Israel, Palestine, Gaza, October 2024-

Qatar suspends role as mediator between Israel and Hamas
Qatar has suspended its work as a mediator in ceasefire and hostage release talks between Israel and Hamas, officials say.
The country said it would resume its work when Hamas and Israel “show their willingness” to negotiate.
It comes after senior US officials reportedly said Washington would no longer accept the presence of Hamas representatives in Qatar, accusing the Palestinian group of rejecting fresh proposals for an end to the war in Gaza.
Qatar said initial reports it had withdrawn from mediation talks and said that Hamas’s political office in Doha “no longer serves its purpose” were “inaccurate”.

8 November
People in Gaza are enduring ‘almost unparalleled suffering’, says aid group
Jan Egeland, head of Norwegian Refugee Council, calls for ceasefire now, release of hostages and peace process to start
People in Gaza have been pushed “beyond breaking point” with families, widows and children enduring “almost unparalleled suffering”, according to the secretary general of the Norwegian Refugee Council.
Jan Egeland visited Gaza this week and found “scene after scene of absolute despair”, with families torn apart and unable to bury relatives who had died. He said that Israel, with western-supplied arms, had “rendered the densely populated area uninhabitable”.

7 November
Trump’s Win Is Likely to Prolong Gaza Talks Uncertainty
Any major progress on a cease-fire will probably have to wait until after January’s inauguration, analysts said. Gazans said they were divided about whether Mr. Trump would do much to stop the war
(NYT) Donald J. Trump’s election victory is plunging efforts to reach a cease-fire in Gaza into further uncertainty, after a year of failed attempts by the Biden administration floundered because of irreconcilable demands from Israel and Hamas.
For months, leaders across the region — in Israel, Lebanon, Gaza and Qatar — have taken a wait-and-see approach to the U.S. election. It is unclear what will come next, but any firm advancement on a cease-fire, if there is one at all, would most likely be delayed until after Mr. Trump’s inauguration in January, analysts said.

6 November
Palestinians will not be allowed to return to homes in northern Gaza, says IDF
Brig Gen Itzik Cohen said in a briefing that aid would only be allowed to enter south of Gaza Strip, not the north
IDF says comments taken out of context
(The Guardian) Israeli ground forces are getting closer to “the complete evacuation” of northern Gaza and residents will not be allowed to return home, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has said, in what appears to be the first official acknowledgment from Israel it is systematically removing Palestinians from the area.
In a media briefing on Tuesday night, the IDF Brig Gen Itzik Cohen told Israeli reporters that since troops had been forced to enter some areas twice, such as Jabaliya camp, “there is no intention of allowing the residents of the northern Gaza Strip to return to their homes”.
He added that humanitarian aid would be allowed to “regularly” enter the south of the territory but not the north, since there are “no more civilians left”.
International humanitarian law experts have said that such actions would amount to the war crimes of forcible transfer and the use of food as a weapon.

5 November
Israel’s Netanyahu Fires Defense Minister, Citing ‘Gaps’ in Approach to War
The minister, Yoav Gallant, differed with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the conduct of the war in Gaza and domestic political issues.

30 October-4 November
Israel formally tells UN of intent to sever all ties with UNRWA relief agency
Country’s allies and aid workers say move could cripple services for Palestinians who increasingly depend on them
Israel’s relations with the UN hit a new low with UNRWA ban
(The Conversation) Israel’s relationship with the United Nations has historically been strained, but over the past year, tensions have reached new levels. On October 28, the Israeli parliament (the Knesset) passed a law to prohibit operations of the UN’s relief and works agency (UNRWA) – the UN body responsible for Palestinian refugees – within the territory it controls. It’s a legal and political development which many fear will have grave humanitarian consequences for Palestinians in Gaza and beyond.
The decision also prompts questions about what lies ahead for the increasingly divisive relationship between the government of Benjamin Netanyahu and the UN. There is even speculation that the UNRWA ban could lead to Israel being expelled from the UN general assembly.
The UN warns famine is likely in Gaza. What do malnutrition and hunger do to the body?
(The Conversation) The risk of famine looms in Gaza. International monitors warn more than 90% of the population face acute food insecurity, meaning their inability to eat enough food puts them in immediate danger of starvation. The number experiencing “catastrophic” hunger is set to double in the coming months.
Israel has been accused of deliberately blocking humanitarian aid, including food. In September, deliveries of food and aid to Gaza fell to their lowest in seven months after Israel introduced new customs rules.