October 25, 2023 Israel-Hamas war news

Our live coverage of the conflict in the Middle East has moved here.

A United Nations humanitarian agency is warning it may have to halt its services in Gaza if no fuel is delivered — saying time is running out. Israel is continuing its fierce bombardment and complete blockage of the Palestinian enclave.

Several countries have now called for "humanitarian pauses" to allow for more aid to come into Gaza.

Talks are underway with world leaders in an effort to free more hostages, sources say. More than 100 hostages have foreign passports, the Israeli government estimated.

Here are the key things to know tonight:

• Humanitarian agency in crisis: Vital fuel supplies are on the verge of running out, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) said. It runs the “largest humanitarian operation in Gaza,” the agency's director said, but it might all come to an end by Wednesday night. Without fuel supplies, the agency said it would no longer be able to operate desalination stations, hospital services or deliver food supplies — essentially severing its humanitarian services in Gaza.
• Attempts to get aid in and people out: The presence of Hamas at the Rafah border crossing has made the situation "extremely difficult," US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said. Sometimes Hamas militants are actively at the crossing with guns "preventing people from approaching the crossing." On Tuesday, eight out of the scheduled 20 trucks were able to cross into Gaza, the UNRWA said.
• The latest on hostages: Qatar, which is helping to mediate with Egypt, is hopeful for a breakthrough soon on negotiations to release hostages held by Hamas, the prime minister and foreign minister said. Four hostages – two American and two Israeli – have been freed so far. Talks to secure the release of a large number of hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza are ongoing, two sources familiar with the matter and one Western diplomat familiar with the discussions told CNN.
• Hostages from other countries: There are 135 hostages with foreign passports from 25 countries being held in the Gaza Strip, according to a new estimate released by the Israeli Government Press Office Wednesday. There are 54 people with a passport from Thailand, 25 Argentinan nationals, 12 from Germany and 12 from the United States, it said. Separately, 259 foreign nationals were murdered in the Hamas attack on October 7, Israel said.
• Calls for a pause or ceasefire: A UN Security Council resolution put forward by the US calls for "humanitarian pauses" — not a ceasefire — to allow desperately needed aid to reach Gaza. The European Union may also lean toward calling for a "short humanitarian pause" in Gaza after leaders meet on Thursday, a senior diplomat said. Several leaders have already voiced some version of this, including Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and the foreign ministers of Ireland and Slovenia. Separately, the United Kingdom government is discussing “humanitarian pauses” but rejects a “wholesale ceasefire,” a spokesperson for the prime minister said.
• Amping up of military equipment: The US has agreed to send two Iron Dome batteries from the US to Israel, a defense official and US official said. The batteries from US stocks are in addition to Iron Dome interceptors the US provided from stocks already in Israel. More generally, the Australian government also said it is deploying more personnel and aircraft to the Middle East region, the country's Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Richard Marles said.
• Journalist's family killed: Al Jazeera said its bureau chief in Gaza, Wael Al-Dahdouh, lost his wife, son, daughter and grandson in what it said was Israeli airstrike. Advocacy groups, including the International Press Institute and the Committee to Protect Journalists, condemned the killings and called for more protection for journalists.

New satellite images released by Maxar show significant damage to sites across Gaza following Israeli airstrikes in response Hamas' surprise attacks on October 7.

These before and after images of Atatra, northwest Gaza, show nearly an entire neighborhood reduced to rubble following Israel's bombardment.

Before:

After:

See more of the satellite photos here.

More than 114 million people are believed to be displaced due to conflict across the world, according to a United Nations' refugee agency report, which was compiled before the war erupted in Israel and Gaza this month.

The mid-year report by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said the main drivers of forced displacement in the first half of 2023 were Russia's war in Ukraine, and conflicts in Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Myanmar.

Climate-related disasters, including droughts, floods and insecurity in Somalia, together with the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, also contributed to the "alarming" number, the agency added.

“The world’s focus now is — rightly — on the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. But globally, far too many conflicts are proliferating or escalating, shattering innocent lives and uprooting people,” UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said in a statement.

About 600,000 displaced people are living in UN shelters in Gaza after Israel warned those living in the north of the enclave to head southward, according to the UN Relief and Works Agency.

“As we watch events unfold in Gaza, Sudan and beyond, the prospect of peace and solutions for refugees and other displaced populations might feel distant,” Grandi said. “But we cannot give up. With our partners we will keep pushing for — and finding — solutions for refugees.”

The United Nation's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has warned about the overcrowding in UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) shelters in Gaza.

Overcrowding conditions are "severely constraining access to basic assistance and essential services, increasing health and protection risks, and negatively affecting mental health," OCHA said in a statement early Thursday.

OCHA said the number of displaced people in UNRWA's shelters has reached nearly 629,000 out of a total of 1.4 million people displaced since October 7.

Meanwhile, OCHA said the water supply in the areas south of Wadi Gaza has temporarily improved.

"This happened after UNRWA and UNICEF managed to deliver small quantities of fuel they had retrieved from their existing reserves to key facilities," OCHA said. "However, the available fuel in these facilities will be exhausted by 26 October and supply of piped water is expected to cease again."

Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani reacted to comments from Israel's foreign minister that accused Qatar of financing Hamas, according to a statement released Wednesday by the country's Foreign Ministry.

Al-Thani expressed Qatar's “surprise and dismay at the statements made by some Israeli officials accusing Qatar at a time when Qatar is seeking to ensure the release of captives and de-escalation.”

He warned that “these provocative statements undermine ongoing efforts and endanger lives, and they can only be understood within the context of political blackmail and propaganda.”

The prime minister said he expected all parties would respect the efforts of Qatar and its partners and "assist in their success.”

Some background: During the high-level UN meeting on Tuesday, Israel’s foreign minister, Eli Cohen, accused Qatar of financing Hamas and harboring its leaders.

“Qatar, which finance and harbor of Hamas’ leaders, could influence and enable the immediate and unconditional release of all, of all hostages held by the terrorists. You, members of the international community should demand Qatar to do just that,” Cohen said.

Al-Thani also underscored “Qatar's complete rejection of double standards in dealing with this crisis,” stating “the human spirit must be preserved, and it is not permissible to condemn the killing of civilians in one place and justify it in another.”

“The need to hold accountable the parties involved in violating international law; otherwise, the logic of force will prevail over the logic of reason,” he added.

The United States House of Representatives passed a resolution in support of Israel in the war against Hamas.

It was the first measure to come to the floor after Speaker Mike Johnson was elected Wednesday afternoon following three weeks of a speakerless-House.

The tally was 412 to 10 with nine Democrats and one Republican voting against it. Six other lawmakers voted "present."

Al Jazeera says its bureau chief in Gaza, Wael Al-Dahdouh, lost his wife, son and daughter in what it said was Israeli airstrike. The blast hit a house in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip where the family was taking shelter after being displaced, according to Al Jazeera. 

Al Jazeera reported Al-Dahdouh’s grandson Adam was declared dead two hours later.

CNN cannot independently confirm the source of the blast at the house and Al Jazeera did not provide evidence linking it directly to an Israeli strike. 

The Israel Defense Forces has not yet responded to CNN requests for comment, 

Al Jazeera anchor Abdisalam Farah announced the deaths on air, visibly struggling to keep his composure and tearing up.  

The Al-Dahdouh family were displaced from Tal El Hawa to Nuseirat refugee camp which they thought would be a safe place for them to stay, Al Jazeera’s office in Ramallah told CNN.

Advocacy groups react: The International Press Institute (IPI) has condemned the killing of the Al-Dahdouh’s family, calling it "horrifying and outrageous news," in a statement on Wednesday. 

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) also issued a statement calling for the protection of all journalists shortly after the family was killed in what it said was an Israeli airstrike.

“During any conflict, journalists and media workers are civilians under international humanitarian law,” CPJ said, without naming Al-Dahdouh. 

According to a CPJ statement released earlier Wednesday, at least 24 journalists have lost their lives in the Israel-Hamas war since October 7, including 20 Palestinians, three Israelis and one Lebanese.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said fighter jets struck a Hezbollah military compound and an observation post in southern Lebanon Wednesday.

Earlier Wednesday, the IDF reported that militants fired an anti-tank missile at IDF soldiers operating in the area of Avivim in northern Israel.

The IDF said their forces returned fire.

Hezbollah-owned media outlet Al Manar TV reported that Hamas had struck an IDF tank in Avivim.

Al Manar also reported that the IDF struck the outskirts of the villages of Maroun al-Ras and Blida in southern Lebanon.