Israel-Hamas war live: War in Gaza passes two-month mark

At least 21 Palestinians were detained in overnight and pre-dawn raids across the occupied West Bank, according to initial reports by the Palestinian Prisoners Society.

Here’s a breakdown:

• In Hebron, Israeli forces confiscated more than a dozen scrap cars from Beit Ummar town north of the city – often used within villages as they cost less; Israel fears they can be used to carry out attacks, since they are not registered.
• In Bethlehem, at least five Palestinians were detained, in addition to three workers from Gaza.
• At least five other Palestinians were detained from Tulkarem, where Israeli forces raided the city with bulldozers destroying infrastructure in and around Nour Shams and Tulkarem refugee camps.
• Three Palestinians were detained from Nablus’ old city a short while ago, during yet another raid.
• A print shop was closed in downtown Ramallah after its contents were confiscated during a pre-dawn raid.

The leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) have released a statement in which they express concern over the devastating impact that the war is having on the Palestinian civilian population in Gaza.

Here are some of the key points:

• More effective action must also be taken to prevent the displacement of additional people and protect civilian infrastructure.
• Every effort must be made to ensure unhindered and continued humanitarian assistance for civilians, including food, water, medical care, fuel and shelter, and access for humanitarian workers.
• The population is increasingly vulnerable, and with winter approaching, we must continue to increase the flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza to meet fully the needs on the ground, including by opening additional crossings.

Palestinians have been experiencing the worst of living conditions under heavy Israeli bombardment since day one of the war.

We are talking about a carpet bombardment of entire neighbourhoods and residential blocks.

A large number of critically injured Palestinians overwhelmed their hospitals with this extreme shortage of medical supplies and necessities to keep them surviving. There is a serious lack of everything that Palestinians need to survive.

So far, the mood of these more than 60 days has been death, destruction and displacement.

We’re talking about more than 60 days of constant movement and running for their lives from one place to another, from the extreme northern part of the Gazan City of Beit Hanoon to the extreme south by Rafah, where many people are being packed and squeezed.

Two months ago, Israel declared war on Hamas after its deadly attack on October 7. Here is a quick recap of key developments:

• On October 7, Hamas fighters launched an unprecedented assault into Israel, killing at least 1,147 people, including 320 Israeli soldiers and 59 policemen. About 240 people were taken captive.
• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared war with the promise to destroy Hamas’s military and governmental capabilities and to return all hostages.
• A day later, Israel imposed a total blockade on Gaza, including a ban on admission of food, electricity and fuel.
• Weeks of intensive and indiscriminate bombing followed, destroying entire neighbourhoods in Gaza.
• At the end of October, Israel unleashed its second phase of the war by starting a ground operation in northern Gaza.
• On November 24, a weeklong truce mediated by Qatar took effect. It resulted in the release of more than 100 captives in exchange for at least 240 Palestinians who were held in Israeli prisons.
• Israeli air strikes resumed with renewed intensity on Friday following the collapse of the truce.
• Since then, Israeli troops have expanded their military operations to the south of Gaza with its troops now pressing deeper into Khan Younis.
• Overall, Israeli forces have killed more than 16,000 people, including at least 7,000 children. More than 1.9 million people have been forcefully displaced.

Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud, reporting from Rafah in the Gaza Strip, said on Thursday that despite Israeli orders for people from central Gaza and Khan Younis to evacuate to the city for safety, the city experienced heavy shelling overnight.

The Israeli army “ordered with a threatening tone to move to Rafah because it is safe, but as of last night overnight … at least five residential homes were targeted and destroyed. And we’re talking about a large number of people who were killed,” he said.

“[These strikes] are not concentrated in one area of Rafah … multiple locations were targeted, just sending waves of fear and concern that confirm what people have talked about and expressed before – there is literally no safe place in the Gaza Strip, including the areas Israel designated as safe.”