Israel-Hamas War Highlights: Air strike west of Khan Younis kills 15 Palestinians

Fuel flows back into Gaza after Israeli war cabinet decision

An initial shipment of fuel has entered Gaza following Israel's compliance with US pressure to allow limited deliveries. The first delivery, arriving from Egypt late on Friday, is a response to the worsening conditions faced by 2.4 million Palestinians, as UN officials urgently called for a ceasefire.

On Friday, Israel's war cabinet unanimously approved the allowance of two fuel tankers daily to sustain wastewater treatment facilities that were at risk of collapsing due to power shortages, according to national security adviser Tzachi Hanegbi.

Five countries, including South Africa and Bangladesh, on Friday called for an International Criminal Court investigation into the Israel-Hamas war

'Not asking for the moon': UN official pleads for Gaza ceasefire

A top United Nations official on Friday renewed calls for a "humanitarian ceasefire" to allow aid to reach the 2.2 million people trapped in the Gaza strip.

We are not asking for the moon. We are asking for the basic measures required to meet the essential needs of the civilian population and stem the course of this crisis.

Martin Griffiths, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator at the UN

Reports AFP

Israeli strikes residential neighbourhood in Khan Younis, killing 26: Report

26 people were reportedly killed in an Israeli airstrike on a residential neighbourhood in Khan Younis, southern Gaza.

Reports Al Jazeera Arabic

A man walks among debris at the site of an Israeli strike on the apartment building, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on November 18, 2023.

Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia call for end of Gaza fighting after APEC summit

Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia on Saturday called for an immediate, durable and sustained humanitarian truce leading to cessation of hostilities in the Gaza Strip.

The countries said they were issuing their statement to give a better and fair reflection of the discussions on the Gaza situation during a meeting of leaders from the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC).

Former Obama and Biden officials sign letter defending US' Israel stance

More than 100 former members of the Obama and Biden administrations have sent a letter to the White House praising President Joe Biden’s “moral clarity, courageous leadership and staunch support of Israel,” in an effort to defend Biden’s policies amid roiling dissent within the administration.

The letter backs the president’s request for $14.3 billion in new security assistance for Israel and affirms his opposition to a cease-fire, challenging anonymous demands from hundreds of officials across the Biden administration that Israel halt its military offensive in the Gaza Strip.

It was signed by several prominent Democratic figures, including Ron Klain, Biden’s former chief of staff; Lawrence Summers, who directed the National Economic Council under President Barack Obama; Colin Kahl, who recently departed as undersecretary of defense for policy; and Michèle Flournoy, who held that job in the Obama administration.

The list of officials also includes 19 former ambassadors, such as Joseph Westphal, who was the U.S. envoy to Saudi Arabia under Obama.

The total number of signatories, 137, is smaller than the more than 500 behind a letter sent to Biden on Monday demanding he support an immediate cease-fire to limit civilian casualties in Gaza. Israel’s government and Biden have rejected such a step as incompatible with Israel’s goal of destroying Hamas. The newer letter was delivered to Biden on Tuesday with 115 names, but its organizers continued to collect signatures until Friday.

IDF gives al-Shifa Hospital one hour to evacuate: Report

A medical source tells Al Jazeera that Israeli forces have given doctors, patients and displaced people at al-Shifa Hospital an hour to evacuate the medical compound.

An Israeli officer points at hospital signage at the Al Shifa hospital complex, amid their ground operation against Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Gaza City, November 15, 2023 in this still image taken from video. Israeli forces said the "beating heart" of the Hamas fighters' operations was headquartered in tunnels beneath the hospital. Hamas denied the accusation and on Wednesday dismissed the Israeli statements as "lies and cheap propaganda."

Release of hostages by Hamas will lead to 'significant' pause in fighting, says top White House aide

President Joe Biden's top adviser on the Middle East said on Saturday the release of hostages held by the Palestinian militant group Hamas would lead to a surge in the delivery of humanitarian aid and significant pause in fighting in Gaza.

"The hostages are released, you will see a significant, significant change," Brett McGurk said at the IISS Manama Dialogue security summit in Bahrain.

Bahrain's crown prince, speaking at the summit on Friday, called on Hamas to release Israeli women and children held hostage and for Israel in exchange to release from its prisons Palestinian women and children who he said were non-combatants. 

Family members, friends and supporters of Israelis and other nationalities who were taken hostage on October 7 by Palestinian Islamist group Hamas gunmen during a deadly attack, march after they began a few days march towards Jerusalem, in Latrun, Israel November 17, 2023.

Jordan's Foreign Minister doubts Israel can wipe out Hamas

Jordan's foreign minister said on Saturday that he did not understand how Israel's goal of obliterating the Palestinian militant group Hamas it is fighting in Gaza could be achieved.

"Israel says it wants to wipe out Hamas. There's a lot of military people here, I just don't understand how this objective can be realized," said Ayman Safadi.

He warned Jordan would do "whatever it takes to stop" the displacement of Palestinians, amid heavy Israeli bombardment of the Hamas-run Gaza Strip in retaliation for an Oct. 7 attack by Hamas and other Islamist militants.

"We will never allow that to happen, in addition to it being a war crime, it would be a direct threat to our national security. We'll do whatever it takes to stop it" said Safadi at the IISS Manama Dialogue security summit in Bahrain.

Delegates attend as Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi appears on a screen while speaking at the IISS Manama Dialogue in Manama, Bahrain, November 18, 2023.

Six Palestinians killed in Israeli air strike in southern Gaza, health officials say

Six Palestinians were killed on Saturday in an Israeli air strike on a house in Deir Al-Balah in southern Gaza Strip, health officials said.

Only Palestinian Authority can run post-war Gaza, says EU's foreign policy chief

Only the Palestinian Authority can run Gaza after the Israel-Hamas war is over, European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Saturday.

"Hamas cannot be in control of Gaza any longer," Borrell told the Manama Dialogue, an annual conference on foreign and security policy in Bahrain.

"So who will be in control of Gaza? I think only one could do that - the Palestinian Authority," he said.

A woman holding a baby stands at the site of an Israeli strike on the apartment building, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip November 18, 2023.

Given an hour's window, hundreds flee Al-Shifa on foot

Hundreds evacuated Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza on foot on Saturday, according to an AFP journalist on the scene, following orders from the Israeli army for the hospital's evacuation. The Hamas-operated health ministry released a statement indicating that 120 injured individuals and an unspecified number of premature babies were still present at the facility.

Earlier Hamas health officials informed AFP that "450 wounded and patients with chronic illnesses" could not be relocated and were staying at the hospital, along with the necessary medical staff to provide care.

Israeli soldiers inspect the Al Shifa hospital complex, amid their ground operation against Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Gaza City, November 15, 2023 in this handout image.

The IDF denies it ordered the evacuation of Shifa Hospital, says it instead accepted a request for evacuation made by the hospital's director, reports The Spectator Index

Displaced Palestinians take shelter at Nasser hospital, in Khan Younis

Credit: Reuters Photo

Jordan doubts Israel can destroy Hamas as Gaza war rages

Jordan's foreign minister voiced doubt on Saturday that Israel could reach its goal of obliterating Hamas with its heavy bombardment and invasion of the Gaza Strip long dominated by the Palestinian Islamist movement.

"Israel says it wants to wipe out Hamas. There's a lot of military people here, I just don't understand how this objective can be realised," Ayman Safadi said at the annual IISS Manama Dialogue security conference in Bahrain.

Hamas says more than 80 dead in Israeli strikes on Gaza camp, reports AFP

A Hamas health official said more than 80 people were killed Saturday in twin strikes on a northern Gaza refugee camp, including a UN school used as a shelter for people displaced by the Israel-Hamas war.

Social media videos -- which AFP was unable to immediately verify -- showed bodies covered in blood and dust on the floor of a building, where mattresses had been wedged under school tables in Jabalia, the Palestinian territory's biggest refugee camp.

Air strike west of Khan Younis kills 15 Palestinians

 At least 15 people were killed on Saturday following an air strike that hit a house west of Khan Younis, health officials from Gaza's Nasser Hospital said.

Gaza health authorities raised their death toll on Friday to more than 12,000 with 5,000 of them children. The United Nations deems those figures credible, though they are now updated infrequently due to the difficulty of collecting information. (Reuters)

Assets deployed to undertake evacuation: Navy chief on West Asia conflict

The Indian Navy has deployed assets in the gulfs of Oman and Aden, and the Red Sea to undertake any evacuation requirements due to the ongoing conflict in West Asia, Navy chief Admiral R Hari Kumar said on Saturday.

Responding to a question at the Synergie Conclave here on the Israel-Hamas conflict in West Asia, he said India is already providing assistance to the people of Gaza in terms of relief material.

Germany's Scholz urges Turkey's Erdogan to help people in Gaza Strip

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz urged Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan to improve the humanitarian situation for people in the Gaza Strip in a call they had on Saturday.

Humanitarian ceasefires could contribute to a significant improvement in supplies for the population, Scholz told Erdogan.

Israel's government faces pressure as hostage families march on Jerusalem seeking answers

The families of Israeli hostages and thousands of their supporters arrived in Jerusalem on Saturday at the end of a five-day march to confront the government over the plight of those taken captive by Hamas in Gaza.

An estimated 20,000 marchers, including well-wishers who joined the procession along the main Tel Aviv-Jerusalem highway, want to put pressure on the government "to do everything they can to bring the hostages back", said Noam Alon, 25, clutching a photograph of his abducted girlfriend, Inbar.