Hamas terrorists may arrive in Europe along with refugees - European People's Party head Weber

This was reported by the Welt newspaper.

"If there were more difficulties at the regional level, we would immediately have huge difficulties on European soil because of refugees. This would increase polarisation on one of the most controversial issues in many European countries. We know how this could be used by some political groups in the EU to foment controversy and further fragment the EU. This is not the time to have new difficulties," said Charles Michel, President of the EU Council.

He argues that there are different positions and attitudes in the EU countries on the issue of migration. He stressed the importance of not importing the Middle East conflict into the European Union.

At the same time, the leader of the European People's Party, Alfred Weber, calls for tighter controls at the EU's external borders to prevent potential Hamas terrorists from entering the country.

The EU is calling for increased efforts to reach out to countries such as Egypt, where people are fleeing from the neighbouring Gaza Strip.

Egypt has said that it is already hosting millions of refugees and is not ready to accept more people from the Gaza Strip, so Michel suggested increasing international aid to Egypt. He noted that accepting more refugees "for a country with certain financial and economic problems" requires help from allies, and the common goal is to "turn on the corridor, the humanitarian corridor."

Events in Israel: latest updates

On the morning of Saturday, October 7, 2023, the Palestinian armed groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad launched a massive air and land attack on the state of Israel in several places. The head of the Hamas military wing, Mohammed Deif, said that his militants had launched the Al-Aqsa Flood operation. According to him, these actions are intended to protect the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.

The Palestinians launched 2,000 to 3,000 missiles at Israel and simultaneously seized 7 communities in the south.

In response, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) announced the mobilization of reservists and the launch of the Iron Swords counterterrorism operation. For the first time in 50 years, the government introduced martial law in the country. 

The IDF actively used aviation to strike Palestinian command posts. It has also begun clearing Hamas-occupied communities.

In addition, there is a great threat that the Shiite Hezbollah could attack Israel from the north, as its main partner and supplier, the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI), has called on jihadists to "liberate Jerusalem."

On the morning of October 8, the Saudi television channel Al Arabiya published the losses of both Palestinians and Israelis during the first day of the renewed military conflict. According to the channel, Israel lost 300 people killed and at least 1,600 wounded. The number of casualties from the Palestinian-populated Gaza Strip is 232 killed and 1,627 wounded. 

On October 8, Israeli troops claimed that Lebanon had attacked their territory, so the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) attacked in response. In particular, Israeli aviation struck a complex belonging to the head of Hamas' intelligence.

Militants of the Lebanese military-political organization Hezbollah fired at Israeli positions on the border with the disputed Golan Heights and supported Hamas in its operation against Israel.

Due to the situation in the Middle East, the UN Security Council convened an emergency meeting. However, no action or decisions were taken after it. At the same time, the UK government stated that it would support Israel in its fight against terrorists and was ready to provide it with all necessary assistance.

On the afternoon of October 9, the Israeli army regained control of all areas on the border with the Gaza Strip. At this, it is possible that there are still Hamas militants on Israeli territory.

At night and during the day on the same day, the Israeli armed forces attacked the Gaza Strip. The main targets were command posts, homes of commanders, militants and ordinary soldiers of the Hamas terrorist organization. The Israeli Ministry of Defense ordered the military to put the Gaza Strip under blockade.

The leaders of the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Italy issued a joint statement expressing united support for Israel and condemning Hamas' actions.

As of the morning of October 11, the death toll in Israel has risen to 1,200, and the IDF has hit more than 200 targets in Gaza over the past day.

Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský was the first foreign statesman to personally arrive in Tel Aviv after Hamas's attack on Israel to evacuate 34 citizens of his country by plane. On October 12, media reported that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken would arrive in Israel to personally assess the situation in the country.

On Thursday, October 12, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Tel Aviv and met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, emphasizes the need for a humanitarian corridor to the Gaza Strip and the release of all hostages.

On the morning of Saturday, October 14, the Israeli military struck the Hezbollah group in southern Lebanon. According to the IDF, they hit a Hezbollah target after one of their UAVs was fired upon. In addition, the IDF said that it had eliminated the head of the Hamas Air Force.