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 1:53 AM GMT
US vetoes UN resolution to condemn violence in Israel-Hamas war
The United States has vetoed a UN resolution that would have condemned violence against all civilians in the Israel-Hamas war including “the heinous terrorists attacks by Hamas” against Israel, and would have pushed for humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza.
Twelve of the 15 Security Council members on Wednesday voted in favour of the resolution sponsored by Brazil. The United States voted against, while Russia and the United Kingdom abstained.
US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said after the vote that President Joe Biden is in the region engaging in diplomacy to secure the release of hostages, prevent the conflict from spreading, and stress the need to protect civilians.
“We need to let that diplomacy play out,” she said.
Russia's UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia accused the United States of “hypocrisy” and “double standards,” saying the Americans didn't want a solution in the Security Council.
Brazil, France, China, the United Arab Emirates and many other council members expressed regret and disappointment at the US veto. (AP) - 19 Oct 2023 1:52 AM GMT
US says intel assessment shows Israel not behind Gaza hospital blast
An intelligence assessment shows Israel was “not responsible” for the explosion at a Gaza hospital, but information is still being collected, the White House said Wednesday.
The assessment is “based on analysis of overhead imagery, intercepts and open source information,” National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a social media post.
The announcement followed President Joe Biden's comment to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that “based on what I've seen, it appears as though it was done by the other team, not you.” There have been conflicting claims of who was responsible for the hospital blast. Officials in Gaza quickly blamed an Israeli airstrike. Israel denied it was involved and released a flurry of video, audio and other information that it said showed the blast was instead due to a missile misfire by Islamic Jihad, another militant group operating in Gaza. The Islamic Jihad dismissed that claim.
The Associated Press has not independently verified any of the claims or evidence released by the parties.
Biden said there were “a lot of people out there” who weren't sure what caused the blast, which sparked protests throughout the Middle East. He later said he made the assertion based off “data from my Defense Department.” (AP) - 19 Oct 2023 1:52 AM GMT
US to provide $100m for Palestinians in Gaza and West Bank: Biden
The United States is promising USD 100 million in humanitarian assistance to help Palestinian people who have been displaced or otherwise affected by conflict in Gaza and the West Bank.
President Joe Biden announced in a news release Wednesday that the assistance would be provided through trusted partners, including UN agencies and international NGOs.
Biden is in Tel Aviv to show support for Israel following the Hamas attacks more than a week ago that killed some 1,400 people. His announcement came after Israel agreed to allow limited aid into Gaza from Egypt.
“Civilians are not to blame and should not suffer for Hamas's horrific terrorism,” Biden said. “Civilian lives must be protected and assistance must urgently reach those in need.” (AP) - 19 Oct 2023 1:51 AM GMT
Aid group warns of unnecessary deaths at Gaza hospitals
Doctors Without Borders says severely injured people at overwhelmed Gaza hospitals are likely to die because the medical system is collapsing.
The aid group's president in France, Isabelle Defourny, said Wednesday that one of their surgeons in Gaza reported he will likely have to perform amputations on patients in the coming days because the breakdown in medical care means their limbs cannot be saved.
“The seriously injured who arrive every day … are condemned in the days to come," she said. "The doctors, the nurses courageously continuing to work won't succeed in saving their lives. Help is needed extremely urgently.” (AP) - 19 Oct 2023 1:51 AM GMT
Israel allows Egypt to deliver limited aid to Gaza
Israel says it will allow Egypt to deliver limited quantities of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said the decision was approved Wednesday in light of a request from visiting President Joe Biden.
In a statement, it 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.
It was not clear when the aid would start flowing. Egypt's Rafah crossing has only a limited capacity, and Egypt says it has been damaged by Israeli airstrikes.
Israel, which controls most crossings into Gaza, says it will not allow deliveries from its territory. It also demanded that international Red Cross be allowed to visit kidnapped Israelis held captive in Gaza. (AP) - 19 Oct 2023 1:51 AM GMT
Iran accuses US of complicity in Israeli attacks on Gaza
President Ebrahim Raisi said Wednesday that Iran will retaliate against Israel for its attacks in the Gaza Strip and accused the United States of complicity.
Addressing a crowd of thousands in central Tehran, Raisi warned of “severe revenge.” Raisi called Washington an “accomplice” of Israel, saying “the bombs that are falling on the people of Gaza belong to you.” He said Iran and other Muslim nations are ready to defend the Palestinian people. (AP) - 19 Oct 2023 1:50 AM GMT
Pro-Palestinian protesters clash with security forces in Lebanon
Hundreds of protesters in support of Gaza clashed with Lebanese security forces Wednesday in a suburb of Beirut near the United States Embassy.
Rioters holding Palestinian flags and flags of Palestinian factions took down a security wall and cut a barbed wire barrier on a road leading to the embassy. Riot police lobbed dozens of teargas canisters and fired water canons to disperse the protesters in the intense standoff.
Several protesters were wounded.
Meanwhile, in another suburb south of Beirut, Hezbollah organized a rally in support of the Palestinians and to slam the US for its ongoing support of Israel.
“The time has perhaps come for the peoples of the region to declare their word in the face of American tyranny,” Senior Hezbollah official Hashem Safieddine said in a speech at the rally.
Hezbollah and Israeli troops continue to clash in a handful of towns along the Lebanon-Israel border. (AP) - 19 Oct 2023 1:50 AM GMT
Turkey declares 3 days of mourning over Gaza hospital blast
Turkey has declared three days of national mourning following the blast on a Gaza hospital that killed hundreds of Palestinians, a senior official said.
The period of mourning reflects Turkey's solidarity with the victims, said Omer Celik, spokesman for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling party.
Celik called the blast one of the worst massacres in modern history.
The hospital explosion caused outrage in Turkey, where thousands of people demonstrated outside Israeli diplomatic missions in Istanbul and Ankara. Police used tear gas to disperse the crowds.
At least 63 people, including 43 police officers, were injured and five people were arrested in Istanbul, according to officials. (AP) - 19 Oct 2023 1:49 AM GMT
France says 24 French citizens died in Hamas attacks, 7 missing
France's death toll from the Hamas assault on Israel has climbed to 24, with seven other French citizens still listed as missing, including several thought to be held hostage in Gaza.
French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne delivered the latest toll in a briefing to senators Wednesday.
The family of 24-year-old French-Israeli citizen Karin Journo is among those who have recently learned of a loved one's death. Her sister, Meitav Journo, said the funeral was held Tuesday. (AP) - 19 Oct 2023 1:49 AM GMT
Gaza residents line up for fuel
A shortage of fuel led to a long line of cars and motorbikes blocking a street outside at a gas station in Khan Younis as motorists and people on foot with containers hoped to fill up.
Men and boys stood in a parallel line holding empty plastic jugs and water bottles as they waited for a turn at the pump.
Palestinians are struggling to survive since Israel cut off supplies of food, electricity, water and fuel to Gaza in retaliation for the attack launched Oct. 7 by Hamas militants. Scarce fuel that can be found can help to run generators and power water pumps.
“Everyone needs fuel to pump water to their homes, to irrigate their farms and to provide water for poultry, cattle and sheep,” said Khalid al-Najjar. “The whole world relies on fuel; it is an essential commodity just like food for us.” (AP)
