Skip next section Israeli military says 123 soldiers killed since Hamas attackOctober 10, 2023
Israeli military says 123 soldiers killed since Hamas attackThe Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Tuesday said that 123 of its soldiers have been killed since the Hamas terror group launched a large-scale attack.
IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari also said that 50 families had been informed that their loved ones were being held hostage in Gaza.
Israel believes at least 100 people, including some soldiers, were abducted during Saturday’s incursion.
https://p.dw.com/p/4XKpRSkip next section UN says total siege of Gaza ‘prohibited’ under international lawOctober 10, 2023
UN says total siege of Gaza ‘prohibited’ under international lawIsrael’s announcement of a total siege of the Gaza Strip would be banned under international law, the United Nations human rights chief said.
“The imposition of sieges that endanger the lives of civilians by depriving them of goods essential for their survival is prohibited under international humanitarian law,” Volker Turk said in a statement.
His comments came after Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Monday announced a “complete siege” on Gaza in response to the terror attack by Hamas militants.
“No electricity, no food, no water, no gas — it’s all closed,” the minister said.
The measure has sparked concerns that the humanitarian situation for the 2.3 million people in the Gaza Strip could deteriorate. The coastal territory, which is ruled by Hamas, has been under a blockade imposed by Israel and Egypt since 2007.
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https://p.dw.com/p/4XKmUSkip next section EU top diplomats to discuss aid to Palestinians October 10, 2023
EU top diplomats to discuss aid to Palestinians EU foreign ministers are holding an extraordinary meeting on Tuesday to discuss the bloc’s aid payments to Palestinians.
The EU’s aid program for Palestinians currently amounts to €691 million ($730 million).
The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, said on Monday that it would carry out an “urgent review” of the funding following the weekend terrorist attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas on Israel.
Hamas is considered a terrorist organization by Germany, the EU, the US and several other nations.
Ahead of Tuesday’s meeting, Spain said it would oppose any suspension of payments to Palestinians, describing such a move as “counterproductive.”
“This cooperation must continue, we cannot confuse Hamas, which is in the list of EU’s terrorist groups, with the Palestinian population, or the Palestinian authority or the United Nation’s organizations on the ground,” Spanish Acting Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said in an interview with Spanish radio Cadena SER.
France, too, said it would not support the suspension of aid that benefits Palestinians directly.
Austria on Monday announced an end to funding for the Palestinian territories, while Germany and Britain said their funding would be reviewed.
European Union aid to Palestinians totaled some €691 million Image: Mahmud Hams/AFP/Getty Images https://p.dw.com/p/4XKgiSkip next section UN counts close to 190,000 displaced people in GazaOctober 10, 2023
UN counts close to 190,000 displaced people in Gaza A United Nations agency says the number of people displaced in the past 24 hours across the Gaza Strip has reached 187,518 and is expected to increase further.
The UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) said the vast majority of those displaced — some 137,500 people — were sheltering in dozens of schools across the Gaza Strip. A growing number of civilians are seeking refuge, the agency added.
Officials said the situation was increasingly difficult, with shelters overcrowded and limited drinking water.
The agency also said its Gaza field office had suffered because of the airstrikes in the Rimal area in the center of Gaza City.
https://p.dw.com/p/4XKdWSkip next section ‘1,500 bodies’ of Hamas militants found in Israel: armyOctober 10, 2023
‘1,500 bodies’ of Hamas militants found in Israel: armyA spokesperson for the Israeli military said “approximately 1,500 bodies” of Hamas militants were found in Israeli territory around the Gaza Strip.
Lieutenant-Colonel Richard Hecht, an IDF spokesperson, told reporters that security forces had “restored full control” over the border fence with Gaza and that no Hamas militants had crossed into Israel since Monday.
“Since last night we know that no one came in … but infiltrations can still happen,” he said, adding that the army had “nearly completed” an evacuation of all the communities around the border.
Hecht also said hundreds of Hamas targets were struck overnight in Gaza City’s Rimal neighborhood. The area is home to many of Hamas’ ministries and government buildings.
He said residents were being warned of any strikes in advance on social media.
https://p.dw.com/p/4XKMhSkip next section Israel says secures Gaza fence, no new incursions since MondayOctober 10, 2023
Israel says secures Gaza fence, no new incursions since MondayIsrael’s military said it has retaken control of the Gaza border fence after a mass incursion by Hamas on the weekend.
In comments aired by Israel’s Army Radio and cited by the Reuters news agency, the chief military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said Israeli forces were planting mines in places where the barrier was breached.
He added that there had been no new infiltrations from Gaza, which is ruled by Hamas, since Monday. He also said the military had found no evidence that gunmen used cross-border tunnels to enter Israel’s territory when they staged their attack.
On Saturday, Hamas militants broke through Israel’s barriers with explosives before carrying out a rampage, taking people hostage and gunning down civilians.
Israeli military hits hundreds of Hamas targets in GazaTo view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
https://p.dw.com/p/4XKLGSkip next section Pro-Palestinian rallies spark criticism in New York and MunichOctober 10, 2023
Pro-Palestinian rallies spark criticism in New York and MunichDemonstrations from supporters of Palestinians in major cities around the world have prompted questions and criticism in some quarters.
In New York City, demonstrators walked past the Israeli consulate with signs bearing messages including “NYC stands with Gaza” and “Israel go to hell.”
A heavy police presence sought to separate them from another large group of pro-Israel demonstrators angered by the attacks.
Police in Sydney, Australia, said they are investigating a pro-Palestinian rally outside the city’s Opera House after footage was seen of a small group of people chanting antisemitic slogans.
In Canada, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau both joined and spoke at a solidarity gathering for Israel late on Monday and also condemned demonstrations supporting Hamas’ attacks.
“The glorification of violence is never acceptable in Canada — by any group or in any situation,” Trudeau wrote on social media. “I strongly condemn the demonstrations that have taken place, and are taking place, across the country in support of Hamas’ attacks on Israel. Let’s stand united against acts of terror.”
A similar contrast had been visible in Munich on Monday night. As the Israeli flag was beamed onto the city hall in Bavaria’s state capital, pro-Palestinian protesters were marching past with signs and candles.
London’s Metropolitan Police said they were responding to “suspected criminal damage in Kensington High Street” on Monday, following reports of protesters gathering outside Israel’s Embassy and consulate, located on that street.
In Buenos Aires, too, pro-Palestinian demonstrators chose to march near Israel’s diplomatic facilities.
Demonstrators in Argentina’s capital took a route passing the Israeli Embassy in Buenos AiresImage: Victor R. Caivano/AP/picture alliance https://p.dw.com/p/4XKCTSkip next section Father of missing girl tells DW of ordealOctober 10, 2023
Father of missing girl tells DW of ordealA man in Hadera, north of Tel Aviv, has told DW of how he last spoke to his missing daughter on Saturday and how he is desperately hoping for word from her or authorities on her whereabouts and well-being.
The last time Tomer Shallom spoke with his daughter, she had gone to a music festival with a friend near the border to Gaza that came under attack.
“The last time we heard from [my daughter] and [her friend], who is a German citizen also, they were in a party, like a peace festival,” Shallom said, referring to the Nova Festival that came under attack by Hamas.
“And then… We heard from her at about 8:30 in the morning. We got a phone call. She was frightened, crying. And you could hear gunshots around. And she was saying that they were hiding in a kind of a shelter,” he said.
Shallom explained how he told her to stay low and to stay calm, that hopefully it should be over soon. Because her battery on her phone was low, they agreed to hang up and stay in touch, he said.
“And that was the last time we heard something from her.”
Hamas attacks: Israeli man warily awaits daughter’s fateTo view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
Shallom said his daughter had spoken to a friend of hers later on, and that at that point she had been helping another girl with a gunshot wound to the leg. This made sense, he said, given that his daughter is a paramedic.
Shallom said he had heard nothing more about his daughter and her friend’s whereabouts and that “nobody is having information to give us.” He said they were still in “darkness” about whether she had potentially been taken hostage by Hamas.
Asked what message he’d like to send his daughter, should she be watching, Shallom said: “I want to tell you that you should be strong. I love you. Everybody here loves you,” he said. “We’re waiting for you. We really, really want to see you and [your friend] and all the other prisoners. You’re not supposed to be a war prisoner. You’re not supposed to be here. I hope for you that you’re gonna see your family soon.”
https://p.dw.com/p/4XKAzSkip next section Palestinians say two journalists killed, Israel reports death of commander on Lebanese borderOctober 10, 2023
Palestinians say two journalists killed, Israel reports death of commander on Lebanese borderPalestinian news agency Wafa reported early on Tuesday that an overnight airstrike had killed two Palestinian journalists.
Wafa identified the journalists as an editor and a photographer, following a strike near several media offices.
Tracer fire and explosions could be seen for much of Monday over Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that his country’s response to the surprise weekend attack had “only started.”
“We have only started striking Hamas,” he said in a televised address. “What we will do to our enemies in the coming days will reverberate with them for generations.”
Meanwhile, to the north, tensions were also high on the border to Lebanon.
Early on Tuesday, Israel’s military said a deputy Israeli commander was killed in clashes on that border. They did not specify the exact circumstances of his death, after several reported exchanges of fire on Monday.
Palestinian militants from the Islamic Jihad group slipped from Lebanon into Israel on Monday. Israel responded by shelling border areas in Lebanon. And the Iran-backed Hezbollah group later said it had retaliated by firing rockets and mortars at two Israeli military facilities near the border.
As well as in the south near the border to Gaza, troop movements have intensified in northern Israel in recent days as wellImage: Jalaa Marey/AFP/Getty Images https://p.dw.com/p/4XKC5Skip next section German politicians wary of Palestinian aid being abusedOctober 10, 2023
German politicians wary of Palestinian aid being abusedTwo German politicians, Ralf Stegner of the Social Democrats and Marcus Faber of the Free Democrats, have defended the government’s decision to suspend aid payments to Palestinian groups pending a review in interviews with DW.
“I think that’s the important thing to do after this cruel, terrorist attack, to really make sure that no money can be abused to support terrorist structures or antisemitism or anti-Israel sentiments,” Stegner said.
He said that even though Germany did have measures designed to prevent this, the weekend’s attack had made it clear “it’s very important to take a very close look on all of that.”
Stegner sits on the parliamentary foreign affairs committee in the Bundestag and is a senior SPD voice on foreign policy.
Meanwhile, Marcus Faber, from another member of the ruling coalition in Berlin, the FDP, said it was necessary to have “proof” that no aid was indirectly landing in the coffers of groups like Hamas.
“Germany has helped the Palestinian Authorities to support their own people. And we have now the question where does this money go,” he said. “Is this really used to support the people in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip? Or is it also used to finance such terrorist acts as we have just seen? So we will have talks about that. Where’s our money actually going? We have to have proof. That it is not misused for such terrorist acts. And until this proof happens, I think, these assets will be frozen.”
The EU took a similar step on Monday.
Faber also said he supported Israel’s move to blockade Gaza, saying that it appeared to him that Israel was looking to break Hamas’ grip on power in the territory.
“So, I think to enable that operation, to get Hamas out of the Gaza Strip, this is the first move right now. And others will follow in the coming days and weeks,” Faber said.
Challenged on whether this punished the whole population of Gaza for Hamas’ actions, Faber said, “it’s very hard to hit Hamas without also hitting the civilian populations in the Gaza Strip” and that he thought casualties would be a “side-effect.”
But he also said the Israeli army usually tried very hard not to hit the civilian population, “and I think the Israeli military will act in this way again.”
https://p.dw.com/p/4XKAtSkip next section US, UK, France, Germany, Italy issue solidarity statementOctober 10, 2023
US, UK, France, Germany, Italy issue solidarity statementGermany, the US, Britain, France and Italy jointly pledged solidarity with Israel late on Monday following Hamas’ attack over the weekend.
The five countries’ leaders expressed “steadfast and united support” for Israel and “unequivocal condemnation of Hamas and its appalling acts of terrorism.”
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on social media that the five countries would “ensure that Israel can defend itself and its citizens against the heinous attacks.”
Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron, US President Joe Biden, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni spoke by phone while Macron was already in Hamburg for bilateral talks with Scholz.
The five countries’ joint statement read:
“All of us recognize the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people, and support equal measures of justice and freedom for Israelis and Palestinians alike. But make no mistake: Hamas does not represent those aspirations, and it offers nothing for the Palestinian people other than more terror and bloodshed.”
The statement also seemed to include a warning to other regional powers such as Iran not to try to spark further unrest or conflict.
“We further emphasize that this is not a moment for any party hostile to Israel to exploit these attacks to seek an advantage,” the five countries said.
Scholz and Macron had the opportunity to talk at length on Monday in northern GermanyImage: Kay Nietfeld/dpa/picture alliance The leaders also said that “the terrorist actions of Hamas have no justification, no legitimacy, and must be universally condemned.”
Meanwhile, the Pentagon said late on Monday that US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Charles Brown Jr spoke with the Chief of the Israeli General Staff Herzi Halevi, discussing Hamas’s attack and possible steps to strengthen the US military posture in the region.
msh/jsi (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)
https://p.dw.com/p/4XKAo
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