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.
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Live Updates
- 19 Oct 2023 5:13 AM GMT
Appeal from Liverpool and Egypt star Salah
Egyptian soccer star Mohamed Salah, arguably the most celebrated Arab footballer, called on world leaders to “come together to prevent further slaughter of all innocent souls” and for the urgent delivery of humanitarian aid to the people in Gaza.
“There has been too much violence and too much heartbreak and brutality,” the Liverpool striker said in a video that lasted a little under a minute. “The escalations in the recent weeks is unbearable to witness. All lives are sacred and must be protected. The massacres need to stop. Families are being torn apart.” Aid to Gaza “must be allowed immediately,” he added. “The people there are in terrible conditions.” They were Salah's first comments on the Israel-Hamas war, after he was criticized by some Arab fans for his silence.
Officials said Wednesday that some aid will begin flowing into Gaza in the coming days. (AP) - 19 Oct 2023 5:12 AM GMT
Protests in Morocco
Hundreds of Moroccans carry Palestinian flags and shout slogans as they gather in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, in Rabat, Morocco, on Oct 18 | AP/PTI
- 19 Oct 2023 5:10 AM GMT
UN officials warn over Gaza health system, risk of conflict expanding
UN 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 UN 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.
US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said President Joe Biden was in the region engaging in diplomacy and “We need to let that diplomacy play out.” (AP) - 19 Oct 2023 5:10 AM GMT
Security forces arrest dozens, fire live rounds to disperse protests in West Bank
Rights groups in the occupied West Bank say Palestinian security forces arrested dozens of Palestinians protesting the deadly explosion at al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza.
The protests late Tuesday devolved into skirmishes with Palestinian security forces, who fired tear gas, stun grenades and live fire to disperse stone-throwing demonstrators, wounding several.
Lawyers for Justice, a legal aid group, said Wednesday that some 50 protesters were arrested overnight by Palestinian security forces in Ramallah.
The Palestinian Red Crescent meanwhile reported that Israeli soldiers using live rounds and rubber bullets shot and wounded 10 Palestinian protesters in the southern city of Hebron and 21 people in the northern city of Nablus. A 24-year-old Palestinian man was killed, according to the organization. (AP) - 19 Oct 2023 5:09 AM GMT
Protests in Istanbul
People gather outside the US consulate during a protest to show solidarity with Palestinians, in Istanbul, Turkey, on Oct 18 | AP/PTI
- 19 Oct 2023 5:07 AM GMT
Protests around the world
Thousands demonstrated outside the consulates of Israel and the United States in Istanbul late Wednesday. Many waved Palestinian flags, shouted anti-Israeli slogans and called for revenge against Israel a day after the deadly explosion at a hospital in Gaza.
Betul Balcik, a 22-year-old student, told The Associated Press that “humanity is dying” in Gaza and she and friends were there to denounce “war crimes committed by Israel”.
Large protests also erupted in Tunisia and Morocco, with demonstrators outraged by the blast at the hospital in Gaza.
Protesters gathered outside the Parliament in Rabat chanting “Down with America” and demanding that Morocco reverse its 2020 decision to normalize relations and deepen security ties with Israel.
In Tunis, protesters gathered outside the U.S. and French Embassies to condemn those nations' support of Israel and demand that their ambassadors be removed from Tunisia.
The demonstrations were among the largest since the Arab Spring more than a decade ago, observers said.
There was also a march by an estimated 10,000 pro-Palestinian demonstrators in Athens, Greece, that was quelled by riot police who fired tear gas. Earlier in the day about 100 people took part in a pro-Israeli gathering.
Demonstrators in Amman, Jordan; the Palestinian refugee camp of Ein el-Hilweh in south Lebanon; and Tokyo directed some of their criticism at the U.S. and Biden for their support of Israel. (AP) - 19 Oct 2023 5:07 AM GMT
New York governor visits Israel to show solidarity
New York Governor Kathy Hochul arrived in Israel to show support for the country.
The Democrat was met at Ben-Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv by Israel's ambassador to the U.S., Michael Herzog.
After a security briefing, Hochul met with families and was scheduled to head to a food pantry to help pack and drop off boxes for people displaced by the conflict. Hochul was expected to stay in Jerusalem overnight.
She said her trip is meant as a gesture of solidarity and support. New York is home to the largest Jewish population of any U.S. city, according to the American Jewish Population Project at Brandeis University.
“There is a deep, direct connection between New York state and Israel that has always been there, a bond steeled over decades,” Hochul said. (AP)
