January 10, 2024

*) Israel tells hospitals to prepare for 'thousands' of injured Israel has ordered hospitals in the north of the country to prepare for the possibility of receiving "thousands of injured" people as tensions with Hezbollah increase. Israel's Health Ministry has asked medical centres to prepare for the possibility of going into "deserted island mode," that is being left without medical supplies, medicine and food for days. The ministry also asked hospitals to go into emergency mode within a few hours and requested that they maintain a 50 percent occupancy rate. *) Egypt refuses to let Israel monitor buffer zone with Gaza Egypt has rejected a proposal by Israel for greater Israeli oversight over the buffer zone on the Egypt-Gaza border. Egypt said it is prioritising efforts to broker a ceasefire before working on post-war arrangements. Egyptian sources said that during those talks Israel had approached Egypt about securing the Philadelphi Corridor, a narrow buffer zone along the border, as part of Israeli plans to prevent future attacks. *) Dozens of rabbis protest at UN to demand Israel end its war on Gaza About three dozen rabbis and rabbinical students from US organisations have protested inside the UN Security Council chamber and later in front of the main UN building. They urged a ceasefire in Gaza and asked US President Joe Biden's administration to allow such resolutions to pass instead of vetoing them in the Security Council. The protests were organised by US Jewish groups, including Jewish Voice for Peace, Jews for Racial and Economic Justice, and Rabbis for Ceasefire. *) West slams Russia's use of North Korean missiles against Ukraine Nearly 50 countries joined the US in condemning North Korea's alleged transfer of missiles to Russia, demanding an immediate end to the cooperation. In a joint statement, they said the alleged missile shipment "flagrantly" violated sanctions on North Korea by the UN Security Council, of which Russia is a permanent member. "The transfer of these weapons increases the suffering of the Ukrainian people, supports Russia's war of aggression, and undermines the global non-proliferation regime," said the statement. *) Secret tunnel discovered under synagogue in New York More than 10 Hasidic Jewish worshippers were arrested after clashes broke out at a historic Brooklyn synagogue in New York. The discovery of the tunnel at the Chabad-Lubavitch world headquarters in Crown Heights prompted an emergency structural inspection from the city. Motti Seligson, the spokesperson for Chabad Lubavitch, said that some time ago, "a group of extremist students" broke through a few walls in adjacent properties to the synagogue to provide them with "unauthorised access."