World News | Live Updates | Israel Bombards Gaza with Airstrikes and Readies Troops for a Ground Assault

Khan Younis, Oct 19 (AP) Israeli airstrikes on Gaza continue and Israel's defense minister has told troops to be ready for a ground assault on the Palestinian territory, although he has not said when that will begin.

More than 1 million Palestinians, roughly half of Gaza's population, have fled homes in the north and Gaza City after Israel told them to evacuate. The airstrikes early Thursday continued across the entire territory, including in areas in the south that Israel had declared as “safe zones.”

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The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that limited humanitarian aid would be allowed into Gaza from Egypt following a request from US President Joe Biden.

The war that began on October 7 after Hamas militants stormed into Israel, and Israel vowed to destroy the militant group, has become the deadliest of five Gaza wars for both sides. The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry said Thursday that 3,785 Palestinians have been killed and nearly 12,500 others have been wounded.

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More than 1,400 people in Israel have been killed, mostly in the initial attack. An Israeli military spokesperson said Thursday that the families of 206 people believed to have been captured by Hamas and taken into Gaza had been notified.

Currently:

1. EU demands Meta and TikTok detail efforts to curb disinformation from Israel-Hamas war.

2. Woman becomes Israeli folk hero for plying Hamas militants with snacks until rescue mission arrives.

3. Egypt and other Arab countries typically don't want to take in Palestinian refugees.

4. Relatives of people taken hostage by Hamas militants tell their stories as they hope for their safe return.

Here's what's happening in the latest Israel-Hamas war:

INDIA'S PM PROMISES AID FOR PALESTINIAN PEOPLE

New Delhi: India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday spoke to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and conveyed his condolences for the loss of civilian lives at the al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza.

“We will continue to send humanitarian assistance for the Palestinian people,” Modi said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

He said he “reiterated India's long-standing principled position on the Israel-Palestine issue.” At a briefing earlier, India's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said India was in favour of negotiations to establish a two-state solution, which allows for an independent Palestinian state.

Modi told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week that “the people of India stand in solidarity with Israel in this difficult hour.”

During the Cold War, India leaned heavily in favour of the Palestinians, but its ties to Israel have grown since 1992 when the two countries established diplomatic relations. In 2017, Modi became the first prime minister to visit Israel.

HUMANITARIAN AGENCIES PREPARE TO COORDINATE FLOW OF SUPPLIES TO GAZA

Zuwaida: Oxfam is working with other humanitarian agencies to provide a quick response when supplies begin flowing into Gaza.

Najla Shawa, a spokesman for Oxfam in Gaza, said they're waiting for a cease-fire to be able to provide assistance to people who have had electricity, food and fuel supplies cut off.

“This is going to be a big challenge because there's a lot to be done and we still don't have enough information about what's going to come in tomorrow,” Shawa told The Associated Press from Gaza on Thursday. Authorities have said the Egypt-Gaza border crossing in Rafah could open as soon as Friday.

Oxfam will probably focus on providing water and cash assistance once there's clarity on what's happening.

She said any response will take longer than usual because so many aid workers have been driven from their homes.

“All the team is displaced,” she said. “They're all in shelters and schools and different apartments. Nobody has full electricity. They hardly have maybe a few hours of electricity at best. So the situation is extremely challenging.”

UN TO INSPECT AID SHIPMENTS INTO GAZA UNDER ISRAEL-EGYPT DEAL

Cairo: A UN flag will be raised at the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza to protect against Israeli airstrikes under a UN-brokered deal between Israel and Egypt to allow aid into the Palestinian territory.

An Egyptian official and a European diplomat said observers from the UN will also inspect trucks carrying aid before crossing into Gaza.

They said the UN will oversee the aid, along with the Egyptians and Palestinian Red Crescent societies, to ensure it is given to civilians and not used by Palestinian militants.

The Egyptian official said they are still negotiating with Israel over allowing fuel into Gaza, where a shortage has forced the closure of multiple hospitals.

The official and the diplomat spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief media.

TURKISH OFFICIALS SAY ISRAEL WTHDRAWS DIPLOMATS CITING SAFETY

Ankara: Israel has withdrawn all of its diplomats from Turkey over concerns for their security, according to two Turkish officials.

The move follows a spate of protests outside Israeli diplomatic missions in Turkey after a blast at a Gaza hospital that killed hundreds of Palestinians. Some protesters tried to storm the ambassador's residence in Ankara and a building housing the consulate in Istanbul.

The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to make public statements, said diplomats including ambassador Irit Lillian have already left Turkey.

They insisted the diplomats had left over safety concerns and that their withdrawal was not political.

Turkey and Israel recently restored full diplomatic relations after withdrawing ambassadors in 2018 amid tensions sparked by the United States' decision to move its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.

WHO SAYS 5 TRUCKLOADS OF MEDICAL SUPPLIES READY FOR DELIVERY TO GAZA

Geneva: The World Health Organization says it's ready to enter Gaza with five truckloads of medical supplies if a border crossing with Egypt reopens on Friday.

Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Thursday that WHO was working with Egypt and Palestine Red Crescent Societies, and that “our trucks are loaded and ready to go” through the Rafah crossing from Egypt.

Dr. Teresa Zakaria, a WHO technical officer for health emergency interventions, said the UN health agency is ready with five truckloads of medical supplies as soon as the border is open.

WHO emergencies chief Dr. Michael Ryan said any convoy would require guarantees for safety and joint planning on both sides for “a fully supported humanitarian operation.”

DEFENSE MINISTER TELLS ISRAELI TROOPS TO PREPARE FOR GROUND INVASION OF GAZA

Jeruslem: Israel's defense minister has told ground troops to be ready to enter the Gaza Strip, though he is not saying when the invasion will start.

In a meeting with Israeli infantry soldiers on the Gaza border Thursday, Yoav Gallant urged the forces to “get organized, be ready” for an order to move in.

“Whoever sees Gaza from afar now, will see it from the inside,” he said. “I promise you.”

Israel has massed tens of thousands of troops along the border following a bloody Oct. 7 cross-border massacre by Hamas militants.

STATE DEPARTMENT WARNS OF POTENTIAL FOR VIOLENT PROTESTS AND TERROR ATTACKS

Washington: The State Department is warning US citizens of potential for terrorist attacks and violent demonstrations around the world as the Israel-Hamas war intensifies and threats against American interests become more acute.

In a “Worldwide Caution” issued on Thursday, the department advised Americans to “exercise increased caution due to the potential for violence and increased tensions” in all countries.

“Due to increased tensions in various locations around the world, the potential for terrorist attacks, demonstrations or violent actions against US citizens and interests, the Department of State advises US citizens overseas to exercise increased caution,” it said.

The brief notice said Americans should be particularly alert in areas frequented by foreign tourists.

WORLD JEWISH CONGRESS ASKS POPE TO APPEAL FOR HOSTAGES' RELEASE

Rome: The head of the World Jewish Congress has asked Pope Francis to use his moral authority to appeal for the release of hostages taken from Israel by Hamas.

Ronald Lauder made the appeal Thursday during a scheduled audience with Francis at the Vatican. Lauder was in Rome to inaugurate a WJC liaison office with the Holy See.

Francis has called for the hostages to be released and reaffirmed Israel's right to self-defense, while expressing alarm about the plight of Palestinians in Gaza and the unfolding “humanitarian catastrophe.”

AIRSTRIKE KILLS SEVERAL PALESTINIANS IN WEST BANK REFUGEE CAMP

Jerusalem: A rare Israeli airstrike in the West Bank targeted militants in a refugee camp Thursday, leaving several Palestinians dead and stoking violent clashes, the Israeli military said.

The Israeli military said the airstrike killed militants in the Nur Shams refugee camp, close to the city of Tulkarem, but did not specify how many. Palestinian health officials said six Palestinians were killed.

Gunmen threw explosives at Israeli forces and forces fired back, the Israeli military said.

Palestinian state media reported that Israel sealed off the camp and prevented ambulances from entering to help the injured. Private cars smuggled the wounded past roadblocks to the hospital.

The Israeli military said forces were still inside the camp.

HAMAS AND HEZBOLLAH SAY THEY BOMBARDED ISRAEL FROM LEBANON\

Beirut: The military wing of Hamas said its members fired 30 rockets from south Lebanon into northern Israel Thursday, mainly targeting the towns of Nahariya and Shlomi.

The Qassam Brigades' statement came after Lebanon's Hezbollah group said it hit several Israeli army positions and a kibbutz along the border with missiles.

Israeli forces also shelled border areas on the Lebanese, an Associated Press journalist in southern Lebanon said.

Tension has been rising along Lebanon's southern border since the October 7, attack by Hamas on southern Israel. At least 12 Hezbollah fighters have been killed since in Israeli shelling and airstrikes.

AUTHORITIES URGENTLY REQUEST DIESEL TO KEEP GAZA HOSPITALS OPEN

Gaza City: The Gaza Health Ministry has issued an urgent request for diesel after a fifth major hospital closed due to a lack of fuel.

The Yemen al-Saeed Hospital in the north of the Gaza Strip was forced to shut down after running out of fuel, the ministry said Thursday.

Beit Hanoun Hospital, Dora Children's Hospital, Karama Hospital and the International Eye Hospital in Gaza have already closed due to fuel shortages and air strike damage, the ministry said. Services have also halted at 14 smaller primary health centers in the enclave for the same reasons, it said.

The ministry issued an urgent call to all gas stations in Gaza and anyone else who may have a spare liter of diesel to immediately call a hotline so that the fuel can be transferred to Gaza's hospitals, now powered by backup generators with scant fuel supplies.

The remaining healthcare facilities in Gaza are operating at over 150% capacity, the ministry said.

Ministry spokesman Medhat Abbas said doctors are resorting to desperate measures to care for the hundreds of wounded Palestinian patients.

“Surgery is being performed in the corridors of hospitals without anesthesia, yes without anesthesia, to save the lives of those who may have hope to live,” he said. “Others are left to die, to succumb to their destiny.

3 SCANDINAVIAN NATIONS ADVISE AGAINST TRAVELING TO LEBANON

Copenhagen: Denmark, Sweden and Norway have further tightened their travel advisories for Lebanon and cautioned against travel there until further notice.

Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said Thursday that Norway was “tightening the travel advice due to the serious security situation in the region. There are daily military actions on the border between Lebanon and Israel. This increases the risk throughout Lebanon.”

Denmark's Foreign Ministry said the security level in Lebanon had been changed to red.

“Staying in Lebanon entails a very high security risk,” the ministry said. It “strongly encouraged” Danish citizens in the country to leave.

Barth Eide noted that flights were still available from Beirut but that “at short notice, it may become even more difficult to leave Lebanon.”

Sweden's travel advice was updated late Wednesday.

EGYPT'S PRESIDENT MEETS WITH JORDAN'S KING

Cairo: Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi has met with King Abdullah II of Jordan for a closed-door discussion about the escalating conflict between Israel and Hamas, and the deteriorating humanitarian situation in besieged Gaza.

Egypt's presidential office said in a statement after Thursday's meeting that the leaders condemned Israel's policy of “collective punishment” against Palestinians in Gaza and its efforts to displace “Palestinians from their lands to Egypt or Jordan.”

Few other details were given.

The two countries, which flank Israel, are close allies. Both leaders have expressed fear about a permanent expulsion of Palestinians into their countries, concerned it could nullify Palestinians' demand for a future state.(AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)