Palestinians in northern Gaza flooded streets in cars and on foot, heading south after Israel gave residents 24 hours to evacuate amid continued bombing and fears of a looming ground invasion.
(Bloomberg) — Palestinians in northern Gaza flooded streets in cars and on foot, heading south after Israel gave residents 24 hours to evacuate amid continued bombing and fears of a looming ground invasion.
The United Nations warned of a disaster and said it would be impossible to move the million or so inhabitants of north Gaza to the south, as demanded by Israeli authorities.
Hamas, designated a terrorist group by the US and the European Union, called for a “Day of Rage” across the Muslim world and mass protests Friday against Israel, which the group attacked last weekend, killing 1,300. More than 1,500 people have been killed in Gaza in retaliatory airstrikes.
For more on the Israel-Hamas war, click here.
(All time stamps are Israeli time)
France’s Macron Calls Stabbing of Teacher ‘Islamic Terrorism’ (6:42 p.m.)
French President Emmanuel Macron called the fatal stabbing of a teacher in northern France an act of the “barbarity of Islamic terrorism” and said authorities thwarted a second potential attack in a different region.
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said earlier this week that the country had boosted its police presence, especially around synagogues and Jewish schools. He also banned pro-Palestinian demonstrations citing high risk of violence, though thousands of people gathered on Thursday in Paris and other cities for pro-Palestinian rallies that were subsequently dispersed.
Israeli Poll Shows Netanyahu’s Popularity Drops as Gantz Surges (6:00 p.m.)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s popularity has dropped while that of Benny Gantz, a former general who’s now part of Israel’s “war cabinet,” has surged, according to a poll conducted by Israeli research institutes.
The survey, published by Maariv newspaper on Friday and carried out by Lazar Research in partnership with Panel4All, showed opposition parties would win a crushing majority against Netanyahu’s coalition if elections were held now.
Of the roughly 600 people surveyed, 48% said Gantz was their preferred prime minister, while 29% chose Netanyahu.
World Bank to Continue Projects in Gaza, Official Says (5:45 p.m.)
The World Bank is monitoring the situation and has no intention for now to suspend its programs and financing for Palestine, the lender’s vice president for the MENA region Ferid Belhaj told Bloomberg in Marrakech.
World Bank projects in Gaza pertain mostly to energy, water and sanitation and are funded out of the $80 million a year the lender grants the Palestinian Authority.
Iran Diplomat Meets Hamas, Islamic Jihad in Beirut (5:13 p.m.)
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian discussed the situation in Gaza with senior officials from Palestinian militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad in a meeting in Beirut, according to a statement.
The visits followed an earlier meeting with the leader of Hezbollah, as Iran tries to rally regional support for Hamas’s attacks while denying involvement in them.
Amirabdollahian said Iran’s “diplomatic efforts” to end Israeli “war crimes” in Gaza would continue.
Explosion at Israeli Northern Border Prompts Artillery Fire Into Lebanon (4:58 p.m.)
An explosion on the perimeter fence near the Israeli kibbutz of Hanita on the northern border caused limited damage, and Israel responded with artillery fire toward the source, the Israeli army said. There was also an alert that the community was infiltrated and troops are searching the area.
Palestinians Flee South After Evacuation Order (4:56 pm)
Previously deserted streets of Gaza City were flooded with Palestinians fleeing southward after Israel gave them 24 hours to evacuate this morning. The scale of the evacuation order—which covers an area holding half of Gaza’s population—and of the flight are unprecedented.
Still, many residents remain in the north, fearing the journey under bombardment and saying they have nowhere to go. Hamas has asked people to stay put, saying the order by Israel is misinformation.
Four Palestinians Killed Trying to Damage Perimeter Fence In West Bank (4:35 p.m.)
Undercover border police officers killed four Palestinians who were trying to damage a perimeter fence and throw explosives near the West Bank town of Tulkarm, the Israel police spokesman’s office said in a statement.
JP Morgan’s Dimon Warns on Geopolitical Risks (4:30 p.m.)
JPMorgan Chase & Co. Chief Executive Officer Jamie Dimon warned of serious geopolitical risks amid expectations Israel will make a ground assault on Gaza.
“This may be the most dangerous time the world has seen in decades,” the CEO of the biggest US bank said in its third-quarter earnings statement. “The war in Ukraine compounded by last week’s attacks on Israel may have far-reaching impacts on energy and food markets, global trade, and geopolitical relationships.”
US Working to Establish Safe Areas in Gaza as Conflict Escalates (4:01 p.m.)
The US is working with the United Nations and other international relief agencies to establish safe areas within Gaza for Palestinian civilians as Israel ramps up retaliatory strikes following attacks by Hamas, a senior State Department official said.
But those efforts are complicated by the militant group’s track record of using civilians as human shields, the official said. US and Israeli officials discussed opening the Rafah border crossing to allow Americans and other foreign nationals to leave Gaza and enter Egypt while Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in Tel Aviv on Thursday.
NYC Preps for ‘All Out for Palestine’ Protest With More Security (3:35 p.m.)
Some New Yorkers weighed whether to stay home Friday amid surging tensions spurred by the war, even as Mayor Eric Adams said the city had “no credible or specific threats.”
Morgan Stanley told staff they could work from home Friday, when an “All Out For Palestine” rally was scheduled to be held in Times Square, not far from the bank’s headquarters. Google parent Alphabet Inc. said New York employees could decide whether to stay at home, while at least one Jewish school in Queens told parents it would close for the day.
Israeli Army Says It Intercepts Rockets (3:15 p.m.)
Air raid sirens sounded across northern Israel and Hamas said it was firing rockets at the area in response ‘’to the displacement and massacre of civilians” in Gaza. The Israeli army said it identified the rockets, adding they were successfully intercepted.
‘Unrealistic’ for A Million People to Leave in 24 Hours, Borrell Says (3:05 p.m.)
Civilians in Gaza must be warned about military operations but it “is utterly unrealistic that one million people can move in 24 hours,” Josep Borrell, the EU’s foreign policy chief, said Friday in a press briefing in Beijing.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said at the same event that Zhai Jun, China’s special envoy on Middle East issues, would visit the region soon, without giving further details on his itinerary.
US Defense Secretary Says Support For Israel Is ‘Ironclad’ (3:00 p.m.)
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met with Israel’s prime minister and defense minister, and said Washington’s support for Israel is “ironclad.” In a press conference in Tel Aviv, Austin said US military aid – including munitions, air defense capabilities and interceptors for the Iron Dome missile defense system – is already flowing to Israel.
“We will continue to coordinate closely with Israel to help secure the release of the innocent men, women, and children in the clutches of Hamas, including American citizens,” he said.
Pro-Hamas Protests Take Place in West Bank (2:30 p.m.)
A large pro-Hamas protest took place in Ramallah in the West Bank on Friday, according to regional TV station al-Jazeera. The West Bank is run by the Palestinian Authority, while Hamas rules Gaza.
Elsewhere in the West Bank, there were clashes between Palestinians and the Israel Defense Forces. At least three Palestinians died, according to West Bank authorities.
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