Israel-Hamas war – live: IDF uses Arrow missile defences for first time as UN issues ‘life or death’ warning

Israel has announced they used a state-of-the-art air-defence system for the first time today after a missile was fired from the Red Sea.

A statement from the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) said they “intercepted a surface-to-surface missile in the area of the Red Sea”, adding that “this is the first operational interception by the Arrow Aerial Defense System since the beginning of the war”.

The Arrow defence system was built in collaboration with the US and uses hypersonic missiles to combat hostile fire.

They did not elaborate on where the missile had come from, nor provide evidence of the missile they claimed had been fired from the Red Sea.

It comes as the head of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees told a UN emergency meeting Monday “an immediate humanitarian cease-fire has become a matter of life and death for millions”.

Philippe Lazzarini accused Israel of “collective punishment” of Palestinians and the forced displacement of civilians.

Key Points

• Israel pushes deeper into Gaza

• Israel declares ‘time for war’ amid global pressure for humanitarian ceasefire

• UN agency in Gaza says urgent ceasefire is ‘matter of life and death’

• ‘More than 8,300 people killed in Gaza’

Hamas to release some foreign captives in coming days, says spokesman

17:44 , Tara Cobham

Hamas told mediators it will release a number of foreign captives in the coming days, Abu Ubaida, the spokesman of the group's armed wing said in a video on its Telegram account on Tuesday.

Strikes on refugee camp kill 50 and injure 150, according to reports

14:07 , Tara Cobham

More than 50 Palestinians have been killed and another 150 wounded in Israeli air strikes on Jabalia refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, the Director of Gaza’s Indonesian Hospital has told Al-Jazeera.

Protesters call for Gaza ceasefire amid Blinken’s Senate testimony

17:30 , Tara Cobham

A group of protesters calling for a ceasefire in the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza interrupted Senate testimony by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Tuesday.

Several protesters were removed from the room as they kept interrupting the proceedings during the Senate Appropriations Committee hearing.

The protesters chanted anti-war slogans during Mr Blinken’s opening remarks, with one man yelling “save the children of Gaza!”, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Gustaf Kilander reports:

Protesters call for Gaza ceasefire amid Blinken’s Senate testimony

Yemen’s Houthis say they launched missiles and drones at Israel

17:00 , Tara Cobham

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi group said it launched a "large number" of drones and ballistic missiles towards Israel on Tuesday, after Israel's military said it downed an approaching "aerial target" off the Red Sea city of Eilat.

The operation was the third targeting Israel and there would be more, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said in a televised statement.

Saree said the attacks would continue until "Israeli aggression" stopped, referring to the war against Hamas in the Gaza strip.

After an initial warning of a possible "hostile aircraft intrusion", which sent residents of the tourist resort of Eilat running for shelter earlier on Tuesday, the Israeli military had said its "systems identified an aerial target approaching Israeli territory".

"There was no threat or risk to civilians," and the defensive action was successful, it added. There were no reports of any missiles or drones hitting Israeli territory from the Red Sea on Tuesday.

‘I was reborn’ on 7 October says survivor of Hamas attack on Israeli festival

16:30 , Tara Cobham

Hired to cater for an all-night Israeli music festival, Rada and Raif Rashed fled for their lives just after dawn, when Hamas militants rampaged through the crowd on 7 October turning the celebration into a place of horror.

The brothers saw partygoers falling around them as 250 people were killed in the surprise cross-border attack that precipitated the worst hostilities for decades in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

"What I lived through on 7 October are unbelievable things. What I have seen I never imagined to see," Rada, 33, said when back with family in northern Israel, nearly 200km (125 miles) from the festival site near Kibbutz Re'im.

"On this day, I was reborn. I now have two birth dates; the original one on March 15 and the new one is on 7 October.”

Rada and his brother Raif, 39, were caterers at the Nova festival, close to Gaza, when the Hamas gunmen arrived. Both are from Israel's Druze Arab minority, a sect whose faith draws its roots from Islam.

Israeli sources say ‘20,000 troops enter Gaza’, according to reports

16:01 , Tara Cobham

Israeli sources have claimed over 20,000 troops have entered Gaza since Israel launched its ground offensive on the Strip, it has been reported.

Two Israeli sources told Axios that at least two armoured and infantry divisions, which amounts to more than 20,000 Israeli troops, had entered the besieged enclave since Friday night.

Children face dying of thirst, says UN

15:41 , Tara Cobham

The UN has warned of the risk of infant deaths due to dehydration in Gaza.

James Elder, a spokesperson for the UN children's agency in Geneva, added that children in the Strip were getting sick from drinking salty water.

About 940 children are reported missing in Gaza, he said, with some thought to be stuck beneath the rubble of buildings flattened by Israeli air strikes.

Significantly fewer humanitarian aid trucks than needed have reached the besieged enclave, UN officials said. Aid trucks have been trickling into Gaza from Egypt over the past week via Rafah, the main crossing that does not border Israel.

Hamas attack will inspire greatest US terror threat since ISIS, says FBI director

15:38 , Tara Cobham

The attack by Hamas on Israel will inspire the most significant terror threat to the US since the rise of ISIS nearly a decade ago, FBI Director Christopher Wray said at a congressional hearing on Tuesday.

Wray said that since the start of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in Gaza earlier this month, multiple foreign terrorist organizations have called for attacks against Americans and the West, significantly raising the threat posed by homegrown US violent extremists.

"The actions of Hamas and its allies will serve as an inspiration the likes of which we haven't seen since ISIS launched its so-called caliphate several years ago," Wray said.

The remarks came during a hearing before the US Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee focused on threats to the United States. The US government has seen an increase in threats against Jews, Muslims and Arab Americans since fighting broke out in Gaza, US officials have said.

Watch: Protesters mob Starmer’s car for stance on Israel-Hamas war

14:31 , Tara Cobham

NATO’s Stoltenberg condemns Hamas and urges Israel to protect civilians

14:02 , Tara Cobham

NATO's Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Tuesday condemned the attacks on Israel by Hamas and said the Israeli response in Gaza must respect international law.

"We condemn Hamas' terrorist attacks against Israel," Stoltenberg said in a speech in Oslo.

"At the same time it is important that Israel's response takes place within international law, that civilian lives are protected and that humanitarian aid reaches Gaza," he added.

Gaza death toll: More than 8,500 killed, including 3,542 children, says Hamas-run health ministry

12:45 , Tom Watling

At least 8,525 Palestinians, including 3,542 children, have been killed by Israeli strikes on Gaza since 7 October, the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry has claimed.

Norway believes Israel may have not fully respected international law

12:31 , Tom Watling

Norway believes Israel may have broken international law in its bombardment of Gaza that has levelled neighbourhoods and killed thousands of Palestinians, its foreign minister said on Tuesday.

Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide told Reuters in an interview that while Oslo supports Israel‘s right to self-defence, humanitarian law must be adhered to.

This meant distinguishing between combatants and civilians and ensuring military attacks are proportionate to avoid excessive harm to civilians and civilian infrastructure, he said.

“We believe that there have been cases where this proportionality and this distinction have not been fully respected,” he said, speaking in the United Arab Emirates.

Starmer sets out his reasons for not supporting a permanent Gaza ceasefire despite Labour plea

12:08 , Tom Watling

Sir Keir Starmer has set out his two reasons for not supporting a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.

The Labour leader was speaking at Chatham House in central London following a surfeit of calls within his own party to back calls for a ceasefire.

During his speech today, he responded to these calls by saying that a “ceasefire always freezes any conflict in the state where it currently lies”, suggesting this would “embolden Hamas”.

He said: “As we speak, that would leave Hamas with the infrastructure and the capability to carry out the sort of attack we saw on 7 October, attacks that are still ongoing.

“Hamas would be emboldened and start preparing for future violence immediately.

“And it is this context that explains my second reason, which is that our current calls for pauses in the fighting for clear and specific humanitarian purposes, and which must start immediately, is right in practice as well as principle.

“In fact, it is at this moment the only credible approach that has any chance of achieving what we all want to see in Gaza, the urgent alleviation of Palestinian suffering: aid distributed quickly and space to get hostages out.

“That is why it is also the position shared by our major allies.”

Members of Sir Keir’s frontbench are in open revolt about his stance on the Israel-Hamas conflict.

And Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has called for those who break ranks to call for a ceasefire not the be branded disloyal.

Frontbencher Alex Cunningham calling for an "immediate ceasefire" less than an hour before Sir Keir delivered his speech.

Sir Keir said he understood calls for a cessation to the violence.

Israel's UN delegates criticised for wearing yellow stars as 'symbol of pride'

11:51 , Tom Watling

The chairman of Israel‘s Yad Vashem Holocaust Remembrance Center on Tuesday criticised the country’s delegation to the United Nations for putting on yellow stars, a symbol of Nazi persecution of Jews, during a meeting of the Security Council.

The Nazis forced Jews in Germany and some European countries it occupied during World War Two to wear yellow stars on their clothing as part of a programme of persecution that culminated in the Holocaust, in which six million Jews were murdered.

Memories of the Holocaust have been close to the surface in Israel and beyond since 7 October when Hamas fighters killed some 1,400 people, mostly civilians, in southern Israel -- the worst loss of Jewish life in a day since the Nazi genocide.

Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other leaders have drawn direct comparisons between the Hamas attack and the Nazi persecution of the Jews but the spat over the use of the yellow star symbol underlines how sensitive comparisons with the Holocaust remain for many.

Israel‘s ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, and fellow delegates put yellow stars with the words “Never Again” written on them on their jackets during a debate on Monday about the subsequent war on Hamas launched by Israel in the Gaza Strip.

Erdan said the stars were “a symbol of pride, a reminder that we swore to fight back to defend ourselves”, adding that antisemites had been empowered and hatred of Jews was growing in many countries.

But Dani Dayan, chairman of Yad Vashem, which is recognised around the world as an authoritative source of Holocaust scholarship and place of remembrance, said the act dishonoured victims of the genocide as well as the State of Israel.

“The yellow patch symbolises the helplessness of the Jewish people and being at the mercy of others,” he said on social media platform X.

“Today we have an independent country and a strong army. We are masters of our destiny. Today we put a blue-white flag on the lapel, not a yellow patch.”

Keir Starmer says ceasefire in Gaza is not 'correct position'

11:39 , Tom Watling

Keir Starmer says ceasefire in Gaza is not ‘correct position’

World Health Organisation warns of airstrikes near Gaza hospital

11:25 , Tom Watling

The World Health Organisation have said reports of Israeli airstrikes near the main cancer centre in Gaza are “extremely concerning”.

In a statement on X, formerly Twitter, said: “Extremely concerning reports of airstrikes in the vicinity of the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital in the last two days.

“The hospital is the main cancer centre in the Gaza Strip. Services have been severely reduced because of cut-off of electricity and restricted entry of medicines, other medical supplies, fuel and water.

“It is currently sheltering internally displaced people. Health care is #NotATarget.”

Sir Keir Starmer to make speech on Gaza ceasefire - watch

11:03 , Tom Watling

Sir Keir Starmer is about to make a speech adressing the calls from his Labour Party to demand a ceasefire in Gaza.

WHO warns of 'imminent public health catastrophe' in Gaza as services break down

10:49 , Tom Watling

A World Health Organization official has said that a “public health catastrophe” is imminent in Gaza amid overcrowding, mass displacement and damage to water and sanitation infrastructure.

At the same press briefing, a spokesperson from the UN children’s agency warned of the risk of infant deaths due to dehydration with just five percent of normal water supplies available.

Israeli forces demolish West Bank house of senior Hamas leader - claim

10:45 , Tom Watling

Israeli troops on Tuesday destroyed the family home of Saleh al-Arouri, the exiled commander of Hamas forces in the occupied West Bank as security forces continued their crackdown on leaders of the militant Islamist group , video has purported to show.

Currently thought to be living in southern Lebanon, Arouri, the deputy to Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, is among a group of leaders singled out by Israeli officials who have vowed to destroy Hamas in retaliation for the deadly Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel.

A veteran Hamas leader who has spent 17 years in Israeli jails, Arouri rose to prominence in 2014 by admitting to the abduction and killing of three Israeli teenagers from a West Bank settlement.

Since then he has been behind a steady expansion of Hamas political cadres and gunmen throughout the West Bank, where the rival Fatah faction of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas controls the Palestinian Authority.

His house, which local residents said was not occupied, had been scheduled for demolition since last week and security forces blew it up in the early hours of the morning, according to witnesses.

Following 18 months of steadily escalating violence in the West Bank, Israeli forces have clamped down further since the Oct. 7 attack, making hundreds of arrests and conducting regular raids that have resulted in clashes. At least 121 Palestinians have been killed there in the three weeks since the attack.

On Tuesday, a 14-year-old boy hit during a confrontation near the northern West Bank city of Nablus died of his wounds and in a separate incident, a 70 year-old man was killed during a clash in the city of Tubas.

Putin discussed beefing up measures to counter external interference after airport riot - Kremlin

10:30 , Tom Watling

Russian president Vladimir Putin and top government and security officials on Monday discussed strengthening measures to counter external interference, including information-related interference, the Kremlin’s spokesman said on Tuesday.

In a statement to a meeting of members of his Security Council and the government and the heads of law enforcement agencies, Putin had on Monday accused the West and Ukraine of stirring up unrest inside Russia after rioters in the predominantly Muslim Dagestan region stormed an airport to “catch” Jewish passengers on a flight from Tel Aviv.

Kyiv denied any involvement.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday that the events in Dagestan were being analysed to ensure risks of a repeat were minimised.

You can read a full report of what happened in Dagestan here.

Mother of rescued Israeli soldier praises ‘miracle’ of her daughter’s return - video

10:15 , Tom Watling

The mother of the Israeli private rescued during a special operation on Monday in Gaza has praied the “miracle” of her daughter’s return.

Maggie Magidish, mother of the soldier Uri Magidish, said: “A miracle happened to us. Thank you to the Creator of the world. Thank you to the IDF, thank you to the security forces.”

Some more photos from the Israel and Palestine conflict

10:00 , Tom Watling

Its midday in Israel and Gaza. Below are some more photos from the conflict, as well as an image of the demonstration going on in the Philippines today.

Kidnapped Israeli solider seen embracing her grandmother after release from captivity - video

09:45 , Tom Watling

Kidnapped Israeli solider seen embracing her grandmother after release from captivity.

White House says US does not support calls for Gaza ceasefire

09:30 , Tom Watling

The White House has reiterated that it was not in favour of calling for a ceasefire in Gaza where Israeli attacks since 7 October killed more than 8,500 Palestinians, including more than 3000 children.

“We do not believe that a ceasefire is the right answer right now,” National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby reportedly said.

Mr Kirby said the “first goal” for the US was to get up to 100 trucks each day across the border, ABC News reported.

You can read the full story here.

More than 420 children killed or injured in Gaza a day, says UNICEF

09:18 , Tom Watling

More than 420 children a day are being killed or injured in Gaza as a result of Israeli airstrikes, ground operations and siege tactics, UNICEF has said.

The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees told a UN emergency meeting on Monday that “an immediate humanitarian cease-fire has become a matter of life and death for millions.”

Philippe Lazzarini accused Israel of “collective punishment” of Palestinians and the forced displacement of civilians.

Mr Lazzarini warned that a further breakdown of civil order after the agency’s warehouses were broken into by Palestinians searching for food and other aid “will make it extremely difficult, if not impossible, for the largest UN agency in Gaza to continue operating”.

According to the latest figures from Gaza’s Ministry of Health, more than 8,300 people have been killed — 66 percent of them women and children — and tens of thousands injured, the UN humanitarian office said.

UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell that toll includes over 3,400 children killed and more than 6,300 injured.

“This means that more than 420 children are being killed or injured in Gaza each day — a number which should shake each of us to our core,” she said.

Lazzarini said: “This surpasses the number of children killed annually across the world’s conflict zones since 2019. This cannot be ‘collateral damage’.”

Netanyahu declares it is ‘time for war’ as he rules out ceasefire in Gaza - video

09:00 , Tom Watling

Netanyahu declares it is ‘time for war’ as he rules out ceasefire in Gaza.

Sir Keir Starmer ‘completely right’ for dodging ceasefire calls, says Labour shadow minister

08:53 , Tom Watling

Sir Chris Bryant has said Sir Keir Starmer is right to dodge calls for a ceasefire in Gaza, claiming the Israel-Hamas conflict is “not some kind of football match”.

The shadow creative minister said there are not “two sides”, with Hamas not committing to “laying down their weapons or returning the hostages being kept against their will”.

And, ahead of Sir Keir’s calls for a political solution to the conflict, Sir Chris told the BBC: “Kier Starmer is completely right to emphasise that we’ve got to get the peace process back on track.

“It has been a failure not just of Israel and Palestine, but the whole international community that over the last 15 years we’ve devoted so little time and energy to trying to get that peace process back on track.”

Ahead of a major speech on the conflict by Sir Keir, aimed at reuniting his warring Labour Party, Sir Chris added: “We’re calling for a pause because that’s the fastest way to get food, water, medicine and power back into the people of Gaza.”

He said that Israel had a “right to self defence” but it was “not a carte blanche”.

The shadow minister said that Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer would be laying out today “how he thinks we can get the peace process back on track”.

Iran foreign military chief in Lebanon, says Arabic media,

08:44 , Tom Watling

The commander of Iran’s foreign forces is in Lebanon liaising with anti-Israeli forces and Palestinian officials, Arabic media site Amwaj has claimed, citing sources.

Esmail Qa’ani, commander of the Quds Force, the foreign branch of the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), effectively the Iranian Armed Forces, arrived in Lebanon on 20 October, the site said.

The site wrote: “Qa’ani arrived in Beirut the day after the Palestinian Hamas movement’s Oct. 7 surprise attack on Israel. He is said to have left for consultations on Oct. 16, and returned to Lebanon on Oct. 20, where Qa’ani has since maintained a constant presence.

“The focus of his mission, informed sources say, is to help coordinate a possible broader confrontation with Israel.”

Qa’ani, whose predecessor Qasem Soleimani was assassinated by the US in 2020, is believed to be passing messagings to Hezbollah directly from Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Hezbollah are currently firing over Israel’s northern border, threatening to escalate the conflict in Gaza into a regional one.

19-year-old Hamas hostage rescued overnight in Gaza ‘doing well’

08:30 , Tom Watling

The Israeli military have said the 19-year-old Israeli private rescued during their offensive in Gaza is “doing well” after being taken out of the enclave.

Pvt. Ori Megidish was rescued on Monday during a special forces operation, making her the fifth hostage to be either released by or removed from Hamas.

It is unclear why Ms Megidish was singled out for rescue, or if she was, in fact, chosen deliberately.

The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) confirmed during a briefing this morning that they believed there were still 240 captives held by Hamas.

Kuwait condemns Israeli 'aggression' on Gaza, calls for ceasefire

08:19 , Tom Watling

Kuwait’s crown prince Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Sabah has said that his country condemns Israeli “aggression” on Gaza and called for a ceasefire.

Al-Sabah was addressing the parliament on behalf of the Emir in the opening of the parliament’s regular second session.

Drones attack US airbase in Iraq

08:10 , Tom Watling

Two armed drones targeted Iraq’s Ain al-Asad airbase, which hosts US forces and other international forces in western Iraq, a security source and a government source told Reuters on Tuesday.

The attack in the early hours of Tuesday, did not cause casualties or damage, the sources said.

There has been an increase in attacks on US forces since the conflict in Israel broke out on 7 October and Iraqi armed groups aligned with Iran threatened to target US interests with missiles and drones if Washington intervened to support Israel against Hamas in Gaza.

A group called the “Islamic resistance in Iraq” has endorsed Tuesday’s attack.

On Monday, four Katyusha rockets were fired at Iraq’s Ain al-Asad air base but it was not clear if the attacks caused damage or casualties.

Here are some of the latest photos from the Israel-Hamas war

07:58 , Tom Watling

Below are some of the latest photos from Israel and Gaza after 24 days of the most recent round of fighting.

Israeli forces battle Hamas around Gaza City, as military says 800,000 have fled south

07:50 , Tom Watling

Israeli ground forces attacked Hamas militants and infrastructure on Tuesday in northern Gaza, which the military said some 800,000 people have fled since the war began more than three weeks ago, even as warplanes continued to strike from end to end of the sealed-off territory.

ICYMI: Rishi Sunak sacks senior Tory aide for calling for Gaza ceasefire

07:03 , Namita Singh

Rishi Sunak has sacked a senior Tory from his government job as a ministerial aide for calling breaking ranks and calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Paul Bristow, a parliamentary private secretary (PPS) at the science department, had called for a “permanent” ceasefire in Gaza in a letter to Mr Sunak.

The MP for Peterborough said it “would save lives and allow for a continued column of humanitarian aid [to] reach the people who need it the most”.

Our political correspondent Adam Forrest:

Rishi Sunak sacks senior Tory aide for calling for Gaza ceasefire

Andy Burnham warns Starmer: Don’t brand us disloyal for disagreeing with you over Israel

07:02 , Namita Singh

Labour’s Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has warned Sir Keir Starmer it is “simply not possible” to have a clear party position quickly on the current Israel-Hamas crisis.

Writing for The Independent, the senior Labour figure issued a plea not to brand as “disloyal” those who – like himself – have defied the party leader to call for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Mr Burnham also urged that lessons are learned from the flawed response to 9/11 terror attacks – arguing that Israel’s actions against Hamas “should be as targeted as possible”.

At least 13 Labour frontbenchers are opposed to Sir Keir’s position, with a host of shadow ministers and devolved leaders breaking ranks in recent days.

Burnham warns Starmer: Don’t brand us disloyal for disagreeing with you over Israel

Tunnels, traps and timers: Why Israel is facing a ‘nightmare’ in Gaza

06:43 , Namita Singh

As Israel’s ground offensive into Gaza intensifies, reports have emerged that invading forces have begun fighting in the underground tunnels built by Hamas beneath the enclave.

Their ground operation in Gaza – a response to a deadly Hamas attack on Israeli soil on 7 October that killed more than 1,400 people – has never been carried out to this extent before.

Brief incursions in 2014 and 2009 were intended to take out concentrations of Hamas’ weapons, not to “destroy” the entire group, as prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated is the only objective this time around. It will be an exercise in urban warfare of the highest order.

Tunnels, traps and timers: Why Israel is facing a ‘nightmare’ in Gaza

Permanent ceasefire could currently risk more violence – Keir Starmer

06:21 , Namita Singh

A permanent ceasefire could risk more violence in Israel and Palestine at the moment, Sir Keir Starmer is expected to say.

The Labour leader will make a speech on Tuesday calling on global leaders to work towards restoring peace in the Middle East amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.

But Sir Keir will defend Labour’s calls for a humanitarian pause to allow Palestinians to flee the fighting, and for aid to be distributed.

He is expected to say that a permanent ceasefire at this stage could leave Hamas with the capability to carry out further attacks in Israel.

The Labour leader’s latest intervention on the conflict comes as several MPs on his frontbenches have broken ranks to call for a ceasefire, contradicting his support for a humanitarian pause.

Shadow ministers Yasmin Qureshi, Jess Phillips, and Imran Hussain are among the figures who have joined calls for an end to the fighting.

Labour has also been at odds over its stance on Israel with devolved mayors like Andy Burnham and Sadiq Khan, and with Labour-led councils across England.

But the party is not likely to sack its internal critics from frontbench roles, and will instead “continue engaging” with them, shadow science secretary Peter Kyle said on Sunday.

A UN envoy says the Israel-Hamas war is spilling into Syria, adding to growing instability there

05:40 , Namita Singh

The Israel-Hamas war is spilling into Syria, fueled by growing instability, violence and a lack of progress toward a political solution to its 12-year conflict, the United Nations special envoy for the country said Monday.

Geir Pedersen told the Security Council that, on top of violence from the Syrian conflict, the Syrian people now face “a terrifying prospect of a potential wider escalation” following Hamas’ 7 October attacks on Israel and the ongoing retaliatory military action.

“Spillover into Syria is not just a risk; it has already begun,” the UN envoy for Syria said.

Report:

A UN envoy says the Israel-Hamas war is spilling into Syria, adding to growing instability there

Pro-Palestine activists claim to have shut down Boston arms company that supplies Israel

05:09 , Namita Singh

Pro-Palestine activists claim they have shut down a Boston arms company that supplies Israel.

Palestine Action US posted on X, alleging it has “completely halted” the business of Elbit Systems in Boston.

Video footage posted on social media appears to show activists from the group Palestine Action protesting outside the headquarters of Elbit Systems in Boston.

Protesters could be heard chanting “Elbit Systems has got to go”. Some protesters could also be heard telling officers “You’re defending genocide of children”, and calling them “f***ing pigs” as police shouted “get back”.

Martha McHardy reports:

Pro-Palestine activists claim to have shut down arms company that supplies Israel

Japan announces sanctions on Hamas-related individuals, company

05:08 , Namita Singh

Japan has imposed a fresh set of sanctions on individuals and a company connected to the Gaza-based militant group Hamas, according to a statement released by the Japanese foreign ministry today.

The sanctions consist of freezing the assets of individuals and a company that have helped fund Hamas, and is in line with new sanctions announced by the United States government earlier this month.

It is the first set of sanctions Japan has imposed on Hamas since its deadly rampage on 7 October that Israeli authorities say killed over 1,400 people.

Individuals including Hamas operatives Muhammad Ahmad ‘Abd Al-Dayim Nasrallah and Ayman Nofal were newly added to the list of people and organisations deemed as terrorists by Japan.

An Israeli ministry, in a ‘concept paper’, proposes transferring Gaza civilians to Egypt’s Sinal

04:54 , Namita Singh

An Israeli government ministry has drafted a wartime proposal to transfer the Gaza Strip’s 2.3 million people to Egypt’s Sinai peninsula, drawing condemnation from the Palestinians and worsening tensions with Cairo.

Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office played down the report compiled by the Intelligence Ministry as a hypothetical exercise – a “concept paper.” But its conclusions deepened long-standing Egyptian fears that Israel wants to make Gaza into Egypt’s problem, and revived for Palestinians memories of their greatest trauma – the uprooting of hundreds of thousands of people who fled or were forced from their homes during the fighting surrounding Israel’s creation in 1948.

“We are against transfer to any place, in any form, and we consider it a red line that we will not allow to be crossed,” Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesperson for Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas, said of the report. “What happened in 1948 will not be allowed to happen again.”

A mass displacement, Abu Rudeineh said, would be “tantamount to declaring a new war.”

So far more than 8,000 Palestinians, the vast majority of them civilians, have been killed since Israel went to war against Hamas after its 7 October attack.

Tennessee governor and congressman discuss safety on visit to Jewish school that foiled armed intrusion

04:52 , Namita Singh

Tennessee governor Bill Lee and US representative David Kustoff praised security measures at a Memphis Jewish school where a former student with a gun was stopped from entering the building in July, declaring strong safety procedures have become even more critical in light of the Israel-Hamas war.

Mr Lee and Mr Kustoff, both Republicans, spoke with students at Margolin Hebrew Academy-Feinstone Yeshiva of the South during a visit to the suburban school. Kustoff, who is Jewish and attended the school from kindergarten through 2nd grade, expressed support with Lee for Israel in the war that began when it was attacked by Hamas on 7 October.

Inside the one-story Memphis school, a sign saying “we stand with Israel” hangs on a hallway wall. Nearby, a bulletin board features names and photos of Israeli hostages as another sign of solidarity from the school’s students and staff.

Report:

Tennessee governor, congressman discuss safety on visit to Jewish school that foiled armed intrusion

Israel pushes deeper into Gaza

04:08 , Namita Singh

Israeli ground forces pushed deeper into Gaza on Monday, advancing in tanks and other armored vehicles on the territory’s main city and freeing a soldier held captive by Hamas militants.

The Israeli prime minister rejected calls for a cease-fire as airstrikes landed near hospitals where thousands of Palestinians are sheltering beside the wounded.

The military said a soldier captured during Hamas’ brutal 7 October incursion was rescued in Gaza — the first rescue since the weekslong war began.

Military officials provided few details but said in a statement that Pvt Ori Megidish, 19, was “doing well” and had met with her family.

Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed her home, saying the “achievement” by Israel’s security forces “illustrates our commitment to free all the hostages.”

He also rejected calls for a cease-fire to facilitate the release of captives or end the war, which he has said will be long and difficult. “Calls for a cease-fire are calls for Israel to surrender to Hamas,” he told a news conference. “That will not happen.”

Police arrest women suspected of wearing pictures of Hamas paragliders during pro-Palestinian rally in UK

04:05 , Namita Singh

Counter-terrorism police have made two arrests after a group of women were photographed with images of Hamas paragliders.

Social media footage of a protest in Whitehall on 14 October showed two women with the image taped to their tops, while a third held a placard with it.

Two women, aged 29 and 44, came forward after recognising themselves in the pictures, which were widely shared, the Met Police said.

They were arrested on suspicion of inviting support for a proscribed organisation and are still being held in custody.

Read the details in this report:

Police arrest women suspected of wearing pictures of Hamas paragliders during rally

‘Deaths of babies will be on our hands if no ceasefire in Gaza’

04:05 , Namita Singh

A midwife holding a hunger strike for Gaza has said the potential deaths of newborn babies will be “on our hands” if calls for an immediate ceasefire are ignored.

Sharyn Lock, who lives near Campbeltown in Argyll and Bute, is holding her five-day fasting vigil outside of the Scottish Parliament as she also demands UK politicians call for the restoration of vital services to Palestine.

Report:

Deaths of babies will be ‘on our hands’ if no ceasefire in Gaza – vigil midwife

How a pro-Palestine mob stormed Dagestan airport on Sunday

03:58 , Namita Singh

More than a thousand pro-Palestine protesters stormed a Russian airport on Sunday evening after rumours swirled that “Israeli refugees” were arriving from Tel Aviv.

The group stormed into the Makhachkala airport, located in the Republic of Dagestan, and rushed onto the landing field, chanting antisemitic slogans and seeking passengers arriving on the Tel Aviv flight, Russian news agencies and social media reported.

Authorities quickly closed the airport in the capital of the predominantly Muslim region and police converged on the facility.

My colleague Tom Watling has more on the storming of airport:

How the mob in search of Jewish passengers at Dagestan airport unfolded

US dismisses Putin’s ‘absurd’ claim anti-Israel riot organised by West

03:45 , Namita Singh

The US dismissed as “absurd” claims by Vladimir Putin that an anti-Israel riot at a Dagestan airport on Sunday was organised by Ukraine and the West.

The Russian president had earlier sought to blame the West for the crisis in the Middle East, saying the incident was an attempt by the West to spread “chaos”.

In a televised statement to a meeting of members of his Security Council and the government and the heads of law enforcement agencies, Mr Putin said the “ruling elites of the US” and their “satellites” stood behind the killing of Gaza’s Palestinians, and behind conflicts in Ukraine, Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria.

“They need constant chaos in the Middle East. Therefore (the US) does its best to discredit those countries that insist on an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, on stopping the bloodshed, and are ready to make a real contribution to resolving the crisis, and not parasitise on it.”

Russia backed an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and a two-state solution. It has also angered Israel by receiving a Hamas delegation in Moscow.

Mr Putin said Russia was fighting the shadowy US forces he blamed for the Middle East crisis on the battlefields of Ukraine.

“Palestine can only be helped by fighting those who are behind this tragedy. We are Russia and we are fighting them in the context of the ‘special military operation’. Both for ourselves and for those who strive for real true freedom,” he said.

“The key to resolving the conflict is in the creation of a sovereign, independent Palestinian state,” Mr Putin said, implying that this was not Washington’s stated aim.

Graphic pro-Israel ads make their way in children’s video games

03:20 , Namita Singh

Maria Julia Assis was sitting down to a meal in her terraced home in north London when her six-year-old son ran into the dining room, his face pale.

The puzzle game on his Android phone had been interrupted by a video showing Hamas militants, terrified Israeli families and blurred graphic footage. Over a black screen, a message from the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs told the first grader: “WE WILL MAKE SURE THAT THOSE WHO HARM US PAY A HEAVY PRICE.”

Ms Assis, a 28-year-old barista from Brazil, told Reuters that the ad left her son shaken and she quickly deleted the game.

“He was shocked,” she said in a telephone interview last week. “He literally said, ‘What is this bloody ad doing in my game?’”

Reuters has not been able to establish how the ad came to her son’s video game, but her family isn’t alone. The news agency has documented at least five other cases across Europe where the same pro-Israel video, which carried footage of rocket attacks, a fiery explosion, and masked gunmen, was shown to gamers, including several children.

In at least one case, the ads were played inside the popular “Angry Birds” game made by SEGA-owned developer Rovio.

Rovio confirmed that “somehow these ads with disturbing content have in error made it through to our game” and were now being blocked manually. Spokesperson Lotta Backlund did not provide details on which of its “dozen or so ad partners” had supplied it with the ad.

Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ head of digital, David Saranga, confirmed that the video was a government-promoted ad but said he had “no idea” how it ended up inside various games.

Labour MP suspended over ‘between the river and the sea’ pro-Palestine speech

03:13 , Namita Singh

Senior Labour MP Andy McDonald has had the party whip suspended for using the controversial phrase “between the river and the sea” in a pro-Palestine rally speech.

The MP for Middlesbrough used the phrase as he urged peace between Israelis and Palestinians at an event at the weekend.

Some pro-Palestinian protesters have chanted “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” during recent demonstrations in London, despite controversy around the slogan’s meaning.

Why is the slogan controversial? Report:

Labour MP Andy McDonald suspended over ‘between the river and the sea’ speech

White House concerned about antisemitic threats at Cornell

03:00 , Tara Cobham

The White House on Monday expressed concern at reports of antisemitic threats at Cornell University in response to the Israel-Hamas crisis in Gaza.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters that senior Biden administration officials are with Jewish leaders and universities to discuss the threat of antisemitism on campuses.

‘More than 8,300 people killed in Gaza’

02:59 , Namita Singh

More than 8,300 people have been killed in Gaza – 66 per cent of them women and children – and tens of thousands injured, the UN humanitarian office said, citing Gaza’s ministry of health.

Unicef executive director Catherine Russell that toll includes over 3,400 children killed and more than 6,300 injured. “This means that more than 420 children are being killed or injured in Gaza each day – a number which should shake each of us to our core,” she said.

UN agency in Gaza says urgent ceasefire is ‘matter of life and death’

02:56 , Namita Singh

The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees told a UN emergency meeting Monday “an immediate humanitarian ceasefire has become a matter of life and death for millions,” accusing Israel of “collective punishment” of Palestinians and the forced displacement of civilians.

Philippe Lazzarini warned that a further breakdown of civil order following the looting of the agency’s warehouses by Palestinians searching for food and other aid “will make it extremely difficult, if not impossible, for the largest UN agency in Gaza to continue operating.”

Report:

UN agency in Gaza says urgent ceasefire is `a matter of life and death' for millions of Palestinians

Israel declares ‘time for war’ amid global pressure for humanitarian ceasefire

02:39 , Namita Singh

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ruled out a ceasefire in Gaza, declaring a “time for war” amid continuing calls for a humanitarian pause in the conflict from the UK and other allies.

UK political leaders have called for the pause in the fighting to allow Palestinians to flee Gaza and for aid to be distributed.

Similar appeals have been made by the USA and other countries, but Mr Netanyahu told Israel’s allies it would not heed calls for ceasefire.

“The Bible says that there is a time for peace and a time for war. This is a time for war,” he said in a press conference, claiming that laying down arms would be akin to America doing the same after the 9/11 attacks.