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☆ Analysis: The US is dangerously close to being pulled into a Middle East war as it supports Israel's campaign against Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( Ben Wedeman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Editor’s Note: A version of this story appears in CNN’s Meanwhile in the Middle East newsletter, a three-times-a-week look inside the region’s biggest stories. Gaza may be where the war is happening now, but across the Middle East the warning lights of more trouble to come are blinking red. All the while the US is airlifting massive amounts of ammunition and equipment to help the Israeli war effort. Protests against Israel and USAs the war in Gaza rages, the Middle East is seething with anger. The American carrier groups just over the horizon are there to deter Iran, Hezbollah and others from going too far.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Miriam Alster, Antony Blinken, –, Saddam Hussein’s, Bashar al, Qasem Soleimani, Hossein Amir, Abdollahian, Israel, Israel’s, Jordan’s King Abdullah, Abdel Fattah el, Mahmoud Abbas, Sisi, King Abdullah, ” I’ve Organizations: Southern Lebanon CNN, Houthi, US, Israel, Gaza, White, Israeli, Hamas, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Islamic, Iranian, Ahli Baptist Hospital, Palestinian Locations: Southern Lebanon, Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Gaza, Iran, Israel, Tel Aviv, United States, Kuwait, Russia, Turkey, Islamic State, Aleppo, Damascus, Baghdad, it’s, Beirut, Vietnam, Afghanistan, East, Doha, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Egypt, Amman, Ahli, Al, Cairo

☆ Cairo Peace Summit on Gaza conflict: who will attend?
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Members of the military stand guard as people take part in a protest in support of Palestinians, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Old Cairo, Egypt, October 20, 2023. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany Acquire Licensing RightsOct 20 (Reuters) - Egypt is planning to host an international conference on Saturday to discuss the escalating war between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza. The list of attendees expected so far at the Cairo Peace Summit include:Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-SisiPalestinian President Mahmoud AbbasJordanian King AbdullahBahraini King Hamad bin Isa Al KhalifaKuwaiti Crown Prince Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-SabahItalian Prime Minister Giorgia MeloniSpanish Prime Minister Pedro SanchezGreek Prime Minister Kyriakos MitsotakisCypriot President Nikos ChristodoulidesSouth African President Cyril RamaphosaGerman Foreign Minister Annalena BaerbockFrench Foreign Minister Catherine ColonnaJapanese Foreign Minister Yoko KamikawaBritish Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs James CleverlyNorwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth EideUnited Nations Secretary-General Antonio GuterresEuropean Council President Charles MichelEuropean Union foreign policy chief Josep BorrellReporting by Reuters bureaus; Editing by Edmund Blair, Gareth Jones and Jonathan OatisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Mohamed Abd El Ghany, Abdel Fattah al, Mahmoud Abbas, Mahmoud Abbas Jordanian King Abdullah, Mahmoud Abbas Jordanian King Abdullah Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, Mahmoud Abbas Jordanian King Abdullah Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa Kuwaiti Crown Prince Sheikh Meshal al, Ahmad al, Giorgia, Pedro Sanchez, Kyriakos, Nikos Christodoulides, Cyril Ramaphosa, Annalena Baerbock, Catherine Colonna Japanese, Yoko Kamikawa, Foreign Affairs James, Espen Barth Eide, Antonio, Charles Michel, Josep Borrell, Edmund Blair, Gareth Jones, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Hamas, REUTERS, Palestinian, Cairo Peace, Pedro Sanchez Greek, State, Foreign Affairs, Espen Barth Eide United Nations, Charles Michel European Union, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Israel, Palestinian, Old Cairo, Egypt, Gaza, Cairo, Mahmoud Abbas Jordanian, Mahmoud Abbas Jordanian King Abdullah Bahraini, Mahmoud Abbas Jordanian King Abdullah Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa Kuwaiti Crown, Sabah Italian, Spanish, Norwegian

☆ Protests across Mideast as US’ Arab allies warn against pushing Palestinians out
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —Protests erupted around the Arab world on Friday as the Gaza war raged and an Israeli ground operation with the potential to displace millions of Palestinians loomed. In a sign of the growing anger over the Israeli operation in Gaza, Egypt sanctioned its first major nationwide protest in a decade. Amman and Cairo have sounded alarms over what they perceive as a plan to transfer Palestinians from Gaza and the West Bank to Egypt and Jordan. The West Bank, however, remains occupied and the previous right-wing government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it would advance plans to extend its jurisdiction to the West Bank. The Palestinians want to establish an independent state in the West Bank and Gaza.

Persons: Annie Sakkab, Antony Blinken, Azhar, Omar Zoheiry, Amal, Young, Joe Biden, ”, Israel, Abdel Fattah el, Ayman Mohsab, Sisi, ” Sisi, Ayman Safadi, Al Jazeera, ” Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Benny Gantz, Jordan, Olaf Scholz Organizations: CNN, West Bank, Palestinian Ministry of Health, Bloomberg, Getty, Louk, AP, United, Reuters, Israel, Arab Affairs Committee, Al, Israeli, National Unity Party, Palestinian Authority, Cairo Peace, United Arab, United Nations Locations: Gaza, Israeli, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen, Israel, Amman , Jordan, Rafah, Cairo’s, Cairo, Bab el, Tahrir, al, Old Cairo, Beirut, Lebanese, Iran, Iraq’s, Baghdad, United States, Amman, ‘, Jordanian, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Italy, Greece

Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan addresses members of parliament as he attends the reopening of the Turkish parliament after the summer recess in Ankara, Turkey, October 1, 2023. Murat Cetinmuhurdar/PPO/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsANKARA, Oct 20 (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Friday called on Israel to stop its attacks on Gaza, which he said amounted to genocide, and urged governments worldwide to work for a humanitarian ceasefire in the region. It has offered to mediate and has sent humanitarian aid for the Gaza Strip that is stuck in Egypt because borders are closed. Erdogan also said Ankara was working to end the fighting before it reached "a point of no return". Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Friday criticized Wednesday's visit by U.S. President Joe Biden to Israel.

Persons: Tayyip Erdogan, Murat Cetinmuhurdar, Erdogan, Abdel Fattah al, Sisi, Hakan Fidan, Wednesday's, Joe Biden, Israel, Biden, Fidan, Jonathan Oatis, Grant McCool Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Hamas, Gaza, Twitter, U.S, America, Thomson Locations: Turkish, Ankara, Turkey, Handout, Rights ANKARA, Israel, Gaza, Egypt

☆ Human Rights Watch Says Pledge to Allow Aid to Gaza Falls Short
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

“Israel’s bombardment and unlawful total blockade of Gaza mean that countless wounded and sick children, among many other civilians, will die for want of medical care,” Bill Van Esveld, associate children’s rights director at the rights group said in a statement. Electricity, food and fuel supplies into the Palestinian enclave from Israel were stopped after the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas militants from Gaza. President Biden said Egypt's President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi agreed to open the gates to the Rafah border crossing, where trucks carrying aid to the Gaza Strip have been waiting. Biden said up to 20 trucks of humanitarian assistance to Gaza will be allowed through.

Persons: Bill Van Esveld, Biden, Abdel Fattah Al Sisi Locations: Gaza, Israel, Rafah

☆ Egypt repairing roads at Gaza crossing ahead of aid delivery
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Trucks carrying humanitarian aid from Egyptian NGOs for Palestinians, wait for the reopening of the Rafah crossing at the Egyptian side, to enter Gaza, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Rafah, Egypt October 17, 2023. More aid is being held in the Egyptian city of Al Arish, about 45 km (28 miles) from Rafah. Western governments have been negotiating for the evacuation of foreign passport holders from Gaza, something Egyptian officials have conditioned on aid getting in. It said it would continue a blockade of humanitarian aid from Israel into Gaza until hostages held by Hamas were returned. Israel and Egypt have upheld a blockade of Gaza since Hamas took control of the territory in 2007, tightly controlling the movement goods and people.

Persons: Stringer, Abdel Fattah al, King Abdullah of Jordan, Al Jazeera, Joe Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Yusri Mohamed, Mohamed Ahmed Hassan, Aidan Lewis, Janet Lawrence Organizations: Hamas, REUTERS, Rights, Machinery, White, United Nations, Al, U.S, Israeli, Thomson Locations: Rafah, Gaza, Israel, Palestinian, Egypt, Rights CAIRO, Sinai, United States, Egyptian, Al Arish

☆ World Health Organization: Trucks Are Loaded and Ready to Go
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The head of the World Health Organization welcomed Israel's announcement that it wouldn't block entry of water, food and medicine into Gaza through Egypt, and called on Israel to allow fuel into the enclave as well. "Fuel is also needed for hospital generators, ambulances and desalination plants," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a news briefing on Thursday. Damage to the border between Gaza and Egypt has delayed the passage of aid into the enclave, after Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi told President Biden he would allow aid through. "Our trucks are loaded and ready to go," Ghebreyesus said. "We are working with the Egypt and Palestine Red Crescent Societies to deliver our supplies into Gaza as soon as the Rafah crossing is opened, hopefully tomorrow."

Persons: Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Abdel Fattah Al Sisi, Biden, Ghebreyesus Organizations: World Health Organization, WHO, Palestine Red Crescent Societies Locations: Gaza, Egypt, Israel, Palestine, Rafah

☆ What's Stopping Aid Getting Into Gaza?
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Before leaving Israel on Wednesday, President Biden said he spoke by phone with Egypt's President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi who agreed to open his country's border crossing with Gaza. Doing so would allow roughly 20 trucks carrying humanitarian aid to enter Gaza, Biden said. But officials in Gaza say they haven't been notified about when the aid would arrive or how it would be distributed. There is also the question of damaged roads around the Rafah border crossing, which has suffered four strikes since the war began. The capacity of 20 trucks amounts to about one eighth of what aid workers estimate is required to meet the needs of 1.7 million people now gathered in southern Gaza.

Persons: Biden, Abdel Fattah Al Sisi Organizations: Israel, Wednesday Locations: Gaza, Rafah

☆ China's Xi, seeking end to Israel-Hamas conflict, calls for ceasefire and two-state solution
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —A two-state solution to establish an independent Palestine is the “fundamental way out” of the Israel-Hamas conflict, Xi Jinping said Thursday in the Chinese leader’s first public comments on the war since it broke out nearly two weeks ago. Xi also praised Egypt for playing an “important role” in cooling tensions, adding that China supports its efforts to let in humanitarian aid to Gaza, CCTV reported. Israel’s subsequent bombardment and siege of Gaza has killed some 3,500 Palestinians, including hundreds of children, according to local health authorities. Hours before Biden landed in Israel, Russia’s Vladimir Putin arrived in Beijing for the Belt and Road Forum. During their meeting, the two leaders discussed the conflict in the Middle East, which Putin said was a “common threat” that brought Russia and China closer together.

Persons: Xi Jinping, ” Xi, Mostafa Madbouly, Xi, Joe Biden, Abdel Fattah el, Biden, Russia’s Vladimir Putin, Putin, Israel –, Wang Yi, Zhai Jun Organizations: CNN, Egyptian, US, Israel, World Health Organization, Hamas, Biden, Chinese Foreign Ministry, Middle East Locations: Palestine, Israel, Beijing, China, Egypt, Gaza, Rafah, American, Russia, Europe, Ukraine

☆ Mo Salah: Liverpool and Egypt star calls for humanitarian aid to be allowed into Gaza ‘immediately’
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Matias Grez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Liverpool and Egypt star Mo Salah has called for humanitarian aid to be allowed into Gaza “immediately” and called on world leaders to help put an end to the fighting. What is clear now is humanitarian aid to Gaza must be allowed immediately. Steve Bardens/Getty ImagesOn Monday, the Egyptian Red Crescent, a charity that provides medical services and humanitarian aid, confirmed that Salah had made a donation to help its relief efforts in Gaza. “Thank you, Mohamed Salah, for his donation to support the people of the Gaza Strip,” the charity wrote on Facebook. Salah and Liverpool face Everton at home in the Merseyside Derby on Saturday.

Persons: Mo Salah, Gaza “, Joe Biden, Abdel Fattah el, Israel, ” Salah, Steve Bardens, Salah, Mohamed Salah Organizations: CNN, Hamas, Health Ministry, Ahli Baptist Hospital, Brighton & Hove Albion, Premier League, Facebook, Champions League, FA, Liverpool, Everton, Merseyside Derby Locations: Liverpool, Egypt, Gaza, Israel, Al, Ahli, Merseyside

☆ Jordan fears 'the worst is coming' in Gaza war
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Suleiman Al-Khalidi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi speaks during a news conference with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock following a meeting, in Amman, Jordan October 19, 2023. REUTERS/Alaa Al Sukhni Acquire Licensing RightsAMMAN, Oct 19 (Reuters) - Jordan's foreign minister said on Thursday the country feared the worst was yet to come in the Israel-Hamas war, with no signs of success in efforts to de-escalate tensions. "The decision to end the war is not with us, it's with Israel and we must exert all efforts to end it," Safadi said. Fears of a widening war also cast a shadow on a meeting between Jordan's King Abdullah and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Thursday in Cairo. "We won't allow Israel to export the crisis it created to Jordan," Safadi said.

Persons: Ayman Safadi, Annalena Baerbock, Al Sukhni, Safadi, Jordan's King Abdullah, Abdel Fattah al, Israel, Jordan, Suleiman Al, Khalidi, Deepa Babington Organizations: Jordan's, German, REUTERS, Rights, Palestinian, West Bank, Jordan, Thomson Locations: Amman, Jordan, Israel, Gaza, Cairo

☆ Egypt agrees to allow first aid trucks into Gaza as it reels from hospital blast
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +26 min

A woman mourns over a dead man at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Gaza City on Wednesday, October 18. Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images A view shows the aftermath of a deadly blast that struck Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza City on October 18. Abed Khaled/AP Bodies of Palestinians killed in the blast at the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital lie in front of the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City on October 17. Samar Abu Elouf/The New York Times/Redux Palestinians wait to cross into Egypt at the Rafah border crossing in Gaza on October 16. Yousef Masoud/The New York Times A morgue worker arranges body bags at al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City on October 12.

Persons: Joe Biden, Abdel Fattah el, Sisi, Biden, “ We’re, We’re, Farhan Haq, It’s, Richard Brennan, ”, Belal Khaled, Abed Rahim Khatib, Leon Neal, Hod, Alexi J . Rosenfeld, Ayal Margolin, Antony Blinken, Benjamin Netanyahu, Brendan Smialowski, Ali Jadallah, Netanyahu, Kenny Holston, Abed Khaled, Ariel Schalit, Mohammed Abed, Kfar Aza, Ilia Yefimovich, Khan, Mustafa Hassona, Mahmoud Khaled, Samar Abu, Fatima Shbair, Dor Reder, Violeta Santos Moura, Shir Torem, Wahaj Bani Moufleh, Antonio Macías, Macías, Francisco Seco, Mohammed Saber, Eli Albag, Liri, Mohammed Talatene, Sergey Ponomarev, Hatem Ali, Dor Kedmi, Mahmud Hams, Saher, Hatem Moussa, Abraham Cohen, Valentin Ghnassia, Ghnassia, Yuri Cortez, Yousef Masoud, Ibrahim Hams, Bashar Taleb, Baz Ratner, Jack Guez, Yahya Hassouna, Mapal Adam, Abed Zagout, Tamir Kalifa, Agha, Ibraheem Abu Mustafa, Reuters Itzik, Miriam Shafir, Dor Shafir, Savion Kiper, Maya Alleruzzo, Mohammed Salem, CNN Sergey Ponomarev, Eden Guez, Atef Safadi, Ohad, Mohammed Soboh, Said, Noam Elimeleh Rothenberg, Amir Cohen, Ilai Bar Sade, Erik Marmor, Oren Ziv, Ronen Zvulun, Majdi, Ramez Mahmoud, Roi Levy, Alleruzzo, Tali Touito, Jalaa Marey, Oded, Khan Younis, Ahmad Hasballah, Mohammed Fayq Abu Mostafa, Tsafrir, Ahmad Gharabli, Ilan Rosenberg, Eyad Baba, Itai Ron, Hadas Parush, “, –, Israel, Egypt’s, wouldn’t, Jonathan Conricus, ” Conricus, Xi Jinping, Mostafa Madbouly, ” Xi, Madbouly Organizations: CNN, UN, World Health Organization, WHO, –, Al, Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, Getty, Israel's, Ahli Baptist Hospital, Israel Defense Forces, Israeli, Ben Gurion International, New York Times, Shifa, Palestinian, AP, Reuters, West Bank, Aris Messinis, Haim, Mount, Mount Herzl Military, Nova, Anadolu Agency, Nova Festival, Ben Gurion, Rockets, United Nations, Reuters Police, Reuters Rockets, Hamas, Israel, Islamic Jihad, National Security Council, White House, Egyptian Locations: Egypt, Gaza, Israel, United States, Aqsa, Gaza City, Rafah, Tel Aviv, Hod HaSharon, Kiryat Shmona, AFP, Al, Ahli, Anadolu, Sderot, Gan, Kfar, Khan Younis, North Sinai, Samar, Samar Abu Elouf, Beit Kama, Haifa, Cyprus, Nablus, West, Lebanon, Kfar Saba, Israeli, Be'eri, Rehovot, Mount Herzl, Jerusalem, Kibbutz Be'eri, Modiin Maccabim, Kfar Aza, Ashkelon, Mount Herzel, Yassin, Palestinian, Beitar Ilit, Ramat Gan, Itai, Beit Hanun, Rishon Lezion, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Tunisia, United, Iran, Beijing

☆ Trip to Israel Ties Biden and US to Any Gaza Offensive
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( Oct. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

Biden is wagering that consoling, negotiating with and aiding Israel give him the most influence shaping their actions, he said. His plans to quickly push billions of dollars more in aid for Israel through Congress is likely to fuel debates on U.S. taxpayer funds. Biden said the U.S. would provide $100 million in new funding for humanitarian aid in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. Already, the White House acknowledges it needs to better explain Biden's Israel policy at home. Biden will give a prime time White House address on Thursday, to "discuss our response to Hamas’ terrorist attacks against Israel and Russia’s ongoing brutal war against Ukraine," the White House said on Wednesday.

Persons: Trevor Hunnicutt WASHINGTON, Joe Biden, Biden, Jon B, Alterman, Israel, Abdel Fattah al, Ezra Cohen, Cohen, Trevor Hunnicutt, Steve Holland, Jarrett Renshaw, Nidal al Mughrabi, Heather Timmons, Howard Goller Organizations: Israel's, Center for Strategic, International Studies, West Bank, The United, Ukraine, White, Air Force, Biden, Hudson Institute, Republicans, Reuters Locations: Tel Aviv, Gaza City, Gaza, Israel, U.S, The United States, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, Tehran, Moscow, Beijing, Iran, Philadelphia

☆ Egypt's President Says Israel Can Host Palestinian Refugees in Negev Desert
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( Fatima Abdulkarim | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi said that Israel could move Palestinians affected by the fighting in Gaza to the desert in southern Israel instead of asking Cairo to host them. Egypt is opposed to hosting any Palestinians on its territory despite coming under intense pressure to allow refugees to cross the border to the Sinai Peninsula to escape an Israeli bombing campaign and expected ground invasion. “If the Palestinians are transferred to Egypt...Sinai will be a base for operations against Israel and in this case, Egypt will be labeled as a base for terrorists,” he said. In 1948, after the creation of Israel, tens of thousands of Palestinians flooded into Egypt, turning the town of Rafah into a refugee camp.

Persons: Abdel Fattah Al Sisi, Israel, ” Organizations: Israel Locations: Gaza, Israel, Cairo, Egypt, Sinai, Rafah

Israel blamed the blast at Al-Ahli al-Arabi hospital on a failed rocket launch by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group, which denied responsibility. Palestinian officials said an Israeli air strike hit the hospital, with the Palestinian Authority's health minister accusing Israel of causing a "massacre". A Gaza civil defence chief gave a death toll of 300, while health ministry sources put it at 500. [1/5]An Injured child is taken into a hospital after hundreds of Palestinians were killed in a blast at Al-Ahli hospital in Gaza that Israeli and Palestinian officials blamed on each other in Gaza City, Gaza Strip, in this screen grab obtained from video, October 17, 2023. Iran, which supports Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and Hezbollah, has warned Israel of escalation if it failed to end aggressions against Palestinians.

Persons: Biden, Joe Biden, Israel, Ashraf Al, Qudra, Al Jazeera, Jordan, Mahmoud Abbas, Abdel Fattah al, Abbas, John Kirby, Benjamin Netanyahu, Kirby, he'll, Sisi, Richard Gowan, U.N, Nidal Mughrabi, Steve Holland, Costas Pitas, Rami Ayyub, Jeff Mason, Arshad Mohammed, Miral Fahmy, Stephen Coates Organizations: U.S, Hamas, Islamic, Reuters, West, REUTERS, White House, Crisis Group, State Department, Air Force, Thomson Locations: GAZA, Gaza, Israel, Al, Ahli, Israeli, West Bank, Ramallah, Turkey, Jordan, U.S, Lebanon, Gaza City, Israel's, Tel Aviv, White, Washington, United States, Lebanon's, Iran

☆ Aid Trucks Wait at Rafah Crossing as It Remains Closed
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Several trucks carrying aid to the Gaza Strip were still waiting outside the Egyptian gates to the Rafah border crossing on Wednesday, as an effort to get them through remained stalled. The gates of the only crossing into Gaza not controlled by Israel remained shut following an Israeli strike on Monday that injured four Egyptian workers, Egyptian officials said, who added that Israeli airstrikes make it unsafe to open the border crossing. Earlier Wednesday, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi said the country was continuing to receive humanitarian aid and was committed to transporting it to the strip. Dozens of Egyptians staged a sit-in in front of the Rafah crossing on Wednesday to protest the displacement of Palestinians into Egypt and to call for humanitarian aid to be allowed into Gaza.

Persons: Abdel Fattah Al Sisi Locations: Gaza, Rafah, Israel, Egypt

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi attends a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of Russia-Africa summit in Saint Petersburg, Russia, July 26, 2023. The border between Egypt's Sinai Peninsula and the Gaza Strip is the site of the only crossing from the Palestinian territory that is not controlled by Israel. Sisi said the Egyptian people would "go out and protest in their millions... if called upon to do so" against any displacement of Gaza's residents to Sinai. Egypt is wary of insecurity near its border with Gaza in northeastern Sinai, where it faced an Islamist insurgency that escalated a decade ago. Any transfer of Palestinians to Sinai would mean "that we move the idea of resistance, of combat, from the Gaza Strip to Sinai, and so Sinai would become the base for launching operations against Israel", Sisi said.

Persons: Abdel Fattah al, Sisi, Vladimir Putin, Alexei Danichev, Olaf Scholz, Osama Hamdan, Jordan, John Kirby, Joe Biden, Biden, Israel, Nayera Abdallah, Nadine Awadalla, Ahmed Mohamed Hassan, Aidan Lewis, Gareth Jones, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: Sputnik, Rights, West Bank, United, Volunteers, Islamic Jihad, Thomson Locations: Russia, Africa, Saint Petersburg, Rights CAIRO, Sinai, Gaza, Cairo, Israel, Egypt, Beirut, Rafah, United States

Hours later, the president and his national security team were not confident enough to draw a final determination absolving Israel of responsibility. Had the early evidence examined by the president’s team pointed in the other direction, the White House would have been more inclined to reconsider the trip. But during a refueling stop in Germany on the way home from Israel, Biden told reporters on Air Force One that he had spoken by phone with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. Advisers had appeared determined to reorient expectations before Biden had even arrived in Israel, saying that showing the powerful visual of American solidarity with Israel was a major goal of the trip. One adviser put it simply: Biden sent a “strong message to Israel, which was the purpose of it.”

Persons: Joe Biden, Israel, absolving Israel, Antony Blinken, “, Biden, –, John Kirby, ”, Jordan –, Abdel Fattah el, Sisi, David Satterfield, Jordan, Benjamin Netanyahu Organizations: CNN, White House, Base Andrews, White, Air Force, ”, Islamic, National Security Council Locations: Gaza, Tel Aviv, Amman, Jordan, Israel, ”, Germany, Rafah

☆ Trip to Israel ties Biden and US to any Gaza offensive
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( Trevor Hunnicutt | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

U.S. President Joe Biden pauses during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2023. Biden is wagering that consoling, negotiating with and aiding Israel give him the most influence shaping their actions, he said. Biden said the U.S. would provide $100 million in new funding for humanitarian aid in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. Already, the White House acknowledges it needs to better explain Biden's Israel policy at home. Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt; Additional reporting by Steve Holland in Tel Aviv, Jarrett Renshaw in Philadelphia and Nidal al Mughrabi in Gaza.

Persons: Joe Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Miriam Alster, Biden, Jon B, Alterman, Israel, Abdel Fattah al, Ezra Cohen, Cohen, Trevor Hunnicutt, Steve Holland, Jarrett Renshaw, Nidal al Mughrabi, Heather Timmons, Howard Goller Organizations: Israeli, Hamas, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Israel's, Center for Strategic, International Studies, West Bank, The United, Ukraine, White, Air Force, Biden, Hudson Institute, Republicans, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Israel, Tel Aviv, Gaza City, Gaza, U.S, The United States, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, Tehran, Moscow, Beijing, Iran, Philadelphia

The vote follows the council’s rejection Monday evening of a Russian-drafted resolution that condemned violence and terrorism against civilians and called for a “humanitarian cease-fire” but made no mention of Hamas. One calls for a “humanitarian cease-fire.” The other would condemn indiscriminate attacks on civilians and assaults on “civilian objects” in Gaza like hospitals and schools that deprive people of the means to survive. To be adopted, a resolution needs at least nine of the 15 council members to vote “yes” and no veto by a permanent member. The council vote was taking place amid frantic diplomatic efforts to prevent the Israeli-Hamas conflict from spreading. The five permanent Security Council nations are also invited, he said.

Persons: “, ”, Rosemary DiCarlo, Tor Wennesland, Islamic Jihad, Joe Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Mahmoud Abbas, Biden, Abdel Fattah el, King Abdullah II of Jordan, U.N, Osama Mahmoud, Antonio Guterres, Mahmoud Organizations: UNITED NATIONS, . Security, Hamas, United Arab, Islamic, Arab, United Nations, Security Council Locations: Israel, Gaza, Brazil, Russian, Russia, United Arab Emirates, China, U.N, Palestinian, Ukraine, United States, Britain, France, U.S, Cairo

Now Biden's only stop will be Israel, where he's expected to huddle with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Israel has been preparing for a potential ground invasion of Gaza in response to Hamas' attacks on Oct. 7, which killed 1,400 Israelis. Outrage over the hospital explosion scuttled Biden's plans to visit Jordan, where King Abdullah II had planned to host meetings with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi. He said Biden would have an opportunity to speak to the Arab leaders by phone as he returned to Washington. The visit to Israel coincides with rising humanitarian concerns in Gaza, where Israel has cut off the flow of food, fuel and water.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, Jordan, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, John Kirby, Biden “, ” Kirby, ”, “, King Abdullah II, Mahmoud Abbas, Abdel Fattah el, Abbas, Kirby, Ayman Safadi, It's, Antony Blinken, Blinken's, Matthew Lee Organizations: WASHINGTON, White House, Air Force, Al, Hamas, Gaza Health Ministry, Bank, Embassy, Associated Press Locations: Israel, Gaza, Washington, Ahli, Al Ahli, Ramallah, Beirut, Lebanon, Amman, Jordan, Iran, Ukraine, Tel Aviv, —

☆ Biden to seek 'unprecedented' Israel aid package; pledges $100 million for humanitarian relief in Gaza and West Bank
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( Amanda Macias | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during a visit to Israel amid the war between Israel and Hamas, in Tel Aviv, Oct. 18, 2023. UNITED NATIONS — President Joe Biden reaffirmed America's commitment to Israel on Wednesday in Tel Aviv, where he blamed a deadly hospital blast on militants inside Gaza. Biden also committed $100 million in humanitarian assistance to Gaza and the West Bank, to support the more than 1 million people displaced by the ongoing conflict. The president said he planned to ask Congress for an "unprecedented support package for Israel's defense" but did not elaborate. Biden arrived in Tel Aviv hours after an explosion killed hundreds of people taking shelter at the al-Ahli Arab Baptist Hospital in Gaza.

Persons: Joe Biden, America's, Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Isaac Herzog, Israel, Biden's, Mahmoud Abbas, Abdel Fattah el, King Abdullah II, Jordan, Read Organizations: Hamas, UNITED NATIONS, Israel, West Bank, Ahli Arab Baptist Hospital, Israeli, United Nations Locations: Israel, Tel Aviv, Gaza, Ahli, Amman, Jordan, States, Russia

☆ Biden Says Egypt to Allow Gaza Aid Trucks Through Rafah Crossing
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

President Biden said Egypt's President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi has agreed to open the gates to the Rafah border crossing, where trucks carrying aid to the Gaza Strip have been waiting. Biden said up to 20 trucks of humanitarian assistance to Gaza will be allowed to go through. That is about one eighth of what aid workers estimate is required to meet the needs of 1.7 million people now gathered in south Gaza. Egyptian officials acknowledged they had reached an agreement but said there was no mechanism yet to move aid over the border and noted that the Rafah crossing had been destroyed in an Israeli airstrike and needed to be repaired. Biden acknowledged the roads would first need to be repaired and that assistance might not begin moving into Gaza until later in the week.

Persons: Biden, Abdel Fattah Al Sisi Organizations: Washington , D.C, Tel Aviv ., United Nations Locations: Rafah, Gaza, Washington ,, Tel Aviv, United

☆ Middle East still in turmoil after Biden's Israel visit with Netanyahu
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —President Joe Biden left for home after seven hours in the Israeli war zone with an increasingly tense Middle East in worse shape than when he arrived. Still, given the huge political investment of American prestige and leverage involved in a sudden presidential trip, it’s fair to raise the question of what exactly Biden’s trip delivered. Biden’s speech to the Israeli people, however, was an eloquent statement of support to an ally traumatized by a terror attack. Ivo Daalder, a former US ambassador to NATO, told CNN’s Anderson Cooper that Biden’s visit had been worthwhile in demonstrating that Israel was not alone. Biden’s presence bolstered the message sent by two aircraft carrier battle groups he has deployed to the area.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, movingly, ”, Israel –, Jordan’s King Abdullah II, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Abdel Fattah el, Mahmoud Abbas, ’, Israel’s, Israel “, ” Biden, “, “ they’ll, Sisi, ” Mark Regev, CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, Benjamin Netanyahu, Ivo Daalder, CNN’s Anderson Cooper, Israel, Daalder, Netanyahu, ” Daalder Organizations: CNN, Air Force, Israel, Palestinian, West Bank, US State Department, United, Islamic Jihad, US Defense Department, National Security Council, Jihad, White, NATO, Hezbollah Locations: Gaza, Israel, Gaza City, Amman, Tunisia, Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, United States, Washington, Egypt, “ Israel, America

☆ Biden snubbed by Middle East allies as Arab world seethes over Gaza hospital blast
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Jordan, Egypt and the Palestinian Authority canceled a planned meeting with Biden less than 24 hours before he was supposed to meet them for a four-way summit in the Jordanian capital, Amman, on Wednesday. The cancellation followed a massive blast in Gaza’s Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital that reportedly killed hundreds of Palestinians. Palestinian officials blamed Israel for the hospital blast, while Israeli officials said it was caused by a misfired Islamic Jihad rocket. Egypt on Wednesday declared three days of mourning for the Gaza hospital victims. Israel ruled Gaza from 1967 to 2005 and it settled Jews there during that period.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, Israel, ”, Ayman Safadi, Al, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Israel “, Abdul Khaleq Abdulla, “, Biden’s, King Abdullah, Jordan, Gazans, Olaf Scholz, Abdel Fattah el, Sisi, ” Sisi, Timothy Kaldas, Sisi’s, Sameh Shoukry, CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, ” Shoukry, ” Kaldas, CNN’s Akanksha Sharma, Hamdi Alkhshali, DJ Judd, Eyad Kourdi, Tim Lister, Chloe Liu, Ben Wedeman, Celine Alkhaldi, Abeer Salman Organizations: UAE CNN —, United, United States ’, Palestinian Authority, Ahli Baptist Hospital, Israeli, National Security, CNN, Israel, West Bank, Wednesday, United Arab, Islamic, Tahrir Institute, Middle East Locations: Abu Dhabi, UAE, United States, Israel, Jordan, Egypt, Jordanian, Amman, Gaza’s Al, Ahli, Al Jazeera, Tel Aviv, Washington’s, Gaza, Lebanon, Iraq, Iran, Turkey, Ramallah, United Arab Emirates, Egypt’s Sinai, Washington ,, Europe

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