Middle East & North Africa

JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli military has sought to assure the public it can achieve the two goals of its war on Hamas simultaneously — toppling the strip’s militant rulers and rescuing some 230 hostages abducted from Israel.

But as the army ramps up airstrikes and ground incursions on the blockaded enclave, laying waste to entire neighborhoods in preparation for a broader invasion, the anguished families of hostages are growing increasingly worried those aims will collide — with devastating consequences.

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the nation Saturday night that the military has opened a “second stage” in the war against Hamas by sending ground forces into Gaza and expanding attacks from the ground, air and sea.

Casting the war as a fight for his country’s very survival, he warned that the assault would only intensify ahead of a broad ground invasion into the territory.

Tehran, IRNA – During the large-scale military drills codenamed Eghtedar (Authority) 1402, Sina and Fateh kamikaze drones demonstrated their capabilities by successfully hitting targets.

The ground forces’ mobile assault units used these drones to strike both stationary and moving targets within a 10-kilometer radius.

The Sina and Fateh drones, equipped with warheads weighing between 300 to 1000 grams, are designed for use against various targets in ground combat.

New York, IRNA – Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian has issued a stern warning against the ongoing war between Palestine and the Zionist regime, cautioning that if the war persists, it could have severe repercussions for those instigating the conflict.

Amirabdollahian made his remarks before departing New York for Tehran late on Friday. He had flown to New York on Wednesday to attend the international consultations about the regional developments and the situation in Palestine.

27 October 2023; MEMO: Over 200 Israelis demonstrated outside the Egyptian Embassy in Tel Aviv yesterday to demand the return of prisoners of war held by the Palestinian resistance factions in the besieged Gaza Strip, Anadolu news agency reported.

Protesters gathered at the embassy’s entrance, waving banners demanding Egypt’s help to secure the release of Israelis held by the Palestinian resistance, Israeli Army Radio reported.

27 October 2023; MEMO: Qatar has sentenced eight former Indian naval officers to death for allegedly spying on its submarine programme for Israel. The convictions underscore the deepening strategic ties between Israel and India, brought together by their shared ethno-nationalist ideology.

27 October 2023; MEMO: Remarks by President Joe Biden expressing scepticism about the rising death toll in Gaza have drawn outrage from human rights groups and accusations of further dehumanising Palestinians.

Human Rights Watch has strongly rejected claims that the death toll released by the Gaza Health Ministry cannot be trusted, following comments by Israel and the US President.

27 October 2023; MEMO: The International Federation of the Red Cross and the Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), on Friday, described the situation in Gaza as “catastrophic” as the lack of fuel, it said, would turn the hospitals into graves, Anadolu Agency reports.

27 October 2023; MEMO: The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) announced, on Friday, the entry of an international medical team into Gaza, along with six trucks loaded with medical materials and water purification supplies to support medical care in the blockaded Strip, Anadolu Agency reports.

27 October 2023; MEMO: Palestinian group, Hamas, on Friday denied Israeli allegations that it is using a hospital in the northern Gaza Strip for military purposes, Anadolu Agency reports.

"The Israeli claims about Al-Shifa Hospital are false" said Izzat Al-Rishq, a member of Hamas’s Political Bureau.

In a statement, he also warned that