In the West Bank, Israeli settlers throw stones at Palestinians harvesting olives in Burin. Israeli settlers also set fire to a sheep barn in Arab al-Milehat. Israeli forces shoot and kill a Palestinian man and shoot and injure 3 Palestinian medics during a raid in Balata refugee camp; the Red Crescent says the medics were deliberately targeted. 4 Israeli soldiers are injured during the raid. Israeli forces also shoot and kill a Palestinian man during a raid in Nablus. Elsewhere, Israeli forces shoot and injure 2 Palestinians near the separation wall in Faqqua. Israeli forces also shoot and damage several cars during a raid in al-Khader. Meanwhile, Israeli forces seal off the entrances to Jericho. Israeli forces also demolish 2 homes in Ein ad-Duyuk at-Tahta. Separately, Israeli forces seize an excavator and a truck in Immatain. Israeli forces also arrest 30 people during raids in and around Ramallah, Bethlehem, Hebron, and Qalqilya. In Gaza, Israeli forces bomb Gaza City, Nuseirat refugee camp, Khan Yunis, and Rafah, killing at least 23 people, including 11 in a shelter in Nuseirat refugee camp. In Jaffa, 7 people are killed by 2 gunmen who are then killed by Israeli forces. Hamas claims responsibility. In Lebanon, Israeli forces invade southern Lebanon. The military orders the evacuation of nearly 24 villages, telling people to move north of the Awali River. Israeli forces bomb the Dahieh neighborhood of Beirut, Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp, and Daoudiya, killing at least 55 people, including the son of al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade brigadier general Munir al-Maqdah in an assassination attempt on him in Ain al-Hilweh, which also kills 4 other people. Israeli forces also bomb the As-Sirat TV building in Beirut. Israel also claims to have assassinated Hezbollah commander Muhammad Jaafar Qasir. Hezbollah forces fire rockets at Metula, Bat Yam, and Avivim. In Syria, Israeli forces bomb Damascus, killing 3 people and injuring 9 others. Israeli forces also bomb radar stations in Sweida and Deraa. In Iran, Iranian forces launch around 180 ballistic missiles at Israel, hitting the Nevatim base among other places. Missile shrapnel hits a PA training center in Jericho, killing a Palestinian man from Gaza and injuring 4 others. 2 Israelis are injured by shrapnel in Tel Aviv. Several of the missiles are intercepted by Israel and the U.S. In Yemen, Houthi forces launch 4 drones at Eliat and 1 drone at Tel Aviv. (AJ, AX, NYT, REU, REU 9/30; AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, AP, AP, AX, HA, HA, NYT, NYT, NYT, NYT, NYT, NYT, NYT, REU, REU, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 10/1; AX, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, NYT, NYT, NYT, UNOCHA 10/2; HA 10/3; UNOCHA 10/4)
More than 41,638 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 16,456 children and 11,088 women, and around 96,460 have been injured since 10/7/2023. At least 10,000 people are missing in rubble. 711 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7/2023, including 151 children. More than 6,000 people have been injured. Israel reports that 1,139 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed and 5,400 have been injured in Israel since 10/7/2023, including Israeli soldiers. In addition, 346 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 2,298 injured in Gaza since the ground invasion began on 10/27/2023. Over 1.93 million Palestinians, nearly 85% of the population of Gaza, have been displaced since 10/7/2023. There has been a complete electricity blackout in Gaza since 10/12/2023 due to the Israeli blockade. At least 79,000 housing units have been destroyed and 370,000 have been damaged in Israeli airstrikes since 10/7/2023. UNRWA says that more than 10,000 people in Gaza need medical evacuation. (AJ, HA, WAFA 10/1)
PA president Mahmoud Abbas arrives in Doha for the Asia Cooperation Dialogue summit. (WAFA 10/1)
Lebanese prime minister Najib Mikati calls the Israeli invasion of Lebanon “one of the most dangerous phases of its history.” U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby says the U.S. supports “limited operations to destroy Hezbollah infrastructure” in Lebanon. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin speaks with Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant, and according to the Pentagon readout the 2 agree that the Israeli invasion is necessary. Turkey, Spain, and Russia issue statements demanding that Israel withdraw immediately. (AX, NYT 9/30; AJ, AP, AX, HA, HA, NYT, NYT 10/1)
Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi says the retaliatory attack on Israel was an act of “self-defense” and only targeted military and security sites. Araghchi says Iran had restrained itself for almost 2 months to give space for ceasefire negotiations. Hamas welcomes the attack. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the Iranian attack failed and that Iran made a big mistake, promising a new attack on Iran. U.S. president Joe Biden says the “attack appears to have been defeated and ineffective,” adding “[m]ake no mistake: the United States is fully, fully, fully supportive of Israel.” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller says “every nation in the world” must join the U.S. in condemning the Iranian attack. The U.S. sends 3 additional aircraft squadrons to the Middle East. EU high commissioner for foreign affairs Josep Borrell, the UK, Australia, Japan, Germany, and Spain condemn the Iranian attack. UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres condemns “the broadening of the Middle East conflict with escalation after escalation,” calling for a ceasefire. (AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, HA, NYT, NYT, REU, REU 10/1; AJ, AP, AX, HA, HA, NYT 10/2)
The U.S. imposes sanctions on the settler group Hilltop Youth, Shomer Yosh CEO Avichai Swissa, and the settler Eitan Yardeni. The State Department calls on Israel to act against violent settlers. (AJ, HA 10/1)
KLM suspends flights to Tel Aviv for the rest of the year. Swiss Air and Lufthansa suspend flights to Beirut until 11/30 and Tel Aviv until 10/31. (AJ, HA 10/1)
The S&P credit agency downgrades Israel’s rating from A+ to A. (AJ, HA, REU 10/1)