October 6: Air Force strikes Hezbollah’s Beirut stronghold as Haifa battered by rockets

MDA: One person wounded in Tiberias rocket impact

One person is listed in moderate-to-serious condition as a result of a rocket impact in the northern city of Tiberias following a barrage launched from Lebanon, the Magen David Adom ambulance service says.

Police say that the impact also caused damage in the city.

Five people wounded by shrapnel in Haifa rocket impact

Five people were wounded in the rocket impact in Haifa, Rambam Hospital says.

It says one of the victims is listed in good-to-moderate condition, and the other four are lightly hurt.

All five were hit by shrapnel, according to the hospital. Rambam says none of them are in a life-threatening condition.

One more person was taken to the hospital for acute anxiety.

Sirens sound in Tiberias, other Sea of Galilee towns

Rocket sirens are sounding in Tiberias and other towns near the Sea of Galilee, amid an apparent attack from Lebanon.

The alarms appear to mark the first attack on the area since Thursday.

Army says air defenses failed to stop rockets on Haifa

The IDF says it is investigating, after it failed to intercept a barrage of five rockets launched from Lebanon at Haifa this evening.

“Interception attempts were made,” the IDF says, adding that several rocket impacts were identified in the area.

“The incident is being investigated,” it says.

Footage from Haifa showed that a traffic circle in the northern coastal city was damaged by a direct rocket impact.

From the scene of one of the rocket impacts in Haifa. pic.twitter.com/XEkcP8r3Sr

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) October 6, 2024

Separately, another 15 rockets were fired at the Kiryat Shmona area, some of which were intercepted by air defenses and others impacted the area, the military adds.

There have been no immediate reports of injuries in the attacks.

Iran cancels flight restrictions early

Flight restrictions have been lifted in Iran after ensuring safe conditions, state media reports, some six hours before rules grounding flights from airports around the country were due to expire.

The Civil Aviation Organization had earlier announced that flights would be called off from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. local time, due to unspecified operational restrictions.

Videos appear to show damage from rocket in Haifa

Footage posted online from Haifa appears to show heavy damage at a roundabout that was struck by a rocket.

Footage shows the site of a rocket impact in Haifa this evening. pic.twitter.com/iBAnOvUU3p

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) October 6, 2024

It is unclear if there are more impact sites in the city, with videos showing smoke rising above apartments during the rocket barrage.

חיפה: דיווחים על נפילה https://t.co/oFPgRW5s5p pic.twitter.com/6YCu4N7H0M

— יענקי כהן | Yanki Coen (@yankicoen) October 6, 2024

מרחב חיפה pic.twitter.com/qzch4kPK61

— כל החדשות בזמן אמת (@Saher_News_24_7) October 6, 2024

There are no confirmed reports of injuries.

Hezbollah, now run by committee, says Israel hampering search for missing leader

Israel is obstructing search and rescue efforts in an area where senior Hezbollah leader Hashem Safieddine is thought to have been when Israel bombed Beirut’s southern suburbs on Thursday, a Hezbollah official says.

Safieddine is seen as a likely successor to former terror leader Hassan Nasrallah who was killed in an Israeli strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs, known as Dahiyeh, on September 27.

His fate remains unclear.

The senior Hezbollah political official, Mahmoud Qmati, also says he had no information on reports that the leader of Iran’s elite Quds Force Esmail Qaani has not been heard from since the strikes on Beirut late last week.

Israel should “let rescue teams do their work,” he tells Iraqi state television.

Charred cars at the site of an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut, Lebanon, October 6, 2024. (AP/Bilal Hussein)

Qmati says Hezbollah is now being jointly led until it could pick a new leader, which would take time.

“What’s important is that joint command is in place,” he says.

“The method of choosing a replacement for the secretary-general takes time and requires appropriate circumstances, and for that reason we suffice today with temporary joint command,” he says.

Qmati says Nasrallah’s body remains in Lebanon and he will be laid to rest in Beirut’s southern suburbs, where Hezbollah holds heavy influence, when conditions allow.

Previous reports have suggested that Hezbollah fears a large funeral for Nasrallah could become a target for Israeli warplanes.

Airstrikes reported in Beirut suburb after IDF warning

After the IDF called on civilians to flee the area surrounding four Hezbollah sites in Beirut’s southern suburbs, Lebanese media outlets report airstrikes in the area.

Footage posted by Lebanese media shows one of the airstrikes.

مشاهد للغارة الإسرائيلية على #الضاحية الجنوبية pic.twitter.com/uqz19TsIoE

— هنا لبنان (@thisislebnews) October 6, 2024

تجدد الغارات على الضاحية الجنوبية pic.twitter.com/Skdm5uiIKR

— Ali Bk (@Bk_Hanas) October 6, 2024

Around 120 rockets fired at northern Israel Sunday — IDF tally

Some 120 rockets were fired from Lebanon at northern Israel today, according to the IDF.

One person was lightly wounded after a rocket struck Ma’alot-Tarshiha earlier today, and there were several other cases of damage caused by the Hezbollah attacks.

Rockets appear to strike Haifa area

Medics say they are responding to reports of rocket impacts in Haifa after sirens sounded in the northern coastal city and nearby towns amid an attack from Lebanon.

No further details are immediately available.

Fresh sirens are sounding in Kiryat Shmona and nearby towns on the northern border.

US: Military pressure can aid diplomacy, or it can go awry

The US State Department warns that Israel’s bombardment of  Hezbollah sites in Lebanon can be a double-edged sword.

“Military pressure can at times enable diplomacy. Of course, military pressure can also lead to miscalculation. It can lead to unintended consequences,” a US State Department spokesperson says in an emailed statement.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told CNN that Israel was coordinating its response to Iran with the United States but would make its own independent decisions.

“Everything is on the table,” CNN quoted him as saying.

The United States said it supports Israel going after extremist targets in Lebanon like Iran-backed Hezbollah members, but does not want the targeting of civilians or civilian infrastructure.

“We’re in conversations with Israel about all these factors now. We have been clear and consistent that further escalation is in no one’s interest,” the spokesperson adds. “Every civilian casualty is one too many.”

IDF describes fighting in renewed northern Gaza offensive

With a new operation in northern Gaza’s Jabaliya, the IDF says troops have killed several gunmen and located numerous weapons.

Meanwhile, the military says an Israeli Air Force drone struck a rocket launching site used by terrorists to fire rockets at the southern coastal city of Ashkelon earlier today.

The raid in Jabaliya was launched last night by the 162nd Division’s 401st and 460th armored brigades. The military says the soldiers of the division located many weapons today and encountered several cells of gunmen.

In one incident, troops of the 401st Brigade shelled two terror operatives in a building amid an exchange of fire, the IDF says.

ביממה האחרונה צוותי הקרב החטיבתיים של חטיבות 401 ו-460 פועלים במרחב ג'באליה.

בשעות שקדמו לתחילת הפעילות ובמהלכה, חיל האוויר תקף עשרות מטרות טרור בהכוונת חטיבת האש 215: מחבלי נוחב'ה, תשתיות תת קרקע, תשתיות טרור רבות ועוד>> pic.twitter.com/OjUxwwRD1m

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) October 6, 2024

Nova memorial ceremony ends with call to release hostages

The memorial ceremony for bereaved families who lost loved ones at the Supernova festival massacre on October 7 ends with a rendition of the Israeli national anthem, “Hatikvah.”

The somber event featured speeches by bereaved family members, interspersed with short films and subdued music performances.

Toward the end, the evening took a more political turn, as a representative of the hostage families forum, Mishal Eliraz, whose nephew was abducted from Nova and is believed to still be held in Gaza, said that “we should have done more” to free the hostages.

Eliraz then called on the government to make a deal as soon as possible.

After Eliraz, freed hostages Noa Argamani and Shlomi Ziv quietly described their “days in hell” after being abducted from the festival.

The two-hour event, organized by the Tribe of Nova Community Association, marked the first anniversary of the Hamas-led assault on southern Israel, in which over 400 attendees of the Supernova music festival and other outdoor parties were massacred.

Syria says military sites targeted by Israeli airstrikes

Syria’s state-run SANA news agency, citing a military source, says the Israeli Air Force carried out airstrikes in central Syria this evening.

The report says Israeli warplanes targeted several military sites in central Syria, launching missiles from over northern Lebanon. It claims Syria’s air defenses were activated by the attack.

The strikes caused “material losses,” SANA says.

The pro-government Sham FM radio says the airstrikes were carried out in the Homs area.

Netanyahu reportedly warned about hostages’ fate at meeting

The amount of information Israel is able to gather on hostages in Gaza is dissipating, defense officials reportedly told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, during a meeting on the crisis.

“The more time that passes, there’s less and less intelligence on the hostages, and that’s very worrying,” a defense official is quoted by the Ynet news site as saying in the meeting.

According to the report, defense officials told Netanyahu and others at the meeting that Hamas has ordered those guarding hostages to execute them if they feel the army is getting close.

The site reports that the meeting is the first high-level engagement on the issue in a month. It quotes a source with knowledge of the issue saying that “there’s an impression that nobody is dealing with this, not the mediators and everyone has given up. There’s a feeling that it’s fallen off the agenda given the fears of regional war.”

Earlier in the evening, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant met with families of hostages and was told that they feared a renewed Israeli offensive in northern Gaza was endangering their loved ones, a spokesperson for the Hostages and Missing Families Forum says in a statement.

Police checking possible rocket strikes in Karmiel, area

Police say they have received reports of rocket impacts in the northern city of Karmiel and surrounding towns, following the latest barrage from Lebanon.

“Property was damaged as a result of the impacts,” police say, adding that there have been no immediate reports of injuries in the attack.

Hezbollah takes responsibility for the attack in a message, saying it fired a volley of rockets at Karmiel in response to Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon.

Unverified reports put the number of rockets fired in the volley at around two dozen.

Israel warns Lebanese to evacuate buildings in Beirut suburb ahead of strike

The IDF is calling on Lebanese civilians near four buildings in the southern suburb of Beirut, a Hezbollah stronghold known as Dahiyeh, to evacuate immediately ahead of airstrikes.

Col. Avichay Adraee, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesman, publishes maps alongside the announcement, which call on civilians to distance themselves at least 500 meters from the sites, which the military says belong to Hezbollah.

In the past week, the IDF has issued several evacuation orders for specific sites in Dahiyeh ahead of airstrikes on Hezbollah infrastructure.

#عاجل ‼️ انذار عاجل إلى سكان الضاحية الجنوبية في برج البراجنة وحدث بيروت وتحديدًا في المباني المحددة في الخرائط وتلك المجاورة لها:
????أنتم متواجدون بالقرب من منشآت ومصالح تابعة لحزب الله وسيعمل ضدها جيش الدفاع على مدى الزمني القريب
????من أجل سلامتكم وسلامة أبناء عائلتكم عليكم… pic.twitter.com/je2jFOZ7Gw

— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) October 6, 2024

Rockets from Lebanon barrage northern city of Karmiel

The city of Karmiel has just been bombarded by a several rockets fired from Lebanon, according to authorities, with reports of possible impacts inside the city.

Videos shared online show what appear to be successive rocket interceptions over the city of 50,000 some 16 kilometers (10 miles) from the northern border.

תיעוד יירוטים מהמטח כעת לגליל ולגזרת כרמיאל

קרדיט: רץ ברשת לפי סעיף 27א' | אנו מכבדים זכויות יוצרים לפי ס׳ 27א לחוק זכויות יוצרים, לכן אם זיהיתם יצירה שלכם, אנא צרו עמנו קשר למתן קרדיט בדוא"ל: CONTACT@NWS.REPORT pic.twitter.com/HtUGIpLhTB

— NWS news (@nws_report) October 6, 2024

The Magen David Adom rescue service says it does not know of any casualties in the attack so far, but is checking possible impact sites.

There are also unverified reports of a building in the neighboring town of Deir al-Assad, taking a direct hit.

‘For me, time stands still,’ says mother of Nova festival victim

Speaking at the memorial event for bereaved Nova families, after a subdued performance by singer Yuval Dayan, Orin Zach-Gantz tearfully says she “is still in denial” about what happened to her daughter Eden, who had attended the music festival.

“I can’t digest that my beloved daughter was shot on her way home, while in her car. She had left the house to go to a beautiful festival, of music and peace,” says Zach-Gantz.

For a time Eden Zach-Gantz’s fate was unclear, but it was later determined that Aden, who was shot on October 7, was likely killed then. Her body was recovered in an IDF operation in December.

“I am a bereaved mother, but I don’t accept that word. They ask me how it feels after a year, but I am still stuck in the seventh of October. The world goes on, but for me, time stands still,” she says.

Zach-Gantz is one of the many bereaved family members who are sharing personal stories at the event.

The terrorists “succeeded in their attack, no doubt they murdered my daughter… I swear to you Aden… they won’t win the war,” she concludes forcefully.

Iranians say Quds Force chief missing since trip to Beirut area

General Esmail Qaani, head of Iran's expeditionary Quds Force, speaks in a ceremony in Tehran, Iran, April 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi, File)

Iran’s Quds Force commander Esmail Qaani, who traveled to Lebanon after the killing last month of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in an Israeli attack, has not been heard from since strikes on Beirut late last week, two senior Iranian security officials tell Reuters.

One of the officials says Qaani was in Beirut’s southern suburbs, known as Dahiyeh, during a bombardment on Thursday that was reported to have targeted senior Hezbollah official Hashem Safieddine, but the official says he was not meeting Safieddine.

The official says Iran and Hezbollah have not been able to contact Qaani since then.

Israel has been hitting multiple targets in Dahiyeh as it pursues a campaign against Iran-backed Lebanese terror group Hezbollah.

The second official also says Qaani had travelled to Lebanon after the killing of Nasrallah and the Iranian authorities had not been able to contact him since the strike against Safieddine, who was widely expected to be the next Hezbollah chief.

Hezbollah has made no comment so far on Safieddine.

Israel’s strikes in Dahiyeh, a Hezbollah power base, have taken out many of the group’s top leadership, as well as a number of Iranian officers from the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.

Israel in a war for ‘right to be free in our land,’ IDF chief says

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi says Israel’s ongoing “complex, multi-front war,” is a war “for our right to be a free people in our land.”

“For a year now, we have been in the midst of a complex, multi-front war, with many significant and extensive achievements. Many challenges still lie ahead. IDF soldiers are deployed and fighting with strength on all fronts without stopping,” Halevi writes in a missive to troops.

“This is a long war, measured not only by capabilities, but also by the willpower and perseverance over time. For our enemies – every month, every week, and every day is worse than the one before. Even after the campaign ends, we will need to maintain our achievements, and our enemies will know, beyond any doubt, there will be no revival for those who seek to destroy us,” he continues.

“A year has passed since October 7th, the day we failed in our mission to protect the citizens of the State of Israel. We are now in the Ten Days of Repentance. October 7th is not only a day of remembrance, but also a call for deep introspection. A recognition of our failures and a commitment to learning from them, while assessing the challenges, both those we have faced and those that still await us,” Halevi says.

“A year has passed, and we have defeated the military wing of Hamas, and we continue to fight against the organization’s terrorist capabilities; We have dealt a severe blow to Hezbollah, which has lost all of its senior leadership. We are not stopping – we fight, debrief, learn, and improve. We are taking an offensive, tactical, and proactive approach on all fronts, adapting our defensive strategies on all borders, and understanding that the IDF must be a greater army that takes good care of its people. We are destroying our enemies’ capabilities, and we will ensure that these capabilities are not rebuilt, so that October 7th is never repeated,” the missive continues.

“Many challenges still lie ahead in achieving the war’s objectives – defeating the enemy, returning the hostages – an urgent mission of the highest moral value – and returning the civilians to their homes,” he says.

“At the start of the new year, let us remember and remind ourselves and our enemies – this is a war for our right to be a free people in our land, as well as for our values, beliefs, and the righteousness of our path. We will persevere, and we will win,” Halevi adds.

Relatives of captives mark year of uncertainty, loss at Hostages Square

Hagit Chen, left, speaks at Hostages Square on October 6, 2024. (Courtesy: Paulina Patimar/ Hostages and Missing Forum)

Thousands of people are gathered at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv to hear relatives of those who remain captive a year later recount their stories for a memorial event as the one year anniversary of the October 7 onslaught approaches.

Hagit Chen, whose son Itay was killed and whose body remains captive, recalls speaking to him exactly a year earlier while he was serving as a soldier near the Gaza border and hearing that he sounded unwell.

“I thought maybe he was hungry so I asked if I could order him a pizza to Nahal Oz,” she tells the silent crowd. “He wasn’t hungry, but said he would be happy if I ordered him food tomorrow. The next day, we woke up, turned on the TV and saw that war had started.”

Chen was killed on October 7, and his body dragged into Gaza, though he was listed as captive until March, when the army determined he had been killed.

“We’ve been in this for a year and we still don’t have a place to mourn,” she says.

Noam Peri, the daughter of Israeli hostage Chaim Peri, poses for a portrait while holding a photograph of her father who was held captive by Hamas terrorists in Gaza, May 20, 2024. Chaim Peri was declared dead in captivity by the IDF in June 2024. (Yossi Aloni/FLASH90)

Ziv Abud, whose boyfriend Eliya Cohen remains captive, and Noam Peri, daughter of slain captive Chaim Peri, also speak at the event.

Peri recalls that the night before her father was kidnapped, the family gathered together to hear him tell of his experiences in the Yom Kippur War, exactly 50 years earlier, for the first time.

“That night was sad, but it was an emotion-filled night that we were all together,” she says. “We listened to him and that’s how we left him at the end of the night, with hugs, a kiss and much love.”

Netanyahu convenes meeting for talks on hostages

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is holding a discussion on the hostages who are captive in Gaza tonight, his office says.

He will be joined by Israel’s security chiefs, government hostage pointman Gal Hirsch, and some members of his cabinet.

IDF expands northern border restriction as fighting widens

The IDF has imposed a new closed military zone on the Lebanon border, in the areas of the communities of Manara, Yiftah, and Malkia.

This map issued by the IDF on October 6, 2024, shows a closed military zone on the Lebanon border. (Israel Defense Forces)

The military says the move follows a fresh assessment during ground operations inside southern Lebanon.

It is the third closed military zone imposed on the northern border since the IDF launched its ground operations in Lebanon last week.

The order prohibits civilians from areas where the Israeli military is operating, including areas in Israel across the border from Lebanese villages where fighting may be taking place.

In recent days, the IDF has been expanding its ground operations against Hezbollah to more Lebanese border communities.

IDF must expand in response to October 7, top general says

In a missive to troops on the eve of the anniversary of the October 7 massacre, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi says the Israeli army has learned that it needs to be bigger.

“October 7 is not only a day of remembrance, but also a day calling for a deep soul-searching. To recognize failures and learn from them, while examining the challenges, those that have been and those that are yet to come,” he writes.

“We are changing and adapting the defense conception on all borders, and understand that the IDF must be a larger army, that takes good care of its people,” he continues.

“We are destroying the capabilities of our enemies, and we will know how to act so that these capabilities are not rebuilt, so that October 7 is not repeated,” Halevi adds.

One year on, bereaved gather in Tel Aviv to honor Nova festival dead

Ofri Rahum, who lost several relatives on October 7, 2023, at a Tel Aviv memorial event for bereaved families of victims of the Supernova festival massacre, on October 6, 2024. (Gavriel Fiske/Times of Israel)

A large crowd has gathered at a Tel Aviv event hall for an official memorial ceremony for bereaved families who lost loved ones at the Supernova festival massacre on October 7, 2023.

The event, organized by the Tribe of Nova Community Association, aims to “strengthen and honor the bereaved families” by “commemorating the memory the 410 men and women murdered during the Nova massacre and nearby parties” on October 7, organizers say.

“Time flies, I don’t believe it’s been a year. It’s like a dream I want to wake up from,” says Ofri Rahum, speaking to The Times of Israel before the event is to begin. Rahum’s sister, who was four months pregnant, her sister’s fiancé, and Rahum’s uncle were all killed at the Nova party.

The memorial evening at Hangar 11, a popular hall at the Tel Aviv port, one of dozens this week marking one year since the Hamas-led invasion of southern Israel.

The ceremony is slated to feature a collective Yizkor prayer for the fallen, speeches by family members, short performances by several musical artists and an art instillation dedicated to their memory.

“It’s as if they went on a trip, and we are waiting for them to come back,” Rahum says. “All the families are here, that’s very important. It’s good for the heart, a bit.”

Macron declines to walk back arms embargo push in call with Netanyahu

France says its president Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “acknowledge[d] their differences of opinion, as well as their desire to be well understood by each other,” in a phone call earlier, but indicated that the French leader will not back off his opposition to arms sales to Jerusalem.

The two spoke “in complete frankness and with respect for the friendship between France and Israel,” Paris says in a statement on the call, which comes after Netanyahu labeled Macron’s call for an arms embargo on Israel “a disgrace.”

Macron, according to the French readout, reiterates France’s commitment to Israel’s security and noted that France participated in the defense of Israel against Iranian attacks.

“On the eve of the first anniversary of Hamas’ terrorist offensive against Israel, he expressed the solidarity of the French people with the Israeli people, particularly the victims, the hostages and their loved ones,” according to Macron’s office. “Like everyone, Israel has the right to defend itself against terrorism. Attacks against Israel and its citizens must cease, whether they are carried out by Iran or its proxies in the region.”

Macron also says that “the time for a ceasefire has now come.”

“The arms deliveries, the prolongation of the war in Gaza and its extension to Lebanon cannot produce the security expected by the Israelis and by everyone in the region,” Macron told Netanyahu. “We must immediately make the decisive effort that will allow us to develop the political solutions necessary for the security of Israel and everyone in the Middle East.”

Harris defends security aid to Israel alongside pressure for ceasefire

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris listens to a parent's survivor story as she joins Oprah Winfrey at Oprah's Unite for America Live Streaming event, September 19, 2024, in Farmington Hills, Michigan. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

US Vice President Kamala Harris defends US security assistance to Israel, but also says the Biden administration will not halt its pressure on Jerusalem for an end to the fighting.

“The aid that we have given Israel allowed Israel to defend itself against 200 ballistic missiles that were just meant to attack the people of Israel,” Harris tells CBS’s “60 Minutes” in a preview clip of a rare interview, slated to air in full tonight.

The administration has faced questions over its continued aid to Israel given accusations that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is bucking Washington’s interests and objectives in the region.

“When we think about the threat that Hamas, Hezbollah… Iran present, I think that it is without any question, our imperative to do what we can to allow Israel to defend itself against those kinds of attacks,” says Harris, who is running to succeed US President Joe Biden in the White House.

The Democrat insists that the security aid is provided in parallel to diplomatic engagements with Israel’s leaders aimed at swaying their actions.

“The work that we do diplomatically with the leadership of Israel is an ongoing pursuit around making clear our principles, which include the need for humanitarian aid, the need for this war to end, the need for a deal to be done which would release the hostages and create a ceasefire, and we’re not going to stop in terms of putting that pressure on Israel and in the region, including Arab leaders,” she says.

Pressed on what that pressure has accomplished, given how the war in Gaza has dragged on and the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah has expanded dramatically in recent weeks, Harris rejects the premise but does not give concrete examples to back her point.

“The work that we have done has resulted in a number of movements in that region by Israel that were very much prompted by or a result of many things, including our advocacy for what needs to happen in the region,” she says.

Asked whether the US has a close ally in Netanyahu, Harris dodges once again. “I think, with all due respect, the better question is, do we have an important alliance between the American people and the Israeli people? And the answer to that question is yes.”

Harris has made this argument once before, cautioning against the conflation of Israel’s government with its people amid the Biden administration’s growing rift with Netanyahu over his handling of the war in Gaza.

Man lightly injured in northern rocket strike

A 65-year-old man was lightly wounded in a rocket impact in the Western Galilee town of Ma’alot-Tarshiha earlier this evening, medics say.

The Magen David Adom ambulance service says the man was treated for injuries caused by the blast of the rocket impact. Property was also damaged in the attack.

Gallant headed to US for meeting with Pentagon chief this week

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, left, greets Defense Minister Yoav Gallant as he arrives during an honor cordon at the Pentagon on June 25, 2024 in Arlington, Virginia. (Andrew Harnik/ Getty Images via AFP)

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant will travel to the United States this week and will meet with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Wednesday, the Pentagon announces.

It will be third visit by Gallant to the US since the start of the war a year ago, after trips in March and June.

He is expected to meet with other senior Biden administration officials as well, though no other meetings have been announced. There is no comment from the Israeli side.

Gallant, widely considered a voice of relative moderation, is seen as the Biden administration’s preferred contact in the Israeli government, at a time of increasing distrust between US President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who have not spoken in nearly 50 days, despite major crises over that period.

Gallant and Austin have spoken over 80 times since the war in Gaza began.

Ukraine voices support for Israel ahead of onslaught anniversary

Ahead of the first anniversary of the October 7 massacre, Ukraine emphasizes Israel’s right to self-defense.

“We feel the pain and never-ending sorrow of those who lost their loved ones on October 7th, 2023,” writes the Ukrainian embassy on Facebook. “In these challenging times for both our nations, the Embassy of Ukraine in Israel expresses our solidarity and support with the people of Israel.”

“Once again, we reiterate that every nation that was attacked unprovokedly has a right to self-defense and to ensure the security of its citizens,” it adds.

Army releases previously unseen footage from October 7 attack

On the eve of the first anniversary of the October 7 massacre, the IDF is publishing previously unreleased footage from the onslaught.

The first clip shows troops of the elite Multidomain Unit, or “Ghost” Unit, operating in Kibbutz Re’im on the morning of October 7.

During the battle against dozens of Hamas terrorists, the commander of the unit, Col. Roi Levy, 44, was killed, along with another officer, Cpt. Yotam Ben Bassat, 24.

A second video published by the IDF shows the scene of the battle at Sderot’s police station, after Hamas terrorists took control of the building, killing several officers.

The video was filmed from the tank of the then-commander of the 401st Armored Brigade, Col. Benny Aharon, the IDF says.

Troops in southern Lebanon find village homes packed with weapons – IDF

Troops of the 188th Armored Brigade operate in southern Lebanon, in a handout photo issued on October 6, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

Israeli forces in southern Lebanon are continuing to find massive amounts of weaponry left behind by Hezbollah operatives, the IDF says.

Officers involved in the fighting in some of the villages in southern Lebanon say that Hezbollah placed weapons in nearly every single home.

The IDF says that the 188th Armored Brigade, operating under the 36th Division, located several weapon caches and tunnels during their operations in recent days.

Troops of the 188th Armored Brigade operate in southern Lebanon, in a handout photo issued on October 6, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

The troops also located and demolished a Hezbollah command center that the IDF says was used by the terror group to plan and carry out rocket fire on northern Israel.

“In the last few days we are focused on dismantling the above and underground infrastructure, and we will continue to do so as long as it takes, until we guarantee the return of the residents to the north in complete safety,” the commander of the 188th Brigade, Col. Or Vollozinsky, says in remarks provided by the IDF.

Netanyahu tells French leader arms ban will boost Iran

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tells French President Emmanuel Macron that placing restrictions on arms sales to Israel will only aid Tehran, a day after the two sparred publicly over Macron’s call for an arms embargo on Israel.

“It is expected that Israel’s friends stand behind it, and don’t place limitations on it that only strengthen the Iranian terror axis,” Netanyahu tells Macron by phone, according to the Israeli readout.

The premier says the IDF operations against Hezbollah, which Macron opposes, “create an opportunity to change the reality in Lebanon toward stability, security, and peace in the entire region.”

They agree to continue the conversation during French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot’s visit to the region tomorrow.

France has yet to release an account of the call.

Netanyahu visits Lebanon border, says reality being changed

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, left, with Maj. Gen Ori Gordin during a meeting on October 6, 2024. (PMO)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the Lebanon border for a situation assessment with IDF Northern Command head Maj. Gen. Uri Gordin and division commander Brig. Gen. Moran Omer, the premier’s office says.

“A year ago we suffered a terrible blow,” Netanyahu said during the visit, according to the Prime Minister’s Office. “Over the past 12 months, we are changing reality from end to end.”

The premier says the international community has been impressed with Israel’s military might.

“The whole world is astonished by the blows you inflict on our enemies,” he tells troops of the 36th Division.

Iran says all flights canceled overnight

Flights from all Iran’s airports have been canceled from 9 p.m. today until 6 a.m. tomorrow local time, Iran’s Mehr news agency says, citing a spokesperson for Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization.

A notice to pilots, or NOTAM, sent out by Iranian authorities confirms the closure, while carving out exceptions for “emergency flight, ferry flights and state aircraft.”

Another state-run outlet, IRNA, cites “operational restrictions” for the closure, which may relate to an expected Israeli counterattack following an Iranian missile assault last week.

Troops suspended after video shows soldier giving bound detainees mocking Talmud lecture

A reservist has been suspended after he was filmed pretending to give a Talmud lecture to at least three bound and blindfolded men, the Israel Defense Forces says. The soldier who filmed the scene, which was widely circulated on social media, was also suspended.

“The behavior of the soldier in the video is serious and does not align with the values of the IDF or what is expected of IDF soldiers. The soldiers involved have been suspended from their duties and will face disciplinary action,” the IDF writes in a statement.

חייל מילואים תועד מקריא דברי תורה לעצורים פלסטינים בעודם מוטלים על הקרקע קשורים ומכוסי עיניים בתיעוד שהופץ ברשתות חברתיות • צה"ל: "התנהגות חמורה שאינה עומדת בקנה אחד עם ערכי צה"ל והמצופה מחייליו. החיילים המעורבים הושעו מתפקידם ויועמדו לדין משמעתי"@ItayBlumental pic.twitter.com/WZ4YMPCyqe

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) October 6, 2024

It’s unclear where or when the video took place.

Rocket appears to hit home in northern town

Video shows a home on fire in the Galilee town of Maalot after it apparently took a direct hit from a projectile shot from Lebanon.

פגיעה ישירה מעלות pic.twitter.com/pS3nny5StE

— Tobi (@bir_tobi83413) October 6, 2024

Police say there are no injuries reported in the attack, but widespread damage to property.

Hezbollah claims it launched rockets at a gathering of soldiers in Maalot, which lies some 8 kilometers (5 miles) from the Lebanese border in the Western Galilee.

Herzog exhorts Iranians to revolt against Tehran-led anti-Israel axis

President Isaac Herzog, right, appears on Al-Arabiya on October 6, 2024. (screen capture: Al-Arabiya)

Speaking to the Saudi Al Arabiya network, President Isaac Herzog calls for the Lebanese and Iranian people to “rise up” and confront the Iranian axis.

“If we confront it and be tough together, we surely can hope for a better future and create a NATO-like structure in the region that blocks radicalism,” he says, speaking in English.

Herzog does not say how Israel might respond to Iran’s missile attack last week, only that “we are calculating all calculations in this respect.”

Speaking a day before the one-year anniversary of the Hamas October 7 attacks, Herzog says that “this war has been waged against us by the empire of evil, by Iran and its proxies. We have 101 hostages still in the dungeons of Gaza, in immense suffering. And we are fighting in the north and in the south, meaning in Gaza and in Lebanon. We are trying to change the equation and bring hope for the people of the Middle East.”

Herzog calls the moment “a golden opportunity for the powers that want to have a better future for the Middle East to move forward with new ideas and new plans in order to resolve this conflict.”

The president argues that Israel follows international law, and cares deeply for its neighbors.

“The people in the Gaza Strip deserve a better future as neighbors of ours, and we deserve a better day and better future as their neighbors,” he says.

Ben Gvir urges Knesset to ratchet up punishments for relatives of attackers

Mounted police officers are seen at the scene of a stabbing and shooting attack in Beersheba, Israel, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP/Tsafrir Abayov)

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir calls on the state to demolish the homes of Israeli citizens who carry out terror attacks, after one person is killed and 10 wounded in a shooting at Beersheba’s central bus station.

Authorities have identified the attacker as Ahmad al-Uqbi, a Bedouin from a nearby hamlet who held Israeli citizenship. He was killed by responding forces during the attack.

“We are at war. There are many Bedouin loyal to the state but there are some who are not,” Ben Gvir declares from the scene of the attack, where Border Police officer Shira Suslik was killed.

“Those who are disloyal should be dealt with firmly,” including by demolishing their homes, he says.

“I call on the prime minister to today pass the law we proposed to deport the families of terrorists,” Ben Gvir adds, arguing that relatives of terrorists carrying out attacks is a recurrent phenomenon.

According to unconfirmed Hebrew media reports, al-Uqbi was related to Muhanad Alukabi, who carried out a shooting attack at the same Beersheba bus station in October 2015.

The far-right politician also says that he shares in the family’s grief and that “these policewomen are the heroes of Israel.”

“I think the big lesson from October 7 is that there must be no more being humane, no forgiveness,” Ben Gvir states.

Victim in Beersheba attack named

Sgt. Shira Suslik, killed in a terror attack in the Beersheba central bus station, October 6, 2024. (Israel Police)

The victim in the deadly shooting attack in Beersheba is named by police as as Border Police officer Shira Suslik.

Suslik, who press reports identify as 19 years old, was killed while confronting the shooter at Beersheba’s central bus station.

Activists rally against Israel in cities across world

Moroccan women wave flags and chant slogans at a protest against ties with Israel, a day before the anniversary of Hamas's October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, in Rabat, Morocco, October 6, 2024 (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

Activists are gathering in cities around the world for the second day in a row to rally for or against Israel as the anniversary of the October 7, 2023, attack nears.

In Morocco, tens of thousands protest in Rabat in support of Palestinians and against normalization of ties with Israel. Demonstrators wave Palestinian flags and brandish signs denouncing the kingdom’s 2020 normalization with Israel, amid chants of “Resistance does not die” and “The people want an end to normalization.”

Miles de personas se manifiestan en Rabat cuando se cumple un año de la guerra en Gaza. Piden el fin de la ofensiva y bombardeos israelíes en Palestina y Líbano. También el fin de la normalización de las relaciones entre Marruecos e Israel. pic.twitter.com/1jsVhHXKte

— Marc Ferrà (@MarcFerra9) October 6, 2024

In Sydney and other Australian cities, marches are held in support of Palestinians and Lebanon.

Procession took out in Sydney to support Lebanon nd Hezbollah.#Israel #Iran #Lebanon #Beirut #hezbullah #hamas #Pelestine #MiddleEast . pic.twitter.com/40jEFnjuo8

— Geography????????️ (@GeoStatics7372) October 6, 2024

“I can’t believe our government is giving impunity to a violent extremist nation and has done nothing… We’re watching the violence play out on livestream, and they’re doing nothing,” says Samantha Gazal.

Supporters of Israel in Melbourne hold up posters showing hostages who are still held in Gaza.

At a rally in Berlin, near the Brandenburg Gate, hundreds of pro-Israel demonstrators march behind a banner that reads “Against all antisemitism,” accompanied by a police escort.

#Berlin, 6. Oktober 2024 – #Solidarity with #Israel. All together: #BringThemHomeNow ???????????????? pic.twitter.com/HpmZaaTCDM

— Annie (@annieavena3) October 6, 2024

With many Israel flags waving overhead, marchers chant “Free Gaza from Hamas!” and “Bring them home,” referring to hostages held in the Gaza Strip.

Memorial events for those killed in October 7 are planned for later in the day in Paris and London.

In Italy, where security forces used tear gas and water cannons to disperse violent anti-Israel demonstrators in Rome on Saturday, Premier Giorgia Meloni expresses her “full solidarity” with police.

Meloni firmly condemns clashes between a few pro-Palestinian demonstrators and law enforcement officers, saying it was “intolerable that dozens of officers are injured during a demonstration.”

Knesset committee okays bills crimping UN Palestinian refugee agency

The Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee approves two bills intended to limit the activities of UNRWA, the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees and their descendants, allowing the legislation to advance to the second and third readings necessary to become law.

The first, sponsored by Yisrael Beytenu MK Yulia Malinovsky, would ban state authorities from having any contact with UNRWA as of tomorrow. The second, a merger of several proposals, would effectively ban the organization from operating on Israeli territory by revoking a 1967 exchange of notes providing the basis for its activities.

By passing the laws, “we convey a clear message to the terrorists: We will not forget, we will not forgive, and we will take any measure to ensure the security of our country,” Likud MK Boaz Bismuth tweets.

“What remains now is only the vote in the Knesset plenum,” declares Malinovsky, calling on the coalition and opposition to come together to pass the law “as soon as possible so that we can get rid of UNRWA once and for all.”

According to Hebrew media reports, the bills’ passage comes despite concerns raised by Foreign Ministry and National Security Council officials regarding the potential practical consequences of efforts to criminalize the organization.

According to the Ynet news site, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has written to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warning that the legislation, “if passed, could prevent UNRWA from continuing its operations in the occupied Palestinian territories, thereby denying Palestinian refugees in Gaza and the West Bank the essential aid and protection that UNRWA has provided them since 1949.”

The agency provides education, health care and aid to millions of Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. Israel alleges that some 10 percent of UNRWA’s staff in Gaza have ties to terror, and that educational facilities under the organization’s auspices consistently incite hatred of Israel and glorify terror.

Syria claims Israeli strike hit three cars in Homs

Syria’s state news agency says an Israeli strike targeted three vehicles in the industrial city in Syria’s Homs.

Material damage is reported in the attack, which Sana claims hit cars carrying medical and relief materials.

The state news agency quotes a local official as saying that no factories were targeted inside the city, after earlier reports indicated that a car plant had been hit.

There is no comment from Israel.

Arab party leader condemns Beersheba terror attack

United Arab List chair MK Mansour Abbas leads a faction meeting at the Knesset, Jerusalem, on February 19, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

The leader of the Arab Islamist Ra’am party condemns the deadly terror attack in Beersheba in which a young woman was killed.

“Today a heinous crime was committed in Beersheba against innocent civilians. We condemn the attack, especially since the perpetrator is an Arab citizen from the Bedouin community in the Negev,” MK Mansour Abbas writes in Hebrew on X.

“This is not the way of Arab citizens who have shown civic, moral and legal commitment and abhorred any type of violence, and rejected any attempt to be dragged into taking part in acts of political violence,” he adds.

Gazan rocket intercepted, IDF says

One rocket fired out of Gaza was shot down after triggering sirens in Ashkelon and nearby areas, the army says.

An unspecified number of other rockets fired in the same volley landed in open areas, according to the Israel Defense Forces.

Soldier wounded in June fighting succumbs to injuries

Sgt. 1st Class (res.) Nir Hadad (IDF)

The Israel Defense Forces says a soldier injured in Gaza earlier this year has succumbed to his wounds, marking the 349th fatality in Israel’s ground offensive against Hamas in Gaza and in military operations along the border with the Strip.

Sgt. First Class (res.) Nir Haddad, 28, was seriously wounded during fighting in the northern Gaza Strip on June 15, the army says. The Petah Tikva resident was deployed with the 8th Armored Brigade when he was wounded.

The army says three soldiers were seriously wounded in battles in the northern Gaza Strip today, including a combat officer.

No injuries after rocket appears to target Ashkelon

The Magen David Adom rescue service says there are no reports of injuries following a rocket siren that sounded in Ashkelon and nearby areas.

A spokesperson for Ashkelon says no rocket impacted inside the city.

There is no immediate comment from the Israel Defense Forces.

Beersheba terrorist identified as 29-year-old Bedouin man

The terrorist behind a deadly terror attack in Beersheba is named as Ahmad al-Uqbi, 29, from a Bedouin hamlet near the town of Lakiya, according to Israeli defense authorities.

Al-Uqbi holds Israeli citizenship and has a criminal record, authorities say.

According to unconfirmed Hebrew media reports, he was related to Muhanad Alukabi, who carried out a shooting attack at the same Beersheba bus station in October 2015.

One soldier was killed in that attack, and an Eritrean national mistaken for an assailant was also shot and killed.

Iran’s Khamenei fetes general behind ballistic missile attack

In this photo released by the official website of the office of the Iranian supreme leader, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei awards Revolutionary Guard aerospace division commander Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh with a medal of honor in a ceremony in Tehran, Iran, Oct. 6, 2024. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP)

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has decorated the Revolutionary Guard’s aerospace commander for the Islamic Republic’s missile attacks on Israel, the ayatollah’s website says.

“Ayatollah Khamenei presented the Order of Fath to General Amirali Hajizadeh, commander of the Guards Aerospace Force,” it says. “Fath” is Farsi for “courage.”

The decoration was bestowed because of “the brilliant ‘Honest Promise’ operation,” the website says, referring to Tuesday’s largely unsuccessful ballistic missile on Israel.

Hajizadeh, 62, has headed the Guard’s aerospace unit since its creation in 2009.

Rocket alarms blare in northern towns

Rocket and missile sirens are sounding in several northern communities, including the town of Hurfeish.

Most communities under alert are located between Mount Meron and the northern border.

Minister calls for deporting terrorists’ families

Transportation Minister Miri Regev arrives for a government meeting on Jerusalem Day at the Bible Lands Museum in Jerusalem, on June 5, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Transportation Minister Miri Regev says the families of terrorists should be deported, following a shooting attack at Beersheba’s central bus station in which one person was killed and 10 were wounded.

“The time has come for a deterrent punishment that prevents attacks on Israeli territory,” Regev tweets.

Regev’s terse missive comes as unconfirmed reports name the perpetrator of the attack, who was shot dead, as an Israeli citizen from the Bedouin community in southern Israel.

Medics say they treated 11 for injuries at scene of Beersheba terror attack

The Magen David Adom ambulance service says its medics treated a total of 11 people wounded in the terror shooting attack at Beersheba’s central bus station, including a 25-year-old woman who succumbed to her wounds.

The victims taken to Soroka Hospital include a woman in her 20s in moderate-to-serious condition and four men in their 20s in moderate condition, all of whom sustained gunshot injuries, according to MDA.

Another five are listed in good condition after being hit by glass shards or blunt trauma.

Three additional people are treated for acute anxiety, MDA adds.

One killed, eight wounded in terror attack at Beersheba central bus station

Paramedics and Border Police officers at the scene of a terror attack at the Beersheba central bus station on October 6, 2024. (Magen David Adom)

The critically wounded victim of the terror attack at Beersheba’s central bus station has succumbed to her wounds, first responders say.

Another eight were taken to a hospital, and the terrorist was shot dead.

Police are investigating whether the attack involved both stabbing and gunfire by the terrorist.

Nine hurt, one critically, in terror attack at Beersheba central bus station

The scene of a terror attack at the Beersheba central bus station on October 6, 2024. (Magen David Adom)

Nine people are wounded in the terror attack at the Beersheba central bus station, medics say.

The Magen David Adom ambulance service says one victim in critical condition is being treated at the scene, while eight others are being taken to Soroka Hospital in the city.

The eight include one victim in moderate-to-serious condition, four in moderate condition, and three who are lightly hurt.

The terrorist who carried out the attack was shot dead, MDA adds.

IDF says it struck over 150 Hezbollah sites during Lebanon ground op over past day

IDF troops are seen operating in southern Lebanon, in a handout photo published October 6, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

More than 150 Hezbollah sites were struck in the past day during ground operations in southern Lebanon, the IDF says.

Troops with the IDF’s 98th and 36th divisions have been locating and destroying weapon depots, tunnel shafts, and other Hezbollah infrastructures in villages in southern Lebanon, the military says.

The soldiers have also been exchanging fire with Hezbollah operations in the area, and directing airstrikes on gunmen and sites used by the terror group.

The targets hit by the Israeli Air Force included anti-tank missile launch positions, cells of operatives, tunnels, and weapon depots, the IDF adds.

Salvo of 25 rockets, several drones launched from Lebanon at north

A barrage of 25 rockets and several drones were fired from Lebanon at northern Israel a short while ago, the IDF says.

According to the IDF, some of the 25 rockets fired at the Western and Upper Galilee were intercepted by air defenses, while others impacted in the area.

Separately, several drones were intercepted by air defenses over the Western Galilee, the IDF adds.

Alleged Israeli strike hits Iranian car factory in central Syria

BEIRUT, Lebanon — An Israeli strike hits a car factory in central Syria, a war monitor says, in the latest such strike in the country or its border with Lebanon in recent days.

The raids strike an empty Iranian car factory in the central region of Homs, causing only material damage, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says.

Since the beginning of the Syrian civil war in 2011, Israel — which rarely comments on individual strikes in Syria — is believed to have carried out hundreds of strikes mainly targeting army positions and Iran-backed fighters including from Lebanon’s Hezbollah terror group.

#BREAKING An explosion heard in a factory in Homs: Syrian media pic.twitter.com/wXnilH3D78

— Guy Elster (@guyelster) October 6, 2024

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

Iran ready with response if Israel attacks, local media says

Missiles launched from Iran towards Israel are seen in the West Bank city of Nablus, October 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran has prepared a plan to respond to a possible Israeli attack following the Islamic Republic’s retaliatory missile strike against it last week, local media reports

“The plan for the necessary response to a possible action by the Zionists (Israel) has been fully prepared,” Tasnim news agency says, quoting “an informed source” in the armed forces.

On Tuesday, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) fired some 200 missiles at Israel after the leaders of terror groups allied to Tehran were killed in attacks.

“If Israel takes action, there will be no doubt that an Iranian counterattack will be carried out,” Tasnim says.

It adds that Iran “has a list of many Israeli targets,” and says Iran’s attack on Tuesday “showed that we can level to the ground any place it desires.”

3 hurt in suspected terror stabbing at Beersheba central bus station

Three people are wounded in a suspected terror attack at the Beersheba central bus station, medics say.

The Magen David Adom ambulance service says that two of the victims were stabbed, and one is listed in critical condition.

The assailant who carried out the attack was shot.

Medics responding to shooting report at Beersheba bus station

Medics say they are responding to reports of gunfire at the Beersheba central bus station.

No further details are immediately available.

IDF says airstrike hit Hamas operatives in former school in northern Gaza

A picture taken from Israel's southern border with the Gaza Strip shows smoke billowing in Gaza on October 6, 2024. (Menahem KAHANA / AFP)

The IDF says it carried out an airstrike against a group of Hamas operatives operating out of a former school in the northern Gaza Strip a short while ago.

According to the military, Hamas was using the Khalifa Ben Zayed School to plan and carry out attacks against IDF troops and against Israel.

The IDF says it took steps to mitigate civilian harm in the strike and accuses Hamas of “systematically” using civilian sites for terror.

IDF issues evacuation orders for 25 southern Lebanese towns and villages

The IDF is calling on Lebanese civilians in 25 villages and towns in southern Lebanon to evacuate immediately and head north of the Awali River.

In recent days, the military has called on residents of dozens of locales in southern Lebanon, including those north of the Litani River, to evacuate.

The IDF says it will notify the civilians when it is safe to return.

The evacuations come amid Israeli ground operations in southern Lebanon, which the military has described as “limited, localized, and targeted raids,” with the goal of demolishing Hezbollah’s infrastructure in the border area. Officials have said that the military intends for the operations to end as quickly as possible.

Rocket sirens sound in Western Galilee

Incoming rocket sirens are sounding throughout communities in the Western Galilee.

Sirens sound in Neve Ziv, Rosh Hanikra, Shlomi, Liman, Betzet, Hanita, Sheikh Danun, Beit Haemek, Manot, Klil, Abu Snan, Kafr Yasif, Oshrat and Amka.

צבע אדום (06/10/2024 13:49): שלומי, בצת, לימן, נווה זיו, עבדון, ראש הנקרה, מנות, חניתה, בית העמק, שייח' דנון, כליל, כפר יאסיף, אבו סנאן, אשרת, עמקה pic.twitter.com/PUhxAlax3y

— צופר – צבע אדום (@tzevaadom_) October 6, 2024

Herzog to start 3-day tour of Gaza border communities on Oct. 7 anniversary

President Isaac Herzog will embark on a three-day tour of Gaza border communities tomorrow to mark the one-year anniversary of the October 7 attacks, his office says.

He will open the tour at the Nova music festival site at 6:29 a.m., exactly one year after the Hamas attack began. He will then visit Neve Eshkol, Magen, Nirim, Ein Hashlosha, Nir Oz, Kissufim, the Re’im Base, Kibbutz Re’im, and Be’eri. He will close the day at the destroyed Sderot police station for a ceremony honoring the fallen in the ongoing war.

On October 8, Herzog will tour Alumim, Nahal Oz, Kfar Aza, Mefalsim, Yachini, Sderot, Nir Am, Erez, Netiv Ha’asara, and the Zikim beach.

The final day will see Herzog pay a visit to Kibbutz Kerem Shalom, Pri Gan, Holit, Sufa, Nir Yitzhak, Ein HaBesor, Mivtahim, Yesha, the Urim Base, and Ofakim.

“As a person, as an Israeli, as a Jew, and as the president of Israel,” says Herzog in a statement, “I will visit the sites and the representatives of the communities whose worlds were destroyed that day, and I promise — we will rebuild and rebuild everything anew — a building that cannot be complete without the hostages returning home.”

Iranian missile attack ‘didn’t even scratch’ air force, Gallant says

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant says last week’s Iranian ballistic missile attack “didn’t even scratch” the Israeli Air Force’s capabilities, vowing Israel would not be deterred by its enemies.

During a visit to Nevatim Airbase, which suffered minor damage during the attack, Gallant says Israel will choose the manner and time of its response.

גלנט על המתקפה האיראנית: לא גירדו את יכולות חיל האוויר, מי שחושב שהרתיע אותנו – שיסתכל על ביירותhttps://t.co/0jjbrOzz10 | @ndvori pic.twitter.com/7xXMEAinte

— החדשות – N12 (@N12News) October 6, 2024

Iran’s oil minister visits key oil facility as possible Israeli airstrikes loom

This photo from March 12, 2017, shows a an Iranian oil facility on Kharg Island, on the shore of the Persian Gulf. (AFP Photo/Atta Kenare)

TEHRAN — Iranian Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad visits an oil facility on Kharg Island amid growing concerns over potential Israeli airstrikes targeting such vital sites.

The visit comes after an Israeli official said the country was “preparing a response” after Iran launched a barrage of ballistic missiles this week at Israel.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said the 200 missiles were fired to avenge the death of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and Iranian general Abbas Nilforoushan in a September 27 strike on Beirut. The Hezbollah terror group is an Iranian proxy.

Paknejad arrived at the Kharg Island oil facilities in the morning and met with employees, his ministry’s news agency, SHANA, reports.

“We are not afraid that our enemies will ignite a crisis, and visiting the region is a normal business trip,” Paknejad says on state television.

Kharg Island, located in the Gulf, is home to Iran’s largest crude oil export terminal.

Rocket sirens sound in northern town

Incoming rocket sirens activate in the northern town of Metula.

צבע אדום (06/10/2024 13:26): מטולה pic.twitter.com/vdJAQ1vG0n

— צופר – צבע אדום (@tzevaadom_) October 6, 2024

Rocket sirens sound in northern community

Incoming rocket sirens are activated in the northern community of Misgav Am.

צבע אדום (06/10/2024 13:14): משגב עם pic.twitter.com/bKj8zLgubD

— צופר – צבע אדום (@tzevaadom_) October 6, 2024

IDF says Hezbollah commander responsible for deadly anti-tank missile attack in January killed

The military says an airstrike killed Hezbollah’s company commander in the southern Lebanese village of Kafr Kila who was responsible for a deadly anti-tank missile attack in January.

Hader Ali Tawil was responsible for the attack that killed Barak Ayalon, 45, and his mother Miri Ayalon, 76, when an anti-tank missile slammed into their home in Kfar Yuval, the Israel Defense Forces says.

After Harris promises aid funds to Lebanese civilians, Ben Gvir says return of northern residents is ‘humanitarian act’

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir challenges US Vice President Kamala Harris on X after she announces nearly $157 million in aid for Lebanese civilians.

Responding to Harris’s post that the US will allocate funds to cover “essential needs such as food, shelter, water, protection, and sanitation to help those who have been displaced by the recent conflict,” the far-right minister argues in English that “the humanitarian act is to make sure all the citizens of northern Israel return home safe and sound, against all enemies.”

Kamala, the humanitarian act is to make sure all the citizens of northern Israel return home safe and sound, against all enemies.

— איתמר בן גביר (@itamarbengvir) October 6, 2024

Lebanon delays start of school year due to Israeli strikes

BEIRUT, Lebanon — Lebanon says the country will be postponing the start of the school year as Israel escalates its airstrikes against the Hezbollah terror group.

Education Minister Abbas Halabi says the new start date for more than one million students will be November 4, because of “security risks.”

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

Germany’s Scholz calls for Gaza ceasefire, says Jewish citizens must never again ‘live in fear and terror’

File: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz speaks at a ceremony to mark the 34th anniversary of Germany's Unification Day, at Mecklenburg State Theatre in Schwerin, Eastern Germany on October 3, 2024. (Annegret Hilse / POOL / AFP)

FRANKFURT, Germany — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz again calls for a ceasefire ahead of the first anniversary of the Israel-Hamas war and warns against rising antisemitism in society.

“Unfortunately, on this first anniversary of Hamas’s terror attack on Israel, peace or even reconciliation in the Middle East seem more distant than ever,” Scholz says in a video message.

The German government “continues to persistently advocate for a ceasefire, which must now finally come about,” he added. “So that the civilian population in the Gaza Strip can be better protected and, of course, better cared for. And so that the Israeli hostages can finally be released.”

“We are in close contact with our international partners to prevent a further escalation of the conflict,” Scholz says.

He also warns against rising anti-Jewish sentiment in Germany and reiterates Berlin’s unwavering support for Israel.

“It must never be the case that Jewish citizens here in Germany have to live in fear and terror,” Scholz says.

“We will never accept anti-Semitism and blind hatred of Israel. The Jewish people here in Germany have the full solidarity of our state,” he adds.

Starmer blasts ‘vile hatred’ against UK’s Jewish, Muslim communities since Oct. 7

File: Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks at a press conference during his visit to the European Commission headquarters in Brussels on October 2, 2024. (BENJAMIN CREMEL / POOL / AFP)

LONDON — UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer calls for a ceasefire in Gaza and restraint by all parties, saying the yearlong Israel-Hamas war has affected community relations in Britain.

“The sparks light touchpapers in our own communities here at home,” Starmer writes in the Sunday Times ahead of the anniversary of the Hamas terror group’s October 7 massacre in Israel which sparked the war.

“Israel and the Middle East are not just inseparable from our nation’s history. They have a deep relationship with our multicultural society,” Starmer says, pointing out that “millions have family ties to the region.”

While Starmer says the UK will “stand with Israel in the face of Iranian aggression,” he also cautions that “a better future will not be won by traumatizing, orphaning and displacing another generation.”

“The anniversary of the October 7 attacks should remind us of the cost of political failure,” he adds. “No security will be found in greater destabilization.”

Denouncing the rise of “vile hatred” against Jewish and Muslim communities in the UK over the past year, Starmer says: “Our differences and diversity should bind us together more strongly, not drive us apart.”

UK faith leaders also say the anniversary should be an occasion for the public to reject “prejudice and hatred in all its forms.”

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, and the chairman of the Mosques and Imams National Advisory Board Imam Qari Asim write an open letter to say they “stand united in our grief.”

“In these challenging times, we must also reject those who seek to divide us,” the joint letter reads.

“Anti-Jewish hate and anti-Muslim hate have no place in the UK today.”

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

Military preparing for possible long-range rocket launches from Gaza on Oct. 7 anniversary

IDF troops are seen operating on the border with the Gaza Strip, in a handout photo issued October 6, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

The IDF says it has bolstered forces on the Gaza border, as it anticipates possible long-range rocket fire or other attacks from the Strip on the anniversary of the October 7 massacre tomorrow.

Military sources say that while Hamas has been largely dismantled as a military organization, its operatives can still carry out rocket attacks.

The IDF has been anticipating Hamas attacks on the first anniversary of the onslaught and assesses today that such attacks from Gaza could include rocket fire, possibly even at central Israel.

As part of the anticipation for attacks on the October 7 anniversary, the military says it is bolstering defenses both along the Gaza border and in the Netzarim Corridor area in the Strip’s center, where the IDF maintains a semi-permanent presence.

“The Southern Command is prepared in defense and attack for several scenarios during the coming month, along with allowing memorial events in the [Gaza border communities] to be carried out safely,” the IDF says in a statement.

The military says several companies are being deployed to defend the Israeli border towns, and that it is coordinating with police and medical services in the event of attacks.

“We are on heightened alert for the coming days. At a high level of readiness… with offensive actions,” the chief of the Southern Command, Maj. Gen. Yaron Finkelman, tells officers in a video distributed by the IDF.

Meanwhile, the IDF says there has been no reduction in forces in the Rafah and Philadelphi Corridor — the Egypt-Gaza border area — as the 162nd Division, which was previously deployed there, launched a new operation in northern Gaza’s Jabaliya.

The Rafah area was handed over to the Gaza Division, the first time that the regional division has been given responsibility over a large portion of the Strip.

The 162nd Division left Rafah and launched a surprise offensive in Jabaliya overnight, encircling the area from two directions with its 401st and 460th armored brigades.

The offensive is aimed at thwarting attempts by Hamas to regroup in the area, the IDF says.

Tens of thousands of Palestinians are believed by Israel to still be in northern Gaza, among them thousands of terror operatives who survived previous IDF operations which saw Hamas’s battalions in the area dismantled.

In the overnight offensive in Jabaliya, several dozen terror operatives were killed in airstrikes and tank shelling, according to the IDF.

Rocket sirens blare in northern communities

Incoming rocket sirens are sounding in several northern communities.

Rocket sirens are activated in Kamon, Rameh, Shezor, Beit Jann, Sajur, and Karmiel.

צבע אדום (06/10/2024 11:06): כמון, ראמה, שזור, בית ג'אן, סאג'ור, אזור תעשייה כרמיאל pic.twitter.com/VqICpubQGB

— צופר – צבע אדום (@tzevaadom_) October 6, 2024

Seventh victim of Jaffa terror shooting named as Victor Shimshon Green

The scene of a shooting terror attack at the Ehrlich station of the Tel Aviv Light Rail in Jaffa on October 1, 2024. (Jack GUEZ / AFP)

Victor Shimshon Green, 33, is named as the seventh victim of Tuesday night’s terror shooting at a Jaffa light rail station.

The five other victims were named as Ionas Chrosis, 26, Revital Bronstein, 24, Ilia Nozadze, 42, Shahar Goldman, 30, and Inbar Segev Vigder, 33.

IDF: Rocket sirens in Gaza border community were false alarm

Incoming rocket sirens sounded a short while ago in Netiv Ha’asara due to a false identification, the military says in a statement.

Lebanese PM calls for ‘pressure on Israel’ to reach truce as Hezbollah keeps up rocket fire

BEIRUT, Lebanon — Lebanon’s Prime Minister Najib Mikati calls for “pressure on Israel” for a ceasefire as Hezbollah continued to fire rockets and launch drones at Israel.

Mikati says he backed US and French efforts for a truce, as the official National News Agency reported an Israeli strike south of Beirut. An AFP journalist heard a huge blast and saw columns of smoke billowing above the site of the hit.

Rocket sirens sound in Gaza border community

Incoming rocket sirens sound in the community of Netiv Ha’asara, north of the Gaza border.

צבע אדום (06/10/2024 10:33): נתיב העשרה pic.twitter.com/zFTkGaIe9f

— צופר – צבע אדום (@tzevaadom_) October 6, 2024

Large Israeli strike reported in Beirut

Lebanese media report a large Israeli strike in Beirut.

There is no immediate comment from the IDF.

قصف عنيف يطال منطقة المريجة – الليلكي عند أطراف #الضاحية_الجنوبية لبيروت pic.twitter.com/UDH74QEQoX

— كواليس بيروت – Kawalis Beirut (@KawalisBeirut) October 6, 2024

Qatari officials said to tell hostage families Sinwar no longer calling them, but is alive

Yahya Sinwar, the Gaza Strip chief of the Palestinian Hamas terror group, greets supporters as he arrives at a rally marking Al-Quds (Jerusalem) Day, April 14, 2023. (Mohammed Abed/AFP)

Qatari officials mediating hostage deal talks with Hamas told the families of captives last week that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was no longer calling them, Channel 12 reports.

The Qataris said Sinwar was now only communicating with a pen and paper — a decision made after a series of assassinations that took out Hamas’s and Hezbollah’s leadership — which poses a challenge to their mediation efforts, the report says.

The officials also told the families that it is likely Sinwar has surrounded himself with hostages, and dispelled speculation that he may have been killed in an Israeli airstrike, according to the report.

“Israel has adopted a policy of assassinations that is incompatible with the deal. In the past, there was [former Hamas leader Ismail] Haniyeh and he was eliminated. Now there is Khaled Mashaal and he is much more difficult than Haniyeh,” the officials told the hostage families, Channel 12 reports.

The location of the meeting was not immediately clear.

Haniyeh was killed in Tehran in July, in an assassination blamed on Israel, though Jerusalem has not confirmed or denied its involvement.

IDF launches fresh ground op in Gaza’s Jabaliya as Hamas tries to regroup

Troops of the 162nd Division prepare to enter the northern Gaza Strip, in a handout photo issued October 6, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

The IDF’s 162nd Division launched a new ground operation last night in northern Gaza’s Jabaliya, the military says.

The IDF says the division’s 401st and 460th armored brigades encircled Jabaliya overnight, and troops are currently operating in the area.

The operation comes after the IDF says it has intelligence of Hamas operatives and infrastructure in the Jabaliya area, alongside efforts by the terror group to reestablish itself there.

As troops entered the area, the IDF says, it carried out a wave of airstrikes and artillery shelling, targeting dozens of Hamas sites in Jabaliya, including weapon depots, tunnels, cells of operatives, and other infrastructure.

“The operation will continue as long as necessary, while systematically striking and thoroughly destroying the terror infrastructure in the area,” the IDF says.

The 162nd Division was withdrawn from Rafah and the Philadelphi Corridor — the Egypt-Gaza border area — after five months, and it has handed over responsibility for the area to the IDF’s Gaza Division.

IDF shoots down 2 surface-to-surface missiles fired from Lebanon

Two missiles launched from Lebanon at Israel’s northern coastal plain were shot down by air defenses, the IDF says.

The surface-to-surface missiles set off sirens between Haifa and Hadera along the coast.

There are no reports of injuries or damage in the attack.

Rocket sirens sound across coastal plain

Incoming rocket sirens are sounding across Israel’s coastal plain.

Sirens are activated in Haifa, Hadera, Jisr al-Zarka, Zichron Yaakov, and Caesarea.

צבע אדום (06/10/2024 08:27-08:29): אזורים מנשה, הכרמל, המפרץ pic.twitter.com/Yb2bztoZnw

— צופר – צבע אדום (@tzevaadom_) October 6, 2024

Military intercepts several suspected drones launched from Lebanon

Several suspected drones launched from Lebanon were shot down by Israeli air defenses an hour ago, the IDF says.

According to the military, the “suspicious aerial targets” did not cross into Israeli airspace.

IDF says it is expanding humanitarian zone ahead of plans to evacuate all of northern Gaza

The IDF announces that it is expanding the size of the Israeli-designated humanitarian zone in southern Gaza, as it prepares to evacuate civilians from the entire north of the Strip.

The zone, where the vast majority of the Gazan population currently resides, has multiple field hospitals and most humanitarian aid is being delivered there.

The IDF says it has published maps for Palestinian civilians “highlighting potential evacuation areas in northern Gaza, including ‘block zones’ that correspond to neighborhoods and regions.”

The military says it is also opening up two evacuation routes for Palestinians, along the Salah a-Din road and the coastal road.

Some 200,000 Palestinians have been estimated to remain in northern Gaza, after early in the war the IDF called for the entire region to evacuate to the Strip’s south.

#عاجل ‼️ إلى سكان شمال قطاع غزة،
⭕️حماس الارهابية تواصل محاولاتها ترسيخ بنيتها الإرهابية في منطقتكم مستغلة السكان والمآوي والمنشات الصحية درعًا بشريًا.

⭕️ينشر جيش الدفاع صباح اليوم خريطة الاخلاء الجديدة في منطقة شمال قطاع غزة والتي تهدف إلى التواصل معكم وإصدار أوامر الاخلاء وفق… pic.twitter.com/Gx4MPuajUj

— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) October 6, 2024

Incoming rocket sirens sound in Galilee Panhandle

Incoming rocket sirens are sounding in the city of Kiryat Shmona and Kibbutz Manara in the Galilee Panhandle.

צבע אדום (06/10/2024 08:04): קריית שמונה, מנרה pic.twitter.com/WNLUYGHb9V

— צופר – צבע אדום (@tzevaadom_) October 6, 2024

Sirens warn of drone attack in northern town

Sirens are activated warning of a hostile drone infiltration in the northern town of Arab al-Aramshe.

חדירת כלי טיס עוין (06/10/2024 07:34): ערב אל עראמשה pic.twitter.com/VMKGq5vHT5

— צופר – צבע אדום (@tzevaadom_) October 6, 2024

Iran’s Quds Force chief last seen in Beirut last week, amid speculation over death in strike — report

General Esmail Qaani, head of Iran's expeditionary Quds Force, speaks in a ceremony in Tehran, Iran, April 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi, File)

Esmail Qaani, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force, was last seen in Beirut last week to help the Hezbollah terror group recover from a wave of Israeli attacks, three unnamed Iranian officials tell The New York Times, amid media speculation he was killed in an airstrike.

An anonymous IRGC member stationed in Beirut also tells The Times that Iran’s silence on the matter is sparking panic among the paramilitary force’s personnel.

IDF says it struck Hezbollah arms storage sites, other terror targets in Beirut overnight

The IDF says it has carried out a series of pinpoint airstrikes on Hezbollah sites in Beirut, including several weapons depots and other terror infrastructure.

The strikes were preceded by extensive steps to mitigate harm to civilians, including advance warning about the impending strikes.

The military accuses Hezbollah of placing its arms storage and production sites under residential buildings in the Lebanese capital, endangering the population, and vows to keep striking Hezbollah’s military assets in full force.

Anti-Israel protester attempts to self-immolate outside White House

An anti-Israel protester has attempted to set himself on fire during a rally near the White House in Washington, DC.

Almost two hours after the protest began, with over 1,000 demonstrators in attendance, a man — named online as Samuel Mena — approached the demonstration site and attempted to set himself on fire, AFP journalists have seen.

He succeeds in lighting his left arm ablaze before bystanders and police rush to his aid, dousing him with water and extinguishing the flames using their keffiyehs, traditional Palestinian scarves.

“I’m a journalist and we neglect it, we spread the misinformation,” he shouts, in between screams of pain as the fire on his arm is put out.

Police say the man is being treated for “non-life threatening injuries.”

Journalist Samuel Mena self-immolated today by lighting his left arm on fire during a protest for Palestine outside of the White House on 16th Street at Freedom Plaza. Police doused him with water and successfully extinguished the flames. He was taken away in an ambulance shortly… pic.twitter.com/fK7g3ZLfaW

— Kaitlin Newman (@KaitlinObscura) October 6, 2024

Report: Rigged walkie-talkies were used by Hezbollah since 2015, letting Israel eavesdrop

This video grab, shows a walkie-talkie that was detonated inside a house in an attack on Hezbollah members widely blamed on Israel, in Baalbek, east Lebanon, September 18, 2024. (AP Photo)

The Washington Post delves into previously unreported details of the alleged Israeli operation that blew up pagers and walkie-talkies used by Lebanon’s Hezbollah terror group last month, injuring thousands and kicking off an ongoing flareup that has dealt immense blows to Hezbollah, including the killing of its leader Hassan Nasrallah.

The report — which cites Israeli, Arab and American security officials, politicians and diplomats, as well as sources close to Hezbollah — says the pagers were made in Israel and conceived by the Mossad spy agency, including a feature that caused many Hezbollah operatives to use the devices with both hands when they detonated, leading to them being rendered unable to fight.

After Mossad officials revealed the capability to elected officials on September 12 and the operation was eventually okayed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet, thousands of Hezbollah operatives got a message telling them they had received an encrypted message that requires pressing two buttons — practically forcing them to use both hands, and to be injured in both hands when the blasts occurred as they pushed the buttons.

The report also reveals that the booby-trapped walkie-talkies — which were detonated a day later — had been used by Hezbollah since 2015, providing Israel continued real-time access into the terror group’s communications for many years, before the devices were weaponized in a more literal way.

The tiny explosives in the pagers and the walkie-talkies were concealed in a way that taking apart the device — or even X-raying it — could not reveal the danger to the unwitting Hezbollah members, who readily embraced the Israeli-designed and manufactured gadgets, The Post reports.

It adds that the sales pitch that convinced Hezbollah to purchase the large-battery AR924 pagers earlier this year was made by an unidentified woman working with a Taiwanese firm who had not been aware of the Israeli plot.

IDF downs 3 attack drones over Mediterranean Sea, one of them near Tel Aviv coast

Three attack drones making their way toward Israel were intercepted by Israeli forces a short while ago, the IDF says.

A Navy warship successfully downed two UAVs launched from the east while they were over the Mediterranean Sea near northern Israel, the army says, releasing footage of the interception.

לפני זמן קצר, ספינת טילים של זרוע הים יירטה בהצלחה בים התיכון במרחב הימי הצפוני, שני כלי טיס בלתי מאוישים ששוגרו מכיוון מזרח, אין נפגעים.

בנוסף, חיל האוויר יירט כלי טיס בלתי מאויש ששוגר מכיוון מזרח, במרחב הימי מול חופי גוש דן, אין נפגעים>> pic.twitter.com/VEKlgPmpDN

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) October 6, 2024

It adds that Air Force jets intercepted an additional drone, also launched from the east, while it was over the Mediterranean near the coast of the Tel Aviv Metropolis.

No alarms were activated as a matter of policy, and there were no casualties, the army says, without elaborating on the origin of the attack.

Marking a year since Oct. 7 massacre, UN chief says attack ‘scarred souls’

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks during an interview at the United Nations headquarters, September 9, 2024. (Pamela Smith/AP)

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issues a video statement marking a year since Hamas’s October 7, 2023, terror onslaught in southern Israel, saying the “horrific” attack “scarred souls.”

My message to mark one year since the October 7 attacks. pic.twitter.com/0NPlHyAT6s

— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) October 5, 2024

Guterres — who has been under repeated attack from Israeli officials over previous failures to adequately condemn the Hamas massacres, the widely documented sexual violence that day, and subsequent attacks on Israel, leading Jerusalem to declare him a persona non grata several days ago — makes mention of the sexual violence in his new statement, and emphasizes his condemnation of the atrocities and of the taking of hostages, including the Palestinian terror group’s refusal to allow Red Cross visits.

He memorializes “all those who were brutally killed and suffered unspeakable violence, including sexual violence, as they were simply living their lives.”

Guterres once again demands the unconditional release of all hostages.

He also mentions the ensuing war and the “profound human suffering” it has inflicted on “Palestinians in Gaza, and now the people of Lebanon,” and calls for an end to the war and a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

IDF says it struck terror command centers in Gaza mosque, school, took steps to not harm civilians

The Israeli military says warplanes conducted a pinpoint strike a short while ago on terror operatives who were at a command center in a compound that formerly housed the Ibn Rushd school in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza strip.

Additionally, the IDF says another pinpoint airstrike targeted a second Hamas control center in Deir al-Balah, located in the former site of the Shuhada al-Aqsa mosque — where Hamas medical officials have claimed 5 were killed and 20 injured.

The command centers were used by Hamas to plan and carry out terror attacks against IDF forces and the State of Israel, the army says.

Both strikes were carried out at the direction of the Military Intelligence Directorate, and only after many steps were taken to mitigate harm to civilians, including using accurate munitions, aerial visual intelligence and more intelligence information, the IDF adds.

Hamas medical officials claim several killed in Israeli airstrike on Gaza mosque

Hamas medical officials claim that at least five people have been killed and 20 wounded in an Israeli airstrike on a mosque, near the Al-Aqsa Hospital, in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza strip.

There is no immediate reaction from the IDF, which has repeatedly accused terrorists of operating from within civilian sites in Gaza amid the war, including mosques, and has said it takes measures to mitigate harm to civilians.

A quarter of Israelis have weighed leaving the country amid ongoing war, poll finds

Almost a quarter of Israelis have weighed leaving the country during the past year amid the multifront war, a survey by Kantar Insights and the Kan public broadcaster has found.

According to the poll, conducted last week among a representative sample of Israeli adults, 1% of respondents said they have already left and returned or are planning to return; 23% said they have considered leaving — temporarily or permanently — but haven’t done so; 67% said they haven’t considered leaving; and 9% didn’t answer or said they don’t know.

Unsurprisingly, the poll finds that voters of current opposition parties are more likely (36%) than coalition voters (14%) to have mulled leaving the country. Secular respondents are similarly more likely to have weighed moving than their religious counterparts.

Among respondents who said they have weighed leaving, the poll finds 24% have checked housing options abroad, 21% examined job opportunities, 15% obtained or attempted to get a foreign passport or a visa, 5% checked out education options for their children — and just 36% didn’t make such practical inquiries.

Kan doesn’t publish the number of respondents or the margin of error.

At site of attempted assassination, Trump calls his would-be killer a ‘vicious monster’

Former US president and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at the site of his first assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, on October 5, 2024, (Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP)

Republican US presidential candidate Donald Trump returns to the site of a failed assassination attempt against him in July, calling the shooter, who killed one rally-goer, a “vicious monster.”

“Time stopped as this vicious monster unleashed pure evil from his sniper’s perch, not so far away, but by the hand of Providence and the grace of God, that villain did not succeed in his goal,” Trump tells the crowd in Butler, Pennsylvania.

IDF says it’s striking Hezbollah targets in Beirut

After Lebanese media reported airstrikes in Beirut’s southern neighborhoods following IDF evacuation orders, the Israeli military says it is striking Hezbollah terror targets in the Lebanese capital.

It doesn’t provide immediate additional details.

30 rockets fired at Kiryat Shmona; IDF says drone sirens in Golan were false alarm

Rocket alarms have sounded in Kiryat Shmona and nearby communities.

The IDF says 30 launches were identified, with some projectiles intercepted and others impacting in the mostly evacuated city.

Meanwhile, the IDF says that suspected drone infiltration sirens that sounded in the Golan about 30 minutes ago were false identifications.

Palestinians report heavy strikes, shelling in northern Gaza

Palestinian media report a series of heavy airstrikes and artillery shelling in the northern Gaza Strip.

Casualties are reported in the strikes.

#فيديو

الاحتلال يشن أحزمة نارية وغارات عنيفة على شمال قطاع غزة pic.twitter.com/XFQvmofkN2

— Newpress | نيو برس (@NewpressPs) October 5, 2024

The IDF said earlier this evening that it targeted Hamas operatives at a former UNRWA compound in the Jabaliya area of northern Gaza.