WORLD BRIEFING: November 9, 2023
Israel-Gaza War
—
Israel says it takes over a Hamas "stronghold" in northern Gaza after a 10-hour battle. Hamas-run authorities say Israeli air strikes continued overnight, including in Khan Younis in the south, where six people were reportedly killed. An evacuation route, allowing people to leave northern Gaza for the south, reopens for the fifth day. Israel says 50,000 Palestinians left the Gaza City area on Wednesday via that route - BBC
U.S. President Joe Biden said on Tuesday evening that he asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for a pause in fighting in Gaza during a call on Monday. A White House spokesperson previously said the two leaders discussed the potential for "tactical pauses" in fighting in Gaza for humanitarian reasons and possible hostage releases during their conversation on Monday. Meanwhile, Axios reported that Biden has told Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu that a three-day fighting pause could help secure release of some hostages.
The end of a bromance: the news editor of Israel Hayom, once Netanyahu’s newspaper, says the Israeli PM is playing politics during wartime and has no clue about the public anger toward him beneath the surface. He urges that Netanyahu “return the keys as soon as possible.”
A UNICEF spokesperson has defended the death toll being reported out of Gaza, saying the organization’s figures match those of the Hamas-controlled Gazan health ministry, as scores of Palestinians evacuated to the territory’s south on Tuesday. More than 10,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli airstrikes in the past month – including thousands of women, children and elderly, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Ramallah, drawing from sources in Hamas-controlled Gaza. CNN cannot independently verify the health ministry’s death toll. But UNICEF spokesperson James Elder said on Tuesday the organization’s estimates closely align with the ministry’s, saying: “Our numbers were within a couple of percent of that, almost identical.” - CNN (Comment: Globally, UNICEF works with partners in the ground, for example ministries of health. Therefore the organization customarily uses the numbers agreed upon with these respective ministries. It should also be note that in conflict zones - even in the best of times - the agency doesn’t have the capacity to verify each and every statistic, relying instead on partners on the ground)
A move towards a peace-loving leadership in Palestine is the most desired outcome in the Israel-Hamas conflict, British foreign minister James Cleverly said on Wednesday, reiterating Britain's support for a two-state solution. "In the short term, it is inevitable that Israel, because they have the troops in Gaza, will need to have a security responsibility," Cleverly said at the G7 summit in Japan. "But our view is as soon as practicable, a move towards a peace loving Palestinian leadership is the most desired outcome." (Reuters)
The Israel-Gaza war has taken a severe toll on journalists since Hamas launched its unprecedented attack against Israel on October 7 and Israel declared war on the militant Palestinian group, launching strikes on the blockaded Gaza Strip. CPJ is investigating all reports of journalists and media workers killed, injured, or missing in the war, which has led to the deadliest month for journalists since CPJ began gathering data in 1992. As of November 8, CPJ’s preliminary investigations showed at least 39 journalists and media workers were among an estimated 11,000 killed since the war began on October 7—with more than 10,000 Palestinian deaths in Gaza and the West Bank and 1,400 deaths in Israel.
Elsewhere
Democrats and abortion rights advocates notched a string of electoral wins in U.S. elections, including in conservative Ohio and Kentucky, in an early signal that reproductive rights remain a potent issue ahead of the 2024 race - Reuters
Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa has resigned after investigators searched his official residence as part of a corruption probe involving lithium mines and hydrogen production.
France has overtaken Italy as the world’s largest wine producer in a year that is expected to mark a six-decade low in global production levels.
A Russian missile has struck a Liberian-flagged bulk carrier as it was entering Odesa port. The pilot was killed and three other crew members, all Filipino citizens, were injured. A port worker was also wounded. The ship was transporting iron ore to China - Ukraine officials
A Russian-backed politician has been killed in a car bomb in the annexed eastern region of Luhansk, according to local media. Mikhail Filiponenko was a former head of the Luhansk local militia, the Moscow-backed separatist army that had been fighting against Kyiv since 2014. His son told the Luhansk Information Centre: “As a result of an explosive device that detonated in Mikhail Filiponenko’s car, the People’s Council deputy received injuries incompatible with life.” Russian media posted photos of a destroyed vehicle with blood smeared across the driver’s seat, in what they said was the aftermath of the attack. Several high-profile Kremlin backers and Moscow-installed officials in annexed territory have been attacked and assassinated since the conflict started last February. Last month, Oleg Tsaryov, a pro-Kremlin politician that Moscow was reportedly lining up to lead a puppet government in Kyiv, survived being shot in his hotel complex in annexed Crimea - Telegraph
Russia has placed on its wanted list another judge from the International Criminal Court, which issued an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin earlier this year. The Russian interior ministry said that Sergio Gerarde Ugaldo Godinez, a Costa Rican judge at the Hague-based court, was “wanted in the framework of a criminal investigation”. It did not provide details of the allegations against him. Russia has previously issued arrest warrants for Karim Khan, an ICC prosecutor, and several judges. In September, Moscow also revealed that it was seeking the arrest of Piotr Hofmanski, the ICC president. It comes after the court announced an arrest warrant for Putin in March, on the war crime accusation of unlawfully deporting Ukrainian children. The ICC also issued a warrant for Maria Lvova-Belova, Russia’s presidential commissioner for children’s rights, on similar charges. Russia has insisted that the warrant against Putin is “void”, but it has restricted his ability to travel abroad - Telegraph
Sunken treasure has been found off the coast of Sardinia in Italy. Divers armed with metal detectors recovered more than 30,000 bronze coins, possibly from a 4th Century shipwreck, that the Italian Ministry of Culture deemed to be “in an exceptional and rare state of preservation” - BBC