US President Biden warns against an occupation of the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, Baerbock gives an update on the German hostages. All information in the news blog.
The most important things at a glance
The Islamist terrorist organization Hamas has attacked Israel. This live blog informs you about the current developments:
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Biden: Occupying Gaza would be a “big mistake”
6:56 a.m.: US President Joe Biden has described Israel’s possible plans to occupy the Gaza Strip as a “big mistake”. In an interview with the CBS news show “60 Minutes” published Sunday, Biden responded to a question about whether he would support an ally’s occupation of Gaza by saying, “I think that would be a big mistake.”
Biden also said that the radical Islamic Palestinian organization Hamas, which rules in the Gaza Strip, “does not represent the entire Palestinian people.” However, an invasion of the coastal strip and the “elimination of the extremists” are a “necessary prerequisite,” he added.
Asked whether Hamas needed to be completely eliminated, Biden replied: “Yes, I think so.” But there must be a “Palestinian Authority,” Biden said in the CBS interview. “There must be a path to a Palestinian state.”
UN chief Guterres: Middle East “on the edge of the abyss”
5:16 a.m.: Faced with a Middle East “on the brink of the abyss,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres has urgently called for the immediate release of hostages kidnapped by the Islamist Hamas and rapid humanitarian access to the Gaza Strip. “Each of these two goals is justified,” said Guterres on Sunday in New York, according to the statement. “They should not become bargaining chips and they must be implemented because it is the right thing to do.”
In Egypt, Jordan, Israel and the West Bank, among other places, the United Nations has stored food, water, medicine, fuel and other things that could be delivered to people in need in Gaza within hours – if safe access was granted.
Media: US President Biden is considering a visit to Israel
4:16 a.m.: According to US media, US President Joe Biden is considering a trip to Israel in the coming days. This was reported by US media such as the Axios portal on Sunday evening (local time), citing sources in the Israeli and US governments. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu invited Biden to Israel during a phone call on Saturday. The final decision about a trip has not yet been made, it said.
Biden sent his Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Israel and other countries in the region last week after the attacks by the Islamist Hamas terrorists. Blinken wanted to attend appointments in Israel again this Monday. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was also in Israel for talks on Friday.
Mass exodus in Gaza ahead of Israel’s ground offensive
3:05 a.m.: Fearing Israel’s expected ground offensive in the Gaza Strip against the Islamist Hamas attackers, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are seeking protection under catastrophic conditions in the south of the hermetically sealed coastal strip.
After several calls for the civilian population to evacuate, more than 600,000 people have now moved there, said Israel’s army spokesman Daniel Hagari. However, supplying the densely packed masses of people is dramatic. At least they should get water again. Israel’s Energy Minister Israel Katz announced this on the X platform (formerly Twitter).
Biden: No need to send US troops
2:27 a.m.: According to US President Joe Biden, sending US troops to Israel is not necessary. Israel has “one of the best fighting forces,” Biden said in a television interview with “60 Minutes.” But it would be a mistake if Israel occupied the Gaza Strip. While he believes that Hamas must be completely eliminated, there must also be a path to the formation of a Palestinian state. Biden is confident that Israel will abide by the rules of war.
