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

The US has raised concerns over Israel arming civilians after Israel's Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir was photographed handing out weapons to civilians. 

According to reports in Haaretz, the US has threatened to stop supplying Israel with weapons if they were used to arm civilians.

On 10 October, Ben Gvir announced that his ministry purchased 10,000 rifles to arm civilian security teams, specifically those in towns close to Israel's borders around the country.

Representatives of families of hostages taken to Gaza on 7 October have called on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to agree to their terms, and free all Palestinian prisoners. 

In a meeting held on Saturday, the families expressed their thoughts before Netanyahu. 

“Bring back everyone now,” Meirav Leshem-Gonen, whose 23-year-old daughter Romi was kidnapped, said. 

Another at the press conference said they implored Netanyahu not to launch military operations that could endanger their loved ones, and said there would be widespread support for an exchange deal of “everyone for everyone.”

The event comes as the same day protests were held condemning Netanyahu for his mishandling over the hostages situation.

A Hamas spokesperson also said today that 50 hostages were killed in Israel due to Israeli bombing. 
 

Israel's minister of communications has said that Israel will "use all means to fight" the restoration of communications services in Gaza, Al Araby reported.

The announcement comes after Elon Musk said on Saturday that his Starlink satellite service would support internet access for "internationally recognised aid organisations in Gaza", which have faced a telecommunications blackout since Friday.

Starlink is a network of satellites in low Earth orbit that can provide internet to remote locations or areas that have had normal communications infrastructure disabled.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has called for an emergency meeting of the Arab League on Saturday.

During a meeting in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah, he said "the Palestinian people are enduring acts of slaughter and genocide in the Gaza Strip".

"We have participated in summits, appealed to the Security Council, and demanded the entry of aid and the cessation of eviction. We seek a diplomatic solution based on decisions by the Security Council and the international community," Abbas added.

"Our people have been exposed to a genocidal war in Gaza, and we demand a political solution based on international legitimacy," he continued. 

He said that "Gaza will remain a thorn in the throats of the aggressors and Jerusalem is our eternal capital", and that "a new catastrophe must be prevented by all means".

Gaza's Christian community is carrying out mass baptisms for children who have not yet been baptised in case they are killed in Israel's bombing of the besieged enclave. 

"The Christians besieged in Gaza and who sought refuge in the two churches from the Israeli bombardment are baptising their infants. They are bracing for the worst. Lord have mercy. Stop this genocide," said Munther Isaac, a Palestinian Christian who lives in the occupied West Bank.

A man in Gaza used a live TV broadcast in the besieged enclave to reassure family members watching that he is still alive, amid a near-full communications blackout.

Israel cut off communications in the besieged enclave on 17 October, leaving people unable to call or reach each other.

The decision has made it difficult for ambulances to reach casualties amid the heavy bombing. 

Tasneem Awni and her sisters-in-law were cooking dinner on Friday, 13 October, when Israeli planes dropped leaflets ordering 1.1 million residents of northern Gaza to evacuate south. "Gaza City now is a battlefield," the leaflets read.

In a whirlwind of panic, she and her extended family, who reside together in an asbestos-clad house in Gaza, hastily gathered their essential possessions, modest savings and a few items of clothing.

"As we departed, my children and I shed tears. It was at that moment I realised that my home was the most precious thing I possessed, second only to my daughters," she told Middle East Eye.

With more than 12 family members, including her disabled mother-in-law in her 60s, the challenge of fitting into a small car and setting it in motion remains a blur to Tasneem. "My children were terrified as the thunderous bombardments continued," she said.

The journey southward unfolded as a nightmarish odyssey, according to the mother of three.

To read the full story, click on the link below.

Read more: A mother's failed attempt to seek shelter from Israeli bombs

The United Arab Emirates asked the United Nations Security Council on Saturday to meet "as soon as possible" following Israel's expanded ground operations in Gaza and the cutting off of all communications on Friday evening.

The 15-member council could meet as early as Sunday, diplomats have said. 

Democratic Congressman Adam Smith, who sits on the House Armed Services Committee, has called on Israel to allow fuel into Gaza to alleviate the humanitarian crisis unfolding in the besieged enclave.

"Much more can be done right now by Israel, the United States and others to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Food, water, medical supplies and fuel must be allowed into Gaza - with appropriate safeguards - to reduce the suffering of the civilian population," he said. 

"I understand the risk that, no matter the safeguards, some of these supplies might fall into the hands of Hamas. But the risk of a worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza if these supplies are not let in is far greater," he added.

Demonstrations have erupted across Israel in support of the captives' families, and calling for the removal of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

A protest took place in front of the defence ministry's complex in Tel Aviv for the third consecutive week.

According to Haaretz, protests also took place in Haifa, Atlit, Caesarea, Beersheba and Eilat, where hundreds joined in.

Rushdi Abualouf, a BBC reporter in Gaza, said that ambulances in the besieged enclave are being forced to drive towards the sound of explosions due to the communications blackout.

Emergency services are finding it increasingly difficult to reach casualties amid ongoing heavy Israeli shelling, due to the cutting of all communications services in the strip.

Abualouf also said that the Indonesian Hospital in Beit Lahia was struck and out of service for some time during last night's air strikes.

There were also strikes on roads near the Shifa hospital in Gaza city, he said. 

Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said that he has ordered all Israeli diplomatic representatives to return from Turkey due to "harsh statements". 

The decision was announced on social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter), where Cohen said the move was made to "reassess” relations between Turkey and Israel.
 

Speaking live on Saturday, Abu Ubaida, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades spokesperson, said that "Israeli bombing has killed 50 of the captives so far" and that "Israel knows the cost of freeing the captives".

"The cost of the captives is to free all Palestinians from Israeli jails," he said. 

Abu Ubaida said that the war was a "turning point in history and in the freedom of Palestine".

"We reiterate to Israel, who are daily threatening a ground invasion: we wait for you, we will teach you and the world what true strength looks like. We will meet you with strength you cannot imagine. We have embarrassed you in front of the world."

Israeli drones dropped leaflets on residents in Gaza saying that the besieged enclave has been turned into "a battlefield" and that shelters in the north and other parts of Gaza are no longer safe.

"You must evacuate immediately and head to areas south of Wadi Gaza," the leaflet read. 

A photo of the leaflet was posted by the Gaza based photographer Motaz Azaiza on Instagram. Azaiza has been documenting atrocities carried out in Gaza since the start of the war on 7 October. 

Josep Borrell, the EU foreign policy chief, has urged for a "pause of hostilities" to allow humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip after the intense overnight bombing of the besieged enclave. 

"Gaza is in complete blackout and isolation while heavy shelling continues," Borrell said on social media platform X.

"Far too many civilians, including children, have been killed. This is against international humanitarian law," he says, adding: "A pause of hostilities is urgently needed to enable humanitarian access."