Israel-Hamas war live updates: White House calls Iran complicit in conflict; Biden says aid isn’t getting to Gaza fast enough

Crowds of people gather to assess residential damage in the southern Gaza Strip after an Israeli strike on Tuesday. Israel has been launching hundreds of airstrikes daily while demanding that Hamas release its remaining 222 hostages.

— Elisabeth Cordova

Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on the United Nations Security Council to commit more money for humanitarian assistance to Gaza.

“The United States has committed an additional $100 million in humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, bringing the total aid that we provided to the Palestinian people over the past two and a half years to more than $1.6 billion,” Blinken said before the international forum.

Blinken said the U.S. is the “largest single-country donor by far to the Palestinian people.” 

“We call on all countries, particularly those with the greatest capacity to give, to join us in meeting the UN’s appeal for the humanitarian situation in Gaza,” he added.

— Amanda Macias

The White House blamed Iran for the ongoing crisis in Gaza and the conflict between Israel and Hamas.

“Iran is certainly complicit here. Without them there is no Hamas; without them, there’s no Hezbollah; without them, there are no militia groups, firing rockets at our troops in Iraq and Syria,” National Security Council John Kirby told reporters during a daily press briefing.

“We recognize Iran is monitoring all these events and, in some cases, they’re encouraging some of these attacks no question about it,” Kirby added.

The Biden administration has previously said it is watching an uptick in attacks on U.S. servicemembers throughout the Middle East.

— Amanda Macias

The White House confirmed that no convoy trucks carrying humanitarian aid have arrived through the Rafah crossing today.

“We will see what the hours will bring,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters during a daily briefing.

Earlier in the day, President Joe Biden told NBC News that the critical humanitarian assistance was not moving fast enough.

— Amanda Macias

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet with his counterparts and representatives from Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Libya, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the Palestinian Authority and the League of Arab States while at the United Nations.

Blinken traveled to New York to attend the U.N. Security Council meeting on the ongoing situation in Gaza.

— Amanda Macias

The White House said that there are still 10 unaccounted-for U.S. citizens since the war between Israel and Hamas began on Oct. 7.

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that so far there have been 33 American deaths from the conflict.

— Amanda Macias

President Joe Biden acknowledged that aid to Gaza is not happening fast enough as humanitarian partners work to move critical supplies through the Rafah border crossing.

When asked by NBC News at the White House if “humanitarian aid is getting into Gaza fast enough?” Biden replied, “not fast enough.”

— Amanda Macias

Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen called on all members of the UN Security Council to immediately demand Qatar usher in the “immediate and unconditional release” of all hostages held by Hamas.

“Qatar which finances and harbors Hamas leaders could influence and enable the immediate and unconditional release of all of all hostages held by the terrorists,” Cohen said before the international forum during a meeting on the situation in Gaza.

“You members of the international community should demand Qatar to do just that. The meeting should conclude with a clear message, bring them home. Bring them home,” he added.

— Amanda Macias

Google is disabling live traffic conditions in Israel and Gaza on its Maps and Waze apps, a spokesperson said Tuesday. The move comes as Israel is widely anticipated to embark on a ground invasion into Gaza.

“As we have done previously in conflict situations and in response to the evolving situation in the region, we have temporarily disabled the ability to see live traffic conditions and busyness information out of consideration for the safety of local communities,” a Google spokesperson said in a statement.

People traveling to a specific place will still get routes that take traffic conditions into account.

The Israel Defense Forces did not immediately respond to comment about whether it requested the restriction.

Read this story for more.

— Melina Khan

The Israel Defense Forces’ chief of staff Herzi Halevi said Tuesday that its ground offensive into Gaza was being delayed by “tactical” and “strategic considerations,” according to local media reports.

Speaking to reporters at a press conference near the Gaza border, Halevi said that the IDF was poised to launch its highly-anticipated incursion, but noted that the time and shape of such an offensive was yet to be determined.

“We’ve prepared for this. The IDF and the Southern Command have prepared quality offensive plans to achieve the goals of the war,” he said.

“The IDF is ready for the [ground] maneuver, and we will make a decision with the political echelon regarding the shape and timing of the next stage,” Halevi says.

Israel has come under increasing pressure from the international community to temper its response to Hamas’s Oct. 7 attacks as the humanitarian impact of the crisis escalates.

— Karen Gilchrist

Hamas on Tuesday called for a halt to the war on Gaza and pushed for the opening of humanitarian aid crossings, Reuters reported.

Speaking in a press conference in Beirut, Lebanon, Hamas senior official Osama Hamdan urged Arab and Islamic countries and the United Nations to bring an end to Israel’s attack on Gaza. Israel’s continued aerial bombardment of the Gaza Strip follows an Oct. 7 assault by the Palestinian militant group.

Hamdan also called on Arab countries to end the normalization of diplomatic ties with Israel.

— Karen Gilchrist

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that he would “reaffirm Israel’s right to defend itself” at a UN Security Council meeting in New York on Tuesday.

Blinken, who has played a key role in diplomatic talks since the onset of the Israel-Hamas war, added in a post on social media that he would also discuss plans to stop the conflict from spreading as well as increasing humanitarian support for Gaza.

— Karen Gilchrist

Emirati billionaire businessman Hussain Sajwani said Tuesday that the chances of the Hamas-Israeli war escalating into a regional conflict currently appear low, but even that low probability is of concern to the region.

Sajwani, chairman of Dubai-based investment firm DAMAC Group, told CNBC that he believes the likelihood of a wider outbreak in the conflict currently stands around 5% to 10%.

“I hope this doesn’t get out of control, doesn’t become a regional war,” he said.

Sajwani, whose business interests include a vast property portfolio, added that he did not think the Dubai market would be significantly disrupted by the ongoing unrest.

“I don’t see the challenge for Dubai, I don’t see the challenge for the GCC [Gulf Cooperation Council]. I think hopefully it will get confined within an area, and I pray it gets over soon,” he added.

— Karen Gilchrist

The Israel Defense Forces have made a public appeal to the the people of Gaza to provide information about the location of the more than 200 hostages held by Hamas.

In a post on social media, IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari urged residents of the besieged enclave to provide information on abductees. He added that a monetary and security would be provided in return.

“If you want a better future for you and your child, take action and give us as soon as possible solid and useful information regarding the abductees in your area. The Israeli army assures you that it will put forth maximum effort to provide you with security and your home, as well as a monetary reward. We guarantee you complete confidentiality.”

Reuters reported on Tuesday that IDF was also delivering leaflets across Gaza with similar pleas.

Hamas released two elderly hostages late Monday, taking the total number of captives freed to four.

— Karen Gilchrist

French President Emmanuel Macron proposed expanding an existing coalition that fights IS to also combat Palestinian militant group Hamas.

“This is why France is ready for the international coalition against Daesh, in which we are engaged for our operation in Iraq and Syria, to also fight against Hamas,” he said during a press briefing alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to a CNBC translation.

Macron arrived in Israel earlier in the day and has also met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog.

He references the 86-member Global Coalition to Defeat Daesh, established in September 2014 to dismantle IS and its financing and military infrastructure.

“Hamas is a terrorist group, where the very objective is the destruction of the Israeli state,” Macron said Tuesday.

“I propose to our international partners, I mentioned it to you this morning, that we can build a regional and international coalition to fight against the terrorist group that threatens all of us.”

Macron reiterated that the battle against Hamas must be fought “without mercy, but not without rules,” urging no civilian deaths and respect for international laws governing warfare.

— Ruxandra Iordache

Eighty-five-year-old Yocheved Lifshitz, one of two Israeli hostages released by Hamas on Monday, has spoken out about her abduction during the Oct. 7 multi-pronged terror attacks carried out by the Palestinian group.

In a press briefing, she said she was taken captive on a motorbike, beaten with sticks and taken to a network of tunnels like “spiderwebs,” according to a NBC News translation.

“I went through hell,” she said.

She added that captives were treated “well” and looked after at the site where they were held, as well as supplied with medical treatment and medication.

Lifshitz’s daughter said her father remains a hostage of Hamas and called for his release.

The Israel Defense Forces estimate roughly 222 people were taken captive during the Hamas offensive. Only four people, including Lifshitz, have been released to date.

— Ruxandra Iordache

The United Nations Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) will be unable to carry out aid operations after Wednesday night without fuel deliveries to the Gaza Strip, Director Thomas White said.

“The key message is: we need fuel to come into Gaza otherwise the aid operation, clean drinking water, hospitals operating — will come to a close on Wednesday night,” White said in a TV interview with Al Jazeera.

“We’re providing fuel now to run desalination plants for drinking water. It’s keeping [Intensive Care] units operating in hospitals, it’s enabling us to distribute aid. The reality is even if a convoy comes into Gaza, if we don’t have fuel for our trucks, we won’t be able to pick it up,” he added, noting that no fuel has crossed the border into the Gaza Strip, despite the trickle of humanitarian aid deliveries traversing the Rafah Crossing from Egypt since the weekend.

UNRWA, which has been sheltering and distributing aid to Palestinian people in the besieged Gaza Strip, on Monday said 35 of its staff members have been killed since the start of the Israeli-Hamas conflict.

— Ruxandra Iordache

Israel does not want a war with militant group Hezbollah, but Lebanon will “pay the price” if the two countries are pitted into such an altercation, Israeli President Isaac Herzog said.

Speaking at a press briefing with visiting French President Emmanuel Macron, Herzog said, “We are following very closely the situation with Lebanon. I think Hezbollah is playing with fire … And I want to make clear, we are not looking for a confrontation in our northern border with anyone else, we are focused on destroying Hamas infrastructure and bringing our citizens back home, but if Hezbollah will drag us into war, it should be clear that Lebanon will pay the price.”

Israel has been trading fire with Hezbollah since the Oct. 7 terror attacks perpetrated by Palestinian militant group Hamas. Hezbollah cites solidarity with the Palestinian people and retaliation for Israel killing several of the group’s members. As a result of the hostilities, Israel has had to evacuate several settlements near the border with Lebanon, raising concerns over the possibility of its conflict with Hamas spreading out into the broader Middle Eastern region.

Both Hamas and Hezbollah have historically benefitted from the support of Iran, who praised the early-October Hamas offensive, but denied involvement.

“Lebanon cannot be a sovereign member of the international community, its citizens carrying a Lebanese passport, but when it comes to attacking Israel, they are not responsible,” Herzog said Tuesday.

— Ruxandra Iordache

The Israel Defense Force said it carried out a large-scale operation that struck over 400 targets of Palestinian militant group Hamas in the past 24 hours, according to a social media update.

The targets included Hamas gunmen setting up rocket fire, an operational tunnel shaft allowing infiltration of Israel through the sea, command centers and staging armament, according to the IDF.

CNBC could not independently verify developments on the ground.

The IDF is conducting an extensive campaign to dismantle Hamas military capabilities in the Gaza Strip, following the group’s multi-pronged terrorist attack of Oct. 7.

— Ruxandra Iordache