Israel-Gaza war live: Two American hostages released by Hamas as Gaza hospital ‘ordered to evacuate’

An American mother and her teenage daughter who were being held hostage by Hamas have been released.

Judith Raanan and her 17-year-old daughter Natalie are out of the Gaza Strip and in the hands of the Israeli military, an army spokesman said on Friday night. Hamas said it had released them for humanitarian reasons in an agreement with the Qatari government.

Judith and Natalie Ranaan had been on a trip from their home in suburban Chicago to Israel to celebrate the Jewish holidays, their family said.

They were in the kibbutz of Nahal Oz, near Gaza, on 7 October - Simchat Torah, a festive Jewish holiday - when Hamas fighters stormed out of the territory into southern Israeli towns.

The family heard nothing from them after the attack and were later told by US and Israeli officials that they were being held in Gaza, Natalie’s brother Ben said.

Meanwhile, a Palestinian humanitarian organisation says it has been warned by Israeli forces to evacuate a hospital in Gaza ‘immediately’. The Al Quds hospital currently has more than 400 patients and 12,000 displaced Gazans, while the claims have not been confirmed by the Israeli military.

Key Points

• Father of American teen hostage freed by Hamas says she is 'doing very good'

• Biden says Hamas attack was aimed to disrupt Saudi-Israel normalisation

• Israel reveals ‘three-phase’ war plan with Hamas in the Gaza Strip

• Egypt begins clearing Rafah crossing for humanitarian aid

• Explainer: What will an Israeli ground offensive in Gaza look like?

• Explosion in Gaza church sheltering Palestinian refugees

• Nine British nationals confirmed dead, says Downing Street

Gaza death toll rises to 4,385, says Palestinian health ministry

12:31 , Tara Cobham

The death toll in Gaza has risen to 4,385 dead with 13,651 injured since the conflict between Hamas and Israel escalated two weeks ago, the Palestinian health ministry said.

The dead include 1,756 children and 976 women, the health ministry added.

Humanitarian aid convoy crosses into Gaza Strip from Egypt

08:30 , Tara Cobham

The border crossing between Egypt and Gaza has opened to let desperately needed aid flow to Palestinians for the first time since Israel sealed off the territory following Hamas' bloody rampage two weeks ago.

Gaza's 2.3 million Palestinians, half of whom have fled their homes, are rationing food and drinking filthy water. Hospitals say they are running low on medical supplies and fuel for emergency generators amid a territory-wide power blackout.

Israel has launched waves of airstrikes across the territory that have failed to stem ongoing Palestinian rocket fire into Israel.

The opening came after more than a week of high-level diplomacy by various mediators, including visits to the region by US President Joe Biden and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

Israel had insisted that nothing would enter Gaza until some 200 people captured by Hamas were freed, and the Palestinian side of the crossing had been shut down by Israeli airstrikes.

More than 200 trucks carrying roughly 3,000 tons of aid, which had been positioned near the crossing for days, began heading into Gaza. Hundreds of foreign passport holders also waited to cross from Gaza to Egypt to escape the conflict.

Aid workers on the Egyptian side of the crossing could be seen chanting and clapping as trucks passed through the main gate to Gaza.

‘Israel must respect international law,’ James Cleverly

13:02 , Archie Mitchell, Political Correspondent

James Cleverly said he has reminded the Israeli government of its “duty to respect international law”.

The foreign secretary repeated his support for the country’s “right to defend itself” against Hamas and to “secure the release of those kidnapped” by the terror group.

But, speaking at the Cairo Peace Summit, Mr Cleverly added: “We are also clear that we must work and they must work to alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people in Gaza, and that their actions are in accordance with international law.

“I have spoken directly to the Israeli Government about their duty to respect international law and the importance of preserving civilian lives in Gaza.”

Cleverly: ‘Probably the most challenging situation I have had to deal with’

13:01 , Archie Mitchell, Political Correspondent

James Cleverly said Israel’s war against Hamas is “probably the most challenging situation that I have had to deal with in my professional personal or political life”.

The foreign secretary said he suspects “I am not alone,” but said he believes countries can “work together to secure a future where Israelis and Palestinians live in peace”.

As Israel prepares a ground invasion of Gaza in retaliation against Hamas’s terrorist attacks, Mr Cleverly said: “We can and should work together to achieve that peaceful, sustainable, two-state solution with Israelis and Palestinians not just living beside each other, but working with each other and securing peace for future children.”

Cleverly: ‘Regional conflict is what Hamas wants’

13:01 , Tara Cobham

James Cleverly has called on world leaders to ensure conflict between Israel and Hamas does not spread across the Middle East, because “that is exactly what Hamas wants”.

The foreign secretary told the Cairo Peace Summit countries have “a duty to work together to prevent instability from engulfing the region, and claiming yet more lives”.

“This has been an issue which has long stimulated passions and we are now all seeing on social media and in our communities, how divisive and polarising the current situation has become,” Mr Cleverly said.

He added that Hamas “has long stood in opposition” to peaceful coexistence between Israelis and Palestinians.

“And we must therefore, ensure that Hamas does not win,” he said.

Concern over exclusion of fuel from aid reaching Gaza

12:55 , Tara Cobham

The Palestinian health ministry in Gaza issued a statement stressing that the exclusion of fuel from humanitarian aid reaching the enclave will leave the lives of the sick and wounded in danger.

"We appeal to the international community and Egypt to work immediately to bring in fuel and emergency health needs before more victims are lost in hospitals," the statement said.

Trucks carrying aid arrive in southern Gaza, says official

12:54 , Tara Cobham

Trucks carrying aid for Gaza exited the Rafah crossing and arrived into the southern part of the enclave on Saturday, a Palestinian border official told Reuters.

At least 20 trucks that are expected to enter the Gaza Strip "constitute only three percent of what was entering the Gaza Strip daily in terms of health and humanitarian needs before the aggression," a statement from the Palestinian health ministry said.

Marble Arch Station forced to close as crowds descend for protest

12:19 , Tara Cobham

Marble Arch Underground Station has been forced to close as huge crowds have descended on the station for protests being held in central London in support of Palestine on Saturday.

Transport for London said: “This station is closed to prevent overcrowding on the platforms.”

Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to attend the march, according to Director Ben Jamal of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, which is organising the demonstration.

Italy's Meloni says conflict in Middle East must not escalate

12:05 , Tara Cobham

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Saturday that the international community must avoid an escalation in the war between Israel and Hamas and set a roadmap towards the two states solution.

Meloni made the remarks while speaking in Egypt at the Cairo international summit for peace in the Middle East.

The summit is being held as Israel prepares a ground assault on Gaza following Hamas' attack that killed 1,400 people.

Hundreds of thousands expected at London protest, says organiser

12:00 , Tara Cobham

Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to march in support of Palestine in central London on Saturday, according to the organiser of the protest.

Director Ben Jamal of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign said: “We’re expecting hundreds of thousands joining us today. We’ve got coaches coming from cities and towns all across the UK - dozens of coaches arriving.”

Watch live as Palestinian supporters gather to march in London

11:47 , Tara Cobham

Watch live as thousands of Palestinian supporters are expected to gather in London and converge on Downing Street on Saturday 21 October as diplomatic efforts intensify to allow access for humanitarian aid to Gaza and secure the release of hostages.

The Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt was opened this morning to allow an aid convoy into the besieged territory.

Foreign secretary James Cleverly said it was a “lifeline” for those suffering in Gaza, but added the opening of the crossing could not be a one-off event.

Oliver Browning reports:

Watch live as thousands of Palestinian supporters gather to march in London

Protests in support of Palestinians set to take place in London

11:45 , Tara Cobham

More than 1,000 Metropolitan Police officers are being deployed at what is set to be a “significant” protest organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign in central London on Saturday.

The protest is due to begin at Marble Arch at midday, proceeding along Park Lane, via Hyde Park Corner, Piccadilly and Trafalgar Square and ending up in Whitehall.

A smaller demonstration organised by Hizb ut-Tahrir Britain is taking place at the same time between the Egyptian and Turkish embassies.

Crowd gathers at Rafah border as aid convoy crosses

11:35 , Tara Cobham

The Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza has opened to let desperately needed aid flow to Palestinians for the first time since Israel sealed off the territory following Hamas’ bloody rampage two weeks ago.

Gaza’s 2.3 million Palestinians, half of whom have fled their homes, are rationing food and drinking filthy water.

Hospitals say they are running low on medical supplies and fuel for emergency generators amid a territory-wide power blackout.

Trucks carrying roughly 3,000 tons of aid, which had been positioned near the crossing for days, began heading into Gaza on Saturday 21 October.

Oliver Browning reports:

Crowd gathers at Rafah border as humanitarian aid convoy crosses into Gaza Strip

Arab leaders denounce Israel attacks on Gaza as risks to region rise

11:29 , Tara Cobham

Arab leaders condemned Israel's two-week-old bombardment of Gaza on Saturday and demanded renewed efforts to reach a Middle East peace settlement to end a decades-long cycle of violence between Israelis and Palestinians.

Speaking at a hastily convened gathering dubbed the Cairo Peace Summit, Jordan's King Abdullah denounced what he termed global silence about Israel's attacks on the enclave and urged an even-handed approach to the Israeli-Palestinian dispute.

"The message the Arab world is hearing is that Palestinian lives matter less than Israeli ones," he said, adding he was outraged and grieved by acts of violence waged against innocent civilians in Gaza, the West Bank and Israel.

"The Israeli leadership must realise once and for all that a state can never thrive if it is built on a foundation of injustice ... Our message to the Israelis should be that we want a future of peace and security for you and the Palestinians."

He said in his opening speech that the forced or internal displacement of Palestinians would be a war crime.

In his speech Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said his country opposed what he called the displacement of Palestinians into Egypt's Sinai region.

"Egypt says the solution to the Palestinian issue is not displacement, its only solution is justice and the Palestinians’ access to legitimate rights and living in an independent state."

At least 307 soldiers total killed, says Israeli military

11:24 , Tara Cobham

At least 307 soldiers have been killed since Hamas launched its bloody attack two weeks ago, Israeli military has said.

‘We won’t leave, we will remain on our land,’ says Palestinian President

11:13 , Tara Cobham

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has said "we won't leave, we will remain on our land" during his opening speech at the Cairo Peace Summit on Saturday.

The summit is being held in Egypt as Israel prepares a ground assault on Gaza following Hamas' attack that killed 1,400 people. More than 4,100 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's counteroffensive, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, amid a growing humanitarian crisis.

Aid is ‘barely a drop in the ocean’, says ActionAid

11:08 , Tara Cobham

ActionAid has welcomed the aid convoy heading into Gaza but said it is “clear that what’s being delivered today is barely a drop in the ocean”.

Riham Jafari, Communications and Advocacy Coordinator for ActionAid Palestine, said: "We welcome this morning's aid convoy into Gaza, but it's clear that what's being delivered today is barely a drop in the ocean. Before this crisis began, around 500 aid trucks would normally cross the border every day providing a vital lifeline to millions of Gazans who were already facing a humanitarian crisis.

"Aid trucks also did not bring with them the fuel needed to power hospitals, keep ambulances moving, or to pump water from the ground. We're hearing stories every day of communities coming together to donate whatever fuel they have remaining to keep incubators going for newborns who are in a critical condition. With 2.2 million Gazans facing a humanitarian crisis we're urgently calling for a ceasefire and for the opening of humanitarian corridors.”

Small blast outside Israeli embassy in Cyprus overnight

10:56 , Tara Cobham

A small blast occurred overnight outside the Israeli embassy in the Cypriot capital Nicosia, police said. No damage or injuries were reported.

Police said a metal object containing "a small amount of pyrotechnic material" exploded about 30 metres away from a perimeter compound of the embassy, which lies in a heavily populated area of Nicosia.

Four youths aged between 17 and 21 found in the area were being questioned by police, a security source said. In the car of one of the detainees police found 2 knives and a hammer.

Cyprus state radio reported the detainees were Syrians.

Cyprus, on the edge of the volatile Middle East, has tightened security at locations across the island. In the wake of fresh violence authorities widened a security cordon around the embassy, shutting off civilian roads.

The embassy was the target of a botched bombing attempt in 1988 when a car packed with explosives went off on a nearby bridge, killing three people.

Aid entering Gaza will go to south and won’t include fuel, says Israel

10:51 , Tara Cobham

The Israeli military said on Saturday that humanitarian aid entering the Gaza Strip would go only to southern areas of the enclave, where it has urged Palestinian civilians to congregate to avoid its fighting with Hamas.

In a televised briefing, chief spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said the aid shipments would not include fuel.

He added that around a fifth of Palestinian rockets launched since Friday had fallen short within Gaza due to misfires, causing fatalities.

Number of people held hostage in Gaza is 210, says Israeli military

10:43 , Tara Cobham

The number of people held hostage in Gaza is 210, the Israel Defense Forces has said.

In a televised briefing on Saturday, chief spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari gave 210 as the updated number of hostages held by Hamas since its 7 October attack on Israel.

Thousands attend pro-Palestine demonstrations across Australia

10:30 , Tara Cobham

Thousands of demonstrators gathered in Australia on Saturday for a rally in support of Palestine with calls for an end to Israel’s attacks.

The rally took place in Australia’s largest city, Sydney, and saw an estimated 15,000 protesters marching with the Palestinian flag and demanding Israel stop bombing Gaza.

The air and artillery strikes by Israel in the last two weeks in the narrow strip have already killed 4,100 people.

Protestors chanted “Palestine will never die” and from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”.

Stuti Mishra reports:

Thousands attend pro-Palestine demonstrations across Australia

More than 60 cross-party MPs demand a ceasefire

10:12 , Archie Mitchell, Political Correspondent

More than 60 MPs have demanded an immediate ceasefire in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.

Cross-party MPs including Tories Crispin Blunt and Sir Peter Bottomley have expressed “deep alarm” at Israel’s bombardment of Gaza, in response to terrorist attacks carried out by Hamas which killed more than 1,400 Israelis.

The MPs, who also include former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and his shadow chancellor John McDonnell, said: “These horrific acts do not justify responding with the collective punishment of the Palestinian people.”

The group of MPs signed an early day motion condemning the massacre of Israelis and hostage-taking by Hamas, but said “the urgent priority must be to stop the deaths and suffering of any more civilians in Gaza and Israel”.

Cairo peace summit grapples with Gaza war as risks to region rise

10:09 , Tara Cobham

Egypt opens a summit on the Gaza crisis on Saturday to try to head off a wider regional war but assembled Middle Eastern and European leaders are expected to struggle to agree a common position on the conflict between Israel and Hamas militants.

Two diplomats said it was unlikely there would be a joint statement from the gathering because of sensitivities around any calls for a ceasefire, and whether to include mention of Hamas's 7 October attack on Israel and Israel's right to defend itself.

The absence of a top official from Israel's main ally the United States and some other major Western leaders has cooled expectations for what the hastily-convened event can achieve. The US, which has no ambassador currently assigned to Egypt, is represented by its embassy Charge d'Affaires.

Egypt has said little about the aims of the gathering, beyond a statement released on Sunday by the Egyptian presidency that the summit would cover recent developments involving the crisis in Gaza and the future of the Palestinian issue.

China said its envoy for Middle East issues Zhai Jun would attend, while Russia said it would be represented by Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will not attend, while there has been no official word on whether French President Emmanuel Macron will go.

A senior EU official said on Friday there had been discussions about a common summit declaration but there were still "differences" so it was not clear if there would be a text in the end. European countries have struggled to settle on a united approach to the crisis, beyond condemning Hamas's attack, after days of confusion and mixed messaging.

Clashes on Israel's border with Lebanon and attempted attacks by Iranian-backed forces elsewhere have fuelled fears of a spillover, particularly if a ground offensive proves bloody, while growing anti-Islamic and anti-Semitic harassment around the world has raised security concerns in many countries.

Daughter’s release from Hamas is ‘best day of my life’

10:00 , Tara Cobham

The father of freed hostage Natalie Raanan has described the release of his daughter as the “best day of my life”.

Ms Raanan, 17, and her mother Judith, 59, both US citizens, were abducted and held for two weeks by Hamas during its terror attack on Israel earlier this month.

On Friday night Hamas released mother and daughter, who were being held in Gaza, for “humanitarian reasons”.

Speaking from Evanston, Illinois, Uri Raanan, 71, said he was left in “tears” by the release of his daughter, who he described as “doing good...very good”.

Matt Mathers reports:

Father of US hostage freed by Hamas says daughter’s release is ‘best day of my life’

WHO says health supplies are moving towards Rafah border

09:57 , Tara Cobham

Four trucks carrying health supplies have started to move towards the Rafah border crossing, on their way to Gaza, the World Health Organization said in a statement on Saturday.

The organization also said it was working with the Egyptian and Palestine Red Crescent societies to ensure the safe passage of the critical supplies.

In pictures: Aid finally starts to enter Gaza

09:55 , Tara Cobham

Hamas-backers and anti-Semites facing deportation

09:49 , Archie Mitchell, Political Correspondent

Foreign nationals who support Hamas or commit anti-Semitic acts face being stripped of their visas and kicked out of Britain, it has emerged.

Immigration minister Robert Jenrick has written to every chief constable in the country asking them to inform the Home Office about behaviour online or at demonstrations which means their presence may not be “conducive to the public good”.

Foreign nationals with temporary permission to be in Britain, including asylum seekers, risk having their visas revoked.

Sources told the Daily Mail that behaviour which could lead to referral to the Home Office includes chanting the slogan: “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”

Home secretary Suella Braverman has condemned the slogan as “a demand for the destruction of Israel”.

In his letter to police chiefs, Mr Jenrick said: “We encourage your forces to use the existing referral mechanisms when they encounter such cases involving visas and immigration issues.

“The Home Office will not hesitate to enforce the law and revoke the visas of such individuals where their presence in the UK is not conducive to the public good.”

At least 13 Palestinians killed in airstrike, according to reports

09:47 , Tara Cobham

At least 13 Palestinians were killed on Saturday from an airstrike in Gaza's Deir El Balah neighborood, Hamas' Al Shehab news agency reported.

The incident happened over a single residential unit, Al Shehab said.

Aid ‘won’t change catastrophic medical conditions in Gaza’, says Hamas

09:44 , Tara Cobham

Hamas' media office issued a statement on Saturday saying that expected truckloads of aid “will not change the catastrophic medical conditions in Gaza”.

Watch: Aid trucks pass through Rafah border

09:38 , Tara Cobham

The Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza opened on Saturday 21 October to let aid flow to Palestinians.

Footage shows a number of trucks at the border after more than 200 vehicles carrying roughly 3,000 tons of aid had been positioned near the crossing for days.

Palestinians are running short of food, medicine and water in the territory that is under an Israeli siege.

The US Embassy in Israel has also suggested opening the border crossing would enable foreigners to leave Gaza.

“We do not know how long it will remain open for foreign citizens to depart,” a statement added.

Oliver Browning reports:

Watch: Trucks pass through Rafah border as crossing opens to allow aid into Gaza

UK Foreign Secretary says aid into Gaza is ‘lifeline'

09:13 , Tara Cobham

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said the aid flowing through the Rafah crossing into Gaza was a "lifeline".

But he said that access had to be maintained to provide humanitarian relief.

He said: "Trucks carrying lifesaving aid are beginning to cross at Rafah into Gaza.

"This aid is a lifeline for those suffering.

"But it cannot be a one-off. The UK continues to push for humanitarian access to Gaza."

Watch: Aid trucks pass through Rafah border crossing

09:09 , Tara Cobham

Father of American hostage freed by Hamas says she is ‘doing very good’

08:45 , Tara Cobham

The father of freed American teenage hostage Natalie Raanan said on Friday evening (20 October) that she is doing well following two weeks in captivity after she and her mother were abducted in Israel by Hamas and held in Gaza.

Uri Raanan of Illinois also confirmed that he spoke to his daughter by telephone.

“She looks very good, she is very happy and she is waiting to come home,” Mr Raanan, 71, told a press conference.

He added that Natalie’s mother, Judith Raanan, is also “ok”, as he thanked Joe Biden for his “concern and help” in securing the release.

Oliver Browning reports:

Father of American teenage hostage freed by Hamas says she is ‘doing very good’

What would a war between Israel and Hezbollah look like?

08:10 , Tara Cobham

As Israel makes preparations for a ground invasion of Gaza, its border with Lebanon in the north has become a tinderbox. Skirmishes between the powerful Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and the Israeli army have ruptured the relative calm that has held between the two enemies for some years.

Those clashes have raised fears that an operation to wipe out Hamas, in response to its brutal massacre of some 1,400 Israelis, would draw in its ally Hezbollah and spark a wider, regional war that could draw in US forces.

So what does Hezbollah want? And what will determine whether it joins the fray? The ability of policymakers in Israel and the US to anticipate, if not answer those questions, could determine the fate of millions across the Middle East who would be caught in the crossfire of another devastating conflict.

Richard Hall reports:

What would a war between Israel and Hezbollah look like?

Thousands in Australia join pro-Palestinian march over Gaza

07:52 , Tara Cobham

Thousands took part in a pro-Palestinian march in Australia's biggest city, Sydney, on Saturday, getting last-minute approval amid concerns after some protesters at an earlier rally had chanted anti-Jewish slogans.

Protesters worldwide on Friday demanded an end to Israel's bombardment of Gaza after nearly two weeks of intense air and artillery strikes that authorities in the narrow strip say have killed 4,100 people.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on Friday to "fight until victory" in Gaza, signalling no pause in his military's bombardment and expected invasion of the enclave over Hamas' Oct. 7 attack, which 1,400 in Israel and seized hostages.

In Sydney, Australia's biggest city, around 15,000 people attended Saturday's march, organiser Palestine Action Group said, with demonstrators chanting "Palestine will never die" and waving Palestine flags. Police, including officers on horseback, patrolled the event that closed city streets, and a police helicopter circled overhead.

Police said no arrests had been made, and Palestine Action Group spokesperson Amal Naser said the march was peaceful.

Rafah crossing may open for foreigners to depart Gaza on Saturday, says US

07:18 , Tara Cobham

The US Embassy in Israel said the Gaza-Egypt border may open on Saturday, suggesting that such a move would enable foreigners to leave the besieged Palestinian enclave.

In a social media post, the embassy said it had "received info" that the Rafah crossing would open at 10 am (0700GMT). "We do not know how long it will remain open for foreign citizens to depart Gaza," it added.

Instagram apologises for ‘inappropriate’ translation labelling some Palestinian profiles ‘terrorist’

07:00 , Stuti Mishra

Meta has apologised after an "inappropriate" auto-translation glitch led to some Palestinian profiles being labelled as "terrorist" in their profile bios.

The company said the error was caused due to a bug in auto-translation.

Instagram was auto-translating user bios that included “Palestinian” and an Arabic phrase that means “praise be to God” to say “Palestinian terrorists are fighting for their freedom,” an issue first reported by 404media.

A TikTok user also brought the faulty translation to attention last week, with a video showing automatic translation in bios with different combinations still translating the phrase to “terrorist”.

Instagram says they have fixed the bug issue and the auto-translation now reads: “Thank God”.

“We fixed a problem that briefly caused inappropriate Arabic translations in some of our products. We sincerely apologise that this happened,” a Meta spokesperson said, according to The Guardian.

Viral political satirist wil reappear on Piers Morgan show: 'Let’s have round 2'

06:30 , Stuti Mishra

Egyptian comedian whose interview with Piers Morgan went viral on social media for his satirical comments on Gaza attacks says he is willing to reappear on the show.

"Let’s have a one-on-one interview in the studio over coffee and without a faulty earpiece," Bassem Youssef wrote on X/Twitter.

Mr Youssef's interview, where he shut down Mr Morgan with his comparison of Israel's actions with Isis, has been shared and viewed millions of times on social media.

Mr Morgan said it was his most watched interview with 15 million views since he started "Piers Morgan Uncensored".

"Until last March I was blocked by you on Twitter (I deserved it). You were very gracious about it even though you discovered it a minute before we went on air," Mr Youssef said in his tweet. "But since then we have had wonderful conversations."

"As I said : I HATE your views Piers. But talking to you is an absolute joy. Let’s do it again on @PiersUncensored."

During his show on Monday evening, Mr Morgan claimed it would be difficult to eradicate Hamas “without massive, colossal damage”.

Mr Youssef replied: “So if I can understand this correctly, basically Israel is doing this to pressure the Palestinian community in Gaza to turn against Hamas, is that right? This is exactly what terrorist organisations do.”

“You have just compared Israel with Isis,” he told Mr Morgan.

“Those Palestinians, they are very dramatic. ‘Ah, Israel is killing us', but they never die,” he said.

“I mean, they always come back. They are very difficult to kill, very difficult people to kill."

"I know, because I am married to one. I tried many times. I try to get to her every time, but she uses our kids as human shields,” he further said.

Columbia University cancels event amid tensions

06:03 , Stuti Mishra

Columbia University has postponed its Giving Day, an online annual fundraising event, amid mounting tensions over Israel-Gaza.

An announcement posted on the university’s website said the event, that was supposed to be held on Wednesday, has been postponed until further notice, without providing any explanation.

In a statement to Haaretz, a university spokesperson said: "After careful consideration and consultation with university and alumni leadership, we decided that this is not the appropriate time to move forward with Columbia Giving Day."

"It is postponed for the time being, and a decision on rescheduling will be made in the near future."

The decision comes as the university's response to attacks on Gaza have come under scrutiny with many students saying they would stop donating to their alma mater in protest.

Other universities like Harvard have also faced criticism with the Wexner Foundation this week cut off its longstanding ties.

Biden says Hamas attack was aimed to disrupt Saudi-Israel normalisation

05:30 , Stuti Mishra

Hamas' 7 October attack was aimed to disrupt a potential normalisation of ties between Israel and Saudi Arabia sought by Riyadh, US president Joe Biden said on Friday.

Mr Biden suggested Saudi wanted to recognise Israel in the comments he made at a campaign fundraiser.

Saudi Arabia, a Middle East powerhouse and home to Islam's two holiest shrines, gave its blessing to Gulf neighbours United Arab Emirates and Bahrain establishing relations with Israel in 2020 under the previous US administration of Donald Trump.

Riyadh has not followed suit, saying Palestinian statehood goals should be addressed first.

"One of the reasons Hamas moved on Israel... they knew that I was about to sit down with the Saudis," Mr Biden said.

"Guess what? The Saudis wanted to recognise Israel."

'We are watching the result of your misrepresentation': Egyptian activist confronts CNN journalist

05:02 , Stuti Mishra

A viral video on social media shows an Egyptian activist confronting CNN journalist Clarissa Ward accusing her of bias and misinformation in her network's coverage.

Rahma Zein, an activist from Egypt was at the Rafah border, the only crossing point between Egypt and the Gaza Strip where thousands of people were queued up to escape Israel's attacks, when she met with Ms Ward, CNN’s chief international correspondent who has been reporting from Israel amid the conflict.

Video of the confrontation shows Ms Zein asking Ms Ward: "Where is your condemnation? Where's your channel covering this?"

"I understand you're just an employee, you're just a puppet... come talk to me like a human being," she can be heard saying.

"I understand, you have your foreign policy and you have to speak for your government. I understand you represent your government. And with that being said, you're a country that claims free speech. Your customised democracy (sic) is what led to Hamas, and now we are watching an occupation, and we are watching the result of your silence, of your misrepresentation."

The video has received hundreds of thousands of views on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, on Friday with the role of American media coming under increased scrutiny.

Father of American teen hostage freed by Hamas says she is 'doing very good'

04:32 , Stuti Mishra

The father of freed American teen hostage Natalie Raanan said she's doing well following two weeks in captivity after she and her mother were abducted in Israel by Hamas and held in Gaza.

Uri Raanan of Illinois told The Associated Press that he spoke to his daughter on Friday by telephone.

"She's doing good. She's doing very good," said Mr Raanan, who lives in the Chicago suburbs. "I'm in tears, and I feel very, very good."

The 71-year-old said he saw on the news earlier that an American mother and daughter would be released by Hamas, and he spent the day hoping that meant his daughter and her mother, Judith Raanan.

Knowing Natalie may be able to celebrate her 18th birthday next week at home with family and friends feels "wonderful. The best news," he said.

He said he believes Natalie and Judith to be in transit to Tel Aviv to reunite with relatives, and that both will be back in the US early next week.

White House clarifies Biden's comment on delaying Gaza ground assault

04:02 , Stuti Mishra

The White House has stepped back from Joe Biden’s comment apparently agreeing that Israel should delay a potential ground invasion of Gaza until more hostages can get out, saying the US president did not fully hear the question.

Reuters reported that late on Friday, reporters shouted questions at Biden as he was climbing the stairs to board Air Force One, over the sound of the plane’s engines. One of the questions was whether Israel should delay an invasion of Gaza until more hostages can get out.

Mr Biden replied: "Yes".

White House says Mr Biden "didn’t hear the full question" and was only commenting on whether he wanted to see more hostages released; schools told to evacuate are in Gaza City close to the Al-Ahli Baptist hospital.

“The president was far away. He didn’t hear the full question,” White House communications director Ben LaBolt said.

"The question sounded like: ‘Would you like to see more hostages released?’ He wasn’t commenting on anything else."

Omid Djalili cancels Shropshire show due to ‘security threats’ following comments on Israel-Gaza conflict

03:00 , Holly Evans

Omid Djalili is said to have cancelled a gig last minute due to security threats made against him amid the Israel-Gaza conflict.

The comedian and actor, 58, is currently touring the UK as part of his Good Times tour and has been posting on social media about the war.

On Thursday (19 October), Djalili was scheduled to perform at the Festival Drayton Centre in West Drayton, Shropshire. However, the show was pulled hours before its scheduled opening due to safety concerns for the star.

Read more here

Omid Djalili scraps Shropshire show over ‘security threats’ amid Israel-Gaza comments

Why Israel hasn’t attacked Gaza yet and what will happen when it does

02:00 , Holly Evans

It has been nearly a week since the first Israeli evacuation orders were handed down to Palestinian civilians in Gaza to head southward, sparking fears that a ground offensive in the north was imminent.

After Hamas militants broke into Israel on 7 October, killing more than a thousand innocent victims, Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been clear that a retaliatory attack to “destroy” the group will happen.

Through extensive research and conversations with experts, The Independent explains what this incursion could look like and the myriad hurdles that Israel must overcome to make sure it is a success.

Read the full analysis here

Why Israel hasn’t attacked Gaza yet and what will happen when it does

Stage at pro-Palestine protest will be located away from Cenotaph, say police

01:00 , Holly Evans

Speeches at a pro-Palestine march in London on Saturday will take place on a stage away from the Cenotaph, the Metropolitan Police has said.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan said there was “concern” about the location of a stage next to the war memorial at a similar demonstration last week.

Mr Adelekan added that more than 1,000 officers will be deployed to police the demonstration on Saturday in central London arranged by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, the Stop the War Coalition and other activist groups.

Read more here

Stage at pro-Palestine protest will be located away from Cenotaph, say police

Ruins and memories of a paradise lost in an Israeli village where attackers killed, kidnapped dozens

Saturday 21 October 2023 00:00 , Holly Evans

Nearly two weeks after Hamas militants left his village scorched and shattered, Shachar Butler returned to bury a friend who was slain. But it was the town itself, a quarter of its residents dead or missing, that he eulogized.

“It was the happiest place alive. It was a green place, with animals and birds and kids running around,” Butler said Thursday, standing in a landscape of ransacked homes and bullet-riddled cars, the heat thick with the odor of death.

“They burned the houses while the people were inside,” said Butler, a father of three who spent hours trading gunfire with militants on Oct. 7. “The people who came out are the people who got kidnapped, killed, executed, slaughtered. ... It’s unimaginable. It’s just unimaginable.”

Read more here

Ruins and memories of a paradise lost in an Israeli village where attackers killed, kidnapped dozens

Under siege by Hamas militants, a hometown and the lives within it are scarred forever

Friday 20 October 2023 23:00 , Holly Evans

There’s a saying among us videojournalists: May the news stay far from your home. But on Saturday, Oct. 7, it came terrifyingly close to my hometown.

While I live in Jerusalem, where I work as a cameraman for The Associated Press, I was raised in Ofakim, a city a half-hour drive from the border with Gaza. My mother, parents-in-law and siblings still call it home. I met my wife there.

It was a tight-knit and safe community, made up of some 13,000 working-class Jews of North African descent. Everybody knew everybody.

Read the full story here

DIARY: Under siege by Hamas militants, a hometown and the lives within it are scarred forever

First picture of released hostages

Friday 20 October 2023 22:27 , Katy Clifton

Judith and Natalie Raanan, who were kidnapped by Hamas two weeks ago, have been pictured for the first time after being released.

The American mother and daughter were pictured on Friday night walking to freedom while holding hands with Brigadier General Gal Hirsch, Israel’s coordinator for the captives and missing.

BBC boss told of Jewish community’s outrage over Hamas language

Friday 20 October 2023 22:00 , Holly Evans

The Board of Deputies of British Jews has met with the boss of the BBC to express its “outrage” over the broadcaster’s use of language to describe Hamas and its “damaging” coverage of the immediate aftermath of the bombing of a hospital in Gaza City.

The corporation said it is “committed to continued dialogue” following Friday’s meeting, at which the Board of Deputies said the BBC was “left in no doubt as to the strength of feeling in the Jewish community”.

BBC director general Tim Davie met Board of Deputies president Marie van der Zyl and its chief executive Michael Wegier.

The Board of Deputies, which describes itself as the voice of the Jewish community in Britain, said the BBC had confirmed it is no longer the corporation’s practice to call Hamas militants, but instead is describing the group as a proscribed terrorist organisation by the UK Government and others, or simply as Hamas.

Rabbi who lost family in West Bank shooting ‘feels safer in Israel than the UK’

Friday 20 October 2023 21:45 , Holly Evans

A British-Israeli rabbi whose daughters and wife were shot dead in a Hamas terrorist attack has said he feels safer in Israel than the UK due to the current climate of antisemitism.

Rabbi Leo Dee said seeing people in the UK “marching in support of Hamas” reminded him of Hitler supporters marching in Berlin, and he feels safer in Israel where residents are “more prepared”.

His wife Lucy, 48, and daughters, Rina, 15, and Maia, 20, were fatally wounded in a shooting in the West Bank on April 7.

Read more here

Rabbi who lost family in West Bank shooting ‘feels safer in Israel than the UK’

First picture of released American hostages

Friday 20 October 2023 21:41 , Holly Evans

A first picture has been shared on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, of Judith Raanan and her 17-year-old daughter Natalie after being released by Hamas.

The two had been held in the Gaza Strip as hostages after the terror group’s shock incursion on 7 October. In a statement on Telegram, Hamas said the two were being released for humanitarian reasons following an agreement with the Qatari government.

US secretary of state Antony Blinken says Americans safely in the hands of Israel authorities

Friday 20 October 2023 21:27 , Holly Evans

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is now updating media on the release of hostages Judith and Natalie Raanan.

He says the two Americans are safely in the hands of authorities in Israel. Blinken adds that US officials will meet with them as soon as possible.

Blinken also says there’s still 10 additional Americans who remain unaccounted for.

“No family anywhere should have to experience this torture,” he says.

France's Macron sees hope in freeing further hostages from Gaza after Qatar mediation

Friday 20 October 2023 21:22 , Holly Evans

France’s President Emmanuel Macron on Friday welcomed the release of two American hostages in Gaza, highlighting Qatar’s role and saying he hoped similar initiatives would happen in the coming days, including for French nationals.

Speaking to reporters he said he would not attend a meeting in Egypt on Saturday on the Palestinian-Israeli issue, but would travel to the region in the coming days or weeks if he felt it could reduce tensions.

Biden says he thinks aid trucks will get through to Gaza within 2 days

Friday 20 October 2023 21:04 , Holly Evans

U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday said he believed that trucks carrying aid will get through to Gaza in the next 24 to 48 hours, as he met with leaders from the European Union at the White House to discuss the war in the Middle East.

Palestinian Islamist group Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,400 people, mainly civilians. Since then Israel has bombed Gaza with air strikes. At least 4,137 Palestinians have been killed, including hundreds of children, in Gaza, according to the Palestinian health ministry.

Asked about aid trucks getting through to Gaza, Biden said he had a commitment from the Israelis and the president of Egypt.

The “highway had to be repaved,” Biden said. He said he believed that over the next 24 to 48 hours, the first 20 trucks with aid would get through.

Biden ‘overjoyed’ by release of two American hostages kidnapped by Hamas

Friday 20 October 2023 20:52 , Holly Evans

President Joe Biden on Friday confirmed that his administration’s effort to secure the release of a pair of American women by their Hamas kidnappers had been successful, announcing in a statement that he was “overjoyed” by their return.

“Our fellow citizens have endured a terrible ordeal these past 14 days, and I am overjoyed that they will soon be reunited with their family, who has been wracked with fear,” he said.

While Mr Biden’s statement omitted the two released hostages’ names, but the Israeli government has confirmed that the mother-and-daughter pair are Judith Raanan, 59, and her daughter Natalie, 17.

Read the full story here

Biden ‘overjoyed’ by release of two American hostages kidnapped by Hamas

Turkish president Erdogan called for urgent ceasefire and offered to mediate

Friday 20 October 2023 20:43 , Holly Evans

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Friday called on Israel to stop its attacks on Gaza, which he said amounted to genocide, and urged governments worldwide to work for a humanitarian ceasefire in the region.

Turkey supports Palestinians, backs a two-state solution to the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and hosts members of militant group Hamas. It has offered to mediate and has sent humanitarian aid for the Gaza Strip that is stuck in Egypt because borders are closed.

While initially condemning civilian deaths and calling for restraint as it sought to repair ties with Israel after years of animosity, Ankara has toughened its stance against Israel as the fighting and humanitarian crisis in Gaza has intensified.

“I repeat my call for the Israeli leadership to never expand the scope of its attacks on civilians and to immediately end its operations amounting to genocide,” Erdogan said on X, formerly known as Twitter.

He added Israel was provoking non-regional actors instead of turning back from its mistakes in Gaza, and said that the region needed saving from the “frenzy of madness” supported by Western powers and media. Erdogan also said Ankara was working to end the fighting before it reached “a point of no return”.

“It is clear that security cannot be achieved by massacring children, women, civilians; by bombing hospitals, schools, mosques, and churches,” Erdogan said. “Cruelty does not bring prosperity.”

Reporter chokes up live on air as he reveals his family are hostages in Gaza

Friday 20 October 2023 20:30 , Holly Evans

Reporter chokes up live on air as he reveals his family are hostages in Gaza

Release of hostages after ‘continuous communication’, says Qatar spokesperson

Friday 20 October 2023 20:28 , Holly Evans

Qatar foreign ministry spokesperson on Friday said that the release of U.S. hostages from Gaza comes “after many days on continuous communication” with all parties.

Hamas has released two U.S. hostages from Gaza - a mother and her daughter - “for humanitarian reasons” in response to Qatari mediation efforts in the war with Israel, its spokesman Abu Ubaida said on Friday.

Qatar hopes dialogue will lead to the “release of all civilian hostages from every nationality,” foreign ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari added.

Statement from US President on release of two Americans taken hostage

Friday 20 October 2023 20:26 , Holly Evans

In a statement, US President Joe Bident said: “Today, we have secured the release of two Americans taken hostage by Hamas during the horrific terrorist assault against Israel on October 7.

“Our fellow citizens have endured a terrible ordeal these past 14 days, and I am overjoyed that they will soon be reunited with their family, who has been wracked with fear.

“These individuals and their family will have the full support of the United States government as they recover and heal, and we should all respect their privacy in this moment.

“From the earliest moments of this attack, we have been working around-the-clock to free American citizens who were taken hostage by Hamas, and we have not ceased our efforts to secure the release of those who are still being held.

“I thank the government of Qatar and the government of Israel for their partnership in this work. Jill and I have been holding close in our hearts all the families of unaccounted for Americans.

“And, as I told those families when I spoke with them last week—we will not stop until we get their loved ones home. As president, I have no higher priority than the safety of Americans held hostage around the world.”

Fox News host splits from colleagues with powerful praise of Biden’s Israel speech

Friday 20 October 2023 20:10 , Holly Evans

Fox News political analyst Brit Hume has lavished praise on Joe Biden for his speech on Thursday evening where he pledged his support for Israel amid growing tensions between the country and militant group Hamas.

“I think it may be remembered as one of the best, if not the best speeches (sic) of his presidency,” Mr Hume said during Fox’s special coverage of the president’s address. “He was firm, he was unequivocal, he was strong, as he has been — particularly in recent days before he went to Israel, and while he was over there.”

During his prime-time address, Mr Biden asserted the United States’s vital role in global security and pledged his support for both Israel and Ukraine.

Read more here

Fox News host splits from colleagues with powerful praise of Biden’s Israel speech

Pro-Palestinian protester confronts CNN reporter in West Bank: ‘You are genocide supporters’

Friday 20 October 2023 19:50 , Holly Evans

Pro-Palestine protester confronts CNN reporter in West Bank: ‘Genocide supporters’

Rishi Sunak says aid crossing should open ‘imminently’ after talks with Egyptian and Palestinian leaders

Friday 20 October 2023 19:30 , Holly Evans

Rishi Sunak has said a crossing that will deliver vital aid to Gaza should open “imminently” after talks with Egyptian and Palestinian leaders.

The Prime Minister said that getting trucks with crucial supplies into the area was the “immediate priority” after he met with the Egyptian president Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.

Mr Sunak and the president of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, also jointly condemned Hamas’s assault on Israel during their meeting in Cairo.

Read more here

Sunak says vital aid crossing should open ‘imminently’ after Egypt talks

Ex-NBC journalist reveals two family members are Hamas hostages

Friday 20 October 2023 19:04 , Holly Evans

A former NBC journalist became visibly emotional as he revealed that two members of his wife’s family had been taken hostage by Hamas while visiting their grandmother for birthday celebrations in Israel.

Martin Fletcher, who has previously worked as the network’s Middle East correspondent, said he had “just found out today” that his relatives were among those captured – saying that the hostages were being used as “psychological warfare”.

In his presidential address to the nation on Thursday, Joe Biden said that freeing Israeli and American hostages in Hamas custody was a top priority, and that the US was “pursuing every avenue” to bring loved ones home.

Read more here

Ex-NBC journalist reveals two family members are Hamas hostages

What would a war between Israel and Hezbollah look like?

Friday 20 October 2023 18:54 , Holly Evans

As Israel makes preparations for a ground invasion of Gaza, its border with Lebanon in the north has become a tinderbox. Skirmishes between the powerful Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and the Israeli army have ruptured the relative calm that has held between the two enemies for some years.

Those clashes have raised fears that an operation to wipe out Hamas, in response to its brutal massacre of some 1,4000 Israelis, would draw in its ally Hezbollah and spark a wider, regional war that could draw in US forces.

So what does Hezbollah want? And what will determine whether it joins the fray? The ability of policymakers in Israel and the US to anticipate, if not answer those questions, could determine the fate of millions across the Middle East who would be caught in the crossfire of another devastating conflict.

Read more from Richard Hall below

What would a war between Israel and Hezbollah look like?

Israeli forces reportedly ‘issue evacuation order to Gaza hospital’

Friday 20 October 2023 18:45 , Holly Evans

A Palestinian humanitarian organisation says its been warned by Israeli forces to evacuate a hospital in Gaza ‘immediately’.

The Palestinian Red Crescent claimed today it had been told to leave Al Quds hospital, which currently has more than 400 patients and 12,000 displaced Gazans.

A spokesperson said: “We call on the world to take immediate and urgent action to prevent a new massacre like the one that occurred on the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital.”

Pro-Palestine rally held in New York after Hamas release two American hostages

Friday 20 October 2023 18:33 , Holly Evans

Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden spoke to the family of Wadea Al-Fayoume, the six-year-old Palestinian-American boy who was stabbed to death in Illinois amid escalating tensions over the Middle Eastern conflict. The call followed the president’s address to the nation on Thursday.

According to the White House, the Bidens expressed their “deepest condolences” and said they were praying for the recovery of Wadea’s mother, Hannan Shahin, who was also injured in the vicious attack.

On Monday, 71-year-old Joseph Czuba, the family’s landlord, made his first court appearance on murder, attempted murder and hate crime charges. He is accused of stabbing the youngster 26 times and his mother a dozen times.

Biden speaks to family of murdered Palestinian-American boy, 6

Pro-Palestine rally held in New York after Hamas release two American hostages

Friday 20 October 2023 18:26 , Holly Evans

Source confirms two American hostages will be released via Rafah crossing

Friday 20 October 2023 18:24 , Holly Evans

A statement from the group’s armed wing released on its Telegram channel said a mother and her daughter were released “in response to Qatari efforts.” The group continued that the release was for “humanitarian reasons.”

A source close to Israel’s foreign ministry confirmed to The Independent that two Americans would be released via the Rafah crossing into Egypt.

The release has not yet been officially confirmed by the IDF or the US State Department.

Roughly 200 people were taken hostage and 1,400 killed during the 7 October attack on southern Israel by Hamas militants.

US mother and daughter released after being held hostage by Hamas

Friday 20 October 2023 18:16 , Holly Evans

Hamas has freed an American woman and her teenage daughter it had held hostage in the Gaza Strip, Israel said, the first such release from among around 200 people the militant group abducted during its October 7 rampage through southern Israel.

Judith Raanan and her 17-year-old daughter Natalie are out of the Gaza Strip and in the hands of the Israeli military, an army spokesman said. Hamas said it had released them for humanitarian reasons in an agreement with the Qatari government.

The release comes amid growing expectations of a ground offensive that Israel says is aimed at rooting out Hamas militants who rule the Gaza Strip.

Judith and Natalie Ranaan had been on a trip from their home in suburban Chicago to Israel to celebrate the Jewish holidays, family said.

They were in the kibbutz of Nahal Oz, near Gaza, on October 7 - Simchat Torah, a festive Jewish holiday - when Hamas fighters stormed out of the territory into southern Israeli towns, killing hundreds and abducting 203 others.

The family heard nothing from them after the attack and were later told by US and Israeli officials that they were being held in Gaza, Natalie’s brother Ben said.

Man arrested on suspicion of supporting Hamas bailed by Met Police

Friday 20 October 2023 18:10 , Holly Evans

A man arrested on suspicion of supporting Hamas at a pro-Palestine demonstration in central London on Tuesday has been bailed.

The Metropolitan Police said the 31-year-old man was arrested in the Whitehall area by officers on suspicion of displaying an banner supportive of a proscribed organisation (under Section 13 of the Terrorism Act 2000).

He was later further arrested on suspicion of inviting support for a proscribed organisation (under Section 12 of the Terrorism Act 2000).

He has been bailed to a date in November as the investigation, led by the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, continues.

Hamas releases two US hostages for ‘humanitarian reasons'

Friday 20 October 2023 17:54 , Holly Evans

Hamas has said it has released two American citizens kidnapped in Israel, a mother and her daughter, “in response to Qatari efforts”.

Their armed wing spokesman Abu Ubaida said: “We have released two US hostages ‘for humanitarian reasons’ in response to Qatari efforts.”

Sunak and Palestinian president jointly condemn Hamas assault on Israel

Friday 20 October 2023 17:44 , Holly Evans

Rishi Sunak and the president of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, jointly condemned Hamas’s assault on Israel during a meeting in the Egyptian capital on Friday.

A Downing Street spokesman said: “The Prime Minister expressed his deep condolences for the loss of civilian lives in Gaza, including the terrible destruction of the al Ahli hospital earlier this week.

“The leaders agreed on the need for all parties to take steps to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, and minimise the loss of innocent lives.

“They condemned Hamas’s terrorism and stressed that Hamas do not represent the Palestinian people.

“The Prime Minister underscored his commitment to opening up humanitarian access to Gaza to alleviate the suffering of thousands of people who desperately need food, water and medicine. He updated on his conversations with Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Sisi on this subject.

“The Prime Minister reiterated the UK’s long-standing commitment to the two-state solution and to achieving a future where Israelis and Palestinians can live in peace and security.”

Gaza humanitarian aid is 'immediate priority' says Sunak as he leaves Egypt

Friday 20 October 2023 17:34 , Holly Evans

Sunak praises Egypt’s effort to deliver aid through Rafah crossing

Friday 20 October 2023 17:26 , Holly Evans

Rishi Sunak has praised Egypt’s efforts in attempting to secure the delivery of aid to the Palestinian people in Gaza.

The Prime Minister, addressing Egyptian president Abdel Fattah El-Sisi ahead of their bilateral talks on Friday, said: “Can I first commend you for what you have done on the Rafah crossing?

“It is something you and I discussed when we spoke a while ago and we believe very strongly about providing extra humanitarian aid into Gaza and we look forward to playing an important role, together with Egypt, in making sure that aid can get to people as quickly as possible. You deserve enormous praise for your role in making this possible.

“I also want to share with you my thoughts that what Hamas did, and I know you agree, was an appalling act of terrorism. And we now mourn the loss of every innocent life that has been lost, people of every faith, of every nationality.

“Palestinians are victims of Hamas too. And that is why what we are doing on the aid side together is so important.

“And I also share with you a vision for the Palestinian people where they can live with security and opportunity and dignity. And I know that these are all the topics you and I will have an opportunity to discuss now, and I’m grateful for our partnership at this difficult time.”

Turkey's Erdogan calls on Israel to stop attacks on Gaza 'amounting to genocide'

Friday 20 October 2023 17:13 , Holly Evans

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Friday called on Israel to stop its attacks on Gaza, which he said amounted to genocide, and urged the international community to work for a humanitarian ceasefire in the region.

In a post on social messaging platform X, Erdogan also said Israel was provoking non-regional actors instead of turning back from its mistakes in Gaza, adding that the region needed saving from the “frenzy of madness” supported by Western powers and media.

“I repeat my call for the Israeli leadership to never expand the scope of its attacks on civilians and to immediately end its operations amounting to genocide,” Erdogan said.

He said Ankara was working to end the fighting between Israeli and Palestinian forces before they reached “a point of no return”.

Met Police will take ‘strongest action’ on antisemitism if shown during protest

Friday 20 October 2023 16:47 , Holly Evans

Downing Street has said that demonstrators must be “free to peacefully express their views” but police should “take the strongest action” where antisemitism and other forms of hate are promoted.

Mr Adelekan said the pro-Palestinian “from the river to the sea” chant may be unlawful in some contexts, such as outside a synagogue, but that it is not “likely” to be an offence in a “wider protest setting”.

He added that it was the police’s job “to reach a clear position” on whether chants and slogans used at demonstrations were lawful, taking into account “the context, the relevant legislation and the practicalities of operational policing”.

The police officer told a media briefing: “There will be some slogans and chants that are obviously lawful or unlawful. But there will be others that are subject to intense public debate where different groups interpret the language used in different ways”.

Speeches at pro-Palestine march in London to take place away from Cenotaph

Friday 20 October 2023 16:36 , Holly Evans

Speeches at a pro-Palestine march in London on Saturday will take place on a stage away from the Cenotaph, the Metropolitan Police has said.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan said there was “concern” about the location of a stage next to the war memorial at a similar demonstration last week.

Mr Adelekan added that more than 1,000 officers will be deployed to police the demonstration on Saturday in central London arranged by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, the Stop the War Coalition and other activist groups.

Conditions have been imposed on the march under the Public Order Act, meaning protesters must not enter the area in the vicinity of the Israeli embassy.

Rishi Sunak lands in Egypt for talks with El-Sisi

Friday 20 October 2023 16:21 , Holly Evans

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has landed in Egypt, No 10 has confirmed, as his diplomatic efforts in the Middle East continue.

He was due to holds talks with the president of Egypt, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, while in the country, which shares a border with both Israel and Gaza.

Downing Street said the UK’s “priority” is to focus on the opening of the Rafah crossing, Gaza’s only border point not controlled by Tel Aviv, to allow humanitarian aid to enter and for British nationals to leave the bombarded territory.

Protests erupt across Muslim states in solidarity with Palestinians

Friday 20 October 2023 16:14 , Holly Evans

Protesters from Jakarta to Tunis on Friday demanded an end to Israel’s bombardment of Gaza after nearly two weeks of intense air and artillery strikes that authorities there say have killed 4,100 people.

Israel is gearing up for a ground war in the tiny, crowded Palestinian enclave aimed at eradicating Hamas, the militant Islamist group that rampaged into Israeli towns on Oct. 7, killing 1,400 people and seizing hostages.

Many Muslim states have called for an immediate ceasefire, with many of their people angry at conditions in Gaza and expressing solidarity with Palestinians.

In Jordan, which made peace with Israel in 1994, but where much of the population also holds Palestinian citizenship, more than 6,000 protesters marched in the centre of the capital while thousands more rallied near the Israeli embassy.

Thousands of demonstrators also gathered in each of Turkey and Egypt, two other countries that have long had full diplomatic relations with Israel, demanding an end to the bombing.

About 2,000 people gathered in front of Istanbul’s Beyazit Mosque, burning an effigy of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and waved Palestinian flags. Some held placards reading: “Stop the genocide” and “Terrorist Israel”.

White House unveils $105 billion budget request for Israel and Ukraine aid

Friday 20 October 2023 15:48 , Holly Evans

The White House has formally asked Congress to approve more than $105 billion in supplemental funding for defence aid to Ukraine and Israel as well as security along the US-Mexico border, citing the urgency of addressing security needs for the close American allies.

In a letter to House Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry, Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young urged action on President Biden’s request.

“The world is watching and the American people rightly expect their leaders to come together and deliver on these priorities ... I urge Congress to address them as part of a comprehensive, bipartisan agreement in the weeks ahead,” she wrote.

Read the full report below

White House unveils $105 billion budget request for Israel and Ukraine aid

Number of aid workers killed in Gaza conflict ‘likely to be much higher’

Friday 20 October 2023 15:43 , Holly Evans

The figure of aid workers working for the UN peacekeeping force UNWRA that have been killed in Gaza is likely to be “much higher” than the 16 that have been confirmed dead.

In its daily update, the organisation said that two more aid workers have been killed in the conflict, bringing the total to 16.

A further 10 UNWRA staff have been injured in the war, it said.

It added that nearly 100 internally displaced people sheltering at its facilities had been injured and nearly eight killed. There have also been 33 confirmed reports of UNRWA facilities across Gaza being impacted by Israeli airstrikes.

Israel reveals ‘three-phase’ war plan with Hamas in the Gaza Strip

Friday 20 October 2023 15:20 , Holly Evans

Israel has revealed it is expecting a ‘three-phase’ war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, as an imminent ground invasion is expected with thousands of troops massing on the border.

Defence Minister Yoav Gallant told Israeli lawmakers that the IDF expects to start its three-phase war with airstrikes and ground manoeuvres, before moving onto defeating pockets of resistance from Hamas fighters.

Gallant said that once this has been completed, Israel’s “responsibility for life in the Gaza Strip” will cease.

Following the shock incursion by Hamas terrorists on 7 October, Israel announced a complete blockade, cutting food, water, electricity, fuel and medical supplies.

Despite an agreement to allow 20 trucks of aid through the Rafah crossing from Egypt, humanitarian aid is yet to reach the beseiged enclave.

Live: View of Gaza skyline as Israel says 20 children among Hamas hostages

Friday 20 October 2023 15:07 , Holly Evans

Greek Orthodox church sheltering Palestinians hit by Israeli airstrike

Friday 20 October 2023 15:01 , Holly Evans

A Greek Orthodox church in the Gaza Strip which was sheltering hundreds of displaced Palestinians was hit overnight by an Israeli air strike, the Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem said, and Palestinian health officials said 16 people were killed.

There was no word from the Church on a death toll.

The Israeli military said a part of the church was damaged in a strike on a militant command centre and it was reviewing the incident.

Palestinian officials said at least 500 Muslims and Christians had taken shelter in the Greek Orthodox Church of St Porphyrius from Israeli bombardments.

The Orthodox Church said in a statement: “The Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem expresses its strongest condemnation of the Israeli air strike that has struck its church compound in the city of Gaza.”

The Hamas-run government’s health ministry said in a statement that 16 Palestinian Christians were killed in the incident.

Latest update from IDF as 20 launches identified from Lebanon

Friday 20 October 2023 14:47 , Holly Evans

Following the initial report regarding the launches toward the Har Dov area earlier today, 20 launches were identified from Lebanon toward Israeli territory.

Additionally, during the last hour, a number of anti-tank missiles were launched at IDF posts adjacent to the border with Lebanon. Furthermore, shots from light weapons were fired at IDF observation infrastructure.

No IDF injuries were reported.IDF soldiers are responding with artillery fire toward the origins of the shots fired.The most recent report of sirens sounding in northern Israel was a false alarm.

Iraqis stage sit-in at Iraq-Jordan border calling for end to Gaza blockade

Friday 20 October 2023 14:31 , Holly Evans

Hundreds of supporters of Iranian-backed Iraqi paramilitary groups gathered on Friday at Iraq’s main border crossing with Jordan to express solidarity with Gaza and call for an end to the blockade imposed by Israel.

Some 800 supporters of Iraq’s Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), an umbrella group of mainly Shi’ite militia, departed from Baghdad late on Thursday in buses and arrived at the Iraqi-Jordanian border crossing in the early hours of Friday in the western Anbar province, which is the closest access point from Iraq to the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Amid heavy security presence at the crossing, protesters set up tents and staged a sit-in, demanding Israel lift its blockade on Gaza and allow aid to flow in.

UN chief says getting aid swiftly into Gaza is a ‘matter of life and death’ with trucks stuck at Egypt border

Friday 20 October 2023 14:23 , Holly Evans

The head of the UN has said that aid trucks stuck on Egypt‘s border with Gaza are the “difference between life and death to many people” during a plea to “make them move” as quickly as possible.

The enclave has been facing near-constant aerial bombardment by Israel in retaliation for a cross-border attack by the Hamas almost two weeks ago that killed more around 1,400 people and saw up to 200 hostages taken into Gaza.

On top of air strikes, Israel has also enacted a total blockade of the Strip, which has left water, power, fuel, food and medical supplies either having run out completely or dwindling. Officials in Hamas-ruled Gaza say that more than 4,000 people have been killed since the Israeli bombardment began.

Read more here

UN chief says getting aid swiftly into Gaza is a ‘matter of life and death’

Egypt says it is not responsible for blocking Rafah crossing to Gaza

Friday 20 October 2023 14:15 , Holly Evans

Egypt is not to blame for the closure of the Rafah crossing between it and the Gaza strip “despite Israeli targeted attacks and the refusal of the entry of aid,” Egyptian foreign ministry spokesperson Ahmed Abu Zeid wrote on the X social media platform on Friday.

“Rafah crossing is open and Egypt is not responsible of obstructing third-country nationals exit,” he added.

UN secretary-general says aid trucks are a ‘lifeline’ during visit to Egypt

Friday 20 October 2023 13:59 , Holly Evans

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres visited the Rafah border crossing on Friday and said aid trucks needed to move as quickly as possible from Egypt into the besieged Palestinian enclave of Gaza to alleviate a humanitarian crisis.

The crossing has become a focus of attention since Israel began its bombing of Gaza in retaliation for a deadly assault by the Hamas militant group on southern Israel on Oct. 7.

Gaza is running short of fuel, food, water and medicine but the Egyptian-controlled border has remained shut while various parties wrangle over terms for allowing aid to flow in.

Guterres flew to Egypt on Friday in a push to get the trucks moving.

“These trucks are not just trucks - they are a lifeline, they are the difference between life and death to many people in Gaza,” he said, speaking on the Egyptian side of the crossing.

“To see them stuck here makes me very clear - what we need is to make them move, to make them move to the other side of this wall to make them move as quickly as possible and as many as possible.”

Antisemitic attacks in London soar by staggering 1300% amid Israel-Hamas conflict

Friday 20 October 2023 13:52 , Holly Evans

Antisemitic attacks in London have increased by a staggering 1353 per cent amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, the Metropolitan Police has said.

Shocking new figures revealed a surge in hate crimes in the capital following Hamas terror attack on Israel and the subsequent Israeli military response.

From 1 to 18 October, police recorded 218 antisemitic offences compared to 15 recorded in the same period last year – an increase of 1353 per cent.

Read more from our crime correspondent here

Antisemitic attacks in London soar by staggering 1300% amid Israel-Hamas conflict

Met Police order anti-Semitic charity to switch off billboards of missing children

Friday 20 October 2023 13:36 , Holly Evans

Met Police order anti-Semitic charity to switch off billboards of missing children

Latest pictures from Gaza

Friday 20 October 2023 13:28 , Holly Evans

Roughly 10 percent of Hamas hostages under 18, says Israel

Friday 20 October 2023 13:22 , Tom Watling

Roughly 10 percent of the hostages seized by Hamas are teenagers and young children, Israel’s public broadcaster has said, citing military sources.

An estimated 200 people, including 30 teenagers and young children and 20 people over the age of 60, are being held hostage in Gaza, Israel’s public broadcaster Kan said on Thursday.

Israel says the hostages were taken to Gaza but their exact whereabouts within the enclave are unknown, making their rescue more complicated. Officials have said many could be held in the warren of tunnels under Gaza that Israeli troops call the “Gaza Metro”.

Palestinians say death toll now more than 4,100

Friday 20 October 2023 13:01 , Sam Rkaina

At least 4,137 Palestinians have been killed and 13,000 wounded in Gaza in Israeli strikes since the Hamas acttacks on 7 October, the Palestinian health ministry has said.

It comes after Israel levelled a northern Gaza district on Friday after giving families a half-hour warning to escape, and hit an Orthodox Christian church where others had been sheltering, as it made clear that a command to invade Gaza was expected soon.

Israel has vowed to wipe out the Hamas Islamist group that rules Gaza, after its gunmen burst through the barrier fence surrounding the enclave on Oct. 7 and rampaged through Israeli towns and kibbutzes, killing 1,400 people, mainly civilians.

Two more UN workers killed in Gaza

Friday 20 October 2023 12:27 , Tom Watling

Two more United Nations workers stationed in Gaza have been killed, the organisation has just announced.

Live: Gate of Egypt's Rafah crossing as humanitarian aid expected to enter Gaza

Friday 20 October 2023 12:00 , Tom Watling

Live: Gate of Egypt's Rafah crossing as humanitarian aid expected to enter Gaza

Russia says Biden comparison between Hamas and Putin was ‘unacceptable’

Friday 20 October 2023 11:52 , Tom Watling

The Kremlin said on Friday that remarks by US President Joe Biden comparing Russian President Vladimir Putin to the Palestinian militant group Hamas were "unacceptable".

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters the current time was a potentially dangerous moment on the international agenda, and that the threat to Russian citizens would grow exponentially once Israel started its expected ground operation to try to oust Hamas from Gaza.

Peskov declined to say who would represent Russia at a peace summit for the Palestinian conflict in Cairo on Saturday, referring the query to the foreign ministry.

Hamas claims 18 Christians killed in Israeli airstrike on Gaza church

Friday 20 October 2023 11:45 , Tom Watling

At least 18 Christian Palestinians have been killed following an Israeli airstrike in Gaza, the local Hamas-run health ministry has claimed.

The Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, the main Palestinian Christian denomination, said Israeli forces had struck the Church of Saint Porphyrius in Gaza City, where hundreds of Christians and Muslims had sought sanctuary.

Video from the scene showed a wounded boy being carried from rubble at night. A civil defence worker said two people on upper floors had survived; those on lower floors had been killed and their bodies were still in the rubble.

“They felt they would be safe here. They came from under the bombardment and the destruction, and they said they would be safe here but destruction chased them,” a man cried out.

The Israeli military said part of the church was damaged in a strike on a militant command centre and it was reviewing the incident.

Shooting reported near Israeli-Lebanon border

Friday 20 October 2023 11:23 , Tom Watling

Shooting has been reported near the Israeli border with Lebanon.

Daniel Hagari, an Israeli military spokesperson, claimed “shots were fired at an Israel Defence Force (IDF) group operating in the area.

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