Israel-Hamas war updates: News on Gaza conflict

A team of 15 international and national members of the Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors without Borders) entered the Gaza Strip from Egypt through the Rafah crossing, the MSF said Tuesday.

“They will aim to support medical and surgical capacity in the Strip, where the healthcare infrastructure has collapsed, and medics are utterly exhausted.”

The health care system in the Gaza Strip has all but collapsed in the face of ongoing shelling and shortages of fuel and medical equipment. The U.N. earlier this week estimated that 20 out of the territory’s 36 hospitals were no longer functional.

— Ruxandra Iordache

Israel’s foreign minister has deepened his criticism of United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, whom he accused of being unfit to lead the global coalition.

“Guterres does not deserve to be the head of the United Nations,” Eli Cohen said Tuesday on U.N. premises in Geneva.

“Guterres does not promote any peace process in the region. Iran is a member in the U.N. and she is calling for the destruction of the state of Israel. A country that is calling for the destruction of another one, she cannot be a member of the U.N. And you can see how Guterres is sitting with them.”

Iran has historically supported Hamas and praised, but denied responsibility for the Palestinian militant group’s offensive of Oct. 7.

Cohen and Israel’s representative to the U.N., Gilad Erdan, previously called for Guterres’ resignation after the U.N. secretary-general delivered a late-October speech saying that the Hamas terror attacks did not happen “in a vacuum.”

Guterres has repeatedly pleaded for a cease-fire in Israel-Hamas hostilities and for an end to the suffering of Palestinian civilians.

“I am deeply disturbed by the horrible situation and dramatic loss of life in several hospitals in Gaza. In the name of humanity, I call for an immediate humanitarian cease fire,” he reiterated Tuesday on social media.

— Ruxandra Iordache

The Israel Defense Forces have supplied an update of their ongoing operations in the largest hospital of the Gaza Strip.

“Prior to their entry, the IDF troops encountered explosive devices and terrorist cells, and an engagement began in which terrorists were killed,” the IDF said on Telegram, following its overnight operation that included medical teams and Arab speakers “who have undergone specified training to prepare for this complex and sensitive environment.”

The military further reported locating a Hamas training encampment containing tunnel shafts, classrooms, intelligence materials, weapons, as well as a separate “terrorist cell that exited a building with an anti-tank missile launching post in the northern Gaza Strip.”

CNBC could not confirm the information. It was not immediately clear if the latter findings were on the premise or in the vicinity of the al-Shifa hospital.

— Ruxandra Iordache

The Palestine Red Crescent Society on Tuesday night said it carried out an evacuation of the second-largest hospital of the Gaza Strip, which it previously said was under the siege and bombardment of Israeli forces.

“It was a challenging and perilous day. Today, we managed to evacuate the patients, the wounded, their families, and the medical teams trapped in Al-Quds Hospital, compelled by the tragic situation that had befallen the hospital,” the group said on social media.

“This comes after more than 10 days of siege, during which medical and humanitarian supplies were prevented from reaching the hospital,” it added, noting the hospital had “become a threat to the lives of everyone inside,” given ongoing shelling, depletion of water and power outages.

The wounded and patients were in the process of being transported for care at hospitals in the south of the Gaza enclave, which are likewise “already suffering from fuel shortages and a scarcity of medical supplies and medications,” the PRCS added.

CNBC could not independently confirm developments on the ground. It was not immediately clear if the PRCS had completed a partial or full evacuation of the hospital.

The Israel Defense Forces say they do not target civilian sites and accuse Hamas of fostering its underground tunnel network beneath Palestinian hospitals.

— Ruxandra Iordache

Israeli military early on Wednesday said it was carrying out a “precise and targeted operation” against Hamas militants in a “specified area” of the largest hospital of the Gaza Strip, Dar al-Shifa, according to a social media update.

The Israel Defense Forces said the incursion is “based on intelligence information and an operational necessity.”

The medical facility has been unable to operate in a hospital capacity following the depletion of fuel and medical supplies. Human rights groups and local doctors have previously reported Israeli tanks blockading hospitals in the Gaza Strip.

“Instead of treating the ill, Hamas uses hospitals for terrorism. This sick exploitation of the Gazan people must be stopped,” the IDF said in a separate post on the X social media platform, previously known as Twitter.

Israeli military maintains its operation in the Gaza enclave targets Hamas agents and military positions. It accuses Hamas of building an extensive underground network of tunnels for transport, shelter, weapons and explosive storage that stretches beneath vast swathes of the Gaza Strip, including the al-Shifa hospital.

The White House indicated similar intelligence on Tuesday.

“I can confirm to you that we have information that Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad use some hospital in the Gaza Strip, including al-Shifa, and tunnels underneath them to conceal and to support their military operations and to hold hostages,” John Kirby, National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby, told reporters. “Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad … members operate a commanding control note from al-Shifa in Gaza City. They have stored weapons there. And they are prepared to respond to an Israeli military operation against that facility.”

He added, “We do not support striking a hospital from the air, and we do not want to see a fire fight in the hospital.”

— Ruxandra Iordache

Over 600 Americans, lawful permanent residents and their family members have left Gaza through Rafah crossing, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said today.

According to the State Department’s knowledge, almost 1,000 American citizens, lawful permanent residents and their families are still stuck in Gaza, Miller said.

The State Department hopes to facilitate their departure “over the coming days” should they wish to leave, Miller said.

— NBC News

The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees says its fuel storage facility in Gaza is empty and its relief operations will soon be halted.

The lack of fuel in Gaza means communications are expected to start collapsing on Thursday, UNRWA said, “as telecommunications companies run out of fuel to operate their data centres and major connection sites.”

Israel has refused to allow fuel shipments into Gaza since Hamas’ cross-border attack on Oct. 7. Israel says Hamas will divert any fuel shipments for military use.

Philippe Lazzarini, the commissioner-general of UNRWA, said that after weeks of warnings and rationing, the agency will soon be out of fuel.

“The depot is now empty,” he said. “It is very simple. Without fuel, the humanitarian operation in Gaza is coming to an end. Many more people will suffer and will likely die.”

UNRWA provides food, shelter and other services to hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians.

— Associated Press

The Palestine Red Crescent Society said it evacuated “patients, the wounded, their families, and the medical teams” from Al-Quds Hospital in Gaza City today.

“This comes after more than ten days of siege, during which medical and humanitarian supplies were prevented from reaching the hospital,” the organization said on X. “As the hospital had become a threat to the lives of everyone inside due to the ongoing Israeli bombardment around the hospital and firing upon those inside, in addition to a complete power outage and the depletion of water and food for the patients, it became impossible to continue providing the necessary medical care under these conditions.”

Patients were taken to hospitals in south Gaza to receive medical care, which the agency said “are already suffering from fuel shortages and a scarcity of medical supplies and medications.”

— NBC News