Police officers arrested dozens of counterprotesters after scuffles erupted alongside a pro-Palestinian march in central London. Many counterprotesters mainly opposed the march’s timing, as Saturday is Armistice Day in Britain — the anniversary of the end of World War I.
Netanyahu says Israel will ‘control security’ in Gaza after war
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at a news conference that Gaza will be demilitarized after the war and Israel will “continue to control security there.”
Netanyahu says there will be no cease-fire before all hostages are returned
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated there will be no cease-fire before all hostages are returned and again called for the elimination of Hamas.
“To the leaders of the Arab countries … I would like to say one thing: You must stand against Hamas,” he said during a news conference Saturday.
Netanyahu said Israel was “fully prepared” on the northern front and will continue with “full force.” He also thanked ally counterparts for their support.
“Our war is your war, and this war we must win,” he said. “In any case, I would like to say no international pressure, no false accusations against our soldiers, our army, or our country will deviate us from our right cause and our right to defend ourselves. … Citizens of the state of Israel, today all of us are united.”
He continued: “We understand basic fundamental things: If you want peace, we have to eradicate Hamas. If you want security, we need to eliminate Hamas. If you want to secure the future of the state of Israel, then you have to eliminate Hamas. This is what Israel must do, and this is what Israel will do.”
U.K. prime minister condemns ‘wholly unacceptable’ actions by ‘Hamas sympathizers’ at march
The U.K.’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak condemned what he called the “violent, wholly unacceptable” actions by “Hamas sympathizers” and far-right groups at the National March for Palestine in central London.
“The despicable actions of a minority of people undermine those who have chosen to express their views peacefully,” he said in a statement on X.
London’s Metropolitan Police Service said officers arrested 82 counterprotesters. In a video statement, authorities said that the counterprotesters “seemed intent on confrontation and intent on violence.” The arrests stemmed from offenses such as possession of a knife, possession of a baton, possession of drugs and assault on an emergency worker, according to police. There were no immediate reports of arrests from the main protest.
“Remembrance weekend is a time for us to come together as a nation and remember those who fought and died for our freedoms,” Sunak said. “What we have seen today does not defend the honor of our Armed Forces, but utterly disrespects them.”
Second child reported dead at Al-Shifa hospital
TEL AVIV — Dr. Ashraf Al-Qudra, a spokesman for the Palestinian Ministry of Health, says a second child in the nursery of the Al-Shifa medical complex has died after the electrical generator stopped and the complex went out of service.
Al-Qudra earlier told a news conference that the complex was effectively out of service due to heavy bombardment. He said the intensive care and pediatric departments were hit with power outages.
Surgeon at Al-Shifa hospital describes chaos
Amid a recent power outage at Gaza’s main hospital and increased fighting in the area, Dr. Marwan Abusada told NBC News “ambulances cannot move from Shifa to take any patients outside or inside.”
Pro-Israel protest planned in Washington, D.C.
While protesters have amassed in cities including London, Berlin, Tokyo and New York in recent days to demand a cease-fire in Gaza, several recent demonstrations in the U.S. and a major one planned for Tuesday have been organized to show support for Israel.
On Friday, protesters gathered outside the Manhattan home of U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres to demand the release of hostages held in Gaza. And several national Jewish organizations are planning a rally on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday.
The goals of that upcoming demonstration are to condemn Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks, call for a release of the hostages, and oppose antisemitism, according to statements on the organizations’ websites.
Eric D. Fingerhut, president and CEO of the Jewish Federations of North America, said the protest also aims to show support for Israel’s right to “eliminate the terrorist threat on its border and restore safety and security to its people” and demonstrate to the world that “America supports the people of Israel in its time of need.”
Doctors Without Borders calls for immediate cease-fire following heavy bombardment
Doctors Without Borders called for an immediate cease-fire and said the “attacks against hospitals must STOP” following a night of heavy bombardment.
“The hostilities around the hospital have not stopped,” the charity said in a statement.
It currently has teams staffed at the Al-Shifa hospital complex, which it said has been hit several times, including the maternity and outpatient departments. There have been multiple deaths and injuries, the group said.
“We are being killed here, please do something,” one nurse texted as he hid in the basement of the hospital with his family, according to the charity. “Four or five families are sheltering now in the basement, the shelling is so close, my kids are crying and screaming in fear.”
Doctors Without Borders denounced what it said is a “death warrant on civilians currently trapped in Al-Shifa Hospital signed by the Israeli military.”
“There needs to be an urgent and unconditional ceasefire between all warring parties; humanitarian aid must be supplied to the entirety of Gaza now,” the charity said.
Tensions escalate in Lebanon
The United Nations’ humanitarian coordinator in Lebanon, Imran Riza, warned yesterday of “concerning signs of escalating tensions” along the country’s border with Israel.
“We have recently witnessed alarming attacks killing and injuring civilians in South Lebanon, including women, children, and media personnel,” he said.
The statement came amid an increase in hostilities in the area. On Saturday, the Israel Defense Forces said that the small community of Margaliot in northern Israel had been targeted by a rocket that “fell in an open area.” The military responded with artillery fire toward the source of the launch in southern Lebanon, the IDF added.
Reuters reported that troops and tanks could be seen along the border in northern Israel on Saturday, along with smoke rising in the sky.
The prior day, Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health said the Mays al-Jabal Hospital in southern Lebanon was hit by artillery fire, injuring one health worker and damaging the emergency department. The ministry blamed Israel for what it said was a “grave violation of international humanitarian law.”
Riza said the escalating clashes between Hezbollah and the Israeli military have displaced 25,000 people in the border region.
In an interview with NBC News last week, Naim Qassem, Hezbollah’s deputy secretary-general said that the Iran-backed militant group was involved in the conflict “for the sake of lowering the pressure on Gaza,” and that there would be “serious consequences” if Israel expanded the war.
Israeli tanks are attacking the Al-Quds hospital, the Palestine Red Crescent Society says
Israeli tanks are attacking the Al-Quds hospital, the Palestine Red Crescent Society said. In a post on X, the society said tanks were shooting directly at the hospital, "creating a state of extreme panic and fear among 14,000 displaced people."
In another post, the society pleaded to the "international community and humanitarian institutions to intervene immediately."
"Our crews are trapped inside the hospital, Israeli tanks and military vehicles surround the hospital from all sides, artillery shelling and intense shooting at the hospital and a number of injuries is not yet known," the post read.