Our live coverage of the conflict in Israel and Gaza has moved here.
October 30, 2023 - Israel-Hamas war news
By Tara Subramaniam, Christian Edwards, Ed Upright, Aditi Sangal, Mike Hayes, Elise Hammond, Holly Yan, Zoe Sottile and Maureen Chowdhury, CNN
Updated 1:08 p.m. ET, October 31, 2023
68 Posts
Sort by
Israel's prime minister rejects calls for ceasefire as ground operation intensifies. Here's what to know
From CNN staff
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made clear on Monday that Israel would not agree to a ceasefire as the country's ground operations in Gaza intensify. He said while the Bible says there is a time for peace, he said "this is a time for war."
Meanwhile, a Hamas spokesperson said Israel was not successful in entering Gaza "except in some limited areas" and described the humanitarian situation in the enclave as "disastrous."
The Israel Defense Forces has not released details about how far it has advanced, but it is clear that Israeli troops have established positions well within the strip, with CNN crews reporting armored personnel carriers moving inside the border fence on Monday.
Here's what else to know:
- Ground operation: The Israeli military said Monday its troops have killed four prominent Hamas operatives as part of its expanded ground operations in the Gaza Strip. Over the weekend, Israel announced it had entered the “second stage” of its war against Hamas, warning Sunday that its ground operation in Gaza would ramp up. In Sderot, about a kilometer from the Gaza perimeter, CNN crews heard machine gun fire on numerous occasions during the day, suggesting intense fighting on the ground in the northern parts of the Gaza Strip.
- Israeli soldier rescued: A female Israeli soldier who was kidnapped by Hamas on October 7 was rescued during ground operations in Gaza, the IDF said. Despite the intense pressure Israeli forces are applying to the Gaza Strip, Hamas continues to fire rockets toward Israel. Israeli Ambassador to the US Michael Herzog said that Hamas recorded their brutal attacks on October 7 as a recruitment tool.
- Video of hostages: Hamas Monday released a short video showing three women who are believed to be captives held by the Palestinian militant group since its October 7 attack. The video shows them seated in plastic chairs facing the camera, while the woman in the middle addresses Netanyahu directly with increasing fury, demanding Israeli leaders to “free us all." CNN is unable to verify anything about their circumstances or well-being. Ongoing talks that include the US, Israel, Qatar, Egypt and Hamas are underway to get a large group of hostages out of Gaza, a task that sources say is now further complicated by Israel’s expansion of its ground operations.
- Humanitarian crisis: The humanitarian situation in the enclave is continuing to deteriorate. The United Nations reported that thousands of desperate Palestinians are taking basic items like flour and hygiene supplies from warehouses — while facing sustained Israeli airstrikes. A total of 26 trucks went through the Rafah crossing into Gaza on Monday, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said. The head of surgery at the largest hospital in Gaza described dire conditions and said staff at the facility “cannot cope” with the huge number of patients they are treating.
- Strikes in the West Bank: Israel reported new operations against armed Palestinian groups in the occupied West Bank overnight. The Palestinian Ministry of Health said four men were killed in an Israeli air and ground operation in Jenin, which sits toward the north of the Israeli-occupied West Bank and has officially been under the administration of the Palestinian Authority since 1993. According to Palestinian eyewitnesses there, the Israeli army launched two airstrikes on the refugee camp, causing severe damage to buildings.
- Continued fears of a wider conflict: Lebanon's caretaker prime minister said an escalation of the war in Gaza could plunge the whole region into chaos. An uptick in clashes with Hezbollah has raised fears that the powerful Lebanese paramilitary group could actively participate in the conflict. Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi said Sunday that Israel has "crossed the red lines" and it "may force everyone to take action." The White House said the US is working to send a “strong” message of deterrence to Iran.
- Tell us your story: As a member of the Jewish, Arab or Muslim communities in America, have you felt the need to adjust your daily life amid heightened fears of hate-motivated incidents? If you’re willing to share your story, we want to hear from you. Tell us about your experience here.
Israeli soldier kidnapped by Hamas rescued during ground operation, IDF says
From CNN’s Amir Tal, Pierre Meilhan and Akanksha Sharma
A female Israeli soldier who was kidnapped by Hamas on October 7 has been rescued during ground operations in Gaza, the Israel Defense Forces said Monday.
An IDF spokesperson said they initially misspoke when they said she had been released from Hamas. The initial IDF announcement was a translation error as she had been “actively rescued” with “boots on the ground” in a joint operation between the IDF and the Israeli Security Agency (ISA), or Shin Bet, IDF spokesperson Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus told CNN’s Anderson Cooper on Tuesday local time.
“Based on intelligence” the Israeli special forces went into northern Gaza knowing her whereabouts and rescued her, Conricus said.
“They were in there for a job,” Conricus said adding that he is happy with the results as Pvt. Ori Megidish is “well mentally and physically” and reunited with her family.
He added that Megidish has also provided information about her captivity with Israeli intelligence officers which “can be used for the future.”
Conricus did not share if there were other such operations planned based on existing intelligence on the exact whereabouts of the remaining hostages, but told CNN “we are definitely committed to get all of our 238 hostages currently held by Hamas in Gaza, all of them, to get them home.”
He alleged that Hamas is indulging in psychological warfare by using hostages as leverage.
Conricus pushed back on claims that Israel’s ground operations in northern Gaza would potentially have a negative impact on hostage negotiations, saying that based on the rescue of Pvt. Ori Megidish, “I would argue that the reality on the ground dictates differently.”
Conricus, who did not rule out other potential hostage rescue missions in the future, told CNN that Israeli forces on the ground are expecting “fierce resistance” and “tunnel warfare, booby traps, IEDS, anti-tank mines, snipers, and many other things,” but so far “progress is good.”
He added that the Israeli military is making “considerable efforts, now in the ground warfare, to distinguish between combatants and non-combatant,” adding that they are “moving slowly and deliberately.”
This post has been updated to reflect the latest statements from the IDF.
Japan imposes sanctions on 9 individuals and a company linked to Hamas
From CNN’s Junko Ogura and Manveena Suri
Japan is sanctioning nine individuals and a company linked to Hamas, its foreign ministry announced Tuesday.
The sanctioned entities include financiers and operatives, according to a statement issued by Japan’s foreign ministry. The company is Buy Cash Money and Money Transfer Company (Buy Cash), which is a Gaza-based business that provides money transfer and virtual currency exchange services, including Bitcoin, the ministry said.
All the sanctioned entities have been designated as “terrorists,” according to Japan’s foreign ministry.
The list features the same names announced by the US Treasury Department on October 18, when the US announced similar sanctions. These are the first sanctions linked to Hamas announced by Japan.
Some context: In a statement issued on October 8, a day after the Hamas attack on Israel, the Japanese foreign ministry said it “strongly condemns such acts and urges the early release of those captives.”
“At the same time, Japan is deeply concerned about a number of casualties in the Gaza Strip caused by the attacks by the (Israel Defense Forces),” the statement read, adding it urged “all the parties concerned to exercise maximum restraint in order to avoid further damage and casualties.”
Teen released by Hamas returns home to Chicago, Israeli diplomat says
From CNN’s Raja Razek
Chicago-area teen Natalie Raanan, who was released from captivity by Hamas on Friday along with her mother, is "back home in Chicago," Yinam Cohen, Consul General of Israel to the Midwest, said Monday evening.
"I am relieved that Natalie Raanan is back home in Chicago. Her family members have been anxiously waiting for her return, and today I am sharing their happiness," Cohen said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
CNN previously reported the Raanans are from the Chicago area and had been visiting relatives in Nahal Oz, a farming community in southern Israel, when they were taken hostage during Hamas's deadly assault on October 7, according to their family.
The whereabouts of Natalie's mother, Judith Tai Raanan, are unclear at this time.
CNN has reached out to Raanan's family.
CNN’s Brad Parks contributed to this report
Israeli ambassador to UN criticizes Security Council for not continuing to condemn Hamas for October 7 attack
From CNN’s Artemis Moshtaghian
Gilad Erdan, Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, criticized the UN Security Council Monday for continuing to not condemn Hamas for its October 7 attacks on Israel.
Erdan and other members of the Israeli delegation wore yellow Star of David stickers with “Never Again” written in the middle as an affront to the Security Council’s silence.
"From this day on, each time you look at me, you will remember what staying silent in the face of evil means. Just like my parents, and the grandparents of millions of Jews, my team and I will wear yellow stars,” Erdan said.
“We will wear this star until you condemn the atrocities of Hamas and demand the immediate release of our hostages," he said. "We walk with the yellow star as a symbol of pride, a reminder that we swore to fight back to defend ourselves."
Palestinian Red Cross Society says heavy artillery and airstrikes hit near Al-Quds Hospital in Gaza
From CNN’s Hassan Eslayeh, Kareem Khadder, Kareem El Damanhoury, and Mihir Melwani
The Al-Quds hospital trembled following heavy “artillery and airstrikes" in the surrounding Tal Al Hawa neighborhood of Gaza City, the Palestinian Red Cross Society said early Tuesday morning local time.
Those sheltering inside the hospital are “experiencing fear and panic,” the Palestinian Red Cross Society said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
Some 12,000 internally displaced civilians are sheltering at the hospital, group said on Sunday.
The Israeli military did not have an immediate comment on reports of activity in the area.
The Al-Quds hospital is located north of Wadi Gaza — the line south of which Israel has urged people in Gaza to flee.
In central Gaza, journalist Hassan Eslayeh told CNN that artillery fire in the area was consistent all day and night Monday.
He witnessed the injured and dead being brought to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah, including 31 bodies at the morgue tent that were being prepared for a morning prayer on the dead.
CNN team hears artillery fire near Israel-Gaza border
From CNN's Mitchell McCluskey
A CNN team in Sderot, Israel, heard heavy artillery fire near the Israel-Gaza border in the very early hours of Tuesday morning local time.
Nic Robertson, CNN international diplomatic editor, said they heard sustained heavy artillery fire from their location about a mile away (more than one kilometer) from the border with Gaza while filming The Source with Kaitlan Collins.
Robertson said the artillery had been steady for the past hour, but recently increased in intensity.
"Save them," Palestinian Authority's foreign minister pleas for UN Security Council to help Gazans
From CNN’s Artemis Moshtaghian
Speaking before the UN Security Council Monday, the Palestinian Authority's foreign minister shared the grim reality Palestinians in Gaza are grappling with in the wake of Israel’s ground operation.
“2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza face death every day and every night,” Palestinian Authority's Minister of Foreign Affairs Riyad Al-Maliki said. “Save them. Look at them as human beings. You cannot look only at one side and ignore this tragic humanity completely.”
The foreign minister said the majority of Gazans are now homeless and displaced.
“Moving from one family home to another, from a hospital to a church, from a mosque to an UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East) school. Sleeping in their cars, sleeping in the streets and still being killed wherever they go,” he said, adding that Palestinians feel like there is nowhere safe left in Gaza anymore.
Citing the Save the Children Foundation, Al-Maliki said 3,500 Palestinian children have been killed in the conflict in just three weeks, surpassing the annual number of children killed in conflict zones worldwide since 2019.
He questioned the UN Security Council’s inaction, asking, "How many more days will you wait to say enough?" urging the council to fulfill its duty to maintain international peace and security.
The foreign minister implored the Security Council to follow the General Assembly's example by immediately establishing a durable humanitarian truce. He insisted that the Security Council must uphold its responsibilities to end the bloodshed, which he characterized as a threat to regional and international peace and security.
On Friday, an overwhelming majority of nations – 120 countries – voted for a United Nations resolution calling for a “sustained humanitarian truce” in Gaza. The US, like Israel, has sharply criticized the effort and was one of 14 countries that voted against it on Friday.
Jordan brought the resolution to the General Assembly after successive attempts to call for ceasefires and humanitarian pauses failed in the more powerful Security Council.