US sent record amount of military aid to Israel after October 7

The US has supplied Israel with at least $17.9bn in military aid since its war on Gaza began on October 7 last year, according to a report for Brown University’s Costs of War project.

The report, released on the anniversary of the Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel, says expenditure includes $4bn towards replenishing Israel’s Iron Dome and David’s Sling missile defence systems, as well as cash for guns and jet fuel.

The report states that an additional $4.86bn in funding was supplied to US military operations in the Middle East during that timeframe.

This figure includes the costs associated with the US military’s campaign to quell Houthi attacks in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, which the Yemen-based group says it’s carrying out in solidarity with the people of Gaza.

The calculations were made by Linda J Bilmes, a professor at Harvard’s John F Kennedy School of Government, who assessed the cost of US wars since the September 11 attacks, along with researchers William D Hartung and Stephen Semler.

How Israel destroyed the Gaza Strip

Gaza, home to some 2.3 million people, bears little resemblance to what it was a year ago.

Israeli attacks on Gaza have reduced entire neighbourhoods to rubble, erased centuries-old mosques and churches and destroyed vital agricultural lands.

The scale of destruction in this small area of just 365sq km (141sq miles) is so immense that many residents cannot return home – and likely won’t be able to for the foreseeable future.

Satellite images from Al Jazeera’s digital investigation team, Sanad, reveal cratered terrain, scorched farmlands and the grey ruins of flattened buildings.

Explore the before and after images of the destruction here.

‘A war of revenge’

Giving the perspective of the majority of Israeli society, Alon Pinkas, a former Israeli diplomat, says there’s little thought about the nearly 42,000 Palestinians killed in Gaza over the past year.

“For the first few months, Israelis were rarely aware of what was going on in Gaza,” he told Al Jazeera, adding the scope of death and destruction being inflicted wasn’t accurately portrayed in the Israeli media.

“Then came the ‘we don’t care, look at what they did to us’ mentality. Look, it’s very human, it’s very natural. It’s not right,” explained Pinkas. “You need to be aware of what’s going on because that would foment the next round of hostilities and violence.”

As more images emerged from war-battered Gaza over time, “Israelis’ positions became more hardened”, he said.

“People called it a war of revenge, and yeah it’s a war of revenge … And you know what, any other country would’ve done the same thing … The fact the rest of the world was aggravated, annoyed, and frustrated [over the war] didn’t seem to matter to most Israelis.”

‘If I must die’: Remembering Palestinian poet Refaat Alareer

Gaza’s intellectual community has suffered profound losses amid Israel’s ongoing military campaign.

Among the deaths was Refaat Alareer, 44, a distinguished world literature professor, who was killed in an Israeli air attack on Gaza City in December.

Before his killing, Alareer chose to write poems in English rather than his mother tongue, Arabic, aiming to inform the world about Palestinian suffering.

His poem If I Must Die, featured in the video below, stands out as one of his earliest creations. Since his killing, Alareer has been remembered through this work around the world.

For Palestinians in Gaza today, nothing worse than collecting pieces of slain loved ones

One of the hardest things we keep hearing from people in Gaza is they have to prove they are human and they deserve protection and safety, and to be shielded from the unpredictable falling of bombs.

Let’s not forget the Israeli military and its political leadership have promised to deliver death and destruction to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, and now, after a whole year, we are witnessing the Israeli military and its political officials have indeed delivered what they promised.

Life as people knew it before October 7 no longer exists, and their priorities have shifted. Now, their main concern is staying safe and, more importantly, staying intact.

The worst thing that could happen to a Palestinian in Gaza currently is being killed and their family members having to collect pieces of their bodies off the ground.

Austria calls for ceasefire in Gaza

The country’s foreign ministry says a ceasefire in Gaza is needed “to get the hostages out and more humanitarian aid” into the enclave.

In a post on X, it said: “We have to encourage those reasonable voices working towards a political solution.”

“It’s the only way to spare future generations the trauma and suffering we are seeing now,” the post added.

Pope Francis speaks against ‘insanity of war’

In an open letter to Catholics in the Middle East, Pope Francis has slammed the “shameful inability” of world leaders to end the war on Gaza.

“A year ago, the fuse of hatred was lit; it did not sputter, but exploded in a spiral of violence, in the shameful inability of the international community and the most powerful countries to silence the weapons and put an end to the tragedy of war,” he said.

“Blood is still being shed, as are tears. Anger is growing, along with the desire for revenge, while it seems that few people care about what is most needed and what is most desired: dialogue and peace,” he added.

The pope also told people of every religion in the region who are “suffering from the insanity of war” that he is with them.

Many aspects of of life in Gaza have become ‘unrecognisable’

What we’re seeing right now is too much to comprehend. I’m not sure if people in Gaza can actually remember how their life was before October 7.

Many aspects of their lives have become unrecognisable because of the intensity of the bombing campaign and the rapid pace of unfolding events for a whole year.

They have relived these unfolding tragedies and miseries on a daily basis, from enforced displacement to pretty much running for their lives to stay protected and safe. It is understood that many, if not all, of the repeated narratives of “safe zones” are not true and don’t have any solid basis.

Many of the people who were told to evacuate to safe zones end up being killed in these areas designated by the Israeli military within days and hours of their arrival.

When we talk about the humanitarian level, the Israeli military has created a multifaceted catastrophe.

Turkey’s Erdogan says Israel will ‘pay the price for genocide’ in Gaza

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Israel will “pay the price for the genocide” in Gaza as he marked the first anniversary of the war.

“I remember with sorrow the tens of thousands of people who have been massacred by the murderous Israeli government since October 7, and I offer my most heartfelt condolences to my heartbroken Gazan, Palestinian and Lebanese brothers and sisters who lost their spouses, children and families,” Erdogan wrote on X.

He added that Israel’s policy of “genocide, occupation and invasion” must end.

“Just as Hitler was stopped by an alliance of humanity, Netanyahu and his murder network will be stopped in the same way,” Erdogan said.

“A world in which no account is held for the Gaza genocide will never find peace.”

Tokyo police move to disperse protesters near Israeli embassy

Videos circulating on social media platforms show clashes between Japanese security forces and demonstrators who had gathered in front of the Israeli embassy in Tokyo to protest against the onslaught on Gaza.

The footage, which has been verified by Al Jazeera, shows police trying to forcibly move the protesters away from the embassy area.

Demonstrators did not budge, instead chanting slogans such as “freedom for Gaza”, “freedom for Palestine” and “stop the genocide.”

Israel launches attacks on Gaza, intercepts three rockets

The Israeli military said it has begun attacking Hamas “targets and launchers” throughout the Gaza Strip and that it has intercepted three rockets launched from the enclave. A fourth fell in an open area, it said.

The latest attacks come as Israel marks the anniversary of Hamas’s deadly attacks on October 7.

Earlier, the Israeli military said it had intercepted two suspicious aerial targets that were “launched from the east”. The launches set off sirens in central Israel.

Hamas claims rocket attacks; Israel says it foiled larger barrage

The Qassam Brigades issued a statement claiming responsibility for a rocket attack on southern Israel as the Israeli military announced foiling what it said was a plot by Hamas to launch more projectiles at the country.

The Qassam Brigades said it launched a number of Radium rockets at Israeli military positions at Al-Awdah (known as Sufa to Israelis), Holit and Karem Abu Salem (known as Kerem Shalom to Israelis), as well as Israeli troops at the Rafah border crossing.

The Israeli military meanwhile said on X that it “thwarted an immediate threat, following early preparations and the identification of an intention by [Hamas] to fire at Israel”. The military said its fighter jets bombed Hamas’s launchers and tunnels in Gaza.

The Times of Israel, citing the Israeli military, added that the Israeli attacks took place shortly before 6:30am (03:30 GMT), the moment Hamas fighters launched a surprise attack on southern Israel a year ago.

Qassam Brigades claims rocket attack on Tel Aviv

The armed wing of Hamas says it bombarded the central Israeli city with a barrage of Maqadmeh M-90 rockets, according to a statement on Telegram.

The group said the attack was part of “the ongoing battle of attrition” and in response to the Israeli military’s “massacres against civilians and the deliberate displacement of our people”.

Meanwhile, the Israeli army said aerial warning alerts were activated in the region.

Five rockets launched on central Israel from Gaza: Army

The attack originated from the Khan Younis area in southern Gaza, a brief statement by the Israeli military says. Further details of the attack are still under investigation. The statement advised citizens to “continue to obey the directives of the Home Front Command”.

Two wounded in rocket attack on central Israel: Medics

We are receiving updates on the rocket attack by Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s armed wing. The Magen David Adom ambulance service in Israel said two women were hit and lightly injured by shrapnel. They are being hospitalised.

The Israeli army said earlier five rockets were launched towards Tel Aviv from Khan Younis in southern Gaza.

Elderly Palestinian man dies from injuries after beating by Israeli troops

The Wafa news agency is reporting that Israeli soldiers “violently attacked” Sheikh Ziad Abu Halil during a raid on his home in the town of Dura, south of Hebron in the occupied West Bank.

The soldiers “severely beat him until he lost consciousness” and the 66-year-old later died of his injuries at the Dura Hospital, the agency reported.

Four children wounded in Israeli raid on East Jerusalem camp

Live rounds injured at least four children during an Israeli military incursion into the Qalandiya refugee camp north of occupied East Jerusalem.

Residents told the Wafa news agency that Israeli forces stormed the camp, raided several homes, and arrested 18 Palestinians.

The Palestine Red Crescent Society said its medics in Ramallah and el-Bireh treated the four wounded children and described one as being in critical condition.

During their raid, the Israeli forces closed the roads around Qalandiya camp and the adjacent town of Kafr Aqab.

Fire and smoke in the skies of Beirut amid Israeli raids

We’ve been covering Israel’s continuing strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs. Pictures from the scene have come through, showing balls of fire and clouds of smoke in the skies over the Lebanese capital.

One Israeli soldier killed in combat in northern Israel

The Israeli military said that a 25-year-old reserve soldier has been killed in fighting on the Israel-Lebanon border, while two others have been seriously wounded in the same battle.

Hezbollah launches more rockets at northern Israel

The Lebanese armed group said it launched a salvo of rockets at the city of Karmiel in northern Israel at 6:55am (03:55 GMT) this morning. The attack set off sirens in Karmiel and other communities across the Upper Galilee region, according to Israeli media.

Israel’s Ynet News said 15 projectiles were launched from Lebanon towards the Upper Galilee and most of them were intercepted.

The latest launches follow a barrage of Hezbollah rockets late on Sunday night that wounded at least 10 people in the port city of Haifa and wounded another in the northern city of Tiberias.

Four killed in Israeli air raid on town near Tyre

Israeli jets have bombed a house in the town of Srifa, south of the city of Tyre in southern Lebanon, killing at least four people, the Lebanon 24 and the Quds News Network report.

Rocket causes damage in northern Israel town: Report

Israeli media is reporting that rockets fired from Lebanon have fallen on the town of Kfar Vradim, causing damage to a home and several cars.

Israeli Army Radio said there were no deaths from the attack while The Times of Israel said the rockets caused several cars to go up in flames.

Israel announces new ground raids into Lebanon

The Israeli military said soldiers from its 91st Division, including reserve troops, have begun a ground operation in southern Lebanon.

This comes a week after Israel’s military first announced the launch of its ground offensive in Lebanon. It also comes as the military continues its air raids on Lebanon, including on the southern suburbs of Beirut.

Hezbollah claims attack on army post in northern Israel

The Lebanese armed group says it launched missiles on army vehicles and personnel at the Jal al-Allam military site. The strike took place at 2:30am (11:30 GMT) on Sunday.

Israel is now at war with Hamas in Gaza and its ally Hezbollah in Lebanon. It has also pledged to strike Iran in response to a ballistic missile attack on Israel last week.

_{Hezbollah fighters at a military exercise in Aaramta, bordering Israel, in May 2023}


Israeli air raid kills 2 people in southern Lebanon town

Warplanes bombed a house in the town of Qaliya, in western Bekaa Valley, according to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency.

The attack killed two people, it added, without giving further details.

Israel’s assault, which has killed more than 1,000 people over the past two weeks, has triggered a mass flight from southern Lebanon where more than one million people have been displaced.

Israeli air attack kills 8 people in southern Lebanon

Warplanes targeted a fire station affiliated with the Islamic Health Authority in the town of Baraachit, according to Lebanon’s official National News Agency.

The attack killed at least eight people, it said.

Last week, the authority reported seven of its staff, including two medics, were killed in an attack in central Beirut.

Hezbollah claims attack on Karmiel in northern Israel

The Lebanese armed group says it bombarded the city of Karmiel with a salvo of rockets.

In a statement on Telegram, Hezbollah said the attack was carried out at 12:40pm (09:40 GMT).

Hezbollah said the attack was in “support of the Palestinian people and their resistance” as well as in defence of Lebanon and its people during “barbaric” Israeli attacks.

Israeli army announces death of second soldier on Lebanese border

The military has announced the death of a soldier on the Lebanese border, adding that his family has been informed.

This was the second soldier’s death announced today, with the military saying earlier that a 25-year-old reserve soldier had been killed in fighting on the border, while two others were seriously wounded.