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PremiumIsrael-Hamas War LIVE Updates: At the UN Security Council on the Israel-Gaza conflict, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that two states for two peoples, is the only road to lasting peace.
The Israeli military announced that it had targeted military facilities within Syria in retaliation for prior missile launches directed at Israel.
The war between Israel and Hamas entered its 19th Day on Wednesday and is the deadliest of five Gaza wars for both sides. Israeli forces on a raid in the occupied West Bank early on Wednesday came under fire by a group of Palestinians whom the military then targeted with a drone strike, the Israeli military said, Reuters reported.
On 7th October, Hamas which is a Palestinian militant group, ramaged into Israel. Since then the situation in the Gaza Strip, a controversial region in the Middle East where Hamas resides, has worsened. More than thousands of children and civilians have been killed and wounded so far.
In addition, more than 220 people including foreigners were believed captured by Hamas during the incursion and taken into Gaza.
The latest war between Israel and Hamas is the deadliest of five Gaza wars for both sides.
The Israeli military has pledged to destroy Hamas from the region and has received support from the US, the UK, and several Western countries.
On the other hand, rallies, and support in favour of Palestine have also increased in several Middle East countries.
A United Nations special investigator said while Hamas’ attacks on Israel at a minimum constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity, Israel in its response is required under international law to protect civilians and is banned from targeting schools, hospitals, and people fleeing harm.
Here are the latest updates on the Israel-Hamas war:
According to official reports:
Israel
Death toll-1,405
Injured- 5,431
Captive- 218 including civilians, and soldiers
Gaza
Death toll- 5,791
Injured- 16,297
West Bank
Death toll-103
Injured- 1,828
Israel says it has refused a visa to UN humanitarian affairs chief Martin Griffiths as a result of comments at the UN by secretary-general António Guterres.
Israeli media reports that Israel’s ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan said on army radio, “Due to his remarks we will refuse to issue visas to UN representatives. We have already refused a visa for under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs Martin Griffiths. The time has come to teach them a lesson."
The Turkish president adds that Hamas, which rules Gaza, is not a terrorist organisation but a liberation group fighting a battle to protect its land.
Qatari Finance Minister has said “we will see breakthrough soon" when asked about progress in getting more captives freed by Hamas.
The move was further welcomed by Tzahi Hanegbi, who said he was “pleased to say that Qatar is becoming an essential party and stakeholder in the facilitation of humanitarian solutions. Qatar’s diplomatic efforts are crucial at this time".
Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan Wednesday said that his country will deny visas to the UN officials after remarks by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that appeared to justify Hamas' assault on Israel, The Times of Israel reported.
"Due to his remarks we will refuse to issue visas to UN representatives," Erdan tells Army Radio.
"We have already refused a visa for Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths," Erdan said. "The time has come to teach them a lesson." (ANI)
The Israeli military killed Tayseer Mubasher, who commanded a Hamas battalion in Khan Younis on Wednesday, the Israeli Defence Forces announced. The IDF said Mubasher was killed in an airstrike.
Mubasher previously served as a commander in the Hamas navy and also held key positions in the terror group's munitions production system. He had extensive experience coordinating attacks on Israel and the IDF said his seniority was comparable to Mohammed Deif, the highest overall commander of Hamas forces who first joined the terror group in 1987. (ANI)
The head of Lebanon's Hezbollah met top leaders of the Palestinian militant factions Hamas and Islamic Jihad, and discussed what their alliance must do to "achieve a real victory for the resistance", Hezbollah said on Wednesday.
Part of an Iran-backed regional alliance, the heavily armed Hezbollah has had daily exchanges of fire with Israeli forces along the Israeli-Lebanese frontier since war broke out between Israel and Hamas on Oct. 7. (Reuters)
The head of Lebanon's Hezbollah met with top leaders of Palestinian terrorist groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad, the Times of Israel reported on Wednesday.
The Israeli publication posted an image tweeted on social media X to show Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, with Hamas deputy chief Saleh al-Arouri, and Islamic Jihad chief Ziad al-Nakhala.
The screenshot of the tweet published in the daily read, “Among other topics, discussions regarding the appropriate measures that Resistance Axis members must take to reach a definite victory in Gaza and Palestine took place." (ANI)
In the face of speculation about a potential Israeli ground invasion of Gaza, President Joe Biden has affirmed that Israel has the autonomy to make its own choices, emphasizing unwavering support from the United States while also encouraging a measured approach, PTI reported.
Biden's statement was made on Tuesday during a photo opportunity with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese when he was asked about it.
“Are you urging Israel to delay its ground invasion?" Biden was asked, to which he replied, “The Israelis can make their own decisions." Read the complete story.
United Nations chief Antonio Guterres on Wednesday stood firm on his remarks over the Hamas attack. He said those horrendous attacks cannot justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people.
Guterres earlier said the attacks by Hamas did not happen in a vacuum, expressing an understanding of terrorism and murder. "It’s really unfathomable. It’s truly sad that the head of an organization that arose after the Holocaust holds such horrible views. A tragedy!" Read the story here.
The leader of Lebanon’s Hezbollah group held talks on Wednesday with senior Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad figures in a key meeting of three top anti-Israel militant groups amid the war raging in Gaza.
A brief statement following the meeting said that Hezbollah's leader Hassan Nasrallah agreed with Hamas' Saleh al-Arouri and Islamic Jihad's leader Ziad al-Nakhleh on the next steps that the three — along with other Iran-backed militants — should take at this “sensitive stage." (AP)
French President Emmanuel Macron will meet today with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo, Macron's office told pool reporters. (Reuters)
India has sent 38 tons of food and critical medical equipment to the civilians in the Gaza Strip amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, informed Ambassador R. Ravindra, India's Deputy Permanent Representative (DPR) to the United Nations, on Wednesday. He further said that the mounting humanitarian crisis is equally alarming.
Thanking the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) for the open debate on the latest chapter of hostilities in West Asia, he said, “India is deeply concerned about the deteriorating security situation and large-scale loss of civilian lives in the ongoing conflict." Read the story here.
Israel on Tuesday escalated airstrikes across the Gaza Strip, crushing families in the rubble of residential buildings. Hundreds of Palestinians were killed in the past day and medical facilities were shut down because of bomb damage and lack of power. Read the complete story here.
Nearly 600,000 internally displaced people are sheltering in 150 facilities of the United Nations Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) in Gaza, while at least 40 UNRWA installations have been impacted, the UN agency posted on Wednesday on the social media platform X.
"Our shelters are four times over their capacities - many people are sleeping in the streets as current facilities are overwhelmed," the agency added. (Reuters)
Gaza's Hamas government said Wednesday that Israel's latest night-time air strikes on the besieged Palestinian territory killed at least 80 people.
A government media office statement said "more than 80 people were martyred and hundreds wounded" in the overnight raids.
The Hamas health ministry said Tuesday that 5,791 people had been killed in air and artillery strikes since Hamas staged cross-border raids on October 7 that Israel says left 1,400 dead. Most of the dead on both sides have been civilians. (AFP)
The war between Israel and Hamas is adding more tension in a world already riled with unrest, according to the head of the International Monetary Fund.
“What we see is more jitters in what has already been an anxious world," IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said at the Future Investment Initiative summit in Riyadh. “On a horizon that had plenty of clouds, one more and it can get deeper."
Georgieva was speaking on the second day of the event, where the Who’s Who of the world of finance have gathered, despite growing tensions between Israel and Hamas, which is designated a terrorist group by the US and Europe. (Bloomberg)
Qatari mediators are urging Hamas to quicken the pace of hostage releases to include women and children held in Gaza and to do so without expecting Israeli concessions, according to three diplomats and a source in the region familiar with the talks, as Israel readies a ground assault on the enclave.
The Gulf state, in coordination with the US, is leading mediation talks with Hamas and Israeli officials over the release of more than 200 hostages captured in the Palestinian group's cross-border onslaught on Oct 7. (Reuters)
‘Palestinians who evacuated from northern Gaza will be able to return after the war ends,’ said the Israeli military.
'When Iranian proxies in Iraq, Yemen, and Lebanon take action, it's under orders from Tehran,' says Israeli Military. (Reuters)
The raging war between Israel and Hamas is already battering the economies of nearby countries, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund told a Saudi investor forum on Wednesday.
"You look at the neighbouring countries -- Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan -- there the channels of impact are already visible," Kristalina Georgieva said at the Future Investment Initiative (FII) in the Saudi capital Riyadh.
The Palestinian militant group Hamas staged a shock attack on Israel on October 7, killing more than 1,400 people and taking 222 hostages, according to Israeli authorities. (AFP)
The Israeli ambassador to the United Nations called for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to resign after Guterres said that Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7th did not happen in a vacuum, Bloomberg reported. This demand followed a day of intense debates at the Security Council regarding the escalating violence that has the potential to ignite a regional conflict.
“And those appalling attacks cannot justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people," Guterres told the Security Council. “It is important to also recognize the attacks by Hamas did not happen in a vacuum," he said. Read the full story here.
Israeli Navy forces intercepted and thwarted an attempted infiltration by a group of Hamas terrorists from the Gaza Strip into Israel via the sea on Tuesday evening, The Israel Times reported.
The exact number of Hamas divers involved in the infiltration was not specified by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), but Hebrew-language media reports estimate it to be between five and eight individuals. (ANI)
Israel has ramped up airstrikes across the Gaza Strip, reducing residential buildings to rubble and crushing families. Airstrikes have killed dozens at a time in leveled homes, according to witnesses.
The surging death toll foretells even greater loss of life ahead in Gaza, where Israeli forces are expected to launch a ground invasion seeking to destroy Hamas. Fuel shortages and the bombardment forced the shutdown of medical facilities, Gaza officials said. (AP)
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) released photographs on Tuesday, showcasing what it claims to be fuel tanks within the Gaza Strip. The IDF alleges that Hamas is storing significant quantities of fuel in the region, The Times of Israel reported.
The images were shared by the IDF's Arabic-language account on X, featuring a location near the Rafah crossing in southern Gaza.
In a statement, Avichay Adraee, the IDF's Arabic spokesperson, emphasised, “This is what over half a million litres of diesel looks like," while highlighting that “Hamas keeps claiming it does not have enough fuel to support hospitals and bakeries." (ANI)
A UN agency warned dwindling fuel supplies could force it to stop aid operations in war-riven Gaza on Wednesday, as calls mounted for a humanitarian "pause" in fighting.
After 18 days of withering Israeli air strikes and a near-total land, sea and air blockade of the Palestinian territory, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) warned operations were at breaking point.
"If we do not get fuel urgently, we will be forced to halt our operations in the Gaza Strip," said the UN agency, which provides aid to 600,000 displaced Gazans. (AFP)
Eight military personnel were killed in the Israeli airstrike on military positions in Deraa, confirmed Syria state media. (Reuters)
Gaza's Hamas government said Wednesday that Israeli air strikes on the besieged Palestinian territory during the night killed at least 80 people.
A statement from the government's media office said "more than 80 people were martyred and hundreds wounded in massacres committed by the occupation (Israel) raids" overnight. (AFP)
Jordan's Queen Rania has lashed out at the "glaring double standard" of the Western mainstream media in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, for failing to condemn civilian deaths in Tel Aviv's bombardment of Gaza as the conflict threatens to destabilise relations between the United States and Arab leaders, CNN reported.
"The people all around the Middle East, including in Jordan, we are just shocked and disappointed by the world's reaction to this catastrophe that is unfolding. In the last couple of weeks, we have seen a glaring double standard in the world," Queen Rania said on Amanpour & Co, in a video interview from the Jordanian capital, Amman. (ANI)
Doctors in Gaza say patients arriving at hospitals are showing signs of disease caused by overcrowding and poor sanitation after more than 1.4 million people fled their homes in the enclave for temporary shelters.
The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said more than one-third of hospitals in Gaza and nearly two-thirds of primary healthcare clinics had shut due to damage or lack of fuel.
UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, warned in a post on messaging platform X that it would halt operations in Gaza on Wednesday night because of the lack of fuel. (Reuters)
Iran's UN Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani told the Security Council on Tuesday that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had attempted to wrongly blame Iran for the Israel-Hamas war.
"Our commitment to regional peace and stability remains unwavering," he said. "The US has further exacerbated the conflict by overtly aligning itself with the aggressor at the expense of the innocent Palestinian population."
In a statement released on social media, the Palestinian health ministry said at least 5,791 Palestinians had been killed by Israeli bombardments since Oct. 7, including 2,360 children.
Reuters could not independently verify these figures. (Reuters)
At the UN Security Council on the Israel-Gaza conflict, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, “This council has a responsibility to denounce member states that arm, fund and train Hamas or any other terrorist group that carries out such horrific acts. Let's not forget that among the more than 1,400 people that Hamas killed on October 7 were citizens from more than 30 UN member states, including many of the members around this very table. The victims included at least 33 American citizens...As President Biden has made clear from the outset of this crisis, while Israel has the right, indeed the obligation, to defend itself."(ANI)
India has said it will treat a reference by Pakistan to Kashmir during a Security Council meeting on the Israel-Gaza situation with the contempt it deserves and will not dignify it with a response.
The remarks by India’s Deputy Permanent Representative at the UN, Ambassador R Ravindra, came on Tuesday after Pakistan’s UN envoy Munir Akram made reference to Kashmir at the Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East. (PTI)
To protect its troops in the Middle East, the US military is taking new steps like sending more warships, aircraft in the Middle East to deter Iran and Iran-backed groups. So far, Washington has sent warships, fighter aircraft including two aircraft carriers to the Middle East.
Giving an indirect warning to the Iran, Antony Blinken said that if any state or non-state actor is planning to consider opening another front in Israel-Hamas conflict, must not do that.
"We call on all member states to send a firm, united message to any state or non-state actor that is considering opening another front in this conflict against Israel or who may target Israel's partners, including the United States: don't. Don't throw fuel on the fire," Blinken said. Read Here.
The US doesn't seek to conflict with Iran, but it would act swiftly and decisively if Iran or its proxies attacked US personnel anywhere, warned the United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the UN Security Council on the Israel-Gaza conflict held on Tuesday.
The ongoing Israel-Hamas has sparked the fear of escalation of the crisis in the rest of the Middle East. Antony Blinken made the statement at the 15-member U.N. Security Council amid international fears of the escalation of the conflict between Israel and Iran-backed Palestinian Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip. Read the full story here.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday said, “The grievances of the Palestinian people cannot justify the horrific attacks by Hamas. Those horrendous attacks cannot justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people."
At the UN Security Council on the Israel-Gaza conflict, Ambassador R Ravindra, DPR said, “India is deeply concerned about the deteriorating security situation and large-scale loss of civilian lives in the ongoing conflict...The October 7th terror attacks in Israel were shocking and we condemn them unequivocally. Our PM was one of the first global leaders to have conveyed his condolences for the loss of lives and prayers for the innocent victims and their families. We stood in solidarity with Israel at their moment of crisis when they were facing these terror attacks."
“Our heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and prayers for the speedy recovery of the injured. Civilian casualties in the ongoing conflict are a matter of serious and continuing concern. All parties must protect civilians, especially women and children... India has sent 38 tons of humanitarian goods, including medicines and equipment, to the people of Palestine. India has always negotiated a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine issue, leading to the establishment of a sovereign, independent and viable state of Palestine, living within secure and recognized borders, side by side in peace with Israel, taking into account the legitimate security concerns of Israel," Ravindra added.
“We also continue to support the Palestinian people through our bilateral development partnership, which covers a wide range of sectors including health, education, women's empowerment, entrepreneurship and information technology...In these challenging times, India will continue to send humanitarian assistance to the people of Palestine...Every effort must be made to create conducive conditions for the resumption of these talks," he noted. (ANI)
US President Joe Biden and Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman discussed the conflict between Israel and Hamas during a phone call, the White House said on Tuesday.
The two leaders spoke about "ongoing diplomatic and military efforts to deter state and non-state actors from widening the conflict" and agreed to pursue "broader diplomatic efforts to maintain stability across the region and prevent the conflict from expanding," according to the White House. (ANI)
Israel escalated airstrikes across the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, crushing families in the rubble of residential buildings, as health officials said hundreds of Palestinians were killed in the past day and medical facilities were shut down because of bomb damage and lack of power.
The soaring death toll from the bombardment is unprecedented in the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It augurs an even greater loss of life in Gaza once Israeli forces backed by tanks and artillery launch an expected ground offensive aimed at crushing Hamas militants. (AP)
The Israel Defence Forces on Wednesday said that it struck several Syrian military targets after rockets were fired from Syria toward Israeli communities in the Golan Heights.
The IDF said that fighter jets hit "military infrastructure" and mortar launching sites.
"In response to rocket launches from Syria toward Israel yesterday, IDF fighter jets struck military infrastructure and mortar launchers belonging to the Syrian Army," posted IDF on X. (ANI)
On Wednesday, the Israeli military announced that it had targeted military facilities within Syria in retaliation for prior missile launches directed at Israel.
Israel's military suggested on Tuesday that the United Nations ask Hamas for fuel supplies after the U.N. agency providing aid to Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip warned it would have to halt operations on Wednesday night if no fuel was delivered.
The agency, known as UNRWA, posted its warning on social media on Tuesday. The Israel Defense Forces reposted it and said that Hamas militants have more than 500,000 litres of fuel in tanks inside besieged Gaza.
"Ask Hamas if you can have some," the IDF wrote. (Reuters)
The Israeli army said Wednesday that it had struck military infrastructure inside Syria in response to earlier launches towards Israel.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement that its "fighter jets struck military infrastructure and mortar launchers belonging to the Syrian Army in response to the launches toward Israel yesterday (Tuesday)".
A military spokesperson told AFP the strikes were inside Syria. (AFP)
Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala and Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer will depart for Israel on Wednesday to show solidarity with the country and its people in the wake of the October 7 terror attacks and amid the ongoing war with the terrorist group Hamas, The Jerusalem Post reported.
The government spokespersons of both countries confirmed on Tuesday about their visit to Israel. (ANI)
A UN agency warned it could be forced to stop aid operations in war-riven Gaza on Wednesday due to dwindling fuel supplies, as calls mounted for a humanitarian "pause" in fighting.
After 18 days of withering Israeli air strikes and a near-total land, sea and air blockade of the Palestinian territory, UN refugee agency UNRWA warned operations were at breaking point.
"If we do not get fuel urgently, we will be forced to halt our operations in the Gaza Strip," said the UN agency, which provides aid to 600,000 displaced Gazans. (AFP)
Each missile costs an estimated $40,000 to $50,000, according to the Institute for National Security Studies, a Tel Aviv think tank.
The US has invested heavily in the system, helping with development costs and replenishing it during times of fighting.
President Joe Biden has said he will ask Congress for $14.3 billion in military aid for Israel. The majority of that would help with air and missile defense systems, according to the White House.
“We're surging additional military assistance, including ammunition and interceptors to replenish Iron Dome," Biden said. (AP)
The Iron Dome is a series of batteries that use radars to detect incoming short-range rockets and intercept them.
Each battery has three or four launchers, 20 missiles, and a radar, according to Raytheon, the U.S. defense giant that co-produces the system with Israel's Rafael Defense Systems.
Once the radar detects a rocket, the system determines whether the rocket is headed toward a populated area.
If so, it launches a missile to intercept and destroy the rocket. If the system determines the rocket is headed to an open area or into the sea, it is allowed to land, thus conserving missiles. According to the military, all interceptions occur in Israeli airspace.
The military declined to comment on how many Iron Dome batteries are currently deployed. But as of 2021, Israel had 10 batteries scattered around the country, each able to defend a territory of 60 square miles (155 square kilometers), according to Raytheon. (PTI)
Amidst reports of an imminent ground invasion of Gaza by Israel, President Joe Biden has said that Israel can make its own decisions, as the US firmly backs its ally while urging caution.
The latest conflict was triggered by unprecedented attacks against Israel by Hamas militants on October 7, killing more than 1,400 people. Israel has launched a massive counter-offensive against the Islamic militant group that has ruled Gaza since 2007.
Biden made the comment on Tuesday in response to a question while posing for a picture with the visiting Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. (PTI)
Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala and Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer will depart for Israel on Wednesday to show solidarity with the country and its people in the wake of the October 7 terror attacks and amid the ongoing war with the terrorist group Hamas, The Jerusalem Post reported.
The government spokespersons of both countries confirmed on Tuesday about their visit to Israel. (ANI)
