“We hit Hamas, we hit their infrastructure and we hunt their commanders. We are categorically not trying to hit civilians.” This was stated by Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Jonathan Conricus in an update on the Israel-Hamas conflict. The latest news today, October 16, 2023, denies that the military is trying to attack civilian targets, while over 600,000 people in Gaza have heeded the Israeli authorities’ call to leave the north and move to the south of the Gaza Strip.
According to Hamas-affiliated media, the Israeli Air Force’s overnight strikes on the Gaza Strip were “the most intense” since retaliation for the Hamas attack began. And they speak of the “most violent night” since the beginning of the war. For hours, the media reported, airstrikes were carried out on the al-Zaytoun and al-Shujaiya districts of Gaza City.
The Rafah border crossing reopened today for foreign citizens and humanitarian goods
Meanwhile, the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip has been reopened, broadcaster al-Arabiya said, explaining that over a hundred trucks were lining up to deliver aid to millions of Palestinians besieged during the temporary ceasefire. During this period, foreign citizens staying in the Gaza Strip are also allowed to leave the Palestinian enclave.
Biden: “Israel strikes at Hamas, but occupying Gaza is a big mistake”
Israel “must respond.” It must attack Hamas, which is “a group of cowards hiding among the civilian population.” But occupying Gaza would be “a big mistake,” US President Joe Biden said in an interview with CBS’s “60 Minutes,” emphasizing that “a Palestinian Authority is necessary.” “There has to be a path to a Palestinian state. “
Biden added: “Israel is hunting a group of people who have committed barbarism as grave as the Holocaust. And that’s why I think Israel has to respond.” As for next action in Gaza, the US president said he was “confident “that Israel will act according to the measures and rules of war.” And he then explained that his government is working with Egypt to create a humanitarian corridor that will “enable these children and women to leave Gaza.” “I am confident,” he said, that there will be a way for the innocent people of Gaza to have access to medicine, food and water.” For its part, the United States “will provide Israel with everything it needs.”
Abu Mazen: “Hamas actions do not represent the Palestinian people”
For his part, Abu Mazen asserts that Hamas’ actions “do not represent the Palestinian people.” This was reported by the Times of Israel, citing the Palestinian agency Wafa. The President of the Palestinian Authority says in a conversation with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro that the PLO is the only legitimate representative of the Palestinian people. Abu Mazen (Mahmoud Abbas) also calls for the release of “prisoners and detainees” on both sides and reiterates his claim that the expulsion of Gazans marks a “second Nakba” (the exodus of Palestinians from the occupied territories from Israel in 1948 ).
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