Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – The war between Israel and the Palestinian armed group, Hamas, is still ongoing. Currently, the Israeli military continues to intensify its attacks on Gaza to destroy Hamas, which attacked the south of the country on October 7.

A number of new facts emerged, such as the possibility of a widening war with Iran’s move to recruit troops against Israel and the emergence of a new militant front in Lebanon. Not to mention the increasing number of victims, plus United States (US) President Joe Biden’s warning to Israel.

The following are the latest developments as summarized CNBC IndonesiaMonday (30/10/2023):

1. Palestinian PM Israel’s response

Israel plans to end the war in the Gaza Strip by establishing a transitional authority to govern the territory. However, this was opposed by the Prime Minister (PM) of the Palestinian Authority Mohammad Shtayyeh.

Shtayyeh said the Palestinian Authority would not return to governing Gaza after the Israel-Hamas conflict without a comprehensive agreement that includes the West Bank as a Palestinian state.

The prime minister since 2019 has also emphasized that he will not cooperate without returning to a genuine peace process that produced two sovereign countries.

“To ask the Palestinian Authority to go to Gaza and run Gaza’s affairs without a political solution for the West Bank, as if the Palestinian Authority were going to ride in Israeli F-16s or tanks?” said Shtayyeh, as quoted from The GuardianMonday (30/10/2023).

“I don’t accept it. Our president [Mahmoud Abbas] didn’t accept it. Neither of us will accept it.”

“I think what we need is a comprehensive and peaceful vision. The West Bank needs a solution, and then connecting Gaza with the region within the framework of a two-state solution,” he added.

2. Iran Prepares 3 Million Troops to Attack Israel

The dynamics of the Israel-Gaza war continue to expand. This time, Tel Aviv’s number one rival in the Middle East, Iran, is preparing to go to war with Israel.

In a video and online campaign released by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, the agency conducted online recruitment in a mission called Al Aqsa Storm in hopes of convincing young Iranians to join the Hamas armed group in Gaza in its war effort.

“The campaign, carried out by Iranian state TV and radio, and several websites affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards, has gathered more than 3 million volunteers ready to deploy,” Iran’s television news agency reported. France24Monday (30/10/2023).

Iran itself is known to have close ties to Hamas. Tel Aviv, for example, has posed a new threat to Israel if it actually begins its ground invasion of Gaza, as well as allegedly providing weapons to the group.

Not only in Gaza, Iran also has a quite powerful proxy in Lebanon, Hezbollah. The group has also attacked Israel with missiles while Tel Aviv is still focusing its attacks on Gaza.

3. Tunisia Criminalizes Parties Collaborating with Israel

Tunisia’s parliament is scheduled to consider a bill criminalizing the normalization of relations with Israel. The head of Tunisia’s Sovereign National Line political alliance, Youssef Youssef Tarshoun, said the draft law carries penalties ranging from six to 12 years in prison.

Apart from that, there will also be fines ranging from 10,000 Tunisian dinars (Rp. 50 million) to 100,000 dinars (Rp. 500 million). This applies to anyone attempting or participating in economic, cultural or military activities with Israel.

“The draft law covers the crimes of espionage, supporting the Zionist enemy, and carrying weapons against Palestine, as well as the crime of placing oneself under the rule of the Zionist entity,” Tarshoun added.

4. A new war front emerges

The Palestinian group Hamas, which is engaged in a war with Israeli forces in Gaza, said its militants in southern Lebanon had launched rockets towards Israel, in a new escalation along the border.

Hamas’ military wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, said in a statement that its fighters in Lebanon had launched 16 rockets at Nahariya, a coastal town in Israel’s Galilee region, “in response to the (Israeli) occupation’s crimes against our people in Gaza”.

The Islamic group’s armed branch Jemaah Islamiah also said it had fired “targeted rockets” at the Israeli border town of Kiryat Shmona. The Hezbollah group said it had targeted several Israeli army positions, and also announced the death of one of its fighters on Sunday.

According to calculations AFP, since October 7, cross-border violence has killed at least 59 people in Lebanon. Most were Hezbollah fighters, although there were four civilians among the victims, including one journalist.

5. Biden Strongly Warns Netanyahu

United States (US) President Joe Biden is pressing Israel to protect civilians in Gaza and pushing for an immediate increase in humanitarian aid in the enclave.

Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu by telephone on Sunday that Israel has the right to defend itself and must do so in a way that is consistent with international law on the protection of civilians.

According to a statement from the White House, Biden and Netanyahu discussed efforts to protect more than 200 hostages taken by Hamas in a surprise attack on Israel on October 7.

The White House said Biden also “underscored the need to immediately and significantly increase the flow of humanitarian assistance to meet the needs of civilians in Gaza,” as supplies in the besieged territory dwindle.

With the death toll in the Gaza Strip in the thousands and rising, the Biden administration is under pressure to make clear its support for Israel does not mean blanket support for everything its allies do in the region.

In a television interview on Sunday morning, Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, said Israel had a responsibility to protect the lives of innocent people in Gaza.

6. Russian mob attacks Israeli plane

Mobs looking for Israelis and Jews stormed the airport in Dagestan, Russia’s Caucasus Republic, after rumors circulated that a flight was arriving from Israel.

The violence in the Muslim-majority region, which erupted amid the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, prompted Israel to ask Russia to protect its citizens.

Based on viral videos uploaded by Russia Today and Izvestia, dozens of protesters broke through doors and barriers, and some ran onto the runway.

Shortly afterward, Russia’s aviation agency Rossavitsia announced that it had closed the airport to incoming and outgoing flights and that security forces had arrived at the scene.

“The situation is under control, law enforcement is working at the scene,” said a statement from the government of the Russian Republic of Dagestan posted on Telegram, quoted AFP.

On Sunday evening, Rossavitsia announced that the airport had been “cleared” of crowds and would remain closed until November 6.

7. Latest Casualties

The number of people killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7 has risen to 7,950. This was conveyed by the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Ramallah on Sunday, taking data from sources in the area.

“Nearly three-quarters (73%) of those killed were from vulnerable populations, including children, women and the elderly. More than 20,000 people were injured,” according to the ministry report.

The reported death toll included 116 medical personnel. Many hospitals were hit by military attacks.

In previous information, the ministry said 24 hospitals in northern Gaza with a combined capacity of 2,000 beds had been ordered to be evacuated. Meanwhile, the death toll in Israel due to Hamas attacks on the Jewish State has reached 1,400.

8. Israel Attacks Gaza Hospital Again

The Palestinian Red Crescent released a video showing intense Israeli airstrikes in the Tal al-Hawa area of ​​Gaza, where Al-Quds Hospital is located.

Patients, refugees and health workers feared a possible attack on the hospital after Israel ordered an “immediate” evacuation on Sunday ahead of a possible attack.

9. Gaza’s water supply is threatened

Internal AA State Department documents provide details about tens of thousands of people in Gaza drinking contaminated salt water. This was reported by an Israeli newspaper Haaretz.

The State Department reportedly found that some 52,000 pregnant women and more than 30,000 babies under six months of age were forced to drink salty or contaminated water in Gaza, Haaretz reported.

Israel has cut off essential services that Gazans need to access water, including electricity and fuel needed for desalination and to operate water pumps.

“Water shortages pose a threat of infectious diseases,” health workers warned.

[Gambas:Video CNBC]

(sef/sef)