By Rachael Bunyan and Chris Jewers
Published: 08:33, November 8, 2023 | Updated: 09:53, November 8, 2023
IN PICTURES: Israel holds commemorative ceremonies to mark one month since October 7th
Remembrance ceremonies in Jerusalem last night were punctuated by sobs and crowds lit candles as they mourned the victims of the Hamas attack a month ago.
“There is not a single person who is not affected by these terrible attacks,” said 52-year-old Sharon Balaban, one of thousands of Israelis who attended the vigils.
“Everyone knows someone who has been injured, killed, murdered or harmed.”
Tel Aviv also held a candlelight vigil with photos of the hostages in Habima Square. Some cried, some sang or prayed.
“I came to look at the faces of the hostages and feel part of them. … I want to be by the side of the families whose relatives are in Gaza,” said Valeria Nesterov.
Blinken indicates support for “transition period.”
In addition to his previous comments (see update at 9:10) in which he said the White House does not support Israel reoccupying the Gaza Strip, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has indicated that he supports a post-war “trait period”.
“Gaza cannot continue to be ruled by Hamas,” he said.
“This simply invites a repeat of October 7th.” It is also clear that Israel cannot occupy Gaza. The reality now is that some transition period may be required at the end of the conflict. “We do not see a reoccupation and what I have heard from Israeli leaders is that they have no intention of reoccupying Gaza.”
Israel “kills leading Hamas weapons maker” as it attacks Gaza tunnel network
Airstrikes on the Gaza Strip killed a top Hamas weapons manufacturer and several militants, the Israeli military said on Wednesday, as its air and ground offensive targeted the militants’ vast network of tunnels beneath the besieged Palestinian enclave.
Gaza City, the Hamas group’s main stronghold in the area, is surrounded by Israeli forces. The military said troops had advanced into the heart of the densely populated city, while Hamas said its fighters had inflicted heavy casualties.
The Israeli military’s statement said two separate strikes killed a top Hamas gunsmith, Mahsein Abu Zina, as well as fighters firing anti-tank missiles or surface-to-surface missiles.
According to the ICRC, a medical supply convoy came under fire in Gaza City
The International Committee of the Red Cross said a humanitarian convoy carrying medical supplies came under fire in Gaza City on Tuesday, AFP reports.
Two trucks were damaged and a driver was slightly injured in the incident. The ICRC did not provide any information about who fired at his convoy or from which direction the fire came.
“These are not the conditions in which humanitarian personnel can work,” said William Schomburg, the head of the ICRC sub-delegation in Gaza.
Separately, medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said on Tuesday that one of its staff had been killed along with several family members in Gaza.
Mohammed Al Ahel, a laboratory technician, was killed in his home in Shati refugee camp, Doctors Without Borders said.
G7 foreign ministers support “humanitarian breaks and corridors”
G7 foreign ministers have said they support “humanitarian pauses and corridors” in the Israel-Hamas war but have stopped short of calling for a ceasefire.
The ministers said in a joint statement after the talks in Japan:
We emphasize the need for urgent action to address the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza. We support humanitarian breaks and corridors to facilitate urgently needed assistance, civil movements and the release of hostages.
The statement also said that the ministers “emphasized Israel’s right to defend itself and its people in accordance with international law in order to prevent a repeat of the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7” and called on Iran to Hamas and the Lebanese do not support the terrorist group Hezbollah.
We call on Iran to refrain from supporting Hamas and taking further actions that destabilize the Middle East, including supporting the Lebanese Hezbollah and other non-state actors, and to use its influence with these groups to further the regional to de-escalate tensions.
The IDF says it has opened an evacuation corridor for civilians from northern Gaza to move south
BREAKING: Israel should not ‘reoccupy’ Gaza, Blinken says
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said Israel should not “re-occupy” Gaza once the war with Hamas ends.
His statement followed comments from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday evening, who said Israel would retain “overall security responsibility” in Gaza for an “undetermined period” after defeating Hamas.
The US State Department also said it rejected any reoccupation.
“In general, we do not support the reoccupation of Gaza and neither does Israel,” State Department spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters.
“Our position is that Palestinians must be at the center of these decisions and Gaza is Palestinian land.”
Israel withdrew its soldiers and settlers from Gaza in 2005.
WATCH: The IDF continues to eliminate terror targets deep in Gaza
IN PICTURES: Smoke rises over Gaza as the Israeli Air Force continues airstrikes
Thousands of Palestinians flee south on foot
Thousands of Palestinians are fleeing south on foot with only what they can carry after running out of food and water in the north, a UN agency said on Wednesday, as Israel said its troops were battling Hamas militants deep in Gaza City .
- More than 70 percent of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents have already fled their homes, but the growing numbers heading south suggest an increasingly desperate situation in and around Gaza’s largest city, which is under heavy Israeli bombardment.
- According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, about 15,000 people fled the northern Gaza Strip on Tuesday – three times as many as on Monday. They use Gaza’s main north-south highway during a daily four-hour window announced by Israel.
- The refugees include children, the elderly and people with disabilities, and most of them had minimal belongings, the U.N. agency said. Some say they had to pass through Israeli checkpoints where they saw people being arrested, while others held their hands in the air and raised white flags as they passed Israeli tanks.
- Residents reported loud explosions on Wednesday night across Gaza City and in the Shati refugee camp, which houses Palestinian families who fled or were expelled from what is now Israel during the war that founded the camp in 1948 .
- “The bombings were intense and close,” said Mohamed Abed, who lives in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood of Gaza City. He said residents panicked when they heard news late Tuesday that Israeli ground troops were fighting deep in the city.
According to the IDF, Israeli troops are fighting Hamas terrorists deep in Gaza City as thousands of Palestinians flee south on foot with only what they can carry.
In retaliation for a deadly attack by Hamas gunmen on Oct. 7, Israeli soldiers have advanced toward the heart of the city, which was home to 650,000 people before the war and is Hamas’s northern Gaza stronghold.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant underscored Israel’s determination to destroy Hamas, calling Gaza City “the largest terrorist base ever established.” Israel says Hamas has built its central command and a vast maze of tunnels beneath the city.
Read our full report by clicking the link below…
What you need to know as the war between Israel and Hamas enters its 33rd day
Hello and welcome to Web’s live blog about the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. As the conflict reaches its 33rd day, here’s what you need to know:
- According to the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza, more than 10,300 people have been killed in the territory since the war began on October 7, when the group attacked Israel, killing over 1,400 people and taking 240 others hostage.
- Israeli troops are now fighting Hamas terrorists deep in Gaza City as they continue their ground operation in the Gaza Strip. The dense metropolis is home to Hamas’ stronghold in the north of the coastal strip.
- Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said the soldiers were “in the heart of Gaza City,” adding that Israel was “tightening the noose on the terrorist group.” Hamas’s most senior leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, is isolated in his bunker, Gallant said.
- Thousands of Palestinians evacuated from the north of the Gaza Strip to the south on Tuesday, heeding Israel’s warning to move to the safer part of the territory
- The Hamas-run Interior Ministry said 900,000 Palestinians were still seeking shelter in northern Gaza, including in Gaza City, as troops closed in
- According to the United Nations, there has been no running water in the north for weeks and hospitals running low on supplies are performing surgeries – including amputations – without anesthesia
- Palestinian health authorities said at least 23 people were killed in two Israeli airstrikes in the southern Gaza Strip on Tuesday
- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said this week that Israel would retain “overall security responsibility” in Gaza for an “undetermined period” after defeating Hamas
- The US opposes Israel’s reoccupation of the territory
- Meanwhile, in Israel, Israelis celebrated the month after the Hamas attack with candlelight vigils and photos of the hostages taken by Hamas
Important updates
08:53
Thousands of Palestinians flee south on foot
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08:34
What you need to know as the war between Israel and Hamas enters its 33rd day
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Israel-Hamas War LIVE: “Dead men walk – inside and outside Gaza,” the IDF warns, as Israeli troops battle terrorists deep in the city
Important updates