Gaza ceasefire close to collapse; Louvre robbery

Mōrena this Monday and welcome to your wrap of the major business and political headlines from around the world you need to know.

First up, the Gaza ceasefire is teetering, with the Israeli Defense Forces confirming it has begun a wave of attacks in Southern Gaza it says are in response to Hamas gunfire against its troops in Rafah. 

"In response to the blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement earlier today, the IDF (military) has begun a series of strikes against Hamas terror targets in the southern Gaza Strip,” the IDF said in a statement reported by The Guardian.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered "firm action" across Gaza, where the local civil defence agency claims at least 11 people have been killed by Israeli airstrikes. The Guardian further reports that Israel’s defence minister warned Hamas would “pay a heavy price” for any further ceasefire breaches, saying Israeli troops would respond “increasingly severely” if attacks continue.

Hamas dismissed a US state department statement accusing the group of planning an imminent attack, for which the US warned "measures will be taken" to preserve the integrity of the ceasefire. Hamas said: “The US allegations are false and fully align with the misleading Israeli propaganda and provide cover for the continuation of the occupation’s crimes and organised aggression against our people in Gaza.”

Earlier, Hamas claimed it had located the body of another Israeli hostage who it said it would hand over when "field conditions allow". Meanwhile, the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt remains closed until further notice, Israel said – the Palestinian embassy had earlier said its sole gateway to the outside world through Cairo, which is key to bringing in aid, would reopen on Monday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

In Afghanistan and Pakistan, meanwhile, a ceasefire has come into effect after fighting that killed dozens of people and injured hundreds. The truce was mediated by Qatar and Turkey.

The Taliban government’s chief spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said both countries had signed a bilateral agreement, CNBC reported.

“It has been decided that neither country will undertake any hostile actions against the other, nor will they support groups carrying out attacks against Pakistan. Both sides will refrain from targeting each other’s security forces, civilians, or critical infrastructure.”

Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif posted confirmation of the deal on X. “Cross-border terrorism from Afghan territory will cease immediately. Both countries will respect each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. A follow-up meeting between the delegations is scheduled to take place in Istanbul on October 25 to discuss the matters in detail.”

Giuffre was among the girls and young women sexually exploited by Jeffrey Epstein, and she claimed she was forced to have sex with Prince Andrew on three occasions, including when she was 17, at the home of Ghislaine Maxwell. 

According to the Mail on Sunday, Prince Andrew asked his police protection officer to investigate her just before the newspaper published a photo of Giuffre's first meeting with the prince in February 2011. The Sunday Telegraph also claimed that Prince Andrew "sought to dig up dirt" on her.

The allegations come after Prince Andrew late last week announced he was voluntarily deciding to not use his titles and giving up his membership of the Order of the Garter.

Prince Andrew.

Finally today, "priceless" historic jewellery has been stolen from the world's most-visited museum, the Louvre in Paris. The break-in targeted two glass cases in its Apollon gallery, where the French crown jewels are held.

French interior minister Laurent Nuñez said the "priceless" jewels of "unmeasurable heritage value" were stolen after a well-organised raid, which took just seven minutes and involved the use of an angle grinder to break through glass.

Nuñez said it was the work of “an experienced team who had clearly scouted the location”. Three or four suspects are said to have fled and police are investigating whether it was a gang known to them. One stolen piece of jewellery was recovered outside the museum.

The Louvre attracts more than eight million visitors a year.