October 11, 2023 - Israel-Hamas war news

More than 263,000 people have been displaced in Gaza during ongoing Israeli airstrikes, with the number “expected to rise further,” the United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said early Wednesday.

The figure represents more than one in 10 of the population in the densely populated enclave.

Among those displaced, at least 175,486 people are seeking shelter in United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) schools, while about 3,000 people remain displaced due to previous escalations, OCHA said in its update. 

It marks the highest number of internally displaced Palestinians since the 50-day escalation of hostilities in 2014, OCHA said.

The Israeli airstrikes have targeted telecommunication installations, destroying two of the three main lines for mobile communications that has disrupted mobile and internet service, OCHA said.

Basic needs such as access to water have also become a challenge due to damage and the reduction in power supply to sewage infrastructure, OCHA said. In Beit Lahia and northern areas, sewage and solid waste have accumulated in streets due to damage to sewage lines and infrastructure, it added. 

The Hamas-controlled government in Gaza said on Wednesday that electricity supply "will completely stop within hours," limiting the ability to provide basic services.

Some context: A humanitarian crisis is swiftly unfolding in Gaza, as trapped residents, many cut off from food and electricity, face a fifth day of Israeli airstrikes in response to Hamas’ deadly attack on Israel.

More than half of its 2 million population lives in poverty and is food insecure, with nearly 80% relying on humanitarian assistance.

On Monday, the UN Secretary-General called for Hamas to cease its attacks on Israel and release hostages and urged all parties to allow UN access to deliver humanitarian assistance to Palestinians trapped in Gaza. 

A Hamas "advanced detection system" used to identify aircraft was destroyed as Israeli airstrikes hit more than 80 targets in Gaza, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Wednesday.

In a separate statement, the IDF said its latest targets included:

Israel, which has declared war on Hamas, is battering the densely populated coastal enclave with airstrikes that have killed 950 people and injured 5,000, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

Nearly a thousand people have died in Gaza since Israel began airstrikes on the Palestinian enclave Saturday in response to Hamas' attacks, the Gaza Ministry of Health said Wednesday.

Some 950 people have been killed and 5,000 others have been wounded in the strikes on Gaza, the ministry said. 

Since Saturday, at least 1,200 people have died in Israel, according to the Israel Defense Forces.

Humanitarian crisis: Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant on Monday ordered a “complete siege” of Gaza, and said he would halt the supply of electricity, food, water and fuel to the enclave.

The Hamas-controlled government in Gaza said on Wednesday that electricity supply "will completely stop within hours," limiting the ability to provide basic services.

On Monday, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) said it has been forced to close all 14 of its food distribution centers in Gaza and “as a result half a million people have stopped receiving vital food aid.”

Gaza is one of the most densely populated places on Earth, where some 2 million people live in an area of 140 square miles. More than half of its population lives in poverty and is food insecure, with nearly 80% relying on humanitarian assistance.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have seemingly stopped the “knock on the roof.”

The euphemism describes a military tactic first developed in 2009 and used in several conflicts since then.

How it works: IDF forces will alert a building’s occupants that they are targeting the structure for an airstrike by dropping a small, non-explosive munition on the roof before a larger strike is executed. Its objective is to minimize civilian casualties by allowing for evacuation in buildings where militant groups keep rockets or ammunition stashed.

Despite the ultimate goal of saving lives, the technique is controversial and has been criticized by human rights groups, who argue dropping a munition on a building should not be considered a warning.

Others say even with the heads-up, there are few safe places for civilians to go in a blockaded strip of land. Gaza is small, just 140 square miles, and one of the most densely populated places on the planet. Civilians, including children, are often killed in the bombardments.

IDF spokesperson Lt. Col. Richard Hecht explained the distinction between military and civilian targets was not so simple.

What’s happening now: Following Hamas’ attack on Saturday, Israel seems to have abandoned the “knock on the roof.” CNN has spoken to multiple people in Gaza who said they were given no notice when their homes were bombed.

When asked whether the IDF has stopped the tactic, Hecht said on Monday that Hamas did not “knock on the roof.”

This absence of such warnings may be contributing to the significant number of civilian casualties reported so far in Gaza. At least 900 people have been killed in Gaza since Saturday.

The electricity supply to Gaza "will completely stop within hours," limiting the ability to provide basic services, the enclave's Hamas-controlled government said on Wednesday.

Israeli forces have been hammering Gaza with airstrikes since Saturday, hitting hundreds of targets and reducing neighborhoods to rubble, following unprecedented Hamas terror attacks on Israel.

Remember: On Monday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant ordered a "complete siege" of Gaza, saying he would halt the supply of electricity, food, water and fuel to the Palestinian enclave following Hamas' attack.

Gaza is one of the most densely populated places on Earth, where some 2 million people live in an area of 140 square miles.

It has been almost completely cut off from the rest of the world for nearly 17 years, when Hamas seized control, prompting Israel and Egypt to impose a strict siege on the territory, which is ongoing. Israel also maintains an air and naval blockade on Gaza.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) said late Monday it has been forced to close all 14 of its food distribution centers in Gaza and “as a result half a million people have stopped receiving vital food aid.”

More than half of its population lives in poverty and is food insecure, with nearly 80% of its population relying on humanitarian assistance.

The number of confirmed Latin American victims of Saturday's terror attacks in Israel has risen to 11 after Peru and Chile on Tuesday each said one of their citizens had died.

These Latin American countries have reported their citizens killed or missing:

Colombia is sending two planes to evacuate more than 300 citizens from Israel, Brig. Gen. Juan Francisco Mosquera, commander of Colombia's Military Transport Command, said in a video on Tuesday. 

Mexico is sending two planes to Israel after some 300 Mexicans requested evacuation, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said Monday. 

At least 1,200 people have died as a result of the Hamas attacks on Israel, IDF spokesperson Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus said in an update on Wednesday. 

It comes as new horrifying details emerge of Hamas attacks on border communities.

More than 900 people have died in Gaza since Israeli airstrikes began Saturday, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Wednesday said it struck naval targets in Gaza, which it claimed were used by Hamas militants to carry out attacks on the Israeli coastline. 

The operation was carried out by IDF naval soldiers, the Israeli Air Force and the Israeli Artillery Corps, the IDF said in a statement.

The targets included docks, which were hit using artillery fire from missile boats, IDF helicopters and ground artillery batteries, it added.

In addition, Israeli naval forces killed a Hamas diver who attempted to infiltrate into Israel from the Gaza shores earlier Wednesday, the IDF said.

Gaza strikes: Israeli airstrikes have pummeled Gaza, the densely-populated coastal enclave controlled by Hamas, since the Islamist militant group carried out an unprecedented surprise attack on Israel on Saturday. More than 900 people have died in Gaza and thousands more have been injured since the airstrikes began, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

As deadly fighting between Israel and Hamas intensifies, so too does a dire humanitarian crisis in the area.

Hundreds have been killed and thousands injured on both sides after Hamas launched unprecedented attacks on Israel on Saturday. Subsequent airstrikes have overwhelmed local hospitals and displaced more than 100,000 people in Gaza, one of the most densely populated areas on Earth.

The intense fighting has also hampered humanitarian relief. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which suffered damage to one of its buildings in Gaza, is calling for the protection of humanitarian workers, civilians, and critical infrastructure. Calling the situation “horrific,” Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is urging restraint after medical facilities have been destroyed in the fighting.

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