Half of Israelis want to hold off Gaza invasion, EU calls for ‘pauses’, US strikes Syria

All the latest developments from the Israel Hamas war.

Poll finds 49% Israelis want to hold off on Gaza invasion

Almost half of Israelis support holding off on an invasion of the Gaza Strip, a poll published on Friday has found. 

The results could show public reluctance to escalate the offensive against Hamas, as Israeli leaders ready their forces. 

Israel vowed to annihilate the Palestinian militant group after it killed 1,400 people in a surprise assault on 7 October. 

It unleashed a relentless bombardment on Gaza, which so far has killed more than 7,000 Palestinians, and stepped up tank and infantry raids on the besieged enclave. 

In the poll published by the Maariv newspaper, 29% of Israelis agreed the military should launch a large-scale ground offensive immediately, 49% said “it would be better to wait”, while 22% were undecided. 

Its poll from 19 October found that 65% supported a major ground offensive. 

US strikes Iran-linked sites in Syria as regional tensions soar

Washington launched airstrikes early Friday on two locations in eastern Syria connected to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, the Pentagon said.

The strikes come in retaliation for drone and missile attacks against US bases and personnel in the region that began early last week.

The US wants to hit Iranian-backed groups suspected of targeting it to deter future aggression, possibly fueled by Israel’s war against Hamas. 

Yet, it is also working to avoid inflaming the region and provoking a wider conflict, as violence spills over into southern Lebanon, Egypt and Syria. 

EU calls for ‘humanitarian corridors and pauses’ in Gaza

After hours of wrangling, European Union leaders on Thursday called for “humanitarian corridors and pauses” to ensure aid reaches the besieged Gaza Strip during a summit in Brussels.

In a joint declaration, the 27 heads of state expressed their “gravest concern for the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza.” 

They called “for continued, rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access and aid to reach those in need through all necessary measures including humanitarian corridors and pauses for humanitarian needs.”

“The aid needs to reach Gaza, unhindered and quickly,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told reporters in the early hours of Friday morning. 

She announced that the bloc would send two more flights of humanitarian cargo to the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing on Friday and sign a €40 million contract with UN agencies as part of its tripling of humanitarian aid.

The breakthrough comes after uncoordinated, confusing and, at times, contradictory messages sent by high-ranking EU officials, both in person and on social media.

Von der Leyen earlier this month attracted a great deal of attention following her strong messages of support for Israel and her closely followed trip to the country on Friday, during which she visited areas destroyed by Hamas and met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Read more on this story here.

Missile strikes Egyptian town on Israel border

A missile hit the Egyptian resort town of Taba, wounding six people, Egyptian state-run media outlet Al Qahera News reported early Friday.

Launched as part of fighting between Hamas militants and Israel, it struck the town, which lies some 200km from the Gaza Strip, early on Friday. 

A medical facility was hit, Al Qahera TV reported. 

It is not immediately clear who was behind the blast, with no claims of responsibility. 

Taba sits near Egypt’s border with Israel’s Red Sea port of Eilat. The Israeli Defence Force said it was aware of a security incident outside its borders.

On Wednesday, Hamas said it had targeted Eilat with a missile, which Israel’s military said hit a peripheral area.  

The strike in Taba shows the risk that the fighting between Israel and Hamas could spread to other countries in the region. 

Global demonstrations to highlight plight of Israelis and Palestinians

 The absence of more than 200 people held hostage by Hamas is being felt — and seen — in places around the world. 

Others protest in support of Palestine, meanwhile. 

Thirty empty baby strollers were displayed on a lawn in front of the Eiffel Tower on Thursday, each with a photo of one of the children being held. Two hundred empty plastic chairs were also lined up outside the United Nations’ European headquarters in Geneva with photos of the missing.

Family members and Jewish groups are keeping the spotlight on the people taken captive by Hamas militants on 7 Oct as Israel continues to pound the Gaza Strip. 

The Palestinian militant group claims around 50 hostages have been killed in Israeli strikes on the enclave. 

“It is not acceptable to have hostages, and it is even more unacceptable to have children hostages,” Yonathan Arfi, president of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France, said of the Eiffel Tower display.

Also on Thursday, more than 100 people blockaded an arms factory in the UK on Thursday, protesting Israel’s alleged use of British weapons to attack Gaza.

“Across the country, people are rising up to shut down the production of weaponry destined for use in Israel’s ongoing massacre of the Palestinian people,” wrote the activist group Palestine Action on Instagram, publishing a video of the picket under cloudy skies.

“These actions represent the strength in numbers of those willing and ready to take direct action to shut down the Israeli war machine,” added the activist group in a press release sent to Euronews.