Iran Threatens Israel. China, UN against Injustice in Palestine. IDF postpones Ground Attack on Gaza
Palestinians wave their national flag and celebrate by a destroyed Israeli tank at the southern Gaza Strip fence east of Khan Younis, October 7, 2023 © AP / Yousef Masoud
Iran’s threat to Israel of direct retaliation and borderless war appears to have postponed the launch of the land operation by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), although officially delayed due to bad weather conditions.
Also because China has also taken a clear position declaring that the injustice against the Palestinians cannot continue and even American President Joseph Biden has made statements against the permanent occupation of Gaza.
Israel postpones ground operation in Gaza
Israel has decided to put off the start of its ground operation against Hamas in Gaza due to adverse weather conditions, the New York Times has claimed. The newspaper is also reporting that the incursion will likely come at quite a price for the Israeli military, given its scope as well as the fortifications built by the militants.
In an article on Saturday the media outlet alleged, citing anonymous Israeli officers, that the “invasion was initially planned for the weekend but was delayed by a few days, at least in part because of weather conditions.” These are so far precluding Israeli pilots and drone operators from providing ground forces with air cover, the NYT explained.
In this context there have been some little diplomatic glimmers of opportunity.
The Rafah border crossing into Egypt to open.
Although, the Israeli government has denied media reports by Reuters and some other outlets that it had agreed to stop attacks on southern Gaza in order to allow for the Rafah border crossing into Egypt to open.
“At the moment, there is no ceasefire for humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip and the exit of foreigners,” the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement.
Armageddon Spectres: Gaza Sieged without Vital Supplies. Hamas threatens to Kill Hostages on Live TV
Before, Reuters, citing Egyptian security sources, has reported that Israel would suspend his attacks in southern Gaza from 9am local time to allow for the Rafah border crossing into Egypt to open.
The move, likely aimed at allowing for humanitarian aid to be delivered to the besieged Palestinian enclave, has been agreed upon between US, Egypt and Israel, the sources said. Saudi broadcaster Al Arabiya has claimed that the only crossing between Gaza and Egypt will remain operational for five hours.
On October 13, the IDF ordered the entire population of northern Gaza to move to southern Gaza. The UN claims that that amounts to 1.1 million people (including the 423,000 mentioned above) and has demanded that Israel rescind the order, as has the World Health Organization, because such a move risks the well-being of these people.
IDF denies striking Gaza evacuation convoys ‘on purpose’
The Israel Defense Forces have denied deliberately killing civilians trying to flee north Gaza in airstrikes, saying any information coming from the Hamas-controlled Palestinian enclave should be treated with “extreme caution and suspicion” as it serves their “propaganda purposes.”
While not completely ruling out the possibility of a “freak accident,” IDF spokesperson Lt. Colonel Jonathan Conricus insisted on Sunday that “there was no targeting of vehicles, there was no targeting of civilians” referring to Friday’s incident, in which dozens of people were killed or injured.
IDF Strikes hit Gaza Evacuation Convoys: 40 Killed according to UN Humanitarian Body
The policies of the internationally-recognized Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) “are what represent the Palestinian people… and not the policies of any other organization,” Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has said, apparently referring to Hamas.
During his phone call with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Abbas decried the killing of civilians by both Israel and Hamas and urged both sides to release prisoners and detainees, the Palestinian News and Information Agency (WAFA) reported. He called upon the Israeli authorities to “immediately stop” the attacks on Gaza and provide the people in the Palestinian enclave with medical supplies, water, electricity and fuel.
UN warns of mass ethnic cleansing as refugee shelters overflow
Israeli envoy to the UN Gilad Erdan has responded to comments by US President Joe Biden, who suggested earlier that it would be a “big mistake” for Israel to occupy Gaza after “taking out” Hamas.
“We have no interest to occupy Gaza or to stay in Gaza, but since we are fighting for our survival and the only way, as the president (Biden) himself defined, is to obliterate Hamas, so we will have to do whatever is needed to obliterate their capabilities,” Erdan told CNN.
“In the name of self-defense, Israel is seeking to justify what would amount to ethnic cleansing,” UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese said, noting that “Israel has already carried out mass ethnic cleansing of Palestinians under the fog of war.”
“There is a grave danger that what we are witnessing may be a repeat of the 1948 Nakba, and the 1967 Naksa, yet on a larger scale,” she warned, referring to Israel’s mass expulsions of at least 1 million Palestinians from their homes and land in 1947-48 and 1967. “The international community must do everything to stop this from happening again.”
US talking to Qatar about release of Hamas hostages
Officials from the United States and Qatar have engaged in dialogue aimed at securing the release of civilian hostages held by the Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza, according to a report by the Financial Times.
“There were positive meetings yesterday and Hamas seems willing to release the civilian hostages,” the newspaper wrote late on Saturday, citing comments from an anonymous source with knowledge of the discussions. “But Hamas say they can’t do so while the bombing continues.”
The report adds that the FT’s source said that Hamas “needs the Israelis to stop bombing Gaza for a short amount of time in order to safely release the captives.”
Iran: “Gaza could turn into ‘graveyard’ for Israeli troops”
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian has warned that if diplomatic efforts to stop Israeli airstrikes and prevent a ground offensive on Gaza are unsuccessful, there is a risk of the conflict escalating uncontrollably, with multiple regional players joining the fight.
“If the measures aimed at immediately stopping the Israeli attacks that are killing children in the Gaza Strip end in a deadlock, it is highly probable that many other fronts will be opened,” Hossein Amir-Abdollahian told Al Jazeera on Sunday, reiterating a warning Iran had voiced repeatedly over the past week.
“If the Zionist entity [Israel] decides to enter Gaza, the resistance leaders will turn it into a graveyard of the occupation soldiers,” he added, referring to Hamas.
On his diplomatic tour of the region, the Iranian minister met with a political leader of Hamas, Ismail Hanieyh, in Qatar, where he rallied other Islamic countries to support Palestine, and assured that Iran will continue its efforts to stop the “war crimes committed by the Zionists.”
“The Islamic Republic of Iran will never back down on its principles and values in support of the Palestinian nation,” he stressed.
In an effort to resolve the Gaza crisis, Amir-Abdollahian also discussed “the sensitive situation in the region” with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. He asked China to use its voice in the United Nations Security Council to stop the deaths and suffering of Gaza residents, emphasizing the need for a humanitarian corridor.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi initiated phone calls with multiple Muslim leaders on Sunday, raising the alarm about the situation in Gaza and calling for “decisive and immediate” action by the Arab League and other international bodies to stop the Israeli “killing machine.”
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khameni has also addressed Muslim countries, urging them to come to the aid of Palestinians. “With God’s grace, this movement that has started in Palestine will advance and result in a complete victory for the Palestinians,” he said in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday.
“Origin of US Weaponry used by Hamas must be Investigated” American & Russian Politicians said
The United States has dispatched a second aircraft carrier group to the Eastern Mediterranean, seeking to put pressure on Iran, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and other pro-Palestinian forces to stay out of the Israel-Gaza war.
Despite US media speculating about Iran’s possible involvement in the deadly raid on Israel carried out by Hamas militants, President Joe Biden has acknowledged that “at this point” there is “no clear evidence” that Tehran helped Hamas plan the attack.
Originally published by Russia Today
All links to previous Gospa News investigations have been added aftermath for the ties with the topics highlighted
China: “Injustice against Palestinians can’t continue”
Foreign Minister Wang Yi has said China will continue to stand on the side of international law, peace and justice, condemning all acts of violence against civilians in Israel’s war with Hamas.
The unprecedented militant raid on October 7 claimed over 1,400 lives in Israel and prompted it to declare war, with hundreds of Palestinians now dying every day in retaliatory strikes on Gaza.
“China condemns all acts that harm civilians and opposes any violation of international law,” China’s top diplomat said, as he met with the EU foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, in Beijing on Friday. Wang Yi said the humanitarian situation in Gaza is “rapidly deteriorating” and already “critical.”
However, China’s top diplomat insisted that the “root cause of this question lies in the long delay in realizing the dream of an independent State of Palestine and the failure to redress the historical injustice suffered by the Palestinian people.”
read more: EU reveals position on Israel-Gaza war
“Israel has the right to statehood, so does Palestine,” Wang Yi stated. “The Israelis have obtained the safeguards for survival, but who will care about the survival of the Palestinians? The Jewish nation is no longer homeless in the world, but when will the Palestinian nation return to its home?”
There is no shortage of injustices in the world, but the injustice to Palestine has dragged on for over half a century. The sufferings that plagued generations must not continue.
Beijing said that the top priority is to ”stop the fighting as soon as possible” to “prevent it from spreading endlessly,” and “make every effort to ensure the safety of civilians, open up a humanitarian rescue and assistance passage as quickly as possible.”
The international community, including the United Nations, should “play its due role in resolving” the crisis, while the sides of the conflict should “stay calm and exercise restraint, take an objective and just position, and work for de-escalation.”
The only answer to the decades-old standoff is a “two-state solution and an independent State of Palestine,” Wang Yi insisted, expressing hope that this way “Palestine and Israel could coexist in peace and how the Arabs and Jews could live in harmony.”
Originally published by Russia Today
All links to previous Gospa News investigations have been added aftermath for the ties with the topics highlighted
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