Portal:Current events/2023 November 11

November 11, 2023 (Saturday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Israel–Hamas war
- Siege of Gaza City
  - The director of the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City says that the medical complex is "completely cut off", with any "moving person targeted" by Israeli forces. Médecins Sans Frontières confirms reports that people are being shot at as they try to exit the hospital. Palestinian health minister Mai al-Kaila says that Israeli forces have also shelled the hospital with white phosphorus munitions which are banned under international law. (Al Jazeera) (Al Jazeera 2) (Al Jazeera 3)
  - Israeli tanks and snipers fire at the Al-Quds Hospital in Gaza City from within twenty meters, where around 14,000 displaced people are sheltering in a state of "extreme panic and fear", according to the Palestinian Red Crescent. (ABC News)
- The UN Humanitarian Affairs Office reports that at least 45 Palestinians have been displaced in the West Bank following Israeli punitive demolitions. (OCHA) (Al Jazeera)
- Digital rights organization Access Now says that shutdowns affecting internet access in the Gaza Strip are providing "cover for human rights atrocities", which are being worsened by Israel's control over internet access. (Al Jazeera)
- The Norwegian Refugee Council condemns Israeli attacks on Gaza hospitals, calling for an urgent ceasefire and for the protection of medical staff, saying that "it is an affront to wage war around and on hospitals". (Al Jazeera)
- The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that the transfer of solid waste to landfills has stopped across the Gaza Strip because of insecurity and a shortage of fuel. The World Health Organization reports that the spread of infectious diseases including diarrhea and chickenpox are increasing rapidly, with medical organizations warning of the risk of a possible cholera epidemic. (Al Jazeera)
- At least 11,078 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that 168 Palestinians, including 46 children, have been killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank. Another eight people, including one child, were killed by Israeli settlers in East Jerusalem. (Al Jazeera)
2024 Iran–Israel conflict, Israel–Hezbollah conflict
- An Amal Movement militant killed and two militants injured in a missile attack in Rab El Thalathine, southern Lebanon. (RoyaNews)
Myanmar civil war
- Operation 1027
  - A Myanmar Air Force fighter jet crashes in Kayah State near the border with Thailand. The Karenni Nationalities Defence Force claims responsibility for shooting it down, however the Tatmadaw claims the crash occurred due to a technical problem. (Reuters)
Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Russian strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure
  - Russia launches its first missile attacks against Kyiv in 52 days. Most of the ballistic missiles are intercepted by Ukrainian air defences. No casualties are reported. (Reuters)
- Ukraine–NATO relations
  - Former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen puts forward a proposal for Ukraine to join the military alliance but without the territories occupied by Russia. (The Guardian)
War in Sudan
- Battle of Khartoum
  - The Shambat Bridge, which connects Omdurman and Khartoum North, is destroyed amid intense fighting in the capital Khartoum. Both sides blame each other for the destruction of the bridge. (Sudan Tribune)

Arts and culture

Pope Francis removes Bishop Joseph Strickland of the Diocese of Tyler in Texas, United States, due to his criticism of the Catholic Church's progressive views under Francis. Strickland is temporarily replaced by Bishop Joe S. Vásquez of the Diocese of Austin. The decision comes after Strickland declined to resign when asked to do so. (AP)

Business and economy

Around 150 garment factories in Ashulia and Gazipur, Bangladesh, close indefinitely after violent protests demanding higher minimum wages result in police filing charges against 11,000 workers and three more killed. (AFP via France 24)

Disasters and incidents

2023–2024 Sundhnúkur eruptions
- The Blue Lagoon is closed by Icelandic authorities as a volcanic eruption on the Reykjanes Peninsula is expected in the "coming hours". (The Independent)
- The town of Grindavík is evacuated due to potential magma intrusion beneath the town. (Iceland Monitor)

Health and environment

Mexican officials impose severe, months long cuts to Mexico City’s water supply, acting just a month after initial restrictions were ordered as drought dries the city's reservoirs. (AP)

International relations

International reactions to the Israel–Hamas war
- The Arab-Islamic emergency summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, releases a statement calling for an end to the siege of Gaza, demanding that aid be allowed to enter Gaza, and calling for a cessation of arms exports to Israel. The statement also says that Israel's war should not be described as "self-defence" and condemned Israeli aggression in Gaza and the West Bank. (Al Jazeera)
- Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani condemns the international community for remaining silent on the suffering of Palestinian civilians while allowing Israel to violate international law. (Al Jazeera)
- Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi says that the "policies of collective punishment" in Gaza are unacceptable and "cannot be justified by self-defence or any other claims". (Al Jazeera)
- Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the UNRWA, calls on Arab countries to take stronger action to protect civilians in Gaza and to exercise pressure to increase the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza, including through the opening of additional border crossings. (Al Jazeera)

Law and crime

Israel–Hamas war protests
- Hundreds of thousands of people gather in Central London to march in solidarity with Palestine. (Al Jazeera)
Misinformation in the Israel–Hamas war
- HonestReporting, an Israel-based media watchdog, admits that the group had no evidence to back up their claims that some journalists were accomplices in the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel. (Al Jazeera)
Spanish police arrest 121 people on charges related to child pornography, seizing nearly 500 terabytes of material. (AFP via NST)