Israel-Palestine live: Week three ends with over 7,000 Palestinians killed
Mises à jour du direct
During a call on Tuesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin that the humanitarian crisis in Gaza was being exacerbated by Western countries' silence.
According to a statement from the Turkish president's office, Erdogan told Putin that "savagery" towards Palestinian lands was deepening and civilians were constantly being killed.
On Saturday, Erdogan is expected to attend the "Great Palestine Rally" taking place in Istanbul.
For weeks, Iman Hermas had been enthusiastically preparing to visit her imprisoned husband, Saeed, in the Israeli Negev Desert Prison.
Like hundreds of Palestinian families, she is not allowed regular visits to the prison.
But since Hamas launched a surprise attack on southern Israel, Israel has taken extreme punitive measures against Palestinian detainees.
Iman’s visits have been cancelled until further notice.
"It didn't stop there," she said. "Suddenly, the prison sections were closed to prisoners and all electrical devices were taken from their rooms, including the TV and the cooking plate.
"Their rooms were stormed and searched thoroughly, and many of their belongings were confiscated."
You can read MEE reporter Fayha Shalash’s full report below on new punitive measures against Palestinian detainees, including beatings, raids and limiting access to food and medicine.
Read more: As war rages, Israel directs anger at Palestinian prisoners
Usama Hamdan, a Hamas representative in Lebanon, has outlined a number of demands, speaking in a televised speech from Beirut.
“We call on the Arab nations, Muslim nations and the UN to take responsibility for the violation of conventions and carrying out war crimes which the occupation forces are undertaking,” he said.
“We call on a solution for the severe humanitarian crisis which is unfolding, the blocked roads, the people trapped under buildings, and the consistent bombing of the rafah crossing,” he added.
The official called on Arab countries to end any normalisation of diplomatic relations with Israel amidst the ongoing bombardment of the besieged enclave.
Palestinians in Gaza’s densely populated residential Al Shati refugee camp woke up to total destruction following a night of heavy Israeli air strikes.
At least 140 people were killed in the overnight air strikes, which carried on into Tuesday morning.
The protests that erupted across Egypt last week to denounce the Israeli onslaught on Gaza drew crowds that were reminiscent of the 2011 revolution, human rights campaigners say.
On Friday, thousands of protesters burst through security barricades and flooded Tahrir Square, the epicentre of the 18-day revolution of January 2011 that culminated in the resignation of then-President Hosni Mubarak.
The demonstrators stayed in Tahrir for under an hour before they were evicted by the police, with over 100 people reportedly detained that day in connection with pro-Palestine protests in Cairo and Alexandria.
According to activists in Cairo, public displays of solidarity with Palestinians had, until recently, been limited to posts on social media, amid fears of arrest stoked by crackdowns on supporters of opposition hopeful Ahmed el-Tantawi.
But on Wednesday 11 October, a small protest gathered outside the Journalist's Syndicate.
Two days later, worshippers at the Al-Azhar mosque erupted in protest after the Friday prayers.
For the full story, click on the link below.
Read more: Assault on Gaza reignites suppressed activism in Egypt
Israeli ambassador to Ireland, Dana Erlich, has accused Ireland’s president Michael Higgins of “spreading disinformation,” and also told the Sunday Independent that there is "a strong feeling in Israel that there is an unconscious bias against Israel in Ireland."
Last week, Higgins said: "To announce in advance that you will break international law and to do so on an innocent population, it reduces all the code that was there from second world war on protection of civilians and it reduces it to tatters.”
Israel’s pounding of the Gaza Strip has had a “catastrophic” impact on healthcare facilities, according to healthcare officials.
Since Israel cut off all electricity, fuel and water to Gaza on 9 October, hospitals have been particularly overwhelmed, with a lack of resources and a high volume of critically wounded patients.
Patients who have been wounded in air strikes, pregnant women, children and kidney-failure patients are some of the worst affected. The hospitals which are still working are running on generators, which health officials say won't last long.
International organisations have also warned about the spread of water-borne diseases and scabies due to a lack of clean water in the Strip.
Here’s an overview of the health facilities affected by Israel’s bombing:
- Mohammed Zakkout, the director general of hospitals in Gaza, says that eight out of 24 hospitals in Gaza have now stopped working.
- Heavy Israeli shelling landed close to the al-Amal hospital in Gaza’s Khan Younis on Monday, video footage shared by the Palestine Red Crescent Society showed.
- On Monday, an Israeli air strike struck near the al Wafa hospital, leaving at least two people wounded. The full extent of the damage is still being assessed.
- The World Health Organization (WHO) said that around two-thirds of Gaza’s health facilities - 46 out of 72 - have ceased functioning amid a massive and deadly increase in Israeli air raids.
- At least 25 ambulances in the besieged enclave have been destroyed, according to the Ministry of Health.
- Israel’s bombing of the al-Ahli al-Arab Hospital, which killed at least 500 Palestinians, has left it out of service. The hospital was treating hundreds of patients.
Good afternoon, Middle East Eye readers.
Today marks the 18th day of the war, which started on 7 October.
On Monday evening, Israel heavily bombed the besieged Gaza Strip, destroying three neighbourhoods. Palestinians woke up to find dozens of people were trapped under rubble, with the ministry of health stating that at least 140 were killed overnight. The air strikes continued this morning, targeting the only supermarket left in the Nuseirat refugee camp.
People on the ground are describing a severe water crisis, as Israel has cut off all water, food, fuel and electricity to the Strip since 9 October.
The death count in Gaza has reached 5,791, including 2,360 children, while in Israel the death count stands at 1,400.
Here are some of today's key developments:
- Israeli officials are reportedly unhappy with an interview given by an elderly former captive held in Gaza, in which she said she was treated “gently” and given food as well as medical treatment. Sources told Israel's state-owned Kan News that the interview was a "mistake”.
- Israeli police have arrested Palestinian actor Maisa Abd Elhadi on accusations of incitement, for posts she made on social media in the aftermath of the assault by Palestinian fighters in southern Israel on 7 October.
- Residents in Gaza’s Nuseirat refugee camp say that one of the only remaining supermarkets is quickly being emptied of stock as survivors scramble to get hold of food. The supermarket was bombed for the fourth time today.
- French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Israel today, reaffirming his support for Israel. During the meeting, Israel’s President Isaac Herzog said that Israel is “not looking for a confrontation on our northern border” and that “if Hezbollah will drag us into war, Lebanon will pay the price”.
- Mohammed Zakkout, the director general of hospitals in Gaza, says that eight out of 24 hospitals in Gaza have now stopped working.
- Gaza’s Indonesian Hospital has lost power after running out of fuel, putting premature babies at risk of death.
We at Middle East Eye are doing our best to continue providing you with up-to-date information around the clock. Internet connectivity in Gaza has dropped by nearly half as of 13 October, and we've lost contact with our correspondents there.
You can also find our coverage across Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube.
Two people have been arrested after attacking pro-Palestine protesters in Chicago.
According to police, one man fired a shot into the air, while the other pepper-sprayed demonstrators.
The pro-Palestine rally took place on Monday evening, at the same time an Israel solidarity event took place.
Reports state that a man reportedly drove his car into the pro-Palestine demonstrators. A witness told the Chicago Sun-Times that the man’s car had been covered in Israeli flags, the newspaper reported.
Israeli officials are reportedly unhappy with an interview given by an elderly former captive of Hamas in Gaza because she had not been well prepared for the statement.
In a press meeting on Tuesday, 85-year-old Yocheved Lifshitz, an Israeli captive released from Gaza on Monday evening, said she was beaten on 7 October, the day Palestinian fighters stormed southern Israel, but later treated "gently".
Sources told Israel's state-owned Kan News that the interview was a "mistake", adding that a "preliminary meeting" may not have been held with Lifshitz prior to her press statement and that if one had been held, not "all questions" to do with the preparation were asked.
You can read our full report below.
Read more: Israeli officials 'unhappy' with released woman's description of captivity
Israeli air strikes have killed at least 110 Palestinians overnight, which have continued on this morning.
Survivors of the air strikes explain to a Middle East Eye correspondent on the ground, what happened.
“At 10.30 in the morning we heard the sound of the explosion, it felt like an earthquake,” Abu Abed, a Gaza resident, told Middle East Eye. “Around seven homes came crumbling down, around 1,200 people have been killed in the south, we are told to go to the south then we are bombed there,” he said.
“Israel is trying to expel people and remove them from their homes and land. All of the international organisations that care about human rights and democracy are against Palestine right now, we are calling on the nations to come out and rally in support for Palestine and the human rights of people. No matter how much we are bombed and killed we won’t give up our land. We will remain on our land, steadfast.” another resident said.
Arkan Ramadan Baker, a 30-year-old, said that he sought refuge in a relative’s home, when at 6 am strikes hit the home.
“I woke up to pray in the morning to find loud explosions and buildings falling, people trapped underneath them,” he said. “I was trapped for around 15 minutes, it was a strange feeling, what is happening to us is wrong. We followed instructions and went to an area we were told was safe.”
“To me, all of the Arab nations are traitors, because Palestine is being lost in front of us,” he added.
The following death tolls in Palestine, Israel and Lebanon are accurate as of 12.30pm GMT on 24 October.
They are sourced from Palestinian, Israeli, Lebanese and Hezbollah officials.
Palestine
Gaza
Killed: 5,791 (2,360+ children, 1,292 women) -*Data on combatant casualties not yet available
Wounded: 16,297
West Bank and East Jerusalem
Killed: 90 (30 children, one woman)
Wounded: 1,400
Israel
Killed: 1,400 (769 civilians, 307 soldiers, 57 police officers) - *Data on children and women casualties not yet available
Wounded: 5,007 (299 hospitalised)
Lebanon
Killed: 27 (3 civilians, 18 Lebanese fighters, 6 Palestinian fighters)
Wounded: Data not yet available
Yocheved Lifshitz, an Israeli captive released from Gaza on Monday evening, said she was beaten on 7 October when Palestinian fighters stormed southern Israel, after breaching Israel’s perimeter surrounding the area.
At 85, the former Israeli hostage was one of the oldest held by Hamas fighters in Gaza.
She said that she had been treated well while held captive, but was assaulted when she was kidnapped. She said the fighters beat her with sticks and hurt her ribs, which gave her breathing difficulties. Her watch and jewellery were taken, she said.
Lifshitz told reporters that a doctor had visited her while she was held in the besieged enclave.
She said that she was eating white cheese and cucumber while in captivity, the same food that her captors were eating.
She also said that her captors "took care of every detail", including women who knew about "feminine hygiene".
"They laid me on a motorcycle, blew up the electronic fence that cost two million dollars to build, but didn't help with anything. I was taken hostage, there was no distinction between old and young. It was very painful," she added.
Lifshitz also explained that there was a guard for each of the five people being held hostage in her group, and captives slept on mattresses.
According to Lifshitz, when she arrived in Gaza on the back of the motorbike, she was told by the people who greeted her that they "believe in the Quran" and therefore would not hurt her.
The United Nations' Palestinian refugee agency reiterated its urgent calls for an unimpeded flow of humanitarian assistance to Gaza on Tuesday.
"We call for an unimpeded and continuous flow of humanitarian assistance and medical assistance to continue coming into Gaza," said Tamara Alrifai, spokesperson for the organisation.
"The trucks that have come in so far are just a trickle in the face of the immense needs of people on the street."
Israeli police have arrested Palestinian actor Maisa Abd Elhadi on accusations of incitement for posts she made on social media in the aftermath of the assault by Palestinian fighters in southern Israel on 7 October.
Israeli officials accuse Abd Elhadi of "spreading incitement and support for terrorism" for a series of comments she made.
In one she is alleged to have shared an image of a Hamas fighter with an elderly Israeli captive captioned with laughing emojis.
In another she commented on the breach of Israel's barrier surrounding Gaza with the caption "Let's go Berlin Style".
The former post, while not specified, was likely a viral image of an elderly Israeli carrying a Palestinian fighter's rifle and holding up a two-finger victory sign while the masked man poses next to her.
You can read our full story on the link below.
