World

Israel said its forces have attacked Hamas gunmen inside the militant group’s vast tunnel network beneath Gaza as fighting shows no sign of stopping. After the first successful rescue of a hostage held by Hamas, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected calls for a ceasefire and vowed to crush the group’s ability to govern Gaza.

Israel will not agree to a ceasefire as it would be equivalent to surrendering to Hamas and terrorism, Benjamin Nethanyu has said. The Israeli prime minister said his country would not stop military activity “just as the United States would not agree to a ceasefire after the bombing of Pearl Harbor or the terrorist attack

Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip “will escalate”, the country’s chief military spokesperson has warned, as troops push deeper into the region. Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said Israel Defence Forces (IDF) troops are deployed along the northern border and “prepared for any scenario”. Dozens of militants were killed overnight, he added, but he refused

Israel has warned of a long war to defeat Hamas, but it will surely be hoping to achieve its other main objective much faster – the rescue of more than 200 hostages. Ground troops have pushed into Gaza in what is being described the “second stage” of their offensive against the militant group that controls

Israel will expand ground operations tonight and has warned residents of Gaza City to move south. Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, a spokesman for the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), said: “In addition to the attacks that we carried out in recent days, ground forces are expanding their activity this evening. “The IDF is acting with great

Israeli forces backed by warplanes and drones have carried out a second ground raid in Gaza as aid trickles into the besieged territory amid warnings of a deepening “humanitarian catastrophe”. The operation comes as the Israeli military prepares for a widely expected invasion of the Hamas-governed enclave. Meanwhile, US jets struck targets in eastern Syria

Israel will carry out more limited incursions into Gaza before any attempt at a full-scale invasion. Commanders have said that their war against Hamas, which controls the Palestinian enclave, will be different to any of the previous conflicts between the two foes. It has already been notably different in terms of scale, with an unprecedented

China has launched its youngest ever crew into space ahead of its planned moon mission in 2030. Beijing’s Shenzhou 17 spacecraft took off in a Long March rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre on the edge of the Gobi Desert at 11.14am (3.14am UK time) today. Tang Hongbo, Tang Shengjie and Jiang Xinlin will

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he will have to “answer for what happened” on 7 October as he addressed the nation. Mr Netanyahu also vowed to “rain hellfire” on Hamas in a televised address but declined to provide any details on when a ground invasion may begin. Hamas fighters killed at least 1,400 people

Weeks on from one of the most destructive earthquakes in Afghanistan’s history, thousands of people in Herat are living in tents next to what remains of their homes. The 6.3-magnitude quake hit on 11 October, destroying entire villages and leaving more than 2,400 people dead. Women and children have been disproportionately affected by the disaster,

A Chinese container ship’s dislodged anchor caused damage to a Baltic Sea gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia, Finnish police believe. The Hong Kong-flagged cargo vessel Newnew Polar Bear is responsible for the damage earlier this month to the undersea Balticconnector pipeline spanning the Gulf of Finland, said the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), citing

A British cargo ship has reportedly sunk off the coast of Germany following a collision, and several people are missing. Two vessels crashed into each other in the North Sea, according to German authorities. The ships, Polesie and Verity, collided in the early morning about 14 miles southwest of the island of Helgoland, Germany’s Central

Iceland’s prime minister is expected to join tens of thousands of women in a strike for equal pay on Tuesday, labour unions in the country have said. Katrín Jakobsdóttir told Icelandic media that she plans to take part in the industrial action, organised under the slogan ‘Do you call this equality?’, and not come to

The world’s oldest dog has died at the age of 31. Born on 11 May 1992, Bobi was recognised by Guinness World Records as the oldest dog ever in February. The purebred Rafeiro do Alentejo broke a record held by Australian cattle-dog Bluey, who died at 29 years and five months in 1939. Image: Pic:

Five people have been killed in the West Bank as Israel carried out a strike on a mosque it says was used to organise attacks – as more than 50 Palestinians are reported to have died in strikes on Gaza overnight. Israel also struck two airports in Syria as fears grow the two-week old war

Israel will increase its strikes on Gaza, its military has warned, as airstrikes rained down on south Gaza, an area Israel had said would be safer. Israel’s military spokesman, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, said the country planned to step up its air strikes starting on Saturday in preparation for the next stage of the war.

An explosion at the al Ahli hospital in Gaza on Tuesday killed many – officials linked to Hamas said up to 471 were killed. This latest round of fighting has inflamed anger and violence well beyond the confines of the Israel/Hamas conflict. The Israelis insist they have evidence which suggests that the damage was not

They’re the big underdogs heading into the game in Paris, but England’s rugby players have become used to being written off lately. Their form heading into the tournament in France was woeful, and yet they’re the only unbeaten side left in the semi-finals. Now they face a South Africa team that’s proved to be their

Meta has apologised after Instagram inserted the word “terrorist” into some Palestinian users’ profile bios. Some bios containing the word “Palestinian” followed by the Palestinian flag emoji and the Arabic phrase “Alhamdulillah,” which means “Praise be to God”, were being auto-translated to: “Praise be to God, Palestinian terrorists are fighting for their freedom.” The issue

Joe Biden said Hamas and Vladimir Putin both want to “annihilate” neighbouring democracies during a rare speech from the Oval Office. The president addressed the nation after his whirlwind trip to the Middle East. “If international aggression is allowed to continue, conflict and chaos could spread in other parts of the world,” he said. “Hamas