Israeli airstrike in Gaza kills 38, say health officials

UN secretary-general 'complicit in war crimes' after post on X, says Israeli minister

Israel's foreign minister says UN secretary-general Antonio Gutteres is "complicit in war crimes" after he mourned the death of an aid worker who Israel claims was a Hamas commander.

The Israeli military said Mohammad Abu Itiwi was killed on Wednesday and that he had been involved in the murder and abduction of Israeli civilians during the 7 October 2023 attacks.

It also said he had been employed by the UN's agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) since July 2022 and that his name was included in a letter Israel sent UNRWA in July that alleged 100 of its employees were members of armed groups.

Mr Gutteres referred to the death "of yet another one of our UNRWA colleagues" in a post on X yesterday.

This, according to Israel Katz, amounted to "new heights of hypocrisy and insensitivity" for the secretary-general, who is already barred from entering Israel for what Mr Katz has described as antisemitic and anti-Israel conduct.

Second Lebanon-Syria border crossing out of service, says minister

Israeli bombing has put a second border crossing between Lebanon and Syria out of service, Lebanon's transport minister says.

It means there is now just one official passage between the nations operational as thousands of displaced people try to escape Israeli military action against Hezbollah.

"The Qaa crossing has been put out of service after an Israeli strike on Syrian territory, hundreds of metres from Syrian border guards," Ali Hamieh said.

On Tuesday, the UN said that an airstrike on the main road at the Masnaa border crossing – the second in less than three weeks – has rendered the route "impassable".

Blinken meets Lebanon PM in London

US secretary of state Antony Blinken has met with Lebanon's caretaker prime minister in London today.

The diplomat is speaking with Najib Mikati after a three-nation tour of the Middle East, where he visited Israel, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

Mr Blinken said there must be an "urgency" for a diplomatic resolution to the conflict happening in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah.

He said it was important so "people at both sides of the border can have the confidence to be able to return to their homes".

Lebanon's health ministry says at least 2,593 people in the country have been killed during a year of conflict, the majority coming in the last month since Israeli troops crossed the border.

Mr Blinken will also meet separately with the foreign ministers of Jordan and the United Arab Emirates today.

Those talks are expected to focus on efforts to support plans for stability, security and recovery in Gaza after the end of the war.

Israeli airstrike on Khan Younis kills 38, say health officials

At least 38 Palestinians have been killed in an Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza, according to health officials.

The Palestinian Wafa news agency earlier said a home in the al-Manara neighbourhood of Khan Younis had been hit.

The report said dozens of people were also wounded and that children were among the dead.

Pictures are emerging from the scene of the attack, with people searching through the rubble.

Five soldiers killed in southern Lebanon, says IDF

Five Israeli reserve soldiers were killed and four were seriously wounded during fighting in southern Lebanon last night, Israel's military says.

According to an initial IDF probe, the soldiers were hit by a rocket launched by Hezbollah at a building in a southern Lebanese village, while the troops were accepting a logistics supply.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said "the entire nation" mourns their deaths.

"My wife Sara and I send our heartfelt condolences to their families, and pray for the peace of the injured. May their memory be blessed and forever in our hearts," he said on X.

The four injured men, along with another reservist who was seriously wounded during fighting in south Lebanon this morning, were taken to hospitals for treatment.

Killing of three journalists in southern Lebanon is a 'war crime', says minister

This morning we reported on an overnight Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon that reportedly killed at least three journalists (see 06.33 post).

Lebanese TV channel Al Mayadeen said its cameraman Ghassan Najjar and broadcast engineer Mohammad Reda were killed in the attack on Hasbaya.

The Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Manar TV said one of its camera operators was also killed.

Lebanon's information minister Ziad Makary has since condemned Israel for the attack, calling it a "war crime".

"The Israeli enemy waited for the journalists' night break to betray them in their sleep," he said on X. 

"This is an assassination, after monitoring and tracking, with premeditation and planning, as there were 18 journalists present at the location representing seven media institutions. 

"This is a war crime."

Possibility of 'sharp conclusion' to Lebanon campaign, says IDF

There could be a "sharp conclusion" to Israel's conflict with Hezbollah, according to the chief of staff of its military.

Israel sent troops into Lebanon last month with the aim of securing the return of tens of thousands of its citizens who have been evacuated from their homes in the north of the country after a year of cross-border hostilities with Hezbollah.

Since then, the Israel Defence Forces has launched daily attacks on hundreds of Hezbollah targets across the country and killed the group's commander, Hassan Nasrallah, in an airstrike on Beirut.

"In the north, there's a possibility of reaching a sharp conclusion. We thoroughly dismantled Hezbollah's senior chain of command," Lt General Herzi Halevi said in a video statement.

Israel was warned by the US this week about keeping its armed forces in Lebanon for too long.

"As Israel conducts operations to remove the threat to Israel and its people along the border with Lebanon, we have been very clear that this cannot lead, should not lead, to a protracted campaign," said US secretary of state Antony Blinken.

Israeli airstrikes continued in Lebanon overnight, with several explosions reported in the southern suburbs of Beirut shortly after the IDF issued evacuation warnings online.

In the south of the country, an Israeli strike killed at least three journalists, Lebanese media said (see 06.33 post).

Rocket barrage fired at Israel from Lebanon, says IDF

Israel's military says a barrage of five rockets was just launched from Lebanon into northern Israel.

The Israel Defence Forces said the rockets were at fired towards the Haifa area this morning at around 9am (7am UK time).

Some rockets were intercepted, while others struck open areas, it added.

There have been no immediate reports of injuries.

Gaza ceasefire negotiators to meet in coming days

US and Israeli negotiators are set to travel to Qatar in the coming days to attempt to reach a ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza.

US secretary of state Antony Blinken announced the news yesterday after talks in Doha with the country's foreign minister.

The upcoming round of talks represents the latest effort by the US to forge a ceasefire after the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, who was described as a key obstacle in the process. 

Mr Blinken also announced plans to send an additional $135m (£104m) in aid for Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank and the broader region.

The diplomat is on a multistop tour of the Middle East, his 11th since the war began last October.

After trips to Israel, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, Mr Blinken will meet with Arab leaders in London.

IDF: Commander in Hezbollah's Radwan Force killed in strike

A commander of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force has been killed in a recent airstrike, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) says.

Abbas Adnan Moslem, according to the military, was responsible for numerous rockets attacks on troops and Israeli towns from the Aitaroun area in southern Lebanon.

The IDF says it also carried out strikes against some 200 Hezbollah targets in Lebanon in the past 24 hours.

In northern Gaza, it said it eliminated "eliminated dozens of terrorists, dismantled terrorist infrastructure, and located numerous weapons" over the past day.

In the centre of the enclave, the IDF said it dismantled Hamas infrastructure sites and a launch post.

Meanwhile, in southern Gaza, "troops eliminated a number of terrorists from the air and ground".

Three journalists killed in Israeli strike on southern Lebanon

An Israeli airstrike on a journalist compound in southern Lebanon has killed three television news staffers, Lebanese state media has reported.

The Beirut-based pan-Arab Al-Mayadeen TV said two of its staffers were among the journalists killed early this morning.

Al-Manar TV, which is affiliated with Hezbollah, said one of its camera operators was also killed in the airstrike on the Hasbaya region in southern Lebanon.

Local news station Al Jadeed aired footage from the scene showing collapsed buildings and cars marked "press" covered in dust and rubble.

The Israeli army did not issue a warning before the strike.

Israel is keeping up its military actions in both Lebanon, where it is fighting the Hezbollah militant group, and in Gaza, where it is fighting Hamas.

The world is still waiting for Israel to launch an attack on Iran, which it vowed to carry out after Iran sent a missile barrage at the country on 1 October, which was mostly intercepted.

Yesterday, US secretary of state Antony Blinken said America does not want to see a protracted Israeli campaign in Lebanon.

He also revealed that US and Israeli negotiators will soon gather in Doha to prepare for renewed talks on a Gaza ceasefire deal, which would also entail release of hostages in the Palestinian enclave.

Lebanon's health ministry says at least 2,593 people in the country have been killed during a year of conflict, while the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says 42,847 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's offensive.

Nations raise $1bn in aid for Lebanon and cash for its army

An international conference for Lebanon in Paris has raised $1bn in pledges for humanitarian aid and military support, according to organisers.

The funding was split 80-20 between aid and the security forces, French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot said.

The latter is aimed at strengthening Lebanon’s armed forces so they could deploy in the country's south as part of any potential deal to end the war, as was intended after the 2006 conflict.

"Without a strengthened Lebanese armed forces and UNIFIL, there can be no sustainable peace and stability at the border between Lebanon and Israel," said Middle East expert Rym Montaz, editor-in-chief of Carnegie Europe’s blog Strategic Europe.

"As such, the French efforts are important and crucial for the way forward."

France's historic links with Lebanon, a former colony, and its influential diplomacy give Paris momentum to coordinate "a proper response to the massive challenge that the war in Lebanon now poses".

The conference gathered over 70 nations and international organisations, with the US pledging the lion's share - $300m.

Germany pledged $104m in humanitarian aid to both Lebanon and neighboring Syria, where displaced people have fled.

Experts have warned that delivering aid could be challenging due to Lebanon's growing dependence on an informal and cash economy which risks corruption.

The country, where Hezbollah effectively operates as a state within a state, has been without a president for two years while political factions fail to agree on a new one.

Soaring food prices deepen Gazan's plight

A lack of humanitarian aid entering Gaza is leading to food shortages and soaring prices across the enclave.

Those in the enclave describe how a kilogram of sugar that previously cost $1 is now $40, while the prices of items such as cooking oil, oranges, and aubergines have also soared.

Most of the population of Gaza lost their sources of income after the war between Israel and Hamas started last year.

The UN says there is a high risk of famine across the enclave, where one in five people are facing starvation.

The US had led the list of countries calling on Israel to increase the flow of humanitarian aid entering Gaza. 

The Israeli military body responsible for managing crossings into Gaza, Cogat, said only 5,840 tons of food crossed into Gaza in the first 12 days of October, compared to a total of 75,898 tons in September.

Al Jazeera set up 'secure telephone line' with Hamas, claims Israel

Israel's military claims that Al Jazeera established a "secure line" with Hamas last year to enable them to communicate in a "classified manner".

It also alleges Hamas briefed the Qatar-based TV network on how its journalists should describe a failed Islamic Jihad rocket launch in 2022. 

The instructions included avoiding the use of the word "massacre", reducing the display of images from the incident, and ensuring that panel members did not criticise Hamas, it added.

The Israel Defence Forces attached several documents to its report, which it says reveals "how Hamas directs Al Jazeera's media coverage to serve its own interests".

Al Jazeera is yet to respond to the latest allegations.

Earlier today, the IDF named six Palestinian Al Jazeera reporters in Gaza that it says are also members of Hamas or Islamic Jihad militant groups (see 07.15 post).

Al Jazeera rejected the claims as an attempt to silence its journalists.

For context: Israel has long accused Al Jazeera of being a Hamas mouthpiece and over the past year its authorities have ordered it to shut down its operations for security reasons, raided its offices and confiscated equipment. 

The network says it has no affiliation with militant groups and has accused Israeli forces of deliberately killing several of its journalists in the Gaza war.

'The lack of humanity we're seeing in northern Gaza is incomprehensible'

 A worker for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees says the lack of humanity he's witnessed in northern Gaza is "incomprehensible".

Sam Rose says it is "essentially impossible" for UNRWA to provide any kind of assistance to civilians trapped in the north of the enclave amid constant Israeli military activity.

Mr Rose describes the scenes in Jabalia, where bakeries have run out of flour - the only food left in the area - and all eight water wells in the area have dried up.

"When we think that this conflict can't get any worse, sadly, it has the ability to plummet further," he tells Sky News.

"The lack of humanity that we're seeing in northern Gaza is, quite frankly, incomprehensible and the inability of the world to do anything about it, equally so."

The situation could be made even worse, Mr Rose says, if everybody in the north of Gaza cannot access a polio vaccine.

The World Health Organisation has vaccinated more than half a million Palestinian children but has been forced to postpone the final round of its polio vaccination campaign due to the escalating violence in northern Gaza.

This final phase of vaccines aimed to immunise 119,279 children across northern Gaza but relied on humanitarian pauses in fighting to ensure its completion.

The entire campaign could now be at risk if the final phase cannot be completed.

"If only part of the population is vaccinated, and vaccinated with live polio, then when that vaccine is shed into the water system, it can be picked up by other unvaccinated children," adds Mr Rose.

"Over time, it mutates. And we're dealing with a completely new strain of the condition against which nobody in Gaza is vaccinated."

-SKY NEWS