
<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



<p>Israel released 39 Palestinians it was holding in its Ofer prison in the occupied West Bank on Friday as part of a deal for the release of Israeli hostages Hamas took during its Oct. 7 attack—the Palestinians released were mostly teenage boys and women, a vast majority had not yet been convicted of a crime and many had been imprisoned for years.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">KEY FACTS</h2>



<p>Seventeen of the released Palestinian prisoners are minors and, of those 17, 15 are boys and two were girls, while the remaining 22 are adult women,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/11/24/who-were-the-palestinian-prisoners-israel-released-on-friday" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Al Jazeera</a>&nbsp;reported.</p>



<p>Israel holds 2,200 Palestinians in detention under its controversial “administrative detention” policy that Israel says is a counter-terrorism measure it uses against people who plan to commit future offenses, according to the AP.</p>



<p>The released prisoners include Iyas Khatib, 17, the son of a U.N. aid worker who was put in “administrative detention” last year based on secret evidence without being publicly charged of a crime or put on trial, the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/palestinians-israel-prisoner-exchange-hostage-92545883b1fef86fb9b34549b7deca58" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Associated Press</a>&nbsp;reported.</p>



<p>The prisoners also include Marah Bakeer, 24, who was a 16-year-old high school student in occupied East Jerusalem when Israeli forces shot at and arrested her for allegedly trying to stab an Israeli officer, an accusation Bakeer and her family deny,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/11/25/family-celebrates-return-of-free-palestinian-prisoner-marah-bakeer" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Al Jazeera</a>&nbsp;reported.</p>



<p>The 39 are part of a list of 300 Palestinians Israel said it was considering releasing as part of its deal with Hamas—some on the list were held on minor charges like throwing stones (though some were held on charges as serious as attempted murder), less than a quarter of them were convicted of a crime and most were being held on remand while awaiting a trial, the <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-67522703" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">BBC</a> reported.</p>



<p>Other common offenses the prisoners have been accused of include threatening security officers, entering Israel illegally without a permit, supporting terrorism and associating with hostile or unknown organizations,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/11/24/who-were-the-palestinian-prisoners-israel-released-on-friday" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Al Jazeera</a>&nbsp;reported.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



<p>The released prisoners were being held in Israel’s Ofer prison, which is situated in the occupied West Bank near its western border north of Jerusalem. Israeli forces began using it in 2002 and it has since housed scores of Palestinian detainees, according to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.addameer.org/content/offer-prison" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Addameer</a>&nbsp;Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association, a Palestinian non-governmental organization. The Israeli military court system is designed to prosecute Palestinians that violate its various military orders in occupied Palestinian territory, according to Addameer. Human rights groups allege that Israel’s military court system rules Palestinains guilty 99% of the time, according to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-67528844" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">BBC</a>. Addammer points to other perceived issues with the military court and Israeli prison systems, including that Israeli officers, despite being required to interrogate prisoners in their native language, allegedly often&nbsp;<a href="https://www.addameer.org/israeli_military_judicial_system/military_courts" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">get them to sign</a>&nbsp;statements in Hebrew they don’t understand and that prison officials allegedly&nbsp;<a href="https://www.addameer.org/key_issues/medical_negligence" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">deliberately don’t provide</a>&nbsp;prisoners with necessary medical care.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">BIG NUMBER</h2>



<p>750,000. That’s how many Palestinians have at one point been in an Israeli jail since 1967, according to estimates from human rights groups, the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/palestinians-israel-prisoner-exchange-hostage-92545883b1fef86fb9b34549b7deca58" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">AP</a>&nbsp;reported.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">NEWS PEG</h2>



<p>The release of the Palestinian prisoners was part of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/anafaguy/2023/11/22/what-to-know-about-the-israel-hamas-hostage-deal/?sh=64f13bfe5845">an agreement</a>&nbsp;between Israel and Hamas that ended weeks of ferocious fighting between the two. That fighting began Oct. 7 after Hamas crossed the border of northern Gaza into Israel, killing around 1,200 and taking 240 hostage in a bloody attack. Israel responded with frequent airstrikes and a ground military incursion into Gaza. More than 14,500 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel declared war, according to the Hamas-controlled Health Ministry. On Friday,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2023/11/24/temporary-ceasefire-takes-effect-in-gaza/?sh=2c11d07321a5">fighting paused</a>&nbsp;as part of a temporary cease-fire. As part of the cease-fire deal, Hamas agreed to release some of the hostages it took on Oct. 7, and Israel agreed to free some of its Palestinian prisoners. Along with the 39 released Palestinians, 13 Israeli hostages were released Friday. The pause in fighting—which is set to last four days, but could be extended if both sides come to further agreement—allowed trucks carrying humanitarian aid to enter Gaza.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">WHAT TO WATCH FOR</h2>



<p>More Palestinian prisoners and Israeli hostages to be released. Israel has promised to release 150 Palestinian prisoners and Hamas agreed to release 50 hostages. All of those are expected to be released by the end of the four-day cease-fire. However, even more could ultimately be released soon. As part of the deal, Israel agreed to continue the pause in fighting one more day for each additional 10 hostages released by Hamas.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">TANGENT</h2>



<p>The newly freed Palestinian minors’ names are Yousef Mohammad Mustafa Ata, Qusai Hani Ali Ahmad, Jibreel Ghassan Ismail Jibreel, Mohammad Ahmad Suleiman Abu Rajab, Ahmad Nu’man, Ahmad Abu Na’im, Baraa Bilal Mahmoud Rabee, Aban Iyad Mohammad Said Hammad, Moataz Hatem Moussa Abu Aram, Iyas Abdul Qader Mohammad Khatib, Hazma Laith Khalil Othman Othman, Mohammad Mahmoud Ayoub Dar Darwish, Jamal Khalil Jamal Barahmeh, Jamal Yousef Jamal Abu Hamdan, Mohammad Anis Saleem Tarabi, Abdul Rahman Abdul Rahman Suleiman Rizq, Zeina Raed Abdou and Noor Mohammad Hafez al-Tahir, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/11/24/who-were-the-palestinian-prisoners-israel-released-on-friday" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Al Jazeera</a>. The adults’ names are Rawan Nafez Mohammad Abu Matar, Marah Joudat Moussa Bakeer, Malak Mohammad Yousef Suleiman, Amani Khaled Nu’man Hasheem, Nihaya Khader Hussein Sawan, Fayrouz Fayez Mahmoud al-Baw, Tahreer Adnan Mohammad Abu Suriya, Falasteen Fareed Abdul Latif Najm, Walaa Khaled Fawzi Tanja, Maryam Khaled Abdul Majid Arafat, Asil Muneer Ibrahim al-Tayti, Azhar Thaer Bakr Assaf, Raghd Nashat Salah al-Fanni, Fatima Nu’man Ali Badr, Rawda Moussa Abdul Qader Abu Ujaima, Sara Ayman Abdul Aziz Abdullah al-Suweisa, Fatima Ismail Abdul Rahman Shahin, Samira Abdul Harbawi, Samah Bilal Abdul Rahman Souf, Fatima Bakr Moussa Abu Shalal, Hanan Saleh Abdullah al-Barghouthi and Fatima Nasr Mohammad Amarnah, according to Al Jazeera.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">FURTHER READING</h2>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/willskipworth/2023/11/24/heres-what-to-know-about-the-hostages-released-from-gaza/?sh=4800c2e1aff7">Here’s What To Know About The Hostages Released From Gaza</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/willskipworth/2023/11/24/first-hostages-released-amid-temporary-israel-hamas-ceasefire/?sh=1c663278e9fe">First Hostages Released Amid Temporary Israel-Hamas Ceasefire</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2023/11/24/temporary-ceasefire-takes-effect-in-gaza/?sh=2c11d07321a5">Temporary Ceasefire Takes Effect In Gaza</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/anafaguy/2023/11/22/what-to-know-about-the-israel-hamas-hostage-deal/?sh=64f13bfe5845">What To Know About The Israel-Hamas Hostage Deal</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2023/11/23/israeli-forces-reportedly-arrest-director-of-gazas-largest-hospital/?sh=28e410055505">Israeli Forces Reportedly Arrest Director Of Gaza’s Al-Shifa Hospital</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)</p>


Gilad Shalit Swap Deal

Israel Released 39 Palestinian Prisoners: Here’s What We Know About Them


<p><strong>South Africa&#8217;s National Assembly has voted in favor of suspending diplomatic relations with Israel, including closing its embassy, in response to the ongoing conflict in Gaza. This significant political move reflects escalating tensions and calls for a ceasefire and peace negotiations.</strong></p>



<p>South Africa’s National Assembly voted yesterday to suspend diplomatic ties with Israel, as well as the closure of the Israeli embassy within the country, due to Israel’s continued war against Hamas in Palestine. The vote, which came hours after Israel recalled its ambassador to South Africa, passed with 248 votes in favor and 91 against. However, the vote is not binding unless enforced by President Cyril Ramaphosa.</p>



<p>The vote, initiated by opposition party Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and supported by the ruling African National Congress (ANC), called for a suspension of all diplomatic ties with Israel until a ceasefire is reached. Earlier this week during a virtual summit of the BRICS nations, chaired by President Ramaphosa, it issued a statement condemning attacks on civilians in Palestine.</p>



<p>The move was welcomed by the South African branch of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. “There is no role for diplomacy with a settler-colonial apartheid state that is guilty of genocide against a population that it occupies,” said SA BDS Coordinator Roshan Dadoo to FORBES AFRICA. “South Africa should not be having relations with a state that perpetrates war crimes with impunity, and treats the United Nations, international law, and the rest of the world with utter disdain.”</p>



<p>However, the National Assembly’s vote was not appreciated by all parties. The South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD) condemned the vote as pointless in light of Israel’s withdrawal of its ambassador for consultations, and condemned the chanting of “from the river to the sea” by some members of parliament “a chant which calls for the destruction of the only Jewish state, makes a mockery of the ANC’s stated position of supporting a two-state solution,” said Professor Karen Milner of the SAJBD in a statement.</p>



<p>Both the Israeli ambassadors’ recall as well as the National Assembly vote indicate a further breakdown in diplomatic relations between Israel and South Africa, which has historically had strong political, historical, and ideological ties to Palestinians. The ANC-led government has long condemned the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and the treatment of Palestinians in Gaza, and it remains to be seen how this recent development will impact the already strained relations.</p>



<p>The resolution, titled ‘Closure of the Israel Embassy in South Africa and suspension of all diplomatic relations with Israel’, was presented by Julius Malema of the EFF. This parliamentary decision, while symbolic, reflects a long-standing stance of the South African government since Nelson Mandela&#8217;s presidency, likening the Palestinian struggle to the country’s own fight against apartheid. The ANC&#8217;s chief whip, Pemmy Majodina, emphasized the resolution&#8217;s call for a ceasefire and commitment to United Nations-facilitated peace negotiations.</p>



<p>President Ramaphosa has been vocally critical of Israel&#8217;s military actions in Gaza, urging the International Criminal Court to investigate potential war crimes.</p>



<p>This recent parliamentary vote, amidst the backdrop of escalating violence in Gaza and Israel&#8217;s strategic military campaign against Hamas, marks a pivotal moment in South Africa&#8217;s foreign policy, mirroring its historical commitment to human rights and international law. As the world watches, the actions of Ramaphosa&#8217;s administration in the coming days will be crucial in shaping the future of South Africa-Israel relations and, possibly, the broader geopolitical landscape in the Middle East.</p>


Israeli attacks continue on the 47th day in Gaza

South Africa Votes to Suspend Diplomatic Ties with Israel Amid Gaza Conflict


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



<p>Israel and Hamas have reached a deal in which around 50 hostages being held by Hamas will be released to Israel, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnn.com/middleeast/live-news/israel-hamas-war-gaza-news-11-21-23/h_2ae5a4fa82ac4a7db0fd2a21acbd1581" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">multiple</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/live-blog/israel-hamas-war-live-updates-rcna126110" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reports</a>, while fighting will pause for four days—marking the first major agreement between the two sides since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h2>



<p>News of the deal broke Tuesday night after Israel’s cabinet accepted the highly anticipated agreement.</p>



<p>The four-day pause in fighting will be the first pause longer than&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/mollybohannon/2023/11/09/israel-agrees-to-4-hour-daily-pauses-in-fighting/?sh=2359b2cb7028">four hours</a>&nbsp;that Israel has agreed to since the fighting escalated in early October.</p>



<p>Israel will let 300 aid trucks a day cross from Egypt into Gaza as part of the deal, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.axios.com/2023/11/21/israel-hamas-hostage-ceasefire-deal-imminent" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Axios</a>.</p>



<p>Israel did not state whether the deal will involve the release of Palestinian prisoners, but&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/live-blog/israel-hamas-war-live-updates-rcna126110" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">NBC News</a>&nbsp;reported some 150 Palestinians held by Israel could be released under the agreement.</p>



<p>Because the deal was approved Tuesday, the hostages may not be released until Thursday to allow a 24-hour judicial review period, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2023/11/21/world/israel-hamas-gaza-war-news" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">New York Times reported</a>&nbsp;Tuesday, before the deal was announced.</p>



<p>Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office hinted at the deal Tuesday,&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/IsraeliPM_heb/status/1726956351681953872" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">announcing</a>&nbsp;Israel’s war cabinet, security cabinet and government would all have meetings Tuesday night “in light of the developments on the issue of freeing the hostages.”</p>



<p>At the start of one of Tuesday night’s meetings, Netanyahu said he asked President Joe Biden to help improve the hostage deal to “include more hostages for a lower cost,”&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/BarakRavid/status/1727058670025068637" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">according</a>&nbsp;to an Axios reporter.</p>



<p>Qatar and the U.S. have both helped in negotiations between Hamas and Israel, working for weeks to help arrange a hostage release and potential break in fighting,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/21/world/israel-hamas-hostages/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">according</a>&nbsp;to CNN.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-to-watch-for">WHAT TO WATCH FOR</h2>



<p>Israel suggested a pause in fighting could continue beyond four days, saying in a statement, “The release of every additional ten hostages will result in one additional day in the pause,” according to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2023/nov/21/israel-hamas-war-live-updates-hamas-leader-haniyeh-truce-ceasefire-talks-gaza-qatar-latest-news" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Guardian</a>.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-crucial-quote">CRUCIAL QUOTE</h2>



<p>“The war continues, the war will continue until we achieve all of our goals: to eliminate Hamas, to return all our hostages, to ensure that the day after Hamas, Gaza will no longer be a threat to Israel,” Netanyahu said Tuesday before one of the meetings to approve the deal, CNN&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnn.com/middleeast/live-news/israel-hamas-war-gaza-news-11-21-23#h_9558fc152576df835f09a9ba305283de" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a>.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-big-number">BIG NUMBER</h2>



<p>More than 240. That’s how many hostages have been held by Hamas since Oct. 7. Over the last six weeks of fighting, Hamas has released just four hostages back to Israel—including a mother and daughter and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/mollybohannon/2023/10/23/two-more-hostages-released-by-hamas-reports-say/">two elderly</a>&nbsp;Israeli women—and Israel&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/mollybohannon/2023/10/30/israel-says-forces-free-soldier-taken-hostage-by-hamas-as-gaza-ground-invasion-continues/?sh=6672480c4ddf">freed one hostage</a>&nbsp;during a ground operation. According to the Israeli Defence Forces, at least two hostages held by Hamas, 65-year-old Yehudit Weiss and 19-year-old soldier&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-67414353" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Noa Marciano</a>, have been&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianbushard/2023/11/16/idf-says-israeli-hostage-found-dead-outside-gazas-al-shifa-hospital/?sh=77921f022526">found dead</a>. Weiss was discovered last week near Al-Shifa hospital, which has been a major battleground over the last week. Hamas claimed Marciano died in an Israeli airstrike on Nov. 9,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-67414353" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">according</a>&nbsp;to the BBC.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



<p>Getting hostages returned who were taken in the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel has been a priority of Israel and the U.S. Of the approximately 240, it’s estimated that about 10 hostages are Americans, <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/International/biden-believes-deal-close-free-hostages-gaza/story?id=105040105#:~:text=The%20administration%20said%20that%2010,to%20be%20among%20the%20hostages." target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">according</a> to ABC News, including a 3-year-old toddler who is believed to be the youngest American held. Over the weekend, U.S. officials said negotiations between Israel, Hamas and the U.S. were “closer than (they had) been perhaps at any point,” and leaders from <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/white-house-says-israel-hamas-hostage-deal-closer-than-before-2023-11-21/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Hamas</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/MofaQatar_EN/status/1726960818233765975" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Qatar</a> both made similar claims Tuesday. Israel has also faced increasing calls from international leaders for a cease-fire as the death toll in Gaza has continued drastically rising. Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders had previously signified they were open to a multi-day pause, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/11/21/israel-hamas-war-gaza-news-palestine/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">according</a> to the Washington Post, but continued to say they wouldn’t agree to a cease-fire unless all hostages were released. As of Tuesday, the Hamas-run Health Ministry <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/live-blog/israel-hamas-war-live-updates-rcna126110" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">estimated</a> more than 13,000 people have died since the conflict began. In Israel, an <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/12/world/middleeast/israel-death-toll-hamas-attack.html#:~:text=Israel%20revised%20its%20official%20estimated,Ministry%20said%20on%20Friday%20night." target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">estimated</a> 1,200 have died—the majority of whom were killed in the initial Hamas attack last month.<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/mollybohannon/"></a></p>


Israel Declares War Following Large-Scale Hamas Attacks

Israel And Hamas Reach Hostage Release Deal In Exchange For 4-Day Pause In Fighting


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



<p>The war between Israel and Hamas has continued for more than a month, laying waste to the Gaza Strip, killing thousands and displacing many more in the region as the conflict appears likely to continue for some time.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h2>



<p><strong>1.5 million:&nbsp;</strong>That’s how many people in Gaza have been internally displaced, according to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.unocha.org/publications/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/hostilities-gaza-strip-and-israel-flash-update-32#:~:text=Displacement%20(Gaza%20Strip),the%20remainder%20with%20host%20families." target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">United Nations</a>, which reported 557,000 people are sheltering in facilities unable to bring in new arrivals, prompting concerns of overcrowding.</p>



<p><strong>More than 11,000:</strong>&nbsp;The number of people&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/gaza-officials-say-hospitals-come-under-new-israeli-attacks-2023-11-10/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">killed</a>&nbsp;in Gaza during the conflict, according to Reuters.</p>



<p><strong>Around 1,200:</strong>&nbsp;The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-revises-death-toll-oct-7-hamas-attack-around-1200-2023-11-10/#:~:text=JERUSALEM%2C%20Nov%2010%20(Reuters),previous%20government%20estimate%20of%201%2C400." target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">revised death toll</a>&nbsp;of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack in southern Israel, Reuters reported, which cited a spokesperson for Israel&#8217;s foreign ministry.</p>



<p><strong>More than 400:</strong>&nbsp;The number of U.S. citizens and residents who have left the Gaza Strip, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/more-than-400-us-citizens-residents-have-left-gaza-spokesperson-2023-11-07/#:~:text=More%20than%20400%20US%20citizens,Reuters" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Reuters</a>, citing the State Department, which noted some U.S. citizens still remain in the war-torn region this week.</p>



<p><strong>About 240:&nbsp;</strong>That’s how many hostages Israeli officials believe Hamas and other groups are holding, according to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/article/israel-hostages-hamas-explained.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">New York Times</a>, a matter that has become the<a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/israel-hamas-hostage-deal-critical-juncture-gaza/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">&nbsp;crux of negotiations</a>&nbsp;between Israel and Hamas.</p>



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<p><strong>756:&nbsp;</strong>The total count of humanitarian aid trucks that have crossed into Gaza from Egypt since such trucks were first allowed to do so on Oct. 21, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/israel-hamas-war-gaza-strip-2023-11-08/card/more-than-100-aid-trucks-reach-gaza-in-largest-single-day-convoy-YsfsqJaxyKLQifBui5sg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Wall Street Journal</a>&nbsp;reported, citing Egyptian officials and the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, which said none of the trucks contained fuel.</p>



<p><strong>18:</strong>&nbsp;World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus indicated in an emergency meeting that this was the share of Gaza’s 36 hospitals that were not operating in the region (home to about&nbsp;<a href="https://www.unrwa.org/where-we-work/gaza-strip" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">2.1 million people</a>), according to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/live-blog/israel-hamas-war-live-updates-rcna124563/rcrd25458?canonicalCard=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">NBC News</a>, adding facilities are operating beyond capacities and that two-thirds of Gaza’s primary health care centers are not functioning.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-to-watch-for">WHAT TO WATCH FOR</h2>



<p>Israel agreed Thursday to put four-hour daily humanitarian pauses in place for its military operations in Gaza each day, according to the White House. The pauses have helped hostage talks, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/israel-hamas-hostage-deal-critical-juncture-gaza/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Politico</a>, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/09/politics/israel-pauses-gaza-white-house/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">insisted</a>&nbsp;that “no cease-fire” would be achieved without the release of Hamas-held hostages. Politico reported any hostage agreement is likely to be interim and limited in scope.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



<p>The Israel-Hamas conflict has gone on for more than a month now, after Israel declared war following Hamas’ invasion of southern Israel on Oct. 7. The U.S. has stood firm in its support of Israel, a longtime ally. President Joe Biden asked Netanyahu during a Monday call for a three-day pause to allow for hostage negotiations, the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-gaza-humanitarian-pauses-b8fc613ffd8b9351c0dc37b90b6e10dd" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Associated Press</a>&nbsp;reported, adding that the president said it took “a little longer” than he hoped for Israel to agree to the current hours-long humanitarian pauses. Despite pushing for humanitarian aid, the White House has been careful to not call for a definitive cease-fire, citing&nbsp;<a href="https://www.state.gov/secretary-antony-j-blinken-at-a-press-availability-41/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">concerns</a>&nbsp;it would allow Hamas to recover and re-tool. Biden has also publicly doubted the death toll coming out of Gaza, saying late last month he had &#8220;no confidence in the number that the Palestinians are using,” according to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/despite-bidens-doubts-humanitarian-agencies-consider-gaza-toll-reliable-2023-10-27/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Reuters</a>. Calls for a cease-fire have been supported by a majority of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/27/united-nations-votes-overwhelmingly-in-favour-of-humanitarian-truce-in-gaza" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">United Nations</a>&nbsp;in addition to tens of thousands of Americans who have participated in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/antoniopequenoiv/2023/11/04/thousands-descend-on-washington-for-gaza-cease-fire-rally-photos/?sh=6a381a4a1df7">cease-fire rallies</a>&nbsp;in recent weeks.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h2>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/antoniopequenoiv/2023/10/14/israel-hamas-conflict-the-grim-statistics-after-a-week-of-war/?sh=3d27aea84407">Israel-Hamas Conflict: The Grim Statistics After A Week Of War</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-revises-death-toll-oct-7-hamas-attack-around-1200-2023-11-10/#:~:text=JERUSALEM%2C%20Nov%2010%20(Reuters),previous%20government%20estimate%20of%201%2C400." target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Israel revises Hamas attack death toll to &#8216;around 1,200&#8217;</a>&nbsp;(Reuters)</p>


Israel’s Response To Hamas Attack Complicated By Hostages And Concerns Over Gaza Campaign

Israel-Hamas Conflict: The Bleak Numbers After 36 Days Of Fighting


<p><strong>South Africa intensifies its critique of Israel, recalling diplomats and slamming actions in Gaza as war crimes. As international condemnation grows, the government contemplates further sanctions amid widespread protests and calls for a decisive international response.</strong></p>



<p>South Africa has recalled its diplomatic corps from Israel for consultation, with the country&#8217;s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Naledi Pandor, issuing a strong critique of Israel&#8217;s ground invasion of Gaza. Pandor stated that the killing of children in the Palestinian region is a &#8220;war crime&#8221;.</p>



<p>Pandor was responding to questions she received after the Cabinet announcement today, withdrawing South Africa&#8217;s diplomats from Tel Aviv.</p>



<p>The African National Congress (ANC)-led South African government has long shown solidarity with the Palestinian cause, with Palestinian resistance movements providing social and military aid in the fight against apartheid in South Africa.</p>



<p>Israel&#8217;s response to the attacks of Hamas on October 7, which, at the time of writing, have seen at least 10,000 casualties among Palestinians in Gaza, was strongly condemned by the South African government.</p>



<p>&#8220;We believe the nature of the response by Israel has become one of collective punishment,&#8221; continued Pandor, &#8220;which falls outside the practices of international humanitarian and international human rights law.&#8221;</p>



<p>South Africans themselves have demonstrated in vast numbers in the major cities of Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban, with protests occurring almost weekly outside the United States Embassy and Consulate.</p>



<p>South Africa is not the only country to have instituted diplomatic responses to Israel in recent weeks, with Chad also recalling its ambassador earlier today. Several South American governments, such as Colombia, Chile, and Bolivia, had earlier done the same.</p>



<p>The South African branch of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement welcomed the decision by the government but also critiqued the time taken to make such an action.</p>



<p>&#8220;The SA BDS Coalition welcomes our government’s Cabinet statement condemning Israel’s genocide against the Palestinian people,&#8221; said Roshan Dadoo, spokesperson for the BDS, to FORBES AFRICA. &#8220;However, it took more than 10,000 Palestinians to be killed by the apartheid Israeli state before our government recalled all South African diplomatic staff for consultations.&#8221;</p>



<p>South Africa might take even further action following the last three weeks of conflict, with Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni stating in today&#8217;s post-Cabinet briefing that Israeli Ambassador Eliav Belotsercovsky&#8217;s position was &#8220;very untenable&#8221;.</p>



<p>Belotsercovsky has been directly critiqued by both the Cabinet and Pandor for his remarks in South African media as of late, with Minister Ntshaveni also stating that President Cyril Ramaphosa had instructed the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) to chastise him for &#8220;disparaging remarks&#8230;about those who are opposing the atrocities and the genocide of the Israeli government.&#8221;</p>



<p>&#8220;A genocide under the watch of the international community cannot be tolerated,&#8221; said Ntshaveni, sparing no words. &#8220;Another holocaust in the history of humanity cannot be tolerated.&#8221;</p>



<p>The South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD) spokesperson Charisse Zeifert said in a statement to FORBES AFRICA that the organization is seeking an urgent meeting with President Ramaphosa regarding today&#8217;s Cabinet decision, stating, &#8220;Severing ties would be a decision contrary to everything that the government claims it stands for, that is, talking to both sides of the conflict. And the only people who will stand to lose are South African citizens.&#8221;</p>



<p>Both the South African Jewish community and the Palestinian diaspora have deep ties within the country, with tensions unlikely to abate without a greater resolution to the conflict between Israel and Palestine itself.</p>



<p>&#8220;The South African people demand our government act in multilateral fora towards an immediate ceasefire and humanitarian assistance for people trapped in Gaza with UN protection, for the reinstatement of the UN anti-apartheid mechanisms towards international sanctions and an arms embargo, and a swift investigation and prosecutions by the International Criminal Court into war crimes, crimes against humanity including the crime of genocide and apartheid,&#8221; concluded the statement by BDS.</p>


Encircled By Israel, Gaza Faces Catastrophe As Death Toll Soars

Escalating Tensions: South Africa’s Diplomatic Withdrawal From Israel


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



<p>The Israel Defense Forces admitted to striking the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza—an attack that Hamas said killed dozens and injured hundreds—and said it killed a senior Hamas commander in the attack.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h2>



<p>A spokesperson for Israel said the IDF killed a Hamas commander who oversaw fighting in northern Gaza, and that Israeli forces killed&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/IDF/status/1719424225751027715" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">around 50 Hamas fighters</a>&nbsp;and damaged a Hamas command center.</p>



<p>Hamas has denied that any leadership was at the refugee camp at the time of the attack, NBC News&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/live-blog/israel-hamas-war-live-updates-rcna122919#rcrd23975" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a>.</p>



<p>The Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza&nbsp;<a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/31/dozens-killed-in-israeli-air-attack-on-gaza-refugee-camp-medical-official" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">told</a>&nbsp;Al Jazeera that more than 50 people were killed and many others were hurt in the strike, and the director of Gaza’s Indonesian hospital, Dr. Atef al-Kahlout,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnn.com/middleeast/live-news/israel-hamas-war-gaza-news-10-31-23/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">told</a>&nbsp;CNN that “hundreds” of people came in dead or injured and said there were still people in the rubble.</p>



<p>Photos of the aftermath of the attack show massive holes in the ground, and eyewitnesses said there were “body parts all over the place,” CNN&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/31/middleeast/jabalya-blast-gaza-intl/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a>.</p>



<p>The Jabalia refugee camp, the area hit by the Israeli strike, is the largest of the eight refugee camps in Gaza and has held refugees since the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-big-number">BIG NUMBER</h2>



<p>116,011. That’s how many Palestinian refugees were&nbsp;<a href="https://www.unrwa.org/where-we-work/gaza-strip/jabalia-camp" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">registered</a>&nbsp;with the United Nations and living in the camp, though the total population of the camp was likely higher. Many refugees in the camp were living in “substandard conditions,” according to the UN, which said the camp is characterized by “overcrowding and a lack of living space.”</p>



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-chief-critic">CHIEF CRITIC</h2>



<p>A statement&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/pmofa/status/1719372014211768685" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">posted</a>&nbsp;to the X, formerly known as Twitter, account of the Gaza Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates said it “strongly condemns the recent massacre committed by the occupation against our people in the #Jabalia camp just a while ago. This resulted in the destruction of an entire densely populated residential area, over their heads.” The post estimated that 400 people were killed or wounded.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



<p>The strike came as Israel is facing calls for a ceasefire to allow for humanitarian aid, though Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said there won’t be a ceasefire. He has said calls for a ceasefire are calls “to surrender to terrorism,”&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/30/world/middleeast/netanyahu-israel-hamas-cease-fire.html#:~:text=Calls%20for%20a%20cease%2Dfire%20are%20calls%20for%20Israel%20to,Israel's%20fight%20is%20your%20fight." target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">according</a>&nbsp;to the&nbsp;<em>New York Times</em>, and has continued to vow to destroy Hamas. Philippe Lazzarini, commissioner general of the UN Relief and Works Agency, said Monday that “an immediate humanitarian ceasefire has become a matter of life and death for millions,” CNN&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/31/middleeast/israel-gaza-hamas-war-tuesday-intl-hnk/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a>. Since the October 7 attack by Hamas on Israel, the Hamas-run Healthy Ministry in Gaza&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-gaza-war-news-10-31-2023-54ab6bd7f6861be86266770c245827e1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">estimates</a>&nbsp;that more than 8,000 Palestinians have been killed, adding that most have been children or minors. The Israeli death toll is around 1,400, almost entirely from the initial attack, while hundreds of hostages were taken from Israel to the Gaza Strip, the Associated Press&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-gaza-war-news-10-31-2023-54ab6bd7f6861be86266770c245827e1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a>.</p>


Israeli attack on residential square in Jabalia refugee camp

Israel Admits Striking Refugee Camp—Says It Targeted And Killed Hamas Commander


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



<p>Starlink internet satellites will be made accessible to aid organizations in Gaza, according to a Saturday <a href="https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1718224153474388433?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">post</a> from SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, as the region continues to experience Israeli bombardments amid a <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/antoniopequenoiv/2023/10/27/gaza-experiences-communications-blackout-as-israel-expands-ground-force-activity/?sh=507ea9da7774">communications blackout</a> that began Friday.</p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="alignleft size-full is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="733" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/GettyImages-1358883297.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-53654" style="aspect-ratio:1.3969986357435198;width:528px;height:auto" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/GettyImages-1358883297.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/GettyImages-1358883297-300x215.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/GettyImages-1358883297-768x550.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"> (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for TIME)</figcaption></figure></div>


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h2>



<p>Musk pledged Starlink connectivity support for “internationally recognized aid groups” and the United Nations in&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1718224153474388433?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">two</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1718225344568668417?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">posts</a>&nbsp;on X, formerly known as Twitter.</p>



<p>Musk initially responded to a&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/DrLoupis/status/1717960271895883898?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">post</a>&nbsp;that called for Starlink support in Gaza, saying it&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1718206478283133105?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">wasn’t clear</a>&nbsp;who had the authority for ground links in Gaza and that SpaceX had not received a request from any terminals in the region, which are required on the ground to receive the satellite internet service.</p>



<p>Musk has also faced calls to extend internet access to civilians and journalists documenting the situation in Gaza.</p>



<p>The posts come less than a day after the Gaza Strip was hit with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/antoniopequenoiv/2023/10/27/gaza-experiences-communications-blackout-as-israel-expands-ground-force-activity/?sh=507ea9da7774">major communications disruptions</a>, causing multiple humanitarian agencies such as the Red Crescent, the World Health Organization and the United Nations International Children&#8217;s Emergency Fund to lose contact with their medical teams and workers.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



<p>The communications collapse in Gaza occurred Friday, when telecommunications company Paltel told the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-gaza-airstrikes-region-e41b5b12e8cdf9db62395314d9a782b6?taid=653bf435d6113200015b4286&amp;utm_campaign=TrueAnthem&amp;utm_medium=AP&amp;utm_source=Twitter" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Associated Press</a>&nbsp;that Israeli bombardments in Gaza caused “a complete disruption of all communication and internet services.” Amid the disruption, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, a spokesman for the Israeli military, said on Friday that ground forces were expanding activity in Gaza, in a tweet translated by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2023/10/27/israel-hamas-war-updates-and-latest-news-on-gaza-conflict.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CNBC</a>. An Israeli ground invasion of Gaza has been widely anticipated in the three weeks since Hamas launched an attack on Israel, starting the ongoing war. Mark Regev, senior adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, told MSNBC on Friday night that Hamas would “feel our wrath tonight,” a statement followed up by a constant bombardment at the Israel-Gaza border as the Israeli military forces&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-gaza-airstrikes-region-e41b5b12e8cdf9db62395314d9a782b6?taid=653bf435d6113200015b4286&amp;utm_campaign=TrueAnthem&amp;utm_medium=AP&amp;utm_source=Twitter" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ramped up ground operations</a>.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-big-number">BIG NUMBER</h2>



<p>More than 8,000. That’s how many people have died on both sides of the Israel-Hamas conflict, according to the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-death-toll-numbers-injured-5c9dc40bec95a8408c83f3c2fb759da0" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Associated Press</a>. The Palestinian death toll streaked past 7,000 this week, according to the Hamas-controlled Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza. Some 1,400 Israelis were reportedly killed in Hamas’ attack.</p>



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h2>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/antoniopequenoiv/2023/10/27/gaza-experiences-communications-blackout-as-israel-expands-ground-force-activity/?sh=6383a8ce7774">World Health Organization Loses Contact With Gaza Staff Amid Communications Blackout&nbsp;</a>(<em>Forbes</em>)</p>



<p><a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-gaza-airstrikes-region-e41b5b12e8cdf9db62395314d9a782b6?taid=653bf435d6113200015b4286&amp;utm_campaign=TrueAnthem&amp;utm_medium=AP&amp;utm_source=Twitter" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Israel steps up air and ground attacks in Gaza and cuts off the territory’s communications</a> (AP)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/antoniopequenoiv/"></a></p>


Israeli attacks continue on the 22nd day in Gaza

Elon Musk Says Starlink Will Support ‘Recognized’ Aid Groups In Gaza


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



<p>Humanitarian aid continued to flow into Gaza Sunday afternoon through the Rafah border crossing—the crossing between Egypt and Gaza that was opened for the first time in two weeks on Saturday.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">KEY FACTS</h2>



<p>Fourteen additional aid trucks were allowed into Gaza Sunday afternoon, according to a&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/UNReliefChief/status/1716183555343085624?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">post</a>&nbsp;on X by Martin Griffiths, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator.</p>



<p>The first trucks with aid arrived in Gaza yesterday and carried food, water and medical supplies, though the World Health Organization said much more is needed, NBC News&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/live-blog/israel-hamas-war-live-updates-rcna121580" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a>, and the aid trucks notably did not have fuel, which Gaza has been without for weeks.</p>



<p>Aid had been blocked—but the allowance of it was recently&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/UNReliefChief/status/1716183555343085624?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">negotiated</a>&nbsp;by leaders including President Joe Biden—since Israel implemented a blockade after Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">CRUCIAL QUOTE</h2>



<p>Griffiths called the second convoy of trucks entering Gaza “another small glimmer of hope for the millions of people in dire need of humanitarian aid,” in the&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/UNReliefChief/status/1716183555343085624?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">statement</a>&nbsp;on X. “But they need more, much more,” he continued. He had previously said Saturday’s delivery was a “very good start, but it&#8217;s nowhere near enough to provide for the needs of up to 2 million people,” NBC News&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/live-blog/israel-hamas-war-live-updates-rcna121580" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a>.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">BIG NUMBER</h2>



<p>100. That’s how many trucks daily UN officials have said Gaza would need to address “urgent needs,”&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/second-aid-convoy-egypts-rafah-soon-en-route-gaza-sources-2023-10-22/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">according</a>&nbsp;to Reuters.</p>



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



<p>More than 2 million people in Gaza have been without food, water, medical supplies and fuel since Israel closed the borders to aid following the October 7 Hamas attack that killed 1,400 Israelis. More than 4,300 Palestianians have been killed since the war began earlier this month,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-west-bank-gaza-militants-25b93d7eda4f2972360fe384d381bbff" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">according</a>&nbsp;to the Associated Press. Late last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/mollybohannon/2023/10/18/israel-approves-egyptian-humanitarian-aid-for-gaza-after-biden-applied-pressure/?sh=2bf88e6057da">announced</a>&nbsp;Israel would allow “food, water and medicine” for civilians in the southern Gaza Strip “as long as these supplies do not reach Hamas.” Netanyahu was also clear that any supplies that reached Hamas will be “thwarted.” The decision to allow aid was made after a meeting with Biden in which he said he supported the decision.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">WHAT TO WATCH FOR</h2>



<p>U.S. Special Envoy David Satterfield&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/live-blog/israel-hamas-war-live-updates-rcna121580" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">told</a>&nbsp;MSNBC Sunday that a &#8220;continuous flow&#8221; of humanitarian aid should get into Gaza through the Rafah border. Satterfield said he expects aid will be regularly moving into Gaza through the week, saying “we want to build that flow up to the levels necessary to begin to meet Gaza’s needs.”</p>


Palestinian workers from UN received the humanitarian aid

‘Continuous Flow’ Of Aid Expected Into Gaza As Second Delivery Arrives


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



<p>Israel approved Egypt delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza on Wednesday shortly after President Joe Biden arrived and the U.S. and other countries applied pressure to allow the aid, reports say.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">KEY FACTS</h2>



<p>Israel will allow “food, water and medicine” for civilians in the southern Gaza Strip “as long as these supplies do not reach Hamas,” according to a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office; the statement said any supplies that do reach Hamas will be &#8220;thwarted&#8221; and did not list fuel as one of the allowed supplies.</p>



<p>Netanyahu continued to say Gaza will not receive any humanitarian aid from Israel until its hostages are returned,&nbsp;<em>Haaretz</em>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2023-10-18/ty-article-live/israeli-army-blames-islamic-jihad-for-hitting-gaza-hospital-in-deadly-strike/0000018b-40a6-d881-abab-edae5c5d0000" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a>.</p>



<p>Israel’s decision was made after a meeting with Biden in which he said he supported the decision and said aid would be suspended if Hamas attempted to control it, Axios&nbsp;<a href="https://www.axios.com/2023/10/18/gaza-humanitarian-aid-entry-israel-netanyahu-biden?utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_campaign=editorial" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a>.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">CRUCIAL QUOTE</h2>



<p>The prime minister’s office said in the statement that their decision was made “in light of the overwhelming and vital American support for the war effort and in light of US President Biden&#8217;s demand for basic humanitarian aid.”</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



<p>The decision to allow aid from Egypt comes 11 days after Hamas launched an attack on Israel,&nbsp;<a href="https://ochaopt.org/content/hostilities-gaza-strip-and-israel-flash-update-11" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">killing</a>&nbsp;more than 1,400 Israelis. In that time, more than 3,000 Palestinians have been killed and thousands more injured as Israel declared war on Hamas shortly after the attack earlier this month. As part of its declaration of war, Israel cut off fuel, water and other utilities it supplied to Gaza, leaving civilians without resources as attacks continued. Biden arrived in Israel early Wednesday to meet with Netanyahu and other leaders, though his planned trip to Jordan to meet with Arab and Palestinian leaders was canceled Tuesday after a hospital explosion in Gaza that Palestinian authorities are blaming on Israel. Israel denies involvement in the attack and says the explosion was caused by a failed rocket launched by the Gaza-based militant group Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Since his arrival in Israel, Biden said he’d seen evidence from the Pentagon indicating that the Israeli military did not cause the explosion, Bloomberg&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-10-18/biden-lands-in-israel-seeking-to-salvage-trip-after-deadly-blast?srnd=premium&amp;cmpid%3D=socialflow-twitter-tv&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_campaign=socialflow-organic&amp;utm_content=business&amp;cmpid=socialflow-twitter-business" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a>.</p>



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">TANGENT</h2>



<p>Biden&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/business/status/1714654718113526140?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">announced</a>&nbsp;Wednesday he will ask Congress this week to approve an “unprecedented support package for Israel’s defense.” There were&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/biden-considering-100-bln-funding-request-that-includes-israel-ukraine-aid-2023-10-17/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">multiple</a><a href="https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/israel-hamas-war-gaza-palestinians/card/biden-planning-to-ask-congress-for-100-billion-funding-package-for-israel-ukraine-oiljgK7kiKeXEyPsTCau" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">&nbsp;reports</a>&nbsp;Tuesday that Biden was eyeing a $100 billion request for defense aid for defense aid for Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan. An unnamed congressional source said Israel asked the U.S. for $10 billion, Reuters&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/biden-considering-100-bln-funding-request-that-includes-israel-ukraine-aid-2023-10-17/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a>. Israel already receives $3.8 billion a year from the U.S.</p>


Death toll from Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital at 471 after bombing

Israel Approves Egyptian Humanitarian Aid For Gaza After Biden Applied Pressure


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



<p>Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office dismissed media reports about a supposed ceasefire with Hamas and delivering aid to Gaza in exchange for hostages on Monday, a day after UN authorities warned that they can no longer provide humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian enclave due to Israel’s blockade of the territory.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">KEY FACTS</h2>



<p>In a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.unrwa.org/newsroom/official-statements/unrwa-commissioner-general-philippe-lazzarini%E2%80%AF-remarks%E2%80%AF-situation-gaza-strip" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">press conference</a>&nbsp;on Sunday, UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said Gaza was running out of water and electricity and “soon…there will be no food or medicine either.”</p>



<p>Lazzarini told the press that most of the UNRWA’s 13,000 staffers in the territory have been displaced and 14 have been killed so far.</p>



<p>On Monday,<em> Haaretz </em><a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2023-10-16/ty-article-live/israel-prepares-for-ground-invasion-biden-big-mistake-to-reoccupy-gaza/0000018b-364f-dc99-a1db-3fcf1ae10000?liveBlogItemId=52323506#52323506" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a> that Israel agreed to allow aid—mostly water and medicine—to be delivered to Gaza through the Rafah crossing from Egypt in response to U.S. requests.</p>



<p>The report mentioned that Israel was still blocking the shipment of fuel to the territory over concerns that it would be used by Hamas to operate generators in its tunnel complexes under the enclave.</p>



<p>The Israeli PM’s office&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/IsraeliPM/status/1713818720697532592" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">tweeted</a>: “There is no ceasefire” and told the press that no deal has been struck to allow “humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip in exchange for the removal of foreigners.”</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">NEWS PEG</h2>



<p>Citing unnamed foreign diplomatic sources, <em>Haaretz </em><a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2023-10-16/ty-article/.premium/foreign-diplomats-talks-on-humanitarian-deal-for-release-of-some-israeli-hostages-ongoing/0000018b-3753-da5e-abef-bf775eb30000" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a> that talks of a humanitarian deal with Hamas to ensure the safe release of hostages from Gaza have taken place over the past few days. But it is unclear if such a deal will go into effect or if it will find support within the Israeli government.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">BIG NUMBER</h2>



<p>199. That is how many hostages are being held by Hamas inside Gaza, Israel’s military&nbsp;<a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/idf-has-notified-199-families-that-have-loved-ones-being-held-hostage-in-gaza/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">said</a>&nbsp;Monday.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">CRUCIAL QUOTE</h2>



<p>Lazzarini said during Sunday’s press conference: “Gaza is being strangled and it seems that the world right now has lost its humanity…The answer to killing civilians cannot be to kill more civilians. Imposing a siege and bombarding civilian infrastructure in a densely populated area will not bring peace and security to the region. The siege in Gaza, the way it is imposed, is nothing else than collective punishment.”</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



<p>Israel has bombarded parts of Gaza as it readies its military for a likely ground invasion of the enclave, after Hamas’ terrorist attack on Israel more than one week ago that killed 1,300 people. Last week, Israel&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2023/10/13/israel-orders-1-million-gaza-residents-to-relocate-within-24-hours-un-says-its-impossible/?sh=6a8dc2841322">ordered</a>&nbsp;more than 1 million civilians in northern Gaza—including Gaza City—to relocate to the south, prompting criticism from international groups including the Norwegian Refugee Council, which called it a “war crime of forcible transfer.” Israel had initially set a 24-hour deadline for the evacuation but has since acknowledged that such a large movement of people will take time.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">TANGENT</h2>



<p>Israel began evacuating residents residing in a 2km zone along its border with Lebanon in the north on Monday after minor clashes in the region with the militant group Hezbollah. The evacuation and clashes come amidst concerns of Hezbollah&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/hezbollah-says-when-time-comes-any-action-we-will-carry-it-out-2023-10-13/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">opening a second front</a>&nbsp;against Israel as it prepares for potential ground invasion of northern Gaza.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">FURTHER READING</h2>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/antoniopequenoiv/2023/10/14/us-citizens-stuck-at-gaza-egypt-border-after-crossing-agreement-possibly-hindered-by-hamas/?sh=19fb895729f9">U.S. Citizens Stuck At Gaza-Egypt Border After Crossing Agreement Possibly Hindered By Hamas</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/mollybohannon/2023/10/15/iran-warns-it-may-not-remain-a-spectator-in-israel-hamas-conflict-as-us-urges-iran-not-to-intervene/?sh=1e6b925c2a6f">Iran Warns It May Not ‘Remain A Spectator’ In Israel-Hamas Conflict—As U.S. Urges Iran Not To Intervene</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)</p>


Israeli attacks on Gaza continue on the 10th day

Israel Dismisses Reports Of Ceasefire And Aid After UN Warns Gaza Is Running Out Of Water And Food


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



<p>An outdoor concert and dance party in a rural area near the Gaza-Israel border turned into tragedy Saturday, when many attendees were killed or taken hostage by Hamas militants from the Gaza Strip, adding to hundreds of Israeli casualties in the unprecedented attack.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">KEY FACTS</h2>



<p>About 260 bodies were recovered from the festival grounds, though it’s expected the toll will rise, a spokesperson for ZAKA, an Israeli non-governmental rescue and recovery organization, told&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/music-festival-revelers-israeli-desert-became-victims-hamas-militants-rcna119394" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">multiple</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-gaza-hamas-rockets-airstrikes-tel-aviv-ca7903976387cfc1e1011ce9ea805a71" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">outlets</a>&nbsp;Sunday.</p>



<p>The SuperNova Festival—which celebrated the Jewish holiday Sukkot—took place in the Negev Desert near Urim, a kibbutz about 13 miles from the Gaza Strip.</p>



<p>Attendees&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/07/middleeast/israel-gaza-fighting-hamas-attack-music-festival-intl-hnk/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">told</a>&nbsp;CNN that once they heard the gunshots early Saturday morning they tried to flee, but cars were at a standstill and gunmen were still shooting, so some ran into nearby forests and hid.</p>



<p>One attendee described the scene to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mako.co.il/news-military/2023_q3/Article-f88c2856ee80b81026.htm?Partner=interlink" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">local media</a>&nbsp;as “four-five hours of a horror movie” and another described hearing sirens before the gunshots started, saying there were gunmen in every direction shooting at the concert-goers.</p>



<p>One festival-goer called it a “battlefield,” telling Israeli newspaper&nbsp;<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2023-10-07/ty-article/.premium/survivors-of-massacre-at-israeli-outdoor-rave-describe-battlefield/0000018b-0a85-dae9-adcb-abbfa4990000" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Haaretz</em></a><em>&nbsp;</em>they saw gunmen firing from all directions and burnt-out cars on the street.</p>



<p>“Everyone just started running in all directions,” attendee Eliav Klein&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/music-festival-revelers-israeli-desert-became-victims-hamas-militants-rcna119394" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">told</a>&nbsp;NBC News, adding his friend jumped off a 25-foot cliff; Klein estimated there were thousands at the festival, though there is not yet an official count of attendees.</p>



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<p>Some attendees were seen in social media videos being taken hostage by militants—CNN&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/07/middleeast/israel-gaza-fighting-hamas-attack-music-festival-intl-hnk/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a>&nbsp;the details of a viral video in which an Israeli woman and her boyfriend were shown being kidnapped, and the woman’s family has since&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-67047034" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">confirmed</a>&nbsp;to BBC they believe she was taken hostage.</p>



<p>Jake Marlowe, a 26-year-old British man who was working security at the festival, is missing and hasn’t been heard from since Saturday, when he texted his mother about the attack, Sky News&nbsp;<a href="https://news.sky.com/story/british-citizen-jake-marlowe-missing-after-hamas-attack-on-music-festival-in-israel-says-embassy-12979858#:~:text=A%20British%20citizen%20is%20missing,the%20festival%20in%20southern%20Israel" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a>.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">CRUCIAL QUOTE</h2>



<p>“We are doing the best we can to help the security forces, maintaining constant contact with them and are positioned in the area taking part in searches in order to locate the missing,” Nova Festival said in a Hebrew&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/TRIBEofNOVA/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">statement</a>&nbsp;on social media translated by CNN, adding they “share the sorrow” of the missing and killed.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">BIG NUMBER</h2>



<p>1,100. That’s at least how many Israeli and Palestinian people have died since Hamas fighters entered Israel on Saturday. The Israeli death toll is past 700,&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/IsraelMFA/status/1711091937514492031?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1711091937514492031%7Ctwgr%5E82081fcc6e897c4ff5356e244afd539a6f0eb034%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2Flive%2F2023%2F10%2F08%2Fworld%2Fisrael-gaza-attack-hamas-news" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">according</a>&nbsp;to the Israel Foreign Ministry, and the Palestinian Ministry of Health&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/mollybohannon/2023/10/08/americans-taken-hostage-in-hamas-attack-on-israel-as-death-toll-passes-1000/?sh=28673215239b">said</a>&nbsp;there were about 413 Palestinians who had been killed.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



<p>On Saturday, Gaza-based militant group Hamas launched an attack on Israel from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/barrage-of-rockets-fired-at-israel-from-gaza-strip-d5b2f05f" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">air, land and sea</a>, with militants crossing the Gaza Strip border into southern Israel while Hamas fired rockets toward Israeli cities, leading to one of the worst attacks on Israel in decades. The festival grounds were reportedly one of the first places gunmen attacked, capturing and killing civilians. Throughout Saturday night into Sunday, residents of Gaza faced Israeli airstrikes, while sirens to warn of potential attacks rang through the night in Israel. The Israeli military is widely expected to launch a large-scale counterattack on Gaza: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianbushard/2023/10/07/israel-vows-mighty-vengeance-unprecedented-hamas-attack-leaves-at-least-200-dead/?sh=e0f214d688dd">said</a>&nbsp;the scale of the attack “has never been seen in Israel,” and vowed to “take mighty vengeance for this black day.” Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif called the attack the “day of the greatest battle to end the last occupation on earth,”&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2023/10/07/israel-declares-state-of-war-alert-after-surprise-hamas-attack.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">multiple</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-762052" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">outlets</a>&nbsp;reported. Throughout Sunday, death and injury tolls have&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/mollybohannon/2023/10/08/americans-taken-hostage-in-hamas-attack-on-israel-as-death-toll-passes-1000/?sh=28673215239b">continued to rise</a>&nbsp;and more information about hostages has been released, as well. Hamas has controlled the Gaza Strip since 2007, after Israeli forces withdrew from the occupied territory two years prior, and the narrow, densely populated coastal territory has remained under an Israeli and Egyptian blockade since then, with occasional flare-ups between Hamas and Israel’s military.</p>


Israeli airstrikes continue in Gaza

At Least 260 Killed At Israeli Music Festival In Hamas Attack—Attendees Describe ‘Horror Movie’


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



<p>Six Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces and dozens more injured during three separate incidents in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours, the Palestinian Ministry of Health told <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/20/middleeast/israeli-military-palestinians-intl/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CNN</a>—incidents that come during a controversial meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Joe Biden.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h2>



<p>Four people died and over 30 were injured when the Israeli military invaded the Jenin refugee camp Tuesday evening and exchanged fire with Palestinian militants,—Israel claims the Palestinian militants fired first—CNN reported, citing the ministry and an anonymous witness, who said that electricity was knocked out from the camp for some time.</p>



<p>The Israeli Defense Forces said in a statement that troops entered the camp as part of “counterterrorism activity” and claimed that “armed gunmen opened fire” at them before they returned fire.</p>



<p>Meanwhile, on Tuesday afternoon, a Palestinian man was killed and several others were injured when Israeli forces fired across the Gaza border fence at protesters who had been holding regular protests along the border for the past week; the earlier protests had, at times, turned violent, with protesters throwing explosive devices and burning tires as well as occasionally firing guns at Israeli guards.</p>



<p>The IDF said in a statement, “hundreds of rioters gathered in a violent riot adjacent to the security fence in the Gaza Strip…a number of explosive devices were activated by the rioters.”</p>



<p>On Wednesday morning, a Palestinian man was killed by Israeli military who entered the Aqabat Jaber refugee camp in Jericho.</p>



<p>Israeli forces said they were attempting to apprehend 10 wanted suspects when explosive devices were hurled at them and they returned fire.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



<p>The West Bank and the Gaza strip have been under military occupation by Israel since 1967. The West Bank has been embroiled by nearly daily violence throughout 2023, spurred by nightly raids from Israeli forces, putting the region on track for its bloodiest year since 2005. Notably, in July, Israel&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/willskipworth/2023/06/19/5-palestinians-die-in-the-conflicts-most-ferocious-fighting-in-years/?sh=5e3671687ab2">struck</a>&nbsp;the refugee camp in Jenin—the same one that saw four people die on Tuesday—with gunfire, armored bulldozers and at least one Apache helicopter, the first time a helicopter gunship had been used in the conflict since the second Palestinian uprising around two decades ago. That fighting lasted 10 hours, killed five and injured 91.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tangent">TANGENT</h2>



<p>The violence unfolded while Israel’s leader Netanyahu was visiting Biden and New York during the United Nations General Assembly Wednesday, the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-netanyahu-biden-white-house-united-nations-c6dab3cc0357f67b2054446f3c6cdc52" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Associated Press reported</a>. The meeting will be the first between the two since Netanyahu formed his far-right coalition government last year, a buck to tradition as the U.S. has typically invited Israeli leaders to the White House within weeks of them starting their tenure. The delay, as well as the meeting taking place in New York instead of Washington, D.C., is widely seen as a signal of Biden’s displeasure with Netayahu’s new government, which has taken a hardline on the conflict with the Palestinians and attempted to overhaul the country’s judiciary in a way that makes it more favorable to them, according to the AP. Biden opened the meeting by saying they would discuss “some tough issues” including “upholding democratic values that lie at the heart of our partnership, including checks and balances.”</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h2>



<p><a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/20/middleeast/israeli-military-palestinians-intl/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Six Palestinians killed by Israeli military in three separate incidents over 24 hours</a>&nbsp;(CNN)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/willskipworth/2023/06/19/5-palestinians-die-in-the-conflicts-most-ferocious-fighting-in-years/?sh=5e3671687ab2">5 Palestinians Die In The Conflict’s Most Ferocious Fighting In Years</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/anafaguy/2023/09/19/us-considering-defense-treaty-with-saudi-arabia-that-includes-israel-normalization-report-says/?sh=652d65239e37">U.S. Considering Defense Treaty With Saudi Arabia That Includes Israel Normalization, Report Says</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)</p>


Israeli army bulldozer on duty during the demolition of

Six Palestinians Killed In Three Separate Incidents By Israeli Forces Over 24 Hours


<p><strong>TOPLINE </strong>Israeli air and ground forces attacked Gaza Strip targets Thursday night, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vows to extract a “very heavy price” in response to rocket attacks from Hamas militants in the territory — but local news outlets say Israeli troops have not launched an actual ground invasion in Gaza yet.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h3>



<p>Hamas — which controls Gaza — and other militant groups have fired&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/11/world/middleeast/israel-gaza-airstrikes.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">hundreds of rockets</a>&nbsp;toward Israeli population centers in recent days, and the Israeli Defense Force has responded with heavy airstrikes that&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnn.com/videos/world/2021/05/12/israel-palestine-gaza-building-collapse-intl-hnk-vpx.cnn" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">toppled</a>&nbsp;several Gaza Strip buildings, reportedly leading to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-57097475" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">over 100</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/weary-gaza-marks-muslim-feast-as-violence-spreads-in-israel/2021/05/13/0545e73e-b3ad-11eb-bc96-fdf55de43bef_story.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Palestinian deaths</a>&nbsp;and at least seven Israeli deaths.</p>



<p>The IDF has massed&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2021/05/13/94-dead-in-gaza-conflict-as-worries-rise-of-israeli-ground-invasion/?sh=15598cf97eb6">thousands of troops</a>&nbsp;near the Gaza border in preparation for a ground campaign, and both air and ground troops are “currently attacking in the Gaza Strip,” the military&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/IDF/status/1392953390443991040" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">said on Twitter</a>&nbsp;early Friday morning, Israel time.</p>



<p>Some&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/05/13/world/israel-gaza-news" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">international</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/israel-steps-up-airstrikes-against-hamas-in-gaza-tries-to-contain-violence-at-home-11620900941?mod=hp_lead_pos4" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">media</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbc.com/arabic/middleeast-57089065" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">outlets</a>&nbsp;claimed IDF troops have already entered the territory, but its forces appear to be shelling the Gaza Strip from Israeli-controlled positions rather than carrying out a ground invasion in the territory, local and regional outlets like Israeli&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/roysharon11/status/1392955293466828805" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">public broadcaster</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/roysharon11/status/1392973698777354243" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Kan 11</a>, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog-may-13-2021/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Times of Israel</em></a>&nbsp;and Qatar-based al Jazeera reported.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-to-watch-for">WHAT TO WATCH FOR</h3>



<p>Israeli officials say they&nbsp;<a href="https://www.axios.com/biden-send-envoy-israel-palestine-gaza-crisis-2115a8db-3453-41e0-a0ea-01b373b0ec68.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">aren’t interested</a>&nbsp;in an immediate ceasefire, instead promising to punish Hamas. “I said that we would extract a very heavy price from Hamas and the other terrorist organizations,” Netanyahu&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/IsraeliPM/status/1392972151028858880" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">said Thursday night</a>. “This operation will continue as long as necessary in order to restore the calm and security to the state of Israel.”</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-surprising-fact">SURPRISING FACT</h3>



<p>If Israeli troops ultimately enter the Gaza Strip, it would mark the country’s first major ground campaign in the territory in seven years. Israel&nbsp;<a href="https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4841877" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">pulled all troops</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2015/07/02/does-israel-actually-occupy-the-gaza-strip/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">settlers</a>&nbsp;from Gaza in 2005, and Hamas — which most Western countries deem a terrorist group —&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-palestinians-timeline/timeline-key-events-since-2006-hamas-election-victory-idUSL1752364420070620" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">took over</a>&nbsp;the territory in the following year, but Israel and Hamas have periodically exchanged fire since then. During a bout of violence in 2014, the IDF made a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/18/world/middleeast/israel-gaza-strip.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">rare ground incursion</a>&nbsp;into Gaza with a stated mission of destroying the territory’s cross-border tunnels.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h3>



<p>The latest hostilities between Israel and Hamas follow days of unrest and tension. Israeli police&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/middle-east-israel-jerusalem-076a9ec7e2bd9c065882c64a4ab820a1?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&amp;utm_medium=AP&amp;utm_source=Twitter" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">clashed</a>&nbsp;with Palestinian protesters earlier this week at East Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa Mosque, and protesters and police&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/07/world/middleeast/evictions-jerusalem-israeli-palestinian-conflict-protest.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">faced off</a>&nbsp;last week over planned evictions of several Palestinian families in part of East Jerusalem, an area&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jerusalem-middle-east-lifestyle-government-and-politics-43d4cab031c28da0abf98d694dd169ac" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">annexed by Israel</a>&nbsp;decades ago. Plus, violent street clashes have erupted in cities with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/13/world/middleeast/arab-jewish-violence-lod.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">large numbers</a>&nbsp;of both Jewish and Arab Israelis.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tangent">TANGENT</h3>



<p>The United States has called for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/05/11/995942104/biden-administration-urges-israelis-and-palestinians-to-de-escalate-conflict" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">de-escalation</a>. Some Biden administration statements have been&nbsp;<a href="https://www.state.gov/secretary-blinkens-call-with-israeli-prime-minister-netanyahu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">relatively muted</a>, broadly defending Israel’s right to self-defense and condemning civilian violence. Meanwhile, the Pentagon&nbsp;<a href="https://thehill.com/policy/defense/553453-pentagon-120-us-military-personnel-moved-from-israel-out-of-an-abundance-of" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">said Thursday</a>&nbsp;it has moved 120 U.S. troops out of Israel, and the U.S. State Department is telling Americans to reconsider traveling there.</p>


Israeli airstrikes on Gaza

Israeli Ground Forces Take Action In Gaza As Death Toll Tops 100 — But Troops Reportedly Haven’t Invaded


<p id="h-topline"><strong>TOPLINE</strong> Gaza militant groups launched another round of more than 100 rockets into central Israel in retaliation for the Israeli military&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tzXlZ5_Sds" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">leveling another Gaza Tower</a>, a move that sent millions of Israelis into hiding in bomb shelters as the conflict’s death toll continues to climb.</p>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/GettyImages-1232823091-1024x698.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-51100" width="734" height="500" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/GettyImages-1232823091-1024x698.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/GettyImages-1232823091-300x204.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/GettyImages-1232823091-768x523.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/GettyImages-1232823091-1536x1047.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/GettyImages-1232823091-2048x1396.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 734px) 100vw, 734px" /><figcaption>TOPSHOT &#8211; Smoke billows from Israeli air strikes in Gaza City, controlled by the Palestinian Hamas movement, on May 11, 2021. &#8211; Israel and the Islamist movement Hamas in Gaza exchanged heavy fire, killing at least 26 Palestinians and two Israelis, in an escalation sparked by violent unrest at Jerusalem&#8217;s flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. (Photo by ANAS BABA / AFP) (Photo by ANAS BABA/AFP via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h3>



<p>Hamas, the militant group that rules Gaza, said the 130 rockets it fired toward Israel Wednesday afternoon were&nbsp;<a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/5/12/israeli-bombardment-continues-on-gaza" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">a direct response</a>&nbsp;to the destruction of Gaza City’s Al Sharuk tower earlier in the day.</p>



<p>Footage circulating on social media Wednesday shows the 14-story tower&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tzXlZ5_Sds" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">collapsing</a>&nbsp;after it was targeted for a strike by the Israel Defense Forces.</p>



<p>Besides residential apartments, the building also housed the offices of local and international&nbsp;<a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/5/12/israeli-bombardment-continues-on-gaza" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">media outlets</a>, according to reports.</p>



<p>More than 335 Palestinians in Gaza have been wounded in the attacks, Gaza’s health officials said Wednesday, and of the 56 who have been reported killed, 14 were children.</p>



<p>Strikes from Hamas and other Gaza militant groups like Islamic Jihad have injured roughly 100 and killed 6 in Israel, including a&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/IDF/status/1392482375490211844?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">21-year-old soldier</a>&nbsp;and an Indian woman who was reportedly&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/indian-woman-killed-in-israel-was-struck-by-rocket-strike-during-a-video-call-with-husband-384415" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">on a video call</a>&nbsp;with her husband when she died.&nbsp;</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tangent">TANGENT</h3>



<p>International powers are calling for a ceasefire. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will send top diplomat Hady Amr to the region “to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/12/world/middleeast/israel-palestine-blinken.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">urge deescalation</a>&nbsp;and to bring calm,” Blinken said Wednesday.&nbsp;</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h3>



<p>Weeks of tension reached a tipping point Saturday when&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2021/05/10/hamas-fires-rockets-into-israel---and-threatens-to-launch-more---as-tensions-escalate/?sh=3c99b7b6312c">Hamas fired rockets</a>&nbsp;into Jerusalem after Israeli security forces confronted Palestinian protestors within the compound of the city’s Al Aqsa Mosque, one of the holiest sites in Islam. Relations between Israel and Palestinians had been strained over the efforts of Jewish settlers to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2021/05/10/hamas-fires-rockets-into-israel---and-threatens-to-launch-more---as-tensions-escalate/?sh=35fdef5d6312">forcibly evict Palestinian families</a>&nbsp;from their homes in East Jerusalem and celebrations of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/jerusalem-alaqsa-templemount-haramalsharif/2021/05/10/17f29614-b161-11eb-bc96-fdf55de43bef_story.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Jerusalem Day</a>, a controversial holiday that marks the anniversary of Israel seizing control of East Jerusalem in the Six-Day War in 1967.&nbsp;</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h3>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jemimamcevoy/2021/05/12/49-dead-hundreds-injured-amid-warning-israeli-palestinian-violence-escalating-toward-full-scale-war/?sh=45955a53424e">49 Dead, Hundreds Injured Amid Warning Israeli-Palestinian Violence Escalating Toward ‘Full-Scale War’</a>&nbsp;(<em>Forbes</em>)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2021/05/11/tel-aviv-comes-under-fire-as-israel-and-palestinian-militants-trade-blows/?sh=750d983b557e">“Tel Aviv Comes Under Fire As Israel And Palestinian Militants Trade Blows”</a> (<em>Forbes</em>)</p>



<p><strong><em>By Carlie Porterfield, Forbes Staff</em></strong></p>


TOPSHOT-PALESTINIAN-ISRAEL-GAZA-ROCKET

Israel Levels A Third Tower Building In Gaza City—And Militant Groups Respond With Rockets


<p id="h-topline"><strong>TOPLINE</strong> Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine staved off illness and death for over 95% of Israeli patients, according to government figures released Saturday from a report reviewed by multiple news outlets, encouraging news from the world’s most heavily vaccinated country.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h3>



<ul><li>Israel’s Ministry of Health studied the roughly 1.7 million Israelis who had received both shots of Pfizer’s vaccine as of the end of last month, and released a report later obtained by <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-israel-vaccine/covid-infections-dropped-95-8-after-both-pfizer-shots-israeli-health-ministry-idUSKBN2AK0NC" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Reuters</a> and several <a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/vaccine-close-to-99-percent-effective-in-preventing-death-latest-israeli-data-shows-1.9555313" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">local</a> <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-says-vaccine-dramatically-effective-prevents-98-9-of-covid-deaths/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">news</a> <a href="https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel/1613844321-israel-coronavirus-vaccine-almost-96-percent-effective-in-preventing-disease" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">outlets</a>. </li></ul>



<ul><li>Two weeks after receiving both doses, vaccinated Israelis were 95.8% less likely to fall ill from Covid-19 and 98.9% less likely to face hospitalization or death, Reuters reported.</li></ul>



<ul><li>This report follows a spate of good news from Israel: The country’s main healthcare provider <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-israel-vaccine-idUSKBN2AE0Q2?taid=60298276a77dbd00013d1f6c&amp;utm_campaign=trueAnthem:+Trending+Content&amp;utm_medium=trueAnthem&amp;utm_source=twitter" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">said Sunday</a> vaccinated patients are 92% less likely to end up with serious Covid-19 cases than their unvaccinated peers, and a <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/action/showPdf?pii=S0140-6736%2821%2900448-7" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">non-peer reviewed study</a> Thursday found just one dose of the vaccine reduces the <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2021/02/19/single-shot-of-pfizer-biontech-covid-19-vaccine-is-85-effective-study-finds/?sh=52725c173969">risk of infection</a> by 75% after two weeks.</li></ul>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-big-number">BIG NUMBER</h3>



<p>32.4%. That’s the share of Israelis who are fully vaccinated as of Saturday, according to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/world/covid-vaccinations-tracker.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>New York Times</em></a>’ tracker. The country ranks first in the world for vaccinations, compared to the United States’ 5.1% immunization rate.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h3>



<p>Israel is leading the worldwide vaccination race, partly&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jemimamcevoy/2021/01/04/why-israel-is-leading-the-world-in-covid-vaccinations-and-the-us-is-trailing/?sh=6408ca0b1592">due to</a>&nbsp;the country’s small size,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/01/why-israels-vaccine-success-might-be-hard-replicate/617780/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">speed</a>&nbsp;in buying up doses and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/12/31/covid-vaccine-israel-says-its-inoculated-7percent-of-its-population-its-less-than-1percent-in-us.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">comprehensive network</a>&nbsp;of HMOs (the effort&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/04/world/middleeast/israel-palestinians-vaccine.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">controversially</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/55800921" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">doesn’t include</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/pa-says-israel-has-agreed-to-vaccinate-palestinian-workers-against-covid-1.9553781" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">most</a>&nbsp;residents of the West Bank and Gaza Strip). Public health authorities around the world are&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/05/world/middleeast/israel-virus-vaccination.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">watching Israel’s progress closely</a>, making the country the planet’s largest test case for the impact of mass-vaccination. So far, experts say there’s reason for cautious optimism: cases and hospitalizations have&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-02-05/israel-s-pioneering-covid-vaccination-program-offers-key-lessons" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">declined for</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/region/israel" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">several weeks</a>.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-crucial-quote">CRUCIAL QUOTE</h3>



<p>“Israel has a remarkable diminution in cases associated with the efficiency of their vaccine,” U.S. infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/press-briefings/2021/02/17/press-briefing-by-white-house-covid-19-response-team-and-public-health-officials-4/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">said Wednesday</a>.</p>



<p><em>By Joe Walsh, Forbes Staff</em></p>


Tag: Israel

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