Israel 'breaks through' Hamas front line in northern Gaza

Thanks for following the Telegraph’s live coverage. We’ll be back in the morning with the latest on the Hamas-Israel war. 

Here’s a summary of the main developments on Wednesday. 

• The first British nationals, of an unspecified number, crossed the Rafah border crossing from Gaza into Egypt along with more than 300 other foreign nationals and 76 wounded people.
• Meanwhile, many of the 200 British citizens trapped in Gaza were being turned away from the Rafah crossing hours after it opened - as MPs criticised the Government for failing to provide clear information.
• Fifteen young Israeli soldiers have been killed fighting in Gaza, the country’s military said as it intensified its ground operation in the Hamas-controlled enclave.
• Israeli forces stormed the Hamas front line in northern Gaza in a breakthrough for the ground mission to eradicate the terror group.
• The Israeli military said it has killed Hamas’s anti-tank system chief along with another commander in air strikes targeted on a Hamas stronghold at the territory’s biggest refugee camp, Jabalia.
• Seven hostages, including three foreign passport holders, were allegedly killed in Israel’s bombing of the refugee camp, Hamas claimed.
• Jordan said it had recalled its ambassador from Israel and told Israel’s ambassador to remain out of the country in protest over the “humanitarian catastrophe” in Gaza.
• Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian warned of “harsh consequences” if attacks continue on the Gaza Strip, the latest in a series of warnings from the country.

Rishi Sunak held talks with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on Wednesday evening about the situation in Gaza and the wider Middle East.

A Downing Street spokesman said: “He welcomed the opening of the Rafah crossing today for the first British and other nationals and injured Palestinians to leave Gaza. The Prime Minister thanked president Sisi for his efforts and said the UK would continue to work closely with Egypt and Israel to ensure all British citizens can leave Gaza safely.

“The leaders talked about urgent work to increase the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza, and the Prime Minister updated on plans for a second UK aid flight to support the work of the Egyptian Red Crescent. He said ensuring life-saving aid and medical treatment reaches civilians by all available routes is a top priority and the UK stands ready to provide further support.

“The Prime Minister and president Sisi also discussed diplomatic efforts to secure the release of hostages held by Hamas, prevent escalation in the wider Middle East and achieve long-term peace and prosperity for the Palestinian people.”

Pope Francis said on Wednesday a two-state solution was needed for Israel and Palestine in order to put an end to wars such as the current one and called for a special status for Jerusalem.

In an interview with Italian state television RAI’s TG1 news channel, Francis also said he hoped a regional escalation could be avoided in the conflict that began when Hamas militants entered Israel, killing some 1,400 Israelis, mainly civilians, and taking about 230 hostages.

”(Those are) two peoples who have to live together. With that wise solution, two states. The Oslo accords, two well-defined states and Jerusalem with a special status,” Francis said in an interview with Italy’s RAI broadcaster.

In 1993, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Palestine Liberation Organisation leader Yasser Arafat shook hands on the Oslo Accords establishing limited Palestinian autonomy.

U.S. President Bill Clinton, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Arafat took part in the Camp David summit in 2000, but failed to reach a final peace deal.

With much of Whitehall filled with pro-Palestinian protesters, the US Vice President has taken the back exit via Horse Guards Road, next to St James’s Park in London, following her meeting with Rishi Sunak at Number 10.

Activists are shouting “blood on your hands” at the pair outside the main entrance to Downing Street on Whitehall.

Rishi Sunak and Kamala Harris have agreed to keep pushing for “stability” in the Gaza region.

A Downing Street spokesman, in a readout issued after the meeting between the Prime Minister and US Vice President in London, said: “The Prime Minister reiterated Israel’s right to defend itself against terror as well as the need to get more humanitarian aid into Gaza and to free hostages taken by Hamas.

“Both agreed that the UK and US were aligned in these efforts and would continue to work with partners in the region to ensure stability.”

Yemen’s Houthis have launched a large batch of drones at several targets in Israel, the group’s military spokesperson said on Wednesday.

The group will “continue carrying out military operations in support of Palestinians, until the Israeli aggression in Gaza stops,” Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sareahe said.

In British developments, a 32-year-old man has been arrested in connection with live rodents being thrown into McDonald’s restaurants.

West Midlands Police said it still wanted to speak to a second man, Billal Hussain, 30, over the three incidents which occurred in Birmingham on Monday and Tuesday, in what appear to be protests related to the conflict in Gaza.

A video posted on social media on Monday showed customers at a McDonald’s restaurant jumping in shock as mice dyed in the colours of the Palestinian flag scurried near their feet.

According to reports, pro-Palestinian activists have called for protests against McDonald’s after a restaurant in Israel donated meals to Israeli soldiers and security workers.

West Midlands Police said the incidents were being treated as public nuisances and appealed for anyone with information on the whereabouts of Hussain to come forward.

Deadly Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip’s largest refugee camp “could amount to war crimes”, the UN Human Rights Office claimed on Wednesday.

Israeli strikes have targeted the Jabalia refugee camp twice in two days, killing and wounding dozens, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run Palestinian territory.

Israel said Tuesday’s raid was a successful hit on top Hamas commander Ibrahim Biari.

“Given the high number of civilian casualties & the scale of destruction following Israeli air strikes on Jabalia refugee camp, we have serious concerns that these are disproportionate attacks that could amount to war crimes,” the office wrote on X.

Israel says its strikes on Gaza are essential to wipe out Hamas, the terror group that stormed across the border from Gaza on October 7, killing 1,400 people, mostly civilians, and taking more than 230 hostages.

The United States does not believe the pro-Iranian Palestinian militant group Hamas can be involved in the future governance of Gaza when the war with Israel is over, the White House said on Wednesday.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby, speaking to reporters as President Joe Biden flew to Minnesota, also said the United States does not support a permanent settlement of Gaza civilians outside of Gaza.

Counter-terrorism police are examining more than 200 pieces of “toxic” material posted online amid the renewed conflict in Gaza.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley told The News Agents Podcast around 250 cases were sifted from about 2,000 referrals made to police.

He said: “Some of the really toxic, concerning online material that is potentially breaching terrorism offences, they’re approaching 2,000 referrals which they’ve sifted and it’s around 250 that potentially cross terrorism boundaries and are requiring further investigation.

“So you can see the caseload is building. We have to be extra tuned to the prospect that some of those extremists will be provoked into action.”

In case you missed it, there are many British nationals still trapped in Gaza who are growing increasingly frustrated at the slow progress with the border crossing to Egypt.

Britons stranded in Gaza City received a message from the Foreign Office on Tuesday night informing them it had “credible reports” that the Rafah border “may be open for limited exits” on Wednesday.

But on Wednesday morning, after perilous journeys to the crossing, the vast majority of UK nationals were turned away by authorities because their names were not on lists of those eligible to leave.

An estimated 200 British and British-Palestinian nationals are thought to be stranded in the war-torn territory.

The Foreign Office has not revealed how many British nationals were allowed to leave on Wednesday night or who they were, but it is likely only to be a small number as it was described as a “first step”. 

Read more on the situation here.

The Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has described the first British nationals to leave Gaza as “a hugely important first step”. 

He wrote on X: “The first British nationals have left Gaza. This is a hugely important first step. 

“We are working with Egyptian and Israeli authorities to ensure the crossing stays open so all British nationals can get to safety in the coming days.”

Here’s some breaking news just in from the Foreign Office:

The first British nationals have crossed the Rafah border crossing from Gaza into Egypt. 

UK teams are on the ground providing assistance. We will continue working with partners to ensure the crossing is opened again, allowing vital aid into Gaza and more British nationals to leave safely. 

We are regularly updating all British nationals registered with us. The crossing will be open for controlled and time-limited periods to allow specific groups of foreign nationals and the seriously wounded to leave. 

We have agreed a list of British nationals that want to leave Gaza with Egyptian and Israeli authorities. We will be informed in advance when those on the list can use the crossing to ensure we can provide assistance. 

Protesters, some waving Palestinian flags, shouted “ceasefire now” as US Vice President Kamala Harris arrived in Downing Street for a meeting with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

Mr Sunak welcomed Ms Harris on her first visit to No 10, with the Prime Minister saying they would have conversations about the “global situation”, including Israel and Gaza.

Ms Harris, in her reply, said: “I also want to thank you for the position that you and the United Kingdom have taken in terms of what is happening in Israel with Hamas.

“As we’ve both stated, Hamas is a terrorist organisation and what happened in Israel is horrendous by any measure.”

Ms Harris said Israel has a “right to defend itself”, there must be “no conflation between the Palestinian people and Hamas”, and there “should not be any intentional targeting” of civilians.

The Israeli military says it has killed Hamas’s anti-tank system chief in an air strike.

“The IDF, under the direction of Modi’in Aman and the Shin Bet, eliminated Muhammad Atzar, the head of the anti-tank system of the terrorist organization Hamas, using a fighter jet,” the military wrote on X.

“As part of his position, Atzar was responsible for all the anti-tank systems in the various brigades in the Gaza Strip, managed the force on a routine basis and assisted in its activation in an emergency.

“During his command of the anti-tank system, a number of anti-tank attacks were carried out against Israeli citizens and IDF forces.”

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant has said Hamas has to “die or to surrender unconditionally” in the war the two sides are fighting in Gaza.

“There is no third option,” Gallant said in a televised speech on Wednesday, addressing the terrorist group which rules Gaza.

Eleven of the fifteen Israeli soldiers that have been killed in ground fighting in the Gaza Strip since Tuesday have been named.

The troops from the Givati Infantry Brigade’s Tzabar Battalion were killed when a Namer armored personnel carrier they were in was hit by an anti-tank guided missile fired by Hamas, the IDF said.

They were named as: Sgt. Adi Danan, 20, from Yavne; Staff Sgt. Halel Solomon, 20, from Dimona; Staff Sgt. Erez Mishlovsky, 20, from Oranit; Staff Sgt. Adi Leon, 20, from Nili; Cpl. Ido Ovadia, 19, from Tel Aviv; Cpl. Lior Siminovich, 19, from Herzliya; Staff Sgt. Roei Dawi, 20, from Jerusalem; Lt. Pedayah Mark, 22, from Otniel; Staff Sgt. Roei Saragosti, 20, from Ramat Hanegev Regional Council; Staff Sgt. Itay Yehuda, 20, from Rishon Lezion; and Staff Sgt. Shay Arvas, 20, from Holon.

The UN child rights committee has said there are “no winners in a war where thousands of children are killed”, as it condemned “grave human rights violations” in the Gaza Strip.

The committee, which monitors countries’ adherence to the international Convention on the Rights of the Child, expressed its “outrage at the profound suffering of children” in the conflict between Israel and Hamas.

“Grave human rights violations against children are mounting by the minute in the Gaza Strip, and there are no winners in a war where thousands of children are killed,” the committee said in a statement.

Israel has heavily bombarded Gaza since Hamas gunmen stormed across the border on October 7, killing 1,400 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping at least 240 others, including children.

The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says nearly 8,800 people have been killed since the war with Israel erupted, while more than 22,000 people have been wounded.

French prosecutors opened a probe on Wednesday over a video showing a group of youths’ antisemitic chants, amid a surge in antisemitism since the attack by Hamas on Israel.

There have been over 850 anti-Semitic acts in France since the Oct 7 Hamas attack, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said on Tuesday, nearly double the number for the whole of 2022.

The video, which was circulated on social media, showed a group of youngsters on the metro, chanting: “F--- the Jews and f--- your mother, long live Palestine... We are Nazis and proud of it.”

Prosecutors have also opened an investigation into a series of blue Stars of David spray-painted on walls in Paris and other locations.

US President Joe Biden has taken credit for having “secured safe passage” for wounded Palestinians and foreign nationals to leave Gaza via the Rafah crossing, despite most Britons being trapped.

Mr Biden tweeted: “Today, thanks to American leadership, we secured safe passage for wounded Palestinians and for foreign nationals to exit Gaza. 

“We expect American citizens to exit today, and we expect to see more depart over the coming days. We won’t let up working to get Americans out of Gaza.”

However, the vast majority of UK nationals were turned away by authorities at the Rafah crossing, hours after it opened, because their names were not on lists of those eligible to leave.

Seventy-six wounded Palestinians and 335 foreigners or dual-nationals were allowed to cross from the war-torn Gaza Strip for Egypt on Wednesday, an Egyptian official at the Rafah crossing said.

It is the first crossing of civilians allowed into Egypt from Gaza since Israel placed a “total siege” on the Palestinian territory after Hamas’s deadly attack on October 7.

By 4.30 pm (1430 GMT), ambulances had transported 76 wounded Palestinians into Egypt and six buses took 335 foreign passport holders, the official told AFP.

The Egyptian authorities had said they would allow 90 wounded Palestinians and around 545 foreigners and dual nationals to cross on Wednesday.

“The Rafah terminal will open again on Thursday to allow the passage of more foreigners and dual citizens,” a security source told AFP.

Two of the Israeli soldiers that have been killed in battle in Gaza are aged just 20. 

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) confirmed that Staff Sgt. Itay Yehuda and Staff Sgt. Shay Arvas, both 20, are among the 15 troops killed since the ground invasion of Gaza began. 

Yehuda, whose parents are named Ofer and Rinat from Rishon Lezion, was a member of the Givati Brigade and was killed on Tuesday in fighting, the military said.

Arvas was a combat medic with the Givati Brigade’s Tzabar unit from Holon, the Times of Israel reported. 

They were killed in an anti-tank guided missile attack on Tuesday along with left seven other members of the Givati Brigade’s Tzabar unit, the newspaper reported. 

British citizens attempting to flee Gaza are being turned away at Rafah Crossing hours after it opened, reports Fiona Parker.

Foreign nationals are having to check their names on a list to see if they are eligible to leave as part of a staggered process.

Mohammed Ghalayini, 44, who lives in Manchester, said he went to the border but decided there was “no hope for me getting through today and I went back”.

Lalah Ali Faten, the mother of British teacher Zaynab Wandawi, said her daughter is “distraught” and “feeling abandoned by the British Government” after she was turned away from the Rafah Crossing.

Lists of names of foreign nationals have been drawn up by Israel and Egypt, sources say. The Foreign Office expects around 200 trapped citizens to cross the border “in stages” over the coming days.

Ambulances have been seen this morning crossing the border carrying the first critically injured people out of Gaza to field hospitals in Egypt.

At least 320 foreign passport holders crossed from Gaza to Egypt on Wednesday in the first batch of evacuations from the besieged enclave, according to three Egyptian security sources and a Palestinian official.

The Palestinian official on the Gaza side of the border said the foreign passport holders departed the strip on six buses. 

A first list of about 500 foreigners or dual nationals had been cleared to leave Gaza, with evacuations expected to continue in the days to come.

However, others including British citizens are trapped and being turned away from the Rafah Crossing hours after it opened.

Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry said a second Israeli bombing raid in two days had killed and wounded “dozens” on Wednesday at the territory’s biggest refugee camp, Jabalia.

It said there were “dozens of martyrs and injured in a bombing by the occupation planes”, a day after Israel acknowledged the first strikes, saying they targeted a top Hamas commander.

Images obtained by AFP showed major damage and rescuers said “whole families” were killed on Wednesday, but casualty details could not be immediately confirmed.

Fifteen Israeli soldiers have been killed fighting in Gaza since Tuesday, a spokesman for the country’s military told AFP.

Israeli troops have been fighting Hamas militants on the ground since Friday, backed by heavy air strikes which have killed multiple civilians in the Palestinian territory.

Some passengers had to hide in the terminal before being airlifted to safety after a mob stormed an airport in southern Russia searching for Jews. 

Israel’s ambassador to Moscow revealed new details of the weekend riot in the mostly Muslim republic of Dagestan when a flight from Tel Aviv was besieged by activists upon landing. 

Alexander Ben Zvi blamed Sunday night’s unrest on extremist elements resulting from ″indoctrination″ in the region. 

“In the end, most of them ended up in a VIP room, and they hid there and spent some time there” until they could be flown by helicopter to a closed facility, he said.

He added that after spending the night there, the passengers were flown, again by helicopter, to Mineralnye Vody, a city in the neighboring Stavropol region, from where they traveled onwards.

The angry mob stormed the airport in Makhachkala, the capital city of Dagestan. It took riot police several hours to disperse the mob, with at least 20 people, both police and civilians, injured and more than 80 were detained.

The United Nations decried strikes on Gaza’s largest refugee camp that killed scores of people in attacks that Israel said targeted a Hamas commander.

“This is just the latest atrocity to befall the people of Gaza where the fighting has entered an even more terrifying phase, with increasingly dreadful humanitarian consequences,” Martin Griffiths, the UN humanitarian chief, said in a statement.

He said “the world seems unable, or unwilling, to act,” adding “this cannot go on. We need a step change.”

A strike on the Jabalia refugee camp killed at least 47 people Tuesday - including a Hamas commander involved in the October 7 attacks, according to Israel.

Jordan said it has recalled its ambassador from Israel and told Israel’s ambassador to remain out of the country in protest over the “humanitarian catastrophe” in Gaza.

Jordan’s Deputy Prime Minister, Ayman al-Safadi, who is also the foreign minister, said the return of the ambassadors is linked to Israel “stopping its war on Gaza … and the humanitarian catastrophe it is causing.”

Jordan signed a peace deal with Israel in 1994, the second Arab country after Egypt to do so.

Seven hostages, including three foreign passport holders, were allegedly killed in Israel’s bombing of Gaza’s largest refugee camp, Hamas has claimed.

Dozens of bodies were seen on Tuesday at the Jabalia camp where Israel said it killed a Hamas military commander in a strike on a tunnel complex.

“Seven detainees were killed in the Jabalia massacre yesterday, including three holders of foreign passports,” said a statement from the Hamas military wing.

The mother of a British teacher has said her daughter is “distraught” and “feeling abandoned by the British Government” after she was turned away from the Rafah Crossing this morning, writes Fiona Parker and Blathnaid Corless.

Lalah Ali Faten also told The Telegraph that Foreign Office staff had informed her none of their employees were currently stationed at the crossing.

Ms Faten’s daughter Zaynab Wandawi, 29, went to Gaza with her husband and eight of her in-laws for a wedding two days before violence in the Middle East broke out. The relatives, who are all British nationals and live in Manchester, have been trapped there since.

Speaking to The Telegraph, Ms Faten said they were turned away by the authorities at the crossing. 

“They were told that their names were not on the list and that British nationals were not leaving today,” she added.

“I was furious when I found out and I called the FCDO to ask if there were any of their staff or Border Force officials at the Rafah Crossing.

“I was told there weren’t and that once they got through the Crossing they would be able to contact someone.”

Ms Faten said her daughter and extended family are yet to receive any further information from the British Government.

She added: “She is distraught - to say she feels ‘let down’ would be an understatement, she feels abandoned by the Government.

“She can see other foreign nationals are able to leave and clearly their governments have done more to help citizens escape than the British Government has.”

The FCDO has been approached for comment.

Emmanuel Macron has said he “hates the debate” over the value of “Jewish lives” and “Palestinian lives” and called for “civilians in Gaza to be protected first”.

“I hate this debate dividing people and saying: ‘For me Jewish lives are more important’ or ‘for me Palestinian lives would be more important’. This is crazy,” the French President said on a visit to the Kazakhstan capital.

“All lives matter in this world,” he stressed, speaking in English to students.

Civilians in Gaza “have nothing to do with the terrorist attacks”,  Mr Macron said.

The European Union’s top diplomat Josep Borrell said he was “appalled” by the high number of casualties from the bombing by Israel of a refugee camp in Gaza and called for fighting parties to respect the international rules of war.

It comes after at least 50 people were killed in Gaza’s largest Palestinian camp in a strike.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian warned of “harsh consequences” if attacks continue on the Gaza Strip, the latest in a series of warnings from the country.

“If an immediate ceasefire doesn’t take place in Gaza Strip and the rapid attacks by US and Zionist Regime continue then the consequences would be harsh,” he said in Ankara.

The United States and Israel have struck Iranian-backed militias in the wider region in response to what they said were unprovoked attacks over the past few weeks that have fuelled fears the Gaza conflict could ignite a wider war.

BBC News Arabic has launched an Emergency Radio Service for Gaza in response to the war.

It will provide listeners in Gaza with the latest information and developments as well as safety advice on where to access shelter, food and water supplies.

Liliane Landor, Director, BBC World Service, said:

BBC News Arabic are extremely well-placed to offer this vital service for the people of Gaza at a time of greatest need. 

Their expertise and specialist knowledge of the region alongside the BBC’s reputation as the most trusted news provider, means we can reach civilians in Gaza with the information they need.

More details about who is being evacuated are beginning to emerge...

Two Filipino doctors with medical aid group Doctors Without Borders (MSF) are among the first group of foreigners selected to leave Gaza and cross into Egypt, a Philippine foreign ministry official has said.

“The crossing should happen anytime now,” undersecretary Eduardo De Vega told Reuters.

More to follow

Western officials said: 

We expect the Rafah crossing to open in a limited way today for a first group of foreign nationals. 

We are working closely with Egyptian and Israeli authorities, and understand that the crossing will be open for controlled and time-limited periods to allow specific groups of foreign nationals and the seriously wounded. 

This list is agreed between Egypt and Israel, with embassies from the relevant countries being informed in advance to ensure they can prepare to receive their nationals. 

As a result, it is likely the departure of British Nationals from Gaza will take place in stages over the coming days.

The UK has a Border Force team to Cairo and has forward-deployed a team of consular officials to Arish, close to Rafah, to ensure we can provide the necessary medical, consular and administrative support needed. 

The team have set up a reception centre to welcome British Nationals who have left and have arranged accommodation. 

The Prime Minister, Foreign Secretary and Lord Ahmad have been engaged in intensive diplomacy with Egypt, Israel and Qatar to ensure the crossing could open and British Nationals could leave. 

The opening of Rafah for people crossing is welcome.

We continue to call for sustained humanitarian assistance into Gaza.

Britain said the departure of its nationals from beseiged Gaza would likely take place in stages over the coming days.

The first ambulances carrying wounded Palestinians from war-torn Gaza entered Egypt via the Rafah crossing on Wednesday, an Egyptian official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Live footage shown on television stations close to Egyptian intelligence had shown the ambulances entering the Egyptian side of the Rafah terminal to bring back what officials said would be around 90 of the most seriously sick and wounded Palestinians for treatment in Egyptian hospitals.

Israel’s air strikes on the Jabalia refugee camp, targeting a Hamas commander, are part of the “terrible nature” of the conflict in the Middle East, Oliver Dowden said.

Asked by Sky News whether Israel had broken international law with the strikes, the Deputy Prime Minister said: “This is the reality of the conflict with an organisation like Hamas.

“Hamas is a terrorist organisation that has murdered in cold blood over 1,000 innocent Israeli men, women and children, and now seeks to hide amongst the civilian population. This is a very difficult conflict.

“We continue to urge the Israeli government to abide by international law. I believe that the Israeli government is continuing to do so against an enemy that hides among civilians.

“It is the terrible nature of this appalling conflict.”

It is “totally unacceptable” for police officers to be pulling down posters of Israeli captives, Oliver Dowden has said.

Asked by LBC about reports in the Sun newspaper that officers in London and Greater Manchester had removed the posters, the Deputy Prime Minister said: “Clearly ... if that is the case, it is totally unacceptable.

“These families are going through so much hurt, over 200 innocent people are being held in Gaza.

“It is right that they should draw the world’s attention to their appalling suffering and those posters should not be being pulled down, full stop.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to continue Israel’s war on Hamas despite suffering “painful losses” in ground fighting inside the Gaza Strip.

“We have so many important achievements, but also painful losses. We know that every soldier of ours is an entire world,” Mr Netanyahu said in a televised address after the army confirmed at least 11 soldiers killed in ground fighting on Tuesday.

“We will continue until victory.”

Bolivia said it was severing diplomatic ties with Israel over its “disproportionate” attacks in Gaza, as two other Latin American countries recalled their ambassadors over the mounting humanitarian crisis.

Bolivia “has decided to cut diplomatic relations with the State of Israel, in repudiation and condemnation of the aggressive and disproportionate Israeli military offensive being carried out in the Gaza Strip,” deputy foreign minister Freddy Mamani told a press conference.

Minister of the Presidency Maria Nela Prada also announced the country was sending humanitarian aid to Gaza.

“We demand an end to the attacks” in the Gaza Strip “which have so far caused thousands of civilian deaths and the forced displacement of Palestinians,” she said at the same press conference.

Hamas’ brutal attack on Israel on Oct 7 has understandably been described as Israel’s ‘9/11’ moment, writes Charles Lister.

Leaving more than 1,400 people dead, it was in fact many times worse than al-Qaeda’s terror attacks in the United States two decades ago. In the wake of those attacks in 2001, fuelled by a desire to destroy terrorist threats and assert strength on the international stage, the US invaded Afghanistan and later Iraq.

While those wars raged, eventually leaving at least 400,000 dead, the terrorism threat metastasised, growing in scale, scope and sophistication across the globe.

In the wake of Hamas’ attack, Israeli officials declared their intent to “eradicate” Hamas, declaring war on Gaza’s “human animals.” In six days, 6,000 bombs were dropped on Gaza, the most densely populated region of the world.

Read more here

Israel has rushed missile defence ships to the Red Sea after Yemen’s Houthi group declared war on the country following a series of long-range attacks.

Photos released by the Israeli military showed Saar-class corvettes patrolling near Eilat port, which came under missile attack yesterday.

Israel’s Arrow defence system was used in action for the first time to intercept a ballistic missile believed to have been launched by the Iran-backed group. 

Israel sees the Red Sea as a new front as its war with Hamas rages on, threatening to bring in Iran-aligned pro-Hamas forces elsewhere in the region.

Colombia has recalled its ambassador to Israel over its war in Gaza, President Gustavo Petro said in a message on X on Tuesday, formerly known as Twitter.

“I have decided to recall our ambassador to Israel. If Israel does not stop the massacre of the Palestinian people we cannot stay there,” he said.

The Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza is expected to open on Wednesday, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said in a post on X.

“The Rafah crossing is likely to open today for a first group of foreign nationals,” he said.

“UK teams are ready to assist British nationals as soon as they are able to leave. It’s vital that lifesaving humanitarian aid can enter Gaza as quickly as possible.”

Palestine Telecommunication Company, or Paltel, said on Wednesday in a post on messaging platform X that communications and internet services have been completely cut off in the Gaza Strip due to international access being disconnected again.     

Paltel is Gaza’s largest telecommunications provider.                              

Another nine Israeli soldiers have been killed in fighting against Hamas in the northern part of the Gaza Strip. 

Seven were part of the Givati Infantry Brigade’s Tzabar Battalion and were killed after an armoured vehicle they were in was hit by an anti-tank guided missile fired by Hamas.

A further four soldiers were injured during this incident. 

The remaining two, of the 77th Battalion, were killed after their tank drove over an explosive device. Two others were injured.

Saudi Arabia condemned on Wednesday an Israeli bombing of Gaza’s largest refugee camp, which killed at least 47 people, including, Israel said, a Hamas commander involved in the October 7 attacks.

“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia condemns in the strongest terms possible the inhumane targeting by the Israeli occupation forces of the Jabalia refugee camp in the besieged Gaza Strip, which caused the death and injury of a large number of innocent civilians,” the Saudi foreign ministry said in a statement posted on X.

Israel on Wednesday slammed Bolivia’s decision to cut ties over its war in the Gaza Strip after a deadly Hamas attack as a capitulation to “terror”.

“The government of Bolivia’s decision to cut diplomatic ties with Israel is a surrender to terrorism and to the Ayatollah’s regime in Iran,” foreign ministry spokesman Lior Haiat said in a statement.

“By taking this step, the Bolivian government is aligning itself with the Hamas terrorist organisation.”