25 minutes ago
The Kremlin condemns comparisons between Putin and Hamas
U.S. President Joe Biden’s comparison between Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s actions and those of Hamas is “unacceptable,” a Kremlin spokesman said Friday in Google-translated comments reported by Russian state agency Tass on Telegram.
Divided between loyalty to Israel and Hamas, which supports Iran, Putin has failed to condemn the Palestinian militant group while broadly calling for an end to violence in Israel and the Gaza Strip.
Earlier this week, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz condemned what he called Putin’s “cynical” comments about the suffering in Gaza, given the numerous civilian casualties caused by Russia’s own full-scale invasion of Ukraine since February 2022.
Peskov on Friday reiterated Moscow’s warning that the risks to civilians in Gaza will “increase exponentially” if Israeli forces launch a long-awaited ground attack on the embattled enclave.
— Ruxandra Iordache
23 minutes ago
The United Nations is working to “clarify” the terms of the deal to speed up aid to Gaza, Guterres says
The UN is working with all parties to clarify the conditions for humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza, the UN Secretary-General said on Friday.
Conditions in the Gaza Strip have deteriorated rapidly as it remains under complete siege by Israel and is deprived of supplies. Gaza’s Health Ministry has warned that the health system will collapse if nothing is done to address electricity and equipment shortages. Human rights groups, meanwhile, have warned of food shortages and dangers to civilians in the strip.
Earlier this week, the US and Egypt agreed to a deal to receive humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip through the Rafah crossing – the only border not controlled by Israel. However, Egypt said it was unable to open the crossing due to repeated Israeli bombings at the site.
The humanitarian aid agreement comes with “some conditions and some restrictions,” the UN’s Antonio Guterres said, speaking from the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing, according to NBC News. He added that the UN was working to “clarify these conditions.”
In comments reported by Portal, Guterres called for a significant number of trucks carrying humanitarian aid to enter the Gaza Strip daily as quickly as possible and that verification of aid must be carried out in a practical and rapid manner.
In a previous social media postGuterres said he arrived in Egypt on Thursday to witness UN preparations for “massive support to the civilian population in Gaza” and urged access and safe distribution conditions for humanitarian workers to bring aid to Gaza.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks during a press conference at the UN headquarters in New York on October 11, 2023.
Xie E | Xinhua News Agency | Getty Images
“On this side we saw so many trucks loaded with water, fuel, medicine and food. Exactly the same things needed on this side of the wall. So these trucks aren’t just trucks. “You are a lifeline,” Guterres said Friday, according to NBC News.
“What we need is to get them to move, to move them to the other side of his wall, to move them as quickly as possible and as many as possible.”
— Ruxandra Iordache
An hour ago
Israel’s foreign minister calls for international unity and calls for hostages to be released
Israel’s Foreign Minister Eli Cohen on Friday called for international unity and called for the release of hostages captured during the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attacks.
“We will do everything we can to free everyone who has been kidnapped. “In addition, we demand that international organizations and the Red Cross approach those abducted to check their condition and the conditions in which they are being held,” he said on Friday in a Google translated post on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen at a press conference on September 4, 2023.
Anadolu Agency | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
The Israeli armed forces recently estimated that around 203 hostages were brought to the Gaza Strip by Hamas. Earlier this week, the Palestinian militant group released its first video purportedly showing a prisoner. The footage, filmed under duress, showed 21-year-old French-Israeli citizen Mia Schem asking to be returned to her family. CNBC was unable to independently verify the video or the timing of its recording.
Analysts have previously said the hostage situation could give Hamas a significant negotiating advantage in the event of an Israeli ground attack on the Gaza Strip.
— Ruxandra Iordache
An hour ago
The Orthodox Church in Gaza says it was hit by an Israeli airstrike
Palestinians search the destroyed annex of the Greek Orthodox St. Porphyry Church, the oldest church still in use in Gaza, which was damaged in an attack on Gaza City on October 20, 2023, amid ongoing fighting between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas.
Dawood Nemer | Afp | Getty Images
A Greek Orthodox church in the Gaza Strip said it was hit by an Israeli airstrike overnight, the Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem and Palestinian health authorities said on Friday.
CNBC was unable to independently verify the claims.
The number of people killed and injured was not clear Friday morning, although hundreds of displaced Palestinians were said to have taken refuge on the grounds of the Greek Orthodox Church of St. Porphyry.
Gaza’s Hamas-controlled Interior Ministry said the attack left “a large number of martyrs and injured,” while the Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem accused Israeli forces of a “war crime.”
—Karen Gilchrist
2 hours ago
UN humanitarian office is in “advanced negotiations” to begin sending aid to Gaza
According to Portal reports, the United Nations humanitarian office said on Friday that it was in advanced talks with Israeli and Hamas officials to facilitate an aid operation into Gaza soon.
“We are in intensive and advanced negotiations with all relevant parties to ensure that an aid operation in Gaza begins as quickly as possible and under the right conditions,” said Jens Laerke, spokesman for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). ). said.
“We are encouraged by reports that the various sides are nearing agreement on the modalities and that an initial delivery is expected to begin around the next day.”
—Karen Gilchrist
2 hours ago
Greta Thunberg calls for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas amid strike action
A police officer talks to Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg shortly before she was arrested outside the InterContinental London Park Lane during the ‘Oily Money Out’ demonstration organized by Fossil Free London and Greenpeace on the sidelines of the opening day of the Energy Intelligence Forum 2023 in London on March 17. October 2023.
Henry Nicholls | Afp | Getty Images
Environmental activist Greta Thunberg called for a ceasefire in solidarity with the Palestinian people as part of strike action.
“Today we are striking in solidarity with Palestine and Gaza. The world must raise its voice and demand an immediate ceasefire, justice and freedom for the Palestinians and all affected civilians,” she said in a social media post on Friday.
Thunberg, a frequent protester on climate change and social causes, was arrested in London earlier this week for disrupting a major energy conference along with hundreds of other protesters. She has since been released on bail, according to Portal.
— Ruxandra Iordache
2 hours ago
Israeli troops should see Gaza “from the inside,” says Israel’s defense minister
A long-awaited Israeli ground attack on the embattled Gaza Strip has not yet taken place, a week after the Israeli Defense Forces ordered civilians in Gaza City to evacuate south – but the offensive could be imminent, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant signaled on Thursday .
“Be ready, the order will come,” he told infantry troops gathered at the Gaza border, according to NBC News. “And those who now see Gaza from a distance will see it from within. I promise you. Good luck.”
Earlier this week, IDF Lt. Col. Richard Hecht told reporters that the next phases of Israel’s war against Hamas could be “something other” than ground combat, without revealing further details.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant meets soldiers at Israel’s Gaza border on October 19, 2023 in Sderot, Israel.
Amir Levy | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Yoav added on Thursday that Israel’s military efforts are aimed at the “total destruction of the Hamas organization – terror infrastructures, everything related to terrorists and those who sent them.”
Following the Palestinian militant group’s Oct. 7 attacks, Israel has repeatedly stated that its only goal is to weaken Hamas’s military capabilities. The Gaza Strip has been under “complete siege” by Israel and has been deprived of fuel, water, electricity and supplies Deprived of the country’s food resources.
Senior U.S. and European officials and heads of state have visited Israel to show solidarity, call for no further escalations and negotiate humanitarian corridors for the safe passage of civilians stranded in Gaza.
— Ruxandra Iordache
3 hours ago
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, 22 people were killed in attacks on Khan Yunis
Palestinian emergency services and local citizens search for victims in buildings destroyed in Israeli airstrikes in the southern Gaza Strip on October 20, 2023 in Khan Yunis, Gaza.
Ahmad Hasaballah | Getty Images News | Getty Images
The Palestinian Health Ministry said on Friday that 22 people were killed and more than 70 injured in Israeli airstrikes on six houses in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip.
CNBC could not independently verify developments on the ground.
–Sam Meredith
3 hours ago
According to China, over 1,000 nationals have left Israel following the Hamas attacks
Over 1,000 Chinese nationals have left Israel amid the country’s conflict with the Palestinian militant group Hamas, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning said at a news conference, according to Portal.
The figures are preliminary and include both nationals who have returned to China or gone to a third country.
China has repeatedly called for a ceasefire and an end to violence in Israel and the embattled Gaza enclave, without explicitly condemning Hamas.
Governments around the world have organized special repatriation flights and transport to remove their citizens from Israel following the Hamas terrorist attacks on October 7. The United States and Saudi Arabia have also encouraged their citizens to leave Israel’s neighbor Lebanon in light of increasing tensions.
— Ruxandra Iordache
4 hours ago
Depleted supplies of water, fuel and medicine in Gaza are pushing hospitals ‘to the complete abyss’: NGO
Tents for Palestinians seeking refuge are set up at the site of a UNRWA center in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on October 19, 2023, amid ongoing fighting between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas.
Mahmoud Hams | AFP | Getty Images
Dr. Zaher Sahloul, a Chicago-based pulmonary and critical care specialist and president of the non-governmental organization MedGlobal, warned that dwindling supplies of essential supplies in Gaza were likely to have catastrophic consequences in the coming days.
MedGlobal is a nonprofit organization that sends medical teams to countries in need. She is currently working on the ground in the Gaza Strip to provide humanitarian assistance during the Israel-Hamas war.
“The hospital explosion and the catastrophic death toll have significantly increased the anxiety, fear and trauma among civilians and medical personnel,” Sahloul told CNBC, referring to an explosion at al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza on Tuesday.
“The additional stress, coupled with dwindling and in many cases completely depleted supplies of water, fuel and medicine, is pushing hospitals to the edge,” he added. “Humanitarian assistance and supplies must be made available, otherwise the death toll in hospitals and displaced communities will rise dramatically in the coming days.”
Israel responded to a terrorist attack by the Palestinian militant group Hamas on October 7 by imposing a “complete siege” on the Gaza Strip. This means that supplies of drinking water, food, fuel and medicine are either dwindling or have disappeared altogether, while humanitarian aid from Egypt is still pending.
–Sam Meredith
4 hours ago
According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, 13 people were killed in clashes with Israeli forces in the West Bank
The Palestinian Health Ministry said on Friday that an Israeli airstrike on a refugee camp in the occupied West Bank killed 13 people, including five children, Portal reported.
CNBC could not independently verify developments on the ground.
The reported attack comes as Israeli forces are expected to launch a ground attack on Gaza and continue their airstrikes campaign.
–Sam Meredith
5 hours ago
The British Prime Minister meets the Saudi Crown Prince as part of his Middle East tour
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak met with Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Thursday as part of the British leader’s broader Middle East trip to diplomatically contain the escalation of the Israel-Hamas conflict.
“We have agreed on coordinated action to prevent further escalation in the region, provide vital humanitarian assistance in Gaza and support stability now and in the long term,” Sunak said on Thursday on social media.
“As an international community, we must not allow the Hamas terrorist attack to trigger a terrible humanitarian crisis in Gaza. We will work together to ensure regional stability and prevent dangerous escalation,” he added a separate update for Xformerly known as Twitter.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak leaves Downing Street ahead of the weekly Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons on October 18, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
Dan Kitwood | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Riyadh has historically been a steadfast supporter of the cause of the Palestinian people and has rejected official diplomatic relations with Israel in this context. Relations between the two countries had thawed in recent months under US auspices, but the October 7 terrorist attack by the Palestinian militant group Hamas and Israel’s retaliatory strikes against the Gaza Strip have cast a shadow over the future of the relationship.
Earlier on Thursday, Sunak visited Israel, where he met with his counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli President Isaac Herzog. Britain expressed solidarity with Israel in its “darkest hour”.
Sunak is expected to travel to Egypt on Friday, with whose leaders he has discussed supporting a humanitarian aid corridor to the Gaza Strip.
— Ruxandra Iordache
5 hours ago
The Israeli military said it attacked over 100 Hamas operational targets
People inspect the area of the Greek Orthodox Church after an Israeli attack in Gaza City, Gaza, on October 20, 2023. At least two women were killed and many other people were injured in the attack, the Palestinian news agency WAFA said on Thursday.
Anadolu Agency | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
Israeli forces have attacked over 100 targets of the Palestinian militant group Hamas in a night offensive, the military said in a Friday morning update on Telegram.
The IDF said the hostilities also killed a Hamas naval officer involved in the October 7 terrorist attacks, Amjad Majed Muhammad Abu ‘Odeh.
CNBC could not independently verify developments on the ground.
The IDF is conducting an intensive airstrike campaign against the besieged Gaza Strip in an attempt to destroy Hamas’ military capabilities.
At the same time, the Israeli military exchanged fire with Hezbollah and most recently reported retaliatory strikes against the Lebanese militant group’s infrastructure and observation posts in response to anti-tank missiles fired from Lebanon on Thursday.
— Ruxandra Iordache
6 hours ago
Israel announces the evacuation of a town near the border with Lebanon
The Israeli Defense Ministry and Israel Defense Forces have urged residents to leave Kiryat Shmona, a town near the northern border with Lebanon, according to a ministry post on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
The ministry said residents were being housed in government-subsidized guesthouses and that the IDF had notified the mayor.
The border town was hit by rockets as tensions rose with Iran-backed militants in Lebanon and Syria.
—Christine Wang
10 hours ago
‘We cannot ignore the humanity of innocent Palestinians’: Biden discusses war between Israel and Hamas as fighting rages
A woman cries as she says goodbye to the bodies of Palestinians killed in Israeli airstrikes in Khan Yunis, Gaza, October 19, 2023.
Ahmad Hasaballah | Getty Images
In a rare prime-time speech from the Oval Office, President Joe Biden urged Israel not to be blinded by anger.
“When I was in Israel yesterday, I said that we were also angry when America experienced the hell of 9/11,” Biden said. “As we sought and enforced justice, we made mistakes. That’s why I warned the government of Israel not to be blinded by anger.”
Biden also said that “Hamas does not represent the Palestinian people.”
“The United States remains committed to the Palestinian people’s right to dignity and self-determination,” said President Biden. “The actions of Hamas terroristsT Take this immediately…We cannot ignore the humanity of innocent Palestinians who just want to live in peace.”
Palestinian emergency services and local citizens search for victims in buildings destroyed in Israeli airstrikes in the southern Gaza Strip on October 19, 2023 in Khan Yunis, Gaza.
Ahmad Hasaballah | Getty Images
Palestinian emergency services and local citizens search for victims in buildings destroyed in Israeli airstrikes in the southern Gaza Strip on October 19, 2023 in Khan Yunis, Gaza.
Ahmad Hasaballah | Getty Images
11 hours ago
Biden criticizes Iran for its involvement in supporting Russia, Hamas and other malign actors
U.S. President Joe Biden delivers a prime-time address to the nation from the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on his approach to the conflict between Israel and Hamas, humanitarian assistance in Gaza and continued support for Ukraine in its war with Russia March 19 Oct. 2023.
Jonathan Ernst | Portal
President Joe Biden vowed to hold the Iranian regime accountable for supporting Russia, Hamas and other malign actors as the U.S. works to support Israel and Ukraine on two different warfronts.
“Iran supports Russia, Ukraine, and Hamas and other terrorist groups in the region and will continue to hold them accountable,” Biden said.
The Biden administration has previously warned Iran against further escalating the ongoing war in the Middle East.
– Amanda Macias
5 hours ago