Israel-Hamas War Highlights: US will provide $100m in humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in Gaza & West Bank

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On posts regarding the crisis between Israel and Hamas, Meta Platforms, the company that owns Facebook, on Wednesday adopted temporary safeguards to block "potentially unwelcome or unwanted comments."
In an updated blog post, Meta said that it will modify the default option for anyone who may comment on new and public Facebook posts produced by users "in the region" to just their friends and followers.

Sirens sounding in Tel Aviv and across central Israel

President Biden announced that the United States is providing $100 million in humanitarian assistance for the Palestinian people in Gaza and the West Bank. This funding will help support over a million displaced and conflict-affected people with clean water, food, hygiene support, medical care, and other essential needs. The United States provides humanitarian assistance through trusted partners including UN agencies and international NGOs.

White House says current assessment is Israel was 'not responsible' for Gaza hospital blast; still collecting evidence, reports AP

The U.S and Israeli embassies in Argentina were evacuated on Wednesday following two bomb threats received via email, local media sites Clarin and La Nacion reported.

Anti-bomb squads were reported on the scene. (Reuters)

Joe Biden, the US president, and Antony Blinken, the secretary of state, have gotten aboard Air Force One after meeting Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel.

The two are making their way from Tel Aviv back to Washington.

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According to the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel would let Egypt to send the Gaza Strip a limited amount of humanitarian supplies.

According to a statement, the choice was made in response to a request from visiting US President Joe Biden.

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US President Joe Biden says, "Today, I'm also announcing 100 Million dollars in new US funding for humanitarian assistance in both Gaza and the West Bank..."

US President Joe Biden says, "The people of Gaza need food, water, medicine, shelter. Today, I asked the Israeli cabinet to agree to the delivery of life-saving humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza...and the aid should go to civilians, not to Hamas. Israel agreed that the humanitarian assistance can begin to move from Egypt to Gaza. If Hamas diverts or steals the assistance they will have demonstrated once again that they have no concern for the welfare of the Palestinian people..and it will stop the international community from being able to provide this aid..."

In Tel Aviv, US President Joe Biden says, "...My administration is in close touch with your leadership from the first moment since this attack. We are going to make sure you have what you need to protect your people, to defend your nation. For decades, we have ensured Israel's qualitative military edge. Later this week, I am going to ask US Congress for unprecedented support package for Israel's defence. We are going to keep Iron Dome fully supplied...We move US military assets to the region, including positioning the USS Ford carrier strike group in the Eastern Mediterranean, with USS Eisenhower on the way to deter, defer further aggression against Israel and to prevent this conflict from spreading."

US vetoes UN resolution condemning Hamas attacks on Israel and all violence against civilians and urging aid for Gaza, reports AP

In Tel Aviv, US President Joe Biden says, "Terrorists believe they could bring you down, bend your will, break your resolve but they never did and they never will. Instead, we saw incredible stories of heroism, courage, Israelis taking care of one another..."

United Nations Security Council (UNSC) meeting underway to address the situation in the Middle East, including the latest Israel-Palestine conflict.

US President Joe Biden says, "Scores of innocents from infants to elderly grandparents, Israelis and Americans, taken hostage. Children slaughtered, babies slaughtered, entire families massacred, raped, beheaded, bodies burned alive. Mass committed atrocities, that recall the worst ravages of ISIS unleashing pure unadulterated evil upon the world. There's no rationalizing it. No excusing it..."

In Tel Aviv, US President Joe Biden says, "The State of Israel was born to be a safe place for Jewish people of the world. That's why it was born. Long said, if Israel didn't exist we would have to invent it. While it may not feel that way today, Israel must again be a safe place for the Jewish people. I promise you, we will do everything in our power to make sure that it will be."

According to French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, there have already been 24 French nationals killed in Hamas strikes in Israel.

Turkey will declare three days' of national mourning over Gaza hospital strike, official tells AFP.

BRS is being run by the BJP and Narendra Modi. BRS is neck deep in corruption and involved in land mafia, sand mafia, mine mafia and wine mafia: Priyanka Gandhi

Gas cylinder in the state will be available at Rs 500 in the state and girl students will be given scooters after attaining age of 18 years: Priyanka Gandhi

18 percent reservation to be given to SC and 12 percent reservation to be given to ST: Priyanka Gandhi

Land, and 6 lakh rupees to be given to homeless people from SC and ST communities: Priyanka Gandhi

Farmers will be given a financial assistance of Rs 15,000 per acre and people registered under MGNREGA will receive an annual assistance of Rs 12,000: Priyanka Gandhi

Special Gulf Cell will be established in Telangana for people who aspire to work in countries like Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates: Priyanka Gandhi in Telangana

Government job will be given to a family member of the martyrs of Telangana Movement, besides Rs 25,000 pension to parents. 2 lakh vacancies to be filled within one year. Rs 4,000 as monthly assistance to be given to unemployed youth: Priyanka Gandhi

40 lakh people in Telanagana are unemployed and BRS has failed to deliver on the ground. Institutes like Osamania University don't have teaching faculty. The government remained interest in establishing private colleges and universities: Priyanka Gandhi

US announces sanctions against a group of 10 Hamas members and its financial network in response to its Israel attack, reports AP.

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On Wednesday, Israel claimed to have evidence that it was not responsible for the explosion that killed over 500 people, including children, the elderly, and hospital personnel, at the Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City.

According to Reuters, the US has imposed terrorism-related sanctions against nine people and one organisation associated with Hamas. The announcement was made public on the website of the US Department of Treasury.

Turkey is in talks with the Palestinian militant group Hamas to secure the release of hostages it seized in Israel and took to Gaza, but there "is nothing concrete" for now, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan was cited as saying on Wednesday.

Fidan said on Tuesday that Ankara was discussing the release of foreigners, civilians, and children held by Hamas, and added "many countries" had asked for Turkey's help in facilitating the release of their citizens. (Reuters)

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said on Wednesday that Egyptians in their millions would reject the forced displacement of Palestinians into Sinai, adding that any such move would turn the peninsula into a base for attacks against Israel.

The Gaza Strip is effectively under Israeli control and Palestinians could instead be moved to Israel's Negev desert "till the militants are dealt with", Sisi told a joint news conference in Cairo with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. (Reuters)

The French Foreign ministry said on Wednesday it was advising its citizens against any travel to Lebanon, unless impossible otherwise, given the "security tensions in the region, especially at the southern border of Lebanon.

On Iran Envoy to India Iraj Elahi's statement that "Iran played no role in Hamas attack on Israel", Israel's Deputy head of mission to India Ohad Nakash Kaynar says, "He is representative of a regime that murders his own people and mass. He is not the one to criticize us and he's not a valid source of anything. And if there's something that we've learned recently, and especially this last night, we need to look extensively at what we're seeing and hearing before we rush to conclusions. He is an ambassador of a state that since 1979 has vowed to destroy us, that has armed three terror organizations on our borders... But when we say that their hand is in everything, their hand is in everything, from planning, from the targeting, from the arming, every single portion...They are doing everything around us to make sure that Israelis and Jews die. And it's a clear, clear hand of Iran. It's not a mistaken hand..."

In a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday in Tel Aviv, US President Joe Biden said that Washington would give Israel everything it needed to defend itself. He also appeared to accept Israel's claim that a blast at a hospital in Gaza was caused by a botched Palestinian rocket launch.

He described himself as "sad and outraged" following the explosion at a hospital in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, which according to Hamas resulted in hundreds of fatalities.

“Based on what I’ve seen, it appears as though it was done by the other team, not you. But there’s a lot of people out there not sure, so we’ve got to overcome a lot of things,” Biden told the Israeli PM.

Members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) should impose an oil embargo and other sanctions on Israel and expel all Israeli ambassadors, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said on Wednesday.

An urgent meeting of the OIC is taking place in the Saudi city of Jeddah to discuss the escalating Israeli-Palestinian conflict, after a blast at a Gaza hospital late on Tuesday killed large numbers of Palestinians. (Reuters)

Cabinet approves Rs 20,774 crore for 5GW capacity transmission line to evacuate electricity from Leh solar power park to the main national grid in Haryana. Of the total cost, Rs 8,309 crore will be in the form of Central grant. The rest will be arranged by Power Grid. The project will be completed in the next seven years.

The combined cost of hike in both Dearness Allowance and Dearness Relief would be Rs 12,857 crore per year. This will benefit about 48.67 lakh Central Government employees and 67.95 lakh pensioners.

"We started various proggrammes which has resulted in the success of crop production. The food grain production has increased by 31% in the last eight years," says Union minister Anurag Thakur in a cabinet briefing.

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Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Anurag Thakur: Union Cabinet approves 78 days worth of productivity-linked bonus for non-gazetted railway staff. This will cost Rs 1,969 crore.

Union Cabinet approves 4 percent hike in dearness allowance for central government employees and dearness relief for pensioners from July 1, 2023.

A massive fire broke out at Koramangala cafe in Bengaluru. Fire tenders are present at the spot. Further details are awaited.

Roberta Metsola, president of the European parliament, said that “the devastation of a hospital is horrific and unjustifiable, and we must ensure we continue to shed light on what happened. As the tragedy in the Middle East continues to unfold, it is once again the innocent who are forced to pay the price. We must remain clear that protecting civilian lives must keep being a priority. We cannot lose sight of the humanitarian consequences.”

Gaza conflict: US President Joe Biden held a joint press conference with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In the press conference, Biden slammed Hamas saying that it 'slaughtered more than 1,300 people, including 31 Americans'. He accused Hamas of atrocities that 'make ISIS look more rational'. Biden saddened and outraged by Gaza hospital explosion. Biden said "from what he has seen hospital explosion caused by the other side".

Israel Gaza War: The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain have condemned the "Israeli" attack. Morocco and Egypt too blamed it for the attack. Saudi Arabia called the blast a "heinous crime committed by the Israeli occupation forces". Jordan said Israel "bears responsibility for this grave incident" while Qatar, which has close ties to Hamas, slammed the "brutal massacre".

"Deeply shocked at the tragic loss of lives at the Al Ahli Hospital in Gaza. Our heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims, and prayers for speedy recovery of those injured. Civilian casualties in the ongoing conflict are a matter of serious and continuing concern," said PM Modi in a tweet.

The Israeli military has cocluded that the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) group was responsible for the blast at Al Ahli hospital in Gaza City. The IDF chief spokesman, Rear Adm Daniel Hagari, stated that an immediate review was conducted, involving all relevant branches of the IDF, BBC reported.
According to their findings, a barrage of rockets was initially fired by Hamas towards Israel at 18:15 local time on October 17, before the hospital blast. Subsequently, at 18:59, PIJ launched approximately 10 rockets from a nearby cemetery. Simultaneously, an explosion was reported at the hospital in Gaza City.

Jordan has cancelled a summit with US President Joe Biden and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi after a blast rocked Al Ahli hospital in Gaza City.

Hamas said the Israeli military was responsible for the strike. The strike has killed at least 500 people.

The hospital blast in Gaza has sparked widespread condemnation and protests in various parts of the world, including the occupied West Bank. Many world leaders and international organisations have expressed their concern and called for an investigation into the incident.

UN chief urges for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire”.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Israel must give satellite images to prove that it was not involved in the Gaza hospital attack.

US President Biden expected to touch down in Tel Aviv at 07:00 GMT (12.30 pm, Indian time), where he will meet PM Netanyahu in a high-stakes visit.

Israel has again called on residents in Gaza City and in the northern part of the besieged enclave to evacuate to the south.

U.S. President Joe Biden will pose "tough questions" in meetings with Israeli leaders during a Middle East trip that has been upended by a strike on a Gaza hospital on Tuesday in which hundreds of Palestinians were killed.

Biden is flying to Israel to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and show U.S. support in the aftermath of an attack on Israeli villages and military bases by Gaza-based Hamas gunmen that killed hundreds of people on Oct. 7.

Israeli military today claimed to have eliminateed Muhammad Alwadia, the commander of the anti-tank system of the Gaza City Brigade of the terrorist organization Hamas. "In addition, Akram Hijaz, a dealer in weapons, a dealer in terrorist funds and a coordinator of attacks in Israel and an active member of the Hamas naval system, was eliminated," Israeli Air Force said in a tweet.

Chinese property developer Country Garden Holdings is just hours away from defaulting on $11 billion in overseas debt. It has yet to make a coupon payment due to bond investors on October 18.

China's property sector makes up about a quarter of the world's second largest economy, and a default would deepen the crisis roiling the sector.

Default on Country Garden's overseas debt will be deemed if it fails to make the $15 million payment by midnight in New York (0400 GMT).

Israel Hamas War: The unprecedented Oct. 7 Hamas attack that killed over 1,300 Israelis and stunned the country was the result of a failure by Israel’s intelligence community and military, the nation's miliary intelligence chief said. “We did not fulfill our most important mission, and as the head of the Intelligence Directorate, I take full responsibility for the failure,” Gen. Aharon Haliva, the intelligence chief, wrote in a letter to the Israeli military. “The things that need to be investigated will be thoroughly investigated at the proper time, and conclusions will be drawn.” Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar sent a similar admission to workers at the security service over the weekend, taking responsibility for the stunning operational failures and weaknesses that allowed Hamas to carry out its attack.

China's Country Garden said in a statement to Reuters on Wednesday it expects that it will not be able to meet all of its offshore debt obligations. It added it hopes to seek a holistic solution to resolve its existing difficulties.

The Palestinain Islamic Jihad group denied Israel’s claim that it was behind the deadly blast at Al-Ahli hospital. It accused Israel of “trying hard to evade responsibility for the brutal massacre it committed.”

“The accusations promoted by the enemy are baseless,” Islamic Jihad said, adding that the group “does not use places of worship or public facilities, especially hospitals, as military centres or weapons stores.”

The group said details such as “the angle of the bomb’s fall and the extent of destruction it left behind” confirm it was similar to Israeli strikes.

The Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations, Riyad Mansour, also denied Israel’s claim, calling it “lies.”

Israel Hamas War: The UN Security Council scheduled a Wednesday vote on a resolution that initially condemned "the heinous terrorist attacks by Hamas" on Israel as well as all violence against civilians, while calling for "humanitarian pauses" to deliver desperately needed aid to millions in Gaza.

Israel Hamas War News: The U.N. agency for Palestinians says at least six people were killed when one of its schools in central Gaza Strip was hit Tuesday. Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA Commissioner General, said dozens of people were also injured, including agency staff, when the UNRWA school in the al-Maghazi refugee camp came under bombardment. He said the school -- which has served as a shelter for some 4,000 displaced people since the latest hostilities began -- is seriously damaged.

Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi announced the cancellation of a planned summit in Amman that was set to include US President Joe Biden and the Egyptian and Palestinian leaders due to the ongoing situation in Gaza, Reuters reported.
Safadi emphasized that the meeting would be convened at a time when all parties can unite to halt the ongoing conflict and the tragic loss of Palestinian lives. He laid blame on Israel's military campaign, holding it responsible for driving the region dangerously close to a catastrophic situation.

The overall Air Quality Index in Delhi was recorded in the 'moderate' category at 9 am on Wednesday and the minimum temperature settled at 17.3 degrees Celsius, a notch below normal, officials said.

The city witnessed poor air quality on Sunday and Monday. It improved slightly afterwards as gusty winds accompanied by rains lashed parts of the national capital on Monday night.

On Wednesday, the overall AQI was recorded at 130, according to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research.

Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Vadra to launch poll campaign, bus yatra in Telangana on Wednesday for November 30 assembly polls

Representatives from the 22 Arab countries at the United Nations have come together to call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. The appeal follows a destructive explosion and fire at a hospital in Gaza City. Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian UN ambassador, expressed the Arab Group's collective outrage over this tragic incident. They are unified in urging the urgent delivery of humanitarian aid and preventing the forced displacement of Palestinians, the Guradian reported.
Mansour emphasised that, in the aftermath of this devastating event, the primary aim is to secure a ceasefire as saving lives is of paramount importance. The Arab nations are urging for swift action to alleviate the humanitarian crisis and to ensure the safety and well-being of the affected population.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for an "immediate humanitarian ceasefire" in the Israel-Hamas conflict. He made this appeal during a forum in Beijing, where he was addressing various global issues. The Secretary-General emphasized the need to end the violence and work towards a peaceful solution in the Middle East.

The toll in the flash flood in Sikkim mounted to 40 with the recovery of two more bodies, while 76 people are still missing about two weeks after the disaster, officials said. The flash flood in the Teesta river, triggered by a cloudburst in the early hours of October 4, devastated the state, affecting about 88,000 people.

Israel Hamas War News Live Updates:U.S. President Joe Biden may consider a supplemental request of about $100 billion that would include defense aid for Ukraine and Israel, a source told Reuters on Tuesday.

Israel Hamas War News Live Updates: U.S. President Joe Biden, en route to Israel, is sending his condolences to those killed in a hospital explosion in Gaza, the White House said on Tuesday, as Palestinians and Israel trade blame over who was responsible.

"The President sent his deepest condolences for the innocent lives lost in the hospital explosion in Gaza, and wished a speedy recovery to the wounded," a White House official said.

Israel Hamas War News Live Updates: Within hours of the horrific October 7 attack by Hamas, the US began moving warships and aircraft to the region to be ready to provide Israel with whatever it needed to respond.

On Tuesday, more ships and forces were heading toward Israel, and other troops in the US were preparing to deploy if called on.

Two BSF personnel were injured after Pakistan Rangers "resorted to unprovoked firing" on border guards along the International Border (IB) here, officials said on Wednesday. The Pakistan Rangers opened fire around 8.15 am on Tuesday on the troops at the Vikram post in the Arnia sector, following which the BSF jawans fired in retaliation, the Border Security Force (BSF) said in a statement. Two BSF personnel received bullet injuries in the firing and were immediately provided medical assistance.

The Israeli embassy in Brazil protested Tuesday against a resolution by the party of leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva that accuses Israel of "genocide" and "war crimes."

"It is very unfortunate that a party that defends human rights compares the terrorist organization Hamas, which goes from house to house to murder entire families, with what the Israeli government is doing to protect its citizens," the embassy in Brasilia posted on X, formerly Twitter.

"There must be a strong separation between the Hamas terrorist organization and the Palestinians," the embassy added, in response to a resolution published Monday by the Lula's Workers Party, or PT.

The social media site X, formerly known as Twitter, announced Tuesday that it has begun charging new users in New Zealand and the Philippines to use basic features like posting messages. X, owned since last year by the billionaire Elon Musk, said in a statement that its new subscription method should "bolster" existing efforts to reduce spam and "manipulation of our platform and bot activity." Under the trial, new web users in the Philippines and New Zealand will have to pay X around $0.75 and $0.85, respectively, every year, in order to access basic functionality like posting on the site.

"WHO strongly condemns the attack on Al Ahli Arab Hospital in north Gaza. Early reports indicate hundreds of deaths and injuries. We call for the immediate protection of civilians and health care, and for the evacuation orders to be reversed," WHO said in a tweet.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) National President JP Nadda will visit Rajasthan on Wednesday to hold meetings with party leaders as part of the BJP's preparations for the upcoming state assembly polls, party leaders said. Nadda will be visiting the Ajmer and Kota divisions of Rajasthan, where he will hold discussions with party leaders and workers.