1 minute ago
The Gaza Strip urgently needs fuel, says the UN aid agency
The blockaded Gaza Strip urgently needs fuel supplies as well as water and food resources, an official from the UN Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) said on Monday.
“No fuel has entered Gaza for two weeks,” said UNRWA external relations director Tamara Alrifai said CNN in a television interview“And without fuel, it will not be possible to drive our trucks through Gaza and distribute aid, or to power the water desalination plants and get clean drinking water, or to power hospitals and their life-saving machines.”
She added that the humanitarian aid convoys that have entered the Gaza Strip since the weekend represented only a “trickle” of the amount of aid needed to support civilians in the region.
“Given the immense humanitarian needs, these trucks actually contain only a fraction of what is needed,” she said, noting that Gaza previously received about 100 trucks of humanitarian aid and fuel per day.
Israel has halted its own deliveries of water, fuel, food and electricity to the Gaza Strip and is refusing to resume them on the premise that it would support the forces of the Palestinian militant group Hamas based in the area.
— Ruxandra Iordache
8 minutes ago
The Israeli military said it fired on an “air target” from Lebanon
The Israeli military said Monday it fired an interceptor missile at a “suspicious aerial target” flying in from Lebanon and that sirens had been sounded in areas along the border as a precaution.
-Portal
35 minutes ago
Current aid deliveries to Gaza are a “drop in the ocean,” says Chatham House
Current aid deliveries to Gaza are “a drop in the ocean” that is unlikely to have a significant impact, Yossi Mekelberg, an associate fellow at Chatham House, said on Monday.
“Some humanitarian aid is better than none, but that is a drop in the ocean. Twenty to 40 trucks.” [or] “Trucks aren’t going to make a big difference, you need at least 100 a day,” he told CNBC after first aid convoys entered the embattled area over the weekend.
Mekelberg noted that the conflict was unlikely to be resolved in the coming days or weeks, noting that new political thinking would likely be needed to find a solution acceptable to both sides.
“You need new leadership in both political entities. You need people to think about peaceful coexistence – a two-state solution in a one-state reality,” he said.
“You need innovative and creative ideas and you need a new generation that understands that violence only breeds more violence and bloodshed and does not improve the lives of either side one iota.”
—Karen Gilchrist
58 minutes ago
What happens next if Israel launches a ground offensive in Gaza?
An Israeli ground attack on Gaza is unlikely in the next 48 to 72 hours, or possibly even the rest of the week, according to an analyst. Although it seems inevitable, the bigger question may be what comes next.
Samuel Ramani, an associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute think tank, told CNBC’s “Squawk Box Europe” on Monday that it was “very, very difficult” to understand what could happen if Israel pursues its immediate strategy of destruction Hamas would implement.
When asked whether there was a danger that Israel could end up in a situation from which it would no longer be able to get out, Ramani replied: “In fact, some of the Israeli officials have even said that unofficially and privately.” Various media: “We know not really sure what happens next.”
Ramani added: “It is very, very difficult to understand what will happen once Hamas disappears, and the risk is that many civilians could die in this war, Hamas could go underground or new extremist movements could emerge could develop and Israel’s security could one day be endangered.” again.”
–Sam Meredith
An hour ago
The Greek Prime Minister arrives in Israel
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis arrives in Tirana ahead of the Berlin Litigation Leaders Summit on October 16, 2023.
Ludovic Marin | Afp | Getty Images
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis arrived in Israel on Monday and will meet his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem.
Mitsotakis will return to Greece later in the day, his office said in a Google-translated update.
The Greek Prime Minister has previously commented fully supported Israel and its right to defend itself against the forces of the Palestinian militant group Hamas, while stressing the need to prevent a humanitarian crisis in the besieged Gaza Strip.
— Ruxandra Iordache
2 hours ago
Slovenia’s foreign minister calls for a humanitarian ceasefire
Slovenian Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon speaks at the International Africa Day Conference in April 2023.
Sopa pictures | Light rocket | Getty Images
The Slovenian foreign minister added to her calls for a humanitarian ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict on Monday as she joined her EU counterparts for a meeting in Luxembourg.
“We urgently call for a humanitarian ceasefire to establish humanitarian corridors for humanitarian assistance to civilians. We must act in accordance with international and humanitarian law and do everything we can to prevent the conflict from spreading to the region.” said Tanja Fajonexpressing concern about the shortages of electricity, food, fuel and water faced by the blockaded civilian population in the bombarded Gaza Strip.
She noted that these residents require “hundreds of trucks” of humanitarian assistance every day. Over the weekend, UN supplies began entering the Gaza Strip through the Rafah border crossing, which connects the enclave with Egypt.
“We strongly condemn any form of terrorism. We strongly condemn the taking of hostages and, above all, the killing of innocent civilians,” said Fajon.
— Ruxandra Iordache
2 hours ago
EU chief envoy calls for a humanitarian cessation of hostilities
The European Union’s top diplomat Josep Borrell called on Monday for a pause in the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas to allow humanitarian aid to be delivered to the Gaza Strip.
“The most important thing now is that humanitarian aid gets to Gaza,” Borrell told reporters in Luxembourg, according to Portal.
“I personally think that a humanitarian pause is necessary to allow humanitarian aid to arrive and be distributed.”
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell speaks to the press as he arrives for the European Political Community Summit at the Palacio de Congreso in Granada, southern Spain, October 5, 2023.
Jorge Guerrero | Afp | Getty Images
The EU is holding a Foreign Affairs Council meeting on Monday where officials will discuss Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, tensions in Armenia and Azerbaijan, and “the situation in Israel and the region following Hamas’s brutal and indiscriminate terrorism.” want to discuss attacks across Israel and the events in Gaza,” the bloc says.
“I cannot predict the outcome of the meeting, but it is certainly something that ministers will have to discuss… The Secretary-General of the United Nations has very much asked for it,” Borrell said on Monday.
On Sunday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who traveled to Israel late last week to oversee preparations for a humanitarian aid convoy to Gaza, said urged not to lose sight of the two-state solution in the face of long-standing hostilities between Israelis and Palestinians.
Earlier on Saturday, Guterres called for the release of hostages held by Hamas, continued humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip and diplomatic efforts to prevent the Israel-Hamas conflict from spilling into the wider Middle East region.
— Ruxandra Iordache
3 hours ago
People should take sides in the Israel-Hamas conflict, says an IDF spokesman
An Israeli military spokesman criticized the recent spread of anti-Israel protests as uninformed and urged everyone not involved in the country’s conflict with Hamas to take sides on moral grounds.
“I think that the people who are out protesting against Israel are either uninformed or really full of hatred against Israel based on things that have nothing to do with what’s going on in Gaza now,” Jonathan Conricus said , Israel Defense Forces spokesman, told ABC Radio Melbourne on Sunday evening.
Protesters have taken to the streets in solidarity with Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip in several Middle Eastern and European countries facing severe shortages of electricity, medicine, food, fuel and water as a result of Israel’s retaliatory siege against the Palestinian militant group Hamas are .
“I don’t think we should be forced to feed the same enemy who is firing rockets at our civilians and trying to kill our civilians,” Conricus said, referring to Israel’s decision to stop sending its own supplies to the Gaza Strip to cease within days of the October 7 Hamas terrorist attacks.
Anti-Semitic incidents and hate crimes have also increased in the two weeks since hostilities began.
“I actually think you should take sides. “You should take sides and decide where you stand based on your own morals,” Conricus added. “We are not the aggressor. We didn’t start this war… We’re defending ourselves now.”
— Ruxandra Iordache
3 hours ago
A full surrender by Hamas and the return of the hostages could prevent a ground invasion, the IDF says
A full surrender of the Palestinian group Hamas and the return of Israeli hostages could end Israel’s war in Gaza and prevent a ground attack, Israel Defense Forces spokesman Jonathan Conricus told ABC Radio Melbourne on Sunday evening.
“If Hamas came out of hiding, hiding among the civilian squares, as it is doing now, returned our hostages, all 212 of them, and surrendered unconditionally, then the war would be over. If they don’t, we’ll probably have to go in and get it done,” he said, declining to elaborate on whether dismantling Hamas or rescuing hostages is the IDF’s current priority.
“The goal here is to completely strip Hamas of its military capabilities. If this could be done from the air and with stand-off measures, with our troops exposed to very limited attack options and with less damage on the ground, that would be great,” he added.
Israeli Army spokesman for international media, Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus.
Jalaa Marey | Afp | Getty Images
An Israeli ground attack into the Gaza Strip had long been expected as the IDF ordered civilians in the northern Gaza Strip to evacuate south towards the end of the first week of hostilities. Human rights groups have rejected that possibility, pointing to a likely worsening of the existing humanitarian crisis in the disputed area. Conricus reiterated that the IDF did not intend to target civilians, but claimed that Hamas was using non-combatants as human shields.
“Once we bury our dead, we will deal with Hamas, we will see an end to Hamas, and then the security situation will be better for Israel and also for Gaza,” the spokesman said.
— Ruxandra Iordache
4 hours ago
According to the Interior Ministry, 17 people were killed in two airstrikes in Gaza on Monday
Two Israeli airstrikes in northern Gaza Strip killed 17 people and injured dozens more on Monday morning, the Palestinian Interior Ministry said in a Google-translated update on Telegram.
The ministry added that the two attacks hit two residential buildings.
Israeli forces said Sunday evening they would continue to attack “dozens of Hamas terror targets in the Gaza Strip” as part of their ongoing retaliatory offensive in the region for Hamas’s multi-pronged Oct. 7 attacks. On Monday morning, the IDF said over 320 military targets in the Gaza Strip had been attacked over the past day.
The Israeli military says it does not target civilians in Gaza and only pursues Hamas positions.
CNBC could not independently verify the reports.
— Ruxandra Iordache
4 hours ago
The Israeli military said it had attacked additional Hezbollah positions
The Israel Defense Forces said They attacked additional military positions belonging to the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah overnight.
The targets included infrastructure including a military compound and observation post, as well as four cells on the border with Lebanon.
CNBC could not independently verify developments on the ground.
Israel and Hezbollah have been exchanging fire since the start of Israel’s conflict with the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
— Ruxandra Iordache
5 hours ago
According to the WHO, additional medical supplies reached the Gaza Strip
More medical supplies from the World Health Organization have arrived in the Gaza Strip, said the organization’s director general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on social media early Monday.
The WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean said this device will provide surgical procedures for 1,300 people, basic and essential health services for 100,000 patients over a three-month period, and treatment for 150,000 patients with chronic diseases.
Tedros reiterated his call for continued safe passage for the humanitarian aid convoy and for quantities of fuel to supply both the vans delivering the aid and the health facilities in areas struggling with electricity shortages.
A first humanitarian truck convoy entered the Gaza Strip at the weekend via the Rafah border crossing, which borders the area via Egypt.
— Ruxandra Iordache
13 hours ago
Many American Jews feel unsafe and are buying guns and taking training courses
A man holds a Glock pistol during the National Rifle Association (NRA) annual convention on May 6, 2018 in Dallas.
Lucas Jackson | Portal
Following the deadly terrorist attack on Israel earlier this month and the country’s response to it, protesters and fanatics have used social media to spread hateful rhetoric about Israelis. According to a report by NBC News, many American Jews who feel unsafe are putting aside their dislike of guns and gun ownership and buying guns to protect themselves.
According to NBC News, there was a rush of new customers wanting to buy guns and learn how to use them.
“We’ve definitely seen a huge increase in religious Jewish and Orthodox people buying firearms,” David Kowalsky, owner of the Florida Gun Store in Hollywood, which also offers firearms training, told NBC News. “I have noticed an increase in interest in both individual training and group training.”
NBC News’ report can be found here.
–Terri Cullen
14 hours ago
14 more humanitarian aid trucks cross the Gaza Strip
In this aerial photo, a convoy of trucks carrying humanitarian aid from Egypt enters the Gaza Strip through the Rafah border crossing on October 21, 2023.
Mohammed Abed | Afp | Getty Images
A convoy of 20 trucks filled with medical supplies, food and water passed through the Rafah border crossing into the Gaza Strip on Saturday, and 14 more crossed the Strip on Sunday.
According to David Satterfield, Special Envoy for Humanitarian Affairs in the Middle East, aid will continue to flow daily.
The goal is to enable a “continuous flow of aid” to Gaza, Satterfield said on MSNBC’s “Inside with Jen Psaki.”
Satterfield said Hamas, which has been designated a terrorist group by the United States, has been warned that there is a chance it could be shut down if it interferes with aid.
Israel’s possible ground invasion of Gaza could also complicate the delivery of aid, he said. There were also concerns about Palestinians’ access to water, and Satterfield said the U.S. was working with the Israeli government to restore water pipes.
Satterfield said one of the two major pipelines has been restored and the other is being worked on.
“The people of Gaza must be able to live a safe life in Gaza, and that requires an end to Hamas’s ability to rule, exploit and dominate with its terror,” Satterfield said.
In addition to providing aid, Satterfield is working to find ways for Americans and foreigners to leave Gaza.
– Jake Piazza
14 hours ago
The White House confirms that humanitarian assistance will continue to be provided to the Gaza Strip
U.S. President Joe Biden (left) and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (right) meet in Tel Aviv, Israel, October 18, 2023. (Photo by GPO/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
GPO | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
President Joe Biden held a conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday about the ongoing Israel-Hamas war and the status of Gaza.
Biden and Netanyahu “confirmed that critical humanitarian assistance will now continue to flow to Gaza,” a White House statement said.
The first wave of humanitarian aid entered Gaza on Saturday via 20 trucks that crossed the border to Rafah in northern Egypt.
According to United Nations World Food Program Director Cindy McCain, aid is ready for deployment, but trucks are standing by, waiting to be cleared to pass through the Rafah border crossing.
Civilians in Gaza caught in the crossfire of war have been left without basic needs such as food, water, shelter and medical care.
During his conversation with Netanyahu, Biden also mentioned ongoing efforts to release American hostages and allow U.S. citizens to safely exit Gaza.
—Rebecca Picciotto
17 hours ago
Blinken says the US is “ready” to respond if the war between Israel and Hamas escalates and targets American forces
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks with members of the media before departing Cairo, Egypt, October 15, 2023.
Jacquelyn Martin | Pool | via Portal
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday that the United States expects the war between Israel and Hamas to escalate through Iranian proxies targeting American forces and personnel and that the U.S. is ready in the event that this happens to respond.
“We are taking measures to ensure we can effectively defend our people and respond decisively when necessary. This is not what we want and not what we are looking for. “We don’t want any escalation,” Blinken said during an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “We don’t want a second or third front to develop. We do not want our forces or personnel to come under fire. But if that happens, we are prepared for it.”
The United States announced on Sunday that non-essential personnel at its embassy in Iraq should leave the country.
—Pia Singh
15 hours ago
In view of the intensifying war between Israel and Hamas, mass protests are taking place around the world
Police officers detain a protester at Potsdamer Platz during an unannounced pro-Palestinian protest amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas in Berlin, Germany, on October 22, 2023.
Annegret Hilse | Portal
Ongoing conflict and violence during the Israel-Hamas war has led to mass demonstrations around the world.
- At SundayThousands of people in Berlin and London took part in vigils against anti-Semitism and in support of Israel. On the same day, thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators in Paris and other European cities called for a ceasefire and aid for the people of Gaza.
- At SaturdayIn 2017, almost 100,000 people joined a pro-Palestinian demonstration in central London, demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. The demonstration, organized by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, moved through London before demonstrators gathered at the official residence and office of British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. Pro-Palestinian rallies also took place in Los Angeles and New York on Saturday.
- At FridayThere was a wave of demonstrations across the Middle East. Individuals staged marches in front of Israeli and US diplomatic missions, blaming Israel and its allies for the violence and deteriorating humanitarian conditions in the West Bank, where an increase in violence against Palestinian residents has been reported, and in Gaza, where Israeli forces continue attack the enclave. Some burned Israeli flags and stepped on portraits of U.S. President Joe Biden, who had urged Americans to stand with Israel.
- At WednesdayHundreds of demonstrators from Jewish advocacy groups in the US marched on Capitol Hill demanding a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. More than 300 people were arrested for illegal demonstrations.
- Around the world: Thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters also marched in several cities in Ireland, France, Italy, Australia, Germany, Kosovo and Lebanon. Jewish communities in the United States, France and elsewhere also held rallies in solidarity with Israel.
—Pia Singh