We continue to wait for the opening of the Rafah crossing, the only crossing into the Gaza Strip not controlled by Israel and currently closed, despite the opening announced yesterday, to allow the passage of humanitarian aid into Palestinian territory. Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has arrived at the border crossing in Egypt to prepare for the delivery of aid to the Gaza Strip. “Let’s see what the times will be like,” commented Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani from Italy, who landed in Tunis. “We need an agreement between Israelis and Egyptians to get humanitarian aid, there are organizational problems and I hope that we can all work together to also get out our 12-15 Italians who are in the Gaza Strip.” They could work together with other Westerners pass through the Rafah border crossing while providing humanitarian assistance to civilians,” he added.
Biden is convinced: “The first trucks with humanitarian aid will arrive in the Gaza Strip in 24 to 48 hours.”
“I believe that in the next 24 to 48 hours the first 20 trucks will cross the border,” said Joe Biden at a meeting with European heads of state and government at the White House. Biden said he had received commitments from both Israeli and Egyptian authorities to allow an initial shipment of humanitarian aid to enter the Gaza Strip through the Rafah border crossing. The operation appears to have been slowed by the state of the road arteries, which have been hit by bombings in recent days: “The highway needed to be resurfaced, it was in terrible condition,” the US president added. Rishi Sunak also confirmed the short deadlines to British media: “When this crisis broke out, opening the Rafah border crossing was a priority for us. It has been a topic in all my conversations and I am very pleased that it will happen soon.” Finally, further confirmation came from the head of the United Nations emergency response, Martin Griffiths: “The first humanitarian aid to Gaza should arrive tomorrow, October 20, for 2 million and 400,000 people suffering from the consequences of the war.”
Israel says it has killed a Hamas leader specializing in weapons development
A senior operative who headed Hamas’ strategic weapons development unit has reportedly been killed by the Israeli army. The announcement was made by Tel Aviv military leaders, who released the man’s identity through a spokesman: Mahmoud Sabih, senior engineer and department head in Hamas’s projects and development department. This department worked, writes ANSA, “to increase Hamas’ war capabilities by sharing information with terrorist organizations in the Middle East.”
Guterres: “I am heartbroken. All efforts to bring about help are effective.”
The United Nations Secretary-General, arriving at the Rafah crossing, could only comprehend the plight of the Palestinian people, huddled just meters from the humanitarian aid needed for their survival: “It is impossible to be here without being heartbroken .” Behind these walls, two million people in Gaza live without water, food, medicine and fuel. This way, these trucks have everything they need. We must relocate as many people as necessary as quickly as possible.” According to Guterres, the appeal will be followed by concrete measures: “For almost two weeks, Gaza remained without deliveries of fuel, food, water and medicine.” The United Nations is concentrating all its efforts a sustained operation to provide vital humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza.” Tomorrow he will also attend the summit on the Israel-Gaza crisis organized by Egyptian President Al Sisi in Cairo. The heads of state and government of Italy, Greece, Spain and Cyprus will also be present, while the other countries of the European Union, represented by the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and the President of the European Council Charles Michel, will send their foreign representatives Minister. From the Arab side, Palestinian President Abu Mazen, King of Bahrain Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and Prince of Kuwait Meshal al-Ahmad al-Sabah will take part in the meeting.
The rocket fire from Gaza and the death toll
After an 11-hour pause, rocket fire from Gaza toward southern Israel resumed, with alarm sirens sounding several times in Israeli communities near the Gaza Strip, including Sderot. In the last few hours, the army announced that the armed forces continue to prepare for the next phase of the war: “The Timrun (the maneuver, editor’s note)”. Military spokesman Daniel Hagari said this, referring to the entry of ground troops into Gaza. “We are continuing our logistical efforts to penetrate into ‘Timrun’ in the best possible way,” he added, after Israel struck over 100 Hamas targets. According to the Hamas Ministry of Health, 4,137 people have now died in Gaza as a result of Israeli attacks and over 13,000 have been injured.
The land operation and the hostage situation
Now the Israeli ambassador to Russia, Alexander Ben Zvi, has confirmed to the Tass agency that “the decision has been made to launch the ground operation in the Gaza Strip.” Because it is an attitude – he explains – “that is linked to the fulfillment of our tasks, which we have already spoken about.” We will destroy the Hamas terrorist organizations and free the hostages. This cannot be done without a ground operation.” According to the Israeli army, “most” of the approximately 200 people who were kidnapped on October 7 and held hostage by Hamas in the Gaza Strip are “still alive.” Defense Minister Yoav Gallant explains the strategy Tel Aviv is using to eliminate Hamas and free the hostages. There will be three phases. The first, Gallant explained, would consist of a “prolonged firefight in Gaza with a ground maneuver.” The second phase involves eliminating the terrorists’ “nests of resistance,” while the third phase is to “create in the Gaza Strip a new reality of security for both the citizens of Israel and the residents of the Gaza Strip itself.” According to the Hamas Ministry of Health, 4,137 people have now died in Gaza as a result of Israeli attacks and over 13,000 have been injured.
“100 Hamas targets hit”
Among the more than 100 Hamas targets attacked by Israel is a member of the Hamas naval command, Amjad Majed Muhammad Abu ‘Odeh, who Israel believes is partly responsible for the October 7 attack and the massacre of Israeli civilians. According to the army, a tunnel, weapons depots and some command centers were also hit. A team of Hamas rocket launchers that attempted to hit a plane were also neutralized. The Israeli army carried out a series of attacks on Hezbollah’s infrastructure, including on observation posts. In response, Hezbollah fired anti-tank missiles across the border throughout the day. On Telegram, the National Defense Forces (IDF) also announced that “IDF fighter jets hit three terrorists who were attempting to fire anti-tank missiles into Israel.”
Evacuations and the border with Lebanon
US President Joe Biden accused Putin and Hamas of wanting to destroy democracies in a speech in the Oval Room. And he hoped for the unity of the West in Ukraine and with Israel. The Pentagon plans to send to Israel tens of thousands of 155-millimeter artillery shells that were in the American stockpile a few months ago and destined for Ukraine. According to the army, the attacks in the Gaza Strip also hit weapons and terrorist materials stored in a mosque in the Jabaliya neighborhood that also served as a Hamas observation post and training site. Meanwhile, given the extremely tense situation in Lebanon, the Ministry of Defense has decided to evacuate the town of Kiryat Shmona in northern Israel. In the morning, Hezbollah announced that a fighter had infiltrated the Jewish state but apparently failed to advance far. A short time later, three Hezbollah terrorists were actually identified by the Israeli army in the area on the border with Lebanon and were hit in an airstrike. IDF snipers then opened fire on gunmen who were also operating in the border area in northern Israel.
The Gaza hospital massacre
Meanwhile, Lebanon’s Islamic Jihad leader Ihsan Ataya blamed Israel for the Gaza hospital massacre. And Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas declined a call from US President Biden while he was in Israel on Wednesday. This was reported by the Israeli television station Kan, citing a Palestinian source from Ramallah on condition of anonymity. Biden administration officials tried to arrange a phone call between the two leaders, but Abbas rejected the request, the source cited by Kan said. Yesterday, some American bases in the Middle East repelled attacks from Syria and Iraq.
The anger of the Orthodox patriarchy: “Attacking churches is a war crime”
The Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem has strongly condemned the Israeli airstrike on its church compound in Gaza City. “The targeting of churches and their institutions and the shelters they provide to protect innocent citizens, especially children and women who have lost their homes due to Israeli airstrikes on residential areas over the last thirteen days, constitutes a war crime cannot be ignored.” he exclaimed. But he wanted to point out: “Despite the obvious attacks on the structures and accommodation of the Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem and other churches, including the hospital of the Episcopal Church of Jerusalem, other schools and social institutions , the patriarchy is together with.” Other churches remain committed to their religious and moral duty to provide aid, support and refuge to those in need, in light of the ongoing Israeli calls for the evacuation of these civilian facilities and the pressure on churches to do so.
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