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Smoke rises above Gaza, as seen from southern Israel, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas, November 14, 2023. (Credit: Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters)

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Israeli army claims control of upper area of northern Gaza, Gallant says; US calls for third-party evacuation of hospitals: Day 39 of the Israel-Hamas war

What you need to know

Two killed in southern Lebanon by Israeli strikes as Hezbollah and Israel continue their daily clashes.

179 people were buried in a "mass grave" at al-Shifa Hospital amid the growing death toll and lack of power, the hospital's director stated.

Over 11,200 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed since the war began on Oct. 7.


22:32 Beirut Time

Thank you for following our LIVE coverage on Day 39 of the Hamas-Israel war.


You can read a summary of today's events here.


We'll be back tomorrow with more news updates and analysis, right here at L'Orient Today.

21:50 Beirut Time

Yemen's Huthi rebels threaten to target Israeli ships in the Red Sea, weeks into a campaign of drone and missile attacks targeting the country as it wages war with Hamas, AFP reports.


Rebel leader Abdul-Malik al-Huthi says the Iran-backed group is monitoring for Israeli vessels in the commercially vital waters, even those that do not have Israeli flags.


"Our eyes are open to constant monitoring and searching for any Israeli ship," he said in a speech broadcast by the rebels' Al-Masirah TV station.

21:48 Beirut Time

The government of Belize suspends diplomatic ties with Israel, citing what it describes in a statement as "unceasing indiscriminate bombing in Gaza" as Israeli forces attack the besieged enclave, Reuters reports.

21:46 Beirut Time

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant says the Israeli army took control of the upper and central part of the northern Gaza Strip and that Hamas is no longer in control of this area, Haaretz reports.

Gallant says: "This whole city is actually one terrorist operation."

21:42 Beirut Time

The United States wishes for patients in Gaza hospitals to be safely evacuated and will support an independent third party to conduct these evacuations, says Matthew Miller, the spokesperson for the US State Department, as reported by Reuters.


Speaking at a press conference, Mr. Miller states that Washington does not want to see civilians, "especially not babies in incubators," and other vulnerable populations caught in the crossfire. He adds that the United States is in talks with humanitarian organizations and third parties regarding a potential evacuation.

20:46 Beirut Time

Recent Israeli airstrikes target Ras al-Naqoura, Labbouneh, and the outskirts of Tar Harfa (Tyr district), the state-run National News Agency reports.

Quoting a security source, our correspondent in the south, Muntasser Abdallah, reports that the outskirts of Jebbayn (also Tyr district) and Aita al-Shaab (Bint Jbeil district) were also bombed.

20:15 Beirut Time

Al-Amal Hospital in Khan Younis has run out of fuel, according to an announcement from Palestine Red Crescent Society on their official X account earlier today.

The power outage puts 90 patients at risk, with 25 of them in critical condition. "With the sole generator down, urgent action is needed to save lives. Nine-thousand displaced individuals are also seeking refuge at the hospital and PRCS premises," the statement adds.


This adds to the growing number of hospitals which have had their operations stunted or halted completely due to a lack of fuel, among them al-Shifa and al-Quds hospitals, Gaza's largest and second largest facilities respectively. Israel continues to refuse fuel to the besieged Strip.

19:12 Beirut Time

The Israeli army announces having taken possession of Hamas government buildings in Gaza, notably the parliament and police headquarters, AFP reports.


Bassem Naim, one of Hamas' senior officials in Gaza replied, saying: "Attacking Parliament and doing anything there, attacking government buildings, some of which have already been destroyed, is a desperate attempt to stage a victory out of thin air and create the illusion of control over places that are in any case empty."


Haaretz also reports that the army has taken over Shatti refugee camp, also in Gaza, quoting an army commander Itzik Cohen as saying the forces are "dismantling the Hamas centers and capabilities," in the camp. The Israeli army claims that this refugee camp is one of the main operational bases of Hamas.



19:02 Beirut Time

Brett McGurk, US President Joe Biden's top adviser on the Middle East, is heading to the region for talks with officials in Israel, the West Bank, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and other nations, the White House announces, according to a Reuters report.


The statement from the White House also says: "In Israel, he will discuss Israel's security needs, the imperative of protecting civilians in the course of military operations, as well as ongoing efforts to secure the release of hostages, and the need to rein in violent extremist settlers in the West Bank."

18:24 Beirut Time

US President Joe Biden says he believes there will be a release of the hostages being held by Hamas.


"Hang in there, we're coming," Biden said from the White House, reports Reuters“I’ve been talking to the people involved every single day. I believe it’s going to happen, but I don’t want to get into any detail.” 

18:14 Beirut Time

Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas said they "shelled Tel Aviv with a barrage of rockets in response to the Zionist massacres against civilians [in Gaza]." Another statement by Al-Qassam said they "targeted an Israeli tank northwest of the city of Gaza with a 'Yassin 105' shell."


17:53 Beirut Time

Rocket sirens sound in Tel Aviv and central Israel, according to Haaretz.


“A 20 year-old [Israeli was] seriously wounded by shrapnel in rocket barrage on Tel Aviv,” Haaretz also reported.

17:48 Beirut Time

Osama Hamdan, a senior member of the Hamas organization in Lebanon, said that despite the actions of the Israeli army, the organization intends to continue attacking Israel.


"We are telling the occupation that the battle is still at the beginning," Hamdan said at a press conference. "What is coming is bigger."


In his statement, Hamdan referred to the battles around the hospitals in the northern Gaza Strip. "The burial of 170 bodies in mass graves in Al-Shifa is a shame for the international community," he said.

17:40 Beirut Time

Benny Gantz, a member of the Israeli Knesset and Israel's war cabinet, said that "even if a ceasefire is required for the return of our hostages, there will be no stopping of the war," Haaretz reported.


Israel's war cabinet was formed on Oct. 11, five days after the beginning of the 2023 Israel–Hamas war.

17:37 Beirut Time

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres "does not deserve" to lead the United Nations, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said on Tuesday.


"Guterres does not deserve to head the United Nations. Guterres has not encouraged any peace process in the region ... I think Guterres, like all free nations, should say loud and clear: Free Gaza from Hamas," Cohen told a press conference at the UN in Geneva.



17:16 Beirut Time

In a statement posted on its Telegram channel, Hamas described Israel's claims about a tunnel allegedly built and occupied by the Islamist movement under the al-Rantisi hospital in Gaza as "empty allegations."


The movement referred to a video recently released by the Israeli army in which one of its spokesmen, Daniel Hagari, is filmed in a structure that he claims is a tunnel abandoned by Palestinian fighters following the fighting.


Hamas said that this tunnel is at least 1 km from the hospital in question and that it housed an "underground water tank."

17:08 Beirut Time

“The negotiation approach concerning the [Israeli] captives [held in Gaza] and the [Israeli approach to the negotiations] might lead the Jihad Movement to opt out of the deal being discussed in the media," the Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine said in a statement. "It will retain its captives for better [negotiation] conditions.”


The conditions for negotiations remain confidential. 

16:48 Beirut Time

Qatar urges Israel and Hamas to reach an agreement on releasing hostages seized in the Oct. 7 attack, cautioning the situation in Gaza was worsening on a daily basis, AFP reports.


Qatar Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Majed bin Mohammed al-Ansari says during a news conference in Doha that the "deteriorating" situation in Gaza is hampering mediation efforts.


"We believe that there is no other chance for both sides other than for this mediation to take place and to reach a situation where we can see a glimmer of hope in this terrible crisis," he adds.


The Gulf state is leading negotiations for the release of hostages and to secure a temporary ceasefire. About 240 hostages were seized on Oct. 7 and taken back to Gaza.

16:31 Beirut Time

The Palestinian Red Crescent (PRC) announced on X (formerly Twitter) that its "teams received yesterday 155 trucks loaded with aid from the Egyptian Red Crescent through the Rafah crossing."

"These trucks carry essential supplies such as food, water, relief items, medical equipment, and medications," explained the Palestinian Red Crescent. According to the organization, "since Oct. 21, 2023, a total of 1,135 trucks have been delivered, averaging about 47 trucks per day." "Unfortunately, the Israeli occupying authorities have not yet allowed the entry of fuel," the organization added.

16:29 Beirut Time

Hezbollah said in a statement that its fighters "targeted at 3:10 p.m. ... the Ruwaysat Al-Alam site in the occupied Lebanese farms of Shebaa Farms with appropriate weapons in support of our steadfast Palestinian people in Gaza and in solidarity with their brave and honorable resistance, causing direct injuries."

In another statement, Hezbollah said that its fighters "targeted the Marj site at 3:00 p.m. ...with appropriate weapons, causing direct injuries."

16:23 Beirut Time

A Hamas official stated that 25 out of 35 hospitals in Gaza have been put out of use by Israeli bombardment and fighting, Reuters reported.

16:23 Beirut Time

The United States, in coodination with Britain, put sanctions on Lebanon-based foreign exchange firm Nabil Shuman & Co along with its owner and founder. The US Treasury accused the company of acting as an intermediary to transfer funds to Hamas, and said it had transferred tens of millions of dollars to the group.

This decision freezes the American assets of the targeted individuals and generally prohibits Americans from dealing with them. Those who carry out certain transactions with them also risk sanctions.

16:04 Beirut Time

During a meeting with UNIFIL's head of mission and force commander Aroldo Lázaro, Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri warned of Israel's "persistence in escalating its aggression," which increases the risks of expanding the war in the region.


"The Israeli enemy continued to escalate its aggression, repeatedly targeting civilians, media professionals, and paramedics, extending its attacks deep into southern Lebanon as well as its threats to the Lebanese capital, Beirut, which increases the risks of expanding the fires of Israeli war in the region," Berri said.

15:58 Beirut Time

Some 300 demonstrators protested against the war in Gaza outside the British embassy in Beirut on Tuesday at 3 p.m.

15:36 Beirut Time

The UN agency dedicated to Palestinian refugees said that its fuel reserves in the Gaza Strip will run out in 48 hours, the organization's spokesperson Adnan Abu Hasna warned.


According to Abu Hasna, the fuel that is used to operate vital systems in the strip – such as the desalination plant, wastewater treatment plants, and hospital in the southern Gaza Strip – will all run out.


In an interview with radio al-Shams, Abu Hasna warned that without fuel, the hospitals will shut down, wastewater will flow into the streets and sea, and there will be a shortage of bread because bakeries will cease to operate.

15:33 Beirut Time

The United States on Tuesday imposed a third round of sanctions aimed at the Palestinian militant group Hamas following its attack last month on Israel, targeting leaders and financiers of the group, according to Reuters.


The sanctions, taken in coordination with Britain, targeted key Hamas officials and the mechanisms through which Iran provides support to Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

15:32 Beirut Time

"The bodies of 179 martyrs were buried in the courtyard of the al-Shifaa hospital complex in Gaza. And more than 200 families are being held in the vicinity of the hospital and prevented from leaving their homes because of the blockade caused by the Nazi enemy, which has been bombarding the hospital by every possible means for five consecutive days," said Izzat el-Rachak, a member of Hamas' political bureau, in a statement released on Hamas's official telegram channel.


"Anyone who has not reacted to stop the massacre of the century against innocent civilians and hospitals in Gaza will bear the stigma," the statement added.


Addressing "the Israeli occupier, its allies and those who support it," Rachaq said that "Israeli aggression and the crimes committed by Israel will forever bear witness to the murder of the Palestinian soul, unjustly besieged, starved, terrorized, by arms ... These crimes will remain forever engraved in the Palestinian memory from generation to generation and will encourage [Palestinians] to defend themselves and resist the occupation until it is driven from our lands and our holy places." 

15:22 Beirut Time

A boy walks with sacks of food supplies through a yard at a school run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in Rafah on Tuesday. (Credit: Said Khatib/AFP)

15:20 Beirut Time

A spokesperson for the Gaza Health Ministry told The Washington Post that the ministry can no longer publish current data on the death toll in the Gaza Strip due to the lack of internet connection. It has now lost contact with the hospitals.


As of Monday night, the death toll in the Strip since Oct. 7 stood at over 11,000.

15:16 Beirut Time

The British government on Tuesday called for "respect for the sanctity of hospitals" in the Gaza Strip, where the largest medical facility, at the heart of the fighting between Israel and Hamas, has had to bury dozens of dead, according to its director, AFP reports.

15:16 Beirut Time

Evacuating patients from al-Shifa Hospital in the Gaza Strip is an "impossible task," the WHO said on Tuesday, arguing that these people were highly vulnerable and had nowhere else to go, AFP reported.

Thousands of people remain trapped on Tuesday on the site of Gaza's largest hospital, in the midst of fighting between Hamas and the Israeli army, which considers the site strategic for Hamas.

15:09 Beirut Time

Hezbollah claimed responsibility for targeting "the outpost of Birkat Risha and the surrounding military gathering sites with missile weapons" at 2 p.m., causing "direct hits."

15:08 Beirut Time

Gaza's Ministry of Health is no longer able to update its casualty figures from the conflict between Hamas and Israel, having no way of accessing or keeping in touch with the few hospitals still operating, Medhat Abbas, a ministry spokesman, told The Washington Post on Monday.

In the last three days, at least 32 people, including three babies in the intensive care unit, have died in al-Shifa, Gaza's largest hospital, which is surrounded by Israeli troops, Abbas further stated.

He added that at least 100 bodies were decomposing in the hospital complex, including around 50 inside the hospital and dozens more in the morgues, which are no longer supplied with electricity.

15:06 Beirut Time

Smoke rises after rockets fired from Lebanon fell in northern Israel near the Druze village of Horfish on Nov. 14, 2023, amid increasing cross-border tensions as fighting continues with Hamas militants in the southern Gaza Strip. (Credit: Jalaa Marey/AFP)

15:03 Beirut Time

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati stressed his country's commitment to the presence of UNIFIL forces in southern Lebanon during a meeting with UNIFIL's head of mission and force commander, Aroldo Lazaro, in the Grand Serail.

According to a communique published by the Grand Serail, Mikati praised the efforts made by UNIFIL in this difficult period to reduce tension and prevent, as much as possible, the aggravation of the existing military clash along and across the Blue Line.

Mikati also insisted not to harm the tasks assigned to UNIFIL, which are implemented in close cooperation with the Lebanese army.

14:41 Beirut Time

Israeli police announced on Tuesday that they were investigating "several cases" of sexual violence committed against women by Hamas commandos during the Oct. 7 attacks, claiming to have collected "multiple testimonies" concerning rapes, according to AFP.

"We have multiple witnesses in several cases," said David Katz, head of the cyber section of the Lahav criminal police unit, after the projection of a filmed testimony of a survivor from the party attack at Reim kibbutz was shown to the press. The survivor described a gang rape of a woman shot during her assault.

14:35 Beirut Time

More than half of hospitals in Gaza are "non-functional due to lack of fuel, damage, attacks and insecurity" – according to a statement by the World Health Organization (WHO), posting on X (formerly Twitter).

The WHO added that the 14 hospitals that remain open have "barely enough supplies to sustain critical and lifesaving surgeries." The organization has called for an immediate cease-fire. 

14:03 Beirut Time

UNIFIL says it was not aware of the presence of journalists in Yaroun, in southern Lebanon, where Israel fired two consecutive missiles, which hit meters away from where a group of journalists were reporting yesterday.

UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti, cited in an article by the state-run National News Agency, said that the peacekeeping force is aware that "journalists narrowly escaped serious injury yesterday while covering near the Blue Line."

"Peacekeepers have assisted in recovering the [journalists'] vehicles and equipment," he added.

13:49 Beirut Time

The Israeli army announced on Tuesday that it had taken possession of government buildings belonging to the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas in Gaza City, including the parliament, government and police buildings, reported AFP.

13:27 Beirut Time

Human Rights Watch called for an investigation into the Israeli bombing of a car carrying a reporter's sister and three granddaughters in southern Lebanon, calling it an "apparent war crime," AFP reported.

The Nov. 5 strike took place on the outskirts of Ainata in the Bint Jbeil district and resulted in the deaths of Lebanese journalist Samir Ayoub's sister and his three granddaughters, aged 10, 12 and 14.

"This attack by Israeli military forces that struck a car carrying a family fleeing violence shows a reckless disregard for civilian life," Ramzi Kaiss, Lebanon researcher at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement. "Their killing is a violation of the laws of war, and Israel's allies, like the United States, should respond to this apparent war crime by demanding accountability for this unlawful strike."

According to Human Rights Watch, there was no evidence that there was any militant activity near the car when it was struck, but, even if there was, the fact that a civilian vehicle was targeted makes it "unlawful."

The only response to come from the Israeli military in the wake of the strike was a statement from army spokesperson Daniel Hagari in which he said "Hezbollah targets were attacked in the north in response to an anti-tank missile attack that killed an Israeli civilian" and that "vehicles" and a launch site for long-range missiles were among the targets struck by Israel.

13:10 Beirut Time

Since the early days of the war between Hamas and Israel, negotiations have been taking place to free the around 240 hostages in Gaza.

In a recent option story for The Washington Post, these negotiations might finally be reaping results.

Read the full story here.

13:02 Beirut Time

A house in Tayr Harfa (Sour district) was damaged after being bombed and another house was hit in Markaba (Marjayoun district), a security source told L'Orient Today's correspondent in southern Lebanon. No injuries were recorded so far.

Moreover, an Israeli drone targeted the western outskirts of the town of Mays al-Jabal, according to residents.

An Israeli warplane also struck the outskirts of Aita al-Shaab (Bint Jbeil district), residents told L'Orient Today.

Hezbollah's Al Manar channel also reported that an Israeli drone targeted an empty house on the outskirts of the town of Blida.

In addition, Hezbollah claimed responsibility for targeting Israeli soldiers near the site of al-Marj with "appropriate weapons" and causing casualties

12:39 Beirut Time

Israeli warplanes fired two missiles on the outskirts of Aitaroun (Bint Jbeil district), residents in the targeted town told L'Orient Today's correspondent in southern Lebanon.

Residents in Bint Jbeil also said that Israel's artillery targeted the town of Aitaroun with three shells.

Moreover, eight other shells were fired at the towns of Labbouneh, Ras al-Naqoura and Jibbain (Sour district), a security source told our correspondent.

12:33 Beirut Time

A boy walks with sacks of food supplies through a yard at a school run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Nov. 14, 2023, where internally displaced Palestinians have taken refuge amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. (Credit: Said Khatib/AFP)

12:28 Beirut Time

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, in an interview with Fox News published on Tuesday, that the US and Europe are next if Israel does not decimate Hamas.

"We have to win for the sake of the civilized world. That's the battle we're fighting, and it's being waged right now. There is no substitute for that victory," Netanyahu added.

He also said that Hezbollah, Hamas and the Houthis "want to bring the Middle East, the world, back to the Dark Ages."

Once again, Netanyahu rejected a cease-fire without the release of the hostages, calling it a "surrender to Hamas."

Finally, he noted that protesters demanding a cease-fire in the US do not represent the majority of Americans.

12:17 Beirut Time

Gaza's health ministry said that it had no objections to the babies at al-Shifa Hospital being transferred to any other hospital, but that there were no mechanisms in place for this to happen, Reuters reported.

"We have no objection to have the babies moved to any hospital, in Egypt, the West Bank or even to the occupation hospitals. What we care most is about the well-being and the lives of those babies," Ashraf Al-Qidra, a spokesperson for the ministry, said.

These comments come as Israel, in a social media post, said that it was bringing incubators to a hospital in Gaza. No hospitals in northern Gaza are operational due to a lack of fuel and the ongoing bombardment by Israeli forces.

The Israeli military has also said that it was willing to transfer the babies out of al-Shifa Hospital but this has yet to materialize.

12:11 Beirut Time

The areas of Rab al-Thalathine, Blida and Wadi Saluki were targeted by shells, a security source and residents told L'Orient Today's correspondent in southern Lebanon.

More than 15 shells have fallen so far in these areas and other towns previously mentioned by L'Orient Today.

12:08 Beirut Time

The Israeli military confirmed that one of its female soldiers being held captive in Gaza had died, AFP reported.

The soldier's death comes after her identity was confirmed by the military following the release of a video showing a young woman in captivity.

According to Hamas, which released images of her dead body, she was killed in an Israeli strike. Israel did not release the cause of her death

11:53 Beirut Time

France's Defence Minister, Sebastien Lecornu, is being dispatched as of Tuesday to the Middle East to discuss the Gaza situation and regional security issues at the request of French President Emmanuel Macron, Lecornu said on X (formerly Twitter).

"This trip will start in Egypt and will continue in the Gulf region. It will end Friday in Israel, the first time a French Defence minister visits the country since 2000," he said.

11:52 Beirut Time

Security sources told L'Orient Today's correspondent in southern Lebanon that several shells fell on the outskirts of the towns of Odaisseh, Houla, Hunin and Markaba (Marjayoun district). The sources added that a missile was fired at one of the Israeli sites which is opposite to these villages, without specifying which site.

According to the Israeli army's radio, two anti-tank missiles were fired from Lebanon at Israeli army positions in the Upper Galilee and the army is "firing back".

State-run National News Agency also reported that Tayr Harfa (Sour district) was also targeted by Israeli shelling.

Meanwhile, some people found a drone stuck on a tree in the town of Ibl al-Saqi and the Lebanese army headed to the place, citizens told L'Orient Today.

11:49 Beirut Time

Eight Palestinians in the West Bank have been killed by Israeli forces, AFP reported.

Seven of those killed were during an Israeli raid on the Tulkarem while one other was killed by Israeli fire in Hebron.

Violence in the West Bank had been rising even prior to Hamas's Oct. 7 operation that killed around 1,200 people, especially as Israeli forces began stepping up their raids on Palestinian cities and camps in the occupied territories.

You can read the full story below:

Eight Palestinians killed in West Bank clashes with Israel army: medics

Eight Palestinians killed in West Bank clashes with Israel army: medics

11:22 Beirut Time

Israeli army spokesperson Daniel Hagari said that around 200 Hezbollah members have been killed by Israel, according to Haaretz.

However, according to Hezbollah's official statements, 74 members have been killed so far.

In a press briefing, Hagari added that the Israeli army strives to keep the region "below the threshold of war."

He also said that the army has sent messages to Hezbollah and the Lebanese government making it clear that continued attacks on Israeli territory will lead to a response.

Regarding Gaza, Hagari noted that Israel has assessed, with a high degree of probability, that Hamas held hostages at al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza.

11:09 Beirut Time

The director of al-Helou Hospital in Gaza told al-Jazeera that "there is neither water nor fuel in the hospital" and that rainwater is being used for sterilization.

He also called for the provision of a safe road for emergency cases.

10:52 Beirut Time

Israeli air defenses intercepted a suspicious target that was spotted near the shores of Akka in northern Israel, Israel's Arabic-language army spokesperson Avichay Adraee posted on X (formerly Twitter).

Adraee added that "the alarm was not activated."

10:42 Beirut Time

Two Qatari planes are heading to the Egyptian city of al-Arish carrying a field hospital and aid allocated to support the Palestinian people in Gaza, according to a post published by the Qatari foreign ministry on X (formerly Twitter).

The planes, which belong to the Qatari Armed Forces, carry 54 tons of aid, including a field hospital, shelter supplies, and medical materials and food provided by the Qatar Fund for Development, the Qatar Red Crescent and Qatar Charity.

10:37 Beirut Time

The director of al-Shifa Hospital, the largest in Gaza, said that 179, including patients and babies who died in the intensive care unit, were buried in a "mass grave" at the facility, AFP reported.

"We were forced to bury them in a mass grave," Mohammad Abu Salmiyah said, adding that seven babies and 29 ICU patients were among those buried after the hospital's fuel ran out on Nov. 11.

"There are bodies littering the aisles of the hospital complex, and the morgues' refrigerated chambers are no longer supplied" with electricity as not a drop of fuel has entered the Gaza Strip since the war began on Oct. 7, he added.

10:25 Beirut Time

In an op-ed published on Monday by the Wall Street Journal, two Israeli political figures called on "the West to welcome Gaza's refugees."

"Countries around the world should offer refuge to Gazans seeking resettlement," said Danny Danon, former Israeli ambassador to the United Nations and Likud member of the Knesset, and Ram Ben Barak, a Knesset member and former deputy director of Mossad.

Drawing on historical examples of refugee hosting in Europe, the authors of the op-ed also proposed "well-structured, internationally-coordinated resettlement programs" to welcome the inhabitants of Gaza. "Members of the international community can work together to provide timely financial assistance to Gazans wishing to relocate, to help them meet the costs of resettlement and to facilitate the acclimatization of refugees to their new community," they added.

"The international community has a moral obligation - and an opportunity - to show compassion, to help the people of Gaza move towards a more prosperous future, and to work together to bring greater peace and stability to the Middle East," they wrote.

09:56 Beirut Time

On Monday, the Israeli army announced the death of two new soldiers while fighting in the Gaza Strip, bringing to 46 the total number of its soldiers killed in the Palestinian territory since the start of the war with Hamas, according to AFP.

09:31 Beirut Time

Update from southern Lebanon this morning:

Last night was particularly turbulent in southern Lebanon, according to L'Orient Today's correspondent.

Eight shells hit the towns of Tayr Harfa, Jebbine and Labbouneh at around 10 p.m. on Monday evening. Residents of Zahrani, Nabatieh and border villages also witnessed Israeli air force flights during the night.

At around 11:30 p.m., according to a security source, an Israeli interceptor missile exploded over Jabal el-Bat in Aitaroun, (Bint Jbeil district).

At 1:50 a.m., according to local residents, shelling hit the area around the border towns of Ramieh, Aita al-Shaab and Labbouneh.

During the night, flares were also fired by the Israeli army over a number of villages, including Naqoura and Tayr Harfa, residents reported.

At quarter past 4 a.m., Israeli warplanes flew over the South. The planes were heard by residents of Saida and the surrounding area.

The Lebanese-Israeli border was also active in the evening, according to our correspondent. At around 11:50 p.m., Hezbollah shelled the Israeli army site of Malkia as Israel was reinforcing it, according to an official statement published by the party on Telegram.

09:27 Beirut Time

Five Palestinians were killed following a raid on Tulkram by Israeli forces, AFP reported.

The five men were aged 21 to 29 according to Amin Khader, director of Thabet Hospital where the men were brought. Israel confirmed the raid but did not give any reason for the men's deaths. Witnesses recounted violent confrontations in the area while the Israeli forces were looking to make arrests.

09:14 Beirut Time

Good morning!

Thank you for joining us once again for our daily coverage of the Hamas-Israel war in Gaza. Today marks day 39 since the war began on Oct. 7.