctured: Israeli forces amass near the border

An Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) drives near Israel's border with the Gaza Strip CREDIT: REUTERS/Violeta Santos Moura

Israeli artillery fires near Israel's border with the Gaza Strip, in southern Israel, CREDIT: VIOLETA SANTOS MOURA

An Israeli soldier looks out from a tank near Israel's border with the Gaza Strip, in southern Israel CREDIT: REUTERS/Violeta Santos Moura

IDF 'Namer' armoured personnel carriers (APCs) maneuver at an area along the border with Gaza, southern Israel CREDIT: ATEF SAFADI/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

11:25AM

Hamas fires rockets towards Ben Gurion Airport

Hamas has claimed that it fired rockets towards Ben Gurion airport and the southern Israeli city of Sderot. 

A total of 50 rockets were fired towards Sderot. 

 Israeli soldiers in Kfar Sa’ad were also targetted by two explosive drones, it added. 

11:14AM

Western countries should take steps to ease tensions in Gaza, Erdogan tells Macron

Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron discussed the humanitarian situation in the conflict between Israel and Palestinians in a phone call on Friday, the Turkish presidency said.

Erdogan told Macron that the violation of human rights in Gaza against civilians was unacceptable and Western countries needed to take steps to ease tensions, it said in a statement posted on messaging platform X, formerly Twitter.

11:06AM

Israel sends flyers to Gaza urging locals to flee

Israel has “sent flyers” into Gaza warning Palestinians to flee south, according to reports. 

 

10:56AM

Iraqis gather in solidarity with Palestinians

In this photograph, supporters of Iraqi Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr gather during a protest in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, in Baghdad, Iraq. 

Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr gather during a protest in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, in Baghdad, Iraq CREDIT: REUTERS/Ahmed Saa

10:48AM

Gaza ground operation would lead to 'unacceptable' civilian toll, says Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday warned Israeli forces’ expected ground offensive would bring unacceptable levels of civilian casualties, and that his country was ready to help with mediation efforts.

“The use of heavy machinery in residential areas is a complex matter fraught with grave consequences,” Putin said, “most importantly, the civilian casualties will be absolutely unacceptable.”

10:38AM

447 Palestinian children killed

A total of 447 Palestinian children have been killed in airstrikes in Gaza so far after Israel vowed to annihilate Hamas with a relentless bombing campaign.

UNICEF reports that this total is likely to rise as Israel strikes Gaza around the clock.

Over 2,800 lives have been claimed on both sides so far, while tensions across the region soar. 
 

10:21AM

Man arrested on site of music festival massacre

A man was ordered to strip before being arrested after being found at the site of the Supernova Music festival, following bursts of gunfire as Israeli soldiers continued to search for ID and belongings among the cars and tents. 

A man ordered to strip before being arrested after being found at the site of the Supernova Music festival CREDIT: Leon Neal/Getty Images

10:10AM

Israeli embassy employee attacked in Beijing

An Israeli embassy worker in Beijing was attacked on Friday, Israel’s foreign ministry said.

“An Israeli employee of the Israeli embassy in Beijing was attacked today,” a foreign ministry statement said, adding that the attack did not take place at the embassy compound in the Chinese capital.

“The employee is being treated at hospital and is in stable condition,” the statement said.

“The motive for the assault is being looked into.”

10:01AM

Hamas launches rockets at Israel

Hamas claims to have launched more than 150 rockets towards the port city of Ashkelon “in response to the displacement and targeting of civilians”, according to reports. 

9:58AM

Israel tells Palestinians to flee

Israel has told 1.1 million Palestinians living in northern Gaza to leave now ahead of its expected ground assault on Hamas.

The military said on Friday morning it planned to “operate significantly” within Gaza City “in the coming days”.

All citizens and UN staff have been told to move south beyond Wadi Gaza “for your own safety”.

The Israeli military told Palestinians: “You will only be able to return to Gaza when another announcement permitting it is made.”

9:50AM

Blinken meets Palestinian president

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, in Amman, Jordan, on Friday. 

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, shake hands with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas CREDIT: AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool

9:41AM

Four London schools close amid fears for children's safety

Four schools have closed in London over concerns about the safety of their students, according to reports. 

Torah Vodaas Primary School in Edgware, Ateres Beis Yaakov Primary School in Colindale and Menorah High School in Neasden will not reopen until Monday.

A fourth unnamed school will also close its doors today. 

Jewish children have been warned by schools to hide their uniforms in fear of antisemitic attacks.

9:31AM

Footage allegedly shows White Phosphorus munitions in Gaza

9:09AM

Hamas says 13 hostages killed in Israel strikes on Gaza

At least 13 Israeli and foreign hostages held in the northern Gaza Strip have been killed in Israeli air strikes in the past 24 hours, Hamas’s armed wing said Friday.

In a surprise assault early Saturday, Hamas militants stormed Israeli communities near the Gaza border and fired barrages of rockets, in an attack that claimed more than 1,200 lives.

Israel says Hamas has taken more than 150 people hostage, including both civilians and security forces.

“Thirteen prisoners... including foreigners” were killed in five locations targeted by Israeli fighter jets, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades said in a statement.

8:59AM

Lebanese and Iranian leaders meet

Lebanon’s Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah met with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian earlier today.

They met to discuss the aftermath of the deadly operation by Hamas militants against Israeli towns last weekend.

Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah meets with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein CREDIT: HEZBOLLAH MEDIA OFFICE

8:53AM

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin arrives in Israel

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has landed in Israel, where he is expected to speak with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel on Friday.

Foreign office advises Britons in Gaza to follow Israeli orders

The Foreign Office has urged civilians to leave Gaza City.

Earlier, the Israeli military told civilians there to flee towards southern Gaza for their own safety.

An update on the Foreign Office travel advice page said: “The Israeli military announced on the morning of 13 October that the entire population of Gaza north of Wadi Gaza should relocate to southern Gaza within the next 24 hours.

“We advise following this advice issued by the Israeli authorities. We recognise this is a fast-moving situation that poses significant risks.”
 

8:30AM

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin arrives in Israel

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has arrived in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv to meet with senior government leaders and see firsthand some of the U.S. weapons and security assistance that Washington rapidly delivered to Israel. 

8:21AM

Palestinians flee Israeli attacks

Palestinians carrying their belongings flee to safer areas in Gaza City CREDIT: MAHMUD HAMS / AFP

A boy carries a mattres as Palestinians with their belongings flee to safer areas in Gaza City CREDIT: MAHMUD HAMS / AFP

Palestinians with their belongings flee to safer areas in Gaza City CREDIT: MAHMUD HAMS / AFP

Palestinians flash the V for victory sign as they flee to safer areas in Gaza City CREDIT: MAHMUD HAMS / AFP

8:08AM

Hamas tells Palestinians to ignore evacuation order

Palestinians have been told by Hamas to remain in their homes, despite a sweeping evacuation order issued by Israel.

The Hamas authority for refugee affairs said its residents of the north of the territory should “remain steadfast in your homes and to stand firm in the face of this disgusting psychological war waged by the occupation”.
 

8:00AM

Japan condemns Hamas' 'terror attacks'

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa told her Israeli counterpart on Thursday the terror attacks by Hamas cannot be justified for any reason, and that Tokyo resolutely condemns the conduct, a statement by the Japanese Foreign Ministry said.

Kamikawa told Eli Cohen in their phone call that Israel had the right to defend itself and its people under international law, the statement said.

After initially referring to Hamas as Palestinian militants and avoiding the term “terrorism”, Japan joined other Group of Seven nations in condemning the weekend attacks in Israel as “terrorist acts”.

7:48AM

US speaking to Israeli military 'hourly'

John Kirby said that the US is speaking to the Israeli military on an hourly basis about the hostages. 

“I can tell you that we are in literally hourly contact with our Israeli counterparts about the hostage situation, we’ve offered expertise and counsel, of course, they know how to do hostage recovery very, very well,” he said.

“We’re mindful of the delicate nature of this hostage situation, because they’re most likely being held somewhere in Gaza. It’s a war zone, it’s a combat zone that greatly complicates efforts to find them and to and to work on their release.”

7:41AM

US 'working very hard hour by hour' for safe evacuation of Palestinians

John Kirby, the White House National Security spokesperson, has said that the US is “working very hard hour by hour” to ensure that there is a way for Palestinian civilians to flee safely. 

He told CNN:

“Whether or not there’s a ground incursion — and I’ll let the Israelis speak to their operations — we want to make sure that there’s a way for people who live in Gaza who want to get out to do it, and to do it safely and quickly, so we’re working on this very, very hard hour by hour,” Kirby said.

“We believe that there should be an opportunity for civilians in Gaza to leave now, yesterday, I mean, immediately.”

7:30AM

Nepali nationals arrive home

Nepali nationals who survived the attack returned home aboard the first special flight from Israel.

A plane carrying 254 Nepalis from Israel landed in the capital city Kathmandu before dawn on Friday, nearly a week after attacks by Hamas.

All those evacuated on Friday were students who were studying agriculture and forestry in Israel under a “learn and earn” programme.

7:18AM

In pictures: Gaza wakes up to destruction

Smoke billows following Israeli strikes CREDIT: REUTERS/Mohammed Salem

Smoke billows following Israeli strikes CREDIT: REUTERS/Mohammed Salem

Destroyed and damaged buildings of the Islamic University CREDIT: REUTERS/Saleh Salem

Smoke rises from Israeli raids on October 13, 2023 in Gaza City, Gaza CREDIT: Ahmad Hasaballah/Getty Images

7:06AM

Israel strikes over 750 targets in Gaza overnight

Israel struck over 750 targets in Gaza overnight as the country vowed to annihilate Hamas terrorists who led the attack on Saturday.

The strikes hit underground tunnels used by Hamas, as well as military compounds, residences of senior operatives and weapons storage warehouses.

Dozens of fighter jets were involved in the strikes, which Israel said included 12 Hamas military assets “each located in a multi-storey building”.

A commander of the Hamas’ special “Nukhba” military unit was also killed, according to Israel. 

The elite force was said to be tasked with infiltrating Israel.

6:52AM

IDF shares footage of hostage rescue

The Israel Defence Forces has shared footage of what they say is the rescue of around 250 hostages on the day Hamas infiltrated the country. 

Sharing a clip on X purporting to show troops moving into a kibbutz in southern Israel, the IDF said 60 Hamas “terrorists” had been killed.

The IDF added that Hamas terrorists were neutralised and 26 were apprehended—including Muhammad Abu A’ali the Deputy Commander of the Hamas southern Naval Division.

6:38AM

Blinken seeks Arab pressure on Hamas as Israel readies Gaza move

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday began a tour of Arab capitals as he seeks to build pressure on Hamas.

The top US diplomat will meet Jordan’s King Abdullah II, a longtime US partner, and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas in Amman and will then visit Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates.

Mr Blinken spent Thursday in Tel Aviv where he promised unwavering solidarity to US ally Israel.

Qatar, where Mr Blinken will head immediately after Jordan, has longstanding ties with Hamas and has been seen as an intermediary in freeing the hostages.

“We’ll continue pressing countries to help prevent the conflict from spreading, and to use their leverage with Hamas to immediately and unconditionally release the hostages,” Blinken said late Thursday in Tel Aviv.

“We’ll also discuss how we can continue to make real our affirmative vision for a region that’s more peaceful, more prosperous, more secure, more integrated.

“In fact, that is the choice, and the choice in some ways has been made even more stark by the actions of Hamas.”

6:27AM

‘Tehran’s hands are all over the Hamas terror attacks’

Writing in The Telegraph, Ben Wallace, the former defence secretary, says Hamas’s assault on Israel is part of Iran’s scheme to become a superpower in the Middle East.

“Make no mistake: Iran will be willing Hamas’s attacks to spark a wider crisis in the Arab world and in Muslim populations in the West. It doesn’t want a negotiated peace. The regime doesn’t want a two-state solution in Israel. What the West too often fails to recognise is that such attacks are not one-offs or tit-for-tat, but part of a deliberate and determined plan to use terror to divide and weaken the region. Indeed, despite Iran’s constant rhetoric and actions, the destruction of Israel is not as important to the regime as establishing the country as the regional superpower. The Iranian leadership uses the Israel conflict to recruit proxies to spread division.”

Read more: Iran’s sinister plan is in danger of succeeding

5:56AM

UN refugee agency relocates to south

The United Nations Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) said it relocated its central operations centre and international staff to Gaza’s south to continue its humanitarian operations and support its staff and Palestinian refugees.

“We urge the Israeli Authorities to protect all civilians in UNRWA shelters including schools,” the agency said on X.

5:34AM

Move south now, Israel tells 1.1 million Gazans

The Israeli military has issued a statement telling citizens of northern Gaza to move south.

“The IDF calls on all residents of Gaza City to evacuate their homes, move south for their protection and settle in the area south of the Gaza River, as described on the map.

“The terrorist organisation Hamas started a war against the State of Israel; Gaza City is an area where military activity takes place.”

5:20AM

Israeli envoy: UN response to warning is ‘shameful’

Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations has appeared to confirm earlier reports that the Israeli military told the UN that 1.1 million people should leave north Gaza in the next 24 hours.

Gilad Erdan told Reuters: “The UN’s response to Israel’s early warning to the residents of Gaza is shameful.”

Mr Erdan added that the UN should focus on condemning Hamas and supporting Israel’s right to self-defence.

5:16AM

Pictured: Police use tear gas as French defy ban on pro-Palestine protests

Paris police used tear gas and water cannon to disperse pro-Palestinian protesters who had defied a ban and demonstrated Thursday against the Israeli government.

The unrest came despite France’s interior minister on Thursday ordering local authorities to ban all pro-Palestinian demonstrations amid a rise in antisemitic acts since Hamas attacked Israel over the weekend. 

President Emmanuel Macron urged French people not to allow the war in the Mideast erupt into tensions at home.

“Let us not bring ideological adventures here (to France) by imitation or by projection. Let us not add national fractures... to international fractures,” Mr Macron pleaded. “Let us stay united.”

CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES

CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES

CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES

CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES

CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES

CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES

4:57AM

Hamas: Israel relocation order is ‘fake propaganda’

A Hamas official has told Reuters that Israel’s relocation warning to the UN is “fake propaganda” and has urged citizens of Gaza “not to fall for it”

 

4:17AM

Israel ‘used white phosphorus in Gaza’

Human Rights Watch has accused Israel of using white phosphorus munitions capable of burning human flesh in Gaza and Lebanon.

The international non-governmental organisation claimed it had verified videos showing repeated use of artillery-fired white phosphorus in Gaza and Lebanon on Tuesday and Wednesday.

White phosphorus can cause severe burns, putting civilians at risk of serious and long-term injuries, including causing multiple organ failure.

Read more: Israel has used white phosphorus in Gaza, human rights group claims

3:41AM

Posters of missing children torn down by Palestine supporters

Palestine supporters appear to have torn down posters of missing Israeli children in London.

Footage shared on social media shows two women ripping the flyers from walls in Camden.