User:AquilaFasciata/sandbox

Invasion of the Gaza Strip until the ceasefire (27 October–24 November)
On 27 October, internet and mobile phone services in Gaza were almost completely cut off. The IDF launched a large-scale ground incursion into northern Gaza. Clashes between Hamas and the IDF were reported near Beit Hanoun and Bureij. The Israeli invasion of Gaza was confirmed after Israel said its units were still in Gaza the next day. Hamas leader Ali Baraka said the invading Israeli forces suffered heavy casualties and loss of equipment due to an ambush. Two days later, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO), described as "deeply concerning" reports from the Palestinian Red Crescent that the al-Quds hospital had received an urgent evacuation warning along with a notice that it was "going to be bombarded". He reiterated that it was "impossible to evacuate hospitals full of patients without endangering their lives". Israeli airstrikes targeted the area around the hospital, filling parts of the building with smoke and dust, prompting staff to give breathing masks to some patients. Around 14,000 civilians were believed to be sheltering in or near the hospital. Associated Press reported that Israeli airstrikes also destroyed roads leading to the Al-Shifa hospital, making it increasingly difficult to reach. Later in the day, Hamas said that Palestinian militants clashed with Israeli tanks in Salah al-Din Street in Gaza and forced them to retreat. The Institute for the Study of War also stated that Israel withdrew from the road.

Three days following the beginning of ground operations, the IDF blocked the Salah al-Din Road; a major thoroughfare connecting the northern and southern parts of the Gaza Strip. Additionally, Israeli tanks were spotted in the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City. Witnesses reported, and a video showed, an Israeli tank firing on a taxi with a white flag on its roof that had attempted to turn around. An IDF spokesperson said they were "not shown any proof" that the vehicle was civilian, adding, "terrorists use civilian infrastructure like cars." The Gazan Health Ministry later said that three people had been killed. On the same day heavy fighting occurred between the IDF and the Al-Qassam brigades alongside DFLP's National Resistance Brigades in northwest Gaza. The Al-Qassam brigades used anti-tank missiles, and the National Resistance Brigades shelled Israeli vehicles and positions with high-caliber mortar fire.

The following day, the IDF struck the densely-populated Jabalia refugee camp targeting a senior Hamas commander. The blast resulted in the death of 50 and 150 other wounded Palestinians according to the Gaza Health Ministry. According to Israel, the commander and dozens of militants were killed when a vast tunnel complex collapsed. Hamas denied the presence of a senior commander on the scene. Eyewitnesses interviewed by CNN and Der Spiegel spoke of "apocalyptic" scenes, with dozens of collapsed buildings, children carrying other injured children, and bodies lying in the rubble. The nearby Indonesian Hospital's surgical director said they had received 120 dead bodies and treated 280 wounded, the majority of them women and children. The attack resulted in several ambassador recalls (see ). Josep Borrell, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, wrote on the social media platform X that he was "appalled by the high number of casualties" from the bombing. According to The New York Times at least two 2,000-pound bombs, the second largest type in Israel's arsenal, were used.

On 1 November, the first group of evacuees left Gaza into Egypt. 500 evacuees, comprising critically wounded and foreign nationals, would be evacuated over the course of several days, with 200 evacuees already waiting at the border crossing. On the same day, the Jabalia refugee camp was bombed for a second time; the UN Human Rights Office expressed "serious concerns" that these were "disproportionate attacks that could amount to war crimes". The IDF released what it claimed was an intercepted call between Hamas operatives and the head of the Indonesia Hospital, where they discuss diverting some of the hospital's fuel supply to Hamas.

Two days later, the Gaza health ministry stated that Israel struck an ambulance convoy directly in front of Al-Shifa Hospital, killing at least 15 people and injuring 60 more. The IDF acknowledged having launched an airstrike at "an ambulance that was identified by forces as being used by a Hamas terrorist cell in close proximity to their position in the battle zone", adding that a "number of Hamas terrorist operatives were killed in the strike". The IDF did not provide evidence that the ambulances were being used by Hamas combatants but said that additional information would be released. A Hamas official described the Israeli claim as "baseless". The Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said one of its ambulances was struck "by a missile fired by the Israeli forces" about two metres from the entrance to al-Shifa hospital. The PRCS said another ambulance was fired on about a kilometre from the hospital. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on X that he was "utterly shocked by reports of attacks on ambulances evacuating patients", adding that patients, health workers and medical facilities must always be protected.

4 November
A UNRWA spokeswoman confirmed reports that Israel had conducted an airstrike against a UN-run school in the Jabalia refugee camp. According to the Gaza health ministry, the attack killed 15 and wounded dozens more. According to UNRWA, at least one strike hit the schoolyard, where displaced families had set up their tents. The Gaza ministry of health said another Israeli missile strike on the entrance to the Nasser Children's Hospital killed two women. According to White House officials, efforts to evacuate foreign nationals through the Rafah border crossing were temporarily hindered by Hamas's refusal to allow anyone to leave, until a certain number of its own wounded were also allowed to leave. Hamas stated that within the last two days they had destroyed 24 Israeli vehicles, including a tank, an APC, and a bulldozer with anti-armour weapons.

Turkey recalled its ambassador to Israel "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." President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters he held Netanyahu personally responsible for civilian deaths in Gaza and said that he was "no longer someone we can talk to".

Abu Ubaida, the spokesperson for the Izz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades, reported that due to Israeli air strikes, the bodies of 23 missing Israeli hostages were buried under the rubble.

6 November
Israeli missile attacks targeted the Nasser Medical Complex in Gaza City, hitting the Al-Nasser Children's Hospital, eight people were killed and dozens more were injured according to Al Jazeera. Human Rights Watch called for a weapons embargo against both Israel and Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups, accusing them of committing war crimes against civilians.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the U.S. Biden administration was planning to send $320 million worth of "Spice Family Gliding Bomb Assemblies", a type of precision guided weapon fired by warplanes, to Israel. Under the deal, weapons manufacturer Rafael USA would send the bombs to its Israeli parent Rafael Advanced Defense Systems for use by the Israeli defense ministry.

10 November
Netanyahu said the IDF would control Gaza after the war and rejected proposals to establish an international force in the strip.

13 November
Beneath the Rantisi Hospital in Gaza, IDF forces found a room where Israeli hostages are believed to have been held. The calendar found in the room marked the days since 7 October Massacre with the title "Operation Al-Aqsa Flood", Hamas's name for their horrific attack on Israel. 14 November 2023

The IDF published a video which they said showed that Hamas had a facility under Al-Rantisi Hospital, and that Israeli hostages were likely hidden there. The video showed, among others, a stash of weapons and explosives; what appears to be a motor bike with a bullet hole on its side; and water, ventilation and sewage infrastructure that the IDF stated were improvised in preparation of coming hostages. According to The New York Times, the origins of the weapons shown in the video could not be independently verified. Charles Lister, Director of the Counterterrorism and Extremism Program at the Middle East Institute, stated the IDF footage "clearly indicated" that the basement was a bomb shelter. Mohammed Zarqout, a local official responsible for Gaza's hospitals, stated the basement was a shelter for women and children.

The IDF presented a calendar that they said was found under the hospital marking the days since 7 October, with the title "Operation Al-Aqsa Flood". Israel stated the calendar was a list "where every terrorist writes his name". However, this claim was criticized by fluent Arabic speakers as "propaganda", who said that the words in Arabic only spelled out the days of the week.

14 November
The New York Times published a report by its Visual Investigations team contradicting claims by the IDF that civilian deaths and damage at the al-Shifa Hospital had been caused by stray Palestinian projectiles. The report concluded instead, "some of the munitions were likely fired by Israeli forces", based on video and satellite evidence and an examination of weapons fragments collected and verified by The Times and analyzed by experts. Moreover, two of the most severe strikes analyzed by The Times hit upper floors of the maternity ward and did not appear to be aimed at underground infrastructure. "Israel's assertion that Al-Shifa was actually hit by a Palestinian projectile echoed similar – and unresolved – claims and counterclaims following munitions that hit the courtyard of another Gaza hospital, Al-Ahli, nearly a month ago. The evidence reviewed by The Times from Al-Shifa points more directly to strikes by Israel – whether on purpose or by accident is unclear," the report said. The IDF has stated that it is targeting Al Shifa Hospital due to its use by Hamas, and that there is a command center underneath the facility, with US officials stating that their intelligence confirms Israel's conclusions that Hamas is operating out of hospitals in Gaza. A day earlier the EU issued a joint declaration condemning Hamas for its use of hospitals and civilians as "human shields" in Gaza. A number of countries and international organizations condemned what they called Hamas's use of hospitals and civilians as human shields.

IDF soldiers carried boxes into al-Shifa, labeled in English and Arabic as "medical supplies" and "baby food". In an interview with Al Jazeera, an emergency room employee stated that Israel "did not bring any aid or supplies", while another contact within the hospital told BBC that Israeli soldiers had supplied water to elderly patients. Several hours later, the IDF stated they had found weapons in al-Shifa, indicating the presence of a command center. The IDF released a video that they said showed grenades, automatic weapons and flak jackets recovered from the hospital. John Kirby, a US government official, stated that the US remained confident in their previous assessment that a Hamas military compound exists underneath the hospital.

In response, Mouin Rabbani, a Middle East analyst, stated, "Israeli forces have invaded Shifa Hospital and been inside it for 12 full hours – having refused any independent party to accompany them – and now we're supposed to believe that there were Hamas militants in there being pursued by the Israeli military but they somehow left their weapons behind?" Political analyst Marwan Bishara stated, "It's kind of baffling. Why would Hamas leave the guns and not anything else?" Jeremy Scahill stated, "I've seen more guns in the homes of ordinary Americans than in this purported Hamas Pentagon under al-Shifa Hospital."

16 November
Netanyahu had stated in an interview with CBS that the Israeli government had "strong indications” that hostages were in al-Shifa, which was one of the reasons they entered the hospital. It was reported that the body of Yehudit Weiss, a 65-year-old woman who was kidnapped from Be’eri kibbutz, was found in a building near the hospital.

Residents in parts of southern Gaza reportedly received evacuation notices, sparking concerns over an expansion of the invasion. A fuel shortage was widely reported to have caused a shutdown of all internet and phone networks in the Gaza Strip, according to its two primary telecom providers Jawwal and Paltel.

17 November
Internet and telecom services were restored after Israel reportedly agreed to allow the delivery of 140,000 liters of fuel into the Gaza Strip every two days following a request by the US to do so, consisting of 20,000 liters to be delivered to Jawwal and Paltel to maintain telecom and internet service and 120,000 liters for water desalination, sewage pumping, food production and hospitals. It was reported that the body of Noa Marciano, a 19-year-old soldier who was taken captive on 7 October, was found in a building near al-Shifa hospital.

18 November
Israeli strikes killed more than 80 people in Jabalia refugee camp.

A World Health Organization team visited the al-Shifa hospital amid reports that the Israeli army commander sent patients away with an Agence France-Presse journalist reportedly witnessing the departure of patients and displaced persons from the hospital.

Jordan's foreign minister Ayman Safadi stated that Arab troops would not go into Gaza to assume control after the war.

19 November
The IDF released footage of an underground tunnel under al-Shifa. The tunnel, which is 160 meters long and 10 meters deep, passes directly under the Qatari building of the hospital; it has air-conditioned rooms, bathrooms, a kitchenette, electricity connections and communication infrastructure, and is protected by a blast door. The IDF also released CCTV footage that appears to show two of the hostages being led in the hospital's corridors, as well as Hamas and stolen IDF vehicles in its courtyard. During the 1980s, Israel expanded the hospital with functional basements for maintenance and administration purposes; and a network of tunnels was part of this construction. According to Israel, Hamas eventually appropriated the complex, then expanded it with its own system of tunnels and bunkers. Multiple sources concluded that evidences did not demonstrate the use of the tunnels by Hamas as a command center.

A group of 31 premature babies were evacuated from al-Shifa hospital to southern Gaza.

The White House denied reporting from the Washington Post that a Qatari brokered five-day ceasefire deal had been reached. The deal would have included a five-day ceasefire in exchange for the stepwise release of female and children hostages in small groups. The National Security Council Spokesperson stated on X (formerly Twitter): "We have not reached a deal yet, but we continue to work hard to get to a deal".

20 November
IDF tanks completely surrounded the Indonesia Hospital in Gaza after heavy fire using artillery weapons against it, around 12 Palestinians were killed in clashes around the hospital according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Around 700 people, including the injured and medical staff, were inside the facility when the IDF surrounded it. The head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, responded on X (formerly known as Twitter) saying he was "appalled" by the Israeli forces and their actions against the Indonesia Hospital by keeping the injured and medical staff inside the building while besieging it.

On 20 November the IDF released video footage of what appears to be a weapons manufacturing facility hidden behind a false wall inside the basement of a mosque in Zeitoun, Gaza. IDF soldiers also discovered weapons, explosive devices, a drone, and a vertical tunnel shaft inside the building.

21 November
The IDF moved its frontline to encircle the Jabaliya camp where they are battling Palestinian militants and attempting to control with IDF forces getting more equipment for the attack.

22 November
Israel and Hamas reached a temporary ceasefire agreement, providing for a four-day "pause" or "lull" in hostilities, to allow for the release of 50 hostages held in Gaza. The deal also provided for the release of approximately 150 Palestinian women and children incarcerated by Israel. The agreement was approved by the Israeli cabinet in the early hours of the day; in a statement, the Israeli Prime Minister's Office stated Israel's intention to continue the war.

According to Hamas, in addition to the ceasefire and prisoner exchange, the deal also involved Israel halting all air sorties over southern Gaza and maintaining a daily six-hour daytime no-fly window over northern Gaza, in addition to the entry of hundreds of trucks of humanitarian, medical and fuel supplies into the Gaza Strip. The Israeli government said that the ceasefire would be extended by one day for every additional 10 hostages released by Hamas. The deal was brokered by Egypt and Qatar, and Egyptian state media announced the ceasefire will enter into effect on the morning of 23 November. Qatari Foreign Affairs minister Mohamed Bin Mubarak Al-Khulaifi, whom Reuters referred to as "Qatar's chief negotiator in ceasefire talks," stated his hope that the truce "will be a seed to a bigger agreement and a permanent cease of fire...That's our intention."

The IDF released video footage from Sheikh Zayed, an area which is home to many senior members of Hamas. The footage showed what the IDF claimed to be a rocket launcher situated near a school, and an armament-laden truck used in the 7 October attack parked in the courtyard of a mosque.

23 November
The IDF released footage showing a weapons cache hidden under a child's bed, which it stated belonged to the child of a senior Hamas official.