Israel-Palestine live: Biden urges Egypt, Qatar to press Hamas for hostage deal

Israeli forces have killed at least 72 Palestinians and wounded 114 more over the past 24 hours in seven "massacres", according to the Palestinian health ministry. 

This brings the Palestinian death toll in over five months to more than 32,142, with over 74,412 wounded and an estimated 8,000 missing and presumed dead.

More than 70 percent of the victims are children and women, according to health officials.

At least five wounded Palestinians, who were receiving treatment at al-Shifa Hospital, have died due to the lack of medical care, food and water amid an ongoing Israeli raid, the health ministry said on Saturday. 

"The besieged medical teams and patients are appealing to UN institutions and the international community to intervene urgently to save their lives," the ministry added. 

Israeli forces killed and wounded many Palestinians gathered to collect aid in Gaza City on Saturday, according to local media reports. 

Dozens of injured people were brought to the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital after the attack. 

North Sinai's governor, Mohamed Shousha, said 7,000 aid trucks are waiting to deliver aid into Gaza. 

Shousha said in a statement that Israel's inspection rules had delayed the flow of aid into Gaza. 

His statement comes as he is pictured accompanying UN Chief Antonio Guterres, who is expected to visit the border area later in the day.  

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres will visit Egypt's border with Gaza on Saturday, amid growing concerns that Israel will fight Hamas in Rafah. 

Guterres is expected to reiterate calls for a humanitarian ceasefire, as pressure mounts on Israel to let in more aid and end its proposed ground offensive in Rafah, where thousands of Palestinians have taken shelter. 

Images posted online showed Guterres walking with North Sinai Governor Major General Mohammed Abdel-Fadel Shousha at the El Arish airport in North Sinai in Egypt. 

The Israeli army has threatened medical staff and displaced people at al-Shifa Hospital that buildings they are staying in would be bombed if they didn't evacuate, the Gaza-based government media office has said. 

The statement was made based on testimonies from people still trapped inside the hospital, which has been under Israeli blockade and military assault since Monday.

The media office said once people evacuate buildings, they are arrested and tortured or killed.

Middle East Eye could not independently verify the report.

Good morning Middle East Eye readers, 

It's just after 11:00am (9:00 GMT) in Palestine and Israel. Here are the latest developments on day 169 of Israel's war on Gaza: 

• Israeli shelling across the Gaza Strip on Saturday morning has killed several people, including in Rafah and Deir al-Balah as the raid on al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City continues for the sixth day. 

• Local media say patients are dying in some of the hospital buildings that are under Israeli blockage, due to the lack of food and medical care.  

• UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is set to visit Egypt's border with Gaza on Saturday to reiterate his call for a humanitarian ceasefire. 

• A vote in the UN Security Council on a new ceasefire resolution, initially planned for Saturday, has been postponed until Monday, according to media reports. 

• The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Friday in a statement that its forces had conducted strikes against three Houthi underground storage facilities in Yemen.

Good evening Middle East Eye readers,

The number of Palestinians killed in Gaza by Israeli forces since 7 October has risen to 32,070, the Palestinian health ministry said on Friday. 

Hundreds of healthcare workers, patients, and displaced civilians - including two critically ill children- are trapped inside Gaza’s al-Shifa hospital due to the Israeli military’s invasion and five-day blockade.

In other developments:

• Martin Griffiths, the United Nations' humanitarian chief, demanded an immediate ceasefire and urged Israel to remove all barriers to the distribution of aid to the people of Gaza.
• Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that Israel will launch a ground operation in Rafah without US backing, if necessary.
• The UN Security Council has failed to pass a US resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza as part of a deal to release captives held in Gaza. Russia and China voted against the resolution. 
• Israel has seized 800 hectares of land in the occupied West Bank, Israeli media said on Friday. 
• Israeli forces blocked hundreds of Palestinian worshippers from reaching al-Aqsa Mosque for the second Friday prayer during the month of Ramadan.

The foreign ministry announced on Friday that Lebanon plans to submit an urgent complaint to the UN Security Council, accusing Israel of infringing on its sovereignty by interfering with its navigation systems.

The foreign ministry said that Israel's actions are compromising the safety of civilian flights in the airspace over Beirut's Rafic Hariri International Airport, according to the statement.

On Friday, the White House announced that it will present Israeli officials with different strategies for dismantling Hamas in Gaza, aiming to avoid a ground assault in Rafah, which Washington has said would be a "disaster".

"There's a million-and-a-half people there," White House spokesperson John Kirby told a regular news briefing. "We believe a major ground offensive is a mistake" and would be a "disaster."

Kirby added that US officials plan to discuss potential strategies with Israeli representatives during their visit to Washington, and said that further information about the visit would be made available in the near future.

On Friday, Martin Griffiths, the United Nations' humanitarian chief, demanded an immediate ceasefire and urged Israel to remove all barriers to the distribution of aid to the people of Gaza.

"Limits to aid distribution within Gaza are set by those who block the movements of convoys meant to feed tens of thousands of critically hungry people," Griffiths said in a post on social media platform X.

Medical Aid for Palestinians (Map) is urgently requesting protection for hundreds of healthcare workers, patients, and displaced civilians - including two critically ill children- who are trapped inside Gaza’s al-Shifa hospital due to the Israeli military’s invasion and five-day blockade.

Trapped inside are two siblings, 13-year-old Rafif Doughnosh and 15-year-old Rafiq Doughnosh, who sustained severe injuries from an Israeli military air strike. The attack killed their mother and ten other family members. Both children underwent amputations.

Since the start of the military operation in the area of al-Shifa hospital, the Israeli military stated that it has killed about 150 Palestinians and detained hundreds of individuals, including medical personnel and those displaced. Inside the hospital, hundreds of patients, medical staff, and displaced persons are trapped with scarce access to food and water.

According to Map, the children are without water, haven’t eaten for days, and are already suffering from malnutrition. They urgently require medical attention, including surgical procedures. The Israeli military is blocking any medical or humanitarian missions from accessing al-Shifa hospital and has directed the children’s uncle, Mahmoud, who has been looking after them, to vacate the hospital.

“I was forced to leave my Rafif and Rafiq alone, with severe injuries and no medical care, under Israeli military siege. I cannot explain how terrified I am,” Mahmoud said.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said that an Israeli ground offensive in Rafah would risk "further isolating" Israel and damage its long-term security.

He told reporters on Friday that he had "candid conversations" with Israeli officials during his visit to the country.

Blinken said that a ground operation in Rafah "risks killing more civilians. It risks wreaking greater havoc with the humanitarian assistance. It risks further isolating Israel around the world and jeopardising its long-term security and standing".

The number of Palestinians killed in Gaza by Israeli forces since 7 October has risen to 32,070, the Palestinian health ministry said on Friday. 

At least 74,298 others have been wounded during that time.