Latest Updates on Israel-Palestinian Conflict: No Ground Offensive Yet, Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza, Status of Rafah Border, and Netanyahu’s Visit to Troops

Oct 14, 2023 at 8:37 PM Update: 22 minutes ago

NU.nl regularly gives you an overview of the situation in Israel and the Palestinian Territories. With this time: Israel has not yet started the expected ground offensive in the north of the Gaza Strip. Furthermore, Western Palestinians live between hope and fear at the border between Egypt and Gaza.

Developments in Israel and the Palestinian Territories are following each other in rapid succession. We therefore list recent events for you several times a day. Subscribe to the tag ‘Gaza conflict update’ to receive a notification when we post another overview.

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The deadline set by Israel for evacuation of the north of the Gaza Strip expired on Saturday at 3 p.m. (Dutch time). The expected ground offensive has not yet materialized.

The Israeli army did announce that it was preparing a broad offensive. This involves looking at attacks from the air and sea, combined with a large-scale ground offensive.

According to the Israeli military, forces across the country are on alert for the next steps in the war. The statement explicitly hints at a large-scale ground offensive. Analysts expected Israel to have launched that offensive earlier on Saturday, after the latest evacuation deadlines for residents of the Gaza Strip expired.

Israeli soldiers wait for orders at the Gaza border. Photo: AFP

Humanitarian situation in Gaza Strip ‘untenable’

In the meantime, it is estimated that more than a million people have already fled the conflict zone. They move south, where they hope to cross the border with Egypt. Israel is expected to start the offensive in the north.

Meanwhile, the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip threatens to become ‘untenable’. “There is no electricity, water or petrol in Gaza,” said UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths. “Food is becoming scarcer and scarcer.”

He calls on other countries to send help. The World Health Organization (WHO) has already done this, but that aid cannot yet reach Gaza because Egypt is keeping its borders closed for the time being. The European Commission announced that the budget for humanitarian aid to Gaza will be tripled to 75 million euros.

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Will Rafah border open or not?

Many refugees and Western Palestinians are on their way to the so-called Rafah border. That is Gaza’s border with Egypt. The United States and other countries are negotiating with Egypt and Israel, among others, to temporarily and safely open that border.

Conflicting reports emerged on Saturday about the temporary opening of the Rafah border. For example, the Reuters news agency reported that the United States had made a deal, only to later weaken it to a “possible agreement”. Other media also reported agreements. Germany is also said to be working on arranging something.

Many Palestinians wait at the Rafah border hoping for a temporary opening. Photo: AFP

BuZa provides little information about Dutch people in Gaza

The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs is aware of the reports, a spokesperson told NU.nl. “Together with international partners, we are doing everything we can through diplomatic channels to get the Dutch out of there. We are keeping in contact with the Dutch people who are stuck there as best as possible about this.” BuZa says that in the interest of the Dutch in Gaza it will not provide any further information about them.

According to Canadian media, the temporary border opening will not take place. Israel is reported to have informed several Western embassies that there will be no opening of the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip.

Prime Minister Netanyahu visits troops at Gaza border

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the Israeli border area with the Gaza Strip on Saturday. Netanyahu visited soldiers stationed there. He also went to the kibbutzim of Be’eri and Kfar Aza, where Hamas violently invaded last weekend and killed civilians.

In a video on social media, Netanyahu can be heard addressing a number of soldiers. “Are you ready for what’s coming? Because there will be more to come,” he says. What exactly he means by that remains unclear.

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Netanyahu visits Israeli soldiers: ‘Are you ready?’

The conflict explained

2023-10-14 18:37:00
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