Status: 05.11.2023, 20:49 PM
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Palestinians search the rubble after an Israeli bombardment in the Al-Magasi refugee camp in the Gaza Strip. © Hatem Moussa/AP/dpa
Israel's army continues its fighting against Hamas unheeded by mass protests around the world. Meanwhile, Jordan's foreign minister warns in drastic terms of long-term consequences. The news at a glance.
Tel Aviv/Gaza - Despite worldwide protests and calls for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, Israel continues its military offensive against the Islamist Hamas. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Ramallah, called for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
Hundreds of thousands of people took to demonstrations in Washington, London, Paris, Berlin, Istanbul, Sydney and Jakarta over the weekend to demand an end to the bloodshed in the Gaza war.
Gaza Strip divided into two halves
According to the military, the Gaza Strip has been completely divided in half by Israeli troops. There is now "a North Gaza and a South Gaza," spokesman Daniel Hagari said on Sunday evening. The units have reached the coast in the southern part of the city of Gaza and are "holding" the area, Hagari said.
The city of Gaza is now completely encircled. This is a crucial step. However, he said it would still be possible for civilians to flee to the southern part of the Gaza Strip. Hagari also confirmed that air strikes had been extended to the densely populated coastal strip in the evening.
Earlier, according to the Palestinian Telecommunications Company, all communications and Internet services had once again failed there.
Nearly 10,000 Palestinians dead since the beginning of the war
The number of Palestinians killed in the Gaza Strip has risen to 7,9770 since the war began on October 25, according to the Hamas-controlled health authority on Sunday. Around 000,<> people were injured. The figures cannot be independently verified at present. According to the data, this is by far the largest number of deaths among Palestinians during a war in the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The war was triggered by the worst massacre in Israel's history, which was carried out by terrorists from Hamas and other extremist Palestinian organizations in the border area on October 7. On the Israeli side, more than 1400,<> people were killed in the days that followed, including many women, children and young people. In response, Israel wants to completely destroy Hamas' military capabilities and end its rule in the Gaza Strip.
Ceasefire vs. ceasefire: Blinken and Arab colleagues at odds
Speaking to Palestinian President Abbas, the foreign ministers of U.S. Arab allies Jordan and Egypt, Ayman al-Safadi and Samih Shukri, told Blinken: "The Arab countries, the Arab world, demand an immediate ceasefire that ends this war and ends the killing of innocents and the destruction it causes. We do not accept that it is self-defense," Al-Safadi was quoted as saying.
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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the airport before his departure. Blinken met with foreign ministers of several Arab states and a representative of the Palestine Liberation Organization for talks on the situation in the Gaza war. © Jonathan Ernst/Reuters Pool/AP/dpa
He warned Blinken: "We must not allow this war to undermine everything that has been done to bring a just peace to the region. With every rocket fired at the Gaza Strip, with every Palestinian child killed (...) the entire region is engulfed in a sea of hatred that will define generations to come."
Blinken speaks of humanitarian ceasefire
Blinken advocates a temporary humanitarian ceasefire but rejects a ceasefire: "A complete ceasefire now would only lead to Hamas remaining in power, able to regroup and repeat what it did on October 7."
From the U.S.'s point of view, however, a short ceasefire would allow humanitarian aid to be brought to Gaza and improve the conditions for the possible release of hostages in the hands of Hamas, Blinken said.
Talks on the future of the Gaza Strip after the end of the war
Abbas spoke with Blinken that he was ready to take "full responsibility" for the Gaza Strip, but only as part of a "package" with a comprehensive political solution for the West Bank and East Jerusalem. The Palestinians claim these territories for a state of their own.
Blinken has called for the Palestinian Authority to take back control of the Gaza Strip from Abbas. However, most members of the current government in Israel see this vision as a threat to the Jewish state and therefore reject it. Hamas violently seized sole control of the Gaza Strip in 2007.
Minister calls nuclear bomb 'option': government rejects
Meanwhile, the Israeli government clearly distanced itself from statements by a right-wing extremist minister on the actions in the Gaza Strip. Culture Minister Amichai Eliyahu, when asked during a radio interview whether a nuclear bomb should be dropped on the Gaza Strip, replied: "That is one of the options."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu then said Eliyahu's remarks had "no basis in reality" and suspended the minister from cabinet meetings until further notice, according to media reports. Defense Minister Joav Galant also condemned Eliyahu's "baseless and irresponsible statements."
Departures from the Gaza Strip Stopped
Following an Israeli attack on an ambulance, departures from the Gaza Strip have been halted for the time being. It affects injured Palestinians as well as foreigners and Palestinians with dual citizenship.
Security sources in Gaza said that foreigners could not leave the Gaza Strip until the wounded could be brought to Egypt. First of all, safe routes must be created for ambulances to pass from the Gaza Strip to the Rafah crossing with Egypt.
Reports: Dead in shelling of a residential building
The Israeli military has also reportedly attacked a house in a refugee neighborhood in its ground offensive against Hamas. More than 30 people were killed in the bombardment in the Al-Magasi neighborhood in the center of the coastal area, according to the Hamas-controlled health authority in Gaza. Again, this information cannot be independently verified at this time. Israel's army said it was investigating the reports.
UN calls for more humanitarian aid for Palestinians
The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has called for safe and expanded humanitarian access to the Gaza Strip. Humanitarian needs have skyrocketed and critical food supplies have reached a dangerous low, WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain said after a visit to the Rafah crossing on Sunday. "Today, I make an urgent appeal for the millions of people whose lives are being destroyed by this crisis."
Fighting between Israel's army and Hamas continued during the night. © Abed Khaled/AP/dpa
Meanwhile, the number of United Nations employees killed so far rises to 79, with five employees killed in the past 48 hours, the UN Palestine Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) said. At least 24 others were injured. Like most residents of the coastal strip, UN staff have been displaced along with their families. "They continue to work tirelessly to provide humanitarian aid." dpa