Israeli air attack kills Lebanon mayor as north Gaza siege continues
- An Israeli air attack on Nabatieh, in southern Lebanon, has hit a local government building, killing at least five people, including the town’s mayor.
- The Israeli siege of northern Gaza continues for a 12th day, with rights groups warning that the assault has escalated to a “horrifying level of atrocity”.
‘Entire families have disappeared’ in northern Gaza siege
It’s day 12 of the Israeli military’s major attack in northern Gaza with the Jabalia refugee camp bearing the brunt of ground assaults and bombardment.
Hospitals have received about 350 bodies since the attack began, according to Dr Mounir al-Bursh, the director-general of Gaza’s Health Ministry.
More than half the dead are women and children and many bodies remain in the streets and under the rubble, with rescue teams unable to reach them because of Israeli strikes.
“Entire families have disappeared,” said al-Bursh.
Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 42,400 people since October 2023, according to the ministry.
Hezbollah claims it hit Israeli forces near border
The Lebanese group says it attacked a gathering of Israeli soldiers in Maskaf Am with artillery shells.
Hezbollah also claimed an attack on the settlement of Karmiel with a barrage of rockets.
Iran’s president urges Muslim countries to unite against Israel
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has exhorted Muslim countries to come together against Israel.
“If we, Islamic countries, are united with each other, the Zionist regime will not dare to commit crimes so easily,” the president’s website quoted him as saying during a phone conversation with the ruler of Oman, Sultan Haitham bin Tariq.
Pezeshkian praised Oman’s stance regarding “Israeli crimes” in Gaza and Lebanon and demanded more pressure on those supporting Israel.
There was no immediate report in Omani state media on the call. Oman has long served as an interlocutor between Iran and the West.
‘There will always be deliveries’: Germany assures Israel of arms supplies
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has promised Israel further arms deliveries for its ongoing military offensives in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon.
“There are deliveries and there will always be further deliveries. Israel can rely on that,” Scholz said in remarks to parliament. The chancellor said Germany must keep Israel “in a position to defend its country”.
“Israel can rely on our solidarity – now and in the future,” he added.
Scholz said humanitarian aid for civilians in Gaza is still needed, and rules of international law had to be observed in conflicts in the Middle East.
Is Netanyahu more popular in Israel because of war?
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces international condemnation for his war on Gaza, and now Lebanon.
Yet opinion polls suggest his domestic popularity is rising from record lows. What does the future hold for Netanyahu and Israel?
‘Still pulling people out of the rubble’ in Lebanon’s Nabatieh
We’re hearing from sources that Israel’s attack on the southern Lebanese town was on a regular civic meeting in the local municipality building.
There was a concentrated period of Israeli air strikes, not just on the mayor’s meeting but also residential buildings around the area. Rescue teams are still pulling people out of the rubble. Six people have now died, including the mayor.
The strike comes after Nabatieh was attacked a few days ago where its historic marketplace was completely destroyed by fire. It was so severe rescuers had to wait a few hours before they could get to the people trapped inside.
Oxfam says more than 80 percent of food aid failing to reach people in Gaza
A new report on conflict-fuelled hunger by the UK-based charity says nearly half a million people in Gaza are starving during the ongoing war in the coastal enclave.
“As conflict rages around the world, starvation has become a lethal weapon wielded by warring parties against international laws, causing an alarming rise in human deaths and suffering,” Emily Farr, Oxfam’s food and economic security lead, said in a statement.
“Nearly half a million people in Gaza – where 83 percent of food aid needed is currently not reaching them – and over three-quarters of a million in Sudan are currently starving as the deadly impact of wars on food will likely be felt for generations.”
Oxfam called on the international community, including the UN Security Council, to hold accountable those responsible for “starvation crimes” under international law.
Iran, Jordan top diplomats meeting over regional tensions
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is meeting with the Jordanian counterpart Ayman Safadi as part of a regional tour to de-escalate regional tensions, reports Al Jazeera’s Mohammed Jamjoom.
Before the stop in Amman, the top Iranian diplomat visited Syria, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon.
“At every stop, Araghchi stressed Iran wants peace but added that Tehran will retaliate should Israel attack his country,” said Jamjoom, reporting from the Jordanian capital.
The region is on edge as Israel has promised to retaliate after Iran launched 180 ballistic missiles against it earlier in October. The salvoes were in response to the killing of prominent allies to Iran, including Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh and Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah.
“Will get more updates later on what Iranian and Jordanian officials discussed – it is worth noting though that Jordan has grown much more critical,” Jamjoom said, noting that Jordan urged countries that want de-escalation to stop supplying arms to Israel.
