Israeli forces operating in 'heart of Gaza City'; humanitarian aid 'targeted'

Israel said on Tuesday its forces were operating deep in Gaza City in their battle to wipe out Hamas in the Palestinian enclave. Meanwhile, Palestinian Red Crescent reported Israeli forces targeted the International Red Cross humanitarian aid convoy in Gaza City.

Summery:

• Palestinian Red Crescent says Israeli forces targeted the International Red Cross humanitarian aid convoy in Gaza City
• Doctors Without Borders staff member killed in Gaza, MSF calls for action to "stop bloodshed"
• Saudi Arabia will host summits of Arab, African and Islamic countries to discuss the Gaza conflict in coming days, its investment minister has said
• Biden has asked Netanyahu for a "pause" in the fighting in Gaza while Rashida Tlaib has said she "will not be silenced" ahead of a planned vote to rebuke her in the US House of Representatives
• At least 10,328 Palestinians in Gaza killed in Israeli attacks since October 7. In Israel, the death toll over the same period stands at more than 1,400

• Israel's defence minister Yoav Gallant says their troops are "in the heart of Gaza City

• A spokesman for the UN agency said an average of 160 children are now being killed each day in Gaza

11:07am

40 Filipinos evacuated from Gaza

Philippines President Marcos Jr. has announced 40 Filipino nationals have safely crossed into Egypt from Gaza through the Rafah border crossing.

He said he hoped more Filipinos would be able to make the crossing in coming days. The Philippines foreign ministry last week said it had 135 citizens trapped in the Strip.

The Philippines leader thanked Israeli and Eyptian government authorities for allowing the crossing and cited "mediation" by Qatar which led to "reopening of borders".

10:48am

All bakeries closed, no flour for sale in north Gaza: UN

The UN has confirmed that all bakeries in the north of Gaza have now closed due to "lack of fuel, water and wheat flour" as well as damage to many of the bakeries.

The UN added that wheat flour is no longer available in the market in the north and that aid organisations have been unable to deliver any food there for seven days.

In the south of Gaza, the UN said that only nine bakeries are still "intermittently" open, providing bread to shelters when flour and fuel are available.

The update from the UN's relief agency in the occupied Palestinian Territories comes after Gaza's interior ministry said all bakeries in Gaza City and north Gaza had closed on Monday.

10:30am

More than 200 German nationals leave Gaza: Minister

Germany's Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has confirmed that more than 200 German nationals and their family members have left the Gaza Strip.

In a post on social media, Baerbock thanked Egypt for its assistance in helping the Germans leave the bombarded coastal enclave. 

"Many thanks to our partners in Egypt for their support," Baerbock wrote on the X social media platform, adding that Germany will continue to work "until every German who wants to leave the country can do so".

The minister also called for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza.

"It must become concrete now. The people in #Gaza need water, they need bread. You need medical care. And the most seriously injured must finally be treated."

10:07am

G7's top diplomats discuss what happens after Gaza conflict

G7 foreign ministers discussed how to revitalise peace efforts in the Middle East and the "day after" in the Gaza Strip once the conflict there recedes as they met for a two-day summit in Tokyo.

The subject was brought up during a working dinner late on Tuesday, host Japan said in a statement, with the Group of Seven (G7) due to continue talks on Wednesday on the Israel-Gaza crisis, Ukraine's war with Russia and issues related to China.

The statement gave no details of options being discussed if Hamas is ousted from Gaza as the result of an ongoing Israeli bombardment of the Palestinian enclave.

09:52am

Renewed bombardment hits Gaza's Nuseirat refugee camp

Israeli aircraft renewed their bombardment of the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip at dawn on Wednesday, resulting in several deaths and injuries, according to Wafa.

Local sources told Wafa that the Israeli forces hit the residence belonging to the Wahba family in Nuseirat.

Those killed and injured were taken to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the centre of the Gaza Strip, even as the surrounding areas continue to endure another night of intense bombardment.

09:37am

Video shows aftermath of bombing in Khan Younis

A new video posted by Al Jazeera Arabic on X early on Wednesday showed the aftermath of the latest Israeli bombing in Khan Younis in southern Gaza.

In the video, civilians and emergency workers dig through the rubble of the Astal family home, which was flattened by the attack.

According to the report, several people were killed an injured in the attack on Tuesday.

09:15am

Vigils mark one month since captives taken by Hamas

A vigil was held outside the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem on Tuesday night marking one month since at least 240 captives were taken by Hamas.

Since then, only five of the captives have been released or rescued.

Protests calling for the captives – who include Israelis and citizens of other countries – to be returned home were also held around the world on Monday, including in the Czech Republic.

08:58am

US-Palestinian evacuees recount 'horror movie' of leaving Gaza

It took four failed attempts before Suzan Beseiso was able to get through the Rafah crossing into Egypt and escape the bombardment of the Gaza Strip.

On each occasion, the 31-year-old Palestinian American, one of several hundred foreign passport holders allowed to leave the enclave since last week, said she faced acute danger.

"Every single time we went to the border, we got bombed and freaked out," she said on Sunday during an interview in Cairo, where she arrived after crossing the Sinai Peninsula by road. "Bombs are going left and right."

08:46am

59 Canadians evacuated from Gaza on Tuesday

A total of 59 Canadian citizens, permanent residents and family members were evacuated out of Gaza through the Rafah border crossing into Egypt on Tuesday, Canada's foreign ministry said, fewer than initially expected.

Earlier in the day Ottawa had said a first group of 20-25 Canadians was evacuated from the Israeli-besieged Palestinian territory and another 80 people were expected to leave later on Tuesday.

"As the situation is quite fluid and unpredictable, Canadians should be prepared for significant delays at the Rafah border," the foreign ministry said in a statement.

Canada said Israel told it last week that more than 400 Canadian citizens, permanent residents and eligible family members would be able to leave the Gaza Strip in the coming days

08:35am

Red Cross says its aid convoy 'came under fire' in Gaza

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has said that two trucks were damaged and a driver was wounded as it tried to deliver humanitarian aid in Gaza City today.

The ICRC says a convoy of five trucks and two other vehicles were on their way to deliver "lifesaving medical supplies to health facilities," including the Palestinian Red Crescent Society's Al-Quds hospital, when it was "hit by fire".

The humanitarian organisation was not able to immediately identify the source of the fire.

It added that it changed its route after the incident, to ensure it was able to successfully deliver medical supplies to the Al-Shifa hospital.

"These are not the conditions under which humanitarian personnel can work," said William Schomburg, who heads up the ICRC sub-delegation in Gaza.

"Ensuring that vital aid can reach medical facilities is a legal obligation under international humanitarian law," he added.

08:20am

US says it opposes re-occupation of Gaza by Israel

The US is opposed to a new long-term re-occupation of the Gaza Strip by Israel, a spokesperson for the US state department has said.

Speaking at a daily news briefing, Vedant Patel told reporters that the US did not support any forced relocation of Palestinians outside Gaza.

"Our viewpoint is that Palestinians must be at the forefront of these decisions and Gaza is Palestinian land and it will remain Palestinian land," he said.

07:59am

Israeli official clarifies Netanyahu Gaza security comments

A member of Israel's war cabinet has sought to clarify comments made last night by Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the future of Gaza after the current conflict.

Ron Dermer, the Minister of Strategic Affairs, told the BBC World Service's Newshour that when Netanyahu said Israel would take "overall security responsibility" for Gaza, he meant it would ensure the enclave remained a demilitarised area, and that the Israel Defence Force (IDF) would carry out security operations there to combat what he called any new terror threat.

But he said Israel would not reoccupy or govern the area.

Earlier the United States said it opposed a "reoccupation" of Gaza by Israel and that the territory must remain Palestinian land.

07:40am

Shadow minister quits Labour front bench over Gaza

Labour MP Imran Hussain has quit Sir Keir Starmer's shadow ministerial team over his desire to "strongly advocate for a ceasefire" in Gaza, reports BBC.

Imran Hussain was the shadow minister for the New Deal for Working People.

He said he remained committed to Labour's agenda but that his view on Gaza differed "substantially" from the position Sir Keir has adopted.

Sir Keir has called for humanitarian pauses in Gaza but has not supported calls for a ceasefire at this time.

07:16am

New polling reveals how Israelis feel about war

New polling by Tel Aviv University gives a sense of how Israelis are feeling, about the war and their own government.

The Peace Index survey was conducted by the Israeli company iPanel and was completed by 609 interviewees in Israel who are made up of a nationally representative sample of the entire adult population (aged 18 and over).

Opinions varied between supporters and opponents of the coalition government, and between the country's Jewish and Arab citizens.

But with only 39% of the government's own supporters giving it a good or very good rating (and 5% of opposition voters), the lack of trust is stark.

Respondents also expressed uncertainty about the government's goals in Gaza, with 58% saying they were not clear.

But there was better news for Netanyahu's stated priorities, with 63% of Jewish citizens saying that eliminating Hamas in Gaza was the most important goal.

Only 33% said that releasing hostages was more important.

06:48am

Israel targets Hamas tunnels after encircling Gaza City

Israel's ground forces in the Gaza Strip aimed on Wednesday to locate and disable Hamas' vast tunnel network beneath the enclave, the next phase in an Israeli offensive that has killed thousands of Palestinians.

Chief Israeli military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said that Israel's combat engineering corps were using explosive devices to destroy a tunnel network built by Hamas that stretches for hundreds of kilometres (miles) beneath Gaza.

Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said Israel had "one target - Hamas terrorists in Gaza, their infrastructure, their commanders, bunkers, communications rooms".

Israeli tanks have faced heavy resistance from Hamas fighters using the tunnel network to launch ambushes, two sources with Hamas and the Islamic Jihad said.

It was not possible to verify the battlefield claims of either side.

06:35am

Saudi Arabia to host summits to discuss Gaza conflict

The Reuters news agency reported that Saudi Arabia will host summits of Arab, Islamic and African nations in coming days to discuss the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Saudi Arabia's investment minister said on Tuesday.

"We will see, this week, in the next few days Saudi Arabia convening an emergency Arab summit in Riyadh," said Saudi investment minister Khalid Al-Falih, at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum in Singapore.

"You will see Saudi Arabia convening an Africa-Saudi summit in Riyadh, and in a few days you will see Saudi Arabia convening an Islamic summit," he said.

06:21am

Israel says its forces operating in 'heart of Gaza City'

Israel said on Tuesday its forces were operating deep in Gaza City in their battle to wipe out Hamas in the Palestinian enclave and said the Islamist militant group's leader was trapped inside a bunker there.

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant told a televised news conference that Israeli soldiers had advanced to the heart of Gaza City and "were tightening the noose".

Troops on foot and in armoured vehicles and tanks "have one target - Hamas terrorists in Gaza, their infrastructure, their commanders, bunkers, communications rooms," Gallant said.

06:00am

Netanyahu: 'Gaza City is encircled, we are operating inside it'

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that Israel's military was encircling Gaza City and operating inside it as it pressed on with a month-long offensive against Hamas.

In a televised statement, Netanyahu said there would be no ceasefire or fuel delivery to Gaza before Hamas released Israeli hostages and repeated a call on Palestinian civilians to move south for their own safety. "We will not stop," Netanyahu said.

05:30am

US says 400 of its citizens and relatives have left Gaza

The US says it has helped 400 of its citizens, residents and their relatives leave Gaza through the southern Rafah crossing into Egypt, BBC reported.

"We have assisted more than 400 US citizens, lawful permanent residents and other eligible individuals to depart Gaza," said state department spokesman, Vedant Patel.

That figure is an update from the 300 given at the weekend - it's not clear how many other Americans are still waiting to leave.

05:00am

Israeli night raid under way in West Bank's Aqaba

Israeli forces launched a raid early on Wednesday in the occupied West Bank's town of Aqaba.

In a video posted by Al Jazeera Arabic on X, heavily armed Israeli soldiers were seen streaming out of an armoured vehicle and dashing through a narrow alley.

Another Al Jazeera Arabic video showed an Israeli bulldozer being shot at as it navigated a narrow street in the neighbourhood of Kafr Saba in the city of Qalqilya.

Disclaimer: The information and infographics provided in this thread have been gathered from sources, including BBC, Reuters, Al Jazeera, and other news platforms.