Israel-Hamas top developments: Will find & eliminate Hamas' Yayha Sinwar, says Israeli defence minister

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant vowed on Saturday that the Israeli forces  would "find and eliminate" Yayha Sinwar, the head of Hamas in Gaza Strip. 

"We will find Sinwar and will eliminate him," Defence Minister Gallant told reporters. 

UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Saturday that the humanitarian situation in Gaza as horrific, and renewed his appeals for a humanitarian ceasefire and the immediate release of all hostages.

"All those with influence must exert it to ensure respect for the rules of war, end the suffering and avoid a spillover of the conflict," Guterres said in a post on X.

In a separate post, he condemned the attack near the Al Shifa hospital on Friday.

"I am horrified by the reported attack in Gaza on an ambulance convoy outside Al Shifa hospital. Now, for nearly one month, civilians in Gaza, including children & women, have been besieged, denied aid, killed & bombed out of their homes. This must stop," he said.

A senior United Arab Emirates (UAE) official warned on Saturday (Nov 4) that Middle East powers should maintain their push to de-escalate the region through trade and economic ties despite the Israel-Hamas war. 

 UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash said that countries should maintain that strategy even though the war is sending shockwaves through the region.

Anti-protests were held in Turkey on Saturday a day ahead of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's visit. 

"We came here for the terrorist state of America to leave Turkey," one of the protesters told the news agency Reuters. 

US Representative Rashida Tlaib on Friday accused President Joe Biden of supporting a "genocide" against Palestinians and warned of repercussions in next year's election.

Tlaib, the first Palestinian-American woman to serve in Congress, said in a video on X, "Joe Biden supported the genocide of the Palestinian people."

"The American people will not forget. Biden, support ceasefire now or don't count on us in 2024," Tlaib said.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who is in Jordan, said on Saturday (Nov 4) that Israel must take every possible measure to prevent civilian casualties as its war with Hamas intensifies in the Gaza Strip. Read more

A French military plane carrying 18 tonnes of humanitarian aid for Gaza took off from Egypt on Saturday, from where it will be taken to the war-torn region.

According to a report by the news agency Reuters, the key supplies that the aircraft is carrying include medicine, food and generators. 

As the Israel-Hamas war rages on, the Turkish foreign ministry said on Saturday (Nov 4) that it decided to call its ambassador from Israel to Ankara for consultations. Read more

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that the Israel-Hamas ware in the Middle East has shifted focus from the war in Ukraine.

"Of course, it's clear that the war in the Middle East, this conflict, is taking away the focus," said Zelensky, in a press conference with EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Ankara has "crossed out" Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu and will bring Israel before the International Criminal Court.

Erdogan said that Prime Minister Netanyahu is “no longer someone we can talk to," adding, "We have crossed him out." He further said that Turkey will support "initiatives that would bring Israel’s human rights violations and war crimes to the International Criminal Court."

A building near the emergency entrance of Al-Quds Hospital in Gaza City was damaged by Israeli airstrikes and 21 people were injured in the attack, confirmed the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS),  in a post on social media.

"This has resulted in significant damage to the location and the injury of 21 displaced individuals," the aid group stated.

Lebanon's Hezbollah stated that simultaneous attacks were carried out on Israeli positions at the Lebanese border, as south Lebanon's residents confirmed Israeli strikes.

The Israeli army stated that Hezbollah targets were struck by its warplanes in response to an earlier attack from Lebanese territory, and the air strikes were accompanied with artillery and tank shelling.

Turkey stated that it was recalling its ambassador to Israel to hold consultations after Israel did not agree to a ceasefire in Gaza.

The Turkish foreign ministry stated ambassador Sakir Ozkan Torunlar was being recalled "in view of the unfolding humanitarian tragedy in Gaza caused by the continuing attacks by Israel against civilians, and Israel's refusal (to accept) a ceasefire."

IDF spokesperson Avijaa Adraei, while speaking about the operations carried out last night, said in a statement, "During the hours last night, IDF forces operated in the northern Gaza Strip area, especially in the area that witnessed numerous attempts to target army forces through tunnel openings and military compounds. The forces were able to eliminate saboteurs who worked in the area and uncover tunnel openings that had been used for terrorist purposes. In addition to revealing the organization's combat means."

"During yesterday's fighting, our forces clashed with 15 terrorists in the northern Gaza Strip. The forces eliminated a number of terrorists and directed tanks to destroy three Hamas reconnaissance sites," he added.

"In a concentrated incursion into the southern Gaza Strip, armored and engineering forces surveyed some buildings and neutralized explosive devices. The forces clashed with a cell of terrorists that emerged from a tunnel opening, so the soldiers eliminated the terrorists," he said.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, while speaking to reporters, said that Gaza must remain a part of a sovereign and independent Palestinian state after the Israel-Hamas war gets over, adding that Ankara will not support models “gradually erasing Palestinians from history”.

While addressing the media on a return flight from Kazakhstan on Friday, Erdogan stated that his intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin had contacted Israeli and Palestinian authorities, along with Hamas, and broadcaster Haberturk.

He added that he will not consider Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a counterpart, however, added that Ankara is also not considering to sever its ties with Tel Aviv.

The health ministry in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip said that at least 9,488 people have till now lost their lives in the Palestinian territory since the war with Israel started last month.

The ministry stated that at least 3,900 children have so far lost their lives in the Gaza since Israel began the strikes in retaliation to the October 7 attack carried out on Israel by Hamas militants.

The French cultural centre in Gaza has been targetted by Israeli forces. The centre was closed since the fighting started, said the French foreign ministry, in a statement on Friday (Nov 3).

The ministry said that the Israeli authorities informed them about the site being the target of the strike. “We have demanded that the Israeli authorities communicate to us without delay via appropriate channels the tangible elements that motivated this decision,” the ministry stated.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken held a meeting with Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati in Amman, during which he expressed his "deep concern" regarding the cross-fire along southern border of Lebanon with Israel.

“Secretary Blinken thanked the Prime Minister for his leadership in preventing Lebanon from being pulled into a war that the Lebanese people do not want, as well as his efforts with regional partners to pursue durable and sustainable peace in the region,” stated State Department spokesperson Matt Miller.

“The Secretary discussed US efforts to secure humanitarian assistance for civilians in Gaza and noted that Lebanon needs to select a President to lead the country through both the regional and domestic crises,” he added.

The families of more than 240 hostages, who have been held by terror groups in Gaza, slept outside the the country's military headquarters in Tel Aviv.

The families have been protesting and demanding the military and government to take steps for securing the return of the captives. The families have asked Israeli government to refuse any ceasefire which does not include their demand of release of their loved ones.

A UN-run school, where the displaced people were kept in Jabalia refugee camp, was hit in an Israeli air strike in northern Gaza. The strikes in the school killed 15 people and left dozens others injured, stated Mohammad Abu Selmeyah, the head of al-Shifa Hospital.

“There are 15 martyrs and the number is expected to increase,” stated Abu Selmeyah, who is also an official in Hamas-run enclave's health ministry, reported Reuters.

US special envoy David Satterfield stated that 800,000 to a million people have shifted from Gaza Strip's southern part, while 350,000-400,000 are still present in the northern part of the enclave.

Speaking to the reporters in the Jordanian capital Amman, he stated no recorded instances were available which showed Hamas interdicting or seizing aid.

“Fuel in depots in Gaza has been accessed by UNRWA for aid trucks, de-salinisation and hospitals in the south of Gaza,” he said.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken held talks with Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in Amman.

Qatar has been a key negotiator in the talks being held with Hamas amid the war with Israel. The nation was appreciated by the United States for helping in the release of four hostages held by Hamas and also helping the opening of Rafah border between Egypt and Gaza.

An Israeli airstrike early Saturday destroyed a house in central Khan Younis in southern Gaza Strip. First responders rushed to the house searching for dead and potential survivors under the rubble. According to an Associated Press cameraman, first responders recovered three bodies and six wounded. Associated Press footage showed first responders retrieving a motionless body of a child from under the rubble. One aid worker was seen covering her face with a blanket, as another took her to a nearby ambulance.

U.S. nationals who have been evacuated from Gaza through Rafah border crossing, arrived in a Cairo hotel in the early hours of Saturday (November 4).

Among the evacuees was Palestinian-American Hurra Mohamed Temraz, who said she and her children nearly escaped death when one of the Israeli airstrikes hit her neighbourhood.

But while Temraz made it safely with her two children to Cairo, she still have the rest of her family in Gaza.

The Israeli army releases footage it says shows a strike on a Hezbollah post "in response to two terrorist cells attempting to fire from Lebanon toward Israeli territory."

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa held talks with her Jordanian counterpart in Amman on Saturday. Kamikawa and Ayman al-Safadi were expected to discuss the Israel-Hamas war. Kamikawa visited Israel on Friday where she voiced support for the country in its war effort against Hamas. Japan has imposed significant sanctions on individuals and at least one company associated with the Hamas militant group in the wake of the deadly cross-border attack on Israel last month.

The conflict started after Hamas militants from the Gaza Strip blew through Israel’s highly fortified separation wall on October 7, and attacked an open-air music festival and Israeli border communities.

The Israeli Defence Forces released footage on Saturday of what it said were tanks and soldiers operating in the northern Gaza Strip, as well as monochrome footage of what it said were Israeli Air Force strikes on the Gaza Strip. it comes as Israeli forces have encircled Gaza City, and it has been urging civilians to head south to avoid getting caught up in the fighting as the ground war intensifies on Saturday. The Associated Press cannot independently verify the footage.

Blinken is to meet the Saudi, Qatari, Emirati and Egyptian foreign ministers on Saturday, as well as Palestinian representatives in Amman, the Jordanian foreign ministry said. 

The ministry said in a statement, that the Arab leaders will stress the "Arab stance calling for an immediate ceasefire, delivering humanitarian aid and ways of ending the dangerous deterioration that threatens the security of the region."

Ceasefire and delivering humanitarian aid are expected from the meet. 

A Pentagon spokesperson said Saturday (Oct 4) that “broader regional conflict” in the Middle East “has been deterred".

Brig Gen Patrick S Ryder said: “Right now, we see this conflict as contained between Israel and Hamas".

This comes after Hamas leader Hassan Nasrallah in a speech warned that conflict in Gaza could erupt into a "wider conflict" if Israeli attacks are not halted.

UK Foreign Minister James Cleverly held talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian over the phone and discussed the situation in Gaza and bilateral ties.

“I recommend that the British government look at the developments in the region with a realistic approach,” Iranian media quoted Amirabdollahian as saying.

“In any approach, it should be known that the root of the Palestinian crisis goes back to the occupation of the Israeli regime,”Amirabdollahian said, adding within the framework of  international law, the principle of proportionality should be taken into account during a war.

Here’s the full statement:

“Around 4:05pm local time [14:05 GMT], a convoy of ambulances left Al-Shifa Hospital in a decision that was coordinated with the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza.

The convoy, which was headed towards the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, included five ambulance vehicles: four belonged to the Health Ministry and one belonged to PRCS.

The convoy travelled about four kilometres from the hospital to the al-Rashid coastal road but found it was impassible due to rocks and a large amount of shelling in the area.

The vehicles returned towards the Al-Shifa Hospital; When they were about one kilometre from the facility, the first ambulance at the head of the convoy – which belonged to the Health Ministry – was directly hit.

The other vehicles continued towards the hospital. As soon as the first ambulance reached the gate of Al-Shifa Hospital, the front of the vehicle was hit. This attack killed 15 people and injured dozens.”

In a statement released Friday, UN chief Antonio Guterres said he was horrified by Israeli strike on ambulance, which killed at least 35 people. 

“I am horrified by the reported attack in Gaza on an ambulance convoy outside Al-Shifa Hospital,” Guterres said, adding, “The images of bodies strewn on the street outside the hospital are harrowing.”

Guterres added that the conflict “must stop”.

At least 35 people have been killed after Israeli strikes on an ambulance convoy in Gaza City on Friday (Nov 3) and an attack “targeting” a school in northern Gaza on early Saturday (Nov 4), said the Hamas-run Palestinian health ministry. 

The Israeli army confirmed that they struck an ambulance convoy near one of Gaza’s biggest hospitals saying that it was being used by the Palestinian militant group to transfer militants and weapons. 

Read more here.

Disclaimer: WION couldn't verify this information independently.

Lebanon's Hezbollah warned the US Friday that preventing a regional war depended on Israel's decision to stop the war in Gaza. Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah's leader, said that the conflict on the Lebanese front could turn into a "wider war."

He also threatened to counter USA's increased military presence in the region, hinting that Hezbollah was ready to confront American warships in the Mediterranean. “You, the Americans, can stop the aggression against Gaza because it is your aggression. Whoever wants to prevent a regional war, and I am talking to the Americans, must quickly halt the aggression on Gaza,” Nasrallah said in a speech.

Israel has claimed that Hamas had built its control centre under a hospital it earlier targeted in air strikes. Mark Regev, an adviser to the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, told Israeli media that any civilian infrastructure could become "legitimate target" if Hamas uses it as its launchpad. 

Meanwhile, Israeli defence forces have confirmed that they struck an ambulance earlier that they claimed was being used by Hamas terrorists.  

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) has condemned the targeting of a convoy of ambulances in Gaza which it says has killed 15 people and wounded more than 60 others. 

In a statement early Saturday, PRCS said that one of its ambulances was struck "by a missile fired by the Israeli forces", about two meters from the entrance to the Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City.

The PRCS, part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, added that deliberately targeting medical teams constituted "a grave violation of the Geneva Conventions, a war crime".

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) says a tank struck a cell attempting to fire an anti-tank missile from Lebanon at Israel. 

The Israeli army also said that it struck a suspect who approached the border near the town of Shlomi.

At least 20 people have been killed and dozens more injured in an attack "targeting" a school in northern Gaza, said the Hamas-run Palestinian health ministry early Saturday (Nov 4).

"20 martyrs and dozens of wounded arrived at the Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City after the direct targeting of a school turned into a makeshift camp for displaced people in the al-Saftawy area in northern Gaza," the health ministry said in a statement. 

"Several tank mortar shells fell into the school that was directly targeted," it added.

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators demanding a ceasefire in Gaza blocked a United States military ship leaving the Port of Oakland by locking themselves to the ship, according to American media reports. 

The protest groups say that the ship was headed to Israel after being loaded with weapons and military equipment in Tacoma, Washington. 

Police were seen at the site where around 200 demonstrators reportedly holding Palestinian flags and signs called for an end to US military aid to Israel. 

Two women in the United Kingdom have been charged with terrorism offences after allegedly displaying pro-Hamas imagery at a pro-Palestinian demonstration in London, said the police on Friday. 

This comes after the police in Britain has warned about possible radicalisation as a result of the Israel-Hamas war. The women allegedly wore stickers with images of paragliders at a protest in London October 14. 

A number of Hamas fighters used paragliders during the October 7 attack on Israel. The Palestinian militant group has been proscribed as a terrorist organisation in Britain. 

Ashraf al-Qudra, the Palestinian health ministry spokesman during a press conference outside the al-Shifa hospital, rejected Israeli military's claims that the ambulance struck was being used by the militant group to transfer fighters and weapons, reported Al Jazeera. 

He also said that two ambulance vehicles were targeted. The first one at the Ansar Roundabout in Gaza City, which left the driver of the ambulance injured and a paramedic also suffered critical injuries, said the spokesperson from the Hamas-run ministry.

Subsequently, as the medical convoy turned back, a second ambulance was targeted when it arrived at the gate of the al-Shifa Hospital complex, killing 15 people and injuring 16 others, according to al-Qudra.

World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he was "utterly shocked" by a deadly Israeli strike on an ambulance near Gaza's largest hospital. 

"Utterly shocked by reports of attacks on ambulances evacuating patients close to Al-Shifa hospital in #Gaza, leading to deaths, injuries and damage," said Tedros, in a post on X.

He added, "We reiterate: patients, health workers, facilities, and ambulances must be protected at all times. Always. Ceasefire NOW." 

The Hamas-run government said that the Israeli forces hit "a convoy of ambulances which was transporting the wounded" from Gaza City towards Rafah border crossing. 

Meanwhile, the Israeli military says it had launched an air strike on "an ambulance that was identified by forces as being used by a Hamas terrorist cell in close proximity to their position in the battle zone".

"A number of Hamas terrorist operatives were killed in the strike," a military statement said.

The foreign ministers of Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar will meet US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Amman Saturday to discuss the Israel-Hamas war and the "dangerous escalation," said Jordan's foreign ministry in a statement. 

A Palestinian Authority representative will also join the talks that will focus on "repercussions ... of the dangerous escalation which threatens security throughout the region," said the Jordanian foreign ministry.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday (Nov 3) that Israel would not agree to a temporary truce in its war on Hamas without the release of hostages taken from Israel to Gaza.

Following his meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Tel Aviv, Prime Minister Netanyahu told reporters, "We're continuing with all our force and Israel is refusing a temporary truce that doesn't include the release of our hostages."

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Honduran foreign ministry said its ambassador to Israel was being recalled because of what it described as Israel's violations of international humanitarian law in Gaza. 

This comes after Colombia and Chile have also recalled their ambassadors to Israel. 

Additionally, Bolivia has completely cut ties with Israel over its actions in Gaza. 

French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, in an update on Friday said 34 French nationals and their families crossed into Egypt from Gaza through the Rafah border crossing. 

"Today, we have 34 French people with their families who were able to pass," she told French media in Abuja during her visit to meet Nigerian officials.

So far, only some of the 170 nationals, who included staff from the cultural centre and their families, had so far managed to get out.

Israeli struck an ambulance in Gaza City on Friday (Nov 3) which they said was carrying militants, which health authorities in the Hamas-controlled Palestinian enclave say was evacuating wounded people from the besieged north to the south of the territory.

Hamas said on Friday that a deadly Israeli strike hit a convoy of ambulances, which the health ministry said killed multiple people. 

The Hamas-run health ministry said that "several citizens were killed and dozens wounded in an Israeli strike at the entrance to Al-Shifa hospital" in Gaza City.

Israel's military said it had identified and hit an ambulance "being used by a Hamas terrorist cell" in the battle zone, adding that a number of Hamas fighters had been killed in the strike. 

They also went on to accuse the Palestinian militant group of transferring both militants and weapons in ambulances.

WION was unable to verify these claims.