19:45 GMT 70 people killed as Israel strikes convoy of displaced people in Gaza
At least 70 Palestinians were killed and 200 others injured in an Israeli airstrike on a convoy of displaced civilians heading from northern Gaza to south, according to the Gaza-based Interior Ministry.
Iyad Al-Buzm, an Interior Ministry spokesman, told Al Jazeera that the convoy was targeted as around 150 civilians were making their way through Salah Aldin Street in Al-Zeytoun neighborhood.
Al-Buzm said that despite Israeli calls to find refuge in the southern region of the Gaza Strip, the bombings are still heard throughout Gaza.
Earlier, Israel warned Palestinians in northern Gaza to move to the south “within 24 hours.”
18:37 GMT UN warns of humanitarian catastrophe' after Gaza evacuation order
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged Israeli authorities to "avert a humanitarian catastrophe," hours after an Israeli evacuation order in Gaza, according to his spokesman on Friday.
"Since last night, the Secretary-General and his team have been working the phones. He's been in constant contact with Israeli authorities, urging them to avert a humanitarian catastrophe," Stephane Dujarric told reporters.
The UN chief also had phone contacts with permanent representatives in New York and other officials in the region, said Dujarric.
17:45 GMT Egypt warns against Israeli call for Gaza residents to head south
Egypt has warned against the Israeli call for Palestinians in the north of Gaza to leave their homes and move south.
The measure constitutes a “grave violation of the rules of international humanitarian law,” an Egyptian Foreign Ministry statement said on Friday.
It said that the measure “will expose the lives of more than 1 million Palestinian citizens and their families to the dangers of remaining in the open without shelter.”
The ministry called on the Israeli government to “refrain from taking such escalatory steps, as they will have serious repercussions on the humanitarian situation in Gaza."
17:24 GMT South Africa condemns Israeli actions in Gaza
South Africa condemned Israel for blockading Gaza and denying food, water, electricity and fuel to millions in the densely populated Palestinian enclave.
The Foreign Ministry, called the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), in a statement said it “condemns in the strongest possible terms Israel’s violation of the Geneva Conventions and the abandonment of International Humanitarian Law in Gaza.”
Pretoria said Israel’s announcement of giving 1.1 million residents just 24 hours to leave northern half of Gaza to relocate to the south will lead to a humanitarian crisis.
“According to humanitarian organizations on the ground, there are not enough resources to host so many IDPs in other governorates – not enough shelter, aid or water,’’ the statement said on Friday.
17:05 Ex-premiers join marchers as pro-Palestinian rallies held in Asian nations
Former prime ministers joined pro-Palestinian solidarity rallies across Asia on Friday as the besieged Gaza continues facing intense Israeli bombardment.
Mahathir Mohamad and Muhyiddin Yassin, two former prime ministers of Malaysia, led demonstrations in the capital Kuala Lumpur and condemned Israeli attacks ong Gaza, while Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim attended a launch fund raising for Palestinians.
In neighboring Indonesia, special prayers in mosques and rallies were held in the capital Jakarta and other parts of the country by several religious and political groups to show solidarity with Palestinians.
17:00 GMT Qatari emir, US secretary of state discuss developments in Gaza
Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani met US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Doha on Friday and discussed a range of issues including the conditions in Gaza, which is under constant Israeli bombardment and blockade.
The two discussed bilateral relations and a number of regional and international issues, particularly developments in the Palestinian territories and their humanitarian conditions, Qatar News Agency reported.
The Qatari ruler stressed the importance of efforts aimed at de-escalation, opening safe corridors in Gaza for aid and humanitarian efforts, and ensuring the conflict does not expand regionally. He reiterated the country's "firm position on condemning the targeting of civilians."
16:20 GMT Gaza siege 'clear-cut war crime': Human Rights Watch expert
Israel's siege on Gaza is a "clear-cut war crime," as starvation is used as a weapon in "warfare" and more than 2 million residents are subjected to collective punishment, according to a regional director for the Human Rights Watch (HRW).
Ahmed Benchemsi, advocacy and communications director for HRW's Middle East and North Africa division, said the Israeli government was punishing the entire population after a surprise attack by Gaza-based Palestinian group Hamas.
"The siege is a clear-cut war crime. That is very simple and very clear," he said on Friday, adding that "crimes committed by a small minority, Hamas combatants, who did perpetrate war crimes as well, because killing civilians and abducting them and taking them as hostages is forbidden by the laws of war.
16:00 GMT China to send urgent humanitarian aid to Palestine
China announced that it will send urgent humanitarian aid to Gaza and the Palestinian Authority through the United Nations channels.
"In light of the current severe situation, China believes that the top priority amid escalating Israel-Palestine conflict is an immediate cease-fire," state-run Global Times quoted China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi as saying on Friday.
The minister added that Beijing's special envoy for the Middle East will soon visit the relevant countries in the region.
15:44 Aid groups unable to assist massive displacement in Gaza - Red Cross
As Israel called on Friday all civilians in the northern half of Gaza to relocate south within 24 hours, the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) warned that humanitarian groups will not be able to assist the massive displacement.
"When military powers order people to leave their homes, all possible measures must be taken to ensure the population has access to basic necessities like food and water and that members of the same family are not separated, the ICRC said in a statement.
Nothing that people in Gaza have "nowhere safe to go and many, including the disabled, elderly, and sick, will not be able to leave their homes," the ICRC underscored that it is "impossible" for Gazans to know which areas will next face attack.
15:15 White House: Israel's call for Gaza evacuation to the south is a "tall order."
"That's gonna be a tall order, given how densely populated it is, given that it's a scene of combat," said National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby in an interview with MSNBC on Friday.
"There are bombs falling and strikes happening. That is a lot of people to move in a very short period of time," he added.
Kirby noted that the US and Israeli army recognize "the challenge there", but added: "We understand what they're trying to do this, to try to isolate the civilian population from Hamas, which is their real target."
14:00 GMT WHO says Palestinian civilians have 'no safe place left to go'
Palestinian civilians have "no safe place left to go" as violence has intensified, the World Health Organization said on Friday.
"With ongoing airstrikes, civilians have no safe place left to go. The Palestinian Ministry of Health has informed WHO that it is impossible to evacuate vulnerable hospital patients from the north of Gaza," Tarik Jasarevic, a WHO spokesperson, told a UN press briefing in Geneva.
Jasarevic said WHO has joined the wider UN in appealing to Israel to "immediately rescind orders for the evacuation within the next 24 hours of 1.1 million people living north of Wadi Gaza, and an end to hostilities and violence in the Gaza Strip, where unimaginable human suffering is unfolding."
13:42 GMT Palestinian death toll from Israeli attacks on Gaza reaches 1,799
The number of Palestinians killed from a massive Israeli air campaign against the Gaza Strip has risen to 1,799, the Health Ministry has announced.
At least 6,612 people were wounded in the bombardment since Saturday, including 1,644 children and 1,005 women, the ministry said in a statement on Friday.
In a dramatic escalation of Middle East tensions, Israeli forces launched a sustained and forceful military campaign against Gaza, a response to a military offensive by the Palestinian group Hamas in Israeli territories.
13:35 GMT Cease-fire needed in Gaza for children's safety: UNICEF
For children's safety, a cease-fire and humanitarian corridor are needed in Gaza amid the intensifying conflict between Israel and Hamas, UNICEF said on Friday.
"The only way to keep children safe is a cease-fire, full functioning of hospitals and to allow children and families out, and allow medical supplies and humanitarians to do their jobs," UNICEF spokesperson James Elder said.
According to the latest numbers, 447 children have been killed in Gaza, Elder said, citing Palestinian Health Ministry figures.
“Hundreds and hundreds of children have now been killed and injured every hour in Gaza. The number of children killed is rising," he said at a UN press briefing.
13:21 Germany supports Türkiye’s mediation efforts on Israel-Palestine conflict
Germany announced support for Türkiye’s diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
Speaking at a news conference in Berlin, Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s spokesman praised Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s mediation efforts, and said the two leaders have been in close contact.
“The Turkish president is of course someone who is an important figure in the region, an influential president,” Steffen Hebestreit said on Friday.
“It is natural that under such a situation, we are in contact, and having talks with such an important and large country. Türkiye has an influence in the region, and we would like to support them to use their influence,” he said.
13:07 Israel declares town near border with Lebanon as 'closed military zone'
The Israeli army on Friday declared the Metula town near the border with Lebanon as a "closed military zone" amid rise of tensions along the Israel-Lebanon border.
The Israeli Army Radio clarified the measure as saying that it is applied to sections of the town near the Lebanon border fence.
It added that the step was taken as a "precautionary measure" based on the security assessment of the situation.
13:03 GMT Amnesty says Israel striking Gaza with white phosphorus artillery
Amnesty International said its Crisis Evidence Lab has verified that Israeli military units striking Gaza are equipped with white phosphorus artillery rounds.
"We are investigating what appears to be the use of white phosphorus in Gaza, including in a strike near a hotel on the beach in Gaza City," the rights group said in a statement on Friday.
It said white phosphorus "burns at extremely high temperatures when exposed to air & can continue to burn inside flesh," "causes horrific pain & life-changing injuries" and "can't be put out with water."
"This is why white phosphorus should never be used in civilian areas. Gaza is one of the most densely populated areas in the world. As we continue to closely investigate these deeply concerning cases," the organization added. "Amnesty urges Israel to respect IHL at all times, civilians must be spared."
12:52 Arab League urges UN chief to prevent evacuation of Gaza residents
The Arab League urged UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to intervene to prevent the evacuation of Gaza residents.
The appeal by the Arab League Secretary-General Ahmad Aboul Gheit to Guterres on Friday follows the Israeli army’s demand to relocate the entire population from Gaza and its northern parts towards the south of Gaza.
Aboul Gheit described the Israeli move as "a war crime that Israel plans to commit as part of its shameful bloody campaign against the Gaza Strip."
The Arab League secretary-general stressed the Israeli evacuation plan "will lead to unlimited suffering for our Palestinian brothers in Gaza."
12:18 GMT: UN relocates to southern Gaza after Israeli order
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees announced on Friday that it has relocated its operations centre and staff to the southern part of the Gaza Strip to continue its humanitarian operations across the region.
The decision by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) comes amid increased Israeli attacks on Gaza.
In a statement, UNRWA's communications director, Juliette Touma, said the decision to relocate its operations centre was made to continue supporting Palestinian refugees in the Gaza Strip and that UN facilities "must be protected at all times and must never come under attack in accordance with international humanitarian law."
12:13 GMT: Palestine's president warns of 2nd 'Nakba'
Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas has warned against a "second Nakba" facing Palestinians after the Israeli army asked more than one million people to relocate ahead of a possible ground offensive.
Abbas "completely rejects the forced displacement of our people from the Gaza Strip, because it will be tantamount to a second Nakba for our people," he said on Friday, according to a statement published by the official Palestinian news agency Wafa.
The Nakba, or "catastrophe", refers to some 760,000 Palestinians who fled or were expelled from their homes during the 1948 war that coincided with Israel's creation.
12:11 GMT- Turkish aid planes for Gaza land in Egypt
Planes carrying Turkish humanitarian aid for residents of Gaza have landed in Egypt, neighbouring the enclave under intense Israeli blockade and bombardment.
The aid came hours after the Israeli army asked all residents of northern Gaza to evacuate their homes and head to the south within 24 hours.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said the number of Palestinians displaced in Gaza had risen to more than 423,000.
11:43 GMT: Thousands protest in Middle East
Tens of thousands of Muslims demonstrated on Friday across the Middle East in support of the Palestinians and against Israeli airstrikes pounding Gaza, underscoring the risk of a wider regional conflict erupting as Israel prepares for a possible ground invasion in the coastal strip.
From Amman, Jordan, to Yemen's capital of Sanaa, Muslims poured out onto the streets after weekly Friday prayers, angered by the Israeli strikes in a war that began after Hamas launched an unprecedented surprise attack on Israel last Saturday.
At Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, Israeli police have been permitting only older men, women, and children to enter the sprawling hilltop compound for prayers, trying to limit the potential for violence as tens of thousands attend on a typical Friday.
11:06 GMT - Gaza fast becoming a ''hell hole'': UN
The UN's Palestine refugee agency UNRWA warned on Friday that Gaza is fast becoming a "hell hole" amid intensifying violence, urging protection of civilians across the blockaded enclave.
Calling Israel's order for the evacuation of more than a million Palestinians from northern Gaza within the next 24 hours "horrendous," UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said in a statement: "This will only lead to unprecedented levels of misery and further push people in Gaza into abyss."
The Israeli army on Friday ordered all residents of northern Gaza to evacuate their homes and head to the south.
10:30 GMT: How Israel's Iron Dome works
10:20 GMT - WTO concerned conflict would impact global trade
Head of the World Trade Organisation, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has said she hoped the Israel-Hamas conflict could be ended quickly, warning it would have a "really big impact" on already weak global trade flows if it widened throughout the region.
"There's uncertainty about whether this is going to spread further to the whole region, which could impact very much on global economic growth," she said. "We hope that all the violence will end, because it does create this uncertainty."
Okonjo-Iweala, who is in Morocco for this week's annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, added that global uncertainty was already limiting growth in trade, but that would be exacerbated by the sudden onset of war between Israel and Hamas.
09:55- Israel imposes tough restrictions on Al-Aqsa Mosque
Israeli police on Friday imposed tough entry restrictions on the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem, leaving it almost empty.
A large number of Israeli police units deployed in Jerusalem's Old City and erected barriers in its alleyways.
The Islamic Waqf Department said in a statement that Israeli police only allow worshippers over the age of 70 to enter the mosque.
Eyewitnesses confirmed to Anadolu news agency that the Old City area resembles a "military barracks" where Israeli police refuse entry to those who do not live there.
09:42: Malaysia calls for cessation of attacks on Egypt's Rafah border
Malaysia on Friday backed calls by Egypt demanding Israel cease attacks on the Rafah border crossing.
“This is to ensure that delivery of humanitarian supplies could be undertaken immediately to the affected people in Gaza,” said a statement by the Malaysian Foreign Ministry.
“Rafah border crossing is open and has not been closed since the start of the ongoing escalation. However, its facilities on the Palestinian side have been destroyed due to Israeli airstrikes, which affected its operations” an Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman wrote on X.
08:54 GMT- U.S. Defence Secretary arrives in Israel
U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin has arrived in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv on Friday to meet with senior government leaders and see firsthand some of the U.S. weapons and security assistance that Washington quickly delivered to Israel in the first week of its conflict with Hamas.
Austin is the second high-level U.S. official to visit Israel in two days. His quick trip from Brussels comes a day after Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in the region on Thursday. Blinken is continuing the frantic Mideast diplomacy, seeking to avert an expanded regional conflict.
Austin is expected to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Minister of Defence Yoav Gallant, and the Israeli War Cabinet.
08:34: Thousands of Iraqis protest Gaza bombardment
Thousands of Iraqis poured onto the streets of Baghdad on Friday in support of Palestinians amid Israeli air strikes on Gaza in reprisal for a deadly Hamas attack, state television said.
"No to the occupation! No to America!" chanted the demonstrators, who had gathered in Tahrir Square after Shiite leader Moqtada Sadr called for a demonstration "in support of Gaza" and against Israel, an AFP journalist reported.
08:23: Human Rights Watch condemns use of white phosphorus in Gaza
Human Rights Watch says Israel’s use of white phosphorus in military operations in Gaza and Lebanon puts civilians at risk of serious and long-term injuries.
The agency, on Thursday, said verified videos taken in Lebanon and Gaza on October 10 and 11, 2023, show multiple airbursts of artillery-fired white phosphorus over the Gaza City port and two rural locations along the Israel-Lebanon border, and interviewed two people who described an attack in Gaza.
‘’White phosphorus, which can be used either for marking, signalling, and obscuring or as a weapon to set fires, has a significant incendiary effect that can severely burn people and set structures, fields, and other civilian objects in the vicinity on fire,’’ the agency wrote on its website.
07:53 GMT - Hamas rejects order for residents to flee northern Gaza
Hamas has rejected an Israeli order for 1.1 million residents to evacuate northern Gaza ahead of an expected ground incursion into the overcrowded Palestinian territory.
"Our Palestinian people reject the threat of the occupation (Israeli) leaders and its call for them to leave their homes and flee from them to the south or Egypt," Hamas said in a statement.
"We are steadfast on our land and in our homes and our cities. There will be no displacement," it said.
The United Nations said an order by Israel to flee within 24 hours risked a "calamitous situation".
07:40 GMT - 13 hostages killed in Israeli airstrikes: Hamas
At least 13 Israeli and foreign hostages held in the northern Gaza have been killed in Israeli air strikes in the past 24 hours, Hamas said Friday.
"Thirteen prisoners... including foreigners," were killed in five locations targeted by Israeli fighter jets, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades said in a statement.
Israel has rained air and artillery strikes on the blockaded Gaza, a densely populated enclave of 2.4 million people, flattening buildings and killing more than 1,500 people.
According to the Hamas media office in Gaza, at least 500 children are among the dead.
