Breaking news. Israel says it has arrested 37 Hamas members in West Bank raids
A Palestinian journalist comforts his niece wounded in an Israeli strike on her family home in Nusseirat refugee camp, in a hospital in Deir el-Balah, Gaza Strip, Sunday, Oct.
By Euronews with Agencies
Published on 23/10/2023 – 07:45•Updated 13:02
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Israel claims to have detained 800 wanted Palestinians across the West Bank, including more than 500 associated with Hamas, since the war began on 7 October.
Israel says it has arrested 37 Hamas members in overnight raids in the West Bank.
In total, the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) says they have detained 800 wanted Palestinians across the West Bank, including more than 500 associated with Hamas, since the war with Hamas began on 7 October.
This is a developing story and our journalists are working to bring you more details.
Third aid convoy enters Gaza on Monday, says Red Crescent
A third aid convoy reportedly entered the Gaza Strip on Monday, under Israeli siege and shelling, on both the Egyptian and Palestinian sides of the Rafah border crossing.
An anonymous Egyptian Red Crescent official said a total of 34 trucks were already granted access between Saturday and Sunday; the first convoys to enter since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas.
Meanwhile, the EU’s top diplomat Josep Borrell called on Monday for “more aid, more quickly” for the Gaza Strip, besieged by the Israeli army, stressing that the question of a humanitarian pause would be debated by the 27 Member States.
“What is important? More aid, more quickly”, he insisted, stressing that the few dozen lorries that had passed from Egypt to Gaza were “insufficient”.
“Personally, I think that a humanitarian pause is necessary to allow humanitarian aid to be distributed”, he declared on his arrival in Luxembourg for a meeting of EU foreign ministers.
According to Borrell, this option, also called for by UN boss Antonio Guterres, will be on the agenda for discussions in Luxembourg as well as in Brussels, where the leaders of the EU-27 are due to meet for a summit on Thursday and Friday.
Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky stressed how difficult he felt this objective would be to achieve at this stage because of the attitude of Hamas.
“There is a terrorist organisation that controls Gaza, that sends rockets every day, that has carried out a barbaric attack on Israeli territory”, he said. “The question is therefore how such a ceasefire could be put in place; it must apply to both sides”, he added.
“We will not be able to stem the humanitarian catastrophe if the terrorism in Gaza continues in this way”, echoed the head of German diplomacy, Annalena Baerbock.
“It is essential to fight terrorism (…) and at the same time, everything must be done to alleviate the incredible suffering of the two million Gazans. It’s squaring the circle. But we must square the circle together”, she continued.
On the ground, as a second convoy of trucks entered the Hamas-ruled territory on Sunday, US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “affirmed that there will now be a continuous flow of this crucial assistance into Gaza”, according to a White House statement.
On Saturday, at a “Peace Summit” in Cairo, Antonio Guterres called for “action now to end the nightmare”, calling for a “humanitarian ceasefire”.
“The people of Gaza need much more. Massive deliveries of aid are necessary”, the UN secretary-general hammered home, despite the fact that only a few dozen lorries had passed from Egypt to Gaza — a figure that was totally insufficient for the UN.
A Palestinian carries a child pulled out of a building hit in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip in Rafah, Sunday, Oct. 22, 2023.
A Palestinian carries a child pulled out of a building hit in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip in Rafah, Sunday, Oct. 22, 2023.AP Photo
Israel steps up attacks on Gaza as humanitarian aid trickles in
Israel’s military spokesman says his country is stepping up attacks on Gaza, amid growing expectations that a ground offensive into the enclave could begin soon.
Israeli warplanes struck targets across Gaza and two airports in Syria on Sunday, as well as a mosque in the occupied West Bank allegedly used by militants. According to a spokesperson, “dozens” of Hamas fighters were killed.
Hamas’ health ministry said the deadliest Israeli raids took place in Deir al-Balah, where 80 people including women and children died and several buildings were destroyed. Raids also targeted Khan Younes and Rafah in the south of Gaza.
Israeli authorities said late Sunday they had allowed a second batch of aid into Gaza at the request of the United States. COGAT, the Israeli defence body responsible for Palestinian civilian affairs, said the aid included water, food and medical supplies, and that everything was inspected by Israel before it was brought into Gaza.
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees confirmed the arrival of 14 trucks but Israel has so far not allowed any fuel to enter Gaza.
Relief workers said far more aid was, and the UN’s humanitarian agency said Saturday’s convoy carried about 4% of an average day’s imports before the war and “a fraction of what is needed after 13 days of complete siege.”
The Israeli military said the humanitarian situation was “under control,” despite the United Nations’ demands.
The UN is calling for at least 100 trucks a day for the 2.4 million Gazans deprived of everything.
