The families of people being held hostage by Hamas in Gaza are on the third day of their march from the site of the Nova music festival, which was attacked on 7 October, to Jerusalem. On this day they are expected to be joined by war cabinet minister Benny Gantz, and the marchers will be carrying. 134 stretchers, intended to symbolize the 134 hostages that Israel believes are still in captivity.

China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning has said the country is “shocked” by the deaths in Gaza yesterday, and called again for an end to the fighting. They said:

China is shocked by this incident and strongly condemns it. We express our grief for the victims and our sympathies for the injured. China urges the relevant parties, especially Israel, to cease fire and end the fighting immediately, earnestly protect civilians’ safety, ensure that humanitarian aid can enter, and avoid an even more serious humanitarian disaster.

Al Jazeera reports that ahead of Friday prayers, the Israeli army has been erecting barricades at Lion’s Gate in Jerusalem to prevent worshippers from reaching the al-Aqsa mosque. This has been a regular occurrence since 7 October. Yesterday Israeli media reported that the cabinet was still debating what restriction to impose on worship during the holy month of Ramadan which is expected to begin next weekend.

In Haaretz, Amos Harel has written an analysis piece on how the fallout from yesterday’s mass deaths may affect the ongoing course of Israel’s war against Hamas. He writes:

In contrast to the southern Gaza Strip, in the north Hamas’ control is slight and chaos is rampant. There is something of a paradox here: In the zones where Hamas is in control, distribution of the aid is more orderly, but the organization also loots shipments, and Israel (with UU backing) doesn’t want Hamas to survive in government. But without the organization, the chaos is only greater.

According to the Palestinians, more than 100 civilians were killed in a series of incidents that stemmed from the crowding and the despair in the Strip and a breach in the effort to distribute aid. This is a Somali-like situation, and it’s liable to repeat itself on an even larger scale as the chaos in Gaza becomes more acute. And there is no political settlement that will calm passions a little amid an attempt to impose order of some sort.

The Israeli version of the events appeared late, some 10 hours after the shooting. It’s doubtful whether the Israeli explanations will make a difference to anyone. Israel is perceived internationally as bearing the chief responsibility for the war’s consequences, even though Hamas initiated the murderous terrorist attack of 7 October, and its methods and views do not get much sympathy in the west.

The danger now is even greater. The chaos and despair in Gaza are increasing, the month of Ramadan is approaching, and the horrors of Thursday are liable to inflame the atmosphere in other arenas as well, such as the [Israeli-occupied] West Bank. The impact of the events could extend farther, into Muslim and Arab countries, which are already accusing Israel of massacring civilians. Israel has defeated Hamas militarily in large parts of the Gaza Strip, and has seriously degraded the organization’s operational and organizational capabilities; but Israel is not truly in control in the chaotic situation that its assault has fomented.

In its latest operational briefing, Israel’s military says it continues to operate in Khan Younis, where it claims to have “located a weapon storage facility containing numerous AK-47 rifles and ammunition”.

It also claims to have targeted “a pit in which rocket launchers were concealed” and to have killed several fighters.

Overnight in the UK veteran political agitator George Galloway – who has never been far from controversy during a lengthy career – has been elected to parliament. He won almost 40% of the vote in a by-election beset by chaos and dominated by the conflict in Gaza.

In an explicit attack on the leader of the opposition and man widely expected to be the next UK prime minister, Galloway said “Keir Starmer, this is for Gaza,” he said. “You will pay a high price for the role that you have played in enabling, encouraging, and covering for the catastrophe presently going on in occupied Gaza, in the Gaza Strip.”