"My family is one of hundreds of thousands who fled Gaza city on 13 October after the Israeli military announced that we should move south for our own safety. "Many of us feared that a ground invasion was about to take place, and we still do.

KEY POINTS As hostilities entered the thirteenth day, relentless bombardments on Gaza continued, resulting in an additional 307 Palestinians killed in the past 24 hours (as of 17:00). This brings the cumulative fatality toll in the Gaza Strip to 3,785, including at least 1,524 children, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza. Hundreds of additional fatalities are believed to be trapped under the rubble.

KEY POINTS Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Mr. Martin Griffiths briefed the Security Council today, stressing the need for humanitarian actors to be able to “deliver relief to civilians in need throughout Gaza, without impediment, in places of their choice, in places where they consider themselves to be safe and where we can seek to ensure that safety.”

Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Mr. Martin Griffiths’ briefing to the Security Council on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question: Thank you very much for inviting me, and what I was saying was what an honour it is for me to be on the same podium as [UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process] Tor [Wennesland].

KEY POINTS Hundreds of fatalities in Al Ahli Arab hospital in Gaza were reported as this Flash Update was being finalized (22:00). The compound hosted patients and internally displaced persons (IDPs) seeking safe shelter.

KEY POINTS As hostilities entered the tenth day, heavy Israeli bombardments on Gaza, from the air, sea and land, have continued almost uninterrupted. In the last 27 hours (as of 21:00), 138 Palestinians have been killed, bringing the cumulative fatality toll in the Gaza Strip to 2,808, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza.[1] Additional hundreds are missing and believed to be trapped under the rubble.

KEY POINTS Heavy Israeli bombardments on Gaza, from the air, sea and land, have continued almost uninterrupted. Over the past 24 hours (as of 22:00), there have been Palestinian 455 fatalities in Gaza and 856 injuries, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza.

KEY POINTS Heavy Israeli bombardments, from the air, sea and land, have continued almost uninterrupted. Over the past 24 hours and as of 22:00 today (Saturday), there have been 315 fatalities in Gaza and 1,048 injuries, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza.

Statement by Martin Griffiths, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, about the latest in Israel, the Occupied Palestinian Territory and the region Civilians in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory are suffering from a week of utter anguish and devastation. I fear that the worst is yet to come. In Israel, families are reeling from the horror of last Saturday’s attack. More than a thousand people have been killed and many more have been injured. Over 100 people are held captive.

KEY POINTS At around midnight on Thursday, the Israeli military ordered about 1.1 million people in the northern part of the Gaza Strip to evacuate southwards within 24 hours, ahead of military operations. As of 21:00, it is estimated that tens of thousands have fled. Prior to the order, over 400,000 Palestinians had been internally displaced due to the hostilities.