Israel-Hamas war, day 10 updates | Hamas holding 250 Israeli captives as Gaza’s limited water supply raises concerns

Doubling down on the hardline immigration policies that have long animated his base, former President Donald Trump on Monday vowed to bar refugees from Gaza and immediately expand his first-term Muslim travel ban if he wins a second term following the deadly attack on Israel last week.

Mr. Trump, speaking to supporters in Iowa, said that if he returns to the Oval Office, he will immediately begin “ideological screening” for all immigrants and bar those who sympathise with Hamas and Muslim extremists. - AP

The U.N. Security Council met Monday evening to vote on rival Russian and Brazilian resolutions that reflect deep divisions over the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the latest Hamas’ attacks and Israeli retaliation.

But immediately after the meeting was gaveled to order, the United Arab Emirates ambassador, Lana Nusseibeh, asked for members to go into closed consultations, and the 15 council ambassadors left the room. Several diplomats said they wanted a delay in the vote, especially on the Brazil resolution. - AP

Hundreds of Israeli high-tech experts have temporarily put their private sector jobs aside to help locate Israelis missing after last week’s attack by the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Hamas gunmen evaded heavy Israeli security measures to escape the Gaza Strip and storm Israeli towns and kibbutzes, killing 1,300 people and taking almost 200 into captivity. In response, Israel has bombarded Gaza for days, killing more than 2,700 Palestinians while its troops prepare a ground assault. - AFP

Iran warned Monday of a possible “pre-emptive action” against Israel “in the coming hours”, as Israel readies for a ground offensive on the Gaza Strip.

Tehran has repeatedly warned that a ground invasion of the long-blockaded Gaza would be met with a response from other fronts -- prompting fears of a wider conflict that could draw in other countries. - AFP

Former Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal said on Monday the group’s Israeli captives include high-ranking officers from the Gaza Division.

Meshaal, who heads Hamas’ diaspora office, also said the group will spare no effort in using the captives as leverage to free 6,000 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons, Hamas’ telegram channel quoted him as telling AlAraby TV in an interview. - Reuters

A lack of clean water in the Gaza Strip is raising major concerns for human health. “Gaza is running out of water, and Gaza is running out of life,” said Philippe Lazzarini, chief of the U.N. agency for Palestinians.

Gaza normally gets its water supplies from a combination of sources, including a pipeline from Israel, desalination plants on the Mediterranean Sea and wells. Those supplies were slashed when Israel cut off water, along with the fuel and electricity that power water and sewage plants, in the wake of the Hamas attacks. - AP

The threat of an Israeli ground invasion of the blockaded Gaza Strip “doesn’t scare us and we are ready for it”, Abu Obeideh, the spokesman of Hamas’s military wing, said Monday.

In a televised statement, he said Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades were holding 200 people captive since a massive onslaught on Israel’s south on October 7, with about 50 others held by other “resistance factions and in other places”. - AFP

Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group said Monday it has started destroying surveillance cameras on several Israeli army posts along the border as tension rose following the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war.

Hezbollah’s military media arm released a video showing snipers shooting at and destroying surveillance cameras placed on five points along the Lebanon-Israel border including one outside the Israeli town of Metula.

The militant group appears to want to prevent the Israeli army from monitoring movements on the Lebanese side of the border after days of fire exchange that left at least seven people dead, including four Hezbollah fighters, on the Lebanese side.

Since the Oct. 7 attack by the Palestinian militant Hamas group on southern Israel that killed more than 1,400 Israeli civilians and troops, tension has been on the rise along the Lebanon-Israel border. Hezbollah fighters fired anti-tank missiles on Israeli army positions and Israeli troops shelled border areas on the Lebanese side of the border.

Israel and Hezbollah are bitter enemies that fought a monthlong war in the summer of 2006. Israel considers the Iran-backed Shiite militant group its most serious immediate threat, estimating that Hezbollah has around 150,000 rockets and missiles aimed at Israel. -- AP

U.S. President Joe Biden abruptly cancelled a domestic political trip to meet with his national security team Monday as he weighed an invitation to go to Israel to show support as it wages war against Hamas.

Mr. Biden was due to visit Colorado but stayed at the White House at the last minute for briefings amid mounting fears the conflict could escalate into a wider Middle East war.

The White House confirmed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had invited Biden following the deadly October 7 Hamas attack on Israel that killed more than 1,400 people, but said there were no travel plans yet. - AFP

Hospitals in Gaza faced collapse as water, power and medicine neared depletion, and hundreds of thousands of Palestinians searched for dwindling food supplies while Israel maintained punishing airstrikes in retaliation for last week’s deadly rampage by Hamas.

Thousands of patients’ lives were at risk, U.N. officials said, and mediators struggled for a cease-fire to let in aid waiting at the Egyptian border. - AP

A spokesperson for Israel’s military said on Monday that a visit by U.S. President Joe Biden to Israel would have “strategic importance.”

Asked by reporters about a possible visit by Biden, which Israeli media has reported could happen this week, Israeli military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said a “visit by the president of the United States has strategic importance.”

“Its strategic importance is for the entire Middle East, and the impact in which the highest level figure in the United States comes to Israel in time of war,” Hagari said. -- Reuters

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday called Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu for the first time since the deadly Hamas attack, and briefed him on several talks with leaders from the region and Palestinian Authority.

“The Israeli side was in particular informed of the essential points of telephone correspondences that took place today with the leaders of Palestine, Egypt, Iran and Syria,” the Kremlin said in a statement.

- AFP

The European Union will launch a humanitarian air corridor to Gaza through Egypt with the first flights expected this week, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on Monday.

“Palestinians in Gaza are in need of humanitarian help and aid. That is why we are launching an EU humanitarian air bridge to Gaza through Egypt. The first two flights will start this week,” von der Leyen told a press conference in the Albanian capital Tirana, where she attended a regional Balkan summit.

- AFP

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Monday confirmed media reports he would travel to Israel and Egypt this week in the wake of the deadly attack by Hamas militants.

“It is important to me to also express my solidarity with Israel very practically with my visit,” he told reporters, while confirming a “later trip” to Egypt.

- AFP

Lebanese authorities should take all necessary measures to avert a war with Israel, France’s Foreign Minister said in Beirut on Monday, following repeated exchanges of fire along the shared frontier.

“Lebanese officials have a responsibility... to do everything possible to prevent Lebanon from being dragged into a spiral,” Catherine Colonna told a press conference, adding that, no group “should take advantage” of the situation.

- AFP

The head of Israel’s Shin Bet domestic intelligence agency on Monday took responsibility for failing to prevent Hamas from carrying out its deadly rampage through Israeli towns.

“Despite a series of actions we carried out, unfortunately, on Saturday we were unable to generate sufficient warning that would allow the attack to be thwarted,” said Shin Bet director Ronen Bar in a statement.

“As the one who heads the organization, the responsibility for this is on me. There will be time for investigations. Now we fight.”

- Reuters

The area of the Rafah border crossing between the blockaded Gaza Strip and Egypt was hit Monday in a military strike, AFP correspondents said, as hundreds of Palestinians gathered hoping to cross.

The area of the shuttered crossing point in Gaza’s south had been hit at least three times last week by Israeli air strikes after Gaza-based Hamas militants attacked southern Israel on October 7 triggered all-out war.

- AFP

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday warned about the possibility of a “catastrophic increase” in civilian victims in the Gaza Strip from the Israel-Hamas war.

Following calls with several Middle East leaders, Mr. Putin also said there was a risk the conflict could become a “regional war”, the Kremlin said in a statement.

- AFP

Israel’s Defence Minister told visiting U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday to expect a long but successful campaign against Hamas militants.

“Let me tell you, Mr. Secretary, this will be a long war, the price will be high, but we are going to win -- for Israel, for the Jewish people and for the values that both countries believe in,” Defence Minister Yoav Gallant told Blinken at the defence ministry in Tel Aviv.

- AFP

European Union leaders will hold an emergency summit on Tuesday as concern mounts that the war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas could fuel inter-communal tensions in Europe and bring more refugees in search of sanctuary.

The leaders will also attempt to restore some order after a series of social media messages, statements and visits by EU officials sowed confusion about the 27-nation bloc’s intentions after Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7, triggering a new war in Gaza.

- AP

Iran on Monday said time was running short to reach a political solution in the Israel-Gaza conflict, warning of the “possibility of expanding the scope of war and conflict to other fronts”.

Iran celebrated the Hamas assault but insisted it was not involved.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on Monday held phone calls with his Russian and Turkish counterparts, during which he “warned against the continuation of crimes by the Zionist regime”, the president’s political deputy, Mohammad Jamshidi, said on X, formerly Twitter.

- AFP

Lebanon’s Hezbollah said it targeted five Israeli positions in northern Israel on Monday, as a security source in Lebanon and Hezbollah’s al-Manar television reported Israeli shelling into northern Lebanon.

The Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israel have been exchanging fire across the Lebanese-Israeli frontier for days, in violence touched off by the war between Israel and the Iran-backed Palestinian group Hamas.

- Reuters

The U.K. will increase its humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people by a third, sending an extra £10 million ($12 million), Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced Monday.

“An acute humanitarian crisis is unfolding to which we must respond. We must support the Palestinian people because they are victims of Hamas too,” he told Parliament.

- AFP

Rocket alert sirens blared Monday in Jerusalem and several blasts were heard in the city, AFP correspondents said, amid the war raging with Hamas militants in Gaza.

The army confirmed “sirens sounding in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem”, Israel’s biggest cities, while a parliament meeting starting the legislative winter session was interrupted by the rocket

- AFP

The World Health Organization on Monday warned there were only “24 hours of water, electricity and fuel left” in the Gaza Strip before “a real catastrophe” sets in.

WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Ahmed Al-Mandhari said the bombarded, besieged territory must be allowed to receive convoys of aid, currently stuck at the Rafah border crossing with Egypt.

If assistance does not arrive, doctors will have to “prepare death certificates for their patients”, he told AFP.

- AFP

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warns Iran and Hezbollah not to “test us” in the north.

Netanyahu gave a speech in the Israeli Knesset on Monday in which he said the world needed to unit to defeat Hamas. He said “this war is also your war,” and he compared Hamas to the Nazis.

Palestinians in besieged Gaza crowded into hospitals and schools on Monday, seeking shelter and running low on food and water.

- AP

Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to call Israeli and Arab leaders, his adviser said, amid Russian fears Israel’s Gaza offensive could trigger wider conflict in the region.

Russia has repeatedly called for talks on ending the conflict, which has strained relations with long-time partner Israel and complicated ties with Iran, which backs militant group Hamas.

“The President has already spoken to the president of Syria and the president of Iran,” Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency.

- AFP

Leaders in Qatar and Kuwait received invitations Monday for a summit in Cairo to be held on Saturday to “discuss developments and the future of the Palestinian cause and the peace process”.

State media in both countries announced the invitations a day after Cairo announced its intention to host “a regional and international summit on the future of the Palestinian cause”, during a visit by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

- AFP

The U.N. humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths said he would be heading to the Middle East on Tuesday to try to help negotiate aid access to the Gaza Strip.

Mr. Griffiths said he was hoping to hear some “good news” later Monday on aid access into the blockaded and besieged Palestinian enclave via the Rafah border crossing with Egypt.

“We need access for aid. We are in deep discussions with the Israelis, with the Egyptians and with others,” Mr. Griffiths said in a video statement, adding that the process had been “hugely helped” by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to countries in the Middle East.

“I shall be going myself tomorrow to the region to try to help in the negotiations, to try to bear witness and to express solidarity with the extraordinary courage of the many thousands of aid workers who have stayed the course,” he said.

- AFP

A ship evacuating U.S. nationals from Israel left for Cyprus from the Israeli port of Haifa Monday as war raged between Israel and Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip.

With Israel now moving towards a ground invasion of the Palestinian enclave, the U.S. embassy had on Sunday urged its “citizens and their immediate family members with a valid travel document” to depart from Haifa on Monday.

The cruise ship is expected to reach the southern port city of Limassol on Tuesday morning, Cypriot foreign ministry spokesperson Theodoros Gotsis told local media.

- AFP

Russia on Monday renewed calls for an “immediate ceasefire” in the Israel-Gaza conflict, urging leaders to start negotiations on ending hostilities.

“The main thing now in this environment is to immediately cease fire and start the process of political settlement,” Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency.

- AFP

Palestinians in besieged Gaza crowded into hospitals and schools on Monday, seeking shelter and running low on food and water. More than a million people have fled their homes ahead of an expected Israeli ground invasion aimed at destroying Hamas after its fighters rampaged through southern Israel.

As the enclave’s food, water and medicine supplies dwindled, all eyes were on the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt, where trucks carrying badly needed aid have been waiting for days as mediators press for a cease-fire that would allow them enter Gaza and allow foreigners to leave. Rafah, Gaza’s only connection to Egypt, was shut down nearly a week ago because of Israeli airstrikes.

Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said Israel “has not taken a position to open the crossing from the Gaza side.” The Israeli government did not respond to a request for comment.

- AP

President Joe Biden has postponed a trip to Colorado Monday to stay in Washington and focus on the growing conflict in the Middle East.

Mr. Biden is expected to hold a series of high-level meetings with aides on Israel and the growing humanitarian concerns in Gaza, as he weighs a decision to visit the region in a powerful symbol of support for Israel following the October 7 attack by Hamas that killed more than 1,400 people including at least 30 U.S. citizens.

- AP

The evacuation flight on an Airbus A340, carrying 127 men, two women and a girl, was the first of a planned six flights by Thailand’s air force. Small batches of evacuees had previously arrived on commercial flights.

As of Saturday, 7,058 Thais in Israel had registered for voluntary repatriation, while 83 indicated their intention to remain in Israel, according to the Thai Foreign Ministry. Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said Sunday that 28 Thais are reported to have been killed in the attack on southern Israel by Hamas, and another 17 abducted.

There are about 30,000 Thai workers in Israel, mostly employed as agricultural labourers, and some 5,000 have been working in the area that was affected by the violence.

- AP

The WHO, in comments to The Associated Press, reiterated calls for the immediate and safe delivery of medical supplies, fuel, clean water and food, and other humanitarian aid into Gaza through Rafah crossing.

The crossing was closed because of airstrikes earlier in the war, and U.S. has been trying to broker a deal to reopen the crossing to allow foreigners to leave and allow in humanitarian aid amassed on the Egyptian side.

It expressed concern about limited water and sanitation in the territory, particularly at hospitals where patients’ lives can be lost due to infection and disease outbreaks. WHO said four hospitals in northern Gaza are no longer functioning as a result of damage and 21 hospitals are under an Israeli evacuation order.

- AP

Norway Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt said that “the situation in Gaza is unclear and is getting worse with every passing hour.”

Speaking of leaving Gaza via the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, Ms. Huitfeldt said “We cannot guarantee that it will be possible for Norwegian citizens to cross (there). The border can be both opened and closed at short notice.”

The possibilities to leave the area via Lebanon “have been limited in a short time,” Ms. Huitfeldt said because “several airlines have stopped their flights.”

- AP

The U.N. agency said in a statement Monday that it “has expedited the delivery of critical medical supplies to Lebanon in order to be ready to respond to any potential health crisis.”

Two shipments containing “enough surgical and trauma medicines and supplies to meet the needs of 800 to 1,000 injured patients” arrived in Beirut from Dubai Monday the statement said.

Lebanon’s health system has been overstretched since the country fell into a severe economic crisis four years ago. Many medical professionals have left the country and hospitals have faced supply and equipment shortages.

- AP

Hezbollah’s military media arm released a video Monday showing snipers destroying surveillance cameras placed on five points along the Lebanon-Israel border, including one outside the Israeli town of Metula.

Hezbollah’s aim appears to be to prevent the Israeli army from monitoring movements on the Lebanese side of the border.

- AP

Israel’s Kan radio reported that residents in the northern city of Metulla, near the Lebanese border, were being ordered to hole up indoors due to a possible armed infiltration. - Reuters

Germany on Monday warned Iran not to further inflame the conflict between Israel and Islamist militant group Hamas after the country’s foreign minister met with high-ranking Hamas officials.

“Anyone who wants to play with fire in this situation and pour oil on the fire or ignite it in any other way should really think twice because we are facing a potentially major regional conflict,” foreign ministry spokesman Sebastian Fischer said. - AFP

Eleven Palestinian journalists have been killed in the war in Gaza since Israel launched its blistering air campaign on the coastal enclave, the Palestinian journalists’ union said Monday.

Twenty other journalists have also been injured in the conflict since it erupted on October 7 after Hamas militants carried out a deadly attack on Israel that triggered a devastating war. - AFP

At least 50 people were detained for protesting against Israel’s war against Hamas at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar on Monday, police said.

According to police, a call was given by different organisations including the leftist All India Students’ Association to hold a protest denouncing Israel’s attack on Gaza Strip.

“Over 100 persons had gathered at the Jantar-Mantar to protest. Since the protesters did not have permission, they were detained. Heavy police force deployment has been arranged to maintain law and order conditions,” a police officer said.

The Delhi Police detained the protesters as soon as they reached the spot and pushed them into police buses. - PTI

A SpiceJet aircraft that operated a flight from the national capital to Tel Aviv on October 16 is facing a technical issue and the plane has been taken to Jordan to rectify the problem, according to sources.

SpiceJet had operated the flight, with an A340 aircraft, under Operation Ajay.

On October 16, the sources said that after landing at Tel Aviv, a technical issue was detected in the aircraft. To rectify the problem, the plane has been taken to Jordan, which was the nearest place that has the facilities to look into the issue, they added.

There was no immediate comment from SpiceJet. — PTI

he Israeli military on Monday raised the figure to 199 people confirmed to have been abduced by Hamas to the Gaza Strip in the militants’ cross-border attacks which sparked a devastating war.

“We have updated the families of 199 hostages,” military spokesman Daniel Hagari told a media briefing, revising up an earlier figure of 155 captives.

Israelis and foreigners are among those abducted in the Hamas assault on October 7. - AFP

The U.S. State Department says the number of Americans killed since the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas has risen to 30.

“At this time, we can confirm the deaths of 30 U.S. citizens. We extend our deepest condolences to the victims and to the families of all those affected,” the State Department said in a statement released Sunday. The U.S. is also aware of 13 missing citizens and has been in contact with their families. - AP

The Canadian government has confirmed the death of a fifth citizen in Israel after a series of attacks by Hamas militants.

Separately, Canadians in the besieged Gaza Strip have no way to leave.

Global Affairs Canada says three other Canadians who were in Israel when the attacks happened Oct. 7 are still missing. Officials did not provide details of the fifth person who died or those who are missing, citing privacy considerations.

Julie Sunday, an assistant deputy minister with Global Affairs Canada, says the government is still working to get up to 300 Canadians and their relatives out of Gaza as Israel gears up for an expected ground invasion.

European Union leaders will hold an emergency summit on Tuesday as concerns grow that the war between Israel and Hamas could fuel inter-communal tensions in Europe and bring more refugees in search of sanctuary.

“This conflict has many consequences, including for us in the European Union,” EU Council President Charles Michel said in a video statement announcing that he had convened the virtual meeting. - AP

Denying media reports on ceasefire in southern Gaza to allow Rafah border crossing, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said: “At the moment there is no ceasefire for humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip and the exit of foreigners.”

Earlier, the Reuters news agency, citing two Egyptian security officials, said Israel agreed to halt fire from 9 a.m. in a deal agreed on with Egypt and the US.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov discussed the worsening conflict in the Middle East with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing, Mr. Lavrov’s ministry said on Monday.

“A thorough exchange of views took place on a wide range of international and regional issues, including the sharply aggravated situation in the Middle East,” Russia’s foreign ministry said.

During the bilateral talks, Mr. Lavrov and Mr. Wang Yi also discussed the military conflict in Ukraine and efforts to resolve it through “political and diplomatic methods”, the ministry said.

-Reuters

Israel’s army said Monday it was evacuating residents living along its northern border with Lebanon amid rising tensions there 10 days into the war.

An Israeli civilian and an army officer were killed Sunday in missile attacks from Lebanon, and the army carried out retaliatory strikes and attacked infrastructure of the Hezbollah militant group.

The Israeli army Monday noted in a statement “the implementation of a plan to evacuate residents of northern Israel who live in the area up to two kilometres from the Lebanese border to state-funded guesthouses”.

The move affects thousands of people living in 28 communities.

-AFP

Egypt, Israel and the U.S. agreed to a ceasefire in southern Gaza beginning at 0600 GMT coinciding with the re-opening of the Rafah border crossing, two Egyptian security sources said on Monday.

The sources said the ceasefire would last for several hours but they were not clear on the exact duration. They also said the three countries had agreed that Rafah would be open until 1400 GMT on Monday as a one-day initial re-opening.

Rafah, which is on the border between Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula and Hamas-governed Gaza, is the only crossing into the territory not controlled by Israel.

-Reuters

The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, which has the largest U.N. footprint in the Gaza Strip, has warned that it is on the “verge of collapse” and was even running out of body bags.

“As I speak with you, Gaza is running out of water and electricity. In fact, Gaza is being strangled and it seems that the world right now has lost its humanity,” United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said on the situation in the Gaza Strip on Sunday.

“Gaza is now even running out of body bags. Entire families are being ripped apart,” he said.

-PTI

A 58-year-old man was arrested for allegedly posting a video on social media in support of the terrorist organisation Hamas, the Mangaluru City police said on Monday. Police said Zakir recorded the video urging people to pray for Hamas by calling them patriots. The video, which was initially posted on a WhatsApp group, has gone viral and was widely shared on social media.

Police said the accused works in a burial ground and is a member of Vishwa Khabarastan Sangha.

The Mangaluru North police have registered a case after the video spread on social media. He was arrested on Sunday.

-PTI

China prepared on Monday to host representatives of 130 countries for a forum that will be overshadowed by the Israel-Gaza war, as an increasingly assertive Beijing is asked to help de-escalate the violence.

At the top of the invite list to China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) forum is Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, on his first trip to a major global power since the Ukraine invasion threw his regime into international isolation.

While China hopes the forum will help boost its standing as a leading global power, Israel’s war with Palestinian militant organisation Hamas will continue to dominate the headlines.

Read the full story here.

More than one million people have been forced from their homes in the northern Gaza Strip since Israel began its bombardment against Hamas, the UN said on Sunday, warning of dire conditions on the ground.

The relentless bombing since against those who masterminded the attack have flattened neighbourhoods and left at least 2,670 people dead in the Gaza Strip, the majority ordinary Palestinians.

But as Israel seeks to avenge the worst attack in its history, the Arab League and African Union warned the invasion could lead to “a genocide of unprecedented proportions”.

Read the full story here.

U.N. chief Antonio Guterres has called on Hamas to immediately release all hostages without conditions and urged Israel to allow rapid and unimpeded access to humanitarian aid for civilians in the Gaza Strip.

“In this dramatic moment, as we are on the verge of the abyss in the Middle East, it is my duty as Secretary-General of the United Nations to make two strong humanitarian appeals,” Mr. Guterres said here in a statement on Sunday.

The UN Secretary-General appealed to Hamas that it must release all hostages immediately without conditions. “To Israel, rapid and unimpeded access for humanitarian aid must be granted for humanitarian supplies and workers for the sake of the civilians in Gaza,” he said.

-AP

Police charged a 71-year-old suburban Chicago man Sunday with a hate crime for fatally stabbing a 6-year-old boy and seriously wounding a 32-year-old woman, alleging he singled out both victims because of their Islamic faith and as a response to the war between Israel and Hamas.

Read the full story here.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to meet this week with Chinese leaders in Beijing on a visit that underscores China’s economic and diplomatic support for Moscow during its war in Ukraine.

The two countries have forged an informal alliance against the United States and other democratic nations that’s now complicated by the Israel-Hamas war. China has sought to balance its ties with Israel with its economic relations with Iran and Syria, which are strongly backed by Russia.

-AP

Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley slammed Islamic countries for not opening up their gates for civilians from Gaza who are seeking to flee their homes in the face of an imminent ground invasion by Israel.

“We should care about the Palestinian citizens, especially the innocent ones, because they didn’t ask for this. But where are the Arab countries? Where are they? Where is Qatar? Where is Lebanon? Where is Jordan? Where is Egypt? Do you know we give Egypt over a billion dollars a year? Why aren’t they opening the gates? Why aren’t they taking the Palestinians?” Ms. Haley said in a TV interview.

“You know why? Because they know they can’t vet them, and they don’t want Hamas in their neighbourhood. So why would Israel want them in their neighbourhood? So let’s be honest with what’s going on. The Arab countries aren’t doing anything to help the Palestinians because they don’t trust who is right, who is good, who is evil, and they don’t want it in their country,” she said.

-PTI

The surprise attack launched by Hamas on Israel on October 7th has led many to draw parallels to an attack that happened 50 years ago - the Yom Kippur war

On October 6th, 1973, Egypt and Syria launched a coordinated attack on Israel on Yom Kippur, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar.

What was the Yom Kippur war and why is the current attack being compared to it?

Watch the video here.

What are the international laws when it comes to questions of war, civilian attacks, hostage-taking etc?

Is collective punishment for a crime conducted by specific persons legal?

Is the warning given by Israel to Gaza residents to evacuate adequate?

Read the explainer here.

Medics in Gaza warned Sunday that thousands could die as hospitals packed with wounded people ran desperately low on fuel and basic supplies. Palestinians in the besieged coastal enclave struggled to find food, water and safety ahead of an expected Israeli ground offensive in the war sparked by Hamas’ deadly attack.

Israeli forces, supported by a growing deployment of U.S. warships in the region, positioned themselves along Gaza’s border and drilled for what Israel said would be a broad campaign to dismantle the militant group.

Hospitals in Gaza are expected to run out of generator fuel within two days, endangering the lives of thousands of patients, according to the U.N. Gaza’s sole power plant shut down for lack of fuel after Israel completely sealed off the 40-kilometer (25-mile) long territory following the Hamas attack.

-AP

Who lost in this war? The people on both sides. Innocent civilian citizens would pay heavily for the bloodthirstiness of leaders on both sides. This is not to say that one is suggesting equal blame on both. But it is undeniable that the price for the war will be paid by ordinary people, writes Chinmaya R. Gharekhan, former Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations.

Read the opinion piece here.

Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas said Sunday that the policies and actions of Hamas “do not represent the Palestinian people”, the news agency Wafa reported.

The Palestinian Liberation Organisations (PLO) was the only legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, he added, during talks with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Wafa added.

- AFP

Read the full story here.