The United States was the only vote against, but as one of the body’s five permanent members it counted as a veto….reports Asian Lite News
The US veto on a UN Security Council resolution calling for a “humanitarian pause” in the Israel-Hamas war will have “monstruous consequences,” Russia said on Thursday.
Twelve out of 15 Council members voted in favor of the resolution put forward by Brazil, which also condemned the “heinous terrorist attacks by Hamas.”
The United States was the only vote against, but as one of the body’s five permanent members it counted as a veto.
“In the context of a standoff that is deepening and risks spilling over the borders of the Middle East region and taking on a confessional dimension, the consequences of such a step are monstruous,” Russia’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
Moscow said it was “disappointing” that a resolution that could have contributed to “stopping the escalation of tensions and reducing violence against civilians” was not adopted.
The US veto “clearly demonstrates Washington’s true aspiration for the region,” the statement said.
“Every day of delay means not only a rapid increase in the number of dead and wounded, but also the continuation of the suffering of civilians who have become prisoners of the blockaded enclave” of Gaza, it added.
The foreign ministry accused Washington of opposing “all humanitarian initiatives from the beginning” and said the Israel-Hamas conflict reflected “the failure of American policy” in the region, which “sparked the catastrophic current escalation.”
“The right to self-defense does not mean having a license for mass and indiscriminate reprisals,” the ministry added, in a criticism aimed at Israel.
1. An injured child is carried into a hospital after wounded in an Israeli airstrike in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah. (Photo by Khaled Omar/Xinhua/IANS)
Russia delivers 27 tonnes of food supplies to Gaza
Russia has delivered 27 tonnes of food supplies for civilians in the Gaza Strip set to be transferred from Egypt, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Friday.
Taking to X, Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, “27 tonnes of food supplies delivered by Russia’s EMERCOM and transferred to the Egyptian Red Crescent for distribution among the people of the Gaza Strip in need. Every bit helps.”
Russia’s Deputy Minister Ilya Denisov in a statement said, “A special plane has taken off from the airport at Ramenskoye near Moscow for El-Arish in Egypt. The Russian humanitarian aid will be handed over to the Egyptian Red Crescent to be sent to the Gaza Strip.” He added the aid comprised “wheat, sugar, rice (and) pasta.”
Earlier on Tuesday, the office of Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shared details of his telephonic conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying that the former briefed him on the ongoing counter-offensive against Hamas, following the October 7 terror attacks.
It posted further that Israeli PM Netanyahu told the Russian President that the Israeli forces won’t relent till they “eliminate Hamas”.
“The Prime Minister made it clear that Israel had been attacked by brutal and abhorrent murderers, had gone to war determined and united, and would not stop until it had destroyed Hamas’s military and governing capabilities,” the Israeli PM’s office posted further.
President Biden said Egypt would allow up to 20 trucks with aid through the Rafah border crossing into Gaza….reports Asian Lite News
US President Joe Biden announced a massive humanitarian aid to war-torn Paslestine during his seven hour first ever visit by an American President to Tel Aviv, hailed as a humanitarian breakthrough but hurdles remain in reaching the aid to Palestinians in dire need.
He will address the Congress on Thursday announcing the quantum of aid and seeking the House approval.
Biden told reporters on Air-Force One on Wednesday while on his return from Tel Aviv that up to 20 trucks of aid from Egypt would be allowed into the besieged enclave in Gaza, once potholes along the road and damage from Israeli airstrikes were repaired.
Humanitarian officials however warned that a host of issues have yet to be resolved before the lives of the besieged inhabitants of Gaza are improved, media reports said.
President Biden said Egypt would allow up to 20 trucks with aid through the Rafah border crossing into Gaza.
Meanwhile, US and Israeli officials said the Gaza hospital strike appeared to come from a failed rocket launch by a terrorist group in Gaza.
More than 100 aid trucks were lined up Thursday in the Egyptian city of al-Arish, waiting for a greenlight to cross into Gaza.
But on the other side of the border, Palestinians said they struggled to understand why the initial deliveries would be so small — or how they would actually reach people.
Speaking aboard Airforce One as he departed Israel, Biden told reporters that US was cautious about any diversion of humanitarian aid to Palestinians in need at Gaza by the Hamas militants.
“If Hamas diverts or steals the assistance, they will have demonstrated once again that they have no concern for the welfare of the Palestinian people,” Biden said.
“As a practical matter, it will stop the international community from being able to provide this aid.”
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)
Wennesland stressed the importance of a long-term solution to the Palestinian question…reports Asian Lite News
UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Tor Wennesland, has warned of the danger of an expansion of the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
“I fear that we are at the brink of a deep and dangerous abyss that could change the trajectory of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, if not of the Middle East as a whole,” he told an emergency meeting of the Security Council on Wednesday.
“After more than a century of conflict and over half a century of occupation, we, the international community, have failed collectively to bring the parties to a just, sustainable political resolution. The long-standing fissures run deep and extend well beyond the confines of Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory,” he said.
“The risk of an expansion of this conflict is real, very very real, and extremely dangerous.”
Today’s situation is one of the most difficult moments facing the Israeli and Palestinian people in the past 75 years, and poses a devastating and clearly difficult challenge for the region and for the international community. It comes at a moment when the global institutions that are needed to respond to such a crisis are already overstretched, he added via a video link from Doha, Qatar.
Middle East Peace Process Tor Wennesland.(photo:Tor Wennesland Twitter)
Wennesland stressed the importance of a long-term solution to the Palestinian question, Xinhua news agency reported.
“We must not let the dynamic of the current conflict take our eyes off what I would call the day after — the day after we need to start working on now.”
First, there should be the time and space to achieve two urgent objectives: Hamas’ immediate, unconditional release of all hostages; and rapid, unrestricted access of humanitarian aid for Palestinians in Gaza. The third step must be collective efforts to end the hostilities and prevent any further expansion of the conflict in the region, he said.
There should be no miscalculation, no provocation and no retrogress in the West Bank and Lebanon, he added.
The step beyond must be down the path toward a political horizon. Ultimately, the only way to bring an end to the bloodletting and prevent any recurrence is to pave a way toward a long-term political solution, in line with UN resolutions, international law and previous agreements, Wennesland said.
“A patchwork of ad-hoc and temporary fixes, and perpetual management of conflict without addressing underlying issues is not sustainable. That has been proven in the last 11 days. What we are seeing on the ground now, all too tragically proves this to be true. What we must do now is work together as one to achieve these objectives,” he added.
Over 500 people were killed in the Israeli airstrike on the al-Ahli Baptist Hospital late Tuesday, reports Asian Lite News
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Russia requested an emergency UN Security Council meeting Tuesday after an Israeli airstrike in the besieged Gaza Strip struck a hospital, killing hundreds of victims.
“The UAE and Russia have called for an emergency UN Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question, following the strike on a hospital in Gaza,” the UAE UN mission spokesperson Sgagad Matar wrote on X.
Ambassador Abushahab joined fellow members of the Arab Group to brief the press on the Israeli attack that targeted Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza.
The UAE, in a statement issued today, strongly condemns the Israeli attack that resulted in the death and injury of hundreds of people.… pic.twitter.com/rcrDr3JmJs
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk has issued a statement saying that the massive strike at Al Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City that killed hundreds of people is “totally unacceptable”.
“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,” he said on Tuesday evening in the statement.
According to Palestinian sources, at least 500 Palestinians were killed. Local eyewitnesses told Xinhua that a rocket hit the hospital, with a huge explosion ripping through its premises.
“We don’t yet know the full scale of this carnage, but what is clear is that the violence and killings must stop at once,” Turk said, adding that all countries with influence must do everything in their power to bring an end to this situation.
“Civilians must be protected, and humanitarian aid must be allowed to reach those in need as a matter of urgency,” he stressed.
According to media reports, at least six people were also killed on Tuesday afternoon when a UN school was hit in a refugee camp in Gaza’s middle area. The school had been serving as a shelter for around 4,000 people seeking refuge.
The WHO on Tuesday night also issued a statement on the attack on Al Ahli Arab Hospital and reported large-scale casualties, strongly condemning the attack.
WHO stressed that the hospital was operational, with patients, healthcare workers, and internally displaced people sheltering there.
WHO said that 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.
WHO calls for the immediate active protection of civilians and healthcare workers, stressing that evacuation orders must be reversed, and the international humanitarian law must be abided by, which means healthcare must be actively protected and never targetted.
In a news comment issued Tuesday night, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said it was shocked and horrified by reports that Al Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza was destroyed and hundreds were killed.
“Hospitals should be sanctuaries to preserve human life, not scenes of death and destruction. No patient should be killed in a hospital bed. No doctors should lose their lives while trying to save others. Hospitals must be protected under international humanitarian law,” it added.
At least 1,537 Palestinians have been killed and 6,612 others injured in the ongoing Israeli offensive in Gaza…reports Asian Lite News
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Friday arrived in Israel with President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola to express solidarity with the Israeli people in the wake of the Hamas terrorist attack.
“I have arrived in Israel with @EP_President to express our solidarity with the Israeli people in the wake of the horrific Hamas terrorist attack,” the European Commission President wrote on ‘X’.
United States Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin also arrived in Tel Aviv on Friday even as high-ranking US officials continued their reachout efforts in the region.
I have arrived in Israel with @EP_President to express our solidarity with the Israeli people in the wake of the horrific Hamas terrorist attack. pic.twitter.com/4ktjwabx14
On arrival in Tel Aviv, Lloyd Austin said that US support for Israel was ironclad.
“Just landed in Tel Aviv. Today, I’ll meet with Prime Minister @netanyahu, Minister @YoavGallant & other senior leaders to demonstrate that America’s support for Israel’s security is ironclad & talk to them face-to-face about their defence needs. We stand w/ the people of Israel,” he posted on X.
Meanwhile, as the Israel-Hamas conflict entered the seventh day, the Israel Defence Forces called for an immediate evacuation of Gaza. In a statement, the IDF said that all civilians of Gaza City must move from their homes southwards for their own safety and protection and move to the area south of the Wadi Gaza.
The IDF asked civilians to distance themselves from Hamas terrorists who are using them as human shields. The IDF said they will continue to operate significantly in Gaza City and make extensive efforts to avoid harming civilians.
Hamas has dismissed Israel’s orders for Palestinians to evacuate the northern half of the Gaza Strip and asked the residents to stay put, the Times of Israel said.
At least 1,537 Palestinians have been killed and 6,612 others injured in the ongoing Israeli offensive in Gaza, CNN reported citing the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza.
At least 36 people have died and more than 650 have been injured in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, according to Palestinian Ministry of Health in Ramallah.
United Nations Secretary-General spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said that more than 338,000 Palestinians have been displaced due to the conflict between Israel and Hamas, CNN reported. He further said that nearly 218,000 of those are sheltering in 92 schools run by the UN Relief and Works Agency.
Earlier in the day, Israeli Defence Forces spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus said that the death toll from the Hamas terror attacks on Israel has jumped to 1,300 and more than 3000 have been injured.
He also touched on the ongoing efforts to collect the bodies and bring them to Tel Aviv for identification before handing them over to their loved ones. Calling it a “tedious and detailed process”, he noted that Israel has never in history faced such a situation.
“Unfortunately the number of Israeli casualties has risen to 1,300 Israeli civilians and soldiers and more than 3000 wounded. There is a massive national effort involving almost all of the security organisations and many of the ministries of the Israeli state, which is focused on taking the bodies from the same communities that we spoke about yesterday, like for instance … and other communities and the entire southern area, collecting the bodies, bringing them to a centre in Tel Aviv, identifying them and then making sure they are next to their kin. Their loved ones are able to take them and to provide them with a final and respectable burial that’s ongoing,” Lt. Col. Conricus said. (ANI)
Indicating that Iran might be bracing for a “deep jump” into the conflict, its Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said that the destructive war may expand to “new fronts”, writes Mohammed Anas
The signals of endgame in the Hamas-Israel conflict hint towards more dire consequences. While the Israeli assault in Gaza continues to pile up humanitarian catastrophe, new fronts are set to open up, as the Iranian foreign minister has warned.
Israel has cut all essential supply to the Strip – food, fuel, electricity and humanitarian aid. It has also given a 24-hour ultimatum to the UN mission and Gaza population to vacate the area. It has conditioned the flow of aid to Gaza with the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas.
As this article is being written, tens of thousands of Israeli Defence Forces soldiers are stationed near Gaza, ready to enter. Israel’s security cabinet has met multiple times and made decisions that have remarkably not been leaked to the press. Chances are that the ministers were briefed about the IDF’s operational tactics and targets. But has Israel finalised the actual goals of the war?
Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, the minister closest to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, spoke only this much: “We need to cripple the capacity of the terrorists.”
Hamas’ future looks bleak. Israel is determined to eradicate it from Gaza and hunt down senior leaders. For Israel, too, any sense of victory will be short-lived.
Should it succeed in exacting vengeance on Hamas, it will be left with a broken Gaza Strip with no obvious exit strategy. To avoid a security and governance vacuum, it will have to either govern the Strip itself, as was the case prior to the Oslo Accords; or bring back a brittle and discredited Palestinian Authority which will struggle to impose its writ.
Either option will create new drivers of political instability and insecurity.
There could be another murky outcome of the conflict. The Israeli euphoria over blitzkrieg and destruction of Gaza will almost certainly radicalise new generations in the region and in the West. This dynamic is a godsend for terrorist groups such as ISIS, Al Qaeda, and new iterations of violent extremism.
At this stage, Iran is a strategic beneficiary: The accession of Saudi Arabia of the Abraham accords has likely been derailed. Qatar, a prime supporter of Hamas, may be quietly savoring its revenge against its Arab competitors in the Gulf. Turkey, a friend of the Muslim Brotherhood, also comes out as a beneficiary relative to Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
As of now, Russia will likely benefit from the sidelining of the war in Ukraine. China basks in the thus far unbankable glow of being cast as a potential mediator.
The United States, which relinquished its role as the strategic prime mover in the region after the so-called red-line crisis of 2013, when it did not intervene in the war in Syria, may reaffirm its primacy. This could reinforce US credibility in Europe. Indeed, there is some talk in Washington of coupling military assistance to Israel and Ukraine.
Meanwhile, all of the above is subject to a brutal change if Hezbollah, supported by Iran, were to enter the war in a big way.
Iran, whose support of Hamas allows it a window into the Arab-Israeli conflict through which it can project its influence and weaken Israel. It has clearly benefited from the Hamas attack which has eroded Israel’s deterrence and constrained Israeli-Saudi normalisation and placed Iran in the dock.
But like Hamas, Iran’s gains could erode if Israel succeeds in weakening the Hamas hold in Gaza or if the conflict broadens and leads to a direct confrontation between Israel and Iran.
Indicating that Iran might be bracing for a “deep jump” into the conflict, its Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said that the destructive war may expand to “new fronts”.
“Some European officials asked me if there were any chances that new fronts might open up against the Zionist regime?” Amir-Abdollahian said on Thursday in the Lebanese capital of Beirut, his second stop on a regional tour that also took him to Iraq.
“I told them as long as the Zionists keep up their war crimes, there exists every prospect that other resistance movements (may enter the war),” he added.
“We are in Beirut to announce with a loud voice that, along with (other) Muslim countries and governments, we will not break the Zionist regime’s crimes against the people of Gaza.” Amir-Abdollahian said.
Echoing this, Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah said the group’s “guns and rockets” were with Palestinian fighters.
Iraq’s anti-terror group Kata’ib Hezbollah threatened to target American bases in the Arab country and the entire region if the US intervened in the ongoing fighting between the Palestinian fighters and the Israeli regime.
However, undaunted by these “threats”, Israeli opposition leader and former prime minister Yair Lapid told France 24 that there will only be one endgame of the conflict: “There will be no Hamas in Gaza.”
Tardy Diplomacy
Grandmaster of diplomacy Henry Kissinger shot to cult status as the greatest strategist negotiator after his role in bringing Israelis and Arabs to the dialogue table after the 1973 Yom Kippur War. Little do people know that Kissinger played deliberate “delayed diplomacy”. The ongoing Hamas-Israel war has echoes of Yom Kippur and the same “delayed diplomacy” plot being reenacted.
The recently published book Master of the Game: Henry Kissinger and the Art of Middle East Diplomacy written by Martin Indyk, former US ambassador to Israel and special envoy for the 2013 Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, provides insights into Kissinger’s diplomatic negotiations in the Middle East.
Kissinger had advised the US government not to help Israel in the 1973 war until the Egyptians crossed the Suez Canal and captured much of the Sinai Desert, in order to shock Tel Aviv and shake its concept of unassailability.
Consequently, the 1973 war increased Israel’s willingness to negotiate with its Arab neighbors. In 1979, Israel signed a peace treaty with Egypt, the first with an Arab country, which was later reflected in the Oslo Accords with the Palestinians.
The October 7 Hamas raids into Israeli cities too is seen as a jolt to Israeli defence forces’ invincibility. However, there is no Kissinger on the scene and the Western powers led by the US so far are solidly behind Israel. They have thus far shown no willingness to mediate dialogue, not even for release of Israelis held hostage by Hamas.
The United Nations Security Council meeting ended without any statement. On Tuesday, UN chief Antonio Guterres called for a flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza after Israeli military blitzkrieg left total devastation in the blockaded strip along the sea.
He also said that he calls for an end to “the vicious circle of bloodshed, hatred and polarisation”.
Besides, the European Union has announced that it will not suspend payment of development aid to Palestinians, reversing course after an earlier announcement that it would freeze all aid payments was met with widespread criticism.
But the EU aid is for the Palestinian Authority that controls the West Bank and parts of Jerusalem. The 296 million euros ($312m) in financial assistance from the EU will help cover expenses for the PA, such as infrastructure projects and civil servant salaries.
Arab and Muslim countries backing Palestinians have not been able to move any substantial diplomatic initiative. Iran has called for a united “ummah push”, but it hasn’t found any backing.
Arab League foreign ministers will meet on Wednesday to find “avenues of political action at the Arab and international level,” as Israel keeps pounding targets in Gaza.
Reuters reported on Monday that Qatari mediators held urgent calls to try to negotiate freedom for Israeli women and children seized by militants in Gaza in exchange for the release of 36 Palestinian women and children from Israel’s prisons.
An Israeli official however in a comment to The Times of Israel that “there is no negotiation” for the release of hostages.
Most influential Arab country Saudi Arabia, which was holding parleys with the Israeli government for normalisation only till last week, have also remained clueless about the diplomatic route that may end the mayhem in the Middle East where the public anger is expectedly mounting in favour of Palestinians.
AFP reported late on Tuesday that Saudi de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman held talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and claimed that he was trying to prevent “an expansion” of the conflict.
Big powers like Russia and China too have eluded from taking active part and hurried up diplomacy to stop the conflict from festering further. Russia late on Tuesday offered to work with the Arab League to push for a solution.
“Russia and the Arab League, all members of this organisation, can and should contribute to solving problems, first of all, ending the bloodshed and suffering of civilians,” Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at his meeting with the Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit in Moscow.
Delayed or absent diplomacy has led West Asia commentators to predict more sinister scenarios which even can turn into wider regional catastrophe.
Mohammed Alhaya, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute’s Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East, wrote in the Washington Post that the possible outcome of the current flare-up will have to tilt towards settling the question of Palestine.
“The latest Israeli-Hamas war makes abundantly clear that there can be no lasting peace in the Middle East without a regional solution to the long-running conflict between Israelis and Palestinians,” he wrote, adding that if the Israeli strikes continues in Gaza and diplomacy fails to prevent the onslaught, it will strengthen the position of Iran in the region.
The death toll from airstrikes, already at unprecedented levels, had reached more than 2,200.
Thousands of Palestinians have continued to leave northern Gaza and cram into already crowded schools, homes and makeshift shelters in the south, as Israeli airstrikes pound the blockaded strip ahead of an expected ground invasion, media reports said.
Foreign citizens may also be allowed to leave the enclave under a deal agreed by Egypt, Israel and the United States, senior Egyptian and US officials said.
About 2.3 million Palestinians are trapped in Gaza, facing a terrifying escalation of bloodshed and misery, after Israel sealed all crossings into its territory and Egypt reinforced it border crossing, saying it would not allow refugees to enter, The Guardian reported.
Food, fuel and water supplies were dwindling fast on Saturday after Israel cut all movement in and out of Gaza. The death toll from airstrikes, already at unprecedented levels, had reached more than 2,200. That included 724 children and 458 women, the Gaza Health Ministry said.
Israel has vowed to obliterate the Hamas militant group after its fighters broke through the hi-tech fence surrounding the strip and went on a murderous rampage.
Israeli soldiers, their tanks, munitions deployed near Gaza border for invasion of Gaza (Photo/ANI)
Many residents cannot find transport, or cannot travel because they are old, sick, disabled, caring for someone with limited mobility or fear they have nowhere to go. Gaza is already one of the world’s most densely populated places, with 2.3 million people living in a 365sq km area, The Guardian reported.
Palestinians and some regional officials have said they fear Israel’s ultimate aim is not only to destroy Hamas, but to push Palestinian people out of Gaza. This would mirror the Nakba, the Arabic term for the forcible expulsion of about 750,000 Palestinians from what was previously British mandate-controlled Palestine during the creation of Israel in 1948.
King Abdullah of Jordan, which is next to the occupied West Bank, has warned “against any attempt to forcibly displace Palestinians from all Palestinian territories or cause their internal displacement”.
The Israeli Air Force said that Murad Abu Murad was largely responsible for directing militants to Israel on Saturday.
The Israel Air Forces has said that it has killed the head of Hamas’s Air Force Murad Abu Murad in the airstrike carried out overnight. The strike targeted a headquarters from which Hamas managed its aerial activity in the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli Air Force said that Murad Abu Murad was largely responsible for directing militants on Saturday.
In a post on X, the Israeli Air Force stated, “Also, during the last day, fighter jets of the Air Force attacked the operational headquarters of the Hamas, from where the organization’s aerial activities were managed. During the attack, Murad Abu Murad, the head of the air formation in Gaza City who took a large part and directed militants in the murderous attack on Saturday, was killed.”
In separate strikes carried out overnight, the Israeli Air Forces said that it had struck dozens of sites belonging to Hamas’s commando forces, who led the infiltration into Israel on October 7, The Times of Israel reported. The Israeli Air Forces said that the Israeli Defence Forces and the Israeli Air Forces will continue to operate “as required in order to defend the State of Israel against the Hamas.”
In a post shared on X, the Israeli Air Force stated, “Last night, IAF fighter jets conducted wide-scale strikes throughout the Gaza Strip. These included dozens of Hamas targets as well as “Nukhba”operatives that were in a staging ground in the Gaza Strip.”
In the latest update on the Israel-Hamas conflict, Israeli Defence Forces Spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus noted on Saturday that people in the Gaza Strip are listening to Israel’s warning and are doing the right thing, noting that there has been a significant movement of Palestinian civilians towards the South.
“We have seen a significant movement of the Palestinian civilians towards the south…we have seen people listening to our warning, understanding that they doing the clever thing, moving out of the dangerous area, and the right thing for their family…,” he said.
On Friday the Israeli military had called for the evacuation of all civilians from Gaza City. The IDF says that it had advertised its intentions as it did not want civilians to be affected by the war. The IDF further said that Israel was fighting against Hamas and its military infrastructure.
“We advertised our intentions in advance not because it has any military logic but because we want civilians not to be affected by the war. We didn’t put those civilians there and they are not our enemy. We are not trying to kill or injure any civilians, we are fighting against Hamas and its military infrastructure…that’s where we targeted around the Gaza strip and in the northern part of the Gaza strip,” he said.
Conricus highlighted that the end state of this war is the complete destruction of Hamas and its infrastructure. “We dismantle Hamas and its military capabilities and fundamentally change the situation so that Hamas never again has the ability to inflict any damage on Israeli civilians or soldiers,” the IDF spokesperson said.
The Israeli defence forces have said that more than 120 civilians have been held captive in Gaza by Hamas. (ANI)
EU reminds Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai to remove disinformation related to Israel-Hamas conflict on YouTube
European Commissioner Thierry Breton has sent a letter to Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai, reminding him about the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) to keep illegal content and disinformation from being shared on YouTube related to the Israel-Hamas war.
In the letter, also addressed to YoutTube CEO Neal Mohan, Breton said that following the terrorist attacks carried out by Hamas against Israel, “we are seeing a surge of illegal content and disinformation being disseminated in the EU via certain platforms”.
“I would like to remind you that you have a particular obligation to protect the millions of children and teenagers using your platforms in the EU from violent content depicting hostage taking and other graphic videos,” the commissioner said late on Friday.
It means having appropriate and proportionate measures in place to ensure a high level of privacy, safety and security for minors, he added.
Breton has already warned X, Meta and TikTok on removing terrorist propaganda and manipulated content, such as repurposed videos or clickbaits, from their respective platforms.
He told Pichai that “when you receive notices of illegal content in the EU, you must be timely, diligent and objective in taking action and removing the relevant content when warranted”.
“Given the urgency, I also expect you to be in contact with the relevant law enforcement authorities and Europol and ensure that you respond promptly to their requests,” said Breton.
In the context of elections, he told Pichai that the DSA requires that the risk of amplification of fake and manipulated images and facts generated with the intention to influence elections is taken extremely seriously in the context of mitigation measures.
“I invite you to inform my team on the details of the measures you have taken to mitigate any deepfakes, also in the light of upcoming elections in Poland, The Netherlands, Lithuania, Belgium, Croatia, Romania and Austria, and the European Parliament elections,” said Breton.
The #DSA is here to protect both freedom of expression & our democracies — including in times of crisis.
We have sent @X a formal request for information, a first step in our investigation to determine compliance with the DSA.https://t.co/59ZX51aDVG
“As you know, following the opening of a potential investigation and a finding of non-compliance, penalties can be imposed,” he added.
Earlier, Meta said that since the terrorist attacks by Hamas on Israel and Israel’s response in Gaza, “expert teams from across our company have been working around the clock to monitor our platforms, while protecting people’s ability to use our apps to shed light on important developments happening on the ground”.
“In the three days following October 7, we removed or marked as disturbing more than 795,000 pieces of content for violating these policies in Hebrew and Arabic,” the social network said in a blog post.
As compared to the two months prior, in the three days following October 7, “we have removed seven times as many pieces of content on a daily basis for violating our Dangerous Organisations and Individuals policy in Hebrew and Arabic alone,” Meta added.
