Israel is tearing down homes in Hebron after two soldiers were killed at a checkpoint; oil is back above $115 on talk of new U.S. strikes on Iran; and gunmen hit a church funeral in Jordan. Ten stories as of Friday morning, October 23.
1. Hebron / occupied West Bank. Two Israeli soldiers were killed when two suspected Palestinian gunmen opened fire at a checkpoint at the entrance to Hebron; the attackers were shot dead, BBC News reported. A preliminary military investigation says the gunfight lasted more than 20 minutes, and the army believes the pair meant to hit civilians on nearby Route 35. Benjamin Netanyahu said the military would “destroy” the attackers’ neighbourhood, and by Friday afternoon Israeli diggers were seen demolishing Palestinian buildings in the city. His office ordered Hebron cordoned off and a full closure of the West Bank starting Friday, The Guardian reported; Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for a campaign “exactly like in Gaza and Lebanon.” The UN says at least 96 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers in the West Bank this year. Israel votes Tuesday.
2. The Gulf / Iran. Brent crude rose above $115 a barrel Friday, its highest since May, The Guardian reported, after Tehran said it would attack oil facilities, undersea cables, datacentres and AI facilities in the Gulf if a new U.S.-Israeli offensive is launched. Traders are reacting to widespread reports that Washington is considering renewed strikes after the November 3 midterms. Oil was about $72 in February, before the war, and hit $126 at the end of April. NPR reports U.S. military reinforcements are moving into the region, and Reuters reports ship attacks in the Strait of Hormuz have hit a record high this month.
3. Oleshky / Ukraine, and Abu Dhabi. The White House says First Lady Melania Trump has secured a localised ceasefire in Russian-occupied Oleshky, on the Dnipro in the Kherson region, set to begin October 29, BBC News reported. Russia hasn’t commented; a senior Ukrainian official told Reuters a ceasefire there would be established soon. Ukraine estimates about 6,000 people remain in and around the city, including 200 children. Separately, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said trilateral talks with Ukraine and the U.S. are planned for “the first half of November in Abu Dhabi,” and Russia and Ukraine each swapped 270 prisoners of war, Al Jazeera reported.
4. Off Constanța / Romania, Black Sea. A drone strike sank the Comoros-flagged cargo ship Khoryv about 13 nautical miles off Romania’s port of Constanța, just outside Romanian waters, Romania’s naval authority said. One sailor was killed and three are missing; nine of the 13 Ukrainian and Azerbaijani crew were rescued, DW reported. President Nicușor Dan blamed Russia, calling it “part of Russia’s escalation process in its war in Ukraine.” Reuters counts at least seven cargo ships hit off Romania and Bulgaria in the past two weeks, with some 30 sailors dead or missing; NATO said Tuesday it would send more patrol aircraft, radar and drones to the Black Sea.
5. Karak / Jordan. Gunmen opened fire on a funeral inside a church in the village of Hmoud, in Karak governorate, killing six people and injuring 28, a government spokesperson said, BBC News reported. The attackers arrived by car and fled; no one has claimed responsibility. Karak has a sizeable Christian community, and attacks like this are rare in Jordan. Al Jazeera also covered the attack. King Abdullah II vowed the harshest response:
6. Trappes and La Verrière / France. A gunman shooting from his car killed one person and wounded five, three seriously, including a 12-year-old girl, in a spree of almost 15 minutes in the suburbs south-west of Paris, BBC News reported. The suspect was arrested. France’s anti-terror prosecutors are investigating “murder in connection with a terrorist enterprise,” with the aggravating circumstance of targeting people over race, ethnicity, nation or religion. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez called it “clearly a terrorist crime.” Trappes mayor Ali Rabeh said the attack had a “racist, probably Islamophobic overtone.” DW has more.
7. Nagqu / Tibet, China. A magnitude 7.0 earthquake hit Baqên County in Tibet’s Nagqu region Thursday night, killing at least 16 people and injuring 65, 11 of them severely, according to Chinese state media, BBC News reported. Some 339 homes collapsed and more than 12,400 people were relocated; more than 400 aftershocks have followed. The area sits around 4,800 metres up, and survivors spent the night outside in subzero temperatures. The Guardian has more.
8. Taiwan, and Okinawa / Japan. Typhoon Champi shut schools, offices and Taiwan’s stock exchange and cancelled hundreds of flights across the region as it skirted the island’s north-east coast, BBC News reported. One person was swept away by waves and died, 171 were injured and 1,000 evacuated. Forecasters expect up to 90cm of rain, with the worst on Saturday morning; the eye may pass without making landfall. Nearly 8,400 households lost power in Okinawa.
9. Abuja / Nigeria, and Uganda. Switzerland confirmed that the woman with Ebola in Nigeria is the wife of a Swiss diplomat, BBC News reported. The 42-year-old, Ugandan-born, tested positive October 20 after about a week at a private clinic in Abuja; the Swiss say she didn’t travel to DR Congo, contradicting accounts from Uganda. Her husband is isolating without symptoms. Africa CDC is checking whether she crossed paths with a Kenyan man who died of Ebola and passed through Uganda’s main airport the same day. DR Congo’s outbreak has killed some 4,600 people. The Guardian has more.
10. Brazil. Brazilians vote Sunday in the presidential runoff between President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, 80, seeking a fourth term, and Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, Al Jazeera reported. Bolsonaro took 47% to Lula’s just over 45% in the October 4 first round, and polls now show the race within the margin of error, with Lula closing the gap. A survey released Wednesday found 10% of voters still open to changing their minds, NPR reported.
Coming Up
Confirmed dates on The Watch: October 25, Brazil’s presidential runoff (Flávio Bolsonaro vs Lula) and Serbia’s snap parliamentary election. October 27, Israel’s election for the 26th Knesset, and the Fed’s two-day meeting in Washington (October 27–28). Just past that, November 3, the U.S. midterms. Full board at the link.
