Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – Bloody conflicts continue to occur in the Gaza Strip. Israel is still launching attacks on the region under the pretext of destroying Hamas and freeing hostages.
Even though human rights bodies condemn the increasingly serious humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian pocket, Israel remains unmoved. The following are the latest developments as summarized CNBC IndonesiaFriday (17/11/2023):.
1.Israel Missile “Putin’s Ally”
Israeli airstrikes took place near the Syrian capital, Damascus, Friday. Israel has targeted Syria several times in recent weeks, as regional tensions escalate due to the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip, Palestine.
Syrian military sources reported the attack occurred at 02:25. Israel invaded from the occupied Golan region, into the rural areas around Damascus.
Quoting local media SANAAwhich is quoted Al-Mayadeen And AFPthe source added that Syrian air defense forces also responded to the Israeli missiles and shot down most of them.
It was also reported how the attack caused a number of material losses.
“The strikes caused material damage … adding that Syrian air defenses intercepted several Israeli missiles,” he stressed AFP.
“The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights group said the attacks targeted sites belonging to the powerful Lebanese group Hezbollah,” the media added.
“The Israeli strikes targeted agricultural plains in the Yarmouk Basin in the western countryside of Daraa,” reported one Middle Eastern media outlet. Al Mayadeen.
Syria itself is known to be an ally of Hamas. Damascus is where President Bashar Al Assad, who was backed by Moscow during the Syrian civil war, lives.
2. Taliban Response to Gaza War
Afghanistan’s ruling group, the Taliban, has opened its voice about the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militia, Hamas. This was conveyed by the spokesperson for the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Abdul Qahar Balkhi, Friday.
In a report Anadoly AgencyBalkhi conveyed that the current “duplicate” position of Western governments and international organizations towards Israel’s actions in Gaza will further strengthen the belief that human rights (HAM) are war tactics used to achieve political goals.
“Contrary to all humanitarian norms, it has been more than 40 days since Zionist forces carried out brutal actions in the Gaza Strip and, every day, they continue to violate all the rules of war,” he said in the report quoted Middle East Monitor That.
“The state media office in Gaza said in a statement that the Israeli army, so far, has targeted 52 health centers and 55 ambulances, while 25 hospitals are out of service due to bombing or lack of fuel and medical supplies,” he added.
Kabul itself called on the UN and other human rights bodies to prevent “continued brutality” in Gaza by taking “an honest, transparent and fair position in the face of crimes against humanity committed by Zionists against the people of Gaza.”
The Taliban also “vigorously” urged Arab and Islamic countries to respond to the cries of oppressed Muslims in Gaza, and to fulfill their religious and humanitarian responsibilities through effective and meaningful positions and measures.
3. Iranian General Promises to Help Hamas
Iran promised to help Hamas in the war against Israel in Gaza. This was said by the Commander of Iran’s Elite Quds Force, Esmail Qaani.
In a letter addressed to the commander of Hamas’ armed wing Al Qassam Brigades, Qaani said Tehran and its allies would not let a “brutal enemy” win. He praised Hamas troops who he called “heroic”.
“We will do whatever it takes in this historic battle,” Qaani said in his letter, as reported by the Islamic Republic of Iran News Agency (IRNA) and quoted Russia TodayFriday.
“Hamas has proven to everyone that the resistance in Gaza is capable of initiative and innovation, while maintaining its organization and field capabilities,” he added.
The Quds Force is the foreign operations arm of Tehran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), responsible for military and intelligence missions outside Iran’s borders. Qaani took over the force in 2020 after his predecessor, Qasem Soleimani, was killed in a United States (US) drone strike.
The letter came a day after Reuters reported that Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had told Hamas that his country would not be directly involved in the Gaza war. Khamenei only mentioned his commitment to provide “political and moral support”.
However, a high-ranking Hamas official, Osama Hamdan, rejected the news. According to Hamdan, the report was intended to damage the image of Hamas and its allies in the “axis of resistance” which is a network of Iran-backed militia groups in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Gaza.
So far, several resistance axis militias have carried out attacks on Israel. In fact, the Houthi militia from Yemen, which does not border Israel, has launched drone attacks against the Jewish State.
Meanwhile, the situation in Gaza continues to be tense. A total of 11,400 people died, most of them children and women.
4. Netanyahu admits failure in Gaza
Israel admits that it failed to minimize casualties in Gaza in the war against Hamas. This was stated directly by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Netanyahu also responded to the impact of Israel’s killing of thousands of Palestinians in response to the Hamas attack on October 7, which will trigger the hatred of a new generation.
“Every death of a civilian is a tragedy. And we should not have that because we did everything we could to save civilians from danger, while Hamas did everything to put them in danger,” Netanyahu told CBS News as quoted by Reuters.
“So we sent leaflets, (we) called them on their cell phones, and we said: ‘leave’. And many have left,” Netanyahu said.
5. Gaza Casualties: 11,500 People Killed
Gaza health authorities provide an update on the casualties of the Israeli attack. As of October 7, Friday, 11,500 people have been confirmed dead in Israeli bombings and ground attacks.
6. Western donors stop funding to Arabs
Donors from Western countries will cut aid funds to Arab civil society groups. This is because it criticizes Israel’s atrocities in Gaza.
According to activists, some Western donors have withdrawn financial support for Arab media, human rights groups and think-tanks. They also said they were disappointed with many Western countries and foundations because of their support for Israel’s bombing and siege of Gaza.
“The magnitude of anger and bitterness is not only limited to our society, but also to us,” said Hossam Baghat, Executive Director of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR), as quoted Al JazeeraFriday.
“We don’t know how or whether we can interact again with some Western governments or partners,” he added.
7. Israel’s War Takes Malaysian Victims
Malaysia could be a “victim” of Israel’s war in Gaza. The country’s vocal defense of Palestine is the cause.
This was also acknowledged by Malaysian Prime Minister (PM) Anwar Ibrahim some time ago. A number of Western countries have reportedly applied pressure.
This was also revealed in a statement by Malaysian Police General Razarudin Husain, as published in The Star, Friday. However, according to him, currently there is no direct threat to the country because it supports Palestine.
“But we are still collecting intelligence and relevant information regarding this matter,” he said.
Malaysia is a country that strongly supports Palestine and criticizes Israel. Quote Named And Anadoluat the end of October members of the European Union (EU) parliament proposed action against Malaysia because of its support for Palestine.
“There are members of the European parliament who are proposing this (action) against Malaysia,” Anwar said at the time, hinting that his personal safety might be at risk.
8. WHO is concerned about the spread of disease in Gaza
The World Health Organization (WHO) said it was very concerned about the spread of the disease in Gaza. Weeks of Israeli bombing have left residents huddled in shelters with food and clean water scarce.
“We are very concerned about the spread of this disease as winter arrives,” said Richard Peeperkorn, WHO representative in the occupied Palestinian territories, Friday.
He said there were more than 70,000 cases of acute respiratory infections. More than 44,000 cases of diarrhea have been recorded in the densely populated region, a figure much higher than expected.
9. IDF Attacks Jenin in the West Bank
A large number of Israeli troops (IDF) stormed the Jenin refugee camp overnight, AFP journalists there said. The Israeli military did not immediately comment.
Al Jazeera reported that IDF forces raided the Ibn Sina Hospital near Jenin, with “dozens of Israeli armored vehicles… seen surrounding the hospital compound.”
10. Israeli School Bomb Attack
A large number of people were killed and injured after an Israeli attack targeted al-Falah School. Even though the school accommodates thousands of refugees in the Zeitoun neighborhood, south of Gaza City.
[Gambas:Video CNBC]
Next Article
Gaza Update! 3 Million Israeli Stormtroopers-Latest Total Casualties
(sef/sef)