Israel Latest: Death Toll From Oct. 7 Attack Reduced to 1,200
(Bloomberg) -- Israel revised down its death toll from the Hamas attack on Oct. 7 that set off the latest crisis, putting the figure at about 1,200 instead of the earlier 1,400, after finding that some of the casualties belonged to fighters from the group.
Most Read from Bloomberg
China Weighs Ending Freeze on Boeing With 737 Max Deal in US
Iceland Girds for Volcanic Eruption That Could Wipe Out Town
Sunak Fires Braverman and Names David Cameron Foreign Secretary
Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley Diverge on Fed Rate-Cut Forecasts
Israeli forces Friday closed in on Gaza City’s main hospital, which they’ve said hides a Hamas command center in tunnels below.
Dozens of people were killed and wounded by an Israeli strike on parts of the Al Shifa medical complex, Palestinian Authority radio reported. According to the Gaza Health Ministry, the death toll in Gaza since the war began on Oct. 7 now exceeds 11,000 people, including 4,506 children. The agency is run by Hamas, which the US and EU have designated a terrorist group.
Israel is providing “quick humanitarian windows” to allow people to flee northern Gaza while the military fights Hamas militants, IDF spokesperson Jonathan Conricus said.
For more stories on the Israel-Hamas war, click here.
Israel Revises Down Death Toll in Oct. 7 Attack (9:45 p.m.)
Israel’s Foreign Ministry revised down its death toll from the Oct. 7 attack to 1,200 from the 1,400 reported earlier, according to spokesman Lior Haiat.
The change came as Israel identified more of the bodies found after the attack and believes some of them belong to Hamas fighters, he told AFP.
‘Much More Needs to Be Done’ to Protect Gaza Civilians, Blinken Says (7:51 p.m.)
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stepped up pressure on Israel to do more to reduce civilian deaths in the assault on Gaza.
“Much more needs to be done to protect civilians and to make sure that humanitarian assistance reaches them,” he told reporters in New Delhi. “Far too many Palestinians have been killed.”
Earlier in the week, a senior US official said the death toll in Gaza may be higher than the figures cited by the Hamas-controlled health ministry there, but didn’t provide a specific estimate.
Israel strikes Hezbollah Targets in Lebanon Following Drone Attack (7:49 p.m.)
The Israel Defense Force attacked Hezbollah targets in Lebanon after missile and drone assaults from Lebanese territory.
Two Israeli soldiers were injured in the drone attack, while three were seriously hurt by an anti-tank missile strike in the Menara area, the IDF said.
UN Says Staff Death Toll Surpasses 100, Largest Ever (7:05 p.m.)
The number of United Nations workers killed in the month since the war started has now reached 101, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees said Friday. At least 27 staff have been injured.
That marks the highest number of UN aid workers killed in a conflict in the history of the organization.
Qatari Emir, Saudi Crown Prince Meet to Discuss Crisis (6:53 p.m.)
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman met the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, in Riyadh Friday to discuss the situation in Gaza, state-run agencies from both countries said.
The two discussed “efforts to cease aggression on Gaza, the protection of civilians, and the urgent delivery of aid,” Qatar’s Amiri Diwan reported. Qatar has emerged as a key intermediary with Hamas in efforts to negotiate the release of the more than 200 hostages the group took during its Oct. 7 raid on Israel.
Gaza Health System at ‘Point of No Return,’ Red Cross Says (6:07 p.m.)
The health system in Gaza “has reached a point of no return risking the lives of thousands of wounded, sick and displaced people,” the International Committee of the Red Cross said in a website statement.
The Al Shifa medical complex now hosts “thousands of displaced families,” the group said, warning that “any military operation around hospitals must consider the presence of civilians, who are protected under international humanitarian law.”
Hezbollah Attacks Israeli Sites with Drones (4:44 p.m.)
Hezbollah said it attacked three sites in northern Israel with drones. Israel said it intercepted one of the aircraft and the other two fell without hitting targets.
The attack was the latest from Lebanon across the border into northern Israel by the Iran-backed group.
Israeli Forces Close in on Gaza Hospital Area (4:05 p.m.)
Israeli forces are closing in on Gaza City’s main hospital, which they’ve said they want to take control of because there’s a Hamas command center located in tunnels underneath it.
Hamas said Israel’s troops and tanks were in the vicinity of Al Shifa and other hospitals. Palestinian television showed footage of dozens of people fleeing Al Shifa on foot. Thousands have taken shelter there since the conflict began.
None of the reports and claims could be immediately verified by Bloomberg News.
Gaza Death Toll Exceeds 11,000, Health Ministry Says (3:30 p.m.)
More than 11,000 people have been killed in Gaza, including 4,506 children, since the Israel-Hamas war erupted, the Hamas-run Health Ministry reported. Over 27,490 people have been wounded and 2,700 others are reported missing or stuck beneath rubble.
Israel has regularly disputed figures from the ministry, which can’t be independently verified.
Hamas Bans Foreign Passport Holders From Exiting Gaza (3:20 p.m.)
Hamas-run border crossing authority is restricting travel via the Rafah border point to injured Palestinians and is banning Palestinians with dual nationality and foreign passport holders from exiting Gaza, official Hisham Adwan said.
“There is no travel today for foreign and Egyptian passport holders due to a lack of travel coordination for the wounded from Gaza City and the north,” he said. Only five wounded had left by 2:30 p.m.
WHO Says Children With Cancer Evacuated From Gaza (2:50 p.m.)
The World Health Organization said about a dozen children with cancer or other blood disorders were evacuated from Gaza to Egypt and Jordan to continue treatment. The move was coordinated with officials from Israel and the US, and the WHO aims to evacuate more children under the initiative.
The WHO said that safe medical evacuations for critically injured and sick patients into and via Egypt through the Rafah border crossing are essential. It added that cancer services are “severely limited, meaning it is critically urgent to transfer patients outside Gaza.”
Hezbollah Fires Missiles At Israel; IDF Shells Back (12:56 p.m.)
Iran-backed Hezbollah said it launched missiles at Israeli soldiers, the militant group’s Al-Manar TV reported. Israel Defense Forces said that a group launched a number of anti-tank missiles from Lebanon toward an army post in northern Israel. The Israeli army said it responded and struck the source of fire.
Israel Says It Seized Hamas Weapons, Intel Cache, Killed 30 Militants (12:50 p.m.)
The Israeli army said it seized Hamas missiles, mortars, attack drones, and other assets during ground raids in the Gaza Strip, during which 30 militants were killed. In addition, it collected multiple intelligence documents, maps and communication devices, including from the office of the brother of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, the Israel Defense Forces said.
Israeli forces also found “operation and calibration systems for anti-aircraft missiles” and rocket launchers.
Swiss Banks Receive Police Tips on How to Spot Hamas Financing (10:29 a.m.)
Swiss police sent a tip-sheet to several banks and asset managers on how to spot suspicious payments directed to Hamas.
Such payments are “often carried out under the guise of fundraising campaigns for humanitarian aid,” the police says in a letter cited by public broadcaster SRF. The request to send funds via cryptocurrencies or social media should also be a cause for suspicion, according to SRF.
For more, read: Switzerland Says It’s Confident Hamas Not Using Nation’s Banks
Dozens Killed, Injured from Israeli Strike on Gaza Hospital, Palestine Radio Reports (9:33 a.m.)
Dozens were killed and wounded from an Israeli strike on outpatient clinics of Al-Shifa Medical complex in Gaza City, Palestinian Authority radio reports. The casualties include children and women, according to a video published by the radio. The video and report couldn’t be verified by Bloomberg News.
The Israeli military has said that Hamas’s main military headquarters is located underground near Al-Shifa and has told the hospital to evacuate patients. Hospital staff have said they cannot move all the patients.
Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek
Everything Biden and Xi Need From Their Summit—Starting With Each Other
A German Startup Races Google to Develop a Universal Translator
US Veterans Got a Mortgage Break. Now They’re Losing Their Homes
©2023 Bloomberg L.P.
