Israel: EU suspends all aid payments to Palestinians
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Israel: EU suspends all aid payments to Palestinians
Published 14 hours agoPublished 14 hours agolast updated 10 minutes agolast updated 10 minutes ago
The EU is immediately stopping development payments of €691 million to Palestinians. Meanwhile, the Israeli defense minister says authorities will block food and fuel from entering the Gaza Strip. Follow DW for more.
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Israeli firefighters extinguish fire at a site struck by a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to destroy ‘the military and governing capabilities’ of HamasImage: Ohad Zwigenberg/AP/picture alliance
Skip next section What you need to know
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Israel’s army says it is mobilizing 300,000 reservists
Israeli defense minister announces complete siege of Gaza
At least 700 are reported killed in Israel and more than 560 in Gaza
Hamas rocket fire, Israeli airstrikes continue into third day of fighting
The EU and Germany have suspended aid payments to Palestinians
Skip next section Netanyahu: Israel’s response will ‘change the Middle East’
10 minutes ago10 minutes ago
Netanyahu: Israel’s response will ‘change the Middle East’
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that his country’s response to the onslaught by Hamas will “change the Middle East,” as the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) targeted the Gaza Strip with air strikes.
“What Hamas will experience will be difficult and terrible … we are going to change the Middle East,” Netanyahu told officials in the south of Israel where Hamas militants carried out surprise terror attacks beginning on Saturday morning.
“This is only the beginning… we are all with you and we will defeat them with force, enormous force.”
At least 560 people have been killed in the strikes on the Gaza Strip according to the enclave’s Health Ministry.
Israeli military hits hundreds of Hamas targets in Gaza
02:10
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Skip next section Egypt and Qatar launch mediation efforts
27 minutes ago27 minutes ago
Egypt and Qatar launch mediation efforts
Egypt has been intensifying diplomatic efforts to bring about a de-escalation in the conflict between Israel and Hamas, communicating with both warring parties and with other regional powers, Egypt’s presidential office said.
Since Sunday, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi, whose country has traditionally been a key mediator between Israel and the Palestinians, has spoken to President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan of the United Arab Emirates, King Abdullah II of Jordan and Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas, as well as European Council President Charles Michel, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
Qatar’s Foreign Ministry told Reuters that it is also involved in mediation talks with Hamas and Israeli officials, including over a potential prisoner swap which would see 36 Palestinian women and children released from Israeli prisons in exchange for Israeli women and children seized by Hamas and taken to Gaza this weekend.
However, a Hamas official in Doha, Qatar, told the AFP news agency that there was “no chance” of such negotiations.
“The military operation is still continuing,” he said. “Our mission now is to make every effort to prevent the occupation from continuing to commit massacres against our people in Gaza, which directly target civilian homes.”
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Skip next section Lufthansa suspends flights to and from Israel
49 minutes ago49 minutes ago
Lufthansa suspends flights to and from Israel
German airline Lufthansa announced on Monday the suspension of flights to and from Israel.
“Due to the ongoing unclear situation in Israel and after intensive analysis of the situation, Lufthansa has decided to suspend its regular flights to and from Tel Aviv up to and including Saturday [October 14th],” the airline said in its flight advisory for Israel.
“We regret having to make this decision,” Lufthansa said, adding that it would continue to monitor the security situation and that it was in close communication with Israeli authorities.
Passengers impacted by the development were asked to contact the airline.
The first flights were canceled on Saturday when Hamas launched its attack from Gaza.
The German carrier was following decisions made by other airlines, such as France’s Air France as well as American Airlines, United Airlines and Delta Air Lines operating out of the US.
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Skip next section EU freezes aid payments for Palestinians
1 hour ago1 hour ago
EU freezes aid payments for Palestinians
The European Commission said on Monday it was putting its full portfolio of development aid to Palestinians, worth €691 million ($728.66 million), under review and immediately suspending all payments until further notice.
“The scale of terror and brutality against Israel and its people is a turning point,” Oliver Varhelyi, the European Union Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement, said in a post on social media platform X, formerly Twitter.
“There can be no business as usual,” he continued, adding: “The foundations for peace, tolerance and co-existence must now be addressed. Incitement to hatred, violence and glorification of terror have poisoned the minds of too many. We need action and we need it now.”
The EU is one of the biggest providers of financial aid to the Palestinian territories and had planned for around €1.2 billion of investment between 2021 and 2024, predominantly in health and education. According to a spokesperson, the funds do not “directly or indirectly” support Hamas, which the EU and others have classified as a terrorist organization.
In Germany, development minister Svenja Schulze (SPD) announced on Sunday that German financial aid to the Palestinians would be reviewed, while Austria’s foreign minister also said that payments had been suspended ahead of a halt to development cooperation.
EU foreign ministers are set to meet in Brussels on Tuesday to discuss the situation, announced Josep Borrell, the bloc’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs.
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Skip next section Gaza death toll rises to 560 as US and UK also report casualties
1 hour ago1 hour ago
Gaza death toll rises to 560 as US and UK also report casualties
The official death toll in the Gaza Strip rose to at least 560 on Monday, according to the Palestinian territory’s Health Ministry, as Israel attacked Hamas targets in Gaza for the third consecutive day.
Another 2,900 people in Gaza have also been reported injured.
Meanwhile, the United States confirmed that nine Americans had been killed in Israel following the attacks by Hamas militants on Saturday and that an unspecified number were still missing.
“We can confirm that there are unaccounted-for US citizens, and we are working with our Israeli partners to determine their whereabouts,” said US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller in a statement.
At least ten UK citizens are also feared dead or missing, according to the BBC and Sky News, citing an official source. The United Kingdom’s Foreign Office has declined to comment.
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Skip next section Clashes reported on Israel-Lebanon border
2 hours ago2 hours ago
Clashes reported on Israel-Lebanon border
Israel’s military said it had deployed troops, backed by helicopters, in response to a suspected infiltration from Lebanon, killing “a number of armed suspects.”
“A report was received regarding the infiltration of a number of suspects into Israeli territory from Lebanese territory. IDF soldiers are deployed in the area,” the military said in a statement on Monday, while Israeli artillery has also been heard shelling targets in south Lebanon.
Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said Monday that his priority was to maintain stability along its border with Israel following reports of violence between Israeli troops and Hezbollah militants over the weekend, the Associated Press reported.
Hezbollah is a Shiite group with close links to Iran. It is listed as a terrorist organization by Germany, the US and the Arab League.
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Skip next section EU foreign ministers to discuss Israel situation on Tuesday
4 hours ago4 hours ago
EU foreign ministers to discuss Israel situation on Tuesday
The European Union’s foreign ministers will meet on Tuesday to discuss the unprecedented attack by the militant group Hamas on Israel this weekend and its ongoing repercussions.
“I am convening tomorrow an emergency meeting of EU Foreign Ministers to address the situation in Israel and in the region,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell wrote on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
The EU has strongly condemned the terror attack by the Islamist militants that has sparked a series of strikes by Israel on Gaza.
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Skip next section Israel announces ‘total blockade’ on besieged Gaza
4 hours ago4 hours ago
Israel announces ‘total blockade’ on besieged Gaza
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has ordered a “complete siege” of Gaza.
Gallant said the new measures will cut electricity and include a ban on admitting food and fuel.
He described the measure as part of a battle against “beastly people,” the Reuters news agency quoted him as saying.
Israel has besieged the Gaza Strip, home to some 2.3 million Palestinians, since militant group Hamas came to power in 2007. Israel controls access by land, sea and air.
Hamas is classified as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union and Israel.
IDF: ‘We are at war and war takes different measures’
05:24
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Skip next section UN rights council holds moment of silence for Israel, Gaza victims
4 hours ago4 hours ago
UN rights council holds moment of silence for Israel, Gaza victims
The UN Human Rights Council has held a moment of silence to remember those killed in Israel and Gaza.
US Ambassador Michele Taylor requested the moment of silence “to honor and remember the victims of these appalling terrorist attacks,” she said, stressing that innocent lives were lost across Israel and Gaza “resulting from the attacks by Hamas.”
Taylor condemned the “horrific attacks carried out by Hamas terrorists on Israeli civilians,” saying the “calamity” had resulted in “hundreds and hundreds of innocent civilian lives lost — and we’re still counting.”
She said the US “unequivocally condemns these heinous acts of terrorism” and extended its deepest condolences to the families affected.
Hundreds die after Hamas launches attacks on Israel
02:42
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Skip next section Berlin temporarily halts development aid to Palestinians
4 hours ago4 hours ago
Berlin temporarily halts development aid to Palestinians
Germany has announced the suspension of development aid to the Palestinian territories in light of Hamas militants’ surprise attack on Israel on Saturday.
The ministry of economic cooperation and development said a thorough review of financial aid would be conducted.
“It is being examined, that is, temporarily suspended,” a ministry spokesperson said.
Meanwhile, Austria said it too was suspending development aid worth some €19 million ($20 million) to the Palestinian territories, in response to the Hamas attack.
“We will put all Austrian development cooperation payments on hold for the time being,” Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg told radio station Ö1.
Schallenberg said, “the scale of the terror is so horrific,” stressing that “this is such a breach that one cannot go back to business as usual.”
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Skip next section Kremlin ‘extremely concerned’ about Middle East violence
4 hours ago4 hours ago
Kremlin ‘extremely concerned’ about Middle East violence
The Russian government said it was “extremely concerned” by the situation in Israel and the Palestinian territories, warning that it could escalate into a wider conflict.
“We believe that it is necessary to bring the situation to a peaceful path as soon as possible because the continuation of such a round of violence is fraught with further escalation and the expansion of this conflict,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. “This is a great danger for the region.”
Peskov said the Russian embassy had no information yet regarding the number of Russian citizens in Israel who could have been hurt or killed. Moscow was in contact with Palestinians to investigate whether any Russians had been injured in the Israeli bombing of Gaza, he added.
Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met Ahmed Aboul-Gheit, head of the regional cooperation body, the Arab League, in Moscow on Monday. There he stressed they would work together to “stop the bloodshed” in Israel and Gaza.
Lavrov said Moscow and the Arab League will also work “with those countries that are interested in establishing lasting peace in the Middle East.”
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Skip next section British PM to chair meeting on Israel
5 hours ago5 hours ago
British PM to chair meeting on Israel
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says he will chair a meeting of the government’s COBRA emergency response committee to discuss Israel later on Monday.
“I’m chairing a COBRA [meeting] with my ministerial colleagues this afternoon, when we’ll continue to discuss the situation, but we’re in close dialogue with our Israeli counterparts,” the British broadcaster Sky News quoted him as saying.
Sunak stressed his government’s support to Israel, telling reporters that Britain was “one of their strongest allies.”
“We’ve provided in the past the kinds of equipment that they’ve used to defend themselves over the past couple of days, and as I said to the prime minister [Benjamin Netanyahu], we will continue to provide — whether that’s diplomatic, intelligence or security support — as they need,” he added.
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Skip next section Oil prices soar after Hamas terrorist attack
5 hours ago5 hours ago
Oil prices soar after Hamas terrorist attack
Global oil prices have jumped amid growing fears that the outbreak of violence could disrupt supplies out of the oil-rich Middle East region.
Early on Monday, US benchmark crude oil was selling at $85.48 (approximately €81.23) per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange, up by $2.70.
Brent crude, which represents the pricing basis for international trading, was at $87 per barrel, up by $2.42.
Tensions in the Middle East often spike oil prices.
“The shocking attacks in Israel have sent the price of oil soaring, as investors assess the potential for the conflict to disrupt supply in the Middle East, if other countries are drawn in,” the French news agency AFP quoted Susannah Streeter, head of money and markets at stockbroker Hargreaves Lansdown, as saying.
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Skip next section Hungary evacuates 110 more from Israel
5 hours ago5 hours ago
Hungary evacuates 110 more from Israel
Hungary is evacuating 110 individuals from Israel, most of them Hungarian citizens, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said.
That brings the total number of people evacuated by Hungary to 325, including 46 children, Szijjarto said in a Facebook post.
Of those evacuated, 15 were foreign citizens, he said. They included Israeli, Swedish, Austrian, German, British and Portuguese nationals.
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Skip next section Israel drafts 300,000 reservists after Hamas attacks
5 hours ago5 hours ago
Israel drafts 300,000 reservists after Hamas attacks
Israel has announced drafting a record 300,000 reservists as it responds to a Hamas attack from Gaza in which hundreds of Israelis were killed, wounded or abducted.
The Israeli chief military spokesperson, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, said that those killed included 73 members of the security forces.
He said Israel had responded by killing hundreds of Hamas gunmen.
“We are now carrying out searches in all of the communities and clearing the area,” he added, announcing the recapture of towns in the Gaza border area that had been overrun by Hamas.
The number of reservists drafted is unprecedented. The Israeli military stopped short of saying whether it was preparing to invade Gaza.
“We have never drafted so many reservists on such a scale,” Hagari said. “We are going on the offensive.”
The Palestinian militant group Hamas rules the Gaza Strip and is classified as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union and Israel.
