November 1, 2023 Israel-Hamas war news

Our live coverage of the conflict in Israel and Gaza has moved here.

Pope Francis spoke about the conflict between Israel and Hamas and reiterated his support for a two-state solution, while confirming he would attend a key UN climate summit this year.

Speaking on Italy’s state-run TV channel RAI, the pope also addressed the issue of antisemitism, saying it "remains hidden" and "unfortunately, it hasn't passed."

"Two peoples who must live together. With that a wise solution exists: two peoples, two states, follow the Oslo Agreement: two very limited states and Jerusalem with a special status," Pope Francis said. 

Some context: The two-state solution has been the goal of the international community for decades, dating back to the 1947 UN Partition Plan, and many nations say that it is the only way out of the conflict.

The main generator for the Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza went out of service Wednesday night, Dr. Atef Al Kahlout, the head of the hospital, told CNN Thursday.

Al Kahlout said a secondary generator was running in some sections of the hospital. However, the electromechanical systems throughout the entire hospital had stopped working, he said, including the ventilation systems in the operating rooms, the hospital’s only oxygen station, and the hospital morgue refrigerators.

Gaza's Indonesian Hospital is considered a backbone in providing health services in the northern part of the coastal enclave as the nearest medical facility receiving scores of people injured from two days of Israeli airstrikes on the Jabalya refugee camp.

The Israeli military conducted airstrikes on the densely populated refugee camp on Tuesday and again on Wednesday.

Medics said there were "hundreds" of dead and wounded. Videos seen by CNN on Tuesday showed long lines of bodies outside the hospital.

A barrage of new explosions was seen over Gaza City in the early hours of Thursday, a live camera feed from AFP showed. 

The explosions were seen at around 3:08am Israel time (9:08pET), with sustained booms and bright flames captured on the footage. However, it was too dark to determine whether there were any projectiles.

The Israel Defense Forces have not yet commented on the blast. 

An American pediatrician, who became stranded in Gaza at the beginning of the war while on a relief mission to treat children, was finally able to leave the territory Wednesday, her husband told CNN.

Dr. Barbara Zind passed through the Rafah crossing into Egypt, Paul Preston said.

“She was there for four or five hours in passport control, and that's when I was starting to get discouraged,” Preston told CNN’s Erin Burnett from his home in Grand Junction, Colorado.

Zind had attempted to cross the border once before but had to give up after fighting among people desperate to leave made it impossible for her to pass through. 

Preston said he believes Zind is okay, but communication difficulties have made it impossible for him to speak to his wife directly as of Wednesday evening.

“I've just been hearing secondhand about her,” he said.

After leaving Gaza City and moving south, Preston said his wife had to live in an outdoor camp for several days and had only recently been able to sleep indoors again with access to hot food.

“It was so bad, she kind of got used to it,” Preston said. “It was bad, like, all the time.”

Ramona Okumura, a stranded American volunteer in Gaza who crossed into Egypt Wednesday, is now resting at a hotel, her niece Leah Okumura told CNN.  

Ramona Okumura is “completely exhausted” after the experience and told her family several hours ago in a group chat that she was going to sleep, Leah told CNN’s Anderson Cooper.  

“I hope she is enjoying a very restful sleep in a comfortable bed after a delicious meal and a hot shower, which she absolutely deserves,” she said.   

The elder Okumura is an expert in pediatric prosthetics who has been working with the Palestine Children’ Relief Fund since she retired from her job at the University of Washington, Leah said, adding the trip was one of several routine visits.

UW Medicine confirmed Okumura was a former employee, and said in a statement to CNN, "we are so glad to hear she is safe."

“She is able to build and fit prosthetics from the very limited material people in Gaza are able to get in through the blockade,” Leah said, as well as teaching medical providers how to do it.  

“We are just so proud of her and what she’s able to do, and not just her skills and dedication to it, but her bravery really, and how passionate she is about this cause,” she added.  

Argentina's foreign ministry condemned Israel's airstrike on Jabalya refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, saying it is “essential to immediately stop attacks targeting civilian infrastructure.” 

“Especially those aimed at ensuring the provision of essential services in the Gaza Strip, including hospitals, water desalination plants, and centers that shelter refugees,” the foreign ministry said in a statement published Wednesday. 

The statement says Argentina has condemned in “unequivocal terms the terrorist attacks perpetrated by Hamas on October 7 and recognizes Israel's right to self-defense,” but “nothing justifies the violation of international humanitarian law, and the obligation to protect the civilian population in armed conflicts, without making any distinction.” 

Israeli struck the Jabalya refugee camp in northern Gaza on Tuesday and again on Wednesday, killing many civilians including scores of children. The Israel Defense Force defended the strikes, saying it killed a Hamas commander and hit a command complex of the militant group.

Hamas denied the presence of one of its leaders in the camp.

Diplomatic response: Argentina's statement comes after other Latin American countries took diplomatic measures against Israel. 

On Tuesday, Bolivia announced it is cutting diplomatic relations with Israel, citing "crimes against humanity committed against the Palestinian people" in the wake of Israel's war with Hamas. Also, Colombia and Chile recalled their ambassadors to Israel for consultation due to the strikes on Gaza. 

Israel’s President Isaac Herzog urged Israelis to remain united as Hamas intends to “incite hatred."

“The enemy seeks to incite hatred within us – between Jewish citizens and Arab citizens. Such attempts must be fought uncompromisingly and unequivocally. We must eradicate any incarnation of enmity, racism and violence towards different groups within us,” Herzog said during an address Wednesday night. 

Herzog underscored the important role played by Arab citizens in Israel.

“Remember that there are dozens of Arab citizens here who paid with their lives in the terrible massacre, and as part of the security forces and the IDF. Remember the mutual responsibility as displayed by the overwhelming majority of the Arab society in Israel,” Herzog said.

Herzog also cautioned against what he called a “psychological campaign” being conducting against Israel.

“They want to scare us with videos, rumors, and lies. They try to undermine us psychologically, to hurt our personal and national spirit. We will not let them succeed,” Herzog said.

The president added that the return of the hostages remains “an integral part of the success of this campaign – of course – alongside victory in this decisive war against the enemy and restoring security to all Israeli citizens.”

The Israeli airstrike that rocked the Gaza refugee camp of Jabalya on Wednesday killed at least 80 people, according to a local hospital official.

Dr. Atef Al Kahlout, the director of Gaza's Indonesian hospital, told CNN Wednesday that at least 80 bodies have arrived at the hospital following the strike and that more were being dug out of the rubble.

He said the majority of the casualties were women and children and that hundreds more people were injured.

The Israel Defense Forces confirmed earlier Wednesday that the blast in the Falluja neighborhood of the Jabalya refugee camp was due to an airstrike. It said "Hamas terrorists were eliminated in the strike"

Video from the blast site showed catastrophic damage surrounding a deep crater in the neighborhood. People are seen digging through the rubble searching for bodies. 

The Israeli military also conducted airstrikes in Jabalya on Tuesday in an area near Falluja. Medics said there were hundreds of casualties.