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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.

Follow live: Israel hints at ‘something different’ to ground offensive

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.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health receives an urgent shipment of medicine provided by UNICEF
© UNICEF/UNI450171/Ajjour
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Urgent shipment of medicine from UNICEF into Gaza. Pic: UNICEF

Pic: UNICEF
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Pic: UNICEF

Pic: UNICEF/Mansour
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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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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

Palestinians react, at the site of Israeli strikes on houses, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip
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Palestinians react, at the site of Israeli strikes on houses, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip

Palestinians evacuate wounded in the Israeli bombardment of Rafah
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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.

Read more:
US influence in Middle East being put to the test – analysis
Families in fear after children taken hostage by militants
Satellite images show homes destroyed by Gaza

Palestinians look for survivors of the Israeli bombardment of Rafah. Pic: AP
Image:
Palestinians look for survivors of the Israeli bombardment of Rafah. Pic: AP

Fears of an escalation

Amid fears the conflict might escalate, President Joe Biden is expected in the region on Wednesday.

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.

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Body pulled from mine after police cut off supplies to ‘smoke out’ thousands of illegal miners

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Body pulled from mine after police cut off supplies to 'smoke out' thousands of illegal miners

A body has been recovered from a South African mine after police cut off basic supplies in an effort to force around 4,000 illegal miners to resurface.

The body has emerged from the closed gold mine in the northwest town of Stilfontein a day after South Africa’s government said it would not help the illegal miners.

Around 20 people have surfaced from the mineshaft this week as police wait nearby to arrest all those appearing from underground.

It comes a day after a cabinet minister said the government was trying to “smoke them [the miners] out”.

The move is part of the police’s “Close the Hole” operation, whereby officers cut off supplies of food, water and other basic necessities to get those who have entered illegally to come out.

Local reports suggest the supply routes were cut off at the mine around two months ago, with relatives of the miners seen in the area as the stand-off continues.

Relatives of miners and community members wait at the 
 mine shaft. 
Pic: AP
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Relatives of miners and community members wait at the mine shaft. Pic: AP

A decomposed body was brought up on Thursday, with pathologists on the scene, police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe said.

It comes after South African cabinet minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni told reporters on Wednesday that the government would not send any help to the illegal miners, known in the country as zama zamas, because they are involved in a criminal act.

“We are not sending help to criminals. We are going to smoke them out. They will come out. Criminals are not to be helped; criminals are to be prosecuted. We didn’t send them there,” Ms Ntshavheni said.

An aerial view of a mine shaft where an estimated 4000 illegal miners are refusing to leave in Stilfontein, South Africa,.
Pic: AP
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An aerial view of a mineshaft. Pic: AP

Senior police and defence officials are expected to visit the area on Friday to “reinforce the government’s commitment to bringing this operation to a safe and lawful conclusion”, according to a media advisory from the police.

In the last few weeks, over 1,000 miners have surfaced at various mines in South Africa’s North West province, where police have cut off supplies.

Many of the miners were reported to be weak, hungry and sickly after going for weeks without basic supplies.

Illegal mining remains common in South Africa’s old gold-mining areas, with miners going into closed shafts to dig for any possible remaining deposits.

Read more world news:
Argentina walks out of COP29 climate summit
How Ukraine is downing Russian drones
Video of Israeli hostage released by terror group

Relatives of miners and community members wait at a mine shaft where the estimated 4000 illegal miners  are refusing to leave.
Pic: AP
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Relatives of miners and community members wait near the mine shaft. Pic: AP

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The illegal miners are often from neighbouring countries, and police say the illegal operations involve larger syndicates that employ the miners.

Their presence in closed mines has also created problems with nearby communities, which complain that the illegal miners commit crimes ranging from robberies to rape.

Illegal mining groups are known to be heavily armed and disputes between rival groups sometimes result in fatal confrontations.

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Ukrainian frontline commander warns: ‘The world is scared of Russia and losing is not only our problem’

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Ukrainian frontline commander warns: 'The world is scared of Russia and losing is not only our problem'

In the courtyard of a farmhouse now home to soldiers of the Ukrainian army’s 47th mechanised brigade, I’m introduced to a weary-looking unit by their commander Captain Oleksandr “Sasha” Shyrshyn.

We are about 10km from the border with Russia, and beyond it lies the Kursk region Ukraine invaded in the summer – and where this battalion is now fighting.

The 47th is a crack fighting assault unit.

They’ve been brought to this area from the fierce battles in the country’s eastern Donbas region to bolster Ukrainian forces already here.

War latest: Russia ready to carry out ‘massive attack’

The captain known by his men as 'Genius'
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The captain known by his men as ‘Genius’

In the summer, Ukraine launched an incursion into Russian territory, in Kursk
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In the summer, Ukraine launched an incursion into Russian territory, in Kursk

Captain Shyrshyn explains that among the many shortages the military has to deal with, the lack of infantry is becoming a critical problem.

Sasha is just 30 years old, but he is worldly-wise. He used to run an organisation helping children in the country’s east before donning his uniform and going to war.

He is famous in Ukraine and is regarded as one of the country’s top field commanders, who isn’t afraid to express his views on the war and how it’s being waged.

His nom de guerre is ‘Genius’, a nickname given to him by his men.

Captain Sasha Shyrshyn and Sky News chief correspondent Stuart Ramsay
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Captain Sasha Shyrshyn and Sky News chief correspondent Stuart Ramsay

‘Don’t worry, it’s not a minefield’

Sasha invited me to see one of the American Bradley fighting vehicles his unit uses.

We walk down a muddy lane before he says it’s best to go cross-country.

“We can go that way, don’t worry it’s not a minefield,” he jokes.

He leads us across a muddy field and into a forest where the vehicle is hidden from Russian surveillance drones that try to hunt both American vehicles and commanders.

Sasha shows me a picture of the house they had been staying in only days before – it was now completely destroyed after a missile strike.

Fortunately, neither he, nor any of his men, were there at the time.

“They target commanders,” he says with a smirk.

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‘The world is scared of Russia’

It takes me a moment or two to realise we are only a few steps away from the Bradley, dug in and well hidden beneath the trees.

The disguised American Bradley vehicle hidden in the forest
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The disguised American Bradley vehicle hidden in the forest

Sasha tells me the Bradley is the finest vehicle he has ever used.

A vehicle so good, he says, it’s keeping the Ukrainian army going in the face of Russia’s overwhelming numbers of soldiers.

He explains: “Almost all our work on the battlefield is cooperation infantry with the Bradley. So we use it for evacuations, for moving people from one place to another, as well as for fire-covering.

“This vehicle is very safe and has very good characteristics.”

The American Bradley fighting vehicle that Ukrainian soldiers have found vital in their efforts
Image:
The American Bradley fighting vehicle that Ukrainian soldiers have found vital in their efforts

Billions of dollars in military aid has been given to Ukraine by the United States, and this vehicle is one of the most valuable assets the US has provided.

Ukraine is running low on men to fight, and the weaponry it has is not enough, especially if it can’t fire long-range missiles into Russia itself – which it is currently not allowed to do.

If President-elect Donald Trump cuts the supply of military aid, the Ukrainians will lose – it’s that simple.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump gestures as he meets with House Republicans on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., November 13, 2024. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
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US President-elect Donald Trump has been clear he intends to change his nation’s policy on the war in Ukraine. Pic: Reuters

Sasha says: “We have a lack of weapons, we have a lack of artillery, we have a lack of infantry, and as the world doesn’t care about justice, and they don’t want to finish the war by our win, they are afraid of Russia.

“I’m sorry but they’re scared, they’re scared, and it’s not the right way.”

Like pretty much everyone in Ukraine, Sasha is waiting to see what the US election result will mean for his country.

He is sceptical about a deal with Russia.

“Our enemy only understands the language of power. And you cannot finish the war in 24 hours, or during the year without hard decisions, without a fight, so it’s impossible. It’s just talking without results,” he tells me.

Read more from Stuart Ramsay:
How Ukrainian units are downing Russia’s drones
Heartbreaking final moments of girl who tried to flee Gaza
Inside a brutal and deadly Mexican gang war

‘Losing will be not only our problem’

These men expect the fierce battles inside Kursk to intensify in the coming days.

Indeed, alongside the main supply route into Kursk, workers are already building new defensive positions – unfurling miles of razor wire and digging bunkers for the Ukrainian army if it finds itself in retreat.

Barbed wire rolled out in the Sumy region ahead of expected fighting
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Barbed wire rolled out in the Sumy region ahead of expected fighting

Tank traps in the Sumy region
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Tank traps in the Sumy region

Sasha and his men are realistic about support fatigue from the outside world but will keep fighting to the last if they have to.

“I understand this is only our problem, it’s only our issue, and we have to fight this battle, like we have to defend ourselves, it’s our responsibility,” Sasha said.

But he points out everyone should realise just how critical this moment in time is.

“If we look at it widely, we have to understand that us losing will be not only our problem, but it will be for all the world.”

Stuart Ramsay reports from northeastern Ukraine with camera operator Toby Nash, and producers Dominique Van Heerden, Azad Safarov, and Nick Davenport.

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Spain flooding: New weather warnings issued – as country counts flooding cost

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Spain flooding: New weather warnings issued - as country counts flooding cost

A weather warning has been issued for parts of Spain, as the country counts the cost of recent flooding.

The orange warnings are in place for parts of southwestern Spain – the area around Seville down towards Gibraltar.

Up to 8cm (3ins) of rain could fall within 12 hours, but the weekend looks much more settled in the country.

The latest warnings come just two weeks after flash flooding in Valencia and other parts of the country killed more than 200 people.

Malaga saw 14.2cm (5.6ins) of rainfall on Wednesday – Spain’s highest of the day – most of which fell in six hours.

All train services were halted in Malaga. Some flights have now resumed after the initial disruption.

Floods in central Malaga, Spain. Pic: Jamie Marchant
Image:
Pic: Jamie Marchant

Emergency services in the province have moved 3,000 people from homes at risk of flooding close to the Guadalhorce River in the west of the city.

Jamie Marchant, 29, from Caerphilly in South Wales travelled to Malaga last Wednesday.

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He told Sky News that “debris” had been left behind by the recent rainfall in the region.

“Everyone is pitching in to clean up and some shops are opening as usual,” he added.

Orange warnings for the Valencia region in eastern Spain expired earlier on Thursday.

Read more from Sky News:
Call for dog-free areas to tackle racism
Argentina walks out of COP29 summit

The adverse weather could lead to total insured losses of more than €4bn (£3.33bn), according to credit rating agency Morningstar DBRS.

Much of the claims are expected to be covered by the Spanish government’s insurance pool, the agency said, but insurance premiums are likely to increase.

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