WORLD BRIEFING: October 18, 2023
The (partially) burnt-out parking lot at the Ahli Hospital in Gaza.
Israel-Gaza War
The number of people killed in Gaza reaches 3,000: The Israeli strikes have killed around 3,000 Palestinians and wounded more than 12,000 others in Gaza, the Palestinian Health Ministry said Tuesday. More than 1,400 Israelis have been killed, according to Israel.
US President Joe Biden arrives in Israel today as a show of U.S. support for the country as it grieves from one of the worst attacks in its history. The president will also confer with the top Israeli leadership and likely press for the opening of the Gaza-Egypt border crossing, which Israel controls, for humanitarian aid and the passage of foreigners into Egypt.
At least 500 people were killed by an explosion at a hospital in Gaza City on Tuesday that Palestinian authorities said was caused by an Israeli airstrike. The Palestinian Health Ministry said the number of casualties was expected to rise. Many civilians were sheltering at Al Ahli Arab Hospital, better known as Al-Ma’amadani, before it was hit, the New York Times reported. Israel 24 TV reported that the IDF is checking into the reports.
The situation following a deadly blast at a hospital in Gaza is "unparalleled and indescribable," said Dr. Ashraf Al-Qudra, a spokesperson for the Palestinian Ministry of Health. Al-Qudra said in a statement on Wednesday (local time) that the blast killed hundreds of people "and ambulance crews are still removing body parts as most of the victims are children and women." He noted that the number of victims and their injuries "exceeded the capabilities of medical teams and ambulances." Al-Qudra added: "Doctors were performing surgeries on the ground and in the corridors, some of them without anesthesia and a large number of injured people are still waiting for operations, and the medical teams are trying to save their lives in intensive care." - CNN
UNSG: “I am horrified by the killing of hundreds of Palestinian civilians in a strike on a hospital in Gaza today, which I strongly condemn. My heart is with the families of the victims. Hospitals and medical personnel are protected under international humanitarian law.”
U.S. President Joe Biden tell Israeli PM Netanyahu on Gaza ‘hospital explosion:’ “It looks like it was done by the other team and not you.”
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has called off his participation in a four-party summit in Amman today with U.S. President Joe Biden. The decision follows a deadly strike on a Gaza hospital. Following the announcement, Jordan’s foreign minister confirmed on Al Jazeera that the summit would be postponed entirely
Egypt intends to host an international summit to address the current crisis in Gaza, the country’s presidency said. The hastily arranged summit is set to take place on Oct. 21 in Cairo and invitees include leaders from Turkey, Iraq and Qatar, among others. President Biden could also attend if he adds Egypt to his coming trip to the Middle East, according to Egyptian officials familiar with the matter - WSJ
More than one million Palestinians have fled their homes, and 60 per cent are now in the approximately 14-kilometre-long area south of the evacuation zone, the United Nations said. Aid workers warned that the territory was near complete collapse with ever-decreasing supplies of water and medicine and with power running out at hospitals - CBC
The State Department has raised the travel advisory for Lebanon, urging people not to travel to the country “due to the unpredictable security situation related to rocket, missile, and artillery exchanges between Israel and Hizbullah or other armed militant factions.” The change follows the strike on a hospital in Gaza and protests around the US Embassy in Beirut
A UN human rights expert warned that Palestinians are in grave danger of mass ethnic cleansing and called on the international community to urgently mediate a ceasefire between warring Hamas and Israeli occupation forces.
The Pentagon has also sent a small team of Special Operations forces to Israel to assist with intelligence and planning for any operations to help locate and rescue the 150 hostages Hamas is believed to be holding, including some Americans - NYT
Elsewhere
GOP Rep. Jim Jordan falls short of securing House speakership after first round of voting. The situation further ties up legislation that will free up U.S. funding for the wars in Israel and Ukraine
A dayslong attempt by Russian forces to storm a strategically important city in eastern Ukraine appears to be running out of steam, Kyiv officials said Monday, as the Kremlin’s warentered its 600th day. Ukrainian forces repelled 15 Russian attacks from four directions on Avdiivka over the previous 24 hours, the Ukrainian General Staff said. That compared with up to 60 attacks a day in the middle of last week, according to Vitalii Barabash, head of the city administration. The slackening suggests the Russian effort to capture Avdiivka has “deflated,” Barabash said - AP
Overnight, Russian troops launched 6 missile strikes on the territory of the city of Zaporizhia in Ukraine. One blows hit a high-rise building in the central part of the city. Unfortunately, as a result of the attack, 2 people died, at least one was injured. Eight apartments were damaged.
Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin have addressed the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) summit in Beijing. Xi has laid out his vision for the BRI, which he has positioned as an alternative to Western-led development. The two leaders are due to hold a bilateral discussion later as Russia's invasion of Ukraine leaves Putin increasingly isolated - BBC
Latvia has finally closed the two checkpoints Vientuli and Pededze on the border with Russia, Latvian Interior Minister Rihard Kozlovskis said. At present, concrete blocks have been installed at the checkpoint, and the checkpoints have not been left without visual observation. Border guards from Vientuli and Pededze will be redirected to other checkpoints.
A Liberian-flagged oil tanker hit a mine off the coast of Romania in the Black Sea, which detonated, Sky News reported. The Ali Najafov tanker suffered minor damage as a result of yesterday’s incident, while the crew was not injured. This is the second vessel this month that was hit by a floating mine in Romania’s territorial waters.
The recent parliamentary election campaign in Poland was tarnished by notable overlap between the ruling party’s messages and government information campaigns. “Together with distorted and openly partisan coverage by the public broadcaster, this provided a clear advantage to the ruling party, undermining the democratic separation of state and party,” international observers said in a statement today.
Oscar-winner Michelle Yeoh elected to be an International Olympic Committee member.
With thanks to Preeti Bali for her research support