• It is the 29th day of the war: According to Hamas, almost 9,500 Palestinians have died; 1,400 Israeli; 241 hostages in Gaza.
• Israeli Defense Minister: “We will kill the head of Hamas.”
• Hamas blocks the departure of foreigners and the wounded from Gaza.
• US doubts about Israel: Background to Blinken’s new trip.
• The words and acronyms to understand the conflict: Here is the glossary.
• The history of the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis, explained here.
7:52 a.m. – Israel says it has hit 2,500 targets since the ground operation began in Gaza
The Israeli army said it has hit over 2,500 targets in Gaza since the ground operation began, Israeli newspaper Haaretz reports.
6:49 a.m. – The Israeli army announces: another four hours for the evacuation of the northern Gaza Strip
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced that it will allow Gaza residents to evacuate through designated roads to the south of the Gaza Strip on Sunday. The main route for evacuation will be Salah Al-Deen Street, with a window between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. local time. Avichay Adraee, IDF spokesman, told the Arab media. The army also tried to ensure a safe corridor for the civilian population on Saturday afternoon. However, the Israeli troops came under fire from Hamas.
5:35 a.m. – New clashes between Palestinians and the army in the West Bank
There were further clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinians in the West Bank on Saturday night. This is reported by the Jerusalem Post, citing Palestinian sources. The clashes occurred in Jenin, Nablus, Tulkarem and other places: three Palestinians were injured in Nablus, one Palestinian was injured in Jenin and another was arrested in a raid in the city.
3:54 a.m. – Attack on refugee camp in Gaza, “at least 51 dead”
At least 51 people were killed and dozens injured in an Israeli army attack on the Maghazi refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. This is reported by the Palestinian news agency Wafa – as the website Ynet reports. The attack occurred on the night of Saturday to Sunday.
3:40 a.m. – Israeli army: “Hamas is hiding in the tunnels and preventing civilians from reaching safety”
“While Hamas prevents civilians from fleeing to safety in the south of the Gaza Strip, it hides in its intricate network of terror tunnels.” The Israeli army writes this on X, adding that its troops “during operational activity in the north “The Gaza Strip has discovered several access points to the tunnels.”
3:28 a.m. – United Nations alert, nearly 1.5 million displaced in Gaza
Almost 1.5 million people in Gaza have been displaced from their homes. Of these, 710,275 have found refuge in 149 UNRWA facilities, 122,000 people are accommodated in hospitals, churches and public buildings, 109,755 people have sought refuge in 89 schools and the rest are staying with host families. The data was provided by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
«The overcrowded accommodation – we read in a statement – continue to pose serious health risks. Damage to water and sanitation infrastructure as well as the limited availability of fuel for pumping water lead to additional risks to public health. Several cases of acute respiratory infections, diarrhea and chickenpox have already been reported among people in UNRWA shelters.” In addition, around 530,000 people have found refuge in 92 UNRWA facilities in the southern governorates of Deir Al Balah, Khan Younis and Rafah: The shelters have their Capacity exceeded and cannot accommodate new arrivals. Many displaced people seek safety by sleeping on the streets.”
3:01 a.m. – Media, today Blinken meets Abu Mazen in Ramallah
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) in Ramallah today. It will be the top American diplomat’s first trip to the West Bank since the outbreak of war. A Palestinian official told the Times of Israel.
02:45 a.m. – Gaza, the Rafah border crossing is closed again. There is a dispute over ambulances: “Hamas uses them”
(by Davide Frattini, Jerusalem Correspondent) The Rafah Gate has remained closed, it is now a narrow alley between the concrete blocks built by the Egyptians. In the last few days, a thousand Palestinians with foreign passports, including Italian ones, and the most seriously injured have passed through here. You can’t pass here if the Hamas bosses don’t put your name on the list, if it doesn’t have the consent of the Israelis and the Arab soldiers guarding the crossing written next to it. The mechanism was blocked yesterday, it is not a question of diplomacy, it is war.
2:24 a.m. – Gallant: “We will reach the Hamas leader in Gaza and eliminate him”
“We will reach the top of Hamas, we will arrive and eliminate Yihia Sinwar.” And I say to the people of Gaza: “If you reach him before us, the war will be shortened.” Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said this in a press conference in the Israeli Defense Ministry, referring to the Hamas leader in Gaza.
02:04 a.m. – US doubts about Israel: Background to Blinken’s new trip
(by Federico Rampini) There is not only a disagreement between the United States and Israel over the humanitarian pause demanded by Washington – and rejected by Benjamin Netanyahu – to provide aid to the people of Gaza. Even more important is the distance between the two allies. Aimed “end game”: the long-term strategic goal achieved after military operations. In other words: Who will govern Gaza? This is the most important problem facing America in its diplomatic approach to Israel and the Arab world. The White House’s request to Benjamin Netanyahu is to curb Israeli military actions, try to limit civilian casualties and provide pauses in fighting to ensure that food, medicine and gasoline reach Gaza’s population well known. But it’s not just that.
1:24 a.m. – USA: “Hamas blocks foreigners from leaving the country after the ambulance raid”
Hamas will prevent foreign citizens from leaving Gaza until Israel ensures that ambulances from the Palestinian enclave can reach the Rafah border crossing into Egypt. An American official familiar with the situation told CNN. The militiamen’s decision came after Israel admitted hitting an ambulance outside Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City, underscoring that Hamas transports militiamen and weapons in emergency vehicles. According to an official source on the Egyptian side, more than 700 foreign citizens were expected to leave Gaza via Rafah today.
00:52 – Video: the outburst of the Palestinian journalist who announces the death of his colleague
He was reporting live on television from Nasser Hospital in the southern Gaza Strip about the Palestinian victims of Israeli bombings when journalist Salman al-Bashir had to announce the death of a colleague, Mohammed Abu Hatab. 49 years old, correspondent for Palestine TV, a Palestinian Authority station in the West Bank, a political rival to Hamas. According to reports from the Palestinian agency Wafa, the journalist was among 11 victims of an attack on their home in the southern Gaza Strip. Searching for words to describe what the loss of Abu Hatab meant to him and the station, Al-Bashir collapsed with emotion, erupted in a tantrum on the radio and took off his bulletproof vest.
12:32 a.m. – Hamas: 60 hostages missing after Israeli raids
After the latest Israeli bombing, 60 Hamas hostages are missing in Gaza. This was stated by the group’s armed wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, citing the online agency Portal. Spokesman Abu Ubaida also said on Telegram that the bodies of 23 Israeli hostages were still found among the rubble of buildings destroyed in the raids.
00:10 – Demonstrations for Palestine in Washington, Berlin and Paris
From Washington to London, from Berlin to Paris. There were demonstrations for Palestine in many cities. Thousands of people gathered in Paris to call on Israel to halt all military operations in the Gaza Strip. Thousands of people also in Germany, in the center of Berlin and in Düsseldorf and in London. Even in the United States, thousands of people gathered at the march in Washington to demand a ceasefire in Gaza.
– Protesters in London (EPA)