LIVE: Israel-Hamas war: China sends envoy to Middle East to push for ceasefire

Palestinians in Gaza reported heavy airstrikes in Khan Younis in the south, and ambulances carrying men, women and children streamed into the town's Nasser Hospital, Gaza's second largest, which is already overflowing with patients and people seeking shelter.

Mohammed Abu Selmia, director general of Shifa Hospital, said dozens were hurt at the Church of Saint Porphyrios but could not give a precise death toll because bodies were still under the rubble.

Palestinian authorities blamed the blast on an Israeli airstrike, a claim that could not be independently verified.

The Greek Orthodox Patriarchy of Jerusalem issued a statement condemning the attack and said it would “not abandon its religious and humanitarian duty” to provide assistance.

A survivor told Qatar's Al Jazeera Arabic television that there was no warning from the Israeli military beforehand.

Named after the Bishop of Gaza from 395 to 420, St. Porphyrios is located in the al-Zaytun section of Gaza's Old City. Its thick limestone walls house an elaborate interior of gilded icons and ceiling paintings.

It became a mosque in the 7th century before a new church was built in the 12th century during the Crusades.

That death toll “still reflects a staggering loss of life,” U.S. intelligence officials said in the findings, which were seen by The Associated Press. Officials were still assessing the evidence, and the estimate may evolve.

President Joe Biden and other U.S. officials already have said that U.S. intelligence officials believed the explosion was not caused by an Israeli airstrike. Thursday's findings echoed that.

The U.S. assessment noted “only light structural damage” to the hospital itself was evident, with no impact crater visible.

The Lebanese military said the group included seven journalists, and one was also injured. It said Israeli soldiers shot at them with machine guns as they were in the outskirts of the village of Houla.

It did not identify them, but Iranian media said one was Mohsen Maghsoodi, a host on Iranian state television.

On X, formerly Twitter, Maghsoodi posted a picture of himself and two others lying low near a fence, with one of them holding a camera. He said the group was caught for “five or six hours” in the crossfire and their car “was seriously damaged by bullets and mortars.”

The six Iranian journalists were safe but one Lebanese journalist was killed, he wrote. That person has not been publicly identified, but Lebanese media said he had joined the group as a fixer.

UNIFIL said it had urged the Israeli military to suspend fire to facilitate the rescue and Israel complied, allowing Lebanese troops to mount the recovery.

The officials said the USS Carney, a Navy destroyer, was in the Red Sea and intercepted the missiles. It wasn't immediately certain if they were aimed at Israel. One of the officials said the U.S. does not believe the missiles were aimed at the ship.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss military operations not yet announced.

Iranian-backed Houthi rebels have expressed support for the Palestinians and threatened Israel. Last week in Yemen's Sanaa, which is held by the Houthi rebels still at war with a Saudi-led coalition, demonstrators crowded the streets waving Yemeni and Palestinian flags.

The rebels' slogan long has been, “God is the greatest; death to America; death to Israel; curse of the Jews; victory to Islam.”

Last week Abdel-Malek al-Houthi, the rebel group's leader, warned the United States against intervening in the Israel-Hamas conflict, saying his forces would retaliate by firing drones and missiles.

Spain, which currently holds the EU's rotating presidency, activated a crisis mechanism to speed up decision-making and coordination between the 27 member countries, the bloc's institutions and major partners like the United Nations or the United States.

Officials from across the EU have expressed concerns about a rise in anti-semitic attacks, radicalization online, the use of encrypted messaging services by extremists, and the need to speed up the deportation of people who might pose a public danger.

But calls for an increase in security across the board are creating deep unease as the solutions being discussed could undermine free movement and the right to assemble in Europe.

Italy is introducing border checks to counter a possible rise in tensions over the Israel-Hamas war. Denmark and Sweden are too, due to what they have said is a terrorist threat. France intends to keep checks in place until at least May 2024, citing “new terrorist threats and external borders situation.” More police have been deployed in Belgium, France and Germany.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell believes part of the solution to Europe's security woes must involve the bloc helping diplomatically and financially to bring an end to years of conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.

“We have learned from history that the most difficult decisions are always taken when we are on the edge of the abyss. I believe that is where we are now: on the edge of the abyss,” Borrell told EU lawmakers on Wednesday (October 18).

“When I hear Muslim religious authorities speaking the language of inter-religious conflict and explicitly stating that Europe is a party to this conflict, I feel that the storm clouds are looming,” he said.

The US announced on September 27 that it was admitting Israel into the visa waiver programme, adding the country to a select group of 40 mostly European and Asian countries whose citizens can travel to the US for three months without visas. At the time, the US said Israelis could start travelling to America without visas as of November 30.

In a news release, the Department of Homeland Security said the program was operational as of Thursday. Officials gave no reason for the changed timeline in a news release Thursday. But just days after Israel's admittance to the visa waiver programme, Hamas launched attacks against numerous locations in southern Israel. Since then the Israeli military has relentlessly attacked locations in the Gaza Strip as it prepares for a ground invasion.

Under the waiver program, Israelis first register with the Electronic System for Travel Authorization. That's an automated system that helps determine whether the person is eligible to travel, Homeland Security said in the news release. The process can take up to 72 hours. Then they can travel to the US. To be eligible, Israelis must have a biometrically enabled passport. Those who don't have such a passport still must apply for a US visa, the department said.