2023-10-21 08:47:38
Two weeks after the start of the war between Israel and the radical Islamic Hamas, the first aid deliveries from Egypt have arrived in the Gaza Strip. 20 Egyptian Red Crescent trucks passed the border crossing in Rafah on Saturday, Egyptian television reported and showed corresponding images. An Associated Press reporter also saw the trucks arrive.
The US Embassy in Israel had previously indicated that the border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt would be opened and signaled that this would allow foreigners to leave the coastal area sealed off by Israel. “We do not know how long it (Rafah) will remain open for foreign citizens to leave the Gaza Strip,” it added.
More than 200 trucks carrying around 3,000 tons of relief goods stood near the border crossing for days.
The opening of the border to deliver humanitarian aid was brokered by US President Joe Biden. Israel, which had completely sealed off the Gaza Strip after Hamas’ major attack, agreed on the condition that 20 trucks were initially allowed to drive into the Gaza Strip. The relief supplies may therefore only be distributed to civilians in the south of the Palestinian territory and may not fall into the hands of the radical Islamic Hamas, which rules in the Gaza Strip.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz has welcomed the start of aid deliveries to the Gaza Strip. “It is good and important that the first humanitarian aid is now coming to the people in Gaza. They need water, food and medicine – we won’t leave them alone,” Scholz wrote on Saturday on the platform X, formerly Twitter. The federal government continues to use all channels to alleviate the suffering in this conflict, wrote the SPD politician.
All developments in the live ticker:
10:46 a.m. – Berlin rabbi warns against generalizations
The Berlin Rabbi Andreas Nachama has warned that Muslims should not be labeled as violent. Many images and films in the days since Hamas’ attack on Israel were very disturbing, Nachama told the “Tagesspiegel” (Saturday). The willingness to use violence does not affect all Muslims across the board, but rather a specific scene.
“We have to try to enter into a dialogue with these people. We are obliged to do this because we live together in this city,” said the son of Jewish Holocaust survivors and former director of the “Topography of Terror” memorial site. As difficult as it may be for both sides, it is for the good of the whole. “I have many friends in the Muslim community and appeal to everyone to find a path to brotherhood and partnership.”
“The radical right-wing anti-Semitism anchored here and the Middle Eastern anti-Semitism shake hands in a disastrous way,” said Nachama, who is also co-founder of the House of One, a project in Berlin-Mitte focused on dialogue between Christians, Jews and Muslims. The threat situation is serious. “At the same time, we should not give people who glorify violence the impression that they are successful,” said Nachama. Ultimately, the Jewish community is used to dealing with threats from outside.
“I remember the attack on the synagogue in Halle, but at the same time also the right-wing extremist murders in Hanau that were aimed at Muslims,” said the rabbi. “I think it is extremely important to convey one thing: Muslims and Jews are in the same boat. We are threatened by right-wing extremists in both anti-Semitic and anti-racist ways. We should work together for a tolerant society.”
10:00 a.m. – Explosive device explodes near the Israeli embassy in Cyprus
A small explosive device exploded near the Israeli embassy in Cyprus’ capital Nicosia, causing no damage. Police took four men between the ages of 17 and 21 into custody, Cyprus Radio reported, citing authorities. The explosive device was of low power. It exploded early on Saturday morning around 30 meters from the embassy entrance.
The explosive device consisted of a metallic object filled with material also used in fireworks, according to reports in Cypriot media. The four men taken into custody are said to come from Syria, local media reported.
9:59 a.m. – Israel confirms death of a soldier in shelling from Lebanon
The Israeli army has confirmed the death of a soldier on the border with Lebanon. The 22-year-old reserve sergeant was killed on Friday during an attack from Lebanon with an anti-tank missile, the military said on Saturday.
Since the devastating terrorist attacks on Israel by the Islamist Palestinian organization Hamas on October 7th and Israel’s counterattacks on the Gaza Strip, incidents have occurred regularly on the border between Israel and Lebanon. There have already been deaths on both sides.
9:21 a.m. – Israel calls on citizens to leave Egypt and Jordan
Israel has called on its citizens to immediately leave its Arab neighbors Egypt and Jordan for fear of reprisal attacks over the Gaza war. The Israeli Foreign Ministry published a corresponding recommendation from the National Security Staff on Saturday. The alert level for the countries has been increased to the highest warning level (high threat). This also includes the Sinai Peninsula, a popular tourism destination for many Israelis.
For Morocco, as for Jordan and Egypt, the recommendation applies to avoid non-essential travel there. A travel warning also applies to other countries in the region such as Turkey as well as the Gulf states and other Muslim countries.
“In recent days there has been a further significant intensification of protests against Israel in various countries, especially in Arab states in the Middle East,” the statement said. There is also “hostility and violence against Israeli and Jewish symbols.” In addition, Islamist forces around the world have increased their rhetoric and called for global attacks on Israelis and Jews.
The Foreign Ministry declined to comment on reports of the evacuation of Israeli embassies in countries such as Egypt and Jordan in recent days.
8:30 a.m. – CDU politician Frei warns against accepting refugees from the Gaza Strip
The CDU politician Thorsten Frei has warned against accepting refugees from the Gaza Strip in Germany. “I don’t see any responsibility on the part of Germany and Europe,” said the Parliamentary Managing Director of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the Bundestag the news portal t-online (Saturday). Rather, it is the task of the neighboring states to take care of the reception and support of the refugees, emphasized Frei.
Jordan and Egypt, which border the Gaza Strip, had emphasized in recent days that they would not accept Palestinians from the Gaza Strip. There is too much concern that the conflict could spill over into their own countries. “We cannot accept that neighboring states say that this is none of their business,” emphasized Frei. Just as Germany takes care of refugees from Ukraine, neighbors in the Middle East also have to take care of each other.
“In addition, capacities in Germany are exhausted. I therefore see neither the possibility nor the necessity for Germany to get involved in this area,” explained the CDU politician. If the “traffic light” decided differently, it would be “a big mistake,” warned Frei.
8:25 a.m. – Röttgen sees the Middle East conflict at a fork in the road
After the escalation of violence as a result of Hamas’ major attack on Israel, CDU foreign policy expert Norbert Röttgen sees the Middle East facing a historic fork in the road: “We are now at a fork where there will either be a conflagration or the foundation for a political solution is laid,” said Röttgen to the “Augsburger Allgemeine” (Saturday). “It is clear to everyone, especially to the Israelis, that the military destruction of Hamas will only have any lasting effect if there is a political perspective for the Palestinians afterwards,” explained the CDU foreign expert.
“Nobody in the entire region – apart from Hamas and Iran – has an interest in a conflagration,” emphasized Röttgen. “This gives some hope that expansion can be prevented,” he explained. The plan of Hamas and Iran is visible to all actors in the region. “Hamas’ unimaginably horrific violence is intended to force Israel into a counter-reaction, which itself produces images of destruction and thus mobilizes the Arab population,” he explains. “Finding a way out of the dilemma is the great task that now lies before Israel and also before those who want to support Israel in this,” emphasized Röttgen. What a solution to the Palestinian question might look like cannot be answered at the moment.
07:10 – Biden: Rapprochement between Israel and Saudi Arabia a reason for Hamas attack
US President Joe Biden sees a rapprochement between Israel and Saudi Arabia as “one of the reasons” for Hamas’ major attack on Israel two weeks ago. “One of the reasons Hamas took action against Israel was because they knew I wanted to sit down with the Saudis,” Biden said at a campaign event on Friday (local time). “The Saudis wanted to recognize Israel and unite the Middle East,” said the US President.
After Israel and Saudi Arabia had been hostile to each other for decades, signs of rapprochement had recently increased – also through agreements between other Arab states and Israel. Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman said on Fox television last month that Saudi Arabia and Israel were “getting closer every day” to normalizing their relations. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said both countries were “on the threshold” of “historic peace.”
A week after Hamas’ major attack on Israel, Saudi Arabia announced that it would suspend talks on normalizing relations with Israel through US mediation.
6:02 a.m. – “Bayern Israel” fan club criticizes Mazraoui’s statements
The chairman of the Israeli fan club “Bayern Israel” has criticized the behavior of Noussair Mazraoui after his social media post in which the player wished the Palestinians a “victory”. “If he had taken a video himself, it would be different. He could have apologized and admitted to himself: That was a mistake,” said Tsvika Riz in an interview with the “Süddeutsche Zeitung”. The statement from German soccer champions FC Bayern was “too soft” for many.
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5:31 a.m. – Israel flags desecrated – Reul warns of “toxic danger”
NRW Interior Minister Herbert Reul (CDU) is concerned about signs of hostility to Israel in North Rhine-Westphalia. “The hatred of Jews that we are currently seeing on our streets and squares must wake us up,” he told the German Press Agency in Düsseldorf.
“It’s not just the hateful chanting people at the demonstrations that are shocking. Above all, hostility to Israel on a small scale is developing into a toxic danger,” he warned. Flag thefts or damage to property are clear evidence of this. “We as a society must take decisive action against this.”
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Since Hamas’ terrorist attack on Israel on October 7th, 30 Israeli flags have been stolen in North Rhine-Westphalia alone (as of October 20th), as the Interior Ministry reported upon request. Of the 30 flags, 19 were stolen, five were torn and six were burned – including in Aachen, Recklinghausen and the Soest district.
Anyone who steals and damages a flag commits a criminal offense for defaming a state and its symbols. Such acts can be punished with a fine or a prison sentence of up to three years.
5:00 a.m. – EU Commission warns that humanitarian aid is an obligation
The EU Commission is calling on Egypt and Israel to immediately allow regular, large-scale aid deliveries into the embattled Gaza Strip. “It is important that humanitarian convoys to Gaza start now, without any further delay. However, 20 trucks are just like a drop in an ocean compared to the enormous needs that the people of Gaza have,” says EU Commissioner Janez Lenarcic, who is responsible for humanitarian aid and crisis management, to WELT AM SONNTAG. Giving the people of Gaza access to essential goods is “a legally binding obligation under international humanitarian law” and not a luxury.
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04:20 a.m. – Egypt invites you to an international Middle East summit in Cairo
Egypt is hosting a Middle East summit in the capital Cairo on Saturday because of the attack on Israel by the radical Islamic group Hamas. Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) is taking part in the “Cairo Summit for Peace” on behalf of the federal government. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Jordanian King Abdullah II, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, EU Council President Charles Michel and other foreign ministers from several EU states are also expected to attend the meeting. The draft of a joint declaration by the summit participants was negotiated in advance.
Baerbock said the meeting was about the question of “how to prevent a wildfire” and avert a humanitarian catastrophe. Despite the very different views regarding the Middle East conflict, it must be made clear that “terrorism benefits no one in this region.”
3:24 a.m. – Trudeau discusses Israel’s war with Saudi crown prince
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is discussing the situation in Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Trudeau’s office said. “The two leaders expressed deep concern about the humanitarian impact of the conflict in Gaza and stressed the importance of all parties protecting civilians and ensuring humanitarian access to affected areas,” Trudeau’s office said.
12:43 a.m. – Appeal from Nobel Prize winners to Hamas: Release the children
Around 90 Nobel Prize winners have urged Hamas to release all the children they kidnapped into the Gaza Strip during their bloody terrorist attack on Israel on October 7th. Detaining children constitutes “a war crime and a grave crime against humanity itself,” said a petition signed by the dignitaries. The Geneva Convention for the Protection of Civilians in Situations of War mentions children 19 times. However, the fate of the children abducted by Hamas goes beyond any scenario imagined in the agreement.
“Children should never be viewed as bargaining chips in the theater of war,” the petition continues. “It is our sacred duty to protect the innocent and shield the weak.”
Israel’s UN ambassador Gilad Erdan handed the petition on Friday to US deputy UN ambassador Robert Wood, who was supposed to forward it to UN Secretary-General António Guterres. Erdan was flanked at the handover in New York by psychologist and Nobel Prize winner Daniel Kahnemann and several relatives of the Israeli hostages held by Hamas. The petition continues: “Our moral imperative is unambiguous: let the children go.”
12:22 a.m. – Blinken: US moves to release other Hamas hostages
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has welcomed the release of two Hamas hostages. Blinken said he shared the relief of the family of the US citizen and her underage daughter, who had been held by the militant Islamist group since October 7 and have now been released. But there are many more hostages in the hands of Hamas, including children and elderly people. “The entire United States government will work every minute of every day to secure their release and bring their loved ones home,” Blinken emphasized.
12:04 a.m. – EU and USA confirm support for Israel and Ukraine at summit
The EU and the USA reaffirmed their unity in supporting Israel and Ukraine at a summit in Washington. “These conflicts show that democracies have to stand together,” said EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at the meeting with US President Joe Biden and EU Council President Charles Michel in the White House.
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“We stood together to support the brave people of Ukraine in the face of (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s aggression,” Biden said. “We stand together now to support Israel after Hamas’ horrific terrorist attack.”
Michel said the EU and the US would form a “united front”. “The world is facing huge challenges today. And now more than ever, the world needs a strong EU-US alliance to address these challenges.”
00:00 – Central Council of Muslims calls for peaceful demonstrations
The Central Council of Muslims urges pro-Palestinian demonstrators in Germany to exercise restraint. “I am really very worried,” said the chairman of the Central Council of Muslims in Germany, Aiman Mazyek, on Friday evening on the ARD “Tagesthemen”. Hatred, violence and anti-Semitism are currently being experienced on the streets. “At this point I condemn this very clearly,” emphasized Mazyek. “I also appeal to Muslims in particular to take part in demonstrations with restraint and to take a close look at who the operators are.”
An alternative, for example, is prayers for peace. However, it is also important that people who have lost relatives in the Gaza Strip, for example, can express their grief, said Mazyek.
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In the past few days there have been several riots at pro-Palestinian demonstrations. “I do not hide the fact that there are also Muslims who are anti-Semitic and we have to fight that,” said the Central Council Chairman. Any form of anti-Semitism or racism is a sin in Islam. “We as German Muslims in particular have a special responsibility, also towards Jews and Israel.” He himself visited a synagogue on Friday to “show a sign of sympathy, compassion, but also solidarity.”
The Central Council is one of the largest Muslim umbrella organizations in Germany. After the brutal Hamas attack on Israel, there was criticism that the associations had spoken out too late and had not condemned Hamas’ actions clearly enough.
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