LIVE | Israel-Hamas war: 'Reiterated India's principled position': PM Modi speaks to Palestine President
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak landed in strife-torn Israel and said he "absolutely" supports Israel's "right to defend itself and to go after Hamas"
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to convey his condolences over the loss of lives after the bombing of Al Ahli Hospital in Gaza.
Hundreds of people died after the hospital was targeted on Monday, triggering protests across the Arab world and a string of denials from Israel, which has been blamed for the rocket attack.
“Spoke to the President of the Palestinian Authority H.E. Mahmoud Abbas. Conveyed my condolences at the loss of civilian lives at the Al Ahli Hospital in Gaza. We will continue to send humanitarian assistance for the Palestinian people. Shared our deep concern at the terrorism, violence and deteriorating security situation in the region. Reiterated India’s long-standing principled position on the Israel-Palestine issue," PM Modi posted on Twitter.
In a social media post on Wednesday, PM Modi had said he was “deeply shocked” by the deaths in the attack and extended his condolences to the families of those killed.
Meanwhile, the Union ministry of external affairs on Thursday said the situation in Gaza Strip is not conducive for evacuation of four Indians who are stranded in the war-torn region, adding that the government will bring them back at the first opportunity.
“The situation in Gaza is difficult for any evacuation but if we get a chance, we will get them out,” the MEA spokesperson said during a press conference.
Sunak backs Israel
Following US President Joe Biden's visit, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak landed in strife-torn Israel on Thursday (October 19) and said he "absolutely" supports Israel's "right to defend itself and to go after Hamas".
Sunak is on a two-day visit to the Middle East to hold talks with regional leaders in an effort to prevent further escalation of conflict and push for humanitarian aid for civilians in Gaza amid the ongoing crisis in the region. Addressing a joint conference with Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Sunak said, "I know you are taking every precaution to not harm civilians, unlike the Hamas. Thank you for the evacuation of British citizens." The British PM asserted, "We recognise Palestinians are the victims of Hamas too. Glad you opened areas for humanitarian aid."
“I am in Israel, a nation in grief. I grieve with you and stand with you against the evil that is terrorism. Today, and always,” Sunak tweeted as he landed in Tel Aviv. The British Indian leader’s visit to Israel follows that of US President Joe Biden as world leaders step up efforts to prevent the conflict with Hamas from spilling into the wider region following the unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7 by Hamas militants in Gaza. “Above all, I’m here to express my solidarity with the Israeli people. You have suffered an unspeakable, horrific act of terrorism and I want you to know that the United Kingdom and I stand with you,” he told reporters on his arrival in Israel.
‘Need to stop escalation’
In an earlier statement, the British Prime Minister said the Tuesday attack on the Al Ahli hospital in Gaza should be a “watershed moment” for the world. “Every civilian death is a tragedy. And too many lives have been lost following Hamas' horrific act of terror,” he said.
“The attack on Al Ahli Hospital should be a watershed moment for leaders in the region and across the world to come together to avoid further dangerous escalation of conflict. I will ensure the UK is at the forefront of this effort," he said.
Sunak’s visit comes as other European leaders also undertake similar tours of the Middle East in a show of Western unity. The US, UK, Germany, France and Italy form part of the so-called Quint, a diplomatic collective who have presented a united front over the actions of Hamas in Israel and Gaza.
Deadliest Gaza war
Meanwhile, the Israel-Hamas war that began on October 7 has become the deadliest of five Gaza wars for both sides, with more than 4,000 casualties till now.
More than a million people have fled their homes in the Gaza Strip ahead of an expected Israel invasion that seeks to eliminate Hamas’ leadership after its deadly incursion. Aid groups warn an Israeli ground offensive could hasten a humanitarian crisis.
“Israel has bombed and targeted areas with bakeries in Gaza over the course of the war while dozens of Palestinians were lining up to buy bread, causing high numbers of dead and wounded, Salam Marouf,” the head of the government media office, said in a statement.
By repeatedly targeting bakeries, he said that Israel sought to worsen the humanitarian situation, inflict a greater number of casualties and “make it more difficult for citizens, to the point that obtaining some loaves of bread has become a dangerous journey.” More than five bakeries were targeted in different areas to the north and south of Gaza, either directly or in the area where they are located, Maarouf said.
Aid groups, including the World Food Program, have warned that Gaza is running low on food supplies with shops only having a few days’ worth of supplies left. More are available in warehouses run by humanitarian organisations, but these are hard to reach because of constant bombardment.
Israel allows ‘limited aid’
In some relief to Gazans, Israel said late on Wednesday (October 18) that it would allow Egypt to deliver limited quantities of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip “in light of a request from” US President Joe Biden.
In a statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said it “will not thwart” deliveries of food, water and medicine, as long as the supplies do not reach Hamas. The statement made no mention of badly needed fuel.
This came a day after a massive explosion at a hospital in Gaza City left some 400 people dead and over 300 injured on Tuesday (October 17). Hamas attributed the blast to an Israeli airstrike, but the Israeli military said it was not involved and the explosion was caused by a misfired Palestinian rocket.
The Palestinian Health Ministry has pegged the death toll at 471 while stating that 314 others were injured in the blast.
Biden, who visited Israel on Wednesday, said he asked "tough questions" during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv. “I was deeply saddened and outraged by the explosion at the hospital in Gaza yesterday. Based on what I’ve seen, it appears it was done by the other team, and not you," he told Netanyahu, publicly endorsing Israeli contention.
Netanyahu’s word on civilians
Israeli PM Netanyahu assured Biden that Israel would try to keep the civilians in Gaza out of harm’s way amid its war with the Hamas.
“This will be a different kind of war because Hamas is a different kind of enemy,” Netanyahu told Biden. “As we proceed in this war, Israel will do everything it can to keep civilians out of harm’s way,” he said.
Netanyahu thanked Biden for coming to Israel and for his unequivocal support, a “support that reflects the overwhelming will of the American people”. Pointing to the fact that Biden is the first ever US president to visit Israel in a time of war, Netanyahu called it “deeply, deeply moving”.
Call for pact
Thousands of people trying to escape Gaza are gathered in Rafah, which has the territory’s only border crossing to Egypt. Mediators are pressing for an agreement to let aid in and refugees with foreign passports out. The US hoped to break a deadlock with President Biden headed to the region, but a planned summit in Jordan was postponed.
Aid workers warned that life in Gaza was near complete collapse because of the Israeli siege that followed a Hamas attack on Israel.
Also read
Live Updates
- 18 Oct 2023 6:11 AM GMT
WHO condemns attack
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has strongly condemned the attack on the Gaza hospital, which was operational with patients, health and caregivers, and internally displaced people sheltering there.
The WHO said the hospital was one of 20 in the north of the Gaza Strip facing evacuation orders from the Israeli military.
“The order for evacuation has been impossible to carry out given the current insecurity, critical condition of many patients, and lack of ambulances, staff, health system bed capacity, and alternative shelter for those displaced,” the global health agency said.
The WHO called for the immediate active protection of civilians and health care. “Evacuation orders must be reversed. International humanitarian law must be abided by, which means health care must be actively protected and never targeted,” it said. (AP)
- 18 Oct 2023 6:10 AM GMT
UN condemns attack on Gaza hospital
The United Nations, its top leaders and agencies have expressed horror and strong condemnation over the killing of hundreds of civilians in a strike on a hospital in Gaza, underscoring that attack on hospitals or civilian infrastructure is against international humanitarian law and called for holding those responsible to account.
“I am horrified by the killing of hundreds of Palestinian civilians in a strike on a hospital in Gaza today, which I strongly condemn. My heart is with the families of the victims. Hospitals and medical personnel are protected under international humanitarian law,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on X.
In another post on X, Guterres said too many lives and the fate of the entire region hang in the balance as he called for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire” in the Middle East to ease epic human suffering.
A statement issued by his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said Guterres condemned the “strike this evening on Al-Ahli Anglican Episcopal Hospital in Gaza, with preliminary reports of hundreds killed and many others wounded, including women and children”.
He emphasised that hospitals, clinics, medical personnel, and UN premises are explicitly protected under international law, the statement said.
The Secretary-General also condemned the attack on a UNRWA school on Tuesday in Al-Maghazi refugee camp in Gaza which killed at least six people, the statement said.The Secretary-General extended his sincere condolences to the families of the victims and wished a swift recovery to those injured.
President of the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly Dennis Francis said he is “shocked and horrified” by the attack on Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza.
“Any attack on hospitals, schools or civilian infrastructure, targeting civilians and taking them hostage, is against international humanitarian law and goes against our common humanity,” Francis said.
“Collective efforts to de-escalate and to facilitate humanitarian access are urgently needed to avoid more bloodshed and civilian casualties.” UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said in a statement that hospitals are sacrosanct and must be protected at all costs.
“Words fail me. Tonight, hundreds of people were killed – horrifically – in a massive strike at Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City, including patients, healthcare workers and families that had been seeking refuge in and around the hospital. Once again the most vulnerable. This is totally unacceptable,” he said.
The top UN Human rights official said that while the full scale of the carnage is yet not known, “what is clear is that the violence and killings must stop at once".
“All states with influence must do everything in their power to bring an end to this horrendous situation. Civilians must be protected, and humanitarian aid must be allowed to reach those in need as a matter of urgency. Those found responsible must be held to account,” Turk said.
- 18 Oct 2023 6:07 AM GMT
US State Department raises travel advisory for Lebanon
The State Department has raised the travel advisory for Lebanon, urging people not to travel to the country “due to the unpredictable security situation related to rocket, missile, and artillery exchanges between Israel and Hizballah or other armed militant factions.”
The advisory issued on Tuesday also urged people to reconsider travel to Lebanon “due to terrorism, civil unrest, armed conflict, crime, kidnapping” and the US Embassy in Beirut's limited capacity to provide support to US citizens.
The State Department authorised the voluntary, temporary departure of family members of US government personnel and some non-emergency personnel from the US Embassy in Beirut due to the unpredictable security situation in Lebanon.
The advisory was hiked to Level 4, “Do not travel” — the highest level — from Level 3, “Reconsider travel.” (AP)
- 18 Oct 2023 6:06 AM GMT
US treasury official warns over Hamas funding
A Treasury official said the US is renewing plans to pursue Hamas funding streams and called on allies and the private sector to do the same or “be prepared to suffer the consequences.”
“We cannot, and we will not, tolerate money flowing through the international system for Hamas' terrorist activity,” said Brian Nelson, under secretary for terrorism and illicit finance, at an anti-money laundering conference.
“Treasury will bring our tools to bear against Hamas' financing and the overall funding of terrorism,” he said. (AP)
- 18 Oct 2023 6:05 AM GMT
Western intelligence leaders wary of potential fallout
Leaders of Western intelligence services said they are attuned to the potential fallout in their home countries of the deadly attacks by Hamas on Israel.
Representatives from intelligence agencies from the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand and Australia — a coalition known as the “Five Eyes” — convened in California to discuss Chinese economic espionage. But the meeting unfolded against the backdrop of the conflict in the Middle East.
FBI Director Christopher Wray said his agency is working with local law enforcement to address threats of violence against both the Jewish and Muslim communities. It is also working through its legal attache office in Tel Aviv, Israel, to locate and identify Americans who remain unaccounted for after the October 7 attacks.
David Vigneault, director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, said events like the Hamas attack lead to “soul searching” about “what we know, what we knew, what we can do in our own countries” to protect against similar violence. (AP)
- 18 Oct 2023 6:05 AM GMT
Arab countries at UN demand immediate cease-fire
The 22 Arab countries at the United Nations joined in demanding an immediate cease-fire in Gaza following the devastating explosion and fire at a Gaza City hospital.
Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian UN ambassador, said Arab Group members are “outraged by this massacre” and also united in demanding the immediate delivery of humanitarian aid and preventing “forcible displacement” of Palestinians.
Mansour said that after the “massacre,” the highest objective is a cease-fire because “saving lives is the most important thing.” Also Tuesday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was “horrified” at the deaths and “hospitals and medical personnel are protected under international humanitarian law.”
The Security Council scheduled a Wednesday vote on a draft resolution that currently condemns “the heinous terrorist attacks by Hamas” against Israel and all violence against civilians. It also calls for “humanitarian pauses” to deliver desperately needed aid to millions in Gaza. (AP)
- 18 Oct 2023 6:04 AM GMT
Biden ‘outraged and deeply saddened’: Washington
US President Joe Biden said he is “outraged and deeply saddened by the explosion at the Al Ahli Arab hospital in Gaza, and the terrible loss of life that resulted.” Biden said he spoke “immediately” after hearing the news with King Abdullah II of Jordan and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and “directed my national security team to continue gathering information about what exactly happened.”
“The United States stands unequivocally for the protection of civilian life during conflict and we mourn the patients, medical staff and other innocents killed or wounded in this tragedy,” Biden said in a statement issued after he departed for the Middle East. (AP)
- 18 Oct 2023 6:03 AM GMT
Islamic Jihad group denies responsibility
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad group denied Israel's claim that it was behind the deadly blast at Al-Ahli hospital. It accused Israel of “trying hard to evade responsibility for the brutal massacre it committed.”
“The accusations promoted by the enemy are baseless,” Islamic Jihad said, adding that the group “does not use places of worship or public facilities, especially hospitals, as military centres or weapons stores.”
The group said details such as “the angle of the bomb's fall and the extent of destruction it left behind” confirm it was similar to Israeli strikes.
The Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations, Riyad Mansour, also denied Israel's claim, calling it “lies.” (AP) - 18 Oct 2023 6:02 AM GMT
Jordan summit of Biden and other leaders cancelled
Jordan has called off a four-way summit scheduled for Wednesday with US President Joe Biden and other leaders, the country's foreign minister told state-run television.
Ayman Safadi told al-Mamlaka TV that the war between Israel and Hammas was “pushing the region to the brink” and the summit would be postponed.
After visiting Israel Wednesday, Biden had planned to travel to Amman for the meeting.
The White House said Biden had hoped to use the summit to discuss the bloody October 7 Hamas militant attack on Israel with the United States' Arab allies and the Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited autonomy in parts of the occupied West Bank. (AP)
- 18 Oct 2023 6:01 AM GMT
Grief, condemnation after hospital bombing
Expressions of condemnation and grief are pouring in after hundreds of people were killed in an explosion at a Gaza City hospital that Hamas attributed to an Israeli airstrike but the Israeli military said was caused by a misfired militant rocket.
Countries such as Syria and Saudi Arabia blamed Israel for the blast, with Libya's Foreign Ministry accusing Israel of “war crimes and genocide” in the Gaza Strip. Iraq declared three days of mourning, and there were protests there and in Lebanon.
Egypt's President, Abdul-Fattah el-Sissi, condemned what he called Israel's “deliberate bombing” of Ahli Arab hospital and “a clear violation of international law ... and humanity.” French President Emmanuel Macron said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that his country condemns “the attack on the Al-Ahli Arabi hospital” and there's no justification for targeting a hospital or civilians.
Richard Peeperkorn, World Health Organization representative for the West Bank and Gaza, expressed “our deepest grief at the horror that has unfolded,” calling it “unprecedented even in a region that has seen consistent attacks on healthcare.” The International Committee of the Red Cross said in a statement that it was “shocked and horrified by reports that Al Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza was destroyed.” The United Arab Emirates and Russia called for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on Wednesday. (AP)
