🇷🇺🇨🇳 The Wall Street Journal reports that the Israel-Hamas war has had the effect of 'stretching American and European resources' while, at the same time, 'relieving pressure on Russia and providing new opportunities to China'.

📎 The Spectator Index

🇨🇳 🇺🇸 🇮🇱 "China set to strategically benefit so long as Middle East stays messy. Pits US/Israel vs Arab states/Iran/Hamas. Divide allows Beijing to more easily gain influence with latter group by opposing Israel and offering alternative partner to US. But hot war would pose new challenges."

🇺🇸📉 The US posted its 3rd largest deficit on record in 2023, spending $1.7 TRILLION more than it brought in. This was a $300 billion increase in deficit spending compared to 2022.

The US is now spending 44% of GDP per year, the same levels as World War 2. We are now spending a higher percentage of GDP than what was seen in 2008.

📎 The Kobeissi Letter

🇺🇸📉 “Policymakers need to get serious about the budget. There is no path forward without serious cuts and revenue changes. Deficit spending is 7.4% of GDP this year. Debt is 120% of GDP (European levels). Social Security will be depleted by early 2030s meaning cuts if not addressed.

At the same time we have an urgent but crushingly expensive need to replace military equipment, foreign policy commitments, a potentially hyper expensive but critical pronatalist program, & a host of other costs. All congress will do is kick this down the road but we are out of time.”

📎 Aaronal16

🇵🇸🇮🇱⚡️The Palestinian Ministry of Health says that there are about 1,200 people under the rubble of houses destroyed by Israeli bombing in the Gaza Strip, including about 500 children

🇺🇲🇮🇱🇵🇸❗️The US defense department has selected approximately 2 thousand troops to prepare them for potential deployment to the Middle East to support Israel, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing Pentagon sources.

The American military will be drawn from various units of the US Armed Forces. Their main tasks will be “consultation and medical support,” US agency officials said.

🇮🇱🇵🇸 The Israeli Air Force has published another video of airstrikes on targets in the Gaza Strip. The footage shows F-16I multi-role fighters with M117 concrete-piercing bombs suspended from their wing units.

🇺🇳🇮🇱🇵🇸⚡️Israel's disproportionate strikes on Gaza are a war crime - UN commission

🇷🇺🇨🇳 Negotiations between Putin and Xi Jinping will take place on October 18, including a lengthy one-on-one conversation. Russia will also support the Chinese economic initiative "One Belt - One Road".

🇮🇱🇷🇺 Israeli media reported that Netanyahu held telephone conversations with Putin. “Isolated” Putin continues to negotiate with all the main participants in the Middle East.

🇨🇴🇮🇱⚡The President of Colombia announced a severance of relations with Israel and demanded that the Israeli ambassador leave the country as soon as possible.

“The world history of diplomacy is marked by a new milestone in the senseless arrogance of the Israeli ambassador to Colombia in relation to Gustavo Petro, the president of the republic. What a shame. At a minimum, ask for forgiveness and leave” (c) Colombian Foreign Minister Alvaro Leyva

Earlier, the Israeli Foreign Ministry suspended all transactions with Colombia after the Colombian president compared Israel's actions in Gaza with the actions of the Nazis in Auschwitz.

The President of Colombia also stated that his country will not support the Israeli genocide of the Palestinians and if it is necessary, relations with Israel will be suspended.

🇮🇱🇵🇸🇪🇬 The Israeli Defense Forces attacked the Rafah checkpoint on the Gaza Strip border with Egypt.

🇮🇱🇵🇸 Journalists showed Gaza before and after Israeli attacks.

🇵🇸🇮🇱 Hamas military spokesman Abu Ubaida will soon deliver an important message.

🇨🇦 🇱🇧 Canada tells citizens to leave Lebanon due to ‘volatile’ security situation in Gaza

“As the crisis in Gaza, the West Bank and Israel continues to unfold, the security situation in the region is becoming increasingly volatile,” Canada’s Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said in a post on X.

“Canadians in Lebanon should consider leaving while commercial flights remain available,” she said.

https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2023/10/16/Canada-tells-citizens-to-leave-Lebanon-due-to-volatile-security-situation-in-Gaza

🇬🇧 🇮🇱 🇵🇸 Kay Burley: "Whats the view on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza this morning?"

The Israeli ambassador to the UK: "There is no humanitarian crisis..."

"There isn't?"

"There isn't"

📎 Saul Staniforth