That's the end of our live coverage for today - thanks for reading. We're back again at 09:00CET on Saturday morning with the latest developments. Read our live blog below to see how events unfolded on Friday:
Summary
- Israel says all 1.1 million Palestinians in north Gaza must leave. This is around half the strip's population
- The UN warns Israel's plan would have "devastating humanitarian consequences"
- Israel is expected to launch a ground invasion of Gaza, which Hamas says it is capable of fighting off
- Some 1,800 people in Gaza have been killed. Hamas's attacks on Israel over the weekend killed 1,300, with 150 civilians taken hostage
- Aid agencies say Gazans face a dire situation, with Israel imposing a total blockade on the Palestinian enclave
- More than 423,000 people have now been forced to flee their homes in Gaza due to the Israeli bombardment
- Human Rights Watch has accused Israel of using white phosphorus munitions in its military operations in Gaza and Lebanon
Stop Israel’s ‘crimes against humanity’ - Palestine to UN chief
The Palestinian United Nations envoy, Riyad Mansour, has appealed to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to do more to stop the “crime against humanity” bein carried out by Israel.
“He has to do more. Whatever was done was not sufficient. We need all of us to do more to stop this crime against humanity,” Mansour told press ahead of a meeting of Arab Group ambassadors at the UN.
17 Palestinians killed in airstrike - pro-Hamas news agency
An airstrike in Beit Lahiya, northern Gaza, has killed 17 people, according to the pro-Hamas Shehab news agency.
Von der Leyen speaks of necessity to 'care for the Palestinian people and humanitarian needs'
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has spoken of the need to protect Palestinian civilians after coming under criticism for her previous proclamation of Israel’s right to “self-defence”.
In footage shared on Friday of her visit to Israel with European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, von der Leyen said: “I am very grateful that you said very clearly that Hamas are terrorists but that we have to care for the Palestinian people and humanitarian needs".
She added "The world is very clear that it is Israel that has to be defended and Israel that has to be respected and protected".
European Parliament President Roberta Metsola shared on X, formerly Twitter, a picture of her holding hands with Israeli President Isaac Herzog and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, in a show of solidarity with Israel
Together. pic.twitter.com/uNYFB7Xy38
— Roberta Metsola (@EP_President) October 13, 2023
Meta announces it has strengthened the moderation of its content
Meta has announced that it has significantly strengthened the moderation of content posted on its platforms, notably Facebook, as well as removing removing hundreds of thousands of messages since the start of the conflict.
The company which also controls the social networks Instagram and Threads, as well as WhatsApp messaging, has set up a dedicated unit, with many Arabic and Hebrew-speaking people in the team.
The limitations set concern in particular content of a violent, shocking and hateful nature.
During the three days following Hamas' surprise offensive on Israeli territory on Saturday, Meta said it deleted or covered up with a warning message some 795,000 messages in Arabic or Hebrew.
The number of daily messages in Arabic or Hebrew that are actively moderated represents seven times the volume observed, on average, during the previous two months.
On Instagram, Meta has restricted the distribution of certain keywords, which do not appear when a user does a search.
The move comes as the EU warned Meta earlier this week bout the increase in false information and called on its boss, Mark Zuckerberg, to take measures to remedy it.
European Digital Commissioner Thierry Breton has also issued similar warnings to X (formerly Twitter) and TikTok.
11 killed in the West Bank
Eleven people have been killed in the West Bank today, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
It comes following Israeli forces shooting dead three Palestinians in the area during protests in support of Gaza earlier today.
Ankara: Population displacements from Gaza 'unacceptable'
Israel's call for civilians in Gaza City to evacuate is "unacceptable", the Turkish Foreign Ministry has denounced.
“The announcement by the Israeli army calling on the Palestinian population living in northern Gaza to move towards southern Gaza within 24 hours is unacceptable,” the ministry said in a statement.
“Forcing the 2.5 million inhabitants of Gaza, subjected to indiscriminate bombing for days and deprived of electricity, water and food, to migrate in an extremely limited area constitutes a flagrant violation of international law and is inhumane,” they added.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also ruled on Friday that “cutting off water, electricity and food to 2 million people stranded... is contrary to the most fundamental human rights”.
(AFP)
Palestinian Prime Minister accuses Israel of 'genocide' in Gaza
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh has accused Israel of committing "genocide" in Gaza.
“Our people in Gaza are undergoing genocide and Gaza has become a disaster zone,”Shtayyeh said at a news conference in Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank.
Israel bombs southern Lebanon - Lebanese security source
The Israeli army has bombed the surroundings of several border towns in southern Lebanon on Friday afternoon, according to security sources and an AFP correspondent nearby.
A Lebanese security source reported that the bombing followed an “infiltration attempt”. The army, for its part, announced that it had fired artillery on Lebanese territory after “an explosion on the border fence” between the two countries.
(AFP)
Hamas attack does not justify destroying Gaza, warns ICRC
The deadly assault by the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas in Israel does not justify the destruction of Gaza, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has warned.
“Nothing can justify the horrible attacks that Israel suffered last weekend” but “these attacks cannot in turn justify the unlimited destruction of Gaza,” the ICRC said in a statement.