UN estimates 1 million Gazans displaced in a week of Israeli bombing
Israel ordered civilians in Gaza, including those being treated in hospital, to leave the northern part of the territory
- People continue to flee to the south of Gaza as Israel intensifies its warning of an impending ground invasion.
- Israeli air raids have killed at least 2,329 Palestinians in Gaza and at least 1,300 Israelis have been killed in the Hamas attack on Israel.
- The Israeli army says it is striking targets in Lebanon after a missile attack by Hezbollah fighters killed a person in its territory. Earlier, a journalist was killed in Lebanon in a missile fire from Israel.
- The US has sent a second aircraft carrier to the region to "deter hostile actions against Israel". Meanwhile, Iran has warned of "far-reaching consequences" if Israel continues attacking.
About one million people displaced in Gaza in one week: UN agency
An estimated one million Gazans have been displaced in the first seven days of conflict with Israel, according to the United Nations agency supporting Palestinian refugees, as aid groups said the situation in the besieged enclave is "catastrophic".
Juliette Touma, director of communications of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), told AFP that an estimated one million people have now been displaced in the first seven days of the conflict in Gaza.
Meanwhile, staff members of the UN agency give chilling accounts of what life has become in the enclave after days of relentless bombardment from Israel.
US listening to Arab nations in order to avoid conflict spreading
Speaking on the tarmac at Cairo Airport, US diplomat Antony Blinken said he has visited Jordan, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt in recent days to "listen" to them and how they are seeing the crisis.
Blinken reiterated the US stands with Israel, but wants to prevent the conflict from spreading. He adds dialogue with diplomats is continuing to work on the release of hostages including US citizens.
EU leaders back Israel's right to defend itself in line with international law
The European Union's national leaders back Israel's right to defend itself in line with humanitarian and international law, they said in a statement.
"The European Union condemns in the strongest possible terms Hamas and its brutal and indiscriminate terrorist attacks across Israel and deeply deplores the loss of lives," says the statement from the European Council, which brings together the leaders of the bloc's 27-member countries.
Gaza invasion could lead to 'genocide': Arab League, African Union
Israel's planned ground invasion of Gaza "could lead to a genocide of unprecedented proportions", the heads of the Arab League and African Union have said in a joint statement.
Both organisations called on "the United Nations and the international community to stop a catastrophe unfolding in front of us, before it is too late", as Israel readies for a ground invasion of the Gaza Strip.
Renewed water supply to parts of southern Gaza agreed with US
Israel's energy minister says that a decision to renew water supplies to parts of southern Gaza was agreed on between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Joe Biden.
Israel not interested in war with Hezbollah: Defence minister
Israel's defence minister has said that his country was not interested in waging war on its northern front and that his country will keep the situation along the border as it is.
White House expects new Israel and Ukraine aid to be over $2 billion
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan says that a new weapons package for Israel and Ukraine will be significantly higher than $2 billion.
Sullivan, in an interview on CBS's "Face the Nation," says US President Joe Biden will have intensive talks with the US Congress this week on the need for the package to be approved.
Israel fires artillery towards southern Lebanon
Israel is responding to the latest attack on one of its military posts close to its border with Lebanon, according to Al Jazeera.
"Nine launches were identified that crossed from Lebanon into Israeli territory," the Israeli army said in a statement, adding that it intercepted five of them.
The army also said it was firing artillery towards the area from where the shooting was carried out in southern Lebanon.
'Collective punishment': Egypt's el-Sisi on Israeli attack on Gaza
Egypt President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi told US Secretary of State Antony Blinken that Israel's reaction to Hamas's attack went beyond self-defence and amounted to collective punishment.
In televised comments during a meeting with Blinken in Cairo, el-Sisi also said he rejected the targeting of any civilians in the ongoing conflict.
Tanks moved near Gaza fence as ground invasion looms
Israeli tanks have begun positioning themselves on the border fence with Gaza as the military build-up continues amid relentless bombardment of the besieged Palestinian enclave.
Britain urges Israel to show restraint
Britain has urged Israel to show restraint in in any military action against Hamas in order to minimise harm to civilians, UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has said.
In a report, Al Jazeera said Cleverly raised the need to minimise civilian casualties in conversations with the Israeli government.
"Restraint, discipline – these are the hallmarks of the Israeli defence force that I want to see," Cleverly told Sky News.
"Of course, we respect Israel's right to self-defence … We've said do everything you can to minimise civilian casualties. Do everything you can to prevent Hamas getting what they want, which is this to escalate into a wider regional," he added.
US focused on safe passage for American citizens out of Gaza into Egypt
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan says the US is focused on ensuring American citizens can find safe passage out of Gaza into Egypt.
Speaking on the BBC's US partner CBS News, Sullivan warned of the possibility of a new front being created on Israel's northern border with Lebanon.
"We can't rule out that Iran would choose to get directly engaged some way. We have to prepare for every possible contingency," he said.
Hospital in south Gaza told to evacuate by Israel
The only hospital in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, has been told to evacuate by Israel, it has said on social media.
Israel to operate 'everywhere in the Middle East': Army spokesperson
Israeli army's top spokesperson Daniel Hagari said the military will operate "anywhere in the Middle East".
"We are always looking around us, in the entire Middle East," Hagari was quoted as saying by Israeli media.
"[The army] will operate anywhere in the Middle East to fulfil Israel's security aims. We are highly prepared in all arenas," he added.
Blinken to return to Israel on Monday
US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Israel again on Monday after visiting the country five days ago.
The top American diplomat has embarked on his most extensive trip to date to the Middle East, working with Arab allies to prevent the war from spiralling into a wider conflict.
Netanyahu says Israel will 'demolish Hamas in Gaza'
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has convened Israel's expanded emergency cabinet for the first time.
He said the national unity on display, sent a message at home and abroad as the country gears up to "demolish Hamas" in Gaza.
No one can guarantee the 'non-expansion' of war if Israel invades Gaza: Iran FM
Iran warned that "no one can guarantee" control of the situation if Israel invades Gaza as the prospect of an Israeli ground offensive looms.
Egypt intensifies efforts to deliver aid to Gaza: Presidency
Egypt is intensifying efforts with its international and regional partners to deliver aid to Gaza, according to a statement released by Egypt's presidency.
Sirens wail in Tel Aviv: Report
Israeli media reports sirens wailing in Tel Aviv and surrounding areas.
Hamas's armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, said it fired rockets at the city in response to the killing of civilians.
Israeli army confirms 126 captives
The Israeli military confirmed that 126 people were taken captive by Hamas since the group's assault in southern Israel last week.
It also said that at least 279 of its soldiers died since 7 October.
Saudi Arabia says it's working hard to stop conflict in region escalating
In a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said the kingdom was working hard to prevent the current situation from escalating and to lift the siege in Gaza.
Saudi Arabia was stepping up efforts "to create conditions for the return of stability", said a statement published by the Saudi state news agency.
Pope Francis calls for humanitarian corridors to help those under siege in Gaza
Pope Francis has called for humanitarian corridors to help those under siege in Gaza and renewed his appeal for the release of captives held by Hamas.
"I strongly ask that the children, the sick, the elderly, women and all civilians do not become victims of the conflict," the Pope said during his weekly address to the crowds in St Peter's Square.
Hezbollah attacks northern Israel in response to killing of Lebanese journalist
According to Al Jazeera, Lebanon's Hezbollah says it fired rockets towards an Israeli army post in Shtoula, northern Israel, in response to the killing of Lebanese journalist Issam Abdallah and other civilians.
Abdallah was killed and six other journalists were wounded – including two Al Jazeera reporters – in shelling on Friday by Israeli forces in southern Lebanon, according to witnesses at the scene, says Al Jazeera.
It is not clear at this stage just how many people are moving from the north of the Gaza Strip to the south but according to the UN relief agency which operates inside the territory, it is "an exodus", reports BBC.
Earlier UNRWA's director of communications, Juliette Touma, told the BBC: "This is the worst we've ever seen, This is hitting rock bottom. This is Gaza being pushed into an abyss, there is tragedy unfolding as the world is watching. This is Gaza."
She added: "According to colleagues on the ground, there is an exodus. People are leaving. Those who can, with their cars, some are walking, some are carrying mattresses.
"People are terrified," she said. "Terrified."
Israel arrests more than 50 in occupied West Bank: Al Jazeera
Israel has arrested more than 50 Palestinians across the occupied West Bank, Wafa news agency reports.
Here is the report's breakdown on how many were taken in each city:
- At least 12 were arrested in Bethlehem.
- Nine in Hebron.
- Three in Jenin.
- Eight in Nablus.
- At least 19 in Ramallah, most of them in the Amari refugee camp.
- Three in Jerusalem.
About 70% of people in Gaza deprived of health services: Ministry
Ashraf Al-Qudra, spokesperson for the Palestinian Ministry of Health, says 70 percent of residents in the besieged Gaza Strip are now deprived of health services after UN refugee agency, UNRWA, evacuated its centers, reports Al Jazeera.
'It's just an impossible task' - MSF on Gaza hospital evacuations
Dr Natalie Roberts, the executive director of the charity Médecins Sans Frontières UK, says evacuating hospitals in the Gaza Strip with hours' notice is an "impossible task".
Israel has called for Gazans to leave the north of the territory ahead of an expected ground offensive, reports BBC.
"There's nowhere for them to go anyway," Dr Roberts said. "The hospitals in the south are completely overwhelmed and there's no electricity across the Gaza Strip now."
The IDF posted on X this morning to notify people in Gaza of a safe route they could use, running from Beit Hanoun in the north towards Khan Younis in the south. It says it will not target the route between 10:00 and 13:00 local time (07:00 and 10:00GMT).
But Dr Roberts says space is becoming an issue in the southern regions of Gaza.
"There's a sense of, not just despair, but of panic.
"No one knows if they'd be allowed to return home afterwards."
Iran's foreign minister meets Hamas politics chief in Doha: Al Jazeera
Iran's foreign minister, Hossein Amirabdollahian, met with Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh in Doha late Saturday.
"If the war crimes of the Zionist regime continue in Gaza, any possibility can be envisioned in the region, and the Islamic Republic of Iran will continue its efforts to stop the war crimes of the Zionists," Amirabdollahian was quoted as saying during the meeting by the Iranian foreign ministry.
According to Al Jazeera, the top Iranian diplomat said Tehran has proposed an emergency meeting of the foreign ministers of all Islamic countries to discuss how to stop Israeli attacks on Gaza.
Israel seals off Lebanon border: Al Jazeera
It said that "entering the area is strictly prohibited".
The move comes after Hezbollah claimed responsibility for firing a missile in the Israeli post of Shtula, reports Al Jazeera.
Israel said it's preparing for "the next stages of the war" against Hamas that would include "an integrated and coordinated attack from the air, sea and land" on the Gaza Strip.
The statement from the Israeli military didn't specify a time frame.
Israel also acknowledged for the first time that it had intelligence of something happening in Gaza two hours before last week's attack.
Israel gave civilians in Gaza, including those being treated in hospital, 24 hours to leave the northern part of the territory.
Israel renewed calls on social media and in leaflets dropped from the air for Gaza residents to move south, while Hamas urged people to stay in their homes.
The UN and aid groups have said such a rapid exodus, along with Israel's siege of the territory, would cause untold human suffering.
Late on Saturday, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited troops preparing for the attack, reports BBC.
Video footage showed him in a bullet-proof vest talking to heavily armed soldiers in settlements that had been targeted by Hamas militants' in last Saturday's attack, when they infiltrated Israel.
"Are you ready for what is coming? More is coming," he says in a video.
To Read More on Israel-Hamas War
Blinken says meeting with Saudi Crown Prince was 'very productive': Al Jazeera
According to reports, his meeting with the Kingdom's de-facto ruler lasted a little under an hour.
Blinken's meeting came as part of his trip to the Middle East, where he is working with regional allies to prevent the war between Israel and Hamas from spiralling into a bigger conflict, and to help secure the release of hostages kidnapped by the Islamist group.
Up to 7,000 residents in Sderot refuse to leave: Al Jazeera
Israeli authorities urged residents to leave, but many want to stay.
"About 25 to 30 percent of the population, which is about 7,000 people are refusing to leave," said Stratford.
Ice cream trucks being used to store bodies as Israel bombs Gaza: Al Jazeera
Hospital morgues in Gaza are being overwhelmed by the number of people killed in Israeli air attacks, so ice cream trucks and refrigerated food vehicles are being used to store bodies.
Death Toll
At least 2,300 Palestinians have been killed and 9,714 wounded in Israeli air attacks on Gaza in the past week. The dead include more than 700 Palestinian children. In the occupied West Bank, more than 50 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in a matter of days, report Al Jazeera.
In Israel, the death toll stands at some 1,300 killed and more than 3,400 wounded since last weekend's attack by Hamas.
MSNBC suspends 3 Muslim anchors: Arab News
Two sources have confirmed to Arab News that US news network MSNBC has suspended the shows of three Muslim anchors amid rising tensions in Gaza, reports Arab News.
Earlier today, Semafor revealed that Mehdi Hasan, Ayman Mohieddine and Ali Velshi were "quietly taken out of the anchor's chair since Hamas' attack on Israel."
According to Semafor, the left-leaning news network did not air a scheduled Thursday night episode of "The Mehdi Hasan Show," and dropped a plan for Mohieddine to anchor Joy Reid's show on Thursday and Friday.
Sources also revealed that Velshi was being replaced by another anchor for his upcoming weekend shows.
MSNBC "vehemently pushed back against any notion that either Hasan or Mohieddine were being sidelined in any way," Semafor added.
Israel renews order for northern Gaza evacuation
"Go south, listen to our warnings," Jonathan Conricus said in a video posted to social media at 7am local time on Sunday, addressing his warning to "the people of northern Gaza, Gaza City and all the northern environment".
"We are saying that there's going to be significant military activities here and we urge the civilians to evacuate for their own safety," he said.
Conricus denied that Israel was behind an attack on a convoy of civilians fleeing south on Saturday which reportedly killed many. "It may have been some kind of a freak accident," he said.
Israel is acting 'beyond scope of self-defence', says China's Wang
Wang made the comments during a call with his Saudi Arabian counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan on Saturday, according to the Chinese foreign ministry.
Wang said "all parties should not take any action to escalate the situation and should return to the negotiating table as soon as possible," the ministry said.
Aid convoy stuck at Egypt-Gaza border: BBC
In Egypt, an aid convoy has been waiting for hours to enter Gaza through the Rafah crossing.
According to BBC, the checkpoint has been closed due to Israel's aerial bombardment of the Gaza Strip which has reportedly damaged the Palestinian side of the crossing.
This has prevented people from leaving or entering Gaza through the checkpoint. It also means aid has been held up at the border, and aid agencies have urged authorities to let their convoys through, says BBC.
Hamas, Israel and Egypt all exercise degrees of control over who and what can pass through the checkpoint, meaning it is often closed and processing can be slow.
Russia asks UN Security Council to vote Monday on Israel, Gaza
Russia has asked the United Nations Security Council to vote Monday (16 October) on a draft resolution on the Israel-Hamas conflict that calls for a humanitarian ceasefire and condemns violence against civilians and all acts of terrorism.
Russia's Deputy UN Ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy said on Saturday no changes had been made to the text since it was given to the 15-member body on Friday and that he expected the vote to be scheduled for 3 pm EDT (1900 GMT) on Monday.
The one-page draft resolution also calls for the release of hostages, humanitarian aid access and the safe evacuation of civilians in need. It refers to Israel and the Palestinians but does not directly name Hamas.
Hamas, Iran leaders agree to 'continue cooperation' after attack on Israel
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh met with Iran's foreign minister on Saturday in Qatar, where they discussed the Palestinian fighter group's deadly attack in Israel "and agreed to continue cooperation" to achieve the group's goals, Hamas said in a statement.
During their meeting in Qatar's capital Doha, Iranian foreign minister Hossein Amirabdollahian praised the rampage as a "historic victory" that had dealt a setback to Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory.
Biden speaks with Abbas, Netanyahu on civilian aid
US President Joe Biden spoke with Palestinian Authority President Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday to discuss efforts to ensure civilians in Gaza had access to food, water and medical care.
In the call with Abbas, the first known talk between the two since last week's attacks, Biden condemned Hamas and offered the Palestinian Authority his "full support" on efforts to provide humanitarian assistance to Palestinians, the White House said in a statement.
Biden spoke with both leaders about joint efforts to work with the United Nations, Egypt and Jordan to help secure the delivery of supplies to civilians in Gaza.
Biden also provided an update on US military support for Israel in his call with Netanyahu, the fifth since last weekend's attacks.
Gaza braces for Israeli ground assault, fears of conflict spreading grow
Israeli troops prepared on Sunday for a ground assault on the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip as the country hit back for an unprecedented assault on its territory, and Iran warned of "far-reaching consequences" if Israel's bombardment was not stopped.
Israel has vowed to annihilate Hamas in retaliation for a rampage in which its fighters stormed through Israeli towns eight days ago, shooting men, women and children and seizing hostages in the worst attack on civilians in the country's history.
Some 1,300 people were killed in the unexpected onslaught, which shook the country because of horrifying mobile phone video footage and reports from medical and emergency services of atrocities in the towns and kibbutzes that were overrun.
Pro-Palestinian march draws thousands in London with protests across UK
Thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters have taken to the streets across the UK, including in London and Manchester, reports BBC.
In London, more than 1,000 police officers were deployed as crowds marched from the BBC's New Broadcasting House to Downing Street.
The Met Police said seven people had been arrested, including one for criminal damage and two for public order offences.
It comes a week after Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on Israel.
Gaza doctors warn of a humanitarian catastrophe after Israeli attacks
After seven days of relentless Israeli bombardment, the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is rapidly deteriorating.
Hospitals in the northern part of the besieged enclave have received evacuation orders ahead of a looming ground offensive, while medical facilities throughout the densely populated territory are overwhelmed by wounded patients and sheltering residents, reports Al-Jazeera.
Conditions are particularly dire at Shifa Hospital, the largest medical complex in Gaza City, where Palestinian doctors warn of an impending infectious disease outbreak due to overcrowding.
"There are thousands – if not tens of thousands – of people who have flocked to the hospital," surgeon Ghassan Abu Sitta told Al Jazeera on Saturday.
US says second aircraft carrier demonstrates 'ironclad commitment to Israel'
Washington's deployment of a second aircraft carrier to the Eastern Mediterranean is a sign of the US's "ironclad commitment to Israel's security", US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has said.
Sending the USS carrier Dwight Eisenhower and its strike group to join the USS Gerald R Ford carrier in the region demonstrates Washington's "resolve to deter any state or non-state actor seeking to escalate this war", Lloyd said in a statement.
The two aircraft carriers will join a growing US force, including three US Air Force squadrons already deployed, as part of efforts "to deter hostile actions against Israel", the statement added.
Disclaimer: The news in the thread was sourced from BBC, Al Jazeera, Reuters and other international news sites.