Iran has opened a website that recruits volunteers for the war with Israel, Lebanese media report. Iranian Supreme Leader Khamenei said: “If the crimes of the Zionist regime continue, Muslims around the world and resistance forces will lose patience. Then no one will be able to stop them.”
Echoing his words are those of the deputy commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, General Ali Fadavi: “Israel must expect “another shock” if it does not stop hitting the Gaza Strip.”
And again Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian said: “Groups that oppose Israel will soon take “preventive actions”. Commenting on the possibility of Tehran entering the conflict, he said that “any possibility can be imagined.”
The UN Security Council did not adopt the Russian resolution on Gaza and Israel. Russia, China, the United Arab Emirates, Gabon and Mozambique supported the document. Cons: USA, UK, France and Japan. The rest abstained. Western countries explained their refusal to vote in favor of the draft by the lack of condemnation of Hamas. The Permanent Representative of Palestine present at the meeting accused the Council of covering up Israel’s crimes. The Israeli permanent representative, in turn, defined the military operation as a “salvation mission” by Hamas for his country and the Gaza Strip. According to him, the war will end when the militants lay down their weapons and hand over the hostages.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, during a conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, said that his country will not stop until it has destroyed “the military and administrative potential of Hamas”.
American President Joe Biden is expected in Israel today. According to the New York Times, Israel has asked for $10 billion in support from Washington and Biden will go to Jordan after his visit to Israel. US President Joe Biden’s visit to Israel will last about five hours. This was stated by the newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth.
According to initial information, the US president will arrive in Israel where a meeting is scheduled with the prime minister and president of the country, as well as with the families of the hostages held in Gaza by Hamas. Subsequently he will travel to Amman, where he is scheduled to meet with King Abdallah II of Jordan, as well as with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.
The head of the US House Foreign Policy Committee confirmed the presence of two thousand US marines off the coast of Gaza and Israel, whose participation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is permitted.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Tuesday that Hamas has no right to speak on behalf of the Palestinians: “The Palestinians are not Hamas, and Hamas has no right to speak on their behalf. The Palestinian population of the Gaza Strip is also a victim of Hamas,” Scholz said at a joint press conference with King Abdallah II of Jordan. According to Der Spiegel, Israel will not launch a ground operation in the Gaza Strip until after the visit of Biden.
The South Korean military believes that North Korea will directly or indirectly cooperate with Hamas in providing weapons and tactical training. This was reported by the Kyodo agency with reference to the Committee of Chiefs of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Korea.
President of Belarus Alexandar Lukashenko said: “The West is directing the spearhead of the conflict in the Middle East against Iran, we must resist these attacks together.”
The British newspaper Financial Times claims that Egypt, in response to Western pressure to host a million refugees from the Gaza Strip, has threatened to send them to EU countries.
Jordan cannot accept Palestinian refugees from the Gaza Strip: it is an insurmountable red line for the Hashemite kingdom. King Abdallah II of Jordan stated this during a joint press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, answering journalists’ questions about a possible influx of refugees into the country. “This is a red line. No more Palestinian refugees, neither in Jordan nor in Egypt. This problem must be solved within the Gaza Strip and in the Palestinian territories in the West Bank, and there is no need to perch on the shoulders of others States”, underlined the Monarch.
“The continued Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip will cause a wave of anger in the region and in the world,” Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani said during a conversation with the president of the United States Joe Biden.
Turkey proposes to create a system of guarantors in the Israeli-Palestinian agreement, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said. The idea, the Minister noted, is for several countries, including Turkey, to take responsibility for ensuring the implementation of the Israeli-Palestinian agreement, if it is reached, Turkish media reported. He underlined the importance of international pressure on Israel to accept the creation of a Palestinian state.
And now a look at the conflict zone at 2pm on 17 October 2023.
The Palestinian Ambassador to the Russian Federation reported that in the Gaza Strip there are already more than 3 thousand dead and 11 thousand injured, more than one million people are leaving their homes.
The head of Israel’s Shin Bet has taken responsibility for enabling the Hamas attack and admitted intelligence failed Israeli media sources.
Northbound:
Two Palestinian militants attempted to land from the sea on the beach near Kibbutz Zikim, but an IDF helicopter flew to intercept them and likely destroyed them.
Eastbound:
Palestinian forces fired at Hatzerim and Nahal Oz, and several more shells were intercepted by air defenses near Beer Sheva.
Furthermore, a failed attempt to attack the IDF airbase in Hatzerim was recorded.
Israeli security forces have arrested a Gaza resident near Netivot, who is being monitored for involvement in terrorist activities.
Border with Lebanon:
Hezbollah fighters fired several times on Metula. Two civilians were injured.
The IDF continues to attack southern Lebanon: the Christian village of Rmeish, as well as Ad-Dahira and Aytarun, were attacked again.
Gaza Strip:
The Israeli Air Force, with the support of the Navy and artillery, continues to launch attacks against the Gaza Strip: the IDF has announced the liquidation of the head of the Hamas Shura Council. Despite further statements from Western politicians, the Rafah checkpoint on the border with Egypt remains closed. Civilians still do not have access to humanitarian aid.
West Bank: In the West Bank, Israeli security forces carried out a series of arrests of Palestinians. Among them is the speaker of the Palestinian parliament, Aziz Duaik, who, according to the IDF, is a member of Hamas. Further north, 30 Palestinian workers were arrested in Khalhoul.
Antonio Albanese e Graziella Giangiulio
