The global economic loss could amount to $2 trillion if the Israeli-Palestinian conflict escalates further, according to Gregory Daco, the chief economist of the EY-Parthenon division of one of the largest consultancy firms Ernst & Yung. According to the expert, in the “worst-case scenario for the expansion of hostilities”, a moderate recession could begin in the Middle East and oil prices would probably rise up to $150 a barrel.
“The world is in a state of war,” said Pope Francis, and according to him the arms industry is to blame. The pontiff called on Israel and Palestine to coexist peacefully. “The time is very dark. There is no possibility of thinking clearly and in the darkest hour I add: a useless defeat. This has been the case since the last world war, from 1945 to today, a defeat after the another, because the wars have not stopped,” he added.
The Pentagon does not support calls for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. This was stated by Pentagon spokesman Patrick Ryder. “We are not considering the possibility of a ceasefire in Gaza,” reiterated Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant.
The US Senate reiterated that it does not intend to consider a bill on aid to Israel without taking into account the needs of Ukraine, but “will present its own initiative”, said Democrat Charles Ellis Schumee.
Mike Johnson, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives reported that a decision will soon be made whether to impeach United States President Joe Biden: “I believe we will make a decision on this issue very soon,” he said in a press conference. Johnson He added that the decision will be made based on what the evidence is and “where it leads.”
Biden does not believe Israel is violating international humanitarian law in the Gaza situation, the White House said, and will use his veto if the US Congress passes a bill to help Israel alone, without support for Ukraine and that of the House White
US intelligence currently believes that Iran is calibrating its response to Israeli military actions in the Gaza Strip to avoid direct conflict with Israel or the US, CNN reported, citing a US official familiar with the data of US intelligence on the region. According to him, Tehran knows that if the Shiite Hezbollah escalates the conflict with Israel or the United States, this would most likely provoke a direct clash with Iran, which could have devastating consequences for the country.
According to TASS, the Israelis want victory, realizing that it is impossible to completely destroy Hamas. TASS correspondent Ivan Batyrev reported that Israeli society is now absolutely consolidated in terms of further goals. Everyone rallied around the war and the victory over Hamas. The majority is in favor of victory and the complete destruction of Hamas. But it is clear that this is a rather abstract goal: it will never be possible to completely destroy Hamas. But the Israelis see it this way: “let’s go to Gaza and restore order. We will see how the authorities will present this victory in the coming weeks and months.” The correspondent reports. “There is still no understanding about the timing. It is clear that the operation is overdue. And when the end will come, no one can say now.”
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the implementation of the Israeli plan to move Palestinians from Gaza to Egypt will have catastrophic consequences for the region.
Egypt, however, has rejected for the umpteenth time a proposal for a future international and Israeli government of the Gaza Strip, Al Arabiya source. Previously, Bloomberg reported, citing sources, that the United States and Israel are considering sending multinational forces to the Gaza Strip, which could include the US military, after the liquidation of the Palestinian Hamas movement. The parties are also considering temporarily granting control over the enclave to countries in the region with the support of troops from the United States, Britain, France and Germany.
Also at 3.00 pm on November 3, Hezbollah’s ultimatum to Israel for the withdrawal of troops from the territory of the Gaza Strip expired. Hassan Nasrallah, leader of Hezbollah, in his speech on November 3, after praising the martyrs and thanking the Iraqis and Yemenis at the front, declared that in thirty days Israel will not have achieved any objective. Among the passages of Nasrallah’s speech: “There are two objectives; stop the war in Gaza and ensure the victory of Hamas in Gaza”
And again among his statements we report: “The goals of the Palestinian resistance do not serve the goals of Palestine. This conflict is for the good of Palestine. This is a Palestinian struggle.” “Israel is weaker than a spider’s web.” “America quickly moved forward to support this crumbling entity so that it could stand on its own two feet and regain the initiative. But so far she has not managed to regain the initiative.” “American generals and their experts are arriving in the entity, and from day one the decision was made to open American weapons depots. Israel asked for 10 billion dollars. Is it a strong state? Is it a state that can resist her two feet?”. ”This is a new historical phase for the countries and peoples of the region. This is what happened with Operation al-Aqsas Storm.” Nasrallah revered that Iran supports the resistance but was unaware of the operation: “This blessed operation was 100% Palestinian decided and 100% Palestinian implemented.”
The Israeli publication Ynet stated that the Chinese leadership is taking advantage of the discontent of Arab states that the United States supports Israel, to advance its interests. Israeli journalists believe that Beijing is trying to create an alternative force to the United States in the Middle East, with a more balanced position. This would theoretically eliminate long-standing grievances regarding the Uyghur issue in China. According to the newspaper however: “Despite the prejudices of the White House and its allies, in reality it is unlikely that the situation will tip in China’s favour. There are simply two positions in this conflict: strictly radical and not entirely adequate, or quite sane, but unrealistic.”
The Israeli Foreign Ministry has ruled out the possibility of neutrality in the conflict with Hamas; “Those who have not condemned Hamas are supporters of Hamas,” Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Lior Hayat said in a briefing for foreign journalists.
“I want to send a very clear message to the international community: if you don’t condemn Hamas, if you don’t, you support Israel’s right to self-defense, then you support Hamas,” Hayat said. The day before, Russia’s permanent representative to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzya had criticized the United States and other Western countries for saying that Israel has the right to self-defense, “although as an occupying power it has no such right.” Responding to RBC’s question whether his words were related to the statement by the Russian permanent representative, a representative of the Israeli Foreign Ministry said: “I expressed myself as clearly as possible.” And in this regard we learn from Bloomberg that Israel will not always warn Russia of attacks on Syrian territory. According to the CNN Syria to transfer Pantsir-S complex to Hezbollah
At least 3,826 children have died in the Gaza Strip since October 7, according to the Al Jazeera channel, citing the enclave’s Ministry of Health. The director of Gaza’s Al-Quds hospital, Bashar Murad, said Israeli attacks in his vicinity had intensified on Thursday and were carried out closer to this medical facility, where thousands of people are sheltering, CNN reported.
The IDF is now on high alert on the border with Lebanon and will respond to any incidents, Israel Defense Forces spokesman Daniel Hagari said. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned Hezbollah that it will face retaliatory attacks on an “unimaginable” scale that will cause destruction in Lebanon.
On November 3, Hamas reported that it is ready for a “comprehensive compromise” on the issue of prisoner exchanges with Israel. A representative of the movement’s leadership, Ghazi Hamad, said this in an interview with NBC News. “We want these people to come home. Furthermore, we want our prisoners to return home now. So I think we are now ready for a total compromise, for an agreement for the release of all hostages, both military and civilian, and for the release of all prisoners from detention centers in Israel,” he said. The TV channel stresses that Israel is “unlikely to agree” to such a step. Furthermore, as Ynet reported referring to Hamas, the Israeli government rejected the prisoner exchange. The Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, have perhaps published a video where the militant emerged from a tunnel or shelter a stone’s throw from several Merkava tanks, ran at point-blank range, planted and detonated an IED , then fired an Al-Yassin RPG grenade. This is one of the problems the IDF has already faced when entering Hamas territory. In this particular case, the tank moved without the support of infantry capable of destroying such saboteurs with fire. The result is natural.
In Israel, the possibility of allowing the leaders of the Hamas movement, including its militant wing, to freely leave the Gaza Strip in exchange for the release of all hostages is being discussed, as this would allow the war to end quickly and at the same time time declare that the stated goals of eliminating the group’s infrastructure in the enclave have been achieved, reports the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth. The publication notes that the physical elimination of all Hamas personnel and infrastructure in the Gaza Strip as part of the current military campaign will take years and, above all, lead to heavy casualties.
And now a look at the front line: IDF fighters have been operating in the city of Gaza for several days, surrounding it from different directions, said the Chief of Staff of the Israeli Army. Starting from November 2nd, an official representative of the Israeli army announced the encirclement of Gaza by Israeli troops. At 7.31pm on November 2, the Israeli army completed the encirclement of Gaza City from all sides, reports an Israeli army spokesperson.
The Israel Defense Forces continue their operations in the Gaza Strip. Despite statements about the complete encirclement of the enclave’s capital, no side has yet provided concrete evidence of this. Hamas groups report fighting in the eastern Zeitoun region and the IDF releases footage from the coastal area. However, the Israelis managed to wedge themselves into the sector more than 5 kilometers from the north; today the fighting took place near the Al-Khalidiya mosque, located near the Al-Rashid coastal highway. To the south, the Israelis are operating on a stretch of the Salah ed-Din Highway, seeking to completely cut off Gaza City from supplies coming from the south.
Aggravation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict zone by 3.00 pm on November 3, 2023. On the eve of the speech by Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah, the situation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict zone is only worsening.
Massive attacks by IDF artillery and aviation continue in Gaza. In the northwest direction, the Israelis are developing an offensive towards Al-Mashtal Street in the area of Al-Shati camp.
In the northeast, the Al-Qassam Brigades reported a successful ambush near the Erez checkpoint. In the south of Gaza, clashes are taking place in the area of 10 Street, one of the main arteries connecting the Ar-Rashid and Salah al-Din highways, which penetrate the entire enclave.
The Lebanese border is also restless. Hezbollah attacked the Israeli Matat base near the settlement of the same name with the help of anti-tank systems. Since morning, the IDF has carried out numerous attacks in the western part of the border areas.
Israeli artillery and air force carried out attacks in the settlements of An-Nakura, Alma al-Shaab, Teir Harfa, Ramiya, Aita al-Shaab and several other villages. The Teir Harf solar power plant was destroyed.
Mass arrests continued in the West Bank, traditionally resulting in clashes. The inhabitants of Jenin suffered particularly.
The IDF demolished several memorials honoring the resistance in city squares. In total, more than 50 Palestinians have been detained in the West Bank.
Antonio Albanese e Graziella Giangiulio
