Israel-Hamas war highlights: 'Ceasefire in Gaza will not happen,’ says Netanyahu

Israel-Hamas war highlights: The warning to Israel came as world leaders stepped up calls for the desperately needed humanitarian assistance to war-torn Gaza.

Israeli troops gather near the border with Gaza before entering the Palestinian strip on October 29, 2023, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement. (AFP)

Israel-Hamas war highlights: The White House on Sunday warned Israel saying that it must protect innocent Gaza residents by distinguishing between Hamas militants and civilians....Read More

Follow all the updates here:

• 31 Oct 2023, 01:58:16 AM IST

  US 'confident' of getting 100 aid trucks a day into Gaza

  The United States is "confident" of increasing the number of aid trucks getting into Gaza through the Rafah crossing with Egypt to around 100 a day, the White House said on Monday.

• 31 Oct 2023, 12:35:07 AM IST

  Israel 'let down' by UN and its agencies: Israeli envoy

  Israel's ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva Meirav Eilon Shahar on Monday said that her country had been "let down" by the global body, saying its agency chiefs had not done enough to condemn Islamist movement Hamas and growing anti-semitism. "I have to say, generally, the United Nations has let down the people of Israel," she said.

• 30 Oct 2023, 11:33:23 PM IST

  ‘Ceasefire in Gaza won't happen’: Netanyahu

  Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday ruled out any possibility of a ceasefire in the Gaza war, saying that if it did it would be "to surrender" to Hamas.

• 30 Oct 2023, 10:20:41 PM IST

  Israel says female soldier captured by Hamas released

  Israel says a female soldier captured by Hamas militants during their Oct. 7 incursion has been released during Israel's ground operations in Gaza. The military provided few details, but she appears to be the first captive to be freed since Israel stepped up its ground war. The military says Private Ori Megidish “was medically checked, is doing well, and has met with her family.”

• 30 Oct 2023, 09:37:00 PM IST

  Canada says time is running out for humanitarian pause in Gaza

  Canada's foreign minister reiterated a call for a humanitarian pause in the conflict in Gaza, and said there is little time left to get Canadians and hostages out while delivering badly needed aid.

  "Four hundred Canadians are trapped in Gaza, they are living in fear and despair... And that is why we need humanitarian pauses, a humanitarian truce, in Gaza," Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said.

• 30 Oct 2023, 09:21:59 PM IST

  Five Palestinians were killed in clashes with Israeli forces

  Five Palestinians were killed in clashes with Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry said. Another Palestinian died of wounds sustained in an attack on a Jewish West Bank settler last week near Ramallah, the ministry said.

• 30 Oct 2023, 09:00:58 PM IST

  Gaza breakdown in order halts four aid distribution centres: UNWRA

  A breakdown in civil order has put four U.N. aid distribution centres and a storage facility out of action in Gaza as people search desperately for food and water, a U.N. Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) official said.

• 30 Oct 2023, 08:38:24 PM IST

  Russian Rabbi asks Kremlin to punish mob who stormed airport to 'catch' Jews

  A senior Russian Rabbi urged the Kremlin to ensure that rioters in the predominantly Muslim Dagestan region who stormed an airport to "catch" Jewish passengers on board a flight from Tel Aviv were harshly punished.

• 30 Oct 2023, 08:20:59 PM IST

  33 more aid trucks arrive in Gaza from Egypt

  Another 33 aid trucks entered Gaza from Egypt, in what the UN said was "the largest delivery of humanitarian aid" since October 21.

• 30 Oct 2023, 07:59:41 PM IST

  Israel PM calls Hamas hostage video 'cruel psychological propaganda'

  Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu called Hamas' hostage video 'cruel psychological propaganda'.

• 30 Oct 2023, 07:27:47 PM IST

  Lebanon PM says he's working to avoid 'war' with Israel

  Lebanon's caretaker prime minister said he was working to ensure his country does not enter the Hamas-Israel war.

• 30 Oct 2023, 07:09:38 PM IST

  Hamas releases video that says shows three women hostages: ‘Zionist detainees’

  Hamas captured around 240 people during the deadly raid in Israel.

• 30 Oct 2023, 06:53:24 PM IST

  What's happening in Gaza

  "Dozens" of tanks entered the Zaytun district in south of the Palestinian territory's main city, cutting a key road from the north to the south of the Gaza Strip for more than an hour, AFP reported.

• 30 Oct 2023, 06:27:08 PM IST

  Strikes near Gaza City hospitals, Palestinian Red Crescent Society says

  The Palestinian Red Crescent Society warned Israel was repeatedly bombing around Gaza City's Al-Quds hospital, where it said 14,000 displaced people were sheltering. The UN also reported shelling near Gaza City's Shifa hospital and Indonesian hospital, saying all 10 hospitals in the area had been told to evacuate by Israel.

• 30 Oct 2023, 06:13:46 PM IST

  Israel-Hamas war: Blasts heard after air-raid sirens sound in Jerusalem

  Rocket alert sirens blared in Jerusalem and several blasts were heard from within the city, AFP reported.

• 30 Oct 2023, 05:53:00 PM IST

  Israeli forces attack north Gaza's main city from both sides

  Israeli troops and tanks attacked Gaza's main northern city from the east and west, three days after it began ground operations in the Palestinian enclave.

• 30 Oct 2023, 05:37:35 PM IST

  Five killed in West Bank during Israeli raids

  Israeli forces killed five Palestinians in the West Bank, said health officials in the occupied territory, as violence has escalated amid Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza.

• 30 Oct 2023, 05:11:38 PM IST

  Russian Makhachkala airport in Dagestan reopened after anti-Israel riot

  Hundreds of people stormed into the main airport in Russia's Dagestan region and rushed onto the landing field, chanting antisemitic slogans.

• 30 Oct 2023, 04:51:30 PM IST

  South Africa calls for UN force to protect civilians in Gaza

  South Africa called for the United Nations to deploy a rapid protection force to protect civilians in the Palestinian enclave of Gaza.

• 30 Oct 2023, 04:40:39 PM IST

  Israel-Hamas conflict could lead to oil price spike, World Bank says

  The war between Israel and Hamas could trigger price shocks for raw materials such as oil and agriculture products if the conflict escalates across the Middle East, the World Bank warned in a report.

• 30 Oct 2023, 04:30:27 PM IST

  At least 8,306 Palestinians killed in Gaza since Oct 7: Health ministry in Gaza

  At least 8,306 Palestinians have been killed, including 3,457 children, in Israeli strikes on Gaza since Oct. 7, the health ministry in Gaza.

• 30 Oct 2023, 04:17:12 PM IST

  German woman Shani Louk, who was kidnapped, paraded naked by Hamas, dies

  Shani Louk Dies: Shani Louk's mother said that she has received information from the Israeli military that her daughter is dead.

• 30 Oct 2023, 03:49:10 PM IST

  Vatican official on two-state solution in Israel-Palestine conflict

  A top Vatican official spoke by telephone with the Iranian foreign minister, Hossein Amirabdollahian, at the foreign minister’s request. The Vatican said in a statement that the Vatican’s foreign minister, Archbishop Paul Gallagher, expressed “serious concern in the Holy See about what is happening in Israel and Palestine, emphasizing the absolute necessity to avoid widening the conflict and to reach a two-state solution for a stable and lasting peace.”

• 30 Oct 2023, 03:22:24 PM IST

  Israel-Hamas war: Benjamin Netanyahu faces criticism

  Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faced criticism over his unwillingness to accept any responsibility for the Oct. 7 attack by the militant group.

• 30 Oct 2023, 01:37:46 PM IST

  Israel-Hamas war: Can't let this become a regional conflict, says UK foreign secretary

  UK foreign secretary James Cleverly speaks to political leadership of Israel's neighbouring countries, including Lebanon.

  “We are working to make sure that this does not become a regional conflict,” says Cleverly.

• 30 Oct 2023, 12:54:57 PM IST

  Israel-Hamas war: Congress slams Modi govt for skipping UN vote on Israel

  In a column in The Hindu, former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi condemns India for skipping India's abstention on the United Nations vote calling for a truce in Israel and said the Congress's stance on the issue of Israel and Palestine has been consistent over the years. Read more

• 30 Oct 2023, 12:13:28 PM IST

  Israel-Hamas war: Islamic Jihad terrorist killed in West Bank

  Wiam Hanoun, founder of Islamic Jihad offshoot Jenin Brigade, killed in Israeli raids in West Bank's Jenin city, reports Times of Israel citing Palestinian WAFA news site. Two others killed as well.

• 30 Oct 2023, 11:34:46 AM IST

  Israel-Hamas war: ICC prosecutor slams Gaza blockade

  “Impeding relief supplies as provided by the Geneva Conventions may constitute a crime within the court jurisdiction,” says International Criminal Court (ICC) chief prosecutor Karim Khan.

  Khan's statement a visit to Egypt's Rafah crossing, where he said trucks full of desperately needed goods remained stuck and unable to cross into Gaza.

• 30 Oct 2023, 11:10:15 AM IST

  Israel-Hamas war: 60 detained at Dagestan airport in Russia

  Russian security forces have identified 150 people and detained 60 after hundreds of protesters stormed an airport in the country's predominantly Muslim Dagestan region, and tried to attack a plane that had just landed from Israel.

• 30 Oct 2023, 10:44:47 AM IST

  Israel-Hamas war: Syria claims Israel targeted its army posts in Daraa

  Israeli air strikes targeted two Syrian army posts in Daraa, Reuters is reporting citing local media in Syria. The raids led to “some material losses”, it says.

• 30 Oct 2023, 10:39:36 AM IST

  Israel-Hamas war: Cornell University on high alert after anti-Semitic threats

  Cornell University in New York is on high alert after several anti-Semitic messages threatening the Jewish community of the school were reportedly posted on a public forum. More details here.

• 30 Oct 2023, 09:33:16 AM IST

  Israel-Hamas war: Indian-American honoured by Jewish group for…

  An Indian-American physician Dr Bharat Barai was felicitated by an influential Jewish group for extending relentless support against anti-semitism and his efforts to strengthen ties between India, the US and Israel.

  Dr Barai was presented the award “for standing against antisemitism” at the “Campus Championship Gala” of StandWithUS on Sunday.

  “Hindus all over the world, along with most of the civilised world have condemned these brutal barbarian Hamas, affirming their solidarity with the Jewish people, and supporting the right of Israel to defend itself and demolish the demand of mass,” he said after receiving the award.

• 30 Oct 2023, 09:05:24 AM IST

  Israel-Hamas war: UN says 33 trucks entered Gaza yesterday

  The United Nations humanitarian organisation OCHA has said that 33 trucks carrying water, food and medical supplies had gone into Gaza on Sunday, through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt.

  "This is the largest delivery of humanitarian aid since 21 October, when limited deliveries resumed," OCHA said in an update, according to AFP.

• 30 Oct 2023, 07:47:07 AM IST

  Israel-Hamas war: Over 50 UN staff members killed so far in Gaza

  UN Chief Antonio Guterres says that amid unimaginable suffering and pain, his colleagues in Gaza continue to serve those in need despite serious risk to their own lives.

  On Sunday, the UN Agency for Palestine Refugees held a service for the 59 staff who have been killed in Gaza.
  
  “With my entire UN family, I grieve the loss of so many colleagues…They have my gratitude, solidarity, and full support,” he wrote.

• 30 Oct 2023, 07:11:32 AM IST

  Israel-Hamas war: Gaza receives largest aid shipment so far

  Nearly three dozen trucks entered Gaza on Sunday in the largest aid convoy since the war between Israel and Hamas began, AP reported.

• 30 Oct 2023, 06:41:50 AM IST

  Israel-Hamas war: Over 3,000 children killed in Gaza

  At least 3,195 children have been killed in the war between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas since October 7, international charity Save the Children said, citing figures from the Gaza Health Ministry.
  
  It adds that 33 children have been killed in the occupied West Bank and 29 in Israel since the start of the conflict.

• 30 Oct 2023, 06:26:59 AM IST

  Israel-Hamas war: US praises Egypt's role

  The United States is lauding Egypt for its role in efforts to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance to the civilian population of Gaza.

  According to the White House, US President Joe Biden spoke with President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi of Egypt to express his appreciation.

  “The two leaders committed to the significant acceleration and increase of assistance flowing into Gaza beginning today and then continuously. They also discussed the importance of protecting civilian lives, respect for international humanitarian law, and ensuring that Palestinians in Gaza are not displaced to Egypt or any other nation,” it says.

• 30 Oct 2023, 06:15:25 AM IST

  Israel-Hamas war: ‘Heavy fighting’ in Gaza

  Hamas on Sunday claimed that its fighters were engaged in "heavy fighting" in Gaza, where Israel has escalated ground operations, according to AFP.

• 30 Oct 2023, 06:00:59 AM IST

  Israel-Hamas war: Tel Aviv carries out strikes in Syria

  The Israel Defense Forces say they have carried out a strike in Syria. It adds that the strike was in response “to launches from that area” against Israel last night.

• 30 Oct 2023, 05:52:47 AM IST

  Israel-Hamas war: More about Biden-Netanyahu phone call

  According to the White House, US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed ongoing efforts to locate and secure the release of hostages, including American citizens who remain unaccounted for and may be held by Hamas.

  “The President underscored the need to immediately and significantly increase the flow of humanitarian assistance to meet the needs of civilians in Gaza,” it adds.

• 30 Oct 2023, 05:48:41 AM IST

  Israel-Hamas war: US warns Israel must protect innocent civilians in Gaza

  The White House has warned Israel that it must protect innocent Gaza residents by distinguishing between Hamas militants and civilians.

  In a phone call, US President Joe Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that while Tel Aviv has the right to defend itself, it must do so in a manner consistent with international humanitarian law that prioritises the protection of civilians.