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

Jordan, a close US ally, asked Washington to deploy Patriot air defence systems to bolster Amman's border defence, a spokesperson for the country's military said on Sunday.

"We asked the American side to help bolster our defence system with Patriot air defence missile systems," Brigadier General Mustafa Hiyari, Jordan's army spokesperson, told state television.

Jordan has become increasingly nervous that Israel's relentless bombing campaign in Gaza, coupled with a ground invasion, could cause conflict to spread into the wider region.

The US has already sent two aircraft carrier strike groups and fighter jets to the Middle East and added thousands to the number of troops in the region.

Jordan receives about $1.6bn per year in aid from the US. The US ally is also increasingly facing pressure from its people to move against Israel.

Thousands of protesters rallied in Amman and throughout the country in the past few weeks, including in front of the US embassy and Israel's evacuated embassy, denouncing both US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The White House said in a social media post on X that the restoration of telecommunications in Gaza on Saturday night was "critical", saying that it worked to make it happen.

"Aid workers, civilians, and journalists need to be able to communicate to each other and the rest of the world. Our Administration cared about this, worked on it, and are glad to see it restored," the White House said.

The restoration of internet connection led to a wave of journalists and Gaza residents going online to share that they were alive and also allowed many Palestinians with family in the enclave to get in touch with them.

But on Sunday night, NetBlocks, a cybersecurity watchdog, said metrics showed a disruption to internet services in parts of Gaza, with communications heavily affected by ongoing air strikes. 

Israeli forces are carrying out a raid in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin, according to local media. 

Videos shared online showed armed vehicles entering residential neighbourhoods.

Good evening Middle East Eye readers.

Today marks the 23rd day of war, which started on 7 October.

The death toll in Gaza has reached over 8,000, however actual numbers are expected to be higher as many remain missing and trapped under the rubble.

Internet communication returning to the besieged enclave after a near-total two-day blackout has also revealed atrocities in the form of continued bombing of residential areas.

The death toll in the occupied West Bank has reached 114 since the start of the war, with over 30 Israel-based rights groups saying that settlers are "exploiting the lack of media attention" to expel Palestinians from their homes and attack them.

Here are some of the key developments from today.

- Israel has continued to issue bomb threats for the Al-Quds Hospital, where 14,000 Palestinians are sheltering. Intense bombing has struck the vicinity of the hospital, causing partial damage and leaving many to suffer from smoke inhalation.

- Israel's military has reiterated its orders for residents to leave northern Gaza, saying the order is now "urgent".

- A spokesperson for the Ministry of Information in Gaza said Israel carried out "at least 33 massacres" since the near-total communications blackout imposed by Israel on Friday.

- Pro-Palestine rallies took place around the world on Sunday, including in Morocco, Lebanon and Spain.

- Impeding relief supplies to the besieged Gaza Strip could constitute a crime, the International Criminal Court's top prosecutor Karim Khan said on Sunday.

- A Reporters Without Borders investigation concluded that Israel deliberately targeted journalists, including in the killing of Issam Abdallah, a reporter in Lebanon. 

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

Palestine's Ministry of Health says that "hundreds have been killed" in Israeli bombing over the past few hours. 

The exact numbers of those killed are yet to be published, as bombing continues in the north of Gaza as well as in the Jabalia, al-Zawayda and al-Saftawi neighbourhoods.

Ongoing air strikes have also pummelled central Gaza.

Israel has cut off telecommunication services in northern Gaza, according to local media reports. 

The move comes after the Israeli military said that orders for residents in northern Gaza to leave and head to the south are now "urgent".

NetBlocks, a cybersecurity watchdog, said that metrics are showing disruption to internet services in parts of Gaza, with communications heavily affected by ongoing air strikes. 

Flare bombs are "continuing to be thrown in the vicinity of the Al-Quds Hospital," the Palestinian Red Crescent said on Sunday evening. 

The organisation reported that some patients have suffered from smoke inhalation due to bombing close to the hospital. They also said that the bombing poses significant risks to the oxygen and electricity zones in the hospital.

Around 14,000 people are sheltering in the hospital, which Israel has threatened to bomb numerous times, in an effort to get people to leave.

Videos from inside a hospital in Gaza show children among the hundreds of patients who have been wounded following heavy Israeli airstrikes on a residential neighbourhood.

A young boy describes sitting at home with his family when their home was bombed. 

The Israeli military has said that their orders for Palestinians in northern Gaza to leave their homes and head towards the south are now "urgent".

Israeli army spokesperson Daniel Hagari said that the orders to leave northern Gaza over the past two weeks is for their "personal safety".

"We are today emphasising that this is an urgent call," he said in a televised briefing.

Israel has been bombing the entirety of Gaza since the start of the war on 7 October, killing over 8,000 people. 

Civilians on the ground have said they have been targeted by bombing and air strikes while leaving their homes in northern Gaza, as well as upon arrival in the south.

Five people were charged after their arrest at a mass pro-Palestine rally which took place in central London on Saturday, according to the UK police.

Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators gathered in London on Saturday to denounce Israel's bombing of Gaza and call for a ceasefire.

Among the five accused, ranging in age from 16 to 51, is a man suspected in a case where racist insults were allegedly shouted and a woman in another in connection with an alleged racist and threatening sign. The others are being prosecuted for allegedly throwing a beer can at a demonstrator, or verbal or physical attacks against police officers.

A video investigation conducted by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) with Reuters has found that Issam Abdallah, a reporter in Lebanon, was deliberately targeted and killed by the Israeli military.

In a video reconstruction of the event, the investigation found that Abdallah's vehicle was targeted despite having the words "press" on it.

Abdallah was killed on 13 October during an Israeli bombing raid, where seven journalists were standing.

The journalists had set up in this area to cover the exchange of fire between Hezbollah forces and the Israeli army.

The first strike killed Reuters photojournalist Issam Abdallah and seriously injured Agence France-Presse (AFP) correspondent Christina Assi, while the second blew up the Al Jazeera vehicle in the immediate vicinity, injuring several of their colleagues.

According to RSF, it is "unlikely that the journalists were mistaken for combatants, especially as they were not hiding: in order to have a clear field of vision, they had been in the open for more than an hour, on the top of a hill".

An airport in the southern Russian city of Makhachkala was closed on Sunday after a group of people poured onto the runway, the Russian aviation authority Rosaviatsia has said.

Media reports from the area said that demonstrators denouncing Israel's actions in Gaza, many waving Palestinian flags, had thronged the airport.

Reports in Israeli media state that the demonstrators turned up to the airport as a flight had been due to land from Tel Aviv.

Rosaviatsia said all aircraft bound for Makhachkala, in the region of Dagestan, had been diverted to other airports, according to Reuters.

A statement by the foreign ministry in Jerusalem said the Israeli ambassador in Moscow was working with Russian authorities to protect those onboard the flight.

"Israel expects the Russian law enforcement authorities to safeguard all Israeli citizens and Jews, whoever they may be, and to take robust action against the rioters and against the unbridled incitement being directed at Jews and Israelis," the statement said.

Mada Masr will be referred to Egypt's public prosecution, and its website blocked for six months, according to the online news website.

The Supreme Media Regulatory Council (SMRC) announced on Sunday the reason was for "practising media activities without a licence" and "publishing false news without checking its sources".

The SMRC previously announced that they have received complaints about Mada Masr inciting "harm to national security" through its coverage of Israel's bombing of Gaza.

Ongoing Israeli bombing close to the Al-Quds Hospital, where 14,000 Palestinians are sheltering and seeking treatment, has raised concerns over vital oxygen and electricity stations at risk.

According to the Palestinian Red Crescent, oxygen and electricity stations are located in the eastern and northern parts of the hospital, close to where the bombing has targeted. 

"This poses a severe danger, as shelling could potentially lead to a massive fire in the area," the organisation said in a statement. 

According to Al Jazeera reports, bombing has caused the windows of the hospital to shatter, creating a lot of smoke inside the hospital.

Palestinians storming a United Nations-run warehouse in Gaza on Sunday shows the extent of desperation and extreme hunger, the World Food Programme (WFP) has said.

The United Nations Refugee and Works Agency (Unrwa) said that it shows people have reached a breaking point. 

"This is a sign of people losing hope and becoming more desperate by the minute. They are hungry, isolated and have been suffering violence and immense distress for three weeks," said Samer Abdeljaber, WFP representative and country director in Palestine.

"We need a humanitarian pause to be able to reach the people in need with food, water and basic necessities safely and effectively," he added.