The only cancer hospital in Gaza has been forced to shut down due to fuel shortages – as dozens were killed in Israeli strikes.
Amid a worsening humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian enclave, the Turkish Friendship Hospital – which is home to the area’s only oncology unit – will stop “large parts of its services”, a statement from its director-general Dr Sobhi Skik said.
The remaining part of the hospital will shut down “within 48 hours at the latest”, he added.
Israel has besieged and bombed Gaza since the Hamas militant attack on southern Israel on 7 October.
More than 1,300 people, mostly civilians, died in the Hamas attack, with about 200 hostages held captive in Gaza.
Image: Urgent shipment of medicine from UNICEF into Gaza. Pic: UNICEF
Image: Pic: UNICEF
Image: Supplies being prepared by UNICEF. Pic: UNICEF
At least 2,800 people in Gaza have died and 10,850 others have been injured, according to the territory’s health ministry.
Hundreds are feared buried under the rubble, and more than a million Palestinians have fled their homes, and aid agencies have warned of a deteriorating humanitarian crisis.
Concerns about dehydration and diseases were high as water and sanitation services had collapsed.
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, said only around 14 percent of Gazans had access to water
“People will start dying without water,” it said said.
On Wednesday, Israel has bombed areas of southern Gaza – where many Palestinians were fleeing ahead of an expected invasion.
At least 80 were killed in those strikes in the south, the Hamas-run government said.
The Israeli military said it was targeting Hamas hideouts, infrastructure and command centres.
“When we see a target, when we see something moving that is Hamas, we’ll take care of it. We’ll handle it,” said Richard Hecht, an Israeli military spokesman.
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0:38
IDF releases footage of military strike
Other key developments: • A 13-year-old British girl missing with her sister after the Hamas attack is confirmed to have died • Director of Rafah border crossing killed • The UN operation in Gaza “on verge of collapse”, an official says • US President Joe Biden is expected to visit Israel on Wednesday • Violence is rising in the West Bank as number of Palestinians killed reaches 61 • Israel says it may do “something different” to its expected ground offensive
Image: Palestinians react, at the site of Israeli strikes on houses, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip
Image: Palestinians evacuate wounded in the Israeli bombardment of Rafah
The World Health Organization (WHO) says 115 health facilities have been attacked in Gaza during the conflict and warned of a long-term humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian territory.
The WHO also said it had supplies ready for Gaza near the Rafah crossing at the border with Egypt.
The crossing had been expected to be open to allow humanitarian aid in on Monday – but it remained closed.
It came before the director in charge of the Rafah crossing was killed.
Reports suggest Major General Fouad Abu Butihan died after Israeli strikes hit his home, however these have not been verified.
Meanwhile, Hamas confirmed one of its senior armed commanders was killed in an Israeli airstrike.
Ayman Nofal was “killed as a result of a barbaric Zionist bombing that targeted the Bureij camp in the central Gaza Strip”, Hamas said.
Meanwhile, the United Nations human rights office has warned that Israel’s siege of Gaza and its evacuation order could amount to the international crime of the forcible transfer of civilians.
Israel’s military said it had killed four people who tried to cross into the country from Lebanon to plant an explosive.
And Iran told Israel it should expect “pre-emptive action” in the coming hours in response to its strikes on Gaza.
The country said “all options are open” to the so-called resistance front to respond to Israel’s “war crimes”.
Iran’s foreign minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said: “The resistance front is capable of waging a long-term war with the enemy… in the coming hours, we can expect a pre-emptive action by the resistance front.
“Leaders of the resistance will not allow the Zionist regime to take any action in Gaza.”
Iran’s foreign minister did not expand on what he meant by resistance front, but the term Axis of Resistance can refer to a loose alliance among Iran, Palestinian militant groups, Syria, the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and other factions.
Donald Trump and a leading figure in the Israeli army have suggested a ceasefire in Gaza could be close.
Eyal Zamir, chief of staff of the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), told Israeli media that “conditions were created to advance a deal” to bring about an end to the conflict in the coastal territory, and the release of hostages.
In a televised address, he said: “We have achieved many significant results, we have caused great damage to the governance and military capabilities of Hamas.
“Thanks to the operational power that we have demonstrated, the conditions have been created to advance a deal to release the hostages.”
‘This week, or next’
It comes as the US president hosts Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington DC on a prolonged visit this week.
Mr Trump said his meetings with Mr Netanyahu were focused “on Gaza for the most part”.
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He said: “I think we have a chance [of a ceasefire] this week, or next week.”
However, the US leader added: “Not definitely,” saying nothing was certain about the situation in Gaza.
Image: Donald Trump speaks, as Pete Hegseth looks on, during a dinner with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Pic: Reuters
Image: Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a bilateral dinner with Donald Trump this week.
Pic: Reuters
Hamas reiterates ‘keenness’ to end fighting
Meanwhile, Hamas has repeated its message that it is committed to the negotiations but warned of a number of sticking points despite the positive noises from senior Israeli figures.
In a statement, the militant group said: “In its keenness to succeed in the ongoing efforts, the movement [Hamas] has shown the necessary flexibility and agreed to release 10 prisoners.
“The key points remain under negotiation, foremost among them: the flow of aid, the withdrawal of the occupation from the territories of the Gaza Strip, and the provision of real guarantees for a permanent ceasefire.”
Mr Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff previously told a cabinet meeting that the anticipated ceasefire would last 60 days and involve the release of ten hostages and nine bodies.
A source close to the negotiations told Sky News that the hostage release would take place in two waves during the 60 days and was conditional on the ceasefire.
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While the politicians talk, so many people come from around the world to try to get across the Channel on small boats. But why?
Why make such a perilous crossing to try to get to a country that seems to be getting increasingly hostile to asylum seekers?
As the British and French leaders meet, with small boats at the forefront of their agenda, we came to northern France to get some answers.
It is not a new question, but it is peppered with fresh relevance.
Over the course of a morning spent around a migrant camp in Dunkirk, we meet migrantsfrom Gaza, Iraq, Eritrea, South Sudan, Sri Lanka and beyond.
Some are fearful, waving us away; some are happy to talk. Very few are comfortable to be filmed.
All but one man – who says he’s come to the wrong place and actually wants to claim asylum in Paris – are intent on reaching Britain.
They see the calm seas, feel the light winds – perfect conditions for small boat crossings.
John has come here from South Sudan. He tells me he’s now 18 years old. He left his war-torn home nation just before his 16th birthday. He feels that reaching Britain is his destiny.
“England is my dream country,” he says. “It has been my dream since I was at school. It’s the country that colonised us and when I get there, I will feel like I am home.
“In England, they can give me an opportunity to succeed or to do whatever I need to do in my life. I feel like I am an English child, who was born in Africa.”
Image: ‘England is my dream country,’ John tells Adam Parsons
He says he would like to make a career in England, either as a journalist or in human resources, and, like many others we meet, is at pains to insist he will work hard.
The boat crossing is waved away as little more than an inconvenience – a trifle compared with the previous hardships of his journey towards Britain.
We meet a group of men who have all travelled from Gaza, intent on starting new lives in Britain and then bringing their families over to join them.
One man, who left Gaza two years ago, tells me that his son has since been shot in the leg “but there is no hospital for him to go to”.
Next to him, a man called Abdullah says he entered Europe through Greece and stayed there for months on end, but was told the Greek authorities would never allow him to bring over his family.
Britain, he thinks, will be more accommodating. “Gaza is being destroyed – we need help,” he says.
Image: Abdullah says ‘Gaza is being destroyed – we need help’
A man from Eritreatells us he is escaping a failing country and has friends in Britain – he plans to become a bicycle courier in either London or Manchester.
He can’t stay in France, he says, because he doesn’t speak French. The English language is presented as a huge draw for many of the people we talk to, just as it had been during similar conversations over the course of many years.
I ask many of these people why they don’t want to stay in France, or another safe European country.
Some repeat that they cannot speak the language and feel ostracised. Another says that he tried, and failed, to get a residency permit in both France and Belgium.
But this is also, clearly, a flawed survey. Last year, five times as many people sought asylum in France as in Britain.
And French critics have long insisted that Britain, a country without a European-style ID card system, makes itself attractive to migrants who can “disappear”.
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1:48
Migrant Channel crossings hit new record
A young man from Iraq, with absolutely perfect English, comes for a chat. He oozes confidence and a certain amount of mischief.
It has taken him only seven days to get from Iraq to Dunkirk; when I ask how he has made the trip so quickly, he shrugs. “Money talks”.
He looks around him. “Let me tell you – all of these people you see around you will be getting to Britain and the first job they get will be in the black market, so they won’t be paying any tax.
“Back in the day in Britain, they used to welcome immigrants very well, but these days I don’t think they want to, because there’s too many of them coming by boat. Every day it’s about seven or 800 people. That’s too many people.”
“But,” I ask, “if those people are a problem – then what makes you different? Aren’t you a problem too?”
He shakes his head emphatically. “I know that I’m a very good guy. And I won’t be a problem. I’ll only stay in Britain for a few years and then I’ll leave again.”
A man from Sri Lanka says he “will feel safe” when he gets to Britain; a tall, smiling man from Ethiopia echoes the sentiment: “We are not safe in our home country so we have come all this way,” he says. “We want to work, to be part of Britain.”
Emmanuel is another from South Sudan – thoughtful and eloquent. He left his country five years ago – “at the start of COVID” – and has not seen his children in all that time. His aim is to start a new life in Britain, and then to bring his family to join him.
He is a trained electrical engineer, but says he could also work as a lorry driver. He is adamant that Britain has a responsibility to the people of its former colony.
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Only one issue remains unresolved in the push to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza, according to Sky sources.
Intense negotiations are taking place in Qatar in parallel with key talks in Washington between US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Two sources with direct knowledge of the negotiations have told Sky News that disagreement between Israel and Hamas remains on the status and presence of the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) inside Gaza.
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Gaza ceasefire deal in progress
The two sides have bridged significant differences on several other issues, including the process of delivering humanitarian aid and Hamas’s demand that the US guarantees to ensure Israel doesn’t unilaterally resume the war when the ceasefire expires in 60 days.
On the issue of humanitarian aid, Sky News understands that a third party that neither Hamas nor Israel has control over will be used in areas from which the IDF withdraws.
Image: Benjamin Netanyahu briefed reporters on Capitol Hill about the talks on Tuesday. Pic: AP
This means that the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) – jointly run by an American organisation and Israel – will not be able to operate anywhere where the IDF is not deployed. It will limit GHF expansion plans.
It is believed the United Nations or other recognised humanitarian organisations will adopt a greater role.
On the issue of a US guarantee to prevent Israel restarting the war, Sky News understands that a message was passed to Hamas by Dr Bishara Bahbah, a Palestinian American who has emerged as a key back channel in the negotiations.
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The message appears to have been enough to convince Hamas that President Trump will prevent Israel from restarting the conflict.
However, there is no sense from any of the developments over the course of the past day about what the future of Gaza looks like longer-term.
Final challenge is huge
The last remaining disagreement is, predictably, the trickiest to bridge.
Israel’s central war aim, beyond the return of the hostages, is the total elimination of Hamas as a military and political organisation. The withdrawal of the IDF, partial or total, could allow Hamas to regroup.
One way to overcome this would be to provide wider guarantees of clear deliverable pathways to a viable future for Palestinians.
But there is no sense from the negotiations of any longer-term commitments on this issue.
Two key blocks have been resolved over the past 24 hours but the final challenge is huge.
The conflict in Gaza erupted when Hamas attacked southern Israel in October 2023, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli figures. Some 20 hostages are believed to remain alive in Gaza.
Israel has killed more than 57,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry, which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians.