Day 37 of Hamas-Israel war blog: Sunday, Nov. 12

Clashes and airstrikes in the vicinity of hospitals and medical facilities are increasing as Israeli troops advance further into Gaza City.

Rina Bassist, Ezgi Akin, Beatrice Farhat, Elizabeth Hagedorn, Adam Lucente, Jack Dutton, Jared Szuba and Al-Monitor’s contributors on the ground in Gaza, the West Bank and Israel contributed to this blog.

Click here for our most recent updates.

Live updates (all times EDT):

Sunday, Nov. 12, 2023

5:30 pm: US carries out airstrikes in Syria

US Central Command announced late on Sunday that it carried out airstrikes against facilities in Syria. The new round is the third wave of US strikes in Syria since the Israel-Hamas war began. “Today, in response to continued provocations by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and their affiliated groups in Iraq and Syria, U.S. Central Command conducted air strikes against facilities near the cities of Abu Kamal and Mayadin,” said CENTCOM's commander. “The United States will continue to defend itself, its personnel, and its interests.”

4:42 pm: Israel engages in war of words with Hezbollah after border flare-up

IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari said that Israel “has operational plans for changing the security situation in the north” after several cross-border exchanges between the IDF and Hezbollah on Sunday. According to Reuters, Hagari added, “Lebanon's citizens will bear the cost of this recklessness and of Hezbollah's decision to be the defender of Hamas-ISIS,” likening Hamas to the Islamic State.

Several Israelis were wounded by launches from Lebanon near the border on Sunday. The IDF said earlier that seven soldiers were lightly injured by mortar shells in Manara, northern Israel. Ten others were wounded by rockets and shrapnel, two of them critically, the Associated Press reported.

Hezbollah said in a statement that it struck several positions in northern Israel on Friday, while Israel said it struck Hezbollah targets in Lebanon. Hamas in Lebanon also took credit for shelling the Israeli border towns of Na’ura and Shlomi, according to the Associated Press.

Lebanon’s official National News Agency reported Friday evening local time that Israeli aircraft were flying over Tyre and dropped flares in Rmaych and Ayta ash Shab in southern Lebanon.

3:20 pm: Gaza hospitals struggle as UN calls for halt on attacks

The Hamas Health Ministry in the Gaza Strip said al-Shifa hospital suspended operations on Saturday after running out of fuel, leading to the death of three premature babies. IDF spokesperson Richard Hecht said on Sunday that the Israeli military left fuel near al-Shifa hospital overnight to power its emergency generator, but that it had not been taken. Health Ministry spokesperson Ashraf al-Qidra told Al Jazeera that the amount of fuel offered to the hospital would power the generator for less than an hour, according to the Associated Press. 

The IDF also said it offered to help evacuate babies from al-Shifa hospital. Gaza Health Ministry Undersecretary Munir al-Boursh said Israeli snipers are firing at any movements near the hospital, AP reported. 

Reuters reported that Gazans are struggling to find hospitals to care for the wounded. Earlier on Sunday, the Palestinian Red Crescent said that another hospital, al-Quds, stopped operations for lack of fuel. 

The United Nations Population Fund, UNICEF and the World Health Organization put out a statement on Sunday calling for “urgent international action to end the ongoing attacks on hospitals in Gaza.” 

Earlier, the Palestinian Authority’s WAFA news agency reported Israeli bombing at the al-Shifa hospital complex. Israel says that the Hamas command center is below the hospital, a charge Hamas denies.

11:51 am: Israel-Hezbollah clashes continue

The IDF and Hezbollah continued to clash near the Israel-Lebanon border on Sunday. 

Lebanon’s official National News Agency reported an Israeli “raid” in Khiam, southern Lebanon, with no casualties. Earlier, the IDF said in a post on X that seven of its soldiers were injured by mortar shell launches from Lebanon, adding that they fired artillery at the launch sites. 

Hezbollah said in a series of statements earlier on Friday that it struck several Israeli military positions near the border, including in Dovev and Zar’it in northern Israel. 

10:48 am: PA says Palestinians attacked by settlers in West Bank

Palestinian vehicles were attacked by Israeli settlers on the Nablus-Ramallah road, causing damage to the vehicles, the Palestinian Authority’s WAFA news agency reported. Earlier, a Palestinian was shot and injured by the Israeli military during clashes in Arraba, south of Jenin, according to the outlet. 

10:25 am: Another Jewish school shot in Canada

The Montreal Jewish school Yeshiva Gedola was hit by gunfire on Sunday. The shooting marked the third time in less than a week that a Jewish school in the city has been shot at. There were no injuries, Reuters reported. 

8:43 am: Israelis wounded by missile fire from Lebanon, says IDF

The IDF said in a post on X that a number of Israelis were injured by anti-tank missiles fired from Lebanon. The Israeli air force said it struck Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon in response.

Earlier, Hezbollah said it targeted Israeli military positions in the Israeli town of Dovev, close to the border with Lebanon, the group's Al-Manar news outlet reported. 

6:35 am: Gaza's al-Quds hospital out of service, Palestinian Red Crescent says

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said Gaza City's al-Quds hospital has ceased operations due to fuel shortages and power outages. The hospital is also struggling with shortages of medical supplies, food and water, the Palestinian Authority's WAFA news agency reported.

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