Israel-Hamas war updates: Names of Palestinians killed in Gaza released

Despite the escalation in Israel’s bombardment of the Gaza Strip, Israeli journalist Dimi Reider says that indications still point to “a limited incursion aimed at presenting something of a victory picture” for Prime Minister Netanyahu’s hard-right governing coalition, “rather than a full-scale invasion and even temporary reoccupation of the entire Gaza Strip”.

“We need to remember there are several things at stake for Netanyahu: his own political survival; military advantage versus Hamas and restoring the [Israeli military’s] badly dented deterrence; and securing the release of 200 or so Israeli hostages – sadly, in that order,” Reider, the co-founder of +972 Magazine and an editor at The Lead, told Al Jazeera.

“Israel, by its own admission, doesn’t have the gear, the strategy or the regional and global leeway” for a full-scale invasion, Reider added. “Netanyahu would also be wary of adding still more deaths to the IDF’s already extraordinary casualty list.”

“Putting these known facts together with increasingly cautious public statements by Israel and increasingly stronger public cautions by its allies, we can surmise the objective is smaller – a successful takeover of a chunk of Gaza, to be returned to Palestinian authorities as part of long-term negotiations, or, less probably and less intelligently, to be retained as a buffer zone for the medium to long term.”

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For the latest live coverage of the Israel-Hamas war, follow along here.

You can also read about the latest call by European Union leaders for a humanitarian pause in the fighting between Israel and Hamas here, as well as the Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations’s emotional appeal to member states to vote to end the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip, here.

We are going to bring our live coverage to an end soon. Here’s a summary of Thursday’s main events:

• Israel’s military has said smaller ground raids into Gaza will continue, suggesting they are a precursor to a full-scale invasion.
• The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza has released the names and identification numbers of 7,028 people it says have been killed in the ongoing Israeli bombardment, a response to US officials questioning the toll.
• After seven hours of debate, leaders of the European Union released a joint statement calling for humanitarian “pauses and corridors”.
• UN aid chief Martin Griffiths has said the “world is failing” to reach the bare minimum of humanitarian needs in Gaza, where aid is “barely trickling in” and a shortage of fuel risks a complete shutdown of life-saving operations.
• Israel’s mass arrests campaign continues in the occupied West Bank, with more than 60 Palestinians arrested overnight and more arrests reported during an Israeli raid in occupied East Jerusalem.
• The US says it is transferring 900 additional troops to the Middle East, with the Pentagon confirming that American personnel were targeted 12 times at bases in Iraq and four times in Syria in the last week.
• Cross-border fighting has continued between Israel and Lebanon, with strikes in Syria also reported.
• The head of Hamas’s political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, has called on “allied, brotherly nations” to apply pressure “through every avenue” to stop the ongoing attacks on Gaza.

A video posted by Al Jazeera Arabic on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter, showed a column of Israeli armoured vehicles and bulldozers on the outskirts of the Jenin refugee camp in northern Gaza, following another night raid.

The video clip also showed what is described as an Israeli drone hovering over the area where the operation was taking place.

A separate video, also posted on X, showed several scenes of the Jenin skyline as rapid gunfire was heard in the background.

جانب من اقتحام قوات الاحتلال لمخيم جنين مدعومة بجرافات عسكرية وعربات مدرعة إضافة لإطلاق طائرات مسيرة في سماء المخيم#حرب_غزة #فيديو pic.twitter.com/rj4X7xNKfS

— الجزيرة فلسطين (@AJA_Palestine) October 26, 2023

[Translation: Part of the Israeli occupation forces seen storming Jenin, and supported by military bulldozers and armoured vehicles, in addition to drones hovering over the skies of the refugee camp.]

The list of Palestinians killed in the war in Gaza stretches for more than 150 pages, at times featuring dozens of people with the same last name: Entire families have been wiped out by Israeli air attacks.

The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza released the list earlier today, documenting the deaths of more than 7,000 Palestinians, including nearly 3,000 children, since the war began on October 7.

Less than 24 hours earlier, US President Biden cast doubt over the figures, saying that he has “no confidence in the number that the Palestinians are using”.

For Palestinian rights advocates, Biden’s comments are another episode in his administration’s push to “dehumanise” Palestinians and dismiss their suffering, as Washington continues to support Israel’s bombing campaign.

“The president’s statements are outrageous, irresponsible and flat-out racist and anti-Palestinian,” Palestinian-American activist Zeina Ashrawi Hutchison told Al Jazeera.

Read more here.

We are verifying multiple reports of armed clashes between Israeli forces and armed fighters following another night of raids on the outskirts of the Jenin refugee camp in the northern tip of the occupied West Bank.

According to an Al Jazeera Arabic social media post on X, formerly Twitter, Israeli forces stormed a number of buildings and homes in the area, deploying sniper teams.

We will bring you more updates on this breaking news development as soon as we can.

US Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib has rejected a Republican attempt to denounce her in the House of Representatives over her support for Palestinian rights.

Far-right Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene filed a so-called censure resolution against Tlaib, which would amount to a formal statement of disapproval of the Palestinian American lawmaker if a majority of House members vote for it.

The resolution accuses Tlaib of “antisemitic activity, sympathising with terrorist organisations and leading an insurrection at the United States Capitol Complex” – referring to a sit-in by Jewish activists inside Congress to demand a ceasefire in Gaza.

Tlaib hit back, saying that she is “proud” to stand in solidarity with Jewish peace advocates.

“I will not be bullied, I will not be dehumanised, and I will not be silenced. I will continue to call for ceasefire, for the immediate delivery of humanitarian aid, for the release of hostages and those arbitrarily detained, and for every American to be brought home,” she said in a statement.

Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum says the Israeli shelling took place in the last hour.

Reporting from Khan Younis in southern Gaza, he said the Israeli military also fired illuminating flares to help them see what is happening on the ground inside the Palestinian enclave.

Kenneth Roth, the former longtime leader of Human Rights Watch, says the Israeli policy is an act of “collective punishment, not a targeted attack on Hamas”.

Israel's blocking of most humanitarian aid to the deeply needy civilian population of Gaza is a war crimes. It is collective punishment, not a targeted attack on Hamas militants. pic.twitter.com/AUlofSFGkw

— Kenneth Roth (@KenRoth) October 26, 2023

The military said fighter jets killed Ibrahim Jadba, Rifaat Abbas, and Tarek Maarouf.

It identified the trio as members of the Daraj Tuffah Battalion, who “played a significant role in the invasion and murderous attack against Israel on October 7”.

Hamas did not immediately respond to the Israeli army’s claim.

At least 27 journalists have been killed in the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, according to a report by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). This includes:

• 22 Palestinians
• 4 Israelis
• 1 Lebanese

Eight journalists also have been injured and nine others are reported missing or detained, the group said.

“CPJ emphasises that journalists are civilians doing important work during times of crisis and must not be targeted by warring parties,” Sherif Mansour, CPJ’s Middle East and North Africa programme coordinator, said in a statement.

Israeli forces have raided the al-Issawiya neighbourhood in occupied East Jerusalem and carried out a number of arrests.

Al Jazeera Arabic’s correspondent said a massive arrest campaign against Palestinians there is under way.

Israel has arrested more than 1,000 Palestinians across Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank in the last two weeks alone. It has also arrested about 4,000 labourers from Gaza.

In a post on the messaging app Telegram, the ministry said the air strikes hit the cities of Rafah and Deir el-Balah.

We’ll bring you more details on these latest Israeli attacks as soon as we can.

The Palestine Red Crescent Society shared a video of the young girl, looking stunned as she was brought into al-Amal Hospital in Khan Younis on a gurney.

“She survived 30 hours under the rubble,” PRCS said.

طوارئ مستشفى الأمل التابع للهلال الاحمر تسعف الطفلة أفنان علي الشنا، 11 عاما، بعد بقائها لمدة 30 ساعة تحت الأنقاض وخرجت على قيد الحياة.
PRCS Al-Amal Hospital's emergency team rescues 11-year-old Afnan Ali Al-Shanna after she survived 30 hours under the rubble.#GazaUnderAttack… pic.twitter.com/FXOAsmAGME

— PRCS (@PalestineRCS) October 26, 2023

The Israeli military released footage on Thursday of what it said was a nighttime incursion into Gaza, “in preparation for the next stages of combat”.

That next stage would be the much-threatened Israeli ground invasion, one that appears to be delayed – without any clear reason given in public.

The video shows tanks, bulldozers, artillery and infantry, and may ease tension and doubt among many Israelis wary about the delay in the ground invasion.

But for Palestinian fighters in Gaza, the video may give an idea of what to expect from Israel, and how to prepare for it.

Read more here.

There are still more than 100 speakers from more than 100 countries who want to give a speech about this and give their views on this on Friday.

So we expect the vote at the earliest to be Friday afternoon, maybe Friday evening.

Now, General Assembly resolutions do not hold as much weight, if you will, as Security Council resolutions. Security Council resolutions are bound by international law; General Assembly resolutions are not.

Nevertheless, it is important symbolically. Consider it a kind of referendum on how the world views this conflict right now and what should be done about it.

And in summary, it’s important to point out that this resolution, sponsored by the Jordanians, is calling for an immediate ceasefire and the release of all civilian captives, among other things.

US Congresswoman Barbara Lee, who is running for an open Senate seat in California, has hit out at her rivals in the upcoming election for failing to back a ceasefire in Gaza.

“I was the only member of Congress to vote against the War in Afghanistan,” she wrote in a social media post aimed at fellow Democratic House members Adam Schiff and Katie Porter.

“Now, I am [California’s] only US Senate candidate calling for a ceasefire. There is one peace and diplomacy candidate in this race. I am proud to carry that mantle – even if I carry it alone.”

I was the only member of Congress to vote against the War in Afghanistan.

Now, I am CA’s only US Senate candidate calling for a ceasefire.

There is one peace and diplomacy candidate in this race. I am proud to carry that mantle—even if I carry it alone.https://t.co/12M4Lu4I02

— Barbara Lee (@BarbaraLeeForCA) October 26, 2023

The head of Hamas’s political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, has spoken in a televised address a short while ago.

Here are the key takeaways from what he had to say:

• Haniyeh said ongoing Israeli attacks in Gaza will “destabilise the entire region”, adding that no one can predict how things will pan out.
• Twenty days into the latest Israeli offensive, he said the “resistance” led by the Qassam Brigades will continue stepping up attacks.
• He affirmed that the “resistance” in Gaza is “doing well” and is unfaltering in its objective.
• Haniyeh called on “allied, brotherly nations” to apply pressure “through every avenue” to stop the ongoing attacks on Gaza.
• He said the “resistance” is a “national liberation movement that seeks to liberate its people and its land”. What is “terrorism”, he said, are those who support the “aggression” and those who remain silent about the “massacres” Israel has committed.
• Haniyeh also recognised all of the “courageous voices” who declared support for Hamas’s “right to exercise legitimate resistance”.
• He called for the urgent opening of all border crossings, including the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, and for the unconditional entry of much-needed aid. It is “unacceptable for the enemy to control what should and what should not enter the Strip”, he added.
• Finally, he called on crowds “everywhere” to continue raising their voices to demand an end to the war on Gaza.

Here’s a quick recap of the latest developments:

• An Israeli military spokesman says ground raids into Gaza will continue in preparation for the “next steps” after Israel overnight conducted its largest ground operation in the territory.
• The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza has released the names and identification numbers of 7,028 people it says have been killed in the Israeli bombardment.
• The release comes in response to US President Biden saying he doubted the death toll figures coming out of the besieged enclave. A rights advocate tells Al Jazeera that three decades of experience have shown the figures released by officials in Gaza are generally reliable.
• Israel’s bombardment of Gaza continues, with the Health Ministry reporting several casualties earlier today in attacks on houses in Khan Younis.
• UN aid chief Martin Griffiths has said the “world is failing” to reach the bare minimum of humanitarian needs in Gaza, where aid is “barely trickling in”.
• Leaders of the European Union release a joint statement calling for humanitarian “pauses and corridors” following seven hours of debate.
• The US says it is transferring 900 additional troops to the Middle East after the Pentagon confirms that US personnel were targeted 12 times at bases in Iraq and four times in Syria in the last week.
• Israel’s mass arrests campaign continues in the occupied West Bank, with over 60 Palestinians arrested overnight.