ISRAEL-PALESTINE ESCALATION

[Nat Quinn]

ISRAEL-PALESTINE ESCALATION (independentpress.cc)

 

ISRAEL-PALESTINE ESCALATION

 LIVE UPDATES

07/10/2023

• According to medical sources in Gaza, at least 198 Palestinians were killed in Israeli air strikes conducted following a Hamas incursion against Israel that killed at least 100.
• The group in charge of the besieged enclave stated that the unexpected, large-scale action was carried out in response to the desecration of Al-Aqsa Mosque and escalating settler violence.
• The United Nations Security Council is set to meet on Sunday in the wake of the Hamas attacks and continuing Israeli bombardment of Gaza.

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Gaza residents fear ‘long-term Israeli attack’

Six hours after clashes between Hamas fighters and Israeli forces along the Gaza-Israel barrier began, the Israeli air force response was marked by an “unprecedented scale and intensity”, according to locals in Gaza.

Central areas within Gaza, including public spaces and residential compounds, have been targets of the air raids. In some rural neighbourhoods close to the fence, residents have been advised to evacuate in the face of the escalating combat.

 

For average residents in Gaza, there is widespread shock and fear. “We have been as surprised and frightened as the [occupation] since the operation began,” Munir Nasser, a Gaza grocery vendor who was preparing to start his workday when the attacks began, told Al Jazeera. “We haven’t seen footage of Palestinians breaching the occupied towns and villages beyond the barriers like this before.”

The live images unfolding evoke a complex mix of emotions – celebration and concern. “We feel hopeful for the possibility of returning to our occupied lands, but there is also a fear of a potential, long-term Israeli counterattack,” Nasser added.

In a statement, Saleh al-Arouri, deputy head of Hamas’ political bureau: “The Palestinian resistance and the Al-Qassam Brigades will not remain silent in the face of the desecration of our sacred sites. We will not accept the continuation of the siege on Gaza or the ongoing detention of our prisoners in Israeli prisons.”

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Netanyahu tells Biden ‘forceful, prolonged campaign’ needed for victory

Netanyahu has spoken with Biden, saying the US president “emphasised that the US stands alongside Israel and fully supports Israel’s right to self-defense”, according to a statement from the Israeli prime minister’s office.

“Prime Minister Netanyahu thanked US President Biden for the unreserved support and made it clear that a forceful, prolonged campaign – which Israel will win – is necessary,” the statement said.

The Biden administration has regularly touted the US and Israel’s “ironclad” relationship. The US provides $3.8bn in unconditional  military aid annually.

Netanyahu also spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte. His office said “both leaders expressed full support for Israel’s right to defend itself”.

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Fighting ongoing at 22 locations near Gaza: Israeli military spokesman

The spokesman said fighting was continuing at nearly a dozen locations near the division between Gaza and Israel, according to the Reuters news agency.

He said Israeli soldiers and commanders have been killed and prisoners of war have been taken.

Reporting from occupied East Jerusalem, Al Jazeera’s Sara Khairat said Israeli officials had confirmed that there are “Israeli soldiers and citizens that are being held captive in Gaza”.

“That has been officially confirmed to Al Jazeera by the Israeli military,” Khairat said.

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Opposition leader Lapid says ready to form emergency government: Correspondent

Lapid has said he is will to create an emergency government with Netanyahu to convey a unified front, Al Jazeera’s Sara Khairat has reported from occupied East Jerusalem.

“Lapid has come out saying, now is not the time to to be asking questions on who is to blame,” Khairat said. “He says it’s a time for unity.”

The escalation comes following months of Israeli protests against proposed judicial reforms under Netanyahu, Khairat added.

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Israeli officials confirm 100 dead

Israel’s rescue agency has confirmed that at least 100 Israelis have been killed in the surprise attacks by Hamas fighters in southern Israel.

As we’ve mentioned before, the figure had been widely reported by Israeli media.

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Three Palestinians killed in West Bank, settler attacks on the rise

Three Palestinians have been killed in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Ministry of Health says.

In the meantime, settler attacks have increased, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said.

A Red Crescent spokesman said that attacks took place in:

• Khirbet Yanoun, close to Aqraba, south of Nablus City, where four people were injured
• Yasouf, east of Salfit, where six were injured by live ammunition, one man was stabbed by a settler, and 25 were treated for tear gas inhalation
• Qasra, south of Nablus, where one person was shot by live ammunition, and attacks are continuing
• Huwara, where an ambulance medical team was attacked.

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UN Security Council to meet Sunday

The United Nations Security Council is set to meet on Sunday in the wake of the Hamas attacks and continuing Israeli bombardment of Gaza.

UN chief Antonio Guterres condemned the attack by Hamas and urged “all diplomatic efforts to avoid a wider conflagration”, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.

“The Secretary-General is deeply concerned for the civilian population and urges maximum restraint. Civilians must be respected and protected in accordance with international humanitarian law at all times,” Dujarric said.

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Biden pledges ‘all appropriate means of support’ to Israel

Biden told Netanyahu that Washington was ready to provide “all appropriate means of support” amid the attacks on Israel and the continuing Israeli bombardment of Gaza.

“Israel has a right to defend itself and its people. The United States warns against any other party hostile to Israel seeking advantage in this situation,” Biden said.

The Israeli prime minister’s office had previously said Biden had called Netanyahu, saying that a “forceful, prolonged campaign” was necessary.

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Israel says hit two high-rises in Gaza: Air force

Israel’s air force has said its fighter jets have struck two high-rise buildings in Gaza, saying they housed Hamas “military infrastructure”.

The announcement came shortly after an Israeli attack on the Palestine Tower in Gaza City was captured as Youmna ElSayed was reporting live for Al Jazeera.

“The Air Force attacked two military infrastructures of senior members of the terrorist organization Hamas inside high-rise buildings,” the Israeli Air Force said, without providing the exact location.

The Air Force statement said, “Hamas places its military assets in the heart of the civilian population in the Gaza Strip.”

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Number of Palestinians killed at least 198 – Medical sources

At least 198 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza and more than 1,600 wounded, according to the Palestinian health authority, after Israel launched attacks after Hamas’ surprise offensive on Israeli territory.

Israeli health officials say at least 40 Israelis have been killed and 750 wounded in Hamas attacks.

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Israeli schools will be closed on Sunday: Education Ministry

The Israeli Education Ministry says all kindergartens and schools will remain closed across the country on Sunday, expanding a previously announced decision.

Earlier, the Israeli army said that studies would not be carried out in the centre and south of the country.

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We are ready for ‘worst case scenario’: Hamas

Hamas deputy chief Saleh al-Arouri has told Al Jazeera that the group is ready for “the worst case scenario”.

“All scenarios are now possible and we are ready for an [Israeli] land invasion,” he said.

Al-Arouri added that Israel had been planning to launch an attack on the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

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