At least 18 people have been killed in an Israeli air attack on northern Lebanon, the Lebanese Red Cross says.

    The UN rights says office says the Israeli army appears to be cutting off northern Gaza completely from the rest of the territory and launching attacks “with absolute disregard for the lives and security of Palestinian civilians”.

    At least four Palestinians are killed and dozens wounded after Israeli fighter jets bombed a tent encampment housing displaced Palestinians on the grounds of al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir el-Balah, central Gaza.

    In Gaza, at least 42,289 people have been killed and 98,684 wounded in Israeli attacks since October 2023. At least 1,139 people were killed in Israel on October 7, 2023, and more than 200 people taken captive.

    Ceasefire ‘only way to break the cycle of violence, hatred, misery’: UN refugee chief

    A ceasefire “is the only way to break the cycle of violence, of hatred, of misery” in the Middle East, according to United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi.

    He stressed the urgent need for cessation of hostilities in Lebanon and Gaza to avert a broader regional conflict with ramifications for the whole world.

    “A ceasefire that is sustained by a meaningful peace process … is the only way to break the cycle of violence, of hatred, of misery,” said Grandi while speaking at the start of the UNHCR refugee agency’s annual executive committee meeting in Geneva.

    Only a ceasefire could “stem the tide to a major regional war with global implications”, he warned, slamming “the terrible lie that the path to peace is found through war”.

    “You will have seen the images and heard the numbers; hundreds of thousands of displaced inside Lebanon, seeking reprieve from Israeli air strikes,” Grandi said. “Once again, the distinction made between civilians and combatants has almost become meaningless.”

    China tells Israel ‘humanitarian disasters’ in Gaza must end

    Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi had a phone call with his Israeli counterpart.

    “Humanitarian disasters in Gaza should not continue and … countering violence with violence cannot truly address the legitimate concerns of all parties,” Wang told Israel Katz, the official Xinhua news agency said.

    “The Chinese side believes that renewed conflict and turmoil in the region serves the interests of no one,” Wang added.

    Beijing also “hopes that all parties will act cautiously to avoid falling into a vicious circle amid tension between Israel and Iran”. He called for “immediate, complete and permanent ceasefire in Gaza and the release of all hostages”.