The Independent’s Bel Trew reporting from Israel-Gaza border
Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, told his troops today “The next stage is coming” as IDF plan to strike Gaza from air, land and sea.
Netanyahu was speaking in southern Israel, in a video posted by his office.
“We’re all ready,” the prime minister wrote on social media.
It came as Israeli Defense Forces released a statement troops are preparing to expand their operations on the ground.
“IDF is gearing up for a comprehensive offensive” with the help of hundreds of thousands of reserve personnel, it says.
No timings were given but it says they plan an offensive “involving air, sea, and land” forces.
“Essential combat equipment has already been dispatched” to the relevant locations, and the “IDF battalions and soldiers are strategically deployed across the country” it added.
Tens of thousands of Palestinians have fled their homes to southern Gaza as Israel launches the first ground raids into the territory, according to the UN.
‘More than a hundred thousand’ attend protest in ‘tremendous show of support’, organisers say
London’s Free Palestine protest co-organisers Friends of Al-Aqsa have claimed the number of people turning out stands at 150,000.
Fireworks and flares were let off in the crowd as supporters dispersed from Whitehall.
FOA’s Dr Ismail Patel: “What we are facing is nothing new. 75 years ago Palestinians faced the same crisis: either stay in their homes and die or become refugees.”
FOA’s Shamiul Joarder added: “Today we’ve seen 150,000 people on the streets of London in a tremendous show of support for Palestine.
(AFP via Getty Images)
“The British government must listen to the people now: it needs to uphold international law and impose sanctions on Israel until it stops violating human rights in Gaza”
Scotland Yard has deployed more than 1,000 officers to police the event.
Police are using powers to make a person remove items which conceal their identity along the march route.
A Met spokesman said: “We are aware of people lighting flares/fireworks within the group. This is clearly a danger to them and those around them. Action will be taken when we identify those in possession of/throwing them.”
Barney Davis14 October 2023 16:39
Rishi Sunak releases emotional statement in support of British Jewish community
The Prime Minister has moved to reassure Jewish people in the UK that he will ‘protect them’ one week on from Hamas attacks.
In a message to the Jewish community in the UK, he said: “I know you are hurting and reeling from these vile terrorist acts. At moments like this, when Jewish people are under attack in their homeland, Jewish people everywhere can feel less safe.
“We’ve seen intimidating behaviour and shameful antisemitism online and on our streets with attempts to stir up tensions. I say: not here. Not in Britain. Not in our country. Not in this century. We will do everything we possibly can to protect Jewish people in our country. And if anything is standing in the way of keeping the Jewish community safe, we will fix it.
“I am unequivocal. We stand with Israel, not just today, not just tomorrow, but always. And I stand with you, the British Jewish community, not just today, not just tomorrow, but always. Am Yisrael Chai.”
Barney Davis14 October 2023 20:45
British Palestinians share agony as loved ones face horrifying uncertainty in Gaza.
“The night seems endless as I wonder what news the morning will bring,” Yas, who did not want to give her full name, told The Independent as she fears for the lives of her parents, siblings, and extended family in Gaza.
Her family has fled from house to house 18 times in one week since the violence began, she said.
After receiving the evacuation order on Friday, Yas’ family fled to her aunt’s house in Khan Younis. “They saw bodies in the rubble on the road. My mum said the smell was horrible,” Yas said.
There are now “100 people” huddled together in one house. “They are all scared, feeling hopeless, panicking. They don’t know what will happen next. They just want to know when this will end.”
The 34-year-old was born in Gaza but moved to the UK in 2014. She experienced the “horror” of three wars in her homeland before she left, but said the situation now is “more intense than ever before”.
At least 2,215 people have been killed in Gaza and more than 8,700 injured in the week since the violence started. At least 1,300 Israelis have been killed and more than 3,400 injured.
Barney Davis14 October 2023 20:15
Scotland Yard deny man waving Union Jack at Free Palestine was arrested for flag
Scotland Yard moved to quash reports that a man was arrested for waving a Union Jack at a Free Palestine march.
In a viral video shared by right wing X accounts the man in glasses is lead away by police
They said: “A clip is circulating on social media of a man arrested in Whitehall this afternoon. Whilst we cannot comment further as it’s being investigated, we can state that he was not arrested for anything in connection to carrying the Union Flag.”
Turning Point UK had earlier shared the viral video, adding: “The @metpoliceuk have detained a man for waving the Union flag near Hamas/Pro-Palestine supporters.
“The police refuse to arrest the people out supporting a proscribed organisation, because they’re scared of being called ‘racist’. The Met are an embarrassment to Britain.”
Barney Davis14 October 2023 20:11
Family fear mother and daughter kidnapped by Hamas
Judith Raanan and her teenage daughter, Natalie Raanan, were excited to travel to Israel to celebrate a relative’s 85th birthday and the Jewish holiday season, according to their rabbi.The pair had been sending updates as the trip progressed and were enjoying “this really special mom and daughter time together,” Meir Hecht said.
Judith Raanan, left, and her daughter Natalie after Natalie’s recent high school graduation
(AP)
The family hasn’t heard from either mother or daughter since a week ago, after Hamas launched an unprecedented surprise attack. The community in their suburb north of Chicago fears they are among roughly 150 people abducted by Hamas militants.
“We received this terrible news that Judith and her daughter Natalie are missing and apparently were most likely taken as hostages to Gaza,” Hecht said.
“It feels like our community has been violated.”
They had been celebrating Simchat Torah, a festive Jewish holiday that marks the conclusion of the annual reading of the Torah.
They were in Nahal Oz, a kibbutz in Israel about a mile (1.61 kilometers) from the Gaza border.
Natalie Raanan, 17, recently graduated from high school and was looking forward to taking a break and visiting family overseas, her uncle, Avi Zamir, said at a community event for the Raanans in Evanston on Thursday evening.
“Kind person. She’s a sweetheart. She loves animals,” Zamir said. “We fear for her. We pray for her. We hope she’s together with her mom.”
Barney Davis14 October 2023 20:00
Londoner says parents stuck in Gaza ‘waiting to die’
A man from London whose British-Palestinian parents are in southern Gaza said they are “trapped” at the border with Egypt “like caged hens waiting to die”.
Mo El-Deeb, 30, said his father, Talal El-Deeb, 66, went to visit family in Gaza a few weeks ago and his wife, Naila, 69, joined him within the last two weeks.
Mr El-Deeb said his parents, who are British-Palestinian with British citizenship, are currently waiting in Rafah at the Egyptian border in southern Gaza and likened the situation to “a ticking time bomb”.
He said he hopes his parents will be able to leave the area through the Rafah border crossing but said they are still waiting there, adding there is “no real clarity”.
British-Palestinian parents Naila and Talal El-Deeb who are in southern Gaza.
(Mo El-Deeb/PA Wire)
“There’s obviously no water, no food, medicine they had with them has obviously run out,” Mr El-Deeb, from Marylebone, central London said.
“Whether it’s going to be death by airstrike or a ground invasion or their health, it’s a ticking time bomb essentially.
Mr El-Deeb said he is trying to limit the contact he has to his parents to conserve the battery on their phones.
“They’re obviously trying to keep high spirits because I’ve got four siblings here as well, but every time I speak to them I can literally hear just a non-stop barrage of bombing in the background, it just sounds so close.
“They’re essentially like caged hens just waiting to die.”
Barney Davis14 October 2023 19:33
IDF say sirens have been sounding across Israel in rocket attack warning
Air raid sirens have been ringing out across Israel in recent minutes warning of possible rocket attacks.
The Israeli Defence Force (IDF) said the alarms could be heard in Tel Aviv, as well as the coastal city of Ashkelon, Lakhish and in the area surrounding Gaza.
Barney Davis14 October 2023 19:25
‘UN shelters no longer safe’
A United Nations humanitarian relief group have said their shelters in northern Gaza are no longer safe as the Israeli army prepared for a “significant ground operation” as well as attacks by sea and air.
In a statement the UNRWA called on Israeli Authorities to protect all civilians sheltering in their premises across the Gaza Strip, including those in northern Gaza and Gaza City.
They said: “Despite the order to evacuate more than 1 million persons from northern Gaza and Gaza City to the southern Gaza Strip, many, particularly pregnant women, children, the elderly and persons with disabilities, will not be able to flee the area. They have no choice and must be protected at all times.
“Wars have rules. Civilians, hospitals, schools, clinics and United Nations premises cannot be a target. UNRWA is sparing no efforts to advocate with parties to the conflicts to meet their obligations under international law to protect civilians, including those seeking refuge in UNRWA shelters.
“UNRWA shelters in Gaza and northern Gaza are no longer safe. This is unprecedented.
“This war should be no exception, protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure, including United Nations buildings, applies to this conflict too.”
Barney Davis14 October 2023 19:18
Save The Children staff member evacuating children from Gaza strop
A longstanding staff member for Save The Children has described their feelings as they seek to flee Gaza with three children under 10.
They wrote: “Looking into the eyes of my children every minute, I can see the questions they have – they are looking for answers, for reassurance that everything will be okay, and for a glimpse of a hope and brighter future. I, like any parent, feel a deep responsibility to provide them with that sense of security and hope.
“Yet, the reality of our current circumstances is heartbreaking.
Two girls cry as they walk from the site of an Israeli rocket attack in Al- Shati refugee camp in the west of Gaza City
(EPA)
“For the first time, I find myself desiring to be a rock, empty of senses and resistant to pain.
“I wish I had super powers, like the birds, to escape this strip with my family in search of refuge. I wish I could be a superhero, carrying my children away to live in peace.”
Barney Davis14 October 2023 19:16
Israel admits mistake in failing to stop Hamas attack on festival
Israel’s national security adviser Tzachi Hanegbi said at a press briefing: “It’s my mistake, and it reflects the mistakes of all those making [intelligence] assessments”
“We really believed that Hamas learned the lesson from” its last major war with Israel in 2021, Hanegbi added.
A picture taken on October 10, 2023 shows the abandoned site of the weekend attack of the Supernova desert music Festival
(AFP via Getty Images)
He went on to refuse negotiations surrounding prisoner swaps with Hamas, saying, “There’s no way to negotiate with an enemy we have sworn to obliterate.”
Barney Davis14 October 2023 19:12