Live: Five Palestinian journalists killed, Gaza media office says
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Israeli settlers have held a conference near the border with Gaza, with the Israeli army allowing them to set up tents for the Jewish festival of Sukkot.
Haaretz reported that the "Preparing to resettle Gaza" conference, organised by the Nachala Settlement Movement which establishes illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, set up 50 sukkah tents and were set to sleep in them on Sunday night.
The tents were set up in a closed military area near Kibbutz Be'eri.
Nachala said last week that the conference was "planned not only as a theoretical conference, but as a practical exercise and practical preparation for resettlement in Gaza."
"The return to settlement in Gaza is no longer an idea, but a move that is currently in an advanced stage with the support of the government and the public," it added.
An Israeli colonel, 41, was killed during fighting in northern Gaza, the Israeli military said on Sunday.
House Speaker Mike Johnson confirmed that Washington is investigating the leak of highly classified intelligence documents detailing Israel’s preparations for a potential attack on Iran.
The documents, apparently compiled by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), outlined US interpretations of Israeli planning based on satellite imagery from 15 and 16 October.
Asked about the leak during an interview with CNN, Johnson said an "investigation [is] underway and I'll get a briefing on that in a couple of hours".
"We are following it closely," he added.
The documents mention plans to arm Israeli planes with air-launched ballistic missiles and the concealment of fortified underground warplane bunkers at Israel's Hatzerim Airbase.
The information was first published on Friday by Middle East Spectator, a Telegram account, which said it received them from an American intelligence source.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said he ordered his ministry to initiate legal action against French President Emmanuel Macron after France banned Israeli firms from participating in a military naval trade show.
Euronaval, which is organising the show set to take place between 4 and 7 November in Paris, said last week that the French government had informed organisers that Israeli companies would not be allowed to set up exhibits or display their equipment, though they could attend the event. The decision impacted seven Israeli firms.
Katz said in a statement on X: "I have instructed the foreign ministry to take legal and diplomatic action against the decision of [Macron] to prevent Israeli companies from showcasing their products at the @SalonEuronaval exhibition in Paris next month.
"The boycott of Israeli companies for the second time, or the imposition of unacceptable conditions, are undemocratic measures that are not acceptable between friendly nations. I urge President Macron to cancel them entirely."
Newly emerged video footage shows the moment Israeli forces targeted civilian homes in the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza.
The footage was taken by Tariq al-Deqes, a resident of the area.
The camp has been under siege for 16 days.
Tariq Al Deqes, a Palestinian resident of northern Gaza, documented the moment Israeli forces targeted civilian homes in Jabalia refugee camp. The camp has been under siege for sixteen days, with Israeli forces advancing deeper into North Gaza's densely populated centre. pic.twitter.com/eOhhTTQef5
— Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) October 20, 2024
The killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar will not deter the Palestinian people from resisting Israeli occupation and fighting for their "freedom and dignity", a senior Hamas official has told Middle East Eye.
Basem Naim, a senior member of Hamas' political wing, told MEE that while it was "distressing to lose beloved people", the killing did not mark the end of the Palestinian movement.
"They repeated those same statements when they killed [the group's founder] Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, and [then another leader] Abdel Aziz al-Rantisi. But each time, Hamas became stronger and more popular.
"Hamas is a liberation movement led by people looking for freedom and dignity. This cannot be eliminated," he added.
Read more: Sinwar may be dead, but the resistance to Israel will continue, Hamas official says
Aid group Mercy Corps has said that a member of its organisation, Mahasin Khatee, was killed in an Israeli air strike on Friday.
The NGO said: "We are grieving and send our deepest condolences to her family … our team in Palestine, and to all those who have lost family members and loved ones to violence over the last year of war and unimaginable suffering in Gaza."
Oxfam reported that four water engineers working with the organisation were killed in an Israeli attack in Khan Younis.
The four workers were on their way to help repair water infrastructure and had been coordinating their movements with the Israeli authorities, Oxfam said.
The organisation added that the vehicle they were travelling in was clearly marked when it was bombed by Israeli forces.
Israeli media reported that the Israeli army is currently investigating the incident.
The Qassam Brigades, the paramilitary wing of Hamas, said its fighters attacked two Israeli army personnel carriers in the east and west of the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza.
They said the attack was conducted with a Shawaz explosive device and a Yassin-105 rocket launcher, resulting in casualties among Israeli troops.
Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said it has identified all the military targets Israel would strike if it launched an attack on Iranian soil.
"We will not leave any attack against Iran unanswered and Israel will receive a proportionate response," he said in an interview with Turkey's NTV.
"We have identified all our targets there and a similar attack will be made on their targets."
He warned that any Israeli attack on Iran "will be considered crossing a red line".
The UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, Tor Wennesland, said that "horrifying scenes" are taking place in Gaza's Beit Lahia, adding that "nowhere is safe in Gaza".
He condemned Israeli strikes on Beit Lahia and called for an end to the war.
"In Beit Lahia last night, dozens were reportedly killed in Israeli air strikes," he said.
"This war must end. The hostages held by Hamas must be freed, the displacement of Palestinians must cease and civilians must be protected wherever they are."
Video footage reveals widespread destruction following Israeli strikes on dozens of villages and towns in Lebanon overnight, including the southern city of Nabatieh, which was targeted for the third time this week.
Footage shows widespread destruction after Israel struck dozens of villages and towns in Lebanon overnight, and targeted the southern Lebanese city of Nabatiyeh for the third time this week. pic.twitter.com/uP1bF1rbwH
— Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) October 20, 2024
The Israeli military said its fighter jets killed three Hezbollah commanders.
The military identified Alhaj Abbas Salameh, a senior figure in Hezbollah's southern command; Radja Abbas Awache, a communications expert; and Ahmad Ali Hussein, responsible for strategic weapons development.
Hezbollah has not yet commented on the claim.
A Palestinian artist who depicted the war in Gaza has been killed in an Israeli air strike.
Mahasen al-Khateeb used her talent in illustration and character design to document the horrors of Israel's war on Gaza since it erupted last October.
On Saturday, she posted her last artwork, depicting the 19-year-old Shaban al-Dalu, who was burned to death during the Israeli bombing of al-Aqsa Hospital a few days ago.
Shortly afterwards, she was killed in an Israeli air strike that targeted her neighbourhood in Jabalia camp in northern Gaza.
Mahasen and her family were at home when the attack happened. In a Facebook post, she shared that there was no safe place left in Gaza to escape to, having already evacuated multiple times with death constantly looming.
Read more: Artist who depicted war in Gaza killed in Israeli air strike
Video footage shows Israelis taking cover amid a Hezbollah rocket attack.
The Israeli military said 70 rockets were fired from Lebanon towards northern Israel.
Sirens were activated in the Western and Upper Galilee regions as rockets entered Israel.
Israelis take cover amid Hezbollah attack. The Israeli military has said that 70 rockets were fired from Lebanon towards northern Israel.
— Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) October 20, 2024
It added that some were intercepted by air defences. Sirens were activated in the Western and Upper Galilee area as rockets entered Israel. pic.twitter.com/sunOrHMDRG
