The UN Security Council adopted a resolution Wednesday calling for urgent 'humanitarian pauses' in the Israel-Hamas war after four previous failures. The vote came after the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza denied Israeli claims that its troops had found weapons, combat gear and technological equipment in the Al Shifa Hospital. All times are Paris time (GMT+1).
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Key developments from Tuesday, November 14:
- US President Biden said on Tuesday he is engaged in daily discussions to secure a release of hostages being held by Hamas and he believes it is going to happen.
- A Hamas official said that Israel’s bombardment and ground invasion of the Gaza Strip had put 25 of the besieged territory’s 35 hospitals out of use.
- The Israeli army said it had captured parliament and other government institutions run by Hamas in Gaza City, as its forces deepened their offensive in the Palestinian territory.
- The death toll in the Gaza Strip has risen to 11,320, including 4,630 children and 3,130 women.
- At least 1,200 people have died on the Israeli side, mostly civilians killed in the initial Hamas attack. Palestinian militants are holding nearly 240 hostages seized in the raid, including men, women, children and older adults. The military says 46 soldiers have been killed in ground operations in Gaza.
Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, the largest in the enclave, receives data from every hospital in the strip. Hospital administrators say they keep records of every wounded person occupying a bed and every body arriving at a morgue. The ministry collects data from other sources also, including the Palestinian Red Crescent.
The health ministry does not report how Palestinians were killed, whether from Israeli airstrikes and artillery barrages or errant Palestinian rocket fire. It describes all casualties as victims of “Israeli aggression”. The ministry also does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
Throughout four wars and numerous skirmishes between Israel and Hamas, UN agencies have cited the Hamas-run health ministry’s death tolls in regular reports. The International Committee of the Red Cross and Palestinian Red Crescent also use the numbers.
In the aftermath of war, the UN humanitarian office has published final death tolls based on its own research into medical records. The UN's counts have largely been consistent with the Gaza health ministry’s, with small discrepancies.
For more on the Gaza health ministry’s tolls, click here.
(FRANCE 24 with AP)
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)
