Israel-Gaza war, live

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White House National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said analysis of the data available at the moment indicates that "Israel is not responsible for the explosion at the Gaza hospital yesterday," where a missile killed hundreds of people on Tuesday. The assessment being made by the U.S. is based on "the analysis of aerial imagery, telephone and digital interceptions, and information from open sources." From Israel, where he was on an official visit on Wednesday, US President Joe Biden said that "it looks like it was an errant rocket from a terrorist group", as defended by the Israeli army, which attributes the attack to the Palestinian organisation Islamic Jihad. No international body has been able to verify who was responsible for the bombing. In addition, Biden has assured that there is an agreement with Israel to allow humanitarian aid to enter the Strip from Egypt, 20 trucks with "food, water and medicine for the civilian population" that hope to access the enclave this Friday through the Rafah crossing. According to the Gazan Ministry of Health, the death toll from Israeli strikes in Gaza stands at least 3,478 after 471 Palestinians were killed in the attack on the hospital.

• Data | Maps & Charts
• Key points: What is happening and what does Israel intend in Gaza?
• Photo gallery: the bombing of the hospital, in pictures

01:42

Airstrike on Gaza Hospital Gates Kills and Wounded Hundreds

Two health workers on Tuesday transfer a man wounded by the bombing of the Al Ahli hospital in Gaza.Photo: EFE

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Reuters

Israeli troops kill three Palestinians in West Bank

Israel's military has killed three Palestinians, two of them teenagers, in separate attacks in the West Bank, according to WAFA, the Palestinian Authority's news agency. In one incident, the military stormed the town of Budrus, west of Ramallah, and shot dead a young man, Gebriel Awad. At least one other person was injured. In a refugee camp south of Bethlehem, a 14-year-old boy was shot in the head. Another 16-year-old boy was also shot dead by Israeli troops in the village of Tulkarm. Dozens of Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since Oct. 7, according to WAFA.

ACT.19 OCT 2023 - 05:27

EFE

Japan holds talks with Middle East to try to help calm the situation in Gaza

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has held talks in recent hours with the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan seeking cooperation to help improve the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and achieve a de-escalation of the conflict with Israel. Kishida began his round of talks, which lasted until Wednesday evening, with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, to whom he conveyed his "deep concern" over recent developments in Israel and Palestine, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Tokyo "seeks to coordinate (with other countries) to ensure the safety of civilians and calm the situation as soon as possible," Kishida told bin Salman, according to Japan's Foreign Ministry. The Japanese prime minister relayed similar messages and calls for cooperation in his talks with Abu Dhabi ruler Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan; the Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani; and King Abdullah II of Jordan. Kishida thanked the leaders for the countries' "diplomatic efforts" to calm the situation and pledged to continue to cooperate in the evacuation of Japanese and other foreign nationals from the disputed territories, as well as to secure the release of hostages and prevent further escalation of tension.

ACT.19 OCT 2023 - 04:16

Reuters

Biden plans a request for economic support of $60 billion for Ukraine and $000 billion for Israel

The U.S. government is considering an economic injection of $60 billion for Ukraine and $000 billion for Israel, a proposal that President Joe Biden's administration will present to Congress for approval on Friday, according to a source cited by Reuters.

Multiple sources, also cited by Reuters, say that President Joe Biden is considering a new economic item of 100,000 million dollars that would include aid for Israel and Ukraine, but also for Taiwan and to strengthen security on the border between Mexico and the United States.

ACT.19 OCT 2023 - 03:22

EFE

FBI Notes Rise in Threats to Jews and Muslims After Gaza War

The FBI said Wednesday that following the war unleashed on Oct. 7 between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, it has seen an increase in threats against Jewish, Muslim and Arab communities and institutions in the United States. "We take all potential threats seriously and are working closely with our law enforcement partners to determine their credibility, share information, and undertake appropriate investigation," the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said on X. The agency encouraged the population to immediately report anything they consider suspicious and pointed out that its agents are also in contact with religious organizations and the private sector, among others.

ACT.19 OCT 2023 - 02:33

EFE

U.S. shoots down three drones targeting troops in Iraq

The United States on Wednesday shot down three drones that were heading against U.S. troops stationed in Iraq, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement. The incidents occurred in the last 24 hours: two drones were detected in western Iraq and measures were taken to shoot them down, achieving the destruction of one of them and causing damage to the second, resulting in minor injuries for some troops. The third drone was destroyed in northern Iraq, CENTCOM said in its statement. Official sources in Iraq had already reported a few hours ago the downing of "drone bombs" that intended to attack a US military base in northern Iraq, an attempted attack that was later claimed by an Iraqi armed group in support of the Palestinian factions currently at war with Israel.

ACT.19 OCT 2023 - 01:57

EFE

Mexican stock market down 0.79% due to risk aversion due to conflict in Israel

The Mexican Stock Exchange (BMV) registered a loss of 0.79% in its main indicator on Wednesday, to settle at 49,274.78 units, in a session with widespread losses globally due to the conflict in Israel. "The capital market closed the session with widespread losses globally due to the increase in risk aversion due to the conflict in Israel," Gabriela Siller, director of Economic and Financial Analysis at Banco Base, told EFE. He indicated that in the United States, the Dow Jones closed with a loss of 0.98%; the NASDAQ Composite fell 1.62% and the S&P 500 fell 1.34%. In Mexico, the expert pointed out, the Index of Prices and Quotations (IPC), the main indicator of the BMV, "closed with a loss of 0.79%, showing losses in 4 of the last 5 sessions."

ACT.19 OCT 2023 - 06:25

EFE

Biden expects the 20 trucks of humanitarian aid to arrive in Gaza on Friday

U.S. President Joe Biden expects the 20 trucks of humanitarian aid, which Egypt has agreed to let into Gaza through the Rafah border crossing, arrive in the Strip next Friday. The plan is to repair the roads, damaged by Israeli shelling, on Thursday, so that the next day the humanitarian convoy can access the enclave, which is completely besieged except for the Rafah crossing.

Biden held a phone conversation with his Egyptian counterpart, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, after his whirlwind trip to Israel to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The president of the African country agreed to open the Rafah crossing and allow the entry of 20 vehicles loaded with "food, water and medicine for the civilian population", which is facing a humanitarian debacle after two weeks of constant bombardment and a siege that has cut off water and electricity.

Hundreds of trucks belonging to Egyptian non-governmental organizations are still waiting for the opening of the Rafah crossing, which has been destroyed on the Palestinian side by Israeli bombardment in recent days. As part of the agreement, U.N. troops will be on the Palestinian side of the border to distribute medicine, water and food to the population, Biden said.

ACT.19 OCT 2023 - 00:42

EFE

Sunak begins a two-day trip to the Middle East in Israel on Thursday

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is scheduled to visit Israel on Thursday, before continuing a two-day trip to various countries in the Middle East, Downing Street, his official office, has confirmed. Sunak will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog, before whom he will defend the need to open a route for the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza, according to one of his spokesmen.

The head of the British government plans to meet with other leaders in various capitals of the region, although more details about the trip are not yet known. "Every civilian death is a tragedy. Too many lives have been lost in Hamas' horrific act of terror," Sunak said in a statement before leaving for Israel. "The attack on Al Ahli hospital should be a turning point for leaders in the region and around the world to come together and prevent further dangerous escalations of the conflict," the prime minister added, stressing that the UK must be "at the forefront of those efforts".

In parallel to Sunak's visits, British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly will travel to Egypt, Turkey and Qatar in the coming days. "It is not in anyone's interest, not Israel, not Palestine, not the Middle East in general, for others to be dragged into this conflict," the Foreign Office chief said. "I will meet with counterparts from influential states in the region to press for calm and stability, facilitate humanitarian access to Gaza and work together to allow the release of hostages," he said.

ACT.18 OCT 2023 - 23:45

Diego SanchezMadrid

Yossuf, one of the pro-Palestinian demonstrators in Madrid, is an Egyptian-born business student. / Claudio Álvarez

Yossuf, protester in Madrid: "When one people deprives another of food, water and electricity, you can't be equidistant"

Yossuf is 18 years old, was born in Egypt and is a business student in the Spanish capital, where he has lived since August. He answers in English and says that he likes Spain, but that he cannot ignore the political reality of the Arab world.

For him, the reason for coming to the demonstration is simple: to defend "respect for human rights." "When one people deprives another of food, water and electricity, you can't be equidistant."

He believes that the Spanish position, which advocates recognizing both states, "is never going to work," as too many years of pain and grudges have accumulated. "For now, I only ask that the shelling cease and that the people be allowed access to the basics to survive."

ACT.19 OCT 2023 - 00:17

Diego SanchezMadrid

Assma, una de las manifestantes en Madrid, estudiante de un grado superior de salud bucodental, nacida en Madrid y musulmana. / Claudio Álvarez

Assma, manifestante en Madrid: “Si a mí me quitan mi casa y me encierran en un cuarto, es normal que quiera recuperar lo que es mío”

Assma (18, Madrid) ha acudido a denunciar el bloqueo de agua, alimentos y electricidad que sufre la franja de Gaza. Para ella, “privar de agua a las personas y asesinar centenares de niños” es algo que la sociedad europea no puede aceptar.

Considera que Palestina es un territorio ocupado de forma violenta por los israelíes desde hace 75 años. “No tienen derecho a defenderse. Cada vez que ada vez que se defienden de las agresiones de Israel, son castigados brutalmente”.

Sobre la visita de Joe Biden a Israel, expresa que ha sentido “vergüenza” al escuchar cómo el “supuesto líder del mundo libre se dedica a comprar una versión falsa”, en referencia al bombardeo de este miércoles al hospital Al Ahli, y que según el mandatario estadounidense fue causado por un cohete palestino que se desvió de su trayectoria.

Respecto a la postura de España, admite celebrar que Pedro Sánchez apoye el reconocimiento de Palestina como Estado, pero considera que tanto el Gobierno español como los medios de comunicación están dando “poca voz” a los palestinos. “Por más que se intente blanquear a Israel, la gente se está dando cuenta de la realidad”.

Ante el aumento de la seguridad antiterrorista en Europa, pide a la ciudadanía que no se confunda a los palestinos con terroristas. “Por más que quieran desinformar, ser árabe o palestino no te convierte en terrorista”

To resolve the conflict, he claims that there is only one solution: the return of Israeli territory to Palestine. "If they take away my house and lock me in a room, it's normal that I want to take back what's mine."

ACT.19 OCT 2023 - 00:20

Agencies

Biden says Egypt has pledged to let "up to 20 trucks" of humanitarian aid pass through its border with Gaza

U.S. President Joe Biden has announced that Egypt has pledged to let "up to 20 trucks" of humanitarian aid pass through its border with Gaza, through the Rafah crossing. Biden made the remarks after holding a telephone conversation with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi during his return trip to Washington after a fleeting visit to Israel on Wednesday.

ACT.18 OCT 2023 - 23:10

Agencies

Hezbollah says two of its members have been killed in southern Lebanon after several Israeli attacks

The Lebanese militia Hezbollah has reported that two of its members have been killed in southern Lebanon while "participating in fighting", according to its Telegram channel. The death of the militants comes after several attacks launched by the Israeli army on Lebanese territory in retaliation for the firing of missiles from southern Lebanon.

The militants have been identified by Hezbollah as Ali Muhammad Marmar and Taha Abbas Abbas. The Israeli army earlier intercepted four projectiles, out of a total of nine, launched from Lebanese territory into Israeli territory in a new crossfire.

ACT.18 OCT 2023 - 22:24

Miguel JimenezWashington (UNITED STATES)

Jewish protesters inside the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Wednesday. / Will Oliver / EFE

More than 100 Jewish demonstrators rally in favor of Palestine inside the U.S. Capitol

More than a hundred demonstrators called by the Jewish organization Jewish Voice for Peace demonstrated on Wednesday in one of the buildings of the United States Congress in favor of Palestine. Activists have stood in the Cannon building where Jack Lew, the former Treasury secretary who has been appointed by President Joe Biden as the new US ambassador to Israel, was scheduled to appear, pending Senate ratification.

The demonstrators, most wearing black T-shirts that read "Not in my name," sat in the inner courtyard and leaned out onto one of the building's balconies with banners and posters calling for an Israeli ceasefire and "stop the genocide" of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

A crowd had previously been demonstrating outside the Congress, but dozens of activists have since entered the building. The police have proceeded to make arrests and gradually evict the demonstrators. According to the organising associations, around 400 people demonstrated inside the building, led by 25 rabbis. About 200 people appear to have been arrested, but because detainees are being able to leave through a back door, the exact number is unclear, according to the New York Times.

The protest comes on the same day as the visit of the country's president, Joe Biden, to Israel, where he has shown unwavering support for Benjamin Netanyahu's government and has subscribed to its thesis that the projectile that hit a Gaza hospital on Tuesday, killing hundreds of civilians, came from Islamist groups in the Strip itself. Gaza accuses Israel of the killing.

ACT.18 OCT 2023 - 22:05

El País

WAR BETWEEN ISRAEL AND GAZA

Video | Family and friends bid farewell in Israel to Maya Villalobo, the Spaniard murdered in Gaza

El País

The first Spaniard to fall victim to the war between Israel and Gaza, Maya Villalobo Sinvany, was buried in the military cemetery of Givatayim, east of Tel Aviv (Israel). Now, images of the funeral held on October 13 have been released.

Watch the full video here.

ACT.18 OCT 2023 - 21:46

El PaísAgencies

Pro-Palestinian protesters at a vigil in London on Wednesday. / Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

Pro-Palestinian demonstrations in several European and U.S. cities

Thousands of people have protested in several European and U.S. cities against Israeli attacks on civilians in the Gaza Strip. In Lisbon, hundreds of demonstrators took part in a rally to call for an end to the "aggression" against the Strip, peace in the Middle East, and to defend the rights of the Palestinian people. "Save Gaza", "end the blockade", "Free and independent Palestine" and "you will never erase us" have been some of the slogans carried on their banners by the Portuguese.

Demonstrations have also been called in London and in The Hague, the administrative capital of the Netherlands, where several hundred pro-Palestinian demonstrators have gathered outside the headquarters of the International Criminal Court. In the UK capital, demonstrators have condemned the attack on the Al Ahli hospital in Gaza City, and protested with chants and candles at a vigil in the rain near Downing Street.

In the United States, hundreds of citizens of Washington, summoned by Jewish associations, have gathered in front of the Capitol building to demand a ceasefire and "an end to the genocide" of the Palestinian people.

ACT.18 OCT 2023 - 22:28

El País

WAR BETWEEN ISRAEL AND GAZA

Gaza Hospital Massacre Sets Islamic World Ablaze with Wave of Protests

Juan Carlos Sanz

The killing of hundreds of civilians in a Gaza hospital on Tuesday has sparked a wave of protests sweeping the Islamic world with a tide of solidarity with the Palestinian cause without recent precedent. Demonstrations against an attack unanimously attributed to Israel in Muslim nations — Benjamin Netanyahu's government maintains that the impact was due to a projectile from the Islamic Jihad group — have spread from Pakistan and Turkey to Egypt and Morocco. In the latter two countries, with which it maintains relations, the Jewish state has ordered the evacuation of its diplomats due to the threat of an assault on its legations. Iran has called on Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) countries to impose sanctions, such as an oil embargo, on Israel.

Read the full information here.

ACT.18 OCT 2023 - 21:31