Israel-Palestine live: Israel and Palestinians agree to truce, hostage deal

The Israeli military confirmed two more soldiers have been killed in its ground invasion of the Gaza Strip, bringing its death toll to 46.

Staff Sergeant Roee Marom, 21, a squad commander in the 906 Battalion; and Major Raz Abulafia, 27, of the 6863 Battalion, were killed fighting in Gaza, a military spokesperson said Tuesday morning. 

Israel and Hamas’ military wing, the Al-Qassam brigades, have been engaging in fierce urban combat around Gaza City. 

On Tuesday, Hamas released a video showing its fighters hiding in bombed-out buildings as they fired on Israeli tanks and soldiers with rocket-propelled grenades (RPG's) and bazookas. 

Middle East Eye couldn’t independently verify the video or its date and location.

Vivian Silver, the veteran peace activist who was believed to be among the roughly 240 hostages taken by Hamas and other armed Palestinian groups on 7 October, is confirmed to have been killed during the initial attack.

Silver’s family was notified Monday by forensic experts that her remains had been verified roughly five weeks after the attack.

Silver lived in Beeri, a kibbutz near the boundary between Israel and Gaza, that was the site of one of the deadliest Hamas assaults.

Silver was a longtime Israeli peace activist and former board member of Israel’s largest human rights organisation, B’Tselem. She was more recently active as a leader of Women Wage Peace, an anti-occupation group that focuses on women.

At least 13 Palestinians, including children, have been killed and several more injured by Israeli air strikes on Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip.

Israeli strikes hit two homes belonging to the Al-Agha and Abu Gemayzeh families, according to Palestinian news agency, Wafa news. 

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken sought to address criticism in some quarters of the State Department over the Biden administration’s stance on the war in an email to diplomats.

"I know that for many of you, the suffering caused by this crisis is taking a profound personal toll," Blinken said in the letter according to several US media outlets.

"The anguish that comes with seeing the daily images of babies, children, elderly people, women, and other civilians suffering in this crisis is wrenching. I feel it myself," he said.

Blinken was responding to a wave of criticism amongst some diplomats over the Biden administration’s unconditional support for Israel. Middle East Eye reported last month that State Department officials were preparing dissent cables to protest the administration’s stance.

”I also know that some people in the Department may disagree with approaches we are taking or have views on what we can do better,” Blinken said, adding that the State Department had organised forums in Washington and posts around the world for “candid discussions”.

“We’re listening: what you share is informing our policy and our messages,” he said.

The Biden administration has shifted its tone on civilian casualties, Middle East Eye has previously reported, but continues to provide military support to Israel with no conditions, according to US officials.

Read more: Massive civilian death toll forcing split between US and Israel

Five Palestinians were killed by the Israeli military during a large-scale raid on Tulkarm refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, according to local media.

Saeed Suleiman Youssef Abu Tahoun, 24, Jihad Khaled Muqbil Ghanem, 27, and Musab Omar Ahmed Al-Ghoul, 21, were killed by an Israeli drone strike, according to local media. 

Meanwhile, Palestinian health officials said Mahmoud Ali Hadayda, 25, and Hazem al-Hosary, 28 were both shot by Israeli soldiers. They were rushed to Martyr Thabet Thabet Government Hospital for treatment where they died of their wounds. 

Israeli forces raided homes throughout the camp and initially prevented ambulances from entering. One man being transported to the hospital was arrested from the ambulance, according to local media. 

Israeli troops were supported by rooftop snipers, a reconnaissance plane and military bulldozer. Heaving fighting was reported between Palestinian fighters and the Israeli military, according to local media

The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, a Palestinian armed group, said it damaged 3 Israeli military vehicles and targeted a military bulldozer with an explosive device amid the fighting. The group claimed to have inflicted casualties amongst the Israeli troops. 

Separately, local media reported that Mohammad Abd al-Majid al-Halayqa, died after being shot by the near the Beit Aynoun intersection in Hebron.

A State Department dissent cable has accused Israel of committing "war crimes" in Gaza and slammed US President Joe Biden for "spreading misinformation" on the Israel-Palestine war.

The cable, first reported by Axios, was sent to the State Department’s policy office on 3 November. It was signed by 100 State Department and USAID employees, who urged the administration to reassess their policy toward Israel and demand a ceasefire to the war.

“Members of the White House and (the National Security Council) displayed a clear disregard for the lives of Palestinians, a documented unwillingness to de-escalate, and, even prior to October 7, a reckless lack of strategic foresight,” the authors said, taking a broad swipe at the Biden administration.

The authors alleged the US "doubled down on our unwavering military assistance" to Israel without imposing "clear or actionable redlines," as Israel engaged in actions that constitute "war crimes and/or crimes against humanity under international law."

Middle East Eye first reported how State Department officials were drafting dissent cables amid frustration with the Biden administration’s unconditional support for Israel.

The draft MEE exclusively reported on 25 October called for an immediate cessation of hostilities in Gaza and implored Washington to promote truthful and balanced public messaging towards resolving the war. 

The 3 November memo was harsher in tone and also criticised Biden for "questioning the number of deaths" in Gaza.

Biden suggested last month that the death toll reported by Palestinian health officials in Gaza was not reliable. However, senior US officials have since backtracked.

Last week, the State Department's top Middle East official said on Wednesday that deaths in the Gaza Strip could likely be higher than are being reported.

Read more: State Department officials prepare dissent cables in opposition to Gaza assault

A number of launches were detected from Lebanon towards an Israeli military post near the Israel-Lebanon border, the Israeli military said on Tuesday.

One was intercepted by air defence systems and the others fell into an open area, according to the Israeli military.

The border area is witnessing an uptick in fighting.

An Israeli electrical worker was killed by an anti-tank missile fired from Lebanon on Monday. Meanwhile Israeli strikes killed two civilians and wounded several others, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency.

Good evening Middle East Eye readers,

The death toll from Israel’s assault on Gaza since 7 October has killed 11,240 Palestinians, including 4,630 children and 3,130 women, the government media office in Gaza said on Monday.

Nearly all hospitals in Gaza City are out of service after bombardments, a siege, and a lack of fuel and electricity.

US President Joe Biden said that the hospital, referring to al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, must be protected and that he hopes there will be “less intrusive” action there.

Today Abu Ubaida, the spokesperson for Hamas’s armed wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, said Israel requested 100 women and children be released from Hamas custody.

In return, the al-Qassam Brigades offered the exchange of 200 Palestinian children and 75 women held in Israeli custody, a five-day ceasefire, and entry of humanitarian aid to the entire besieged Strip.

The al-Qassam spokesperson said that Israel is stalling on a response to their offer and that Qatar is facilitating the talks. In other updates:

• At least 30 Palestinians were killed and scores injured during Israel’s bombardment of the Jabalia refugee camp, north of Gaza City.
• The UN agency in charge of looking after Palestinian refugees said its trucks in Gaza have officially run out of fuel.
• Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said on Monday that his country may have up to three weeks to continue its bombardment of Gaza before pressure for a ceasefire ratchets up.
• Egyptian security officials said around 500 foreigners and dual nationals, as well as wounded Palestinians, left the besieged enclave on Sunday.
• The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor says it has documented reports of the execution of dozens of Palestinians by Israeli army forces during their displacement from northern Gaza

Indonesian President Joko Widodo urged US President Joe Biden during a visit to the White House on Monday to do more to end "atrocities" in Gaza and help bring about a ceasefire.

"Indonesia appeals to the US to do more to stop the atrocities in Gaza," said Widodo, adding that a "ceasefire is a must for the sake of humanity".

Widodo also said he would "deliver a specific message from President Mahmoud Abbas of Palestine, who asked me to convey it to President Biden," regarding the war.

Indonesia last week denied an allegation by Israel that a hospital built in Gaza using Indonesian charity funding sits atop a network of Hamas tunnels.

Jordan's King Abdullah II rejected any plans by Israel to occupy parts of Gaza or to create security zones within the enclave, state media said on Monday.

In comments at the royal palace, the king was quoted saying that there is "no military or security solution" to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.

The monarch said the "root of the crisis was Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories and its denial of Palestinians' legitimate rights". Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said in an interview with public broadcaster Al Mamlaka that Israel had crossed "every legal, ethical and humanitarian red line in its barbaric war on Gazans".

The UN agency in charge of looking after Palestinian refugees said its trucks in Gaza have officially run out of fuel.

"We will not be able to receive aid coming through the Rafah crossing tomorrow," said the director of Unrwa affairs for Gaza, Thomas White, in a series of posts on X, formerly known as Twitter.

White added that "the humanitarian operation in Gaza will grind to a halt within 48 hours as no fuel is allowed to enter."

In a press briefing on the Gaza war, US national security advisor Jake Sullivan said: "I cannot look you in the eye and tell you how many of those hostages are still alive."

Among the 239 hostages being held in Gaza, there are also nine Americans.

Gaza photographer Maha al-Astal is being inundated with pleas from people whose loved ones in Gaza are missing or feared killed in Israeli air strikes.

"They implore me and others with a large social media following to relay their messages to those who remain in northern Gaza to join the rescue efforts," she told Middle East Eye.

"They send us desperate requests to share their stories on social media platforms."

In the midst of intense Israeli air strikes, the disruption of mobile networks and the severe reduction of telecommunications signals along the primary routes, as reported by Palestinian telecoms provider Paltel multiple times during October and November, have undermined rescue efforts in Gaza. 

Samir al-Khatib, the deputy director of Gaza's civil defence, told MEE that the interruption of telecommunication services has disconnected them from those seeking help.

Read more: Palestinians turn to social media for news about loved ones amid blackout

US President Joe Biden said that the hospital, referring to al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, must be protected and that he hopes there will be "less intrusive" action there.

He added that there is an effort to use a pause in hostilities to deal with the release of prisoners being negotiated by Qatar.

Al-Shifa, the enclave’s largest hospital, has been under siege for days and running without fuel.

At least 30 Palestinians were killed and scores injured during Israel's bombardment of the Jabalia refugee camp, north of Gaza City.

There have been several unconfirmed videos showing the aftermath of the Israeli air strikes on the camp.

Last week an estimated 100 Palestinian civilians were killed as a result of an Israeli strike, which targeted a residential building complex in the Jabalia camp, which many called a “war crime”.