Israel-Hamas war day-39 top developments | Israel committing equivalent of terrorism in Gaza, says Brazil's Lula

On day 39 of the Israel-Hamas war, these were some of the top developments

- UN chief says 'deeply disturbed by the horrible situation' in Gaza hospitals

- Israeli police said that they were carrying out an investigation of "several cases" of sexual violence which were allegedly committed against women by Hamas militants during the October 7 attacks

- Death toll in Gaza as per the Hamas government has reached 11,240. This includes 4,630 children, 3,130 women. An additional 29,000 people have been wounded

- Israel says it raised $7.8 billion of debt since the start of war with Hamas

- A 9-month-old is now the youngest hostage among 240 held by Hamas

- Israel identified 859 victims of the 7 October Hamas attack

- Indonesia President Joko Widodo called on US President Joe Biden to help end 'atrocities' in Gaza

- Israeli soldiers captured Gaza's parliament building

On day 39 of the Israel-Hamas war, these were some of the top developments

- UN chief says 'deeply disturbed by the horrible situation' in Gaza hospitals

- Israeli police said that they were carrying out an investigation of "several cases" of sexual violence which were allegedly committed against women by Hamas militants during the October 7 attacks

- Death toll in Gaza as per the Hamas government has reached 11,240. This includes 4,630 children, 3,130 women. An additional 29,000 people have been wounded

- Israel says it raised $7.8 billion of debt since the start of war with Hamas

- A 9-month-old is now the youngest hostage among 240 held by Hamas

- Israel identified 859 victims of the 7 October Hamas attack

- Indonesia President Joko Widodo called on US President Joe Biden to help end 'atrocities' in Gaza

- Israeli soldiers captured Gaza's parliament building

A deeply divided United States saw thousands attending a rally in Washington to support Israel and condemn anti-Semitism. This comes after weeks of predominantly pro-Palestinian demonstrations.

The National Mall near the Capitol witnessed a surge in the crowd as senior members of Congress were scheduled to address the event. Attendees donning Israel's white and blue colours held signs urging Hamas to release hostages.

According to the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington, one of the organisers of the event, the demonstration was scheduled to start around 1:00 pm (1800 GMT) and was centred on fighting anti-Semitism and calling for the release of the 240 hostages held by Hamas.

A spokesperson for the UN Chief in a statement has said that Antony Guterres is "deeply disturbed by the horrible situation" in Gaza hospitals.

The facilities are grappling with power outages and increasing numbers of decomposing bodies during the Israeli bombardment.

"The Secretary-General is deeply disturbed by the horrible situation and dramatic loss of life in several hospitals in Gaza," Antonio Guterres's spokesperson said in a statement.

"In the name of humanity, the Secretary-General calls for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire."

 The Israeli army on Tuesday (Nov 14) claimed that they have captured the parliament along with other government institutions which were run by Hamas in Gaza City as its forces escalated their offensive inside the Palestinian territory. Read more

Israeli authorities on Tuesday confirmed the death of soldier Noa Marciano, who was held hostage by Hamas

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Tuesday that Israel was committing the equivalent of terrorism in Gaza by killing innocent women and children in its war on Hamas.

"Israel's attitude toward children, toward women, is the equivalent of terrorism. There's no other way to put it," Lula said in his weekly social media address.

Foreign Minister Eli Cohen hit out at UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres by saying that he did not promote any peace process in the region.

"Guterres does not deserve to be the head of the United Nations," Cohen said, adding, "Guterres, like all the free nations, should say clearly and loudly: Free Gaza from Hamas." 

Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said on Tuesday that Red Cross did not meet Israeli hostages held by Hamas, adding no proof that they were alive. 

"Until today, none of our hostages met the Red Cross... we don't have any proof of life," Cohen told reporters. 

Israeli government authorities stated that they have identified the remains of 859 civilians who were killed in the October 7 Hamas attack so far and the work of identifying the remaining bodies is ongoing, reported The Times Of Israel. 

The United Kingdom has been considering to use“air and maritime options” to send more aid into Gaza and also through its bases in Cyprus, stated a government minister, while speaking to The Guardian.

UK foreign office minister Andrew Mitchell said, “We also are urging the Israeli government to increase humanitarian access including by Rafah and by opening up the Kerem Shalom crossing."

“At this point we assess that land presently offers the most viable and safe way to get humanitarian aid into Gaza in the quantities needed, but we are also considering air and maritime options, including through our bases in Cyprus," he added.

Lebanese national news agency NNA stated that intense shelling took place along the southern border of the country with Israel. No injuries were reported in the firing.

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) stated that its fighter jets defended the mortar which were launched from Lebanon overnight. The IDF firing also hit Hezbollah infrastructure as well as operational command centres.

Israeli police stated that they were carrying out investigation of "several cases" of sexual violence which were allegedly committed against women by Hamas militants during the October 7 attacks as "multiple witnesses" of incidents of rape emerged

"We have multiple witnesses for several cases," stated David Katz, head of the Lahav 443 criminal investigation unit. 

He also shared footage of testimony from a survivor of the rave party who stated ti have witnessd a woman gang-raped and then killed amid assault.

The Israeli army said Tuesday it had captured parliament and other government insitutions run by Hamas in Gaza City, as its forces deepened their offensive in the Palestinian territory.

Military units "took over the Hamas parliament, the government building, the Hamas police headquarters and an engineering faculty that served as an institute for the production and development of weapons," the army said in a statement.
 

Gaza-run Health Ministry has said that suffocation cases among patients and medical staff at Thabet Thabet Governmental Hospital in Tulkarm have been found, after the Israeli occupation targeted the emergency entrance with gas bombs today
 

The Israeli military has confirmed the death of a 19-year-old Israeli who was kidnapped by Hamas on 7 October.

Noa Mariciano was described as a fallen soldier. No cause of death is given, but the IDF says her family has been notified.

Lubna Nazir Shaboo, along with her daughter Karima, crossed over into Egypt from Gaza through the Rafah border crossing. "They are in al-Arish (a city in Egypt). Tomorrow morning (Tuesday) they will move to Cairo," Lubna's husband Nedal Toman said in a text message sent to Indian news agency PTI from Gaza.

The Israeli Defence Forces attacked 200 Hamas targets in overnight raids. The Israel Navy also attacked a military camp that was used by the naval formation of Hamas, for training purposes and to store weapons.

Premature babies born in the Gaza Strip amidst the ongoing Israel-Hamas war are dying in the absence of adequate health equipment and other facilities as the escalating conflict has made it difficult for hospitals to run optimally. 

Click Here to read full report

At least six Palestinians were killed early on Tuesday (November 14) in the occupied West Bank by Israeli forces, the Palestinian health ministry and Palestinian media said. 

At least three of those were killed in an Israeli drone strike, the Palestinians' official news agency WAFA reported, citing a hospital in the western city of Tulkarm. Israeli troops shot dead at least two Palestinians during earlier clashes in a refugee camp in the city, WAFA reported. 

The Israeli army on Tuesday announced the deaths of two more soldiers in Gaza, raising the number of troops killed in the Palestinian territory to 46 since the war began.  An army spokesman confirmed the new overall toll to AFP, after announcing two soldiers were killed in combat in northern Gaza on Monday.

(With inputs from agencies)

A 74-year-old Israeli-Canadian peace activist Vivian Silver who had been missing since Hamas's October 7 attacks has been confirmed dead, an Israeli diplomat in Toronto said Monday.

"Tragic news: Vivian Silver, the Canadian-Israeli peace activist previously thought to be taken hostage, has been confirmed dead, murdered by Hamas in Kibbutz Beeri," Idit Shamir the Israeli Consul General wrote on X.

"Canada mourns her loss," Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly wrote on X, describing Silver as "a proud Israeli-Canadian and lifelong advocate for peace."

-AFP

Palestinian authorities have claimed that Israeli airstrikes on the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza killed dozens of Palestinians on Monday evening (Nov 13), official news agency Wafa reported. 

At least 31 people have been killed in the Israeli airstrike. Dozens were reportedly injured in the report, which also stated that the Israeli airstrikes targeted 12 homes in a densely populated area near the Jabalia Services Club in the camp for Palestinian refugees. 

Click Here to read full report 

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Monday (November 13) welcomed 32 Brazilian nationals that his government helped evacuate from the Gaza Strip this week following a month of negotiations, receiving them at the Brasilia Air Base after a nearly day-long flight. The Brazilians crossed the Rafah border between Gaza and Egypt on Sunday (November 12) and were taken to Cairo, where this morning they boarded an Embraer presidential airplane loaned by Lula and traveled to Brazil via Las Palmas, Spain. Lula greeted passengers with hugs and kisses after their arrival late on Monday evening.

Footage released by Hamas on Tuesday (November 14) showed its military wing, the Al-Qassam Mujahideen, targeting Israeli army vehicles inside Gaza. Reuters was not able to confirm the location or the date the video was filmed. Israel launched its campaign last month to annihilate Hamas, the Islamist group that runs the Gaza Strip and that is officially dedicated to the destruction of Israel, after Hamas gunmen rampaged through southern Israel killing civilians. Around 1,200 people died in that attack and 240 were dragged to Gaza as hostages according to Israel's tally. Gaza medical authorities say more than 11,000 people have been confirmed killed, around 40% of them children.

Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva strongly criticised Israel's "brutality and violence" while personally receiving Brazilian and Palestinian nationals who were stranded in the Gaza Strip. Lula welcomed the evacuees as their plane touched down on the runway.

“At 78 years old, I have seen a lot of brutality and violence,” Lula wrote on social media later.

“But I have never seen such inhumane violence against innocent people. Hamas committed an act of terrorism but Israel’s response is also lethal against innocent children and women,” he said.

Indonesians are launching a boycott of US businesses, including McDonald's, after the Israeli franchisee of the fast-food giant disclosed its donation of meals to the Israeli army. This movement coincides with Indonesian President Joko Widodo's visit to the U.S. for the APEC summit in San Francisco.

The Hamas government in Gaza said on Monday (Nov 13) that the death toll from the ongoing conflict has reached 11,240 after over five weeks of hostilities between Israel and Hamas militants. The casualties include 4,630 children, 3,130 women, and an additional 29,000 people have been wounded.

At just nine months old, Kfir Bibas, a cheerful red-haired baby who had recently mastered the art of crawling, lived a peaceful life with his parents and four-year-old brother in a kibbutz in southern Israel. Little did they know, their lives would be irreversibly altered on October 7 when Hamas terrorists seized control of the area, subjecting the family to a harrowing abduction.

He is now the youngest among the 240 hostages held by Hamas. Read the full report here. 

The military wing of the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas informed Qatari mediators that they are prepared to release around 70 women and children currently held in Gaza. This offer is contingent on the condition that a five-day truce is established.

"The truce should include a complete ceasefire and allowing aid and humanitarian relief everywhere in the Gaza Strip," Abu Ubaida, the spokesman for the armed wing of Hamas, Alqassam Brigades,. said in a recorded audio published on the group's Telegram channel.

Spokesperson of Egypt's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said that Israeli actions 'on the other side of the crossing' are delaying the humanitarian aid needed in Gaza Strip.

"Rafah crossing is open and has not been closed at any stage since the beginning of the crisis. We do not accept bidding on Egypt’s well-established positions in support of Palestinian rights and in solidarity with the Palestinian people. Israel’s actions on the other side of the crossing impede and delay the arrival of aid to those entitled to it," he said in his post on X translated by Google.

Israel Defense Forces Spokesperson Daniel Hagari said on X (formerly Twitter) that a number of launches were detected from Lebanon to an IDF post

"A number of launches were detected a short time ago from Lebanon towards an IDF post near the border in the Malkia region. One of the launches was intercepted by the air defense fighters and the rest fell in an open area," said Hagari as per the translation of his Hebrew post obtained from Google.

The Israeli army has confirmed identity of a female soldier who has been held hostage by Hamas. The development took place after armed wing of Palestinian group released the video depicting the young woman.

"Our hearts go out to the Marciano family, whose daughter, Noa, was brutally kidnapped by the Hamas terrorist organisation," the army said in a statement released shortly after midnight.

"We are using all means, both intelligence and operational, to bring the hostages home."

Rockets have been seen being fired into Israel from Gaza Strip. The Ashkelon Coast Regional Council has said that a rocket landed in the region. There have been reports of sirens being sounded in central Israel.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo during his visit to the White House has urged US President Joe Biden to do more to end what he called "atrocities" in Gaza.

"Indonesia appeals to the US to do more to stop the atrocities in Gaza," said Widodo, the leader of the world's most populous Muslim-majority nation

"Ceasefire is a must for the sake of humanity."

Biden was asked about Al-Shifa hospital by reporters in the Oval Office. The situation inside Al-Shifa hospital is dire. Christian Lindmeier, a World Health Organization (WHO) spokesman has been quoted in media reports as saying that the hospital is "nearly a cemetery" now as medical services are hit due to severe shortage of electricity and medicines, and bodies are piling up with little to no option to bury them owing to the fight taking place around the hospital.

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Israel Army Spokesperson Daniel Hagari has said that Israel has "found signs that indicate that Hamas held hostages" in the basement of Al-Rantisi hospital. Hamas fighters, during their October 7 attack in southern Israel, had taken more than 200 hostages.

(Image: Reuters)

A live broadcast of a Lebanese journalist was interrupted by a missile strike near Israeli border. She has escaped without injury.

Rif Akil, who works for Lebanese channel Al Jadeed, was in Yaroun near Lebanon-Israel border.

As quoted by Reuters, her colleagues in the studio said that the group of journalists had been targeted by an attack from Israeli forces.
 

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Daniel Hagari held a press conference a short while ago and played a video which he claimed showed 'Hamas infrastructure under hospital'. The hospital in the video is Rantisi hospital in Gaza, said BBC.

Israel has repeatedly alleged that Hamas had strategically placed their fighters and infrastructure near hospitals. Hamas has consistently denied this.

Hamas militants have fired rockets at Israeli forces from Rafah in southern Gaza.

US President Joe Biden has unequivocally said that Al-Shifa, the main hospital in the Gaza Strip 'must be protected'. He did not mention the hospital by name but addressed the concern.

"It's my hope and expectation that there will be less intrusive action relative to the hospital," Biden told reporters in the Oval Office.

"The hospital must be protected."

Andrea de Domenico, head of United Nations office for coordination of humanitarian affairs has said that lack of fuel is likely to stop delivery of aid in Gaza Strip. Shortage of fuel and medical supplies has left Gazans' lives "hanging by a thread" said De Domenico. 
 

At least two dozen arrests were made during a protest outside Israeli consulate in Chicago. The protesters, who numbered in hundreds, wanted Israel to end its invasion of Gaza.

Multiple reports in Israeli media have said that Israel troops have captured Gaza parliament building and even photographed themselves with Israeli flag.