Israel Readies Ground Invasion, Dire Situation in Gaza
Pressure Mounts on Egypt Border As Humanitarian Crisis Gets Worse
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Good morning,
If you didn’t catch SNL this weekend, it was a welcome respite from the rest of the news.
There was something to make everyone smile: Pete Davidson hosting, plus cameos from Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce.
Hope everyone is doing ok,
Mosheh, Jill, & Courtney
🗞 ISRAEL PREPS GAZA INVASION AS DIPLOMATS MEET ON HUMANITARIAN CRISIS
An Israeli ground invasion of Gaza Strip is imminent after it warned just over 1 million Palestinians this weekend to evacuate Gaza City and the northern part of the territory and head several miles south. We are on the brink of a larger war that has the potential to “change the Middle East.”
Even before a ground invasion, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is getting worse. Clean water, food, fuel and medical supplies are running out amid a siege cutting off power and aid to the Palestinian territory.
🚨 After days of negotiations, the Egyptians appear set to open their border with Gaza today—-but only to foreign national Palestinians looking to leave. That starts at 9am local time. That is also when humanitarian aid will reportedly begin crossing into Gaza.
THE LATEST
Tens of thousands of Israeli soldiers are massing along the border with Gaza. Over the weekend the IDF launched its first ground raids into Gaza — that means some of its forces have entered the Gaza Strip in order to locate some of the hostages and kill Hamas terrorists.
It’s likely a precursor for what’s to come: a full-scale invasion in pursuit of the Hamas terror group leaders who led a terror attack last weekend, killing more than 1,400 Israelis and taking more than 120 hostage in Gaza.
Asked if the United States would come to Israel's defense, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, "I don't think we could be more clear than we've been, that when it comes to Israel's security, we have Israel's back. We will stand with it today, tomorrow, and every day."
THE EVACUATION SITUATION
Israel warned more than 1 million people living in northern Gaza to evacuate before the impending attack, and is doing everything it can to avoid civilian casualties. Gaza City happens to be the most populous area of Gaza and also serves at headquarters for Hamas.
The Israeli military used its aircraft to drop notes into Gaza urging Palestinians to flee to save their lives.
Israel even hacked into a Gaza TV channel to get the warning out, given Hamas is insisting that people stay home.
Israel is also resuming water supply to southern Gaza in an effort to push civilians out of the north and toward the south.
CIVILIANS IN GAZA
Israel’s ambassador to the UN said they are doing everything they can to protect Palestinian civilian lives while targeting Hamas, and the evacuation is the best way to save lives ahead of an invasion. “We want to eradicate Hamas and sadly there is no other way to do it.”
But the United Nations and World Health Organization have said that moving over 1 million people in Gaza is impossible and puts lives at risk. Doctors and medical facilities say they cannot evacuate the wounded as tens of thousands also shelter at hospitals.
And then there’s Hamas, which told its own citizens to ignore the evacuation order and remain in their homes. Why?
Hamas’ strategy is to operate out of — or underneath — civilian targets, like homes, hospitals and mosques. That way, in order for the IDF to take out Hamas, it will be forced to strike a civilian target.
A higher civilian death toll for Hamas makes Israel look worse, engenders sympathy for their cause and puts pressure on Israel to stop before they destroy Hamas.
It puts families in Gaza in an impossible situation: evacuate without certainty of when you can return & in opposition to what ruling Hamas authorities say, or stay in your home and risk your life.
CNN
BUT WHERE TO GO? THAT’S WHERE EGYPT COMES IN
The only exit from Gaza is the Rafah border crossing into Egypt. That’s why there is such intense international pressure on Egypt to open its border to Palestinian civilians and set up refugee camps in the Sinai Peninsula, where they will be safe from rockets and gunfire.
WHAT’S EGYPT’S HOLD UP?
Southern Gaza shares about an 8 mile border with the northeast corner of Egypt. For Israel, getting Egypt to take in the mass exodus of Palestinians is crucial to clearing out the war zone and minimizing civilian deaths during its ground invasion. But Egypt has been reluctant to take in the Palestinians attempting to evacuate Gaza.
Egypt and the surrounding Arab nations don’t want a refugee crisis on their hands. It’s expensive, has no certain end-date (some Palestinian refugees in the region date back to 1948) and can be dangerous since there’s not enough time to vet everyone entering their country. Egypt already has a terrorism problem in the Sinai. Plus, Egypt’s economy is in a precarious place and they would rather not become more intertwined with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
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“Some have suggested a plan to evacuate Gazans to Egypt in order to give Israel a free hand to root out Hamas… Egypt would never risk its sovereign territory being compromised in such a way.”
REALITY FOR PALESTINIANS
Hamas is eager for this war, but it will again bring pain, death and destruction to the 2.4 million Palestinian residents of the territory. As expected, Israel's retaliatory strikes have already led to another humanitarian catastrophe as the death toll in Gaza has surpassed 2,000, including hundreds of children.
Authorities in Gaza sounded the alarm yesterday that hospitals are running so low on fuel for generators and basic supplies that thousands could die.
The health care system is already at a breaking point.
FOR ISRAEL, IT’S A NO WIN SITUATION
For the Israelis, this is an agonizing and difficult situation. They have more than 100 citizens held hostage in Gaza by a terror group that murdered another 1,300 Israelis.
An invasion is fraught with risk, but Israel has vowed to eliminate the terror threat on their border, and it cannot be done solely by airstrikes. They say they cannot go back to the status quo with Hamas leading the Gaza Strip, and threatening Israel like this again. At the same time, they will be moving into a densely-populated urban area in a war that takes weeks, or even months, where Israeli soldiers and Palestinian civilians will inevitably die.
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“It’s the only way to survive. And the civilized world should understand we are fighting not only for Israel but against a jihadist genocidal organization exactly like ISIS.”
Israeli Ambassador to the UN
PRESIDENT BIDEN ON 60 MINUTES
In an interview on 60 Minutes, President Biden stressed the US commitment to Israel but says there needs to be a path to a Palestinian state.
“Big Mistake:” He also said Israel should not try to reoccupy Gaza.
LATEST TOLL & OTHER UPDATES
The State Department said U.S.-facilitated charter flights for Americans trying to leave Israel will continue today and tomorrow on a rolling basis. A bipartisan delegation of U.S. Senators visited Israel yesterday, and had to run for shelter when bomb sirens went off.
Americans killed: At least 30
Total hostages taken by Hamas: At least 155
Americans believed to be taken hostage: Up to 15
Israelis killed: 1,400+
Palestinians killed: 2,500+ (It’s unclear if this includes the 1,500 Hamas terrorists who were killed in Israel.)
✔︎ Mo News Reality Check: What awaits Israeli soldiers inside Gaza? Underground urban warfare. Hundreds of miles of booby-trapped tunnels. Use of human shields and hostages by Hamas. It will be brutal, barbaric, and bloody — with strategists likening it to the fighting in Fallujah, where American military tried to take out Iraqi insurgents in what became one of the deadliest battles of the Iraq war.
The question is how many civilians will be hurt in process before the West tells Israel to wrap things up or Iran lights up its terror proxies like Hezbollah to make this a multi-front war. This could also stir up hornets nest across the 300 million person Arab street, many who sympathize with Palestinians but whose governments typically really don’t do much beyond rhetoric.
⏳ SPEED READ
🚨NATION
📌 Jim Jordan looks to be next Speaker of the House, but dozens of Republicans remain unconvinced (he can only lose 4 votes) (CNN)
📌 Republicans flip Democrat-held Louisiana governor seat in first major contest ahead of 2024 elections (FOX NEWS)
📌 Biden reelection effort raises $71 million for third quarter (WASHINGTON POST)
📌 FBI tracks increased threats to Jews and Muslims after Hamas attack (NY TIMES)
📌 Killing of 6 year-old Muslim in Illinois connected to Israeli-Palestinian conflict (POLITICO)
🌎 AROUND THE WORLD
📌 Polish election: EU looks to welcome back Poland after years of antagonism (BBC)
📌 Former ambassador named U.S. special envoy for Mideast humanitarian efforts (WASHINGTON POST)
📌 In Hamas’ horrific killings, Israeli trauma over Holocaust surfaces (POLITICO )
📌 Afghanistan hit by third earthquake in a week (BBC)
📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH
📌 See it in photos: "Ring of Fire" annular eclipse dazzles viewers (CBS NEWS)
📌 Global markets brace for impact as Middle East tensions rise (FOX BUSINESS)
📌 Here's why gas prices are down, even in pricey California, as Israel-Hamas war escalates (USA TODAY)
📌 New brain map reveals thousands of cell types (AXIOS)
🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT
📌 'Three's Company' actress Suzanne Somers dies at 76 (ABC NEWS)
📌 Taylor Swift Eras Tour is the highest-grossing domestic concert film ever (CNBC)
📌 Madonna launches ‘Celebration’ tour after health scare delay: ‘I didn’t think I was going to make it’ (CNN)
📌 Louvre Museum and Versailles Palace evacuated after bomb threats with France on alert (AP)
🗓 ON THIS DAY: OCTOBER 16
1964: China, eager to join the nuclear race, successfully detonated its first atomic bomb.
1968: During the awards ceremony for the 200-meter race at the Mexico City Olympics, American sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos gave a Black-power salute to protest discrimination in the US. The International Olympic Committee would order them to leave the Games.
1978: Karol Józef Wojtyła of Poland was selected as the next pope. You might know him as John Paul II. He was the first non-Italian pontiff in 455 years.
1982: Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You," a #1 Country hit in 1974, goes back to the top spot thanks to its use in the movie ‘The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas.’ This makes it the first song to top that chart twice.
It would then be re-recorded by Whitney Houston for the movie Bodyguard.