Nov. 4: Gazan terrorists fire rockets at central Israel as rally held for return of hostages

Blinken to meet with Abbas in Ramallah as US envisions PA’s return to Gaza after war

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, meets with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank town of Ramallah, January 31, 2023. (Ronaldo Schemidt/Pool via AP)

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah tomorrow in what will be the top American diplomat’s first trip to the West Bank since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war, a Palestinian official tells The Times of Israel.

Earlier this week, Blinken told a congressional hearing, “At some point, what would make the most sense would be for an effective and revitalized Palestinian Authority to have governance and ultimately security responsibility for Gaza.”

The comments marked the first time the Biden administration publicly declared its desire for the PA to return to the Gaza Strip, after privately raising the idea with regional partners amid the Israel-Hamas war.

Ramallah, for its part, has asserted it has no interest in returning to Gaza unless it is part of a diplomatic initiative that unites the enclave with the West Bank and revamps the peace process with Israel, an idea that would be supported by the Biden administration but have little backing in the current Israeli government.

IDF says fighter jets struck Hezbollah posts after rockets fired from Lebanon

Israeli fighter jets struck a number of sites belonging to the Hezbollah terror group in southern Lebanon after rockets were identified being fired at Israel, the military says.

The Israel Defense Forces says none of the projectiles landed in Israeli territory.

Separately, an anti-tank guided missile was fired from Lebanon at the Metula area, causing no injuries, the IDF adds.

מטוסי קרב של צה"ל תקפו מוקדם יותר הערב תשתיות צבאיות של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה בשטח לבנון, לאחר שזוהו מספר שיגורים משטח לבנון לעבר שטח מדינת ישראל. לא זוהו נפילות בשטחנו.
בנוסף, זוהה ירי נ"ט לעבר מרחב מטולה, אין נפגעים. pic.twitter.com/wvpqAVnUH2

— דובר צה״ל דניאל הגרי – Daniel Hagari (@IDFSpokesperson) November 4, 2023

Biden answers ‘yes’ when asked if progress made on humanitarian pause in Gaza

US President Joe Biden gives a thumbs up as he leaves St. Edmond Roman Catholic Church in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, on November 4, 2023. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP)

REHOBOTH BEACH, Delaware — US President Joe Biden says that progress has been made on securing a so-called “humanitarian pause” in the fighting between Israel and Hamas, as his secretary of state works on the same issue in the Middle East.

When asked if any progress had been made on the issue, Biden replies “yes” as he leaves a church in Delaware and offers a thumbs up before getting into his vehicle. He doesn’t give any further details.

Earlier today, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters in Amman that a humanitarian pause in the fighting would help protect civilians and get more aid into the besieged Gaza Strip.

Blinken tells Jordan king US committed to working toward establishing Palestinian state

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with Jordan's King Abdullah in Amman on October 13, 2023. (State Department)

Meeting with Jordan’s King Abdullah and Crown Prince Hussein in Amman, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told the pair the US is committed to working with regional partners to establish a Palestinian state, the State Department says in its readout on the meeting.

The Biden administration has been increasingly stressing this message during meetings with regional leaders since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war, after two years of using more general messaging regarding the right of Israelis and Palestinians to “equal measures of freedom.”

Blinken in today’s meeting in Amman with Abdullah and Hussein also “underscored our shared commitment to the protection of civilians and to facilitating the increased, sustained delivery of life-saving humanitarian assistance, the resumption of essential services, and ensuring that Palestinians are not forcibly displaced outside of Gaza,” the State Department says.

“Blinken also expressed concern regarding the increasing violence in the West Bank,” the State Department says, referring to the uptick in deadly settler violence. There have also been numerous deadly clashes between Palestinians and IDF troops.

His Majesty King Abdullah II, during a meeting with #US Secretary of State Antony Blinken attended by HRH Crown Prince Al Hussein, stresses the need to stop the war on #Gaza and enforce a humanitarian truce to ensure the sustained delivery of relief and medical aid to the Strip pic.twitter.com/frkhTmkOPx

— RHC (@RHCJO) November 4, 2023

In first, reporters embed with Israeli ground forces in Gaza

A screenshot of video footage aired by the Kan public showing Israeli ground forces in the Gaza Strip, November 3, 2023, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas terror group. (Screencapture/X used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

In footage aired this evening, Israeli military reporters accompany IDF troops into Gaza for the first time, providing some of the most up-close coverage of the ground operation to date.

The reporters entered Gaza from the north yesterday afternoon in the Namer APC of Brig. Gen. Itzik Cohen, commander of the IDF’s 162nd Division. They linked up with the Nahal Brigade, which is operating in the Al-Atatra neighborhood of Beit Lahiya, more than 4 kilometers inside the Gaza Strip.

Other forces from the division, including the Givati Brigade and the 401st Armored Brigade, are even deeper inside Gaza City.

The footage from multiple outlets, including Kan, Channel 12, and Channel 13, shows the troops coming under threat from a Hamas drone. The troops seem extremely vigilant about drone-borne grenades, and succeed in shooting it out of the sky. Hamas footage from last week showed a drone dropping an explosive on a tight cluster of soldiers; officers are heard from Friday’s footage warning the journalists that they are not to group together and create a target for Hamas drones.

הצצה נדירה למרחב הלחימה בעומק עזה: הפרשן הצבאי של כאן חדשות @roysharon11 התלווה לחטיבת הנח"ל pic.twitter.com/GIrXzeLMqW

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) November 4, 2023

Nahal Brigade Commander Col. Yair Zuckerman tells reporters that his forces found a massive tunnel shaft inside a mosque, with fake IDF uniforms inside. He adds that the brigade has come across countless civilian homes boobytrapped by Hamas.

Cohen says that IDF forces are not going into tunnels, but are destroying them together with the air force and combat engineers. Most of the tunnels in his division’s sector have been destroyed, he says.

He adds his troops are fully aware that Israeli hostages could be in tunnels and that the IDF is doing everything it can to find them, without going into detail.

The footage shows infantry, armor, and engineering troops operating together, with Cohen praising the cooperating between the ground troops, intelligence and the air force.

There are multiple gunfights every day with Hamas fighters who pop up out of tunnels, say the troops, including one in which 10 terrorists tried to ambush Nahal forces.

“We are meeting terrorists everyday, and have been able to destroy a large number of them,” says Cohen, adding that Hamas fighters are “escaping backwards” deeper into Gaza City.

“We want to tell the people of Israel at home that what will save the people of Israel is not technology… it helps… but what brings victory is dedication and heroism,” says a Nahal officer. “What we need going forward is that those at home will be able to absorb the fatalities, the difficulty, the pain, the sorrow, and will push us forward. We need that the people at home support us…. We promise to be strong determined and not to stop until Hamas is defeated.”

Mossad says ‘there’s only one official channel managing the release of the hostages’

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, center, outgoing Mossad director Yossi Cohen, right, and incoming director David Barnea at a ceremony conferring the Prime Minister's Award on exceptional Mossad agents, May 24, 2021. (Amos Ben Gershom/GPO)

The Mossad puts out a statement through the Prime Minister’s Office declaring that “there is only one official channel that manages the release of the hostages.”

“Any other official who claims he has a connection to this is not authorized to do so,” the statement adds.

The statement does not specify who it is referring to. Former Mossad chief Yossi Cohen — who is part of Gal Hirsch’s team working to free the captives held in Gaza by Hamas — has been in Qatar recently to discuss the hostage issue and also held a meeting with the families of kidnapped.

Cohen claimed in a interview that everything he is doing is coordinated with the Mossad and the PMO, though the statement suggests that is not the case.

Booms heard as rocket warning sirens sound across central Israel

Warning sirens sound in cities throughout central Israel as Palestinian terrorists in the Gaza Strip target the area with a barrage of rockets.

Israeli television footage shows interceptor missiles streaking through the air and residents of central Israel report hearing a number of booms.

The Magen David Adom ambulance service says it hasn’t received any reports of injuries or damage.

Large rocket barrage on central Israel, multiple Iron Dome interceptions. (Credit: דב ל.) pic.twitter.com/lJw04cmMyv

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) November 4, 2023

Hamas suspends evacuation of foreign passport holders, dual nationals from Gaza

Gaza’s Hamas rulers have suspended the evacuation of foreign passport holders to Egypt Saturday after Israel refused to allow some wounded Palestinians to be evacuated to Egyptian hospitals, a border official tells AFP.

“No foreign passport holder will be able to leave the Gaza Strip until wounded people who need to be evacuated from hospitals in north Gaza are transported through the Rafah crossing” to Egypt, the official says on condition of anonymity.

The official doesn’t give any information on the identities of the wounded. A senior US administration official said yesterday that Hamas has tried to smuggle its fighters out of Gaza among the wounded Palestinians.

Halevi said to tell Blinken that Gaza casualties would be higher if Israel followed US advice

DF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi issues a video statement from southern Israel, October 28, 2023. (Israel Defense Forces)

During a meeting yesterday of the war cabinet, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Israeli leaders they must do more to ensure noncombatants in Gaza are not harmed in the fighting between Israel and Hamas terrorists, Channel 13 news reports.

Citing two sources familiar with the meeting, the network says IDF chief Herzi Halevi countered by telling Blinken there would be even more casualties if the military took the advice of American generals sent to advise Israel on the operation in Gaza.

The report also says that in meetings with Israeli leaders, Blinken stressed American backing for Israel is “wall-to-wall” but that “public opinion” is making it more difficult for the administration to extend such support.

“If you want a long campaign, you must let in broad elements of humanitarian aid,” the American diplomat is quoted as saying.

In Tel Aviv, thousands call for return of hostages held by Hamas: ‘Bring them home – now’

Israelis attend a rally calling for the release of those held captive by Hamas terrorists in Gaza, outside the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv, November 4, 2023. (Tomer Neubergr/Flash90)

Thousands gather at Tel Aviv Museum of Art, now known as Captives Square, in a show of support for the families of the 242 people held captive since the October 7 onslaught by Hamas.

“We understand the enormity of this hour,” Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai says at the opening of the rally, as Israel is set to mark 30 days tomorrow since the murderous assault by Palestinian terrorists on Israeli communities, military posts and a music festival near the Gaza Strip.

He notes that November 4 is the date that prime minister Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated, saying the slain premier “knew how to make difficult decisions.” Huldai says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must now do so and bring back all the captives.

Ramos Aloni, whose daughters Danielle and Sharon are being held captive with their small children and Sharon’s husband, says Israel should only accede to demands for humanitarian aid and a ceasefire “if it goes two ways.”

Aloni calls for the hostages to be given medical assistance, just as Israel is being asked to do in Gaza.

“If the prime minister is saying, ‘Together we will win,’ together means with the captives,” says Aloni. “No ceasefire without releasing all the captives.”

In between the speakers, the crowd bursts into chants of “Bring them home — now!”

In Washington, Palestinian supporters call for ‘intifada’ against Israel

Demonstrators rally in support of Palestinians and against Israel, in Washington, on November 4, 2023, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Gaza-ruling Hamas terror group. (Olivier Douliery/AFP)

Some 10,000 people have descended on Freedom Plaza near the White House for what Washington’s largest pro-Palestinian protest in years.

Demonstrators at the rally are chanting slogans such as “Free Palestine” and “From the river to the sea Palestine will be free.”

In a call and response, a woman can be heard saying into a microphone “Long live the intifada,” to which the crowd responds, “Intifada, intifada, intifada.”

While there is a great deal of anger among participants, there are no reports of violence or clashes with local law enforcement securing the rally.

Speakers are also calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and accusing Israel of carrying out a “genocide” in the Hamas-run enclave.

The speakers also express their major frustration with US President Joe Biden over his support for Israel and warn that it will cost him their votes in the next presidential election.

It’s unclear where such voters would turn though, given that the Republican party’s approach to the conflict is further out of step with their own and nearly a dozen GOP lawmakers have introduced dead-on-arrival legislation seeking to expel Palestinians from the US.

“Long live the Intifada! Intifada! Intifada!”

Thousands are out here from hundreds of different cities and organizations in Washington DC to participate in the Free Palestine March. pic.twitter.com/bVjvEX8223

— Ford Fischer (@FordFischer) November 4, 2023

Jewish woman stabbed at home in France’s Lyon; swastika left on door

A Jewish woman has been found with stab wounds at her home in Lyon, according to French media reports.

The reports say the assailant, who fled the scene, also defaced the door to the woman’s apartment with a swastika.

The woman was taken to a local hospital to be treated for abdomenal wounds, which do not pose a threat to her life.

Alert: Authorities in Lyon, France are looking for a suspect after a 30- year old Jewish woman was stabbed in her home. The perpetrator left this Swastika on the door.https://t.co/VgiCXIMbpb pic.twitter.com/nbuwEjKFeQ

— AG (@AGHamilton29) November 4, 2023

Rocket alerts sound in Ashkelon, other southern communities

Rocket warning alerts sound in Ashkelon and several other southern communities near the Gaza Strip.

US military says 2nd aircraft carrier has arrived in Middle East

In this photo obtained from the US Department of Defense, the aircraft carriers Gerald R. Ford (L, front) and Dwight D. Eisenhower (R, front) and ships in their Strike Groups sail in formation in the Mediterranean Sea, on November 3, 2023. (Jacob Mattingly/US Department of Defense/AFP)

The US military announces that another aircraft carrier strike group has reached the Middle East, the second to be stationed in the region amid the ongoing war between Israel and Gaza-ruling Hamas terror group.

US Central Command says that among the ships sailing with the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower are a pair of guided missile destroyers and a guided missile cruiser.

The Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group (IKECSG) arrived in the Middle East and the CENTCOM area of responsibility as part of the increase in regional posture.

The strike group is commanded by Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 2 and comprised of flagship aircraft carrier USS… pic.twitter.com/CYLX5mTTki

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) November 4, 2023

IDF releases recording of tank commander helping infantry troops before being killed in Gaza

Lt. Col. Salman Habaka, the commander of the 188th Armored Brigade’s 53rd Battalion, on October 30, 2023. (Israel Defense Forces)

The Israel Defense Forces releases the last recording of Lt. Col. Salman Habaka, the commander of the 188th Armored Brigade’s 53rd Battalion, shortly before he was killed during fighting in the Gaza Strip on Thursday.

Habaka had assisted the Golani Brigade’s 13th Battalion during a fierce overnight clash, in which troops managed to fend off a Hamas ambush.

“Can I help you with something? Immediate extraction? Over,” Habaka is heard saying over the radio to the 13th Battalion’s commander, Lt. Col. Tomer Greenberg.

Greenberg asks Habaka to keep his forces in the area to cover them, in order to deploy more troops out of their armored vehicles amid the battle.

“I rescued you, now you’ve come to help me. Over,” Greenberg says.

Habaka was killed later that night during clashes with Hamas gunmen.

IDF announces deaths of another 4 soldiers killed fighting in northern Gaza

Maj. Yehuda Natan Cohen, Master Sgt. Lior Arazi, Staff Sgt. Yonadav Raz Levenstein, killed in the Gaza Strip on November 3, 2023. (Courtesy)

The Israel Defense Forces announces the deaths of four soldiers killed during fighting in the northern Gaza Strip yesterday.

They are:

Maj. Yehuda Natan Cohen, 25, a company commander in the Givati Brigade’s reconnaissance unit, from Shadmot Mehola.

Master Sgt. Lior Arazi, 25, a combat medic in Shaldag, from Givat Haim-Ihud.

Staff Sgt. Gilad Nehemya Nitzan, 21, a soldier in the Givati Brigade’s reconnaissance unit, from Shilo.

Staff Sgt. Yonadav Raz Levenstein, 23, a soldier in the Givati Brigade’s reconnaissance unit, from Ma’ale Adumim.

Their deaths bring the toll of slain soldiers since Israel launched its ground operation in the Gaza Strip last week to 28, and 345 since October 7.

Additionally, a soldier in the Givati Brigade’s reconnaissance unit and a soldier of the Nahal Brigade’s 931st Battalaion were seriously wounded in separate clashes in Gaza today, the IDF says.

IDF says it struck Hamas sites using intel from interrogation of terrorist

The Israel Defense Forces says fighter jets struck a Hamas site on the roof of a building in the Gaza Strip, as well as a tunnel near the building, following intelligence information gathered from the Shin Bet interrogation of a Hamas terrorist.

Ground forces also battled gunmen in the Strip today, killing several of them, seizing weapons and intelligence materials, and locating tunnels, the IDF adds.

The IDF has struck some 120 targets in the Gaza Strip today, including Hamas compounds and anti-tank launch positions.

The Israel Defense Forces says it struck a Hamas site on the roof of a building in the Gaza Strip, as well as a tunnel near the building, following intelligence information gathered from the Shin Bet interrogation of a Hamas terrorist. Ground forces also battled gunmen in the… pic.twitter.com/WdmG3HmQce

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) November 4, 2023

One of the main challenges the ground forces are facing in Gaza is terror operatives coming out of tunnels and launching RPGs at armored vehicles, though only a handful of cases have resulted in fatalities.

Gallant vows Israel will kill Sinwar, says if Gazans reach him first ‘it will shorten the war’

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant speaks during a press conference on November 4, 2023. (Screenshot/Government Press Office)

After touring the northern border and in the south in the past two days, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant says he was told by reserve soldiers that they are prepared “to fight until victory” and for as long as it takes. “If it takes a year, Israel must complete the mission,” he says they told him.

“There are fighters here who are prepared to do everything,” Gallant says during a press conference. “This determination characterizes the entire population of Israel,” he adds.

Gallant says Israeli forces engaged in heavy battles with terrorists in Gaza over Shabbat, are attacking Gaza City from both the south and north, and have entered urban areas.

The IDF is “fighting terrorists in command posts and tunnels,” he says, and destroying bunkers, tunnels and more.

“The fighting is progressing well, step after step. Many terrorists are being killed. We are taking apart Hamas battalion after battalion,” he says.

“Twelve Hamas battalion commanders have been killed and we will reach them all, and all the terrorists in the field.”

He says “Hamas has no limits” — as Israel saw on October 7 with its horrific assault and its brutal atrocities. “The Hamas leadership is responsible. We will get to that leadership,” he vows. “We will get to [Hamas Gaza chief] Yahya Sinwar and eliminate him. If the residents of Gaza get there ahead of us, that will shorten the war.”

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, during a press conference on November 4, 2023, shows a photograph of Hamas leader in Gaza Yahya Sinwar. (Channel 12 Screenshot)

Gallant says Israel “has no interest in a war with Hezbollah.” But he stresses that the IAF is reserving most of its forces for any potential development there. If Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah “makes a mistake” and decides to enter the war, “he will seal the destiny of Lebanon,” says Gallant.

“At the end of the war,” he promises, “there will be no more Hamas in Gaza. There will be no more security threat from Gaza on Israel, and Israel will have absolute freedom to take whatever security action it seeks against anyone who raises his head in Gaza [to threaten Israel].”

Answering a question, he repeats: “At the end of the war, there’ll be no Hamas in Gaza. Israel and the US are coordinated on this.”

Protesters rally outside Netanyahu’s home in Jerusalem, call on him to resign

Protesters calling for the release of captives held by Hamas terrorists in Gaza rally outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's home in Jerusalem, November 4, 2023. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Protesters rally outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s apartment on Jerusalem’s Azza Street, calling on the premier to resign over the Hamas terror group deadly shock assault in southern Israel on October 7.

IDF chief Halevi enters Gaza to hold assessment with Israeli forces

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi (center) speaks with officers inside a building in the Gaza Strip, November 4, 2023. (Israel Defense Forces)

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi held an assessment with forces inside the Gaza Strip today, the military announces.

A video released by the IDF shows Halevi meeting with the commander of the 162nd Division, Brig. Gen. Itzik Cohen, and other officers.

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi held an assessment with forces inside the Gaza Strip today, the military announces. pic.twitter.com/vAQwp0F0V4

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) November 4, 2023

Rocket fired from Gaza lands on Sderot street; no injuries

This handout photo shows a rocket fired by Palestinian terrorists in the Gaza Strip after landing on a street in the southern city of Sderot, November 4, 2023. (Sderot Municipality)

A rocket launched from the Gaza Strip landed in the southern city of Sderot a short while ago.

The municipality shares a photo showing damage to a street from the impact.

There are no injuries.

Sderot largely emptied out after the October 7 onslaught.

At Berlin march, protesters accuse Israel of ‘genocide’

Demonstrators waves Palestinian flags as they cross a bridge over the River Spree while a cruise boat passes underneath, during a protest in support of Palestinians and against Israel, under the slogan 'Free Palestine' in Berlin, Germany, on November 4, 2023. (Odd Andersen/AFP)

BERLIN — Thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters take to the streets of Berlin waving flags and demanding an end to Israeli strikes on Gaza amid the ongoing war triggered by the Hamas terror group’s deadly October 7 onslaught.

German news agency dpa reports that about 6,000 protesters marched through Berlin’s center after calls from Arab and German leftist organizations to join the demonstration today.

“Save Gaza,” “Stop genocide” and “Ceasefire” were emblazoned on marchers’ placards, according to AFP journalists.

Around 1,000 police officers are on duty to prevent possible clashes after several previous pro-Palestinian protests in Berlin turned violent in the past four weeks.

Police have banned any kind of public or written statements that are antisemitic, anti-Israeli or glorify violence or terror.

Several thousand protesters also march through the western Germany city of Duesseldorf in support of Palestinians and against Israel.

German police have said they feared tensions at the demonstration in Berlin following the ban on activities linked to Hamas and the Samidoun association, whose members are accused of celebrating the attack on Israel.

The ban was made official on Thursday.

Interior Minister Nancy Faeser has been criticized by the conservative opposition for delaying the implementation of the ban announced a fortnight ago by Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

Ukraine diplomat says Zelensky visit now up in the air after leak to Israeli TV

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky talks during a joint press conference with Belgium's Prime Minister Alexander De Croo (not pictured) in Brussels on October 11, 2023. (YVES HERMAN / POOL/AFP)

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky was indeed planning to come to Israel next week, but the trip is now up in the air because of a leak to Israel’s Channel 12 news, a Ukrainian diplomat tells The Times of Israel.

“He wanted the trip to be public when he stepped on Israeli soil,” says the diplomat. “He’s very disappointed.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Zelensky have not visited each others’ countries since the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine by Russia. But with Moscow hosting Hamas officials and introducing resolutions against Israel at the UN, Jerusalem might be looking to move the dial closer to Kyiv.

Zelensky and Netanyahu held a warm meeting in New York in September.

Rocket alerts activated in Gaza border towns

Incoming rocket sirens are activated in the southern city of Sderot and two other communities near the Gaza Strip.

Foreign Ministry says Erdogan siding with Hamas, after Turkey recalls envoy to Israel

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks at a pro-Palestinian rally, in Istanbul, Turkey, Saturday, October 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)

After Turkey announces it is recalling its ambassador to Israel amid the ongoing war against Hamas, the Foreign Ministry accuses Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of siding with the Gaza-ruling terror group.

The ministry also defends Israeli military operations in Gaza as “a war of self-defense” and calls Hamas “the true enemy of the Palestinian people.”

IDF says rocket that Hamas fired toward Eilat was intercepted by Arrow system

Illustrative: The Arrow 3 missile is launched from Palmachim air base in central Israel on December 10, 2015. (Defense Ministry)

The Israel Defense Forces says the long-range rocket launched by the Hamas terror group in the Gaza Strip toward the southernmost city of Eilat was intercepted by the Arrow air defense system.

It marks the second interception by the long-range Arrow air defense system since the beginning of the war, after a ballistic missile launched from Yemen at Eilat was downed last week.

Germany’s vice chancellor: ‘Hamas must be destroyed’

Germany's Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck attends the UK Artificial Intelligence (AI) Safety Summit at Bletchley Park, in central England, on November 2, 2023. (Daniel Leal/AFP)

BERLIN — German Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck says in a video speech to members of his party, The Greens, that “basically, Hamas must be destroyed because it is destroying the process of peace in the Middle East.”

Habeck adds, according to German news agency dpa, that Hamas’s October 7 attack “requires a necessary consequence from Israel.”

The vice chancellor says that “the Palestinians also have the right to their own state,” but adds that Hamas has no interest in such a solution.

Germany has been one of Israel’s staunchest supporters in its war with Hamas.

IDF says Hamas attacked troops as they opened evacuation corridor for Palestinians

An infographic released by the military on November 4, 2023, shows where the Israel Defense Forces says Hamas terrorists attacked Israeli troops as they worked to open an evacuation corridor for Palestinians in the northern Gaza Strip. (Israel Defense Forces)

The Israel Defense Forces accuses the Hamas terror group of attacking troops working to open up a humanitarian corridor for Palestinians to evacuate from northern Gaza to its south.

Earlier today, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesman Lt. Col. Avichay Adraee announced that between 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. the Salah a-Din road would be open for Palestinians to evacuate to southern Gaza.

The IDF says Hamas took advantage of the situation, and launched mortars and anti-tank guided missiles at troops working to open the road.

It says Hamas did so “in order to prevent [the road’s] opening for the movement of residents of the Gaza Strip.”

No soldiers were hurt in the attack, the IDF says.

The IDF has already accused Hamas of attempting to prevent Palestinians from evacuating northern Gaza, where the military has focused most of its airstrikes and ongoing ground offensive.

דובר צה"ל בערבית עדכן מוקדם יותר היום כי בין השעות 13:00-16:00 ציר "צאלח אלדין" שברצועת עזה ישמש למעבר הומניטרי לתושבי צפון הרצועה שטרם נעו דרומה למען שמירה על ביטחונם>> pic.twitter.com/oEDK97DGqi

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) November 4, 2023

After meeting Blinken, Jordan’s FM says Arab nations demand immediate ceasefire in Gaza

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken attends a meeting with Jordanian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, during a day of meetings about the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian terror group Hamas, in Amman, Jordan, November 4, 2023. (Jonathan Ernst/Pool photo via AP)

AMMAN, Jordan — Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi tells reporters that though he condemns the Hamas attacks of October 7 and that though “nobody in their right mind” would “belittle” the pain felt by Israel that day, the war in Gaza cannot be permitted to continue.

“The whole region in sinking in a sea of hatred that will define generations to come,” Safadi says after a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry.

He says the Arab countries were demanding an immediate ceasefire, a more dramatic action than the humanitarian pauses supported by the Biden administration, to allow for the delivery of food and other supplies and to enable time to secure the release of hostages.

“We don’t accept that this is self-defense,” Safadi says, adding, “It cannot be justified under any pretext and it will not bring Israel security, it will not bring the region peace.”

Hamas claims it fired Ayyash 250 rocket toward Eilat

The Hamas terror group claims to have launched an Ayyash 250 rocket — believed to have a range of 250 kilometers — at the southernmost city of Eilat.

Footage from an area north of Eilat shows a trail of smoke, apparently as a result of an interception of the projectile.

Hamas has launched several Ayyash 250 rockets during the ongoing war, without causing any injuries or damage.

Footage shows a trail of smoke, apparently from an interception, north of Eilat. pic.twitter.com/SItFgwYPAz

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) November 4, 2023

Soldier lightly hurt in West Bank shooting attack; IDF searching for suspects

Illustrative: Israeli soldiers at the Tapuah checkpoint near the West Bank city of Nablus, May 30, 2014. (AP Photo/ Nasser Ishtayeh/ File)

An Israeli soldier was slightly hurt in a shooting attack in the West Bank earlier today.

According to the Israel Defense Forces, shots were fired from a passing vehicle at troops who were inspecting another vehicle near the Palestinian village of Nabi Ilyas.

The IDF says troops returned fire at the vehicle, which fled the scene. Roadblocks were set up in the area amid a manhunt for the suspects.

One soldier was hurt by shrapnel and is listed in good condition, the IDF says.

At march in Paris, Palestinian supporters denounce ‘Israel, assassin,’ chant ‘Macron, accomplice’

Protesters chant slogans as they march on Paris during a pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel demonstration, November 4, 2023, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Palestinian terror group Hamas. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)

PARIS — Several thousand protesters calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza are taking part in a pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel march through the rain-dampened streets of Paris, with some shouting “Israel, assassin.”

Demonstrators are also taking aim at French President Emmanuel Macron, chanting “Macron, accomplice.” Some carry placards that read “Immediate ceasefire,” a cry also chanted repeatedly by the crowd. Banners on a sound-system truck at the center of the march read “Stop the massacre in Gaza.”

Demonstrators are also chanting “Palestine will live, Palestine will win,” with many carrying Palestinian flags.

The demonstrators’ planned route runs between two large public squares in eastern Paris, République and Nation. Paris’s police chief has authorized the march but vowed that any behavior deemed antisemitic or sympathetic toward terrorism will not be tolerated by police officers mobilized to keep order.

Long-range rocket fired from Gaza, setting off sirens in towns near Eilat

A long-range rocket was launched from the Gaza Strip, heading south.

Sirens are sounding in several towns in the Arava region, just north of Eilat.

The alerts sound in Neot Smadar, Neveh Harif, Shachrut, Shitim, Lotan, Yotvata, Grofit, Yahel, Yotvata Hai Bar Nature Reserve, and Ktura.

It likely marks the first time rocket sirens have sounded in these communities.

Qatar: Continued strikes in Gaza ‘complicate’ efforts to secure release of hostages

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, meets with Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani at a hotel during a day of meetings, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, in Amman, Jordan, November 4, 2023.(Jonathan Ernst/Pool Photo via AP)

Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani called for an immediate ceasefire and the entry of humanitarian aid to Gaza during his meeting today with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, according to the Gulf emirate.

A statement from the Qatari foreign ministry says Al-Thani “also affirmed the continued efforts of the State of Qatar to mediate the release of the prisoners, pointing that the continued bombing doubles the humanitarian catastrophe in the Strip and complicates securing their release.”

Israel thwarted planned attacks on Israelis in several countries — report

Israel has thwarted a number of attacks on Israelis in countries across the globe amid the war against Hamas, the Kan public broadcaster reports.

Citing a security source, the report says threats against Israeli and Jewish targets worldwide are growing, describing them as “very exceptional and extraordinary” in scope.

The source adds that some of the attacks are spontaneous, while others are planned by jihadist groups.

Hamas claims its fighters clashing with Israeli troops in Gaza City neighborhood

Huge plums of smoke rise over the city of Khan Younis, as seen from the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on November 4, 2023, amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian terror group Hamas. (Said Khatib/AFP)

The Hamas terror group’s military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, claims to have clashed with Israeli troops several times in Gaza City’s Tel al-Hawa neighborhood in the last few hours.

The claims cannot be verified, and the terror group has been accused of fabricating reports in the past.

Still, the claims may indicate IDF troops are pushing deeper into Gaza City.

Israel has been intentionally vague about its operations in Gaza, in order to not reveal information on troops’ locations and tactics.

Demonstrators block London’s Oxford Circus in latest mass protest against Israel; chief rabbi sounds alarm

The Metropolitan Police bar protesters from gathering outside the Israeli embassy in London, as another weekend of mass demonstrations against Israel gets underway in the British capital amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

The police say a number of the demonstrators blocked traffic at Oxford Circus before being cleared by officers.

Officers are responding to a group of protestors who have sat down and blocked Oxford Circus.

This behaviour clearly impacts on London's ability to function normally and we are working quickly to reopen the road. pic.twitter.com/pQAO8yKCmi

— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) November 4, 2023

Writing in The Times of London on Friday, ahead of the rally, Britain’s Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis warned of “hateful extremism” at the protests and said that the lines between demonstrators and “those who support the brutal terrorism of Hamas” have become “badly blurred.”

In the wake of the Hamas massacres in Israel on October 7, in which 1,400 people were slaughtered, most of them civilians, Mirvis wrote: “The world feels different because at the very moment when it should be clearer than ever what is meant by Hamas’s ‘resistance’, ‘jihad’, ‘uprising’, or ‘intifada’, more and more people are now openly calling for these things in cities across Britain and the world. This is hateful extremism.”

At the protests, he lamented, “A minority have proudly displayed their extremism on their banners and in their chants, while the majority stand alongside them.”

And he cited a similar blurring of lines on university campuses and in sermons in a minority of mosques “inciting hatred and even violence against Jews, while the majority of prominent Muslim clerics are silent”.

Rocket sirens sound in Ashkelon, Ashdod and surrounding towns

Rocket warning sirens sound in the southern coastal cities of Ashkelon and Ashdod, as well as in a number of surrounding communities.

Gallant warns ‘mistake’ by Hezbollah chief ‘will seal the fate of Lebanon’

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant (center) speaks with officers at the 146th Division's headquarters near the Lebanon border, November 4, 2023. (Ariel Hermoni/Defense Ministry)

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant warns Hezbollah terror chief Hassan Nasrallah against “making a mistake,” as he visits northern Israel amid repeated rocket and missile attacks by the Iran-backed group.

“We are on the defensive in the north and attacking with full force in the Gaza Strip, this is our priority,” Gallant says, in remarks provided by his office.

“We are not interested in getting into a war in the north, but we are ready for any task. The Air Force maintains most of its strength for the Lebanese arena, against Hezbollah,” he says.

Gallant says Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar “made a mistake and sealed the fate of Hamas and the fate of Gaza.”

“If Nasrallah makes a mistake, he will seal the fate of Lebanon,” he adds.

Zelensky says Middle East ‘taking focus’ from Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky attends a press conference with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Kyiv, Ukraine, November 4, 2023. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says that the conflict between Israel and Hamas had taken focus away from the war in Ukraine.

“Of course, it’s clear that the war in the Middle East, this conflict, is taking away the focus,” Zelensky says in a press conference with EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen.

Turkey says recalling its ambassador to Israel

Sakir Ozkan Torunlar, Turkey's ambassador to Israel, presents Col. (res.) Golan Vach, the head of a search and rescue delegation to the country, with a bouquet of flowers, at a ceremony at Ben Gurion Airport, February 13, 2023. (Israel Defense Forces)

Turkey says it is recalling its ambassador to Israel for consultations due to Israel’s refusal to agree to a ceasefire in Gaza.

The Turkish foreign ministry says Sakir Ozkan Torunlar was being recalled “in view of the unfolding humanitarian tragedy in Gaza caused by the continuing attacks by Israel against civilians, and Israel’s refusal (to accept) a ceasefire.”

Israel says it intends to pursue the war until it destroys Hamas’s power in Gaza. It has also said there can be no ceasefire that does not include a return of all the more than 240 hostages being held in Gaza

Blinken to visit Turkey for talks after Israel, Jordan trips

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, attends a meeting with Jordan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, facing, and other foreign ministers during a day of meetings in Amman, Jordan, Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023. (Jonathan Ernst/Pool photo via AP)

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit Turkey for two days from Sunday as part of a Middle East tour amid the Israel-Hamas war, the State Department says.

The top US diplomat was meeting with Arab counterparts in the Jordanian capital Amman today after visiting Israel the day before.

Hostage envoy Gal Hisrch booed by families at Tel Aviv protest

Israel’s point man on returning the hostages Gal Hirsch is booed by families of the captives as he came to a protest they are holding outside military headquarters in Tel Aviv.

“You are an embarrassment,” one woman shouts at him. “What does he do?” shouts another man. “Go home,” says a third person.

As he leaves, several people shout “Shame” at him.

Hirsch, a controversial former senior officer who has had several run-ins with the law, was appointed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

He has been maligned as being ineffectual and sidelined in actual negotiations to free the more than 240 people being held by terrorists in Gaza.

גל הירש מגיע ומגורש בבושת פנים, בשבת בבוקר, כיכר החטופים מוזיאון תל אביב

קרדיט: ליזי שאנן pic.twitter.com/rJvmlBWx5q

— דמוקרטTV (@Democrat_TV) November 4, 2023

IDF publishes footage of airstrikes on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon

Black smoke rises from an Israeli airstrike on the outskirts of Aita al-Shaab, a Lebanese border village with Israel, south Lebanon, Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

The Israel Defense Forces publishes footage showing strikes on Hezbollah sites in southern Lebanon in response to rocket and missile attacks on northern Israel today.

It says the targets include infrastructure, rocket storage sites and compounds used by the terror group.

מטוסי קרב של צה״ל תקפו בשעה האחרונה מטרות של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה בתגובה לירי שבוצע משטח לבנון מוקדם יותר היום, במקביל לתקיפות באמצעות ירי ארטילרי וטנקים.

בין המטרות שהותקפו, תשתיות טרור, מחסני רקטות, ומתחמים המשמשים את הארגון pic.twitter.com/HPDmndrDGS

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) November 4, 2023

Iranians mark anniversary of 1979 US embassy takeover, vow victory in Palestine

An Iranian demonstrator holds an anti-Israeli placard during a rally in front of the former US Embassy in Tehran, Iran, marking 44th anniversary of the seizure of the embassy by Iranian students, Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Thousands of Iranians gather on the streets to mark the anniversary of the 1979 takeover of the US embassy in Tehran, chanting “Death to America” and “Death to Israel” while condemning Washington’s support of Israel as it fights Hamas in Gaza.

The rally — which was called for by the state — came as the Israel-Hamas war entered its fourth week. About 1,400 people in Israel were killed, most of the civilians, and over 240 taken hostage after Hamas’s surprise attack on October 7.

Hamas, in unverified claims, says over 9,000 people have died in Gaza.

People assemble outside the former US embassy in Tehran, with some burning American and Israeli flags.

Protesters stomp on images of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Joe Biden. Others carried banners calling the US the “Great Satan.” The banner on the main podium read: “We trample America under our feet.”

Parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, addresses the crowds while criticizing US support of Israel. “We consider the criminal US a principal culprit in all these crimes,” in Gaza and against Palestinians, he says.

Qalibaf claims that the Hamas attack on Israel has caused “irreparable” intelligence and security damage to the Israeli state.

In a statement published on behalf of the protesters at the end of the commemoration, they call for an “immediate ceasefire” in Gaza and warn the US, Britain and France that the crisis might expand in the region.

The statement ended with a vow that Iranians would stand by Palestine “until final victory.”

Erdogan says he can no longer talk to Netanyahu: ‘We erased him’

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, speaks to the attendees during a rally to show their solidarity with the Palestinians, in Istanbul, Turkey, Saturday, Oct. 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says he can no longer speak to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in light of the bombardment of Gaza, Turkish media reports.

“Netanyahu is no longer someone we can talk to. We erased him and threw him away,” Erdogan tells journalists on a flight back from a summit in Kazakhstan.

Erdogan, however, adds that his foreign minister and intelligence chief would continue to talk to “the Israeli side” as well as Hamas and other Palestinian groups.

Since Israel launched its attack on Hamas in the wake of the October 7 assault that killed some 1,400 people, most of them civilians, Erdogan’s rhetoric against the operation has become increasingly critical, ending efforts for Turkey and Israel to reconcile after more than a decade of mostly hostile relations.

Erdogan, in remarks reported by state-run Anadolu news agency and other Turkish media, also reiterates the possibility of Turkey being a guarantor for any future long-term peace deal between Israel and Palestine.

“If Greece can be a guarantor country, England can be a guarantor country and Turkey is a guarantor country in Cyprus, why can’t there be a similar structure in Gaza?” the president said, referring to a 1960 treaty on the east Mediterranean island.

He adds that Ankara was “taking initiatives and developing formulas” to find peace.

Criticizing international support for Israel, Erdogan says “the whole West, especially America, is currently on Israel’s side” and that people “should not expect a fair attitude” from the European Union over Gaza.

Hamas claims 12 killed in strike on Gaza school; no verification

The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza claims at least 12 people are killed when Israel struck a United Nations school where thousands of displaced Palestinians were sheltering. The claims by the terror group cannot be confirmed.

The ministry reports in a statement “12 martyrs and upwards of 54 wounded so far as a result of targeting Al-Fakhura school, which is sheltering thousands of displaced people in Jabaliya camp in the northern Gaza Strip.”

An earlier statement by the interior ministry said it was an “occupation [Israeli] strike” that hit the school.

There is no immediate comment from Israel, and AFP cannot confirm the toll independently.

There was also no immediate comment from the UN aid agency supporting Palestinian refugees, UNRWA.

⭕️ ÚLTIMA HORA | Israel bombardea por tercera vez el campo de Jabalia causando otros 15 muertos en una escuela de la ONUhttps://t.co/ot1nzuuYnT

— El Periódico de España (@ElPeriodico_Esp) November 4, 2023

Hamas says Haniyeh’s house, hit in apparent strike, was being used by his sons

In this photo released by the Iranian Presidency Office, President Ebrahim Raisi, right, greets the leader of the Palestinian terror group Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh at the start of their meeting at his office in Tehran, Iran, on June 20, 2023. (Iranian Presidency Office via AP, File)

The family home of exiled Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, which was destroyed earlier in an apparent Israeli strike, was being used by two of his sons, senior Hamas official Ghazi Hamad tells The Associated Press.

Hamas had no immediate details on damage or casualties.

The home was located in a narrow alley in al-Shathi neighborhood of Gaza City.  Haniyeh, a former aide to Hamas’ founder, Ahmed Yassin, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike in 2004, has been in exile since 2019.

Evacuated Be’eri residents find soldiers broke into their nursery — to water the plants

The owners of a small plant nursery in Kibbutz Be’eri, one of the worst devastated communities in the October 7 Hamas onslaught, thought they had lost their business when they were forced to evacuate.

“Be’eri had a thriving nursery for household plants. A little blossoming paradise that made everyone happy,” owner Avivit John writes on social media.

“When we were forced to evacuate, it was clear that all the plants would dry up. Rain does not get inside and the watering was done manually. After two days without water, the plants start to wither,” she says.

“Now we found a small miracle in Be’eri,” she writes, posting a video of the thriving nursery they found when they returned several weeks later and a sign explaining it.

“Sorry we broke into the nursery, we had to water the plants. With love, the soldiers,” the sign said.

משו קטן וטוב לשבת.
כותבת אביבית ג"ון מקיבוץ בארי:
בבארי היתה משתלה משגשגת שיועדה לצרכי פנים. גן עדן קטן ופורח, שעשה לכולם טוב.
כשנאלצנו להתפנות, היה ברור שכל הצמחים בה יתייבשו. גשם לא מגיע וההשקיה בחממה ידנית. אחרי יומיים ללא מים הצמחים מתחילים לקמול.
אז קבלו נס קטן שקרה בבארי pic.twitter.com/rSjXAq5KD1

— esty segal ‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎إيستي ???????? (@EstyS) November 4, 2023

Blinken thanks Lebanese leader for work to prevent country being ‘pulled into a war’

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, meets with Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati at his hotel during a day of meetings, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Amman, Jordan, Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023. (Jonathan Ernst/Pool Photo via AP)

US Secretary of State Anton Blinken thanks Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati for efforts to keep his country out of a war with Israel.

The powerful Lebanese-based Hezbollah terror group has been threatening to open a second front against Israel.

Blinken thanks Mikati for his leadership “in preventing Lebanon from being pulled into a war that the Lebanese people do not want,” says State Department spokesman Matthew Miller. Blinken also discusses US efforts to secure humanitarian assistance for civilians in Gaza, Miller says.

Neither Blinken nor Mikati spoke to reporters at the top of their meeting in an Amman hotel.

Footage shows Israeli airstrikes against Hezbollah positions

Plumes of smoke rise near the Lebanese village of Rmeish following Israeli airstrikes on November 4, 2023. (Screencapture/X used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

Footage shows Israeli airstrikes against Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon, in response to repeated rocket and missile fire on northern Israel.

Clips shared online show massive plumes of smoke near the Lebanese village of Rmeish.

???? الغارة الإسرائيلية بين عيتا ورميش pic.twitter.com/9j70cel77G

— bintjbeil.org (@bintjbeilnews) November 4, 2023

Israel slams Honduras recall of ambassador: Decisions that provide support to Hamas

Foreign Minister Eduardo Enrique Reina of Honduras stands for the playing of national anthems during a ceremony in Beijing, March 26, 2023. (Greg Baker/Pool Photo via AP, File)

The Foreign Ministry castigates the Honduran government for recalling its ambassador from Israel in protest of the fighting in Gaza.

“The Honduran government’s decision to recall its ambassador ignores Israel’s right to defend itself against the Hamas terrorist organization, which is worse than ISIS,” Lior Haiat, the spokesperson for Israel’s foreign ministry, writes on X, formerly Twitter.

“Hamas terrorists murdered over 1400 people, kidnapped 240, among them children, babies, women and the elderly, and is still holding them hostage.
Israel will fight Hamas terrorists until Hamas is eliminated from the Gaza Strip,” he says.

“We expect the Honduran government to condemn Hamas, to support Israel’s right to defend itself, and not to take decisions that provide support to Hamas’s terrorism,” Haiat says.

Honduras is the latest Latin American country to indicate unease with Israel’s operations in Gaza. Earlier in the week, Israel criticized Bolivia, Chile and Colombia for taking diplomatic steps in protest of its military operations.

Families of hostages sleep outside IDF headquarters: We won’t go home until they come home

Israelis hold up photographs of people held hostage by terrorists in Gaza in Tel Aviv, November 3, 2023. (Miriam Alster/Flash90r)

Families of the more than 240 hostages held by terror groups in Gaza sleep outside the military headquarters in Tel Aviv.

The move is part of stepped-up protests demanding the government and military do more to secure the return of the captives. The families are demanding that Israel refuse any ceasefire that doesn’t include the release of their loved ones.

“We won’t go home until they return home,” Meirav Leshem Gore, whose daughter Romi is a hostage, tells the Ynet news site.

“We invite everyone to come and be with us here, to be together,” she says.

Large protests are expected in Tel Aviv this evening.

IDF carries out airstrikes on Hezbollah positions after rocket fire

The Israel Defense Forces says it is carrying out airstrikes against sites belonging to the Hezbollah terror group in southern Lebanon in response to rocket fire on northern Israel.

There are no reports of injuries in the rocket attacks.

The IDF says it will provide more information on the strikes soon.

Rocket warning sirens in Upper Galilee towns

Incoming rocket sirens are sounding in the Upper Galilee towns of Dishon and Malkia, close to the Lebanon border.

The alerts come amid repeated rocket and missile attacks by Hezbollah and allied Palestinian terror factions from southern Lebanon on northern Israel.

Rockets fired from Lebanon at Rosh Hanikra; no injuries

Illustrative: Israeli soldiers guard in Rosh HaNikra, on the border between Israel and Lebanon, on October 27, 2022. (David Cohen/Flash90)

The Israel Defense Forces says a number of rockets were fired from Lebanon at the Rosh Hanikra area.

No sirens sounded in towns in the area.

There are no injuries in the attack, the IDF says.

Troops are responding with artillery shelling toward the sources of the fire, the IDF adds.

Blinken meeting Arab leaders in Jordan

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, meets with Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani at a hotel during a day of meetings, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Amman, Jordan, Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023. (Jonathan Ernst/Pool Photo via AP)

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has begun meeting Arab leaders in Jordan as he continues his Middle East shuttle diplomacy in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war.

Blinken met first with Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, whose economically and politically ravaged country is home to Hezbollah — an Iranian-backed terror group hostile to Israel.

Neither Blinken nor Mikati speak to reporters at the top of their meeting in an Amman hotel. Nor did Blinken speak publicly as he posed for pictures with Qatar’s foreign minister, whose country has emerged as the most influential interlocutor with Hamas and has been key to negotiating the limited release of hostages held by the group as well as convincing it to allow foreign citizens to leave Gaza and cross into Egypt.

Blinken was then to meet with the head of the United Nations agency in charge of assisting Palestinian refugees.

Later, Blinken is to hold group talks with foreign ministers of Qatar, Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, and the chair of the PLO executive committee. All parties have denounced Israel’s tactics against Hamas, which they say constitutes unlawful collective punishment of the Palestinian people.

Blinken will also see King Abdullah II of Jordan, whose country this week recalled its ambassador to Israel and told Israel’s envoy not to return to the country until the Gaza crisis was over.

Still, the Arab states have thus far resisted American suggestions that they play a larger role in the crisis.

Pentagon says Hezbollah appears deterred from widening conflict

In this photo obtained from the US Department of Defense, the aircraft carriers Gerald R. Ford (L, front) and Dwight D. Eisenhower (R, front) and ships in their Strike Groups sail in formation in the Mediterranean Sea, on November 3, 2023. (Jacob Mattingly/US Department of Defense/AFP)

Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Patrick Ryder says he does not think Hezbollah will escalate fighting with Israel, telling the BBC that “a broader regional conflict has been deterred.”

“Right now, we see this conflict as contained between Israel and Hamas,” he says.

The United States has sent two aircraft carrier groups to the eastern Mediterranean in an effort to deter the Iran-backed terror group from opening a second front against Israel.

His comments come after Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah on Friday made threats at the Jewish state and expressed solidarity with the Palestinians and their “martyrs” in his first speech since Israel declared war on Hamas after the Gaza terror group’s October 7 slaughter of Israelis.

But he made no announcement of explicit plans to broaden his Lebanese terror group’s conflict with Israel, as some had feared he would.

However, there have been frequent skirmishes along the Lebanese border since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war.

IDF hits two terror cells, Hezbollah post on Lebanon border

Supporters of the Lebanese Shiite terror group Hezbollah wave flags as they watch a televised speech by leader Hassan Nasrallah (unseen) in the Lebanese capital Beirut's southern suburbs on November 3, 2023. (Ahmad Al-Rubaye/AFP)

The Israel Defense Forces says it struck two terror cells in southern Lebanon a short while ago.

According to the IDF, the cells planned to open fire at Israel, possibly with anti-tank guided missiles.

The IDF says it also struck an observation post belonging to the Hezbollah terror group in the area.

צה"ל תקף שתי חוליות מחבלים שניסו לבצע ירי משטח לבנון לשטח ישראל. בנוסף, צה"ל השמיד עמדת תצפית של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה pic.twitter.com/G9Sv0QCq36

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) November 4, 2023

IDF said to bomb Gaza house of Hamas chief Haniyeh

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in a televised speech in which he called for a 'political solution' to the ongoing conflict with Israel, November 1, 2023. (Screenshot, Hamas Telegram channel)

Arabic media reports that Israel bombed a Gaza Strip house belonging to Hamas politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh.

The report said that a missile was fired at the home in the Al-Shathi neighborhood in northern Gaza. There were no immediate reports of casualties in the strike.

There is no comment from the IDF.

Haniyeh lives in exile in Qatar.

Earlier in the war, Palestinian media reported that 14 family members of Haniyeh’s were killed in an Israeli airstrike on another family home in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood, including his brother and nephew.

IDF: Sirens in Eilat a false alarm

The Israel Defense Forces says that an incoming rocket siren that sounded in the southernmost city of Eilat was a false alarm.

“IDF systems detected a suspicious target approaching Israeli territory,” the military says, adding that after an investigation it was revealed to be a false alarm.

Rocket warning sirens sound in Eilat

An Israeli Navy missile boat is seen off the coast of Eilat, October 31, 2023. (Israel Defense Forces)

Incoming rocket sirens are sounding in the southernmost city of Eilat.

The Israel Defense Forces says it is investigating the cause of the alert.

Hamas has previously attempted to fire rockets at Eilat from the Gaza Strip, and the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen attempted to launch missiles and drones at the city in recent weeks.

Palestinians report overnight airstrikes across Gaza

A Palestinian man gestures as he stands on the rubble of a collapsed building as a fire burns following a strike by the Israeli military on Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on November 4, 2023. (Mahmud Hams/AFP)

Palestinians in Gaza reported Israeli airstrikes overnight into this morning across the enclave, including the southern part.

Israel has repeatedly urged civilians in northern Gaza to move to the south and designated a safe area in southeastern Gaza.

Raed Mattar, who had fled northern Gaza early in the war and is sheltering in a school in the southern town of Khan Younis, says he heard explosions, apparently from airstrikes.

“People never sleep,” he says. “The sound of explosions never stops.”

Airstrikes were also reported in Gaza City, the focus of Israel’s campaign to crush Gaza’s ruling Hamas terror group. Strikes hit the western outskirts of the city and near Al-Quds Hospital, witnesses say.

Japan pledges $65 million in humanitarian aid for Gaza

Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki, right receives his Japanese counterpart Yoko Kamikawa at his office in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Friday, Nov. 3, 2023. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa announces $65 million in humanitarian aid for the Gaza Strip as she condemns attacks on civilians and promises Japan’s continued support for a two-state solution to the conflict.

Kamikawa met with Foreign Minister Eli Cohen and her Palestinian counterpart, Riyad al-Maliki, during her visit to the region yesterday, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry. The aid will cover support for the Palestinians and supplies for the Gaza Strip, in addition to $10 million in emergency aid Japan announced earlier, she says.

Speaking to reporters in the Jordanian capital of Amman after her Israel visit, Kamikawa says she urged the Israeli and Palestinian ministers to improve humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip and to calm the situation as soon as possible.

IDF force makes ‘targeted’ incursion into southern Gaza

IDF troops operating in the Gaza Strip in a picture released November 4, 2023. (Israel Defense Forces)

The Israel Defense Forces says it carried out a “targeted raid” in the southern Gaza Strip overnight.

The IDF says the limited operation, carried out by combat engineering forces and tanks, led by the Gaza Division, was to map out buildings and to clear the area of planted explosive devices.

It says that during the operation, troops encountered a Hamas cell that came out of a tunnel. Troops shelled the operatives, killing them, the IDF adds.

The military has focused its ground offensive in northern Gaza, but has also carried out limited incursions in southern Gaza to prepare the area for future stages of the war.

WATCH: IDF releases new footage of fighting in northern Gaza

The Israel Defense Forces releases new footage of fighting in northern Gaza as troops push ahead with the ground offensive.

IDF says ground forces continued the offensive in northern Gaza overnight.

It says infantry and tank forces led by the 460th Brigade encountered numerous attempts by Hamas operatives to come out of tunnels at attack troops. The forces killed several gunmen and located tunnels.… pic.twitter.com/YaupdJZcn6

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) November 4, 2023

IDF says several Hamas terrorists killed after attempted tunnel ambushes

IDF troops operating in the Gaza Strip in a picture released November 4, 2023. (Israel Defense Forces)

The Israel Defense Forces says ground troops continued the offensive in the northern Gaza Strip overnight.

It says infantry and tank forces led by the 460th Brigade encountered numerous attempts by Hamas operatives to come out of tunnels to attack troops. The forces killed several gunmen and located the tunnels, which will be later destroyed, the IDF says.

In one encounter, the IDF says ground forces fought off a group of 15 Hamas operatives, killing several of them, and shelling their observation posts.

The IDF does not immediately provide new information on potential casualties.

Indonesia sends first aid shipment to Gaza

Indonesian President Joko Widodo, left, looks at relief supplies for Gaza, before its departure at Halim Perdanakusuma air base in Jakarta, Indonesia, Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

Indonesia dispatches a batch of humanitarian aid for people in Gaza, its first since the Israel-Hamas war began.

The 51.5-ton aid was sent off directly by Indonesian President Joko Widodo from Jakarta’s Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force Base. Widodo said the medical equipment, food, blankets, tents and other supplies came both from the government and from Indonesian civilians, collected by humanitarian agencies.

The aid will be transported by two Hercules aircraft and an Airbus cargo plane to el-Arish Airport in Egypt. Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation, has long been a strong supporter of Palestinians. The country does not have formal diplomatic relations with Israel.

“This is a form of Indonesian solidarity, a form of Indonesians’ concern for humanity,” Widodo says, “because the humanitarian tragedy in Gaza is unacceptable and must be stopped as soon as possible.”

UN chief ‘horrified’ by strike on ambulance that Israel says targeted Hamas cell

UNITED NATIONS — The head of the United Nations is “horrified” by a strike by Israeli forces on a convoy of ambulances in Gaza, he says in a statement, adding that the conflict “must stop.”

“I am horrified by the reported attack in Gaza on an ambulance convoy outside Al Shifa hospital. The images of bodies strewn on the street outside the hospital are harrowing,” Antonio Guterres says in the statement.

The Israel Defense Forces said earlier that it struck an ambulance being used by a Hamas cell.

Russia says Mahmoud Abbas’s upcoming Moscow trip has been postponed

Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas pose for a photo prior to their talks in the Bocharov Ruchei residence in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, Russia, Tuesday, November 23, 2021. (Yevgeny Biyatov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

MOSCOW — Russia says that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has “postponed” a trip to Moscow that was planned for this month.

Russia — which has working relations with Israel, the PA and Hamas — has said several times that a visit by Abbas to Moscow was possible without previously giving a date.

Russia’s deputy foreign minister Mikhail Bogdanov tells state media that a trip planned for November 15 had been moved.

“It has been postponed. On the request of the Palestinian side,” he says, cited by Russian news agencies.

Bogdanov says Palestinian officials had informed Moscow that “the situation now is difficult” and that Abbas “cannot leave the region.”

Bogdanov says Russia is “maintaining working contact (with the Palestinian side) constantly by phone,”

Russia has good relations with both Israel and Hamas, which it does not consider a terrorist organization.

Pro-Palestinian protesters block naval ship in Oakland: ‘Joe Biden… we charge you with genocide’

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators block a transport ship in the US National Defense Reserve Fleet that is docked at the Port of Oakland, claiming the vessel is set to ferry American material to Israel amid the ongoing war in Gaza against Hamas.

Video showed several protesters in the California city climbing a ladder on the MV Cape Orlando, in an apparent bid to prevent it from sailing.

There are no reports of arrests.

Un barco militar intenta salir del puerto de Oakland, CA con armas estadounidenses para que 'Israel' continúe su genocidio en Gaza. Un grupo de activistas, arriesgándose a ser detenidos, ha venido para impedir la salida del barco. pic.twitter.com/ppDDeNVGCc

— L.A (@L_O_R_E_N_A1984) November 3, 2023

In other clips from the demonstration, which was organized by the San Francisco-based Arab Resource and Organizing Center, activists call for a halt to American military aid to Israel and chant, “Joe Biden, you can’t hide, we charge you with genocide,” due to the US president’s support for Israel.

“Joe Biden you can’t hide, we charge you with genocide!”

Hundreds continue a sit-in at the Port of Oakland to stop a ship headed to Israel to deliver more weapons for war on Gaza. Some are chained onto the ship. pic.twitter.com/myUh4AuEau

— BreakThrough News (@BTnewsroom) November 3, 2023

Countering the demonstrators’ claims, union officials and subcontractors quoted by the San Francisco Chronicle say the ship is empty and regularly comes and goes, and has not been in operation for years.

“This has been dead for 17 years,” Melvin Mackay, head of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, tells the newspaper.

Israel ‘significantly refined’ battle plans against Hamas after talks with US, says Biden official

A picture taken from Sderot shows plumes of smoke rising above the Gaza Strip during Israel strikes on November 3, 2023, amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian terror group Hamas. (Jack Guez/AFP)

Israel “significantly refined” its original military plan for its war against Hamas following talks with the US, a senior Biden administration official says.

Pressed on whether Washington is having discussions with Israel about the growing numbers of civilian casualties, the senior official insists that the US is “asking hard questions and constantly asking and ensuring there’s clarity about the objectives [they’re] seeking.”

“They have significantly refined what originally was their plan,” the official says in a phone briefing with reporters on condition of anonymity.

The senior official also says that calling for a ceasefire after the October 7 onslaught by Hamas would not be the right policy for the US to take.

A ceasefire “depends on the Israelis feeling secure and ensuring something like this cannot happen again,” the official says.

A “pause,” on the other hand, would allow for safe passage of civilians and for more flow of aid into Gaza.

The official notes that 100 trucks entered Gaza yesterday and says that the US “looks to see that significantly ramped up over the coming over the coming days.”