October 16, 2023 - Israel-Hamas war news

The Kuwaiti Hospital in Gaza’s Rafah city said Monday that it had received a second warning to evacuate from Israeli's military, but the director-general says he will not leave the site.

In a video obtained by CNN, Sohaib al-Hams, the hospital's director general, said that he won’t evacuate because it is his staff’s duty “to serve the wounded and help the needed" and they can’t leave their patients to die.  

He added that the hospital should be protected “under international law.”  

Israel's warnings for the hospital come as UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani said on Monday that there is an "urgent need for a humanitarian pause" in the fighting in Gaza. 

Shamdasani said there are hospitals that have been forced to evacuate but “doctors are insisting that they will stay with patients who are in the ICU wards and the neonatal units, where you have the impossible choice of whether to abandon your patients or to stay with them and risk death.” 

CNN has reached out to the Israel Defense Forces for comment.

Airstrikes in the south: Israeli authorities told more than a million people living in north Gaza to evacuate to the southern part of the densely populated strip. But Israeli airstrikes have continued to hit parts of the strip outside the evacuation zone, like Rafah, where at least five people were killed and 15 others were injured in an Israeli airstrike on Monday, according to the Palestinian interior ministry. The ministry said the airstrike happened without prior warning from the Israel Defense Forces.

A humanitarian crisis: Last Monday, Israel announced a complete siege on Gaza, cutting off food, water, and fuel to the territory. The World Health Organization warned that the people in Gaza face an “imminent” public health crisis, saying the limited amount of water is creating a desperate situation as the lives of more than 3,500 patients in 35 hospitals are at immediate risk.

The family of Palestinian Americans currently stuck in Gaza filed a lawsuit Friday against the US Department of State and the US Department of Defense for allegedly failing to safely evacuate citizens, according to a released statement. 

The complaint was filed Friday in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan on behalf of Zakaria A. Alarayshi and Laila K. Alarayshi— US citizens who are "of Palestinian ethnicity and residents of Dearborn, Michigan ... currently trapped abroad in the Gaza Strip," according to the lawsuit.  

The couple left Michigan to "visit family residing there in the Gaza Strip. They left the United States before the commencement of the current hostilities unaware that they were on the horizon," said the complaint.  

Attorneys with the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) along with the Arab American Civil Rights League (ACRL) are working with the couple's son, Yahya Alarayshi, who authorized lawyers to file the complaint on behalf of the family after they lost all communication with his parents for 24 hours, the complaint said.   

ACRL and ADC "accuse the US Government of unconstitutionally discriminating against Palestinian Americans by not securing their safety and well-being," the attorney statement read. 

"Our lawsuit underscores a grave concern: the deeply troubling inaction of the US Government in ensuring the safety and well-being of its own citizens. We believe that every American deserves the unequivocal support and protection of their government when faced with life-threatening circumstances,” said Abed Ayoub, ADC national executive director. 

"Many families in the US seeking help to get their loved ones out of Gaza feel that Secretary (Antony) Blinken is not making their safety a priority. The Biden Administration is failing in its duty to protect all civilian and American lives in Gaza. I cannot believe I have to beg our country to value every human life, no matter their faith or ethnicity. We cannot lose sight of the humanity in each other,” Tlaib said.  

The Israel Defense Forces early on Tuesday morning local time said it is currently striking Hezbollah "terror" targets in Lebanon.

Hamas released a video Monday night of a young French-Israeli woman being held hostage in the Gaza Strip.

In the video, Mia Schem, 21, says she suffered an arm injury and was brought to Gaza. 

A representative for Schem's family told CNN they had approved the publication and broadcast of the video.

This is the first video Hamas has released of any of the hostages held in Gaza. Israeli authorities have said that they believe 199 people are being held in Gaza, while a representative of Hamas said Monday that at least between 200-250 captives are being held across the strip.

The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement that it had informed Schem's family about her kidnapping last week and are keeping in touch with them at this time.

They said further that they are using “all intelligence and operational means to return the abductees” and that “Hamas is trying to present itself as a humanitarian organization while acting as a hideous terrorist organization responsible for killing and kidnapping infants, women, children and the elderly.”

A representative of Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas' militant branch, earlier said the group was "committed" to protecting hostages and that it would release hostages with foreign citizenship when “the opportunity arises on the ground."

Schem's mother, Keren Schem, said she had hoped her daughter was alive before seeing the video.

Keren Schem said she began to believe her daughter was abducted on October 7 after word of the Hamas attacks began to spread, remarking that her family has been doing “everything alone” to work for the return of her daughter, including opening up a “communication center."

Israel’s military airstrikes on Gaza killed at least 254 and injured 562 — mostly women and children — over the past 24 hours, the Hamas-controlled Government Media Office said in a statement on Monday. 

Earlier, the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza reported that at least 2,778 were killed and 9,938 injured by Israeli airstrikes over the past 10 days, calling it an “ethnic cleansing” that must be stopped. 

The health ministry spokesperson said 1,200 people have been reported missing under the rubble, including 500 children, while the Government Media Office said “hundreds of students” were killed. 

The statement added that airstrikes have “completely demolished” 3,731 residential buildings, housing more than 10,000 housing units, and severely damaged 18 schools in the strip since October 7. 

Some context: On October 9, the Israeli Defense Minister ordered a "complete siege" of Gaza, halting the supply of electricity, food, water and fuel to the territory's population of 2 million. In the week since, Gazans have reported near-constant Israeli bombardment from the air, destroying residential buildings and killing aid workers and other civilians. Civilians have been killed while fleeing on designated evacuation routes. And with Israel closing its border crossings with Gaza and the Rafah crossing with Egypt also seemingly closed and damaged from Israeli airstrikes, there is no way for viable way for Gaza residents to leave the embattled enclave.

The Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt is still closed, leaving humanitarian supplies piling up on the Egyptian side of the border.

Neither Gazans nor foreign nationals have been able to cross, and Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry is placing the blame on Israel, saying there has been no progress in efforts to open the crossing.

The worsening conditions come as Israel seems poised for an imminent ground incursion.

Here's what else to know:

Rafah crossing: Hundreds of thousands of Gazans have abandoned their homes in the north after Israel warned them to evacuate southward. But, Israel has closed its two border crossings with Gaza and imposed a “complete siege” of the territory. That has left the Rafah crossing as the only viable outlet to get people out of the enclave – and supplies into it. Hamas urged Egypt to open the crossing so that aid can come in and those who have been injured can be transported for treatment. Also complicating matters: border authorities have not managed to repair Israeli airstrike damage to the Gaza side of the Rafah border crossing, a Palestinian official said.

Personal stories and global aid: A family of five Palestinian-Americans, all US citizens, said they waited for several hours to cross the border with Egypt, but remain stuck in Gaza with limited supplies and electricity. UN agencies have supplies at the ready to move into southern Gaza, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The European Union also said it is launching a humanitarian air bridge operation to Egypt that will bring supplies to the enclave, the European Commission president said.

Dwindling water supply: The director of Gaza’s water authority said on Monday that water supply has not yet been restored to the enclave. The World Health Organization warned that the people in Gaza face an “imminent” public health crisis, saying the limited amount of water is creating a desperate situation as the lives of more than 3,500 patients in 35 hospitals are at immediate risk.

Israeli strikes: At least five people were killed and 15 others were injured in an Israeli airstrike that targeted a multi-story house in Rafah in the southern Gaza strip, the Palestinian interior ministry said. The ministry said the airstrike happened without prior warning from the Israel Defense Forces. The IDF issued the guidance Friday, telling all civilians in north Gaza to evacuate to areas south. However, some Palestinians who followed the warnings and fled their homes in search of safety were killed by Israeli airstrikes outside of the evacuation zone. 

The latest on hostages: Hamas is holding between at least 200 and 250 hostages captured during the attack, according to Abu Odaida, the spokesperson of Hamas' militant wing, Al-Qassam Brigades. He added that they cannot determine the exact number of hostages in the strip due to constant Israeli bombardment. Abu Obaida claimed 22 of the hostages in Gaza were killed in Israeli airstrikes (CNN cannot independently verify that claim). Earlier on Monday, the Israeli military said at least 199 people are being held hostage in Gaza. 

Fears of a regional conflict: United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned the conflict in Israel risks spilling over regionally. Meanwhile, the Israeli government ordered the evacuation of 28 villages in northern Israel within two kilometers of the country's border with Lebanon amid an exchange of fire between Israel and members of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. Other world leaders, including British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, said they are working to prevent an escalation of the conflict.

Blinken visits Israel: In his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken "received an update on the situation on the ground," a State Department spokesperson said. He also met with the Israeli "war cabinet" including Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and opposition leader Yair Lapid during the trip, the spokesperson and reporters said. Separately, discussions are underway for President Joe Biden visit to the Middle East after Netanyahu extended an invitation, though the White House said Sunday it has no new travel plans to announce.

US support: The Pentagon has ordered that roughly 2,000 troops prepare for a potential deployment to Israel to help with tasks like medical and logistical support, according to multiple defense officials. A US Marine rapid response force is also headed to the waters off the coast of Israel, according to a defense official. While the US is bolstering its presence in the Middle East, US officials have made clear there are no plans for US troops to become directly involved in any Israeli military operations against Hamas.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed the escalating Israel-Hamas conflict in calls with several leaders on Monday, the Kremlin said.

Putin spoke with leaders from Israel, the Palestinian Authority, Syria, Iran and Egypt.  

The Russian president told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Russia is ready to help end the conflict peacefully, by diplomatic means, according to a Kremlin readout of the call. 

During his conversation with the five leaders on Monday, Putin blamed the current escalation in the Middle East on “the long-term stagnation” in settling the conflict, Kremlin readout said. 

The Russian president emphasized during the calls “the severity of the humanitarian situation in Gaza and the need to lift the blockade of the sector for the immediate delivery of medicine, food and other vital aid,” according to the Kremlin.  

President Joe Biden is deliberating whether to make a wartime visit to Israel, a potential trip fraught with risk that could also act as a dramatic show of support for a top US ally while sending a warning to other countries in the region against escalation.

Aides said the president has expressed a strong interest in making the journey after being invited over the weekend by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whom Biden has known for four decades. 

The risks of a presidential visit to Israel are not small. On Monday, as Secretary of State Antony Blinken was meeting with Netanyahu in Tel Aviv, air sirens blared, forcing the two men to shelter in place.

In weighing Netanyahu’s invitation with his team, Biden has factored in both the symbolism of a visit and its practicalities. Aside from a high-profile show of support for Israel, the trip would send a warning to other players in the region, namely Iran and its Hezbollah proxy in Lebanon, of becoming further engaged in the conflict.

But it would also link Biden more closely with the Israeli response in Gaza, including concerns over a mounting humanitarian crisis, and could act as a tacit endorsement of Netanyahu’s decisions. 

The pressure on Biden to encourage restraint was evident Monday in front of the White House, where a large protest led by progressive Jewish groups called on Biden to push for a ceasefire. Loud singing and chanting could be heard from inside the gates. 

Biden has originally planned to spend Monday in Colorado talking about wind energy. But that trip was scrapped at the last minute, and the president instead received briefings from his national security team and made phone calls to the leaders of Germany, Egypt and Iraq.

The unusual cancellation of Biden’s visit out west marked yet another example of how last weekend’s cross-border Hamas attack has forced an immediate reorienting of the president’s priorities and schedule as he confronts the realities of a new war.

The conflict is also forcing a new assessment of the administration’s immediate foreign policy priorities, with the reality setting in that renewed violence in the Middle East will now occupy the bulk of the president’s time, at least in the near-term.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken has been meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the war cabinet for more than seven hours, going into the overnight hours in Tel Aviv.

It is unclear when the meeting, which was briefly interrupted by air raid sirens, will end. It comes at a critical point as Israel seems poised for a ground invasion of Gaza, the Rafah border crossing appears to remain closed and has been damaged by Israeli airstrikes, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza deepens, and hundreds of hostages remain in Hamas custody. 

Blinken’s stop in Israel is part of his whirlwind seven-nation tour of the Middle East. He is expected return to Amman, Jordan, from Tel Aviv.

This post has been updated with the latest information.