Israel - Palestinian militants launch massive attack, 7 Oct 2023 #3

[Chimera]

6:07 pm

Khamenei says Gaza war ‘a symbol of the power of Islam’​

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says the recent unprecedented Hamas assault on Israel will lead to victory for the Palestinians and calling the ongoing war “one of the symbols of the power of Islam,” the official IRNA news agency reports.

“Part of the current [events] is an indication of the incredible power of Islam in Palestine and God willing, the move that began in Palestine will move forward and will lead to the full victory of Palestinians,” he said.

6:15 pm

French police: Bomb threat at Palace of Versailles, evacuation underway​

France’s Palace of Versailles was being evacuated on Saturday after a bomb threat, police sources tell AFP.

The alert came via an anonymous message online, a source close to the matter says, adding that the palace, a major tourist attraction, would be closed at least for the rest of the day.

This comes after the Louvre was shuttered amid threats earlier in the day amid spiraling tensions following a deadly Islamist stabbing at a school yesterday.

It's almost as if the Ayatollah is 'dismissing' the slaughter of innocents.
Like he is talking about a struggle for supremacy and power, whilst the Israelis are fighting for their very existence.
Omo.

 

[Inthedetails]

Israel Gaza live news: Children among dead after strike hits Palestinian convoy - BBC News
7:55

US tells citizens in Gaza to go to Rafah crossing with Egypt​

View attachment 453330

The US government is encouraging its citizens in Gaza to move south toward the Rafah crossing with Egypt.

The only crossing in and out of Gaza that is not controlled by Israel has closed because of Israeli strikes on the Gazan side of the gate.

US State Department says that its citizens should be ready at the crossing for its possible reopening amid the humanitarian crisis, especially after Israel ordered the evacuation of the northern part of the Strip.

"We have informed US citizens in Gaza with whom we are in contact that if they assess it to be safe, they may wish to move closer to the Rafah border crossing," a State Department spokesperson said.

"There may be very little notice if the crossing opens and it may only open for a limited time."

I hope the crossing goes smoothly and safely not only for the people, of course, but for international diplomacy. Any attempts to aid people need to be successful or anger and revenge will result, fair or not.

Safe passage to innocent travelers.

jmo

 

[PommyMommy]

This is sad !
And there's no way to ascertain if anyone in Hamas is hiding amongst them ?
Although Egypt isn't letting people in, but they could provide some humanitarian aid by crossing into Gaza themselves, correct ?
Omo.

Eta : I don't think Israel is bombing that specific area where the refugees are fleeing to, though.

BBM Perhaps, but I don't think whatever aid they might bring would resolve the issues of safety and shelter.

 

[PommyMommy]

Israel-Hamas war live: two safe routes open for people fleeing northern Gaza, says Israel, as UN warns water running out (theguardian.com)
21m ago16.23 BST

Gaza civilians afraid to leave home after bombing 'safe routes'​

A convoy of vehicles carrying fleeing civilians from Gaza to the southern half of the strip that was traveling on a route marked supposedly as a “safe route” has been struck by a deadly airstrike, according to analysis.

The Friday afternoon bombing in Gaza City, which killed a reported 70 people including children and which Hamas blamed on Israel, occurred on Salah-al-Din Road, a main thoroughfare in the overcrowded enclave, home to a trapped population of 2.3 million people.

Forensic Architecture, a London-based research agency, and its partner investigations unit at the Palestinian human rights organisation al-Haq, used aerial photos and social media posts to geolocate the site of the strike, sharing its findings with the Guardian. The BBC’s Verify unit also came to the same conclusion.

Video and pictures of the aftermath of the attack show 12 dead bodies, most of whom are women and children as young as about two years old, and several damaged vehicles.

The Palestinian health ministry said that 70 people were killed on the road, which was filled with traffic as Palestinians tried to adhere to Israeli orders given early on Friday to evacuate the northern half of Gaza.

Shadows and the position of the sun suggest the attack on the civilian convoy occurred at about 5.30pm. At 6.03pm, in social media posts, the IDF identified the exact same road in an infographic as the safe route to follow the Israeli evacuation directive for about half of the strip’s population to travel south of the Gaza River, which is just south of Gaza City.

For further details, click here:
Gaza civilians afraid to leave home after bombing of ‘safe routes’

 

[Brightchaser47]

BBM Perhaps, but I don't think whatever aid they might bring would resolve the issues of safety and shelter.

No, but fresh food and clean water would help. JMO

 

[Inthedetails]

Agenda Free TV is livesteaming now. The host, Steve Lookner, is a former reporter with RSB but left that organization to start his own news coverage that is neither left-wing or right-wing. He uses MSM and reliable sources. Not everyone likes him, but I do. He isn't "reporting" as much as finding real-time sources and reports and sharing them in the stream in a conversational style. As a news junkie, I find his coverage informative and responsible.

I'm not directly linking it as he's not technically MSM, but his sources are. Agenda Free TV streams on youtube, FB, Twitter, Twitch. He's live now (11:45am eastern time) and he tends to stream for hours. (I think he should be an approved source on WS, but that's imo.)

jmo

 

[Brightchaser47]

I hope the crossing goes smoothly and safely not only for the people, of course, but for international diplomacy. Any attempts to aid people need to be successful or anger and revenge will result, fair or not.

Safe passage to innocent travelers.

jmo

Absolutely!

 

[PommyMommy]

Israel-Hamas war live: two safe routes open for people fleeing northern Gaza, says Israel, as UN warns water running out (theguardian.com)
12m ago16.42 BST

European Commission to triple humanitarian aid for Gaza​

The European Commission announced this afternoon that it will triple humanitarian aid for Gaza. The move comes after the EU faced criticism for conflicting messaging from its senior leadership.

Commission President Ursula von der Leyen spoke with UN secretary-general António Guterres today, the Commission said.

“The Commission will immediately increase the current humanitarian aid envelope foreseen for Gaza by 50 million euros,” von der Leyen said in a statement. “This will bring the total to over 75 million euros.”

The Commission chief added:

“We will continue our close cooperation with the UN and its agencies to ensure that this aid reaches those in need in the Gaza strip. The Commission supports Israel’s right to defend itself against the Hamas terrorists, in full respect of international humanitarian law. We are working hard to ensure that innocent civilians in Gaza are provided support in this context.”

 

[PommyMommy]

2min ago

Main Gaza City hospital says it can’t obey IDF evacuation order​

Officials at Gaza City’s largest hospital say following the IDF’s order to evacuate to the south of Gaza is impossible.

Al-Shifa Hospital is receiving hundreds of wounded every hour and had used up 95% of its medical supplies, hospital director Mohammed Abu Selmia says. Water is scarce and the fuel powering its generators is dwindling.

“The situation inside the hospital is miserable in every sense of the word,” he says. “The operating rooms don’t stop.”

Selmia estimated that 40,000 displaced civilians were sitting under the trees in the empty grounds surrounding the hospital, as well as inside the building’s lobby and corridors, hoping they would be protected there from the fighting.

 

[PommyMommy]

6:45 pm

Veteran Israeli commentators stress Iran behind what they see as a regional conflict​

Ehud Ya’ari and Amos Yadlin, two veteran commentators in the Channel 12 news studio, analyze the Hamas and Iranian strategy in the war.

Ya’ari, the TV station’s longtime Arab affairs analyst, stresses that this is not solely a Hamas-Israel conflict, but rather a regional battle, orchestrated by Iran.

A prime goal was to prevent the US-brokered Saudi-Israel normalization effort, he says, and that is already succeeding.

Ya’ari says Hamas was assured that it will not be alone. While he says he doesn’t know if Hezbollah will get deeply involved, he notes: “Metula has not been emptied for no reason” — a reference to the closure by the IDF of parts of Israel’s northernmost town, and the departure of most of its residents.

He notes that Hezbollah’s deputy chief said on Friday that Hezbollah is ready to get involved.

Ya’ari says he has seen indications of Iranian-backed militias in Syria moving toward that border, and Iranian-backed militias in Iraq moving into Syria. “This is a regional event,” he says.

The US, gradually assembling increasing forces in the region, are seeking to deter the Iranians.

Hamas’s Gaza chief Yahya Sinwar “would not have attacked 22 communities and 11 IDF bases and positions” in order to free Palestinian security prisoners from Israeli jails,” says Ya’ari.

Amos Yadlin, a former head of IDF Military Intelligence, offers two theories of the Iranian strategy:

The worse of the two theories, he says, is that this is part of the Iranians’ staged plan against Israel. They started by stirring trouble in the West Bank, prompting Israel to deploy additional forces there, have now moved on to the Gaza border, will aim to see the IDF get stuck in Gaza with a ground invasion, and then Hezbollah will jump in.

The second theory is that they do not see the time as ripe for that, recognizing that Israel’s military remains extremely strong “although we had a catastrophe.”

He says Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah does not want Beirut turned into Gaza, and that the US has clarified that if Nasrallah hits Israel, Tomahawk missiles will rain down on Beirut.

 

[PommyMommy]

Israel Gaza live news: Children among dead after strike hits Palestinian convoy - BBC News
8:58

Lebanon to submit formal complaint to UN for killing of journalist​

Lebanon is submitting a formal complaint to the UN Security Council over what it says is "Israel's deliberate killing" of Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah, who is also a Lebanese citizen.

Abdallah was killed in southern Lebanon on Friday when missiles fired from the direction of Israel struck a group of journalists, witnesses at the scene have said, according to a report published by Reuters.

Abdallah was working close to the Lebanese-Israeli border, where clashes between militants and the Israeli military have intensified.

Six other journalists, including from Reuters, Al Jazeera and Agency France-Presse, were wounded.

An Israeli army spokesperson later said that the army was “deeply regretful for the incident” and that it was “actively investigating it”.

 

[Sundog]

dbm

problems with formatting

 

[PommyMommy]

6:48 pm

IDF says it’s carrying out ‘widespread’ strikes on Hamas in Gaza​

The Israel Defense Forces says it is carrying out “widespread” airstrikes against many Hamas sites across the Gaza Strip.

The IDF says it will provide further details on the strikes soon.

7:00 pm

IDF says it’s completing preparations for ‘attack from the air, sea and land’​

The Israel Defense Forces says it is completing preparations for a “significant ground operation” in the Gaza Strip.

In a statement, the IDF says it is readying to “expand the offensive” by implementing a “wide range of offensive operational plans” which it says include a “joint and coordinated attack from the air, sea and land.”

The IDF says it is finalizing the draft of hundreds of thousands of reservists, as the logistics directorate is working to provide troops with all the equipment they will need for the ground offensive.

“In recent days, the tools required for combat have been transferred to the assembly areas, and at this stage the various units of the Technological and Logistics Directorate are working to complete the qualification of the tools and equipping them with advanced combat means, as needed,” the IDF says.

“IDF battalions and soldiers are deployed all over the country and are prepared to increase readiness for the next stages of the war, with an emphasis on a significant ground operation,” the military adds.

The military is expected to launch a ground invasion in the Gaza Strip, but its extent and when it is carried out may be affected by operational considerations, as tensions grow on the northern border

 

[Sundog]

dbm

 

[Vern]

Agenda Free TV is livesteaming now. The host, Steve Lookner, is a former reporter with RSB but left that organization to start his own news coverage that is neither left-wing or right-wing. He uses MSM and reliable sources. Not everyone likes him, but I do. He isn't "reporting" as much as finding real-time sources and reports and sharing them in the stream in a conversational style. As a news junkie, I find his coverage informative and responsible.

I'm not directly linking it as he's not technically MSM, but his sources are. Agenda Free TV streams on youtube, FB, Twitter, Twitch. He's live now (11:45am eastern time) and he tends to stream for hours. (I think he should be an approved source on WS, but that's imo.)

jmo

I watch him; I appreciate his commentary.

 

[margarita25]

(In case not already posted, it likely has been)

Urgent plea to avert unprecedented humanitarian crisis amid looming Israeli land incursion into Gaza

We are alarmed by Israel’s call for over a million Palestinians to leave northern Gaza in less than 24 hours.

www.nrc.no

Norwegian Refugee Council
Joint Statement

Urgent plea to avert unprecedented humanitarian crisis amid looming Israeli land incursion into Gaza​

Published 13. Oct 2023

We are alarmed by Israel’s call for over a million Palestinians to leave northern Gaza in less than 24 hours.

Israel must rescind this order immediately. Demands for the population in its entirety to relocate in such an immediate manner put at risk the lives of those forced to flee. The Government of Israel has not provided any assurances for their safety while in transit or for the safety of civilians remaining in the Gaza Strip as fighting continues.

Humanitarian agencies operating in Gaza are reporting an unfolding humanitarian crisis on an unprecedented scale. There are not adequate facilities to safely accommodate residents from northern Gaza, and their safety remains jeopardized as Israeli airstrikes persistently target central and southern Gaza.

A forced relocation without any guarantees of safety or return and without providing for the needs of the protected population, risks amounting to forcible transfer, which is a grave breach of international humanitarian law and codified as a war crime. Israel is bound by international law to ensure the protection of all persons there from harm, and ensure that they are adequately supplied, including by agreeing and facilitating, relief schemes.

The horrendous violence that has engulfed Gaza and Israel over the last week has already created unprecedented humanitarian need. As of 13 October 2023, 11:00 AM EST, more than 1799 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, more than 1,300 people in Israel, including foreign nationals, and 45 Palestinians in the West Bank. Hundreds of children have been killed. Hundreds of thousands of children and families in Gaza have already been displaced. Entire neighborhoods have been destroyed and turned to rubble.

Yet recent developments indicate that the worst may still be to come. We, the undersigned leaders of some of the world’s largest humanitarian organizations call for the international community to unequivocally uphold international law and prioritize the protection of civilians to avert further suffering and loss of human life.

World leaders must:
• Demand that the Government of Israel immediately rescind its order;
• Demand that all parties agree to an immediate cessation of hostilities;
• Demand to stop the use of explosive weapons in populated areas in addition to the targeting of civilians, of inviolable UN premises, schools and hospitals where civilians shelter;
• Facilitate the provision of essential and life-saving relief assistance, including food, water, and medical supplies and care and access of humanitarian personnel into Gaza;
• Immediately facilitate medical evacuations for children and families who require it in either Egypt, the West Bank or Israel;
• Ensure the immediate, unconditional release of all persons deprived of liberty, most urgently children, pregnant women and mothers with infants and young children, the wounded and sick held captive by armed groups in Gaza; and
• Guarantee safe passage for families who need and want to seek safety to any place they feel safe. Families need adequate access to information on options and to be given adequate time to do so safely. The Israeli government has an obligation under international humanitarian law to provide safe shelter and humanitarian assistance for civilians displaced by their offensive and this should be carefully prepared in advance of any offensive. Anyone who seeks safety outside of the Gaza Strip must be immediately allowed to return as soon as hostilities end, in line with their right to repatriate or return to their habitual places or residence. This must be internationally guaranteed.

Families who are unable or unwilling to leave their homes remain protected under international humanitarian law. There are many reasons why people cannot heed these warnings to leave areas, including ongoing hostilities, impassable roads, health needs, disabilities, and fear of permanent displacement. Many will have nowhere else to go.

We urge UN Secretary-General António Guterres and senior UN leadership to make an emergency visit to the oPt and Israel in an attempt to ensure respect for international law and demonstrate solidarity with affected persons and humanitarians.

We plead with world leaders and actors on the ground to prioritize the preservation of human life above all else. Anything less will forever be a stain on our collective conscience.

Signatories:
Olivier Longue, Chief Executive Officer, Action Against Hunger – Spain
Mattias Brunander Secretary General, Diakonia
Manuel Patrouillard, Global Managing Director, Handicap International / Humanity & Inclusion
Joël Weiler, Chief Executive Officer, Médecins du Monde- France
Nicolás Dotta, Chief Executive Officer, Médecins du Monde- Spain
Morgane Rousseau, Chief Executive Officer, Médecins du Monde- Swiss
Tjada D’Oyen McKenna, Chief Executive Officer, Mercy Corps
Jan Egeland, Secretary General, Norwegian Refugee Council
Amitabh Behar, Executive Director, Oxfam International
Stephen Omollo, Chief Executive Officer, Plan International
Inger Ashing, Chief Executive Officer, Save the Children International
Rob Williams, Chief Executive Officer, War Child UK

 

[PommyMommy]

Israel-Hamas war live updates: Gaza hit with more shelling as Israel defends evacuation order (nbcnews.com)
2m ago / 9:13 AM PDT

Israeli military prepares for ground assault​

NEAR ISRAEL-LEBANON BORDER —The Israeli military is preparing for a potential second front in the war on the Israel-Lebanon border - this one with Hezbollah.

The buildup includes Merkava battle tanks and armored personnel carriers just a few miles from Lebanon in northern Israel, shown to NBC News on Saturday by the Israeli military.

As soldiers conducted maintenance on their vehicles, the sounds of small-arms fire could be heard in the distance. Smoke rose from the mountaintops from what Israel’s military says were roughly 30 mortar shells fired from Lebanon into Israeli territory. Israeli forces responded by shelling the site from which the mortars were fired.

In the afternoon sun, a group of religious troops observing the Sabbath took a break from conducting maintenance on their vehicles to pray under a tent with a Torah scroll brought to their encampment.

 

[Sundog]

I am half Palestinian and I, and all that side of my family, condemn massively all the atrocities committed against the Israeli citizens. Just as most normal people, including the Palestinians, would. Saying no Palestinians condemn what has happened is sheer hyperbole. This news has sickened me and caused me extreme anxiety, and I'm not the only one. I'm sure it is true to say that most Palestinian people around the world are now terrified of the Israeli reaction to what Hamas has done.

The majority of the Palestinian people in Palestine just want to live in their homes and be left in peace. Unfortunately, Israeli governmental policy wants all Palestinian people out of the country and the worry and fear of the Palestinians now will be that Hamas has provided the Israelis with the perfect excuse to commit grand scale ethnic cleansing.

Despite what an earlier poster said, this is NOT about religion. My family lived in Palestine pre-1948 and they lived together peacefully - all the Muslim, Christian and Jewish Palestinians. The Muslims/ Christians supported the Jewish people by running errands on the Sabbath; they all celebrated each other's feast days. My (Muslim) uncle was in a Jewish football team whilst at school. I had the privilege of visiting Jerusalem several years ago, and I was in awe of the interconnectedness of the different faiths there. On Friday morning, Christian people re-enacted the walk of Christ to the cross. On Friday lunchtime, Muslim people went to the mosque then queued for falafel sandwiches; on Friday afternoon the Jewish people prepared for the Sabbath. All alongside one another peacefully. The situation is purely political.

I strongly condemn what Hamas has done. It's disgusting and sickening and heartbreaking.

I strongly condemn what the Israeli government has been doing in the country since 1948 - illegal acts of intimidation and provocation against the Palestinians, which always receive very little coverage in the western media and have recently become increasingly worse. For example, on the 17th September, Israeli forces entered the holiest place in Islam - Al Aqsa mosque - and attacked worshippers, preventing them from entering, including beating up an elderly man and an elderly woman. I am not stating this to justify what has happened - it is completely unjustifiable. However, as with anything, it's important to fully understand the political context and I am providing just one small example from the other side. The media cannot be trusted to present the full story.

I'm avoiding the news as much as I can at this point as I find it unbearable, and hope for a peaceful resolution but despair that this could ever be possible. However, I feel it is important to state that it is possible to condemn the Israeli governmental policy that has persecuted the Palestinian people for decades, whilst also condemning the current attacks.

JMO

Israeli forces attack Palestinian worshippers at Al-Aqsa Mosque

Israeli occupation forces assault Palestinian worshippers peacefully protesting against settler provocation.

www.aljazeera.com

Unfortunately, there are thousands and thousands of protestors around the world who are not condemning the barbaric attacks by Hamas against Israel but actually celebrating it. Context is important, but Hamas' actions are in no way justified or defensible.

 

[Herat]

Israel-Hamas war live: two safe routes open for people fleeing northern Gaza, says Israel, as UN warns water running out (theguardian.com)
2m ago16.06 BST

Summary of the past hours​

• Thousands of Palestinians have continued to leave northern Gaza and cram into already crowded schools, homes and makeshift shelters in the south, as Israeli airstrikes pound the blockaded strip ahead of an expected ground invasion.
• US President Joe Biden said Washington “is working with the governments of Israel, Egypt, Jordan — and with the UN — to surge support to ease the humanitarian consequences of Hamas’s attack, create conditions needed to resume the flow of assistance, and advocate for the upholding of the law of war.”
• Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu told troops in southern Israel that “the next stage is coming.”
• Lebanon’s Hezbollah took responsibility for firing guided missiles and mortars shells toward Israel. In response, the Israeli Defense Forces hit targets in Lebanese territory. Residents of multiple northern Israeli communities have been instructed to take shelter.
• The US state department advised US citizens in Gaza to move south toward the Rafah Gate crossing with Egypt as diplomats try to negotiate a five-hour opening to allow civilians out of the blockaded enclave.
• The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) called on the Israeli authorities “to protect all civilians who have been sheltering” in its premises in the Gaza Strip and said that its shelters “are not safe anymore”.
• UNRWA also warned that “clean water is running out” in Gaza.
• Meirav Eilon Shahar, Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations and international organisations in Geneva, has insisted that Israel is complying with international humanitarian law (IHL).
• Thousands of people have joined a pro-Palestine rally in central London over the Israel-Hamas war.
• The death toll in Gaza has risen to at least 2,215, with 8,714 wounded, the local health ministry said.
• Israel’s death toll is at over 1,300, the Israeli authorities said, with more than 3,360 injured.
• Sirens have continued sounding in southern and central Israel.

To this I would add:

UAE sends medical aid to Egypt intended for Gaza, state news agency says

The United Arab Emirates sent a plane carrying urgent medical aid to the Egyptian city of Arish to be brought into the Gaza Strip through the Rafah crossing, Emirati state news agency WAM said on Friday.

www.reuters.com

 

[PommyMommy]

No “But.”

https://twitter.com/IDF