Israeli troops, backed by fighter jets and drones, once again carried out an incursion into Gazan soil on October 27 to attack specific Hamas targets; a possible prelude to its announced ground offensive. All while the incessant bombings claim the lives of thousands in the enclave: 7,326 civilians, including more than 3,000 children, according to the latest update from local authorities. Food, water and fuel are running out, warns the UN. Hamas, for its part, warns that it will not release more kidnapped people until a ceasefire is established.
Israel extends its ground offensives in Gaza. This time, the Army stated that its troops entered the center of the enclave, after a series of similar actions in the north in recent days that, according to the military power, are brief and target specific Hamas targets.
Although the United States and Arab countries urge the Israeli Army to delay its announced large-scale ground operation to avoid a broader conflict in the region, tensions are already rising in the Middle East. This Friday, the United States bombed positions linked to Iran in Syria and a missile hit a town in the Red Sea, near the border with Israel.
Here the main news of the day:
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8:20 (BOG) EU Council approves proposal for a Middle East peace conference
The Council of the European Union accepted Spain’s proposal to hold a peace conference in about six months on the conflict between Israel and Hamas, announced the President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez.
At a meeting of the bloc’s 27 governments, Spain had pushed for the EU to demand an immediate ceasefire, but some countries opposed it, Sánchez said at a news conference in Brussels.
Instead, member states agreed to call for “humanitarian pauses” and the opening of aid corridors for Gaza civilians, as a way to reach consensus.
Madrid peace conference proposal includes renewed push for two-state solutionhighlighted Sánchez.
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8:01 (BOG) Protests in Europe, Arab countries and Asia in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza
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7:31 (BOG) Macron announces “humanitarian coalition” for Palestinian civilians
French President Emmanuel Macron announced that the action will be supported by some European countries, in particular Cyprus and Greece, to help the civilian populations of Gaza.
“We are going to build a humanitarian coalition with several European countries, in particular Cyprus, which will serve as a rear base for this humanitarian maritime corridor. We are holding talks in this regard (…) Greece is also willing to send teams,” said the president. at a press conference in Brussels after the European Council discussions.
This week, during his visit to Israel, Macron also proposed an “international military coalition”, similar to the one deployed in Iraq and Syria against the self-proclaimed Islamic State, to combat Hamas.
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7:17 (BOG) 10 trucks with humanitarian aid enter Gaza
A medical team and 10 trucks carrying humanitarian aid entered the Gaza Strip through the Rafah crossing on the border with Egypt, a Palestinian border official told Reuters.
“This Friday morning, a delegation composed of 10 foreign doctors entered, in addition to 10 trucks that entered the Gaza Strip through the Rafah land crossing, transporting water, food and medicine,” the official explained.
The information was also confirmed by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which noted that it includes “war surgery kits for between 1,000 and 5,000 people.”
Our convoy passed Rafah crossing into #Loop.
We are bringing in medical staff, including a war surgery team, alongside 6 trucks with urgent humanitarian aid:
📦 Medical materials
🏥 War surgery kits for 1000 to 5000 people
🚰 Water purification for 50,000L of drinking water pic.twitter.com/JvWVhZnPZ0— ICRC (@ICRC) October 27, 2023
This delivery brings to 84 the number of trucks that have arrived at the enclave with basic survival elements since the war began on October 7 and since they began to make the passage of this type of aid more flexible on October 21.
But this is “a drop in the ocean” of needs, compared to the nearly 500 trucks that entered daily with supplies before the ongoing conflict, the UN notes.
There is still no agreement to bring fuel to Gaza. Several hospitals have stopped functioning due to the lack of this resource, crucial for the generation of electrical energy in that territory.
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6:48 (BOG) UN: “Basic services are collapsing” in the enclave
“Basic services are collapsing. The medicines are running out. Food and water are running out. The streets of Gaza have begun to flood with sewage (…) Gaza is on the verge of a huge health danger as the risk of disease is imminent“said Philippe Lazzarini, commissioner general of the United Nations Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), in Jerusalem.
Lazzarini stated that due to the shortage, UNRWA was forced to “drastically” limit fuel consumption. “Our team had to make difficult decisions that no humanitarian worker should have to make (…) What needs more support? Bakeries, water station? Life support machines in the hospital? All of this needs fuel to work,” he explained.
Earlier this week, Israel insisted it would not allow fuel in, arguing that Hamas had stolen fuel from the UN to use for military purposes.
However, Lazzarini rejected that version. “It pains me that humanitarian aid, a very basic right of people, is constantly questioned, while at the same time desperation is broadcast live under our watch,” he stressed.
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6:25 (BOG) “Severe fuel shortages” in Gaza put food supplies at risk
The UN World Food Program (WFP) said a “severe fuel shortage” could force it to stop providing emergency food aid to thousands of displaced families in the besieged Gaza Strip.
“Only two of our contracted bakeries have fuel to produce bread at the moment and tomorrow there could be none (…) This would be a terrible blow for the thousands of families living in shelters and who depend on the daily supply of bread,” said the WFP representative, Samer Abdeljaber.
The official also highlighted that “essential food products are quickly running out of stores in Gaza” as they cannot be replenished “due to road damage, security concerns and fuel shortages.”
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6:10 (BOG) The death toll in Gaza rises to 7,326 since October 7
Among the fatalities after more than two weeks of Israeli air strikes on Gaza territory are 3,038 childrenaccording to the update from the enclave’s Ministry of Health communicated in the last few hours.
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5:45 (BOG) Hamas warns that releasing more hostages requires a ceasefire
Abu Hamid, a member of the Hamas delegation that met in Russia on Thursday with members of Vladimir Putin’s government, linked the release of hostages held by his movement in Gaza with a ceasefire in that territory.
Quoted by Russian newspaper Kommersant, Hamid said a “calm environment” was needed to free more hostages, repeating the claim that “almost 50” of the hostages have been killed amid Israeli airstrikes. The attacks began more than two weeks ago in response to the bloody attack by the Islamist movement that left 1,400 dead on Israeli soil.
The man added that Hamas – which has so far freed four of those kidnapped – had made clear from the early days of the war that it intended to free “civilian prisoners.”
Moscow assured that during the visit of the delegation, strongly rejected by Israel, which even asked that it be expelled, it pressed for the release of the more than 200 people kidnapped and transferred to Gaza during the October 7 attack.
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5:33 (BOG) Israeli ground troops carry out new incursion into Gaza
Israeli forces, backed by fighter jets and drones, carried out another ground incursion into Gaza during the early hours of October 27, while ensuring that they are preparing for a massive ground incursion.
This time, according to the military institution, its troops entered the center of the Palestinian enclave. In recent days, Israel reported similar operations in the northern Gaza Strip.
“The IDF (Israel Defense Forces) carried out attacks against Hamas terrorist targets over the past 24 hours. IDF ground troops, fighter jets and unmanned aerial vehicles attacked:anti-tank missile launch sites, command and control centers, and Hamas terrorist operations”, assured the military institution.
OPERATIONAL UPDATE: The IDF conducted strikes on Hamas terrorist targets over the last 24 hours.
IDF ground troops, fighter jets and UAVs struck:
🔴 Anti-tank missile launch sites
🔴 Command & control centers
🔴 Hamas terrorist operationsThe troops exited the area and did not… pic.twitter.com/yNdiY6XTby
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) October 27, 2023
The IDF added that its soldiers left the area without any injuries reported in its ranks.
With Reuters, AP and local media
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