https://sputnikglobe.com/20231018/live-updates-israel-urges-gaza-residents-to-evacuate-to-al-mawasi-humanitarian-area-1114274067.html

LIVE UPDATES: Russia Classifies Attack on Hospital in Gaza Strip as Crime and Act of Dehumanization

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Tensions are heating up on the Middle East after Palestinian militant organization Hamas launched surprise attack on Israel with missiles and troops and Israeli government declared a state of war and answered with retaliatory strikes on Gaza Strip, damaging urban infrastructure and killing civilians.

2023-10-18T05:04+0000

2023-10-18T13:38+0000

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LIVE UPDATES: Russia Classifies Attack on Hospital in Gaza Strip as Crime and Act of Dehumanization

05:04 GMT 18.10.2023 (Updated: 13:38 GMT 18.10.2023)

Being updated

Tensions have been heating up in the Middle East after Palestinian militant organization Hamas had launched a surprise attack on Israel with missiles and troops on October 7. Israeli government declared a state of war and answered with retaliatory strikes on the Gaza Strip, damaging urban infrastructure and killing civilians.

While world leaders are searching for resolution of the conflict that would ensure long-lasting peace or at least lead to a ceasefire, the crisis has escalated.

Over 500 people were killed as a result of a al-Ahli Arab hospital bombing in Gaza on Tuesday evening. The Palestinian authorities blamed the Israel Armed Forces for the attack, while the IDF insist that the attack was carried out by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement.

This move was condemned by international community, including UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres who reminded that medical facilities are protected by humanitarian law and could not be targeted. Destruction of the hospital sparked outrage in the Middle Eastern countries, whose citizens stormed Israel embassies or rallied against Tel-Aviv and Washington foreign policy.

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Table of contents

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02:33 GMT 19.10.2023

Demonstrators protest inside the Cannon House Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2023. - Sputnik International, 1920, 19.10.2023

Americas

‘Not in Our Name’: Hundreds of Protesters Demand Israeli Ceasefire on Capitol Hill, Dozens Arrested

19 October 2023, 02:32 GMT

00:35 GMT 19.10.2023

Smoke billows after an Israeli air strike in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on October 16, 2023. - Sputnik International, 1920, 19.10.2023

World

Amman Will Never Allow Mass Displacement of Palestinians to Jordan - Foreign Minister

19 October 2023, 00:32 GMT

00:23 GMT 19.10.2023

Saudi, Iranian Top Diplomats Discuss Situation in Gaza - Foreign Ministry

The foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and Iran, Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, met on the sidelines of an emergency meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Jeddah on the situation in the Gaza Strip, the Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a statement on X (formerly known as Twitter).

The organization convened an emergency meeting of member countries at the level of foreign ministers to discuss the escalation of the Israel-Palestine conflict.

"Foreign Minister HH Prince @FaisalbinFarhan met with Iran’s Foreign Minister @Amirabdolahian, on the sidelines of the open-ended emergency extraordinary meeting of the OIC Executive Committee at the ministerial level. The two sides discussed the military escalation and the recent developments in Gaza and its surroundings, stressing that the Kingdom is making every possible effort to communicate with all international and regional parties to stop the ongoing escalation," the Saudi ministry said.

22:56 GMT 18.10.2023

Sisi, Biden Agree on Supply of Humanitarian Aid to Gaza Via Rafah on Regular Basis - Cairo

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Sisi and US President Joe Biden have agreed on the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip through the Rafah border crossing on a regular basis, Egyptian presidential spokesman Ahmed Fahmy said Thursday.

"US President Joe Biden called President Abdel Fattah Sisi, the call was focused on the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip. An agreement was reached on the delivery of humanitarian aid to the [Gaza] Strip through the Rafah border crossing on a regular basis," Fahmy said on social media.

The spokesman added that parties concerned in both states would coordinate the delivery of aid with humanitarian organizations under the supervision of the United Nations.

21:38 GMT 18.10.2023

IDF Launches Strikes Against Hezbollah Facilities in Lebanon

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Thursday it struck an observation point of Lebanese armed group Hezbollah along the Lebanese border in response to Wednesday's fire from the area.

"In the past few hours, the IDF struck targets belonging to Hezbollah, along the Lebanon border. This was in response to Wednesday’s shooting attacks. The targets struck include an observation point facing the sea, from which anti-tank missiles were fired at Rosh HaNikra," the IDF said on Telegram.

21:08 GMT 18.10.2023

Biden Says Not Suggesting Hamas Behind Attack on Gaza Hospital

US President Joe Biden told reporters that he is not suggesting the Palestinian Hamas group was behind the explosion at the Al-Ahli hospital in Gaza.

Earlier in the day, Biden said he reviewed intelligence from the Pentagon indicating that the bombing of the Gaza hospital was not due to an Israeli airstrike, but from "the other team."

"I'm not suggesting that Hamas literally did it either," Biden said during remarks in Germany on Wednesday.

20:30 GMT 18.10.2023

Demonstrators Descend on US Capitol to Demand End to Israeli Aggression in Gaza

20:24 GMT 18.10.2023

Donald Trump Says He ‘May Go’ to Israel

Former President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he is considering going to Israel, when answering a question from a reporter if he would travel there.

"I may go," Trump told reporters while attending his New York civil fraud trial.

18:12 GMT 18.10.2023

Israeli Strikes in Gaza Do Not Meet Int'l. Standard, Self-Defense Has Limits - UN Official

Israel's response to the Hamas attacks have not met international standards, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories Francesca Albanese said on Wednesday.

"The response that Israel has given doesn't meet international standards either ... even self-defense has limits," Albanese said during an event hosted by the Arab Center in Washington.

Albanese criticized Israel for dropping at least 6,000 bombs on the Gaza Strip, a small territory packed with more than two million Palestinians, half of them children.

17:32 GMT 18.10.2023

US Senate’s Nomination Hearing for Israel Ambassador Interrupted by Protesters

The opening of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s hearing on Wednesday to nominate Jack Lew as ambassador to Israel was briefly interrupted several times by protesters seeking to advocate for the Palestinian people.

"Our families are dying! We need a ceasefire now!" a man holding up a poster yelled during Chair Cardin’s opening remarks. "Ceasefire now!" he chanted as he was escorted out by security.

He was followed a few minutes later by another solo protester and then a third, both of whom were quickly removed by security. It was unclear if the protesters had coordinated their efforts.

Cardin said disruptions to the hearing "would not be tolerated."

17:31 GMT 18.10.2023

US Senate Seeks to Urgently Confirm Ambassador to Israel

The US Senate is seeking to urgently confirm an ambassador to Israel by next week, with former Obama-era Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew the top contender despite lingering concerns over his implementation of the Iran nuclear agreement.

“I cannot overstate the urgency for the United States to have a confirmed ambassador on the ground to help deliver US support for Israel, to deal with the hostage situation, to deal with the humanitarian needs that we know exist. We need an ambassador who at this critical and delicate time can speak with authority and engage diplomatically in the region at the highest level. Secretary Lew's experience, gravitas and political acumen makes him eminently qualified to serve as the US ambassador to Israel,” Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair Senator Ben Cardin said at Lew’s nomination hearing on Wednesday.

Lew described himself as a staunch supporter of Israel and the Biden administration’s various Middle East policies, arguing that his “reputation as somebody who stands with Israel is beyond question.”

While the committee agreed on the urgency of appointing an ambassador to Israel, several senators expressed strong reservations over Lew’s appointment because of lingering concerns that his implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in 2016 gave Iran access to the US financial system. Senator James Risch accused Lew of misleading the Senate back then and “holding hands with Iran under the table.”

Lew defended his issuing of a specific license to Bank Muscat in 2016 that allowed the conversion of Iranian assets of 5.7 billion Omani riyals into euros by first exchanging them into US dollars.

“We negotiated with Iran to have them roll back their nuclear program in exchange for which they would get access to their money that we had frozen. All we did was facilitate that transaction. So we did not welcome them back into the US financial system,” Lew said.

He added that he was later sanctioned by Iran for not giving the country full access to the world financial system as it had expected.

Cardin asked that questions for the record be submitted by the close of business on Wednesday and said responses would be delivered by the weekend. He added that a business meeting was scheduled next week to vote on Lew's nomination.

17:30 GMT 18.10.2023

Top Iranian Diplomat Blames US for Gaza Killings

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian accused the United States on Wednesday of being fully responsible for the deaths of thousands of Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip.

"The US bears full responsibility for crimes committed by Israel in the Gaza Strip," he was quoted as saying by the IRNA news agency at a meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Jeddah.

17:26 GMT 18.10.2023

Moscow Says Discussed With Ambassador of Jordan Ways to Stop Palestinian-Israeli Bloodshed

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin held a meeting with Ambassador of Jordan in Moscow Khaled Shawabkeh and discussed the efforts to stop the bloodshed in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict zone, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.

"During the conversation, the current situation in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict zone was discussed, with an emphasis on the events held in this regard in the UN Security Council. In concrete terms, the parties discussed the efforts being made to coordinate such a decision of the UN Security Council, which would make it possible to stop the bloodshed, begin implementing urgent humanitarian measures and create prospects for restoring the political horizon in the Middle East settlement process," the statement said.

17:22 GMT 18.10.2023

A shell from Israeli artillery explodes over Dahaira, a Lebanese border village with Israel, south Lebanon, Monday, Oct. 16, 2023 - Sputnik International, 1920, 18.10.2023

Analysis

Israel Delaying Gaza Invasion for Fear of Hezbollah Attack From Lebanon

18 October 2023, 17:19 GMT

16:25 GMT 18.10.2023

Israel Pledges to Allow Aid Supplies Via Egypt to Civilians in Gaza, But Not to Hamas

The Israeli authorities will not interfere with the supplies of humanitarian aid to civilians in need in the Gaza Strip via the Egyptian border crossing, but any attempts to send aid to Hamas will be prevented, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on Wednesday.

It is one of the decisions made by Israel's war cabinet at the request of US President Joe Biden, who visited Jerusalem earlier in the day, Netanyahu's office added.

"In light of President Biden's request, Israel will not prevent humanitarian assistance from Egypt as long as it is only food, water and medicine for the civilian population located in the southern Gaza Strip or which is evacuating to there, and as long as these supplies do not reach Hamas. Any supplies that reach Hamas – will be prevented.," the prime minister's office said.

The war cabinet will also allow no humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip from the territory of Israel until all hostages taken by Hamas are released, the statement read.

In addition, Israel demands that workers of the International Committee of the Red Cross be allowed to visit the hostages in Gaza, Netanyahu's office said.

16:15 GMT 18.10.2023

Egypt, UN, Red Crescent Will Control Delivery of Aid to Gaza Strip - Foreign Minister

Egypt together with the United Nations and the Red Crescent will control the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said on Wednesday.

"The UN and the Egyptian Red Crescent and us will control the delivery of aid," Shoukry said in an interview with the Al-Arabiya broadcaster.

16:10 GMT 18.10.2023

Moscow, UN Special Coordinator for Middle East Discuss Situation in Gaza- Foreign Ministry

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov discussed with UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Tor Wennesland the situation in the Gaza Strip, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.

"On October 18, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister and Special Presidential Representative for the Middle East and Africa Mikhail Bogdanov, who is on a working trip to Doha, met with the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East T. Wennesland. During the conversation, a detailed discussion of the deteriorating situation in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict zone took place, with an emphasis on the serious aggravation of the situation in and around the Gaza Strip," the statement said.

Bogdanov also informed Wennesland that Russia sent humanitarian supplies to the population of Gaza through the Egyptian city of El-Arish, the ministry said.

16:09 GMT 18.10.2023

France Regrets UN Security Council Resolution on Israel-Hamas War 'Rejected' - Envoy

France regrets that the United States vetoed the UN Security Council resolution on the Israel-Hamas war, French Ambassador to the United Nations Nicolas de Riviere said on Wednesday.

" We deeply regret that the text has been rejected," de Riviere said.

15:18 GMT 18.10.2023

White House Says Israel Not Liable for Gaza Hospital Attack Based on Initial Data Analysis

The Biden administration has assessed that Israel is not responsible for the missile attack on the hospital in Gaza that claimed the lives of hundreds of people, National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said on Wednesday.

"While we continue to collect information, our current assessment, based on analysis of overhead imagery, intercepts, and open source information, is that Israel is not responsible for the explosion at the hospital in Gaza yesterday," Watson said via X (formerly known as Twitter).

15:17 GMT 18.10.2023

Netherlands Sending 200 Soldiers to Cyprus Over Situation in Gaza - Defense Minister

The Netherlands is sending 200 servicepeople to Cyprus to prepare for possible escalation of hostilities in the Gaza Strip, Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren said on Wednesday.

"Two transport planes C-130 Hercules and a passenger plane will bring around 200 servicepeople to Cyprus over the situation in Israel and the Palestinian territories," Ollongren wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The planes are departing from the Dutch air base in Eindhoven, the country's defense ministry said in a statement.