As the conflict between Israel and Hamas enters its 30th day, here are the main developments.
Here is the situation on Sunday November 5, 2023:
Latest developments
- More than 50 people were killed in Israeli bombardment of the al-Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza and the Jabalia camp in the north of the enclave.
- Hamas’ military wing, the Qassam Brigades, said its fighters killed five more Israeli soldiers in northern Gaza during intense fighting on Saturday. In a statement, it said Qassam forces “attacked a Zionist force holed up in a building northwest of Gaza City.”
- The Israeli army has once again given civilians in the Gaza Strip until Sunday to flee to the southern coastal region. Traffic would be allowed on a southbound road between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. (08:00 GMT and 12:00 GMT) on Sunday, an Israeli army spokesperson wrote on Saturday evening on the X platform, formerly Twitter. The army also released a map showing the designated route.
- The Qassam Brigades said Saturday that more than 60 hostages were missing after the latest Israeli airstrikes on Gaza. Abu Obeida, spokesman for the Brigades, also said on the Hamas telegram that 23 bodies of Israeli hostages were trapped under the rubble.
- Numerous protests continued to take place around the world in support of the Palestinians. Large protests were held in Washington, London, Paris, Berlin and elsewhere on Saturday and Sunday. Protesters also gathered in Israel, including outside the home of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to call for the release of Gaza captives and the prime minister’s resignation.
Human impact and fighting
- At least 9,488 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli airstrikes on Gaza since the October 7 Hamas attack, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
- Israeli forces killed three Palestinians in the occupied West Bank on Sunday, bringing the death toll to 151 since October 7.
- A rights group says thousands of Palestinians from Gaza who worked in Israel have had their permits revoked and many have been detained and subjected to inhumane treatment. Ramallah-based Al-Haq said it documented “punitive measures, arbitrary detentions and degrading treatment against Palestinian workers from Gaza who were present inside the Green Line” on October 7.
Diplomacy
- US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has rejected calls for a ceasefire in Gaza from Arab leaders. Jordanian and Egyptian leaders want an immediate ceasefire, but Blinken said he would only support a “humanitarian pause” to allow supplies in and some civilians out. Blinken is expected to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday during his third diplomatic trip to the Middle East in a month.
- The Palestinian Foreign Ministry welcomed Turkey’s recall of its ambassador to Israel for consultations due to the humanitarian situation in Gaza, calling it “an extension of Istanbul’s support for the rights and security of our people.” .
- Israel said this showed that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was “siding with the terrorist organization Hamas”.
- Iran also remains active in its diplomatic initiatives, with Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian having a phone call with his Iraqi counterpart on Saturday evening to discuss the “genocide” in Gaza.