IDF bombs ambulance claiming it was 'filled with Hamas fighters' as 50 injured

More people make vital crossing but disastrous scenes ambulance hit

More foreign nationals and some Palestianians have been able to escape to Gaza - but further tragedy was witnessed in the region on Friday when an ambulance was struck just yards from a hospital.

The strike, which Israel said had successfully taken out numerous Hamas operatives, is reported to have left at least 15 people dead.

Further blasts have been felt across Gaza as a bleak humanitarian picture continues to develop, despite a better flow of aid and vital supplies now coming from Egypt.

Benjamin Netanyahu has also pushed back against growing US pressure for a "humanitarian pause" in the war to protect civilians and allow more aid into the Gaza Strip, insisting there will be no temporary ceasefire until the roughly 240 hostages held by Hamas are released.

Five arrests at King's Cross pro-Palestine protests

Police have confirmed they made five arrests after a large sit-down demonstration in London King's Cross station on Friday.

A Section 14A order had been granted to the British Transport Police over fears that the pre-planned demonstration could result in disruption to passengers and travel.

Woman falls to death from 60ft-high flat window putting up Christmas decorations

Those in attendance were seen holding up banners and waving Palestinian flags as they shouted slogans about the conflict, before later moving outside to form a smaller protest.

Our officers dealt with a protest earlier this evening at King's Cross Station. pic.twitter.com/BAmHbOnXnc

— BTP London (@BTPLondon) November 3, 2023

Israel's claims explained after they said ambulance was being used by Hamas

Israel has claimed responsibility for an attack on an ambulance outside Gaza City’s Al-Shifa Hospital - but says it was being used by Hamas.

At least 15 people were killed and 50 others wounded in the blast on the medical convoy, Hamas-controlled health authorities said.

But the Israeli military claim they have information which proves it was being utilised by Hamas to move around troops and weapons. A statement from the IDF said: "An IDF aircraft struck an ambulance that was identified by forces as being used by a Hamas terrorist cell in close proximity to their position in the battle zone.

"A number of Hamas terrorist operatives were killed in the strike… We have information which demonstrates that Hamas’ method of operation is to transfer terror operatives and weapons in ambulances."

Crowds gather after an ambulance was destroyed in a missile strike on Friday (AFP via Getty Images)

Ministry spokesperson says two ambulances targeted

Ashraf Al-Qudra, a spokesperson for the health ministry in Hamas-controlled Gaza, has said that two ambulances have been targeted in separate air strikes today.

He said the first explosion left the ambulance driver injured and a paramedic in hospital with critical injuries, while 15 people died and 16 people were left injured in the second strike.

Devastating images from ambulance blast

Images have emerged from the scene of the devastating ambulance blast in Gaza earlier, in which several people were reportedly killed. The explosion was caused by an Israeli air strike, which the military said had taken out multiple Hamas members.

People gather around an ambulance damaged in a reported Israeli strike in front of Al-Shifa hospital (AFP via Getty Images)

WHO boss 'shocked' by ambulance attacks

The Director-General of the World Health Organisation has said he is 'shocked' by reports of an air strike on an ambulance convoy in Gaza.

Multiple people are said to have been killed in the explosion near Al-Shifa. Israel has confirmed the strike, and claimed it had successfully taken out Hamas operative.

Utterly shocked by reports of attacks on ambulances evacuating patients close to Al-Shifa hospital in #Gaza, leading to deaths, injuries and damage.

We reiterate: patients, health workers, facilities, and ambulances must be protected at all times. Always.

Ceasefire NOW.…

— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) November 3, 2023

Israel admits it bombed ambulance - but says it was being used by Hamas

The Israeli military has confirmed that an air strike hit a convoy of ambulances close to a hospital in Gaza.

But it has said that these were being used by members of the Hamas militant group, and said a "number of Hamas terrorist operatives were killed in the strike". The Hamas-controlled government meanwhile said the ambulances were being used to take injured people across the Rafah crossing to Egypt for treatment.

White House says 100 US citizens have left Gaza

Around 100 US citizens fled Gaza through the Rafah crossing on Thursday, according to the latest update from the White House.

King's Cross station taken over as hundreds stage sit-in for Gaza ceasefire

A large 'sit-in' demonstration by pro-Palestinian protesters has been reported at London King's Cross railway station, with hundreds estimated to be in attendance.

The large group were seen waving flags and placards in the station concourse on Friday evening, and chanted slogans calling for a ceasefire in the conflict.

British Transport Police said the protests could risk causing "serious disruption" to services, and confirmed they had obtained consent to use powers under the Public Order Act. This makes it a criminal offence to take part in a trespassory assembly while the order is active.

Read more here.

(Dinendra Haria/LNP)

Bullet-riddled home of defiant gran on Israel-Gaza border who refuses to flee

Their family home is little more than a mile from the border with Gaza, and is riddled with shrapnel and bullet holes from the day Hamas came on their murderous mission.

But grandma Rita and her granddaughter Emma refuse to be bowed, even by the missiles fired overhead - and the death squads who killed neighbours on their doorstep. Ex-Israeli reservist Emma Novahov, 22, captured extraordinary footage of the Kalashnikov-toting killers on their bloody rampage.

Read the full report from Jeremy Armstrong here.

Defiant Emma and Rita are adamant they are staying put (Humphrey Nemar)

Israel rules out ceasefire unless Hamas frees hostages

Israel ruled out any pause in the war against Hamas - as the leader of Islamist terror group Hezbollah warned they could escalate the conflict.

Hardline Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected calls for even a brief ceasefire unless Hamas returns 240 hostages taken during its Oct 7 attack. Just moments earlier, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had called for ‘humanitarian pauses’ which could create a “better environment in which hostages can be released”.

But Netanyahu said: “Israel refuses a temporary ceasefire that does not include the return of our hostages.” Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah praised the Hamas attack that killed 1,400 people, and warned ‘all options’ were on the table for the terror group.

Read more here

Crowds for Hezbollah leader's anti-Israel speech

In a speech broadcasted from a secret location earlier, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah hit out at Israel and said his militants were "ready for all possibilities".

His address was shown today at a rally in Beruit, which was held to commemorate members of the armed group killed during recent clashes at the border.

Supporters of the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group raise their fists and cheer as Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah appears via a video link (AP)

Two women charged in UK under Terrorism Act over paraglider images on jackets

Heba Alhayey, 29, and Pauline Ankunda, 26, have been charged under the Terrorism Act in connection with displaying images of a paraglider, the Crown Prosecution Service said, following an incident at a protest in London on October 14.

Read more here.

Rocket lands in Israeli nursery

A missile has landed on the grounds of a kindergarten in the southern city of Sderot, according to Israeli newspaper Haaretz. No casualties have been reported.

Air strike near Gaza hospital

A new air strike has been reported this afternoon close to the Indonesian Hospital in Gaza.

Footage obtained by Al Jazeera showed people searching through rubble with their phone torches.

100 Brits on list to leave Gaza through Rafah crossing

A total of 100 British nationals are on the list of people permitted to leave Gaza through the Rafah crossing, according to the latest figures.

Groups of foreign nationals have been allowed through the border into Egypt in time-limited stages since the crossing re-opened on Wednesday.

Fears of escalation after Hezbollah leader's speech

The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah this afternoon said it had been at war with Israel since the day after Hamas' brutal terror attack.

The head of the Iran-backed group, Hassan Nasrallah, praised Hamas in a global address from a secret location today.

In a speech greeted by celebratory gunshots, he said: "If we want a war with full legitimacy, we will not find a struggle that is as fully legitimate in human, moral and religious terms as the war against the Zionists".

Samir Geagea, leader of Lebanon's biggest Christian party, the Lebanese Forces, has called for Hezbollah to withdraw its forces from the border with Israel - and said dragging the country into the war "would be a crime".

Tensions have risen since Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah's address (AP)

Security minister remains silent on number of Brits expected to cross border to Egypt

Britain's security minister, Tom Tugendhat, has refused to go into further detail about the number of Brits expected to cross the border, or on the operation itself.

Speaking to Sky News, Mr Tugendhat: "I really can't go into detail for the very simply reason that there is a lot of moving parts, there is a lot of different issues that come together in those exit routes. Different families will have different pressures and different ways, so you will understand that it is not very easy to give a running commentary and it would be the wrong thing to do."

He continued: "I can give this absolute assurance that the UK Government from the Prime Minister, the Foreign Secretary, me and many others, have been absolutely committed to making sure we look after British citizens as best as we possibly can and we help to get them out of this incredibly dangerous situation."

Blinken: Two state solution is 'only way' to ensure lasting security in Israel

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has claimed Israel will only gain security through the two-state solutuion - or the creation of a Palestinian state.

In a press conference shortly after meeting Israeli leaders, he told reporters: “Two states for two peoples. Again, that is the only way to ensure lasting security for a Jewish and democratic Israel.”

Planned pro-Palestine protests on Armistice Day are 'disrespectful' says Sunak

Holding a pro-Palestine protest on Armistice Day would be "provocative and disrespectful", the UK's Prime Minister has said.

Rishi Sunak said there is a "clear and present risk that the Cenotaph and other war memorials could be desecrated" amid reports that tens of thousands of demonstrators are planning to take to the streets to call for an immediate ceasefire in Israel's attacks on Gaza, on Saturday November 11. There are fears the march could disrupt the two-minute silence commemorating the war dead and the daytime and evening Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall, with the latter performance usually attended by royals.

Writing on X, formerly Twitter, Mr Sunak said: "To plan protests on Armistice Day is provocative and disrespectful, and there is a clear and present risk that the Cenotaph and other war memorials could be desecrated, something that would be an affront to the British public and the values we stand for. "The right to remember, in peace and dignity, those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for those freedoms must be protected.

"I have asked the Home Secretary (Suella Braverman) to support the Met Police in doing everything necessary to protect the sanctity of Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday."

Netanyahu: Israel refuses temporary ceasefire

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said there will be no ceasefire with Hamas until the militants release more than 240 Israeli hostages and vowed to press ahead in Gaza.

"Israel refuses a temporary ceasefire that does not include the return of our hostages," he said.

Hezbollah not deterred by US warnings to stay out of conflict says Nasrallah

Lebanon's Hezbollah leaser says the group is not deterred by US warnings to stay out of the Israel-Hamas war.

In his televised speech today, Hassan Nasrallah referred to US military deployments in the region, saying: "Your fleets in the Mediterranean will not scare us." He added that Hezbollah is prepared for all options.

Israel will continue with 'all its power' in fight against Hamas, says Netanyahu

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ruled out a temporary ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and that his forces will continue with "all its power".

Mr Netanyahu spoke Friday shortly after meeting US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who pressed Israel for a temporary pause in its offensive in order to improve humanitarian conditions in Gaza. Mr Blinken also urged Israel to do more to protect civilians from its attacks.

In a statement to reporters on Friday, Mr Netanyahu said Israel is continuing with "all of its power" and "refuses a temporary cease-fire that doesn't include a return of our hostages".

Hamas kidnapped some 240 people in its bloody October 7 cross-border attack that triggered the Israel-Hamas war. The attack killed some 1,400 people, while over 9,000 people have been killed since Israel began striking Gaza the same day, according to Palestinian health officials.

Hezbollah is not 'scared' of US and it would be defeated in regional war, says leader

Hezbollah is not "scared" of the United States and it would be a "mistake" for it to attack them, says leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.

"It would be a mistake to attack us," he said. "Warships in the Mediterranean do not scare us, we have not been scared of this in the past. The warships that you are using to threaten us, we have means to deal with them. You have seen what happened in Afghanistan and your grandchildren will never forget what happened there.

"Western policies ... it is not right to threaten resistance movements in other countries. The first thing that should be done is to stop aggression in Gaza. This is your aggression. We are calling on Americans and others you have to stop aggression in Gaza. If a war starts in region then your warships will not help you, you will be defeated."

Blinken says 'more needs to be done to protect Palestinian civilians'

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said more needs to be done to "protect Palestinian civilians" in Gaza and that, without that, there will be "no partners for peace."

Speaking to reporters in Tel Aviv on Friday, Mr Blinken also said, "we need to substantially and immediately increase the sustainable humanitarian assistance" into Gaza.

He said it was critical to restore the path towards a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict, calling it the only "guarantor" of a safe and democratic Israel and independent Palestine. He said work on that must begin "not tomorrow, not after today, but today."

Mr Blinken landed in Tel Aviv on Friday for his third trip to Israel since the war began with Hamas' incursion into Israel on October 7. Blinken will also visit Jordan and may make additional stops in the region before traveling to Asia early next week.

He met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other top officials to urge them to do everything possible to protect civilians caught in the fighting, while underscoring Israel's right to defend itself.

"We stand strongly for the proposition that Israel has not only the right but the obligation to defend itself, and to make sure that October 7 should never happen again," Mr Blinken said. "How Israel does this matters and it is very important that when it comes to the protection of civilians who are caught in the crossfire of Hamas' making that everything to be done to protect them and to bring assistance to those who so desperately need it."

(AP)

Israeli PM: No ceasefire until all hostages released

Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed there will be no ceasefire in Gaza until Hamas releases ALL Israeli hostages.

The Israeli PM also said the country's forces were operating at full force on all fronts. And in remarks aimed at Hezbollah, Netanyahu said: "I tell our enemies to the north don't test us, you will pay dearly."

Hezbollah entered war on the day Hamas launched attack, says Nasrallah

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said that Hezbollah entered the war when Hamas launched its attack on Israel.

He said anyone who wanting to see this should "go to the border to see that". He said it is a "real battle which is unlike all other wars", giving the 2006 Lebanon war against Israel as an example.

"What happened on the Lebanese front is unprecedented since 1948," he said. "One third of the Israeli army is on the border with Lebanon and it is an important part of its forces. Half of the missiles are facing Lebanon which means that there are reduced forces for Gaza.

"Tens of thousands of Israelis have been displaced from the border regions, in the north there were 43 settlements which were evacuated and in the south the settlements were evacuated around the Gaza area. Israel's minister of finance of Israel has said they are under a lot of pressure."

No indication yet from Hezbollah on its next move in conflict

Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah so far has given no indication in his speech of what will be Hezbollah's next move in the conflict as he praises Hamas.

Nasrallah's speech had been widely anticipated throughout the region as a sign of whether the Israel-Hamas conflict would spiral into a regional war.

Since the beginning of the war, Hezbollah, an ally of Hamas, had taken calculated steps to keep Israel's military busy on its border with Lebanon, but not to the extent of igniting an all-out war. The Israeli military said seven of their soldiers and one civilian had been killed on the northern border as of Friday.

More than 50 Hezbollah fighters and 10 militants with allied groups, as well as 10 civilians, have been killed on the Lebanese side of the border.

Israel considers the Iran-backed Lebanese Shiite militant group its most serious immediate threat, estimating that Hezbollah has around 150,000 rockets and missiles aimed at Israel, as well as drones and surface-to-air and surface-to-sea missiles.

But a full-on conflict would also be costly for Hezbollah, which fought a 34-day war with Israel in 2006 that ended in a stalemate - but not before Israeli bombing reduced swathes of southern Lebanon, the eastern Bekaa Valley and Beirut's southern suburbs to rubble.

A new all-out war would also displace hundreds of thousands of Hezbollah's supporters and cause wide damage at a time when Lebanon is in the middle of a historic four-year economic meltdown.

(AFP via Getty Images)

'Objective is to see Hamas win for Palestinians and the region - Hezbollah

Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah continued: "We have two objectives to work day and night, first to stop the aggression on Gaza and the second objective for Gaza is to win and prevail. Particularly for Hamas to prevail and we have to help Hamas. We have stop the war due to the humanitarian situation, this is not open to debate."

He said: "To say Gaza wins then Iran wins is minimising the situation, it is about Gaza prevailing and this is for the Palistinians and for people in the region. Winning today is in the interests of Egypt, Syria and Lebanon."

Nasrallah also called on countries in the region to stop exporting oil to Western countries supporting Israel.

United States is 'to blame' for what is happening in Gaza claims Hezbollah leader

"Israel is just the US' tool and the United States is to blame for what is happening in Gaza", says Nasrallah.

He continued by saying the Americans are paying the costs for the war in Gaza and in Syria.

"The United States is against a ceasefire, against everything," he says. They need to take account for what they are doing to people in the region."

(Twitter)