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At least 18 Palestinians were killed on Thursday in different violent incidents with Israeli troops in the occupied West Bank, in the deadliest day in the area since 2002 - the peak of the Second Intifada - within a spiral of violence reminiscent of that of then, in parallel to the war that Israel has been waging against Islamist militias in Gaza for a month. The White House announced on Thursday that Israel will begin four-hour daily pauses in its military operations in the northern Gaza Strip with the intention of facilitating the evacuation of civilians south of the Palestinian enclave. Meanwhile, Hamas leaders have arrived in Cairo, including the militia's leader, Ismail Haniya, and the former head of the Palestinian group, Khaled Meshaal, the Palestinian militia said in a statement. On the military front, the Israeli army is continuing the ground operation, with heavy fighting with Hamas members in Gaza City. In his latest report, he claims to have taken a "stronghold" of the Palestinian militia, the origin of an extensive tunnel route, after 10 hours of fighting.
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Netanyahu Says Israel Is Already Fighting Inside Gaza City
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El País
Israeli Army Launches Attacks on Lebanon and Syria Territories
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have reported that they have launched bombings against militant cells located in Lebanon and Syria, in response to alleged attacks committed by them on Israeli territory. The army released a video on Thursday that shows, according to its version, a bombing of targets of the Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon, according to Reuters. The IDF has claimed that the bombing was in retaliation for attacks committed by the Shiite militia on Israeli territory. Black-and-white aerial video shows a fighter jet bombing Hezbollah infrastructure and technological equipment, the IDF has claimed. Reuters said it was unable to verify the location and date the video was recorded.
In a separate incident, the Israeli army said that a drone launched by an organization from Syrian territory attacked a school in the southern city of Eilat on Thursday. No major damage or deaths were reported as a result of this incident. The IDF has said that in response, it launched an attack on the group responsible, which it did not identify, according to Reuters. The Israeli military has held the Syrian government responsible for "any terrorist activity emanating from its territory."
ACT.10 NOV 2023 - 05:52
Marc Bassets
The international community commits more than 1,000 million euros for humanitarian aid to Gaza
Emmanuel Macron tried on Thursday in Paris to mobilize dozens of representatives of countries and international organizations to send humanitarian aid to Gaza and press for a truce that would prepare for a future ceasefire. Participants pledged more than €1 billion, according to Elysee Palace sources. The U.N. had assessed the immediate needs at $000.1 billion by the end of the year. A portion of the sum that was announced had already been committed in recent weeks.
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ACT.10 NOV 2023 - 04:15
El País
Gaza Health Ministry Reports Israeli Attack on Hospital Complex
Gaza Health Ministry spokesman Ashraf Al-Qidra said Israel launched an airstrike on a hospital area on Friday, Reuters reports. "The Israeli occupation launched simultaneous attacks on several hospitals in the past few hours," the spokesman told Al Jazeera television. Qidra said the object of Israel's bombardment was the courtyard of the medical complex in Gaza City, and said there were people killed, although he did not provide further details, Reuters said. The British agency notes that it could not independently verify the spokesperson's claims.
The medical complex referred to by Qidra includes Gaza's largest hospital, Al Shifa, where Israel accuses the militant group Hamas of hiding an operations center and tunnels. Two children's hospitals are also located in the attacked compound. The new bombardment puts further stress on Gaza authorities, who are struggling to care for hundreds of wounded and displaced by the Israeli siege.
ACT.10 NOV 2023 - 03:45
El País
Netanyahu Says Israel Does Not Seek to Occupy Gaza After War Against Hamas
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that his country is not seeking to conquer, occupy or rule Gaza after its war against Hamas, but said it would need a "credible force" to enter the Palestinian enclave if necessary to prevent the emergence of militant threats.
Netanyahu's comments this week suggesting that Israel would be responsible for Gaza's security indefinitely drew pushback from the United States, Israel's main ally. Washington has said it will oppose Israel's post-war occupation of Gaza, where Israel has launched a bombing campaign to destroy Hamas rulers in the enclave after militants razed southern Israeli communities on Oct. 7 in an attack that Israel says killed 1,400 people.
Speaking to U.S. television's Fox News, Netanyahu said, "We don't seek to conquer Gaza, we don't seek to occupy Gaza, and we don't seek to rule Gaza."
The prime minister said it would be necessary to form a civilian government in Gaza, but that Israel would ensure that an attack like the one on October 7 does not happen again. "Therefore, we have to have a credible force that, if necessary, will enter Gaza and kill the killers. Because that's what will prevent the resurgence of a Hamas-like entity," Netanyahu said. (Reuters)
ACT.10 NOV 2023 - 02:15
El País
ILO calls for $20 million to help workers and businesses in Palestine
The International Labour Organization (ILO) on Thursday appealed to member countries and other donors to provide $20 million in funding for a programme to help Palestinian workers and businesses affected by the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.
The program will be aimed at "providing immediate aid and long-term assistance to mitigate the effects of the crisis on hundreds of thousands of affected Palestinian workers and employers," the organization said in a statement. "The hostilities have resulted in tragic loss of human life as well as of livelihoods, jobs, incomes, businesses and civilian infrastructure," said ILO Director-General Gilbert Houngbo.
Nearly 6,000 Gaza workers who were working in Israel before the current conflict erupted and are currently stranded in the West Bank are facing "appalling conditions", the ILO said. Palestinian workers and traders with valid permits are not allowed to enter Israel or East Jerusalem through any checkpoints, and restrictions have also been applied on trade in vital goods transiting from Israeli ports to Palestinian destinations." Meanwhile, UN health and humanitarian workers providing life-saving assistance on the ground face extremely dangerous circumstances," the statement added.
The ILO estimates that at least 61 per cent of jobs in Gaza and almost 25 per cent of jobs in the West Bank have been lost since 7 October, resulting in a loss of daily labour income of $16 million in the occupied Palestinian territories. Even before the conflict, Gaza had one of the highest unemployment rates in the world, which the ILO estimated at 46.4 per cent for the second quarter of 2023. (Image: EFE)
ACT.10 NOV 2023 - 02:05
El País
Biden Provides Details on Gaza Humanitarian Pauses
U.S. President Joe Biden has used his Twitter account to provide some details about the four-hour daily humanitarian pauses agreed with Israel.
The Democrat has said he talked for weeks with Israeli authorities to stop the fighting and allow the flow of food and medicine into the Strip. According to the president, Gazans will be able to escape from hostile areas with the pauses. He also mentioned that the goal is to deliver 150 trucks with supplies per day.
"Let me be clear: Israel makes its own decisions. It is fighting an enemy embedded in the civilian population, posing a risk to innocent Palestinians. It has an obligation to distinguish between terrorists and civilians and to fully comply with international law," Biden wrote.
ACT.10 NOV 2023 - 01:47
El País
Israel uses its Arrow 3 missile interceptor for the first time
Israel said it used one of its most advanced air and missile defense systems for the first time on Thursday to intercept a missile launched toward Israel in the Red Sea region.
The system, known as Arrow 3, is designed to intercept long-range missiles outside the atmosphere, as described in a joint statement by Israel's army and Defense Ministry.
Thursday marks the first interception of missiles from the Arrow 3 system since its deployment in 2017. Last week, the Arrow 2 system was used to intercept a missile for the first time, the statement said.
The Arrow 3 system was co-developed and co-produced by the Israel Missile Defense Organization at the Israeli Ministry of Defense and the United States Missile Defense Agency, led by Israel Aerospace Industries. It is one of the world's most advanced air and missile defense systems of its kind for intercepting long-range ballistic missiles. (AP)
ACT.10 NOV 2023 - 01:33