More than 700 Palestinian children reportedly killed in Gaza, UNICEF says
From CNN's Lauren Kent
Black smoke rises after an Israeli airstrike in Gaza on Saturday. Ali Jadallah/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
More than 700 children have been killed in Gaza and another 2,450 have been injured since last Saturday, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund, citing local sources.
"According to the latest reports by local health authorities and media, at least 2,215 Palestinians were reportedly killed, including over 700 children, and more than 8,714 people wounded, including more than 2,450 children," UNICEF spokeswoman Sara Al Hattab told CNN on Saturday.
The Saturday figures are an update to UNICEF's Friday statement, which said “hundreds & hundreds of children have been killed and injured,” noting the number rises every hour.
"The killing of children must stop," UNICEF spokesperson James Elder said. "The images and stories are clear: children with horrendous burns, mortar wounds, and lost limbs. And hospitals are utterly overwhelmed to treat them."
Elder joined calls from the international community saying, “Israeli children being held hostage in Gaza must be safely and immediately reunited with their families and loved ones.”
Previous reporting from CNN's James Frater
11:27 a.m. ET, October 14, 2023
Hospitals in Gaza losing “clinical, pharmaceutical, and fuel capacities,” Palestinian Ministry of Health says
From CNN’s Sana Noor Haq, Catherine Nicholls, Pauline Lockwood, Eyad Kourdi and Jessie Gretener
A man carries a body to an ice cream truck due to the insufficiency of hospital morgues at the Suheda al-Aqsa Hospital in Gaza on Saturday. Ashraf Amra/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Hospitals in Gaza are facing unprecedented challenges as they struggle to manage the influx of casualties from the ongoing conflict, forcing the treatment of some patients in hallways and hospital courtyards.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health said Saturday Gaza hospitals have “started to lose their clinical, pharmaceutical, and fuel capacities,” the Palestinian Ministry of Health said Saturday.
Dr. Ashraf Alqudera, spokesperson for the ministry in the Gaza Strip, said health facilities in the area have been "targeted," noting medical crews still "did not leave their positions."
“We have a moral and human responsibility to treat the wounded and sick under all circumstances,” Alqudera said. “We appeal to all parties to speed up the entrance of medical supplies to hospitals before it's too late.”
At al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al Balah, Gaza, the hospital is on the brink of a medical crisis due to power outages, relying on a generator with only one to two days of fuel left, according to the director of the syndicate of nurses, Dr. Khalil al-Dekran. Without electricity, all emergency room and surgical operations will halt.
More than 1,300 individuals have been injured, and 350 — including elders and children lost their lives. Notably, a significant number of the injured "sustained head wounds" al-Dekran said in a video message sent to CNN on Saturday from the hospital.
Further complicating the medical situation, al-Dekran echoed Alqudera's claim, saying ambulances are being targeted by Israeli airstrikes, hampering the efforts to transfer patients between medical facilities.
CNN cannot independently confirm allegations the Israel Defense Forces are intentionally targeting ambulances in Gaza. CNN has reached out to the IDF for comments.
11:25 a.m. ET, October 14, 2023
Blinken arrives in the United Arab Emirates as part of multinational diplomatic trip
From CNN’s Jennifer Hansler
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrives in Abu Dhabi on Saturday. Jacquelyn Martin/Pool/AFP/Getty Images
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has arrived in the United Arab Emirates — his fifth stop in an intensive multinational trip aimed at stopping the war in Israel from expanding further.
The top US diplomat started his day in Saudi Arabia, where he met with the Saudi foreign minister and spoke of protecting civilians and stopping the conflict. He is scheduled to meet with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi.
On Friday, Blinken was in Jordan, Qatar and Bahrain before arriving in Riyadh. He was in Israel on Thursday, and he is slated to stop in Egypt Sunday before returning to the US.
4:00 p.m. ET, October 14, 2023
US and other foreign nationals have not been able to enter Egypt from Gaza today, local media says
From CNN's Celine Alkhaldi, Magdy Samaan and Nadeen Ebrahim
Egyptian authorities are not allowing US nationals and citizens of other countries to enter Egypt through the Rafah border crossing on Saturday, insisting that the crossing must also facilitate humanitarian aid to Gaza, according to Alqahera News, a local Egyptian news channel.
"Egyptian authorities have rejected the idea of using the Rafah crossing only for foreigners. They added that the Egyptian position is clear, and that it requires the facilitation of the entry and passage of aid to the Gaza Strip," Alqahera News said, quoting Egyptian sources.
Alqahera News is owned by Egypt's United Media Services and is linked to the government.
This comes after the US State Department sent guidance to Palestinian-Americans in Gaza saying that the Rafah border crossing "may be open" on Saturday afternoon.
CNN has reached out to Egyptian officials for comment.
A Palestinian border official told CNN Saturday morning that concrete slabs were being placed at the Rafah crossing, blocking all gates. The slabs were being placed by a winch visible on the Egyptian side of the crossing, the official told CNN.
“Hundreds of Palestinians with foreign passports flocked to the Rafah border crossing Saturday and have been sat in the streets for hours, waiting to cross,” the official said. “The gates are closed, and no one is being let through." “Unfortunately, the crossing is closed. There is no crossing for any traveler or any holder of Arab or foreign residency or otherwise,” the Palestinian border official told CNN.
There are an estimated 500-600 Palestinian-Americans in Gaza.
A senior State Department official said earlier that the US is in touch with some of them, but did not say how many had reached out for assistance to leave. The official also said the situation at the border crossing is ever-changing.
CNN’s Yahya Abou-Ghazala contributed reporting to this post.
10:43 a.m. ET, October 14, 2023
Israel's 6-hour window for Palestinians to flee Gaza City has ended. Here's what we know
From CNN staff
Residents prepare to evacuate Gaza City, on Saturday, October 14. Mohammed Saber/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
A six-hour window issued by the Israeli military warning Palestinian civilians to finish evacuating from Gaza City to the southern part of the strip ended at 4 p.m. local time (9 a.m. ET) on Saturday.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) told residents to move toward the Gaza Valley, in a message posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. It is unclear how widely the messaging has been received on the ground given the current electricity and internet blackout.
The advisory from the Israeli military came a day after it told 1.1 million people living in northern Gaza to evacuate their homes.
The IDF has saturated the border with troops and military equipment amid a relentless onslaught on the territory, in retaliation to a large-scale incursion by the militant group Hamas on October 7.
Earlier on Saturday, IDF spokesperson Lt. Col. Richard Hecht said Israel's air, land and sea blockade on Gaza will continue into a seventh day.
“We are preparing for the next stages," he added, but shared no information if that could be a ground incursion and when.
What we know: The IDF's Arabic spokesperson, Avishay Adraee, said the military will permit safe movement on specified streets between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. local time (3 to 9 a.m. ET). Residents were advised to use this window to move southward from Beit Hanoun to Khan Yunis. Additionally, residents of the Al-Shate, Al-Rimal and West Al-Zaytoun areas are “permitted to move” along Daldul and Al-Sana streets towards Salah Al-Din and Al-Bahr streets, Adraee said.
Communications blackout: Israel launched a complete blockade on food, fuel and water entering Gaza on Monday. Human Rights Watch (HRW) criticized Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant’s call for a complete siege on Monday as a form of “collective punishment” and a “war crime.” Thinning electricity supplies have severely damaged communication along the strip. In an interview with CNN, IDF Spokesperson, Maj. (Res.) Doron Spielman said the IDF is dropping leaflets about the new safe passages, given most people in Gaza City don’t have internet access now. However, CNN has talked to a United Nations Relief and Works Agency school official, a paramedic and a journalist on the ground who were all unaware of this latest advisory.
Explosion rocks evacuation route: CNN has geolocated and authenticated five videos from the scene of a large explosion along an evacuation route for civilians south of Gaza City. The videos show many dead bodies amid a scene of extensive destruction. Some of those bodies are on a flat-bed trailer that appears to have been used to carry people away from Gaza City. They include at least several children. There are also a number of badly burned and damaged cars. It is unclear what caused the widespread devastation; the explosion occurred on Salah Al-Deen street on Friday afternoon. CNN has reached out to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) for comment on any airstrikes in the same location.
Evacuees killed: Hamas media office told CNN Israeli military airstrikes killed 70 and injured 200 evacuees in Gaza. The airstrikes hit evacuees at three locations: Salah Al-Din street, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin street, and near Wadi Gaza, Hamas said. Earlier, the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza confirmed that “large numbers” of dead and injured people, including women and children, arrived at Al-Shifa' Hospital—located in Al-Rimal neighborhood —after they were shelled on their way from northern Gaza to the south.
UN shelters forced to relocate: The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) was forced to move its central operations from Gaza City to a location in southern Gaza following the Israeli evacuation warning issued on Friday. The agency warned that water is now "also running out" at its new location, as thousands of displaced civilians from northern Gaza continue to arrive.
"War crime": On Friday, the Norwegian Refugee Council said Israel's advisory for 1.1 million people living in northern Gaza to evacuate their homes – ahead of a potential ground invasion – would "amount to the war crime of forcible transfer." The relocation advisory "must be reversed," the Secretary General of the council Jan Egeland added. Egeland called Western and Arab Nations “who have influence over the Israeli political and military leadership” to “demand that the illegal and impossible order to relocate is immediately rescinded.”
Sign up for CNN’s Meanwhile in the Middle East, a three-times-a-week newsletter that explores the region’s biggest stories.
9:56 a.m. ET, October 14, 2023
Hezbollah says it attacked Israeli positions in disputed territory near Lebanese border on Saturday
From CNN's Tamara Qiblawi and Sarah El Sirgany in southern Lebanon and Niamh Kennedy in London
A picture taken from the Lebanese town of Marjayoun shows smoke billowing in the disputed border area of Shebaa Farms on Saturday. Joseph Eid/AFP/Getty Images
Lebanese militant group Hezbollah said it launched an attack on Israeli positions in the Shebaa farms, a disputed strip of land between Lebanon and Syria adjoining the Golan Heights, under Israeli control, on Saturday.
"At 3:15 pm on Saturday, October 14, 2023, groups from the Islamic Resistance (read Hezbollah) attacked Zionist positions in the Occupied Lebanese Shebaa farms," the statement said.
Hezbollah said it launched precision-guided missiles and mortar rounds on the positions in al-Radar, Rousiyat al-Alam, al-Samaqa, Zibdeen and Ramtha.
The Shebaa farms area is claimed by both Lebanon and Israel. A CNN team present in southern Lebanon reported the shelling on air, with CNN correspondent Ben Wedeman describing the incident as "the longest and most prolonged shelling since we have been here."
The CNN producer on the ground said the shelling had been going on for over one hour and was still ongoing as of 9.20 a.m. ET.
In its statement, Hezbollah described the attacks as "precise and direct hits."
9:33 a.m. ET, October 14, 2023
Mourners gather for funeral of Reuters journalist killed in southern Lebanon
From CNN's Sarah Diab and Sana Noor Haq
People mourn at the funeral ceremony of Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah in Khiam, Lebanon, on October 14. Houssam Shbaro/Anadolu/Getty Images
Mourners on Saturday congregated for the funeral of Issam Abdallah, in Khiam, in southern Lebanon, who was killed after Israel fired artillery into the area where he and other journalists were gathered on Friday.
The assault injured at least six others. The journalists were wearing press-labeled jackets at the time of the attack.
Images emerged of funeral attendees paying their respects while crouching over Abdallah's coffin, where people had placed red roses.
Condolences for his relatives and loved ones poured in.
On Friday, the United Nations' Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said his death "demonstrates the enormous risk of spillover of this conflict."
"I want to pay tribute to the journalists that so many, unfortunately, the largest number ever last year, so many journalists are paying with their lives," Guterres told reporters, according to Reuters.
"The work they do, to bring truth to everybody in the world and I present to their families my deepest condolences."
People attend Abdallah’s funeral ceremony in Khiam, Lebanon, on October 14. Houssam Shbaro/Anadolu/Getty Images
10:04 a.m. ET, October 14, 2023
Israel warns anyone approaching Gaza border they will be shot
From CNN’s Akanksha Sharma, Sophie Jeong and Tim Lister
Israeli soldiers and armored vehicles are stationed in Ashkelon, Israel, near the Gaza border, on October 14. Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu/Getty Images
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it has been conducting "small raids" near Gaza, issuing a stark warning that "anyone coming near the border will be shot."
IDF spokesman Lt. Col. Richard Hecht said the military is "preparing for the next stages," but he shared no more information.
Israel has flooded the border with hundreds of thousands of troops and military equipment, as it ramps up its siege on Gaza. However, it is not clear what kind of operation the IDF is preparing for, or when it might take place.
Two people were killed “approaching” the border security fence which the Israeli military is still working on securing, Hecht said. He did not give any further details about whether they were civilians or armed.
8:13 a.m. ET, October 14, 2023
IDF says it is aware of the "incident" with Reuters journalist who was killed in southern Lebanon
From CNN’s Akanksha Sharma, Sophie Jeong and Tim Lister
Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah takes a selfie while working in Maras, Turkey, on February 11. Issam Abdallah/Reuters
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Saturday it was looking into the “incident with [a] Reuters journalist” killed in southern Lebanon.
Reuters videographer Issam Abdallah was killed when Israel fired artillery into the area where he and and other journalists were gathered on Friday, which left at least six others wounded. The journalists were wearing press-labeled jackets at the time of the attack.
Without naming Abdallah, IDF spokesman Lt. Col. Richard Hecht said on Saturday his death is “a tragic thing,” which they are “very sorry for,” but did not admit it was an Israeli strike that took his life. He added that they have “visuals” of the incident and are cross examining them.
Journalists from international news organizations Al Jazeera, Agence France Presse, and Reuters were among the victims of the incident, which marks one of the worst press catastrophes yet to emerge from Israel’s war against Hamas.
CNN's Tamara Qiblawi, Sarah El Sirgany, Gianluca Mezzofiore, Allegra Goodwin and AnneClaire Stapleton contributed reporting.
