Five men killed after Israeli strike on refugee camp
At least five men have been killed in an Israeli strike on central Gaza, Palestinian medical officials have said.
The men were helping their neighbours after a house in the Beruij refugee camp was hit when they were killed, the al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital said.
Ten other people were wounded in the attacks and taken to hospital.
Earlier today, Gaza’s health ministry, which is run by Hamas, said hospitals across the enclave had received the bodies of 52 people killed in Israeli strikes over the past 24 hours.
That brought the death toll in Gaza since the war started on October 7 last year to 42,227, and 98,464 wounded, according to the ministry.
Overview: What’s going on in Middle East in five bullet points
- Israel says its attacks in neighbouring Lebanon are targeting Iran-backed Hezbollah militants, who regularly fire rockets across its northern border. However, some strikes have hit areas outside the group’s stronghold in Beirut’s southern suburbs, instead hitting regions where many people have fled to;
- The world is waiting for Israel’s response to Iranian airstrikes on Israeli towns and cities last week, with Iran warning that it has “no red lines” when it comes to defending its people;
- Israeli troops have fired on peacekeepers in Lebanon, injuring four, with the international community condemning the attack and accusing Israel of violating international law. Israel’s prime minister has urged the UN to evacuate its peacekeepers from Lebanon’s combat areas;
- Israel’s war against Hamas militants in Gaza is still ongoing, with Israeli forces issuing evacuation orders in the north of the enclave as they continue operating with “great force”;
- More than 1,400 people have been killed in Lebanon by Israeli attacks, according to Lebanese authorities. In Gaza, the Hamas-run health ministry has said 42,227 people have been killed and 98,464 injured during the year-long conflict.
You can read the latest analysis on the situation by our international affairs editor Dominic Waghorn below…
You can also watch our presenter Mark Austin‘s interview with Lebanon’s former prime minister Fouad Siniora below…
Israeli military tells 21 villages in Lebanon to evacuate
People in 21 villages in Lebanon have been ordered to evacuate immediately by the Israel Defence Forces.
Residents have been prohibited from heading to the south of the country, and told to move north of the Awali river.
Israel’s military spokesman Avichay Adraee said: “The IDF has no intention of harming you.
“To ensure your own safety, you must evacuate without delay.”
He said Israeli troops were taking action against Hezbollah.
“Anyone who is near Hezbollah elements, facilities or weapons is putting his life in danger,” he added.
Several areas in southern Lebanon have been ordered to evacuate since Israel launched its ground operation in the country.
Netanyahu urges UN to evacuate peacekeepers from Lebanon’s ‘danger zone’
Israel’s prime minister has urged the United Nations to remove its peacekeepers from Lebanon’s “danger zone”.
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has been operating in the country since 1978 following an invasion by Israel.
In a direct appeal to the UN’s secretary general Antonio Guterres, Benjamin Netanyahu said: “Your refusal to evacuate the UNIFIL soldiers makes them hostages of Hezbollah.
“It is time for you to remove UNIFIL from Hezbollah’s strongholds and from the fighting areas.”
He said the Israeli military has repeatedly made the request but it has been refused.
“This endangers both them and the lives of our soldiers,” he added.
Mr Netanyahu said Israel regretted the injuries caused to peacekeepers, and it was doing “everything” to prevent them being hurt.
But, he added: “The simple and obvious way to ensure this is simply to get them out of the danger zone.
“Mr secretary general, get the UNIFIL forces out of harm’s way. It should be done right now, immediately.”
Five peacekeepers have been injured during Israel’s conflict with Hezbollah since Thursday, with at least four hurt in Israeli attacks.
UNIFIL currently has more than 10,000 troops from 50 countries and around 800 civilian staff. Its mandate is renewed annually by the 15-member UN Security Council.
Peacekeepers are tasked with maintaining calm and reducing tensions along the “blue line” dividing Lebanon from Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
You can read more about what it does below…
Iran has ‘no red lines’ when it comes to defence, says foreign minister
Iran has “no red lines” when it comes to defending itself, its foreign minister has said.
In a post on X, Abbas Araqchi said: “While we have made tremendous efforts in recent days to contain an all-out war in our region, I say it clearly that we have no red lines in defending our people and interests.”
Iran is the backer of both Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The region has been bracing itself for Israel to attack Iran over the last week after Tehran launched a barrage of missiles on the country.
Iran caused little damage to Israel, with many of its missiles intercepted.
Earlier today, US officials told our partner network NBC News that Israel had “narrowed down” its targets for a strike on Iran.
More than 42,200 people killed in Gaza, says health ministry
More than 42,227 people have been killed in Gaza since the Israel-Hamas conflict erupted last year, the enclave’s Hamas-led health ministry has said.
A further 98,464 people have been injured, it added.
The latest figures mean 52 have died and 128 injured in the last 24 hours.
While some Israeli officials have sought to cast doubt on the ministry’s fatality figures, a number of independent groups say they have proved to be largely reliable and broadly in line with those later produced by the UN and Israel itself.
Two rescue workers ‘lightly injured’ after house hit
Two rescue workers in Lebanon have been “lightly injured” after a house was hit in an airstrike, the Lebanese Red Cross has said.
In a post on X, the organisation said the workers were responding to a strike on a house in southern Lebanon when it was hit a second time.
They both suffered concussions and two ambulances were damaged.
“The lightly injured volunteers were transported to a hospital and are in good condition,” the Red Cross added.
Hezbollah fighter ‘arrested and interrogated’ by Israeli forces in Lebanon – IDF
A Hezbollah fighter has been arrested and interrogated by Israeli troops in Lebanon, the Israel Defence Forces said.
Sharing a video purporting to show the moment the man surrendered, the IDF said he was found after the military discovered a tunnel shaft and underground complex in southern Lebanon.
It claimed weapons and “equipment for a long stay” were also located.
“After the terrorist surrendered and was arrested, the fighters interrogated him in the field and then brought him to a detention facility for further investigation in the country,” it added.
Israeli forces have been operating in southern Lebanon for more than a week and have ordered residents living in specific towns and villages to evacuate while their mission against Hezbollah continues.
‘Taboo on antisemitism is ending in the UK’
On Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips, historian and author Simon Sebag Montefiore has been speaking about the impact of the conflicts in the Middle East on Jews living in the UK.
“I do think we really feel in the Jewish community here that we are in a new era now,” he says.
“There has been a huge change. In historical terms, what we’re seeing is the end of the taboo on antisemitism.”
He says people are abusing and “exploiting tropes of antisemitism” on posters at pro-Palestine protests in London.
Mr Montefiore explains that Hamas and Hezbollah need to be “defeated” but not at the cost of “too many civilian casualties”.
Israeli forces widen raid into northern Gaza, residents say
Israeli forces have widened their raid into northern Gaza, with tanks reaching the north edge of Gaza City, residents have told Reuters.
Some districts have been pounded by troops, with attacks forcing many families to leave their homes, they said.
People living in the north of the enclave said Israeli forces had effectively isolated the areas of Beit Hanoun, Jabalia and Beit Lahiya.
Gaza’s health ministry said the eight-day-old Israeli incursions in the north have so far killed dozens of Palestinians.
The northern part of Gaza, home to well over half the territory’s 2.3 million people, was bombed to rubble in the first phase of Israel’s assault a year ago.