War, breaking news. Northern Gaza, MSF alarm: 'Hospitals under siege and population trapped'. Netanyahu: "Iran allies wanted to kill me".

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the United States wants to see Israel reduce some of its airstrikes in Beirut. "The number of civilian casualties has been far too high," he said, speaking in Italy during the G7 Defence, Haaretz reports citing Reuters. "We would like to see Israel reduce some of its attacks in and around Beirut and we would like to see a transition to negotiations that would allow civilians on both sides to return to their homes," Austin said.

MSF calls on Israeli forces to immediately stop attacks on hospitals in northern Gaza. "We have lost contact with 6 members of our staff," report the humanitarian organisation. More than 350 patients are reportedly trapped inside three hospitals. "The population must continue to have access to medical care and life-saving treatment. We call on Israeli forces to immediately stop attacks on hospitals in northern Gaza," says Anna Halford, Msf's emergency coordinator in Gaza.

According to the Ministry of Health and health workers on the ground, Israeli forces are currently besieging and targeting Indonesian, Al-Awda and Kamal Adwan hospitals.

"The escalation of violence and the relentless Israeli military operations we have witnessed over the past 2 weeks in northern Gaza have terrible consequences," Halford adds in a note released by MSF. 'Tens of thousands of people remain trapped in the Jabalia camp under daily shelling, including 6 of our staff members unable to reach them due to the power outage, while one MSF staff member was killed after sustaining shrapnel wounds. "When hospitals are attacked, their infrastructure destroyed and electricity cut off, the lives of patients and medical staff are at risk," notes Halford.

"We are witnessing a sheer collective punishment imposed on the Palestinians of Gaza, who have to choose between forced displacement from the north or being killed. We fear that this will not stop. Israel's all-out war against Gaza seems to have no end. Israel's allies bear a heavy responsibility for this disastrous situation, caused by their unwavering support for the war. They must immediately do everything in their power to achieve a lasting ceasefire. Not tomorrow, not in a week. Now,' Halford concludes.

Displaced Palestinians, ordered by the Israeli army to leave the school in Beit Lahia where they were sheltered, arrive in Gaza City on October 19, 2024. Gaza's civil defence agency said on October 19, more than 400 Palestinians were killed in the north of the territory over the past two weeks during an ongoing Israeli military assault which has displaced tens of thousands. (Photo by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)

Benyamin Netanyahu condemned the "allies of Iran" who "attempted" to assassinate him and his wife with a drone strike on his Caesarea residence. "They will pay a high price," the Israeli premier said.

A Ukrainian government official said that a video showing dozens of North Korean recruits lining up to collect Russian military suits and equipment is intended to intimidate Ukrainian forces. In the video, which has been verified by the Ukrainian Centre for Strategic Communications and Information Security (Spravdi), allegedly North Korean soldiers line up to collect bags, clothes and other garments from Russian servicemen. The Associated Press, which reports the news, could not independently verify the video. The centre claims the footage was shot by a Russian soldier in recent days. The location is unknown.

"We received this video from our sources. We cannot provide further verification from the sources who provided it to us due to security concerns," said Ihor Solovey, head of the centre. "The video clearly shows that North Korean citizens are given Russian uniforms under the direction of the Russian military," he explained. "For Ukraine, this video is important because it is the first video evidence showing North Korea participating in the war alongside Russia. Now not only with weapons and grenades, but also with personnel."

The centre claims that the footage was shot by a Russian soldier in recent days.

The news comes after the head of Ukrainian military intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, stated in local media that some 11,000 North Korean infantrymen were currently training in eastern Russia. He predicted that they would be ready to join the fighting by November. At least 2,600 would be sent to the Russian region of Kursk, where Ukraine launched an incursion in August.

"The appearance of any number of new soldiers is a problem, because we will simply need additional new weapons to destroy them all," Solovey told the AP. "The release of this video is important as a signal to the world community that with two countries officially at war with Ukraine, we will need more support to repel this aggression."

The presence of North Korean soldiers in Ukraine, if true, would be another proof of the intensification of military ties between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Last summer they signed a strategic partnership treaty committing both countries to military assistance. North Korean weapons have already been used in the war in Ukraine.

To go deeper:

the Ukrainian front two years after the invasion: the strengths and weaknesses of the two armies and possible developments

 The dystopian future of North Korea, increasingly closed in on itself

Russian forces have executed at least 102 Ukrainian prisoners of war since 2022. This was stated in an interview with the Kiev Independent by Ukrainian ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets, citing data from the Prosecutor General's Office. According to Lubinets, the actual number of such cases is probably much higher, as it is difficult to document Russian war crimes without supporting evidence, such as videos of executions. There have been multiple reports of executions of Ukrainian prisoners of war by Russian soldiers during this year. Videos and photos with evidence of the crimes have resurfaced on social media, including drone footage showing the killing of POWs as they surrendered to Russian troops, as well as videos and photos with bodies of Ukrainian soldiers suggesting torture and violent death in captivity. Lubinets said that the Ukrainian authorities document the cases as much as possible and forward the evidence to the Commissioner for Human Rights in the Russian Federation. According to Lubinets, the Russians kill prisoners to demonstrate their disregard for international law: 'They want to show that they will not be punished for this by the international community. This is a deliberate policy of Russia, but international organisations turn a blind eye. I see no public or legal reaction to these events: there are still no arrest warrants for war criminals'.

To read more: Vatican, new mission of Cardinal Zuppi in Moscow. He meets with Lavrov

Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said that Israel has not provided any safe routes for the population of the northern Gaza Strip to evacuate the area, which is under heavy bombardment. "There are no safe zones. The occupation continues to target or arrest all those who try to leave the north using the routes they say are safe," he said, as reported by Al Jazeera. Abu Zuhri added that Israel continues to attack hospitals and prevent paramedics from helping people. He therefore called on 'all humanitarian organisations to rescue the health system and provide it with the necessary equipment, including fuel, to carry out its tasks'.

At least 1,500 Hezbollah militants have been killed in Lebanon since the beginning of the conflict. This was stated by Israeli Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, adding that the numbers could be higher. "We have eliminated the entire command level," he said speaking to Golani Brigade commanders and referring to the airstrikes that killed leader Hassan Nasrallah and several other senior officials. "And you are eliminating the local command structure," he added. Hezbollah 'continues to shrink more and more'.

Fumo sui sobborghi meridionali di Beirut dopo un attacco israeliano, tra le ostilità in corso tra Hezbollah e le forze israeliane, visto da Hadath, Libano, 19 ottobre 2024. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir

Drone attacks are the weak point of the sophisticated and hyper-technological air defence systems Israel can rely on. This was confirmed by this morning's raid in Caesarea, cwhich, according to Axios, even hit the residence of the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu (video), for the first time since 7 October the direct target of an operation aimed at eliminating him. The drone, which took off from Lebanon with two other unmanned aircraft that were instead intercepted, caused no injuries because - according to the prime minister's office - neither Netanyahu nor his wife were home at the time of the raid. The attack against Netanyahu's residence, Channel 12 reported, was carried out by a 'Ziyad 107', the same one used last Sunday for the bombing of the Golani Brigade training base in Regavim, in the centre of Israel, which cost the lives of at least four soldiers, considered the most serious attack carried out by Hezbollah in the Jewish State since the war began.

According to the New York Times, the three drones today set off warning sirens at the Glilot military base, just north of Tel Aviv, but not in Caesarea, a particularly sensitive location. The IDF, which once it lost radar contact with the third drone also raised combat helicopters with the capability to shoot down unmanned aircraft, made it clear that the incident is "under investigation". Last Sunday's incident and the more recent one confirmed Israel's problems in countering drone attacks, especially when compared to the interception rates of rockets and ballistic missiles even at short and medium range of the Arrow, David's Sling and Iron Dome (video) air defence systems. The drones - which are cheaper and easier for Israel's adversaries to find - are more difficult to intercept because they emit less heat, contain less metal, and fly at a low altitude and much lower speed than rockets and missiles, which are the primary targets of the defence systems.

See also: Middle East war, here's why Israel's air shield might not hold up

Further reading: Hamas stretches shooting: dozens of rockets hit Ashdod and Ashkelon

Medical sources reported today that the toll of Palestinians killed in the Gaza Strip since the beginning of the war has risen to 42,519, most of whom are children and women. The same sources added that the death toll had jumped to 99,637, while thousands of victims are still under the rubble.

Palestinesi feriti arrivano per essere curati all’ospedale arabo Al-Ahli, noto anche come ospedale Battista, a Gaza City, il 19 ottobre 2024, durante la guerra in corso nel territorio palestinese tra Israele e Hamas. (Foto di Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)

The Israeli army (IDF) has dropped leaflets in the Khan Younis area in the south of the Gaza strip, promising free passage to anyone who lays down arms and helps to return the hostages still being held. The leaflets show a photograph of dead Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, surrounded by rubble, and include the message: 'Sinwar destroyed your lives. He hid in a black hole and was eliminated as he fled in panic'. CNN reports. The message continues: 'Hamas will no longer rule Gaza. Finally, the opportunity has come for you to be freed from its tyranny. Whoever lays down his weapons and returns the kidnapped to us, we will allow him to leave and live in peace'.

To read more: Sinwar's death will not stop the war in Gaza

Unwra, the largest UN humanitarian agency in Gaza, says 20,000 people fled Jabalya on Friday. "People have lost everything. They need everything, including food, water, blankets and mattresses: the foundation of the foundation,' says Unrwa Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini in a post on X. Lazzarini also reports a severe shortage of fuel and medical supplies in the hospitals remaining in the area.

The precedents:

Relief workers in Gaza say more than 400 people have been killed in the past two weeks in Israeli raids in the north of the Strip.

Four people were killed in an Israeli attack on a town in eastern Lebanon, including the mayor of a neighbouring village. This was reported by the official Lebanese news agency Ani. The first citizen of the village of Sohmor, in the western Bekaa Plain, is the second mayor killed since Israel and Hezbollah entered open warfare on 23 September. On Wednesday, a series of Israeli raids killed 25 people in Nabatiyeh, a large southern town, killing the mayor and part of his crisis council.

Fumo sui sobborghi meridionali di Beirut dopo un attacco israeliano, tra le ostilità in corso tra Hezbollah e le forze israeliane, visto da Hadath, Libano, 19 ottobre 2024. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir TPX IMMAGINI DEL GIORNO

The Israeli army called on residents to leave parts of south Beirut, a warning usually followed by attacks on those areas of the Lebanese capital. "Urgent warning to residents of the southern suburb (of Dahiyeh), especially those in the Haret Hreik neighbourhood: you are near facilities and interests belonging to Hezbollah, against which the IDF will operate in the near future," military spokesman Avichay Adraee wrote in Arabic on X.

Days after the 7 October attack, the Pentagon secretly sent dozens of commandos to Israel to help in the hostage search efforts. This was revealed by American officials quoted by the New York Times, who said that US intelligence officers later joined the commandos. Since almost the beginning of the war, US forces have focused not only on the search for hostages, but also on the hunt for Hamas leaders. However, explains the New York Times, the US leadership did not take credit for the recent Israeli operation that killed Yahya Sinwar. But they emphasise that their intelligence aided the hunt for the military leader of the Palestinian organisation.

According to US officials, at least six Mq-9 Reaper drones controlled by US special forces flew missions to help locate hostages and pass potential leads to the IDF. Sometimes, the tips concerned the location of hostages, others the location of Hamas leaders. According to the newspaper, for more than a year much of the criticism of US support for Israel has focused on the US-made bombs and weapons that the Jewish state has used to attack Gaza. But intelligence assistance to Israel was also crucial as it helped locate the four hostages who were rescued by Israeli commandos in June.

One of the drones launched by Hezbollah against Caesarea hit the residence of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Axios website writes this. Two other drones had been intercepted.

The Israeli army (IDF) has destroyed a Hezbollah 'fighting compound' located in the area of a school in a village in southern Lebanon, the IDF announced in a statement posted on Telegram. Several tunnels were destroyed in the complex, as well as a weapons depot that contained ammunition for rocket launchers and other combat equipment. In addition, troops of the 7th Brigade destroyed "more than 120 terrorist infrastructures, several tunnels and more than 20 weapons depots," while Israeli Air Force planes "hit dozens of terrorist sites in the area"

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi today rejected the idea that the two-state solution could bring sustainable peace to the region, stressing that "peace will only be solved in the region by resolving the issue of Palestine, on the basis of democracy". "Iran will support any decision taken by the Palestinian people, who will be able to design their own future through a referendum in Palestine. In this way, Muslims and Christians will live shoulder to shoulder with Jews,' he stressed, quoted by Irna. Araghchi, who was on a visit to Turkey, met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last night. Both sides stressed the seriousness of the 'Israeli threat to regional peace' and called for urgent collective action to stop the 'carnage' in Gaza and Lebanon.

'Unifil is in Lebanon not because Guterres decided so, but because the UN Security Council wanted it'. This was said by Josep Borrell, Vice-President of the European Commission and EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy in Naples on the occasion of the G7 Defence.

A senior Israeli government official told Channel 12 TV that 'Iran tried to eliminate Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu'. The official referred to the drone launched from Lebanon that targeted the PM's private residence in Caesarea. The Israeli authorities did not confirm that the house hit by the device was Netanyahu's.

The Israel Army (IDF) reported that it killed the Hezbollah deputy commander of the southern Lebanese city of Bint Jbeil yesterday. According to the Idf, Nasser Rashid was supervising attacks against Israel from several cities in southern Lebanon.

At least 11 civilians died in an Israeli bombardment of the al-Maghazi camp in the centre of the Gaza Strip, which hit a house. This was reported by the Palestinian news agency Wafa, citing medical sources, who also report several wounded and missing under the rubble.

Tehran today condemned EU accusations that Iran had supplied ballistic missiles to Russia for use in the war in Ukraine, calling them "false and misleading", Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said, according to Irna reports. "Iran favours diplomacy to resolve the conflict, stressing the importance of respecting the territorial integrity and national sovereignty of countries," Baghaei said, adding that it is Iran's legitimate right to have military cooperation with other countries and strengthen its defence capability. "The Europeans themselves have supported Israel militarily and are therefore responsible for Israeli crimes in Gaza and Lebanon," he concluded.

The Palestinian news agency Wafa writes that at least 11 people were killed at dawn today by an Israeli attack on a house in a refugee camp in the centre of the Gaza Strip. "Medical sources reported that 11 civilians were killed, others were injured and several people are under rubble, following the Israeli shelling of a house belonging to the Shana'a family in Maghazi camp," the agency says.

Two people were killed in an Israeli raid that targeted a car north of Beirut. This was reported by the Lebanese Ministry of Health, according to which the attack took place near Jounieh, along the highway that connects the capital to the north of the country, and is the first since the beginning of the operation on 30 September that Israel has hit that area.

The target of the drone attack in central Israel was the private home of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Caesarea. This was reported by the Qatari news agency Al Araby, quoted by the Israeli daily 'Ha'aretz'. Previously, the Israeli Defence Forces had reported that a drone from Lebanon had struck the city of Caesarea today. Two other drones had been intercepted. The drone, they said, "hit a structure in the Caesarea area" without causing casualties or injuries.

The Unifil mission in southern Lebanon remains. This was stated by Jean-Pierre Lacroix, UN Under-Secretary General in charge of peacekeeping operations, in an interview with the daily newspaper la Repubblica. Asked about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's request for the withdrawal of Unifil, Lacroix replied: 'It was decided to stay in all assignments. A very well-considered choice, taking into account many factors. The security and safety of the peacekeepers, of course, is very important, but also the responsibility of Unifil to respect the Security Council mandate. If the positions were abandoned, someone would occupy them and we don't want that. Then we all call for and hope for a cessation of hostilities and the resumption of negotiations to implement Resolution 1701. This includes a role for Unifil, as Israeli Minister Katz also said'.

When asked by the interviewer whether there is a fear of an accident being deliberately caused to stop the mission, Lacroix replied: 'It can never be ruled out, and I don't do that. I don't make any kind of assumptions about intentionality. Of course an accident could happen, we are doing everything we can to make sure it doesn't happen'. On the possibility of increasing the number of Blue Helmets, then, Lacroix says: 'When it comes, and hopefully very soon, to the cessation of hostilities and the resumption of real efforts to implement resolution 1701, there could be an evolution or an adaptation of Unifil, decided by the Security Council'.

The Israeli army (Idf) last night detected a drone in the country's airspace from Syria after sirens sounded at 3:35am (2:35am in Italy) in the northern Golan Heights area. The drone, reads an IDF statement published on Telegram, fell in an open area and no injuries were reported. Already last night, the army had announced that a "suspicious air target" approaching from Syria had been intercepted by the Air Force before it entered Israeli territory. The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an Iranian-backed militia group, claimed responsibility for yesterday's attack, the Jerusalem Post reported, citing Arab media sources and the Iranian state broadcaster PressTv.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, "while not commenting on developments of this nature" issued a statement through spokesman Farhan Haq following the death of Yahya Sinwar in which he expressed the hope that "this will lead to an immediate ceasefire, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, and unrestricted humanitarian access to Gaza". Strong criticism had been levelled at Guterres by Israel yesterday for his failure to comment on the announcement of the killing of the Hamas leader. The secretary-general has been in contact with "several officials" at the UN, his spokesman said. These include the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Tor Wennesland, who has already called on the parties to engage in dialogue and reach an agreement. "We are at a critical point. We must seize the opportunity to silence the weapons and release the hostages now."

The Palestinian Islamic movement Hamas is "alive and will remain so" despite the death of its leader Yahya Sinwar, who was killed during an Israeli military operation, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said today. "His loss is certainly painful for the resistance front" against Israel, but it "will not stop at all with the martyrdom of Sinwar," Khamenei said in a statement. Hamas is alive despite the death of its leader Yahya Sinwar in an Israeli military operation in Gaza, the Supreme Leader later assured. "His loss is certainly painful for the resistance front" against Israel, he said, assuring that "it will by no means end with Sinwar's martyrdom".

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded to US President Joe Biden's statements in Berlin that he knew how and when Israel would attack Iran in retaliation for Tehran's October 1 missile attacks on Israel. "Anyone who has knowledge or understanding of 'how and when Israel will attack Iran', and/or provides the means and support for such madness, should logically be held responsible for any possible casualties," Araghchi warned in a message on his X account last night. The US has begun deploying an advanced Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defence system to bolster Israel's defence, ahead of Tel Aviv's attack.

Supporters of pro-Iranian Iraqi armed factions attacked and ransacked the premises of a Saudi TV channel in the capital Baghdad, a security source in Iraq reported. The assault took place after the broadcast of a report in which pro-Iranian camp commanders were called 'terrorists'. Shortly after midnight, between 400 and 500 men attacked the Baghdad studios of the Saudi audiovisual group MBC. "They looted electronic equipment, computers and set fire to part of the building," an Iraqi Interior Ministry official told Afp on condition of anonymity, adding that firefighters extinguished the blaze and police dispersed the protesters.