01:05
End of tracking
Our ongoing monitoring of the day’s events of Thursday, November 23, 2023 has ended. Here you will find all our articles on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
01:04
Pro-Palestinian demonstration in Cuba
Miguel Diaz-Canel and his wife Lis Cuesta demonstrate in Havana on November 23, 2023. — © Ernesto Mastrascusa / keystone-sda.ch
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel led a large demonstration in Havana in support of the Palestinians, which also criticized the US for its support of Israel. “What young Cubans are demanding with this march is an end to the fire on Palestine,” Cristina Diaz, a 22-year-old student at the University of Havana, told AFP.
While she stressed that “all the victims of this conflict are to be regretted,” she said that “it would be naive to believe that what is happening in Gaza is a war.” “It’s genocide,” she insisted. Surrounded by his wife Lis Cuesta and Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero, the Cuban president took the lead in the demonstration, which was launched at the call of the Communist Youth and took place on the Malecon, Havana’s coastal road where the United States embassy is located.
For nearly an hour, demonstrators waved Palestinian flags and signs reading “Free Palestine” and “No to Genocide.” Long live Palestine. According to an Interior Ministry count published on X, “more than 100,000 people from Havana” attended this gathering.
November 23 at 10:03 p.m
Explanation
Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners, the immense risk of Friday’s exchange
The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza is scheduled to begin on Friday morning and the exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners is scheduled to take place in the afternoon. The two parties will have negotiated dryly until the last moment; As announced for Thursday, the exchange was postponed for the first time. Behind this delay, which is unbearable for the families, we can imagine “a logistical problem, since the hostages scattered in the south of the Gaza Strip are not all in the hands of Hamas,” explains a Swiss negotiator. In addition, disagreements continued Wednesday between Israel and Hamas over the number of detainees in the coastal strip, the New York Times reported.
To read the full article
November 23rd at 6:39 p.m
The Hamas government reports a new death toll of almost 15,000 in Gaza
The Hamas government announced that 14,854 people have been killed in Israeli bombings in the Gaza Strip since the war began on October 7. The Palestinian Hamas government said the deaths registered so far include 6,150 children and 4,000 women. In addition, 36,000 people were injured.
For its part, the Hamas Ministry of Health assures that dozens of bodies are scattered on the streets of the northern Gaza Strip and that it is impossible to count them due to the intensity of the attacks.
November 23 at 6:26 p.m
In pictures: People wait for a warm meal in Gaza
Children from displaced families line up for a food distribution in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, on November 23, 2023. — © MAHMUD HAMS / AFP
Waiting for a hot meal. — © MAHMUD HAMS / AFP
Volunteers are busy before distribution begins. — © MAHMUD HAMS / AFP
November 23rd at 6:12 p.m
39 Palestinian prisoners are expected to be released on Friday
According to Israeli Army Radio, quoted by Qatari broadcaster Al-Jazeera, 39 Palestinian prisoners are set to be released on Friday. This step will take place if 13 Israeli hostages are actually released, as announced by the Qatari Foreign Ministry. What if three Palestinians were released for every Israeli in the swap agreement?
The release of the prisoners is expected around 8:00 p.m. (7:00 p.m. in Switzerland) once the hostages return to Israeli territory. Prisoners are released from Megiddo, Damon and Ofer prisons.
November 23rd at 4:09 p.m
Thirteen women and children detained in Gaza will be released on Friday
Thirteen women and children detained by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, members of several families, would be released on Friday, Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari said. At the same time, an as yet unknown number of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel will be released.
“A certain number of civilians will be released every day to reach a total of 50 at the end of the four days of the ceasefire as planned,” he added. The number of Israeli hostages held by Hamas is approximately 240.
November 23 at 4:01 p.m
Israel says it has received “an initial list” of the names of the hostages
“Israel confirms that it has received an initial list of names. Officials are reviewing the details of the list and are in contact with all families,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said. He did not make it clear on Friday whether these were all hostages, all people who could be released or the first potentially affected.
November 23 at 3:37 p.m
The ceasefire and the release of the hostages begins on Friday
The ceasefire in the fighting between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas will come into force on Friday morning and the first hostages will be released in the afternoon, the Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Thursday. “The humanitarian pause begins on Friday at 7:00 a.m. (6:00 a.m. Swiss time). […] and the first group of civilian hostages will be released at around 4:00 p.m. on the same day,” Majed Al-Ansari said, indicating that 13 women and children will be released.
November 23 at 2:06 p.m
Iranian foreign minister meets with Hezbollah leader
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian met with Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, which has been fighting alongside Israel since the start of the war in Gaza, the Shiite party allied with the Palestinian Hamas said on Thursday. In a statement, Hezbollah said the two officials “reviewed the latest developments in Palestine, Lebanon and the region.” […] Efforts to end Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip.
Hassan Nasrallah and Hossein-Amir Abdollahian this Thursday, November 23, in Beirut. — © HEZBOLLAH MEDIA RELATIONS OFFICE / keystone-sda.ch
Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, who warned on Wednesday that war would break out if the ceasefire did not last, then left Beirut for Doha, the Iranian Nour news agency said on Thursday.
November 23rd at 1:11 p.m
in The Field
Aid truck drivers hope for a ceasefire to finally gain access to the Gaza Strip
In Egypt’s Sinai Desert there seems to be an endless line of white trucks, their drivers stamping their feet in frustration as they wait for the green light to deliver their precious aid to the Gaza Strip, which has been under siege for 48 days.
Trucks carrying Saudi aid to the Gaza Strip wait in El-Arish, Egypt, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the Rafah border crossing into Gaza, on November 22. — © RANIA SANJAR / AFP
These truck drivers, all Egyptians, spent boring days on the side of the road, subsisting only on canned beans and instant coffee. But they found some comfort when they learned that fuel and other essential supplies could soon be allowed into Gaza under a four-day ceasefire that could begin as early as Friday.
El-Arish, Egypt, about 40 kilometers from the Rafah border crossing with Gaza, on November 22. — © RANIA SANJAR / AFP
But exactly when they will actually be able to move remains a mystery, and with the increasingly long and mind-numbing wait, separated from their families and without a bed or shower, some are beginning to show clear signs of irritation and fatigue.
November 23rd at 10:56
Explanation
Spain, a voice in support of Palestinians within the EU
Because of its historical proximity to the Arab world, Spain is trying to push a line within the European Union that accommodates Palestinian aspirations. An approach that its Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez will defend today during a visit to the Middle East. The socialist meets with his Belgian counterpart Alexander de Croo, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank.
Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez in Jerusalem, this Thursday November 23rd. — © IMAGO/NICOLAS MAETERLINCK / IMAGO/Belga
This visit continues on Friday in Egypt, where Pedro Sánchez, who holds the rotating presidency of the EU, and Alexander de Croo, who will replace him in this mission on January 1, will meet with President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi and the Secretary General of the EU The Arab League Ahmed Aboul Gheit will meet.
November 23rd at 9:48 am
For Iran, Israel “has not achieved any of its goals”
Iranian President Ebrahim Raïssi said on Thursday that Israel had “not achieved any of its goals” in more than 40 days of war against Hamas. “If we want to make an analysis after 40 days, it is because the enemy is defeated,” said Ebrahim Raïssi in a speech, quoted by the official Irna press agency. And with “the temporary ceasefire, we must say that the Palestinian people and the resistance have achieved a great victory.”
Israel and Hamas announced a ceasefire agreement that includes the release of 50 hostages in exchange for 150 Palestinian prisoners and a four-day suspension of hostilities. However, that ceasefire will not come into force until Friday at the earliest, Israeli officials said on Thursday, amid ongoing fighting in the Gaza Strip.
November 23rd at 08:58
Middle East: When Switzerland excludes itself from the game
By confirming that Switzerland will declare Hamas a terrorist organization, it is destroying its specific, patiently built role in the Middle East.
➤Read the editorial in its entirety
November 23rd at 8:47 am
Explanation
Searches are underway among Hamas supporters in Germany
Searches were being carried out in four different regions of Germany at the homes of members and sympathizers of the Palestinian organizations Hamas and Samidoun, which are banned in the country, the Interior Ministry said in a statement.
“We are continuing our consistent action against radical Islamists. “By banning Hamas and Samidoun in Germany, we have sent a clear signal that we will not tolerate any apology or support for Hamas’s barbaric terror against Israel,” Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said in the statement. “Islamists and anti-Semites should not feel safe anywhere,” she added, indicating that “Islamist circles will be closely monitored.”
November 23rd at 8:14 am
Explanation
Ceasefire postponed due to hostage list details
A Palestinian official told AFP on Thursday that the Gaza ceasefire had been postponed due to “last-minute” discussions about the “names of the Israeli hostages and the terms of their handover” to third parties. “Qatar, in coordination with the Egyptians and the Americans, should announce the start of the ceasefire in the coming hours today,” he said.
November 23rd at 07:58
in The Field
Al-Chifa Hospital doctor announces that the director was arrested by the Israeli army
Khaled Abou Samra, head of department at Al-Chifa Hospital in Gaza City, announces the arrest of the director of the facility, which is currently under the control of the Israeli army, which says it is searching for Hamas military facilities there.
“Doctor Mohammed Abou Salmiya was arrested along with several other healthcare executives,” said Doctor Abou Samra. Doctor Abou Salmiya told AFP that he received an “eviction order” on November 18 after saying he had rejected an earlier one, while the Israeli army claimed that upon “request” hundreds of patients and displaced people were removed from Al-Chifa to have evacuated the same doctor.
November 23rd at 7:45 am
Explanation
No ceasefire or release of hostages before Friday
The ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, which calls for the release of 50 hostages in exchange for 150 Palestinian prisoners, will not come into force until Friday, Israeli officials announced Thursday, amid ongoing fighting in the Gaza Strip.
Also read: Israeli hostages: The downside of the agreement between the Jewish state and Hamas
Following the green light from the Israeli government and the Hamas agreement, Qatar announced on Wednesday the “success” of its mediation of an extendable four-day ceasefire in the fighting, coupled with an exchange of hostages and prisoners. Media and officials had announced that the ceasefire would take effect, and a Hamas official said he expected “an initial exchange of 10 hostages for 30 prisoners” that day. But the head of Israel’s National Security Council, Tzachi Hanegbi, stated on the night that the release of the hostages would not occur “before Friday” and that negotiations would “continue uninterrupted”, without commenting on the latest ongoing negotiations .
November 23rd at 4:37 am
The US intercepts explosive drones launched from Yemen
A US warship patrolling the Red Sea intercepted explosive drones fired from a Houthi rebel-controlled region in Yemen, the US military’s Middle East Command announced. “On the morning of November 23, the USS Thomas Hudner fired and destroyed numerous attack drones launched from the Houthi-controlled region of Yemen,” Centcom said on social network X.
On the morning (Yemen time) of November 23, USS Thomas Hudner (DDG 116) shot down several disposable attack drones launched from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen. The drones were shot down while the US warship was on patrol in the Red Sea. The ship and crew suffered no… pic.twitter.com/TqXuaKsgwe
– US Central Command (@CENTCOM) November 23, 2023
November 23rd at 04:29
The White House hopes the release of the hostages will begin on Friday
President Joe Biden’s administration is “hopeful” that the process of releasing the hostages will begin Friday morning, White House National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said in a statement quoted by CNN. “The deal was closed and remains closed. “The parties are currently clarifying the final logistical details, especially for the first day of implementation,” she said. “We believe that nothing should be left to chance as the hostages begin to return home. Our number one goal is to ensure they are returned safely.”
According to a senior American official, also interviewed by the American broadcaster, the delay in establishing the ceasefire is due in particular to the time required “to determine the location and route of each hostage and the logistics of their transport.” . He explains that “the decision was made to wait another day to prevent anything from going wrong,” adding that Qatar, Egypt and the United States were consulted.
November 23rd at 04:28
Wednesday day
Here you will find continuous monitoring of the events of November 22, 2023.