November 4, 2023 Israel-Hamas war news

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

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks at a news conference in Montreal, Canada, on September 28.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressed his continued support for Israel’s right to defend itself in its war against Hamas when he spoke with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday.

Trudeau also called for the immediate release of hostages held by Hamas and underlined the need to provide humanitarian aid to those in Gaza, according to a readout from his office.

The Canadian leader received assurances that “Canadians in Gaza will be able to leave in the coming days,” the readout said. 

There are currently 5,755 Canadians registered with the Registration of Canadians Abroad in Israel and 453 Canadians registered in the West Bank and Gaza, according to the latest update from Global Affairs Canada (GAC).

Canadian officials are in contact with 69 Canadians, permanent residents, and family members in the West Bank, 516 in Gaza and 51 in Israel, according to GAC.

Trudeau highlighted his deep concerns over the increasingly dire humanitarian crisis in Gaza, according to the readout, and reiterated Canada’s position on the immediate need to create conditions for urgent and necessary humanitarian aid to flow into the region. 

He also expressed “the importance of upholding international humanitarian law and making every effort to protect Palestinian civilians,” the readout said.

People gather as they carry Palestinian flags and banners to demonstrate solidarity with the Palestinians and demand an immediate ceasefire at Trafalgar Square in London, United Kingdom on November 4.

Police arrested 29 people in London during a massive pro-Palestinian rally Saturday, citing offenses including inciting racial hatred, racially motivated crimes, violence and assaulting a police officer.

Tens of thousands of demonstrators had gathered at Trafalgar Square for the protest, according to London’s Metropolitan Police Service, and most were demonstrating peacefully.

One man, suspected of making anti-Semitic comments during a speech, was arrested after being identified on social media using retrospective facial recognition technology, police said.

Two others were arrested “on suspicion of breaching section 12 of the Terrorism Act after they were seen displaying a banner appearing to support a proscribed organization,” police added.

Nine people were arrested on suspicion of public order offenses, including two that were allegedly racially aggravated, the statement added.

Pro-Palestinian protests have been held in London, and other cities globally, since the Israel-Hamas war began nearly a month ago, with demonstrators decrying the rising death toll and spiraling humanitarian crisis in Gaza amid Israeli bombardment.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it will allow people in Gaza to move south on specified streets Sunday, despite its troops coming under fire on Saturday while trying to secure a safe corridor for civilians.

The main route for evacuation will be Salah Al-Deen Street, with a window between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. local time, according to Avichay Adraee, IDF spokesperson for the Arab media.

It was unclear how widely the message will be received on the ground, given the widespread electricity and internet outages, or how safe the passage will be.

According to Adraee, Hamas on Saturday fired mortar and anti-tank shells toward Israeli forces “who were keen to open the road from the north of the Gaza Strip towards its south.”

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

Israel's Iron Dome system intercepts rockets over the sky of Tel Aviv, Israel, on November 4.

A CNN team close to the Israel-Gaza border witnessed eight rockets fired from Gaza into Israel and shortly after, the IDF said it had intercepted six of the eight rockets. Israeli television channels aired live video of the rockets being brought down by the IDF’s Iron Dome defense system.

The Israeli police also released a statement saying it was “conducting extensive scans to locate possible rocket impact sites in the central region and Tel Aviv.” The statement noted there are no casualties “at this stage.”

Soon after, a barrage of new explosions was seen over Gaza City Saturday night, according to a CNN team close to the border.

The Israel Defense Forces have not yet commented on the new blast.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Ramallah warned Saturday of a “catastrophe within Gaza hospitals,” adding that wounded people are “taking their last breaths” due to the lack of medical resources and fuel. 

Palestinian Health Minister Dr. Mai al-Kaila also called on the international community to provide fuel to Gaza hospitals to prevent the shutdown of services. 

As of midday on Saturday, more than 150 health care professionals in Gaza have been killed, according to the health ministry in Ramallah. The ministry also said “16 hospitals and 32 primary healthcare centers have been taken out of service.”

Organizations outside of Gaza are also raising an alarm about the dire situation in the enclave’s hospitals. 

MedGlobal, a US-based organization that supports local health programs for vulnerable populations across the globe, issued an urgent appeal for fuel to power a generator at Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza.

MedGlobal President Dr. Zaher Sahloul said in a social media post Saturday that the organization’s lead pediatrician in northern Gaza sent him a message about the “catastrophic situation,” adding that a 2-year-old just died.

According to Sahloul, the pediatrician at Kamal Adwan Hospital, Dr. Husam Abu Safyia, added:

Earlier on Saturday, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres also highlighted the lack of medicine and other resources in Gaza, saying, “Fuel to power hospitals and water plants is running out.”

Israel’s stance: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday that his government opposes any temporary ceasefire in Gaza unless Hamas frees all the hostages it holds. He also said it would continue to block fuel from entering Gaza. The Israeli military has claimed there are fuel supplies in Gaza being held by Hamas.

Pro-Palestinian protesters rally at Freedom Plaza in Washington, DC, on November 4.

Thousands of protesters rallied in Washington, DC, and in major cities across Europe on Saturday, calling for a ceasefire in the hostilities between Israel and Hamas as the humanitarian situation in Gaza worsens.

In Washington, DC: A crowd of pro-Palestinian protesters packed into Freedom Plaza in the United States capital Saturday afternoon, as speakers called for a ceasefire in Gaza and an end to US aid to Israel.

Freedom Plaza, located near the National Mall and White House, has been nearly entirely filled with chanting demonstrators donning red, green, and black attire and waving Palestinian flags.

The event organizers said they expected thousands of protesters. 

The speakers slammed US President Joe Biden’s administration for its response to the crisis in Gaza, warning that they will not support the president in 2024 if he does not call for a ceasefire in the war.

The march comes after several weekends of pro-Palestinian rallies in Washington.

The crowd is expected to march to the White House and then back to Freedom Plaza later Saturday.

In London: Thousands of people gathered in the UK capital on Saturday to call for a ceasefire in Gaza as airstrikes and fighting on the ground continue.

Demonstrators at the rally, which took place in Trafalgar Square, waved Palestinian flags and banners calling for a “ceasefire now.” Some people held signs that read “Free Palestine” and called for the bombing to stop. 

People attend a rally at Trafalgar Square in London on November 4.

“40,000 people packed into Trafalgar Square today to stand with Palestine,” the organizer of the event, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, posted on social media. London’s Metropolitan Police has not released any figures for the size of the demonstration.

The event was the third consecutive pro-Palestinian weekend rally in London. Thousands of people have attended each rally, with the Met Police estimating a turnout of 100,000 for the first solidarity march.

Demonstrations also took place in other cities across the UK on Saturday, including Manchester, Oxford, Newcastle, and Liverpool.

Thousands also took to the streets in cities across Europe, with demonstrations taking place in capital cities including Paris and Berlin.

Israeli police say they have arrested three people at anti-government protests in Jerusalem on Saturday.

Hundreds of people gathered to protest Israel’s failure to prevent the October 7th Hamas attacks, police told CNN.

In videos shared by the police, protesters can be heard chanting, “Where were you in Kfar Azza?” (one of the communities most affected by the assault). Signs read, “Their blood is on your hands” and “The sleep of wisdom brings monsters to life,” and called for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s impeachment.

Families of hostages hold rally: Meanwhile, in Tel Aviv, hundreds of family members of hostages taken by Hamas on October 7 are holding a rally in front of the Kirya, the government’s military headquarters, “to demand greater actions by the government to release the hostages.”

In a statement released ahead of the event, organizers said it is “not an anti-government protest. This is a rally of families and community that would like to see more done to release the hostages.”

CNN’s Bex Wright contributed reporting to this post.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with 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 November 4, in Amman, Jordan.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is on a multinational trip Saturday after visiting Israel for the third time since the October 7 Hamas attack.

Meanwhile, a US official told CNN that Hamas is blocking foreign nationals from leaving Gaza after an Israeli airstrike on an ambulance near a hospital Friday.

Here are some of the latest headlines:

Blinken meets with Arab leaders: The top US diplomat has reiterated his country’s rejection of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, instead calling once again for “humanitarian pauses” to get aid into Gaza. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said his government opposes any temporary ceasefire in Gaza unless Hamas frees all the hostages it holds, adding that it would continue to block fuel from entering the enclave.

Blinken met with 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. The Egyptian and Jordanian leaders made remarks after the meetings strongly condemning Israel’s offensive. Blinken, who acknowledged differences with Arab leaders on their approaches to the conflict, will also travel to Turkey.

Hamas stopping foreigners from leaving, official says: Hamas is blocking foreign nationals from departing Gaza until Israel guarantees that ambulances from the Palestinian enclave can reach the Rafah crossing to Egypt, a US official familiar with situation told CNN Saturday.

The demand comes after Israel admitted on Friday that it attacked an ambulance outside Gaza City’s Al-Shifa Hospital, the largest medical facility in the enclave. The vehicle had been in a convoy headed for Rafah, which is the only remaining option for getting in and out of Gaza during Israel’s siege of the territory. Israel claimed the ambulance was being used by Hamas fighters, which the Hamas-controlled health ministry in Gaza has rejected.

More than 700 foreign nationals were expected to leave Gaza through the Rafah crossing Saturday, according to an official source on the Egyptian side of the crossing.

CNN reported Friday that initial efforts to secure safe passage for foreign nationals in Gaza were stymied in part by Hamas including its own members on a list of wounded Palestinians designated to pass through the Rafah crossing, according to a senior US official.

UN chief on Israel’s ambulance attack: United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said in a statement he was “horrified” by the strike, while calling for a ceasefire and release of hostages.

Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan accused Guterres of rushing to comment “without even bothering to ask” about the context of the strike. “You completely ignore the fact that Hamas intentionally exploits ambulances for terror,” Erdan wrote on Saturday in post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Strikes near hospital and school shelter: Israeli airstrikes have damaged a building located in front of the emergency entrance of Al-Quds Hospital in Gaza City, injuring 21 people, the Palestine Red Crescent Society said Saturday.

A UN-run school serving as a shelter in a refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip was also struck Saturday, according to the main UN agency assisting Palestinian refugees in Gaza.

Humanitarian situation: The number of people who have fled from north of Wadi Gaza to the southern part of the enclave is estimated to be 800,000 “to perhaps a million,” the US special envoy for Middle East humanitarian issues, David Satterfield, said Saturday. There has been no new fuel into Gaza since the war began, he said.

The US is looking at the prospect of establishing field hospitals in south Gaza, Satterfield said, and Israel is engaging with countries about putting hospital ships offshore of Gaza.

IDF says Hamas fired on safe route: The Israeli military accused Hamas of using an announcement telling Gaza residents to move safely south as an opportunity to fire on soldiers from the Israel Defense Forces.

The IDF had called on Gaza residents via its Arabic account on X, formerly known as Twitter, to use the main Salah-al-Din Road to move south for a three-hour period from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. local time. It’s unclear how many Gaza residents had access to internet to see the message.

Turkey latest to recall ambassador: Turkey has recalled its ambassador to Israel for “consultations” due to the “unfolding humanitarian tragedy in Gaza” and continuing Israeli airstrikes, the Turkish foreign ministry said in a statement Saturday. Several other countries, including Honduras, Colombia, Chile, and Bahrain, have also withdrawn their ambassadors.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, meets with Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani at a hotel during a day of meeting, in Amman, Jordan, on Saturday, November 4.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in Amman, Jordan.

Neither spoke during a brief photo spray at the beginning of their meeting on Saturday, but the US State Department released a statement later.

They discussed “the vital importance of protecting civilians, providing increased and sustained humanitarian assistance for the Palestinian people, and ensuring Palestinians are not forcibly displaced outside of Gaza,” according to a readout from spokesperson Matt Miller.

Blinken also “reiterated his thanks to the Qatari government for its work to secure the exit of U.S. citizens and foreign nationals from Gaza, the release of hostages held by Hamas, including two U.S. citizens, and continued efforts to prevent the conflict from spreading.”

Qatar has served as a key negotiator in discussions with Hamas amid the conflict in Israel and Gaza. The US has credited the Gulf nation for its help in securing the release of four hostages held by the group, as well as for the eventual opening of the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt.

A total of 84 Palestinians needing urgent medical treatment have entered Egypt through the Rafah border crossing so far as of Saturday, an Egyptian government official told CNN. 

The injured Palestinians all had injuries sustained from airstrikes, according to the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity since they are not authorized to speak to the media.

Most are currently receiving treatment in hospitals across the country, and more are expected to arrive in the coming days, the official added. 

According to an Egyptian border official, more Palestinians were expected to arrive in ambulances on Saturday, but the border was shut for a few hours out of caution following an Israeli airstrike that targeted an ambulance on Friday. Israel claimed the ambulance was being used by Hamas fighters, which the Hamas-controlled health ministry in Gaza has denied.

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 Israel Defense Forces says it “did not target” a United Nations-sponsored school in Gaza that was hit in an airstrike on Thursday, but said the explosion may have been a result of Israeli fire aimed at another target nearby.

More than 20 people sheltering at the UN-run Jabalya Elementary School were killed by an Israeli strike Thursday, according to the head of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), which is the primary UN relief agency in the strip.

Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the UNRWA, told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour on Thursday that three of the agency’s other schools were also hit by strikes.

In response to questions about those strikes, the IDF told CNN, “Based on an initial review the IDF is not aware of any military activity conducted by our forces in the vicinity of the location provided.”

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry speaks during a press conference in Amman, Jordan, on November 4.

Egypt cannot accept Israel’s actions in Gaza as “legitimate self-defense,” the country’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said Saturday during a news conference alongside US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi.

Shoukry said earlier this week that a leaked Israeli intelligence ministry document that proposed the relocation of millions of Palestinians to the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt was a “ludicrous proposition.” 

The foreign minister accused Israel of violating international laws of war, and reiterated calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza without conditions.

He went on to say that “Egypt is exerting all its efforts to guarantee that aid is delivered to Gaza,” as a humanitarian crisis continues to unfold there.

The Egyptian leader also said it was premature to discuss the future of Gaza at this time. 

“We have to concentrate on the subject at hand, whether it be the cessation of hostilities, addressing the humanitarian needs of the people of Gaza, addressing the issues of displacement and the provision of safety for the civilians, and addressing the overall context of the conflict,” Shoukry added.

More from the summit: Shoukry and Safadi were among the Arab leaders meeting with Blinken on Saturday at a summit in Jordan.

The Jordanian foreign minister also slammed Israel after the meetings, saying Israel’s “war crimes must stop and its immunity from international law must end.”

He too called for “an immediate ceasefire” and said Jordan does not accept Israel’s actions as self-defense.

Safadi went on to say his priority is to stop the war, saying the U.S. has a leading role to play in those efforts.

The Israel military said Saturday that it used an Arrow Aerial Defense System for the second-known time since the war with Hamas began to intercept a launch from the Gaza Strip headed toward the Arava region.

The Arrow defense system is designed to intercept high-altitude and long-range missiles. It is not typically used to intercept missiles fired from Gaza.

Earlier use: Israel announced earlier this week that it had used the system to intercept a surface-to-surface missile that was fired from the area of the Red Sea, a launch that the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen claimed credit for.

The use of the Arrow defense system indicates the Houthis used a more advanced, long-range missile in the attempted attack.

In a statement aired on the Houthi-owned Al-Masirah TV, Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, a spokesperson for Houthi forces, announced the launch of ballistic missiles and drones by Yemeni Armed Forces against targets in Israel.

Saree said it was the third operation in support of the Palestinian people with plans for more strikes until the “Israeli aggression” ceases.

The presence of Iran-backed groups opposed to Israel, like the Houthis and Hezbollah, has raised fears that the current conflict could broaden into a wider war in the Middle East.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken attends a meeting in Amman, Jordan, on November 4.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken doubled down on the United States’ opposition to a ceasefire in Gaza as he met with key Middle Eastern leaders Saturday, saying it was the US’ view that a ceasefire now would leave Hamas able to regroup and attack Israel again.

The US resistance to calls for a ceasefire has put it at odds with its Arab partners, including those with whom he met in Amman, Jordan.

Instead, the top US diplomat again stressed the US support for “humanitarian pauses” – a concept that has been rejected by Israeli officials.

Fears of an expanded conflict: Blinken said he and his counterparts “all agreed on the importance of using our respective influence and capabilities to deter any state or non-state actor from opening another front in this conflict.”

“Throughout this conflict, countries across the Middle East and beyond have played an essential role in preventing its spread,” Blinken said at a news conference in Amman.

The US has repeatedly warned other foes of Israel — including Hezbollah, which has voiced support for Hamas and exchanged fire with Israeli troops across the border with Lebanon but not directly intervened on Hamas’ behalf — not to broaden the conflict into a wider war in the Middle East.

The US and its Arab partners share “the same fundamental interests and objectives” to end the Israel-Hamas war “in a way that ensures lasting peace and security in the region,” Blinken said following the summit, while acknowledging “we may have different views and positions” on how to achieve that end.

The top US diplomat said all parties reaffirmed their commitment to working together on the issue.

West Bank attacks: Blinken said he also spoke with the Arab leaders about the need to protect Palestinian civilians amid increasing attacks by Israeli settlers in the West Bank.

He updated his counterparts on his talks with Israeli officials yesterday, where he said he “underscored that incitement and extremist violence must be stopped and perpetrators must be held accountable.”

The Israeli military accused Hamas of using an announcement telling Gaza residents to move safely south as an opportunity to fire on soldiers from the Israel Defense Forces.

“The Hamas terrorist organization exploited the humanitarian window that the IDF provided to residents of the Gaza Strip to move southwards,” the IDF said in a statement. “The terrorists fired mortars and anti-tank missiles at IDF troops who arrived and operated to open the route.”

Earlier Saturday, the IDF had called on Gaza residents via its Arabic account on X, formerly known as Twitter, to use the main Salah-al-Din Road to move south for a three-hour period from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. local time. It’s unclear how many Gaza residents have access to internet to see the message.

The IDF said no soldiers were hurt in the incident, but that it served as proof that Hamas “exploits the Gazan population and prevents them from acting in the interest of their own safety.”

In its statement, the IDF provided links to a video, photos and audio it claimed showed Hamas opening fire toward the route during the window. 

CNN is unable to verify the authenticity of the material.

More context: The IDF has repeatedly called for civilians in Gaza to move south of Wadi Gaza as it has intensified 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 been critical of Israel’s calls for residents to evacuate the north without a pause in fighting, as transportation infrastructure has also been damaged. It has also recently struck several targets in the southern strip.

People ride with their belongings after evacuating their home in Rafah, Gaza, on November 1.

The number of people who have fled from north of Wadi Gaza to the southern part of the enclave is estimated to be 800,000 “to perhaps a million,” the US special envoy for Middle East humanitarian issues said Saturday — a mass relocation that has exacerbated humanitarian issues, which are only expected to grow as more people flee.

The envoy, David Satterfield, said there needs to be the “secure, sustained movement” of aid not only from the Rafah crossing in Egypt to Gaza, but “into points of need in the south.”

“And those points of need are growing as individuals come increasingly to the south,” he added.

The ability to move assistance has scaled up exponentially, particularly in the last week, from “pretty much zero in terms of ability to move humanitarian assistance through the Rafah corridor into Gaza,” Satterfield said, but reiterated that even the current number of aid trucks getting through the crossing per day is not sufficient.

Although the US believes the current daily flow of trucks into Gaza is sustainable, “it’s challenged by the environment on the ground in south Gaza,” Satterfield said, noting United Nations warehouses with basic supplies and food had been broken into early in the week.

Shelter is also a problem, he added.

Israeli’s military has called for civilians in Gaza to move south as it intensifies its air and ground assault on Gaza City and northern Gaza. International aid and rights groups have criticized Israel’s calls for residents to evacuate the north without a pause in fighting and while roads and other infrastructure are badly damaged.

Possible field hospitals and ships: The US is looking at the prospect of establishing field hospitals in south Gaza, Satterfield said Saturday, and Israel is engaging with countries about putting hospital ships offshore of Gaza.

Satterfield said the US is speaking with agencies like the International Committee of the Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders to set up tented field hospitals.

“Now bringing in staff — which we all see in the realm of the ‘very doable’ — will require an assurance that staff, international staff, not only can come in but can exit,” he said. “And that of course lies with what we refer to as the de-facto authorities.”

Israeli officials are speaking with allies like the United Kingdom and France about large hospital ships, he said, while also taking security and safety into account.

Palestinians use alternative forms of transportation amid fuel shortages in Khan Younis, Gaza, on October 28.

No new fuel has entered Gaza since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war in early October, US Special Envoy for Middle East Humanitarian Issues David Satterfield said Saturday.

The US expects that additional fuel will be brought in once that fuel runs out, and there is an agreed mechanism in place for that, the envoy said. This fuel would only be going to south Gaza, he noted.

Israel has accused Hamas of hoarding and diverting fuel, and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday that “Israel has raised appropriate concerns, concerns that we share, about Hamas’s hoarding and syphoning of fuel in northern Gaza.”

“Again, its cynicism knows no bounds, denying fuel itself that it has to hospitals and other places that desperately need it. In meetings with regional partners, I’ll continue conversations about getting assistance to flow, including with help from the United Nations,” Blinken said Friday during a visit to Israel.

US officials are not aware Hamas diverting any humanitarian assistance that has entered Gaza in the past weeks since trucks began entering via the Rafah crossing, Satterfield said Saturday.

Aid workers in the field have not reported “interdiction of or seizure of goods by Hamas,” he said.

CNN cannot independently verify the amount of fuel in the enclave.

Deteriorating conditions in hospitals: Gaza’s hospitals and staff are overwhelmed as the facilities are housing both patients and the countless displaced who have nowhere else to go.

Gaza’s leading cancer hospital, the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship hospital, has stopped operating due to Israeli bombardment and fuel shortages, the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health said in a statement Wednesday.

A doctor at Gaza City’s Al-Shifa hospital Friday said that low fuel stocks have plunged wards into darkness and cut off major, basic functions like oxygen generation.

Hamas is blocking foreign nationals from departing Gaza until Israel guarantees that ambulances from the Palestinian enclave can reach the Rafah crossing to Egypt, a US official familiar with situation told CNN Saturday.

The demand comes after Israel admitted on Friday that it attacked an ambulance outside Gaza City’s Al-Shifa Hospital, the largest medical facility in the enclave. The vehicle had been in a convoy headed for Rafah, which is the only remaining option for getting in and out of Gaza during Israel’s siege of the territory.

Israel claimed the ambulance was being used by Hamas fighters.

The International Committee of the Red Cross confirmed it had been notified about the convoy, but did not have any of its own ambulances present at the time of the strike.

“Even if we were not present, this is still medical convoy, and any violence towards medical personnel is unacceptable,” the ICRC said Saturday.

More than 700 foreign nationals were expected to leave Gaza through the Rafah crossing Saturday, according to an official source on the Egyptian side of the crossing.

CNN reported Friday that initial efforts to secure safe passage for foreign nationals in Gaza were stymied in part by Hamas including its own members on a list of wounded Palestinians designated to pass through the Rafah crossing, according to a senior US official.

CNN’s Donald Judd contributed reporting to this post.

People mourn for Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks on November 3, in Khan Younis, Gaza.

A total of 9,425 people have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7, according to figures released Saturday by the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Ramallah.

An additional 24,000 others have been injured, the ministry said.

The figures are drawn from sources inside the Hamas-controlled enclave.

According to the ministry’s report, nearly 73% of the fatalities are from among vulnerable groups, including children, women and the elderly. 

The number of deaths reported Saturday is 270 higher than that reported by the Ministry on Friday, with the number injured about 1,000 higher.

The Israeli military continues to encircle and pound the Gaza Strip with airstrikes in response to a cross-border terror attack launched by Hamas militants on October 7.

Calls for a ceasefire by Hamas, aid organizations, and much of the global community have been rejected by Israel’s government, which has vowed to wipe out Hamas after the brutal attack last month, which killed more than 1,400 Israelis, most of them civilians.

Smoke rises after Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City on November 3.

Arab foreign ministers are set to “call for an immediate ceasefire” in Gaza during a summit in Amman on Saturday, Jordan’s Foreign Ministry said in a post on social media.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is meeting with several Arab foreign ministers during the summit to discuss the situation in Gaza.

Blinken also met separately with Jordan’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ayman Safadi, in Amman ahead of the joint meeting. 

Some context: 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, were 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.

Israeli airstrikes have damaged a building located in front of the emergency entrance of Al-Quds Hospital in Gaza City, injuring 21 people, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said Saturday in a post on social media.

One video released by the PRCS shows people sheltering from dust and debris at the hospital’s entrance, while some are running from across the street to avoid the debris.

Another video shows people rushing towards the damaged building.

CNN has reached out to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) for comment about the reported airstrikes.

Some context: The IDF has repeatedly called on civilians to evacuate Gaza City and northern Gaza and move southwards, as it intensifies its assault in the area. The IDF has frequently asserted that civilian infrastructure, including hospital compounds, is being used by Hamas.

Al-Quds Hospital is located north of Wadi Gaza, the line Israel has urged people in Gaza to flee south of.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses a meeting at parliament in Ankara, Turkey, on October 25.

Turkey has “crossed out” Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu and will strive to bring Israel before the International Criminal Court for its actions in Gaza, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Saturday, according to Turkish state media outlet Anadolu. 

The Turkish leader has been a vocal critic of Israel’s actions in Gaza, last week accusing Israel of going beyond its right to defend itself, committing what he described as “oppression, atrocity” and “massacre” in Gaza. 

On Saturday, Erdogan recalled a speech he made at a recent pro-Palestinian rally during which he announced Turkey’s support for “initiatives that would bring Israel’s human rights violations and war crimes to the International Criminal Court.”

“Our relevant authorities, especially our Foreign Ministry, will carry out this work,” Erdogan added, according to Anadolu. 

The Turkish president is set to meet with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken soon, after the top US diplomat added a stop in Turkey to his shuttle diplomacy tour of the Middle East. 

Israel is not a member of the ICC, a body which was established in 2002 to bring justice to those found responsible for crimes against humanity and genocide.

A UN-run school serving as a shelter in a refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip was struck Saturday, according to the UN agency assisting Palestinian refugees in Gaza, UNRWA.

The strikes killed 15 people and injured more than 70, according to the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health in Gaza. 

Touma said that at least one strike directly affected the Al-Fakhoura school yard which had been converted to accommodate tents for the displaced families. Another strike damaged the school’s perimeter wall, where women were making bread, she said.

Images obtained by CNN of the shelter show damage, bloodshed and casualties within the school’s courtyard. 

CNN has reached out to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) for comment on the UNRWA statement.

Some context: As of October 12, the Al-Fakhoura school accommodated as many as 16,000 displaced persons. However, the current number of those sheltering there is unknown.

The IDF has repeatedly called on civilians to evacuate Gaza City and northern Gaza and move southwards, as it intensifies its assault in the area. The IDF has frequently asserted that civilian infrastructure is being used by Hamas.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with 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 November 4, in Amman, Jordan.

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, right, meets with United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East Commissioner Philippe Lazzarini in Amman, Jordan, on November 4.

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.

Palestinians inspect a damaged ambulance after an attack outside Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City on November 3.

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.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken attends a meeting with Jordanian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi in Amman, Jordan, on November 4.

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.”

Some 730 foreign nationals are expected to leave Gaza through the Rafah crossing Saturday, according to an official source on the Egyptian side of Rafah.

Here is breakdown of nationalities expected:

55 Egyptians

386 Americans

112 British 

77 French 

151 Germans

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, meets with Lebanese Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati at his hotel during a day of meetings, in Amman, Jordan, on Saturday, November 4.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is meeting with Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati in Amman Saturday as part of his third trip to the region since Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7 and the subsequent war. 

It comes after his trip to Tel Aviv to meet with Israeli officials including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Friday, after which he spoke of the need for more to be done to protect Palestinian civilians.

But he also condemned Hamas’ use of civilians as human shields and embedding its fighters within civilian infrastructure, adding that “civilians should not suffer the consequences for its inhumanity and its brutality.”

He said that the US believes efforts to get humanitarian assistance in and hostages out “would be facilitated by humanitarian pauses.”

Aliza Samuel, 24, returned to the site of the deadly Nova festival attack by Hamas militants, in southern Israel, on October 7.

Nearly one month on from the massacre of festival-goers in Re’im in southern Israel by Hamas militants, survivor Aliza Samuel left her home for the first time and returned with CNN to the place where she witnessed the murders of four of her friends. 

She walked carefully through debris left strewn across the ground, picking up a bracelet before coming across some small clay trinkets that had been handmade during the Nova Music Festival.

More than 260 bodies were found at the site in the aftermath of the assault on October 7, one of the deadliest of the Hamas attacks, which killed at least 1,400 people in Israel.

Samuel recalls the moment she was jolted awake soon after sunrise by the sound of Hamas rockets flying toward them from Gaza. She said she immediately woke her friend, and they fled their tent to try to find a concrete shelter.

Many of the other festival goers were asleep or still dancing, and either didn’t hear the alarm, or ignored it, she said.

But Samuel and her friend didn’t want to take any chances, so they started running. As they sought cover, they suddenly spotted Hamas fighters appearing in the skies above them on paragliders, shooting at people from the air as they came in to land.

Panicking, the pair sprinted across the open farmland surrounding the festival site and dived into a ditch behind a line of large trees. Samuel worked on trying to calm her friend down, clamping her hand over her mouth to stop her screaming, as they began to realize what was unfolding. Others were also hiding behind the trees, “trying not to breathe,” she said.

After hiding in the ditch for hours, Samuel and her friend eventually saw army vehicles arrive and decided to make a run for it – stepping through “pools of blood” to escape. Finally, they found some Israeli soldiers who helped them get to safety.

Later, she learned that another male friend at the festival had also been found dead – shot in the leg and then later beheaded at a nearby kibbutz.

Read the full story here.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has said it is “not aware” of its forces conducting any military activity in the area where a Palestine TV correspondent and his family were killed Thursday in southern Gaza.

Palestine TV correspondent Mohammad Abu Hattab and 11 members of his family were killed Thursday night in southern Gaza in what the network said was an alleged Israeli airstrike on his home.

His death came shortly after he had just been live on-air, according to the Palestinian Authority-run television network.

Context: Journalists covering the war have found themselves increasingly in the crosshairs.

The number of journalists killed covering the conflict has risen to 36, according to a statement Thursday by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), which said this had been the deadliest period for reporters since its records began in 1992.

The toll includes 31 Palestinians, four Israelis, and one Lebanese, CPJ added.

Another eight journalists were injured and nine others were reported missing or detained, it added.

Honduras said Friday it was calling back its ambassador to Israel, joining a list of other nations that have scaled back on diplomatic ties following criticism of the country’s actions in Gaza.

Reina told CNN affiliate Televicentro that Honduras is advocating for a ceasefire in Gaza in order to establish a humanitarian corridor and to start peace talks.

CNN has contacted the Embassy of Israel in Tegucigalpa for comments.

Context: Honduras is not the only country readjusting diplomatic ties with Israel. On Tuesday, Bolivia cut diplomatic relations, citing “crimes against humanity committed against the Palestinian people”, while Colombia and Chile recalled their ambassadors to Israel for consultation due to Israel’s strikes on Gaza.

A day later, Israel said it regretted the Jordanian government’s decision to recall its ambassador.

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said in a statement the immediate move was “an expression of Jordan’s position rejecting and condemning the Israeli war raging in Gaza.”

On Thursday, Bahrain also withdrew its ambassador.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres addresses the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on September 19, in New York City.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was “horrified” by Israel’s strike on a convoy of ambulances in Gaza, a statement from the UN said.

The strike near Gaza City’s Al-Shifa Hospital, the largest medical facility in the enclave, killed at least 15 people and wounded 50 others Friday, according to the Hamas-run health authorities.

But he said he had not forgotten Hamas’ “terror attacks” in Israel and “the killing, maiming and abductions, including of women and children,” as he reiterated calls for the unconditional release of all hostages held in Gaza.

Guterres called for a cessation of fire on Gaza.

He also called attention to the dire humanitarian situation, which he said was “horrific.”

Context: Israel has admitted responsibility for the attack outside the Al-Shifa Hospital, saying it targeted an ambulance being used by Hamas.

Al-Shifa Hospital has increasingly found itself part of the frontline as Israel last week claimed that the facility is the site of a significant Hamas command and control center.

Palestinians have rejected the Israeli army claim, with the Director General of the Gaza Health Ministry, Dr. Medhat Abbas, telling CNN last week that Gaza’s hospitals “are used to treat patients only” and are not being used “to hide anyone.”

Palestinians pull an ambulance after a convoy of ambulances was hit near the entrance of Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City.

Israel has claimed responsibility for an attack outside Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City that Hamas-run health authorities say killed 15 people and wounded 50 others.

Multiple videos from the scene show at least a dozen bloodied people strewn across the ground near an ambulance. There appears to be some shrapnel damage to at least one of the cars on the scene.

In a statement, Israel said it targeted the ambulance because it was being used by Hamas. A spokesperson for the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza said Friday that the ambulance was in a medical convoy from the hospital, traveling to the Rafah border crossing, and had informed the International Committee of the Red Cross about the move.

The ICRC, in a statement, confirmed it was aware of the scheduled movement of a convoy of vehicles carrying wounded patients from northern Gaza to the south, but it was not part of it. The Palestine Red Crescent Society said one of its ambulances was in the convoy and was damaged by shelling, but none of its members were harmed.

The strike comes after Gaza residents faced yet another night of heavy aerial assault, with the skies of northern Gaza illuminated by flares and explosions.

Here are other headlines you should know:

This post has been updated with the latest statements from the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Palestine Red Crescent Society.

Efforts to secure safe passage for foreign nationals in Gaza were stymied by Hamas and a slew of logistical challenges, further exacerbating a dire humanitarian situation as thousands of foreigners remained trapped in the war-torn region, according to a senior US official.

Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, would not permit anyone to leave the area, according to a senior administration official. This prompted a flurry of negotiations led by Ambassador David Satterfield.

As the humanitarian crisis in Gaza worsened, Hamas relayed that foreign nationals would be permitted to leave “subject to a number of wounded Palestinians being allowed to leave as well, which of course is not objectionable,” the official said.

But approximately one-third of the wounded Palestinians listed were flagged as members of Hamas in the vetting process, which was “just unacceptable to Egypt, to us, to Israel,” the official said.

After another round of negotiations, an agreement was reached to ensure “that the wounded Palestinian civilians leaving with the foreign nationals were not Hamas fighters, [but] truly Individual civilians caught in this awful, horrific tragedy.”

A breakthrough was finally reached Tuesday to allow foreign passport holders and a group of critically injured civilians to depart through the Rafah border crossing, with the first group departing Wednesday.

Issues with the Rafah crossing into Egypt, which the administration characterized as “not really the crossing where large numbers of civilians typically pass,” complicated factors more.

Meanwhile, the official said, there is “just as intense a process ongoing” to secure the safe release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.

The successful release of two hostages last month, the official said, “was a bit of a pilot to see if it was possible. It is possible, but the numbers we’re talking about is extremely difficult.” 

Negotiating a release for such a large number of hostages, the official added, would require “a fairly significant pause in hostilities.”

On Tuesday, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said the number of hostages believed to be held by Hamas in Gaza is up to 240.

An Israeli army artillery howitzer moves at a position near the border with the Gaza Strip in southern Israel on November 3.

US officials are anticipating a new phase of Israel’s war with Hamas in the coming days in which Israel decreases the scale of its air campaign and focuses on a more tactical ground operation. 

As humanitarian aid continues to flow into Gaza, the Biden administration expects that Israel’s air campaign will see “a decrease in what we’ve seen,” a senior administration official told CNN on Friday. The administration anticipates a move to a “more of a tactical focus on the ground campaign” aimed at clearing out the vast network of underground tunnel complexes Hamas operates out of, the official said.

The official maintained that the administration has been “very direct…about wartime decisions and being deliberate and asking hard questions” in discussions with Israel, even as the Israeli military has drawn international criticism over the targeting of the Jabalya Refugee Camp in northern Gaza. 

Asked when the Biden administration might feel compelled to call for a ceasefire — something it has so far declined to do — the official said that given the scale and nature of Hamas’ attacks on Israel on October 7, a ceasefire was not appropriate. 

The official reiterated that the US is actively calling on Israel to enact so-called “humanitarian pauses,” and that it is stressing to Israel that even as it has a right to defend itself, it must adhere to international humanitarian laws. 

Ultimately, “a ceasefire I think, depends on the Israelis feeling secure in ensuring that something like this cannot happen again,” the official added.

Israeli ground forces are closing in on Gaza City, the largest and most densely packed population center in the Palestinian enclave, satellite imagery and videos from open and official sources suggest.

CNN’s analysis of the imagery helps shed light on what is happening on the ground as the Israel Defense Forces claims it has encircled the city.

Since the IDF launched its ground offensive into Gaza a week ago, marking the latest phase of its war against Hamas, 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 – in an apparent effort to divide the strip into two.

Israeli troops have moved deeper along that western stretch, towards the sea, according to European Space Agency satellite imagery from Wednesday, which indicated the forces were within about a kilometer of completely encircling Gaza City.

While the imagery is low-resolution, it appears to show the tracks from heavy armored vehicles snaking across the strip, south of the urban center, nearly reaching the coast.

Videos showing Israel’s advance south of Gaza City have yet to surface, but footage shared by the IDF and circulating on social media in recent days showed Israeli troops had moved in the northernmost communities in Gaza – Beit Hanoun, Beit Lahiya and Atatra – and were sitting on the perimeter of Gaza City from the north.

Satellite imagery and footage have also shown Israeli forces on Salah al-Din Road, a highway running the length of the strip, seemingly blocking anyone still in Gaza City from moving south. A video that surfaced Monday, filmed by freelance Palestinian journalist Yousif Al Saifi, showed an Israeli tank opening fire on a car on the road.

Palestinians check the damage on an ambulance after a convoy of ambulances was hit near the entrance of Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City.

Israel has claimed responsibility for an attack outside Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City that witnesses say killed and wounded dozens of people.

Videos from the scene show multiple people bloodied and strewn across the ground near an ambulance.

Fifteen people were killed and 50 others wounded, Hamas-run health authorities say.

In a statement, Israel said it targeted the ambulance because it was being used by Hamas.

A spokesperson for the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza said earlier Friday that the ambulance was in a medical convoy from the hospital, traveling to the Rafah border crossing, and had informed the International Committee of the Red Cross about the move.

The ICRC confirmed it was aware of the scheduled movement of a convoy of vehicles carrying wounded patients from northern Gaza to the south, but it was not part of it, the organization said on Friday.

“We were informed by the MoH (Ministry of Health) about the planned convoy, but we were not part of it,” the ICRC said in a statement to CNN. 

Earlier Friday the organization said it had received a request from the Gaza Ministry of Health to accompany the convoy.

“Even if we were not present, this is still medical convoy, and any violence towards medical personnel is unacceptable,” the ICRC said. “No doctors, nurses, or any medical professionals should ever die while working to save lives.” 

“Any involvement of the ICRC in evacuating civilians from an area requires the agreement of the sides on the exact terms and conditions so that this can be done safely, and then with the full consent of those evacuated,” the organization said in a previous statement.

There are dozens of casualties after an incident near Gaza’s Al-Shifa Hospital, according to multiple videos from the scene and the Hamas-run Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza.

The cause is not immediately clear. 

Multiple videos from the scene show at least a dozen bloodied casualties strewn across the ground near an ambulance. There appears to be some shrapnel damage to at least one of the cars on the scene.

CNN has geolocated the videos to the edge of a compound that includes the hospital. There is so far no video evidence of any crater from a munition.

CNN has inquired about the incident with the Israel Defense Forces.

A spokesperson for the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza, who was at the hospital, said that Israel was responsible for the attack. 

Dr. Ashraf Al-Qidra said that authorities had organized a medical convoy from the hospital, traveling to the Rafah border crossing, and informed the International Committee of the Red Cross about the move.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivers a speech during his visit to an Israeli unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) centre, at the Palmachim Airbase near the city of Rishon LeZion on July 5.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday that his government opposed any temporary ceasefire in Gaza unless Hamas freed all the hostages it holds.

He also said that it would continue to block fuel from entering Gaza.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Tel Aviv on Friday said the US believes efforts to get humanitarian assistance in and hostages out “would be facilitated by humanitarian pauses.”

Blinken also said during the news conference that the US and Israel have “identified mechanisms” to get much-needed fuel to Gaza’s hospitals.

The Israeli military on Friday said 241 hostages are believed to have been taken by Hamas on October 7.

The military also said Friday the death toll of Israeli soldiers fighting in Gaza is up to 25.

CNN’s Becky Anderson contributed reporting to this post.

A picture shows Israeli bombardment in the Gaza Strip on November 3.

Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, called in a speech Friday for people to “work day and night” to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza, saying it is Hezbollah’s “primary goal.”

Nasrallah said the powerful Iran-backed Lebanese paramilitary group’s secondary goal is for Hamas to emerge “victorious” in Gaza.

He also described the war as a “turning point.”

“The victory of Gaza means a victory for Palestine, for Jerusalem, for Aqsa and the Holy Sepulcher and all the neighboring countries,” Nasrallah said.

Warning of a new front: Nasrallah went on to say Hezbollah has been in an “unprecedented battle” with Israel on the Israel-Lebanon border since October 8, adding that “the possibility of the Lebanese front escalating into broad battle is a realistic option.”

“Israel should take this into account,” he said in his speech.

Nasrallah described Hezbollah’s operations at the Lebanese border as a “deterrent” to Israel and said “all scenarios” are possible in the region, warning Israel against escalating its military activity there. The Hezbollah leader said any such escalation would be “a historic folly” by Israel.

Some background: 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.

Hezbollah and Israel have been engaged in tit-for-tat skirmishes across the border in northern Israel and southern Lebanon since the war began. The Lebanese group has voiced support for Hamas’ cause but not yet directly intervened on its behalf, linking its clashes with Israel to attacks on Lebanese soil.

US intelligence officials were watching Nasrallah’s speech closely Friday for signals about Hezbollah’s intentions, an intelligence source told CNN on Thursday.