The United States did not co-ordinate with Israel nor did they inform them beforehand about today's air strikes in eastern Syria, US officials told reporters at the Pentagon briefing.

They reiterated that the incident was not related to the Israel-Hamas conflict. Earlier, the Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin had stressed in a statement that the strikes were "separate and distinct" from what was happening in Gaza and "did not constitute a shift in our approach" to the conflict.

The Pentagon officials also said the strikes were aimed at sending a clear message to Iran.

"What we want is for Iran to take very specific actions, to direct its militias and proxies to stand down," one official said.

We're hearing more about the US air strikes in Syria, following a Pentagon briefing to reporters in Washington DC.

The strikes had hit weapons and ammunition storage facilities used by Iranian forces, officials said.

They took place at around 04:30 local time (01:30 GMT) near Abu Kamal, a town on the border with Iraq, and were carried out by F-16 fighter jets using precision munitions.

It is not yet known if there were any casualties from the attacks.

In recent days drone and rocket strikes on military bases in Iraq and Syria have injured a total of 21 US military personnel, according to the Pentagon. They had suffered minor injuries, although a civilian contractor also died from a "cardiac incident" while sheltering from a possible attack.

US and coalition troops have been attacked at least 12 times in Iraq and four times in Syria, since the conflict between Israel and Hamas began.

American officials attribute the attacks to Iranian proxy groups operating in the region. Iran backs both Hamas and Hezbollah in Lebanon with arms as well as money.

The United States has about 900 troops stationed in Syria, and 2,500 in neighbouring Iraq. On Thursday, the US said they were moving 900 more troops, external to the region.

Earlier, the White House said that Joe Biden warned Iran against targeting US personnel in the Middle East, via a rare message to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Image source, US Department of Defense

The United States says it has struck two facilities in eastern Syria, claiming they were used by Iranian forces and affiliated groups.

In a statement,, external Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said the "precision self-defense strikes" were carried out to protect US personnel in Iraq and Syria, and were in response to recent attacks by Iranian-backed militia groups.

"These Iranian-backed attacks against US forces are unacceptable and must stop. Iran wants to hide its hand and deny its role in these attacks against our forces. We will not let them," he said, adding they would take further measures if attacks by "Iran’s proxies" against US forces continue.

The US strikes were "separate and distinct from the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, and do not constitute a shift in our approach", Austin added, as he urged against actions that would escalate into a broader conflict.

Egyptian media outlet Al-Qahera News has reported an explosion near a medical facility in Taba, an eastern town by the border with Israel.

Al-Qahera says it was the result of a missile - but did not say who had launched it. The incident injured six people.

Citing unnamed sources, the outlet claimed the blast was related to the fighting in Gaza between Israel and Hamas. Taba is about 250km (155 miles) away from Gaza, and is located near the tip of Israel's southern border with Egypt.

Separately, the AFP news agency reported witnesses as saying a rocket had hit a hospital annex.

A spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces told Reuters it was aware of a security incident in the area, and that it unfolded "outside of our border".

Earlier the Israeli military said a senior Hamas commander, who helped plan the 7 October attacks, was killed.

The Israel Defense Forces said that fighter jets had struck Shadi Barud, the deputy head of Hamas's intelligence arm based on "precise intelligence".

Publishing a video of the air strike which they alleged killed him, the IDF said Barud "planned the barbaric October 7th attacks together with Yahya Sinwar" - the head of Hamas in the Gaza strip.

The BBC is not able to independently verify battlefield killings. Hamas is yet to comment.

Chaim Peri was taken by Hamas when they invaded Israel in October. The 79-year-old is believed to be in Gaza.

His son, Lior Peri, told Reuters news agency about the moment his father was take hostage by Hamas.

He says he's worried he won't see his dad alive again, but when hostage Yocheved Lifschitz was released, she told him that Chaim is "alive and well".

BBC Chief International Correspondent Lyse Doucet in Jerusalem brings you the latest episode of the The Conflict: Israel-Gaza.

Tonight she’s with our World Affairs Editor John Simpson, who takes the long view and reflects on the pressure Israel is under from its allies.

They also examine the role of Iran and how the presence of hostages could impact military decisions, as well as the dangers Israeli troops face going into Gaza.

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds here

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which represents 57 nations, has released a statement expressing "its strong condemnation of the disrespectful and intimidating remarks by Israel against the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres".

The statement was released after Israel called for the UN chief to resign over a speech in which he said that the Hamas attack on 7 October "did not happen in a vacuum" and came after decades of "suffering occupation".

“But the grievances of the Palestinian people cannot justify the appalling attacks by Hamas," Guterres said in a speech to the UN on Tuesday. "And those appalling attacks cannot justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people."

Israel's ambassador to the UN said the speech “expressed an understanding for terrorism and murder”.

In its statement on Thursday, the OIC said Israel is committing an "act of political coercion against the UN".

Earlier today we heard from both the Israeli and Palestinian UN ambassadors as they made speeches to the UN General Assembly.

Both vividly described what their people have suffered in almost three weeks of war.

The speeches came during an emergency meeting that the UN General Assembly has held to debate an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

The meeting has now concluded for the day with voting on the resolution expected late on Friday.

The draft resolution also calls for unrestricted humanitarian aid, compliance with international humanitarian law and accountability.

Image source, Getty Images

The White House says Joe Biden has warned Iran against targeting US personnel in the Middle East, via a rare message to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

"There was a direct message relayed," White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said at a briefing earlier today.

He did not provide any more details.

The Pentagon also said about 900 additional US troops are either in the region or headed there to bolster air defences to protect US personnel, amid a surge in attacks in the region.

US troops have been attacked at least 12 times in Iraq and four times in Syria in the past week, according to the Pentagon.

Earlier this week, Biden said he had warned the ayatollah that the US would respond if its forces continued to be targeted.

He did not elaborate on how the message was communicated.

Image source, EPA

The head of the UN's World Food Programme (WFP) says overly stringent checks on trucks at the Rafah border crossing from Egypt into Gaza are slowing the flow of aid.

"The bureaucracy is insane," Cindy McCain told Reuters news agency, adding that while she understood checks were needed to ensure weapons were not being smuggled, it should be easier to get food in.

"We’ve gotten a few – a dribble, just a dribble – of trucks in," the executive director of the World Food Programme added.

"We need to get a large amount in. We need safe, unfettered access into Gaza so that we can feed and make sure that people don’t starve to death, because that’s what’s happening."

While visiting Egypt to meet with officials, McCain said each truck has to unload its cargo at a checkpoint for inspection, then reload it when the check is complete.

Three World Food Programme trucks carrying about 60 tons of food - enough to feed 200,000 people for a day - entered Gaza on Saturday, according to the agency. The programme says one more of its trucks has crossed since then.

Image source, .

Image source, EPA

If you're just joining our live coverage of the Israel and Gaza war, here is a recap of what's happened today so far:

• EU leaders have agreed to call for "humanitarian corridors and pauses" to get urgently needed aid into Gaza, after meeting at a summit in Brussels
• The UN's humanitarian chief warned that aid "is barely trickling" into Gaza, after another 12 aid trucks went into Gaza this morning - but no fuel is getting through

• Hamas said about 50 hostages held by its fighters in Gaza have been killed as a result of Israel bombarding the Strip, following Hamas's attacks on 7 October

• The Hamas-run health ministry says at least 7,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the war started on 7 October
• Benny Gantz, a member of Israel's war cabinet, said the country would make its own decisions about its war plans in Gaza based on its own interests, and warned that it would take years to restore security to southern Israel
• In Tel Aviv, relatives of Israelis taken hostage by Hamas in Gaza held another protest tonight calling on their government to do more to bring the hostages home
• Palestinian ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour called on world leaders to help "stop the bombs" while Israel's ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan said Israel is at "war with Hamas and Hamas alone"
• Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused the West of not taking action against Israel's attacks on Gaza because the "blood spilled is Muslims' blood"

Tonight in Jerusalem, the sky was lit up with 224 light projectors to signify the people abducted by Hamas in Gaza.

The exhibit, called "Lights of Hope", displayed the beams of lights alongside hostages' photos and names. Take a look at some of the latest pictures:

Image source, EPA

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A 'pause' vs 'pauses': Why EU agreement is a compromisepublished at 21:52 British Summer Time 26 October 2023

21:52 BST 26 October 2023

Sofia Bettiza
Reporting from Brussels

Image source, EPA

After more than five hours of discussions behind closed doors, EU leaders have reached an agreement on the Middle East.

They are calling for “continued, rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access and aid to reach those in need through all necessary measures including humanitarian corridors and pauses for humanitarian needs.”

This may not seem like much, but for an institution that represents 27 countries with fundamentally opposing views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict – it’s compromise.

This follows days of complex negotiations about whether to call for a “pause” (singular) or “pauses” (plural).

“A single, humanitarian pause would be too close to the concept of a ceasefire – when Israel has the right to defend itself from attack,” an EU diplomat told me. "A pause means both actors stop for good, whereas pauses is temporary.”

This position was shared by those European countries that have taken a strong pro-Israel stance – including Hungary, Austria, the Czech Republic and most importantly Germany, which undoubtedly had a big say in the wording of the EU statement.

Some countries will be disappointed. Both Ireland’s and Spain’s leaders, speaking to journalists before the start of the negotiations, had called for a ceasefire.

It's worth noting the EU is not a military power: All they can do, really, is exercise diplomatic pressure and grant aid. And ultimately, this statement might not change anything. Earlier today Benny Gantz, a member of Israel's war cabinet, said the country will make its own decisions about its war plans in Gaza, based on its own interests.

Laura Gozzi
Live reporter

Russia's foreign ministry earlier confirmed that a Hamas delegation arrived in Moscow today for talks, declaring that it was talking to "key players... to resolve the crisis as soon as possible".

Hamas isn't considered a terrorist group by Russia - unlike several other countries including the UK - and its members regularly come to Moscow, but this is their first trip since their attacks on southern Israel on 7 October.

Russian outlet RIA Novosti said the delegation was headed by senior Hamas figure Moussa Abu Marzouk, who is thought to live in Doha, Qatar. A photo posted on social media showed him meeting Russia's deputy foreign minister Mikhail Bogdanov.

Image source, Telegram

But Israel said the hands of senior Hamas figures were "covered in the blood of 1,400 Israelis" and called on Russia to expel the delegation.

That's unlikely to have any effect in Moscow, though. Russia's foreign ministry has also revealed that Iran's deputy foreign minister is also in the capital. Iran is Israel's arch enemy and Hamas's long-time backer - but it has developed close ties with Russia too.

Russia does have a stake in the war, with 19 Russian-Israelis killed since the Hamas attacks and others held hostage or missing in Gaza.

The Kremlin also says a visit by the Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, is imminent.

European Union leaders have called for "humanitarian corridors and pauses" to allow aid to reach civilians in Gaza.

In a declaration at a summit in Brussels, the leaders of the EU's 27 nations expressed "gravest concern for the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza".

They called for "continued, rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access and aid to reach those in need through all necessary measures including humanitarian corridors and pauses for humanitarian needs".

The declaration also said the European Council "reiterates its condemnation in the strongest possible terms of Hamas for its brutal and indiscriminate terrorist attacks across Israel".

It also added: "The use of civilians as human shields by Hamas is particularly deplorable atrocity."

Outside one bakery in Rafah, Gaza residents have waited in long lines for bread as fuel shortages force the closure of bakeries.

The Red Cross has described the situation in Gaza as an "unprecedented humanitarian crisis" with vital resources unable to get through.

Image source, EVN

Civilians in Rafah, in Gaza's south, have been waiting in long queues for bread as fuel shortages are forcing the closure of bakeries.

Yesterday, the UN office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said 10 bakeries in Gaza had been struck and destroyed, while three have shut due to the lack of fuel.

Charity ActionAid says starvation "is being used as a weapon of war" with bakeries being the target of "indiscriminate bombing".

Twelve more trucks carrying aid crossed into the Strip this morning, bringing the total since 21 October to 74 - but none carrying fuel.

While the UN agency that helps Palestinians in Gaza says it's been able to extract more fuel from reserves in Gaza, it will be primarily used to filter and purify water.

Image source, EPA

In Tel Aviv, relatives of Israelis taken hostage by Hamas in Gaza held another protest tonight calling for their immediate release.

Outside the Ministry of Defence in Tel Aviv, they chanted: "Bring back our brothers. Bring back our children".

Family members demanded their government do more to bring the hostages home, while holding signs with the names and photos of people believed to be kidnapped by Hamas.

The Israeli military says that 224 people are being held hostage by Hamas.

Image source, EPA