Yahoo News Israel briefing: Five key developments in the Israel-Hamas war today
Leading the headlines today is the threat posed by Lebanon on Israel’s northern border.
Meanwhile, Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, is set to meet with Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, a field marshal, in Egypt as part of his tour of the Middle East.
Here are the five key developments this morning.
1. Israel orders 20,000 civilians to evacuate
Israel’s army is to evacuate the city of Kiryat Shmona, after days of clashes with Hezbollah fighters along the border with Lebanon.
The northern city – which housed around 20,000 people before the current conflict – will be emptied after rocket attacks by Hezbollah and allied Palestinian factions intensified in recent days.
”A short while ago, the Northern Command informed the mayor of the city of the decision. The plan will be managed by the local authority, the Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Defence,” the military said.
The Iran-backed Hezbollah and its allies have traded cross-border fire with Israel since Hamas gunmen stormed the southern border.
Read the latest developments on our Israel-Hamas live blog here
2. Fears of a third front
Israeli officials fear that rising violence in the West Bank could open a “third front” to the conflict.
Lieutenant-Colonel Jonathan Conricus told Reuters that Hamas is attempting to “engulf Israel in a two or three-front war”, including the Lebanese border and the West Bank.
“The threat is elevated,” he said, adding that the military is on high alert in the area.
Unrest in the West Bank has flared since Israel began bombarding Gaza and clashing with Hezbollah on the Lebanese border.
More than 70 Palestinians have been killed in West Bank violence since Oct 7 and Israel has arrested more than 800 people.
3. Israel strikes ‘hundreds of targets’ overnight
The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) hit “over a hundred operational targets” overnight, killing a senior Hamas terrorist.
“During the night, fighter jets attacked over a hundred operational targets of the terrorist organisations in the Gaza Strip, destroying tunnel shafts, munitions warehouses and dozens of operational headquarters,” the IDF wrote on Twitter.
The senior Hamas member took part in the “murderous terrorist operations in the Gaza Strip” and was in the naval force of Hamas, the IDF said.
The IDF added that “a terrorist squad associated with the terrorist organisation’s air force that planned to launch missiles at an aircraft was foiled”.
4. Sunak to travel to Egypt
Rishi Sunak will travel to Egypt on Oct 20 as part of a trip to the Middle East.
The Prime Minister wants to press his message that there should be no escalation of violence in the region after the Hamas attack on Israel.
Mr Sunak was the latest Western leader to visit Jerusalem on Thursday to show support for Israel and to try to negotiate a way to secure the release of hostages taken by Hamas and ease the provision of humanitarian aid to people in Gaza.
5. Rafah crossing unlikely to open
The crossing between Egypt and Gaza is not expected to open on Oct 20, according to CNN.
There had been speculation that the Rafah crossing, vital for aid to cross into Gaza amid the conflict with Israel, would open shortly.
But a source familiar with the area said the situation along the border is “really volatile”.
“I would not put money on those trucks going through,” they told CNN.
It is thought that the first set of trucks carrying humanitarian aid will cross over the border this weekend.
