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October 18, 2024
Australia calls for ‘return of hostages’, ‘humanitarian support for civilians’
Australia‘s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Friday joined the international community in renewing his call for return of the hostages taken by Hamas on October 7 2023 and kept in Gaza.
“He was an enemy of the Israeli people and an enemy of peace-loving people everywhere,” Albanese said of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. “His death is a significant moment and can be a vital turning point in this devastating conflict.”
He called for “urgent humanitarian support for civilians in Gaza and a cease-fire that will break the cycle of violence and put the region on the path to an enduring two state solution.”
Meanwhile Australia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Penny Wong said, “His death must enable the end of the war.”
Wong reiterated the nation’s support for a two-state solution and called for an immediate cease-fire which would allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza.
https://p.dw.com/p/4lvv6
October 18, 2024
Hezbollah threatens ‘new phase’ in Israel attacks
Lebanon-based militant group Hezbollah said it was launching a new, escalated phase in its war against Israel, saying that it used precision-guided missiles against troops for the first time.
This came a few hours after Israel confirmed the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.
Hezbollah “announces a transition to a new and escalatory phase in the confrontation with the Israeli enemy, which will be reflected in the developments and events of the coming days,” the group said in a statement.
The Iran-backed militant arm of Hezbollah is in the EU’s list of terrorist organizations. The group has been striking Israel intermittently for years, and more frequently amid the conflict in Gaza in the last year. However conflict in Lebanon has escalated over the last month to a larger scale with Israel launching military operations in the south.
Hezbollah said “hundreds of fighters…are fully prepared to counter any Israeli ground incursion into southern Lebanese villages.”
It also said that its missile strikes against Israel continued “to escalate day by day,” with “precision-guided ones … being deployed for the first time.”
Meanwhile, Iran said “the spirit of resistance will be strengthened” after Sinwar’s killing.
https://p.dw.com/p/4lvw6
October 18, 2024
Hope for cease-fire after Hamas leader’s death, Netanyahu says hostages must be freed
Yahya Sinwar — who Israel says orchestrated the Palestinian militant group Hamas’ attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023 — was killed during an Israeli military operation, Israeli authorities said after carrying out a DNA test on Thursday.
World leaders were quick to voice hope it could mark a turning point in Israel’s war against Hamas.
Former Israeli intelligence official Avi Melamed told DW that Sinwar’s death may raise hopes of bringing home Israeli hostages held by militants in Gaza.
“Sinwar was a major obstacle for ending the war” in Gaza because he didn’t move the slightest on the issue of releasing hostages, Melamed said.
Within hours of Sinwar’s reported death, Germany’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock called for Hamas to immediately release all hostages and surrender so that the war could be brought to an end.
US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris compared the killing to that of Osama bin Laden, saying “there is now the opportunity for a ‘day after’ in Gaza without Hamas in power.”
However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel would continue fighting until the hostages were brought home.
“Today we have settled the score. Today evil has been dealt a blow but our task has still not been completed,” Netanyahu said. He did however also say that the war in Gaza “can end tomorrow” if the hostages are released and Hamas disarms.
The European Union as well as the United States, Germany and several other countries classify Hamas as a terrorist organization.
mk/msh (AP, AFP, Reuters)
https://p.dw.com/p/4lvsb