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Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi chaired a meeting of the National Defence Council, which reaffirmed Egypt’s solidarity with Saudi Arabia amid escalating Houthi attacks. The council pledged all necessary forms of support to protect Saudi security, stability, resources and territorial integrity. It also said Egypt would intensify diplomatic efforts with regional and international partners to reduce tensions. The announcement followed el-Sisi’s request for parliamentary authorization to take defensive measures if Riyadh requested assistance. The statement did not specify the exact military assistance Egypt might provide.

Yemen’s armed forces said they had conducted 1,326 strikes against Houthi targets during the preceding 24 hours under an operation named “Dawn of Yemen.” The military claimed approximately 370 Houthi fighters had been neutralized and dozens of military vehicles and other assets destroyed or disabled. It also reported advances west of Marib and the capture of positions and heavy weapons in Taiz. These figures and battlefield claims were attributed to the government’s military spokesperson and were not independently verified in the report.

US officials visited Taybeh, a predominantly Christian Palestinian village near Ramallah, following attacks attributed to Israeli settlers against European diplomats and Palestinian olive farmers. Asharq Al-Awsat reported the visit by Riley Barnes, the US assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights and labor. The visit constituted a new diplomatic engagement on 18 October, separate from the European Union’s condemnation of the earlier attack. It brought US officials to the affected community amid international concern over settler violence and the protection of Palestinian civilians and visiting delegations.

The United Nations World Food Programme reported that funding shortages had forced it to reduce the number of people receiving assistance in Gaza from 1.6 million to 1.1 million. Acting executive director Carl Skau announced the reduction during a visit to the Palestinian territory. The programme also reported that food rations had been halved, cash assistance reduced for 75,000 families and daily hot meals cut from 250,000 to 150,000. The announcement highlights worsening humanitarian support constraints as winter approaches.

A mass funeral was held in Gaza City for 75 Palestinians whose remains had recently been recovered from the rubble of homes and other buildings destroyed during the war. The Palestinian Ministry of Health announced the number of victims, and Al Jazeera reported that most were from Gaza City’s Daraj neighbourhood. The ceremony took place as recovery efforts continued amid widespread destruction. The funeral was a new public event on 18 October, although the deaths and destruction occurred earlier; the report does not establish that all remains were recovered on the day of the funeral.

A seven-year-old Palestinian girl, identified as Misk al-Delou, was killed following an Israeli military attack on Maghazi refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, according to the Palestinian news agency WAFA, as reported by Anadolu Agency. Her relatives received her body at Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Hospital in Deir al-Balah before the funeral. The report identifies the victim and the reported location but attributes the account to Palestinian reporting; it does not provide an independent investigation establishing the circumstances of the incident. The death represents a new reported civilian casualty on 18 October.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa appointed Omar al-Halabi as chairman of Syria’s sovereign wealth fund, according to a decree reported by the state news agency SANA and carried by AFP. Al-Halabi was also appointed a presidential adviser for economic affairs. The fund oversees investment projects and state assets and is intended to attract foreign capital following years of war. It also manages assets confiscated from businessmen associated with the former government of Bashar al-Assad. The appointment is part of Syria’s ongoing efforts to establish economic institutions and attract investment.

Iran’s parliament approved Mehrdad Akhlaghi as the country’s new defence minister, according to Iranian state media and an AFP report published by Arab News. Akhlaghi, described as a longstanding official in the defence industry, replaces Aziz Nasirzadeh, who was killed during the opening phase of the war with the United States. During the confirmation process, President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran would not yield to external pressure. Akhlaghi warned that miscalculations by Israel or the United States could trigger a substantial Iranian response.

Iran presented a proposal under which the Strait of Hormuz would reopen within seven days if the United States accepted Tehran’s conditions. According to Reuters, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the conditions included lifting the US blockade of Iranian ports, releasing frozen Iranian assets and waiving sanctions on Iranian oil sales. Araghchi indicated that the strait could reopen on the sixth day, with negotiations beginning on the seventh. The proposal represents a diplomatic initiative linked to maritime access, sanctions and the wider conflict between Iran and the United States.

An airstrike killed at least nine people, including five children and two women, in Yemen’s northern Saada province, according to the Houthi-run Health Ministry. Ministry spokesperson Anees al-Asbahi said the strike hit a house in Sahar district and wounded 19 others, including 11 children. Some of the injured were reportedly in critical condition. The Houthi authorities blamed Saudi Arabia for the attack, while the Saudi government had not immediately commented at the time of publication. The reported incident occurred amid renewed fighting in Yemen.

Sudan’s army said it had struck Rapid Support Forces command centres in South Darfur. The RSF and its allies, however, alleged that a crowded livestock market was hit during the operation. The competing accounts leave the precise target and circumstances disputed in the available report. Al Jazeera also cited the United Nations’ assessment that drone strikes have become the leading cause of civilian deaths in Sudan. The report documents a new allegation concerning the ongoing conflict, but does not independently establish responsibility for damage to the market.

The European Union condemned an attack by Israeli settlers on a delegation of European diplomats visiting the Palestinian village of Taybeh in the occupied West Bank. The delegation included representatives from France, Belgium and Poland, alongside Catholic Church representatives. According to the report, attackers threatened members of the delegation and damaged a Belgian diplomatic vehicle. French, Belgian and Polish officials called for accountability or explanations. Israel’s foreign minister condemned the violence and said police had opened an investigation. The EU urged Israel to prevent further attacks and respect international law.