Live blog: UN Palestinian agency slams Israel ban as 'outrageous'

Monday, October 28, 2024

1942 GMT — The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has condemned the Israeli parliament's approval of a bill banning its activities in Israel and occupied East Jerusalem, calling the move "outrageous".

"It's outrageous that a member state of the United Nations is working to dismantle a UN agency which also happens to be the largest responder in the humanitarian operation in Gaza," Juliette Touma, spokesperson for UNRWA, told AFP.

The media adviser to the agency, Adnan Abu Hasna, said that Israel's decision to ban the organisation's operation inside the country will mean the collapse of the humanitarian process as a whole.

Hasna described the decision as an "unprecedented" escalation while speaking to Qatar's Al Jazeera Mubasher TV.

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1935 GMT — Russia urges Israel to halt provocative actions in Middle East

Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzya has urged Israel to halt its provocative actions in the Middle East as he spoke at the UNSC meeting that Iran asked for.

Earlier today, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Moscow hopes the UN Security Council can help calm the situation in the Middle East following recent Israeli strikes on Iran over the weekend.

Israel launched three waves of airstrikes against military targets in the Iranian capital Tehran and western Iran early Saturday.

Iran’s armed forces said that while most missiles were intercepted by air defence systems, some caused "limited damage,” resulting in the deaths of five people, including four soldiers.

1843 GMT — Israel strike on Lebanon-Syria crossing hampers key escape route

The flow of displaced families crossing from Lebanon into Syria via a secondary crossing has slowed to a trickle after an Israeli strike there last week, a local official told AFP.

The land crossing on Lebanon's northeastern border, known as Jousieh on the Syrian side, connects to Qusayr in Syria's Homs province.

It was put out of service last Friday when the Israeli strike created a large crater that blocked vehicle traffic.

The raid came after the main land border with Syria, known as Masnaa on the Lebanese side and which lies between Beirut and Damascus, was forced to close by an Israel strike on October 4.

1811 GMT — 'This war should end': Biden

US President Joe Biden said that Israel's war on besieged Gaza "should end" as the Palestinian death toll in the densely populated tiny enclave has topped 43,000.

"We need a ceasefire. This war should end," the president said in brief remarks before reporters after he cast his early ballot in the 2024 presidential race in his home state of Delaware.

He said he would hold a call to "follow up" on cease-fire efforts after leaving the polling station in the city of New Castle.

1703 GMT — International forum urges ceasefires in Gaza, Lebanon

A forum representing countries including the European Union member states, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Türkiye called for an "immediate ceasefire" in Gaza and Lebanon.

The Union for the Mediterranean also urged Israel to cease unilateral measures undermining a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as the Gaza war spills over across the Middle East.

In a press conference after their meeting in Barcelona, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell called for a political solution to the crisis that "every day drives more people to despair and sows the seeds of hatred that will wipe out entire generations".

1652 GMT — Death toll from Israeli attacks in Lebanon climbs to 2,710

The death toll from Israeli attacks in Lebanon has risen to 2,710, with 12,592 others injured since October 2023, Lebanon's Health Ministry reported.

Sunday's toll was 38 deaths and 124 injuries.

1644 GMT — Ship comes under attack in Bab el-Mandeb Strait off Red Sea

A ship travelling through the narrow Bab el-Mandeb Strait off the Red Sea came under attack in an assault likely carried out by Yemen's Houthis, authorities said.

The attack probably marks the end of an 18-day lull in reported assaults attributed to the Houthis, who have been attacking ships travelling through the Red Sea corridor for nearly a year now over the Israeli brutal war on Gaza.

1640 GMT — South Africa files 'evidence of genocide' by Israel with ICJ: presidency

South Africa has filed "evidence" of a "genocide" committed by Israel in Gaza with the International Court of Justice, the office of President Cyril Ramaphosa said in a statement.

The document "contains evidence which shows how the government of Israel has violated the genocide convention by promoting the destruction of Palestinians living in Gaza", the presidency said amid claims that Israel has denied.

1630 GMT — Mossad chief back from Doha talks, will try to advance Gaza deal: Israel

Israel said the head of the Mossad spy agency had returned from talks in Doha with his CIA counterpart and the Qatari premier, where they discussed a new "framework" for a Gaza prisoner swap deal.

"During the meeting, the parties discussed a new unified framework that combines previous proposals and also takes into account key issues and recent developments in the region", the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement. "In the coming days, discussions will continue between the mediators and Hamas to assess the feasibility of talks and to further efforts to promote a deal."

1445 GMT — Conference on Middle East to be organised in Geneva in coming months

Swiss President Viola Amherd said a conference on the Middle East conflict will be organised in Geneva in the coming months.

"The UN has given Switzerland a mandate to organize a conference in Geneva with the UN high representatives regarding the Middle East conflict. This conference will be organised in the coming months," Amherd said in response to Anadolu's question.

Her remarks came during a press briefing held in Bern for the representatives of the foreign press.

1430 GMT — Israeli troops facing tough resistance in Lebanon, northern Gaza

Hezbollah has said its fighters targeted Israeli soldiers in south Lebanon.

Hezbollah fighters targeted "an Israeli enemy troop gathering" near Wazzani village "with a rocket salvo", the Lebanese group said in a statement, after the earlier statement of carrying out four attacks with rockets and artillery on Israeli troops at Fatima's Gate, a shuttered border crossing at the nearby Lebanese village of Kfar Kila.

Hezbollah also stated that it ambushed Israeli troops near a village on the Lebanon border and fired rockets at a naval base near Israel's Haifa.

In northern Gaza, Hamas announced on its official Telegram Channel that it destroyed an Israeli Merkava tank with an explosive in the Jabalia refugee camp. Hamas also announced earlier that its fighters clashed with Israeli troops in eastern Jabalia and attacked a group of soldiers with a TBG missile.

1403 GMT — Israeli warplanes launch new air strikes on Lebanon’s Tyre

Israeli warplanes launched a new wave of air strikes on Tyre in southern Lebanon, shortly after immediate evacuation orders for residents in the area.

Lebanon’s state news agency NNA said an air strike targeted a residential apartment in Afran Al-Bahr neighbourhood in the city and another hit Bafliyeh town during a funeral procession there.

Air strikes were also reported in Burghliyeh and Jabal al-Botm, causing heavy material damage.

1355 GMT — Lebanon warns of internal strife due to Israeli onslaught

Lebanon warned of internal strife due to Israel's ongoing air and ground attacks on the country.

"What worries us most today in Lebanon is the internal strife, as a result of the expansion of friction between the displaced Lebanese and residents of the areas to where they were displaced due to the Israeli war," Foreign Minister Abdullah Bou Habib said in a speech at the 9th Union for Mediterranean Regional Forum in Barcelona, Spain.

He said most of the areas that have not been hit by Israeli attacks “have become a refuge and shelter for 1.4 million displaced people.”

"One out of four Lebanese residents has become homeless, and some of them sleep on the ground on the sides of roads and sidewalks,” he added.

The top diplomat warned that the situation “could blow up” if the Israeli assaults have not halted immediately.

1215 GMT —Israel strikes Lebanon's Tyre: state media

Lebanese official media said Israel struck Tyre after the military issued an evacuation call for swathes of the ancient coastal city, already hit earlier in the day.

"Enemy aircraft launched their first strike after the Israeli warning for the city of Tyre and targeted a residential apartment," the National News Agency said, subsequently reporting "a series of strikes" on the city.

1200 GMT — Gaza death toll tops 43,000 as Israel kills 96 more Palestinians

Israeli attacks killed at least 96 more Palestinians in Gaza, pushing up the overall death toll since last year to 43,020, the Health Ministry in the enclave said.

A ministry statement added that some 101,110 others were injured in the ongoing assault.

"The Israeli occupation has committed five massacres of families in the last 48 hours, resulting in 96 deaths and 277 injuries," the ministry said.

1155 GMT — Only 1 doctor remains at northern Gaza hospital amid Israeli assault

Only one doctor remains at the Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza after the facility’s medical staff were either arrested or evacuated by the Israeli army, the Health Ministry said.

"There is only one paediatrician left in the hospital out of all the specialists," the ministry added in a statement.

The ministry appealed to international organisations to quickly dispatch medical teams, including surgeons, to the hospital to help treat patients and injured people.

1131 GMT — Seven more dead in Israeli strikes on Tyre: Lebanon

Lebanon said an Israeli strike on Tyre killed seven people, with the Israeli army later issuing an evacuation call for swathes of the southern coastal city.

An "Israeli enemy strike this morning on a building" in the centre of Tyre killed "seven people and wounded 17 others", a health ministry statement said, updating an earlier toll of five dead and 10 wounded.

1111 GMT — Israel’s spy chief continues talks in Qatar on Gaza ceasefire

Israel’s top spy, Mossad chief David Barnea, continued his talks in Qatar to reach a Gaza ceasefire and prisoner swap agreement with Hamas.

Barnea arrived on Sunday in the Qatari capital, Doha where held talks with CIA Director William Burns and Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani to discuss the resumption of talks with Hamas.

Israeli Channel 12, citing unnamed sources, said progress has been made on the updated outlines of the talks, without providing further details.

If negotiators managed to make progress during the Doha talks, an expanded round of negotiations could be held in Egypt with the participation of the head of Egypt’s intelligence service Hassan Rashad, the broadcaster said.

1000 GMT — Israel reports Hezbollah rocket barrage from Lebanon amid escalation

Israel reported a new rocket barrage by Hezbollah on Monday amid growing escalation along the Israeli-Lebanese border.

The Israeli public broadcaster KAN said around 15 rockets were launched from Lebanon towards Kiryat Shmona and other settlements in northern Israel.

According to an Anadolu reporter, rocket sirens sounded in the settlements of Kiryat Shmona, Al-Manara, Margaliot, and other areas close to the Lebanese border.

KAN said some of the rockets landed in open areas in the Galilee region, triggering the sirens there.

0954 GMT — Israeli military pushes for forceful evacuations for large areas of Lebanese port city of Tyre

Israeli military pushes for forceful evacuations in large swathes of Tyre, including areas already ordered to evacuate and other new ones, up to the edge of a hotel where journalists are usually based.

0812 GMT — Israel continues to bomb southern Lebanon, kills 20 people

At least 20 more people were killed in Israeli air strikes in southern Lebanon, according to Lebanese media.

Israeli warplanes hit a building in Tyre city, leaving three people dead and injuring several others, the state news agency NNA reported.

Seven more people, including three paramedics, were killed and 24 others injured in another strike in the town of Ain Baal, the broadcaster said.

Fighter jets also struck a building in Burj al Shamali town, killing five people, including two paramedics, NNA said.

0752 GMT — Hezbollah carries out 6 attacks against Israeli army in southern Lebanon, northern Israel

The Hezbollah group has announced carrying out six military operations since early Monday against the Israeli army in southern Lebanon and northern Israel.

Hezbollah said it struck with rockets four times a gathering of Israeli soldiers near the Fatima Gate border area in southern Lebanon.

It added that it also targeted two times another gathering of Israeli soldiers between the Al-Manara and Margaliot settlements in northern Israel.

0727 GMT — 5 more Palestinians killed in Israeli air strikes across Gaza

At least five people were reported killed in a series of Israeli air strikes across war-torn Gaza.

The official Palestinian news agency WAFA said an Israeli drone struck a group of people in the Beit Lahia area, northern Gaza, leaving one person killed and several others injured.

It also said another drone struck a group of people in the Shejaiya neighbourhood, eastern Gaza City, resulting in the death of three people and the injury of three others.

WAFA added that the Israeli army's artillery struck the vicinity of a clinic in the Zeitoun neighbourhood, also eastern Gaza City, but no casualties have been reported.

In central Gaza, at least one Palestinian was killed and others injured on Monday dawn as the Israeli army struck a home in the Nuseirat refugee camp.

A child was injured by bullets from an Israeli drone in the eastern al-Maghazi refugee camp.

0717 GMT — Iraq lodges UN complaint over Israel using its air space to attack Iran

Iraq has condemned Israel's use of its air space to attack neighbouring Iran in a protest letter sent to United Nations chief Antonio Guterres and the UN Security Council, Baghdad said.

A statement from government spokesperson Bassim Alawadi said the letter condemns "the Zionist entity's blatant violation of Iraq's air space and sovereignty by using Iraqi air space to carry out an attack on Iran on October 26".

0606 GMT — Israel kills five people in southern Lebanon

At least five people were killed in an Israeli air strike on the El-Raml neighborhood in Tyre City, southern Lebanon, the Lebanese news agency has reported.

2237 GMT — Israel's Netanyahu rejects Egyptian ceasefire initiative in Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected an initiative proposed by Egypt for a short-term ceasefire in besieged Gaza.

Despite the support of most Israeli ministers for the Egyptian proposal, Tel Aviv decided to reject the deal due to opposition from Netanyahu, who emphasised that "negotiations will take place only under fire," according to Israel's Channel 12.

2116 GMT — Death toll from Israeli aggression in Lebanon rises to 2,672

The death toll from Israel's onslaught on Lebanon since October 8 last year has surged to 2,672, with 12,468 injuries, the Lebanese Health Ministry said.

At least 19 people were killed and 108 injured in Israeli attacks across Lebanon on Saturday, according to the ministry.

2217 GMT — Al-Qassam Brigades say they targeted Israeli military vehicles in Jabalia refugee camp

The Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian resistance group Hamas, announced the targeting of Israeli military vehicles in northern Gaza.

"We targeted a Zionist personnel carrier and two D9 military bulldozers with explosive devices in the vicinity of the eastern cemetery east of Jabalia," they said in a statement on Telegram.

Additionally, Qassam fighters targeted an Israeli Merkava 4 tank with a Shawaz explosive device near the Nathr station in the Jabalia refugee camp.

2038 GMT — Israel killed 1,000 Palestinians in northern Gaza in 3 weeks

The Israeli army has killed more than 1,000 Palestinians in northern Gaza, forced half of the population to flee from bombardments, and left the other half trapped without water or food for nearly three weeks, the Palestinian Civil Defense announced.

Mahmoud Bassal, a spokesman for Palestinian Civil Defense, said in a video shared on social media that the Israeli army has killed over 1,000 Palestinians during its three-week-long military offensives in northern Gaza, which are still ongoing.

"More than 100,000 Palestinians in the areas of Jabalia, Beit Hanoun, and Beit Lahia are suffering from an Israeli siege and bombardment, while the other half of the population, which numbered around 200,000, has been forcibly displaced towards Gaza City, the closest governorate to the north," Bassal told Anadolu.

He continued: "The Israeli army is killing anyone who tries to provide aid to the Palestinians trapped in the northern Gaza Strip, who are suffering from a lack of water, medicine, and food."

For our live updates from Sunday, October 27, 2024, click here.