Andrea Khoo

【Israel announces expansion of evacuation plan for communities close to Lebanese border】

From Joyce Goh on October 22 - 6:45 pm

Israel’s Ministry of Defense and the Israel Defense Forces on Sunday announced the expansion of a state-funded evacuation plan for communities in northern areas close to the border with Lebanon.

It applies to 14 additional communities: Snir, Dan, Beit Hillel, She'ar Yashuv, Hagoshrim, Liman, Matzuva, Eylon, Goren, Gornot HaGalil, Even Menachem, Sasa, Tziv'on and Ramot Naftali.

The IDF and other agencies on Monday announced a plan to evacuate 28 communities living within 2 kilometers (1.24 miles) of the Lebanese border.

Since then, it has included towns that fall within the vicinity.

As of Friday, around 123,000 civilians had been evacuated from their homes in northern and southern Israel.

【Hezbollah "playing a very dangerous game" with Israel, IDF spokesperson says】

From Joyce Goh on October 22 - 6:43 pm

Hezbollah is “playing a very dangerous game” and could drag Lebanon “into a war that it will gain nothing from," an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson has said.

“Is the Lebanese state really willing to jeopardize what is left of Lebanese prosperity and Lebanese sovereignty for the sake of terrorists in Gaza?” Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Sunday.
Conricus said Hezbollah has been attacking Israeli positions near the northern border between Israel and Lebanon and “escalating the situation.”

There have been both civilian and military casualties as a result of Hezbollah fire, he added.

The IDF has seen instances where Hezbollah has “intentionally fired in near proximity to UN positions,” Conricus said, possibly to “tempt [the IDF] to respond to that fire and perhaps harming UN peacekeepers.”

Hezbollah fires missiles and rockets from civilian buildings, Conricus said, and usually shoots from within a populated area.

“They have taken many opportunities to attack Israeli civilians and soldiers,” he added.
In response, the IDF has used tanks, drones, artillery, and infantry to strike various Hezbollah infrastructure, Conricus said. The IDF has also struck Hezbollah squads manning anti-tank missiles, he added.

【One killed and several injured in Jenin mosque strike, says Palestinian Red Crescent】

From Joyce Goh on October 22 - 6:42 pm

One person was killed and several injured in an Israeli strike on a mosque in the West Bank, the Palestinian Red Crescent said on Sunday.

The strike took place in a refugee camp in the city of Jenin.

The Israeli military said earlier that it had launched an airstrike early Sunday local time against a mosque in Jenin to thwart what it called "an imminent terror attack."

Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus told CNN the IDF had new intelligence that "suggested there was an imminent attack coming from a joint Hamas and Islamic Jihad squad" making preparations from an underground command center in the Al-Ansar mosque.

Some context: A few months ago, there was significant fighting in Jenin for about two days, and Conricus said that an IDF operation had discovered the "terrorist" tunnel system inside the mosque.

The IDF and Israel Securities Authority (ISA) also put out a statement confirming the strike on the tunnel.

"In a joint IDF and ISA activity, the IDF conducted an aerial strike on an underground terror compound in the Al-Ansar mosque in Jenin; The mosque contained a terror cell of Hamas and Islamic Jihad terror operatives who were organizing an imminent terror attack," the statement said.

【Shortage of basic supplies is pushing Gaza to the "edge of catastrophe," World Food Programme says】

From Joyce Goh on October 22 - 6:39 pm

Civilian lives in Gaza are being pushed "to the edge of catastrophe," the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has said, citing acute shortages of food, water and medical supplies to the enclave.

The agency said Saturday it urgently requires $74 million to sustain its emergency response in Gaza for the next 90 days.

The coastal enclave's stores have food reserves of less than a week and the ability to replenish these stocks is "compromised by damaged roads, safety concerns, and fuel shortages," the WFP said.

The report also cites a steady decline in food commodities such as vegetables, wheat flour, and eggs, along with a rise in their prices.

The UN agency appealed “for the protection of vital infrastructure and the safeguarding of civilians so they can access humanitarian aid points and services.”

Three WFP trucks were part of the convoy of 20 aid trucks that moved through the Rafah border crossing into Gaza on Saturday. Another 40 WFP trucks are waiting at Al-Arish, Egypt, to go through the Rafah border crossing to enter Gaza, the report said.

【Israeli airstrike on West Bank mosque meant to thwart "imminent terror attack," IDF says】

From Joyce Goh on October 22 - 7:15 pm

The Israeli military said it launched an airstrike early Sunday local time against a mosque in the West Bank city of Jenin to thwart what it called "an imminent terror attack."

Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus told CNN the IDF had new intelligence that "suggested there was an imminent attack coming from a joint Hamas and Islamic Jihad squad" making preparations from an underground command center in the Al-Ansar mosque.

A few months ago, there was significant fighting in Jenin for about two days, and Conricus said during an IDF operation there, they discovered the "terrorist" tunnel system inside the mosque.

The IDF and Israel Securities Authority (ISA) also put out a statement Saturday confirming the strike on the tunnel.

"In a joint IDF and ISA activity, the IDF conducted an aerial strike on an underground terror compound in the Al-Ansar mosque in Jenin; The mosque contained a terror cell of Hamas and Islamic Jihad terror operatives who were organizing an imminent terror attack," the statement said.
The statement said Hamas and Islamic Jihad operatives had been responsible for several "terror attacks" over the past few months and were plotting a new, "imminent" attack.

"The terrorist cell also carried out a terror attack on October 14 in the area of the security fence, where an explosive device was detonated by a cellular activation of terror forces who arrived at the scene. No injuries were reported," the statement added.

"Intel was recently received which indicated that the terrorists, that were neutralized, were organizing an imminent terror attack. The mosque was used by the terrorists as a command center to plan the attacks and as a base for their ex*****on," the statement said.

【At least 13 killed in airstrikes in West Bank refugee camp, UN agency says】

From Joyce Goh on October 22 - 6:35 pm

At least 13 Palestinians, including five children, were reported killed in an Israeli security forces' operation that lasted 28 hours in a West Bank refugee camp, according to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).

The operation took place in Nur Shams, the UNRWA director in the West Bank, Adam Bouloukos, said.

The statement added that the UNRWA has suspended schools, health services, and solid waste collections in the camp.

Earlier in the day, the Palestinian Ministry of Health reported that at least 84 Palestinians have been killed in the occupied West Bank since October 7.

【Hamas says the aid convoy is loaded with medical supplies】

From Joyce Goh on October 21 - 5:45 pm

The aid convoy of 20 trucks that finally entered the besieged Gaza on Saturday was supposed to be filled with "medicines, medical supplies and a limited quantity of canned food," the Hamas-controlled Government Media Office said in a statement before the Rafah crossing was briefly opened.

【Celebrations erupt on Egypt side of Rafah border crossing during brief opening】

From Joyce Goh on October 21 - 5:44 pm

People on the Egyptian side of the border were jubilant as the Rafah crossing briefly opened on Saturday morning, celebrating with ululations and chants.

The crossing closed quickly after 20 trucks crossed into Gaza, according to a CNN stringer on the Egyptian side of the border.

The 20 aid trucks were from the Egyptian Red Crescent, according to a spokesperson for the United Nations Secretary-General.

UN aid trucks are expected to move through the border crossing into Gaza on Monday, the UN spokesperson told CNN.

【Take a closer look at the Rafah crossing, where vital humanitarian aid remains in limbo】

From Joyce Goh on October 21 - 8:41 pm

The US and Israel have signaled readiness for aid to begin moving into Gaza but the Rafah crossing did not open on Friday for a convoy of vital humanitarian aid to enter from the Egyptian border.

Humanitarian aid that has been stuck in Egypt should reach Gaza within "24-48 hours," US President Joe Biden said Friday.

The UN has said the trucks waiting at the southern Rafah crossing will be the "difference between life and death."

In a news conference at the Rafah crossing Friday, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres emphasized the critical importance of delivering aid to Gaza, saying the vehicles carrying supplies "are not just trucks — they are a lifeline."

The entire population of Gaza has been cut off from supplies of electricity, food, fuel and water for over a week under a “complete siege” ordered by Israel in the wake of Hamas’ October 7 terror attacks.

The humanitarian crisis in Gaza is worsening by the hour as vital aid struggles to get through. Conditions in Gaza are deteriorating as Israeli strikes pound the Palestinian enclave and aid agencies warn hospitals are nearly out of fuel.

【US and its allies call for Israel to set out clear goals if and when a ground invasion of Gaza is launched】

From Joyce Goh on October 21 - 5:35 pm

The US and its allies have been urging Israel to be strategic and clear about its goals if and when it launches a ground invasion of Gaza, warning against a prolonged occupation and placing a particular emphasis on avoiding civilian casualties, US and Western officials told CNN.

In private discussions with their Israeli counterparts, Western defense officials have not tried to dissuade Israel from moving into Gaza with ground forces, the sources said.

But they have emphasized that Israel should have clear objectives when it comes to degrading Hamas and seeking to avoid a long-term occupation of the Gaza Strip.

“Our advice to them isn’t ‘Don’t do it,’ because we completely respect their right to go after Hamas and that means going after them wherever they are,” a NATO defense minister told CNN. “So it’s not ‘Don’t do it,’ but it is ‘Think about what happens and have a strategy, not just a tactical maneuver.’ We expect Israel to act within international humanitarian law, but we understand that they’re dealing with an enemy here.”
US President Joe Biden expressed a similar sentiment in an interview with “60 Minutes” last week.

While he said that “taking out the extremists is a necessary requirement” for Israel, “Hamas and the extreme elements of Hamas don’t represent all the Palestinian people. And I think that it would be a mistake for Israel to occupy Gaza again.”

And on Wednesday, while in Tel Aviv, Biden warned in public remarks that wartime leadership “requires clarity about the objectives and an honest assessment about whether the path you’re on will achieve those objectives.”

An Israeli official confirmed that these discussions with the US and other allies are taking place.

A separate senior Israeli official said Friday that “Israel is well aware of the humanitarian issues and is taking steps to address it in cooperation with the US government. It’s Hamas who has turned the 2 million people of Gaza into a human shield.”

【Protests erupt across Middle East as US' Arab allies warn against pushing Palestinians out】

From Joyce Goh on October 21 - 5:31 pm

Protests erupted around the Arab world on Friday as the Gaza war raged and an Israeli ground operation with the potential to displace millions of Palestinians loomed.

Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen and the West Bank after Islamic Friday prayers to protest Israel’s actions in its war on Hamas.

The war has so far killed 4,127 people in Gaza, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza. It was launched by Israel in retaliation for an October 7 attack on the country by Gaza’s Hamas rulers — Israeli authorities say 1,400 people were killed and around 200 were taken hostage.

In a sign of the growing anger over the Israeli operation in Gaza, Egypt sanctioned its first major nationwide protest in a decade. Hundreds of protesters gathered Friday near downtown Cairo’s Tahrir Square in support of Palestinians, and demonstrations occurred in other Egyptian cities.

Some of the Cairo protesters chanted, “Where is the Arab army?” and, “Here they are, the Zionists,” referring to Egypt’s riot police, who pushed demonstrators into nearby Bab el-Louk Square and closed access to Tahrir.

In the Lebanese capital, Beirut, several hundred people took to the streets to denounce the Israeli offensive. Many waved the Palestinian and Lebanese flags, along with the flags of the Iran-backed Hezbollah group and its political ally in Lebanon, Amal. Young protesters burned the American flag, decrying Washington’s support for Israel.

Hundreds of Iraqis, mostly supporters of Iran-backed militias, staged a sit-in Friday at Iraq’s main border crossing with Jordan. Others protested in Baghdad, not far from the fortified Green Zone that houses the United States embassy.

In Jordan’s capital, Amman, some 6,000 protesters marched in support of Gazans. Some chanted slogans urging Hamas to intensify its strikes on Israel, Reuters reported.

The protests signal growing anger on the Arab street and frustration among regional leaders with the war as the Palestinian death toll climbs, and with the US’ perceived unwillingness to put restraints on Israel’s actions.

Rhetoric against Israel has been particularly heated from the governments of Jordan and Egypt, two US-allied countries that border the Jewish state and were the first Arab nations to sign peace treaties with it. Amman and Cairo have sounded alarms over what they perceive as a plan to transfer Palestinians from Gaza and the West Bank to Egypt and Jordan. While Israel has not announced any such plans, both countries have warned such a move could pull them into war.

【China is ready to work with Russia to facilitate Israel-Hamas peace talks, Beijing's Mideast envoy says】

From Joyce Goh on October 20 - 6:15 pm

China and Russia "share the same position on the question of Palestine," China's Special Envoy on the Middle East issue, Zhai Jun, said Friday after meeting with his Russian counterpart in Doha, Qatar on Thursday.

“China and Russia share the same position on the question of Palestine, and China is ready to maintain communication and coordination with the Russian Federation in order to cool down the situation as soon as possible,” Zhai said, according to Chinese state media CCTV.

China has blamed the conflict on the “fact that the legitimate national rights of the Palestinian people have not been guaranteed,” CCTV reported, quoting Zhai.

He also said China is ready to work with Russia “to play a positive role” in the resumption of the peace talks between the two sides, adding Beijing is “heartbroken by the large number of civilian casualties” in the conflict.

“The Russian Federation is ready to work with China to promote an early ceasefire and halt the fighting between the Palestinians and Israelis and to create conditions for an early return to the right track on the Palestinian issue,” his Russian counterpart Mikhail Bogdanov said, according to CCTV.
Zhai also met with Qatar’s Minister of State Mohammed Al-Khulaifi on Thursday in Doha and discussed the “critical” Israel-Hamas conflict, CCTV reported.

Beijing is “heartbroken” by the “sharp deterioration of the humanitarian situation caused by the conflict," Zhai said, calling on “all parties concerned to remain calm and exercise restraint,” according to CCTV.

“Qatar has an important influence on the Palestinian issue,” Zhai said, adding that China is “willing to maintain communication and coordination with Qatar to play a constructive role in easing the current tense situation.”

China is “in the process of intensively communicating with the relevant parties in the international community in order to promote a ceasefire and an end to the fighting,” Zhai said, without specifying the relevant parties.