Israel-Hamas war live: Israeli forces strike targets in Syria and Lebanon; 33 aid trucks enter Gaza

All living former prime ministers of Australia, except Paul Keating, have co-signed a statement regarding the Israel-Hamas war.

The statement condemns the 7 October attack by Hamas on Israel, calls for the unconditional release of hostages taken by Hamas, and for sustained humanitarian access for Palestinians.

On the battlefield in Israel and Gaza we do not presume to give strategic advice to Israel. But the legitimate objective of defeating Hamas must be accompanied by support and protection for the civilian population of Gaza. Israel promises it will do all it can to avoid civilian casualties, we urge it to do so with all of its humanity and skill.

The former prime ministers also endorse a two-state solution “as the basis for long-term lasting peace between the Israeli and Palestinian peoples”.

The statement concludes:

At this time, more than ever, we must, in the words of the 34th Psalm ‘seek peace and pursue it’. And here at home that is done by defending our Australian values, condemning hate speech and intolerance and respecting the people of Australia in all our diversity.

It is signed by John Howard, Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard, Tony Abbott, Malcolm Turnbull and Scott Morrison. In a statement yesterday, Keating said he was contacted by Mark Leibler proposing the joint statement and asking for his agreement and signature.

I told Leibler in a written message that I would not be agreeing to join other former prime ministers in authorising the statement.

That remains my position.

Leibler is the former president of the Zionist Federation of Australia and current chairman of the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council.

Another 33 aid trucks were allowed to pass into Gaza from Egypt on Sunday, according to a spokesperson at the Rafah crossing, Wael Abo Omar. It is the largest number of aid trucks to cross in a day since the conflict began, but humanitarian workers have told the Associated Press that the assistance still falls desperately short of what’s needed, as only a fraction of the aid that used to cross prior has gotten through.

On Sunday thousands of Gaza residents broke into UN warehouses to take food and other essentials, in what the United Nations Palestinian refugee agency said was a sign people had reached “breaking point”.

The Palestinian Red Crescent agency earlier said 24 trucks had been allowed to pass, bringing the total number to 118.

After visiting the Rafah crossing, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court called the suffering of civilians “profound” and said he had not been able to enter Gaza. “These are the most tragic of days,” said Karim Khan, whose court has been investigating the actions of Israeli and Palestinian authorities since 2014.

Palestinians in northern Gaza have reported fierce air and artillery strikes in the last few hours.

Palestinian media reported Israeli air strikes had hit areas near Gaza City’s Shifa and Al-Quds hospitals, and that Palestinian militants and Israeli forces had fought in southern border areas east of Khan Younis. The Palestinian Red Crescent said on Sunday that it had received warnings from Israeli authorities to immediately evacuate al-Quds hospital, where some 14,000 people have sought shelter. The Guardian has not independently verified the reports, and there has been no comment from Hamas or the Israeli military.

On Sunday evening the IDF had delivered a briefing saying its ground operation was continuing and intensifying. The spokesman also said its call for Gaza residents to evacuate to the south – ahead of military targeting of the north – was now “a matter of urgency”.

Israel also released photos of tanks on Gaza’s west coast, which Reuters reported as a signal of a potential effort to surround Gaza’s main city.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has released preliminary findings of its investigation into the death of its journalist Issam Abdallah on 13 October, saying they believe he was killed by a “targeted strike” from the direction of the Israeli border.

“According to the ballistic analysis carried out by RSF, the shots came from the east of where the journalists were standing; from the direction of the Israeli border,” RSF said.

“Two strikes in the same place in such a short space of time (just over 30 seconds), from the same direction, clearly indicate precise targeting.”

The RSF report did not conclude who had launched the strike against the journalists or provide its underlying analysis.

The Israel Defense Forces did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters on the RSF’s findings. It has said it does not deliberately target journalists and that it is investigating the 13 October incident.

In a statement, Reuters said: “We are reviewing the preliminary conclusion reached by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), which found that Issam Abdallah and other journalists in Alma el-Chaab appear to have been deliberately fired upon from the direction of Israel on 13 October.

“We reiterate our call to the Israeli authorities to conduct a swift, thorough and transparent probe into what happened. And we call upon all other authorities with information about the incident to provide it. We will continue to fight for the rights of all journalists to report the news in the public interest free of harassment or harm, wherever they are.”

Local health authorities in Dagestan have now said about 20 people were injured after hundreds of anti-Israel protesters stormed the airport in Makhachkala. The authorities said two of the injured are in a critical condition, Reuters has reported.

IDF strikes targets in Syria and Lebanon

In the UK, five people have been charged in relation to protests in Central London on Saturday. Tens of thousands of people marched on Saturday, calling for a ceasefire, and protesting against the UK government’s refusal to back one.

Metropolitan Police said 11 people were arrested – nine on the day and another two on Sunday morning. Five have now been charged, including two people for racially aggravated public order offences, two for public order offences, and one for causing actual bodily harm after allegedly assaulting a police officer.

Summary

Jordan has asked the US to deploy Patriot air defense systems to bolster its border defense amid increased regional tensions, Reuters reports a Jordanian army spokesperson saying on Sunday.

“We asked the American side to help bolster our defence system with Patriot air defence missile systems,” Brigadier General Mustafa Hiyari, Jordan’s army spokesperson, told state television.

The International Committee of the Red Cross has announced that three more aid trucks crossed into Gaza on Sunday.

The trucks come as an addition to the six trucks and war surgery team that were sent into Gaza on Friday, the ICRC said, adding that it stands ready to deliver more aid to address the “huge needs” in Gaza.

Israel has summoned the Russian ambassador to lodge a protest at Moscow’s hosting last week of a delegation from Hamas following its October 7 attacks against Israel.

Inviting Hamas “sends a message legitimising terrorism against Israelis,” Israel’s foreign ministry said in a statement, quoting its senior staff as telling ambassador Anatoly Viktorov, Reuters reports.

The ministry described the summons as a protest rather than a reprimand.

Russia had described its hosting of Hamas as an attempt to maintain contacts across all sides of the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict.

On Saturday, Hamas said that it is trying to locate eight Russian-Israeli dual citizens who are among the more than 200 hostages captured during its 7 October attacks against Israel.

“We are looking for those people … It is hard but we are looking. And when we find them, we will let them go … We are very attentive to this list and will process it carefully because we consider Russia to be a close friend,” senior Hamas representative Moussa Abu Marzook said, the RIA Novosti news agency reported.

Russian authorities closed an airport in the city of Makhachkala in the northern Caucasus region and diverted flights, including one from Israel, after media reports showed demonstrators denouncing Israeli actions in Gaza had gathered at the facility.

Reuters reports:

The Russian aviation authority Rosaviatsia said security forces had by 10:20 p.m. Moscow time (1920 GMT) removed the group from Makhchkala airport in Dagestan – one of several areas in the north Caucasus region that is home to large Muslim communities.

The authority said the airport would remain closed pending “normalisation” of the situation. Russia’s Investigative Committee ordered a criminal probe into the incident.

Israel urged Russian authorities to protect Israelis and Jews in their jurisdictions following the reports.

A statement by the foreign ministry in Jerusalem said the Israeli ambassador in Moscow was working with Russian authorities. “The state of Israel views gravely attempts to harm Israelis citizens and Jews anywhere,” the statement said.

Here are some images coming through the newswires of Gaza, where the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli strikes have surpassed 8,000, the Gaza health ministry reports:

Angelina Jolie has spoken out about the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, as well as the ongoing humanitarian crisis currently faced by thousands of Gazans as a result of Israel’s deadly strikes and seige across the strip.

In a statement on Instagram, the former UN special envoy said:

What happened in Israel is an act of terror. But that cannot justify the innocent lives lost in bombing a civilian population in Gaza that has nowhere to go, no access to food or water, no possibility of evacuation, and not even the basic human right to cross a border to see refuge …

The denial of aid, fuel and water is collectively punishing a people. Humanity demands an immediate ceasefire. Palestinian and Israeli lives – and the lives of all people globally – matter equally.

She added that she has donated to medical relief efforts and that she has “chosen to support the work of Doctors Without Borders”.

US secretary of state Antony Blinken said that he spoke with his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan to discuss the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas and the need for humanitarian aid into Gaza.

In a tweet posted on Sunday, Blinken said:

Blinken’s call follows Israel’s announcement on Saturday that it was recalling its diplomats due to “increasingly harsh statements” coming out of Ankara.

Earlier Saturday, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan said during a pro-Palestinian protest that Israel is “an occupier”.

Hundreds of people on Sunday stormed into the main airport in Makhachkala, Russia’s Dagestan region, to protest the arrival of a flight from Tel Aviv, Russian news agencies and social media said.

The Associated Press reports:

Authorities closed the airport in Makhachkala, capital of the predominantly Muslim region, and police converged on the facility.

There were no immediate reports of injuries or arrests.

Russian news reports said people in the crowd were shouting antisemitic slogans and tried to storm the airliner belonging to Russian carrier Red Wings that had landed from Tel Aviv.

Video on social media showed some in the crowd on the landing field waving Palestinian flags.

In a statement released Sunday night, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Israel “expects the Russian law enforcement authorities to protect the safety of all Israeli citizens and Jews wherever they may be and to act resolutely against the rioters and against the wild incitement directed against Jews and Israelis.” Netanyahu’s office added that the Israeli ambassador to Russia was working with Russia to keep Israelis and Jews safe.