Live blog: Israel kills at least 16 Palestinians in Tulkarem missile attack

Thursday, October 3, 2024

2030 GMT — Israeli warplanes have fired a missile at a cafe in the Al Hamam neighbourhood of Tulkarem refugee camp in occupied West Bank, killing at least 16 Palestinians and wounding many others.

Palestinian news agency WAFA said that Civil defence and ambulance vehicles rushed to the scene to assist the victims, transporting the wounded to the Thabet Government Hospital in Tulkarem.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society reported that its teams transported the bodies of some of the victims, along with one wounded person, to hospital.

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1805 GMT — At least 17 Israeli soldiers dead in Lebanon during three days of fighting

Hezbollah has reported that 17 Israeli soldiers and officers have been killed during three days of the army's attempts to infiltrate southern Lebanon.

The Israeli army earlier reported that another Israeli officer was killed during a battle in southern Lebanon.

It marked the ninth military death reported by the Israeli army in two days, following the announcement on Wednesday of the deaths of eight soldiers.

1856 GMT — G7 leaders call on regional players in Middle East to 'act responsibly'

Group of Seven (G7) leaders reiterated their deep concern over the crisis in the Middle East and called on players in the region to "act responsibly" and with restraint, while repeating their backing for Israel's security.

"We, the Leaders of the G7, express deep concern over the deteriorating situation in the Middle East ... We unequivocally reiterate our commitment to the security of Israel," a G7 statement provided by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's office read.

"A dangerous cycle of attacks and retaliation risks fuelling an uncontrollable escalation in the Middle East, which is in no one's interest. Therefore, we call on all regional players to act responsibly and with restraint."

1850 GMT — US not aware Hezbollah leader agreed to ceasefire before assassination

The United States said it was not aware that the leader of Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire shortly before he was assassinated in an Israeli air strike in Beirut.

“I can tell you that, if that's true, it was never communicated to us in any way,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters when asked about remarks by Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bouhabib.

“I can't speak to whether he ever agreed to it and told somebody inside Lebanon, obviously, that could be something that happened that we wouldn’t be aware of,” he said.

Bouhabib told CNN that Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah agreed to a ceasefire moments before he was assassinated and the Lebanese government communicated it to the US and France.

1838 GMT — Israel's ambassador to UN: we have a lot of options with Iran

Israel has a lot of options when it comes to striking back at Iran in response to its missile attacks earlier this week, the country's ambassador to the United Nations told CNN.

"We have a lot of options ... so it's (up to) us to decide where and when we want to attack, but they are vulnerable. They know that," said Danny Danon.

1827 GMT — World Bank redirects $250M of Lebanon aid

The World Bank announced the redirection of $250 million to emergency aid for Lebanon from funds that were originally meant to promote renewable energy in the country.

"The World Bank is activating emergency response plans to be able to repurpose resources in the portfolio to respond to the urgent needs of people in Lebanon," said a statement from the US-based multilateral institution.

Thousands have been displaced since the bombing began, and the funds would be used to provide aid to those populations, the World Bank said.

"This would include emergency support to displaced people that could be deployed through a digital platform the World Bank helped put in place during the Covid epidemic," the statement said.

1805 GMT — Yemen’s Houthis report US, UK air strikes on Hudaida province

The United States and Britain launched two airstrikes against Houthi sites in Yemen, according to the Yemeni group.

Houthi-run Al-Masirah television reported that the attacks targeted the Jabana area in western Hudaida province. No details were yet available about casualties or damage.

There was no immediate comment from the US or the UK on the report.

1802 GMT — Israeli army intercepts drone in country's south

The Israeli army said its air force intercepted a drone in southern Israel.

“A short while ago, the Air Force intercepted an unmanned aircraft in south of the country. There are no casualties," a brief statement said.

According to the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth, the military has launched an investigation to determine the drone’s origin.

Initial estimates suggested it did not come from Gaza or Egypt's Sinai Peninsula.

1759 GMT — Civilians bear brunt in 'catastrophic' Lebanon conflict: UN official

Civilians are bearing the brunt of a "truly catastrophic" situation in Lebanon, a senior UN official said, urging respect for the rules of war nearly two weeks since Israel launched a major offensive in its northern neighbour.

With around 1 million people in Lebanon impacted, Imran Riza, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, said the pace of displacement since Sept. 23 had exceeded worst-case scenarios, and too much damage was being done to civilian infrastructure.

"What we saw from Sept. 23 on is truly catastrophic," Riza said in an interview with Reuters on Thursday. He was referring to the day when Israel dramatically ramped up airstrikes in Lebanon, killing more than 500 people in a single day, according to Lebanese government figures.

"The level of trauma, the level of fear amongst the population, has been extreme," he said.

1627 GMT — Spanish politician accuses Israel of using white phosphorus bombs against Lebanon

Irene Montero from the Spanish left-wing party, Podemos, accused Israel of using white phosphorus bombs against Lebanon.

"White phosphorus causes deadly burns that reach the bone," she wrote on X. "Israel is bombing Beirut with this banned munition." Montero described Israeli officials as "criminals, terrorists."

"The European elites will have to answer for this unbearable complicity with the genocidal state of Israel," she said.

1617 GMT — Fresh Israeli strikes hit Beirut's southern suburbs — report

Lebanon's state-run media said a new Israeli strike hit Hezbollah's south Beirut stronghold after three earlier strikes on the same area following an intense night of bombardment.

"An enemy raid targeted, just now, (Beirut's) southern suburbs," the National News Agency (NNA) reported.

AFP correspondents heard two loud explosions and saw smoke rising from the southern suburbs. A source close to the group told AFP that the earlier strikes had "targeted a building housing Hezbollah's media relations office", which had already been "evacuated".

1554 GMT — Escalation in Middle East has 'reached unprecedented heights': Russia

Russia said that the escalation in the Middle East has "reached unprecedented heights."

Speaking at a news conference in Moscow, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov urged Iran and Israel to exercise restraint, and all parties involved in the conflict to declare a cease-fire.

"This unprecedented escalation in violence must be stopped immediately, and the fighting in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict zone must be stopped," he said, calling on Israel and Iran "to exercise restraint."

The diplomat said the consequences of the current crisis, provoked by the US and Israeli destructive policy, will be "very profound."

1447 GMT — Israeli army orders residents of 25 southern Lebanese towns to evacuate

The Israeli army ordered the residents of 25 towns in southern Lebanon to evacuate their homes and head north of the Litani River.

Such orders have been issued almost on a daily basis in recent days as residents continue to flee to areas far from their villages and towns.

Avichai Adraee, the Israeli army spokesperson, listed the towns, including Al-Kharayeb, Arzi, Zarariyeh, Adlun, Ansariye, Mazraat Deir Taqla, Mazraat Al-Wasiti, Mazraat Jumjum, Qsaibeh, Jebchit, Nabatieh, Mazraat Sinai, and Douir.

The list also included Kfar Rumman, Nabatieh Al-Fawqa, Manzaleh, Haboush, Al-Homsiyah, Baysariyeh, Al-Saksakieh, Loubieh, Kfar Tabnit, Arnoun, Zaoutar Al-Sharqiya, and Zaoutar Al-Gharbiyya.

"You must evacuate your homes immediately and head north of the Awali River,” Adraee said.

1439 GMT — Belgian journalists attacked and wounded during Beirut strikes

Two Belgian journalists were attacked and wounded in Lebanon while reporting on air raids in Beirut, their employer said, as conflict raged between Israel and Hezbollah.

VTM correspondent Robin Ramaekers and cameraman Stijn De Smet were beaten up and shot at by assailants accusing them of spying for Israel, the broadcaster said.

"Last night there was a bombing in central Beirut. When Robin and Stijn wanted to run a report on that, they got wounded," VTM's parent company, DPG Media said in a statement.

1359 GMT — Israel killed 28 health workers in Lebanon during 24 hours — WHO

The World Health Organization chief said that 28 healthcare workers had been killed over the past 24 hours in Lebanon, where Israel has launched air strikes and deployed troops in an escalating conflict.

"Many (other) health workers are not reporting to duty and fled the areas where they work due to bombardments," Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told an online press briefing.

"This is severely limiting the provision of mass trauma management and continuity of health services," he said.

The global health agency will not be able to deliver a large planned shipment of trauma and medical supplies to the country on Friday due to flight restrictions, he added.

1333 GMT — Israel claims to have hit Hezbollah intelligence HQ in Beirut

The Israeli military has claimed that it hit Hezbollah's intelligence headquarters in Beirut amid a flurry of strikes targeting the group's positions in the Lebanese capital.

Israeli fighter jets "struck targets belonging to Hezbollah's intelligence headquarters in Beirut, including terror operatives belonging to the unit, intelligence-gathering means, command centres and additional terrorist infrastructure," the military said in a statement.

1312 GMT — Death toll from Israeli attack on central Beirut rises

At least nine people were killed and 14 others injured in an overnight Israeli air strike on an apartment in the Bachoura area of central Beirut, the Lebanese Health Ministry said.

According to an Anadolu correspondent, the air strike caused heavy damage to the surrounding buildings and cars in the targeted area. The ministry said efforts were under way to identify the victims.

1240 GMT — Israel's 'persona non grata' designation of UN chief 'unjustified': France

France condemned Israel's move to declare United Nations chief Antonio Guterres "persona non grata", saying the decision was "unjustified."

"France regrets the unjustified, serious and counter-productive decision taken by Israel to declare the secretary general of the United Nations, Mr Antonio Guterres, persona non grata," the French foreign ministry said in a statement.

1209 GMT — Lebanese deaths from Israeli attacks rise to 1,974 — ministry

The Lebanese Health Minister Firas Abiad has stated that a total of 1,974 people have been killed, including 127 children in the Israeli attacks on Lebanon.

1200 GMT — Pakistani, Malaysian premiers slam Israel over invasion of Gaza, Lebanon

Pakistan and Malaysia slammed Israel over its continued genocide in Gaza and invasion of Lebanon, calling upon the international community to shun “hypocrisy” and “selective justice.”

Addressing a joint press stakeout in Islamabad and his Malaysian counterpart Anwar Ibrahim, Pakistani counterpart Shehbaz Sharif called for an “immediate” ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon.

“In contemporary history, there is no parallel to this kind of genocide and carnage,” Sharif said.

For his part, Anwar observed that the conflict in Gaza is not a war between two countries. Still, it is completely “intransigence” and “aggression”, disregarding all fundamental rules of the international order.

“The problem is more precarious, of course, now with the extended war and aggression into Lebanon and the continued genocide in Gaza and the West Bank,” he went on to say.

“And you have seen, not only in constant inconsistency, but hypocrisy, many so-called civilized countries, talking about human rights and freedom, but certainly being very selective in the decisions,” Anwar maintained.

1155 GMT — Two Swedish teens held in custody over blasts near Israeli Embassy in Copenhagen

Two Swedish teenagers were jailed in pre-trial detention in connection with two predawn explosions in the vicinity of the Israeli Embassy in Copenhagen a day earlier.

Prosecutors said investigators were establishing “whether the motive could be a terror attack.” No one was injured in the blasts on early Wednesday in a neighbourhood with several foreign diplomatic missions, though the nearby Jewish school was closed following the explosions.

The pair, who cannot be identified under a court order, were ordered held for 27 days. They faced preliminary charges of possessing illegal weapons and carrying five hand grenades. Two of the grenades blew up when the suspects threw them at a house near the embassy, prosecutor Soren Harbo said.

“This was pretty close to the Israeli Embassy,” Harbo said before Thursday's court hearing. The explosions caused damage to a roof terrace of a nearby house.

The diplomatic mission was not harmed.

1150 GMT — Iran summons German and Austrian ambassadors

Germany and Austria's ambassadors in Tehran were summoned after Berlin and Vienna summoned Iran's representatives to protest Iran's attack on Israel, Iranian state media reported.

1101 GMT — Arab League holds urgent meeting over Israeli war on Lebanon

The Arab League held an emergency meeting in Cairo to discuss the ongoing Israeli attacks on Lebanon amid rising regional tensions.

The meeting was called by Iraq to discuss “the Israeli military escalation against Lebanon, its humanitarian repercussions and means of providing medical and food aid to those affected,” according to Egypt’s state news agency MENA.

Participants will discuss issuing a call for the international community “to stand by the Lebanese people and contribute with international organizations to deliver urgent aid as quickly as possible," MENA said.

1050 GMT — Israel tells Lebanese to evacuate villages, city in south

The Israeli military told residents in more than 20 villages and a city in southern Lebanon to evacuate, the latest in a series of calls to relocate issued by the army.

"The IDF (Israeli army) does not intend to harm you, and for your own safety, you must evacuate your homes immediately and head north of the Awali River. Save your lives," said army spokesman Avichay Adraee said on X.

The statement included the southern Lebanese city of Nabatiyeh.

1026 GMT — Israel says killed 15 Hezbollah militants in Lebanon strike

Israel's military said it killed 15 Hezbollah militants in an air strike on southern Lebanon, as the Lebanese movement said it thwarted an Israeli advance at the border.

1010 GMT — Israel says strike killed three senior Hamas leaders three months ago

The Israeli military said a strike three months ago killed three senior Hamas leaders in Gaza.

The military said the strike killed Rawhi Mushtaha, the head of the Palestinian government in Gaza, and Sameh al Siraj, who held the security portfolio for Hamas's political bureau, and Sami Oudeh, a commander.

"Mushtaha was one of Hamas' most senior operatives and had a direct impact on decisions relating to Hamas' force deployment," said the military in a statement.

0943 GMT — Death toll from Israel's strike on Gaza reaches 41,788

Israel's military offensive in Gaza has killed at least 41,788 Palestinians and wounded 96,794 since October 7, the Palestinian enclave's health ministry said on Thursday.

Ninety-nine Palestinians have been killed and 169 wounded in the past 24 hours, the ministry said in a statement.

0900 GMT — Iran Revolutionary Guards consultant dies of injuries in Israeli strike on Damascus

A consultant working for Iran's Revolutionary Guards has died from injuries sustained in an Israeli air attack on the Syrian capital Damascus on Monday, Iran's Student News Network reported.

It identified the consultant as Majid Divani, without giving further details.

0819 GMT — Scores of illegal Israeli settlers storm Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque

Scores of illegal Israeli settlers forced their way into the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in occupied East Jerusalem to mark the beginning of the Jewish new year.

The Jordan-run Jerusalem Islamic Waqf Department said over 180 settlers broke into the site under the protection of Israeli police.

Settlers were seen performing Talmudic Jewish rituals inside the mosque's complex, the department added in a statement.

0625 GMT — Japan sends military planes to evacuate its citizens from Lebanon

Japan has sent two military planes to Jordan and Greece in preparation for the possible evacuation of its nationals from Lebanon, according to local reports.

The Air Self-Defense Force dispatched two C-2 transport aircraft from Miho Air Base in Japan’s Tottori province, ready to respond if needed, Kyodo News reported, citing the Defense Ministry.

There are currently around 50 Japanese nationals in Lebanon.

0606 GMT — Yemen's Houthis claim drone attack on Tel Aviv

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels said they carried out a drone attack on Tel Aviv, although there was no direct confirmation from Israeli authorities.

In a statement, the Houthis said they "carried out a military operation targeting a vital target in the Jaffa (Tel Aviv) area in occupied Palestine with a number of Jaffa drones".

"The operation achieved its goals successfully as the drones reached their targets without the enemy being able to confront or shoot them down."

0405 GMT — Israeli army forces 3 Palestinian families to evacuate their homes

The Israeli army forced three Palestinian families in two villages near the city of Jenin in the northern occupied West Bank to evacuate their homes and turned them into military outposts.

The official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that Israeli forces forcibly evacuated a family from their home in the village of Anin, west of Jenin.

The agency quoted the homeowner, Yasser Yassin, 61, as saying that the army stormed his house and forced him along with his wife, 56, and son, 30, to evacuate.

According to Wafa, the army forcibly evacuated the families of Abdul Salam Ahmad Zaid and his brother Mohammed from a two-story building in the village of Nazlat Sheikh Zaid, southwest of Jenin.

2331 GMT — Israel hits Beirut city centre, killing at least 6 people

Israel has bombed central Beirut in the early hours of Thursday, killing at least six people, after its invading military suffered their deadliest day on the Lebanese front in a year of clashes against Hezbollah.

Witnesses reported hearing a massive blast and a security source said Israel targeted a building in central Beirut's Bachoura neighbourhood close to parliament, the nearest Israeli strikes have come to Lebanon's seat of government.

At least six people were killed and seven wounded, Lebanese health officials said. A photo being circulated on Lebanese WhatsApp groups showed a heavily damaged building with its first floor on fire.

Three missiles also hit the southern suburb of Dahiyeh, where Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah was killed last week, and loud explosions were heard, Lebanese security officials said. The southern suburbs came under more than a dozen Israeli strikes on Wednesday.

Lebanon's disaster management agency said earlier that 1,928 people have been killed in the country by Israel since October 7, 2023.

2220 GMT — US resident killed by Israel in Lebanon

A US resident from Dearborn, Michigan, has been killed in Lebanon, the American government said, with the man's friend and neighbours saying he was killed in an Israeli air strike.

"We are deeply saddened by the death of Kamel Ahmad Jawad, and our hearts go out to his family and friends. His death is a tragedy, as are the deaths of many civilians in Lebanon," a White House spokesperson said.

Earlier in the day, a State Department spokesperson, when asked about reports of an American's death in Lebanon, said: "It's our understanding that it was a legal permanent resident, not an American citizen (who got killed in Lebanon) but we obviously offer our sincerest condolences to the family."

0037 GMT — Spain expresses solidarity with Lebanon

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez expressed solidarity with his Lebanese counterpart Najib Mikati, reiterating his call for an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon.

"I just spoke with the Prime Minister of Lebanon @Najib_Mikati to express my solidarity and support in the difficult times his country is going through," Sanchez wrote on X, noting that Spain has increased its humanitarian aid to assist the Lebanese civilian population.

"It is essential that international law and international humanitarian law, as well as Lebanon's territorial integrity, be respected," he added.

Saying that consistency "must continue to guide our external actions," Sanchez reiterated the need to "stop this war."

"We demand an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon," he added.

0029 GMT — Dozens of Australian citizens flee Lebanon

Australia has organised dozens of airline seats for its citizens to leave Lebanon, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said, as she urged the many thousands of Australians that remain in Lebanon to leave the country while they still can.

Australia has secured 580 seats on flights departing on Thursday and Saturday for citizens, permanent residents and their families who want to leave Lebanon, Wong told a press conference. Flights were also organised earlier in the week.

Some 1,700 Australians and their families have registered their desire to leave Lebanon with the government, she said.

Australia is home to a large Lebanese diaspora, and roughly 15,000 Australians normally live in Lebanon, according to the foreign ministry.

"Please take whatever option is available to you. Now is not the time for you to wait and see, now is the time to leave," Wong said.

2137 GMT — Hassan Nasrallah agreed to truce before Israel assassinated him

Former Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah had agreed to a ceasefire with Israel shortly before he was assassinated by Tel Aviv in an air strike in Beirut, Lebanon's foreign minister has said.

"He agreed. Yes, the Lebanese side agreed," Abdallah Bouhabib told CNN.

"We consulted with Hezbollah, (Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih) Berri consulted with Hezbollah, and we informed US and French representatives (about the decision)," he added.

"The US and France told us that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also agreed on the statement that was issued by (US President) Joe Biden and (French President) Emmanuel Macron."

2127 GMT — Israel kills 46 people, wounds 85 in Lebanon in 24 hours

The Lebanese Health Ministry has said that 46 people were killed and 85 others wounded by "enemy Israeli strikes" across the country over the past 24 hours.

Lebanon's disaster management agency said earlier that 1,928 people have been killed since October 8, 2023.

2039 GMT — Hospitals in Lebanon 'overwhelmed' with influx of wounded

Hospitals in Lebanon are "overwhelmed" with the influx of wounded patients amid the ongoing aggression by Israel, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said.

"The death toll in #Lebanon is rising, and hospitals are overwhelmed with the influx of injured patients. The health system has been weakened by successive crises and is struggling to cope with the immense needs," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus wrote on X.

Tedros said that he met with Arab League ambassadors in Geneva to discuss the health situation in Lebanon and the region, adding that they agreed patients, health workers and civilians, including refugees, "must be protected and offered the health care they need."


The WHO has been working closely with the Lebanese Health Ministry to ensure hospitals have enough medical supplies and health workers are trained for mass casualty events, he added.


"But more help is needed, and we are scaling up our response. However, what the people of Lebanon, Gaza, Israel and throughout the Middle East need is peace," the WHO secretary general said.

2029 GMT — Qatar urges halting of Israeli aggression in Gaza, Lebanon

Qatar's Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani has urged the international community to halt Israeli aggression against Lebanon and besieged Gaza.

His remarks were made during a news conference in Doha alongside Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, which was broadcast by the Qatar-based Al Jazeera news outlet.

The emir said his meeting with Pezeshkian was "part of the ongoing dialogue between the two countries, during which areas of cooperation, particularly in trade and economics, were discussed."

"We also addressed the critical situation in our region, marked by Israeli aggression against Gaza, the West Bank, and its continued attacks on Lebanon," he added.

He warned that "the (Israeli) aggression is pushing the region to the edge of the abyss and increasing the risk of escalating violence" and urged "the international community to pressure Israel to stop its brutal attacks on Gaza and Lebanon."

For our live updates from Wednesday, October 2, 2024, click here.