Live
By Edna Mohamed, Farah Najjar and Joseph Stepansky
Published On 15 Nov 2023

This live page is now closed. You can read the latest updates here.

16 Nov 2023 - 08:15
 (08:15 GMT)

Photos: Northern Gaza on Thursday morning

[Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters]
[Leo Correa/AP Photo]
[Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters]

16 Nov 2023 - 00:30
 (00:30 GMT)

WATCH: US abstains from Gaza resolution at UN Security Council

US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said that the reason the United States had abstained from voting for the resolution was that it was opposed to both voting for and against it.

She said that the United States supported the call for humanitarian access but was disappointed that the resolution didn’t include condemnation of Hamas or Israel’s “right to defend itself”.

Al Jazeera’s Kristen Saloomey challenged her on that point after the vote, asking why the US had waited to allow such a resolution to pass after the US had previously vetoed a similar resolution. In the meantime, thousands of children have died.

Thomas-Greenfield did not fully address the question and said that the previous resolution was a “political” one and that the one that passed on Wednesday was a “humanitarian” one.

16 Nov 2023 - 00:02
 (00:02 GMT)

Thanks for joining us

This live page is now closed. Please follow along with our live coverage of the Israel-Hamas war on our new page here.

For more on the United Nations Security Council passing its first resolution related to the war, read here.

Read accounts of doctors at al-Shifa Hospital as the Israeli raid began here.

And see how the world reacted to the new stage in the fighting here.

 

15 Nov 2023 - 23:50
 (23:50 GMT)

Here’s what happened today

We’ll soon be closing this live page. Here’s a recap of today’s main events:

  • The United Nations Security Council has passed its first resolution on the conflict since it began, calling for ‘extended humanitarian pauses’ in a move quickly dismissed by Israel.
  • Fighting has continued at al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, with a doctor reporting a new raid from the southern gate of the complex.
  • Meanwhile, Israel’s military released photos of a handful of firearms, flak jackets, and other light equipment it claimed to have found at the hospital, calling it proof Hamas used it as an operational command centre; Hamas called the release a “farce”.
  • The UN Human Rights office has warned of fuel depletion in Gaza. That came after UNRWA said 24,000 litres (6,340 gallons) were permitted into the enclave, enough for only nine percent of its daily operations and none of which Israel is allowing for use in water and sewage pumps or hospitals.
  • Israel has also begun to tell some residents of Khan Younis to evacuate to “known shelters”, after weeks of telling thousands of Palestinians to flee the north for the south and further exacerbating the humanitarian situation there.
  • Qatari mediators are continuing to try to negotiate a deal between Hamas and Israel that reportedly includes the release of about 50 civilian captives from Gaza in exchange for a three-day ceasefire.
  • The Pentagon has said a US warship shot down a drone launched from Yemen over the Red Sea, the second such incident during the war.
  • Fighting, which began on October 8, has continued along the border of Israel and Lebanon.
15 Nov 2023 - 23:45
 (23:45 GMT)

UK Shadow Minister’s resignation letter over Gaza ceasefire vote

Jess Phillips, is one of several Labour MPs in the UK to have resigned from the opposition frontbench over Labour leader Keir Starmer’s position on Gaza.

In her resignation letter, Phillips shared her reasoning for joining 56 Labour MPs who voted in support of a ceasefire amendment put forward by the Scottish National Party:

“On this occasion, I must vote with my constituents, my head, and my heart which has felt as if it were breaking over the last four weeks with the horror of the situation in Israel and Palestine,” the Birmingham MP said.

“I can see no route where the current military action does anything but put at risk the hope of peace and security for anyone in the region now and in the future.”

15 Nov 2023 - 23:40
 (23:40 GMT)

WATCH: Can the US president pressure Israel to bring about a ceasefire in Gaza?

15 Nov 2023 - 23:30
 (23:30 GMT)

US Muslim group accuses Biden of giving Israel ‘green light’ to attack al-Shifa

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) also denounced what it called the “blank cheque” Biden has given Netanyahu.

“Through its statements and actions, our government gave the Israeli government the green light for this latest crime against humanity,” CAIR said in a statement.

“This violence must stop. Our government must end its support for Netanyahu’s genocidal government, demand an immediate ceasefire and then pursue a just, lasting peace.”

The White House had echoed Israel’s accusation that Hamas uses al-Shifa and other hospitals to conduct military operations and hold hostages hours before the Israeli army raided the medical centre.

Palestinian groups and medics have rejected the allegations.

15 Nov 2023 - 23:20
 (23:20 GMT)

Majority of Democrats say Israel’s response to Hamas attack ‘too much’: Poll

The NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist Poll found that 56 percent of Democrats in the US said the Israeli response has been too much – up 21 percentage points from October.

“The results were driven by people of colour and younger respondents, who were far more likely than others to say Israel has gone too far, and said their sympathies lie more with the Palestinians than Israelis,” NPR said.

The poll is the latest to show growing criticism of Israel’s actions in Gaza in the US, where protests demanding an immediate ceasefire have been growing over the past weeks.

Many Democratic Party voters, particularly Arab and Muslim Americans, have said they will not cast a ballot for Biden in the 2024 election over his continued unequivocal support for Israel.

The Democratic president has refused to call for a ceasefire in Gaza, instead pushing for “humanitarian pauses” in the fighting.

President Joe Biden speaks about climate change in the South Court Auditorium at the White House complex in Washington on Tuesday, November 14, 2023 [Susan Walsh/AP Photo]
15 Nov 2023 - 23:10
 (23:10 GMT)

LISTEN: Detained, tortured and banned – Workers from Gaza in Israel

Workers from Gaza have shared horror stories after Israel suddenly revoked their work permits and put them in detention.

Listen below.

15 Nov 2023 - 23:05
 (23:05 GMT)

Gaza Health Ministry says Israeli army using bulldozers in al-Shifa

The Health Ministry also added in a statement that Israeli bulldozers have destroyed parts of the southern entrance to the complex, according to AFP, following on from earlier reports that Israel had launched a new raid from the direction of that entrance.

The Israeli army told AFP that an operation was under way in al-Shifa.

15 Nov 2023 - 22:55
 (22:55 GMT)

Lapid’s call for Netanyahu to resign adds to Israeli prime minister’s woes

By Mohammed Jamjoom

Reporting from occupied East Jerusalem

This is significant. This is the first time that the opposition in [Israel] has publicly called for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to resign.

[Lapid] said, ‘This government isn’t functioning, we need change, Netanyahu cannot continue to be prime minister, we cannot allow ourselves to conduct a prolonged [military] campaign with a prime minister that the public has no faith in’.

The fact of the matter is that the prime minister is facing a lot of public anger in Israel at the moment.

People are upset not only about the massive intelligence failure that led to the attack by Hamas on October 7 but also because the prime minister has not publicly taken accountability – taken responsibility – for what happened, as have other political leaders in Israel the last several weeks.

Right now, when you look at polls throughout Israel, the prime minister [is] really at an all-time low as far as public support [is concerned]. And the question now is, are there going to be more political leaders across the political spectrum calling for him to resign?

15 Nov 2023 - 22:45
 (22:45 GMT)

Israeli officials ‘have no right to talk about the law’, Turkey says

Turkey has hit back at Israel in the latest chapter of today’s public spat between the two countries.

In a statement, the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs accused Israeli Premier Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Cohen of trying to “cover up their own crimes” by attacking Turkey’s President Erdogan.

“Israeli authorities, who have already lost their legitimacy in the conscience of humanity, will not be able to conceal the crimes they committed by bombing hospitals and killing women and children in front of the whole world,” the ministry said.

The statement comes after Cohen and Netanyahu said they would not allow Erdogan to lecture Israel about its conduct in Gaza.

The Turkish leader had called Israel a “terror state” and said Israeli leaders should be tried for war crimes at the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

15 Nov 2023 - 22:35
 (22:35 GMT)

Former US diplomat says ‘consensus’ on UNSC resolution could pressure Israel for pauses

William Lawrence says the UN Security Council “finally … has consensus that the fighting has to stop” in Gaza.

Whatever the length of the so-called “pauses” in the fighting, the US – along with other permanent council members – have now agreed that such a pause is needed, Lawrence told Al Jazeera.

He said the resolution’s passage means the Biden administration now can go to Israel and say “our arms are tied … you have to stop”, Lawrence said.

“Don’t forget, the US is arming Israel, it’s paying in many ways for what’s going on, and it’s not applying US law, which restricts how weapons can be used.”

15 Nov 2023 - 22:25
 (22:25 GMT)
Developing

Fresh Israeli attack on al-Shifa follows earlier raid

By Tareq Abu Azzoum

Reporting from Khan Younis, Gaza

The attacks on al-Shifa Hospital continued during the last hour, as Israeli forces, along with bulldozers, managed to storm al-Shifa Medical Complex from its southern gates.

They previously stormed the main buildings of the complex and started interrogating doctors, as well as searching inside the corridors and the departments of the hospital, looking for any existence of military [equipment].

They did not find any Palestinian fighters inside [despite] claiming before that it was a central operations headquarters for Palestinian [fighting groups].

15 Nov 2023 - 22:15
 (22:15 GMT)

Palestinian UN envoy lays out Security Council resolution’s shortcomings

Riyad Mansour says the resolution passed by the UNSC a short while ago – which Israel already rejected – failed to mention key issues.

He told the council that the measure did not condemn:

  • Israel’s killings of more than 11,000 Palestinians, including some 5,000 Palestinian children
  • “indiscriminate attacks by Israel”.
  • “the assault on hospitals and schools” in the Gaza Strip.
  • the killing by Israel of UN staff, journalists, humanitarian personnel, doctors and rescue team members.
  • the arbitrary imprisonment of thousands of Palestinians – men, women and children – “nor call for their immediate and unconditional release”.

Mansour also accused the international community of displaying “selective outrage” – and directly asked Security Council members what they intended to do to get Israel to abide by the resolution they just passed.

“What are you going to do?” he said. “You just adopted a resolution, they told you, ‘We are not going to implement it.'”

15 Nov 2023 - 22:10
 (22:10 GMT)
Analysis

Any changes in Israel’s approach will be directly connected to US: Analyst

Responding to the UN Security Council resolution, H A Hellyer, an analyst at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said only two scenarios will change Israel’s current approach.

“One, if domestically they feel that they have accomplished what they have set out to accomplish, and they choose of their own volition,” he told Al Jazeera.

“Or if they are forced to do so as a result of pressure not from the United Nations, not from the international community, but from Washington, DC,” Hellyer said.

“And Washington, DC, until now has not placed that requisite amount of pressure in order for that result to come about.”

15 Nov 2023 - 22:00
 (22:00 GMT)
EXPLAINER

Israel has repeatedly made claims that have been challenged – here are a few

The Israeli army has made several claims to justify attacks that have killed civilians and targeted hospitals across Gaza, saying that these facilities have been used for military purposes by Hamas.

It has yet to provide concrete evidence for these claims.

Here is a list of statements that have been recently rejected by doctors in Gaza, by Palestinian factions, and by rights groups or independent observers:

  • The Israeli military has claimed to have sent incubators to al-Shifa Hospital. But medical officials in Gaza have long said that the issue is not a lack of incubators, but the lack of fuel needed to run said incubators, and a lack of oxygen. Israel refuses to allow fuel into Gaza.
  • In another video published on Tuesday – which it has since amended – the Israeli army alleged that it found a paper on a wall inside of the al-Rantisi Hospital that contained the names of Hamas members and their “shifts” to guard hostages. But the paper was a hand-written calendar which had the days of the week written down since October 7, with no mention of any names – although it did include the words ‘Al-Aqsa Flood’ in reference to the Hamas attack.
  • The Israeli army said they targeted a car with ‘terrorists’ in southern Lebanon on November 5, but inside the vehicle were three girls with their mother and grandmother. Only the mother survived the attack.
  • The Israeli army claimed that projectiles fired by Palestinian fighters hit al-Shifa Hospital on November 10, but a New York Times report showed that at least some of the projectiles fired were likely to be Israeli munitions. Seven Palestinians died in the attack, according to the hospital’s director.
15 Nov 2023 - 21:50
 (21:50 GMT)

Scottish first minister condemns UK legislators who rejected ceasefire motion

Humza Yousaf said legislators had “the chance to put humanity before politics” but failed to do so by voting against his SNP’s amendment.

“A ceasefire would enable a humanitarian corridor and the crucial delivery of immediate aid to those in desperate need,” Yousaf said in a video shared on social media.

“I am beyond angry that Scottish Labour MPs and others refused to back the calls for an immediate ceasefire. They are on the wrong side of history, which is unforgivable.”

15 Nov 2023 - 21:45
 (21:45 GMT)

‘No meaning’: Israel dismisses UN Security Council resolution

Israeli ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan swiftly proclaimed that the resolution passed by the council would have “no meaning”, calling it “disconnected from reality”.

He maintained that Israel is acting in accordance with international law in Gaza, a claim that has been rejected by several experts on the subject.

“It is unfortunate that the council is still unable to condemn or even mention the massacre that Hamas carried out on [October 7] and led to the war in Gaza,” he wrote on social media.

“This is a disgrace,” he added, saying Hamas’s strategy is to “deliberately deteriorate the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and increase the number of Palestinian casualties in order to activate the UN and the Security Council in an attempt to stop Israel”.

“It will not happen,” he said.

15 Nov 2023 - 21:40
 (21:40 GMT)

Proposed ceasefire duration main stumbling block in captive release talks: Report

Citing three unnamed sources familiar with the matter, Israeli news outlet Walla! said the ceasefire duration was the main sticking point in indirect talks between Israel and Hamas.

One source also said difficulties communicating with Hamas leaders in Gaza have slowed down the negotiations.

As we’ve reported over the past few days, Qatar-mediated negotiations to secure the release of captives held in Gaza – in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners jailed in Israel – are advancing.

The Reuters news agency also reported earlier today that Qatari mediators are seeking to negotiate a deal that would include the release of around 50 civilians held in Gaza in exchange for a three-day ceasefire.

Hamas has agreed to the general details of the plan, but Israel has not and is still negotiating, an official told Reuters.