Today
L’ONU A LA FRONTIERE, A RAFAH
While humanitarian aid is still blocked, from the Rafah border region, the UN The Secretary-General yesterday warned of the urgency of the situation. “Behind these walls, there are 2 million people in Gaza without water, without food, without medicine, without fuel. These trucks have what they need on this side. They must be moved quickly. As much as necessary,” Antonio Guterres tweeted.
Impossible to be at Rafa Crossing & Not feeling heartbroken. Behind these walls there are 2 million people in Gaza without water, food, medicine or fuel. On this side, these trucks have what it takes. We need to move them – as soon as possible, as many as necessary. pic.twitter.com/GaogVeKtsl — António Guterres (@antonioguterres) October 20, 2023
New warning from Israel
Israel has called on its citizens in Egypt and Jordan to leave “as quickly as possible” due to “escalating protests against Israel”. A similar alert, level 4, the highest, has already been issued for Turkey and recommendations have been raised to level 3 for Morocco, advising Israelis not to travel there.
Hamas release of hostages
Qatar, which has already acted as a mediator between Israel and Hamas in the past, played a “very important role” in the release of two American hostages yesterday, according to Emmanuel Macron. In other words, he would have put pressure on the terrorist movement, says LCI’s Special Envoy for Israel.
Is Hamas playing for time with hostages?Source: TF1 information
17 UN staff were killed
UN for Palestine Refugees At least 17 UNRWA workers have been killed in the Gaza Strip since the start of fighting between Israel and Hamas, its head, Philippe Lazzarini, said. “So far, 17 of our colleagues have been confirmed dead in this brutal war. Unfortunately, the actual number is likely to be higher,” according to a statement by the UNRWA Commissioner-General.
War crimes in Gaza, according to amnesty
On the 11th day of the siege in the Gaza Strip, NGOs continue their investigation and verification of actions taken on the site. Amnesty International said in a statement released yesterday that it had “recorded unlawful Israeli attacks, including indiscriminate attacks.
The attacks, which caused large numbers of civilian casualties, should be investigated as war crimes”. The NGO specifically condemns the five strikes on “residential buildings, refugee camps, family homes and public contracts”. The military failed to effectively warn the public before the attacks.
A damaged church in Gaza
Debate has raged over the damage caused by the strike on a historic church in the Gaza Strip. On the Palestinian side, it has been explained that the Church of Saint Porphyry was destroyed by the IDF. On the Israeli side, the tweet below counters that the shrine is completely protected. In fact, the Israeli military admitted to AFP that it carried out an airstrike on Thursday that allegedly targeted Hamas structures, followed by “the wall of a church in the area”. According to witnesses, the raid damaged the facade of the church, the adjacent building collapsed and several people were injured. As a reminder, as we told you here, the Church of Saint Porphyrius was already the subject of false rumors on October 9.
BBC and NY Times yesterday: Israel destroyed Greek-Orthodox Church of St Porphyrius in Gaza today: pic.twitter.com/q8WJ9Oezox — Dr Eli David (@DrEliDavid) October 20, 2023
Exposure and Uruguay
Between 1500 and 2000 people demonstrated in Montevideo, Uruguay yesterday in support of the Palestinian people. “Cease fire! Stop the genocide!” Gathering in the center of the capital under the slogan, they demanded that humanitarian aid be allowed to enter the Gaza Strip and that the people of the area benefit from UN protection.
Union leaders, humanitarian, student and feminist organizations, as well as politicians opposed to the centre-right government of President Louis Lacal Poe, waved Palestinian flags, wore keffiyehs or displayed banners reading “Palestinian lives matter too”.
Bombings of Gaza and South Lebanon
The shelling of the Gaza Strip continued into the night. The Israeli military indicated in the Telegram that it struck “Hamas command centers, anti-tank missile launchers and strategic infrastructure” and also targeted snipers and bystanders stationed in buildings. In recent hours, Israeli warplanes bombed several Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon in response to rocket and anti-tank missile attacks. No assessment is presented by public servants.
Gaza Hospital
The origin of Tuesday’s bombing of the Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza is clear to various intelligence services. The French military intelligence directorate (DRM) said on Friday that it “does not allow us to say anything” that hit the hospital was an “Israeli strike”, saying it was “explosive in nature”, in discussions with other services, but the hole was caused by shooting at the site. According to a DRM official, “The most likely hypothesis is that it was a Palestinian rocket that exploded with a weight of about 5 kg. According to a European military source in France 24, the explosion was actually caused by a failed shot fired from the Gaza enclave.
The official figure, which Hamas estimated at 471 dead, has also been questioned. According to various sources and DRM in particular, this may be grossly exaggerated. A US intelligence memo on Thursday estimated that the number of people killed at Ahli Arab Hospital was “perhaps at the lower end of the range of 100 to 300”. In this article, we tell you how this human figure is subject to so much uncertainty.
Humanitarian assistance in Gaza
In the 11th day of a total blockade imposed by Israel, Gaza’s 2.4 million people are without food, drinking water, medicine and fuel. With around 175 trucks waiting, international humanitarian aid is still blocked at the Rafah crossing, the only crossing point between Egypt and the Gaza Strip.
It could enter “or those waters” today, said UN emergency manager Martin Griffiths, who is “engaged in deep and advanced negotiations with all parties involved to ensure that an aid operation in Gaza begins as soon as possible.” At the same time, Emmanuel Macron announced that he would send emergency humanitarian aid, especially “medical”, to Gazans cut off from the rest of the world.
liberation
We tell you the story behind yesterday’s release of two American hostages by Hamas.
Underlying the release of the hostagesSource: TF1 information
Update on hostages
While two American women – a mother and her daughter – were freed by Hamas yesterday, 201 people are still being held hostage, including at least one French woman. A total of seven people are missing. “The only hostage situation that has been confirmed is young Mia Shem,” Emmanuel Macron said last night, as Hamas aired a video of the Franco-Israeli woman on Monday. “Six others are presumed hostages. “But not sure,” he said, adding that he was “hopeful” about the release of the hostages in Gaza. For more details, see our article on the topic.
Of the approximately 200 hostages, more than 20 were minors and 10 to 20 were over 60 years old. Among them, there are more than 22 different nationalities, including Americans, at least seven Germans and eight Argentines.
welcome
Hello and welcome to this live broadcast dedicated to the ongoing conflict in Israel and the Gaza Strip. There you can find the latest information on tensions in the region since the October 7th Hamas terrorist attacks.
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