November 11, 2023 Israel-Hamas war

The Israeli military denies it is firing at Al-Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza, and rejected suggestions the hospital is under siege. 

In a video sent out by the Israel Defense Forces to accompany the written statement, Tetro said there were, “clashes between IDF troops and Hamas terrorist operatives around the hospital.” 

He added that he was in “constant contact” with the director of Al-Shifa, and had told him the IDF could coordinate evacuations from the hospital.

CNN has been unable to confirm whether anyone was able to leave the hospital complex over the course of the day.

What officials in Gaza have said: A senior official at the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza told CNN earlier Saturday that Al-Shifa is surrounded on all four sides by Israeli forces, under "complete siege."

In a separate statement sent to CNN Saturday, the ministry said the hospital was “out of service,” with the fifth floor of the surgery building heavily shelled and medical staff unable to move within the complex.

A huge pro-Palestinian demonstration is underway in London as hundreds of thousands of people march through the center of the city Saturday, according to a CNN team on the ground.

A spokesperson for London’s Metropolitan Police told CNN that an estimated 300,000 people attended the rally.

There was heavy police presence in central London’s Hyde Park Corner as protesters chanted “free, free Palestine” and “ceasefire now.” They were also heard chanting “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!”

Police arrested 82 counter-protesters in London who attempted to confront those taking part in the rally. The Metropolitan Police said the people were apprehended “to prevent a breach of the peace.”

Police said they had “faced aggression from counter-protesters” who stormed the area “in significant numbers” ahead of what could be the biggest march yet since the Israel-Hamas conflict began about a month ago.

Elsewhere in Europe, thousands of people in Brussels and Paris also attended pro-Palestinian demonstrations Saturday.

Meanwhile, in the US: A group of pro-Palestinian protesters on Saturday gathered near the street where President Joe Biden lives in Delaware to call for a ceasefire in Gaza. 

The crowd began forming at roughly 11 a.m. ET. Many are carrying Palestinian flags, and there are large cellophane balloons spelling out “ceasefire now.”

Biden is currently at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia for Veterans Day events. He’s expected to travel to his Wilmington home later on Saturday.

On Friday, about 2,000 people attended a demonstration in New York City, gathering in Columbus Circle before marching to the area around Times Square and eventually to Grand Central, where demonstrations temporarily closed access to the terminal.

CNN's Kevin Liptak contributed reporting to this post.

Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah gave his second speech since the Hamas-Israel war started via video link from an undisclosed location Saturday, in which he addressed the situation in Gaza and clashes on the Lebanon-Israel border.

Nasrallah called the situation unfolding in Gaza "big, exceptional and dangerous in this region and the world,” adding that what will emerge from the death and destruction in Gaza "will be generation after generation of resistance fighters."

“This painful event and these grave crimes are an expression of Israeli revenge. This is the spirit of a vicious revenge that have no moral or humanitarian or legal limits. It expresses the true nature of the entity (Israel),” he said. 

On clashes at the Israel-Lebanon border: Hezbollah’s strikes on Israeli territory have increased in number and employed more advanced weaponry over the last week of cross-border fire between Israel Defense Forces and the powerful, Iran-backed armed group, Nasrallah said in a speech Saturday.

Hezbollah has in recent days struck deeper into Israeli territory, Nasrallah said, marking an escalation in the month-long flareup, where the fighting has largely stuck to a 4-kilometer (about 2-mile) radius around the border.

He said Hezbollah used self-detonating, explosive-laden drones in an attack on Israeli positions for the first time in the paramilitary group’s history. (The Israeli military has acknowledged Hezbollah's use of an attack drone in at least one of the strikes claimed by the Lebanese armed group.)

Hezbollah has, also for the first time, fired Iran-made Burkan missiles, which have a payload of up to 500 kilograms (about 1,100 pounds), on Israeli positions, Nasrallah said. Hezbollah this week released video showing a large explosion caused by a Burkan missile.

The Hezbollah leader accused Israel of hiding its casualty figures from Hezbollah attacks on the border.

Nasrallah accused Israel of hiding its casualty figures from Hezbollah's attacks on the border.

On the US: Nasrallah accused the US of “administering” the Israeli operation in Gaza and chastised it for supporting the continuation of Israel's operation in Gaza.

Nasrallah said “all pressure” to bring about a ceasefire should be directed toward the US. He praised militant actions against US positions in Iraq in recent weeks and said they would only “stop” if the US pushes for a ceasefire in Israel.

Hezbollah's chief described Iran-backed armed groups in Iraq, Yemen, Lebanon and Syria as having created “supporting fronts” for Hamas in Gaza.

CNN reported earlier this month that the US intelligence community believes – for now – that Iran and its proxies are calibrating their response to Israel’s military intervention in Gaza to avoid direct conflict with Israel or the US while still exacting costs on its adversaries. But the US is also keenly aware that Iran does not maintain perfect control of its umbrella of proxies – in particular over Lebanese Hezbollah, the largest and most capable of the various groups. Hezbollah is an ally of Hamas, the group that attacked Israel on October 7, and has long positioned itself as fighting against Israel. US officials are deeply concerned that the group’s internal politics may cause Hezbollah to escalate simmering tensions.

Nasrallah's speech last Friday: In his first public, in-person speech since 2006 — when a monthlong war erupted between Lebanon and Israel — Nasrallah said "all scenarios" are possible on the Lebanon-Israel border, warning Israel against further escalation of its operations there. He also urged for a ceasefire in Gaza, calling it Hezbollah's first priority.

The final resolution issued by the joint Arab and Islamic summit in Riyadh demands the end of what it describes as Israel’s aggression against Gaza, as well as "war crimes and barbaric, brutal and inhumane massacres." 

The statement said the summit rejects the characterization of this “war of revenge as (one of) self-defense” and demands the end of the siege in Gaza as well as the entry of humanitarian aid convoys, including food, medicine, and fuel immediately. 

It also demanded the United Nations Security Council take a “decisive and binding decision” that imposes a cessation of aggression.

The resolution also called on the International Criminal Court to conduct an investigation into what it described as war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by Israel against the Palestinian people in all occupied Palestinian territories.  

It called on all countries to stop exporting weapons and ammunition to Israel used by its army and the “terrorist settlers who kill Palestinian people and destroy their homes.” 

The summit said that a “just, lasting and comprehensive peace” is the only way to guarantee security and stability for the people of the region. 

“Protection from cycles of violence and wars will not be achieved without ending the Israeli occupation. ... We hold Israel, the occupying power responsible for the continuation and aggravation of the conflict as a result of its aggression against human rights,” it added.

Leaders at the Joint Arab-Islamic Extraordinary Summit in Riyadh on Saturday reiterated calls for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas as the humanitarian situation in Gaza worsens.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi is in the Saudi capital for the summit, marking the first trip by an Iranian leader to Saudi Arabia in 11 years, after the two countries restored diplomatic relations in March. Raisi said attendees had gathered there on behalf of the Islamic world to "save the Palestinians." Meanwhile, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said "we categorically reject this brutal war" in opening remarks.

Here's what others are saying:

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said the United States, "which has the greatest influence on Israel, bears responsibility for the absence of a political solution."

“We demand that they put a stop to the Israeli aggression and the Israeli occupation of our land,” he said.

He called on the United Nations Security Council to "immediately put an end to the brutal Israeli aggression on Palestinians," and he repeated the need to secure the entry of aid supplies into Gaza. 

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told the summit that "the world remaining silent in the face of this brutality shames us all."

The Turkish president said Israel is trying to seek revenge for Hamas' attacks on October 7, adding that while nobody supports what happened that day, it is not an excuse for Israel to kill civilians.  

“Words have become insufficient in describing what is happening in Gaza and Ramallah since October 7,” Erdogan said, claiming that Israel was targeting civilians, hospitals, ambulances, and places of worship in a “brutal and barbaric way that is unparalleled in history.” 

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad criticized the normalization agreements between Arab countries and Israel, saying the policy does more harm than good.

“More hands extended by us equals more massacres against us … what we have to do to help Palestine is use actual political tools, not rhetorical tools, and that firstly is stopping any political process with the Zionist entity,” he said. 

Assad said what’s happening in Gaza today should not be treated in isolation, but rather looked at as a “manifestation” of the Palestinian cause and a “blatant expression of the suffering” of Palestinians. 

Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani slammed the international community for failing to “stop war crimes and massacres” in Gaza.

The emir said Qatar continues to support all regional and international diplomatic efforts for "de-escalation, stemming the bloodshed and protecting civilians, including continuing efforts in humanitarian mediation to release hostages," adding that "we hope to reach a humanitarian truce in the near future." 

Staff and patients have been unable to leave the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City as the hospital complex remains under "complete siege," according to the Hamas-controlled health ministry in Gaza. 

The director-general of the ministry, Dr. Munir Al-Bursh, told CNN there were more than 100 bodies wrapped in blankets on the ground within the hospital complex. 

“We can’t bury them,” he told CNN by phone. The sound of explosions could be heard as he spoke.

CNN is unable to verify the number of dead at Al-Shifa.

He said people who had been injured in Gaza were instead being transported to the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital, as Al-Shifa was inaccessible. He said there was no water, food or electricity at the hospital.

What Israel's military says: The Israeli army told CNN it is engaged in “ongoing intense fighting” against Hamas in the vicinity of the hospital complex but refused to comment further on its forces’ proximity to the complex because military activity was still underway.

Israeli army spokespeople in a separate telephone briefing with journalists Saturday did not address reports of shelling in the hospital vicinity.

Angelita Caredda, the Norwegian Refugee Council’s Middle East director, said in a statement that the council was "horrified by reports of relentless attacks on Gaza’s hospitals."

"Patients, including babies, and civilians seeking relief are trapped under attack. It is an affront to wage war around and on hospitals," she said.

The people of Gaza are being "choked" by the continuous bombardment, a UN agency head warned on Saturday.

The head of UNRWA, the UN relief agency that works in the Gaza Strip, Philippe Lazzarini, made the comments at an emergency summit of Arab and Islamic states in Riyadh.

He continued that more than 700,000 women, children, and men now live in UNRWA schools and shelters.  

He said UNRWA staff were still operating some 150 UNRWA shelters. “They keep one-third of our health centers open and manage mobile clinics. They deliver medicines to hospitals.”

He also said that a meaningful and continuous flow of humanitarian aid is essential, but claimed that “the logistics and the verification of trucks by Israel are extremely cumbersome. They only allow a limited number of trucks into Gaza.”  

“We must increase the volume of aid and use other crossings, including those within Israel, like Kerem Abu Salem.”

Some context: A significant number of Arab leaders are attending the emergency gathering in Riyadh on Saturday, titled the Joint Arab Islamic Extraordinary Summit.

The summit is being hosted by Saudi Arabia in response to the “unprecedented circumstances in Gaza,” according to a statement released by the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi has said that attendees at an emergency summit on the Israel-Hamas war in Saudi Arabia had gathered there on behalf of the Islamic world to "save the Palestinians."

Raisi said the story of Gaza is a “struggle between two axes,” and the world must determine which side it is on — the side of "nobility" or the side that “destroys human generations.”

The Iranian president criticized the United States for its support of the Israeli offensive, saying Washington is “the main partner in these crimes.” 

For context: Raisi's presence at the summit is significant. It is the first time an Iranian leader has visited Saudi Arabia in more than a decade and Iran also has close ties to Hamas and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, which has been clashing with Israel.

Three babies have died in the neonatal unit of Gaza's largest hospital, which is surrounded and "out of service" following persistent Israeli fire in the vicinity, according to the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health.

Dr. Munir Al-Bursh, director-general of the ministry, estimated on Saturday that 400 people were being treated at the hospital, with around 20,000 displaced people seeking shelter in the complex.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia is hosting a major summit on the "unprecedented circumstances in Gaza" attended by a host of Arab leaders.

Here are the key developments:

A hospital on the front line: Doctors in the neonatal ward at the Al-Shifa Hospital are now being forced to carry out artificial respiration by hand on the 36 babies that they are caring for, according to Bursh. Another official said the intensive care unit, pediatric department and oxygen devices have stopped working. Israel has confirmed it is fighting in the area as it bids to destroy Hamas following the October 7 attacks. It accuses the militant group of using hospitals for cover.

Health care system past "point of no return": "Overstretched, running on thin supplies and increasingly unsafe" is how the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) described the health care system in Gaza in a statement Friday. The ICRC warned the system had "reached a point of no return risking the lives of thousands," with recent "attacks on medical facilities and personnel" having dealt the system a "heavy blow." 

Saudi summit: Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi is one of several leaders to have landed in the Saudi capital Riyadh for an emergency summit to discuss the conflict in Gaza. In his opening remarks, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said the "summit is being held under exceptional and painful circumstances," adding that the Kingdom “categorically rejects” the war to which Palestinians are being subjected.

Israel claims victories: In an update Saturday, the Israeli military said it had gained control of 11 Hamas military posts in the Gaza strip and had destroyed a tunnel used by militants, as well as a vehicle packed with explosives that had been parked close to an area used by Israeli soldiers. 

Israel-Lebanon border exchanges: There have been further exchanges of fire between the Israeli military and Hezbollah across Israel’s northern border with Lebanon on Saturday, according to the Israel Defense Forces. The IDF said sirens had sounded in northern Israel “warning of a hostile aircraft intrusion." Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant later issued a warning to Lebanese civilians about "Hezbollah's aggression" in the region. “What we’re doing in Gaza can also be done in Beirut," Gallant said.

Fresh evacuation window: A seven-hour window opened for Gazans to evacuate south along the Salah al-Deen street Saturday, according to the IDF, which said on social media that the corridor would "remain open between 09:00-16:00 (2 a.m. ET to 9 a.m. ET)."

This post has been updated with remarks from the Israeli defense minister on the cross-border fire with Hezbollah.