Israel-Hamas war highlights: Palestinians subjected to 56 years of suffocating occupation, says UN chief

Israel vowed again to destroy Hamas, rejecting calls from the UN chief, the Palestinians and many countries at a high-level UN meeting on Tuesday for a cease-fire and declaring that the war in Gaza is not only its war but “the war of the free world.”

"There's a crisis of confidence between (Israeli Prime Minister) Benjamin Netanyahu and the IDF (army)," noted editorial writer Nahum Barnea in the daily Yedioth Ahronoth.

"The government is having difficulties taking decisions that everyone agrees on about the top issues," he wrote.

According to government and military sources cited by Barnea, "Netanyahu is angry at the generals and blames them for what happened" during what Israelis are calling "the October 7 fiasco".

U.S. President Joe Biden and Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman held a call on Tuesday to discuss the war between Israel and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, the White House said in a statement.

They agreed on pursuing broader diplomatic efforts "to maintain stability across the region and prevent the conflict from expanding," the White House said, adding the two leaders will remain in close coordination directly and through their teams over the coming period.

A ceasefire in Gaza would only help Hamas, the White House said Tuesday, as Israel wages an air campaign against the militant group that carried out an unprecedented attack on the country earlier this month.

"A ceasefire right now really only benefits Hamas," National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told journalists.

Maisa Abdel Hadi, a leading Arab Israeli actor has been detained on suspicion of "incitement to terrorism" over a social media post about the Hamas attack on October 7, Reuters reports, citing her lawyer and the police.

Hadi allegedly posted a picture of a bulldozer breaching the fence between the Gaza Strip and Israel during the October 7 attack.

At least 100 people were arrested in Egypt after taking part in pro-Palestinian demonstrations late last week, though some have subsequently been released, Reuters reported, citing the lawyers working on the cases.

State-approved protests against Israel's military campaign in the Gaza Strip were held at several locations in Cairo and elsewhere in Egypt on Friday.

Guterres says that the aid entering Gaza is a “drop of aid in an ocean of need”. He adds that the aid must be delivered to Gazans without any restrictions.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said that the attack by Hamas on Israeli towns "did not happen in vacuum", Reuters reported. "Palestinians have been subjected to 56 years of suffocating occupation," he added.

Israel's military has dropped leaflets in Gaza on Tuesday, urging Palestinians to give them information about hostages being held by Hamas and offering them protection and a reward, Reuters reported.

"If your will is to live in peace and to have a better future for your children, do the humanitarian deed immediately and share verified and valuable information about hostages being held in your area," the military said in the leaflet.

Israel prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that Hamas' attack on the country was “the worst terrorist attack the world has known since 9/11” during a joint press conference with French president Emmanuel Macron.

“It was the worst terrorist attack the world has known since 9/11, but for Israel, proportionately, it was like twenty 9/11s. It was the worst act of antisemitic violence since the Holocaust…" he says. Read more.

The Kremlin has brushed off suggestions that Israel was disappointed with Russia's response to its war with Hamas, according to Reuters. It also reiterated its call for both sides to agree to a ceasefire at the earliest opportunity and to work for a peace settlement.

The Gaza health ministry says that at least 704 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli airstrikes in the last 24 hours, according to Reuters.

This takes the toll of Palestinians killed to 5,791, including 2,360 children, since October 7.

French President Emmanuel Macron is calling the international coalition fighting the Islamic State group to be expanded “to also fight Hamas” after its attack on Israel on October 7, reported Reuters.

Macron, speaking after talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, said that countries fighting Islamic State “should also fight against Hamas.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that after the war no one will live under Hamas' tyranny. He also warned that the war might take time, according to Reuters.

Yocheved Lifshitz, an elderly Israeli hostage, who was released by Hamas overnight said that she was beaten by militants initially but was then “well-treated” during her two-week captivity in Gaza. She also said that taken into tunnels inside Gaza which looked like ‘spiderwebs’

The 85-year-old was one of two women freed by Hamas on Monday night. More on what she said here.

World Bank president Ajay Banga has said that the Israel-Hamas war could prove to be a serious blow to the global economy and its development.

During an investor conference in Saudi Arabia, he said the world is at a "very dangerous juncture".

"What just happened recently in Israel and Gaza -- at the end of the day you put all this together, I think the impact on economic development is even more serious," he said. Read more.

Israel has escalated its bombardment of targets in the Gaza Strip, news agency Reuters has reported citing the military.

Israel said it had launched 400 airstrikes over the past day, killing Hamas commanders. The previous day, Israel reported 320 strikes.

French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Israel on Tuesday. He first met the families of those killed in the October 7 attack at Tel Aviv airport and later met Israel's President Isaac Herzog in Jerusalem.

He said that France stands "shoulder to shoulder" with Israel and that the first objective should be to free hostages in Gaza. Read further.

Junior British finance minister Victoria Atkins has told Times Radio that at least 10 UK nationals have been killed in the conflict between Israel and Hamas since October 7. Six remain missing.

France's President Emmanuel Macron said on a solidarity visit to Israel on Tuesday that releasing hostages held by Hamas must be the "first objective" of the war in Gaza.

"The first objective we should have today is the release of all hostages, without any distinction, because this is an awful crime to play with the lives of children, adults, old people, civilians and soldiers," Macron said after meeting Israel's President Isaac Herzog. Macron added that the campaign must be fought without "enlarging this conflict."

Israel shouldn't have been given a green light for unconditional killing, Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani said on Tuesday during this annual speech to open the Gulf Arab state's advisory Shura council. The Emir's remark plays a significant role in the Israel-Hamas conflict as Qatar is on the forefront of the negotiations that are being carried out to release the hostages ensnared by Hamas in Gaza. The emirate boasts good relations with both the West and the Gazan Islamist group. Read more

Qatar's ruling emir said Israel should not be given a green light for unconditional killing

Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, in his annual speech to open the Gulf Arab state's advisory Shura council, said the fighting between Israel and Hamas was a dangerous escalation that threatened the region and the world.

He added that Qatar will use conservative energy pricing in its general budget.

Gaza's Hamas government said Tuesday that Israeli air strikes on the besieged territory during the night killed at least 140 people.

A statement from the government's media office said "more than 140 people were martyred and hundreds wounded in massacres committed by the occupation (Israel) raids".

Gaza's rulers say more than 5,000 people have been killed in the territory since their gunmen attacked Israel on October 7, killing at least 1,400 people.

Al-Qassam, Hamas' military wing, released a video of two elderly people being freed from over a two-week captivity since the Islamist group launched a surprise attack on Israel during the intervening night of Shabbat, Jewish weekend holiday. In the fresh video clip, both hostages Nurit Cooper and Yocheved Lifshitz were seen being handed over to the Red Cross. Read more

United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) President Dennis Francis on Tuesday informed that he will convene the UNGA Emergency special session on October 26 as he received the request letter from the Permanent Representative of Jordan and many others to resume the 10th emergency special session as soon as possible.

In a press statement from the UNGA President, he said, "I have the honour to inform you that I have received the attached letter dated 19 October 2023 from H.E. Mr. Mahmoud Hmoud, Permanent Representative of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and H.E. Mr. Sidi Mohamed Laghdaf, Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, in their respective capacities as Chair of the Arab Group and Chair of the Organization for Islamic Cooperation, requesting the resumption of the tenth emergency special session of the General Assembly as rapidly as possible."

The release added, "Additionally, I have received a letter from the Permanent Representatives of the Republic of Nicaragua, the Russian Federation, and Charge d'affaires of the Syrian Arab Republic, as well as a letter from the Permanent Representatives of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, the Kingdom of Cambodia, the Republic of Indonesia, the Lao People's Democratic Republic, Malaysia, the Republic of Maldives, the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam, and the Charge d'affaires of Brunei Darussalam, related to the same matter, as attached."

He also stated that, "In this regard, I have the further honour to inform you that, in accordance with resolution ES-10/20 of 13 June 2018, I will convene the 39th plenary meeting of the tenth emergency special session of the General Assembly on Thursday, 26 October 2023, at 10.00 a.m, at the General Assembly Hall, UN Headquarters, New York."