Israel-Hamas War News Highlights: Israel asks ground troops to ‘get organised, be ready’ to enter Gaza

Israel-Hamas War News LIVE Updates: Israel has asked its ground troops to get organised and ready to enter Gaza at any time. "Whoever sees Gaza from afar now, will see it from the inside,” Israeli defence minister said. “I promise you.”

Israel's defense minister promises ground invasion of Gaza, tells troops to be ready to see territory "from the inside", reports AP.

Israel-Hamas War News LIVE Updates: The World Health Organization announced that five truckloads of medical supplies are prepared at the Gaza-Egypt border. This comes as Israel welcomes the entry of aid into the Palestinian territory, assuring no blockades.

"Our trucks are loaded and ready to go," WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

Israel-Hamas War News LIVE Updates: Eight Palestinians were killed in clashes with Israeli forces in the Nur Shams refugee camp in the West Bank city of Tulkarm, the Palestinian Red Crescent said on Thursday.

Clashes were still taking places between the Israeli army and a number of gunmen at the camp, witnesses said.

(Agency)

Israel-Hamas War News LIVE Updates: WHO said on Thursday that it welcomes Israel's decision to not block food, water and medicine into Gaza from Egypt.

Israel-Hamas War News LIVE Updates: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday spoke with Palestinian Authority President HE Mahmoud Abbas and offered condolences at the loss of lives. PM Modi also reiterated India's position on the Israel-Palestine issue. “Spoke to the President of the Palestinian Authority H.E. Mahmoud Abbas. Conveyed my condolences at the loss of civilian lives at the Al Ahli Hospital in Gaza. We will continue to send humanitarian assistance for the Palestinian people. Shared our deep concern at the terrorism, violence and deteriorating security situation in the region. Reiterated India's long-standing principled position on the Israel-Palestine issue,” PM Modi said in a tweet. Read here

Israel-Hamas War News LIVE Updates: Rocket alert sirens have sounded in Israel's North near Lebanon border.

Israel-Hamas War News LIVE Updates: Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Thursday it was important that the conflict between Israel and Hamas didn't escalate to the wider Middle East.

"It's important that the conflict doesn't escalate regionally. That's why I'm talking to as many people as I can across the region," Sunak told reporters. (PTI)

Israel-Hamas War News LIVE Updates: United Kingdom Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Thursday met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and extended support to the country in its “darkest hour” amid its fight against the Hamas militant group in Gaza. In a joint press conference, Rishi Sunak said the UK “absolutely supports Israel's right to defend itself in line with international law” and “go after Hamas”. Rishi Sunak also noted that Palestinians, too, are “victims of the Hamas”. Read here

Israel-Hamas War News LIVE Updates: British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has extended the UK's support to Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu, saying that Britain would stand by Israel in "its darkest hour". Rishi Sunak also welcomed the decision to allow aid into Gaza.

"I know that you are taking every precaution to avoid harming civilians in direct contrast to the terrorists of Hamas which seeks to put civilians in harm's way," Rishi Sunak said after holding a private meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem.

He added, "I am sorry to be here in such terrible circumstances. In the last two weeks, this country has gone through something that no country, no people should have to endure, least of all Israel...I want to share the deep condolences of the British people and stress that we absolutely support Israel's right to defend itself in line with international law, to go after Hamas...We also recognise that the Palestinian people are victims of Hamas too. I welcome your decision yesterday that you took to ensure that routes into Gaza will be opened for humanitarian aid to enter. I am glad that you made that decision. We will support it...We also want you to win."

Israel-Hamas War News LIVE Updates: At least 3,785 Palestinians are dead ever since Israel launched strikes on Gaza as a result of Hamas militants' attack.

Israel-Hamas War News LIVE Updates: At least three terrorists from the Hamas group have been killed in the Israeli strikes. Meanwhile, Gaza has held up 203 hostages since Oct 7.

Israel-Hamas War News LIVE Updates: 

Israel-Hamas War News LIVE Updates: US President Joe Biden has told the Israelis that the US supports the country and “justice must be done” but “don’t let rage guide wartime decisions.”

Israel-Hamas War News LIVE Updates: British Prime Minster Rishi Sunak has arrived in Israel. Rishi Sunak met the Israeli President and told him that the UK stands in solidarity with Israel and added that it was also important to provide humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza as Israel continues to strike it following the October 7 Hamas attack.

Anti-tank guided missiles fired from Lebanon at Israel. IDF targets, with reports retaliatory artillery shelling on positions in southern Lebanon, as reported by The Spectator

Germany's defense minister Boris Pistorius has arrived in Lebanon, The Spectator has reported.

Machinery to repair roads has been sent through the Rafah border crossing from Egypt into the Gaza Strip in preparation for the delivery of some of the aid stockpiled in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, two security sources said on Thursday.

Rafah is the only crossing not controlled by Israel but has been out of operation since the first days of the conflict in Gaza following Israeli bombardments on the Palestinian side of the border.

The United States and Egypt have been pushing for a deal with Israel to get aid delivered to Gaza, and the White House said on Wednesday that it had been agreed for up to 20 trucks to pass through, with hopes for more trucks later.

Most of Gaza's 2.3 million residents depended on aid before the current conflict started on Oct. 7, about 100 trucks daily were providing humanitarian relief to the enclave, according to the United Nations.

srael is vowing to wipe out Hamas in a relentless onslaught on the Gaza Strip but has no obvious endgame in sight, with no clear plan for how to govern the ravaged Palestinian enclave even if it triumphs on the battlefield.

Codenamed "Operation Swords of Iron", the military campaign will be unmatched in its ferocity and unlike anything Israel has carried out in Gaza in the past, according to eight regional and Western officials with knowledge of the conflict who declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter.

Israel has called up a record 360,000 reservists and has been bombarding the tiny enclave non-stop following Hamas's assault on southern Israel on Oct. 7, which killed about 1,400 people, mostly civilians.

Hamas fighters likely fired North Korean weapons during their October 7 assault on Israel, a militant video and weapons seized by Israel show, despite Pyongyang's denials that it arms the militant group.

South Korean officials, two experts on North Korean arms and an Associated Press analysis of weapons captured on the battlefield by Israel point toward Hamas using Pyongyang's F-7 rocket-propelled grenade, a shoulder-fired weapon that fighters typically use against armored vehicles.

The evidence shines a light on the murky world of the illicit arms shipments that sanction-battered North Korea uses as a way to fund its own conventional and nuclear weapons programs.

China slams 'illegal' US sanctions on firms linked to Iran's missile, drone programmes, as reported by AFP

Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said Thursday that Israel has suffered an "unspeakable horrific act of terrorism" as he became the latest western leader to carry out a solidarity visit.

"I want you to know that the United Kingdom and I stand with you," Sunak said on his arrival for meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog.

Sunak said on X, the former Twitter, that Israel was "a nation in grief" and pledged his support "against the evil that is terrorism".

As a "ground offensive" of the besieged Gaza Strip loomed, hundreds of Israeli tanks were deployed near the border in south Israel on Thursday, waiting for the all-clear from the country's political establishment and the military top brass.

Israeli tanks and troops mounted on armoured vehicles were deployed in the region, seeming to suggest that a ground assault on Hamas in their backyard, Gaza, could begin any time soon.

Meanwhile, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said four rockets of nine launched from Lebanese territory were intercepted, adding that several anti-tank missiles were fired from Lebanon towards Israeli forces.

“The number of soldiers killed since October 7 is at least 306,” said Israeli Military. 

“I am in Israel, a nation in grief. I grieve with you and stand with you against the evil that is terrorism. Today, and always,” Rishi Sunak wrote on X (formerly Twitter). 

European Union interior ministers met Thursday to discuss how to manage the impact of the war between Israel and Hamas on the bloc, after a firebomb assault on a Berlin synagogue and killings in Belgium and France by suspected Islamist extremists.

Sweden hosted a meeting of ministers from eight countries, among them Germany, Belgium and France, focused on how to handle incidents where people burn the Muslim holy book, the Quran.

Here is a closer look at the misinformation spreading online — and the facts.

CLAIM: A video shows Qatar’s emir threatening to cut off the world’s natural gas supply if Israel doesn’t stop bombing Gaza.

THE FACTS: Qatar’s ruling emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, says no such thing in the widely circulating clip, which is more than six years old. A spokesperson for the Qatari government also confirmed that neither the emir nor any other government official has threatened to cut off exports in response to the conflict.

Many online are sharing the video of the Persian Gulf nation’s ruler, falsely claiming it shows him saying in Arabic that he’s willing to halt the distribution of its gas reserves to achieve his desired end to the latest Israel-Hamas war.

AICC general secretary K C Venugopal has strongly criticised the Union Government's stand on the Israel-Hamas conflict, terming it as "highly disappointing".

He said India's approach on the conflict used to be different from the very beginning.

India used to extend support to the Palestinian cause and advocate for their rights, the Congress leader said in a Facebook post in Malayalam.

However, when it comes to any aggression or counter-aggression, India used to strongly condemn it, he said.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak arrived in Israel on Thursday to demonstrate solidarity with a country reeling from an Oct. 7 rampage by Hamas gunmen and to hold talks with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu.

With Israel's counter-offensive against Hamas in Gaza spiralling, Sunak will share his condolences for the loss of life in Israel and in the Palestinian enclave and warn against further escalation, his office said.

"Above all, I'm here to express my solidarity with the Israeli people. You have suffered an unspeakable, horrific act of terrorism and I want you to know that the United Kingdom and I stand with you," Sunak told Israeli reporters after landing.

A significant explosion shook al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City, where numerous injured individuals and other Palestinians were seeking refuge on Tuesday. The Health Ministry under Hamas's control stated that hundreds of people lost their lives. . Many people were taken hostage by Hamas from southern Hamas. These include activists, caregivers, elderly people, etc Read more here

Visuals of airstrikes carried out by Israel on Gaza last night, which reportedly caused several casualties.

Russia on Thursday sent 27 tonnes of humanitarian aid for civilians in the Gaza Strip to be transported from Egypt, Moscow's emergency situations ministry said. "A special plane has taken off from the airport at Ramenskoye near Moscow for El-Arish in Egypt. The Russian humanitarian aid will be handed over to the Egyptian Red Crescent to be sent to the Gaza Strip," deputy minister Ilya Denisov said in a statement. Denisov said the aid comprised "wheat, sugar, rice (and) pasta".

Diplomatic efforts continue Thursday to contain the impact of the Israel-Hamas war and speed the access of vital aid to Gaza. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is due in Egypt, while UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will begin a two-day trip to Israel and the wider region.

US President Joe Biden said after speaking to his Egyptian counterpart that many as 20 truckloads of aid will be able to enter Gaza via neighboring Egypt. Israel says it would allow humanitarian assistance into southern Gaza only if it’s sure none will be diverted to Hamas.

Biden said he would ask Congress this week for “unprecedented support” for Israel as it battles Hamas, designated a terrorist group by the US and European Union. He also said he’d been shown evidence by the Pentagon suggesting Israel wasn’t responsible for a deadly blast at a Gaza City hospital on Tuesday night.

China supports Egypt's efforts to open humanitarian corridors, and is willing to strengthen coordination with Egypt and Arab countries to promote an early, comprehensive and lasting solution for the Israel-Palestinian conflict, Chinese state media said on Thursday.

China appreciates Egypt's role in cooling the situation, and stressed that the most urgent task is for a ceasefire and stopping the war as soon as possible, President Xi Jinping said in talks with Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly on Thursday morning.

Xi also said China is willing to work with Egypt to strengthen cooperation in infrastructure, agricultural technology, and renewable energy while expanding high-quality imports from Egypt.

Voicing concern for the civilian population of Palestine, US Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday expressed her support for their freedom and self-determination and said that Hamas does not represent the rights of Palestinians.

Taking to X, US Vice President said, "Israelis and Palestinians must have equal measures of security and prosperity. I support the right of the Palestinian people to dignity, freedom, and self-determination. Hamas does not represent these aspirations."

Pope Francis appealed for peace amid ongoing Israel-Hamas war. He expressed his concerns about the dire situation in Gaza and appealed to prevent a ‘humanitarian catastrophe.’

Israel Defence Force (IDF) on Thursday refuted claims made by the Palestinian side that Israel was behind the bomb explosion at the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza. The IDF also poked holes in the claims made by Hamas that several people had been killed in the explosion.

In a video briefing, IDF spokesperson Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus while reiterating the Israeli PM's statement that the Islamic Jihad was behind the explosion at the Hospital said that the preliminary analysis suggests that the "rocket" exploded in the car parking and seems like no one was killed in the incident.

While describing a video analysis, the IDF spokesperson said, "We can see that this area is quite black, this appears that there was a large fire. This is really the centre of where the rocket impacted, the impact point of the rocket. What I see here is about 15 cars that were affected by the rocket that fell, I see remains of fire, what I don't see are bodies."

Nobel Peace Prize winner, Malala Yousafzai, in a video message shared on X said, “I'm horrified to see the bombing of al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza and unequivocally condemn it.”

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is going to land in the early morning of October 19 in Israel for two days to hold meetings with Israeli PM Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog. He will later head to “a number of other regional capitals," reported HT. Sunak's visit follows those of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on October 17 and Biden on October 18. French President Emmanuel Macron said he will also travel to the region “as soon as I consider that we have a useful agenda and very concrete actions to drive forward." Read more here

Egypt agreed to reopen its border crossing with the Gaza Strip to allow aid to reach Palestinians, the U.S. said, as the humanitarian crisis worsened for the 2.3 million people trapped in the enclave and anti-Israel protests flared across the Middle East.

The region remained volatile in the aftermath of an explosion at Gaza's Al-Ahli al-Arabi hospital late on Tuesday, which Palestinian officials said killed 471 people and blamed on what they said was an Israeli air strike.

Israel and the U.S. said the cause was a failed rocket launch by Islamist militants in Gaza who denied responsibility. Israel's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lior Haiat said the death toll from the blast was only "several dozen".

Coalition forces were slightly injured in Iraq in a spate of drone attacks over the last 24 hours at U.S. bases in Iraq as regional tensions flare following the deadly explosion at a hospital in Gaza.

Two drones targeted the al Asad airbase in western Iraq used by U.S. forces and one drone targeted a base in northern Iraq, a U.S. official told The Associated Press. U.S. forces intercepted all three, destroying two but only damaging the third, which led to minor injuries among coalition forces at the western base, according to a statement Wednesday by U.S. Central Command.

The U.S. official were not authorized to speak publicly on the attacks and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

“In this moment of heightened alert, we are vigilantly monitoring the situation in Iraq and the region. U.S. forces will defend U.S. and coalition forces against any threat,” Central Command said in the release.

Egyptian comedian Bassem Youssef appeared on British anchor Piers Morgan's show ‘Piers Morgan Uncensored’. In the show Youssef was asked about the treatment of Palestinians during their conflict with Israel and whether Israel's decision to bomb Gaza in an attempt to get rid of Hamas is justified and proportionate after the attacks on 7 October. Read more here

Video shared by an X user showed large crowd protesting against Israel in Greece.

Sit-in protest at Capitol calls for Biden and Congress to push for Gaza ceasefire

Several pro-Palestinian groups held an 'emergency protest' in Chicago on Wednesday amid the ongoing conflict with Israel, Reuters reported.

Chicago Coalition for Justice in Palestine (CJP) and other groups reportedly blamed Israel for the bombing of a Palestinian hospital in Gaza.

The protests have been taking place all across the US with crowds divided on the recent situation around the Israel-Hamas war that has killed thousands of people on both sides, including women, children, men and the elderly.

A Palestinian man was killed by Israeli forces in the village of Budrus in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Palestinian official news agency WAFA said.

Israeli forces stormed the village in the early hours of Thursday, shooting dead a young man, Gebriel Awad, and wounding another, WAFA added.

US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken in a tweet announced that the US has imposed sanctions on Iran’s ballistic missile and UAV programs.

President Joe Biden swept into wartime Israel for a 7 1/2-hour visit Wednesday that produced a heaping dose of vocal support, a deal to get limited humanitarian aid into Gaza from Egypt, likely by the end of the week, and a plea for Israelis not to allow rage over the deadly Hamas attack to consume them.

“I understand. Many Americans understand,” Biden said as he wrapped up his stay in Tel Aviv, likening the Oct. 7 Hamas assault to the attacks against the United States on Sept. 11, 2001, that killed nearly 3,000 people. “You can’t look at what has happened here ... and not scream out for justice," he said.

“But I caution this: While you feel that rage, don’t be consumed by it,” he said. “After 9/11, we were enraged in the United States. And while we sought justice and got justice, we also made mistakes."