Portal:Current events/2023 October 24

October 24, 2023 (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Gaza–Israel conflict
- Israel–Hamas war
  - Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip
    - The World Health Organization says that medicine and health supplies have not been delivered to three hospitals in northern Gaza and that nearly two-thirds of hospitals in Gaza are now inoperable. (Al Jazeera) (Reuters)
    - The UN agency for Palestinian refugees says that the number of aid trucks so far is "a trickle in the face of the immense needs of people" and calls for an "unimpeded and continuous flow of humanitarian assistance and medical assistance to continue coming into Gaza". (Reuters)
  - Israel launches airstrikes near the Red Crescent headquarters and Al-Amal Hospital in Khan Younis, where more than 4,000 displaced Palestinians are taking shelter. (Al Jazeera)
  - UN Secretary-General António Guterres calls for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, saying that there are clear violations of international humanitarian law. Guterres also called for more humanitarian relief to be allowed into the enclave. (Al Jazeera)
  - Human Rights Watch criticizes Israel for "deliberately deepening the suffering of civilians in Gaza" by refusing to allow shipments of fuel into the enclave and for not restoring the supply of water. (The Business Standard)
  - Israeli police close the Al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem and stop Muslim worshippers from entering the compound. (Middle East Monitor)
Iraqi conflict
- Two rockets land inside Al-Asad Airbase in Al Anbar Governorate, Iraq, which houses American troops, no casualties are reported. (Reuters)
- U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken warns Iran of a "decisive response" if Americans are attacked by its proxies in the region. (Bloomberg)
2024 Iran–Israel conflict, Israel–Hezbollah conflict
- IDF airstrikes attacks two Syrian military positions in southwestern Syria, marking the first time the IDF publicly targeted the Syrian military since the Israel-Gaza war began.(UnderstandingWar)

Disasters and accidents

2023 Heligoland ship collision
- One person is killed and four others are missing after two cargo ships, the British-flagged Verity and the Bahamas-flagged Polesie, collide in the North Sea near Heligoland, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, with the Verity sinking. Rescue efforts are ongoing. (AFP via France 24)

Law and crime

Crime in Norway
- Tuesday night the Norwegian police received a report of a bomb that went off at the entrance of a house in Drøbak, Norway. The police tells the media that they do not know what they are facing in the case. No one was injured or killed in the incident. (Norway Posts)
Aftermath of the January 6 United States Capitol attack
- Criminal proceedings in the January 6 United States Capitol attack
  - Former Trump administration chief of staff Mark Meadows is granted immunity by prosecutor Jack Smith in exchange for testifying to a grand jury earlier this year. (ABC News)
Christchurch mosque shootings
- The deputy chief coroner of New Zealand opens an inquest into the shootings in order to investigate police response times. (AFP via The Manila Times)
Authorities in Touboro, North Region, Cameroon, report that a number of travellers from Ngaoundéré have been kidnapped yesterday by unidentified gunmen near the border with Chad, bringing the number to at least 50 people for the past two days. Seven of them have been released. (AP via VOA)
Three people are killed in a shootout in Cotabato City, Philippines, while posting election posters, leading to the arrest of 12 suspects. (BenarNews)
The Holy See announces Bishop Grzegorz Kaszak's resignation from the Diocese of Sosnowiec in Poland following allegations related to a priest's misconduct in Dąbrowa Górnicza. (AFP via The Manila Times)

Politics and elections

October 2023 Speaker of the United States House of Representatives election
- The Republican party selects Tom Emmer as their nominee for Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. However, Emmer withdraws four hours later. The same party conference again gathers and selects Mike Johnson as their nominee for Speaker. (CNN)
The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China votes to remove several state council members from their positions, including defense minister Li Shangfu, finance minister Liu Kun, and science minister Wang Zhigang. (Reuters via CNA)

Sports

2023 MLB postseason
- 2023 National League Championship Series
  - The Arizona Diamondbacks defeat the Philadelphia Phillies, 4–2 in game 7, to win the National League pennant. (The Athletic)