Far-fight counter-protesters clash with police during pro-Palestine march
The political future of Suella Braverman hangs in the balance after she was accused of stoking tensions at a pro-Palestinian march on Armistice Day. This comes as police charged seven people over disorder that mainly stemmed from far-right counter-protests.
Speculation is rife at Westminster that prime minister could carry out a ministerial reshuffle as soon as this week which could see Ms Braverman moved.
Meanwhile, the home secretary doubled down on calls for pro-Palestinian protests to be stopped as she warned that London’s streets are “being polluted by hate, violence and antisemitism” and hit out at “sick” chants and placards at Saturday’s march.
Her remarks on Sunday made little mention of far-right counter-protesters she has been accused of emboldening by previously speaking of pro-Palestinian “mobs” and police bias for allowing the rally to go ahead.
The Met Police said seven men have been charged with offences including assault on an emergency worker, criminal damage and possession of an offensive weapon.Officers made 145 arrests – mostly counter-protesters – and nine officers were injured as they prevented a violent crowd reaching the Cenotaph on Saturday.
Key Points
Show latest update
Heavy fighting rages near main Gaza hospital
Health officials and people trapped inside Gaza’s largest hospital rejected Israel‘s claims that it was helping babies and others evacuate yesterday, saying fighting continued just outside the facility where incubators lay idle with no electricity and critical supplies were running out.
Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has dismissed urgent calls for a cease-fire unless it includes the release of all the nearly 240 hostages captured by Hamas in the 7 October rampage that triggered the war.
A day after Mr Netanyahu said Israel was bringing its “full force” with the aim of ending Hamas’ 16-year rule in Gaza, residents reported heavy airstrikes and shelling, including around Shifa Hospital. Israel, without providing evidence, has accused Hamas of concealing a command post inside and under the compound, allegations denied by Hamas and hospital staff.
“They are outside, not far from the gates,” said Ahmed al-Boursh, a resident sheltering there.
The hospital’s last generator ran out of fuel on Saturday, leading to the deaths of three premature babies and four other patients, according to the health ministry. It said another 36 babies are at risk of dying.
Israel‘s military asserted it placed 300l (79 gallons) of fuel near Shifa overnight for an emergency generator powering incubators for premature babies and coordinated the delivery with hospital officials. But the military said Hamas prevented the hospital from receiving the fuel.
A Health Ministry spokesperson, Ashraf al-Qidra, disputed the account and also told Al Jazeera the fuel would not be enough to operate the generator an hour. “This is a mockery towards the patients and children,” Mr Al-Qidra said.
Namita Singh13 November 2023 04:50
Israel offers to evacuate babies as major Gaza hospital under heavy bombardment
Residents reported heavy airstrikes and shelling overnight on Saturday which continued throughout the day, as Israel accused Hamas of concealing a command post inside and under al-Shifa hospital – without providing any evidence. The allegations were denied by Hamas as well as hospital staff.
The Palestine Red Crescent Society also announced that the al-Quds hospital in Gaza is “out of service and no longer operational” due to power and fuel outages.
Maryam Zakir-Hussain has more:
Namita Singh13 November 2023 04:35
Israel claims it offered fuel to besieged Gaza hospital, ‘lies’ says al-Shifa director
Israeli officials yesterday said they had offered fuel and evacuation assistance to Gaza’s al-Shifa hospital, where operations were suspended Saturday amid dwindling fuel supplies and an alleged Israeli bombardment on the facility, the territory’s largest hospital. Health officials in Gaza deny receiving any assistance, while Israel denies besieging al-Shifa.
“We’ve called to evacuate all the patients from that hospital, and 100 or so have already been evacuated,” Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu told CNN.
“There’s no reason why we can’t just take the patients out of there rather than letting Hamas use it.”
My colleague Josh Marcus has more:
Namita Singh13 November 2023 03:40
Lib Dems call for ceasefire in Israel-Gaza war
The Liberal Democrats have come out in favour of a ceasefire in the Israel-Gaza war, adding to pressure on Sir Keir Starmer over his stance on the crisis.
Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey yesterday said that only an “immediate bilateral ceasefire” will resolve the conflict in the Middle East.
It comes ahead of an attempt by the SNP to use an amendment to the King’s Speech to force a Commons vote on Wednesday demanding a Gaza ceasefire.
Read the details in this report:
Namita Singh13 November 2023 03:29
US conducts airstrikes against Iran-backed groups in Syria
The US military conducted airstrikes on two locations in eastern Syria involving Iranian-backed groups, hitting a training location and a weapons facility, according to the Pentagon and US officials.
It marks the third time in a bit more than two weeks that the U.S. has retaliated against the militants for what has been a growing number of attacks on bases housing US troops in Iraq and Syria.
In a statement, defense secretary Lloyd Austin said the strikes targeted sites near Abukama and Mayadin and were used by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps as well as Iran-backed militias.
Namita Singh13 November 2023 03:28
Sunak pledges ‘hard-headed’ foreign policy that helps ‘shape the world’
Rishi Sunak will outline his vision for a “hard-headed” foreign policy approach that defends UK values from adversaries at a time for “moral clarity” as war rages in the Middle East and Ukraine.
The prime minister will speak of the UK’s desire to “shape the world” as he highlights his record on forging international partnerships on defence, trade and migration.
Mr Sunak, who has claimed he represents change from his Tory predecessors, will pledge to leave behind “past dogmas, assumptions and structures” in dealing with other nations, Downing Street said.
In a major foreign policy speech on Monday, he will tell international dignitaries and business leaders: “In these dangerous times, we’re not just defending a better vision of the future against those who would destroy it, we’re marshalling our expertise, our people and our alliances to bring that future into being.
Namita Singh13 November 2023 03:20
Sunak seeks clampdown on protests as pressure grows to sack Braverman
Rishi Sunak is reportedly planning to strengthen the police’s hand on protests after violence on Armistice Day which some have blamed on Suella Braverman.
The home secretary’s political future hangs in the balance after she was accused of stoking tensions, with pressure mounting on the prime minister to sack her.
Speculation is rife at Westminster that he could carry out a ministerial reshuffle as soon as this week which could see her moved.
Mr Sunak is looking to tighten the laws to make it easier to ban marches and prosecute those glorifying terrorism, according to several newspapers.
He looks set to press Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley to avoid a repeat of Saturday’s ugly scenes in London when he meets the police chief in the coming days.
He has said both far-right “thugs” and “those singing antisemitic chants and brandishing pro-Hamas signs and clothing” must face “the full and swift force of the law”.
Ms Braverman meanwhile doubled down on calls for pro-Palestinian protests to be stopped as she warned that London’s streets are “being polluted by hate, violence and antisemitism” and hit out at “sick” chants and placards at Saturday’s march.
Namita Singh13 November 2023 03:07
WHO chief calls for immediate ceasefire amid ‘dire’ situation at hospital
The Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) has called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza as he told of the “dire and perilous” situation at the besieged Al-Shifa hospital in the Strip.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the WHO has managed to get in touch with health professionals at the enclave’s largest hospital.
He said: “It’s been three days without electricity, without water and with very poor internet which has severely impacted our ability to provide essential care.
“The constant gunfire and bombings in the area have exacerbated the already critical circumstances.
“Tragically, the number of patient fatalities has increased significantly.
“Regrettably, the hospital is not functioning as a hospital anymore.
“The world cannot stand silent while hospitals, which should be safe havens, are transformed into scenes of death, devastation, and despair.
Tara Cobham13 November 2023 03:00
Biden’s national security adviser responds to Israeli hospital attacks in Gaza
Joe Biden’s top national security adviser addressed the growing Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip in an interview on Sunday and defended the Israeli government’s claims asserting that Hamas commanders were hiding in the vicinity of Gaza’s hospitals and medical centres.
The bloody conflict has shocked millions around the world, both in terms of the initial Hamas terrorist attack and Israel’s military response. The death toll in Gaza continues to climb as Israel’s military vows to destroy the militant group, which is effectively in control of the territory.
Among the more controversial aspects of the siege is the persistent allegation that Israel’s forces have either deliberately or inadvertantly hit hospitals with airstrikes and other munitions. Doing so would directly violate international law; however, there are exceptions to those established rules, with the main one being if medical buildings are used partially or otherwise for an “act harmful to the enemy”. This distinction makes the Israeli government’s assertion that Hamas’s command centres often lie within or beneath hospitals all the more relevant.
Tara Cobham13 November 2023 02:00
Israel’s Netanyahu denies blame for civilian deaths in Gaza
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to outrage surrounding the mounting civilian death toll in Gaza on Sunday and asserted that Israel was blameless for such bloodshed.
Mr Netanyahu appeared on CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday for an interview with Dana Bash, and was asked by Bash to respond to criticism of the Israeli military’s brutal siege of Gaza in response to a massive and deadly terrorist attack committed by Hamas militants last month.
The prime minister responded that “the blame should be placed squarely on Hamas” for deaths in Gaza. He went on to claim that the Israeli military’s shift to a ground-based invasion of the occupied Palestinian territory had actually “reduced” what would have been an even higher civilian death toll resulting from a bombing campaign, which he suggested was the only alternative.
Tara Cobham13 November 2023 01:00