Israeli opposition party chiefs have called for Benjamin Netanyahu to quit due to his handling of the conflict with Hamas.
Yair Lapid, the leader of the centrist Yesh Atid party, has slammed Mr Netanyahu over what he said was his failure to handle the renewed conflict with the group following October 7.
Mr Lapid has called for a “national reconstruction government” to serve in his place, which he said could still be led by Mr Netanyahu’s party Likud, which won the majority in 2020 and 2021 before Mr Netanyahu became prime minister in 2022.
He praised Israeli armed forces and civilians for their resilience, but said there was a “weak link” in the national leadership, “especially the prime minister”.
He also warned there is “no more time” after people have waited for 40 days for results.
He added: “I hear the voices saying this is not the time. We waited 40 days, there is no more time.
“What we need right now is a government that will deal with nothing but security and the economy.”
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KEY EVENTS
UN panel finds ‘increasing evidence of increasing genocidal incitement’
A United Nations panel has said there is “evidence of increasing genocidal incitement” against Palestinians on Israel’s part.
A group of experts, among them several UN special rapporteurs, said they were “deeply disturbed” by the failure of governments to heed warnings about the state of Gaza.
And they accused Israel of committing “grave violations” of international law.
The statement read: “We are deeply disturbed by the failure of governments to heed our call and to achieve an immediate ceasefire.
“We are also profoundly concerned about the support of certain governments for Israel’s strategy of warfare against the besieged population of Gaza, and the failure of the international system to mobilise to prevent genocide.”
Inside massive Hamas weapons store as Israel ‘strikes terrorists’
Israel Defence Forces (IDF) released a series of photographs this morning purportedly showing a huge Hamas weapons cache recovered from Gaza.
The Israeli military claimed to have found the stash after it took control of the Shati refugee camp, a site near the Palestinian capital.
The IDF said it had recovered a “naval cache” containing gear potentially used for carrying out an underwater attack.
The service said in a statement: “Hamas naval forces weapons cache containing diving gear, explosive devices and weapons.”
IDF troops also uncovered a selection of additional items, the statement added, including intelligence documents.
The statement concluded: “IDF troops also struck terrorists and located weapons including explosive belts, explosive barrels, RPGs, anti-tank missiles, comms equipment, and intelligence documents.”
The pictures posted by the IDF and accompanying claims are yet to be independently verified.
Areas covered by November 16 ‘tactical pause’
The IDF will implement a four-hour “tactical pause” today that will allow civilians living in northern Gaza to evacuate south.
The pauses – a product of recent discussions with the US – lasted from 10am to 2pm (8am to 12pm GMT) today.
They cover the neighbourhoods of Shuja’iyya and Turkmen.
While the ceasefire remains in effect, people have been asked to move south via the Salah al Din route.
Evacuation orders will remain open until after the ceasefire expires, until 4pm (2pm GMT).
The evacuation orders will stay in place for seven areas: Tal al Hawa, al Sabra, al Zeitoun, al Gharbi, Darj al Tuffah, al Shuja’iyya and Jabalia.
UN chief warns of ‘massive’ outbreak of disease in Gaza
Outbreaks of disease and hunger in Gaza appear “inevitable”, the chief of the United Nations’ (UN) humanitarian chief has said.
Volker Turk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said depleted fuel and food supplies would leave Gaza Strip residents vulnerable to “massive” disease outbreaks.
Dwindling fuel has had a “catastrophic” impact, he said, and he fears “massive outbreaks of infectious disease, and hunger, seem inevitable”.
Mr Turk was echoing concerns voiced by the World Health Organisation (WHO), which has noted “worrying trends” in disease across Gaza.
A large number of cases of diarrhoeal disease, a gastrointestinal infection, have been detected since the latest conflict began.
Additional pictures of Hamas weapons cache
Additional pictures from the IDF show the extent of the weapons cache recovered in Gaza this week.
Photos show ammunition clips, gas masks and what appear to be explosives.
Moment government building is blown up as Israel warns ‘no hiding’
Dramatic footage has shown the moment Israeli forces blew up a government building in Gaza after warning Hamas there is “no hiding” from the state’s forces.
The video, taken during a daytime raid on a building in Palestine, shows a white building poking out of a sandy landscape bursting into flames and throwing up a cloud of dense, grey dust.
The raid shows Israel’s continued advancement into Gaza as its forces attempt to root out Hamas militants responsible for carrying out the deadly October 7 attacks.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned the organisation – which also governs the Gaza Strip – there is “no hiding” from troops during the retaliatory strikes.
He warned in a speech earlier this week that there is “no place in Gaza” Israel wouldn’t reach as it continues to make inroads in Palestine.
Mr Netanyahu said: “They told us we wouldn’t reach the outskirts of Gaza City and we did, they told us we wouldn’t enter Al-Shifa (hospital) and we did. There is no place in Gaza that we won’t reach.”
Gaza: Israeli forces destroy Palestinian government building
Israel claims to hit Hamas leader’s home in Gaza
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) claims to have hit the home of the head of Hamas’ political bureau.
In a post on Telegram this morning, the group said it had struck the home of Ismail Haniyeh, considered to be the group’s militant leader.
Haniyeh has lived in Qatar for several years, but the IDF said his home was being “used as terrorist infrastructure and often served as a meeting point for Hamas’s senior leaders”.
The Israeli forces also claimed to have “located and destroyed a Hamas naval forces weapons cache, containing diving gear, explosive devices and weapons”.
And they “struck terrorists and located weapons including explosive belts, explosive barrels, RPGS, anti-tank missiles, comms equipment and intelligence documents”.
The IDF claims are yet to be independently verified.
Israeli police kill three following Jerusalem attack
Israeli police said security forces killed three people following a shooting attack near Jerusalem.
Three people were killed following the attack at the Tunnels checkpoint, police said in a statement, after attackers emerged from a vehicle and opened fire.
The statement said they “suspicious vehicle, and opened fire towards our forces”.
Israeli officials added that seven people were wounded following the attack.
Iran to continue supporting Hamas without direct intervention in conflict
Iran has said it will continue to support Hamas without directly interfering in the group’s conflict with Israel.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told the group’s leader in Tehran during a face-to-face meeting that his country would not enter war with Israel.
But his administration would lend the group its political and moral support, three Iranian and Hamas officials with knowledge of the discussions have said.
The supreme leader told Ismail Haniyeh to silence voices calling for his nation to join the fray alongside Hezbollah.
Good morning
Good morning from London, I’m Liam Doyle. I’ll be bringing you all the latest developments on the Israel-Hamas conflict. Please feel free to get in touch with me as I work if you have a story or tips to share.
Email: [email protected]
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