New Delhi: As the war between Israel and Hamas enters its 19th day, Gaza's health ministry on Wednesday said that a total of 756 Palestinians, including 344 children, were killed in the past 24 hours. It said at least 6,546 Palestinians had been killed by Israeli bombardment since the war broke out, including 2,704 children.
Israel launched the air strikes after Hamas militants attacked Israeli towns on October 7 in a rampage that killed 1,400 people and hostages were taken.
Meanwhile, the United Nations agency responsible for Palestinian refugees issued a dire warning on Wednesday. It stated that, unless there are immediate deliveries of fuel, it will soon be forced to significantly reduce its relief operations throughout the Gaza Strip, AP reported.
Here Are The Latest Updates:
- The United States has consented to supply two Iron Dome batteries to Israel, as reported by a defense official and a US official to CNN on Wednesday. It remains unclear whether these batteries, owned by the US Army, have already been shipped. Notably, an agreement for the US to acquire two Iron Dome batteries was reached in 2019, with delivery taking place in 2020, according to the US Army.
- Amid uproar over his remarks that attacks by Hamas "did not happen in a vacuum", UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday expressed shock at the "misinterpretations" of his comments and asserted it was necessary to set the record straight that he was not justifying acts of terror by Hamas.
- "I am shocked by the misinterpretations by some of my statement yesterday in the Security Council – as if I was justifying acts of terror by Hamas. This is false. It was the opposite," Guterres told reporters at the UN Security Council stakeout.
- Air India has extended the suspension of its scheduled flights to Tel Aviv till November 2 amid the continuing tensions between Israel and the militant group Hamas, PTI reported.
- On declaring Hamas a terrorist organisation in India, Israel's Ambassador to India, Naor Gilon says "We spoke to the relevant authorities also here. It's not the first time we speak about it. We understand the problems of terror threats of each other. I think it's a natural thing. It's not something that we are putting pressure on. We are asking because I think it's something that is due because of our shared war on terror. We raised it after the attack and we are still in dialogue. We are speaking always with India. It’s a friendly talk. We are not having battles on anything. We see eye to eye on a vast majority of things, on counter-terrorism for sure, but also in other strategic issues..."
- The Israeli Navy forces intercepted and thwarted an infiltration bid by a group of Hamas militants from the Gaza Strip into Israel via the sea and killed several terrorists on Tuesday, The Israel Times reported.
- The ongoing war between Israel and Hamas is affecting the economies of nearby countries, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund told a Saudi investor forum on Wednesday, reported AFP. "You look at the neighbouring countries -- Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan -- there the channels of impact are already visible," Kristalina Georgieva said.