1 journalist killed, multiple wounded in South Lebanon: Day 7 of Hamas-Israel war

Thank you for following our LIVE coverage of Day 7 of the Hamas vs Israel conflict.

We'll be back tomorrow with more news updates and analysis, right here at L'Orient Today.

A senior source at the Lebanese army told L'Orient Today that the killing of Reuters videojournalist Issam Abdallah was "undoubtedly caused by an Israeli projectile".

What we know: Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah was killed in South Lebanon. 

At 8:30 p.m., it was confirmed that six other journalists were injured: Two from AFP, two from Reuters and two from Al-Jazeera.

The names of the injured are as follows:

Thaer Al-Sudani, a journalist from Reuters.

Maher Nazeh, a journalist from Reuters.

Carmen Joekhdar, a reporter from Al-Jazeera.

Elie Brakhya, a cameraman from Al-Jazeera.

Cristina Assi, a photographer from AFP.

Dylan Collins, a video journalist from AFP.

These journalists were killed and injured during a shelling near the village of Alma el-Chaab in southern Lebanon, which was targeted by Israeli shells according to Lebanese security sources. Rockets struck an area where the group of journalists was located.

Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations announced that Israel will investigate Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah's killing on Friday, as reported by Reuters.

"For now, it's too early to say what happened there," he added.

Issam Abdallah was killed and six of his colleagues were injured while they were covering gunfire exchanges at the Israeli-Lebanese border near the village of Alma el-Chaab.

Explosive devices fell in an area where the group of journalists was located, according to an AFP journalist on the scene.

Earlier in the day, the Israeli Army shelled the outskirts of several border towns in southern Lebanon following an explosion at the barrier separating the two countries, according to security sources and an AFP correspondent. A Lebanese security source had reported an "infiltration attempt" from Lebanon. Gunfire exchanges occurred at the border after this attempt, according to al-Manar, Lebanese Hezbollah channel.

The Israeli Army, on the other hand, announced that it conducted artillery fire on Lebanese territory following "an explosion on the border fence." Israeli shelling had already struck the outskirts of the villages of Dhayra and Aalma ech-Chaab, according to AFP correspondents on site.

Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, expressed deep concern "regarding reports of renewed explosions in the UNIFIL area of operations."

Mentioning "distressing reports of one journalist killed and others wounded," he assured that "journalists need to be protected and allowed to do their work."

"UNIFIL leadership [is] actively engaging with leadership on both sides of the blue line to de-escalate," he added.

France raises its level of security alert to the highest level, according to Reuters.

Hezbollah claimed in a statement that the death of a Reuters journalist, and the wounds of 6 others, was the result of a "heinous crime" by Israel.

The group accuses Israel of "targeting a group of journalists at the Lebanese border while they were covering Israeli aggression against Lebanon."

They compare what happened to “a continuation of their criminal aggression against media institutions in Gaza … any attack on the security of our people and the integrity of our country, will not go unanswered and appropriately punished."

The Amal Movement press office also "strongly condemned” the incident.

"The death of Issam Abdallah, a journalist who was doing his job in South Lebanon, is an unacceptable tragedy. Full transparency must be brought to this artillery fire that struck clearly identified journalists and who should therefore be protected as provided by United Nations texts. I join in mourning the Lebanese journalists on this tragic day," President of Reporters Without Borders Pierre Haski told L'Orient-Le Jour.

Vigil for Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah at the National Museum in Beirut. Abdallah was killed this afternoon in South Lebanon. (Credit: Matthieu Karam/L'Orient-Le Jour)

Rawad, a journalist at the vigil, said, “Issam, everyone loved him. What has happened to him is shocking ... Today it was Issam, tomorrow it could be anyone."

"I was in the South today. We thought we were safe with our equipment and our press signs. But no," he added.

Journalists in Beirut hold a vigil for Reuters videographer Issam Abdallah, who has been killed in southern Lebanon.

Our reporter on the ground Matthieu Karam said, "around 50 people are gathered on the grounds of the national museum to pay their respects to the late videographer, killed in south Lebanon, alongside his colleagues who have been injured."

BREAKING NEWS: Reuters news agency officially reports that one of its cameramen, Issam Abdallah, was killed in South Lebanon. The agency adds that two of its journalists, Thaer al-Sudani and Maher Nazeh, were injured.

In an evening statement, caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati announced the death of "press martyr Issam Abdallah."

"The direct targeting of journalists by the Israeli enemy on Lebanese territory is a further disgrace to (Israel's) credit," the statement added.

Hezbollah announced in a statement that it targeted four Israeli positions in and claimed it caused human casualties in the Israeli Army.

Several journalists deployed in South Lebanon have been wounded in an Israeli bombardment, AFP has announced in an alert. Al Jazeera has reported that two of its journalists have been wounded.

More updates to follow.

Head of e-Commerce at MEA Abbas Cherif denied rumors on social networks that Lebanon's Middle East Airlines (MEA) grounded in Istanbul due to security tensions between Lebanon and Israel on the southern border. He told L'Orient-Le Jour that "two planes have been grounded in Turkey, as every year, for maintenance, and this is not related to the security situation in the country."

"We're in the low season, and we don't need them," he continued.

The Lebanese Army stated in a statement that "the Israeli enemy targeted a vacant Lebanese army observation post situated on the outskirts of the town of Aalma el-Chaab." The army said that "this post is utilized periodically for missions and security measures," and reassured that no soldiers were injured.

Israel destroyed a Lebanese Army observation post in the village of Dahaira with no human casualties recorded, a Lebanese Army source told L'Orient Today. The source added that there is an ongoing clash taking place now at the border between the Israeli side and unidentified people on the Lebanese border.

The Israeli army shelled the outskirts of several border towns in southern Lebanon on Friday afternoon, residents in the area confirmed to L'Orient Today.

A Lebanese security source reported that the bombardment followed an "infiltration attempt" from Lebanon to Israel. The Israeli Army announced that it fired artillery into Lebanese territory after "an explosion on the border fence" between the two countries, according to AFP.

Israeli Army warns of gunmen infiltrating from Lebanon in the western section of the border, Reuters reported.

Update from occupied West Bank: At least 9 Palestinians killed

At least nine Palestinians have been killed today by Israeli fire across the occupied West Bank during rallies in solidarity with war-battered Gaza, the Palestinian Health Ministry says.

AFP correspondents and a security official reported clashes in Ramallah, Nablus, Tulkarm, Hebron and other cities and towns across the West Bank, nearly a week after a massive Hamas attack on Israel's south spiraled into an all-out war.

At least 44 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank in violence related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since Saturday, according to the Health Ministry.

By Friday afternoon, the ministry reported "nine martyrs by occupation [Israeli] bullets in the West Bank" and some 130 wounded across multiple locations, some critically.

At least three of the deaths were in Tulkarm.

In Beit Furik, near Nablus, a 14-year-old boy was killed, medical sources told AFP.

Deaths were also recorded in Beit Ula, Tammun, Bethelem and Hebron, the Health Ministry said in separate statements.

A demonstrator with a Palestinian flag painted on her face takes part in a march to express solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, in Beirut, Lebanon, on Oct. 13, 2023. (Credit: Mohamed Azakir/Reuters)

The United States is negotiating with Israel and Egypt to open the Rafah crossing for foreigners, including Americans, wishing to leave the Gaza Strip, a senior US official said Friday, according to AFP. "That's what we're discussing with Israel, and we're continuing to discuss that with Egypt," said the official, traveling with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, who is visiting Arab capitals. 

Voices from southern Lebanon: 'At your orders, Nasrallah'

In Nabatieh, teenage girls from the area, wearing keffiyehs on their heads, say they have come for Palestine. “At your orders, Nasrallah,” they chant, with raised fists, as our journalist on the ground, Lyana Alameddine, watches. At the same time, they say they fear the war will spread to Lebanon. “There is so much tension,” they say.

Israel eases import rules to expedite entry of needed goods amid war

Israel's Economy Ministry says dozens of imported products will be exempt from inspection and other approvals to facilitate their entry into Israel and help to prevent shortages during the war with Palestinian militant group Hamas, Reuters reports.

Importers, it said, will be exempt from producing a certificate of compliance with the conditions of the standards to which they are routinely obliged that typically allow for the release of a shipment from customs supervision. However, the exemption from official approval does not exempt the importer from the obligation to comply with the requirements of the standard, but only from the obligation to produce a standard approval upon importation, it added.

The list of goods included in the exemption are those with a high import priority for release. It includes clothing, civilian protective equipment, emergency drinking water, storage containers, rechargeable and backup batteries, optical products and others. The ministry said it could add more items if needed.

Vatican offers to mediate 

The Vatican has offered to mediate between Israel and Palestinian militants for the release of hostages in Gaza and to facilitate peace, but said the Israeli response to the "inhuman" Hamas attack must respect "proportionality," Reuters reports, citing Vatican media.

In an interview with Vatican media, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican's secretary of state, said the Holy See remains firmly convinced that a two-state solution is the only way to guarantee lasting peace in the region.

"The release of Israeli hostages and the protection of innocent lives in Gaza are at the heart of the problem created by Hamas' attack and the response of the Israeli army," said Parolin, who is the Vatican's top diplomat and No. 2 after Pope Francis in the Holy See's hierarchy.

"They are at the center of all of our concerns: the pope and the entire international community. The Holy See is ready for any necessary mediation, as always," he said.

Voices from southern Lebanon: 'Vengeance! Vengeance!'

In the Palestinian refugee camp of Rashidieh near Sour, hundreds of Palestinian refugees, waving Palestinian flags, cry out for vengeance against "the Israeli enemy."

"Vengeance! Vengeance!" they chant, praising at the same time the actions of the Ezzeddine al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas,  a video sent by our correspondent Muntasser Abdallah shows.

Voices from southern Lebanon: 'We've been glued to the news'

Zeinab Sabah, a 30-year-old resident of Nabatieh, came with her two children to express her solidarity with Gaza. "We've been glued to the news for seven days and haven't slept. We are happy with the action of the resistance," she tells our journalist.

Another resident, speaking on condition of anonymity, recalls the "injustice" suffered by the Palestinian people. "I hope the day will come when we put an end to Israel," she says. "Hezbollah will defend all of Palestine, not just Hamas," she adds.

Eyewitness account from south Lebanon

Hundreds of demonstrators flock to Jerusalem Square in Nabatieh with their families, reports our journalist Lyana Alameddine. The demonstrators wear keffieyehs around their necks, and carry the Hezbollah flag, Lebanese flags and Palestinian flags. A replica of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem decorates the square. A portrait of former Hezbollah military leader Imad Mughniyeh, assassinated in Syria in 2008, is also on display. "Death to Israel," chants a man with a microphone. The crowd immediately takes up the chant. Here, a barrier separates the men from the women. Ambulances are stationed nearby. "There is no other solution but to bring the invader to his knees," shouts a man in front of the crowd. "Hezbollah is coming, beware, Zionist," he shouts again.

(Image credit: Caroline Hayek)

BREAKING: Israel's military says it intercepted rocket fire from Gaza toward northern Israel, Reuters reports. Earlier, Hamas’s armed wing said in a statement reported by Reuters that it had launched rockets towards Israel’s north in response to “forced displacement and massacres of civilians in Gaza.”

Smoke is seen as Palestinians take part in a protest following Israeli strikes on Gaza, in Nablus, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Oct. 13, 2023. (Credit: Raneen Sawafta/Reuters)

Voices from Gaza: 'We are still at home … we are hostages'

"We may not decide to go. Whatever happens, it will happen..." says Alaa, a young woman in Gaza, after the Israeli army ordered more a million people to evacuate northern Gaza. "Hamas is neither forcing us to stay nor to leave. If we are directly bombed, we will come out. But the question is: To go where? Where to find a car? For the moment, we are still at home … . There is no safe place. And even if Israel tells us to evacuate, we cannot trust it because it targets us at any time. We are hostages."

Asked during a news conference with his US counterpart Lloyd Austin whether Tehran consented to the weekend Hamas onslaught from Gaza, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said: "It doesn't matter ... [because] the idea is an Iranian idea."

As fighting raged into its seventh day, Gallant said Palestinian civilians "who want to save their lives" must heed Israel's warning to evacuate southward in the enclave — amid UN warnings that the humanitarian crisis there could spiral.

He declined, however, to answer a reporter's question on whether Israel — which has signaled that a ground invasion could follow its current air barrage on Gaza – would stick to the 24-hour evacuation notice it issued this morning.

"This is a war for the existence of Israel as a prosperous state, as a democratic state, as homeland of the Jewish people," Gallant said.

"We are fighting for our home. We are fighting for our future," he said. "The path will be long, but ultimately, I promise you, we will win." 

The Rafah crossing is still closed, and the US is talking to Israelis and Egyptians about getting people out, the White House's John Kirby, assistant to the US secretary of defense for public affairs, says on CNN according to Reuters.

BREAKING: Palestinian Health Ministry says three Palestinians have been shot dead in the occupied West Bank by Israeli forces, Reuters reports.

A few hundred demonstrators gathered today in the center of Beirut in front of the Mohammed al-Amin mosque following Friday prayers to show solidarity with Gaza. They carried signs bearing the slogan "Beirut, Lebanon, Palestine," according to images sent to L'Orient Today by photographer Hassan Assal.

Voices from southern Lebanon: 'We're going to liberate Palestine and Jerusalem'

In southern Lebanon, on a hill overlooking the Israeli town of Metula in the Upper Galilee, the Lebanese Army checks the identities of passersby. Two men on scooters ride through the streets. Hassan, 26, speaks to our reporter on the ground, Lyana Alameddine, saying, "We're not afraid. We want it to blow up, because we're going to liberate Palestine and Jerusalem. We're resisting, and we're ready all the time. In fact, no one has left here."

Ali, who says he's part of the "resistance," says he's here to show his support for the Palestinians. "We're not leaving the territory. We have suffered a lot from the Zionist enemy, and I hope that with these developments, we will achieve a result: that the Palestinians will get their land back," he says, adding that Israel "has been afraid of Hezbollah since 2006."

(Image credit: Mohammad Yassin)

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin speaks from Israel, reiterating US support for Israel and describing it as "iron clad."

Austin adds that Hamas "takes evil to a higher level" than Islamic State, AFP reports

This picture taken on Oct. 13, 2023 shows flyers dropped by the Israeli military over Gaza City, warning residents to flee "immediately" to the south. A map featured on the flyers shows an arrow pointing south across a line in the central Gaza Strip. The message signed by the Israeli military ordered residents to "evacuate public shelters in Gaza City." Some 423,000 Gazans have been displaced in recent days, 60 percent of whom are taking shelter with the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA). (Credit: Mohammed Abed/AFP)

Yoav Gallant, Israel's defense minister, says Israel will receive a second munitions airlift today, Reuters reports. The news agency also cites Gallant as saying the Gaza war is for the existence of Israel as a prosperous, democratic, Jewish homeland.

The US White House’s John Kirby says moving Gazans in 24 hours will be a tall order: MSNBC interview

Image: Large numbers of Jordanians gather to express solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, in Amman, Jordan, on Oct. 13, 2023. (Credit: Alaa Al Sukhni/Reuters)

Image: Police officers keep watch as Jordanians gather in a rally to express solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, in Amman, Jordan, Oct. 13, 2023. (Cedit: Alaa Al Sukhni/Reuters)

'Tantamount to a second Nakba' 

Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas has warned against a "second Nakba" catastrophe facing Palestinians after the Israeli army ordered more than 1 million people to evacuate north Gaza.

Abbas "completely rejects the displacement of our people from the Gaza Strip, because it will be tantamount to a second Nakba for our people," he said, according to a statement published by the official Palestinian news agency Wafa.

The Nakba, or "catastrophe," refers to some 760,000 Palestinians who fled or were expelled from their homes during the 1948 war that coincided with Israel's creation.

Hundreds of demonstrators marched after Friday prayers in the Palestinian refugee camp of Beddawi, in Tripoli, North Lebanon, to express their solidarity with Gaza, our local correspondent Michel Hallak reports.

(Image credit: Courtesy of Michel Hallak)

In front of the al-Khawla mosque in Baalbeck, a few dozen Hezbollah supporters have gathered to express their solidarity with the Palestinians, according to our correspondent in the Bekaa, Sarah Abdallah.

(Image credit: Sarah Abdallah)

'Fully prepared' and 'following developments at every moment'

"Everyone is waiting to see what Hezbollah is going to do. Hezbollah knows its responsibilities. We are fully prepared and are following developments at every moment. We will take part in this operation, according to our plans and vision, in due time," Hezbollah's Naim Qassem said, without given any further details.

Solidarity demonstration in Beirut: Demonstrators responded by shouting, "Nasrallah, our beloved, strike and destroy Israel," when Hezbollah's deputy leader Naim Qassam said, "The whole nation must participate, with the means available, in this operation of confrontation with Israel. We support and endorse the Al-Aqsa Flood operation."

"Your end will be similar to that of Daesh," the Hezbollah No. 2 Naim Qassem threatened Israel, using the Arabic acronym of the Islamic State group. Yesterday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to crush Hamas like the Islamic State group. 

"Your ships do not frighten us, nor do your weapons, nor do your declarations. We will be on the lookout for you and confront you so that the resistance continues," Naim Qassem tells Hezbollah supporters gathered near the Mojtaba mosque in Beirut's southern suburbs. The US has deployed the USS Gerald R. Ford, the largest aircraft carrier in the world, to the eastern Mediterranean in support of Israel.

'Al-Aqsa Flood is a success on every level': Hezbollah deputy leader 

"Operation Al-Aqsa Flood is a success on every level and a unique historical milestone. It will be immortal for the future and a landmark for all resistance fighters. It will bring us closer to the liberation of Palestine," Hezbollah's No. 2, Naim Qassem, says in a speech to the crowd gathered near the Moujtdaba mosque in the southern suburbs of Beirut.

BREAKING: Israel's death toll in war with Hamas rises to over 1,300: Israeli army

Solidarity protest in Beirut: 'If Nasrallah asks us to go to the border and sacrifice our children, we'll do it'

Several thousand Hezbollah supporters are currently shouting their solidarity with Palestine in front of the Moujtaba mosque, close to the Sainte-Thérèse hospital in Hadath, in the southern suburbs of Beirut. Among them are many women waving Palestinian, Hezbollah and Lebanese flags. They have also chanted their allegiance to Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, while partisan chants blared from loudspeakers. Demonstrating with her three children, a woman dressed all in black told our reporter, Emmanuel Haddad, that "if Nasrallah asks us to go to the border and sacrifice our children, we'll do it."

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas tells US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken in Amman that humanitarian corridors into Gaza must be allowed immediately, Reuters reports, citing the Wafa news agency. Abbas is also cited as saying he rejects the forced displacement of the Palestinian people in Gaza.

Image: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken shake hands with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, in Amman, Jordan, Friday Oct. 13, 2023. (Credit: Jacquelyn Martin/Pool via Reuters) 

BREAKING: Israel's call to move more than 1 million civilians in northern Gaza within 24 hours is "horrendous," says the UN's agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA.

Peacekeepers from the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) patrol the border area between Lebanon and Israel in the Khiyam area of southern Lebanon, on Oct. 13, 2023. (Credit: Joseph EID/AFP)

Arab League chief says Israeli evacuation order is 'a crime beyond comprehension' 

The order given by Israel to Palestinians to move to the south of the Gaza Strip is "a forced transfer" and constitutes "a crime beyond comprehension," the head of the Arab League, Ahmed Aboul Gheit said today, AFP reports.

In an urgent letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Aboul Gheit added that "what Israel is committing is not a planned or studied military operation to uproot the groups responsible for the attacks against it, but an atrocious act of vengeance … to punish the powerless civilians in Gaza."

Erdogan to Macron: Violation of human rights in Gaza unacceptable

Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron discussed the humanitarian situation in the conflict between Israel and Palestinians during a phone call today, the Turkish presidency said.

Erdogan told Macron that the violation of human rights in Gaza against civilians was unacceptable and Western countries needed to take steps to ease tensions, it said in a statement posted on messaging platform X, formerly Twitter.

Today, Hamas and Hezbollah called for a day of "general mobilization" in support of the Palestinians in Lebanon. Several gatherings are planned.

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Meta says it is taking steps, including removing praise and substantive support for Hamas from its platforms, after the European Union reprimanded social media companies for not doing enough to tackle disinformation. 

Read more about its steps here.

Meta takes steps to remove Hamas-related disinformation

Palestinian solidarity demonstration in Beirut

Bahij also came to demonstrate in front of the Moujtaba mosque with his son Hassan, dressed in military fatigues.

"All the countries of the world are united against Hezbollah. But the answer will come when the time is right," he tells our reporter, Emmanuel Haddad.

(Image credit: Emmanuel Haddad)

At a demonstration in Beirut's southern suburbs, Ramia Fakih was one of the first to respond to Hezbollah's call, our journalist Emmanuel Haddad reports from outside the Moujtaba mosque, near the Sainte-Thérèse hospital in Hadath. "We are all with the Palestinians. I expect Hezbollah to go all the way down to Jerusalem," she says, a Palestinian flag and keffiyeh around her neck.

(Image credit: Emmanuel Khoury)

BREAKING: Israeli army drops leaflets urging Gazans to flee immediately, AFP reports.

Thousands gathered in Amman to express their solidarity with Gaza, AFP reports.

An emergency responder carries a wounded child in a hospital following Israeli airstrikes in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, on Oct. 13, 2023. (Credit: Said Khatib/AFP)

Evacuation: 'We understand it won't take 24 hours," Israeli army says

Israel's military has admitted it will take time for Palestinians to follow its orders to evacuate north Gaza, but did not confirm a UN report that it had set a 24-hour deadline.

"We are trying to provide the time and we are doing a lot of effort, and we understand it won't take 24 hours," army spokesman Daniel Hagari told journalists.

"I will not say [if] it's an accurate time," he added, when asked to confirm the army had informed UN officials Gazans had 24 hours to flee.

The United Nations earlier today warned the displacement of 1.1 million residents from northern Gaza could lead to "devastating humanitarian consequences," while the World Health Organization said it is impossible to evacuate vulnerable patients.

Russian President Vladimir Putin says that a ground operation in Gaza would lead to "unacceptable" civilian victims, AFP reports.

The Mufti of Lebanon Abdel-Latif Derian has invited the country's 27 Sunni MPs to a meeting in support of “Gaza, its inhabitants and their struggle.” According to the state-run National News Agency, this meeting is to be held on Saturday at 11 a.m. at Dar al-Fatwa in Beirut.

Jordan's king, Abdallah II, warned on X against any attempt to forcibly displace Palestinians from all Palestinian territories or cause their internal displacement. He also called for preventing a spillover of the crisis into neighboring countries and the exacerbation of the refugee issue.

In a statement published by the Royal Court's account on social media platform X, Abdallah II urged opening urgent humanitarian corridors for medical and relief aid to Gaza, and called for protecting civilians, de-escalating the conflict and ending the war on the enclave.

Jordan's king met US Secretary of State Antony Blinken earlier this morning.

BREAKING: The Lebanese Army is deployed on the Lebanese-Israeli border, according to the state-run National News Agency (NNA). The troops have placed roadblocks at the entrances to the village of Kfar Kila to prevent "foreigners" from accessing the region. The deployment comes ahead of anticipated pro-Palestinian demonstrations today, the NNA added. Hamas and Hezbollah have called for a day of mobilization in Lebanon today in support of Palestinians in the face of the ongoing Hamas-Israel war.

UN rights office calls on all states, especially those with any influence, to insist on the full respect of international law in the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Evacuation order 'death sentence' for severely ill: WHO

WHO says Gaza Health Ministry has told it that it is impossible to evacuate vulnerable hospital patients from northern Gaza, Reuters reports.

WHO says that moving severely ill people in Gaza, including those on life support, amounts to a 'death sentence.' 

447 children killed in Gaza

Some 447 children have been killed in Gaza airstrikes so far, UNICEF says, adding that this number may already have risen, Reuters reports.

258 Israeli soldiers killed since Hamas attack: Israeli army

At least 258 Israeli soldiers have been killed in fighting against Palestinian militants since Hamas militants attacked Israel on Saturday, the Israeli army says.

"The bereaved families of 258 fallen soldiers have been formally notified," army spokesman Daniel Hagari told a press briefing, revising up an earlier toll of 169 slain troops.

Militants in the Gaza Strip fired hundreds of rockets towards Israel this morning, an AFP journalist reported, as the Israeli military continued pounding the Palestinian enclave with airstrikes. A barrage of rockets were fired within the past 15 minutes, the correspondent said.

Image: Rockets are fired from Gaza towards Israel on Oct. 13, 2023. (Credit: Mohammed Salem/Reuters)

Palestinians carry a person injured in an Israeli airstrike in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, on Oct. 13, 2023. (Credit: Said Khatib/AFP)

The United States "must control Israel" if they want to avoid a regional war, Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said during a visit to Beirut today, according to comments reported by AFP. He also affirmed that Iran wants to preserve Lebanon's security. “Security and peace in Lebanon are important to us,” is quoted as saying.

World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says hospitals in Gaza are at "breaking point."

Israel's Foreign Ministry says a staffer at its Beijing Embassy was assaulted today.

The person is in stable condition and is being treated in hospital, the ministry's statement says.

The attack did not happen within the embassy compound itself, the statement adds, which is just one embassy over from that of the United States and in an area with a number of other embassies and a heavy police presence.

An investigation into the attack is underway, the statement says. 

BREAKING: Thousands take to the streets of Iran's capital in support of Palestinians, AFP reports.

Thousands of Iraqis have poured onto the streets of Baghdad today in support of Palestinians amid Israeli airstrikes on Gaza in reprisal for a deadly Hamas attack, state television reported.

"No to the occupation! No to America!" chanted the demonstrators, who had gathered in Tahrir Square after Shiite leader Moqtada al-Sadr called for a demonstration "in support of Gaza" and against Israel, an AFP journalist reported.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has met with Jordanian King Abdullah in Amman, the second stop of his most extensive Middle East tour yet as Israel prepares for a sweeping ground offensive in Gaza, Reuters reports.

Today alone, Blinken is set to visit three more countries: Qatar, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, where he will spend the night. Before departing Amman for Doha, he is set to meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

Supporters of Iraqi Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr gather during a protest in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, in Baghdad, Iraq, on Oct. 13, 2023. (Credit: Ahmed Saad/Reuters)

A member of the Muslim community in Japan holds a placard with Palestinian flag, during a rally in support of Palestinians near Israeli Embassy in Tokyo, Japan, on Oct. 13, 2023. (Credit: Issei Kato/Reuters)

“Hezbollah and Hamas have been promising us this for a long time. We are much stronger than in 2006” — our journalist LyanaAlameddine talks to residents of Beirut's southern suburbs, asking them how they feel about the prospect of Hezbollah entering a confrontation with Israel. Read what they had to say: 

‘We are much stronger than in 2006, Hezbollah has become the world’s largest army’

‘We are much stronger than in 2006, Hezbollah has become the world’s largest army’

BREAKING: Hamas's Ezzedine al-Qassem Brigades say 13 captives have been killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza in the last 24 hours, Reuters reports.

Iran's foreign minister meets with Nasrallah

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian was received this morning by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, according to a press release issued by the party.

According to the statement, discussions between the two focused on developments in the region as well as on responsibilities and positions to take “in the face of these historic events and these dangerous developments” in Gaza and the region.

Image: This handout picture provided by Hezbollah's media office on Oct. 13, 2023, shows Lebanese Shiite group's secretary-general, Hassan Nasrallah (2nd-right) meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian (2nd-left) at an undisclosed location in Lebanon. (Credit: Hezbollah's Media Office/AFP)

UPDATE: Lebanon's southern border
The Israeli army’s GLZ radio station announced via X that two interceptor missiles had been launched in northern Israel at a detected airborne object, which, as a result, retreated in the direction from which it had come. It added that "noises of explosions were heard in the Matzuva area" of northern Israel.

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency meanwhile reported that two interceptor missiles were fired from Israel over southern Lebanon's Naqoura area this morning, and that Israeli aircraft were frequently flying over the border region.

Separately, Al-Jazeera’s correspondent reported that three explosions were heard in the vicinity of the Lebanese town of Zahajra on the border with Israel.

Image: The concrete barrier between Lebanon and Israel near the southern Lebanese border town of Marwahin. There are 13 points of dispute along the so-called Blue Line, the frontier demarcated by the UN in 2000 after Israeli troops withdrew from southern Lebanon. (Credit: Christina Assi/AFP)

Hamas is asking Gazans to stay at home following the Israeli army's evacuation order, asking them to "stand firm in the face of the sickening psychological warfare" waged by Israel, says the Associated Press.

Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian is meeting with Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati at the Grand Serail in Beirut.

(Image: Credit: Anwar Amro/AFP)

US defense secretary arrives in Israel

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has arrived in Israel for a visit aimed at showing solidarity with a country still reeling from a devastating Hamas attack that has left thousands dead.

Austin will meet with officials including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant during the visit to Israel — his third as Pentagon chief — which follows one yesterday by Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Britain's foreign office has updated its travel guidance to tell its citizens in Gaza to follow Israeli advice and relocate to southern Gaza within the next 24 hours.

"The Israeli military announced on the morning of 13 October that the entire population of Gaza north of Wadi Gaza should relocate to southern Gaza within the next 24 hours," the update posted on the government website said. "We advise following this advice issued by the Israeli authorities. We recognize this is a fast-moving situation that poses significant risks." 

Palestinians carrying their belongings flee to safer areas in Gaza City after Israeli airstrikes, on Oct. 13, 2023. (Credit: Mahmud Hams/AFP)

Israel's Foreign Ministry says it expressed "deep disappointment" in a call with the Chinese envoy to the Middle East over China's lack of condemnation of Hamas's weekend attack, Reuters reports.

"The ambassador expressed Israel's deep disappointment with Chinese announcements and statements about the recent events in the south, where there was no clear and unequivocal condemnation of the terrible massacre committed by the terrorist organization Hamas against innocent civilians and the abduction of dozens of them to Gaza," the ministry's statement reads.

Palestinians line up to fill their containers with water in Gaza City on Oct. 13, 2023. (Credit: Mohammed Abed/AFP)

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has arrived in Jordan, where he will meet King Abdullah and Mahmoud Abbas, head of the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank. Blinken spent yesterday in Israel, meeting with the state's leaders.

It is "pathetic" that Western leaders are calling on Israel to further bomb Gaza, says Palestinian envoy to Japan, Walid Siam.

More than 400,000 displaced in Gaza; 23 aid workers killed: UN

The UN humanitarian office (OCHA) says that more than 400,000 people have now fled their homes in the Gaza Strip and 23 aid workers have been killed since the start of Israeli retaliatory strikes in response to a deadly Hamas incursion on Saturday, Reuters reports.

The agency launched an appeal for nearly $294 million to help some 1.3 million people in Gaza and the West Bank, of which nearly half is programmed for food aid as supplies run out.

"Mass displacement continues. In the Gaza Strip, the cumulative number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) increased by 25 percent over the past 24 hours, now exceeding 423,000, of whom over two-thirds are taking shelter in UNRWA schools," OCHA said, referring to the UN Palestinian refugee agency.

It said 23 aid workers had so far been killed since the weekend, including 11 health workers and 12 UNRWA employees. 

Israeli police are deploying additional forces, around 2,500 officers and volunteers, to Jerusalem in preparation for Friday prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque today, according to Israeli newspaper Haaretz. These will be the first Friday prayers to take place since the outbreak of the war on Saturday.

Iran's foreign minister lands in Lebanon

Iran's foreign minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian arrived in Beirut last night, where he was received by Hezbollah and Hamas among other pro-Iran groups.

He is scheduled to meet Lebanese officials on Friday before heading to Damascus.

Speaking from Beirut's airport, the top diplomat said that Iran's regional allies, known as the "axis of resistance," could respond if Israel's Gaza offensive escalates, Reuters reports.

"The continuation of war crimes against Palestinians and Gaza will receive a response from the rest of the axis," he told reporters.

On the matter of a second front being opened in the war, according to a statement from the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Abdollahian had this to say during a meeting yesterday with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani: "Officials of some countries contact us and ask about the possibility of a new front [against Israel] being opened in the region. … We tell them that our clear answer regarding future possibilities is that everything depends on the actions of the Zionist regime in Gaza."

Human Rights Watch yesterday accused Israel of using white phosphorous munitions during its military operations in Gaza and Lebanon, saying the use of such weapons exposes civilians to the risk of serious and long-term injury. White phosphorus ignites when exposed to oxygen. The use of such munitions against civilians prohibited, but not against military targets.

Asked about the allegations, the Israeli military said it was "unaware of the use of weapons containing white phosphorous in Gaza." However, it did not comment on the human rights organization's allegations regarding the use of these weapons in Lebanon.

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) says it has moved its central operations center and international staff to southern Gaza to continue its humanitarian operations and support its staff and Palestinian refugees. “We urge Israeli authorities to protect all civilians in UNRWA shelters, including schools,” the agency said on the X social media platform.

A recap of the most important developments in the conflict over the past 24 hours

-The Israeli army has ordered the evacuation of "all civilians from Gaza" to the south of the Palestinian enclave on the seventh day of the war between Israel and Hamas. The UN has called for the order to be rescinded on humanitarian grounds.

-The humanitarian situation is increasingly dire in Gaza. Hospitals lack electricity and are gradually turning into “cemeteries,” the International Committee of the Red Cross warned yesterday. Gaza's only power plant stopped operating on Wednesday due to a lack of fuel following the complete siege imposed by Israel.

-Isreal's emergency government formed on Wednesday indicates that it will not let humanitarian aid into Gaza until Hamas has freed the Israeli hostages it has been holding since Saturday. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged that the Palestinian movement would be “crushed ” like the Islamic State group.

- The Israeli army yesterday claimed to have launched 6,000 bombs weighting at total of 4,000 tons since the start of the conflict, and is considering a ground operation in Gaza.

- On the Palestinian side, more than 1,400 people have been killed so far, and thousands more injured.

BREAKING: In a statement, the Israeli army calls for "the evacuation of all civilians in Gaza City from their homes to the south for their own safety and protection and to move to the area south of Wadi Gaza," a stream located south of the city. “You will only be allowed to return to Gaza City when another announcement allowing this is made,” the army added.

Evacuation order

UN officials working in Gaza were informed by the Israeli military "that the entire population of Gaza north of Wadi Gaza should relocate to southern Gaza within the next 24 hours," Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN secretary-general told AFP, adding that this amounts to approximately 1.1 million people.

Dujarric said the same order applied to all UN staff and those sheltered in UN facilities — including schools, health centers and clinics.

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) is sheltering more than 60 percent of the 423,000 people displaced in recent days in the Gaza Strip.

It was not immediately clear how many people were currently located north of Wadi Gaza.

"The United Nations considers it impossible for such a movement to take place without devastating humanitarian consequences," Dujarric said.

"The United Nations strongly appeals for any such order, if confirmed, to be rescinded avoiding what could transform what is already a tragedy into a calamitous situation."

A Security Council meeting on the conflict has been called for today.

Hello,

We're resuming our live coverage of the war between Hamas and Israel this morning, as Israel reportedly informs United Nations officials working in Gaza that 1.1 million residents of northern Gaza should relocate to the south of the territory within 24 hours.