What we know
- A report released today by U.N. experts accused Israel of war crimes and the crime against humanity of extermination for carrying out a “concerted policy to destroy Gaza’s healthcare system.”
- The Israeli military continued dismantling Hezbollah leadership, killing two military commanders in airstrikes. Strikes also hit Syria this morning as Israel expands its campaign across the Middle East.
- Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Israel's response to Iran's missile attack would be "lethal, precise and, above all, surprising" after President Joe Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
- The U.N. force in Lebanon accused Israel of repeatedly hitting its positions and injuring two peacekeepers in the country's south. More than 2,000 people have been killed and more than 1.2 million have been displaced in Lebanon.
- The U.S. told the U.N. Security Council last night that Israel must urgently address "catastrophic conditions" in the Gaza Strip. An Israel Defense Forces strike killed at least 26 people sheltering in a school there today, according to Gaza's government, while local health authorities say Israel's yearlong assault has killed at least 42,000 people.
Aid into Gaza has 'plummeted' to lowest levels in months, WFP says
The closing of roads and crossing points has pushed the World Food Program to stop distributing food in Gaza for October, the organization said.
Aid going into Gaza has "plummeted to its lowest level in months," and the situation is even worse in northern Gaza, which is essentially inaccessible, WFP said. Northern Gaza, which again faces intense military combat and mass evacuation orders, is basically inaccessible, the group said.
"With the main aid crossings into northern Gaza closed and WFP-partner kitchens forced to shut down, WFP is no longer able to distribute food in any form to families that desperately need it," it said.
The south may face similar issues, as WFP says it faces shortages of supplies needed to run its programs there. It said remaining bakeries may be at risk of closing within a week as flour supplies dwindle.
Iranian foreign minister accuses Israel of seeking war and dragging countries into it
In an interview with Al Jazeera today, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi reiterated the Iran's position that it does not seek a wider war but will be ready for any scenario.
"Israel is seeking a large-scale war and dragging countries into it," Araghchi said. "Iran is not the only one that does not want a large-scale war, but everyone knows the catastrophic consequences of such a war."
He criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying he has not achieved his goal of eliminating Hamas in the yearlong war in Gaza and "will face the same situation" against Hezbollah in Lebanon. Araghchi has been touring the region, visiting with officials in Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
He said there is "consensus" on the need to find a diplomatic solution.
"Diplomatic channels are open with America through other countries, and we are exchanging views indirectly," Araghchi said. "The global attention to what is happening in Lebanon and Gaza is the most important outcome of these contacts."
Amnesty International calls evacuation orders in Lebanon 'inadequate' and 'misleading'
Israel's evacuation orders to Lebanese civilians are "inadequate" and sometimes "misleading," according to an analysis from Amnesty International.
The organization said it examined some of the IDF calls for civilians to leave, particularly in the southern suburbs of Beirut where the Israeli military has leveled buildings in its pursuit of Hezbollah leadership.
One example Amnesty International cited was a Sept. 27 warning for civilians to leave a 500-meter radius around a group of buildings the IDF intended to target. Amnesty said the map showed only a 135-meter radius.
Civilians are often given short notice to leave, it said. It cited a Sept. 30 evacuation order that came only 30 minutes before a series of strikes. Another warning issued Oct. 3 warned residents to leave immediately at 10:51 p.m., and local media reported strikes minutes later, the organization said.
Amnesty International Secretary General Agnès Callamard said the large number of deaths in Lebanon raises the fear that Israeli forces are "flouting their obligation" under the law.
"Having spent the last 12 months investigating Israel’s war crimes in Gaza, Amnesty International is extremely concerned that Israel may be seeking to replicate the approach it followed in Gaza, resulting in unprecedented civilian harm," Callamard said.
The IDF did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
WHO urges humanitarian pause in Gaza so polio vaccines can be given
A second round of polio vaccinations is scheduled to be given in Gaza next week, and the World Health Organization is urging parties to observe a temporary cease-fire in order for it to happen.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO's general director, posted on X that at least 90% of children need second doses of the vaccine to stop polio transmission. The goal is to vaccinate more than half a million children in Gaza.
"We urge for the commitment on humanitarian pauses to be upheld, especially given the evacuation orders in the north of Gaza which are threatening access to hospitals and protection of health facilities and health and community workers," Tedros said.
E.U. foreign affairs chief condemns Israeli attack on U.N. peacekeepers
Josep Borrell, the European Union's top diplomat, reiterated the body's support for U.N. forces after two peacekeepers were injured in Lebanon.
"Another line has been dangerously crossed in Lebanon: IDF shelling of @UN peacekeepers whose positions are known," Borrell wrote. "We condemn this inadmissible act, for which there is no justification."
The U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon said today that the IDF attacked its peacekeepers and outposts in three incidents in the last day, one of which hospitalized two peacekeepers. The IDF has not responded to the allegation.
Borrell called the attacks unacceptable and said he is seeking "full accountability."
"Any deliberate attack on peacekeepers is a grave violation of International Humanitarian Law and of the UNSC Resolution 1701; Israel has an obligation to respect both," he said.
U.S. concerned about reports Israel fired on U.N. peackeepers' positions in Lebanon
The U.S. is deeply concerned about reports that Israeli forces fired on U.N. peacekeepers’ positions in southern Lebanon and is pressing Israel for details about the incidents, a White House National Security Council spokesperson said today.
“We understand Israel is conducting targeted operations near the Blue Line to destroy Hezbollah infrastructure that could be used to threaten Israeli citizens,” the spokesperson said.
“While they undertake these operations, it is critical that they not threaten U.N. peacekeepers' safety and security.”
IDF says 190 'projectiles' fired at Israel from Lebanon today
Around 190 "projectiles" were fired at Israel from Lebanon today, according to the IDF.
Hezbollah issued several statements today announcing its projectiles, including rockets launched at soldiers in Kfar Giladi and barracks in Yiftah. The militant group said it also fired at IDF forces in southern Lebanon.
Israel's military said earlier in the day that Hezbollah has fired more than 13,000 rockets, missiles and drones at it since last year.
20 killed, 60 wounded in strike on Gaza school, Doctors Without Borders says
A strike on a school in central Gaza's Deir-Al-Balah killed at least 20 people, according to Médecins Sans Frontières, also known as Doctors Without Borders.
The organization said 60 more people, including five critically wounded children, were taken to Al-Asqa hospital. The facility is supported by MSF, and nurse Eliza Sabatini said staff members at the hospital were "feeling helpless.
"There are no beds and not enough supplies to treat the wounded," she said. "We don’t even have sterile gauzes left."
The IDF did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A spokesperson for the Israeli military required coordinates for the strike, which NBC News did not have.
IDF says it was fighting near UNIFIL headquarters today, doesn't address 2 other alleged UNIFIL attacks
The IDF said today it is in constant communication with the U.N. Interim Forces in Lebanon after the U.N. agency accused it of repeatedly hitting a U.N. watchtower in Lebanon, injuring two peacekeepers.
In its first statement since UNIFIL accused it of three separate incidents, the IDF said in a statement that it is constant communication with UNIFIL and confirmed that it was operating in the area of Naqoura today, where UNFIL is headquartered.
"The IDF instructed the UN forces in the area to remain in protected spaces, following which the forces opened fire in the area," the statement said.
UNIFIL alleged that an IDF tank fired a direct hit on its watchtower in Naqoura, causing two peacekeepers to fall and be hospitalized.
UNIFIL alleged that there were two other incidents in the last day in which Israeli troops fired at its bases in Lebanon, which the IDF statement did not address.
One was an attack on a bunker in Labbouneh where peacekeepers were sheltering, damaging vehicles and communications systems. UNIFIL said it observed an IDF drone flying inside the U.N. position up to the bunker entrance. The previous day, UNIFIL said that IDF soliders had deliberately fired at and disabled the position’s perimeter-monitoring cameras.
UNIFIL's Ras Naqoura outpost, where meetings among Israel, the U.N. and Hezbollah are held, was also attacked in separate incident by the border. The organization said the location was "deliberately fired upon," damaging the relay station.
22 killed, 117 injured in Beirut strikes
Lebanon’s Public Health Ministry reported an initial death toll of at least 22 people and 117 wounded in two separate strikes in central Beirut today.
The strikes were significantly closer to the heart of the capital than the southern suburbs where Israel has been striking in the last few weeks.
According to The Associated Press, the strike in Ras al-Nabaa hit the lower floors of an eight-story apartment building, and the one on Burj Abi Haidar collapsed an entire building, engulfing it in flames.
Just before the strikes, Lebanon's emergency government committee reported that 28 people were killed and 113 others were wounded in the last day.