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

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will be meeting foreign ministers in Jordan on Saturday, according to Reuters.

He will meet foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan, as well as Palestinian representatives. 

Blinken is set to discuss demands for an immediate ceasefire.

In a meeting with Blinken in Amman early on Saturday, Lebanon's caretaker prime minister, Najib Mikati, stressed the importance of working towards a ceasefire in Gaza and stopping what he described as Israeli aggression in southern Lebanon, Mikati's office said in a statement.
 

Israeli bombs struck the al-Fakhoura school in the Jabalia neighbourhood in Gaza, according to Al Jazeera Arabic and local media.

Thousands of Palestinians were sheltering in the school when the bomb hit. Dozens have reportedly been wounded in the bombing, with exact numbers yet to be announced. 
 

Israeli missiles have targeted the Gaza home of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, according to the Al-Aqsa Radio. 

Haniyeh is not currently in Gaza, however, and it is unclear whether any of his family members were at home when the missile struck.
 

In Gaza's Khan Younis, residents woke up to total destruction following a night of heavy Israeli bombings.

Survivors pulled out dead bodies from under the rubble, as civil defence crews struggled to make it to the site due to blocked roads and intense bombardment. 

A spokesperson for Gaza's official media office said that Israel has killed 46 journalists since the start of the war on 7 October. 

In a press conference outside Gaza's al-Shifa Hospital, he questioned where the international community and international journalists were, and why they are not speaking out about the hostilities journalists and media officials in Gaza face. 

"There are no red lines that have not been crossed... these are organised crimes that have been documented. We will not outline a list of demands, all we say is that if you are human, and you see the people here as humans like you, then show your humanity and stand up for what is right," the spokesperson said. 
 

Dozens of Palestinians have been wounded as Israel bombed the vicinity of the al-Nasr Children's Hospital in Gaza early on Saturday.

According to local media, dozens have been wounded, although exact numbers are yet to be confirmed. 
 

Israeli bombing in the Gaza Strip is targeting vital services, according to local Palestinian media. 

Three mosques in the Sabra neighbourhood, south Gaza, have been demolished, where many residents would go to charge their phones and collect water. 

According to local media reports, solar panels, electricity generators, and water tanks have also been deliberately targeted by Israeli bombings. 
 

Israeli bombing which targeted the Khan Younis area in Gaza has killed three Palestinians, according to an Al Jazeera Arabic correspondent. 

Live footage shared online showed demolished buildings and some areas engulfed in fire.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is travelling to Jordan on Saturday where he will meet with Middle East foreign ministers to hear their calls for a ceasefire.

Saudi, Qatari, Emirati, Egyptian and Jordanian foreign ministers as well as Palestinian representatives will stress the "Arab stance calling for an immediate ceasefire, delivering humanitarian aid and ways of ending the dangerous deterioration that threatens the security of the region", Jordan’s foreign ministry said in a statement on Friday.

The statement added that the Arab ministers will hold a meeting ahead of their discussions with Blinken.

Blinken visited Israel on Friday for the second time in a month. 

The secretary-general of the United Nations said he was “horrified" by a strike by Israeli forces on a convoy of ambulances in Gaza on Friday.

Antonio Guterres said in a statement early Saturday that the conflict "must stop".

"I am horrified by the reported attack in Gaza on an ambulance convoy outside al-Shifa hospital. The images of bodies strewn on the street outside the hospital are harrowing," Guterres said.

"For nearly one month, civilians in Gaza, including children and women, have been besieged, denied aid, killed, and bombed out of their homes."

He said: "This must stop."

Guterres added that there is "not nearly enough" food, water and medicine; fuel to power hospitals is running out.

"Morgues are overflowing. Shops are empty. The sanitation situation is abysmal. We are seeing an increase in diseases and respiratory illnesses, especially among children. An entire population is traumatised. Nowhere is safe," he said

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) has denounced Israeli forces for attacking an ambulance convoy in Gaza on Friday, resulting in 15 deaths and injuries to over 60 individuals.

In a statement early Saturday, the PRCS said that one of its ambulances was struck by “a missile fired by the Israeli forces,” which was about two meters from the entrance to the Al Shifa hospital in Gaza.

The attack resulted in the deaths of 15 Palestinians, leaving more than 60 injured.

The PRCS added that deliberately targeting medical teams constituted "a grave violation of the Geneva Conventions, a war crime".

Pro-Palestinian protestors seeking a ceasefire halted a US military ship’s departure in Oakland, California by locking themselves to the ship on Friday.

Activist coalitions claim the ship was set to deliver arms and military gear to Israel after being loaded in Tacoma, Washington.

The Arab Resource Organising Center in San Francisco organised the demonstration, where police were present. 

There were approximately 200 participants, many waving Palestinian flags and bearing signs calling for a halt to US military support to Israel, CBC News reported.

A senior Biden administration official said on Friday that the US often has conversations with Israel which has “significantly refined their original plan”.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity to reporters and added that there were “horrible images” from the Jabalia refugee camp in Gaza where Israel bombarded an entire block killing scores of Palestinians.

The official added that there is no guarantee that a deal could be reached to gain the release of hostages, saying that the effort to free them is “very difficult” and would require a significant pause in hostilities.

In terms of ceasefire, the official said that it all depends on how “secure and confident ‘’ Israelis feel that something like this cannot happen again.

Good evening MEE readers,

At the end of the 28th day of Israel’s attack on Gaza, the death toll stands at more than 9,000 dead.

Israel struck the entrance to the largest hospital in Gaza, later claiming that Hamas was “using” one of the ambulances, killing at least 15 people.

An air strike on a UN-run school, which was sheltering the displaced, also left at least 20 people dead.

Here are the other major updates from the region in the past few hours:

• The UN has estimated $1.2bn is needed to meet the needs of people in Gaza following Israel’s assault

• Honduras joins Bolivia, Chile and Colombia in downgrading relations with Israel

• French President Emmanuel Macron announces humanitarian conference in Paris for 9 November

• Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh calls on Egypt to fully open Rafah crossing

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

Bahraini police have arrested the grandson of the kingdom's most senior Shia cleric for participating in a pro-Palestinian protest.

17-year-old Mahdi Nasser, grandson of Sheikh Isa Qassim, was detained by police while taking part in a demonstration in support of Gaza, according to local media.

The kingdom normalised relations with Israel in 2020, but there have been repeated protests against relations with the country since then.

On Thursday, Bahrain's parliament said it had recalled its ambassador to Israel over the war in Gaza.