Global Courant
As the conflict between Israel and Gaza enters its 18th day, these are the most important developments.
Here is the situation on Tuesday, October 24, 2023:
Latest developments
The death toll in Gaza has officially surpassed 5,000. Hamas has released two elderly Israeli prisoners who are resting in a Tel Aviv hospital while their spouses remain held in Gaza. One of Gaza’s remaining medical facilities, the Indonesian hospital, was closed and plunged into darkness overnight. Although power was restored Tuesday morning, it is unclear how long the fuel supply will last. In another deadly overnight attack, Israel bombed the Al-Shati refugee camp in northern Gaza. With many still trapped under the rubble, the death toll is unclear. Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari said Israel had attacked more than 400 targets in the past day, including mosques. Hagari claimed that Israel had attacked Hamas’ “operational headquarters” and killed at least three of the group’s deputy commanders.
Human impact and fighting
Israeli airstrikes late Monday night and before dawn Tuesday killed at least 140 people across the Gaza Strip. The bombings in Khan Younis also injured 80 people, medical sources told WAFA, while airstrikes also caused an explosion at a gas station in Khan Younis, killing at least 14 people. Israeli airstrikes on Tel al-Hawa in Gaza killed Palestinian journalist Roshdi Sarraj, making him the 23rd journalist killed in the Israel-Gaza war. Prisoners held in Gaza will not stop Israel from launching a ground invasion, Israel’s energy minister said. Amid fighting between Israeli forces and Hezbollah fighters at the Lebanon-Israel border, around 19,000 people have been internally displaced in Lebanon since October 8, according to the United Nations migration agency.
Escalation in the occupied West Bank
A senior Hamas leader, Omar Daraghmeh, who was arrested in the occupied West Bank, has died in custody. Hamas and Islamic Jihad have claimed it was an assassination attempt, while protests against him erupt in Tubas and Ramallah. As overnight raids and arrests continued in the West Bank, another senior Hamas leader, Adnan Hamarsheh, was dragged into an Israeli vehicle from his home near Jenin. One Israeli soldier was injured in the raids, the Israeli military said.
Diplomacy
French President Emmanuel Macron has landed in Tel Aviv. He previously laid out his agenda for the visit, showing solidarity with Israel and making clear his commitments against terrorist groups. Macron said he would also call for the creation of a Palestinian state and an end to Israeli settlements in the West Bank. The United Nations General Assembly will convene an emergency special session on Thursday to address the “grave situation” in Palestine. In a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, US President Joe Biden said the flow of aid to Gaza must continue. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called his Israeli and Palestinian counterparts, emphasizing China’s position on finding a solution for peace and reiterating the call to adhere to international humanitarian law. Wang will also visit the US this week. Former US President Barack Obama posted a statement on the Medium blog condemning Hamas, supporting Israel’s right to defend itself and warning that Israel’s siege of Gaza could “harden Palestinian attitudes for generations to come.”
