October 17 top stories
It is October 17. Here are today’s top stories.
President Biden to visit Israel on Wednesday
President Biden posted on X that he would visit Israel on Wednesday to “stand in solidarity in the face of Hamas’s brutal terrorist attack.”
Biden said he would then travel to Jordan to meet with leaders to “address dire humanitarian needs.”
The Biden administration said Israel and the U.S. have agreed to develop a plan to allow international aid to reach civilians in Gaza and create areas where civilians will not be harmed. The U.S. said it would work to make sure Hamas doesn’t block or seize the aid.
Axios said the visit is the first by a U.S. president while Israel is actively at war.
In separate but related news, the Pentagon ordered about 2,000 U.S. troops to prepare to deploy to the Middle East in support of Israel. If they are deployed, they will likely only provide advice and medical support, rather than engaging in combat roles.
Another news development is that an Iranian government official has issued a warning that Iranian allies Hamas, Hezbollah and Syria would open multiple fronts against Israel if its attacks keep killing civilians in Gaza.
Hamas posts hostage video
On Monday, Hamas released a video of a 21-year-old French-Israeli woman that was abducted from the music festival in the southern part of Israel during the Hamas attack on October 7.
Her name is Mia Schem and is one of the nearly 200 hostages being held by Hamas.
At least 260 people were killed at the music festival and over 1,000 others were killed in nearby Israeli communities.
The video shows that Schem has some kind of serious wound on her right arm. There is a metal brace and bandages on it. She said, “At the moment I am in Gaza” and that her arm was operated on for three hours at a hospital. She pleaded to be returned to Israel so she can be with her family.
Schem’s mother, Keren, said the last time they spoke was on October 6. She knew her daughter was going to the music festival and when she got news that there was an attack, she tried to reach Mia but the calls went unanswered. Keren told reporters that she is begging the world to bring her baby back home.
At least 72 killed by Israeli bombs in southern Gaza
The New York Times reported that Israeli forces have launched airstrikes into southern Gaza despite earlier warnings for civilians to flee northern Gaza.
A Gaza government official said at least 72 people were killed and many more wounded by bombings on residential buildings in the cities of Khan Younis and Rafah, which are close to and on Gaza’s southern border.
The Israeli military said it bombed Hamas targets. Israel usually accuses Hamas of hiding among civilian populations.
Palestinian officials said more than 2,800 people in Gaza have been killed and 10,000 others injured from Israel’s airstrikes since the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel.
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Swedish soccer fans killed by ISIS supporter
ABC News said on Monday night in Belgium, a 45-year-old man shot and killed two Swedish soccer fans at a location about three miles away from a stadium where Belgium was playing a game against Sweden. The soccer match was suspended after the shooting.
The suspected gunman was shot and killed by police. His name was Abdesalem Lassoued and is a “suspected Tunisian extremist.” He said he was a member of ISIS.
Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said it was an act of terrorism. Belgian officials said there could be a link between the attack and the current Israel-Hamas war.
The identities of the two Swedish soccer fans have not yet been released at the time of signing this news.
This incident is the third deadly incident in recent days that seems to have spilled over from the Israel-Hamas war. The other two incidents involve a teacher in France being fatally stabbed and a Palestinian-American boy being fatally stabbed in Illinois.
Ukraine marks 600 days of war
On Monday, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy said it was the country’s 600th day of resistance from Russian invasion.
Zelensky posted on X thanking everyone who is fighting and working for Ukraine’s freedom.
Axios said the “bloodshed stretches on with no clear end in sight” and that Ukraine’s counteroffensive against Russia has had limited success against Russia’s larger military.
In the news today, Ukraine launched U.S.-supplied ATACMS missiles at Russian forces. The missiles have a long range and can be guided.
Axios said U.S. aid for Ukraine has become “mired in political opposition from Republicans.”
That’s all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.
https://www.axios.com/2023/10/17/biden-visit-israel-hamas-war
https://www.axios.com/2023/10/17/ukraine-russia-war-600-days
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/16/world/middleeast/hamas-hostage-video-israel.html
https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/17/middleeast/hamas-hostage-mia-shem-israel-gaza-intl/index.html