news

IDF says it is carrying out an operation at Gaza's Al-Shifa hospital; March for Israel draws thousands to D.C.

A screen grab captured from a video shows premature babies under treatment in the neonatal intensive care unit removed from the incubators and transferred to another department in the hospital after Israeli attack on Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, Gaza on November 14, 2023.
Anadolu Agency | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images

This was CNBC's live blog tracking developments on the Israel-Hamas war. Click here for the latest udpates.

U.S. President Joe Biden called for medical facilities in Gaza to be protected, as Israel continues its offensive in the region. "Hospitals must be protected," he said at an Oval Office event on Monday, calling for "less intrusive action" by Israeli forces.

IDF said its forces were conducting a "precise" operation against Hamas in a specific area of the Al-Shifa medical complex "with the intent that no harm is caused to the civilians being used by Hamas as human shields."

This comes as the World Health Organization states the situation at the Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City has grown increasingly dire and that a cease-fire is necessary to preserve civilian lives. The WHO has said that Al-Shifa has ceased to function.

Elsewhere, the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine said it will have to wind down its operations within 48 hours after depleting fuel supplies. "The humanitarian operation in Gaza will grind to a halt in the next 48 hours as no fuel is allowed to enter Gaza," UNRWA Director Thomas White said late Monday on social media.

In the U.S. tens of thousands of demonstrators streamed into Washington, D.C., for a "March for Israel" on Tuesday for a strong show of support for Israel and a condemnation of antisemitism.

Over 600 Americans and U.S. permanent residents left Gaza through Rafah crossing; almost 1,000 are still stuck

Over 600 Americans, lawful permanent residents and their family members have left Gaza through Rafah crossing, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said today.

According to the State Department's knowledge, almost 1,000 American citizens, lawful permanent residents and their families are still stuck in Gaza, Miller said.

The State Department hopes to facilitate their departure "over the coming days" should they wish to leave, Miller said.

NBC News

UN agency says it has no more fuel in Gaza, relief operations will end soon

Ahmad Hasaballah | Getty Images News | Getty Images
People mourn as they collect the bodies of Palestinians killed in Israeli raids on November 14, 2023 in Khan Yunis, Gaza. Heavy fighting rages in the northern Gaza Strip as Israel encircles the area, despite increasingly pressing calls for a ceasefire. Due to a lack of fuel needed to operate the generators, hospitals are deprived of electricity. Between 15,000 and 20,000 people took shelter in hospital facilities, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip. The WHO, once again in contact with the Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza, considers "the situation disastrous and perilous."

The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees says its fuel storage facility in Gaza is empty and its relief operations will soon be halted.

The lack of fuel in Gaza means communications are expected to start collapsing on Thursday, UNRWA said, "as telecommunications companies run out of fuel to operate their data centres and major connection sites."

Israel has refused to allow fuel shipments into Gaza since Hamas' cross-border attack on Oct. 7. Israel says Hamas will divert any fuel shipments for military use.

Philippe Lazzarini, the commissioner-general of UNRWA, said that after weeks of warnings and rationing, the agency will soon be out of fuel.

"The depot is now empty," he said. "It is very simple. Without fuel, the humanitarian operation in Gaza is coming to an end. Many more people will suffer and will likely die."

UNRWA provides food, shelter and other services to hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians.

Associated Press

IDF says it is carrying out a 'targeted' operation at Al-Shifa hospital

A picture shows a view of the exterior of Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City on Nov. 10, 2023, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement.
Ismail Zanoun | Afp | Getty Images
A picture shows a view of the exterior of Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City on Nov. 10, 2023, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement.

IDF soldiers are conducting a "targeted" operation at Al-Shifa hospital, the largest hospital in Gaza City, where hundreds of medical staff, patients and civilians have been taking shelter, the military said in a post on X.

"IDF forces are carrying out a precise and targeted operation against Hamas in a specified area in the Shifa Hospital, based on intelligence information and an operational necessity," the IDF said.

The news comes hours after the White House said it had information that Hamas and other militants in Gaza utilized tunnels underneath hospitals, including Al-Shifa, to hide in and keep hostages.

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said he did not want to get into granular detail on the matter to protect sourcing, but that it came from multiple intelligence sources. Hamas later issued a statement denying Kirby's accusation.

NBC News

Palestine Red Crescent Society says it evacuated Al-Quds Hospital in Gaza City

Atef Al-Helou (C), from Shujaiya neighbourhood in Gaza City, stays with his relatives inside Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis. Atef suffers from fractures in his feet, and due to the large number of injured people, there is no time to undergo an operation, and he needs to travel outside Gaza for treatment. Al-Helou and his family were injured after the Israeli army bombed the houses adjacent to Al-Quds Hospital, and they were forced to leave the hospital for southern Gaza in the city of Khan Yunis.
Picture Alliance | Picture Alliance | Getty Images
Atef Al-Helou (C), from Shujaiya neighbourhood in Gaza City, stays with his relatives inside Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis. Atef suffers from fractures in his feet, and due to the large number of injured people, there is no time to undergo an operation, and he needs to travel outside Gaza for treatment. Al-Helou and his family were injured after the Israeli army bombed the houses adjacent to Al-Quds Hospital, and they were forced to leave the hospital for southern Gaza in the city of Khan Yunis.

The Palestine Red Crescent Society said it evacuated "patients, the wounded, their families, and the medical teams" from Al-Quds Hospital in Gaza City today.

"This comes after more than ten days of siege, during which medical and humanitarian supplies were prevented from reaching the hospital," the organization said on X. "As the hospital had become a threat to the lives of everyone inside due to the ongoing Israeli bombardment around the hospital and firing upon those inside, in addition to a complete power outage and the depletion of water and food for the patients, it became impossible to continue providing the necessary medical care under these conditions."

Patients were taken to hospitals in south Gaza to receive medical care, which the agency said "are already suffering from fuel shortages and a scarcity of medical supplies and medications."

NBC News

Yemen's Houthis say they launched ballistic missiles on Israeli military targets

Loyalists of Yemen's Houthi group listen to an address of the group leader Abdul Malek Badr al-Dain al-Houthi, broadcast on large screens inside Al-Sha'ab Mosque on November 14, 2023 in Sana'a, Yemen.
Mohammed Hamoud | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Loyalists of Yemen's Houthi group listen to an address of the group leader Abdul Malek Badr al-Dain al-Houthi, broadcast on large screens inside Al-Sha'ab Mosque on November 14, 2023 in Sana'a, Yemen.

Yemen's Houthi have launched a batch of ballistic missiles on various Israel targets, including sensitive ones in Israel's Eilat, the group's military spokesperson said on Tuesday.

The launch came "after 24 hours of another military operation by drones on the same Israeli targets," the spokesperson added.

The spokesperson said that the group "will not hesitate to target any Israeli ship in the Red Sea or at any other place" the group could reach.

— Reuters

White House says it has intelligence that Hamas uses hospitals, including Al-Shifa, to store weapons and hostages

WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 8: NSC Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby during today's White House Press briefing, in Washington, DC. (Photo by Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
The Washington Post | The Washington Post | Getty Images
WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 8: NSC Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby during today's White House Press briefing, in Washington, DC. (Photo by Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

The U.S. said Tuesday that it has unspecified intelligence that Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad use some hospitals in the Gaza Strip — including Al-Shifa hospital — and tunnels underneath them to hide and to support their military operations and to hold hostages.

The White House's national security council spokesperson, John Kirby, said the U.S. does not support strikes against hospitals.

"We do not support striking a hospital from the air," Kirby told reporters accompanying President Joe Biden aboard Air Force One to San Francisco for a summit with Asia-Pacific leaders. "Hospitals and patients must be protected."

Kirby said the U.S. also does not want to see "a firefight in a hospital where innocent people, helpless people, sick people are simply trying to get the medical care that they deserve."

When asked about evidence to support the claim, Kirby said "it comes from a variety of intelligence sourcing." He wouldn't be more specific.

— The Associated Press

House Speaker Mike Johnson at March for Israel: Cease-fire calls are 'outrageous'

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) speaks as House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) looks on during the March for Israel on the National Mall November 14, 2023 in Washington, DC.
Drew Angerer | Getty Images
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) speaks as House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) looks on during the March for Israel on the National Mall November 14, 2023 in Washington, DC.

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said at a pro-Israel demonstration in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday that a cease-fire is an unfeasible demand and would lead to the elimination of the state of Israel.

"Calls for a cease-fire are outrageous," the speaker said in an address to thousands of demonstrators in front of the U.S. Capitol.

His statements were followed by an echo of chants in the crowd of "no cease-fire."

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., followed Johnson at the podium. He expressed his support for President Joe Biden's joint financial aid package that would support both Israel and Ukraine, which is more than 600 days into its own war.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., also spoke at the protest and reiterated America's support for Israel and the Jewish people.

The congressional leaders' comments come as Johnson leads the House in a scramble to put together a budget resolution to keep the government funded and avoid a shutdown before a Friday deadline.

An Israel-Ukraine joint aid package has been at the center of the debate on how to construct a long-term budget. In the meantime, Johnson's current stopgap spending proposal does not include aid for Israel or Ukraine.

Rebecca Picciotto

Photos: Lightning strikes over Rafah, in southern Gaza

Photos show lightning strikes during a storm over Rafah, in southern Gaza, amid the ongoing battles between Israel and Hamas.

Lightening illuminates the sky during a storm over Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on November 14, 2023, amid the ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas.
Mohammed Abed | Afp | Getty Images
Lightening illuminates the sky during a storm over Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on November 14, 2023, amid the ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas.
Flares are fired as lightening illuminates the sky during the Israeli military bombardment of the northern Gaza Strip on November 14, 2023, amid the ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas.
Jack Guez | AFP | Getty Images
Flares are fired as lightening illuminates the sky during the Israeli military bombardment of the northern Gaza Strip on November 14, 2023, amid the ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas.
Flares are fired as lightening illuminates the sky during the Israeli military bombardment of the northern Gaza Strip on November 14, 2023, amid the ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas.
Fadel Senna | AFP | Getty Images
Flares are fired as lightening illuminates the sky during the Israeli military bombardment of the northern Gaza Strip on November 14, 2023, amid the ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas.

— Getty Images

Israeli President at March for Israel: U.S. alliance is 'stronger than ever before'

Israeli President Isaac Herzog addresses a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress at the U.S. Capitol on July 19, 2023 in Washington, DC.
Anna Moneymaker | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Israeli President Isaac Herzog addresses a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress at the U.S. Capitol on July 19, 2023 in Washington, DC.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog addressed a crowd of thousands of pro-Israel demonstrators on Tuesday, expressing gratitude for the alliance between the United States and Israel.

"We, the people of Israel, are grateful to President Biden, his administration and so many members of Congress on both sides of the aisle," Herzog said via a remote audio call.

"The moral clarity and bold actions of our American allies demonstrate the depth of the U.S.-Israel alliance, which is stronger than ever before," he added.

Herzog phoned into the protest — which took place in front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C. — from the holy site of the Western Wall in Jerusalem.

His comments come after some of Biden's officials sent the U.S. president a letter expressing discontent with the administration's handling of the war and demanding that Biden call for a cease-fire.

The event comes as the war enters its sixth week. Hundreds of thousands of pro-Palestinian protestors have gathered around the country over the past five consecutive weekends.

Both the pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli demonstrators at their respective marches have demanded the return of all hostages.

Rebecca Picciotto

Displaced Palestinians shelter at school run by UNRWA

Photos show the daily life of displaced Palestinians sheltering at a school run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, or UNRWA, in Rafah, Gaza, five weeks into the Israel-Hamas war.

Palestinians take shelter at a school run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), amid the ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Abed Rahim Khatib | Picture Alliance | Getty Images
Palestinians take shelter at a school run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), amid the ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
A boy walks with sacks of food supplies through a yard at a school run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on November 14, 2023, where internally displaced Palestinians have taken refuge amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Said Khatib | AFP | Getty Images
A boy walks with sacks of food supplies through a yard at a school run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on November 14, 2023, where internally displaced Palestinians have taken refuge amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Workers of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) distribute sweets to children at an UNRWA school in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on November 14, 2023, where internally displaced Palestinians have taken refuge amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. 
Said Khatib | Afp | Getty Images
Workers of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) distribute sweets to children at an UNRWA school in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on November 14, 2023, where internally displaced Palestinians have taken refuge amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. 
RAFAH, GAZA - NOVEMBER 14: Palestinians taking shelter in a UNRWA school struggle with downpour, strong winds and flooding as Israeli attacks continue on the 39th day in Rafah, Gaza on November 14, 2023. (Photo by Abed Rahim Khatib/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Anadolu Agency | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
RAFAH, GAZA - NOVEMBER 14: Palestinians taking shelter in a UNRWA school struggle with downpour, strong winds and flooding as Israeli attacks continue on the 39th day in Rafah, Gaza on November 14, 2023. (Photo by Abed Rahim Khatib/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Two boys carry together a jerrycan through a yard at a school run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on November 14, 2023, where internally displaced Palestinians have taken refuge amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Said Khatib | AFP | Getty Images
Two boys carry together a jerrycan through a yard at a school run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on November 14, 2023, where internally displaced Palestinians have taken refuge amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Palestinian people, including children, take refuge in a school affiliated to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) as they try to maintain their daily lives under harsh conditions amid the Israeli attacks continue in Gaza Strip, on November 14, 2023, in Rafah, Gaza.
Abed Rahim Khatib | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
Palestinian people, including children, take refuge in a school affiliated to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) as they try to maintain their daily lives under harsh conditions amid the Israeli attacks continue in Gaza Strip, on November 14, 2023, in Rafah, Gaza.
Children sit on mattresses in a shelter at a school run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on November 14, 2023, where internally displaced Palestinians have taken refuge amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Said Khatib | AFP | Getty Images
Children sit on mattresses in a shelter at a school run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on November 14, 2023, where internally displaced Palestinians have taken refuge amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Men sit listening to a portable radio receiver at a school run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on November 14, 2023, where internally displaced Palestinians have taken refuge amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Said Khatib | AFP | Getty Images
Men sit listening to a portable radio receiver at a school run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on November 14, 2023, where internally displaced Palestinians have taken refuge amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
A woman sits with a child by drying laundry outside a classroom at a school run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on November 14, 2023, where internally displaced Palestinians have taken refuge amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. 
Said Khatib | Afp | Getty Images
A woman sits with a child by drying laundry outside a classroom at a school run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on November 14, 2023, where internally displaced Palestinians have taken refuge amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. 

— Adam Jeffery

Busloads of 'March for Israel' supporters rally on D.C.'s National Mall to condemn rising antisemitism

WASHINGTON — Tens of thousands of demonstrators were streaming into the National Mall on Tuesday for what was expected to be a forceful show of support for Israel and a condemnation of the antisemitism and bias incidents that have erupted in the U.S. since the start of the Gaza war.

The "March for Israel" rally came as the war between Israel and Hamas entered its sixth week and with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continuing to reject calls for a cease-fire.

Read the full story here.

People pray on Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House before a rally supporting Israel during its conflict with Hamas November 14, 2023, in Washington, DC. 
Brendan Smialowski | Afp | Getty Images
People pray on Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House before a rally supporting Israel during its conflict with Hamas November 14, 2023, in Washington, DC. 
Demonstrators in support of Israel gather to denounce antisemitism and call for the release of Israeli hostages, on the National Mall in Washington, DC, on November 14, 2023. 
Stefani Reynolds | Afp | Getty Images
Demonstrators in support of Israel gather to denounce antisemitism and call for the release of Israeli hostages, on the National Mall in Washington, DC, on November 14, 2023. 
People arrive for the March for Israel on the National Mall November 14, 2023 in Washington, DC. 
Drew Angerer | Getty Images
People arrive for the March for Israel on the National Mall November 14, 2023 in Washington, DC. 
People arrive for the March for Israel on the National Mall November 14, 2023 in Washington, DC. 
Drew Angerer | Getty Images
People arrive for the March for Israel on the National Mall November 14, 2023 in Washington, DC. 
Demonstrators in support of Israel gather to denounce antisemitism and call for the release of Israeli hostages, on the National Mall in Washington, DC, on November 14, 2023.
Stefani Reynolds | AFP | Getty Images
Demonstrators in support of Israel gather to denounce antisemitism and call for the release of Israeli hostages, on the National Mall in Washington, DC, on November 14, 2023.
Demonstrators in support of Israel gather to denounce antisemitism and call for the release of Israeli hostages, on the National Mall in Washington, DC, on November 14, 2023.
Daniel Slim | AFP | Getty Images
Demonstrators in support of Israel gather to denounce antisemitism and call for the release of Israeli hostages, on the National Mall in Washington, DC, on November 14, 2023.

— NBC News

WHO says more than half of Gaza hospitals are non-functional

The World Health Organization said via social media on Tuesday that 22 out of the 36 hospitals in Gaza are non-functional due to a lack of fuel, damage, attacks and insecurity.

"The 14 hospitals remaining open have barely enough supplies to sustain critical and lifesaving surgeries and provide inpatient care, including intensive care," the United Nations health agency said via X, formerly known as Twitter.

The WHO called for an immediate cease-fire, active protection of civilians and healthcare and respect for international humanitarian law.

— Sam Meredith

Israel will no longer be able to put up with the existence of the Gaza Strip, Israeli finance minister says

Israel's Finance Minister and leader of the Religious Zionist Party Bezalel Smotrich attends a meeting at the parliament, Knesset, in Jerusalem on March 20, 2023. (Photo by GIL COHEN-MAGEN / AFP) (Photo by GIL COHEN-MAGEN/AFP via Getty Images)
Gil Cohen-magen | Afp | Getty Images
Israel's Finance Minister and leader of the Religious Zionist Party Bezalel Smotrich attends a meeting at the parliament, Knesset, in Jerusalem on March 20, 2023. (Photo by GIL COHEN-MAGEN / AFP) (Photo by GIL COHEN-MAGEN/AFP via Getty Images)

Israel's finance minister endorsed a "voluntary migration" of the Arab residents of the Gaza Strip as a solution to the long-standing conflict between Israel and Palestinian people.

"Voluntary migration and absorption of Gaza Arabs in the countries of the world is a humanitarian solution that will bring an end to the suffering of Jews and Arabs alike," Bezalel Smotrich said on social media, according to a Google translation. He heads the Religious Zionist Party, one of the nationalistic groups under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's administration.

In a broader Google-translated statement on Facebook, Smotrich qualified this as the right recourse for the residents of the Gaza Strip after 75 years of "refugees, poverty and dangers."

"A cell with a small area like the Gaza Strip, without natural resources and independent sources of livelihood, has no chance to exist independently, economically and politically, in such a high density for a long time," he added.

"The State of Israel will no longer be able to put up with the existence of an independent entity in Gaza, which, as mentioned, is inherently based on hatred of Israel and the desire to destroy it."

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, whose country closely supports Israel, has previously spoken against the displacement of the Palestinian people, with Washington endorsing a two-state solution that would establish an independent Palestinian state.

Ruxandra Iordache

Human Rights Watch calls for investigation into Israeli hostilities against Gaza Strip hospitals

The Human Rights Watch organization has urged the International Criminal Court and the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory to investigate Israel's hostilities against hospitals in the Gaza Strip as war crimes.

"Despite the Israeli military's claims on November 5, 2023, of "Hamas's cynical use of hospitals," no evidence put forward would justify depriving hospitals and ambulances of their protected status under international humanitarian law," the HRW said Tuesday.

"Even if military forces unlawfully use a hospital to store weapons or encamp able-bodied combatants, the attacking force must issue a warning to cease this misuse, set a reasonable time limit for it to end, and lawfully attack only after such a warning has gone unheeded," the group added.

The Israeli military says its main objective in the Gaza Strip is to demilitarize Hamas, which it purports has its network of underground tunnels — used for shelter, transport, movement and weapons and explosives storage — beneath civilian sites, including hospitals. Doctors and relief agencies warn of the humanitarian crisis exacerbated in the Gaza territories, as local hospitals deplete fuel and medical supplies.

Israel has signed but is yet to ratify the Rome Statute that underpins the purview of the ICC.

Ruxandra Iordache

Israeli military confirms presumed death of captive soldier featured in Hamas video

The Israel Defense Forces have expressed condolences for the presumed death of captive soldier Noa Marciano in a Telegram post on Tuesday.

Marciano, 19, was among the 239 hostages abducted by Palestinian militant group Hamas on Oct. 7. The al-Qassam Brigade, the military unit of Hamas, posted a hostage video on Telegram that appeared to feature her.

She addressed the camera in the first part of the footage, which then skipped to images showing a young woman with her likeness, lying motionless in a blood-stained bed. The video then showed the close-up of a bleeding head wound.

Hamas denied responsibility for her death.

The IDF said that Marciano's family was notified of her death. She was promoted from private to corporal posthumously.

CNBC could not independently confirm the identity of the woman featured in the video, when the footage was shot and whether the injury featured in the close-up was suffered by Marciano.

Ruxandra Iordache

French defense minister begins Middle East tour

French Armies Minister Sebastien Lecornu leaves the Elysee palace at the end of the weekly cabinet meeting in Paris on November 8, 2023.
Ludovic Marin | Afp | Getty Images
French Armies Minister Sebastien Lecornu leaves the Elysee palace at the end of the weekly cabinet meeting in Paris on November 8, 2023.

French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu is being deployed to the Middle East to discuss the situation in Gaza Strip, he said on social media, according to a CNBC translation.

The assignment, which starts Tuesday, is taking place at the request of French President Emmanuel Macron. The tour will begin in Egypt, then move further into the Gulf, only to finish on Friday in Israel.

France has increasingly spoken up in support of humanitarian aid for the civilians of the Gaza Strip, with Macron leading a conference set to raise funds for such assistance last week.

Ruxandra Iordache

Canadian-Israeli peace activist Vivian Silver declared dead

Canadian-Israeli peace activist Vivian Silver was killed during the Oct. 7 terror attacks carried out by Hamas, her son, Yonatan Zeigen, told CBC News.

A demonstrator holds a poster bearing the image of Israeli-Canadian Vivian Silver, held by Palestinian militants since the October 7 attack, during a protest for her release outside the President's Residence in Jerusalem on October 29, 2023.
Ahmad Gharabli | Afp | Getty Images
A demonstrator holds a poster bearing the image of Israeli-Canadian Vivian Silver, held by Palestinian militants since the October 7 attack, during a protest for her release outside the President's Residence in Jerusalem on October 29, 2023.

The news was confirmed on Monday by Idit Shamir, Israeli consul to Toronto.

The remains of the 74-year-old were found earlier at Kibbutz Be'eri, where she resided, but were only identified recently. Silver was previously thought to have been taken hostage during the Hamas offensive.

Silver was the founder of the Women Wage Peace movement that promotes a solution to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian people. She also volunteered with Road to Recovery to drive Palestinian people to medical care and appointments.

Ruxandra Iordache

Death toll rises

EDITORS NOTE-Graphic Content- This post contains images depicting scenes of death in Gaza and Israel.

At least 11,240 people have died in the Gaza Strip, with 29,000 wounded since the Oct. 7 attacks perpetrated by Hamas and Israel's retaliatory strikes against the Gaza Strip. The figures come from the Palestinian Health Ministry in the Hamas-controlled territory.

A youth from the Abu Hamad family reacts in grief a he sits next to the shrouded bodies of his father and two brothers before being collected for burial from the al-Nasser hospital in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on November 9, 2023, amid the ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. 
Mahmud Hams | AFP | Getty Images
A youth from the Abu Hamad family reacts in grief a he sits next to the shrouded bodies of his father and two brothers before being collected for burial from the al-Nasser hospital in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on November 9, 2023, amid the ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. 

At least 190 people were killed in the West Bank, according to the Palestine News & Info Agency.

At least 1,200 people died in Israel since the Hamas attacks, Lior Haiat, Israeli Foreign Ministry official, said on Nov. 10. A total of 239 hostages have been taken by the Palestinian militant group into the Gaza Strip.

Soldiers carry the coffin of fallen soldier, Gilad Rozenblit, during his funeral on November 12, 2023 in Ginegar, Israel. More than 40 Israeli soldiers have been publicly announced as being killed since the country began its ground invasion of the Gaza Strip, in its campaign to vanquish Hamas, the militant group that governs the Palestinian territory.
Amir Levy | Getty Images
Soldiers carry the coffin of fallen soldier, Gilad Rozenblit, during his funeral on November 12, 2023 in Ginegar, Israel. More than 40 Israeli soldiers have been publicly announced as being killed since the country began its ground invasion of the Gaza Strip, in its campaign to vanquish Hamas, the militant group that governs the Palestinian territory.

Ruxandra Iordache

Israeli military opens humanitarian corridor

Palestinians including injured people leave their homes to escape Israel's bombardments to reach southern part of the city in Gaza City, Gaza on November 11, 2023. 
Belal Khaled | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
Palestinians including injured people leave their homes to escape Israel's bombardments to reach southern part of the city in Gaza City, Gaza on November 11, 2023. 

The Israeli military has opened its daily humanitarian corridor for the southward evacuation of civilians from the north of the Gaza Strip, Avichay Adraee, Israel Defense Forces spokesperson for the Arab media, said in a Google-translated social media post.

The IDF will stop fire on the main Salah al-Din road toward the Wadi Gaza wetlands between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. local time, the update said.

Palestinian citizens displaced from Gaza City to the southern Gaza Strip on Salah al-Din Street in the Al-Mughraqa area on November 10, 2023 in Gaza.
Ahmad Hasaballah | Getty Images
Palestinian citizens displaced from Gaza City to the southern Gaza Strip on Salah al-Din Street in the Al-Mughraqa area on November 10, 2023 in Gaza.

The military said it will also suspend military activities between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. in the neighborhoods of al-Daraj and al-Tuffah, to allow civilians to reach the Salah al-Din pathway.

Ruxandra Iordache

UN relief agency in Gaza Strip to wind down operations in two days as fuel runs out

A man walks with a gilet bearing the logo of the UN at school run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on November 14, 2023, where internally displaced Palestinians have taken refuge amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Said Khatib | AFP | Getty Images
A man walks with a gilet bearing the logo of the UN at school run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on November 14, 2023, where internally displaced Palestinians have taken refuge amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

The U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine said it will have to wind down its operations within 48 hours after depleting fuel supplies.

"The humanitarian operation in Gaza will grind to a halt in the next 48 hours as no fuel is allowed to enter Gaza," UNRWA Director Thomas White said late Monday on social media.

That same day, the agency warned that its trucks have run out of fuel.

"We will not be able to receive aid coming through the Rafah crossing tomorrow," it said Monday.

UNRWA, which has lost 101 staff members since the start of the conflict, has been helping receive and distribute humanitarian supplies brought into the Gaza Strip through the Rafah crossing. The route links the enclave to Egypt and is the only passageway not controlled by Israel.

UNRWA shelters also been opening its shelters and schools to offer refuge to thousands of displaced Palestinian people, in the wake of Israeli bombardment.

The agency has repeatedly called for fuel supplies so that it and health care facilities in the Gaza Strip can continue their work.

Ruxandra Iordache

Israeli military plans 'major operations' in the north of the Gaza Strip

This picture taken on November 13, 2023 from a position along the border with the Gaza Strip in southern Israel shows Israeli troops crossing a barbed wire fence amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. 
Fadel Senna | AFP | Getty Images
This picture taken on November 13, 2023 from a position along the border with the Gaza Strip in southern Israel shows Israeli troops crossing a barbed wire fence amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. 

The Israel Defense Forces have ongoing intentions to ramp up operations in the north of the Gaza Strip, a spokesperson signaled in a CNN TV interview.

"We have been asking, pleading and telling for more than two and a half weeks for the northern part of Gaza to evacuate. And we didn't say it just for the fun of it, we said it because we're going to conduct major operations," IDF spokesperson Jonathan Conricus said.

For over a week, the Israeli military has said it is implementing daily pauses in fighting for several hours to allow the southward evacuation of Palestinian civilians across two main roads. Fears have mounted that Israel plans a next-stage ground incursion to storm Gaza City, but a full-scale offensive has yet to materialize despite the deployment of Israeli tanks and infantry on Gaza territory.

Conricus said that Palestinian people will find refuge in a so-called humanitarian zone in the south of the strip.

"Sadly, I cannot say that any area is totally out of friction, because Hamas operatives are everywhere and they are conducting fighting against us from all locations, and therefore we also attack them," Conricus told CNN, stressing that Israel continues to distinguish between civilians and combatants in its operations.

Most recently, the IDF said its air force struck over 200 inimical targets over the past day, including Hamas operatives, weapon production sites, anti-tank missile launchers and command centers. The Israeli navy separately hit a military camp used by Hamas' naval forces for training and weapons storage, the IDF said on Telegram.

CNBC could not independently confirm the reports.

Ruxandra Iordache

Generator fails at al-Amal hospital in Gaza Strip

The sole power generator at the al-Amal hospital in Khan Younis, in the southwestern part of the Gaza Strip, stopped working, threatening the lives of 90 patients, the Palestine Red Crescent Society said late Monday on social media.

The hospital is affiliated with the organization. The facility is now relying on a small generator for electricity, which is only supplying the maternity ward and emergency lighting.

Fuel is expected to run out within the next 24 hours.

"The power generator's failure is impacting the operations of both the PRCS headquarters and Al-Amal Hospital, which includes the emergency operations room for the Gaza Strip," the PRCS said. "This has resulted in a loss of communication with the operation rooms scattered across the Gaza sector and the cessation of VHF communication services."

Hospitals across the Gaza Strip have been gradually going offline, following the depletion of fuel supplies and the collapse of medical equipment. A total of 20 out of 36 hospitals in the Gaza Strip are no longer operational, the U.N. estimated earlier this week.

Ruxandra Iordache

Israel says it will supply incubators for Gaza Strip infants

A picture shows a view of the exterior of Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City on Nov. 10, 2023, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement.
Ismail Zanoun | Afp | Getty Images
A picture shows a view of the exterior of Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City on Nov. 10, 2023, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement.

The Israel Defense Forces said on social media they are in the process of coordinating the transfer of incubator machines from Israel to the largest hospital in the Gaza Strip, al-Shifa, where young infants have perished as a result of depleted fuel supplies and failing equipment.

It was not immediately clear when the incubators would arrive on site, how many units are being supplied and how they will be powered, given ongoing electricity shortages. Thirty-six babies were at risk at al-Shifa as of Monday, due to a lack of incubators, and three other infants died, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

Doctors in Gaza and medical aid assistance groups have said that several hospitals in the region were blockaded by Israeli tanks and bombardment. Israel says it is targeting Hamas operatives, who have dug underground tunnel structures beneath Palestinian hospitals, effectively transforming them into military sites. Most recently, the IDF on Tuesday said they uncovered Hamas tunnels and a room where it is suspected that the Palestinian militant group held hostages beneath the Rantisi hospital.

Twenty out of 36 of the hospitals in the Gaza Strip are no longer functional, the U.N. estimates.

CNBC could not independently verify developments on the ground.

Ruxandra Iordache

Photo shows IDF capturing Gaza parliament building

The photo shows the IDF's Golani Brigade occupying the Palestinian parliament building in Gaza City. It is unknown who took the photo and released it originally.

The image, which has been verified by NBC News, began circulating widely online as Israel's Defense Minister declared that Hamas has lost control of Gaza.

NBC News

UN says Gaza fuel shortage hampers aid delivery, UN Palestinian refugee agency says it will halt operations unless fuel is allowed in

An interior view of Indonesian Hospital after blackout as hospitals continue surgery and treatment services with primitive methods due to fuel shortage amidst Israel's bombardments in Jabalia region of Gaza Strip on November 10, 2023.
Anadolu Agency | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
An interior view of Indonesian Hospital after blackout as hospitals continue surgery and treatment services with primitive methods due to fuel shortage amidst Israel's bombardments in Jabalia region of Gaza Strip on November 10, 2023.

The fuel crisis in Gaza is so dramatic that trucks filled with aid arriving through the Rafah crossing from Egypt won't be unloaded starting Tuesday because there is no fuel for the forklifts, or for vehicles to deliver the food, water and medicine they're carrying to those in desperate need, a senior U.N. humanitarian official says.

Andrea De Domenico, the U.N. humanitarian coordinator for the Palestinian territories, said "lives in Gaza are hanging by a thread due to the bleeding of fuel and medical supplies." And he said since Israeli troops arrived in Gaza City center five days ago, it has been too dangerous for the U.N. to coordinate any operation in the north.

De Domenico said in a video press conference with U.N. correspondents from east Jerusalem that the intensified fighting over the weekend around Shifa hospital, the biggest in Gaza City, damaged critical infrastructure including water tanks, oxygen stations and the cardiovascular facility in the maternity ward. Three nurses were reported killed, he said.

The director of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees says all of the group's aid operations in Gaza will cease in the next 48 hours unless fuel is allowed into the besieged enclave.

Thomas White, director of UNRWA in Gaza, made the comment on X, formerly known as Twitter.

UNRWA earlier said it had scaled back operations due to a lack of fuel.

Associated Press

Israel releases video allegedly showing Hamas used hospital for fighters and hostages

Israel's military released video Monday from what it said was a children's hospital that its forces moved into over the weekend. The video showed weapons it said were found inside, as well as rooms in the basement where it believes the militants were holding some of the around 240 hostages they abducted during the initial attack.

"Hamas uses hospitals as an instrument of war," said Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the army's chief spokesman, standing in a room of the Rantisi Children's Hospital decorated with a colorful children's drawing of a tree, with explosive vests, grenades and RPGs displayed on the floor.

He showed another area that he said could have been used to hold hostages. It included what appeared to be a hastily installed toilet and air vent, a baby bottle and a motorcycle. He said forensic experts were examining the scenes.

Associated Press

Biden on Al-Shifa and other hospital strikes: 'Hospitals must be protected'

U.S. President Joe Biden answers questions from the news media after signing a presidential memorandum on women's health research in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, U.S., November 13, 2023.
Leah Millis | Reuters
U.S. President Joe Biden answers questions from the news media after signing a presidential memorandum on women's health research in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, U.S., November 13, 2023.

After an Oval Office event at the White House today, NBC's Kelly O'Donnell asked President Joe Biden about Israeli strikes on hospitals in Gaza.

Biden responded, "Hospitals must be protected."

Biden also called for "less intrusive action" by Israeli forces.

Fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian militants has encircled the sprawling Al-Shifa medical facility, prompting thousands to flee.

Shifa hospital has been without electricity and water for three days, and gunfire and bombings outside the compound have made the situation more difficult.

"Well, as we know, I have not been reluctant expressing my concerns with what's going on," Biden said in the Oval Office. "My hope and expectation is that there will be less intrusive action relative to hospitals and we remain in contact with the Israelis."

"Also there is an effort to get this pause to deal with the release of prisoners and that's being negotiated ... So I remain somewhat hopeful, but hospitals must be protected." 

Shifa hospital has been without electricity and water for three days and "is not functioning as a hospital anymore," said World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Sunday. He said there has been gunfire and bombings outside the compound.

Patients there include dozens of babies at risk of dying because of a lack of electricity, health officials at the facility said.

A view of 33 premature babies whose lives are in danger at intensive care unit as the Israeli attacks continue on its 36th day in Gaza City, Gaza on November 11, 2023.
Al-Shifa Hospital | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
A view of 33 premature babies whose lives are in danger at intensive care unit as the Israeli attacks continue on its 36th day in Gaza City, Gaza on November 11, 2023.

NBC News, Associated Press

Read CNBC’s previous live coverage:

Biden says Al-Shifa and other hospitals 'must be protected,' calls for 'less intrusive action'

Copyright CNBC
Contact Us