Live blog update| Israel-Palestine war
This is an entry from: Israel-Palestine live: Israel and Palestinians agree to truce, hostage deal

An evening recap

19 November 2023 22:54 GMT

Good evening MEE readers, 

While reports say ceasefire talks are nearing a decision that could see a pause in air strikes and the release of some hostages, so far nothing concrete has been determined. One Israeli official denied reports that indicated a ceasefire would begin at 11am on Monday, not providing any further details. 

Israel's bombardment was ongoing on Sunday, as people in the northern Gaza Strip continued to forcibly flee to the south. 

At least 31 premature babies arrived at southern Gaza's Tal Alsultan Hospital in Rafah, the Palestinian health ministry confirmed, adding that the babies are set to be sent to Egyptian hospitals with their families on Monday. 

The new death toll in the Gaza Strip is 13,000, including 5,500 children and 3,500 women. At least 30,000 people have been injured, according to Gaza's government media office.

Some 41 members of one family were killed in an Israeli strike on their home in Gaza City. The local health ministry released a list of names of 41 members of the Malka family it said were killed by the strike at dawn in the city's Zeytoun district.

Two more journalists were also killed, along with the head of a prominent media institution in Gaza, bringing the number of journalists killed during the weekend to six. 

The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said the weekend deaths raised to 48 the number of journalists and media workers it had confirmed killed in the region since 7 October. 

Others news on Sunday includes: 

  • Unesco slammed Israel's targeting of schools in the Gaza Strip in a post to social media, saying: "Appalling images have emerged in the wake of the bombing of schools in which many civilians had taken refuge. Targeting schools is a clear violation of international law."
  • The Israeli army said that it struck "Hezbollah targets" in Lebanon in response to the group's earlier launches towards Israeli territory. It did not report whether there were any casualties.  
  • The former French Ambassador to Israel and the United States, Gerard Araud, denounced the actions of Israeli settlers in the West Bank, describing them as “outright ethnic cleansing”, and called for a “firm” reaction from the European community
  • An NBC News poll found that 70 percent of voters aged 18-34 disapprove of US President Joe Biden's handling of Israel's war on Gaza. Across all voters, the Biden administration has 34 percent approval, while 56 percent of all voters disapprove.