Israel-Hamas War Top developments (Oct 18): Israeli embassy in Argentina evacuated

Israel’s foreign minister Eli Cohen indicated that Israel may annex part of Gaza, reported the Times of Israel newspaper:

"At the end of this war, not only will Hamas no longer be in Gaza, but the territory of Gaza will also decrease."

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said a total of nine rockets had been fired from Lebanon on Wednesday.

Four of the rockets were intercepted by Israel’s air defence, it said in a statement.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said it has mobilised a convoy carrying 60 tons of medical and humanitarian aid for deployment into Gaza, but it needs safe access to deliver them. It said:

"Access to help the wounded and sick is desperately needed."

The United States vetoed a UN Security Council resolution calling for a "humanitarian pause" in the Israel-Hamas war. The US ambassador said that the text of the resolution did not respect Israel's right to defend itself. 

US President Joe Biden departed Israel after a quick visit where it reassured the West Asian nation of its staunch support in the face of one of the deadliest attacks in the nation's history. 

US Treasury Department announced sanctions against those backing Iran's missile and drone programs. The sanctions specifically focus on individuals and entities situated in Iran, Hong Kong, China, and Venezuela.

Brian Nelson, the Treasury's Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, said, "Iran's reckless choice to continue its proliferation of destructive UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) and other weapons prolongs numerous conflicts in regions around the world." 

Saudi Arabia's embassy in Beirut has urged its nationals in Lebanon to depart the country immediately. 

"The Embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the Republic of Lebanon is closely following the developments of the current events in the southern Lebanon region, calling on all citizens to adhere to the travel ban and to leave Lebanese territory immediately for those who are currently in Lebanon," it said in a statement on X social media platform. 

During his visit to Israel, US President Joe Biden announced that he plans to seek an "unprecedented" support package for Israel's defence from the United States Congress "later this week."

According to the White House, intelligence gathered from aerial imagery and intercepted communications indicates that Israel was not responsible for the devastating strike on a Gaza hospital that tragically claimed the lives of hundreds. 

"While we continue to collect information, our current assessment, based on analysis of overhead imagery, intercepts and open source information, is that Israel is not responsible for the explosion at the hospital in Gaza yesterday," National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said on social media.

Israel to allow aid into Gaza via Egypt, a statement released from PM Netanyahu's office said.

US President Joe Biden said Wednesday that Israel has agreed to allow aid into the impoverished Gaza Strip even as it wages a military campaign in response to Hamas attacks.

"Israel agreed the humanitarian assistance can begin to move from Egypt to Gaza," Biden said on a visit to Israel, adding that the United States was working with partners to get "trucks moving across the border as soon as possible".

"I caution this while you feel that rage, don't be consumed by it. After 9/11, we were enraged in the United States. While we sought justice and got justice we also made mistakes," Biden said on a visit to Tel Aviv.

US President Joe Biden said that, this week, he will ask Congress for "unprecedented" Israel aid. He further revealed that Israel had agreed to let aid into Gaza 'as soon as possible'.

US President Joe Biden, voicing support for Israel, said, "Israel you are not alone, US stands with you".

US President Joe Biden announced  $100 million for assistance in both Gaza and West Bank.

Volunteers waiting on the Egyptian side of Rafah to help pack and deliver aid to Gaza performed a funeral prayer for those killed in a Gaza hospital blast on Tuesday (October 17) evening.

Protesters staged a demonstration outside the US embassy against the strike at a hospital in Gaza that claimed lives of hundreds, and against the US support to Israel.

During the meeting in Tel Aviv Netanyahu, told Biden Israel would do everything it could to avoid harming civilians but said Hamas had no regard for palestinian lives. Biden said the United States would 'continue to have Israel's back'. 

Turkey will declare three days' mourning over a deadly strike on a hospital in war-torn Gaza that killed hundreds, a Turkish official told news agency AFP on Wednesday.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a fervent supporter of the Palestinian cause, has accused Israel of "striking a hospital sheltering women, children and innocent civilians" and urged the world to stop the tragedy in Gaza. 

"Turkey will declare three days national mourning," the official who wished to remain anonymous said.

Prime Minister Netanyahu to US President Biden: "The road to victory will be long and hard, but united in purpose and with a deep sense of justice and the unbreakable spirit of our soldiers and our people, Israel will prevail."

US President Biden to Prime Minister Netanyahu: "The United States stands with you in defense of that freedom, in pursuit of that justice and in support of that peace. Today, tomorrow and always."

At least 471 people were killed and more than 300 others wounded by the strike on a Gaza hospital, the Hamas-controlled health ministry said Wednesday.  "The death toll of the largest and most violent massacre committed by the criminal Israeli occupation inside the Baptist Hospital reached 471 martyrs, and 28 critical cases remain, in addition to 314 people with various injuries," the ministry said in a statement.  Israel and Palestinian militants have blamed each other for the strike that hit the facility on Tuesday.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says U.K intelligence services are “rapidly analyzing the evidence to independently establish the facts” behind the devastating explosion at a Gaza hospital. Sunak urged lawmakers in the House of Commons not to “rush to judgment” about the explosion at the al-Ahli hospital in Gaza. The Hamas militant group blamed the blast on an Israeli airstrike, while the Israeli military blamed a rocket misfired by other Palestinian militants. At least 500 people were killed, the Hamas-run Health Ministry said.

Israel-Hamas war: Protests erupt after attack on Gaza hospital

In the aftermath of attack on Gaza hospital, the International Committee of the Red Cross has appealed for a safe humanitarian access in order to send a surgical team and trucks carrying 60 tonnes of medical supplies into the enclave.

The Hamas health ministry has said that death toll in Gaza has risen to 3478.

Hamas has made a counterclaim that the US was being 'complicit in the massacres' in Gaza. The comment has come shortly on the heels of US President Biden saying that the attack on hospital Gaza was carried out by the 'other team', an apparent reference to Palestinian groups.

"The continued endorsement of the Zionist narrative by the US administration makes it complicit in the occupation's massacres and the Baptist hospital massacre in Gaza," Hamas said in a statement as reported by AFP.  

President Biden has said that the US will work with Israel to prevent civilian deaths in the ongoing conflict. PM Netanyahu on his part, promised efforts in this direction

"We will continue to have your back. As you work to defend your people, we will continue to work with you and partners across the region to prevent more tragedy to innocent civilians," Biden said after meeting Netanyahu's war cabinet in Tel Aviv.

US President Joe Biden along with Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu met war cabinet at the Kempinski hotel in Tel Aviv. Biden again expressed strong support for Israel.

"I want you to know that you are not alone...We will continue to work with you," said Biden.

"75 years ago your founders declared that this nation will be based on freedom justice and peace...US stands with you on this.. for that justice and peace," he added.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has urged against attacks on healthcare centres. The call has come a day after Gaza hospital strike.

"We call... at a minimum to stop any attacks on healthcare facilities," the head of the WHO's European branch, Hans Kluge, told AFP in an interview.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has called Gaza hospital strike a 'tragedy' and said it showed the need to end Israel-Hamas conflict to an end. Putin was speaking at a televised news conference which was held on the sidelines of a summit in Beijing.

US President Joe Biden told Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu that he believed the strike on Gaza hospital has been carried out 'by other team'

“Based on what I’ve seen, it appears as though it was done by the other team, not you,” said Biden.

But he added that there were  “a lot of people out there” who were not certain what caused the blast.

Biden was quoted by AFP.

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British foreign minister James Cleverly has urged everyone to wait for facts about blast at Gaza Hospital and has even said that too many people were jumping to conclusions.

"Last night, too many jumped to conclusions around the tragic loss of life at Al Ahli hospital," Cleverly wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

"Getting this wrong would put even more lives at risk. Wait for the facts, report them clearly and accurately. Cool heads must prevail."

The blast at Al-Ahli al-Arabi hospital has killed huge number of people.

President Biden assured Prime Minister Netanyahu that the United States would supply Israel with all necessary resources to safeguard itself in the midst of the ongoing conflict in Gaza. Additionally, he conveyed that among the over 1,400 individuals who tragically lost their lives during the October 7 assault in Israel, 31 were American citizens.

Around 350 casualties from al-Ahli Arab Hospital were rapidly transported to Gaza City's primary medical facility, al-Shifa Hospital, which was already struggling to cope with wounded individuals from preceding Israeli airstrikes, its director told the Associated Press. Mohammed Abu Selmia. The victims arrived with severe injuries, as conveyed by Ashraf al-Qidra, the spokesperson for the Palestinian health ministry in Gaza. These injuries included decapitations, disembowelment, and missing limbs. Overwhelmed hospital staff had to resort to conducting surgeries on floors and in corridors, often without anesthesia. Abu Selmia urgently stressed the dire need for medical equipment, medication, beds, anesthesia, and various essentials.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to X to condemn the Gaza hospital blast that killed over 500.

United States President Joe Biden landed in Israel today in a solidarity visit after Hamas attacks that have led to major Israeli reprisals. 

Air Force One touched down just before 11 am (0800 GMT) at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion airport, where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was set to welcome Biden personally on the tarmac.

Palestine, on Wednesday, called out Israel on its denial of involvement in the tragic Gaza hospital blast. Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian Ambassador to the UN, called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a "liar" and countered his claims that Hamas was behind the attack. 

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Palestinian Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh called for a condemnation of an airstrike on a Gaza hospital. 

"I call on all the people of the Arab and Islamic nations to go out now condemning this massacre, this brutality, these crimes," Hanieh said in a recorded speech released on Tuesday (Oct 17).

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Wednesday called for a comprehensive investigation of a strike on a Gaza hospital compound which health officials in the impoverished enclave said killed hundreds of people. 

"I am horrified by the images of the explosion in a hospital in Gaza. Innocent civilians were injured and killed," he wrote on X, formerly Twitter. "A thorough investigation of the incident is imperative."

Russia's foreign ministry said on Wednesday that a strike on a hospital in Gaza that killed hundreds of Palestinians was a shocking crime, adding that Israel should provide satellite images to prove that it was not involved in the attack.

Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Radio Sputnik that the attack was a shocking "dehumanising" crime.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi declared Wednesday a day of "public mourning" and said the strike on the hospital would turn against Israel and its US ally.

"The flames of the US-Israeli bombs, dropped this evening on the Palestinian victims injured at the... hospital in Gaza, will soon consume the Zionists," Raisi said, as reported by the IRNA agency. 

"Iran is in mourning," he added.

A Gaza City hospital became the casualty of the Israel-Hamas conflict on Tuesday. A blast at the hospital as per a Gaza Health ministry spokesperson resulted in the death of "hundreds". 

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The Israel-Hamas conflict has had several disturbing offshoots throughout the world. One of them is the rising prejudices against Muslims and Jews. In one such incident, students of New York University (NYU) were seen tearing down posters of Israeli children taken hostage by Hamas. 

Another incident, an alleged hate crime, involves a student from Columbia University. The student, as per reports, attacked a Jewish classmate with a broomstick.

Read more here

IDF releases video claiming Hamas uses densely-populated areas as rocket launchpad. Watch:

Palestine has disputed the claim by Israel that Hamas was behind the attack on a Hospital in Gaza. Palestinian Ambassador to the UN, Riyad Mansour, Wednesday called PM Benjamin Netanyahu "a liar", claiming that the Israeli forces hit the hospital speculating the presence of Hamas base around the premises.

"He is a liar. His digital spokesperson tweeted that Israel did the hit thinking that there was a base for Hamas around this hospital, and then he deleted that tweet. We have a copy of that tweet... Now they changed the story to try to blame the Palestinians."

Israeli embassy in Brazil on Tuesday heavily protested a resolution brought up by the ruling leftist party of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva that accuses Israel of "genocide" and "war crimes."

"It is very unfortunate that a party that defends human rights compares the terrorist organization Hamas, which goes from house to house to murder entire families, with what the Israeli government is doing to protect its citizens," the embassy in Brasilia posted on X, formerly Twitter.

"There must be a strong separation between the Hamas terrorist organization and the Palestinians," the embassy added, in response to a resolution published Monday by the Lula's Workers Party, or PT.

In the wake of the Gaza hospital blast, massive protests erupted outside the US embassy in Lebanon. More than 100 protesters had gathered near the embassy, following which authorities had to fire tear gas to disperse the furious crowd.

According to media reports, President Joe Biden of the US is considering a funding request of over $100 billion, which includes economic aid package for both Israel and Ukraine.