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A drone was launched towards the house of Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his spokesman has said.

It comes as more than 50 people have been reportedly killed in Gaza in the last 24 hours.

Shockwaves from the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar continue to reverberate in the region, and speculation persists Israel could strike Iran’s nuclear facilities.

Follow latest: ‘Drone launched at Netanyahu’s house’

At least 21 people, including children, were killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza on Saturday, according to hospital officials.

This includes a strike on the Maghazi refugee camp that killed 11 members of the same family, and another 10 who died when a house in the town of Zawayda was hit, according to the al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah.

Mourners react near the bodies of Palestinians, who were killed in an Israeli strike, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, October 19, 2024. REUTERS/Ramadan Abed TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
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Mourners near the bodies of Palestinians who were killed in an Israeli strike. Pic Reuters

It comes after a reported 33 people were killed in a strike on the Jabalia refugee camp late last night, according to the Palestinian WAFA news agency.

If the reported figures are confirmed, it would mean at least 54 people have been killed in strikes on Gaza in the last 24 hours.

At least 42,519 Palestinians have been killed and 99,637 others wounded during Israel’s offensive in Gaza since 7 October 2023, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry.

The health ministry does not differentiate between civilians and militants in its reporting of the figures.

The remains of a school sheltering displaced people in Beach refugee camp in Gaza City. 
Pic: Reuters
Image:
The remains of a school sheltering displaced people in Beach refugee camp in Gaza City.
Pic: Reuters

Drone launched at Netanyahu’s house

In Israel, sirens warned of incoming fire from Lebanon, with a drone launched towards a house owned by Prime Minister Netanyahu in Caesarea, the Israeli government said.

Neither Mr Netanyahu nor his wife were home at the time and there were no casualties, according to the Israeli leader’s spokesperson.

The IDF said 55 projectiles were fired at northern Israel from Lebanon on Saturday morning, with some intercepted on route.

A forensic inspector uses a camera at the site following, what the Health Ministry says was an Israeli strike on a car, near the Christian-majority town of Jounieh, north of Beirut, Lebanon October 19, 2024. REUTERS/Yara Nardi
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A forensic inspector inspects a reported Israeli strike on a car in Lebanon. Pic: Reuters

Deputy commander of Hezbollah killed

Israel also said on Saturday it killed Nasser Rashid in the town of Bint Jbeil in southern Lebanon.

The deputy commander of Hezbollah supervised attacks against Israel, the army said.

Lebanon’s health ministry said an airstrike on Saturday hit a vehicle on a main highway north of Beirut, killing two people. It was unclear who was in the car.

Israel’s conflict with the militant group has intensified in recent weeks as fallout from the killing of leader Hassan Nasrallah continues.

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What Sinwar’s death might mean for the war

Khamenei: Hamas will live on

Meanwhile, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says the death of Hamas leader Sinwar will not halt the so-called “Axis of Resistance” and that Hamas would live on.

“His loss is undoubtedly painful for the Axis of Resistance, but this front did not cease advancing with the martyrdom of prominent figures,” he said in a statement.

“Hamas is alive and will remain alive.”

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Leaflets dropped over southern Gaza

Israeli planes dropped leaflets over southern Gaza on Saturday, showing a picture of the recently assassinated Hamas chief Sinwar.

They carried the message: “Hamas will no longer rule Gaza”, echoing language used elsewhere by Israel’s most senior politicians.

Meanwhile, two people were killed as they travelled along one of Lebanon’s main roads near the Christian-majority town of Jounieh in the first such attack on the area.

The demonstration in Trafalgar Square, London, on Saturday. Pic: Reuters
Image:
The demonstration in Trafalgar Square, London, on Saturday. Pic: Reuters

A spokesperson for Israel’s military said it was looking into it.

Another strike killed at least four people in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, health authorities said.

As the UN warned that almost half of “humanitarian movements” for Gaza were being denied access by Israel, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the world “will not tolerate any more excuses” from Israel on getting vital aid into the enclave.

Then in London, several thousand people turned out for another demonstration against the war in the Middle East.

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Several killed after vehicle drives into crowd at street festival, police in Vancouver say

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Several killed after vehicle drives into crowd at street festival, police in Vancouver say

A number of people have been killed and multiple others injured after a driver drove into a crowd at a street festival in Vancouver, police have said.

The driver has been taken into custody after the incident shortly after 8pm local time on Saturday, police added.

People were in the area near 41st Avenue and Fraser Street for the Lapu Lapu Day Block Party, named after a national hero of the Philippines.

Vancouver’s mayor Ken Sim said in a post on X: “I am shocked and deeply saddened by the horrific incident at today’s Lapu Lapu Day event.”

He added: “Our thoughts are with all those affected and with Vancouver’s Filipino community during this incredibly difficult time.”

Video posted on social media showed victims and debris strewn across a long stretch of road, with at least seven people lying immobile on the ground.

A black SUV with a crumpled front section could be seen in photos from the scene.

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Trump criticises Putin after potentially ‘historic’ meeting with Zelenskyy before Pope’s funeral

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Trump criticises Putin after potentially 'historic' meeting with Zelenskyy before Pope's funeral

Donald Trump has criticised Vladimir Putin and suggested a shift in his stance towards the Russian president after a meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy before the Pope’s funeral.

The Ukrainian president said the one-on-one talks could prove to be “historic” after pictures showed him sitting opposite Mr Trump, around two feet apart, in the large marble hall inside St Peter’s Basilica.

The US president said he doubted his Russian counterpart’s willingness to end the war after leaving Rome after the funeral of Pope Francis at the Vatican.

Follow live updates: 200,000 mourn at Vatican

In a post on his Truth Social platform, he said “there was no reason” for the Russian president “to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days”.

The two leaders held talks before attending the Pope's funeral
Image:
The two leaders held talks before attending the Pope’s funeral

He added: “It makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently, through ‘Banking’ or ‘Secondary Sanctions?’ Too many people are dying!!!”

The meeting between the US and Ukrainian leaders was their first face-to-face encounter since a very public row in the Oval Office in February.

Mr Zelenskyy said he had a good meeting with Mr Trump in which they talked about the defence of the Ukrainian people, a full and unconditional ceasefire, and a durable and lasting peace that would prevent the war restarting.

Other images released by the Ukrainian president’s office show Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron were present for part of the talks, which were described as “positive” by the French presidency.

Mr Zelenskyy‘s spokesman said the meeting lasted for around 15 minutes and he and Mr Trump had agreed to hold further discussions later on Saturday.

The world leaders share a moment before the service
Image:
The world leaders shared a moment before the service

Trump and Zelenskyy meet in the Basilica
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Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy meet in the Basilica

But the US president left Rome for Washington on Air Force One soon after the funeral without any other talks having taken place.

The Ukrainian president’s office said there was no second meeting in Rome because of the tight schedule of both leaders, although he had separate discussions with Mr Starmer and Mr Macron.

The French president said in a post on X “Ukraine is ready for an unconditional ceasefire” and that a so-called coalition of the willing, led by the UK and France, would continue working to achieve a lasting peace.

There was applause from some of the other world leaders in attendance at the Vatican when Mr Zelenskyy walked out of St Peter’s Basilica after stopping in front of the pontiff’s coffin to pay his respects.

U.S President Donald Trump attends the funeral Mass of Pope Francis, at the Vatican, April 26, 2025. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach
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Donald Trump and the Ukrainian president met for the first time since their Oval Office row. Pic: Reuters

Sir Tony Brenton, the former British ambassador to Russia, said the event presents diplomatic opportunities, including the “biggest possible meeting” between Mr Trump and the Ukrainian leader.

He told Sky News it could mark “an important step” in starting the peace process between Russia and Ukraine.

Professor Father Francesco Giordano told Sky News the meeting is being called “Pope Francis’s miracle” by members of the clergy, adding: “There’s so many things that happened today – it was just overwhelming.”

The bilateral meeting comes after Mr Trump’s peace negotiator Steve Witkoff held talks with Mr Putin at the Kremlin.

They discussed “the possibility of resuming direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine”, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said.

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Russia and Ukraine have not held direct talks since the early weeks of the war, which began in February 2022.

Mr Trump has claimed a deal to end the war is “very close” and has urged Mr Zelenskyy to “get it done” in a post on his Truth Social platform.

He has previously warned both sides his administration would walk away from its efforts to achieve a peace if the two sides do not agree a deal soon.

Meanwhile, the Polish armed forces said a Russian military helicopter violated its airspace over the Baltic Sea on Friday evening.

“The nature of the incident indicates that Russia is testing the readiness of our air defence systems,” they said in a post on X.

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What we learn from remarkable photos of Trump-Zelenskyy meeting

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What we learn from remarkable photos of Trump-Zelenskyy meeting

On an extraordinary day, remarkable pictures on the margins that capture what may be a turning point for the world.

In a corner of St Peter’s Basilica before the funeral of Pope Francis, the leaders of America and Ukraine sit facing each other in two solitary chairs.

They look like confessor and sinner except we cannot tell which one is which.

Leaning forward hands together in their laps, Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy stare at each other in one photo.

In another, the Ukrainian president seems to be remonstrating with the US president. This is their first encounter since their infamous bust-up in the Oval Office.

The two leaders held talks before attending the Pope's funeral
Image:
The two leaders held talks before attending the Pope’s funeral

Other pictures show the moment their French and British counterparts introduced the two men. There is a palpable sense of nervousness in the way the leaders engage.

We do not know what the two presidents said in their brief meeting.

But in the mind of the Ukrainian leader will be the knowledge President Trump has this week said America will reward Russia for its unprovoked brutal invasion of his country, under any peace deal.

Mr Trump has presented Ukraine and Russia with a proposal and ultimatum so one-sided it could have been written in the Kremlin.

Kyiv must surrender the land Russia has taken by force, Crimea forever, the rest at least for now. And it must submit to an act of extortion, a proposed deal that would hand over half its mineral wealth effectively to America.

The world leaders share a moment before the service
Image:
The world leaders shared a moment before the service

Afterwards, Zelenskyy said it had been a good meeting that could turn out to be historic “if we reach results together”.

They had talked, he said, about the defence of Ukraine, a full and unconditional ceasefire and a durable and lasting peace that will prevent a war restarting.

The Trump peace proposal includes only unspecified security guarantees for Ukraine from countries that do not include the US. It rules out any membership of Ukraine.

Ukraine’s allies are watching closely to see if Mr Trump will apply any pressure on Vladimir Putin, let alone punish him for recent bloody attacks on Ukraine.

Or will he simply walk away if the proposal fails, blaming Ukrainian intransigence, however outrageously, before moving onto a rapprochement with Moscow.

If he does, America’s role as guarantor of international security will be seen effectively as over.

This could be the week we see the world order as we have known it since the end of the Second World War buried, as well as a pope.

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