This blog has now closed. You can read our latest report from the region here and all our Middle East coverage here.
Some more eyewitness accounts are filtering out from central Beirut, after the Israeli strikes that killed at least 22 people.
From AFP:
In the working-class district of Basta, whose inhabitants are largely Sunni and Shiite Muslim, two old buildings of three or four floors had collapsed.
Around a kilometre away (less than a mile), a Beirut resident was still reeling from the terrifying sound of the blast.
“I’m not scared usually, but it was like an earthquake,” she said, adding that she wanted to flee the area.
Hassan Jaber, who lives in a nearby building, said he was wounded in the hand and leg.
“I went out to throw out the rubbish, opened the door of the lift and the strike hit” and he was propelled to the ground, he said.
Meanwhile, CNN reports that people could be seen overwhelmed with grief outside the American University of Beirut Medical Center, where some of the casualties of Thursday night’s strikes on the city centre were being treated.
Outside the emergency ward, an elderly woman rocked back and forth with a dazed look in her eyes.
A man came to her with terrible news: “Abbas’s son and daughter are martyrs,” he said, his hand on her shoulder. “Thank God for everything. Don’t forget to say thank God for everything.”
A few moments later, the woman burst into tears.
Two witnesses told CNN they saw an entire building collapse from one of tonight’s strikes in central Beirut, saying the structure was full of recently displaced people and residents.
“The bomb hit. And the entire building fell down,” one of the witnesses, Hassan, told CNN outside a hospital near Beirut’s Upper Basta neigborhood. “There were so many people in the building. Not just the residents but also people who were displaced from other parts of the country,” he said.
There continues to be an outpouring of outrage after the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon said on Thursday that Israeli forces had deliberately fired on its positions, injuring two peacekeepers from Indonesia.
The Israeli military confirmed its troops opened fire in the area of the UN peacekeeping mission’s base, claiming that Hezbollah fighters operate from within and near civilian areas in southern Lebanon, including areas near Unifil posts. Unifil said in a statement that any attack on peacekeepers is a “grave violation of international humanitarian law”.
The safety and security of the UN’s more than 10,400 peacekeepers in Lebanon are “increasingly in jeopardy” and operations have virtually halted since late September, UN peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix told the Security Council.
Hezbollah said it had fired a missile salvo at Israeli forces on Thursday as they were trying to pull casualties out of the Ras al-Naqoura area, and they were directly hit.
In New York, Israel’s UN ambassador Danny Danon said Israel was focused on fighting Hezbollah and recommended Unifil relocate 5 km (3 miles) north “to avoid danger as fighting intensifies”.
The United States said it was deeply concerned by reports that Israeli forces fired on UN positions and was pressing Israel for details.
“We understand Israel is conducting targeted operations near the Blue Line to destroy Hezbollah infrastructure that could be used to threaten Israeli citizens,” a White House spokesperson said, referring to the demarcation line between Israel and Lebanon. “While they undertake these operations, it is critical that they not threaten UN peacekeepers’ safety and security.”
France’s foreign ministry said it “expresses its deep concern following the Israeli shots that hit the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and condemns any attack on the security of UNIFIL.”
Turkey’s foreign ministry said: “Israel’s attack on UN forces, following its massacres against civilians in Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon is a manifestation of its perception that its crimes go unpunished.”
Israel’s military said in a statement its troops operated in the Naqoura area, “next to a UNIFIL base.”
“Accordingly, the IDF instructed the UN forces in the area to remain in protected spaces, following which the forces opened fire in the area,” Israel’s statement said, adding it maintains routine communication with UNIFIL.
Italy’s defense minister defined the recent Israeli attacks on U.N. peacekeeping bases in southern Lebanon as possible “war crimes” and “very serious violations” of international laws Thursday.
Italy’s defence minister Guido Crosetto said he has asked for a formal explanation from Israeli authorities on the attacks on Unifil bases, which he said “were not an accident nor a mistake”, AP reports.
“We won’t accept the justification that Israeli military forces had previously alerted UNIFIL that some of its bases had to be abandoned,” Crosetto said.
The European Union’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, also sharply condemned Israeli strikes on the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Lebanon as “an inadmissible act, for which there is no justification.”
“Another line has been dangerously crossed in Lebanon,” he wrote on social media platform X.
Jordan’s foreign ministry also denounced the Israeli strikes on the U.N. base as a “dangerous escalation” and “flagrant violation of international law.”
Strike on central Beirut is deadliest since start of war
At least 22 people were killed after Israeli airstrikes hit residential areas of central Beirut on Thursday evening, making them the deadliest attacks to target central Beirut since the start of the war.
Wafiq Safa, a top Hezbollah security official, eluded an Israeli assassination attempt on Thursday in Beirut, Reuters reported citing three security sources, as UN said its peacekeepers in southern Lebanon were in growing danger.
The Israeli strikes hit a densely packed residential neighbourhood of apartment buildings and shops in working class districts in the heart of Beirut. Israel had not previously struck the area, which is removed from Beirut’s southern suburbs where Hezbollah’s headquarters have been repeatedly bombed by Israel.
More from Reuters:
The number of casualties rose quickly, and as midnight approached the Lebanese Health Ministry reported 22 people killed and 117 wounded. Among the dead was a family of eight, including three children, who had evacuated from the south.
After Israel killed a series of top Hezbollah officials in recent weeks, including top leader Hassan Nasrallah, Safa was among the few surviving senior figures as the group’s upper echelons struggled to reorganise.
The attempt to kill Safa, whose role merges security and political affairs, marked a widening of targeting of Hezbollah officials by Israel, which had so far focused on the group’s military commanders and top leaders.
Al Jazeera reporter Laura Khan, meanwhile, describes scenes of chaos in central Beirut.
The hospitals have asked for no one to come and donate blood at the moment because they are already overwhelmed, so having more people come in to donate is just going to push them even further.
I was about a kilometre and a half (about 1 mile) away when the attack occurred. I heard a very deep rumble.
People outside told our colleagues that they saw streaks in the sky and, of course, big explosions.
We know that people were running and screaming in these neighbourhoods, absolutely traumatised.
A quick dispatch from Reuters on the campaign trail with vice-president and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris in Las Vegas:
Kamala Harris said on Thursday that de-escalation was needed in the Middle East, a region which has been on edge for months amid Israel’s wars in Gaza and Lebanon.
Updated
Joe Biden and Benjamin Netanyahu moved closer to an understanding on the scope of Israel’s planned retaliation against Iran during their call on Wednesday, Axios is reporting, citing three unnamed US and Israeli officials.
The Biden administration accepts that Israel will soon launch a major attack on Iran, but it fears that current plans are more aggressive than the White House would like, the report said, and potentially escalate the regional war dramatically.
However, after the Biden-Netanyahu call, a U.S. official said, “We are moving in the right direction.” Another U.S. official said the administration was a little less nervous about Israel’s plans after the call, Axios reported.
The Israeli security cabinet convened on Thursday night local time for a briefing about the plans to attack Iran and about the understandings with the Biden administration, Axios reported, citing Israeli officials.
Summary of the day so far
It’s 1am in Beirut, Gaza and Tel Aviv. Here’s a recap of the latest developments:
At least 22 people were killed and more than 100 others injured after Israeli airstrikes hit residential areas of central Beirut on Thursday evening. The strikes hit the working-class district of Basta and the Nweiri neighbourhood, the deadliest attacks to target central Beirut since Israel intensified its bombardment campaign on the country two weeks ago. Hezbollah’s Al Manar TV reported that the strikes were an attempt to assassinate Wafiq Safa, a top security official with the group, which it said had failed.
At least 28 people, including women and children, have been killed after an Israeli airstrike hit a school sheltering displaced people in central Gaza on Thursday morning. The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said it had responded to 27 fatalities and 54 injuries after the strike on the school turned shelter in Deir al-Balah. The Israeli military said it targeted militants who were operating in the compound.
More than 42,065 Palestinians have been killed and 97,886 injured in Israel’s military offensive on Gaza since 7 October 2023, the Gaza health ministry said in a statement on Thursday. In Lebanon, the health ministry said 2,169 killed and 10,212 wounded over the past year of conflict. The Lebanese figure did not include the casualties from the latest Israeli strikes on central Beirut on Thursday evening.
Unifil, the UN-peacekeeping force in Lebanon, said its headquarters and nearby positions in southern Lebanon have been repeatedly hit amid recent escalation along the blue line. A Unifil spokesperson said it was “alarmed” and “deeply concerned” after it said Israeli forces deliberately fired on its positions, injuring two peacekeepers. The alleged attacks brought expressions of outrage from UN member states who contribute troops to Unifil. The two injured UN peacekeepers were Indonesian. The Israeli military confirmed its troops opened fire in the area of the UN peacekeeping mission’s base, claiming that Hezbollah fighters operate from within and near civilian areas in southern Lebanon, including areas near Unifil posts.
The Israeli military continued to push on with an offensive that began six days ago, when it sent its troops into Jabaliya, the largest of Gaza’s eight historic refugee camps and the nearby towns of Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahiya. Palestinian health officials say at least 130 people have been killed so far in the operation, which Israel says is aimed at preventing Hamas from regrouping. The military has told residents to evacuate an area in which the UN estimates more than 400,000 people are trapped.
Three hospitals in northern Gaza – Indonesian, Al-Awda and Kamal Adwan hospitals – have been ordered by Israeli forces to evacuate, putting patients’ lives at risk, medics say. The director of Kamal Adwan hospital n northern Gaza said eight patients, mostly children, were at risk inside the intensive care units should the Israeli army force them to evacuate. Israeli bombardment near Kamal Adwan hospital has already caused some damage to the facility, medics said. Officials said they know of many fatalities lying on the roads outside the hospital because of Israeli fire.
Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the UN Palestinian refugee agency, Unrwa, said some Unrwa shelters and services were being forced to shut down for the first time since the war began and that with almost no basic supplies available, hunger was spreading again in northern Gaza, amid witness accounts of bodies lying uncollected in the streets because of the renewed fighting.
Joe Biden and Benjamin Netanyahu spoke for the first time in weeks on Wednesday amid expectations of an imminent Israeli strike on Iran. The US vice-president Kamala Harris also joined the call. The White House said Biden emphasised “the need to minimize harm to civilians, in particular in the densely populated areas of Beirut”. The readout did not directly mention possible retaliation for the Iranian missile strike but said Biden had condemned Tehran’s attack “unequivocally” and pledged “ironclad” support for Israel.
The US called on Israel to urgently address “catastrophic conditions” among Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip and stop “intensifying suffering” by limiting aid deliveries. Speaking to the UN security council on Thursday, UN ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield also warned Israel against trying to permanently expel Palestinians from Gaza or seize any territory for itself.
Israel’s defence minister, Yoav Gallant, warned its next strike on Iran will be “deadly, precise and surprising”. “Whoever attacks us will be hurt and will pay a price. Our attack will be deadly, precise and above all surprising, they will not understand what happened and how it happened, they will see the results,” Gallant said in a video message on Israeli media on Wednesday night, broadcast after he postponed a scheduled trip to Washington, and a few hours after the conversation between Benjamin Netanyahu and Joe Biden.
Gulf states have been lobbying Washington to stop Israel from attacking Iran’s oil sites because they are concerned their own oil facilities could come under fire from Tehran’s proxies if the conflict escalates. As part of their attempts to avoid being caught in the crossfire, Gulf states including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar are also refusing to let Israel fly over their airspace for any attack on Iran and have conveyed this to Washington, three sources told Reuters.
Israel’s military said it had “eliminated” a Hezbollah member in Syria who it claimed had relayed intelligence against Israel in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Syrian state TV said early on Thursday that Israel had carried out airstrikes targeting an industrial site in the Syrian city of Homs and a military site in the countryside near the city of Hama, causing “some material damage”.
A UN inquiry said it found that Israeli actions in Gaza amounted to both war crimes and the crime against humanity of extermination. A statement by ex-UN high commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay on Thursday accused Israel of “relentless and deliberate attacks on medical personnel and facilities” in the war in Gaza, and said Israel carried out a concerted policy of destroying Gaza’s healthcare system.
Humanitarian organisations including Amnesty International, Oxfam and War on Want called on the UK government to stop all arms transfers to Israel. “The escalation of Israel’s attacks on Lebanon underscore our concerns and the need for the UK government to immediately suspend all weapons licences to Israel, and ensure it is not complicit in atrocities,” the letter said on Thursday.
EU staff stepped up their criticism over Europe’s “inaction” in response to the Israel-Gaza war, in a letter calling on the bloc’s senior officials to start a dialogue with them aimed at changing course on the Middle East crisis. The war has sharply divided EU member states: Hungary and the Czech Republic are Israel’s strongest supporters, while Spain, Ireland and non-EU Norway have recognised the Palestinian state.
Unicef confirmed that the second round of polio vaccination for children in the Gaza Strip will start on 14 October. Unicef executive director Catherine Russell in a statement on Thursday said “area-specific humanitarian pauses” had been agreed for the vaccination, adding that it was “critical that these pauses are respected by all parties.”
A young person has been detained in Sweden after a shooting at an Israeli defence company on Thursday. Police are investigating the incident, at Elbit Systems Sweden in Kallebäck, Gothenburg on Thursday morning, as attempted murder and aggravated weapons offences. Nobody was injured.
UN peacekeepers determined to stay in Lebanon despite Israeli attacks, says Unifil
A spokesperson for the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon (Unifil) said its peacekeepers are determined to remain at their posts in southern Lebanon despite Israeli attacks in recent days that have wounded UN staff.
Unifil spokesperson Andrea Tenenti said recent Israeli attacks on the force was “one of the most serious events or incidents that we’ve been witnessing in the last 12 months”, Reuters reported.
Unifil’s 50 contributing countries agreed on Thursday to keep deploying more than 10,400 peacekeepers between the Litani River in the north and the Blue Line in the south. Tenenti said:
We are there because the Security Council has asked us to be there. So we are staying until the situation becomes impossible for us to operate.
As we reported earlier, the UN’s peacekeeping chief, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, warned that its forces are “increasingly in jeopardy” and confined to their bases, and that one Unifil contractor had already been killed.
Mystery surrounded the whereabouts and health of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) commander Esmail Ghaani, amid reports that he was being investigated over how Israel managed to penetrate and crush the command structure of Hezbollah, the Lebanese militia at the heart of the Iranian “axis of resistance”.
It is known that Ghaani, who leads the IRGC’s al-Quds force, was in Beirut at the time of the killing of Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, but Iranian authorities have insisted he is alive, and even in line for an award for valour.
The Qatari-backed outlet Middle East Eye claimed Ghaani had been put under house arrest and was being investigated over the failures that allowed Israel to penetrate the Hezbollah network so effectively. Another Arabic outlet claimed Ghaani had suffered a heart attack during questioning.
Israeli sources said the reports, regardless of their veracity, showed the degree of stress inside the IRGC over the destruction of the Hezbollah leadership in Lebanon.
Read the full story here: Iran general’s whereabouts in question after Israeli strikes on Hezbollah
Canada, which has been largely supportive of Israel’s military offensive in Lebanon, on Thursday said an incident in which Israeli troops fired on UN peacekeepers was “alarming and unacceptable.”
A statement from the Canadian foreign ministry reads:
Canada calls for the protection of peacekeepers and humanitarian workers, and for all parties to comply with international humanitarian law.
1/2 The IDF firing on #UNIFIL peacekeepers and first responders in #Lebanon is alarming and unacceptable. Canada reiterates its full support for UNIFIL and its critical role in contributing to a diplomatic settlement consistent with UNSCR 1701.
— Foreign Policy CAN (@CanadaFP) October 10, 2024
2/2 Canada calls for the protection of peacekeepers and humanitarian workers, and for all parties to comply with international humanitarian law.
— Foreign Policy CAN (@CanadaFP) October 10, 2024
The two United Nations peacekeeping troops wounded by weapons fired by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) earlier today were at a Unifil observation post known as OP-14 in Naquora, southern Lebanon.
The UN posted to X also that “close by, also early this morning, IDF soldiers fired on a UN position UNP 1-31 from an opening in the fence made by the IDF the previous day during adjacent ground works. Several vehicles and a communications system were damaged.”
Close by, also early this morning, IDF soldiers fired on a UN position UNP 1-31 from an opening in the fence made by the IDF the previous day during adjacent ground works
— UN News (@UN_News_Centre) October 10, 2024
Several vehicles and a communications system were damaged
It added that: “Just yesterday Israeli forces fired at cameras at the same UN position, and small arms fire hit another UN position also near Labuneh damaging lighting and a radio relay station.”
Also, in this thread on X, the UN said that: “Clashes in the Labuneh/Naqoura area since 8 October have involved tank and small arms fire, airstrikes, Iron Dome interceptions and multiple explosions.”
Head of UN Peacekeeping lambasts Israel firing on troops
Jean-Pierre Lacroix, United Nations under-secretary-general for peace operations, has spoken out at the UN Security Council in New York, lambasting Israeli military fire on peacekeeping troops’ position in southern Lebanon earlier today.
This situation has put our peacekeepers at serious risk,” he said.
“This situation has put our peacekeepers at serious risk”
— UN News (@UN_News_Centre) October 10, 2024
— Jean-Pierre Lacroix, head of @UNPeacekeeping at the Security Council, 10 Oct 24 pic.twitter.com/GwsH5xz6eP
Two soldiers were wounded when the Unifil – the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon – headquarters in Naqoura, on the coast, close to the line between Lebanon and Israel, was hit by tank fire.
Yemen’s Houthi group have claimed responsibility for an attack on a Liberian-flagged tanker in the Red Sea, which they said they targeted with 11 ballistic missiles and two drones on Thursday morning.
The Olympic Spirit was hit about 73 nautical miles (135 kilometres) southwest of the Yemeni port of Hodeidah, British maritime security firm Ambrey said.
The tanker, en route from Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah to Muscat in Oman, was struck on its starboard side, Reuters reported. The projectile hit the bridge causing minor damage, Ambrey said.
Four hours later, two additional projectiles reportedly detonated within 0.27 nautical mile of the vessel’s port side. A maritime security source told Reuters:
The damage is minor. The vessel has some technical issues, but it is seaworthy and continues its journey. They (the crew members) are all safe.
The Houthis said they had also targeted a vessel it identified as St. John in the Indian Ocean with a winged missile.
Israeli strikes on central Beirut kill 22, 117 wounded
The death toll from Israeli airstrikes on central Beirut on Thursday has risen to 22, according to the country’s health ministry.
In addition, 117 people have been injured, it said.
One of the strikes hit the lower half of an eight-story apartment building in the area of Ras al-Nabaa, according to reports.
The second strike, in the area of Burj Abi Haidar, collapsed an entire building, which was engulfed in flames.
There was no immediate statement from the Israeli military, which has launched frequent strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs in recent weeks, but strikes in central Beirut are rare.
Israeli military confirms troops fired in area of UN peacekeepers' base in Lebanon
The Israeli military has confirmed its troops opened fire in the area of the UN peacekeeping mission’s base in southern Lebanon.
The Unifil force said Israeli forces fired on positions used by its peacekeepers in Lebanon on Wednesday and Thursday.
Two peacekeepers were injured when an Israeli tank fired at a watchtower at the force’s main headquarters in Ras al-Naqoura, hitting the tower and causing them to fall, Unifil said. There were no casualties in the other two incidents, according to a UN source.
In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Hezbollah fighters operate from within and near civilian areas in southern Lebanon, including areas near Unifil posts.
It said the IDF is “operating in southern Lebanon and maintains routine communication with Unifil”.
Updated
As we reported earlier, Israeli media reported that the target of the airstrikes in central Beirut tonight was Wafiq Safa, one of the top political officials of Hezbollah and the head of its liaison and coordination unit.
Quoting a source in Hezbollah, Hezbollah-affiliated TV channel al-Mayadeen said that the assasination attempt on Safa failed.
The Guardian could not verify this information.
The US is deeply concerned about reports that Israeli forces fired on UN peacekeepers’ positions in southern Lebanon and is pressing Israel for details on the incidents, a White House national security council spokesperson said moments ago in Washington DC. The spokesperson said:
We understand Israel is conducting targeted operations near the Blue Line to destroy Hezbollah infrastructure that could be used to threaten Israeli citizens. While they undertake these operations, it is critical that they not threaten UN peacekeepers’ safety and security.
Earlier in the day, Israel warned Lebanese civilians not to return to homes in the south to avoid harm from fighting.
The Unifil force, the United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon, said two of its peacekeepers were injured in an incident when an Israeli tank fired at a watchtower at the force’s main headquarters in Ras al-Naqoura, hitting the tower and causing them to fall. There were no casualties in two other incidents, a UN source said.
As we reported earlier, Unifil said “any deliberate attack on peacekeepers is a grave violation of international humanitarian law”, adding that it was following up with the Israeli military.
Hezbollah said it had fired a missile salvo at Israeli forces on Thursday as they were trying to pull casualties out of the Ras al-Naqoura area, and they were directly hit.
Death toll from Israeli strikes on central Beirut rises to 18
Here are some of the latest images from the newswires from the aftermath of Israeli airstrikes on central Beirut on Thursday night.
The latest figure from Lebanon’s health ministry states that 18 people were killed and 92 others wounded in the two Israeli strikes.
Rescue efforts are still ongoing, the Lebanese ministry said.
At least 11 killed, dozens injured in Israeli strikes on central Beirut
At least 11 people have been killed and a further 48 wounded in the two Israeli strikes on central Beirut on Thursday night, the Lebanese Ministry of Health reported.
Urgent rescue work continues at the sites of the airstrikes. A passerby told the Guardian that families were fleeing the scene carrying mattresses and bags, with some bleeding from the ears from the force of the blasts.
About an hour after the airstrikes, the Israeli military issued new evacuation orders for residents of Dahiyeh, the southern suburbs of Beirut, warning they will be carrying out airstrikes on pre-specified buildings they said were Hezbollah weapons installations.
Israeli military issues its nightly evacuation orders to residents of Dahiyeh, the southern suburbs of Beirut, a little over an hour after it carried out two airstrikes in central Beirut, without warning. https://t.co/qmwrva3ZcT
— Will Christou (@will_christou) October 10, 2024
Lebanon’s health ministry is reporting that at least 11 people were killed in the Israeli attacks on central Beirut tonight.
That followed reports just moments ago that a much smaller number had been killed. This following airstrikes that were targeting at least one senior Hezbollah figure, according to Lebanese security sources, as reported by Reuters.
Others were injured and a large fire was blazing as rescue workers used hand torches to search through the rubble for survivors, according to videos broadcast by Hezbollah’s al-Manar television.
It was not clear who the Hezbollah targets were. The neighbourhood was not previously hit by Israel and is well removed from Beirut’s southern suburbs, Hezbollah’s headquarters repeatedly bombed by Israel.
A thick column of smoke rose above central Beirut after what appeared to be Israel’s latest major aerial attack in a widening offensive against Lebanon’s powerful Iran-backed Hezbollah group. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.
Updated
Interim summary
There’s no let-up in the tension in Beirut as the public waits for more information on the latest strikes in Lebanon’s capital from Israel. It’s 9pm in Beirut, Tel Aviv and Gaza City. Stick with this blog for news developments as they emerge.
Here’s where things stand:
Israeli media is reporting that the target of the airstrikes in central Beirut tonight was Wafiq Safa, one of the top political officials of Hezbollah and the head of its liaison and coordination unit.
Fresh air strikes have been reported in central Beirut, outside the Lebanese capital’s southern suburbs where Israeli strikes have normally targeted, according to multiple reports. An Israeli strike hit an area in central Beirut that had not been previously hit, a Lebanese security source told Reuters.
Lebanon’s crisis response unit said 28 people were killed and 113 wounded in the past 24 hours. The country’s health ministry released the figure earlier today. This brings the total figure to 2,169 killed and 10,212 wounded over the past year of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, according to the ministry, AP reported.
France has said it was waiting for explanations from Israel after UN peacekeeping troops were targeted in Lebanon, adding it was an obligation to ensure their safety.
The UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon (Unifil) said it is “alarmed” and “deeply concerned” by the Israeli military’s activity in the area where peacekeeping troops are based. Unifil said it was following up with Israel’s military after, it said, IDF soldiers deliberately fired at UN positions and two peacekeepers were injured and hospitalised.
Here is the post with our previous summary of prior news.
Senior Hezbollah official target of latest Beirut blasts - reports
Israeli media is reporting that the target of the airstrikes in central Beirut tonight was Wafiq Safa, one of the top political officials of Hezbollah and the head of its liaison and coordination unit.
Safa oversaw foreign relations for the group, embarking on a trip to the United Arab Emirates in March in what was then seen as a potential thawing of relations between the group and the Gulf. He was also involved with maintaining the security of the group and famously threatened the judge investigating the causes of the Beirut port blast case after they requested the interrogation of Hezbollah-affiliated officials.
Ambulances were heard rushing towards the scene of the airstrikes in central Beirut as reports of casualties began to emerge. Al-Makassed hospital, also in central Beirut, reportedly received a number of dead and wounded.
Pictures of the site of one of the airstrike showed a collapsed apartment building, similar to scenes of airstrikes in Dahiyeh, the southern suburbs of Lebanon. Residents did not receive a warning to evacuate the building, as Israel has been issuing prior to its nearly nightly bombings of Dahiyeh.
Two massive air strikes in Beirut itself, location reportedly in the Basta neighbourhood but still being narrowed down. Target unclear pic.twitter.com/qAHlSO1jT2
— Will Christou (@will_christou) October 10, 2024
Israel’s “recommendation” is that the UN peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon, Unifil, move north, the country’s ambassador to the UN said.
Danny Danon, Israel’s ambassador to the UN, said in a statement reported by Reuters:
Our recommendation is that Unifil relocate 5 km (3 miles) north to avoid danger as fighting intensifies and while the situation along the Blue Line remains volatile as a result of Hezbollah’s aggression.
He added that Israel “has no desire to be in Lebanon, but it will do what is necessary” to force Hezbollah away from its northern border, so that its 70,000 residents can return to their homes in northern Israel.
Updated
Two large airstrikes hit Beirut
At least two large airstrikes were carried out in the city of Beirut on Thursday night, striking the Basta neighbourhood in central Beirut, a working-class area that has hosted many displaced people since 23 September.
The blasts were heard across Beirut, shaking windowpanes at least a mile away. The target of the strikes were unclear.
The strikes were the third time that Beirut has been targeted since the Hezbollah-Israel war started a year prior.
Israel has largely contained its strikes to Dahiyeh, the southern suburbs of the city.
Updated
New Israeli strikes reported in central Beirut
Strikes have been reported in central Beirut, outside the Lebanese capital’s southern suburbs where Israeli strikes have normally targeted, according to multiple reports.
An Israeli strike hit an area in central Beirut that had not been previously hit, a Lebanese security source told Reuters.
ITV News’s Emma Murphy reports at least two explosions were heard after a relatively quiet day in Beirut.
Strikes are in central Beirut. V close to a school housing those displaced from the South. Two v big blasts which would suggest some targeted strike/assasination.
— Emma Murphy (@emmamurphyitv) October 10, 2024
The BBC’s Nafiseh Kohnavard posted a clip of the immediate aftermath of the missile strike.
The impact right behind Achrafieh
— Nafiseh Kohnavard (@nafisehkBBC) October 10, 2024
The missile/ missiles targeted a building outside southern suburbs of Beirut pic.twitter.com/4Sl3aTCsrd
The broadcaster’s correspondent, Anna Foster, writes:
The sound of several loud explosions rumbled and bounced off downtown’s tall buildings.
28 killed and 113 wounded in Lebanon, says health ministry
Lebanon’s crisis response unit said 28 people were killed and 113 wounded in the past 24 hours, the country’s health ministry said on Thursday.
This brings the total figure to 2,169 killed and 10,212 wounded over the past year of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, according to the ministry, AP reported.
The report also recorded 61 airstrikes and incidents of shelling in the past day, mostly concentrated in southern Lebanon, the southern suburbs of Beirut and the Bekaa Valley.
About 1,000 centres – including educational complexes, vocational institutes, universities and other institutions – are sheltering 186,400 people displaced by the Israeli offensive in Lebanon, the report said.
Among these shelters, 822 have reached full capacity. Overall, the total number of displaced individuals in Lebanon stands at 1.2 million.
Updated
In a statement the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, Unifil, said that recent escalation along the Blue Line is causing widespread destruction of towns and villages in south Lebanon with rockets continuing towards Israel and Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers clashing with Hezbollah on the ground while rockets continue to be launched towards Israel.
Confirming casualties, Unifil said in its statement:
This morning, two peacekeepers were injured after an IDF Merkava tank fired its weapon toward an observation tower at Unifil’s headquarters in Naqoura, directly hitting it and causing them to fall. The injuries are fortunately, this time, not serious, but they remain in hospital.
It added:
IDF soldiers also fired on UN position (UNP) 1-31 in Labbouneh, hitting the entrance to the bunker where peacekeepers were sheltering, and damaging vehicles and a communications system. An IDF drone was observed flying inside the UN position up to the bunker entrance.
Yesterday, IDF soldiers deliberately fired at and disabled the position’s perimeter-monitoring cameras. They also deliberately fired on UNP 1-32A in Ras Naqoura, where regular Tripartite meetings were held before the conflict began, damaging lighting and a relay station.
The BBC reports that the two injured UN peacekeepers were Indonesian, according to a UN spokesperson.
Indonesia contributes more soldiers than any other country to Unifil, supplying more than 1,200 troops, the broadcasters write.
The Indonesian and Israeli governments have not yet commented.
Updated
France demands explanation from Israel after UN peacekeepers targeted in Lebanon
France has said it was waiting for explanations from Israel after UN peacekeeping troops were targeted in Lebanon on Thursday and that it was an obligation to ensure their safety, Reuters reports.
“France expresses its deep concern following the Israeli shots that hit the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil) and condemns any attack on the security of Unifil,” the foreign ministry said in a statement, adding that none of its 700 troops in the mission had been wounded.
We await explanations from the Israeli authorities. The protection of peacekeepers is an obligation that applies to all parties to a conflict.
Updated
The jailed Nobel peace prize laureate Narges Mohammadi has marked the first anniversary of her award with a call for peace in the Middle East from Tehran’s notorious Evin prison.
The Iranian human rights activist said in comments to Italy’s Corriere della Sera:
Today, the dark shadow of war once again hangs over our beloved country. I hate war. All those responsible for war are not only condemned by the people of the lands and times they devastate, but they are also for ever disgraced and ostracised in the annals of human history.
Mohammadi, who has been imprisoned since November 2021 for convictions in relation to her campaigning against capital punishment and the obligatory hijab in Iran, said on Wednesday that her treatment had become even more severe since she was awarded the prize on 6 October 2023.
This year’s prize will be announced by the Norwegian Nobel Committee on Friday.
More than 1,000 Americans and their dependents have fled Lebanon on US chartered flights in the last week, arriving in Turkey for a temporary stay, according to the top US diplomat in Istanbul.
“It’s the fastest, safest way to get Americans out of harm’s way,” consul general Julie Eadeh said, Reuters reported.
The security situation is dynamic, so we have been planning for months for all contingencies. Given the airport in Beirut remains operational and open, our focus is on facilitating departures by air.
The US has additionally secured more than 4,500 seats for citizens aboard commercial flights from Lebanon in recent weeks, Eadeh added.
The goal was not to fill every seat, she said.
We are giving people an option that, if they want to leave because they determine the situation is untenable … they have a way out.
Unifil 'alarmed' and 'deeply concerned' by Israel 'targeting' UN peacekeepers Lebanon
A spokesperson for the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon (Unifil) said it is “alarmed” and “deeply concerned” by the Israeli military’s activity in the area where peacekeeping troops are based.
As we reported earlier, Unifil said it was following up with Israel’s military after, it said, IDF soldiers deliberately fired at UN positions and two peacekeepers were injured and hospitalised.
Speaking to the BBC on Thursday, Andrea Tenenti said:
We’ve been deeply concerned for days or for months but now it’s very serious because we are there to ensure stability, safety, to bring back stability that now doesn’t exist. But targeting peacekeepers, it’s a grave violation of international humanitarian law.
He said that the positions that Israeli forces hit were very well known as UN sites, adding that it was important to have a discussion with the Israeli authorities “to understand what happened”.
Updated
The EU’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, has condemned the shelling of UN peacekeepers by Israeli forces in Lebanon, adding that there was “no justification” for such an “inadmissible” act.
In a post to X on Thursday, he said the EU “reiterates its full support” to the UN peacekeeping mission, Unifil.
Another line has been dangerously crossed in Lebanon: IDF shelling of @UN peacekeepers whose positions are known.
— Josep Borrell Fontelles (@JosepBorrellF) October 10, 2024
We condemn this inadmissible act, for which there is no justification.
The EU reiterates its full support to @UNIFIL_ , to its UNSC-mandated mission & its troops.
Here are some of the latest images sent over the newswires from the central Gaza Strip, after at least 28 people were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a school sheltering displaced families on Thursday.
Among the dead are women and children and more than 50 others were injured in the Israeli attack on Rufaida al-Aslamia school in the city of Deir Al-Balah, medics said.
The Israeli military said it had carried out a “precise strike on terrorists” who had a command and control centre embedded in a school.
Irish troops based in Lebanon are safe and accounted for after Israeli troops opened fire at three positions held by UN peacekeepers on Thursday, the Irish government has said.
Situation Update on Irish Defence Forces serving with overseas missions in Lebanon for family members
— Óglaigh na hÉireann (@defenceforces) October 10, 2024
The Defence Forces can confirm all IRISH pers are safe and accounted for. All necessary force protection measures are being observed.
The Defence Forces can also confirm that…
The taoiseach, Simon Harris, warned that firing on peacekeepers “can never be tolerated or acceptable”.
Micheál Martin, Ireland’s foreign minister said a drone was operational and Indonesian soldiers were injured. Martin said:
This is unacceptable. Peacekeeping is the noblest thing anyone can do. Our soldiers are there, UN peacekeeping soldiers are there to keep the peace at the invitation of both sides to this conflict, and Israel has an obligation to make sure that no UN peacekeeper gets into harm’s way.
Updated
The second round of polio vaccinations in Gaza will start next week, according to the UN’s children agency (Unicef).
The second round of vaccinations will start on 14 October and will vaccinate nearly 590,000 children under the age of 10, Unicef executive director Catherine Russell has said. She said:
Area-specific humanitarian pauses have been agreed. It is critical that these pauses are respected by all parties. Without them, it is impossible to vaccinate the children.
The organisation said they will be including Vitamin A supplements to aid the immune system of children in the territory who are living in “extremely dire” hygiene and sanitation conditions. Russell added:
With the additional vaccine equipment and cold boxes that arrived yesterday, Unicef is ready to deliver and vaccinate children to stop the transmission of polio. The success of the first round shows that when agreements are respected, we can get the job done.
Italy’s defence minister, Guido Crosetto, said his country has protested to Israel after UN peacekeepers in Lebanon said Israeli forces fired on two positions used by them.
As we reported earlier, the Unifil force said two of its peacekeepers were injured in one of the incidents, when an Israeli tank fired at an observation tower at the force’s main headquarters in Naqoura, hitting the tower and causing them to fall.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military about the incidents.
Firing at Unifil bases was “totally unacceptable” and clearly flouts international law, Crosetto said, adding: “For these reasons, I protested to my Israeli counterpart and the Israeli ambassador to Italy.”
Summary of the day so far
It’s just past 5.30pm in Gaza, Beirut and Tel Aviv. Here’s a recap of the latest developments:
At least 28 people, including women and children, have been killed after an Israeli airstrike hit a school sheltering displaced people in central Gaza. The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said it had responded to 27 fatalities and 54 injuries after the strike on the school turned shelter in Deir al-Balah. The Israeli military said it targeted militants who were operating in the compound.
More than 42,065 Palestinians have been killed and 97,886 injured in Israel’s military offensive on Gaza since 7 October 2023, the Gaza health ministry said in a statement on Thursday.
The Israeli military continued to push on with an offensive that began six days ago, when it sent its troops into Jabaliya, the largest of Gaza’s eight historic refugee camps and the nearby towns of Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahiya. Palestinian health officials say at least 130 people have been killed so far in the operation, which Israel says is aimed at preventing Hamas from regrouping. The military has told residents to evacuate an area in which the UN estimates more than 400,000 people are trapped.
Hundreds of thousands of civilians in Gaza remain trapped by the latest Israeli offensive centred on Jabaliya refugee camp, according to UN agencies and human rights groups. Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the UN Palestinian refugee agency, Unrwa, said some Unrwa shelters and services were being forced to shut down for the first time since the war began and that with almost no basic supplies available, hunger was spreading again in northern Gaza, amid witness accounts of bodies lying uncollected in the streets because of the renewed fighting.
Three hospitals in northern Gaza – Indonesian, Al-Awda and Kamal Adwan hospitals – have been ordered by Israeli forces to evacuate, putting patients’ lives at risk, medics say. The director of Kamal Adwan hospital n northern Gaza said eight patients, mostly children, were at risk inside the intensive care units should the Israeli army force them to evacuate. Israeli bombardment near Kamal Adwan hospital has already caused some damage to the facility, medics said. Officials said they know of many fatalities lying on the roads outside the hospital because of Israeli fire.
Joe Biden and Benjamin Netanyahu spoke for the first time in weeks on Wednesday amid expectations of an imminent Israeli strike on Iran. The US vice-president Kamala Harris also joined the call. The White House said Biden emphasised “the need to minimize harm to civilians, in particular in the densely populated areas of Beirut”. The readout did not directly mention possible retaliation for the Iranian missile strike but said Biden had condemned Tehran’s attack “unequivocally” and pledged “ironclad” support for Israel.
The US called on Israel to urgently address “catastrophic conditions” among Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip and stop “intensifying suffering” by limiting aid deliveries. Speaking to the UN security council, UN ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield also warned Israel against trying to permanently expel Palestinians from Gaza or seize any territory for itself.
Ireland’s prime minister, Simon Harris, said he is hopeful of a ceasefire in the Middle East after an hour long meeting with Joe Biden in Washington on Wednesday night. Harris said the US president told him he had a “very lengthy” conversation with Netanyahu and he was left “in no doubt that this was a conversation of substances and of depth in terms of actions that Israel need to take in terms of aid, humanitarian aid, in terms of bringing about a ceasefire”.
Al Jazeera accused Israel of deliberately targeting journalists after one of its cameramen was shot and critically injured by an Israeli sniper on Wednesday while a photojournalist for another network was killed and a third also injured while covering the siege of Jabaliya camp in northern Gaza. The Hamas affiliated TV channel al-Aqsa said on Telegram that one of its photojournalists, Mohammad al-Tanani, had been killed in an Israeli attack in Jabalia refugee camp on Wednesday, while its journalist Tamer Labad, was injured. Two days earlier, another Al Jazeera cameraman, Ali Al-Attar, was also critically injured in an Israeli attack on a hospital in northern Gaza.
Unifil, the UN-peacekeeping force in Lebanon, said its headquarters and nearby positions in southern Lebanon have been repeatedly hit amid recent escalation along the blue line. Unifil said it is following up with Israel’s military after, it said, IDF soldiers deliberately fired at UN positions and two peacekeepers were injured and hospitalised. “Any deliberate attack on peacekeepers is a grave violation of international humanitarian law and of Security Council resolution 1701,” the peacekeeping force said on Thursday.
Israel’s defence minister, Yoav Gallant, warned its next strike on Iran will be “deadly, precise and surprising”. “Whoever attacks us will be hurt and will pay a price. Our attack will be deadly, precise and above all surprising, they will not understand what happened and how it happened, they will see the results,” Gallant said in a video message on Israeli media on Wednesday night, broadcast after he postponed a scheduled trip to Washington, and a few hours after the conversation between Benjamin Netanyahu and Joe Biden.
Gulf states have been lobbying Washington to stop Israel from attacking Iran’s oil sites because they are concerned their own oil facilities could come under fire from Tehran’s proxies if the conflict escalates. As part of their attempts to avoid being caught in the crossfire, Gulf states including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar are also refusing to let Israel fly over their airspace for any attack on Iran and have conveyed this to Washington, three sources told Reuters.
Israel’s military said it had “eliminated” a Hezbollah member in Syria who it claimed had relayed intelligence against Israel in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Syrian state TV said early on Thursday that Israel had carried out airstrikes targeting an industrial site in the Syrian city of Homs and a military site in the countryside near the city of Hama, causing “some material damage”.
A UN inquiry said it found that Israeli actions in Gaza amounted to both war crimes and the crime against humanity of extermination. A statement by ex-UN high commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay on Thursday accused Israel of “relentless and deliberate attacks on medical personnel and facilities” in the war in Gaza, and said Israel carried out a concerted policy of destroying Gaza’s healthcare system.
Humanitarian organisations including Amnesty International, Oxfam and War on Want called on the UK government to stop all arms transfers to Israel. “The escalation of Israel’s attacks on Lebanon underscore our concerns and the need for the UK government to immediately suspend all weapons licences to Israel, and ensure it is not complicit in atrocities,” the letter said on Thursday.
The UK should end its half-hearted half measures towards Israel if Benjamin Netanyahu is to be stopped from pushing the world off a cliff, the Palestinian ambassador to the UK, Husam Zomlot, said on Thursday at a briefing to mark the anniversary of the Gaza conflict. He called for a full arms embargo, recognition of Palestine as a state and economic sanctions that “dismantle the apparatus of illegal settlements in the West Bank”.
EU staff have stepped up their criticism over Europe’s “inaction” in response to the Israel-Gaza war, in a letter calling on the bloc’s senior officials to start a dialogue with them aimed at changing course on the Middle East crisis. The war has sharply divided EU member states: Hungary and the Czech Republic are Israel’s strongest supporters, while Spain, Ireland and non-EU Norway have recognised the Palestinian state.
Unicef have confirmed that the second round of polio vaccination for children in the Gaza Strip will start on 14 October. Unicef executive director Catherine Russell in a statement on Thursday said “area-specific humanitarian pauses” had been agreed for the vaccination, adding that it was “critical that these pauses are respected by all parties.”
A young person has been detained in Sweden after a shooting at an Israeli defence company on Thursday. Police are investigating the incident, at Elbit Systems Sweden in Kallebäck, Gothenburg on Thursday morning, as attempted murder and aggravated weapons offences. Nobody was injured.
Unicef have confirmed that the second round of polio vaccination for children in the Gaza Strip will start on 14 October.
Unicef executive director Catherine Russell said:
The second round of polio vaccination in the Gaza Strip is confirmed. It will start on 14 October to vaccinate around 590,000 children under the age of 10.
Area-specific humanitarian pauses have been agreed. It is critical that these pauses are respected by all parties. Without them, it is impossible to vaccinate the children
Unicef will include vitamin A supplements to strengthen children’s immune systems. Children in Gaza live in extremely dire hygiene and sanitation conditions.
With the additional vaccine equipment and cold boxes that arrived yesterday, Unicef is ready to deliver and vaccinate children to stop the transmission of polio. The success of the first round shows that when agreements are respected, we can get the job done.”
UN inquiry accuses Israel of crime of 'extermination' in destruction of Gaza health system
A UN inquiry said on Thursday it found that Israel carried out a concerted policy of destroying Gaza’s healthcare system in the Gaza war, actions amounting to both war crimes and the crime against humanity of extermination, reports Reuters.
A statement by ex-UN high commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay released ahead of a full report accused Israel of “relentless and deliberate attacks on medical personnel and facilities” in the war.
“Children in particular have borne the brunt of these attacks, suffering both directly and indirectly from the collapse of the health system,” said Pillay, whose report will be presented to the UN general assembly on 30 October.
Israel says that Gaza’s militants operate from the cover of built-up populated areas including private homes, schools and hospitals and that it will strike them wherever they emerge, while also trying to avoid harming civilians. Hamas denies hiding militants, weapons and command posts among civilians.
According to Reuters, the UN inquiry’s statement also accused Israeli forces of deliberately killing and torturing medical personnel, targeting medical vehicles and restricting permits for patients to leave the Gaza Strip.
As an example, it cited the death of a Palestinian girl, Hind Rajab, in February along with family members and two medics who came to rescue her from under Israeli fire.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says more than 10,000 patients requiring urgent medical evacuation have been prevented from leaving Gaza since the Rafah border crossing with Egypt was shut in May. The Palestinian health ministry says nearly 1,000 medics have been killed in Gaza in the past year in what the WHO called “an irreplaceable loss and a massive blow to the health system”.
The statement said the treatment of both Palestinian detainees in Israel and hostages seized by Hamas fighters in the 7 October attack had been investigated and it accused both sides of involvement in torture and sexual violence.
The Commission of Inquiry (CoI) has a broad mandate to collect evidence and identify suspected perpetrators of international crimes committed in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories. It bases its findings on a range of sources including interviews with victims and witnesses, submissions and satellite imagery.
The CoI has previously alleged that both Israel and Hamas committed war crimes in the early stages of the Gaza war, and that Israel’s actions also constituted crimes against humanity because of the immense civilian losses. The term is reserved for the most serious international crimes knowingly committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack against civilians.
Israel has not cooperated with the inquiry, which it says has an anti-Israel bias. The CoI has accused Israel of obstructing its work and preventing investigators from accessing both Israel and the Palestinian territories, reports Reuters.
Sometimes, the evidence gathered by such UN-mandated bodies has formed the basis for war crimes prosecutions and could be drawn on by the international criminal court.
Gulf states urging US to stop Israel from bombing Iran's oil sites - Reuters' sources
Gulf states are lobbying Washington to stop Israel from attacking Iran’s oil sites because they are concerned their own oil facilities could come under fire from Tehran’s proxies if the conflict escalates, three Gulf sources told Reuters.
As part of their attempts to avoid being caught in the crossfire, Gulf states including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar are also refusing to let Israel fly over their airspace for any attack on Iran and have conveyed this to Washington, the three sources close to government circles told Reuters.
Israel has promised Iran will pay for its missile attack last week while Tehran has said any retaliation would be met with vast destruction, raising fears of a wider war in the region that could suck in the US.
During meetings this week, Iran warned Saudi Arabia it could not guarantee the safety of the Gulf kingdom’s oil facilities if Israel were given any assistance in carrying out an attack, a senior Iranian official and an Iranian diplomat told Reuters.
Ali Shihabi, a Saudi analyst close to the Saudi royal court, said:
The Iranians have stated: ‘If the Gulf states open up their airspace to Israel, that would be an act of war’.”
The diplomat said Tehran had sent a clear message to Riyadh that its allies in countries such as Iraq or Yemen might respond if there was any regional support for Israel against Iran.
A potential Israeli strike was the focus of talks on Wednesday between Saudi de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araqchi, who was on a Gulf tour to rally support, Gulf and Iranian sources told Reuters.
The Iranian minister’s visit, along with Saudi-US communications at defence ministry level, are part of a coordinated effort to address the crisis, a Gulf source close to government circles told Reuters.
A person in Washington familiar with the discussions confirmed with Reuters that Gulf officials had been in touch with US counterparts to express concern about the potential scope of Israel’s expected retaliation.
According to Reuters, the White House declined to comment when asked whether Gulf governments had asked Washington to ensure Israel’s response was measured.
US president Joe Biden and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke on Wednesday about the Israeli retaliation in a call both sides described as positive.
Miranda Bryant is the Guardian’s Nordic correspondent.
A young person has been detained in Sweden after a shooting at an Israeli defence company.
Police are investigating the incident, at Elbit Systems Sweden in Kallebäck, Gothenburg on Thursday morning, as attempted murder and aggravated weapons offences. Nobody was injured.
Swedish broadcaster SVT reports that the young person who was held could be as young as 12. Police have not confirmed an exact age, only that they were under 15.
Police were alerted to the shooting at 9.30am on Thursday. They later found a bag belonging to the boy and the national bomb squad was called but it was found not to contain anything dangerous.
Police spokesperson, August Brandt, said:
We can confirm that a shooting has taken place here. Thankfully, no one was physically injured.”
Unfil reminds Israel of obligations after two UN peacekeepers injured by IDF fire on UN positions in Lebanon
Unifil, the UN-peacekeeping force in Lebanon, was said it is following up with Israel’s military after, it said, IDF soldiers deliberately fired at UN positions and two peacekeepers were injured and hospitalised.
In a lengthy statement, the peacekeeping force, which was established in 1978 in the wake of the “coastal road massacre” and Israel’s Operation Litani, said:
Recent escalation along the Blue Line is causing widespread destruction of towns and villages in south Lebanon, while rockets continue to be launched towards Israel, including civilian areas.
In the past days we have seen incursions from Israel into Lebanon in Naqoura and other areas. Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers have clashed with Hezbollah elements on the ground in Lebanon. Unifil’s Naqoura headquarters and nearby positions have been repeatedly hit.
This morning, two peacekeepers were injured after an IDF Merkava tank fired its weapon toward an observation tower at Unifil’s headquarters in Naqoura, directly hitting it and causing them to fall. The injuries are fortunately, this time, not serious, but they remain in hospital.
IDF soldiers also fired on UN position (UNP) 1-31 in Labbouneh, hitting the entrance to the bunker where peacekeepers were sheltering, and damaging vehicles and a communications system. An IDF drone was observed flying inside the UN position up to the bunker entrance.
Yesterday, IDF soldiers deliberately fired at and disabled the position’s perimeter-monitoring cameras. They also deliberately fired on UNP 1-32A in Ras Naqoura, where regular Tripartite meetings were held before the conflict began, damaging lighting and a relay station.
The statement continued:
We remind the IDF and all actors of their obligations to ensure the safety and security of UN personnel and property and to respect the inviolability of UN premises at all times. UNIFIL peacekeepers are present in south Lebanon to support a return to stability under security council mandate.
Any deliberate attack on peacekeepers is a grave violation of international humanitarian law and of Security Council resolution 1701. We are following up with the IDF on these matters.
Security council resolution 1701 was passed in 2006, and intended to resolve the 2006 Lebanon war, by calling for a full cessation of hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel, and that only the Lebanese army and the Unifil force have a presence between the blue line separating Israel and Lebanon and the Litani River, about 30km north of the blue line. Israel has criticised Lebanese authorities for failing to fully implement the resolution.
Reuters reports there was no immediate comment from the Israeli military after the Unifil statement.
Palestinian and Dutch organisations on Thursday filed a legal complaint against the state of the Netherlands over its alleged failure to prevent Israel from committing possible genocide in Gaza and other violations of international law.
Reuters reports the case argues that the Netherlands has a legal obligation to do everything in its power to stop alleged violations of international law and the 1948 Genocide Convention by Israel.
It is backed by Palestinian human rights organisations, Dutch social justice NGOs and Jewish organisations, who do not support the Israeli government.
Jennifer Rankin is the Guardian’s Brussels correspondent
EU staff have stepped up their criticism over Europe’s “inaction” in response to the Israel-Gaza war, in a letter calling on the bloc’s senior officials to start a dialogue with them aimed at changing course on the Middle East crisis.
The group EU Staff for Peace & Justice said that as of September, 1,748 civil servants had signed a letter to the presidents of the European Commission, European Council and European parliament lamenting “how little (if anything) the EU is doing to address the dire humanitarian crisis in Gaza”. The group said it had yet to receive a response from any of the leaders, despite a statement from a Commission spokesperson in June claiming that a dialogue had been initiated with staff.
On Thursday, dozens of staff gathered outside the Commission’s Berlaymont headquarters during their lunch break to mark this week’s one-year anniversary of the conflict, which began with the Hamas attacks of 7 October.
EU staff protest in pouring rain over union’s “inaction” over Israel/Gaza war. pic.twitter.com/6i4HvDHSPG
— Jennifer Rankin (@JenniferMerode) October 10, 2024
After the protest, staff planned to send a follow-up letter to von der Leyen calling for talks with EU staff.
Referring to the Commission’s June statement of having started a dialogue, the staff group wrote: “Although we are happy to hear of this willingness on the behalf of the Commission, no such dialogue with EU Staff for Peace and Justice has yet been initiated by the institution.”
The group has requested a meeting to discuss the EU’s role in bringing about a ceasefire; ensuring the EU abides by fundamental values and that its staff and institutions do not become “morally complicit in breaches of international law committed in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon and Israel through EU-funded programmes and trade arrangements”.
The Israel-Gaza war has sharply divided EU member states: Hungary and the Czech Republic are Israel’s strongest supporters, while Spain, Ireland and non-EU Norway have recognised the Palestinian state.
The original letter was sent to von der Leyen and other top officials in May, signed by staff in their personal capacity as citizens. “To stand idly by in the face of such an erosion of the international rule of law would mean failing the European project” envisaged by those who constructed it after world war two, the letter said. It has since been resent multiple times as signatories have increased, according to organisers.
Patrick Wintour is diplomatic editor for the Guardian
The Labour government in the UK should end its half-hearted half measures towards Israel if Benjamin Netanyahu is to be stopped from pushing the world off a cliff, Husam Zomlot the Palestinian ambassador to the UK said on Thursday at a briefing to mark the anniversary of the Gaza conflict.
He said the lack of accountability of Israel for its actions is threatening to weaken the whole world, and countries such as the UK that are renowned for their support for international humanitarian law have to go further.
He called for a full arms embargo, recognition of Palestine as a state and economic sanctions that “dismantle the apparatus of illegal settlements in the West Bank”.
He said “this unconditional support for Israel by the US and western Europe is not bringing peace to Israel, security to Israel. It is literally pushing Israel and the region – and perhaps the world – off a cliff. There is no accountability.
“The lesson to everyone else will be clear, international law and the global rules based on these prohibitions against war crimes and atrocities, and the famine of 2.3 million people are meaningless if we do not end it in Gaza. This very starkly is where we are headed.”
He said half measures are not going to get Israel to agree to the UN resolution calling for a ceasefire and enforcement of the rulings of the International Court of Justice. He added he could not understand why the UK had abstained at the UN security council on the enforcement of ICJ ruling directing Israel to leave the occupied territories in a year, pointing out that the UK had said it agreed with the ICJ opinion.
He said it was clear that the partial arms embargo imposed by the UK was having no effect. He pointed out that the UK government has said it is willing to recognise Palestine when it is most effective to do so, and he could not think of a more effective moment to do so than now.
He insisted the Palestinian aspiration was “to live in peace and dignity just like everyone else, it’s as simple and human as that. And what does Israel want? Do they know? What’s the endgame?
“Israel is engaged in a war not to defend itself or its people, but to defend its illegal occupation, and this includes a war on demolishing the entire global rules based order. Israel’s strategic outlook is entirely dominated by the use of sheer military power to impose its will, rather than the compromises to reach any agreement”.
Unifil says its HQ and nearby positions in southern Lebanon have been 'repeatedly hit'
United Nations peacekeepers’ headquarters and nearby positions in southern Lebanon have been repeatedly hit amid recent escalation along the blue line, Unifil said in a statement on Thursday, reports Reuters.
Unifil added that two peacekeepers were injured by Israeli tank fire.
The director of Kamal Adwan hospital said eight patients, mostly children, were at risk inside the intensive care units should the Israeli army force them to evacuate.
“Those children were injured with shrapnel all over their bodies, the upper parts and the brain. They are all in critical conditions and are hooked to oxygen systems,” Abu Safiya said in a video message to the media, reports Reuters.
“The hospital is also running out of fuel, and the occupation is refusing fuel to reach northern Gaza,” he added.
Abu Safiya appealed to world countries to press Israel to allow medical staffers in north Gaza’s three hospitals to continue to operate saying:
Our message is a message of peace for the sake of those children.”
“We urge the world to allow us to continue (working) and permit all things needed so that we can provide safe medical care in northern Gaza,” he said.
Israeli bombardment near Kamal Adwan hospital has already caused some damage to the facility, medics said. Officials said they know of many fatalities lying on the roads outside the hospital because of Israeli fire.
Updated
Death toll from Israel strike on school shelter rises
Reuters reports that the death toll from an Israeli airstrike on a school sheltering displaced people in central Gaza has reached at least 28 people, including women and children. Earlier, Palestinian medical officials said the strike had killed at least 21 people on Thursday, with the toll likely to rise (see 11.44am BST).
Additionally, three hospitals in the north were told to evacuate putting patients’ lives at risk, medics say. The strike, in which many more were injured, happened in the city of Deir Al-Balah.
The Israeli military said on Thursday it had carried out a “precise strike on terrorists”, who had a command and control centre embedded in a school.
“This is a further example of the Hamas terrorist organization’s systemic abuse of civilian infrastructure in violation of international law,” the military statement said.
Hamas denies such allegations. Medics said 54 other people were injured at the school.
Reuters reports that in the north of the territory, the Israeli military is pushing on with an offensive begun six days ago, when it sent its troops into Jabalia, the largest of Gaza’s eight historic refugee camps and the nearby towns of Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahiya.
Palestinian health officials say at least 130 people have been killed so far in the operation, which Israel says is aimed at preventing Hamas from regrouping. The military has told residents to evacuate an area in which the UN estimates more than 400,000 people are trapped.
The health officials said the Israeli military on Wednesday gave patients and medics 24 hours to leave the Indonesian, Al-Awda and Kamal Adwan hospitals or risk being stormed as happened earlier in the war at the Al Shifa hospital in Gaza City.
Israel, which has not yet commented on evacuation orders for medical facilities, has said Hamas has command facilities embedded in the hospitals, which it denies.
Updated
Israeli troops fire at 3 Unifil positions in southern Lebanon, UN source says
Israeli troops opened fire at three positions held by UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon on Thursday, a UN source told Reuters, without immediately being able to specify the type of fire.
Reuters reports that the source said one of the locations that was fired at was Unifil’s main base at Naqoura.
Updated
An Israeli airstrike on a former school in Gaza that was sheltering displaced people on Thursday targeted militants who were operating in the compound, the Israeli military said, according to Reuters.
“Prior to the strike, numerous steps were taken to mitigate the risk of harming civilians, including the use of precise munitions, aerial surveillance, and additional intelligence,” the military said.
Palestinian medical officials said the strike had killed at least 21 people on Thursday, with the toll likely to rise. On X, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said it had responded to 27 fatalities and 54 injuries after the strike on the school turned shelter in Deir al-Balah (see 11.32am BST).
Updated
27 killed and more than 50 injured after Israeli attack on school turned shelter
The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) says it has responded to 27 fatalities and 54 injuries after an Israeli strike on a school turned shelter in Deir al-Balah.
🚨 Palestine Red Crescent teams responded to 27 fatalities and 54 injuries following the Israeli occupation army’s targeting of Rafida School, located near the Palestine Red Crescent Society headquarters in Deir Al-Balah, in central #Gaza. pic.twitter.com/QrsnxOfHHi
— PRCS (@PalestineRCS) October 10, 2024
Earlier, Palestinian medical officials said the strike had killed at least 21 people on Thursday, with the toll likely to rise (see 10.36am BST).
Updated
More than 42,065 Palestinians killed in Gaza since 7 October 2023, says health ministry
More than 42,065 Palestinians have been killed and 97,886 injured in Israel’s military offensive on Gaza since 7 October 2023, the Gaza health ministry said in a statement on Thursday.
The ministry does not distinguished not distinguish between militant and civilian deaths.
Humanitarian organisations including Amnesty International, Oxfam and War on Want have called on the UK government to stop all arms transfers to Israel, as the bombardment of Lebanon and Gaza worsens more than a year into the conflict.
“The escalation of Israel’s attacks on Lebanon underscore our concerns and the need for the UK government to immediately suspend all weapons licences to Israel, and ensure it is not complicit in atrocities,” the letter says. It adds:
Despite the UK’s partial suspension of arms licences to Israel, Israeli forces continue to commit apparently unlawful activities against Palestinians in both the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.”
Other signatories include Action Aid UK, the Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) and the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians, among others.
In September, the UK implemented a partial ban on export licenses to Israel after a review by the Foreign Office found a “clear risk” that UK arms may have been used in violation of humanitarian law. The suspension included components for military aircraft, helicopters, drones and targeting equipment.
Campaigners however have criticised the government’s decision to exclude all UK components for the F-35 fighter jet programme, which signatories have said make up 15% of every aircraft used by Israel.
The Labour government has previously said the components are exempted because they belong to a global programme which the UK does not have unilateral control over the components, which are sent to the US. They will not be exempt, the government said, on the rare occasion where the part is sent directly to Israel.
Hezbollah says it has destroyed Israeli tank advancing on Lebanon's southern border
Lebanese militant group Hezbollah said it destroyed an Israeli tank advancing on Lebanon’s southern border on Thursday, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP).
The Iran-backed group fired rockets at “an Israeli tank as it advanced towards Ras al-Naqura, leading to its burning and destruction,” it said, claiming casualties. No other details were reported.
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Israeli strike on school turned shelter kills at least 21 Palestinians, medical officials say
An Israeli strike on a school sheltering displaced people in Gaza killed at least 21 people on Thursday, with the toll likely to rise, Palestinian medical officials said.
The Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital in the central town of Deir al-Balah confirmed the toll, and an Associated Press (AP) reporter counted the bodies.
Witnesses say the strike on Thursday appeared to target a makeshift post staffed by Hamas-run police inside the school.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.
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Diplomatic communications have intensified in the past hours, before a UN security council meeting discussing the situation in the Middle East, Lebanon’s prime minister Najib Mikati said in a statement on X on Thursday, reports Reuters.
“There are contacts taking place between the United States and France with the aim of reviving a ceasefire declaration for a specific period in order to resume the search for political solutions,” he was quoted as saying.
Irish PM says he is hopeful of Middle East ceasefire after meeting with Biden
Ireland’s prime minister has said he is hopeful of a ceasefire in the Middle East after an hour long meeting with Joe Biden in Washington last night.
Simon Harris said the US president told him he had a “very lengthy” conversation with Benjamin Netanyahu and he was left “in no doubt that this was a conversation of substances and of depth in terms of actions that Israel need to take in terms of aid, humanitarian aid, in terms of bringing about a ceasefire”.
Good to meet with President of the United States tonight in the Oval Office. We marked 100 years of diplomatic relations between our two countries. pic.twitter.com/ytwHXYf1ev
— Simon Harris TD (@SimonHarrisTD) October 9, 2024
The taoiseach told reporters that he was clear that “proportionality has been completely and utterly lost by the Netanyahu government” and the number of civilians, including children “needlessly dying” was “unacceptable”.
He said he also thanked the president, who he spoke to on Monday night, for his intervention over the positioning of Israeli artillery adjacent to an Irish peace keeping post on the blue line, the de facto border between Lebanon and Israel.
They also discussed the “thuggery of Putin” and Northern Ireland.
Israel’s military said it had “eliminated” a Hezbollah member in Syria who it claimed had relayed intelligence against Israel in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, reports Reuters. Meanwhile, Syrian media reported on Thursday that Israeli airstrikes hit targets in Syria.
According to Reuters, the Israeli military said on Thursday it had eliminated two Hezbollah commanders in southern Lebanon and its fighter jets attacked ammunition depots in the Beirut area and ammunition depots and other military infrastructures in southern Lebanon on Wednesday.
The Israel Defense Force (IDF) said on Wednesday it had eliminated Adham Jahout, a member of Hezbollah’s “Golan terrorist network” in the area of Quneitra in Syria.
The IDF said Jahout’s role was to relay information from Syrian regime sources to Hezbollah and transmit intelligence gathered on the Syrian front to facilitate operations against Israel in the Golan Heights.
Syrian state TV said early on Thursday that Israel had carried out airstrikes targeting an industrial site in the Syrian city of Homs and a military site in the countryside near the city of Hama, causing “some material damage”.
The strikes targeted a car manufacturing plant in Homs and caused a fire, Syrian TV said, citing the director of the industrial site, Amer Khalil.
Explosions were also heard in the area of Darayya and were being investigated, state media reported.
The Israeli military said on Wednesday it had intercepted a drone that approached Israel over the Red Sea but did not cross into Israeli territory, minutes after the Islamic Resistance in Iraq said it had targeted Israel’s Eilat with drones.
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At least 400,000 people trapped by Israel’s latest Gaza offensive, says Unrwa
Hundreds of thousands of civilians in Gaza remain trapped by the latest Israeli offensive centred on Jabaliya refugee camp, according to UN agencies and human rights groups.
“At least 400,000 people are trapped in the area,” Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the UN Palestinian refugee agency, Unrwa, posted on X on Wednesday, amid witness accounts of bodies lying uncollected in the streets because of the renewed fighting.
Northern #Gaza: no end to hell.
— Philippe Lazzarini (@UNLazzarini) October 9, 2024
At least 400,000 people are trapped in the area.
Recent evacuation orders from the Israeli Authorities are forcing people to flee again & again, especially from Jabalia Camp.
Many are refusing because they know too well that no place anywhere…
“Recent evacuation orders from the Israeli authorities are forcing people to flee again and again, especially from Jabaliya camp,” added Lazzarini. “Many are refusing because they know too well that no place anywhere in Gaza is safe.”
The Israeli military says the large-scale raid, now in its fifth day, is intended to stop Hamas fighters staging further attacks from Jabaliya and to prevent them regrouping, as at least 60 people were killed in Israeli military strikes on Gaza on Wednesday.
Lazzarini said some Unrwa shelters and services were being forced to shut down for the first time since the war began and that with almost no basic supplies available, hunger was spreading again in northern Gaza. “This recent military operation also threatens the implementation of the second phase of the #polio vaccination campaign for children,” he said.
Israel did not immediately comment on Lazzarini’s remarks. Israeli authorities have previously said they facilitate food deliveries to Gaza despite challenging conditions.
A Liberia-flagged tanker was struck by an unidentified projectile in the Red Sea about 73 nautical miles (135 kilometres) southwest of the Yemeni port of Hodeidah, British security firm Ambrey said on Thursday, reports Reuters.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency (UKMTO) said separately that it had received a report of an incident in the same area, adding authorities are investigating.
UKMTO WARNING - INCIDENT 127 - ATTACK - UPDATE 002https://t.co/ZgjRM6s03v#MaritimeSecurity #MarSec pic.twitter.com/QF1trwgIg7
— United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) (@UK_MTO) October 10, 2024
The chemical/products tanker, en route from Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah to Muscat in Oman was struck on its starboard side. The projectile hit the bridge causing minor damage, Ambrey said.
Approximately four hours later, two additional projectiles reportedly detonated within 0.27 nautical miles of the vessel’s port side.
“Ambrey assessed the vessel to have a strong affiliation with the Houthi targeting profile,” Ambrey said, according to Reuters.
Houthi fighters in Yemen have carried out nearly 100 attacks on ships crossing the Red Sea since November and say they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians in Israel’s war in Gaza. They have sunk two vessels, seized another and killed at least four seafarers, Reuters reports.
The master of the Liberia-flagged vessel reported the tanker was hit by three projectiles, sustaining damage, but no fires or casualties were reported, UKMTO said in a statement.
The crew are reported safe and the vessel is proceeding to its next port of call, the statement added.
Al Jazeera accuses Israel of deliberately targeting journalists after reporter death and others injured
Al Jazeera has accused Israel of deliberately targeting journalists after one of its cameramen was shot and critically injured by an Israeli sniper on Wednesday while a photojournalist for another network was killed and a third also injured while covering the siege of Jabalia camp in northern Gaza.
In a statement the Qatar-based broadcaster said in a statement:
The Israeli occupation forces targeted a number of journalists working in and around Jabalia camp in the Gaza Strip this afternoon, killing one of the cameramen, and seriously injuring Al Jazeera Arabic Channel’s cameraman Fadi Al Wahidi with a bullet to his neck, causing critical injury while covering the attack on the camp …
This incident marks yet another grave violation against journalists in Gaza, where Israeli forces have been increasingly hostile toward media workers.”
The Hamas affiliated TV channel al-Aqsa said on Telegram that one of its photojournalists, Mohammad al-Tanani, had been killed in an Israeli attack in Jabalia refugee camp on Wednesday, while its journalist Tamer Labad, was injured.
Two days earlier, another Al Jazeera cameraman, Ali Al-Attar, was also critically injured in an Israeli attack on a hospital in northern Gaza.
Hossam Shabat, one of the few remaining journalists in the area, said his colleagues Al Wahidi and Labad were in critical condition. “They are in critical condition, and not much treatment is available for them here. Please pray for them and for us,” he wrote in a post on X.
Fadi Alwahdi and Tamer Lobod are both journalists who were targeted in the north today. They are in critical condition, and not much treatment is available for them here. Please pray for them and for us. pic.twitter.com/rAzJahY3lk
— حسام شبات (@HossamShabat) October 9, 2024
Al Jazeera reporter Anas al-Sharif wrote in another post that Al Wahidi, who had been wearing a press vest, “sustained severe injuries to his neck vertebrae and spinal cord. According to hospital specialists, he urgently requires surgery, and there is a risk of partial paralysis due to the extent of the damage.”
Breaking: The Al Jazeera crew came under fire from Israeli occupation forces, with our dear cameraman, Fadi Al-Wahidi, being shot in the neck by a sniper while covering the siege of Jabalia camp. pic.twitter.com/vtP37hlDq4
— أنس الشريف Anas Al-Sharif (@AnasAlSharif0) October 9, 2024
Al-Sharif also posted footage that he said was the last thing filmed by Al Wahidi before he was shot, in which the journalist can be seen running while shots are fired.
It was not possible to verify the circumstances of the Israeli attacks as Israel does not allow foreign journalists into Gaza. However Israel has previously been accused of deliberately targeting journalists, which it denies.
Israel has not commented on the latest attacks.
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Israel says Iran strike will be 'deadly, precise, surprising'
Israel’s defence minister has warned its next strike on Iran will be “deadly, precise and surprising”, reports the Associated Press (AP).
Yoav Gallant issued the warning in a video message on Israeli media on Wednesday night, broadcast after he postponed a scheduled trip to Washington, and a few hours after the conversation between Benjamin Netanyahu and Joe Biden.
“Whoever attacks us will be hurt and will pay a price. Our attack will be deadly, precise and above all surprising, they will not understand what happened and how it happened, they will see the results,” he said.
גלנט: התגובה שלנו למתקפה האיראנית תהיה קטלנית, מדויקת ובעיקר מפתיעה - הם לא יבינו מה קרה ואיך@Doron_Kadosh
— גלצ (@GLZRadio) October 9, 2024
(צילום: אלעד מלכה) pic.twitter.com/FOJwaCJAXP
US calls on Israel to urgently address ‘catastrophic conditions’ in Gaza
Israel needs to urgently address “catastrophic conditions” among Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip and stop “intensifying suffering” by limiting aid deliveries, the US has told the UN security council.
Speaking to the UN security council, UN ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said:
These catastrophic conditions were predicted months ago, and yet, have still not been addressed. That must change, and now.”
She also warned Israel against trying to permanently expel Palestinians from Gaza or seize any territory for itself. “There must be no demographic or territorial change in the Gaza Strip, including any actions that reduce the territory of Gaza,” Thomas-Greenfield said.
Despite a year of relentless Israeli attacks on Gaza, and intermittent declarations by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and other officials claiming to have defeated Hamas, Israeli tanks and infantry attacked northern Gaza for a third time in force earlier this week, claiming the action was necessary to prevent Hamas “regrouping”.
Hundreds of thousands of civilians in Gaza remain trapped by the latest Israeli offensive centred on Jabalia refugee camp, according to UN agencies and human rights groups.
“Hundreds of thousands of people are again being pushed to move to the south, where living conditions are intolerable,” Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the UN Palestinian refugee agency (Unrwa), told the security council.
He added:
Yet again, Gazans are teetering on the edge of a man-made famine.”
The UN has long complained of obstacles to getting aid into Gaza and distributing it during the war. Reuters reported last week that food supplies to Gaza have fallen sharply in recent weeks because Israeli authorities have introduced a new customs rule on some humanitarian aid and are separately scaling down deliveries organised by businesses.
Israel’s UN ambassador Danny Danon defended his country’s record:
Israel imposes no restrictions on humanitarian aid. In fact, 82% of all requests for humanitarian coordination have been approved and implemented.”
Biden urges Netanyahu to ‘minimise harm to civilians’ in Lebanon
Joe Biden and Benjamin Netanyahu have spoken for the first time in weeks on Wednesday amid expectations of an imminent Israeli strike on Iran. Vice-president Kamala Harris also joined the call.
In its readout of the call, the White House said the US president emphasised “the need to minimize harm to civilians, in particular in the densely populated areas of Beirut”.
The readout did not directly mention possible retaliation for the Iranian missile strike but said Biden had condemned Tehran’s attack “unequivocally” and pledged “ironclad” support for Israel.
The president affirmed his ironclad commitment to Israel’s security. He condemned unequivocally Iran’s ballistic missile attack against Israel on October 1st.
On Lebanon, the president emphasised the need for a diplomatic arrangement to safely return both Lebanese and Israeli civilians to their homes on both sides of the Blue Line. The president affirmed Israel’s right to protect its citizens from Hezbollah, which has fired thousands of missiles and rockets into Israel over the past year alone, while emphasising the need to minimise harm to civilians, in particular in the densely populated areas of Beirut.
On Gaza, the leaders discussed the urgent need to renew diplomacy to release the hostages held by Hamas. The president also discussed the humanitarian situation in Gaza and the imperative to restore access to the north, including by reinvigorating the corridor from Jordan immediately.”
The timing and scope of the Israeli retaliation is still unclear, and a miscalculation could propel Iran and Israel into a full-scale war, which neither side says it wants. The US, Israel’s staunch ally, is wary of being drawn into the fighting, and of oil price shocks.
The Biden administration is keen to weigh in on Israel’s plans and avoid surprises like the Israeli killing of the Hezbollah leader, Hassan Nasrallah, although the Wall Street Journal reported that Israel had so far refused to share details.
In the last few weeks, Israel’s deadly bombardment across Lebanon has killed at least 1,200 civilians while forcibly displacing 1.2 million residents. Across the country, thousands of Syrian refugees, in addition to Lebanese residents, have fled into Syria in recent days in attempts to escape Israeli airstrikes.
The Biden administration has previously also asked Israel to minimize civilian casualties in Gaza where Israeli forces have killed more than 43,000 Palestinians while displacing nearly 2 million in the territory. The Biden administration has also spent a record $17.9bn in military aid to Israel since last October.
Opening summary
The US has told the UN security council that Israel needs to urgently address “catastrophic conditions” among Palestinian civilians in the besieged Gaza Strip and stop “intensifying suffering” by limiting aid deliveries, Reuters reports.
Referring to reports of squalid conditions in south and central Gaza, US ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said:
These catastrophic conditions were predicted months ago, and yet, have still not been addressed. That must change, and now.”
She also warned Israel against trying to permanently expel Palestinians from Gaza or seize any territory for itself. “There must be no demographic or territorial change in the Gaza Strip, including any actions that reduce the territory of Gaza,” Thomas-Greenfield said.
Separately, members of the UN security council also warned Israel against proceeding with a law aimed at curbing the UN’s Palestinian refugees agency (Unrwa).
Israel has long been at odds with Unrwa and alleged, without providing any evidence, that 12 of its thousands of employees were involved in the 7 October Hamas attacks.
More on that in a moment. First here is a summary of other developments:
The UN office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs (OCHA) has published a flash update about the latest situation in Lebanon which says one quarter of Lebanese territory is now under Israeli military displacement orders. It said “Lebanon’s humanitarian crisis is deteriorating at an alarming rate” as “Israeli airstrikes have not only intensified but also expanded” and have “increasingly targeted critical civilian infrastructure”.
Five members of Lebanon’s civil defence were killed in an Israeli airstrike on their base in the town of Dardghaya, south Lebanon, on Wednesday night. Pictures of the strike show burnt cars with civil defence written on the side of it, crumpled from the force of the blast as efforts to locate survivors and bodies remain ongoing.
Canada will provide C$15m ($11m) in humanitarian assistance to Lebanese civilians who have been affected by Israel’s ongoing strikes across the country. In a statement reported by Reuters on Wednesday, Canada’s foreign minister Mélanie Joly said: “Canada is deeply alarmed by the rapid escalation of the crisis in Lebanon. We are mobilising to ensure that Canada is there to bring much-needed assistance to the Lebanese people.”
The governor of Akkar, in the far north of Lebanon, has said there are obstacles to delivering aid to the people who have sought refuge there after being internally displaced by Israeli strikes.
Hezbollah has said its fighters have fired rockets and artillery shells “as Israeli troops tried to advance in the Mays al-Jabal area from several directions”. The group added that “clashes are ongoing”.
Israeli strikes have killed five people and injured at least 12 in the Lebanese town of Wardiniyeh, about 40 kilometres south of Beirut, Al Jazeera reported, noting that the area is not one Israel has tried to empty of its residents.
Speaking to the BBC about Gaza’s devastation caused by Israel’s attacks in the past year, Philippe Lazzarini, chief of the main UN aid relief organisation in Gaza, said: “We are becoming wordless.” Lazzarini added: “We soon have exhausted all our vocabulary to try to describe what has become a wasteland … an unliveable area.”
Palestinian news agency Wafa reports that the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli attacks inside the Gaza Strip on Wednesday has risen to 60. This includes an incident where it reported “15 civilians were killed today when the Israeli occupation forces bombed the tents of displaced people in Jabalia”. It has not been possible for journalists to independently verify the casualty figures being issued during the conflict.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has ordered the closure once again of several hospitals in northern Gaza, including the Kamal Adwan, Indonesia and al-Awda hospitals. The Al Mezan Center for Human Rights described the situation as “deja vu” on social media, adding: “We all know the horrors that follow such orders”.
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) warned that after a year of conflict, as many as 51,000 children in Gaza could be unaccompanied or separated from their parents or caregivers.
Al Jazeera has released a statement condemning Israel for the killing of one of its camera operators and injuring another while they were working in Jabalia refugee camp in Gaza. “The deliberate targeting of journalists is a flagrant violation of international laws protecting the press and humanitarian workers in war zones,” the network said.
Two Israelis were killed in Kiryat Shmona in the north-east of Israel after it was reported to have been hit by a rocket barrage from Hezbollah. Israel’s military says it has destroyed the launcher used for the attack.
Russia’s foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova has been highly critical of Israel, saying Benjamin Netanyahu’s government had a desire “expand the geography of armed escalation in the region”.
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