Israeli FM says Sinwar dead; no Hamas comment

This live blog has now wrapped up. The New Arab will be back at 9am with live updates from Gaza and Lebanon.

Iran's mission to the United Nations said Thursday the killing of Yahya Sinwar would lead to the strengthening of "resistance" in the region, hours after Israel said it had killed the Hamas chief.

"The spirit of resistance will be strengthened. He will become a model for the youth and children who will carry forward his path toward the liberation of Palestine," the mission said in a post on X. "As long as occupation and aggression exist, resistance will endure, for the martyr remains alive and a source of inspiration."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said late Thursday that the killing of Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar was the "beginning of the end" of the war in Gaza.

"Yahya Sinwar is dead. He was killed in Rafah by the brave soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces," Netanyahu said in an English language video statement released by his office. "While this is not the end of the war in Gaza, it's the beginning of the end."

Lebanese Hezbollah early on Friday announced "the transition to a new and escalating phase in the confrontation with Israel".

In a statement, the militant group said Israel's military losses have totaled 55 dead and more than 500 wounded soldiers and officers since the ground invasion of Lebanon began on 1 October.

U.S. Secretary Of State Antony Blinken is planning to travel to the Middle East in the coming days to discuss ways to push for a Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal, Axios reported on Thursday.

Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said Thursday that the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar cleared the way for a "new phase" in the deadly conflict in Gaza.

"With the death of Yahya Sinwar, the person principally responsible for the October 7 attacks no longer exists," Meloni said in a statement.

"I am convinced that a new phase should be launched: it is time for all the hostages to be released, for a ceasefire to be immediately proclaimed and for the reconstruction of Gaza to begin."

US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have expressed that there is a current opportunity to advance efforts for the release of the captives, according to a statement from the Israeli prime minister’s office.

During a phone call, the two leaders affirmed their commitment to “work together to achieve this goal.”

The Israeli military said on Thursday that five soldiers had been killed in combat in southern Lebanon, taking to 19 the number of troop deaths announced since Israel began raids into Lebanon last month.

A military statement said five servicemen "fell during combat in southern Lebanon", without elaborating on the circumstances of their deaths.

Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris said Thursday the killing of Hamas' top leader, Yahya Sinwar, by Israel “gives us an opportunity to finally end the war in Gaza.”

Speaking from a Wisconsin college campus where she was campaigning, Harris said the war “must end such that Israel is secure, the hostages are released, the suffering in Gaza ends and the Palestinian people can realize their right to dignity, security, freedom and self-determination.”

“It is time for the day after to begin,” she said.

As she arrived to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee campus, protesters shouted outside “Free, free Palestine.”

US President Joe Biden on Thursday hailed the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar as a "good day" for the world, saying it also removed a key obstacle to a Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal.

"This is a good day for Israel, for the United States, and for the world," Biden, who was traveling to Germany on Air Force One as the news broke, said in a written statement.

"There is now the opportunity for a 'day after' in Gaza without Hamas in power, and for a political settlement that provides a better future for Israelis and Palestinians alike."

Benny Gantz, chairman of Israel’s National Unity Party, has praised the Israeli military following reports that Sinwar has been killed.

“This is an important achievement with a clear message – we will pursue our enemies to the end, anytime and anywhere,” he wrote on X.

Gantz emphasised that the Israeli military “will continue to operate in the Gaza Strip for years to come,” adding that the recent successes, including the elimination of Sinwar, should be leveraged “to secure the return of the abductees and to bring about the replacement of Hamas’s rule

The Republican speaker of the US House of Representatives on Thursday applauded the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, saying his death had brought "relief" to the people of Israel.

"Sinwar's life was the embodiment of evil and marked by hatred for all that is good in the world," Mike Johnson said in a statement. "His death brings hope for all those who seek to live in freedom, and relief to Israelis he has sought to oppress."

 Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said on Thursday that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar has been killed.

"Mass murderer Yahya Sinwar, who was responsible for the massacre and atrocities of October 7, was killed today by [Israeli army] soldiers," Katz said in a statement.

Israel's Channel 12 has released what it claims is a police document indicating that one of the identification tests performed on the body recovered by the Israeli military yesterday showed a "full match" to Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.

Translated post: ""Full match": The police lab document confirming Sinwar's dental photographs."

"התאמה מלאה": מסמך המעבדה המשטרתית שמאשר את צילומי השיניים של סינוואר.@amit_segal pic.twitter.com/lmFkgxfOT4

— החדשות - N12 (@N12News) October 17, 2024

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid has stated on X that Israel's political leadership should actively pursue a "comprehensive" deal to secure the release of captives still held by Hamas and other groups in the Gaza Strip.

He emphasised the importance of taking advantage of the situation following the potential death of Hamas leader Yahyah Sinwar, though this claim has not been confirmed by the Israeli army, and Hamas has yet to comment.

Lapid also suggested that Israel should consider offering monetary rewards and safe passage to anyone who successfully brings captives to their forces.

He noted that indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas regarding a ceasefire that would facilitate the return of the captives have been stalled for months.

Numerous reports indicate that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to make a statement at 17:30 GMT.

More updates to come on this.

Israeli police are examining dental images and DNA evidence to determine whether Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was killed by Israeli troops in Gaza, the police and military said in a joint statement on Thursday.

"As of now, one of the multiple necessary assessments has been completed for absolute confirmation. Dental images have been submitted to the police forensics lab, and DNA testing is currently in progress," the police and military said in a joint statement.

Hamas sources told news agency Reuters on Thursday that indications from Gaza suggested that the group's leader Yahya Sinwar had been killed in an Israeli operation.

The Israeli military has said it is checking the possibility that Sinwar has been killed. There has been no official comment from Hamas. 

Gaza’s media office has condemned Israel’s airstrike on the Abu Hussein school in Jabalia, which resulted in the deaths of at least 28 people. 

In their statement, they condemned what they described as a "new massacre" against civilians, including children and women, calling on countries worldwide to denounce these ongoing crimes against displaced individuals. 

The office further stated on Telegram that they hold both Israel and the US administration "fully responsible" for the attacks on civilians in the Gaza Strip.

Following reports that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar may have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, the Hostages Families Forum issued a statement praising the military action and urging the government to seize the moment to negotiate a deal for the release of the remaining hostages. 

In their statement, the forum called on the Israeli government, global leaders, and mediating countries to push for a diplomatic achievement by pursuing an immediate agreement for the release of all 101 hostages: "the living for rehabilitation and the murdered for proper burial," they stated.

Sinwar was accused of planning the October 7 attack last year alongside Mohammed Deif, Hamas's military chief.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also reportedly directed his aides to inform the families of hostages that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar is deceased, according to Israel's Channel 12, which did not cite any sources for this information.

Israel has notified US military officials about the about the potential death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and passed along photos of what could be his dead body, a US defense official said on Thursday, speaking on condition of anonymity.

"We are awaiting updates from the Israelis," the official said.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who is visiting NATO headquarters, has been informed and was passed a note about the matter during ongoing meetings with defense allies in Brussels.

The Department of Homeland Security has announced that certain Lebanese nationals in the United States will be granted the opportunity to remain for the next 18 months and apply for work permits amid ongoing Israeli attacks on Lebanon.

According to the statement, individuals from Lebanon who were in the US as of October 16 are eligible to apply for Temporary Protected Status.

Some 345,000 Gazans face "catastrophic" levels of hunger this winter after aid deliveries fell, a UN-backed assessment said Thursday, warning of the persistent risk of famine across the Palestinian territory.

This is up from the 133,000 people currently categorised as experiencing "catastrophic food insecurity", according to a classification compiled by UN agencies and NGOs.

An Israeli security official informed French news agency AFP that the military is currently conducting DNA tests on the body of a fighter to verify if it is indeed Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, stated, "The Israeli military is conducting DNA tests on a body of a militant to confirm whether it is Sinwar," as they were not authorised to discuss the matter with the media.

Hamas denied on Thursday that it had used the Abu Hussein school in Jabalia refugee camp for military purposes, following Israeli airstrikes that killed at least 28 people at the site.

Israel claimed that Hamas and Islamic Jihad were operating from the school, which was serving as a shelter for displaced individuals, and alleged it was being used as a command centre.

Children were among those killed in the attack.

Members of Israel's security cabinet have been informed that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar is very likely dead, two officials with knowledge of the matter said on Thursday.

Two of Israel's broadcasters, KAN and N12 News also cited Israeli officials as saying Sinwar was dead. 

 The entire Gaza Strip remains at risk of famine and is experiencing emergency levels of hunger, with intense Israeli military operations adding to concerns and hampering humanitarian access, a global monitor said on Thursday.

About 1.84 million people across the Palestinian territory are living through high levels of acute food insecurity, including nearly 133,000 people experiencing the most severe, or "catastrophic", levels, according to an analysis from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC).

That is down from roughly 343,000 people suffering catastrophic hunger at the time of the last update in June, but the number was expected to double in coming months, the IPC said.

The IPC noted an increase in food entering Gaza since May, but said humanitarian access began shrinking again in September.

"The risk of famine persists across the whole Gaza Strip. Given the recent surge in hostilities, there are growing concerns that this worst-case scenario may materialize," the IPC said in a summary of the analysis.

Israel's latest evacuation orders in Gaza have disrupted humanitarian operations, and repeated displacements have steadily worn down people's ability to cope and access food, water and medicine, the IPC said.

An estimated 60,000 cases of acute malnutrition among young children were expected between September 2024 and August 2025, according to the IPC.

The new analysis was conducted between Sept. 30 and Oct. 4 and does not reflect the most recent developments on the ground.

At least 28 people have been killed in an airstrike on a school in Gaza, according to the health ministry.

The Israeli military claims operatives were present at the school, while Hamas has denied this assertion.

Residents of Jabalia report that Israel is conducting attacks using both airstrikes and tank fire.

Threats made to buildings in downtown Beirut on Thursday, including to the offices of Qatar's Al-Jazeera TV and the Norwegian embassy, are deemed to have been fake, a Lebanese security source and a diplomatic source told news agency Reuters.

Al Jazeera earlier said that its downtown Beirut office had been evacuated after the building received several warnings, without saying who issued them.

Norway's embassy was also evacuated following a "bomb threat", the Norwegian foreign ministry said. 

The Israeli military said on Thursday that it was checking the possibility that it has killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar following an operation in the Gaza Strip, said to eliminate three fighters from the Palestinian group.

It said there were no signs that hostages had been present in the building where the three operatives were killed.

The Israeli military has named 12 fighters it claims were present at the site of an airstrike on a school-turned-shelter in Jabalia, which killed at least 19 people.

According to a statement on Telegram, the army said the strike targeted an "operational meeting" of Hamas and Islamic Jihad (PIJ) fighters.

It further claimed that those involved were responsible for recent rocket attacks on Israeli territory and for planning attacks on IDF forces, though no evidence was provided to support these claims.

The Norwegian embassy in Beirut was evacuated on Thursday following a bomb threat, the Foreign Ministry confirmed to Norwegian state media outlet NRK.

Communications advisor Ragnhild Simenstad stated, "We can confirm that the building where, among other things, the Norwegian embassy in Beirut is located has received a bomb threat today. There are a small number of Norwegian diplomats who are now in Beirut, and everyone at the embassy is safe."

The embassy shares its premises with several other organisations, including Al Jazeera.

Qatari news broadcaster Al Jazeera Arabic reported that its office in central Beirut has been evacuated after the building received 'several warnings'.

Employees working in the building, which houses Al Jazeera's office along with two embassies, were said to begin evacuating following multiple warnings.

Al Jazeera @AJArabic @AJEnglish office received 2 calls from a Lebanese 🇱🇧 phone number and another US 🇺🇸 telephone number asking all to evacuate the building in Beirut as soon as possible, not sure if it’s a bomb threat https://t.co/PIEx1l1zYU https://t.co/6kBomezoV1 pic.twitter.com/5EhdDZ6XH7

— Saad Abedine (@SaadAbedine) October 17, 2024

A Hezbollah member of Lebanon's parliament said on Thursday the Israeli military had not so far captured any villages in southern Lebanon.

Hassan Fadlallah also told reporters that Hezbollah's leadership was carefully coordinating with the speaker of Lebanon's parliament, Nabih Berri, in efforts to secure a ceasefire in the fighting with Israeli forces.

An Israeli strike on a school sheltering displaced people in northern Gaza on Thursday killed at least 15 people, including five children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.

The strike hit the Abu Hussein school in Jabalia, an urban refugee camp in northern Gaza where Israel has been waging a major air and ground operation for more than a week.

Fares Abu Hamza, head of the ministry's emergency unit in northern Gaza, confirmed the toll and said dozens of people were wounded. He said the nearby Kamal Adwan Hospital was struggling to treat the casualties.

"Many women and children are in critical condition,” he said.

More than 22 martyrs and dozens wounded in the occupation's targeting of Abu Hussein School in Jabalia camp, north of the Gaza Strip pic.twitter.com/1BNYbNldWp

— أنس الشريف Anas Al-Sharif (@AnasAlSharif0) October 17, 2024

The New Arab's Arabic-language sister site Al Araby al Jadeed reports that Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Mikati held a meeting with Austria's Ambassador to Lebanon, Francesca Honsowitz-Friessnigg.

During the meeting, the ambassador relayed Austria's message of support for Lebanon, highlighting Austria's commitment to preserving the role of UNIFIL forces in southern Lebanon.

She also mentioned that Austria is actively working towards a diplomatic resolution and supports the implementation of UN Resolution 1701.

The latest meeting on UNIFIL comes as concerns were raised following allegations that Israeli forces have intentionally targeted UNIFIL peacekeepers in Lebanon amid its conflict with Hezbollah.

A strike hit near the south Lebanon coastal city of Tyre on Thursday, AFPTV images showed, as official media reported an Israeli raid after Israel's military issued an evacuation call.

AFPTV footage captured smoke billowing after the Israeli military on X warned residents in and near a building in Al-Hawsh, just south of Tyre, to evacuate, while Lebanon's official National News Agency reported that "enemy aircraft launched a strike that targeted" the Al-Hawsh area.

Israeli airstrikes on Al Hosh - Tyre pic.twitter.com/JshnVpbmRA

— Pheebo🪐 (@galpalpheebs) October 17, 2024

According to Gaza Health Ministry official Medhat Abbas, an Israeli airstrike on a school in Jabalia has resulted in 19 fatalities and numerous injuries, including children.

The school, located in the northern Gaza Strip, was housing displaced individuals at the time of the attack, as reported by medics earlier to news agency Reuters on Thursday.

As reported by Al Araby al Jadeed, the Arabic-language sister site of The New Arab, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) is looking into claims that a German vessel shot down an unmanned aerial vehicle off the Lebanese coast.

The incident could have implications for the ongoing operations of UNIFIL and its mandate to maintain peace and security in southern Lebanon.

A 60-year-old Palestinian woman was shot and killed by Israeli forces in the village of Faqqua, located northeast of Jenin in the occupied West Bank, according to Wafa news agency.

Mahmoud al-Saadi, the director of the Red Crescent Society in Jenin, reported that the woman was picking olives with her family near the separation and expansion wall constructed on the village's land at the time of the incident.

This attack follows an earlier incident in which Israeli forces opened fire on an event organised by the Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission, aimed at assisting farmers from the village of Kafr al-Labad, east of Tulkarem, with olive picking.

On Wednesday, UN experts warned that farmers in the occupied West Bank are facing their most perilous olive harvest season yet, citing intimidation, restricted access to land, severe harassment, and assaults by armed settlers as significant threats.

My family harvested their olive trees made beautiful fresh oil directly.
They made a day out of it
Bringing food, making memories under the sun.

Other families did the same. Zionist Jewish forces shot a Palestinian woman in Jenin who was harvesting as well, she died today. https://t.co/vSmFM8xesJ pic.twitter.com/Sgz6BHepWA

— Georgina Ismael (@HamdanGeorgina) October 17, 2024

Israeli strikes killed several Palestinians at a school sheltering displaced people in the northern Gaza Strip, medics told news agency Reuters on Thursday.

More updates to come.

US President Joe Biden takes off for Berlin on Thursday for a rapid visit to discuss Russia's invasion of Ukraine with the leaders of Germany, France and Britain as Kyiv urges its western allies to take urgent steps to end the fighting.

The rapidly expanding conflict in the Middle East is also expected to be high on the agenda in talks between the leaders as diplomatic efforts to halt the fighting have stalled.

The president now will land late on Thursday in Berlin and hold bilateral talks on Friday morning with Germany's president and chancellor, before a planned meeting with the so-called European quad in the afternoon.

The United States and Germany are close allies of Israel, which has become increasingly isolated over its military campaign in the Palestinian enclave of Gaza that local authorities say has killed more than 42,000 people.

"We will not accept Iran attacking Israel with missiles," German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Wednesday.

"That must not happen. There must be no further destabilisation of the region. And Iran is playing with fire. That must stop."

The health ministry in Gaza said on Thursday that at least 42,438 people have been killed in the ongoing war on Gaza.

The toll includes 29 deaths in the previous 24 hours, according to the ministry, which said 99,246 people have been wounded in the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023.

Hezbollah said it hit two Israeli tanks in south Lebanon near the border with guided missiles on Thursday, as the Israeli army battles the Iran-backed group in the area.

Hezbollah fighters targeted "two Merkava tanks" near the border village of Labbouneh "with guided missiles", causing a fire and casualties, the Iran-backed group said in a statement.

A German warship operating as part of the United Nations' UNIFIL mission brought down an unmanned flying object off the coast of Lebanon on Thursday, a spokesperson for the German defence ministry told news agency Reuters.

"The corvette brought an unidentified unmanned aerial vehicle into the water in a controlled crash," the spokesperson said, reporting no damage to the German vessel or its crew.

The corvette Ludwigshafen am Rhein is continuing its duties, he added.

The dpa news agency first reported on the incident.

The EU's foreign policy chief on Thursday appeared to criticise the United States giving Israel one month to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza, saying that during that time, too many people would die.

"The US has been saying to Israel that they have to improve humanitarian support to Gaza, but they gave one month delay. One month delay at the current pace of people being killed. It's too many people," Josep Borrell told reporters in Brussels, adding that the situation was a "catastrophe."

Israel must take steps over the next month to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza or face potential restrictions on US military aid, US officials said on Wednesday, in the strongest such warning since Israel's war on the devastated territory began a year ago.

On Thursday, 38 organisations, including ActionAid, the Council for Arab-British Understanding (Caabu), and Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP), issued urgent calls to draw attention to the "atrocities" occurring during Israel's prolonged siege of northern Gaza.

In a joint statement, they demanded accountability and justice, urging world leaders to intervene swiftly.

The statement condemned the forced displacement of an estimated 400,000 Palestinians under Israeli orders, stating: "This is not an evacuation—this is forced displacement under gunfire."

The organisations also called for unimpeded humanitarian access, an immediate ceasefire, and the end of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards chief Hossein Salami warned Thursday of further retaliation against Israel if it attacks Iranian targets, which Israel has vowed to do after Iran's missile attack on October 1.

"If you make a mistake and attack our targets, whether in the region or in Iran, we will strike you again painfully," Salami said at the funeral of a Guards general killed in an Israeli strike last month.

Abbas Nilforoushan, a top commander in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force foreign operations arm, was killed on September 27 alongside Hassan Nasrallah, the chief of Lebanon's Hezbollah, in an Israeli strike on south Beirut.

Funeral services for Nilforoushan, whose body the Guards said was recovered last week, began on Monday in Iraq. His body was then moved to Iran for burial in his hometown of Isfahan later Thursday.

During his speech Salami criticised as "not reliable" the THAAD missile defence battery which the Pentagon on Tuesday said arrived in Israel, along with about 100 American troops to operate it.

"Do not trust these systems. You cannot massacre Muslim nations and remain safe," he said.

"We know your weaknesses. You know them well," he added addressing Israel.

The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system is "designed to intercept targets outside and inside the atmosphere," according to its manufacturer Lockheed Martin.

The Israeli military on Thursday ordered residents to leave part of the Bekaa region in east Lebanon, warning Israeli forces would again target the area.

"Urgent warning to the residents of the Bekaa region, specifically those located in the building marked on the map in the Tamnine area," military spokesman Avichay Adraee said on X.

"You are located near facilities and interests that belong to Hezbollah, which will be targeted by the [Israeli army] in the near future."

Minutes later Adraee posted a second call for residents of nearby Saraain al-Tahta, also in the Bekaa region, to evacuate as well.

Israeli airstrikes killed 11 Palestinians in Gaza City on Thursday, medics said, while Israeli forces sent tanks into Jabalia in the north, where Palestinians and United Nations officials expressed alarm over shortages of food and medicine.

Residents of Jabalia said Israeli forces blew up clusters of houses from air, by tank shells and by placing bombs in buildings before blowing them up remotely.

Gaza's civil emergency service said it evacuated several wounded people from a school sheltering displaced Palestinians that caught fire after being hit by Israeli tank shells.

Residents said Israeli forces had effectively isolated Beit Hanoun, Jabalia, and Beit Lahiya in the far north of the enclave from Gaza City, blocking movement except for those families with permission to heed evacuation orders and leave the three towns.

"We have written our death notes, and we are not leaving Jabalia," one resident told news agency Reuters via a chat app.

"The occupation (Israel) is punishing for not leaving our houses in the early days of the war, and we are not going now either. They are blowing up houses, and roads, and are starving us but we die once and we don't lose our pride," the father of four said, refusing to give his name fearing Israeli reprisal.

Israel bombed a target in a Syrian coastal city on Thursday and the United States conducted strikes in Yemen nearly a month into Israel's war with Hezbollah in Lebanon.

According to Syrian state media, an Israeli strike on the city of Latakia, a stronghold of President Bashar al-Assad, wounded two civilians.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor, said the Israeli raid targeted a "weapons depot belong to Hezbollah".

The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the strike.

In Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, Israel's main ally the United States conducted multiple B-2 bomber strikes on weapon storage facilities, according to the US military and defence department.

"US forces targeted several of the Houthis' underground facilities housing various weapons components of types that the Huthis have used to target civilian and military vessels throughout the region," US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement.

The B-2 is a stealth aircraft capable of flying non-stop from the United States, with a payload of 40,000 pounds of bombs, the US Air Force says on its website. That is a far heavier weapons load than on most other modern warplanes.