Here are the AP’s latest coverage plans, top stories and promotable content. All times EDT. Find the AP’s top photos of the day in Today’s Photo Collection. For up-to-the-minute information on AP’s coverage, visit Coverage Plan in AP Newsroom.
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Here are the AP’s latest coverage plans, top stories and promotable content. All times EDT. Find the AP’s top photos of the day in Today’s Photo Collection. For up-to-the-minute information on AP’s coverage, visit Coverage Plan in AP Newsroom.
FILE - Lil Wayne performs during "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" 25th anniversary tour, Nov. 5, 2023, at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, Calif. (Photo by Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP, File)
FILE - A woman walks a dog across the street in Denver on Oct. 29, 2023. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)
FILE - People look at their phones while waiting to cross an intersection in the rain at the Taikoo Li Sanlitun shopping center in Beijing, July, 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian, File)
Bridges stand in Berwick Bay in Morgan City, La., Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, after Hurricane Francine. (Hilary Scheinuk/The Advocate via AP, Pool)
FILE - This remote camera image provided by the U.S. Forest Service shows a female gray wolf and two of the three pups born in 2017 in the wilds of Lassen National Forest in northern California on June 29, 2017. (U.S. Forest Service via AP, File)
Claudia Alvarado points to damage from sewage-infused floodwaters at her home in Valle de Chalco, State of Mexico, Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)
FILE - Extremist evangelical leader Paul Mackenzie, who was arrested on suspicion of telling his followers to fast to death in order to meet Jesus, appears at a court accompanied by some of his followers in Malindi, Kenya on Monday, April 17, 2023. (AP Photo/File)
FILE - Schoolchildren march during the traditional opening of the school year, known as the Day of Knowledge, in Minsk, Belarus, on Sept. 1, 2018. (AP Photo, File)
FILE - Britain's Prince Harry dances with a girl during a visit to the non-governmental organization RISE - Reaching Individuals through Skills and Education, in Kingston, Jamaica, Tuesday March 6, 2012. (AP Photo/Collin Reid, File)
FILE - A visitor walks by photos of victims of the August 2023 wildfire at a memorial near the Lahaina Bypass highway on Saturday, July 6, 2024, in Lahaina, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson, File)
Eric Mahr, left, a lawyer representing Google in the Department of Justice's antitrust case against the tech giant, returns to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia after a lunch break in the trial, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024, in Alexandria, Va. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
The lot of the future victims' advocacy center is shown, Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024 in Gilbert, Ariz. The town has obligated only one-quarter of funds received through the American Rescue Plan for projects, according to the most recent data from the federal government. Construction on the dirt lot near its fire department for the advocacy center remain unrealized. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign event, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, Wilkes-Barre, Pa. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., leads a cheer at a rally with Planned Parenthood Action Fund President Alexis McGill Johnson, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, in Bozeman, Mont. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown)
FILE - An Iranian woman without a mandatory headscarf, or hijab, flashes a victory sign as she walks at the old main bazaar of Tehran, Iran, June 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi, File)
WEEKEND COVERAGE
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For weekend stories, please click here for the Weekend Lookahead digest.
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TOP STORIES
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IRAN-PROTESTS — On the streets of Iranian cities, it’s becoming more common to see a woman passing by without a mandatory headscarf, or hijab, as the second anniversary of the death of Mahsa Amini and the mass protests it sparked approaches. Across social media, videos of people filming neighborhood streets or just talking about a normal day in their life, women and girls can be seen walking past with their long hair out over their shoulders, particularly after sunset. This defiance comes despite what United Nations investigators describe as “expanded repressive measures and policies” by Iran’s theocracy to punish them. By Jon Gambrell. SENT: 880 words, photos.
ELECTION 2024-SENATE-DEMOCRATS — Democratic Sens. Jon Tester of Montana and Sherrod Brown of Ohio are trying to capitalize on the momentum Kamala Harris’ emergence as the party’s nominee for president has injected into key voting blocs. But in states that Donald Trump is expected to win, they must do so without alienating moderate voters. By Matthew Brown and Julie Carr Smyth. SENT: 1,200 words, photos. WITH: ELECTION-2024-HARRIS — Harris says one difference between her and President Joe Biden is that she offers a “new generation of leadership.” SENT: 590 words, photos.
PANDEMIC AID-GOVERNMENTS — Time is running out for local governments to use billions of dollars of federal pandemic relief funds. The American Rescue Plan passed by Congress in 2021 provided $350 billion to states, counties, cities and other governments. They must obligate the money for specific purposes by the end of this year or return the rest. U.S. Treasury Department data shows 80% of the funds nationally were allocated as of this spring. An Associated Press analysis found about 3,500 local governments reported obligating less than 25% of their funds. By David A. Lieb. SENT: 1,150 words, photo.
GOOGLE-ANTITRUST — An ongoing trial in Virginia may determine whether Google holds an illegal monopoly on the technology used to buy and sell certain types of web advertising. The auctions over ad impressions occur in milliseconds and are designed to match an advertiser’s product or service with interested consumers. The Justice Department contends Google rigged the bidding to favor its own products. Google says it no longer auctions space in the ways alleged. By Matthew Barakat. SENT: 980 words, photos.
HAWAII WILDFIRE REPORT-VICTIMS — A new report shows that more than 60% of the 102 people who died in last year’s Lahaina wildfire tried to flee the flames. The Fire Safety Research Institute report for the Hawaii attorney general’s office released Friday includes details of victims’ attempts to survive and highlights how Lahaina’s already-deteriorating infrastructure complicated evacuation efforts. By Jennifer Sinco Kelleher and Claudia Lauer. SENT: 780 words, photos.
BRITAIN-PRINCE-HARRY-TURNING-40 — Prince Harry was always something different. From the moment he first appeared in public, snuggled in Princess Diana’s arms outside the hospital where he was born in 1984, Harry was the ginger-haired scamp who stuck his tongue out at photographers. He was the boisterous adolescent who was roundly criticized for wearing a Nazi uniform to a costume party. And, later, he was a young man who gave up the trappings of royal life and moved to Southern California with his American wife. By Danica Kirka. SENT: 1,060, photos.
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SPOTLIGHTING VOICES
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BELARUS-LOSING IDENTITY — Belarusians are experiencing a new wave of Russification as Moscow expands its economic, political and cultural dominance to overtake the identity of its neighbor. Perhaps the biggest sign is the decline of the Belarusian language, which is close to, but distinct from, Russian. Belarusian cultural figures are being persecuted and hundreds of institutions are being closed. Experts say Moscow is seeking to implement in Belarus what the Kremlin intended to do in neighboring Ukraine. By Yuras Karmanau. SENT: 1,200 words, photos.
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RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
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RUSSIA-UK — Russia accused six British diplomats of spying and said it decided to expel them. The U.K. said the “completely baseless” move came weeks ago and was linked to its action in May to revoke the credentials of an attaché at the Russian Embassy and limit Moscow’s diplomatic activities in London. SENT: 770 words, photos, video. WITH: RUSSIA-UK-EXPULSIONS-TIMELINE — The six are a small number in the history of Moscow-London acts of expulsion over the past decades. SENT: 410 words, photo.
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MORE NEWS
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KENYA-CULT-DEATHS — In one of the deadliest cult-related massacres ever, more than 430 bodies have been recovered since police raided Good News International Church in a forest in Kenya. Seventeen months later, many in the area are still shaken by what happened despite repeated warnings about the church’s leader. SENT: 1,330 words, photos. WITH: KENYA-CULT-DEATHS-TAKEAWAYS — Takeaways from AP’s report updating the cult massacre that claimed hundreds of lives in Kenya. SENT: 680 words, photo.
MEXICO-CHALCO-FLOODS — Sewage-infused floodwaters have invaded streets, homes and businesses in Chalco, a low-income suburb southeast of Mexico City, for over a month. According to the Government of Chalco, more than 2,000 homes and over 7,000 residents have been affected and the water was as deep as 5 feet in some areas. SENT: 1,040 words, photos, video.
GEORGIA HIGH SCHOOL SHOOTING-FUNERALS — A teenage student and a math teacher will be remembered at funerals set to take place Saturday, 10 days after they were killed in a mass shooting at a Georgia high school. SENT: 730 words, photos.
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WASHINGTON/POLITICS
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GRAY WOLVES-ENDANGERED — The Biden administration on Friday asked an appeals court to revive a Trump-era rule that lifted remaining Endangered Species Act protections for gray wolves in the U.S. SENT: 750 words, photo.
ARIZONA-ABORTION BAN REPEAL-EXPLAINER — A repeal of Arizona’s Civil War-era ban on nearly all abortions, approved by state lawmakers and signed by the Democratic governor, takes effect on Saturday. SENT: 730 words, photos.
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NATIONAL
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TROPICAL-WEATHER — Residents of the Carrollton neighborhood in New Orleans are among the thousands in the city who remain without power after Hurricane Francine passed through. The city’s utility provider, Entergy, sent out notifications Friday informing some people their power had been “restored” even though they still had no electricity. SENT: 920 words, photos, video, audio.
WILDFIRES — Firefighters battling three major wildfires in the mountains east of Los Angeles were gaining ground Friday against the blazes. SENT: 810 words, photos, video, audio.
US-OREGON-NON-CITIZENS-VOTER-REGISTRATION — Oregon officials acknowledged the state mistakenly registered more than 300 non-citizens as voters since 2021. A spokesperson for the Oregon Department of Transportation described it as a “data entry issue” when people applied for driver’s licenses. Of those, two voted in elections since 2021. SENT: 310 words, photo.
SUPREME-COURT-YOUTH-CLIMATE-LAWSUIT — Young climate activists in Oregon have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to revive their long-running lawsuit against the federal government in which they argued they have a constitutional right to a climate that sustains life. SENT: 300 words, photo.
COLORADO-SUPERMARKET-SHOOTING — A psychologist who evaluated a mentally ill man who killed 10 people at a Colorado supermarket says the gunman heard “killing voices” right before opening fire. SENT: 390 words, photo.
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INTERNATIONAL
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TROPICAL-WEATHER-MEXICO — Tropical Storm Ileana forced residents and tourists in Mexico’s resort-studded Los Cabos to stay inside as rain pounded the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula. Ileana moved Saturday northward over the southern Gulf of California. SENT: 470 words.
CHINA-ECONOMY — China’s economy softened in August, extending a slowdown in industrial activity and real estate prices as Beijing faces pressure to ramp up spending to stimulate demand. SENT: 300 words, photo.
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BUSINESS
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WALGREENS-LAWSUITS SETTLED — Walgreens agreed to pay $106 million to settle lawsuits that alleged it submitted false payment claims with government health care programs for prescriptions that were never dispensed. SENT: 230 words, photo.
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HEALTH & SCIENCE
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BE WELL-PETS-DOG WALKING INJURIES — Researchers have found dog walking-related injuries have been on the rise among adults and children in the U.S. Fractures, sprains and head trauma are among the most common. Staying safe when walking a leashed dog takes diligence, focus and precautions. SENT: 900 words, photos.
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ENTERTAINMENT
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MUSIC-LIL-WAYNE-SUPER-BOWL-SNUB — Lil Wayne opened up for the first time about his devastation after not being selected as the 2025 Super Bowl halftime show headline performer in his hometown of New Orleans. SENT: 290 words, photo.
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SPORTS
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AFC CHAMPIONS LEAGUE ELITE-PREVIEW — The first edition of the AFC Champions League Elite begins Monday with stars such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar and Riyad Mahrez striving to lead their Saudi Arabian clubs to continental success. Saudi Pro League clubs have spent over $1 billion on transfers to bring top-level players from the big European leagues. SENT: 480 words, photos.
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HOW TO REACH US
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The Nerve Center can be reached at 800-845-8450, ext. 1600. For photos, ext. 1900. For graphics and interactives, ext. 7636. Expanded AP content can be obtained from AP Newsroom. For access to AP Newsroom and other technical issues, contact apcustomersupport@ap.org or call 844-777-2006.
Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo, centre, celebrates with Bruno Fernandes after the UEFA Nations League soccer match between Portugal and Scotland at the Luz stadium in Lisbon, Portugal, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)
FILE - Lil Wayne performs during "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" 25th anniversary tour, Nov. 5, 2023, at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, Calif. (Photo by Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP, File)
FILE - A woman walks a dog across the street in Denver on Oct. 29, 2023. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)
FILE - People look at their phones while waiting to cross an intersection in the rain at the Taikoo Li Sanlitun shopping center in Beijing, July, 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian, File)
Bridges stand in Berwick Bay in Morgan City, La., Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, after Hurricane Francine. (Hilary Scheinuk/The Advocate via AP, Pool)
FILE - This remote camera image provided by the U.S. Forest Service shows a female gray wolf and two of the three pups born in 2017 in the wilds of Lassen National Forest in northern California on June 29, 2017. (U.S. Forest Service via AP, File)
Claudia Alvarado points to damage from sewage-infused floodwaters at her home in Valle de Chalco, State of Mexico, Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)
FILE - Extremist evangelical leader Paul Mackenzie, who was arrested on suspicion of telling his followers to fast to death in order to meet Jesus, appears at a court accompanied by some of his followers in Malindi, Kenya on Monday, April 17, 2023. (AP Photo/File)
FILE - Schoolchildren march during the traditional opening of the school year, known as the Day of Knowledge, in Minsk, Belarus, on Sept. 1, 2018. (AP Photo, File)
FILE - Britain's Prince Harry dances with a girl during a visit to the non-governmental organization RISE - Reaching Individuals through Skills and Education, in Kingston, Jamaica, Tuesday March 6, 2012. (AP Photo/Collin Reid, File)
FILE - A visitor walks by photos of victims of the August 2023 wildfire at a memorial near the Lahaina Bypass highway on Saturday, July 6, 2024, in Lahaina, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson, File)
Eric Mahr, left, a lawyer representing Google in the Department of Justice's antitrust case against the tech giant, returns to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia after a lunch break in the trial, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024, in Alexandria, Va. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
The lot of the future victims' advocacy center is shown, Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024 in Gilbert, Ariz. The town has obligated only one-quarter of funds received through the American Rescue Plan for projects, according to the most recent data from the federal government. Construction on the dirt lot near its fire department for the advocacy center remain unrealized. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign event, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, Wilkes-Barre, Pa. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., leads a cheer at a rally with Planned Parenthood Action Fund President Alexis McGill Johnson, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, in Bozeman, Mont. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown)
FILE - An Iranian woman without a mandatory headscarf, or hijab, flashes a victory sign as she walks at the old main bazaar of Tehran, Iran, June 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi, File)
Palestinian militants in Gaza fired a barrage of rockets into Israel on Monday as mourners marked the anniversary of the Oct. 7 attack, without disrupting a nearby ceremony.
Lebanon’s Health Ministry said an Israeli strike in the country’s south killed at least 10 firefighters.
Hamas also said it attacked Israeli forces in different parts of Gaza. The Israeli military said it launched a wave of artillery and airstrikes overnight and into Monday to thwart what it said was an imminent attack. It said it targeted Hamas launch posts and underground militant infrastructure.
The fighting on the anniversary underscored the militants’ resilience in the face of a devastating Israeli offensive that has killed around 42,000 Palestinians, according to local medical officials. It has also destroyed large areas of Gaza and displaced around 90% of its population.
Hamas-led militants blew holes in Israel’s security fence and stormed into nearby army bases and farming communities in a surprise attack one year ago, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting another 250. They are still holding around 100 captives inside Gaza, a third of whom are believed to be dead.
Israel is now at war with Hamas in Gaza and its ally Hezbollah in Lebanon. It has also vowed to strike Iran in response to a ballistic missile attack on Israel last week.
Here is The Latest:
STOCKHOLM — Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said Monday that the Hamas' attack on Israel a year ago was “the worst mass murder of Jews since the Holocaust was committed.”
Kristersson said the attack also “led to an escalated conflict in the Middle East that is still ongoing, with tens of thousands of civilian casualties and enormous suffering.”
Kristersson called for a cease-fire and the release of hostages, a de-escalation in the region and an increased humanitarian access.
Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala reiterated his country’s support for Israel on the anniversary of the attack by Hamas.
“A few days ago, Israel was attacked again by Iran. Again, unfortunately, anti-Semitism in various forms is also on the rise,” Fiala wrote on X.
“Tensions in the Middle East bring suffering to many people. However, terrorist organizations will not bring peace and a dignified life to people there. Israel defends its existence, it is repeatedly attacked and must have the right to defend itself. Therefore, on the day of this tragic anniversary, I repeat: The Czech Republic stands by Israel!”
ANKARA, Turkey — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan used the anniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas' attack to condemn Israel's military actions in Gaza and Lebanon.
“Today, I remember with sorrow the tens of thousands of people that the murderous Israeli government has massacred since Oct. 7,” Erdogan said in a message posted on X. “I convey my most heartfelt condolences to my brothers from Gaza, Palestine, and Lebanon.”
An outspoken critic of Israel’s actions in Gaza and more recently the war against Hezbollah in Lebanon, Erdogan said: “Israel’s long-standing policy of genocide, occupation, and invasion must finally come to an end.”
He has praised Hamas previously as a “liberation group.” Erdogan on Monday made no mention of the Oct. 7 Hamas' attack, in which the militants killed about 1,200 people and dragged some 250 hostages back to Gaza. The subsequent war in Gaza has killed more than 41,000 Palestinians and displaced most of the territory’s 2.3 million population.
“Israel will sooner or later pay the price for this genocide, which it has been implementing for a year and which is still continuing,” Erdogan wrote. “Just as Hitler was stopped by a joint alliance of humanity, (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu and his killer network will be stopped in the same way.”
ROME — The Vatican marked the anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel by taking up a collection for the people of Gaza and publishing a letter form Pope Francis to Catholics in the region expressing his solidarity.
Francis made no mention of Israel, Hamas or hostages in the letter dated Oct. 7 and addressed to Catholics in the Middle East, especially in Gaza. He referred to the “fuse of hatred” being lit one year ago, and the spiral of violence that had ensued, in insisting that what is needed is dialogue and peace.
After some comments that upset Israel early on in the conflict, Francis has usually tried to strike an even tone, often referring to Palestinians and Israel in his frequent appeals for peace. But he recently suggested Israel was using disproportionate and “immoral” force in Lebanon and Gaza.
And on the Oct. 7 anniversary, Francis spoke in general terms to people of all religious confessions in the region, thanking Christians for staying in their historic lands and directing himself in a particular way to the people of Gaza.
“I am close to you, I am with you. I am with you, the people of Gaza, long embattled and in dire straits. You are in my thoughts and prayers daily,” he wrote.
Francis said he was particularly close to those who have been forced to flee their homes to find refuge from bombing; to the mothers weeping over their dead children and those “who are afraid to look up for fear of fire raining down from the skies.”
Francis has called for a day of fasting and prayer on Monday, and his chief almsgiver announced he was taking up a collection from participants in Francis’ big meeting of bishops at the Vatican this week.
He urged donors to be particularly generous, saying the proceeds of the fundraising drive would go straight to the Catholic parish in Gaza, where Francis calls every day.
BEIRUT — Lebanon’s Health Ministry said an Israeli strike in the country’s south killed at least 10 firefighters on Monday.
It said more people were buried under the rubble and the death toll may rise.
The ministry said the firefighters were in a municipality building in the town of Baraachit that was hit as they prepared to embark on a rescue mission.
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris condemned Hamas on the anniversary of the militant group’s attack on Israel, while reiterating their administration’s commitment to cementing cease-fire deals to end fighting in Gaza and Lebanon.
“On this solemn anniversary, let us bear witness to the unspeakable brutality of the October 7th attacks but also to the beauty of the lives that were stolen that day,” Biden said in a statement.
The president said that he thinks every day of the more than 100 hostages still in captivity and their families. He vowed that his administration “will never give up until we bring all of the remaining hostages home safely.”
Biden added that “history will also remember October 7th as a dark day for the Palestinian people because of the conflict that Hamas unleashed that day.”
Gaza’s Health Ministry says more than 41,000 Palestinians have been killed in the territory since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack triggered the Israel-Hamas war. The ministry does not differentiate between fighters and civilians in its count but says a little over half of those killed were women and children.
“It is far past time for a hostage and ceasefire deal to end the suffering of innocent people,” Harris said. “And I will always fight for the Palestinian people to be able to realize their right to dignity, freedom, security, and self-determination.”
BEIRUT — The Israeli military Monday warned people in over a dozen towns and villages in southern Lebanon to evacuate, including the coastal town where the U.N. peacekeeping mission is headquartered.
Israeli evacuation warnings in recent days have expanded to include a provincial capital, as troops continue their ground incursion backed by intense airstrikes.
The U.N. peacekeeping mission, known as UNIFIL, is headquartered in Naqoura, not far from the coastal city of Tyre.
Israel’s Arabic military spokesperson Avichay Adraee in a post on X told residents to immediately flee north. “You are not allowed to head southward,” the statement read. “Any movement to the south puts your lives at risk.”
Lebanon’s cash-strapped government estimates that some 1.2 million people have been displaced in the fighting and it's struggling to support them.
Israel says its aim is to weaken Hezbollah to allow its displaced residents to move back to northern Israel. Hezbollah maintains that it will stop firing rockets at Israel when there is a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, in solidarity with its ally Hamas.
JERUSALEM — The Israeli military ordered people to evacuate areas near the city of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip after Hamas fired rockets at Tel Aviv.
The military had also ordered an evacuation of the areas east of Khan Younis earlier in the war when it sent ground troops into the territory’s second largest city.
The latest orders on Monday came after a barrage of five rockets triggered air raid sirens in central Israel, lightly wounded two women and caused minor damage. The military said the rockets were fired from the area of Khan Younis.
Hamas claimed the attack, which came as Israelis marked the anniversary of the Oct. 7 attack out of Gaza that triggered the war.
On Sunday, the military reiterated warnings for the entire population of northern Gaza to flee south. Those warnings date back to the early weeks of the war, when Israeli forces sealed off the north and launched heavy operations there.
A year of war has inflicted heavy losses on Hamas, but its fighters have repeatedly regrouped in areas where Israel has carried out large operations.
JERUSALEM — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel “arose as a nation as lions” following the Oct. 7 attack a year ago.
“We remember our fallen, our hostages — whom we are committed to return — our heroes who fell in defense of our homeland and country. We went through a terrible massacre a year ago and we arose as a nation as lions,” Netanyahu said at a memorial commemorating the anniversary of the attack.
He visited the memorial in Jerusalem for civilians, first responders and soldiers killed in the Hamas-led attack and the war it ignited. He spoke alongside the mayor of Jerusalem as the two held a small tribute at an event that appeared closed to the public.
Netanyahu has faced heavy criticism for security lapses that allowed the attack to unfold and mass protests over his failure to return some 100 hostages still held in Gaza, around a third of whom are believed to be dead.
The attack one year ago killed some 1,200 people across southern Israel, mostly civilians. Palestinian militants dragged some 250 hostages back to Gaza. The subsequent war in Gaza has killed more than 41,000 Palestinians and displaced most of the territory’s 2.3 million population.
WASHINGTON — The State Department says nearly 700 American citizens, green card holders and family members have now left Lebanon aboard U.S.-contracted planes since late September.
The department said Monday that about 90 passengers — less than a third of the planes 300-person capacity — departed Beirut for Istanbul, Turkey, on Sunday on the latest flight.
Hundreds of other Americans have left Lebanon aboard regularly scheduled commercial flights since fighting between Israel and Hezbollah intensified.
The department said it has made more than 2,900 seats available for Americans on those flights.
BEIRUT — Jordan’s top diplomat on Monday slammed Israel’s war with the militant Hezbollah group in Lebanon, saying it is pushing the Middle East into the “abyss of full-scale regional war.”
“We are facing a disaster and a dangerous escalation that threatens the region,” Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi. “Israel bears responsibility of this aggression, the escalation in the region, and any new escalation that the region faces.”
He spoke in a news conference following a meeting with Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati in Beirut.
Safadi said that Jordan backs the Lebanese government’s initiative to elect a new president and commitment to implement the U.N. Security Council resolution that ended Israel’s last war with Hezbollah in 2006, and that would keep southern Lebanon exclusively under the control of the Lebanese military and U.N. peacekeepers.
He added that Jordan, like Lebanon, backed an initiative by the United States and France for a three-week cease-fire in Lebanon.
Meanwhile, as the region braces for an Israeli retaliation for Iran's missile attack, Safadi said Jordan rejects either country using its airspace in their tit-for-tat hostitilies.
“We will not a battlefield for anyone,” he said. “We made this message clear to Iran and to Israel as well.”
MELBOURNE, Australia — Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese attended a vigil commemorating the Oct. 7 attack on Israel and walked in Melbourne with members of the Jewish community and lawmakers from across party lines.
Albanese was not expected to speak at the vigil, attended by thousands. In a statement, he said the day carried “terrible pain” and his government “unequivocally” condemned Hamas’ actions.
“Since the atrocities of October 7, Jewish Australians have felt the cold shadows of antisemitism reaching into the present day -- and as a nation we say never again,” he said.
“We unequivocally condemn all prejudice and hatred. There is no place in Australia for discrimination against people of any faith,” Albanese said. He acknowledged the “devastating” loss of civilian lives since Oct. 7.
Hundreds of people gathered Monday night at Sydney town hall for a vigil for Palestinian lives lost in the conflict amid a heavy police presence. Thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters had rallied across Australia’s cities on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the first of two repatriation flights organized by the Australian government to transport Australians from Lebanon touched down in Sydney on Monday evening with nearly 350 people on board.
KIBBUTZ BE’ERI, Israel — Members of Kibbutz Be’eri, one of the hardest-hit communities during the Oct. 7 attack, gathered amid the burned ruins of their homes and demanded an immediate return of the hostages during a memorial and rally on Monday.
More than 95 people were killed there and 30 were taken hostage on Oct. 7, according to the community’s spokesperson. Some of the women and children from the kibbutz were released in a cease-fire deal in November, but 10 hostages from Be’eri remain in captivity. Israel believes most of them are no longer alive.
On Monday, the community marched silently through the streets of the kibbutz bearing signs of the hostages before gathering for a rally, unfurling a massive flag with the words “Be’eri cannot heal until everyone is home.”
Ella Ben-Ami, whose father Ohad Ben-Ami was kidnapped from Be’eri, addressed the crowd and demanded the government of Israel bring her father home.
She said she continues to take solace from the video of his kidnapping, when he stands tall and proud, as if he knew he was being filmed, to broadcast a message to his family that he would be OK.
Many people at Be’eri were dreading the anniversary, which felt like an “impossible” amount of time, she said. “But then I stop for a moment I think that my father woke up today to count a year in captivity, a year!” she said.
ROME — Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, who has voiced strong support for Israel, commemorated the Oct. 7 anniversary by visiting the main synagogue in Rome and reaffirming Israel’s right to defend itself.
Meloni also denounced the “latent and rampant antisemitism” that has arisen in the year since the Hamas attacks, citing in particular pro-Palestinian protests in Italy over the weekend, some of which turned violent.
While asserting Israel’s lights to live safely within its borders, she insisted that it respect international law and lamented the devastation unleashed by Israeli forces in Gaza. She said Palestinians in Gaza had been “victims twice over: first of Hamas’ cynicism, which uses them as human shields, and then of Israeli military operations.”
As the current president of the Group of Seven, Italy will continue to work for an immediate cease-fire, “the release of Israeli hostages and the stabilization of the Israeli-Lebanese border through the full implementation of U.N. resolutions,” Meloni said.
Since coming to office in 2022, Meloni has taken several initiatives to show her strong support for Italy’s Jewish community and Israel. Her Brothers of Italy party has roots in the neo-fascist Italian Social Movement, or MSI, which was founded in 1946 by sympathizers of Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini.
TEL AVIV, Israel — The Israeli military said on Monday that projectiles fired from Gaza set off sirens in central Tel Aviv, as Israel marks a year to Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack.
There were no immediate reports of damage or injury. The sirens came as Israelis were marking the anniversary to the deadliest attack in their country’s history. That attack one year ago began with a volley of rockets from Gaza.
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israeli strikes hit two makeshift points used by Hamas-run police at a hospital in central Gaza, wounding a journalist. There were no police present at the sites when they were hit early Monday.
Ali al-Attar, a journalist working for Al Jazeera, was hit by shrapnel while he was inside a tent used by reporters nearby, according to an Associated Press journalist.
Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since 2007, operated a police force numbering in the tens of thousands before the war. They have adopted a low profile after being repeatedly targeted by Israeli strikes but still maintain control on the ground in Gaza.
BEIRUT — The Lebanese Hezbollah militant group on Monday reaffirmed its commitment to support Hamas by fighting Israel along Lebanon's southern border.
The statement came a year after its allies from the Palestinian Hamas group staged a surprise attack into southern Israel, setting off the war, and amid ongoing intense Israeli airstrikes and a ground incursion into Lebanon.
Hezbollah maintains that it will stop its attacks if there is a cease-fire in Gaza, and although its longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed. Large swaths of southern and eastern Lebanon have been targeted in Israeli airstrikes.
“We are confident, God willing, in the ability of our resistance to repel the aggression, and in our great and resistant people to be patient, steadfast, and endure until this calamity is removed,” Hezbollah said.
The Lebanese government estimates that some 1.2 million people in Lebanon have been displaced, mostly during the escalations less than a month ago.
Hezbollah also praised Iran and other Tehran-backed groups in the region, notably Yemen's Houthis and Iraqi Shiite militias for their attacks on Israel.
BE’ERI, Israel — Across southern Israel on Monday, families gathered in spots where their loved ones were killed during Hamas’ attack, marking a year since the assault that sparked the war in Gaza.
They crowded into roadside bomb shelters that became death traps when people seeking shelter from Hamas rockets and militants were sprayed with bullets or struck by grenades.
People were also visiting spots on the side of a main road marked with memorials.
In Kibbutz Be’eri, one of the hardest-hit communities struck in Hamas’ attack, where roughly 100 residents were killed and 30 kidnapped on Oct. 7, hundreds marched silently holding signs bearing photos of people still being held captive in Gaza. They held a rally in front of homes destroyed in the attack.
PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron took to social media on Monday to mark the one-year anniversary since Hamas’ attack on Israel.
“The pain remains, as vivid as it was a year ago. The pain of the Israeli people. Ours. The pain of wounded humanity,” Macron said on X. “We do not forget the victims, the hostages, or the families with broken hearts from absence or waiting. I send them our fraternal thoughts.”
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot was in Israel for the anniversary and attended a memorial service at the site of the Nova music festival where hundreds were killed in Hamas’ attack.
Barrot, talking to the families of victims, pledged France’s support in the face of “the worst anti-Semitic massacre in our history since the Holocaust.”
“The joyful dawn of what should have been a day of celebration was suddenly torn apart by unspeakable horror,” he said. “France mourns alongside Israel our 48 compatriots victims of barbarism.”
Barrot, who is expected to speak with his counterpart Israel Katz later Monday, said that Macron will also meet in Paris with family members of Israelis held hostage today.
TOKYO — Japan has expressed its condolences to families of victims on the one-year anniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks and demanded the immediate release of hostages.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters on Monday that Japan is seriously concerned about the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip amid continued fighting, the large number of civilian casualties and the ongoing security threats to both Israeli and Palestinian people.
“Japan continues to urge all parties including Israel to comply with international law, including international humanitarian law, and strongly urges them to steadily work toward realization of a cease-fire,” Hayashi said.
He added that Japan strongly supports mediation efforts by the United States, Egypt and Qatar in achieving negotiations for the release of the hostages and a cease-fire.
TEL AVIV, Israel — A group representing the families of Israeli hostages announced on Monday the death of a captive whose body is still being held in Gaza.
The Hostages and Families Forum said Idan Shtivi, 28, was captured from the Nova music festival on Oct. 7. He was thought to have been taken alive.
Israeli media reported that he was killed that day and his body was taken into Gaza.
It was not immediately clear how Shtivi’s death became apparent, but in previous such announcements, the Israeli military has discovered evidence indicating a hostage’s death.
The announcement of Shtivi’s death comes as Israelis are marking one year since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, where militants killed 1,200 people and kidnapped 250 others. About 100 remain in captivity, although more than a third of those are said to be dead.
RE’IM, Israel — Hundreds of families and friends of people killed at the Nova music festival gathered Monday at the site of the attack, where nearly 400 were gunned down during Hamas’ Oct. 7 assault.
Families gathered around photos of their loved ones, which were arranged in a semicircle around what was the DJ stage. Many lit candles and added mementos or photos, crying and embracing. Overhead, army helicopters circled and constant booms echoed across the area, causing many to flinch.
“We can’t understand how a year has passed,” said Shimon Busika, whose son, Yarden, 25, was killed at the festival. “It’s the most natural place to be, to be here for this moment of silence,” he said.
Busika said it took them a long time, piecing together testimony from other survivors, to understand what happened in Yarden’s last moments. They now know he was killed around 9:20 near a yellow container at the festival where many others were killed, and they will hold a second minute of silence there at the moment he was killed.
The last sounds of the trance track that was playing at the Nova site on Oct. 7 one year ago stopped abruptly, as hundreds of family members and friends of the more than 300 victims stood in a moment of silence. One woman’s piercing wail broke the silence as booms echoed from the fighting in Gaza, just a few kilometers (miles) away.
JAKARTA, Indonesia — Twenty Indonesian nationals and a Lebanese evacuated from Lebanon arrived in Jakarta on a commercial flight early Monday and will likely be followed by 20 more in the afternoon, officials said.
President Joko Widodo has called to prioritize the evacuation of Indonesians in Lebanon as hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah escalate and fears of a wider regional war in the Middle East grow.
“I have directed the foreign affairs minister to take immediate action to ensure the safety and protection of our citizens and expedite their evacuation,” Widodo said last week.
Indonesia’s Embassy in Beirut had prepared evacuation procedures for citizens as part of its contingency planning since August. The Embassy evacuated 25 Indonesian citizens who returned safely to Indonesia last month, said Judha Nugraha, Director of Indonesian Citizen Protection at the Foreign Affairs Ministry.
There are 116 registered Indonesian citizens in Lebanon, most of them students, migrant workers and people married to Lebanese nationals. Many of them have chosen to remain there for various reasons, Nugraha said.
CANBERRA, Australia — Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a statement Monday that the day carried “terrible pain” and his government “unequivocally” condemned Hamas' attack on Israel a year ago.
Hamas militants stormed from the blockaded Gaza Strip into nearby Israeli towns on Oct. 7 a year ago, killing dozens and abducting others in an unprecedented surprise attack.
Albanese said that since the attack, Jewish Australians have “felt the cold shadows of antisemitism reaching into the present day — and as a nation we say never again.”
“We unequivocally condemn all prejudice and hatred. There is no place in Australia for discrimination against people of any faith,” Albanese said.
He added that “every innocent life matters” and the number of civilians killed in the conflict was “a devastating tragedy.”
“Today we reflect on the truth of our shared humanity, of the hope that peace is possible, and the belief that it belongs to all people,” Albanese said.
BEIRUT — A new round of airstrikes hit Beirut suburbs late Sunday as Israel intensified its bombardment of northern Gaza and southern Lebanon. Palestinian officials said a strike on a mosque in Gaza killed at least 19 people.
Rocket sirens and blasts were heard in Haifa in northern Israel late Sunday, and Hezbollah claimed the attack.
Israel’s military said at least five projectiles were identified coming from Lebanon and “fallen projectiles” were found in the area. The military showed what appeared to be rubble along a street. The Magen David Adom ambulance service said it was treating a teen with shrapnel injuries to the head and a man who fell from a window due to a blast.
Lebanese men ride a scooter past a damaged building hit by an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
People visit the site of the Nova music festival, where hundreds of revelers were killed and abducted by Hamas and taken into Gaza, on the one-year anniversary of the attack, near Kibbutz Reim, southern Israel, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
People visit the site of the Nova music festival, where hundreds of revelers were killed and abducted by Hamas and taken into Gaza, on the one-year anniversary of the attack, near Kibbutz Reim, southern Israel, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
Victoria stands in front a picture of her sister, Yulia Waxer Daunt, as she visits the site of the Nova music festival, where hundreds of revelers were killed and abducted by Hamas and taken into Gaza, on the one-year anniversary of the attack, near Kibbutz Reim, southern Israel, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
A man takes pictures by his mobile phone of destroyed buildings hit by Israeli airstrikes in Dahiyeh, Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Victoria stands in front a picture of her sister, Yulia Waxer Daunt, as she visits the site of the Nova music festival, where hundreds of revelers were killed and abducted by Hamas and taken into Gaza, on the one-year anniversary of the attack, near Kibbutz Reim, southern Israel, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)