Israel-Hamas war LIVE: Israeli air strikes kill 55 Gazans; Damascus, Aleppo airports knocked out

Israel's bombing campaign has killed more than 4,300 Palestinians, mainly civilians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

Overnight raids by Israel on the Gaza Strip killed at least 55 people and destroyed over 30 homes, the Hamas government said on Sunday. On October 21, the Israeli Army said it would intensify strikes on Gaza ahead of a planned ground invasion, as UN agencies warned of a "catastrophic" humanitarian situation in the blockaded territory.

Meanwhile, Israeli strikes on Sunday also put out of service war-torn Syria's two main airports, state media reported citing a military source, with the transport ministry saying flights were re-routed to Latakia.

Aid deliveries began moving into the besieged Gaza Strip on Saturday, two weeks after the militant group Hamas' deadly, surprise attack on southern Israel and Israel's retaliatory airstrikes.

Israeli airstrikes continue to pound southern Gaza, an area swollen by civilians who fled there from the north on Israeli instructions.

Meanwhile, India on Sunday sent nearly 6.5 tonnes of medical aid and 32 tonnes of disaster relief material for the people of Palestine. The consignments were sent in a C-17 transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force. The plane is transporting the aid to El-Arish airport in Egypt.

The war, which is in its 16th day on Sunday, is the deadliest of five Gaza wars for both sides.

The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry said Saturday that the death toll from the war which started on October 7 has reached 4,385, while 13,561 people have been wounded.

More than 1,400 people in Israel have been killed, mostly in the initial attack on October 7 when Hamas militants stormed into Israel. 203 people were believed captured by Hamas during the incursion and taken into Gaza, the Israeli military said.

LIVE UPDATES:

Hamas fighters clash with Israeli troops inside Gaza

Hamas fighters clashed with Israeli troops inside Gaza, the Palestinian group’s militant Al-Qassam Brigades said Sunday, in what appears to be one of the first skirmishes between the two sides on the ground inside the strip since war broke out on October 7.

Hamas said its fighters destroyed two Israeli military bulldozers and a tank in an ambush, forcing Israeli troops to retreat into Israel without their vehicles, CNN reports.

The IDF confirmed to CNN by phone that its troops had been operating inside Gaza during the incident.

Gaza hospital reduces duration of dialysis sessions as electricity and fuel supplies dwindle

Gaza’s main medical facility, the Al-Shifa Hospital, is reducing the duration of dialysis sessions for hundreds of kidney patients as electricity and fuel supplies dwindle due to the Israeli blockade, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza on Sunday, CNN reports

Out of more than 1,100 kidney failure patients in Gaza, 450 receive treatment at the Al-Shifa hospital, the ministry said.

Security conditions are also making it hard for patients to access hospitals in the strip, ministry Director General of International Cooperation Marwan Abu Saada has been quoted as saying by CNN.

Hezbollah war with Israel would be 'mistake of its life': Netanyahu

Hezbollah will make "the mistake of its life" if it starts a war with Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday.

The Lebanese Islamist movement "will make the mistake of its life. We will strike it with a force it cannot even imagine, and the significance for it and the state of Lebanon will be devastating," Netanyahu said on a visit to troops in northern Israel near the Lebanon border.

UNRWA says 29 of its teachers killed in Gaza since October 7

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) confirmed on Sunday that 29 of its members in Gaza have been killed since October 7.

"Half of these colleagues were UNRWA teachers," it said in a statement.

"As an Agency, we are devastated. We are grieving with each other and with the families," UNRWA noted.

First fuel trucks enter war-torn Gaza

The first fuel trucks since war erupted between Gaza militants Hamas and Israel entered the Palestinian enclave Sunday, an official at the Rafah crossing and an AFP journalist said.

Six trucks with fuel to power generators at two hospitals crossed from Egypt, the United Nations Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) and an Egyptian source told AFP.

Fresh aid enters Gaza as Israel steps up strikes

A 17-truck aid convoy entered Gaza from Egypt on Sunday as Israel intensified strikes on the Palestinian enclave facing a "catastrophic" humanitarian situation.

Today's aid delivery through the Rafah crossing was the second such operation in two days after 20 trucks arrived on Saturday.

The United Nations has estimated about 100 trucks per day are needed to meet the needs of 2.4 million Gazans given the "catastrophic" humanitarian situation.

Gaza death toll rises to 4,651: health ministry

At least 4,651 people have been killed in Gaza since the start of the war sparked by Hamas's October 7 attacks on Israel, the territory's Hamas-run health ministry said Sunday.

The number had increased from 4,385 on Saturday when Israel announced it would step up raids, and now includes 1,873 children, the ministry said. There are 14,245 wounded, the statement added.

Iran warns Israel, US region risks getting 'out of control'

Iran's foreign minster on Sunday warned Israel and its ally the United States that the Middle East risks spiralling out of control as a result of Israel's war on Hamas.

"I warn the US and its proxy (Israel)... that if they do not immediately stop the crime against humanity and genocide in Gaza, anything is possible at any moment and the region will go out of control," Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said at a joint news conference in Tehran with his South African counterpart Naledi Pandor.

At least 120 incubator babies at risk after Israel cuts Gaza fuel: UN

The lives of at least 120 newborn babies in incubators in war-torn Gaza's hospitals are at risk as fuel runs out in the besieged enclave, the UN Children's Agency warned Sunday.

More than 1,750 children have already been killed by Israeli strikes launched against the Gaza Strip in retaliation for the October 7 Hamas attacks, according to the Palestinian territory's health ministry.

"We have currently 120 neonates who are in incubators, out of which we have 70 neonates with mechanical ventilation, and of course, this is where we are extremely concerned," said UNICEF spokesman Jonathan Crickx.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE

Palestinian death toll in West Bank surges as Israel pursues militants following Hamas rampage

At least 90 Palestinians were killed in the Israeli-occupied territory in the past two weeks, mainly in clashes with Israeli troops.

Five Palestinians were killed in separate incidents on Sunday, including two who died in an airstrike on a mosque in the volatile Jenin refugee camp that Israel said was being used by militants.

Israel carried out an airstrike during a battle in another West Bank refugee camp last week, in which 13 Palestinians, including five minors, and a member of Israel's paramilitary Border Police were killed.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE

Turkey sends humanitarian aid to Egypt for Gaza

Turkey has sent humanitarian aid with a medical team to Egypt for the people in the Gaza strip, according to Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca.

GAZZE’YE YARDIM ?Ç?N UÇA?IMIZ HAVALANDI. Cumhurba?kanl???m?za ait, ilaç ve t?bb? malzeme ile dolu, 20 uzman hekimin bulundu?u uçak Ankara’dan M?s?r’a hareket etmi? durumda. pic.twitter.com/UDUlzBm4op

— Dr. Fahrettin Koca (@drfahrettinkoca) October 22, 2023

INTERVIEW | ‘Palestinians can’t speak for Gaza’, says Naor Gilon, Israel’s ambassador to India

Peace and coexistence can be given a chance only after the military operation is over, says Israel’s ambassador to India Naor Gilon. “There can be no discussions when we are threatened. Only after we eliminate Hamas will we consider other options,” he asserted during the 7th edition of Delhi Dialogues.

READ INTERVIEW HERE

Israeli Ambassador to India Naor Gilon | Shekhar Yadav

Israel-Hamas War: India sends humanitarian aid to Palestine

India on Sunday sent nearly 6.5 tonnes of medical aid and 32 tonnes of disaster relief material for the people of Palestine.

The consignments were sent in a C-17 transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force. The plane is transporting the aid to El-Arish airport in Egypt.

WATCH | As Gaza bleeds, what is the likely endgame in Middle East?

In this video, senior journalist Neena Gopal is in discussion with Arthur Lenk, a former Israeli diplomat, and Paola Caridi, a journalist and historian, about Israel’s internal churn as the war on Hamas hurts ordinary Palestinians.

Israel’s current political leadership,the internal storm set off by Jewish protesters, the international opprobrium set off by attempts to ethnically cleanse the state of Palestinians, and a lot more are also discussed.

BREAKING | At least 55 dead as Israel steps up Gaza strikes; Israeli strikes knock out Damascus, Aleppo airports

Overnight raids on the Gaza Strip killed at least 55 people, the Hamas government said on Sunday, after Israel announced it was stepping up strikes. It added that more than 30 homes had been destroyed

Israeli strikes on Sunday put out of service war-torn Syria's two main airports, state media reported citing a military source, with the transport ministry saying flights were re-routed to Latakia

IN PHOTOS | Protests across the world

Demonstrators shout slogans during a protest in front of the United Nations Program for Development office in Caracas on October 21, 2023. (AFP)

Protestors burn the flag of Israel during a rally in support of Palestinians in Los Angeles, California on October 21, 2023. (AFP)

A man and an infant participate in a rally in support of Palestinians in Los Angeles, California on October 21, 2023. (AFP)

Hezbollah alone will decide whether Lebanon - already on the brink of collapse - gets dragged into Israel-Hamas war

1. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been spilling into Lebanon since 1948, with the establishment of Israel and displacement of Palestinians, or what the latter call the Nakba, or catastrophe.
2. In fact, no Arab country has been more affected by this conflict.
3. Israel was deeply embroiled in the Lebanese civil war. It supported Christian militias and pursued its own fight against Palestinian militias, who used Lebanon as a base to launch attacks against the Jewish state.
4. Hezbollah formed in 1982 with Iranian and Syrian support to fight Israel after its invasion.
5. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has repeatedly stated that the group’s prime role is to defend Lebanon’s sovereignty. (The Conversation)

READ FULL STORY HERE

Fighters from the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah (File Photo | AP)

Summary of latest developments in Israel-Hamas war

1. At least 55 dead as Israel steps up Gaza strikes: Hamas

2. Israel is stepping up attacks on Gaza Strip as prep for next stage of its war on Hamas

3. Israel says killed 'terror operatives' in Jenin mosque air strike

4. Israeli air strikes put out of service war-torn Syria's two main airports

5. UN aid agencies said a 20-truck convoy of assistance reached Gaza on Saturday

6. UN says aid convoy that reached Gaza is “only a small beginning and far from enough”

7. Doctors Without Borders says Gaza’s health care system is “facing collapse”

8. Palestinian Prez Mahmoud Abbas is calling for an international peace summit

9. Israeli military official said it will try not to strike zones in Gaza where aid is being given unless rockets are fired from the area

10. Egypt and Jordan harshly criticized Israel at a summit in Cairo on Saturday

Palestinians displaced by the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip in the UNDP-provided tent camp in Khan Younis. (AP)

Hezbollah 'dragging Lebanon into a war': Israel military

Escalating attacks by militant group Hezbollah risk "dragging Lebanon into a war", Israel's military said Sunday.

"Hezbollah... is dragging Lebanon into a war that it will gain nothing from, but stands to lose a lot," warned Israel Defense Forces spokesman Jonathan Conricus. (AP)

FOLLOW TNIE'S LIVE COVERAGE

1. Read our coverage of the war on Oct 21 HERE (Day 15 of the latest war)

2. Read our coverage of the war on Oct 20 HERE (Day 14 of the latest war)

3. Read our coverage of the war on Oct 19 HERE (Day 13 of the latest war)

4. Read our coverage of the war on Oct 18 HERE (Day 12 of the latest war)

5. Read our coverage of the war on Oct 17 HERE (Day 11 of the latest war)

6. Read our coverage of the war on Oct 16 HERE (Day 10 of the latest war)

7. Read our coverage of the war on Oct 15 HERE(Day 9 of the latest war)

8. Read our coverage of the war on Oct 14, 13 HERE(Days 8, 7 of the latest war)

9. Read our coverage of the war on Oct 12 HERE (Day 6 of the latest war)

Gaza’s healthcare system 'facing collapse'

Hospitals in the Gaza Strip are nearing collapse under the Israeli blockade that cut power and deliveries of food and other necessities to the territory.

They lack clean water. They are running out of basic items for easing pain and preventing infections. Fuel for their generators is dwindling.

Shortage of surgical supplies forced medical staff to use sewing needles to stitch wounds.

“It's a nightmare. If more aid doesn’t come in, I fear we’ll get to the point where going to a hospital will do more harm than good,” Mehdat Abbas, an official in the Hamas-run Health Ministry, said. (AP)

READ FULL STORY HERE

A Palestinian boy, wounded in Israeli bombardment on Gaza Strip, cries in a hospital in Deir al-Balah, south of the Gaza Strip, Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023. (Photo | AP)

Israel says killed 'terror operatives' in Jenin mosque air strike

Israel said Sunday it had killed "terror operatives" from Hamas and Islamic Jihad in an air strike on a mosque in the West Bank's Jenin.

The strike hit the Al-Ansar mosque, which the Israeli military said "was used by the terrorists as a command centre to plan the attacks and as a base for their execution".

The IDF posted apparent images on X formerly known as Twitter of what it called “a Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorist compound” in the Al-Ansar mosque in Jenin on the West Bank.

READ FULL REPORT HERE

The IDF & ISA just conducted an aerial strike on a Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorist compound in the Al-Ansar Mosque in Jenin.

Recent IDF intel revealed that the Mosque was used as a command center to plan and execute terrorist attacks against civilians. pic.twitter.com/gQfyv6wUAV

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) October 22, 2023

Biden speaks with two freed American hostages

Joe Biden has spoken on the phone with two freed Americans who had been held hostage by Hamas in Gaza.

Judith Raanan and her 17-year-old daughter, Natalie, were released Friday. It was the first such hostage release from among the roughly 200 people the militant group abducted from Israel.

Hamas said it released the mother and daughter for humanitarian reasons in an agreement with the Qatari government. (AP) (Read more)

Casualties on Israel-Lebanon border as army trades fire with Hezbollah

Israeli soldiers stand near a Merkava tank as they man a position at an undisclosed location on the border with Lebanon on October. 21. (Photo | AFP)