IDF hits site in Syria after Eilat strike claimed by Houthis in Yemen
From CNN’s Richard Allen Greene in Jerusalem
The Israel Defense Forces said Friday it has struck a site in Syria in response to a drone strike Thursday on a building in the southern Israeli city of Eilat.
The news comes despite Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen having claimed responsibility for the drone strike on Eilat.
“The IDF struck the organization in Syria that carried out the launch of a UAV toward Eilat yesterday (Thursday), which hit a school in the city,” the IDF said in a statement early Friday.
Asked by CNN about the Houthi claim of responsibility, the IDF said: “Regarding this specific incident, the UAV arrived from Syria.”
5:15 a.m. ET, November 10, 2023
President of the Palestinian National Initiative calls for "total and complete" ceasefire
People search through destroyed buildings during Israeli air raids in the southern Gaza Strip on November 10, in Khan Yunis, Gaza. Ahmad Hasaballah/Getty Images
Calling for a pause of military operations in areas of northern Gaza is "not enough," according to Mustafa Barghouti, a doctor and president of the Palestinian National Initiative, who told CNN he sees no hope for the people of Gaza without a "total and complete ceasefire."
"The US is supporting Israel completely and is not taking a neutral stand and in this case unfortunately, the US continues to support what Israelis want – and what we don't want to see is the continuation of the ethnic cleansing of the north of Gaza as well as the city of Gaza," Barghouti told CNN anchor Isa Soares.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted that there will be “no ceasefire” without the release of hostages held by Hamas.
"Israel is not attacking Hamas only, they are attacking all Palestinians," Barghouti said.
"If they (Israeli forces) move south, they will be bombarded in the south – 49 percent of Palestinians killed, mostly civilians, were killed in the south," he said, adding that he did not see "any hope unless there is a total and complete ceasefire."
"And I say that any government in the world that does not support an immediate ceasefire becomes a participant and supportive of this continuous war."
1:45 a.m. ET, November 10, 2023
Situation in Gaza is "unfathomable," aid organization says
From CNN’s Maija Ehlinger
Destroyed buildings in the northern Gaza Strip, on November 10. Kenzo Tribouillard/AFP/Getty Images
Aid workers trapped in besieged Gaza are living with the fear of Israeli bombardment, as they face an "unfathomable" situation with extreme difficulties finding food, water and dwindling medical supplies, an official with a humanitarian organization said Thursday.
Speaking to CNN's Kaitlin Collins, Mercy Corps vice president of global policy and advocacy Kate Phillips-Barrasso, said all 70 of the aid group's staff in Gaza have been displaced and had family members killed or injured in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.
"We fear for the worst for our colleagues in Gaza,” Phillips-Barrasso said.
Aid agencies have repeatedly warned that shortages of vital supplies including water are contributing to the unfolding humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.
Phillips-Barrasso said one person had described waiting nearly 22 hours in a queue to get any sort of drinkable water.
Mercy Corps has also been collecting firsthand accounts from Palestinian civilians, who have spent more than a month living in deteriorating conditions.
One woman, referred to as Nasma, wrote that "at night, we try to guess which room is the safest. My mom insists on sleeping with us even though it is very crowded, so that if we die at night, at least we will die together."
"We rarely sleep," Nasma added. "Somehow we quiet our minds long enough to doze off; the explosion wake us up. We count the minutes to see the light and know we made it to see another day."
Mercy Corps also shared a voice note from one woman in Gaza who said, "What you guys are seeing on social media and on TV is actually 2% of reality. So we know that we are dying here. If we are not dead physically, we are dead inside.”
12:02 a.m. ET, November 10, 2023
Israel agrees to "tactical localized pauses" as thousands flee northern Gaza. Here's the latest
A senior Israeli official is calling the four-hour breaks “tactical localized pauses” that will go into effect in specific areas. A neighborhood or area will be given several hours’ notice that they will have a pause, to give people in the north the ability to travel south for aid and relief.
The pauses do not amount to a ceasefire and will not affect the fight in Gaza, Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said. He also stressed there would be no ceasefire until the release of the hostages, echoing earlier comments from Israel's prime minister.
Some 80,000 people fled northern Gaza through an evacuation corridor Thursday, an Israeli official said, compared with 50,000 people Wednesday. CNN cannot independently verify the figures.
Here are other headlines you should know:
Gaza fighting: Israel claimed its forces seized weapons and uncovered tunnel shafts as they captured a Hamas stronghold in northern Gaza following a 10-hour battle. In another statement, the Israeli military said an airstrike killed a Hamas commander and the navy struck Hamas anti-tank missile launching posts in Gaza. Hamas’ military wing said on Telegram it was targeting Israeli forces in the northern Gaza areas of Al Tawam, Sheikh Radwan, al-Shati camp and Juhr Al-Deek.
Rising death toll: At least 10,790 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Ramallah, drawing from sources in the Hamas-controlled territory. The toll includes 4,412 children and 2,918 women, according to the ministry. More than 26,000 others have been injured. In the occupied West Bank, 176 people have been killed by Israeli forces or Jewish settlers since October 7 and more than 2,450 Palestinians have been wounded, the report said.
More evacuations: More than 300 foreign nationals were evacuated from Gaza through the Rafah border crossing and arrived in Egypt Thursday, an Egyptian official told CNN. Twelve wounded Palestinians arrived in Egypt for treatment through the crossing, with 10 other Palestinians accompanying them, the official added. This brings the total number of evacuated foreign nationals to 2,000 and the number of wounded Palestinians to cross to 115, according to a CNN tally.
Hostage talks: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted Thursday that there would be "no ceasefire" without the release of hostages held by Hamas. A trilateral meeting with Qatari officials and the intelligence chiefs of Israel and the US was held in Doha on Thursday to discuss hostage releases in exchange for a humanitarian pause and aid entry to Gaza, a diplomatic source familiar with the talks told CNN. The armed wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) group in Gaza said. Thursday it is prepared to release two Israeli hostages on humanitarian grounds.
Economic impact: Israel’s war on Hamas could set the Palestinian economy back decades, according to a new analysis by the United Nations Development Programme. A UNDP report released Thursday paints a dire picture of the economic conditions in the Palestinian territories, where it says the past month of conflict has erased employment by 61% in Gaza and 24% in the West Bank.
Tehran denial:Iran has reiterated that despite its financial backing and support of Hamas and other regional proxy groups, it does not direct any of their actions. Asked by CNN whether Iranian support was the "connective thread" in attacks by Hezbollah in Lebanon on Israel, by Houthis in Yemen and by Shiite militias in Syria against Israeli and US forces, Ambassador to the UN Amir Saeid Iravani said there was cooperation and collaboration, but that Tehran was not directing any operation. He also likened Iran's role to that of the US in providing assistance to Israel.
Attacks on Israel: Meanwhile, Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for a purported ballistic missile attack on Israel's Eilat Thursday. Israel's military said an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) hit a civilian building in the southern city on Wednesday.
Report response: The Associated Press, Reuters, The New York Times and CNN all strongly denied on Thursday having had prior knowledge of Hamas’ October 7 terror attack after an agenda-driven pro-Israel media monitoring group published a thinly-sourced report claiming freelance photographers from the outlets were present during the initial attack.
11:36 p.m. ET, November 9, 2023
Diplomats privately warn White House of growing fury against US in Arab world
The cable underscores profound concern among American officials about the growing anger against the United States that erupted soon after Israel launched its operations against Hamas, following the militant group’s attacks in Israel on October 7 that left over 1,400 Israelis dead.
“We are losing badly on the messaging battlespace,” reads a Wednesday cable from the US Embassy in Oman, citing conversations with “a wide range of trusted and sober-minded contacts.”
The robust US support for Israel’s actions is being seen, the cable warns, “as material and moral culpability in what they consider to be possible war crimes.”
The cable from the embassy was written by the second-highest US official in Muscat and sent to, among others, the White House’s National Security Council, the CIA and the FBI. While it’s just one cable from a regional embassy, it provides a private snapshot of the alarm over the growing anti-US wave sweeping the Middle East.
Another cable obtained by CNN from the American embassy in Cairo relayed back to Washington the commentary in a state-run Egyptian newspaper that “President Biden’s cruelty and disregard for Palestinians exceeded all previous US presidents.”
CNN has reached out to the State Department for comment.
Israeli defense minister says 4-hour pauses won't affect war effort
From CNN's Mitchell McCluskey
The four-hour periodic pauses by the Israeli military announced Thursday do not amount to a ceasefire and will not affect the fight in Gaza, Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Thursday during a news conference.
He stressed there would be no ceasefire until Hamas releases hostages held in Gaza.
“We will not cease the fire or stop fighting as long as we have hostages in Gaza. And as long as we haven’t completed our mission which is to destroy Hamas, and dismantle its military and governance capabilities,” Gallant said.
Gallant said the daily four-hour pauses by the Israeli military are limited measures to allow civilians to flee.
“We’re carrying specific moves to allow the exit of Palestinian civilians from Gaza City to the south, to avoid hurting them. These do not affect the fighting,” he said.
Gallant said Israeli troops are operating “in the heart of Gaza City" and are "very close to the Gaza port."
Israeli forces have started using “new methods” to destroy underground tunnels used by Hamas, Gallant said, without providing more information.
8:27 p.m. ET, November 9, 2023
What we know about Israel's offensive in Gaza City
From CNN's Rob Picheta, Paul P. Murphy, Ivana Kottasová and Mick Krever
Israel’s military has effectively cut Gaza in two, with its ground operations and fiercest aerial bombardment apparently concentrated in the north, forcing thousands of Palestinians to flee south on foot to escape the fighting.
The urban warfare also appears to be getting more complex, with Israeli troops having to contend with Hamas’ elaborate tunnel system and the threat of ambushes.
Here’s what to know about the battle for Gaza City:
Israel's strategy: Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Tuesday that IDF troops are at “the heart of Gaza City,” and “tightening the noose” on the urban center in the north of the enclave, targeting Hamas infrastructure and commanders there. Since the IDF launched its ground offensive into Gaza almost two weeks ago, its troops have pushed forward on three axes — from Gaza’s northwest border along the Mediterranean coast, from the northeast near Beit Hanoun, and from east to west, along the south of Gaza City towards the coast — in an effort to drive a wedge through the center of the strip, cleaving it in half. Danny Orbach, a military historian from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, described the IDF’s strategy as one of isolation and destruction. “The IDF, in my opinion, will first of all try to isolate areas in the Gaza Strip, then to concentrate its resources in the main gravity centers,” he said. “(They) first want to isolate Gaza City from the north and the south and concentrate your forces. This is the most straightforward way.”
Where fighting is happening: For weeks, the IDF has said they have been targeting Hamas’ sprawling tunnel network across Gaza. But propaganda videos recently released by Hamas and analyzed by CNN show that has not eliminated Hamas’ ability to carry out attacks. CNN has geolocated a number of clashes seen in the footage — released after the ground incursion began — to three main locations: the Al-Shati Refugee camp, Atatra and Beit Hanoun, where fighters can be seen carrying out ambush attacks on IDF troops. The outcome of the Hamas attacks depicted is unclear from the videos, which are heavily edited.
Complications for Israel's offensive: Dismantling Hamas’ tunnels will be a major challenge to IDF troops; the winding network is believed to provide the militants with opportunities to navigate Gaza City and move ammunition and other supplies without being detected. “It’s hundreds of kilometers of tunnels. And it’s not tunnels that you have to crawl in, it is tunnels that are built (up)” and feature electricity and lighting, Miri Eisin, a retired IDF colonel with a background in military intelligence, told CNN. The complexity of the tunnel system — and the difficulties of using technology such as GPS devices inside them — gives Hamas fighters a significant strategic advantage over IDF forces, experts suggested.
The move appeared to formalize a pattern of halting the violence to allow humanitarian aid into the enclave and to allow civilians to flee the fighting.
For the past several days, Israel has paused violence for hours-long windows where it allows civilians to evacuate south. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted in a statement Thursday evening that there would be “no ceasefire” without the release of hostages held by Hamas.
John Kirby, the National Security Council spokesman, cast the agreement to allow four-hour pauses as a positive “first step” in easing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. He said Israel would announce the timing of the pauses three hours beforehand.
“We’ve been told by the Israelis that there will be no military operations in these areas over the duration of the pause, and that this process is starting today,” Kirby said, calling it “steps in the right direction.”
Speaking shortly after at Joint Base Andrews, President Joe Biden said he had pressured Netanyahu to agree to significantly longer pauses in the violence, including during a phone call on Monday.
“I’ve been asking for a pause for a lot more than three days,” Biden told reporters, adding later: “I’ve asked for even a longer pause for some of them.”
And asked if he was frustrated with Netanyahu for the back-and-forth on humanitarian pauses, Biden hinted at some discord.
“It’s taken a little longer than I hoped,” he said.
Israeli and US intelligence heads meet with Qatari officials for hostage negotiations, source says
From CNN's Becky Anderson
A trilateral meeting with Qatari officials and the intelligence chiefs of Israel and the United States was held in Doha on Thursday to discuss hostage releases in exchange for a humanitarian pause and aid entry to Gaza, a diplomatic source familiar with the talks told CNN.
The meeting — which included CIA Director William Burns, Mossad head David Barnea and Qatari officials — discussed a proposed plan to release between 10 to 20 civilian hostages in return for a three-day pause in fighting and the entry of further aid, plus enabling Hamas to compile and hand over a list of hostages being held in Gaza, the source said.
A US official confirmed that Burns took part in the meeting with Barnea and the Qatari prime minister concerning hostage issues. The official declined to comment on the terms of what was discussed.
On Wednesday, CNN reported there was no prospect of Israel agreeing to a sustained pause in fighting without a substantial number of hostages being released, according to one senior US official. The multi-party talks — in which Qatar is playing a key mediating role — have been ongoing for weeks.
CNN previously reported that one Israeli official said the country was “ready for a pause” if there could be certainty that Hamas was “serious about releasing hostages.” What is not clear is how long of a pause Israel would be willing to agree to and what would amount to an acceptable number of hostages released.
Negotiations have also centered around exchanging hostages for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, CNN has previously reported.
CNN's Alex Marquardt and Katie Bo Lillis contributed reporting to this post.
