ISRAEL PUSHES DEEPER INTO GAZA TUNNELS AS WHO WARNS OF CRISIS

The Israeli military engaged in a confrontation with Hamas forces within Gaza's underground tunnel network. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu characterized this as the "third phase" of their operation. However, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a warning about an impending "public health catastrophe" due to the cutoff of water supply from Israel on Monday and another pipeline's continued non-operation.

Despite mounting concerns about a humanitarian crisis, Netanyahu rejected calls for a ceasefire. He argued that such calls amounted to Israel capitulating to Hamas, terrorism, and barbarism, which he adamantly refused to entertain during a television appearance.

The underground tunnels in Gaza have long presented challenges for the Israeli military, and their eradication has become a primary objective in disassembling the Hamas network. In the past 24 hours, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed to have targeted approximately 300 locations, including posts where anti-tank missiles and rocket launches were hidden beneath shafts and military areas within the underground tunnels.

Hamas and Islamic Jihad responded with anti-tank missiles and machine gun fire. Hamas reported targeting four vehicles with locally produced rockets and claimed to have ambushed and eliminated an Israeli unit, although the IDF has yet to release casualty figures for soldiers involved in the ongoing conflict.

FBI DIRECTOR WARNS OF SIGNIFICANT TERRORISM THREAT FOLLOWING HAMAS-ISRAEL CONFLICT

FBI Director Christopher Wray expressed concerns about a significant terrorism threat to the United States following the recent hostilities between Hamas and Israel. Wray stated that this situation has led to multiple foreign terrorist groups calling for attacks against the U.S. and the Western world. This elevated the risk posed by domestic U.S. extremists.

He further mentioned that the actions of Hamas and its allies could serve as a potent source of inspiration for potential threats, akin to the rise of ISIS several years ago. Wray made these remarks during a session with the U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, which focused on discussing various threats to the United States. In the wake of the Gaza conflict, there has been an increase in threats against Jewish, Muslim, and Arab American communities, according to officials. Additionally, Wray noted a rise in attacks on U.S. military bases abroad by Iran-backed militia groups this month.

YEMEN S HOUTHIS CLAIM DRONE ATTACK ON ISRAEL

Yemen s Houthi rebels for the first time on Tuesday claimed missile and drone attacks targeting Israel, drawing their main sponsor Iran closer into the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip and further raising the risks of a regional conflict erupting.

The Houthis had been suspected of an attack earlier this month targeting Israel by sending missiles and drones over the crucial shipping lane of the Red Sea, an assault that saw the U.S. Navy shoot down the projectiles.

This time on Tuesday, however, Israel said its own fighter jets and its new Arrow missile defence system shot down two salvos of incoming fire hours apart as it approached the country s key Red Sea shipping port of Eilat.

The Houthis, who have held Yemen s capital, Sanaa, since 2014 as part of that country s ruinous war, claimed three attacks on Israel in a later military statement, without elaborating on the timeframe of the operations

GAZA NOW A GRAVEYARD FOR THOUSANDS OF CHILDREN: UN

The Gaza Strip has become a graveyard for thousands of children, the UN said on Tuesday, as it feared the prospect of more dying of dehydration.

The Gaza Health Ministry said the Israeli strikes have killed more than 8,500 people, mainly civilians.

The UN children s agency UNICEF said there was a risk that the number of child deaths directly from bombardment could become eclipsed.

Our gravest fears about the reported numbers of children killed becoming dozens, then hundreds, and ultimately thousands were realised in just a fortnight,  UNICEF spokesman James Elder said in a statement.  The numbers are appalling; reportedly more than 3,450 children killed; staggeringly this rises significantly every day.

 Gaza has become a graveyard for thousands of children. It s a living hell for everyone else.

He said the more than 1 million children living in the Gaza Strip were also suffering from a lack of clean water.  Child deaths   particularly infants   to dehydration are a growing threat,  he said.

ISRAEL S  CONCEPT PLAN : SHIFT GAZANS TO EGYPT S SINAI

Jerusalem : An Israeli government ministry has drafted a wartime proposal to transfer the Gaza Strip s 2.3 million people to Egypt s Sinai peninsula, drawing condemnation from the Palestinians and worsening tensions with Cairo. PM Benjamin Netanyahu s office played down the report compiled by Intelligence ministry as a hypothetical exercise   a  concept paper.   We are against transfer to any place, in any form, and we consider it a red line that we will not allow to be crossed,  Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said.

What happened in 1948 will not be allowed to happen again.  Egypt s foreign ministry did not respond for a comment.

A NEW WAVE OF ANTISEMITISM ON RISE

London : In Los Angeles, a man screaming  kill Jews  attempts to break into a family s home. In London, girls in a playground are told they are  stinking Jews  and should stay off the slide. In China, posts likening Jews to parasites, vampires or snakes proliferate on social media, attracting thousands of likes .

These are examples of incidents of antisemitism, which have surged globally since the attack by Hamas gunmen on southern Israel on October 7 and subsequent war on the Islamist group launched by Israel in the GazaStrip.  This is the scariest time to be Jewish since WWII. We have had problems before, but things have never been this bad in my lifetime,  said Anthony Adler.

The biggest fear is that there will be a random attack on our community, on our families and our children, he said.

In countries where figures are available from police or civil society groups, inclu ding the US, Britain, France, Germany and South Africa, the pattern is clear: the number of antisemitic incidents has gone up since October 7. In some countries, such as the US and Britain, Islamophobic incidents have also increased since October7.

In the US and Western Europe, authorities have been quick to express support for Jewish communities, denounce antisemitism and in some cases reinforce security at relevant locations.

Star of David graffiti crop up across Paris in chilling echoes of Nazi-era

Meanwhile, Paris has seen Star of David stencils painted on buildings overnight, residents said Tuesday, as fears mount over the targeting of Jews amid the war between Israel and Hamas. The Jewish symbol was painted in multiple spots across several building fronts in a southern district of Paris. Similar tags appeared over the weekend in suburbs of the city. The Union of Jewish Students of France said they were designed to mirror the way Jews were forced to wear the stars by the Nazi regime.

PICHAI DEFENDS GOOGLE SEARCH DOMINANCE IN LANDMARK ANTITRUST TRIAL

Washington : Google CEO Sundar Pichai defended his company's practice of paying tech firms to make Google the default search engine, aiming to create a smooth user experience. The US Department of Justice alleges this stifles competition, with Google paying over $26 billion in 2021 to block rival search engines. Google claims its search engine's quality justifies its dominance. Pichai mentioned that payments to phone manufacturers aimed to encourage security upgrades and device enhancements, not just ensuring Google as the default search engine. The trial began on September 12, with the justice department seeking to highlight Google's concerns about potential competition from Apple.

AFGHANS HEAD TO BORDER IN PAK AHEAD OF ANTI-MIGRANT CRACKDOWN DEADLINE

Peshwar,Pakistan : Afghans in Pakistan are rushing to return home ahead of the government's deadline for undocumented foreigners to leave, fearing arrest and deportation after October 31. This crackdown has faced criticism from various quarters, including UN agencies, rights groups, and Afghanistan's Taliban-led administration. Human Rights Watch accused Pakistan of using coercion to make Afghan asylum seekers return, calling for the deadline's withdrawal and collaboration with the UN refugee agency for registration. While Islamabad denies targeting Afghans, it accuses Kabul of sheltering Taliban-affiliated militants. Over 200,000 Afghans have returned since the crackdown began.

HIJAB-WEARING WOMAN SHOUTING DEATH THREATS IN PARIS METRO SHOT BY COPS

Paris : Paris police shot and critically injured a fully-veiled woman wearing a hijab who had been behaving threateningly and shouting "Allahu Akbar" and "You're all going to die" in a metro station. This incident comes as France remains on high alert following a schoolteacher's murder on October 13, linked to an alleged "Jihadist atmosphere" related to the Israel-Gaza conflict. Commuters had reported her making aggressive Jihadist remarks, leading to police intervention. After efforts to calm her down and ensure she posed no danger, officers were compelled to open fire due to the severity of the situation. The woman was shot in the abdomen, taken to a nearby hospital, and her life was in danger. Her identity remained unconfirmed, but she might be the same person who previously threatened counter-terrorism patrols in 2021, requiring psychiatric hospitalization for mental health issues. It was confirmed she did not have explosives when shot.

CANADA BANS WECHAT APP AND KASPERSKY ON GOVERNMENT PHONES

OTTAWA: Canada banned Chinese messaging app WeChat and Russian platform Kaspersky from government smartphones. Treasury Board President Anita Anand, who oversees Canada s federal public service, said the chief information officer determined the apps  present an unacceptable level of risk to privacy and security.

CHINA SET TO BUILD NEW SRI LANKA REFINERY AS RIVAL BIDDER PULLS OUT

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka is set to award a multi-billion dollar oil refinery project to a Chinese state-owned company after a rival bidder pulled out, Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera said. He said the government would shortly enter into an investment agreement with Sinopec to build the refinery next to the Chinese-run port in Hambantota.