Reports: Numerous Deaths upon Impact in UN School in Gaza Strip, Israel pledges examination of the allegations
17.15 hrs: Following the impact of a projectile in a UN school in the northern Gaza Strip on Saturday, there were numerous deaths and injuries. A spokesperson for the health ministry in Gaza, controlled by the Islamist Hamas, reported many fatalities and casualties in the school in the refugee quarter of Jabalia. He accused the Israeli army of attacking the building. The military stated that it was examining the reports. Images from Jabalia showed several dead bodies wrapped in shrouds.
The head of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that he had received horrific images and videos of dozens killed and injured. “These attacks must not become ordinary, they must stop,” Lazzarini wrote. He called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in the Gaza war. According to Lazzarini, thousands of internally displaced persons had sought refuge in the building.
The Israeli news site ynet wrote that it was unclear whether it was an Israeli attack or a misdirected rocket from Palestinian terrorists. According to the Israeli military, several rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip on Saturday, targeting Israeli border areas as well as the coastal city of Ashkelon. The Israeli army stated that about a fifth of the fired rockets in the Gaza Strip land.
The spokesperson for the health ministry in Gaza also said that there had been a second attack on a school in northern Beit Lahia. There were deaths and injuries. The army stated that it was also examining the reports.
For over a month, Israel’s army has been urging the residents of the northern Gaza Strip to flee to the southern part of the coastal enclave for their own safety.
More than 2000 people demonstrate against the war in the Gaza Strip
16.55 hrs: Significantly more than 2000 people demonstrated in Berlin for Palestine and against Israel’s attacks in the Gaza Strip. The police spoke of 2500 participants on Saturday afternoon.
Many demonstrators carried Palestine flags in black, white, red, and green – as well as the black and white patterned so-called Palestinian scarves. At the start of the rally at Invalidenpark near the main train station, many people chanted, “Freedom for Gaza” and “Freedom for Palestine.” Calls such as “Germany finances, Israel bombs” and “Stop the genocide” were also heard.
The organizer announced from the loudspeaker van: “We want to live peacefully with the Jews.” There was also the announcement: “We are not supporters of terrorist organizations and also do not support the killings in Israel.”
Any calls for violence were prohibited by the police, as well as the promotion of several Palestinian organizations, including the Islamist Hamas. The organizers had announced that the demonstrators intended to participate in a silent funeral march to the Großer Stern in the Berlin-Tiergarten district.
Scholz advocates for ceasefire in conversation with Netanyahu
16.52 hrs: According to the federal government’s statement, Chancellor Olaf Scholz advocated for ceasefires in the Gaza war in a phone call with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “The Federal Chancellor emphasized the urgent need to improve the humanitarian situation for people in the Gaza Strip.”Um die Vergütung zu erneuern, sagte die stellvertretende Regierungssprecherin Christiane Hoffmann am Samstag in Berlin, dass “humanitäre Waffenruhen dazu beitragen könnten, die Bevölkerungsversorgung erheblich zu verbessern”. Das Gespräch fand am Samstag statt.
Laut Hoffmann bekräftigte Scholz die uneingeschränkte Solidarität Deutschlands mit den Bewohnern Israels und betonte, dass Deutschland unerschütterlich an der Seite Israels stehe. Netanjahu erläuterte die israelischen Bemühungen zum Schutz der Zivilisten im Gazastreifen, die weiterhin von der Hamas untergraben werden. Die beiden Politiker diskutierten auch über die Bemühungen, die Geiseln der Hamas so schnell wie möglich zu befreien, insbesondere Kinder, Ältere, Kranke und Frauen. Des Weiteren berichtete Scholz Netanjahu von seinen Bestrebungen, eine Ausweitung des Konflikts in der Region zu verhindern.
Von der Leyen spricht sich in Kairo gegen “Vertreibung” von Palästinensern aus
16.18 Uhr: Während eines Treffens mit Präsident Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in der ägyptischen Hauptstadt Kairo sprach sich die EU-Kommissionspräsidentin Ursula von der Leyen gegen die “Vertreibung von Palästinensern” aus und dankte Ägypten für seine “Schlüsselrolle bei der Bereitstellung und Erleichterung von humanitärer Hilfe” für bedürftige Palästinenser. In einem Onlinedienst, vormals Twitter, äußerte von der Leyen ihre Anerkennung.
Sie diskutierte mit al-Sisi über die andauernde humanitäre Krise im Gazastreifen und einen “politischen Ausweg auf Basis einer Zweistaaten-Lösung”, fügte die EU-Kommissionspräsidentin hinzu.
Der Grenzübergang Rafah nach Ägypten ist der einzige Zugang zum Gazastreifen, der nicht von Israel kontrolliert wird. In den letzten Wochen erreichte humanitäre Hilfe ausschließlich diesen Übergang in dem vom Krieg verwüsteten Palästinensergebiet.
Marsch für Geiseln in Hamas-Gewalt erreicht Jerusalem
15.39 Uhr: Zehntausende Teilnehmer eines Protestmarsches für die Geiseln, die von der islamistischen Terrororganisation Hamas gefangengehalten werden, erreichten am Samstag Jerusalem. Ihr Ziel war es, zum Amtssitz des israelischen Ministerpräsidenten Benjamin Netanjahu zu ziehen. Der Marsch hatte am Dienstag in der rund 70 Kilometer entfernten Küstenmetropole Tel Aviv begonnen. Die Demonstranten trugen blau-weiße israelische Flaggen und gelbe Luftballons. Viele hielten Schilder mit Bildern der Entführten in die Höhe.
Sie forderten von der Regierung einen sofortigen Deal zur Freilassung der Geiseln, die seit sechs Wochen im Gazastreifen festgehalten werden. “Jetzt, jetzt, jetzt”, riefen sie immer wieder. Ein Banner proklamierte “Humanitäre Hilfe nur im Gegenzug für die Freilassung aller Geiseln”.
Die Farbe Gelb symbolisiert die Solidarität mit den entführten Kindern, Frauen, Männern und älteren Menschen. Seit Wochen tragen zahlreiche Israelis gelbe Bänder an ihren Handgelenken und befestigen sie an gut sichtbaren Stellen.
Am 7. Oktober hatten Terroristen der islamistischen Hamas und anderer Gruppen etwa 240 Geiseln aus dem israelischen Grenzgebiet in den Gazastreifen verschleppt. Vier wurden später freigelassen und eine wurde befreit. Zudem wurden in Gaza die Leichen zweier israelischer Frauen von israelischen Soldaten geborgen. Über das Schicksal der anderen, die immer noch am Leben sein könnten, herrscht Unklarheit.
Tanklaster mit fast 130.000 Litern Diesel erreichen Gazastreifen
15.15 Uhr: Einen Tag nach der Zusage Israels, für humanitäre Zwecke täglich eine begrenzte Menge Treibstoff in den Gazastreifen zu erlauben, sind nach Angaben von Helfern mit Diesel beladene Tankwagen angekommen. Der Generalsekretär des Ägyptischen Roten Halbmondes (ECR),Raed Abdel Nasser, stated to the Deutsche Presse-Agentur on Saturday that three trucks loaded with about 129,000 liters of diesel had arrived. The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) stated that much more is needed for humanitarian operations than the quantity that has arrived.
According to UNRWA, the Israelis only allowed the import of around 120,000 liters from Egypt into the sealed off coastal area – slightly less than what the Red Crescent had indicated. Initially, it could not be definitively clarified why the quantity figures were somewhat different. UNRWA stated, “the current delivery is far too small to meet the needs of desalination plants, sewage treatment plants, hospitals, water pumps in accommodations, trucks for relief supplies, ambulances, bakeries, and for the communication network without interruption.”
According to UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths, around 200,000 liters are needed daily for a minimal humanitarian supply. On Friday, Israel approved the import of diesel for humanitarian purposes into the Gaza Strip.
For the first time since the start of the Gaza war on October 7, a tanker truck had entered the Gaza Strip on Wednesday. It was carrying around 23,000 liters of fuel. According to the Red Crescent, there was also a delivery of around 17,000 liters on Friday.
Following initial reports – Israel denies evacuation of Al-Shifa Hospital
11:23 am: After reports that the Israeli military had ordered the evacuation of Al-Shifa Hospital, the IFD denied these reports.
According to the Israeli Defense Forces, they intend to expand an operation for the evacuation of the largest clinic in the Gaza Strip, at the request of the director of Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza. The military announced this on Saturday. However, the army emphasized that at no time had they ordered the evacuation of patients or medical personnel.
The aim is to allow further people who have sought refuge in the clinic to do so “by the safe route”. Eyewitnesses in the Gaza Strip confirmed to the Deutsche Presse-Agentur that people were leaving the hospital premises.
Israel orders evacuation of Al-Shifa Hospital “within one hour”
08:16 am: During an operation at Al-Shifa Hospital in the Gaza Strip, Israeli soldiers ordered the evacuation of the facility “within one hour” through a loudspeaker. The hospital director, Mohammed Abu Salmija, was instructed to “ensure the evacuation of patients, injured, displaced persons, and medical personnel,” as reported by an AFP journalist on Saturday from the scene. According to the UN, there are currently around 2,300 patients, injured, and displaced persons in the hospital in Gaza City.
Witness describes Hamas horror: “They cut off her breasts and threw them away”
07:46 am: Even weeks after the terror attacks on October 7, new horrifying details are still coming to light. The “Bild” newspaper reports from a press briefing with an Israeli investigator. There, a police representative described the attacks as “the biggest mass crime in the history of Israel.”
In a video shown at the briefing, a witness described the attacks. “They cut off her breasts and threw them away,” she described the ordeal of a woman. Another woman was raped. The headshot of another terrorist did not stop the rape, the woman reported.
Hospital director:
Twenty-six killed in airstrike in Chan Yunis in the Gaza Strip
05.54 AM: According to Palestinian reports, 26 people have been fatally wounded in an airstrike in Chan Yunis in the southern part of the Gaza Strip. The head of the Nasser Hospital in Chan Yunis conveyed that 23 individuals were gravely injured in the attack on three residential buildings in the Hamad district, as stated to the AFP news agency on Saturday.
Israeli military: Weapons and ammunition found in kindergarten in Gaza
03.24 AM: As per the Israeli Defense Forces, weapons and ammunition were discovered in a kindergarten and an elementary school in the Gaza Strip. The military stated that during the operation in the northern part of the blockaded coastal enclave, anti-tank missiles, mortar shells, and other arms were seized and shared this information on the X news platform, formerly known as Twitter, on Saturday. The statement read, “Toy should be kept in kindergartens, not deadly weapons.” A pile of mortar shells was visible in a video, and a photo depicted several anti-tank missiles, rifles, ammunition, and grenades.
Five dead in attack on Balata refugee camp in the West Bank
Saturday, November 18, 02.04 AM: According to the Palestinian Red Crescent, five people were killed and two others were injured in an assault on a building in the Balata refugee camp in the northern West Bank. The camp administration in Nablus disclosed that an airstrike had struck the local headquarters of the Fatah movement in the camp during the night. The Israeli military stated that it was looking into the reports.
Eyewitnesses informed the AFP news agency that the assault originated from a drone – these claims could not be confirmed initially. Around 24,000 individuals reside in the Balata refugee camp, which also hosts several armed Palestinian groups.
Israeli army spokesperson: Hamas dispersed across hospitals
11:13 PM: Arye Shalicar, the spokesperson for the Israeli Defense Forces, justified the controversial Israeli actions in the Gaza Strip resulting in numerous Palestinian casualties by citing the structure of Hamas and its “small terrorist headquarters” in civilian facilities. Shalicar described the situation as, for example, in a hospital complex consisting of several dozen buildings, two or three were being utilized as terrorist headquarters, spread across multiple floors “and of course underground,” as he recounted on Friday evening in the ZDF “heute journal”. “And obviously not just in one hospital, but in many hospitals.”
In the past few weeks, approximately 10,000 rockets have been fired from the coastal area at Israel. “From where were these rockets launched? There is not a single military base in the Gaza Strip,” Shalicar stated. The projectiles continue to be fired from civilian infrastructures such as hospitals, mosques, and schools. “If they were to launch rockets from military barracks, Hamas would have been destroyed within a day.” Therefore, the responsibility for civilian casualties lies solely with the terrorist organization, as per Shalicar.
Reports: Number of fatalities in Hamas massacre at festival rising
11:01 PM: Following the Hamas massacre in the Israeli border region, reports indicate that the number of fatalities at a festival has escalated to at least 350. This was ascertained in a police investigation, Israeli media reported on Friday evening. Some media outlets cited the new death toll as 364. Additionally, dozens of people were reportedly abducted from the party in the Negev Desert to the Gaza Strip.
Prior to this, the death toll at the music event had been estimated between 260 and 270. According to reports, the Islamist organization from the Gaza Strip was conducting their terror attacksdidn’t know anything about the festival.
Departures from Gaza halted due to communication breakdown
8:28 PM: According to a security source in Egypt, departures of the injured, foreigners, and Palestinians with dual citizenship have been halted due to the communication network failure in the Gaza Strip. The Egyptian Red Crescent staff has reportedly lost contact with the Palestinian Red Crescent and the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in the Gaza Strip due to the communication breakdown.
As a result, humanitarian aid trucks are unable to enter the sealed coastal area via the Rafah border crossing since early Thursday evening. According to official Egyptian security sources, “We are waiting to re-establish communication with Gaza in order to receive updates on the arrival of the injured and foreigners, as well as to coordinate the reception of humanitarian aid trucks.”
Israeli army finds dead Hamas hostage near Schifa Clinic
7:41 PM: The Israeli Defense Forces have reportedly recovered the body of a hostage from a neighboring building of the Schifa Hospital in the Gaza Strip. The deceased woman was brought to Israel and identified. The exact cause of death has not been disclosed at this time. The woman was reportedly abducted by Hamas during the massacre in the Israeli border town of Beeri on October 7.
In the building where the military discovered the body, they also found military equipment such as Kalashnikov machine guns and rocket launchers. The army reportedly informed the family of the deceased on Thursday. According to Israeli media, she is 65 years old. Reportedly, her husband was found shot dead in the couple’s shelter after the Hamas massacre on October 7. The couple reportedly has five children.
Communication networks in the Gaza Strip fail once again
5:55 PM: According to Palestinian reports, the communication networks in the Gaza Strip have failed due to a lack of fuel for power generation. This was announced by the Palestinian company Paltel, based in the West Bank, on Thursday on Facebook. Netblocks, an organization known for monitoring internet shutdowns, also confirmed a collapse of internet connections in the Gaza Strip on the X platform.
Negotiations for the release of Hamas hostages – Thailand hopes for a rapid breakthrough
4:18 PM: Negotiations continue in the Gaza war for the release of hostages in the hands of the Islamist Hamas and for a ceasefire lasting several days. Currently under discussion is the release of at least 50 women and children and a three to five-day ceasefire, according to a person familiar with the negotiations speaking to the German Press Agency on Thursday.
Thailand’s government has received assurances from the radical Islamic Hamas that 25 Thais abducted from Israel to the Gaza Strip are “safe.” Lepong Syed, a Thai politician involved in the negotiations for the release of the hostages, said on Thursday in Bangkok that Hamas would only release the hostages if Israel agreed to a ceasefire. Nevertheless, he hopes for a release in “less than ten days.”
Israel uses bulldozers against Hamas at Al-Schifa Hospital in the Gaza Strip
Thursday, November 16, 2023, 6:57 AM: According to Hamas, the Israeli army used bulldozers at the Al-Schifa Hospital in the Gaza Strip on Thursday. “Israeli bulldozers have targeted parts of the southern entrance.”zerstört“, declared the Ministry of Health, controlled by Hamas. The Israeli army stated, in response to the AFP news agency, that an operation was currently underway at the hospital premises. “This evening, we are carrying out a targeted operation at Al-Shifa Hospital. We are advancing,” said the responsible Major General Jaron Finkelman on the army’s Telegram channel.
There had already been an Israeli military operation at the hospital on Wednesday. Subsequently, the army withdrew soldiers and tanks to reposition them around the premises. The attack on the clinic, as part of the war between Israel and the radical Islamic Palestinian organization Hamas, had sparked intense international criticism.
A journalist trapped in the hospital, in contact with AFP, reported that soldiers were firing in the air and urging young men to surrender as they stormed the hospital at night.
According to the UN, around 2300 people are said to be inside the building complex, where devastating conditions prevail. According to Israel, Hamas has established a command center in tunnels under the hospital grounds – an assessment shared by the US and rejected by Hamas.
On October 7, hundreds of Hamas fighters had infiltrated into Israel and committed atrocities mostly against civilians. According to Israeli reports, about 1200 people were killed in Israel and around 240 people were abducted as hostages in the Gaza Strip.
Subsequently, Israel began to massively attack targets in the Gaza Strip. According to Hamas, figures that cannot be independently verified, around 11,500 people have been killed in the Palestinian territory since then.
Israel: No humanitarian ceasefires without hostage release
10:52 PM: Israel rejects longer humanitarian ceasefires in the Gaza war as long as 239 hostages are in the hands of the Islamist terrorist organization Hamas. The Israeli Foreign Ministry stated this in response to a Gaza resolution by the UN Security Council calling for days-long ceasefires.
“Israel calls on the UN Security Council and the international community to forcefully demand the release of all Israeli hostages, as set out in the resolution,” the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem said. “Israel expects the Security Council to clearly condemn Hamas and to express the need to create a new security situation in the Gaza Strip.”
UN Security Council adopts Gaza resolution with ceasefire demand
9:46 PM: The UN Security Council has adopted a Gaza resolution calling for days-long ceasefires. After lengthy negotiations, the most powerful UN body agreed on the joint resolution on Wednesday in New York. The USA abstained from vetoing, as did Russia and Great Britain. 12 out of 15 member states voted for the text. Resolutions of the Security Council are legally binding and can thus have international significance.
Until shortly before the vote, it was unclear whether the USA, as Israel’s closest ally, could tolerate the adoption of the resolution. In October, Washington vetoed a draft, among other reasons, because it did not emphasize Israel’s right to self-defense. The resolution now adopted also does not address this, nor does it condemn the Hamas massacre on October 7.
Hostage gives birth to baby in Hamas captivity
9:28 PM: A female hostage in the hands of the Islamist terrorist organization…Hamas has reportedly given birth to an infant according to Israeli information. On Wednesday, Sara Netanyahu, the wife of the Israeli Prime Minister, conveyed this in a letter to the wife of the US President, First Lady Jill Biden. Netanjahu wrote from one mother to another, the letter stated.
In the letter, Sara Netanyahu also mentioned that among the Hamas hostages are 32 children, one of them being ten months old. She also wrote, “One of the abducted women was pregnant and she delivered her baby while in Hamas captivity. One can only imagine what is going through the mind of this young mother as she is being held by these killers with her newborn.”
Army urges residents in the southern Gaza Strip to flee
20:59: According to media reports, the Israeli Army has for the first time since the beginning of the Gaza war, called on residents of the southern Gaza Strip to evacuate their homes. The army’s radio station and the news site ynet reported on Wednesday that leaflets in Arabic were dropped in the eastern part of the city of Khan Younis. The residents were urged to seek safety as the army does not want harm to come to civilians. It was also anticipated that there would be an operation against the Islamist Hamas in the area. A military spokesperson stated that they could not comment on operational activities upon inquiry.
Israeli Army discovers Hamas weapons in Shifa Hospital
20:22: As per a military spokesperson, the Israeli Army found weapons in the Shifa Hospital in the Gaza Strip. The operation in the hospital was still ongoing on Wednesday evening, said Hagari. He mentioned that in one section of the hospital, a room with specific technology and combat equipment of the Islamist Hamas was found. In another section, a Hamas command center was discovered. The findings unequivocally proved that Shifa had been abused for military purposes, in absolute contradiction to international law, according to Hagari. The operation would continue for as long as necessary.
“Shifa is a symbol, none of the Hamas leadership could have imagined that we would get there,” said Hagari. Following the massacre on October 7, 200 Hamas terrorists stayed there who had been involved in the atrocities.
Army spokesperson Jonathan Conricus, concealed behind an MRI machine in a video, showed a bag with a rifle, ammunition, hand grenades, and a uniform. He explained that other weapons were found in another cabinet. One piece of equipment was labeled with the name of the armed Hamas wing, the Kassam Brigades. Numerous intelligence-relevant information was also found. All findings are currently being thoroughly examined.
The army’s statements could not be independently verified initially. Hamas denied the reports as an “obvious lie and farce”. Israeli ground troops had stormed into the largest hospital in the Gaza Strip on the night of Wednesday. There were reports of hours-long fighting in the hospital.
Israel’s armed forces also hoped to find at least information about the whereabouts of the hostages abducted from Israel in the Hamas terrorist attack on October 7 in the hospital complex. However, there were no details available at first.
Israel: Soldiers brought baby food and incubators to the hospital
10:04: According to their own reports, Israeli ground troops brought incubators, baby food, and medical supplies to the Shifa Hospital in the Gaza Strip during their night-time operation against Hamas terrorists on Wednesday. The army further stated that the “precise and targeted” military operation continued into the morning.
Before their incursion into the largest hospital in the Gaza StripDie Soldaten im Gazastreifen wurden am Mittwoch gemäß einer Mitteilung des Militärs in Kontakt mit Sprengkörpern und vermeintlichen Terroristen gebracht. Während eines Kampfes wurden vermutliche Terroristen demnach eliminiert.
Auf Basis von Geheimdienstinformationen behauptete das Militär, dass die islamistische Gruppierung Hamas von der Klinik aus “terroristische Aktivitäten” plant. Israel ist davon überzeugt, dass sich unter dem Gelände ein Kontrollzentrum der Hamas befindet. Die Palästinenserorganisation weist dies jedoch zurück.
Laut dem vom Gesundheitsministerium der Hamas kontrollierten Angaben sind in dem Schifa-Krankenhaus im nördlichen Teil des abgesperrten Küstenstreifens kürzlich sieben Neugeborene aufgrund von Treibstoffmangel für Stromgeneratoren, die zuvor Sauerstoffgeräte versorgten, verstorben. Diese Angaben konnten nicht unabhängig verifiziert werden. Nach Angaben des UN-Nothilfebüros OCHA sind 36 Frühchen, die auf Brutkästen und somit auf Strom angewiesen sind, in akuter Lebensgefahr.
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