Tel Aviv [Israel], October 14 (ANI): As the tensions escalate in West Asia further, at least 41 people were killed, including at least 13 children in Israeli airstrikes in Gaza on Sunday, CNN reported citing the hospitals.
According to officials from the Al Awda and Al Aqsa hospitals, at least 22 people lost their lives in Israeli strikes at Al Mufti school in Gaza‘s Nuseirat refugee camp.
Among the people who died was one infant as well. The child died shortly after arrival at the hospital despite repeated attempts to save him by the medical teams.
It is pertinent to note that over 5,000 displaced people are sheltering in the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) school, CNN reported citing Gaza‘s civil defence.
Meanwhile, in northern Gaza, five children were killed in an Israeli airstrike while playing marbles in Al Shati camp, according to Al Shifa hospital in Gaza City.
Earlier at the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, eight members of a family — including six children — were killed when the Israeli military struck a house they were sheltering in, according to Al Aqsa Hospital, according to CNN. Another six people were killed when an Israeli tank shelled the Bureij refugee camp, it said.

The conflict in Gaza started after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7. About 2,500 terrorists breached the border into Israel from the Gaza Strip, leading to casualties and the seizure of hostages. Following the October 7 attack, Israel launched a counter-offensive against Hamas, vowing to eliminate the entire terror group while making efforts to minimise civilian casualties.
The war has spiralled into the region lately, with Houthi rebels in Yemen also targeting Israel and other countries in the Red Sea.
An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) launched by the Hezbollah terrorist organization struck an Israeli army base, killing four IDF soldiers on Sunday, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said.
The IDF expressed condolences to the families and urged the public to refrain from spreading rumours or sharing the names of the injured to respect the families’ privacy.
“Yesterday, a UAV launched by the Hezbollah terrorist organisation hit an army base. 4 IDF soldiers were killed in the incident. The IDF shares in the grief of the bereaved families and will continue to accompany them,” the IDF said in a post on X on Monday.
“We ask to refrain from spreading rumours and the names of injured individuals, and to respect the families,” it added.
The incident occurred reportedly after the Israeli military detected five projectiles launched from Lebanon. Sirens were activated in several regions, including Upper Galilee, Central Galilee, Western Galilee, Haifa Bay, and Carmel. (ANI)

US to deploy THAAD missile defense system in Israel

Virginia [US], October 14 (ANI): The United States (US) is sending its advanced anti-missile system — Terminal High-Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) battery, to Israel, along with a US military crew to operate it.
An announcement in this regard was made by the Pentagon on Sunday.
Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. General Pat Ryder said in a statement that at the direction of the President, Secretary Lloyd Austin authorized the deployment of a THAAD battery and associated crew of US military personnel to Israel to help bolster Israel’s air defense following Iran’s unprecedented attack against Israel on April 13 and again on October 1.
“The THAAD battery will augment Israel’s integrated air defense system. This action underscores the United State’s ironclad commitment to the defense of Israel, and to defend Americans in Israel, from and further ballistic missile attacks by Iran. It is part of the broader adjustments the US military has made in recent months, to support the defense of Israel and protect Americans from attacks by Iran and Iranian-aligned militias,” said Ryder.
“This is not the first time the US has deployed a THAAD battery to the region. The President directed the military to deploy a THAAD battery to the Middle East last year following the October 7th attacks to defend American troops and interests in the region,” he said.
The United States previously deployed a THAAD battery to Israel in 2019 for training and an integrated air defense exercise, he added.
Earlier, a large barrage of anti-tank missiles was fired towards Israeli troops in southern Lebanon on Sunday, a statement by the Israel Defence Forces said.
The IDF stated that during the attack, two soldiers were severely injured and multiple other soldiers were lightly and moderately injured.
In a post on X, the IDF said, “Earlier today (Sunday), a large barrage of anti-tank missiles was fired toward IDF troops in southern Lebanon. During the attack, two IDF soldiers were severely injured and multiple other soldiers were lightly and moderately injured. Their families have been notified.”
“An initial review showed that an IDF tank that was trying to evacuate injured soldiers while still under fire backed several meters into a UNIFIL post. Once the enemy fire stopped, and following the evacuation of the injured soldiers, the tank left the post. During the incident, a smoke screen was used to provide cover for the evacuation of the injured soldiers. IDF soldiers maintained coordination with UNIFIL. Throughout the entirety of the incident, no danger was posed to UNIFIL forces by the IDF activity,” the IDF added.
Earlier in the day, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to withdraw UN peacekeeping forces from southern Lebanon, citing the danger posed to both ‘UNIFIL soldiers and Israeli troops’.
Netanyahu stated that the refusal to evacuate UNIFIL soldiers has effectively turned them into hostages of Hezbollah, the Iran-backed terrorist group operating in Lebanon.
In a video address on Sunday Netanyahu affirmed, “We are marking one year of the harsh war that was forced on us – the war of redemption against Iran’s axis of evil, which has risen up to destroy us.”
He further emphasized Israel’s determination to ensure its future and defeat its enemies. He highlighted the military’s successes in Lebanon and affirmed, “We eliminated Nasrallah and his senior personnel. Our heroic soldiers are destroying Hezbollah’s weapons, command centers, and terrorist tunnels.”
Meanwhile, Finland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Elina Valtonen, expressed concerns over reports of Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) targeting UNIFIL peacekeepers.
“Alarming news on the IDF breaching UNIFIL positions. Israel must immediately stop its attacks on UNIFIL peacekeepers and ensure proper protection for all UN personnel in accordance with int’l humanitarian law,” Valtonen wrote in a post on X.
“Will discuss the situation tomorrow in the Foreign Affairs Council,” she added. (ANI)