Israeli doctors: no hospitals are fully operational in Gaza. Iran: ‘US ready for a possible resumption of attacks’

Israel has announced that the UK consulate in East Jerusalem has ceased operations, though it added that a small group of British diplomats had been allowed to remain. The move comes a month after Israel announced the closure of the British consulate, in response to sanctions imposed by London against Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. “The British consulate in Jerusalem has ceased operations today. The Consul-General and 20 diplomats (...) have completed their mission and will leave Israel,” said Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar in a statement, adding that a “task force of seven British diplomats” would remain.

An Israeli attack has killed a woman and injured several Palestinians north-west of Gaza City. This is according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa, which cites local sources as saying that Israeli artillery struck the area around al-Khazindar station.

A Palestinian who crossed the “Yellow Line” in the south of the Gaza Strip was killed yesterday. This was reported by the IDF, as cited by the Times of Israel. According to the armed forces, the man had attempted to sabotage operational infrastructure, ‘posing an immediate threat’.

An oil tanker sailing off the northern coast of Qatar has been attacked, resulting in an unknown number of casualties. This was reported by the UK Maritime Security Agency (UKMTO). The attack took place as Iran announced the closure of a route through the Strait of Hormuz used to circumvent the naval blockade imposed by Tehran. The vessel was in the Gulf, approximately 500 km west of the Strait of Hormuz, when it reported having been struck “by several projectiles”, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO). The UK authority did not specify the vessel’s origin. The incident occurred as attacks on oil tankers passing through the Strait of Hormuz reached their highest weekly level since the start of the war with Iran, according to maritime security firms, with oil prices exceeding $100 a barrel.

The Houthis in Yemen have claimed today to have struck the main international airport in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, with a ballistic missile – yet another attack on Saudi Arabia claimed by the Iran-backed group. The claim came a day after anti-government fighters announced a series of attacks in Saudi Arabia – which claimed the lives of three people – and after the Yemeni government, backed by Riyadh, announced a major counter-offensive against the Houthis. “Our armed forces successfully struck King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh using a ballistic missile; the missile hit its target with precision, causing the suspension of airport operations,” military spokesman Yahya Saree stated on X. This is the third time this week that the group has claimed responsibility for an attack on the airport. “We reiterate our appeal and our warning – for the last time – to all international airlines not to continue operating flights through Saudi airspace,” added Saree.

When the trauma is still fresh — and fear takes hold — it can happen that, in a war, ideas once considered unshakeable die alongside people. The framework of a peace process that began in 1993 and was built up over three decades may crumble, even amongst those who had been its most fervent supporters.

7 October 2023 will not only be remembered as the worst massacre of Jews in a single day since the Holocaust. Along with the approximately 1,200 victims, both civilian and military, what has died is the Israeli notion of security guaranteed by the state and the army, on the one hand, and the belief that a Palestinian state might one day be established, on the other.

A few days ago, the Pentagon instructed the US Central Command (Centcom) to finalise preparations for the resumption of large-scale combat operations against Iran. This was reported by Axios, citing US officials. The directive did not specify a date for the start of the attacks, and President Donald Trump has not yet made any final decisions. However, US and Israeli sources have stated that the action could take place before the mid-term elections in November and, possibly, before the Israeli elections a week earlier. Iranian energy, infrastructure and nuclear targets are in the crosshairs.

Donald Trump attacks the Democratic Senate candidate in Michigan, Abdul Mohammed El-Sayed. “He’s terrible for the ‘Dumocrats’. Whereas his opponent, Mike Rogers, is excellent. Mohammed harks back to the days of Jihad. He is a radical extremist, a sympathiser with terrorists, and is no different from his best friend, Hasan Piker, who hates America,” writes the tycoon on Truth. “How are things going in France? Mohammed’s values are certainly not those of the people of Michigan, nor those of our great United States! He is the wrong choice for Michigan and America. Vote for Mike Rogers: he has my full and total support and will never let you down.”

News from the Middle East, 7 October