2023-10-19 05:39:00
Israel and the Gaza Strip are at war following the launch, on Saturday, October 7, of a surprise and spectacular military offensive by Hamas, which fired thousands of rockets, infiltrated fighters into Israeli territory and captured Israelis.
Tension is also high on the border with Lebanon, where there are daily exchanges of fire between the Israeli army and Lebanese Hezbollah, as well as in the West Bank where 64 Palestinians, including 18 children, have been killed since October 7, according to the latest UN report.
Since the start of the offensive, at least 3,478 people have been killed in Gaza, where a hospital was hit by gunfire on Tuesday. At least 200 people lost their lives during this attack, for which both sides accuse each other.
Follow the latest information live:
8:19 a.m.: Russia to deliver 27 tons of humanitarian aid to civilians in the Gaza Strip
Russia will soon deliver 27 tons of humanitarian aid to civilians in the Gaza Strip from Egypt, the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry announced on Thursday.
“A special plane (…) flew from the Ramenskoye airfield near Moscow to El-Arich airport in Egypt. Russian humanitarian aid will be handed over to representatives of the Red Crescent Egyptian to be sent to the Gaza Strip,” Deputy Minister Ilia Denissov was quoted as saying in a statement, without however specifying when this plane took off.
“The population will receive flour, sugar, rice (and) pasta,” he added.
7:29 a.m.: At least 30 dead in Israeli attack in Rafah
Israeli airstrikes in the southern Gaza Strip killed more than 30 people and injured 21 early Thursday morning, local media reported. According to Palestine Today TV, the Palestinian death toll stands at 33.
Among other things, the residential complexes of three large families in the town of Rafah were bombed, reports the Palestinian news agency WAFA. Other airstrikes targeted the top floor of the al-Masry Tower in Rafah.
Rafah is the only crossing point in the Gaza Strip not controlled by Israel. The border post is currently closed. On the Egyptian side of the border, hundreds of trucks are ready to deliver humanitarian supplies to Gaza.
7:23 a.m.: Russia to deliver 27 tons of humanitarian aid to civilians in the Gaza Strip
Russia will soon deliver 27 tons of humanitarian aid to civilians in the Gaza Strip from Egypt, which neighbors this enclave under siege since the Hamas attack on Israel, the Russian Situations Ministry announced on Thursday. ’emergency.
“A special plane (…) flew from the Ramenskoye airfield near Moscow to El-Arich airport in Egypt. Russian humanitarian aid will be handed over to representatives of the Red Crescent Egyptian to be sent to the Gaza Strip,” Deputy Minister Ilia Denissov detailed in a press release.
7:15 a.m.: Xi Jinping says he wants to work with Egypt to stabilize the Middle East
”China is willing to strengthen cooperation with Egypt in various fields […] and work with it to bring more certainty and stability to the region and the world,” Xi Jinping told his host, according to state television CCTV.
“China and Egypt are good friends who share the same goals and trust each other, and are also good partners who work together for development and common prosperity,” Xi said. “The international and regional situation is currently experiencing profound and complex changes.”
China is also willing to work with Egypt to “jointly safeguard international fairness and justice as well as the common interests of developing countries,” he said.
6:30 a.m.: Biden and Sissi announce the opening of the Rafah crossing to allow aid to the Palestinians
Humanitarian aid expected by the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip will be able to begin passing through the Rafah crossing, from Egypt neighboring the enclave under siege since the Hamas attack on Israel, announced the American and Egyptian presidents.
This statement comes following a visit by Joe Biden on Wednesday to Israel, who renewed his support for his ally and exonerated him regarding the deadly strike on the Ahli Arab hospital in Gaza which raised a wave of anger in the Near -East.
Mr. Biden, who also came to the region to obtain international aid access to Gaza, where a humanitarian catastrophe threatens according to the World Health Organization (WHO), claimed to have obtained from Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi to “let up to 20 trucks cross” at the Rafah crossing, the only one not controlled by Israel.
However, this aid will probably not arrive before Friday due to work to be done on the road, destroyed by Israeli bombing.
In the process, the spokesperson for the Egyptian presidency confirmed that MM. Sissi and Biden, who spoke by telephone on Wednesday evening, agreed “on the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip via the Rafah crossing, in a sustainable manner”.
4:54 a.m.: Left-wing Israeli lawmaker suspended following anti-war statements
The ethics committee of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, suspended left-wing lawmaker Ofer Cassif for his “anti-Israeli statements” following the Hamas attack on October 7, reports the Jerusalem Post. The man was suspended for 45 days and will not receive pay during this period.
In a message posted on social media, the person called his suspension “another nail in the coffin of freedom of political expression.”
In an interview with foreign media, Ofer Cassif accused the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of implementing a plan in Gaza similar to that of Nazi Germany’s “final solution” during the genocide of the Jews in Europe. In another interview, he said that “Israel wanted this violence”, suggesting that the deadly Hamas attack was the desired trigger for a full-scale assault on Gaza.
The MP represents Hadash, a small socialist workers’ party whose voters are secular Arabs and members of Christian communities.
3:30 a.m.: German nationals killed in Hamas attack on Israel, says Berlin
Between one and 10 German nationals are among the victims of Hamas’s unprecedented attacks on Israel, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson in Berlin said on Wednesday, without giving further details.
German authorities are in close contact with their Israeli counterparts, the spokesperson said. The government only confirms deaths when families have been informed.
Foreign Affairs added that more than 100 German nationals were still in the Gaza Strip and were on their crisis list.
The exchange with partners in the region to allow people who wish to leave is constant, the spokesperson further assured.
German citizens are also believed to be among some 200 people taken prisoner by Hamas militants in Israel and held hostage in Gaza.
12:51 a.m.: Football star Salah calls for an end to “massacres” in Palestine
Winner of the Champions League and the Premier League with Liverpool, the captain of the Egyptian selection, aged 31, is one of the most popular athletes in the Arab world.
”It is not always easy to speak in a time like this. There has been too much violence, too much heartbreak and brutality,” Salah said in a video posted to his 62.7 million Instagram followers.
“What is clear now is that humanitarian aid to Gaza must be authorized immediately. The people there are in terrible conditions,” he adds.
”Gaza residents urgently need food, water and medical supplies. I call on world leaders to unite to prevent further massacres of innocent souls – humanity must prevail.”
”The escalation of recent weeks is unbearable to watch. All lives are sacred and must be protected. The massacres must stop, families are torn apart,” adds the footballer.
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