Israel-Hamas war live updates: Israel says Gaza siege won’t end until hostages released; Blinken arrives in Tel Aviv

Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdullahian on Thursday begins a “tour” of the Middle East that includes Lebanon “in light of the current events in Palestine,” Iranian Ambassador to Lebanon Mojtaba Amani said in a Google-translated post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

He did not specify the items on the agenda of Amirabdullahian’s visit.

Iran has historically backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, which has been exchanging fire with Israel over the week citing retaliation for the Palestinian people. Over the weekend, Palestinian militant group Hamas carried out an expansive offensive against Israel, leading to an Israeli siege of the Gaza Strip and sparking fresh tensions in the Middle East region.

— Ruxandra Iordache

The “heart-breaking” conflict between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas represents a “new cloud” looming over the world economy, International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said Thursday.

“Very clearly, this is a new cloud on not the safest horizon for the world economy, a new cloud darkening this horizon — and of course, not needed,” she said at a news conference at the annual meeting of the IMF and World Bank in Marrakech, according to Reuters.

According to the latest IMF projections, global economic growth will slow from 3.5% in 2022 to 3% this year and to 2.9% in 2024.

She stressed that the IMF is closely monitoring developments and especially the effects on the oil markets. A multi-pronged terrorist offensive by Hamas and Israel’s retaliation have sharply heightened tensions in the Middle East, raising market concerns over the stability of crude production from the oil-rich region.

The Hamas attacks on Isreal came nearly 50 years to the day of the anniversary of the Arab-Israeli conflict of 1973, which led to Arab members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries declaring an oil embargo against the U.S.

— Ruxandra Iordache

Israeli politicians issued a message of unity after agreeing to form an emergency government amid the ongoing war with Palestinian militant group Hamas.

The new administration drafts in opposition officials, bringing opposition leader and former head of the army Benny Gantz and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant into Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s war cabinet.

“Our standing here, shoulder to shoulder, is a clear message to our enemies, and more importantly, a message to all citizens of Israel – we are all together, we are all mobilizing. Ours is not a political partnership but a shared fate,” Gantz said Wednesday in a joint Wednesday statement with Netanyahu, according to an NBC translation.

“We have put aside every other consideration because the fate of our country is at stake. We will work together, shoulder to shoulder, for the citizens of Israel and for the State of Israel,” Netanyahu said.

Israel’s political unity has been fractured over recent months, as Netanyahu’s judiciary reform initiative sparked mass protests. The Israeli prime minister survived a no-confidence vote in March.

— Ruxandra Iordache

The International Committee of the Red Cross said it is engaging with officials from both Israel and Hamas, urging the release of captives taken by the Palestinian militant group and for the end of civilian suffering.

“We have been in touch with both Hamas & Israeli officials about accessing those deprived of liberty. We are asking for the release of hostages, unharmed,” the agency said in a post on the X, previously known as Twitter.

Hamas abducted Israeli civilians during a bloody assault on Saturday. In response, Israel has launched a complete siege of the Gaza Strip, halting deliveries of electricity, fuel, water and food to the enclosed region.

“As Gaza loses power, hospitals lose power, putting newborns in incubators and elderly patients on oxygen at risk … Without electricity, hospitals risk turning into morgues,” the Red Cross said in a Thursday statement.

Access to electricity in Gaza has been an issue since the area’s only operational power plant ran out of fuel on Tuesday. Some Gaza citizens have access to backup generators, but these also require fuel.

— Ruxandra Iordache

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has arrived in Tel Aviv, Israel.

U.S. Department of State Spokesperson Matthew Miller on Tuesday said Blinken will meet with Israeli officials, and reiterate condolences for the victims of the multi-pronged terrorist attacks of Palestinian militant group Hamas over the weekend.

“He will also discuss measures to bolster Israel’s security and underscore the United States’ unwavering support for Israel’s right to defend itself,” Miller said.

On Thursday, Palestine Liberation Organization Secretary-General Hussein al-Sheikh said on X, previously known as Twitter, that Blinken will meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas Friday. The U.S. State Department has yet to confirm this appointment.

A historical supporter of Israel, the U.S. has firmly denounced the Hamas attacks, with U.S. President Joe Biden referring to them as “pure cruelty” on Wednesday.

“I would argue it’s the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust,” Biden said at the time.

— Ruxandra Iordache

No one will “preach” to Israel on morality on humanitarian grounds over its siege of the Gaza Strip, Israeli Minister of Energy and Infrastructure Israel Katz said Thursday.

“Humanitarian aid to Gaza? No electrical switch will be turned on, no water hydrant will be opened and no fuel truck will enter until the Israeli abductees are returned home. Humanitarian for humanitarian. And no one will preach us morals,” he said in a Google-translated post on social media platform X, previously known as Twitter.

Israel earlier this week declared a total siege of the Gaza Strip, following the terrorist attacks of Palestinian militant group Hamas. It is now no longer supplying the roughly 2.3 million people of the region with its food, water, fuel and electricity supplies.

The U.N. has expressed concern over the welfare of civilians following these restrictions, with the U.S. mentioning the possibility of a humanitarian corridor for the people of the Gaza Strip.

— Ruxandra Iordache

At least 1,200 Israeli people have been killed in Israel since the multi-pronged terrorist strikes of Palestinian militant group Hamas over the weekend, according to the latest update from Jonathan Conricus, spokesperson for the Israeli Defense Forces. Israeli public broadcaster Kan put this figure higher at 1,300 on Thursday. Discrepancies have been previously noted in the reporting of various official outlets.

In the West Bank and Gaza Strip, a combined 1,232 people have been killed, Palestinian officials said, following airstrikes by Israel and a complete siege of Gaza in response to the Hamas attack.

Thousands of other people are injured in all three regions.

— Ruxandra Iordache

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to arrive in Israel on Thursday and meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss developments since the brutal attack of Palestinian militant group Hamas over the weekend.

Separately, Palestine Liberation Organization Secretary-General Hussein al-Sheikh said on X, previously known as Twitter, that Blinken will convene with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas Friday.

Abbas will also on Thursday meet with Jordanian King Abdullah II in Amman, al-Sheikh added.

The U.S. has previously condemned the terrorist hostilities of Hamas and said it was in discussions with Egypt to organize a humanitarian corridor for civilians in the Gaza Strip, who are under a complete siege by Israel.

— Ruxandra Iordache

The X social media platform has “taken action to remove or label tens of thousands of pieces of content” since the terrorist attacks carried out by Palestinian militant group Hamas against Israel, company CEO Linda Yaccarino said in a public letter.

Yaccarino’s comments came after Thierry Breton, the European commissioner for the internal market, on Tuesday gave X owner Elon Musk 24 hours to respond to claims that his platform is “being used to disseminate illegal content and and disinformation in the EU,” following the Hamas hostilities.

The X platform has previously introduced policies to try to rein in disinformation during crisis situations, adding warning labels to debunk false allegations about events.

— Ruxandra Iordache

Brazil called for a meeting of the United Nations Security Council on Friday to “address the situation in the Gaza Strip,” its foreign ministry said.

The country’s Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira has postponed a scheduled trip to the Philippines and will travel to New York for the assembly.

Brazil is the current October holder of the monthly rotating UNSC presidency. The council held an initial meeting on Sunday, Reuters reports, in the immediate wake of Palestinian militant group Hamas’ terrorist attack against Israel the day prior.

In a Google-translated Wednesday post on social media platform X, previously known as Twitter, Brazilian President Lula da Silva called for an end to the conflict and for the release of children captured by Hamas.

“An international humanitarian intervention is urgently needed. A ceasefire is urgently needed in defense of Israeli and Palestinian children,” he said. “Brazil, in the provisional presidency of the UN Security Council, will join the efforts to bring the conflict to an immediate and definitive end.”

— Ruxandra Iordache

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi discussed the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas, in their first official phone call since their two nations resumed diplomatic ties.

The conversation took place on Wednesday and lasted 45 minutes, Iran’s state-owned Islamic Republic News Agency said in a Google-translated report, and was also noted by the Saudi Press Agency.

Iran and Saudi Arabia have both historically advocated the cause of the Palestinian people, with Tehran also supporting Hamas. Since the bloody Hamas terrorist attacks against Israel over the weekend, Riyadh has called for an “immediate halt to the escalation between the two sides,” while Iran has repeatedly denied involvement in the hostilities, but also described them as a “natural reaction.”

The Wednesday engagement marked the first conversation between the high-profile officials of the two countries, who only ended years of tensions and agreed to rekindle diplomatic relations in a China-brokered deal in March.

— Ruxandra Iordache

The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has called for the immediate release of all Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. He urged all parties to protect civilians in the Gaza Strip who are caught in the crossfire as Israel declared war on Hamas militants, who control the Palestinian enclave.

“I appeal to all parties — and those who have an influence over those parties — to avoid any further escalation and spillover,” Guterres said at a press conference Wednesday. It was his second statement in three days on the Israel-Hamas conflict. “International humanitarian law must be respected and upheld.”

“UN premises and all hospitals, schools and clinics must never be targeted,” the secretary-general said, adding some UN staff died while working to support the people of Gaza.

With Israel cutting off all supplies as the Jewish state continues its bombardment of Gaza, aid agencies and workers have been scrambling to find alternative access routes where humanitarian supplies may be channeled to Gaza.

“I want to thank Egypt for its constructive engagement to facilitate humanitarian access through the Rafah crossing and to make the El Arish airport available for critical assistance,” Guterres added.

— Clement Tan

President Joe Biden said his administration warned Iran to be careful after Hamas’ attacks on Israel.

After listing aid the U.S. is sending to Israel, Biden “made it clear to the Iranians: Be careful.”

The president made the remarks at a roundtable of Jewish leaders at the White House on Wednesday afternoon.

Sources tell NBC News that U.S. intelligence shows Iranian leaders were surprised by Hamas’ attack on Israel, but White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Tuesday that Iran was “complicit” in the attack because it has backed Hamas for decades.

Biden called the attack by Hamas “pure cruelty.”

“I would argue it’s the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust,” Biden said.

— Emma Kinery

Israel will form an emergency government amid the war against Hamas, seeking to shore up security decision-making as the conflict with the Palestinian militant group persists.

Opposition leader and former head of the army Benny Gantz will join Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s war cabinet alongside Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Israeli media reported.

— Sam Meredith

Health services in the Gaza Strip are at a “critical stage,” the Palestinian health ministry said in a Facebook post.

“Medicines, medical consumption and fuel are running out” and hospitals are fully occupied, with wounded patients “on the ground due to the intensification of Israeli aggression,” a spokesman said.

“Urgent action must be taken to provide a safe corridor for medical supplies and the wounded and patients should leave before it is too late,” the ministry warned.

Egypt is reportedly in talks with the U.S. to provide aid to Palestinians through the Egyptian border with Gaza, Reuters reported quoting Egyptian security sources, adding that moves to set up a safe passageway for fleeing refugees of the Palestinian enclave have been rejected.

— Joanna Tan