https://sputnikglobe.com/20231118/live-updates-gaza-receives-fuel-tankers-amid-idfs-pledge-to-intensify-action-against-hamas-1115038995.html

LIVE UPDATES: IDF Expands Military Op in Gaza, Sends Extra Forces to Other Areas of Enclave

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The October 7 surprise large-scale attack on Israel staged by Hamas from the Gaza Strip was followed by the IDF starting to pound the Palestinian enclave with retaliatory strikes.

2023-11-18T05:11+0000

2023-11-19T09:46+0000

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armed conflict between palestine and israel, fuel tankers' arrival in gaza, idf's ongoing crackdown on hamas

Israeli soldiers ride in an armoured vehicle as it moves into positioned close to the Israel's border with the Gaza Strip, in southern Israel on November 16, 2023. - Sputnik International

LIVE UPDATES: IDF Expands Military Op in Gaza, Sends Extra Forces to Other Areas of Enclave

05:11 GMT 18.11.2023 (Updated: 09:46 GMT 19.11.2023)

Following Hamas's surprise large-scale attack on Israel from the Gaza Strip on October 7, the IDF began pounding the Palestinian enclave with retaliatory strikes.

On Friday, fuel tankers entered Gaza through the Rafah crossing, shortly after the Israeli government announced it would allow two tankers a day into the territory. The move came after Washington urged Tel Aviv to give the green light for the tankers to enter Gaza, with the State Department saying about 140,000 liters of fuel would be allowed in every two days.

In a separate development on Friday, the Palestinian Health Ministry quoted unnamed medical sources as saying that most hospitals and medical clinics in Gaza were closed due to damage from Israeli strikes or lack of fuel.

Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has warned that it will advance wherever Hamas is found, including the southern part of the Palestinian territory.

Follow Sputnik’s live updates to find out more.

Table of contents

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02:40 GMT 19.11.2023

Hamas Says Lost Contact With Its Members Responsible for Protecting Israeli Hostages

Palestinian movement Hamas has lost contact with a number of groups responsible for the safety of Israeli hostages, spokesman for Al-Qassam Brigades, a military wing of Hamas, Abu Obaida, said on Saturday.

"We have lost contact with some groups responsible for protecting enemy prisoners, and the fate of the hostages remains unknown," Obaida said on Telegram.

02:26 GMT 19.11.2023

US, Israel, Hamas Close to Agreement to Introduce 5-Day Pause in Gaza Fighting - Reports

The United States, Israel and Hamas are close to an agreement on a five-day pause in fighting in the Gaza Strip in exchange for the release of hostages, The Washington Post reported on Sunday, citing sources.

The six-page agreement provides for a cessation of all combat operations by the parties to the conflict for at least five days and the release of 50 or more hostages, the report said, adding that the release of the hostages could begin in the coming days.

The pause will be monitored from the air, the newspaper reported.

The outline of the agreement was drawn up during weeks of negotiations in Doha between Israel, the US and Hamas, indirectly represented by Qatari mediators, the report read, citing Arab and other diplomats. It is still unclear, however, whether Israel will agree to temporarily suspend the offensive in the Gaza Strip, provided the conditions are right, the newspaper said.

00:40 GMT 19.11.2023

WHO Says Patients From Shifa Hospital to Be Evacuated to Southern Gaza in Next 3 Days

Patients from the Shifa hospital in northern Gaza will be transported to hospitals located in the southern part of the enclave within the next 24-72 hours, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Sunday.

On Saturday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that it had allowed a number of people to evacuate from the Shifa hospital via a safe route, adding that medical personnel would remain at the facility to assist patients who are unable to evacuate.

"Over the next 24–72 hours, pending guarantees of safe passage by parties to the conflict, additional missions are being arranged to urgently transport patients from Al-Shifa to Nasser Medical Complex and European Gaza Hospital in the south of Gaza," the WHO said on X.

However, these hospitals are already overburdened and operating at full capacity, and new patients from Shifa Hospital will place even greater strain on medical staff and resources, the organization added.

00:37 GMT 19.11.2023

Israel Says Military Operation in Northern Gaza to Last Several Weeks - Reports

Israeli officials told their US counterparts that the military operation in northern Gaza against Hamas would continue for several weeks before spreading to the southern part of the enclave, The New York Times reported on Saturday, citing US military officials.

US officials believe Israel's rapid decision to launch the operation in the Gaza Strip did not leave Israeli commanders enough time for planning that could have reduced the number of civilian casualties, the report added.

00:35 GMT 19.11.2023

Biden Says US Prepared to Sanction Israeli Settlers Involved in West Bank Violence

US President Joe Biden said on Saturday that the United States is prepared to sanction Israeli settlers involved in attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank.

"I have been emphatic with Israel’s leaders that extremist violence against Palestinians in the West Bank must stop and that those committing the violence must be held accountable," Biden said in a column in The Washington Post. "The United States is prepared to take our own steps, including issuing visa bans against extremists attacking civilians in the West Bank."

Earlier this month, the State Department said the United States sent a "very clear message" to Israel that settler violence in the West Bank is unacceptable and those responsible for it should be held accountable. In late October, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said during a congressional hearing that they were carefully tracking Israeli settler violence in the West Bank and had raised this issue in talks with their Israeli counterparts.

23:01 GMT 18.11.2023

Turkish Foreign Ministry Calls Israeli Airstrike on School in Gaza ‘Deliberate’

Israel’s recent airstrike on Al-Fakhoura school in northern Gaza is targeted and must be condemned by the international community, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said on Sunday.

On Saturday, Al Jazeera broadcaster reported that about 200 people were killed in an Israeli strike on the UN-run Al-Fakhoura school in the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza.

"We condemn in the strongest possible terms the Israeli attack on the UN-run Al-Fakhoura school in Gaza on November 18, which resulted in the deaths of dozens of innocent Palestinian children. This Israeli attack is further proof that Israel is deliberately and mercilessly targeting civilians, especially children, in the Gaza Strip," the ministry said in a statement.

The statement added that "the international community must no longer turn a blind eye to Israel's violation of the law and all humanitarian values."

"We call on all conscientious members of the international community to take the necessary steps in this direction," the ministry said.

23:00 GMT 18.11.2023

Turkiye Does Not Consider Hamas Terrorist Organization - Foreign Minister

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Sunday that Palestinian movement Hamas is not terrorist and will be one of many Palestinian organizations after the end of the "occupation of Palestine."

"Hamas is a liberation movement. When the Israeli occupation of Palestine and the Gaza Strip ends, Hamas will be an organization like other Palestinian organizations and parties," Fidan said in an interview with Al Jazeera broadcaster, adding that Ankara does not consider Hamas a terrorist organization.

At the same time, Fidan noted that Turkiye does not support violence against civilians, both Palestinians and Israelis.

22:59 GMT 18.11.2023

Fidan Calls Israel's Possible Possession of Nuclear Weapons Strategic Problem

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Sunday that Israel's alleged possession of nuclear weapons is a strategic problem that needs to be solved.

On Friday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Israel has nuclear weapons but does not admit it. The Turkish president said later that Ankara would initiate the creation of an inspection mechanism to verify whether Israel has nuclear weapons, which he said must be done "before it is too late."

"Israel has nuclear weapons, this is a problem. The presence of nuclear weapons in the region will negatively affect the whole world... We must solve this strategic problem," Fidan said in an interview with Al Jazeera broadcaster.

Fidan also recalled that Israel did not sign the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons but was constantly developing nuclear weapons with the support of the United States.

"There are some crazy Israeli officials threatening to use nuclear weapons against the Palestinians," the minister noted.

22:52 GMT 18.11.2023

Turkiye May Sever Diplomatic Relations With Israel But Expecting Collective Decision- Fidan

Turkiye may sever diplomatic relations with Israel, but this must be a simultaneous decision of several countries to have a serious impact, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Sunday.

"From the very beginning of the conflict, we took a principled position: decisions must be made simultaneously by many Islamic countries, countries of the world, even in Latin America, so that they will be more powerful," Fidan said in an interview with Al Jazeera broadcaster.

Islamic countries must support each other and act as a united front, Fidan said, adding that it is "not a problem" for Ankara to sever relations with Israel, but there is no point in concentrating on this issue at the moment.

21:05 GMT 18.11.2023

Netanyahu Says Palestinian Authority Cannot Run Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu argued on Saturday that the Palestinian Authority, in its current state, was incapable of running the Gaza Strip.

"The Palestinian Authority, in its current state, cannot administer Gaza. Should we really leave everything up to them after all we have done, after we have fought [there]?" Netanyahu said in a televised address to the nation.

Netanyahu criticized the Palestinian Authority leader, Mahmoud Abbas, for failing to condemn Hamas, the Palestinian group in control of the enclave, over its attack on Israel on November 7, adding that the Palestinian Authority should be reformed.

21:03 GMT 18.11.2023

Biden Says Ceasefire in Gaza Cannot Bring Peace

US President Joe Biden has argued that a ceasefire in Gaza will not bring peace as long as the enclave’s authority, Hamas, sticks to violence.

"As long as Hamas clings to its ideology of destruction, a cease-fire is not peace. To Hamas’s members, every cease-fire is time they exploit to rebuild their stockpile of rockets, reposition fighters and restart the killing by attacking innocents again," he wrote in an opinion piece in the Washington Post on Saturday.

The US president also said that an outcome of the Israeli war on Gaza that left Hamas in control of the enclave would "once more perpetuate its hate and deny Palestinian civilians the chance to build something better for themselves."

21:02 GMT 18.11.2023

Biden Says Palestinians Deserve Having Own State

US President Joe Biden has reiterated his support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, saying Gaza and the West Bank should be united under a new Palestinian Authority until that goal is reached.

"The Palestinian people deserve a state of their own and a future free from Hamas," Biden wrote in an opinion article published in the Washington Post on Saturday.

"As we strive for peace, Gaza and the West Bank should be reunited under a single governance structure, ultimately under a revitalized Palestinian Authority, as we all work toward a two-state solution," he went on to say.

Biden said that only a two-state solution could ensure the long-term security of both the Israeli and Palestinian people.

"Reaching it will take commitments from Israelis and Palestinians, as well as from the United States and our allies and partners. That work must start now," he stressed.

The president also ruled out forcible displacement of Palestinians from Gaza, it reoccupation or reduction in territory.

20:59 GMT 18.11.2023

Israel to Retain Freedom of Action in Gaza After Operation Ends - Netanyahu

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted on Saturday that the Jewish state should retain freedom of action in the Gaza Strip after the military operation ends.

"As for what comes the day after, the Israel Defense Forces will have freedom of taking action against any threat in the Gaza Strip. Only that will guarantee that Gaza stays demilitarized," Netanyahu said in a televised address to the nation.

19:30 GMT 18.11.2023

Israel’s Netanyahu Says No Breakthrough in Hostage Talks

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Saturday that no agreement on the release of hostages held by Hamas has come out of negotiations so far.

"Many unsubstantiated rumors have been surrounding the hostage issue. No deal has been reached yet. As soon as we have anything to say, we will tell you," Netanyahu said in a televised address to the nation.

18:56 GMT 18.11.2023

World

Is Middle East on Edge of Regional War Amid Gaza Crisis and Escalating Israeli-Lebanese Conflict?

18 November 2023, 15:29 GMT

18:56 GMT 18.11.2023

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the G20 Summit in Bali. File photo. - Sputnik International, 1920, 18.11.2023

World

Israeli Nuclear Weapons Should Be Investigated – Erdogan

18 November 2023, 15:08 GMT

18:09 GMT 18.11.2023

UNICEF Condemns Deadly Twin Strikes on Gaza Schools

Adele Khodr, regional director for the Middle East at the UN children's fund UNICEF, condemned reported strikes on two schools in Gaza that killed and injured people sheltering inside on Saturday.

"The scenes of carnage & death following attacks on Alfakhoura & Tal Al Zaatar schools in Gaza killing many children & women are horrific & appalling. These horrible attacks should cease immediately. Children, schools & shelters are not a target. Immediate ceasefire needed now," she wrote on social media.

Israeli airstrikes hit the UN-run Al-Fakhoura school in the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza as well as Tal al Zaatar school in Beit Lahia, north of Jabalia. Philippe Lazzarini, head of UN’s UNRWA agency for Palestinian refugees, said he had received horrifying images and footage of scores of people killed and injured in a school sheltering.

18:07 GMT 18.11.2023

Hamas Loses Contact With a Number of Groups Responsible for Protecting Hostages - Spokesman

18:05 GMT 18.11.2023

Over 12,000 Killed in 42 Days of Hostilities in Gaza, Including More Than 5,000 Children - Authorities

More than 12,300 civilians have been killed in the Gaza Strip since the beginning of the Israeli military operation on October 7, including over 5,000 children, the enclave's authorities said on Saturday.

"More than 12,300 people have been killed in the Gaza Strip since the beginning of the aggression, including more than 5,000 children and 3,300 women," the authorities said on Telegram.

They added that the Israeli bombardment had completely destroyed 43,000 residential buildings and partially damaged 225,000 buildings.

15:42 GMT 18.11.2023

Sirens Sounded in Tel Aviv - IDF