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🔴 Live: Hamas fires rockets towards Tel Aviv as Blinken arrives in Israel
Hamas militants on Thursday fired a barrage of rockets at Tel Aviv in response to Israeli air strikes that targeted “civilians” in two Gaza refugee camps, the Palestinian group said. The barrage came as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken landed in Tel Aviv on Thursday as part of a wider Middle East tour to display Washington’s solidarity with Israel after the attack by Palestinian Hamas militants and to seek to quell the conflict. Follow our live blog for all the latest developments. All times are Paris time (GMT+2).
Issued on: 12/10/2023 – 04:50
Modified: 12/10/2023 – 09:57
12 min
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrives at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel on October 12, 2023.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrives at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel on October 12, 2023. © Jacquelyn Martin, Reuters
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FRANCE 24
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FRANCE 24
9:55am: Blinken to meet Palestinian, Jordan leaders in Amman Friday
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will hold talks with the Palestinian and Jordanian leaders in Amman, a US official said as Blinken was on a solidarity visit to Israel Thursday.
“Tomorrow (Friday) in Amman, Secretary Blinken will have meetings with Palestinian president (Mahmud) Abbas and Jordanian King Abdullah II,” the official told an AFP correspondent travelling with Blinken, whose visit followed Hamas’s surprise weekend onslaught in Israel.
9:40am: Berlin to ban Hamas activities in Germany, Chancellor Scholz says
Berlin will ban Hamas activities and organisations linked to the terror group in Germany, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Thursday following the shock attacks on Israel.
“The federal interior ministry will ban Hamas from operating in Germany. An association like Samidoun, whose members celebrate the most brutal acts of terror on the open street, will be banned in Germany,” Scholz said in a speech to parliament.
9:18am: Germany halting aid to Palestinians pending review
Germany will suspend all development aid to the Palestinian Territories pending the completion of a review to ensure it best serves regional peace and Israel’s security, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told legislators.
“Our yardstick will be whether and how these projects best serve peace in the region and the security of Israel,” he said.
“Until that review is complete we will not make available any new development cooperation resources.”
He added: “Sadly, we can foresee the suffering of the civilian population in the Gaza strip likely growing further – but that too is the fault of Hamas and its attack on Israel.”
9:14am: Three Chinese nationals killed in Israel-Hamas conflict, foreign ministry says
Three Chinese nationals have been killed in the conflict between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas, Beijing’s foreign ministry said Thursday.
“To my understanding it has currently been confirmed that three Chinese nationals were unfortunately killed in the conflict,” foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a regular briefing.
9:12am: Blinken arrives in Israel in solidarity visit after Hamas attacks
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken landed in Tel Aviv on Thursday as part of a wider Middle East tour to display Washington’s solidarity with Israel after the attack by Palestinian Hamas militants and to seek to quell the conflict.
The top US diplomat will also try to help secure the release of hostages kidnapped by Hamas – some of whom are Americans – and safe passage of Gaza civilians out of the densely-populated enclave ahead of a possible Israeli ground invasion.
9:08am: Israel will not supply water, fuel to Gaza until hostages freed, energy minister says
Israeli Energy Minister Israel Katz vowed Thursday his country would not allow basic resources or humanitarian aid into Gaza until Hamas released the people it abducted during its surprise weekend onslaught.
“Humanitarian aid to Gaza? No electric switch will be turned on, no water tap will be opened and no fuel truck will enter until the Israeli abductees are returned home,” he said in a statement.
9:05am: Erdogan doesn’t have ‘enough influence with either Israel or Hamas’ to negotiate hostage release
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has launched a negotiation process with Hamas for the release of Israeli hostages who were kidnapped by the Palestinian militant group on Saturday.
However, FRANCE 24’s Jasper Mortimer believes that Erdogan doesn’t have “enough influence with either Israel or Hamas” to successfully negotiate for the hostages’ release.
Citing Turkish journalist Barcin Yinanc, Mortimer said Turkey may nevertheless help set up a humanitarian corridor into Gaza, allowing the passage of food, medical aid and civilians.
Click on the video below for the full report.
02:21
8:45am: Rockets fired at Tel Aviv after Israeli strikes on Gaza
Hamas militants on Thursday fired a barrage of rockets at Tel Aviv in response to Israeli air strikes that targeted “civilians” in two Gaza refugee camps, the Palestinian group said.
“Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades fired rockets at Tel Aviv in response to (Israeli strikes) targeting civilians in Al-Shati and Jabalia camps,” Hamas said, referring to its armed wing, in a text message sent to journalists.
AFP correspondents witnessed dozens of air strikes over 30 minutes on Thursday morning in the direction of Al-Shati camp and in the blockaded strip’s north.
“The occupation (Israeli forces) committed massacres this morning in Al-Shati camp and Jabalia camp, leaving dozens of martyrs and injured,” Iyad al-Buzum, spokesman for the Hamas interior ministry, told AFP.
8:42am: Israeli air strike kills 15 Palestinians in a Gaza refugee camp, Hamas media says
An Israeli air strike killed 15 Palestinians in a Gaza refugee camp, Hamas media said on Thursday.
Palestinians said the air strike was the third in the past few hours on residential buildings across Gaza, adding that residents did not receive any warning from Israeli security before their homes were bombed.
8:38am: Jordan says sending first aid to Gaza since start of latest conflict, state media says
Jordan on Thursday sent the first aid delivery destined for Gaza since the start of the latest conflict, state television said on social media platform X.
A Jordanian military source said a military plane would fly the aid to Rafah border crossing with Egypt, from which it would be transferred to authorities in Gaza if permissions were secured.
8:06am: Israel declines to publish number of Gaza rocket interceptions, unlike in previous wars
Israel’s military indicated on Thursday that it would not publish the number of interceptions of Palestinian rockets that it has carried out in the Gaza war, citing concern that such information would help Hamas.
“I’m not going to tell the enemy the number of our intercepts,” spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Richard Hecht told reporters, outlining what appeared to be a departure from past wartime policy.
Israeli officials have previously said they were planning for possible strains on their supplies of anti-rocket interception missiles in the event of especially heavy fighting.
8:05am: Israel-Lebanon cross-border strikes spark fear that conflict may escalate
Recent cross-border strikes between Israel and the Iranian-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah are sparking fears that the conflict may escalate and spread to neighbouring Lebanon.
“Every day we see some sort of artillery, air strikes, rocket fired towards Israel,” said FRANCE 24’s Rawad Taha, reporting from Beirut.
Hezbollah on Wednesday fired anti-tank missiles at an Israeli military position and claimed to have killed and wounded troops. Israel later retaliated by launching strikes on southern Lebanon.
“The situation is really tense … this is worrying the Lebanese people,” said Taha.
Click on the video below for the full report.
03:27
7:58am: Germany to support Israel in its defence efforts with two drones
Berlin will allow Israel to use two Heron drones the German air force has in use in the country, defence minister Boris Pistorius said on Thursday ahead of a NATO meeting in Brussels.
7:53am: Israeli army prepares for ground operation in Gaza
Israeli military says it is preparing for a ground operation in Gaza but the political leadership has not decided yet.
7:35am: No fuel or electricity in Gaza as Israeli strikes devastate enclave
A humanitarian crisis is unfolding in Gaza as residents run out of fuel and electricity amid Israeli air strikes.
Some 1,200 people have been killed according to the Palestinian health ministry. The toll could potentially be much higher as many are buried under the rubble of levelled buildings with little means of retrieval, FRANCE 24’s Jerusalem correspondent Irris Makler said.
Israel has cut off supplies of water, food and electricity to the Gaza strip following Saturday’s massive assault by Hamas fighters on southern Israel.
Click on the video below for the full report.
Israel strikes in Gaza04:54
Israel strikes in Gaza © screengrab, FRANCE 24
7:23am: Red Cross says in contact with Hamas, Israel over hostages
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is in contact with Hamas and Israel to try to negotiate the release of hostages taken into Gaza, the group said Thursday.
At least 150 Israelis and foreigners – including soldiers, civilians, children and women – have been held hostage in the Gaza Strip since Hamas’s surprise Saturday attack on Israel.
“As a neutral intermediary we stand ready to conduct humanitarian visits; facilitate communication between hostages and family members; and to facilitate any eventual release,” Fabrizio Carboni, the ICRC’s regional director for the Near and Middle East, said in a statement.
Hostage-taking is forbidden under international humanitarian law, and anyone detained must be released immediately, Carboni added.
The ICRC urged “both sides to reduce the suffering of civilians”.
7:15am: Israeli envoy says Japan should be ‘vigilant’ with its aid to Palestine
Israel’s ambassador to Japan said on Thursday that his host country should be “vigilant” and look at what Hamas was doing with the aid it extends to Palestinians.
Hamas militants breached the border fence enclosing the Gaza enclave at the weekend, rampaging through towns and villages and killing 1,200 people while taking scores of hostages, the Israeli military has said.
Israeli jets have pounded Gazan targets for days in retribution, and the death toll there has risen to 1,200, Palestinian media reported, citing Gaza’s health ministry.
“Japan should be vigilant and look at what Hamas is doing with the aid,” Gilan Cohen said at a press conference. He commended Japan for acknowledging the Hamas attacks as “terrorism” and for saying Israel had a right to defend itself.
6:53am: Brazil calls UN Security Council meeting on Israel-Hamas war
Brazil, which currently holds the rotating presidency of the UN Security Council, called a Friday meeting of the body to discuss the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, its foreign affairs ministry said Wednesday.
Brazilian Foreign Affairs Minister Mauro Vieira has interrupted an Asia trip to travel “to New York to participate in a meeting of the United Nations Security Council, called by Brazil … to address the situation in the Gaza Strip”, the ministry said in a statement.
Brazil previously called an emergency meeting of the Security Council on Sunday, the day after Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel.
5:56am: Thai death toll in Israel-Hamas war rises to 21, PM says
Twenty-one Thai nationals have been killed in the conflict between Israel and militant group Hamas, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said Thursday, up from the previous toll of 20.
“The update from last night is bad news that one more Thai died, the number rises to 21,” he said.
The war was triggered by a bloody attack by Hamas and has left thousands dead with around 150 hostages taken.
There are approximately 30,000 Thais in Israel, mostly working in the agriculture sector, according to Thailand’s labour ministry.
05:50am: Trump says Israel’s Netanyahu was not prepared for Hamas attack
Former US President Donald Trump on Wednesday criticised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over what he described as a lack of preparation for a weekend attack by Palestinian Hamas militants that killed at least 1,200 people in Israel.
Speaking to Fox News, Trump, the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, said Netanyahu “has been hurt very badly” due to the attack.
“He was not prepared. He was not prepared and Israel was not prepared. And under Trump, they wouldn’t have had to be prepared,” he said.
Trump’s comments came as Israel was still collecting its dead and reeling from one of the most devastating attacks in its history. It has retaliated with air strikes on Gaza that have killed at least 1,200 Palestinians.
One of Trump’s opponents in the Republican contest, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, criticized the former president over the comments.
“(It) is absurd that anyone, much less someone running for President, would choose now to attack our friend and ally, Israel,” DeSantis wrote on social media.
4:48am: Death toll in Gaza hits 1,200 people, Palestinian health ministry says
The death toll in the Gaza Strip has risen to 1,200 people, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said on Thursday, following an increase in Israeli bombardments on the sixth day since Hamas’s surprise attack.
“The number of martyrs has risen to around 1,200, and the number of wounded to around 5,600,” a spokesperson for the health ministry in Gaza said.
4:02am: More than 338,000 people displaced in Gaza, UN says
More than 338,000 people have been forced to flee their homes in the Gaza Strip, the United Nations said, as heavy Israeli bombardments continue to hit the Palestinian enclave.
“Mass displacement across the Gaza Strip continues,” the UN humanitarian agency OCHA said in a statement sent on Thursday.
By late Wednesday, the number of displaced people in Gaza had risen by an additional 75,000 people from the figure given 24 hours earlier, reaching 338,934, it said.
The announcement came as Israel pounded Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip – a densely populated enclave of 2.3 million people – in response to the militants’ surprise Saturday attack.
03:30am: Israel announces ‘large scale strike’ on Gaza
At around 4:30 am on Thursday, Israel’s military said it was conducting a “large-scale strike” on targets belonging to Hamas in Gaza. It did not provide details.
01:35am: Biden warns Iran not to get involved in conflict
US President Joe Biden warned Iran against getting involved in Israel’s conflict with Hamas amid fears of a wider regional conflict, while Israeli air strikes around the Gaza Strip drove hundreds of thousands from their homes.
Israeli jets have pounded Gazan targets for days in retribution for a weekend attack by Hamas militants who breached the border fence enclosing the enclave and rampaged through towns and villages, killing 1,200 people, injuring over 2,700, and taking scores of hostages, the Israeli military said.
12:15am: UN Mideast envoy in Cairo to rally aid for Gaza
The UN Mideast envoy is in Cairo working with other key regional and international partners and the Egyptian government on ending the Hamas-Israel conflict, preventing its expansion, and opening a humanitarian corridor to deliver fuel, food and water to access to Gaza which Israel has cut off, the United Nations said Wednesday.
Tor Wennesland is following up on Egypt’s offer to facilitate humanitarian access through the Rafah crossing and to make the El Arish airport available for critical assistance, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.
Meanwhile, the UN humanitarian office reports that 263,000 people have been displaced in Gaza, a 40% increase since Tuesday, Dujarric said. More than 1,000 housing units in Gaza have been destroyed and about 560 severely damaged and rendered uninhabitable in the past day, the UN said.
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Read yesterday’s liveblog to see how the day’s events unfolded.
Key developments from Wednesday, October 11:
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to wipe Hamas “off the face of the earth” in a late-night speech Wednesday announcing an emergency unity government.
In Gaza, the only power plant in the besieged enclave shut down after it ran out of fuel. Israel has cut off supplies of food, fuel, electricity and medicine into Gaza since Saturday’s attack.
The death toll on both sides mounted on the fifth day of the war, with 1,100 Palestinians killed in Gaza and 1,200 Israelis killed in the Hamas attack. Eleven French nationals were killed and 18 are missing in Israel, according to French authorities, including “several children”.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)
