Dhe EU Council President Charles Michel warns of an increase in the flow of refugees to Europe in view of the major attack by Hamas on Israel and the resulting Israeli counterattacks. “If there were more difficulties at the regional level, we would immediately have huge difficulties on European soil because of the refugees,” the former Belgian prime minister told the AP news agency on Friday. That would have serious consequences and would “increase polarization on one of the most controversial issues in many European countries,” said Michel. “We know how this can be used by some political groups within the EU to stir up controversy and further fragment the EU.”
He is aware that there are “different feelings and emotions in our societies across the EU” regarding the issue of migration. It is important not to import the Middle East conflict into the European Union. It is “not the right time to have more difficulties,” said Michel.
He called for increased efforts to reach out to countries like Egypt, which is a natural port of call for people fleeing the neighboring Gaza Strip. However, Egypt points out that the country is already hosting millions of refugees and that it is not prepared to take in more people from the Gaza Strip. Michel therefore suggested increasing international aid for Egypt. One can imagine what accepting more refugees means “for a country with some financial and economic challenges.” “It means we have to work with these countries,” Michel said. The aim is to “enable a corridor, a humanitarian corridor”.
All developments in the live ticker:
4:01 a.m. – Knobloch criticizes pro-Hamas demonstrations on German streets
The chairwoman of the Israelite Community for Munich and Upper Bavaria, Charlotte Knobloch, has sharply criticized politicians’ handling of the pro-Hamas demonstrations in Germany. “It is a shame when politics in a country like Germany allows people to dance in the streets out of joy over the murder of Jews,” Knobloch told the “Augsburger Allgemeine” (Saturday).
Events like the recent one in Munich, where around 200 people demonstrated against Israel, made her very angry, added the former president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany. “We had our event on one side of the Munich town hall complex, on Odeonsplatz. And on the other, at Marienplatz, there is agitation against Israel. “Yeah, where are we?” said Knobloch.
At the same time, Knobloch welcomed the government declaration by Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) and the statement that Israel’s security was German reasons of state. “I understand the sentence to mean that Israel can turn to Germany at any time and get the help it needs if necessary. In other words, Israel is not alone in an emergency.”
3:52 a.m. – Biden on the search for US hostages – “We are working at full speed”
US President Joe Biden explains in an interview that his government is currently working intensively to find American hostages. “I won’t go into detail, but we’re working hard on it,” Biden said in an interview published on Friday.
Meanwhile, the first flight organized by the US State Department to evacuate American citizens has landed in Athens. The US government confirms this. White House spokesman John Kirby said the administration is also exploring sea departure options to help Americans in Israel. “We’re just trying to expand the options,” Kirby told reporters, adding that flights would continue. According to an insider, further charter flights between Athens and Tel Aviv are planned until October 19th. More than 400 Americans had already signed up for the first evacuation flight.
3:00 a.m. – EPP leader Weber: Stop potential Hamas terrorists at the EU’s external border
The chairman of the European People’s Party (EPP), Manfred Weber (CSU), has called for increased controls on the EU’s external borders to prevent potential Hamas terrorists from entering the country. “At the EU’s external borders, for example, it must be strictly checked whether arriving migrants are possible Hamas terrorists or supporters,” Weber told the newspapers of the “Funke Mediengruppe”. “These must be stopped at the external border,” he emphasized.
The EU states must learn their lessons from the past and identify supporters of the radical Islamic Palestinian organization in Europe at an early stage, added the deputy CSU leader. This requires high vigilance and decisive action. “We also need to focus more on Hamas activities in Europe, especially against Jewish life in this country,” emphasized Weber. “Hamas terror is directed against Israel, but also against the Western community of values.”
2:55 a.m. – Tens of thousands in the Gaza Strip have already fled south
According to estimates by the UN Office for Humanitarian Aid (OCHA), tens of thousands of people in the Gaza Strip have already fled south. Israel had given the Palestinians 24 hours to leave the north of the enclave in preparation for the upcoming ground offensive. As OCHA reports, a total of 400,000 Palestinians had already fled because of the conflict before the call to evacuate.
2:46 a.m. – Israeli military fires on Hezbollah in southern Lebanon
The Israeli military said it fired on the radical Hezbollah militia in southern Lebanon early Saturday morning. The military said the action was a response to the “intrusion of unidentified flying objects into Israel” and the shelling of an Israeli drone.
02:02 a.m. – Israel’s military discovers dead compatriots in the Gaza Strip
According to a media report, the Israeli military found the bodies of missing compatriots during an advance into the Gaza Strip. As the Jerusalem Post reported early Saturday morning, the bodies were said to have been discovered the evening before during an advance by the 7th Brigade in the border area. There was no information on the number of deaths. The brigade surrounded the area, whereupon the bodies were recovered and brought to Israeli territory. The army says it has already made several limited forays into the Gaza Strip. A ground offensive is expected.
Israel’s army spokesman Daniel Hagari wrote on the platform X, formerly known as Twitter, that the aim of these operations was to “clear the area of terrorists and weapons.” Attempts were also made to find missing people. Ground and tank troops searched for clues and “took out terrorist cells.”
1:44 a.m. – New York’s Empire State Building shines for victims in Israel
After the devastating terrorist attack on Israel, the top of New York’s Empire State Building was illuminated in memory of the victims. The lights on the famous Manhattan skyscraper glowed in the blue and white colors of the Israeli flag.
According to the building management, the lighting should remain on from sunset to sunrise, significantly longer than usual, so that people in Israel can also see the lights via a live camera. The famous skyscraper in Manhattan lights up in different colors almost every evening – occasions include holidays and the recognition of successful sports teams.
Illuminated in solidarity: the Empire State Building in New York City
Source: Getty Images/Roy Rochlin
Terrorists carried out a massacre of Israeli civilians in border towns and at a music festival on Saturday on behalf of the Islamist organization Hamas. It was the most serious bloodshed since the founding of Israel in 1948.
12:36 a.m. – Russia submits draft resolution to UN Security Council
Russia submits a draft resolution to the UN Security Council on the conflict between Israel and Hamas. The one-page paper, seen by Reuters, shows that Russia calls for a humanitarian ceasefire and condemns violence against civilians and all acts of terrorism. The draft resolution also calls for the release of hostages, humanitarian access and the safe evacuation of civilians in distress.
Diplomats said the text had already been presented to the 15-member council during a closed session on the conflict on Friday. The Russian draft resolution refers to Israel and the Palestinians, but does not directly name Hamas. A UN Security Council resolution requires at least nine votes without a veto from the US, Britain, France, China or Russia.
12:15 a.m. – Biden is concerned about the humanitarian situation of the Palestinians
US President Joe Biden once again assured Israel of the solidarity of the United States, but also expressed concern about the situation in the Gaza Strip. “We must not lose sight of the fact that the overwhelming majority of Palestinians have nothing to do with Hamas or Hamas’s disgusting attacks, and that they are suffering as a result,” Biden said in Philadelphia on Friday. US teams are in the region to ensure humanitarian assistance for the people of the Gaza Strip in coordination with Arab states and the United Nations.
Biden had previously reaffirmed US support for traditional ally Israel. “Rest assured: The United States stands with Israel,” he said. “We are ensuring that Israel has what it needs to defend itself and respond to these attacks.” But it is also a priority for him to urgently address the humanitarian situation in Gaza, Biden said.
12:01 a.m. – Al-Qaeda calls for attacks against Jews and US military
The terrorist group al-Qaeda has called on its sympathizers to carry out attacks against Jews. “May the jihad against the aggressive Jews and their allies extend across every land, every sea and every sky,” said a statement released on Friday through the terror network’s usual propaganda channels. The “sons of Islam” should attack the “Zionists,” the terrorist group continued.
The group called on its followers and other Islamists to join their fight. Al-Qaeda also demanded that fighters target Israel’s supporters. “Shakes the ground beneath American military bases, their airports and embassies in our Islamic regions. Because from their depots, this ammunition will go to Israel and end up in the minds and chests of our Palestinian brothers,” the terror network said in a statement.
It is unclear what influence the terrorist group that claimed responsibility for the September 11 attacks more than 20 years ago still has. The organization’s founder and former leader, Osama bin Laden, was killed by US special forces in Pakistan in 2011. Bin Laden’s successor Ayman al-Zawahiri was killed in a targeted drone strike in the Afghan capital Kabul in the summer of 2022.