Live blog: 'Appalling news' from northern Gaza, 'atrocities must stop' — UN

Saturday, October 19, 2024

1812 GMT — "Appalling news from northern Gaza where Palestinians continue to endure unspeakable horrors under siege by Israeli forces," Joyce Msuya, the UN Assistant Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Acting Emergency Relief Coordinator said.

In a statement issued on X on Saturday, Msuya stated that people in Jabalia are trapped under the rubble, with rescuers being prevented from reaching them, and tens of thousands of Palestinians are being forcibly displaced as essential supplies run out.

She noted that overcrowded hospitals have been bombed, calling for an end to these atrocities in accordance with international humanitarian law, and for the protection of civilians, the wounded, the sick, healthcare workers, and medical facilities.

Msuya emphasised that Israel must comply with the provisional orders issued by the International Court of Justice.

More updates👇

1838 GMT — Jordan condemns Israeli attacks on 3 hospitals in Gaza

Jordan’s Foreign Ministry strongly condemned Israeli attacks on three hospitals in Gaza, calling the actions a "blatant violation" of both international and humanitarian law.

In a statement, the ministry expressed outrage over strikes targeting the Indonesian Hospital, al-Awda Hospital, and al-Shifa Medical Complex, which serve civilians in Gaza.

"This is a flagrant violation of international law, particularly the 1949 Geneva Convention on the Protection of Civilians in Times of War," the ministry said.

It also expressed “rejection of Israel’s systematic targeting of civilian infrastructure in Gaza, including essential medical facilities.”

Jordan reiterated its demand for the international community, especially the UN Security Council, to take “immediate action to halt Israel’s aggression and ensure protection for the Palestinian population.”

1819 GMT — Illegal Israeli settlers torch Palestinian houses, property in occupied West Bank

Illegal Israeli settlers burned Palestinian homes and property near the northern city of Nablus in the occupied West Bank, resulting in two injured.

The illegal settlers burned three houses, a poultry farm, and agricultural land in the village of Jalud, south of Nablus, reported the official Palestine news agency Wafa, citing the local village council head.

Noting that the settlers "attacked the eastern part of the village," Raed Haj Mohammed said: "The settlers held several residents for a period, while some families who were harvesting olives in that area could not reach their homes due to the fires."

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society announced that its teams transported two injured individuals to the hospital after the settlers attacked the village.

1812 GMT — Death toll from Israeli attacks on Lebanon since October 8, 2023 rises to 2,448

The death toll from Israel's ongoing onslaught on Lebanon since October 8, 2023, has surged to 2,448, the Lebanese Health Ministry said.

A ministry statement said 36 people were killed and 204 others injured in Israeli attacks over the last 24 hours, raising the number of injured people to 11,471.

1645 GMT — US wants to see 'Israel scale back some of Beirut strikes': Austin

The United States would like to see Israel scale back some of its strikes in and around Beirut, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said.

"The number of civilian causalities have been far too high," he said. "We would like to see Israel scale back some of the strikes in and around Beirut and we would like to see a transition to negotiations that would allow civilians on both sides to return to their homes."

1249 GMT — Israel kills intensive care patients in North Gaza hospital

At least eight people were killed and several others injured in Israeli attacks on northern Gaza, Palestinian sources said.

According to medical sources, four people were killed and over 15 others injured in an Israeli air strike targeting a home in the Tuba area of the Jabalia refugee camp.

In a separate incident, the Palestinian civil defence confirmed that two more Palestinians were killed and seven others injured in another strike on a home belonging to the Saeedi family in Jabalia.

Separately, the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza said Israeli artillery targeted the upper floors of the Indonesian Hospital, which housed over 40 patients and injured individuals, as well as medical staff.

The situation worsened as the hospital lost electricity, further endangering the lives of patients, especially those dependent on oxygen machines.

Two patients in the intensive care unit were killed due to the Israeli army’s siege of the hospital and cutting off its electricity for hours, a medical source at the hospital told Anadolu.

Marwan Sultan, the director of the facility, described the dire conditions, saying at least 30 patients were injured, with 10 in urgent need of oxygen support, warning that their lives are at risk if the power outage continues.

Separately, a group of displaced civilians gathered outside the hospital gates were hit by artillery fire, causing casualties, according to witnesses.

Witnesses said the hospital is surrounded by Israeli forces, who have besieged shelters housing thousands of displaced civilians around the hospital area.

Meanwhile, the al-Awda Hospital in the Tel Al Zaatar area of Jabalia was also hit by Israeli artillery just hours after the attack on the Indonesian Hospital.

1244 GMT — Lebanon security source says Israel strikes south Beirut

At least two Israeli air strikes hit the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital Beirut, a security source told AFP.

AFP footage showed plumes of smoke rising over the area, less than an hour after the Israeli military issued an evacuation order.

1236 GMT — Gaza rescuers say over 400 killed in past two weeks in Israel assault on territory's north

Gaza's civil defence agency said more than 400 Palestinians were killed in the north of the territory over the past two weeks during the Israeli siege.

"We have recovered more than 400 martyrs from the various targeted areas in the northern Gaza Strip, including Jabalia and its camp, Beit Lahia and Beit Hanoun, since the start of the military operation by the occupation army" on October 6, Gaza civil defence agency spokesperson, Mahmud Bassal, told AFP.

1225 GMT — Lebanon media says mayor among 4 killed in Israeli strike in east

Lebanon state media said four people including a mayor were killed on Saturday in an Israeli strike on a town in the eastern Bekaa Valley region.

The strike hit a residential building in the town of Baaloul, killing four, the official National News Agency said, adding that the dead include Haidar Shahla, the mayor of the nearby town of Sohmor.

1211 GMT — Israel army issues new evacuation call for south Beirut residents

The Israeli military called on residents to leave parts of southern Beirut, a warning usually followed by strikes on those areas of the Lebanese capital.

"Urgent warning to residents of the southern suburb (of Dahiyeh), specifically those in ...Haret Hreik neighbourhood: You are located near facilities and interests belonging to Hezbollah, against which the IDF (Israeli military) will be operating in the near future," military spokesman Avichay Adraee wrote in Arabic on X.

1039 GMT — Death toll from Israel's war on Gaza tops grim 42,500

At least 19 more Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza, bringing the overall death toll since October last year to 42,519, the Health Ministry in the besieged enclave has said.

A ministry statement added that some 99,637 others have been wounded in the ongoing assault.

“Israeli forces killed 19 people and injured 91 others in three massacres of families in the last 24 hours,” the ministry said.

“Many people are still trapped under the rubble and on the roads as rescuers are unable to reach them,” it added.

1029 GMT — Israeli rescuers say one killed by shrapnel after rocket fire from Lebanon

Israeli emergency services have said a man was killed by shrapnel near the port city of Acre after a barrage of rockets was fired from Lebanon into northern Israel.

"Paramedics have pronounced the death of a man, around 50 years old, who was struck by shrapnel while sitting in his vehicle," the Magen David Adom emergency service said in a statement.

1020 GMT — Seven Palestinians, including children, killed in Israeli air strike on school sheltering displaced in Gaza

At least seven Palestinians, including children and women, have been killed in an Israeli air strike targeting a school run by the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) in western Gaza that was providing shelter to displaced families.

According to Palestinian medics, the Israeli attack on the school resulted in seven fatalities and multiple injuries, with the wounded being transported to nearby hospitals.

Witnesses said the air strike targeted the Asma school in the Shati refugee camp, which is currently housing thousands of displaced Palestinians.

1011 GMT — Iran in favour of peace but prepared for any scenario: Foreign Minister Araghchi

Iran is in favour of peace but it is also prepared for any scenario, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said.

"The spread of the war in the region is a serious threat; we are in favour of peace, but we are also prepared for any scenario," he told a press conference with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan in Istanbul.

Despite international outcry and efforts to end the conflicts, Israel continues its air and ground attacks in both Lebanon and Gaza.

1011 GMT — Israel army says at least 115 projectiles fired from Lebanon

The Israeli army has said at least 115 projectiles were fired from Lebanon targeting the country amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah.

The projectiles were fired mainly into northern Israel, with sirens blaring across the region at regular intervals. AFP compiled the figure of projectiles based on a series of statements released by the Israeli army.

0924 GMT — 8 Palestinians killed in Israeli air strikes on central Gaza

At least eight Palestinians were killed in Israeli air strikes in central Gaza, sources told Anadolu.

A medical source at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah confirmed the fatalities, saying many more who were injured in the attack were rushed to the hospital following the aerial assault.

Separately, Israeli forces advanced into the eastern part of the Bureij camp in central Gaza amid heavy gunfire and intense artillery shelling aimed at civilian homes, witnesses said.

0924 GMT — Hezbollah says fires rockets at Israeli military base

Hezbollah has said it fired rockets at a military base near the northern Israeli city of Haifa after the Israeli army reported a barrage of projectiles launched from Lebanon.

The "large salvo" of advanced rockets hit a military base east of Haifa, said Hezbollah, which has vowed to intensify attacks on Israel weeks into an all-out war that erupted on September 23.

0721 GMT — Israeli PM Netanyahu’s residence hit by drone: Authorities

A drone was launched towards Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's home in the northern Israeli town of Caesarea, his spokesperson has said, adding that the premier was not in the vicinity and there were no casualties.

Earlier, the Israeli military said that a drone was launched from Lebanon and that it had hit a building. It was not immediately clear what the building was.

0720 GMT — Two killed in Israeli strike north of Lebanon's capital

At least two people have been killed in an Israeli strike on a car in Jounieh, north of Beirut, Lebanon's health ministry has said, in the first attack on the area by Israeli forces.

0713 GMT — Malaysian premier condemns killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has strongly condemned the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar by Israeli forces.

In a statement on X, Anwar said Malaysia mourns the loss of a "fighter and defender of the Palestinian people."

"Malaysia strongly condemned the killing, and it was clear that the regime's attempt to undermine the demand for release would not succeed. Malaysia insists that the international community reject Israel's barbarity and that the ongoing massacre of Palestinians must be stopped immediately," he said in his post written in local language.

0657 GMT — At least 11 killed in Israeli strike on home in central Gaza, WAFA says

At least 11 people have been killed in an Israeli strike on a home in central Gaza's Al Maghazi refugee camp, the Palestinian official news agency WAFA has said, adding that there are still missing people under the rubble.

0624 GMT — Israeli army targets Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza

The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza has said Israeli artillery targeted the upper floors of the Indonesian Hospital, which housed over 40 patients and injured individuals, as well as medical staff.

The situation worsened as the hospital lost electricity, further endangering the lives of patients, especially those dependent on oxygen machines.

Marwan Sultan, the director of the facility, described the dire conditions, saying at least 30 patients were injured, with 10 in urgent need of oxygen support, warning that their lives are at risk if the power outage continues.

0600 GMT — Israel says drone from Lebanon hits town, two others intercepted

The Israeli military has said a drone spotted crossing into the country from Lebanon struck the central town of Caesarea, while two others were intercepted.

The drone "hit a structure in the area of Caesarea" without causing any casualties, the military said, without elaborating. It added that two other drones were intercepted.

0329 GMT — US destroys 20 Houthi uncrewed aerial systems, missiles: CENTCOM

The US military has destroyed 20 one-way attack uncrewed aerial systems and land cruise missiles in Yemen's Houthi-controlled area over several days, according to a statement.

"The drones and missiles were downed by a combination of US Air Force and US Navy assets deployed to the region," it added.

0214 GMT — Gaza facing ‘unprecedented rain of destruction’: UN expert

Gaza has experienced “a biblical, unprecedented rain of destruction” since Israel launched its military offensive on Oct. 7 last year, the UN housing expert has said.

Balakrishnan Rajagopal, the UN independent investigator on the right to adequate housing, told reporters that “the ferocity” of destruction in Gaza wasn’t seen in the conflicts in Syria and Ukraine.

By January 2024, Rajagopal said, 60-70 percent of all homes in Gaza were destroyed, and in northern Gaza, it was 82 percent of homes. “It is far worse than that right now,” particularly in the north which is approaching the 100 percent level, he said.

Rajagopal said a recent report by the UN Development Program estimated that in May there were over 39 million tons of debris in Gaza, and he said that rubble is mixed with unexploded ordnance, toxic waste, asbestos from collapsed buildings, and other materials.

2343 GMT — Iran warns US about potential Israeli attack

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has cautioned the US that it would be held accountable for any losses Iran might suffer if it supports an anticipated Israeli attack.

Araghchi’s remarks came after US President Joe Biden acknowledged he was aware of Israel’s plans on the timing and nature of possible retaliation against Iran for a missile attack against Israel earlier this month.

The Iranian minister wrote on X that anyone with knowledge of or involvement in facilitating such an attack by Israel would bear responsibility for any potential consequences in Iran.

2200 GMT — Israel kills 33 civilians, including 21 women, in Gaza's Jabalia

Israel has killed at least 33 Palestinians, including 21 women and many children, and wounded more than 85 others in strikes on homes in Jabalia camp in northern Gaza, the Palestinian Authority's official news agency WAFA reported early on Saturday.

Mohammad Salha, director of al-Awda Hospital, told Anadolu Agency that the Israeli air strikes targeted a number of Palestinian homes in the Tel al Zaatar area, east of Jabalia camp.

He noted that there are still missing people under the rubble of the homes, while ambulances are unable to reach the area under fear of being targeted by the Israeli invading army.

The Gaza local authorities said among the victims there are 21 women, and that the death toll is expected to rise amid poor health services in northern Gaza under Israeli siege and attacks.

Northern Gaza, particularly the Jabalia area, is under a suffocating siege and constant Israeli bombardment, with homes being demolished over their inhabitants.

2140 GMT — UN expert accuses Israel, Western nations of speech breaches

Protest crackdowns, banned marches, media workers at risk — a UN expert has accused Western nations and Israel of freedom of speech violations in the year since the Gaza war broke out.

"No conflict in recent times has threatened freedom of expression so seriously or so far beyond its borders than Gaza," UN special rapporteur Irene Khan told reporters as she presented her report, "Global threats to freedom of expression arising from the conflict in Gaza."

The Bangladeshi human rights lawyer, who has been the special rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression since 2020, notably cited crackdowns on pro-Palestine protests in Western countries in the early months of the war.

On US university campuses, protests were "harshly" repressed, she said, alluding to the use of riot police to dislodge encampments.

In Europe, she noted that Germany had imposed a ban on pro-Palestinian demonstrations last October, with some restrictions still in place on such protests in various Germans regions, but "never on any pro-Israeli" rallies.

"There have been all sorts of other restrictions also made in terms of slogans or scarves and so on," she said.

2130 GMT — Houthi group attacks ship in Arabian Sea for links with Israel

The Yemeni Houthi group has said it targeted a ship in the Arabian Sea for having links to Israel and reported more US-UK raids on western Yemen.

Yahya Saree, the group's military spokesman, said in a statement that the group targeted the Malta-flagged Megalopolis container ship with drones in the Arabian Sea, and achieved direct hits.

Saree said the group targeted the ship because the company that owns the ship breached the Houthi's embargo on ships entering Israeli ports.

He vowed to continue attacking Israeli targets as long as the Israeli aggression on Gaza and Lebanon continues. The Houthis also reported two raids on Hudaida province in western Yemen.

For our live updates from Friday, October 18, 2024, click here.