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UN calls for 'humanitarian truce' in Gaza as Israel expands activity in the territory: live updates

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The Israeli military says its ground forces will expand their activities in Friday night. The announcement came hours after Israeli forces conducted a second ground raid in as many days and after Israel's defence minister said the country expects to launch a long and difficult ground invasion of the Hamas-ruled territory.

The development also came after communication services in the Gaza Strip were cut, following a heavy round of Israeli airstrikes that lit up the night sky over the darkened territory. Later in the day, the UN General Assembly called for a "humanitarian truce" in Gaza.

The Palestinian death toll passed 7,300 as Israel launched waves of airstrikes in response to the bloody Hamas rampage in southern Israel on Oct. 7. The Health Ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza, which tracks the toll, released a detailed list, including names and ID numbers on Thursday. In the occupied West Bank, more than 110 Palestinians have been killed in violence and Israeli raids since the war's start three weeks ago.

More than 1,400 people in Israel have been killed, mostly civilians slain during the initial Hamas attack. In addition, 229 people -- including foreigners, children and older adults -- were taken by Hamas during the incursion and remain in captivity in Gaza. Four hostages were released earlier.

Here's what's happening in the latest Israel-Hamas war:

NYC PROTESTERS DEMAND GAZA CEASEFIRE, MANY ARRESTED AFTER FILLING GRAND CENTRAL TRAIN STATION

NEW YORK -- Hundreds of protesters in black T-shirts filled New York City's iconic Grand Central Terminal during the evening rush hour on Friday to demand a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war.

Many of the protesters were detained by police and taken out of the station, their hands zip tied behind their backs, according to video posted on social media by protest organizers. The NYPD could not immediately say how many were taken into custody.

"Hundreds of Jews and friends are taking over Grand Central Station in a historic sit-in calling for a ceasefire," advocacy group Jewish Voice for Peace said on social media.

Inside the main concourse, protesters wearing shirts that read "ceasefire now" and "not in our name" chanted, with some holding banners in front of the list of departure times. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority asked commuters to use Penn Station as an alternative.

The scene echoed last week's sit-in where more than 300 people were arrested for illegally demonstrating on Capitol Hill in Washington.

EXPLOSIONS SHATTER THE NIGHT SKY OVER GAZA AS ISRAEL EXPANDS BOMBING

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip -- The dull orange glow of Israeli flares shone in the night sky over Gaza, slowly descending through the haze to illuminate targets for warplanes before eventually flickering out, plunging the scene back into darkness.

Multiple explosions from Israeli airstrikes tore into northern Gaza on Friday, quick flashes of bright orange silhouetted against the rooftops of Palestinian apartments and refugee camps. The sharp crunching sound of the bombs followed each time, seconds later, one after another.

Overhead, the buzz of Israeli military drones cut through, growing quieter and louder as the crafts circled the airspace overhead.

For most Palestinians trapped in the Gaza Strip, their world has shrunk to these few sounds and colours.

Israel dramatically ramped up its bombardment Friday after knocking out internet and communication in Gaza, largely cutting off the tiny besieged enclave's 2.3 million people from contact with each other and the outside world.

UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY CALLS FOR 'HUMANITARIAN TRUCE' IN GAZA LEADING TO HALT IN ISRAEL-HAMAS FIGHTING

UNITED NATIONS -- The UN General Assembly approved a nonbinding resolution on Friday calling for a "humanitarian truce" in Gaza leading to a cessation of hostilities between Israel and Gaza's Hamas rulers.

It was the first UN response to Hamas' surprise Oct. 7 attacks on Israel and Israel's ongoing military response and vow to obliterate Hamas.

The 193-member world body adopted the resolution by a vote of 120-14 with 45 abstentions after rejecting a Canadian amendment backed by the United States to unequivocally condemn the "terrorist attacks" by Hamas and demand the immediate release of hostages taken by the militant group.

GAZA'S LARGEST HOSPITAL STRUGGLES TO KEEP ITS NEONATAL UNITS RUNNING AS ISRAEL TIGHTENS SEIGE

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip -- Premature babies wiggle and squirm, some with oxygen tubes under their noses, in rows of clear plastic incubators inside the neonatal unit of Gaza's largest hospital, which, like the rest of the besieged Palestinian territory, is running out of fuel, food, water and electricity.

Doctors in Gaza say conditions have reached catastrophic levels. They say a lack of basic supplies has left them struggling to maintain hygiene and sanitation, and hospital grounds are overcrowded with displaced civilians seeking refuge from Israeli airstrikes.

"We have noticed an increase in premature birth cases," said Dr. Nasser Bulbul, head of the NICU at al-Shifa Hospital.

"We had to perform a premature delivery of the fetus from the mother's womb while she's dying," he said. "Many of these infants are orphaned, and we don't know the fate of their relatives or have information about their identities."

Around 50,000 pregnant women are caught up in the conflict, with around 5,500 due to give birth within the next 30 days, according to the United Nations Population Fund.

If fuel supplies run out, neonatal intensive care units will be impacted and planned or emergency caesarean sections will be impossible, the UN agency said.

PRESS GROUP SAYS THE PAST 3 WEEKS HAVE BEEN DEADLIEST PERIOD FOR JOURNALISTS COVERING CONFLICT

NEW YORK -- The Committee to Protect Journalists says the past three weeks have been the deadliest on record for journalists covering conflict since the organization started tracking in 1992.

The organization said in a statement Friday that at least 29 journalists have died covering the Israel-Hamas war since it ignited Oct. 7, including 24 Palestinians, four Israelis and 1 Lebanese. Additionally, 8 other journalists were reported injured and 9 were reported missing or detained.

CPJ also criticized the cutting of communications services in the Gaza Strip, warning that the blackout is also a "news blackout" that has compromised the public's ability to "know and understand what is happening in this conflict."

"This can lead to serious consequences with an independent, factual information vacuum that can be filled with deadly propaganda, dis- and misinformation," it said.

The organization stressed that journalists are civilians that must be respected and protected in accordance with international humanitarian law, adding that "deliberating targeting journalists or media infrastructure constitutes possible war crimes.

WHITE HOUSE SAYS IT WON'T DRAW 'RED LINES' FOR ISRAEL

WASHINGTON -- White House National Security spokesman John Kirby repeatedly refused to comment on Israel saying its ground forces were expanding activity in Gaza and also refused to comment on what a satisfactory long-term objective might be for the fighting.

"We're not drawing red lines for Israel," Kirby said Friday on a call with reporters. "We're going to continue to support them" but "since the very beginning we have, and will continue to have, conversations about the manner that they are doing this."

Kirby said the U.S. is still evaluating the impact of airstrikes against Iranian-backed militias and "we will not hesitate to take further actions in our own self-defence."

He also said 10 additional trucks filled with humanitarian aid had made it to Gaza, bringing the total to 84, but that the U.S. is aware that fuel there "is only anticipated to last a couple of days."

The White House previously said President Joe Biden was briefed Friday morning by his national security team on the latest developments in Israel and Gaza.

AID GROUPS SAY BLACKOUT IS IMPEDING STAFF COMMUNICATIONS AND OPERATIONS

RAMALLAH, West Bank -- Aid groups say the communications blackout in the Gaza Strip has not only left them unable to contact their staff, but has also impeded their operations in the territory.

"It doesn't only mean that Gaza is isolated from the world but also it means people can't connect to each other. Our emergency line is down so people are literally not able to call an ambulance," said Nebal Farsakh, a spokesperson for the Palestinian Red Crescent. "We are extremely worried because we are completely cut off from our teams."

The International Committee of the Red Cross also said it's currently unable to reach its staff in Gaza.

"We are deeply worried for their safety and the safety of all civilians where hostilities are taking place. Without access to information in a communication blackout, people don't know where to go for safety," the organization said in a statement. "Blackouts impede humanitarian and medical personnel from working safely and effectively."

ISRAELI ARMY SAYS GROUND FORCES WILL EXPAND THEIR ACTIVITY IN GAZA FRIDAY EVENING

JERUSALEM -- The Israeli military on Friday said its ground forces were "expanding their activity" in the Gaza Strip, as the army moved closer to a full-on ground invasion of the besieged territory.

Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the army's spokesman, said aerial attacks had been targeting Hamas tunnels and other targets.

"In addition to the attacks that we carried out in recent days, ground forces are expanding their activity this evening," he said. "The IDF is acting with great force ... to achieve the objectives of the war."

Israel has amassed hundreds of thousands of troops along the border with Gaza ahead of an expected ground offensive against the Hamas militant group.

Israel has been pounding Gaza with airstrikes since Hamas militants carried out a bloody cross-border incursion on Oct. 7.

POPE FRANCIS LEADS SPECIAL PRAYERS FOR COUNTRIES AND REGIONS AFFECTED BY WAR

VATICAN CITY -- Amid signs of escalating tensions in the Middle East, Pope Francis led special prayers Friday evening in St. Peter's Basilica for a world "in a dark hour" and in "great danger" from what he described as the folly of war.

In his remarks, delivered in the form of a prayer to the Virgin Mary, Francis didn't mention by name the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which exploded into war after the Hamas attack against Israelis on Oct. 7.

Instead, he said he was praying for "especially those countries and regions at war."

"Intercede for our world, in such turmoil and great danger, ... the Pope prayed, in apparent reference to widespread anxiety that the Israeli-Hamas war could quickly develop into a wider, regional war in the Middle East.

PALESTINIAN TELECOM PROVIDER SAY INTERNET SERVICE HAS BEEN CUT IN GAZA STRIP

RAMALLAH, West Bank -- The Palestinian telecom provider Paltel says internet service in Gaza Strip has been cut off by Israeli bombardment. Services were cut Friday evening, following a heavy round of Israeli airstrikes that lit up the night sky over the darkened territory.

Rights groups and journalists also say they lost contact with colleagues in the enclave. The Associated Press's attempts to contact people in Gaza did not go through.

AIRSTRIKE IN DEIR AL-BALAH KILLS FATHER AND SON WHO WERE PRAYING IN A MOSQUE

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip -- A 14-year-old boy and his father were killed Friday when the roof of a mosque they were praying in collapsed during an Israeli airstrike in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, witnesses said.

Several people were killed and an unknown number trapped when a bomb also destroyed a home and damaged the mosque next door.

Bloodied survivors were rushed to a hospital. A girl wearing pink who was covered in dirt grimaced as doctors poured liquid on an open leg wound.

Dozens of men gathered to view the blast zone where cars were crushed and buried up to their axles in dirt. Several homes appeared to be destroyed and the half-open remains of one house tilted precariously toward a crater full of rubble and metal scraps.

The father and son who died in the mosque were from the northern town of Beit Lahiya. Several others in the mosque were also feared dead.

Outside a United Nations-run school that's since become a shelter, funeral prayers were said over the shrouded body of the teen.

ARGENTINE BABY AMONG HOSTAGES HELD BY HAMAS, OFFICIAL SAYS

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina -- One of the youngest hostages being held captive in Gaza by Hamas is a nine-month-old Argentine baby, according to the head of Argentina's embassy in Israel.

"The youngest hostage, a baby of only nine months, is Argentine. It's very difficult to talk about such painful topics," Francisco Tropepi told Vis a Vis, a news outlet focused on reporting related to Israel and the Jewish community in Argentina, in an interview. Tropepi did not reveal the baby's identity.

There are 21 Argentine citizens who remain missing and are presumed to be held hostage by Hamas, Foreign Minister Santiago Cafiero said in a radio interview Friday morning. An estimated nine Argentines have been killed in the conflict.

"In some cases, we have precise information that they've been captured, and in others, we've been actively searching for them," Cafiero said, adding that he had spoken with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to request his intervention for the release of the Argentine hostages who are being held in the Gaza Strip.

UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY SCHEDULES VOTE ON RESOLUTION CALLING FOR 'HUMANITARIAN TRUCE' IN ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR

UNITED NATIONS -- The UN General Assembly has scheduled a vote on a resolution calling for a "humanitarian truce" in Gaza leading to a ceasefire of hostilities between Israel and Gaza's Hamas rulers.

Jordan's UN Ambassador Ayman Safadi, speaking on behalf of the UN's 22-nation Arab group which drafted the resolution, called for a 3 p.m. EDT vote Friday, before all 112 speakers get to the assembly's rostrum, because of the urgency of taking action.

The Arab group is seeking action by the 193-member world body because of the failure of the more powerful 15-member UN Security Council to agree on a resolution after four attempts.

Unlike the Security Council, there are no vetoes in the General Assembly so the resolution is certain to be adopted. But while council resolutions are legally binding, assembly resolutions are not. They do, however, serve as an important barometer of world opinion.

------

This has been corrected to show that Ayman Safadi is Jordan's UN ambassador, not the country's foreign minister.

U.S. HUMANITARIAN ORGANIZATION SAYS IT HAS MEDICAL SUPPLIES AND OTHER RESOURCES WAITING IN EGYPT

NEW YORK -- The American humanitarian organization, Project HOPE, says it has had primary health care, surgical and emergency medical supplies positioned in Egypt near the Rafah border crossing for over a week. Those now include emergency surgical equipment designed to support 700 interventions and basic medical supplies to support some 60,000 people for three months.

Arlan Fuller, head of the non-profit's emergency response, said the organization is also ready to send Arabic-speaking medical teams from partner organizations in Morocco and Jordan, as soon as they would be allowed to enter the Gaza Strip or treat people coming out of Gaza.

TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTER PLEADS WITH ISRAEL TO HEED CALLS FOR PEACE

ANKARA, Turkiye -- Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan appealed to Israel on Friday to "heed Turkiye's call for peace," warning that the country could find itself in a growing spiral of violence.

Speaking during a joint news conference with Denmark's foreign minister, Lars Lokke Rasmussen, Fidan said: "Humanity is at a crossroads. Either there will be a great war that will spread all over the world, or a great peace will emerge."

Fidan continued: "Ignoring the existence of the Palestinians, ignoring the rights of the Palestinians, and applying pressure and cruelty to the Palestinians have not -- and will not -- bring peace to Israel. If Israel wants to be in peace and security, it must respect the right of the Palestinians to live their own state on their own land."

Rasmussen defined Hamas as a terrorist organization in an apparent rebuke of Turkish President Recep Tayyip who earlier this week described the militant group as "liberation fighters."

Fidan said Turkiye regards Hamas as a political party "that is part of the Palestinian state system," but added that this did not mean that Ankara "accepts the killing of civilians."

TELEGRAM SHUTTERS SEVERAL HAMAS-AFFILIATED ACCOUNTS

BEIRUT -- Social media messaging app Telegram has closed down several accounts for the militant Hamas group and its military wing that have been used to release messages and videos related to the Israel-Hamas war.

When clicking on the account of Hamas' military wing, the Qassam Brigades, which has nearly 693,000 followers, the page displays a message that reads: "Unfortunately, this channel couldn't be displayed on your device." The same message appears when opening the page of Qassam Brigades spokesman Abu Obeida that has 584,000 followers.

Telegram did not immediately respond to a request for comment by The Associated Press.

A Google spokesperson, who was not authorized to speak publicly to the media and spoke on the condition of anonymity, confirmed reports that Telegram closed the Hamas pages and said, "the reporting has been accurate."

The spokesperson said Google Play's policies require all apps that feature user-generated content to effectively moderate egregious content, including content that promotes terrorist acts, incites violence, or celebrates terrorist attacks.

"When violations are found we take appropriate action," the spokesperson said.

During the early days of the war, Hamas released graphic images and videos of its attack on southern Israel that left more than 1,400 Israeli civilians and troops dead as well more than 220 who were taken hostages.

PRE-DAWN AIRSTRIKE BRINGS MORE DEATH, DESTRUCTION TO A GAZA NEIGHBORHOOD

KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip -- An early morning airstrike killed at least two people in a Gaza neighborhood where several homes were damaged or destroyed.

The blast rocked Khan Younis hours before dawn, said Yasser Abu al-Arraj, who ran next door to pull a mother, daughter and a son, who was one of those killed, from the wreckage.

"May God avenge us from (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu," Abu al-Arraj said.

Chunks of concrete, clothing and broken furniture littered the street outside a home where the first floor remained standing.

A woman who survived the attack gestured toward a pile of cinderblocks that had toppled, saying she and the 19 others who survived had to search for each other through a cloud of dust. Nine children huddled on cushions on the other side of the room.

"People of Gaza are being shattered," she said. "I can't believe that my kids came out of this alive."

Boys outside picked through the sea of rubble, looking for anything that could be salvaged.

At another house that was damaged, Soaad Abdulahadi said she had been having breakfast with her children when the ceiling started to collapse.

"We just saw the house falling over our heads," Abdulahadi said. "Half of them (my family) are in the hospital and the other half are displaced. This is our house, where should we go now?"

A U.S. SPOKESMAN SAYS AMERICAN STRIKES ON IRAN PROXIES IN SYRIA WERE 'SELF DEFENCE'

WASHINGTON -- The White House national security spokesman told ABC's "Good Morning America" that U.S. strikes on Iranian proxies in Syria were targeting storage and weapons facilities.

"These strikes were in self defence," John Kirby said Friday.

He spoke hours after American fighter jets launched airstrikes early Friday on two locations linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps. The Pentagon said the strikes were in retaliation for a slew of drone and missile attacks against U.S. bases and personnel in the region that began early last week.

Asked if Iran will retaliate, Kirby said, "It's not uncommon for them to strike back. If they do, we'll absolutely do what we have to do to protect our troops and our facilities."

"We'll be ready for that," he added.

Speaking about the Israel-Hamas war and the timing of a ground offensive that Israel has announced, Kirby said that "we're not dictating terms to" the Israelis.

But he echoed President Joe Biden's comments that if "we can take some time to get more hostages out, that's something we all want to be looking at."

In Israel, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Friday that the ground offensive into Gaza will be long and difficult, with the aim to destroy a vast network of tunnels used by the territory's militant Hamas rulers.

A TRICKLE OF AID GETS INTO GAZA AS 'HUMANITARIAN CATASTROPHE' DEEPENS

The International Committee of the Red Cross says that 10 of its staffers, including a combat surgery team, entered Gaza on Friday, along with six trucks of medical aid and water purification tablets.

The medical supplies are enough to treat between 1,000 and 5,000 people, the ICRC said, and the water purification tablets can treat 50,000 liters of water.

This crucial humanitarian assistance is a small dose of relief, but it's not enough," said Fabrizio Carboni, the ICRC's regional director. "Our surgical team and medical supplies will help relieve the extreme pressure on Gaza's doctors and nurses. But safe, sustained humanitarian access is urgently needed."

"This humanitarian catastrophe is deepening by the hour," he said.

Meanwhile, UNESCO said that since the start of the Israel-Hamas war on Oct. 7, more than 200 schools have been damaged in the Gaza Strip -- around 40% of all schools there.

IRAN-BACKED FIGHTERS IN SYRIA FIRE ROCKETS AT OIL FACILITY HOUSING AMERICAN TROOPS

BEIRUT -- Syrian opposition activists say Iran-backed fighters fired rockets at an oil facility housing U.S. troops in eastern Syria.

The attack came hours after American fighter jets launched airstrikes early Friday on two locations linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps. The Pentagon said the strikes were in retaliation for a slew of drone and missile attacks against U.S. bases and personnel in the region that began early last week.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said six rockets hit al-Omar oil field in the eastern province of Deir el-Zour. The Observatory said it wasn't clear if there were any casualties.

The Observatory said the U.S. strikes earlier Friday wounded seven Iraqi Iran-backed fighters.

RUSSIA DEFENDS HOSTING HAMAS OFFICIAL FOR TALKS

MOSCOW -- The Kremlin dismissed criticism of a visit to Moscow by a senior Hamas figure, saying that Russia considers it necessary to maintain contacts with all warring parties.

Russia has tried to maneuver carefully over the Israel-Hamas war as it seeks to expand its global clout. The Israeli Foreign Ministry criticized Moscow for hosting Moussa Abu Marzouk, a member of Hamas' political bureau, and urged Russia to expel him.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said it discussed the release of hostages in the Gaza Strip and the evacuation of Russian nationals and other foreign citizens during Thursday's talks with Hamas.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia considers "it necessary to continue contacts with all the parties and we will certainly continue our dialogue with Israel."

He wouldn't comment when asked if Hamas' visit could hurt Russia-Israeli ties.

Also in Moscow on Thursday was Iran's deputy foreign minister for political affairs, Ali Bagheri Kani, who told Abu Marzouk that Tehran's "priority" in negotiations "is an immediate ceasefire, providing assistance to the people and lifting the repressive blockade of Gaza."

The Iranian official also met with Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, who serves as the Kremlin envoy for the Middle East.

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