Israel Attacks Gaza City in ‘Second Stage’ of War Against Hamas

Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at Israel’s ground offensive against Gaza City, Russian military threats at China’s Xiangshan Forum, and Australia’s rejected EU free trade agreement.

Israeli troops and tanks assailed Gaza City on Monday as part of the country’s ongoing ground offensive against Hamas. “Infantry, engineering corps, armored tanks, and artillery corps” entered Gaza near its border with Israel as well as along the Mediterranean Sea, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Daniel Hagari said Monday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remains adamant that Israel’s aerial and artillery bombardment of Gaza is an incursion, not an invasion, adding on Saturday that Israel’s ground operation marks the “second stage” of its war to destroy Hamas. “We always said, ‘Never again,’” Netanyahu added. “‘Never again’ is now.” Israel’s war and security cabinets unanimously approved the assault, which began Friday evening.

The IDF said it has struck more than 600 militant targets and killed four Hamas operatives in the past few days. But the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) fears escalating attacks will continue to harm civilians, warning that 117,000 Palestinians are sheltering in hospitals in northern Gaza. Local officials have reported Israeli airstrikes near these health centers. The IDF maintains that Hamas has stationed command hubs and weaponry silos near civilian structures, which Hamas denies.

As of Monday, at least 8,306 Palestinians have been killed since the Israel-Hamas war began, including 3,457 children, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry. Around 1,800 Palestinians, including some 940 children, remain missing, OCHA added on Sunday. This updated death toll comes as phone and internet service largely resumed in the area on Monday after near-total communications blackouts paralyzed much of Gaza this weekend.

International officials are urging Israel to implement a humanitarian cease-fire to allow more aid into the war-torn area. On Monday, 75 trucks carrying food, water, and medical supplies entered Gaza through Egypt’s Rafah border crossing. According to Michael Herzog, Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Israel plans to speed up aid delivery inspections to allow up to 100 trucks to pass into Gaza each day.

But Gaza’s humanitarian crisis continues to worsen, with U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby joining the fray on Monday by saying localized humanitarian pauses should be considered. Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with his Qatari counterpart on Monday to discuss ongoing hostage negotiations and Doha’s role as a potential mediator in the conflict. Their talks came amid reports that an Israeli soldier held captive by Hamas had been freed on Monday during an IDF ground operation; the soldier, Ori Megidish, was taken hostage on Oct. 7 along with more than 200 other civilians and soldiers, but only four others have been freed thus far.

Also on Monday, Jordan asked the White House for its Patriot surface-to-air missile system to help bolster its defense capabilities in the event that violence spreads beyond the war’s current borders. According to a senior U.S. defense official on Monday, preventing the conflict from escalating remains a top priority for the Biden administration.

• The Israel-Hamas War Has Entered a ‘New Phase.’ Here’s What to Expect. by Daniel Byman
• ‘We Will Never Forgive Netanyahu for What He Did to Us’ by Tal Alroy
• Saudi Arabia Is Mysteriously Absent in the Israel-Hamas War by Steven A. Cook

Tuesday, Oct. 31: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen visits Montenegro and Serbia.

Japan’s central bank announces its interest rate.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz concludes his three-day visit to Nigeria and Ghana.

Tuesday, Oct. 31, to Thursday, Nov. 2: U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris visits London.

Wednesday, Nov. 1, to Thursday, Nov. 2: French President Emmanuel Macron visits Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.

Wednesday, Nov. 1: Von der Leyen visits Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Blinken meets with Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman Al Saud.

China assumes its monthlong presidency of the U.N. Security Council.

Brazil’s central bank announces its interest rate.

Thursday, Nov. 2: U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres meets with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

G-7 foreign ministers and other world leaders attend a virtual meeting on Ukraine’s energy crisis.

Friday, Nov. 3: U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai meets with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Saturday, Nov. 4: Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese begins a four-day trip to China.

Sunday, Nov. 5: Moldova holds local elections.

Monday, Nov. 6: The Cook Islands begins a weeklong Pacific Islands Forum.

Russia’s military might. Chinese and Russian officials pointed to a common enemy at this week’s Xiangshan Forum: the United States. The three-day military conference, held in Beijing, kicked off on Sunday without a Chinese defense minister; Li Shangfu was fired last week after a nearly two-month hiatus. And on Monday, top military leaders painted the United States as an agent of global instability, with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu threatening “catastrophic consequences” over the West’s continued involvement in Moscow’s war against Ukraine.

As Russia vies for military dominance abroad, it also faces struggles at home. President Vladimir Putin called a security meeting with law enforcement on Monday after a mob swarmed a tarmac at the airport in Makhachkala, the capital of Dagestan—a predominately Muslim region in Russia’s south—looking for Israeli passengers arriving from Tel Aviv. At least 60 people were arrested and 20 others injured.

Trade deal collapse. Australia rejected a free trade agreement with the European Union, Canberra announced Monday. The deal would have boosted Australia’s agricultural exports by removing EU tariffs in exchange for greater European access to Australian critical minerals. But local farming blocs criticized the agreement, arguing that it would have hurt local businesses by not letting enough Australian products into the continent.

Australian and EU officials first began trade negotiations in 2018 and continued discussions on the sidelines of this year’s G-7 summit in Japan. Rejecting this deal means another agreement would likely take years to create. Last year, the EU lowered tariffs on New Zealand products in exchange for its food exports.

AI regulation. U.S. President Joe Biden signed an executive order on Monday that tightens artificial intelligence regulations. Companies must now create security protocols, provide new consumer protections, and maintain greater transparency with the U.S. government—even as the White House’s use of AI in its intelligence-gathering efforts rises.

The move indicates the Biden administration’s efforts to make AI development and regulation a top priority as fears over its national security implications increase. This order is “the strongest set of actions any government in the world has ever taken on AI safety, security, and trust,” White House Deputy Chief of Staff Bruce Reed said.

Hundreds of Argentine residents, dressed in red-and-blue spandex suits and masks, gathered at a famous monument in Buenos Aires on Sunday in an effort to break the world record for largest gathering of costumed Spider-Men. They needed more than 685 web-wielding participants to defeat the current record, set by a group in Malaysia in June. Whether the Buenos Aires rally takes home the gold, though, is still to be determined.