Israel-Hamas war Nov 5 updates: Hamas says Israel carrying out 'intense bombings' around Gaza hospitals

US Secretary of state Antony Blinken made a surprise visit to Baghdad on Sunday following a trip to the occupied West Bank earlier in the day. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al-Sudani met Blinken, the premier's office said, with the two expected to discuss the risks of escalation in Israel's war with Hamas. Since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, a series of rocket and drone attacks have targeted military bases hosting US forces in Iraq.

Gaza's Hamas government said the Israeli army was carrying out "intense bombings" on Sunday evening around several hospitals in the north of the Gaza Strip, shortly after telecommunications were cut.  "For more than an hour, intense bombings have been taking place around hospitals," said Salama Marouf, the head of the Hamas government's media office.

Four relatives of a journalist were killed on Sunday in an Israeli strike in southern Lebanon, the official Lebanese agency NNA said, adding that the journalist was also wounded.

The agency said the four victims are the sister of radio correspondent Samir Ayoub and her three grandchildren. They were following the journalist's car in their own vehicle when they were killed.

"The petrol station was closed, as there is no fuel and no money. The situation here is very difficult," laments an owner of a petrol station in Rafah in the Gaza Strip near the border with Egypt, as Israel-Hamas war rages.

Former British PM Boris Johnson and former Australian PM Scott Morrison on Sunday (Nov 5) visited Kibbutz Kfar Aza, which was devastated by Hamas militants in the Oct 7 attacks. Accompanied by Israeli soldiers and officials, Johnson and Morris walked into some of the houses burned during the attacks.

The new US Ambassador to Israel on Sunday said America's top priority remained the release of over 200 hostages taken to Gaza by Hamas on October 7. Handing over his credentials to Israeli President Isaac Herzog, Jack Lew said "Israel has a right and indeed a responsibility to defend this nation and its people in a manner that reflects the values we share."

Thousands of protesters took part in a pro-Palestinian rally outside the Israeli embassy in Athens on Sunday. Demonstrators held up banners and placards and waved Palestinian flags and chanted slogans in support of Palestinians and against Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits an air force base, amid the ongoing war with Hamas.

Israel cut internet and phone lines in the Gaza Strip Sunday night, for the third time since the start of the Israel-Hamas war on October 7, telecoms firm Paltel said.

"We regret to announce the complete shutdown of communications and internet services in Gaza after the Israeli side disconnected the servers," Paltel said in a statement.

The Israeli military said on Sunday it continued to fight Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip. It said in a statement that “dozens of rifles, suicide drones and ammunition were located” during the operation. The Israel Defence Forces on Sunday released footage of troops conducting operations in an undisclosed location in the Gaza Strip.

Foreign nationals said they were stuck at Gaza's Rafah border crossing on Sunday (November 5) after Egypt announced the suspension of evacuations following a deadly attack on an ambulance. Efforts were under way to resume evacuations of injured Gazans and foreign nationals through the Rafah crossing to Egypt, Egyptian, U.S. and Qatari officials said.

The Israeli army released footage it says shows rocket launch sites near a children's swimming pool in a residential area and a playground in Gaza. As per news Agency, the location of the playground shown in one video and photo was near al-Rashid coastal road in Gaza City. The position of the buildings and road matched satellite imagery of the area.

Turkish police used tear gas and water cannon as hundreds of people at a pro-Palestinian rally on Sunday tried to storm an air base that houses U.S. troops, hours before U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was due in Ankara for talks on Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that there would be no ceasefire in the Gaza Strip until Israeli hostages are returned.

"I want you to know that there's one thing that we won't do, there won't be a ceasefire without the return of our hostages, take it completely out of the lexicon, we say it to our enemies and to our friends, and we'll simply carry on until we win. We don't have an alternative," Prime Minister Netanyahu said.

Former British prime minister Boris Johnson said on Saturday that marchers of "Free Palestine" were condoning the brutality of Hamas militants.

The White House announced on Sunday that over 300 Americans, US residents, and their families were evacuated from the Gaza Strip.

Speaking to CBS News, White House Deputy National Security Advisor Jonathan Finer said, "Over the last several days, through pretty intensive negotiations with all sides relevant to this conflict, we have been able to get out more than 300 Americans, lawful permanent residents and their family members."

The evacuations of injured Gazans and foreign passport holders through the Rafah crossing to Egypt have been suspended since Saturday following an Israeli strike on an ambulance in Gaza on Friday.

According to a report by the news agency Reuters on Sunday, Egyptian, US, and Qatari officials said there were efforts to resume evacuations.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday that it is his government's duty to save Palestinians from Israel. 

Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas said on Saturday that the Palestinian Authority could only return to power in Gaza if a comprehensive political solution was found for the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

"We will fully assume our responsibilities within the framework of a comprehensive political solution that includes all of the West Bank, including east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip," President Abbas told US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the news agency Wafa reported. 

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken held talks with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas during which the former "reaffirmed the US commitment to the delivery of life-saving humanitarian assistance and resumption of essential services" in Gaza, according to a spokesperson for the US State Department.

He also made clear that Palestinians "must not be forcibly displaced", Matthew Miller said.

Blinken and Abbas discussed efforts to "restore calm and stability" in the West Bank, including the need to "stop extremist violence against Palestinians and hold those accountable responsible", he added..

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made a high-security surprise visit to the Israeli-occupied West Bank Sunday, meeting with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, according to local media reports.

Israel's Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu clarified his assertion that dropping an atomic bomb on Gaza is one of Israel’s options.

He wrote on X that "it’s clear to anyone with a brain that the remark about the atom was metaphorical."

Eliyahu added that "we indeed must display a forceful and disproportional response to terror, which will clarify to the Nazis and their supporters that terrorism isn’t worthwhile. This is the only formula with which democracies can deal with terror."

A huge crowd of protesters gathered outside the residence of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday (Nov 4) showing their frustration over the hostage situation and the tragic killings by Hamas on their October 7 assault. Police were present to manage the situation as anger mounted with demonstrations demanding accountability.

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Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has suspended heritage minister Amihai Eliyahu "from Cabinet meetings until further notice", Associated Press reported.

Benjamin Netanyahu has denounced comments by a minister in his government that dropping a nuclear bomb on Gaza is "one of the possibilities" and that the Palestinian population can "go to Ireland or deserts".

Heritage minister Amichai Eliyahu of the Otzma Yehudit party is quoted by the Times of Israel as saying in an interview with Radio Kol Berama that the Palestinian people "can go to Ireland or deserts, the monsters in Gaza should find a solution by themselves", adding that those who wave a Palestinian or Hamas flag "shouldn’t continue living on the face of the earth."

It quotes him saying that dropping a nuclear bomb on the Gaza Strip "is one of the possibilities"

On social media, Israel’s prime minister said:

Minister Amihai Eliyahu’s statements are not based in reality. Israel and the IDF are operating in accordance with the highest standards of international law to avoid harming innocents. We will continue to do so until our victory.

IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari said that they had attacked more than 2,500 targets in the Gaza Strip, since the beginning of ground operations. "The IDF forces continue to eliminate terrorists in face-to-face battles and direct aircraft to destroy terrorist infrastructures, weapons warehouses, observation posts and operational headquarters of the terrorist organization Hamas in the Gaza Strip," Hagari said.

Chad said that it was recalling its envoy from Israel due to "loss of life of many innocent citizens in Gaza."

The African country calls for a ceasefire "that will lead to a stable solution for the Palestinian question."

After Turkey, Honduras, Chile, Colombia and Jordan, Chad is the sixth nation in the world to recall its envoy. 

The scarcity of clean drinking water in Gaza heightened further after an airstrike reportedly targeted a water reservoir.

According to Hamas-affiliated Al Aqsa TV, Israeli strikes targeted a public water tank that supplies several neighbourhoods east of Rafah.

The Israeli army also targeted the entrance of Al Nasr Children’s Hospital in western Gaza City, the channel said on Telegram.

Boris Johnson, the former British Prime Minister, and Scott Morrison, the former Australian Prime Minister, have made an unexpected visit to Israel to express their support. During their visit, they are expected to meet with President Isaac Herzog and the families of individuals held hostage in Gaza. 

The Israel Defense Forces have said that, since the commencement of the ground offensive in the Gaza Strip a week ago, they have targeted over 2,500 locations using land, air, and naval forces. Additionally, overnight, they continued engagements with Hamas members in northern Gaza. Ground forces coordinated airstrikes against Hamas infrastructure, weapon storage facilities, observation posts, and command centres.

Recent key developments include the bombing of the Al-Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza, with more than 30 casualties, and the targeting of the Al-Fakhura school in Jabalia refugee camp, where at least 15 people were killed, both incidents primarily affecting civilians.

• Israeli chief of staff Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi made the first visit to Gaza since the conflict began, as Israeli forces encircled Gaza City and entered populated areas.

• US Secretary of State Antony Blinken faced challenges in securing humanitarian pauses in the conflict during meetings with Arab foreign ministers in Jordan. Egypt called for an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire, and Blinken planned to hold talks in Turkey.

• Turkey, in protest of the bloodshed in Gaza, recalled its ambassador to Israel and suspended contacts with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Israel criticized the move, and Hamas welcomed it.

• Gaza's Hamas government temporarily halted the evacuation of foreign passport holders to Egypt due to issues with evacuating wounded Palestinians, related to the Rafah crossing. Hamas was accused of exploiting a US-brokered deal by the White House.

• The situation continues to be a cause for concern and diplomatic efforts are ongoing, with various countries and organisations involved.

In Tel Aviv, demonstrators encircled rows of yellow chairs, each representing captives held by Hamas in Gaza on Saturday night. Each chair featured a picture displaying the eyes of the 242 individuals that Israel claims were taken captive by Hamas nearly one month ago. According to Hamas's military wing, the Qassam Brigades, 60 of these hostages have tragically lost their lives in Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip, reported Al Jazeera. 

Indonesians gathered for a sizable rally in Jakarta on Sunday (Nov 5) to show their support for Palestine. The demonstration occurred at a time when the Indonesian Hospital in Gaza, aided by Indonesian volunteers, is experiencing severe shortages of essential supplies in the midst of Israeli attacks.

MQ-9 Reaper drones were observed over Gaza, assisting in locating hostages. These unmanned aircraft have advanced sensors, such as heat-detecting cameras. The MQ-9 Reaper is cost-effective and safer than crewed planes, with air-to-air defense capabilities. This mission marked their first deployment over Gaza. Read the full report here. 

A massive pro-Palestinian rally was held in Washington on Saturday (Nov 4) calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and rejecting US President Joe Biden's policy towards the Israel-Hamas war.

Demonstrators were seen holding placards with slogans such as "Palestinian Lives Matter," "Let Gaza Live" and "Their blood is in on your hands." 

US Senator Bernie Sanders said Saturday (Nov 4) that Israel's "indiscriminate" killing of innocent victims in the Gaza Strip is unacceptable. 

Terming it as "one of the more horrific moments in modern history" he took to X social media platform and said that “Israel has a right to defend itself. I don't think anyone disagrees with that."

In an interview by his former staffers for their podcast, Pod Save America, former US President Barack Obama said that they were all “complicit to some degree” in the Israel-Hamas war killings. 

“I look at this, and I think back, ‘What could I have done during my presidency to move this forward, as hard as I tried?’” he said adding, “But there’s a part of me that’s still saying, ‘Well, was there something else I could have done?’”

He also called on them to “take in the whole truth," NY Times reports said analysing that it seemingly was meant to strike a balance between the killings on both sides.
 

In a video conference on Saturday (Nov 4), UNRWA staff in Gaza gave US Secretary of State Antony Blinken an update on the Gaza situation. 

He spoke of the “overwhelming humanitarian needs."

UNRWA in a post later said that that its staff gave the update on the agency’s relief efforts “as needs grow by the hour," media reports said. 

As per the UN, a whopping 530,000 Palestinians are seeking shelter at its centres in the Gaza Strip, which has now triggered health concerns amid fears of Infectious diseases.

“Overcrowding conditions continue to create severe health and protection risks,” a UN update said, adding that there are reports of several cases of acute respiratory infections, diarrhea and chicken pox in UNRWA shelters.

Hamas on Saturday too launched a barrage of rockets from Gaza towards Central Israel. Israel's Arrow missile defense system intercepted a rocket in the Arava region north of Eilat. 

Hamas said it fired several long-range Ayyash-250 rockets on the Jewish country.
 

IDF said people in Gaza will be allowed to move southwards along designated streets on Sunday. This comes after IDF troops encountered 'hostile fire' on Saturday while attempting to establish a secure path for civilian evacuation.

IDF has designated Salah Al-Deen Street as primary evacuation path. A time window between 10am to 2pm local time will be opened, as per an IDF spokesperson.

Rift emerged between US and its Arab partners on Saturday over the issue of immediate cease-fire in the Gaza Strip. 

US President Joe Biden said Saturday that progress had been made on securing a so-called "humanitarian pause" in the fighting between Israel and Hamas, as his secretary of state worked on the same issue in the Middle East.

However, in a meeting with foreign ministers of Jordan and Egypt, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said such a halt right now would only allow Palestinian militant group Hamas to regroup and attack Israel again.

Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant said Saturday that the IDF will "find and eliminate” Yahya Sinwar, who serves as the head of the Palestinian militant group Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

"We will find Sinwar and will eliminate him," Gallant told a news conference.On Saturday, an Israeli drone fired a missile at the Gaza house of Hamas' leader Ismail Haniyeh who is currently outside the enclave, Reuters reported.

(With inputs from agencies)

Hamas late Saturday said that at least 30 people lost their lives in an Israeli airstrike on a refugee camp in central Gaza.

"More than 30 (dead) arrived at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir Al-Balah in the massacre committed by the occupation in Al-Maghazi camp in the central Gaza Strip," AFP quoted health ministry spokesperson as saying.

Meanwhile, a Palestinian news agency WAFA said the strike killed at least 51 Gazans, mostly women and children. These claims can't be verified by WION independently.