US Secretary of State Antony Blinken departed Tel Aviv in the early morning hours Tuesday local time after a long day of meetings with senior Israeli officials, including a seven-and-a-half-hour meeting with the Israeli war cabinet.
In remarks following that meeting, Blinken announced President Joe Biden will travel to Israel on Wednesday, and that the US and Israel “have agreed to develop a plan that will enable humanitarian aid from donor nations and multilateral organizations to reach civilians in Gaza.”
However, it is unclear if any progress was made on the actual opening of the Rafah crossing – the only route into or out of Gaza.
Blinken will stay overnight in Amman.
9:09 p.m. ET, October 16, 2023
White House did its homework on security before scheduling Biden's trip to Israel
From CNN's Kevin Liptak
The White House took into account the complex security situation in Israel before announcing President Joe Biden’s visit to the country, a spokesperson said Monday, though he added the US is not dictating military terms to the Israelis surrounding the president’s trip.
“We wouldn't make a trip, obviously, if we did not believe that proper security parameters would be in place,” said John Kirby, National Security Council spokesperson.
Kirby said the White House had done its “homework” in scheduling and announcing Biden’s visit.
“The security situation is certainly tense, of course. But we take all those factors into account when we both plan the president's trip and when we make a decision to preview it,” he said.
Asked whether allowing humanitarian aid into Gaza was a contingency of Biden making the visit, Kirby did not answer directly. Instead, he said the situation in the coastal Palestinian enclave was a priority for the president.
“I think we've been crystal clear about the need for humanitarian aid to be able to continue to flow into into Gaza, that has been a consistent call by President Biden and certainly by this entire administration,” he said.
“We certainly want to see that humanitarian assistance begin to flow as soon as possible,” he added. “That’s going to be a major topic of the discussion for the future.”
Asked whether the White House expected an Israeli ground offensive in Gaza to begin only after the president departed the region, Kirby declined to weigh in on the country’s military decisions.
“We're not dictating terms or operational directions to the Israelis,” he said.
9:03 p.m. ET, October 16, 2023
Aid convoys in Egypt are moving toward Gaza border crossing, Egyptian state media says
From CNN's Kareem El Damanhoury and Sarah Sirgany
A convoy of trucks loaded with aid supplies for Gaza provided by Egyptian NGOs waits for an agreement to cross through the Egypt-Gaza border in Arish City, Egypt' on October 15. Ali Moustafa/AFPGetty Images/FILE
Humanitarian aid convoys in El-Arish are moving toward the Rafah border crossing in Gaza, state-affiliated media outlet Al-Qahera News reported early Tuesday local time.
El-Arish is about 45 kiometers (or about 28 miles) from the Rafah border crossing.
Earlier on Monday, Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said there has been no progress in efforts to open the Rafah crossing between Egypt and the Gaza, while the Israeli prime minister’s office denied there were any arrangements for its opening.
Airplanes carrying aid from Jordan, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, the World Health Organization and the Red Cross have arrived at El-Arish since Thursday.
8:54 p.m. ET, October 16, 2023
Mother of woman being held hostage: "We are begging the world to bring my baby home"
Mia Schem Family Photo
The mother of Mia Schem, a young French-Israeli woman being held hostage in the Gaza Strip, said she is "the heart of the family."
"We are begging the world to bring my baby home," Keren Scharf Schem told CNN.
Hamas released video of Mia Schem on Monday. In the video, the 21-year-old says she suffered an arm injury and was brought to Gaza.
It is the first video Hamas has released of any of the hostages held in Gaza. Israeli authorities have said that they believe 199 people are being held in Gaza, while a representative of Hamas said Monday that at least between 200-250 captives are being held across the strip.
Asked if she had a message she wanted to get to her daughter, Keren Scharf Schem said their family was waiting for her to come home.
"I want her to be strong and I want her to be sure that the world will do everything to bring her home," she said. "We love you. We are waiting for you."
Keren Scharf Schem continued: "We will never stop. And after you will be here, we will continue until all the 200 hostages will be home too."
8:28 p.m. ET, October 16, 2023
US and Israel agree to develop humanitarian aid plan for civilians in Gaza, Blinken says
From CNN's Jennifer Hansler
The United States and Israel “have agreed to develop a plan that will enable humanitarian aid from donor nations and multilateral organizations to reach civilians in Gaza,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced in the overnight hours in Tel Aviv Tuesday.
“It is critical that aid begin flowing into Gaza as soon as possible,” Blinken said in remarks at a US diplomatic building in Tel Aviv.
The top US diplomat noted that the US shares “Israel's concern that Hamas may seize or destroy entering Gaza or otherwise preventing it from reaching the people who need it.”
“If Hamas in any way blocks humanitarian assistance from reaching civilians, including by seizing the aid itself, we'll be the first to condemn it," he said. "And we will work to prevent it from happening again,” he said.
Blinken said the agreement to work on the plan was done at the US’s request, and they “welcome the government of Israel's commitment to work on this plan.”
“The President very much looks forward to discussing it further when he's here on Wednesday,” he said.
Some context: Blinken's announcement comes as a "complete siege" by Israel has triggered a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, with UN officials warning that the crowded strip's health care system is on the brink of collapse. Closed border crossings with Israel and Egypt mean that humanitarian aid has been unable to enter the territory.
8:23 p.m. ET, October 16, 2023
Israel won't stop until it "destroys the military and governmental capabilities of Hamas," Netanyahu says
From CNN’s Hadas Gold
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday that Israel won’t stop until it destroys Hamas’s military and governmental capabilities, according to a statement from the office of the prime minister.
“The Prime Minister made it clear that Israel was attacked by vile and cruel murderers, went to war determined and united, and will not stop until it destroys the military and governmental capabilities of Hamas,” the statement read.
Earlier Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke with leaders from Israel, the Palestinian Authority, Syria, Iran and Egypt where he addressed the escalating Israel-Hamas conflict.
The Russian president told Netanyahu that Russia is ready to help end the conflict peacefully, by diplomatic means, according to a Kremlin readout of the call.
8:43 p.m. ET, October 16, 2023
President Biden to visit Israel, US Secretary of State Blinken says
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during a news conference in Tel Aviv, on October 17, 2023. Jacquelyn Martin/Pool/AFP/Getty Images
US President Joe Biden will visit Israel on Wednesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced in the early hours Tuesday in Israel.
Blinken announced the visit at the end of a more than seven-hour long meeting with Israel's war cabinet. The secretary of state's latest stop in Israel is part of his whirlwind seven-nation tour of the Middle East as Israel seems poised for a ground invasion of Gaza and the conflict threatens to spill into other parts of the region.
During his visit to Israel, Biden “will hear from Israel how it will conduct its operations in a way that minimizes civilian casualties and enables humanitarian assistance to flow to civilians in Gaza in a way that does not benefit Hamas,” Blinken said.
Biden “will reaffirm the United States’ solidarity with Israel and our ironclad commitment to its security” in his visit Wednesday, Blinken said.
“President Biden will again make clear, as he's done unequivocally since the Hamas slaughter of more than 1,400 people, including at least 30 Americans, that Israel has the right and indeed the duty to defend its people from Hamas and other terrorists and to prevent future attacks,” Blinken said.
Biden will hear what Israel needs to defend his people as "we continue to work with Congress to meet those needs,” he said.
Biden “will underscore our crystal clear message to any actor, state or non-state, trying to take advantage of this crisis to attack Israel: Don't,” Blinken said, noting the deterrent measures the US has already undertaken.
The president “will continue to coordinate closely with our Israeli partners to secure the release of hostages taken by Hamas, including men, women, small children, Holocaust survivors, and American citizens,” Blinken said.
“President Biden will receive a comprehensive brief on Israel's war aims and strategy,” the top US diplomat said.
In addition to visiting Israel on Wednesday, the president will also visit Jordan — a nearby crucial ally to the US. There he'll meet with a critical group of Middle East leaders including King Abdullah II of Jordan, President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, according to the White House.
John Kirby, National Security Council spokesperson, told reporters that the focus of Biden’s Jordan stop will be on humanitarian assistance amid the deepening crisis.
Kirby said Biden “will certainly reiterate that Hamas does not stand for the Palestinian people's right to dignity and self-determination. And he'll discuss again the humanitarian needs of all civilians in Gaza.”
In Amman, Biden will “make it clear that we want to continue to work with all our partners in the region, including Israel, to get humanitarian assistance and again to provide some sort of safe passage for civilians to get out.”
The entire trip will take place “over the course of a single day,” Kirby said.
8:15 p.m. ET, October 16, 2023
Palestinian-American family of 6 hunkered down in Gaza City, sister says
From CNN’s David Williams and Caroll Alvarado
Sajah Naggar says the last week has “been literal hell” as she waits for word on her sister Sarah Naggar, who is stranded in Gaza City with her husband and their four children.
“Every time my phone rings I jump,” Sajah Naggar, who lives in Riverside, California, told CNN. “It's unfortunate to say, but it's like I'm expecting bad news because it's so many people are dying, so many people are getting hurt.”
Sajah Naggar said communication with her sister has been pretty sparse — she got a message that her sister was alive on Sunday after days of silence.
“We don't have any real conversations. It's just her letting us know that she's alive because the bombing is literally all around her," Sajah Naggar said. “And the bombing is everywhere. There's not one safe spot in Gaza.”
Naggar said her sister, her husband, Fady Elnajjar, and their children — ages 13, 11, 9 and 2 — are all Palestinian-Americans and US citizens.
The children grew up in California and are traumatized by the situation, she said.
They have been living in Gaza for almost a year, because her brother-in-law’s family are all there.
Naggar said her sister got an email telling them to move south, but the family has stayed in their Gaza City home because they didn’t feel safe evacuating due to the Israeli bombardments.
“They're US citizens, you know, the US should be doing something about this to save its people,” Naggar said. “If it was US citizens in any other country, it would be completely different, but because it's in Gaza, it's just like they're stuck there.”
The family only has the food they had on hand before the war and are not sure how long that will last.
Five other family members, all American citizens, had traveled recently to Gaza to visit and are now stranded because of the war, Naggar said. They have been able to move south.
Naggar said her family is praying for good news, but it is hard to have hope.
“We definitely do want our sister home safely and my uncles back safely, but we also want the safety of every Gazan and every Palestinian in Palestine right now,” she said. “We want not just a ceasefire, honestly, we want it to be a solution that will be a long-term solution so that the kids and families and everyone in Palestine can feel secure in their life.”
12:29 a.m. ET, October 17, 2023
31 humanitarian staff killed and hospitals "on the brink of collapse" in Gaza, UN office says
From CNN’s Kareem El Damanhoury
The number of humanitarian staff killed while on duty in Gaza has risen to 31, after an Israeli airstrike killed seven civil defense members on Monday, according to a statement from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
The statement added that Gaza is under “full electricity blackout” for the sixth day, warning of the repercussions on the healthcare system in the strip.
“Hospitals are on the brink of collapse as their fuel reserves used to operate backup generators have been almost totally depleted, endangering the lives of thousands of patients,” OCHA said.
Earlier, UNRWA, the UN agency that supports Palestinian refugees, said at least 1 million people had been forced to flee their homes in one week alone and at least 400,000 displaced people are taking shelter in UN schools and buildings in Gaza.
Meanwhile, UNICEF-led WASH Cluster warned that the Gaza population is at “imminent risk of death or infectious disease outbreak” if water and fuel are not allowed to enter the strip.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office told CNN Sunday that Israel has restored water to the south of the strip, but the director of Gaza’s water authority disputed that Monday.
The government's media office in Gaza also warned that the strip is “on the brink of a real famine as goods in stores are running out, and no aid is coming to the displaced individuals.”
The World Food Programme (WFP) said in a statement that it provided bread to 107,192 internally displaced people in south Gaza on Sunday, but stressed the need for humanitarian aid to enter the strip.
“We urgently need access through all borders to replenish stocks & deliver assistance,” WFP added.
