November 1, 2023 Israel-Hamas war news

A State Department spokesperson said the agency is not beginning its official process to assess whether Israel has committed war crimes during the conflict with Hamas at the moment.

Asked about the civilians Israel has killed in its strikes on the Jabalya refugee camp in Gaza, Miller said the department is “deeply saddened by the loss of civilian life,” but would not condemn the strikes.

Two aid workers — Ramona Okumura and Dr. Barbara Zind — are among the Americans who have crossed the border from Gaza into Egypt.

According to Okumura’s nephew, Nicholas Pang, the family received a text saying she had crossed the border from Gaza early Wednesday morning. Okumura, a 71-year-old Seattle resident, was making prosthetics for Gazan children and had been staying in a United Nations compound when the war broke out following the attacks by Hamas on October 7.

Okumura’s brother said she texted him at 4 a.m. local time, writing, “ACROSS PALESTINE BORDER ON SHUTTLE TO EGYPTIAN BORDER.”  

The Palestine Children’s Relief Fund told CNN that Dr. Barbara Zind, a pediatrician from Grand Junction, Colorado, is also now in Egypt. Okumura and Zind are headed to Cairo, the group said.

Some context: US State Department spokesperson Matt Miller said earlier Wednesday that an initial group of foreign nationals, including US citizens, had departed Gaza and were in Egypt. Miller declined to give details on the number of US citizens who had left Gaza, citing “operational security” concerns. 

Americans are expected to leave Gaza today and others are being told to be “ready to go and to await further instruction,” National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters on Air Force One.

Correction: This story has been updated to reflect Okumura’s role.

Palestinian Red Crescent teams receive trucks with humanitarian aid from the Egyptian Red Crescent at the Rafah crossing on November 1.

The Palestinian Red Crescent said its teams at the Rafah crossing have received 55 trucks of humanitarian aid from the Egyptian Red Crescent on Wednesday, noting those trucks contained food, water, medicine and medical supplies.

That brings the total number of trucks received since aid was first allowed to enter Gaza to 272, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent.

Earlier Wednesday, a spokesperson for the US State Department said over 200 aid trucks had entered Gaza through the Rafah crossing since October 21, when the first vehicles carrying aid were able to cross into the enclave.

Some context: The most recent shipments included “only water, food, and medical equipment,” according to a spokesperson for Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories. Israel has refused to allow vital fuel supplies into Gaza, citing the risk of it being stolen by Hamas.

Though the number of trucks going into the enclave has increased in recent days, it’s still less than a normal day’s worth of aid before the conflict started. Prior to October 7, there were 450 trucks going into Gaza daily, United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory Lynn Hastings said in a press briefing last week. 

Palestinians inspect the damage of buildings destroyed by Israeli airstrikes on Jabalya refugee camp on the outskirts of Gaza City on October 31.

The White House continued Wednesday to avoid direct criticism of Israel’s military actions in Gaza, including its massive airstrike on a refugee camp, saying it wouldn’t respond to each development on the battlefield.

Speaking aboard Air Force One, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said instead the US was in constant conversation with the Israelis about the importance of protecting civilian lives. 

“We’re going to be cautious about reacting to each and every event on the ground,” Kirby told CNN, adding the US was still gathering details on the strike.

He could not provide American estimates of causalities.

Kirby declined to elaborate on US President Joe Biden’s personal reaction to the airstrike, which occurred Tuesday.

He said the US has long been concerned about the imperative to protect civilians.

“There’s not a conversation we’re having with our Israeli counterparts that doesn’t reflect our continued concern over civilian casualties and urging them to be as careful and deliberate as possible to avoid that risk,” he said.

“You’ll continue to hear from the president about our significant concern over civilian harm,” Kirby added later.

A small number of Palestinians and foreign nationals have finally been able to leave Gaza on Wednesday, after weeks of intense negotiations resulted in the partial opening of the Rafah crossing with Egypt.

On Wednesday, some exited Gaza through Rafah following a deal brokered by Qatar between Israel, Hamas and Egypt, in coordination with the United States.

It comes soon after aid trucks were able to start entering the enclave in greater numbers in the opposite direction — a development that also required lengthy talks.

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.

Rafah is the only Gazan border crossing that isn’t controlled by Israel, which shut its crossings with the territory following Hamas’ October 7 attack. It has emerged as a crucial location as the humanitarian situation in the territory worsens.

Before the war with Hamas that started in early October, Israel had two crossings with Gaza: Erez, which is for the movement of people, and Kerem Shalom, for goods. Both were heavily restricted and have been shut since the war began.

According to United Nations figures, an average of 27,000 people crossed the border each month as of July this year. The border was open for 138 days and closed for 74 this year until that month.

Closures often depend on the security and political situation on the ground. While Israel has no direct control over the crossing, Egypt’s closures often coincide with Israel’s own tightening of restrictions on Gaza.

Read more about the critical role of the Rafah crossing.

Palestinians conduct search and rescue operations after the second bombardment at Jabalya refugee camp in Gaza City on November 1.

The Israel Defense Forces confirmed that a blast in the Falluja neighborhood of the Jabalya refugee camps was due to an airstrike Wednesday.

The IDF said in a statement its jets “struck a Hamas command and control complex in Jabaliya,” adding that “Hamas terrorists were eliminated in the strike.”

“Hamas deliberately builds its terror infrastructure under, around and within civilian buildings, intentionally endangering Gazan civilians,” the IDF said.

The statement said the IDF has been urging people in the neighborhood to leave. It also reiterated its call for civilians in northern Gaza to evacuate to the southern part of the enclave.

The airstrike rocked the refugee camp for the second day in a row. Video from the site showed catastrophic damage and people digging through the rubble searching for bodies. 

The first Israeli strike on the Jabalya refugee camp on Tuesday killed a large number of people, according to eyewitnesses and medics there. Israel says its strike targeted and killed a top Hamas commander, while Hamas strongly denied the presence of one of its leaders in the camp.

This post has been updated with additional information about the airstrike.

An initial group of foreign nationals, including US citizens, have departed Gaza and are in Egypt, US State Department spokesperson Matt Miller said Wednesday.

He declined to give details on the number of US citizens who have departed, citing “operational security” concerns. 

Americans are expected to leave Gaza today and others are being told to be “ready to go,” National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters on Air Force One.

Kirby also pushed back on the suggestion that the United States would support a permanent settlement outside of Gaza for Palestinians.

Some context: The departures of injured Palestinians and some foreign nationals followed a deal brokered by Qatar between Israel, Hamas and Egypt, in coordination with the US, according to sources familiar with the talks.

The deal to release foreigners from Gaza into Egypt is not part of any potential deal to secure the release of hostages being held by Hamas, multiple sources emphasize to CNN. Those talks are still ongoing and one US official said they would caution against drawing any comparisons between the two parallel missions.

At least 361 foreign nationals have entered Egypt through the Rafah border crossing, an Egyptian government official tells CNN.

The official spoke on the condition of anonymity, because they are not authorized to speak to the media.

The official said 76 are now on their way to Cairo, where some will catch flights back to their home countries, while the rest are still at the crossing completing the necessary paperwork.

According to the official, 491 foreign nationals were registered to arrive in Egypt today, but the remaining 130 either didn’t make it to the border crossing or refused to cross without their families, whose names were not registered on the list.  

As of Wednesday evening, the Rafah crossing remains open, and the rest of the foreign nationals registered to cross today will continue crossing through. 

The breakdown for the nationalities of the 76 individuals en route to Cairo is the following:  

More context: The release of the foreign nationals is the result of a deal brokered by Qatar between Israel, Hamas and Egypt, in coordination with the US, that would allow for the release of those individuals, alongside critically injured civilians from Gaza, according to sources familiar with the talks. The agreement is separate from any hostage negotiations, the source added.

Sources close to the matter had also told CNN that up to 500 foreigners were expected to cross out of Gaza at Rafah.

Jack Lew testifies during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing in Washington, DC, on October 18.

Jack Lew is set to begin his new role as the United States ambassador to Israel by the end of the week after he was officially appointed to the post by President Joe Biden on Tuesday night.

“The president officially appointed Jack Lew last night. And tomorrow there will be a small, informal swearing-in ceremony in DC so that he can immediately get to work,” White House deputy press secretary Emilie Simons told reporters aboard Air Force One. 

She said Lew will “immediately advance our efforts to support the defense of Israel” once he is sworn in, including continuing to negotiate the release of hostages being held in Gaza and evacuating Americans from the enclave.

She thanked the Senate for their work to confirm Lew, who was first nominated in September.

Attorney General Merrick Garland gives a brief statement at the Justice Department in August.

There has been a “significant increase” in threats against Jewish, Muslim and Arab Americans in recent weeks, the United States attorney general said, reiterating the Justice Department’s commitment to prosecuting perpetrators.

Attorney General Merrick Garland said Wednesday at a hate crimes forum that in his daily briefings, he has noticed an increase in the “volume and frequency” of threats against these groups. 

The attorney general cited the arrest of Cornell University Student Patrick Dai, a 21-year-old junior, for threats he allegedly posted in an online discussion forum this weekend against the university’s Jewish students.  

Patrick Dai.

Garland said Dai was arrested and charged with threatening to kill or injure Jewish people at Cornell University.

Dai is scheduled to appear in federal court Wednesday afternoon.

“I recognize the fear, frustration and isolation that many of you have felt over the past few weeks, and that you continue to feel as we join us here today. I want to reiterate a core principle of this Justice Department: No person and no community in this country should have to live in fear of hate-fueled violence,” Garland said.

Connectivity is being restored in the Gaza Strip, the internet monitoring site Netblocks said Wednesday, after two Palestinian internet providers earlier announced a “complete interruption” of communications and internet services in the enclave.

Asked by CNN to respond to the communications outage, the Israeli military said, “There is no comment on this.”

Internet and communication services have been repeatedly impacted in Gaza, with independent internet monitoring groups telling CNN that blackouts have worsened since the Hamas attack on October 7. 

President Joe Biden departs the White House on Wednesday.

US President Joe Biden announced Wednesday that some American citizens will be departing Gaza as soon as today and hailed US leadership in efforts to help some Gazans and foreign nationals leave amid an escalating ground offensive.

CNN previously reported that, while Americans were not initially expected to be among the first batch exiting, given the fluid nature of the situation, some Americans may leave Wednesday, according to one US official.

 Approximately 400 American citizens plus their family members—about 1,000 people total—are stuck in Gaza and are seeking to leave, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing Tuesday. There are about 5,000 other third-country nationals in Gaza who also want to get out, he said.

The deal to release foreigners from Gaza into Egypt is not part of any potential deal to secure the release of hostages being held by Hamas, multiple sources told CNN. Those talks are still ongoing and one US official said they would caution against drawing any comparisons between the two parallel missions. 

CNN’s Priscilla Alvarez contributed reporting to this post.

Philippe Lazzarini, commissioner general of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, attends a press conference in Beirut, Lebanon, in June 2023.

The commissioner general of the United Nations agency coordinating humanitarian aid operations in Gaza reported “terrible conditions” in the enclave.

Philippe Lazzarini, commissioner general of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), managed to enter Gaza after “weeks of pleading with different parties.”

Once inside, he visited one of UNRWA’s shelters that house thousands of people, the agency’s director of communications Juliette Touma said.

UNRWA has had to ration its fuel in Gaza because they are running out of the “very little reserves” they have, Touma said. She added that at least 670,000 people are taking refuge in UNRWA shelters, schools, medical facilities and even warehouses across the Gaza Strip.

The UNRWA communications director also told CNN she was not able to determine how many people were killed in Israel’s airstrike on the Jabalya refugee camp Tuesday because of a communications blackout.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) said on Wednesday that 70 of their staff members have been killed in Gaza since October 7.

The agency also reaffirmed its commitment to staying in Gaza.

“My firm message to all our staff and to the people in Gaza: @UNRWA is staying,” the agency posted with photos on X showing UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini Lazzarini visiting staff members in Gaza. 

Earlier on Wednesday, Juliette Touma, the communications director for the UNRWA told CNN that “there is no place that is safe across the Gaza strip. No Place. Not the north, not the south, and not the middle areas. No place is safe.”

Touma also said, “Some of her colleagues were killed in the line of duty and some were killed at home.” 

Touma mentioned one of the recent UN colleagues who was killed at home “with his wife and eight children when his UN car, clearly marked as UN was parked outside of his house.”

Some foreign nationals have started crossing the border from Gaza into Egypt, officials and Egyptian media said, in the first sanctioned exodus from the besieged enclave in weeks.

Here’s where they’re from:

Italy: Four Italian nationals have safely left the Gaza Strip through the Rafah crossing on Wednesday, according to Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani. 

The four Italians include volunteers from international NGOs. One of them is married to a Palestinian woman, according to Tajani. 

A spokesperson for the ministry said 10 more Italian citizens remain inside the Gaza Strip, including two pregnant women who the ministry hopes will be released by the end of the week. 

Three Italian-Israeli citizens were killed in the October 7 terrorist attacks, according to the ministry. 

France: Five French citizens left Gaza through the Rafah border crossing on Wednesday, the French foreign ministry said in a statement.

The group was not accompanied by any non-French relatives or Palestinian workers from the French cultural center, the ministry said. 

The citizens were received by a team from the French embassy in Egypt, according to the statement. 

France has been working to evacuate some 170 people from Gaza, including citizens, their relatives and Palestinian workers, French officials have previously said.

The small Persian Gulf state of Qatar is once again front and center in global diplomacy, this time for its efforts to mediate deals to free hostages taken by Hamas during its October 7 attacks in Israel, as well as evacuate foreign nationals from Gaza.

On Wednesday, Qatar brokered a deal between Israel, Hamas and Egypt, in coordination with the United States, to release foreign nationals and critically injured Palestinian civilians from Gaza to Egypt, according to sources familiar with the talks. The agreement was separate from any hostage negotiations, the source added.

At least 110 foreign passport holders left Gaza, according to officials on the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing. Al-Arish Hospital in Egypt also began receiving injured Palestinians who crossed from Gaza, according to Al-Qahera news.

Qatar finds itself in a delicate diplomatic position, one that experts say has so far acted in its benefit, making it an indispensable ally to Washington.

The gas-rich monarchy has maintained a relationship with Hamas while being one of the US’ closest allies in the region. Meanwhile, it has also kept back-channel contacts with Israel.

The nature of Qatar’s relationship with Hamas: In the wake of the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings, Qatar fell out with some of its Arab neighbors after it supported the protesters who sought to overthrow the regimes in several Arab nations.

Ties further deteriorated when Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt severed diplomatic ties with Qatar in mid-2017, accusing the country of supporting terrorism, which Qatar repeatedly denied. It took years for the countries to patch up relations.

In 2012, it allowed Iran-backed Hamas to establish a political office in Doha, which remains operative. Qatar also pays public sector salaries in Gaza, part of a $30 million per month stipend for families and fuel for electricity, according to Reuters.

It has also maintained close relations with Western nations, becoming an increasingly important energy supplier as one of the world’s biggest gas producers and is a major arms buyer from the US.

But some have said that Qatar’s relationship with Hamas may become a liability. Doha has come under criticism from Israel and Western politicians for its ties with Hamas.

Despite its mediation efforts, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen last week accused Qatar of financing Hamas and harboring its leaders.

In response, Qatar said it was “surprised and dismayed” by the Israeli minister’s comments, especially “at a time when Qatar is seeking to ensure the release of captives and de-escalation.”

Security guards check an Egyptian ambulance carrying critically injured Palestinians as it arrives at a hospital in Al-Arish, Egypt, on Wednesday.

Forty-five injured Palestinians, who entered Egypt through the Rafah border crossing Wednesday morning, are currently getting treatment in hospitals across Egypt, an Egyptian government official told CNN.

The majority of patients are spread out across three hospitals: a field hospital in Sheikh Zuweid City, El-Arish General Hospital and Bir al-Abd Central Hospital, the official said. 

One patient has sustained severe burns and is getting treatment in the Ismailia General Hospital, the official said. 

The Rafah crossing opened earlier Wednesday to allow a limited number of injured Palestinians to exit Gaza into Egypt – the first to be allowed out of the besieged enclave since the Israel-Hamas conflict began on October 7.

“They are arriving one by one,” a spokesperson for Egypt’s health ministry told CNN. 

US officials expect that more than 5,000 foreign nationals could ultimately be allowed to cross from Gaza into Egypt as part of the deal announced today, with one senior US official saying the total could be around 7,000 people. 

But the official stressed that that number is far from exact, and officials have been emphasizing how fluid the situation on the ground is. 

As CNN previously reported, the current expectation is that around 500 people were waiting to be processed Wednesday and that could ramp up to perhaps 1,000 people a day, according to a senior US official.

Approximately 400 American citizens plus their family members – about 1,000 people total – are stuck in Gaza and are seeking to leave, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing Tuesday. There are about 5,000 other third-country nationals in Gaza who also want to get out, he said.

Some Palestinian-Americans stuck in Gaza have received notification from the US Department of State that departures from the enclave “may begin this week.”

At least three Palestinian-Americans have confirmed to CNN that they received a notification from the US State Department to monitor their email for specific instructions before proceeding to the Rafah Crossing, where injured Palestinians and some foreign nationals have begun to cross into Egypt.

The email from the State Department notes “U.S. citizens and family members will be assigned specific departure dates to ensure an orderly crossing. Please continue to monitor your email regularly over the next 24 to 72 hours for specific instructions for you and your family.”

Abood Okal, a Massachusetts resident who is currently in Gaza, told CNN:

Some context: The departures of injured Palestinians and some foreign nationals followed a deal brokered by Qatar between Israel, Hamas and Egypt, in coordination with the US, according to sources familiar with the talks.

Approximately 400 American citizens plus their family members — about 1,000 people total — are stuck in Gaza and are trying to leave, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing Tuesday. There are about 5,000 other third-country nationals in Gaza who also want to get out, he said.

The deal to release foreigners from Gaza into Egypt is not part of any potential deal to secure the release of hostages being held by Hamas, multiple sources emphasize to CNN. Those talks are still ongoing and one US official said they would caution against drawing any comparisons between the two parallel missions.

CNN’s Hope Howard and Yahya Abou-Ghazala contributed reporting to this post.

Jordan has recalled its ambassador to Israel, according to a statement from the Jordanian foreign ministry.

Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said the move was happening immediately, “as an expression of Jordan’s position rejecting and condemning the Israeli war raging in Gaza.”

The statement also said that Israel’s ambassador — who is not currently in Jordan, according to the statement — was not welcome back.

The Jordanian ministry earlier on Wednesday announced the start of the evacuation process of its citizens from the Gaza Strip.

Palestinians conduct a search and rescue operation after the second bombardment by the Israeli army at the Jabalya refugee camp in Gaza on November 1.

A massive blast has rocked the Gaza refugee camp of Jabalya, destroying several buildings, for a second day in a row. 

Video from the blast site on Wednesday showed catastrophic damage surrounding a deep crater in the Jabalya neighborhood of Falluja. People are seen digging through the rubble searching for bodies. 

CNN has reached out to the Israeli military for comment. 

The Civil Defense in Hamas-run Gaza said many people died in the attack and “large numbers” remained under the rubble in what it described as a “second massacre” at the refugee camp.

The Israeli military conducted airstrikes in Jabalya on Tuesday in an area near Falluja. Medics said there were hundreds of casualties – dead and wounded. Videos seen by CNN on Tuesday showed long lines of bodies outside the Indonesian hospital, the nearest medical facility to Jabalya camp. 

The IDF said Tuesday’s strikes targeted and killed Ibrahim Biari, whom it described as one of the Hamas commanders responsible for the October 7 attack on Israel, which left more than 1,400 people dead and hundreds taken hostage.  

An Israeli army battle tank moves at a position in the upper Galilee region of northern Israel near the border with Lebanon on November 1.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it fired on targets in southern Lebanon Wednesday in response to fire from that territory.

“A short while ago, a terrorist cell attempted to launch anti-tank missiles from Lebanon toward Israeli territory in the Zar’it area. An IDF tank struck the cell,” the IDF said in a statement.

“Additionally, terrorists opened fire a short while ago from Lebanon toward Israeli territory in the Yiftah area. No injuries were reported. The IDF is responding with fire toward the origins of the shooting.”

The Israeli military has sporadically but regularly exchanged fire with militants in southern Lebanon over the past weeks.

Some context: This fighting is centered on northern Israel and southern Lebanon — separate from Israel’s fighting with Hamas further south, which is centered around Gaza. However, an uptick in clashes with Hezbollah has raised fears that the powerful Lebanese paramilitary group could actively participate in the conflict.

Hezbollah – an Iran-backed armed group that is also a regional force in its own right – dominates south Lebanon. It also operates alongside Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guard Corps in Syria, where the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights separates Israel from Tehran-aligned fighters.

CNN’s Tamara Qiblawi contributed reporting to this post.

One hundred and ten foreign passport holders departed Gaza on Wednesday, according to officials on the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing.

It is not yet clear if all those foreign passport holders have crossed into Egypt.

Seventeen ambulances also left the Gaza side of the border on Wednesday, according to Rafah Crossing Media, the official communications wing of the border crossing — though it is unclear how many patients the ambulances were carrying.

Additionally, 20 trucks carrying aid arrived in Gaza, it said, but did not specify what type of aid was in the trucks.

Palestinians search for casualties a day after Israeli strikes on houses in Jabalya refugee camp in Gaza, on November 1.

The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, said Wednesday that he was “appalled by the high number of casualties” from the Israeli strike on the Jabalya refugee camp in Gaza, urging both parties to balance their right to self-defense with the “obligation to spare civilians to the greatest extent possible.”

“Building on EU Council’s clear stance that Israel has the right to defend itself in line with international humanitarian law and ensuring the protection of all civilians, I am appalled by the high number of casualties following the bombing by Israel of the Jabalia refugee camp,” Borrell said in a statement on social media.

“The right to self-defence should always be balanced by the obligation to spare civilians to the greatest extent possible,” Borrell said. 

A spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) defended its strike a day earlier on Gaza’s Jabalya refugee camp, saying that the Hamas commander it was targeting made the strike a “clear military necessity” and a “legitimate target.”

A spokesperson for Hamas has denied that the commander was there and called the Israeli strike a “heinous crime against safe civilians, children, and women.”

Dr. Atef Al Kahlout, director of Gaza’s Indonesian Hospital, told CNN Tuesday the strike had caused hundreds of casualties – dead and wounded. “Many are still under the rubble,” he added.

CNN’s Mick Krever in London contributed reporting to this post.

Egyptian state-affiliated Al-Qahera news reported on Wednesday that the first group of dual nationals has arrived in Egypt from Gaza after going through the Rafah border crossing.

Additionally, Al-Arish Hospital in Egypt has begun receiving injured Palestinians coming from the Gaza Strip, according to Al-Qahera news. 

An ambulance with a patient from Gaza drives toward El Arish General Hospital on November 1, in El Arish, Egypt.

Some context: Earlier on Wednesday, the spokesperson for Egypt’s Ministry of Health told CNN that injured Palestinians from Gaza had begun arriving in Egypt through the Rafah border crossing, “one by one.”

Their exits followed a deal brokered by Qatar between Israel, Hamas and Egypt, in coordination with the US, allowing for the release of foreign nationals and critically injured civilians from Gaza, according to sources familiar with the talks.

Sources close to the matter have told CNN that up to 500 foreigners are expected to cross out of Gaza at Rafah.

Hundreds of foreign and dual nationals are among the more than two million people stranded inside the enclave.

The deal to release foreigners from Gaza into Egypt is not part of any potential deal to secure the release of hostages being held by Hamas, multiple sources emphasize to CNN. 

Those talks are still ongoing and one US official said they would caution against drawing any comparisons between the two parallel missions. 

But the reality is that the players involved in both negotiations are the same: Israel, Egypt, Qatar, Hamas and the US. But as this US official stressed, the agreement announced today does not include any component that would prompt the release of hostages at a later time, for example. 

The Rafah crossing has opened to allow a limited number of injured Palestinians to exit Gaza into Egypt – the first to be allowed out of the besieged enclave since the Israel-Hamas conflict began on October 7. “They are arriving one by one,” a spokesperson for Egypt’s health ministry told CNN.

For more than three weeks, the Rafah crossing had remained almost entirely closed, with some aid supplies trickling in but no civilians allowed to travel out. Two Israeli hostages were allowed last week to exit into Egypt, but more than 2 million Palestinians remained stuck inside the strip amid an escalating humanitarian crisis.

As well as injured Palestinians, CNN has also reported that foreign nationals may also soon be able to cross through Rafah into Egypt under a Qatar-mediated deal.

Here are the latest developments:

Palestinian health ministry paramedics check the travel documents of a person waiting to cross to Egypt at the Rafah border crossing on November 1.

The deeply complex, multiparty negotiations to secure the release of foreigners from Gaza included Hamas demanding that some of its own fighters be let out as part of the list of injured people – a request that was rejected, according to a senior US official.

The logistics surrounding the release of foreigners that is in motion now is incredibly complicated, in no small part because Egyptian authorities are insisting that every person be thoroughly checked before they are allowed to cross into their country.

The current expectation is that around 500 people may be processed today – and that could ramp up to perhaps 1,000 people a day starting tomorrow, the official said.

A Western official has said Americans are not expected to be among the first batch exiting the enclave on Wednesday. US citizens are expected to begin departing Gaza as soon as Thursday, according to internal US government correspondence obtained by CNN, though the US official said some Americans may leave Wednesday.

The Jordanian foreign ministry on Wednesday announced the start of the evacuation process of its citizens from the Gaza Strip.

The ministry said the process is being carried out in collaboration with Egyptian authorities via the Rafah border crossing, “so that (Jordanian citizens) are transferred to the Kingdom as soon as possible.”

Ministry spokesperson Sufyan al-Qudah said the evacuation process was expected to take several days.

A dedicated team from the Jordanian Embassy in Cairo based at the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing would facilitate the secure transportation of Jordanian citizens out of Gaza by bus, the spokesperson added.

People walk through a gate to enter the Rafah border crossing in Gaza on November 1.

Biden administration officials are tracking an agreement that has been reached that will allow foreign nationals to leave Gaza through the Rafah Crossing, according to a US official.

A Western official previously confirmed Americans are not expected to be among the first batch exiting the enclave on Wednesday. US citizens are expected to begin departing Gaza as soon as Thursday, according to internal US government correspondence obtained by CNN, though the US official said some Americans may leave Wednesday.

Approximately 400 American citizens plus their family members — about 1,000 people total— are stuck in Gaza and trying to leave, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing Tuesday. There are about 5,000 other third-country nationals in Gaza who also want to get out, he said.

Blinken spoke earlier this week with his Qatari counterpart “to talk to him about impressing upon Hamas the need” to allow foreign nationals to depart via Rafah, State Department spokesperson Matt Miller said Tuesday.

Qatar brokered a deal between Israel, Hamas and Egypt, in coordination with the US to release all foreign nationals and critically injured civilians from Gaza, according to sources familiar with the talks Wednesday.

Miller said Tuesday that once an agreement was reached, “it’s not a process that would occur instantly,” adding, “People would move out over several days.”

Palestinians check the destruction in the aftermath of an Israeli strike in the Jabalya camp in Gaza on November 1.

A spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Wednesday defended its strike a day earlier on Gaza’s Jabalya refugee camp, saying that the Hamas commander it was targeting made the strike a “clear military necessity” and a “legitimate target.”

A spokesperson for Hamas has denied that Biari was there and called the Israeli strike a “heinous crime against safe civilians, children, and women.”

Dr. Atef Al Kahlout, director of Gaza’s Indonesian Hospital, told CNN Tuesday the strike had caused hundreds of casualties – dead and wounded. “Many are still under the rubble,” he added.

Another IDF spokesperson on Wednesday said that collapsed tunnels were partially responsible for the scale of destruction from the Tuesday strike.

Mattingly asked Lerner whether the IDF was aware of that tunnel system, asking, “Was that the target? Did you want to try to collapse the tunnel system in that area?”

“We wanted to take out the enemy,” Lerner said. “A brutal enemy that has no regard for human life. That intentionally places its infrastructure in the civilian arena.”

When pressed on whether Israel would provide any evidence for Biari’s death, Lerner declined to answer directly, saying that Israeli intelligence had confirmed his death.

Palestinian passport control policemen affiliated with Hamas check the travel documents of people waiting to cross to Egypt at the Rafah border crossing on November 1.

A spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) declined to say on Wednesday whether the IDF had committed to not striking Rafah as part of an agreement to allow foreign nationals to leave Gaza into Egypt.

Asked by CNN’s Phil Mattingly whether an agreement to allow foreign passport holders to leave Gaza included “the Israeli military saying they would not strike around Rafah during this time period,” IDF Lt. Col. Peter Lerner responded:

Injured Palestinians from Gaza have begun arriving in Egypt through the Rafah border crossing, the spokesperson for Egypt’s Ministry of Health told CNN.

CNN has previously reported that 81 severely injured Palestinians were expected to arrive in Egypt Wednesday morning.

The spokesperson told CNN that “they are arriving one by one.”

Egyptian ambulances drive through the Rafah crossing into Gaza on November 1.

Ten Egyptian ambulances are waiting inside Gaza to collect injured Palestinian patients, an Egyptian border official at the Rafah crossing told CNN.

The official earlier said a total of 80 ambulances had arrived at the Egyptian side of the crossing Wednesday morning.

Half the 80 ambulances had made it into Gaza, the official said, but 30 had returned to Egypt empty, for reasons the official did not disclose.

Palestinians at the Rafah border crossing on November 1.

Crowds gathered at the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt on Wednesday morning, amid reports that it was set to open for some foreign nationals and wounded Palestinians, allowing them to leave the besieged enclave for the first time since the war began more than three weeks ago.

Up to 500 foreigners could cross from Gaza into Egypt under a Qatar-mediated deal, multiple sources told CNN.

A fleet of ambulances also arrived at the Egyptian side of the crossing, waiting to receive some 81 injured Palestinians in need of treatment, an Egyptian border official told CNN.

Israel ordered the “complete siege” of Gaza in the wake of Hamas’ October 7 terror attack, cutting off supplies of food, water, medicine and electricity to the enclave.

The Rafah crossing has partly opened to allow some aid supplies to enter Gaza, but international leaders have warned that the current levels of aid are incapable of meeting the needs of more than 2 million Palestinians living in the territory.

But while some aid has been able to trickle in, civilians have not been able to leave.

People at the Rafah border crossing in southern Gaza on Wednesday.

A Palestinian health ministry ambulance at the gate for the Rafah border crossing in Gaza on November 1.

People sit in a waiting area at the Rafah border crossing on Wednesday.

A US citizen holds his passport while waiting at the border crossing between Gaza and Egypt in Rafah, Gaza, on November 1.

Americans are not believed to be among the first batch of foreign nationals in Gaza who may be able to exit the besieged enclave through the Rafah crossing, a Western official told CNN.

US citizens are expected to begin departing Gaza as soon as Thursday, according to internal government correspondence obtained by CNN.

Crowds began to gather at the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt Wednesday, amid reports that a Qatar-mediated deal to release foreign nationals had been agreed upon, multiple sources told CNN.

Approximately 400 American citizens and their family members — a total of about 1,000 people — have been stuck in Gaza, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing Tuesday.

The top US diplomat said he and the State Department are “focused on this intensely.”

There are about 5,000 other third-country nationals in Gaza who also want to get out, Blinken added.

CNN’s Priscilla Alvarez contributed reporting to this post.

Palestinians search for casualties at the site of Israeli strikes in Jabalya refugee camp in northern Gaza, on October 31.

Collapsed tunnels were partly responsible for the scale of destruction caused by Tuesday’s strike on Gaza’s Jabalya refugee camp, an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson said Wednesday.

Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said Hamas commander Ibrahim Biari, who was targeted in the strike, was in “an underground area located inside buildings inside a civilian refugee camp.”

Hamas has claimed to have built hundreds of kilometers of tunnels underneath Gaza, which it has used to smuggle goods from Egypt and launch attacks into Israel.

Survivors and eyewitness spoke of apocalyptic scenes in the aftermath of the strike, which tore a massive crater through the middle of the crowded camp.

The IDF said it had killed Biari in the strike. Hagari described Biari as being “responsible for a significant area from which terrorists set out to massacre on October 7.”

Dr. Atef Al Kahlout, director of Gaza’s Indonesian Hospital, told CNN on Tuesday the strike had caused hundreds of casualties, both dead and wounded. “Many are still under the rubble,” he added.

Second strike: Hagari also gave more details about a second overnight Israeli strike on the Jabalya camp.

“Terrorists shot at our forces in the field,” he said. “Hamas terrorists are using this building, like many other places, as a shelter. This case concerns a variety of civilian residential buildings near a school, a medical centre and government offices. Our fighters directed an aircraft from the air that attacked the threat and destroyed the terrorists.”

Hagari’s comments echoed those of Lt. Col. Richard Hecht, another IDF spokesperson, who accused Hamas Tuesday of “hiding, as they do, behind civilians.”

A large barrage of rockets was fired from the Gaza Strip towards Israel on Wednesday morning.

A CNN team on the ground in Ashkelon, southern Israel, counted at least 10 large bangs, most likely indicating the rockets being intercepted and destroyed by Iron Dome, the Israeli air defense system. It is unclear whether all of the rockets were intercepted.

A number of locations north of the enclave were placed under air raid warnings, prompting people to seek shelter.

Ashkelon’s proximity to the Gaza border means that its residents have only a few moments to find a safe place. When the sirens began, people were seen running towards shelters located around the city, including in parks, bus stations and other public spaces.

Hamas has continued to fire rockets from Gaza, despite the enclave having been under intense bombardment for more than three weeks and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launching a ground operation in the strip on Friday.

The IDF has said that destroying Hamas’ rocket infrastructure is one of its main goals of the war.

People at the Rafah border crossing in southern Gaza on November 1.

Up to 500 foreign nationals could be released from Gaza, according to sources familiar with the negotiations.

CNN has spoken to three different sources close to the matter who say that around 500 foreigners are expected to leave Gaza at the Rafah crossing with Egypt. 

A Palestinian border official, Hisham Adwan, told CNN that 500 people were waiting to cross, revising this figure up from an initial 450.

One source close to the negotiations also said 500 foreign nationals could leave Gaza, and another source, at the border, said they were aware of 478 people who would be permitted to cross. 

No timeline has been set on when they will begin moving.

Sources told CNN that Qatar had brokered a deal between Israel, Hamas and Egypt, in coordination with the United States to release foreign nationals and critically injured civilians in Gaza.

This agreement is separate from any hostage negotiations, the source added.

CNN previously reported that 81 injured Palestinians will also arrive at the Rafah crossing Wednesday morning, as well as the hundreds of foreign nationals.

The Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt is “likely to open today for a first group of foreign nationals,” British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said Wednesday in a social media post.

On Tuesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said approximately 400 Americans and their family members — about 1,000 people total — are stuck in Gaza and seeking to leave amid diplomatic efforts to help them.

Blinken spoke with his Qatari counterpart Monday about pressing Hamas to allow Americans and other foreign nationals to leave, according to a State Department spokesperson.

Border traffic: UK foreign minister Cleverley’s remarks Wednesday came as a fleet of ambulances arrived at the Rafah crossing with Gaza to bring about 80 injured Palestinians to Egypt. The patients would be the first known Palestinians allowed out of the enclave since the war with Israel began more than three weeks ago.

Meanwhile, as aid trickles into the coastal strip, Cleverly said, “It’s vital that lifesaving humanitarian aid can enter Gaza as quickly as possible.”

Palestinians search for casualties at the site of Israeli strikes on houses in Jabalya refugee camp in northern Gaza, on October 31.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Wednesday said it has “struck over 11,000 targets belonging to terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip” since the war began on October 7.

That’s an average of more than 440 strikes per day for the first 25 days of the war.

The IDF has repeatedly said it is not targeting civilians in its unrelenting bombardment of Gaza in response to Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel that killed 1,400 people.

An Israeli strike targeting a Hamas commander in the densely populated Jabalya refugee camp in northern Gaza Tuesday killed a large number of people and left catastrophic damage, according to eyewitnesses and medics in the enclave.

Israeli troops directed airstrikes on “several Hamas terrorists” who had barricaded themselves in a multi-story building located near a school, medical center, and government offices in the Jabalya area, the IDF statement said. 

According to an earlier IDF statement, the airstrike Tuesday targeted and killed Ibrahim Biari, whom it described as one of the Hamas commanders responsible for the October 7 attack.

The IDF also said “numerous other Hamas terrorists” were hit in the strike, and claimed the Central Jabalya Battalion had taken control of civilian buildings.

Hamas however has strongly denied the presence of one of its leaders in the refugee camp. Hazem Qassem, a spokesman for the militant group, accused Israel of attempting to justify what he described as a “heinous crime against safe civilians, children, and women in Jabalya camp.”

More than 8,400 people have died in Gaza during the ongoing war, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Ramallah, which draws on information from the Hamas-controlled enclave.

Battle footage: In its Wednesday statement, the IDF said soldiers also directed aircraft to strike a vehicle “carrying anti-tank missiles driving toward the forces operating in the Gaza Strip.”

Video shared by the IDF showed strikes on multiple locations, and soldiers on the ground in Gaza moving through rubble. The IDF also shared video showing a targeted vehicle turning onto a road before being hit by an explosive, setting it ablaze.

Ambulances from Egypt at the Rafah border crossing to transport Palestinians in Rafah, Gaza, on November 1.

Some 80 ambulances from Egypt arrived at the Rafah border with Gaza on Wednesday morning to receive injured Palestinian patients, an Egyptian border official told CNN at the crossing.

The patients will be the first known Palestinians allowed out of Gaza since the war began more than three weeks ago, if they cross into Egypt.

Earlier, an Egyptian border official told CNN the crossing was set to open to allow 81 wounded Palestinians from Gaza to receive treatment in Egyptian hospitals.

Gaza’s Al Shifa hospital director Dr. Mohammed Abu Silmiyeh told CNN most of the patients require surgical intervention in operating rooms, a procedure not currently available in the enclave.

A photo released by the IDF shows its forces continue to expand ground operations in Gaza on October 30. 

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Wednesday named nine more Israeli soldiers killed during its ongoing ground operation in northern Gaza.

Seven of the troops were members of the Givati brigade, which is focused on fighting terrorism, and the other two were part of the armored corps, the IDF said. It did not say how they were killed.

The IDF identified those killed as Ariel Reich, Asif Luger, Adi Danan, Halel Solomon, Erez Mishlovsky, Adi Leon, Ido Ovadia, Lior Siminovich, and Roei Dawi.

It comes after the IDF on Tuesday confirmed the first two deaths of Israeli soldiers in Gaza since its ground incursion ramped up on Friday.

Saudi Arabia on Wednesday condemned Israeli forces’ “inhumane targeting” of the Jabalya refugee camp in northern Gaza, saying it “totally rejects the repeated targeting by the Israeli occupation forces of densely populated civilian areas.”

The Israeli strike targeting a Hamas commander in the densely populated camp Tuesday killed a large number of people and left catastrophic damage, according to eyewitnesses and medics in the enclave.

The “dire humanitarian situation stemming from the ongoing escalation cannot be justified,” the statement added, noting that “halting the bloodshed, protecting civilians and the cessation of military operations are urgent priorities.”

“The failure to promptly adhere to these principles will inevitably lead to a humanitarian disaster for which the Israeli occupation and the international community bear responsibility,” it said.

Some context: Saudi Arabia had been in talks to normalize relations with Israel in recent months, something Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in September described as a pact that would be “the biggest historical deal since the Cold War.”

But Hamas’ brutal October 7 attack on Israel and the Israeli military’s siege of Gaza in response has thrust the Palestinian issue back into the international spotlight. It may also have thrown a wrench in Israel’s efforts to expand what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calls the “circle of peace,” referring to Arab nations that have sidestepped the Palestinian issue to establish ties with Israel.

Palestinians inspect the site of a strike in Jabalya refugee camp in Gaza on October 31.

Jabalya refugee camp in northern Gaza, which was hit on Tuesday in an Israeli airstrike targeting a Hamas leader, was always known to journalists covering Gaza for the sheer number of children there.

Over several visits there over the years I found them to be curious and excited when strangers showed up. Crowding around our CNN teams, asking questions, trying their English and jumping in front of the camera. Often my TV producer, driver and fixer would have to keep the children busy and distracted as we attempted to report or record a shot on camera.

Like Gaza’s other refugee camps, these crowded built-up areas have houses, shops, and apartment buildings jammed up against one another, the roads between them in many areas barely wide enough for a car to pass. The open-air markets were always busy.

Even in the best of times though, life was tough in Jabalya. Schools were so crowded classes were held in two shifts a day. The tap water wasn’t fit for human consumption. Unemployment was high and most families were dependent on food aid provided by the United Nations. Yet one rarely got the feeling that people had given up hope.

Once when I was in Jabalya, after another round of fighting between Hamas and Israel in the spring of 2021, we stopped at a shawarma shop the day after the fighting ended. The shop had just opened and was doing a bustling business. Its owner, Amjad, greeted us heartily.

Two years later, in 2023, I was back after another reporting trip, and the shop had expanded. Amjad greeted us like long lost friends and snapped orders to the waiters to get our food.

Above our table was a television running on a loop an advertisement for a local school promising a top-quality education to ensure a shining future for the children of Gaza.

Yes, Jabalya was crowded and noisy and dusty — one of the poorer areas in Gaza — but it was a place where, despite the problems of Gaza, you always came away feeling that someday, somehow, the people there would be able to live a better life.

I can’t go back right now with Israel and Egypt blocking entry into Gaza, but I fear that optimism against all odds may now have been shattered.

The Israeli military said Tuesday it had thwarted an aerial attack by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, as fears rise across the region that the Israel-Hamas war could widen.

Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, a spokesperson for the Houthi forces, told Houthi-owned Al-Masirah TV that ballistic missiles and drones had been launched against targets in Israel in what he said was the third operation in support of the Palestinian people.

He added that there were plans for more strikes until the “Israeli aggression” ceased.

The Houthis are a Shia political and military organization in Yemen that have been fighting a civil war in the country against a coalition backed by Saudi Arabia. They have voiced support for the Palestinians and organized protests in Yemen against Israel’s offensive in Gaza.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement that it had used its Arrow aerial defense system for the first time to successfully intercept a surface-to-surface missile that was fired from the area of the Red Sea.

The use of the Arrow defense system, which is designed to intercept high altitude missiles, indicates the Houthis used a more advanced, long-range missile in the attempted attack.

Israeli jets also intercepted what the IDF described as “aerial threats” in the area. The IDF said all threats were intercepted outside of Israeli territory.

The attempted strikes on Israel mark an escalation by the Iran-backed Houthis, with regional rivalries heating up despite the United States scrambling to contain a potential Middle Eastern war.

Read more about the risk of a wider regional conflict.

Internet service and communications went down again in Gaza on Wednesday, according to two telecoms companies, as Israel maintains its bombardment and expanded ground operation in the coastal enclave.

Communications have been repeatedly impacted in Gaza, with independent internet monitoring groups telling CNN that recent blackouts have been the worst since the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas began on October 7.

The Jawwal Telecommunication Company also said its cellphone service was down, according to a statement on Facebook.

Calls and messages from CNN staff in Jerusalem to contacts with Gaza numbers on Wednesday did not connect.

An Israeli strike in the densely populated Jabalya refugee camp in northern Gaza killed a large number of people and has left catastrophic damage, according to eyewitnesses and medics in the enclave.

The Israel Defense Forces claimed the strike killed Hamas commander Ibrahim Biari — who was one of the leaders of the October 7 terror attack in Israel, according to spokesperson Lt. Col. Richard Hecht.

Hamas however strongly denied the presence of one of its leaders in the enclave’s largest refugee camp, spokesperson Hazem Qassem said. He accused Israel of attempting to justify what he described as a “heinous crime against safe civilians, children, and women in Jabalya camp.”

Ambassador Riyad Mansour, the Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine to the UN, said the strike was a crime and urged the International Criminal Court to take action.

Here’s the latest:

Volunteers stand in front of trucks carrying humanitarian aid at the Rafah border crossing, on October 31.

Dozens of trucks carrying humanitarian aid entered the Gaza Strip through the Rafah crossing on Tuesday, Israeli and Palestinian officials confirmed.

The Palestine Red Crescent Society said Tuesday evening it received 59 trucks. By late Tuesday evening, 70 trucks had entered the strip, the spokesperson for Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) said in a statement.

The shipments include “only water, food, and medical equipment,” according to the COGAT spokesperson.

The decision was made “at the request of the US Administration, and in accordance with instructions from the political echelon” the statement said.

The Palestine Red Crescent Society said it has received a total of 217 trucks so far, but fuel has not been allowed to enter Gaza yet.

The Israeli army began its full ground operation in Gaza on Friday, moving tanks, bulldozers, infantrymen and combat engineer units into the strip.

But rather than make any quick advance on Gaza City, Israeli forces so far appear to have moved only slowly toward the enclave’s largest population center.

Drawing on videos and photos from open and official sources, and reporting from CNN teams on the ground, it appears Israeli forces crossed the border in three main locations.

Read more about Israel’s ground operation in Gaza.

Hamas will free some foreign nationals they are holding hostage in the coming days, according to a spokesperson for the group’s military wing. 

Obeida did not give further details on the nationalities and numbers of hostages Hamas claimed it will free. 

Addressing the Israel Defense Forces’ announcement that it rescued an Israeli solider from Hamas captivity on Monday, Obeida said none of the hostages Hamas is holding have been rescued and suggested the solider may have been held by another group.

A United Nations human rights official is leaving his job over what he calls a “genocide” in Gaza that the UN has failed to stop.

Craig Mokhiber, director of the UN’s New York Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, said in a letter that Gaza is a textbook case of genocide. 

Mokhiber, who said he lived in Gaza working on human rights for the UN in the 1990s, accused the United States, the United Kingdom and European countries of giving political and diplomatic cover for Israel’s alleged atrocities. 

In the letter, which began with a statement acknowledging it would be his last official communication in his position, Mokhiber wrote that after witnessing what happened in Rwanda, Bosnia, and to Rohingya civilians in Myanmar, the UN has repeatedly failed to stop genocide.

The UN Secretary-General press secretary said Mokhiber is retiring as of Tuesday. 

CNN has reached out to Mokhiber for comment

CNN’s Tara John contributed reporting to this post.

Palestinians search for casualties at the site of a strike in Jabalya Refugee Camp in Gaza on October 31.

An eyewitness to the Israel Defense Forces strike on the Jabalya refugee camp in northern Gaza told CNN he saw an F-16 aircraft fire several missiles at the camp.

“I was waiting in line to buy bread when suddenly and without any prior warning, seven to eight missiles fell from an F-16 on al-Yafawiya neighbourhood in the refugee camp,” Mohammad Ibrahim told CNN.

Photos from the site of the strike showed multiple deep craters, surrounded by destroyed or damaged buildings. Video also showed people searching through the rubble for survivors. 

Dr. Atef al-Kalhout, the head of the nearby Indonesian hospital, where large numbers of the dead and wounded have flooded in, estimated that scores had been killed in the strike. The hospital is the nearest major medical facility to Jabalya and is one of the most damaged in Gaza due to multiple strikes in the vicinity.

Videos from the hospital showed a long line of bodies lying on the floor as well as large numbers of wounded people, including children, as doctors rushed to treat their injuries. Many of the injured are seen treated on the floor because of the hospital’s overcrowded conditions.