WORLD BRIEFING: October 13, 2023

Israel Gaza War

  • The UN says it has been told by Israel that everyone in north Gaza must relocate to the south of the Strip in the next 24 hours. It means the entire population of Gaza City and its surroundings - about 1.1 million people - having to flee their homes, the UN says. Israel's military has directly told Gaza City residents to leave for their "safety and protection", as its forces mass ahead of an expected ground offensive. The UN says the order will have "devastating humanitarian consequences" and has called on Israel to revoke it - BBC

  • The Times of Israel reports that Hamas is preventing people from evacuating to the south as per the order by Israel. “When they find people going to their cars, they force them to go back, a Gazan man told the newspaper. The source added that many residents are not planning to evacuate, as they feel they would have nowhere to go in the south of the enclave.

  • More than 1,200 Israelis have been killed since Saturday, Israel 24 Television is reporting.

  • About 1,600 Palestinians in Gaza were killed since the war’s outbreak, the Palestinian Health Ministry says. More than 120 dead arrived at Gaza hospitals throughout the night - Haaretz

  • The situation in Gaza is "dire", with food and water running out during an Israeli siege, according to the UN's World Food Programme. The Palestinian enclave is relying on generators after its only power station ran out of fuel, but Israel says its blockade will not end until Israeli hostages are released

  • The Israeli defence chief has admitted failures in the military's duty to uphold security and protect Israeli citizens. Earlier, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken vowed unending American support for Israel during a visit to the country

  • The U.S. and Qatar have reached an agreement that the Qataris will not act on any request from Tehran for the time being to access $6 billion in Iranian funds that were unblocked as part of a prisoner swap last month, a U.S. official said Thursday. The move, which stops short of a full refreezing of Iranian funds in Qatar's banking system, follows the deadly attacks by Hamas on Israel and continued Republican criticism of the Biden administration's deal with Iran, in which $6 billion was unfrozen in exchange for the release of five detained Americans. The official who outlined the understanding between the U.S. and Qatar was not authorized to comment and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Elsewhere

  • U.S. Representative Steve Scalise has ended his bid to become House speaker after failing to secure enough votes to win the gavel. Scalise told Republican colleagues of his decision during a closed-door meeting late Thursday. The next steps are uncertain as the House is essentially closed while Republicans try to elect a speaker after ousting Kevin McCarthy from the job - VOA

  • An official from the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said seven Ukrainian nationals have died due to the Israeli Gaza conflict and that some may be held captive in the Gaza Strip.

  • Russia stepped up its shelling of Kherson, striking the southern Ukrainian region 100 times in 24 hours, killing civilians and causing widespread damage, a regional official said on October 13, as the military said Moscow was continuing its attempts to overrun Avdiyivka, a town just south of the eastern city of Donetsk. Kherson Governor Oleksandr Prokudin said Russian forces used artillery, mortars, Grad missiles, tanks, and drones to pound the region and its capital, Kherson city, which was shelled 49 times - RFE/RL

  • Ukrainian military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov said that Russia likely has the economic and technical capacity to continue its war against Ukraine until 2025 or 2026 in an interview withUkrainska Pravda released on Oct. 12. He suspected that Russia's human resources may last even longer. The ammunition needs for both Ukraine and Russia currently surpass the amount that Ukraine's allies in the West and Russia's allies Iran and North Korea can effectively replenish, he added. Despite Ukraine's much smaller population, Budanov emphasized that it was important not to underestimate Ukraine's human resources either - Kyiv Independent

  • Recent clashes between residents and police on Indonesia’s Rempang Island demonstrate growing tensions between the central government and local people over China’s massive infrastructure investments, analysts said. The government plans to make the island the site of a new industrial park dubbed Rempang Eco-City that will host a giant Chinese-owned glass and solar panel manufacturing facility - VOA

    With thanks to Preeti Bali for her research support

Michael Bociurkiwmichael bociurkiw, atlantic council, gaza, israel, israel at war, jerusalem, tel aviv, palestine, middle east, golos party, osce, organization for security and cooperation in europe, united nations, unicef, poland, indonesia, syria, iraq, jordan, saudi arabia, pinchuk, yalta european strategy, helsinki security forum, halifax international security forum, london speaker bureau, london speakers bureau, preeti bali, Rico Hizon, CNN, CNN PhilippinesComment