Israel ‘attacks gunmen inside Hamas tunnels’ as Gaza faces ‘public health catastrophe’
Israel said its forces have attacked Hamas gunmen inside the militant group’s vast tunnel network beneath Gaza as fighting shows no sign of stopping.
After the first successful rescue of a hostage held by Hamas, Israeli troops appeared to push further into Gaza, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejecting calls for a ceasefire.
Hamas has so far released four civilians from the 240 hostages Israel says it captured during the militant group’s attack on 7 October – with many thought to be held in the tunnel network.
Israel releases images of troops inside Gaza – follow live
Amid fears of a widening conflict, Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi militant group has claimed it launched a “large number” of ballistic missiles and drones towards Israel in what it described as its third attack on the country.
A spokesperson for the group warned there are “more to come”.
In other key developments:
• A British teacher trapped in Gaza was told by the UK Foreign Office it ‘can’t do anything more’;
• Urgent ceasefire in Gaza is a ‘matter of life and death for millions’, a UN official has said;
• Sir Keir Starmer says a ceasefire could leave Hamas ’emboldened’;
• More than 420 children are being killed or injured in Gaza each day, UNICEF has said.
As Israel’s Gaza offensive continues, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) and Israel Security Authority (ISA) claimed to have killed a Hamas commander who directed the attack on their country.
In a statement shared on Telegram, the two agencies said the militant was Nasim Abu Ajina, the commander of Hamas’s Beit Lahia Battalion.
Meanwhile, Gaza faces an “imminent public health catastrophe” as the area struggles with mass displacement and damage to water infrastructure, the World Health Organisation warned on Tuesday.
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The IDF released footage claiming to show its ground operation in Gaza
The IDF also said it has struck about 300 targets over the past day “including anti-tank missiles and rocket launch posts below shafts” as well as military compounds underground.
Hamas said militants clashed early on Tuesday with Israeli forces “invading the southern Gaza axis, (including) with machine guns”.
A Sky News producer in Gaza said bombing continued in the north and west of Gaza City overnight, with different parts of a refugee camp also hit.
According to calls received by the producer, the situation in Shifa Hospital, in Gaza City, is “getting worse and worse” while heavy bombing was reported around al Quds hospital in Tel al Hawa, in the south of the city.
An ongoing fuel shortage is also forcing people to use donkey carts, they added, to take injured people to hospital and even dead bodies to graveyards.
Bakeries are also struggling to produce enough bread, the producer said, and are unable to cope with the demand.
The hospitals among the latest hit in Israeli strikes, according to a Sky News producer in Gaza
Ceasefire ‘matter of life or death’
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees, known as UNRWA, says nearly 672,000 Palestinians are sheltering in its schools and other facilities, which is four times their capacity.
UNRWA head Philippe Lazzarini accused Israel of “collective punishment”, and of forcing the Palestinians’ displacement from northern Gaza to the south, where they are still not safe.
At a UN emergency meeting on Monday, he also warned “an immediate humanitarian ceasefire has become a matter of life and death for millions”.
A Palestinian rescuer works at the site of an Israeli strike on a house in Gaza City October 30, 2023. REUTERS/Mutasem Murtaja
The agency added 64 of its staff have been killed since the war began, including a man killed with his wife and eight children late on Monday.
“This is the highest number ever of UN aid workers killed in any conflict around the world in such a short time,” spokesperson Juliette Touma said.
“UNRWA will never be the same without these colleagues.”
At least 8,525 Palestinians, including 3,542 children, have been killed in Israeli strikes since the war began, the health ministry in Hamas-controlled Gaza said on Tuesday.
The health ministry spokesman, Ashraf al Qudra, also claims 130 healthcare staff have been killed, with 15 hospitals now out of service along with 32 healthcare centres.
Read more on this story:
Nowhere to hide in Gaza as bombing campaign splits area
Families of hostages say they are ‘constantly thinking’ about them
Few trust Netanyahu in Israel and he will struggle to convince West
Meanwhile, air raid sirens sounded in the Red Sea city of Eilat on Tuesday and Israel’s military said it downed an incoming “aerial target”.
Later on Tuesday, the military said it used the “Arrow” aerial defence system for the first time since the war to intercept a surface-to-surface missile in the Red Sea fired towards its territory.
“There was no threat or risk to civilians,” it said earlier in the day.
More than 1,400 people have been killed on the Israeli side, according to the country’s government, since Hamas’s initial attack.
Storm Shadow cruise missiles made in the UK and donated to Ukraine have once again been used to strike targets inside Russia.
The long-range weapons – which cost roughly £2m each – have been used to devastating effect in the Black Sea, sinking or damaging several Russian ships, and now against a chemical plant.
Last year, Ukraine’s allies lifted restrictions on Storm Shadows and other long-range missiles, meaning Kyiv’s military can use them against targets across the border.
Follow latest: Storm Shadow missiles used in ‘massive’ attack on Russia
A Storm Shadow missile system. Pic: Gary Dawson/Shutterstock
What are Storm Shadow missiles?
Storm Shadows are cruise missiles developed by the UK and France in the 1990s.
Launched from aircraft, they have a range more than 155 miles, manufacturer MBDA says, and can travel at speeds exceeding 600mph.
The missiles can be used with high precision for deep strikes while evading detection, the manufacturer says.
They have been used by the RAF and French air force and in the Gulf, Iraq and Libya, and more recently have been used by Ukrainian forces.
What sets them apart from some other projectiles is they use terrain mapping to navigate to their target, rather than relying just on GPS, military analyst Sean Bell says.
A Tornado GR4 with Storm Shadow cruise missiles. Pic: Crown copyright
How have they been used in Ukraine?
Back in May 2023, the UK government announced it would provide Ukraine with Storm Shadow missiles – the first country to do so.
Since then they have been used by Kyiv’s defenders to strike Russian targets inside Ukraine and also inside Russia.
Read more:
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‘Putin is afraid,’ says Zelenskyy
While operational details of their use do not always emerge, it has been reported Storm Shadows have been used against targets including military headquarters and ships.
Storm Shadows can likely be operated entirely from within Ukraine, though probably with the assistance of intelligence gathered by Western surveillance planes over international waters.
A police officer has been injured after a night of violent protests outside an asylum hotel in Dublin – with six arrests made.
Bricks were thrown and fireworks were discharged outside the Citywest Hotel – with glass bottles used as missiles and a police van set on fire.
A Garda helicopter was also targeted with lasers, and the police service says some of those on the streets were seen carrying garden forks.
Pic: PA
Pic: PA
Commissioner Justin Kelly added: “This was obviously not a peaceful protest. The actions this evening can only be described as thuggery. This was a mob intent on violence.
“We will now begin the process of identifying those who committed crimes and we will bring those involved in this violence to justice.”
It is the second night of demonstrations after an alleged sexual assault in its vicinity in the early hours of Monday morning.
Some of the crowd threw stones and other missiles at the public order officers as they moved the protesters back – and water cannon was deployed at the scene.
A line of officers was preventing the protesters from approaching the hotel.
Police officers block protesters outside the hotel. Pic: PA
‘Those involved will be brought to justice’
Ireland’s premier, Taoiseach Micheál Martin, paid tribute to the officers who were on the frontline of the protests.
“There can be no justification for the vile abuse against them, or the attempted assaults and attacks on members of the force that will shock all right-thinking people,” he said.
Justice minister Jim O’Callaghan said those involved in the violence will be brought to justice.
“The scenes of public disorder we have witnessed at Citywest must be condemned,” he said.
“People threw missiles at Gardai, threw fireworks at them and set a Garda vehicle on fire.
“This is unacceptable and will result in a forceful response from the Gardai.
“Those involved will be brought to justice.”
‘No excuse’ for violence
The minister said a man had been arrested and had appeared in court in relation to the alleged assault in the vicinity of the hotel.
He added: “While I am not in a position to comment any further on this criminal investigation, I have been advised that there is no ongoing threat to public safety in the area.”
He said attacks on officers would “not be tolerated”, adding: “Peaceful protest is a cornerstone of our democracy. Violence is not.
“There is no excuse for the scenes we have witnessed.”
The demonstration on Monday night passed without a significant incident.
It comes two years after anti-immigrant demonstrators triggered a major riot in the centre of Dublin after three young children were stabbed.
A police van has been set on fire and missiles have been thrown at officers as protesters gathered outside a hotel used to house asylum seekers in Dublin.
It is the second night of demonstrations outside the Citywest Hotel after an alleged sexual assault in its vicinity in the early hours of Monday morning.
A large crowd has gathered in the area and members of the Garda’s public order unit have been deployed.
Footage from the scene showed a Garda vehicle on fire as well as several protesters displaying Irish flags.
Many protesters carried Republic of Ireland flags
Some of the crowd threw stones and other missiles at the public order officers as they moved the protesters back.
A Garda helicopter hovered overhead and a water cannon was deployed on the scene.
Ireland’s justice minister, Jim O’Callaghan, said those involved will be brought to justice.
“The scenes of public disorder we have witnessed at Citywest tonight must be condemned,” he said.
“People threw missiles at Gardai, threw fireworks at them and set a Garda vehicle on fire.
“This is unacceptable and will result in a forceful response from the Gardai.
“Those involved will be brought to justice.”
The minister said a man had been arrested and had appeared in court in relation to the alleged assault in the vicinity of the hotel.
He added: “While I am not in a position to comment any further on this criminal investigation, I have been advised that there is no ongoing threat to public safety in the area.
He said attacks on gardai will “not be tolerated”, adding: “Peaceful protest is a cornerstone of our democracy. Violence is not.
“There is no excuse for the scenes we have witnessed tonight.”
It was the second night of protest outside the hotel, which is being used as state accommodation for people seeking international protection. The demonstration on Monday night passed without a significant incident.
It comes two years after anti-immigrant demonstrators triggered a major riot in the centre of Dublin after three young children were stabbed.
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