7 Hours Ago
Turkey’s Erdogan says post-war Gaza must be part of sovereign Palestinian state
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said Gaza must be part of an independent, sovereign Palestinian state once the Israel-Hamas war is over, and Ankara will not support any plans “gradually erasing Palestinians” from history.
Erdogan made the remarks a day before U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was due to arrive in Ankara for talks on Gaza.
Turkey, which has sharply escalated its criticism of Israel as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza has intensified, supports a two-state solution and hosts members of Hamas, which it does not view as a terrorist organization, unlike the United States, Britain and others in the West.
Turkey has called for an immediate ceasefire and offered to set up a system to guarantee it.
“Once all of this that is happening is finished, we want to see Gaza as a peaceful region that is a part of an independent Palestinian state, in line with 1967 borders, with territorial integrity, and with East Jerusalem as its capital,” Erdogan was on Saturday cited as saying by broadcaster Haberturk and others.
“We will support formulas that will bring peace and calm to the region. We will not be supportive of plans that will further darken the lives of Palestinians, that will gradually erase them from the scene of history.”
Erdogan said his intelligence chief was in contact with Israeli and Palestinian authorities, as well as Hamas, but he would no longer regard Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a counterpart. He said Turkey did not want to sever ties with Israel.
— Reuters
7 Hours Ago
Rescuers dig through destroyed homes to find airstrike survivors
Firefighters sprayed jets of water across twisted metal and jumbled concrete as flames roared from homes destroyed by an Israeli airstrike in the Jabaliya refugee camp.
The escalating bombardment comes as Israel’s military said it had encircled Gaza City, the initial target of its offensive to crush Hamas.
It wasn’t immediately clear how many people were killed or wounded in the strike late Saturday in the northern Gaza Strip. Rescuers shouted to each other as they tried to pull people from the wreckage.
Associated Press video showed a man, barefoot and with blood soaking through his clothes, being carried on a stretcher through the concrete skeleton of a damaged building.
“Careful, careful!” someone called out as they staggered across the rubble. Others used a bed sheet to haul a dead body from the scene. Inside a bouncing ambulance driving away, a rescuer wearing black latex gloves patted the head of a young boy cradled in his lap. A man screamed off-camera.
— Associated Press
14 Hours Ago
President Biden hints at progress on persuading Israel to pause attacks
U.S. President Joe Biden holds an event about American retirement economics in the State Dining Room at the White House in Washington, October 31, 2023.
Leah Millis | Reuters
President Joe Biden suggested Saturday there have been some advances in U.S. attempts to persuade Israel to pause military strikes on Gaza for humanitarian reasons.
In a brief exchange with reporters as he left St. Edmond Roman Catholic Church in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, Biden was asked if there was progress, and he responded, “Yes,” but did not share specifics.
This comes after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with his Arab counterparts Saturday. He disagreed with them on the need for an immediate cease-fire and made clear the furthest he would go was backing a pause for aid to reach civilians in Gaza. Blinken said a cease-fire would leave Hamas in place.
— Associated Press
15 Hours Ago
Israeli forces have encircled Gaza City. Here’s what we know about its ground assault.
An IDF soldier jumps off the front of a tank on Oct. 21, 2023, in southern Israel.
Alexi J. Rosenfeld | . News | .
The Israeli Defense Forces, or IDF, has surrounded the densely populated city of Gaza, a handful of weeks following the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attacks.
The ongoing IDF campaign has been shrouded in mystery, here’s what we know about its ground assault in Gaza.
Read the full story on NBC News.
— Amanda Macias
16 Hours Ago
Thousands of protesters demonstrate in London, other major cities for fourth straight weekend
Huge crowds of demonstrators gathered around the world on Saturday in pro-Palestinian protests.
In Washington D.C., and New York, tens of thousands of protesters also joined together, some calling on the U.S. government to stop sending military aid to Israel and demanding a ceasefire. And for the fourth weekend in a row, major cities in Europe saw droves of protesters who also called for an end to the war.
London
Demonstrators take part in a sit-down protest in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in London, Britain, on Nov. 4, 2023.
Toby Melville | Reuters
A police officer gestures after protesters climb on the Neptune Fountain during a pro-Palestinian demonstration, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Berlin, Germany, on Nov. 4, 2023.
Liesa Johannssen | Reuters
France
People attend a demonstration demanding a ceasefire in Gaza, an end to airstrikes and an end to ‘forcible displacement of populations’, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Paris, France, on Nov. 4, 2023.
Claudia Greco | Reuters
Norway
People attend a demonstration in support of Gaza and Palestinians, organised by the Palestine Committee, near the Royal Palace and the building of the Norwegian parliament, Stortinget, in Oslo, Norway, on Nov. 4, 2023.
Ntb | Via Reuters
Romania
People attend a rally in support of Palestinians in Gaza, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Bucharest, Romania, on Nov. 4, 2023.
Andreea Campeanu | Reuters
Ireland
People take part in a rally in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on Nov. 4, 2023.
Clodagh Kilcoyne | Reuters
10 Hours Ago
