Israel's "collective punishment" of Gaza civilians amounts to a war crime, Amnesty says
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October 13, 2023 - Israel-Hamas war news

By Kathleen Magramo, Adam Renton, Christian Edwards, Ed Upright, Aditi Sangal, Alisha Ebrahimji, Elise Hammond, Kaanita Iyer, Zoe Sottile and Tori B. Powell, CNN

Updated 7:44 a.m. ET, October 16, 2023
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4:14 a.m. ET, October 13, 2023

Israel's "collective punishment" of Gaza civilians amounts to a war crime, Amnesty says

From CNN’s Akanksha Sharma

Palestinian children wounded in Israeli strikes attend a hospital in Rafah refugee camp, southern Gaza Strip, on October 12.
Palestinian children wounded in Israeli strikes attend a hospital in Rafah refugee camp, southern Gaza Strip, on October 12. Hatem Ali/AP

Human rights group Amnesty International on Friday urged Israel to “immediately” lift its blockade on Gaza, saying the "collective punishment" of civilians for Hamas' terrorist atrocities amounts to a war crime.

Israel's blockade on the densely-populated territory “has plunged the Gaza strip into darkness and will exacerbate an ongoing humanitarian catastrophe,” Amnesty said in a statement.

“The collective punishment of Gaza’s civilian population amounts to a war crime – it is cruel and inhumane," it said.
“Amnesty reiterates that Palestinian civilians are not responsible for the crimes of Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups and Israel must not, under international law, make them suffer for acts they play no role in and cannot control.”

Amnesty also urged the international community “to work towards an agreement over humanitarian corridors," in Gaza, where more than 423,000 people have been displaced.

3:03 a.m. ET, October 13, 2023

WHO chief stresses need to allow medical aid into Gaza

From CNN's Sharon Braithwaite

The head of the World Health Organization on Thursday said he has asked Egypt to help transfer medical supplies to neighboring Gaza as the humanitarian crisis in the enclave deepens under Israeli bombardment.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi had agreed to help in transferring medical supplies through the crossing that connects Egypt with southern Gaza.

"I'm really worried. My heart goes to all those who have lost their lives and their families both from Israel and Palestine. This is a very sad moment," he told reporters in Lyon, France.

One way in: Under the Israeli siege, the only corridor through which Palestinians or aid can pass in and out of Gaza is the Rafah Crossing that borders Egypt.

Egypt on Thursday denied reports of the crossing being closed, saying it has however sustained damage due to repeated Israeli airstrikes on the Palestinian side of the border.

CNN could not independently verify whether the crossing is open.

2:21 a.m. ET, October 13, 2023

Hamas tells Gaza residents not to leave their homes after IDF warns civilians to evacuate

From CNN's Abeer Salman and Lucas Lilieholm

Hamas on Friday told Palestinians living in Gaza not to leave their homes, according to a statement sent to media organizations.

The armed group, which governs the territory, accused Israel of engaging in “psychological warfare” by sending messages that told Palestinian civilians and employees of international organizations to evacuate to the south.

“The occupation is attempting to spread and circulate false propaganda through various means, aiming to create confusion among citizens and undermine the stability of our internal front,” the statement said, referring to Israel.

Employees of “international institutions” remained at their posts and were not evacuating, the statement claimed. CNN has not independently verified the claim.

Israel is maintaining its bombardment of Gaza in response to Hamas terror attacks that killed more than 1,300 people and has amassed more than 300,000 reservists along its southern border — but has not confirmed whether it is planning an intensified military operation.

The Israeli military on Friday called on all civilians in Gaza City to evacuate "southwards." The UN has said the order for 1.1 million people to leave northern Gaza was "impossible" without major humanitarian consequences.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) on Friday said it has relocated its central operations center and international staff in Gaza to the south of the besieged enclave.

3:59 a.m. ET, October 13, 2023

Analysis: Why guns have gone quiet on one of the Middle East's most dangerous fault lines

Analysis from CNN's Tamara Qiblawi in Marjeyoun, Lebanon

A UN post painted blue has a warning not to come between it and the Lebanon-Israel border wall on October 12, 2023, in Dhayra, Lebanon.
A UN post painted blue has a warning not to come between it and the Lebanon-Israel border wall on October 12, 2023, in Dhayra, Lebanon. Daniel Cade/Getty Images

The silence on Lebanon’s border with Israel is deafening. After five days of near constant crossfire between fighters in Lebanon and Israeli forces, the guns seem to have largely gone quiet.

This remains one of the most important, and dangerous, fault lines in this volatile region. Following the surprise Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, this frontier — largely calm since the 2006 Israel-Lebanon war — is even more charged with consequence.

Any conflict erupting here could pour fuel on the raging fire of the current Hamas-Israel war by drawing in the most powerful paramilitary group in the Middle East: Iran-backed Hezbollah.

Hezbollah’s political stance has unambiguously supported the Palestinian militants. It has sponsored rallies in support of Palestinian groups and has roundly condemned Israel’s large-scale airstrikes on Gaza.

At least 1,300 people have been killed in the Hamas attacks on Israel, while more than 1,500 people have been killed by Israeli strikes on Gaza since Saturday.

But it is still unclear whether Hezbollah will actively participate in this conflict. So far, it has adhered to its current rules of engagement and repeatedly stated that it will fire at Israel only when Lebanese territory, or its fighters, are fired upon. It has broadly stuck to that, despite the spiraling wider tensions.

Read the full analysis here.

4:10 a.m. ET, October 13, 2023

UN aid agency moves Gaza operations and international staff south

From CNN’s Martin Goillandeau

A UN vehicle moves as the Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) says it relocated its central operations center and international staff to the south of Gaza, amid Israeli strikes, in Gaza City, on October 13, 2023.
A UN vehicle moves as the Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) says it relocated its central operations center and international staff to the south of Gaza, amid Israeli strikes, in Gaza City, on October 13, 2023. Ahmed Zakot/Reuters

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) has relocated its central operations center and international staff in Gaza to the south of the besieged enclave, according to a statement Friday.

UNWRA will continue its humanitarian operations and provide support to its staff and to Palestinian refugees, it said.

“We urge the Israeli Authorities to protect all civilians in UNRWA shelters including schools,” UNWRA said in a statement posted on X, formerly Twitter.
“These UN schools and all other UN shelters are UN facilities. They must be protected at all times and must never come under attack in accordance with international humanitarian law. 

More than two thirds of the 423,000 people displaced in Gaza are taking shelter in schools run by UNWRA, according to the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

UNRWA said on Thursday that 12 of its personnel have been killed in Gaza since October 7.

Some context: The Israeli military on Friday called on all civilians in Gaza City to evacuate "southwards." The UN has said the order for 1.1 million people to leave northern Gaza was "impossible" without major humanitarian consequences.

4:16 a.m. ET, October 13, 2023

Israeli jets struck 750 military targets in northern Gaza overnight, IDF says

From CNN's Lucas Lilieholm

A view of an explosion following a strike by IDF fighter jets on Hamas targets at a location given as the Gaza Strip, in this screengrab taken from a handout video released on October 13.
A view of an explosion following a strike by IDF fighter jets on Hamas targets at a location given as the Gaza Strip, in this screengrab taken from a handout video released on October 13. Israel Defense Forces/Reuters

The Israel Defense Forces hit 750 military targets in northern Gaza overnight, according to an IDF statement on Friday morning.

Dozens of fighter jets struck “underground Hamas terror tunnels, military compounds and posts, residences of senior terrorist operatives used as military command centers, weapons storage warehouses, comms rooms” and “senior terrorist operatives,” the statement said.

The Israeli military on Friday called on all civilians in Gaza City to evacuate "southwards" as it maintains its bombardment of the coastal enclave in response to Hamas' terror attacks. The United Nations said the move was "impossible" without causing major humanitarian consequences.  

4:19 a.m. ET, October 13, 2023

Hamas attacks death toll rises to 1,300 in Israel

From CNN’s Yong Xiong

Family and friends mourn Danielle, 25, and Noam, 26, an Israeli couple who were killed in a deadly attack as they attended a festival, as they are buried next to each other at their funeral in Kiryat Tivon, Israel, on October 12.
Family and friends mourn Danielle, 25, and Noam, 26, an Israeli couple who were killed in a deadly attack as they attended a festival, as they are buried next to each other at their funeral in Kiryat Tivon, Israel, on October 12. Shir Torem/Reuters

Atleast 1,300 civilians and soldiers have been killed in Israel after Hamas launched a surprise attack over the weekend, the Israel Defense Forces said Friday.

In an update, IDF spokesperson Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus added that more than 3,000 people have been wounded in the terrorist attacks.

In response, Israel is hammering Gaza with airstrikes, hitting hundreds of targets and reducing neighborhoods to rubble.

1:28 a.m. ET, October 13, 2023

More than 423,000 people displaced in Gaza, UN says

From CNN’s Martin Goillandeau

Palestinians look at the destruction of a house in the aftermath of a strike amid the conflict with Israel in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, on October 12, 2023.
Palestinians look at the destruction of a house in the aftermath of a strike amid the conflict with Israel in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, on October 12, 2023. Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters

The number of people internally displaced in Gaza by the Israel-Hamas war has risen to more than 423,000, the United Nations said Friday — a figure that represents over 20% of the besieged coastal enclave's population.

The UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said more than two thirds of those displaced are taking shelter in schools run by the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNWRA).

Human rights organizations have “expressed concerns about incidents where civilians and civilian objects appear to have been directly targeted by Israeli airstrikes,” OCHA added.

1:23 a.m. ET, October 13, 2023

Israeli military warns all Gaza City civilians to evacuate

From CNN’s Akanksha Sharma

The Israeli military on Friday called on all civilians in Gaza City to evacuate "southwards" as it maintains its bombardment of the coastal enclave in response to Hamas terror attacks that killed more than 1,200 people.

“The IDF calls for the evacuation of all civilians of Gaza City from their homes southwards for their own safety and protection and move to the area south of the Wadi Gaza,” the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement. 

The United Nations warned Thursday that an Israeli military order to evacuate the entire 1.1 million population of northern Gaza to the south of the besieged enclave was "impossible" without causing major humanitarian consequences.

In its statement Friday, the IDF said evacuated civilians will be able to return to Gaza City "only when another announcement permitting it is made."

“Hamas terrorists are hiding in Gaza City inside tunnels underneath houses and inside buildings populated with innocent Gazan civilians,” the IDF said, claiming that Hamas militants “are using” civilians of Gaza as “human shields.”

“Do not approach the area of the security fence with the State of Israel,” the IDF said, adding it will “continue to operate significantly in Gaza City and make extensive efforts to avoid harming civilians.”

Israel has amassed more than 300,000 reservists along its southern border with Gaza but has not confirmed whether it is planning for an intensified military operation.

It comes as Gaza's humanitarian crisis deepens amid warnings from UN experts that people are at risk of starvation under Israel's bombardment.

More than 1,500 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the Palestinian health ministry. The airstrikes have also displaced hundreds of thousands of people.