Sunak follows Biden to Israel to show support as more bombs hit Gaza - CNA

GAZA: Israel pounded Gaza with more air strikes on Thursday (Oct 19), as British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak followed US President Joe Biden on visits to demonstrate support for war against Hamas while urging Israel to ease the plight of besieged Gazans.

Biden, who spent less than eight hours in Israel, flew home on Wednesday night having pledged support, and hugged and consoled survivors of the Oct 7 raid by Hamas gunmen who rampaged through southern Israel, killing 1,400 people.

But he appeared to have only limited success in his other mission, to persuade Israel to ease the plight of 2.3 million Gazans under a total siege.

Biden said he had secured an offer from Egypt to allow 20 aid trucks to reach Gaza at some point in coming days, a fraction of the 100 per day that UN aid chief Martin Griffiths told the Security Council were needed.

Two Egyptian security sources said equipment was sent on Thursday through the crossing to repair roads on the Gaza side for aid to cross. More than 100 trucks were waiting on the Egyptian side although they were not expected to cross until Friday.

Before he left, Biden told Israelis in a speech: "While you feel that rage, don’t be consumed by it. After 9/11, we were enraged in the United States. And while we sought justice and got justice, we also made mistakes."

Later he told reporters aboard Air Force One: "Israel has been badly victimised but the truth is they have an opportunity to relieve suffering of people who have nowhere to go ... it's what they should do."

Israel said it would allow limited aid to reach Gaza from Egypt provided none of it benefited Hamas. But it repeated its position that it will open its own checkpoints to let in aid only when all of the more than 200 hostages captured by the gunmen were set free.

And it made clear there would be no let-up in its bombing campaign: "In the Gaza Strip, every place where Hamas has touched or is touching will be struck and destroyed," a colonel identified as the commander of Israel's Ramat David air base told public broadcastrer Kan.

"We really are a war machine that knows how to do two or three times what is being done now."

Sunak landed in Tel Aviv hours after Biden left, carrying similar messages of support and condolence for Israelis.

"Above all, I'm here to express my solidarity with the Israeli people. You have suffered an unspeakable, horrific act of terrorism and I want you to know that the United Kingdom and I stand with you," Sunak told Israeli reporters after landing.

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2023-10-19 09:41:00Z
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Putin calls blast at Gaza hospital a catastrophe, calls for negotiations - CNA

BEIJING: Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday (Oct 18) that a blast at a hospital in Gaza that killed hundreds of Palestinians was a terrible catastrophe that showed the Israel-Hamas conflict should be ended through negotiations.

Palestinian officials blamed an Israeli air strike for the blast at the Al-Ahli al-Arabi hospital, which it said had killed as many as 500 people. Israel said the blast was caused by a failed rocket launch by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group, which denied blame.

"As for the strike on the hospital, the tragedy that happened there is a terrible event," Putin said after talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing.

"Hundreds of dead and hundreds of wounded are of course a catastrophe.

"I really hope this will be a signal that we need to end this conflict as soon as possible. In any case, we need to focus on the possibility of starting some contacts and negotiations."

Russia, which has relationships with Iran, Hamas and major Arab powers as well as with the Palestinians and with Israel, has repeatedly said that the United States and the West have ignored the need for an independent Palestinian state within 1967 borders.

Putin on Monday spoke to Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

In those talks, Putin said he had formed the impression that no major players wanted the conflict to escalate.

"I have the impression that no one wants this to continue, for the conflict to develop and for the situation to worsen further," Putin said.

"In my opinion, the main players - some, by definition do not want to, some are afraid of something - but I have the impression that there are practically no players ready to develop the conflict and turn it into a large-scale war."

Putin also said he had discussed the situation with Xi. 

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2023-10-18 10:56:00Z
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Biden says US will support Israel against Hamas, condemns Palestinian group - The Straits Times

TEL AVIV – US President Joe Biden said on Wednesday that Washington would provide Israel with everything it needs to defend itself as it wages war against the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Mr Biden landed in Israel on Wednesday and met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The US President said Hamas was worse than the Islamic State militant group for its killings of Israeli civilians in an attack on Oct 7 which sparked the latest escalation of Israel-Palestinian violence.

Mr Biden said he was “sad and outraged” by an explosion at a hospital in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday which Hamas said killed hundreds of people.

But he added it seems the “other team” was responsible, in reference to Palestinian militants.

Mr Biden said 31 Americans were among the more than 1,400 Israelis killed in Hamas’s Oct 7 attack.

Since that assault, Israel has bombarded the Gaza Strip in a bid to annihilate Hamas, which rules the enclave. At least 3,000 Palestinians have been killed as a result of the Israeli military operation.

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2023-10-18 09:24:27Z
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Singaporeans advised to defer all travel to Lebanon amid volatile situation in region: MFA - CNA

SINGAPORE: Singaporeans are advised to defer all travel to Lebanon, while those currently in the country should leave as soon as possible via commercial options, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) on Wednesday (Oct 18). 

Singaporeans who choose to remain in Lebanon should remain vigilant, monitor local developments closely and heed the advice of the Lebanese government, said the ministry in a travel advisory, which noted "the volatile situation in the region".

"Singaporeans should also avoid travel to the Lebanon-Israel border areas, as well as avoid protests and large gatherings," MFA added.

MFA on Oct 10 advised Singaporeans living in Israel and the Palestinian Territories to leave as soon as possible via commercial options. It previously said Singaporeans should avoid all travel to the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and Israel’s borders with the Gaza Strip, Lebanon and Syria. 

Militant group Hamas on Oct 7 launched a surprise attack against Israel, the biggest in 50 years, and leaving more than 1,000 dead. Israel has since pounded Gaza with repeated air strikes, leaving at least 3,000 killed in Gaza, with the spiralling violence threatening a major new Middle East war.

On Tuesday, a strike killed hundreds of people at a Gaza hospital, marking the bloodiest single incident in the enclave during the current cycle of violence. Palestinian authorities and the Israeli military have blamed each other for the strike. 

There have also been clashes along Israel's border with Lebanon -  the deadliest in the Lebanon border area since a 2006 war between Israel and Shiite militant group Hezbollah.

Singapore has strongly condemned the attack by Palestinian militants on Israel, calling for an immediate end to the violence. 

Singaporeans are strongly encouraged to e-register with MFA so that the ministry can contact them should the need arise. 

Those who require consular assistance while in Lebanon may contact the Singapore Honorary Consulate-General in Beirut or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Duty Office (24 hours) at:

Honorary Consulate-General of the Republic of Singapore in Beirut
Address: Center Sofil, Charles Malek Avenue
Achrafieh, Beirut, Lebanon P.O. Box 166730

Telephone: +961-1-334-335, 200-786, 200-787
Email: singaporeconsulate [at] cyberia.net.lb

MFA Duty Office 
Tel: +65 6379 8800/8855
Fax: +65 6476 7302
Email: mfa_duty_officer [at] mfa.gov.sg

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2023-10-18 08:17:00Z
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As it happened: Xi Jinping unveiled new action plan for Belt and Road Initiative, Vladimir Putin gave first international address since Ukraine war - South China Morning Post

This blog has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing.

Representatives from 140 countries and 30 global organisations are attending the forum, which marks the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative. Among them is Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, who will speak after Xi, as well as leaders and businesspeople from across the developing world.

The forum is also intended to position China as a leader among less developed countries and as a global power.

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2023-10-18 03:20:01Z
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Malaysia does not agree with Western pressure to condemn Hamas: PM Anwar - CNA

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia does not agree with Western pressure to condemn Palestinian militant group Hamas, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said on Monday (Oct 16), amid widespread outrage over this month's deadly attack on southern Israel.

Western and European countries have repeatedly asked Malaysia to condemn Hamas in meetings, Anwar said, without providing details.

"I said that we, as a policy, have a relationship with Hamas from before and this will continue," Anwar told parliament.

"As such, we don't agree with their pressuring attitude, as Hamas too won in Gaza freely through elections and Gazans chose them to lead."

Muslim-majority Malaysia has long been a vocal supporter of the Palestinian cause and has advocated for a two-state solution to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. It does not have a diplomatic relation with Israel.

Top Hamas leaders in the past have often visited Malaysia and met with its premiers. Former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak in 2013 defied Israel's blockade on Gaza, crossing into the Palestinian enclave following an invitation from Hamas.

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2023-10-16 07:53:00Z
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Anwar: 'The West's hypocrisy must end, expedite urgent action for Palestine' - New Straits Times

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Anwar: 'The West's hypocrisy must end, expedite urgent action for Palestine'  New Straits TimesView Full coverage on Google News
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2023-10-16 04:54:34Z
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