• It is the 18th day of the war: More than 5,000 Palestinians, 1,400 Israelis and 222 hostages have died in the Gaza Strip. Israel speaks of over “400 Hamas targets hit,” and Hamas reports “at least 140 dead in Israeli attacks during the night.”
• President Emmanuel Macron landed at Ben Gurion Airport in Israel to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
• Obama also joins Biden’s appeal: “Israel has the right to defend its citizens, but it is also important that Israel’s military strategy respects international law, including those laws that aim to prevent the death or suffering of civilians to avoid as much as possible.” “
• Hamas released two more women, bringing the number of hostages released to four.
• Words and acronyms for understanding the conflict: the glossary.
• The history of the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis explained.
8:56 a.m. – USA, Blinken will attend the UN Council meeting on the Middle East today
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will attend the UN Security Council meeting on the Middle East today, the US State Department said. “Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken will travel to New York on October 24, 2023 to attend a ministerial meeting of the United Nations Security Council on the situation in the Middle East. In New York, the minister will also meet with counterparts and United Nations officials,” the department said.
8:51 a.m. – Biden calls on Netanyahu to keep the “flow of urgently needed aid” to Gaza
President Joe Biden emphasized “the need to support a continued flow of urgently needed humanitarian assistance to Gaza” in a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the White House said.
The call came after a third humanitarian convoy, consisting of 20 trucks, was allowed to enter the Gaza Strip through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt. However, the UN has warned that it does not contain fuel and that reserves will run out within the next two days. Gazans are already struggling to find clean water, and fuel shortages mean the region’s water desalination plants, on which it heavily depends, as well as bakeries and hospitals are no longer operational. United Nations officials say around 100 aid trucks per day would be needed to meet the basic needs of Gaza, home to 2.3 million people. Of these, around 1.4 million are now homeless.
8:42 a.m. – Macron’s arrival in Israel
8:31 a.m. – Arab-Israeli actress arrested for “supporting Hamas.”
Arab-Israeli actress Maisa Abd Elhadi, known in Israel for several shows and series, was arrested by police for expressing her support for the Hamas attack on October 7th. The Times of Israel made this known, adding that police confirmed the arrest of “an actress and influencer residing in Nazareth on suspicion of praising (terrorism) and inciting hatred,” but without mentioning her name. Abd Elhadi posted on social media an image of an elderly woman taken hostage by Hamas, accompanied by laughing emojis, and another showing terrorists walking with the words in English: “Let’s go, Berlin style.” break through the Israeli security barrier. His posts were criticized by his Temporarily Dead co-star Ofer Shechter: “I’m ashamed of you.” “You live in Nazareth, you’re an actress in our shows and then you backstab us,” the actor wrote . Abd Elhadi also appeared in the Hollywood film “World War Z” and more recently in the British series “Baghdad Central”.
08:00 – Hamas: “At least 140 dead in Israeli raids overnight”
The Hamas government said in a statement this morning that at least 140 people were killed in another night of Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian Islamic Movement also reported “hundreds of injured” and “dozens of houses destroyed.” Yesterday, in its latest general assessment, the Hamas government announced that more than 5,000 people, including more than 2,000 children, have been killed since the war began on October 7.
7:51 a.m. – “Hitch” in the negotiations to release the 50 hostages
Negotiations brokered by Egypt and Qatar to release 50 dual nationality hostages held by Hamas in Gaza collapsed yesterday. This is reported by the Times Israel, citing a diplomatic source. The standoff was apparently due to Hamas’s request that the release of the hostages be conditional on the delivery of gasoline to the Gaza Strip, but Israel rejected the request.
7:47 a.m. – Macron arrived in Tel Aviv: “Full solidarity with Israel”
In a note, the Elysée Palace underlines “the three major objectives” of the presidential visit: “To show France’s full solidarity with Israel in the face of one of the worst attacks on its population since the founding of the state and to continue the mobilization.” prevent and reaffirm the importance of protecting civilians; “Finally, it is about opening a political perspective and finding a broad international consensus, which requires the commitment of a large number of partners to Israel’s security and the determined resumption of a genuine peace process.”
The visit’s program includes a meeting with a group of hostage families, a conversation with President Isaac Herzog and then with Benjamin Netanyahu. At the end of a joint press statement with the prime minister, Macron will also meet Benny Gantz, the former prime minister who joined the war cabinet of the national emergency government, and opposition leader Yair Lapid.
7:40 a.m. – Netherlands, climate activists protest against Netanyahu: 19 arrests
European climate activists have staged protests and posted messages of support for the Palestinian people in Gaza, provoking an online backlash and raising questions within the environmental movement.
Dutch authorities arrested 19 Extinction Rebellion activists on Monday after they occupied the entrance to the International Criminal Court, alleging that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had committed “war crimes” and presided over an “apartheid regime” – allegations the Israeli government denies.
7:27 a.m. – Barack Obama’s words about war
Here is an excerpt from what former US President Barack Obama wrote about the war between Hamas and Israel: “17 days have passed since Hamas launched its terrible attack on Israel, killing over 1,400 Israeli citizens, including defenseless ones Women, children and the elderly.” In the wake of this unspeakable brutality, the United States government and the American people have shared the grief of families, prayed for the return of their loved ones and rightly declared their solidarity with the people of Israel.
As I argued in a previous post, Israel has the right to protect its citizens from such unbridled violence, and I fully support President Biden’s call for the United States, our long-time ally in the attack on Hamas, to dismantle it their military capabilities and to facilitate Hamas’s safe return of hundreds of hostages to their families.
But even as we support Israel, we should be clear that how Israel fights this fight against Hamas is important. In particular, as President Biden has repeatedly emphasized, it is important that Israel’s military strategy respects international law, including those laws aimed at preventing civilian death or suffering to the greatest extent possible. Upholding these values is important in itself because it is morally right and reflects our belief in the intrinsic value of every human life. Upholding these values is also crucial for building alliances and shaping international opinion, all of which are critical to Israel’s long-term security.
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7:21 a.m. – Hamas hostage: “They put me on a motorcycle and took me to Gaza.”
In his first public comment after being released last night, former hostage Yocheved Lifshitz, 85, told the Ynet website that he did not know where she was being held in Gaza. “They put me on a motorcycle,” he said, “one terrorist held me in the front and the other held me in the back so that I wouldn’t fall.” We crossed the border fence into the Gaza Strip and at first they held me in Abasan al-Kabira, that near Kibbutz Beeri. But after that I don’t know where they took me. Now she and the other hostage, Nurit Yitzhak Cooper (79 years old), have been reunited with their families after a visit to Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv.
7:17 a.m. – Israel’s strategy (and two goals): It is initially relying on agile ideas
(by Guido Olimpio) Limited operations along the “line of contact”. Intervention by “teams” consisting of special forces supported by tanks and bulldozers. Infiltration of commando troops. Israel is relying on more flexible tactics as the divided government must decide whether to invade the Gaza Strip.
In the last few hours, the units have been carrying out operations in the outskirts of the Gaza Strip. This was confirmed by the General Staff and reported by the Palestinians. A fairly intense firefight occurred east of Khan Younis, resulting in one soldier dying, while the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades claimed major casualties. Similar skirmishes to those on the northern border with the Lebanese Hezbollah. Defenses are tested, reconnaissance work is carried out, “discoverers” collect data for subsequent initiatives.
Here is the complete article
7:13 a.m. – Gaza, 2 female hostages released. The USA is asking for time, the invasion is slowing down
FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT (Davide Frattini)
JERUSALEM – Two more. There are 220 left, there could be more. Hamas leaders are continuing their strategy of hope with slow releases, holding not only the prisoners but also their families and countries of origin hostage. That night, Nurit Cooper, 80, and Yocheved Lifschitz, 85, were entrusted to the Red Cross behind the Rafah border crossing in Egypt. The two women had been taken away from Kibbutz Nir Oz with their husbands Amiram and Oded. Rumors circulated throughout the day about the possibility that those released were many more – up to 50 – foreigners or people with dual nationality. The negotiations failed because of the fundamentalists’ demand to allow fuel into the Gaza Strip; the Israelis are against it because it could be useful as rocket fuel. “Hamas’ tactic – wrote Yossi Melman, an intelligence expert – is to let a few civilians go at a time in order to postpone the ground offensive.”
Invasion, raid, raid, raid: war pays no attention to semantics. The field operations, the movements of Israeli troops within the Gaza Strip have already begun, the special forces and assault infantry faced the jihadist paramilitaries. This is not yet the major maneuver with tanks and thousands of men announced days ago, which has stalled for now due to pressure from the Americans, writes the New York Times newspaper. They want the mediation between Egypt and Qatar to move forward to release the hostages and lead to results other than last night’s. “However, we are not calling for a ceasefire, it would favor Hamas,” explains the Foreign Ministry spokesman.
Here is the complete article
07:08 – Israel: “Over 400 Hamas targets hit in Gaza”
Over 400 Hamas targets have been hit in the Gaza Strip in the last 24 hours. The military spokesman made the announcement, saying that dozens of Hamas men who were about to fire rockets and carry out attacks against Israel had been eliminated. The training camps particularly focused on the districts of Shujaiyya, Shati, Jabalia, Daraj Tuffah and Zaytun. Command centers in mosques used by Hamas were also hit. The deputy commanders of the Nuseirat, Shati and Furqan battalions were killed.
3:22 a.m. – USA: “This is not the time for a ceasefire” for Gaza
“The message” from Joe Biden “to Hamas was clear: release all hostages.” This must be the first step. Let’s not talk about a ceasefire now. We do not believe this is the time for a ceasefire.” White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said this on CNN, commenting on the president’s words that first the hostages must be freed and then a ceasefire could be spoken.
3:21 a.m. – China and Israel have the right to self-defense, but to protect civilians
China recognizes that Israel has the right to self-defense against Hamas. In a phone call yesterday with his counterpart Eli Cohen, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in the report published last night by state news agency Xinhua that “every country has the right to self-defense, but should respect international humanitarian law and protect civilians.” . Beijing has been criticized for its stance on the war and its failure to condemn Hamas for the bloody Oct. 7 attack. Wang’s assessments came on the eve of his visit to Washington (October 26-28) to lay the groundwork for a Biden-Xi summit.
China will “resolutely support everything that can promote peace and will do its best to promote reconciliation between Palestine and Israel,” added Wang, for whom it is “essential to prevent the situation from deteriorating further.” and causing further more serious humanitarian difficulties.” Consequence of a conflict that “affects the entire world and involves an important choice between war and peace.” China, Xinhua reported, “is deeply concerned about the continued escalation of the conflict and the deterioration of the situation and is deeply saddened by the large number of civilian casualties”, condemns “all actions that harm civilians” and rejects “any violation of international law».
Wang emphasized that the painful lesson of the crisis is that “only by adhering to the concept of common security can one help achieve sustainable security, and only by adhering to the direction of a political solution can one achieve the comprehensive solution of the crisis.” Easing concerns about Israel’s legitimacy.” Security ». In this context, the two-state solution is “the consensus of the international community” and the hope is that “both sides can take into account the current situation as well as the long-term interests of peace and security shared by future generations.” . The goal, Wang concluded, “is to return to the correct path of the two-state solution as quickly as possible, resume peace talks and achieve peaceful coexistence between Palestine and Israel” and “the harmonious coexistence of Arab nations and “Jewish”.
2:44 a.m. – Biden worries about Israel’s action plan for Gaza
The Biden administration fears that Israeli forces are unwilling to launch a life-and-death operation in Gaza with a plan that will work. This is reported by the New York Times, citing some sources who say that the White House is also concerned about Israel’s lack of attainable military targets in the Gaza Strip. The administration insists it has not told Israel what to do, but the Pentagon has sent Marine Gen. James Glynn and other officers to Israel to help and advise Israeli forces.
1:34 a.m. – Obama warns Israel that Gaza operation could backfire
Barack Obama warns Israel: Ground operation in Gaza could backfire if Palestinian civilians are not protected. Action could “worsen the growing humanitarian crisis” in Gaza: “The world is watching events and any Israeli military strategy that ignores the human cost will backfire,” the former president says on Medium. “The decision to cut off food, water and electricity to stranded civilians not only threatens to worsen the humanitarian crisis, but could also harden Palestinian attitudes for generations, undermine global support for Israel, play into the hands of Israel’s enemies and last Endangering “long-term efforts to maintain peace and stability in the region,” Obama explains, noting that “it is important for all who support Israel in this time of need to promote a strategy that disables Hamas while minimizing civilian casualties.”
00:34 – Middle East: Hamas releases two women
Hamas releases two more hostages from captivity. Yesterday evening, two elderly women, Yocheved Lifshitz and Nurit Cooper, from Israel’s Kibbutz Nir Oz were released at the Rafah border crossing. According to initial information, the two women are 85 and 79 years old, respectively. Hamas says it made this decision “for humanitarian reasons” and after mediation from Egypt and Qatar, just as it did last Friday when Yehudit and Natalie Raanan, mother and daughter of American citizens, were released. However, the two women’s husbands remain in the Gaza Strip. According to some sources close to the negotiations, talks were held for the release of about fifty hostages, but the negotiations were unsuccessful because the fuel did not arrive in the Gaza Strip.