Children among dead after convoy attacked as thousands flee Gaza - live updates

War looks set to enter 'next stage' after week of fighting

The Israeli military announced it was ready for "coordinated strikes from air, sea and land" in Gaza tonight, after Benjamin Nyetanyahu said his troops were "ready" for the next stage of military action in the territory.

Israel's retaliatory strikes have crushed hundreds of buildings in Gaza and killed more than 2,200 Palestinians.

Many in Israel continue to mourn the more than 1,300 left dead in attacks by Hamas, while families of hostages pray for their loved ones to return.

(AP)

Lack of water adds to misery in Gaza as Israeli airstrikes continue

Severe water shortages are worsening the situation in Gaza, leaving families struggling as missile strikes fall around their homes.

When water does trickle from pipes, it is said to last no more than 30 minutes each day and is so contaminated with sewage and seawater that it's undrinkable, according to residents.

Laila Abu Samhadaneh, 65, said from her three-room home in the southern town of Rafah: "I don't know what we're going to do tomorrow, we're going crazy."

The UN Palestinian refugee agency has called the water crisis a "matter of life or death." Commissioner general Philippe Lazzarini has warned that "people will start dying of severe dehydration" if access is not restored soon.

Boy, 6, mauled to death by lion after getting trapped in zoo cage with predator

Families of Israeli hostages light candles in Tel Aviv as they demand answers

Desperate times in Gaza hospitals

Scenes of terror and chaos have been playing out inside Al-Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza, where services are being stretched to breaking point.

Dr Ghassan S. Abu-Sittah warned there is an “impending public health catastrophe” following orders from Israel to evacuate more than one million people to the south before launching an offensive.

(INSTAGRAM /)

'Not only have I seen a baby beheaded by Hamas, I held it in my hands'

Fresh horrors of the Hamas massacre emerged today as Israeli soldiers carried on with the painstaking task of recovering bodies.

As soldiers bagged up the dead, an officer at Be’eri Kibbutz described how police had fought to the death against the terrorist onslaught of a week ago. And he talked of the attack as an “inside job”, after one survivor told him some of the Hamas fighters had been men allowed to leave Gaza to work on kibbutzim in the past two years.

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(Tim Merry/Mirror)

'Rockets are 400 metres away... we don't sleep, we don't know if we will wake up'

It was only one short sentence but it spoke a thousand words about the terror being felt by so many people.

“If in the morning we are alive, feel free to call me,” Basel Sourani wrote, having said there had been two close air strikes. The Palestinian’s message came after he told of being holed up in darkness in Gaza as rockets exploded nearby.

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A man holding a young girl and a baby runs from the site of an Israeli rocket attack in Al- Shati refugee camp in the west of Gaza City (MOHAMMED SABER/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

British mum video calls dad as home attacked by Hamas to be told stepmum is dead

A British mum-of-two has spoken of the “nightmare” of discovering her step-mum was murdered by Hamas.

Naomi Cohen watched the news in horror last Saturday as she prayed her dad Julian Cohen, 76, and his partner Carol SimanTov were still alive. Julian, who grew up in London, was hiding in his home in Kibbutz Nir-Oz, near the Gaza Strip, where he has lived for the last seven years.

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Palestinian innocents try to flee raids as Israel says it's ready to invade Gaza

A Palestinian man carrying an injured child flees a bombing raid in Gaza as Israel prepares a full-scale invasion in response to last week’s Hamas massacre.

Tonight the Israel Defense Force promised an offensive into the occupied territory “by land, sea and air” as bombs continued to rain down on Palestinian civilians as they fled for their lives.

A fleeing Palestinian convoy was hit by an Israeli shell which killed at least 12, including women and young children, it was claimed tonight. Video showed a line of relief vehicles driving along an evacuation route towards southern Gaza.

A group of men was seen approaching the smoke-filled aftermath of the explosion, bodies lying on the floor and pools of blood. A body of a child no older than four was among the dead.

Read more here.

(AFP via Getty Images)

Unicef says situation in Middle East is 'catastrophic' for children

UN children's charity Unicef have appealed for a "humanitarian pause" in the Israel-Palestine conflict.

A new statement read: "The situation for children in the Middle East is catastrophic. UNICEF is responding to the critical needs of children across the Gaza Strip, but access is increasingly difficult and dangerous.

"We need an immediate humanitarian pause to reach children in need."

(Getty Images)

Foreign Office 'working on safe route for British nationals'

The US has urged Americans in Gaza to move towards the southern border while officials negotiate to open the Egyptian-controlled border crossing.

It’s understood the Foreign Office is working to negotiate a similar safe route for British and dual nationals to leave Gaza through Rafah.

Israelis take cover in missile shelter

People in Tel Aviv and a number of cities in Israel close to the border with Gaza took refuge in shelters tonight after missile sirens were activated. Rockets have been fired by Hamas militants throughout the week and into the weekend, as hostilities with Israeli forces intesified.

(AP)

Pro-Palestine marches in Scotland

Marches in support of Palestine have been held across the UK today, with a crowd of around 3,000 turning up in the centre of Glasgow.

Protesters held banners and chanted slogans outside Buchanan Galleries and the BBC Alba headquarters.

(Getty Images)

'Israel will deal with Hamas the same way ISIS was dealt with - there's no choice'

Frank Ledwidge, a former military intelligence officer, says in a new column that Israeli soldiers will need to deal with gunmen in tunnels and on rooftops - but there will be casualties.

Read more here.

(Ilia Yefimovich/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images)

Keir Starmer says there must be 'no increase in Antisemitism or Islamophobia' in UK amid conflict

Labour leader Keir Starmer has issued a new statement tonight on the Israel-Palestine conflict.

He said he had met with members of the British Jewish community in the days since the attack by Israel, and stated "there must be zero tolerance of any increase in Antisemitism or Islamophobia" in the UK.

A week ago we awoke to the unimaginable and heartbreaking news of terrorist attacks on Israel from Gaza by Hamas.

We repeat our call for Hamas to release all hostages immediately, and for the protection of innocent civilian lives in Israel and Gaza.

My statement: pic.twitter.com/i3e1J8T5Bf

— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) October 14, 2023

'Escape to hell' as Palestinian convoy hit

A fleeing Palestinian convoy was hit by an Israeli shell which killed at least 12, including women and young children, it was claimed last night.

Video showed a line of relief vehicles driving along an evacuation route towards southern Gaza.

A group of men was seen approaching the smoke-filled aftermath of the explosion, bodies lying on the floor and pools of blood.

A body of a child no older than four was among the dead. The BBC said a two-year-old was also killed.

Other footage showed large vehicles crammed with as many as 30 in them journeying south, which may also have been hit. Images featured battered and burning vehicles feared to have victims trapped inside on a major road connecting north and south Gaza.

(AFP via Getty Images)

'Innocent Palestinians should not be slaughtered in response to Hamas massacre'

The massacre of innocent Israelis by Hamas was one of the most abhorrent and grotesque acts of terror since 9/11.

But Benjamin Netanyahu’s response must not be the slaughter of innocent Palestinians. Israel has the right to defend itself. After the horrors Hamas inflicted, an invasion of north Gaza to find those responsible was inevitable.

Read the Voice of the Mirror here.

Mandatory Credit: Photo by Saher Alghorra/ZUMA Press Wire/REX/Shutterstock (14141959a) A paramedic holds a girl crying after being pulled from the scene after a bombing of the Ahmed Yassin Mosque by Israeli planes in Gaza. Palestinian Militants Launch A Surprise Attack On Israel, Gaza, Palestine - 09 Oct 2023

Israeli tanks amass on border with Lebanon

New images show Israeli tanks lined across the border with Lebanon after several days of clashes with Hezbollah militants.

(AP)

'Iran is main mover behind this war - when Israel removes Hamas that won't be the end'

In a new column from the frontline, Colonel Richard Kemp says Israeli troops on the Gaza border were apprehensive - yet determined to do what is needed to protect family, friends and countrymen from Hamas rockets.

Read the full column here.

(AP)

Sirens sounding in Tel Aviv tonight

Missile alert sirens have been activated in Tel Aviv in the past hour, according to the Israeli military.

Alarms were also sounded in Ashkelon, Lakhish and areas near the border with Gaza.

Rocket fire has been exchanged between Israel and Hamas-controlled territories for several days now, with a huge Israeli bombardment taking place in the north of Gaza.

UN shelters in Gaza 'no longer safe' amid missile strikes

The UN Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) has said that their shelters in Gaza and northern Gaza are "not safe anymore" amid the constant bombardment by Israeli missile strikes.

In a statement, they called on Israeli authorities to "protect all civilians" who have been staying in UNRWA shelters, adding: "Wars have rules. Civilians, hospitals, schools, clinics and UN premises cannot be a target".

(AP)

T-shirts, mugs and hoodies with Hamas rallying cry for sale on Amazon, eBay and Google

T-shirts and mugs emblazoned with a slogan used by Hamas were this week on sale via Amazon, eBay and Google.

We found listings for merchandise including posters, tote bags and phone cases carrying the message “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”. Home Secretary Suella Braverman this week urged police forces to consider whether the call “should be understood as an expression of a violent desire to see Israel erased from the world”.

Read the exclusive story here.

(Getty Images)

Clashes between protesters and police in Trafalgar Square

A small group of protesters clashed with police in Trafalgar Square this evening as tensions flared following a largely peaceful day of protest.

Police have confirmed a total of seven arrests in connection with the pro-Palestine march in central London on Saturday.

(PA)

Dad's heartbreaking message from family's Gaza home as evacuation deadline ends

A father in the bomb-hit Gaza strip has spoken of his "constant fear and worry" for his family as devastating rockets fall constantly around his home.

Almeqdad Jameel, a resident of Shati camp in Gaza City, posted heartfelt messages about his daughter and family on Saturday morning, as he began to fear he had only hours left to live when Israel's deadline for evacuations passed.

Read more here.

(Twitter)

Seven arrested at pro-Palestine protests in London

The Metropolitan Police have made seven arrests at a pro-Palestine protest in London today.

A statement from the force read: "As of 18.00hrs a significant policing operation in central London is still active. Following a review of the conditions in place at the start of the operation the Section 12 order which was in place has now been removed.

"The Section 60AA which was also in place has been removed. However this will remain under review should it be proportionate to re-enact it. The Section 14 order remains in place.

"The procession has now ended and the majority of the crowd have dispersed. Seven people have been arrested on suspicion of offences including: Four breach of section 60AA, two public order offences and one criminal damage."

Israel announces 'significant ground operations'

The Israel Defence Forces have announced in the last hour that are preparing for a "comprehensive offensive" which will include "air, sea, and land".

The statement adds: "Essential combat equipment has already been dispatched... IDF battalions and soldiers are strategically deployed across the country".

Scuffles between police and Palestine protestors in Trafalgar Square as fireworks and objects thrown

Scuffles between a small group of protestors and police have broken out in Trafalgar Square this evening after a major pro-Palestine protest.

Aerial footage from BBC News showed protestors throwing placards and fireworks as they confronted officers, who formed a protective ring.

Palestinians will not leave Gaza, says Hamas leader

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh has insisted that Palestinians will not leave Gaza in a new televised speech this evening.

He said: "Our decision is to remain in our land."

Israelis bulldoze Palestinian pizza restaurant as ad uses picture of kidnapped gran

This is the dramatic moment Israelis bulldozed down a Palestinian pizza restaurant after it used a photograph of kidnapped grandmother in a mocking advert.

The order to destroy the building was given by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) central command, it is understood. The bulldozer is seen pulling the eatery apart while reversing in the video filmed in the West Bank town of Huwara.

The advertisement appeared to mock an elderly woman kidnapped by terrorists a week ago during Hamas's attack on Israel, showing an image of her next to a photo of a pizza.

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Jeremy Corbyn addresses pro-Palestine protest in London

Massive crowds have piled through central London this afternoon waving Palestinian flags and chating slogans.

Former Labour leader was among those to address the crowd at the March for Palestine.

(PA)

Vigil for victims of conflict in Hiroshima

A vigil was held in front of the Atomic Bomb Dome in Hiroshima yesterday evening in memory of the victims of the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict.

(Kyodo)