Israel-Hamas War Highlights: At least 200 killed in Israeli strike on Gaza hospital complex, Hamas says

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warns Tehran and Hezbollah

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday warned Tehran and Hezbollah not to test Israel. US Secy Blinken returned to Israel after exhaustive diplomatic efforts to prevent a regional war that could include Iran, reports the Jerusalem Post

Shanghai Cooperation Organization urges for ceasefire

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) has urged for the parties concerned in Israel and the Palestinian territories to immediately ceasefire and stop violence, adding that it was deeply concerned about the increased tensions, reports the Jerusalem Post

US asks international community to condemn Hamas

The United States stressed that the international community must unequivocally condemn Hamas after a Russian resolution calling for a ceasefire, but not condemning Hamas, fell in a vote at a meeting of the UNSC on Monday, reports The Jerusalem Post

Joe Biden to visit Israel

US President Joe Biden will travel to Israel on Wednesday, secy Blinken informed on Tuesday after he met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, reports The Jerusalem Post

Condition for President Biden’s Visit to Israel was the approval for humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip

During the almost 8-Hour Meeting tonight between US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken and the Israeli War Cabinet, it was stated that a Condition for President Biden’s Visit to Israel was the Approval for Humanitarian Aid into the Gaza Strip which has now been Okayed by Prime Minister Netanyahu; this is why the Announcement for the Visit took place right after the Meeting had Ended. (OSINTdefender)

Biden visit to delay IDF's ground operations

The New York Times reports that Biden's visit may delay the IDF's ground operation for at least 24 hours

Trucks carrying aid allowed to enter through the Rafah border

Reports that trucks carrying aid will be allowed to enter from Egypt through the Rafah border crossing at 9am local time on Tuesday.(spectatoeindex)

Evacuation completed for 20 Towns in northern Israel

All Cities and Towns within the “Combat Operation Zone” around the Gaza Strip have now been Evacuated including the City of Sderot which has a Population of 30,000; Evacuations have now also been Completed for 20 Towns in Northern Israel that are within 2km of the Border with Lebanon.(OSINTdefender)

European Commission announces launch of a humanitarian air bridge to humanitarian organizations on the ground in Gaza

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the launch of a humanitarian air bridge operation consisting of ‘several flights’ to Egypt aiming to bring supplies to humanitarian organizations on the ground in Gaza

Biden to visit Jordan, Egypt after Israel

After his trip to Israel, President Joe Biden will travel to Jordan to discuss humanitarian aid with King Abdullah, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.(AP)

US general overseeing American forces in the Middle East made an unannounced trip to Israel

The top US general overseeing American forces in the Middle East made an unannounced trip to Israel on Tuesday, saying he hoped to ensure its military has what it needs as it fights a deepening war against Palestinian militant group Hamas. (Reuters)

IDF's Chief of the General Staff to soldiers and commanders

Deployment of US carrier strike groups has deterred Hezbollah from launching an offensive on Israel

The deployment of US carrier strike groups has deterred Hezbollah from launching an offensive on Israel from its North, the New York Times reported on Tuesday morning.

IDF strikes Hezbollah postings

The IDF struck military targets belonging to the Hezbollah terrorist movement in Lebanon on Monday night, as Iran threatened Israel with strikes by Hezbollah and other proxy groups in the region.

Reports Jerusalem Post

Funeral prayer for 6 year old Muslim boy who according to police was stabbed to death as a response to the conflict between Israel and Hamas

Mourners surround the casket of Wadea Al-Fayoume being carried by his family out of Mosque Foundation where mourners attend a funeral prayer for Wadea Al-Fayoume, 6, a Muslim boy who according to police was stabbed to death in an attack that targeted him and his mother for their religion and as a response to the conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Bridgeview, Illinois, US.

Mourners place flowers at the grave of Wadea Al-Fayoume at Parkholm Cemetery where the burial took place of Wadea Al-Fayoume.

Head of Israel's Internal Security Agency takes responsibility for failure to thwart Hamas attack

The head of Israel's Internal Security Agency (ISA), Ronen Bar, took responsibility for failing to foil Hamas' brutal attack on October 7 in which more than 1,300 people died, but vowed to fight till the end for a decisive victory in the war.

Bar, in his first comments following the surprise attack that has left everybody shell-shocked in Israel, said the ISA 'failed to generate' a warning.

Read more

UNSC rejects Russian-drafted resolution on Israel-Hamas war

The UN Security Council has rejected a draft resolution proposed by Russia that called for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza but made no mention of Hamas's attack on Israel, while a vote on a rival Brazilian text will be held on Tuesday.

Read more

IDF successfully targeted Osama al-Mazini, a senior member of Hamas's political bureau

The IDF successfully targeted Osama al-Mazini, a senior member of Hamas's political bureau and the head of Hamas's Shura Council, on Monday, the IDF Spokesperson's Unit and the Shin Bet said in a joint statement.

Reports Jerusalem Post

49 Palestinians were killed in an overnight Israeli strike

At least 49 Palestinians were killed in an overnight Israeli strike that hit homes in Khan Younis and Rafah, Gaza's Interior Ministry said on Tuesday.

Iran warns of war on 'multiple fronts' if Israel's Gaza attacks continue

Iran’s foreign minister warned on Monday that a regional network of militias known in parts of the Middle East as the “axis of resistance” would open “multiple fronts” against Israel if its attacks continued to kill civilians in Gaza.

“Time is running out very fast,” the official, Hossein Amirabdollahian, said during a live televised interview with Iranian state television Monday night. “If the war crimes against the Palestinians are not immediately stopped, other multiple fronts will open and this is inevitable.” (Reuters)

Strikes near Kuwaiti hospital in Gaza

Reports of strikes near the Kuwaiti Hospital in Gaza (Spectator Index).

Palestinians in Gaza report intense bombardments near the southern towns of Khan Younis and Rafah

Palestinians in Gaza reported intense bombardments near the southern towns of Khan Younis and Rafah, where Israel ordered civilians to seek refuge. Thousands are gathered in Rafah, which contains the territory's only border crossing to Egypt.

Reports Associated Press

In support of Palestinians, demonstrators march to the Israeli Consulate in Boston, US

Pro-Israeli demonstrators gather outside the headquarters of the BBC, in London

'We are against violence of any kind,' says Congress leader Rahul Gandhi

“Our resolution is very clear. We are against violence of any kind,” says Congress MP Rahul Gandhi in response to a media query on Israel-Palestine conflict.

Killed four who tried to infiltrate from Lebanon border: IDF

Israeli military says killed four people who tried to infiltrate from Lebanon, plant explosive.

Germany's Chancellor Scholz warns Iran and Hezbollah against joining the conflict

via Spectator Index

Jordan's King warns against attempts to push refugees into his country or Egypt

via Spectator Index

IDF tanks are firing at positions from where Hezbollah attacked border town

via Spectator Index

Military preparing for the next stages of war on both northern and southern fronts: IDF spokesman

IDF spokesman says the military is preparing for the next stages of the war and that it is prepared for an offensive on both the northern and southern fronts.

Earlier, Iran’s Foreign Minister warned that a regional network of militias known in parts of the Middle East as the “axis of resistance” would open “multiple fronts” against Israel if its attacks continued to kill civilians in Gaza.

A man holds an Israeli flag at a junction in Nahariya, near Israel's border with Lebanon in northern Israel, October 17, 2023.

Weapons are being used in accordance with international law: IDF spox

Israel's apex industrial body says economy lost $1.1 million due to war with Hamas

Israel's Manufacturers Association reported that the economy had already lost NIS 4.6 billion, approximately $1.1 million dollars, owing to the war with Hamas.

Reports Jerusalem Post

Emergency personnel transport a body near the Old City of Jerusalem, on October 12, 2023.

Iranian commander warns of 'another shockwave' if Israel does not end 'atrocities'

Israel will face another shockwave by the resistance front if its "atrocities" do not stop in Gaza, a deputy commander of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards was quoted as saying by Iranian state media on Tuesday.

"The resistance front's shocks against the Zionist regimes (Israel) will continue until this 'cancerous tumour' is eradicated from the world map," said Ali Fadavi.

"Another shockwave is on the way, if Israel does not end atrocities in Gaza," he said.

Palestinians search for casualties at the site of Israeli strikes on houses in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip October 17, 2023.

Only four-five days of food left in Gaza shops, says World Food Programme

Reports AFP

People cook on firewood amid shortages of fuel and gas to provide food for Palestinians who fled their houses amid Israeli strikes in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip October 15, 2023.

2,000 US troops on deployment alert, Pentagon says

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin placed the personnel and a range of units "on a heightened state of readiness through a prepare to deploy order," the Pentagon said in a statement, to be able "to respond quickly to the evolving security environment in the Middle East."

Reports AFP

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu upon his arrival to Tel Aviv, Israel, October 13, 2023.

IDF says two more anti-tank missiles fired from Lebanon toward Israel

Israeli tanks are seen on a road near Israel's border with Lebanon, in northern Israel. 

Family of French-Israeli woman held in Gaza begs for her return

The family of a 21 year-old French-Israeli woman seized by Hamas during its surprise onslaught near the Gaza Strip last week appealed for her release on Tuesday after the Islamist group released a video showing her alive.

In the footage released by Hamas late on Monday, Mia Schem, whose injured arm is shown being treated by an unidentified medical worker, identifies herself and asks to be returned to her family as quickly as possible.

"I saw that she was in stable condition but I am very worried about her," her mother Keren Schem told reporters at a press conference, holding a photo of her daughter, who was seized at a dance party, along with many of the other hostages abducted into Gaza.

"I'm begging the world to bring my baby back home. She only went to a party, to a festival party, to have some fun and now she's in Gaza."

The mother of Maya Schem holds up a picture of her daughter who was kidnapped into the Gaza Strip, following a deadly infiltration by Hamas gunmen from Gaza, in Tel Aviv, Israel, October 17, 2023.

'Surrender unconditionally or die,' Israeli Defence Minister warns Hamas

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant says at Nevatim airbase, "Our planes will reach everywhere... every missile has an address. We will reach each and every member of Hamas. Hamas members have two options: Either die in their positions or surrender unconditionally. There is no third option. We will wipe out Hamas and dismantle all its capabilities."

Reports Times of Israel

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant.

Canadian Foreign Minister tells citizens to leave Lebanon immediately amid fears of Hezbollah getting involved

It is time for Canadian citizens to leave Lebanon now while commercial flights are still available, Foreign Minister Melanie Joly told reporters on Tuesday.

Israeli soldiers stand next to a tank near Israel's border with Lebanon in northern Israel, October 16, 2023.

South Africa says it discussed aid with Hamas leader, denies reports of support

South Africa said on Tuesday its foreign minister held a call with the leader of Hamas about getting aid into Gaza and other Palestinian territories and denied a report of offering support to the militant group in its conflict against Israel. South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor received a request to call Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, the government's Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) said in a statement, adding that the call was in line with the country's readiness to engage with all parties in facilitating dialogue.

Hamas confirms top commander killed in Israeli strike

"Ayman Nofal, 'Abu Ahmad', a member of the general military council and commander of the central command in Al-Qassam Brigades, was killed" in an Israeli strike on the central Gaza Strip, Hamas said in a statement, referring to its military wing.

Reports Associated Press

A view of an explosion following a strike by IDF fighter jets on Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip, in this screengrab taken from a handout video released on October 13, 2023.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today afternoon

Israel bombs southern Gaza cities where it told civilians to seek refuge

Reports Associated Press

Palestinians carry a wounded man following Israeli strikes on houses in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on October 17, 2023.

Around 3,000 Palestinians have been killed and 12,500 wounded in the Gaza Strip since October 7, Palestinian Health Ministry says

Mourners react next to the bodies of Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes, at a hospital in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, October 17, 2023.

IDF says it is again striking Hezbollah sites in southern Lebanon

Reports Times of Israel

An Israeli soldier walks past a tank amid heightened tensions between Israel and Lebanon, as seen from the border with Lebanon in northern Israel, October 14, 2023.

At least six killed in Israeli air strike on UNRWA school in Gaza

UNESCO deplores 'deadliest week for journalists in any recent conflict'

This is a dramatic toll. Never in a recent conflict has the profession had to pay such a heavy price in such a short space of time. I call on regional and international actors to take immediate action to ensure that international law is respected. Journalists should never, under any circumstances, be targeted. And it is the responsibility of all actors to ensure that they can continue to exercise their profession safely and independently.

Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO Director-General

At least 200 killed in Israeli strike on Gaza hospital complex, Hamas says

According to Palestinian authorities, an Israeli airstrike has hit the Al-Ahli Arabi Baptist Hospital in the heart of Gaza City. The initial assessments suggest that approximately 200 to 300 individuals lost their lives in the bombing that specifically aimed at the hospital, said a spokesperson from the Gaza Health Ministry.

Reports AFP

A Palestinian man reacts as people search for casualties under the rubble of a building destroyed by Israeli strikes in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, October 17, 2023.