Israel names Hamas 'mastermind' behind surprise attack as Gaza onslaught continues

OIC condemns Israel’s barbarism in Gaza; US vetoes UNSC action; Israel 'agrees' to humanitarian aid from Egypt

By: Samaa Web Desk

October 19, 2023October 19, 2023

Israel has officially named the person of the Hamas—Palestinian militant group—Mohammed Deif and termed him the 'mastermind behind the October 7 ‘massacre’ with the blood of thousands on his hands'.

The IDF tweeted: “His name will live in infamy.”

Hamas, an official representative group of Gaza, has accused Israel of committing war crimes in Gaza for the past seven decades and justified the resistance against Israel through armed struggle. Hamas blamed Israel for bombing the Gaza Baptist Hospital killing over 600 people.

More than 513,000 Palestinians are taking shelter at UN facilities across Gaza, the UN agency dedicated to Palestinian refugees said.

Health-related risks due to the lack of water and poor sanitation at UN makeshift shelters in Gaza are growing, including water-borne and other diseases, added UNRWA.

"UNRWA shelters are overcrowded and have very limited supplies of food, hygiene and cleaning supplies and potable water. The dire conditions, compounded by trauma due to the war, have started to fuel tensions among the IDPs in the shelters," the organization said.

Who is Mohammed Deif?

The IDF spokesperson sharing a summary of 12-hour operational recap activity on Israel's border with Lebanon said nine launches crossed from Lebanon into Israel, four interceptions by the IDF Aerial Defense Array, and several anti-tank missiles fired from Lebanon toward Israel.

IDF said forces responded to these hostilities by returning fire to the origin of the strikes, thwarting a terrorist cell using an IDF UAV, and striking Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure using tank fire.

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has issued a strong condemnation of Israel's recent attack on the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in central Gaza, describing it as an act of "organized state terrorism" and a "war crime."

In a statement released late on Wednesday, the OIC expressed its outrage at the "brutal Israeli massacre" that occurred in the Baptist Hospital within the Gaza Strip.

Palestinian youth killed by Israeli forces in West Bank

A 24-year-old Palestinian man who was shot on Wednesday by Israeli troops in the West Bank has died of his wounds, according to the Palestinian Health Minister. Ibrahim al-Hajj Ali was shot in the stomach during clashes with soldiers near Nablus.

Pakistan reacts to Israel’s onslaught in Gaza

Pakistan's Caretaker Foreign Minister, Jalil Abbas Jilani, has strongly condemned Israel's actions in Gaza and called for an immediate ceasefire, along with the lifting of the siege of Gaza. He expressed his concerns during an urgent open-ended Ministerial Meeting of the Executive Committee of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) held in Jeddah, which was co-convened by Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.

US vetoes UNSC resolution on Israel, Gaza

The United States exercised its veto power in the United Nations Security Council, blocking a resolution, drafted by Brazil, that called for humanitarian pauses in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestinian Hamas militants. The intended purpose of these pauses was to enable the delivery of much-needed humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.