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The Times of Israel liveblogged Friday’s events as they happened.
German MP from Scholz’s party in row over anti-Zionist post
Member of the executive committee of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) Aydan Özoguz arrives for talks at the party headquarters in Berlin on June 03, 2019. (Photo by Tobias SCHWARZ / AFP)
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s center-left party faced controversy today after one of its lawmakers, a vice president of parliament, shared an online post denounced as anti-Israeli.
Aydan Ozoguz shared a post from the US-based anti-Israel group Jewish Voice for Peace that showed an image of a building on fire with the message “This is Zionism.”
The Israeli ambassador to Germany, Ron Prosor, says the post “indirectly questions Israel’s right to exist” and accused Ozoguz of “pouring oil on the fire.”
The Social Democratic Party lawmaker, one of five vice presidents of the German Bundestag, later deleted her message and apologized.
“I realized that the shared post hurt the feelings of fellow citizens who stand up for peaceful coexistence,” she wrote. “That was not my intention and I deeply regret that.”
Volker Beck, chairman of the German-Israeli Society, said Ozoguz had “crossed a red line.”
Prominent Holocaust historian Yehuda Bauer dies at 98
Yehuda Bauer in his apartment in the Beit HaKerem neighborhood of Jerusalem on July 3, 2023. (Charlie Summers/Times of Israel)
Prominent Holocaust historian Yehuda Bauer died today, the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance announces. He was 98.
“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our Honorary Chairman, Yehuda Bauer. He left an indelible mark on both the IHRA and the field of Holocaust studies, and his moral guidance, insight, and friendship will be sorely missed,” the IHRA says.
Over the course of his almost century-long life, Bauer published over 40 books on the Holocaust and antisemitism, with a focus on Jewish reactions to both. His early research focused on Jewish organized resistance to the Nazi regime, but in his later work, he addressed larger questions of antisemitism and the Holocaust’s historical significance.
In recent decades, Bauer became involved in policy regarding antisemitism and the scholar played an important role in the IHRA since its inception in 1998, and helped draft the organization’s controversial yet popular Working Definition of Antisemitism.
Holocaust research institutions and colleagues mourned his passing.
“His thoughts and words shaped and inspired the academic debate about the tragedy of the Shoah. His work will be continued by all the people engaged in preserving the Memory,” the Auschwitz Memorial posted on X.
UCL Center for Holocaust Education in London hailed him as “one of the greatest Holocaust historians of our time and the most compelling orator and teacher.”
Born in 1926 in Prague, Bauer and his family fled to Mandatory Palestine in 1939, on the day Nazi Germany invaded Czechoslovakia.
Harris and Trump both campaigning in Michigan as they seek Arab American vote
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris arrives to speak at a campaign rally in Riverside Park, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024, in Grand Rapids, Mich. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Kamala Harris and Donald Trump both seek support from Arab American voters today as they campaigned in Michigan, trying to lock down support in a battleground state that could decide the presidential race next month.
Trump was expected to visit a new campaign office in Hamtramck, one of the nation’s only Muslim-majority cities, and he will be joined there by Mayor Amer Ghalib, a Democrat who has endorsed him. Meanwhile, three city council members in the same town have endorsed Harris.
Michigan is one of three “blue wall” states that, along with Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, will help decide the election, and the diverse voting blocs are key to winning the state.
“It’s an election for president. It’s not supposed to be a cake walk for anyone. There are very important issues at play,” Harris said.
David Plouffe, a top campaign adviser for Harris, says on CNN that he believed all of the swing states were still in play, but the key was zeroing in on voting blocs.
“We’re going to treat every cohort like they’re a swing voter,” he says. “We’re going to fight for every vote.”
IDF intercepts suspected drone launched from Syria
A suspected drone that was heading toward Israel from Syria was intercepted by air defenses, the military says.
According to the IDF, the “suspicious aerial target” did not cross into Israeli airspace.
PLO mourns ‘martyrdom’ of Hamas chief Sinwar, hails him as a ‘great national leader’
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas addresses the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024, at UN headquarters. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
The Palestine Liberation Organization, seen internationally as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, expresses its condolences on the “martyrdom” of Hamas terror chief Yahya Sinwar and calls for unity among all Palestinian factions.
“The Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) expresses its condolences to the Palestinian people and all national factions on the martyrdom of the great national leader Yahya Sinwar, head of the political bureau of Hamas,” a statement by the committee says.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah movement, which controls the PLO and Palestinian Authority ruling over the West Bank, has had a tense relationship with Hamas since the latter violently seized control of the Gaza Strip in 2007 and removed all Fatah officials from the coastal enclave after Israel unilaterally withdrew in 2005 from the entire Strip.
Sinwar was the architect of Hamas’s October 7 assault on Israel that killed some 1,200 people, most of them civilians and took 251 hostages.
Israel said to request US send second THAAD missile defense battery ahead of Iran attack
In this image courtesy of DVIDS, a US Air Force Airmen offloads a THAAD launcher from a C-17 GlobeMaster III at Nevatim Air Base, Israel for an exercise, March 1, 2019. (Robert DURR / DVIDS / AFP)
Israel has requested that the US send a second THAAD battery to protect the country in case of an Iranian reaction to an expected Israeli reprisal attack, Channel 12 reports.
The Pentagon on Sunday confirmed that Washington will send one advanced air defense battery to Israel, along with American soldiers to operate it.
The THAAD is considered a complimentary system to the Patriot system but can defend a wider area, capable of hitting targets at ranges of 150-200 kilometers (93-124 miles).
Each battery consists of six truck-mounted launchers, 48 interceptors, radio and radar equipment, and requires 95 soldiers to operate.
Iran has been bracing for an Israeli retaliation after its October 1 attack, which it said came in response to Israeli strikes in Lebanon last month that killed the top leadership of the Hezbollah terror group, an Iranian proxy, and a July blast in Tehran that killed Hamas politburo head Ismail Haniyeh.
US, Germany, UK, France see ‘immediate necessity’ to end Gaza war
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, front, gestures as he speaks with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, left, US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron, right, before their Quad meeting at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany, Friday Oct. 18, 2024. (John Macdougall/Pool Photo via AP)
US President Joe Biden and the German, French and British leaders urged Friday an “immediate necessity” for ending the war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas.
Biden, Olaf Scholz, Emmanuel Macron and Keir Starmer voice in a joint statement “the immediate necessity to bring the hostages home to their families, for ending the war in Gaza and ensure humanitarian aid reaches civilians.”
IDF says it killed top Hamas commander responsible for guarding Sinwar; IDF had previously thought him dead
The commander of Hamas’s Tel Sultan Battalion, Mahmoud Hamdan, was not killed several weeks ago as the IDF had announced at the time, but rather, he was killed earlier today, the military announces.
According to the IDF, Hamdan was responsible for guarding Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and the six Israeli hostages who were murdered by their captors in Rafah in late August.
“A few weeks ago it was determined that [Hamdan] was most likely eliminated, following intelligence information. Today we understand that the intelligence finding on which his death was based was not accurate enough,” the IDF says.
The army says Hamdan continued to guard Sinwar since then, and earlier today, troops of the Bislamach Brigade killed him in an exchange of fire, around 200 meters from the site where the Hamas leader was killed on Wednesday.
Netanyahu meeting on hostages said to focus on efforts to prevent Hamas exacting revenge for Sinwar killing
Demonstrators call for the release of Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip at a protest outside the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv, October 17, 2024, hours after Israel confirmed the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. (Erik Marmor/Flash90)
A meeting convened by Prime Minister Benjamin on the hostages largely focused on efforts to prevent Hamas operatives in Gaza from harming the hostages to avenge the killing of Yahya Sinwar, Channel 12 reports.
Israel has sent “very harsh” warnings that the hostages should not be harmed, the report says without detailing to whom the message was sent or how.
Sinwar’s death has raised hopes that it would be possible to now reach a deal to free the hostages and reach a ceasefire.
However, the report quotes a senior Israeli official as saying that there are currently no talks at all and Israel will likely have to wait until Hamas chooses new leadership.
The report also notes that Sinwar’s killing will not alter Israel’s plans to attack Iran in response to the massive Iranian missile attack earlier in the month.
Troops said to find cache of letters written and received by Sinwar
Houthi supporters raise a poster of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, who killed by Israeli troops in Gaza, during an anti-Israel rally in Sanaa, Yemen, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Osamah Abdulrahman)
Troops searching in homes near where Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was killed found a cache of the slain terror leader’s correspondence, including with his 10-year-old son, Channel 12 reports.
The report says the letters, both those that he received and sent, are providing Israel with valuable intelligence, but gives no details.
The report also says that among the letters were those between Sinwar and his son, in which Sinwar tried to imbue his son with a hate for Israel.
Among the letters sent by the boy were his drawings of dead Israeli soldiers, the report says. The son also asked Sinwar when the war would end.
IDF says it killed 60 Hezbollah operatives in past day
The IDF says it has killed some 60 Hezbollah operatives over the past day in fighting in southern Lebanon and air strikes.
Troops fighting in villages in southern Lebanon have found and destroyed large caches of weapons, the IDF says.
The IDF also says it downed two drones launched from Lebanon. It published footage of the interception.
מוקדם יותר היום, חיל האוויר יירט בהצלחה שני כלי טיס בלתי מאוישים שעשו את דרכם לשטח הארץ מלבנון.
הכלים יורטו בטרם חצו לשטח מדינת ישראל pic.twitter.com/hJ2oLCkmwK— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) October 18, 2024
IDF says it has ruled out possibility of third gunman in Jordan infiltration
Israeli soldiers operate near the site where Israeli forces shot and killed two gunmen who opened fire near the Dead Sea in Israel, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)
The IDF says after hours of searches it has ruled out the possibility that there was a third gunman involved in the infiltration from Jordan.
Two gunmen were killed and two soldiers wounded in the clash on the border.
Biden says possible to end Israel-Iran fighting ‘for a while,’ has understanding of how and when Israel will strike Iran
President Joe Biden talks to the media before departing from the Brandenburg Airport in Berlin, Germany, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
US President Joe Biden says there is an opportunity to deal with Israel and Iran in a way that potentially ends their conflict in the Middle East for a while.
Speaking to reporters at the end of a visit to Berlin, Biden also says he has an understanding of how and when Israel was going to retaliate against missile attacks by Iran. He declined to elaborate.
Tensions have been high in the region with Israel planning a response to the October 1 missile attack carried out by Tehran.
“There’s an opportunity in my view and my colleagues agree that we can probably deal with Israel and Iran in a way that ends the conflict for a while. That ends the conflict, in other words, that stops the back and forth,” Biden says.
Biden added that he believed there was a possibility of working towards a ceasefire in Lebanon but that such efforts would be harder in Gaza.
IDF says it intercepted three rockets fired at Haifa Bay area
The IDF says that it incepted three rockets that were fired at the Haifa Bay area.
Earlier, sirens had sounded in the city of Acre and Haifa’s northern Krayot suburbs.
UK’s Starmer says Sinwar’s death is ‘opportunity’ for ceasefire
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer addresses a press conference at the British Embassy in Berlin, Germany, Friday Oct. 18, 2024. (John Macdougall/Pool Photo via AP)
The killing by Israel of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar could help bring an end to fighting in the Gaza Strip, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer says during a visit to Berlin.
“I do think the death of Sinwar provides an opportunity for a step towards that ceasefire that we’ve long called for,” Starmer says after talks with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, US President Joe Biden and France’s President Emmanuel Macron.
The comments echo those of Biden, who said Sinwar’s death was “an opportunity to seek a path to peace, a better future in Gaza without Hamas.”
Starmer adds that “allies will keep working together to de-escalate across the region because we know there’s no military-only solution here — the answer is diplomacy.”
He also said that the “dire humanitarian situation can’t continue” in Gaza and called for Israel to facilitate the delivery of more aid to the Strip.
“The world will not tolerate any more excuses on humanitarian assistance. Civilians in northern Gaza need food now,” says Starmer.
Rocket warning sirens sound in Acre, Krayot
Rocket warning sirens sound in the northern city of Acre and the Krayot suburbs north of Haifa.
Medics say there are no immediate reports of injuries.
???? Rocket Alert [19:00:23] – 11 Alerts:
• HaMifratz — Kiryat Bialik Industrial Zone, Kiryat Motzkin, Kiryat Biyalik, Kiryat Yam
• Upper Galilee — Jadeidi-Makr, Kfar Masaryk, Akko New Cemetery, Sha'ar Na'aman Industrial Zone, Ein HaMifratz, Acre, Acco – Industrial Zone… pic.twitter.com/OXnyIAEypp— ILRedAlert (@ILRedAlert) October 18, 2024
US, Germany say Sinwar death ‘can create momentum to end the conflict’
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (C) walks across the tarmac to board Air Force One at Berlin-Brandenburg Airport (BER) in Schoenefeld, southeast of the German capital, on October 18, 2024, at the end of the visit to Germany. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP)
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and German Foreign Annalena Baerbock say Israel’s killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar “can create momentum to end the conflict” in Gaza after the terrorist “stood in the way of a ceasefire in Gaza.”
“All hostages must be released. At the same time, humanitarian aid must be surged to the civilians in Gaza in need. Germany and the United States, together with partners, won’t spare any effort on this path,” Blinken and Baerbock say in a rare joint statement.
Putin says Russia in contact with Israel and Iran, willing to mediate if asked
Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs the meeting with the heads of leading media outlets from BRICS countries at Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside of Moscow, Russia, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. (Vyacheslav Prokofyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
Russia is ready to help seek compromises between arch-foes Israel and Iran, Russian President Vladimir Putin says, saying these would be difficult but possible.
“We are in contact with Israel, we are in contact with Iran. We have quite trusting relations. And we would very much like this endless exchange of blows to be stopped at some point. And for such ways to resolve the situation to be found that would satisfy both sides,” Putin tells reporters.
“The answer to this question always lies in the search for compromises. Are they possible in this situation or not? I think so. No matter how difficult it may be, but in my opinion, it is possible.”
Israel has decapitated the leadership of Iran’s allies Hamas and Hezbollah in recent weeks, and Iran fired missiles into Israel on October 1. The region is now braced for Israel’s response.
Putin says Russia was willing to get involved if both sides wanted that.
“If this is in demand, we are ready to do everything in our power in contact with both sides to help find these compromises,” he says.
In Lebanon, Meloni calls to strengthen peacekeeping force, says attacks on UNIFIL ‘unacceptable’
Lebanon's caretaker prime minister Najib Mikati and Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni review an honour guard during a reception for Meloni at the government palace in central Beirut on October 18, 2024. (Anwar Amro/AFP)
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni calls on Friday for the strengthening of the UN peacekeeping mission to Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, during a visit in Beirut.
“Only by strengthening UNIFIL while maintaining its impartiality, we will be able to turn the page,” Meloni says during a joint news conference with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati.
“I repeat that I consider targeting UNIFIL is unacceptable,” Meloni added, in reference to recent Israeli attacks involving the mission’s troops.
Israel has said that the peacekeepers were not deliberately targeted and that Hezbollah has been using UN positions as cover to target Israeli forces. Israel has called on the UN troops to leave the area.
Mikati and Meloni also agree that a diplomatic solution must take precedence over violence, Mikati says.
“What is happening today is a lesson for all Lebanese to stay out of regional conflicts,” Mikati says.
Iran condemns Sinwar’s killing and vows to continue resistance
Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian gives a joint press conference with Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani (not in picture), in Doha, Qatar, October 2, 2024. (Karim Jaafar/AFP)
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian condemns the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar by Israel and says his death will not create a disturbance in Islamic resistance, the state-run IRNA news agency reports.
IRNA quotes Pezeshkian as saying, “Martyrdom will not create a disturbance in the Islamic Ummah’s resistance against force and occupation.”
Pezeshkian also expressed condolences to what he called the oppressed people of Gaza and all the freedom-seekers of the world.
IDF says 30 trucks carrying aid crossed into northern Gaza
Trucks carrying aid cross into the northern Gaza Strip on October 18, 2024 (Israel Defense Forces)
The IDF says 30 trucks of humanitarian aid from the international community crossed into the north of the Gaza Strip today, the latest delivery over the past week as Israel faces pressure from the US to ramp up aid.
The Israeli military body overseeing humanitarian aid, COGAT, says the trucks carried food, water, medical supplies, and shelter equipment.
“The aid arrived from the Port of Ashdod to the Erez West crossing and into the Gaza Strip, as part of Israel’s commitment to delivering humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. It is important to emphasize that all the aid was transferred after thorough security inspections,” COGAT says.
IDF says 4 soldiers seriously wounded in Lebanon, 1 in Gaza fighting
The IDF says four soldiers were seriously hurt in fighting in Lebanon yesterday and one soldier was seriously injured in combat in the Gaza Strip.
In Lebanon, three soldiers from the elite Maglan unit were hurt in fighting in south Lebanon. According to an IDF probe, they were mistakenly hit by a shell fired by an Israeli tank.
The IDF says it is investigating the incident.
Another officer, a reservist, was wounded in fighting on the border, the IDF says.
Separately, a soldier in the Givati Brigade was seriously wounded this morning in northern Gaza.
All the soldiers were evacuated for medical treatment and their families have been informed, the IDF says.
Halevi says IDF estimates at least 1,500 Hezbollah operatives killed, others surrendering
IDF chief of staff Herzi Halevi speaks to troops in southern Lebanon in a picture released on October 18, 2024 (Israel Defense Forces)
IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi tells commanders from the Golani Battalion that Israeli forces have killed some 1,500 Hezbollah operatives so far since Israel stepped up its assault on the Lebanese terror group.
“We are very determined to hit Hezbollah as hard as possible,” Halevi says during a visit to troops in southern Lebanon in remarks released by the IDF today.
“We have taken out their entire command layer,” he says referring to airstrikes that killed terror leader Hassan Nasrallah and other top leaders. “And you are taking out the local command structure.”
Halevi says the terror group “continues to shrink and shrink.”
“Hezbollah is hiding casualties, hiding dead commanders. We estimate that we have killed some 1,500 Hezbollah operatives and our estimates are conservative, I imagine there are more that we don’t know about from dozens of strikes.”
Halevi also says that Hezbollah forces continue to surrender. “It says a lot about their morale and the level of fighting.”
Halevi also says that Hezbollah’s Iranian backers “also don’t understand what is happening here to Hezbollah. And they are their main arm that they have been counting on, and that is very important.”
Jordan’s Muslim Brotherhood claims terrorists who were killed after breaching Israeli border
Israel Police forces block a road leading to the site of a terrorist infiltration from Jordan near the Dead Sea in Israel, Friday, October 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)
The Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan says that two terrorists who were killed by the Israeli army after crossing the border were members of the Islamist group.
The attackers were “members of the group and always participated in events in solidarity with Gaza and in support of the resistance,” Muslim Brotherhood spokesman Moath al-Khawaldeh tells AFP.
The two, who breached the border from Jordan into Israel this morning, south of the Dead Sea, were killed shortly after crossing the border by troops who scrambled to intercept them, in a clash that also injured two soldiers.
White House says Sinwar was chief obstacle to hostage deal, but no new talks yet
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby speaks during the daily briefing at the White House, July 25, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was the chief obstacle to securing a ceasefire in the Gaza conflict and his killing by Israel’s defense force creates an “inflection point” that could accelerate talks to wind down the war, White House spokesperson John Kirby says.
Sinwar was the architect of the Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, massacre that triggered the Gaza war. His killing marks a huge success for Israel and a pivotal event in the yearlong conflict.
“We believe, continue to believe, that finding an end to the war is critical, and we also believe that Mr. Sinwar’s death … can provide an inflection point to getting there,” Kirby says.
Kirby says ceasefire talks are not underway and he had no timetable for them to begin again.
“I wish I could tell you today that we’re getting the teams back together in Doha, and we’re starting afresh,” Kirby says. “That’s not where we are right now.”
Hezbollah, Houthis mourn Sinwar, vow to continue support for Hamas
A Yemeni man using a wheelchair lifts flags of Lebanon and Palestine during a demonstration in support of Palestinians on the first anniversary of the October 7th Hamas massacre, in the Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa on October 7, 2024. (Photo by Mohammed HUWAIS / AFP)
Lebanon’s Hezbollah terror group and Yemen’s Houthis, both Iranian proxies, mourn Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar killed by Israeli forces in Gaza.
“We offer our deepest condolences,” Hezbollah says in a statement, vowing to continue “support for our Palestinian people.”
“My sincere condolences and great blessings to the Hamas movement and the dear Palestinian people for the great leader Yahya Sinwar receiving the medal of martyrdom,” a spokesman for Houthi rebel group writes on X, adding that “Gaza and the Palestinian cause are destined for victory, no matter how great the sacrifices.”
Both groups began attacking Israel in the wake of the Hamas-led October 2023 massacre.
Sinwar was likely trying to flee to Gaza humanitarian zone when killed
Part of the IDF force that encountered and killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar seen operating in Rafah in an undated picture released on October 18, 2024 (Israel Defense Forces)
Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar was likely trying to reach the Al-Mawasi Humanitarian Area adjacent to the Mediterranean Sea in the southeastern Gaza Strip when he was killed.
The Times of Israel understands that the IDF believes that the terror leader had originally been driven from Khan Yunis to Rafah due to Israeli military pressure which left him feeling boxed in and forced him to move locations, staying underground as much as possible, potentially up to 90 percent of the time.
He then tried to leave Rafah where he was ultimately spotted and killed by an IDF force operating in the area.
After his death, IDF forces discovered 40,000 Shekels ($10,780) on Sinwar’s body.
Italy’s Meloni arrives in Lebanon for visit amid tensions over peacekeepers
Vehicles from the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) patrol in Marjayoun in southern Lebanon on October 12, 2024. (AFP)
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni arrives in Lebanon, her office says, the first head of state or government to visit since an escalation between Israel and Hezbollah last month.
The leader of Italy — whose peacekeepers play a significant part in the UN force in southern Lebanon that has come been caught in the crossfire between Israel and Hezbollah — arrived at Beirut international airport where she was welcomed by Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati, with whom she will have talks before issuing a joint press statement.
IDF releases footage of tank firing shell that killed Sinwar, pictures of weapons found in home
Weapons found in the house where Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was killed in the southern Gaza Strip in an image released on October 18, 2024 (Israel Defense Forces)
The IDF releases footage of a tank firing at the home where Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was hiding on Wednesday.
One of the tank’s shells killed Sinwar, who had been spotted moving through the neighborhood with two bodyguards.
The IDF releases footage of the tank firing at the at the building in which Yahya Sinwar was hiding on Wednesday. One of the tank shells killed the Hamas leader. pic.twitter.com/JEAqCWejOF
— Lazar Berman (@Lazar_Berman) October 18, 2024
The IDF also releases images of weapons found in the home where Sinwar was killed, including three rifles and ammunition.
Austin says Sinwar’s death creates ‘opportunities for a change’ in Gaza and Lebanon
United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, center, speaks with Netherland's Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans, right, and Sweden's Defense Minister Pal Jonson, third right, during a meeting of the North Atlantic Council in NATO defense ministers format at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar creates an opportunity for a change in direction in both Gaza and Lebanon.
“We’ll see how things evolve,” says Austin who is in Brussels for a meeting of NATO defense ministers, when asked about Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s vow to keep fighting in the Gaza Strip unless Hamas surrenders and frees all the hostages.
“But clearly there are opportunities for a change in direction, and we would hope that, you know, parties would take advantage of that, both in Gaza and in Lebanon,” he says.
Austin also says that US Forces in the Middle East stood ready to support Israel’s defense.
Israel looking at option of private company being used to distribute Gaza aid
Boys sit on a cart with humanitarian aid packages in central Gaza City on August 27, 2024. (Omar Al-Qattaa/AFP)
Israel is looking into private companies to distribute aid in northern Gaza as part of an attempt to take away a core element of Hamas’s civil rule, an Israeli official tells The Times of Israel.
Israeli companies will not be used, but Israel is looking into using an American security company, around which the IDF would provide a security perimeter, says the official.
The hope is to eventually get Arab countries on board to distribute humanitarian aid, adds the official.
Netanyahu to hold security consultation, meeting on hostages
There will be a security consultation today at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office at the IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv today, an Israeli official tells The Times of Israel.
There will also be a separate meeting on the hostages, says the official.
Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya confirms Sinwar killed, says hostages won’t be freed until IDF leaves Gaza
Senior Hamas politburo official Khalil al-Hayya speaks during an interview with The Associated Press, in Istanbul, Turkey, April 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
Senior Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya confirms the death of the terror group’s leader Yahya Sinwar in Gaza earlier this week.
In a video statement, al-Hayya says that Sinwar’s death will only serve to strengthen the terror group, and vows that “the occupiers” will soon regret killing him.
He adds that the 101 hostages still held by the terror group in Gaza will not be released until “the aggression” stops and Israeli forces withdraw from the Palestinian enclave.
Israel ‘cautiously optimistic’ that Sinwar’s death could be opportunity for hostage deal, official says
IDF troops stand over the body of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in Gaza on October 17, 2024. (Courtesy)
Israel is “cautiously optimistic” that the death of Yahya Sinwar will open a diplomatic window for the release of hostages held by Hamas, an Israeli official tells The Times of Israel.
The official cautions, however, that “we have to remember that Hamas is a murderous terror organization,” even without Sinwar, and that “Muhammed Sinwar is no less extreme than his brother.”
There has been no confirmation or denial from Hamas’s remaining leadership that Muhammed Sinwar is preparing to take the reins of the terror group in the wake of his brother’s death.
Israel is considering separate deals with Hamas factions that hold a small number of hostages if no central leadership emerges quickly.
Search for third terrorist from Jordan ongoing but intelligence officials believe only two crossed border
Forces are still searching for a third terrorist who may have crossed from the Jordanian border, The Times of Israel has learned, but intelligence and trackers believe that there were only two terrorists, both of whom were killed.
The efforts will continue till late afternoon and will include making sure there are no other attempts at terrorist attacks in the area.
The incident occurred south of Neot HaKikar, a moshav on the border with Jordan, where the border fence consists of coils of barbed wire piled on each other.
An observation soldier saw the terrorists cutting the fence with a wirecutter and declared a “Parash Turki,” a codeword meaning infiltration through the fence.
A patrol jeep manned by Home Front Command soldiers arrived 10-15 minutes later, saw the terrorists, and exited the jeep about 100 meters from the terrorists, who were crouching in a ditch along the border road.
The terrorists opened fire with Glock pistols as the IDF force charged at them. They hit one soldier in the leg and one in the buttocks.
One terrorist was killed about 30 yards from the jeep, the other managed to make it to the jeep and died on its hood.
The jeep had at least eight bullet holes in it as well.
The chain of command up to the division commander arrived and began searches for additional terrorists. IAF helicopters and UAVs are assisting the search, and security has been reinforced in communities in the area.
Kremlin has ‘deep concerns’ about killing of Sinwar, spokesman says
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov attends a meeting of Russian President Vladimir Putin with the new cabinet members at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, May 14, 2024. (Vyacheslav Prokofyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says Russia has “deep concerns” about the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in Gaza.
Asked during a press briefing about the Kremlin’s reaction to the news of Sinwar’s death, Peskov says that the main concern is “the consequences for the civilian population that we are seeing.”
He chooses not to elaborate, and avoids further mention of Sinwar, instead saying that “the humanitarian catastrophe that is being observed in both Gaza and Lebanon is a subject of serious concern.”
IDF to send additional reserve brigade to northern border as part of fight against Hezbollah
The IDF says it is sending another reserve brigade to the north to join the fight against the Hezbollah terror group in Lebanon.
The brigade “will enable the continuation of the combat effort against the Hezbollah terror organization and achieving the goals of the war, including returning the residents of the north safely to their homes.”
In Germany, Biden says killing of Sinwar presents chance to seek ‘path to peace’ in Gaza
US President Joe Biden says the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar is a “moment of justice” and “an opportunity to seek a path to peace” in Gaza.
Biden says Sinwar, the architect of the October 7, 2023 terror assault, has “the blood of Americans and Israelis, Palestinians and Germans and so many others on his hands.”
The US president, speaking in Berlin, says he had told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “also make this moment an opportunity to seek a path to peace, a better future in Gaza without Hamas.”
IDF: Active-duty soldier, reservist injured by terrorists who infiltrated from Jordan
Israel Police forces block a road leading to the site of a terrorist infiltration from Jordan near the Dead Sea in Israel, Friday, October 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)
More details emerge on the terrorist infiltration south of the Dead Sea earlier today.
IDF observation soldiers from the 727th Battalion spotted suspects near the border with Jordan, and troops headed to the area, according to the IDF.
Two terrorists opened fire on the IDF soldiers, injuring an active-duty soldier and a reservist from the Home Front Command. Israeli forces killed the terrorists a few feet from the border fence.
The active duty soldier was lightly injured, and the reservist moderately hurt. Both were evacuated to a hospital.
The IDF and police are blocking roads in the area and are carrying out ground and air searches for a possible third terrorist.
Germany calls for Gaza ceasefire, release of hostages in wake of Sinwar’s death
The death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar must lead to a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of all remaining hostages, spokespeople for the German government say.
Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock had concluded during a meeting with her US counterpart earlier in the day that “this could be a turning point to reach a ceasefire, free the hostages and get more aid into Gaza,” a foreign ministry spokesperson says during a regular press conference.
A government spokesperson says he cannot comment on who might succeed Sinwar as the leader of Hamas, but “it is true that there must and should be a ceasefire and a solution to these issues.”
Hamas official appears to admit that Sinwar was killed in Gaza
Basem Naim, a Hamas leader who is a former Gaza health minister speaks during a press conference in Cape Town on November 29, 2023. (Photo by RODGER BOSCH / AFP)
BEIRUT — A statement issued by a Hamas political leader abroad Friday tacitly — but not directly — confirms the death of the terror group’s leader, Yahya Sinwar, in Gaza, and says that Israel is mistaken if it “believes that killing our leaders means the end of our movement and the struggle of the Palestinian people.”
Hamas political bureau member Basem Naim says that past leaders in the organization had also been killed and “Hamas each time became stronger and more popular, and these leaders became an icon for future generations to continue the journey towards a free Palestine.”
He adds that it is “painful and distressing to lose beloved people, especially extraordinary leaders” but that the Palestinian terrorist group is sure it will be “eventually victorious.”
When asked if the statement was a confirmation of Sinwar’s death, Naim says it was not.
Sinwar’s body said moved to secret location inside Israel following autopsy
The body of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar has been moved to a secret location inside Israel after undergoing an autopsy at the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute overnight, Hebrew news site Walla reports.
According to the report, the autopsy confirmed that Sinwar was killed by a gunshot to the head and by shell fire.
It adds that the forensic institute is waiting for the findings of additional tests to determine whether there were drugs or other unusual substances in his blood at the time of his death.
Two wounded in shooting attack carried out by infiltrating terrorists from Jordan
Two people were wounded in a shooting attack carried out by terror operatives who infiltrated from Jordan earlier today near the Dead Sea.
The ZAKA rescue service says one person is moderately wounded and the other is suffering from mild injuries.
The terrorists crossed the border close to the Israeli community of Neot HaKikar, in the Arava Valley.
Residents of the community, located south of the Dead Sea, have been told to stay inside until further notice.
North Korea to deploy 12,000 soldiers to fight alongside Russia in Ukraine, Seoul spy agency says
North Korea has decided to send “large-scale troops” to support Russia in its war against Ukraine, South Korean Yonhap news agency reports, citing Seoul’s spy agency.
“The National Intelligence Service said it has learned that the North has recently decided to send four brigades of 12,000 soldiers, including special forces, to the war in Ukraine,” Yonhap says.
Australia says it provided support for US airstrikes on Yemen earlier this week
US bomber aircraft conducting strikes on underground bunkers in Houthi-controlled Yemen this week flew through Australian air space in a demonstration of military interoperability, Australian officials say
The United States said it carried out strikes on Wednesday against five underground weapons storage facilities in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, in a strike that used long-range B-2 stealth bombers against the Iran-aligned group for the first time.
Australia provided support for the US airstrikes, an Australian defense official says.
“Australia provided support for US strikes conducted on 17 October 2024 targeting Houthi facilities in Yemen, through access and overflight for US aircraft in northern Australia,” the statement reads.
“This support is consistent with our long-standing alliance commitment and close cooperation, demonstrating the interoperability of our militaries,” it adds.
The B-2 bomber aircraft involved in the strikes on Yemen did not operate from Australia, however, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reports air-to-air refueling had been conducted.
Reuters reported in July that Royal Australian Air Force bases in Tindal and Darwin in northern Australia were being upgraded to cater for US bomber and refueling aircraft with US defense funding, as Australia has re-emerged as a strategically vital Indo-Pacific location for the US amid rising tensions with China.
The US has large jet fuel stores at Tindal and Darwin.
IDF says third attacker may have infiltrated from Jordan and escaped, troops searching the area
IDF troops at the scene of a terrorist infiltration on the Jordan-Israel border near the Dead Sea, October 18, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)
After IDF forces killed two terrorists who crossed into Israel from Jordan and opened fire, troops are searching for a third attacker who they believe escaped, says the army.
The incident occurred south of the Dead Sea.
The Israeli Air Force is assisting ground forces in the search.
The IDF asks the public to adhere to warnings from security forces.
IDF says two terror operatives killed in Dead Sea area after they infiltrated from Jordan
The IDF says that it eliminated two terror operatives who infiltrated Israel from Jordan in the Dead Sea area a short while ago.
The operatives were killed after they opened fire at Israeli troops, the IDF says.
In a separate statement, it says that troops are searching the area for a third attacker who is believed to have escaped after crossing the border from Jordan.
IDF says ‘suspicious aerial target’ shot down after crossing into Israel from Lebanon
The IDF says that a “suspicious aerial target” was shot down by the Air Force after it crossed into Israeli territory from Lebanon a short while ago.
The projectile triggered sirens in the Western Galilee area, the IDF says, and additional sirens were sounded in other areas due to fears of falling shrapnel caused by the interception.
Lebanon PM rejects Iranian interference in Lebanese matters after Tehran offers to negotiate on UN Resolution 1701
Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati says that he rejects Iranian interference in a Lebanese matter after Iran’s parliament speaker said his country was ready to negotiate with France on UN Resolution 1701.
The resolution, adopted in 2006, following the end of the Second Lebanon War, calls for the Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group to retreat north of the Litani River, and for the border area of southern Lebanon to be free of weapons or troops other than those of the Lebanese state.
Protesters mark 38 years since disappearance of Ron Arad, say Gaza hostages must not meet same fate
Protesters mark 38 years since the disappearance of Israeli Air Force navigator Ron Arad over south Lebanon, and call for the government to ensure that the hostages in Gaza don't meet the same uncertain fate, at Tel Aviv's Hostages Square, October 18, 2024. (Anat Azaria/Pro-Democracy Protest Movement)
Protesters rally in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square to mark 38 years since the disappearance of Israeli Air Force navigator Ron Arad, urging the government not to allow the 101 hostages in Gaza to meet the same uncertain fate.
Arad bailed out of his plane during a mission over southern Lebanon on October 16, 1986. Despite extensive efforts by Israel, he was never located and his final fate remains unknown, although he is presumed dead.
At the front of the procession in front of the Kirya military headquarters, protesters hold a large banner with a picture of Arad’s face and the words: “They must not disappear like I did” written in Hebrew, along with a yellow ribbon that has become synonymous with the hostage protests over the last year.
Behind them march protesters holding additional posters of Arad which read “Don’t leave them behind as well,” while others display the images of the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.
Netanyahu to convene security meeting to discuss hostage deal efforts in light of Sinwar’s death
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will convene a special security meeting with the participation of government ministers and security officials at the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv later today following the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, according to Hebrew media reports.
The meeting will focus on the possibility of progress in hostage deal negotiations in light of his death, reports add.
Katz lambastes UN chief for ‘extreme anti-Israel, anti-Jewish agenda’ over silence on Sinwar’s death
Foreign Minister Israel Katz lambastes UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for remaining silent following the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, and accuses him of promoting an “extreme anti-Israel and anti-Jewish agenda.”
Guterres “did not welcome the elimination of arch-terrorist Yahya Sinwar, just as he refused to declare Hamas a terrorist organization after the October 7th massacre,” Katz writes on X.
He adds that the foreign ministry will “continue to designate him as a persona non grata and bar his entry into Israel.”
UN Secretary-General @antonioguterres did not welcome the elimination of arch-terrorist Yahya Sinwar, just as he refused to declare Hamas a terrorist organization after the October 7th massacre. Guterres is leading an extreme anti-Israel and anti-Jewish agenda. We will continue… pic.twitter.com/Twg1O67NRp
— ישראל כ”ץ Israel Katz (@Israel_katz) October 18, 2024
East Jerusalem resident arrested on suspicion of planning terror attack against hostage families
A resident of East Jerusalem has been arrested after he was found to be planning a terror attack against families of the hostages, the Israel Police and Shin Bet say.
In a joint statement, they say that the suspect, a 22-year-old from Sheikh Jarrah, had been planning to attack civilians at one of the weekly Tel Aviv rallies in support of the hostages as an act of revenge for the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
According to the security forces, the suspect had attempted to make contact with Hamas operatives in the West Bank and with the Jenin Brigades terror group to assist him with planning the attack and acquiring the necessary weapons.
The investigation into the suspect was launched last month by the Shin Bet and Israel Police Jerusalem division and an indictment is expected later today.
IDF says Givati Brigade troops joined operations in northern Gaza’s Jabaliya overnight
IDF troops are seen operating in Gaza in an image cleared for publication by the military on October 18, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)
The military says that troops of the IDF’s Givati Brigade joined the 162nd Division in the Jabaliya area of northern Gaza overnight as part of the renewed ground operation.
It says that dozens of terror operatives were eliminated in fighting and airstrikes across northern Gaza over the last day, while in central Gaza, troops of the 252nd Division targeted a building that had been used by Hamas operatives.
במהלך הלילה, צוות הקרב של חטיבת גבעתי הצטרף להרחבת הפעילות של אוגדה 162 במרחב ג'באליה.
במהלך היממה אחרונה כוחות האוגדה ומטוסי חיל האוויר חיסלו עשרות מחבלים בהתקלויות ובתקיפות מהאוויר, והשמידו תשתיות טרור במרחב>> pic.twitter.com/2Ru2zOEVFh— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) October 18, 2024
IDF says Hezbollah commander in Taybeh area of southern Lebanon killed in airstrike
IDF troops are seen operating in southern Lebanon in an image cleared for publication by the military on October 18, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)
The military says that it killed the commander of Hezbollah’s Taybeh compound Mohammad Hussein Ramal in an airstrike in southern Lebanon.
The IDF says Ramal was responsible for planning and carrying out terror activities against Israel and was killed in the airstrike directed by troops of the 98th Division.
At the same time, troops of the 7th Armored Brigade located and destroyed several rocket launchers primed for launch toward northern Israel, the military says.
It adds that troops of the 36th and 91st divisions have uncovered weapons belonging to Hezbollah during operations against the terror group in southern Lebanon, including sniper rifles, anti-tank missile launchers, and Burkan-type missiles, which it says were “ready for use” and aimed at Israel’s territory.
The military statement adds that the Israeli Air Force also acted against a terrorist cell in southern Lebanon that was preparing to fire an anti-tank missile at troops operating on the ground.
IDF: 15 rockets fired from Lebanon at northern Israel in latest barrage
Some 15 rockets were fired from Lebanon at northern Israel a short while ago, the IDF says after rocket sirens were activated in Acre and surrounding communities.
Some of the rockets were intercepted, it says, while a number of them fell inside Israel.
There are no immediate reports of injuries or damage as a result of the rocket fire.
The IDF adds that the Israeli Air Force intercepted an unmanned aerial vehicle off the coast overnight. As per the IDF’s protocols, no sirens were sounded during the incident.
CENTCOM chief welcomes Sinwar’s death, says more terrorists ‘should expect the same fate’
US Central Command (CENTCOM) chief Gen. Michael Kurilla congratulates Israel on the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, and warns that “those who choose the path of terrorism should expect the same fate as Sinwar.”
Calling attention to the hostages still captive in Gaza, among them seven US citizens, Kurilla says that CENTCOM’s “support to the Israel Defense Forces remains ironclad.”
“Our commitment to countering terrorists throughout the Middle East, with allies and partners, continues to be a top priority,” he adds.
"Congratulations to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on the elimination of Yahya Sinwar, the mass-murdering leader of the terrorist group, Hamas…Those who choose the path of terrorism should expect the same fate as Sinwar."
General Michael Erik Kurilla, CENTCOM Commander pic.twitter.com/LIXIb8TnAY— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) October 17, 2024
Rocket sirens sound in Acre and surrounding areas
Sirens sound in Acre and the surrounding Upper Galilee area, and in additional communities close to the Lebanon border, warning residents to seek shelter amid incoming rocket fire.
IDF says Eilat sirens were activated in false alarm
The military says that air raid sirens were activated in Israel’s southernmost city of Eilat due to a false alarm.
Suspected drone triggers warning sirens in Eilat
The IDF’s Home Front Command activates air raid sirens in the Red Sea coastal city of Eilat due to a suspected drone.
US says Blinken discussed ending Mideast conflict in calls with Saudi and Qatari FMs
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken held separate phone calls with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani on ending the conflict in the Middle East, the State Department says.
Iran’s mission to UN: ‘Spirit of resistance will be strengthened’ by Sinwar’s death
Iran’s mission to the United Nations says “the spirit of resistance will be strengthened” following the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.
UNRWA teacher’s passport was found on Sinwar; its holder is reported to be in Egypt
A passport found on Yahya Sinwar belongs to an UNRWA teacher who has been in Egypt for the past few months, the Kan broadcaster’s Palestinian affairs reporter tweets.
The passport is in the name of Rafah native Hani Zourob.
עוד משהו שקרה היום: עובד אונר"א שדרכונו נמצא על סינוואר עדכן שהוא במצרים בכלל. גם מנכ"ל אונר"א אמר שהעובד יצא מעזה דרך רפיח למצרים כבר באפריל pic.twitter.com/LgXA31fbb0
— Nurit Yohanan (@nurityohanan) October 17, 2024
Kan’s reporter says Zourob has clarified that he is in Egypt and that UNRWA says he crossed out of Gaza via Rafah in April.
Hezbollah announces new ‘escalatory phase’ in war against Israel by targeting troops with precision-guided missiles
Lebanon’s Hezbollah terror group says it is launching a new phase in its war against Israel, saying it has used precision-guided missiles to target troops.
In a statement, the Iran-backed group announces “the transition to a new and escalatory phase in the confrontation with the Israeli enemy,” adding that precision-guided missiles “are being used for the first time.”
Netanyahu in English statement: ‘War can end tomorrow’ if Hamas lays down arms, returns hostages
In an English-language statement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calls the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar “the beginning of the end” of the war in Gaza.
“To the people of Gaza, I have a simple message,” he continues. “This war can end tomorrow. It can end if Hamas lays down its arms and returns our hostages.”
“Israel will guarantee the safety of all those who return our hostages,” he pledges, adding that if anyone harms them, “Israel will hunt you down and bring you to justice.”
Turning to the people of the Middle East, Netanyahu says that “the axis of terror that was built by Iran is collapsing before our eyes.”
“The reign of terror that the Iranian regime has imposed on its own people and on the peoples of Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen — this too will come to an end,” he promises.
Yahya Sinwar is dead.
He was killed in Rafah by the brave soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces.
While this is not the end of the war in Gaza, it's the beginning of the end. pic.twitter.com/C6wAaLH1YW
— Benjamin Netanyahu – בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) October 17, 2024
Britain ‘will not mourn’ Sinwar’s death, says Starmer
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer calls for the release of all hostages in Gaza and says his country “will not mourn” the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.
Starmer says that Sinwar was the “mastermind behind the deadliest day in Jewish history since the Holocaust” when Hamas launched the October 7 onslaught. “Today my thoughts are with the families of those victims. The UK will not mourn his death,” he said in a statement.
Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni says the killing of Sinwar clears the way for a “new phase” in the deadly conflict in Gaza.
“With the death of Yahya Sinwar, the person principally responsible for the October 7 attacks no longer exists,” Meloni says in a statement.
“I am convinced that a new phase should be launched: it is time for all the hostages to be released, for a ceasefire to be immediately proclaimed and for the reconstruction of Gaza to begin.”
EU’s Von der Leyen says death of Hamas leader Sinwar ‘significantly weakens group’
The death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar “is certainly significantly weakening Hamas,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen tells reporters when asked about reports of the death of the Hamas leader.
Palestinian woman allegedly killed by IDF gunfire while picking olives in West Bank; involved unit’s deputy commander suspended
A mourner leans over the flag-draped body of Hanan Abdel Rahman Abu Salama, 59, reportedly killed by Israeli fire as she was picking olives in the West Bank village of Faqoua near Jenin, during her funeral on October 17, 2024. (Zain JAAFAR / AFP)
The IDF says it has suspended a deputy commander in the 334th Battalion and has opened an investigation after troops allegedly shot dead a 59-year-old Palestinian woman who was picking olives near the security barrier in the Jenin area of the northern West Bank.
A Palestinian Authority health ministry statement says Hanan Abdel Rahman Abu Salama “was killed by [Israeli] occupation bullets” in Faqoua village, near the northern West Bank city of Jenin.
According to witness testimonies collected by the village council, Abu Salama was killed while picking olives with her family.
“An Israeli in military clothing arrived at the place in a white car and fired about 10 bullets at the Abu Salama family, who were picking olives on their land,” Faqoua village councilor Munir Barakat tells AFP.
“A few days ago, the council published an invitation to the village residents to go to their agricultural lands to pick olives,” says Barakat.
He adds that the shooting occurred near a wall erected by Israeli authorities in the area.
Hanan Abd Alrahman Abu Salama, a 59-year-old Palestinian woman, was shot and killed by the Israeli army when she was picking olives on her own land in Jenin, West Bank.
The olive season has turned into a season of killing for the Palestinian people, whether at the hands of the… pic.twitter.com/RI0For2u3p
— Ihab Hassan (@IhabHassane) October 17, 2024
Ben Gvir, Chikli falsely claim Abbas held moment of silence for Sinwar
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas leads a prayer in memory of those killed in Gaza at the start of a Palestine Liberation Organization Executive Committee meeting in Ramallah on October 17, 2024. (Wafa)
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli falsely claim that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas began a Palestine Liberation Organization Executive Committee meeting with a moment of silence for Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.
Abbas’s office issues a statement on the PLO meeting that says that it began with a prayer for those killed in Gaza, as has regularly been the custom throughout the war. Sinwar is not mentioned at all in the readout on the meeting.
“This is the ‘partner’ of the Israeli left, at a mourning meeting for the death of the murderer Sinwar. To this holocaust denier (Abbas) who distributes salaries to the murderers of Jews, (the Israeli left) offered to hand over control of Gaza. The Palestinian Authority is an absolute terror authority,” Ben Gvir tweets.
“The leadership of the ‘moderate’ Palestinian Authority observed a moment of silence in memory of the leader of the gang of rapists and murderers of Hamas — further proof that there is no great difference between these terrorists. The PLO terrorists should be returned to Tunisia,” Chikli tweets.
IDF spokesperson: We’re actively searching for Sinwar’s brother Muhammad and all Hamas military commanders
Objects found with Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar when he was killed in Gaza on October 16, 2024. (Screen capture/Channel 12)
Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar had 40,000 shekels on him when he was killed in Rafah yesterday, IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari says as he presents the drone video of Sinwar’s final moments.
He confirms that the IDF “identified him as a terrorist in a building” and did not know it was Sinwar. “We fired on the building and went in to search. We found him with a flak jacket and a gun and NIS 40,000.”
Sinwar had apparently been moving around in the tunnels in the area for some time, Hagari says. He was probably attempting “to escape to the north, to safer areas” as the IDF closed in. “He was fleeing from house to house, we identified him as a terrorist, we closed in professionally and eliminated him.”
Hagari says the IDF was tracking Sinwar for months, and that his DNA had been found in a tunnel a few hundred meters from where Hamas murdered six hostages in August.
He says that Israel is actively searching for Muhammad Sinwar, brother of the slain Hamas leader, and all Hamas military commanders.
Hagari says that the IDF will continue to operate in Gaza against Hamas terrorists and their infrastructure.
He also denies that Israel is enacting a reported “General’s plan” to besiege northern Gaza. He says that the IDF has its own plans, which follow international law.
He also says that Golani soldiers captured Hezbollah operatives in the incident in which five members of the Golani Reconnaissance unit were killed yesterday.
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