U.S., Experts Say Palestinian Militants Responsible for Gaza Hospital Blast

Israel, the U.S. government, and independent security experts cast doubt Wednesday on Palestinian claims that an Israeli airstrike was responsible for a deadly explosion at a Gaza hospital compound, saying the preliminary evidence pointed to Islamic Jihad, as the WSJ reports.

Biden Backs Israel, Secures Agreement for Aid to Gaza

Making a rare wartime visit to Israel on Wednesday, President Biden firmly backed the Israeli government’s assertion that it had nothing to do with the hospital’s destruction and also said he had secured Israel’s agreement to allow some international humanitarian aid into Gaza, as the NYT reports.

Israel Will Let Egypt Deliver Some Aid to Gaza

Israel said Wednesday that it will allow Egypt to deliver limited quantities of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, as the AP reports.

Executive Education

Beyond the Battlefield: Global Implications of Russia's War in Ukraine breaks down how the February 2022 invasion and concomitant sanctions have been altering national and regional security in Russia, on the European continent, and the United States. Registration closes October 23 at 11:59 p.m.

Audio Briefs

CSIS experts give short, spoken-word summaries on the biggest takeaways from their latest reports, white papers, and commentaries—in their own words.

Listen here: "Can the United States Equip Israel while Simultaneously Equipping Ukraine and Taiwan?" with CSIS's Mark F. Cancian.

In That Number

$100 billion

The White House is considering a supplemental spending request of as much as $100 billion that would tie together aid for Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan with money for U.S. border security.
Source: Bloomberg

Critical Quote

“You can’t look at what has happened here to your mothers, fathers or grandparents, sons, daughters, children, even babies, and not scream out for justice. Justice must be done. But I caution this: While you feel that rage, don’t be consumed by it.”

—President Joe Biden

iDeas Lab

CSIS's Victor Cha testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asia and the Pacific about recent developments with regard to security on the Korean peninsula and the future of U.S.-Japan-Korea trilateral cooperation. Watch what he told Congress, in about two minutes.

The Andreas C. Dracopoulos iDeas Lab at CSIS enhances our research with the latest in cutting-edge web technologies, design, and multimedia.

Optics

(Photo credit: GPO/Handout/Anadolu/Getty Images.) Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel hugs U.S. President Joe Biden upon his arrival at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion airport on October 18, 2023.

This Town Tomorrow

At 9:00 a.m., CSIS and the Chung-hua Institution for Economic Research host a conference on digital trade, supply chains, and economic security for the United States and Taiwan.

Then, at 9:30 a.m., the CSIS Korea Chair discusses the North Korean transfer of more than 1,000 containers of arms to Russia for the war in Ukraine in exchange for Russian weapons and technology.

Later, at 3:00 p.m., join the CSIS Project on Prosperity and Development and the CSIS Human Rights Initiative to celebrate the launch of USAID’s new Democracy, Human Rights and Governance (DRG) Bureau.

Video

Last month, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken delivered keynote remarks at CSIS for the 70th anniversary of the U.S.-ROK alliance. Watch the ReCap here.

Podcasts

Jerusalem Post Editor-in-Chief Avi Mayer joins the podcast to discuss the catastrophic blast at the Ahli Arab hospital in Gaza, his tour of the massacre at Kibbutz Be’eri in southern Israel, mood of the Israeli people and government, challenges that lay ahead, and the role of media in the conflict.

Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts.

Smiles

When it comes to songwriters, the late Leonard Cohen, whose grandfather was a noted Talmudic writer, had a rare gift to transcend. His 1984 song, “Hallelujah,” has been performed by almost 200 artists in various languages but is most powerful when delivered by Cohen himself.

I invite you to email me at [email protected] and follow me on Twitter @handrewschwartz

The Evening is my daily guide to key insights CSIS brings to the events of the day. It is composed by Lauren Adler, Ava Rose, and the External Relations team.