Israel-Hamas live: US hits targets in Syria as Palestinian ministry publishes names of 7,000 dead
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The US says its fighter jets have struck two Iranian facilities in Syria, after repeated attacks on US coalition forces in the region by an Iran-backed militia in the past week.
A US official said the strikes were not carried out in coordination with Israel, which has been engaged in its own clashes with Iran-backed Hezbollah forces on the border with Lebanon.
Earlier Gaza’s ministry of health published a list of names of 7,000 people it says have been killed by Israel in the last three weeks.
The Hamas list - which has not been verified - is more than 200 pages long and includes the age and gender of the victims.
On Wednesday, US president Joe Biden said he had “no confidence in the number that the Palestinians are using” for the death toll.
Israel says that more than 1,400 people were killed in the Hamas attacks on 7 October that sparked the latest wave of violence in the war-torn region.
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US will ‘not be spared from this fire’, warns Iran foreign minister
06:59 , Namita Singh
On Thursday, Iran’s foreign minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said at the United Nations that if Israel’s retaliation against Palestinian militants Hamas in the Gaza Strip doesn’t end, then the United States will “not be spared from this fire.”
“I say frankly to the American statesmen, who are now managing the genocide in Palestine, that we do not welcome (an)expansion of the war in the region. But if the genocide in Gaza continues, they will not be spared from this fire,” he told a meeting of the 193-member General Assembly on the Middle East.
One way Iran projects power is by arming and funding militant groups, including Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the Houthis in Yemen and Shi’ite militias in Iraq.
In the last such known US retaliation, the US military carried out multiple air strikes in Syria on 23 March against Iran-aligned groups it blamed for a drone attack that killed an American contractor, wounded another and hurt five US troops.
Biden sent message warning Iran’s Khamenei against targeting US troops
06:52 , Namita Singh
President Joe Biden has sent a rare message to Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warning Tehran against targeting US personnel in the Middle East, the White House said on Thursday after a spate of attacks on American forces in the region.
“There was a direct message relayed,” White House spokesperson John Kirby said at a news briefing, declining to elaborate.
US officials want to avoid a wider conflict in the Middle East following the 7 October attack by the militant Hamas group on Israel that killed at least 1,400 people, mostly civilians.
About 900 additional US troops are headed to the Middle East or have recently arrived there to bolster air defenses to protect US personnel amid a surge in attacks in the region by Iran-affiliated groups, the Pentagon said.
US troops have been attacked at least 12 times in Iraq and four times in Syria in the past week, it added.
US fighter jets strike Syria after attacks by Iran-backed militia
06:43 , Namita Singh
Two US fighter jets struck weapons and ammunition facilities in Syria on Friday in what Washington said was a retaliation for attacks on US forces by an Iran-backed militia.
Joe Biden ordered strikes on the two facilities used by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps and militia forces it backs, the Pentagon said, warning the US will take additional measures if attacks by Iran’s proxies continue.
US and coalition troops have been attacked at least 19 times in Iraq and in Syria by Iran-backed forces in the past week, the US officials said. Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Lebanon’s Hezbollah are all backed by Tehran.
Iranian foreign minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said at the United Nations on Thursday that if Israel’s offensive against Hamas did not stop, the United States will “not be spared from this fire”.
The US air strikes took place at roughly 4.30am on Friday in Syria near Abu Kamal, a Syrian town on the border with Iraq, and were carried out by two F-16 fighter jets using precision munitions, a US defence official said.
“These precision self-defence strikes are a response to a series of ongoing and mostly unsuccessful attacks against US personnel in Iraq and Syria by Iranian-backed militia groups that began on 17 October,” US defence secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement.
“These Iranian-backed attacks against US forces are unacceptable and must stop,” Mr Austin said.
Explainer: What is Gaza’s ministry of health and how does it calculate death toll?
06:06 , Jane Dalton
Doctors scribble on notepads in overflowing morgues, struggling to account for bodies trapped under rubble and tossed in hastily dug mass graves. Yet the Gaza-based Ministry of Health continues to tally casualty numbers:
EXPLAINER: What is Gaza's Ministry of Health and how does it calculate the war's death toll?
Republican senators want to separate Israel funding from Ukraine aid
05:05 , Jane Dalton
A group of conservatives in the US Senate are pushing to drive a wedge between military aid for Ukraine and Israel at a time when passing legislation to support the former seems more uncertain than ever:
Republican senators want to separate Israel funding from Ukraine aid
Israel claims to have killed Hamas spy chief
04:04 , Jane Dalton
The Israeli military said an airstrike killed one of two masterminds of the Hamas massacre – Shadi Barud, the head of Hamas’ intelligence unit.
The military says it only strikes militant targets and accuses Hamas of operating among civilians in an attempt to protect its fighters.
🔴Shadi Barud, Deputy Head of Hamas’ Intelligence Directorate has been eliminated by an IDF aerial strike.
He took part in the planning of the October 7 massacre and countless other deadly attacks carried out against Israelis.
We will continue to strike and eliminate Hamas…— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) October 26, 2023
New photos show destruction as Israel tanks raid Gaza
03:03 , Jane Dalton
An online geolocating platform has posted photos of military vehicles and identified the location of Israel’s tanks at the northern border of the Gaza strip:
Gaza map shows scale of destruction of tiny strip as Israel tanks raid north
Hostages’ families stage demonstration in Tel Aviv
02:02 , Jane Dalton
Family members of the Israeli hostages who were kidnapped and taken to the Gaza Strip held a demonstration calling for their government to bring them back:
The evidence on who is to blame for Gaza hospital bomb
01:01 , Jane Dalton
Hamas blame the deaths on an Israeli airstrike; Israel blames a jihadist group’s failed rocket:
Who is to blame for Gaza hospital bomb - we scrutinise the evidence
EU leaders stress Israel’s ‘right to defend itself’
Friday 27 October 2023 00:02 , Jane Dalton
Leaders of the European Union’s 27 nations have emphasised Israel’s right to defend itself “in line with international law and international humanitarian law”.
The summit in Brussels was the leaders’ first in-person meeting since the attack that prompted Israel to bombard and blockade Hamas-run Gaza.
In their declaration, the leaders also repeated a call for Hamas to immediately release all hostages “without any precondition”.
They reiterated their previous condemnation “in the strongest possible terms” of the 7 October assault on Israel by Hamas.
“The European Union will work closely with partners in the region to protect civilians, provide assistance and facilitate access to food, water, medical care, fuel and shelter, ensuring that such assistance is not abused by terrorist organisations,” the declaration also said.
In pictures: Lights memorial for the kidnapped
Thursday 26 October 2023 23:01 , Jane Dalton
A display of lights signifying those abducted by Hamas light the sky in Jerusalem:
Reporter whose family were killed ‘felt duty’ to continue working
Thursday 26 October 2023 22:30 , Jane Dalton
An Al Jazeera reporter who was on air when he was told his wife and children had been killed in an Israeli airstrike has spoken of why he has continued working despite his agony.
Wael Al-Dahdouh said: “Thank you for all your solidarity and condolences and prayers. They were really important ... I felt it was my duty to get back to work as quickly as possible, despite everything.
“As you can see, the firing is going on everywhere...
“I felt that it was my duty, despite the pain and the open wound, to get back in front of the camera and to communicate with you on social media as soon as possible.”
UK Border Force set to help Britons escape Gaza
Thursday 26 October 2023 22:00 , Jane Dalton
UK Border Force teams are in Egypt to help trapped British nationals escape from Gaza when a crossing is opened, Rishi Sunak has revealed.
Around 200 Briton stuck inside the besieged enclave have been in touch with the Foreign Office, the prime minister said:
UK Border Force in Egypt to help trapped British nationals escape Gaza
EU summit calls for 'humanitarian corridors and pauses' in Gaza
Thursday 26 October 2023 20:50 , Sam Rkaina
EU leaders agreed at a summit on Thursday to call for the establishment of “humanitarian corridors and pauses” to get urgently-needed aid into Gaza.
“The European Council expresses its gravest concern for the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza and calls for continued, rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access and aid to reach those in need through all necessary measures including humanitarian corridors and pauses for humanitarian needs,” a declaration adopted by the leaders said.
“The European Union will work closely with partners in the region to protect civilians, provide assistance and facilitate access to food, water, medical care, fuel and shelter, ensuring that such assistance is not abused by terrorist organisations,” added the declaration, issued at the summit in Brussels.
Pro-Palestine protesters blockade UK weapons factory
Thursday 26 October 2023 20:00 , Jane Dalton
Union members blockaded a weapons factory in Kent for six hours, in protest over the war in Israel. The protesters included health workers, teachers and academics:
Pro-Palestine protestors block UK weapons factory in demonstration over Israel war
Palestinian authorities release list of 7,000 people they say have been killed
Thursday 26 October 2023 19:59 , Sam Rkaina
Gaza’s ministry of health has published a list of names of 7,000 people it says have been killed by Israel in the last three weeks.
The list - which has not been verified - is more than 200 pages long and includes the age and gender of the victims.
On Wednesday, US president Joe Biden said he had “no confidence in the number that the Palestinians are using” for the death toll.
Israel says that more than 1,400 people were killed in the Hamas attacks on 7 October that sparked the latest wave of violence in the war-torn region.
Israel says Gaza tank raid is ‘preparation for next stage of combat’
Thursday 26 October 2023 19:30 , Bel Trew
Israeli troops, backed by tanks and armoured bulldozers launched a “targeted” raid into northern Gaza, to prepare “for the next stages of combat,” the country’s military has said.
The hours-long “brigade-level raid”, the biggest of a number of raids Israeli forces have made into Gaza recently, comes ahead of a widely anticipated full ground offensive that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed will go ahead.
Israel has also unleashed its heaviest ever bombardment of Gaza, which is home to more than two million people, in retaliation for a bloody attack by Hamas, who stormed communities in southern Israel on 7 October, killing 1,400 people and taking more than 220 hostages.
Ratcheting up its bombing campaign, Israel’s military said in the last 24 hours alone it had launched 250 airstrikes across Gaza, targeting tunnel shafts and rocket launchers.
Click here for the full story.
Iran says Hamas hostage release depends on freeing Palestinian prisoners
Thursday 26 October 2023 19:00 , Jane Dalton
Iran’s foreign minister has said Hamas is ready to release civilian prisoners abducted from Israel but that the international community must take responsibility for releasing 6,000 Palestinian prisoners held in Israel.
Hossein Amirabdollahian told an emergency meeting of the UN General Assembly that Iran “stands ready to play its part in this very important humanitarian endeavour, along with Qatar and Turkey”.
Iran is a key backer of Hamas, and Qatar has already played a key role in the release of four Israeli civilians, among the more than 200 still held captive.
Mr Amirabdollahian accused the United States of directly participating in the Israeli-Hamas war and what he called a “genocide” against the Palestinians.
Iran’s top diplomat also issued a strong warning “against the uncontrollable consequences of the unlimited financial, arms and operational support by the White House to the Tel Aviv regime”.
“I say frankly to the American statesman, who are now managing the genocide in Palestine, that we do not welcome expansion of the war in the region,” he said.
The delays, doubts and diplomacy around an Israeli invasion of Gaza
Thursday 26 October 2023 18:30 , Kim Sengupta
The Israeli raid into Gaza was not unexpected, such probing operations are normal tactics before a large-scale offensive.
The aim is to degrade the enemy’s capabilities in sections of the battlespace by destroying defensive positions, including ambush points, sweeping for mines and boobytraps and killing combatants.
The operation was, however, widely publicised, with the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) issuing videos of columns of Merkava tanks entering the territory with drones flying overhead.
Also in the imagery were Caterpillar D9 armoured bulldozers which will play a highly important role in what is likely to lie ahead.
Click here for the full story.
Press conference about Hamas hostages interrupted by air raid sirens
Thursday 26 October 2023 17:59 , Sam Rkaina
Hamas claims ‘around 50 hostages have been killed' in Israeli airstrikes
Thursday 26 October 2023 17:30 , Sam Rkaina
Hamas has claimed that around 50 hostages have been killed in airstrikes carried out by Israel.
The claim, which has not been verified, was made by an al-Qassam Brigades spokesperson on the terrorist group’s Telegram channel on Thursday.
It comes as delegation from Hamas visited Moscow for talks on the release of foreign hostages, including Russian citizens that the militant group is currently holding in Gaza, Russian news agencies reported.
Senior Hamas member Abu Marzouk was among those attending, TASS said.
“Contacts were held with him in continuation of the Russian line on the immediate release of foreign hostages in the Gaza Strip. Issues related to ensuring the evacuation of Russian and other foreign citizens from the territory of the Palestinian enclave were also discussed,” TASS said.
Thursday 26 October 2023 16:30 , Alexander Butler
Hamas representatives are currently visiting Moscow, according Russia’s foreign minister’s spokesperson.
Spokesperson Maria Zakharova did not elaborate further, saying that the ministry will provide more information at a later point.
Meanwhile, state RIA Novosti news agency said the Hamas delegation is led by a member of the group’s political wing, Moussa Abu Marzouk.
Up to 3,000 children killed in Gaza, Palestinian UN representative says
Thursday 26 October 2023 15:50 , Alexander Butler
Up to 3000 children have been killed by Israeli airstrikes in Gaza since Hamas launched a deadly attack on southern Israel on 7 October, Palestine’s UN representitive said.
Speaking to the United Nations, Riyad Mansour said the thousands of “innocent angels” had been killed alongside 1,700 women.
It comes after Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki said Israel needs to agree to a full ceasefire in Gaza in order to enable urgently needed humanitarian aid to be brought in to the region.
Qatar remains ‘hopeful’ all civilian hostages could be released
Thursday 26 October 2023 15:26 , Alexander Butler
Qatar is “hopeful” all remaining civilian hostages being held captive in Gaza could be released if there is a pause in the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
“Our target is to release all of the civilian hostages. That’s what we’re working on, and that’s what we want to achieve,” Dr Mohammed Al Khulaifi, senior negotiator and Qatar’s minister of state for foreign affairs, told Sky News.
“We remain hopeful. We do the best that we can trying to get everyone soon and hopefully we can achieve that goal within the upcoming days.”
So far, only four hostages have been released, including an American mother and daughter and two elderly Israeli women.
Nine Arab countries condemn Israeli attacks on Gaza
Thursday 26 October 2023 15:11 , Alexander Butler
Nine Arab countries have condemned what it described as Israel’s targeting of civilians and violations of international law in Gaza.
In a joint statement, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Egypt and Morocco all claimed Israel’s policies amounted to collective punishment.
It also condemned “forced displacement” in the region. The right to self defence does not justify breaking the law and neglecting Palestinian rights, the statement said.
وزراء خارجية عدد من الدول العربية يصدرون بيانا مشتركا بشأن الأوضاع الراهنة في قطاع غزة.https://t.co/dgrnMI3xfR pic.twitter.com/Uqrj10ux08
— وزارة الخارجية 🇧🇭 (@bahdiplomatic) October 26, 2023
Israel has not broken international law, UK minister says
Thursday 26 October 2023 14:45 , Alexander Butler
‘Hero’ who ‘saved 30 people’ meets Israeli president
Thursday 26 October 2023 14:43 , Alexander Butler
A “hero” who saved 30 people during Hamas’s massacre at a music festival which left 260 people dead has met Israeli president Isaac Herzog.
Youssef Alziadna met with Mr Herzog, who said he was “greatly moved” to meer him and that he was part of the “beautiful face” of Israel.
“I was greatly moved to meet an Israeli hero in Rahat, Youssef Alziadna, who on that dark day, with extraordinary courage and determination, saved at least 30 young people,” Mr Herzog said.
I was greatly moved to meet an Israeli hero in Rahat, Youssef Alziadna, who on that dark day, with extraordinary courage and determination, saved at least 30 young people, including some already wounded, at attack on the music festival in Re'im.
"I am an Israeli citizen and I… pic.twitter.com/IjzEAT5iRa— יצחק הרצוג Isaac Herzog (@Isaac_Herzog) October 26, 2023
China set to send £2m in aid to Gaza
Thursday 26 October 2023 14:30 , Alexander Butler
China will provide Gaza with £2m in humanitarian aid, according to the China International Development Cooperation Agency.
The aid will include food, medicine and other emergency supplies, it said. It follows an initial £825,000 donation of aid already provided by Beijing.
China has condemned violence and attacks on civilians in the conflict and while its foreign minister Wang Yi has declared Israel’s actions “beyond the scope of self-defence” he has not named Hamas in his comments.
Pictured: Israel and Gaza
Thursday 26 October 2023 14:15 , Alexander Butler
View of Gaza skyline as ground invasion looms
Thursday 26 October 2023 14:00 , Matt Mathers
Overnight, Israeli tanks rolled across the border into Gaza for what the army described as a “limited raid”.
Israeli defence officials said the move was designed to clear the ground for an expected ground offensive.
Both Israel and Hamas continue to bomb each other following the latter’s terror attack on 7 October.
You can watch live footage of the Gaza skyline by following the link below. Warning: the live stream may contain distressing scenes.
Live: View of Gaza skyline as Israel ground invasion looms
Four Labour shadow cabinet members ‘on resignation watch’ over Starmer’s Gaza stance
Thursday 26 October 2023 13:45 , Matt Mathers
Keir Starmer is battling to convince Labour MPs he has taken the right stance on the Israel-Hamas conflict – with up to four members of the shadow cabinet said to be on resignation watch last night.
The Labour leader is facing growing unrest among his own MPs, with dozens having signed a motion urging the British government to call for an immediate ceasefire.
Adam Forrest reports:
Four Labour shadow cabinet members ‘on resignation watch’ over Starmer’s Gaza stance
Sunak: UK Border Force ready to assist British nationals escaping Gaza
Thursday 26 October 2023 13:25 , Matt Mathers
UK Border Force teams are set up in Egypt to “quickly” assist British nationals to escape from Gaza when a crossing is opened, the Prime Minister has revealed.
Rishi Sunak said he is pushing for a pause in the fighting between Israel and Hamas to allow aid to reach Palestinians and also create a “safer environment” for UK citizens to leave the bombarded 25-mile strip.
The Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza is the only border point in the territory that is not controlled by Tel Aviv.
Patrick Daly reports:
UK Border Force in position to help get Britons out of Gaza, PM reveals
Turkey won’t stay silent on Gaza - Erdogan
Thursday 26 October 2023 13:10 , Matt Mathers
Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday that nobody should expect Turkey to remain silent in the face of the violence in Gaza.
In a speech in Ankara, Erdogan said there was no difference between Gazan, Palestinian, Israeli, and Syrian children in the eyes of Turkey.
He also said Turkey would intensify its efforts with Egypt to get humanitarian aid into Gaza.
More than 7,000 Palestinians killed, says Gazan health ministry
Thursday 26 October 2023 12:55 , Alexander Butler
Up to 7,028 Palestinians have been killed since 7 October, according to the Gazan health ministry.
Among the dead were 2,913 children, it said. Yesterday the ministry reported 6,546 deaths, including 2,704 children.
Hamas calls for worldwide protests
Thursday 26 October 2023 12:35 , Alexander Butler
Hamas has called on “free people across the globe” to continue “mass activities” condemning Israeli aggression and hostilities.
“We call on our Arab and Islamic nations, and the free people across the globe to spare no effort and continue their mobilisation and mass activities aiming at exerting pressure on the Israeli occupation to condemn this brutal aggression and halt its atrocities,” it said on the Telegram messaging app.
Israel says it is targeting terrorists in Gaza and any suffering of Palestinian civilians is a result of Hamas’s terror attack which left 1,400 Israelis dead on 7 October.
Israel waging ‘war of revenge’, Palestine says
Thursday 26 October 2023 12:28 , Alexander Butler
Israel is waging a “war of revenge” on Gaza aimed at its total destruction, Palestinian Foreign Minister said.
“So many wars have taken place in Gaza. This is different. This time it’s a war of revenge,” foreign minister Riyad al-Maliki said.
“This war has no real objective, rather than the total destruction of every livable place in Gaza. This war is not directed by military plans, there are no norms respected. All international rules of war are violated,” he said.
It comes as Israel said its ground forces had pushed into Gaza overnight to attack Hamas targets after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it was “preparing for a ground invasion” of the region.
China's response to Hamas attacks 'disturbing', Taiwan says
Thursday 26 October 2023 12:02 , Alexander Butler
Israel’s envoy in Taipei said that Taiwan has been a “good friend” whose support Israel has appreciated, but China’s response to the attack by Hamas militants has been “disturbing”.
Israel, like most countries, has no formal diplomatic ties with Chinese-claimed Taiwan. But Taiwan views Israel as an important democratic partner.
Taipei moved quickly to condemn the 7 October attack on the country by Palestinian Hamas militants and offered Taiwan’s strong support and sympathy to Israel.
Speaking to reporters in Taipei, Israel’s de facto ambassador Maya Yaron praised the strong support from Taiwan’s government, including from President Tsai Ing-wen.
“Taiwan is really a good friend for Israel and we truly appreciate everything that we receive. I’m in close touch with the foreign minister, I think people are very concerned,” she said.
China has condemned violence and attacks on civilians in the conflict and while its foreign minister Wang Yi has declared Israel’s actions “beyond the scope of self-defence” he has not named Hamas in his comments.
UK border force officials sent to Egypt to help evacuate British citizens
Thursday 26 October 2023 11:41 , Kate Devlin
Border Force officials have been sent to Egypt to help evacuate British citizens currently trapped in Gaza who manage to cross the border, Rishi Sunak has said.
Around 200 British citizens stuck in the besieged enclave have been in touch with the Foreign Office, the prime minister said, as Israel continues to gear up for a ground invasion.
But the UK is hopeful at some point they will be able to leave via the Rafah crossing into Egypt, through which aid is currently being brought into Gaza.
He said he had discussed their plight with the leaders of both Egypt and Israel and were “very keen to be able to bring them out and bring them home”.
Israel denies bowing to US pressure
Thursday 26 October 2023 11:18 , Alexander Butler
Israel has not bowed to US pressure to delay its ground invasion into Gaza, according to a senior war cabinet minister.
“We are making decisions only based on our own interests,” minister Benny Gantz said.
It comes after US officials suggested the Biden administration had advised Israel to delay its ground invasion of Gaza, hoping to buy time for hostage negotiations and allow for the delivery of humanitarian aid.
Queen of Jordan: ‘Is the word terrorist reserved exclusively for muslims and Arabs?’
Thursday 26 October 2023 11:10 , Alexander Butler
Palestinian minister urges Israel to agree to ceasefire
Thursday 26 October 2023 10:59 , Alexander Butler
Israel needs to agree to a full ceasefire in Gaza in order enable urgently needed humanitarian aid to be brought in, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki said.
It comes as British and EU leaders have called for for “pauses” in bombardments into and out of Gaza to enable access for aid.
But Mr al-Maliki said this proposal was unacceptable, as it would not ensure aid could come in and water and electricity supplies be reinstated.
It will take ‘years’ to restore security in southern Israel, minister claims
Thursday 26 October 2023 10:35 , Alexander Butler
It will take “years” to restore security to southern Israel following Hamas’s massacre which left 1,400 Israelis dead after the group breached a high tech security fence on 7 October.
Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz said that military and other measures taking years would be required to restore security to the region.
‘International silence on Gaza massacre embarrassing,’ Erdogan says
Thursday 26 October 2023 10:27 , Alexander Butler
Israeli airstrikes on Gaza amount to a massacre, Turkey’s president Tayyip Erdogan told Pope Francis.
Mr Erdogan claimed the silence of the international community was “embarrassing”.
It comes after he accused “those providing unlimited support for Israel” of perpetrating the killing of civilians in Gaza.
“Israel’s attacks on Gaza, for both itself and those supporting them, amount to murder and mental illness,” he told lawmakers from his ruling AK Party.
Pictured: Life and death in Gaza
Thursday 26 October 2023 10:10 , Alexander Butler
Number of hostages in Gaza rises to 224, IDF says
Thursday 26 October 2023 10:00 , Alexander Butler
The confirmed number of people held hostage in the Gaza Strip since 7 October is now 224, according to the Israeli Defence Forces.
IDF strike terrorist cells and anti-tank missile launch posts in Gaza
Thursday 26 October 2023 09:40 , Alexander Butler
The Israeli Defence Forces said it struck “numerous terrorist cells”, “infrastructure” and “anti-tank missile launch posts” in its overnight raid of Gaza.
“In preparation for the next stages of combat, the IDF operated in northern Gaza. IDF tanks & infantry struck numerous terrorist cells, infrastructure and anti-tank missile launch posts.
“The soldiers have since exited the area and returned to Israeli territory,” it wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
In preparation for the next stages of combat, the IDF operated in northern Gaza.
IDF tanks & infantry struck numerous terrorist cells, infrastructure and anti-tank missile launch posts.
The soldiers have since exited the area and returned to Israeli territory. pic.twitter.com/oMdSDR84rU— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) October 26, 2023
Putin warns conflict could spread beyond Middle East
Thursday 26 October 2023 09:30 , Alexander Butler
Russian president Vladimir Putin has warned the Israel-Hamas conflict could spill over “far beyond the borders” of the Middle East.
“Our task today, our main task, is to stop the bloodshed and violence,” Mr Putin said, according to a Kremlin transcript.
“Otherwise, further escalation of the crisis is fraught with grave and extremely dangerous and destructive consequences. And not only for the Middle East region. It could spill over far beyond the borders of the Middle East.”
Pictured: Israeli tanks in Gaza during raid
Thursday 26 October 2023 09:00 , Alexander Butler
UK to hold Cobra meeting about British hostages
Thursday 26 October 2023 08:45 , Alexander Butler
The UK will hold a Cobra meeting today to discuss five UK nationals still missing in the Middle East following Hamas’s deadly attack on Israel.
Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden said he would be chairing the meeting, while calling for for a pause in hostilities between Israel and Hamas so humanitarian aid can enter Gaza.
However, Mr Dowden ruled out a ceasefire. “We shouldn’t be saying to the Israel government ‘you’ve got to stop action’ in a way that wouldn’t enable it to eliminate this threat,” he told Sky News.
Al Jazeera journalist finds out his wife, son and daughter killed in Israeli airstrike while on air
Thursday 26 October 2023 08:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
An Al Jazeera reporter covering the war in Israel was on air when he was told his wife and children had been killed in an airstrike.
Wael Al-Dahdouh reported on the same attack in Gaza on Wednesday evening without knowing his family had been killed, in an area they had fled to for safety after Israel’s warning of a ground incursion.
The Gaza bureau chief lost his son Mahmoud, a senior in high school, and his seven-year-old daughter Sham in the blast, his network said.
Palestinians inspect the damage of destroyed buildings following Israeli airstrikes on Gaza City," his network said.
Barney Davis reports.
Journalist finds out wife, son and daughter killed in Israeli airstrike while on air
Rishi Sunak backs pauses in fighting in Gaza but rejects ceasefire calls
Thursday 26 October 2023 08:15 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Rishi Sunak has called for temporary pauses in the conflict between Israel and Hamas to allow British nationals and hostages to be freed and for humanitarian aid to be provided in the Gaza Strip.
But the prime minister continued on Wednesday to reject calls for a longer ceasefire, with Downing Street arguing the move would “only serve to benefit Hamas”.
Mr Sunak said “specific pauses” are necessary for humanitarian purposes as Israel pummels the small strip of land, which is home to more than two million Palestinians.
He said such breaks had been discussed at the United Nations as he announced that an RAF plane is flying to Egypt with 21 tonnes of humanitarian supplies.
More than 80 MPs have urged the Government to call for a ceasefire, as five UK nationals remain missing, some of whom are believed to be hostages in Gaza.
More here.
Rishi Sunak backs pauses in fighting in Gaza but rejects ceasefire calls
UN says Gaza fuel delivery needed now or support could stop
Thursday 26 October 2023 07:45 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
The UN has warned that unless there is an immediate delivery of fuel to Gaza, their support to Gaza’s hospitals, bakeries, and water systems “can stop tomorrow”.
World leaders including UK prime minister Rishi Sunak have joined urgent calls for temporary “pauses” in the fighting to allow delivery of aid and for foreign citizens to evacuate, as hospitals across Gaza shut down due to critical shortages.
The health ministry in the besieged enclave – run by Hamas – has said the healthcare system has “collapsed”.
Speaking to The Independent, Tamara el-Rifae, a spokesperson for UNRWA, the UN’s Palestinian refugee agency, said that unless fuel arrives imminently their critical support across many facets of life in Gaza may stop.
“There has to be a way to get the fuel in otherwise everything can stop tomorrow, or we have to make extremely hard choices,” she said.
Bel Trew reports from Tel Aviv.
UN says Gaza fuel delivery needed now or support could stop as supplies run out
Ceasefire calls just asking Israel not to ‘go after’ Hamas, says UK defence secretary
Thursday 26 October 2023 07:31 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
UK defence secretary Grant Shapps has said the call for a ceasefire is “to essentially say don’t go after Hamas”.
He said a ground invasion of Gaza would fall under Israel’s right to defend itself “as long as the people that they are going after are the Hamas terrorists”.
He told Sky News: “To call for a ceasefire is to essentially say to Israel hadn’t gone through that absolutely horrific, horrendous terrorist attack just two and a half weeks ago.
“You know, don’t go after Hamas. And I don’t think anyone thinks that would be right, because they have the perfect right to go after Hamas under international law.”
Mr Shapps also said UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres needed to withdraw his remarks suggesting the Hamas attacks should be seen in the context of “years of suffocating occupation”.
He told ITV: “I certainly thought his remarks were incredibly inappropriate and I really do hope that he finds a way to withdraw them or clarify them.”
Adam Forrest reports.
More than 750 Gazans killed in one day, says health ministry
Thursday 26 October 2023 07:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
More than 750 people in Gaza were killed over the past 24 hours, higher than the 704 killed the previous day, Gaza’s health ministry, which is controlled by Hamas, said on Wednesday.
Since the 7 October Hamas massacre, Israeli retaliatory strikes have killed more than 6,500 Palestinians in Gaza, according to the ministry.
Hospitals in Gaza struggled to treat masses of wounded with dwindling resources as the death toll soared due to Israel’s constant bombardment of the Strip.
Workers pulled dead and wounded civilians, including many children, out of landscapes of rubble in cities across the territory.
The fighting has killed more than 1,400 people in Israel, mostly civilians slain during the initial Hamas attack, according to the Israeli government.
Queen Rania of Jordan attacks the West over ‘double standards’ on Gaza
Thursday 26 October 2023 07:15 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Queen Rania of Jordan has accused Western countries of “aiding and abetting” the killing of Palestinians by supporting Israel’s war against Hamas.
The monarch also accused those backing Israel’s bombing of Gaza in response to Hamas’s terror attack as an example of Western “double standards”.
“The people all around the Middle East, including in Jordan, we are just shocked and disappointed by the world’s reaction to this catastrophe that is unfolding,” she told CNN.
“In the last couple of weeks, we have seen a glaring double standard in the world.”
Matt Mathers has more.
Queen Rania of Jordan accuses West of ‘double standards’ response to Israel-Gaza war
WHO urges Hamas to release all hostages on ‘health grounds’
Thursday 26 October 2023 07:00 , Barney Davis
The World Health Organization has demanded Hamas to release all of the hostages they are holding “on humanitarian and health grounds”.
Hamas must “provide signs of life, proof of provision of health care and the immediate release” of the kidnapped Israelis, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus demanded.
Some of the children, women anl elderly are in desperate need of urgent and sustained care and treatment. The mental health trauma that the abducted, and the families, are facing is acute and psychosocial support is of great importance.
The UN health agency would do “all we can to support the health and humanitarian needs of those being held captive”, he added.
Israel conducts overnight raid in Gaza with tanks
Thursday 26 October 2023 06:38 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Israeli troops moved armoured vehicles into the Gaza Strip in an overnight "targetted raid" to attack Hamas bases ahead of an anticipated large-scale invasion.
"Overnight, the IDF conducted a targeted raid using tanks in the northern Gaza Strip, as part of preparations for the next stages of combat," the Israeli military said in a statement.
Videos of the overnight operation showed a bulldozer levelling part of a raised bank and tanks firing shells, while explosions were seen near or amid a row of damaged buildings.
The military said the raid was carried out “in preparation for the next stages of combat” as the Israeli defence forces prepared for a large-scale invasion that Israeli leaders have threatened as part of the war to destroy Hamas.
Following the raid, the "soldiers exited the area", the military added.
Israel began localised ground incursions on Sunday as the war, triggered by a cross-border rampage by Hamas gunmen, entered its third week.
Israel's Army Radio described Thursday's incursion as the biggest yet.
UN says fuel shortage may bring aid operations to a halt
Thursday 26 October 2023 06:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
The UN agency in Gaza on Wednesday said it would have to halt “lifeline” aid operations within a day if fuel is not delivered.
Israel has refused to allow fuel to enter Gaza as it laid siege on the Strip following Hamas’s 7 October attack.“We’re probably talking a day,” said spokesperson Tamara Alrifai for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) told CNN when asked how long would the agency function without fuel.
“We have already warned that if fuel runs out by tonight or tomorrow, we as UNWRA, the largest UN agency in Gaza, will no longer be able to work.”The agency initially said it would have to halt operations on Wednesday evening.
After the UN agency posted its warning on social media on Tuesday, the Israeli Defence Forces reposted it, claiming that the Hamas militants have more than 500,000 litres of fuel in tanks inside besieged Gaza.
“Ask Hamas if you can have some,” the IDF wrote.
In Pics | Deaths and destruction in Gaza
Thursday 26 October 2023 06:10 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
UN warn of lack of fuel in Gaza
Thursday 26 October 2023 06:00 , Barney Davis
The UN agency for refugees in Gaza is hours away from running out of fuel and is desperately trying to get a shipment around an Israeli blockade.
Juliette Touma, the UNRWA’s director of communications, told Al Jazeera that the coming hours were critical.
“If we do not get this shipment of fuel tonight, [by] tomorrow morning, Thursday morning, we are going to take very tough decisions, depriving people, depriving the communities that we serve, from humanitarian assistance,” Touma said.
Without fuel, the UNRWA would be unable to send wheat to bakeries, assist medical facilities and keep water pumping stations running, she said.
“It’s a chain,” Touma said. “Fuel for Gaza is life.”
328 foreign nationals killed in war, says Israel
Thursday 26 October 2023 05:51 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
More than half the estimated 220 hostages held by Palestinian group Hamas have foreign passports from 25 different countries, including 54 Thai nationals, the Israeli government said.
The government said 328 people from 40 countries were confirmed as dead or missing after the surprise 7 October attack by Hamas militants on southern Israel. In all, an estimated 1,400 people were killed in the assault
.Israel said 138 of the hostages had foreign passports, including 15 Argentinians, 12 Germans, 12 Americans, six French and six Russians.
Many were believed to have had dual Israeli nationality, however, some, like the Thais and five Nepalese hostages, almost certainly did not. There was also one Chinese hostage, one Sri Lankan, two from Tanzania and two from the Philippines.
Thursday 26 October 2023 05:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Israeli reservists have criticised Benjamin Netanyahu’s son Yair for remaining in Miami rather than joining the fight against Hamas.
The 32-year-old is living in Florida, where he moved earlier this year after he was sued for defamation in Israel over social media posts against a political activist.
Around 360,000 reservists have been called up in Israel following the bloody 7 October attack on Israel launched by Hamas fighters from Gaza.
Prime Minister Netanyahu has received fierce criticism in Israel over the shocking surprise attack, which left more than 1,400 civilians and soldiers dead and hundreds more taken hostage.
Graeme Massie reports.
Israeli reservists question absence of Netanyahu’s son who remains in Miami
Israeli strikes kill 6,500 so far - Health ministry says
Thursday 26 October 2023 05:00 , Barney Davis
Israel kept up its strikes on Hamas targets in Gaza as it prepared for a ground invasion while more Palestinian civilians were killed and world powers at the United Nations failed to secure plans to deliver critical humanitarian aid.
Israeli retaliatory strikes have killed over 6,500 people, the health ministry in the Hamas-run strip said on Wednesday. Reuters has been unable to independently verify casualty figures.
Over 7,600 rockets have been fired towards Israel since October 7 out of Gaza, according to Israeli government data, while there have been repeated clashes along the northern border.
Israel’s Magen David Adom ambulance service said two people were being treated for shrapnel and glass wounds after a rocket fired from Gaza on Wednesday night struck the central Israeli city of Rishon Letzion, south of Tel Aviv.
Florida orders state universities to disband pro-Palestinian student group
Thursday 26 October 2023 04:44 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Florida governor Ron DeSantis’s administration has ordered state universities to ban a pro-Palestinian student organisation from campuses, saying it illegally backs Hamas militants who attacked Israel earlier this month.
As Israel’s attacks on Gaza have intensified, some college students have expressed solidarity with Palestinians, resulting in swift censure from some Jewish academics and even some prospective employers. But Florida has gone further, saying Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) is supporting a “terrorist organisation”.
State university system chancellor Ray Rodrigues wrote to university presidents urging and directing them to disband chapters of SJP. He quoted the national group’s declaration that “Palestinian students in exile are PART of this movement, not in solidarity with this movement”.
“It is a felony under Florida law to ‘knowingly provide material support ... to a designated foreign terrorist organization’,” Mr Rodrigues said in the letter.
The US state department designated Hamas a terrorist group in 1997.
UN Security Council fails again to address Israel-Hamas war
Thursday 26 October 2023 04:26 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
The UN Security Council failed again on Wednesday to address the Israeli-Hamas war in Gaza, rejecting rival US and Russian resolutions.
The resolution drafted by the US, Israel’s closest ally, would have reaffirmed Israel’s right to self-defence, urged respect for international laws — especially protection of civilians — and called for “humanitarian pauses” to deliver desperately needed aid to Gaza.
In Wednesday’s vote in the 15-member council, 10 countries voted in favor, Russia, China and the UAE voted against, and Brazil and Mozambique abstained. The resolution was not adopted because permanent council members Russia and China cast vetoes.
The Russian resolution, which was then put to a vote, would have called for an immediate “humanitarian cease-fire” and unequivocally condemned Hamas’s 7 October attacks in Israel and “indiscriminate attacks” on civilians and civilian objects in Gaza.
Four countries voted in favor – Russia, China, UAE and Gabon. The US and the UK voted against, while nine countries abstained. The resolution wasn’t adopted because it failed to get the minimum nine “yes” votes.
UK government calling for ‘pause’ in Israel-Hamas conflict
Thursday 26 October 2023 04:06 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
The UK government is calling for a “pause” in conflict in the Middle East for humanitarian reasons, but has rejected growing calls for a ceasefire.
Rishi Sunak has said temporary breaks in the violence could allow British nationals and hostages to be freed and aid to be provided to the Gaza Strip.
But ministers reiterated their support for Israel, with defence secretary Grant Shapps saying an expected ground invasion would fall under the country’s right to defend itself as long as the action targeted Hamas.
More here.
UK Government calling for ‘pause’ in Israel-Hamas conflict
Israeli strike wipes out reporters family on air
Thursday 26 October 2023 04:00 , Barney Davis
An Israeli strike on Wednesday killed the wife, son and young daughter of Al Jazeera Arabic’s bureau chief in Gaza, Wael Dahdouh.
Footage aired on the Qatar-based TV network showed the veteran journalist, still wearing his blue body armor marked “press,” weeping over his son’s corpse on a hospital floor.
“They take vengeance on us through our children?” he sobbed.
Another son, Yehia, was seriously wounded, and Dahdouh’s grandson was also declared dead two hours later, the network reported. Other relatives survived the Israeli strike, including a toddler granddaughter.
“This is a series of targeted attacks on children, women and civilians,” Dahdouh, looking stunned, told Al Jazeera as he left the hospital.
The media network released a statement condemning what it called an “indiscriminate assault” on the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza. The camp is south of the area Israel has ordered civilians to evacuate.
In Gaza, Al Jazeera’s Youmna Elsayed told the network: “It’s heartbreaking to be reporting about Wael’s family and to see how broken he is.”
Thursday 26 October 2023 03:00 , Barney Davis
Speaker Mike Johnson called up a resolution supporting Israel in his first action as leader of the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday, after a three-week leadership vacuum that left the Republican-led chamber unable to respond to the Middle East crisis.
“The first bill I’m going to bring to this floor in a little while will be in support of our dear friend Israel and we are overdue in getting that done,” Johnson said as he accepted the speakership.
The House backed the resolution by 412 to 10, with six members voting “present,” reflecting traditional strong support in Congress for the Jewish state. The non-binding measure reaffirms U.S. commitment to Israel and calls on Hamas to immediately cease attacks and release every hostage.
The House had been without a speaker since October 3, when eight Republicans joined Democrats to oust Kevin McCarthy, the first time a U.S. speaker has been removed from the position. Johnson, a social conservative with little leadership experience, was elected speaker on Wednesday.
Biden stresses 'path to peace' in Israel-Gaza crisis
Thursday 26 October 2023 02:00 , Barney Davis
US President Joe Biden said the Israel-Gaza crisis should have “a path to peace” including independent states for the Israelis and Palestinians and integrating Israel among its Arab neighbors.
Biden opened a joint press conference with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese by saying U.S. support for Israel’s defence is ironclad, but the parties need to think about the way forward in the region once the Gaza crisis is resolved.
“Israelis and Palestinians equally deserve to live side by side in safety, dignity and in peace,” said Biden.
Biden said he believed one reason Hamas militants attacked southern Israel, killing 1,400 people on Oct. 7, was to prevent normalizing relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
Israeli airstrikes in retaliation have killed over 6,500 people, the health ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza said on Wednesday. Reuters has not been able to independently verify the casualty figures of either side.
BBC boss Tim Davie grilled by Tory MPs amid row over coverage of Israel-Hamas war
Thursday 26 October 2023 01:00 , Sam Rkaina
The UK’s immigration minister has told the head of the BBC he has ‘never been so disappointed in the corporation in his life’ over its refusal to call Hamas terrorists.
Robert Jenrick challenged BBC director-general Tim Davie to use the term during a closed-doors meeting of the 1922 Committee on Wednesday evening.
The corporation has been criticised since the deadly 7 October attack by Hamas on Israelis, in which more than 1,400 people were killed and around 220 taken hostage, for avoiding the “terrorists” label. A number of Tory MPs and Israeli president Isaac Herzog are among those angered by the decision.
“I’ve never been so disappointed in the BBC as I have been this past fortnight,” Mr Jenrick is understood to have said. “I worry that the organisation has lost the confidence of many people and in particular the British Jewish community.”
According to Telegraph journalist Ben Riley-Smith, the minister went on: “That loss of confidence began with the BBC’s refusal to call Hamas terrorists. Will you reconsider that, and change your editorial policy?”
Mr Jenrick’s challenge was rebuffed, as Mr Davie said nobody had banned the word “terrorist”.
From Lebanon to Iran to Syria – the threat of wider Middle East war is growing by the day
Wednesday 25 October 2023 23:59 , Bel Trew
At Israel’s northern border, the metronome of artillery and rocket fire hammers home one of the biggest concerns right now: that tensions here could turn the conflict with Gaza into a region-wide war for the Middle East.
Cross-border battles between the Israeli military and Hezbollah, a Lebanese militant group allied to Hamas and supported by Iran, are steadily increasing in step with the rising ferocity of Israel’s bombardment of Gaza.
Despite the fact that it doesn’t feel like anyone wants a full-scale regional war, the security situation is rapidly deteriorating to the point where posturing about war might make it inevitable.
On Wednesday, the top leadership of Hezbollah, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad met in Beirut. All in what Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has called the “axis of resistance”, the militants were said to have discussed how to “achieve a real victory for the resistance”.
Click here for the full story.
War cabinet to decide when Israel invades, says Netanyahu
Wednesday 25 October 2023 23:20 , Jane Dalton
Israel is preparing a ground invasion of Gaza, prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said - and the decision on when forces would go in would be taken by the government’s special war cabinet.
But he declined to provide any details on the timing or other information about the operation.
“We have already killed thousands of terrorists and this is only the beginning,” Mr Netanyahu said in a televised statement.
“Simultaneously, we are preparing for a ground invasion. I will not elaborate on when, how or how many. I will also not elaborate on the various calculations we are making, which the public is mostly unaware of and that is how things should be.”
Israeli tanks and troops are massed on the border with Gaza awaiting orders. Israel has called up some 360,000 reservists.
International pressure is growing to delay any invasion of Gaza, not least because of hostages. More than half the estimated 220 hostages held by Hamas have foreign passports from 25 different countries, the Israeli government said.
The Wall Street Journal, citing US and Israeli officials, reported that Israel had agreed to delay invading Gaza for now so that the United States could rush missile defences to the region to protect US forces there, reflecting its concern about the Gaza war spreading around the Middle East.
Wednesday 25 October 2023 22:21 , Sam Rkaina
Israel is preparing a ground invasion of Gaza, prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated tonight - but refused to say when.
Speaking in Jerusalem, Netanyahu said the decision on when forces would go into Gaza would be taken by the government’s special war cabinet.
“We have already killed thousands of terrorists and this is only the beginning,” he said in a televised statement.
“Simultaneously, we are preparing for a ground invasion. I will not elaborate on when, how or how many. I will also not elaborate on the various calculations we are making, which the public is mostly unaware of and that is how things should be.”
The cabinet is “working around the clock”, he added.
Israeli tanks and troops are massed on the border with Gaza awaiting orders. Israel has called up some 360,000 reservists.
In pictures: Women and children rescued in Gaza City after Israeli airstrikes
Wednesday 25 October 2023 22:15 , Sam Rkaina
Russia and China veto US resolution for pause in violence
Wednesday 25 October 2023 21:13 , Sam Rkaina
Russia and China have vetoed a US-drafted U.N. Security Council resolution on the war between Israel and Palestinian militants Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The draft aimed to address a worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, calling for pauses the violence to allow aid access.
The United Arab Emirates also voted no, while 10 members voted in favor and two abstained.
Biden condemns retaliatory attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank
Wednesday 25 October 2023 21:08 , Sam Rkaina
President Joe Biden has spoken out against retaliatory attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank in the aftermath of the Hamas attacks on Israel.
He also said he was redoubling his commitment to working on a two-state solution to end the decades-long Israel-Palestinian conflict.
Biden said the attacks by “extremist settlers” amounted to “pouring gasoline” on the already burning fires in the Middle East since the Hamas attack.“It has to stop. They have to be held accountable. It has to stop now,”
Biden said at the start of a news conference with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who was being honored with a state visit to Washington.
Settler violence against Palestinians has intensified since the Hamas attack, and Palestinians have been killed by settlers, according to Palestinian authorities. Rights groups say settlers have torched cars and attacked several small Bedouin communities, forcing them to evacuate to other areas.
The West Bank Protection Consortium, a coalition of nongovernmental organizations and donor countries, including the European Union, says hundreds of Palestinians have been forcibly displaced in the West Bank due to settler violence since Oct. 7. That’s in addition to over 1,100 displaced since 2022.
Deadly violence has been surging in the West Bank as the Israeli military pursues Palestinian militants in the aftermath of the Hamas attack from Gaza.
Starmer urged by Muslim MPs to back Gaza ceasefire
Wednesday 25 October 2023 19:00 , Sam Rkaina
Muslim Labour MPs urged Sir Keir Starmer to call for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas as he sought to sooth their anger over his position on the conflict.
The Labour leader joined Rishi Sunak and the US in backing “humanitarian pauses” to deliver aid to Gaza as it faces a bombardment of airstrikes from Israel ahead of a potential ground invasion.
But Sir Keir has not backed the longer-lasting ceasefire as he supported Israel’s right to defend itself, a firm stance which triggered consternation within the party after he initially backed cutting off power and water in Gaza.
The comments, which he has since rowed back, prompted resignations among Labour councillors and angered the party’s MPs, even those on the frontbenches as shadow ministers.
Multiple sources at the meeting – held between Sir Keir, his deputy Angela Rayner, and around a dozen Muslim MPs, including shadow minister Afzal Khan – described it as a “constructive” exercise in which they expressed their grievances and those of their constituents.
Al Jazeera says family of one of its journalists killed in Israeli strike on Gaza
Wednesday 25 October 2023 18:30 , Sam Rkaina
Al Jazeera TV said the family members of its correspondent in Gaza - his wife, daughter and son - were killed in an Israeli air strike on Gaza on Wednesday night.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military on the incident.
The channel posted lived footage of its reporter Wael Al Dahdouh crying as he saw them laying lifeless in hospital.
Warnings over Israel ‘carve out’ from bid to ban public bodies imposing boycotts
Wednesday 25 October 2023 18:00 , Sam Rkaina
The Government must treat Israel the same as other countries in legislation aimed at banning public bodies from imposing their own boycotts, a Tory former cabinet minister has said.
Kit Malthouse said ministers risk “playing into the antisemitism” that has increased in the UK in recent weeks by including a carve out in the proposals for Israel, the West Bank and the occupied Golan Heights.
There were also heated exchanges in the Commons over the Government’s decision to continue consideration of the Economic Activity of Public Bodies (Overseas Matters) Bill given increased tensions in the Middle East in light of the Israel-Hamas conflict.
The Government argues the legislation affirms that UK foreign policy is a matter for the UK Government and not local authorities.
They added it represents a ban on public bodies imposing their own direct or indirect boycotts, disinvestment or sanctions campaigns against other countries.
The Bill allows for the Government to make regulations to exempt certain countries or territories from the restrictions although clause 3.7 does not allow the regulations to exempt Israel, the occupied Palestinian territories or the occupied Golan Heights.
The Government has been critical of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which describes itself as working to “end international support for Israel’s oppression of Palestinians and pressure Israel to comply with international law”.
Mr Malthouse has tabled an amendment to remove the prohibition, saying: “In carving out Israel, the West Bank and the occupied Golan Heights in the legislation, the Secretary of State (Michael Gove) is, I’m afraid, playing into the antisemitism that we’ve seen rise in this country over the last few weeks.
Starmer issues new statement on Gaza
Wednesday 25 October 2023 17:24 , Sam Rkaina
Keir Starmer has issued a new statement on Gaza saying the amount of aid getting into the war-torn enclave is “completely insufficient”.
It comes as the Labour party leader faces criticism from British Muslims and members of his own party for his response to the crisis.
You can read the full post below.
It’s clear that the amount of aid and essential utilities getting into Gaza is completely insufficient to meet the humanitarian emergency on the ground. pic.twitter.com/gtpSaDnaJY
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) October 25, 2023
Israel rejects Turkey’s suggestion Hamas are not terrorists
Wednesday 25 October 2023 16:45 , Alexander Butler
Israel has “wholeheartedly” rejected the Turkish president Recep Tayyip ErdoÄan’s suggestion Hamas was not a terrorist group.
“Israel wholeheartedly rejects the Turkish president’s harsh words about the terrorist organization Hamas,” foreign ministry spokesperson Lior Haiat wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
“Even the Turkish president’s attempt to defend the terrorist organization and his inciting words will not change the horrors that the whole world has seen,” Mr Haiat said.
Israel wholeheartedly rejects the Turkish President’s harsh words about the terrorist organization Hamas.
Hamas is a despicable terrorist organization worse than ISIS that brutally and intentionally murders babies, children, women and the elderly, takes civilians hostage and uses… pic.twitter.com/LU4mJGz18v— Lior Haiat 🇮🇱 (@LiorHaiat) October 25, 2023
Pictured: Aid loaded on to RAF plane
Wednesday 25 October 2023 16:20 , Alexander Butler
UN Secretary-General ‘shocked’ by reaction to statement
Wednesday 25 October 2023 15:54 , Alexander Butler
The secretary-general of the United Nations has said he is “shocked” with the “misrepresentations” of his statement on the Israel-Hamas conflict.
“I am shocked by the misrepresentations by some of my statement as if I was justifying acts of terror by Hamas. This is false. It was the opposite,” Antonio Guterres said.
Mr Guterres had said it was “important to recognise” Hamas’s attacks, which killed 1,400 Israelis, did not happen “in a vacuum” and that Palestinians had been subject to 56 years of “suffocating occupation”.
Soon after, Israel slammed the statement as “shocking” and “horrible” and called for his resignation.
Mr Guterres had said it was “important to recognise” Hamas’s attacks, which killed 1,400 Israelis, did not happen “in a vacuum” and that Palestinians had been subject to 56 years of “suffocating occupation”.
First RAF flight carrying 21 tonnes of aid for Gaza sets off from UK to Egypt
Wednesday 25 October 2023 15:27 , Alexander Butler
Australia deploys military aircraft to Middle East
Wednesday 25 October 2023 14:55 , Alexander Butler
Australia has deployed two C-130J military aircraft to the Middle East amid fears the Israel-Hamas conflict could engulf the region in a wider war.
“All of this is a contingency and the purpose of it is to be supporting Australian populations that are in the Middle East if, in fact, this conflict gets worse,” acting prime minister Richard Marles said.
Australia has helped hundreds of citizens leave Israel aboard chartered flights and was working toward helping 79 leave Gaza.
Sunak says there should be ‘specific pauses’ in conflict
Wednesday 25 October 2023 14:10 , Alexander Butler
British prime minister Rishi Sunak has said there should be “specific pauses” during Israel’s war with Hamas to allow for the passage of humanitarian aid and the release of hostages.
“From the start, we have said that we do want British nationals to be able to leave Gaza and that we want hostages for to be released and for humanitarian aid to get in and we recognise for all of that to happen there has to be a safer environment, which of course necessitates specific pauses, as distinct from a ceasefire, and we discussed this with partners yesterday evening at the United Nations.
“And we have also been consistently clear that everything must be done to protect civilians in line with international law and continue getting more aid flowing into Gaza,” he said.
