Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu meets IDF soldiers stationed along the country's southern border with Gaza.
Credit: Israel's Government Press Office.
Biden says humanitarian aid to Gaza via Egypt may begin as soon as Friday
Reports Times of Israel
Israel confirms new attack on Hezbollah positions on Lebanese side of restive border
IDF said that targets included an observation point facing the sea, from which anti-tank missiles had been fired at Rosh HaNikra, in northwest Israel, reports Al Jazeera
A Hezbollah supporter carries a banner depicting Hezbollah senior official Sayyed Hashem Safieddine during a protest, after hundreds of Palestinians were killed in a blast at Al-Ahli hospital in Gaza that Israeli and Palestinian officials blamed on each other, in Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon October 18, 2023.
Credit: Reuters Photo
Protestors demanding ceasefire on US Capitol Hill grounds arrested
The rally was organized by two Jewish anti-Zionist groups, Jewish Voice for Peace and If Not Now, and about 400 of their members assembled inside the rotunda of the Cannon House Office Building, led by about 25 rabbis reading testimonials from Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and reciting prayers. Outside, hundreds more chanted, “Cease-fire now,” and sang in Hebrew and English.
Visuals from the demonstartion.
NYT Photo.
A protestor blows on a shofar horn as demonstrators around her are detained by US Capitol police officers during a civil disobedience action organized by a group called "Jewish Voice for Peace," calling for a cease fire in Gaza, while occupying the rotunda of the Cannon House office building on Capitol Hill in Washington, US, October 18, 2023.
Credit: Reuters Photo
US imposes new sanctions on Iran's Ballistic Missiles and Drone Programs
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Iranian missiles posed a threat to Israel and Gulf Arab countries, and noted that Iran had transferred lethal drones to Russia, which had used them to kill civilians and destroy infrastructure in Ukraine. US officials are concerned that Iran could also transfer missiles to Russia for use in Ukraine.
The US move comes on the day a measure approved by the UN Security Council in 2015 reached its expiration.
Senior US State Department official resigns over continued US support for Israel's war tactics
Josh Paul, who worked on arms transfers for more than 11 years at the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, announced his retirement in a two-page letter addressing his reasoning for stepping down.
"I am leaving today because I believe that in our current course with regards to the continued - indeed, expanded and expedited - provision of lethal arms to Israel - I have reached the end of that bargain," said Paul, citing the Biden administration's support of Israel in its response to the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, reports Anadolu English.
He added, "We cannot be both against occupation and for it. We cannot be both for freedom and against it. And we cannot be for a better world, while contributing to one that is materially worse."
Yemen's Houthi movement announces mobilization to assist Hamas in war against Israel
Supporters of the Houthi movement
Large pro-Palestinian crowd stages sit-in at legislature in Canada’s Alberta province
British PM Sunak arrives in Tel Aviv
Rishi Sunak has just landed in Tel Aviv in a show of support for Israel.
Meanwhile, Sunak also called attack on Gaza hospital a “watershed moment” and called for parties to avoid further escalation. Sunak believes Egypt, Qatar and Turkey can help, perhaps mediate and bring about de-escalation of the situation.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak speaks to the media after landing at Ben Gurion international airport in Lod, Near Tel Aviv, Israel October 19, 2023.
Credit: Reuters Photo
Meta says Instagram bug suppressed pro-Palestine content
Some Instagram users, who posted pro-Palestine content, accused the social media platform of suppressing their content, reports Al Jazeera.
Chinese Prez Xi Jinping presses for 2-state solution to end Israel-Palestine conflict; lauds Egypt's 'vital' role
Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly met Xi in Beijing, where he was attending a two-day Belt and Road Forum.
“The fundamental way out of the recurring Palestinian-Israeli conflict is to implement the two-state solution, establish an independent state of Palestine, and achieve peaceful coexistence between Palestine and Israel,” Xi said, according to a statement released by Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying.
Xi lauded Egypt’s “vital role in deescalating the situation” and said it “supports its effort to open a humanitarian corridor.”
“China will coordinate more with Egypt and other Arab countries to work for a comprehensive, just and lasting solution to the Palestinian question,” said Xi.
Xi Jinping (L) and Mostafa Madbouly (R).
Credit: Reuters File Photos
Hezbollah says 2 members killed in fresh clashes with Israeli forces in southern Lebanon
Visuals from Lebanon.
Credit: Anadolu Photo
Russia to deliver 27 tons of humanitarian aid to Gaza
“The assistance was organized at the direction of the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin and on behalf of the Government of the Russian Federation,” said a statement by the country’s Emergency Situations Ministry on Telegram.
The statement said that a special aircraft took off from Moscow in the direction of the El-Arish airport in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, carrying flour, sugar, rice, and pasta.
“Russian humanitarian aid will be handed over to representatives of the Egyptian Red Crescent Society for delivery to the Gaza Strip,” the statement added.
The human face of war
A Palestinian child is pulled out alive from the rubble of his home following Israeli airstrikes in Gaza in the wee hours of today morning.
At least 306 Israeli soldiers killed since October 7
The Israeli army says at least 306 of its soldiers have died since Hamas’s attack in Israel on October 7.
Sunak reaffirms Britain's solidarity with Israel on arrival in Tel Aviv
Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Thursday that Israel has suffered an "unspeakable horrific act of terrorism" as he became the latest western leader to carry out a solidarity visit.
"I want you to know that the United Kingdom and I stand with you," Sunak said on his arrival for meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog.
Hezbollah fires anti-tank missiles at Israeli forces amid spillover fears, reports suggest
An Israeli flag hangs on a wire where military vehicles gather near Israel's border with Lebanon in northern Israel, October 19, 2023.
Reuters
Israeli airstrike kills Jehad Mheisen, head of Hamas' national security forces
An Israeli strike killed the head of the Hamas-led national security forces, Jehad Mheisen, and members of his family in their house, a Hamas-aligned news agency said on Thursday.
Palestinian death toll in West Bank rises to 69, more than 1,300 injured: Health Ministry
A fire is seen as Palestinians take part in a protest following Israeli strikes on Gaza, in Nablus, in Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Credit: Reuters Photo
'Proud to stand with you in Israel's darkest hour,' Sunak tells Netanyahu
“I’m proud to stand here with you in Israel’s darkest hour. As your friend, we will stand with you in solidarity, we will stand with your people, and we want you to win,” UK PM Rishi Sunak said in a press conference with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu.
In response, Netanyahu made a reference to World War II, declaring, "The Western world stood with you 80 years ago during your darkest hour, this is our darkest hour."
“This is not merely our battle, it’s the battle of the entire civilised war, the battle of Israel, the battle of moderate Arab countries, the battle of the free world, the battle for the future,” the Israeli prime minister said.
“We have two forces – one is an axis of evil run by Iran and supported by Hezbollah, Hamas and others that want to bring back the Middle East to the Middle Ages … to the age of war and slavery.
“The other forces [are those] of progress and humanity who want to push for a world of peace and prosperity.”
Benjamin Netanyahu during a meeting with Rishi Sunak at his office in Jerusalem, October 19.
PTI
3,785 Palestinians killed, 12,493 wounded since start of war, Gaza Health Ministry says
Dr Ashraf Alkodra, the spokesperson for the ministry, reported the closure of four hospitals and 14 clinics due to a 150 percent occupancy rate in all hospitals. He expressed concern that numerous injured individuals were receiving limited treatment on the ground. The ministry said that out of the total casualties, 1,524 were children, and 1,000 were women. Alkodra further emphasized the critical shortage of medical supplies, medications, and diesel required to power generators in healthcare facilities.
Reports Haaretz
A man carries a wounded child at the site of an Israeli strike in Khan Younis, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in the southern Gaza Strip October 19, 2023.
Reuters
Urge strict observance of international humanitarian law, says MEA on Gaza hospital strike
Mourners react next to the bodies of Palestinians killed in alleged Israeli strikes, at a hospital in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, October 17, 2023.
Reuters
Jordan, Egypt reject ‘collective punishment’ of Gaza, call for immediate ceasefire
Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Oct. 15, 2023.
Reuters
France says 28 nationals killed in Hamas attack, several still unaccounted for
The mother of Maya Schem, a French-Israeli citizen, holds up a picture of her daughter who was kidnapped into the Gaza Strip, following infiltration by Hamas gunmen from Gaza, in Tel Aviv, Israel, October 17, 2023.
Reuters
US, UK, Germany urge citizens in Lebanon to evacuate 'while commercial options still available'
Here's the text of the security alert issued by the US Embassy in Beirut:
The US Embassy is closely monitoring the security situation in Lebanon. On October 17, the State Department issued a Travel Advisory advising US citizens to not travel to Lebanon due to the unpredictable security situation. The Department of State urges US citizens in Lebanon to make plans to depart as soon as possible while commercial options are still available. We recommend that US citizens who choose not to depart prepare contingency plans for emergency situations.US Embassy in Beirut
A man holds a flag during a protest in support of Palestinians, near the US embassy in Awkar, after hundreds of Palestinians were killed in a blast at Al-Ahli hospital in Gaza that Israeli and Palestinian officials blamed on each other, Lebanon October 18, 2023.
Reuters
European Parliament calls for ‘humanitarian pause’ in Gaza
In a 500-21 vote with 24 abstentions, European lawmakers passed a nonbinding resolution on Thursday, also urging the immediate release of all hostages held by Hamas. While they called for a "humanitarian pause," they did not demand a ceasefire.
Reports Associated Press
Palestinian children , who fled their houses amid Israeli strikes, take shelter in a tent camp at a United Nations-run centre, after Israel's call for more than 1 million civilians in northern Gaza to move south, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, October 19, 2023.
Reuters
No aid or road repair equipment has entered Gaza, says Hamas
As of Thursday afternoon, no aid or road repair equipment had entered Gaza from Egypt, according to Wael Abu Omar, Hamas' spokesperson for the Rafah crossing.
The United States and Egypt have been pushing for a deal with Israel to get aid delivered to Gaza, and the White House said on Wednesday that it had been agreed for up to 20 trucks to pass through, with hopes for more trucks later.
Diplomatic activity around the opening of the Rafah crossing has intensified, with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi receiving the top US general overseeing troops in the Middle East as well as King Abdullah of Jordan.
Most of Gaza's 2.3 million residents depended on aid before the current conflict started on October 7, and about 100 trucks daily were providing humanitarian relief to the enclave, according to the United Nations.
via Associated Press & Reuters
Trucks carrying humanitarian aid from Egyptian NGOs for Palestinians, wait for the reopening of the Rafah crossing at the Egyptian side.
Credit: Reuters Photo
IDF announces receiving new batch of American military aid
The Israeli Defense Ministry stated that an American plane had arrived at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport, carrying armored vehicles for the Israeli military to replace those damaged in the war that started on October 7.
Reports Times of Israel
Hamas claims responsibility for 30 rockets launched from Lebanon, IDF responds
The Gaza-based group said its Lebanon branch fired some 30 rockets at Nahariya and Shlomi in northern Israel earlier today.
Reports Times of Israel
Israeli soldiers walk on a road near the Israel border with Lebanon amid heightened tensions between Israel and Lebanon, in northern Israel, October 19, 2023.
Reuters
Biden to deliver Oval Office address as he seeks aid for Israel and Ukraine
President Joe Biden will deliver a prime-time speech Thursday about the war in Ukraine and the terror attacks in Israel as his administration prepares to call on Congress to approve tens of billions of dollars in military aid for the two embattled nations.
In Thursday’s speech, Biden will address the US response to the two grave struggles he has said threaten democratic stability across the globe: the war that followed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year and the one that started this month after the brutal assault by Hamas on Israel on October 7.
Read more
US President Joe Biden with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, October 18, 2023.
Credit: Reuters Photo
'You will soon see Gaza from the inside,' Israeli Defence Minister tells troops
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant informed troops stationed on the Gaza Strip border that the order to enter the Hamas-controlled territory would come soon.
You now see Gaza from afar; soon you will see it from the inside.Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant to Givati Brigade soldiers
Gallant emphasized, "The order will come."
Reports Times of Israel
Israeli soldiers listen to Defence Minister Yoav Gallant as he meets them in a field near the country's border with the Gaza Strip, in southern Israel October 19,
Reuters
Israel begins evacuating embassies and consulates across Middle East and North Africa, reports suggest
Israel's ambassador to Ankara, Irit Lillian, has left Turkey along with other Israeli diplomats, Turkish broadcaster NTV and other media said on Thursday.
Israeli media reports suggest that Tel Aviv is evacuating diplomatic missions in Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan and Morocco as well.
Students of Cairo University demonstrate against Israel and the US, in Cairo, Egypt, October 18, 2023.
Reuters
'We will win with all our strength,' Netanyahu tells IDF soldiers at border with Gaza
We will win with all our strength. The people of Israel stand behind you. We will deliver a severe blow to our enemies to achieve victory.Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, to IDF soldiers stationed along Israel's southern border with Gaza
Reports Haaretz