World News | Live Updates | Israeli Warplanes Strike Targets as US Seeks More Time to Free Hostages
Get latest articles and stories on World at LatestLY. Israeli warplanes are striking targets across Gaza as the US advised Israel that a delay in its expected ground offensive in the besieged Hamas-ruled territory would allow more time to negotiate the release of hostages.
Jerusalem, Oct 23 (AP) Israeli warplanes are striking targets across Gaza as the US advised Israel that a delay in its expected ground offensive in the besieged Hamas-ruled territory would allow more time to negotiate the release of hostages.
Fears of a widening war have grown as Israel struck targets in the occupied West Bank, Syria and Lebanon and traded fire with Lebanon's Hezbollah militant group.
Two aid convoys arrived in the Gaza Strip over the weekend through the Rafah crossing from Egypt.
Israel said the trucks carried food, water and medical supplies. Israel has not allowed in fuel, which is critically needed for water and sanitation systems and hospitals.
The war, in its 17th day on Monday, is the deadliest of five Gaza wars for both sides. The Hamas-run Health Ministry said on Monday that at least 5,087 Palestinians have been killed and 15,270 wounded.
In the occupied West Bank, 96 Palestinians have been killed and 1,650 wounded in violence and Israeli raids since October 7.
More than 1,400 people in Israel have been killed, mostly civilians who died in the initial Hamas rampage into southern Israel. In addition, 222 people including foreigners were believed captured by Hamas during the incursion and taken into Gaza, Israel's military has said. Two of those have been released.
Currently:
1. Premature babies hooked up to incubators are at risk of dying because of dwindling fuel in the Gaza Strip
2. Biden walks tightrope with support for Israel as allies and the left push for restraint
3. A third convoy of trucks carrying desperately needed aid reaches Gaza
4. Blinken and Austin say the US is ready to protect American forces should the war escalate
Here's what's happening in the latest Israel-Hamas war:
HOSPITAL RUNS OUT OF BURIAL SHROUDS AND ROOM IN MORGUE, OFFICIAL SAYS
Abu Youssef Al-Najjar Hospital, in Rafah, registered 61 deaths since Monday morning following a day of intense airstrikes in the southern Gaza Strip.
Talaat Barghout, the hospital's spokesperson, said there is no room in the morgue for all the bodies, and a lack of Islamic burial shrouds — known as the Kafan — to give the dead a proper burial.
“More than half of them are lying on the (hospital) ground,” he said.
Barghout also said the hospital lacks an intensive care unit and does not have the facilities to treat burns. There is only enough fuel to keep the basic hospital going for two more days, he added.
BRITAIN SAYS HOSPITAL EXPLOSION WAS LIKELY CAUSED BY MISFIRED MISSILE FROM GAZA
The British government says it has concluded that a devastating explosion at a hospital in Gaza was likely caused by a misfired missile from within Palestinian territory, rather than an Israeli strike.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told lawmakers in the House of Commons that based on an intelligence assessment, “the British government judges that the explosion was likely caused by a missile, or part of one, that was launched from within Gaza towards Israel”.
The conclusion tallies with assessments by US and French officials about the cause of the explosion at the al-Ahli hospital on Tuesday.
Officials in Hamas-ruled Gaza have blamed it on an Israeli airstrike and said the blast killed almost 500 people. A US intelligence report estimated that somewhere between 100 and 300 Palestinians were likely killed.
An analysis by The Associated Press of videos, satellite imagery and photos found the explosion was most likely caused when part of a rocket fired from within Palestinian territory crashed to the ground.
Sunak told British lawmakers that the UK stood by Israel in its war against Hamas but would also work to ensure that “a constant stream of aid” reached civilians “suffering terribly” in Gaza. He announced 20 million pounds (USD 24 million) in UK humanitarian aid for Gaza.
US ADVISES ISRAEL THAT DELAY IN GROUND OFFENSIVE COULD ALLOW RELEASE OF MORE HOSTAGES
The US has advised Israel that a delay in its possible ground offensive in Gaza would allow more time for the US to work with its regional partners to release more hostages seized by Hamas, according to a US official familiar with the Biden administration's thinking on the matter.
The official, who requested anonymity to discuss the private discussions, said it was unclear how much the argument will “move the needle” on Israeli thinking.
The official noted that Qatar's help in mediating with Hamas was able to win the release of two captives, Judith and Natalie Raanan. The process that led to their release — just two of the more than the 222 people believed taken hostage in Israel in the October 7 attacks — started soon after the Hamas operation.
The official said arranging for the release of the Raanans “took longer to come together than folks really realise".
ACTIVISTS DENOUNCE NETANYAHU AT INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT
Dutch authorities detained 19 activists who occupied the entrance to the International Criminal Court on Monday, denouncing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for Israel's actions during the war with Hamas.
Activists from the Extinction Rebellion group took over a bridge in front of The Hague-based court just after noon, carrying a banner that read “Netanyahu is a war criminal”.
The Dutch branch of the activist group, which was originally set up to campaign against climate change, has staged several other pro-Palestinian actions since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7.
An ICC spokesperson said the demonstration did not disturb the court's normal activities.
After police released the 19 following a brief detention, they joined a small pro-Palestinian protest outside the ICC's grounds.
The demonstration took place as Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte arrived in the Middle East to meet with both Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
FUEL RUNNING OUT IN HOSPITAL NEONATAL WARDS, DOCTOR SAYS
The head of the neonatal unit in Nasser Hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis said it will run out of fuel within 48 hours.
Dr. Hatem Edhair said there are eight babies in the intensive care unit and 10 others in the neonatal department.
“Half of these children are on CPAP (pressurised air) machines and oxygen machines,” he said on Monday.
“If the hospital runs out of fuel, half of these babies will die in less than 24 hours.”
Doctors treating premature babies across Gaza have warned that at least 130 are at “grave risk” across six neonatal units because of worsening fuel shortages.
The fuel shortages are caused by the Israeli blockade of Gaza, which started — along with airstrikes — after Hamas militants attacked Israeli towns on October 7.
“We are working around the clock,” Edair said. “We need to save these babies.”
IRAN-BACKED MILITIAS SAY THEY TARGETED BASE USED BY US MILITARY
Iran-backed militias in Iraq said on Monday they targeted a strategic base used by the US military in southeastern Syria.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of Iranian-backed militias, said two drones were used to attack the al-Tanf garrison near the Jordanian and Iraqi borders.
The attack came after a string of similar attacks on bases housing US military in Iraq and Syria over the past week. In one, the same group attacked two bases in Iraq with drones, causing minor injuries among US forces.
There was no immediate US comment on Monday's incident and no word on damage or injuries.
The al-Tanf garrison in southeastern Syria is located at a sensitive location often used by Iranian-backed militants to transport weapons to Hezbollah. The US military has maintained a presence there to train forces as part of a campaign against the Islamic State group.
NORWAY OFFERS TO ASSIST POSSIBLE INVESTIGATION OF ALLEGED WAR CRIMES
Norway is willing to assist in a possible investigation of alleged war crimes in Gaza and Israel, its justice minister said on Monday.
”War crimes are never acceptable. Those guilty of any war crimes must be held accountable,” Emilie Enger Mehl said in a statement. “If we receive a request to contribute to an investigation, we are prepared to provide resources quickly. Regardless of who is behind it.”
Norway earlier contributed to the International Criminal Court to investigate possible war crimes, including in Ukraine.
“The international community must come together to protect fundamental principles in a war,” she said.
ATTACKS IN RAFAH CITY LEAVE CASUALTIES
Gaza's Hamas-run Interior Ministry said at least 18 people were killed in Israeli attacks on neighbourhoods in Rafah city on Monday. It said scores of Palestinians were also wounded.
An airstrike hit a residential building about 200 metres (yards) from the UN headquarters in Rafah on Monday, killing and wounding several people, according to an Associated Press reporter at the scene, underscoring the perils of humanitarian operations.
Videos released by the Israeli military showed airstrikes decimating buildings in the Gaza Strip. The military said the videos showed attacks on Hamas infrastructure but did not specify the locations.
Flashes of yellow light were followed by an explosion sending gray smoke and debris shooting upward as multistory buildings collapsed or toppled over.
The explosions could be seen from Israel.
HAMAS-RUN HEALTH MINISTRY SAYS MORE THAN 5,000 HAVE DIED IN GAZA
The death toll in Gaza has climbed to at least 5,087 Palestinians since the war between Israel and Palestinian militant groups broke out on October 7, the Hamas-run Health Ministry said on Monday.
Ashraf al-Qidra, a spokesperson for the ministry in Gaza, said the fatalities included 2,055 children and 1,119 women.
More than 15,270 others were wounded, he said.
The tally includes the disputed toll from a hospital explosion last week, which the two sides have traded blame for.
More than 1,400 people in Israel have been killed — mostly civilians slain during the initial Hamas attack. At least 222 people were captured and dragged back to Gaza, including foreigners.
GAZA'S HEALTH MINISTRY APPEALS FOR BLOOD DONATIONS AS SHORTAGES WORSEN
As conditions rapidly worsen, Gaza's Hamas-run Health Ministry appealed on Monday for blood donations for hospitals in the besieged territory that are suffering from dire shortages of blood and medical supplies.
The ministry urged residents to rush to hospitals and blood banks across Gaza for blood donations and called for the International Committee of the Red Cross to bring blood to the territory.
IRELAND CALLS FOR AN IMMEDIATE CEASE-FIRE
Ireland is calling for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza so that civilians can get access to desperately needed aid and supplies.
Irish Foreign Minister Micheal Martin said “this is a matter of the utmost urgency. The loss of life is enormous, is at a scale that has to be stopped”.
Speaking Monday in Luxembourg at a meeting of European Union foreign ministers, Martin called for food, water and medical supplies to be allowed into Gaza at an “accelerated and comprehensive scale”.
“We understand Israel's need to deal with Hamas, because it was an appalling attack. But the degree of suffering now — the innocent civilians in Gaza suffering — is just not acceptable at all,” he said.
IRAQ SAYS IT WILL PURSUE MILITANTS WHO ATTACKED BASES HOUSING US TROOPS
Iraq's army spokesperson says the state will go after militants who have carried out attacks against army bases housing US troops in the country.
Maj. Gen. Yahya Rasoul said in a statement on Monday that military advisers from the US-led coalition are in the country “at the invitation of the government” and their mission is to train Iraqi forces.
Rasoul said the prime minister has ordered the country's security agencies to go after those who carried out attacks and prevent any attempt to harm Iraq's national security.
Over the past week, several bases housing US troops in Iraq came under rocket and drone attacks that were believed to have been carried out by Iran-backed groups.
There are about 2,500 US troops in Iraq, whose main mission to train Iraqi forces and prevent a resurgence of the Islamic State group. (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)