10/29/2023 – 20:51
Amid international concern about the situation of civilians in Gaza, Israel announced the reopening of another water pipeline and permission for humanitarian aid to enter Gaza, which returned to internet after a blackout. Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan announced this Sunday (29/10) that the court investigates violations related to the terrorist attacks committed by Hamas against Israel, in addition to analyzing events in Gaza and the West Bank until 2014.
Khan was at the Rafah crossing, on the border with Egypt, where he recorded a statement in which he stated that obstructing the delivery of supplies to civilians in the Gaza Strip could constitute a war crime. Earlier in Cairo, he declared that Israel must make “discernible efforts” to ensure civilian access to food and medicine.
“There must be no impediment to humanitarian aid directed to civilians. They are innocent”, he reiterated in a message published on X, formerly Twitter.
International pressure amid the escalating crisis in Gaza
In the morning, the United Nations (UN) reported that warehouses and distribution centers maintained by the organization in Gaza were invaded by people in search of food.
Amid growing international pressure, Israel announced that it would allow more humanitarian aid into the territory in the coming days and the opening of a second water supply line that had been closed at the start of the conflict.
In making the statement, a military spokesman for the country denied, however, that there is a shortage of food and medicine, claiming that supplies are being controlled by Hamas.
Also on Sunday, United States President Joe Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, highlighting Israel’s right to self-defense in a “manner consistent with international humanitarian law, prioritizing the protection of civilians” and the need to “immediately increase the flow of humanitarian assistance to meet the needs of civilians in Gaza.”
Biden sent a similar message to Egypt, opposing the possible displacement of Palestinians, which worries the country.
Earlier, another White House emissary, Jake Sullivan, stated that the fact that Hamas uses civilians as human shields “does not diminish their responsibility [Israel] under international law to do everything in their power to protect civilians.”
In the evening, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (an arm of the Red Cross) stated that its teams in Gaza received 24 trucks worth of supplies through the Rafah crossing. To the Associated Press news agency, an Egyptian official reported that 33 vehicles loaded with supplies entered the territory.
Brazil convenes new Security Council meeting
Last Friday, amid reports of the deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Gaza, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly approved, by a large majority, a non-binding resolution calling for an “immediate humanitarian truce” to guarantee humanitarian assistance. Palestinian civilians besieged in the enclave.
The gesture was met with indignation by Israeli diplomats, who criticized the lack of a condemnation of Hamas. Hours later, Gaza was left without internet and telephone signals – the signal began to be reestablished this Sunday – and the military expanded the attack against Hamas, expanding “ground operations” and inaugurating the “second phase” of what the Prime Minister Israeli, Benjamin Netanyahu, called it a “war of independence” over Israel’s existence.
On Sunday, the military reportedly dropped leaflets over Gaza instructing civilians on how to “surrender.” “Hamas leaders are exploiting you”, says the text in Arabic. “They and their families are in safe places while you die in vain.”
At the end of its presidency of the UN Security Council, Brazil is trying to negotiate another resolution – this one with a binding nature – for the crisis in Gaza, calling a new emergency meeting of the council for Monday afternoon, reported columnist Jamil Chade, from UOL. Previous efforts in this direction were vetoed by the United States and Russia.
International concern about the humanitarian situation in Gaza
Bombs have been raining on the enclave since Israel declared war on Hamas and imposed a strict siege in response to the terrorist acts of October 7, when members of the radical Islamic group that controls the Palestinian territory massacred around 1,400 people and kidnapped more than 200 others. .
Israel has also been under constant fire since then, but has managed to intercept most of the attacks – which have come not only from Gaza, but also from the borders with Lebanon and Syria.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have called on civilians to “temporarily” leave northern Gaza, where the military has concentrated its operations. Israeli intelligence alleges that Hamas has sabotaged these efforts, while some residents ignore the pleas claiming they have nowhere safe to go.
Some sought shelter in hospitals, such as Al-Quds, whose surroundings were bombed this Sunday, according to reports. Medical teams remained on site because they were unable to transfer patients in a delicate situation.
Israel says Hamas hides behind civilian infrastructure and deliberately uses innocent people as human shields. The group maintains an extensive network of tunnels underground in Gaza and is accused of diverting humanitarian support to the region for its own benefit.
On the Palestinian side, the conflict has so far claimed, according to information from authorities in Gaza, more than 8,000 victims – this data cannot be independently verified.
Jews and Palestinians have been the target of animosity since the outbreak of the conflict
In the West Bank, local vehicles report that there have been clashes between Jews settled there and Palestinians. Ultra-right leader and Israeli Interior Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has waved free weapons to Israelis living in the region and border areas. An Israeli was preventively arrested by authorities on Saturday night, according to the Times of Israel, on suspicion of committing attacks against Palestinians.
In Russia, in the Dagestan region, local vehicles reported that Makhachkala airport was closed by police after a crowd tried to invade a plane coming from Tel Aviv while chanting anti-Semitic slogans.
Three million people live in Dagestan, the majority of them Muslim, but the region is home to around 400 Jewish families, who are now considering moving.
ra (AP, Reuters, ots)
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