18:37 GMT — Israel's army has said its forces have encircled the Hamas stronghold of Gaza following days of expanding ground operations in the besieged Palestinian territory.
"Israeli soldiers have completed the encirclement of the city of Gaza, the centre of the Hamas terror organisation," military spokesperson Daniel Hagari told journalists.
"The concept of a ceasefire is not currently on the table at all," Hagari said.
18:48 GMT — Hamas military wing says Gaza will be 'a curse' for Israel
Hamas’s military wing threatened that Gaza would be a "curse" for Israel, warning that its invading soldiers would go home "in black bags".
"Gaza will be the curse of history for Israel," said Abu Obeida, a spokesperson for the Qassam Brigades in an audio address, adding that Israel could expect "more of your soldiers to return in black bags".
18:22 GMT — Morocco slams international 'inaction' over Gaza
Morocco expressed "great concern and deep indignation" over "the worsening of the humanitarian situation in Gaza", a Foreign Ministry statement has said.
It said Rabat regrets "the inaction" of the international community and the United Nations Security Council's "failure to assume its responsibilities".
The statement condemned what it called "the inability of influential countries to put an end to this catastrophic situation".
Israel's "acts of escalation are in contradiction with international humanitarian law and common human values", it said.
18:13 GMT — Exploring idea of pauses in Israel-Palestine conflict: White House
The White House is exploring the idea of pauses in the Israel-Palestine conflict to help civilians in Gaza and is working with Israel to minimise casualties, national security spokesperson John Kirby has said.
"What we're trying to do is explore the idea of as many pauses as might be necessary to continue to get aid out and to continue to work to get people out safely, including hostages," he told reporters at a briefing.
He also said that the White House has not seen evidence that Hezbollah is ready to go full force.
18:00 GMT — Bahrain confirms ambassador to Israel returned home, Israeli envoy to Manama left
Bahrain said the Gulf state's ambassador to Israel had returned home and the Israeli ambassador in Manama had left "a while ago", confirming an earlier statement by parliament.
The government statement did not however confirm that economic ties had been severed, as the parliament had earlier stated, citing a protest over the war in Gaza.
Earlier Bahrain's lower house of parliament announced the halting of economic ties with Israel and the return of ambassadors on both sides over Israeli attacks on Gaza.
17:49 GMT — UN says four school shelters 'damaged' in Gaza strikes
The United Nations Agency for Palestinian Refugees said four schools sheltering displaced people had been damaged over the past day by Israeli strikes on Gaza.
One of the schools affected was in Jabalia refugee camp "after two days of heavy bombardments in the area," a UNRWA statement said, while the others were in Shati, or beach camp, and two in Bureij.
17:21 GMT — Blinken to talk to Israel on 'concrete steps' to minimize civilian harm
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said he would ask Israel to take "concrete steps" to minimise harm to civilians in Gaza as he left on a crisis trip to the Middle East.
"We will be talking about concrete steps that can and should be taken to minimize harm to men, women and children in Gaza," Blinken told reporters at Andrews Air Force Base as he flew out.
"This is something that the United States is committed to," he said a day before he held his latest meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
17:07 GMT — Israel army hits Lebanon's Hezbollah with 'broad assault'
The Israeli military said it targeted Lebanon's Hezbollah with a "broad assault", as the Iran-backed group said it had attacked 19 Israeli positions simultaneously.
Israeli "warplanes and helicopters attacked in recent hours targets of the Hezbollah terror organisation in response to fire from Lebanese territory earlier today, together with attacks with artillery and tank fire," an Israeli military statement said.
17:00 GMT — Hospitals cannot be part of any combat, UN warns
The UN has warned that hospitals cannot be part of combat following reports that Gaza's main cancer hospital went out of service due to Israeli air strikes and a shortage of fuel.
"Turkish Palestinian Friendship Hospital in Gaza City reportedly ran out of fuel yesterday and was forced to stop most of its activities rendering 70 cancer patients and serious risks," UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters.
"I think this just only underscores a tragic humanitarian situation," he said, noting the need to allow fuel into Gaza.
"Hospitals cannot be evacuated and moved, he said. "It also yet another reminder of the fact that hospitals cannot be part of any combat."
16:43 GMT — Two wounded by barrage of rockets near Lebanon border: Israel medics
A barrage of rockets wounded two people in the Israeli town of Kiryat Shmona near the Lebanese border, Israel's Magen David Adom emergency medical service has said.
An AFP photographer saw Israeli emergency crews checking the debris of burnt-out vehicles following the strikes in Kiryat Shmona.
16:40 GMT — Israeli army admits paying 'heavy, painful price' amid Gaza ground attack
Israeli Army Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi said the Israeli forces are paying a “heavy and painful price” during the Gaza war.
At least 20 Israeli soldiers have been killed in fighting inside the Gaza since Tuesday.
“War has a heavy and painful price, but it is necessary,” Halevi said in a message to Israeli forces.
“We are in the midst of a war. It will be a long war and we will fight until the end. We are being proactive and fighting against the enemy in their territory,” he said.
16:10 GMT — Time running out to prevent 'genocide' in Gaza: UN experts
A group of UN-mandated human rights experts, including the special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, said that "time is running out to prevent genocide and humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza".
"We remain convinced that the Palestinian people are at grave risk of genocide," the experts said in a joint statement.
"The time for action is now. Israel's allies also bear responsibility and must act now to prevent its disastrous course of action."
15:26 GMT — Israeli troops advance past Gaza outskirts — Netanyahu
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that Israeli forces had pushed further in than the outskirts of Gaza in their assault on Hamas fighters in the northern half of Gaza.
"We're at the height of the battle. We've had impressive successes and have passed the outskirts of Gaza. We are advancing," Netanyahu said in a statement released by his office. It gave no further details.
15:14 GMT — Gaza hospital evacuation orders put hundreds of patients at risk: WHO
The head of the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said the forced evacuation of hospitals in Gaza would put the lives of hundreds of patients at risk.
"Twenty-three hospitals have been ordered to evacuate in Gaza City and north Gaza, and forced evacuation in these circumstances would put the lives of hundreds of patients in a life-threatening situation," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.
"We're running out of words to describe the horror unfolding in Gaza," said Tedros.
15:08 GMT — Israel accuses Iranian group of supporting Hezbollah in cross-border attacks
The Israeli army accused an Iranian armed group of supporting the Lebanese group Hezbollah in carrying out cross-border attacks against Israel.
In a statement, military spokesperson Avichai Adraee said members of the Imam Hossein Brigade group had arrived in southern Lebanon to provide assistance to Hezbollah.
According to the spokesman, the group, originally formed in Syria, engaged in clashes with the Israeli army on Lebanon’s border in recent weeks.
"Hezbollah and the Imam Hossein Brigade group are forcing Lebanon to pay a heavy price for Hamas," Adraee said.
14:47 GMT — Israeli atrocities in Gaza amount to 'war crimes': Pakistan
Reiterating its call for an "end to the carnage" in Gaza, Pakistan said it has concerns about Israeli "atrocities" in Gaza, which amount to "war crimes."
"Pakistan has concerns about Israeli atrocities which are taking place currently in Gaza and we believe these atrocities amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mumtaz Zahra Baloch told Anadolu during a weekly news briefing in the capital Islamabad.
14:46 GMT — Hamas official criticises German ban as crime against Palestinians
A representative for the Hamas group in Lebanon has said Germany's ban on the group's activities showed that the country was in partnership with Israel on crimes against Palestinian people.
"This prompts us to question whether the German political mentality is a Holocaust mentality that affects all peoples and is not limited to one party or another," Osama Hamdan, the Hamas representative in Lebanon, said in a news conference.
14:36 GMT — Residential neighbourhoods 'real target' of Israeli air strikes in Gaza: Media office
Authorities in Gaza said that residential neighbourhoods were regularly targeted in Israeli air strikes on the blockaded territory.
"Residential neighbourhoods, houses, children, women and people gathering at bakeries, hospitals and churches were the real target [of the Israeli strikes]," the Government Media Office said in a statement.
"We challenge the [Israeli] occupation to reveal the nature of these alleged military targets,” the office said.
14:31 GMT — Lebanon's Hezbollah says it uses drones to attack Israeli army position
Lebanon's Hezbollah has said it had used two drones packed with explosives to attack an Israeli army command position in the disputed Shebaa Farms area at the Lebanese-Israeli border.
In a statement, the Iran-backed group said the drones were filled with "a large quantity of explosives" and had hit their targets.
Earlier they also said that the group struck an Israeli surveillance system near the border with Israel.
14:30 GMT — Israeli general eyes admitting fuel to Gaza if hospitals run out
The chief of Israel's armed forces signalled a willingness to ease its wartime embargo on fuel for Gaza, saying that if hospitals there run out they could be resupplied under supervision.
"Note that, for more than a week now, they have been telling us that 'tomorrow the fuel in hospitals will run out'. So far it has not run out," Lieutenant-General Herzi Halevi said during a televised appearance, in response to a reporter's question.
"We will watch for when that day arrives. Fuel will be transferred, with monitoring, to the hospitals. We will do everything needed to ensure that it will not reach Hamas infrastructures, that it will not end up serving war aims but the real needs of treating the sick," he said.
He also said that the Israeli air force is bringing less than half of its capabilities to bear in the Gaza war.
14:09 GMT — Israel orders residents of al Shati camp in Gaza to flee south
The Israeli army has ordered the residents of the al Shati refugee camp south of Gaza City to evacuate immediately and move south as Tel Aviv expanded its ground offensive in the Palestinian territory.
Israeli planes dropped leaflets on the camp demanding the immediate evacuation of its residents.
“Time is up. Our forces will bomb Hamas terrorists with overwhelming force in the coming hours. We do not promise that there will be another message. Evacuate immediately,” reads the leaflet.
14:01 GMT — Dozens killed in Israeli bombing on UN school, Bureij camp in Gaza
Civil emergency services in besieged Gaza have said that 15 people were found dead in the rubble after an Israeli strike on the Bureij refugee camp.
Another 27 people were killed in a separate bombing on a school run by the United Nations, the Health Ministry in the besieged enclave said.
13:48 GMT — Germany bans Hamas, pro-Palestine association
Germany banned Hamas and a pro-Palestine association, the country’s interior minister has said.
Addressing a news conference in Berlin, Nancy Faeser recalled that she decided three weeks ago, along with Chancellor Olaf Scholz, to ban the Palestinian group Hamas and the Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network (Samidoun).
Hamas is aiming to destroy the state of Israel, Faeser opined, criticizing Hamas for aggressive behaviour during demonstrations and aggressions towards Jewish institutions and homes in the country.
The minister also accused Samidoun of propaganda against Israel and Jews
13:30 GMT — Israel says struck 3 targets in Lebanon after rocket fire
The Israeli army has said that it had struck three targets inside Lebanese territory after rocket fire into Israel.
A military statement said Israeli forces attacked a cell trying to fire anti-tank rockets at military positions near the Lebanese border.
According to the statement, rockets were launched at a military outpost close to the Israeli-Lebanese border. No injuries were reported.
The army said it also struck rocket launchers inside the Lebanese territory.
13:05 GMT — 'Urgent scale-up in humanitarian aid' in Gaza important, UN chief, UK PM agree
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres "agreed on the importance of urgently scaling up the delivery of life-saving humanitarian aid" in Gaza.
Meeting during an AI safety summit in Milton Keynes, near London, Sunak and Guterres also "agreed on the need to reinvigorate international efforts to reach a lasting resolution to the conflict and progress work towards a two-state solution," in the Palestine-Israel conflict.
A UK government statement said the leaders "discussed the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza and agreed on the importance of urgently scaling up the delivery of life-saving humanitarian aid."
12:50 GMT — Visit of Palestinian president to Russia in the works: Kremlin
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has said that a visit by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to Russia is being planned.
"It is difficult to talk about the exact date for obvious reasons," Peskov told a news conference in Moscow, referring to ongoing tensions due to the conflict in Gaza.
12:44 GMT — Israel has launched over 12,000 air strikes in Gaza since Oct. 7: army
Israel has launched more than 12,000 air strikes on Gaza since Oct. 7, the Israeli army has said.
A military statement said that thousands of targets had been struck in these strikes.
This week, the Israeli army has expanded its air and ground attacks on Gaza, which has been under relentless air strikes since a cross-border operation by Hamas on Oct. 7.
12:35 GMT — Israeli ground assaults hinder aid to 300,000 Palestinians: UN
The UN humanitarian office has said that the Israeli ground attack hinders the delivery of humanitarian aid to 300,000 displaced Palestinians in Gaza.
"The ongoing Israeli ground operation in northern Gaza is impeding the delivery of humanitarian aid to about 300,000 displaced people," the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a statement.
On Wednesday, the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital, the only public hospital for cancer patients in Gaza, went out of service due to Israeli attacks and fuel shortages.
"Gaza’s main cancer hospital ran out of fuel and was forced to stop its services, risking the lives of 70 cancer patients," OCHA said.
12:14 GMT — US's Blinken, Saudi defence minister discuss Gaza: State Dept
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed the humanitarian situation in Gaza and the need to reinforce regional stability with Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman al Saud, the State Department has said.
"The secretary affirmed the importance of addressing humanitarian needs in Gaza, preventing further spread of the conflict, and reinforcing regional stability and security, including in Yemen," in Wednesday's meeting, the department said in a statement.
"He also emphasised the importance of working toward sustainable peace between Israelis and Palestinians, a shared priority of both the United States and Saudi Arabia."
12:07 GMT — Russia warns mass displacement of Palestinians from Gaza to Egypt would be 'catastrophic'
Reported Israeli plans to relocate Palestinians to Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula would have "catastrophic" consequences, said the spokesperson for Russia’s Foreign Ministry.
Provocative statements about possible relocation fuel radical sentiments and mutual bitterness, threatening to further prolong the current Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Maria Zakharova said at a news conference in Moscow, responding to Anadolu.
"If such plans are implemented, the consequences of mass displacement of people will be catastrophic and will only worsen the situation in the region. And there will be disastrous consequences for both Palestinians and Israelis and for the region as a whole," she warned.
11:58 GMT — Türkiye ready to take cancer patients from shut Gaza hospital
Türkiye is ready to take in cancer patients from Gaza's Turkish-Palestinian Friendship hospital, which went out of service on Wednesday after running out of fuel, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca has said.
In a statement on social messaging platform X, Koca said that if the necessary coordination was done Türkiye was ready to bring both cancer patients and others in need of emergency help to Türkiye to continue their treatment.
"As Türkiye... we are ready to provide any and all support in continuing the treatment of cancer patients who were forcibly discharged from the hospital due to a lack of resources," Koca said.
"The international community and relevant institutions have unfortunately not taken enough initiative to prevent the attacks on the hospital. Saving the lives of the patients is now a duty that cannot be escaped," he added.
11:52 GMT: Hundreds more foreigners flee from Gaza
Hundreds more foreigners and dual nationals fled war-torn Gaza for Egypt on Thursday as Israeli forces kept bombing the besieged Palestinian territory where thousands have died.
Wael Abu Mohsen, spokesman for the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing, said about 100 foreign nationals had been able to leave.
A total of 400 foreign passport holders as well as 60 severely wounded Palestinians in ambulances were due to cross by the end of the day, he said, and Egyptian officials later reported the first arrivals.
11:30 GMT - Egypt to evacuate 'about 7,000' foreign nationals
Egypt will help evacuate "about 7,000" foreigners and dual nationals from the war-ravaged Gaza Strip, the foreign ministry said, with officials saying some 400 people were expected to cross Thursday.
For the first time after weeks of deadly fighting between Israel and Palestinian militants, the Rafah border crossing opened on Wednesday to let people out of Gaza.
In a meeting with foreign diplomats, assistant foreign minister Ismail Khairat said Egypt was preparing "to facilitate the reception and evacuation of foreign citizens from Gaza through the Rafah crossing", a ministry statement said.
08:24 GMT: 17 Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza ground operations
The Israeli army confirmed on Thursday that 17 of its soldiers have so far been killed in Gaza, where it recently ramped up air and ground attacks.
It said in a statement that two soldiers succumbed to the wounds they sustained during ground operations, pushing up the death toll.
Clashes and direct confrontations between the Israeli army and Hamas which carried out a surprise cross border attack in Israel on Oct. 7, have escalated, particularly at the Erez crossing, the border point between northern Gaza and Israel, since Tuesday.
4:15 GMT - Gaza says 195 Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks on Jabalia
At least 195 Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza's Jabalia refugee camp on Tuesday and Wednesday, Gaza government's media office has said.
Some 120 were still missing under the rubble, and at least 777 more were wounded, the office said in a statement.
The death toll of Palestinians killed since the start of the Israeli aggression on blockaded Gaza, has surged to 8,805, mostly children and women.
3:56 GMT — Biden voices support for humanitarian 'pause'
President Joe Biden, when responding to a heckler at a Minnesota campaign event, said he thinks there should be a humanitarian "pause" in the Israel war's on Gaza to get "prisoners" out.
The 80-year-old Democrat was delivering remarks to some 200 supporters in the northern US state when a member of the audience shouted out to him.
"As a rabbi, I need you to call for a ceasefire right now," she said, referring to the deadly conflict.
The president responded: "I think we need a pause. A pause means giving time to get the prisoners out."
3:30 GMT - Hezbollah says it downs Israeli drone
Lebanon's Hezbollah has said it destroyed an Israeli drone over south Lebanon with a surface-to-air missile, an account disputed by Israel's military which confirmed the missile launch but said its aircraft suffered "no damage".
It was the second time this week that Hezbollah claimed to down an Israeli drone with a surface-to-air missile, with cross-border clashes escalating as Israel wages a ground invasion against Gaza.
Hezbollah said in a statement its fighters shot down the drone just after midnight over two villages on the Lebanese side of the frontier. "It crashed and fell instantly," it said. The Israeli military said, "There was no damage to the (drone).''
3:00 GMT - Latin America ramps up condemnations of Israel's attack on Gaza
Some of Latin America's largest countries have came out to condemn Israel's attacks on a densely populated refugee camp in Gaza, widening the diplomatic rift between the region and the Middle Eastern country.
Argentina, home to Latin America's largest Jewish community, Peru and Mexico lambasted the Israeli attacks, which the Gaza government said had killed nearly 200 people while hundreds others were wounded or unaccounted for under the debris.
UN human rights officials have said the strikes could constitute war crimes.
2:52 GMT - Biden promises to combat Islamophobia as Gaza war rages
The administration of US President Joe Biden has said it would develop a strategy to combat Islamophobia — an announcement that comes as tensions simmer nationwide over the war between Israel and Palestine in Gaza.
"President Biden ran for office to restore the soul of our nation. He is unequivocal: there is no place for hate in America against anyone. Period," White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.
"For too long, Muslims in America, and those perceived to be Muslim, such as Arabs and Sikhs, have endured a disproportionate number of hate-fuelled attacks and other discriminatory incidents."
2:30 GMT - First Australian nationals leave Israeli-besieged Gaza for Egypt
Twenty Australians were among the first group of foreign citizens who entered Egypt from the Israeli-besieged Gaza via the Rafah border crossing, Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs Tim Watts has said.
At least 320 foreign nationals left the Palestinian enclave to cross into Egypt on Wednesday, the first to benefit from a deal mediated by Qatar.
Watts said there were still 65 Australians trapped in Gaza and the government had urged them, using all available communication channels, to move toward the Rafah crossing as soon as possible.
2:00 GMT - Yemen's Houthis claim drone attack on Israel amid Gaza war
Yemen's Houthi rebels have said they launched drone attacks towards Israel, the latest in a spate of such raids since the start of the Israel-Palestine war. "The Yemeni armed forces launched a large batch of drones during the past hours at several targets ... in occupied Palestine, and they reached their goals," said a Houthi military statement.
"The Yemeni armed forces will continue to carry out their military operations in support" of the Palestinian people, the statement added.
The latest attack came a day after the Houthis pledged more attacks against Israel if its war on besieged Gaza continues, saying it had already fired drones and ballistic missiles in three separate operations.
1:55 GMT - Biden says American citizens will be able to exit Gaza
US President Joe Biden said that Americans will now be able to exit war-torn Gaza and the administration will work hard to get additional Americans out of the region in the days ahead.
He also cheered regional partners for their help paving the way for some wounded Palestinians and foreign nationals, including some US citizens, to escape Gaza.
"I personally spent a lot of time speaking with Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel and President Sisi of Egypt and others, to make sure that we could open this access for people to get out," Biden said during a visit Wednesday to Northfield, Minn. "I want to thank our partners, in particular Qatar, who worked so closely with us to support negotiations to facilitate the departure of these citizens."
1:50 GMT - US condemns Israeli settler violence in occupied West Bank
US has expressed concern over the increased violence by illegal Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, calling it "unacceptable", US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said.
"We have made quite clear to the government of Israel that we are very concerned about settler violence in the West Bank. We find it incredibly destabilising. We find it counterproductive to Israel's long term security," Miller said.
"In addition to, of course, being extremely harmful to the Palestinians living in the West Bank. And we have sent a very clear message to them that it's unacceptable, it needs to stop, and those responsible for it need to be held accountable."
For our live updates from Wednesday (November 1), click here.
