Middle East latest: Israel says it has detained militants in Gaza hospital as airstrikes storm Tire | News, sports, jobs

Journalists film as smoke rises from buildings hit during Israeli airstrikes in Tyre, southern Lebanon, Monday, October 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)

The Israeli army said it detained 100 suspected Hamas militants in an attack on a hospital in northern Gaza over the weekend, while its warplanes sent plumes of smoke over the southern Lebanese port city of Tire on Monday.

Israeli forces raided the Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahiya on Friday, arresting 44 male staff members, according to the World Health Organization. Palestinian medical officials said the hospital, which treated about 200 patients, was badly damaged in the raid.

Israel has raided several hospitals in Gaza over the years of war, saying Hamas and other militants are using them for military purposes. Palestinian medical officials deny these allegations and accuse the military of recklessly endangering civilians.

The Israeli army has called on Palestinians to evacuate northern Gaza, where it has been waging a major offensive for more than three weeks. The UN said earlier this month that at least 400,000 people remain in northern Gaza and hunger is rampant as the amount of humanitarian aid reaching the north has plummeted in the past month.

The Israeli offensive in Gaza has killed more than 43,000 Palestinians, according to local health authorities. They make no distinction between militants and civilians, but say more than half were women and children. The war between Israel and Hamas began after Hamas-led militants blew holes in Israel’s security fence on October 7, 2023, and stormed in, killing around 1,200 people – mostly civilians – and kidnapping 250 others.

A rescue worker checks a destroyed building hit during an Israeli airstrike in Tyre, southern Lebanon, Monday, October 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)

___

Here’s the latest:

Lebanon says death toll in Israel-Hezbollah conflict exceeds 2,700 in a year

BEIRUT – Lebanese Health Ministry reported Monday that 38 people were killed and 124 injured in the past 24 hours, bringing the total toll from a year of conflict between Hezbollah and Israel to 2,710 dead and 12,592 injured. A quarter of the dead were women and children.

The highest number of victims has been recorded in the Southern Province, followed by Nabatiyeh, the Baalbeck region and the Bekaa Valley.

Smoke rises after a destroyed building hit during an Israeli airstrike in Tyre, southern Lebanon, Monday, October 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Mohammad Zaatari)

The Ministry of Health reported that 2,041 men were killed and 9,881 injured last year. Women are responsible for 532 fatalities and 2,351 injuries, while 157 children have been killed and 1,129 injured.

In the healthcare sector, the ministry said 168 healthcare workers have been killed, 232 injured and 239 medical vehicles damaged since October 8. In addition, 79 medical and outpatient centers have been affected, along with 38 hospitals.

Heavy airstrikes continued on Monday on several villages in southern Lebanon and the Beqaa Valley. In one case, two Israeli attacks killed six members of one family in the town of Bodai in Baalbeck province, the state news agency said.

An airstrike on the refugee camp in central Gaza kills ten people and wounds twenty

JERUSALEM — An airstrike on a street in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza killed 10 people and injured 20 others on Monday, according to Palestinian health officials and Associated Press journalists.

The dead and wounded were taken to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in nearby Deir al-Balah, where they were counted by AP staff there.

The Israeli military had no immediate comment.

The latest deadly attack comes as Israeli forces intensify operations in northern Gaza.

The war broke out on October 7 last year when Hamas militants from Gaza stormed southern Israel and killed some 1,200 people. Israel responded by bombing and invading the enclave, killing more than 43,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The ministry’s figures do not distinguish between fighters and civilians, but more than half of the dead are reportedly women and children.

Israel says it will continue talks with mediators on a possible Hamas ceasefire

JERUSALEM – The Israeli government said it would continue its discussions with international mediators on a possible ceasefire deal in the war with Hamas, as the head of the Mossad spy agency returned from Qatar on Monday after taking part in the final round of personal meetings. talk.

David Barnea met with CIA chief Bill Burns and Qatar’s prime minister in Doha, the Israeli cabinet said in a brief statement.

“Discussions between the mediators and with Hamas will continue in the coming days, exploring the feasibility of the talks and continuing efforts to reach an agreement.” the statement said.

Washington and Qatar have been key mediators in the stalled negotiations between Israel and Hamas. Many of the militant group’s leaders are based in Qatar’s capital.

The new round of talks was announced last week by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Neither Hamas nor Israel have shown any sign of softening their demands since negotiations stalled over the summer.

The Knesset will vote on bills that would severely restrict the UN agency, which is a lifeline to Gaza

JERUSALEM — Israel’s parliament will vote Monday on a pair of bills that would effectively sever ties with the U.N. agency responsible for distributing aid in Gaza, strip the country of legal immunities and limit its ability to protect Palestinians in eastern support Jerusalem and the West Bank.

Israel accuses the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) of turning a blind eye to Hamas militants it says have infiltrated its staff, including a small number of the 13,000 workers in Gaza who took part in the October 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel. The agency denies that it knowingly supports armed groups and says it is acting quickly to purge suspected militants from its ranks.

The bills threaten to cripple the distribution of humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip, while the United States pressures Israel to allow more food and other supplies. More than 1.9 million Palestinians have been driven from their homes and Gaza faces widespread shortages of food, water and medicine.

The bills, which do not include provisions for alternative organizations to oversee its work, have been strongly criticized by international aid groups and a handful of Israel’s Western allies.

Iran says it reserves the right to respond to an Israeli attack “at the appropriate time.”

UNITED NATIONS – Iran’s foreign minister has said in a letter requesting an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council that his country reserves the right to respond to Israel’s recent attacks. “at the right time.”

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused Israel of violating Iran’s sovereignty and territorial integrity “a blatant violation of international law and the Charter of the United Nations,” which prohibits the use of force against all UN member states.

Israeli UN Ambassador Danny Danon mentioned Iran’s request “Another attempt by Iran to harm us, this time in the diplomatic arena.”

‘We will stand up for Israel’s right to defend itself’ he said in a statement, emphasizing that the Israeli attack was in response to an Iranian attack on October 1.

The Security Council scheduled a meeting at Iran’s request for Monday afternoon at 3 p.m. EDT (7 p.m. GMT), which was backed by Russia, China and Algeria, the Arab representative on the U.N.’s most powerful body.

Araghchi urged the Security Council and Secretary General Antonio Guterres in the letter obtained by The Associated Press “To take a strong stand and condemn the Israeli regime for firmly and unequivocally committing these acts of aggression.”

The Israeli airstrikes early Saturday followed the Iranian launch of at least 180 missiles into Israel on October 1. The Iranian airstrikes were in retaliation for the devastating blows Israel delivered against Iranian ally Hezbollah in Lebanon.