The Israeli Army is allegedly preparing to attack Gaza from 'air, sea and land'; two civilians killed in South Lebanon: Hamas-Israel war day 8

Thank you for following our LIVE Blog on day 8 of the Israel-Hamas war. L'Orient Today will be back with more updates tomorrow morning. 

Mohamad Abu Lobda from Gaza told L'Orient Today on Saturday: "Our situation is hard but in the coming few days, it will be even harder. Our life has become paralyzed. We are facing the biggest water crisis the Gaza strip has ever faced."

"We only have God. The world has failed Palestine," he concluded.

French Minister of Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna will travel to Beirut on Monday afternoon as part of a regional tour, confirmed a French source to L'Orient-Le Jour.

There are no further details available regarding the agenda of the high-ranking official's visit at the moment.

Ahmad Hisham, a photojournalist based in Gaza, told L'Orient Today on Saturday: "I want to explain to you how the humanitarian situation is in Gaza now, but the internet is very bad. It's stopping me from telling you how our situation is." He lost connection after this statement.

The closing ceremony of the Bayeux Prize, which honors war correspondents, paid tribute to Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah, according to President of Reporters Without Borders Pierre Haski's post on X (formerly Twitter). Abdallah was killed by an Israeli shelling on Friday while covering tensions at the southern border of Lebanon.

The tribute was extended to six other journalists from AFP, Al-Jazeera and Reuters who were injured by the shelling.

A Hezbollah spokesperson confirmed to L'Orient Today that their "military bases in south Lebanon are under Israeli attack."

Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that "the Israeli Army has struck the military infrastructure of Hezbollah on Lebanese territory following shots fired towards Israel."

Hezbollah confirmed the death of one of its members, Ali Alaeddine (known by his military name as Jawad Ali), following "clashes" with the Israeli Army.

Hezbollah announced in a statement, "the martyrdom of one of its members during the heroic clashes with the Zionist enemy."

AFP called on Israel and Lebanon for "a thorough investigation" into the attack the previous day in which two of its journalists were wounded and one from Reuters was killed, as announced by its management in a statement.

"It is crucial that all efforts be made to determine how a group of journalists clearly identified as such and duly accredited could be targeted in this manner," said AFP CEO Fabrice Fries in the statement.

The Israeli Army is allegedly preparing to expand its "campaign" in Gaza to include attacks from "air, sea and land", Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported.

Citing an announcement from the Israeli Army, Haaretz added: "Israeli Army battalions and soldiers are deployed all over the country and are prepared to increase readiness for the next stages of the war, with an emphasis on a significant ground operation."

The Israeli military has also assessed the need for a ground incursion into the Gaza Strip. This would require penetrating deep into Gaza to reach representatives of Hamas. Operational considerations surrounding the offensive have not yet been decided, including many considerations discussed with the political establishment, as reported by Haaretz.

The Israeli military spokesperson stated that there have been 279 confirmed military casualties and 126 confirmed hostages in the Gaza Strip, according to Reuters.

"France offers its condolences and thoughts to the loved ones, families and colleagues of the journalist killed in the line of duty in Lebanon. It wishes a swift recovery to the injured colleagues," announced a spokesperson for the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In a statement, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs indicated that France "reaffirms its unwavering commitment, worldwide, in support of press freedom and the protection of journalists. We pay tribute to all those working to defend independent and free information and call for their protection," the statement concluded.

Several Lebanese press unions are calling for a demonstration tomorrow, Sunday, at 12 p.m. in front of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) headquarters in downtown Beirut. 

The leader of Hamas says "no to displacement" of Palestinians from Gaza, as reported by AFP.

This is the position that Hamas reiterated several times.

The Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that "Israel has revealed its intentions by openly asking the inhabitants of Gaza, which includes 2.3 million Palestinians, to leave Palestine."

In a statement carried by the Syrian news agency Sana, Syrian diplomacy stated that "Israel has effectively initiated the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians, their removal from their land and the arrival of Israeli settlers." It further calls on Washington and the West "not to take sides in this crime."

Smoke plumes rising above buildings during an Israeli strike on Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Oct. 14, 2023. Hamas launched a large-scale attack on Israel on Oct. 7, which killed at least 1300 people, sparking a retaliatory bombing campaign that has killed more than 1900 people in the Gaza Strip ahead of a potential Israeli ground invasion of the territory. (Credit: Said Khatib/AFP)

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) spokesperson Adnan Abu Hasna told L'Orient Today that they are "no longer able to keep track of the number of people who fled to UNRWA schools seeking safety in Gaza."

"However, the most pressing issue now is that Gaza strip is running out of water. People are now drinking contaminated water. People are also fleeing from the north of Gaza, to the south of Gaza for safety. However, the south of the city can't contain this huge number of people. We are running out of fuel and food products ... our situation is very dangerous and is getting out of control," he added.

Palestinians with foreign passports arrive at the Rafah gate hoping to cross into Egypt as Israel's attacks on the Gaza Strip continues on Oct. 14, 2023. (Credit: Said Khatib/AFP)

Palestinian woman covers sleeping children with a blanket as they take refuge in a United Nations (UN) school, Rafah refugee camp, south of Gaza on Oct. 14, 2023. (Credit: Mohammed Abed/AFP)

The US government encouraged its citizens in Gaza to move south closer to Egypt's Rafah crossing. This was to be ready for its possible reopening amid the humanitarian crisis in the coastal enclave after a Hamas attack in Israel drew Israeli military retaliation, according to Reuters. 

Kassem Hachem, a member of the parliamentary bloc of the Amal Movement, informed our correspondent Mountasser Abdallah that "the Red Cross was unable to reach a house hit by the shelling because it is too close to the border."

Mr. Hachem added that "if people were living in that house, they are most likely dead."

Other local residents report that several houses have been hit.

Hezbollah's Al-Manar channel correspondent claimed that "over 350 shells" were fired by the Israeli military at the areas near Shebaa Farms. 

Israeli authorities instructed civilians in Gaza to evacuate their homes and take refuge in the southern part of the enclave ahead of the highly likely launch of a military offensive.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Israeli infantrymen outside the Gaza Strip, his office said in a statement.

An accompanying video showed him saying, "You ready for the next stage? The next stage is coming."

He did not elaborate in the video, which showed the infantrymen nodding in response to his question, as Reuters reported.

The Turkish Foreign Minister says Egyptian authorities are coordinating with Israel to get aid through border to Gaza, Reuters reported.

The German Foreign Minister said he is working with Egypt and Israel to find solutions for German citizens in Gaza to leave to Egypt.

"Israeli military aircraft have attacked a group of terrorists attempting to infiltrate Israeli territory during a mortar fire incident in the Mount Dov area," stated Israeli newspaper Haaretz, citing the Israeli Army. They added that residents in the area have been ordered to seek shelter.

An Israeli military spokesperson stated that approximately 30 mortar shells were fired into Israeli territory, with some landing in Lebanon.

In response, the military targeted the firing areas and "identified the terrorist unit they suspected was about to fire an anti-tank missile and attacked it," stated Haaretz.

Smoke in disputed area of Shebaa Farms during exchanges of fire between Hezbollah and Israel in southern Lebanon, Oct. 14, 2023. (Credit: Joseph Eid/AFP)

5 Israelis wounded by mortar shelling, one in critical condition, according to Israeli newspaper Haaretz.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi stated in a telephone conversation with his American counterpart Antony Blinken that Washington should "play a constructive and responsible role" in the Israel-Gaza conflict, according to AFP.

"The United States must concretely play a constructive and responsible role by putting the political settlement issue back on the table as soon as possible," Wang Yi told Antony Blinken, according to a statement from the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah's funeral, Lebanese Army update at 4:30 p.m.

1 - Approximately a thousand people attended the funeral of 37-year-old journalist Issam Abdallah, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike the day before. The attack occurred on the sidelines of the conflict that erupted eight days ago between Hamas and Israel, resulting in the tragic loss of life and stirring strong emotions among his family and colleagues.

2 - Israel has not officially acknowledged responsibility for the journalist's death and claimed to launch an investigation since Friday. In contrast, the Lebanese Army accused the Israeli military for Abdallah's death on Saturday afternoon, referring to a "rocket that targeted a civilian press vehicle." The Lebanese government announced that it will report the "intentional murder" of the journalist to the United Nations Security Council. Hezbollah criticized the perceived bias of the UN, the White House, Reuters and all parties that did not connect the fatal bombing to Israel.

3 - The fragile calm at the southern Lebanese border was disrupted around 4 p.m. by a new exchange of fire. Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the fire from the Lebanese side, which, according to them, targeted Israeli positions opposite Kfarchouba and Chebaa Farms. The Israeli military responded to the attack. Earlier in the morning, the Israeli Army had claimed to thwart an incursion attempt from Lebanon.

4 - In an afternoon statement, the Lebanese government blamed Israel for the current escalation in southern Lebanon. The Israeli military emphasized that the "Lebanese government will be held responsible for all attacks launched from Lebanon" against Israeli territory. Around the same time, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian declared during a press conference in Beirut that it was up to Hezbollah "to decide whether to open a new front or respond to a crime." The rising tension convinced Lufthansa and its subsidiary Eurowings to temporarily suspend their flights to Beirut. The German airline also paused its chartered flights for repatriating German citizens to Israel, citing security concerns.

5 - The human toll of the war continues to rise, with over 1,300 casualties on the Israeli side and more than 2,200 on the Palestinian side. The people of Gaza, deprived of water, electricity and humanitarian aid due to the Israeli blockade, are living through a nightmare and were urged by the Israeli army to evacuate their homes and head to the southern part of the territory before the launch of a military offensive. However, the Red Crescent stated that it could not evacuate al-Quds hospital in Gaza City. Efforts to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza continue, with new aid flights arriving in the Sinai Peninsula.

6 - The armed wing of Hamas, which launched rockets at Sderot and other targets on the outskirts of the Gaza Strip, claimed that nine hostages, including four foreigners, were killed by Israeli airstrikes in Gaza over the past 24 hours. The Israeli military stated that it killed another senior Hamas official in one of its recent operations.

7 - On the international front, Riyadh decided to halt discussions on a potential normalization with Israel and notified the United States. Beijing also stressed that the United States should play a "constructive and responsible role" in the Israel-Gaza conflict during a telephone conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who is currently on a regional tour in Saudi Arabia.

In response to the events on Friday, United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) stated in a press release on Saturday, "We cannot say with certainty how a group of journalists covering the events was hit, resulting in the death of one of them."

"If the situation continues to deteriorate, we will likely witness more tragedies of this nature. Any loss of civilian life is a tragedy and should be avoided at all times," UNIFIL added.

"That's why we urgently call on everyone to cease fire and allow us, as peacekeepers, to contribute to finding solutions," the statement concluded, expressing condolences to the family of Issam Abdallah.

Hezbollah said in a statement that it hit "Zionist positions in the occupied Chebaa Farms," naming four specific areas.

"The missiles and artillery fire reached their targets, causing direct and specific damage," the Shiite party continued.

When contacted, a spokesperson for the party refused to disclose more information at this time.

A spokesperson for United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) informed L'Orient Today that "exchanges of fire and strikes" occurred in the eastern part of the border between Lebanon and Israel, near the town of Kfarchouba.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah's al-Manar channel reported that "the Resistance's artillery is targeting an area affiliated with the Israeli enemy."

It added that the Shiite party has reached Israeli positions opposite Kfarchouba and the Chebaa Farms through missiles and artillery fire, and has been subjected to missile counterattacks from the Israeli side.

Missiles were fired at Israeli army post in south-eastern Lebanon, according to Reuters.

Al-Qassam Brigades announced that Israeli airstrikes killed nine more prisoners, including four foreigners, during the past 24 hours. This raises the total number of Israeli prisoners killed by Israeli fire to 29, according to an official Hamas telegram channel.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society received an order from Israeli forces on Saturday with a new deadline to evacuate its Al-Quds hospital in Gaza by 4 p.m. local time, according to a statement relayed by Reuters.

The initial deadline given was 6 a.m. local time, but was later extended.

The association said they cannot evacuate the hospital and it is obliged under a humanitarian mandate to continue providing services to the sick and wounded, the statement added.

The Lebanese Army, in a statement, states that "the Israeli enemy fired a rocket that targeted a civilian press vehicle, leading to the death of the video journalist Issam Abdallah" and the injury of five others.

"The enemy also fired missiles from a helicopter, artillery fire, as well as phosphorus and flares" near Marwanieh, Aita al-Chaab, Kfar Shuba, Adaisseh, and Marjayoun, according to the army.

"The army continues to prepare and take necessary measures in the border areas of southern Lebanon," the statement concludes.

Members of the Lebanese Parliament, representing Sunni Muslim MPs, held a meeting at Dar al-Fatwa today, at the invitation and under the chairmanship of the mufti of the republic, Sheikh Abdul Latif Derian. "The meeting was dedicated to discussing the mass massacres committed by the Israeli enemy in Gaza and all Palestinian territories, as well as the repeated assaults on Lebanese territory, which have reached the level of genocide in Gaza," a statement from Dar al-Fatwa noted.

New aid flights have arrived in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula where relief materials are being held until safe delivery into the nearby Gaza Strip can be secured, Reuters reports an official from the Red Crescent and an aid volunteer as saying.

Egypt says its side of the Rafah crossing that connects Sinai with the Gaza Strip remains open, though traffic has been halted for several days because of Israeli bombardments on the Palestinian side of the border.

Lebanese Foreign Ministry files complaint with UN over Israel's killing of Issam Abdullah

Lebanon will file a complaint with the United Nations Security Council for the "intentional Israeli murder of the Lebanese journalist martyr Issam Abdallah," as well as for the other journalists who were injured on Friday, the Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced.

In a statement reported by the National News Agency, the ministry denounces "a blatant aggression, a crime against freedom of expression, journalism, and human rights."

The text places the responsibility for the current escalation in southern Lebanon on Israel. The Lebanese Foreign Ministry concludes, "If this situation is not resolved, the region can ignite, threatening international peace and security."

'We will continue to do the same': Journalist at Issam Abdullah's funeral

Salman al-Andary, a Sky News journalist present at Issam Abdullah's funeral, said, "Issam was someone who loved life. When we were in Ukraine or Iraq, he was the first to check on us, to tell us to be careful. I don't know what to say."

"It's an Israeli crime. Issam was targeted. Issam conveyed the truth, and we will continue to do the same," the journalist added, his voice hoarse.

Image: (Credit: Mohammed Yassin)

Qatar has categorically stated its rejection of any attempt to forcibly displace the Palestinian people from the Gaza Strip, according to Reuters.

Israeli military tells Gaza City residents 'not to delay' departure

The Israeli military says Gaza City residents must not delay their departure before a military offensive starts as roads out of the northern part of the territory were again jammed with people leaving, AFP reports.

Military spokesman Richard Hecht said there is a "window" for safe passage to south Gaza between 10.00 a.m. and 4.00 p.m. Without saying how many days the window would remain, Hecht told reporters: "We know this is going to take time, but we recommend people not to delay."

“There is not a person who was not moved by his passing,” our correspondent Mohammad Yassin reports from the funeral of Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah.

Abdullah's body was wrapped in a Lebanese flag with two roses placed on it. Colleagues of Issam Abdallah were present, as well as several MPs. Other journalists who knew him also made the trip from Beirut.

Image (Credit: Mohammad Yassin)

In pictures: The funeral procession of journalist Issam Abdallah, in Khiam, South Lebanon. (Credit: Mohammad Yassin)

“Any Israeli aggression on Lebanon will be followed by a harsh and rapid response, without hesitation,” warns Nabil Qaouk, a member of Hezbollah’s central council.

In comments reported by the Lebanese National News Agency, Qaouk said, "Hezbollah is not afraid of fleets and is not threatened by aircraft carriers. It will be where it needs to be and will do what [it needs] to do." He also estimated that “the West has dropped its mask” and “showed its hypocrisy …. This does not surprise us.”

Israel, Egypt agree to allow US citizens leave Gaza today: US

Egypt and Israel have agreed to let US citizens leave the Gaza Strip through the Rafah crossing today as Israel carries out strikes against Hamas, AFP reports a US official as saying.

The two US partners agreed to keep the sole crossing from Gaza to Egypt open from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. (0900-1400 GMT), said a US official accompanying Secretary of State Antony Blinken on a regional tour, adding that Qatar spoke with Hamas to encourage cooperation.

The funeral procession of Issam Abdallah, the Reuters journalist killed yesterday in South Lebanon during Israeli strikes, has begun in Khiam.

UPDATE: Gaza death toll rises to 2,215, including 724 children, AFP reports, citing the Gaza Health Ministry

Israeli ground forces massed near Gaza have made "localized" raids into the enclave "to cleanse the area of terrorists and weaponry" and try to find "missing persons," the Israeli army says, according to AFP.

Diplomatic efforts: Jordan's King Abdullah is leaving today for a European tour to garner support to "end the war on Gaza," Reuters reports, citing the Jordanian foreign minister.

Palestinians, who fled their houses amid Israeli strikes, shelter at a United Nations-run school, after Israel's call for more than 1 million civilians in northern Gaza to move south, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on Oct. 14, 2023. (Credit: Ahmed Zakot/Reuters)

BREAKING: Response 'up to the Resistance,' says Iranian foreign minister in Beirut

"It is up to the Resistance [Hezbollah] to decide whether to open a new front or respond to a crime. They set the conditions they desire," Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian says from Beirut. During a press conference at the Iranian Embassy in the Lebanese capital, he added, "The security of Lebanon matters to everyone, including Iran. Opening a new front is possible, depending on the circumstances."

He added that in the event of a "delay" by the international community and the United Nations in responding, "the response will be determined by the Resistance as needed."

The Iranian foreign minister concluded by saying, "This response will change the map of the occupied territories."

Any use of the border crossing from the Gaza Strip into Egypt will be in coordination with Israel, the Israeli military spokesperson said today, Reuters reports.

"Regarding Gaza, the crossings are closed. The borders are closed, and any movement or crossing to Egypt will be in coordination with us and in contact with us. For now, this issue is not happening," said Israeli military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari.

BREAKING: 324 Palestinians have been killed and 1,000 others wounded in Israeli airstrikes in the past 24 hours, Reuters reports, citing Gaza's Health Ministry. 

Yesterday, Israel issued an order for the evacuation of 1.1 million people from northern Gaza ahead of a widely anticipated ground operation in the enclave.

The Israeli army has expressed its "deep regret for the death of a journalist in Lebanon," AFP reports.

The funeral of Issam Abdallah, a Reuters videographer who died as a result of the Israeli bombing in the Aita-al Chaab region in southern Lebanon, is scheduled to take place this afternoon in Khiam, southern Lebanon.

Yesterday, the Israeli ambassador to the United Nations said his country would investigate what had happened in southern Lebanon.

Image: Reuters' journalist Issam Abdallah holds a cat in the city zoo following bombing, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Mykolaiv, Ukraine on April 8, 2022. (Credit: Ueslei Marcelino/Reuters)

BREAKING: "The Lebanese government bears responsibility for every attack launched from Lebanon towards our sovereignty," Arabic-speaking Israeli army spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, says in a statement on X, formerly Twitter.

"Anyone who tries to cross the border into our lands will be killed," he adds.

Image: Palestinians, who fled their houses amid Israeli strikes, shelter at a United Nations-run school — after Israel's call for more than 1 million civilians in northern Gaza to move south — in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on Oct. 14, 2023. (Credit: Ahmed Zakot/Reuters)

Rockets fired today from the Gaza Strip fell on an “education center” and a section of train track in Sderot, southern Israel, without causing any casualties, according to Haaretz. Israeli media reported at around 10 a.m. that sirens had sounded in several towns located on the edge of the enclave.

Saudi-Israel normalization stalled, source tells AFP

Saudi Arabia has suspended talks on potentially normalizing ties with Israel, AFP cites a source familiar with the discussions as telling the news agency. 

"Saudi Arabia has decided to pause discussion on possible normalization and has informed US officials," AFP quotes its source as saying.

Image: Palestinians search for casualties under the rubble in the aftermath of Israeli strikes in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on Oct. 14, 2023. (Credit: Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters)

Russian senior diplomat may discuss hostages with Hamas: RIA

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov may meet Hamas officials in Qatar next week and discuss a possible release of hostages seized by the militant group in its attack on Israel a week ago, Reuters cites the Russian state news agency RIA as reporting.

Bogdanov reportedly told RIA he was heading to Qatar and usually met with Hamas every time he was there.

"If they wish, we always maintain contact. Moreover, in this situation, this [meeting] is useful for resolving practical issues, including the release of hostages," Bogdanov is quoted as saying.

Russia has drafted a United Nations Security Council resolution calling for a humanitarian cease-fire. President Vladimir Putin said yesterday that an expected Israeli ground assault on Gaza would lead to an "absolutely unacceptable" level of civilian casualties.

Jordan’s foreign minister says move by Israel to impose new displacement of Palestinians means pushing region to "abyss" of a wider conflict, Reuters reports. 

Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi also said Israel's blocking of humanitarian aid to Gaza and forcing its residents to leave their homes as it escalates its military action are a "flagrant" breach of international law.

BREAKING: WHO chief Tedros says a plane with WHO medical supplies to support urgent health needs in Gaza has landed in al-Arish, Egypt, Reuters reports.

Tedros adds that his organization is ready to deploy the supplies as soon as humanitarian access through the crossing is established.

Image: Palestinians queue to fill containers with water in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on Oct. 14, 2023. Israel has cut off water, fuel and food supplies to the enclave. Thousands of people, both Israeli and Palestinian, have died since Oct. 7, 2023, after Hamas militants based in the Gaza Strip entered southern Israel in a surprise attack, leading Israel to declare war on Hamas in Gaza on Oct. 8. (Credit: Mahmud Hams/AFP)

Evacuation: 'Totally impossible to implement'

The EU's top diplomat, Josep Borrell, today said that an Israeli order to evacuate more than a million people from northern Gaza in a single day was “totally impossible to implement.”

“Imagining that we could displace a million people in 24 hours in a situation like that of Gaza can only result in a humanitarian crisis,” AFP quotes him as saying. He also said that the only feasible long-term strategy is to pursue the creation of an independent and internationally recognized Palestinian state.

More than 1,300 buildings have been destroyed in Gaza, AFP reports the UN as says.

The UN's humanitarian agency OCHA said "5,540 housing units" in those buildings were destroyed, and nearly 3,750 more homes were so badly damaged they are uninhabitable.

Hezbollah denounced this morning the "partiality" and "willful blindness" of the UN, UNIFIL, the White House spokesperson, Reuters and several other media outlets, whom the group claims “knowingly prohibited” themselves from citing the party responsible for the death of Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah, who was killed yesterday by Israeli fire on the border between Lebanon and Israel.

“Israel is the responsible party … indisputably,” Hezbollah's statement reads, adding that “other local and international journalists” witnessed the bombing.

Six other journalists who were injured in the attack.

“We don’t hope for war, of course, but when a war breaks out, we are prepared, morally, for anything that might happen. We understand what an enemy operation on Lebanon means and we are not afraid.”

Our reporter Sally Abou AlJoud talks to Lebanese living abroad as fears of the country being drawn into conflict rise. Read what they had to say: 

Lebanese diaspora anxious over tension back home

Lebanese diaspora anxious over tension back home

Image: A scene from Beirut's airport. (Credit: Joao Sousa)

Last night, the German airline Lufthansa announced the suspension of its connections to Beirut until Oct. 16, according to a spokesperson for the German air carrier cited by AFP. Eurowings, the low-cost subsidiary of Lufthansa, has made the same decision, according to information relayed by several media outlets.

The Arabic-speaking Israeli army spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, says in a statement on X, formerly Twitter, that the Israeli military neutralized a group trying to cross into Israeli territory from Lebanon. Recently, the Israeli military "reconnaissance units" detected a similar group attempting to infiltrate Israel from Lebanon, and "an operation effectively eliminated the cell along with several terrorists."

Image: Palestinians search for casualties under the rubble in the aftermath of Israeli strikes in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on Oct. 14, 2023. (Credit: Mohammed Salem/Reuters)

BREAKING: The Israeli army has struck a group of militants attempting to cross the border from Lebanon, Israeli daily Haaretz reports. AFP, meanwhile, reports this morning that the Israeli army is saying "terrorists" were killed in a foiled entry from Lebanon.

Cries of "Free Palestine" rang out in New York yesterday, as thousands of protesters took to the streets to denounce Israeli bombings in the Gaza Strip. Protests also took place in other US cities, including Washington.

Calling for an end to "Israeli occupation" and the "liberation" of the Palestinian territories, protesters took up multiple blocks in a city that serves as a crossroads for religions and nationalities spanning the world.

The largely youthful protest — which drew demonstrators of all origins, some sporting Palestinian flags and keffiyehs — accused Israel of "genocide" and called for the US to withdraw support for its Middle Eastern ally.

Image: Protesters hold a demonstration in support of Palestinians and calling for an end to Israel's military actions in Gaza during a march organized by the Palestinian Youth Movement in Washington, DC, Oct. 13, 2023. (Credit: Saul Loeb/AFP)

A senior military commander of Hamas who headed the Islamist group's aerial operations in Gaza City has been killed in Israeli airstrikes, the Israeli military said last night, AFP reports.

Murad Abu Murad was killed over the past day when fighter jets struck an operational center of Hamas from where the group carried out its "aerial activity," the military said. There was no immediate confirmation from Hamas.

Hello, 

We resume our live coverage this morning of the Hamas-Israel war.