A demonstration in support of Palestinians was held in Cali, Colombia [Joaquin Sarmiento/AFP]
Published October 20, 2023
Colombia and Israel clashed earlier in the week after President Gustavo Petro compared Israeli attacks on Gaza with the Nazi persecution of Jewish people during World War II.
After the Hamas attacks on October 7 that killed more than 1,400 people, and Israel’s announcement of a retaliatory “siege” of Gaza, Petro compared how Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant spoke about Palestinians to what the “Nazis said of the Jews”.
Israel responded by announcing that it was “halting security exports” to Colombia. A seemingly undeterred Petro then threatened to suspend diplomatic relations.
“If we have to suspend foreign relations with Israel, we will suspend them. We do not support genocides. The president of Colombia will not be insulted,” Petro continued to post on X
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SOURCE: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/20/how-have-latin-american-countries-responded-to-the-israel-hamas-war
RELATED: Israel-Hamas war live updates: UN working to ‘clarify’ Gaza aid deal; Israel to evacuate city near Lebanon border
A picture taken from the southern Israeli city of Sderot on October 20, 2023, shows smoke ascending over the northern Gaza Strip following an Israeli strike, amid the ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas.
Published October 20, 2023
The United Nations’ secretary-general said Friday that the organization is working with all parties to clarify conditions for humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza.
Israel’s Defense Ministry and the Israel Defense Forces on Friday asked residents to evacuate from the northern city of Kiryat Shmona, near the Lebanon border.
The evacuation order, which was approved by Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, comes amid fears that the Israel-Hamas war could spill over into a regional conflict. Shelling has intensified in recent days between northern Israel and southern Lebanon, a stronghold of the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.
The U.S., Canada, U.K., Germany and Saudi Arabia have all called on their respective nationals to leave Lebanon.
A Greek Orthodox church in the Gaza Strip said that it was hit overnight by an Israeli air strike, the Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem and Palestinian health officials said Friday. CNBC was unable to independently verify the claims.
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SOURCE: https://www.cnbc.com/2023/10/20/israel-hamas-war-updates-and-latest-news-on-gaza-conflict.html
RELATED: Israel-Hamas conflict: Timeline and key developments
“Israel is at war,” said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
IDF soldier discusses life on the front lines Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters
Published October 20, 2023
More than a week after Hamas terrorists rained thousands of rockets down on Israel and infiltrated the country by air, sea and land in an unprecedented surprise attack, the region stands on the brink of war — with fears of a wider conflict and thousands dead on both sides of the Israel-Gaza border.
The conflict was touched off by the Oct. 7 sneak attack, which included thousands of armed Hamas fighters breaching a border security fence and indiscriminately gunning down Israeli civilians and soldiers taken off guard. Other militants stormed beaches in Israel in motorboats and some brought death from the sky, swooping in on paragliders.
More than 1,400 people have been killed in Israel, including children, and more than 4,500 people have been injured, Israeli officials said. At least 32 of those killed in Israel are Americans, according to the U.S. State Department.
At least 3,400 people have been killed in Gaza and more than 12,000 have been injured, according to the Palestinian Health Authority.
The Israel Defense Forces said 203 people have been taken hostage by Hamas and it’s believed they are being held in Gaza.
