Israel Hamas war: Death toll rises, Netanyahu says Israel to ‘demolish Hamas' as thousands flee Gaza

Blinken assures that the United States' Arab allies do not want the conflict to spill over

The Arab countries that American Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited this week are “determined that the conflict does not spill over,” he assured as he left Cairo for his return to Israel on Sunday.

“No one should add fuel to the fire elsewhere,” he said, while for days violence on the border between Israel and Lebanon has raised fears of a regionalisation of the conflict between Israel and Palestinian Hamas. 

The different Arab capitals where Mr. Blinken visited “are using their own channels to ensure that this does not happen,” he added.

(AFP)

EU underlines 'Israel's right to defend itself in accordance with international law'

The leaders of the 27 countries of the European Union have stressed "Israel's right to defend itself in accordance with humanitarian and international law in the face of violent and indiscriminate attacks" by Hamas, in a joint statement published on Sunday.

“We reaffirm the importance of providing emergency humanitarian assistance and stand ready to continue supporting civilians most in need in Gaza, in coordination with our partners, ensuring that such assistance is not not hijacked by terrorist organizations. It is essential to prevent regional escalation,” they added.

Blinken says he is confident about the passage of aid from Egypt to Gaza

American Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said that he was confident about the passage of humanitarian aid to Gaza, bombed relentlessly by Israel, a sine qua non condition posed by Egypt to help get Americans out of the Palestinian enclave.

“Rafah will be open,” he said, referring to the Egyptian terminal, Gaza’s only opening to the world not controlled by Israel. 

“We are setting up a mechanism with the UN, Egypt and Israel to deliver aid to those who need it,” he added during a visit to Cairo. 

Meanwhile, the first aid first shipments are waiting in the Egyptian Sinai Peninsula for delivery.

(AFP)

Israel's invasion of Gaza 'could lead to genocide' - Arab League, African Union

The ground offensive that the Israeli army have been promising against the Gaza Strip "could lead to a genocide of unprecedented proportions", the heads of the Arab League and the African Union Commission have warned in Cairo.

Ahmed Aboul Gheit and Moussa Faki also called on “the United Nations and the international community to stop a catastrophe”. 

(AFP)

London: Hundreds attend vigil for Israel

Hundreds of people have gathered at a vigil in central London to remember the Israeli victims of Hamas' invasion.

Many held or draped themselves in Israel flags while holding posters reading 'bring them home'.

Israeli death toll rises - Netanyahu's office

A spokesperson for Benjamin Netanyahu has said that more than 1,400 people have been killed in Israel since Hamas’ offensive on 7 October.

“Over 1,400 were killed (and) over 120 Israelis were abducted by Hamas terrorists,” Tal Heinrich, spokeswoman for the Israeli prime minister’s office, told press.

The figure previously stood at a figure closer to 1,300.

Israel confirms resuming water distribution in southern Gaza - minister

(AFP)

Israel does not want a war on its border with Lebanon - defence minister

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant has said the country is "not interested" in a war on the border with Lebanon, after an increase in exchanges of fire.

"We are not interested in a war in the North, we do not want an escalation of the situation," the minister told soldiers, according to a video released by his office, specifying however that "if the Hezbollah chooses the path of war, it will pay a very heavy price.”

(AFP)

Health ministry: Gaza death toll reaches 2,450

The Palestinian health ministry have announced that at least 2,450 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli shelling and air strikes in Gaza.

The ministry also added that the number of people injured has reached at least 9,200 since the start of the conflict. 

In Israel, more than 1,300 people have been killed as a result of Hamas' attacks, according to the latest figures.

US: Biden was involved in decision to renew water supply in southern Gaza

Israel Katz, Israel’s Energy Minister has said that the a decision to renew water supplies to parts of southern Gaza was agreed on between IsraeliPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Joe Biden.

Katz explained that the decision came is in line with Israel's policy to tighten the blockade on the Hamas-ruled territory.

More than 1,400 people killed in Israel on 7 October - new report

More than 1,400 people were killed in Israel in the attack by Palestinian Hamas commandos launched on 7 October against Israeli territory, according to a new report provided on Sunday by the Prime Minister's office.

“More than 1,400 people were killed, more than 120 Israelis were kidnapped by Hamas terrorists,” said Tal Heinrich, the spokesperson for Benjamin Netanyahu, during a press briefing. 

The previous report had put the figure lower - at 1,300 dead.  

(AFP)

Chuck Schumer and visiting US senators rushed to a Tel Aviv shelter during Hamas’ rocket attack

US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said on social media that a bipartisan group of senators visiting Israel was rushed to a shelter in Tel Aviv on Sunday to wait out a rocket attack from Hamas. Schumer posted a photo of himself and Republican Senator Mitt Romney of Utah in the shelter.

“It shows you what Israelis have to go through. We must provide Israel with the support required to defend itself,” Schumer said on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

Schumer, the highest-ranking Jewish elected official in the United States, took the trip to show support for Israel ahead of an expected request from President Joe Biden for Congress to approve wartime funding for Israel as well as Ukraine.

Schumer, a Democrat, has said he would also hold discussions with Israeli officials what kind of support the country would need for both military and humanitarian operations.

Republican Senators Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and Democratic Senators Jacky Rosen of Nevada and Mark Kelly of Arizona were also on the trip.

(AP)

While in Tel Aviv today, our delegation was rushed to a shelter to wait out rockets sent by Hamas. It shows you what Israelis have to go through. We must provide Israel with the support required to defend itself. pic.twitter.com/wS3kq6xFVJ

— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) October 15, 2023

UN aid chief: 'Spectre of death' hanging over Gaza

The aid chief of the United Nations has said a "spectre of death" is hanging over the Gaza region.

Martin Griffiths warned on X - formerly Twitter - that thousands are likely to die without access to food, water and power. 

Griffiths has been vocal since the start of the conflict. Yesterday, he said the humanitarian situation in Gaza is becoming untenable and has previously issued a statement saying the conflict over the last week had been a "test for humanity" and that "humanity is failing".

The specter of death is hanging over #Gaza.

With no water, no power, no food and no medicine, thousands will die.

Plain and simple.

— Martin Griffiths (@UNReliefChief) October 15, 2023

Israelis turn on water pipes in southern Gaza - reports

The White House's national security advisor Jake Sullivan has told CNN interview that Israeli officials have assured him that water pipes in southern Gaza have been turned back on.

Speaking on the news channel's 'State of the Union' programme, Sullivan said that Israeli officials informed him of the development in the last hour. 

Reports out of Gaza say water has yet to appear, however.

White House fears “escalation” and possible “Iranian involvement” in conflict

The United States fears that the conflict between Israel and Hamas will experience an "escalation", the White House national security adviser said on Sunday, also saying he feared a possible "involvement of Iran".

“There is a risk of escalation of this conflict, of the opening of a second front in the north, and of course the involvement of Iran,” Jake Sullivan said in an interview with CBS.

Joe Biden's national security advisor affirmed that the United States could not "discard the hypothesis that Iran decides to get directly involved in one way or another".

“It is a risk, and it is a risk that we have been aware of since the beginning” of the conflict, he added.

"That's why the president acted so quickly and decisively to move an aircraft carrier to the Eastern Mediterranean, to have aircraft in the Gulf, because he sent a very clear message to any state or entity that would seek to fire take advantage of this situation,” Sullivan added.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced on Saturday that the United States was sending a second aircraft carrier to the Eastern Mediterranean, in order to "deter hostile actions against Israel or any effort to expand this war."

The USS Eisenhower and its escort ships will join a first aircraft carrier - the USS Gerald R. Ford - deployed to the region.

(AFP)

London police appeal to find women pictured wearing apparent 'Hamas fighter' images

London's Metropolitan Police force has issued an appeal to trace two women who attended the large pro-Palestine protests in the capital on Saturday.

The pair were pictured wearing images on their clothes, which appeared to show a depiction of a Hamas fighter on a paraglider during last weekend's attack on Israel.

Officers investigating a public order offence wish to identify 2 women who attended the protests yesterday; at present we only have a ‘front on’ image of the woman in red

We ask these women or anyone who knows their identity to contact officers via 101 or @MetCC, ref 3077/15oct pic.twitter.com/1o6CsSYeQL

— Metropolitan Police Events (@MetPoliceEvents) October 15, 2023

Morocco: tens of thousands march in solidarity with Palestinians

Tens of thousands of demonstrators marched in Rabat on Sunday in a march of solidarity with the Palestinians, the most massive since Morocco normalized its diplomatic relations with Israel in 2020, according to AFP.

The two main boulevards of downtown Rabat were crowded, over a kilometre long, with crowds in tight ranks.

'Unconditional support for the resistance to the occupation', 'the people want to liberate Palestine', chanted the demonstrators, some of whom carried huge Palestinian flags at arm's length, called for support for 'Gaza and its sacrifice'.

'Down with Zionism' proclaimed some signs at the demonstration which was also punctuated by prayers against 'tyranny and oppression' and Palestinian songs.

The march was the largest of its kind since Morocco and Israel resumed diplomatic relations at the end of 2020, under American sponsorship.

The agreement with Israel is of great importance for Rabat, chiefly because it came in exchange for the recognition by the United States of Morocco's sovereignty over the disputed territory of Western Sahara.

Cross-border fighting between Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Israel only a ‘warning,’ says group’s spokeswoman

Cross-border clashes between Lebanon and Israel intensified on Sunday, with the Lebanese militant Hezbollah group firing rockets and Israeli forces responding with shelling.

The Israeli army also reported a shooting at one of its border posts. The fighting has killed at least one person on the Israeli side and wounded several on both sides of the border.

Iran-backed Hezbollah, an ally of Gaza’s Hamas rulers and an archenemy of Israel, said in a statement that it had fired rockets towards an Israeli military position in the northern border town Shtula in retaliation for Israeli shelling that killed Reuters videographer Issam Abdallah on Friday and two Lebanese civilians on Saturday.

However, a Hezbollah spokeswoman, Rana Sahili, said Sunday’s increase in the intensity of the exchanges doesn’t indicate Hezbollah has decided to fully enter into the Hamas-Israel war. The fighting on the border is “only skirmishes” and represents a “warning,” she said.

(AP)

Palestinians laid in mass grave in Gaza - WAFA agency

Dozens of Palestinians have been laid in a mass grave in Gaza City due to the overwhelming number of casualties and the lack of space in local cemeteries.

That's according to the Palestinian news agency WAFA.

On its website, they wrote: "The burial sites in Gaza have reached their maximum capacity due to the high number of victims resulting from the wanton Israeli aggression".

Four UK-bound flights have departed Israel

Four UK-government facilitated flights have departed Israel, according to the country's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).

The government also added that another two flights, part of an effort to get British nationals out of the country amid the escalating conflict, are scheduled to leave later today.

The UK Government continues to facilitate British nationals leaving Israel and Gaza.

Three UK Government facilitated flights have now departed Israel for the UK and Cyprus, with more expected in the coming hours.

We are working with the Egyptian authorities to facilitate…

— Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (@FCDOGovUK) October 14, 2023

China tells Iran that Beijing supports 'the just cause' of the Palestinian nation

China says it supports “the just cause of the Palestinian people in preserving their national rights,” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Iranian counterpart on Sunday.

"The deep root... of the situation between Palestine and Israel is that the Palestinian people's right to sovereignty has been put aside for a long time," Wang said in a telephone interview with the minister. of Iranian Foreign Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, according to an official Chinese report.

UN: The war in Gaza has displaced around a million people in a week 

Around a million people have been displaced in the Gaza Strip by the war that broke out after Hamas' bloody attack on Israeli soil on 7 October, the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) have said. 

Juliette Touma, UNRWA communications director, told AFP that "a million people were displaced during the first seven days of the war" between the Islamist Hamas in power in Gaza and Israel.

(AFP)

Israel confirms 126 hostages are in Hamas hands

The Israeli army says it's identified 126 hostages in the hands of Hamas since their bloody attack on 7 October. 

Israeli authorities initially estimated that around 150 Israelis and foreigners had been captured. 

Officials said that figure had been revised downward after the discovery of bodies in southern Israel since the attack - and was still subject to change.

Israeli army spokesman Richard Hecht said Sunday that the figure of 126 hostages had been “confirmed".

The army also said its soldiers had found the remains of some hostages during incursions into the Gaza Strip, without saying how many.

Hamas has previously claimed that 22 hostages died in Israeli strikes, without providing details. 

They also indicated that hostages would be killed in the event of Israeli strikes on civilian targets which are not announced in advance.

Israel will ‘demolish Hamas in Gaza’ - Netanyahu

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has held a meeting of Israel’s expanded emergency cabinet for the first time.

Reports say he told the attendees that Israel is gearing up to “demolish Hamas” in Gaza.

Held in military headquarters in Tel Aviv, the meeting started with ministers standing for a moment’s silence in memory of at least 1,300 Israelis killed in Hamas’ unprecedented attacks on Israel on 7 October.

Blinken arrives in Egypt - will return to Israel on Monday after regional tour 

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will return to Israel on Monday for his second visit to the country in less than a week after visiting six Arab countries, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Sunday.

The American official launched this regional tour to attempt mediation on the conflict between Israel and Palestinian Hamas which has already left thousands of Israelis, Palestinians and foreigners dead and hundreds of thousands displaced in the Gaza Strip, which borders Egypt.

(AFP)

UK Home Secretary issues warnings to protesters at pro-Palestine rallies

The UK's Home Secretary Suella Braverman has warned demonstrators at pro-Palestine rallies not to "promote genocide" and "glofify terrorism".

Her remarks come a day after thousands of people supporting Palestine gathered in London.

In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, the Braverman said: "Thank you to police officers who worked so hard yesterday in difficult circumstances to manage tens of thousands of protesters".

"To all those who saw fit to promote genocide, glorify terrorism and mock the murder of Jewish people, including women and babies - the police are coming for you", she added.

Thank you to police officers who worked so hard yesterday in difficult circumstances to manage tens of thousands of protesters.

Numerous arrests were made as a result of pockets of disorder, violence and hate. (1/2)

— Suella Braverman MP (@SuellaBraverman) October 15, 2023

Irish Foreign Minister condemns siege on Gaza

Ireland's Foreign Minister Micheál Martin has released a statement on the current situation in Gaza.

Posted on X - formerly Twitter - the statement warned Israeli military against their promised assault on Gaza, calling it "deeply dangerous and impossible to implement".

"I am also deeply concerned about rising violence and deaths in the West Bank, including increased incidents of settler violence and displacement of Palestinian communities", the statetment reads.

"Under international law, Israel has a right to defend itself from attack, but this must be done within the parameters of international humanitarian law", it adds.

A Statement by the Tánaiste on the situation in the Middle East. Also available to read at; https://t.co/y8RRqyaUIs pic.twitter.com/xXkS4PfN5B

— Irish Foreign Ministry (@dfatirl) October 15, 2023

Iran warns that 'no one can guarantee control of the situation' if Israel invades Gaza 

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian has warned that "no one" could "guarantee control of the situation" if Israel launched a ground offensive from Gaza.

“If the attacks of the Zionist regime against the defenseless population of Gaza continue, no one can guarantee control of the situation and the prospect of a widening of the conflict,” he said in Doha, according to comments in a press release from the country's ministry of Foreign Affairs.

(AFP)

Israelis in the southern city of Sderot near Gaza board buses to escape Hamas’ rockets

Residents of the southern Israeli city of Sderot boarded buses for other parts of the country on Sunday to escape the rocket barrages from the Gaza Strip.

Palestinian Hamas militants who infiltrated Israel on a rampage that killed more than 1,300 people more than a week ago have also bombarded the country with thousands of rockets. Sderot, a city of about 34,000 people located about a mile from the Gaza border, has been a frequent target.

One of the residents, Yossi Edri, told Channel 13 before boarding a bus that “children are traumatised, they can’t sleep at night.”

Thousands already left the city last week under a state-sponsored program that puts them up in hotels elsewhere as a respite from the violence. The program in Sderot was expanded Sunday.

“There is no reason to return to Sderot,” Mayor Alon Davidi told Army Radio. “It’s on the front line.”

(AP)

WHO delivers medical supplies ‘despite the airstrikes’

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has announced on X - formerly Twitter - that it has been able to deliver lifesaving medical supplies for 2,000 patients in Gaza despite Israeli airstrikes.

In the post, the organisation also called for an end to hostilities and for the protection of health facilities, health workers, patients and civilians in the region. 

Despite the airstrikes & risks to their own security, @WHO team in Gaza has delivered lifesaving medical supplies to care for 2000 patients.@WHO calls for an end to hostilities & for the protection of health facilities, health workers, patients & civilians.#NotATarget pic.twitter.com/UzvUwY7euO

— WHO in occupied Palestinian territory (@WHOoPt) October 15, 2023

Pope calls for humanitarian corridors for Gaza residents

Pope Francis has launched an appeal for the “urgent” opening of humanitarian corridors for the inhabitants of the Gaza Strip, bombed and besieged by Israel.

“Humanitarian law must be respected, especially in Gaza where it is urgent and necessary to guarantee humanitarian corridors and help the population,” declared the Pope after his traditional Angelus prayer in St. Peter's Square, Rome. 

“I strongly ask that children, the sick, the elderly, women and all civilians not be victims of the conflict,” he added.

Pope Francis also renewed his call “for the release of the hostages” kidnapped by Hamas fighters in southern Israel. He invited “all believers to unite in prayer with the Church in the Holy Land” on 17 October.

(AFP)

Israel closes border area with Lebanon to civilians 

The Israeli army announced on Sunday that it will close access to the border area with Lebanon to civilians, after shots from both sides left one person dead in Israel.

After "the assessment of the situation and the recent shooting in northern Israel, a four-kilometer zone from the northern border with Lebanon was closed," the army said in a statement.

At least 279 Israeli soldiers killed - military

Israel's military has announced that at least 279 of its soldiers have been killed since Hamas launched its attack over a week ago.

It also added that the number of hostages in Gaza currently stands at 126.

Over 1,300 Israelis have reportedly been killed in the initial Hamas assault and in rocket attacks from Gaza.

With fuel running out and Israel’s ground offensive approaching, Gaza hospitals warn of an impending tragedy

In Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza’s second largest hospital, the ICU rooms are packed full of wounded patients, most of them children below the age of 3. Hundreds of people with blast injuries have come to the hospital in the past eight days and many risk death as fuel is expected to run out by Monday, said Dr. Mohammed Qandeel, a consultant at the critical care complex of the hospital.

Many patients have severe and complex injuries and need intensive care, he said. “The difference with this escalation is we don’t have medical aid coming in from outside, the border is closed, electricity is off and this constitutes a high danger for our patients,” he said.

He added there are 35 patients in the ICU unit who depend on ventilators to stay alive. A further 60 patients are on dialysis. If fuel runs out, “it means the whole health system will be shut down, the services will be off,” he said. “We are talking about another catastrophe, another war crime, a historical tragedy.”

“All these patients are in danger of death if the electricity is cut off,” he said.

Further north, In the Kamal Alwan Hospital, the head of pediatrics Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya said the hospital did not evacuate despite the Israeli order to move south because there was no way to move patients without risking their lives.

“They have asked us to evacuate the hospital but we did not answer that order because evacuating the hospitals means death to all the children and patients under our care. We shall not evacuate the hospital even if it costs us our lives,” he said, adding that there are seven newborns in the ICU hooked up to ventilators.

Cross-border fire on Lebanon border kills one person

Cross-border fire erupted between Israel and Lebanon early on Sunday, killing at least one person on the Israeli side of the border.

Both the Israeli military and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah acknowledged the fighting.

Hezbollah said it shelled Israeli military positions in the northern border town of Shtula. The group said in a statement the attack was in retaliation for Israeli shelling that killed Reuters videographer Issam Abdallah on Friday and two Lebanese civilians on Saturday.

Israel has responded by targeting the outskirts of the town of Ait el-Shaab, the Israeli military said.

Israel’s Magen David Adom rescue service said a 40-year-old man was killed in the attack from Lebanon, without elaborating or giving his nationality

As Israel wages its war against Hamas over last week’s unprecedented attack by the Gaza Strip militant group, there’s been concern that Hezbollah could enter the war as well as Israel moves toward launching a ground offensive in Gaza.

(AP)

Aid to Gaza piling up in Egypt, border still closed

Humanitarian aid arriving from several countries continued to pile up on Sunday in Egyptian Sinai, bordering the Gaza Strip bombed and besieged by Israel, without however reaching Palestinian territory, witnesses told AFP.

The border crossing to Egypt has been closed following three Israeli bombings in less than 24 hours on Monday and Tuesday.

Already, shipments of Jordanian, Turkish and Emirati aid have landed at El-Arich airport, capital of North Sinai, as well as medical equipment covering the needs of 300,000 people in the Gaza Strip sent by the World Health Organization (WHO). Egypt sent a convoy of around a hundred trucks carrying 1,000 tonnes of aid.

(AFP)

Israel says it's killed the person responsible for attack on Gaza kibbutz

A Palestinian Hamas commander responsible for an attack on an Israeli kibbutz adjacent to the Gaza Strip last week was killed in a strike, the Israeli military reported Sunday.

Billal al Kedra, commander of Hamas forces in the Khan Younes sector (south of the Gaza Strip) and responsible for the attack on Kibbutz Nirim, "was killed yesterday evening (Saturday)" by Israeli aircraft, indicates a military press release.

According to Israeli media, at least five people were killed in Nirim, where residents experienced a nine-hour siege before the intervention of Israeli forces who confronted fighters from the Islamist Hamas.

The Israeli army also indicated on Sunday that it had targeted other members of the Palestinian Islamist movement, command centers, military and missile launch sites and observation posts, believing that it had "affected the capabilities of the terrorist organisation".

Strikes also targeted members and the headquarters of Islamic Jihad, another Islamist organisation present in Gaza, which was destroyed, an Israeli army spokesperson said in a statement.

(AFP)

Israel says it hits Lebanon in retaliation for shooting - army

Israel has said it will strike Lebanon after shots targeting its soil, in a context of violence in the Middle East.

The Israeli army reported fire coming from Lebanon towards the town of Shtula, on the border and a military position. “In response, the army is striking Lebanese soil,” it annouced. 

Palestinian deaths soar past 2,300

The Gaza Health Ministry says 2,329 Palestinians have been killed since the latest fighting erupted, making this the deadliest of the five Gaza wars for Palestinians.

The death toll on Sunday surpassed that of the third war between Israel and Hamas, in the summer of 2014, when 2,251 Palestinians, including 1,462 civilians, were killed, according to UN figures.

That war lasted six weeks, and 74 people were killed on the Israeli side, including six civilians.

The current war erupted a week ago when Hamas militants stormed into southern Israel in a shocking surprise attack. More than 1,300 Israelis have been killed in the initial, wide-ranging assault and in rocket attacks from Gaza. The overwhelming majority were civilians.

For Israel, this is the deadliest war since the 1973 conflict with Egypt and Syria.

(AP)

Egypt border crossing remains closed

The Rafah crossing point between Egypt and Gaza remained closed on Sunday morning, as Egyptian authorities continued negotiations with Israel, the U.S. and Palestinian militant groups over allowing aid to flow into the besieged strip and letting Americans and other foreigners and wounded Palestinians cross into Egypt, two Egyptian officials said.

Convoys of humanitarian aid, including shipments from Turkey and Jordan, have been waiting near the crossing point for delivery to Gaza, they said.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to brief media.

(AP)

Blinken meets with Saudi Crown Prince

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh as the Biden administration scrambles to prevent the Israel-Hamas war from becoming a broader regional conflict.

Blinken and the crown prince spoke Sunday for a little less than an hour at his private farm outside the capital, US officials said. Asked how the meeting went, Blinken replied “very productive,” but there were no other immediate details. The meeting, which had been expected late Saturday night but never materialised, was closed to media.

The talks came just hours after the Israeli military warned that a full-scale assault on Hamas positions in the Gaza Strip would begin soon amid increasingly dire warnings that the expected ground invasion will have devastating consequences for Palestinian civilians.

Prince Mohammed is the sixth Arab leader Blinken has met in person since he arrived in the Middle East on Thursday, stopping first in Israel to reaffirm the Biden administration’s pledge to stand with and support Israel. From Israel, Blinken has traveled throughout the region meeting the leaders of Jordan, the Palestinian Authority, Qatar, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. He plans to visit Egypt later Sunday.

(AP)

Hamas says three killed after crossing border between Lebanon and Israel

Hamas announced early on Sunday that three of its members from Lebanon had been killed after crossing the border from Lebanon into Israel and clashing with Israeli forces.

The group said in a statement that its militants had “inflicted losses” before being targeted by Israeli airstrikes.

Since the outbreak of the latest Hamas-Israel war on 7 October, there have been sporadic border clashes between Israeli forces and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, a Hamas ally, and with Palestinian armed groups in Lebanon including Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

(AP)

Monitor says Israel attacks airport in northern Syria

A Syrian opposition war monitor and a pro-government media outlet say Israel’s military has attacked the international airport of the northern city of Aleppo, putting it out of service.

Al-Watan daily said the Saturday night strike hit the runway of Aleppo airport - putting it out of service just hours after it was fixed following a similar Israeli strike on Thursday.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also reported that the strike also hit the runway at Aleppo airport.

The attack on Aleppo airport came shortly after a rocket was reportedly fired from Syria into the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights.

On Thursday, Israeli struck the runways in Aleppo and Damascus International Airport. Aleppo was fixed within a day before it was again targeted Saturday.

There was no immediate comment from Israel’s military, which rarely confirms such strikes.

(AP)

The EU announces tripling of its humanitarian aid to Gaza - to €75m

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has announced a tripling of EU humanitarian aid, €75 million euros, for the population of the Gaza Strip, where Israel is carrying out intense bombing in response to the Hamas attack.

"The Commission will immediately increase the current humanitarian aid package for Gaza by 50 million euros. This will bring the total to more than 75 million euros," the German official said after speaking with the Secretary General of the UN, Antonio Guterres.

“We will continue our close cooperation with the United Nations and its agencies to ensure that this aid reaches those who need it in the Gaza Strip,” she added.

"The Commission supports Israel's right to defend itself against Hamas terrorists, in full compliance with international humanitarian law. We are working hard to ensure that innocent civilians in Gaza are supported in this context", Von der Leyen said.

European Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic also stressed that it was "essential to ensure safe and unrestricted access to humanitarian aid."

US to send a second carrier strike group to support Israel

The Biden administration is sending the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower carrier strike group to the Eastern Mediterranean to support Israel, two defence officials told The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity to discuss the move ahead of its announcement.

The Eisenhower will join the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group, which is already sailing near Israel, to bolster US presence there with a host of destroyers, fighter aircraft and cruisers.

Having two carriers in the region can provide a host of options.

They can disperse and serve as primary command and control operations centers, to cover a wide swath of area. They can conduct information warfare. They can launch and recover E2-Hawkeye surveillance planes that provide early warnings on missile launches, conduct surveillance and manage the airspace.

Both ships carry F-18 fighter jets that could fly intercepts or strike targets. They also have significant capabilities for humanitarian work, including an onboard hospital with medics, surgeons and doctors, and they sail with helicopters that can be used to airlift critical supplies in or victims out.

(AP)