Israel launches attacks on Gaza, blocks majority of aid

Israeli soldiers raided the occupied West Bank village of Kafr Ein late on Saturday, detaining a 15-year-old Palestinian, identified as Abdullah Malek al-Issa. 

Soldiers broke into the teenager's home, the official Palestinian Wafa news agency reported. 

Israeli forces also carried out similar raids on homes in Nablus, following the use of tear gas and sound bombs on civilians. 

An Israeli attack on southern Lebanon has killed four people, reports state. 

The Israeli Army Radio said that a short while ago, the army launched a strike on a vehicle travelling in the village of Kaft Rumman, in the south of the country. 

Lebanon's Ministry of Health said an additional three people were wounded in the attack. 

Gaza's government media office late on Saturday hit out at claims from the US Central Command, which said that Hamas looted humanitarian aid in the Strip. 

The media office denounced the claims as a "media disinformation campaign".

Israeli settlers assaulted three Palestinian women late on Saturday, wounding them, in the occupied West Bank village of Tell, located west of Nablus. 

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society reported that the women were transferred to a nearby hospital for treatment after they were beaten.

Palestinian group Hamas on Saturday evening reiterated that they are committed to the ceasefire deal with Israel, despite the attacks from the latter. 

The group pushed for a full Israeli withdrawal and affirmed that they will comply with their obligations, which include locating and returning the remaining bodies of captives.

The dilapidated Gaza home of the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat is being used to shelter displaced civilians. 

AFPTV footage shows the house, converted into a museum after the Palestinian leader's death in 2004 and bearing murals in his honour, surrounded by rubble.

Located in the Rimal neighbourhood in Gaza City, the house was heavily damaged by Israeli strikes.

Three-quarters of the buildings in the Gaza Strip have been destroyed by Israel over the two-year war on the enclave, producing over 61 million tonnes of debris, according to UN data analysed by AFP.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has warned that the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip remains fragile due to Israel’s continued military actions, urging all parties to ensure its full implementation.

“Although the agreement remains fragile because of ongoing Israeli aggression, it provides a vital opportunity to end the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. We must guarantee its full enforcement,” Fidan said.

He also underscored the importance of restoring Palestinian control over the Gaza Strip to build on the progress made during the Sharm el-Sheikh summit held in Egypt on 13 October.

Israeli airstrikes, artillery fire, and tank shelling have continued around Gaza's southern city of Khan Younis despite the declared ceasefire.

Citing local residents, Al Jazeera reported that Israeli forces are still demolishing residential buildings in the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza and in northern Gaza City, with quadcopter drones seen dropping grenades.

Israel has also permitted a team from the International Committee of the Red Cross, accompanied by Egyptian engineering equipment, to enter areas beyond the “yellow line” truce boundary in Bani Suheila, east of Khan Younis.

The mission aimed to locate the bodies of Israeli captives believed to have been killed in the area.

This is the second time that Israel has allowed Hamas personnel, alongside equipment, to cross beyond the so-called yellow line.

Turkey will on Monday host a meeting of foreign ministers from Muslim countries to discuss a US peace plan for Gaza, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said.

Fidan told reporters on Friday that the meeting would "evaluate our progress and discuss what we can achieve together in the next stage".

The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) has released a video allegedly showing looters stealing an aid truck in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, on Friday.

According to CENTCOM, the footage — captured by an American drone monitoring the ceasefire- depicts suspected Hamas operatives attacking the truck’s driver before taking the vehicle’s contents. The driver’s condition remains unknown.

The New Arab could not independently verify the authenticity of the video.

US Drone Observes Aid Truck Looted by Hamas in Gaza

TAMPA, Fla. – On Oct. 31, the U.S.-led Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC) observed suspected Hamas operatives looting an aid truck traveling as part of a humanitarian convoy delivering needed assistance from… pic.twitter.com/BFa2BPwk2a

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) November 1, 2025

Israel is deliberately restricting the entry of medical aid into Gaza, according to Dr Munir al-Bursh, director general of the territory’s health ministry.

Speaking to Al Jazeera, Bursh accused Israel of enforcing a “drip-feed” policy- permitting minimal humanitarian aid while blocking critical medicines and medical equipment despite growing emergencies.

He warned of an “unprecedented catastrophe” as Israel continues to obstruct the entry of life-saving drugs and medical supplies into the Strip.

An Israeli drone strike targeted a vehicle in the town of Kfar Sir, located in Lebanon’s southern Nabatieh region, according to the National News Agency.

The report did not specify whether there were any casualties.

The attack comes a day after another Israeli airstrike near Nabatieh, for which Israel claimed responsibility, saying it killed a Hezbollah operative.

Despite a ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah in November 2024, Israel has continued to launch strikes across southern Lebanon.

Rescue teams in southern Gaza have recovered the bodies of three Palestinians from beneath the rubble in the al-Amal neighbourhood of Khan Younis, according to the Wafa news agency.

Wafa reported that the victims were killed in an earlier Israeli air strike targeting the city.

The Gaza Health Ministry said that the death toll from Israel’s two-year war on the enclave has reached 68,858, with 170,664 others injured.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) has condemned a sharp rise in Israeli settler violence targeting Palestinian olive harvesters.

"October 2025 is set to become the most violent month since UNRWA began recording settler attacks in 2013," the agency said in a statement.

Roland Friedrich, UNRWA’s director in the occupied West Bank, warned that the ongoing assaults on olive farmers “threaten the very way of life for many Palestinians”, as olive cultivation remains a crucial source of income for thousands of families.

Five Palestinians have been killed and 17 bodies recovered in the past 24 hours, Gaza’s Health Ministry said on Saturday.

The ministry reported that the total death toll from Israel’s two-year war on the Gaza Strip has climbed to 68,858, with 170,664 others wounded.

“A number of victims remain trapped under the rubble and in the streets, as ambulance and civil defence teams have been unable to reach them so far,” the statement added.

Despite the ceasefire that began on 11 October, at least 226 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza, with 594 injured and 499 bodies recovered from the ruins.

Israeli forces have reportedly advanced into southern Syria’s Quneitra region, with a convoy of military vehicles heading towards the strategic al-Tal al-Ahmar area.

According to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), at least 12 vehicles — including pick-up trucks, troop carriers, and jeeps — moved from the occupied town of al-Hamidiyah, crossing into the village of Ofaniya before proceeding towards al-Tal al-Ahmar.

In recent months, the Israeli military has carried out several cross-border operations into Syria’s southern provinces, including Quneitra, despite repeated international calls to respect Syrian sovereignty.

Following the collapse of the Bashar al-Assad regime in late 2024, Israel reportedly expanded its control over the occupied Golan Heights by establishing a so-called “buffer zone” — a move that breached the 1974 Disengagement Agreement between the two countries.

A Hamas security source told AFP news agency on Saturday that Israel had carried out several air strikes in the south at dawn, and that "warships opened fire toward the shores of Khan Younis".

Father-of-five Hisham al-Bardai, who recently returned to his home in north Gaza's Jabalia camp, told AFP Saturday that he had heard "gunfire several times from the occupation forces" during the night.

"The truce has begun, but the war hasn't ended, and (Israel)'s policy of starvation continues," he said, referring to Israel's strict blockade on the entry of supplies into Gaza, which it eased after the ceasefire went into effect.

Like many Gazans who moved back to neighbourhoods previously under evacuation orders, Bardai found a collapsed building where his home once stood.

"Despite the widespread destruction in Jabalia camp, people are starting to return, even though the situation is dangerous," the 37-year-old said.

An Israel-Saudi normalisation deal is “virtually impossible” to achieve before the end of the year and would require a “miraculous change” in Israel, a Saudi commentator with close ties to the kingdom’s leadership told The New York Times, tempering US President Donald Trump’s optimism on the issue.

The remarks come ahead of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s expected trip to Washington, DC, later this month, where Trump is reportedly planning to press for progress on normalisation.

Ali Shihabi, a political commentator known for his proximity to the Saudi leadership, said that such a deal remains highly unlikely “unless a miraculous change took place in Israel.”

Shihabi explained that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman insists Israel must take “an irrevocable, major step toward a Palestinian state” before any normalisation agreement — a demand seen as improbable given the stance of Israel’s current right-wing government, which rejects the two-state solution.

He added that normalisation is the kingdom’s last remaining leverage on behalf of the Palestinians, saying, “the kingdom wants to use that card to try and solve the problem once and for all for the benefit of the long elusive regional stability.”

According to The Times, during his US visit, the crown prince will prioritise signing a mutual defence agreement similar to the one recently concluded between Washington and Qatar.

Saudi Arabia also aims to secure access to F-35 fighter jets and advance negotiations for establishing a civilian nuclear programme, the newspaper reported.

The Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s armed wing, said it is ready to carry out the recovery of captives’ bodies located inside the Israeli-controlled “Yellow Line” zone in the Gaza Strip at the same time.

In a statement, the group called on mediators and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to "provide and prepare the necessary equipment and teams to recover all the bodies simultaneously."

Israeli settlers have launched their latest assault in the occupied West Bank- targeting the village of al-Maniya, located southeast of Bethlehem.

The Palestine Red Crescent Society reported that a group of settlers opened fire on residents, injuring three people.

According to the Wafa news agency, which cited the head of the village council, Zayed Kawazbeh, the illegal settlers were protected by Israeli forces stationed in the area during the attack.

Kawazbeh said the settlers “fired gunshots directly at Palestinians near al-Maniya,” wounding three in the lower body. The injured were taken to hospital for medical treatment.

The incident adds to a growing wave of violence by Israeli settlers across the occupied West Bank, as Israeli forces continue to escalate efforts to forcibly displace tens of thousands of Palestinians.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has urged Israelis, Palestinians, Arab nations, and European partners to work collectively to advance the Middle East peace plan.

“The task now is to give the people here in the Middle East hope by ensuring that political action follows the extensive agreements and declarations of intent,” Wadephul said on Saturday at the IISS Manama Dialogue security conference in Bahrain’s capital, Manama.

He stressed that many of the region’s challenges can only be resolved through cooperation and close coordination with Europe.

Wadephul also warned that the current ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza remains unstable and will require ongoing commitment from all sides to hold.

He further called for the disarmament of Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza, as well as the strengthening of Lebanon’s national army. “These are all mammoth tasks that lie ahead of us, but they must be tackled,” he said.

The mayor of Gaza’s southern city of Khan Younis says many displaced residents continue to endure severe hardship without access to basic shelter, including tents.

Speaking to Al Jazeera English, Alaa al-Batta appealed for more tents, cement, and spare parts for machinery to be allowed into the enclave’s second-largest city.

“So far, we have not seen any movement to alleviate the daily suffering of the displaced,” the mayor told AJE.

Jordan and Germany said on Saturday that an international force expected to support a future Palestinian police in Gaza under US President Donald Trump's post-war governance plan should have a UN mandate.

Under the US-brokered ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, a coalition of mainly Arab and Muslim nations is expected to deploy forces in the Palestinian territory, which has been devastated by the war that broke out on October 7, 2023 with Hamas's attack on Israel.

The so-called international stabilisation force is supposed to train and support vetted Palestinian police in the Strip, with backing from Egypt and Jordan, as well as secure border areas and prevent weapons smuggling to Hamas.

"We all agree that in order for that stabilisation force to be able to be effective in getting the job done, it has to have a Security Council mandate," Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said.

Jordan, however, will not be sending its own forces to the Strip.

"We're too close to the issue and we cannot deploy troops in Gaza," Safadi said, adding his country was nonetheless ready to cooperate with the international force.

Safadi was speaking at the IISS Manama Dialogue conference in Bahrain alongside his German counterpart Johann Wadephul, who also supported a UN mandate for the force, saying it would "need a clear basis in international law".

"We understand that this is of utmost importance to those countries who might be willing to send troops to Gaza and for the Palestinians. Germany would also want to see a clear mandate for this mission," Wadephul said.

The idea of the stabilisation force has drawn some criticism, with UN experts last month warning it would "replace Israeli occupation with a US-led occupation, contrary to Palestinian self-determination".

The Hebron Battalion of the al-Quds Brigades said on Friday that it had killed at least one Israeli soldier during clashes in the occupied West Bank.

In a statement, the group said the incident occurred as “enemy reinforcements stormed the town of Beit Ummar,” adding that there were “confirmed casualties among enemy forces.”

“Our fighters continue to confront the invading troops, adapting to the conditions and realities on the ground,” the statement added.

A prominent rights group has condemned continued United States support for what it described as a “genocidal Israeli government”, following a new report detailing hundreds of alleged human rights abuses in Gaza.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has called for immediate action after a US government review reportedly identified “many hundreds” of cases of human rights violations committed by Israeli forces during the two-year war on Gaza.

CAIR said the findings mark the first time a US government document has formally acknowledged the extent of Israeli actions in Gaza that may fall under the “Leahy Laws” — legislation that prohibits American aid to foreign militaries implicated in human rights abuses.

“The State Department’s report exposes what is blatantly obvious to the whole world – Israel has committed horrific atrocities and crimes against humanity in Gaza,” CAIR’s National Executive Director Nihad Awad said in a statement.

“Our nation has been stained by the support of administrations of both major parties for these atrocities, and the fact that many of them were carried out with American weapons. This must end. The Leahy Law must be applied to the genocidal Israeli government. No more American weapons should be used to slaughter innocent men, women and children,” he added.

Israel believes that the latest remains handed over by Hamas do not belong to any of the hostages, according to Israeli media reports.

The Red Cross announced last night that it had transferred the remains of three individuals to Israel, which continues to search for the bodies of 11 captives who died in Gaza.

However, following forensic examinations, Israeli authorities have concluded that none of the remains are those of abductees, Israeli outlets including Army Radio and Channel 12 reported.