This roundup summarises the most important news stories around the world in the last month (October 2023).

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In the Middle East, Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a deadly surprise raid into Israel, prompting a strong retaliatory response from the country. As the Israeli government – which formed an emergency government – faces questions over the intelligence and security failure, its forces have bombarded Gaza with relentless, deadly airstrikes. Global calls for a ceasefire have grown, as Israel ordered Palestinians to leave northern Gaza and relocate to the south and as Israel blockaded the region and cut Gaza’s electricity supply.

As of October 25, 2023, approximately 1,400 people in Israel were killed by Hamas militants, and about 200 were taken hostage. Israel’s airstrikes and collective punishment of Gaza has killed at least 5,000 people.

Conservative electoral gains

In New Zealand, the ruling Labour Party was voted out of power, ushering in the centre-right National Party. In Australia, in its first referendum in 24 years, voters rejected calls to recognise First Nations people in its constitution and create an advisory Indigenous body. In Ecuador, a conservative lawmaker defeated a leftist candidate with 52 per cent of the vote, becoming the youngest president in the country’s history. And in Slovakia, a party led by a politician opposed to additional Ukrainian aid won the parliamentary election.

Separately, legally, India’s top court declined to legalise same-sex marriage, ruling that the legal right must be implemented by parliament.

Other political and geopolitical news

In Poland, in the city’s biggest rally, up to a million people protested in Warsaw, supporting the opposition party ahead of national elections. The liberal parties later won enough votes to assemble a new ruling coalition, ousting the right-wing governing party. In Haiti, a security mission led by Kenyan troops was authorised by the United Nations to crack down on gang violence.

In the United States (US), the speaker of the House of Representatives was removed from his leadership position. And in the largest healthcare walkout in US history, more than 75,000 employees of integrated managed care consortium Kaiser Permanente joined a strike.

And in Afghanistan, a pair of earthquakes killed over 2,400 people.