Hostilities between Israel and Palestinian movement Hamas have become the deadliest for journalists covering the conflict since fatalities started to be documented in 1992, with the death toll among them reaching 36, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has said.
Earlier in the week, CPJ said that at least 31 journalists have died since the escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
"The Israel-Gaza war has become the deadliest period for journalists covering conflict since CPJ began documenting journalist fatalities in 1992. As of November 2, CPJ’s investigations showed at least 36 journalists and media workers were among an estimated 10,000 killed since the war began on October 7—with more than 9,000 deaths in Gaza and the West Bank, and 1,400 in Israel. This deadly toll is coupled with harassment, detentions, and other reporting obstructions in the Palestinian territories of Gaza and the West Bank, Israel, and beyond," CPJ said in a statement on Thursday.
The CPJ says that nine additional journalists are missing or currently detained and another eight were injured during the conflict. It notes that 31 of the slain journalists were Palestinian, while four were Israeli and one was Lebanese.
The vast majority of the journalists were killed by Israeli airstrikes, according to the CPJ. Four of the 36 journalists were reportedly killed during Hamas attacks and three more were shot inside Gaza, though the CPJ does not note which side allegedly fired the shots.
On October 7, Palestinian movement Hamas launched a surprise large-scale rocket attack against Israel from the Gaza Strip and breached the border, killing and abducting people in neighboring Israeli communities. Israel launched retaliatory strikes and ordered a complete blockade of the Gaza Strip, home to more than 2 million people, cutting off supplies of water, food, and fuel. The escalation of the conflict has resulted in thousands of people killed and injured on both sides.
As Israel's ground invasion of Gaza intensifies, Israel has told media outlets that it cannot guarantee the safety of journalists working in the area.
Russia has strategically utilized unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to a great effect, particularly in neutralizing Ukrainian armored vehicles and tanks. These drones, known for their precision and agility, have become a powerful asset on the battlefield.
The Russian Defense Ministry has published footage showing Russian forces wiping out a Ukrainian German-made Leopard tank with a UAV in the Zaporozhye direction.
Russian drones have demonstrated that they can quickly identify and target tanks and other armored vehicles, often catching them off guard. Using swift strikes, these UAVs have repeatedly demonstrated their ability to disrupt and dismantle Ukrainian tank units.
The commander of the UAV group of the 1430 regiment of the Russian Armed Forces, who goes by the code name Yakut, informed journalists that Ukrainian troops are increasingly employing Leopard tanks in their assaults on Russian positions in the Zaporozhye direction. He added that any vehicles of Soviet origin in this area are rarely seen.
Earlier, the group under Yakut's command destroyed two Ukrainian Leopards and two Bradley BMPs while fending off a Ukrainian attack. According to information provided by the Russian servicemen, there were fewer Leopard tanks on the frontline sections of the Zaporozhye direction since mid-summer.
"They mostly have imported equipment remaining and practically no domestic equipment... They've begun using Leopards again. They didn't have them before. But now they've resurfaced. There is an assumption that they have resumed receiving NATO equipment and are endeavoring to once again take control of our settlements," Yakut said.
Russia Repels Attack in Donetsk Direction, Ukraine Loses Up to 115 Soldiers
Russia repelled an attack and Ukraine has lost up to 115 soldiers in the Donetsk direction in the past 24 hours, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Thursday.
"The daily losses of the enemy amounted to up to 115 soldiers, one tank, nine infantry fighting vehicles, including eight US-made Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, and four cars," the ministry said.
Ukraine lost up to 165 soldiers and seven tanks in the South Donetsk direction, the ministry added.
Ukrainian launched counteroffensive attempt in June and quickly turned into a failure which took the death toll of more than 90,000 Ukrainian soldiers on the battlefield and the loss of over 500 Ukrainian tanks.
Watch Russia's Su-25 Crush Ukrainian Fortified Field Positions
Russia's Sukhoi Su-25, also known as Grach (lit. rook) or Frogfoot, is a powerful attack jet that has played a pivotal role in the ongoing special operation. Renowned for its ability to provide close air support, the Su-25 has proven instrumental in obliterating ground fortified positions, reducing Ukrainian military capabilities.
The Russian Defense Ministry has published footage of Su-25 attack jets wreaking havoc on fortified field positions, in addition to reducing Ukrainian hardware to rubble in the Donetsk direction.
The Kiev regime's forces have struggled to counter Russia's jets effectively, especially the Su-25, due to their deadly mix of precision and firepower on the battlefield. These attack jets, which can carry various munitions, have shifted the balance in many encounters by consistently outmaneuvering and overpowering Ukrainian defenses.
Kremlin Shoots Down Top Ukrainian Commander’s ‘Stalemate on the Battlefield’ Comment
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov, on Thursday, dismissed Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Valery Zaluzhny's claims of a battlefield impasse, stating that they are false.
On Wednesday, Zaluzhny said in an interview with the Economist that the conflict with Russia has reached a "stalemate," adding that, according to NATO’s "text books" and the plans for the counteroffensive, "four months should have been enough time for us to have reached Crimea, to have fought in Crimea, to return from Crimea and to have gone back in and out again."
"No, it [conflict] has not reached a stalemate. Russia consistently continues to conduct the special military operation. All the objectives must be reached," Peskov said, answering a question whether the Kremlin agrees with Zaluzhny's statement.
Palestinians search for casualties at the site of Israeli strikes on houses, in Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, November 2, 2023. REUTERS/Anas Al-Shareef Acquire Licensing Rights
Israeli tanks and troops pressed towards Gaza City on Thursday but met fierce resistance from Hamas militants using mortars and hit-and-run attacks from tunnels as the Palestinian death toll from nearly four weeks of bombardments mounted.
The war is closing in on the Gaza Strip's main population centre in the north where Israel has been telling people to evacuate as it vows to annihilate the Islamist group.
"We are at the gates of Gaza City," said Israeli military commander Brigadier General Itzik Cohen.
A child looks on as Palestinians gather to collect water, amid water shortages, as the conflict between Israel and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas continues, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, November 2, 2023. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem Acquire Licensing Rights
Fighters of Hamas and its ally Islamic Jihad were emerging from tunnels to fire at tanks, then disappearing back into the network, residents said and videos from both groups showed, in guerrilla-style operations against a far more powerful army.
"They never stopped bombing Gaza City all night, the house never stopped shaking," said one man living there, asking not to be identified by name. "But in the morning we discover the Israeli forces are still outside the city, in the outskirts and that means the resistance is heavier than they expected."
Aware of the difficulties of fighting in an urban environment, Israeli officers' strategy appears for now to be concentrating large forces in the northern Gaza Strip rather than launching a ground assault on the entire territory.
The latest war in the decades-old conflict began when Hamas fighters broke through the border on Oct. 7. Israel says they killed 1,400 people, mostly civilians, and took more than 200 hostages in the deadliest day of its 75-year history.
Israel's ensuing bombardment of the small Palestinian enclave of 2.3 million people has killed at least 8,796 people, including 3,648 children, according to Gaza health authorities.
Though Western nations and the United States in particular have traditionally supported Israel, harrowing images of bodies in the rubble and hellish conditions inside Gaza have triggered appeals for restraint and street protests around the world.
'HAMAS HAS PREPARED WELL'
Residents reported mortar fire around Gaza City and said Israeli tanks and bulldozers were sometimes driving over rubble and knocking down structures rather than using regular roads.
The south of Gaza was not spared either, with three Palestinians dead from tank shelling near the town of Khan Younis and an air strike killing five outside a U.N. school in Beach refugee camp, Gaza health officials said.
Brigadier General Iddo Mizrahi, chief of Israel's military engineers, said troops were in a first stage of opening access routes in Gaza but were encountering mines and booby-traps. "Hamas has learned and prepared itself well."
Drone view of a junk yard for Israeli vehicles destroyed in a Hamas attack, on a field in Netivot, Israel, November 1, 2023. Reuters/Amir Cohen Acquire Licensing Rights
With Secretary of State Antony Blinken again en route to the region after saying the U.S. and others were looking at options for Gaza's future, Hamas blasted outside meddling.
"Our great Palestinian people and their valiant resistance will prevail over this fascist occupation," it added, demanding an independent state.
After a total blockade of Gaza for more than three weeks, foreign passport-holders and some wounded were allowed out at the southern end. Palestinian border official Wael Abu Mehsen said 400 foreign citizens would leave for Egypt via the Rafah crossing on Thursday, after some 320 on Wednesday.
Dozens of critically injured Palestinians were to cross too.
"I want to pass. We are not animals," said Ghada el-Saka, an Egyptian at Rafah waiting to return home after visiting relatives. "We've seen death with our own eyes," she added, describing a strike near her siblings' house that had made her and her daughter live on the street.
Israel's latest strikes have included the heavily-populated area of Jabalia set up as a refugee camp in 1948.
Gaza's Hamas-run media office said at least 195 Palestinians were killed in the two hits on Tuesday and Wednesday, with 120 missing and at least 777 people hurt.
Israel, which accuses Hamas of hiding behind civilians, said it killed two Hamas military leaders in Jabalia.
"We are fighting on all fronts and hitting Hamas wherever it is found," Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz said, warning of a long and complex fight. "We will hunt them down through night and day, in their cities and in their beds."
With Arab nations vocal in their outrage at Israel's actions, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights also expressed concern that Israel's "disproportionate attacks" may constitute war crimes.
Israel says it has lost 18 soldiers and killed dozens of militants since ground operations were expanded on Friday.
Violence has also spread to the occupied West Bank, with Israeli raids touching off confrontations with gunmen and people throwing stones.
Son of Palestinian woman Salwa Najar lies in a bed as his mother sits by, at a school turned to a shelter, as hospitals are overwhelmed, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Khan Younis, in the southern... Acquire Licensing Rights
Palestinian medics and the health ministry said three teenagers and a 25-year-old were killed there in clashes on Thursday. Israel's army had no immediate comment.
Separately, the military and medics said Palestinian gunmen killed an Israeli motorist in the West Bank.
HOSPITALS 'BEYOND CATASTROPHIC'
As international calls for a "humanitarian pause" in hostilities go unheeded, Palestinians are suffering shortages of food, fuel, drinking water and medicine. Sewage is leaking, some are drinking salt water and the trickle of aid permitted in by Israel is a tiny proportion of what is needed.
Hospitals, including Gaza's only cancer hospital, are struggling due to fuel shortages.
"The situation is beyond catastrophic in the hospitals in Gaza," said the charity Medical Aid for Palestinians, describing packed corridors, dwindling fuel, refugees in the courtyard and many medics themselves having lost homes and loved ones.
Drone view of a junk yard for Israeli vehicles destroyed in a Hamas attack, on a field in Netivot, Israel, November 1, 2023. Reuters/Amir Cohen Acquire Licensing Rights
Ashraf Al-Qudra, a spokesperson for the Gaza health ministry, said the main power generator at the Indonesian Hospital was no longer functioning. The hospital was switching to a back-up generator but would no longer be able to power mortuary refrigerators and oxygen generators.
The United Arab Emirates offered to treat 1,000 children accompanied by families, while Turkey offered to take cancer patients from Gaza's Turkish-Palestinian Friendship hospital, which went out of service after running out of fuel.
The Israeli government is willing to kill large numbers of civilians in order to defeat Hamas in Gaza, and told its US partners this in “private conversations,” the New York Times has reported.
President Joe Biden’s administration continues to support Israel but has become “more critical” of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s response to Hamas, due to the “humanitarian crisis in Gaza,” according to a news analysis the outlet published on Monday.
“It became evident to US officials that Israeli leaders believed mass civilian casualties were an acceptable price in the military campaign,” the New York Times claimed, adding that Israeli officials brought up the “devastating bombings,” including the use of atomic weapons against Hiroshima and Nagasaki, that the US has employed against Germany and Japan during World War II.
The New York Times included the story in Tuesday’s print edition, where it caught the eye of lawyer and activist Steven Donziger.
“This might help explain the massive scale of civilian and child death currently taking place in Gaza,” Donziger noted on Instagram. “This mentality also might explain why Israel just dropped a huge bomb on the densely populated Jabalia refugee camp in Gaza and why it appears to be targeting civilians.”
MSNBC host Mehdi Hassan also flagged the article on Wednesday, describing the paragraph as “almost buried” in the middle of the piece.
Focusing on Washington, the NYT article revealed how the Biden administration initially believed it could get support for Israel just as they had for Ukraine, given the nature of the Hamas atrocities on October 7, but soon realized this would be “impossible.”
“If anything, countries around the world, especially developing nations, are moving the other way as the Palestinian death toll grows. Even European allies of the United States are divided on Israel’s war,” according to the outlet.
US officials also believe that Netanyahu has “no plans for what to do with Gaza” after Israel Defense Forces ground troops take “some or all of it.”
Last Wednesday, the Pentagon reportedly asked Israel to delay the ground attack, in order to give the US more time to deploy air defenses in Iraq and Syria and buy time for negotiations to free some of the estimated 200 hostages held by Hamas.
The ground invasion began last Friday with a complete communications blackout of the Palestinian enclave. On Wednesday, the IDF said 15 of its soldiers have been killed so far in the ongoing operations.
Civilian casualties in Gaza don’t matter – top US senator
Lindsey Graham insists no amount of Palestinian deaths should make the Washington put the brakes on Israel.
The US should stand by Israel in its campaign against Hamas no matter how heavy a toll it takes on the civilian population in Gaza, Senator Lindsey Graham has argued. He likened Israel’s military operation against the militants to the allies’ struggle against Nazi Germany and Japan during World War II.
In an interview with CNN on Tuesday, Graham was asked if there was a “threshold” for him, after which he would start questioning Israel’s tactics. The Republican replied in the negative, saying there is no limit as to “what Israel should do to the people who are trying to slaughter the Jews.”
“This idea that Israel has to apologize for attacking Hamas, who’s embedded with their own population, needs to stop,” the senator insisted, adding that it is Hamas that is “creating these casualties – not Israel.”
Graham noted that Israel does need to “be smart” by trying to “limit civilian casualties.” The lawmaker also called for the delivery of humanitarian aid to “areas that protect the innocent.”
During his visit to Israel last month, US President Joe Biden assured Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that “as long as the United States stands, and we will stand forever, we will not let you ever be alone.”
Soon after Hamas’ deadly attack on Israel last month, Washington scrambled to provide its long-standing ally with additional defense aid worth billions of dollars.
The US has also deployed two aircraft carrier groups and other naval assets, a squadron of F-16 fighter jets, air-defense systems, and 900 troops to the Middle East, saying this increased military presence should serve as a deterrent to other states tempted to join the conflict.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, the director of the UN’s human rights office (OHCHR) in New York, Craig Mokhiber, described Israel’s actions in Gaza as a “text-book case of genocide” and the “wholesale slaughter of the Palestinian people, rooted in an ethno-nationalist settler colonial ideology.”
The official handed in his resignation, arguing that the UN had failed in its duty to prevent the killing of Palestinian civilians. He claimed that the international organization had “surrendered to the power of the US” and given in to the “Israeli lobby.”
Mokhiber also accused European nations of being “complicit in the horrific assault” on Gaza and “giving political and diplomatic cover for Israel’s atrocities.”
Echoing Mokhiber’s assessment on Tuesday in Geneva, a spokesman for the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), James Elder, claimed that “Gaza has become a graveyard for thousands of children,” and a “living hell for everyone else.” He called for a humanitarian ceasefire in the Palestinian enclave.
The conflict has so far left more than 1,400 Israelis and over 8,000 Palestinians dead, with thousands more injured.
