• It is the 21st day of the war: over 7,300 Palestinians have died, according to Hamas; 1,400 of them were Israelis; 229 hostages in Gaza.
• On the evening of Friday 27 October, Israel launched unprecedented bombings on the Gaza Strip, announcing the “expansion of ground operations”. It is not yet clear whether this is the announced “invasion”. The Strip is completely isolated.
• Hamas called the Palestinians of the West Bank to arms.
• The UN General Assembly approves a draft on a truce in Gaza and rejects an amendment condemning Hamas. Tel Aviv’s anger: “It’s the day of infamy”
• For Israel, the Hamas command is in the hospital in Gaza City. The reply: “False”
• US jets hit two locations in Syria linked to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps
• Words and acronyms to understand the conflict: the glossary
• The history of the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis, explained
05.23 am – Biden: ready to strike groups linked to Iran again
US President Joe Biden sent a letter to the Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, stating that the United States “stands ready to take further action” following attacks by Iran-linked groups against American forces in Iraq and Syria . The letter comes after US fighter jets hit weapons and ammunition depots in Syria. Over the past week, US and coalition troops have been attacked at least 19 times in Iraq and Syria by Tehran-backed forces. Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah in Lebanon are all supported by Iran. At the UN on Thursday, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian warned that if Israel’s offensive against Hamas does not end, the United States “will not be spared from this fire.”
03.48 am – Israeli armed forces show maps of 5 destroyed tunnels
The Israeli armed forces showed a map indicating the five tunnels used by Hamas and which were apparently destroyed in the last few hours by the Israeli air force: they are those in North Gaza, Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis, on the border with Israel, Gaza and Rafah, where the access gate to Egypt is located, used in recent days to bring in the first humanitarian aid directed to the Palestinian population.
03.23 am – Thousands of people take to the streets in New York to ask for a ceasefire
Thousands of people are demonstrating at Grand Central station in New York, in the heart of Manhattan, to demand an immediate ceasefire in the Middle East. They are representatives of all communities, including Jews and Muslims. With the cry of “no more weapons, no more wars, a ceasefire is what we ask for”. The video has gone viral online showing the demonstrators, all wearing black t-shirts with calls for peace, clapping in time and chanting the slogan «No more weapons/No More war/Ceasefire is what we’re calling for» .
02.46 am – CNN: Gaza tunnel network targeted by Israeli raids
Hamas tunnels in Gaza are in the sights of Israeli forces. CNN reports it citing Israeli sources.
02.32 am – At least 29 journalists have died in the Israel-Hamas conflict
At least 29 journalists have lost their lives since October 7 in the war between Israel and Hamas. This is what we read in a statement released by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), according to which «the last three weeks have been the bloodiest period in recent decades for journalists covering conflicts. Of the journalists killed, at least 24 were Palestinian, four were Israeli and one Lebanese. The CPJ also said it was “very alarmed” by reports of a communications blackout in Gaza: “As media lose contact with their crews and journalists in Gaza, who testify independently to provide information on developments and the cost of this war, the world is losing a window into the reality of all parties involved in this conflict.”
02.23 am – Israel: we are hitting targets in the underground tunnels with aviation
“The air force is hitting targets that are underground in a very significant way.” This was stated by the spokesperson of the Israeli Armed Forces, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari. «In addition to the attacks conducted in recent days – he added – ground forces are expanding their activity. The Israeli defense is acting with great force to achieve the war objectives.”
02.11 am – CNN: US troops in the Middle East attacked 20 times in 11 days
American troops in the Middle East have been subjected to 20 attacks in the last 11 days. CNN reports it citing Pentagon sources.
01.51 am – New York Times: telephone blackout in Gaza, population in panic
Telephone lines in the Gaza Strip are on the verge of collapse. The New York Times reports it. The two largest Palestinian telephone companies, Jawwal and Paltel, said their internet and telephone services were blacked out. This situation is increasing panic among people, who feel isolated and under siege. Reached on Whatspapp, Belal Khaled, a Palestinian freelance photographer, described the scenes of panic among residents gathered at Nasser hospital. “People are scared, they feel in limbo, they don’t know what’s happening around them.”
01.09 am – Hamas: ready to react with “full force”
Hamas has said its militants in Gaza are ready to face Israeli attacks with “full force” after the Israeli army expanded air and ground attacks on the Palestinian enclave. The Israeli army has intensified bombing and is expanding ground operations in the Gaza Strip. A widespread series of explosions lit up the sky above Gaza City after dark and an Al Jazeera correspondent said northern Gaza was hit by airstrikes and artillery.
01.08 am – Unicef: another night of horror for a million children
«We have lost contact with our colleagues in Gaza. I am extremely concerned for their safety and for another night of unspeakable horror for a million children in Gaza. All humanitarians, children and families must be protected.” This is what Catherine Russell, Director General of Unicef, declared in a note regarding the evolution of the crisis in the Gaza Strip.
00.47 am – USA: very worried about possible escalation of war
The administration is “very concerned” about a possible escalation of the war between Israel and Hamas. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said this on CNN.
00.37 am – Hamas: no negotiations after the latest Israeli raids
“There were negotiations and also political efforts to reach an agreement” on the ceasefire and the exchange of prisoners, but “after Israel’s latest raids on Gaza” there are no more talks. This was stated by Hamas spokesman Osama Hamdan, quoted by al Jazeera.
00.35 am – Moscow: UN resolution on Gaza “triumph of common sense”
The resolution approved by the UN calling for a humanitarian truce in Gaza is “a triumph of common sense”. Thus Moscow’s representative to the United Nations, Vasily Nebenzya, quoted by Tass. “It is not the victory of some nations, it is a victory of common sense, justice and humanitarian aspects.”
00.35 am – Drone falls on Egyptian resort on the Red Sea, six injured
Two drones hit an Egyptian town on the Red Sea on the border with Israel, slightly injuring six people. An Israeli army spokesperson reported this on Facebook, explaining that an unidentified drone crashed into “a building near the Taba hospital”, in the tourist center of the same name, just across the border from the Israeli town of Eilat. And he then clarified that there had been “two drones coming from the south of the Red Sea”, which is located off the coast of Yemen. “One crashed in Taba and the other was targeted outside Egyptian airspace in the Gulf of Aqaba,” with some debris hitting an uninhabited area. The Israeli military said its air force countered an “air threat” and intercepted “hostile targets.” Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Lior Haiat accused Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen of launching drones at Israel.
00:31 – Hamas asks Hezbollah to intervene
A senior Hamas official has called on Hezbollah and other allies to play a bigger role in the conflict between Israel and the Islamist movement. Ghazi Hamad said in an interview with the Associated Press that “we appreciate that Hezbollah is working against the occupation, but we need more to stop the aggression in Gaza. We expect more.”
00.30 – The UN assembly calls for a truce between Israel and Hamas, Italy abstains. Riyadh: «An invasion would be a catastrophe»
(Viviana Mazza, correspondent in New York) “We do not draw red lines for Israel,” White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said last night. «We will continue to support them» but «as we have done from the beginning we will continue to have a dialogue with them about the way they do things».
(…) Meanwhile, however, the United Nations General Assembly, with a non-binding resolution presented by 22 Arab countries, has called for an immediate and lasting “humanitarian truce” in Gaza which will lead to the suspension of the fighting. It was approved by 120 members against 14 and with 45 abstentions. Europe was divided: Italy and Germany abstained, France and Spain voted in favor while Austria against. This is the first response from the UN to the Hamas attack on 7 October and the Israeli military response, after four failed attempts by the Security Council.
However, an amendment presented by Canada and supported by the United States to condemn the “terrorist attacks” by Hamas and request the immediate release of the hostages was rejected. US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield joined Israel in expressing outrage at the failure to mention Hamas, saying it “damages” the two-state outlook. Hamas itself “welcomed” the resolution, asking for it to be implemented immediately.
Read the full article here.
00.30 – Oxfam: Gaza is isolated, civilians killed and war crimes
«Right now the entire Gaza Strip is without internet or telephone lines. There is a total blackout while Israel is bombing the Strip by air and sea, announcing the start of a massive land invasion.” The NGO Oxfam writes this in relation to the situation in the Middle East. «Indiscriminate killings of civilians which are a war crime are taking place before our eyes – they add from Oxfam. The population of Gaza is hit without having any chance of saving themselves. Nobody will be able to tell. If we don’t want to be complicit, we must raise our voices now and stop them”, is the appeal of the NGO.
00:24 – Hamas wants a truce and proposes an exchange of prisoners
Hamas would like a truce of a few days and is asking for the release of its supporters in Israeli prisons in exchange for 100 Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip. This was reported by the Palestinian agency Maan cited by the Russian agency Tass.
00:23 – The US embassy in Beirut invites compatriots to “leave Lebanon immediately”
The American embassy in Beirut invites compatriots to “immediately leave the country”. He reports this to Arabiya.
00:21 – UN resolution, Italy abstained “because the condemnation of Hamas was missing”
«Italy abstained» on the UN resolution for the truce in Gaza «because while on the one hand it recognizes the efforts of the Arab parties», these «were not enough to vote in favour. It lacks unequivocal condemnation of Hamas’ attacks on Israel, it lacks recognition of the right to defend itself of every state under attack, in this case Israel, and it does not mention the request for the immediate and unconditional release of the hostages of 7 October.” Ambassador Maurizio Massari, Italian permanent representative to the UN, said this.
2023-10-28 03:33:45
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