16- October-2023- Aljazeera
UN humanitarian office warns that Gaza hospitals’ last reserves of fuel will probably run out in a few hours.
Israel and Hamas both deny reports of ceasefire in southern Gaza after security sources in Egypt said such a deal was due.
More than 1,000 Palestinians missing under the rubble of buildings destroyed by Israeli air attacks on Gaza, rescuers say.
US President Joe Biden warns Israel that any occupation of Gaza would be a “big mistake”, says he supports creation of humanitarian corridor.
The Gaza Strip is already part of the occupied Palestinian territory, with Israel maintaining effective control over the enclave and restricting its residents’ right.
Israel has deployed thousands of troops, tanks and weaponry along the border fence with Gaza amid expectations it will soon begin a ground invasion.
Putin, Netanyahu to speak for the first time since war started
Russian President Vladimir Putin is going to speak with several leaders today, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, a Kremlin spokesperson says.
These are going to be the first talks between the leaders of Russia and Israel since Hamas’s attack inside Israel on October 7. Putin has already spoken with Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad and Iranian Ebrahim Raisi.
In his first remarks on the conflict, Putin last week voiced concern at the “catastrophic increase” in the number of civilians killed in Israel and the Gaza Strip.
He also took aim at the US’s policy in the Middle East for having failed to take the needs of Palestinians into account.
Explained: Why is Rafah vital for supplying aid?
Israel has announced a “total blockade” of the Gaza Strip – no water, no fuel and no electricity – in the wake of Hamas’s deadly attack on October 7.
Efforts to open the Rafah crossing, which connects Gaza to Egypt, have so far not yielded any results.
So, what is the crossing that Egypt controls, how is Egypt tied to Gaza amid the continuing conflict and what happens next?
You can read more the Rafah crossing here.
Netanyahu warns Iran, Hezbollah
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has warned Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah to not “test our will”.
“Do not make the same mistakes, simply for the reason that the price you will pay this time will be much higher,” he said in a speech to Knesset.
Unity is the only message Netanyahu can deliver: Analyst
Following Prime Minister Netanyahu’s address, Tamer Qarmout, assistant professor at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, said unity is the only message the Israeli leader can deliver to his parliament.
“It’s also some indication, I think, that [US Secretary of State] Blinken’s visit might not have achieved any concrete results on bringing a ceasefire. [Netanyahu’s] firm, and he’s threatening left and right, and he’s saying we have US support, we have France’s support, we have the UK’s support.”
“The tone is a war tone. He wants war. So I don’t see any shift or change in his discourse or any softening in his war language…and that’s worrying,” Qarmout explained.
The bombardment in northern Gaza and here in the south, in Khan Younis and Rafah, has not stopped since this morning.
In the past few hours, ambulances carrying dozens of injured people, mostly children, have been arriving in Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis.
Inside the overwhelmed hospital, the situation is deteriorating. The medical staff tell us that they are at the point where they have to decide between patients: who to save and who to let go because of the lack of capacity, medical resources and equipment.
Outside the hospital, the scene isn’t so different. Thousands of families have fled their homes and have come here to take shelter in the yards of the hospital. They’re just lying everywhere, in any space they can find.
11 Palestinian journalists killed, 20 injured since Oct 7
Eleven Palestinian journalists have been killed by the Israeli military and more than 20 others have been injured since October 7, the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate has said.
In a statement, the syndicate said that two journalists are still missing – Nidal al-Wahidi, who works as a producer with al-Najah TV, and Haitham Abdel Wahed from the Ain Media Media Agency.
The syndicate also said that approximately 50 offices of media organisations have been damaged or destroyed in Israeli air strikes.
Civil defence staff to ‘continue to serve the people’ after six killed
The funeral of six civil defence workers killed in an Israeli air raid on Sunday night has been held in Gaza City.
“These heroic martyrs sacrificed their blood, time and life to save the lives of their country’s citizens. They pushed through the recent Israeli aggression and spent day and night in service of Palestinian people so they can save their lives,” a member of the defence team said during the funeral proceedings.
He added that the killings would not scare civil defence workers from doing their duty.
“No matter what price we have to pay and no matter the sacrifices, we will continue to serve the people of this country, despite the lack of resources.”
Aljazeera / News Agencies