Israel-Hamas War Live Updates: Rescuers say 770 killed in 19 days of Israel assault on north Gaza
Gaza’s civil defense agency reported on Thursday that over 770 Palestinians have been killed in the northern part of the territory since Israel initiated its offensive to disrupt Hamas militants’ attempts to regroup.
“Since the start of the military operation in northern Gaza more than 770 people have been killed,” said Mahmud Bassal, spokesman for the agency, adding that the toll could rise as there were people buried under the rubble.
Israel-Hamas War Live Updates: Israeli strike on school-turned-shelter in Gaza has killed 16, said Palestinian officials
An Israeli airstrike on a school sheltering displaced individuals in central Gaza resulted in the deaths of at least 16 people on Thursday, according to Palestinian medical officials. The Awda Hospital reported that another 32 individuals were wounded in the attack at the Nuseirat refugee camp. The Israeli military has not commented on the incident.
Israel has conducted multiple strikes on schools converted into shelters in recent months, claiming to target Hamas militants hiding among civilians. These attacks frequently result in the deaths of women and children.
Hezbollah says clashing at close range with Israeli troops in Lebanon border village
Hezbollah reported heavy clashes with Israeli troops on Thursday in a border village in southern Lebanon. The group claimed it had struck two Israeli tanks in the fighting.
In a statement, Hezbollah said its fighters were engaged in “heavy clashes in the village of Aita al-Shaab” at close range. They added that a Merkava tank was hit when it came to assist the troops, stating they had already “destroyed” another tank earlier.
The confrontation marks a significant escalation in the ongoing tension at the Lebanon-Israel border. Further details on casualties or damages were not disclosed.
Hezbollah says launches ‘large rocket salvo’ at north Israel town
Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah group said it launched a “large rocket salvo” at the northern Israeli town of Safed on Thursday.
Hezbollah fighters bombed “the town of Safed… with a large rocket salvo”, the group said in a statement, adding the launch came “in response to Israeli enemy attacks” on Lebanon.
Israel army says hit Hezbollah arms factories in overnight Beirut strikes
The Israeli military said Thursday it hit several Hezbollah weapons production facilities in overnight strikes on the group’s south Beirut stronghold of Dahiyeh.
“Overnight, the IAF (air force) conducted intelligence-based strikes on several weapons storage and manufacturing facilities belonging to the Hezbollah terrorist organisation in the area of Dahiyeh,” the military said in a statement. Lebanese state media reported that six buildings were levelled in at least 17 Israeli strikes during the night.
Syrian state media says Israel strikes kill soldier
Syrian state media said Israeli air strikes hit a residential area of Damascus and a military site in Homs Thursday, killing a soldier and wounding seven other people.
The Israeli army “launched an attack from the occupied Syrian Golan and from north Lebanon targeting two sites” in the Kafr Sousa district of Damascus and a military site near Homs, the official SANA news agency reported citing a military source.
SANA said a soldier was killed and seven others wounded in the strike in Homs, a central province which borders Lebanon, where Israeli troops are fighting Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.
Syrian state media made no mention of any casualties in the Damascus strike but the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights spoke of “human losses”.
Massive displacement from Israel-Hezbollah war transforms Beirut’s famed commercial street
Inside what was once one of Beirut’s oldest and best-known cinemas, dozens of Lebanese, Palestinians and Syrians displaced by the Israel-Hezbollah war spend their time following the news on their phones, cooking, chatting and walking around to pass the time. Outside on Hamra Street, once a thriving economic hub, sidewalks are filled with displaced people, and hotels and apartments are crammed with those seeking shelter. Cafes and restaurants are overflowing.
In some ways, the massive displacement of hundreds of thousands of people from south Lebanon, the eastern Bekaa Valley and Beirut’s southern suburbs has provided a boost for this commercial district after years of decline as a result of Lebanon’s economic crisis.
But it is not the revival many had hoped for.
US expresses concern to Israel about strikes against Lebanese army
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told his Israeli counterpart on Wednesday that Washington had concerns about strikes against the Lebanese armed forces while urging Israel to take steps to ensure the safety of the Lebanese army and the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, the Pentagon said.
Austin also told Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant that Washington welcomed the movement of humanitarian assistance through the Erez crossing into northern Gaza and urged Israel take steps to address the dire situation there, the Pentagon’s summary of the call said.
Three Lebanese soldiers were killed in an Israeli strike on an army vehicle in southern Lebanon, the Lebanese military said on Sunday. Israel, which says it is targeting Lebanese Iran-backed Hezbollah militants, apologized and said its military was not operating against the Lebanese army.
Israel pounds Beirut, levels residential complex: state media
Israel unleashed a wave of air strikes on Hezbollah’s southern Beirut stronghold on Wednesday night, Lebanese state media said, as the Iran-Hezbollah war reached its one-month mark.
With six buildings levelled in at least 17 Israeli raids, the strikes mark one of the most brutal nights in the capital’s southern suburbs since the war erupted on September 23.
Separately, Syria’s state media reported Israeli air strikes on a residential building in Damascus and a military site in Homs that killed a soldier and wounded seven others.
The raids came after United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken, on a visit to Israel, told the US ally to avoid further escalation with Iran.
Israel is fighting Iran-backed Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon and has vowed to retaliate against Iran for an October 1 missile attack.
In Lebanon, the official National News Agency reported at least 17 Israeli strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs, calling the raids “the most violent in the area since the beginning of the war”.
US Senator Graham says Israel-Saudi deal possible before year-end
US Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said he spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday and believed that an agreement to normalize relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia could be reached before the end of the year.
Graham, who is in Michigan campaigning for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, told Reuters that Netanyahu supported work on a deal with Saudi Arabia, adding that the next U.S. administration was unlikely to be able to secure enough votes in Congress after President Joe Biden leaves office on Jan. 20.
“I think the time to do this is on Biden’s watch,” said Graham, who had also met with Netanyahu earlier this month. He said Vice President Kamala Harris was “far more beholden to the left” and had not shown interest in working for such an agreement, but Biden was keen to see a deal get done and would be able to mobilize the needed Democratic votes.
Normalizing Israeli-Saudi relations would mark an expansion of the “Abraham Accords” sealed when Trump was in office. The accords led to the normalization of relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan.
Tel Aviv, Haifa Under Attack: Hezbollah Bombards IDF Bases, Warplanes & Weapons Factory 34 Times
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4 projectiles launched from Lebanon into Israel: IDF
Four projectiles were launched from Lebanon towards central Israel, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said.
The IDF added on Wednesday evening that two of the projectiles were intercepted by the Israeli Air Force, while two others fell, without any casualties reported.
Following the launches, air raid sirens were activated in dozens of cities in central Israel, including Tel Aviv.
Meanwhile, Israel’s state-owned Kan TV news, citing Palestinian sources, reported that one projectile fell near Qalqilya city in the West Bank, slightly injuring a man and damaging a car, Xinhua news agency reported.
It noted that air traffic at Ben Gurion International Airport outside Tel Aviv was halted for about 20 minutes due to the launches.
The attack was carried out on the eve of the Jewish holiday Simchat Torah when thousands of families gathered for the holiday dinner.
Israel accuses 6 Al Jazeera journalists in Gaza of being Palestinian militants
The Israeli army on Wednesday accused six Al Jazeera journalists covering the war in Gaza of also being current or former paid fighters for Palestinian militant groups. Al Jazeera rejected the claims. Israel cited documents it purportedly found in Gaza, and other intelligence it gathered, in making the accusations against the journalists, all of whom are Palestinian men. It said four are or have been affiliated with Hamas, and two with Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
Al Jazeera said the accusations were “fabricated” and “part of a wider pattern of hostility” toward the pan-Arab network. It said the claims were “a blatant attempt to silence the few remaining journalists in the region, thereby obscuring the harsh realities of the war from audiences worldwide.”
The AP has been unable to independently verify the authenticity of the documents Israel posted online to support its claims.
Israel-Hamas War Live Updates: Israel accuses 6 Al Jazeera journalists in Gaza of being Palestinian militants
On Wednesday, the Israeli army accused six Al Jazeera journalists covering the ongoing war in Gaza of being current or former paid fighters for Palestinian militant groups. Israel stated that it had gathered intelligence and found documents allegedly confirming the ties of these journalists to Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ). The six journalists, all Palestinian men, were said to have held roles ranging from sniper and infantry soldier to propaganda operatives. Four of them were linked to Hamas, while two were alleged to have connections to PIJ.
Al Jazeera, however, vehemently denied these allegations, describing them as fabricated and part of a broader effort by Israel to stifle media coverage in Gaza. In a statement, the network said, “This is a blatant attempt to silence the few remaining journalists in the region, thereby obscuring the harsh realities of the war from audiences worldwide.” The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) also criticised Israel’s claims, noting that the country has made similar accusations in the past without providing credible evidence. The CPJ highlighted a previous incident in which Israel made unverified claims about Al Jazeera journalists, including a document alleging that one of them had received a Hamas military ranking at the age of 10.
The accusations against Al Jazeera come amid rising tensions between the network and the Israeli government. Since the war began, four Al Jazeera journalists have been killed in Gaza, and the network has faced continuous hostility from Israeli authorities. Earlier this year, an Israeli court ordered the closure of Al Jazeera’s operations within Israel. Furthermore, Israel raided Al Jazeera’s offices in Ramallah in the West Bank, shutting down the bureau there. Despite these challenges, Al Jazeera remains one of the few media outlets still broadcasting from Gaza, providing live coverage of the conflict.
The accusations have reignited long-standing criticism of the Qatari-based network, which has faced pushback from multiple governments in the past. Israel’s latest move is seen by many as part of a broader effort to limit independent reporting on the war in Gaza, where more than 42,000 Palestinians have been killed since the conflict began, according to local health authorities.
Israel-Hezbollah War Live Updates: Sirens sound across Tel Aviv as projectiles are intercepted near Blinken’s hotel
Air raid sirens echoed across Tel Aviv on Wednesday as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken prepared to end a visit. Smoke, apparently from an intercepted projectile, could be seen in the sky above the hotel where Blinken was staying. Blinken said Israel needs to pursue an “enduring strategic success” after its recent tactical victories against Hamas, urging it to seek a deal to end the war and bring back dozens of hostages before leaving for Saudi Arabia, as part of his 11th visit to the region since the start of the Israel-Hamas war.
But both sides appear to be dug in. Netanyahu has pledged to annihilate Hamas and recover dozens of hostages held by the group. Hamas says it will only release the captives in return for a lasting cease-fire, a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and the release of Palestinian prisoners.
On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led militants blew holes in Israel’s security fence and stormed in, killing some 1,200 people – mostly civilians – and abducting another 250. Israel’s offensive in Gaza has killed over 42,000 Palestinians, according to local health authorities, who do not differentiate between militants and civilians. The war has destroyed large areas of Gaza and displaced about 90% of its population of 2.3 million people.
The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development said in a report that it could take 350 years for Gaza’s battered economy to return to its precarious prewar level.
Israel-Hezbollah War Live Updates: Hezbollah says launched rockets at Tel Aviv suburbs
Lebanon’s Hezbollah on Wednesday said it struck a military manufacturing firm in the Tel Aviv suburbs with rockets, claiming the hit was accurate.
The Iran-backed group said it hit a “military industries company in the suburbs of Tel Aviv with qualitative rockets and hit the target accurately”.
Israel-Hezbollah War Live Updates: Lebanon reports 1 killed in Israeli strike targeting office of Hezbollah-linked broadcaster
An Israeli airstrike targeting an office belonging to a Beirut-based TV station killed one person, Lebanon’s Health Ministry says.
The ministry says five other people, including a child, were wounded in Wednesday’s strike. The child was seriously injured and admitted to the hospital.
Pan-Arab TV channel Al-Mayadeen, which is politically allied with Hezbollah, said its office in the area between Jnah and Ouzai on the outskirts of Beirut’s southern suburbs was targeted.
“Al-Mayadeen holds the Israeli occupation accountable for the attack on a known media office for a known media outlet,” Al-Mayadeen TV said.
Al Mayadeen said that the office had been evacuated. The Israeli army did not issue a warning before the strike, as reported by the Times of Israel.
Israel-Hamas War: Blinken presses Saudi Arabia on Israel normalisation as Gaza war rages
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Riyadh on Wednesday, seeking Saudi support for Israel’s normalisation amidst the ongoing Gaza conflict. Flying directly from Tel Aviv, Blinken highlighted the “incredible opportunity” for peace, despite the war. His discussions with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman centred on Saudi Arabia’s potential role in normalising ties with Israel, a prospect complicated by the ongoing Israeli offensive in Gaza. With Prime Minister Netanyahu initially optimistic about Saudi relations, US officials believe this may be the only leverage left to push for a ceasefire.
The Biden administration has been working on a deal to secure Saudi normalisation, which would include US security guarantees. Blinken, facing domestic political pressure, urged Israel to pivot towards peace, stating that its strategic aims, including the killing of Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar, have been largely met. However, Saudi Arabia insists progress towards Palestinian statehood is essential before any diplomatic breakthrough can occur.
Israel-Hezbollah War Live Updates: Hezbollah confirms Israel killed Nasrallah’s likely successor
Hezbollah confirmed Wednesday that Israel killed Hashem Safieddine, the apparent successor of its slain leader Hassan Nasrallah, in a strike, without saying when or where it happened.
“We mourn… the head of the Executive Council of Hezbollah, his eminence the scholar Sayyed Hashem Safieddine,” the Iran-backed group said in a statement, adding that was killed by “a criminal and aggressive Zionist raid” alongside other Hezbollah fighters.
Israel-Hezbollah War Live Updates: Israel defence minister says US should stand with Israel when it attacks Iran
Israel’s Defence Minister Yoav Gallant told visiting US top diplomat Antony Blinken that his government expects Washington’s support when it attacks Iran in response to a missile strike earlier this month.
“The United States’ stance with Israel following our attack on Iran will strengthen regional deterrence and weaken the axis of evil,” Gallant said according to a statement from his office, referring to Tehran-aligned armed groups in the Middle East, after Israel has vowed retaliation for the October 1 missile attack.
India joined other Brics countries in expressing deep concern over the situation in ‘Occupied Palestinian Territory’ and in condemning the loss of civilian lives resulting from Israeli attacks in residential areas in Lebanon.
Brics members denounced “Israeli attacks against humanitarian operations, facilities, personnel and distribution points”.
Hezbollah’s Hashem Safieddine, widely seen as the successor to secretary general Hassan Nasrallah, was killed in an Israeli airstrike, the group confirmed on Wednesday. Safieddine had been leading Hezbollah alongside deputy secretary general Naim Qassem following Nasrallah’s assassination and was expected to be officially named the group’s leader. A relative of Nasrallah, Safieddine played a key role in overseeing Hezbollah’s military operations as a member of its Jihad Council and managed its financial affairs as head of the executive council. His death is a significant blow to Hezbollah’s leadership as Israeli strikes continue targeting its strongholds in Lebanon.
Meanwhile, the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah is intensifying, with heavy clashes reported in southern Lebanon and ongoing airstrikes on Hezbollah positions. Despite international calls for restraint, Israel has ramped up its military actions. In response to US pressure, Israel permitted limited humanitarian aid into Gaza, though the situation remains dire. Qatar confirmed that no ceasefire negotiations have occurred in recent weeks.
In a separate development, Israel’s Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) reported a drone attack targeting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s residence in Caesarea. Israeli air defenses intercepted the drone, and two others launched from Lebanon were downed near Tel Aviv. The PMO confirmed that Netanyahu and his wife were not at the residence at the time, and there were no injuries.