Israel-Hamas conflict: Hamas promises more attacks like those on October 7 in chilling new warning
In blood-chilling new remarks reaffirming its end goal of “annihilating” Israel, Hamas has promised more atrocities like those earlier this month.
An Israeli air strike on a densely populated refugee camp in Gaza has killed dozens of people and inflicted widespread carnage, sparking international condemnation.
The Israeli Defence Forces says those killed were terrorists, including a senior Hamas leader, while health officials on the ground claim most were civilians – many of them children.
The IDF has also deployed a sophisticated ‘missile-killer’ weapon for the first time after Iran-backed militants in Yemen attempted a rocket attack.
Meanwhile, the father of a young woman whose remains were found at the site of the 7 October massacre at a music festival has spoken of his heartache.
And elsewhere, the United States has expressed concern at escalating attacks on its troops throughout the Middle East.
Follow along for the latest live updates.
‘There will be more’ attacks, Hamas warns
Hamas official Ghazi Hamad has made some disturbing remarks on television, reaffirming the terrorist group’s commitment to destroy Israel and saying there will be more attacks like the one on October 7.
“Israel is a country that has no place on our land. We must remove that country, because it constitutes a security, military and political catastrophe to the Arab and Islamic nation, and must be finished,” Hamad said on LBC International.
“We are not ashamed to say this, with full force. We must teach Israel a lesson, and we will do this again and again.
“The Al-Aqsa Flood (Hamas’s name for the attack on October 7) is just the first time. And there will be a second, a third, a fourth. Because we have the determination, the resolve, the capabilities to fight.
“Will we have to pay a price? Yes, and we are ready to pay it.”
Hamad repeated his previous claim that Hamas “did not want to harm civilians” but “there were complications on the ground”. (A reminder, here, that Hamas militants killed over a thousand Israeli civilians, in often horrific ways, and abducted hundreds more.)
“The occupation must end,” he said.
“In the Gaza Strip?” the LBC interviewer asked.
“In all the Palestinian lands,” he replied.
“Does that mean the annihilation of Israel?” she followed up.
“Yes, of course,” said Hamad.
“The existence of Israel is what causes all that pain, blood and tears. It is Israel, not us. We are the victims of the occupation. Period. Therefore, nobody should blame us for the things we do ... everything we do is justified.”
Shani Louk’s brother ‘relieved’ that she’s dead
Yesterday it was confirmed that Shani Louk, the 22-year-old German-Israeli tattoo artist who was among those abducted by Hamas, had been found dead, with DNA tests proving a skull fragment belonged to her. The rest of her body has not been located.
Speaking to Britain’s Sky News today, her brother Atim described his heartbreak - and relief.
“In so many ways, I feel (relieved) to know this, that she’s not suffering anymore,” Mr Louk said. He said his sister had “no dark side” and was “a pure angel”.
Both Atim and the siblings’ father, Nissim, have pushed back on the claim from Israeli President Isaac Herzog that Shani was beheaded. They believe she was shot in the head.
“Until about 6.45pm (on the day of the attack), Shani was still dancing, cheering, and going wild at the party and was surrounded by all her best friends Nissim Louk told the Israeli news outlet N12.
“She was killed on the spot and not only did she not suffer. Ten minutes earlier she was still enjoying herself.”
‘She was still breathing’: Young girl’s horrific fate
An Israeli medic, Linor Attias, has spoken to CNN and described more horrifying details from the aftermath of Hamas’s attack on October 7, including the grisly fate of family of four.
“I remember that I turned my head and I saw the family. They’d tied up the kids. And the parents were tied up in front of their kids, and they shot them,” Ms Attias said.
“There was so much blood. And I didn’t have the time to feel anything at that moment.”
She said the two children included a girl “around 11” years old, the same age as her own daughter, and a boy who was about six.
“Honestly in that moment, I just blocked all feeling. I understood that in that moment, I was a soldier, a robotic soldier, if I wanted to survive that and help as many people as we could.”
Breaking down in tears, Ms Attias also described the moment she found a girl who was “eight or nine years old”.
“They had cut her hand, here,” she said, pointing to her elbow.
“They cut it all. No hand. She was still breathing. She was shaking. And I performed a tourniquet, but it was her last breaths. I wasn’t there earlier to save her. She had just lost so much blood, for hours, all by herself. No one was near her. She was so afraid. Her eyes. All by herself.
“I don’t know how to explain that. What kind of evil can create that kind of operation? Because they thought about everything. I was well organised. And the world needs to know.”
An excerpt from the interview is below - it’s a tough watch.
Medics describe atrocities committed by Hamas on Oct 7. CNN's @jaketapper reports from Israel pic.twitter.com/5OpRn6LLno
— The Lead CNN (@TheLeadCNN) October 31, 2023
Hamas says seven hostages killed in Gaza camp bombing
Hamas has claimed seven hostages from its October 7 attacks, including three foreign passport holders, were killed in Israel’s bombing of Gaza’s largest refugee camp.
Dozens of bodies were seen on Tuesday at the Jabalia camp where Israel said it killed a Hamas military commander in a strike on a tunnel complex.
“Seven detainees were killed in the Jabalia massacre yesterday, including three holders of foreign passports,” said a Hamas military wing statement.
No details were given and it was not possible to independently verify the claim.
Israel says that 240 hostages were taken when Hamas fighters crossed the border to stage raids in which they killed 1,400 people, mostly civilians.
Israel’s raid on the Jabalia camp was one of thousands since the attacks which the Hamas health ministry says have killed more than 8,500 people, two-thirds of them women and children.
The Israel military said its fighter jets “assassinated Ibrahim Biari, commander of the Jabalia brigade of the Hamas terrorist organisation, who was one of those who directed the murderous terrorist attack on October 7”.
It added that “Hamas’s underground military infrastructure beneath these buildings collapsed,” in the strike and “many Hamas terrorists” were killed.
Hundreds gather at border crossing
Hundreds of wounded Gaza residents and foreigners have gathered at the Egypt border to flee the shattered territory.
Livefootage of the Rafah border crossing showed the first people crossing over at 7pm (AEDT).
Images showed long lines of ambulances and several people in wheelchairs at the Rafah border crossing - the only one not controlled by Israel - after Egypt said it would let in 81 of the most seriously injured.
Egypt also announced the first foreigners could exit Gaza, which has suffered weeks of relentless bombardment by Israel that has cost the lives of more than 8,500 people, including more than 3,500 children, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
It comes as Israel continues to send tanks over the border into northern Gaza as the IDF stepps up its ground incursion.
Gaza in total communications blackout
Gaza‘s largest telecommunications provider, Paltel, has announced that internet and phone networks are down, cutting civilians off from communicating with family members outside the Strip.
“Dear people in our beloved homeland, We regret to announce a complete interruption of all communications and Internet services with the Gaza Strip, due to international routes that were previously reconnected being cut off again,” Paltel said in a social media post.
“May God protect you and protect our country.”
Israel deploys new advanced weapon
Israeli Defence Forces used a sophisticated ‘missile-killer’ weapon for the first time after Iran-backed militants in Yemen attempted a rocket attack.
Known as the Arrow 3, the long-range air defence system is capable of intercepting and destroying ballistic missiles from thousands of kilometres away.
Believed to be the world’s first system of its kind, the powerful device fires a warhead that completely obliterates its target, dramatically reducing the potential debris.
It has a range of 2400km and cost about US$2 billion (AU$3.2 billion) to develop.
And yesterday, the IDF activated it for the first time.
A “surface-to-surface missile” was fired towards Israel from Yemen and it was “successfully intercepted” by the Arrow 3.
The IDF believes the missile was targeting the city of Eilat in the country’s south.
🚨🚨 Multiple ballistic missiles have been launched towards Eilat (south of Palestine). Some have been intercepted by the Arrow-3 but with atleast 1 direct hit (see video).
— Arya - آریا 🇮🇷 (@AryJeay) October 31, 2023
Missiles are from Yemen. pic.twitter.com/F9AJRj6EU7
‘We knew’: Israel’s staggering refugee admission
A senior military commander has conceded the Israeli Defence Forces knew there were countless innocent men, women and children in a refugee camp it was targeting, but dropped bombs anyway.
The stark admission comes amid growing international condemnation of the air strike on the Jabalia refugee camp in Gaza’s north – the region’s largest – has killed dozens of people, including children.
Following the attack, which comprised at least six missiles, the IDF claimed those killed were Hamas terrorists, including a senior figure who helped mastermind the 7 October massacres in Israel.
But an interview with a high-ranking Israeli military figure undermines that assertion.
In an appearance on CNN with acclaimed broadcaster Wolf Blitzer, Lieutenant Colonel Richard Hecht was asked plainly if he could confirm whether Israel knew a large number of civilians, including children were in the camp.
“I can,” he replied.
Seemingly taken back, Blitzer repeatedly pressed Lieutenant Colonel Hecht on why the IDF launched air strikes when it knew civilians would be killed.
“Even if that Hamas commander was there, amidst all of those Palestinian refugees, Israel still went ahead and dropped a bomb, knowing a lot of innocent men, women and children would be killed?” Blitzer asked.
“We were focused on this commander … who killed many, many Israelis,” Lieutenant Colonel Hecht replied. “This is a very complicated battle space.”
These kids survived apartheid Israel’s massacre in Jabaliya today. They are refugees born to refugees turned homeless again and again.
— Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) October 31, 2023
Do they need to attend a rave for Western media to find them relatable enough to hear their cries and splash their faces on the front page? pic.twitter.com/fD2WPI3dKt
Blitzer continued to ask why Israel seemed to disregard the high civilian cost of its attack.
“This is the tragedy of war,” he replied.
World reacts with fury to refugee camp horrors
Warning: Graphic content
Israel’s bombing of a massive refugee camp in Gaza, which has killed dozens of people, including children, has sparked international fury.
Video, images and eyewitness accounts emerging from the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza, which is the region’s largest, cast serious doubt on the Israeli Defence Forces claims that the estimated 50 deaths comprised terrorists and not civilians.
Vision shared by members of the media on the ground, too graphic to publish, shows horrifying scenes, including the bodies of babies and toddlers being found, some with missing limbs.
In one clip seen by news.com.au, a young girl is pulled from the rubble, coated in blood and dust, with a screaming family member watching on in the background.
In another, a boy covers the partial remains of a toddler in a blanket. Elsewhere in the chaos, a deceased elderly women is carefully carried in a stretcher over chunks of concrete.
A number of videos also show child survivors being rescued, including a young boy and a girl who appears to be in her early teens.
The Israeli Defence Forces has justified the attack, saying it was targeting Hamas terrorists and killed a senior leader of the militant group who was hiding in the camp.
British broadcaster Piers Morgan took to X, formerly Twitter, to express horror at the attack.
“Israel deliberately bombing Gaza’s largest refugee camp, even if a Hamas commander was there, is outrageous and indefensible,” Morgan wrote.
Non-profit group Medical Aid for Palestinians called the refugee camp attack “a new low” in the Israel-Hamas conflict, with Melanie Ward, chief executive, saying it “should serve as a wake-up call to world leaders and politicians everywhere”.
“Their meek requests for compliance with international law are being ignored entirely; Israel has instead increased the ferocity of its indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks,” Ms Ward said in a statement.
Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry said there are potentially “dozens” of people trapped beneath the rubble after “a heinous Israeli massacre that targeted a large area of homes”.
The medical director of a nearby hospital repeated the claim to The New York Times, saying numerous civilians were dead.
And a local doctor told ABC News 24 that “the number actually could be in the hundreds”.
International aid organisation Médecins Sans Frontières – Doctors Without Borders – said it was “horrified” by the situation.
Scores of wounded civilians have flooded the nearby Dar al-Shifa hospital, MSF nurse Mohammed Hawajreh said in a statement.
Mr Hawajreh said: “Young children arrived at the hospital with deep wounds and severe burns. They came without their families. Many were screaming and asking for their parents.
“I stayed with them until we could find a place, as the hospital was full with patients.”
In a message on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter, MSF condemned the “senseless violence” and repeated calls for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire.
“Enough is enough!” it wrote.
Photos from the scene show the devastating aftermath of at least six air strikes, with whole neighbourhoods decimated and large craters filled with debris, as well as rows of body bags lining the streets.
Rescue workers are desperately combing through the rubble of multiple severely damaged buildings.
Local man Mohammad Al Aswad was 100m from the camp when “huge missiles” began raining down, he told CNN.
“I ran like crazy to the area. I found my family all safe, but the scene was horrific.
“Children were carrying other injured children and running, with grey dust filling the air. Bodies were hanging on the rubble, many of them unrecognised. Some were bleeding and others were burnt.”
Mr Al Aswad estimated some 40 buildings had been “completely demolished”.
“I saw women screaming and confused. They didn’t know whether to cry for losing their children or run and look for them, especially since many children were playing in the neighbourhood.”
At a press conference, IDF spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said “about 50 terrorists were eliminated”. Palestinian authorities strongly disputes that claim, as do local doctors, aid groups and witnesses.
The IDF said it conducted a “wide-scale strike on terrorists and terror infrastructure”.
“IDF forces under the command of the Givati Brigade took over a Hamas military stronghold in West Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip, in-ground operations today,” a statement read.
Senior Hamas figure Ibrahim Biari, commander of the terror group’s Central Jabalia Battalion, was killed in the blast.
Jordan condemned the air strike, with the country’s Foreign Ministry describing it was as a contradiction of “all human and moral values and the rules of international humanitarian law”.
Egypt also slammed “in the strongest terms” what it called Israel’s “targeting” of a residential area.
“Egypt considered this as a new flagrant violation by the Israeli forces against the provisions of international law and international humanitarian law,” its Foreign Ministry said.
IDF says ground forces took control of a Hamas "military stronghold" in western Jabaliya in the Gaza Strip today. During fighting in the compound, which is used by the Jabaliya Battalion, forces killed several terrorists and the Air Force struck sites and other operatives. Some… pic.twitter.com/pZ40DuvOHO
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) October 31, 2023
Saudi Arabia said the “dangerous humanitarian conditions” in Gaza as a result of the ongoing conflict “cannot be justified at all”.
“Sparing blood, protecting civilians, and stopping military operations are urgent priorities for which any procrastination or disruption cannot be accepted, and failure to immediately adhere to them will inevitably lead to a humanitarian catastrophe for which the Israeli occupation and the international community bear responsibility,” the Saudi Foreign Minister’s office said in a statement.
Rear Admiral Hagari insisted those killed were “terrorists who were with him inside the building as well as under the building in tunnels.”
“The targeting of the building he was in led to destruction in other buildings because of this extensive underground infrastructure. The purpose of that infrastructure was to carry out attacks against Israel and that infrastructure has collapsed.”
Referencing the number of civilian homes in the dense area, Rear Admiral Hagari said the buildings targeted were used as a Hamas command centre both above and below ground.
Terrorists had “intentionally built Hamas infrastructure beneath people’s homes” and the group was using civilians as shields.
He urged civilians in the area to move south away from the combat zone, with ground operations set to intensify.
Protesters storm Defence Minister’s office
Pro-Palestine protesters stormed the electorate office of Defence Minister Richard Marles in Geelong in Victoria, sparking a police operation.
A number of demonstrators chained themselves by their necks in the reception area using bike locks and refused to leave.
Others blocked the entrance to the building, located in Geelong in Victoria, and erected banners reading “Stop the genocide” and “Disarm Israel”.
The lock-in lasted almost four hours before police moved in and forcibly removed protesters. The building was cleared by 2.20pm.
Multiple countries severe diplomatic ties
A number of countries have severed diplomatic relations with Israel in the wake of the bombing of a massive refugee camp in Gaza.
Chile has recalled its envoy to Israel over what President Gabriel Boric called “unacceptable” violations of international law.
Colombia has also removed its ambassador, with President Gustavo Petro writing on X: “If Israel does not stop the massacre of the Palestinian people we cannot be there.”
Bolivia has cut ties with Israel over what it said are “crimes against humanity”.
Protesters lock down London station
Several hundred pro-Palestine protesters have stormed a major London railway station to stage a sit-in that during the evening rush hour commute.
Video and images circulating online show a massive crowd occupying the central concourse at Liverpool Station, chanting slogans and waving signs.
The demonstration came amid horrifying reports of an Israeli air strike on a massive refugee camp in Gaza’s north, which has killed dozens, including women and children.
Feminist group Sisters Uncut organised the protest and said at least 500 people attended and wrote on its X profile: “No business as usual until genocide ends. Ceasefire now.”
Among the protesters were several people holding “Jews against genocide” placards.
We cannot be silent or silenced
— Claudia Webbe MP (@ClaudiaWebbe) October 31, 2023
This is Liverpool Street Station, Londonpic.twitter.com/RbCHGjfWY5
In a statement, British Transport Police said officers were called to Liverpool Station shortly after 5pm when the crowd began arriving.
“Officers worked to safely disperse the crowd and ensure passengers could access the station. Following the ongoing conflict in Israel and Gaza, British Transport Police will be conducting high-visibility patrols at stations across the network to reassure and protect communities.”
The sit-in sparked a mix of responses online, with conservative political commentator Tim Scott saying that “police have lost control of London”.
Politician Paul Golding, leader of the Britain First party, wrote on X: “If you love Gaza so much, may I politely suggest you piss off there.”
Meanwhile, journalist David Atherton shared vision of a pro-Palestine protester defacing posters throughout the station showing missing Israelis held captive in Gaza by Hamas.
At Liverpool Street pro-Hamas terrorist supporters are defacing images of kidnapped Israeli children. pic.twitter.com/lb2u6f8xoo
— David Atherton (@DaveAtherton20) October 25, 2023
The man was captured scribbling “fake news” over a number of the signs.
Egypt ‘prepared to sacrifice millions’
In sensational remarks, Egypt’s prime minister has vowed he’ll “sacrifice millions of lives” to protect the country’s sovereignty amid growing calls to accept Palestinian refugees.
Mostafa Madbouly addressed a gathering in Sinai of Egyptian military leaders, members of parliament and local tribal leaders.
The meeting came a day after a top secret Israel intelligence report was leaked, outlining a draft strategy to relocate millions of people from Gaza to refugee tent cities in Sinai.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu played down the significance of the document, saying it was a “concept” prepared by policy advisers and not an official plan.
But today, Mr Madbouly made a stark declaration of the lengths Egypt will go to in order to protect its land.
“We are prepared to sacrifice millions of lives to ensure that no one encroaches upon our territory.”
Egypt would not allow “any imposed situation” or the forced settlement of regional issues at its expense, he added.
Hamas preparing chemical weapons: IDF
Israel has recovered what it describes as a Hamas manual for making chemical weapons – alongside a list of suggested sites, from schools to move theatres.
The New York Post obtained a copy of the seven-page document and cited unnamed sources from within the Israeli Defence Forces.
A memory record from a GoPro camera, found on the body of a Hamas terrorist killed on 7 October following a massacre at Kibbutz Be'eri.
“One package is easy and cheap to prepare for any desired amount of cargo, whether it is a box — or more — carried by hand, or a container that is dropped from a flying plane,” an English translation reads, according to the newspaper.
Extremely detailed instructions about the preparation of weapons, including how to detonate them, are provided.
The worst in Gaza is yet to come
An expert on Middle East affairs has warned the worst of the conflict in Gaza is yet to come, as Israel steps up its ground offensive against Hamas.
The bombing of a massive refugee camp today, which has killed dozens of people, “is going to be one of many similar incidents” in the months ahead, Atlantic Council nonresident senior fellow Carmiel Arbit told ABC News 24.
“We will continue to see significant casualties across [and] the images that we are seeing on the screen are going to become increasingly difficult, but are unlikely to change Israel’s objective as it pursues this war,” Ms Arbit said.
Israel faces a difficult position given Hamas notoriously uses citizens and civilian infrastructure to disguise or shield its military operations, she said.
“Hamas both uses human shields and sets up command operations in major civilian centres. It has built what is often called the Gaza Metro, [a tunnel system] which runs underneath the totality of Gaza and is half the size of the New York subway.
“And so, as Israel tries to specifically navigate taking out Hamas targets, it also has a responsibility to be responsive to civilians and international military law – but the two are often directly in conflict.
Ms Arbit said she expects the Israel-Hamas conflict to drag on for several months “if not many more”.
Hamas leader taken out
The Israeli Defence Forces has confirmed a senior Hamas figure was killed in the air strike on a Gaza refugee camp.
Ibrahim Biari was one of the masterminds of the co-ordinated massacres on Israelis on 7 October in the country’s south, and said to also be responsible for a 2004 attack on Ashdod Port.
Biari was the commander of the Hamas Central Jabaliya Battalion.
“The strike damaged Hamas’ command and control in the area, as well as its ability to direct military activity against IDF soldiers operating throughout the Gaza Strip,” the IDF said in a statement.
US forces under siege
The Pentagon has revealed American military personnel stationed across the Middle East have been subjected to least 27 attacks in the past two weeks.
“In some cases, they just didn’t strike anything,” Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Patrick Ryder told reporters.
“To my knowledge [there were] no injuries, no damaged infrastructure.”
The US blames “Iran-backed terror groups” for the attacks, which came in the form of rocket and drone strikes – 16 in Iraq and 11 in Syria.
Father of murdered tattoo artist speaks
The father of Shani Louk, the 23-year-old tattoo artist killed by Hamas militants at a music festival in Israel, has spoken about his daughter’s death.
It was thought Ms Louk had been taken hostage during a series of devastating massacres on 7 October, which killed 1400 and led to the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Imagery appeared soon after the festival massacre showing Ms Louk in the back of a flatbed truck being paraded through Gaza.
However, hopes Ms Louk might still be alive were tragically dashed yesterday when it was confirmed a skull fragment found at the festival site was hers.
“Until about 6.45am, Shani was still dancing, cheering, and going wild at the party and was surrounded by all her best friends — and they had fun all night,” her father Nissim Louk told Israeli news outlet N12.
“She enjoyed herself until the last moment.
“She was killed on the spot and not only did she not suffer, 10 minutes earlier she was still enjoying herself.”
Ms Louk added that there was “some comfort” in knowing that his daughter wasn’t “tossed in some Gaza tunnel”.
“Shani was a beautiful girl who loved to dance. Everyone loved her. She was very smart and witty. That’s how I want her to be remembered.”
Mr Louk said the Hamas attack was a failure of Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.
“The government ministries all failed. They underestimated everyone, they don’t work, they don’t answer, they’re not normal.
“If the prime minister were to show up at my house, I’d tell him to leave, since he bears much responsibility for what happened”.
Two IDF soldiers killed
The Israeli Defence Forces has confirmed two young soldiers were killed in a battle with Hamas militants in northern Gaza.
Roei Wolf and Lavi Lipshitz, both 20, died after being hit by a rocket-propelled grenade.
The news came as the IDF said more than 300 Israeli troops have been killed since the conflict with Hamas kicked off in early October.
IDF spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said: “Our soldiers at this time are fighting on the battlefield with courage and valour.”
“This fighting is dangerous and you have to understand that there are costs. We all need resilience and courage.”
More US troops heading to Middle East
The United States will send an additional 300 troops to the Middle East, the Pentagon has announced.
That contingent joins military forces already deployed throughout the region and will provide “capabilities and explosive ordinance disposal communications”.
Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Patrick Ryder did not say where in the Middle East the troops will be sent, but specified they would not be on the ground in Israel.
“They are intended to support regional deterrence efforts and further bolster us force protection capabilities.”
Hamas attacks globally are possible
The Federal Bureau of Investigation in the US has warned of an “elevated” risk of terrorist attacks on American soil by Hamas and its allies.
Speaking to the US Senate overnight, FBI Director Christopher Wray said the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict could serve as “inspiration” for terror outside the region.
“We assess that the actions of Hamas and its allies will serve as an inspiration, the likes of which we haven’t seen since ISIS launched its so-called ‘caliphate’ several years ago,” Mr Wray said.
While the risk of terrorism in the US has been “elevated” throughout the year, he said the war in Gaza “has raised the threat of an attack against Americans in the United to a whole other level”.
Mr Wray said “this is not a time for panic” and Americans should continue going about their “daily lives – going to schools, houses of worship and so forth”.
“But we should remain vigilant,” he said.
Hope for hostage releases
Hamas claims it will release some of the hundreds of hostages it’s holding captive throughout Gaza – but with a catch.
A spokesman for the terror group said negotiations with several countries had led it to a position where some prisoners who hold foreign passports will soon be freed.
Actions of Israeli ‘settlers’ slammed
An alarming “upsurge of settler terrorism in the West Bank” has resulted in numerous civilian casualties and Palestinians being “forced out of their homes”, the European Union has said.
A spokesman for the EU’s Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell criticised the actions of Jews who reside in the disputed territory, known as “settlers”.
“The situation could get out of control and is causing unspeakable suffering to local communities,” the spokesman said. “Urgent measures are needed.”
Attacks on Palestinians by “extremist settlers”, including the firebombing of homes, only adds “to an already tragic situation in Gaza”.
Mr Borrell’s spokesman called for Israel to honour its “duty to protect civilians in the West Bank [and] to hold perpetrators accountable”.
The EU believes 1000 people have been forcibly displaced from their homes in the West Bank by settlers.
Hospital workers collapsing under ‘physical and psychological stress’
Healthcare workers at Al Quds Hospital in Gaza have claimed “the whole building was shaking” overnight during another Israel’s continued assault on the city.
According to Marwan Jilani, director general of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, staff “didn‘t know whether they were going to hit the hospital”.
Two nearby buildings, an emergency medical centre and main warehouse, were “severely damaged and are now out of service”.
Workers are now “collapsing due to the … physical and psychological stress” as they reportedly continue to await aid from humanitarian groups.
“Imagine the stress on the people staying there, taking care of the patients, sheltering there – it is just immense,” Jilani told the BBC.
Israel launches controversial online campaign
Israel has launched a hard-hitting online campaign featuring shocking images and testimonies from the attacks carried out by Hamas on October 7.
Dozens of clips of burnt bodies, bereaved families, fast-cuts of screams and sirens, rescue workers and pathologists are featured on the Israeli foreign ministry’s official social media channels and in paid advertising campaigns.
Zoontje (6 jaar) speelt #AngryBirds op zijn tablet en krijgt deze reclame te zien.
— Olaf (@Olafvandijk) October 14, 2023
Doe effe normaal! #Israël#Palestina#Gazapic.twitter.com/xsxq6ZQTzF
Some of the videos are graphic: in one clip, a pathologist describes photos of a child’s burnt body.
But experts say the campaign risks alienating some audiences.
There has already been some pushback, with Google limiting access to one graphic clip and a gaming firm demanding the ads be removed.
“Subjecting people to images that are literally unbearable is a risky strategy,” communications expert Arnaud Mercier said via AFP.
“It could be counter-productive with an audience who didn’t ask to be exposed to it.”
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