Israel-Hamas war live updates: Situation in Gaza Strip is now ‘desperate,’ UN relief agency says; Egypt works to expand evacuations

Massachusetts Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey praised the release of U.S. hostages from Hamas custody “after weeks of public and private advocacy.”

“We repeatedly urged the White House, U.S. State Department, and the Egyptian and Israeli governments to do everything possible to help American citizens reach safety,” the Senators said after Wafaa Abuzayda, Abood Okal and their one-year-old son Yousef of Medway, Massachusetts were released.

“Their story was seen and heard by thousands of people praying for their safety, and President Biden made clear that securing safe passage for American citizens is a top priority,” they added.

Warren and Markey vowed to continue pushing for humanitarian assistance for civilians in Gaza and support for U.S. citizens, “including our Massachusetts constituents, who seek to leave Israel and Gaza to immediately return home.”

— Chelsey Cox

A White House official confirmed to NBC News that Vice President Kamala Harris met with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on the sidelines of the AL Safety Summit hosted in the United Kingdom.

The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said Harris and Guterres’ meeting “mostly focused on Gaza humanitarian access.” The official added that the meeting was a priority for Harris.

The two discussed ways to accelerate aid into Gaza through the Rafah border crossing.

— Amanda Macias

Israeli forces are deep in Gaza City, considered a Hamas stronghold in northern Gaza and also one of the besieged enclave’s most populated areas.

“Our soldiers have been operating in Gaza City for the past few days, surrounding it from several directions, deepening the operation,” Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, the IDF’s chief of staff, said in a televised briefing. “Our forces are in very significant areas of Gaza City.”

Halevi added that Israel has not delivered fuel to Gaza but that it would do so for hospitals once fuel runs out. “We check the situation every day. When fuel runs out, fuel will be delivered under supervision to the hospitals,” he said.

Palestinian health authorities say that nearly half of all of Gaza’s hospitals are out of service because they’ve been bombed or have run out of fuel.

— Natasha Turak

Images show destroyed buildings after an Israeli strike on the Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on November 2, 2023

— Getty Images

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov described as unacceptably violent a series of Israeli airstrikes on civilian areas within the Gaza Strip during a phone call Thursday with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry.

“The unacceptability of any violent actions against civilians, strikes on residential buildings and civilian infrastructure was noted,” Reuters reported the Russian ministry as saying.

The pair also called for an immediate ceasefire and greater humanitarian access to Gaza, including to aid the evacuation of Russian citizens.

“The Russian side stressed the urgent need to organize as soon as possible the evacuation of Russian citizens from that Palestinian enclave with the assistance of Egyptian partners.”

Lavrov’s comments come as Russia continues its ongoing invasion of Ukraine, as a result of which several thousands of Ukrainian civilians have been killed, according to the U.N.

— Karen Gilchrist

The Israeli air force is currently deploying “less than half” of its capacity in its assault on Gaza, Lieutenant-General Herzi Halevi said Thursday, according to Reuters.

The televised comments appeared to indicate that Israel was ready to ramp up its attacks on Hamas and other opponents if necessary.

Israel has launched an increasing number of airstrikes into Gaza in recent days, including two in as many days on the Jabalia refugee camp, which it said killed two Hamas commanders.

Hamas has said that at least 195 people were killed following the Israeli airstrikes at the refugee camp, with a further 120 people missing, and 777 wounded. CNBC could not independently verify these figures.

— Karen Gilchrist

Around 690,000 internally displaced people are taking refuge in 149 shelters run by the UN Agency for Palestine Refugees, the relief organization said Thursday, describing the situation in the Gaza Strip as “desperate.”

“Our shelters are almost 4x their intended capacity and overcrowded conditions continue to create severe health and protection concerns,” UNRWA said on social media.

The agency has previously noted that its shelters are oversubscribed and reported shortages of water, food, fuel and electricity in the Gaza enclosure.

The Israeli military has told Palestinian civilians in the northern part of the Gaza Strip to evacuate southward, while heavy ongoing bombardment has eradicated other residences.

— Ruxandra Iordache

At least 9,061 Palestinian people have been killed and 32,000 wounded since Hamas’ Oct. 7 terror attack, which prompted Israel to launch a siege and heavy bombardment of the Gaza Strip.

The figures were released on Thursday by the Palestinian ministry of health in a Google-translated statement. They were not independently verified by CNBC.

The health ministry of the Gaza Strip is under the control of Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Israeli and the U.S. have previously questioned the accuracy and transparency of numbers supplied by it and Gaza officials. Last week, the Palestinian health ministry published a report of more than 6,000 deaths it says have been documented.

— Ruxandra Iordache

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman donated a combined 50 million Saudi riyal ( $13.3 million ) to a fundraising campaign in aid of the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, the state-run Saudi Press Agency reported Thursday.

The campaign was launched on Thursday and is run on the Sahem financial platform by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center.

Saudi Arabia has been a historical supporter of the Palestinian people and has condemned civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip since the start of the Israel-Hamas war.

— Ruxandra Iordache

At least 195 people were killed following Israeli airstrikes at the Jabalia refugee camp in the northern part of the Gaza Strip, Hamas said in a Google-translated Telegram post.

The militant group added that another 120 people were missing under debris, with 777 wounded.

CNBC could not independently verify these figures.

Israel has previously said that its airstrikes at the Jabalia site targeted senior Hamas commanders as part of its broader operation against the Palestinian militant group in the strip. The Israeli military has in the past questioned the accuracy of casualty numbers released by Hamas, but has yet to supply its own estimates.

— Ruxandra Iordache

U.S. Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib of Michigan posted a voice memo and text message to her Instagram from a Palestinian-American stuck inside Gaza. The U.S. citizen, Zakaria Alarayshi, lives in Dearborn, Minnesota, but was visiting family in Gaza with his wife when the conflict began.

“This is a message is for President Biden. This war must stop. Women and children are dying every minute. Entire families are being wiped out in their homes. We have no food, no water and no medicine and nowhere to go. We are dying slowly,” Alarayshi said in the voice recording, which CNBC could not verify.

“We ask you, and we ask our president for an immediate ceasefire and for help to get us out of here. Nowhere is safe in Gaza. They asked us to go south, we did. And now they are bombing our streets, our homes and our shops,” he said. “We need immediate help. Is there any humanity left in the world?”

Alarayshi said he and his wife have gone to the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, where foreign passport holders have started being able to enter into Egypt in small numbers — but he told Rep. Tlaib that he and his wife were rejected fix times.

“The voices of those who on the ground in Gaza need to be heard now more than ever,” Tlaib wrote in her post.

— Natasha Turak

The Israeli military says the number of hostages takes by Palestinian militant group Hamas currently stands at 242, according to a transcript of comments from an Israel Defense Forces spokesperson, reported by NBC News.

“So far, the families of 242 abductees have been notified. We are committed to the national mission of returning everyone home,” Daniel Hagari said.

The IDF previously said the number of hostages is revised as families are able to be alerted. Hamas took the hundreds of captives during its terror attack against Israel on Oct. 7. Only four people have been released to date, with the IDF rescuing a fifth.

The remaining hostages could give Hamas a firm bargaining chip in the event of an Israeli ground incursion into the Gaza Strip, analysts have said in the past.

— Ruxandra Iordache

UNICEF on Thursday decried the impact on civilians caused by an Israeli airstrike against the Jabalia refugee camp earlier this week.

“The scenes of carnage coming out of Jabaliya camp in the Gaza Strip following attacks yesterday and again today are horrific and appalling. Many children are reportedly among the casualties,” UNICEF said on social media. The organization previously called for a cease-fire.

Israel earlier this week said it struck the Jabalia refugee camp as part of an operation that killed a senior Hamas commander, Ibrahim Biari. A local hospital said the offensive killed dozens and wounded hundreds.

CNBC could not independently verify the figures.

— Ruxandra Iordache

Egypt is working to evacuate around 7,000 people from the Gaza Strip through the Rafah Crossing, the country’s Foreign Ministry said Thursday, according to NBC News.

The ministry statement said civilians from more than 60 countries would be allowed to pass.

Evacuations of foreign nationals from the Gaza Strip began on Wednesday for the first time since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, after a deal between Israel, Hamas and Egypt that was mediated by Qatar in coordination with the U.S.

Civilians in the heavily bombarded Gaza Strip have been facing extensive shortages of fuel, food, water, electricity and medical equipment.

— Ruxandra Iordache

Israel’s military says it made two attempts to evacuate international civilians from the Gaza Strip since the start of its conflict with Hamas, but was prevented by the Palestinian militant group from proceeding with the operation.

“We’ve made two attempts in the past during the war, early stages and then after a week, to get international citizens, specifically Americans out of the Gaza Strip. Both attempts were stopped by Hamas,” Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Jonathan Conricus said in a TV interview with NEWSMAX, adding that Hamas was “in a way holding [these civilians] hostage.”

CNBC could not verify the claim.

The Rafah Crossing linking the Gaza enclosure to Egypt is the only passageway not controlled by Israel.

Foreign nationals were on Wednesday able to exit the Gaza Strip and enter Egypt for the first time since the start of the war, as part of a deal between Israel, Egypt and Hamas, brokered by Qatar in coordination with the United States.

“We understand that Egypt will be a vital part in the day after Hamas, when we will all have to find a solution for the civilians who are left in Gaza,” Conricus said.

— Ruxandra Iordache

The Ministry of Health in Gaza told NBC News that the main power generator at the Indonesian Hospital in the territory has stopped working, putting hundreds of lives at risk.

The report comes after a Palestinian Health Ministry official had on Wednesday warned that the Al-Shifa Medical Complex and Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza were poised to run out of generator fuel in hours.

— Christine Wang

The Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, which was attacked by Israel earlier this week, “is a Hamas stronghold,” a spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces said in an MSNBC TV interview.

“Think about, really, hotbeds of terrorist activity, where terrorists have really had a long time to embed themselves within the area and under the civilians, that is Jabalia,” IDF spokesperson Jonathan Conricus said.

Israel admitted to launching an airstrike at the Jabalia refugee site, in an offensive that a local hospital said killed dozens and wounded hundreds. The Israeli military has questioned the figures, stating that they are released by Hamas-run facilities but not supplying a death toll of its own assessment.

Israel says the operation at the Jabalia refugee camp was necessary to target a senior Hamas commander, Ibrahim Biari, whom the IDF says it killed in the strike.

CNBC could not independently verify the figures and developments on ground.

— Ruxandra Iordache

Israeli military engaged Lebanese missiles overnight, the Israel Defense Forces said overnight on Telegram.

The IDF said that Lebanon launched a surface-to-air missile toward an Israeli drone, and that the IDF retaliated against the “terrorist cell” that fired the projectile.

Further Lebanese launches were identified in the Har Dov and Mount Hermon areas, falling in open areas, the IDF said.

Israel has been exchanging fire with the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah since the start of the conflict with Palestinian militants Hamas. Hezbollah has repeatedly cited solidarity with Palestinian people.

Israel accuses Tehran of orchestrating a spate of attacks against its territory through proxies, including Hezbollah, Hamas and Yemeni Houthi. Iran has repeatedly denied involvement in the Hamas terror attacks of Oct. 7.

CNBC could not independently verify the report.

— Ruxandra Iordache

Reporters Without Borders filed a war crimes complaint to the International Criminal Court over journalists killed in the Israel-Hamas war. The organization said its complaint concerns eight Palestinian journalists and one Israeli journalist.

RSF said the Palestinian journalists in Gaza were killed in an “indiscriminate attack.”

“Even if these journalists were the victims of attacks aimed at legitimate military targets, as the Israeli authorities claim, the attacks nevertheless caused manifestly excessive and disproportionate harm to civilians, and still amount to a war crime under this article,” the organization said.

RSF noted that the Israeli journalist was killed on Oct. 7 while covering an attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas on his kibbutz. It said his death “constituted the willful killing of a person protected by the Geneva Conventions, which is a war crime.”

The organization also urged the ICC to investigate the deaths of all journalists who have been killed since the war began, flagging this is its third complaint about war crimes against Palestinian journalists in Gaza since 2018.

— Christine Wang

Over 20,000 people in the Gaza Strip remain injured with limited access to health care because of the ongoing bombardment and siege on the enclosure, Médecins sans frontières (Doctors Without Borders) said Wednesday.

Urging a cease-fire, MSF said that a new team of its international members is ready to enter the strip as soon as possible to support the local medical response, and that its Palestinian staff continue work within the Gaza territories.

“Around two million Palestinians are still trapped in the Gaza Strip under shelling, including 300 Palestinian MSF staff and their families,” it said.

In a separate video address on Wednesday, MSF International President Dr. Christos Christou said, “What medical staff can do is just a drop in the ocean compared to the immense needs …. Our teams still working in Gaza are exhausted and terrified.”

He urged, “As a doctor, a surgeon, I implore — give Gaza the cease-fire they need now, so that medicines can be delivered, and they get healthcare.”

The Gaza health-care system has been greatly crippled by a deficit of fuel and electricity supplies since the early-October start of the siege, along with a shortage of medical resources.

— Ruxandra Iordache

Multiple countries have announced the evacuation of the first group of their citizens from Gaza into Egypt through the Rafah crossing.

Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said 20 Australians, along with three people who were either permanent residents or immediate family members of a citizen, had been evacuated Wednesday through the crossing. But Australian Assistant Foreign Minister Tim Watts said 65 citizens, residents and close relatives have yet to be evacuated.

“We are continuing to push for them to be able to make that passage across the Rafah crossing as soon as possible,” Watts said.

Bulgaria’s government also announced 36 Bulgarian citizens and their family members had successfully left Gaza.

Bulgarian Minister of Foreign Affairs Mariya Gabriel said the evacuation through the Rafah crossing was implemented “in a complex and extremely dynamic situation” and all Bulgarian nationals in the first possible group allowed to leave the Gaza Strip “were in good condition.”

Earlier Wednesday, France, the U.K. and the U.S. announced the first of their citizens were able to evacuate Gaza through the Rafah crossing.

— Associated Press

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Tel Aviv, Israel and Amman, Jordan in the coming days.

The department said the secretary will reiterate U.S. support for Israel and discuss efforts to safeguard U.S. citizens, secure the release of hostages, increase aid entering Gaza and preventing the conflict from spreading.

Blinken is also expected to discuss in Jordan resuming essential services and “ensuring that Palestinians are not forcibly displaced outside of Gaza.” The department said he will also talk about efforts to “reduce regional tensions, and reaffirm the U.S. commitment to working with partners to set the conditions necessary for a durable and sustainable peace in the Middle East, to include the establishment of a Palestinian state.”

— Christine Wang

U.S. President Joe Biden said Wednesday he thinks there should be a humanitarian “pause” in the Israel-Hamas war in order to get “prisoners” out.

Biden was speaking at a fundraiser for his 2024 reelection campaign when a protester interrupted him, calling for a ceasefire.

“I think we need a pause,” Biden said in response. “A pause means give time to get the prisoners out.”

Israeli ground troops have advanced to Gaza City in heavy fighting with militants following Hamas’ killing of roughly 1,400 Israelis on Oct. 7.

—Associated Press

Philippe Lazzarini, the Commissioner General for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, or UNRWA, visited with civilians and humanitarian workers in Gaza.

“Philippe is the most senior official to be allowed into Gaza since the war began,” United Nations Secretary-General spokesman Stephane Dujarric said during a daily press briefing.

“He said the staff told him that fuel is very much needed for Gaza and that, more than ever, a humanitarian pause is also needed,” Dujarric said.

Dujarric added that UNRWA has lost 70 colleagues since the hostilities began on Oct. 7.

— Amanda Macias