Israel-Hamas War News Live Updates: 50 dead in Israeli strikes on Gaza hospitals, school

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators occupied the lobby of The New York Times on Thursday, demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza while accusing the media of showing a bias toward Israel in its coverage of the Israel-Hamas war.

Hundreds of protesters gathered outside the publication’s Manhattan headquarters. Many entered the building’s atrium for a sit-in and vigil that lasted more than an hour.

US personnel in Syria and Iraq came under attack four times since the Pentagon targeted a weapons supply depot in Syria overnight, in what was meant to be a deterrence strike, a spokeswoman said.

Three personnel suffered minor injuries in the latest attacks, deputy spokeswoman Sabrina Singh told reporters. She said US personnel had come under attack by drones and rockets a total of 46 times since Oct. 17. Fifty-six personnel were injured in those attacks and all have returned to duty, Singh said. The US says its warplanes struck a weapons-storage facility on Wednesday night that belonged to Iran and its affiliates.

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators occupied the lobby of The New York Times on Thursday, demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza while accusing the media of showing a bias toward Israel in its coverage of the Israel-Hamas war.

Hundreds of protesters gathered outside the publication’s Manhattan headquarters. Many entered the building’s atrium for a sit-in and vigil that lasted more than an hour.

Led by a group of media workers calling themselves “Writers Bloc,” demonstrators read off the names of thousands of Palestinians killed in Gaza, including at least 36 journalists whose deaths have been confirmed since the war began.

A new U.N. report paints a stark picture of the devastation of the collapsing Palestinian economy following a month of war and Israel's near total siege of Gaza.

The gross domestic product shrank 4% in the West Bank and Gaza in the war's first month, sending over 400,000 people into poverty -- an economic impact unseen in the conflicts Syria and Ukraine, or any previous Israel-Hamas war, the U.N. said.

Gaza's Hamas rulers launched a surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7 killing over 1,400 people, mainly civilians, and kidnapping about 240 others.

Israel has agreed pauses in its offensive in northern Gaza that will allow some civilians to flee heavy fighting, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ruled out any broader ceasefire as a "surrender" to Hamas.

US President Joe Biden welcomed the pauses, which formalise an arrangement that has already seen tens of thousands of Palestinians flee devastation in northern Gaza, but also said there was "no possibility" of a ceasefire.

Netanyahu said Israeli troops were performing "exceptionally well" in the offensive launched after Hamas fighters poured across the border on October 7, killing 1,400 people, mostly civilians and taking around 240 hostage.

Gaza officials said Israel launched air strikes on or near at least three hospitals on Friday, further stressing the Palestinian enclave's precarious health system as it struggles to cope with thousands of people wounded or displaced in Israel's war against Hamas militants."The Israeli occupation launched simultaneous strikes on a number of hospitals during the past hours", Gaza Ministry of Health spokesman Ashraf Al-Qidra told Al Jazeera television. The medical facilities included Gaza's biggest hospital, Al Shifa, where Israel said Hamas has hidden command centres and tunnels, allegations Hamas denies. Qidra said Israel targeted the Gaza City medical complex's courtyard and there were casualties, but he did not provide details.

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators occupied the lobby of The New York Times on Thursday, accusing the media of betraying a bias toward Israel in its coverage of the Israel-Hamas war and demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Hundreds of protesters gathered outside the publication's Manhattan headquarters. Many entered the building's atrium for a sit-in and vigil that lasted more than an hour. Led by a group of media workers calling themselves “Writers Bloc,” demonstrators read off the names of thousands of Palestinians killed in Gaza, including at least 36 journalists whose deaths have been confirmed since the war began.

Israel has agreed to daily four-hour military pauses in northern Gaza for humanitarian purposes, the White House said Thursday, even as President Joe Biden said there was no chance of a full ceasefire. Biden has been pressing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for longer breaks in the fighting after more than a month of war sparked by the October 7 attacks by Hamas.

Bank of Israel Governor Amir Yaron said on Thursday that a worst-case scenario for Israel's economy would be if Hezbollah in Southern Lebanon joins in the Israel-Hamas war. "That's a different ballgame. It will have a different impact," Yaron said at an International Monetary Fund event in Washington, D.C., saying there were enough uncertainties on the southern border with Gaza.

An Israeli military official on Thursday denied the dire humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, as a conference to secure aid for the besieged Palestinian territory opened in Paris. "We know the civil situation in the Gaza Strip is not an easy one," said Colonel Moshe Tetro, head of coordination and liaison at COGAT, the Israeli defence ministry body handling civil affairs in Gaza. "But I can say that there is no humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip," he told reporters at the Nitzana border post between Israel and Egypt.

The US State Department said on Thursday that there will be two humanitarian corridors allowing people to flee areas of hostilities in northern Gaza, adding that it is critical humanitarian supplies and assistance be expanded in the areas where people are moving. State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters that the Rafah crossing on Thursday was open for aid trucks to enter Gaza and foreign nationals to depart.

Hamas' armed wing, the al Qassam Brigades, said an Israeli soldier held hostage in Gaza was killed and another captive soldier was injured in an Israeli air strike on Thursday.

Staff members discovered bullet holes on the exterior of the buildings when they arrived Thursday morning. Nobody was inside at the time of the shootings, police said. “We are seeing an increase in threats of violence,” Trudeau said. “That’s not who we are as Canadians. We are a country that has done better than just about any other country at understanding and respecting different perspectives.”

It seems an incongruous question in the middle of Israel's war with Hamas, but asked who wanted to return home, these Gazans stuck in the occupied West Bank responded as one: "Me, to be with my family."

Israel is reportedly planning daily four-hour halts in military operations in northern Gaza, however, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office has refuted the White House statement asserting Israel's agreement to a daily humanitarian pause in northern Gaza, starting today, reported Times of Israel.

The vast majority of Gaza's 2.4 million residents are unable to escape the conflict, which erupted between the territory's Hamas rulers and Israel on October 7. Crossings were suspended for the second time on Wednesday due to Israel refusing to approve the list of wounded people to be evacuated, which had been sent by the Hamas government to Egypt. The route was previously shut on November 3 and 4 for the same reason.

No one was physically hurt in the explosion but paramedics were treating seven people for shock, said an army spokeswoman at the scene, details that were separately confirmed by emergency services.

That viewpoint was expressed by other Muslim countries, which also called for Germany to better tackle Islamophobic crimes that have been on the rise since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, in tandem with a surge in antisemitic incidents, according to activists.

German authorities have cracked down on pro-Palestinian groups since the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, and refused to authorize many pro-Palestinian protests, saying the curbs are to stop public disorder and prevent public antisemitism. Supporters of the Palestinians say they feel blocked from publicly expressing support or concern for people in the Hamas-controlled enclave of Gaza without risking arrest, their jobs or immigration status.

At least 178 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since the deadly October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas gunmen from the Gaza Strip, according to Palestinian Health Ministry figures.

"None. No possibility," Biden told reporters as he left the White House for a trip to Illinois when asked about the chances of a ceasefire.

Hamas said in a statement that its delegation had met with Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel 'for discussions on the current situation in the Gaza Strip'.

Turkey is technically a candidate for eventual EU membership and, even if this seems a distant prospect, Brussels would prefer Ankara to support rather than compete with its positions. Erdogan, a devout Muslim and fervent advocate of Palestinian rights, toughened his criticism as civilian deaths in Gaza mounted, accusing Israel of committing war crimes and recalling Turkey's ambassador to Tel Aviv. Turkish-EU relations have been at standstill since the launch of membership talks in 2005.

The navy ship "Vulcano", which is equipped with operating rooms, is carrying 30 medical staff and is heading initially to Cyprus, according to details published by the ministry. It is expected to arrive "in a couple of days, weather permitting", a defence ministry spokesman told AFP, without confirming how close the ship would get to Gaza.

US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that the first humanitarian pause would be announced Thursday and that the Israelis had committed to announcing each four-hour window at least three hours in advance. Biden also told reporters that he had asked the Israelis for a “pause longer than three days” during negotiations over the release of some hostages held by Hamas, though he ruled out the chances of a general cease-fire.

"We find these statements to be provocative, totally unacceptable," foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said. "Such statements imply that the entire population of the Gaza Strip is being threatened with nuclear weapons. Is that a threat of genocide? These statements not only clearly confirm the country's possession of such weapons but also demonstrate its readiness to seriously consider their use in completely inappropriate scenarios."

"We (India) made our position very clear on multiple occasions during the UNGA debate. We have strongly condemned the horrific attack on Israel, urged the need for zero tolerance for terrorism and called for immediate and unconditional release of hostages," said Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi. "We have also conveyed our deep concern at the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the increasing civilian toll and welcomed efforts to de-escalate the situation and provide humanitarian assistance. We have also urged the parties to de-escalate violence and work towards creating conditions for early resumption of direct peace negotiations towards a two state solution."

Sunak was facing mounting calls to sack his home secretary after she suggested officers "play favourites" when policing protests and claimed they largely ignored "pro-Palestinian mobs" during recent demonstrations against the Israel-Hamas war. The comments, seen as red meat to the right wing of the governing Conservative party, come after she described the rallies calling for a ceasefire in Gaza as "hate marches", days after claiming some people were homeless as a "lifestyle choice".

Israeli troops and Hamas were locked in heavy, close-quarters fighting in Gaza City on Thursday, including a 10-hour battle that Israel said toppled one of the Palestinian militants' strongholds. Hamas fighters armed with rocket-propelled grenade launchers and assault rifles were clashing with Israeli soldiers backed by armoured vehicles in the ruins of the besieged territory's north.

From there they were transported, some in donkey-drawn carts, towards a cemetery for burial. But because of a lack of space there, relatives had to dig a communal mass grave at a dirt football field where local teams used to play, an AFP photographer said.

Bodies have piled up outside hospitals, on roads and in parks, in refrigerated trucks and even in a repurposed ice cream van. Most cemeteries are either full or inaccessible because of Israeli strikes, and so families of the dead have to improvise when burying their loved ones.

A statement from the Palestinian health ministry said the current death toll in Jenin, West Bank, stood at eight, with 14 others wounded. The Israeli army said its forces were operating in the northern West Bank city, but did not provide further details. Dozens of Palestinians have been killed in recent months by Israeli forces in Jenin, particular in the city's refugee camp where armed groups are present alongside tens of thousands of residents. Israel has occupied the West Bank since the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and its troops regularly launch raids across the Palestinian territory.

International organisations and aid agencies called on Thursday for an immediate ceasefire to end a "haemorrhage of human lives" in Gaza, warning that the situation could quickly spiral out of control. They made their appeals at a conference in Paris intended to coordinate aid and assess how to help people wounded in Gaza since Israel launched its ground and air offensive in response to an attack by Hamas militants on southern Israel on October 7.

"We know the civil situation in the Gaza Strip is not an easy one," said Colonel Moshe Tetro, head of coordination and liason at COGAT, the Israeli defence ministry body handling civil affairs in Gaza. "But I can say that there is no humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip," he told reporters.

Five Palestinians were killed Thursday during an Israeli raid on Jenin in the north of the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry said. The Israeli army said its forces were operating in Jenin but did not provide further details.

Israeli forces fought Hamas militants through shell-blasted buildings in the north of the Gaza Strip on Thursday and both sides claimed to have inflicted heavy losses on their foes as the battle over the Palestinian territory intensified. The United Nations human rights chief called for a ceasefire and said both sides had committed war crimes in the month of fighting over the enclave. In Paris, officials from about 80 countries and organisations were meeting to coordinate humanitarian aid to Gaza and find ways to help wounded civilians escape the siege. Residents in Gaza City - a militant stronghold in the north of the Hamas-ruled territory - said Israeli tanks were stationed around the city. Israeli forces were moving closer to two hospitals where thousands of displaced Palestinians were seeking shelter, they said.

French president Emmanuel Macron urged nations Thursday to "work towards a ceasefire" between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, as he opened a conference on aid to the Palestinian territory. "In the immediate term, we need to work on protecting civilians. To do that, we need a humanitarian pause very quickly and we must work towards a ceasefire," Macron told delegates.

US secretary of state Antony Blinken on Thursday said that the only way to ensure that this crisis never happens again is to begin setting the conditions for durable peace and security and to frame diplomatic efforts. The US stressed that these key elements should include no forced displacements of Palestinians from Gaza, stressing, "not now, not after the war." Additionally, he said that Gaza should not be used as a platform for terrorism or other violent attacks. "No reoccupation of Gaza after the conflict ends. No attempt to blockade or besiege Gaza. No reduction in the territory of Gaza," he added.

It seemed as if there was little trace of human life left in the wake of Hamas’s attack in southern Israel a month ago — just a desolate trail of burned homes, scorched rooms, bullet-scarred doors and charred cars. Volunteers from Israel’s high-tech industry initially helped authorities try to identify the dead and missing, using artificial intelligence to sort through photos and videos. Yet still dozens of people were left unaccounted for after the worst day of violence in the nation’s history.

South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin said on Thursday he and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken shared the view there is a need for humanitarian pauses in the Israel-Hamas war. Park, speaking after his meeting with Blinken in Seoul, said the two countries condemn Hamas' attack against civilians and were monitoring possible North Korea's connection with Hamas.