🔴 Live: Hamas says ‘heavy fighting’ ongoing with Israeli troops in Gaza

Issued on: 30/10/2023 – 06:05Modified: 30/10/2023 – 06:12

2 min

• After weeks of ferocious airstrikes, Israel has declared a new “stage” in a war that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned would be “long and difficult”. Late Sunday Israel’s military released footage that purported to show a significant number of tanks, infantry and artillery operating in Palestinian territory.                                                                             

• The UN said 33 trucks carrying water, food, and medical supplies had entered Gaza on October 29. It is one of the largest deliveries to date, but still far short of the 100-a-day aid groups say is needed.

• International Criminal Court lead prosecutor Karim Khan told Israel on Sunday that preventing access to humanitarian aid could be a “crime”. “Impeding relief supplies as provided by the Geneva conventions may constitute a crime within the court jurisdiction,” Khan told reporters in Cairo.                                                                                               

• The Israeli army said on Sunday that it would be increasing its troop numbers inside the Gaza Strip and repeated calls for civilians to move to the south, where it said humanitarian aid efforts will be “expanding”.                                                                     

• Telephone and internet communications were gradually returning to Gaza after an almost complete communications blackout since Friday evening followed intense Israeli air strikes.

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Key developments of Sunday, October 29:

A mob looking for Israelis and Jews stormed an airport in Russia’s Caucasus republic of Dagestan on Sunday, after rumours spread that a flight was arriving from Israel. Russia’s aviation agency Rosaviatsiya announced shortly afterwards that it had closed the airport to incoming and outgoing flights and that security forces had arrived. A statement from the republic’s health ministry said there had been injuries, but did not elaborate on how many or who had been hurt.

US President Joe Biden and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi committed to the significant acceleration of assistance flowing into Gaza beginning Sunday, the White House said. The White House said Biden briefed Sisi on US efforts to ensure the conflict does not expand in the region.

The total death toll in Gaza rose to 8,005 people and 20,242 others injured, according to the official spokesperson for the health ministry in Gaza on Sunday. The dead include 3,324 children, 2,062 women and 460 among the elderly, the spokesperson said.

Read our blog to see how the day’s events unfolded.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)