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Israeli troops fire on UN peacekeepers in Lebanon

Israeli troops fire on UN peacekeepers in Lebanon
By Alastair McCready, Zaheena Rasheed, Maziar Motamedi, Ylenia Gostoli, Nils Adler and Virginia Pietromarchi
Published On 10 Oct 2024

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10 Oct 2024 - 23:59
 (23:59 GMT)

This blog is now closed.

Thanks for joining us.

For a look at how the world reacted to an alleged Israeli attack on UN peacekeepers in Lebanon, read here.

To know more about Israeli strikes targeting central Beirut and killing at least 22 people, see our story here.

And here you can read about a UN inquiry accusing Israel of deliberately targeting Gaza’s health facilities and killing medical personnel.

10 Oct 2024 - 23:50
 (23:50 GMT)

Here’s a recap of today’s events

We will shortly be closing this live page and moving to a new one. But before we do, here’s a summary of today’s key events:

  • An Israeli attack in central Beirut has killed at least 22 and wounded another 117 people.
  • Medical sources have told Al Jazeera that 63 people have been killed in Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip today.
  • UNIFIL says Israeli troops have repeatedly opened fire on its positions in southern Lebanon, wounding two peacekeepers.
  • The Houthi military spokesperson, Yahya Saree, says that the group conducted operations against two ships in the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean.
  • The Israeli military says three soldiers died during fighting in the north of the Gaza Strip.
10 Oct 2024 - 23:15
 (23:15 GMT)
Developing

Two killed in Israeli attack on Tulkarem, occupied West Bank

The Palestinian Ministry of Health reports that two people have been killed in the Nur Shams refugee camp by an earlier Israeli air strike on the area of the city of Tulkarem in the occupied West Bank.

The Israeli army claimed this strike, saying, without providing evidence, that it targeted a “terror cell”.

10 Oct 2024 - 23:00
 (23:00 GMT)

Photos: Protesters in Tel Aviv call for the release of captives held in Gaza

A person holds a placard with the face of Israel’s National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi, as women lead a march for the return of the captives in Tel Aviv, Israel, October 10, 2024 [Gonzalo Fuentes/Reuters]
People hold flags and placards as women lead a march for the return of the captives, in Tel Aviv, Israel, October 10, 2024 [Gonzalo Fuentes/Reuters]
[Gonzalo Fuentes/Reuters]

10 Oct 2024 - 22:45
 (22:45 GMT)

Turkey condemns Israel for UNIFIL attack

“Israel’s attack on UN forces, following its massacres against civilians in Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon is a manifestation of its perception that its crimes go unpunished,” read a statement from the Turkish Foreign Ministry.

“The international community is obligated to ensure that Israel abides by the international law,” it added.

Earlier today, Israeli troops fired on UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon, injuring two of them, actions that have drawn widespread criticism from the international community.

10 Oct 2024 - 22:30
 (22:30 GMT)

WATCH: Dozens killed in Israeli strikes on the displaced in Gaza

An Israeli strike on a school-turned-shelter in Gaza’s Deir el-Balah has killed at least 28 people.

Horrific footage has also emerged from a separate Israeli strike on the Remal medical clinic in northern Gaza.

Watch below to learn more:

10 Oct 2024 - 22:15
 (22:15 GMT)

UNIFIL are committed to staying in place despite Israeli attack

By Gabriel Elizondo

Reporting from New York, United States

We have heard condemnation from the UN of Israel’s targeting of the UN Interim force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in the last 24 hours or so, calling on it to be protected.

We have heard from the Israeli ambassador to the UN. He repeated calls for UNIFIL troops to move back at least 5 kilometres (3 miles) away from their areas of operation.

That’s something that UNIFIL has said it will not do right now. It says it is fulfilling a UN Security Council mandate in Lebanon, and UNIFIL’s position is we don’t respond to Israel in this way.

So clearly, this is the sort of tone that we’ve been hearing from the Security Council meeting.

The overriding theme from most Security Council members is condemning Israel’s attack on UNIFIL and calling for UNIFIL to be protected, as well as calling for a ceasefire.

10 Oct 2024 - 22:00
 (22:00 GMT)

Scenes of chaos in central Beirut

By Laura Khan

Reporting from Beirut, Lebanon

A huge number of people were injured, well over 100, and they’ve been brought to nearby hospitals in the surrounding neighbourhood.

The hospitals have asked for no one to come and donate blood at the moment because they are already overwhelmed, so having more people come in to donate is just going to push them even further.

I was about a kilometre and a half (about 1 mile) away when the attack occurred. I heard a very deep rumble.

People outside told our colleagues that they saw streaks in the sky and, of course, big explosions.

We know that people were running and screaming in these neighbourhoods, absolutely traumatised.

These are densely packed neighbourhoods anyway, but many people have come from the southern suburbs of Beirut and are sheltering there.

About 700,000 people emptied from these suburbs into these areas, so they’d already been traumatised and moved once.

Of course, they wanted to seek safety, and they certainly did not find that in the centre of Beirut.

10 Oct 2024 - 21:45
 (21:45 GMT)

US and Israel edge closer to a consensus on potential Israeli attack on Iran: Report

US President Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have moved closer to an understanding of the “scope of Israel’s planned retaliation against Iran” during their call on Wednesday, news site Axios reports, citing three US and Israeli officials.

Axios reported that a senior Israeli official said the current plans were still a bit more aggressive than the White House would like.

However, another US official was reported to have said after the call, “We are moving in the right direction.”

A senior Israeli official is reported to have said there was now more agreement on the nature and scope of the attack.

On October 1, Iran fired nearly 200 ballistic missiles at Israel in response to the assassination of Hassan Nasrallah, the head of Hezbollah, and IRGC commander Abbas Nilforoushan in Beirut, as well as the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July.

US President Joe Biden meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office at the White House [File: Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters]
10 Oct 2024 - 21:30
 (21:30 GMT)

WATCH: A Palestinian mother’s year of resilience after giving birth on October 7, 2023

A Palestinian woman marks her son’s first birthday on October 7, as she recalls the dramatic night of his delivery under the sounds of air strikes one year ago.

Watch below to hear her story:

10 Oct 2024 - 21:15
 (21:15 GMT)

Canada says Israeli troops firing on UNIFIL is unacceptable

Canada, which has been largely supportive of Israel’s military offensive in Lebanon, has said an incident in which Israeli troops fired on UN peacekeepers, injuring two of them, is “alarming and unacceptable”.

“Canada calls for the protection of peacekeepers and humanitarian workers, and for all parties to comply with international humanitarian law,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement posted on social media platform X.

10 Oct 2024 - 21:05
 (21:05 GMT)

Photos: The aftermath of an Israeli strike in Deir el-Balah

A Palestinian woman mourns her relatives who were killed in an Israeli air strike on the Rufaida School, in Deir el-Balah, central Gaza Strip, October 10, 2024 [Mohammed Saber/EPA-EFE]
Palestinians pray before the bodies of people killed in an Israeli air strike on the Rufaida School, at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir el-Balah, southern Gaza Strip, October 10, 2024 [Mohammed Saber/EPA-EFE]
A group of Palestinian women mourns their relatives who were killed in an Israeli air strike on the Rufaida School, in Deir el-Balah, central Gaza Strip, October 10, 2024 [Mohammed Saber/EPA-EFE]
Displaced Palestinians inspect the destroyed Rufaida School, in Deir el-Balah, central Gaza Strip, October 10, 2024 [Mohammed Saber/EPA-EFE]

10 Oct 2024 - 20:45
 (20:45 GMT)

Deficit in Israel rises to 8.5 percent of GDP: Report

The Times of Israel, citing preliminary figures released by the Finance Ministry, reports that military and civilian spending on the war on Gaza has pushed Israel’s budget deficit in September to 8.5 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP).

The newspaper said this marks the sixth month that the deficit has been above the government’s annual target of 6.6 percent of GDP.

The Finance Ministry has reiterated the target despite the Israeli military increasing its attacks on Lebanon.

10 Oct 2024 - 20:35
 (20:35 GMT)

Palestinian activist slams US decision to place him on sanction list

Palestinian activist Majed al-Zeer has slammed the US Department of the Treasury for including him earlier this week on its sanction list, a move he decried as “completely irrational” and illegal.

“I was shocked and deeply astonished to learn from media outlets of a decision that can only be described as unjust and devoid of even the most basic legal standards,” al-Zeer, a British citizen, said in a statement.

“Moreover, the information contained within it is wholly inaccurate and lacks credibility. I unequivocally reject all the details and accusations put forth in this decision,” he said.

Al-Zeer said the accusations are part of a broader alignment with Israel’s agenda to “criminalise anyone who works for the Palestinian cause, advocates for it, and operates within legal frameworks”.

The Palestinian activist said he has begun legal procedures to challenge the allegations.

According to the Treasury Department, al-Zeer, along with other individuals, played “critical roles in external fundraising for Hamas, often under the guise of charitable work, that finance the group’s terrorist activities”.

10 Oct 2024 - 20:25
 (20:25 GMT)

UN says its Lebanon peacekeepers ‘increasingly in jeopardy’

The safety and security of UN peacekeepers in Lebanon are “increasingly in jeopardy” and operational activities have virtually come to a halt since September 23, UN peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix tells the Security Council.

“Peacekeepers have been confined to their bases with significant periods of time in shelter,” he said, adding that UNIFIL was ready to support all efforts towards a diplomatic solution.

“UNIFIL is mandated to support the implementation of resolution 1701, but we must insist that it is for the parties themselves to implement the provisions of this resolution,” he told the 15-member council.

Security Council resolution 1701 gives UNIFIL a mandate to help the Lebanese army keep its southern border area with Israel free of weapons or armed personnel other than those of the Lebanese state.

Spanish peacekeepers of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) coordinate their patrol with the Lebanese army, in Marjayoun in south Lebanon on October 8 [AFP]
10 Oct 2024 - 20:15
 (20:15 GMT)

Iran is not seeking a wider war: Foreign minister

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has reiterated once again that Tehran is not seeking a wider war while pushing back against the accusation that Iran has abandoned its allies in Lebanon.

“Netanyahu is the only one who wants war to destroy the region and stay in power. Therefore, in our consultations, we call on the countries of the region to be vigilant in this matter,” Iran’s top diplomat said after a meeting with Qatari officials in Doha.

Araghchi also rejected the argument that Iran, the main supporter of Hezbollah, has abandoned the group as its fighters are battling Israeli troops in southern Lebanon.

“Iran will not abandon its support for the resistance,” he said, noting that he brought this message during a recent visit to Beirut.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi speaks during a visit to Beirut, Lebanon [File: Hassan Ammar/AP Photo]
10 Oct 2024 - 20:05
 (20:05 GMT)

Aftermath of Israeli strike on central Beirut

Smoke plumes rise from the site of two Israeli air strikes on a neighbourhood in Beirut on Thursday [Mohamed Abouelenen/AFP]
Members of the Red Cross stand near a damaged building at the site of an Israeli air strike, in central Beirut [Louisa Gouliamaki/Reuters]
People gathering in front a destroyed building hit by an Israeli air strike [Bilal Hussein/AP Photo]
Flames and smoke rise at the scene of destroyed buildings [Bilal Hussein/AP Photo]

10 Oct 2024 - 19:55
 (19:55 GMT)
Developing

Death toll in the Gaza Strip rises amid ongoing Israeli air strikes

Medical sources have told Al Jazeera that 63 people have been killed in Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip today.

A Palestinian boy stands at the site of an Israeli strike on a school sheltering displaced people in Deir el-Balah in the central Gaza Strip [Ramadan Abed/Reuters]
10 Oct 2024 - 19:45
 (19:45 GMT)
Analysis

Israel wants UNIFIL out of southern Lebanon

Israel’s attacks against UNIFIL aim to put pressure on the peacekeeping mission to leave southern Lebanon, says Rob Geist Pinfold, lecturer in international peace and security at Durham University in the UK.

“Israel sees UNIFIL not as someone to fight but as an impediment – as people getting in their way – so they are trying to squeeze them and force them to withdraw,” Pinfold told Al Jazeera, noting how Israel feels the UN mission failed to secure the border from nonstate armed groups since its establishment in 2006.

Should southern Lebanon be free of peacekeepers and civilians, Israel would have easier control over the territory and, therefore, would stay “for as long as they want until they get the deal they want”, Pinfold said.

Removing UNIFIL peacekeepers would also reduce the risk of killing an international soldier, something that would “create political pressure to stop Israeli operations,” he said.

“Israel wants to see UNIFIL gone and without anybody dying,” he added.

10 Oct 2024 - 19:35
 (19:35 GMT)
Houthi

One killed in Gaza’s Jabalia in Israeli strike: Civil Defence

The rescue organisation says it has removed the body of one person killed after being targeted by Israeli aircraft at the Abu Sharar roundabout in the northern Strip.

Israel has been carrying out a siege on several areas of the northern Gaza Strip, especially Jabalia, for nearly a week, killing scores of Palestinians.

Palestinian residents of the northern Gaza Jabalia refugee camp flee to other areas with the belongings they could carry, following Israeli attacks, Oct. 1 2024 [Mahmoud 聴ssa/Anadolu]