Live Updates: Israel Is Waging War of Attrition in Southern Lebanon, Lebanese Minister Says
Live Updates: Israel Is Waging War of Attrition in Southern Lebanon, Lebanese Minister Says
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RIYADH (Sputnik) – In response to a Hamas attack in October, Israel launched counterattacks and imposed a complete blockade on Gaza Strip, home to more than... 12.11.2023, Sputnik Africa
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palestine, israeli-palestinian conflict, israel, gaza, hamas, organization of islamic cooperation (oic), arab league, saudi arabia, summit, united nations security council (unsc), united nations (un), новый онлайн для белой редактуры
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RIYADH (Sputnik) – In response to a Hamas attack in October, Israel launched counterattacks and imposed a complete blockade on Gaza Strip, home to more than 2.5 million people. Israeli attacks killed over 11,000 civilians, including more than 4,500 children, and injured 28,000 others. The IDF is currently conducting a ground invasion of the area.
The leaders of the countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the League of Arab States (LAS) demanded on Saturday that the UN Security Council adopt a "binding decision" on stopping Israel's "aggression" in the Gaza Strip.
"We condemn Israel's aggression against the Gaza Strip and war crimes, killing of children, women and journalists committed by Israel as well as attacks on health care workers ... We demand that the UN Security Council adopt a binding decision on stopping Israel's aggression and restricting settler activity," the leaders said in a declaration issued after the Joint Arab-Islamic Extraordinary Summit in Riyadh.
On October 7, the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas launched a surprise large-scale rocket attack on Israel from the Gaza Strip, breaching the border and killing and taking captives in nearby Israeli military sites and communities. The movement said its operation, Al-Aqsa Flood, was in response to Israeli provocations and occupation of Palestinian territories.
Israel launched retaliatory strikes and ordered a complete blockade of the Gaza Strip, home to more than 2 million people, cutting off supplies of water, food and fuel. On October 27, Israel launched a large-scale ground incursion into Gaza, ostensibly to eliminate Hamas fighters and rescue hostages.
The escalation of the conflict has resulted in the deaths of some 1,400 people in Israel and more than 9,000, including at least 3,400 children, in Gaza, and has raised the risk of a wider regional conflagration amid fears that Iran or the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah could enter the fray. The UN and other human rights groups warned of a possible genocide in Gaza.
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17:55 12.11.2023
Gaza Press Office: 28,200 Injured in Gaza Since October 7, 70% of Them Children & Women
17:52 12.11.2023
Gaza Press Office: Death Toll in Strip Since October 7 Reaches 11,180, Including Over 4,600 Children
17:47 12.11.2023
WHO Says 137 Attacks on Medical Facilities in Gaza Recorded Since Conflict Escalated, 521 Staff Killed
17:37 12.11.2023
7 Israeli Soldiers, 10 Civilians Injured in Shelling of Israeli Positions Near Lebanese Border
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced Sunday that 7 of its soldiers were injured in a shelling attack on an Israeli position near the Lebanese border, while the Israeli emergency service Red Star of David reported that 10 Israeli civilians were injured in a shelling attack in the Upper Galilee area near the Lebanese border.
"Seven soldiers were lightly injured this morning as a result of mortar shells falling in the Manara area, where they were taken for medical treatment," the IDF said in a statement.
The Israeli army also noted that "in the past hour, approximately 15 shells were fired from Lebanon toward Israel, where air defenses intercepted four of them," stressing that "IDF forces are targeting the sources of fire inside Lebanon with artillery."
16:56 12.11.2023
UN Secretary-General Says 101 UN Personnel Killed in Israel-Hamas Conflict
UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik) - As many as 101 UN employees have died since the start of the escalation between Israel and Palestinian movement Hamas on October 7, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told CNN on Sunday.
The UN chief added that the number of casualties among the UN staff was growing every day.
16:55 12.11.2023
UN Secretary-General Urges Iran to Persuade Hamas to Release Hostages, Hold Back Hezbollah
MOSCOW (Sputnik) - UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said Sunday he had asked Iran to persuade Hamas to release the hostages and keep Lebanon’s Hezbollah away from the conflict.
The UN chief told CNN in an interview aired Sunday that Iran had been asked to put pressure on Hamas so that it released hostages immediately and without conditions and, separately, to warn Hezbollah against allowing the Israel-Hamas conflict from spilling over to Lebanon.
Guterres said he was concerned that the Gaza war could spread to the Israeli-occupied West Bank and further on to Lebanon, which he said would not survive an all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah. He said Iran had always denied having a role in the ongoing conflict.
16:37 12.11.2023
Hamas Suspends Hostage Talks Due to Israeli Actions Regarding Shifa Hospital - Reports
MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Palestinian movement Hamas has suspended hostage talks due to Israel's actions as regards the Shifa hospital, the largest hospital complex in the Gaza Strip, Reuters reported on Sunday, citing a Palestinian official.
Earlier in the week, The New York Times reported, citing officials, that Israel and Hamas were negotiating two proposals concerning the release of hostages from the Gaza Strip, including a possible release of 100 or more civilians.
The Shifa hospital was struck late on Friday, NBC News reported. Doctors told the broadcaster that the complex had been bombed multiple times throughout the day, while efforts to evacuate the hospital continued. They also said a number of people had died and many others had been injured. However, the Israel Defense Forces itself denied surrounding or targeting the Shifa hospital.
16:37 12.11.2023
Israel May Agree to Gaza Ceasefire, But Only in Exchange for Hostages Release - Netanyahu
MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Israel may agree to a widespread lasting ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, but only in exchange for the release of hostages held by Palestinian movement Hamas, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday.
At the same time, in his interview for CNN's State of the Union show, Netanyahu did not rule out short-term humanitarian pauses that could be introduced in the limited area with clear purposes.
16:36 12.11.2023
Many People Killed, Injured in Shelling of UN Compound in Gaza City - UN Agency
MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has said that a "significant" number of people have died and many others have been injured as a result of shelling of its compound in Gaza City hosting several hundred refugees.
"UNDP is deeply distressed by preliminary reports of the shelling of the United Nations compound in Gaza City, which UNDP's Programme of Assistance to the Palestinian People managed until 13 October when UN staff vacated the premises. The shelling has reportedly resulted in a significant number of deaths and injuries. On 6 November UNDP reported that several hundred people seeking refuge had entered the compound, and there are indications that this number has since increased significantly," UNDP said in a statement on Saturday.
The UN agency urged parties to the conflict in the Gaza Strip to respect and protect civilians, civilian infrastructure, and the inviolability of UN facilities, while saying that the hostilities "must stop."
15:45 12.11.2023
Gaza's Al-Quds Hospital 'Out of Service' After Air Strikes - Red Crescent Society
MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Al-Quds Hospital in Gaza City announced on Sunday it was out of service after air strikes cut off supply routes used to bring in fuel, a spokeswoman for the Palestine Red Crescent Society said.
"Today we feel sadness, pain and disappointment. We had to announce that Al-Quds Hospital in Gaza City is out of service," Nebal Farsakh said in a statement on social media.
She said the health aid agency held the international community accountable for the health sector collapse in the besieged Gaza Strip.
"During last week, we called upon the international community and humanitarian organizations to bring urgent assistance to Al-Quds … The Hospital was left alone under relentless bombardment, which threatened the lives of patients and health workers," she added.
Farsakh told CNN after the announcement that the hospital had been isolated for a week. With the power supply cut off and fuel no longer available, the medical facility will have to resort to "traditional ways" to keep wounded patients alive until they can be evacuated safely.
15:38 12.11.2023
Israeli PM Netanyahu Urges Ministers to Refrain from Making Statements That Could Harm Country
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called on members of his government to refrain from making statements that could harm Israel.
According to the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation, on Sunday, "Netanyahu did not address his speech by name to any of his government ministers, but this position came after statements by Agriculture Minister Avi Dichter, who spoke of the second Nakba that Palestinians are living in the Gaza Strip, raising white flags and moving from the north of the Strip to the south, as well as statements by Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu, who said that one of the options for dealing with Gaza is to drop a nuclear bomb on it."
"Every word has weight in terms of Israel's media position in the world," and said of government ministers that "they should not say anything if they do not know the impact of it," Netanyahu said.
15:37 12.11.2023
Numerous Palestinians Injured by Gunfire on Salah al-Din Street in Gaza - An Eyewitness Told Sputnik
A number of Palestinians civilias have been injured after Israeli forces opened fire on Salah al-Din Street in the Gaza Strip, an eyewitness has confirmed.
The eyewitness told Sputnik on Sunday that "a number of injuries were caused by Israeli forces shooting at Palestinians on Salah al-Din Street in the Gaza Strip."
15:32 12.11.2023
Biden Won't Rest Until Deal Is Reached to Free Gaza Hostages - White House
MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The United States is actively engaged in Gaza hostage negotiations and President Joe Biden will not rest until every single one of them is freed from captivity, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said on Sunday.
"There are efforts to try to secure a deal that would involve the release of hostages, and the president's not going to rest until we achieve that deal so that every single one of those hostages can come home safely," Sullivan told ABC's This Week show.
Sullivan confirmed that the US has been involved in "delicate and sensitive" hostage negotiations between Israel and Qatar, which is communicating with Hamas. The Palestinian group is believed to be holding roughly 240 people, including US citizens.
15:29 12.11.2023
US Will Not Accept Re-Occupation of Gaza, Reducing Its Territory, Forced Expulsion of Palestinians - White House
MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The United States does not want to see the Gaza Strip reoccupied by Israel or reduced in its size or have Gazans driven out of their homes, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said on Sunday.
"From our perspective, the way forward — the basic principles of the way forward are straightforward … No reoccupation of Gaza, no forcible displacement of the Palestinian people. Gaza can never be used as a base for terrorism in the future and Gaza's territory should not be reduced," he told CBS in an interview.
The US does want to see the reunification of control between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip under the Palestinian leadership, Sullivan added. He insisted that the future of the exclave would be up to the Palestinian people and the United States would support the process.
15:28 12.11.2023
Israeli Military Says Opened Evacuation Routes From Hospitals in Northern Gaza Strip
MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Sunday it had opened evacuation routes from three hospitals in the northern Gaza Strip, as well as an additional passageway to allow civilians to move to the southern part of the Palestinian exclave.
"The IDF is enabling a passage from the Shifa, Rantisi and Nasser hospitals in the northern Gaza Strip and opened an additional passage to enable the civilian population to evacuate southwards for their safety," the IDF said on Telegram.
An Israeli official has several times contacted the manager of the Shifa Hospital and presented him with possible passages from the hospital, the IDF added.
Earlier in the day, World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that the organization had lost communication with its sources in Al-Shifa Hospital, which was struck on Friday.
14:26 12.11.2023
Israel Is Waging War of Attrition in Southern Lebanon, Lebanese Minister of Social Affairs Says
BEIRUT (Sputnik) - The Lebanese minister of social affairs, Hector Hajjar, accused Israel of waging a war of attrition in southern Lebanon, in a comment to Sputnik on Sunday.
"The area of Israeli bombardments in Lebanon is widening, as is the border area from which people are being systematically displaced. What we are seeing today in the south is a war of attrition … which is disruptive for economic and social life," Hajjar said.
Fighting has been raging on the Israeli-Lebanese border for weeks following the start of the Israeli-Hamas conflict. The Washington Post reported in late October, citing unnamed Lebanese officials, that Beirut had been wary of an open war with Israel.
11:54 12.11.2023
Erdogan Says UN Became Ineffective Organization, Security Council Cannot Achieve Results
ANKARA (Sputnik) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan criticized the United Nations and its Security Council on Sunday for failing to act on the Gaza crisis, calling the organization "ineffective" and urging a reform of its permanent membership and veto systems.
"The UN has become ineffective. That is to say, even the UN Security Council cannot achieve any results. If one Council member acts incorrectly then nothing happens," Erdogan told reporters upon his return from Saudi Arabia, adding that "the system of permanent membership and veto in the UN should be changed."
The 15-nation Security Council consists of five permanent members with veto powers and 10 non-permanent members elected for two-year terms. Erdogan accused the UN of turning a blind eye to the suffering of Gazans and said that "the future of the world and the lives of peoples cannot be left to the mercy of five countries with veto power."
"I have always said and will continue to say that the world system is unfair ... A structure that does not renew itself cannot exist in the new world order," he added.
11:54 12.11.2023
Turkey, US Agreement on Gaza Strip Impossible if Washington Believes It Is Israeli Territory - Erdogan
ANKARA (Sputnik) - Any agreement between Turkey and the United States on the Gaza Strip is impossible if Washington considers the exclave to be an Israeli territory, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday.
"The main country that must step up is the United States, which has influence over Israel ... Gaza is the land of the Palestinian people. The United States has to recognize that. If [US President Joe] Biden's approach is that Gaza is not the land of the Palestinian people but the land of the occupying settlers or Israel, then our agreement is impossible," Erdogan told reporters upon his return from Riyadh where the Joint Arab-Islamic Extraordinary Summit took place.
The Turkish president also said he would not call Biden to discuss the situation in the Gaza Strip.
"US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has paid a visit here [to Turkey]. I believe it is Biden who will now receive us," Erdogan added.
Turkey is a key country in the region and no regional plan or initiative can be undertaken without its participation, Erdogan said, adding that Ankara offered the most realistic proposals to resolve the Palestinian issue.
11:22 12.11.2023
Russia's EMERCOM, Diplomats Cooperate to Evacuate Nationals From Gaza Strip
IDF Says Never Ruled Out Striking Southern Gaza Strip
MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) never said it would not carry out strikes in southern Gaza, only that it was focusing on the north, IDF spokesperson Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus said.
"At no stage have we said that we are not going to strike in southern Gaza. There may be cases where we will strike military targets of importance in Gaza … [We said] only that we are focusing our main combat activity, our main operations in the north. I think it is very clear, very evident for everybody watching," Conricus told a briefing late on Saturday.
Nevertheless, the IDF continues to ask Palestinians to go south, where they will have access to water, food and medical supplies, he said, adding that the evacuation corridors were extended.
More than 200,000 people have evacuated to the south in the past week, Conricus said.
