Skip next section Israel calls on its citizens to leave Egypt and Jordan “as soon as possible.”
10/21/202321. October 2023
Israel calls on its citizens to leave Egypt and Jordan “as soon as possible.”
Israeli authorities called on citizens on Saturday to immediately leave neighboring Arab countries Egypt and Jordan.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry published the travel advisories of the country’s National Security Council.
“Israel’s National Security Council raises its travel warnings for Egypt (including Sinai) and Jordan to Level 4 (high threat): recommending not to travel to these countries and for those who are there to leave…as soon as possible,” it said it in a statement.
The announcement comes days after Israel recalled its diplomats from Turkey as a security measure, after also asking its citizens to leave Turkey.
https://p.dw.com/p/4XqH0Skip next section Aid convoy begins to enter Gaza
10/21/202321. October 2023
The aid convoy begins to enter the Gaza Strip
Humanitarian aid began on Saturday from the Rafah border crossing with Egypt to Gaza.
Egyptian television showed a convoy of trucks moving towards the border crossing. The border crossing had been closed since the terrorist attack by the militant Hamas group on October 7.
More than 200 trucks carrying around 3,000 tons of aid were stationed near the border crossing for days before heading to Gaza.
The Palestinian territory has been sealed off and a power outage is running out of medicine and fuel for emergency generators.
https://p.dw.com/p/4XqFFSkip next section The Rafah border crossing could open on Saturday, the US Embassy in Israel says
10/21/202321. October 2023
The Rafah border crossing could open on Saturday, the US Embassy in Israel said
US diplomats in Israel said the US Embassy had received information that the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt would open at 10:00 a.m. local time (07:00 UTC).
The embassy said it expected “many people would attempt to cross the border should the border be opened” and warned U.S. citizens trying to leave Gaza to “expect a potentially chaotic and disorderly environment.” .
“If the border opens, we do not know how long it will remain open for foreign citizens to leave,” said a post on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter.
In a statement on its website, the US Embassy also warned that the security environment was “unpredictable” and that personal safety should be considered before attempting to cross the border.
Israel sealed off the Gaza Strip and began attacking Hamas targets after the militant group launched a terror attack on southern Israel on October 7. The blockade has led to a buildup of much-needed aid on the Egyptian side.
On Friday, Egypt said the border crossing had been opened from its side. However, there was no movement of humanitarian aid as of early Saturday.
Israel allows aid supplies into the Gaza Strip, but the bombing continues
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https://p.dw.com/p/4XqCMSkip next section Pro-Palestinian protesters march in Sydney, Australia
10/21/202321. October 2023
Pro-Palestinian protesters march in Sydney, Australia
Thousands of people took to the streets in Australia’s largest city on Saturday to support Palestinians amid the ongoing conflict.
The organizer of Saturday’s march, the Palestine Action Group, said around 15,000 people took part in the protest in Sydney.
Amal Naser, spokeswoman for the Palestine Action Group, said the march was peaceful.
According to a Portal report, local authorities confirmed this, saying no arrests had been made.
The organizers of the rally managed to get last-minute permission from the city administration to hold the protest.
Earlier this week, a group of protesters chanted anti-Semitic slogans outside the Sydney Opera House.
Israel has been massing troops outside the Gaza Strip and bombing the area since the Islamist militant group Hamas launched a terror attack on southern Israel two weeks ago.
https://p.dw.com/p/4XqBOSkip next section Biden speaks to released American hostages
10/21/202321. October 2023
Biden speaks with released American hostages
US President Joe Biden spoke with the two American citizens who were released after being held hostage by Hamas.
“I let them know that their government will fully support them in their recovery and healing,” he wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Biden added that he and his wife Jill will continue to hold “all families of missing Americans” in their hearts.
The US Embassy in Israel also reported on the conversation between Biden and the two Americans. “We will continue to do everything we can to reunite all hostages with their families,” the embassy wrote on X.
Ten Americans remain missing and some are being held captive by Hamas militants, according to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
https://p.dw.com/p/4Xq74Skip next section Biden says Hamas terror attack attempted to disrupt normalization between Saudi Arabia and Israel
10/21/202321. October 2023
Biden says Hamas terror attack attempted to disrupt normalization between Saudi Arabia and Israel
Hamas’ October 7 terrorist attack on Israel was aimed at disrupting a possible normalization of relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia, US President Joe Biden said.
Saudi Arabia, a Middle East powerhouse and home to Islam’s two holiest shrines, gave its blessing to Gulf neighbors the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain to establish ties with Israel in 2020 under the previous US administration of Donald Trump.
Riyadh did not follow suit, saying the goals of Palestinian statehood should be addressed first.
Israel-Saudi Arabia relations: Where are the talks?
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“One of the reasons why Hamas went after Israel … they knew I was going to sit down with the Saudis,” Biden said at a campaign fundraiser.
The possible normalization of relations with Saudi Arabia and other Arab states was a top priority for U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken during his trip to Riyadh in June, although he acknowledged that no progress was expected soon.
https://p.dw.com/p/4Xq6cSkip next section Netanyahu vows to bring back all hostages
10/21/202321. October 2023
Netanyahu promises to bring back all hostages
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a statement after Hamas released two hostages.
“Two of our abductees are at home,” he wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Netanyahu said the Israelis will not relent in their efforts to return all those abducted and missing. “At the same time, we continue to fight until victory,” he added.
Hamas announced Friday that it had released two American women, Judith and Natalie Raanan, who were being held hostage.
https://p.dw.com/p/4Xq4dSkip next section Egypt is hosting the peace summit in Cairo
10/21/202321. October 2023
Egypt is hosting the peace summit in Cairo
Egypt is holding a summit on the Gaza crisis on Saturday as fears grow of a wider war in the Middle East.
The hastily convened peace summit in Cairo will bring together several Arab and European heads of state and government as well as foreign ministers – including Germany’s top diplomat Annalena Baerbock.
But without a representative from Israel or the United States planning to attend, expectations of the summit’s results are muted.
Egypt has tried to funnel humanitarian aid into Gaza through the Rafah crossing, the Strip’s only entry point not controlled by Israel, but aid has piled up on the Egyptian side.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Jordanian King Abdullah have announced their participation. China and Russia will also be represented.
The summit will be attended by United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, European Council President Charles Michel and European Union Foreign Affairs Representative Josep Borrell.
Arab countries have expressed anger over Israel’s unprecedented bombing and siege of the Gaza Strip following the Islamist militant group Hamas’ terrorist attack on Israel on October 7.
El-Sissi expressed concern that a forced relocation of Palestinians to Egypt’s Sinai could turn the peninsula into a base for attacks on Israel.
Several countries, including Germany, have warned of the risk that the Gaza crisis could spark a wider regional conflict.
https://p.dw.com/p/4XpvySkip next section Blinken calls on Hamas to release all hostages
10/21/202321. October 2023
Blinken calls on Hamas to release all hostages
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed that two American hostages released by the militant group Hamas on “humanitarian grounds” will be received by US Embassy officials in Israel.
Hamas announced Friday that it had released two American women, Judith and Natalie Raanan, who were being held hostage. Their release was confirmed by Israel.
Blinken confirmed that 10 Americans remain missing and some are being held captive by Hamas militants.
Hamas releases two hostages
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“There are still 10 more Americans missing in this conflict,” he said at a White House news conference. “We know that some of them, along with an estimated 200 other hostages, are being held hostage by Hamas in Gaza.”
He called for the “immediate and unconditional release” of all hostages.
Asked whether Hamas was following the rules of war in Gaza, Blinken said there would be enough time to assess how its operations were conducted.
ms, mm/wd (AP, AFP, Portal, dpa)
https://p.dw.com/p/4Xpvx