Hundreds feared dead or injured after Gaza hospital strike; Biden to meet regional leaders
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China and Russia harden positions on Gaza as war stirs geopolitical tensions
Conflict highlights growing gulf with west, as other big developing powers face difficult diplomatic choices
China and Russia have hardened their positions towards the conflict in Gaza in recent days, as the war between Israel and Hamas aggravates existing geopolitical tensions and underscores the growing gulf between the cold war allies and western powers such as the US, UK and France.
The Chinese foreign minister said over the weekend that Israel’s bombing campaign had gone “beyond the scope of self-defence” and that it “should stop collective punishment of the people of Gaza”.
Continue reading...Iran warns of ‘pre-emptive action’ as Gaza ground assault looms
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Here are some of the latest pictures from Gaza sent through on the wires:
A few hours ago, Israel Defence Forces spokesperson Jonathan Conricus gave an update on the conflict in which he denied that Israel was targeting civilians in Gaza.
Continue reading...Hamas and Israel at war: what we know on day 10
Israel evacuates 28 settlements near Lebanon, as number of known hostages taken by Hamas rises to 199; Palestinian death toll from Israeli airstrikes reaches at least 2,750
Continue reading...Israel denies report of ceasefire in southern Gaza
Hamas official also reportedly denies temporary ceasefire is in place – and says border crossing to Egypt remains closed
The Israeli government has denied having agreed a ceasefire in southern Gaza to allow humanitarian aid in and for some people to leave.
The office of the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, issued a one-line statement on Monday morning, saying: “There is no ceasefire.” A Hamas official, Izzat El Reshiq, also told the Reuters news agency the border crossing at Rafah between Egypt and Gaza remained closed and denied a temporary ceasefire was in place.
Continue reading...White House seeks weapons package for Israel amid ‘real risk of escalation’
National security adviser says deployment of USS Eisenhower is to send message that ‘no group should seek to exploit the situation’
Joe Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan toured the US Sunday morning shows to sell White House policy on the conflict between Israel and Hamas as Israeli forces massed on the border ahead of an expected ground incursion into Gaza amid a deepening humanitarian crisis there and fears over the conflict spreading.
Responding to an Axios report that Iran warned Israel through the United Nations that it will intervene if the Israeli operation in Gaza continues, Sullivan told ABC’s “This Week” that he could not confirm it.
But, he said, the US is “concerned” about the conflict spreading. “We see a real risk of escalation on the northern border and that is why President Biden has been so clear and so forceful in saying that no state and no group should seek to exploit the situation to their advantage or should escalate the conflict.”
The deployment of the USS Eisenhower from the US to the region is “to give additional capacity to respond to any contingency and also to send a clear message of deterrence that no one should get involved in this, no one should escalate this”, he added.
Hamas holding up to 10 Britons hostage in Gaza, says foreign secretary
James Cleverly says updated figure of those captured in attack on Israel is ‘not an unreasonable estimate’
Up to 10 Britons are being held hostage by Hamas in Gaza, the foreign secretary has said, higher than previous informal estimates.
Israel estimates that 126 people from different countries are being held hostage, with reports previously suggesting six of those taken were British. Up to 17 British people, including children, are thought to be dead or missing since the conflict began last weekend.
Continue reading...Israel-Hamas war: Biden says Gaza occupation would be ‘big mistake’ – as it happened
This blog is now closed. Follow live updates from the Israel-Hamas war in our new blog here
Israel’s actions in Gaza have gone “beyond the scope of self-defence” and the Israeli government must “cease its collective punishment of the people of Gaza”, China’s foreign minister said in remarks published on Sunday.
Wang Yi’s remarks – made on a call to his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, on Saturday – came as Israel appeared poised for a ground offensive in Gaza against Hamas, Agence France-Presse reports
It should listen earnestly to the calls of the international community and the UN secretary general, and cease its collective punishment of the people of Gaza.
Continue reading...Israel confirms 155 people being held hostage by Hamas
Among the hostages are an 83-year-old Israeli journalist who was taken from his home in kibbutz Nir Oz
The Israeli military has confirmed 155 people who are being held as hostages by Hamas following its deadly attack on 7 October.
Among the hostages are an 83-year-old Israeli journalist who was taken from his home in kibbutz Nir Oz with his 85-year-old partner, who had worked for decades for peace and the recognition of Palestinian rights.
Continue reading...Hamas and Israel at war: what we know on day nine
Netanyahu promises to ‘dismantle’ Hamas; IDF confirms 126 Israeli hostages are being held in Gaza; death toll in Gaza stands at over 2,300 as humanitarian aid remains blocked at Rafah crossing
Continue reading...Egypt moves troops to Gaza border amid fears of expulsion of Palestinians
Cairo says any move by Israel to push refugees over frontier would breach international law and be a security risk for the country
Egypt is stepping up its military presence at its Rafah border crossing with Gaza, with fears that Israel intends to push hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees over the frontier into the Sinai desert.
Cairo has said the expulsion of so many Palestinians from their homes would be in breach of international law, and a national security risk for Egypt that is liable to bankrupt the country’s ailing economy. Palestinians themselves, and other Arab states, fear refugees would never be allowed back to their homes.
Continue reading...Australia could use military flights to evacuate people from Israel, deputy PM says
Richard Marles said defence flights had ‘greater flexibility’ and could be arranged, after civilian repatriation flights were cancelled
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The Australian government is investigating using military aircraft to evacuate hundreds of its citizens wanting to leave Israel.
The deputy prime minister, Richard Marles, said on Sunday there were around 10,000 Australians in Israel with the number of those who had registered for evacuation numbering in the “high hundreds”.
Continue reading...Florida governor Ron DeSantis rejects idea of Palestinian refugees in US
At event in Iowa, governor conflates Palestinian civilians with Hamas, the terrorist group that attacked Israel a week ago
Republican presidential candidate and Florida governor Ron DeSantis has rejected accepting Palestinian refugees from Gaza to the US, speaking at a campaign rally in the US midwest on Saturday.
“We cannot accept people from Gaza into this country as refugees,” he said. “If you look how they behave … not all of them are Hamas but they are all antisemitic, none of them believe in Israel’s right to exist.”
Continue reading...Aid flights land in Egypt amid efforts to open safe corridors into Gaza
No agreement by Saturday night on how to bring aid to trapped Palestinians before Israel’s expected ground assault
Aid flights have been arriving in Egypt’s Sinai peninsula with relief supplies for Gaza, amid diplomatic efforts to open humanitarian corridors into the besieged Palestinian enclave.
The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, said during a tour of the region that the US was seeking agreement on establishing aid routes and safe zones. But by Saturday night, there was still no agreement on how to bring aid to the 2 million Palestinians under bombardment, as Israel laid the ground for an invasion of Gaza a week after a Hamas attack in which 1,300 Israelis and foreign nationals, mostly civilians, were murdered.
Continue reading...US has seen increase in domestic threats since Hamas attacks in Israel, FBI says
Director Christopher Wray cautioned police vigilance and encouraged police chiefs to continue sharing information
FBI director Christopher Wray has reiterated part of an FBI statement that the US domestic security agency does not have “specific and credible intelligence indicating a threat to the United States stemming from the Hamas attacks in Israel”.
Speaking from prepared remarks at the International Association of Chiefs of Police conference in San Diego, Wray acknowledged an increase in domestic threats due to the “heightened environment”, calling for increased vigilance and requesting that police continue to share intelligence.
Continue reading...‘The next stage is coming’: Israel issues warning as residents flee Gaza assault
US urges restraint amid bombing of civilian evacuation convoy that left a reported 70 people dead, including women and children
Desperate Gaza City residents fled south in cars and lorries, carts and on foot on Saturday, risking death by airstrikes on the road to escape the even greater threat of an imminent Israeli ground attack on the north of the besieged enclave.
The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, told troops massed in southern Israel that “the next stage is coming”, in a video shared by his office. The Israeli military announced on Saturday evening that it was preparing “significant ground operations”.
Continue reading...Sunak promises Israel ‘unqualified support in face of evil’ – but makes no mention of Gaza’s plight
Keir Starmer also backs Israel but issues call for all parties to act in line with international law
Rishi Sunak has voiced “unequivocal” UK support for Israel “not just today, not just tomorrow, but always” in a lengthy statement to mark one week since Hamas militants murdered 1,300 Israeli civilians and soldiers, and took more than 150 people hostage. The prime minister’s remarks – in which he makes no mention of the plight of innocent Palestinians now trapped in Gaza, or the need for their safe evacuation – come amid growing political tensions in the UK over how to respond to Israel’s retaliatory bombing of Gaza, and its orders to more than 1 million Palestinians to flee their homes for their own safety.
Senior Labour figures believe the Conservatives are deliberately trying to paint them as less supportive of Israel, and to suggest that some on the left of the party are somehow sympathetic to Hamas and antisemitic, because they are pro-Palestinian.
Continue reading...Tens of thousands of protesters across UK call for a free Palestine
Fifteen arrested at march in London, while demonstrations also take place in Manchester, Liverpool, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen
Tens of thousands of people have marched through cities across the UK calling for a free Palestine as tensions grew over an impending Israeli ground offensive in Gaza.
Protesters gathered in Manchester, Liverpool, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and London, carrying flags and flares and calling for world leaders to condemn the actions of the Israeli army.
Continue reading...Israel-Hamas war live: Syria says Aleppo airport hit as Israel prepares ground invasion of Gaza
Israeli PM posts video to troops saying ‘we are all ready’
Families, festivalgoers, soldiers and foreigners were among those killed in Hamas attacks last weekend. Here are some of their stories:
The bodies of several Israelis have been retrieved by the Israeli military after its forces entered the Gaza Strip, according to a report by Haaretz. The families of the individuals, who had been missing since Hamas attacks last Saturday, have been notified, it said.
Continue reading...BBC building sprayed with red paint in ‘protest over Israel-Hamas coverage’
Palestine Action says it was behind incident in London, accusing BBC of ‘manufacturing consent for Israel’s war crimes’
A pro-Palestinian protest group has claimed responsibility for throwing red paint over the BBC’s headquarters, accusing the broadcaster of having “blood on its hands” over its coverage of the Israel-Hamas war.
The organisation Palestine Action identified itself as being behind the incident, which took place early on Saturday morning at Broadcasting House. It alleged that the broadcaster was “manufacturing consent for Israel’s war crimes”.
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