By Elena Salvoni and David Averre
Published: 07:31, October 26, 2023 | Updated: 11:47, October 26, 2023
A major rocket attack on areas in central Israel was reported from the Gaza Strip
PICTURED: Crowds gather to mourn as bodies pile up after Israeli attacks caused disaster for Gazans seeking shelter in the southern town of Khan Younis
***WARNING: Images contain disturbing content***
AUDIO: Gaza “tells Israeli official that Hamas is blocking evacuations to the south,” in an audio tape released by the IDF
- “My warning to the Ayatollah was that if they continue to act against these forces, we will respond. And he should be prepared,” Biden said.
- The president also delivered a rare rebuke to Israeli settlers in the West Bank and reiterated calls for a two-state solution.
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Doctors in Gaza are using ice cream trucks to store bodies as morgues are full
A doctor at al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City has revealed that bodies have to be stored in ice cream trucks. Pictures show how the dead are wrapped in white cloths with their names written on them.
“We have brought ice cream trucks from ice factories to preserve the huge amount of bodies the hospital receives every day,” said Dr. Yasser Ali.
“Even with these freezers, the number of bodies exceeds their capacity. In addition, 20-30 bodies are brought to the tents outside every day.’
He added that some bodies were “so mutilated” that they could not be identified.
“There is a real humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip. Gaza is facing catastrophe. If this war continues, we will not be able to bury the dead.”
VIDEO: “There are massacres day and night,” says a Gaza resident in the south of the enclave
Although Israel assures Gazans that the south of the strip is safer than the north, those who have fled there tell a different story.
“The southern area, south of the valley, is not safe,” said a man in Khan Younis.
“There are massacres day and night, many massacres in which children, teenagers, babies – everyone is killed.”
“Buildings are being destroyed, trees are being killed… there is no safe place in the entire Gaza Strip.” The south is destroyed, all the killings and displacements are taking place in the south.
“We belong to God and to him we will return.”
Watch the full video here:
VIDEO: Fires break out on Israeli-Lebanese border as IDF continues to exchange fire with Hezbollah
The government “wants to get British nationals out of Gaza” but “a safer environment is needed”, says Rishi Sunak
Rishi Sunak said there needed to be a “safer environment” in Gaza to allow British nationals to leave the bombed area.
- “As well as providing assistance, we also want to try to get our British nationals out of Gaza so that the hostages are released.”
- “We recognize that this requires a more secure environment, which of course requires certain pauses that are different from a ceasefire.”
- “And that’s why yesterday we supported the United Nations resolution that mentioned this, among other things.”
The Prime Minister made this comment in response to questions following a speech on artificial intelligence.
PICTURED: Horror in Khan Younis – the southern Gaza town is bombarded with Israeli airstrikes, hitting houses and leaving people running for their lives
Turkish President Erdogan tells the Pope that the international community’s silence on Gaza is “embarrassing.”
- Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan had a telephone conversation with Pope Francis today, his office said.
- In it he said that Israel’s attacks on Gaza amounted to a massacre.
- He said all countries must raise their voices against the humanitarian crisis in the region.
- He described the international community’s perceived silence as “embarrassing.”
The identities of 1,117 people killed in a Hamas attack on Israel on October 7 have been confirmed
- Israeli police have identified 808 civilians killed in the October 7 Hamas attack.
- The Army has identified 309 soldiers who lost their lives, bringing the total to 1,117.
- Work continues to identify the remaining 1,405 victims.
PICTURED: A cloud of smoke billows over the town of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip as Israeli air strikes continue
The confirmed number of hostages in Gaza rises to 224 and could rise further, the Israeli military says
The number of people held hostage in Gaza since the October 7 Hamas attack has risen to 224, according to the IDF.
IDF spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said the families of the 224 hostages had been notified.
He warned that number could continue to rise as the military investigates new information.
So far four hostages have been released by the terrorists.
According to the Israeli Ministry of Health, 267 people are still hospitalized following the October 7 Hamas attack
According to the Israeli Ministry of Health, 267 people are still being treated in hospital following the October 7 attack by Hamas terrorists.
Of these, 50 are said to be in serious condition.
PICTURED: Palestinians inspect the rubble as smoke rises over Gaza City and Khan Younis after another night of Israeli airstrikes
EU leaders call for “humanitarian corridors and breaks” to bring aid to Gaza
European Union leaders will call for the establishment of “humanitarian corridors and breaks” to bring urgently needed aid to Gaza, according to a draft text for a summit today.
IDF shares footage of warplanes hitting “over 250 targets of the terrorist organization Hamas.”
The IDF has released footage of nighttime attacks on alleged Hamas terrorist targets.
Spokesman Daniel Hagari said on
“The targets attacked included terrorist infrastructure, operational headquarters, terrorist tunnel shafts and rocket launchers in a civilian environment that were used to fire on Israel during the fighting.”
The United Nations warns: “Nowhere is safe” in Gaza amid Israeli bombing
Israel is continuing its airstrikes on Gaza today after tank attacks on the area overnight.
“Nowhere in Gaza is safe,” Lynne Hastings, U.N. humanitarian coordinator for the occupied Palestinian territories, said in a statement.
“When evacuation routes are bombed, when people in the north and south are caught up in hostilities, when the bare essentials for survival are missing and when there are no guarantees of return, people are left with impossible choices.”
Hamas warns: “The fighting has not yet started”
The deputy head of Hamas’s politburo warned that “the fighting has not yet begun.”
Saleh al-Arouri also announced that he met with Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on October 7, the day of Hamas’s bloody invasion of Israel.
He made the comments in an interview with al-Manar, Hezbollah’s television channel.
The Red Cross plans to bring eight to ten trucks to Gaza today
The Red Cross hopes to bring eight to 10 aid trucks to Gaza today and “build a pipeline,” an official said.
“This is just a small part of what is required, a drop in the bucket if you will, given the severity of the consequences of the violence over the last two and a half weeks,” said William Schomburg, head of the sub-delegation in Gaza.
PICTURED: Flares land amid the rubble of bombed buildings as Israel continues to bombard the Gaza Strip
The UK government will hold a COBRA meeting on the Israel-Gaza strategy today
The Government’s COBRA Emergency Response Committee will meet today to consider its strategy and approach to Gaza and the Israeli-Hamas conflict, Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden said this morning.
Israel seizes fuel for Gaza, forcing the Palestinian UN refugee agency to ration supplies
- Israel is blocking the entry of aid trucks delivering fuel into the Gaza Strip, claiming the goods are being confiscated by Hamas.
- As a result, the United Nations’ Palestinian refugee agency has shared its own resources but warns that hospitals will close as their own fuel supplies soon run out.
- UNRWA spokeswoman Tamara Alrifai said temporary workers were being forced to ration fuel reserves and decide where to deploy resources.
- “Are we donating to the incubators or the bakeries?” It’s an agonizing decision.’
PICTURED: Before and after satellite images show the extent of the devastation in Gaza
- Overnight, Israeli forces, including tanks, rolled into the northern Gaza Strip in the biggest assault yet in the war against Hamas, carrying out “targeted raids” on “terror cells” before a full-scale ground invasion.
- In a sign that Israel is expanding its attacks on Gaza, the military said ground troops struck several targets in the Hamas-ruled enclave on Thursday before withdrawing.
- The IDF said tanks and infantry attacked numerous terrorist cells, infrastructure and anti-tank missile launch sites “as part of preparations for the next phases of the fight” against Hamas.
- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Hamas terrorists that they were “doomed” in a televised statement last night as he vowed to press ahead with a ground invasion.
Important updates
- The confirmed number of hostages in Gaza rises to 224 and could rise further, the Israeli military says
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- The United Nations warns: “Nowhere is safe” in Gaza amid Israeli bombing
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- Hamas warns: “The fighting has not yet started”
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Israel-Hamas war LIVE: Gaza doctors store bodies in ice cream trucks as morgues struggle to cope and IDF sends in tanks ahead of invasion
Important updates