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Smoke rises after an Israeli airstrike on the eighth day of the clashes in Rafah, Gaza on October 14, 2023.
Abed Rahim Khatib | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
Israel's military continued to urge residents to move from northern Gaza to the south as it pledged to counter Hamas with "an even greater force." The Israel Defense Forces said it is preparing a "wide range of offensive operations plans" that would include attacking the Palestinian militant group from the "air, sea and land."
The IDS' evacuation orders have been criticized by many humanitarian agencies, however. The United Nations' relief agency in the area (UNRWA) warned that fresh water is running out in Gaza, putting 2 million people at risk. It said thousands of people have sought refuge at its newly relocated base in southern Gaza and that facility is also running out of water.
The UNRWA called on Israeli authorities to protect civilians, including those at its shelters in northern Gaza and Gaza City who are unable to flee.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Sunday before departing Riyadh. The top U.S. diplomat is expected to land in Egypt later in the day and work on a deal to grant safe passage of Americans currently in Gaza through the Rafah gate — the only crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip.
Gaza — a narrow strip of land sandwiched between Egypt, Israel and the Mediterranean Sea — has been pounded by Israeli forces in response to Palestinian militant group Hamas' brutal attack on Israel last weekend. The death toll continues to tick higher, with at least 1,300 killed in Israel and 2,300 in Gaza.
More CNBC coverage of the Israel-Hamas war
Death toll in Gaza crosses 2,300
More than 2,300 people have been killed and another 9,000 injured in Gaza, according to the local health ministry's latest update.
In Israel, at least 1,300 have been killed and 3,300 wounded, according to public broadcaster Kan.
— Christine Wang
Blinken to meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to meet with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh at 7:30 a.m. local time (12:30 a.m. ET), a U.S. official said.
The meeting comes as Blinken is scheduled to depart for Egypt later in the day, where he is expected to discuss a tentative agreement to grant Americans in Gaza safe passage through the Rafah border crossing.
— Christine Wang
UN agency calls for protection of civilians in its shelters, including those in northern Gaza
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East called on Israeli authorities to protect all civilians in its shelters across the Gaza Strip, including those in northern Gaza and Gaza City.
The UNRWA warned that despite Israel's order to evacuate the north, many people will not be able to flee, particularly pregnant women, children, the elderly and people with disabilities.
"UNRWA shelters in Gaza and northern Gaza are no longer safe. This is unprecedented," it said.
"This war should be no exception, protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure, including United Nations buildings, applies to this conflict too."
Israel has ordered roughly 1 million residents in northern Gaza to evacuate to the south ahead of an anticipated ground offensive.
Palestinians fill water bottles and take them home as a UN report states that more than 2 million people struggle with water shortage, in Khan Younis, Gaza on October 14, 2023.
Mustafa Hassona | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
Separately, the UNRWA warned 2 million people are at risk as water runs out in Gaza and called for humanitarian supplies to be let in. It said its newly relocated base in the south is also running out of water as it takes in refugees, thousands of whom it said followed the evacuation order.
UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said fuel needs to be brought in immediately to guarantee safe drinking water.
"If not, people will start dying of severe dehydration, among them young children, the elderly and women. Water is now the last remaining lifeline. I appeal for the siege on humanitarian assistance to be lifted now," he said.
— Christine Wang
IDF renews calls for residents to evacuate to southern Gaza
The Israel Defense Forces reiterated its call for residents to evacuate to southern Gaza, in a post on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
Earlier, the military posted another video listing other acts committed by Hamas, saying the Palestinian militant group "has shown the world time and time again what they are capable of."
"Now the IDF is prepared to counter with an even greater force. There is no place in the world for terrorism," it said.
The posts come as Israel is expected to commence a ground offensive in Gaza.
— Christine Wang
Deal to allow Americans out of Gaza through Rafah gate faces obstacles, officials say
The tentative agreement to grant Americans in Gaza safe passage into Egypt through the Rafah gate continues to face significant obstacles to implementation, U.S. officials told NBC News.
Previous discussions between Egypt, U.S., Qatar and Israel looked set to allow Americans across the border crossing during a five-hour window Saturday, but NBC reports the deadline came and went without any immediate sign of success. One official told NBC the parties are continuing to negotiate.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to land in Cairo on Sunday and the deal is set to be a key issue on his agenda.
While sticking points remain, the State Department has urged the estimated 500 to 600 Americans in Gaza to move south, warning that if the crossing opens, the window could be brief.
— NBC News, Christine Wang
English (US)