(LONDON) — Israeli forces continued their intense operations inside Gaza after Hamas leader and Oct. 7, 2023 attack mastermind Yahya Sinwar was killed in a firefight with Israeli forces.
The development comes as Israel continues intense air and ground campaigns against Hezbollah in Lebanon and against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, and mulls its response to Iran’s latest ballistic missile attack. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Israel on Tuesday in a bid to kickstart stalled cease-fire talks and prevent further regional escalation.
Over 150 patients in northern Gaza’s Kamal Adwan Hospital in critical condition
More than 150 people in northern Gaza’s Kamal Adwan Hospital are in critical condition and are facing increasingly dire conditions, according to the hospital director.
Health services cannot be provided to the sick and injured due to the depletion of medical supplies, according to the director.
“Kamal Adwan Hospital remains partially functional but is struggling to meet growing needs due to intensified hostilities in the north and a shortage of medical supplies and fuel. A strike near the hospital causing damages to the gate was reported earlier today, 22 October,” the World Health Organization said in a statement Wednesday.
“As hostilities intensify in North Gaza, WHO is deeply concerned about the last two functional hospitals – Kamal Adwan and Al-Awda – which must be protected. A complete lack of health care in North Gaza would make an already catastrophic situation worse, and lead to more lives being lost,” the WHO said.
Gaza polio vaccine campaign postponed due to ‘intense’ attacks, UN says
The World Health Organization announced Wednesday that it has been forced to postpone the third phase of the polio vaccination campaign in Gaza.
The WHO blamed “escalating violence, intense bombardment, mass displacement orders and lack of assured humanitarian pauses across most of northern Gaza.”
The third and final round of the vaccination push was due to start on Wednesday, the WHO said, and aimed to vaccinate 119,279 children across northern Gaza.
“The current conditions, including ongoing attacks on civilian infrastructure continue to jeopardize people’s safety and movement in northern Gaza, making it impossible for families to safely bring their children for vaccination, and health workers to operate,” the organization wrote in a statement published on its website.
-ABC News’ Morgan Winsor
Blinken to travel to Qatar, UK after Saudi visit
Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Qatar and the U.K. after his Wednesday stop in Saudi Arabia, the State Department announced.
Blinken left Israel early Wednesday following meetings with officials including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday.
The visit was the first on a Middle East tour intended to kickstart stalled cease-fire negotiations in Gaza and encourage a diplomatic resolution to the ongoing fighting between the Israel Defense Forces and Iran-backed Hezbollah forces in Lebanon.
Blinken arrived in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday morning ahead of a planned meeting with Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman.
-ABC News’ Cindy Smith
US has ‘not seen evidence’ of bunker under Beirut hospital: Austin
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters Wednesday that U.S. officials have “not seen evidence” to support Israel’s claim of a Hezbollah bunker located under Al-Sahel hospital in southern Beirut.
“We’ll continue to collaborate with our Israeli counterparts to gain better fidelity on exactly what they’re looking at,” Austin added.
Israel claims Hezbollah is using the purported bunker to store hundreds of millions of dollars in cash and gold under the city’s southern Dahiya suburb. Hospital officials have denied the allegation.
The area — known as a Hezbollah stronghold — has been the focus of its intense airstrikes on the Lebanese capital over the past month.
-ABC News’ Chris Boccia
Austin says no staffers probed in FBI’s Israel leak investigation
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Wednesday denied reports that one of his senior staffers is under investigation by the FBI in connection with leaked Pentagon documents purportedly relating to Israel’s planned retaliatory strike on Iran.
“There’s no OSD [Office of the Secretary of Defense] official being named as a part of this investigation,” Austin told reporters while in Rome, Italy. “So that is not true at this point.”
“I’ve seen no evidence of that, or any indication that any OSD official will be implicated as part of this.”
-ABC News’ Chris Boccia
More overnight Israeli strikes rock Beirut
The Israel Defense Forces said warplanes conducted another night of airstrikes in the Lebanese capital targeting what it said were Hezbollah weapons storage, arms manufacturing and command center targets in the southern suburbs.
The airstrikes centered on Dahiya — an area of south Beirut known as a Hezbollah stronghold.
More than 2,500 people have been killed by Israeli strikes in Lebanon since Oct. 7, 2023, with nearly 12,000 injured, according to tallies from the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health.
-ABC News’ Jordana Miller and Will Gretsky
Blinken departs Israel for Saudi Arabia
Secretary of State Antony Blinken departed Israel early Wednesday for Saudi Arabia — the next stop on his latest Middle East tour.
Before boarding his plane in Tel Aviv, Blinken told reporters that Israel has now achieved most of its military objectives in Gaza — including the elimination of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar — but at great cost to Palestinian civilians.
Blinken said it was time to end the conflict, having spent Tuesday meeting with Israeli leaders — including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — and the families of hostages in a bid to revive cease-fire and hostage release talks.
There is now a need to establish whether a post-Sinwar Hamas will be more open to a diplomatic resolution, Blinken said, plus to facilitate more aid into Gaza and to establish a concrete plan for the post-war governance of the territory.
Blinken said such questions would be part of his meetings with other Middle East leaders through this week.
-ABC News’ Shannon Kingston
US officials press Israel on ‘General’s Plan’
During their meeting Tuesday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about reports that some Israeli officials wanted to seize control of north Gaza using controversial methods, according to a senior U.S. administration official.
Coined the “General’s Plan” by media outlets, the idea would be to force evacuations of the area and assume anyone who stays behind is an enemy combatant and can be fired upon and starved.
The senior U.S. administration official said Blinken noted in the meeting that there’s a “perception” that this method is official Israeli policy.
The official said Netanyahu and his top aide, Ron Dermer, denied that it was and said the perception was “deeply damaging” to their efforts.
“We did hear a very clear commitment that that is not their state of policy,” the official told a reporter.
-ABC News’ Shannon K. Kingston
Blinken, Netanyahu meet as US pushes for cease-fire
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for over 2 1/2 hours on Tuesday, as the U.S. makes a push for a cease-fire agreement to end Israel’s conflicts with Hamas and Hezbollah.
Blinken and Netanyahu discussed the need to capitalize on the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar to reach an agreement that would secure the release of the remaining hostages being held in Gaza and putting in place a plan that provides lasting peace for Palestinians and Israelis.
Blinken also discussed the importance of increasing the flow of aid being allowed into Gaza. The U.S. warned Israel last week that assistance could be withheld if humanitarian aid doesn’t reach civilians in Gaza.
Lebanese hospital sustained ‘severe material damage’ in Israeli strike
Lebanon’s Rafik Hariri University Hospital will continue providing care despite the building sustaining “severe material damage” in an Israeli strike on Monday, according to Dr. Jihad Saadeh, the head of the hospital.
“Because of the targeting that has happened, we have sustained severe material damage to the hospital, including the destruction of solar panels, extensive destruction of all glass facades and damage to the hospital walls. Severe damage because it seems the shrapnel was very large,” Saadeh said.
“We will not stop. Several entities even called me yesterday asking if I would like to evacuate the hospital. I told them, not at all. We will not evacuate. There is no hospital left but us. After the sinful targeting of the suburb’s hospitals, there is no one left except for us. So we will continue our work, God willing,” Saadeh said.
Drone attack on Netanyahu’s house caused damage
The drone that targeted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s home on Saturday caused some damage to the structure, according to a person familiar.
Netanyahu called the attack an “attempt to assassinate me and my wife,” in a statement Saturday. They were not in the home at the time of the attack, according to the prime minister’s office.
-ABC News’ Jordana Miller
63 killed in Israeli strikes on Lebanon Monday
At least 63 people were killed and 234 were injured in Israeli strikes on Lebanon on Monday, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health.
Since the start of Israel’s increased strikes on Lebanon, at least 2,546 people were killed and 11,862 others were injured, the ministry said.
-ABC News’ Will Gretsky
Gaza’s development set back 69 years by war, UN says
The United Nations Development Programme published a new report Tuesday suggesting that Israel’s war against Hamas has set the Gaza Strip’s development back by as much as 69 years.
Poverty levels in Gaza are projected to rise to 74.3% in 2024, affecting over 4 million people, the report said — including 2.61 million “newly impoverished” people.
The territory’s GDP is expected to contract by some 35.1% in 2024 compared to a no-war scenario, it added, with unemployment potentially rising to almost 50%.
“The assessment indicates that, even if humanitarian aid is provided each year, the economy may not regain its pre-crisis level for a decade or more,” UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner said.
Evacuation leaflets accompany Israeli attacks in north Gaza
At least 12 people were killed or injured in Israel Defense Forces attacks in northern Gaza over the past 24 hours, officials from the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry said Tuesday.
At least 87 people were killed over the weekend in an IDF attack in the Beit Lahia neighborhood, officials said, just north of the Jabalia refugee camp which has been the focus of recent Israeli operations in the area. The IDF disputed the death toll.
Meanwhile, the IDF dropped leaflets over Beit Lahia on Tuesday urging residents to evacuate southwards.
Footage from the area showed long lines of people — mostly women and children — fleeing with their belongings under the watch of Israeli forces.
-ABC News’ Nasser Atta and Guy Davies
Beirut hospital won’t evacuate despite Israeli strike, director says
The general manager of Beirut’s Rafik Hariri University Hospital said on Tuesday that staff would continue treating patients there despite a nearby Israeli airstrike.
“We are committed to continuing our work and will not evacuate the hospital,” Dr. Jihad Saadeh said. “Although the hospital has suffered damage from shrapnel, we are prepared to treat patients in the hospital corridors if necessary.”
The Lebanese Ministry of Public Health said 13 people including a child were killed and at least 57 others injured in the Israeli airstrike late Monday, with significant damage done to the nearby hospital — the largest public medical facility in Lebanon.
There was no warning issued before the strike on the hospital, sources told ABC News. The Israel Defense Forces denied the hospital was hit and said its strike was on a nearby Hezbollah target.
Saadeh told Tuesday’s press conference that some 50 healthcare centers, 150 ambulances, 150 paramedics and 15 hospitals have been targeted in Israeli attacks.
-ABC News’ Josiane Hajj Moussa and Guy Davies
IDF strike near hospital in Lebanon kills 13 and injures at least 57
An Israel Defense Forces strike near Rafik Hariri Hospital in southern Beirut on Monday killed 13 people including a child and injured at least 57 others, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health.
Seventeen of those injured required hospitalization, with seven in a critical condition, the ministry said in a Tuesday statement.
The hospital, which is the largest public medical facility in Lebanon, sustained significant damage, officials said.
There was no warning issued before the strike on the hospital, sources told ABC News.
The IDF denied attacking the hospital in a statement, claiming it was targeting a Hezbollah target close to the facility. “The strike did not hit the hospital and the IDF emphasizes that the hospital was not targeted, and the hospital itself and its operation were not affected, the IDF said.
-ABC News’ Josiane Hajj Moussa, Jordana Miller and Guy Davies
Israel designates Al-Qard al-Hassan as a terrorist organization
Israel Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced Tuesday that he designated the Al-Qard al-Hassan finance institution — which Israel alleges is a key financial vehicle for Hezbollah — a terrorist organization.
“Hezbollah’s bank is used to purchase weapons, pay the salaries of terrorists and keep Hezbollah’s terror machine going,” Gallant wrote in a post on X.
“Degrading Hezbollah’s capabilities requires both a military and economic campaign,” he added. “We are destroying the terrorist organization’s ability to both launch and buy missiles.”
Israel has been targeting Al-Qard al-Hassan infrastructure throughout Lebanon in recent days. The strikes have been especially fierce in Beirut, and particularly in its southern Dahiya suburb which is known as a Hezbollah stronghold.
-ABC News’ Jordana Miller
Blinken lands in Israel
Secretary of State Antony Blinken landed at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv on Tuesday to begin a tour of Middle East nations in bid to reinvigorate cease-fire talks in both Gaza and Lebanon.
Blinken is expected to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday.
The revival of stalled cease-fire talks and the prevention of further regional escalation are at the top of the agenda for America’s top diplomat.
Blinken’s latest regional tour comes just two weeks to go until the U.S. presidential election and with Israel still mulling its retaliation against Iran for the latter’s Oct. 1 ballistic missile attack.
-ABC News’ Shannon Kingston and Guy Davies
IDF claims 230 more strikes in Lebanon and Gaza
The Israel Defense Forces said in a social media post Tuesday that it struck around 230 Hezbollah and Hamas targets in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip over the previous 24 hours.
The strikes killed “dozens” of fighters, the IDF claimed, and hit targets including three purported command centers of a Hezbollah drone unit in southern Lebanon.
In Gaza, fighting continues in the Jabalia area in the north of the strip, which is under intense Israeli bombardment and sweeping evacuation orders.
The IDF said “thousands of civilians have been evacuated” from the area, while “dozens of terrorists were arrested from among the civilians.”
Another 10 fighters were killed in a strike in the area, the IDF added. Troops also dismantled several tunnel shafts and a rocket launcher in Beit Lahia, to the north of Jabalia.
Elsewhere, the IDF reported an airstrike on a rocket launcher and ammunition in the southern Rafah area.
IDF claims Nasrallah’s bunker located underneath Beirut hospital
The Israel Defense Forces claimed late Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah’s gold-filled bunker is located underneath a Beirut hospital, which hospital officials said was being evacuated Monday out of an abundance of caution.
“There are millions of dollars in gold and cash in Hassan Nasrallah’s bunker. Where is the bunker located? Directly under Al-Sahel Hospital — in the heart of Beirut,” IDF spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said in a video address Monday.
The IDF released 3D renderings of the hospital building and the bunker it said belonged to Nasrallah, who was killed in Israeli airstrikes in Beirut last month, but has not provided tangible proof. Hagari said the Israeli air force is monitoring the site but added, “We will not strike the hospital itself.”
“We are not at war with the people of Lebanon. We are at war with Hezbollah,” he said.
Following Hagari’s remarks, Lebanese hospital officials said the hospital is being evacuated out of an abundance of caution for the safety of the patients. Lebanese Parliament member Fadi Alameh, the owner of the hospital, said he has requested that the Lebanese army and United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon investigate the Israeli allegations.
Lebanese official Wiam Wahhab said the “talk of weapons depots” at the hospital “is illogical and false.”
“This points to the beginning of targeting hospitals, and the army must deploy around the hospital and protect it,” he said.
Dr. Youssef Bakhash, the president of the Lebanese Order of Physicians, told the Lebanese media group Al Jadeed that the “pretext of the existence of tunnels and funds beneath Sahel Hospital is aimed at targeting and disrupting the healthcare sector.”
Israel’s conflict with Iran to last ‘many months’: Former IDF general
Israel’s planned attack on Iran will mark the “beginning of a war” that will last “many months,” retired Israel Defense Forces Brig. Gen. Amir Avivi told ABC News.
Israel’s war with Hezbollah had gone incredibly well and the IDF had surpassed its own expectations in degrading the Iranian proxy, Avivi said, adding that the same mentality would be applied to dealing with the Iranian regime itself.
“We have a historical opportunity to deal with Iran so they don’t pose another threat to Israel,” said Avivi, the founder of the right-wing think tank Israel’s Defense and Security Forum.
Israel’s retaliatory strike on Iran will be “fierce and strong and very surprising” when it happens, he said.
-ABC News’ Tom Soufi Burridge and Jordana Miller
300 Hezbollah targets hit in Lebanon in past 24 hours: IDF
The Israel Defense Forces said it hit 300 Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon in the past 24 hours, which saw an intense night of airstrikes on Beirut.
Seven brigade commanders, 21 battalion commanders and 24 company commanders for Hezbollah were killed in its ongoing operations, the IDF said.
More strikes against Hezbollah targets are expected all over southern Lebanon Monday night, IDF spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said.
Still unclear whether intelligence docs were leaked or hacked: White House
There’s no indication yet whether classified documents on Israel’s retaliation plans were leaked or hacked, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby told reporters Monday.
“I’m just not able to answer your question whether it was a leak or a hack at this point. We’ll let the investigation pursue its logical course there,” Kirby said.
Kirby said that President Joe Biden was “deeply concerned” about the incident, and that while they don’t expect more documents to be revealed, they are on high alert amid the investigation.
“We’re certainly going to keep our antenna up and our eyes open for any potential future disclosures,” he said.
-ABC News’ Cheyenne Haslett
7 Israeli citizens arrested after allegedly spying for Iran
Seven Israeli citizens were arrested after allegedly spying for Iran, Israeli authorities said Monday.
The Israel Security Agency and Israel Police said they “successfully dismantled a spy network” that allegedly gathered sensitive information on Israel Defense Forces bases and energy infrastructure.
The citizens were allegedly recruited by Iranian agents to conduct “security-related tasks” over at least two years, authorities said, including “extensive reconnaissance missions” on air force and navy installations, ports, Iron Dome system locations and energy infrastructure.
Photographs and videos of “numerous” IDF bases, ports and energy infrastructure were seized as part of the investigation, authorities said.
“It is assessed that these activities have inflicted security damage on the state,” the ISA and Israel Police said.
The seven Israelis were allegedly paid hundreds of thousands of dollars, often through cryptocurrencies, for their work, authorities said.
Prosecutors are expected to file an indictment against them in the coming days.
Austin: ‘Hard to say’ what Israeli retaliatory strike on Iran will look like
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters while traveling to Ukraine on Monday that it’s “hard to say” what an Israeli retaliatory strike on Iran will look like, when asked whether the response should be proportional.
“That’s an Israeli decision,” he said. “Whether or not the Israelis believe [it] is proportional and [how] the Iranians perceive it, I mean, those are maybe two different things.”
Austin told reporters that the U.S. is “going to continue to do everything we can” to get both parties to “begin to de-escalate.”
-ABC News’ Luis Martinez
Blinken to visit Israel in Middle East tour
Secretary of State Antony Blinken will begin a tour of Israel and other Middle Eastern nations on Monday in a bid to inject new life into stalled cease-fire and hostage release negotiations in Gaza, the State Department said.
Blinken “will discuss the importance of bringing the war in Gaza to an end, securing the release of all hostages and alleviating the suffering of the Palestinian people,” the State Department notice said.
“He will continue discussions on post-conflict period planning and emphasize the need to chart a new path forward that enables Palestinians to rebuild their lives and realize their aspirations free from Hamas’ tyranny,” the statement said.
Blinken will also “underscore that additional food, medicine and other humanitarian aid must be delivered to civilians in Gaza,” it continued.
The situation in Lebanon — where Israel is continuing an intense air and ground campaign and Hezbollah is still firing across the shared border — will also be a topic of discussion, the State Department said.
Blinken will continue pursuit of a “diplomatic resolution” that “allows civilians on both sides” of the border to return to their homes, the statement said.
-ABC News’ Cindy Smith
‘Beirut in flames’ after night of airstrikes, foreign minister says
“Beirut in flames,” Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz wrote on X on Monday following an intense night of airstrikes on the Lebanese capital.
“A wide-scale Israeli attack targeted Hezbollah’s financial infrastructure in Beirut and across Lebanon last night,” Katz said.
“Massive fires were seen above Beirut as over 15 buildings were struck following evacuation warnings to residents,” the foreign minister wrote.
“Hezbollah has paid and will continue to pay a heavy price for its attacks on northern Israel and its rocket fire. We will keep striking the Iranian proxy until it collapses.”
-ABC News’ Guy Davies
IDF claims ‘dozens’ of strikes on Hezbollah financial targets
Israel Defense Forces warplanes launched “a series of targeted, intelligence-based strikes against dozens of facilities and sites used by the Hezbollah terrorist organization to finance its terrorist activities,” the IDF said in a Monday post to X.
The Sunday night strikes hit targets in Beirut, southern Lebanon and elsewhere “deep within” the country, the IDF added.
The IDF said the targets were linked to the Al-Qard Al-Hassan Association, which Israel has accused of acting as a key financier of Hezbollah activities.
-ABC News’ Jordana Miller
US investigating intelligence leak on Israel’s alleged plan to attack Iran
Documents purporting to show classified U.S. intelligence-gathering on Israel’s preparations for a possible retaliatory strike against Iran appeared on social media platforms late last week.
The impact of the circulation of these documents on current and future planning by the Israeli military is unclear at this time.
U.S. officials declined to comment on the situation when reached by ABC News. However, a law enforcement source on Sunday confirmed with ABC News that there is an investigation underway.
Markings on the documents indicate that they would have originated from the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, which collects, analyzes and distributes intelligence gleaned from satellite and aerial imagery.
If the documents are authentic, it would indicate a major intelligence breach.
According to Mick Mulroy, an ABC News national security and defense contributor, who served as the deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East: “The future coordination between the U.S. and Israel could be challenged, as well.”
The Department of Defense, Federal Bureau of Investigation and a spokesperson for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence all declined to comment when contacted by ABC News.
House Speaker Mike Johnson appeared on CNN Sunday and acknowledged that there is an investigation underway into the possible intelligence leak, adding, “We’re following it closely.”
-ABC News’ T. Michelle Murphy
IDF says it’s targeting infrastructure in Lebanon of group allegedly financing Hezbollah
The Israel Defense Forces announced it was targeting infrastructure Sunday night in Lebanon that has been linked to the Al-Qard Al-Hassan Association, an organization it alleges is involved in financing Hezbollah.
The United States placed sanctions on the Al-Qard Al-Hassan Association in May 2021 related to financing Hezbollah activities.
The Al-Qard Al-Hassan group has 31 branches in Lebanon — including in Beirut and Bekaa, officials said. At least one strike was reported Sunday evening in the Chyah neighborhood of Beirut.
“The ‘Al-Qard Al-Hassan Association’ is involved in financing the terrorist activities of the Hezbollah organization against Israel, and therefore the IDF has decided to attack this terrorist infrastructure,” the IDF said in a statement Sunday. “The IDF continues to work forcefully to destroy Hezbollah’s terrorist infrastructure. Therefore, we call on people inside buildings used by Hezbollah to stay at least 500 meters away from them for the next few hours.”
(LONDON) — Turkey‘s interior minister reported deaths and injuries after a “terrorist attack” at Turkish Aerospace Industries facilities near the capital Ankara on Wednesday.
Three people were killed and 14 injured in the attack, Ali Yerlikaya wrote on X. Two attackers were “neutralized,” he added.
“I condemn this heinous attack,” Yerlikaya wrote. “Our struggle will continue with determination and resolve until the last terrorist is neutralized.”
The Turkish Aerospace Industries site is some 25 miles outside Ankara.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
ABC News’ Somayeh Malekian contributed to this report.
(LONDON) — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin confirmed Wednesday the U.S. has evidence that North Korean troops are in Russia.
“What exactly they’re doing” remains to be seen, Austin told journalists while in Rome, Italy. “These are things that we need to sort out.”
Ukraine and South Korea have warned that North Korean soldiers have traveled to Russia for training ahead of planned deployment to fight on battlefields in eastern Ukraine and western Russia.
Austin said Wednesday that the U.S. would “continue to pull this thread” to establish whether Pyongyang can be considered a co-belligerent in the conflict.
“That is a very, very serious issue and it will have impacts not only in Europe, it will also impact things in the Indo-Pacific as well,” Austin warned.
Austin said there is “certainly” a “strengthened relationship, for lack of a better term, between Russia and DPRK,” using the acronym of the country’s official name — the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
Pyongyang, he added, provides “arms and munitions to Russia and this is a next step.”
The development may indicate resource strain on President Vladimir Putin, Austin added.
“You’ve heard me talk about the significant casualties that he has experienced over the last two and a half years,” he said. “This is an indication that he may be even in more trouble than most people realize.”
North Korea has denied the reports of its forces being active in Russia or Ukraine.
“My delegation does not feel any need for comment on such groundless stereotyped rumors,” a North Korean representative to the United Nations said during a U.N. General Assembly session this week, as quoted by South Korea’s Yonhap news agency.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, meanwhile, said earlier this week of the reports, “There is a lot of contradictory information, and that is probably how it should be treated,” describing North Korea as a close neighbor and partner.
“This should not cause anyone any concern, because this cooperation is not directed against third countries,” Peskov added.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
(LONDON) — The U.S. Embassy in Colombo, Sri Lanka, issued a warning to citizens late on Tuesday based on “credible information” warning of an attack in the southeast of the country.
The embassy said in a post on its website that the threat was related to “popular tourist locations in the Arugam Bay area,” an area of famous and well-visited beaches known for its surfing.
“Due to the serious risk posed by this threat, the embassy imposed a travel restriction on embassy personnel for Arugam Bay effective immediately and until further notice,” the embassy wrote.
U.S. citizens, it added, “are strongly urged to avoid the Arugam Bay area until further notice.”
The embassy did not offer any more information about the nature or source of the threat.
The notice urged citizens to report all suspicious activity to local authorities, keep a cell phone or other form of communication close by and monitor local media for updates.
The State Department lists Sri Lanka as a “Level 2” nation in its risk advisory guide, meaning Americans there should “exercise increased caution.”
The State Department’s latest advisory for Sri Lanka was issued on Oct. 2 and noted that protests relating to the “economic and political situation in Sri Lanka can erupt at any time.”
“In some instances, police have used water cannons and tear gas to disperse protesters,” it added. “U.S. citizens are reminded to avoid all gatherings, even peaceful ones, that could turn violent with little or no warning.”
“Terrorist attacks have occurred in Sri Lanka, with little or no warning,” it added, targets having included tourist hotspots, transportation hubs, shopping areas, government facilities and entertainment venues, among others.
“The U.S. government has limited ability to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in remote areas,” the advisory said.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(LONDON) — A woman in Australia got herself into a tight predicament when she dropped her phone and ended up getting stuck upside-down in between two boulders for seven hours while trying to retrieve it.
The woman got herself into a “spot of bother,” according to a statement from New South Wales Ambulance released on Monday, when she was hiking in the Hunter Valley north of Sydney and dropped her phone which fell into a 10-foot crevice between two boulders when she went in head-first trying to recover it when she got stuck and couldn’t move.
“With no phone reception and unable to call for help herself, her friends called Triple Zero (000) after unsuccessful attempts to free her – the patient was hanging by her feet upside down for over an hour by this point,” authorities said. “NSW Ambulance Specialist Rescue Paramedic Peter Watts worked with a multidisciplinary team to remove several heavy boulders to create a safe access point. With care, a hardwood frame was built to ensure stability while rescuers worked.”
Responders worked for several hours until they were able to access the unnamed woman’s feet, officials said.
“With both feet now accessible, the team faced the challenge of navigating the patient out through a tight “S” bend over the course of an hour. It took teamwork and a specialised Tirfor winch to move a massive 500kg boulder,” NSW Ambulance said.
Finally, after seven hours of being stuck while emergency crews worked to free her, the woman was freed from between the boulders and suffered only minor scratches and bruises during the entire ordeal — though she was, regretfully, unable to retrieve her phone.
“In my 10 years as a rescue paramedic I had never encountered a job quite like this, it was challenging but incredibly rewarding,” Peter Watts said. “Every agency had a role, and we all worked incredibly well together to achieve a good outcome for the patient.”
APRIL 2024: Demonstrators marched on the Northrop Mall before setting up tents on the lawn. A few hundred people gathered outside Coffman Memorial Union to call for a cease fire in Gaza before marching on the Northrop Mall and setting up an encampment on the lawn Monday afternoon, April 29, 2024 on the University of Minnesota campus in Minneapolis. Israel/Hamas war protest. (Photo by Jeff Wheeler/Star Tribune via Getty Images)
(MINNEAPOLIS) — A demonstration at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities Monday led to 11 arrests after pro-Palestinian protesters barricaded an administrative hall on campus, locking staff members inside the building.
The protesters blocked the entrance and exit of Morrill Hall, which houses the offices of the university president, Rebecca Cunningham.
According to a statement from the university issued Monday night, the protest began with a peaceful assembly on a lawn in front of the campus’ Coffman Memorial Union at about 3 p.m. local time.
However, “A group of these individuals quickly moved north, up the Northrop Mall, and entered Morrill Hall,” according to the university.
“Once inside the building, protesters began spray painting, including covering lenses of all internal security cameras, breaking interior windows, and barricading the building’s entrance and exit points,” the statement said.
The protest’s escalation was first announced as a SAFE-U Emergency Alert at 4:34 p.m., advising students, “If you are currently in Morrill Hall and able to safely exit the building, please do so immediately. Others are advised to avoid this area until further notice.”
The university has said that “a number” of staff were present, and many were unable to exit the building “for an extended period of time.”
Police officers arrived on the scene and began to detain protestors around one hour after the first alert was issued, according to the university’s statement.
“With necessary support from the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, UMPD entered the building at approximately 5:40 p.m. and arrested 11 people,” it said.
By 9:10 p.m. there was another SAFE-U Emergency Alert stating that the University of Minnesota Police Department had cleared Morrill Hall and “the situation has been resolved for this evening.”
The University of Minnesota Twin Cities stated that as of Monday night, “The full extent of the damage is unknown.”
No additional information is currently available, but the university has clarified that an investigation into the incident is ongoing.
(TEL AVIV, Israel and GAZA STRIP) — Patients are “trapped” inside the last three operational hospitals in northern Gaza as Israeli forces continue to besiege the area, medical staff and international aid organizations warn.
As of Saturday, more than 350 patients are reported to be “trapped” inside Al-Awda Hospital, Indonesian Hospital and Kamal Adwan Hospital, including pregnant women and people who have just undergone surgical operations, according to Médecins Sans Frontières, or Doctors Without Borders (MSF).
The Israel Defense Forces issued evacuation orders for northern Gaza on Oct. 6, its spokesman Avichay Adraee posted on X, writing at the time: “I remind you that the northern Gaza Strip area is still considered a dangerous combat zone.”
The IDF again ordered evacuations last week of several neighborhoods in the northern Gaza Strip, including Beit Hanoun, Jabalia and Beit Lahia, as it tracks down Hamas fighters it believes to be in the area.
It’s estimated there are between 200,000 and 400,000 people who live in the north in an area that’s now a military zone.
The hospitals are within areas that have been ordered to evacuate, although the IDF will not confirm if the hospitals were ordered to evacuate. Israel has said Hamas terrorists are using civilians as shields and hospitals as cover-ups for their operations.
“While the northern part of the Strip has been under siege for over two weeks, it is absolutely crucial to ensure the protection of the few remaining functional health care facilities,” Anna Halford, emergency coordinator in Gaza for MSF, said Sunday in a statement. “People must be able to continue to access medical care and lifesaving treatments. We call on the Israeli forces to immediately stop their attacks on hospitals in north Gaza.”
In a statement posted Monday morning on X, the IDF spokesperson for the Arab media said Israeli officials continue “to communicate with the international community and the health establishment to maintain the operation of emergency systems in hospitals by transferring medical equipment and a fuel stockpile based on the operational situation.”
The spokesperson also said officials are working to evacuate patients and their companions, as well as medical staff, from hospitals. The IDF did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment about patients being trapped.
Staff members at Indonesian Hospital say they’re without power and have been unable to properly care for patients.
“The water supply has been cut off for patients and staff at the Indonesian Hospital,” Hadeel Obeid, chief nurse at the hospital, said in a message to ABC News on Monday. “They need permission from the [IDF] to operate the electric generator, and there is no food due to the ongoing siege for the fourth consecutive day.”
“We urge all international organizations to take the necessary action to save these wounded individuals and the staff working inside the hospital to support their resilience and steadfastness,” Obeid added.
Medical staff at Kamal Adwan Hospital similarly said there is no food to properly feed families, nor are there safe places to stay.
“There is no milk for children, and mothers [instead] have to mix starch and flour with water and sugar,” Dr. Eid Al Sabah, director of nursing at the hospital, said in a message to ABC News on Monday. “We stay in houses that have previously been bombed. We use tent cloth and wood from furniture [for fires] due to wood and fuel cuts.”
The IDF said Monday in a post on X that it has allowed hundreds of people to safely evacuate the Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip via an organized route while arresting dozens of suspects in the area.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) also issued a dire warning about attacks on hospitals and overcrowded conditions in northern Gaza.
In a post Monday on X, the organization said patients in ICUs have died after electricity cuts, and that Kamal Adwan and Al-Awda hospitals are operating at minimum capacity due to a shortage of medical supplies and staff.
“The Israeli authorities continue to deny humanitarian missions to reach the north with critical supplies, including medicine and food for people under siege,” Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA commissioner-general, said Monday in a post on X. “Hospitals have been hit and are left without power while injured people are left without care.”
“Denying & weaponizing humanitarian assistance to achieve military purposes is a sign of how low the moral compass is,” he continued. “Assistance must reach everyone in need in Gaza: civilians, including children and the hostages. No one should beg to assist or to be assisted. A cease-fire is the beginning to putting an end to this endless nightmare.”
Additionally, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) issued a report over the weekend that no aid was allowed into northern Gaza between Oct. 1 and Oct. 14. Since then, only a “token amount” of aid has been allowed in, the group said.
In its report, OHCHR also expressed concern over dwindling amounts of food supplies. Israeli officials have denied that aid is struggling to enter Gaza and have posted photos and videos on social media of trucks with aid waiting to be picked up and distributed at border crossings by nongovernmental and aid organizations.
ABC News’ Guy Davies and Jordana Miller contributed to this report.
(LONDON) — Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin arrived in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Monday morning for his third visit to the country since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in 2022.
The Pentagon said in a statement that Austin “will meet with Ukrainian leadership and underscore the U.S. commitment to providing Ukraine with the security assistance it needs to defend itself from Russian aggression on the battlefield.”
Austin will end his fourth visit to Ukraine as defense secretary with an address on Kyiv’s successes, American commitment to supplying its troops and — with just over two weeks until the U.S. presidential election — “why Ukraine’s fight matters for U.S. security,” the Pentagon said.
A senior defense official told ABC News that Austin’s visit is intended as an opportunity to consider the overall status of the war, plus to underscore the U.S. role in defeating Moscow’s strategic objectives and inflicting “astronomical casualties” on Russian forces.
Austin will meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky and Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, the official said, with the former’s “victory plan” among the planned topics of conversation.
Ukraine, the senior U.S. official said, is in a stronger position now than one year ago, although battlefield conditions are difficult.
Kyiv’s forces are being slowly pushed back in the east of the country, while Russian counter-offensives are chipping away at Ukraine’s pocket of seized territory in the western Russian Kursk region.
Meanwhile, Russian drone and missile attacks continue across the country. The strikes have been particularly punishing for the country’s battered energy grid in the lead up to winter.
Manpower also remains a constant strain, and conversations continue in Ukraine about lowering the minimum conscription age from 25 to 18 to bolster available troop numbers.
Conscription is a politically sensitive topic, and April’s decision to drop the minimum age from 27 to 25 followed almost a year of debate.
Ukraine, the defense official said, should be able to take advantage of strategic opportunities as they arise. The challenge is in how to best its synchronize forces and prioritize its goals, they added.
Austin arrived shortly after Zelensky said Ukraine had “clear data” showing that North Korea is supplying Russia with military personnel.
“A new threat has emerged — the malign alliance between Russia and North Korea,” Zelensky said in a video statement posted to social media on Sunday evening.
“These are not just workers for production, but also military personnel,” the president said. “We expect a proper and fair response from our partners on this matter.”
“If the world remains silent now, and if we face North Korean soldiers on the front lines as regularly as we are defending against drones, it will benefit no one in this world and will only prolong this war,” Zelensky said.
Lt. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov — the head of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry’s Main Directorate of Intelligence — said there are now “nearly 11,000 North Korean infantry troops training in eastern Russia to fight in Ukraine.”
Budanov said the troops will be ready to join battle by Nov. 1, the first group of around 2,600 soldiers earmarked for the fighting in Kursk.
South Korea’s spy agency warned last week that 1,500 North Korean soldiers were already inside Russia, in what it described as a “grave security threat.”
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov dismissed foreign concerns about deepening bilateral ties. “There is a lot of contradictory information, and that is probably how it should be treated,” he said, describing North Korea as a close neighbor and partner.
“This should not cause anyone any concern, because this cooperation is not directed against third countries,” Peskov added.
ABC News’ Britt Clennent, Lauren Minore, Yulia Drozd and Guy Davies contributed to this report.
(LONDON) — Israeli forces continued their intense operations inside Gaza after Hamas leader and Oct. 7, 2023 attack mastermind Yahya Sinwar was killed in a firefight with Israeli forces.
The development comes as Israel continues intense air and ground campaigns against Hezbollah in Lebanon and against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, and mulls its response to Iran’s latest ballistic missile attack.
‘Beirut in flames’ after night of airstrikes, foreign minister says
“Beirut in flames,” Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz wrote on X on Monday following an intense night of airstrikes on the Lebanese capital.
“A wide-scale Israeli attack targeted Hezbollah’s financial infrastructure in Beirut and across Lebanon last night,” Katz said.
“Massive fires were seen above Beirut as over 15 buildings were struck following evacuation warnings to residents,” the foreign minister wrote.
“Hezbollah has paid and will continue to pay a heavy price for its attacks on northern Israel and its rocket fire. We will keep striking the Iranian proxy until it collapses.”
-ABC News’ Guy Davies
IDF claims ‘dozens’ of strikes on Hezbollah financial targets
Israel Defense Forces warplanes launched “a series of targeted, intelligence-based strikes against dozens of facilities and sites used by the Hezbollah terrorist organization to finance its terrorist activities,” the IDF said in a Monday post to X.
The Sunday night strikes hit targets in Beirut, southern Lebanon and elsewhere “deep within” the country, the IDF added.
The IDF said the targets were linked to the Al-Qard Al-Hassan Association, which Israel has accused of acting as a key financier of Hezbollah activities.
-ABC News’ Jordana Miller
US investigating intelligence leak on Israel’s alleged plan to attack Iran
Documents purporting to show classified U.S. intelligence-gathering on Israel’s preparations for a possible retaliatory strike against Iran appeared on social media platforms late last week.
The impact of the circulation of these documents on current and future planning by the Israeli military is unclear at this time.
U.S. officials declined to comment on the situation when reached by ABC News. However, a law enforcement source on Sunday confirmed with ABC News that there is an investigation underway.
Markings on the documents indicate that they would have originated from the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, which collects, analyzes and distributes intelligence gleaned from satellite and aerial imagery.
If the documents are authentic, it would indicate a major intelligence breach.
According to Mick Mulroy, an ABC News national security and defense contributor, who served as the deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East: “The future coordination between the U.S. and Israel could be challenged, as well.”
The Department of Defense, Federal Bureau of Investigation and a spokesperson for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence all declined to comment when contacted by ABC News.
House Speaker Mike Johnson appeared on CNN Sunday and acknowledged that there is an investigation underway into the possible intelligence leak, adding, “We’re following it closely.”
-ABC News’ T. Michelle Murphy
IDF says it’s targeting infrastructure in Lebanon of group allegedly financing Hezbollah
The Israel Defense Forces announced it was targeting infrastructure Sunday night in Lebanon that has been linked to the Al-Qard Al-Hassan Association, an organization it alleges is involved in financing Hezbollah.
The United States placed sanctions on the Al-Qard Al-Hassan Association in May 2021 related to financing Hezbollah activities.
The Al-Qard Al-Hassan group has 31 branches in Lebanon — including in Beirut and Bekaa, officials said. At least one strike was reported Sunday evening in the Chyah neighborhood of Beirut.
“The ‘Al-Qard Al-Hassan Association’ is involved in financing the terrorist activities of the Hezbollah organization against Israel, and therefore the IDF has decided to attack this terrorist infrastructure,” the IDF said in a statement Sunday. “The IDF continues to work forcefully to destroy Hezbollah’s terrorist infrastructure. Therefore, we call on people inside buildings used by Hezbollah to stay at least 500 meters away from them for the next few hours.”
(LONDON) — Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, the mastermind behind the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, was killed this week in a firefight with Israeli forces, officials said.
The development comes as Israel continues intense air and ground campaigns against Hezbollah in Lebanon and against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The uptick in offensive operations came as Israeli leaders planned their response to Iran’s latest ballistic missile attack.
North Gaza hospital has too many patients to treat, administrator says
The director of the Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahia, in North Gaza said in a statement that the facility is receiving so many patients that “many of the injured have died due to the inability” to treat them.
Dr. Hossam Abu Safia said the hospital has been triaging the worst cases due to lack of staff and supplies.
He said many people are still missing with crews unable to reach them, and that there is “heavy bombing and gunfire” around the hospital.
-ABC News’ Samy Zyara and Victoria Beaulé
Water engineers killed in IDF strike: Oxfam
Oxfam, the nonprofit confederation representing 21 NGOs, called for an independent investigation after four water engineers were killed in a town east of Khan Younis, Gaza on their way to repair water infrastructure.
The engineers worked for an Oxfam partner organization and had coordinated with Israeli authorities to do the work, according to Oxfam.
“Despite prior coordination with Israeli authorities their clearly-marked vehicle was bombed,” the organization said.
The Israel Defense Forces has not immediately commented on the attack.
-ABC News’ Victoria Beaulé
Netanyahu calls drone attack ‘attempt to assassinate me and my wife’
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the drone attack that targeted his house an “attempt to assassinate me and my wife,” in a statement Saturday.
“The attempt by Iran’s proxy Hezbollah to assassinate me and my wife today was a grave mistake. This will not deter me or the State of Israel from continuing our just war against our enemies in order to secure our future,” Netanyahu said.
“Anyone who tries to harm Israel’s citizens will pay a heavy price. We will continue to eliminate the terrorists and those who dispatch them,” Netanyahu said.
Hezbollah has not commented on the attack.
Israel claims residents evacuated Jabalia, resident says they were forced to leave
Israel said “hundreds of civilians” have decided to leave Jabalia, in Gaza, through IDF-organized routes, but one woman told a local journalist that she and others were forced to leave.
Israel released a video showing multiple IDF tanks and military vehicles stationed outside schools next to the Indonesian hospitals where people were sheltering.
A video shows Palestinians lined up in front of the vehicles, with some moving to sit in a group next to the vehicles — including at least two in wheelchairs — and others moving away from the schools and down the road.
Israel said they “arrested a number of terrorists” and “detained them for investigation,” although it’s unclear if all the people in the seated group are under arrest. Photos released by the IDF show people around the schools with their hands up, holding ID papers, although it’s unclear if they were arrested.
A woman, speaking to a local journalist farther south in Northern Gaza, said Israeli forces forcibly expelled them from the school. She said there were strikes and drones around the school overnight.
Israeli forces “took us, they first took all the males over 16, god knows where they took them, then they took us the women and made us walk a long distance with no food, no water,” she said.
At least 2,448 killed in Lebanon, 11,471 injured
At least 2,448 people have been killed and 11,471 were injured in Lebanon since Israel began its increased attacks on Lebanon, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health.
Of those dead, at least 36 people were killed in the last two days alone, the ministry said.
-ABC News’ Josiane Hajj Mousa
180 projectiles fired from Lebanon into Israel, new evacuation orders for Beirut suburb: IDF
At least one person was killed and 14 others were injured in rocket attacks launched from Lebanon toward northern Israel on Saturday, according to Israeli national emergency service MDA.
Some 180 projectiles fired by Lebanese militant group Hezbollah crossed from Lebanon into Israeli territory so far on Saturday, according to the Israel Defense Forces.
The rocket barrages targeted the Haifa area and the Western Galilee region. A 50-year-old man died after being struck by shrapnel while in his car in the port city of Acre, the MDA said.
Meanwhile, the IDF on Saturday afternoon issued new evacuation orders to residents of Dahiyeh, the densely populated southern suburb of Lebanon’s capital Beirut and a Hezbollah stronghold.
-ABC News’ Clark Bentson and Dorit Long
33 killed, 3 hospitals targeted in Israeli strikes on northern Gaza
At least 33 people were killed and dozens of others were wounded in Israeli airstrikes that hit several homes in Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza overnight Saturday, according to Gaza Civil Defense and Gaza’s Hamas-run Media Office. Three of the four functioning hospitals in North Gaza were targeted by Israeli tanks and troops, according to medical staff and the Gaza ministry of health.
IDF vehicles surrounded the Indonesian Hospital, firing at the main entrance as well as the upper floors of the hospital, resulting in a complete power outage and the failure of its generator, according to the director of the hospital. The hospital is treating about 40 patients and the health ministry said the patients and medical staff are trapped in the hospital.
The entrance to Kamal Adwan Hospital’s medical lab was hit with an airstrike — killing one person and injuring several others. Al Awda Hospital was shelled with artillery, according to the ministry of health.
The IDF said its “troops eliminated several terrorists in close-quarters encounters and IAF strikes” in the Jabalia area. ABC News has asked for comment about the attacks on hospitals but the IDF has not commented so far.
The fourth hospital in Jabalia, Al Yemen Al Saeed, was bombed on Oct. 9.
The Israeli siege on the Jabalia refugee camp has entered its fifteenth day, with over 400 people killed — including women, children and the elderly — and hundreds more wounded, according to Gaza’s Civil Defense.
-ABC News’ Samy Zyara
Drone strike launched from Lebanon toward Netanyahu’s home, no casualties reported
Three drones launched from Lebanon crossed into Israeli territory early Saturday, according to the Israel Defense Forces. Two of the drones were intercepted while the third hit a structure in the area of Caesarea, a coastal town in northwestern Israel. No injuries were reported, the IDF said.
A spokesperson for the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed in a statement that Netanyahu’s private residence was the target of a drone attack, but that the prime minister and his wife were not home at the time and there were no casualties.
No group has claimed responsibility. Lebanese militant group Hezbollah has not commented.
Targeting of UN peacekeeping forces in Lebanon is ‘absolutely unacceptable,’ Italian prime minister says
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni visited Lebanon Friday, calling the targeting of United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon — peacekeeping forces — “absolutely unacceptable.”
“We are committed to discussing the issue of the displaced in Lebanon at a European level,” Meloni sad.
Meloni called for a 21-day cease-fire after meeting with Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati.
Fighting continued in Lebanon on Friday with the Israel Defense Forces issuing more evacuation orders in southern Lebanon and calling up an “additional reserve brigade” for “operational missions” in northern Israel.
There were 87 airstrikes over the past 24 hours, according to the Lebanese prime minister’s office said. Six people were killed and 69 others were wounded in the strikes. Over 2,400 people have been killed and over 11,300 were wounded since Israel began its increased attacks on Lebanon, according to the Lebanese Ministry Public of Health.
-ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman
Sinwar killed using tank after exchange of fire with Israeli soldiers, IDF says
Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was killed by tank fire that targeted a building he was inside after Israeli soldiers and Hamas members exchanged fire on the streets of Rafah Wednesday, according to the Israel Defense Forces.
Two of the Hamas members were killed by IDF soldiers in the exchange of fire before a third Hamas member ran into a building. Israeli forces then sent a drone into the building for surveillance, which they used to determine that the third Hamas fighter was still alive inside.
The IDF then used a tank to fire at the building, “eliminating” the person inside, the IDF said. The IDF did not get Sinwar’s body and positively identify him until Thursday.
Sinwar was found with a handgun and documents that are also being analyzed, the IDF said.
-ABC News’ Dorit Long
Biden says cease-fire in Lebanon a ‘possibility,’ but ‘harder in Gaza’
President Joe Biden is now on his way back to the U.S. after wrapping his day in Berlin meeting with Quad leaders, saying there is a “possibility” of working toward a cease-fire in both Lebanon and Gaza.
“We think there is a road to peace there,” Biden said before boarding Air Force One in Berlin, but cautioned that “it’s going to be harder, it’s going to be difficult.”
“There’s an opportunity, in my view, and my colleagues agree, that we can probably deal with Israel and Iran in a way that is — ends the conflict for a while.”
He said there’s also a “possibility of working towards a cease-fire in Lebanon,” but it will be “harder in Gaza.”
Biden also said he understands what Israel will do regarding a retaliatory strike against Iran and when they will respond, though he did not reveal any of the options or timing.
A reporter asked, “Do you have a good understanding right now what Israel is going to do in response to Iran’s Oct. 1 attacks and when they will actually respond to Iran?”
“Yes and yes,” Biden said.
-ABC News’ Justin Ryan Gomez
White House says Sinwar’s death is ‘inflection point’ for cease-fire negotiations
National security communications adviser John Kirby called Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar’s death an “inflection point” in this war, providing a new opportunity to reach a cease-fire deal.
“So Hamas is in a much, much, much weakened position than it ever was before,” Kirby told reporters in Berlin, where he is visiting alongside Joe Biden. “The president believes that certainly with Sinwar’s killing yesterday, that there’s a unique opportunity here for us all to kind of grab hold of to see what we can do to end the war and to get a cease-fire. And we still believe that a cease-fire, actually in the north too, but we still believe a cease-fire is important for Gaza to get those hostages home.”
When pressed by reporters on what makes the White House so confident that Sinwar’s death truly does open the door to achieve a deal that had not been possible for months, Kirby said that it’s a “unique opportunity” to take the intensive diplomacy to the next level. Kirby also explained why it was difficult to negotiate with Sinwar.
“Every time his political advisers would — we would negotiate with and through them to come up with a proposal, it would have to get to him,” Kirby said. “Of course, that took time because of the communications challenges, and then he would just, he would just refute it and refuse to move forward.”
-ABC News’ Michelle Stoddart
White House says Sinwar’s death is ‘inflection point’ for cease-fire negotiations
National security communications adviser John Kirby called Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar’s death an “inflection point” in this war, providing a new opportunity to reach a cease-fire deal.
“So Hamas is in a much, much, much weakened position than it ever was before,” Kirby told reporters in Berlin, where he is visiting alongside Joe Biden. “The president believes that certainly with Sinwar’s killing yesterday, that there’s a unique opportunity here for us all to kind of grab hold of to see what we can do to end the war and to get a cease-fire. And we still believe that a cease-fire, actually in the north too, but we still believe a cease-fire is important for Gaza to get those hostages home.”
Biden says Sinwar killing is ‘a moment of justice’
President Joe Biden met with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Friday afternoon to discuss the war in Ukraine and security threats in the Middle East.
Ahead of that meeting, Biden called Israel’s killing of Yahya Sinwar “a moment of justice.”
“He had the blood of Americans, and Israelis, Palestinians and Germans, and so many others, on his hands,” Biden said. “I told the prime minister of Israel yesterday, let’s also make this moment an opportunity to seek a path to peace, a better future in Gaza without Hamas.”
-ABC News’ Justin Ryan Gomez
US Central Command congratulates Israel on Sinwar killing
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) chief Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla issued a statement Thursday congratulating the Israel Defense Forces on the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.
“U.S. Central Command’s support to the Israel Defense Forces remains ironclad,” said Kurilla. “Our commitment to countering terrorists throughout the Middle East, with allies and partners, continues to be a top priority. Those who choose the path of terrorism should expect the same fate as Sinwar.”
CENTCOM is the combatant command that oversees U.S. missions in the Middle East.
An earlier statement from U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin called Sinwar’s killing a “major achievement in counterterrorism” and said it provides an opportunity for a lasting cease-fire in the war between Israel and Hamas.
“Our top and most urgent priority is to secure the release of each and every hostage, including our own American citizens,” Austin said in a statement. “The hostages should not have to suffer for another hour in the clutches of Hamas and other terrorists. Those who are holding them should release them now.”
Hezbollah announces ‘escalated’ phase in conflict with Israel after Sinwar’s death
Hezbollah said Thursday they are transitioning into a “new, escalated phase” in the “confrontation with the Israeli enemy,” after Israeli forces and officials announced the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.
This new phase in the conflict “will be revealed by the developments and events in the coming days,” Hezbollah said in the statement.
-ABC News’ Josiane Hajj Moussa
IDF releases drone footage they say shows Sinwar before his death
The Israel Defense Forces released drone footage they say shows Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar on Wednesday before he was killed.
A damaged building and a man sitting in a chair with his face covered can be seen in the footage.
IDF spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel said Sinwar was wounded in a shooting and is shown in the footage throwing a wooden plank at the drone.
Netanyahu says Israel will continue ‘with all our strength’
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu celebrated the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar by Israeli forces on Thursday, but vowed to continue the war “with all our strength” until the hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza are returned.
“I would like to say again, in the clearest way: Hamas will no longer rule Gaza. This is the beginning of the day after Hamas, and this is an opportunity for you, the residents of Gaza, to finally break free from its tyranny,” Netanyahu said in a recorded message.
“The war, my dears, is not over yet. And it is difficult, and it exacts heavy prices from us,” Netanyahu said.
Netanyahu said Sinwar was killed when he fled IDF soldiers in a panic on Thursday.
“Now it is clear to everyone, in Israel and in the world, why we insisted on not ending the war. Why did we insist, in the face of all the pressures, to enter Rafah, the fortified stronghold of Hamas where Sinwar and many of the murderers hid,” Netanyahu said.
“We are in a war for our existence. Big challenges are still ahead,” Netanyahu said.
Israeli President Herzog, Israeli Defense Minister comment on Sinwar’s death
Israeli leaders celebrated the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, who was assassinated by Israeli forces on Thursday.
Israel President Isaac Herzog commended the Israel Defense Forces for the killing and said Israel must act in every way possible to bring back the remaining 101 hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza.
“Sinwar, the mastermind behind the deadly October 7th attack, has for years been responsible for heinous acts of terrorism against Israeli civilians, citizens of other countries, and the murder of thousands of innocent people. His evil endeavors were dedicated to terror, bloodshed, and destabilizing the Middle East,” Herzog said in a statement.
Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant also saluted IDF soldiers.
“The elimination of Sinwar joins a long series of eliminations — from Nasrallah to Muhammad Deif and many more. We will pursue and eliminate our enemies. Sinwar died while beaten, persecuted and on the run — he didn’t die as a commander, but as someone who only cared for himself,” Gallant said in a statement.
“This is a clear message to all of our enemies — the IDF will reach anyone who attempts to harm the citizens of Israel or our security forces, and we will bring you to justice,” Gallant said.
Benny Gantz, the former IDF chief of staff and former minister of defense, applauded the killing, but said “the mission is not over.”
“The IDF will continue to operate in the Gaza Strip for years to come, and now the series of achievements and the elimination of Sinwar must be taken advantage of to bring about the return of the abductees and the replacement of Hamas’ rule. On this day, we will also remember the painful price of the war, all the murdered and martyrs, and we will strengthen all our heroic soldiers who have been working for over a year in all arenas to ensure that never again,” Gantz said.
-ABC News’ Jordana Miller
Yahya Sinwar killed in Israeli attack
Hamas political leader Yahya Sinwar was killed by Israeli forces on Thursday, Israel Foreign Minister Israel Katz confirmed in a statement.
“The master murderer Yahya Sinwar, who is responsible for the massacre and atrocities of October 7, was killed today by IDF soldiers,” Katz said.
-ABC News’ Guy Davies
Egypt replaces head of general intelligence agency
Egypt replaced the head of its general intelligence agency — who played an instrumental role in brokering a Gaza cease-fire deal — amid stalled negotiations. Deputy Hassan Rashad was named as new head of the agency.
Abbas Kamel, a longtime confidant and close aide to President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, had headed the general intelligence agency since 2018 and was seen as the country’s second-most powerful figure.
Sisi relied heavily on Kamel for managing foreign policy affairs, including conflicts in Gaza and Sudan, as well as domestic security issues such as a wide-scale crackdown on dissent.
The change comes amid stalled negotiations for a cease-fire in the ongoing war in Gaza, which has spread into Lebanon. Kamel was a lead negotiator in the mediation efforts by Egypt, the U.S. and Qatar to end to the yearlong conflict. He played a key role in the diplomacy that led to a weeklong truce in November 2023.
Kamel will now take up a post of presidential adviser and envoy, as well as general coordinator of security services, according to a presidency statement.
-ABC News’ Ayat Al-Tawy
Israel ‘checking the possibility’ that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was killed in Gaza
The Israel Defense Forces are “checking the possibility” that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar is one of the three militants it killed in Gaza on Thursday.
“At this stage, the identity of the terrorists cannot be confirmed,” the IDF wrote in a post to X. “In the building where the terrorists were eliminated, there were no signs of the presence of hostages in the area. The forces that are operating in the area are continuing to operate with the required caution.”
The 62-year-old has served as Hamas’ leader in Gaza since 2017 and assumed leadership of the group’s political bureau after the Israeli assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in Iran this July.
-ABC News’ Guy Davies
28 killed, 160 wounded in Israeli strike on school in northern Gaza
At least 28 people were killed and 160 others were wounded in an Israeli strike on the Abu Hussein School in northern Gaza where displaced people were sheltering, according to the Hamas-run Government Media Office.
In a statement, Hamas said Israel’s claims “that Abu Hussein School is being used for resistance purposes are mere lies, and it is a systematic policy of the enemy to justify its crime.”
-ABC News’ Samy Zyara
German warship downs drone off Lebanon
The German Ludwigshafen am Rhein corvette — which is operating as part of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon — downed an unidentified drone off the Lebanese coast on Thursday, a spokesperson at the German Ministry of Defense told ABC News.
The spokesperson did not describe how the aircraft was shot down, but said the ship acted in self defense.
There are approximately 60 crew members on board the vessel.
UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti said that “electronic countermeasures were used and the UAV fell and exploded on its own.”
-ABC News’ Dragana Jovanovic and Guy Davies
Hezbollah fires projectiles towards Israel
Hezbollah said it launched a missile salvo towards Israel on Thursday morning.
The Israel Defense Forces said sirens sounded in northern Israel and “two projectiles were identified crossing from Lebanon into Israeli territory.” One was intercepted and the other fell in an open area, the IDF said.
Fighting continues in southern Lebanon. There, Hezbollah claimed to have attacked two Israeli tanks near the border village of Labbouneh.
The IDF, meanwhile, said it killed a commander of Hezbollah’s Kana sector.
-ABC News’ Guy Davies
WHO warns of cholera risk in Lebanon
The World Health Organization has warned of a “very high” risk of cholera in Lebanon following the wave of mass displacement caused by Israel’s nationwide airstrike campaign and southern ground offensive.
The WHO warning came after Lebanon’s Health Ministry confirmed the first cholera case in the north of the country on Wednesday.
WHO “has activated a preparedness and response plan to strengthen surveillance and contact tracing,” Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.
–ABC News’ Dragana Jovanovic and Guy Davies
IDF claims destruction of 150 Hezbollah targets in 24 hours
The Israel Defense Forces said Thursday that its troops and warplanes “eliminated more than 45 terrorists and destroyed more than 150 targets” in Lebanon in the previous 24 hours
Among the Hezbollah targets were “weapons warehouses, launchers and military buildings of the organization,” the IDF said in a post on X.
US bombs Houthi weapons storage sites
U.S. Central Command said it conducted “precision airstrikes on numerous Iran-backed Houthi weapons storage facilities” on Wednesday.
The sites “contained various advanced conventional weapons used to target U.S. and international military and civilian vessels navigating international waters throughout the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden,” CENTCOM said in a statement.
CENTCOM said the strike was intended to degrade the Houthis’ ability to launch “reckless and unlawful attacks on international commercial shipping and on U.S., coalition, and merchant personnel and vessels” in the region.
B-2 stealth bomber aircraft were among the assets involved in the mission, CENTCOM said. “The employment of the B-2 bomber demonstrates U.S. global strike capabilities to reach these targets, when necessary, anytime, anywhere,” it added.
CENTCOM said its analyses of the strikes “are underway and do not indicate civilian casualties.”
-ABC News’ Matthew Seyler
Defense Secretary Austin speaks with Israeli counterpart about Lebanon The Pentagon released a readout Wednesday evening following a phone call between Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin and Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant.
The two discussed “Israel’s operations in Lebanon and broader regional security matters,” according to the readout.
“Secretary Austin and Minister Gallant discussed the deployment of a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery as an operational example of the United States’ ironclad support to the defense of Israel. The Secretary encouraged the Government of Israel to continue taking steps to address the dire humanitarian situation, noting the recent action by Israel to increase the amount of humanitarian assistance entering Gaza,” the Pentagon said in a statement.
Austin also “raised the need to pursue a diplomatic pathway to provide security for civilians on both sides of the Israel-Lebanon border as soon as feasible,” the Pentagon said.
-ABC News’ Matt Seyler
Israeli forces targeting UNIFIL position ‘under examination,’ IDF says The Israel Defense Forces said an incident of an Israeli tank firing at a UNIFIL position in southern Lebanon is “under examination” when asked by ABC News.
“The Hezbollah terrorist organization has been devising and taking forward attacks against the State of Israel and IDF soldiers from terror infrastructure sites that have been built within and adjacent to UNIFIL posts for many years,” the IDF said in a statement when asked about the incident.
This is the first time the IDF has said Hezbollah infrastructure has been built “within and adjacent” to UNIFIL posts. In the same statement, the IDF said UNIFIL “infrastructure sites and forces are not a target.”
Israel’s attacks on UNIFIL sites in southern Lebanon have been widely condemned by the international community.
-ABC News’ Dorit Long
Netanyahu approves set of targets for Israel’s reprisal strike on Iran, Israeli source says
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has approved a set of targets for the planned Israeli reprisal strike on Iran, an Israeli source told ABC News.
Israel is planning to respond after Iran attacked Israel with more than 200 missiles on Oct. 1.
The source would not give more details on specific targets and would not comment on whether they are strictly Iranian military targets.
No timeline has been given for the strikes to be carried out.
-ABC News’ Jordana Miller
Risk of cholera outbreak ‘very high’ in Lebanon after confirmed case: WHO
The risk of spread of cholera in Lebanon is “very high” after a case of the acute and potentially deadly diarrheal infection was detected in the country, the World Health Organization said Wednesday.
“If the cholera outbreak … spreads to the new displaced people, it might spread very fast,” Abdinasir Abubakar, the WHO representative in Lebanon, said in a press conference.
-ABC News’ Will Gretsky
Netanyahu says Israel won’t accept ‘unilateral cease-fire’ in Lebanon
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he is opposed to a “unilateral cease-fire” in Lebanon during a call with French President Emmanuel Macron, according to a statement from Netanyahu’s office.
“The Prime Minister said in the conversation that he is opposed to a unilateral cease-fire, which does not change the security situation in Lebanon, and which will only return it to the way it was,” the statement said.
Netanyahu “made it clear” that Israel won’t accept a cease-fire deal in Lebanon “that would not prevent Hezbollah from reorganizing and rearming,” the statement said.
-ABC News’ Jordana Miller
Israel says it killed Hezbollah commander in strike on southern Lebanon
Israel said it killed Hezbollah commander Jalal Mustafa Hariri in a strike on southern Lebanon Wednesday. Hezbollah has not confirmed the death of the commander.
Three people were killed and 54 others were injured in a strike in the Qana and Nabatieh areas, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health.
-ABC News’ Dorit Long and Josiane Hajj Moussa
US announces more sanctions against Hezbollah, Syrian regime
The U.S. has announced another round of sanctions targeting several individuals and companies it accuses of generating funds for Hezbollah’s operations by helping the terror group evade existing financial restrictions.
The Biden administration also announced sanctions against three individuals allegedly involved in the production and trafficking of captagon, a synthetic amphetamine-type stimulant that it says “harms communities and countries across the region and beyond and is a source of funding for the Syrian regime and its backers,” which include Hezbollah.
“The United States is steadfast in our commitment to disrupt Hizballah’s access to the international financial system and its various methods of generating revenue, which the Iran-backed group uses to fund its violence. We will also continue to target the illicit captagon trade in the region, which has become an illicit billion-dollar enterprise operated in part by senior members of the Syrian regime,” the administration said in a statement.
-ABC News’ Shannon K. Kingston
At least 6 killed in strike on Lebanese town headquarters
At least six people were killed and 43 injured in an Israeli strike on Nabatieh, Lebanon, which hit the town’s municipal headquarters during a meeting, according to Lebanese Minister of the Interior Bassam Mawlawi. The city’s mayor was among those killed.
“The targeting of the municipality building in Nabatieh occurred during the coordination of relief work and the preparation of aid for distribution to the residents in the cities and villages of the region who are steadfast in the face of the war they are being subjected to and against Lebanon,” Mawlawi said in a statement.
Local mayor killed in Israeli airstrike in south Lebanon
At least six people were killed and 43 injured in an Israeli strike on the southern Lebanese city of Nabatieh on Wednesday — including the city’s mayor — according to Lebanese health officials.
The strike hit the town’s municipal headquarters and came as officials met to coordinate relief efforts, Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi said.
“The targeting of the municipality building in Nabatieh occurred during the coordination of relief work and the preparation of aid for distribution to the residents in the cities and villages of the region who are steadfast in the face of the war they are being subjected to and against Lebanon,” Mawlawi said in a statement.
Search and rescue teams are continuing to search for survivors under the rubble of the two buildings targeted in the strike.
-ABC News’ Nasser Atta and Guy Davies
Aid trucks enter Gaza, Israeli authorities say
Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories organization said more than 145 aid trucks entered Gaza on Tuesday and 50 on Wednesday, amid allegations that Israel has failed to facilitate humanitarian relief in the northern part of the strip.
COGAT said that four bakeries are operational in northern Gaza, though it is unclear whether humanitarian organizations have been able to distribute any aid into the north.
Dozens of aid organizations published a joint statement Wednesday saying no aid has been allowed into northern Gaza since Oct. 1.
-ABC News’ Nasser Atta, Diaa Ostaz, Jordana Miller and Guy Davies
Aid organizations condemn ‘horrifying level of atrocity’ in Gaza
Thirty-eight NGOs signed a new appeal to the international community to stop Israel’s latest military operation in northern Gaza, which they said has “escalated to a horrifying level of atrocity.”
“Northern Gaza is being wiped off the map,” the organizations said, describing the Israel Defense Forces’ order for civilians to leave the northern part of the territory as “forced displacement under gunfire.”
Around 400,000 people are estimated to be subject to the north Gaza evacuation order. Hospitals — already “overwhelmed” according to the NGOs — and their staff are also being ordered to evacuate, with the IDF declaring the area a dangerous combat zone.
Israeli officials have denied they are implementing the so-called “Generals’ Plan,” a proposal by retired Israeli military leaders to put north Gaza under siege and declare anyone who does not evacuate to be a valid military target.
“The world cannot continue to stand by as the Israeli government commits these atrocities,” the NGOs wrote. “We demand an immediate ceasefire and an end to Israel’s illegal occupation.”
-ABC News’ Guy Davies
IDF claims killing of Hamas drone commander in Gaza
The Israel Defense Forces said Wednesday it killed a Hamas drone commander in an airstrike in the northern Gaza Strip.
The IDF said Mahmoud al-Mabhouh was Hamas’ UAV commander in the northern part of the territory.
The IDF said on social media that Mabhouh was responsible for launching unmanned aircraft towards Israel and against Israeli forces.
Israel resumes Beirut airstrikes
Israel launched its first airstrike on Beirut in nearly a week early on Wednesday.
The Israel Defense Forces claimed a strike “on strategic weapons belonging to the Hezbollah terrorist organization” in the capital’s southern Dahiya suburb. It was the first such attack in the capital since a strike killed 22 people on Oct. 10.
“These weapons were stockpiled by Hezbollah in an underground storage facility in the area of Dahiya, a key Hezbollah terrorist stronghold in Beirut,” the IDF wrote on X.
The strike came shortly after a new evacuation order issued online by IDF spokesperson Avichay Adraee for residents of the Haret Hreik area of southern Beirut.
-ABC News’ Jordana Miller
Hezbollah has the right to ‘target any point’ within Israel, acting leader says
Hezbollah’s acting leader Deputy Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem said Hezbollah has the “right to target any point within the enemy’s entity” in a prerecorded video address released Tuesday.
“The occupation seeks to destroy and eliminate everything that stands in its way, but the resistance is prepared to confront it and establish a new equation based on inflicting pain on the enemy,” Qassem said. “We have the right to target any point within the enemy’s entity, and we will choose the appropriate time and place to do so.”
Delta pauses JFK-Tel Aviv flights through March 31
Delta will pause flights between New York’s JFK International Airport and Tel Aviv through March 31 due to “ongoing conflict in the region,” the airline said Tuesday.
Travel waivers will be issued to customers impacted by the change, the airline said.
“As always, the safety of customers and crew remains paramount,” Delta said. “Customers should be prepared for possible adjustments to Delta’s TLV flight schedule, including additional cancellations on a rolling basis.”
UK issues sanctions in response to continued violence in the West Bank
The United Kingdom announced sanctions against Israeli settler outposts and four organizations in response to “continued violence by extremist Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank,” Tuesday, according to a release from the U.K. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
The sanctions target outposts and organizations “that have supported, incited and promoted violence against Palestinian communities in the West Bank,” the U.K. said in a statement.
“When I went to the West Bank earlier this year, on one of my first trips as Foreign Secretary, I met with Palestinians whose communities have suffered horrific violence at the hands of Israeli settlers. The inaction of the Israeli government has allowed an environment of impunity to flourish where settler violence has been allowed to increase unchecked. Settlers have shockingly even targeted schools and families with young children,” U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy said in a statement.
“Today’s measures will help bring accountability to those who have supported and perpetrated such heinous abuses of human rights. The Israeli government must crack down on settler violence and stop settler expansion on Palestinian land. As long as violent extremists remain unaccountable, the UK and the international community will continue to act,” Lammy said.
Gazan soccer player killed alongside 9 family members
Emad Abu Tai’ma, a 20-year-old Gazan soccer player, was killed alongside nine members of his family, after a strike hit a house in Bani Sahalia where the family was sheltering early Tuesday morning, according to local health officials.
It took rescuers over two hours to free Abu Tai’ma’s body from the rubble, a Gaza Ministry of Health spokesperson told ABC News.
Abu Tai’ma was a soccer player for the Khan Yunis-Tokyo Union for about a year before he was killed, his friend, 19-year-old Mohammed Ibrahim Al-Muzain, told ABC News.
“We studied together in one of the Bani Suhaila schools east of Khan Younis. Imad was a smart student, and he was a famous player even in school. I have not seen him for eight months due to the repeated and continuous displacement. I feel very sad for his loss. He was displaced in a house belonging to the Baraka family, and he is a civilian,” Al-Muzain said.
The Palestinian Football Association confirmed Emad’s death and reflected on his soccer career playing for Ittihad Khan Yunis Club and the Palestinian national soccer team.
“With the passing of Abu Taima, the number of martyrs of the Palestinian sports and scouting movement, as a result of the ongoing Israeli aggression since October 7, has risen to 455 martyrs, including 314 in football (87 children, 227 young men), in addition to 90 martyrs from the Olympic sports federations, and 50 martyrs from the scouting movement. The occupation forces also destroyed 57 sports facilities in the West Bank and Gaza Strip,” the association said in a statement.
-ABC News’ Dia Ostaaz
At least 29 killed in northern Israel amid fighting with Hezbollah
At least 29 civilians were killed in northern Israel amid fighting with Hezbollah, according to the Israeli prime minister’s office.
Twenty-nine Israeli soldiers were also killed in the north, according to the prime minister’s office.
Attacks on hospitals, health workers jeopardize health care in Lebanon, WHO warns
Nearly half of the health care centers and dispensaries in conflict-affected areas in Lebanon are now closed, jeopardizing access to health care, according to the World Health Organization
“Increasing conflict, intense bombardment and insecurity are forcing a growing number of health facilities to shut down, particularly in the south,” the WHO said in a statement Tuesday. “Hospitals have had to close or evacuate due to structural damage or their proximity to areas of intense bombardment.”
The World Health Organization said it has verified 23 attacks on health care in Lebanon, killing 72 and injuring 43 health workers and patients since the escalation of hostilities on Sept. 17.
Fifteen incidents impacted health facilities and 14 impacted health transport, according to WHO.
Northern Gaza cut off from food aid, health systems have ‘all but collapsed,’ aid groups warn
Escalating violence in northern Gaza is having “a disastrous impact on food security for thousands of Palestinian families,” the United Nations World Food Programme warned on Tuesday as aid groups issue sharp warnings.
“The north is basically cut off and we’re not able to operate there,” Antoine Renard, WFP country director for Palestine, said in the release. “WFP has been on the ground since the onset of the crisis. We are committed to delivering life-saving food every day despite the mounting challenges, but without safe and sustained access, it is virtually impossible to reach the people in need.”
Over 90,000 children in Gaza vaccinated in second round of polio vaccine campaign
Over 92,800 children in Gaza were vaccinated on Monday, the first day of the second phase of the polio vaccine campaign, the United Nations Children’s Fund said Tuesday.
“Despite the incredibly complex situation in Gaza, the second phase of Gaza’s polio vaccination campaign began smoothly yesterday, reaching over 92,800 children with polio vaccines and administering Vitamin A to more than 76,000 children between the ages of 2 and 10,” UNICEF said in a statement Tuesday.
“This campaign is crucial not only for preventing the resurgence of polio but also for safeguarding the long-term health of Gaza’s children, who are already facing huge vulnerability due to ongoing conflict, restricted access to healthcare, and malnutrition. Each dose of the vaccine is a lifeline, in an environment where every safeguard counts,” UNICEF said.
The health systems in northern Gaza have “all but collapsed,” United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said.
Lazzarini said they are “unable to reach” UNRWA teams in northern Gaza “due to telecommunications cuts.”
The Israel Defense Forces said they are assisting patients, personnel and hospital staff from Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza “to other functioning hospitals in Gaza,” in a statement Tuesday. An Israeli agency that manages logistics inside of Gaza, including the flow of aid into Gaza, is leading the transfer of patients and staff, the IDF said.
Three hospitals in northern Gaza are inside of the zone where Israeli forces have asked people to evacuate.
The IDF also acknowledged they have been operating “in the Jabalia area” in northern Gaza for “over a week,” in a statement Tuesday. The IDF claims they conducted “targeted raids on dozens of terrorist infrastructure sites in the area, eliminated dozens of terrorists, and confiscated numerous weapons,” in the Jabaliya area during operations there, the statement said.
-ABC News’ Sami Zyara, Diaa Ostaz and Jordana Miller
US sends letter to Israel demanding it improve humanitarian situation in Gaza
U.S. officials sent a letter to Israeli officials demanding that Israel take steps within 30 days to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza, or Israel will face consequences with a potential change in U.S. policy, two Israeli sources confirmed to ABC News.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin sent a letter to Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer and Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant Monday focusing on increasing the supply of humanitarian aid into Gaza by the beginning of winter, facilitating the aid delivery route through Jordan and ending the “isolation” of northern Gaza.
“Failure to demonstrate a sustained commitment to implementing and maintaining these measures may have implications for US policy under NSM-20 and relevant US law,” the letter stated.
The National Security Memorandum, or NSM-20, states the secretaries of State and Defense are “responsible for ensuring that all transfers of defense articles and defense services” by the departments under “any security cooperation or security assistance authorities are conducted in a manner consistent with all applicable international and domestic law and policy, including international humanitarian law and international human rights law,” according to the law.
Deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh confirmed Austin and Blinken sent a letter to their Israeli counterparts over humanitarian conditions in Gaza, but refused to give additional details.
“I can confirm that Secretary Austin with Secretary Blinken, they co-signed a letter that went to their Israeli counterparts. This was personal, private correspondence, so I’m not going to get into more specifics of it, other than it was expressing concern about the humanitarian conditions in Gaza,” Singh said on Tuesday.
The letter was first reported by Israeli media and Axios reporter Barak Ravid.
-ABC News’ Jordana Miller, Dorit Long and Matt Seyler
25% of Lebanon under Israeli evacuation orders, UN says
Over 25% of Lebanon is now under Israeli evacuation orders as Israeli airstrikes continue to increase the number of areas impacted, according to the United Nations refugee agency.
“We have over 25% of the country under a direct Israeli military evacuation order. Just yesterday, we had another 20 villages issued with an evacuation order in the south of the country,” Rema Imseis, U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees director for the Middle East, said Tuesday.
“In a country of that size, which is relatively small, and a population that’s estimated around 5 million people, you can imagine how dramatic it is that over 1 million people are now without shelter and on the move … being forced to flee their homes in search of safety,” Imseis said.
-ABC News’ Guy Davies
‘Impossible’ to separate conflicts in Lebanon and Gaza, Hezbollah leader says
Hezbollah Deputy Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem said it is “impossible to separate Lebanon’s front from Palestine,” in a recorded video address released on Tuesday.
There had been speculation over whether Hezbollah would be open to a cease-fire agreement that didn’t include Gaza.
Israeli officials have asserted that the aim in Lebanon is to return Israelis home to the north and separate the war in the north from the war in Gaza.
-ABC News’ Guy Davies
US troops arrive in Israel to support THAAD deployment
Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said in a statement Tuesday that American troops are already in Israel to support the deployment of a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery to the country.
“An advance team of U.S. military personnel and initial components” required to operate the system arrived in Israel on Monday, Ryder said.
“Over the coming days, additional U.S. military personnel and THAAD battery components will continue to arrive in Israel,” he added.
“The battery will be fully operational capable in the near future, but for operations security reasons we will not discuss timelines,” Ryder said.
-ABC News’ Luis Martinez
10 members of 1 family killed in Khan Younis strike
Ten members of the same family were killed in an airstrike in southern Gaza early on Tuesday, a health ministry official told ABC News.
The strike hit a house in Bani Suhaila, east of Khan Younis, at 12:30 a.m. local time Tuesday morning, local health officials said.
Ten members of the Abu Tai’ma family were killed, including three children aged 7, 8 and 11, a spokesperson for the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry told ABC News.
The Israel Defense Forces is yet to comment on the strike.
-ABC News’ Dia Ostaaz and Guy Davies
Israeli police officer killed in shooting attack
The Israel Police said in a statement Tuesday that an officer was killed in a shooting attack near the southern city of Ashdod.
The attacker shot the officer and then “continued on a shooting spree and wounded four more civilians,” police said. The attacker was then “neutralized by a civilian,” police said.
-ABC News’ Jordana Miller
Netanyahu listening to US ‘opinions’ in Iran attack planning
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday “our national interests” will be the prime consideration in Israel’s response to Iran’s Oct. 1 ballistic missile attack.
Netanyahu was responding to a Washington Post report suggesting he had assured the U.S. that Israel would target Iranian military — and not nuclear or oil infrastructure — targets in its planned retaliation for Tehran’s recent missile barrage.
“We listen to the opinions of the United States, but we will make our final decisions based on our national interests,” the prime minister’s office said in a post on X.
Iran accuses Israel, US of ‘psychological operation’
Iran’s mission to the United Nations has denied “any role in the planning, decision-making, or execution” of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack against Israel, as Tehran braces for an expected Israeli response to its Oct. 1 ballistic missile attack.
In a statement posted to social media, the mission said Iran’s assistance to the “Resistance Front” — which includes forces like Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis in Yemen — is “a matter of common knowledge and an obvious fact.”
“However, dragging Iran or Hezbollah into the Oct. 7 operation represents a fabricated conclusion and a cynical attempt to mislead public opinion — all aimed at covering up the Israeli regime’s major intelligence failure in relation to Hamas,” the mission said.
The mission accused “certain American media outlets” of having “morphed into tools for disseminating this psychological operation.”
Hezbollah began firing into Israel on Oct. 8 in support of Hamas. The group has vowed to continue its attacks until Israeli forces conclude a cease-fire in Gaza and withdraw from the devastated Palestinian territory.
Israel targeting civilian infrastructure in north Gaza, UNRWA chief says
Philippe Lazzarini, the commissioner-general of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, said Tuesday that “two long weeks” of Israeli military operations have “all but collapsed” the health system in northern Gaza.
“Hundreds of Palestinians are reported killed, among them children,” Lazzarini wrote on X. “More than 400,000 people continue to be trapped in the area.”
“We are not able to reach our teams due to telecommunications cuts,” he added. “The U.N. has not been allowed to provide any assistance, including food” since Sept. 30, he said. “The two crossing points into northern Gaza have been closed since.”
The Israel Defense Forces is pressing its operation in north Gaza around the Jabalia refugee camp, which the Palestinian Civil Defense said has been put under “complete siege.” The IDF said Tuesday it had “eliminated dozens of terrorists over the past day” there with the assistance of airstrikes.
Lazzarini said the camp is the worst affected part of northern Gaza. Around 50,000 people have fled, while basic UNRWA services have been interrupted or forced to halt, he added.
“Such attacks, the sabotage of civilian infrastructure and the deliberate denial of critical assistance continue to be used as a tactic by the Israeli authorities to force people to flee,” he said.
“Civilians are given no choice but to either leave or starve.”
“In Gaza, too many red lines have been crossed,” Lazzarini said. “What might constitute war crimes can still be prevented.”
-ABC News’ Jordana Miller
IDF claims 230 strikes in Lebanon, Gaza in 24 hours
The Israel Defense Forces said in a Tuesday statement it struck “over 230 terrorist targets throughout the past day” as it continues its operations in Lebanon and Gaza.
The force claimed to have “eliminated dozens of terrorists in close-quarters combat” and airstrikes in southern Lebanon, along with the dismantling of “Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure” and the discovery of “vast quantities of weaponry.”
In north Gaza, the IDF continued its intense operation around the Jabalia refugee camp. The Palestinian Civil Defense said the area has been put under “complete siege.”
The IDF said its forces “have eliminated dozens of terrorists over the past day” with the assistance of airstrikes.
Fighting is also ongoing in the south of the strip. There, “troops eliminated multiple terrorists and dismantled terrorist infrastructure,” the IDF said.
-ABC News’ Jordana Miller
100 US soldiers will go to Israel with THAAD deployment
On Monday, U.S. Army leaders said the deployment of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery to Israel will include approximately 100 soldiers to operate it.
“The THAAD deployment is going to have about 100 soldiers who will go over to Israel,” Christine Wormuth, the secretary of the U.S. Army said at the Army’s annual AUSA conference.
Wormuth did not provide operational or timing details about the deployment of the THAAD system or its deployment for security and force protection reasons.
“I think we should view this THAAD deployment as for what it is, which is another visible statement of our commitment to the security of Israel as it deals with everything that’s coming at it from Hamas and Hezbollah in Lebanon,” said Wormuth.
A U.S. official told ABC News that discussions about deploying the THADD system to Israel in order to shore up its defenses against ballistic missile barrages have been underway for months.
-ABC News’ Luis Martinez and Shannon Kingston
Northern Gaza still waiting for food supplies, group says
Thirty trucks carrying flour and food entered Gaza on Monday, according to Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), the Israeli agency that oversees logistical coordination within the Gaza Strip.
This aid was meant for northern Gaza, COGAT said. However, a spokesperson for the World Food Programme told ABC News it has not yet reached the people there.
“Israel is not denying the entry of humanitarian aid, with an emphasis on food, into the Gaza Strip,” COGAT said in response to an inquiry from ABC News.
-ABC News’ Jordana Miller and Guy Davies
IDF claims it killed head of Hamas Aerial unit
Samer Abu Daqqa, the head of Hamas’ Aerial Unit, has been killed, the Israel Defense Forces claimed in a statement Monday.
Abu Daqqa was killed during an Israeli airstrike in September, the IDF said, but did not say where the attack took place.
— ABC News’ David Brenna and Julia Reinstein
54 killed, 258 wounded in Lebanon in past 24 hours
In the past 24 hours, 54 people have been killed and 258 have been wounded in Lebanon, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health.
The total number of casualties since Israel’s increased attacks on Lebanon in mid-September is now 2,309 people killed and 10,782 people injured, the ministry said.
A situational report from the Lebanese Prime Minister’s Office on Monday said 200 airstrikes and shellings were recorded in various parts of Lebanon over the past 48 hours.
The Israel Defense Forces said in a release Monday that they found an underground compound in southern Lebanon stocked with “weapons, ammunition and motorcycles ready to be used in an invasion into Israel.”
-ABC News’ Ghazi Balkiz and Jordana Miller
Netanyahu: ‘We will continue to hit Hezbollah mercilessly in all parts of Lebanon’
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel “will continue to hit Hezbollah mercilessly in all parts of Lebanon” while visiting the Golani camp, which was hit by a Hezbollah drone Sunday evening, killing four IDF soldiers and injuring dozens.
“I want to make it clear: We will continue to hit Hezbollah mercilessly in all parts of Lebanon — also in Beirut, all according to operational considerations. We have proven this in recent times, and we will continue to prove it in the coming days as well,” Netanyahu said.
Netanyahu extended his condolences to the families of the fallen soldiers and said he would visit the injured later on Monday.
-ABC News’ Jordana Miller
Doctors Without Borders staffer killed in northern Gaza
A Doctors Without Borders staffer has been killed in northern Gaza, the organization announced Monday.
Nasser Hamdi Abdelatif Al Shalfouh, 31, was struck by shrapnel Tuesday and died of injuries to his legs and chest two days later, according to the organization.
He is survived by his wife and two children.
In a statement, Doctors Without Borders condemned Israeli forces for having “systematically dismantled the health system in Gaza, impeding access to life-saving care for people.”
“He was unable to receive the necessary level of care due to the hospital’s lack of capacity and an overwhelming number of patients in the facility,” the organization said of Al Shalfouh.
Al Shalfouh joined Doctors Without Borders as a driver in March 2023, but had not been able to work for them recently as operations have been impacted by the war, the group said.
He is the seventh Doctors Without Borders staffer to be killed in Gaza since the war began, the organization added.
“We are horrified by the killing of our colleague which we strongly condemn and call yet again for the respect and protection of civilians,” the NGO said. “In this tragic moment, our thoughts are with his family and all colleagues mourning his death.”
Americans in Lebanon should ‘depart now,’ embassy says
American citizens in Lebanon “are strongly encouraged to depart now,” the U.S. Embassy in Beirut said in a new alert Monday.
The embassy has been urging Americans to depart Lebanon via commercial flights in recent weeks. Monday’s warning was the starkest yet.
The embassy noted it had helped add thousands of extra seats to commercial flights to help Americans leave amid the escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.
“Much of this capacity has gone unused,” Monday’s alert said. “Please understand that these additional flights will not continue indefinitely.”
“U.S. citizens who choose not to depart at this time should prepare contingency plans should the situation deteriorate further,” the embassy said.
“These alternative plans should not rely on the U.S. government for assisted departure or evacuation,” the notice read.
The embassy has been warning citizens not to travel to Lebanon since July.
Airstrike kills 18 in north Lebanon, Red Cross says
Eighteen people were killed and four wounded in an airstrike in the town of Aitou in northern Lebanon on Monday, the Lebanese Red Cross wrote on X.Seven Red Cross teams were dispatched to the area in the Zgharta district, the organization said. “Our teams are working to provide first aid and evacuate the wounded,” it added.
-ABC News’ Ghazi Balkiz and Guy Davies
Hezbollah launches dozens of cross-border attacks, marking daily record
Hezbollah issued 38 statements claiming cross-border attacks into Israel on Sunday — the highest tally since renewed fighting began on Oct. 8, 2023, per ABC News’ count.
The attacks included the drone strike on an Israel Defense Forces training base in northern Israel, which killed four soldiers and injured 55.
Hezbollah has expanded its attacks into Israel despite the IDF’s monthslong campaign of targeted killings of top commanders and airstrikes on Hezbollah military facilities and weapons caches.
-ABC News’ Ghazi Balkiz and Guy Davies
IDF claims killing of Hezbollah anti-tank commander
The Israel Defense Forces said Monday it killed a Hezbollah commander responsible for anti-tank missile forces.
The IDF said in a statement posted to social media that Muhammad Kamal Naim was killed in an airstrike in the Nabatieh region of southern Lebanon.
Naim, it said, was responsible for the elite Radwan Force’s anti-tank weapons.
Naim “was responsible for planning and carrying out many terrorist plots, including firing anti-tank missiles at the Israeli rear,” the IDF wrote.
Israel kills 20 in strike on UNRWA school, health ministry says
At least 20 people were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East school-turned-shelter in central Gaza, the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza said.
The school was being used to shelter displaced people in Nuseirat camp, health authorities said. It was bombed on Sunday.
The school was earmarked for use in the planned second round of the Gaza polio vaccination campaign, which was due to begin on Monday.
-ABC News Diaa Ostaz and Guy Davies
10 killed amid ‘total siege’ in northern Gaza
Ten people were killed in shelling at an aid distribution center in the Jabalia camp in northern Gaza on Monday morning, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry in the strip.
The area has been the focus of intense recent Israeli military activity, with the Israel Defense Forces reporting fierce fighting with Hamas militants there.
The IDF has ordered residents of northern Gaza — of whom there are an estimated 200,000 to 400,000 — to leave the region, which it has classified as a military zone.
Hamas is urging residents to stay, suggesting Israel will not allow those who leave to return.
Gaza’s Civil Defense said there was a “complete siege” of Jabalia. Aid agencies have said that no food has been allowed to enter the north of Gaza since Oct. 1.
-ABC News’ Nasser Atta and Guy Davies
Israel to probe deadly drone attack on troops, Gallant says
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant visited the scene of a deadly Hezbollah drone strike in northern Israel on Monday, telling soldiers there the incident “was a difficult event with painful results.”
Four troops were killed and 55 wounded in Sunday’s attack on the Golani Training Base close to the town of Binyamina, some 20 miles south of Haifa.
“We must investigate it, study the details and implement lessons in a swift and professional manner,” Gallant said, according to a Defense Ministry readout.
“We are concentrating significant efforts in developing solutions to address the threat of UAV attacks,” he added
-ABC News’ Jordana Miller
IDF claims 200 strikes on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon
The Israel Defense Forces said Monday its warplanes targeted around 200 “Hezbollah terror targets” in its continuing operation against the Iranian-backed group in southern Lebanon.
The targets included “launchers, anti-tank missile launch posts, terrorist infrastructure and weapons storage facilities containing launchers, anti-tank missiles, RPG launchers and munitions,” the IDF wrote on X.
Ground forces, meanwhile, “eliminated dozens of terrorists in close-quarters encounters and aerial strikes” in their ongoing cross-border incursion, the force reported.
The IDF is still describing its ground operation as consisting of “limited, localized, targeted raids” in southern areas close to the border.
Airstrikes, though, continue across southern Lebanon. Around a quarter of all Lebanese territory is under IDF evacuation orders and some 1.2 million civilians are displaced, according to the government in Beirut.
-ABC News’ Jordana Miller
Hezbollah drone attack on IDF base ‘painful,’ commander says
The Israel Defense Forces identified the four soldiers killed in a Hezbollah drone attack on a training base in the north of the country on Sunday.
Sgt. Omri Tamari, Sgt. Yosef Hieb, Sgt. Yoav Agmon and Sgt. Amitay Alon were killed, an IDF press release said. The strike occurred at the Golani Training Base close to the town of Binyamina, some 20 miles south of Haifa.
Around 55 more are reported to have been injured.
IDF Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Herzi Halevi addressed Golani Brigade troops on Sunday night following the attack.
“We are at war, and an attack on a training base in the rear is difficult and the results are painful,” the commander said according to a post on the IDF’s official Telegram channel.
-ABC News’ Jordana Miller
Israel strike on Gaza hospital kills 4, wounds dozens
At least four people were killed and 40 others wounded Monday in an Israeli airstrike on tents housing displaced Palestinians inside the Al-Aqsa Hospital in the central Gaza’s city of Deir al-Balah, health officials said.
The Israeli military said it targeted militants operating from a command center inside the compound. Israel accuses Hamas of routine use of civilian facilities such as hospitals for military purposes — a charge Hamas denies.
-ABC News’ Will Gretsky
Defense Secretary Austin discusses safety of UNIFIL forces with Israel’s Gallant
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant by phone on Sunday to express his condolences for the IDF soldiers killed in a Hezbollah drone attack and discuss the IDF’s military operations in Lebanon.
According to a readout of the call from the Pentagon, Austin, “reinforced the importance of Israel taking all necessary measures to ensure the safety and security of UNIFIL forces and Lebanese Armed Forces, and the need to pivot from military operations in Lebanon to a diplomatic pathway to provide security for civilians on both sides of the border as soon as feasible.”
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) is a peacekeeping mission in Lebanon established by the U.N. Security Council.
The conversation comes after the IDF has repeatedly fired on the UNIFIL headquarters in southern Lebanon.
Additionally, Secretary Austin “reaffirmed the deep U.S. commitment to Israel’s security,” which he says is demonstrated by the deployment of the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD).
According to the Department of Defense, THAAD employs interceptor missiles, using “hit-to-kill” technology, to destroy threat missiles.
During the call, Austin “again raised concern for the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza and stressed that steps must be taken soon to address it,” the Pentagon said.
At least 3 killed in IDF strike on Gaza hospital
At least three people were killed and dozens more were injured after Israel Defense Forces struck Al Aqsa Hospital in Gaza on Sunday.
