Israel-Hamas live: Netanyahu war cabinet ‘working round clock’ ahead of Gaza ground invasion

Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has again said Israel will go into Gaza but has refused to say when.

In a statement on Wednesday, he said the decision would be taken by the government’s special war cabinet.

He made the remarks as Russia and China vetoed a US-drafted Security Council resolution at the UN calling for pauses in hostilities to allow food, water and medicine to be delivered to Palestinian civilians.

Russia made a rival proposal that advocated a wider ceasefire, but failed to win the minimum number of votes. Israel has resisted both, arguing that Hamas would only take advantage and create new threats to Gaza civilians.

Since the 7 October Hamas massacre, Israeli retaliatory strikes have killed more than 6,500 Palestinians, the health ministry in the Hamas-run strip said on Wednesday. In the occupied West Bank, more than 100 Palestinians have been killed and 1,650 wounded in violence.

More than 1,400 people in Israel have been killed, according to Israeli officials, mostly civilians who died in the initial Hamas rampage.

Key Points

• Hezbollah, Hamas and Islamic Jihad leaders discuss how to achieve 'victory'

• Israel calls for UN chief’s resignation

• Aid workers could be forced to stop work due to fuel blockade, UN warns

• Eight Syrian military personnel killed in Israeli airstrike, Syria claims

• Israeli drone strike in West Bank ‘kills three Palestinians’

• Air raids in Gaza 'kill more than 700’ in 24 hours

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

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

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

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

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

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.”

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

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

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.

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 Erdoğan’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.

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.

Hamas fires rocket towards city more than 130 miles from Gaza

Wednesday 25 October 2023 13:15 , Alexander Butler

Hamas said it launched a rocket towards the southern Israeli city of Eilat this afternoon.

It appeared to be the longest range rocket attack of the war, with Eilat lying around 136 miles from Gaza.

Israel’s military said the rocket fell in an open area near the city, activating an alert.

Ask our expert Kim Sengupta anything about the conflict

Wednesday 25 October 2023 12:50 , Kim Sengupta

What happens to Gaza if Israel make good on their promise to destroy Hamas? Who will govern it and have the responsibility of restoring a destroyed land?

If you have a question for The Independent’s World Affairs editor Kim Sengupta, submit it now, or when he joins you live at 12pm on Friday 27 October for the “Ask Me Anything” event.

Register to submit your question in the comments box under the article linked below. If you’re not already a member, click “sign up” in the comments section to leave your question. For a full guide on how to comment click here.

Ask expert Kim Sengupta anything about political fallout from Israel-Hamas war

RAF plane on its way to Egypt, MoD says

Wednesday 25 October 2023 12:30 , Alexander Butler

An RAF plane is on its way to Egypt with a cargo of 21 tonnes of humanitarian supplies for Gaza, the Ministry of Defence said.

Supplies on board the C-17 aircraft include medical equipment and water filters. It comes after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced he was increasing UK support by £30m to meet the needs of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.w

The region has been subject to a siege and bombardment from Israel as Tel Aviv retaliates after Hamas’s assault on 7 October which left 1,400 Israelis dead.

Up to 6,546 Palestinians killed in Israeli airstrikes, Gazan health ministry says

Wednesday 25 October 2023 12:29 , Alexander Butler

At least 6,546 Palestinians, including 2,704 children, have been killed and 17,439 wounded in Israeli strikes since 7 October, Gaza’s health ministry said.

In the past 24 hours, 756 Palestinians including 344 children were killed in Israeli strikes, the ministry said.

Pictured: Gaza, the West Bank and Israel

Wednesday 25 October 2023 12:10 , Alexander Butler

Up tp 171 attacks on health care provision in Palestinian territories, WHO says

Wednesday 25 October 2023 11:59 , Alexander Butler

There have been up to 171 attacks on health care facilities in the Palestinian territories, including health workers and ambulances.

“Since 7 October, WHO has documented 171 attacks on health care in the occupied Palestinian territory.

“493 people have been killed in health attacks including 16 health workers on duty. Health care and civilians must be protected now,” the organisation said on X, formerly Twitter.

Wednesday 25 October 2023 11:28 , Alexander Butler

The Israeli military sounded sirens in the northern Carmel region, warning of possible incoming rockets or drones, but there were no immediate reports of any casualties.

The Carmel, near the port city of Haifa, is about 90 miles from the Gaza Strip, where an Israel-Hamas war is now in its third week.

It is also 26 miles from the border with Lebanon, across which Israel has exchanged fire with Hezbollah.

Hamas ‘not a terror organisation’, Erdogan claims

Wednesday 25 October 2023 11:13 , Alexander Butler

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has claimed Hamas is “not a terror organisation” but a liberation group waging a battle to protect its land.

“Hamas is not a terrorist organisation, it is a liberation group, ‘mujahideen’ waging a battle to protect its lands and people,” he said.

Mr Erdogan also said Israel had taken advantage of Turkey’s good intentions and cancelled plans to visit the country while calling for an immediate ceasfire to the conflict.

He also called for the United Nations Security Council to be reformed in order for it to be more “more inclusive”, saying Western tears for Israel were a “fraud”.

Israel must stop ‘settlement terror’ in West Bank, Erdogan says

Wednesday 25 October 2023 11:02 , Alexander Butler

Israel must stop its “settlement terror” in the West Bank, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said.

Over 450,000 Israelis live in illegal settlements on Palestinian land in the West Bank, with another 220,000 in east Jerusalem, which was occupied by Israel after the Six-Day War in 1967.

Last week, Mojahed Tbanjeh, a journalist in Nablus, told The Independent: “The situation here is very bad. Israeli settlers have started attacking the villages.

“Yesterday four Palestinians were killed by Israeli citizens and today another two were killed in Qusra at a funeral, a father and son.”

British son of woman kidnapped by Hamas recalls her last terrifying phone call

Wednesday 25 October 2023 10:45 , Alexander Butler

Qatar hopes hostage breakthroughs will happen ‘soon'

Wednesday 25 October 2023 10:29 , Alexander Butler

Qatar’s prime minister has said there was some progress on hostage negotiations following Hamas taking more than 200 hostages during its attack on southern Israel on 7 October.

Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman al-Thani said he hopes there will be breakthroughs on hostage releases “soon”.

But he added: “The number of children killed in Gaza exceeds the number of children killed in Ukraine, but we have not seen the same reaction.”

Palestinian Red Crescent says Israeli air strikes hit near Gaza headquarters

Wednesday 25 October 2023 10:23 , Alexander Butler

Hezbollah, Hamas and Islamic Jihad leaders discuss how to achieve 'victory'

Wednesday 25 October 2023 09:51 , Alexander Butler

The head of Lebanon’s Hezbollah met top leaders of the Palestinian militant factions Hamas and Islamic Jihad to discuss what their alliance must do to “achieve a real victory for the resistance” in Gaza.

Part of an Iran-backed regional alliance, the heavily armed Hezbollah has had daily exchanges of fire with Israeli forces along the Israeli-Lebanese frontier since war broke out between Israel and Hamas on 7 October

“An assessment was made of the international positions being taken and what the parties of the Axis of Resistance must do to realise a real victory for the resistance in Gaza and Palestinian and to halt the brutal aggression,” Hezbollah said.

Pope Francis calls for release of Hamas hostages

Wednesday 25 October 2023 09:35 , Alexander Butler

Pope Francis has renewed calls for the release of hostages held by Hamas and for humanitarian aid to be allowed into the Gaza Strip.

“I am always thinking about the grave situation in Palestine and Israel. I encourage the release of hostages and the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza,” he said.

Francis recalled that he will lead special prayers for peace in St. Peter’s Basilica, in what he said last week would be a “a day of fasting, prayers, penance”.

Pictured: Palestinians dig through rubble after Israeli airstrike

Wednesday 25 October 2023 09:20 , Alexander Butler

Palestinians forced to ‘sleep in the streets’ UN says

Wednesday 25 October 2023 09:02 , Alexander Butler

Displaced Palestinians are being forced to ‘sleep in the streets’ as shelters are four times over their capacity, the UN has warned.

“Nearly 600,000 internally displaced people are sheltering in 150 UNRWA facilities. Our shelters are FOUR times over their capacities - many people are sleeping in the streets as current facilities are overwhelmed,” the UNRWA wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Iran ordered regional attacks on Israel, IDF claims

Wednesday 25 October 2023 08:45 , Alexander Butler

The Israeli military accused Iran of having ordered recent attacks by Tehran-backed militias in Yemen, Iraq and Lebanon, and said Israel was jointly monitoring the region with the United States.

In a televised briefing, the IDF’s military spokesperson Daniel Hagari said Iran was currently providing Hamas in Gaza with intelligence, and was also helping stoke anti-Israel sentiment globally with an online messaging campaign.

It comes after the US told the UN it did not want conflict with Iran, but it would be forced to act “swiftly” to defend itself if Iran attacked its bases around the world.

Senior Hamas commander killed, IDF says

Wednesday 25 October 2023 08:39 , Alexander Butler

The Israeli military has killed a senior Hamas commander who was involved with the organisation’s naval force, the IDF said.

It said Taysir Mubasher, commander of Hamas’ north Khan Yunis battalion, was targeted based on military and security intelligence.

The military said Mubasher was “responsible for numerous terror attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers throughout the years”.

Israel calls for UN chief’s resignation

Wednesday 25 October 2023 08:15 , Alexander Butler

Israel has called for the resignation of the United Nations’ secretary-general after it slammed his “shocking” and “horrible” remarks about the country’s ongoing conflict with Hamas.

“The UN Secretary-General, who shows understanding for the campaign of mass murder of children, women, and the elderly, is not fit to lead the UN. I call on him to resign immediately,” Israeli ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan said.

Secretary-general Antonio 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”.

Meanwhile, Israel has also refused a visa to UN humanitarian affairs chief Martin Griffiths due to comments made at the UN by secretary-general António Guterres.

“Due to his remarks we will refuse to issue visas to UN representatives. We have already refused a visa for under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs Martin Griffiths. The time has come to teach them a lesson,” Israeli ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan said.

UK ‘not asking for ceasefire’ in Middle East, minister says

Wednesday 25 October 2023 08:11 , Alexander Butler

The UK is “not asking for a ceasefire” between Israel and Hamas, a minister has said.

Minister for immigration Robert Jenrick added he “doesn’t believe” Israel has broken international law and that it was “impossible” to reach an agreement with a terrorist organisation.

“It’s impossible to reach an agreement with a terrorist organisation hell-bent on the destruction of your country and your people,” Mr Jenrick told Sky News.

It comes after the US and Russia led international calls yesterday for a pause in fighting to allow for the delivery of humanitarian supplies into the enclave.

Aid workers could be forced to stop work due to fuel blockade, UN warns

Wednesday 25 October 2023 07:55 , Alexander Butler

Aid workers could be forced to halt humanitarian operations in Gaza if Israel does not lift its blockade on fuel supplies, the UN warned.

“If we do not get fuel urgently, we will be forced to halt our operations in the Gaza Strip. Time is running out,” UNRWA spokesperson Tamara Al-Rifai told the BBC.

“We need fuel so that our trucks can pick up that aid. We need fuel for our water desalination plants so that people can have access to clean water. Hospitals need fuel, for life-saving machines without which people can die.”

The IDF rejected the UN body’s demands and said fuel would “not enter” the Gaza strip as Hamas needed it for its “operational infrastructure”.

Eight Syrian military personnel killed in Israeli airstrike, Syria claims

Wednesday 25 October 2023 07:26 , Alexander Butler

Eight Syrian military officials have been killed in an Israeli airstrike on their positions in the south west of the country, according to state media.

The IDF targeted several positions near the city of Deraa, wounding seven more people, Syrian state news agency Sana reported.

It comes after the Israel Defence Forces said its fighter jets had struck military infrastructure and mortar launches belonging to the Syrian Army following “rocket launches” from the country.

US sharing hard lessons from urban combat in Iraq and Syria as Israel prepares to invade Gaza

Wednesday 25 October 2023 07:00 , Sam Rkaina

The prospect of Israeli forces launching an assault into Gaza’s dense urban neighborhoods, where militants use civilians as human shields, brings back searing memories of the deadly battles the U.S.-led coalition fought against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria.

For U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his military leaders, that intense combat and the thousands of civilians killed in airstrikes and neighborhood gunfights in Mosul and Raqqa are lessons to be shared as Israel prepares for a possible ground invasion against Hamas.

“In our conversations with the Israelis, and as we’ve made very clear, we’re continuing to highlight, the importance of mitigating civilian casualties and ensuring that ... things like safety corridors are thought through,” Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon spokesman, said Tuesday.

The U.S. can paint a vivid picture of civilian slaughter.

During the eight-month siege to liberate Mosul from Islamic insurgents, as many as 10,000 people were killed, including at least 3,200 civilians from airstrikes, artillery fire or mortar rounds between October 2016 and the fall of the Islamic State group in July 2017, according to an Associated Press investigation.

About the same number of civilians were killed or taken hostage by militants and used as human shields as they fled the city.

UN chief warns of ‘clear violations of humanitarian law’ in Gaza

Wednesday 25 October 2023 06:48 , Namita Singh

UN chief Antonio Guterres condemned Israel‘s “clear violations of international law” in the Gaza Strip as he pleaded for civilians to be protected in the war between Israel and Hamas.

The United Nations secretary-general issued his toughest statement so far on Israel’s conduct in the war in Gaza at a UN Security Council meeting on Tuesday as Israeli troops awaited orders to invade Gaza in the next stage of the war on the Palestinian militants.

According to Gaza’s health ministry more than 700 Palestinians were killed in Israeli air strikes between Monday and Tuesday – the highest 24-hour death toll since Israel began its bombardment of the Strip in an effort to crush Hamas after the group launched a surprise attack on 7 October.

My colleague Alisha Rahaman Sarkar reports:

UN chief warns of ‘clear violations of humanitarian law’ in Gaza

Israel swears 'total destruction to the last one’ of Hamas militants

Wednesday 25 October 2023 06:47 , Namita Singh

Israel’s foreign minister defended his country’s attack on Gaza as a proportionate response to the 7 October attack by Hamas as he swore “a total destruction to the last one” of the militants. “It is not only Israel’s right to destroy Hamas. It’s our duty,” he said.

The Israeli military said it thwarted an assault by a group of Hamas underwater divers who tried to infiltrate Israel on a beach just north of Gaza. They were attacked by air, naval and ground forces.

Across central and south Gaza, where Israel told civilians to take shelter, there were multiple scenes of rescuers pulling the dead and wounded out of large piles of rubble from collapsed buildings. Graphic photos and video shot by the AP showed rescuers unearthing bodies of children from multiple ruins.

A father knelt on the floor of the Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir Al-Balah next to the bodies of three dead children cocooned in bloodied sheets. Later at the nearby morgue, workers prayed over 24 dead wrapped in body bags, several of them the size of small children.

Israeli airstrikes surge in Gaza, destroying homes and killing dozens at a time

Wednesday 25 October 2023 06:46 , Namita Singh

Israel escalated airstrikes across the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, crushing families in the rubble of residential buildings, as health officials said hundreds of Palestinians were killed in the past day and medical facilities were shut down because of bomb damage and lack of power.

The massive air bombardment continued through the night as Israeli jets hit sites across Gaza, the Hamas-run interior ministry said.

The soaring death toll from the bombardment is unprecedented in the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It augurs an even greater loss of life in Gaza once Israeli forces backed by tanks and artillery launch an expected ground offensive aimed at crushing Hamas militants.

Gaza’s 2.3 million people have been running out of food, water and medicine since Israel sealed off the territory following the devastating 7 October attack by Hamas on towns in southern Israel.

White House scraps plan for B-52s to entertain at state dinner against backdrop of Israel-Hamas war

Wednesday 25 October 2023 06:20 , Namita Singh

The White House scrapped plans to have the new wave band the B-52s perform at Wednesday’s state dinner for Australia’s prime minister after deciding that it would be inappropriate at a time when “so many are facing sorrow and pain,” in the words of first lady Jill Biden.

Without directly referencing the devastation of the Israel-Hamas war, the first lady announced Tuesday that “we’ve made a few adjustments to the entertainment portion” of the dinner. Instead of the band best known for “Love Shack” and other hits, the entertainment will be instrumental music provided by the Marine band and the Army and Air Force Strolling Strings.

“Nurturing our partnerships and relationships with our allies is critically important, especially in these tumultuous times,” she said. “Food is comforting, reassuring and healing, and we hope that this dinner provides a little of that as well.”

Report:

White House scraps plan for B-52s to entertain at state dinner against backdrop of Israel-Hamas war

Russia careful over Israel-Hamas war as it seeks to expand global clout

Wednesday 25 October 2023 06:19 , Namita Singh

Russia has issued carefully calibrated criticism of both sides in the war between Israel and Hamas. But the conflict is also giving Moscow bold new opportunities – to advance its role as a global power broker and challenge Western efforts to isolate it over Ukraine.

While Moscow lacks leverage to mediate a settlement in the Middle East, it could try to play on some perceived credibility problems with the West’s response to the crisis.It also expects the Israel-Hamas war to distract attention from the fighting in Ukraine and erode support for Kyiv.

There are risks for Moscow, however. It could damage its relationship with Israel, which until now has kept it from sending weapons to Ukraine.

Russian president Vladimir Putin has condemned the 7 October attack by Hamas militants on towns in southern Israel. At the same time, he warned Israel against blockading the Gaza Strip, likening it to Nazi Germany’s siege of Leningrad during World War II.

He has cast the war as a failure of US diplomacy, charging that Washington has opted for economic “handouts” to the Palestinians and abandoned efforts to help create a Palestinian state.

Mr Putin declared earlier this month that Moscow could play the role of mediator, thanks to its friendly ties with both Israel and the Palestinians, adding that “no one could suspect us of playing up to one party.”

US developing contingency plans to evacuate Americans from Middle East

Wednesday 25 October 2023 06:00 , Sam Rkaina

The White House said Tuesday that “prudent contingency planning” is underway to evacuate Americans from the Middle East in case the Israel-Hamas war spreads into a broad regional conflict.

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby stressed there are currently no “active efforts” to evacuate Americans from the region beyond charter flights the U.S government began operating earlier this month out of Israel.

“It would be imprudent and irresponsible if we didn’t have folks thinking through a broad range of contingencies and possibilities,” Kirby said. “And certainly evacuations are one of those things.”

The White House addressed the contingency plans amid growing concerns that the 18-day-old Israel-Hamas war could further escalate.

The U.S. has advised Israel that postponing a possible ground invasion of Gaza could be helpful as the U.S. and other partners in the region try to secure the release of more than 200 hostages who were captured in the 7 October attack on Hamas soil.

Watch: Plumes of smoke surround hospital in Gaza after heavy bombardment

Wednesday 25 October 2023 05:54 , Namita Singh

Israel-Hamas: Plumes of smoke surround hospital in Gaza after heavy bombardment

Arab-Israeli medic stayed to help wounded at festival massacre – then was shot dead by Hamas

Wednesday 25 October 2023 05:53 , Namita Singh

An Arab-Israeli paramedic who helped to treat wounded survivors at the desert music festival massacre was shot dead by Hamas militants, his family has revealed.

Awad Darawashe, 22, was manning a first aid tent at the Supernova festival, when Hamas launched its deadly attack In the early hours of 7 October.

His ambulance was captured by the militants and driven back to Gaza with hostages inside, his cousin, Kazim Khalileh, told The Independent.

Mr Darawashe, from Iksal – a small Arab-majority town near Nazareth – was seen treating victims with gunshot wounds just moments before militants completely overran the overnight rave.

Report:

Arab-Israeli medic stayed to help wounded at festival – then was shot dead by Hamas

Doctor warns Gaza wards could become ‘mass graves’ as a third of hospitals close over lack of power

Wednesday 25 October 2023 05:33 , Namita Singh

A third of Gaza’s hospitals are closed and more will shut down within hours due to lack of fuel, the United Nations has said, as medics warn wards could turn into ”mass graves”.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has begged for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and safe passage of supplies and generator fuel to the 42km-long strip, which is being pounded by Israeli airstrikes and a punishing siege.

The WHO said that supplies were so low that six hospitals had already closed across the strip. Many more will halt operations in the coming hours if fuel is not delivered.

Our chief international correspondent Bel Trew reports from Tel Aviv:

Doctor warns Gaza wards could become ‘mass graves’ as a third of hospitals close

Hostage families hope for breakthrough after grandmother released by Hamas

Wednesday 25 October 2023 05:32 , Namita Singh

British families of those being held hostage by Hamas are continuing to hold out hope, amid global diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the deadly conflict between Israel and Hamas.

The Foreign Office said officials were working “tirelessly” to save UK nationals, as the release of a Briton’s mother sparked hope of similar breakthroughs for other families.

Downing Street on Tuesday said that at least 12 British nationals were killed in Hamas’s attack on Israel and a further five are still missing, with some of them believed to have been kidnapped.

Report:

Hostage families hope for breakthrough after grandmother released by Hamas

Muslim centre apologises after visit by Labour leader

Wednesday 25 October 2023 05:30 , Sam Rkaina

Sir Keir has faced a backlash from Muslim and left-wing members over previous comments on Israel, after he appeared to suggest in an LBC interview that “Israel does have that right” to cut off power and water.

The Labour leader has since denied he ever backed Israel withholding humanitarian aid from Gaza and has sought to clarify his remarks about the Israeli-imposed siege of Gaza, which has sparked concerns about a humanitarian crisis in the region.

The centre’s statement said: “We wish to stress Keir Starmer’s social media post and images gravely misrepresented our congregants and the nature of the visit.

“We affirm, unequivocally, the need for a free Palestine. We implore all those with political authority to uphold international law, and to end the occupation of Palestine.”

The centre said it wanted to “apologise for the hurt and confusion that our hosting of this visit has caused”.

It added: “Our intention was to raise the concerns of the Muslim community around the suffering if Palestinians, and so we hosted an event initially with local representatives on the issue, and the knowledge of Keir Starmer’s attendance was given at short notice.

“There was a robust and frank conversation which reflected the sentiments Muslim communities are feeling at this time. Members of the community directly challenged Keir on his statements made on the Israeli Government’s right to cut food, electricity and water to Gaza, warranting war crimes as well as his failure to call for an immediate ceasefire.”

Hospitals in Gaza running out of fuel

Wednesday 25 October 2023 05:18 , Namita Singh

Doctors in Gaza say patients arriving at hospitals are showing signs of disease caused by overcrowding and poor sanitation after more than 1.4 million people fled their homes for temporary shelters under Israel’s heaviest-ever bombardment.

All hospitals say they are running out of fuel to power their electricity generators, leaving them increasingly unable to treat the injured and ill. More than 40 medical centres have halted operations, a health ministry spokesman said.

UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, warned in a post on messaging platform X that it would halt operations in Gaza on Wednesday night because of the lack of fuel.

However, the Israeli military reaffirmed it would bar the entry of fuel to prevent Hamas from seizing it.

Don’t fight war ‘without rules’, Macron tells Israel

Wednesday 25 October 2023 05:17 , Namita Singh

French president Emmanuel Macron, visiting Israel on Tuesday, told prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu that France stood “shoulder to shoulder” with Israel in its war with Hamas but that it must not fight “without rules”.

Mr Netanyahu said Israel would try to protect civilians as it worked to ensure they “will no longer live under Hamas tyranny”.

There appeared to be little prospect of a ceasefire any time soon in the bloodiest chapter of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for decades, with civilian suffering spreading.

After an air strike in Khan Younis in south Gaza, Abdallah Tabash held his dead daughter Sidra, refusing to let go as he held her bloodstained face and hair. “I want to look at her as much as I can,” he said.

Israeli tanks and troops are massed on the border between Israel and Gaza awaiting orders for an expected ground invasion. It is an operation that may be complicated by fears for the hostages’ welfare and by militants heavily armed by Iran dug into a crowded urban setting using a vast network of tunnels.

Starmer ‘gravely misrepresented meeting with Welsh Muslim community’

Wednesday 25 October 2023 05:00 , Sam Rkaina

Sir Keir Starmer has been accused of having “gravely misrepresented” a meeting with Muslim leaders in south Wales over the weekend, amid anger among some in Labour over the party leader’s position on the Israel-Hamas conflict.

In a statement published late on Tuesday by the South Wales Islamic Centre, it apologised for the “hurt and confusion” caused by hosting Sir Keir.

The Labour leader visited the centre on Sunday, posting images showing him meeting figures from the local community.

In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, he said: “I was grateful to hear from the Muslim community of the South Wales Islamic Centre.

“I repeated our calls for all hostages to be released, more humanitarian aid to enter Gaza, for the water and power to be switched back on, and a renewed focus on the two state solution.”

He said he was “questioned by members” and “made clear it is not and has never been my view that Israel had the right to cut off water, food, fuel or medicines. International law must be followed”.

‘Clear violations of international humanitarian law’ in Gaza, says UN

Wednesday 25 October 2023 04:50 , Namita Singh

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres pleaded on Tuesday for civilians to be protected, voicing concern about “clear violations of international humanitarian law” in Gaza.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told the Security Council: “Palestinian civilians are not to blame for the carnage committed by Hamas,” referring to the militants’ killing of 1,400 people, mainly civilians, and capture of over 200 in a one-day rampage through Israeli communities near Gaza.

“Palestinian civilians must be protected. That means Hamas must cease using them as human shields ... It means Israel must take all possible precautions to avoid harm to civilians,” Mr Blinken said.

Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau echoed Mr Blinken.

“There are a lot of conversations going on now about the need for humanitarian pauses and I think that’s something Canada supports,” he told reporters in Ottawa. “We must remain anchored on the priorities of protecting innocent (people) and freeing the hostages.”

The World Health Organization, in the latest of increasingly desperate UN appeals, called for “an immediate humanitarian ceasefire” to prevent food, medicines and fuel supplies from running out in Gaza.

International pressure urging ‘humanitarian pause’ in Hamas-Israel war

Wednesday 25 October 2023 04:46 , Namita Singh

The United Nations, United States and Canada appealed on Tuesday for a humanitarian pause in the Israel-Hamas war to allow safe deliveries of aid to civilians short of food, water, medicine and electricity in the Israeli-besieged Gaza Strip.

UN agencies were pleading “on our knees” for emergency aid to be let into Gaza unimpeded, saying more than 20 times current deliveries were needed to support the narrow strip’s 2.3 million people amid widespread devastation from Israel’s aerial blitz.

Eight trucks containing water, food and medicine entered the Gaza Strip from Egypt late on Tuesday, the Palestinian Red Crescent said.

The United States is negotiating with Israel, neighbouring Egypt and the UN to smooth emergency deliveries into Gaza, but have wrangled over procedures for inspecting the aid and over bombardments on the Gaza side of the border.

IDF attacked 400 Hamas targets, says Israel

Wednesday 25 October 2023 04:34 , Namita Singh

The Israeli military said that it killed dozens of Hamas fighters overnight while hitting over 400 Hamas targets, but that it would take time to destroy the Islamist militant group whose deadly cross-border attack on 7 October stunned Israel.

Israel air strikes ‘kill more than 700 Palestinians’ in Gaza

Wednesday 25 October 2023 04:33 , Namita Singh

Israeli air strikes had killed more than 700 Palestinians overnight, said the health ministry in the Hamas-ruled Gaza on Tuesday.

In a statement released on social media, the Palestinian health ministry said at least 5,791 Palestinians had been killed by Israeli bombardments since 7 October, including 2,360 children. Some 704 were killed in the previous 24 hours alone, it said.

The figures could not be independently verified.

Israeli drone strike in West Bank kills three Palestinians, officials say

Wednesday 25 October 2023 04:33 , Namita Singh

Israeli forces on an overnight raid in the occupied West Bank came under fire by a group of Palestinians whom the military then hit with a drone, the Israeli military said on Wednesday, and Palestinian officials said three people were killed.

The military said armed Palestinians “fired and hurled explosive devices” at its forces in Jenin refugee camp, in the northern West Bank. The military then struck them with a drone, and “hits were identified”, it added.

The drone fired at least two projectiles, the Palestinian Authority’s official news agency WAFA reported, citing sources in the camp.

Three people were killed and more than 20 others injured, WAFA reported, citing Wissam Bakr, director of Jenin Governmental Hospital.

The drone attack was at least the third use of Israeli air power in the West Bank since violence in the territory surged after Hamas’ 7 October armed rampage in southern Israel.

Jenin refugee camp, a Palestinian militant stronghold, was the focus of a major Israeli military operation earlier this year.

Varadkar says it is ‘wrong’ to be fired for views after Israeli firm sacks woman

Wednesday 25 October 2023 04:00 , Sam Rkaina

Premier Leo Varadkar has said he would advise an Irish woman fired from an Israeli company to seek legal advice if her dismissal was over her political views.

Speaking in the Dail, Solidarity TD Mick Barry raised the dismissal of Courtney Carey from her role as a customer care team lead at Israeli tech company Wix, which employs 500 people in Dublin.

Mr Barry said: “She commented online about what she described correctly as the indiscriminate bombing of Gaza. She was fired from her job for doing so. I am calling on the Irish Congress of Trade Unions to speak out on this case.

“It could have a chilling effect on thousands of workers in this country who wish to speak out against a brutal war. It also creates a terrible precedent whereby workers can be fired for expressing a political point of view.”

Ms Carey posted on LinkedIn “Free Palestine” and “Israel is a terrorist state” prior to her dismissal.

Mother recuperates after Palestinian American boy killed in ‘hate crime'

Wednesday 25 October 2023 03:00 , Sam Rkaina

A Palestinian-American woman whose 6-year-old son was killed in what police are calling a hate crime in a Chicago suburb has asked the public to “pray for peace” as she recuperates from her injuries.

Hanaan Shahin issued a statement Tuesday through the Chicago chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations after meeting with the group’s executive director a day earlier. The written statement marked her first public comments since the brutal 14 October attack that left her with more than a dozen stab wounds and stitches on her face.

Authorities said the family’s suburban Chicago landlord singled them out because of their Islamic faith and as a response to the escalating Israel-Hamas war.

“Pray for peace,” Shahin said, thanking authorities, doctors and others. She was released from the hospital last week and has declined interviews with reporters.

Shahin, who works as a caregiver to seniors, lost her son, Wadea Al-Fayoume, in the attack that has contributed to fears about rising hostility against Muslims and Palestinians in the U.S.

BBC condemned in Lords over Hamas reporting

Wednesday 25 October 2023 02:00 , Sam Rkaina

Lord Wolfson of Tredegar, a practising Orthodox Jew, has criticised the BBC’s “abject failure to describe Hamas as what it is in plain English, a terrorist group”.

Speaking in the Lords on Tuesday, he criticised a BBC report in which it “cited uncritically that Israel had struck the Al-Ahli hospital”, which he claimed was “parroting Hamas propaganda”.

Lord Wolfson added: “Others repeated that propaganda, including I’m afraid, a noble friend of mine, who tweeted not just that the Israelis had hit the hospital, but they had targeted it. She used that word twice.

“I called that out as a modern blood libel and I’m delighted to see that the most Reverend Primate the Archbishop of Canterbury used the same language recently as well.

“But the damage was done – other terrorist groups will have seen and taken note, so we should remember the old injunction: careless talk costs lives.”

His comments came after an exchange on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, with fellow Tory peer Baroness Warsi about the explosion at Al-Ahli hospital.

Russia put forward its own alternative draft resolution

Wednesday 25 October 2023 01:00 , Sam Rkaina

Russia put forward its own alternative draft resolution on Tuesday after saying it does not support the proposed U.S. action.

“The whole world is expecting from the Security Council a call for a swift and unconditional ceasefire,” Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told the Security Council. “This is precisely what is not in the American draft. Therefore, we don’t see any point in it, and we cannot support it.”

Russia last week failed to get the minimum nine votes needed for a draft resolution that called for a humanitarian ceasefire. The draft resolution received five votes in favor and four votes against, along with six abstentions.

Nebenzia said on Tuesday that the new Russian text drew on humanitarian language from the U.S., Brazilian and first Russian drafts.

Arab states made clear at the United Nations on Tuesday that they firmly back a call for a humanitarian ceasefire.

“We followed with regret the inability of this council twice to adopt a resolution or even to call for a ceasefire to end this war,” Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry told the council.

US tones down resolution draft

Wednesday 25 October 2023 00:30 , Sam Rkaina

The United States last week vetoed a Brazil-drafted resolution for humanitarian pauses, arguing that time was needed for U.S.-led diplomacy focused on brokering aid access to Gaza on the ground and trying to free hostages held by Hamas.

Twelve members voted in favor of the draft text on Wednesday, while Russia and Britain abstained.

The U.S. then proposed its own draft text on Saturday that initially shocked some council diplomats with its bluntness in stating that Israel has a right to defend itself and demanding Iran stop exporting arms to militant groups in the region.

It did not initially call for any pause or truce. But - responding to growing international pressure - it amended the draft to include a call “for all measures necessary, such as humanitarian pauses” to allow aid access.

The U.S. also toned down the overall draft, removing direct references to Iran and to Israel’s right to self-defence.

US and Russia poised for UN showdown on Israel

Tuesday 24 October 2023 23:59 , Sam Rkaina

The United States and Russia have put forward rival plans at the United Nations to help Palestinian civilians caught in the Israel-Hamas conflict in the Gaza Strip: a humanitarian pause or a ceasefire.

Both countries seek U.N. Security Council resolutions to address shortages of food, water, medical supplies and electricity in Gaza. But the U.S. has called for pauses to allow aid to enter Gaza, while Russia wants a humanitarian ceasefire.

A pause is generally considered less formal and shorter than a ceasefire. While the differences may seem semantic, the U.S. proposal for pauses has grown out of an initial draft given to the 15-member council on Saturday that was staunchly pro-Israel, Washington’s longtime ally.

Russia announced on Tuesday that it could not support the U.S. plan for action and put forward its own text that calls for a ceasefire, an idea backed by Arab states.

A council resolution needs at least nine votes and no vetoes by the United States, France, Britain, Russia or China to be adopted. It was not immediately clear if or when the U.S. and Russian draft resolutions could be put to a vote.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken made the case for the U.S. draft resolution at a Security Council meeting on Tuesday, saying the body had a crucial role to play and that the U.S. text “sets out practical steps.”

Eight trucks with water, food and medicine enter Gaza Strip from Egypt

Tuesday 24 October 2023 23:00 , Sam Rkaina

The United Nations, United States and Canada have appealed for a humanitarian pause in the Israel-Hamas war to allow safe deliveries of aid to civilians short of food, water, medicine and electricity in the besieged Gaza Strip.

International pressure for unimpeded aid to Gaza rose as the health ministry in the Hamas-ruled coastal territory said Israeli air strikes had killed more than 700 Palestinians overnight. Ministry spokesman Ashraf Al-Qidra said this was the highest 24-hour death toll in Israel’s two-week-old siege.

U.N. agencies were pleading “on our knees” for emergency aid to be let into Gaza unimpeded, saying more than 20 times current deliveries were needed to support the narrow strip’s 2.3 million people amid widespread devastation from Israel’s aerial blitz.

Eight trucks containing water, food and medicine entered the Gaza Strip from Egypt late on Tuesday, the Palestinian Red Crescent said.

The United States is negotiating with Israel, neighbouring Egypt and the U.N. to smooth emergency deliveries into Gaza, but have wrangled over procedures for inspecting the aid and over bombardments on the Gaza side of the border.

“While we remain opposed to a ceasefire, we think humanitarian pauses linked to the delivery of aid that still allow Israel to conduct military operations to defend itself are worth consideration,” a senior U.S. official said.

Grandmother, 85, held hostage by Hamas describes ‘hell’ of captivity in Gaza

Tuesday 24 October 2023 22:30 , Bel Trew in Tel Aviv

An 85-year-old Israeli hostage released by Hamas has said she went “through hell” during her kidnap, describing how she was beaten with sticks during her abduction, driven off on a motorbike and forced to walk for a number of hours through a huge “spider’s web” of wet tunnels in Gaza.

However, Yocheved Lifshitz – the first to offer a picture of the ordeal faced by those taken hostage by Hamas – also spoke of the “care” she received from some of her captors once she was in the tunnels and saying was told she was not going to be hurt, something that may have led to an extraordinary gesture at the moment of her release after two weeks in captivity.

A pause and then turning to shake the hand of a masked Hamas militant. “Shalom,” she said, the Hebrew word for peace.

Click here for the full story.

Tens of thousands sign petition supporting Tube driver suspended over Palestine chant

Tuesday 24 October 2023 22:00 , Sam Rkaina

Tens of thousands of people have signed a petition supporting a suspended Tube driver who led a chant of “free, free Palestine” on a London Underground train.

After around 100,000 protesters took part in a pro-Palestinian demonstration in central London, footage posted online and then deleted by Open Democracy journalist Ruby Lott-Lavigna appeared to show the chant being led over the train’s speaker system.

After the uproar, the driver was quickly identified and suspended whilst TfL vowed to “fully investigate the incident in line with our policies and procedures”.

Click here for the full story.

Plumes of smoke surround hospital in Gaza after heavy bombardment

Tuesday 24 October 2023 21:30 , Sam Rkaina

Plumes of smoke filled the sky near Al-Amal Hospital in Kana Yunis, Gaza earlier today.

Footage published by the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) shows crowds of people running after reports of heavy bombardment in the surrounding area. Reuters have verified the location of this video.

The Palestinian health ministry have said more than 5,000 people have been killed in Gaza following two weeks of intense air strikes by Israeli forces in response to a devastating Hamas attack on southern Israel on 7 October.

More than 1,400 people have been killed in Israel following the attack by Hamas, according to Israeli officials.

“We thought that our area would be safe”

Tuesday 24 October 2023 21:00 , Sam Rkaina

Scenes of rescuers pulling dead and wounded out of large piles of rubble from collapsed buildings were repeated in main towns of central and south Gaza on Tuesday, where Israel had told civilians to take shelter. Graphic photos and video shot by The Associated Press showed rescuers digging to unearth small bodies from the ruins.

A father knelt on the floor of the Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir Al-Balah next to the bodies of three dead children cocooned in bloodied sheets. Later at the nearby morgue, workers prayed over 24 dead wrapped in body bags, several of them the size of small children.

Buildings collapsing on residents killed dozens at a time in several cases, witnesses said. Two families lost a total 47 members in a leveled home in Rafah, the Health Ministry said.

A strike on a four-story building in Khan Younis killed at least 32 people, including 13 members of the Saqallah family, said Ammar al-Butta, a relative who survived the airstrike. He said there were about 100 people sheltering in the building, including many who had evacuated from Gaza City.

“We thought that our area would be safe,” he said.

Another strike destroyed a bustling marketplace in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, witnesses said. AP photos showed the floor of a vegetable shop covered with blood.

Israel ‘expands area of targets, killing up to 50 in Gaza'

Tuesday 24 October 2023 20:30 , Sam Rkaina

The Israeli army has expanded areas of its targets in the Palestinian Gaza Strip that resulted in the killing of up to 50 people in the last hour, Ashraf al-Qidra, spokesman for the health ministry in Gaza has said.

It comes after a barrage of Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip on Tuesday crushed multiple residential buildings and buried families under rubble, as health officials in the besieged territory reported hundreds killed in the past day and the closure of medical facilities because of bomb damage and a lack of power.

The soaring death toll from Israel‘s escalating bombardment is unprecedented in the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It augurs an even greater loss of life in Gaza once Israeli forces backed by tanks and artillery launch an expected ground offensive aimed at crushing Hamas militants.

Gaza’s 2.3 million people have been running out of food, water and medicine since Israel sealed off the territory following the devastating Oct. 7 attack by Hamas on towns in southern Israel.

The Gaza Health Ministry, which is run by Hamas, said Israeli airstrikes killed at least 704 people over the past day, mostly women and children. The AP could not independently verify the death tolls cited by Hamas, which says it tallies daily figures from hospital directors.

Biden and Saudi crown prince discuss Israel-Hamas war

Tuesday 24 October 2023 20:15 , Sam Rkaina

U.S. President Joe Biden and Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman held a call on Tuesday to discuss the war between Israel and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, the White House said in a statement.

They agreed on pursuing broader diplomatic efforts “to maintain stability across the region and prevent the conflict from expanding,” the White House said, adding the two leaders will remain in close coordination directly and through their teams over the coming period.

Heavier Gaza casualties means less chance of peace, warns Archbishop

Tuesday 24 October 2023 19:57 , Sam Rkaina

The heavier the casualties the less chance there is of securing peace, the Archbishop of Canterbury has warned amid the escalating Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

Speaking in Parliament, the Most Rev Justin Welby cautioned the hopes of a truce and reconciliation were set not only after a military victory but how it was achieved.

In the face of Israeli air strikes on the besieged Gaza Strip and an expected offensive into the territory aimed at crushing Hamas, Mr Welby told the House of Lords: “The hopes of peace and reconciliation are set not only after a military victory but how that victory is achieved. The more heavy the casualties the less chance there is of renewed peace.

“And Gaza has gone from level to level of violence over the last 15 years.

“That aim of war conducted is not fair. There is no equivalence between Israel and Hamas. The latter is a terrorist organisation, the former is a legitimate state, whose citizens since 1945 have written much of the laws of war. They know how to do this.”

The church leader, who has just returned from a visit to Jerusalem, said: “The innumerable deaths on October 7 and the taking of over 200 hostages has created a situation of trauma in Israel that it is hard to exaggerate.”

Conflict ‘needs Palestinian Mandela'

Tuesday 24 October 2023 18:31 , Sam Rkaina

A Palestinian “Mandela” is needed to secure a two-state solution in the Middle East, Tory former leader Michael Howard has said.

The Conservative peer, who sits in the upper chamber as Lord Howard of Lympne, also stressed the need for an Israeli leader who backed such an arrangement, aimed at providing a lasting peace.

Lord Howard said: “Even in the midst of the most terrible darkness it is human instinct to look for hope.”

He added: “If a lasting peace is to be secured there has to be a two state solution. Of course it can’t happen now. It wasn’t going to happen before October 7. It wasn’t going to happen because Israel has a prime minister who has shown no interest in a two-state solution and alas the Palestinian Authority is led by those who lack the authority and respect of their own people. Something which is essential if an agreement is to be made to stick.

“So we need an Israeli prime minister who does believe in a two-state solution… and we need a Palestinian leader with the authority to make an agreement.

“We need a Palestinian Mandela.

“I know there will be many who dismiss this as fantasy but we must dare to hope.

“As we contemplate the bleak darkness of the current conflict let us pray that one day we will see what so many crave – a lasting peace in the Holy Land.”