Gaza a 'graveyard for children' says UN as strikes intensify - live updates

People gather in Tel Aviv to commemorate one month since October 7 attacks

People in Tel Aviv, Israel, have participated in various ceremonies to mark a month since Hamas militants crossed from Gaza to massacre civilians, sparking the current Israel-Hamas war.

A flag lowering ceremony was held in Rabin Square outside the Tel Aviv municipality on. The yellow ribbons, which represent solidarity with the hostages and their families, were tied all over the Yitzhak Rabin Memorial.

Meanwhile, members of the public gathered in Dizengoff square to observe a silence and vigil.

Members of the public gather in Dizengoff square in Tel Aviv to observe a silence and vigil to mark the one month anniversary of the attacks (Getty Images)

UN chief starts 5-day visit to Middle East to discuss human rights violations in Gaza

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, kicked off a five-day visit to the Middle East today to engage with government officials and civil society on the human rights violations taking place in Gaza.

“It has been one full month of carnage, of incessant suffering, bloodshed, destruction, outrage and despair,” he said.

“Human rights violations are at the root of this escalation and human rights play a central role in finding a way out of this vortex of pain.”

Mr Turk is currently in Cairo and will visit Rafah, located on the border with Gaza, tomorrow, before he travels to the Jordanian capital of Amman on Thursday, his office has confirmed.

FCDO 'unable to confirm' names of Brit hostages held in Gaza

The Foreign Office has declined to give any further information on the identities of the British people believed to be being held hostage in Gaza.

Earlier this morning, Justice Minister Alex Chalk said three UK nationals are thought to be being held there by Hamas.

Joe Biden says 'we'll take care of' China spy balloon as 3 airports shut down

An FCDO spokesman told the Mirror: "We wouldn't be able to confirm the names of the people. We wouldn't be able to comment on that, unfortunately."

Gaza is 'becoming a graveyard for children' warns UN chief

Gaza is “becoming a graveyard for children,” the United Nations chief warned on Monday as the death toll rises and calls grow around the world for a ceasefire, one month into Israel’s assault on Hamas - the militant group that runs the enclave.

“The nightmare in Gaza is more than a humanitarian crisis. It is a crisis of humanity,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres told reporters in New York, adding that the need for a ceasefire is becoming “more urgent with every passing hour.”

“The parties to the conflict – and, indeed, the international community – face an immediate and fundamental responsibility: to stop this inhuman collective suffering and dramatically expand humanitarian aid to Gaza,” he said.

A Palestinian family sits near destroyed houses following a strike in Rafah (AFP via Getty Images)

Starmer's stance on ceasefire 'not going to change'

Shadow CDL Pat McFadden has said Labour leader Sir Kier Starmer's stance on refusing to call for a ceasefire in Gaza was "not going to change".

He told Sky News: "I understand why people have strong feelings about it - look at what we're seeing on the news every night.

"People want to say, 'make it stop', and they want politicians to just say, 'make it stop'.

"The point I'm making this morning is yes, we do want to make it stop, but our ambitions should be more than just a ceasefire - it should be a more secure future for both Israelis and Palestinians.

"There will always be a debate about these things in our party, but the party's position was set out by the leader last week and that's not going to change."

Mr McFadden added that he supported Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's notion that "tactical pauses" should be adopted in their continued bombardment of Gaza.

Chalk declines to repeat Braverman's 'hate marches' label

Alex Chalk declined to repeat Suella Braverman's description of pro-Palestinian demonstrations as "hate marches".

The Justice Secretary denied that the differing language was a sign of "confusion" in Government.

"There is no doubt there are elements on these marches that I'm afraid are espousing hate ... but equally there will be those people who are there expressing their anguish at some of the untold suffering.

"The concern must be whether those people who have perfectly legitimate intentions and concerns are directly or indirectly supporting those people who are espousing hate."

Asked whether it was a sign of confusion over language, he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "It's not confusion. I think it's an issue of semantics. The Home Secretary is absolutely correct when she says that there is hate on these marches."

Russia says Israeli minister's remarks alluding to nukes raises 'huge number of questions'

Russia says that Heritage Minister Amihai Eliyahu’s remarks appearing to consider the use of nuclear weapons in Gaza raise “a huge number of questions.”

Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, added that Israel appears to have admitted to the possession of nuclear weapons, a matter on which it has been intentionally ambiguous for decades.

“So we are hearing official statements about the presence of nuclear weapons?” she asks, adding that the International Atomic Energy Agency should inspect.

Eliyahu was reprimanded by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and suspended indefinitely from cabinet meetings.

Netanyahu says Israel will have 'overall security responsibility' for Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel will have "overall security responsibility" in the Gaza Strip for an indefinite period after its war with Hamas.

It was the clearest indication yet that Israel plans to maintain control over the coastal enclave that is home to some 2.3 million Palestinians.

In an interview with ABC News on Monday, Mr Netanyahu expressed openness to "little pauses" in the fighting to facilitate the release of some of the more than 240 hostages seized by Hamas in its October 7 attack on Israel, which triggered the war exactly a month ago.

But he ruled out any general ceasefire without the release of all those held captive, and the White House said there was no agreement with US President Joe Biden's call for a broader humanitarian suspension of hostilities after a phone call between the leaders on Monday.

Israel captured east Jerusalem, along with Gaza and the West Bank, in the 1967 Middle East war. The Palestinians want all three territories for a future state. Israel annexed east Jerusalem in a move not recognised by most of the international community; it considers the entire city its capital.

Israeli officials have said little about their plans for a post-Hamas Gaza, while indicating they do not want to reoccupy the territory from which Israel withdrew soldiers and settlers in 2005.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who ended a days-long trip to the region on Monday, has suggested a revitalised Palestinian Authority could govern Gaza.

But the Palestinian Authority, whose forces were driven out by Hamas in 2007, has said it would only do so as part of a solution to the conflict that establishes a Palestinian state on the 1967 lines. Israel's government is strongly opposed to Palestinian statehood.

Mr Netanyahu told ABC News that Gaza should be governed by "those who don't want to continue the way of Hamas", without elaborating.

"I think Israel will, for an indefinite period, have the overall security responsibility, because we've seen what happens when we don't have it. When we don't have that security responsibility, what we have is the eruption of Hamas terror on a scale that we couldn't imagine," he said.

Three Brits thought to be still being held hostage in Gaza, says Chalk

There are believed to be three British hostages still in Gaza, Justice Secretary Alex Chalk has said.

He told Sky News: "We think there are three British hostages who are there."

In terms of Britons still trapped in Gaza, he said that numbers were unclear but told Time Radio this morning: "In terms of the numbers who have been allowed to leave about 100 have been able to leave."

Chalk calls on pro-Palestinian march organisers to listen to postponement calls

Alex Chalk called on the organisers of a pro-Palestinian march on Armistice Day to listen to the call from the Metropolitan Police to postpone the demonstration.

The Justice Secretary told Times Radio: "I think those recommendations should be adhered to. I think the organisers should give the greatest possible weight to that recommendation from the police and I think they should abide by it.

"Not because I say it, but because the police say it," he added.

"And I think that advice from the police should be taken very seriously and I would invite the protest leaders to do so."

Supporters of Palestine react to people holding a flag of Israel as they participate in a rally (Getty Images)

UN Security Council fails again to agree resolution on Israel-Hamas war

The U.N. Security Council on Monday failed again to agree on a resolution on the monthlong Israel-Hamas war.

Despite more than two hours of closed-door discussions Monday, differences remained. The U.S. is calling for "humanitarian pauses" while many other council members are demanding a "humanitarian cease-fire" to deliver desperately needed aid and prevent more civilian deaths in Gaza.

"We talked about humanitarian pauses and we're interested in pursuing language on that score," U.S. deputy ambassador Robert Wood told reporters after the meeting. "But there are disagreements within the council about whether that's acceptable."

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres earlier Monday told reporters he wanted an immediate humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza and a halt to the "spiral of escalation" already taking place from the occupied West Bank, Lebanon and Syria to Iraq and Yemen.

Guterres said international humanitarian law, which demands protection of civilians and infrastructure essential for their lives, is clearly being violated and stressed that "no party to an armed conflict is above" these laws. He called for the immediate unconditional release of the hostages Hamas took from Israel to Gaza in its Oct. 7 attack.

China, which holds the Security Council presidency this month, and the United Arab Emirates, the Arab representative on the council, called Monday's meeting because of the "crisis of humanity" in Gaza, where more than 10,000 people have been killed in less than a month.

UAE Ambassador Lana Nusseibeh said all 15 council members "are fully engaged" and efforts will continue to try to narrow the gaps and reach agreement on a resolution.

Schwarzenegger says 'love in the end always wins' in response to Israel-Hamas war

Hollywood star Arnold Schwarzenegger said "love in the end always wins" as he collected an award of courage for his long-term advocacy against antisemitism and bigotry.

The Terminator actor, 76, made the comments during the Holocaust Museum's annual gala in Los Angeles, in which host Melissa Rivers told the audience "October 7 was the deadliest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust" amid the Israel-Hamas war.

Schwarzenegger, the son of a Nazi soldier, said "we have to speak out" from the hatred online - in a nod to the attacks in Israel and Palestine.

"The more we speak out about that issue, the better it is, so every day you have to talk about it... over and over again because we cannot let them get away with these lies and with this hatred", he said.

"We have to talk to them and talk them down and let them know that the only way to go is through love and not with hatred.

"Hatred will never ever win, love in the end always wins."

Oscar-nominated film producer Mike Medavoy, who worked with Schwarzenegger on four films including The Terminator during his career, presented the actor with the award cut from cured oak wood in a nod to his bodybuilding nickname The Austrian Oak.

A dozen Second World War Holocaust survivors attended the ceremony, including Joseph Alexander, who turns 101 this month.

Former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (Getty Images)

Netanyahu says he is open to 'little pauses' in Gaza bombardment

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he may be open to "little pauses" in his nation's bombardment on the Gaza Strip.

Mr Netanyahu made the admission in an interview with US broadcaster ABC, adding there would be no general ceasefire in Gaza without the release of the estimated 240 hostages taken by Hamas on October 7.

"Well, there'll be no ceasefire, no general ceasefire in Gaza without the release of our hostages," he said.

"As far as tactical little pauses - an hour here, an hour there - we've had them before.

"I suppose we'll check the circumstances, in order to enable goods, humanitarian goods, to come in, or our hostages, individual hostages, to leave."

Lulls in the fighting are being sought to facilitate humanitarian aid deliveries.

Over 450 trucks carrying aid have been allowed to enter Gaza from Egypt since October 21, but humanitarian workers say the support is far short of mounting needs.

Around 70% of Gaza's 2.3 million residents have fled their homes since the war began.

In recent days, airstrikes have hit United Nations facilities where thousands were sheltering, as well as hospitals, which have been overwhelmed by wounded and running low on power and supplies.

Mobile phone and internet service also went down overnight - the third territory-wide outage since the start of the war - but was gradually restored on Monday.

The crossing was closed over the weekend because of a dispute among Israel, Egypt, and Hamas but reopened on Monday.

Seven Palestinian patients were evacuated to Egypt, the International Committee of the Red Cross said.

Smoke and flames rise as a result of Israeli illumination flare attacks on Al-Shati refugee camp in Gaza Strip (Anadolu via Getty Images)

Tomorrow marks the one month anniversary of Hamas' attack

Tomorrow will mark one month since Hamas' bloody attack that claimed over 1,400 Israeli lives.

On October 7, Hamas militants surged across the border, attacking a music festival and entering Israeli communities, slaughtering families and taking hostages.

The attack seemingly took the country's renowned intelligence services by surprise and reignited the latest round of open warfare, leading to Israel's siege of Gaza.

That has since claimed over ten thousand lives and left over one million people displaced as swathes of Gaza is relentlessly bombed.

Palestinian child killed every ten minutes under Israel's siege

The United Nations have said that a child is killed and two are injured every ten minutes during Israel's siege of Gaza.

The shocking figures come as today, the ten thousand death toll mark was passed. In a statement the United Nations Agency for Palestinian Refugees warned that protecting civilians during war was an "obligation".

On average, a child is killed and 2 are injured every 10 minutes during the war.

Protecting civilians in times of conflict is not an aspiration or an ideal; it is an obligation and a commitment to our shared humanity.

Civilians -wherever they are- must be protected#NotATarget pic.twitter.com/GVnrASByLp

— UNRWA (@UNRWA) November 6, 2023

British doctor says hospital buildings shook 'all night from bombardment'

Boris Johnson visits site of Hamas massacre

Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson has visited the site of the bloody Hamas massacred where hundreds of Israelis were killed.

UN Chief: 'Gaza is becoming a graveyard for children'

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday demanded an urgent humanitarian ceasefire as he describes Gaza becoming a "graveyard for children."

Speaking to reporters at the UN headquarters for the first time since Hamas launched a surprise assault into Israel, Guterres said "hundreds of young boys and girls have been injured from the fighting."

"Ground operations by the Israel Defense Forces and continued bombardment are hitting civilians, hospitals, refugee camps, mosques, churches and U.N. facilities – including shelters. No one is safe," Guterres told reporters.

"At the same time, Hamas and other militants use civilians as human shields and continue to launch rockets indiscriminately towards Israel."

(AFP via Getty Images)

Irish father of girl taken by Hamas praying 'that she comes back'

The Irish father of a girl who is feared to have been kidnapped and taken to the Gaza Strip has said the family are praying "that she comes back".

In an appeal to those who may have her, Dubliner Thomas Hand called for "some humane feelings of any kind" for captors to release the children.

Emily Hand was originally feared to be dead after the Hamas assault on Kibbutz Be'eri in Israel on October 7.

However, the eight-year-old's family have been informed she might still be alive and being held hostage by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

In an interview with Virgin Media News programme The Group Chat, Mr Hand appealed to those who may have his daughter: "I beg you on bended knees to please release the children, including Emily.

"At least the children... For gods' sakes have some humanity, some pity, some humane feelings of any kind, please."

After initially telling CNN there was some relief in reports that Emily was dead - because he feared a fate worse than death for her - Mr Hand said it was hard to take in the new information.

He added: "At first when they told me that she was probably dead, it was sort of a relief, in a way.

"But now I have to alter my head with this new information, and now I have hope, now I have hope that she's alive, so we pray that she comes back - however broken, we can fix her."

(CNN)

Israeli strike damages roof at largest Gaza hospital

Mohamed Zaqout, general manager of all hospitals in Gaza, said the roof of a building at al-Shifa hospital, Gaza’s largest, was damaged by an Israeli strike, resulting in deaths and injuries.

Speaking on Al-Jazeera, Zaqout said the strike killed displaced people who were sheltering on the top floor. Solar panels that were installed on the roof were destroyed in the attack, he said.

Al-Jazeera showed a video of bloodstained wreckage inside the top floor, where the beds of displaced families were still laid out. Other videos showed smoke rising from the building.

Meanwhile, a senior Hamas official on Monday denied Israeli charges that the militant group has located missiles and rocket launchers near a hospital in the Gaza Strip.

Osama Hamdan told reporters in Beirut that Israel is trying to destroy the medical sector in Gaza to force Palestinians out of their land.

Hamdan also denied Israeli military statements that the group has a tunnel near a hospital in Gaza, saying a hole shown in a photo presented by the Israeli military spokesperson is used for storing fuel.

Irish-Israeli girl 'murdered' by Hamas could be alive

A little girl who was thought to have been killed by Hamas in Israel is now believed to be alive, it has been reported.

Eight-year-old Emily Hand, who has Irish as well as Israeli citizenship, was in the Kibbutz Be’eri where she was feared to have died in the Hamas assault on October 7. But she is now said to be alive and among those 241 hostages being held in Gaza. Thomas Hand, from Dublin, gave an emotional media interview following the attack on the Kibbutz Be’eri after being informed his daughter had likely been murdered. Israeli media has reported that the family has now been informed Emily may be alive and being held. The family was informed of this by Israeli authorities five days ago, her older sister said today.

(CNN)

Hamas says there's a holocaust underway in Gaza

The spokesperson for Hamas Osama Hamdan has spoken this afternoon to address a number of assertions made by the Israeli Defence Forces in recent weeks.

He first referred to claims made by the IDF's spokesman Rear Adm Daniel Agari, who claimed Hamas was using the area under the Sheikh Hamad Hospital to stockpile weapons.

Osama said that holes near the hospital - which the IDF said were entrances to underground tunnels - were not being used by the militants.

Though there aren't any tunnels, he relished in "thousands of our fighters" being able to move "without them knowing".

He then called on the UN to inspect the hospitals - where they can see evidence of Israeli "war crimes" and that Hamas is not orchestrating its attacks from them.

Pointing at a screen next to him with a caption "Gaza Holocaust", he claims that Israel is deliverately targeting Gazan civilians and destroying 250,000 homes in the process.

People gather around an ambulance damaged in a reported Israeli strike in front of Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City on November 3, (AFP via Getty Images)

Hamas spokesperson says group will 'continue victory from October 7'

Hamas spokesman Osama Hamdan has spoken of the unfolding international crisis during a press conference this afternoon.

He said: "We are warning all parties, if they want to do something to our people... our great Palestinian people will not accept it."

He added the people of Gaza will not keep silent if Washington continues its "partnership with the occupiers", referring to Israel, adding: "We want an independent country with a capital [of] Jerusalem,"

Continuing, Hamdan said the group will be victorious in its war with Israel, continuing: "We were victorious on 7 October and we will stay victorious. We are staying steadfast and the enemy will sustain losses and we are sending appreciation to our people and our martyrs."

(Sky News)

Israel 'severs Gaza into two' as latest wave of strikes take Palestinian death toll over 10,000

Israeli has claimed northern Gaza has been severed from the rest of the besieged territory as it flattened it with intense airstrikes overnight, setting the stage for an expected push into the dense confines of Gaza City and an even bloodier phase of the month-old war.

The Palestinian death toll has now passed 10,000, the Health Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said on Monday. The figures are unable to be independtly verified - but the Hamas-run Health Ministry does not distinguish between fighters and civilians.

Meanwhile, around 1,400 Israelis have died, most of whom are civilians killed in the October 7 massacre in southern Israel by Hamas.

Sister of missing Irish-Israeli girl feared kidnapped tells of her 'constant nightmare'

Natalie Hand, the half-sister of Emily Hand, the Irish-Israeli girl feared kidnapped in Gaza, has said the family is living a "constant nightmare".

However, Ms Hand, whose mother was killed in the October 7 Hamas attacks, said the family has got hope back after initially being told Emily had also died.

"We've been informed by the military and other authorities that the first line was that she's kidnapped and alive, and they have a few intelligence, that they get all the sources combined and then they cross all the information together, we don't know exactly the details, but we do know she's kidnapped," she told RTE Radio One.

"And we just want to get her back and she's an Irish citizen and we're asking all the help we can from you guys (in Ireland)."
She added: "If there's a high possibility (of her being alive), even a small one, I will do everything I can to get her back."

Ms Hand said the family had been on a "hell of a rollercoaster" since the Hamas attacks, adding: "Grieving about my mom and her and just, you know, we're like zombies. We have no tears left. We're just broken. And now we got hope back and we are strong now and we'll do anything."

Ms Hand said she had never been to Ireland, her father Thomas's homeland. She continued: "I've never been there but I'm going to, I have to, hopefully with my sister, my father and my brother. I have too many videos of her laughing and speaking. I want to hear that again. I just want to say Emily we're on the way and we will have her back, I know that."

A woman and three children killed during Israeli airstrike in Lebanon

An IDF airstrike in southern Lebanon last night killed four civilians, including a woman and three kids.

Israel is Hezbollah's sworn enemy, and they have been exchanging fire with the IDF on Israel's northern border for a monht.

The state-run National News Agency in Lebanon says that two civilian cars carrying members of the same family were driving on Sunday evening when they were pummelled by an Israeli airstrike.

One was a direct hit, sending one of the cars up in flames. One woman and three girls, ages 10, 12 and 14 were killed, the report said.

(AP)

UK Government issues Lebanon travel warning as British embassy staff evacuated from Beirut

Some staff and family members have been temporarily withdrawn from the British embassy in Lebanon, amid growing tensions in the region sparked by the escalating situation in Gaza.

The Foreign Office pointed to the current "security situation" as the reason behind the move, which comes after Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah militant group traded fire along the border. Guidance on the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) website said: "FCDO advises against all travel to Lebanon due to risks associated with the conflict between Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

"There are ongoing mortar and artillery exchanges and air strikes in South Lebanon, on the boundary with Israel. Tensions are high and events could escalate with little warning, which could affect or limit exit routes out of Lebanon. There is also a risk of civil unrest. There have been large protests outside embassies, including outside the US and French embassies on October 17. Further protests are expected. British nationals should exercise caution and avoid areas where demonstrations may be held.

"Due to the security situation, some staff at the British embassy and all family members of staff have been temporarily withdrawn. The embassy continues with essential work including services to British nationals."

Internet restored in Gaza after third complete power cut

Israel cut power and internet in the besieged exclave for the third time this morning, but services have now been restored, according to a monitoring group.

"Metrics show that internet connectivity is being restored in the Gaza Strip after Sunday's near-total telecoms blackout," the monitoring group NetBlocks said.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society corroborated the report, saying that "telecommunications and internet services in the Gaza Strip were restored after being intentionally and forcibly cut off by the Israeli authorities".

Broken father asks 'are these Hamas fighters' as he buries his four children

A dad in Gaza has asked Israel 'are these Hamas fighters' as he laid his four babies to rest.

Four of his kids were slaughtered in an Israeli airstrike.

He reportedly took the children's bodies to the bedside of his wife in hospital to say their final goodbyes.

His four siblings and their children were also killed in the strike. Sky News reports.

Rafah border crossing has been opened for Egyptians and foreigners

The Gazan border authority has announced that the Rafah crossing, the only route in and out of the besieged Strip, has been opened again for Egyptians and foreigners.

Those who are on an approved list are being allowed to cross the border, the authority added.

Those not on the list will be unable to cross, their statement reads.

A child cries in pain, lying on a stretcher at Nasser Hospital, as people carry severely wounded Palestinians to ambulances to be transferred to Egypt for treatment in Khan Yunis, Gaza on November 01 (Anadolu via Getty Images)