Maine police report seven killed at bowling alley, eight at restaurant in mass shooting
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Police appeared to be making an arrest at Robert Card’s house on Thursday night, according to CNN. Officers could be heard shouting for someone to come out and walk to the front of the property and their crew was asked to switch off their lights.
Officers ordered someone inside to come out of the house “with nothing in their hands” and that their “safety could be guaranteed.”
As a manhunt to catch the “armed and dangerous” suspect wanted in connection to two mass shootings in Lewiston, Maine, that left 18 people dead and 13 injured, nears its 24th hour, CNN reports loud bangs from the vicinity of suspect Robert Card’s home in the vicinity of Bowdoin.
There was speculation that the noise could have been flash bangs used by police in stand-offs with armed suspects. Shortly after, a video emerged of law enforcement outside a property with a loudhailer heard to announce: “FBI! Open the door!”
An intensive manhunt for 40-year-old Mr Card began and he was formally identified as the suspect in the now active homicide investigation during a press conference on Thursday morning.
Residents across Maine have been sheltered in place since Wednesday night.
“Law enforcement officials are currently on Meadow Road in Bowdoin to execute several search warrants. The announcements being heard over a loud speaker are standard search warrant announcements when executing a warrant to ensure the safety of all involved,” said Maine State Police on Thursday evening.
Maine officials say they don’t know if Card in house
A Maine Department of Public Safety spokesperson, Shannon Moss, told CNN that law enforcement is “not positive Robert Card is in this house,” and that police were “simply doing our due diligence.”
Maine Gun Safety Coalition calls for assault weapons ban
The Maine Gun Safety Coalition grieves with the families and friends who lost loved ones in the mass shooting last night. We watched in horror as the tragedy in Lewiston, Maine happened before our eyes – the result of our weak gun laws. We call on our elected officials tonight to stop bowing to the gun lobby and look squarely at the face of what has happened in Maine’s second largest city. At a minimum, the Maine Gun Safety Coalition believes an assault weapons ban is necessary to try to prevent more such tragedies in our state.
Maine mass shooting suspect Robert Card’s sister-in-law has added some colour to the reports of the 40-year-old’s current state of mind.
After US Army reservist Mr Card was accused of killing 18 people on Wednesday night — and while a manhunt for the Bowdoin resident remains underway — Karen Card spoke out about her brother-in-law toThe Daily Beast.
Ms Card, who is married to the suspect’s brother, said that she has known the suspect her “whole life”.
“He is quiet but the most loving, hardworking, and kind person that I know,” she said on Thursday.
“But in the past year, he had an acute episode of mental health, and it’s been a struggle.”
Police appear to be making ‘arrest’ at Robert Card’s home
CNN reporting that their crew was ordered to turn off lights, while officers could be heard shouting “...under arrest come out with your hands up.”
Officers could be heard shouting for someone to come out and walk to the front of the property and they ordered a person inside to come out of the house “with nothing in their hands” and that their “safety could be guaranteed.”
Susan Collins says high capacity magazines should be banned
Senator Susan Collins, a Republican from Maine, told a news conference on Thursday evening that “it is more important that we ban very high-capacity magazines” rather than assault-style weapons.
“I think that would have more input and more effectiveness,” said Ms Collins.
Republican US Senator Susan Collins addresses shooting in Maine
Maine passed a law to try to prevent mass shootings. Some say more is needed after Lewiston killings
Barely four years before a gunman’s deadly rampage in Maine, a state that is staunchly protective of gun rights, the governor signed a law aimed at preventing a mass shooting like the one Wednesday night that claimed at least 18 lives.
It was called a “yellow flag” law, different from the “red flag” laws cropping up in other states to seize weapons from gun owners viewed as a threat. In a sign of the pro-Second Amendment mindset in Maine, a gun-rights group helped write the law, and critics said that, while it was a first step toward stronger gun safety measures, the state could save more lives by doing more — like passing a red flag law.
The yellow flag law and permissive gun measures in Maine are coming under greater scrutiny in the aftermath of a massacre that authorities say was carried out by a man who was committed to a mental health facility for two weeks this past summer and had reported “hearing voices and threats to shoot up” a military base.
It was not clear whether anyone had used the yellow flag law in the suspect’s case, but gun-control advocates seized on the tragedy Thursday to blame the death of 18 people in the shooting as a product of “weak gun laws.”
Congressman says shooting has changed his mind on assault rifles
US Rep Jared Golden, a Democrat who represents Lewiston, told a press conference that his opposition to a ban on assault weapons had been a mistake and he had changed his mind on the issue.
“I have opposed calls to ban deadly weapons of war like the assault rifle used to carry out this crime,” Mr Golden said.
“The time has now come for me to take responsibility for this failure,” he said. “Which is why I now call on the United States Congress to ban assault rifles like the one used by the sick perpetrator of this mass killing.”
Mr Golden asked for the forgiveness of those who had lost loved ones in the mass shooting and his constituents.
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Israeli tanks have attacked multiple Hamas targets in a limited “raid” of northern Gaza overnight, before withdrawing back into Israel.
Videos of the overnight operation showed a bulldozer levelling part of a raised bank and tanks firing shells, while explosions were seen near or amid a row of damaged buildings.
The military said the raid was carried out “in preparation for the next stages of combat” as the Israeli defence forces prepared for a large-scale invasion that Israeli leaders have threatened as part of the war to destroy Hamas.
“The soldiers have since exited the area and returned to Israeli territory,” the IDF added. Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly said Israel will go into Gaza but has refused to say when.
Israeli strikes have killed more than 6,500 Palestinians in Gaza since 7 October, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
Meanwhile, more than 1,400 people in Israel have been killed, mostly civilians who fled Hamas’s massacre, according to Israeli officials.
Israel has not bowed to US pressure to delay its ground invasion into Gaza, according to a senior war cabinet minister.
“We are making decisions only based on our own interests,” minister Benny Gantz said.
It comes after US officials suggested the Biden administration had advised Israel to delay its ground invasion of Gaza, hoping to buy time for hostage negotiations and allow for the delivery of humanitarian aid.
Israel has not bowed to US pressure to delay its ground invasion into Gaza, minister claims
Palestinian minister urges Israel to agree to ceasefire
Israel needs to agree to a full ceasefire in Gaza in order enable urgently needed humanitarian aid to be brought in, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki said.
It comes as British and EU leaders have called for for “pauses” in bombardments into and out of Gaza to enable access for aid.
But Mr al-Maliki said this proposal was unacceptable, as it would not ensure aid could come in and water and electricity supplies be reinstated.
Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki has called for an immediate ceasefire
It will take ‘years’ to restore security in southern Israel, minister claims
It will take “years” to restore security to southern Israel following Hamas’s massacre which left 1,400 Israelis dead after the group breached a high tech security fence on 7 October.
Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz said that military and other measures taking years would be required to restore security to the region.
‘International silence on Gaza massacre embarrassing,’ Erdogan says
Israeli airstrikes on Gaza amount to a massacre, Turkey’s president Tayyip Erdogan told Pope Francis.
Mr Erdogan claimed the silence of the international community was “embarrassing”.
It comes after he accused “those providing unlimited support for Israel” of perpetrating the killing of civilians in Gaza.
“Israel’s attacks on Gaza, for both itself and those supporting them, amount to murder and mental illness,” he told lawmakers from his ruling AK Party.
Israeli airstrikes on Gaza amount to a massacre, Turkey’s president Tayyip Erdogan said
IDF strike terrorist cells and anti-tank missile launch posts in Gaza
The Israeli Defence Forces said it struck “numerous terrorist cells”, “infrastructure” and “anti-tank missile launch posts” in its overnight raid of Gaza.
“In preparation for the next stages of combat, the IDF operated in northern Gaza. IDF tanks & infantry struck numerous terrorist cells, infrastructure and anti-tank missile launch posts.
“The soldiers have since exited the area and returned to Israeli territory,” it wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Putin warns conflict could spread beyond Middle East
Russian president Vladimir Putin has warned the Israel-Hamas conflict could spill over “far beyond the borders” of the Middle East.
“Our task today, our main task, is to stop the bloodshed and violence,” Mr Putin said, according to a Kremlin transcript.
“Otherwise, further escalation of the crisis is fraught with grave and extremely dangerous and destructive consequences. And not only for the Middle East region. It could spill over far beyond the borders of the Middle East.”
Russian president Vladimir Putin said the conflict could spill over ‘far beyond’ the Middle East
Hundreds of police officers are scouring the US state of Maine for a suspect wanted in connection with mass shootings that killed at least 16 people and left dozens injured.
State and local police named Robert Card, 40, as a person of interest after a gunman opened fire at a bowling alley and restaurant in Lewiston, the second largest city in Maine.
The exact number of fatalities is not known at this stage but it has been reported at least 16 people have been killed, although other reports say the death toll could be as high as 22. Police are scheduled to hold a press conference at 10.30am local time (3.30pm UK time).
Local media have reported the search of Card is focused behind a secondary school in Lisbon Falls near the Androscoggin River with a helicopter involved.
Journalist Sam Rogers reported two Portland Police Department tactical trucks have arrived at Lisbon High School with “officers in full gear”.
“We have literally hundreds of police officers working around the state of Maine to investigate this case,” Maine Public Safety Commissioner Mike Sauschuck told a news conference.
Several media reported that a Maine law enforcement bulletin identified Card as a trained firearms instructor and member of the US Army reserve who recently reported that he had mental health issues, including hearing voices.
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Hurricane Otis winds blast through Acapulco hospital after storm makes landfall in Mexico
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Hurricane Otis slammed into Mexico Wednesday morning as the strongest storm to land on the country’s west coast, leaving destruction and power outages in its wake.
Otis went from a Category 1 to a Category 5 storm in only 12 hours — the fastest rate ever recorded in the Eastern Pacific Ocean.
The eye of the storm made landfall close to the resort town of Acapulco with winds of 165mph. Forecasters described it as “a nightmare scenario” for southern Mexico.
Videos from the scene showed palm trees stripped bare of their leaves and badly damaged buildings including a hospital and shopping centre.
Residents were left without power or access to roads that lead outside the city due to landslides caused by the torrential rain.
The storm had lost strength by Wednesday afternoon and was downgraded to a tropical storm as it moved past the Guerrero state. But soon after a 4.4-magnitude earthquake shook a resort town just 120 miles north of Acapulco.
Acapulco cut off by Cat-5 Hurricane Otis which caught forecasters by surprise
A “nightmare scenario” struck shortly after midnight in the coastal city of Acapulco on Wednesday.
Hurricane Otis roared ashore in southern Mexico, the strongest-ever storm to make landfall on the country’s west coast.
The hurricane underwent explosive intensification from a Category 1 to a Category 5 in just 12 hours in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, catching forecasters by surprise. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) described it as a “nightmare scenario” for the region.
The storm made landfall with 165mph winds and torrential rain of up to 15 inches in places.
Earthquake detected in resort city hours after Otis
A 4.4-magnitude earthquake was detected in the resort city of Zihuatanejo – just 120 miles north of Acapulco – hours after Otis caused massive destruction to the southern part of Mexico’s Pacific coast.
A preliminary evaluation of the area was conducted by state and municipal personnel in the area, the Mexican civil protection coordination agency said.
Residents were not warned of the earthquake because the seismic system used to warn people was unable to operate.
SkyAlerts – the early earthquake-warning service, said damage left behind from Otis had left their infrastructure “temporarily inoperative”.
After Hurricane Otis landslides threaten residents
Residents of Acapulco were unable to leave the town on Wednesday after rains brought by Hurricane Otis caused landslides on the highway.
The Secretary of Infrastructure for the Mexican state of Guerrero said on Twitter that a section of the Acapulco Highway, Chilpancingo faced “total closure” due to the landslides.
There are no alternative routes to leave the area, meaning residents will have to remain at their homes until the landslides are cleared.
In Oceania: A powerful cyclone made landfall in Vanuatu
A tropical cyclone that picked up strength made landfall on the island nation of Vanuatu on Tuesday.
The cyclone, named Lola, had the power equivalent to a Category 3 hurricane when it hit the country. The Vanuatu Meteorology Department said the cyclone’s wind speeds were over 100 mph with gusts over 115 mph.
Vanuatu Red Cross spokesperson Shirley Johnson told AccuWeather they were “expecting to have major, major damage.”
“I am afraid we won’t have enough relief in time to save the people,” Ms Johnson said.
After Hurricane Otis pummeled parts of Mexico on Wednesday, over a third of electric customers in Guerrero were left without power.
Comisión Federal de Electricidad, the state-owned Mexican electrical provider company, said more than 504,000 residents woke up without power but they managed to restore 40 per cent of its customers.
A team of 846 electrical workers, 96 cranes, 347 vehicles, 26 emergency plants and 1 helicopter assisted in the company’s quick response to the power outages.
Hurricane Otis made landfall close to Acapulco, Mexico in the early hours of Wednesday after rapidly intensifying from a Category 1 to Category 5 storm in just 12 hours.
The hurricane had weakened to a Cat-2 and was moving inland by Wednesday afternoon. The storm is now around 100 miles northwest of Acapulco.
It is expected to lose even more power as it hits Guerrero state’s steep mountains, before dissipating on Wednesday night.
The Mexican government discontinued a hurricane warning for Acapulco but issued a tropical storm warning for Punta Maldonado, around 100 miles to the south.
No immediate reports of fatalities from Hurricane Otis
President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said there were no immediate reports of fatalities from Hurricane Otis, but cautioned that authorities were struggling to get updates.
“The hurricane is still affecting the area and communications are completely down,” he told reporters at a regular government press conference.
Benjamin Netanyahu said Hamas is “doomed” during a televised statement on Wednesday.
Israel’s military are “getting prepared” for the ground invasion with the goal of destroying Hamas’ military and governmental capabilities, the Israeli prime minister said. The country’s war cabinet are “working around the clock” until it reaches victory, he said.
Netanyahu said he would not provide any details about the ground invasion to “secure the lives of our soldiers”. However, he said the timing of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) operation is “unanimously” determined by Israel’s war cabinet.
It’s midnight in Gaza City and Tel Aviv. Here’s where things stand:
Benjamin Netanyahusaid Israel’s military are “getting prepared” for the ground invasion of Gaza with the goal of destroying Hamas’ military and governmental capabilities. In a televised statement on Wednesday, the Israeli prime minister said his war cabinet are “working around the clock” until it reaches victory.
Israel has agreed to a US request to get its air defences to the region before an expected ground invasion of Gaza, according to a report. The Pentagon is working to deploy a dozen air defence systems to the region to protect US troops serving in Iraq, Syria, Kuwait, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates from missiles and rockets, it said.
Relief efforts in Gaza will be forced to stop on Wednesday night unless fuel supplies reach the besieged territory, the UN Relief and Works Agency (Unrwa) warned. Hospitals, bakeries and water pumps may also cease to function, compounding a humanitarian crisis that is worsening by the hour, it said. Oxfam accused Israel of using starvation as a weapon of war against Gaza civilians, saying the enclave was receiving just 2% of its usual supply of food.
The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry said 6,546 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip by Israeli airstrikes since 7 October, including 2,704 children. The figure includes 756 people – 344 of whom were children – killed in the last 24 hours. It said 17,439 had been wounded in total. It is not possible to independently verify these figures.
A school sheltering Palestinians in Gaza sustained “severe collateral damage” due to a “close proximity strike”, UNRWA said. One civilian was killed and 44 more were injured, including nine children, it said. The UN says about 1.4 million of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents are now internally displaced. Nearly half of them have taken refuge in UN shelters, while the other half have found some floor space in other people’s homes, hospitals or public facilities. But that is no guarantee of safety.
A Red Cross mission to assess the state of Gaza’s hospitals has described scenes of chaos and exhaustion in the face of a total blockade, a critical fuel shortage and relentless Israeli bombing.
The UN secretary general, António Guterres, was locked in a bitter row with Israel, saying he was “shocked” that the Israeli government had misrepresented remarks he had made to the UN to suggest he had justified the Hamas attacks on Israel on 7 October. Israel has called for his resignation and announced that it was withdrawing travel visas for UN officials.
Israel has “wholeheartedly” rejected Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s assertion that the Palestinian militant group Hamas was “not a terrorist organisation”. Erdoğan told a group of his party’s MPs on Wednesday that Hamas “is a liberation group, mujahideen, defending their lands.” Erdoğan also announced he had cancelled a planned trip to Israel, saying the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, had “misused our goodwill”.
The prime minister of Qatar has said he hopes there will soon be a breakthrough in negotiations led by the Gulf state to secure the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, although his government has warned that an Israel invasion could jeopardise those efforts.
The British prime minister, Rishi Sunak,has called for pauses to the fighting in Gaza to allow humanitarian aid to safely reach those without food, water or medicine. Sunak in Commons on Wednesday expressly avoided backing the suggestion of a total ceasefire.
In a second vote at the UN security council, a draft resolution presented by Russia was also voted down, with Russia being joined by three other members. Two delegations voted against, and nine abstained.
The Russian proposal called for a permanent ceasefire. In a concession from the failed draft put forward by Russia last week, the latest resolution added that it “rejects and condemns the heinous attacks by Hamas”.
The failure of both US and Russian resolutions underlined the deeply divided nature of the world over the Israel-Hamas war. There is speculation that the 10 non-permanent members of the security council might now put forward their own compromise proposal, though they too would face an uphill climb in finding compromise.
The UK’s ambassador to the UN, Barbara Woodward, said she regretted that the US resolution was not adopted. It would have “unequivocally condemned Hamas terrorist attacks” and ensured humanitarian aid reached Gaza.
The US has expressed deep disappointment in the UN security council after Russia vetoed its latest draft resolution upholding the right of Israel to “collective self-defence” and for “humanitarian pauses” to allow aid into Gaza.
Washington’s ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, told the council meeting in New York that she was “deeply disappointed” by the Russian veto. She called the US resolution “strong and balanced” and said it had been forged after extensive consultation with other council members. She said:
Though today’s vote was a setback, we must not be deterred … as we work to build a more peaceful and stable future for Palestinians and Israelis alike.
The US resolution was amended from previous iterations by including a reference to “humanitarian pauses” to provide a space for desperately-needed food and water to be trucked into Gaza. But it did not go far enough for Russia or China; both voted against the draft citing the lack of a ceasefire demand.
The Russian UN ambassador, Vasily Nebenzya, denounced the text as “politicised”, saying it served only the “geopolitical interests” of the US. He said it was “plumped full of politicised, irrelevant and dubious provisions”.
Ten of the 15 members of the UN security council voted in favour of the resolution, three against, and two abstained. For it to have passed, it would have needed at least nine positive votes with no vetoes from the permanent members, which include Russia and China.
Keir Starmer has conceded to Muslim Labour MPs that his visit to a south Wales mosque could have been handled better, the Guardian understands, as he faces mounting pressure from all wings of the party to call for a ceasefire in Gaza.
The shadow women and equalities minister, Yasmin Qureshi, publicly broke Labour ranks on Wednesday and urged Rishi Sunak to call for a ceasefire during the British prime minister’s questions. She said the people of Gaza were subject to “collective punishment” for “crimes they did not commit”.
Many in Labour feared that Qureshi risked losing the whip for her comments. But in a sign that the leadership has acknowledged the deepening fractures across the party, a Labour spokesperson said:
If I heard the question correctly … she was asking the prime minister what the conditions were that would lead the prime minister to support a ceasefire.
The Labour leader and his deputy, Angela Rayner, met more than a dozen Muslim politicians on Wednesday afternoon, who stressed that his positioning on the Israel-Hamas conflict was causing distress to many in the party.
Those in attendance were said to have argued that the disappointment felt by many in the party amounted to much more than a “Jewish-Muslim community issue”, the Guardian understands.
Sources described the meeting as “constructive” and “robust”, with Starmer and Rayner said to be in “full listening mode”.
Joe Biden has called into question the civilian death toll in Gaza being reported by the Palestinian authorities there.
Israeli strikes have killed more than 6,500 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in Gaza, AFP reported.
But the US president cast doubt on the figure being presented from Gaza:
‘I have no notion that the Palestinians are telling the truth about how many people are killed. I’m sure innocents have been killed, and it’s a price of waging war. But I have no confidence in the number that the Palestinians are using,’ he said at the White House earlier today.
Joe Biden further said at the White House earlier that he “did not demand” that Israel delay a ground invasion of Gaza, Agence France-Presse reported.
The agency said that Biden told reporters in the Rose Garden:
Israel has a right and I would add responsibility to respond to the slaughter of its people.
Biden accused Gaza’s rulers Hamas of “hiding behind” Palestinian civilians, as Israel bombards the enclave, but said Israel must follow the “laws of war”. At the joint press conference with visiting Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese, he said:
Israel has to do everything in its power, as difficult as it is, to protect innocent civilians. It’s difficult.
US media have reported that Biden has pushed Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to hold off on a ground invasion of Gaza while Hamas still holds hostages, but Biden denied it:
What I have indicated to him is that if that’s possible to get these folks out safely, that’s what he should do. It’s their decision. But I did not demand it. I put it out to him, if it’s real, it should be done.
Here’s a clip of part of those remarks:
Joe Biden on Wednesday spoke out against retaliatory attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank in the aftermath of the 7 October Hamas attacks on Israel, the Associated Press reports.
The US president also said he was redoubling his commitment to working on a two-state solution to end the decades-long Israel-Palestine conflict.
Biden said that the attacks by “extremist settlers” amounted to “pouring gasoline” on the already burning fires in the Middle East.
‘It has to stop. They have to be held accountable. It has to stop now,’ Biden said at the start of a news conference with Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese, who was being honored with a state visit to Washington DC.
Settler violence against Palestinians has intensified since the Hamas attack, and settlers have killed Palestinians, according to Palestinian authorities. Rights groups say settlers have torched cars and attacked several small Bedouin communities, forcing them to evacuate to other areas.
Biden again condemned the brutality of the Hamas attack that killed 1,400 Israelis and said that he was convinced that Hamas was driven in part by a desire to undo US-led efforts to normalize Israeli relations with some of its Arab neighbors, including Saudi Arabia.
Biden also said that after the Israel-Hamas conflict comes to an end, Israelis, Palestinians and their partners must work toward a two-state solution:
Israelis and Palestinians equally deserve to live side by side in safety, dignity and peace. When this crisis is over, there has to be a vision of what comes next. And in our view, it has to be a two-state solution.
Switzerland has suspended financial support to 11 Palestinian and Israeli non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in light of ongoing hostilities in the region.
A statement from the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) reads:
In view of the new situation that has prevailed since the Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October and the resumption of hostilities in the Middle East, the FDFA has decided to suspend its financial support to eleven local NGOs (six Palestinian and five Israeli).
The organisations are mainly active in the field of human rights, it said.
The department said the suspension would allow an “in-depth analysis” of whether these organisations’ communications comply with the FDFA’s code of conduct and anti-discrimination clause.
The FDFA’s cooperation activities in the Middle East must adapt to the new context that has prevailed since the resumption of hostilities. The relevance and feasibility of programmes will therefore have to be analysed in general terms.
French president Emmanuel Macron said he believed it would be an “error” if Israel launched a “massive” ground incursion into Gaza.
The warning came as Macron held talks in Cairo with his Egyptian counterpart, Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, who also urged efforts “to avoid a ground invasion” in the Palestinian territory.
Speaking to reporters in Egypt, Macron said:
France recognises Israel’s right to defend itself. Regarding a ground intervention, if it is entirely targeted against terrorist groups, that is a choice that it has, but if it is a massive operation that would endanger civilian populations, in that case I think it would be an error for Israel.
The French leader said: “It would also be a mistake for Israel because it would be unlikely to offer long-term protection and because it is incompatible with protecting the civilian population or respecting international humanitarian law and the rules of war.”
Macron said France would be sending a navy ship to support Gaza’s hospitals within the next 48 hours.
The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, said he asked Qatar’s prime minister to tone down the state-owned Al Jazeera’s rhetoric about the war in Gaza, according to a report.
Blinken, speaking to a group of US Jewish community leaders on Monday, said he asked the Qatari governmentto change its public posture towards Hamas, Axios reported, citing people who attended the meeting.
Blinken said he asked the Qataris to “turn down the volume on Al Jazeera’s coverage because it is full of anti-Israel incitement”, according to one source.
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) continue to carry out airstrikes in the Gaza Strip to “improve” the army’s situation for the upcoming ground offensive, IDF spokesperson Rear Adm Daniel Hagari said.
In a statement, Hagari said the war “will be long, and to achieve the goals of the war, resilience, trust and patience are required” from the Israeli public.
We will continue to strike in Gaza to achieve the goals of the war. Every strike improves our situation for the next stages.
By Bernd Debusmann Jr on Capitol Hill & Mike Wendling in Chicago
BBC News
Mike Johnson has been elected Speaker of the House of Representatives, ending weeks of chaos and Republican infighting on Capitol Hill.
The conservative Louisiana lawmaker won with 220 votes in the lower chamber of Congress.
Mr Johnson is the fourth Republican nominated for the position since Kevin McCarthy's ouster on 3 October.
The previous nominee, Minnesota's Tom Emmer, abruptly dropped out of the race on Tuesday after about four hours.
Mr Johnson's success in the hard-fought Speaker battle represents a victory for the ideologically right-wing, Trump-aligned faction of the Republican Party and a loss for its moderates, whose candidates struggled to gain traction among conservative representatives on Capitol Hill.
Addressing the House after the vote, Mr Johnson, 51, said that the last-minute negotiations meant that his wife was unable get a flight to Washington in time for his installation as Speaker.
"She's a little worn out, we all are," he said.
He mentioned border security, inflation and the conflict in the Middle East as some of his main priorities as Speaker.
"The challenge before us is great, but the time for action is now, and I will not let you down," Mr Johnson said. "We know that there's a lot going on in our country, domestically and abroad, and we are ready to get to work again to solve those problems."
Mr Johnson promised that the first bill he would introduce would be in support of Israel, one of the few areas of bipartisan agreement.
"We are overdue in getting that done," he said.
Speaking on the Capitol steps after he was sworn in, Mr Johnson vowed to set an "aggressive" schedule now that the House is "back in business".
Still, there are other political storms brewing in both the closely divided House and in the Republican party that could slow down the pace.
The House now faces a deadline of 17 November to come to an agreement to continue funding the US government, or face a shutdown. Mr McCarthy made the deal to extend the budget deadline for six weeks, and then faced the wrath of angry hardliners in the Republican Party who orchestrated his ouster.
Following Mr Johnson's election, several representatives singled out the budget issue as the most pressing facing the House in the near-future.
"We need to not waste any time," New York Republican Anthony D'Esposito said of the issue. "What we've done the last few days is not work."
Mr Johnson also takes a staunchly conservative position on a number of policy issues, including abortion rights and same-sex marriage, which he opposes, that could make it difficult to reach across the aisle.
Like many in the right wing of his party, Mr Johnson is against further US aid to Ukraine, as well.
His views have sparked alarm among some Democrats.
One, California's Adam Schiff, told reporters that he sees Mr Johnson as "one of the very determined ideologues" who is "not among the Republicans who are much more open to working together on a variety of issues".
In a statement, the Congressional Equality Caucus, made up of openly LGBT representatives, described Mr Johnson as someone with a "demonstrated career attacking LGBTQI+ people across the country".
By electing him Speaker, "his supporters have signalled they want these attacks against our community to continue", Wisconsin Democrat Mark Pocan said in the statement.
Fighting for Trump in 2020 election
The Democratic leader in the House, Hakeem Jeffries, also spoke on Wednesday, before ceremonially handing Mr Johnson the large Speaker's gavel.
Mr Jeffries rebuked his fellow members who rejected the outcome of the 2020 president election - all of them Republicans, including Mr Johnson - but said his party "will find bipartisan common ground with our Republican colleagues whenever and wherever possible".
"The time for gamesmanship is over, the game for brinkmanship is over, the time for partisanship is over," Mr Jeffries said. "It's time to get back to doing the business of the American people."
Mr Johnson was a key figure in efforts to legally contest the results of the 2020 presidential election, urging Mr Trump to "keep fighting" and "exhaust every available legal remedy".
The mild-mannered former lawyer and talk radio host has served in the House since 2016 and is a former chairman of the Republican Study Committee, a position that is often seen as a first step toward leadership positions within the party.
When nominating Mr Johnson on the floor of the House, Elise Stefanik, the chair of the Republican conference, called him a "dedicated servant" and "titan" who has dedicated his life to "America's great principles of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness".
But Democrat Pete Aguilar called him "the most important architect of electoral college objections" to the 2020 presidential vote and said he was chosen because he "can appease Donald Trump".
