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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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.
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
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
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.