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

A US military base in Syria was struck by two drones launched by militias in Iraq, according to Syrian state media.

Two drones hit Al-Tanf base, a US military outpost located at the intersection of the borders of Syria, Jordan and Iraq. The base has come under attack recently by  Iran-backed militias. 

US Central Command and the Department of Defence didn’t immediately comment on the strike. No casualties were reported.

Shops were boarded up and streets deserted in the occupied West Bank city of Nablus after a one-day general strike was called over Israel's attack on Gaza and the occupied West Bank. 

The Palestinian death toll since the outbreak of war now exceeds 8,500 Palestinians, including 3,542 children and 2,187 women.

At least 1,400 Israelis were killed in Israel during the 7 October attack by Hamas, mainly civilians.

The death toll from an Israeli strike on two homes in Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip has climbed to 12, according to Arabic media.

The strike comes amid a particularly bloody day in the war-ravaged enclave, after Israel also bombed Jabalia refugee camp on Tuesday.

The Palestinian death toll since the outbreak of war now exceeds 8,500, including 3,542 children and 2,187 women.

At least 1,400 Israelis were killed in Israel during the 7 October attack by Hamas, mainly civilians.

Israel has released the names of nine more soldiers killed in its invasion of the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli military released their names on social media platform X and said the soldiers' families had been notified.

In addition to those killed, two soldiers from the 77th Battalion, a soldier from the Sabar Battalion and a soldier from the Rotem Battalion have been seriously injured.

Earlier on Tuesday the Israeli military released the names of the first two soldiers killed in the invasion. They belonged to the Givati infantry brigade and were killed in "hand to hand" combat, according to the Israeli military. 

All communications to the Gaza Strip have been cut off for the second time in a week.

"We regret to announce a complete interruption of all communications and internet services with the Gaza Strip, due to international routes that were previously reconnected being cut off again," the Palestinian telecoms company announced. 

Israel severed phone and internet service to Gaza on Friday at the start of its ground offensive. US officials later said Washington convinced Israel to restore service. 

Three people were killed and scores wounded when Israel conducted a large-scale attack on Jenin refugee camp, according to Palestinian health officials. 

In what Palestinian media described as a pre-dawn raid, Israeli soldiers entered Jenin supported by armoured vehicles, bulldozers, Apache helicopters and rooftop snipers, as they arrested several people. 

The troops fired bullets, stun grenades and toxic teargas towards Palestinians and their homes, according to Wafa news. 

Jamal Haweel, a lecturer at the Arab American University, who was previously imprisoned by Israel, was one of several people arrested, according to Wafa. 

Atta Abu Rumaila, Fatah's secretary-general in Jenin, was also arrested, along with his son. Both were severely beaten, according to Wafa.

Several streets were bulldozed and a roundabout near the Palestinian Authority’s Interior Ministry headquarters was destroyed, along with electrical transformers, Wafa reported. 

US President Joe Biden agreed it was critical to ensure Palestinians are not forcibly displaced from the Gaza Strip in a phone call with Jordan’s King Abdullah II.

Biden also discussed the delivery of humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza and the resumption of essential services, according to the White House.

Biden added it was important that Israel protect civilian lives and respect international humanitarian law amid the war.

King Abdullah is a stalwart US ally who rules a country where at least half the population is of Palestinian descent.

The war has put Jordan's Hashemite monarchy in a "nightmare scenario" as it worries about a spillover in fighting to the occupied West Bank and simmering anger against Israel, with whom Jordan has a peace treaty.

Read more: Jordan's US-allied king faces 'nightmare scenario' as Gaza invasion looms

Colombia has recalled its ambassador to Israel, joining a growing list of leftist, South American countries curtailing diplomatic ties with Israel over the war. 

“If Israel does not stop the massacre of the Palestinian people we cannot be there,” Colombia's President Gustavo Petro wrote on social media platform X. 

Chile announced it was recalling its ambassador on Tuesday and Bolivia said it had severed ties with Israel amid the war.

Protesters in several Arab countries, including Jordan and Egypt, have called on their governments to cut diplomatic relations with Israel. 

Chile has withdrawn its ambassador to Israel for consultations, citing Israel's "unacceptable violations of humanitarian law" in the Gaza Strip. 

“Chile strongly condemns and observes with great concern that these military operations - which at this point in their development entail collective punishment of the Palestinian civilian population in Gaza - do not respect fundamental norms of International Law,” Chilean President Gabriel Boric Font announced on social media platform X.

Chile’s move comes after Bolivia’s left-wing government said it was cutting ties with Israel over its conduct in the war.

Chile’s decision to recall its ambassador is less severe, but could be monitored moving forward. Protesters in Arab states - particularly those that have relations with Israel - have called on their governments to sever ties amid the war. 

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken emphasised that Israel needed to take “feasible precautions to minimise harm to civilians" during a telephone call with Israeli President Isaac Herzog.

"The secretary reiterated US support for Israel’s right to defend itself against terrorism consistent with international humanitarian law," spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement.

Blinken’s call came after he defended the Biden administration’s position on the war at a Senate hearing and after a deadly Israeli strike on Jabalia refugee camp in the Gaza Strip. 

The White House has requested an additional $14bn in aid for Israel. It says it is not putting conditions on the military assistance.

Saudi Arabia has issued a statement condemning Israel for its deadly bombing on the crowded Jabalia refugee camp.

Riyadh said it condemned “in the strongest terms possible the inhumane targeting” of the camp.

Saudi Arabia was moving towards normalising ties with Israel before the outbreak of war, but has staunchly criticised its war efforts since.

The Israeli military intercepted “an aerial threat" that was detected in the Red Sea south of Eilat.

The military said there was no threat to civilians and that the projectile didn't penetrate Israeli territory. It was shot down by air defence systems.

Missiles fired by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have crossed the Red Sea targeting Israel.

The statement comes after the Houthi's earlier claimed responsibility for firing ballistic missiles at Israel. 

Good evening Middle East Eye readers. 

Today marks the 25th day of war, which started on 7 October. 

Israel’s bombing of Gaza’s Jabalia refugee camp has sent shockwaves around the West Bank, sparking protests in Ramallah and Hebron, as well as triggering protests in Jordan. A vigil was also held in London to call for a ceasefire and mourn those killed.

The bombing of the residential camp has reduced many homes to rubble, while large craters have replaced where residential towers stood. The al-Shati and Nuseirat camps were also bombed today, with the full scale of destruction and number of people killed yet to be announced. 

In response to the bombing, a "day of rage" has been called in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday. 

Since the start of the war, over 30,000 Palestinians have been announced as killed, wounded, or missing. 

Here are some of the main developments from today.

- Israel bombed Gaza’s Jabalia refugee camp, leaving 400 dead or wounded and causing widespread destruction and chaos. Most of the victims were children and women who were at home at the time of the consecutive bombs. 

- Al Jazeera’s Mohamed Abu al-Kumsaan, a broadcast engineer, lost 18 of his family members in Israel’s bombing of Jabalia. Al Jazeera has “vehemently condemned” the killings.

- Abu Ubaida, a spokesman for Al-Qassam Brigades, said that the group will soon release dual nationals in its custody, saying they never intended to keep them. He also denied that Israel rescued a soldier in their custody in Gaza.

- Gaza’s two main hospitals are “hours away from shutting down”, as the Ministry of Health issued an urgent call for fuel. The ministry says 42 children are in incubators and 650 patients have kidney failure.

- Bolivia’s government broke diplomatic ties with Israel, citing “crimes against humanity”.

- A large-scale sit-in took place in London’s Liverpool Street Station to denounce Israel’s bombing of Gaza.

- Craig Mokhiber, the New York UN director general, resigned over Israel’s "text-book case of genocide" and "wholesale slaughter" in Gaza.

- Amnesty International says an investigation it carried out proves Israel unlawfully used white phosphorus in Lebanon.

 - Yemen's Houthi movement said it had launched a large number of ballistic missiles and drones at Israel in a televised statement reported by the Reuters news agency. 

For updates around the clock, follow MEE’s live blog and our social media platforms on Facebook, X, Instagram, and YouTube. 
 

The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to arrive in Israel this week to meet the Israeli prime minister and other officials, according to Axios. 

Both al-Shifa Hospital and the Indonesian Hospital in Gaza are on the verge of completely shutting down amidst a lack of fuel and resources. 

Israel cut off all fuel, electricity, water, and food for Gaza on 9 October, leaving medical facilities struggling to function. The hospitals have issued an urgent call to Arab countries to “urgently intervene and supply hospitals with oil, to allow us to save the sick and wounded”.

According to a statement from the hospitals, there are 42 children in incubators, 62 wounded patients who rely on oxygen, and 650 patients suffering from kidney failure. 

Hundreds in the hospitals are also in critical condition and need urgent operations, which are not possible without vital resources. 
The hospitals are currently running on generators, which are not sustainable in the long term.

According to a spokesperson for the Ministry of Health, the Indonesian Hospital will be forced to completely shut down on Wednesday if it does not receive immediate aid. 

Both hospitals have thousands of Palestinians sheltering in them and seeking treatment. At least eight other hospitals have been forced to shut in the Strip due to Israeli bombing, forcing thousands of people to rely on the Indonesian and al-Shifa hospitals.