November 17, 2023

*) Thousands at Al Shifa Hospital ‘fighting death’ Over 7,000 displaced people, patients, and medical staff at Al Shifa Hospital are “fighting death due to a lack of water and food” caused by the Israeli military blockade. There is “no food, water, or milk for infants at Al Shifa Hospital,” Gaza’s media office said on Telegram. It added that they “may lose a number of malnourished children at the hospital due to the power outage, leaving them without incubators.” *) Blinken urges Israel to take action against settler violence in occupied West Bank US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has called on Israel to take “urgent” action to stop settler violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. Blinken made the plea in a telephone call with Benny Gantz, an opposition leader who joined Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s wartime cabinet. Blinken “stressed the urgent need for affirmative steps to de-escalate tensions in the [occupied] West Bank, including by confronting rising levels of settler extremist violence.” *) Heads of UN agencies reject unilateral proposals to create ‘safe zones’ in Gaza The leaders of a number of UN agencies and humanitarian organisations have said they will not take part in any “safe zones” in Gaza declared by Israel. The Inter-Agency Standing Committee said in a statement that they “will not participate in the establishment of any ‘safe zone’ in Gaza that is set up without the agreement of all the parties.” The committee added that under the current circumstances, any proposals to unilaterally establish “safe zones” are likely to harm civilians. *) Turkish FM urges West to uphold moral values over Gaza brutality Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has taken a tough stance on the ongoing Israeli attack on Gaza. He said, “being silent on Israel’s lawlessness in Gaza is tantamount to giving the green light to other lawlessness around the world.” Fidan called on the Western world “to uphold moral values and refrain from being complicit in the blatant violation of human