IDF Targets Entrance of Al-Nasr Children’s Hospital, 47 Aid Trucks Cross Rafah

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) attacked the gate of al-Nasr Children’s Hospital in Gaza, killing two. Meanwhile, the Egyptian Red Crescent sent 47 trucks of humanitarian aid through Rafah and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in Jordan as the war on Gaza enters its 29th day.

Update 7: At least 20 people were killed, including children, and many dozens injured, in an Israeli strike on the UN-run al-Fakhoura school in the Jabalia refugee camp on 4 November, director of communications at the UN agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) Juliette Touma told BBC.

Update 6: At least eight people were shot by Israeli forces in the town of Beit Ummar in the south of the West Bank, reports WAFA, citing a local Palestinian activist. More than 50 Palestinians were detained by the Israeli forces from their homes in the West Bank, WAFA said in a separate report.

Update 5: The Israeli army attacked the gate of the Nasr Children’s hospital, killing two and injuring others, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza in a statement released on 4 November.

Update 4: The Egyptian Red Crescent (ERC) sent the Palestinian Red Crescent (PRCS) 47 trucks of humanitarian aid containing food, water, relief supplies, medications, and medical equipment, PRCS said on 4 November.

“So far, a total of 421 trucks have been received, but fuel has not been allowed to enter till this moment,” PCRS noted.

Update 3: The Palestinian Red Crescent (PRCS) condemned the attack on the ambulance convoy on al-Rasheed Road and the attack at the gate of al-Shifa Hospital where an ambulance returned, killing 15 and injuring 60, in a statement released early on 4 November.

The statement described the incident in detail and called it a “war crimes” as it violated the Geneva Conventions.

4 PRCS medics were killed and 8 ambulances damaged by Israeli forces since 7 October, PRCS added.

Update 2: United Nations Secretary-General (UNSG) António Guterres condemned the Israeli strike on the medical convoy.“I am horrified by the reported attack in Gaza on an ambulance convoy outside Al Shifa hospital,” Guterres said in a statement.,

He called for a ceasefire, reiterating that international humanitarian law must be respected.

“The humanitarian situation in Gaza is horrific. Not nearly enough food, water and medicine are coming in to meet people’s needs. Fuel to power hospitals and water plants is running out… The sanitation situation is abysmal. We are seeing an increase in diseases and respiratory illnesses, especially among children. An entire population is traumatized. Nowhere is safe,” he said.

Update 1: An Israeli airstrike hit the UNRWA-run Osama Bin Zaid School in Gaza, leaving 20 killed and over 30 injured, just five hours after the airstrikes against al-Shifa Hospital and the airstrikes against Palestinians on al-Rasheed Road fleeing to the south of Gaza on Friday, 3 November.

The Conflict So Far

After a surprise attack conducted on 7 October by Hamas on a number of southern Israeli towns which resulted in the deaths of an estimated 1,405 people and more than 220 being taken hostage by Hamas, Israel launched a retaliatory bombing campaign against what it describes as ‘terrorist targets’ in the Gaza Strip.

At least 9,488 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip — including 3,900 children — and over 24,158 others injured. Meanwhile over 144 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank and around 2,200 have been injured.

The priority of the Egyptian government since the beginning of the conflict has been deescalation and the securing of a path for aid to enter the Gaza Strip through the Rafah crossing. Israel bombed the crossing at least six times, and 80 aid trucks have crossed to Gaza so far, which UN officials warn is insufficient amid dire humanitarian conditions.

Most Western countries, with the United States at the forefront, have expressed unconditional support for Israel, despite the steadily rising death toll in Gaza. Meanwhile, the United Nations General Assembly has issued a resolution calling for a ceasefire.