Israel-Hamas war Highlights: Egypt says 'minor injuries' in accidental Israeli firing

Lloyd Austin said, “We maintain the right to defend ourselves and we won't hesitate to take the appropriate action.” Read more

A rare delivery of fuel since war erupted between Israel and Gaza militants Hamas entered the Palestinian territory Sunday, an official at the Rafah crossing and an AFP journalist said.

India's humanitarian aid for the people of Palestine arrived in Egypt on Sunday. External affairs ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi posted on social media platform X, “🇮🇳’s humanitarian aid for the people of Palestine arrives in Egypt. Amb @indembcairo @AjitVGupte handed over the relief material to Egyptian Red Crescent for onward transmission to Palestine”.

Beijing's envoy for the Middle East, Zhai Jun, met Arab League chief Ahmed Aboul Gheit on the sidelines of the summit.

Israel expanded planned evacuations of communities on its northern front with Lebanon as cross-border clashes with fighters from Lebanese group Hezbollah have intensified since the war in Gaza erupted more than two weeks ago.

Hezbollah will make "the mistake of its life" if it starts a war with Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday.

The Lebanese Islamist movement "will make the mistake of its life. We will strike it with a force it cannot even imagine, and the significance for it and the state of Lebanon will be devastating," Netanyahu said on a visit to troops in northern Israel near the Lebanon border.

Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a fresh warning to Hezbollah saying that if it goes to war with Israel “that would bring unimaginable devastation upon it and Lebanon.” Warning that Hezbollah risks dragging Lebanon into a wider regional war, the Israeli premier said that he “cannot yet say whether Hezbollah will decide to fully enter the war”.

4,741 Palestinians killed and 15,898 wounded in Israeli strikes on Gaza since October 7.

A special flight carrying 143 persons, including two Nepalese citizens and four infants, wanting to leave Israel amidst the Israel-Hamas conflict, left for India on Sunday as part of 'Operation Ajay'.

The father of freed American teenage hostage Natalie Raanan says she’s doing well after her release by Hamas.

Calling for an end to the Hamas-Israeli conflict amid fears it could widen, Pope Francis has said: “War is always a defeat, it is a destruction of human fraternity. Brothers, stop! Stop!” Read more.

The Palestinian Health Ministry has said that at least 4,651 Palestinians have been killed and more than 14,245 have been wounded in the Israeli air strikes on Gaza since October 7.

Arab leaders at a Cairo summit on Saturday condemned Israeli bombardment of Gaza as Europeans said civilians should be shielded, but with Israel and senior US officials absent there was no agreement towards containing the violence. Read more.

The US on Sunday said it is dispatching more military assets to the region as Israel pummelled targets in Gaza and Hamas supporters in Lebanon and Syria. This raised concerns about the risk of wider Middle East conflict triggered by war between Israel and Hamas. Read more.

Palestinians received renewed warnings from Israel's military to move from north Gaza to the south or they could be identified as sympathisers with a “terrorist organisation”.

The message was delivered in leaflets marked with the Israel Defense Forces name and logo. It was also sent to people via mobile phone audio messages across the Gaza Strip, according to news agency Reuters. Know more.

Hong Kong's flagship carrier Cathay Pacific is saying that it is cancelling all flights between the city and Tel Aviv till December 31, reports AFP.

"In view of the ongoing situation in Israel, all Cathay Pacific flights between Hong Kong and Tel Aviv from today up to and including 31 December 2023 will be canceled," the airline said in a statement.

The Israeli Military is saying that it killed the deputy chief of Hamas rocket force and dozens of other militants in overnight air strikes on Gaza, reports Reuters.

The remains of four Nepalese students who were killed in an attack by Hamas on October 7 in Israel have been repatriated to Kathmandu on Sunday and are scheduled to be handed over to their families, news agency ANI reported. Nepal's Foreign Minister, along with the Israeli Ambassador to Nepal and other government officials, reached the airport to oversee the arrival of the students' bodies.

A total of 10 Nepali students lost their lives in an attack by Hamas on October 7 while they were working on a farm near the Israel border. Nepal's Minister of Foreign Affairs NP Saud shared on social media that as many as 4,500 Nepali nationals are working as caregivers in Israel, and an additional 265 Nepali students are taking part in Israel's learning and earning program, which is supported by the Israeli government.

Two workers have been killed after an Israeli airstrike targeted Syria's Damascus airport, Reuters reported citing Syria's general directorate of meteorology.

Israeli warplanes conducted airstrikes across Gaza overnight and into Sunday, in addition to striking two airports in Syria and a mosque in the occupied West Bank. The mosque was allegedly being used by militants. These actions occurred as the ongoing two-week conflict with Hamas raised concerns about escalating into a broader conflict.

Israel has engaged in frequent exchanges of fire with Lebanon's Hezbollah militant group since the commencement of the war. Tensions have also surged in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, where Israeli forces have clashed with militants in refugee camps and carried out two airstrikes in recent days.

(With inputs from agencies)

After Canada, French military intelligence conducted an assessment of the deadly explosion at Gaza City's al-Ahli hospital and said the most likely cause of the explosion was a Palestinian rocket, carrying an explosive charge of about 5 kilograms (11 pounds), which may have misfired.

A French military official said this assessment was based on classified information, satellite imagery, intelligence shared by other countries, and open-source information. The official further emphasised that their intelligence did not point to an Israeli strike as the cause of the explosion.

The assessment also noted that several rockets in the arsenal of the Palestinian militant group Hamas carry explosive charges of similar weight, including an Iranian-made rocket and another of Palestinian origin. The official shared this information on condition of anonymity but was cleared to discuss the assessment by President Emmanuel Macron as part of an effort to provide transparency about French intelligence findings.

(With inputs from agencies)

India has dispatched nearly 6.5 tonnes of medical aid and 32 tonnes of disaster relief supplies for the Palestinian people. These consignments were transported using an Indian Air Force C-17 transport aircraft, which is en route to El-Arish airport in Egypt.

Arindam Bagchi, the spokesperson for the External Affairs Ministry took to X on Sunday and said, “India sends Humanitarian aid to the people of Palestine. An IAF C-17 flight carrying nearly 6.5 tonnes of medical aid and 32 tonnes of disaster relief material for the people of Palestine departs for El-Arish airport in Egypt.”

"The material includes essential life-saving medicines, surgical items, tents, sleeping bags, tarpaulins, sanitary utilities, water purification tablets among other necessary items," he further said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi conveyed condolences to the President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, following an air strike at a hospital in Gaza that resulted death of at least 500.

Israeli airstrikes on Sunday resulted in the closure of Syria's two primary airports, as reported by state media, citing a military source. The transport ministry stated that flights were redirected to Latakia.

Although previous Israeli airstrikes have frequently disrupted flights at the government-controlled airports in Damascus and Aleppo, this marks the second occasion during this month's conflict between Israel and Hamas when both facilities were simultaneously targeted.

The military source, as reported by the state news agency SANA, stated, "At around 5:25 am (0225 GMT), the Israeli enemy carried out... an air attack... targeting Damascus and Aleppo international airports, leading to the death of a civilian worker at Damascus airport and wounding another."

The statement further noted that the runways at the airports sustained material damage, rendering them inoperative. As a result, the transport ministry redirected flights to Latakia airport.

The military source indicated that the "simultaneous" strikes originated "from the direction of the Mediterranean west of Latakia and from the direction of the occupied Syrian Golan," as per the statement. On October 12, Syria had reported simultaneous strikes that affected both Damascus and Aleppo airports.

(With AFP inputs)

At least 55 people were killed in overnight raids on the Gaza Strip, after Israel announced it was stepping up strikes, the Hamas group said in a statement on Sunday, AFP reported.

"More than 55 martyrs," the government press office said in a statement on the latest night of bombing in response to the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7. The statement further mentioned that more than 30 homes were destroyed in the hours following a statement by an Israeli military spokesperson indicating an increase in raids.

Israel on Sunday announced the inclusion of 14 communities in the northern part of the country to its evacuation plan. A joint statement, authorised by defence minister Yoav Gallant, pertains to communities located near the borders of Lebanon and Syria, Reuters reported.

The Palestinian health ministry reported that at least four Palestinians lost their lives in an Israeli military operation in the occupied West Bank overnight. This brings the total number of deaths to 89 since October 7. Meanwhile, Israel stated that it had targeted "terror operatives" associated with Hamas and Islamic Jihad in an airstrike on a mosque in the West Bank's Jenin.

The strike resulted in the death of at least one person and injuries to three others, according to Palestinian medics. The Israeli military claimed that the Al-Ansar mosque was being used as a command center for planning and executing attacks.

The individuals targeted were said to have been involved in several recent attacks and were preparing for another imminent one. The Israeli military used the term "neutralized" to describe their status but did not provide specific details regarding the number killed or their identities.

(With inputs from agencies)