From Le Parisien
October 16, 2023 at 6:54 am, modified on October 16, 2023 at 8:36 am
The essential
- THE Hamas, which is in power in Gaza, launched a surprise offensive against Israel on an unprecedented scale on Saturday, October 7th.
- According to a recent report, more than 1,400 Israeli civilians were killed in this attack. Gaza’s Ministry of Health says more than 2,670 people were killed, including hundreds of children.
- Israel is preparing an “air, sea and land” offensive in Palestinian territory. An Israeli army spokesman had warned that Sunday’s launch would not take place for humanitarian reasons. The deployed soldiers are waiting for a “political decision”.
- The number of French people killed during the conflict now stands at 19, the head of French diplomacy reported. 13 nationals are missing.
- Tensions are rising dangerously on the Lebanon-Israel border, where deadly clashes between Lebanon’s Hezbollah and the Israeli army are becoming more frequent.
- According to the UN, the war has displaced around a million people in the Gaza Strip within a week.
08:36
The United States “does not have the power” to influence the Israelis
Apparently “the United States has no power” over the Israelis, judges Gérard Araud, former French ambassador to the United States, on LCI. “Their calculation is still unconditional support (for Israel) in order to gain their trust (…) and then be able to make the little music of humanitarian law heard,” judges the former ambassador.
08:26
Details of the evacuation near Lebanon
Specifically, residents living “in a sector two kilometers from the Lebanese border” are affected, according to a joint press release from the army and the Ministry of Defense. Displaced Israelis are housed in “state-funded shelters.”
08:18
Evacuation near Lebanon
Israel is evacuating residents along its border with Lebanon, the army said. Tensions are rising between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, a Hamas ally. On Sunday, one Israeli civilian was killed and several were injured. On the southern side of Lebanon, the headquarters of UN peacekeepers was hit by a rocket that caused no injuries.
08:04
No bombing of the evacuation axis, assures IDF
At the same time, a spokesman for the Israeli army assured that it would refrain from bombing the evacuation route in the north of the Gaza Strip this morning.
08:03
A ceasefire agreement for a few hours
According to Portal, citing Egyptian sources, the US, Israel and Egypt have agreed on a ceasefire in the southern Gaza Strip from 9 a.m. (8 a.m. Paris time), which is the theoretical time of the reopening of the Rafah border post. Hamas, for its part, claims to have been unaware of this humanitarian ceasefire.
07:58
The UN agency UNRWA is sounding the alarm about the situation in Gaza
During a press conference, Philippe Lazzarini, the Commissioner General of UNRWA (the UN agency for Palestinian refugees), said that his colleagues “are no longer able to provide humanitarian assistance in the Gaza Strip” due to a lack of water and electricity in the area. “The number of people seeking shelter in our schools or in our infrastructure in the south is absolutely overwhelming and we no longer have the capacity to cope,” he warns.
He also announced that 14 members of this UN agency had died since the conflict began.
07:48
“No interest in the occupation of Gaza” for Israel
As we mentioned this morning, American President Joe Biden believes that Israel’s occupation of the Gaza Strip would be “a grave mistake.” The country has “no interest in occupying Gaza,” answers Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan on CBS. “As we fight for our survival… the only solution is to destroy Hamas, and we will do whatever is necessary to achieve that,” he continued.
07:36
Murder of a Muslim child in the US linked to conflict
A six-year-old boy was stabbed to death in Chicago “due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East,” according to a police statement released Sunday. His mother was seriously injured. Joe Biden condemned “this terrible act of hate that has no place in America.”
07:21
The reopening of the Rafah border post is expected this morning
According to NBC News, the Rafah border crossing, the only exit point from the Gaza Strip into Egypt, is scheduled to reopen at 9 a.m. this Monday morning. According to the BBC, only foreigners and Palestinians with dual nationality will be allowed to leave. In the opposite direction, according to a Palestinian diplomat, humanitarian aid could reach the enclave through this point.
07:10
More than a million residents displaced
Faced with the impending attack on the north of the Gaza Strip, more than a million Palestinians have fled to the south of the enclave, while scores of airstrikes have already targeted the area.
07:03
Will Israel launch an attack on Gaza?
The Israeli army has been gathering in the Gaza Strip for several days, but the offensive expected this weekend has not yet been launched. A reprieve that can be explained by the unfavorable weather conditions as well as the need for Israel to allow civilians to evacuate the area. Our article.
06:51
An Israeli occupation of the Gaza Strip would be a “serious mistake,” says Biden
Any attempt by Israel to reoccupy the Gaza Strip would be a “serious mistake,” US President Joe Biden said in an interview broadcast on Sunday.
Asked on CBS’s 60 Minutes program about his possible support for an Israeli occupation of the Gaza Strip, Mr Biden replied: “I think that would be a big mistake.”
Hamas “does not represent the entire Palestinian people,” he continued. But “eliminating extremists” is a “necessary measure.”
06:30
The toll is rising for the French
This Sunday, Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna visited Israel. After meeting with several Israeli leaders, she made a new assessment of the French victims of the Hamas attack. 19 of our nationals lost their lives and 13 are still missing.
The head of French diplomacy traveled to Egypt and has a meeting in Lebanon this Monday.
06:04
Hello everyone
Welcome to this live broadcast dedicated to the war between Israel and Hamas.
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