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Kfar Aza (Israel) (AFP) – As Israeli soldiers patrol the Kfar Aza kibbutz only two kilometres from the Gazan border, bodies are still lying on the ground amid burnt vehicles and destroyed houses. Around 100 people were killed here during a suprise attack by the militant group Hamas on October 7. More than 1,400 were killed in Israel in the onslaught. In response, Israel has bombarded the Gaza Strip, killing at least 2,700 people.

Brussels (AFP) – Speaking at a joint press conference, alongside his Swedish counterpart, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo says “we cannot look back from the fact” that the perpetrator of a shooting in Brussels that killed two Swedish football fans on 16 October “was a person coming from illegal migration”. Visiting Brussels to attend a memorial for those killed, Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson says “we need to protect our European borders.”

Tel Aviv (AFP) – Speaking in Tel Aviv, Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari says their analysis confirms that Islamic Jihad militants were responsible for the strike on a hospital compound in central Gaza on Tuesday, and that there was no direct hit to the hospital itself. The Hamas-run health ministry has claimed that Israel was behind the attack on the hospital, saying it killed at least 200 people. The strike has prompted condemnation and fury in the Middle East and beyond.

Cairo (AFP) – In a joint press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi says Egypt did not close the Rafah border crossing with Gaza, which is the only one not under Israel’s control, adding that “the repeated bombings by Israel of the Palestinian side of the crossing have prevented operations.” Sisi also warned of the dangers that the forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza to Egypt could pose, saying it would set a precedent for “the displacement of Palestinians from the West Bank into Jordan”.

Ottawa (AFP) – The deadly strike on the Ahli Arab hospital in the Gaza Strip on the evening of 17 October is “totally unacceptable”, says the UN’s High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, insisting that the perpetrators must be held to account. Health authorities in Gaza say the strike on the hospital killed between 200 and 300 people. The World Health Organization has also condemned the deadly strike and demanded the immediate protection of civilians.

Beijing (AFP) – Russian President Vladimir Putin praises China’s “success” in its vast Belt and Road infrastructure project at a forum of international delegates from 130 countries in Beijing. The Belt and Road Initiative is a central pillar of Xi’s bid to expand China’s clout overseas and aims to connect Asia with Africa and Europe through land and maritime networks.

Erez (Israel) (AFP) – Footage released by the Israeli defense ministry on October 17, showing the damaged Erez crossing between Israel and the Gaza Strip, following Hamas attack on October 7. IMAGES

London (AFP) – Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg has been detained by UK police while attending a protest outside the Energy Intelligence Forum in London. “Giving up is not an option,” says Thunberg outside the annual get-together which is attended by big energy bosses, including those from Aramco, TotalEnergies and Shell. The carbon-intensive sector has faced fierce criticism from the green lobby for failing to shift away from dirty fossil fuels and towards cleaner renewable energy.

Muscat (AFP) – A Gulf Cooperation Council meeting of foreign ministers is held in Muscat to discuss the developments in Gaza after waves of Israeli retaliatory air strikes on the Hamas-ruled enclave. IMAGES

barbados (Barbados) (AFP) – Venezuela’s government delegation arrives in Barbados where it will restart talks with the country’s opposition, seeking to end the country’s political and economic crisis after a nearly year-long suspension. IMAGES