Israel-Hamas war

"The war shows that the IMF and the World Bank are powerless"  

 

The war between Israel and Hamas highlights the fact that the IMF and the World Bank are powerless in the face of major geopolitical shocks, experts told Reuters. 

 

The Hamas attack took place at the same time as the world's financial elite arrived in Morocco for the annual meetings of the IMF and the World Bank.

   

IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva made no mention of the conflict at the opening ceremony last Monday. The head of the World Bank, Ajay Banga, only yesterday addressed the developments in Israel and Gaza. He said the escalation, along with the Ukraine war and fighting in Africa, "casts long shadows" over the meeting and increases economic challenges.

  

- When it comes to a major global shock like this, which is man-made and not a climate crisis, these institutions are powerless - and that's why they don't even talk about it, says Rachel Nadelman of the Accountability Research Center. 

 

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Muslim boy murdered in the US - police suspect hate crime linked to the war 

  

A 71-year-old man from the state of Illinois in the United States is suspected of stabbing to death a six-year-old boy and seriously injuring his 32-year-old mother south of Chicago. The police are investigating the incident as a hate crime and claim that the man chose his victims because of their Muslim faith as a reaction to the war between Israel and Hamas, AP writes.

   

The boy's name was Wadea Al-Fayoume and the family has Palestinian ties, his uncle stated at a press conference, according to the news agency. President Joe Biden says in a statement that the crime goes against "our fundamental values"· 

 

- This horrible act of hate has no place in the United States.  

 

After the outbreak of the war, the United States has suffered from several suspected Islamophobic or anti-Semitic acts of violence. The FBI as well as Muslim and Jewish organizations testify at the same time to an increase in hatred and threats.  

 

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Israel's water order is condemned: "Game for the gallery"  

 

The Israeli announcement that the water is being turned on again for residents in parts of southern Gaza is nothing more than "play to the gallery", a resident told Al Jazeera. Refaat Al Areer says that many water pipes have been destroyed in Israel's airstrikes. 

 

- I think very few will get water.  

 

He also says that electricity - which Israel has cut off - is needed for the water pumps.  

 

Politico writes that the water ran out on Sunday evening in the UN premises, including a school, which is currently serving as shelters for civilians. 

 

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Reports of cease-fire in southern Gaza - Israel and Hamas refute  

 

The US, Israel and Egypt have agreed on a ceasefire in southern Gaza, security sources told Reuters. The Rafah border crossing from Gaza to Egypt was reportedly set to open at eight in the morning.

 

According to the sources, the border will be kept open "for several hours", but Reuters also writes that the three countries must have agreed to keep the crossing open until 4 p.m., Swedish time, on Monday.  

 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejects reports of a ceasefire and humanitarian aid in Gaza. And the terror-listed group Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, says it has no information about a "humanitarian ceasefire".  

 

Opening the border would allow foreign nationals and dual-citizen Palestinians to leave Gaza while allowing humanitarian aid to enter.  

 

Israel has urged a million in Gaza to leave the northern areas ahead of an Israeli ground offensive. Some politicians in Israel have argued for expelling all Palestinians from Gaza to Egypt. 

 

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Biden warns: Occupation of Gaza would be a big mistake  

 

US President Joe Biden is considering traveling to Israel sometime in the coming days to show his support for the country, AP writes. At the same time, he advises Israel against occupying Gaza. 

 

- I think that would be a big mistake. What happened in Gaza was Hamas, and the extreme elements of Hamas do not represent the Palestinian people, he said on CBS 60 Minutes.  

 

Israel's UN ambassador Gilad Erdan tells CNN that the country "has no interest in occupying or staying in Gaza," but that the country will do "whatever it takes" to eliminate Hamas.