AFP Video

Haifa (Israel) (AFP) – With Israel moving towards a ground attack in the Gaza Strip, the Rhapsody of the Seas cruise ship is set to evacuate US nationals and their immediate family members from Israel to Cyprus. “Unfortunately, I can’t continue to live here anymore” says a US citizen waiting in a queue at the port of Haifa to board the ship heading to Limassol in Cyprus. Tens of thousands of US passport holders live in Israel and 29 have been confirmed killed in the Hamas attacks on southern Israel on 7 October.

Marseille (AFP) – Their translucent bodies stand out against the half-light of the Theatre Joliette, revealing their fragility. The protagonists of “Les Vagues,” a production presented in Marseille, are puppets made of ice, an ephemeral material that can “pass through time” like Virginia Woolf’s characters in The Waves, according to director Elise Vigneron.

Jerusalem (AFP) – Sirens blare and rockets are intercepted by the Israeli Iron Dome over Jerusalem, amid the war raging with Hamas militants in Gaza. The Israeli army has confirmed “sirens sounding in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem”, Israel’s biggest cities, while a parliament meeting inaugurating its winter session was interrupted by the rocket fire. IMAGES

Tel Aviv (AFP) – “We have updated the families of 199 hostages,” says Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari, revising up an earlier figure of 155 captives, Israeli and foreigners alike, as he gives remarks on day 10 of the Gaza war. War erupted between Israel and Palestinian-based Hamas on October 7, triggered by a bloody attack by Hamas militants, killing 1,400 people in Israel. Israel has retaliated with strikes on Gaza that so far have claimed at least 2,700 lives.

Ramallah (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – Palestinian prime minister Mohammad Shtayyeh calls on “all relevant countries to intervene immediately to open safe corridors for the entry of health and food supplies and the evacuation of the wounded,” during a cabinet meeting in Ramallah. Israel has denied reports of any temporary truce to allow aid in or foreigners out of the Gaza Strip amid growing fears over the dire humanitarian situation faced by millions of Palestinians trapped in the heavily bombarded enclave.

Beijing (AFP) – Representatives from Cambodia, Papua New Guinea, Congo, Ethiopia and Nigeria arrive in China’s capital Beijing ahead of the Belt and Road Initiative forum. On the schedule is also a gala event marking a decade of the Belt and Road Initiative, a key project of President Xi Jinping to extend China’s global outreach. The two-day forum, which starts on Tuesday 17 October, will be overshadowed by the Israel-Hamas war, as an increasingly assertive Beijing is asked to help de-escalate the violence.

Sha’ar HaGolan (Israel) (AFP) – On the shores of Lake Tiberias, the anti-aircraft alarm sounds at Sha’ar Hagolan for the first time in decades. A false alarm that reawakened fears on the border with Jordan, in this kibbutz that has been receiving evacuees from Israel’s border with Gaza in the south and Lebanon in the north following Hamas’ deadly attack.

Jakarta (AFP) – Indonesia’s capital Jakarta is struggling to cope with a mounting waste problem, with its main dump site approaching capacity. In response, one group of volunteers has started a movement to clean parks and streets in the city, and raise awareness of the problem. But garbage is just part of a wider pollution crisis that has seen Jakara top global pollution rankings multiple times in recent months, and an impending sinkage of large parts of the city due to groundwater extraction.

Quito (AFP) – In Ecuador’s capital of Quito, supporters in their cars honk their horns and cheer, celebrating the country’s newly elected president Daniel Noboa. IMAGES

Lima (AFP) – A group of Peruvians evacuated from Israel arrive in Lima with President Dina Boluarte on board after meeting with the Pope. IMAGES