Monday, October 21, 2024
1240 GMT — Israeli authorities are still preventing humanitarian missions from reaching areas of northern Gaza with critical supplies, including medicine and food for people under siege, the head of the UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA said.
Hospitals have been hit and are without power while injured people are left without care, Philippe Lazzarini said on X.
"UNRWA remaining shelters are so overcrowded, some displaced people are now forced to live in the toilets. According to reports, people attempting to flee are getting killed, their bodies left on the street. Missions to rescue people from under the rubble are also being denied," he added.
1211 GMT — Many want UK to ‘go further’ on halt to Israel arms sales
The UK has taken some steps with regards to halting weapons sales to Israel but “many of us would like to see them go further,” according to Syed Kamall, a member of the British House of Lords.
Kamall emphasised that there is still raging debate within the UK on the question of weapons sales to Israel, which stands accused of genocide in Gaza, where it has killed or wounded more than 142,000 Palestinians since launching a brutal offensive following a Hamas attack last October.
"There are people in the media and also many commentators and many politicians in British Parliament calling for an end of sales to Israel, but there are others who are saying, ‘No, you should continue to support Israel.' So, once again, because we have a diverse range of views in our country, that’s what you'll see in the debate."
1122 GMT — Germany demands Israel probe incidents involving UN in Lebanon
Germany demanded Israel "clarify every incident" involving the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Lebanon (UNIFIL), including the reported destruction of a UNIFIL observation tower and fence.
The German government expects "the Israeli side to clarify every incident" and to release "the results of the investigations into this specific incident", said foreign ministry spokeswoman Kathrin Deschauer.
"The safety of an operation mandated by the United Nations Security Council and its personnel must not be endangered," she added.
1118 GMT —Macron, Netanyahu discuss Gaza
French President Emmanuel Macron told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he sees the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar as a chance for a possible new phase of negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza, Macron's office said.
Macron also expressed solidarity with Netanyahu after a drone was launched towards the prime minister's home, the French president's office said.
1055 GMT — Arab League head urges ceasefire, calls for Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon
Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit said in Beirut that the league's priority was to achieve an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon, and he called for Israel's prompt withdrawal from any Lebanese territories it has occupied or entered.
Aboul Gheit was also asked if Hezbollah could be destroyed, to which he replied: "You cannot destroy an idea".
1053 GMT — Germany demands Israel probe all incidents involving the UN in Lebanon
Germany has demanded Israel "clarify every incident" involving the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon and urged it to investigate the destruction of a UNIFIL observation tower.
UN peacekeepers on Sunday said an Israeli "army bulldozer deliberately demolished" an observation tower and fence of a UN position in southern Lebanon..
1046 GMT — Israel arrests 18 more Palestinians in occupied West Bank raids
The Israeli army has rounded up 18 more Palestinians in military raids in the occupied West Bank, according to prisoners’ affairs groups.
Two children were among the detainees in the raids that targeted several cities in the occupied territory, the Commission of Detainees’ Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoner Society said in a joint statement.
“The arrests were marked by abuse, threats against detainees and their families, and acts of vandalism and destruction on citizens' homes,” the statement said.
1043 GMT — Video shows ‘catastrophic conditions’ at Gaza hospital after deadly Israeli strike
A video has shown catastrophic conditions in the intensive care unit at Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza amid a devastating Israeli onslaught in the area.
The footage showed the bodies of dead and injured children following Saturday’s deadly Israeli air strike in the northern city of Beit Lahia that killed at least 87 people and injured dozens.
"This child had shrapnel in the chest that penetrated his lungs and remained in the abdomen, the hospital’s director, Hossam Abu Safia, commented in the video.
The clip showed the dead body of another child, who suffered skull fractures from the Israeli attack.
1012 GMT — Hundreds of illegal Israeli settlers storm Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa complex to celebrate Sukkot
For the second consecutive day, hundreds of illegal Israeli settlers stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in occupied East Jerusalem to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Sukkot.
Settlers entered the flashpoint site in groups through the Mughrabi Gate in the western wall of the mosque under Israeli police protection, witnesses said.
Right-wing Israeli groups have called for extensive settler incursions into the Al-Aqsa compound to celebrate the week-long Sukkot holiday, which began last Wednesday.
1000 GMT — Blinken heads to the Middle East again as US looks to kickstart another round of Gaza ceasefire talks
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will depart for the Middle East, the State Department said, as Washington is pushing to kickstart ceasefire negotiations to end the Gaza war following the killing of Hamas politburo leader Yahya Sinwar.
The top US diplomat's latest trip to the region, his eleventh since Israel's brutal war on Gaza, even as Israel has intensified its military campaign in Gaza and Lebanon.
0900 GMT — Israel kills 29 Palestinians in north Gaza in fresh strikes
At least 29 people were killed in intensified Israeli attacks in northern Gaza, according to medical sources.
Artillery shelling targeted a school sheltering displaced civilians near Birket Abu Rashid in Jabalia, killing seven people and injuring dozens, a medical source said.
According to witnesses, civilians gathered upon Israeli military orders at the UN-run Kreism School when an Israeli tank fired a shell towards them.
Six people were also killed when an Israeli air strike targeted a group of civilians filling water containers in Jabalia al-Balad in northern Gaza, paramedics said.
Four more Palestinians lost their lives when an Israeli drone strike targeted civilians near al-Saeed Hospital in Jabalia camp, another medical source said.
Three people were also killed and several others wounded in an Israeli strike on al-Shawa School housing displaced civilians in the northern city of Beit Hanoon, the source added.
In Gaza City, nine Palestinians lost their lives and dozens were wounded in Israeli shelling of a home near Birket Sheikh Radwan in the northern part of the city, according to witnesses.
The Israeli army has continued a massive offensive, now in its 17th day, in northern Gaza amid a suffocating siege on the area.
0851 GMT — US envoy arrives in Lebanon
US special envoy Amos Hochstein arrived in Beirut to meet Lebanon's prime minister and parliament speaker Nabih Berri, said an AFP correspondent.
Before meeting Lebanon's prime minister, Hochstein arrived at the Beirut residence of Berri, who is tasked with negotiating on behalf of Hezbollah amid diplomatic efforts to end the war.
Earlier Axios reported that Israel gave the United States a document last week with its conditions for a "diplomatic solution" to end its war on Lebanon.
0818 GMT — WHO to evacuate1,000 Palestinian women in Gaza, children for urgent medical care
Up to 1,000 women and children needing medical care will shortly be evacuated from Gaza to Europe, the head of the World Health Organization's Europe branch has said.
Israel, which is besieging the war-devastated Palestinian territory, "is committed to 1,000 more medical evacuations within the next months to the European Union," Hans Kluge said in an interview with AFP.
He said the evacuations would be facilitated by the WHO the United Nations' health agency and the European countries involved.
07:49 GMT — Israel launches new wave of air strikes on southern Beirut
The Israeli army has launched a series of new air strikes on Beirut, targeting the Lebanese capital's southern suburb, following Israeli threats to bomb buildings housing branches of the Qard al Hassan financial institution affiliated with the Hezbollah group.
Israeli warplanes carried out at least nine strikes within an hour, targeting the association's branches in Hayy al Sellum, Borj al Barajneh, and Ghobeiry in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon's National News Agency reported.
Earlier, the Israeli army threatened to attack "important economic assets" of Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Qard al Hassan is one of the key financial institutions of Hezbollah, established in the 1980s as a charitable association.
0742 GMT — Iran warns UN nuclear watchdog about Israeli threats against its nuclear sites
Iran has warned the UN nuclear watchdog about Israel's threats against its nuclear sites, foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said at a weekly news conference.
07:34 GMT — Israeli air strike on ambulance in southern Lebanon
An Israeli air strike targeted an ambulance in southern Lebanon, leaving several people injured.
The attack took place in the town of Khirbet Selm, east of Tyre, Lebanon's National News Agency reported.
Medical teams and relief workers in Lebanon have been targets of Israeli aggression since the escalation of attacks in late September.
07:29 GMT — Israeli forces destroy homes, shelters in northern Gaza
The Israeli army is carrying out extensive attacks in northern Gaza, destroying homes and shelters, the Palestinian Civil Defence in the enclave said.
Spokesperson Mahmoud Bassal told Anadolu that the Israeli attacks aim to displace residents from northern Gaza and empty the area of its buildings.
He said what is happening in Jabalia represents "ethnic cleansing and the destruction of all life's essentials" amid an escalation of Israeli bombardments on dozens of homes in Jabalia, Beit Lahia and Beit Hanoun.
"The bodies of dozens of martyrs are still under the rubble due to the intense Israeli bombardment in the northern areas, which exacerbates the humanitarian catastrophe in the region," Bassal said.
The Israeli army has pressed ahead with a massive offensive in northern Gaza, now in its 16th day, amid a suffocating siege of the area.
07:23 GMT — Thousands rally in Brussels to demand ceasefire in Gaza, Lebanon
Nearly 32,000 people took to the streets of Belgium's capital to call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon, according to the police.
At the event in Brussels, demonstrators also called on the Belgian government to push for a complete international military embargo against Israel.
The event was organised by a coalition of civil society organisations, the Belga News Agency reported.
06:54 GMT — Death toll from Israeli onslaught in Lebanon surges to 2,464
The death toll from Israel's ongoing onslaught in Lebanon since October 8 last year has surged to at least 2,464, the Lebanese Health Ministry said.
A ministry statement said at least 16 people were killed and 59 others injured in Israeli attacks over the last 24 hours, raising the number of injured to 11,530.
Israel has mounted a massive air campaign in Lebanon against what it claims are Hezbollah targets since September 23, displacing more than 1.34 million people.
06:39 GMT — Two Palestinians killed in Israeli attack on southern Gaza
Two Palestinians were killed and 19 others were injured in two Israeli air strikes targeting a home and a tent housing displaced people in central and southern Gaza.
The two Palestinians were killed in an air strike on the Mawasi area west of Khan Younis, which also injured eight others, a medical source told Anadolu.
Eyewitnesses said an Israeli helicopter targeted a tent sheltering displaced Palestinians in Mawasi, which is designated as a "humanitarian safe zone" by the Israeli army.
