An Israeli soldier looks out from a tank during a military drill near Israel's border with Lebanon in northern Israel, October 26, 2023.
Reuters Photo
UN chief: Gaza aid monitoring must be changed to allow more trucks
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday appealed for the monitoring of aid deliveries to the Gaza Strip from Egypt through the Rafah crossing to be "adjusted to allow many more trucks to enter Gaza without delay."
"The humanitarian system in Gaza is facing a total collapse with unimaginable consequences for more than 2 million civilians," Guterres said in a statement.
Israel is starting its payback of Hamas: Israeli PM adviser
Palestinian militant group Hamas will pay for its crimes against humanity and Israel is starting its payback, Mark Regev, an adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, told MSNBC in an interview on Friday.
Israel intensified overnight bombardment of Gaza, telecommunications knocked out
Israel ramped up its aerial bombardment of the besieged territory.
The continuous explosions went for hours, but with communications cut off, the number of casualties and details of any ground incursions could not immediately be known.
An explosion is seen following an Israeli air strike in the southern Gaza Strip.
Credit: Reuters Photo
Gaza communication blackout may conceal 'mass atrocities', warns Human Rights Watch
According to Human Rights Watch, the current telecommunications blackout in Gaza due to the ongoing bombardment by Israel has the potential to conceal mass atrocities.
The group said in a statement on Friday:
"Widespread phone and internet outages occurred in Gaza on October 27, 2023, amid a concerted Israeli bombardment, almost entirely cutting off the 2.2 million residents from the outside world"
Agence France-Presse also reported the NGO’s senior technology and human rights researcher, Deborah Brown, as saying:
"This information blackout risks providing cover for mass atrocities and contributing to impunity for human rights violations."
US defense secretary underscored protection of civilians in Gaza in call with Israeli counterpart
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, in a call with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant "underscored the importance of protecting civilians" during operations in Gaza, the Pentagon said on Friday.
UN General Assembly adopts resolution on “protection of civilians and upholding legal and humanitarian obligations” on the ongoing Gaza crisis; India abstains from voting
India abstained from voting on UN General Assembly resolution on the "protection of civilians and upholding legal and humanitarian obligations" on Gaza crisis.
The resolution was adopted at the UN General Assembly. India voted in favour of Canada-led amendment condemning 'terrorist attacks by Hamas'. This draft resolution failed to pass at the UN General Assembly as it did not achieve a two-thirds majority.
The results of a UN General Assembly vote on a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza on October 27, 2023.
Credit: UNGA
Gaza in dark; media outlets express concern at losing communication with staffs
Due to the extensive Israeli bombardment targeting feeder lines and towers, there is currently a significant disruption in communications within the Gaza Strip. Phone networks and internet services have been severely affected, resulting in a near-total blackout of communication in the region.
Genocide happening now in Gaza, with Prez Biden's encouragement: US Muslim leader Nihad Awad
Awad emphasized that this genocide is being carried out in the name of America, utilizing American weapons, funded by taxpayer dollars, and with the encouragement and approval of the President.
IDF says its fighter jets struck Asem Abu Rakaba, the Head of Hamas' Aerial Array who was allegedly responsible for 'Hamas' UAVs, drones, paragliders, aerial detection and defense'
West Bank: Israeli forces continue demolishing houses in Al Jalazoun refugee camp on Ramallah; Israeli jeeps break into the village of Zawata in Nablus
Quds News Network reported
Israeli Air Force attacked a military infrastructure of Hezbollah in the intervening night
A fighter jet of the Israeli Air Force attacked a military infrastructure of the Hezbollah, in response to the rocket fire that was aimed at Israel yesterday and landed in Syrian territory.
Hundreds arrested after Jewish-led sit-in at New York's Grand Central Station
In a demonstration held at New York's Grand Central Station, primarily consisting of Jewish protesters advocating for a ceasefire in Gaza, hundreds of individuals have been arrested.
The sit-in, organized by Jewish Voice for Peace, saw at least 200 arrests, according to the New York Police Department.
"While Shabbat is typically a day of rest, we cannot afford to rest while genocide is unfolding in our names,” said Rabbi May Ye, in a statement.
“The lives of Palestinians and Israelis are intertwined, and safety can only come from justice, equality, and freedom for all.”
Middle East Eye Reported
Israel is in a ‘state of madness’: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called on Israel to “immediately come out of its state of madness and stop its attacks” on the Gaza Strip.
“The Israeli bombardments on Gaza, which intensified last night, have again targeted women, children and innocent civilians, deepening the humanitarian crisis,” he said.
Al Jazeera Reports
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan
Credit: Reuters Photo
We are still out of touch with our staff and health facilities, evacuation of patients impossible amid intense bombardment: WHO Director-General
Israeli army releases footage of tanks
Video activity of the IDF Ground Forces in Gaza, IDF wrote on X as it released the video
Israeli aircraft utilized high-impact "bunker busting" munitions to destroy more than 150 underground targets in Gaza Strip overnight: Israel Defense Force
An IDF Military Officer stated, “We are using Fire that has never been seen before in the Gaza Strip. From the Air, from the Ground or from the Underground - the IDF will Eliminate every Senior or Junior Terrorist and every Terrorist Infrastructure of Hamas,” OSINTDefender stated.
On X, Israeli Air Force said "Air Force fighter jets attacked about 150 underground targets in the northern Gaza Strip tonight. During the attack, terrorists of the terrorist organization Hamas were eliminated and combat tunnels, underground combat spaces and other underground terrorist infrastructures were destroyed."
Gaza at tipping point, Humanity must prevail: World Food Programme (WFP) Chief
Thousands of Gaza workers 'missing'
Since the beginning of the war, a significant number of workers from Gaza who were employed in Israel have been reported missing.
Human rights groups and trade unions suspect that some of these workers have been unlawfully detained in military facilities in the occupied West Bank after their work permits for Israel were revoked. Israeli authorities have not disclosed the names of those they are currently holding, despite calls for transparency.
Al Jazeera reports
Israeli military says entered north Gaza overnight, still 'in the field'
Military spokesperson Daniel Hagari said Israeli forces were still "in the field", without elaborating. Hagari also said they were "broadening the humanitarian effort" on Saturday and would allow trucks carrying food, water and medicine to enter southern Gaza.
Israel's military targeted Hamas commanders overnight, including leaders of the group's naval and aerial forces, which Hagari said would allow "forces on the ground to fight against a weaker enemy".
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Israel stops missile from Lebanon, as Beirut takes airport precautions
Israel's military said on Saturday it had stopped a surface-to-air missile fired from Lebanon at one of its drones and the Lebanese authorities issued precautionary guidance in case it has to evacuate Beirut airport, as border tensions climb.
The Israeli army and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group in Lebanon have exchanged fire on a daily basis since the start of the Gaza conflict three weeks ago, the biggest flare-up on the Lebanese-Israeli frontier since the two sides fought a war in 2006.
In the 2006 conflict, runways at Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport, on the southern fringe of the Lebanese capital, were hit by Israeli air strikes, along with other Lebanese infrastructure. The airport closed at the time.
With tension ratcheting up again, the Lebanese authorities issued precautionary guidance for evacuating the airport and surrounding installations in case of emergency. But the guidance did not indicate that there was any imminent threat to the site.
IDF drill near Israel's border with Lebanon.
Credit: Reuters Photo
Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry says 7,703 Palestinians killed since October 7
More than 3,500 children were among the dead, the ministry said.
Palestinians mourn during the funeral of Palestinian nurse Haniyeh Qudih, who was killed in an Israeli strike, as the conflict between Israel and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas continues, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, October 27, 2023.
Reuters
Egypt President Sisi warns region could become 'ticking time bomb'
Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Saturday warned against any expansion of the conflict in Gaza, saying the region risked becoming a "ticking time bomb".
He also said his country's sovereignty should be respected after drones were intercepted after entering Egyptian air space on Friday.
Israel on Friday said it was the target of the drones which it blamed on Yemen's Iranian-backed Houthi movement. Egypt's military said the drones, which fell on the Egyptian towns of Taba and Nuweiba near the Israeli border, injuring six, originated in the southern Red Sea. It did not say who launched the drones.
"Regardless of where it comes from, I have warned of the expansion of the conflict. The region will becoming a ticking time bomb that impacts us all," Sisi said, speaking at a conference.
"Egypt is a sovereign country and its sovereignty and position should be respected ... Egypt is a strong country and it is untouchable," he added.
Sisi held a peace summit last Saturday and has called for aid to be allowed into Gaza, the release of hostages, and a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.
Reuters
Russia says Israel's Gaza bombardment is against international law
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said that Israel's bombardment of Gaza runs counter to international law and risks creating a catastrophe that could last decades.
Lavrov made the comments, some of Moscow's most critical of Israel yet, in an interview with the Belarusian state news agency Belta, which released them on Saturday.
"While we condemn terrorism, we categorically disagree that you can respond to terrorism by violating the norms of international humanitarian law, including indiscriminately using force against targets where civilians are known to be present, including hostages that have been taken," said Lavrov.
It was impossible, he added, to destroy Hamas - as Israel has vowed to do - without destroying Gaza along with most of its civilian population.
"If Gaza is destroyed and 2 million inhabitants are expelled, as some politicians in Israel and abroad propose, this will create a catastrophe for many decades, if not centuries," warned Lavrov.
"It is necessary to stop, and to announce humanitarian programmes to save the population under blockade."
Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
Reuters
Palestinian man shot dead by Israeli settler while harvesting olives in West Bank
A Palestinian man was shot dead by an Israeli settler in the West Bank, near the village of As-Sawiya, Haaretz reports.
The report states that Bilal Muhammed Saleh, 40, was shot in the chest, and that his death was confirmed by the Palestinian Authority’s health ministry, and by military sources.
According to Haaretz, Saleh was part of a group harvesting olives outside the village near Nablus when they were attacked by settlers.
Blackout disconnects bombarded Gazans from world and each other
A telephone and internet blackout isolated people in the Gaza Strip from the world and from each other on Saturday, with calls to loved ones, ambulances or colleagues elsewhere all but impossible as Israel widened its air and ground assault.
International humanitarian organisations said the blackout, which began on Friday evening, was worsening an already desperate situation by impeding life-saving operations and preventing them from contacting their staff on the ground.
Three weeks into a war between Israel and Hamas that has saturated global media coverage, the blackout also meant a previously constant flow of information, images and videos from inside the strip had reduced to a trickle, making it difficult to understand the extent and impact of the latest strikes.
"My brain cannot fathom that things can get any worse. And here we are on Day 21, we have lost service. If you are dying, you can't ring up the ambulance service. If you are struck, whatever happens, you can't communicate with anyone," said Plestia Alaqad, a freelance journalist in Gaza.
Palestinians mourn during the funeral of Palestinian nurse Haniyeh Qudih, who was killed in an Israeli strike, as the conflict between Israel and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas continues, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, October 27, 2023.
Reuters
Hundreds of thousands rally in global cities to support Palestinians
Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators rallied in cities in Europe, the Middle East and Asia on Saturday to show support for the Palestinians as Israel's military widened its air and ground offensive on the Gaza Strip.
In one of the biggest marches, in London, aerial footage showed large crowds marching through the centre of the capital to demand the government of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak call for a ceasefire.
"The superpowers at play are not doing enough at the moment. This is why we're here: we're calling for a ceasefire, calling for Palestinian rights, the right to exist, to live, human rights, all our rights," said protester Camille Revuelta.
"This is not about Hamas. This is about protecting Palestinian lives," she added.
There has been strong support and sympathy for Israel from Western governments and many citizens over the Hamas attacks, but the Israeli response has also prompted anger, particularly in Arab and Muslim countries.
In Malaysia, a large crowd of demonstrators chanted slogans outside the U.S. embassy in Kuala Lumpur.
Addressing hundreds of thousands of supporters at a huge rally in Istanbul, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said Israel was an occupier, and repeated his stance about Hamas not being a terrorist organisation.
Erdogan drew a sharp rebuke from Israel this week for calling the militant group "freedom fighters".
Iraqis took part in a rally in Baghdad and in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Palestinian protesters in Hebron called on Saturday for a global boycott of Israeli products.
Demonstrators protest in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in London, Britain, October 28, 2023.
Reuters
Musk says Starlink to provide connectivity in Gaza through aid organizations
Elon Musk said on Saturday that SpaceX's Starlink will support communication links in Gaza with "internationally recognized aid organizations".
Musk said in a post on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, that it was not clear who has authority for ground links in Gaza, but we do know that "no terminal has requested a connection in that area".
A telephone and internet blackout isolated people in the Gaza Strip from the world and from each other on Saturday, with calls to loved ones, ambulances or colleagues elsewhere all but impossible as Israel widened its air and ground assault.
India abstained from UN vote on Israel-Hamas conflict in 'absence of all elements of its approach'
India is concerned over the unfolding humanitarian crisis in Gaza but at the same time strongly considers that there can be no equivocation on terror, sources said on Saturday explaining New Delhi's decision to abstain on a UN General Assembly resolution that called for a humanitarian truce in the Israel-Hamas conflict.
The resolution did not include any explicit condemnation of the October 7 terrorist attacks by Hamas, they said, adding India abstained in the vote in absence of all elements of its approach not being covered in the final text of the resolution.
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