Israel has declared a "state of war" following Hamas's surprise weekend attack which blindsided the country's military and intelligence agencies.
ADVERTISEMENTThat's the end of our live blog coverage of the Israel-Hamae war for Monday 9 October. Read all the updates below to see how events unfolded during Monday. We're back with a new live blog on Tuesday morning at 06:00 CET.
Summary
- Some 1,100 people have been killed in Israel and Palestine following a large-scale assault by the Hamas militant group that started early Saturday
- Israel announced a "complete siege" of the Gaza Strip, after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened to turn the besieged Palestinian enclave into a “deserted island”
- The death toll is expected to rise amid unrelenting violence
- Fears of a ground invasion are growing, with Israel amassing 100,000 troops near the border
- Israeli airstrikes against Gaza have displaced 123,000 Palestinians, says the UN
- Hezbollah has struck Israel from southern Lebanon
- The violence is the biggest escalation between the two sides for decades, with some analysts claiming Israel was caught off guard
- Hamas’s operation came after widespread Israeli settler attacks, increased tensions at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem and a record number of Palestinians killed
That's the end of our live blog coverage of the Israel-Hamae war for Monday 9 October. Read all the updates below to see how events unfolded during Monday. We're back with a new live blog on Tuesday morning at 06:00 CET.
At least 20 'anti-Semitic' incidents reported in France over the past 48 hours
Netanyahu says of war against Hamas: 'We will change the Middle East'
Macron expresses 'deep concern' for Israeli hostages and the injured
EU suspends ‘all payments’ to Palestinian authorities
The European Commission has “immediately” suspended all payments made to the Palestinian authorities under the common EU budget, Olivér Várhelyi, the European Commissioner for enlargement and neighbourhood policy, has announced in reaction to the military attack launched by Hamas against Israel.
“As the biggest donor of the Palestinians, the European Commission is putting its full development portfolio under review, worth a total of EUR 691 (million),” Várhelyi said on X, formerly Twitter.
The move will affect all payments and all projects, he said. Additionally, all new budget allocations, including for 2023, will be postponed “until further notice,” the Commissioner added.
“The foundations for peace, tolerance and co-existence must now be addressed. Incitement to hatred, violence and glorification of terror have poisoned the minds of too many,” Várhelyi said. “We need action and we need it now.”
The EU has traditionally been a major provider of humanitarian and financial aid to the West Bank, which is partially governed by the Palestinian Authority and President Mahmoud Abbas. This support goes into essential services, such as healthcare, social assistance, salaries of civil servants and development projects in the field of “state-building.” For Gaza, the money is channelled through the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).
Israel deploys troops against incursion from Lebanon
An Israeli military spokesperson has said soldiers have been deployed against a suspected infiltration from southern Lebanon.
“A report was received about the infiltration of several suspects into Israeli territory from Lebanese territory. IDF forces are deployed in the area,” Daniel Hagari said in a post on X.
The Israeli Defence Force (IDF) later claimed it "killed a number of militants who crossed into Israeli territory from Lebanese territory".
"Helicopter gunships are now attacking in space," it wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Monday afternoon.
EU bias towards Israel, claims ex-EU ambassador
James Moran, a former EU Ambassador to Egypt, has expressed concern at the EU's reaction to the violence in Israel and Gaza, calling it "one-sided".
Brussels bureaucrats "seem to have lost sight of an even-handedness in this affair. Yes, everybody's horrified by the violence and condemns terrorism. But many of the individual statements of leaders and institutions, especially from [European Commission President Ursula] von der Leyen have been rather one-sided."
"That is worrying because normally Europe does have its place to play [in negotiations]. It may not have a place at the top of the table as the main influence in the region - we all know that is the Americans, of course - but that even-handedness has in the past served Europe reasonably well."
"I'm a bit worried at the moment because there are too many knee-jerk reactions which have not tried to balance the position in the way that we normally do," he continues.
Distracted by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Moran said there has been a struggle within the EU itself, with countries like Hungary striking a more pro-Israel position.
"It will make it very difficult for Europe to play its traditional role as a peacemaker in the region, at least in the short term, if indeed, some diplomatic space opens up for new peace talks, which we have to hope will happen," he tells Euronews.
The ex-EU diplomat said Europe had an important role to play when it comes to peace talks, highlighting the bloc's "very special" trading relationship with Israel and humanitarian support for Palestine.
"We have a certain amount of leverage available if we wish to use it to prevail on both parties to somehow revive this peace process," he adds. "Europe is part of the story, no question."
'Grave miscalculation': Why was Israel blindsided by Gaza attack?
A former Lieutenant Colonel in the Israeli army has told Euronews many failures by Israeli intelligence services led up to the unprecedented assault by Hamas militants.
Click the link to find out more.
