October 15, 2023 UPDATE
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Newsroom, 15.10.2023, 18:57
Israel – The Israeli army is deployed along the Gaza Strip for a ground offensive in the north of the Strip, an army spokesman announced on Sunday. Israel has consistently urged Gaza inhabitants living in the north of the territory to leave south as quickly as possible, accusing Hamas, which opposes the evacuation, of preventing civilians from leaving. Israel says it is targeting Gaza City to destroy the operations center of the Palestinian Islamist movement, labeled as a terrorist organization by the US and the EU. Over 1,400 people were killed in Israel during the attack launched on October 7 by Hamas commandos, show the latest figures provided by the army on Sunday. The Israeli response to the attack killed over 2,400 people in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened, on Sunday, for the first time, the extended emergency cabinet. The meeting, held at the military headquarters in Tel Aviv, began with the ministers holding a moment of silence in memory of the Israelis killed by Hamas on October 7. On the other hand, Israels army blocked the border with Lebanon after pro-Iranian Hezbollah militias, allied with Hamas, attacked an Israeli settlement with rockets, killing one man and wounding three others. On a diplomatic level, the American Secretary of State Antony Blinken returns to Israel on Monday, extending his Middle East tour by one day. On Sunday Antony Blinken had a meeting in Riyadh with the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, whose country has suspended talks regarding a possible normalization of relations with Israel.
MAE — The Romanian Foreign Ministry — MAE announced that, against the backdrop of the deterioration of the security situation in the State of Israel and the Gaza Strip, the Crisis Cell is continuing its ongoing efforts to evacuate, under safe conditions, the Romanian citizens from the Gaza Strip who requested this. There are approximately 200 Romanian citizens in the Gaza Strip who would like to leave the area and have requested the support of the Romanian authorities. The MAE, through the Romanian Embassy in Tel Aviv, the Romanian Representative Office in Ramallah and the Romanian diplomatic missions in the region, maintains coordination with other states and international organizations that undertake similar measures for their own citizens or officials. On Saturday, 58 Romanian citizens returned from Israel with a private flight. All in all, so far, 2,220 Romanians have been repatriated from Israel. On the other hand, the MAE confirmed the death of two other Romanian-Israeli citizens. The death toll thus rises to four.
Luxembourg – The Romanian Environment Minister, Mircea Fechet, participates on Monday, in Luxembourg, in the meeting of the Environment Council. According to the data published on the website of the European Council, high on the agenda of the meeting are such issues as the purification of urban waste water and the standards regarding CO2 emissions for new heavy vehicles, among others. The Environment Ministers will try to reach an agreement on a proposal to revise the Directive on the treatment of urban wastewater. The proposal asks member states to draw up plans for large cities to manage urban runoff generated by rainfall.
Trade – The online sale of goods and services has progressed in Romania and has come to represent 3.17% of the countrys Gross Domestic Product. Thus, Romania dominates the market in Eastern Europe, generating almost 60% of the sales in the region. A turnover of almost 10 billion Euros is estimated for this year. Compared to Central and Eastern Europe, only Poland and the Czech Republic surpass Romania, and, at the level of the continent, the country ranks 12th, the Romanian Association of Online Stores informs on the occasion of the National E-Commerce Day. 94% of Romanian buyers prefer to order online from Romanian stores, while 21% also ordered from foreign websites.
Handball — Romania’s womens national handball team defeated the Greek team, away from home, score 32-20, on Saturday, in Group 1 of the 2024 European Championship preliminaries. The Romanian players have scored the 2nd outright victory in this stage of the championship, after a score of 49-17 with Bosnia-Herzegovina, at home. In another match, Croatia outperformed Bosnia-Herzegovina, in an away match. Romania takes first place, with 4 points, followed by Croatia, 4 points, Greece, 0 points, Bosnia-Herzegovina, 0 points. The national team will play the next match on February 28, at home, against Croatia. (LS)
