A top official with the militant Hamas group says the people of Gaza will not migrate from the strip to Egypt. In a televised speech Saturday, Ismail Haniyeh said that “all the massacres” will not break the Palestinian people. “There will be no migration from Gaza to Egypt,” he said, adding that “our decision is to stay in our land,” as reported by the Associated Press:
Hamas’ Ismail Haniyeh: ‘Palestinians won’t migrate to Egypt’
Newslooks- (AP)
BEIRUT — A top official with the militant Hamas group says the people of Gaza will not migrate from the strip to Egypt. In a televised speech Saturday, Ismail Haniyeh said that “all the massacres” will not break the Palestinian people.
“There will be no migration from Gaza to Egypt,” he said, adding that “our decision is to stay in our land.”
Haniyeh said Israel suffered a “strategic strike” and that last week’s attacks by Hamas that have killed more than 3,200 are an indication the end of Israel’s occupation is near.
Haniyeh said the aim of Hamas is to liberate the land and set Palestinian prisoners free, and that the blockade in Gaza be lifted.
HEAD OF GAZA’S LARGEST HOSPITAL SAYS 35,000 PEOPLE ARE SHELTERING IN HOSPITAL COMPLEX
GAZA CITY, Gaza — Medical officials say an estimated 35,000 have crammed into the grounds of Gaza City’s main hospital, seeking refugee ahead of an expected Israeli ground offensive.
Mohammad Abu Selim, general director of Shifa Hospital, confirmed that massive crowds had thronged the building and the courtyard outside. Shifa is the largest hospital in the entire Gaza Strip.
“People think this is the only safe space after their homes were destroyed and they were forced to flee,” said Dr. Medhat Abbas, a Health Ministry official. “Gaza City is a frightening scene of devastation.”
The Israeli military has ordered roughly half of Gaza’s population, including all of Gaza City, to evacuate as it prepares to send in ground forces.
Israel has been bombing Gaza into rubble for the past week, killing more than 2,200 and counting in response to a cross-border Hamas attack.
30 TURKISH CITIZENS HAVE EVACUATED FROM ISRAEL, TURKEY SAYS
ISTANBUL — The Turkish government says it has successfully evacuated 30 citizens out of Israel.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, speaking to reporter alongside his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry, said the citizens were among roughly 300 people with dual Turkish-Israeli citizenship in Gaza. He reiterated Turkey’s condemnation of “any attack aimed at innocent civilians.”
The Israeli Embassy in Turkey announced on social media Thursday that one Turkish citizen had been killed in Hamas’ attack and that another citizen could not be reached.
DEATH TOLL OF ROMANIANS IN ISRAEL RISES TO 4
BUCHAREST, Romania — Romania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Saturday that two more Romanian citizens have been killed in the conflict between Israel and Hamas, bringing the total number of Romanians who have died since Hamas attacked Israel a week ago to four.
All four of the deceased held duel Romanian-Israeli citizenship and resided in Israel. The ministry also said Saturday that another duel citizen is missing and that the Romanian Embassy in Tel Aviv is communication with the Israeli authorities over the matter.
ITALY SAYS IT’S WORKING TO FREE 3 ITALIANS BELIEVED HELD HOSTAGE BY HAMAS
ROME — Italy’s foreign minister says the country is continuing its efforts to free Italian nationals who are among those believed to be held hostage by Hamas following the militant group’s attack on southern Israel last Saturday.
“We’ve done and we’ll do anything possible to free hostages, three of whom are Italian,” Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on Saturday at an event in Rome.
Tajani, who visited Israel on Friday, said he met there with the families of the three people who are believed held hostage — a couple and a boy.
“We hope that Israel’s reaction will be proportioned and only hit the sites where Hamas terrorists are hiding or hiding weapons,” Tajani said, adding he hoped that hostages could be freed through the creation of humanitarian corridors.
NEARLY 300 SWEDES, FINNS AND OTHER NORDIC CITIZENS REPATRIATED FROM ISRAEL
HELSINKI — The foreign ministries of Nordic neighbors Finland and Sweden have repatriated nearly 300 people with evacuation flights from Israel to Helsinki and Stockholm.
Swedish news agency TT said a charter flight from Tel Aviv with around 120 people — mostly Swedes but also Finns and other Nordic nationalities — landed at Stockholm’s Arlanda airport early Saturday.
“I am happy that everyone arrived safely and that our Nordic cooperation works so well,” Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström said in a statement.
Some 149 Finnish citizens were repatriated with a separate evacuation flight from Israel that arrived at Helsinki Airport on Saturday morning, according to Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen.
No further flights are planned, but the Swedish government said in a release that it still “in close contact with other Nordic countries about exit options.”
IRAN’S FOREIGN MINISTER MEETS WITH LEADERS OF MILITANT PALESTINIAN GROUPS
BEIRUT — Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian has met with leaders of militant Palestinian groups in Beirut, Hezbollah’s TV station reported.
Al-Manar TV gave no further details about Saturday’s meeting between Amirabdollahian, top Hamas official in exile Saleh Arouri and the leader of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group Ziad Nakhaleh.
Hamas officials have repeatedly said that last Saturday’s attacks on southern Israel that have killed hundreds of civilians and troops were the work of the Palestinian group and Iran had nothing to do with it.
Hamas officials did not respond to calls from The Associated Press to confirm and give details about the meeting.
Amirabdollahian left Beirut Saturday afternoon following a tour that took him to Iraq, Syria and Lebanon, where Iran enjoys wide influence.
Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah group are allies of Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
ERDOGAN’S SON JOINS PRO-PALESTINIAN MARCH IN ISTANBUL
ISTANBUL — The son of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan participated in a large pro-Palestinian march in Istanbul on Saturday. Bilal Erdogan was accompanied by former Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu and former speaker of Turkish parliament Mustafa Sentop.
“Let us make clear our side, we should at least let our feelings be heard,” Erdogan told The Associated Press.
The crowd of over 1,000 people carried Palestinian and Turkish flags while chanting slogans criticizing Israel and the United States.
Speaking to the AP, Sentop said, “Everyone with a conscience, regardless of race or religion, are displaying their sentiments toward this genocide.”
JAPANESE CHARTER FLIGHT WITH EVACUEES LEAVES ISRAEL
TOKYO — Japan’s Foreign Ministry says a Japanese government-arranged charter flight carrying eight Japanese nationals in Israel departed from Tel Aviv and was expected to arrive in Dubai on Sunday.
Fifty-one other Japanese nationals were separately evacuated by South Korea’s military aircraft, along with 163 South Koreans and six Singaporeans.
About 1,250 Japanese nationals were in Israel as of October 2022, according to government data.
