Israel will allow aid to enter Gaza via Egypt but won't allow supplies to enter from Israel, PM's office says
From Tamar Michaelis in Jerusalem
Trucks carrying humanitarian aid for Palestinians sit on the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing on Tuesday waiting for the corridor into Gaza to reopen. Reuters
Israel will not block humanitarian aid going into Gaza from Egypt, according to a statement Wednesday from the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. But it will not allow supplies into Gaza from its own territory until Hamas releases all hostages.
"In light of President Biden’s demand, Israel will not block humanitarian aid deliveries, as long as they consist water, food, and drugs for the civilian population in the southern Gaza Strip ... and as long as the aid doesn’t reach Hamas," the statement said.
The statement comes shortly after US President Joe Biden said in remarks in Tel Aviv that Israel had agreed to allow aid into Gaza, with the understanding there would be inspections to ensure the supplies are not diverted or stolen by Hamas.
11:38 a.m. ET, October 18, 2023
US currently assesses that Israel is "not responsible" for Gaza hospital blast
From CNN's Natasha Bertrand, Katie Bo Lillis and Jeremy Herb
The site of the blast at al-Ahli Baptist Hospital is seen in Gaza City on Wednesday. Ali Jadallah/Anadolu via Getty Images
The US government currently believes that Israel "is not responsible" for the blast at a hospital in Gaza on Tuesday, according to the National Security Council, following President Joe Biden's comments that a Palestinian militant group was behind the strike.
A spokesperson for the NSC, Adrienne Watson, said the assessment is based on analysis of overhead imagery, intercepts and open-source information.
"While we continue to collect information, our current assessment, based on analysis of overhead imagery, intercepts and open-source information, is that Israel is not responsible for the explosion at the hospital in Gaza yesterday," Watson said in a statement on Wednesday.
Officials told CNN separately that the initial evidence gathered by the US intelligence community suggests that the hospital strike came from a rocket launched by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group.
Among the evidence that's been gathered is a blast analysis that suggests it was a ground explosion rather than an airstrike that hit the hospital, one of the sources said. There was no singular crater suggesting there was a bomb, but there was extensive fire damage and scattered debris that is consistent with an explosion starting from the ground level, according to the source.
That analysis is one datapoint that's led intelligence officials to lean toward assessing that the attack on the hospital was a rocket launch gone wrong.
Still, the blast analysis is just one of the things being examined by the intelligence community, which has surged intelligence collection assets to the region. US intelligence officials have not made a final assessment and are still gathering evidence, the officials said.
IDF says anti-tank missiles were fired toward Israeli communities along Lebanese border
From CNN's Hadas Gold and Tamara Qiblawi
Anti-tank missiles were fired toward Israeli communities Manara and the Rosh HaNikra along the Lebanese border, Israel Defense Forces said Wednesday.
Hezbollah said in a statement that it attacked an Israeli position just south of Manara.
The IDF said it "is currently striking the origins of the fire in Lebanon, and will continue to strike terror targets” belonging to Hezbollah.
The IDF also said shots were fired toward an IDF military post in the area of Zar'it along the Lebanese border. "IDF soldiers are responding with fire toward the origin of the shooting," it added.
Hezbollah said it attacked Jal al-Alam, Zar'it and the Bahri positions of Israeli military with guided missiles.
11:14 a.m. ET, October 18, 2023
Biden urges two-state solution to support peace
From CNN's Aditi Sangal
President Joe Biden delivers remarks in Tel Aviv. Evan Vucci/AP
US President Joe Biden in a Wednesday address in Tel Aviv said he supports the two-state solution in the pursuit of peace.
"Nations of conscience like the United States and Israel are not measured solely by the example of power. We are measured by the power of our example, and that's why as hard as it is, we must keep pursuing peace. We must keep pursuing a path so that Israel and the Palestinian people can both live safely and securely in dignity and in peace," he said.
"For me, that means a two-state solution," he added. "We must keep working for Israel's greater integration with its neighbors. These attacks have only strengthened my commitment and determination and my will to get that done."
What is the two-state solution?: The idea of the two-state solution involves an Israeli state next to a Palestinian state, existing side by side in peace. It has been the goal of the international community for decades, dating back to the 1947 UN Partition Plan, and many nations say that it is the only way out of the conflict. But progress on the goal has been far from easy and has stalled in recent years. The two sides have failed to come to an agreement over several issues central to the solution.
Both claim parts, if not all, of the holy city of Jerusalem as their capital. They dispute where to draw borders and they continue to clash over Israeli settlements in occupied territory. In addition, what happens to the Palestinian refugees who fled what is now Israel after the 1948 war is a point of contention. The United Nations estimates that there are 5.9 million Palestinian refugees in the world.
It would recognize a 1967 demarcation line known as the Green Line to partition Palestinian and Israeli land, subject to land swaps based on negotiations, and it would divide Jerusalem between the two states.
Correction: This post has been updated to correct the number of Palestinian refugees around the world, as estimated by the UN.
10:34 a.m. ET, October 18, 2023
Biden says Israel has agreed to allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza
President Joe Biden delivers remarks in Tel Aviv, Israel. Evan Vucci/AP
US President Joe Biden said Israel has agreed humanitarian assistance can cross into Gaza from Egypt, warning that any attempts by Hamas to steal the aid would illustrate it has "no concern for the welfare of the Palestinian people."
The US "unequivocally stands for the protection of civilian life during conflict," Biden said during remarks in Tel Aviv, adding, "People of Gaza need food, water, medicine, shelter."
"Today I asked the Israeli cabinet, who I met with for some time this morning, to agree to the delivery of life-saving humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza, based on the understanding that there will be inspections and that the aid should go to civilians and not to Hamas," Biden said.
"Israel agreed the humanitarian assistance can begin to move from Egypt to Gaza," the president said. "We're working in close cooperation with the government of Egypt, the United Nations and its agencies like the World Food Programme and other partners in the region to get trucks moving across the border as soon as possible," Biden said.
10:30 a.m. ET, October 18, 2023
US President Biden to Israelis: "While you feel that rage, don't be consumed by it"
From CNN's Aditi Sangal
President Joe Biden delivers remarks in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Wednesday. Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters
US President Joe Biden in an address in Tel Aviv on Wednesday lamented the loss of life during the October 7 attacks in Israel by Hamas. But he also cautioned Israelis that while they may feel rage, they should not be consumed by it.
"I caution this. While you feel that rage, don't be consumed by it. After 9/11, we were enraged in the United States. While we sought justice and got justice, we also made mistakes," he said.
Wartime decisions are "never clear or easy," he said.
"There's always cost. But it requires being deliberate. It requires asking very hard questions. It requires clarity about the objectives and an honest assessment about whether the path you're on will achieve those objectives," he added.
Biden also stressed that the "majority" of Palestinians are not with Hamas.
"The vast majority of Palestinians are not Hamas. Hamas does not represent the Palestinian people," he said.
"Hamas uses innocents, innocent families in Gaza as human shields, putting their command centers, their weapons and the communications tunnels in residential areas. The Palestinian people are suffering greatly as well," he added.
He also remarked on Tuesday's hospital blast in Gaza City, saying, "We mourn the loss of innocent Palestinian lives like the entire world."
"The United States unequivocally stands for the protection of civilian life during conflict. And I grieve, I truly grieve for the families who were killed or wounded by this tragedy," he added.
10:40 a.m. ET, October 18, 2023
Countries declare mourning periods following Gaza hospital blast
From CNN's Hamdi Alkhshali
Some countries are declaring mourning periods following Tuesday's blast at the Al-Ahli hospital in Gaza where the Palestinian health ministry said hundreds were killed.
Syria on Wednesday declared a public mourning for a period of three days, starting October 18.
Egypt declared on Wednesday a three-day state of general mourning.
Iran on Tuesday declared general mourning throughout the country for three days, “in honor of the innocent souls who fell victim to international silence before falling victim to the fire of barbaric aggression.”
Jordan declared on Tuesday three days of mourning to “honor the martyrs of the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital and the martyrs of Gaza.”
Lebanon announced on Tuesday that Wednesday is a day of national mourning.
Mauritania declared on Tuesday three days of national mourning following the hospital blast and called on the international community to make sure to stop “immediately” what it described as “genocide” of the Palestinians.
In Gaza,Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday also declared that three days of mourning will be observed for the victims of the blast.
Gaza officials blame Israel for the hospital blast, while the Israel Defense Forces said it was an Islamic Jihad rocket. Islamic Jihad also denied that a failed rocket launch was responsible for the explosion. CNN cannot independently verify what caused the explosion, nor the extent of casualties.
10:53 a.m. ET, October 18, 2023
Satellite image shows aftermath of Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital explosion
This satellite image shows the aftermath of the blast Tuesday at the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza, in which the Palestinian Ministry of Health says hundreds of people were killed.
Palestinian officials have blamed Israel for the blast, while the Israel Defense Forces say its intelligence showed it was the result of a "failed rocket launch" by Palestinian Islamic Jihad. The group denied the IDF assertion.
CNN cannot independently verify the blast's cause nor the extent of casualties.
11:37 a.m. ET, October 18, 2023
US embassies in Lebanon and Jordan issue advisories amid protests in region
From CNN's Ben Wedeman in southern Lebanon, Lauren Kent in London, Michael Callahan and Hamdi Alkhshali
Protesters rally in a suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, on Wednesday. Mohamed Azakir/Reuters
The US Embassy in Lebanon has advised Americans to avoid the area of Awkar north of Beirut — where the embassy is located — as demonstrations on Wednesday led to skirmishes between police and pro-Palestinian demonstrators.
Police fired tear gas and used water cannons against the demonstrators on Wednesday afternoon, according to local media. Video footage of the protests released by AFP also showed water cannons being used against the demonstrators.
Earlier on Wednesday, Pro-Palestinian protestors tried to break through security barriers near the US Embassy in Awkar.
The embassy remains open but is “prioritizing providing consular services to U.S. citizens in Lebanon," it said in a security alert, adding, "The Department of State reminds citizens to avoid demonstrations and exercise caution if in the vicinity of any large gatherings or protests as some of these have turned violent."
The US Embassy in Amman, Jordan, issued a similar warning on Wednesday, saying it was aware of calls for a demonstration beginning as early as noon. US citizens should expect a heavy police presence and were advised to avoid crowds.
