Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Israel must free detained Palestinians to secure the release of civilian hostages held by Hamas, according to Turkish media.
Meanwhile, Israel said it struck back at an organization from Syria that targeted a school in the southern city of Eilat with a drone.
Israel is providing “quick humanitarian windows” to allow people to flee northern Gaza while the military fights Hamas militants, IDF spokesperson Jonathan Conricus said. The IDF estimates between 50,000 and 100,000 people have exited northern Gaza in the last few days and a total of 850,000-900,000 have fled the area, Conricus said. More than a million people lived in northern Gaza at the outbreak of the war.
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Erdogan: Hamas Can Free Civilians if Israel Lets Go Palestinians (8:58 a.m.)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Israel must free detained Palestinians to secure the release of civilian hostages held by Hamas, according to Turkish media.
“Hamas has no interest in keeping civilians hostage. On the contrary, what should happen is the release of Palestinians from Israeli hands,” Turkish media cited Erdogan as saying on his way home from Uzbekistan late Thursday. “If Turkey is going to intervene here, what Israel needs to do is to quickly release the Palestinians as Hamas immediately releases the Israelis in its hands.”
Turkey does not consider Hamas a terrorist group and maintains contact with its political leaders.
Israel Says it Killed Hamas Militants Involved in Oct 7. Massacre (8:38am)
Israeli soldiers in the past day killed several Hamas militants that were involved in the deadly Oct. 7 invasion into southern Israel, according to the military. It identified them as Ahmed Musa, a company commander; Omar Al-Hindi, a platoon commander; and Mohammed Kahlout, who headed a sniper unit in northern Gaza. The military says it also targeted another 19 Hamas militants that were planning to attack Israeli soldiers and confiscated 20 rocket launchers.
Bloomberg News was unable to verify the claims.
Only 65 Aid Trucks Entered Gaza From Egypt Nov. 9, UN Agency Says (7:40 a.m.)
Only 65 trucks carrying aid for Gaza entered from Egypt on Nov. 9, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said. “The modest number of trucks we have so far managed to get in via the Rafah border crossing is wholly inadequate compared to the vast sea of needs,” Martin Griffiths, the UN’s head of humanitarian affairs and emergency relief, said. The UN official said that hundreds of trucks are needed daily, including fuel, and that more than one entry point into Gaza should be operated.
Over 50,000 people fled Thursday areas in northern Gaza to the south through a “corridor” opened by the Israeli military, OCHA said, while hundreds of thousands of people remain in the north and are struggling to secure the minimum amounts of water and food to survive.
Flights Get Longer as Airlines Avoid War Zones (7 a.m.)
The Middle East has long been a global crossroads for air travel, with hundreds of aircraft bisecting the region every day on long-distance journeys connecting the US, Europe and Asia.
Plying those routes has become more challenging, with rising tensions forcing airlines to curtail services as a safety precaution. The war between Israel and Hamas, in a region already studded with hot zones, has added to the complications of flying between east and west.
Israel’s El Al has stopped flying over much of the Arabian peninsula, citing safety concerns.
Israel Providing ‘Quick Humanitarian Windows’ While Fighting Hamas (7:15 am)
Israel is providing “quick humanitarian windows” to allow people to flee northern Gaza while the military fights Hamas militants, according to IDF spokesperson Jonathan Conricus.
Israel estimates that between 50,000 and 100,000 people have exited northern Gaza in the last few days and a total of between 850,000 and 900,000 had already fled the area, Conricus said in a live briefing posted on social media website X.
Soldiers are preparing additional attacks against Hamas’ infrastructure and troops have been deployed “near the heart of Gaza city,” he said.
He also said there was an area in southern Gaza that the IDF was not striking and would continue to do so to allow humanitarian aid inside the Mediterranean enclave.
Yemen’s Houthi Rebels Claim They Fired Missiles at Eilat (7:00 a.m.)
Yemen’s Houthi rebels, which are backed by Iran, said they fired a batch of ballistic missiles at targets in Israel’s southern region, including Eilat.
The Houthis claim to have dispatched drones and fired missiles on several occasions in support of the Palestinians since the start of the conflict between Hamas and Israel.
It’s unclear if the drones and missiles reached anywhere near Israel. The Israeli government confirmed a drone attack on Eilat on Thursday, but said it came from Syria.
Israel Carries Out Strikes on Syria After Drone Attack on School (5:40 a.m.)
Israel said it struck back at an organization from Syria that carried out a drone attack on a school in the Red Sea city of Eilat.
Israel’s Fight Spreads Into Syria, Poisons Ties With Russia
The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, that it “holds the Syrian regime fully responsible for every terror activity emanating from its territory.”
Netanyahu Says Accord With Saudis Is Still Possible (2:45 a.m.)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a peace deal with Saudi Arabia was still possible, despite intense fighting in the Gaza Strip.
“I think it will be a reality,” Netanyahu said during an interview with Fox News that was broadcast Thursday evening. “I think conditions will be ripe. In fact, after a victory, I think they’ll be even riper.”
Saudi Minister Says Israel Talks Hinge on Palestinian Question
Asked about President Joe Biden’s comments earlier that the fighting has “taken a little longer than I’d hoped,” Netanyahu responded: “Well, it’s taken a little longer than I’d hoped.”
