Israel-Gaza War: Israel was caught off-guard by Hamas last weekend as the group attacked its civilians.
US President Joe Biden will pay a solidarity visit to Israel on Wednesday following the Hamas attacks, said Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who also announced that Israel had agreed to work on civilian aid for Gaza.
Blinken spoke after meeting for nearly eight hours at the defence ministry with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the top US diplomat’s second visit since the October 7 attacks by Hamas.
Israel was caught off-guard by Hamas last weekend as the group attacked its civilians. Israel in response has also launched airstrikes on the Hamas-controlled Gaza stripped and stopped food and electricity supply to the region.
Here are the LIVE updates on Israel-Hamas War:
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European Union leaders aim on Tuesday to settle on a united approach to the crisis triggered by the Hamas attack on Israel after days of confusion, infighting and mixed messaging.
In an emergency video conference at 1530 GMT, the European Council, which brings together the leaders of the EU’s 27 member countries, will also tackle potentially grave consequences for the continent arising from the crisis.
While the EU and its member governments all condemned the Hamas assault from Gaza, which killed some 1,300 Israelis, they diverged on other political statements and policy implications.
The disarray has exposed old divisions within the EU on the Middle East and underscored the severe limits of its influence in the region.
The Israel-Hamas war is set to overshadow the Frankfurt Book Fair this week after the postponement of a Palestinian author’s award ceremony sparked condemnation from top writers and the withdrawal of several Arab groups.
The world’s biggest publishing trade event begins Wednesday just over a week since Hamas launched the deadliest attack in Israel’s history, prompting Israel to respond with a relentless bombing campaign of the Gaza Strip.
Organisers swiftly denounced the Palestinian militants’ “barbaric” assault and rushed to reorganise the schedule, pledging Israeli voices would feature prominently.
Hundreds of Israeli high-tech experts have temporarily put their private sector jobs aside to help locate Israelis missing after last week’s attack by the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Hamas gunmen evaded heavy Israeli security measures to escape the Gaza Strip and storm Israeli towns and kibbutzes, killing 1,300 people and taking almost 200 into captivity. In response, Israel has bombarded Gaza for days, killing more than 2,700 Palestinians while its troops prepare a ground assault.
Karine Nahon, one of the leaders of the initiative, said volunteers have been analysing footage – including videos posted online by Hamas – to help identify and locate the more than 1,000 people who are still unaccounted for. Any information gleaned is passed on to Israeli authorities.
Following days of confusing and sometimes contradictory messaging about the EU’s stance on the developing Israel-Hamas conflict, leaders of the bloc’s countries on Tuesday are to try to rally around a clear statement.
“We felt the need to bring some order,” one EU official said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the issue more freely.
A videoconference of the leaders, taking place at 1530 GMT and chaired by European Council President Charles Michel, will seek to supersede initial steps taken by the European Commission and its chief, Ursula von der Leyen.
Von der Leyen, who has cultivated a profile as the “face” of the European Union, last Friday flew to Israel to tell its Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Europe backed Israel’s right to defend itself.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called on Monday for a humanitarian corridor to be opened into the Gaza Strip, saying urgent help was needed to address an increasingly dire situation in the besieged enclave of 2.3 million people.
Israel, reacting to an attack by Hamas last week that killed more than 1,300 people, has put Gaza under a total blockade and pounded the crowded Palestinian enclave with unprecedented air strikes.
Gaza authorities said Israel’s aerial bombardment has killed more than 2,800 people, around a quarter of them children, and left at least 10,000 others wounded.
The UN Security Council on Monday rejected a Russian resolution condemning spiraling violence in the Middle East, with delegates refusing to back a motion that did not single out Hamas for its surprise attack on Israel that left at least 1,400 people dead.
The council huddled as Israel readied for an expected ground assault on the Gaza Strip, after air and artillery strikes that officials say have killed at least 2,750 people.
It also came as the White House said President Joe Biden would visit Israel on Wednesday, in a visit that is designed to balance support for a key ally with calls for restraint in its operations in Gaza.
On Wednesday, I’ll travel to Israel to stand in solidarity in the face of Hamas’s brutal terrorist attack.
I’ll then travel to Jordan to address dire humanitarian needs, meet with leaders, and make clear that Hamas does not stand for Palestinians’ right to self-determination.
– President Biden (@POTUS) October 17, 2023
Around 500,000 Israelis have been evacuated and displaced in the 10 days since Hamas unleashed the bloodiest attack in the country’s history, the Israeli military said Tuesday.
“There are about half a million internally displaced Israelis at the time,” Jonathan Conricus, spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), said in an online briefing, adding that all communities around the Gaza Strip as well as more than 20 communities in the north had been evacuated.
The United States and Israel have agreed to work out ways to let international assistance come into the blockaded Gaza Strip, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said early Tuesday.
“At our request, the United States and Israel have agreed to develop a plan that will enable humanitarian aid from donor nations and multilateral organizations to reach civilians in Gaza,” Blinken said after nearly eight hours of overnight talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
