by D. Frattini, correspondent; L. Cremonesi and A. Nicastro, correspondents; Paolo Foschi; Online editorial team
The news from Friday, November 17th, on the conflict between Israel and Hamas, live
• 42nd day of the war: The Palestinian death toll was 11,470, including 4,630 children. In Israel, the attack on October 7th left 1,200 dead.
• The Israeli army’s raid on Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza.
• The US plan for Gaza, point by point.
• The words and acronyms to understand the conflict: Here is the glossary.
• The history of the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis, explained here.
7:12 a.m. – Israel’s offensive in the Gaza Strip
(by Alessandro Trocino from the Prima Ora newsletter) The Israeli offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip is increasing in intensity and breadth – writes correspondent Lorenzo Cremonesi. After declaring the central area of Gaza City in the northern sector freed from terrorists, the military commandos have been gradually expanding their operations towards the south since yesterday. The jets hit the home of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, who has been living in Qatar with his family for some time.
The situation of the Palestinians in Gaza is dramatic. Cremonesi writes: According to UNRWA (UN Agency for Palestine Refugees) officials, at least two-thirds of them have been forced to leave their homes since October 7 and the humanitarian tragedy has reached deplorable proportions. According to the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health, the number of deaths is almost 12,000. Yesterday, 24,000 liters of fuel arrived in Egypt, nothing compared to the 160,000 liters needed for daily needs.
Attention remains focused on al-Shifah, the largest hospital in Gaza City. Nearby, soldiers recovered the lifeless body of Yehudit Weiss, who was kidnapped on October 7 along with the other 240 hostages. Military spokesmen said they found at least one tunnel dug by Hamas under the foundations of the hospital facility. American intelligence is also convinced that Hamas hides its bases in health facilities.
Meanwhile, a shootout between three Hamas militants and Israeli police on the outskirts of Jerusalem is once again causing turmoil in the West Bank (we talked about this in review). Guido Olimpio says Israeli pressure has focused on the Khan Younis refugee camp, a symbol of the Palestinian struggle where several hostages could be hidden.
6:39 a.m. – White House: We will not provide intelligence information about Al-Shifa Hospital
The U.S. government does not intend to disclose intelligence information or assessments regarding the alleged presence of a Palestinian organization Hamas command center beneath Al Shifa Target Hospital, the main medical center in the Gaza Strip. in the last days of artillery attacks and incursions by the Israeli army. The White House announced this after President Joe Biden publicly expressed his support for the military operation of the Israeli Defense Forces in the hospital.
5:24 a.m. – Palestinian sources, two dead in Israeli attack in Jenin
According to Palestinian sources in the West Bank city of Jenin, two people were killed and seven injured in an Israeli military operation in the early hours of today. The local media reported about it. According to the report, some people were injured by an airstrike and others by gunfire. Two of the injured were in serious condition. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have also reportedly surrounded the city’s Ibn Sina Hospital.
4:57 a.m. – Blink to Netanyahu: There can be no reoccupation of the Gaza Strip by Israel
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he had told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that there could be no reoccupation of Gaza by the Jewish state, but acknowledged that a transition period may be needed to ensure security in Gaza. This was reported by US media. Speaking to ABC, Blinken said that when it comes to the future of the Gaza Strip, we believe it must be under Palestinian government and there must also be security. “If we want lasting peace and security, it is imperative that we move forward to ensure that Palestinians have political rights, the ability to govern themselves and make decisions about their future in their own state,” the US diplomatic chief added added.
3:12 a.m. – Flashing to Jordan: Concern for your doctors in Gaza
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi that the United States shares his deep concerns about Jordanian medical personnel who were injured outside the Jordanian field hospital while providing critical medical care in Gaza. This was reported by US media. According to a US State Department spokesperson, Blinken also reiterated the need to protect civilians and medical personnel in hospitals and expressed the United States’ gratitude to His Majesty King Abdullah II, the government and the people of Jordan for their continued commitment to the deployment vital humanitarian assistance to help the Palestinian people. Blinken also emphasized America’s commitment to lasting peace through the creation of a Palestinian state as part of a two-state solution.
2:55 a.m. – Netanyahu admits: We are unable to reduce the number of civilian deaths
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blamed Hamas for unsuccessful efforts to minimize civilian deaths in Gaza. In an interview with CBS, Netanyahu said that Israel is doing everything in its power to protect civilians from danger as it fights Hamas in the Gaza Strip, including dropping leaflets urging them to flee, but that his attempts Minimizing losses was unsuccessful.
02.36 – Netanyahu: Hamas command center at Al-Shifa Hospital, but the terrorists escaped
There was a Hamas command and control center at al-Shifa hospital in Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said this and defended the action against the hospital in an interview with CBS. We had concrete evidence that terrorist leaders and terrorists were in the hospital. And they ran away when our troops approached, Netanyahu said. Hamas used the patients in this hospital as human shields and on Level -2 we found a command and control center and military coding equipment. “We found bombs, we found weapons, we also found tunnels on the hospital grounds,” the Israeli head of government said again. We did the right thing: depriving Hamas of this safe zone in the hospital while neutralizing this terrorist command center. Netanyahu also said one of the reasons for the action was that there was concrete evidence that Israeli hostages captured by Hamas were being held there. “We had strong indications that they were being held at Al-Shifa Hospital. This was one of the reasons why they entered the hospital,” the Prime Minister said.
2:01 a.m. – Syria, Israeli rocket attack on the outskirts of Damascus is repelled
Syrian state media reported that Damascus troops shot down Israeli missiles fired from the Golan Heights toward the outskirts of the Syrian capital. The air defense was repelling a rocket attack by the Israeli attackers, a military source quoted the Syrian newspaper Al Watan as saying.
00:46 – Hamas: We are fighting Israeli forces in Jenin
In a short post on Telegram, the Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ armed wing, said it was fighting alongside all other resistance groups in the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank. This was reported online by Al Jazeera, adding that Palestinian fighters were targeting Israeli forces with heavy fire and explosive devices, according to the post.
00:34 – Blinking to Israel: Urgent action to end settler violence against Palestinians
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on Israel to take urgent action to end settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank. In a phone call with Benny Gantz, an opposition leader who joined Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s war cabinet, Blinken stressed the urgent need for concrete steps to reduce tensions in the West Bank, including by combating rising extremist violence against settlers, according to a State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said.
November 17, 2023 (modified November 17, 2023 | 07:20)
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