Here's how to help humanitarian efforts in Israel and Gaza
From CNN Impact Your World
As deadly fighting between Israel and Hamas intensifies, so too does a dire humanitarian crisis in the area.
Hundreds have been killed and thousands injured on both sides after Hamas launched unprecedented attacks on Israel on Saturday. Subsequent airstrikes have overwhelmed local hospitals and displaced more than 100,000 people in Gaza, one of the most densely populated areas on Earth.
The intense fighting has also hampered humanitarian relief. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which suffered damage to one of its buildings in Gaza, is calling for the protection of humanitarian workers, civilians, and critical infrastructure. Calling the situation “horrific,” Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is urging restraint after medical facilities have been destroyed in the fighting.
Impact Your World has gathered a list of vetted organizations that are on the ground responding.
Israeli troops are on the move as humanitarian crisis unfolds in Gaza. Here's where things stand
From CNN staff
More than 1,000 people have been killed in Israel and more than 900 people are dead in Gaza, according to Israel's Army Radio and the Palestinian Health Ministry. Thousands more are injured, according to officials.
On Tuesday, Hamas said it fired "hundreds" of rockets toward the Israeli city of Ashkelon.
Here's where things stand:
Hamas attacks Israel: A huge barrage of rockets were fired from Gaza by Hamas on Ashkelon in “response to the displacement of civilians in Gaza,” a statement on Telegram said. It followed a warning issued to the residents of the southern Israeli city to leave before 5 p.m. local time Tuesday.
Israeli troops massing: Israel is pounding the densely-packed Gaza Strip with airstrikes, especially on the Gaza port, the Israel Defense Forces said. IDF troops were engaged in a firefight with Hamas militants near the town of Mefalsim, which borders the enclave, Tuesday evening local time, multiple IDF troops on the ground told CNN. Tens of thousands of Israeli troops are on the move as the country prepares for a possible ground operation.
Defense minister's warning: Yoav Gallant said he has "released all restraints" on the IDF troops in their fight against Hamas. “Whoever comes to decapitate, murder women, Holocaust survivors — we will eliminate him at the height of our power and without compromise,” the defense minister told soldiers during an inspection of the front line along Israel’s border with Gaza on Tuesday.
One way out: The only border crossing between Gaza and Egypt was struck by Israeli warplanes Tuesday, the spokesperson for the Palestinian Interior Ministry Eyad al-Bozom said. The tightly controlled Rafah crossing is the only one available to Gazans looking to flee. All other crossings out of the territory are shut.
Biden offers support to Israel: US President Joe Biden condemned Saturday's rampage by Hamas, calling it "an act of sheer evil" and said Israel has the right to respond. He pledged that the US would make sure Israel has the tools it needs to defend itself. The US has "enhanced our military force posture" in the region and is surging military assistance to Israel, the president said. Biden also spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday for the third time since the conflict erupted “to discuss our support for Israel,” the White House said.
Foreign nationals killed: At last 14 Americans are among those killed in Israel, Biden said, adding that US citizens are also among those taken hostage by Hamas.Eight French citizens have been confirmed dead and 20 others are missing, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said. The Canadian government says it is aware of reports that one Canadian was killed and three others are missing.
More on victims: Israeli-American Roey Weiser was killed during Saturday’s attack, his mother, Naomi Feifer-Weiser told CNN. Weiser was a sergeant who served in the 13th Battalion of the Golani Brigade and was stationed at the Kerem Shalom border crossing, his mother said. Read more about the victims.
Flights out of Israel: The US State Department said it has "been in conversation" with various airlines to "encourage them to consider resuming travel in and out of Israel" so that people can leave. German airline Lufthansa will operate several special flights on Thursday and Friday to evacuate German citizens, the country's foreign office said. The French government is also in contact with Air France to organize a special flight Thursday to evacuate French citizens, according to the foreign minister.
27 min ago
Airstrikes hit residential areas of Gaza, Palestinian officials say
From CNN's Eyad Kourdi
Flames and smoke rise after an Israeli airstrike in Khan Yunis, Gaza, on Wednesday. Abed Rahim Khatib/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Intense airstrikes hit residential areas in the eastern part of Jabalia and the Qizan al-Najjar region in Khan Yunis, Gaza, the Palestinian Ministry of Interior Affairs said.
The attacks targeted civilians' homes and roads and resulted in “direct injuries among citizens,” the ministry said in a statement.
More than 900 people have died in Gaza and thousands more have been injured since Israeli airstrikes began on Saturday, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
The Israel Defense Forces have not yet commented on the latest strikes.
57 min ago
At least 4 UN relief workers killed in Gaza airstrikes
From CNN's Eyad Kourdi and Alex Stambaugh
Officials with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) said Tuesday four of its employees have died as a result of airstrikes on Gaza.
At least 14 of their facilities in Gaza have been damaged directly or indirectly, UNRWA Director of Communications Juliette Touma told UN News.
The agency has been unable to bring any aid into the Gaza Strip since Saturday, Touma said.
UNRWA hosts 170,000 people in more than 80 schools and other facilities throughout Gaza. As schools reach their capacity, people have been forced to seek shelter in health care facilities, Touma said.
UNRWA headquarters were subjected to collateral damage on Tuesday morning due to airstrikes in the surrounding neighborhoods, she said. Some of UNRWA’s employees were taking shelter in the same compound in a nearby building during the strikes, she said.
2 hr 37 min ago
Fighter jets strike more than 70 targets in Gaza, IDF says
From CNN’s Raja Razek
Smoke rises after Israeli strikes on the seaport of Gaza City on Tuesday. Mohammed Salem/Reuters
Dozens of fighter jets struck more than 70 targets in the Daraja Tuffah area of the Gaza Strip early Wednesday local time, according to the Israel Defense Forces.
Israel is hammering Gaza with airstrikes, hitting hundreds of targets and reducing neighborhoods to rubble, as new atrocities are uncovered in its territory after a devastating surprise attack by Hamas militants. Hamas sent fighters pouring into Israeli territory on Saturday. More than 1,000 people were killed in Israel and thousands more injured in the onslaught, according to the IDF.
"A short while ago, dozens of fighter jets struck over 70 targets in the Daraj Tuffah area," the IDF said on Telegram, describing it as a location "where a large number of terror attacks against Israel are directed." "Furthermore, terror infrastructure used by the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization was also struck," it said.
CNN previously reported Israel, which has formally declared war on Hamas, is now battering the densely inhabited strip with airstrikes that have killed at least 900 people, including hundreds of children, women, and entire families, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. Thousands more have been injured, it said.
3 hr 9 min ago
At least 21 people killed and 130 injured in the West Bank, Palestinian health ministry says
From CNN’s Kareem Khadder and Raja Razek
The death toll in the West Bank since Saturday has now risen to 21 killed and 130 injured, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Ramallah.
The West Bank is led by the Palestinian Authority. The Fatah party, a rival faction to Hamas, is the political backbone of the Palestinian Authority.
The deaths occurred in clashes due to Israeli “aggression” and many of the victims were shot, the ministry said.
Clashes erupted in several parts of the occupied West Bank amid a closure that was imposed by the Israeli army following Hamas' attack in southern Israel Saturday morning.
3 hr 24 min ago
"Gaza will never return to what it was," Israeli defense minister says
From CNN's Amir Tal
Israel’s defense minister said he has “released all restraints” on the Israel Defense Forces' troops in their fight against Hamas.
“Whoever comes to decapitate, murder women, Holocaust survivors — we will eliminate him at the height of our power and without compromise,” Yoav Gallant told soldiers during an inspection of the front line along Israel’s border with the Gaza Strip on Tuesday.
“Hamas wanted a change in Gaza, it will change 180 degrees from what he thought. They will regret this moment. Gaza will never return to what it was,” Gallant said, calling Hamas the "ISIS of Gaza."
The minister visited the IDF’s Gaza division headquarters in the Re’im military base. He also spoke to Shaldag fighters, paratroopers and soldiers at kibbutz Be'eri, one of the sites Hamas first targeted over the weekend.
“We will be back here, in Be'eri, in a few months, and the situation will be different. We will settle the kibbutz to the last meter, and what happened in Gaza will not happen,” Gallant said.
Airstrikes have beenIsrael’s primary retaliation measure so far in Gaza, with jets repeatedly pounding the heavily populated 140 square mile coastal strip, turning multiple buildings to rubble, displacing tens of thousands of people and sending waves of injured Palestinians to overwhelmed hospitals.
3 hr 26 min ago
Quiet streets but unmistakable sounds of war in Israeli city of Ashdod
From CNN's Ivana Kottasová in Ashdod, Israel
The streets of Ashdod have been deserted since Hamas launched its surprise attack on Saturday morning.
But the unmistakable sounds of the war are constant in this Israeli city, about 35 kilometers (20 miles) north of Gaza.
An intense and near continuous thunder of explosions has been heard from the Gaza Strip for more than 48 hours now. At the same time, rockets are being launched from Gaza.
When that happens, the sirens go off, giving residents about 45 seconds to find a shelter. Most of the buildings in Ashdod were built in the 1990s, during the city’s huge expansion following a wave of immigration from the Soviet Union. That means most apartments are equipped with shelters — a requirement for all buildings built here after 1993.
The vast majority of restaurants and cafes are shut, the sprawling beaches are closed and most people are staying inside.
For days now, the city has seen a heavy military presence and tensions are running high. At one point on Tuesday evening, about two dozen soldiers could be seen running outside and spending about 15 minutes patrolling a street in the city center before returning to one of the hotels that have become their hub.
3 hr 33 min ago
Rockets launched from Syria into Israeli territory, IDF says
From CNN's Mitchell McCluskey and Eyad Kourdi
Rockets were launched from Syria into Israeli territory, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Tuesday.
The rockets landed in open areas, the IDF said.
The IDF did not immediately provide details on damage or injuries.
A Syrian eyewitness, who spoke to CNN on the condition of anonymity for security reasons, said three rockets were launched in the direction of the Golan Heights.
According to the media activist group Shaam News Network, 12 rockets were launched from various Syrian locations close to the Israeli border. Of these, eight rockets landed inside Syria, while four flew toward the Golan Heights. It was not immediately clear where they landed.
The Golan Heights is under Israeli government control and is considered to be occupied territory by the international community.
US President Joe Biden described the Hamas attack as an "act of sheer evil," and confirmed that 14 Americans were killed while others were heldhostage in Gaza. Between 100 and 150 hostages are believed held in Gaza, an Israeli official said.
Since Saturday, more than 1,000 people have died in Israel, according to Israel Army Radio, and 900 people have died in Gaza, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
As deadly fighting between Israel and Hamas intensifies, so too does a dire humanitarian crisis in the area.
Hundreds have been killed and thousands injured on both sides after Hamas launched unprecedented attacks on Israel on Saturday. Subsequent airstrikes have overwhelmed local hospitals and displaced more than 100,000 people in Gaza, one of the most densely populated areas on Earth.
The intense fighting has also hampered humanitarian relief. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which suffered damage to one of its buildings in Gaza, is calling for the protection of humanitarian workers, civilians, and critical infrastructure. Calling the situation “horrific,” Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is urging restraint after medical facilities have been destroyed in the fighting.
Impact Your World has gathered a list of vetted organizations that are on the ground responding.
More than 1,000 people have been killed in Israel and more than 900 people are dead in Gaza, according to Israel's Army Radio and the Palestinian Health Ministry. Thousands more are injured, according to officials.
On Tuesday, Hamas said it fired "hundreds" of rockets toward the Israeli city of Ashkelon.
Here's where things stand:
Hamas attacks Israel: A huge barrage of rockets were fired from Gaza by Hamas on Ashkelon in “response to the displacement of civilians in Gaza,” a statement on Telegram said. It followed a warning issued to the residents of the southern Israeli city to leave before 5 p.m. local time Tuesday.
Israeli troops massing: Israel is pounding the densely-packed Gaza Strip with airstrikes, especially on the Gaza port, the Israel Defense Forces said. IDF troops were engaged in a firefight with Hamas militants near the town of Mefalsim, which borders the enclave, Tuesday evening local time, multiple IDF troops on the ground told CNN. Tens of thousands of Israeli troops are on the move as the country prepares for a possible ground operation.
Defense minister's warning: Yoav Gallant said he has "released all restraints" on the IDF troops in their fight against Hamas. “Whoever comes to decapitate, murder women, Holocaust survivors — we will eliminate him at the height of our power and without compromise,” the defense minister told soldiers during an inspection of the front line along Israel’s border with Gaza on Tuesday.
One way out: The only border crossing between Gaza and Egypt was struck by Israeli warplanes Tuesday, the spokesperson for the Palestinian Interior Ministry Eyad al-Bozom said. The tightly controlled Rafah crossing is the only one available to Gazans looking to flee. All other crossings out of the territory are shut.
Biden offers support to Israel: US President Joe Biden condemned Saturday's rampage by Hamas, calling it "an act of sheer evil" and said Israel has the right to respond. He pledged that the US would make sure Israel has the tools it needs to defend itself. The US has "enhanced our military force posture" in the region and is surging military assistance to Israel, the president said. Biden also spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday for the third time since the conflict erupted “to discuss our support for Israel,” the White House said.
Foreign nationals killed: At last 14 Americans are among those killed in Israel, Biden said, adding that US citizens are also among those taken hostage by Hamas.Eight French citizens have been confirmed dead and 20 others are missing, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said. The Canadian government says it is aware of reports that one Canadian was killed and three others are missing.
More on victims: Israeli-American Roey Weiser was killed during Saturday’s attack, his mother, Naomi Feifer-Weiser told CNN. Weiser was a sergeant who served in the 13th Battalion of the Golani Brigade and was stationed at the Kerem Shalom border crossing, his mother said. Read more about the victims.
Flights out of Israel: The US State Department said it has "been in conversation" with various airlines to "encourage them to consider resuming travel in and out of Israel" so that people can leave. German airline Lufthansa will operate several special flights on Thursday and Friday to evacuate German citizens, the country's foreign office said. The French government is also in contact with Air France to organize a special flight Thursday to evacuate French citizens, according to the foreign minister.
Flames and smoke rise after an Israeli airstrike in Khan Yunis, Gaza, on Wednesday. Abed Rahim Khatib/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Intense airstrikes hit residential areas in the eastern part of Jabalia and the Qizan al-Najjar region in Khan Yunis, Gaza, the Palestinian Ministry of Interior Affairs said.
The attacks targeted civilians' homes and roads and resulted in “direct injuries among citizens,” the ministry said in a statement.
More than 900 people have died in Gaza and thousands more have been injured since Israeli airstrikes began on Saturday, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
The Israel Defense Forces have not yet commented on the latest strikes.
Officials with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) said Tuesday four of its employees have died as a result of airstrikes on Gaza.
At least 14 of their facilities in Gaza have been damaged directly or indirectly, UNRWA Director of Communications Juliette Touma told UN News.
The agency has been unable to bring any aid into the Gaza Strip since Saturday, Touma said.
UNRWA hosts 170,000 people in more than 80 schools and other facilities throughout Gaza. As schools reach their capacity, people have been forced to seek shelter in health care facilities, Touma said.
UNRWA headquarters were subjected to collateral damage on Tuesday morning due to airstrikes in the surrounding neighborhoods, she said. Some of UNRWA’s employees were taking shelter in the same compound in a nearby building during the strikes, she said.
Smoke rises after Israeli strikes on the seaport of Gaza City on Tuesday. Mohammed Salem/Reuters
Dozens of fighter jets struck more than 70 targets in the Daraja Tuffah area of the Gaza Strip early Wednesday local time, according to the Israel Defense Forces.
Israel is hammering Gaza with airstrikes, hitting hundreds of targets and reducing neighborhoods to rubble, as new atrocities are uncovered in its territory after a devastating surprise attack by Hamas militants. Hamas sent fighters pouring into Israeli territory on Saturday. More than 1,000 people were killed in Israel and thousands more injured in the onslaught, according to the IDF.
"A short while ago, dozens of fighter jets struck over 70 targets in the Daraj Tuffah area," the IDF said on Telegram, describing it as a location "where a large number of terror attacks against Israel are directed." "Furthermore, terror infrastructure used by the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization was also struck," it said.
CNN previously reported Israel, which has formally declared war on Hamas, is now battering the densely inhabited strip with airstrikes that have killed at least 900 people, including hundreds of children, women, and entire families, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. Thousands more have been injured, it said.
The death toll in the West Bank since Saturday has now risen to 21 killed and 130 injured, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Ramallah.
The West Bank is led by the Palestinian Authority. The Fatah party, a rival faction to Hamas, is the political backbone of the Palestinian Authority.
The deaths occurred in clashes due to Israeli “aggression” and many of the victims were shot, the ministry said.
Clashes erupted in several parts of the occupied West Bank amid a closure that was imposed by the Israeli army following Hamas' attack in southern Israel Saturday morning.
Israel’s defense minister said he has “released all restraints” on the Israel Defense Forces' troops in their fight against Hamas.
“Whoever comes to decapitate, murder women, Holocaust survivors — we will eliminate him at the height of our power and without compromise,” Yoav Gallant told soldiers during an inspection of the front line along Israel’s border with the Gaza Strip on Tuesday.
“Hamas wanted a change in Gaza, it will change 180 degrees from what he thought. They will regret this moment. Gaza will never return to what it was,” Gallant said, calling Hamas the "ISIS of Gaza."
The minister visited the IDF’s Gaza division headquarters in the Re’im military base. He also spoke to Shaldag fighters, paratroopers and soldiers at kibbutz Be'eri, one of the sites Hamas first targeted over the weekend.
“We will be back here, in Be'eri, in a few months, and the situation will be different. We will settle the kibbutz to the last meter, and what happened in Gaza will not happen,” Gallant said.
Airstrikes have beenIsrael’s primary retaliation measure so far in Gaza, with jets repeatedly pounding the heavily populated 140 square mile coastal strip, turning multiple buildings to rubble, displacing tens of thousands of people and sending waves of injured Palestinians to overwhelmed hospitals.
The streets of Ashdod have been deserted since Hamas launched its surprise attack on Saturday morning.
But the unmistakable sounds of the war are constant in this Israeli city, about 35 kilometers (20 miles) north of Gaza.
An intense and near continuous thunder of explosions has been heard from the Gaza Strip for more than 48 hours now. At the same time, rockets are being launched from Gaza.
When that happens, the sirens go off, giving residents about 45 seconds to find a shelter. Most of the buildings in Ashdod were built in the 1990s, during the city’s huge expansion following a wave of immigration from the Soviet Union. That means most apartments are equipped with shelters — a requirement for all buildings built here after 1993.
The vast majority of restaurants and cafes are shut, the sprawling beaches are closed and most people are staying inside.
For days now, the city has seen a heavy military presence and tensions are running high. At one point on Tuesday evening, about two dozen soldiers could be seen running outside and spending about 15 minutes patrolling a street in the city center before returning to one of the hotels that have become their hub.
Rockets were launched from Syria into Israeli territory, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Tuesday.
The rockets landed in open areas, the IDF said.
The IDF did not immediately provide details on damage or injuries.
A Syrian eyewitness, who spoke to CNN on the condition of anonymity for security reasons, said three rockets were launched in the direction of the Golan Heights.
According to the media activist group Shaam News Network, 12 rockets were launched from various Syrian locations close to the Israeli border. Of these, eight rockets landed inside Syria, while four flew toward the Golan Heights. It was not immediately clear where they landed.
The Golan Heights is under Israeli government control and is considered to be occupied territory by the international community.
