Israel-Hamas War HIGHLIGHTS: Hello and welcome to the live blog on the Israel-Hamas War. Follow this space for all the live and latest updates.
The conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas is proving to be a catastrophe for people in the Gaza Strip as they struggle for resources after Israel cut electricity, food and water supply here. Israel has been asking the residents in northern Gaza to move south so that the Israeli military can go full offensive in the region to disarm Hamas target areas.
Over 4,000 have been dead so far in the war which is expected to intensify more in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, the Gaza Strip faces an escalating humanitarian crisis as water, power, and medical supplies approach exhaustion, and dwindling food provisions strain hundreds of thousands of Palestinians. The crisis unfolds amidst relentless Israeli airstrikes, a response to last week's violent attacks initiated by Hamas. Hospitals in Gaza are on the brink of collapse due to the impending exhaustion of generator fuel, with just 24 hours remaining, according to the United Nations.
Calling for "unobstructed access for humanitarian aid", the World Health Organization stated that "Gaza is running out of water. With limited water: Public health crisis imminent, compounding desperate situation for civilians. Lives of 3500+ inpatients in 35 hospitals at immediate risk."
Israel's closure of essential supply routes more than a week ago has placed the spotlight on the Rafah crossing, where aid trucks have been waiting for days to gain access, news agency Associated Press reported. The Rafah crossing, the sole connection between Gaza and Egypt, was forced to shut down due to Israeli airstrikes.
Four hospitals in northern Gaza have ceased operations, while 21 others have been instructed by Israel to evacuate. Doctors have refused, arguing that it would result in the death of critically ill patients and newborns relying on ventilators, as per AP's report.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) continue to target those responsible for the recent violence through numerous airstrikes, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) stated.
Gaza Health Ministry says over 200 Palestinians were killed in a hospital explosion it claims was caused by Israeli airstrike, reports AP.
Several Palestinians have been killed and wounded when an Israeli air strike hit the yard of a hospital in central Gaza, the Interior Ministry says.
The first estimates of people killed are between 200 to 300, Al Jazeera reported, citing the Ministry of Health in Gaza.
An Israeli strike killed at least six people Tuesday who were sheltering in a UNRWA school in the Gaza Strip, the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees said.
"At least six people were killed this afternoon when an UNRWA school was hit in Al-Maghazi refugee camp", in central Gaza, the agency said.
Around 3,000 people have been killed in Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip, the Hamas-run health ministry says.
More than 12,500 others have been wounded since Israel started bombarding Gaza on October 7, following a shock Hamas assault on Israel that killed around 1,300 people, the vast majority of whom were civilians.
Hamas’ military wing, the Qassam Brigades, says that an Israeli airstrike in the central Gaza Strip has killed one of its top militant commanders, AP reported.
Ayman Nofal is the most high-profile Hamas militant to be killed so far in Israeli bombardment on the Gaza Strip.
We just eliminated Ayman Nofal, a senior Hamas operative.
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) October 17, 2023
Nofal was the Commander of Hamas’ Central Brigade in Gaza and the former Head of Military Intelligence.
Nofal directed many attacks against Israeli civilians and besides being one of the most dominant figures in the… pic.twitter.com/t686L6gSuN
