Israel-Hamas war – live: Gaza death toll crosses 8,000 as key hospital ‘warned to evacuate immediately’

Israel has reportedly warned the al-Quds hospital in Gaza to evacuate immediately, an order which the head of the World Health Organisation called "deeply concerning".

The Palestinian Red Crescent said on Sunday it received the warning from Israeli authorities as raids have been taking place 50 yards away from the hospital since this morning.

“We reiterate - it’s impossible to evacuate hospitals full of patients without endangering their lives. Under International Humanitarian Law, healthcare must always be protected,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, head of WHO, posted on X.

It comes after Palestinian officials reported the death toll since the war broke out hit 8,000, as Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned the “next stage of war” had begun. The Gaza death toll includes over 3,000 children, according to the health ministry.

After Israel’s three-week blockade of food, water, electricity and fuel into Gaza, thousands of civilians broke into aid warehouses overnight, taking wheat flour and other basic survival items like hygiene supplies.

The UNRWA has warned this “is a worrying sign that civil order is starting to break down”.

Key Points

• Israel warns Gaza’s Al-Quds hospital to evacuate immediately

• Telephone and internet services returning in Gaza, Palestinian media says

• Clashes continue on Israel’s northern border as IDF strikes Lebanon and Syria

• Russian airport shut after anti-Israeli protesters storm runway

• More children killed in Gaza in 3 weeks than in any year since 2019

IDF claim to have killed dozens of terrorists as they expand ground operations in the Gaza Strip

07:32 , Bel Trew

The IDF have released an update on their continued ground operations in the Gaza Strip.

During clashes in the Gaza Strip, IDF troops killed dozens of terrorists who barricaded themselves in buildings and tunnels, and attempted to attack the troops.

In one incident, an IDF aircraft guided by IDF ground troops struck a staging post inside a building belonging to the Hamas terrorist organization, with over 20 Hamas terrorist operatives inside it.

In addition, over the last few days, the IDF struck over 600 terror targets, including weapons depots, dozens of anti-tank missile launching positions, as well as hideouts and staging grounds used by the Hamas terrorist organization.

Overnight, IDF troops identified armed terrorists and an anti-tank missile launching post in the area of the Al-Azhar University, and guided a fighter jet to strike them.

IDF release footage of missile strike on source of ‘Hezbollah gunfire' from Lebanon

12:52 , Barney Davis

The Israel Defense Forces claimed that Hezbollah terrorists in southern Lebanon opened fire at an army position on the northern border earlier today.

The IDF says no soldiers were hurt in the attack.

In response, the IDF says troops shelled the source of the gunfire with artillery, and struck a Hezbollah site.

The military publishes a video showing the strike on “military infrastructure” belonging to the Lebanese terror group.

‘At least she didn’t suffer’ Family mourn tattoo artist they believe was shot dead on day of Nova massacre

12:49 , Barney Davis

A German-Israeli woman who was snatched by Hamas from a music festival and paraded around Gaza by the Palestinian militant group is dead, the Israeli government said on Monday.

Shani Louk, 23, was one of scores of people taken by Hamas during a deadly assault on the Israeli military and civilian communities that killed 1,400 people, mostly civilians.

A family source told Reuters that a part of a body had been found which was matched to Louk’s DNA.

Her family initially thought she was alive but injured when she was snatched from the music festival but now believe she was killed on the same day, possibly shot in the head, German broadcaster RTL/ntv said.

Body of German-Israeli woman abducted from rave party found, family say

“At least she didn’t suffer,” her mother Ricarda Louk told RTL/ntv.

“I am really sorry to report that we have now received news that Shani Nicole Louk has been confirmed murdered and dead,” Israeli President Isaac Herzog told Germany’s Bild newspaper.

“What we saw on the Gaza-Israel border goes far beyond a pogrom. We saw a slaughterhouse.”

Murder accused to appear in court after Palestinian boy stabbed to death

12:36 , Barney Davis

A man accused of murder, attempted murder and a hate crime in an attack on a Palestinian American woman and her young son is scheduled to appear in court on Monday following his indictment by grand jury.

Joseph Czuba, 71, is expected to enter a plea at an arraignment on eight counts in the indictment filed last week. He is charged in the fatal stabbing of Wadea Al-Fayoume, 6, and the wounding of Hanaan Shahin. Authorities said the victims were targeted because of their Muslim faith.

Shahin told police that Czuba, her landlord in Plainfield in Will County, was upset over the Israel-Hamas war and attacked them after she had urged him to “pray for peace.”

Shahin, 32, is recovering from multiple stab wounds. Hundreds of people attended her son’s funeral on Oct. 16.The murder charge in the indictment against Czuba describes the boy’s death as the result of “exceptionally brutal or heinous behavior.”

Cornell University on alert after violent threats to Jewish community

12:24 , Barney Davis

Cornell University has been placed on high alert after a series of “horrendous, antisemitic” online threats were made against its Jewish community, school officials said on Sunday night.

The university said that it notified law enforcement over the weekend after threats directed at Jewish students and the Center for Jewish Living were posted on Greekrank, a discussion board unaffiliated with Cornell.

The threats were posted under pseudonyms including “hamas,” “jew evil,” and “jew jenocide”.

Martha McHardy reports:

Cornell University on alert after violent threats to Jewish community

Palestinians claim main highway of Gaza Strip cut off by Israeli tanks in heavy clashes

11:38 , Barney Davis

“Dozens” of tanks entered Zaytun district on the southern fringes of Gaza City, cutting a key road from the north to the south of the war-torn Palestinian territory, witnesses have said.

“They have cut the Salahedin road and are firing at any vehicle that tries to go along it,” said one resident who didn’t give his name to AFP, but said they were present on two sections of the road.

Later on Monday, Salama Maarouf, the head of the Hamas government office in Gaza, said the Israeli tanks had retreated from the outskirts of Gaza City.

“There’s absolutely no ground advance inside the residential neighbourhoods in the Gaza Strip. What happened on Salah al-Din Street was the incursion of a few occupation army tanks and a bulldozer,” Maarouf said in a statement.

AFP’s Gaza journalists are not inside Gaza City, following Israeli warnings that the territory’s northern areas must be considered a war zone.

Located on Gaza City’s southern edge, Zaytun -- which normally has a population of over 130,000 -- is the city’s largest district, but the area where the tanks were spotted is relatively sparsely populated.

Hamas says 304 killed in past 24 hours

11:25 , Barney Davis

The Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza says 304 people were killed over the past day, raising the death toll since the conflict began to 8,306.

Ministry spokesperson Ashraf al-Qudra said Monday that the number of people wounded since October 7 has reached 21,048.

He said the dead include 3,457 children and 2,136 women, adding that there are about 1,950 people still missing under the rubble.

Al-Qudra urged people to head to medical centres in Gaza to donate blood of all types.

He said the Israeli bombardment has been getting closer to medical centres and hospitals such as the Turkish Friendship hospital that specialises in treating people who have cancer.

Israel confirms death of tattoo artist ‘tortured and paraded around Gaza by Hamas'

10:45 , Barney Davis

Israel’s foreign ministry has confirmed the death of Shani Louk, the German-Israeli tattoo artist who was captured from a music festival by Hamas.

In a message posted to social media, it wrote: “We are devastated to share that the body of 23 -year-old German-Israeli Shani Luk was found and identified.

“Shani who was kidnapped from a music festival and tortured and paraded around Gaza by Hamas terrorists, experienced unfathomable horrors.

“Our thoughts and prayer are with Shani’s friends and family during this unimaginable nightmare. May her memory be a blessing.”

Body of German-Israeli woman abducted from rave party found, family say

Kremlin claims mob that stormed Dagestan airport looking for Jewish people following ‘outside influence'

10:28 , Barney Davis

The Kremlin that the storming of an airport in the capital of the southern Russian region of Dagestan by an anti-Israeli mob on Sunday was the result of “outside influence”, according to Reuters.

In a call with reporters, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “It is well known and obvious that yesterday’s events around Makhachkala airport are largely the result of outside interference, including information influence.”

Peskov said that “ill-wishers” had used widely seen images of suffering in Gaza to stir people up in the predominantly Muslim region in the north Caucasus. He did not specify who the Kremlin believed had engineered the violence, or why.

Russian police have taken over an airport in the predominantly Muslim Dagestan region and arrested 60 people after hundreds of anti-Israel protesters stormed the facility.

Videos from the airport at Makhachkala, the regional capital, showed the protesters, mostly young men, waving Palestinian flags, breaking down glass doors and running through the airport on Sunday evening shouting “Allahu Akbar” or “God is Greatest”.

Prime Minister to chair emergency Cobra meeting amid terror threat fears

10:15 , Barney Davis

Rishi Sunak is to chair an emergency Cobra meeting amid fears that the conflict between Hamas and Israel could have increased the domestic terror threat in Britain.

The Prime Minister will assemble police and national security officials and Home Secretary Suella Braverman in Downing Street on Monday morning, Whitehall sources said.

Sunak chairs Cobra meeting as police chief says terror threat ‘accelerating’

Education minister Robert Halfon stressed before the meeting that the Government has to ensure British citizens are “safe and secure from the threat of terrorism”.

He declined to say whether the terror threat level might be raised. It currently stands at “substantial” in England, Wales and Scotland, meaning an attack is likely.

It has been at that level since February last year when it was lowered from “severe”, meaning an attack is highly likely.

‘Not easy’ to stay within international law, says Tory minister

10:13 , Adam Forrest

Tory minister Robert Halfon defended Israel’s bombardment of Gaza and said it is not “always easy” to act within international law.

Asked on Sky News if accidental breaches of international law are acceptable”, Mr Halfon said: “Tragically, you weep for the loss of any innocent life. Israel is doing anything possible in accordance to international law to minimise that loss of life.”

Britain would be doing “everything possible” if it had suffered an attack like that faced by Israel, said Mr Halfon.

The education minister also said the prevention of 200 British citizens leaving Gaza by Hamas is “a form of hostage taking”.

He added people chanting “from the river to the sea” at pro-Palestine rallies is “horrific” and “scary”.

“It is an uncomfortable place for Jewish people living in this country,” he told Sky News.

Asked on Times Radio what it means to him when he hears the phrase, Robert Halfon, who is Jewish, said: “It’s frightening for Jewish people in England at the moment, you know.”

Sadiq Khan says he is horrified by Dagestan airport mob hunt for Jewish passengers

10:09 , Barney Davis

Sadiq Khan has shared his support for the Jewish community after a mob in Russia’s Dagestan region stormed an airport in search of Jewish passengers arriving from Israel.

The Mayor of London posted on X, formerly Twitter: “This is horrifying and abhorrent.

“I can only imagine how it must make Jewish people feel. I stand with London’s Jewish community against antisemitism. Today, and always.

“Together, we are strong and we will defeat the forces of hate who seek to divide us. Hate will not win.”

Israeli Air Force claims to have captured 51 wanted people in Judea and Samaria

10:03 , Barney Davis

The Israeli air force has claimed they helped capture dozens of Hamas operatives as they carried out an operation to “thwart terrorist infrastructure in the Jenin refugee camp”.

It wrote: “At the end of an extensive arrest operation to thwart terrorism and confiscate weapons tonight, 51 wanted persons were arrested in Judea and Samaria, of which 38 were operatives in the terrorist organization Hamas.”

The claims have not been independently verified.

Shani Louk’s family informed of her death after skull bone recovered

09:27 , Barney Davis

The family of Shani Louk, 22, a German-Israeli woman who was believed to have been abducted to the Gaza Strip during Hamas’s October 7 onslaught, has been informed of her death.

“Unfortunately we received the news yesterday that my daughter is no longer alive,” Louk’s mother Ricarda tells the German outlet RTL.

Members of Louk’s family are quoted in Hebrew media as saying that they received a letter from the Israeli Zaka rescue service saying that a bone from the base of her skull, without which a person cannot survive, had been recovered and identified.

Body of German-Israeli woman abducted from rave party found, family say

She and her friends had been attending the Supernova festival just three miles from the Gaza border when they were caught in the crossfire during Saturday’s shock attack.

Though Louk has been declared dead, her body has not been returned from Gaza.

The ruins of Khan Yunis after heavy bombardment overnight

09:01 , Barney Davis

People search through buildings that were destroyed during Israeli air raids in the southern Gaza Strip on Monday in Khan Yunis, Gaza.

The images of children searching through the wreckage came as Israel said it was “gradually moving ahead according to plan” in the Gaza Strip.

Chief military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said during a regular press briefing said the forces killed dozens of Gaza militants overnight but refused to confirm the location of the ground forces after images on social media appeared to show Israeli tanks advancing on a main road in Gaza.

Heading into a third week of heavy bombing from Israel, Gaza buckles under a shortage of basic needs including fuel, whilst several neighbourhoods on the Gaza strip have been wiped out and thousands have died and hundreds of thousands have been displaced.

James Cleverly says UK ‘working on a humanitarian pause’

08:37 , Barney Davis

British foreign secretary James Cleverly said that his country is working on a humanitarian pause to get aid to the people of Gaza.

“We’re working extensively with the Egyptians, with the Israelis and others to try and have a humanitarian pause, a temporary pause so that we can get that humanitarian aid to the people that need it,” Cleverly told Reuters at the UK ambassador’s residence in Abu Dhabi.

“It’s trickling through but we need a significant increase in the volume,” he added.

He also spoke of his fears that the conflict that could spread into other areas in the Middle East.

Medical authorities in Gaza, which has a population of 2.3 million people, said on Sunday 8,005 people - including 3,324 minors - had been killed.

Ceasefire ‘not the answer’ UK minister tells morning media round

08:23 , Barney Davis

The Government has been “absolutely clear” that a ceasefire at this time is “not the answer”, education minister Robert Halfon has said.

Asked on Sky News why the UK did not vote in favour of a ceasefire at the UN General Assembly, Mr Halfon said: “Well, as I understand it, they wanted the motion to ensure that it had condemnation of Hamas. But the Government have been absolutely clear that a ceasefire at this time is not the answer. We have called for a humanitarian pause.

“A ceasefire would allow Hamas to regroup, it doesn’t necessarily mean release of the hostages, there is no guarantee that Hamas would keep ceasefires. They haven’t kept ceasefires in the past. But that is different from having a humanitarian pause to allow aid to get through, and 30 trucks have gone through in recent days.

“Of course, we need as much aid to go and support the Palestinian people who are suffering because of Hamas. But we need to support them and make sure the aid gets to them, and isn’t taken away by Hamas.”

He added the prevention of 200 British citizens leaving Gaza by Hamas is “a form of hostage taking”.

Asked on Sky News about reports that around 200 British nationals in Gaza are being prevented from leaving by Hamas, Robert Halfon said: “ I think it illustrates a wider point, the nature of the Hamas movement as a terrorist network, they carried out the biggest atrocity against Israelis against Jews since the Holocaust.

“They’ve got 300 kilometres of tunnels underneath Gaza. We don’t know where the 200 hostages are being kept from all over the world, not just from Israel. And that is why it’s right to support Israel and its right to self defence to take out the Hamas terror networks.”

Watch: Mob storms Dagestan airport ‘in search of Israel flight’

08:18 , Barney Davis

Protesters stormed an airport in the southern Russian city of Makhachkala, Dagestan, on Sunday (29 October) pouring onto the runway.

The crowd was reportedly in search of a flight arriving from Israel. Clips also showed young men among the protesters carrying Palestinian flags.

Watch: Mob storms Dagestan airport ‘in search of Israel flight’

Footage showed large groups of protesters entering an air terminal and then storming various rooms inside.

Local reports said demonstrators denouncing Israel’s actions in Gaza had gathered at the facility.

Live: Buildings lay in ruins near Israel-Gaza border

08:02 , Barney Davis

Here is a live view of smoke billowing out of buildings across the horizon of the Gaza strip as the IDF expand their ground operations.

Israel’s self-declared “second phase” of a three-week war against Iranian-backed Hamas militants has been largely kept from public view, with forces moving under darkness and a telecommunications blackout cutting off Palestinians.

The phone and internet cuts appeared to ease on Sunday, but telecoms provider Paltel said Israeli air strikes had again knocked out internet and phone service in parts of Gaza’s northern sections, where Hamas has command centres.

The reported strikes near hospitals came after the Palestinian Red Crescent said on Sunday it had received warnings from Israeli authorities to immediately evacuate Al-Quds hospital, where some 14,000 people have sought shelter.

Warning: This livestream may contain scenes that some viewers find distressing.

Reporter runs for life live on air as Hamas missile flies overhead

07:50 , Barney Davis

This is the horrific moment a reporter runs for his life live on air as Hamas missile flies overhead towards their position.

7NEWS US bureau chief David Woiwod was reporting from Sderot in the south of Israel, near the Gaza border, when the incident unfolded.

The Australian anchor points out what he believes to be a flare heading in their direction.

Caught on TV: Dramatic moment reporter runs for cover as Hamas rocket flies overhead

The scene quickly turns to panic as he shouts: “I think we might have to go now guys, we gotta go” as a loud blast explodes behind him.

Bravely returning to air Woiwod explained the Hamas missiles are flying over Israel every few hours.

“You only have a few seconds to react here,” Woiwod said when it was safe to continue reporting.

“That is why these towns here on the Gaza border have been evacuated.”

At least ‘20 Palestinians' killed overnight as Israel expands ground assault

07:26 , Barney Davis

Around 20 Palestinians were killed in Gaza with more injured according to medical officials as Israeli tanks rolled into the enclave with a ground assault.

Israel’s military said it had struck over 600 militant targets over the past few days as it continued to expand ground operations in the Gaza Strip, where Palestinian civilians are in dire need of fuel, food and clean water as the conflict enters its fourth week.

“IDF troops killed dozens of terrorists who barricaded themselves in buildings and tunnels, and attempted to attack the troops,” the military said in a statement.

Israeli air strikes hit areas near Gaza’s Al-Shifa and Al-Quds hospitals, and Palestinian militants clashed with Israeli forces in a border area east of the city of Khan Younis in the south, Palestinian media said.

Medical officials in Gaza said at least 20 Palestinians had been killed and dozens wounded overnight as Israeli ground forces pushed into the coastal enclave from multiple directions.

Live viewpoint from Nasir Hospital in Khan Younis as Gaza death toll surpasses 8,000.

07:22 , Barney Davis

People sheltering at the Nasir Hospital have spoken of their isolation hiding from bombs amid a telecommunications blackout.

People in the southern Gaza Strip said they heard the explosions and saw the sky light up - but had no means of checking on family and friends in the targeted areas.

“Gaza is isolated from the rest of the world. Strikes are hitting right next to us, around us and no one can reach us or locate the strike,” said Gaza resident Um Yehia, who went south after the Israeli warning and is now sheltering inside the Nasir Hospital in Khan Younis.

Bilal Abu Mostafa’s barber shop was destroyed two weeks ago. Like many Gazans he has taken shelter in a hospital, where doctors are struggling to keep pace with casualties.

After dark he goes up into a hospital room to give hair cuts to “people severely burned or broken and can’t come downstairs”.

Here the Independent provides a live view from the viewpoint as dawn breaks over the hospital.

Warning: This livestream may contain scenes that some viewers find distressing.

Russian airport in Dagestan shut after Anti-Israel protesters storm runway

07:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

At least 60 people have been detained after a huge crowd of pro-Palestinian protesters stormed an airport in Russia’s Dagestan region, reportedly in search of a flight arriving from Israel.

The crowd of hundreds broke through security barriers and poured out onto the airfield and runway of Makhachkala airport on Sunday evening, with videos on social media showing many young men among the protesters carrying Palestinian flags.

Investigators have identified 150 people who were the most active protesters, the RIA news agency reported early on Monday morning. Nine police officers sustained injuries in the incident, two of whom were being treated in hospital, the authorities said.

More here.

Russian airport closed after protesters storm runway ‘in search for Israeli flight’

Six Australian ex-prime minister issue statement condemning Hamas

06:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

All of Australia’s living former prime ministers, except for Paul Keating, issued a statement on Monday in support of Israel and called for solidarity with Jewish Australians.

The joint statement was signed by Scott Morrison, Malcolm Turnbull, Tony Abbott, Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard and John Howard.

The prime ministers called on Hamas to release hostages taken in the 7 October attacks, while urging Israel to avoid civilian casualties in Gaza.

“If our hearts are filled with hatred, then we will be doing the terrorists’ work,” the statement read.“No complaint or concern about international affairs justifies hate speech against any Australian, or any Australian community.

“We believe we speak for the vast majority of Australians, of all faiths and of none, when we say we stand in solidarity with Jewish Australians at this time.

“Likewise, we stand too with the Australian Palestinian community whose families are dying and suffering in this terrible conflict.”

They added: “We are horrified by the thousands of deaths and injuries inflicted on innocent Palestinian civilians, including many, many Palestinian children.”

“We endorse, as we did in office, the Australian government’s enduring support for a two-state solution as the basis for long-term lasting peace between the Israeli and Palestinian peoples.”

Israel strikes army posts in Syria

06:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Israeli air strikes targeted two army posts in Daraa in southwestern Syria, Reuters reported, citing local media.

The raids led to “some material losses”, it added.

The Israeli military earlier said rockets were fired from Syria, which fell into open Israeli territory. The Israeli forces retaliated, firing back at the site from which the rockets were launched.

Hamas ‘preventing’ UK nationals from leaving Gaza, Biden security chief suggests

05:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Hamas could be preventing British nationals from leaving Gaza, US president Joe Biden’s security adviser has suggested.

Jake Sullivan, the White House national security adviser, said Egypt and Israel were prepared to allow foreign nationals to leave Gaza via the Rafah crossing.

But he said the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which rules the bombarded territory, had not agreed to terms that would grant foreigners an opportunity to depart for Egypt and reach safety.

The Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza is the only border point in the territory that is not controlled by Tel Aviv.

More here.

Hamas ‘preventing’ UK nationals from leaving Gaza, Biden security chief suggests

Kamala Harris says US has ‘no intention’ of sending troops to Gaza

05:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Vice president Kamala Harris said the US has “absolutely no intention” of sending American troops to support Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza.

“We have absolutely no intention nor do we have any plans to send combat troops into Israel or Gaza, period,” Ms Harris said in a “60 Minutes” interview.

She argued that Israel had a right to defend itself after Hamas slaughtered hundreds of young people at a concert.

“By most estimates, at least 1,400 Israelis are dead,” she said, adding: “That being said, it is very important that there be no conflation between Hamas and the Palestinians.”

Ms Harris continued: “The Palestinians deserve equal measures of safety and security, self-determination and dignity”.

“And we have been very clear that the rules of war must be adhered to, and that there be humanitarian aid that flows.”

More children killed in Gaza in 3 weeks than in any year since 2019

04:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

More children have been killed in Gaza in three weeks of war so far than the combined total killed in conflicts around the world in any year since 2019, Save the Children said.

Since the 7 October Hamas attack, more than 3,257 children are reported to have been killed, including at least 3,195 in Gaza, 33 in the occupied West Bank, and 29 in Israel, Save the Children said, citing various health authorities.

Children made up over 40 per cent of the 8,000 people killed in Gaza, and more than a third of all fatalities across the occupied Palestinian territory and Israel. Another 6,360 children in Gaza have also been injured, as well as at least 180 children in the West Bank, and at least 74 children in Israel.

With a further 1,000 children reported missing in Gaza and assumed buried under the rubble, the death toll is likely much higher, the organisation said.

The UN in 2019 said that 4,019 children were killed in conflicts around the world that year.

“The numbers are harrowing and with violence not only continuing but expanding in Gaza right now, many more children remain at grave risk,” said Jason Lee, Save the Children’s country director in occupied Palestinian territory.

Death toll in Gaza crosses 8,000

04:23 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

More than 8,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have died in Gaza in Israel’s three-week-long bombardment since the Hamas attack on 7 October, according to the Strip’s health ministry

.Over 1,400 people have died on the Israeli side, mainly civilians killed during the initial attack.

Communications were restored to most of Gaza’s 2.3 million people on Sunday after an Israeli bombardment described by residents as the most intense of the war knocked out phone and internet services late on Friday.

On Sunday, 33 trucks carrying water, food and medicine entered the only border crossing from Egypt, a spokesperson at the Rafah crossing, Wael Abo Omar, told The Associated Press.

Russian airport shut after anti-Israeli protesters storm runway

04:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Hundreds of protesters have stormed an airport in Russia reportedly in search of a flight arriving from Israel.

A large crowd poured out into the landing field and runway of Makhachkala airport on Sunday evening as videos on social media showed young men among the protesters carrying Palestinian flags.

Footage also showed some in the crowd trying to overturn a police car. Antisemitic slogans can be heard being shouted and some in the crowd examined the passports of arriving passengers.

More here.

Russian airport closed after protesters storm runway in search for Israeli flight

Clashes continue on Israel's northern border with Lebanon and Syria

03:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

The Israeli military struck targets in Lebanon and Syria on Sunday after projectiles were fired into Israel from the north.

Clashes have taken place across Israel’s tense border with Lebanon since the onset of the Hamas-Israel war.

Israel’s military provided video of multiple strikes inside Lebanon, showing explosions erupting among trees and missiles hitting a building on a hillside. The military said it shot down a drone and killed a militant who tried to approach the border fence.

The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, a Hamas ally, also said it downed an Israeli drone over southern Lebanon with a surface-to-air missile.

It said one missile that was fired across the border had hit an Israeli infantry unit near the town of Birket Risha and caused “confirmed injuries”.

The military said rockets were also fired from Syria, falling into open Israeli territory. The IDF said it fired back at the site from which the rockets were launched.

Scottish first minister makes contact with in-laws in Gaza

03:05 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Scottish first minister Humza Yousaf says he has spoken to his in-laws trapped in Gaza amid the ongoing conflict.

He said earlier that he and his wife, Nadia El-Nakla, had not been able to contact her parents since the previous day after communications were knocked out and they did not know if they were dead or alive.

Ms El-Nakla’s parents, Elizabeth and Maged, travelled to Gaza from Scotland prior to the conflict to visit family.

Mr Yousaf on Sunday said on X, formerly Twitter, that he has now heard from them.

More here.

Yousaf says in-laws still alive in Gaza after days without contact

What is happening in Israel and Gaza now as ground operations expand?

03:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Israel’s military announced on Friday evening that it is “expanding” ground operations in Gaza, amid reports of the heaviest bombardment yet of the besieged strip and a total communications blackout.

Airstrikes could be heard from as far as an Egyptian town in the Sinai as the attacks on the 42km-long strip throughout Friday night.

In a statement Saturday, the IDF said its warplanes hit 150 underground targets in northern Gaza overnight, striking what it called terror tunnels and underground combat spaces and killing several Hamas operatives.

What is happening in Israel and Gaza now as ground operations expand?

‘They still had dreams’: Baby and toddler among entire family killed in Gaza, devastated relative reveals

02:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

A two-month-old baby was among 10 members of the same family killed in Gaza after an Israeli air strike hit their home, a devastated relative has revealed.

Just one day after Hamas launched an attack on Israel, 56-year-old Abdel Naser Shamalakh and his entire family were killed after rockets hit their home in Gaza.

“The whole family was buried under the rubble. They only found two whole bodies. The others were in parts or unrecognisable,” his British-Palestinian niece, 37-year-old Waf’a Shamalakh, told The Independent.

‘My two-month-old cousin was killed in airstrikes in Gaza’

Fears for thousands of Gazans missing in Israel as workers ‘rounded up, arrested and blindfolded’

01:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

There are fears for thousands of missing Palestinians after the Israeli government cancelled work permits for Gazans after the deadly Hamas attacks on 7 October.

Trade unions, officials and humanitarian organisations have raised concerns for their safety after reports Palestinians with permission to work in Israel were rounded up, arrested and blindfolded before being taken to military camps.

The Minister of Labour for the Palestinian Authorities, Dr Nasri Abu Jaish, told The Independent around 4,500 workers were still unaccounted for but are believed to have been detained by Israeli forces. Dr Jaish said he had met workers after some of them were released, sharing stories of alleged mistreatment.

Thousands of Gazans missing in Israel as workers ‘rounded up and blindfolded’

‘Where will they go when the crisis is over?’ Fears for 1.4m Palestinians displaced by Israeli airtstrikes

00:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have been left homeless after weeks of airstrikes - figures that only look set to increase given Israel steps up its ground operations inside Gaza.

On 13 October, one million people were ordered by Israel to evacuate northern Gaza. The move garnered international criticism with the World Health Organization calling it a “death sentence for the sick and injured” and the UN warning it was impossible to execute and would lead to a “calamitous situation”.

The call to evacuate was repeated on 21 October with leaflets dropped in the north of the strip telling residents to leave “immediately”. It prompted Amnesty International to release a statement suggesting that the order could amount to a war crime under international humanitarian law.

The homeless Palestinians fearing for their future as 1.4m displaced by airstrikes

Russian airport closed after protesters storm runway ‘in search for Israeli flight’

Sunday 29 October 2023 23:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Hundreds of protesters have stormed an airport in Russia reportedly in search of a flight arriving from Israel.

A large crowd poured out into the landing field and runway of Makhachkala airport on Sunday as videos on social media showed young men among the protesters carrying Palestinian flags.

Authorities in Dagestan, one of several areas in the north Caucasus region that is home to large Muslim communities, closed the airport and diverted flights at the airport.

Russian airport closed after protesters storm runway in search for Israeli flight

Bombs fall near Al-Quds hospital in Gaza after ‘impossible’ evacuation warning

Sunday 29 October 2023 23:27 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Videos have been posted on social media which show bombs thrown near Al-Quds hospital in Gaza.

Earlier today, Israeli authorities ordered an evacuation of the hospital, which was deemed “impossible” by the World Health Organisation.

Jordan asked US to deploy Patriot air defence missiles

Sunday 29 October 2023 22:55 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

U.S. ally Jordan asked Washington to deploy Patriot air defence systems to bolster its border defence at a time of heightened regional tensions and conflict, the spokesperson for the country’s army said on Sunday.

“We asked the American side to help bolster our defence system with Patriot air defence missile systems,” Brigadier General Mustafa Hiyari, Jordan’s army spokesperson, told state television.

U.S. Patriot missiles were stationed in the kingdom in 2013 following an uprising in northern neighbour Syria where the kingdom feared a civil war could spill over and ignite a regional conflict.

Jordan has been increasingly nervous that Israel‘s relentless bombing of Gaza since a deadly assault on Israel by Hamas from the enclave on Oct. 7 could also spread into a wider conflagration, officials said.

The Patriot, considered one of the most advanced U.S. air defense systems, is usually in short supply, with allies around the world vying for it.

Sunday 29 October 2023 22:26 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Watch: Palestinians break into aid warehouse for ‘basic survival items’

Scotland’s first minister Humza Yousaf says his family in Gaza are alive after losing contact with them

Sunday 29 October 2023 22:01 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Scotland’s first minister has said his family in Gaza are alive after sharing he had lost contact with them amid Israeli bombardment.

The family of Humza Yousaf’s wife, Nadia El-Nakla, are stuck in the country amid the ongoing conflict.

Humza Yousaf revealed, on X, formerly known as Twitter, this morning, that he had heard from his in-laws in the besieged strip, thanking God that they are alive.

Scotland’s first minister Humza Yousaf says his family are alive

Update from Makhachkala airport

Sunday 29 October 2023 21:31 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russia’s aviation authority Rosaviatsia said on Sunday that all “unauthorised citizens” had been removed from Makhachkala airport as of 10:20 p.m. Moscow time (1920 GMT).

Crowd storms Russian airport to protest flight from Israel

Sunday 29 October 2023 21:19 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Hundreds of people on Sunday stormed into the main airport in Russia’s Dagestan region and onto the landing field to protest the arrival of an airliner from Tel Aviv, Israel, Russian news agencies and social media reported.Authorities closed the airport in Makhachkala, the capital of the predominantly Muslim region, and police converged on the facility. There were no immediate reports of injuries or arrests.Russian news reports said people in the crowd were shouting antisemitic slogans and tried to storm the airliner belonging to Russian carrier Red Wings.Video on social media showed some in the crowd on the landing field waving Palestinian flags, protesters attempting to overturn a police car and others checking the passports of passengers who had arrived in Makhachkala.In a statement released Sunday night, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Israel “expects the Russian law enforcement authorities to protect the safety of all Israeli citizens and Jews wherever they may be and to act resolutely against the rioters and against the wild incitement directed against Jews and Israelis.”

Netanyahu’s office added that the Israeli ambassador to Russia was working with Russia to keep Israelis and Jews safe.

Government wants extremism crackdown as Met Police chief says force will be ‘ruthless’ at protests

Sunday 29 October 2023 21:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The head of the Metropolitan Police has said his officers will be “ruthless” in policing and enforcing the law at protests, but said there could only be prosecutions when the law is broken.

It comes as Rishi Sunak’s government is reviewing the definition of extremism in a move that could allow councils and police forces to cut off funding to charities and religious groups found to have aired hateful views.

On Saturday, nine people were arrested in central London during a mainly peaceful pro-Palestine demonstration – with at least 100,000 protesters calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war. Seven of those were alleged public order offences, a number of which are being treated as hate crimes, while two are for suspected assaults on officers.

Our political correspondent Adam Forrest reports:

Government orders extremism crackdown as minister says some activists ‘inciting hate’

Their loved ones were taken hostage into Gaza. Now they will do whatever it takes to get them back

Sunday 29 October 2023 20:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Kim Sengupta speaks families who have faced three weeks of anguish, now beset by fears over Israel's ground operation could mean for those held captive by Hamas.

Using their voice to pile pressure onto the government to negotiate, they are becoming a highly-sensitive issue for Benjamin Netanyahu:

At 6.30am on Saturday 7 October Meirav Leshem-Gonen got a frantic telephone call from her 23-year-old-daughter Romi who was at the Supernova music festival near the Gaza border.

“She said ‘we don’t know what to do mummy, there are a lot of shooting here. We are very frightened, I don’t know what’s going to happen to us. Please come and get us, please tell the army and the police to come and help,” Meirav recounts the words.

The families doing whatever it takes to get the hostages being held in Gaza back

Boy, 16, among five charged after pro-Palestinian protest in London

Sunday 29 October 2023 20:05 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Five people have been charged with public order offences after hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets of London calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war.

Nine people were arrested during the mostly peaceful demonstration on Saturday.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: “Five people arrested during protests in central London on Saturday have been charged. More than 1,000 officers were on duty as part of the policing operation.

“Nine people were arrested on Saturday, two on suspicion of assaulting police officers and seven for public order offences.

“A further two people were arrested on Sunday morning on suspicion of inciting racial hatred. Their arrests followed a public appeal about an incident in Trafalgar Square on Saturday evening.”

Boy, 16, among five charged after pro-Palestinian protest in London

US and Egypt commit to significant acceleration in aid to Gaza

Sunday 29 October 2023 19:45 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

U.S. President Joe Biden and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi committed to the significant acceleration of assistance flowing into Gaza beginning Sunday, the White House said.

The White House said Biden briefed Sisi on U.S. efforts to ensure the conflict does not expand in the region.

Chaos in Gaza as thousands break into UN aid stores in search of food and medical supplies

Sunday 29 October 2023 19:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Thousands of desperate Gazans have broken into aid warehouses and centres to get hold of flour and basic survival items, in what the UN called a “worrying sign” that civil order is starting to break down in the bombarded strip.

Footage from Khan Younis in southern Gaza showed people frantically carrying boxes and large bags out of a warehouse on Sunday, filled with food items like wheat flour and basic hygiene supplies.

The United Nations’ Palestinian refugee agency said people in Gaza are “scared, frustrated and desperate” after three weeks of Israel’s relentless bombing and siege on the 42km-long enclave.

Bel Trew reports from Tel Aviv:

Chaos in Gaza as thousands break into UN aid stores in search of vital supplies

Biden presses Netanyahu on protecting civilians and increasing aid for Gaza

Sunday 29 October 2023 19:12 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

U.S. President Joe Biden underscored the need for Israel to defend its citizens from terrorism in a manner that protects civilians during a call on Sunday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the White House said.

Biden also “underscored the need to immediately and significantly increase the flow of humanitarian assistance to meet the needs of civilians in Gaza.”

Impeding relief supplies to Gaza may constitute crime under ICC jurisdiction -ICC prosecutor

Sunday 29 October 2023 18:51 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Impeding relief supplies to Gaza‘s population may constitute a crime under the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) jurisdiction, the court’s top prosecutor said during a visit to the Rafah border crossing on Sunday.

Karim Khan also told a news conference in the Egyptian capital Cairo that Israel must make “discernable efforts” to make sure civilians get basic food and medicine.

Al-Quds hospital evacuation reports ‘deeply concerning’- WHO

Sunday 29 October 2023 18:24 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, head of the World Health Organisation (WHO) said reports of Israel’s evacuation warning of al-Quds hospital in Gaza are “deeply concerning”.

He posted on X: “We reiterate - it’s impossible to evacuate hospitals full of patients without endangering their lives. Under International Humanitarian Law, healthcare must always be protected.”

Hezbollah says it downs Israeli drone in south Lebanon

Sunday 29 October 2023 18:05 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Lebanon’s Hezbollah said on Sunday it shot down an Israeli drone over southern Lebanon with a surface-to-air missile, the first time it has announced such an incident, as clashes on the Lebanese border escalate.

The drone was hit near Khiam, about 5 km (3 miles) from the border with Israel, and was seen falling in Israeli territory, Hezbollah added. Two security sources in Lebanon said it was the first time Hezbollah had announced downing an Israeli drone.

“They have insinuated they have this capability but it is the first time they declare they have this kind of capability to shoot down a drone,” Mohanad Hage Ali of the Carnegie Middle East Center said.

The Israeli Defence Ministry was not immediately available for comment.

Earlier on Sunday, the United Nations’ Lebanon peacekeeping force UNIFIL said that one of its members was injured after shells hit its base near the village of Houla on the Lebanese-Israeli border on Saturday.

The Israeli army and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group in Lebanon have been exchanging fire on a daily basis since the start of the Gaza conflict three weeks ago.

Israel warns Gaza’s Al-Quds hospital to evacuate immediately

Sunday 29 October 2023 17:53 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The Palestinian Red Crescent said on Sunday it received warnings from Israeli authorities to immediately evacuate al-Quds hospital in the Gaza Strip, and said there had been raids 50 metres away from the hospital.

Pope Francis prays for a world in 'a dark hour' and danger from 'folly' of war

Sunday 29 October 2023 17:43 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Amid the latest bloodshed in the Middle East, Pope Francis led special Friday evening prayers in St. Peter’s Basilica for a world “in a dark hour” and in “great danger” from what he described as the folly of war.

Francis delivered his remarks in the form of a prayer to the Virgin Mary and didn’t mention by name the conflict that exploded when Hamas militants attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7 and Israel retaliated by sealing off the Gaza Strip and battering the Palestinian territory with airstrikes.

He said he was praying for “especially those countries and regions at war,” and he pleaded with Mary to “take the initiative for us, in these times rent by conflicts and laid waste by the fire of arms.”

Pope Francis prays for a world in 'a dark hour' and danger from 'folly' of war