IDF claims it captured terror operative in Syria

The IDF said it detained a Syrian citizen it alleged was working for Iran.

Last Updated: November 4, 2024, 3:02 AM EST

The Israel Defense Forces conducted what it called "precise strikes on military targets" in Iran on Friday in response to the Iranian missile strikes earlier this month.

Meanwhile, Israeli airstrikes and ground fighting continued in Gaza -- particularly in the north of the strip -- and in Lebanon, with renewed Israeli attacks on Beirut.

Latest headlines:

Here's how the news is developing.
Oct 28, 2024, 9:28 PM EDT

Netanyahu addresses humanitarian aid in Gaza after UNRWA ban

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a statement on X Monday after legislation banning the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), a main provider of aid to Gaza, passed the Israeli parliament.

Israel is "ready to work with our international partners to ensure Israel continues to facilitate humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza in a way that does not threaten Israel's security," Netanyahu said.

"UNRWA workers involved in terrorist activities against Israel must be held accountable. Since avoiding a humanitarian crisis is also essential, sustained humanitarian aid must remain available in Gaza now and in the future," the Prime Minister added.

The Israeli government has accused multiple UNRWA members of participating in Hamas' Oct. 7 terrorist attacks and having ties to Hamas. The UN conducted an investigation into the matter after the Israeli government's initial allegations, and fired multiple UNRWA staffers after the probe, according to the Associated Press.

UNRWA initially fired 12 staffers and put seven on administrative leave without pay over the claims. The UN then fired an additional nine staffers, according to AP.

The laws passed by the Israeli parliament Monday will take effect in 90 days and will likely be challenged by Israel's High Court.

-ABC News' Ellie Kaufman

Oct 28, 2024, 5:55 PM EDT

Netanyahu says Israel would accept 48-hour cease-fire, hostage exchange proposal

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he would accept a 48-hour cease-fire agreement proposed by the president of Egypt for the release of four hostages, but said he has not received the offer yet.

"If such a proposal were made, the Prime Minister would accept it on the spot," the Israeli Prime Minister's office said in a statement Monday.

-ABC News' Jordana Miller

Oct 28, 2024, 5:16 PM EDT

Israeli parliament passes bills banning UN relief agency in Gaza

Israel's legislative body, the Knesset, passed two bills ending the Israeli government's ties to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East on Monday, effectively banning the organization from working inside of Israel or with any Israeli authorities.

The first bill bans UNRWA from operating in Israel, including in east Jerusalem. The bill passed with 92 members of the Knesset voting in favor and 10 voting against. This will also force UNRWA to close its bureau in Jerusalem.

The second bill prohibits any Israeli state or government agency from working with or "liaising" with UNRWA or anyone on its behalf. This applies to any Israeli agency working with UNRWA in Gaza and the West Bank. The bill passed with 87 members of the Knesset voting in favor, and nine voting against.

Palestinians look at the destruction after an Israeli strike on a school run by UNRWA, the U.N. agency helping Palestinian refugees, in Nuseirat, Gaza Strip, May 14, 2024.
Abdel Kareem Hana/AP, FILE

UNRWA is the main U.N. relief agency operating inside of Gaza. This second bill would ban COGAT, the Israeli agency that manages coordination with Gaza and the West Bank, from working with UNRWA to coordinate the delivery of humanitarian assistance to Gaza. Israel has accused many of the members of UNRWA on the ground as having ties to Hamas.

Both bills have a three-month waiting period before they take effect. It is expected that the bills will be challenged Israel's high court.

UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini called the two bills "unprecedented" and said they set a "dangerous precedent" in a post on X after they were both passed.

"These bills will only deepen the suffering of Palestinians, especially in Gaza where people have been going through more than a year of sheer hell," Lazzarini said. "These bills increase the suffering of the Palestinians & are nothing less than collective punishment."

-ABC News' Dana Savir and Jordana Miller

Oct 28, 2024, 4:24 PM EDT

Iran promises 'bitter and unimaginable consequences' for Israel retaliation

Maj. Gen. Hossein Salami, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, said Israel's strike on Iran will lead to "bitter and unimaginable consequences," in comments Monday, according to Tasnim News Agency, an Iranian news agency close to the IRGC.

The IRGC chief also said the "illegitimate and unlawful" attack by Israel revealed Israel's "miscalculation and its frustration in the battlefield in the war against the combatants of the great front of Islamic resistance, especially in Gaza and Lebanon."

He also offered his condolences to the four Iranian service members killed in the attack.

Esmail Baghaei, spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Minister's Office, said Iran "reserves the right to respond to Israeli aggression in accordance with international law," IRNA, Iranian state media, reported.

-ABC News' Somayeh Malekian

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