Israeli attack on Gaza school kills at least 19, including children
- Israeli attack kills at least 19 Palestinians, including children, at UNRWA school sheltering displaced people in Jabalia, in northern Gaza.
- Israeli forces have threatened residents to leave part of the Bekaa region in eastern Lebanon, warning that they will target that area.
Palestinians in Gaza face ‘catastrophic’ hunger this winter: UN
Some 345,000 Palestinians in Gaza will face “catastrophic” levels of hunger this winter after a fall in aid deliveries, according to a UN-backed assessment warning of a persistent risk of famine across the Palestinian territory.
This is up from the 133,000 people currently categorised as experiencing “catastrophic food insecurity”, according to a classification compiled by UN agencies and NGOs.
A surge in humanitarian assistance this summer had brought some relief to Gaza Palestinians, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report said, but September saw the lowest volume of commercial and humanitarian supplies entering the enclave since March.
As a result, it projected that the number of people experiencing catastrophic food insecurity – IPC Phase 5 – between November 2024 and April 2025 to reach 345,000, or 16 percent of the population.
The recent “sharp decline” in aid “will profoundly limit the ability of families to feed themselves and access essential goods and services in the coming months, unless reversed”, the report said.
Iranian and Egyptian leaders call for end to escalation in Gaza and Lebanon during rare visit
Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi have warned against further regional escalation during a rare meeting in Cairo.
The visit marks the first time an Iranian foreign minister visits Egypt since 2013, and comes as part of a regional tour following Israel’s threats to retaliate for an Iranian missile attack on October 1.
Iran’s official news agency reported that the two countries agreed to “intensify efforts to end the crimes in Gaza and the aggression against Lebanon”.
Relations between Egypt and Iran have been improving gradually after years of strain, with increasing diplomatic exchanges over the past year.
Araghchi’s tour has already included stops in Lebanon, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Iraq, Oman, and Jordan, with Turkey expected to be his next destination.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry warns against any attack on Iranian nuclear facilities
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov warns against any “hypothetical” Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities, saying it would be “catastrophic”, Russian state news agency TASS reports.
“We have repeatedly warned and continue to warn, to caution [Israel] against even hypothetically considering the possibility of a strike on nuclear facilities and nuclear infrastructure [of Iran],” Ryabkov said.
“This would be a catastrophic development and a complete negation of those postulates in the area of ensuring nuclear safety that exist,” he added.
Israeli officials have been debating possible responses to an Iranian missile attack on Israel earlier this month.
As Israel bombs Lebanon, Lebanese police try to expel Syrian refugees
On September 23, Israel bombed the home of Syrian refugee Fadi Shahab in south Lebanon.
He and his family were in the yard when they felt the ground shake. Then, they saw smoke and flames engulf their roof.
“A missile was launched from Israel and came just within 100 metres [109 yards] from where I was standing,” Shahab, 46, told Jazeera. “I was scared for my wife and children, so we decided to flee right away.”
Shahab quickly hopped on a motorbike with his wife and two younger children, while his other children jumped on a second motorbike – five squeezed together on a single seat – and followed him northwards.
Under the buzzing of Israeli warplanes, they wove through congested traffic and the mounting rubble obstructing the roads.
Italy says UNIFIL crucial to stability in region
Italy’s Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said the UN peacekeeping mission to Lebanon (UNIFIL) is vital to ending war in the region and needs to be strengthened, not withdrawn.
“Israel needs to understand that these (UN) soldiers are not working for any one side. They are there to help maintain peace and promote regional stability,” Crosetto told the parliament.
He said the UNIFIL mandate resolution was last revised in 2006 and needed updating.
“UNIFIL is a complex mission with a mandate that is difficult to implement, has inadequate rules of engagement and forces that are not equipped for the current conflict,” he said.
Crosetto’s comments come after Netanyahu says UNIFIL should temporarily “get out of harm’s way”.
However, Crosetto said the UN peacekeepers were a “key piece for the stability of the entire Middle East”.
“If we cannot even find the strength to have a strong, unified international action in a place like this, we probably won’t succeed anywhere,” he said.
Israeli military says Jabalia school air raid a ‘precise strike’
The Israeli military has provided the names of 12 fighters that it claims were at the site of an air raid that hit a school-turned-shelter in Jabalia, killing at least 19 people.
The army said in a statement on Telegram it had conducted a “precise strike on an operational meeting” for Hamas and Islamic Jihad (PIJ).
“These terrorists were involved in rocket attacks against Israeli territory, as well as in planning and committing terrorist attacks against IDF troops and the state of Israel in recent days,” it said, without providing evidence.
