Live: Israel ramps up strikes on Gaza after Iran attack

The United Nations agency for Palestinian relief (Unrwa) has raised concerns over the upcoming autumn, cautioning that “plastic and fabric are not enough to protect people against the rain and the cold.”

In a post on X, accompanied by a video, UNRWA stated: “First heavy rain of the season in Gaza today. Water runs through an overcrowded camp and floods makeshift tents where forcibly displaced families live.”

Israel carried out on Saturday and into Sunday some of the heaviest air strikes in southern Lebanon since hostilities with Hezbollah began nearly a year ago.

The Lebanese group meanwhile fired nearly 100 rockets towards northern Israel, including Haifa and other targets some 50km from the Lebanon boundary.

The Israeli military said it had struck dozens of Hezbollah “targets” in its large-scale air attack. There were no immediate reports of injuries. 

Meanwhile, Hezbollah said it had targeted the Ramat David military airbase and the Rafael arms manufacturer in its rocket attack. 

At least three people were wounded in the attack, according to Israeli media, with videos posted online showing damage caused by the rockets in several locations.

Read more: Heavy Israeli strikes rock southern Lebanon as Hezbollah rockets hit Haifa

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (Unrwa) reported that waste continues to accumulate in Gaza as hundreds of thousands of displaced people crowd into the shrinking space of the besieged coastal enclave.

“This is a landfill site in Khan Younis,” the UN agency said, sharing images of the growing piles of trash. “Waste is everywhere. UNRWA and its partners are working to manage it, but the war and access restrictions create serious obstacles.”

Israeli forces launched a raid on the Balata refugee camp, located east of Nablus, according to a report from the Wafa news agency.

The agency stated that soldiers entered the camp, employing gunfire and sound bombs during the operation.

The Church of England’s spiritual head has called for supporting the Kisiya family, a Palestinian Christian family whose land in the al-Makhrour valley outside Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank was taken over by Israeli settlers.

Justin Welby – who also heads the worldwide Anglican Communion – said in a statement, “The oppression, violence, and discrimination against Palestinians in the West Bank, including Christians, must cease.”

He added: “The Israeli government is not above the law and must stop acting otherwise. Steadfast Christian families such as the Kisiya family, whose ancestral land has been forcibly stolen from them, remain especially in my prayers. We continue to stand in prayerful solidarity with our Palestinian Christian sisters and brothers as they resist the injustice of occupation.”

Lebanon's Ministry of Education and Higher Education has instructed all educational institution directors in conflict-affected areas to close their schools due to safety concerns, according to the National News Agency (NNA).

The ministry has also directed school leaders to notify students and relevant educational districts about the closures.

Earlier, the Lebanese University announced that it would close its branches in the southern cities of Sidon, Nabatieh, and Tyre starting tomorrow.

These disruptions to Lebanon’s education system follow Israel's extensive airstrikes last night, during which it targeted 400 sites in the southern region.

UK Labour Party managers blocked the words "genocide" and "apartheid" in reference to Israel's conduct against Palestinians from being used in brochures at a side event during its annual conference in Liverpool. 

The conference's start was marked by pro-Palestine protests as over 15,000 people marched through the city on Saturday to express their opposition to Britain selling arms to Israel amid its ongoing siege and bombardment of Gaza. 

Labour MP Kim Johnson addressed the crowd but was heckled by some protesters who urged her to "get out of the Labour Party".

Controversy also erupted surrounding a planned fringe event on Palestine at the conference.

The Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) has revealed that party managers refused to allow the words "genocide" and "apartheid" to appear in the name of its fringe event scheduled for Monday in the conference brochure.

Read more: UK: Labour Party bans words 'genocide' and 'apartheid' from conference

President Michael Higgins of the Republic of Ireland has described Israel's closure of Al Jazeera's office in Ramallah as an “outrageous” action, according to our correspondent Gabriel Elizondo.

“I strongly condemn it. I think it’s outrageous. And I would like to say … it tells you a very, very great thing, their refusal to have Al Jazeera operate in Israel,” Higgins stated during a press conference held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meeting.

Iraqi media have reported a drone attack originating from Iraq that targeted the occupied Golan Heights. Israeli sources indicated that sirens were activated recently in the southern Golan region.

According to sources within the "Islamic Resistance in Iraq," a squadron of drones was deployed to strike the Jordan Valley in Israel shortly before the report.

Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide wrote on X that he had met his Lebanese counterpart  Abdallah Bou Habib.

Eide described the recent Israeli assaults, including attacks via personal communication devices, as “a serious escalation and a new form of warfare,” expressing his sympathy for the people of Lebanon.

In the past week, Israel has significantly intensified its attacks on Lebanon, claiming strikes on 400 targets in the southern region just yesterday.

“To avoid further escalation, we need a ceasefire in Gaza now,” Barth Eide stated.

Israel contends that its intensified actions aim to compel Hezbollah to cease its attacks on northern Israel, which Hezbollah's leader has indicated will occur once Israel halts its offensive on the Gaza Strip.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reportedly weighing a plan to ethnically cleanse Palestinian civilians from northern Gaza, including Gaza City, according to a former Israeli military official cited by CNN.

Netanyahu is considering this as part of efforts to allegedly encircle Hamas and pressure the group to release captives, which would see the population of northern Gaza, already besieged by Israel, being further starved.

The plan would turn the northern Gaza Strip into a closed military zone, meaning any person refusing to immediately leave their home would be killed by Israel. The proposal was made by a group of retired Israeli generals.

According to CNN, it has also been presented to the Israeli cabinet and a key parliamentary committee.

However, it remains unclear how many Palestinians still reside in northern Gaza or whether, when, and how civilians would be permitted to return.

"Those who leave will receive food and water," Giora Eiland, a retired Israeli military general spearheading the proposal, alluded to the plan, which would see people being starved.

The Lebanese University has announced that several of its branches will be closed on Monday in response to ongoing Israeli attacks.

Campuses in Sidon, Nabatieh, and Tyre will remain closed, with the university stating: "Further updates will be provided as the situation develops."

On Saturday, the Israeli military reported conducting hundreds of airstrikes across southern Lebanon.

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has arrested 12 individuals across six provinces for allegedly collaborating with Israel in actions against Iran’s security, as reported by the Iran Student News Network.

No additional details were given about the alleged spy cell.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog confirmed that 100,000 people have been evacuated due to daily Hezbollah attacks, which he said are devastating Israeli villages and towns.

Herzog also stated that the Hezbollah leaders targeted in Beirut on Friday had been planning attacks resembling those carried out on 7 October.