Israel-Palestine live: Thousands in state of panic as Israel continues to strike hospitals

Israel's Jerusalem Affairs and Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu has been suspended from government meetings indefinitely, Israeli media reported citing a statement by the prime minister's office.

The minister said that dropping a nuclear weapon on the Gaza Strip is "an option", according to Haaretz.

He also added that "there are no non-combatants in Gaza", and  that providing humanitarian aid to the Strip would constitute "a failure".

After making the comments, the minister later took to social media platform X, formerly Twitter, to say that his comments were "metaphorical". He added: "However, a strong and disproportionate response to terrorism is definitely required, which will clarify to the Nazis and their supporters that terrorism is not worthwhile."

Bombs are repeatedly targeting the vicinity of Gaza's al-Quds hospital, where around 14,000 Palestinians are sheltering. 

According to the Palestinian Red Crescent, the intensity of the bombardment is causing the building to shake, and emergency response teams are unable to leave due to the severity of the attacks. 

Mohammed al-Aloul, a Gaza-based photographer for Anadolu Agency, has lost four of his children who were killed in Israeli bombing.

Aloul's children were killed in the bombing of the al-Maghazi refugee camp, which killed at least 51 Palestinians. 

An Anadolu Agency correspondent reported that the Israeli bombing caused the complete destruction of Aloul's house. 

His wife has also been transferred to hospital, where she is described as being  in critical condition in the intensive care unit. 

Three of Aloul's brothers have also been killed in bombings since  the start of the war on 7 October, and his mother and father have been wounded. 

On Sunday morning, Palestinians and a large number of journalists gathered to perform funeral prayers for members of the Aloul family before they were buried in the Maghazi camp. 

Israel's Jerusalem Affairs and Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu said on Sunday that dropping a nuclear weapon on the Gaza Strip is "an option", according to Haaretz.

The minister said the comments on a radio interview where he maintained that "there are no non-combatants in Gaza", adding that providing humanitarian aid to the Strip would constitute "a failure".

Eliyahu was then asked if, since there are no non-combatants in his view, a nuclear attack on the Gaza Strip is an option. "That's one way," he responded.

When asked about the fate of Palestinians, he said: "They can go to Ireland or deserts, the monsters in Gaza should find a solution by themselves."

He also said the Strip has no right to exist, adding that anyone waving a Palestinian or Hamas flag "shouldn't continue living on the face of the earth."

Chad recalled its charge d'affaires from Israel, denouncing what it called the "loss of life of many innocent citizens in Gaza".

The African country called for a ceasefire "that will lead to a stable solution for the Palestinian question".

This marks the sixth country to recall its top envoy from Israel since the start of the war, following in the footsteps of Turkey, Honduras, Chile, Colombia and Jordan.

A Palestinian teenager, identified as Rami Ezz Musa Odeh, died from his wounds on Sunday.

The 17-year-old was shot by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank town of al-Eizariya.  
 

According to local Palestinian media reports, 100 doctors in Israel are demanding that the Israeli army bombs hospitals in Gaza, calling them "infrastructure used by Hamas".

The letter, written in Hebrew, states: "We, the undersigned doctors who work in healthcare systems responsibility and professionally, hereby implore terrorist organisations using hospitals as their headquarters... for years the citizens of Israel have suffered from murderous terror.

"The residents of Gaza saw fit to turn hospitals into terrorist nests to take advantage of western morality, they are the ones who brought destruction upon themselves; terrorism must be eliminated everywhere. Attacking terrorist headquarters is the right and the duty of the Israeli army," the letter adds, saying that it is an "obligation" for the army to target hospitals allegedly used to shelter Hamas.

The letter ends with the names of the doctors. 

Videos shared online show the widespread destruction caused to residential towers, following heavy Israeli bombing. 

At least 51 Palestinians were killed in the bombing, according to local media. 
 

Good morning MEE readers. The war in Gaza has almost reached the one-month mark, with no end in sight. US President Biden has still continued to refrain from calling for a ceasefire, instead opting for a humanitarian pause in the fighting.

Outside of Gaza, Israeli forces have continued to launch nightly raids on the occupied West Bank, arresting scores of Palestinians.

Here's what you may have missed overnight:

• Israel destroyed a water tank and well in northern Gaza, eliminating a main water source for tens of thousands of Palestinians in the area.
• Israeli forces stormed several cities in the West Bank, and just outside of Jerusalem Israeli forces have killed at least two young Palestinian men. Six others have been injured.
• The Palestinian Red Crescent has said that 30 aid trucks entered Gaza on Saturday.
• Around 50 people were killed in an Israeli bombing of the Maghazi refugee camp, marking another mass killing of Palestinians.

We at MEE aren't going anywhere. We will continue providing you with live updates throughout the day. For up-to-date information around the clock, follow our live blog and our social media platforms on Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube.

At least two Palestinians have now been killed by Israeli forces on Sunday morning in the village of Abu Dis outside Jerusalem, according to the Palestinian health ministry.

The health ministry reported that Muhannad Ahmed Afanah, a 20-year-old Palestinian was killed by Israeli forces. The minister earlier reported that Musa Dhia Zaarour, a 22-year-old Palestinian man, was also killed.

Tens of thousands of protestors filled the streets of Washington on Saturday in support of Palestine and against Israel's attacks on Gaza, which experts say is tantamount to genocide. Many travelled from other US states to attend the national march.

They demanded a ceasefire, threatening to withhold their votes for US President Joe Biden in 2024 if he does not act.

Demonstrators flocked to the Freedom Plaza during the day and marched to the White House in the afternoon chanting 'ceasefire now,' 'free Palestine,' and 'lift the siege on Gaza now!' They also demanded an end to US military funding to Israel - Congress recently approved a $14.3bn aid package to Israel.

The mobilisation was organised by the Palestinian Youth Movement, ANSWER Coalition, American Muslim Alliance, The People's Forum, National Students for Justice in Palestine, Al-Awda: The Palestine Right to Return Coalition, US Palestinian Community Network (USCPN), US Campaign for Palestinian Rights (USCPR), and Maryland2Palestine; it was endorsed by more than 400 organisations.

Here are some photos from Saturday's demonstration:

The Palestinian Ministry of Health reported that Israeli forces shot dead Musa Dhia Zaarour, a 22-year-old Palestinian man in the West Bank village of Abu Dis, located near Jerusalem.

Israel's military has destroyed a well and a main water tank that serves more than 70,000 people in the northern Gaza area of Beit Lahia, according to several Palestinian news outlets and journalists.

Video circulating on social media showed water flowing through the streets of the area.

Israeli forces have launched a raid near Tulkarm in the West Bank and carried out another arrest campaign, several Palestinian and Arabic language media outlets reported.

US Senator Bernie Sanders issued a statement on Saturday, condemning Israel's killing of Palestinian civilians, saying that the ongoing war on Gaza is one of the more "horrific moments in modern history".

Sanders called for Israel's indiscriminate killings of Palestinians to end, however, stopped short of calling for a ceasefire and instead urged for a humanitarian pause.

Earlier this week, US Senator Dick Durbin became the first senator to call for a ceasefire in Gaza.