Gaza health ministry issues ‘last distress call’ as Israeli forces target Kamal Adwan Hospital - as it happened

Ahram Online , Monday 4 Nov 2024

The Gaza health ministry reported Monday that Israeli forces are intensively bombarding Kamal Adwan Hospital, the last partially functioning hospital in northern Gaza, where military operations have been concentrated over the past month.

Kamal Adwan
The Kamal Adwan hospital stands in Beit Lahya in the northern Gaza Strip. AFP

 

In the face of the ongoing suffering of the Palestinian and Lebanese people amid Israel’s wars in Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon, Ahram Online provided you with live updates of the most recent developments across the Middle East on Monday, 4 November, as they unfolded.

 

22:15 Hamas announced on Monday that it held discussions with rival Palestinian faction Fatah in Cairo, focusing on the Israeli war on Gaza and efforts to achieve national consensus.

"A meeting was held with the brothers in the Fatah movement at a generous Egyptian invitation. They discussed various national issues, especially the war on Gaza and pathways for national action," senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan said in a video message.

Hamas and Fatah have been long-term rivals since a brief but intense conflict in 2007, after which Hamas took control of Gaza. Fatah continues to lead the Palestinian Authority, which maintains limited administrative authority over urban areas in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Hamdan noted that the talks included proposals for "forming a body to address Gaza's affairs and its needs on various issues until conditions allow for the establishment of a national consensus government."

He described the talks as "positive and frank."

Last month, Hamas announced that it had begun meetings with Fatah in Cairo, following a July agreement in Beijing among Palestinian factions, including Hamas, to work towards "national unity."

Hamdan added that Hamas leadership "will continue meetings and contacts with our brothers in Fatah."

22:00 The Gaza health ministry reported Monday that Israeli forces are intensively bombarding Kamal Adwan Hospital, the last partially functioning hospital in northern Gaza, where military operations have been concentrated over the past month.

“At this moment, occupation forces are continuing to violently bombard and destroy Kamal Adwan Hospital, targeting all parts of it,” the ministry stated regarding the facility in Beit Lahia.

The ministry issued what it called a potential “last distress call” as the  Israeli assault on the hospital escalated. “There are many injuries among the medical staff and patients. Medical teams cannot move between departments to reach and assist their injured colleagues,” it added.

Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip on Monday killed at least 33 Palestinians and injured 156 others, with several strikes targeting civilian areas, including hospitals, homes, and shelters, according to Palestinian health officials.

The five-week Israeli barbaric attacks against Jabalia, Beit Lahia, and other northern Gaza towns and refugee camps have destroyed hundreds of residential units and resulted in civilian deaths — primarily women and children — as the Israeli army seeks to clear northern Gaza of its Palestinian population.

Bombardments on Kamal Adwan and other hospitals in northern Gaza have left the wounded and ill without access to essential medical care.

21:00 Syrian state media reported on Monday that Israeli strikes targeted areas near Sayyeda Zeinab, south of Damascus, home to a significant Shia sanctuary.

"At approximately 5:18pm (14:15GMT), the Israeli enemy launched an air aggression from the direction of the occupied Golan Heights, targeting several civilian sites south of Damascus, which led to some material losses," the official SANA news agency said, citing a military source.

Mehdi Mahfouz, a 34-year-old resident, said he "heard three successive explosions, one of which was very strong."

"Then I saw a large black cloud of smoke rising," he added.

Explosions were also heard in the neighbouring suburb of Jaramana, according to an AFP photographer, who reported ambulances heading to the scene.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor close to the Syrian opposition, reported at least three strikes in the area. The monitor claimed the targets included a house "used by members of Hezbollah and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard," situated on a farm in the Sayyeda Zeinab area.

Israel has conducted hundreds of strikes in Syria since the start of the Syrian civil war in 2011, with operations intensifying amid Israel’s current war on Lebanon.

20:00 Malaysia is in the process of drafting a resolution for the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), proposing Israel's expulsion from the organization in cases of law violations or issues affecting Palestine, said Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Monday. This follows the Israeli parliament's passing of a law last week that bans the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

UNRWA supports Palestinian refugees with humanitarian aid in Gaza, the occupied West Bank, and East Jerusalem.

On 28 October, the Israeli parliament, aka Knesset, approved bills to ban the body from operating in the conflict-ridden area.

During a briefing session on the Palestinian issue, Anwar told the Dewan Rakyat (parliament) that the draft is being negotiated and will be tabled at the UNGA for approval.

This could provide a legal basis for UNRWA to continue delivering essential services — including education, healthcare, and humanitarian aid — that benefit over six million Palestinian refugees in Gaza and the West Bank.

Malaysia has joined a Core Group drafting a UN resolution to seek an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Israel's obligation to permit UN agencies, international organizations, and third-party countries to operate in the occupied Palestinian territory, with the consent of the Palestinian government, for the benefit of the Palestinian public.

"UNRWA has been the main lifeline for channelling international aid to the people of Palestine for 75 years. Malaysia fully supports UNRWA's critical role, and cooperation with the agency will continue to be strengthened,he added.

Anwar also said he had received an invitation from Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud to participate in the emergency Arab-Islamic Summit on 11 November, which will address the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim stated that Malaysia’s ongoing humanitarian missions for the people of Palestine would require the country to rely on Egypt, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to facilitate aid delivery to the region.

“I will discuss this with President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi on 10 November to express our gratitude, as Egypt had provided a special route for Malaysian humanitarian aid to Rafah, though Israel now blocks it,” he said.

Malaysia plans to raise other issues, including the invasion and destruction of worship centres in the occupied Palestinian territories, open attacks on territories in Lebanon and Iran, and the assassination of Hamas leaders Ismail Haniyeh and Yahya Sinwar, Anwar noted.


File Photo: Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. AP

 

19:20 EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell warned Monday that conditions in Gaza and the occupied territories are worsening “by the hour,” with civilians enduring “unbearable suffering” amid intensifying violence. “No one seems able or willing to stop this,” Borrell said, adding that violent settler actions have led to widespread destruction and that hospitals are under siege, putting UNRWA's operations at increasing risk.

Extremist settlers in Al-Bireh, in the occupied West Bank, have reportedly torched vehicles and damaged apartments. The EU strongly condemns settler violence and the expansion of illegal settlements, emphasizing that Israel has a responsibility to protect civilians and hold perpetrators accountable.

In northern Gaza, the last three partially operational hospitals are facing targeted attacks with what independent media describe as an intensity rarely seen in modern warfare. Meanwhile, Israel has informed the UN of its decision to end its cooperation with UNRWA, potentially depriving millions of access to critical services.

“It is high time to end this war, free the captives, and ensure unimpeded humanitarian access to Gaza,” Borrell stated. He also urged an immediate halt to settler violence and destruction in the West Bank and called for an end to the occupation of Palestinian territories.

https://x.com/JosepBorrellF/status/1853470123895435460

18:30 A Lebanese lawmaker has accused Israel of seeking to render areas in southern Lebanon “uninhabitable, even after the war and attacks end.”

The National News Agency quoted MP Ali Khreis after his visit to affected areas in southern Lebanon. “These villages and towns in the south are resisting the Zionist war machine,” Khreis said, adding that Lebanon remains committed to implementing UN Resolution 1701. He emphasized Lebanon’s stance that the army should guard the borders and maintain security and that the presence of UNIFIL peacekeepers provides an international guarantee for enforcing the resolution.

Lebanese authorities estimate the death toll from Israeli airstrikes inside the country has surpassed 2,800.

Satellite images before and after recent airstrikes reveal extensive destruction in southern Lebanese villages. Israel violates international humanitarian law by allegedly targeting UNIFIL peacekeeping forces in the area.


Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike in the southern Lebanese village of Deïr Qanoun Ras al Ain. AFP

 

18:00 Israel announced on Monday that it formally notified the United Nations of its decision to bar the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for Palestinian Refugees from operating within Israel and the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

UNRWA’s Global Communications Officer Juliette Touma questioned Israel's decision, saying: "Who will replace UNRWA? When this brutal war finally ends, who will educate the 400,000 children attending UNRWA schools? What is the plan? We have no answer to that.”

 “We are the only UN agency running 700 schools. Without a political solution for Palestinian refugees, there is no alternative to UNRWA.” She challenged the Israeli decision, asking, “What will you do about the ban? How will you fill the void?” speaking from Amman, Touma told Al Jazeera.

Israel’s parliament passed legislation last week banning the agency within 90 days. The Israeli government under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also banned Al Jazeera from operating within Israel and recently conducted raids on its Ramallah offices.


UNRWA worker distrubite tents to a palestinian family in a make shift warehouse in Gaze strip. Photo courtesy of UNRWA x account.

 

17:00 Closed-door negotiations among UN Security Council members are underway to finalize a draft resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, sources familiar with the discussions told Al Jazeera TV.

The draft resolution warns that the ongoing situation in Gaza and escalating regional tensions pose a severe threat to international peace and security. It urges an immediate ceasefire and reiterates the council's demand for the unconditional release of all captives.

The resolution also emphasizes the need for all parties to fully implement Security Council Resolution 2735 without restrictions, conditions, or delay. It seeks urgent access to essential services and humanitarian aid for Gaza's population.

15:47 Hamas strongly condemned Israel’s recent decision to terminate the agreement regulating the operations of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in the occupied Palestinian territories.

The group described the move as "a blatant disregard for the international community and a scornful affront to the United Nations system."

"It is yet another confirmation that this entity is a rogue state, defying international legitimacy and fundamental human values," Hamas said in a statement.

“This decision is a clear indication that Israel is a rogue entity, rejecting international legitimacy and human values,” the statement read.

Hamas argued that Israel's actions are part of a broader strategy to dismantle the Palestinian refugee cause, aiming to eliminate their right of return, upheld by various UN resolutions.

"It is a step towards eliminating the refugee issue and denying their right of return to their homes from which they were forcibly displaced by Zionist terrorist gangs over seven decades ago."

Hamas called on the United Nations and the global community to take a strong stand against Israel's move, urging for enhanced support and protection for UNRWA, "especially amid the genocide and atrocities being committed by the brutal occupation against our people in the Gaza Strip."

15:43 The number of Palestinians killed by the Israeli airstrike on two homes in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza, has risen to 15, with others injured, the Palestinian TV reported.

 

 

15:20 Continuing the unsettling behaviour of Israeli soldiers in Gaza and Lebanon, an Israeli soldier shared photos of himself tampering with the toys of displaced Lebanese children while his comrades demolished their homes in southern Lebanon.

In Gaza, soldiers have been posting images of themselves invading Palestinian homes, exhibiting a disturbing obsession with women's underwear and children's toys.

 

 

14:45 Hezbollah said its fighters attacked a gathering of enemy forces in the Yiftah settlement in the Galilee with a squadron of assault drones, striking targets with precision, the group said in a statement.

Following evacuation warnings issued by the resistance to several northern Israeli settlements, the group said it also "targeted another gathering of Israeli occupation forces in the settlement of Zar'it with a precision drone strike, hitting the target accurately."

A drone strike also targeted a gathering of Israeli forces east of the town of Marun al-Ras.

14:32 Israeli media reported another arrest following a joint investigation by the police, internal security services, and the army into a suspected "breach of national security."

On Sunday evening, an Israeli court ruled that the leak of military intelligence from the army to the prime minister’s office, and subsequently to foreign media, could have compromised the security services' ability to secure the release of Israelis held in Gaza. 

The court authorized the publication of the name Eli Feldstein, a spokesperson in Netanyahu’s circle, who is suspected in the case.

It was also revealed that three other detainees under investigation are members of the security establishment.

14:30 At least seven people were killed in an Israeli airstrike on two homes in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza, Al Jazeera reports.

13:24 Israel has killed at least 43,374 people have been killed in the year-long war deadly war on Gaza, mostly children and women, the health ministry announced in an updated toll.

The toll includes 33 deaths in the previous 24 hours, according to the ministry, which said 102,261 people have been wounded since the war began.

13:15 An anti-tank missile seriously wounded an Israeli Givati Brigade soldier during combat in the Jabaliya sector of Gaza, the Israeli army said. 

Three other soldiers sustained light to moderate injuries in the same incident.

 

Israeli soldiers take cover as sirens sound to warn of incoming rockets. AFP

 

13:00 Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs Badr Abdelatty emphasized to his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi on Monday the need for all parties in the region to take steps to prevent escalation and foster calm.

According to a statement from the Egyptian foreign ministry, in a phone call with Araghchi, Abdelatty warned of the risks of dragging the region into conflict, which would benefit no one and could have serious repercussions for its people.

On Monday, Esmail Baghaei, the spokesperson for the Iranian foreign ministry, said the Islamic Republic will use all available resources to respond to the recent Israeli aggression against Iran, asserting that the response would be “firm and decisive.”

During the call, Abdelatty reiterated to Araghchi Egypt's condemnation of unilateral and provocative actions that threaten regional security and stability, warning that such measures could lead to dire consequences for the region and its people.

Regarding Lebanon, Egypt’s top diplomat reaffirmed the need to empower the Lebanese national institutions and elect a president for the country within the framework of Lebanese ownership and without foreign interference.

On the situation in Gaza, Abdelatty reviewed the efforts made by Egypt in coordination with Qatar and the US to reach a ceasefire agreement in the strip, ensure full and unconditional access to humanitarian and medical aid to Gazans, and release captives and detainees.

He stressed to Araghchi that Egypt is urging the international community to unite its efforts to stop the bloodshed in Gaza and address the catastrophic humanitarian crisis in the strip, the statement added.

11:40 About 50 rockets have been fired from Lebanon at Israel on Monday, Israeli media reported.

11:37 Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan condemned the situation in Gaza as "one of the most brutal acts of genocide and among the gravest challenges faced by the Islamic world."

"Despite the genocide, Israel and its supporters have failed to make the Palestinians surrender," he said.

He called on "all countries to recognize the State of Palestine and advocate for a two-state solution to achieve lasting peace in the region."

"One of best answers to Zionist aggression against Gaza, Lebanon' is the recognition of Palestine state by more states," Erdogan added.

The Turkish leader urged the Islamic world to set aside its differences and support the people of Palestine and Lebanon in their just struggle against Israel.


A man stands by burnt vehicles at the site of a reported attack by Israeli settlers in a residential area on the outskirts of Ramallah city in the occupied West Bank. AFP

 

11:32 Israeli settlers set several cars on fire in Al-Bireh city in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Palestinian media reported.

Local sources said that several colonists attacked the industrial area in Al-Bireh and burned around 20 cars before withdrawing.

They added that colonists opened fire into the air and at civil defence vehicles when they arrived in the area to extinguish the fire.

Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesperson for the Palestinian Authority, quoted by WAFA news agency, described the attack as a crime by “terrorist settler militias.”

In a statement, the Palestinian foreign ministry condemned the “brutal attack” in the strongest terms, saying that “it considers it an extension of the crimes of settler gangs throughout the West Bank, including occupied Jerusalem, and a copy of the manifestations of the genocide and displacement of our people in the Gaza Strip.”

 

 

11:27 Israeli air and artillery strikes have killed and wounded several Palestinians across the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian WAFA news agency said.

Local sources reported that Israeli warplanes bombed two homes near Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahiya, northern Gaza, killing several people. Artillery shelling also targeted the hospital’s wards, nursery, yard, and water tanks.

A child succumbed to health complications at the Baptist Hospital after being evacuated from Kamal Adwan Hospital.

Additionally, WAFA reported that three people were killed in Israeli drone strikes on two homes north of Nuseirat Camp in central Gaza. In the Saftawi area, north of Gaza City, one person was killed, and others were injured in an Israeli strike.

In southern Gaza, medical sources confirmed several injuries following a drone strike on a house in Khan Younis.


 A B-52 am Drone. Photo: AFP

 

11:26 Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei criticized the United States' "destabilizing presence" after the deployment of B-52 bombers in the region.

"We have always believed that the presence of America in the region is a destabilizing presence," said Baghaei told a news conference in response to a question about the deployment, adding that it "will not deter (Iran's) resolve to defend itself". 

11:22 Sirens sounded in the Nahariya area of the Western Galilee in Israel following rocket fire.

The Israeli army reported intercepting four drones launched from Lebanon and the east.

11:09 The Media Office in Gaza said that the Israeli occupation had destroyed all hospitals in the North Gaza Governorate, rendering them out of service, and targeted ambulance crews.

It also accused the occupation of deliberately starving and depriving civilians, preventing aid from reaching northern Gaza.

Additionally, the office reported that the Israeli occupation has obstructed the polio vaccination campaign in the region.

10:53 The Israeli occupation army is currently shelling the town of Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza, according to Palestinian media reports.

Several injured civilians were transported to Al-Awda Hospital in Nuseirat refugee camp following an Israeli strike on the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza.

Casualties have also been reported following an Israeli quadcopter drone opening fire on a gathering in the Al-Saftawi area northeast of Gaza City. 

Gaza Civil Defense's spokesman, Mahmoud Basal, says that the deteriorating humanitarian situation in northern Gaza is the result of international inaction in the face of the relentless Israeli atrocities.

 

 

10:31 The Israeli occupation forces have issued a demolition notice for the Al-Shiyah Mosque in Jabal al-Mukaber, southeast of occupied Jerusalem, and carried out raids in the town of Silwan, WAFA news agency reported.

According to local sources, residents discovered the demolition notice affixed to the mosque’s gate, giving a five-day deadline. The mosque, which has stood for 20 years, now faces imminent destruction.

Additionally, large contingents of Israeli forces stormed several neighbourhoods in Silwan, forcibly entering multiple homes, WAFA said.

Meanwhile, the Israeli settlers, guarded by police, break into the courtyards of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied Jerusalem.

10:28 The Israeli army claimed it had killed a top Hezbollah commander, Abu Ali Rida, in southern Lebanon.

They did not specify when he was killed.

It claimed in a statement that Rida was responsible for planning and executing rocket and anti-tank missile attacks on Israeli army troops.


A man walks above the rubble following an Israeli strike in the village of Douris in the Baalbeck district of eastern Lebanon's Bekaa Valley. AFP

 

10:15 Hezbollah said it fired rockets at the northern Israeli city of Safed.

Hezbollah fighters launched a "big rocket salvo" at the city, the group said in a statement.

10:00 Israel said it had terminated the agreement facilitating the work of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, the leading aid provider to the Palestinians.

It appeared to be the first step in implementing legislation passed last month that would sever ties with the agency, which Israel claims without evidence has been infiltrated by Hamas, and prevent it from operating in Israel.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it had notified the UN of the cancellation of an agreement dating back to 1967 that facilitates UNRWA’s work.

United Nations, aid groups and world leaders have warned that the legislation could severely hamper UNRWA’s work, creating further obstacles to addressing a severe humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

The agency provides education, health and other essential services to Palestinian refugees from the 1948 war and their descendants, who now number nearly 6 million.

Under international law, Israel must help the Palestinian population under occupation.

The UN views Gaza as Israeli-occupied territory, along with the West Bank and Jerusalem, and international law requires an occupying power to agree to relief programs for people in need and to facilitate them "by all the means at its disposal." 

 

 

09:10 Kamala Harris courted voters angered by the Gaza war as the tense US election campaign headed into its final hours.

"As president, I will do everything in my power to end the war in Gaza," Harris said at the start of her speech, noting that there were leaders of the community at her rally.

"I want to say this year has been difficult, given the scale of death and destruction in Gaza, given the civilian casualties and displacement in Lebanon. It is devastating."

09:00 Four people were killed, and another three were wounded in an Israeli strike on eastern Lebanon.

Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) said that the killings happened in the town of Machghara in the Bekaa Valley following an overnight Israeli raid.  

The agency also reported several Israeli attacks on southern and eastern Lebanon overnight, including on Jebchit, Tefahta, Khiam, Burj al-Muluk, Jouaiya, Halousiya, Deir Qanun en-Nahr, Qlaileh and the area between Roumine and Aazze.  


Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted the southern Lebanese village of Zawtar el Charkiyeh. AFP

 

"The Israeli enemy's raid on Haret Saida resulted in an initial death toll of three people killed and nine others injured," Lebanon's health ministry said, referring to a densely populated area near Sidon.

NNA reported another Israeli strike south of Sidon on the town of Ghaziyeh. An AFP correspondent said a child was rescued from the rubble of a residential building.

Other Israeli strikes hit near a hospital in Tebnine, a town in the south Lebanon district of Bint Jbeil. 

The health ministry said the hospital sustained "severe damage" and that seven people were wounded.

 

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