/ Middle East
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR
🔴 Live: World leaders attend Cairo peace summit as humanitarian aid trickles into Gaza
Leaders and top officials from more than a dozen countries gathered in Cairo on Saturday for a hastily arranged summit aimed at producing a roadmap for humanitarian relief in the Gaza Strip and reviving hopes of Israeli-Palestinian peace. The meeting comes as a convoy of 20 trucks carrying humanitarian aid moved into Gaza at the Rafah crossing on Egypt’s border. UN officials including the director of the World Food Programme said the convoy was insufficient to address the unprecedented crisis in the besieged Palestinian territory. Read our live blog for all the latest developments in the Israel-Hamas war. All times are Paris time (GMT+2).
Issued on: 21/10/2023 – 07:28
Modified: 21/10/2023 – 11:45
2 min
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (L) is greeted by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi during the international peace summit in Cairo on October 21, 2023, in this photo provided by the Egyptian presidency’s media office.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (L) is greeted by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi during the international peace summit in Cairo on October 21, 2023, in this photo provided by the Egyptian presidency’s media office. © (AP)
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FRANCE 24
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FRANCE 24
The latest news in brief:
A 20-truck humanitarian aid convoy entered the Gaza Strip from Egypt via the Rafah border crossing on Saturday, the 15th day of the war between Israel and Hamas, the Palestinian group that runs Gaza.
Arab leaders gathered at a Cairo peace summit condemned Israeli bombardment of Gaza as Europeans said civilians should be shielded, but with Israel and senior US officials absent there was no agreement on containing the violence.
About 100,000 people joined a pro-Palestinian demonstration in central London, marching through the British capital to demand an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
The death toll in Gaza has risen to at least 4,385 since the Israeli bombardment began, the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry said Saturday.
The October 7 Hamas attack on Israel was aimed at disrupting a potential normalisation of ties between Israel and Saudi Arabia, US President Joe Biden said on Friday.
Israel confirmed on Friday that Hamas had released two Americans who were among more than 200 hostages abducted earlier this month. Biden said he was “overjoyed” at the news.
Gunmen from Hamas killed about 1,400 people and took at least 210 hostages during the October 7 attack, according to the most recent Israeli figures.
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Key developments from Friday, October 20:
Israel confirmed on Friday that Hamas had released two Americans among more than 210 hostages abducted earlier this month. No details were given on their condition, but US President Joe Biden quickly said he was “overjoyed” at the news.
France’s President Emmanuel Macron welcomed the release of the two hostages, highlighting Qatar’s role and saying he hoped similar initiatives would happen in the coming days, including for French nationals.
The death toll in Gaza rose to 4,137 since the Israeli bombardment began, the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry said.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)
