Palestinian health ministry says an estimated 200 to 300 people killed in Israeli strike on hospital in Gaza
From Abeer Salman and Tamar Michaelis
Fire in the vicinity of the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital following what Palestinian officials are saying was an Israeli strike. Obtained by CNN
Preliminary estimates indicate between 200 to 300 people were killed in an Israeli strike on a hospital in the center of Gaza City, the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza said in a statement Tuesday, noting many people still remained beneath the rubble.
The Palestinian government in Gaza said in an earlier statement that the strike on the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital had resulted in dozens of deaths.
“A new war crime committed by the occupation in the bombing of Al-Ahli Arabi Hospital in the center of Gaza City, resulting in the arrival of dozens of martyrs and injured at Al-Shifa Medical Complex due to the bombing. It should be noted that the hospital housed hundreds of patients, wounded, and displaced people from their homes forcibly due to the airstrikes,” the government statement said.
Hamas released a statement on the strike, calling it a "genocide."
“The Al-Ahli Hospital Massacre in the heart of Gaza Strip is a genocide. Enough silence on the aggression and recklessness of the occupation,” Hamas said in a statement.
Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Daniel Hagari said the IDF is looking into the reported strike, saying since it was fairly recent, the IDF is still unclear whether the hospital was hit by an Israeli Air Force (IAF) strike or failed Hamas launch.
Kareem Khadder contributed reporting to this post.
2:45 p.m. ET, October 17, 2023
Nova festival survivors share their stories with foreign dignitaries: "It was an attack against humanity"
From CNN’s Lianne Kolirin in London
Survivors of the Nova festival being treated at the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center shared their experiences with ambassadors and dignitaries from 30 different countries. Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center
Survivors of the Nova festival who are being treated at the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Israel’s largest acute care facility, shared their experiences with ambassadors and dignitaries from 30 different countries.
The foreign dignitaries, who are all posted at their countries' embassies in Israel, joined an organized tour of the center, commonly referred to as Ichilov in Israel.
Ambassadors from the European Union, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Spain, Greece, Slovakia, Cyprus, Ukraine, Czech Republic, Taiwan, Philippines, Ecuador, Colombia, Kosovo and Singapore were all in attendance. Senior representatives from Germany, Hungary, Russia, Bulgaria, Lithuania and Latvia were also there.
“I wasn’t a soldier, I was a civilian, a human being coming to party, to enjoy with my friends … celebrate love and freedom and peace," said Tomer Zadik, whose arm was in a sling. “The attack wasn’t an attack against Israel, it was an attack against humanity."
Shirlee Gabay told the assembled crowd that she and her friends started to run as soon as they heard gunshots. They managed to drive away from the scene and found a shelter to hide in.
“I was on the ground sitting and they came in and there were many gunshots,” she said, adding that she was shot in the knee.
She said that “it became quieter” as the people around her began to die. She told the visitors that one woman’s body was slumped against hers “for hours.”
Taly Moalem, a resident of the city of Ofakim, asked for the world to support Israel. “We want our children, we want peace and we want to be a healthy nation in our country because we don’t have another,” Moalem said.
Remember: The music festival, which took place in a rural farmland area near the Gaza-Israel border, was just one of multiple locations where militant group Hamas carried out a surprise attack on October 7. At least 260 bodies have been discovered at the site, with others believed to have been taken hostage in Gaza.
1:22 p.m. ET, October 17, 2023
"Intense discussions" underway about UN humanitarian efforts in Gaza, spokesperson says
From CNN's Richard Roth
Employees with UNRWA distribute aid to displaced Palestinians at a school in Khan Younis, Gaza, on October 16. Yousef Masoud/The New York Times/Redux
"Intense discussions" are underway regarding the United Nations' humanitarian efforts in Gaza, the spokesperson for the UN secretary-general said Tuesday, as widespread displacement, dwindling supplies and fuel shortages contribute to a mounting crisis.
The spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, did not say whether UN Secretary-General António Guterres will visit Gaza or Israel during his travels to the Middle East later this week, adding the secretary-general’s travel plans are very fluid.
2:05 p.m. ET, October 17, 2023
At least 20 humanitarians killed in Gaza as hospital fuel and water supplies dwindle, UN says
From CNN’s Celina Tebor
At least 20 humanitarians from the United Nations and Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement have been killed in Gaza, the UN said. Supplies continue to dwindle in what the agency described as "utter catastrophe."
Of those killed, 15 staffers were from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and five were from the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, according to Joyce Msuya, the assistant secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and deputy emergency relief coordinator at the UN.
UNRWA schools shelter more than half of the displaced population in central-south Gaza, according to Msuya, but will only be able to operate small desalination plants in those shelters “for a few more days” without more fuel.
Displaced Palestinians take shelter at a UNRWA school in Khan Yunis, Gaza, on October 15. Ahmad Hasaballah/Getty Images
The UNRWA secured five trucks worth of fuel to operate Gaza’s main seawater desalination plans on Monday, but that will only keep facilities operating “for a week or so,” the UN said.
“Fuel reserves at Gaza’s hospitals have also been almost totally depleted,” Msuya said in a statement. “20 out of 23 hospitals in Gaza were already only offering partial services. As generators and back-up generators run dry, critical life support systems will shut down and these hospitals — which are filled with the chronically ill and civilian casualties of war — will be thrust into darkness.”
Hospitals in Gaza have entered a stage of “actual collapse” due to electricity cuts and fuel shortages, a spokesperson from the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza said earlier Tuesday.
12:47 p.m. ET, October 17, 2023
US Senate leaders pledge bipartisan support for Israel
From CNN's Hannah Rabinowitz and Holmes Lybrand
US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, pictured in July, pledged their support for Israel on Tuesday. Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images/File
US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell expressed their resolve to support Israel during the ongoing war with Hamas, saying they would spend the coming weeks reaching a bipartisan agreement to provide aid for Israel's counterterrorism operations.
“Under my leadership and with the good support of Senator McConnell … the United States Senate will do everything possible to help Israel win and totally eliminate the threat Hamas presents,” Schumer said Tuesday, as the two leaders spoke at a National Jewish Leadership event.
Schumer, a New York Democrat, has “a list” of the support requested by Israeli leaders, including weaponry and humanitarian aid, he said.
McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, called for the Senate to return to “investing in a sort of American strength that can protect our people, equip our allies, and lead the coalition to destroy terrorists who threaten the entire civilized world.”
The US should call on countries with relations with Hamas to “push immediately and forcefully — release the hostages,” McConnell said, and “to deny a safe haven to those who aid and abet terrorist violence."
“We need to show the rest of the world by our words and our actions that there simply is no moral equivalence between terrorism and self-defense,” McConnell said.
12:15 p.m. ET, October 17, 2023
Here's what to know about Rafah Crossing, the last hope for Gazans to escape war
From CNN's Abbas Al Lawati and Mohammed Abdelbary,
Palestinians wait at the Rafah border crossing in Gaza on Monday, October 16. Fatima Shbair/AP
As Israel responds to the October 7 attacks by Hamas, it has rained down bombs on Gaza, shut off the supply of water, electricity, food and fuel, and blockaded the coastal enclave by land, air and sea.
Where Palestinians will go is anyone’s guess. A border crossing with Egypt in the south, located in Egypt’s north Sinai, has been touted as the last hope for Gazans to escape, and many Palestinians have begun moving in its direction in anticipation.
That crossing at Rafah however is shut, with aid unable to get into Gaza. Here’s what we know about the crossing:
The importance of Rafah crossing: Before the war that started this month, Israel had two crossings with Gaza: Erez, which is for the movement of people, and Kerem Shalom, for goods. Both were heavily restricted and have been shut since the war began. That has left the Rafah Crossing with Egypt as the territory’s only entry-point to the outside world.
According to United Nations figures, an average of 27,000 people crossed the border each month as of July this year. The border was open for 138 days and closed for 74 this year until that month. Closures often depend on the security and political situation on the ground. While Israel has no direct control over the crossing, Egypt’s closures often coincide with Israel’s own tightening of restrictions on Gaza.
What's it like to cross Rafah border: Only Gazans with permits as well as foreign nationals can use it to travel between Gaza and Egypt. Gazans wishing to cross the border often have long waits. Jason Shawa, a Palestinian American from Seattle who lives in Gaza, says the process has taken him a minimum of 30 days, but wait times could last up to three months.
On the day of departure, a bus would take travelers from the Palestinian side of the border to the Egyptian one, where they would wait hours for Egyptian authorities to receive and process visa applications. Many travelers are turned away there, Shawa said, adding that Palestinians are regularly mistreated there.
What's it like now: Israel has struck the crossing multiple times since the war began. Asked about the bombing, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Lt. Col. Richard Hecht said on Tuesday: “When we see Hamas targets moving, we will take care of it.” Dozens of trucks are on the Egyptian side of the crossing waiting to get into Gaza. Egypt has said there has been no progress in efforts to open it.
Egypt's reluctance to open the crossing: The United States has been pressuring Egypt to establish a humanitarian corridor for civilians in Gaza, as well as for foreigners. Egypt, which already hosts millions of migrants, is uneasy about the prospect of hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees crossing into its territory. More than 2 million Palestinians live in Gaza. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi last week said his country is trying to help – within limits.
Many have also fumed at the idea of turning the Gazan population into refugees once again by displacing them from Gaza. Most Gazans are registered by the UN as refugees, whose ancestors came from areas that are now part of Israel.
Israeli airstrikes hit 2 refugee camps in Gaza, Palestinian interior ministry says
From CNN's Kareem Khadder in Jerusalem and Ben Wedeman
Israeli airstrikes hit two densely populated refugee camps in central Gaza on Tuesday, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Interior, resulting in casualties.
Al-Bureij refugee camp: At least 12 people were killed and dozens were injured as a result of an airstrike that hit a residential building in the camp in central Gaza, according to a doctor at the Al-Aqsa Hospital.
A high-level Hamas commander, Ayman Nofal “Abu Ahmed,” was also killed in the strike on the Bureij refugee camp, according to a statement from Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas' military wing. Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed in a statement the commander was killed in its airstrikes.
Al-Maghazi refugee camp: Israeli shelling also hit a school in the camp located in central Gaza that was housing displaced people, the Palestinian Ministry of Interior said on Tuesday. At least six people were killed, according to the Al-Aqsa Hospital.
CNN has reached out to Israel Defense Forces to comment on these claims.
The death toll is expected to rise. Dozens were injured, including UN staffers, according to a statement from Philippe Lazzarini, the commissioner general of UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) that ran the school. The school also suffered severe structural damage, the statement added.
"This is outrageous and it again shows a flagrant disregard for the lives of civilians. No place is safe in Gaza anymore, not even UNRWA facilities," Lazzarini said.
11:46 a.m. ET, October 17, 2023
Blinken meets with Palestinian Authority president ahead of Biden visit
From CNN's Jennifer Hansler
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Amman, Jordan, on Tuesday. Jacquelyn Martin/Pool/AFP/Getty Images
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Jordan on Tuesday ahead of President Joe Biden’s meeting with the leader during his own upcoming visit to the Middle East.
Blinken met with Abbas less than a week ago in Amman — one of his first meetings in his extensive seven-nation trip. A senior State Department official said Blinken asked Abbas in that meeting “to continue to maintain stability in the West Bank.”
Abbas made clear in that meeting “he would very much be opposed to” Palestinians being forced from Gaza.
The official said:
“One of the things that we heard very clearly from President Abbas in the meeting today is that you have to remember the historical context here: A lot of the people in Gaza are people who are refugees two times over, and there is concern about the idea of Palestinians being forced to leave Palestinian territory."
12:02 p.m. ET, October 17, 2023
Here's what Biden is looking to accomplish during his wartime trip to Israel
From CNN's Phil Mattingly, Kevin Liptak, Kayla Tausche and MJ Lee
US President Joe Biden speaks at a dinner in Washington, DC, on Saturday, October 14. Ting Shen/Bloomberg/Getty Images
It took an explicit commitment from his Israeli counterpart to open Gaza for humanitarian aid for President Joe Biden to agree to make an extraordinary wartime trip to Tel Aviv.
While the trip will amount to a dramatic show of support for Israel as it prepares its response to last week’s Hamas attacks, it will also act as Biden’s strongest push for easing the suffering of civilians and allowing those who want to leave Gaza out.
The high-stakes diplomacy with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his interlocutor of four decades, underscores the delicate balance Biden is striking as he embarks upon the last-minute wartime visit later on Tuesday evening.
At stake are the lives of millions of civilians, including Americans, currently stuck in the coastal Palestinian enclave where a humanitarian crisis is underway as Israeli troops mass at its borders ahead of an expected ground invasion.
While there was no explicit stipulation from the US that Israel not launch its invasion until Biden leaves the region, that’s the understanding among American officials who have spent the past several days debating and planning the president’s visit, according to multiple people familiar with the matter.
American officials want humanitarian plans for Gaza fully signed off on and implemented before start of the invasion, the people said, describing that task as among Biden’s main objectives during his visit to Tel Aviv on Wednesday.
While Biden has stopped well short of encouraging a ceasefire – the word hasn’t been used at all in the administration’s response so far – he has issued steadily stronger warnings about protecting civilian life, including during his telephone calls with Netanyahu.
Traveling to Israel in person may provide Biden – who despises Zoom calls and has long espoused the importance of face-to-face meetings – a better opportunity to convey those views to his Israeli counterpart, a leader with whom he believes he has a deep understanding.
Ultimately, Biden and his senior aides believe that they need to be in the room with Netanyahu to have influence with the prime minister and his team – requiring unequivocal support for Israel’s right to defend itself and eliminate Hamas.
But they’re also acutely aware that public support for Israel will not last forever, particularly if civilians in Gaza bear the brunt of Israel’s response to the Hamas attacks – requiring a degree of calibration by the president.
This is a posture that one official called an effort to “hug them close” to continue to work side-by-side throughout what’s expected to be a very difficult period ahead.
