Israel - Palestinian militants launch massive attack, 7 Oct 2023 #5

[JennieM]

Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel | Flash Update #12​

18 Oct 2023

KEY POINTS​

• Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Mr. Martin Griffiths briefed the Security Council today, stressing the need for humanitarian actors to be able to “deliver relief to civilians in need throughout Gaza, without impediment, in places of their choice, in places where they consider themselves to be safe and where we can seek to ensure that safety.”
• On the evening of 17 October, 471 people, including children, health care staff, and Internally Displaced People (IDPs), were killed in an explosion at Al Ahli Arab/Baptist hospital in Gaza city, according to the latest figures from the Ministry of Health in Gaza. This was the deadliest incident in Gaza since hostilities escalated. In the wake of this incident, the UN Secretary-General called for “an immediate humanitarian ceasefire.”
• The cumulative fatality toll in the Gaza Strip is 3,478 as of 17:00 (18 October), including at least 853 children (as of 17 October), according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza. Hundreds of additional fatalities are believed to be trapped under the rubble.

• The number of IDPs in Gaza is estimated at about one million, including over 353,000 people staying in UNRWA schools in central and southern Gaza alone, in increasingly dire conditions.
• The complete siege of Gaza continues. The Rafah Crossing has remained closed, preventing the entry of desperately needed humanitarian aid, including food, water and medicines awaiting on the Egyptian side. The Erez and Kerem Shalom crossings with Israel also remain closed.
• The average water consumption for all needs (drinking, cooking and hygiene) is currently estimated at three litres per day per person in Gaza. People consume more and more water from unsafe sources, risking death and placing the population at risk of infectious disease outbreak.
• The Palestinian armed groups’ indiscriminate rocket firing towards Israeli population centres continued, with no new Israeli fatalities reported (as of 21:00 on 18 October). Overall, about 1,400 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed in Israel, according to Israeli authorities, the vast majority on 7 October.
• At least 199 people are held captive in Gaza, including Israelis and foreign nationals. At the Emergency Briefing to the Security Council, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Process, Mr. Tor Wennesland, stated: “We need the time and space to achieve two urgent objectives: Hamas’ immediate, unconditional release of all hostages; secondly, and fast, unrestricted access of humanitarian aid for Palestinians in Gaza.”
• In the West Bank, since the afternoon of 17 October, Israeli forces have killed three Palestinians during protests following the explosion at Al Ahli hospital in Gaza. This has brought the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces or settlers since 7 October to 64, including 18 children. Confrontations in the same context, between Palestinian protestors and Palestinian security forces, resulted in the killing of one child.
• At least 74 Palestinian households, comprising 545 people, over half of whom are children, have been displaced from 13 herding/Bedouin communities in Area C of the West Bank since 7 October, amid intensified settler violence and access restrictions.

United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs - occupied Palestinian territory | Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel | Flash Update #12

Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Mr. Martin Griffiths briefed the Security Council today, stressing the need for humanitarian actors to be able to “deliver relief to civilians in need throughout Gaza, without impediment, in places of their choice...

www.ochaopt.org

 

[JennieM]

Just to clarify. Flash update means quick. A quick update. It does not mean unconfirmed information.

 

[Cedars]

I understand the history.

Perhaps , then, you could indicate you're just expressing sarcasm.

 

[JennieM]

3m ago
AFP: Biden, asked by journalists about reports that his administration had told Israel that US forces would fight alongside Israeli troops in response to any attack by the powerful Lebanese movement Hezbollah against Israel, said this was “not true.”

However, he said that “our military is talking with their military about what the alternatives are” in the event of a Hezbollah attack.


11m ago
China’s President Xi Jinping has meanwhile met with Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) said.

Egypt’s president agrees to open the Rafah crossing – as it happened

This blog is now closed.

www.theguardian.com

 

[Vern]

Perhaps , then, you could indicate you're just expressing sarcasm.

But I was not expressing sarcasm.

I was expressing disgust with the fact that the innocent Gazans have apparently been thrown to the Hamas wolves by their "leadership" who do not speak up on their behalves against Hamas.

 

[JennieM]

Who on here has ever stated "no lives were lost" and that this incident "was no biggie"??

I think every single poster in this thread has expressed concern and care for innocent lives lost.

Perhaps I'm missing something.

Regardless, it IS important to have facts on the record --- especially so since a country has been accused of commiting WAR CRIMES in this incident. People were quick to condemn them for that LOUDLY and publicly, but now that those 'non-factual' claims need to be walked back, all of a sudden correcting that record is not important? Please correct me if Im wrong, but that is what I am getting from your post.

Both Israel and Hamas are currently under investigation. It is important to have facts on the record.

Commission of Inquiry collecting evidence of war crimes committed by all sides in Israel and Occupied Palestinian Territories since 7 October 2023​

https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2023/10/commission-inquiry-collecting-evidence-war-crimes-committed-all-sides-israel

 

[Vern]

Both Israel and Hamas are currently under investigation. It is important to have facts on the record.

Commission of Inquiry collecting evidence of war crimes committed by all sides in Israel and Occupied Palestinian Territories since 7 October 2023​

https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2023/10/commission-inquiry-collecting-evidence-war-crimes-committed-all-sides-israel

We already knew that.

Please note that "investigating" refers to "possible" war crimes only. It doesn't infer any actually happened (yet, we know some indeed have [I already listed a long list of them committed by Hamas next to their Convention Number last thread]).

 

[Arkay]

<modsnip: Quoted post was removed>

I don’t blame the journalists for any potential deaths in the hospital. I blame the journalists who omitted the journalistic ethic of having several legitimate sources before disseminating stories.

They had one source, which was a terrorist organization with obvious self-interest and not a neutral party. They did not gather any corroborating evidence.

They published inflammatory information which was false and which spurred further hostility against the victims here, who are the Israelis.

For decades I taught a class called “News Literacy,” founded by the NY Times, which establishes six steps required to verify information prior to dissemination. None of those were followed here, in the haste to get clicks.

These unverified narratives did not go into a void, but instead did a great deal of real-world damage.

I reiterate that the BBC and other media have not suddenly become paragons of virtue, but if it’s true that a building they claimed was demolished is in fact still erect, they can’t hide from that.

IMO

 

[JennieM]

Aid delivery may happen Friday at the earliest - Biden​

We heard earlier that US President Joe Biden and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi have agreed to open up the Rafah crossing to allow up to 20 trucks of aid into Gaza.

The shipment will likely not cross until Friday, Biden has said, citing road repairs.

"They're going to patch the road, they have to fill in potholes to get these trucks through. And that's going to occur - they expect it will take about eight hours tomorrow [Thursday]. So there may be nothing rolling through until... probably until Friday," he told reporters on Wednesday.

He added that the 20 trucks represented a "first tranche" but said "150 or something" trucks were waiting in total. Whether or not those were allowed to cross will depend on "how it goes".

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-middle-east-67141589

 

[JennieM]

29 min ago

The US, Egypt and Israel signal readiness for civilian relief in Gaza. Here's what You should know​

From CNN staff

The US, Egypt and Israel have all signaled readiness for aid to begin moving into Gaza, following a high-profile visit to Israel by US President Joe Biden.
The glimmer of hope for civilian relief in Gaza comes one day after a devastating hospital blast in the enclave that likely killed hundreds and infuriated the region.
Here are other headlines you should know:

• Hospital blast: The top Democrat and Republican on the US Senate's Select Committee on Intelligencesaid they are "confident" that Tuesday's blast as a Gaza hospital was caused not by an Israeli airstrike, but by a failed rocket launch by "militant terrorists." National Security Council (NSC) spokesperson Adrienne Watson provided additional details about the US assessment, pointing to intelligence indicating that Palestinian militants in the Gaza strip themselves believed the blast was caused by an errant rocket or missile launch by the militant group Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ.) Israeli officials have released audio of what they say is Hamas militants discussing the blast and attributing it to a rocket launched by PIJ.
• More explosions: Explosions less than 100 meters from the Al-Quds Hospital in Gaza City were reported Wednesday by the Palestine Red Crescent Society. The organization said the blasts "targeted multiple residential buildings and main streets in the area" of Al-Quds Hospital and the main headquarters of the organization in the Tal Al-Hawa neighborhood in western Gaza City. Meanwhile, Hezbollah conducted six attacks on Israeli military posts along the Lebanese border on Wednesday using guided missiles, machine guns and 57-mm mortars, the militant group said. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement early Thursday local time that they are striking Hezbollah targets in Lebanon.
• Humanitarian aid: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi agreed to open the Rafah crossing into Gaza to humanitarian aid – after Biden spoke with the leader for more than an hour on Air Force One, the president said. But there is “no update on if and when” the Rafah border crossing will open for the passage of humanitarian aid from Egypt into Gaza, the UN Secretary General's deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq said Wednesday. The Israel prime minister’s office confirmed earlier Wednesday that Israel will not block humanitarian aid going into Gaza through the crossing, but it will not allow supplies into Gaza from its own territory until Hamas releases all hostages. The Egyptian president on Wednesday blamed Israeli shelling for preventing the vital crossing from re-opening. And the $100 million in humanitarian aid to Gaza and the occupied West Bank that Biden announced in Tel Aviv will come from pre-approved funding, the White House says.
• Biden in Israel: Biden said he knew he was risking criticism when he came to the Middle East on Wednesday, but that he “came to get something done." Biden said he was “very blunt” with Israeli leaders when he met with them on Wednesday — and that he laid out the expectation that they would be “held accountable” if they didn’t allow for more assistance for people displaced by the conflict. The president also said he received "no pushback" from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday when he raised humanitarian issues. Biden wouldn’t go into details about attempts to get Americans and other civilians out of Gaza, but he assured that "we're going to get people out."
• International input: Biden will deliver a primetime address from the Oval Office Thursday about his country's "response to Hamas’ terrorist attacks against Israel and Russia’s ongoing brutal war against Ukraine,” the White House announced Wednesday. And United Kingdom Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is expected to arrive in Israel early Thursday, in what is set to be his first stop in a two-day trip to the Middle East, Downing Street announced Wednesday. Also, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi reaffirmed the country's unwavering stance against any attempt to transfer the Palestinian population to Jordan.

Live updates: Israel-Hamas war rages as President Biden visits Tel Aviv

During a high-stakes trip to Israel, US President Joe Biden urged the region to seek peace and not to be "consumed" by rage as violence continues in the aftermath of Hamas' attacks and Israel's subsequent response. Follow here for live updates.

edition.cnn.com

 

[mickey2942]

The significance of why Hamas chose to attack Israel now

Former U.S. officials say the group and its Iranian backers tried to exploit Israeli political divisions and derail historic negotiations among Saudi Arabia, Israel and the U.S.

www.nbcnews.com

Hamas, using people as pawns in their goal to keep Saudi Arabia from recognizing Israel as a state. Sounds like Iran is behind this, in their goal to keep a war going in the middle east, and force Saudi Arabia to choose a side in this war. The more innocent children who die, the better it is to keep everything in turmoil.

 

[JennieM]

Doctor speaking who was in the operating room when the explosion happened.

Video at link. He talks of hundreds of dead. From the horse’s mouth as they say.

Just posted now, BBC.



NEW

Doctor: Operating room ceiling ‘fell on us’ after explosion​

Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah was working at Gaza’s Al-Ahli Hospital when it was rocked by an explosion on Tuesday night.

The surgeon from north London said the ceiling of the operating room "fell on us" as he was carrying out a procedure.

Dr Abu-Sittah had earlier told the BBC he had been working every day until 1am in dire conditions, with children comprising 40% of the patients he has seen.

He added that resources were running out fast with water pressure now insufficient to supply some of the equipment.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-middle-east-67141589

 

[Gypsy Road]

Did Israel bomb Gaza hospital? Visuals suggest otherwise

With the arrival of President Biden in Israel and the blame game between Hamas and Israel on the bombing of Gaza Hospital, India Today’s OSINT team identifies visual clues to assess the weight of each side’s claim.

www.indiatoday.in

 

[JennieM]

5m ago
Here are some recent pictures:

Palestinian emergency services and local citizens search for victims in buildings destroyed during Israeli air raids in the southern Gaza Strip on 18 October 2023 in Khan Yunis, Gaza. Photograph: Ahmad Hasaballah/Getty Images

Bakery staff prepare bread packages as to cater for Palestinians queueing outside in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on 18 October 2023. Photograph: Mohammed Abed/AFP/Getty Images

Residents of Gaza City evacuate in a car as Israel continues airstrikes of the Gaza strip, 18 October 2023. Photograph: Mohammed Saber/EPA

People, holding flags and shouting slogans, gather for a protest athe explosion at Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital, on 18 October 2023 in Hebron, West Bank. Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Anadolu/Getty Images

Fireworks explode near a police vehicle as demonstrators rally to show support for the Palestinian people following the Gaza City hospital blast, on 18 October 2023, in Berlin. Photograph: Zakaria Abdelkafi/AFP/Getty Images

Egypt’s president agrees to open the Rafah crossing – as it happened

This blog is now closed.

www.theguardian.com

 

[Cool Cats]

After Writing an Anti-Israel Letter, Harvard Students Are Doxxed

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — On a campus already bitterly divided, the statement poured acid all over Harvard Yard. A coalition of more than 30 student groups posted an open letter on the night of the Hamas attack, saying that Israel was “entirely responsible” for the violence that ended up killing more...

news.yahoo.com

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — On a campus already bitterly divided, the statement poured acid all over Harvard Yard.

A coalition of more than 30 student groups posted an open letter on the night of the Hamas attack, saying that Israel was “entirely responsible” for the violence that ended up killing more than 1,400 people, most of them civilians.

The letter, posted on social media before the extent of the killings was known, did not include the names of individual students.

But within days, students affiliated with those groups were being doxxed, their personal information posted online. Siblings back home were threatened. Wall Street executives demanded a list of student names to ban their hiring. And a truck with a digital billboard — paid for by a conservative group — circled Harvard Square, flashing student photos and names, under the headline, “Harvard’s Leading Antisemites.”

 

[JennieM]

46 min ago

UN officials warn over Gaza health system, risk of conflict expanding

U.N. humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths told an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council that the deadly destruction of a hospital has heaped further pressure on Gaza’s crumbling health system, depriving the territory of a facility that cared for 45,000 patients every year.

Speaking in a video briefing from Qatar, Griffiths also said the Al Ahli hospital was previously struck on Oct. 14.

He also said the death toll in the 11 days since Hamas’ surprise attack inside Israel has already exceeded what was seen during seven weeks of Israeli-Hamas hostilities in 2014.

Meanwhile the U.N. Mideast envoy warned that the risk of the conflict expanding is “very real and extremely dangerous.”

Tor Wennesland told the council that recent events “have served to reignite grievances and re-animate alliances across the region.”

Earlier in the day at the U.N., the United States vetoed a resolution that would have condemned violence against civilians in the Israel-Hamas war and pushed for humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza.

U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said President Joe Biden was in the region engaging in diplomacy and “We need to let that diplomacy play out.”

Live Updates | Current US assessment is Israel 'not responsible' for Gaza hospital blast, White House says

The statement did not mention fuel, and it was not clear when aid would start flowing.

apnews.com

 

[wendybtn]

The significance of why Hamas chose to attack Israel now

Former U.S. officials say the group and its Iranian backers tried to exploit Israeli political divisions and derail historic negotiations among Saudi Arabia, Israel and the U.S.

www.nbcnews.com

Hamas, using people as pawns in their goal to keep Saudi Arabia from recognizing Israel as a state. Sounds like Iran is behind this, in their goal to keep a war going in the middle east, and force Saudi Arabia to choose a side in this war. The more innocent children who die, the better it is to keep everything in turmoil.

Hamas-Iran-Russia-China. And photos of Putin and China's leader shaking hands this week. Scary stuff.

 

[Gypsy Road]

Hamas-Iran-Russia-China. And photos of Putin and China's leader shaking hands this week. Scary stuff.

Extremely!!

 

[JennieM]

1 min ago

Biden to make case for US to keep funding wars in Ukraine and Israel in upcoming Oval Office address​

From CNN's Kayla Tausche

President Joe Biden plans to argue the US should continue funding wars in both Ukraine and Israel during an Oval Office address Thursday, according to two administration officials.

The primetime address will take place the eve of the White House requesting north of $100 billion from Congress to deliver aid and resources to Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan and the US border with Mexico. Biden is expected to make the argument that supporting Ukraine and Israel is a matter of US national security at a time when the world is at an inflection point.

“He’s going to make the case that the cost of inaction and the cost of walking away is much higher,” according to one official.

Public opinion has been mixed on the conflicts. In a recent CNN poll, nearly all respondents were sympathetic with the Israeli people in the wake of surprise attacks launched by Hamas, but there was no clear consensus on the right level of US involvement. One-third (35%) said the US is providing the right amount of assistance – and another 36% were unsure whether the level of US assistance is appropriate. The US has long provided security assistance with Israel, which receives roughly $4 billion annually under a 10-year memorandum of understanding. The new request would provide billions more.

By contrast, support to sustain aid to Ukraine has waned significantly. An August CNN poll found 55% of respondents said Congress should not pass more funding to aid Ukraine. The partisan divide has been deepening, too: Nearly three-quarters of Republicans opposed more funding for Ukraine, while 62% of Democrats supported it.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the White House and Congress have provided more than $75 billion in funding to Kyiv, according to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy.

The Biden administration in August delivered its last so-called supplemental funding request, which encapsulates unique requests beyond traditional government programs. The proposal requested $24.1 billion to aid Ukraine through the end of the year, but Congress failed to approve it during a process to greenlight short-term federal funding.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen pledged to European leaders that the US would be able to secure support for additional aid and, in an interview with Sky News, said Washington could afford financing two wars at once.

“American(s) can certainly afford to stand with Israel and to support Israel’s military needs, and we also can and must support Ukraine in its struggle against Russia," Yellen said.

Live updates: Israel-Hamas war rages as President Biden visits Tel Aviv

During a high-stakes trip to Israel, US President Joe Biden urged the region to seek peace and not to be "consumed" by rage as violence continues in the aftermath of Hamas' attacks and Israel's subsequent response. Follow here for live updates.

edition.cnn.com

 

[PommyMommy]

It’s been 13 days. Let that sink in.

Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) / X (twitter.com)

https://twitter.com/x/status/1714839122160898107