Newsdeck
Israel latest: Over 1,100 dead; oil soars on fears of proxy war
The combined death toll from the Hamas attack on southern Israel has climbed to more than 1,100 as fighting entered a third day. Oil surged as the fighting threatened to inflame tensions in the Middle East, home to almost a third of global supply.
More than 700 Israelis, most of them civilians, were killed in the attacks which erupted outside the Gaza Strip on Saturday morning. About 400 Palestinians have died in fighting and retaliatory attacks, as the Israeli military regained control over most areas breached by militants.
The operation by Hamas — which included taking scores of Israeli hostages — was an unprecedented incursion that has shaken regional stability and markets. Israel officially declared war and says it won’t stop until Hamas’s military infrastructure is dismantled, a task that seems likely to include a ground invasion and take months.
All time stamps Israel.
Oil Soars Amid Rising Tensions (2:45 a.m.)
Oil surged more than 4% as Hamas’ surprise attacks on Israel over the weekend threatened to inflame tensions in the Middle East, home to almost a third of global supply.
West Texas Intermediate rose above $86 a barrel as a war-risk premium returned to markets. The latest events don’t pose an immediate threat to oil supply, but there’s a risk the conflict could spiral into a more devastating proxy war, embroiling the US and Iran.
Dollar Rises as Traders Seek Havens (2:07 a.m.)
The dollar strengthened against most of its major peers from the Asian open as currency traders got their first chance to react to a shock attack by Hamas within Israel.
The greenback — seen as a haven in times of trouble — advanced at least 0.2% versus the euro and pound, while risk currencies such as the Aussie and kiwi weakened.
Blinken, Saudi Foreign Minister Hold Talks (1:58 a.m.)
Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan discussed the most recent developments related to the Hamas “terrorist attacks” on Israel in a call, according to a readout from the State Department. Blinken encouraged Saudi Arabia’s continued engagement.
‘Not All’ UN Security Council Members Condemned Hamas, US Says (12:35 a.m.)
“A good number of countries” condemned the Hamas attacks during a closed session of the UN Security Council, Ambassador Robert Wood of the US said. “Obviously not all. I don’t really want to get into that. I think you could probably figure out one of them without me saying anything.”
Ambassador Lana Nusseibeh of the UAE said the immediate concern is the safe and unconditional return of hostages; broader political discussions aimed at a possible two-state solution can be addressed later.
Iran Aided Hamas Attack: WSJ (12:21 a.m.)
Iranian security officials helped Hamas plan its attack on Israel in a series of meetings over months, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing unnamed senior members of Hamas and Hezbollah, the Shiite militant group and political faction in Lebanon.
The Journal said Hamas was given the “green light” for the attack in Beirut last Monday.
US officials have noted Iran’s longstanding support for Hamas, with money and weapons. But US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Sunday the US hasn’t “yet seen direct evidence that Iran was behind this particular attack.”
Palestinian Observer at UN Defiant Ahead of Security Council (10:28 p.m.)
Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian observer at the United Nations, took a defiant tone in comments to reporters ahead of a special Security Council session, saying his people had repeatedly warned the Security Council about “the consequences of Israeli impunity and international inaction.”
“We know only too well that the messages about Israel’s right to defend itself will be interpreted by Israel as license to kill, to pursue on the very path that led us here,” Mansour said.
Islamic Jihad Says 30 Hostages Held (9:25 a.m.)
Palestinian Islamic Jihad is holding more than 30 Israeli hostages that will not be freed until all Islamic Jihad prisoners in Israel are also freed, the group’s leader, Ziad Al-Nakhala, said in a televised address.
Israel Says ‘Every Inch of Gaza’ Is Part of Hamas ‘War Machine’ (9:21 p.m.)
Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, said “every inch of Gaza has become part of Hamas’ war machine,” vowing that his country would “obliterate” all of the group’s terror infrastructure.
Despite the violence, Israel is sticking to efforts to normalize relations with Saudi Arabia, he said, charging that suspending that bid would only benefit Iran.
“There are moderate countries in our region
that want to normalize relations and live in peace and coexistence, and definitely Saudi Arabia is part of them,” he said, speaking to reporters before a closed-door session of the UN Security Council on the issue.
Four US Citizens Believed Dead: AP (8:57 p.m.)
At least four American citizens were killed in the attacks on Israel, the Associated Press reported, citing preliminary reports from an unnamed US official.
US Sends Warships, Munitions in Show of Force (8:35 p.m.)
A six-vessel US naval group including the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier is headed to the eastern Mediterranean to “bolster regional deterrence efforts,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement. Additional US equipment and resources, including munitions, will arrive in the coming days, he said.
President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke by phone for the second time in two days. Biden told Netanyahu during the call that additional military assistance for Israel “is now on its way,” according to a White House statement.
Erdogan: Regional Problems Stem From Palestinian Issue (5:45 p.m.)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reiterated his call for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state within 1967 borders, with Jerusalem as its capital.
“The basis of the problems in our region today is the Palestine issue. Unless the issue is resolved, the region will long for peace,” Erdogan said in Istanbul on Sunday, “It is important to preserve the two-state solution.”
Israel to Prepare for Evacuations in North (5:30 p.m.)
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant instructed officials to prepare for the evacuation of civilians from communities in the country’s north. The program would be similar to evacuations that have taken place in more than 20 communities adjacent to the Gaza Strip.
Become an Insider
Misleading headline much? More like HAMAS- ISRAEL WAR.
From the London Guardian:
“Why did Hamas and Islamic Jihad launch the attack?
The exact reasons for the attack are not clear, but there has been growing violence for months between Israeli soldiers and settlers and Palestinians in the West Bank. Armed settlers have attacked Palestinian villages; militants in the West Bank have attacked soldiers and settlers, and there have been repeated IDF raids on Palestinian cities.
During the past week, some Jews have prayed inside the compound of al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem’s Old City. The area around the mosque is known to Muslims as Haram al-Sharif and is the third holiest place for Islam after Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia. To Jews, it is known as Temple Mount, and is venerated as the site of the biblical Jewish temple. Jews are not permitted to pray inside al-Aqsa compound; to do so is highly provocative. Hamas has called its current offensive Operation al-Aqsa Deluge.
The longer backdrop is a 16-year blockade of Gaza by Israel and Egypt that has almost destroyed the strip’s internal economy and has caused hardship for the people living there.”
Two sides to every story, hey.
Holy Jihads for 1500 years now and especially against Jews. Denise Smit
Can someone please explain, because I don’t understand it. Someone enters your own, moves you and your family into the toilet and then start bringing all their relatives to start taking over not only your house but the entire neighbourhood. The authorities make commitments to sort the problem out by dividing your house, that your family have lived in for centuries, but you have no say into where you can stay on the property, but this never materializes after years of promises. If you attack the invaders, you are a terrorist, What options do you have?
What are you talking about? There has never been a Palestinian state, the people of Israel have been there for centuries
It was always called the Levant, as far as I know, and all the inhabitants were Semites, descendants of Shem, the son of Noah and apparently not a Jew.
According to Philip Ó Ceallaigh:
‘Of course, 100 years ago there was no such thing as an Israeli either. The “Israeli” and “Palestinian” nations have come into being simultaneously, and in conflict. The assertion of one is often formulated as the denial of the other’
So, in many ways, the Israelis are being anti-semitic to their Palestinian brothers and sisters?
Jew come from the word Judaism, named after Judah the son of Jacob
What are YOU on about. According to your logic, no “new” people arrived in the last 75 years. I never mentioned a Palestine State, there were people living there who have had their property taken from them, property that their families have been living in for centuries. Jews, Christians and Muslims have been living side by side for centuries. It’s the new arrivals that caused and started the “conflict”.
1. At first I thought this was all about oil prices. Oh, wait…
2. President Erdogan believes that the region was at peace before 1967. Or was it 1948…?
Eye for an eye. The blind are the perfect recruits for the new world order. And they’re dancing the 9/11 again.
I dunno why the Israelis are so patient. One Israel, take it or leave it.
Hamas is like a cancer destroying the land from within. Using medieval tactics (hostage taking) and stone age barbarism -some poor girl decapitated slowly with a knife accompanied by guttural shrieks of al-akbar!
Yeah, I think you should go read more. There are 2 sides to every story, and Israel are not entirely victims here.
Remind us Paul – when and where did the Israelis decapitate a Palestinian girl? And when and where did they take Palestinian civilians hostage? I am desperately seeking this other side of the story – perhaps you can help as you seem to know a lot?
Hostages??? Israelis go way beyond that. They imprison Palestinians, including youth, and harvest the organs after they have “died”, you can search for the article under Israel harvested Palestinians’ organs
Yes agreed, @Rod you don’t need to ask me to provide the evidence, it is out there in books, news articles etc for anyone who is willing to look for both sides of the story on this or any other issue. Factual stories, not just propagating a narrative that suits one side and their agenda.
You can start 2000 years ago, or from the 1948 Marshall plan, or you can look at how the West Bank has been developed in recent times.
Hahahahahahahahaha
Problem with most non-factual propagandists is they always say go and do your own research as they don’t have any credible sources.
So, for those who cannot do their own research:
1917 – 1947: British mandate
Palestine was among former Ottoman territories placed under UK administration by the League of Nations in 1922. All of these territories eventually became fully independent States, except Palestine, where in addition to “the rendering of administrative assistance and advice” the British Mandate incorporated the “Balfour Declaration” of 1917, expressing support for “the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people”. During the Mandate, from 1922 to 1947, large-scale Jewish immigration, mainly from Eastern Europe took place, the numbers swelling in the 1930s with the Nazi persecution. Arab demands for independence and resistance to immigration led to a rebellion in 1937, followed by continuing terrorism and violence from both sides. (Source: United Nations)
British Palestine (1917-1948)
Crisis Phase (November 2, 1917-April 19, 1936): Jewish nationalists began a struggle for a Jewish state in Palestine following the issuance by the British government of the Balfour Declaration on November 2, 1917. In the document, the British government declared its support for the establishment of a “national home for the Jewish people” in Palestine. (source: political science research projects at UCA)
If you need more, The Tribes Triumphant, by Charles Glass, is an eye-opening book. You could also try Bantustan Gaza by Richard Locke and Anthony Stewart.
And a 2-state solution would have resolved the issue, but Zionists do not want a 2-state solution they want the entire region …
And as usual our government has obliquely come out in support of the terrorist organization Hamas by saying that they had a good reason to attack Israel.
If I took over your home and moved, you to a small area way beyond where you lived. are you a terrorist if you attack me?
The people of Palestine have been under siege since 1948, they are being killed, hunted like dogs, are collectively punished. Their existence threatened, their homes and properties being destroyed, being oppressed by a racist, apartheid state, a systematic genocide of their people. Their human rights violated and yet some people think it’s OK and defend the actions of the israeli government, seems their humanity is only concerned to people of their own skin colour.
No surprise there. As history shows, many terrorist organizations became known as a liberation movements after taking over, including the one “running” our government.
To the commentators on this article:
Can you please make a point of understanding why Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) exists?
It is a US-based organization that advocates for peace, social justice, and human rights in Israel and Palestine. JVP was founded in 1996 and has since grown to become one of the largest Jewish peace organizations in the world. The organization is committed to ending the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories, promoting a just solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and supporting the human rights of all people in the region. JVP also works to challenge anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, racism, and other forms of oppression.
There are many Jews inside and outside Israel who oppose the occupation and many of the actions taken by the sate of Israel. Despite this the state of Israel has ignored agreements made, especially with regard to land and internal policies with Israel, with little or no outrage from the !international community”. Sadly the attack from Gaza seems to have been a matter of when not if. Either slow death by starvation and appalling living standards locked in Gaza, or taking action. I condemn the death of all civilians, either through direct attack or other means. Life in the Wes Bank has been increasingly difficult for the people living there.
This is such a tragedy.
The worlds seems to need a moral compass.
Thank you for your insight. My point earlier, what options to they have?
What a joke. Israel employs thousands of unskilled Palestinians. In 2011 the Palestine Authority vowed to stop it , but were unsuccessful – mainly because they were incapable of providing alternative employment! Palestinians cross into and out of Israel easily, and the palestinian workers in Israel contribute over $2bn annually to the PA. Wake up – the PA cannot organise a p!**-up in a brewery.
Clearly you have not been to a border crossing there, ask any South African who has and they will give you a personal experience.
I suggest you listen to Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters comments to Joe Biden, it’s from May 8, 2021 and it can be found on YouTube
Enver, I know why Palestinians get searched and hampered, and so do you. I guess you also know why South Africans get harassed in Europe and the UK, and why our visas are so expensive there. It’s because South Africa has become one of the largest issuers of fake passports, and because we have become a major drug smuggling hub – so the innocents pay the price. But we still get to Europe and the UK, same as Palestinians get to their jobs in Israel – it’s just slow because of the assassins and bombers in their ranks.
Rod, I get your point. I have travelled quite a bit with my SA Passport and the longest I have ever been held up in Customs was 10 minutes (excluding the queue). What I cannot understand is why a busload of SA Citizens, aged 70+, men and women had to wait in a bus for more than 6 hours at an Israeli border post.
Ans as for Hamas – how would you treat an organisation that vowed to wipe your nation from the face of the earth?