Sunday, December 3, 2023
18:40 GMT – Southern Gaza subjected to bombardment
Southern Gaza has been subjected to the worst bombardment since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas conflict on October 7.
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) says most victims of the attacks in the southern part of the enclave are children.
This comes as the death toll in the besieged Gaza continues to rise.
14:45 GMT – Gaza death toll rises to 15,523
The death toll due to Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7 has risen to 15,523.
The Gaza Health Ministry said on Sunday that at least 41,316 people have been injured in the bombardment.
The official Israeli death toll in the October 7 Hamas cross-border offensive stands at 1,200.
13:45 GMT – Thousands of bodies trapped under rubble in Gaza
Thousands of bodies remain under the debris of buildings destroyed by ongoing Israeli attacks, civil defense teams in the Gaza Strip reported on Sunday, with equipment shortages preventing their retrieval.
In a written statement published by Gaza's Interior Ministry, civil defense spokesperson Mahmoud Basal said Israeli forces have been targeting their teams in the enclave constantly since October 7.
"Thousands of martyrs are still under the rubble, and we cannot retrieve them. There are clear and significant deficiencies in our capabilities and mechanisms," Basal said, urging support for the civil defense unit.
9:30 GMT – Head of Islamic University in Gaza killed in Israeli airstrike
The Rector of the Gaza Islamic University in the Gaza Strip, Sufyan Tayeh, and some of his family, were killed on Saturday in Israeli attacks, according to sources.
The academic was killed in an airstrike in the town of Al-Faluja in northeastern Gaza City. Tayeh was a prominent physics professor.
The death toll from Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip has soared to 15,207 since the outbreak of the conflict on October 7.
05:16 GMT - Israel pounds crowded southern Gaza
Israel has pounded crowded southern Gaza and ordered more neighbourhoods designated for attack to evacuate, driving up the death toll as the United States and others urged it to do more to protect civilians.
The prospect of further ceasefires in Gaza appeared bleak, as Israel recalled its negotiators and Hamas’ deputy leader said any further swap of Gaza-held captives for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel would only happen as part of ending the war.
“We will continue the war until we achieve all its goals, and it’s impossible to achieve those goals without the ground operation,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an address Saturday night.
04:40 GMT - Thousands across Europe protest Israel, demand ceasefire in Gaza
Thousands took to the streets in European capitals Saturday to protest Israeli attacks and demand a ceasefire in Gaza.
Demonstrators once again held a number of protests to urge their governments to pressure Israel in the face of an ongoing dire humanitarian situation in the besieged enclave.
In France, protesters held rallies across the country, including in Toulouse, Nice as well as Paris in support of Palestine.
04:00 GMT - London event discusses Gaza, demands permanent ceasefire
A panel in London discussed the Middle East and demanded a permanent ceasefire in Gaza where more than 15,000 people have been killed by Israel since October 7.
The "Freedom for Palestine: Imperialism, War and the Middle East" panel was organised by the Stop the War Coalition after Israeli attacks on the besieged enclave resumed.
Jeremy Corbyn, former leader of the main opposition Labour Party, said what is happening in Gaza is "a second Nakba," or catastrophe, in reference to the exodus of Palestinians from their lands in 1948 when the state of Israel was created.
03:00 GMT - Leaders of Qatar, France discuss developments in Gaza
Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and French President Emmanuel Macron discussed the developments in Gaza as Israel resumed its devastating onslaught against Gaza.
According to the Qatar News Agency (QNA), Sheikh Tamim received Macron in Doha's Lusail Palace during which he "stressed the importance of continuing joint international efforts to ensure a return to calm and a permanent ceasefire in Gaza."
The Qatari Emir also emphasised on protecting civilians in Gaza to deliver humanitarian aid in Gaza, as well to find solutions that guarantee the establishment of two states solution in accordance with international and UN resolutions.
02:30 GMT - Israel faces growing US calls for restraint amid renewed Gaza fighting
Israel faced growing US calls to avoid further harm to Palestinian civilians in its war in Gaza, as the warring sides showed no sign of moving toward reviving their collapsed truce.
US Vice President Kamala Harris said too many innocent Palestinians had been killed in Gaza, and US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin deemed it a "moral responsibility" for Israel to protect civilians.
The senior US officials' remarks reinforced pressure from Washington for Israel to use more caution as it shifts the focus of its military offensive further south in the besieged Gaza.
