Thursday, October 31, 2024
1201 GMT — Six Lebanese health workers have been killed and four wounded in Israeli strikes across south Lebanon, the Health Ministry said in a statement.
The total number of health workers killed by Israel since October 2023 rose to 178 and 279 wounded, the ministry added.
1222 GMT — US envoys in Israel to seek Lebanon truce plan
Senior US officials were to meet their Israeli counterparts to discuss a possible deal to end Tel Aviv's war in Lebanon.
Less than a week before the US presidential election, Washington's envoys Amos Hochstein and Brett McGurk were expected in Israel and Israeli forces continued their fierce ground and air assault across Lebanon.
On Wednesday, Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati expressed optimism about a ceasefire in "the coming hours or days" and Hezbollah's new leader Naim Qassem said the group would accept a truce under certain conditions.
1220 GMT — Rocket fire from Lebanon kills five in northern Israel
Rocket fire from Lebanon killed five people in northern Israel, including four foreign workers, in the deadliest such attack since Israel's invasion earlier this month.
The attack came as senior US diplomats were in the region to push for ceasefires in Lebanon and Gaza, hoping to wind down the Israeli wars in the Middle East in the Biden administration's final months.
1215 GMT — Lebanon PM calls Israel evacuation warnings a 'war crime'
Lebanon's prime minister condemned Israel for issuing evacuation warnings for entire areas and called for diplomatic pressure for a halt to its strikes more than a month into the war.
"The threats issued by the Israeli enemy against Lebanese civilians to evacuate entire cities and leave their areas and homes are an additional war crime added to the series of crimes committed by the enemy," Najib Mikati said in a statement.
Mikati added that he was "requesting intensified pressure on Israel to stop its aggression".
1136 GMT — Israeli war has killed one child a day in Lebanon in past month: UN
The United Nations children's agency said Israel's war in Lebanon has killed at least one child a day in the country over the past month.
"Since October 4th of this year, at least one child has been killed and 10 injured daily," UNICEF said.
It added that "the ongoing war in Lebanon is upending children's lives".
1110 GMT — Mideast conflicts to leave 'lasting scars': IMF
Gaza, Lebanon and Sudan will take decades to recover from the conflicts raging on their soil, the International Monetary Fund said after downgrading the region's growth forecast.
Israel's military aggression in Gaza and Lebanon, and Sudan's civil war would have enduring impacts, the IMF said, adding: "The damage caused by these conflicts will leave lasting scars at their epicentres for decades."
The IMF has lowered its predicted growth for the Middle East and Central Asia to 2.1 percent for 2024, a drop of 0.6 percent due to the wars and lower oil production.
0957 GMT — Egypt’s president discusses Gaza ceasefire efforts with CIA director
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al Sisi met in Cairo with CIA Director William Burns to discuss mediation efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza.
Talks between the two sides dwelt on ways to advance the negotiations to reach a ceasefire and prisoner swap deal between Hamas and Israel, the presidency said in a statement.
They also highlighted the need for the immediate entry of humanitarian aid into besieged Gaza amid deteriorating conditions in the enclave, it added.
0946 GMT — Lebanon source says one dead in Israeli strike on car near Beirut
A Lebanese security source has said one person was killed by an Israeli strike on a road where a Hezbollah van carrying munitions was hit the previous day.
The drone strike hit the Araya-Kahhale road which links the capital Beirut to Lebanon's eastern Bekaa Valley, said the source, who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.
It targeted a vehicle, killing the driver, the source said, without identifying the victim.
The Israeli army has destroyed a UNRWA building in Nur Shams refugee camp in Tulkarem, occupied northern West Bank, two days after the decision to ban the agency's work, eyewitnesses have said.
0858 GMT — Germany, France, UK call for urgent renewal of Israeli-Palestinian banking services
Germany, France and Britain call for the urgent renewal of correspondent banking services between Israel and Palestine for at least one year, the German foreign office has said.
"Failure to renew would suspend cross-border trade and be catastrophic for the Palestinian economy," the ministry said in a post on social media platform X.
0850 GMT — Israel army issues evacuation call for south Lebanon including refugee camp
The Israeli army has issued an evacuation call for several areas of south Lebanon, including a Palestinian refugee camp.
"Hezbollah's terrorist activities force the IDF (Israeli army) to act forcefully against it in these areas, and we do not intend to harm you," the Israeli military's Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee said in a post on X.
Among the areas listed was Rashidieh camp, which houses thousands of Palestinian refugees.
0757 GMT — Yemen’s Houthis report one more US-UK air strike on Hudaida
US-British warplanes have launched a new air strike in Hudaida in western Yemen, the Houthi group has said.
The air strike targeted al Hawak district in the province, the Houthi-run Al-Masirah television said.
No details were provided about casualties or damage.
0753 GMT — Islamic Resistance in Iraq group targets Israeli sites with combat drones
An Iraqi group backed by Iran has claimed five attacks against Israeli targets in support of the Palestinians and Lebanon.
According to separate statements, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq group said it attacked two vital targets in the occupied Golan Heights with combat drones.
The group also said it struck other vital targets, including military ones, in northern and southern Israel.
0627 GMT — Israeli forces kill three Palestinians in occupied West Bank
Israeli strikes on the occupied West Bank's Nur Shams refugee camp killed two Palestinians including a child, the Palestinian health ministry reported.
One Palestinian was shot and killed by the Israeli army overnight in the West Bank's refugee camp of Tulkarem, the health ministry added.
Official Palestinian news agency WAFA said a large number of Israeli vehicles and heavy bulldozers stormed the city and headed towards the Nur Shams refugee camp.
2059 GMT — Arab League to hold emergency meeting on Israeli ban on UNRWA
The Arab League has announced holding an emergency session to address Israel's decision to block the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) from operating in occupied Palestinian territories.
In a statement, the league said the session, led by Yemen and requested by Jordan, will bring together the League's permanent representatives at its Cairo headquarters to form a united response to the ban.
2043 GMT — Rapporteur urges Israel's UN membership suspension
A UN rapporteur urged the suspension of Israel's UN membership, citing repeated violations of international law and the occupation of Palestinian territories.
"I do believe that the impunity that has been granted to Israel has allowed it to become a serial violator of international law," Francesca Albanese, UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories, said at a news conference.
Albanese said she recommends that the General Assembly consider the suspension of Israel's credential as a member of the UN until it ends violating international laws and withdraws the occupation, which she said is "clearly unlawful."
2022 GMT — Israel threatens new Hezbollah leader with fate of predecessor
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz issued a threat to Hezbollah's new chief, Naim Qassem, that he would meet the same fate as his predecessor, Hassan Nasrallah.
Katz responded to Qassem's first official speech, where the Hezbollah leader pledged to continue Nasrallah's path of resistance. Katz vowed on X that Israel "will make sure" of Qassem’s demise "soon."
2059 GMT — Arab League to hold emergency meeting on Israeli ban on UNRWA
The Arab League has announced holding an emergency session to address Israel's decision to block the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) from operating in Palestinian territories.
In a statement, the league said the session, led by Yemen and requested by Jordan, will bring together the League's permanent representatives at its Cairo headquarters to form a united response to the ban.
2043 GMT — Rapporteur urges Israel's UN membership suspension
A UN rapporteur urged the suspension of Israel's UN membership, citing repeated violations of international law and the occupation of Palestinian territories.
"I do believe that the impunity that has been granted to Israel has allowed it to become a serial violator of international law," Francesca Albanese, UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories, said at a news conference.
Albanese said she recommends that the General Assembly consider the suspension of Israel's credential as a member of the UN until it ends violating international laws and withdraws the occupation, which she said is "clearly unlawful."
For our live updates from Wednesday, October 30, 2024, click here.
