Israel has killed a Hamas commander and vowed no let-up in its Gaza barrages.
Palestinian militants rained rockets far across the border.
Washington is now trying to try to calm their most intense hostilities in years.
The UN Secretary General says he’s gravely concerned by the ongoing violence in the Middle East, with fears of a full scale war.
The deadly exchange of fire between Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip and the Israeli military is continuing to worsen, as tensions escalate quickly.
Israel claims more than 1,000 rockets were fired by Palestinian militants.
In response, Israel carried out hundreds of air strikes on Gaza, destroying three tower blocks and killing senior Hamas officials.
A 13-storey residential building in Gaza collapsed after it was hit by an Israeli air strike, one of hundreds that Israel said it had carried out against Hamas targets.
The incoming rocket fire was so relentless that Israel’s Iron Dome rocket-defence system was overwhelmed.
At least 53 Palestinians and six Israelis died, including 14 Palestinian children.
Israel’s response
While the US is calling for Israel to be mindful of civillian casualties, the country’s Prime Minister remains defiant.
We are at the height of a weighty campaign”
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU | ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warns Palestinian militants will pay a “very heavy” price after three Israelis died from rocket attacks on Tel Aviv, in the latest round of violence to roil the region.
In Tel Aviv, air raid sirens were heard around the city. For Israel, the militants’ targeting of Tel Aviv, its commercial capital, poses a new challenge in the confrontation with the Islamist Hamas group.
WATCH as the Iron Dome Aerial Defense System intercepts rockets over southern Israel: pic.twitter.com/xUz3bMuTzz
The White House says Israel has a legitimate right to defend itself from rocket attacks but is applying pressure on Israel over the treatment of Palestinians.
Describing the scenes of destruction in Gaza as ‘harrowing,’ Secretary of State Antony Blinken says a senior aide, Hady Amr, will be sent to urge Israelis and Palestinians to seek calm.
Honeybees in Australia are in lockdown after a deadly parasite was discovered in Sydney
A parasite has been found to weaken and kill bee colonies, which could threaten the already-scarce bee population.
Australian bees have been into lockdown, which means beekeepers are not allowed to move hives, bees or honeycombs until further notice from biosecurity.
Local authorities say swift measures are being taken to contain the disease.
“We have immediately launched an eradication plan which involved setting up a biosecurity zone, containing the infected hives and euthanising the bees.”
NSW Agriculture Minister Dugald Saunders
Until now, Australia is one of a few continents who did not have the varroa destructor, which can attach itself to the body of a bee and weaken its fat.
Nearly one-third of Australia’s food production relies on bee pollination. But the outbreak could cost the honey industry millions of dollars.
The crypto market crash is impacting North Korea’s weapons programme
The recent crypto market crash has made its way to North Korea, where hackers are bearing the brunt.
The isolated country relies on stolen crypto to fund part of their weapons program.
But as crypto holdings drop by millions of dollars, the nation is reportedly scrambling to find new ways to fund Pyongyang’s missile plans.
KCNA
North Korea has ramped up its stolen crypto assets in recent times leading to one of the largest cryptocurrency heists on record earlier this year.
Hackers allegedly stole $615 million worth of crypto prompting the U.S. tplace a warning about potential workers who are hiding their identities to find jobs abroad.
Meanwhile, crypto holdings have decreased in value with the market sliding below $1 trillion for the first time since January 2021.
The leader thanked Penn for his support during the meeting. It comes a week after Zelensky met with Hollywood star Ben Stiller, who was visiting for humanitarian reasons.
“The whole world will soon be able to see the whole truth about the war thanks to his film. Sean, thank you for the support of our state and our people.”
It’s understood 18 people are dead, and dozens are still missing. Moscow says it struck a nearby arms depot and is claiming the mall was empty at the time.
The blast sent shockwaves around surrounding areas, where people can be seen running away from the areas of impact.
Meanwhile, President Zelensky is calling Russia a terrorist state. He urged his U.N. counterparts to stand up and pay their respects, as he dialled in for urgent talks.
“Who of you does not agree that this is terrorism?”
UKRAINE’S PRESIDENT VOLODYMYR ZELENSKY
Zelensky named victims of the war, including a three-month-old. He also drew on the U.N. Charter for maintaining international peace and security.
Meanwhile, Russia’s representatives expressed concern about President Zelensky’s speech. Dmitry Polyanskiy says he did not receive any consultation beforehand.