The skies over Gaza City were filled with huge plumes of smoke again on Tuesday as Israel intensified its four-week offensive in the Palestinian territory. (photo)
Jabaliya refugee camp attack, humanitarian situation, hostage update, latest in the West Bank. Death toll in Gaza has passed 8,000.
This is a developing story, check back for updates
Find previous daily casualty figures and daily news updates here. For more news, go here and here. Live broadcast news from the region is here.
Latest statistics:
Palestinian death toll 8,170* (8,054 in Gaza* (including at least 3,542 children and 2,187 women – among these fatalities, 995 have not been identified yet, including at least 248 children.), and at least 116 in the West Bank); 23,256 injured (21,048 in Gaza and over 2,208 in the West Bank). It remains unknown how many Americans are among the casualties. About 1.4 million people have been displaced; more than 1,950 missing (1,050 children) and presumed to be under rubble.
*NOTE: The official UN death toll includes 471 Gazans killed in the Al Ahli hospital blast. IAK does not yet include those deaths since the source of the projectile is being; although much evidence points to Israel as the culprit, experts are still looking into the incident. Israel is blocking an international investigation.
Israeli death toll remains near 1,400** (1 killed in West Bank, 1 in Gaza), including 32 Americans, and 5,431 injured.
**NOTE: It is unknown at this time how many of the Israeli deaths and injuries may have been caused by Israeli soldiers; additionally, since Israel has a policy of universal conscription, it is unknown how many of those attending the outdoor rave a few miles from Gaza on stolen Palestinian land were Israeli soldiers.
The names of those killed: Palestinians killed in Gaza are here (an English translation appears to be here). The names of the Israelis killed are here.https://israelpalestinetimeline.org/death-chart-650px/Hover over each bar for exact numbers.
Source: IsraelPalestineTimeline.org
Humanitarian aid for Gaza: The Palestine Red Crescent Society said Tuesday evening it received 59 trucks. According to an Israeli spokesperson, later Tuesday evening, the number of trucke reached 70. The shipments include only water, food, and medical equipment, not fuel.
The decision was made “at the request of the US Administration.
Youth killed in West Bank: Israeli forces killed a 16-year-old boy near Hebron, after they fired live ammunition to break up an apparent march by a group of Palestinians, who were protesting the latest deadly Israeli strike on Gaza’s Jabaliya refugee camp.
Washington out of touch with Americans: Palestinian political analyst Omar Baddar says there is a “big gap between public opinion” in the United States and the position of the Biden administration:
It’s such a significant discord that the overwhelming majority of Americans now support a ceasefire, and yet it seems like the political establishment is entirely deaf to the calls of the American people.
Unfortunately it looks like Washington is beholden to the influence of private lobbying groups that they’re tying to cater to … and are operating with an outdated mindset in which you have to be pro-Israel to have a political career and survive politically.
3 massacres today: Jabaliya, al-Shati, Nuseirat refugee camps: In addition to the mass killing at Jabaliya today (see below), Israeli airstrikes also hit al-Shati and Nuseirat refugee camps.
In al-Shati, news reports describe the destruction of several residential buildings while many families were still inside. Rescue workers and volunteers are desperately attempting to save people trapped underneath rubble, often using their bare hands. Medical reports said that so far 14 bodies have arrived and scores of wounded. The number is expected to rise dramatically in the coming hours. Check back for updates.
In Nuseirat, Israeli airstrikes hit a multi-story residential building with many families inside. Because of the evacuation orders in Gaza, many families are hosting large numbers of internally displaced persons. Scores are believed to be killed and wounded. Check back for updates.
Jabaliya update: Israel claims the massive attack on the crowded refugee camp targeted a Hamas commander – a claim the Palestinian group denies.
An Israeli military spokesman told CNN that Israeli forces bombed the Jabaliya camp, where a Hamas leader was hiding, but “We cannot confirm that we killed him.”
Each of the 6 American-made bombs weighed one ton.
Update on Jabaliya refugee camp: Jabaliya resident Ragheb Aqal described the bombardment as “an earthquake” that shook the entire refugee camp. Video here.
The attack was carried out using 6 US-made bombs.
Dr Mads Gilbert, Norwegian physician and humanitarian, said,
The last number I got was about 100 killed and 300 injured. There is absolutely no doubt that this is a mass murder. The hospital system in Gaza cannot accommodate 300 new injuries…
It’s a continuation of an attack on civilian society and the diminishing capacity of the healthcare system. I wonder when [US] President Joe Biden and EU President Ursula von der Leyen are going to say “enough is enough, stop this mass killing.
Jabaliya refugee camp ‘completely destroyed’: Israeli bombardment has apparently leveled the Jabaliya refugee camp. “These buildings house hundreds of citizens,” Gaza’s civil defense director stated. “The occupation’s air force destroyed this district with six US-made bombs. It is the latest massacre caused by Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip.”
It is not immediately clear how many people have been killed or wounded in the bombing, but a spokesman from the Gaza health ministry said “the number of victims may be nearly as many as the number of victims at the Ahli Baptist Hospital.
Cyberattacks: Al Jazeera Media Network (along with other networks and websites) has been subjected to an unprecedented surge of cyberattacks aimed at crippling its website and broadcasting capabilities, while covering the war on Gaza. These attacks are some of the most severe and intense that the network has encountered.
Teams at Al Jazeera have uncovered that a significant portion of them are originating from IP addresses connected to entities actively engaged in the ongoing conflict. Additionally, certain IP addresses have been found to be employing tactics to conceal their true origins.
The nature of these cyberattacks is persistent and well coordinated, evidently with the intention to cause substantial disruption. They demonstrate a systematic and methodical approach, coupled with the use of sophisticated techniques.
Gaza population news: According to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, over two thirds of Gazan fatalities have been killed in their homes.
The UN Children’s Fund’s executive director has said that more than 420 children are being killed or injured in Gaza every day.
The Gazan government’s media office reports that 116 medics and 35 journalists have been killed since the conflict erupted.
- Recommended reading: Gaza death toll reaches 8,000
Gaza humanitarian news: Water supply from Israel to southern Gaza came to a halt on 30 October for unknown reasons, while the announced repair of another pipeline from Israel to the Middle Area, ahead of its reactivation, did not take place. This follows several days of gradual improvement of water supply in central and southern Gaza following the distribution of limited amounts of fuel available in Gaza to key water facilities, enabling their reactivation. At the time of writing, no water is provided to Gaza from Israel.
Israeli air strikes have targeted warehouses that were storing food supplies and materials that civilians were using to light fires and cook meals in the Tal al-Hawa area.
The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) announced that, due to the lack of fuel, it was forced to reduce the number of ambulances it operates.The Palestinian Civil Defense has stated that the decomposition of bodies under collapsed buildings, amid the limited rescue missions, raises humanitarian and environmental concerns.
- Recommended reading: Human rights reports on Israel-Palestine (regularly updated)
Hostage news: On 30 October, as part of their ground operations, Israeli forces released one female Israeli soldier who was held captive in Gaza. This followed Hamas’ release of four civilian hostages on 20 and 23 October.
The Israeli government claims that the hostage video released yesterday is merely Hamas propaganda (see video here). Most observers find it authentic.
Hamas has suggested it will release all the captives in exchange for Israel releasing more than 6,000 Palestinians currently held in Israeli jails; Israel has dismissed the idea.
Israel has also rejected calls for a ceasefire, despite the fact that it would likely save numerous lives on all sides, perhaps prevent the violence from spreading throughout the region, and that countries around the world are calling for it.
- Recommended reading: Media bias in Western coverage of Israel’s war on Gaza
West Bank news: Six West Bank Palestinians have been killed so far today (Oct. 31), and 1 more succumbed to wounds from an Israeli settler last week. Of those killed today, at least 1 was disabled, and 2 were blocked by Israeli forces from receiving potentially lifesaving medical aid.
Israeli forces and settlers have killed at least 122 Palestinians (including 33 children), and 1,680 others have been detained by the Israeli army in the occupied West Bank since October 7.
Since October 7, Palestinians have killed one Israeli soldier.
Since October 7, more than 100,000 Israelis in recent weeks have submitted gun license applications, compared to 42 during the same period last year.
In the West Bank, the only Palestinians allowed to own arms are members of Palestinian security forces, according to the Oslo Accords. Palestinian weaponry is extraordinarily minor compared to the Israeli military.
Nearly 1,000 Palestinians have been forcibly displaced from their homes in the West Bank since 7 October. This includes at least 98 Palestinian households, comprising over 800 people, driven out from 15 herding/Bedouin communities in Area C of the West Bank (Palestinian land under full Israeli control), amid intensified settler violence and access restrictions.
Another 121 Palestinians were displaced following the demolition of their homes by the Israeli authorities on grounds of lack of Israeli-issued building permits or as a punitive measure.
- Recommended reading: It’s not just Gaza – Israel is also killing scores in the West Bank
MORE RECENT NEWS ON GAZA:
- Media bias in Western coverage of Israel’s war on Gaza
- What Americans Need to Know about Gaza and Israel Right Now
- Hersh: Israel considering flooding Gaza tunnels (this would kill hostages)
- Essential facts about the Hamas-Gaza-Israel war
- Sec’y Blinken (indirectly) calls Israel’s treatment of Gazans “barbaric”
- WATCH: What was happening in Gaza BEFORE the Hamas attack…
- October 30: Today’s news on Palestine & Israel
