World

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

The latest ground raid into Gaza by Israeli troops has an important distinction from previous incursions. This time the soldiers did not immediately pull out after their attack. Instead, they are “continuing the war” inside the northern part of the enclave in an expansion of Israel’s ground operation. The move is different to a large-scale

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

Israel accused Hamas of launching attacks from hospitals in Gaza, said this was a war crime and signalled that such action could make medical facilities a legitimate target. A military spokesperson claimed the Israeli authorities had “concrete evidence” that hundreds of Hamas fighters who took part in the 7 October terrorist atrocity in southern Israel

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

Russia’s new space station will come online in 2027, Vladimir Putin has said. Moscow‘s Roscosmos space agency committed to building its own orbital outpost last year, when it announced its departure from the International Space Station (ISS). Speaking during a visit to a rocket corporation in Korolyov, outside Moscow, Mr Putin said: “As the resources

There is likely to be a relative amount of cautious optimism from both the US and Chinese camps regarding the efforts to try and stabilise their relations. It feels that Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi’s visit to Washington, where he has met with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, has got off to a reasonably

China’s former deputy leader Li Keqiang has died after suffering a heart attack. The English-speaking economist, 68, had once been considered a contender for the country’s top job, but was passed over in favour of Xi Jinping. Under the centralising grip of President Xi and his amassing of ever-greater powers, China’s premier and second-in-charge became

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

A UN relief agency in Gaza is now having to ration fuel – and make “excruciating decisions” about how its rapidly depleting supplies are used. The UNRWA has been sharing its stockpile so trucks can distribute aid, bakeries can feed people in shelters, and water can be desalinated. Fuel has also been sent to hospitals

A woman went to a clinic after struggling to sleep for days – where doctors found a spider crawling around inside her ear. The 64-year-old, from Taiwan, felt movement in her left ear for several nights in April, followed by clicking and rustling, before deciding to visit doctors. Doctors then found a small spider moving

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

China’s defence minister, who has been missing from public life for nearly two months, has been removed from his post, according to state media. General Li Shangfu was appointed to the role during a cabinet reshuffle in March but he has not been seen publicly since giving a speech on 29 August. Gen Li, 65,

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

Two young boys dressed in just their underpants can be seen scrambling in panic inside the family home as a Hamas terrorist attack struck. Their father ushers his sons towards an exit, scooping up one of them after he stumbles. Caught on security cameras, the boys sprint out of the house, across a yard and

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

Israel has evidence of Iranian “involvement” in the Hamas terror attack that left more than 1,400 people dead and over 200 kidnapped, a senior Israeli military officer has said. Major General Michael Edelstein, a veteran commander who is working with the Israel Defence Forces’ (IDF) Southern Command, said the attackers, were “well trained, well equipped”.