Israel-Hamas live: Netanyahu war cabinet ‘working round clock’ ahead of Gaza ground invasion

Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has again said Israel will go into Gaza but has refused to say when.

In a statement on Wednesday, he said the decision would be taken by the government’s special war cabinet.

He made the remarks as Russia and China vetoed a US-drafted Security Council resolution at the UN calling for pauses in hostilities to allow food, water and medicine to be delivered to Palestinian civilians.

Russia made a rival proposal that advocated a wider ceasefire, but failed to win the minimum number of votes. Israel has resisted both, arguing that Hamas would only take advantage and create new threats to Gaza civilians.

Since the 7 October Hamas massacre, Israeli retaliatory strikes have killed more than 6,500 Palestinians, the health ministry in the Hamas-run strip said on Wednesday. In the occupied West Bank, more than 100 Palestinians have been killed and 1,650 wounded in violence.

More than 1,400 people in Israel have been killed, according to Israeli officials, mostly civilians who died in the initial Hamas rampage.

Key Points

• Hezbollah, Hamas and Islamic Jihad leaders discuss how to achieve 'victory'

• Israel calls for UN chief’s resignation

• Aid workers could be forced to stop work due to fuel blockade, UN warns

• Eight Syrian military personnel killed in Israeli airstrike, Syria claims

• Israeli drone strike in West Bank ‘kills three Palestinians’

• Air raids in Gaza 'kill more than 700’ in 24 hours

It will take ‘years’ to restore security in southern Israel, minister claims

10:35 , Alexander Butler

It will take “years” to restore security to southern Israel following Hamas’s massacre which left 1,400 Israelis dead after the group breached a high tech security fence on 7 October.

Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz said that military and other measures taking years would be required to restore security to the region.

‘International silence on Gaza massacre embarrassing,’ Erdogan says

10:27 , Alexander Butler

Israeli airstrikes on Gaza amount to a massacre, Turkey’s president Tayyip Erdogan told Pope Francis.

Mr Erdogan claimed the silence of the international community was “embarrassing”.

It comes after he accused “those providing unlimited support for Israel” of perpetrating the killing of civilians in Gaza.

“Israel’s attacks on Gaza, for both itself and those supporting them, amount to murder and mental illness,” he told lawmakers from his ruling AK Party.

Pictured: Life and death in Gaza

10:10 , Alexander Butler

Number of hostages in Gaza rises to 224, IDF says

10:00 , Alexander Butler

The confirmed number of people held hostage in the Gaza Strip since 7 October is now 224, according to the Israeli Defence Forces.

IDF strike terrorist cells and anti-tank missile launch posts in Gaza

09:40 , Alexander Butler

The Israeli Defence Forces said it struck “numerous terrorist cells”, “infrastructure” and “anti-tank missile launch posts” in its overnight raid of Gaza.

“In preparation for the next stages of combat, the IDF operated in northern Gaza. IDF tanks & infantry struck numerous terrorist cells, infrastructure and anti-tank missile launch posts.

“The soldiers have since exited the area and returned to Israeli territory,” it wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Putin warns conflict could spread beyond Middle East

09:30 , Alexander Butler

Russian president Vladimir Putin has warned the Israel-Hamas conflict could spill over “far beyond the borders” of the Middle East.

“Our task today, our main task, is to stop the bloodshed and violence,” Mr Putin said, according to a Kremlin transcript.

“Otherwise, further escalation of the crisis is fraught with grave and extremely dangerous and destructive consequences. And not only for the Middle East region. It could spill over far beyond the borders of the Middle East.”

Pictured: Israeli tanks in Gaza during raid

09:00 , Alexander Butler

UK to hold Cobra meeting about British hostages

08:45 , Alexander Butler

The UK will hold a Cobra meeting today to discuss five UK nationals still missing in the Middle East following Hamas’s deadly attack on Israel.

Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden said he would be chairing the meeting, while calling for for a pause in hostilities between Israel and Hamas so humanitarian aid can enter Gaza.

However, Mr Dowden ruled out a ceasefire. “We shouldn’t be saying to the Israel government ‘you’ve got to stop action’ in a way that wouldn’t enable it to eliminate this threat,” he told Sky News.

Al Jazeera journalist finds out his wife, son and daughter killed in Israeli airstrike while on air

08:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

An Al Jazeera reporter covering the war in Israel was on air when he was told his wife and children had been killed in an airstrike.

Wael Al-Dahdouh reported on the same attack in Gaza on Wednesday evening without knowing his family had been killed, in an area they had fled to for safety after Israel’s warning of a ground incursion.

The Gaza bureau chief lost his son Mahmoud, a senior in high school, and his seven-year-old daughter Sham in the blast, his network said.

Palestinians inspect the damage of destroyed buildings following Israeli airstrikes on Gaza City," his network said.

Barney Davis reports.

Journalist finds out wife, son and daughter killed in Israeli airstrike while on air

Rishi Sunak backs pauses in fighting in Gaza but rejects ceasefire calls

08:15 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Rishi Sunak has called for temporary pauses in the conflict between Israel and Hamas to allow British nationals and hostages to be freed and for humanitarian aid to be provided in the Gaza Strip.

But the prime minister continued on Wednesday to reject calls for a longer ceasefire, with Downing Street arguing the move would “only serve to benefit Hamas”.

Mr Sunak said “specific pauses” are necessary for humanitarian purposes as Israel pummels the small strip of land, which is home to more than two million Palestinians.

He said such breaks had been discussed at the United Nations as he announced that an RAF plane is flying to Egypt with 21 tonnes of humanitarian supplies.

More than 80 MPs have urged the Government to call for a ceasefire, as five UK nationals remain missing, some of whom are believed to be hostages in Gaza.

More here.

Rishi Sunak backs pauses in fighting in Gaza but rejects ceasefire calls

UN says Gaza fuel delivery needed now or support could stop

07:45 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

The UN has warned that unless there is an immediate delivery of fuel to Gaza, their support to Gaza’s hospitals, bakeries, and water systems “can stop tomorrow”.

World leaders including UK prime minister Rishi Sunak have joined urgent calls for temporary “pauses” in the fighting to allow delivery of aid and for foreign citizens to evacuate, as hospitals across Gaza shut down due to critical shortages.

The health ministry in the besieged enclave – run by Hamas – has said the healthcare system has “collapsed”.

Speaking to The Independent, Tamara el-Rifae, a spokesperson for UNRWA, the UN’s Palestinian refugee agency, said that unless fuel arrives imminently their critical support across many facets of life in Gaza may stop.

“There has to be a way to get the fuel in otherwise everything can stop tomorrow, or we have to make extremely hard choices,” she said.

Bel Trew reports from Tel Aviv.

UN says Gaza fuel delivery needed now or support could stop as supplies run out

Ceasefire calls just asking Israel not to ‘go after’ Hamas, says UK defence secretary

07:31 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

UK defence secretary Grant Shapps has said the call for a ceasefire is “to essentially say don’t go after Hamas”.

He said a ground invasion of Gaza would fall under Israel’s right to defend itself “as long as the people that they are going after are the Hamas terrorists”.

He told Sky News: “To call for a ceasefire is to essentially say to Israel hadn’t gone through that absolutely horrific, horrendous terrorist attack just two and a half weeks ago.

“You know, don’t go after Hamas. And I don’t think anyone thinks that would be right, because they have the perfect right to go after Hamas under international law.”

Mr Shapps also said UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres needed to withdraw his remarks suggesting the Hamas attacks should be seen in the context of “years of suffocating occupation”.

He told ITV: “I certainly thought his remarks were incredibly inappropriate and I really do hope that he finds a way to withdraw them or clarify them.”

Adam Forrest reports.

More than 750 Gazans killed in one day, says health ministry

07:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

More than 750 people in Gaza were killed over the past 24 hours, higher than the 704 killed the previous day, Gaza’s health ministry, which is controlled by Hamas, said on Wednesday.

Since the 7 October Hamas massacre, Israeli retaliatory strikes have killed more than 6,500 Palestinians in Gaza, according to the ministry.

Hospitals in Gaza struggled to treat masses of wounded with dwindling resources as the death toll soared due to Israel’s constant bombardment of the Strip.

Workers pulled dead and wounded civilians, including many children, out of landscapes of rubble in cities across the territory.

The fighting has killed more than 1,400 people in Israel, mostly civilians slain during the initial Hamas attack, according to the Israeli government.

Queen Rania of Jordan attacks the West over ‘double standards’ on Gaza

07:15 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Queen Rania of Jordan has accused Western countries of “aiding and abetting” the killing of Palestinians by supporting Israel’s war against Hamas.

The monarch also accused those backing Israel’s bombing of Gaza in response to Hamas’s terror attack as an example of Western “double standards”.

“The people all around the Middle East, including in Jordan, we are just shocked and disappointed by the world’s reaction to this catastrophe that is unfolding,” she told CNN.

“In the last couple of weeks, we have seen a glaring double standard in the world.”

Matt Mathers has more.

Queen Rania of Jordan accuses West of ‘double standards’ response to Israel-Gaza war

WHO urges Hamas to release all hostages on ‘health grounds’

07:00 , Barney Davis

The World Health Organization has demanded Hamas to release all of the hostages they are holding “on humanitarian and health grounds”.

Hamas must “provide signs of life, proof of provision of health care and the immediate release” of the kidnapped Israelis, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus demanded.

Some of the children, women anl elderly are in desperate need of urgent and sustained care and treatment. The mental health trauma that the abducted, and the families, are facing is acute and psychosocial support is of great importance.

The UN health agency would do “all we can to support the health and humanitarian needs of those being held captive”, he added.

Israel conducts overnight raid in Gaza with tanks

06:38 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Israeli troops moved armoured vehicles into the Gaza Strip in an overnight "targetted raid" to attack Hamas bases ahead of an anticipated large-scale invasion.

"Overnight, the IDF conducted a targeted raid using tanks in the northern Gaza Strip, as part of preparations for the next stages of combat," the Israeli military said in a statement.

Videos of the overnight operation showed a bulldozer levelling part of a raised bank and tanks firing shells, while explosions were seen near or amid a row of damaged buildings.

The military said the raid was carried out “in preparation for the next stages of combat” as the Israeli defence forces prepared for a large-scale invasion that Israeli leaders have threatened as part of the war to destroy Hamas.

Following the raid, the "soldiers exited the area", the military added.

Israel began localised ground incursions on Sunday as the war, triggered by a cross-border rampage by Hamas gunmen, entered its third week.

Israel's Army Radio described Thursday's incursion as the biggest yet.

UN says fuel shortage may bring aid operations to a halt

06:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

The UN agency in Gaza on Wednesday said it would have to halt “lifeline” aid operations within a day if fuel is not delivered.

Israel has refused to allow fuel to enter Gaza as it laid siege on the Strip following Hamas’s 7 October attack.“We’re probably talking a day,” said spokesperson Tamara Alrifai for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) told CNN when asked how long would the agency function without fuel.

“We have already warned that if fuel runs out by tonight or tomorrow, we as UNWRA, the largest UN agency in Gaza, will no longer be able to work.”The agency initially said it would have to halt operations on Wednesday evening.

After the UN agency posted its warning on social media on Tuesday, the Israeli Defence Forces reposted it, claiming that the Hamas militants have more than 500,000 litres of fuel in tanks inside besieged Gaza.

“Ask Hamas if you can have some,” the IDF wrote.

In Pics | Deaths and destruction in Gaza

06:10 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

UN warn of lack of fuel in Gaza

06:00 , Barney Davis

The UN agency for refugees in Gaza is hours away from running out of fuel and is desperately trying to get a shipment around an Israeli blockade.

Juliette Touma, the UNRWA’s director of communications, told Al Jazeera that the coming hours were critical.

“If we do not get this shipment of fuel tonight, [by] tomorrow morning, Thursday morning, we are going to take very tough decisions, depriving people, depriving the communities that we serve, from humanitarian assistance,” Touma said.

Without fuel, the UNRWA would be unable to send wheat to bakeries, assist medical facilities and keep water pumping stations running, she said.

“It’s a chain,” Touma said. “Fuel for Gaza is life.”

328 foreign nationals killed in war, says Israel

05:51 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

More than half the estimated 220 hostages held by Palestinian group Hamas have foreign passports from 25 different countries, including 54 Thai nationals, the Israeli government said.

The government said 328 people from 40 countries were confirmed as dead or missing after the surprise 7 October attack by Hamas militants on southern Israel. In all, an estimated 1,400 people were killed in the assault

.Israel said 138 of the hostages had foreign passports, including 15 Argentinians, 12 Germans, 12 Americans, six French and six Russians.

Many were believed to have had dual Israeli nationality, however, some, like the Thais and five Nepalese hostages, almost certainly did not. There was also one Chinese hostage, one Sri Lankan, two from Tanzania and two from the Philippines.

05:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Israeli reservists have criticised Benjamin Netanyahu’s son Yair for remaining in Miami rather than joining the fight against Hamas.

The 32-year-old is living in Florida, where he moved earlier this year after he was sued for defamation in Israel over social media posts against a political activist.

Around 360,000 reservists have been called up in Israel following the bloody 7 October attack on Israel launched by Hamas fighters from Gaza.

Prime Minister Netanyahu has received fierce criticism in Israel over the shocking surprise attack, which left more than 1,400 civilians and soldiers dead and hundreds more taken hostage.

Graeme Massie reports.

Israeli reservists question absence of Netanyahu’s son who remains in Miami

Israeli strikes kill 6,500 so far - Health ministry says

05:00 , Barney Davis

Israel kept up its strikes on Hamas targets in Gaza as it prepared for a ground invasion while more Palestinian civilians were killed and world powers at the United Nations failed to secure plans to deliver critical humanitarian aid.

Israeli retaliatory strikes have killed over 6,500 people, the health ministry in the Hamas-run strip said on Wednesday. Reuters has been unable to independently verify casualty figures.

Over 7,600 rockets have been fired towards Israel since October 7 out of Gaza, according to Israeli government data, while there have been repeated clashes along the northern border.

Israel’s Magen David Adom ambulance service said two people were being treated for shrapnel and glass wounds after a rocket fired from Gaza on Wednesday night struck the central Israeli city of Rishon Letzion, south of Tel Aviv.

Florida orders state universities to disband pro-Palestinian student group

04:44 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Florida governor Ron DeSantis’s administration has ordered state universities to ban a pro-Palestinian student organisation from campuses, saying it illegally backs Hamas militants who attacked Israel earlier this month.

As Israel’s attacks on Gaza have intensified, some college students have expressed solidarity with Palestinians, resulting in swift censure from some Jewish academics and even some prospective employers. But Florida has gone further, saying Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) is supporting a “terrorist organisation”.

State university system chancellor Ray Rodrigues wrote to university presidents urging and directing them to disband chapters of SJP. He quoted the national group’s declaration that “Palestinian students in exile are PART of this movement, not in solidarity with this movement”.

“It is a felony under Florida law to ‘knowingly provide material support ... to a designated foreign terrorist organization’,” Mr Rodrigues said in the letter.

The US state department designated Hamas a terrorist group in 1997.

UN Security Council fails again to address Israel-Hamas war

04:26 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

The UN Security Council failed again on Wednesday to address the Israeli-Hamas war in Gaza, rejecting rival US and Russian resolutions.

The resolution drafted by the US, Israel’s closest ally, would have reaffirmed Israel’s right to self-defence, urged respect for international laws — especially protection of civilians — and called for “humanitarian pauses” to deliver desperately needed aid to Gaza.

In Wednesday’s vote in the 15-member council, 10 countries voted in favor, Russia, China and the UAE voted against, and Brazil and Mozambique abstained. The resolution was not adopted because permanent council members Russia and China cast vetoes.

The Russian resolution, which was then put to a vote, would have called for an immediate “humanitarian cease-fire” and unequivocally condemned Hamas’s 7 October attacks in Israel and “indiscriminate attacks” on civilians and civilian objects in Gaza.

Four countries voted in favor – Russia, China, UAE and Gabon. The US and the UK voted against, while nine countries abstained. The resolution wasn’t adopted because it failed to get the minimum nine “yes” votes.

UK government calling for ‘pause’ in Israel-Hamas conflict

04:06 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

The UK government is calling for a “pause” in conflict in the Middle East for humanitarian reasons, but has rejected growing calls for a ceasefire.

Rishi Sunak has said temporary breaks in the violence could allow British nationals and hostages to be freed and aid to be provided to the Gaza Strip.

But ministers reiterated their support for Israel, with defence secretary Grant Shapps saying an expected ground invasion would fall under the country’s right to defend itself as long as the action targeted Hamas.

More here.

UK Government calling for ‘pause’ in Israel-Hamas conflict

Israeli strike wipes out reporters family on air

04:00 , Barney Davis

An Israeli strike on Wednesday killed the wife, son and young daughter of Al Jazeera Arabic’s bureau chief in Gaza, Wael Dahdouh.

Footage aired on the Qatar-based TV network showed the veteran journalist, still wearing his blue body armor marked “press,” weeping over his son’s corpse on a hospital floor.

“They take vengeance on us through our children?” he sobbed.

Another son, Yehia, was seriously wounded, and Dahdouh’s grandson was also declared dead two hours later, the network reported. Other relatives survived the Israeli strike, including a toddler granddaughter.

“This is a series of targeted attacks on children, women and civilians,” Dahdouh, looking stunned, told Al Jazeera as he left the hospital.

The media network released a statement condemning what it called an “indiscriminate assault” on the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza. The camp is south of the area Israel has ordered civilians to evacuate.

In Gaza, Al Jazeera’s Youmna Elsayed told the network: “It’s heartbreaking to be reporting about Wael’s family and to see how broken he is.”

03:00 , Barney Davis

Speaker Mike Johnson called up a resolution supporting Israel in his first action as leader of the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday, after a three-week leadership vacuum that left the Republican-led chamber unable to respond to the Middle East crisis.

“The first bill I’m going to bring to this floor in a little while will be in support of our dear friend Israel and we are overdue in getting that done,” Johnson said as he accepted the speakership.

The House backed the resolution by 412 to 10, with six members voting “present,” reflecting traditional strong support in Congress for the Jewish state. The non-binding measure reaffirms U.S. commitment to Israel and calls on Hamas to immediately cease attacks and release every hostage.

The House had been without a speaker since October 3, when eight Republicans joined Democrats to oust Kevin McCarthy, the first time a U.S. speaker has been removed from the position. Johnson, a social conservative with little leadership experience, was elected speaker on Wednesday.

Biden stresses 'path to peace' in Israel-Gaza crisis

02:00 , Barney Davis

US President Joe Biden said the Israel-Gaza crisis should have “a path to peace” including independent states for the Israelis and Palestinians and integrating Israel among its Arab neighbors.

Biden opened a joint press conference with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese by saying U.S. support for Israel’s defence is ironclad, but the parties need to think about the way forward in the region once the Gaza crisis is resolved.

“Israelis and Palestinians equally deserve to live side by side in safety, dignity and in peace,” said Biden.

Biden said he believed one reason Hamas militants attacked southern Israel, killing 1,400 people on Oct. 7, was to prevent normalizing relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia.

Israeli airstrikes in retaliation have killed over 6,500 people, the health ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza said on Wednesday. Reuters has not been able to independently verify the casualty figures of either side.

BBC boss Tim Davie grilled by Tory MPs amid row over coverage of Israel-Hamas war

01:00 , Sam Rkaina

The UK’s immigration minister has told the head of the BBC he has ‘never been so disappointed in the corporation in his life’ over its refusal to call Hamas terrorists.

Robert Jenrick challenged BBC director-general Tim Davie to use the term during a closed-doors meeting of the 1922 Committee on Wednesday evening.

The corporation has been criticised since the deadly 7 October attack by Hamas on Israelis, in which more than 1,400 people were killed and around 220 taken hostage, for avoiding the “terrorists” label. A number of Tory MPs and Israeli president Isaac Herzog are among those angered by the decision.

“I’ve never been so disappointed in the BBC as I have been this past fortnight,” Mr Jenrick is understood to have said. “I worry that the organisation has lost the confidence of many people and in particular the British Jewish community.”

According to Telegraph journalist Ben Riley-Smith, the minister went on: “That loss of confidence began with the BBC’s refusal to call Hamas terrorists. Will you reconsider that, and change your editorial policy?”

Mr Jenrick’s challenge was rebuffed, as Mr Davie said nobody had banned the word “terrorist”.

From Lebanon to Iran to Syria – the threat of wider Middle East war is growing by the day

Wednesday 25 October 2023 23:59 , Bel Trew

At Israel’s northern border, the metronome of artillery and rocket fire hammers home one of the biggest concerns right now: that tensions here could turn the conflict with Gaza into a region-wide war for the Middle East.

Cross-border battles between the Israeli military and Hezbollah, a Lebanese militant group allied to Hamas and supported by Iran, are steadily increasing in step with the rising ferocity of Israel’s bombardment of Gaza.

Despite the fact that it doesn’t feel like anyone wants a full-scale regional war, the security situation is rapidly deteriorating to the point where posturing about war might make it inevitable.

On Wednesday, the top leadership of Hezbollah, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad met in Beirut. All in what Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has called the “axis of resistance”, the militants were said to have discussed how to “achieve a real victory for the resistance”.

Click here for the full story.

War cabinet to decide when Israel invades, says Netanyahu

Wednesday 25 October 2023 23:20 , Jane Dalton

Israel is preparing a ground invasion of Gaza, prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said - and the decision on when forces would go in would be taken by the government’s special war cabinet.

But he declined to provide any details on the timing or other information about the operation.

“We have already killed thousands of terrorists and this is only the beginning,” Mr Netanyahu said in a televised statement.

“Simultaneously, we are preparing for a ground invasion. I will not elaborate on when, how or how many. I will also not elaborate on the various calculations we are making, which the public is mostly unaware of and that is how things should be.”

Israeli tanks and troops are massed on the border with Gaza awaiting orders. Israel has called up some 360,000 reservists.

International pressure is growing to delay any invasion of Gaza, not least because of hostages. More than half the estimated 220 hostages held by Hamas have foreign passports from 25 different countries, the Israeli government said.

The Wall Street Journal, citing US and Israeli officials, reported that Israel had agreed to delay invading Gaza for now so that the United States could rush missile defences to the region to protect US forces there, reflecting its concern about the Gaza war spreading around the Middle East.

Wednesday 25 October 2023 22:21 , Sam Rkaina

Israel is preparing a ground invasion of Gaza, prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated tonight - but refused to say when.

Speaking in Jerusalem, Netanyahu said the decision on when forces would go into Gaza would be taken by the government’s special war cabinet.

“We have already killed thousands of terrorists and this is only the beginning,” he said in a televised statement.

“Simultaneously, we are preparing for a ground invasion. I will not elaborate on when, how or how many. I will also not elaborate on the various calculations we are making, which the public is mostly unaware of and that is how things should be.”

The cabinet is “working around the clock”, he added.

Israeli tanks and troops are massed on the border with Gaza awaiting orders. Israel has called up some 360,000 reservists.

In pictures: Women and children rescued in Gaza City after Israeli airstrikes

Wednesday 25 October 2023 22:15 , Sam Rkaina

Russia and China veto US resolution for pause in violence

Wednesday 25 October 2023 21:13 , Sam Rkaina

Russia and China have vetoed a US-drafted U.N. Security Council resolution on the war between Israel and Palestinian militants Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The draft aimed to address a worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, calling for pauses the violence to allow aid access.

The United Arab Emirates also voted no, while 10 members voted in favor and two abstained.

Biden condemns retaliatory attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank

Wednesday 25 October 2023 21:08 , Sam Rkaina

President Joe Biden has spoken out against retaliatory attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank in the aftermath of the Hamas attacks on Israel.

He also said he was redoubling his commitment to working on a two-state solution to end the decades-long Israel-Palestinian conflict.

Biden said the attacks by “extremist settlers” amounted to “pouring gasoline” on the already burning fires in the Middle East since the Hamas attack.“It has to stop. They have to be held accountable. It has to stop now,”

Biden said at the start of a news conference with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who was being honored with a state visit to Washington.

Settler violence against Palestinians has intensified since the Hamas attack, and Palestinians have been killed by settlers, according to Palestinian authorities. Rights groups say settlers have torched cars and attacked several small Bedouin communities, forcing them to evacuate to other areas.

The West Bank Protection Consortium, a coalition of nongovernmental organizations and donor countries, including the European Union, says hundreds of Palestinians have been forcibly displaced in the West Bank due to settler violence since Oct. 7. That’s in addition to over 1,100 displaced since 2022.

Deadly violence has been surging in the West Bank as the Israeli military pursues Palestinian militants in the aftermath of the Hamas attack from Gaza.

Starmer urged by Muslim MPs to back Gaza ceasefire

Wednesday 25 October 2023 19:00 , Sam Rkaina

Muslim Labour MPs urged Sir Keir Starmer to call for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas as he sought to sooth their anger over his position on the conflict.

The Labour leader joined Rishi Sunak and the US in backing “humanitarian pauses” to deliver aid to Gaza as it faces a bombardment of airstrikes from Israel ahead of a potential ground invasion.

But Sir Keir has not backed the longer-lasting ceasefire as he supported Israel’s right to defend itself, a firm stance which triggered consternation within the party after he initially backed cutting off power and water in Gaza.

The comments, which he has since rowed back, prompted resignations among Labour councillors and angered the party’s MPs, even those on the frontbenches as shadow ministers.

Multiple sources at the meeting – held between Sir Keir, his deputy Angela Rayner, and around a dozen Muslim MPs, including shadow minister Afzal Khan – described it as a “constructive” exercise in which they expressed their grievances and those of their constituents.

Al Jazeera says family of one of its journalists killed in Israeli strike on Gaza

Wednesday 25 October 2023 18:30 , Sam Rkaina

Al Jazeera TV said the family members of its correspondent in Gaza - his wife, daughter and son - were killed in an Israeli air strike on Gaza on Wednesday night.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military on the incident.

The channel posted lived footage of its reporter Wael Al Dahdouh crying as he saw them laying lifeless in hospital.

Warnings over Israel ‘carve out’ from bid to ban public bodies imposing boycotts

Wednesday 25 October 2023 18:00 , Sam Rkaina

The Government must treat Israel the same as other countries in legislation aimed at banning public bodies from imposing their own boycotts, a Tory former cabinet minister has said.

Kit Malthouse said ministers risk “playing into the antisemitism” that has increased in the UK in recent weeks by including a carve out in the proposals for Israel, the West Bank and the occupied Golan Heights.

There were also heated exchanges in the Commons over the Government’s decision to continue consideration of the Economic Activity of Public Bodies (Overseas Matters) Bill given increased tensions in the Middle East in light of the Israel-Hamas conflict.

The Government argues the legislation affirms that UK foreign policy is a matter for the UK Government and not local authorities.

They added it represents a ban on public bodies imposing their own direct or indirect boycotts, disinvestment or sanctions campaigns against other countries.

The Bill allows for the Government to make regulations to exempt certain countries or territories from the restrictions although clause 3.7 does not allow the regulations to exempt Israel, the occupied Palestinian territories or the occupied Golan Heights.

The Government has been critical of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which describes itself as working to “end international support for Israel’s oppression of Palestinians and pressure Israel to comply with international law”.

Mr Malthouse has tabled an amendment to remove the prohibition, saying: “In carving out Israel, the West Bank and the occupied Golan Heights in the legislation, the Secretary of State (Michael Gove) is, I’m afraid, playing into the antisemitism that we’ve seen rise in this country over the last few weeks.

Starmer issues new statement on Gaza

Wednesday 25 October 2023 17:24 , Sam Rkaina

Keir Starmer has issued a new statement on Gaza saying the amount of aid getting into the war-torn enclave is “completely insufficient”.

It comes as the Labour party leader faces criticism from British Muslims and members of his own party for his response to the crisis.

You can read the full post below.

Israel rejects Turkey’s suggestion Hamas are not terrorists

Wednesday 25 October 2023 16:45 , Alexander Butler

Israel has “wholeheartedly” rejected the Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s suggestion Hamas was not a terrorist group.

“Israel wholeheartedly rejects the Turkish president’s harsh words about the terrorist organization Hamas,” foreign ministry spokesperson Lior Haiat wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

“Even the Turkish president’s attempt to defend the terrorist organization and his inciting words will not change the horrors that the whole world has seen,” Mr Haiat said.

Pictured: Aid loaded on to RAF plane

Wednesday 25 October 2023 16:20 , Alexander Butler

UN Secretary-General ‘shocked’ by reaction to statement

Wednesday 25 October 2023 15:54 , Alexander Butler

The secretary-general of the United Nations has said he is “shocked” with the “misrepresentations” of his statement on the Israel-Hamas conflict.

“I am shocked by the misrepresentations by some of my statement as if I was justifying acts of terror by Hamas. This is false. It was the opposite,” Antonio Guterres said.

Mr Guterres had said it was “important to recognise” Hamas’s attacks, which killed 1,400 Israelis, did not happen “in a vacuum” and that Palestinians had been subject to 56 years of “suffocating occupation”.

Soon after, Israel slammed the statement as “shocking” and “horrible” and called for his resignation.

Mr Guterres had said it was “important to recognise” Hamas’s attacks, which killed 1,400 Israelis, did not happen “in a vacuum” and that Palestinians had been subject to 56 years of “suffocating occupation”.

First RAF flight carrying 21 tonnes of aid for Gaza sets off from UK to Egypt

Wednesday 25 October 2023 15:27 , Alexander Butler

Australia deploys military aircraft to Middle East

Wednesday 25 October 2023 14:55 , Alexander Butler

Australia has deployed two C-130J military aircraft to the Middle East amid fears the Israel-Hamas conflict could engulf the region in a wider war.

“All of this is a contingency and the purpose of it is to be supporting Australian populations that are in the Middle East if, in fact, this conflict gets worse,” acting prime minister Richard Marles said.

Australia has helped hundreds of citizens leave Israel aboard chartered flights and was working toward helping 79 leave Gaza.

Sunak says there should be ‘specific pauses’ in conflict

Wednesday 25 October 2023 14:10 , Alexander Butler

British prime minister Rishi Sunak has said there should be “specific pauses” during Israel’s war with Hamas to allow for the passage of humanitarian aid and the release of hostages.

“From the start, we have said that we do want British nationals to be able to leave Gaza and that we want hostages for to be released and for humanitarian aid to get in and we recognise for all of that to happen there has to be a safer environment, which of course necessitates specific pauses, as distinct from a ceasefire, and we discussed this with partners yesterday evening at the United Nations.

“And we have also been consistently clear that everything must be done to protect civilians in line with international law and continue getting more aid flowing into Gaza,” he said.

Hamas fires rocket towards city more than 130 miles from Gaza

Wednesday 25 October 2023 13:15 , Alexander Butler

Hamas said it launched a rocket towards the southern Israeli city of Eilat this afternoon.

It appeared to be the longest range rocket attack of the war, with Eilat lying around 136 miles from Gaza.

Israel’s military said the rocket fell in an open area near the city, activating an alert.

Ask our expert Kim Sengupta anything about the conflict

Wednesday 25 October 2023 12:50 , Kim Sengupta

What happens to Gaza if Israel make good on their promise to destroy Hamas? Who will govern it and have the responsibility of restoring a destroyed land?

If you have a question for The Independent’s World Affairs editor Kim Sengupta, submit it now, or when he joins you live at 12pm on Friday 27 October for the “Ask Me Anything” event.

Register to submit your question in the comments box under the article linked below. If you’re not already a member, click “sign up” in the comments section to leave your question. For a full guide on how to comment click here.

Ask expert Kim Sengupta anything about political fallout from Israel-Hamas war

RAF plane on its way to Egypt, MoD says

Wednesday 25 October 2023 12:30 , Alexander Butler

An RAF plane is on its way to Egypt with a cargo of 21 tonnes of humanitarian supplies for Gaza, the Ministry of Defence said.

Supplies on board the C-17 aircraft include medical equipment and water filters. It comes after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced he was increasing UK support by £30m to meet the needs of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.w

The region has been subject to a siege and bombardment from Israel as Tel Aviv retaliates after Hamas’s assault on 7 October which left 1,400 Israelis dead.

Up to 6,546 Palestinians killed in Israeli airstrikes, Gazan health ministry says

Wednesday 25 October 2023 12:29 , Alexander Butler

At least 6,546 Palestinians, including 2,704 children, have been killed and 17,439 wounded in Israeli strikes since 7 October, Gaza’s health ministry said.

In the past 24 hours, 756 Palestinians including 344 children were killed in Israeli strikes, the ministry said.

Pictured: Gaza, the West Bank and Israel

Wednesday 25 October 2023 12:10 , Alexander Butler

Up tp 171 attacks on health care provision in Palestinian territories, WHO says

Wednesday 25 October 2023 11:59 , Alexander Butler

There have been up to 171 attacks on health care facilities in the Palestinian territories, including health workers and ambulances.

“Since 7 October, WHO has documented 171 attacks on health care in the occupied Palestinian territory.

“493 people have been killed in health attacks including 16 health workers on duty. Health care and civilians must be protected now,” the organisation said on X, formerly Twitter.

Wednesday 25 October 2023 11:28 , Alexander Butler

The Israeli military sounded sirens in the northern Carmel region, warning of possible incoming rockets or drones, but there were no immediate reports of any casualties.

The Carmel, near the port city of Haifa, is about 90 miles from the Gaza Strip, where an Israel-Hamas war is now in its third week.

It is also 26 miles from the border with Lebanon, across which Israel has exchanged fire with Hezbollah.

Hamas ‘not a terror organisation’, Erdogan claims

Wednesday 25 October 2023 11:13 , Alexander Butler

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has claimed Hamas is “not a terror organisation” but a liberation group waging a battle to protect its land.

“Hamas is not a terrorist organisation, it is a liberation group, ‘mujahideen’ waging a battle to protect its lands and people,” he said.

Mr Erdogan also said Israel had taken advantage of Turkey’s good intentions and cancelled plans to visit the country while calling for an immediate ceasfire to the conflict.

He also called for the United Nations Security Council to be reformed in order for it to be more “more inclusive”, saying Western tears for Israel were a “fraud”.

Israel must stop ‘settlement terror’ in West Bank, Erdogan says

Wednesday 25 October 2023 11:02 , Alexander Butler

Israel must stop its “settlement terror” in the West Bank, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said.

Over 450,000 Israelis live in illegal settlements on Palestinian land in the West Bank, with another 220,000 in east Jerusalem, which was occupied by Israel after the Six-Day War in 1967.

Last week, Mojahed Tbanjeh, a journalist in Nablus, told The Independent: “The situation here is very bad. Israeli settlers have started attacking the villages.

“Yesterday four Palestinians were killed by Israeli citizens and today another two were killed in Qusra at a funeral, a father and son.”

British son of woman kidnapped by Hamas recalls her last terrifying phone call

Wednesday 25 October 2023 10:45 , Alexander Butler

Qatar hopes hostage breakthroughs will happen ‘soon'

Wednesday 25 October 2023 10:29 , Alexander Butler

Qatar’s prime minister has said there was some progress on hostage negotiations following Hamas taking more than 200 hostages during its attack on southern Israel on 7 October.

Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman al-Thani said he hopes there will be breakthroughs on hostage releases “soon”.

But he added: “The number of children killed in Gaza exceeds the number of children killed in Ukraine, but we have not seen the same reaction.”

Palestinian Red Crescent says Israeli air strikes hit near Gaza headquarters

Wednesday 25 October 2023 10:23 , Alexander Butler

Hezbollah, Hamas and Islamic Jihad leaders discuss how to achieve 'victory'

Wednesday 25 October 2023 09:51 , Alexander Butler

The head of Lebanon’s Hezbollah met top leaders of the Palestinian militant factions Hamas and Islamic Jihad to discuss what their alliance must do to “achieve a real victory for the resistance” in Gaza.

Part of an Iran-backed regional alliance, the heavily armed Hezbollah has had daily exchanges of fire with Israeli forces along the Israeli-Lebanese frontier since war broke out between Israel and Hamas on 7 October

“An assessment was made of the international positions being taken and what the parties of the Axis of Resistance must do to realise a real victory for the resistance in Gaza and Palestinian and to halt the brutal aggression,” Hezbollah said.

Pope Francis calls for release of Hamas hostages

Wednesday 25 October 2023 09:35 , Alexander Butler

Pope Francis has renewed calls for the release of hostages held by Hamas and for humanitarian aid to be allowed into the Gaza Strip.

“I am always thinking about the grave situation in Palestine and Israel. I encourage the release of hostages and the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza,” he said.

Francis recalled that he will lead special prayers for peace in St. Peter’s Basilica, in what he said last week would be a “a day of fasting, prayers, penance”.

Pictured: Palestinians dig through rubble after Israeli airstrike

Wednesday 25 October 2023 09:20 , Alexander Butler