17:43 GMT — Essential medicines for newborns depleted, lives at risk: Gaza Shifa Hospital doctor
Fadia Malhis, a gynecologist at Gaza’s Shifa Hospital, issued an urgent appeal on Friday, stating that essential medicines for newborn babies have run out.
"There is no clean water, and the electricity will run out in 8 hours, and these babies will die," Malhis told Anadolu. She pleaded, "We beg you, save the babies."
Stressi ng the urgency of aid, the doctor warned that without immediate help, the babies would not survive.
Malhis also revealed that the ongoing conflit in Gaza had led to many premature births.
17:27 GMT — Denying existence, rights of Palestinians will not bring peace to Israel: Turkish foreign minister
Denying the existence and rights of Palestinians will not bring peace to Israel, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Friday.
"Israel has to make a choice. Denying the existence and rights of the Palestinians, applying pressure and oppression has not brought peace to Israel and it will not brin g peace," Fidan told a news conference in the capital Ankara along with Lars Lokke Rasmussen, his Danish counterpart.
"Those who remain silent in the face of the killing of innocent civilians in Gaza and those who unconditionally support Israel's crimes become accomplices in this oppression," he added.
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17:01 GMT — Hamas says fired 'salvos' of rockets at Israel
Hamas has said it had fired "salvos" of rockets at Israel after intense Israeli bombing of the Palestinian territory.
"Salvos of rockets in the direction of the occupied territories (Israel) in answer to the massacre of civilians," Hamas's armed wing, Qassam Brigades, said on its Telegram channel.
16:52 GMT — Palestinian government in Gaza condemns Western media for bias, questions journalistic ethics
The Government Media Office in Gaza criticised the approach of some Western media organisations, stating that it is "far from professionalism and journalistic ethics."
In a statement, Salama Maarouf, a spokesman for the media office, expressed that "some Western media organisations have practised journalism in a way that proves that they are far from professionalism and journalistic ethics."
"We condemn the blind bias shown by Western media outlets regarding Israel's narrative," Maarouf said.
"Since the beginning of the Israeli attacks, we have observed dozens of examples where media networks such as BBC, CNN, ABC News, Fox News, Sky News and CBS were biased in favour of Israel."
16:51 GMT — Gaza faces 'avalanche of human suffering': UN chief
The United Nations chief warned that Gaza faces "an unprecedented avalanche of human suffering" due to lack of food, water and power during the Israeli bombing.
"I repeat my call for a humanitarian ceasefire, the unconditional release of all hostages, and the delivery of life-saving supplies," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a statement.
"Misery is growing by the minute. Without a fundamental change, the people of Gaza will face an unprecedented avalanche of human suffering."
16:46 GMT — Hamas govt says internet, communications cut across Gaza
The Hamas government has said Israel "cut communications and most of the internet" across Gaza.
The government's media office accused Israel of taking the measure "to perpetrate massacres with bloody retaliatory strikes from the air, land and sea," as heavy strikes hit northern Gaza.
The Netblocks internet observatory also said that the internet connectivity in Gaza has broken down.
16:36 GMT — Nearly 29,000 Lebanese flee homes near Israel border: UN
Nearly 29,000 Lebanese civilians have fled communities near the border with Israel because of deadly artillery exchanges between Iran-backed Hezbollah and the Israeli army, a UN agency said.
A total of 28,965 Lebanese have fled their homes, the International Organisation for Migration said in an update, adding that the figure had risen by 37 percent since its last report on Tuesday.
Some have found refuge with family members farther from the border, while those who can afford it have been able to rent apartments on a short-term basis.
16:32 GMT — WHO says it urgently needs $80M for humanitarian needs in occupied West Bank, Gaza
The World Health Organisation said that it urgently needs an estimated $80 million to respond to humanitarian needs in the occupied West Bank and Gaza and to undertake contingency planning for Egypt, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan through the end of 2023.
16:27 GMT — Intense Israeli strikes rock northern Gaza
Intense Israeli strikes rocked northern Gaza, live footage filmed by AFP showed.
The Israeli military told AFP it is "continuously striking in the Gaza Strip against the Hamas" that rules the Palestinian territory.
14:58 GMT — EU Council calls for humanitarian corridor, pause in Mideast conflict
The EU Council called for the establishment of a humanitarian corridor in the Middle East amid the ongoing conflict, which is about to enter its third week.
"We call for the establishment of a humanitarian corridor and a humanitarian pause," EU Council President Charles Michel told reporters on the sidelines of a summit in Brussels.
"We expressed a united, clear, and firm position," Michel told a joint news conference alongside EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, stressing the importance of urgently delivering humanitarian aid to those in need in the region.
14:57 GMT — Hamas rejects Israeli accusation it has abused hospitals
Hamas fired back at an accusation by the Israeli army that it was abusing hospitals to shield its war effort, calling the charges unfounded.
"There's no basis in truth in what the spokesman of the enemy army stated," said Izzat al Rishq, a senior member of the Hamas political bureau.
He accused Israel of making the allegations to "pave the way for a new massacre to be committed against our people."
14:53 GMT — China says communicating with all parties of Gaza conflict
China on Friday refused to give a clear response to whether Beijing will hold talks with the Palestinian resistance group Hamas.
“China is in communication with all parties concerned in the Palestinian issue,” said Mao Ning, spokeswoman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
Beijing will “continue to make unremitting efforts to call on relevant parties to make joint efforts to push for an early cease-fire,” Mao said, according to Beijing-based daily Global Times.
China’s ambiguous statement came a day after representatives of Hamas held talks with Russian diplomats in Moscow.
13:50 GMT — Red Cross says situation in Gaza 'catastrophic' as fuel lack turns hospitals into graves
The International Federation of the Red Cross and the Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) on Friday described the situation in Gaza as "catastrophic" as the lack of fuel, it said, would turn the hospitals into graves.
"The humanitarian situation in Gaza is more than catastrophic in the light of 12 hospitals and 32 healthcare centers becoming out of service due to lack of fuel or being bombed," Mey Sayegh, head of IFRC communications, said.
She added that the amount of aid that has entered Gaza since late last week, when Israel started letting in a trickle of aid trucks, does not even meet 4% of the needs of the people of Gaza.
13:47 GMT — Over 300 Muslim councillors demand UK’s Labour Party to call for cease-fire in Gaza
More than 300 Muslim councilors from the UK's main opposition Labour Party called on their party leadership to call for an immediate cease-fire in the Israel-Palestine conflict.
In a letter on Wednesday, the Labour Muslim Network said: “As Labour councillors elected to serve our constituents, the message we have been hearing repeatedly over the past 2 weeks is simple, people just want an end to the bloodshed and the loss of innocent life.”
13:40 GMT — Iranian deputy foreign minister meets Hamas delegation in Moscow
A delegation from the Hamas group on Friday met with Iranian deputy foreign minister, Ali Bagheri, in the Russian capital of Moscow, according to a report.
The official Iranian IRNA agency reported that Bagheri discussed with Musa Abu Marzouk, a member of the Hamas political bureau, the developments in the Palestinian territories in the light of the Israeli onslaught against Gaza.
IRNA said that Bagheri is in Moscow upon an invitation by the Russian Foreign Ministry, who also met with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov on Thursday.
13:32 GMT — UK charity slams Israel for using starvation as weapon in Gaza
Accusing Israel of “collectively punishing” over 2 million civilians in Gaza, the UK-based charity Oxfam said that using starvation as a weapon of war is "inexcusable."
"The call for urgent aid and a #CeasefireNOW is imperative," Oxfam said on X on Friday.
More than 2 million civilians in Gaza are being collectively punished for the world to see, it noted, criticizing Israel for using starvation as a weapon of war.
Meanwhile, in a statement on Wednesday, Sally Abi Khalil, Oxfam’s regional Middle East director, said: "The situation is nothing short of horrific - where is humanity ... World leaders cannot continue to sit back and watch, they have an obligation to act and to act now."
12:17 GMT — Palestinian death toll from Israeli attacks on Gaza surges to 7,326
The Palestinian death toll from the Israeli air strikes on Gaza since October 7 rose to 7,326, the Health Ministry in Gaza has announced.
Ashraf al Qidra, a ministry spokesman, said during a news conference: "The death toll from the Israeli aggression on Gaza has reached 7,326, including 3,038 children, 1,726 women, and 414 elderly individuals. In addition, 18,484 citizens have been injured since Oct 7."
He pointed out that "the Israeli occupation committed 41 massacres in the past hours, claiming the lives of 298 martyrs, the majority of whom were displaced to the southern Gaza , which the Israeli occupation claims is safe."
He also accused Israel of "deliberately committing 772 massacres against families."
"We received reports of 1,700 missing people, including 940 children still under the rubble," the spokesman said.
12:15 GMT — At least 94,000 liters of fuel needed daily to keep critical functions running at major Gaza hospitals: WHO
At least 94,000 liters of fuel is required daily to keep critical functions running at Gaza’s 12 major hospitals, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday.
Addressing a UN press briefing in Geneva via a video link, Richard Peeperkorn, the WHO's representative in occupied Palestinian territory, warned that the acute shortage of fuel and medical supplies puts at risk 1,000 patients in need of kidney dialysis, 130 premature babies in incubators, 2,000 cancer patients, and patients in ICUs, ventilators and receiving machine-assisted care.
12:00 GMT — 310 Israeli soldiers killed since beginning of conflict on October 7
The Israeli army said the Israeli military death toll rose to 310 since the fighting broke out on October 7 with Palestinian groups in Gaza.
At a press conference on Friday, Daniel Hagari, an army spokesperson, said the families of the soldiers have been informed about the death of their relatives.
He said 233 Israeli hostages are held by the Palestinian Hamas group in Gaza, raising the number from 228 announced in previous statements.
The Israeli military spokesperson added that numbers are not yet final as the military continues to investigate new information.
11:46 GMT — "many more will die" warns UN
The United Nations warned that "many more will die" as a result of Israel's ongoing siege of Gaza, saying basic services in the Palestinian territory were "crumbling".
"As we speak people in Gaza are dying, they are not only dying from bombs and strikes, soon many more will die from the consequences of (the) siege imposed on the Gaza Strip," said Philippe Lazzarini, commissioner general for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.
"Basic services are crumbling, medicine is running out, food and water are running out, the streets of Gaza have started overflowing with sewage."
11:15 GMT — Four Palestinians killed in Israeli raid in West Bank
Israeli forces killed at least four Palestinians during a dawn raid in the north of the occupied West Bank, health officials have said, with Hamas members among the dead.
"Four killed by occupation (Israeli) bullets in Jenin and Qalqilya at dawn today," the Ramallah-based Palestinian health ministry said in a statement.
The Palestinian news agency Wafa said at least three Palestinians were killed in "violent clashes" in the city of Jenin during an incursion by "a large contingent" of Israeli forces.
A dozen others were also injured during the skirmishes, the agency reported.
10:50 GMT — UN concerned 'war crimes are being committed' in Gaza crisis
The United Nations has said it was concerned that war crimes were being committed in the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
"We are concerned that war crimes are being committed. We are concerned about the collective punishment of Gazans in response to the atrocious attacks by Hamas, which also amounted to war crimes," UN Human Rights Office spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani told a press conference in Geneva.
10:30 GMT — '20 trucks a day are not enough' for Gaza: UN
The World Food Programme (WFP) urged the continuation of humanitarian supplies at a scale that matches needs, saying: "20 trucks a day are not enough."
Noting that humanitarian convoys have been "trickling" into Gaza since October 21, Samer Abdel Jaber, WFP's country director for Palestine, said their scale and frequency are "nowhere near enough to alleviate the suffering of the people."
Addressing a UN press briefing in Geneva virtually, he said WFP has brought in nine trucks of food assistance today, mainly canned food with flour and other essentials, stressing that it does not make even 2 percent of the food needed.
5:00 GMT - Missile strikes Egyptian Red Sea town of Taba
A missile has struck a medical facility in an Egyptian Red Sea resort town near the Israeli border, wounding six people, Egypt's Al Qahera News reported, and Israel's military said it was aware of a security incident in the area.
Citing sources, Al Qahera reported the blast in the town of Taba was related to fighting between Israel and Palestine's Hamas resistance fighters.
A witness in Taba, which lies some 220 kms from Gaza, reported hearing an explosion and seeing heavy smoke and dust rising.
4:30 GMT - More than 2,000 people under debris of bombed buildings
Authorities in Palestine's Gaza enclave have said that at least 2,000 people are reportedly under the rubble of destroyed buildings.
They said 29,000 houses have been completely flattened by Israel in its indiscriminate land and air strikes since October 7.
Israeli air strikes have ravaged swaths of besieged Gaza — leaving it looking like a wasteland from space — and residents are running out of food, water and other supplies.
4:00 GMT — War on Gaza 'will put the entire region out of control'
Ismail Haniyeh, the political bureau chief of the Palestinian resistance group Hamas, has warned about the consequences of the continuation of the Israeli war against Gaza.
The war "will put the entire region out of control," Haniyeh said in a televised statement aired by Hamas-affiliated Al Aqsa TV. He said after 20 days of fighting in Gaza, the resistance "is very well."
Haniyeh affirmed that all resistance groups in Palestine, including Hamas, "are national liberation movements," when one considers that "terrorism is the occupier, those who support it, and those who remain silent about the massacres."
3:00 GMT - Muslim group says 225,000 messages urging truce sent to US lawmakers
The Council on American-Islamic Relations [CAIR] has announced that participants in its "Ceasefire Now" congressional resolution have sent almost 225,000 messages to Congress.
"More than 225,000 emails have been dispatched to members of the U.S. House and Senate," CAIR said in a statement.
The resolution is intended to send action alert messages to Congress to urge lawmakers to support a ceasefire in Gaza amid an Israeli bombardment and blockade.
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