Palestinian Red Crescent, UN agencies evacuate Al-Shifa premature babies
Summary
- About 31 Palestinians have been killed in separate strikes that took place at the Nuseirat refugee camp and another refugee camp. Two journalists are among the victims.
- Dozens of people, including children, have been killed in Israeli air attacks on UN-run schools in northern Gaza: al-Fakhoora school in the Jabalia refugee camp and another school in Tall az-Zaatar.
- Witnesses have described being forced to leave al-Shifa Hospital despite Israel claiming patients, medical staff and war-displaced people left voluntarily.
- A deal on captives has not yet been reached between Israel and Hamas, a White House spokesperson told Reuters after The Washington Post said a US-brokered deal was close.
- At least 12,000 people have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7. In Israel, the official death toll in Hamas's attacks stands at about 1,200.
7:36pm
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Palestinian Red Crescent, UN agencies evacuate Al-Shifa premature babies
Ambulance crews of the Palestinian Red Crescent evacuated 31 premature babies from Al-Shifa Hospital on Sunday in coordination with the World Health Organization and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the group said in a post on its Facebook page, reports Reuter.
The babies were transferred to the south of Gaza "in preparation for their transfer to the Emirates Hospital in Rafah" the group added.
Later in the day Ashraf Al-Qidra, spokesperson for the Hamas Health Ministry in Gaza, told a news conference that the babies had been moved to Tal Alsultan Hospital in Rafah and will be sent to Egyptian hospitals with their families tomorrow.
7:20pm
Attacks on shelters should be investigated: Legal scholar
Maleiha Malik, executive director of Protect Education in Insecurity and Conflict (PEIC), says the attack on Al Fakhoura school was a "tragedy" and that access should be provided to investigate the attacks on shelters in the besieged enclave.
"We'd like to see an independent commission to establish the truth of what's going on and establish accountability," she added. Al Jazeera reports.
5:47pm
Six journalists, media workers killed in Gaza overnight
Two more journalists and two media workers were killed in the past 24 hours, according to information gathered by the Palestinian press watchdog MADA, the Palestinian Press Syndicate and videos verified by Al Jazeera.
Here are their names:
- Mustafa al-Sawaf, journalist
- Musab Ashour, photojournalist
- Amr Abu Hayya, engineer for Al-Aqsa TV
- Abd Alhalim Awad, administrator for Al-Aqsa TV
Earlier, Al Jazeera reported the death of two reporters in Bureij refugee camp:
- Sari Mansour, journalist with Quds News
- Hassouneh Salim, journalist with Quds News
4:24pm
EU foreign policy chief commends Qatar's efforts in mediating war in Gaza
The EU's top foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, praised Qatar and said that the country has emerged as a critical mediator not only in the Middle East but also in other crises."I want to recognise the personal engagement of Qatar in releasing Ukranian children taken by Russia and also mediating prisoners' exchange deals in Iran," he said, noting Qatar's efforts to forge peace, reports Al Jazeera.
At a news conference in Doha, Borell also told Qatar's prime minister that he had visited the families of the hostages in Israel who had a plea to Qatar.
"They asked me to tell you that you should do everything you can to release hostages. From our side in the EU, we are also putting pressure on both sides to make this deal possible," he said.
Negotiations with Israel and Hamas, mediated by Qatar to release hostages, are still ongoing.
4:22pm
Yemen's Houthis say they will target all ships owned, operated by Israeli companies
A spokesperson for Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi military, Yahya Sarea, says the group will target all ships owned or operated by Israeli companies or carrying the Israeli flag, said Al Jazeera, quoting the group's Telegram channel.
The spokesperson called on all countries to withdraw their citizens working on the crews of any such ships.
3:51pm
Israeli air raid kills two journalists in Gaza: Monitoring group
Two journalists have been killed in Gaza in an Israeli air attack overnight, the Palestinian press freedom group MADA told Al Jazeera.
Sari Mansour and Hassouneh Salim were working in the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza when they were hit, the group said.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) reported on Saturday that the total number of journalists who have died since the war started is 42. With the two more deaths, reporters who lost their life during the conflict include 39 Palestinians, four Israelis and one Lebanese.
This war has seen more reporters killed in its first month than any other conflict since the CPJ first started collating statistics for journalists covering the conflict in 1992.
3:18pm
Palestinians relate to President Abbas's latest speech
Following the terrible images of the attacks in Gaza, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas made a speech on Saturday night wherein he directly addressed US President Joe Biden.
He said it was incumbent for the American president to immediately intervene and stop what he said was the ongoing Israeli genocide of the Palestinian people.
His speech reflected something that Palestinians speak to and have been feeling more and more. They've been feeling completely abandoned by the international community and feel that there is no international law that applies to the Palestinian people.
Everyone feels what President Abbas was saying.
The only party now that can stop Israel from doing what it is doing is the US government, that is simultaneously the largest sponsor, of both the political and practical Israeli war in Gaza.
2:58pm
New Zealand Labour Party calls for immediate ceasefire
New Zealand Labour Party has called for immediate ceasefire in Gaza. While calling for a halt in hostilities, the party also described the Israeli army's attacks inside the strip as "disproportionate and indiscriminate", reports Al Jazeera.
"Along with other New Zealanders we are appalled by the devastation and loss of life. We recognise the grief of communities in New Zealand who have connections with those in the conflict," the party's leader Chris Hipkins said in a Labour Party statement.
"All parties need to act in accordance with international law and protect civilians," Hipkins said. "While we recognise the right to self-defence, we are particularly concerned that the actions of the Israeli Defence Force are disproportionate and indiscriminate."
1:41pm
Netanyahu justifies decision to allow fuel in Gaza: Report
During a lengthy cabinet meeting, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had to justify to other ministers his decision to allow two daily trucks of fuel to enter Gaza, quoting the Israeli Broadcasting Authority, Al Jazeera reports.
Netanyahu explained that without such a move, Israel would have lost international legitimacy to continue its military operation inside the strip and could have been suspected of committing "war crimes," sources told the Israeli media.
The clarification came as members of his far-right coalition were outraged by the announcement that Israel had agreed to allow the precious material inside the enclave despite a catastrophic humanitarian crisis, the growing spread of diseases and the UN warning over the risk of starvation among the civilian population.
Those opposing fuel inside the enclave claimed that it would have provided a lifeline for Hamas, instead of being used for humanitarian purposes.
1:17pm
No water, electricity at Khan Younis hospital
The Palestinian Red Crescent says al-Amal Hospital in Khan Younis has been running without any electricity and water for the past six days.
Several hospitals in the enclave have been rendered "out of service" due to a severe shortage of basic necessities including food, water, fuel and medicines, amid Israel's total siege of Gaza.
12:55pm
Netanyahu: Israel didn't enter Gaza to hand it over to the Palestinians
Israel has no intention of handing Gaza over to the PA once the war is over, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday night as he rebuffed US pressure to do so, reports Jerusalem Post.
"The Palestinian Authority in its current form is not able to take responsibility for Gaza," Netanyahu said. "After we fought and did all this, how could we hand it over to them?"
He noted that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has yet to condemn the October 7 massacre, which sparked the Gaza war, in which Hamas killed more than 1,200 people and seized over 239 hostages.
"Abu Mazen [Abbas], 43 days after the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, has refused to condemn it," Netanyahu said, adding that there are Palestinian ministers who are celebrating the event.
Condemning the PA policy of paying monthly stipends to students, Netanyahu said it (PA) educates its children to hate Jews.
In support of his own position, Netanyahu argued that after the Israeli forces withdrew from Gaza in 2005, it handed it over to the PA, which was then ousted by Hamas in a violent coup in 2007. "If there is no change here, what have we done? They [the PA] were already there, they were given the Gaza Strip and what happened? They were destroyed and chased out of there in less than a year," Netanyahu said.
"There has to be a change here, that is my opinion and I stand by it," he said.
12:22pm
US to ban entry to Israeli extremists who attack Palestinians: Jerusalem Post
The Biden administration seeks to prevent Jewish extremists who attack Palestinians from entering the United States in its harshest stance to date against such West Bank violence. "I have been emphatic with Israel's leaders that extremist violence against Palestinians in the West Bank must stop and that those committing the violence must be held accountable," US President Joe Biden wrote in an opinion piece he published in the Washington Post on Saturday.
"The United States is prepared to take our own steps, including issuing visa bans against extremists attacking civilians in the West Bank," he stressed. According to the United Nations, eight Palestinians, including one child, have been killed by settlers in the West Bank and another 74 were injured. Some 33% of those injuries were caused by live ammunition, the UN stated.
The Biden administration is increasingly concerned by the growing number of Jewish extremist attacks that have occurred both before and after the start of the Gaza war.
Its officials have been careful to mention settler violence as it condemns Hamas' killing of 1,200 people and its seizure of over 239 hostages when it infiltrated southern Israel on October 9.
11:31am
Fifteen killed in Israeli attack of central, southern Gaza: Report
Fifteen Palestinians were killed have been killed in Israeli air raids of in central and southern Gaza strip, the Palestinian news agency WAFA is reporting, reports Al Jazeera.
Thirteen people were killed in an attack on a home in Nuseirat camp in central Gaza, while a woman and her child were killed in southern Khan Younis city, WAFA said.
11:15am
Netanyahu says no deal on captives amid reports of imminent release
Netanyahu has insisted there is no agreement on the release of Hamas's captives in Gaza amid reports of an imminent deal for their release. In a briefing on Saturday night, the Israeli prime minister said there was no agreement "as of now" and there had been "a lot of incorrect reports" about the release of the captives, reports Al Jazeera.
"I would like to make it clear: As of now, there has been no deal. But I want to promise: When there is something to say – we will report to you about it," he said.
On Wednesday, the Reuters news agency reported that Hamas had agreed to the "general outlines" of a deal to free 50 captives in exchange for a three-day pause in the war. Asked if he had rejected such a deal, Netanyahu on Saturday said there was "no deal on the table", the Times of Israel reported.
Hours after Netanyahu's briefing, the Washington Post reported that the US, Israel and Hamas were "close" to reaching a deal to free dozens of women and children in exchange for a five-day pause in fighting. The Post report said the release of the captives could begin in several days barring any last-minute obstacles, citing unnamed people who were familiar with the discussions.
The White House quickly denied the report, saying a deal had not been reached yet.
8:25am
Fuel delivery reached Gaza on Saturday: UN
A delivery of 123,000 litres (32,493 gallons) of fuel entered Gaza from Egypt on Saturday, the UN is reporting.
The fuel was delivered after Israel's war cabinet earlier agreed to allow 140,000 litres (37,000 gallons) of fuel into the Strip every two days after a request from the US.
8:10am
PA President Abbas calls on Biden to press Israel to end war
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has appealed to US President Joe Biden to intervene to stop Israeli's assault on Gaza.
In an address aired by Palestine TV on Saturday, Abbas called on Biden to use his "international standing and significant influence" on Israel.
"President Biden, I call on you, with all your official and humane qualities, to stop this humanitarian catastrophe, this genocide against our innocent people," Abbas said.
7:45am
US, Israel and Hamas 'close' to deal to pause war, free dozens of hostages: Washington Post
Israel, Hamas and the United States are "close" to a reaching a deal to free dozens of women and children being held captive in Gaza in exchange for a five-day pause in the war, the Washington Post has reported.
The release of the captives could begin in several days barring any last-minute obstacles, the Post reported late on Saturday, citing people familiar with the discussions.
Under the terms of the agreement, all parties in the war would pause fighting for at least five days while 50 or more captives are released in groups every 24 hours, according to the Post.
7:10am
WHO says 25 health workers, 291 patients still at Gaza's Al Shifa Hospital
The WHO says there are still 25 health workers and 291 patients, including 32 babies, at Gaza's Al-Shifa Hospital, following the evacuation of the facility.
A WHO-led humanitarian assessment team on Sunday provided a detailed update on conditions after a visit to the facility.
"Patients include 32 babies in extremely critical condition, two people in intensive care without ventilation, and 22 dialysis patients whose access to life-saving treatment has been severely compromised," the health agency said in a statement.
6:55am
Hamas had not planned attack on Supernova festival: Israeli report
A police investigation into the Hamas attack at the desert music festival, where 260 people were killed on October 7, has uncovered new details as reported by the Israeli media.
Notably, the police report found:
- Hamas had not planned the attack but spotted the music festival with the use of drones and from the air as they parachuted into Israel.
- An Israeli army helicopter that fired on Hamas assailants also hit some of the people attending the festival.
- Some 4,400 people had reportedly been at the event when Hamas broke through Israel's high-security barrier on Saturday. The event had originally been scheduled to end on Friday.
6:40am
Sixth Palestinian prisoner dies in Israeli prison since October 7
A Palestinian prisoner has died in Israel's Negev desert prison, Palestinian news agency Wafa has reported.
Thaer Samih Abu Assab had been detained since 2005 and was serving a 25-year sentence, the news agency reported on Saturday, citing the Palestinian Commission of Detainees Affairs.
His death brings to six the number of prisoners who have died in Israeli prisons since Hamas's October 7 attacks on Israel.
Negev desert prison, also known as Ketziot prison, is located about 180km (111 miles) south of Jerusalem and 10km (6 miles) east of the Egyptian border, according to the Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association.
