09:13
Criticism from China: Beyond self-defense
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held a telephone conversation with his Saudi counterpart Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud yesterday about the Middle East crisis, noting that Israel’s actions “went beyond the scope of self-defense.” While Tel Aviv should “seriously listen to the appeals of the international community and the UN Secretary-General to stop the collective punishment of the people of Gaza.” According to a diplomatic note from Beijing released today, both expressed “concern about the situation in Israel and Gaza.”
09:11
Rocket fire on Tel Aviv
The Israeli army today began clearing the town of Sderot near the Gaza Strip, which has been the scene of brutal violence by Hamas commandos and repeatedly hit by rocket fire. “This is not the time to stay in the city,” said Mayor Allon Davidi. The city has 30,000 residents who have the right to stay in guesthouses in safer places in Israel at state expense. According to the media, there is no obligation to evacuate and those who deem it appropriate can remain in their homes.
08:31
New humanitarian corridor in Gaza
Israel has announced that it will allow the opening of a new humanitarian corridor in Gaza and said it will not attack the area around Salah al-Din Road from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. local time (9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Italian time). Jerusalem reports it.
“Gaza residents, in recent days we have urged you to leave Gaza City and the north of the Strip and move south of Wadi Gaza for your safety. Today we inform you that between 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. (local time, editor’s note) Israel will not take the route indicated on our map to reach this area.” This was announced by the military spokesman on Xil -Announced in Arabic. Avichay Adraee. «For your safety, use this short time to drive south. “You can be assured,” Adraee concluded, “that Hamas leaders have already taken measures to protect them and their families.”
07:58
The death toll
The death toll in Gaza from Israeli attacks has risen to 2,329, while the number of wounded is 9,714. This was announced by the local Ministry of Health.
07:57
The head of Hamas meets the foreign minister
According to the Iranian agency IRNA, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian met with Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Doha. The two discussed developments in the war between Hamas and Israel and agreed to “continue cooperation to achieve all the goals of the resistance and the Palestinian people.” It is the first meeting at this level since the terrorist organization’s attack in Israel on October 7th.
During the meeting, Amirabdollahian praised Hamas’s “unprecedented” attack as a “historic victory” that marked a setback for Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories. “If the war crimes of the Zionist regime in Gaza continue, there is a possibility that events of all kinds will occur in the region and Iran will continue its efforts to put an end to the atrocities of the Zionists,” stressed the minister quoted by ‘Irna. Haniyeh, for his part, called for more support from Islamic countries for the Palestinian movement against “Israel’s war crimes.” Amirabdollahian visited the region and traveled to Iraq, Lebanon, Syria and Qatar to discuss developments in the war between Israel and Hamas.
07:11
Kibbutz massacre perpetrators killed
The Israeli military claimed responsibility for the killing in a raid in the Gaza Strip Bilal in Kedra, the commander of Khan Younis’ Nukhba unit, an elite Hamas unit. This is reported by the Jerusalem Post, pointing out that the operation was led by the Shin Bet and that al-Qadr is held responsible for the October 7 infiltration in Nirim and Nir Oz and the subsequent massacres in the two southern kibbutzim. Yesterday, Israeli forces claimed responsibility for the killing of two more senior Hamas leaders who played a leading role in the massacres: Abu Murad and Ali Qadi.
In this attack carried out by warplanes, “other Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists were killed,” the spokesman said.
01:42
President Biden: “Worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust”
“We are witnessing the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. “We are experiencing a humanitarian crisis in Gaza”: Joe Biden said this while speaking at a dinner for the Campaign for Human Rights in Washington. Most people living in Gaza are “innocent Palestinian families who want nothing to do with Hamas,” he added.
01:41
Israel is also bombing Syria: raid
According to the Syrian government newspaper Al-Watan, there is a new Israeli raid on Aleppo airport. After a raid two days ago on the airports in Aleppo and Damascus, the runway would have been taken out of service a few hours after repairs. And the attack came after two rockets were fired from Syrian territory towards Israel. Syria reports the wounding of 5 people.
01:35
After the “Gerald Ford”, a second nuclear aircraft carrier is being stationed in the USA
The US is sending a second aircraft carrier to the eastern Mediterranean as a “deterrent against anti-Israeli actions,” the Pentagon announces.
01:34
WHO condemns Israel’s order to evacuate 22 hospitals: “It is a death sentence for the 2,000 patients”
The World Health Organization has described Israel’s order to evacuate 22 hospitals housing over 2,000 patients in northern Gaza as a “death sentence” for the sick and injured. Haaretz reports it. “WHO calls on Israel to immediately lift the evacuation order for hospitals in the northern Gaza Strip and calls for the protection of health facilities, health workers, patients and civilians,” the organization said. WHO therefore reiterated its call for the immediate and safe delivery of medical supplies, fuel, drinking water, food and other humanitarian assistance to Gaza through Egypt’s Rafah border crossing, where WHO relief and health supplies arrived today and are still located.
01:32
Iran warns Israel: “We must intervene if you do not stop the bombing of Gaza”
Iran has sent a message to Israel through the UN Middle East envoy saying it does not want further escalation of the war between Hamas and Israel but must intervene if the Israeli operation in Gaza continues. The website Axios reports exclusively on this, citing two diplomatic sources familiar with the situation. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian met with United Nations Middle East envoy Tor Wennesland in Beirut on Saturday, the two diplomatic sources said. According to the same sources, Wennesland called on Amir-Abdollahian to help prevent the Gaza and Israel conflict from spreading to the wider Middle East region.
In turn, the head of Iranian diplomacy responded, according to the sources, that Iran did not want the conflict to become a regional war and that it wanted to try to help release civilians held hostage by Hamas in Gaza . But Amir-Abdollahian stressed that Iran has its own red lines, saying that if the Israeli military operation continues – and especially if Israel keeps its promise of a ground offensive in Gaza – Iran will have to respond, according to the sources. Wennesland called Israeli national security adviser Tzachi Hanegbi and other leaders and delivered Iran’s message. The Wennesland office confirmed the meeting with Amir-Abdollahian on Saturday and said the two discussed “diplomatic efforts to release hostages, de-escalate and prevent the conflict from spreading to the wider region” of the Middle East. The fighting between Hamas and Israel threatens to become a regional war if Iran becomes involved directly or indirectly, for example through a militant group in Syria or by supporting a decision by Hezbollah to fully join the fighting.
Iran’s warning comes as the Biden administration seeks to dissuade Tehran and Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon from going to war. The US sent a group of aircraft carriers and fighter jets to the region this week for precisely this purpose of deterrence.
01:31
The agreement to evacuate 500 Americans from Gaza has been broken
The agreement between Washington and Cairo to allow over 500 Americans to leave Gaza via the Rafah border crossing is stalling. According to the Wall Street Journal, Egypt has said it will only give the green light if humanitarian aid can flow in the opposite direction. The agreement set the deadline for the crossing at 5 p.m. on Saturday, but the crossing remained closed. Three Egyptian leaders said no foreigners would be admitted unless an agreement was reached to allow water, food, medical supplies and other aid to be delivered to the Gaza Strip. “We cannot allow some foreigners to leave and humanitarian aid to enter for the Palestinians stranded there,” one of them said.
01:29
Tunnel bombed in Gaza
Israeli military spokesman announced that Hamas fighters were seen emerging from a tunnel in Gaza. The tunnel was attacked by an army plane and the militants were killed, Haaretz reports. The army attacked other locations in the Gaza Strip, mainly in the suburbs of Jabaliya, Zeytun, Al-Furqan and Beit Hanoun.