October 22, 2023 Israel-Hamas war news

Our live coverage of the Israel-Hamas conflict has moved here.

Directions for making a chemical weapon to use on civilian targets have been discovered on a USB drive found on the body of a Hamas terrorist involved in the October 7 attacks, Israeli President Isaac Herzog has claimed.

In a statement, Herzog’s office said the USB key contained pages from a 2003 al Qaeda manual that included a diagram for a “device for dispersing cyanide agents.”  

Herzog’s office provided two pages of the document in question, which included a crude sketch of a device made up of household items combined with chemical agents.    

The statement said other content on the USB drive included “a manual for abducting captives and instructions for the use of chemical substances for mass murder.”     

CNN is unable to independently verify the claims or contents of the documents.  

There have been no indications from the Israeli government that Hamas militants involved in the October 7 attack had the means to carry out a chemical attack. 

Herzog said the documents indicated an ideological link between Hamas and other Islamist terror groups.  

An Israeli official told CNN the information about the discovery of the documents was sent to dozens of Israeli embassies worldwide under the heading: “Hamas intention of using chemical weapons.”  

The number of Thai nationals killed in Israel following Hamas’ October 7 attack has risen to 30, Thailand’s Foreign Ministry said on Sunday.

Thailand, which for decades has made up one of the biggest sources of migrant labor in Israel, has suffered one of the highest tolls of any nation beyond Israel itself.

A total of 18 Thais have been injured in Israel, while 19 Thai nationals are believed to have been taken hostage by Hamas, the ministry said.

Many infants relying on ventilators would not survive an interruption of electricity in Gaza, a senior doctor in the besieged coastal enclave has warned, as he painted a grim picture of the situation at his hospital.

In a video released by the Gaza Ministry of Health on Sunday, Dr. Fu’ad al-Bulbul, head of the neonatal department unit at Al-Shifa hospital, said any stop of the electricity supply would be “catastrophic.”

Al-Bulbul spoke amid concerns that fuel supplies essential to keeping hospital generators on and electricity running are perilously low. Earlier Sunday, the UN agency aiding Palestine refugees (UNRWA) cautioned that its fuel reserves will deplete in three days, jeopardizing humanitarian efforts in Gaza.

The nursery at Al-Shifa hospital, which has 45 incubators, predominantly cares for preterm babies resulting from high-risk pregnancies, al-Bulbul said.  

“Unfortunately, at the moment we have not any medical supply — the essential drugs which is essential drugs as lifesaving for baby in the first two hours of life,” he said.  

Highlighting the severe shortage of essential medicines, the doctor revealed they had run out of surfactant and had used their last vial of caffeine citrate on Sunday.  

The unit is overwhelmed with caseloads, most infants are critically ill and the medical team has worked 18 straight days, leaving them exhausted, he added.  

Palestinians look for survivors after an Israeli airstrike in Deir Al-Balah, Gaza, on Sunday.

Hamas said its political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh received a phone call from Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian late Sunday to discuss “how to use all methods to stop” Israeli strikes on Gaza.

They also “discussed the latest developments related to the Zionist aggression against the Gaza Strip,” Hamas said via the messaging platform Telegram.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said Tehran was not involved in the Hamas attack on Israel, but has praised the assault.

According to US officials, there is no “direct information” linking these attacks to Iran at this time, but Washington believes Iran is “broadly complicit” in Hamas attacks in Israel.

A senior Israeli official tells CNN there will be “no ceasefire” in Gaza amid US and Qatari efforts to free more than 200 hostages held there by Hamas.    

The official told CNN they were “not aware” of US calls for a delay to Israel’s expected Gaza ground operation, and said both Israel and the US want all the hostages released “as quickly as possible.”

But, the official added, “humanitarian efforts cannot be allowed to impact the mission to dismantle Hamas.”

Here are other headlines you should know:

Israel’s military carried out dozens of airstrikes on Hamas targets late Sunday, the Israel Defense Forces said. 

CNN’s Nic Robertson reported from Sderot, near the Gaza Strip, that Sunday’s strikes have been the most sustained bombardment of northern Gaza he has seen since he began to report from southern Israel two weeks ago.

The Israeli military said late Saturday its forces would be intensifying airstrikes in Gaza. 

Strikes in southern Lebanon: The IDF also struck two Hezbollah terrorist cells on the Lebanese side of the border with Israel, it said via the Telegram messaging platform.

The Israeli military said one cell was adjacent to the area of Mattat and planned to launch anti-tank missiles toward Israel; while the other, located in Har Dov, planned to launch rockets.

A senior Israeli official tells CNN there will be “no ceasefire” in Gaza amid US and Qatari efforts to free more than 200 hostages held there by Hamas.    

The official told CNN they were “not aware” of US calls for a delay to Israel’s expected Gaza ground operation, and said both Israel and the US want all the hostages released “as quickly as possible.”

But, the official added, “humanitarian efforts cannot be allowed to impact the mission to dismantle Hamas.”

Israel agreed to a US request to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza, “although that was not popular in Israel,” the official said.  

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday that US President Joe Biden’s administration was talking to the Israeli government on a “regular basis” about the Gaza situation.

A CNN journalist observed at least 14 humanitarian relief trucks, sponsored by the Egyptian Red Crescent and the United Nations, entering the Gaza Strip from Egypt through the Rafah crossing on Sunday late evening local time.

An official with the Palestinian Red Crescent Society in Gaza confirmed to CNN that the trucks had been admitted, and were being offloaded to vehicles that will take the goods to Gaza storage facilities of the UNRWA, the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees.

Photos from the Palestinian Crossing Authority showed the second set of trucks getting loaded up on the Palestinian side of the crossing to complete the journey to the UNRWA site.

A short statement by Wael Abu Omar, head of public relations at the Palestinian Crossing Authority, said the trucks carried food and medicine for Gaza.

Some background: The news comes a day after a convoy of 20 Egyptian trucks unloaded humanitarian aid in Gaza after using the same crossing, which was briefly opened Saturday, according to a CNN stringer on the ground.

The critical Rafah crossing with Egypt in the south has been touted as the last hope for Gazans to escape as Israel’s bombs rain down, and many Palestinians have begun moving in its direction in anticipation. So far, however, the opening has only been opened for aid — not evacuees.

Meanwhile, aid workers in Gaza, which is under a “complete siege” by Israel and running critically low on basic resources, said this weekend’s deliveries were a help, but only barely started to address needs across the densely populated strip.

French President Emmanuel Macron and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte.

French President Emmanuel Macron and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte are due to arrive in Israel Monday, the Israeli prime minister’s office said Sunday. 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke by phone to the two leaders as well as Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. Macron and Rutte will arrive on Monday and Tuesday, and will meet with Netanyahu, according to his office.

The Israeli prime minister thanked the the Western leaders for their support of Israel’s “right to defend itself against Hamas’s brutal terrorism,” his office said in a statement, adding that “Israel’s victory over Hamas would be a victory for the entire world.”

CNN reached out to the Elysee Palace, which has not yet confirmed Macron’s visit, but the French president had said he would visit Israel in the following days, according to his office.

More from Sanchez: The Spanish prime minister confirmed he spoke to his Israeli counterpart in a post on the social media platform X, saying he reiterated his “condemnation of Hamas terrorist attacks against Israel and its right to defend itself against them, within the limits of international and humanitarian law.”

Sanchez wrote that those being held hostage by Hamas in Gaza should be released “immediately and unconditionally.”   

He added that all civilians in the Israel-Hamas conflict should be protected, and that “sufficient and sustained humanitarian aid” should be provided to the people of Gaza.  

An Israel Defense Forces soldier died and three others were wounded during a raid as part of preparations for a Gaza ground operation, an IDF spokesperson said Sunday.

The raid was carried out earlier today in the area of Kibbutz Kissufim near the Gaza Strip, IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari said during a video briefing. An anti-tank missile launched toward an IDF tank and an engineering vehicle left one soldier dead, one with moderate injuries, and two with mild injuries, according to Hagari.

The IDF said the raid was part of the preparations for a Gaza ground operation, with Israeli forces attempting “to dismantle terror infrastructure, clear the area of terrorists, weapons, and locate missing persons, and bodies.”

The family of the killed and wounded soldiers have been notified, according to the IDF.

More background: The Israeli military has been increasing its attacks against Hamas and collecting information regarding the hostages held in Gaza, according to Hagari.

Hamas fighters clashed with Israeli troops inside Gaza Sunday, in what appears to be one of the first skirmishes between the two sides on the ground inside the strip since war broke out on October 7.

The IDF chief of staff told commanders Saturday that the military is preparing to “enter the Gaza Strip” and take out Hamas, but he did not provide a specific timeframe. The US is seeking to delay an Israeli ground offensive in Gaza, in hopes of getting more hostages out and more humanitarian aid in to the besieged enclave, according to two sources briefed on discussions

US President Joe Biden spoke with Pope Francis and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday in two separate calls about developments in Israel and Gaza.

In his discussion with Pope Francis, Biden condemned the attack by Hamas and discussed his efforts to deliver humanitarian assistance to Gaza.

The two “discussed the need to prevent escalation in the region and to work toward a durable peace in the Middle East,” according to a readout of his call.

The White House is expected to send a readout of the president’s call with Netanyahu soon.

Biden and US Vice President Kamala Harris also received a briefing Sunday morning from their national security team about the latest Gaza developments.

Participants in the briefing included Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Charles Brown, Chief of Staff Jeff Zients, and national security adviser Jake Sullivan.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during a press conference in Tel Aviv, Israel, on October 12.

US President Joe Biden’s administration is “hopeful” that more hostages held by Hamas will be released, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on NBC’s Meet the Press Sunday. 

He said US officials have been engaged with partners in the region and in talks with those who might have influence with Hamas to release the hostages. 

Blinken said that of the 10 Americans unaccounted for, some are believed to be hostages, but he didn’t provide an exact figure. 

When asked whether the US wants Israel to delay its ground operation until more hostages can be released — as CNN has reported, according to two sources briefed on the discussions — Blinken said the US is talking to Israel on a regular basis but maintained the decisions are for Israel to make.

Blinken later said the US remains concerned over a potential escalation by Iranian proxies and is prepared for that likelihood. 

An Israeli tank “accidentally fired and hit an Egyptian post” Sunday near the border between the two countries, the Israel Defense Forces said.

The IDF apologized for the incident — which took place in the area of Kerem Shalom, near the borders of southern Gaza and northeastern Egypt — and is investigating the matter.

Some Egyptian border guards suffered minor injuries, Egypt’s military said. 

Egypt also said the Israeli side “immediately” expressed its regret over the unintentional incident, and that the circumstances around the shelling are being investigated.

More background: Kerem Shalom is one of Israel’s two border crossings with Gaza.

It has been closed since Israel imposed a “complete siege” on the enclave after Hamas’ October 7 terror attacks. Kerem Shalom was among the areas where Hamas killed civilians after bulldozing through the Gaza border during the assault.

Conditions at a central Gaza hospital are “catastrophic” Sunday, the medical center’s director general told CNN, as the emergency department faces a surge of casualties and electricity and fuel shortages brought on by Israel’s airstrikes and blockade.

Dr. Iyad Issa Abu Zaher said it has been a “bloody day” at Al Aqsa Martyrs hospital, updating the number of bodies the hospital has just received to 166.

The Al Aqsa hospital is located in Deir Al Balah in central Gaza — the district where Israel carried out airstrikes overnight Saturday into Sunday.

More than 300 wounded people have been admitted, Zaher said.

Hamas fighters clashed with Israeli troops inside Gaza, the Palestinian group’s militant Al-Qassam Brigades said Sunday, in what appears to be one of the first skirmishes between the two sides on the ground inside the strip since war broke out on October 7.

Hamas said its fighters destroyed two Israeli military bulldozers and a tank in an ambush, forcing Israeli troops to retreat into Israel without their vehicles.

“The soldiers of the Zionist force that fell into the Khan Younis ambush left their vehicles and fled east of the fence on foot,” the Al-Qassam Brigades said on social media.

The Israel Defense Forces said only that “shots were fired at IDF soldiers operating west of the Gaza Strip security fence, in the area of Kissufim.”

“An IDF tank struck the terrorist cell who fired at the soldiers,” the IDF added.

Kibbutz Kissufim, in Israel, is east of Khan Younis, in Gaza. 

The IDF confirmed to CNN by phone that its troops had been operating inside Gaza during the incident.

It is not the first time the IDF has said it operated inside Gaza since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7. On October 13, the IDF said it had carried out raids inside Gaza in the previous 24 hours, but it did not say clashes had taken place.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin gives a press conference in Brussels, Belgium, on October 12.

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said the US is “concerned about potential escalation” in the Middle East, following the announcement of additional US military assets to the region.

Austin said the deployment of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery, as well as additional Patriot defense battalions, to locations throughout the region was to protect US troops in the area. Those deployments were announced Saturday night.

The Defense Secretary said he has encouraged Israeli officials, and specifically Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant, “to conduct their operations in accordance with the law of war.”

In response to a question on whether Israel was doing enough to protect or ensure innocent civilians are not being killed, Austin said, “We encourage them at every opportunity, Jon, to make sure that, you know, we’re accounting for those civilians that are in the battle space that were providing corridors for them to leave the battle space if necessary, and that they’re allowing humanitarian assistance to get into that space as well.” 

Austin did say he thinks a two-state solution is still “very, very supportable.”

Iran addresses US and Israel: Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian warned the US and Israel Sunday that “if crimes against humanity do not stop immediately, there is the possibility at any moment that the region will go out of control.”

He called the Middle East a “powder keg” during a news conference in Tehran on Sunday, according to quotes published by state-aligned Tasnim News Agency.

“Any miscalculation in continuing genocide and forced displacement can have serious and bitter consequences, both in the region and for the warmongers,” Abdollahian said, referring to the US and Israel.

CNN’s Adam Pourahmadi contributed reporting

Gaza’s main medical facility, the Al-Shifa Hospital, is reducing the duration of dialysis sessions for hundreds of kidney patients as electricity and fuel supplies dwindle due to the Israeli blockade, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza on Sunday. 

Out of more than 1,100 kidney failure patients in Gaza, 450 receive treatment at the Al-Shifa hospital, the ministry said. 

Security conditions are also making it hard for patients to access hospitals in the strip, ministry Director General of International Cooperation Marwan Abu Saada said.

In a video posted by the ministry, a kidney patient inside the Al-Shifa Hospital mentioned that he lives at the hospital.   

Crisis deepens in Gaza: About 1.4 million people, constituting over 60% of Gaza’s population of about 2 million, have been displaced since October 7, according to the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs on Saturday. 

The health ministry warned that the electricity and fuel shortages “will lead to a major humanitarian catastrophe, especially for patients with kidney failure.” 

It further called on civilians and owners of gas stations in Gaza to donate any fuel they have to hospitals to “save the lives of the wounded and patients.”

On Thursday, Doctors Without Borders said the Al-Shifa Hospital only had enough fuel to last 24 hours. 

Rhea Mogul and Christian Edwards contributed reporting to this post.

An Israeli soldier guides an armored personnel carrier on October 21, in Southern Israel. 

The US government has pressed Israel to delay its imminent ground operation Gaza to allow for the release of more Hamas hostages and aid into Gaza, according to two sources briefed on the discussions.

The Friday release of two Americans held by Hamas signaled the possibility of freeing more of the around 200 people believed to be kidnapped by the militant group after its deadly attacks two week ago.

The National Security Council did not immediately respond for comment.

When US President Joe Biden was asked Saturday if he was encouraging Israel to delay the invasion, he responded: “I’m talking to the Israelis.” 

Qatar, acting as a middle man for the US and Israel, has been leading the discussions with Hamas about releasing the hostages since they were abducted by Hamas two weeks ago. According to a diplomat briefed on the talks, the negotiations have included talks about getting much-needed aid into Gaza and the need for a temporary ceasefire to get the prisoners out. Israel has not indicated they are considering a ceasefire. 

Hamas does not appear to have gotten anything concrete out of the Friday release of Judith Tai and Natalie Raanan. 

Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, said in a statement Saturday they were prepared to release two “detained individuals” whom they identified by name. “The same procedures” used to release the Raanans would be employed for the new proposed release, the statement said. 

The office of Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to the claim Saturday evening, saying it would not comment on “false Hamas propaganda,” adding Israel’s government would “continue to do everything necessary to bring all the captives and missing back home.”

An official in the Israeli prime minister’s office told CNN on Friday, after news of the Americans’ release, that it may have been an attempt by Hamas to lessen the Israeli military response.

“That (military) pressure isn’t going to go because they were released,” the official said. “It won’t change the mission, which is to dismantle Hamas.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a meeting in Tel Aviv, Israel, on October 18.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned that if Hezbollah decides to enter the war, it will be crippled “with a force (it) cannot even imagine.” 

In a video, Netanyahu tells commandos “we are in a battle for life, a battle for home. This is not an exaggeration; this is the war. It’s ‘to be, or to cease’ — they should cease.”

Some context: Hezbollah is an Iran-backed Islamist movement with one of the most powerful paramilitary forces in the Middle East.

The group, which has its main base on the Israel-Lebanon border, could become a wildcard player in the Hamas-Israel war, and spark a wider regional conflict.

The conflict that started with Hamas’ deadly attacks on Israel – which Israeli officials say killed 1,400 people – has already had broad ramifications in the Middle East, and triggered diplomatic rifts and protests around the world.

The fallout is palpable on the Lebanon-Israel border, where Hezbollah and Israel have been engaged in low-rumbling tit-for-tat skirmishes since the war began, putting the entire region on a knife’s edge.

It remains unclear whether Hezbollah will intervene in the Hamas-Israel war on behalf of the Palestinians. Should Hezbollah get involved in the war, it would open up a multifront conflict, propelling the Middle East into uncharted territory with unpredictable consequences.