US and British forces launched joint strikes Saturday against targets in the Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen, said the Pentagon….reports Asian Lite News
Hamas has condemned the US-British airstrikes on Yemen, considering it “an escalation that will drag the region into more turmoil”.
“We strongly condemn the US-British airstrikes of the Republic of Yemen and consider it a blatant attack on the sovereignty of an Arab country,” Hamas was quoted by Xinhua news agency as saying on Sunday.
Hamas in a press statement said that the airstrikes represented “an escalation that will drag the region into more turmoil and instability, for the repercussions of which Washington and Israel bear full responsibility”.
US and British forces launched joint strikes Saturday against targets in the Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen, said the Pentagon.
Yemen’s Houthi group said on Sunday morning it would launch retaliatory attacks for the US-British airstrikes overnight on six provinces under Houthis’ control in northern Yemen, including the capital Sanaa.
Since the Israel-Hamas conflict broke out on October 7, 2023, the Houthis have carried out more than 40 missile attacks against commercial vessels and US naval ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
The Houthis said they aimed to press Israel to end the offensive and siege of Gaza.
Gaza health authorities said 26,900 Palestinians had been killed, including 150 over the past 24 hours…reports Asian Lite News
Israeli forces carried out new air strikes in Gaza on Wednesday as Hamas studied a new proposal for a ceasefire and the release of hostages held in the Palestinian enclave.
Witnesses said Israel had stepped up air strikes on Gaza City in the north, and bombarded parts of Khan Younis in the south, despite what appeared to be the most serious peace initiative for months in the Israel-Hamas war.
World powers hope to prevent a wider conflict, but tensions in the Middle East remained high after Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis said they would keep attacking US and British warships in the Red Sea in solidarity with Palestinians.
Relations between Tehran and Washington are also tense after the deaths of three US soldiers in a drone strike in Jordan that US officials blame on Iran-backed militants. Washington has not yet outlined its response, but Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Wednesday they would respond to any US threat.
Gaza health authorities said 26,900 Palestinians had been killed — including 150 over the past 24 hours — in the war that was triggered after Hamas fighters stormed from Gaza into Israeli towns on Oct. 7 killing 1,200 and taking 253 hostages.
Israel’s military said its forces had killed at least 25 Palestinian militants in Gaza in the past 24 hours, and that three Israeli soldiers had been killed — taking to 224 the number of troops killed during Israel’s ground offensive.
Smoke rose above Gaza City after the latest air strikes, some of which targeted the headquarters of the Hamas-run interior ministry, Hamas-run media and residents said.
The Al-Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza also came under fire and tanks pounded areas of Khan Younis around Nasser Hospital, the largest still functioning in the south, witnesses said.
DETERIORATING HEALTH SYSTEM
As the health system deteriorates, Palestinian medics say they have formed field medical points to help reach front lines, as treating the wounded in Khan Younis has become increasingly difficult amid street battles and artillery strikes.
“There’s a lot of injuries among the displaced who were in the industrial quarter and some schools,” said Nassim Hassan, the head of the Emergency Unit at Nasser Hospital, adding that “many of the injured left loaded on carts, tuk-tuks, cars or even on foot.”
Much of the densely populated Gaza Strip has been devastated by almost four months of Israeli bombardment, and most of its 2.3 million residents have been uprooted by fighting that international aid agencies say has caused a humanitarian crisis.
Thomas White, the agency’s Director of Gaza Affairs, said in a video that UNRWA had been forced to move its operations out of Khan Younis to the west of the city.
“We’ve lost a health clinic, major shelters — facilities that were supporting the people of Khan Younis,” said White.
The Red Crescent said on Tuesday Israeli forces had stormed Al-Amal hospital in Khan Younis and asked displaced people and staff to evacuate at gunpoint. An Israeli military spokesperson denied this.
The Red Crescent said on Wednesday a 75-year-old woman and a 45-day-old girl had died at Al-Amal after suffering a lack of oxygen for several days, and been buried in the hospital compound. Israel did not immediately comment on the report.
Health officials in Gaza say the situation has been complicated by Israeli allegations that some staff from the UN refugee agency for Palestinians (UNRWA) were involved in the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, prompting some countries including the United States to pause funding to the agency.
THREE-STAGE TRUCE
A senior Hamas official told Reuters the Gaza ceasefire proposal involved a three-stage truce, during which Hamas would release the remaining civilians among hostages captured on Oct. 7, then soldiers, and finally the bodies of dead hostages.
The proposal followed talks in Paris involving intelligence chiefs from Israel, the US and Egypt, with the prime minister of Qatar.
Palestinians welcomed the possibility of a ceasefire but said fighting must end permanently.
“Any ceasefire that doesn’t end the war and return us to our homes in Gaza City and the north is not worth it,” Ahmed, who fled his home in Gaza City for Rafah in the south, said by telephone. “We are exhausted.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu repeated his vow not to pull troops out of Gaza until “total victory.”
Israel says it will not stop fighting until Hamas is eradicated. Hamas says it will release its remaining captives only as part of a wider deal to end the war permanently.
The conflict has triggered concern of an escalation in an already tense region.
The US and Britain have carried out strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen over the group’s attacks on Red Sea shipping, but the Houthis’ military spokesperson said on Wednesday the group would continue what it called acts of self defense.
With tensions also high over Saturday’s drone attack on US service members in Jordan, the US says it has decided how to respond but has not said how.
Iran-aligned Iraqi armed group Kataib Hezbollah has said it is suspending all its military operations against US troops in the region, but Iran remained resolute.
Iranian Revolutionary Guards chief Hossein Salami said no US threat would be left unanswered, and Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said: “The US has to stop its threats and focus on a political solution.”
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (L) awards the highest Palestinian medal to Chinese President Xi Jinping after their talks in Beijing, capital of China.(Xinhua_Yao Dawei)
China looks at Israel through the prism of its relations with the US. It is not able to overcome its complexes. Result is, under its two-state solution theory it calls for the existence of Israel and Palestine, living side by side with each other in peace, but it has no taker in Tel Aviv, deeply engaged in fight to finish mode against Hamas…reports Asian Lite News
China’s special envoy to the Middle East Zhai Jun has returned to the country without bringing about any breakthrough in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, described wilfully by Beijing as Israel-Palestine conflict in order to cement its influence among Islamic countries. Instead, the international community is looking at Egypt and Qatar to find a way out of the complex Israel-Hamas war, giving China a major shock as no one takes it seriously in the intricate conflict situation bedevilling the Middle East.
Foreign diplomats, including US Secretary of State Antony Blinken have opted to land in the tiny Gulf nation Qatar seeking to mediate in the Israel-Hamas war. While foreign leaders hold talks with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi for restoration of peace and stability and to facilitate humanitarian assistance to people in Gaza. However, days after the catastrophic October 7 incident when Hamas attacked Israel unprovoked and killed hundreds of people and kidnapped scores of others, including women and children, China thought it as an opportunity to use its influence in the region to end conflict between Israel and Hamas.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held “in-depth” communication with foreign ministers and political figures of 14 countries and international organisations, including the UN Secretary-General, China’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin said.
Following this development, China’s special envoy to the Middle East Zhai Jun visited Egypt, Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan. According to the Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, China’s special envoy also attended the Cairo Peace Summit on the Palestine question, and met with the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States and the Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Work Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
On October 28, China, in line with its pro-Palestine stand, supported Jordan-led draft resolution in the UN General Assembly that without condemning Hamas’ act of terrorism against Israel, called for “an immediate, durable, and sustained humanitarian truce leading to a cessation of hostilities.”
It has led to deepening of Israelis’ suspicion on China’s intention, and all this at the time when Tel Aviv is concerned about rise in extreme antisemitic views on Weibo, a highly popular Chinese social media platform where posts on the Israel-Hamas war routinely lands in its top trending lists.
Deputy Chief of Mission of Israel’s embassy in Beijing Yuval Waks was quoted recently by CNN as saying that the sentiment in China has been “very anti-Israel and, in many cases, anti-semitic.” The Israel’s DCM gave this statement last month, a few days after the October 7 incident when Hamas attacked Israel and beleaguered Tel Aviv saw its diplomat in Beijing being stabbed by a foreign national, whose motivation of attack has not yet been disclosed.
Chinese Ambassador Zhang Jun at the UN Security Council. China holds the Presidency this term.
Rubbing salt in the wound of Israel, the Chinese Foreign Minister said Tel Aviv’s actions in Gaza have “gone beyond the scope of self-defence.” China watchers say when it came to Beijing to use its economic reach in the Middle East to successfully negotiate a breakthrough in the Israel-Hamas conflict, it simply squandered away a major opportunity to establish itself as a trusted voice of the world by continuously going against Israel.
China’s special envoy to the Middle East added fuel to the fire by holding Israel responsible for the current situation.
“The fundamental reason for the current situation in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is that the legitimate national rights of the Palestinian people have not been guaranteed,” Zhai Jun was quoted by Reuters as saying in Qatar during his five-Gulf nation visit to work out a solution for the Israel-Hamas conflict.
West Asian experts say no solution can be arrived at by demonizing Israel and ignoring acts of terrorism perpetuated by Hamas. They say the Israel-Palestine crisis is far more complex than what has been there between Saudi Arabia and Iran that China successfully mediated in March to resolve their festering ties. Besides, Saudi Arabia and Iran were not in any conflict-like situation as Israel and Hamas are currently in. In addition to this, both countries were looking for years to mend their ties.
In the case of Israel and Hamas, there has been an element of enmity, treachery, doubt, and spiteful disgust towards each other. Hamas’ closeness with Iran, which is Israel’s sworn enemy, makes Tel Aviv look at the former as a necessary evil that, like Tehran, wants the Jewish state to be destroyed.
As such, ground reality warranted that China should work with all stakeholders of peace in the Middle East. But Beijing has chosen to follow the old path of CPC founder Mao Zedong who recognized the Israeli state, but was more sympathetic towards the Palestinians.
Despite this prevaricating stand with Israel, China has shown economic interests in Tel Aviv’s developments and has regularly imported high-tech materials for defence and space purposes from Tel Aviv.
According to the International Monetary Fund data, China’s bilateral trade with Israel stood at $22.1 billion in 2022. While a report published by Tel Aviv’s University’s Institute for National Security Studies in June 2023 said that more than half of Israel’s exports to China are electronic components, including microchips.
In spite of all this, China looks at Israel through the prism of its relations with the US. It is not able to overcome its complexes. Result is, under its two-state solution theory it calls for the existence of Israel and Palestine, living side by side with each other in peace, but it has no taker in Tel Aviv, deeply engaged in fight to finish mode against Hamas.
Even though Kashmir is a Muslim-majority valley, the people have decided not to take to the streets on the issue….writes Deepika Bhan
As Israel’s war on Hamas rages, demonstrations are being seen in several countries in support of the Palestinian cause. In India too, pro-Palestine and anti-Israel protests were held in a few cities.
Some organisations, including Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind and Left parties, held protests in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Kerala and others against Israeli bombings in Gaza.
But, one place that has remained largely silent is Kashmir.
Even though Kashmir is a Muslim-majority valley, the people have decided not to take to the streets on the issue.
Israel arrests more than 50 Hamas operatives after fatal shooting
Some separatist leaders and their sons did try to mobilise supporters soon after Israel declared action in Gaza. On October 13 in central Kashmir’s Budgam district Hurriyat leader Aga Syed Hassan’s son Muntazir led an anti-Israel and anti-US demonstration following the congregational Friday prayers. As the separatists tried to fan passions, quick J&K Police response thwarted any conflagration.
Kashmir political leaders also reacted angrily over the bombings in Gaza. While Prime Minister Narendra Modi was among the first leaders to condemn the Hamas terror attack on Israelis, and after strike on a hospital in Gaza held a phone conversation with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to convey condolences over the loss of civilian lives, and also reiterated India’s “long-standing principled position on the Israel-Palestine issue”, the leaders in Kashmir have been trying to whip up passions.
Srinagar: Former Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) Chief Minister and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader Mehbooba Mufti addresses a press conference in Srinagar on Aug 4, 2019. (Photo: IANS)
Former Chief Minister and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti criticised the Government of India’s stance on the Hamas attack on Israel. In her October 10 post on X she said, “…Vajpayeeji too called Israel an occupying force which mustn’t be allowed to continue reaping the benefits of occupation. Today once again BJP is choosing their agenda over national policy.” She has been tweeting almost every day to stir passions on the crisis.
Former Chief Minister and NC president Farooq Abdullah expressed concern over India’s stand. “India since (former Prime Minister) Jawaharlal Nehru’s time supported Palestine and stood against oppression of Palestinians. It’s unfortunate the same voices do not come forward to Palestine’s support in India anymore. History stands witness that Jews took over the land of Palestinians in Palestine and expanded their territory,” Abdullah said.
Hurriyat chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq expressed great anguish and grief at the loss of lives and lamented that the international community and the United Nation have failed the people of Palestine. “The issue of Palestine is a long-pending one, and a just solution should be found to it. The rights of the people of Palestine should be given back to them. Their nation and their land have been squeezed. Can there be a bigger oppression than that?”
While the leaders expressed their feelings and are trying hard to guide sentiments in the valley, the people are not reacting like earlier times when even small happenings were deliberately turned into major anti-India protests and stone pelting sessions.
On December 8, 2017, Kashmir witnessed massive protests over the US recognising Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Hundreds of demonstrators held rallies and burned American and Israeli flags and at some places protests took a violent turn as the protesters clashed with security forces.
Six years later the valley is no longer violently reacting to the situation. Leaders trying to whip up passions are not being listened to, and helping maintain peace are the security agencies.
Normal life in Srinagar on the 4th anniversary of the Abrogation of Article 370 & 35A – Umar Ganie
Since 1988 Kashmir has witnessed a lot of bloodshed because of Pakistan sponsored terrorism. Though there are no official estimates, in the over three-decade period thousands have died, minorities uprooted and social fabric harmed. Businesses and education suffered. Families were torn apart and people lived in a round-the-clock atmosphere of fear.
Leaders propped up by Pakistan propagated a false narrative of ‘azadi’ and hundreds of youths were misled to take up guns and many were made stone pelters. The myth was broken soon after the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019, and now four years later the people have realised the falsehood spread by Pakistan and their prop up in Kashmir.
Investigations by various agencies have helped unmask these leaders, who filled their coffers, built properties in and outside the valley, educated and settled their kin out of Kashmir and country even as they led youths to violence.
Since the abrogation of Article 370, the valley has witnessed a tremendous transformation from terrorism to tourism.
Till September 1.70 crore tourists have already visited the UT. This figure may go up to 2.25 crore by the end of the year, a significant increase from last year’s 1.88 lakh tourist arrivals, which was the highest number of tourists in the UT in the last seven decades.
The number of foreign tourists to the UT has also seen a major hike from 4,028 foreign arrivals in 2022 to 30,647 till August. Srinagar hosted the G20 meeting (the third tourism working group meeting of the G20 member countries) and post that, the number of foreign tourist arrivals in J&K has gone up by 350 per cent from the last year, Lt. Governor Manoj Sinha has said.
As tourism is booming in the UT, the locals are witnessing the benefits and a large number of unemployed are now earning. Other businesses, like handicrafts, are also showing an upwards trend.
With the peace pervading, education has also taken precedence. The number of youths qualifying for UPSC is growing every year. And more youths are participating in sports activities. Investments are also picking up and a lot of development projects are upcoming.
The locals, who have borne the brunt of the terror phase, are now realising the futility of the violence on the name of religion and ‘azadi’, and are realising the path of peace and development.
Kashmir was a laboratory for Pakistan and its people were not dear to it. This is what the common Kashmiri has realised. The pathetic situation in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) has laid bare this truth. The people in PoK are up against Pakistan and its army and seek merger with India.
The truth of the 1988-2019 period of Kashmir is too bitter and tragic that Kashmiris don’t want to fall into the trap again. When demonstrations are flooding the streets of the US, Europe and other countries, Kashmiris are preferring to stay silent. They know what the pain of loss is and they have lost enough.
Guterres used all his diplomatic prowess to get Israel to agree to allow the supplies from Egypt into Gaza in an arrangement involving Cairo, Washington and the UN….reports Arul Louis
After a fortnight of diplomatic cajoling and appeals to conscience by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, and a dose of international pressure, a small convoy of 20 trucks loaded with relief supplies tentatively crossed the Rafah border from Egypt to bring succour to the 2 million people trapped by Israel’s blockade of Gaza.
For a UN powerless to deal with the Gaza crisis — or the broader Palestine issue for 75 years — sending aid to Gaza was a tiny victory and a stab at relevance.
Although Israel allowed the trickle of 20 trucks into Gaza nominally under its occupation and facing a threat of attacks on unauthorised vehicles, the UN programme’s future hangs in the balance.
But 200 other trucks loaded with food, medicine and fuel were parked at the Egypt-Gaza border while officials from Egypt, Israel, and the US haggled over the terms for them to move into Gaza.
“They are a lifeline to the people in Gaza”, Guterres said, “the difference between death and life, with water, with food, with medicines, with everything the people of Gaza need”.
Israel’s blockade of Gaza as reprisal for the terrorist attack launched on October 7 by the Hamas group that rules the territory has cut off power, water and supplies of medicine, fuel, and other essential supplies.
In that attack over 1,400 people were killed in Israel and about 200 were taken hostage by marauding Hamas terrorists.
Israel’s retaliation has caused nearly 4,000 deaths, Palestinian authorities say.
Guterres used all his diplomatic prowess to get Israel to agree to allow the supplies from Egypt into Gaza in an arrangement involving Cairo, Washington and the UN.
He got some help from US President Joe Biden who also pressured Israel to agree to allowing 20 trucks to cross into Gaza, far less than the 200 ready to roll.
However, for the UN and Guterres, the bigger goal is stopping Israel from launching the threatened ground offensive to annihilate Hamas that could cause massive civilian casualties and from the conflict spilling over the region.
One barrier to allowing the UN convoy – inspecting the trucks to ensure they are not carrying weapons – appears to have been breached, but others – whether they can go to northern Gaza which Israel has ordered to be emptied out as it prepares for ground invasion of the area, and resistance to allowing fuel to be sent in – remain.
Guterres said on Friday: “We are now actively engaging with all the parties, actively engaging with Egypt, with Israel, with the US, in order to make sure that we are able to clarify those conditions, that we are able to limit those restrictions in order to have as soon as possible these trucks moving to where they are needed.”
Guterres also wants the relief arrangement to go beyond 20 trucks to a regular arrangement.
“We are not looking for one convoy to come, we are looking for convoys to be authorized, with meaningful numbers of trucks to go everywhere into Gaza to provide enough support to the Gaza people,” he said.
That would be a tough sell to Israel, which is preparing a ground offensive.
The UN, ultimately, is at the mercy of Israel which can destroy convoys entering Gaza.
The blockade has been described as a collective punishment, which is a violation of international law.
Guterres said: “I have repeatedly said that the barbaric attack by Hamas needs to be condemned. But I’ve also said they can not be a pretext for a collective punishment of the Palestinian people. It’s absolutely essential to respect international humanitarian law.”
United Arab Emirates Permanent Representative Lana Zaki Nusseibeh, made the distinction earlier last week: “Hamas does not represent the Palestinian people, or the people of Gaza, who are suffering immensely today.”
The UN launched in 1949 the aid programme for the Palestinian refugees displaced in the creation of Israel the previous year is the single largest such programme and it has an annual budget of $1.6 billion and more than 13,000 employees.
Known as the UN Relief and Works Programme (UNRWA), it operates in Gaza and the West Bank, but also in neighbouring countries with Palestinian refugees, running health centres, educational institutions and food distribution programmes.
UNRWA will be distributing the aid sent through the Rafah Crossing.
Guterres said: “To be able to distribute aid on that side, it is necessary that UNRWA has fuel and so we need to have the guarantee that we have enough fuel on the other side to distribute aid to the people in need.”
Israel has reservations about fuel going into Gaza because of fears it could be commandeered by Hamas for its military activities.
In the other major conflict, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, where the UN has been rendered a helpless bystander because of the Security Council veto stalemate, Guterres gained a small symbolic victory through the Black Sea Grain Initiative that allowed food grains from Ukraine to be shipped out to stabilise the global supplies and to help nations facing severe food shortages.
But that was been shortlived because Russia has withdrawn from it threatening ships carrying Ukrainian foodgrains.
UAE aims to prepare 25,000 relief packages for Gaza with the support of volunteers from across the UAE, reports Asian Lite News
As part of its ongoing “Tarahum – for Gaza” campaign, the UAE has sent an aircraft carrying 68 tonnes of food supplies and relief aid to Al Areesh, Egypt, in preparation for transport into Gaza Strip through the Rafah Border Crossing, in cooperation with the UN World Food Programme (WFP). The shipment is part of UAE’s ongoing humanitarian efforts to alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people affected by the ongoing conflict and aims to support the global drive to provide humanitarian and relief aid to the Palestinian people.
Sultan Al Shamsi, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Development and International Organisations Affairs, said, “As part of the UAE’s ongoing efforts to provide relief support to the Palestinian people, we are working on various fronts to provide humanitarian and relief support to our Palestinian brothers and sisters in Gaza Strip, through our cooperation with international organisations, including the WFP. To that end, urgent food supplies have been sent to be prepared for transport into Gaza Strip, and on another front, by launching the ‘Tarahum – for Gaza’ campaign, we are working to mobilise community efforts across all sectors and UAE community segments, including humanitarian and charity organisations and volunteering platforms.”
Al Shamsi added that, as part of the drive to ensure the highest levels of community participation, the campaign continues to organize new events, with three events to be held on Saturday, 21st October, from 9:00 to 14:00 at Qalaat Al Remal, Dubai, to be overseen by Dubai Cares, and on Sunday, 22nd October, from 9:00 to 14:00, one overseen by the Emirates Red Crescent at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) in Abu Dhabi, and another overseen by Sharjah Charity International (SCI) at Expo Centre Sharjah.
The events aim to prepare 25,000 relief packages with the support of volunteers from across the UAE, including citizens and residents, in addition to many public and private institutions, he explained.
The UAE leadership is steadfast in their efforts to support and deliver urgent relief aid to the Palestinian people in Gaza Strip, in line with the country’s commitment to supporting friendly peoples during times of crisis and the values that underpin the UAE leadership and community.
The “Tarahum – for Gaza” campaign aims to mitigate the severity of the humanitarian conditions and alleviate the suffering of the most vulnerable groups, especially children, who constitute nearly half of the Gaza Strip’s population. More than one million children are affected by the current conflict, and the campaign will work to meet children’s and mothers’ basic needs in addition to providing health supplies and general hygiene materials.
These new events follow the campaign’s successful first day on Sunday, 15th October, at Abu Dhabi Ports Hall in Mina Zayed, where more than 4,500 volunteers prepared 13,000 relief packages, including food baskets and packages, for children, mothers, and women. The campaign is supervised by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs in cooperation with the Emirates Red Crescent Authority and the World Food Programme, and in coordination with the Ministry of Community Development. Additionally, 20 relief and humanitarian institutions are participating.
Those wishing to volunteer to help prepare relief packages can register through several volunteering platforms, including “Volunteers.Emirates”, the Emirates Red Crescent’s Volunteers Portal, the Day for Dubai Platform, and the Sharjah Volunteering Centre.
Israeli tanks and troops deployed near Gaza, indicating a potential ground assault on Hamas…reports Asian Lite News
As a “ground offensive” of the besieged Gaza Strip loomed, hundreds of Israeli tanks were deployed near the border in south Israel on Thursday, waiting for the all-clear from the country’s political establishment and the military top brass.
Israeli tanks and troops mounted on armoured vehicles were deployed in the region, seeming to suggest that a ground assault on Hamas in their backyard, Gaza, could begin any time soon.
Meanwhile, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said four rockets of nine launched from Lebanese territory were intercepted, adding that several anti-tank missiles were fired from Lebanon towards Israeli forces.
The IDF added that in response to the attacks, Israeli forces targeted the site in Lebanon from where rockets were fired into Israel and also struck at Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure using tank fire.
The Israeli forces also claimed to have thwarted and dismantled a terrorist cell using a UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) of the IDF.
As Israel gears up for an all-out ground offensive in the Gaza Strip, one of the biggest challenges they face is Hamas’ extensive underground tunnel network in the area. Several experts have warned that in the event of a ground offensive, Israel will lose the clear advantage it has over Hamas in terms of firepower, as it will have to fight the enemy on its terrain.
The densely populated area with a network of tunnels is likely to pose a security challenge for the IDF as it prepares for a ground assault.
An Israel Defence Forces spokesperson on Wednesday said they were striking parts of the tunnel network, but it won’t be an easy battle.
Earlier, during a joint press briefing with US President Joe Biden, Netanyahu said the crimes that the Hamas terrorists perpetrated on civilians in Israel included rape, burning, kidnapping, and targeting small children, adding that the death toll from the Hamas terror attacks stood at 1,400 and was likely to mount.
“October 7 is another day that will live in infamy,” said Netanyahu.
He reiterated President Biden’s statement that “Hamas is worse than ISIS.”
He added, “On Oct 7 Hamas murdered 1400 Israelis in a single day….October 7th, is another day that will live in infamy. Mr President, you rightly said that Hamas is worse than ISIS. The civilised world must unite to defeat Hamas.”
Additionally, The United States deployed two carrier strike groups, each consisting of an aircraft carrier, its planes, and several escort warships, which appeared to have deterred Hezbollah from attacking Israel in a major war, The New York Times reported.
According to the NYT report, quoting American officials, the US and Israeli Intelligence agencies are working to determine whether Israel’s expected ground offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip could prompt Hezbollah to launch a large-scale military campaign against Israel from Lebanon.
The US-based daily reported that the officials have assessed that Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah does not want an all-out war with Israel, for fear of the damage it would do to his group and Lebanon. U.S. officials said that assessment could change as more intelligence is gathered and events unfold.
Prime Minister Netanyahu has vetoed proposals from his government of a pre-emptive strike against Hezbollah, according to American officials and others briefed on the discussions.
Earlier, the US Defence Department reiterated its full support to Israel in the ongoing war on Hamas, saying that the US Secretary of Defence was in continuous touch with the Israeli authorities and leaders.
The US Department of Defence (DOD) said in a statement, “Since meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and members of the Israeli War Cabinet in Tel Aviv on Friday, Austin has remained fully engaged with the country’s leaders as the US works ensure Israel has what it needs to defend itself from further attacks.”
Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said in a statement, “Since leaving Israel, he has held calls with MOD Gallant … on a near daily basis and will likely have another call today”, adding, “We are working to meet Israel’s needs, which include air defence, precision-guided munitions, artillery and medical supplies.”
In addition to quickly sending military aid to Israel, the US has bolstered its presence in the region to deter further aggression.
Over the weekend, US Defence Secretary Austin directed the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group to join the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group, which arrived in the Eastern Mediterranean last week.
The Navy units are part of a broader bolstering of US forces in the region. Last week, the Air Force announced the deployment of F-15 and F-16 fighter squadrons and A-10 attack squadrons to the region, according to a US Department of Defence press release. (ANI)
Hundreds demonstrated outside the British and French embassies in Tehran, US and Israeli embassies in Amman, while several thousand gathered in Palestine Square in the centre of the city….reports Asian Lite News
The bombardment of the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital has triggered a wave of anger and protests across the Middle East with protesters taking to the streets in at least eight countries to condemn the deadly attack, media reports said.
Hundreds demonstrated outside the British and French embassies in Tehran, while several thousand gathered in Palestine Square in the centre of the city.
“Death to France and England,” protesters shouted, throwing eggs at the walls of the French embassy compound in the Iranian capital, Al Jazeera reported.
Thousands also gathered at the US and Israeli embassies in Amman with tens of thousands of others taking to the streets across the country.
Israel has reportedly evacuated the embassy several days ago. Demonstrators had already attempted to break into the embassy last night and were dispersed by the Jordanian police, Times of Israel reported.
Protests also erupted in Lebanon, where Hezbollah has traded fire with Israeli forces at the border.
“The Arab street has a voice. That voice may have been ignored in the past by governments in the region and the West … but they cannot do this anymore,” Bader al-Saif, a university lecturer, said. “People are on fire”, Al Jazeera reported.
Angry protesters gathered outside the French embassy in Tunis, also denouncing the US.
The hospital massacre triggered protests in the occupied West Bank, with hundreds of Palestinians taking to the streets in Ramallah. There were confrontations with security forces. One Palestinian protester has reportedly been killed by Israeli forces in a village near Ramallah.
Protests were also held in Libya, Yemen, and Morocco to denounce the attack on the hospital, Al Jazeera reported.
Mass rallies took place in the West Bank, Jordan and Lebanon last night in the wake of a hospital blast in Gaza that Hamas claims resulted from an Israeli airstrike.
Israel has maintained that a misfired Gazan rocket caused the blast.
Death Toll Skyrockets
The death toll in the ongoing Hamas-Israel conflict is nearing 5,000, with thousands of others injured and displaced as a result of the violence which continued for the 13th day on Thursday.
In its latest situation update, the UN Office for the Coordination of Human Affairs (OCHA) said the death toll in Israel as of Thursday morning stood at 1,400, which included foreign nationals, as Palestinian armed groups’ continued indiscriminate rocket firing towards Israeli population centres.
The number of injured increased to 4,562.
According to the OCHA, Israel’s death toll is over threefold the cumulative number of Israelis killed since the Office began recording casualties in 2005 (nearly 400).
Meanwhile, at least 199 people are currently being held captive in Gaza, it added.
Citing the Palestinian Health Ministry based in Gaza, the OCHA said that the death toll in Gaza has increased to 3,478, including 853 children, with about 12,500 others injured.
The UN agency said the deadly bombing at Al Ahli Arab Baptist hospital in Gaza City on Tuesday left at least 471 people dead, including children, healthcare staff and Internally Displaced People (IDPs).
The overall death toll in Gaza in the last 12 days of hostilities has significantly surpassed the total number of fatalities during the 2014 escalation, which lasted for over 50 days, resulting in 2,251 Palestinian deaths, the OCHA said.
Meanwhile in the West Bank, 64 people have died since the conflict erupted on October 7, including 18 children. The number of injured persons stood at 1,284.
The cumulative number of IDPs in Gaza is estimated at about one million, including over 513,907 people staying in UN Relief Works Agency-designated emergency shelters , of whom 353,539 are in central and southern Gaza alone.
Since October 11, Gaza has been under a full electricity blackout, following Israel’s halt of its electricity and fuel supply, which in turn triggered the shutdown of the besieged enclave’s sole power plant.
The Office also said that the complete siege of Gaza continues, with the Rafah, Erez and Kerem Shalom crossings remaining closed.
The US imposed the financial sanctions on ten members and financiers of Hamas in the Middle East…reports Asian Lite News
The US government has imposed sanctions on 10 prominent figures in the Middle East for financing the militant outfit Hamas soon after President Joe Biden arrived in Israel and plunged into discussions with Israel leaders on how to prevent the war from blowing up into a larger Middle East crisis amid the hospital blast in Gaza.
The US imposed the financial sanctions on ten members and financiers of Hamas, in the Middle East , particularly Sudan , including figures tied to a covert investment portfolio meant to benefit the militant group, UK’s Independent reported.
The US Treasury Department said in a statement the new sanctions were targeted at “ten key Hamas terrorist group members, operatives, and financial facilitators in Gaza and elsewhere including Sudan, Turkiye, Algeria, and Qatar” as part of “a continuous effort by the US to root out Hamas’ sources of revenue in the West Bank and Gaza and across the region … in close coordination with regional partners and allies”.
Among those now subject to the US sanctions are Musa Muhammad Salim Dudin and Abdelbasit Hamza Elhassan Mohamed Khair — two Hamas financiers based in the West Bank and Sudan, respectively, reports said.
Dudin is a member of the group’s Political Bureau and Investment Office, who has also participated in negotiations over Hamas prisoners.
He is alleged to have worked to conceal Hamas’ interest in sanctioned companies by transferring their ownership.
He is also accused of working “directly” with another senior Hamas leader hit by sanctions, Yahya Ibrahim Hassan Sinwar, the Independent said .
Sudan based investor Hamza is alleged to have “managed numerous companies in Hamas’ investment portfolio and was previously involved in the transfer of almost $20 million to Hamas”, the Treasury Department said.
In the statement, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the US was taking “swift and decisive action to target Hamas’ financiers and facilitators following its brutal and unconscionable massacre of Israeli civilians, including children”.
“We will continue to take all steps necessary to deny Hamas terrorists the ability to raise and use funds to carry out atrocities and terrorise the people of Israel.
“That includes by imposing sanctions and coordinating with allies and partners to track, freeze, and seize any Hamas-related assets in their jurisdictions,” she added.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken clarified in a statement that the US sanctions did not target Palestinians but aimed at Hamas terrorists and their support network.
“Hamas alone is responsible for the carnage its militants have inflicted on the people of Israel” and called on the group to “immediately release all hostages in its custody”.
The US sanctions were announced as President Joe Biden was in the midst of a visit to Tel Aviv meeting Israeli leaders that topped the one with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his war cabinet.
The President’s trip seemed in jeopardy last night as it came hours after an explosion at a Gaza hospital that killed at least 300 people, including many children and the meeting with the rulers of Jordan in Amman was abruptly cancelled.
President Biden, however, went ahead with the trip, described as a first war time visit by a US President, to show America’s steadfast support to Israel in the dark hours of terror in its history, reports said. The highest population of Jews outside of Israel live in New York. .
Addressing a joint meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Biden said he was “deeply saddened and outraged” by the explosion.
The Israeli Defence Forces says the explosion was caused by a botched rocket attack by Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
Meanwhile, the PIJ has denied involvement and Hamas has blamed Israel, media reports said.
The president seemed to agree with the Israeli assessment in his comments to reporters in Tel Aviv.
“Based on what I’ve seen, it appears as though it was done by the other team, not you. But there’s a lot of people out there not sure, so we have to overcome a lot of things,” he said.
Ken McCallum says MI5 was already watching a large cohort of people with extremist mindsets, often acting alone, moving towards violence in new ways…reports Asian Lite News
MI5 is monitoring for increased risks to the UK as the Israel-Gaza war continues. “One of the things that concerns me most right now, is to understand quite what the shape of the UK impact will be,” Ken McCallum said in an interview to BBC.
He also warned there was a risk that events in the Middle East could radicalise people towards violence. He was speaking at an unprecedented public appearance of security chiefs of the Five Eyes alliance in California.
The heads of US, UK, Australian, Canadian and New Zealand security agencies were appearing together for the first time to warn of technological innovation being stolen by China. In an interview, McCallum said “the scale and monstrous nature” of the Hamas attack on Israel had come as a “shock”.
Discussing the possibility of the Israel-Gaza conflict radicalising people in the UK towards violence, he said: “That is certainly a risk. It has always been the case that lots of would-be-terrorists in the UK draw inspiration through their distorted understanding of what is happening in other countries.”
He said he could not comment on specific intelligence relating to any threats the Security Service is currently seeing. But he said that MI5 was already watching a “pretty large cohort” of people with extremist mindsets and that one of the most challenging parts of its work was trying to detect when these people, often acting alone, suddenly moved towards violence in new or unpredictable ways.
In recent years, MI5 has seen a shift toward lone-actors inspired by events but not formally part of any organisation or group. They can be harder to spot and to work out when they are about to act, McCallum said. US officials say they have already seen a rise in reported threats in the wake of events in the Middle East.
“We cannot and do not discount the possibility that Hamas or other foreign terrorist organisations could exploit the conflict to call on their supporters to conduct attacks on our own soil,” FBI Director Chris Wray, told reporters.
“We are also particularly alert to the potential these events have to inspire violence against Jewish Americans or Muslim Americans, institutions and houses of worship.” A six-year-old Muslim boy was stabbed to death in Illinois on Saturday in what has been described as a hate crime.
Stanford University in California was chosen as the venue for this unprecedented first public meeting of the Five Eyes because it lies in the heart of Silicon Valley and the security chiefs are issuing a public warning about China stealing innovation.
But in private meetings together, the Middle East will be high on the agenda. “As you’d expect, we will also use our time together to discuss a range of other issues in private, including what Hamas’s attack means both in the region and in our homelands,” McCallum said.
The MI5 head said that one of the most difficult aspects of the role was to balance resources against different types of threats which were equally concerning. “How do you balance the ability to track a teenage would-be terrorist consuming extreme right-wing and hateful material in his bedroom and potentially considering buying a bladed weapon with the longer term risks posed by fast or precious cutting edge research from one of our universities? They both matter to our national security.”
‘Epic scale’ of Chinese espionage
More than 20,000 people in the UK have now been approached covertly online by Chinese spies, the head of MI5 said. It comes amid a new warning to tens of thousands of British businesses of the risk of having their innovation stolen.
“We have seen a sustained campaign on a pretty epic scale,” McCallum said. In the past, MI5 focused on protecting government secrets from foreign spies but now the fear is that innovation is often stolen from small companies, start-ups and researchers who may not previously have worried about security.
“If you’re working today at the cutting edge of technology then geopolitics is interested in you, even if you’re not interested in geopolitics,” McCallum said.
MI5 is trying to warn tens of thousands of UK companies who are potentially at risk, and doing so requires the security service to go public in a way it has not done before.
McCallum said that MI5 had now seen suspected Chinese agents approach over 20,000 people in the UK over professional networking sites like LinkedIn, in order to try to cultivate them to provide sensitive information, double the previously reported figure.
In the last year, MI5 has also seen more than 20 instances of Chinese companies considering or actively trying to gain access to sensitive technology developed by UK companies and universities through investments or other means where the full role of China is hidden, often through complicated company structures.
