Live
By Arwa Ibrahim and Joseph Stepansky
Published On 18 Oct 2023

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19 Oct 2023 - 22:56
 (22:56 GMT)

Thank you for joining us

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For the latest live coverage of the Israel-Hamas war, follow along here.

You can read about the situation in the Gaza Strip here and here, as well as efforts to get much-needed aid into the besieged Palestinian territory here.

19 Oct 2023 - 22:53
 (22:53 GMT)

Here’s a recap of today’s events

We are going to bring our live coverage to an end soon. Here’s a summary of today’s main events:

  • Israel’s defence minister has told ground troops to be ready to enter the Gaza Strip, promising they will see the besieged Palestinian enclave “from the inside”.
  • The Israeli bombardment of Gaza continues, with deadly Israeli raids on the Jabalia refugee camp and a Greek Orthodox church in central Gaza City.
  • Fighting along the border between Israel and Lebanon also has intensified, with one Lebanese civilian killed in cross-border fire, according to the UN.
  • Amid signs Egypt is preparing for first aid deliveries into Gaza via the Rafah border crossing, no clear timeline has emerged.
  • Attacks on bases housing US troops in Iraq and Syria have underscored the threat of a wider escalation. The US also says it shot down missiles “launched from Yemen” over the Red Sea that may have been targeting Israel.
  • At least nine Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank, with scores more arrested. That brings the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli troops or settlers in the West Bank since the Gaza war erupted on October 7 to at least 75.
19 Oct 2023 - 22:35
 (22:35 GMT)

US weapons used in Israeli ‘war crimes’: Expert

Biden is expected to request approval for $10bn in weapons for Israel during a national address tonight, as the White House continues its “extraordinary effort” to bolster support for Israel, says Josh Ruebner, an adjunct lecturer at Georgetown University’s Justice and Peace programme.

“That’s more than double the amount that the United States provides to Israel in a normal year,” he told Al Jazeera.

“Let’s be very clear, these US weapons are already being used by Israel to commit horrific war crimes against the Palestinian people, especially in the Gaza Strip,” Ruebner said.

“We know that if the United States provides Israel with a huge amount of new weaponry as a result of President Biden’s speech, these weapons undoubtedly will be put to use right away by Israel to continue its genocidal actions in the Gaza Strip, which really makes the United States that much more complicit in Israel’s oppression and brutality for the Palestinian people.”

19 Oct 2023 - 22:12
 (22:12 GMT)

‘Targeting churches constitutes a war crime’: Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem

The Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem has expressed its “strongest condemnation” of the attack at its church compound in Gaza.

“Targeting churches and their institutions, along with the shelters they provide to protect innocent citizens, especially children and women who have lost their homes due to Israeli air strikes on residential areas over the past 13 days, constitutes a war crime that cannot be ignored,” the patriarchate said in a statement.

Witnesses told the AFP news agency that the attack appeared to have been aimed at a target close to the Greek Orthodox Saint Porphyrius Church where many Palestinians had taken refuge amid Israel’s bombardment.

Witnesses said the air attack damaged the facade of the church and caused an adjacent building to collapse, adding that many injured people were evacuated to hospital.

19 Oct 2023 - 22:09
 (22:09 GMT)

Media rights group says 21 journalists killed since start of war

The Committee to Protect Journalists says 21 media workers have been killed since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war.

Those killed include 17 Palestinians and three Israelis, according to CPJ.

At least eight journalists have been reported injured, according to the monitor, with three others missing or detained.

19 Oct 2023 - 21:50
 (21:50 GMT)

Risk of regional conflict increasing, US shoulders some blame: AJ analyst

By Marwan Bishara

Senior political analyst

There was [previously] a lot of heat but we didn’t see the fire. And then things started escalating.

Today, they have escalated even further, not just rhetorically, but also on the ground, and on the Lebanese-Israeli border.

So put it all together and there are different signs that this is widening to be something more dangerous than simply, you know, Israel taking advantage of an impotent, divided region to bomb and torture Gaza.

I think President Biden’s fears of a widening conflict are actually taking place and I think the US is partially to blame.

19 Oct 2023 - 21:43
 (21:43 GMT)

More on Lebanese civilian killed at Lebanon-Israel border

There was a group of journalists … with three Lebanese citizens who came close to the Al Abad [Israeli] military post in the central sector of the border.

And at that moment, the Israelis shot gunfire at the journalists and the Lebanese citizens.

One of the [Lebanese] citizens … was killed, two were injured.

19 Oct 2023 - 21:33
 (21:33 GMT)

Attacks on US bases come as tensions escalate in Iraq

By Mahmoud Abdelwahed

Reporting from Baghdad, Iraq

What we know is [the that latest attack] is the third hitting US military facilities in Iraq in 24 hours. Remember, yesterday, two military bases were targeted: Ain al-Asad – this is the same military base that was hit today – and another military base in northern Iraq.

Today Ain al-Asad – which is home to US and international military personnel – was targeted by drones and missiles. Security sources say several explosions were heard inside the base. The Iraqi military has now closed the area and a search operation is ongoing to identify where and how this attack happened and where the drone and missiles came from.

This coincides with other attacks on US military facilities in the region, namely at al-Tanf military base, which is on the border with Syria, Iraq and Jordan.

This also coincides with several military and political factions in Iraq threatening to escalate – threatening to target US interests and military facilities – if the US continues to support Israel in its military campaign against the Gaza Strip.

In Iraq, the situation is escalating as demonstrations are staged across the country condemning the attack. In fact, many military and political factions have been mobilising Iraqi people and trying to send them to the [Jordanian] border to put pressure on the US to stop supporting Israel.

19 Oct 2023 - 21:22
 (21:22 GMT)

Frustrations, concerns rise in Arab-American communities

By Ali Harb

Reporting from Washington, DC

Civil rights advocates in the US have been warning that dehumanising rhetoric about the Israel-Hamas war could translate into attacks on Palestinian, Arab and Muslim American communities at home.

Those fears appear to have materialised in the ugliest way when a six-year-old Palestinian-American child was stabbed to death in a suspected hate crime near Chicago at the weekend.

“Anytime that there is a hysteria that dehumanises any people, we shouldn’t be surprised that this sort of thing happens,” Palestinian-American analyst Yousef Munayyer told Al Jazeera after the attack.

Read more here.

19 Oct 2023 - 21:10
 (21:10 GMT)

‘Risk of a regional spillover is real’: Von der Leyen

The European Commission president says the “risk of a regional spillover” from the Israel-Hamas war is “real”.

Speaking at the Hudson Institute in the US, Ursula von der Leyen – who has faced widespread criticism for failing to demand Israel end its bombardment of the Gaza Strip – put the blame squarely on Hamas.

“We have seen the Arab streets filled with rage all across the region, so the risk of a regional spillover is real. And this is exactly what Hamas was hoping to achieve, and this can derail the recent and historic rapprochement between Israel and its Arab neighbours,” she said.

Speaking about Hamas’s attack on southern Israel on October 7, she added: “In the face of this horror, there’s only one possible response from democratic nations like us: ‘We stand with Israel.'”

Ursula von der Leyen has drawn widespread criticism for her stance since the war in Gaza broke out [File: Fermin Rodriguez/AP Photo]
19 Oct 2023 - 20:55
 (20:55 GMT)

Dozens of US senators call for ‘sustained access’ to aid for Gaza

The joint statement, led by Democrat Jon Ossoff and signed by a total of 35 senators, reads: “We urge the swift implementation of sustained access for humanitarian aid, including water and medical supplies, to save civilian lives in Gaza.”

With US support for Israel generally staunch in Congress, senators have been slower to weigh in on the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza. Earlier today, the chamber unanimously passed a resolution saying the country stands with Israel.

Legislators in the House of Representatives have been more critical of US support, with 55 members last week calling on the Biden administration to pressure Israel to follow international law.

On Tuesday, more than a dozen progressive members of the House also introduced a resolution calling for a ceasefire.

19 Oct 2023 - 20:42
 (20:42 GMT)

Lebanese civilian killed in exchange of fire at Israel-Lebanon border: UN

The UN peacekeeping mission in the border area between Israel and Lebanon says a Lebanese civilian was killed “during a significant exchange of fire” at the frontier.

The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said the Lebanese military requested its assistance when seven people were stranded near the border.

The UN force said it contacted the Israeli army, which complied with a UNIFIL request to suspend fire to allow Lebanese forces “to extract the individuals from the area”.

“Tragically, one person lost his life during this incident and the others were successfully rescued,” UNIFIL said.

It was not immediately clear who was responsible for the civilian death, but a Lebanese security source told Reuters that the person was killed by Israeli fire. Frequent cross-border exchanges have taken place between Israel and Lebanon since the war in Gaza broke out.

We’ll bring you more information on this incident when we have it.

19 Oct 2023 - 20:37
 (20:37 GMT)

Medics trying to help survivors after church air attack

By Tareq Abu Azzoum

Reporting from Khan Younis, Gaza

Israeli forces have targeted an Orthodox church in central Gaza Strip. Medical teams are trying to evacuate the victims from under the rubble of surrounding buildings.

The church that was attacked is located near the al-Ahli Baptist Hospital which was targeted two days ago.

The church, which had been used as a shelter for hundreds of Palestinian families who evacuated from their homes, has been severely damaged along with the surrounding areas.

19 Oct 2023 - 20:20
 (20:20 GMT)

US not yet pointing fingers on attacks in Iraq, Syria

By Patty Culhane

Reporting from Washington, DC

The US does not want to be dragged into a wider war.

That is something that the American people would very much not want. And Joe Biden very much wants to be president again. So he’s trying to strike this balance: project strength and hope it deters.

It will be interesting to see if these attacks [on bases with US troops in Iraq and Syria] work their way into Biden’s speech tonight. Again, the American people do not – after the horrors of Afghanistan and Iraq – want to see the US dragged into another conflict.

The fear is that Iran-backed militias [are behind the attacks]. They’re not pointing the finger in the US just yet.

19 Oct 2023 - 20:11
 (20:11 GMT)

More from Pentagon spokesman on Iraq, Syria attacks this week

Pat Ryder has provided more details on attacks on bases housing US troops in Syria and Iraq this week.

However, he did not address the latest reports of the most recent attack on Ain al-Asad air base in Iraq. Here’s what Ryder told reporters:

  • Early yesterday, al-Tanf garrison in Syria, which houses US troops, was targeted by two drones. One was intercepted while the other caused “minor injuries to coalition forces”, he said.
  • At around the same time, a US civilian contractor suffered a fatal heart attack while sheltering in place at Ain al-Asad, but no attack occurred, Ryder said.
  • A day earlier, on Tuesday, US forces engaged with two drones near Ain al-Asad, destroying one and damaging the other. Minor injuries were sustained by coalition forces, he said.
  • In northern Iraq that same day, US forces destroyed a drone near Bashur air base. No injuries were reported.
19 Oct 2023 - 20:08
 (20:08 GMT)

Will Israel attack Gaza on the ground and if so, when and how?

For nearly two weeks following Hamas’s attack, the Israeli response has been to bomb the Gaza Strip relentlessly from the air.

But as time passes, the world is asking: Will Israel attack on the ground and, if so, when and how?

Read our analysis here.

19 Oct 2023 - 19:45
 (19:45 GMT)

Intercepted missiles, drones were headed potentially ‘towards Israel’: Pentagon

Pentagon spokesperson Pat Ryder says the US cannot be sure what the Red Sea missiles and drones were targeting.

But Ryder told reporters that they were “launched from Yemen, heading north along the Red Sea, potentially towards targets in Israel”.

“We have the capability to defend our broader interests in the region and to deter regional escalation and broader expansion of the conflict that began with Hamas’s attack on Israeli civilians on October 7,” Ryder said.

19 Oct 2023 - 19:37
 (19:37 GMT)

Attack on US bases in Iraq, missiles intercepted in Red Sea: Report

Amid concerns the war in Gaza could lead to a regional escalation, the Reuters news agency has reported that the Ain al-Asad air base in Iraq – which houses US troops – has come under missile and drone attack.

Citing two security forces, Reuters reported it was not yet clear if there were casualties in the attack. It was the third such attack on a base in Iraq with US soldiers in less than 24 hours.

The news agency, citing two US officials, also reported that a US Navy warship travelling near Yemen had intercepted multiple projectiles. The sources said the warship did not appear to be the target of the attack, and that the projectiles were passing in its vicinity.

The Pentagon has confirmed that a US warship shot down three missiles and drones in the northern Red Sea.

It was not immediately clear who was behind the attacks or if they were carried out in response to the Israel-Hamas conflict.

19 Oct 2023 - 19:36
 (19:36 GMT)

Two killed after ‘Israeli air raid’ on Orthodox church in Gaza

Displaced Palestinians gathered at the Church of Saint Porphyrius, a Greek Orthodox church in central Gaza City, have been targeted in an Israeli air raid, leading to the deaths of at least two people and injuries to many others, according to Al Jazeera Arabic correspondent Wael al-Dahdouh.

We’ll have more details as soon as we get them.

19 Oct 2023 - 19:28
 (19:28 GMT)

UN experts sound alarm on Israeli crimes against humanity, risk of genocide in Gaza

UN experts have expressed their serious concerns over Israel tightening its siege on Gaza, depriving 2.3 million people of essential food, fuel, water, electricity and medicine.

The experts include the special rapporteur on human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation, Pedro Arrojo Agudo, and the special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian Territory occupied since 1967, Francesca Albanese, among others.

“The complete siege of Gaza coupled with unfeasible evacuation orders and forcible population transfers, is a violation of international humanitarian and criminal law. It is also unspeakably cruel,” they said.

“We are sounding the alarm: There is an ongoing campaign by Israel resulting in crimes against humanity in Gaza.”

They also expressed outrage over the attack on Gaza’s al-Ahli Arab Hospital, describing it as an “atrocity”, on the same day as an attack on an UNRWA school located in Al Maghazi refugee camp that sheltered some 4,000 displaced people, as well as on two densely populated refugee camps.

“Considering statements made by Israeli political leaders and their allies, accompanied by military action in Gaza and escalation of arrests and killing in the West Bank, there is also a risk of genocide against the Palestine people,” the experts added.