Israel's noose around Gaza City begins to tighten; Hamas releases video of captives calling for swap

Summary

• The Palestinian Red Crescent says Israeli air strikes are continuing in the area around Gaza City's Al-Quds Hospital, which Israel has told doctors to evacuate
• Staff have warned that evacuating patients from the site is impossible
• After another night of heavy bombardment, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said this morning it had hit 600 Hamas targets in the past 24 hours, up from 450 the day before
• More than 30 aid trucks entered Gaza on Sunday, in the largest delivery since supplies were allowed to resume
• Deadly Israeli raids continue in occupied West Bank where more than 112 Palestinians have been killed in three weeks.
• More children have been killed in Gaza in the last three weeks than the total killed in conflicts around the world in every year since 2019, the non-governmental group Save the Children said
• An Israeli raid in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin has killed at least four Palestinians 
• Israel has been bombing Gaza since the 7 October Hamas attacks that killed 1,400 people and saw 230 people kidnapped as hostages
• The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says more than 8,000 people have been killed since Israel's retaliatory bombing began

9:30pm

Israeli attacks on health care sector in Gaza and West Bank: Al Jazeera

Since 7 October, the World Health Organization has documented several Israeli attacks on the health care sector in the occupied West Bank:

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• 99 attacks affecting ambulances

• 67 involving obstruction to delivery of health care

• 61 involving physical violence on medical teams

• 19 involving detention of medical staff and ambulances

• 12 involving armed search of health assets

Since 7 October, the ministry of health documented several Israeli attacks on the health care sector in the Gaza Strip:

• 124 medical personnel killed

• More than 100 wounded

• 50 ambulances attacked – 25 are no longer in service

• 12 out of 35 hospitals in Gaza are no longer in service due to fuel shortages and/or Israeli bombardment

• 46 out of 72 primary health care clinics are no longer in service for the same reasons above

• 24 hospital were requested to evacuate in the northern Gaza Strip (containing 2000 beds)

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9:00pm

Israel responds to Hamas captive video

The Israeli prime minister's office has issued a statement in response to the video put out earlier by Hamas, which said it showed three of its captives:

"This is a cruel psychological propaganda by Hamas-ISIS.

"We are embracing the families. We will do everything to return all the kidnapped and missing people home."

In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Netanyahu identified the women as Elena Trupanov, Daniel Aloni and Ramon Kirsht.

"I embrace you. Our hearts are with you and the other the captives," he said.

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8:52pm

Oil prices could reach 'uncharted waters' if the Israel-Hamas war escalates, the World Bank says

The World Bank reported on Monday that oil prices could be pushed into "uncharted waters" if the violence between Israel and Hamas widens, which could result in increased food prices worldwide, reports AP.

The World Bank's Commodity Markets Outlook found that while the effects on oil prices should be limited if the conflict doesn't expand, the outlook "would darken quickly if the conflict were to escalate."

The attack on Israel by the militant organization Hamas and the ensuing Israel military operation against Hamas have raised fears of a wider Mideast conflict.

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8:42pm

Hamas releases video of captives calling for prisoner swap

Hamas releases video it says shows Gaza women hostages

Hamas has released a video that it said shows three women it has been holding captive, reports Al Jazeera.

In the 76-second clip, one of the women criticises the Israeli government in Hebrew for failing to protect people during Hamas's attack on October 7 and calls for Israel to undertake a prisoner swap.

Israel says at least 239 people are being held captive. It was not immediately possible to verify the identity of the women.

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7:00pm

Israel says German-Israeli woman taken hostage found dead: Al Jazeera

German-Israeli woman snatched by Hamas at music festival is dead, Israel says

Shani Louk, who was taken captive by Hamas from a music festival inside Israel on October 7, is dead, according to Israeli President Isaac Herzog, reports Al Jazeera.

"I am really sorry to report that we have now received news that Shani Nicole Louk has been confirmed murdered and dead," Herzog told Germany's Bild newspaper.

The circumstances of her death were not immediately clear. The German government confirmed that a national had died but did not offer specifics.

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6:27pm

'Israeli forces focusing operations on north and Gaza City': BBC

6:23pm

Israeli minister freezes Palestinian Authority funds due to 'support' for Hamas

UN aid chief says he will hold talks with Israeli, Palestinian leaders: Al Jazeera

5:40pm

'Stop the war' says Palestinian PM Shtayyeh: Al Jazeera

5:30pm

More updates from Palestinian Health Ministry: Al Jazeera

^5:00pm

Latest casualty figures since 7 October:

4:50pm

More than 120 medical staff killed in Gaza

4:40pm

Hezbollah marks 'new phase' by launching surface-to-air missile

4:00pm

Israeli tanks 'forced to retreat'

The Israeli tanks approaching the outskirts of Gaza City have now retreated, according to the head of the Hamas government office in Gaza.

Israel shows images of tanks in Gaza as war on Hamas deepens

Israeli tanks on the edge of Gaza City, key road cut

"There's absolutely no ground advance inside the residential neighborhoods in the Gaza Strip. What happened on Salah al-Din Street was the incursion of a few occupation army tanks and a bulldozer," Salama Maarouf said in a statement.

"These vehicles targeted two civilian cars on Salah al-Din Street and bulldozed the street before the resistance forced them to retreat. There is currently no presence of occupation army vehicles on Salah al-Din Road, and citizen movement has returned to normal on the road."

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3:42pm

OIC condemns ongoing Israeli aggression against Gaza

3:35pm

Tanks moving towards Gaza city, communication cut

A short while ago, Israel started the second phase of its war on Gaza. A large number of tanks moved in from the southeastern part of Gaza, advancing towards the western side.

They are now close to a junction that connects various parts of Gaza. If they reach and take control of the junction, they will effectively divide the south and north of Gaza from each other, significantly hampering the movement of people.

Israeli forces issued a warning instructing people not to travel between the south and north of Gaza.

Sources have also reported tanks moving from the northern part of Gaza toward Gaza City.

3:24pm

Israeli tanks approaching outskirts of Gaza City

Witnesses also told AFP news agency that the tanks are on the edge of Gaza City and cut a key road from the north to the south of the war-torn Palestinian territory.

Palestinian sources told Al Jazeera that Israeli tanks are dividing the Gaza Strip into two parts after their incursion towards Salah al-Din Street, which vertically passes through the enclave.

3:06pm

Four killed in West Bank clashes: Palestinian officials

Palestinian health officials said this morning that at least four people had been killed in clashes with Israeli forces in Jenin.

According to the Palestinian official news agency Wafa, military vehicles and two bulldozers carried out a raid in Jenin and destroyed part of the outer wall of the Ibn Sina Hospital. Missiles were also fired into a house and into Jenin refugee camp, Wafa reported.

In their update this morning, Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari said it had carried out an air strike operation in Jenin, adding: "We targeted and eliminated several armed terrorists."

2:46pm

UK says working to have a humanitarian pause in Gaza

British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has told Reuters news agency that his country is working on a humanitarian pause to get aid to the people of Gaza.

"We're working extensively with the Egyptians, with the Israelis and others to try and have a humanitarian pause, a temporary pause so that we can get that humanitarian aid to the people that need it," Cleverly told the agency in Abu Dhabi. "It's trickling through but we need a significant increase in the volume."

It is worth noting that British PM Rishi Sunak visited Israel earlier this month to express his support for its military campaign on Gaza which has so far killed more than 8,000 people.

2:27pm

More children died in Gaza in three weeks than annual total since 2019

More children have now been killed in Gaza in the last three weeks than the total killed in conflicts around the world in every year since 2019, Save the Children said.

Figures released by the NGO on Sunday show that at least 3,324 children have been killed in Gaza since October 7, while 36 have died in the occupied West Bank.

According to reports from the UN Secretary-General on children and armed conflict, a total of 2,985 children were killed across 24 countries in 2022, 2,515 in 2021, and 2,674 in 2020 across 22 countries, Save the Children said.

A displaced Palestinian boy, who fled with his family from their house amid Israeli strikes, looks after his twin siblings as they take shelter at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip October 29, 2023. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

2:03pm

Rocket attack on Netivot causes intensive damage on homes: Israeli medics

We are getting more information on the rocket attack on the southern city of Netivot, announced earlier by Hamas' al-Qassam Brigades.

The Israeli media said that three rockets hit Netivot, without killing or injuring anyone.

The Magen David Adom ambulance service, quoted by local media, said two homes were hit by the rockets that caused intensive damage.

1:45pm

Palestine Red Crescent says Israeli strikes continue near Al-Quds hospital

A short while ago the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) posted a video on social media, which appears to show people gathered outside Al Quds hospital in Gaza City, as loud explosions are heard in the background.

"Now, continues Israeli air strikes in the Tal Al-Hawa area... where Al-Quds Hospital is located" says the PRCS.

1:24pm

Al Shifa doctor says more than 55,000 displaced people at hospital

Some 55,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) are now "occupying each square metre" of Al Shifa hospital, Dr Marwan Abusada said in a voice note to the BBC, recorded on Sunday afternoon.

Abusada said the hospital was "overwhelmed" and patients were "invading" its corridors as more arrived. About 100 patients were moved to other hospitals over the weekend, he said. "But still we are receiving many, many, many cases. Each half an hour, we receive a huge number of injured people."

A shortage of everything from anaesthetics to painkillers and antibiotics is making the situation "very difficult", he added. "We cannot do more."

Israel's military has said Hamas's main base of operations is beneath Al Shifa. Hamas rejects that claim and some of the doctors working there have called for the hospital to be protected.

1:10pm

Israeli army says 600 Hamas targets hit in past 24 hours

The Israeli army says it attacked about 600 Hamas targets as it "continued" to expand its ground operations in the Gaza Strip.

It said "dozens" of Hamas fighters who were hiding inside buildings were killed during clashes with Israeli forces.

Israeli troops also targeted areas around the Al-Azhar University, in the north of the Strip, where it said an anti-tank missile was about to be launched from.

12:55pm

Al-Qassam Brigades says it launched rockets on Israeli city of Netivot

Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, says it attacked targets in the city of Netivot in southern Israel.

A statement on the group's Telegram app said a barrage of rockets were launched on the city.

12:44pm

Hezbollah says it shot down Israeli drone

Hezbollah, the armed group based in southern Lebanon, has announced that it shot down an Israeli drone - the first time it has made such a claim during recent fighting.

It occurred on Sunday above Khiam, about 5km (3 miles) from the border with Israel. The drone was seen falling into Israeli territory, Hezbollah said.

According to the organisation, which is designated as a terror group by the UK and US, it has had 46 fighters killed in fighting with Israel since the 7 October Hamas attack, as well as 43 injured.

12:35pm

Footage shows confrontations between Israeli forces and Palestinians in Silwad

Confrontations have been reported between residents and the Israeli security forces in the occupied West Bank town of Silwad.

Videos verified by Al Jazeera captured the confrontations in the town which is located in the northeast of Ramallah.

12:20pm

Israeli air raids target two army posts in Syria

Syrian state TV says Israeli air attacks targeted two army posts in the southwestern city of Deraa, adding that the raids led to "some material losses".

12:05pm

Death toll in Israeli raid in Jenin rises

The Palestinian Health Ministry says four people have now been killed and five injured by the Israeli forces.

Widespread destruction has been reported in the Jenin refugee camp as a result of the raid. Palestinian media said the Israeli forces used drones in the operation.

11:48pm

Sixty detained in Dagestan as anti-Israel protesters storm airport

Sixty people have been detained after hundreds of anti-Israel protesters stormed an airport in Russia's predominantly Muslim Dagestan region, according to the Interior Ministry.

"More than 150 active participants in the unrest have been identified, 60 of them have been arrested," the ministry said in a statement.

The protesters stormed the airport on Sunday when a plane from Israel just arrived, forcing security forces to close the airport and remove the demonstrators.

11:36am

Israeli strikes destroyed 47 mosques, damaged 7 churches: Gaza gov't

The ongoing Israeli air attacks in Gaza have destroyed 47 mosques and seven churches since the country launched a war on Hamas following the group's October 7 attacks in Israel, according to the government in Gaza.

Gaza's media office said that 203 schools and 80 government offices were also destroyed in the last three weeks.

Salama Maarouf, the director of the office, was quoted by Al Jazeera Arabic as saying that 220,000 housing units were damaged due to the massive bombardment, and 32,000 buildings were completely destroyed.

Plumes of smoke rise during Israeli strikes, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Gaza City, October 29, 2023. REUTERS/Yasser Qudih

11:20am

Tens of thousands drinking salty, contaminated water: Report

An internal US State Department document has provided details on the tens of thousands of people in Gaza drinking salty and contaminated water, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported.

The State Department reportedly found that some 52,000 pregnant women and more than 30,000 babies below six months of age have been forced to drink salty or contaminated water in Gaza, Haaretz reported.

Israel has cut off vital services needed for the people of Gaza to access water, including electricity and fuel needed for desalination and to operate water pumps. Water shortages are causing the threat of infectious diseases, health workers have warned.

11:05am

UN Security Council to discuss situation in Gaza today

The UN Security Council is scheduled to meet today and discuss Israel's massive operation in Gaza as well as the dire humanitarian situation on the ground.

During the meeting, requested by the United Arab Emirates, the Security Council will be updated by UNRWA, the UN agency providing aid to Palestinians.

The Security Council has so far failed in four attempts to secure a ceasefire resolution, because of either Russia or the US wielding their veto.

The UN says that, according to anecdotal evidence, in the north of Gaza, air strikes appear to be systematically destroying residential areas.

10:35am

Largest aid delivery for Gaza since supplies resumed

More than 30 aid trucks entered Gaza on Sunday, making up the largest humanitarian aid convoy to the territory since limited deliveries were allowed into the territory more than a week ago, the UN said on Monday.

33 aid trucks entered Gaza Sunday: UN

The UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said 33 trucks carrying water, food and medical supplies had gone through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt.

A total of 117 trucks have entered Gaza through Rafah since the resumption of aid on 21 October.

10:12am

Britain, France stress need to get aid into Gaza

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and French President Emmanuel Macron expressed their concern about getting aid into Gaza and the risks of the Israel-Hamas war spreading, Downing Street said after the leaders spoke by phone on Sunday.

"The leaders stressed the importance of getting urgent humanitarian support into Gaza. They agreed to work together on efforts both to get crucial food, fuel, water and medicine to those who need it, and to get foreign nationals out," a spokesperson for Sunak said.

"They expressed their shared concern at the risk of escalation in the wider region, in particular in the West Bank."

According to a readout by Macron's office, the leaders also reaffirmed Israel's right to defend itself within the limits of international law and the importance of finding a way to release the hostages held by Hamas.

9:50am

'Impeding aid deliveries could constitute a crime' - ICC

After visiting the Rafah crossing with Gaza and Egypt, International Criminal Court's top prosecutor Karim Khan said that impeding aid deliveries for Gaza could constitute a war crime and that there must be an effort by Israel to ensure vital supplies are allowed in.

"Civilians must receive food and water," he said. "I saw trucks full of goods, full of humanitarian assistance, stuck in Egypt where no one needs them. Stuck in Egypt, away from hungry mouths and bleeding wounds. These supplies must get to civilians in Gaza without delay".

He said that Israel had "clear obligations in its war with Hamas. Not just moral obligations but legal obligations to comply with the laws of armed conflict".

Khan added that "this principle applies to Hamas, in firing indiscriminate rockets into Israel".

He said he was also concerned about a spike in the number of reported incidents of attacks by settlers against Palestinian civilians on the West Bank.

9:30am

Reuters, Al Jazeera journalists 'targeted' in Lebanon strike – Report

The Reporters Without Borders (RSF) investigation into the killing of Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah, 37, in southern Lebanon on October 13, has found that "It is unlikely that the journalists were mistaken for combatants."

RSF initial report: Reuters journalist was killed in Lebanon in 'targeted' strike

"They had been in the open for more than an hour, on the top of a hill" and "were wearing helmets and bullet-proof waistcoats marked 'press'."

Six other journalists, including Al Jazeera cameraperson Elie Brakhia and reporter Carmen Joukhadar, were wounded in the two air attacks, which hit the village of Alma al-Shaab in quick succession.

9:15am

US pressured Israel to restore communications: Report

The US pressured Israel to restore telecommunications to the besieged Gaza Strip, the Washington Post reports.

A Senior US official who spoke to the Washington Post anonymously said that the US "made it clear" communications "had to be turned back on".

"The communications are back on. They need to stay back on," the official also reportedly said, adding that Israel had not given a reason for why it had cut communications on Friday.

9:00am

Israeli nightly raid expands to occupied West Bank's Nablus

The major Israeli raid in the occupied West Bank's city of Jenin has now expanded to Nablus in the territory's central region.

It's unclear if Israeli forces detained Palestinians during the Nablus operation, but a video posted by Al Jazeera Arabic on X, formerly Twitter, showed several armoured vehicles driving though a street of Nablus before dawn on Monday.

8:45am

No US boots on ground in Israel or Gaza: Kamala Harris

US Vice-President Kamala Harris has reiterated that the US has no intention or plans to send combat troops to Israel or Gaza.

"We have absolutely no intention nor do we have any plans to send combat troops into Israel or Gaza, period," she said in an interview on 60 Minutes. The US, she said, was providing Israel with advice, equipment and diplomatic support.

"Israel, without any question, has a right to defend itself. That being said, it is very important that there be no conflation between Hamas and the Palestinians. The Palestinians deserve equal measures of safety and security, self-determination and dignity, and we have been very clear that the rules of war must be adhered to and that there be humanitarian aid that flows," she said

The US, she added, wanted to prevent the conflict from escalating and she also warned Iran not to get involved.

8:30am

'Significant damage' reported on Turkish hospital in Gaza after Israeli strike nearby

Dr Subhi Sukeyk, the director of the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital in Gaza, reported "significant damage" to the medical facility following renewed and multiple Israeli bombings on nearby targets.

The hospital is the only medical centre in Gaza capable of handling cancer cases.
In recent weeks, it has already stopped some of its services due to Israel preventing fuel from being allowed into the territory.

There are an estimated 9,000 cancer patients in Gaza, which has a population of about 2.3 million.

8:15am

Israel urges Russia to protect Israelis, Jews amid Dagestan unrest

Israel urged Russian authorities on Sunday to protect Israelis and Jews in their jurisdictions following media reports of potential reprisals by pro-Palestinian protesters in the Russian Republic of Dagestan.

A statement by the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem said the Israeli ambassador in Moscow was working with Russian authorities. "The State of Israel views gravely attempts to harm Israelis citizens and Jews anywhere," the statement said.

Israeli media aired footage from Makhachkala airport in Dagestan appearing to show scores of youths, incensed at the Gaza war, storming the tarmac in search of passengers from a flight that had been due to land from Tel Aviv.

"Israel expects the Russian law enforcement authorities to safeguard all Israeli citizens and Jews, whoever they may be, and to take robust action against the rioters and against the unbridled incitement being directed at Jews and Israelis," the Foreign Ministry statement said.

8:00am

WHO Chief's "humble plea for ceasefire"

The Director-General of the World Health Organization Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has shared a "humble plea for ceasefire and peace" on X.

In the post shared a few hours ago, Tedros who is from Tigray in Ethiopia shared his own experiences of growing up around war as a child.

"As a child trapped in the shadows of war, I intimately knew its smell, sounds and sights," he said. "I empathise deeply with those now caught in the middle of conflict, feeling their pain as if it were my own." 

7:30am

Israel's security chief warns of "eruption" of violence in West Bank

The head of Israel's domestic security agency Shin Bet has warned there are "fears" of an "eruption" of violence in the West Bank, Israeli media have reported.

Ronen Bar, the head of Shin Bet warned that there had been "a rise in violence by settlers [and] incidents between settlers and Palestinians that result in the deaths of Palestinians," the Times of Israel reported Israel's Channel 12 as saying.

Bar gave the warnings to Israel's war cabinet, army and wider cabinet, according to the Israeli media reports.

7:15am

'Everyone terrified' at Gaza hospital - doctor

The Israeli military issued an evacuation order for the hospital on Sunday, but staff have said that moving the hundreds of patients currently being treated there would not be possible.

BBC News tonight received a message from an unnamed doctor at the clinic saying that "heavy bombardment has now begun in the vicinity of Al-Quds Hospital".

"Everyone, Everyone, especially the children, is terrified," he said. "They bomb the [residential] towers behind the hospital."

BBC earlier received a voice note from an unnamed Gaza resident who said: "They have bombed two residential towers and now they're bombing the third one. God protect us."

Footage thought to have been shot from inside the hospital showed rooms filled with dust and windows blown out.

7:00am

'Striking Al-Quds Hospital would be war crime'

Kenneth Roth, a former executive director of Human Rights Watch, has warned that Israel could be violating humanitarian laws and rules of engagement, and could be charged with a war crime if it goes ahead with its threat to target Gaza's Al-Quds Hospital.

"When you have 14,000 people in the hospital, many in critical situations where they can't be moved, an evacuation order doesn't suffice," Roth told Al Jazeera.

"It is wrong to suggest that whatever military advantage coming from hitting the supposed Hamas facility underneath would justify the disproportionate harm to civilians," he added.

6:45am

Israel pounds Gaza's north as it steps up ground assault

Palestinians in northern Gaza reported fierce air and artillery strikes early on Monday as Israeli troops backed by tanks pressed into the enclave with a ground assault that drew increased international calls for the protection of civilians.

Israel pounds Gaza's north as it steps up ground assault

Israeli air strikes hit areas near Gaza City's Shifa and Al-Quds hospitals, and Palestinian fighters clashed with Israeli forces in a border area east of the city of Khan Younis, in the enclave's south, Palestinian media reported.

There was no comment from Hamas or the Israeli military on the fighting early on Monday. Reuters was not able to confirm the reports.

6:30am

3,195 children killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza; 1,000 buried under rubble: NGO

Israel's bombardment of Gaza has taken an unprecedented toll on children in particular.

Save the Children's analysis of the numbers reveals a particularly harrowing fact – the number of children killed in Gaza since October 7, 3,195, is higher than the total number of children killed in conflicts around the world annually since 2019.

And the number is likely to be higher – with 1,000 children also reporting missing, and most likely buried under the rubble of buildings destroyed by Israeli bombing.

6:15am

Hezbollah says it downs Israeli drone in south Lebanon

Lebanon's Hezbollah said on Sunday it shot down an Israeli drone over southern Lebanon with a surface-to-air missile, the first time it has announced such an incident, as clashes on the Lebanese border escalate.

The drone was hit near Khiam, about 5 km (3 miles) from the border with Israel, and was seen falling in Israeli territory, Hezbollah added. Two security sources in Lebanon said it was the first time Hezbollah had announced downing an Israeli drone.

The Israeli Defence Ministry did not provide comment. Israel's military, which claimed more strikes on what it described as Hezbollah targets on Sunday, also did not comment.

6:00am

Gaza under nonstop Israeli strikes overnight; Hamas attack reported near Erez crossing

At least 16 people have been killed in northern Gaza's al-Saftawi area after Israeli forces carried out two successive air attacks on a house owned by the Jouma family, killing some of those who were injured in the first strike as well as nearby residents who rushed to rescue the victims.

Dozens are feared killed or injured in Jabalia after a house owned by the Khatib family was hit while at least 10 people were reported killed and dozens injured by air attacks on a residence in al-Zawayda and nearby al-Maghazi in central Gaza. Additionally, seven people were reported killed and several others wounded following an Israeli air attack on a house owned by the Kurd family in southern Gaza.

A major bombardment was also captured on video in another northern district of Tal al-Hawa, but there were no immediate details about casualties.

Khan Younis in southern Gaza also came under heavy air attacks and artillery shelling. The Al-Shati refugee camp, Shujaiya and Zeitoun in central Gaza have also faced new waves of Israeli bombardments.

Hamas's al-Qassam Brigade fighters say they have targeted the Beit Hanoon crossing, known as Erez in Israel, with shells and rockets.

Disclaimer: The information and infographics provided in this thread have been gathered from sources, including BBC, Reuters, Al Jazeera, and other news networks.