Israel-Hamas war: Israeli army operating 'inside Gaza City'

Israel's military and its prime minister both said on Tuesday that its forces were "operating inside" Gaza City, with Benjamin Netanyahu saying the city was "encircled." 

"Gaza City is encircled, we are operating inside it," Netanyahu said in a televised statement. "We are increasing pressure on Hamas every hour, every day. So far, we have killed thousands of terrorists, above ground and below ground." 

Netanyahu again said a cease-fire or a resumption of fuel deliveries was out of the question unless Hamas released its remaining hostages. He repeated his call for civilians to flee south in Gaza to avoid the fighting. 

"We will not stop," Netanyahu said.

Meanwhile, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Israeli soldiers were operating in the heart of Gaza's most populous city. 

He said Hamas's most senior leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, was isolated in his bunker as Israeli forces were "tightening the noose" around Gaza City. 

The government officials were speaking on the one-month anniversary of the Hamas terror attack on Israel that killed roughly 1,400 people and sparked the broader conflict. Various commemorations, including a minute's silence, took place on Tuesday to honor the victims.

UNRWA says 89 aid workers dead in conflict, most in UN's history

The UN's relief agency for the Palestinian Territories, UNRWA, said in its update on the conflict on Tuesday that another of its aid workers was killed and another seriously injured in the past 24 hours. 

It said that 89 UNRWA colleagues had been killed and at least 26 injured since the outbreak of hostilities. 

"This is the highest number of United Nations aid workers killed in a conflict in the history of the United Nations," it said in the update. 

UNRWA said this week that almost 1.5 million people in Gaza in total had been displaced amid the conflict — equivalent to about 70% of its population. 

Roughly half of those were sheltering at severely overcrowded UNRWA facilities, often schools, it said. 

It said at least 50 such facilities had been "impacted" since the conflict's outbreak, and said that one displaced person was killed and nine more injured in one such facility in the north of Gaza on Monday after it was "directly hit by strikes." 

Reporters Without Borders says 41 journalists killed in conflict

The journalist-focused NGO Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said on Tuesday that it had logged the deaths of 41 journalists since Hamas' October 7 terror attacks on Israel and Israel's retaliation against Gaza. 

The organization appealed for "the protection of all journalists in Gaza and for foreign reporters to be able to enter and work there freely." 

According to RSF, 36 of the journalists were killed in Gaza. It said that it could demonstrate that at least 10 of them were "clearly covering the news" when they died. 

One reporter was killed in Lebanon earlier in the conflict, and four Israeli journalists were killed in Hamas' October 7 terror attack.

"What is happening in the Gaza Strip is a tragedy for journalism, with more than one reporter a day killed since 7 October," the head of RSF's Middle East desk, Jonathan Dagher, was quoted as saying. "With their arbitrary airstrikes, the Israeli armed forces are eliminating journalists one after the other without restraint, all while their unacceptable comments betray an open contempt for international humanitarian law."

US House to vote on censuring Tlaib over Israel-Hamas comments

The US House of Representatives will vote on Wednesday whether to punish Democrat Rashida Tlaib for her comments about Israel's war against militant group Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Tlaib is the only Palestinian-American in Congress and one of two Muslim women in the House.

Republican Rich McCormick has proposed censuring Tlaib for what he described as antisemitic rhetoric.

"Rep. Tlaib has levied unbelievable falsehoods about our greatest ally, Israel, and the attack on October 7," McCormick said.

Tlaib denied this on Tuesday and her criticism of Israel was directed at its government and not the Jewish people.

"I will not be silenced and I will not let you distort my words," Tlaib said.

"It is important to separate people and government," she added. "The idea that criticizing the government of Israel is antisemitic sets a very dangerous precedent. And it's been used to silence diverse voices speaking up for human rights across our nation."

On social media, Tlaib reiterated her calls for a cease fire in the Gaza Strip.

Just one Democrat voted with the Republicans when the matter was put to a procedural vote on Tuesday.

Censuring is a punishment one step below expulsion from the House.

It has traditionally been used as a last resort against behavior considered especially egregious, but censure motions are becoming more common in the chamber.

German police: Over 2,600 crimes registered since Hamas attack

Germany's Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) on Tuesday said it had registered over 2,600 crimes related to the war in Gaza since Hamas attacked Israel one month ago on October 7. 

Social divisions over Israel's right to defend itself and the fate of Palestinians in Gaza now suffering the punishment of an Israeli counteroffensive have grown in the month since the attack took place. 

Germany, along with Israel, the EU, US and others, labels Hamas a terrorist organization and has sought to curtail pro-Palestinian demonstrations by banning them outright or keeping police close by after antisemitic slogans and support for Hamas were chanted at several of them.

In extreme cases, protesters denied Israel's right to exist. 

Last month a Berlin synagogue was targeted by would-be arsonists. Stars of David were reported to have been painted at the entrances of homes where Jews live. And parents have reported that their children are scared to go to school and refuse to wear religious clothing in public.

The BKA said Tuesday: "As of November 6, 2023, more than 2,600 criminal offenses have been registered in connection with the terrorist attacks against the state of Israel. The focus is on damage to property, incitement to hatred and offenses of resistance. The number of violent offenses in connection with the attacks is in the mid three-digit range."

German politicians have come out strongly in support of Israel, regularly denouncing antisemitism and saying it has no place in German society.

Beyond condemning Islamophobia as well, those same politicians have insisted that Muslims living in Germany must strongly denounce such anti-Israeli activities.