LIVE
CONFLICTSISRAEL
Israel-Hamas war: UN chief urges ‘immediate’ Gaza cease-fire
Published 20 hours agoPublished 20 hours agolast updated 27 minutes agolast updated 27 minutes ago
At a meeting of the UN Security Council, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said a humanitarian cease-fire would facilitate hostage releases, allow aid, and “ease epic suffering.” DW has the latest.
https://p.dw.com/p/4XvRP
A general view of the UNSC
The UN Security Council met in New York for a session on the Israel-Hamas warImage: Shannon Stapleton/REUTERS
Skip next section What you need to know
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
The UN Security Council is meeting in New York
Two more hostages have been transported out of Gaza
US welcomes release of Israeli hostages
French President Emmanuel Macron met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog in Jerusalem
One of the freed hostages has recounted her experience after “going through hell”
Skip next section Blinken stands by Israel in UN remarks
27 minutes ago27 minutes ago
Blinken stands by Israel in UN remarks
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken addresses the UN Security Council. October 24, 2023US Secretary of State Antony Blinken addresses the UN Security Council. October 24, 2023
Blinken harshly condemned Hamas in his UN Security Council remarks, and also issued a warning to IranImage: Shannon Stapleton/REUTERS
In his address to the UN Security Council, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken questioned why there was not more outrage regarding the deaths of Israelis, following the Hamas terror attacks on October 7 which killed more than 1,400 people. The US, along with the EU, Israel and others, considers Hamas a terrorist organization.
“Where’s the outrage? Where’s the revulsion? Where’s the rejection? Where’s the explicit condemnation of these horrors?” Blinken said, while noting graphic accounts of Hamas killing civilians.
“We must affirm the right of any nation to defend itself and to prevent such harm from repeating itself. No member of this Council, no nation in this entire body, could or would tolerate the slaughter of its people,” he added.
Blinken has also warned Iran during his remarks, after US forces were attacked by drones in Iraq. The attacks were launched by Iran-backed militias.
The US is concerned that Iran will ramp up its efforts to assist these attacks, as the Israel-Hamas conflict continues.
“The United States does not seek conflict with Iran. We do not want this war to widen. But if Iran or its proxies attack US personnel anywhere, make no mistake. We will defend our people, we will defend our security — swiftly and decisively,” Blinken said.
https://p.dw.com/p/4XyrJ
Copy link
Skip next section Israel rebukes Guterres criticism, with Palestinians urging end to Israeli military action
1 hour ago1 hour ago
Israel rebukes Guterres criticism, with Palestinians urging end to Israeli military action
Israel sharply responded to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ remarks to the Security Council on Tuesday.
“Protecting civilians does not mean ordering more than 1 million to evacuate to the south, where there is no shelter, no food, no water, no medicine and no fuel, and then continue to bomb the south itself,” Guterres said, referring to Israeli evacuation orders in northern Gaza.
Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs Eli Cohen shot back at Guterres’ address: “Mr. Secretary-General, in what world do you live?”
“Definitely this is not our world,” he added.
Foreign Minister Eli Cohen attends a UN Security Council session. October 24, 2023Foreign Minister Eli Cohen attends a UN Security Council session. October 24, 2023
Cohen has served as Israeli foreign minister since 2022Image: Shannon Stapleton/REUTERS
Cohen gave details about Hamas’ terror attacks on Israel on October 7, which killed more than 1,400 people. More than 200 people are still held hostage in Gaza by Hamas, with Cohen showing a collage of those kidnapped by the group.
“We Israel, we don’t only have the right to defend ourselves, we have the duty to do so,” Cohen said.
Earlier in the Security Council session, the Palestinian Authority’s foreign minister also levied criticism on Israel.
“It is our collective human duty to stop them,” Riyad al-Maliki said, referring to Israeli’s military actions and “illegal occupation.” “Continued failure at this council is inexcusable.”
https://p.dw.com/p/4XynR
Copy link
Skip next section Baerbock urges humanitarian pause for Gaza
2 hours ago2 hours ago
Baerbock urges humanitarian pause for Gaza
In comments ahead of a speech to theUnited Nations Security Council, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has called for a humanitarian pause in fighting between Israel and the Islamist militant group Hamas, to allow aid into the Gaza Strip.
The minister affirmed Israel’s right to self-defense in the face of the Hamas terror attacks, but she said it was also necessary to keep the suffering of the Palestinians in Gaza in mind.
“We see their suffering. It is unbearable. Every civilian life is worth the same. An Israeli one and a Palestinian one. Humanity is universal.”
Baerbock said the delivery of a few dozen trucks so far was not enough, and that drinking water supplies for more than 2 million people in the Gaza Strip needed to be ensured. She said fuel, which the UN has not been allowed to send into Gaza, would also be needed.
https://p.dw.com/p/4XyPA
Copy link
Skip next section Guterres ‘deeply concerned’ about violations in Gaza, calls for cease-fire
2 hours ago2 hours ago
Guterres ‘deeply concerned’ about violations in Gaza, calls for cease-fire
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, in remarks to the UN Security Council, said Tuesday he was “deeply concerned about the clear violations of international humanitarian law that we are witnessing in Gaza.”
“Let me be clear: No party to an armed conflict is above international humanitarian law,” Guterres added.
Guterres also urged more humanitarian aid into Gaza. The UN has said 54 aid trucks have entered Gaza via the Rafah Crossing from Egypt since Saturday.
Aid convoys have crossed Egypt/Gaza border
04:29
He described currently humanitarian shipments into Gaza as “a drop of aid in an ocean of need.” He also noted that UN fuel supplies will run out in days, triggering “another disaster.”
“To ease epic suffering, make the delivery of aid easier and safer and facilitate the release of hostages, I reiterate my appeal for an immediate humanitarian cease-fire,” Guterres said.
The US, along with Israel, have previously rebuked pleas for a cease-fire. Israel has wanted to press forward with its military operations against Hamas, after Hamas carried out a terror attack on Israel on October 7.
https://p.dw.com/p/4XySU
Copy link
Skip next section Israel drops leaflets on Gaza asking for info on hostages
3 hours ago3 hours ago
Israel drops leaflets on Gaza asking for info on hostages
Israel on Tuesday dropped leaflets across the Gaza Strip, asking Gazans to give information about hostages in exchange for a reward.
“If your will is to live in peace and have a better future for your children, do your humanitarian deed immediately and share verified and valuable information about hostages being held in your area,” the leaflets said in Arabic.
A man hold an air-dropped leaflet from an Israeli aircraft asking for info regarding hostages. October 24, 2023A man hold an air-dropped leaflet from an Israeli aircraft asking for info regarding hostages. October 24, 2023
Israel has frequently used leaflets to communicate information to Gazans during its military operationImage: Abed Zagout/Anadolu/picture alliance
“The Israeli military assures you that it will invest maximum effort in providing security for you and your home, and you will receive a financial reward. We guarantee you complete confidentiality,” the papers added, while providing phone numbers for Gazans to tip-off information.
The Israel Defense Forces confirmed the dropping of the leaflets on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
Earlier leaflets dropped by Israel have asked for Gazans to move the southern part of the Gaza Strip amid Israeli military operations against Hamas.
https://p.dw.com/p/4Xy1l
Copy link
Skip next section UN issues dire warnings on Gaza humanitarian crisis
3 hours ago3 hours ago
UN issues dire warnings on Gaza humanitarian crisis
The UN on Tuesday issued fresh warnings regarding Gaza’s humanitarian crisis, as Israel restricts food, electricity and fuel into the Gaza Strip.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said 46 out of 72 health care facilities have gone out of operation across Gaza. The facilities are not only impacted by a lack of electricity and fuel, but also Israeli airstrikes on Gaza.
Gaza has a population of some 2.2 million people.
WHO regional director Rick Brennan also detailed the precarious water shortage Gaza is facing.
Brennan said there are only three liters of water per person per day.
He said many Gazans are no longer getting a proper shower or bath and warned of the spread of disease.
Gaza: Doctors fear for premature newborns as blackouts loom
06:54
The UN said 54 trucks with aid have entered Gaza since Saturday, but said it is not enough.
Israel has ramped up military operations against Hamas since October 7, when Hamas carried out terror attacks on Israel. Those attacks left more than 1,400 people dead in Israel, with Hamas also taking more than 200 people hostage.
Hamas, which rules over the Gaza Strip, is considered a terrorist organization not only by Israel, but also the US, Germany, EU and others.
https://p.dw.com/p/4XxkJ
Copy link
Skip next section Macron calls for international coalition to defeat Hamas after meeting Netanyahu
6 hours ago6 hours ago
Macron calls for international coalition to defeat Hamas after meeting Netanyahu
France and Israel share terrorism as their “common enemy,” French President Emmanuel Macron said at a joint news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“You are not alone,” said Macron after a meeting with Netanyahu in Jerusalem.
Macron called for countries that fought against the so-called Islamic State terror group to fight Hamas terrorists, saying he proposes the “coalition against ‘Islamic State’ also fight Hamas.”
Hamas is considered a terrorist group by the EU, US, Israel and others.
Netanyahu stressed that the Israeli military would destroy Hamas and that Israelis would not live “under Hamas tyranny.”
Macron in his statement to the press also emphasized there ought to be a “decisive relaunch” of the Palestinian peace process.
“Stability of the Middle East will only be possible if Israel also allows for a political approach to the conflict with Palestinians.”
He warned Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, and its main backer, Iran, not to take the “risk of regional escalation.”
https://p.dw.com/p/4XwuH
Copy link
Skip next section Witnesses recount to DW the harrowing Hamas attack in Be’eri on the morning of October 7
6 hours ago6 hours ago
Witnesses recount to DW the harrowing Hamas attack in Be’eri on the morning of October 7
On October 7, Kibbutz Be’eri was one of the first Israeli communities Hamas terrorists attacked.
Over two weeks later, dozens of residents are still unaccounted for, and authorities have not yet identified all the bodies.
Emergency defenders recount the story of how Hamas terrorists went door to door to kill people.
DW’s Max Zander visited the kibbutz as part of an organized press tour.
Amid ruins of Kibbutz Be’eri, witnesses recount Hamas attack
04:20
https://p.dw.com/p/4XwtW
Copy link
Skip next section Freed Israeli hostage says she ‘went through hell’
7 hours ago7 hours ago
Freed Israeli hostage says she ‘went through hell’
Yocheved Lifshitz in a wheelchair in Ichilov hospital in Tel AvivYocheved Lifshitz in a wheelchair in Ichilov hospital in Tel Aviv
Yocheved Lifshitz spoke to reporters after receiving treatment following her ordeal in captivity in GazaImage: Jenny Yerushalmy/Ichilov hospital/AP/picture alliance
Freed hostage Yocheved Lifschitz spoke to reporters about her abduction by the Hamas militant group.
Lifschitz’s daughter helped recount her ordeal to reporters. The 85-year-old was released late last night by the Hamas terrorist group after being held captive for more than two weeks.
The “story is not over until everybody comes back,” she said, calling for all hostages to be released.
Lifschitz’s husband is among the Hamas hostages. Israeli authorities said 220 captives are still being held in Gaza.
She said Hamas brought her into Gaza on a motorbike, with the ride leading to bruises. She was hit with sticks. She said she went through hell and that she struggled to breathe.
But she added that the militants did not hurt her while being held captive. Everyone shared the same food, and she had a doctor visit her in captivity.
The militants had prepared this for a long time, she said, adding that hygiene was taken care of.
Lifschitz criticized the Israeli military for not taking security concerns seriously enough before Hamas militants rampaged through Israeli towns on October 7, killing 1,400 people.
https://p.dw.com/p/4Xwm8
Copy link
Skip next section World Bank president says there’s no more business as usual amid ongoing conflict
8 hours ago8 hours ago
World Bank president says there’s no more business as usual amid ongoing conflict
World Bank President Ajay Banga said the world was in a more dangerous place and that the Israel-Hamas conflict was a “serious” threat to economic development.
Banga was speaking to reporters at the Future Investment Initiative conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
“There is so much going on in the world and geopolitics in the wars that you’re seeing and what just happened recently in Israel and Gaza,” he said.
“At the end of the day, when you put all this together, I think the impact on economic development is even more serious,” he added.
https://p.dw.com/p/4XwhT
Copy link
Skip next section Gaza humanitarian situation ‘more critical by the hour,’ CARE country director says
9 hours ago9 hours ago
Gaza humanitarian situation ‘more critical by the hour,’ CARE country director says
The humanitarian situation in the besieged Gaza Strip is becoming “more and more critical by the hour,” said Hiba Tibi, country director for CARE in the Palestinian Territories.
Speaking to DW on Tuesday, Tibi said humanitarian workers in the blockaded enclave are counting the hours until the medical system goes out of service.
“As you can see in this image, we have been able to secure necessities for immediate requirements that are needed for survival and life-saving, and this includes water and food,” said Tibi, whose organization is among those facilitating the entry of aid trucks into Gaza.
Tibi addressed the shortage of fuel, an item not agreed upon as part of the aid allowed into the strip out of fear it would fall into the hands of militants. She said the minimal amount of fuel allowed into the strip for UN facilities had been restricted to those in the south and those benefiting from UN shelters.
“But there are many actors, many people who are civilians in the north and center who are not accessing the designated shelters by the UN,” Tibi said.
She also pointed to the shortage of clean drinking water, which has left people turning to contaminated water.
“We started to see signs of diseases, water-borne diseases like diarrhea, rash, even other diseases that are becoming more and more risky at the top of each hour,” Tibi said.
https://p.dw.com/p/4XwS5
Copy link
Skip next section France stands in solidarity with Israel’s fight against Hamas terror, Macron says
9 hours ago9 hours ago
France stands in solidarity with Israel’s fight against Hamas terror, Macron says
France will stand in solidarity with Israel in its fight against terrorism, President Emmanuel Macron said as he met with Israeli counterpart Isaac Herzog in Jerusalem.
“What happened will never be forgotten,” Macron said, referring to the October 7 terror attacks by the Islamist militant group Hamas on Israeli soil.
“I am here to express our solidarity,” Macron said. He added the “first objective now should be the release of all hostages, without distinction.”
Macron arrived in Tel Aviv early Tuesday and met with Israeli-French nationals who lost loved ones in the terror attacks of October 7, as well as families of hostages held by the Hamas terror group, at the Ben Gurion airport.
Macron arrived in Israel on Tuesday morning and is expected to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas later in the day, according to the Palestinian Authority. Elysee Palace is yet to confirm the meeting.
https://p.dw.com/p/4XwM6
Copy link
Skip next section Hostages released doing OK, chief nurse at Tel Aviv medical center tells DW
10 hours ago10 hours ago
Hostages released doing OK, chief nurse at Tel Aviv medical center tells DW
The two Israeli women, aged 79 and 85, who were released by Hamas militants after being held captive by the group for more than two weeks, are doing relatively well, according to the Israeli medical team.
The women were transferred to Egypt and handed to Israeli authorities. They were then taken immediately to the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center.
Eti Uziel, the chief nurse at the center, told DW that their “medical condition looked OK.”
The women were speaking with medical staff and had already seen their family members.
Hamas, which the US, EU, Israel and others have designated a terrorist organization, is still holding the women’s husbands captive.
Rebecca Ritters, DW Correspondent in Jerusalem, reported that one of the women released was a peace activist who had often helped Gazans.
It’s impossible to tell whether that could be the reason behind her release, Ritters said, but the woman was seen shaking the hand of one of the Hamas militants before she was returned to humanitarian workers.
Israel has amassed tanks and weapons at the border with Gaza as it prepares for an anticipated ground invasion in Gaza to stamp out Hamas militants.
The US, according to media reports, has been pressing the government to delay the anticipated ground invasion as it carries out negotiations to free the 220 hostages still held captive.
Hamas militant group releases two Israeli hostages
01:54
https://p.dw.com/p/4XwFl
Copy link
Skip next section Israel says more than 400 Hamas targets struck
11 hours ago11 hours ago
Israel says more than 400 Hamas targets struck
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed to have struck more than 400 “Hamas terror targets” overnight into Tuesday in a post on Telegram.
The IDF said their strikes killed “several Hamas commanders and numerous operatives preparing attacks.”
Separately, Hamas — designated a terrorist organization by the EU, US, Israel and others — said on Tuesday that more than 140 people had been killed in airstrikes, according to the French news agency AFP.
Neither report could be verified independently.
https://p.dw.com/p/4XwF1
Copy link
Skip next section Social media platforms failing to keep disinformation in check, expert tells DW
11 hours ago11 hours ago
Social media platforms failing to keep disinformation in check, expert tells DW
Social media platforms are not fully equipped to bear the responsibility of content moderation amid the ongoing hostilities between Israel and Hamas, said Caitlin Chin-Rothmann, an expert on technology and policy at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
She told DW that social media platforms are being flooded with information — and disinformation — and the platforms don’t have the resources to check the large amount of content. Much information about the Israel-Hamas conflict is also in languages other than English.
“Platforms are in a very difficult position partly due to the very, very large volume of information that’s flowing but also due to the fact that platforms are making real-time decisions in very short periods of time,” she said.
She explained that platforms are not operating with all the information they need, so it’s impossible for them to verify circulating claims. Social media companies are facing “both technical and normative challenges.”
The European Union has demanded social media platforms, like Meta, TikTok, and X, formerly known as Twitter, to detail their efforts to curb disinformation during the Israel-Hamas war.
However, both Hamas and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) also use alternative platforms such as Telegram, which is more popular outside the US and Western Europe but does very little content moderation.
