Israel-Palestine live: Week three ends with over 7,000 Palestinians killed

US President Joe Biden has sent a direct message to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei against targeting US personnel in the region. 

"There was a direct message relayed," White House spokesman John Kirby said during a press briefing on Thursday. 

A day earlier, Biden said he warned Khamenei that the US would respond if its forces continued to be targeted.

"My warning to the Ayatollah was that if they continue to move against those troops, we will respond, and he should be prepared. It has nothing to do with Israel," the president said.

EU leaders have agreed during a summit in Brussels to call for the establishment of "humanitarian corridors and pauses" to allow aid into Gaza.

"The European Council expresses its gravest concern for the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza and calls for continued, rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access and aid to reach those in need through all necessary measures including humanitarian corridors and pauses for humanitarian needs," a declaration adopted by the leaders on Thursday said.

"The European Union will work closely with partners in the region to protect civilians, provide assistance and facilitate access to food, water, medical care, fuel, and shelter, ensuring that such assistance is not abused by terrorist organisations."

Around 45 percent of residential units in Gaza have been either partially or completely destroyed by Israel's relentless bombing campaign. 

As of Thursday evening, the Palestinian media office has published the extent of the destruction. 

It said that over 190,000 residential units had been damaged, leaving over 29,000 totally destroyed or uninhabitable. 

In addition, Israeli air strikes have damaged 189 schools, putting 35 of them out of service. Seventy-nine government buildings were also significantly damaged. 

Places of worship have also been hit by Israeli bombardment: 38 mosques were totally destroyed, while three churches were significantly damaged.

Ten bakeries have also been targeted by Israeli strikes. 

Around 900 additional US troops are heading to the Middle East or have newly arrived there, as part of efforts to bolster air defences and protect US personnel. 

This comes after a surge in attacks in the region by Iran-affiliated groups, the Pentagon said on Thursday. 

American troops have been attacked at least 12 times in Iraq and four times in Syria over the past week, Pentagon spokesperson Patrick Ryder told a news briefing.

Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank have distributed leaflets to Palestinians threatening them to leave for neighbouring Jordan or be killed. 

"This is your last chance to run to Jordan before we kill our enemies and expel you from our Holy Land, promised to us by God," said one leaflet posted on the window of a car in the West Bank city of Salfit. 

The leaflets warned of a new "major Nakba", referencing the 1948 displacement of 750,000 Palestinians from their homeland. 

Elsewhere, in the occupied West Bank area of Marjat, in the Jordan Valley, dolls were covered in blood at the entrance of a school, in an attempt to threaten and instill fear among Palestinian children. 

Footage showing people in London tearing down posters of Israeli captives held in Gaza by Hamas has sparked outcry in the UK.

One recent video, which was posted by Jewish News editor Richard Ferrer, appears to show a number of people removing the posters in Leicester Square.

The person filming can be heard asking one woman why they're tearing off "posters of kidnapped people by terrorists" while another voice can be heard saying to her, "you don't love human life" - to which she retorts that she does.

The "Kidnapped from Israel" posters were originally produced by Israel’s Hostages and Missing Families Forum in the wake of the kidnappings on 7 October, and have been distributed to numerous cities around the world.

Read more: Footage of Israeli captive posters being torn down in London sparks fury

A Palestinian man in the occupied West Bank died on Thursday from wounds sustained after being shot by Israeli forces last week. 

Mohammed Ahmed Qabaha, 25, was shot by Israeli forces on Friday in the village of Tura, southwest of Jenin, according to medics. 

His death brings the number of Palestinians killed in the West Bank since the beginning of October to 106. 

The US State Department said on Thursday that it "know[s] a significant number of people have died in Gaza" but that it does not have independent confirmation of numbers.

Spokesperson Matthew Miller added that Washington did not trust figures published by the Palestinian health ministry in Gaza.

The statement comes a day after President Joe Biden told reporters that he has "no notion that the Palestinians are telling the truth" about the number of people killed by Israel so far.

In response, the Palestinian health ministry published a 210-page report, detailing the names, ages, genders, and ID numbers of the over 7,000 people killed in the enclave by Israeli air strikes.

Ministry spokesperson Ashraf al-Qudra said the US administration was "devoid of human standards, morals and basic human rights values" for "shamelessly" questioning the validity of the death toll. 

Read more: Names released of 7,028 Palestinians killed after Biden questions death toll

The US and Qatar have agreed to revisit Doha's associations with Hamas after the hostages crisis in Gaza is resolved, according to a report by the Washington Post. 

Citing diplomatic sources, the agreement was reportedly forged in Doha recently when US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani. 

The sources said it had not yet been decided whether senior Hamas officials would be told to leave Qatar. 

Doha has long hosted senior leaders of the Palestinian movement, including Ismail Haniyeh and Khaled Mashaal. 

Israel is not seeking a wider war in the region, according to Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant.

"We are waging war on the southern front against Hamas, prepared for any development in the north, Hezbollah is suffering many losses. However, we have no interest in expanding the war," he told reporters on Thursday, in response to a question about a potential confrontation with Iran.

Asked about a ground invasion of the Gaza Strip, Gallant said: "The day it will come is not far off... the manoeuvre will start when conditions are right."

The Palestinian health ministry has released the names of the 7,028 Palestinians killed, a day after US President Joe Biden questioned the death toll of those killed by the Israeli army in Gaza. 

The ministry published a 210-page report detailing the names, ages, genders, and ID numbers of every person killed in the enclave. 

Between 7 October and 3pm local time on 26 October, 7,028 Palestinians were killed, including 2,913 children.

A total of 3,129 females and 3,899 males were killed. The number of unidentified people killed stands at 218, who are not included in the final death toll. 

'Let the world know that behind every number is a story'

- Health ministry spokesperson

The report also excludes those buried without being brought to a hospital, those for whom hospitals were unable to complete registration procedures, and people missing under the rubble, who number around 1,600, many of them feared dead. 

As such, the ministry said the actual death toll is likely to be much higher than the report stated. 

Health Ministry spokesperson Ashraf al-Qudra said the US administration was "devoid of human standards, morals and basic human rights values" for "shamelessly" questioning the validity of the death toll. 

"We decided to go out and announce, with details and names, and in front of the entire world, the truth about the genocidal war committed by the Israeli occupation against our people," he said. 

"We confirm that the doors of the Ministry of Health are open for all institutions to have access," Qudra added. 

"Let the world know that behind every number is the story of a person whose name and identity are known. Our people are not nobodies who can be ignored."

British doctors fear publicly talking or posting on social media about the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza could lead to them losing their jobs.

Medical workers who spoke to Middle East Eye said threats of being referred to the General Medical Council (GMC), guidelines set out by the Prevent anti-terrorism strategy, intimidation from the media, and statements made by the British government in support of Israel made them hesitant to speak up.

Among those who spoke to MEE’s Areeb Ullah were Palestinian doctors who said they had been “forced to hide their grief” in case colleagues or the public sent a complaint to the GMC.

“It hurt when I received a letter from the hospital trust’s chief executive when it said they ‘mourned the loss of civilian life in Israel and the surrounding areas’ like we don’t exist,” said Hana al-Nour, a London-based doctor.

“That phrase ‘surrounding areas’ really hit me, and at the time, I was hesitant to say anything, but given the hospital bombing, the killing of doctors, and everything that’s transpired since, as healthcare workers who work in this space, surely we should be addressing this head-on.”

Mohamed Amir echoed Nour’s disappointment and said many doctors felt “hopeless”, especially since many hospitals hosted fundraisers for Ukraine when war broke out there last year.

“That kind of contrast makes you question the difference between that conflict and this one,” said Amir.

Read more: UK medical staff forced to 'hide their grief' over Gaza assault

Two Israeli proposals to move Palestinians out of the Gaza Strip and into Egypt have stoked fears of a second Nakba. 

Various Israeli officials and prominent figures have talked up the idea of ridding Gaza of the 2.3 million Palestinians there, provoking Egyptian and Jordanian warnings against such plans.

Though such a move has not been promoted by the Israeli government as an actual policy, people within or close to it have nonetheless apparently drawn up detailed plans to consider.

Israeli daily Calcalist reported on one proposal drawn up by Israel’s Minister of Intelligence Gila Gamliel. She recommended to the cabinet the transfer of Gaza residents to the Sinai in Egypt after the war. 

The document seen by Calcalist reportedly includes the Intelligence Ministry's logo and was passed around ministries for consultation.

It was leaked to a settler movement known as Settlement Headquarters - Gaza Strip, which campaigns for settlements to be re-established in the territory. Israel removed its settlers from Gaza in 2005. 

Read more: Israeli proposals to push Gaza's Palestinians into Egypt stoke fear of settler replacement

Hate speech against Palestinians, particularly those who are citizens of Israel, has skyrocketed since the war began, according to a Palestinian digital rights organisation. 

7amleh documented over 490,000 instances of hate speech and incitement against Palestinians in the Hebrew language since 7 October, as part of its "Violence Indicator". 

A delegation from Hamas is currently visiting Moscow, according to a Russian foreign ministry spokesperson.

Russia's state-run RIA news agency said that Abu Marzook, a senior Hamas figure, was among those in the Russian capital. 

On Thursday, Moscow put forward a resolution at the UN Security Council calling for an immediate ceasefire. It failed to pass after being voted down by the US and UK - both of which have veto powers as permanent members of the council.