Residents in Gaza are facing ever-growing uncertainty after the territory’s only power plant ran out of fuel and shut down Wednesday. Israeli airstrikes further demolished entire neighborhoods and sent people scrambling to find safety. And hospitals in the Gaza Strip are struggling to treat the injured with dwindling medical supplies.
READ MORE: Gaza blockade complicates aid efforts as Israel-Hamas conflict escalates
The war, which has claimed more than 2,200 lives on both sides, is expected to escalate. The weekend attack that Hamas said was retribution for worsening conditions for Palestinians under Israeli occupation has inflamed Israel’s determination to crush the group’s hold in Gaza.
The Israeli military said more than 1,200 people, including 155 soldiers, have died in Israel since Saturday’s incursion. In Gaza, the health ministry says more than 1,050 have been killed and over 5,100 injured. The United Nations Palestinian refugee agency says 250,000 people have been displaced in Gaza.
Here’s what’s happening on Day 5 of the latest Israel-Palestinian war:
8:51 p.m.
State Department warns U.S. citizens to reconsider travel to Israel, West Bank
WASHINGTON — The State Department upgraded its travel warning for Israel and the West Bank on Wednesday to Level 3, “reconsider travel.”
It kept its travel advisory for Gaza at the department’s highest warning level, Level 4, meaning “do not travel.”
The State Department cited extremists continuing to plot attacks, the possibility of violence erupting without warning, and increased demonstrations.
The travel warning comes as five days of rocket fire and missile barrages between the Hamas militant group and Israel already have led many airlines to suspend commercial flights.
Biden speaks with UAE president about humanitarian assistance
WASHINGTON — U.S. President Joe Biden spoke with United Arab Emirates President Mohamed bin Zayed on Wednesday about ensuring humanitarian assistance reaches those in need as the war between Israel and Hamas extends into a fifth day, the White House said.
The UAE was the first Gulf country to normalize relations with Israel in 2020 under the U.S.-brokered Abraham Accords, which saw Bahrain and Morocco also establish diplomatic ties with Israel.
5:55 p.m.
Far-right protesters riot outside hospital in Tel Aviv
TEL AVIV, Israel — More than a hundred far-right protesters rioted outside one of the main hospitals in Tel Aviv on Wednesday night after hearing reports that doctors there were treating a militant from Hamas, according to Hagai Levine, Chairman of the Israeli Association of Public Health Physicians.
Protesters from La Familia — a group of notoriously racist Jerusalem fans of the “Beitar” soccer team — blocked the main entrance to the emergency room for three hours, according to videos circulated by doctors on the platform X, formerly known as Twitter. The ultranationalist soccer fans clashed violently with police and disrupted the passage of emergency crews into the hospital.
At the time of the riot, Sheba hospital was not treating any militants from Hamas, Levine said. It’s unclear if militants have been treated in Israel’s public hospitals since the Hamas rampage on Saturday.
The protest came on the heels of a letter circulated Wednesday by Israeli health minister Moshe Arbel that barred Israel’s public hospitals from treating militants. Arbel wrote that injured militants should be referred to the Israeli military or Israel’s intelligence services.
Iranian president speaks to Saudi Arabian crown prince about war, news agency says
JERUSALEM — Iranian hard-line President Ebrahim Raisi has spoken by telephone to Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the first time to discuss the Israel-Palestinian war, the state-run news agency reported Wednesday.
IRNA cited an online message from an adviser to Raisi acknowledging a 45-minute call between the two men on Wednesday. There was no immediate acknowledgment from the kingdom.
Saudi Arabia and Iran reached a Chinese-mediated détente earlier this year.
WATCH: Biden calls Hamas attack deadliest day for jews since Holocaust
WASHINGTON — U.S. President Joe Biden called the Hamas attack on Israel “the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust,” and a campaign of “pure cruelty.”
Biden was addressing a roundtable with Jewish community leaders convened at the White House on Wednesday.
“This attack was a campaign of pure cruelty, not just hate, but pure cruelty, against the Jewish people,” Biden said.
Biden had what was at least his fourth phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday.
Israel will ‘crush and destroy’ hamas, Netanyahu says
JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that Hamas beheaded soldiers and raped women in their attack on Israel, and he vowed that Israel would “crush and destroy” the militant group.
Speaking in a late-night televised address as Israeli planes pounded Gaza, Netanyahu said every Hamas member was a “dead man.”
Detailing some of the atrocities that he said had taken place during the attack, Netanyahu said boys and girls were shot in the head and that people had been burned alive.
At least 1,200 Israelis were killed in the attack, which set off fierce Israeli response in the Gaza Strip.
Turkey negotiating for release of hostages held by Hamas
ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey is holding negotiations for the release of civilian hostages held by Hamas, a Turkish official said Wednesday.
The official said President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had instructed Turkish officials to hold talks with Hamas for the release of the civilians. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with government protocol, could not provide further details on the negotiations.
Turkey does not consider Hamas a terrorist organization and has frequently hosted members of the group. Turkey also recently restored full diplomatic ties with Israel after the two countries fell out following a U.S. decision to move its embassy to Jerusalem.
UN envoy in Cairo working with partners to end war
UNITED NATIONS – The U.N. Mideast envoy is in Cairo working with other key regional and international partners and the Egyptian government on ending the Hamas-Israel conflict, preventing its expansion, and opening a humanitarian corridor to deliver fuel, food and water to access to Gaza which Israel has cut off.
Tor Wennesland is following up on Egypt’s offer to facilitate humanitarian access through the Rafah crossing and to make the El Arish airport available for critical assistance, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Wednesday, stressing that opening Rafah for aid deliveries requires talks with the parties. “We are working on that with a number of other parties,” he said.
Meanwhile, the U.N. humanitarian office reports that 263,000 people have been displaced in Gaza, a 40% increase since Tuesday, Dujarric said. And more than 1,000 housing units in Gaza have been destroyed and some 560 been severely damaged and rendered uninhabitable in the past day.
Mourners fill Europe’s largest synagogue to remember victims
BUDAPEST, Hungary — Mourners filled Europe’s largest synagogue in Hungary’s capital on Wednesday in remembrance of the hundreds of people that were killed in unprecedented attacks against Israel over the weekend by Hamas fighters.
The rabbinic service and solidarity commemoration in Budapest’s Dohany Street Synagogue drew around 3,000 people, including the country’s president, its chief rabbi, the Catholic Primate of Hungary and the mayor of Budapest.
Waving Israeli flags and lighting candles following the service, those gathered listened to the names being read aloud of some of the Israelis killed so far in the war. Some wept as the names were read.
3:37 p.m.
Palestinian workers arriving in West Bank from Gaza
RAMALLAH, West Bank — Palestinians who have been expelled from their workplaces in Israel have begun showing up in the West Bank city of Ramallah, where a temporary shelter was set up to house them.
The sudden influx of about 600 workers created an “overwhelming situation” that is bound to get worse as more arrive, Ramallah Governor Laila Ghannam said Wednesday.
At the shelter where men sat on mattresses, some workers said they had been abused by Israeli soldiers.
READ MORE: As Israel bombards Gaza, Palestinians attempt to flee, only to discover nowhere is safe
“We were working and everything was fine, and suddenly they came to us and detained us,” said Raed Al-Moghribi. “When we told them that we are from Gaza, they started beating us.”
The workers began arriving in Ramallah on Wednesday after Israeli security forces brought them to checkpoints in the West Bank.
Khader Achour, another Gaza resident who had worked in Israel, said he wanted to return home but it had been demolished and his nephew, cousin and neighbor had all been killed.
“I wish to return to my family in Gaza to die among them,” Achour said.
The death toll of U.S. citizens rises to 22 after Hamas attack
WASHINGTON — The number of U.S. citizens who have died in the Israel-Palestinian war has risen to 22, a White House official said Wednesday.
White House National Security Spokesman John Kirby said he did not have details on where exactly the Americans were killed. He said there are at least 17 missing, and of those a handful are believed to be held hostage.
No clear sign that Iran was behind Hamas attack, White House says
WASHINGTON — White House National Security spokesman John Kirby reiterated Wednesday that there is no clear sign that Iran was behind the Hamas attack on Israel.
“We haven’t seen anything that tells they have specifically cut checks to support this set of attacks, or that they were involved in the training,” Kirby said. “And obviously, this required quite a bit of training by these terrorists.”
EXPLAINER: What is Hamas? What to know about its origins, leaders and funding
Kirby said officials are going to continue to review the intelligence to see “if that leads us to a different conclusion.”
Earlier Wednesday, a U.S. official who was not authorized to publicly discuss the intelligence said information collected thus far suggests that while senior Iranian government officials were likely aware that Hamas was broadly planning operations against Israel, they appeared to be caught off-guard by the exact timing and scope of the multipronged attack carried out by Hamas militants on Saturday. —- Associated Press writer Aamer Madhani contributed to this report.
Violence persists in West Bank, with death toll at 29
JERUSALEM — Violence in the West Bank continued to flare Wednesday, with Palestinian health officials reporting that 29 Palestinians had been killed in the Israeli-occupied territory since the start of the Hamas invasion.
At least six Palestinians were killed Wednesday, including three in an attack by Jewish settlers on a Palestinian village near the city of Nablus, according to Palestinian health officials.
All checkpoints and crossings into the territory have been closed since the start of the war.
2:29 p.m.
White house says us working to allow safe passage out of gaza for civilians
WASHINGTON — The U.S. is in active conversations to allow for safe passage out of Gaza for civilians, White House National Security spokesman John Kirby said Wednesday.
Kirby noted that Israel and Egypt are the two most significant players in the efforts.
“We are having active conversations about trying to allow for that safe passage,” Kirby said. “It’s the civilians who did nothing wrong so we want to make sure they have a way out.”
Arab foreign ministers call for immediate cease-fire
CAIRO — Arab foreign ministers called for an immediate cease-fire Wednesday in the conflict between Israel and Palestinian militant groups in Gaza.
The ministers’ call came in a statement released after their meeting at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo, which was called by the Palestinians to discuss the latest developments in the Israel-Hamas war.
The communique condemned the killing of civilians on both sides and called for the release of all detainees held either by Israel or the Palestinians.
The ministers also called for Israel to end its siege on Gaza, and to allow the delivery of humanitarian aid, food and fuel to Palestinians in the enclave.
1:18 p.m.
Britain’s foreign minister took shelter from rocket fire during visit to Israel
LONDON — Britain’s foreign minister said he has experienced “a glimpse of what millions experience every day” after he had to take shelter from Hamas rocket fire during a visit to southern Israel.
Israel’s foreign ministry released video footage of U.K. Foreign Secretary James Cleverly and officials hurrying indoors as sirens sounded during a visit to Ofakim. Cleverly and his Israeli counterpart Eli Cohen met survivors of the weekend attack by Hamas militants.
Cleverly wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter: “The threat of Hamas rockets lingers over every Israeli man, woman and child. This is why we are standing shoulder to shoulder with Israel.”
Cleverly arrived in Israel on Wednesday to show Britain’s solidarity with Israel, the Foreign Office said.
Biden calls attacks in Israel ‘beyond the pale’ after latest call with Netanyahu
WASHINGTON — U.S. President Joe Biden said that he and Vice President Kamala Harris spoke by phone on Wednesday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Biden, who is set to meet with Jewish leaders later in the day, sought to connect the weekend attacks by Hamas militants that have left hundreds dead directly to decades of antisemitism and violence endured by Jews around the world.
“This attack has brought to the surface the painful memories and scars left by a millennium antisemitism and genocide against the Jewish people. And this moment we have to be crystal clear: There is no justification for terrorism, no excuse and the type of terrorism that was exhibited here is just beyond the pale. Beyond the pale,” he said.
It was at least the fourth call between Biden and Netanyahu since Saturday’s attack.
Protesters rally at the U.S. consulate in Johannesburg
JOHANNESBURG — A few hundred pro-Palestinian protesters on Wednesday staged demonstrations at the U.S. Consulate in Johannesburg and the Israeli embassy in Cape Town amid the latest Israel-Hamas war that has already claimed more than 2,200 lives on both sides.
Draped in Palestinian flags and holding posters criticizing Israel in front of the U.S Consulate building, the protesters also called for the Israel ambassador to South Africa to be expelled.
The Palestinian territories have significant support from many in South Africa, including from the ruling African National Congress party and its political allies, the South African Communist Party and the Congress of South African Trade Unions. The ruling ANC party has describing Israel as an apartheid state comparable to apartheid in South Africa, which was abolished in 1994.
Several children have likely been kidnapped from Israel, french prime minister says
PARIS — French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said Wednesday that ‘’several children’’ from France have probably been kidnapped from Israel. Speaking to the French Senate, she said the government is in touch with the families of the children concerned. She did not elaborate.
Among those believed kidnapped is a 12-year-old boy named Eitan who had been living in the Nir Oz kibbutz, according to family members who have spoken to French media.
France has said that 11 French citizens are confirmed dead in the fighting and 20 are unaccounted for, including several believed held hostage.
12:36 p.m. ET
Arab League chief calls for immediate cease-fire in Israel-Palestinian war
CAIRO — The Arab League chief on Wednesday called for an immediate cease-fire in the war between Israel and the Palestinian militants in Gaza.
Ahmed Aboul Gheit, the secretary general of the Cairo-based organization, warned about “serious possibilities” of further escalation and an expansion of fighting, in an apparent reference to the Lebanese Hezbollah militant groups.
“No one wanted such kind of escalation … I completely refuse any violence against civilians without equivocation,” he said.
Aboul Gheit’s comments came at the opening of an emergency meeting an emergency meeting of the Arab foreign ministers in the Egyptian capital on the Israel-Gaza war.
12:33 p.m. ET
Death toll of UN staffers in Gaza rises to 11
BEIRUT — The deputy director of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees says 11 staffers have been killed in Gaza since Saturday.
Jenifer Austin said in a statement Wednesday that the dead include five teachers at UNRWA schools, one gynecologist, one engineer, one psychological counselor and three support staff.
She said some of the victims were killed in their homes with their families.
“UNRWA mourns this loss and is grieving with our colleagues and the families,” she said. “We call for the fighting to come to an end to spare more civilian lives lost.”
The agency told The Associated Press earlier Wednesday that nine staffers had died since the attacks began.
12:31 p.m. ET
Egypt’s president reiterates concerns about latest war in Gaza
CAIRO — President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi of Egypt on Wednesday warned about “grave security and humanitarian repercussions” of the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian militant groups in Gaza.
He said his government, which mediated a cease-fire between Israel and Palestinian militants in previous bouts of violence, has intensified its efforts to “contain the situation,” according to the Egyptian leader’s office.
El-Sissi’s comments came in a meeting with Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani who was visiting Cairo for talks with Egyptian officials.
12:28 p.m. ET
Netanyahu and opposition agree on unity government, war cabinet after Hamas attack
A top opposition Israeli politician says he has reached an agreement to enter a wartime unity government with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Benny Gantz, a former defense minister and military chief of staff, released what he said was a joint statement with Netanyahu.
The statement said they would form a five-member “war-management” Cabinet. It will consist of Netanyahu, Gantz, current Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and two other top officials serving as “observer” members.
It said the government would not pass any legislation or decisions that are not connected to the war as long as the fighting continues. It was not immediately clear what would happen to Netanyahu’s existing government partners, a collection of far-right and ultra-Orthodox parties.
12:25 p.m. ET
Hezbollah says U.S. is ‘responsible’ for attacks in Israel
BEIRUT — Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group on Wednesday blasted the United States for its support of Israel, saying that sending an aircraft carrier to the region “will not scare our people or the resistance movements that are ready for the confrontation.”
Hezbollah said that the U.S. “is a full partner of the Zionist aggression and is responsible for the killings, crimes, siege, the destruction of homes and horrifying crimes against innocent civilians.”
The group added in a statement that sending an aircraft carrier to the region reveals the weakness of Israel’s military and its need for continuous foreign support.
Hezbollah criticized President Joe Biden’s “flagrant” support to Israel “killing machine.”
It called on Arab and Muslim nations to condemn the American intervention in the region.
9:43 a.m. ET
Czech government to evacuate Czech nationals from Israel on Wednesday
PRAGUE — A Czech government plane will fly to Israel on Wednesday to evacuate Czech nationals from the country which is at war with Hamas, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said.
Fiala said other flights will follow through the end of the week, but gave no further details.
The announcement came after a plane with Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky landed in Prague early Wednesday with 34 other Czechs onboard who returned from Israel with the minister.
Lipavsky was the first foreign minister to visit Israel after Saturday’s attacks, Israeli President Isaac Herzog said on X, formerly known as Twitter, after their meeting.
There are still at least 181 Czechs in Israel, Lipavsky said Wednesday.
Prominent mosque calls for investigation into war crimes by Israel
CAIRO — Al-Azhar al-Sharif, the Sunni world’s foremost seat of religious learning, on Wednesday called for an international investigation into allegations of war crimes by Israel against civilian Palestinians in Gaza.
In a strong worded statement, the Cairo-based religious institution called for Arab and Islamic countries to take “a serious and unified position against the West’s inhuman rally” behind Israel’s attacks against “innocent Palestinian civilians.”
It said Israel’s “inhuman siege,” which included cutting off electricity and water, and preventing the delivery of food and humanitarian aid to the strip, is a “genocide and war crimes.”
The statement urged Arab and Islamic countries to quickly provide humanitarian aid and “ensure its crossing” to the Palestinians in Gaza.
Britain’s foreign secretary arrives in Israel, will meet with senior officials
LONDON — Britain’s top diplomat has arrived in Israel to express “unwavering solidarity” with the country following the attacks by Hamas.
The government says Foreign Secretary James Cleverly will meet survivors and senior Israeli officials “to outline U.K. support for Israel’s right to defend itself.”
The U.K.’s Conservative government and the opposition Labour Party have both strongly backed Israel’s right to retaliate for the attacks that killed more than 1,200 Israelis.
The British government has said 10 or more U.K. citizens are dead or missing after the attacks on southern Israel.
Austria says Austrian-Israeli citizen dead, 2 others still missing
BERLIN — The Austrian government has confirmed that one of three Austrian-Israeli citizens who had been missing after Hamas’ attack on Israel, has been found dead.
The Austria foreign ministry said in a statement Wednesday that “he was a victim of the brutal large-scale attack on Israel by the terrorist organization Hamas. The family of the deceased informed us about this today.”
The Austrian government did not release the victim’s name and said that out of respect for the victims and their families, no further details would be released.
The ministry added that “we strongly condemn the barbaric terror of Hamas. Our deepest sympathies go out to the family and friends.”
Gaza’s sole power plant runs out of fuel
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Gaza’s only power plant ran out of fuel Wednesday afternoon, forcing it to shut down after Israel cut off supplies, the Energy Ministry said. That leaves only generators to power the territory — but they also run on fuel that is in short supply.
1 Spaniard dies after Hamas attacks, Spanish government says
MADRID — Spain’s Foreign Ministry says one of two Spaniards affected by the Hamas attacks in Israel has died.
The ministry named the woman as Spanish-Israeli citizen Maya Villalobo Sinvany. The ministry condemned the attacks and expressed its condolences to her family. It gave no further details about the woman.
READ MORE: Israeli airstrikes hit Gaza City after weekend rocket attack
Spain’s state news agency Efe and other outlets have reported that Villalobo was on military service at an Israeli miliary base at the time of the attacks.
The ministry earlier this week reported that another Spaniard was also affected in the attacks but gave no other details. Efe said the person was a Spanish man who lived in a kibbutz near the Gaza Strip.
German parliament holds moment of silence for Israeli victims
BERLIN — The German government held a minute of silence for the Israeli victims of the Hamas terror attacks in parliament.
The president of parliament, Baerbel Bas, vowed Wednesday that Germany will stand univocally on the side of Israel and support the country’s right to defend itself and protect its people.
“In these dark hours, our thoughts are with the families of all the victims, with the injured and with the abducted hostages who are being abused as human shields, and with the family members and friends who fear for them. Their anguish, unimaginable to us, cannot be put into words,” Bas said.
Bas stressed that Germany will not accept any kind of anti-Israeli or antisemitic protests in Germany.
The Israeli ambassador to Germany, Ron Prosor, who also attended the minute of silence in parliament, received long, standing ovations by Germany’s government ministers and lawmakers.
Media reports: 3 civilians injured and 10 homes damaged in Lebanon by Israeli shelling
BEIRUT — Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency says Israeli shelling of southern Lebanese villages has wounded three civilians and damaged about 10 homes.
The agency said the shelling hit the villages of Marwaheen and Duhaira.
The Israeli shelling came after the militant Hezbollah fired an anti-tank missile at an Israeli army position.
Palestinian refugees carry flags during a rally to express solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, in the Burj al-Barajneh refugee camp in Beirut, Lebanon October 11, 2023. REUTERS/Emilie Madi
Conservative Muslims in Indonesia protest U.S. support of Israel
JAKARTA, Indonesia — Hundreds of conservative Muslims marched to the heavily guarded U.S. Embassy in Indonesia’s capital on Wednesday to protest the U.S.’s staunch support of Israel and to demand an end to Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip.
More than 500 pro-Palestinian protesters, many wearing white Islamic robes, gathered along a major street in Jakarta that runs outside the embassy. They chanted “God is Great” and “Save Palestinians” as they marched. Their banners and placards slammed the airstrikes in Gaza and some protesters expressed their anger by burning the U.S. and Israeli flags.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Tuesday said in a televised comments that the occupation of the Palestinian territories by Israel must be resolved and urged an end to the war.
Palestinian factions in Syria express support for fighters in Gaza
DAMASCUS, Syria — Top officials from Palestinian factions based in the Syrian capital have expressed their support to fighters in Gaza saying their aim is to liberate their land.
The officials did not comment on a rocket attack late Tuesday from southern Syria that hit the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
There have been concerns that the heightened escalation in Gaza and southern Lebanon could escalate into Syrian territories, sparking a regional war.
The officials from factions including the “Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command said Arab Foreign ministers meeting in Cairo later Wednesday should come out with a clear stance supporting the Palestinian people.
King of Jordan calls again for Israeli-Palestinian talks
BEIRUT — The King of Jordan renewed calls for Israeli-Palestinian talks as the ongoing war between Gaza and Israel continues, as it threatens regional security.
“There will be no security, no peace, no stability without just and total peace that comes through a two-state solution,” King Abdullah II said in an address to Jordanian parliament Wednesday, calling for a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital based along on its pre-1967 borders.
Abdullah II Tuesday called to dispatch medical and humanitarian aid to the blockaded Gaza Strip through Egypt.
Fate of Russian citizens and open dialogue with both sides are top priorities, Kremlin says
MOSCOW — The Kremlin said that Russia needs to maintain a dialogue with both sides amid the Israeli-Palestinian war.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday that “it’s important for us to maintain a balanced approach and remain in contact with both parties to the conflict.”
He said that Russia has “long historic ties” with both Israel and the Palestinians, adding that millions of Russians have moved to live in Israel and Moscow is concerned about their security.
“The fate of Russian citizens is our No. 1 priority,” Peskov said. “We need to maintain an equal distance — only that will give us the right to participate in a settlement process.”
Peskov added that “acts that can only be described as terrorist must be undoubtedly condemned, but the roots of the situation mustn’t be forgotten.”
A prominent militia threatens to attack U.S. bases if the country intervenes in the latest Gaza war
BAGHDAD — The leader of a prominent Iranian-backed militia in Iraq threatened Wednesday to attack American bases in retaliation if the United States intervenes in the latest war between Hamas and Israel in Gaza.
“Our missiles, drones, and special forces are ready to direct qualitative strikes at the American enemy in its bases and disrupt its interests if it intervenes in this battle,” Ahmad “Abu Hussein” al-Hamidawi, head of the Kataib Hezbollah militia, said in a statement. He also threatened to launch missiles at Israeli targets.
Al-Hamidawi called on Iraqis to demonstrate and collect donations in support of the Hamas military campaign.
9 UN staffers have been killed in airstrikes in Gaza since Saturday
JERUSALEM — The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees told the AP on Wednesday that nine of its staffers have been killed in airstrikes since the the start of the Israeli bombardment on Gaza on Saturday, with several killed late Tuesday.
“The protection of civilians is paramount, including in times of conflict,” said Juliette Touma, director of communications of the agency, known as UNRWA. “They should be protected in accordance with the laws of war.”
Touma said the strikes killed the U.N. staffers at their homes across the territory. She also said that 18 UNRWA schools-turned-shelters were damaged in the bombing, and that its headquarters in Gaza City was also damaged, without causing casualties.
Pope Francis calls on Hamas to release hostages immediately
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis on Wednesday called for the immediate release of hostages taken by Hamas fighters in the most serious assault on Israel in half a century.
Francis said during a weekly audience that he is following events in Israel and the occupied territories with “pain and apprehension,” with “many dead and injured,’’ and said he is praying for those who saw “a day of celebration transformed into a day of mourning.”
The pope said that “whoever is attacked has the right to defend himself. But I am very worried about the total siege under which the Palestinians in Gaza are living, where there are also many innocent victims.”
Israeli mourners attend the funerals of people who were slain in the assault on Israel by Hamas gunmen from the Gaza Strip, at Mount Herzl Military Cemetery in Jerusalem, October 11, 2023. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
German defense minister offers his Israeli counterpart support
BERLIN — Germany’s defense minister has offered his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Galant, support from Germany following the major attack by Hamas.
The German government made that offer also to the Israeli military attaché in Berlin, Boris Pistorius told reporters on Wednesday. “Both have said so far that they do not need support of a military or technical nature. It is about political support,” the German defense minister said, adding that Germany’s political support for Israel was self-evident.
Pistorius also said that “as soon as we can help in a humanitarian way, the offer is there, too, but so far it has not been asked for.”
Rafah border crossing is still closed, Egypt says
CAIRO — The Rafah border crossing remains closed on both sides as of Wednesday morning, according to an Egyptian security official.
The official told The Associated Press that a number of Egyptian aid convoys loaded with fuel, construction materials and food were unable to enter the Gaza Strip through Rafah on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, dozens of Palestinian families remain stranded in the Sinai city of el-Arish. No other details were immediately available. The official spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not briefed to speak.
AP writer Jack Jeffery contributed to this report.
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