Israel-Hamas war, Day 13 updates | Aid for Israel, Ukraine will boost U.S. security ‘for generations’: Biden

President Joe Biden on Thursday urged Americans to set aside “angry politics” and unite behind military support for Israel and Ukraine as a civic duty to the world.

“We can’t let petty partisan angry politics get in the way of our responsibility as a great nation. We cannot and will not let terrorists like Hamas and tyrants like Putin win. I refuse to let that happen,” Mr. Biden said in a televised address to the nation. - AFP

President Joe Biden on Thursday exhorted the U.S. Congress to approve urgent military support for Israel and Ukraine, saying the aid would boost U.S. security “for generations.”

“It is a smart investment that’s going to pay dividends for American security for generations. (It’ll) help us keep American troops out of harm’s way. (It’ll) help us build a world that is safer, more peaceful and more prosperous for our children and grandchildren,” Mr. Biden said. - AFP

U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday said that both Hamas militants attacking Israel and Russian leader Vladimir Putin in his invasion of Ukraine are seeking to “annihilate” neighboring democracies.

“Hamas and Putin represent different threats, but they share this in common: They both want to completely annihilate a neighboring democracy,” Mr. Biden said in a rare televised address from the Oval Office. - AFP

U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday said that aid for Israel and Ukraine will boost U.S. security ‘for generations’.

President Joe Biden on Thursday said Hamas and Russia are both out to “annihilate” democracies in an impassioned speech to the nation from the Oval Office, where he made the case for U.S. assistance to Ukraine and Israel. - AFP

Palestinians in war-torn Gaza on Thursday eagerly awaited the arrival of aid trucks promised in a deal struck by U.S. President Joe Biden, as Israel’s military kept up its bombardment of targets in the Hamas-run enclave.

Egyptian state-linked broadcaster Al Qahera News said the Rafah border crossing -- the only one in and out of besieged Gaza not controlled by Israel -- would open on Friday.

- AFP

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock announced on Thursday 50 million euros in aid for civilians in the Gaza Strip, on the first stage of a mini-tour of the Middle East.

Germany was also preparing to send medical teams into the Gaza Strip, she added, her ministry said in a statement.

The aim of her tour, she said, was to express “unwavering solidarity” and to help ensure Palestinian access to aid. - AFP

The U.S. ratings agency Moody’s has put the Israeli government’s A1 credit ratings on review for downgrade, citing the “unexpected and violent conflict between Israel and Hamas.”

The severity of the conflict, sparked by the deadly attack by Hamas on southern Israel on October 7, “raises the possibility of longer lasting and material credit impact,” Moody’s said in a statement Thursday. - AFP

The Hamas-controlled interior ministry said several displaced people who had taken shelter at a church compound in the Gaza Strip have been killed and injured after an Israeli strike late Thursday.

The strike left a “large number of martyrs and injured” at the compound of a Greek Orthodox church, the ministry said. - AFP

U.S. intelligence estimated toll in Gaza hospital strike on “low end” of 100-300, calling loss of life “staggering”, reports AP.

The U.S. veto on a UN Security Council resolution calling for a “humanitarian pause” in the Israel-Hamas war will have “monstruous consequences”, Russia said on Thursday.

Twelve out of 15 Council members voted in favour of the resolution put forward by Brazil, which also condemned the “heinous terrorist attacks by Hamas”. - AFP

Sixteen Palestinian journalists have been killed in the war in Gaza since Israel began bombarding the coastal enclave, the Palestinian journalists’ union said.

Dozens of other journalists have been wounded in the conflict since it erupted on October 7 after Hamas militants carried out a deadly attack on Israel that triggered a blistering Israeli bombardment of the Palestinian territory. - AFP

Israel’s Defence Minister told ground troops to be ready to enter the Gaza Strip, though he didn’t say when the invasion will start.

In a meeting with Israeli infantry soldiers on the Gaza border, Yoav Gallant urged the forces to “get organized, be ready” for an order to move in.

“Whoever sees Gaza from afar now, will see it from the inside,” he said. “I promise you.”

Israel has massed tens of thousands of troops along the border following a bloody October 7 cross-border massacre by Hamas militants. - AP

Scores of foreigners were killed, wounded or taken hostage after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7.

The worst attack in Israel’s 75-year history killed more than 1,400 people, mostly civilians, inside the country, according to Israeli officials.

According to an AFP count, around 200 foreigners have been confirmed dead by their national authorities, with many also holding Israeli nationality. Some 203 people have been confirmed to have been abducted, Israel said on October 19.

United States: 31 dead, 13 missing, others abducted

At least 31 US citizens have been killed since the Hamas attack last week, the White House said late Tuesday. Another 13 American nationals are unaccounted for.

President Joe Biden said Tuesday that Americans were also among those detained by Hamas.

Thailand: 30 dead, 17 hostages

Thirty Thais have been killed, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said Wednesday.

Another 17 are thought to have been abducted.

About 30,000 Thais work in Israel, most in the agricultural sector, according to government figures.

France: 21 dead, 11 missing

Twenty-one French nationals have been killed, while 11 others remain missing, many of whom are “very probably Hamas hostages”, according to the foreign ministry.

The hostages include Mia Shem, a Franco-Israeli woman who was in a video released Monday by Hamas. It was the first time the Palestinian Islamist movement has released a video showing a hostage since its attack on Israel.

Russia: 19 dead, two hostages, seven missing

Nineteen Russian-Israeli citizens have been confirmed dead, according to the Russian embassy in Israel cited by the state Ria Novosti news agency.

Two Russian-Israeli citizens are hostages and seven Russian nationals are missing.

Ukraine: 18 dead

Eighteen Ukrainian citizens have been confirmed dead, according to Ukraine’s ambassador in Israel, Yevgen Korniychuk.

Nepal: 10 dead, one missing

Ten Nepali citizens were killed in Kibbutz Alumim, the Himalayan republic’s embassy in Tel Aviv said. Four others were hospitalised and contact had been lost with a fifth.

The kibbutz was hosting 17 Nepali students at the time of the attack.

Argentina: Seven dead, 15 missing

Argentina’s foreign ministry confirmed that seven citizens had been killed and 15 others were missing.

U.K.: At least seven dead, nine missing

At least seven Britons have been confirmed dead and nine remain missing, according to a death toll released by Downing Street on Wednesday.

Among the dead was Yahel Sharabi, a 13-year-old girl who was killed with her mother Lianne. Her older sister Noiya, 16, and her father Eli are still missing.

Canada: Six dead, two missing

Six Canadians have died and two were missing, according to a government update on Tuesday.

Austria: Four dead, one missing

Four Israeli-Austrians were killed in the attacks, authorities said. One person remains missing.

China: Four dead, two missing

China’s foreign ministry said Monday that four Chinese nationals were killed and two were missing.

Romania: Four dead, one missing

Romania announced on Saturday the death of four nationals, including an Israeli-Romanian soldier. One other Romanian is still missing.

Belarus: Three dead, one missing

The Belarusian embassy in Tel Aviv said three of its citizens had died and another was missing.

Brazil: Three dead

The foreign ministry said Friday a Brazilian woman had been killed, bringing the total number of deaths to three.

Philippines: Three dead, three missing

The Philippines foreign ministry has said a 49-year-old woman was killed at a music festival that was being held just kilometres from the Gaza border.

Previously authorities said a 33-year-old woman and a 42-year-old man had been killed at a kibbutz.

Three citizens remained missing.

Peru: Two dead, five missing

Two Peruvians were killed and five missing, the authorities said.

South Africa: Two dead

The South African government announced that two of its nationals had been killed.

Australia: One dead

Foreign Minister Penny Wong said an Australian woman had been killed in the attacks.

Azerbaijan: One dead

The foreign ministry has said that one Azerbaijani national had been killed.

Cambodia: One dead

Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Manet said one Cambodian student had been killed.

Chile: One dead, one missing

A Chilean woman has been killed, say the authorities.

A kibbutz resident has been reported missing, according to the foreign ministry.

Colombia: One dead, one missing

Bogota announced the death of one Colombian and said another was missing.

Honduras: One dead

Honduran authorities confirmed on Friday the death of one of their nationals.

Ireland: One dead

A 22-year-old Irish-Israeli woman was killed in the attacks, the Irish government said.

Italy: One dead, two missing

A 65-year-old Italian-Israeli man was confirmed dead after DNA tests, the foreign ministry said on Tuesday.

Two other dual nationals remained missing.

Portugal: One dead, four missing

One Portuguese national was killed and four were missing, Foreign Minister Gomes Cravinho said.

Spain: One dead, one missing

The foreign ministry said one Spanish citizen had been killed.

A Spaniard from the Basque country, married to a Chilean woman, is one of the hostages being held in Gaza, according to Madrid.

Switzerland: One dead

An Israeli-Swiss national was killed in the October 7 attack.

Turkey: One dead, one missing

Ankara confirmed Friday that a Turkish-Israeli citizen, who had moved to Israel with his family in 1972, had been killed. Another was missing.

Germany: Several dead

The German foreign ministry said Wednesday that a number of Germans were among those killed, without giving a precise death toll.

“Unfortunately, we have to assume that a single-digit number of German casualties have fallen victim to Hamas terror,” a foreign ministry spokesman said, indicating that the number was fewer than 10.

The ministry spoke of “eight known cases” of hostages being held by Hamas, one of which may involve several people.

“A small double-digit number” of hostages with German nationality are involved, the spokesman said.

Mexico: Two hostages

Foreign Minister Alicia Barcena wrote on social media that two Mexicans, a man and a woman, had been taken hostage.

Netherlands: One hostage

An 18-year-old was taken hostage in the Beeri kibbutz, where he was visiting his girlfriend, according to the Israeli embassy in the Netherlands.

Paraguay: Two missing

Two Paraguayan nationals who had been living in Israel are missing, the government said.

Sri Lanka: Two missing

Sri Lanka’s ambassador to Israel said Tuesday that two nationals, a 48-year-old man and a 49-year-old woman, were missing.

Tanzania: Two missing

Tanzania’s ambassador to Israel told AFP two Tanzanian nationals were missing.

- AFP

The European Union began taking steps to limit the impact of the war between Israel and Hamas on the bloc, amid heightened security tensions after a firebomb attack on a Berlin synagogue and killings in Belgium and France by suspected Islamist extremists.

Spain, which currently holds the EU’s rotating presidency, activated a crisis mechanism to speed up decision-making and coordination between the 27 member countries, the bloc’s institutions and major partners like the United Nations or the United States.

Officials from across the EU have expressed concerns about a rise in antisemitic attacks, radicalization online, the use of encrypted messaging services by extremists, and the need to speed up the deportation of people who might pose a public danger.

But calls for an increase in security across the board are creating deep unease as the solutions being discussed could undermine free movement and the right to assemble in Europe.

Italy is introducing border checks to counter a possible rise in tensions over the Israel-Hamas war. Denmark and Sweden are too, due to what they say is an “Islamist terrorist threat.” France intends to keep checks in place until at least May 2024, citing “new terrorist threats and external borders situation.” More police have been deployed in Belgium, France and Germany.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell believes part of the solution to Europe’s security woes must involve the bloc helping diplomatically and financially to bring an end to years of conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.

“We have learned from history that the most difficult decisions are always taken when we are on the edge of the abyss. I believe that is where we are now: on the edge of the abyss,” Mr. Borrell told EU lawmakers on Wednesday.

“When I hear Muslim religious authorities speaking the language of inter-religious conflict and explicitly stating that Europe is a party to this conflict, I feel that the storm clouds are looming,” he said. - AP

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi has met with King Abdullah II of Jordan for a closed-door discussion about the escalating conflict between Israel and Hamas, and the deteriorating humanitarian situation in besieged Gaza.

Egypt’s presidential office said in a statement that followed Thursday’s meeting that the two leaders condemned Israel’s policy of “collective punishment” against Palestinians in Gaza and its efforts to displace “Palestinians from their lands to Egypt or Jordan.”

Few further details were given.

The two countries, which flank Israel on opposite sides, are close allies. Both leaders have since Oct. 7 separately expressed fear about a permanent expulsion of Palestinians into their countries, concerned it could nullify Palestinians’ demand for a future state. - AP

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan discussed the fighting between Israeli and Palestinian forces, including the Israeli attacks on Gaza, with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry, a Turkish Foreign Ministry source said.

Turkey has sent humanitarian aid aimed for besieged Gazans, which has been held up in Egypt with the border being closed due to the fighting. Cairo is also due to host a summit of leaders at the weekend to discuss the conflict. - AP

The war between Israel and Hamas that began on October 7 has become the deadliest of five Gaza wars for both sides. The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry said that 3,478 Palestinians have been killed and more than 12,000 injured in the past 11 days.

More than 1,400 people in Israel have been killed, and at least 199 others, including children, were captured by Hamas and taken into Gaza, according to Israeli authorities.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he spoke to the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and condoled the loss of civilian lives at the Al Ahli hospital attack in Gaza.

“We will continue to send humanitarian assistance for the Palestinian people. Shared our deep concern at the terrorism, violence and deteriorating security situation in the region. Reiterated India’s long-standing principled position on the Israel-Palestine issue,” Modi said on X (formerly Twitter).

Britain’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said it was important that the conflict between Israel and Hamas doesn’t escalate to the wider Middle East region. “It’s important that the conflict doesn’t escalate regionally. That’s why I’m talking to as many people as I can across the region,” Sunak told reporters.

Meanwhile, Sunak’s Downing Street Office said that he discussed with PM Netanyahu the need to prevent any regional escalation in the conflict with Hamas. “Both leaders underscored the need to prevent any regional escalation in the conflict and the importance of restoring peace and stability to the region,” Downing Street said after the leaders met in Israel.- Reuters

Days after an attack on a hospital in Gaza triggered global outrage, India on October 19 called for strict observance of international humanitarian law. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said India is concerned over civilian casualties and the humanitarian situation. On the Palestine issue, he said India reiterated its position in favour of direct negotiations for a two-state solution. - PTI

Hamas fighters likely fired North Korean weapons during their October 7 assault on Israel, a militant video and weapons seized by Israel show, despite Pyongyang’s denials that it arms the militant group.

South Korean officials, two experts on North Korean arms and an Associated Press analysis of weapons captured on the battlefield by Israel point toward Hamas using Pyongyang’s F-7 rocket-propelled grenade, a shoulder-fired weapon that fighters typically use against armoured vehicles. Weapons seized by the Israeli military and shown to journalists also included that red stripe and other design elements matching the F-7. - AP

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that the shock October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas gunmen aimed to prevent the expansion of its peaceful relations in the Middle East, and asked Britain to keep supporting the Gaza counter-offensive.

“We were on the cusp of expanding that peace, and destroying that move was one of the reasons why this action was taken,” Netanyahu told visiting British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

“This is our darkest hour,” he added. “That means that this is a long war, and we’ll need your continuous support.”

- Reuters

Fighters in Lebanon fired at least two anti-armour missiles into Israel on Thursday, striking the border village of Manara without causing casualties, the Israeli military said.

It said Israeli artillery was shelling the launch area in retaliation.

- Reuters

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak met Israeli President Isaac Herzog in Israel on Thursday, Mr. Sunak’s office said, where the pair stressed the need to avoid further escalation of violence in the region.

“The Prime Minister and President Herzog stressed the imperative need to avoid further escalation of violence in the region. They agreed to continue working together to that end,” Sunak’s office said in a statement.

- Reuters

Machinery to repair roads has been sent through the Rafah border crossing from Egypt into the Gaza Strip in preparation for the delivery of some of the aid stockpiled in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, two security sources said on Thursday.

Rafah is the only crossing not controlled by Israel but has been out of operation since the first days of the conflict in Gaza following Israeli bombardments on the Palestinian side of the border.

The United States and Egypt have been pushing for a deal with Israel to get aid delivered to Gaza, and the White House said on Wednesday that it had been agreed for up to 20 trucks to pass through, with hopes for more trucks later.

- Reuters

Sweden has raised its travel advisory for Lebanon and now advises against all travel there, citing “the deteriorating security situation.”

In neighbouring Norway, the Foreign Ministry warned Norwegians earlier this week about the security situation in Lebanon, saying it was “very uncertain” and that “the conflict between Israel and Hamas has a negative impact on the situation in Lebanon.”

- AP

U.S. President Joe Biden will give a rare Oval Office speech on Thursday to try to get Americans behind the defence of Israel and Ukraine as the crises facing Washington’s allies pile up.

The Democrat’s primetime speech comes as he prepares to ask Congress, which is paralyzed by splits among rival Republicans, for a joint $100 billion package that includes money for Ukraine and Israel.

- AFP

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz criticised Russian President Vladimir Putin over his warnings of civilian casualties in the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas.

“I am more than outraged when hearing that the Russian President is warning everywhere that there could be victims, civilian victims of military confrontations. It really doesn’t get any more cynical than that,” Mr. Scholz said in a speech to the German parliament.

- Reuters

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak landed in Israel on Thursday, a Reuters witness said, beginning a visit in which he will meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog before travelling on to other regional capitals.

Mr. Sunak will share his condolences for the loss of life in Israel and Gaza as a result of the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Gaza-based Palestinian Hamas gunmen, his office said, and warn against further escalation of conflict in the region.

“Every civilian death is a tragedy. And too many lives have been lost following Hamas’ horrific act of terror,” Mr. Sunak said in a statement ahead of his visit.

Reuters

Russia on Thursday sent 27 tonnes of humanitarian aid for civilians in the Gaza Strip to be transported from Egypt, Moscow’s Emergency Situations Ministry said.

“A special plane has taken off from the airport at Ramenskoye near Moscow for El-Arish in Egypt. The Russian humanitarian aid will be handed over to the Egyptian Red Crescent to be sent to the Gaza Strip,” Deputy Minister Ilya Denisov said in a statement.

AFP

Hamas fighters likely fired North Korean weapons during their Oct. 7 assault on Israel, a militant video and weapons seized by Israel show, despite Pyongyang’s denials that it sells arms to the militant group.

The video was analyzed by two experts on North Korean arms. Along with an Associated Press analysis of weapons captured on the battlefield and South Korean military intelligence, the video indicates that Hamas used the F-7 rocket-propelled grenade, a shoulder-fired weapon that fighters typically use against armoured vehicles.

AP

Chinese President Xi Jinping told Egypt’s prime minister on Thursday that Beijing hoped to work with his country to bring “more stability” to the Middle East, state media reported, as the Israel-Hamas conflict cast a shadow over the region.

“China is willing to enhance cooperation with Egypt... and inject more certainty and stability into the region and the world,” Mr. Xi told Mostafa Madbouli at a meeting in Beijing, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

“China and Egypt are good friends who share the same goals and trust each other, and good partners who work hand-in-hand for development and common prosperity”, CCTV reported Xi as saying.

AFP

The European Union’s Migration Ministers meet on Thursday to discuss improving security in the bloc after deadly attacks in France and Belgium, as well as worries whether the war between Israel and Hamas would force mass displacement of people.

Some in the 27-nation bloc have already called for tighter borders, more repatriations of foreigners and new deals with African states to keep refugees and migrants from Europe since a Tunisian failed asylum-seeker killed two in Brussels on Monday.

Reuters

Three Palestinians, including two teenagers, were killed by Israeli forces in separate incidents in the occupied West Bank early on Thursday, Palestinian official news agency WAFA said.

Israeli forces stormed the village of Budrus, west of Ramallah, shooting dead a young man, Gebriel Awad, and wounding another, WAFA said.

In other incidents, a 14-year-old was killed by a bullet wound in the head in a refugee camp south of Bethlehem and a 16-year-old succumbed to his wounds after being shot in the town of Tulkarm, the news agency added.

There was no immediate comment from Israel.

Reuters

President Joe Biden swept into wartime Israel for a 7 1/2-hour visit Wednesday that produced a heaping dose of vocal support, a deal to get limited humanitarian aid into Gaza from Egypt, likely by the end of the week, and a plea for Israelis not to allow rage over the deadly Hamas attack to consume them.

“I understand. Many Americans understand,” Mr. Biden said as he wrapped up his stay in Tel Aviv, likening the Oct. 7 Hamas assault to the attacks against the United States on Sept. 11, 2001, that killed nearly 3,000 people. “You can’t look at what has happened here ... and not scream out for justice,” he said.

“But I caution this: While you feel that rage, don’t be consumed by it,” he said. “After 9/11, we were enraged in the United States. And while we sought justice and got justice, we also made mistakes.”

U.S. President Joe Biden will give a primetime speech on Thursday about the conflict between Israel and Hamas and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the White House said Wednesday.

Mr. Biden will speak at 8 p.m. (0000 GMT) in the Oval Office, from which presidents have traditionally addressed the nation at times of critical national importance.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will travel to Israel on Thursday before heading to other countries in the region in an effort to de-escalate the Israel-Gaza conflict, his office has said.

“The attack on Al Ahli Hospital should be a watershed moment for leaders in the region and across the world to come together to avoid a further dangerous escalation of conflict,” Mr. Sunak said in a statement.

-AFP

Egypt announced on Thursday the ‘sustainable’ passage of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip through the Rafah crossing, as hundreds of aid trucks wait at the gates of the enclave being bombarded by Israel.

“Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and American President Joe Biden have agreed on the sustainable delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip via the Rafah terminal,” said presidential spokesperson Ahmed Fahmy in a statement, without specifying a date.

-AFP

The U.S. assessed that Israel was not responsible for the attack on a Gaza hospital a day earlier, the White House said on Wednesday.

“The U.S. government assesses that Israel was not responsible for an explosion that killed hundreds of civilians yesterday at the Al Ahli Hospital in the Gaza Strip,” White House National Security Council Spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement.

“Our assessment is based on available reporting, including intelligence, missile activity, overhead imagery, and open source video and images of the incident,” she said.

PTI