Israeli warplanes are striking targets across Gaza ahead of an expected ground offensive in the besieged Hamas-ruled territory. Fears of a widening war have grown as Israel struck targets in the occupied West Bank, Syria and Lebanon and traded fire with Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group.
Two aid convoys arrived in the Gaza Strip over the weekend through the Rafah crossing from Egypt. Israel said the trucks carried food, water and medical supplies. Israel has not allowed in fuel, which is critically needed for water and sanitation systems and hospitals.
READ MORE: Biden facing pressure for restraint after full-fledged support of Israel
The war, in its 17th day Monday, is the deadliest of five Gaza wars for both sides. The Hamas-run Health Ministry said Monday that at least 5,087 Palestinians have been killed and 15,270 wounded. In the occupied West Bank, 96 Palestinians have been killed and 1,650 wounded in violence and Israeli raids since Oct. 7.
More than 1,400 people in Israel have been killed, mostly civilians who died in the initial Hamas rampage into southern Israel. In addition, 222 people including foreigners were believed captured by Hamas during the incursion and taken into Gaza, Israel’s military has said. Two of those have been released.
Currently:
- Premature babies hooked up to incubators are at risk of dying because of dwindling fuel in the Gaza Strip
- Biden walks tightrope with support for Israel as allies and the left push for restraint
- A second convoy of trucks carrying desperately needed aid reaches Gaza
- Blinken and Austin say the U.S. is ready to protect American forces should the war escalate
Here’s what’s happening in the latest Israel-Hamas war:
Italy confirms death of 3rd Italian-Israeli citizen missing in Hamas attack
ROME — Italy’s foreign minister Antonio Tajani said the last of three Italian-Israeli citizens who had been missing in the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel is also dead.
“Unfortunately, also Nir Forti is deceased,’’ the minister wrote late Monday on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. Forti had been attending the music festival that Hamas attacked.
“To die at 29, barbarously killed by terrorists, is deeply unjust,’’ Tajani wrote on X.
Only hours earlier Tajani had announced the death of another Italian-Israeli woman, whose husband’s death had been confirmed last week.
Israel must protect civilians in its war on Hamas, UN investigator says
UNITED NATIONS — A United Nations special investigator said while Hamas’ attacks on Israel at a minimum constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity, Israel in its response is required under international law to protect civilians and is banned from targeting schools, hospitals and people fleeing harm.
Fionnuala Ní Aoláin, the special rapporteur on protecting human rights while countering terrorism, told a U.N. news conference Monday that when these rules of international humanitarian law are breached, “we are also in the territory of war crimes.”
She stressed that under the Geneva Conventions governing the conduct of war, it isn’t only Israel and Hamas that must respect international humanitarian law. Those “with influence” over the parties also have an obligation to ensure the rules of war are respected — and to remind the parties to comply.
WATCH: Israel-Hamas war leads to heated debate and protests on college campuses
Ní Aoláin, a law professor at the University of Minnesota, said Israel should avoid making the same “mistake” the United States did following 9/11, when “egregious and systematic violations of human rights” were committed.
She also echoed U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’s view that Israel’s order for 1.1 million people in northern Gaza to move to the south “will have devastating consequences.”
Ní Aoláin, said she and many others in the U.N. system joined the secretary-general in condemning this, “as well as being clear that the cutting off of water and electricity, which indiscriminately and excessively harm civilians, may constitute a war crime.”
U.S. pushing for un resolution condemning attacks in Israel, violence against civilians
UNITED NATIONS — The U.N. Security Council’s monthly meeting on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on Tuesday is turning into a high-level event, with ministers flying to New York and the U.S. pushing for adoption of a resolution that would condemn the Hamas attacks in Israel and violence against civilians, and reaffirm Israel’s right to self-defense.
The new U.S.-drafted resolution was still being negotiated late Monday afternoon, but a recent draft obtained by The Associated Press also demands the immediate release of all hostages, urges respect for international laws on conducting war and protecting civilians, urges all countries to intensify efforts to prevent a spillover, and demands immediate humanitarian access to Gaza.
Among those expected at Tuesday’s meeting are the foreign minister of Israel, the Palestinians, Iran, Jordan, France and Brazil, council diplomats said, speaking on condition of anonymity ahead of any announcement.
A resolution proposed by Russia, which called for a “humanitarian ceasefire” and would strongly condemn all violence and acts of terrorism didn’t mention the Hamas attacks. It failed to get the minimum nine “yes” votes needed for approval by the 15-member council.
Diplomats said one issue in the U.S. draft resolution is Russia’s demand for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza.
Iraqi militias say they attacked 2 U.S. bases in Syria
BEIRUT — Iran-backed militias in Iraq on Monday said they attacked two U.S. bases in eastern Syria, their fourth attack in one day.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of Iranian-backed militias, said two drones attacked U.S. military bases by the Al-Omar oil field in Deir el-Zour province and in al-Shaddadi further north. Officials in Washington did not immediately comment on the attack.
WATCH: Princeton student’s sister urges action months after suspected abduction by Iraqi militia
The attack came hours after the group claimed responsibility for drone attacks on the al-Tanf garrison near the Jordanian and Iraqi borders, and a stone’s throw away from the desert Rukban camp home to tens of thousands of Syrians.
There have been a string of similar attacks on U.S. bases in Iraq and Syria over the past week. In one attack, the same group attacked two U.S. bases in Iraq with drones, causing minor injuries among U.S. forces.
4:18 p.m. EDT
International Red Cross confirms release of 2 more hostages
JERUSALEM — The International Committee of the Red Cross says Hamas militants have released two hostages who had been held captive in the Gaza Strip.
It was the second time the group has freed hostages seized in its bloody Oct. 7 cross-border incursion into Israel.
The hostages were identified by Israeli media as Yocheved Lipshitz and Nurit Cooper of the Israeli kibbutz of Nir Oz.
READ MORE: Hamas frees two Israeli women, U.S. works to delay ground war to allow more negotiations
In a statement, Hamas said it had released them for humanitarian reasons.
Israel has demanded the unconditional release of all hostages held by Hamas.
The Islamic militant group is believed to be holding over 200 people, including an unconfirmed number of foreigners and dual nationals.
Hamas released two other hostages — an American mother and daughter — on Friday.
Hamas says it has freed 2 more hostages
JERUSALEM — Late Monday, Hamas announced that it had freed an additional two hostages on humanitarian grounds. Israeli media, citing an anonymous official, confirmed the release, but there was no formal announcement from the Israeli side.
The Associated Press could not independently confirm the release.
France’s Macron to visit Israel, meet with Netanyahu and others
PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron is traveling Tuesday to Israel to show France’s solidarity with the country and further work on the release of hostages who are being held in Gaza, according to the French presidency.
Macron will have talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and also meet with Israeli-French nationals who have lost loved ones, as well as families of hostages.
Macron may also seize the occasion to have talks with some Arab partners in the region, the French presidency said, without providing further details.
Italy confirms death of 2nd Italian-Israeli citizen in Israel
ROME — Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani has confirmed the death of a second Italian-Israeli citizen from the Oct. 7 Hamas attack.
Tajani, writing on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter, said on Monday that Liliach Le Havron, the wife of Evitar Kipnis, whose body was recovered last week, was confirmed dead.
The couple had lived in Be-eri Kibbutz. Both had been reported missing by their loved ones.
“For Italy, another day of mourning,’’ Tajani wrote. A third Italian-Israeli citizen, a young man who was attending the music festival that Hamas assaulted, remains missing.
1:31 p.m. EDT
Aid shipments not enough to meet worsening crisis, aid worker says
CAIRO — Mahmoud Shalabi, an aid worker with the Medical Aid for Palestinians group, said the aid shipments that Israel allowed to cross into Gaza were a “drop in the ocean of the needs” required to address the rapidly worsening humanitarian crisis there.
Speaking to The Associated Press Monday evening from his home in Beit Lahia in northern Gaza, Shalabi said that the aid had not arrived in the northern part of the strip, which Israel wants to empty ahead of its looming ground invasion.
WATCH: UN aid chief hopes to increase flow of critical supplies to Gaza
He said the supplies in the first convoy on Saturday were distributed only to bakeries in the southern parts of Gaza, leaving the northern half struggling amid extremely dire conditions.
“The north didn’t receive anything. It’s like a death sentence for the people in the north of Gaza there,” he said.
Shalabi criticized Israel’s repeated warnings for the Palestinians in the northern half, including that it would view those who choose to stay as accomplices to a terrorist organization.
“Again, this is a death sentence for every human that decided to remain in the north of Gaza,” he said.
A view shows the house where Palestinian teenager Dima Allamdani, who fled to southern Gaza Strip with her family to avoid the constant onslaught of Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City, was sheltering in, which was hit by Israeli jets that killed 13 of her relatives, including her parents, 7 siblings and 4 members of her uncle’s family, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, October 22, 2023. Photo by Mohammed Salem/REUTERS
Airstrikes leave Gaza hospital overrun with patients
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — A hospital in Gaza City was overrun with patients from airstrikes Monday with people lying on a blood-covered floor and two children at a time being treated on exam tables.
While a girl stared up at the ceiling from a table at Shifa Hospital, a boy who appeared to be unconscious lay at her feet with an IV drip in his arm and gauze wrapped around his head.
WATCH: Israeli airstrikes hit Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon and Syria amid fears of widening war
An older child and a man wearing oxygen masks lay on their backs on the floor below as a fifth person in a bright striped top was spread out on the floor nearby.
Medics also worked on a boy covered in gray soot whose legs were splinted and who lay at the foot of another child covered partly with a sheet.
Several other children and adults lay on a tile floor in another area of waiting for care.
Third convoy of humanitarian aid arrives in Gaza, UN confirms
CAIRO — A third small aid convoy from Egypt has entered Gaza, where the population of 2.3 million has been running out of food, water and medicine under Israel’s two-week seal.
Juliette Touma, director of communications for the U.N.’s Palestinian refugee agency, confirmed the arrival of the convoy “with 20 trucks” in Gaza on Monday to The Associated Press, but provided no other details.
12:11 p.m. ET
Hospital runs out of burial shrouds and room in morgue, official says
CAIRO — Abu Youssef Al-Najjar Hospital, in Rafah, registered 61 deaths since Monday morning following a day of intense airstrikes in the southern Gaza Strip.
Talaat Barghout, the hospital’s spokesperson, said there is no room in the morgue for all the bodies, and a lack of Islamic burial shrouds — known as the Kafan — to give the dead a proper burial.
“More than half of them are lying on the (hospital) ground,” he said.
Barghout also said the hospital lacks an intensive care unit and does not have the facilities to treat burns. There is only enough fuel to keep the basic hospital going for two more days, he added.
Britain says hospital explosion was likely caused by misfired missile from Gaza
LONDON — The British government says it has concluded that a devastating explosion at a hospital in Gaza was likely caused by a misfired missile from within Palestinian territory, rather than an Israeli strike.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told lawmakers in the House of Commons that based on an intelligence assessment, “the British government judges that the explosion was likely caused by a missile, or part of one, that was launched from within Gaza towards Israel.”
The conclusion tallies with assessments by U.S. and French officials about the cause of the explosion at the al-Ahli hospital on Tuesday.
Officials in Hamas-ruled Gaza have blamed it on an Israeli airstrike and said the blast killed almost 500 people. A U.S. intelligence report estimated that somewhere between 100 and 300 Palestinians were likely killed.
An analysis by The Associated Press of videos, satellite imagery and photos found the explosion was most likely caused when part of a rocket fired from within Palestinian territory crashed to the ground.
Sunak told British lawmakers that the U.K. stood by Israel in its war against Hamas but would also work to ensure that “a constant stream of aid” reached civilians “suffering terribly” in Gaza. He announced 20 million pounds ($24 million) in U.K. humanitarian aid for Gaza.
U.S. advises Israel that delay in ground offensive could allow release of more hostages
WASHINGTON — The U.S. has advised Israel that a delay in its possible ground offensive in Gaza would allow more time for the U.S. to work with its regional partners to release more hostages seized by Hamas, according to a U.S. official familiar with the Biden administration’s thinking on the matter.
The official, who requested anonymity to discuss the private discussions, said it was unclear how much the argument will “move the needle” on Israeli thinking.
A girl carrying her belongings walks in the area of Al-Ahli hospital where hundreds of Palestinians were killed in a blast that Israeli and Palestinian officials blamed on each other, and where Palestinians who fled their homes were sheltering amid the ongoing conflict with Israel, in Gaza City, Oct. 18, 2023. Mohammed Al-Masri/Reuters
The official noted that Qatar’s help in mediating with Hamas was able to win the release of two captives, Judith and Natalie Raanan. The process that led to their release — just two of the more than the 222 people believed taken hostage in Israel in the Oct. 7 attacks — started soon after the Hamas operation. The official said arranging for the release of the Raanans “took longer to come together than folks really realize.”
Reporting by Aamer Madhani.
Activists denounce Netanyahu at international criminal court
THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Dutch authorities detained 19 activists who occupied the entrance to the International Criminal Court on Monday, denouncing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for Israel’s actions during the war with Hamas.
Activists from the Extinction Rebellion group took over a bridge in front of The Hague-based court just after noon, carrying a banner that read “Netanyahu is a war criminal.” The Dutch branch of the activist group, which was originally set up to campaign against climate change, has staged several other pro-Palestinian actions since Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7.
An ICC spokesperson said the demonstration did not disturb the court’s normal activities.
After police released the 19 following a brief detention, they joined a small pro-Palestinian protest outside the ICC’s grounds.
The demonstration took place as Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte arrived in the Middle East to meet with both Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Fuel running out in hospital neonatal wards, doctor says
CAIRO — The head of the neonatal unit in Nasser Hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis said it will run out of fuel within 48 hours.
Dr. Hatem Edhair said there are eight babies in the intensive care unit and 10 others in the neonatal department.
“Half of these children are on CPAP (pressurized air) machines and oxygen machines,” he said Monday. “If the hospital runs out of fuel, half of these babies will die in less than 24 hours.”
READ MORE: Dozens of premature babies at risk of death as fuel supplies dwindle in Gaza, doctors say
Doctors treating premature babies across Gaza have warned that at least 130 are at “grave risk” across six neonatal units because of worsening fuel shortages.
The fuel shortages are caused by the Israeli blockade of Gaza, which started — along with airstrikes — after Hamas militants attacked Israeli towns on Oct. 7.
“We are working around the clock,” Edair said. “We need to save these babies.”
Iran-backed militias say they targeted base used by U.S. military
BEIRUT, Lebanon — Iran-backed militias in Iraq said Monday they targeted a strategic base used by the U.S. military in southeastern Syria.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of Iranian-backed militias, said two drones were used to attack the al-Tanf garrison near the Jordanian and Iraqi borders.
The attack came after a string of similar attacks on bases housing U.S. military in Iraq and Syria over the past week. In one, the same group attacked two bases in Iraq with drones, causing minor injuries among U.S. forces.
There was no immediate U.S. comment on Monday’s incident and no word on damage or injuries.
The al-Tanf garrison in southeastern Syria is located at a sensitive location often used by Iranian-backed militants to transport weapons to Hezbollah. The U.S. military has maintained a presence there to train forces as part of a campaign against the Islamic State group.
Norway offers to assist possible investigation of alleged war crimes
COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Norway is willing to assist in a possible investigation of alleged war crimes in Gaza and Israel, its justice minister said Monday.
”War crimes are never acceptable. Those guilty of any war crimes must be held accountable,” Emilie Enger Mehl said in a statement. “If we receive a request to contribute to an investigation, we are prepared to provide resources quickly. Regardless of who is behind it.”
Norway earlier contributed to the International Criminal Court to investigate possible war crimes, including in Ukraine.
“The international community must come together to protect fundamental principles in a war,” she said.
10:07 a.m. ET
At least 18 killed in Israeli attacks on Rafah City in Gaza
RAFAH, Gaza Strip — Gaza’s Hamas-run Interior Ministry said at least 18 people were killed in Israeli attacks on neighborhoods in Rafah City on Monday. It said scores of Palestinians were also wounded.
An airstrike hit a residential building about 200 meters (yards) from the U.N. headquarters in Rafah on Monday, killing and wounding several people, according to an Associated Press reporter at the scene, underscoring the perils of humanitarian operations.
WAR: Israeli airstrikes hit Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon and Syria amid fears of widening war
Videos released by the Israeli military showed airstrikes decimating buildings in the Gaza Strip. The military said the videos showed attacks on Hamas infrastructure but did not specify the locations.
Flashes of yellow light were followed by an explosion sending gray smoke and debris shooting upward as multistory buildings collapsed or toppled over.
The explosions could be seen from Israel.
Hamas-run health ministry says more than 5,000 have died in Gaza
CAIRO — The death toll in Gaza has climbed to at least 5,087 Palestinians since the war between Israel and Palestinian militant groups broke out on Oct. 7, the Hamas-run Health Ministry said Monday.
Ashraf al-Qidra, a spokesperson for the ministry in Gaza, said the fatalities included 2,055 children and 1,119 women.
More than 15,270 others were wounded, he said.
The tally includes the disputed toll from a hospital explosion last week, which the two sides have traded blame for.
More than 1,400 people in Israel have been killed — mostly civilians slain during the initial Hamas attack. At least 222 people were captured and dragged back to Gaza, including foreigners.
Gaza’s health ministry appeals for blood donations as shortages worsen
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — As conditions rapidly worsen, Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry appealed on Monday for blood donations for hospitals in the besieged territory that are suffering from dire shortages of blood and medical supplies.
READ MORE: West Bank death toll climbs as Israel pursues Palestinian militants
The ministry urged residents to rush to hospitals and blood banks across Gaza for blood donations and called for the International Committee of the Red Cross to bring blood to the territory.
Ireland calls for an immediate cease-fire
BRUSSELS — Ireland is calling for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza so that civilians can get access to desperately needed aid and supplies.
Irish Foreign Minister Micheal Martin said “this is a matter of the utmost urgency. The loss of life is enormous, is at a scale that has to be stopped.”
Speaking Monday in Luxembourg at a meeting of European Union foreign ministers, Martin called for food, water and medical supplies to be allowed into Gaza at an “accelerated and comprehensive scale.”
“We understand Israel’s need to deal with Hamas, because it was an appalling attack. But the degree of suffering now -– the innocent civilians in Gaza suffering -– is just not acceptable at all,” he said.
Iraq says it will pursue militants who attacked bases housing U.S. troops
BAGHDAD — Iraq’s army spokesperson says the state will go after militants who have carried out attacks against army bases housing U.S. troops in the country.
Maj. Gen. Yahya Rasoul said in a statement Monday that military advisers from the U.S.-led coalition are in the country “at the invitation of the government” and their mission is to train Iraqi forces.
Rasoul said the prime minister has ordered the country’s security agencies to go after those who carried out attacks and prevent any attempt to harm Iraq’s national security.
Over the past week, several bases housing U.S. troops in Iraq came under rocket and drone attacks that were believed to have been carried out by Iran-backed groups.
There are about 2,500 U.S. troops in Iraq, whose main mission to train Iraqi forces and prevent a resurgence of the Islamic State group.
Europe ministers discussing getting aid into Gaza
BRUSSELS — European Union foreign ministers are meeting Monday to discuss ways to help vital aid get into Gaza, particularly fuel, after two convoys entered over the weekend.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said that “in normal times, without war, 100 trucks enter into Gaza every day. So it’s clear that 20 is not enough.”
Borrell said the emphasis must be on getting power and water-providing desalination plants running again. “Without water and electricity, the hospitals can barely work,” he told reporters in Luxembourg, where the meeting is taking place.
He said the ministers will also look at ways to resolve the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians longer term.
“The great powers have forgotten about the Palestinian issue, thinking it was going to be solved alone, or it doesn’t matter. Yes, it matters,” Borrell said.
Israel says 2nd batch of humanitarian aid entered Gaza
Israel says Sunday that a second batch of humanitarian aid was allowed into Gaza, at the request of the U.S. and according to instructions from other political officials.
On Saturday, 20 trucks entered in the first shipment into the territory since Israel imposed a complete siege two weeks ago. Sunday’s batch included only water, food, and medical equipment, with no fuel, Israel said.
U.S. President Joe Biden and Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel “affirmed that there will now be continued flow of this critical assistance into Gaza,” the White House said in a statement after a phone call between the leaders.
The Israeli military said the humanitarian situation in Gaza was “under control,” even as the U.N. called for 100 trucks a day to enter.
Hospitals say they are scrounging for generator fuel in order to keep operating life-saving medical equipment and incubators for premature babies.
On Sunday, Associated Press journalists saw seven fuel trucks head into Gaza. Juliette Touma, spokeswoman for the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, and the Israeli military said those trucks were taking fuel that had been stored on the Gaza side of the crossing deeper into the territory, and that no fuel had entered from Egypt.
UNRWA says there will be no humanitarian response without fuel
AMMAN, Jordan — The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees says it will run out of fuel in Gaza in three days.
“Without fuel, there will be no water, no functioning hospitals and bakeries. Without fuel, aid will not reach many civilians in desperate need. Without fuel, there will be no humanitarian assistance,” Philippe Lazzarini, the UNRWA Commissioner General, said in a statement Sunday.
WATCH: Humanitarian relief arrives in Gaza as Israel prepares to step up attacks
A first delivery of aid that was allowed to cross into Gaza from Egypt on Saturday did not include any fuel.
“Without fuel, we will fail the people of Gaza whose needs are growing by the hour, under our watch. This cannot and should not happen,” Lazzarini said.
He called on “all parties and those with influence” to allow fuel into Gaza immediately, while ensuring that it is only used for humanitarian purposes.
World leaders call for adherence to humanitarian law
Several world leaders on Sunday spoke about the war between Israel and Hamas, reiterating their support for Israel and its right to defend itself against terrorism and called for adherence to humanitarian law, including the protection of civilians.
U.S. President Joe Biden, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada, President Emmanuel Macron of France, Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni of Italy and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of the United Kingdom also welcomed the release of two hostages and called for the immediate release of all remaining hostages.
They committed to close coordination to support their nationals in the region, in particular those wishing to leave Gaza.
The leaders welcomed the announcement of the first humanitarian convoys to reach Palestinians in need in Gaza and committed to continue coordinating with partners in the region to ensure sustained and safe access to food, water, medical care and other assistance required to meet humanitarian needs.
They also said they would continue close diplomatic coordination, including with key partners in the region, to prevent the conflict from spreading, preserve stability in the Middle East, and work toward a political solution and durable peace.
Israeli prime minister warns Hezbollah to stay out of war
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited troops stationed near the border with Lebanon, where the Israeli army and Iran-backed Hezbollah militants also have traded fire during the Hamas-Israel war.
A top official with Iran Hezbollah vowed Saturday that Israel would pay a high price whenever it starts a ground offensive in the Gaza Strip and said Saturday that his militant group based in Lebanon already is “in the heart of the battle.”
Speaking to troops in the north on Sunday, Netanyahu said Israel would react more fiercely than it did during its short 2006 war with Hezbollah, which is based in Lebanon.
“If Hezbollah decides to enter the war, it will miss the Second Lebanon War. It will make the mistake of its life. We will cripple it with a force it cannot even imagine and the consequences for it and the Lebanese state are devastating,” the Israeli leader said.
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