Israel Latest: The South of Gaza Will Be the Focus of the Upcoming Stage of the War

With its focus now shifted to the southern part of the besieged Gaza Strip, Israel declared that it was entering the "next stage" of its six-week conflict with Hamas.

When asked if he thought senior Hamas figures were sheltering in the vicinity of Khan Younis, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remained silent. Telling reporters that the leadership was "dead men walking," he said, "We'll get to them." Israel's ground offensive in northern Gaza, which has been the center of attention for the last week, saw the departure of about 2,500 internally displaced people on Saturday, along with patients and personnel, according to a United Nations organization.

In the meantime, Hamas, which the US and the EU have classified as a terrorist organization, announced that it had lost communication with the teams tasked with protecting certain hostages. According to a top US diplomat, Hamas has to release more of them in exchange for a major boost in funding to Gaza and an end to hostilities.

US Says There's Still No Agreement on Hostages (4:30 a.m.)

After the Washington Post reported that a tentative agreement had been made to liberate scores of women and children imprisoned in Gaza in exchange for a five-day ceasefire in warfare, the US maintained that there is still no agreement between Israel and Hamas over the release of hostages.

A spokesperson for the White House National Security Council, Adrienne Watson, responded to the rumor of a settlement mediated by the US by saying, "No deal yet but we continue to work hard to get a deal."

OCHA Reports That Approximately 2,500 People Left Al Shifa Hospital at 3:11 A.M.

As of Nov. 18, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that some 2,500 internally displaced people had left Gaza's Al Shifa Hospital along with patients and employees. The Israel military gave the order, and according to OCHA, they carried out their operations inside the compound for the fourth day in a row.

The UN agency reports that on November 18, some 123,000 gallons of petroleum entered Gaza from Egypt. OCHA notes that Israel declared it would permit the passage of approximately 70,000 liters of fuel per day, which "is well below the minimum requirements for essential humanitarian operations."

Following their visit, the WHO declares Al Shifa Hospital a "Death Zone" (2:07 a.m.).

A UN team permitted to tour the main hospital in Gaza described Al Shifa as a "death zone" and "desperate," noting that there was a mass grave near the entrance that may have held 80 bodies. According to a news release from the organization, the Israeli military permitted the delegation, which included the World Health Organization, to spend one hour in the facility.

32 infants are among the 291 patients who are still in "extremely critical condition," according to the team, despite Al Shifa "essentially" no longer functioning as a hospital. Amputations, burns, and spinal trauma were among the "vast majority" of patients' combat traumas, according to the WHO.

The organization stated that "WHO and partners are urgently developing plans for the immediate evacuation of the remaining patients, staff, and their families" and that they are looking for a safe route to transfer the ill to two other hospitals in the upcoming days.

Biden Issues a Postwar Framework and Issues a Warning to Settlers (12:44 a.m.)

In an opinion piece, US President Joe Biden presented a vision for Gaza's post-war future. It included an end to Israeli occupation, unified rule by "a revitalized Palestinian Authority," and a long-term reconstruction project that would include temporary security measures.

"First and foremost, Gaza must never be utilized as a staging ground for acts of terrorism," Biden stated in the Washington Post on Saturday. "No Palestinians shall be forcibly removed from Gaza; there shall be no reoccupation; there shall be no siege or blockade; and there shall be no territorial reduction."

He threatened Israel, stating that "extremists" who kill Palestinian civilians in the West Bank could not be allowed to enter the US on a visa.

In Northern Gaza, a school was struck at 10:43 p.m.

The UN school that was converted into a shelter in the northern Gaza Strip was allegedly hit by Israeli military action, according to Palestinians.

Two hundred Palestinians who were taking refuge at the Al-Fakhoura school were injured and killed as a result of the bombardment, according to the government media office managed by Hamas.

Images sent to the school that houses hundreds of displaced people were described as "horrifying" by UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini.

Reports of an incident in the Jabalya region were forwarded to the Israeli military. The event is being examined, according to the IDF.

In the "Next Stage" of the war, Israel will turn south (10:15 p.m.)

Israel declared that it is moving into the “next stage” of its conflict with Hamas, focusing on the southern city of Khan Younis instead of the debris that once covered Gaza City. At a press conference, Prime Minister Netanyahu refused to clarify whether he thought senior Hamas commanders were sheltering there. We'll deal with them, he promised. "Every leader in Hamas is a walking dead man."

At Israel's war cabinet press briefing, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant stated, "The places where Hamas can circulate are shrinking." "Anyone who was on the western side of the city is aware of this; they have already experienced the lethal force of the IDF. Easterners are starting to grasp it tonight and will in the coming days.

And people living in the southern part of the Gaza Strip will quickly realize that, according to Gallant.

Israel has begun distributing flyers in Khan Younis, the birthplace of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, alerting locals to the need to evacuate the city and seek refuge in a secure area to the south of the Gaza Strip where aid is available. Despite Hamas's efforts to keep them from leaving the combat zone, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have relocated to the safe zone since the start of the conflict.