Border official says hundreds of foreign nationals left Gaza Sunday, marking largest evacuation yet
From Asmaa Khalil in Rafah and CNN's Zeena Saifi in Jerusalem
A bus carrying Canadian nationals recently evacuated from Gaza prepares to depart the Rafah crossing on November 12. Ali Moustafa/Getty Images
More than 800 foreign nationals passed through the Rafah crossing into Egypt on Sunday, an Egyptian border official told a journalist working for CNN, marking the largest number that has passed through the crossing in a single day since evacuations from the enclave began.
It is the first evacuation of foreign nationals since Thursday, when more than 300 left Gaza through the crossing, according to a border official.
More background: Located in Egypt’s north Sinai, the Rafah crossing is the sole border crossing between Gaza and Egypt. It falls along an 8-mile (12.8-kilometer) fence that separates Gaza from the Sinai desert.
As the only route in and out of Gaza that is not closed due to Israel's siege, Rafah has played a key role in efforts to get aid in and people out of the enclave.
CNN's Abbas Al Lawati, Mohammed Abdelbary and Rob Picheta contributed to this report.
8:43 p.m. ET, November 12, 2023
Israel is looking ahead to long-term plan for Gaza, Israeli ambassador to US says
From CNN’s Eve Brennan in London
Israeli soldiers are seen at the Israel-Gaza border on Sunday, November 12. Leo Correa/AP
Israel is looking ahead to a long-term plan for Gaza and is discussing the issue with the United States, according to Ambassador Michael Herzog.
“It is our position that Palestinians will have to govern themselves. What will be the exact role of the Palestinian Authority (PA) remains to be seen, because everybody understands that the PA, in its current composition — they can hardly govern Ramallah. So certainly not Gaza,” the Israeli ambassador to the US said in an interview on Fox News Sunday.
The Palestinian Authority would have to undergo reform, Herzog said.
The ambassador said Israel is not interested in occupying or governing Gaza, adding that security is the main priority.
“We are not in Gaza in order to occupy Gaza or to govern Gaza. We are there to move the Hamas military threat against Israel and their ability to rebuild the capabilities and strike again and again, as they're saying they would like to do. That's our intent,” Herzog said.
Herzog claimed Israel is “very targeted” in its operation in Gaza.
“People have to understand Gaza is the biggest terror complex around the globe with over 500 kilometers (about 310 miles) of terror tunnels. … We are not targeting the population,” Herzog said.
“I believe that what we see today with more and more people moving to the south indicates to us that these people do not want to serve as human shields for Hamas. They understand they don't like us, but they don't like Hamas either,” he added.
Some context: More than 10,000 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched its military offensive nearly a month ago, the Hamas-controlled Health Ministry in the Palestinian enclave said last week.
It’s unclear how many combatants are included in the total. CNN cannot independently verify the numbers released by the ministry in Gaza, which is sealed off by Israel and mostly sealed by Egypt.
Israeli military says its fighter jets attacked several Hezbollah targets in Lebanon
From CNN's Niamh Kennedy and Ben Wedeman
Smoke rises over Lebanon on November 12. Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters
The Israel Defense Forces said its fighter jets attacked several Hezbollah targets within Lebanon on Sunday, in response to attacks carried out by the Lebanese militant group in northern Israel.
"IDF fighter jets of the Air Force attacked several targets of the Hezbollah terrorist organization in Lebanese territory, in response to the shooting that was carried out earlier today," the IDF said in a statement.
Israeli forces said Hezbollah military infrastructure was among the targets it attacked.
Earlier today, the IDF said it was launching artillery strikes in response to anti-tank missiles that had been fired from Lebanon into Dovev, located in northern Israel.
A CNN team in southern Lebanon heard outgoing rocket fire Sunday and observed Israel's air defense system, the Iron Dome, intercepting two rockets over Rosh HaNikra in northern Israel.
Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it targeted a military logistical team that was about to start setting up communication towers and surveillance equipment.
More context: The IDF's clashes with the Iran-backed paramilitary group are central to fears of the Israel-Hamas war spreading into a wider Middle East conflict.
Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah gave his second speech since the war started via video link Saturday, saying his group would keep up the pressure on Israel at its border.
CNN's Zeena Saifi and Amir Tal contributed to this report.
8:44 p.m. ET, November 12, 2023
UN secretary-general rejects Netanyahu claims, saying he has condemned Hamas "since the beginning"
From CNN's Sophie Tanno
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres speaks during a press conference in New York City on November 6. Caitlin Ochs/Reuters
The Israeli leader said Guterres laid blame on Israel and should instead be demanding that Hamas obey international law. But Guterres insisted later Sunday that he has condemned Hamas "since the very beginning."
"But there is a basic principle for me, and that is that Hamas is not the Palestinian people," he continued. "And you need to be able to distinguish Hamas from the Palestinian people. And so you cannot use the horrific things that the Hamas did as a reason for collective punishment of the Palestinian people."
He went on to say that there were Palestinian grievances which "related to 56 years of occupation," although "none of these grievances justify the barbaric attack of Hamas."
Speaking about the UN's potential role in mediation once the war is over, Guterres said that the international community needs to come together, and the UN can "play a part" in that.
There will need to be a transition "that is acceptable to Israel from the point of view of the guarantee of the security of Israel," he said, adding that it should "at the same time allow for the transfer to an effective Palestinian Authority."
The exact make-up of this "is not obvious at this moment," he said.
Guterres said it was essential to "take profit" of the situation and "finally query the possibility of a two-state solution."
"The two-state solution is, in my opinion, the only way out," he added.
1:49 p.m. ET, November 12, 2023
Palestinian Ministry of Health in Ramallah says it has lost contact with northern Gaza hospitals
From CNN's Zeena Saifi in Jerusalem
The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Ramallah released its daily report on Sunday, saying it was unable to update casualty figures in Gaza after losing contact with hospitals.
"On 11 November, following the Israeli occupation forces' cutting of services and communications at hospitals in the north of Gaza, the MoH is not able to update casualty figures," the report said.
"There is a catastrophe occurring in hospitals: patients are now dying without receiving their treatments, such as children and adult patients who need dialysis (and) are dying in their homes without receiving dialysis sessions," the ministry added.
The Ministry of Health in Ramallah draws data from medical sources in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.
Head of Gaza hospital reports deadly airstrike on residential building in southern strip
From CNN's Abeer Salman and Niamh Kennedy
Thirteen Palestinians were killed by an airstrike in the city of Khan Younis in southern Gaza on Sunday, according to the head of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in central Gaza.
The airstrike hit a residential building in the city, which is close to the Egyptian border, Dr. Eyad Abu Zahr told CNN.
CNN has reached out to the Israel Defense Forces for comment on the airstrike claim.
8:46 p.m. ET, November 12, 2023
Netanyahu addressed calls for a ceasefire, Israel's goals in Gaza and other key topics in an interview Sunday
From CNN's Radina Gigova and Niamh Kennedy
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks with CNN on Sunday, November 12. CNN
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed Sunday on CNN that Hamas is only calling for humanitarian pauses in Gaza to let up the fighting against the group.
Asked by CNN's Dana Bash if Israel would consider implementing longer pauses in fighting to allow the evacuation of more civilians from fighting hotspots in Gaza, Netanyahu said:
"That's not a pause. If you're talking about stopping the fighting, that's exactly what Hamas wants. Hamas wants an endless series of pauses that basically dissipate the battle against them."
Netanyahu also addressed other key wartime topics during the interview:
Netanyahu reiterated that Israel will not agree to a "ceasefire in the entire area" of Gaza until all Israeli hostages have been released.
He also outlined Israel's primary objectives in Gaza, saying they were to:
First, destroy Hamas so it cannot carry out attacks like October 7 again
Second, implement "an overriding and over reaching Israeli military envelope" to ensure that "terrorism" does not resurge in Gaza post-war.
Third, ensure any civilian authority taking over control of Gaza would agree to "demilitarize" and "de-radicalize" the enclave.
He then accused the Palestinian Authority (PA), which used to control Gaza and is based in the occupied West Bank, of failing "on both counts," seeming to rule out a post-war role for the PA in Gaza — an idea US officials have indicated they would support.
"There's no reason why we just can't take the patients out of there instead of letting Hamas use it as a command center for terrorism," Netanyahu said.
The prime minister said Israel is helping patients "by creating safe corridors" for evacuation.
While the Israeli military earlier Sunday said one such corridor was opened in the area of Al-Shifa, the International Committee of the Red Cross said no one had left through it.
Heavy fighting near the medical center has left it in a “catastrophic situation,” with patients and staff trapped inside, ambulances unable to collect the wounded and life-support systems without electricity, health officials in Gaza and aid agencies are reporting.
The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza has described the situation as a "complete siege" of the hospital.
On civilian casualties: Netanyahu said Sunday that civilian casualties in Gaza are being "reduced" because of Israel's calls for civilians to move south.
"I think the number of civilian casualties is actually being reduced because people are heeding our calls to leave the area," Netanyahu said.
More than 10,000 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched its military offensive nearly a month ago, the Hamas-controlled Health Ministry in the Palestinian enclave said last week.
It’s unclear how many combatants are included in the total. CNN cannot independently verify the numbers released by the ministry in Gaza, which is sealed off by Israel and mostly sealed by Egypt.
12:40 p.m. ET, November 12, 2023
Analysis: Rally puts pressure on Netanyahu over hostages — but overall support for war remains high
From CNN's Andrew Carey
People attend a rally for Israeli hostages on November 11 in Tel Aviv. Ahmad Gharabli/AFP/Getty Images
The demonstration – held in Tel Aviv and attended by, among others, the former President Reuven Rivlin — was the biggest since October 7, Israeli media reported.
On the face of it, it had the appearance of the huge protests seen earlier in the year against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his plans to take power away from the country’s Supreme Court.
And there was anger, with many there demanding the government do more to bring home the hostages.
“They ask us who our rage is directed at, and it is all of humanity… but mainly those who are responsible for us,” the Israeli newspaper Haaretz quoted Jacky Levy, whose partner’s family was abducted during the Hamas attack, as saying.
For sure, Netanyahu is under great pressure.
October 7 happened on his watch, and opinion polls suggest he will pay heavily for that when the time comes to hold a general election.
Infuriatingly for many Israelis, he still refuses to accept responsibility, telling CNN’s Dana Bash on Sunday that he would “answer all the questions” when Hamas was defeated.
But it would be a big mistake to see the large crowds on Saturday evening as indicative of any growing unease among Israelis at the prosecution of the war.
While a ceasefire might, in theory, be an attractive option to secure the hostages' release, overall support in Israel for the war, if not the war leader, remains very high.
11:39 a.m. ET, November 12, 2023
"We can't bury the bodies": Those inside Al-Shifa Hospital describe increasingly dire conditions
From CNN's Sarah El Sirgany and Kareem Khadder
Conditions are deteriorating further at Al-Shifa Hospital, Gaza's largest medical center, according to accounts from inside the embattled enclave.
A freelance journalist inside the complex, Mustafa Sarsour, told CNN: “There are more than 70 bodies that still need to be buried, and for the fourth day we can’t bury the bodies.”
Sarsour added that there was “trash in every corner of the hospital building complex. Before the electricity went out, there was a burner (incinerator) at the back of the hospital where the trash was burnt.”
He said the smell was “beyond imagination.”
Sarsour told CNN there are more than 15,000 displaced people, medical staff and patients inside Al-Shifa.
He said there were tanks some 200 meters north of the complex and heavy gunfire.
CNN is unable to verify accounts about military operations in the vicinity of Al-Shifa.
Remember: Heavy fighting near Gaza’s largest hospital has left it in a “catastrophic situation,” with patients and staff trapped inside, ambulances unable to collect the wounded and life-support systems without electricity, health officials and aid agencies are reporting.
According to the Hamas-controlled health ministry in Gaza, staff and patients have been unable to leave the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City as the complex remains under "complete siege."
On Saturday, the Israel Defense Forces spoke of “ongoing intense fighting” around the vicinity of Al-Shifa, but denied claims it was directly firing at or laying siege to the complex.
Thousands of displaced civilians are still thought to be in the hospital compound, according to the Palestine Red Crescent Society and hospital officials.
