November 4, 2023 Israel-Hamas war news

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is meeting with Arab officials, including several foreign ministers and Lebanon's caretaker prime minister, at a summit in Jordan's capital, Amman, on Saturday to discuss the conflict in Israel and Gaza.

Foreign ministers from Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Qatar, as well as the Secretary of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, are set to meet with Blinken, according to a statement from Jordan's foreign ministry.

On Saturday morning, Blinken met with Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati to discuss weeks-long tensions between Iran-backed Lebanese paramilitary group Hezbollah and Israel on the Israeli-Lebanese border, according to US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller.

The Jordanian foreign ministry said the summit would be focused on ending the war and addressing “the humanitarian catastrophe it has caused.”

Blinken has also met with Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.

Neither spoke during a brief photo opportunity at the beginning of their meeting.

Qatar has served as a key negotiator in discussions with Hamas amid the conflict in Israel and Gaza. The US has credited the Qataris for their help in securing the release of four hostages held by the group, as well as for the partial opening of the Rafah gate between Gaza and Egypt.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has expressed his condolences for the more than 70 UN staff that have been killed in the ongoing conflict in Gaza. 

The Israel-Hamas war has resulted in the highest number of UN workers killed in a conflict anywhere in the world in such a short period of time, the Commissioner of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, announced earlier this week. 

Lazzarini, who oversees the "largest humanitarian operation" in Gaza, told CNN's Christiane Amanpour on Thursday that 72 staff members have now been killed in Gaza.  

Blinken told reporters Saturday that he holds "extraordinary admiration" for the "courage" shown by UNRWA employees, stressing that the purpose of his visit was to "talk to people in the field and to express our own ongoing support for this work." 

Some context: UN staffers in Gaza are working lengthy days as dozens of UN-operated schools provide shelter for civilians fleeing Israel's bombardment.

UNRWA said on Friday that nearly 50 of its buildings and assets across Gaza have been impacted by the conflict, with some being “directly hit.”

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) confirmed on Saturday it has received fresh food, water, relief and medical supplies from 47 aid trucks sent by the Egyptian Red Crescent that crossed into Gaza through the Rafah crossing on Friday.

The aid group said this brings the total number of trucks that have crossed successfully from Egypt into Gaza to 421.  

In its statement, PRCS highlighted once again that fuel supplies still have not been allowed into the enclave. 

More on the Rafah crossing: Located in Egypt’s north Sinai, the Rafah crossing is the sole border crossing between Gaza and Egypt.

It falls along an 8-mile (12.8-kilometer) fence that separates Gaza from the Sinai desert.

The Israeli military is calling on Gaza residents to use the main road in the strip in order to travel south of Wadi Gaza, the waterway bisecting the center of the strip.

The Israel Defense Forces spokesman for Arab media posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, in Arabic that residents should use Salah al-Din Road for a three-hour period between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. local time in Gaza to move to safety.

It's unclear how many Gaza residents have access to the internet to see the message.

The IDF has repeatedly called for civilians in Gaza to move south of Wadi Gaza as it intensifies its air and ground assault on Gaza City and northern Gaza, including strikes on densely populated areas and civilian infrastructure that the IDF has said is being used by Hamas militants. 

International aid and rights groups have criticized Israel's calls for residents to evacuate the north without a pause in fighting and with roads and other infrastructure badly damaged.

The number of French nationals killed in the Hamas attacks in Israel has risen to 39, according to the French foreign ministry. 

"France mourns the tragic deaths of further French nationals, bringing the total number of French victims of Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel to 39," the ministry said in a statement Saturday. 

Nine French nationals are still missing following the October 7 attacks, the ministry said, adding that it has "now been confirmed that some of them have been taken hostage by Hamas." 

The French government says it is in contact with the families of the missing individuals. French President Emmanuel Macron met with the family members of hostages during a recent trip to Israel. 

Israeli forces targeted the French cultural center in Gaza, which has been closed since the outbreak of fighting, the French foreign ministry said in a statement Friday.

The ministry said it was informed by Israeli authorities that the site was the target of the strike. It is the only Western cultural center in Gaza, and is affiliated with the French embassy in Israel.

“We have demanded that the Israeli authorities communicate to us without delay via appropriate channels the tangible elements that motivated this decision,” the ministry said. 

The ministry said none of the institute’s workers or French citizens were inside the center at the time of the strike. French authorities have been working to evacuate the center's Palestinian workers from Gaza.

In a statement to CNN, the Israeli military said that it continues to request all Gaza residents move to safer territory in the south of the strip due to its assault on Hamas in Gaza City and northern Gaza. 

Israel has, however, targeted several locations in the southern part of the coastal enclave.

“Hamas continues to attack Israel across the entire Gaza Strip. Hamas has embedded itself in civilian infrastructure and operates across the entire Gaza Strip. The IDF is determined to end these attacks and as such we will strike Hamas wherever necessary,” the IDF statement military said.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed his "deep concern" in a meeting with Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati in Amman on Saturday about the cross-fire along Lebanon's southern border with Israel.

“Secretary Blinken thanked the Prime Minister for his leadership in preventing Lebanon from being pulled into a war that the Lebanese people do not want, as well as his efforts with regional partners to pursue durable and sustainable peace in the region,” State Department spokesperson Matt Miller said.

“The Secretary discussed US efforts to secure humanitarian assistance for civilians in Gaza and noted that Lebanon needs to select a President to lead the country through both the regional and domestic crises.”

Some context: Iran-backed Lebanese paramilitary group Hezbollah has been engaged in daily skirmishes with Israeli forces on the Lebanon-Israel border since October 8.

On Friday, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah hailed the crossfire as an "unprecedented battle" but called for a ceasefire in Gaza, signalling a reluctance to widen hostilities with Israel.

The Hamas-controlled health ministry in Gaza has rejected Israeli military allegations that an ambulance struck on Friday was being used by Hamas operatives.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed responsibility Friday for striking an ambulance "that was identified by forces as being used by a Hamas terrorist cell in close proximity to their position in the battle zone.”

At least 15 people were killed, and 60 others wounded in the attack outside Shifa hospital in Gaza City, according to Gazan health authorities.

The ministry said Saturday that two ambulances were hit.

“The first ambulance was struck near the Ansar roundabout, critically injuring a paramedic and causing additional injuries to the ambulance driver. The second attack occurred as the convoy reached the entrance of the Shifa medical compound,” the ministry statement said.

This post has been updated to reflect the most recent information on the number of people injured.

Jordan says US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet with fellow foreign ministers from key Arab partners at a summit in Amman Saturday to discuss the conflict in Israel and Gaza.

The Jordanian Foreign Ministry announced Friday that Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi would convene his counterparts from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Qatar, as well as the Secretary of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, who will then meet as a group with Blinken.

The Foreign Ministry said the summit will be focused on ending the war and addressing “the humanitarian catastrophe it has caused.”