Oct. 10: First plane with ‘advanced’ US ammo lands at airbase; Blinken to visit Israel

Sirens sound in Israeli community north of Gaza Strip

Sirens warning of incoming rockets wail in Netiv Ha’asara, an Israeli community just north of the Gaza Strip.

There are no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

Death toll from Hamas onslaught said to climb to over 1,000

The estimated death toll in Hamas’s shock assault and massacre of civilians has reached over 1,000, according to
Hebrew media reports.

The Health Ministry said earlier that more 2,900 have been injured in the unprecedented assault, with over 500 still hospitalized.

IAF strikes over 70 Hamas targets in Gaza City

Explosions illuminate the sky during Israeli strikes on Gaza City on October 10, 2023. (MAHMUD HAMS / AFP)

Dozens of Israeli Air Force jets struck over 70 targets belonging to Palestinian terror group Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the military says.

The targets are hit in the Gaza City district of At-Tuffah, in the northeast of the city.

The military says the area served as a “terrorist nest” for Hamas and a center from which it carried out operations against Israel.

The Israel Defense Forces says jets also hit a structure used by Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

Blinken will visit Israel Thursday in show of ‘solidarity and support’

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, listens as US President Joe Biden addresses the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel from the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on October 7, 2023. (Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP)

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit Israel on Thursday in a show of “solidarity and support” from the Biden administration following the Hamas terror attacks against the Jewish state, State Department spokesperson Matt Miller says.

Blinken will meet with top Israeli officials; “reiterate his condolences for the victims of the terrorist attacks against Israel and condemn those attacks in the strongest terms; reaffirm US solidarity with the government and people of Israel and discuss measures to bolster Israel’s security and underscore the United States’ unwavering support for Israel’s right to defend itself,” the State Department says.

Blinken will also make a stop in Jordan on Friday before returning to the US.

US defense secretary phones Gallant for third time in four days to discuss Gaza war

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant greets US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin at Ben Gurion Airport, March 2023. (Ariel Hermoni/Defense Ministry)

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant “to reiterate the unwavering US support for Israel in the wake of Hamas’ abhorrent terrorist attack and to receive updates on Israel’s operations to restore security,” according to the US readout.

Austin “reaffirmed the US commitment to expedite air defense capabilities and munitions requested by Israel in support of their efforts to defend the Israeli people,” the Defense Department says.

This was their third call in four days.

Blinken phones Herzog to ‘reaffirm unwavering US support for Israel’

Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks with President Isaac Herzog, July 18, 2023 (Office of the President)

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke on the phone today with President Isaac Herzog earlier today to “reaffirm unwavering US support for Israel’s right to defend itself from Hamas’ horrific terrorist attacks,” the State Department says.

“The Secretary reiterated his condolences for all those killed or injured and for those still missing,” the US readout adds.

Blinken is slated to visit Israel on Thursday to further discuss US support with Israeli officials.

First plane with ‘advanced’ US ammunition lands in Israel

A first transport plane with “advanced” American ammunition landed at the Nevatim airbase in southern Israel this evening, the military says.

The IDF says the ammunition is intended “to enable significant strikes and preparations for additional scenarios.”

“We are grateful for the American support and assistance to the IDF in particular, and to the State of Israel in general, during this challenging period,” the IDF says.

“Our common enemies know that the cooperation between the armies is stronger than ever, and is a key part of ensuring regional security and stability,” the IDF adds.

Biden’s remarks ‘an attempt to cover crimes’ of Israel — Hamas

Hamas calls US President Joe Biden’s comments “inflammatory” after he condemned the group’s unprecedented attack on Israel as “sheer evil.”

“These remarks are an attempt to cover up the crimes and terror of the Zionist government,” the terror group that controls the Gaza Strip says in a statement on its website.

Putin says concerned over ‘catastrophic increase’ in Israel-Gaza casualties

Russian President Vladimir Putin voices concern at the “catastrophic increase” in the number of civilian victims in Israel and the Gaza Strip, after four days of fighting.

During a telephone call with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, “emphasis was placed on the sharply worsening situation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict zone,” the Kremlin says in a statement.

“Deep concern was expressed about the continuing escalation of violence and the catastrophic increase in the number of civilian casualties,” it adds.

Putin and Erdogan had reiterated the need for “an immediate ceasefire” and for “the resumption of the negotiation process,” according to the Kremlin.

Neither has offered clear condemnation of Hamas for its mass killing of hundreds of Israeli civilians on Saturday.

Families of abductees tell Herzog they ‘will rock the country’ to bring them back

President Isaac Herzog speaks to the nation, October 8, 2023. (Amos Ben Gershom/GPO)

Representatives of families of individuals thought abducted by Hamas into Gaza met with President Isaac Herzog earlier today.

Eden David, whose two sisters are missing, said, “Bringing back those kidnapped is a fundament of our society. We won’t win the war until everyone is home. If need be, we will rock the country.”

Eyal Eshel, whose daughter is also believed abducted, said: “With all due respect to the war, children were abducted. We will not allow them to grow up there for nine years before bringing them back.”

Gal Hirsch, appointed as the point man for the abductees, told the families that “the best minds are working on bringing [them] back.”

Herzog said the matter was at the top of the agenda.

IDF says it struck home of Hamas military wing spokesman Abu Obeida

The IDF says it struck the home of Hamas’s military wing spokesman, who is known as Abu Obeida, in the Gaza Strip.

The IDF’s Arabic-language spokesman, Avichay Adraee, says in a post on X that the spokesman was “working to direct terrorism against the State of Israel.”

The military says it is continuing to carry out strikes in Gaza at this hour.

#فيديو: هكذا دمرت طائرة حربية المنزل الذي كان يعمل منه الناطق باسم الجناح العسكري لحماس الإرهابية على توجيه الإرهاب ضد دولة إسرائيل

(نفسه الذي هدد وتوعد اليوم البلدات الاسرائيلية وفي نفس الساعة) pic.twitter.com/k8Eczlt5rV

— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) October 10, 2023

Iran’s Khamenei tweets in Hebrew: Zionists, you brought this calamity upon yourselves

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei tells Israelis in a post to his official X account: “You brought this calamity upon yourselves.”

The post, written in broken Hebrew on Khamenei’s X (Twitter) account also says, “Dictatorial Zionists, you cannot recover from the defeat of October 7.”

הציונים העריצים:
תבוסת יום השבת 7 באוקטובר אי אפשר להתרומם ממנה, הבאתם את הפורענות הזאת לעצמכם

— Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) October 10, 2023

Netanyahu tells Biden: We’ve never seen such savagery in the history of the state

In a readout of his call with Biden, Netanyahu’s office says he told the US leader: “We’ve never seen such savagery in the history of the state” nor “since the Holocaust.”

“They took dozens of children, bound them up, burned them and executed them. They beheaded soldiers, they mowed down these youngsters who came to a nature festival, you know, put five jeeps around this depression in the soil and like Babyn Yar, they mowed them down, making sure that they killed everybody.”

“They’re even worse than ISIS and we need to treat them as such.”

He thanked Biden for his full backing and stressed the campaign would be lengthy.

He also noted White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby’s emotional response to the events in Israel, saying it “deeply moved” Israelis and “represented the depth of the commitment that you have, that your administration has and that the American people across the people have for Israel.”

#WATCH: Prime Minister Netanyahu speaks with President Biden and describes the massacre by Hamas.
"Savagery that we haven't seen since the Holocaust… They took children, bound them up, burned and executed them. They beheaded soldiers. They mowed down these youngsters." pic.twitter.com/3CH0KwZ4kl

— Israel National News – Arutz Sheva (@ArutzSheva_En) October 10, 2023

IDF says troops killed three Palestinian terrorists near Ashkelon

IDF says troops killed three Palestinian terrorists near the southern coastal city of Ashkelon.

Troops of the 17th Battalion, along with a drone and a combat helicopter providing air support, clashed with the three gunmen close to the Ashkelon industrial zone, just outside the city.

“The troops eliminated the three terrorists and are now continuing to search the area,” the IDF says.

The military says a fire broke out in the area during the incident, and firefighters are en route to put it out.

Israel carrying out artillery strikes in Syria after mortar fire

Israeli artillery at an undisclosed location in northern Israel bordering Lebanon on October 8, 2023. (Jalaa Marey/AFP)

The IDF says it is carrying out artillery strikes in Syria after a number of mortars were launched toward northern Israel.

The IDF says it is targeting the origin of the mortar fire.

Qatar says ‘too early’ for any Israel-Hamas prisoner talks

Qatar says it is too soon to start brokering talks on a potential prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas.

Qatari foreign ministry spokesman Majed bin Mohammed Al-Ansari says it is “too early” for mediation when asked about the prospects for a potential prisoner exchange.

“At this moment, it is a very difficult point to say that any party can start with mediation. I think we need to see developments on the ground,” he tells reporters.

Kyiv ‘certain’ Russia supporting Hamas operations — Zelensky

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks during a press conference with President of the European Commission Ursula Von der Leyen in Kyiv on May 9, 2023. (Sergei Supinsky/AFP)

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky accuses Russia of supporting Hamas in its conflict against Israel.

“We are certain that Russia is supporting, in one way or another, Hamas operations,” Zelensky says in an interview with the France 2 television channel. “Russia is really trying to carry out destabilizing actions all over the world.”

Zelensky also says the violence engulfing Israel and Gaza risks distracting international attention from the war in his own country.

“There is a risk that international attention will turn away from Ukraine, and that will have consequences,” he says.

The tragedies affecting his Ukraine and Israel “are different, but both are immense,” he says.

Several mortars fired from Syria at Israel; no damage

The Israel Defense Forces says a number of mortars were fired from Syria at the Golan Heights.

The IDF says that several of the projectiles crossed into Israeli territory and landed in open areas, causing no damage.

The IDF says it will provide further information soon.

Hamas, Hezbollah release claims for separate rocket attacks from Lebanon

Hamas issues a claim of responsibility for an earlier rocket attack against Israel from Lebanon.

“We are advancing on the path of liberation and return by launching targeted missile strikes on settlements in the Western Galilee from southern Lebanon,” reads a statement by the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas.

“Our resistance will continue until we realize our right of return, the release of our prisoners, the cleansing of al-Aqsa, and we break the siege on Gaza.”

Fifteen rockets were fired by Hamas from Lebanon during the day, four of which were intercepted by the Iron Dome air defense system, while the rest landed in open areas, causing no damage or injuries, the IDF said.

Hezbollah also releases a claim of responsibility for firing two anti-tank missiles at an Israeli armored vehicle near Avivim on the Lebanon border. None were hurt in the attack. The claim highlights that the attack is a response to Israeli strikes on Hezbollah observation points on Monday, in which three Hezbollah members were killed.

That was itself a response to an infiltration attack by Lebanese gunmen that killed three Israeli soldiers.

Biden: ‘We’re with Israel. Let’s make no mistake’

President Biden completes his address:

“For 75 years, Israel has stood as the ultimate guarantor of the security of Jewish people around the world, so that the atrocities of the past could never happen again.

“Let there be no doubt: The United States has Israel’s back. We will make sure the Jewish and democratic state of Israel can defend itself today, tomorrow, as we always have. It’s as simple as that.

“These atrocities, they’re sickening.

“We’re with Israel. Let’s make no mistake. Thank you.”

Biden says US is stepping up security to prevent any threats to the Jewish community

President Joe Biden continues his address:

“Yesterday I also spoke with the leaders of France, Germany, Italy and the UK to discuss the latest developments with our European allies and coordinate our united response. This comes on top of days of steady engagement with partners across the region.

“We’re also taking steps at home. In cities across the United States of America, police departments have stepped up security around centers of Jewish life. The Department of Homeland Security and Federal Bureau of Investigation are working closely with state and local law enforcement and Jewish community partners to identify and disrupt any domestic threat that could emerge in connection with these horrific attacks.

“This is a moment for the United States to come together — to grieve with those who are mourning. Let’s be real clear, there is no place for hate in America. Not against Jews, not against Muslims, not against anybody. What we reject is terrorism. We condemn indiscriminate evil, just as we have always done. That’s what America stands for…

“Over 50 years ago, as a young senator, I visited Israel for the first time — as a newly elected senator — and I had a long, long trip, and a meeting with Golda Meir in her office, just before the Yom Kippur War. I guess she could see the consternation in my face as she described what … they were facing. We walked outside, in that sort of hallway outside her office, to have some photos. She looked at me all of a sudden and said, Would you like to have a photograph? So I got up and followed her out. We were standing there silent, looking at the press

“She could tell I was concerned. She looked over and whispered to me: Don’t worry Senator Biden. We have a secret weapon here in Israel… We have no place else to go. We have no place else to go.”

Biden warns any who may think to join attack on Israel: ‘I have one word: Don’t’

US President Biden continues his address:

“We will make sure Israel has what it needs to take care of its citizens, defend itself and respond to this attack.

“There is no justification for terrorism. There’s no excuse.

“Hamas does not stand for the Palestinian people’s right to dignity and self-determination. Its stated purpose is the annihilation of the State of Israel and the murder of Jewish people. They use Palestinian civilians as human shields. Hamas offers nothing but terror and bloodshed with no regard to who pays the price.

“The loss of innocent life is heartbreaking.

“Like every nation in the world, Israel has the right to respond, and indeed has a duty to respond, to these vicious attacks.

“I just got off the phone with a third call with Prime Minister Netanyahu. I told him the United States’… response to be swift, decisive and overwhelming. We also discussed how democracies like Israel and the United States are stronger and more secure when we act according to the rule of law. Terrorists purposely target civilians, kill them. We uphold the law of war. It matters there’s a difference.

“Today, Americans across the country are praying for all those families that have been ripped apart. A lot of us know how it feels. It leaves a black hole in your chest when you lose family. A feeling like you’re being sucked in. The anger, the pain, the sense of hopelessness. This is what they mean by a human tragedy. An atrocity on an appalling scale.

“We’re going to continue to stand united, supporting the people of Israel who are suffering unspeakable losses, and opposing the hatred and the violence of terrorism.

“My team has been in near-constant communication with our Israeli partners, partners all across the region and the world, from the moment this crisis began.

“We’re surging additional military assistance, including ammunition and interceptors to replenish Iron Dome.”

“We’re going to make sure that Israel does not run out of these critical assets to defend its cities and its citizens.”

“My administration has consulted closely with Congress throughout this crisis. And when Congress returns, we’re going to ask them to take urgent action to fund the national security requirements of our critical partners. This is not about party or politics. This is about the security of our world. The security of the United States of America.

“We now know that American citizens are among those being held by Hamas.

“I’m directing my team to share intelligence and deploy additional experts across the United States government to consult with and advise Israeli counterparts in hostage recovery efforts. Because as president I have no higher priority than the safety of Americans being held hostage around the world.

“The United States has also enhanced our military force posture in the region, to strengthen our deterrence. The Department of Defense has moved the USS Gerald R Ford carrier strike crew to the Eastern Mediterranean and bolstered our fighter aircraft presence. And we stand ready to move in additional assets as needed.

“Let me say again, to any country, any organization, anyone thinking of taking advantage of this situation, I have one word: Don’t. Don’t.”

“Our hearts may be broken but our resolve is clear.”

Biden: Hamas unleashed pure unadulterated evil, evoked memories of Jewish genocide

US President Joe Biden Biden address the Israel-Hamas war, October 10, 2023 (Video screenshot)

In a live address, US President Joe Biden Biden says Hamas’s massacre of Israeli civilians in border towns was “sheer evil.”

“Good afternoon. You know there are moments in this life, I mean this literally, when a pure unadulterated evil is unleashed on this world. The people of Israel lived through one such moment this weekend [at] the bloody hands of the terrorist organization Hamas, a group whose stated purpose for being is to kill Jews.

“This was an act of sheer evil. More than 1,000 civilians slaughtered, just got slaughtered, in Israel. Among them,  at least 14 American citizens killed.

“Parents butchered using their bodies to try to protect their children. Stomach-turning reports of babies being killed; entire families slain; young people massacred while attending a musical festival to celebrate peace, celebrate peace; women raped, assaulted, paraded as trophies,” Biden says.

“Families hid their fear for hours and hours desperately trying to keep their children quiet, to avoid drawing attention. And thousands of wounded — alive but carrying with them the bullet holes and the shrapnel wounds and the memory of what they endured. You all know, these traumas never go away.

“There are still so many families desperately waiting to hear the fate of their loved ones. Not knowing if they are alive or dead or hostages. Infants in their mothers’ arms, grandparents in wheelchairs, Holocaust survivors abducted and held hostage. Hostages whom Hamas is now threatening to execute, in violation of every code of human morality.

“It’s abhorent.

“The brutality of Hamas, this bloodthirstiness, brings to mind the worst rampages of ISIS. This is terrorism. But sadly for the Jewish people, it’s not new. This attack has brought to the surface painful memories and the scars left by millennia of antisemitism and genocide of the Jewish people.”

“In this moment it must be crystal clear: We stand with Israel. We stand with Israel.”

Security forces battling Palestinian terrorist near Ashkelon

Israeli security forces are battling a Palestinian terrorist near Ashkelon, local officials say.

The Hof Ashkelon Regional Council says in a statement that police officers and soldiers are engaged in a gunfight with at least one gunman at the Trans-Israel pipeline junction, just south of the coastal city.

Palestinian official says Israel refused to allow food, medicines into Gaza

Senior Palestinian official Hussein al-Sheikh says Israel rejected the entry of food and medical supplies into the Gaza Strip, and calls on the international community to “intervene urgently to stop the aggression and allow the entry of relief materials and restore electricity and water, because the Gaza Strip is facing a major humanitarian catastrophe.”

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant ordered a “complete siege” of the Gaza Strip yesterday, including stopping the supply of electricity, food and fuel.

The two land crossings from Israel into the Strip have been closed since Hamas launched its deadly onslaught on Israeli communities Saturday, with the larger one, Erez, having been completely destroyed by terrorists.

The Rafah crossing into Israel was open until this morning. In the early afternoon, the IAF bombed it and forced it to close. Egyptian trucks carrying fuel and goods to the strip were forced to turn back.

The IDF has said it hit an underground tunnel for smuggling weapons and equipment in the Rafah area, but did not confirm or deny hitting the crossing itself.

We requested that food and medical supplies be entered urgently to our people in the #Gaza Strip, but Israel refused. We call on international humanitarian institutions and the international community to intervene urgently to stop the aggression and allow the entry of relief… https://t.co/iowT3S543b

— حسين الشيخ Hussein AlSheikh (@HusseinSheikhpl) October 10, 2023

WATCH: US President Joe Biden to address Gaza war

US President Joe Biden is about to make an address on the Israel-Hamas war.

Watch it here:

Zara owner Inditex ‘temporarily’ shuts stores in Israel

File: People walk outside a Zara shop in Jerusalem on June 28, 2022. (Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90)

Spanish clothing giant Inditex, owner of the brand Zara, announces it is “temporarily” closing its 84 stores in Israel until further notice, four days into the war between Israel and Hamas.

“Our stores will be temporarily closed and [item] return times will be extended by 20 days from their reopening,” the group, which also owns Pull&Bear, Bershka, Stradivarius, Massimo Dutti and Zara Home, says on its Israeli websites.

IDF spokesman says killing senior Hamas members is a top priority

IDF spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari announces that Israel is at war, after a deadly mass Hamas infiltration from Gaza, October 7, 2023. (IDF Spokesman)

The IDF’s top spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari says killing senior Hamas members is a top priority.

“We will not stop the effort to eliminate senior Hamas officials, this is a top priority,” Hagari says in a press conference, after Israeli strikes killed two senior Hamas members last night.

He says troops are still scanning for terrorists in southern Israel, after the initial Hamas invasion on Saturday morning.

Today alone, a terrorist was killed near Sa’ad, four terrorists were killed near Zikim, two terrorists were killed near Sderot, and another two were killed near Re’im, he says.

“The directive to the forces is clear. Find terrorists and destroy them,” Hagari says.

“We are making a strong defense on the border. There were infiltration attempts today, but the terrorists were eliminated before they reached the fence,” he says.

Hagari also says the bodies of 103 terrorists were found in Kibbutz Be’eri alone, after they were killed in clashes with troops. More than 100 Israelis were murdered by the terrorists in the kibbutz.

Soldiers kill two terrorists near Kibbutz Re’im — IDF

The IDF says troops have killed two Palestinian terrorists near Kibbutz Re’im in southern Israel, close to the border with the Gaza Strip.

Metula residents urged to leave community in fear of Hezbollah attack

A picture taken from southern Lebanon on October 9, 2023, shows an Israeli Merkava tank driving in the border town of Metula, Israel. (Mahmoud Zayyat/AFP)

Officials in Israel’s northern-most community of Metula have urged residents to leave, fearing they could find themselves targeted if Hezbollah launches an assault against Israel.

“In light of a situational assessment and the potential for escalation here, we are beseeching you to leave,” the town’s security team says in a message.

It says those who can’t independently evacuate or can’t arrange alternative lodging will get help in doing so.

Egyptian official: Israel telling us it’s readying for months-long ground campaign

Israel is readying for a months-long ground campaign in Gaza, an Egyptian official tells The Times of Israel, saying that this message has been passed along from Jerusalem to Cairo.

The Egyptian official says Israel has thus far dismissed Cairo’s efforts to mediate any sort of de-escalation, indicating that it wants to deal a knock-out blow to Hamas before entertaining the idea of a ceasefire.

IDF providing thousands of weapons to first-response teams in communities

The IDF says it has said it has started to distribute thousands of firearms to civilian security teams and defense networks around the country to bolster the security protection of small towns and communities.

“The territorial defense officers in the IDF and the Home Front Command maintain regular dialogue with the heads of regional councils and their security officers,” the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit says.

“The IDF will continue to reinforce and strengthen the settlements with military equipment in order to provide optimal protection and a sense of security to all residents throughout the country,” it adds.

Earlier on Tuesday, the National Security Ministry which has authority over the Israel Police announced it had purchased 10,000 assault rifles also for the use of civilian security teams.

The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit confirmed that both the army and the ministry were distributing weapons to the civilian service teams, but did not immediately say whether they had coordinated the distribution campaign.

Over the past three years, the IDF has taken away assault rifles from civilian service teams due to the repeated theft of such weapons, but this left some squads defenseless in the face of Hamas’s savage attack on Saturday.

Biden wraps up call with Netanyahu, will address nation shortly

US President Joe Biden just wrapped up his call with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and will address the nation shortly about the Gaza war, the White House says.

Readouts from the call are expected to be issued in the coming hours.

Herzog briefs Senate Majority Leader Schumer about ongoing war

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (center) and a bipartisan Senate delegation are briefed over the phone by President Isaac Herzog at the US Embassy in Beijing on October 10, 2023. (Senate Majority Leader's Office)

President Isaac Herzog has briefed Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer about the ongoing Israeli war against Hamas.

Schumer is currently leading a bipartisan Senate delegation in China and phoned Herzog from the US Embassy in Beijing.

Schumer told President Herzog that “he stood firm in the bipartisan support in the United States Senate for Israel and stands ready to do whatever it takes to ensure Israel has the resources it needs,” the senate majority leader’s office says in a statement.

Bipartisan Congressional resolution expresses full support for Israel in war

The US House of Representatives at the Capitol in Washington, October 4, 2023. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Three-hundred ninety-two members of the US House have signed onto a bipartisan resolution expressing full-throated support for Israel’s war against Hamas.

The symbolic resolution co-sponsored by House Foreign Affairs Committee chair Rep. Michael McCaul and Rep. Gregory Meeks “stands with Israel as it defends itself against the barbaric war launched by Hamas and other terrorists; reaffirms Israel’s right to self-defense, condemns Hamas’s brutal war against Israel, calls on all countries to unequivocally condemn Hamas’s brutal war against Israel; calls on Hamas to immediately cease these violent attacks and safely release all living hostages and return the bodies of deceased hostages.”

The resolution “mourns the over 900 Israelis and 11 Americans killed and over 2,600 others wounded in Hamas’s unprovoked attack on Israel; reaffirms the United States’ commitment to Israel’s security, including through security assistance in; urges full enforcement of the Taylor Force Act (which bars direct aid to the Palestinian Authority) and other restrictions in US law to prevent US foreign assistance from benefiting terrorists, directly or indirectly.”

The resolution “condemns Iran’s support for terrorist groups and proxies, including Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad; urges full enforcement of US sanctions against Iran to prevent Iran’s funding of terrorist groups, including Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad; and stands ready to assist Israel with emergency resupply and other security, diplomatic, and intelligence support.”

Parents of missing US citizen: If there ever was a moment of good vs evil, this is it

Families of US citizens thought kidnapped by Hamas to Gaza hold a press conference in Tel Aviv, October 10, 2023. (Video screenshot)

Some more quotes from the press conference today of families of kidnapped and missing American citizens:

“The United States always wants to be and must be on the side of good,” said Jonathan Dekel-Chen, whose son Sagi was last seen fighting Hamas terrorists in Kibbutz Nir Oz.

The Hebrew University historian says: “Hamas is evil.”

“If there ever was a moment of good against evil in the harshest terms, this is it.”

The four families made the remarks at a press conference in front of dozens of foreign journalists at the Carlton Hotel in Tel Aviv.

Rachel Goldberg, a Chicago-born mother of 23-year-old Hersh Goldberg-Polin, was at home in Jerusalem on Saturday morning when air raid sirens sounded. She turned on her phone on the Sabbath because of the emergency, and saw two messages from Hersh, who had left the night before to go camping. “I love you,” he wrote. “I’m sorry.”

She said survivors informed her that his arm was blown off by a Hamas grenade at the music festival on the border. The last known cell signal from his phone was on the Gaza border.

Naher Neta, son of 66-year-old Fresno native Adrienne Neta, says he was on the phone with his mother as terrorists stormed her home.

“It sounds ridiculous to say this, but the optimistic scenario is that she is held hostage in Gaza, and not dead on the streets of the kibbutz where we grew up,” he says.

The elder Neta is a nurse who has delivered thousands of babies at Soroka Hospital in Beersheba.

Ruby Chen, whose 19-year-old son Itay is missing following a battle with Hamas terrorists, asked the gathered journalists, “Please do not think of us only as a headline. We are more than that. We are people with families. And we want to be back as families again.”

Itay, who serves in the Armored Corps, was last heard from as the attack began. “After 70 hours, if he is not in the State of Israel, he is in another place.”

“I ask the US not to take a back seat,” said Chen. “The US has a lot of resources, it is able to do many things that is different than what the Israeli government can do.”

Egypt’s Sissi urges ceasefire between Israel and Hamas

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi attends the closing session of the New Global Financial Pact Summit, in Paris, June 23, 2023. (Lewis Joly/AP)

President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi of Egypt says the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza “is very serious,” warning of repercussions on the region’s “security and stability.”

Sissi, whose government maintains ties with Israel and Hamas, says Cairo has intensified its efforts to reach a ceasefire in the ongoing war, according to the state-run MENA news agency.

“We are communicating with all international and regional parties in order to reach an immediate cessation of violence and achieve de-escalation,” he is quoted as saying.

The Egyptian leader affirms his country’s position on establishing a “just and comprehensive peace” based on the two-state solution.

Health Ministry says 2,900 injured people hospitalized since Saturday

Wounded Israeli soldiers from the south arrive to the Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in Jerusalem, October 7, 2023. (Noam Revkin Fenton/Flash90)

The Health Ministry updates that as of 7 p.m., 2,901 injured people have been evacuated to hospitals around the country since Saturday morning.

Five hundred and thirty-five are still hospitalized: one in critical condition, 105 in serious condition, 282 in moderate condition and 167 in light condition.

Shin Bet names 3 more members killed in Hamas attack

The Shin Bet security agency names another three members killed during the Hamas attack on southern Israel.

They are Itay Yehoshua, 36, from Hadid, and Omer Gvera, 26, from Gan Yavne, who were killed while battling Palestinian terrorists, and Smadar Mor Idan, 38, from Kfar Aza, who was killed by terrorists in her home.

X promises ‘highest level’ of response on posts about Israel-Hamas war

The social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, says it is trying to take action on a flood of posts sharing graphic media, violent speech and hateful conduct about the latest war between Israel and Hamas.

X says it’s treating the crisis with its highest level of response.

But outside watchdog groups say misinformation about the war abounds on the platform that billionaire Elon Musk bought last year. Musk himself has recommended unreliable accounts posting about the war. And his job cuts since taking over Twitter last year have left fewer people responsible for taking action on posts that violate the platform’s policies.

Erdogan claims US aircraft carrier’s arrival could lead to massacres

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attends the presentation ceremony of letters of confidence to newly appointed Ambassadors at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, Turkey on September 27, 2023. (Adem Altan/AFP)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has criticized Israel’s blockade of Gaza saying cutting off electricity and water is against the Palestinians’ human rights.

Speaking at a joint news conference with Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer on Tuesday, Erdogan criticized US plans to send an aircraft carrier to the region, saying the deployment could lead to “massacres.”

“What is the US aircraft carrier doing in Israel? What is it coming to do? It will take down Gaza by striking the surrounding areas and start committing serious massacres,” he said.

The Turkish leader reiterated his offer to mediate between the sides and said he would continue his efforts to end the war. He said he also would hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres later on Tuesday.

IDF says soldiers killed two Palestinian terrorists near kibbutz in southern Israel

The IDF says troops have killed two Palestinian terrorists near Kibbutz Mefalsim in southern Israel, close to the border with the Gaza Strip.

“There are exchanges of fire and searches in another area for an additional terrorist,” the IDF adds.

Germany to Palestinian Authority: ‘Distance yourself from terror’

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock attends a press conference at Lancaster House, in London, January 5, 2023. (Kin Cheung/AP)

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock urges the Palestinian Authority to reject “terror” after the surprise Hamas assault on Israel.

“To the Palestinian leadership we say clearly: Distance yourself from this terror,” Baerbock says ahead of an emergency meeting of EU foreign ministers to which top diplomats from Israel and the Palestinian Authority are also invited.

“It cannot be justified. As the Palestinian Authority you have a duty, also to your own people.”

Gallant: Israel moving to full offense, Gaza will never return to what it was

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant meets troops on the Gaza border, October 10, 2023. (Ariel Hermoni/Defense Ministry)

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant says Israel is moving to a “full offense” against the Gaza Strip, as sporadic clashes with Hamas terrorists in southern Israel continue for a fourth day.

“I have released all the restraints, we have [regained] control of the area, and we are moving to a full offense,” Gallant says to troops on the Gaza border.

“You will have the ability to change the reality here. You have seen the prices [being paid], and you will get to see the change. Hamas wanted a change in Gaza, it will change 180 degrees from what it thought,” Gallant says.

“They will regret this moment, Gaza will never return to what it was,” he continues.

“Whoever comes to decapitate, murder women, Holocaust survivors — we will eliminate him with all our might, and without compromise,” Gallant adds.

Young West Bank Palestinian killed as Gaza rocket hits Tulkarem area

Ali Muhammad Elyan, a young Palestinian from the West Bank town of Baqa al-Sharqiya, north of Tulkarem, dies from a missile launched from the Gaza Strip that struck the village.

It is not clear whether Elyan was killed from a direct hit. Palestinian reports indicate that he died from the shrapnel falling from an Iron Dome interception, possibly in an attempt to deny that he was struck by a Palestinian projectile.

The town, whose name means “eastern Baqa,” is located next to the Green Line separating the West Bank from Israel. The Western part of Baqa, known as Baqa al-Gharbiya, lies within Israel.

الفلسطيني يستهدف الفبسطيني
مقتل شاب فلسطيني من بلدة باقة الشرقية شمال طولكرم جراء سقوط صاروخ أطلقته #حماس على البلدة. pic.twitter.com/wtYGWxr4M3

— جاي معيان Guy Maayan (@guy_telaviv) October 10, 2023

B’Tselem accuses Israel of committing war crimes in its military response to Hamas

The human rights group B’Tselem accuses Israel of committing war crimes in its military response to Hamas’s brutal attack on Israel in which it massacred hundreds of civilians.

“A criminal policy of revenge is underway,” says the organization, noting that Israel has dropped “hundreds of tons” of bombs on Gaza in its air campaign against the Hamas terror group.

“Among the people killed, some of them still trapped under debris, are entire families wiped out in a single bombardment – including at least 140 minors and 105 women,” B’Tselem says.

The organization says this, along with Israel’s decision to shut down goods crossings into Gaza, disconnect Gaza from the power grid and reduce the supply of water to the territory, “constitute war crimes openly ordered” by senior Israeli officials.

“Even in the face of horror and terror, intentionally harming civilians, their property and civilian infrastructure is always prohibited,” B’Tselem adds.

Smoke rises from an explosion caused by Israeli airstrikes on the border between Egypt and Rafah, Gaza Strip, October 10, 2023. (Hatem Ali/AP)

On Monday, B’Tselem accused Hamas of committing “a shocking crime” and of having “opened fire indiscriminately, killing hundreds of civilians and injuring thousands,” and noted it had also taken civilians captive, which is itself a war crime.

A spokesman for the group says that B’Tselem defines Hamas’s actions as war crimes.

“Intentional attacks on civilians are prohibited and unacceptable. There is no justification for such crimes, whether they are committed as part of a struggle for freedom from oppression or cited as part of a war against terror,” the group said in a Monday statement.

IDF names another 32 soldiers killed, taking military’s toll to 156

The IDF names another 32 soldiers killed during fighting with Palestinian terrorists since Saturday, mostly on the border with the Gaza Strip. The names bring the toll of slain soldiers to 156.

Likud says emergency government ‘taking major steps forward’

Likud says the efforts to form an emergency government with members of the opposition are “taking major steps forward.”

It says the prime minister has invited National Unity party head Benny Gantz for a meeting tonight.

IDF: Anti-tank missile fired at armored vehicle in north; chopper hits Hezbollah post

The Israel Defense Forces says a combat helicopter struck another Hezbollah post in southern Lebanon after an anti-tank guided missile was fired at an armored vehicle near the northern town of Avivim.

The military says no troops are hurt in the ATGM attack.

Relatives of US hostages of Hamas: Whatever needs to be done, please make it happen

Earlier, relatives of US citizens thought to be kidnapped to Gaza by Hamas held a press conference in Tel Aviv.

At the event, one family member, asked about what policy Israel should take as it fights the terror group, said: “I do not think it is our place to comment on the necessary actions.”

“All we ask of the Biden administration… is to act to the immediate release of all hostages and [to] remember that the US government has direct responsibility [for] the lives of the US hostages that are held hostage by these terrorists.

“Whatever any government needs to do in order to [get them back], please make that happen.”

Watch the full press conference here.

IDF says tanks shelled 2 Hezbollah posts in response to rockets

The Israel Defense Forces says tanks shelled two Hezbollah posts on the Lebanon border in response to rocket attacks on northern Israel earlier this evening.

“The IDF is prepared for all scenarios and will continue to protect the residents of the State of Israel,” the military says in a statement.

Woman moderately hurt by rocket in Ashkelon

The Magen David Adom ambulance service and its medics are treating a 54-year-old woman who was moderately hurt in the latest rocket attack from the Gaza Strip on the southern coastal city of Ashkelon.

Germany opens Hamas probe, as mother appeals for help

German federal prosecutors announce a probe into Hamas on suspicion of kidnap and murder of German citizens.

Prosecutors “have opened an investigation against unidentified members of the radical Palestinian Islamist organization Hamas,” a spokeswoman for the federal prosecutor’s office says.

The probe is over suspicions “of belonging to a foreign terrorist group, hostage-taking and murder,” she says.

Dozens of foreigners have been killed, injured or taken hostage during the attack by Hamas.

A foreign ministry source in Berlin earlier said that several Germans who are also Israeli nationals were among those kidnapped by Hamas, without giving an exact number.

IDF says 15 rockets were launched from Lebanon at northern Israel; no damage

The Israel Defense Forces says 15 rockets were launched from Lebanon at northern Israel about an hour ago.

The IDF says four projectiles were intercepted by the Iron Dome air defense system, while the rest landed in open areas, causing no damage or injuries.

In first, Ichilov says department will move to emergency underground facility

General view of Ichilov Medical Center in Tel Aviv on November 10, 2020. (Yossi Aloni/Flash90)

Ichilov Medical Center in Tel Aviv announces that for the first time in its history, one of its departments will be transferred to its emergency underground hospital facility.

The first ward to be moved will be an internal medicine one from a wing of the Sourasky Building. It will be transferred to several floors underground in the parking garage of the Sammy Ofer building.

Patients will begin to be moved at 9 a.m. Wednesday morning.

Troops reportedly clashing with terrorists near southern communities

Israeli forces are reportedly clashing with Palestinian terrorists near the southern city of Sderot and the nearby Kibbutz Mefalsim, close to the Gaza border.

Gunfire is heard in the area, according to Hebrew-language media reports.

The military has not provided any information on the incident.

The Sderot municipality orders residents to remain locked in their homes until further notice.

“Due to fear of a security incident, you must lock yourself in your homes immediately!” the city says in a statement.

The Israel Defense Forces believe some Palestinian gunmen are still in Israeli territory following Hamas’s terror attack on southern Israel on Saturday morning.

IDF: All schools to remain closed, limitations on businesses, gatherings

The Israel Defense Forces announces that schools across the entire country will remain closed in the coming days amid ongoing fighting between Israel and terror groups in the Gaza Strip, as the Home Front Command extends existing restrictions.

Additionally, businesses south of Netanya and north of the central Negev can only be opened if there is ready access to bomb shelters, the military says.

Gatherings are also restricted to 10 people outdoors and 50 people indoors in those areas, the IDF Home Front Command says.

In northern Israel towns close to the border with Lebanon, gatherings are restricted to 30 people outdoors and 300 people indoors, the IDF Home Font Command adds.

The restrictions are valid till Thursday at 6 p.m., but will likely be extended further amid the fighting.

FM won’t join meeting of EU counterparts: ‘No room for balance, theoretical talk’

Foreign Minister Eli Cohen attends a Knesset committee hearing, June 12, 2023. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Foreign Minister Eli Cohen turns down an invitation from EU Foreign Policy chief Josep Borrell to join a meeting of European foreign ministers in Brussels this evening.

“While we are burying our dead and are fighting criminal terrorism, when the world stands in clear support of Israel, there is no room for balance and theoretical discussions, only a decisive and uncompromising war against Palestinian terrorism,” says a source in Cohen’s office, signaling Jerusalem is focused on fighting the war and not in diplomatic initiatives.

Cohen will continue speaking by phone to European foreign ministers, says the source.

He is set to speak with the foreign ministers of Nepal and Thailand this evening. Both countries saw a significant number of citizens killed and kidnapped by Hamas.

Red Cross says it is seeking access to Israeli hostages, so far to no avail

An official at the International Committee of the Red Cross says his organization has been in touch with both Hamas and Israeli officials about accessing prisoners, but so far has not succeeded in obtaining it.

Fabrizio Carboni, the regional director for the Near and Middle East for the ICRC, says that includes the Israelis taken hostage by Hamas during their unprecedented incursion into Israel from the Gaza Strip.

“The level of violence is still very high but we’ve asked for access,” Carboni says from Geneva. “We ask also for the civilians who have been captured to have an opportunity to communicate with their family, to tell them that they are safe and well. We also ask that some people who have nothing to do in prison or shouldn’t be captured to be released.”

IDF carrying out fresh strikes in Gaza

The Israel Defense Forces says it is carrying out a new wave of airstrikes in the Gaza Strip.

The IDF says it is hitting targets belonging to the Hamas terror group along Gaza’s coastline.

Further details will be provided soon, the IDF adds.

Italian PM warns of Hamas-like attacks against Italian Jews

Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni speaks during a press conference after meeting with The Netherlands' Prime Minister Mark Rutte at Chigi Palace government offices in Rome, March 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni says her country needs “to intensify the protection of Italian Jews, because there is a risk of criminal acts against them in imitation of what we have seen at the hands of Hamas.”

Speaking during a visit to the Tempio Maggiore, Rome’s main synagogue, and a meeting with the head of the Jewish community Victor Fadlun and Chief Rabbi Riccardo Di Segni, Meloni says “With this visit, I wish to express my solidarity with the Jewish community in Rome and throughout Italy, because the heinous scenes that have come to us from Israel are beyond the usual war scenes. Civilians were hunted down house by house, children and youths were rounded up.”

According to a report in the Italian daily newspaper La Repubblica, Meloni says: “These acts speak of a hate for a whole people. Defending Israel’s right to exist means defending these young people, these children and these women. Therefore we need to strengthen the defense of Italian citizens of the Jewish faith on our territory.”

Meloni was one of five Western leaders who signed a joint statement yesterday to express “steadfast and united support to the State of Israel” and “unequivocal condemnation of Hamas and its appalling acts of terrorism.”

"Bisogna intensificare la protezione dei cittadini di religione ebraica anche sul nostro territorio perché il rischio di emulazione degli atti criminali da parte di Hamas potrebbe arrivare anche da noi" ha detto la presidente del consiglio Giorgia Meloni #ANSA pic.twitter.com/xg6swiEDx3

— Agenzia ANSA (@Agenzia_Ansa) October 10, 2023

Four Palestinian journalists killed in Israeli Gaza strikes — media unions

Four Palestinian journalists were killed in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza City today, media unions and officials say.

The latest deaths bring the number of Palestinian journalists killed in the fighting since Saturday to eight, the Palestinian Press Union says in a statement.

Another union, the Gaza journalists’ syndicate, announced earlier “the martyrdom of three journalists in the Gaza Strip in the ongoing Israeli aggression.”

The chief of Gaza’s Hamas-run government media office, Salameh Maarouf, identifies the three as Said al-Taweel, director of Al-Khamisa news agency; press photographer Mohammed Sobboh, and Hisham Nawajhah, a correspondent for a Gaza news agency.

IDF responds to rocket attack from Lebanon with artillery

Israeli artillery at an undisclosed location in northern Israel bordering Lebanon on October 8, 2023. (Jalaa Marey/AFP)

The Israel Defense Forces says it is responding to a rocket attack from Lebanon on northern Israel with artillery fire.

The IDF says it will provide further details soon.

No injuries were reported in the rocket attacks on the Western Galilee.

‘Time will come to examine failures’ in Gaza, state comptroller says

State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman at a Knesset committee meeting on December 28, 2022. (Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90)

State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman says during a tour of the Gaza border region that “the time will come” to thoroughly examine the numerous failures that enabled Hamas to invade Israel and commit the atrocities witnessed on Saturday.

The comptroller, tasked with reviewing the functioning of the government and state apparatus, adds that at present his office will focus on monitoring how well the needs of the civilian population are being met.

“The moment will come when we will examine everything that happened, the military and political aspect of things and the civilian aspect,” says Englman. “The time for examining the failures will come and it will be thoroughly comprehensive.”

Englman also notes that his office has been working on a report documenting preparedness on Israel’s northern borders, and says that it found “substantive deficiencies” that the government and IDF must address. That document has been sent to the prime minister and the defense minister for their responses, he adds.

No current plan to delay next week’s opening of Knesset winter session

View of the Knesset, Israel's parliament, in Jerusalem, on August 13, 2020. (Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90)

A Knesset spokesperson confirms there is currently no plan to delay next week’s parliamentary session opening, despite the ongoing war.

The Knesset is scheduled to return from its summer recess on October 15, with its first plenary session on October 16.

Education Ministry announces return of COVID-era distance learning

An Israeli pupil engages in remote learning at her home in Moshav Haniel, in central Israel, March 18, 2020. (Chen Leopold/Flash90)

Schools throughout Israel are to remain closed tomorrow, but approval has been given to begin distance learning, the Education Ministry announces.

“Following an assessment of the security in accordance with guidance from Home Front Command, the Education Ministry announces that tomorrow there will be no in-person education activities throughout the country,” the ministry says in a statement.

Distance learning, in the style implemented previously during the coronavirus lockdowns of 2020-21, has been approved, with each school to coordinate its own schedule, the ministry says.

Individual schools will still be able to potentially have in-person learning or activities, but only in coordination with the ministry, the IDF’s Home Front Command and the school’s local authority.

In a separate notice, the ministry announces the creation of a special office to help integrate students and parents who have been displaced by the fighting, with the aim of providing educational and psychological support while they stay in emergency or absorption centers.

Since the start of the hostilities Saturday, most of the residents from communities bordering the Gaza Strip have been evacuated. In addition, the current massive callup of IDF reservists has drawn from teaching and administrative staff, leaving educational institutions countrywide shorthanded.

Israel faces rocket attacks from both the Gaza Strip and Lebanon

Incoming rocket sirens are again sounding in the western Galilee and the southern coastal city of Ashkelon, as Israel faces rocket attacks from both the Gaza Strip and Lebanon.

There are no immediate reports of damage or injuries in the attacks.

Rocket sirens heard in towns close to the northern border with Lebanon

Incoming rocket sirens are sounding in towns close to the border with Lebanon.

The alerts are activated in Hanita, Metzuba, Betzet, Shlomi, Lehman, Achziv Miluot Industrial Zone, in the western Galilee.

There are no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

Rocket launched from Gaza appears to land in northern West Bank

A rocket launched from the Gaza Strip reportedly landed in the northern West Bank.

Footage published by Palestinian media shows smoke rising from an open area near Jenin.

#شاهد

لحظة سقوط صواريخ المقاومة في مناطق مستوطنات غرب #جنين. pic.twitter.com/lC0wggFZga

— Newpress | نيو برس (@NewpressPs) October 10, 2023

Biden in call with Netanyahu on US support

President Joe Biden meets with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in New York, September 20, 2023. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

US President Joe Biden is speaking with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the White House says.

It is their third call since Hamas’s brutal shock assault on Saturday.

The leaders are to “discuss [US] support for Israel and [US] efforts coordinated with partners and allies to defend Israel and innocent people against terrorism and to deter other hostile actors from exploiting this attack on Israel,” the White House says.

Before the call, Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were briefed by their national security teams, the White House adds.

Knesset to extend $5 billion in wartime insurance guarantees to Israeli airlines

The Knesset is preparing to extend $5 billion in wartime insurance guarantees to Israeli airlines, which enables carriers El Al, Arkia and Israir to continue repatriating Israelis from abroad amid widespread international flight cancelations to Israel.

The Knesset Finance Committee will discuss the wartime insurance guarantee on Thursday morning, according to a spokesperson for the committee.

Without the state-backed guarantee, Israeli carriers could lose their coverage within seven days of the outbreak of war, in line with the terms of their policy with Inbal Insurance Company Ltd.

As it would require a formal budgetary allocation, the Finance Committee must approve the $5 billion guarantee, which would cover Inbal’s obligations and costs tied to the provision of war risk insurance.

The Hamas terror organization has deliberately directed rocket barrages toward Ben Gurion International Airport, and most international carriers have suspended service to Israel.

Hamas launches barrage of rockets at Ashkelon

Hamas launches a barrage of rockets at the southern coastal city of Ashkelon.

Sirens sound in the city and other nearby towns.

Earlier the terror group warned it would bombard Ashkelon at 5 p.m. in response to Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip.

Footage of the rocket launches from Gaza towards Ashkelon at 5pm. pic.twitter.com/ArtIrLEEch

— Aurora Intel (@AuroraIntel) October 10, 2023

Sirens sound in Baqa al-Gharbiyye in north, nearby West Bank settlements

Incoming rocket sirens are sounding in Jatt and Baqa al-Gharbiyye in northern Israel, as well as in several nearby West Bank settlements.

Long-range rocket fire from the Gaza Strip has reached those locations in recent days.

At the same time, sirens sound in towns near the border with the Gaza Strip.

There are no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

The Israel Defense Forces, meanwhile, says it is continuing to carry out strikes in the Gaza Strip at this hour.

Saudi Arabia calls for halting escalation and preventing spread to region

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attends a session on 'Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment' as part of the G20 summit in New Delhi, India, on September 9, 2023. (EVELYN HOCKSTEIN/POOL/AFP)

Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman, in a phone conversation with PA President Mahmoud Abbas, emphasizes that the Gulf kingdom is “making every possible effort to engage with all international and regional parties to halt the ongoing escalation and prevent its further spread in the region,” stressing the importance of sparing the lives of civilians.

The crown prince also reiterates the kingdom’s unrelenting support for the Palestinian people “in their pursuit of their legitimate rights,” without mentioning the creation of a Palestinian state.

The de facto Saudi ruler also holds discussions with Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi. The three leaders agree on the need to “intensify international and regional efforts to stop the escalation in Gaza and its surroundings and prevent its expansion in the region.”

Saudi Arabia further calls for an urgent ministerial meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to discuss the escalation in Gaza.

In parallel, Arab League foreign ministers are scheduled to meet in Cairo tomorrow to discuss the “Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip” in a bid to find “avenues of political action at the Arab and international level,” AFP reports.

Late night TV’s Kimmel and Colbert talk of ‘horror,’ ‘nightmare’ in Israel

US late-night host Jimmy Kimmel showed his support for Israel the other night, discussing in his opening monologue the “horrific news over the weekend.”

“Our friends and allies in Israel, innocent civilians were killed and kidnapped by the terrorist organization Hamas. Israel is now at war. It’s a nightmarish situation,” said Kimmel.

He added that leaders from all around the world condemned the attack, along with millions of Americans, “including our super duper pro-Israel former president Donald Trump, who immediately found a way to make it about himself.”

Trump had written on X (formerly Twitter) that “the horrible attack on Israel much like the attack on Ukraine, would never have happened if I were president — zero chance!”

Kimmel also ridiculed Trump’s pronunciation of Hamas, showing a clip of the former president, who while campaigning in Cedar Rapids, and discussing the Hamas’s massacre of Israeli citizens, repeatedly pronounced the term like “hummus.”

On “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” Colbert referred to the more than 900 people killed, including US citizens.

“The Middle East is a complex region but the complexity of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is immaterial to the horror of this attack,” said Colbert. “It is heartbreaking to see violence escalate, and we hope and pray that someday peace is possible.”

“We didn’t even attempt to write jokes about this,” said Colbert. “The human mind simply refuses to do it.”

Egyptian trucks bringing fuel, food to Gaza make U-turn after Rafah crossing bombed

Following the IAF’s afternoon strike at the Rafah crossing, the only active land crossing out of Gaza with the border to Israel sealed, Egyptian trucks that were on the way to the Strip with fuel and goods are forced to turn back.

The bombing came in spite of the fact that an Israeli military official this morning advised Palestinians to leave the Gaza Strip for Egypt through Rafah amid the ongoing war with the Hamas terror group. The IDF has since walked back that statement.

Channel 12 claims the crossing was hit to prevent Egypt from providing a lifeline to the besieged Strip.

The IDF has said it hit an underground tunnel for smuggling weapons and equipment in the Rafah area, on the Egypt-Gaza border, but did not confirm or deny hitting the crossing itself.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant ordered a “complete siege” of the Gaza Strip yesterday, including stopping the supply of electricity, food and fuel.

صورة لشاحنات الوقود والبضائع الإسرائيلية تغادر الحدود المصرية – الفلسطينية، بعدما قصف الاحتلال محيط معبر #رفح.

تصوير فراس الشاعر📸

🚨 تابعنا عبر قناة التيليغرام لتصلك الأخبار أولاً بأوّل في تغطية خاصة على مدار الساعة: https://t.co/x0aLSpvB0z#طوفان_الأقصى #gaza pic.twitter.com/O3jNcuJGoI

— Ultra Sawt ألترا صوت (@UltraSawt) October 10, 2023

IDF says it killed Hamas economy minister and 2nd senior official in strikes

Jawad Abu Shamala (R) and Zakariya Abu Moammar, Hamas officials the IDF says it killed in airstrikes, October 10, 2023 (Courtesy)

The Israel Defense Forces says it killed Hamas’s minister of economy and another senior member of Hamas’s politburo in drone strikes in the Gaza Strip last night.

The military says the first, Jawad Abu Shamala, managed the terror group’s funds, “and earmarked funds for financing and directing terror in and and outside the Gaza Strip.”

The second, Zakariya Abu Moammar, was the head of the terror group’s internal relations, the IDF says.

“He was a senior Hamas decision-maker and coordinator between terror groups in the Gaza Strip.”

The IDF says he was a confidant to Hamas’s Gaza chief, Yahya Sinwar, and part of the terror group’s “senior forum, involved in the organization’s decision-making and the planning of numerous terror activities against the State of Israel.”

IDF launches hotline to provide response to reservists’ claims of missing equipment

Soldiers prepare medical kits for distribution to reserve soldiers, October 10, 2023. (Israel Defense Forces)

After three days of complaints by army reservists that vital military equipment as well as food and other goods has been lacking, the IDF launches a round-the-clock hotline manned by the technical and logistics branch to provide a response.

Military personnel can contact the hotline via WhatsApp at 052-6156256 to ask about equipment, logistics, food, or anything else that is missing.

Recent days have seen hundreds of thousands of reservists drafted for anticipated large-scale operations against the Hamas terror group in Gaza.

Reserve soldiers from all over the country have been taking to social media to complain that they are not properly equipped by the military, with many seeking to privately purchase the required gear.

As the complaints have multiplied, Israelis have set up numerous social media groups and grassroots operations to try to match the needs with local donors and supplies. Offers of supplies and financial assistance have also started coming in from abroad.

Yesterday, the head of the IDF Logistics Directorate, Maj. Gen. Mishel Yanko, told a media briefing that civilians were welcome to donate funds for “treats” via the Association for the Wellbeing of Israel’s Soldiers, but that the army would supply the necessary equipment.

Ra’am’s Mansour Abbas urges Hamas to release women, children, elderly

Ra'am party head MK Mansour Abbas leads a faction meeting, at the Knesset in Jerusalem, on June 12, 2023. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Ra’am’s Mansour Abbas urges Hamas to release women, children, and elderly hostages.

Mansour Abbas, leader of Israel’s Islamist Ra’am party, calls on Hamas leaders to release some of the Israeli hostages.

In a message on the X platform (formerly Twitter), the politician writes: “Islamic values command us not to imprison women, children and elderly people. This is a humanitarian action that must be implemented immediately.”

The tweet is only in Hebrew. It is unknown if Abbas conveyed his message in Arabic through other channels.

IDF says it launched massive strikes on ‘nest of terror’ in Gaza City

The Israel Defense Forces says it launched massive airstrikes against a neighborhood of Gaza City, targeting more than 100 sites.

The IDF says the neighborhood, dubbed by the army al-Furqan after a mosque in the area, is a “nest of terror” used by Hamas to launch attacks against Israel.

Dozens of fighter jets participated in the strikes, the IDF adds.

Separately, the IDF says it hit an underground tunnel for smuggling weapons and equipment in the Rafah area, on the Egypt-Gaza border.

IDF says it carried out more than 100 strikes against Hamas sites in the Gaza City neighborhood of al-Furqan pic.twitter.com/VNf5aj4oDE

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) October 10, 2023

COGAT chief addresses Gazans: ‘You wanted hell, you will get hell’

Military liaison to the Palestinians, Maj. Gen. Ghassan Alian, issues a video statement, May 28, 2022. (Screenshot)

The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, known by its acronym COGAT, addresses a message to Gazan residents and Hamas leadership, lambasting Palestinian popular support for the terror group.

In a video statement, Maj. Gen. Ghassan Alian, head of COGAT, says: “Kidnapping, abusing and murdering children, women and elderly people is not human. There is no justification for that. Hamas has turned into ISIS, and the residents of Gaza, instead of being appalled, are celebrating.

“Human animals must be treated as such. There will be no electricity and no water [in Gaza], there will only be destruction. You wanted hell, you will get hell.”

No reports of injuries in rocket barrage on central Israel — Magen David Adom

The Magen David Adom ambulance service says it has received no reports of injuries following the latest rocket attacks on central Israel.

Haifa hospital told to prepare in case of war on northern border

Soldiers help set up hospital beds and equipment at the Sammy Ofer Fortified Underground Emergency Hospital at Rambam Medical Center in Haifa. (Rambam)

The Health Ministry and the Israel Defense Forces Home Front Command orders Rambam Healthcare Campus in Haifa to be prepared for the event of an outbreak of war in the north of Israel.

Rambam is the designated care provider for most of the country’s north and all soldiers and civilians injured in wartime in the region.

The hospital is home to the Sammy Ofer Fortified Underground Emergency Hospital, a three-level, 2,000-bed facility designed for safe patient care under wartime conditions.

Death toll rises to 2 in rocket attack near Gaza border

The Magen David Adom ambulance service raises the death toll of the rocket attack in the Eshkol Regional Council to two.

In a statement, MDA says its medics have declared the deaths of two foreign workers in their 30s at the scene.

A third foreign worker, also in his 30s, is being airlifted to a hospital in serious condition, MDA adds.

Sirens in Tel Aviv, Rishon Lezion, Ashdod

Rocket sirens sound in Tel Aviv and other cities in the area, as far south as Ashdod, in what appears to be a large barrage, after a relative lull.

The Hamas terror group claims to have launched a rocket bomnbardment at Ben Gurion Airport.

Hamas threatens Ashkelon with major rocket barrage, warns residents to leave home by 5 p.m.

An Ashkelon resident and his son make their way to safety after a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip by Palestinian terrorists hit a building in the southern city, October 9, 2023 (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

The spokesperson for Hamas’s Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, who goes by the nom de guerre Abu Obeida, threatens the southern coastal city of Ashkelon with a major rocket attack in the coming hours.

“In response to the enemy’s crime of displacing our people and forcing them to flee their homes in several areas of the Gaza Strip, we give the residents of the occupied city of Ashkelon a deadline to leave before 5 p.m.,” Abu Obeida says on his Telegram channel.

IDF confirms four terrorists killed on beach near Gaza border

The Israel Defense Forces confirms troops have killed four terrorists on the Zikim beach.

The military says members of the elite Maglan unit spotted four armed men in the area and were directed by other forces to their exact location.

The Maglan troops “exchanged fire with the terrorists in the area and eliminated them,” the IDF says.

The IDF has said no terrorists have managed to infiltrate into Israel from Gaza since yesterday, but some terrorists still remain in Israeli territory from Saturday’s invasion.

1 killed, 2 seriously wounded in rocket attack near Gaza border

A foreign worker has been killed and two others are seriously wounded in a rocket impact in the Eshkol Regional Council, close to the border with the Gaza Strip, medics say.

The Magen David Adom ambulance service says its medics have declared the death of a foreign worker in his 30s, and are treating two others, also in their 30s, in serious condition.

30 people missing since start of Hamas’s murderous attack are found after 3 days

This picture shows a number of missing people who were found by the army near Kibbutz Ein Hashlosha, late October 9, 2023. (Israel Defense Forces)

Israeli forces located 30 missing people in the southern kibbutz of Ein Hashlosha last night, three days into Hamas’s lethal invasion into southern Israel.

Authorities say they received a report at around 9 p.m. last night of a group of 16 Israelis and 14 Thais who were missing.

A joint situation room of the military, police, Shin Bet, and various ministries looked into the details, and at 9:52 p.m., IDF teams were sent to the kibbutz to rescue them.

The group was found alive and well, authorities say in a joint statement.

During Hamas’s terror attack on towns in southern Israel, many residents fled and attempted to hide.

At least 4 Palestinian terrorists killed by Israeli forces near Gaza border town

At least four Palestinian terrorists were killed by Israeli forces in the Zikim area, close to the northern border with the Gaza Strip, local authorities say.

The Hof Ashkelon Regional Council tells residents that Israeli forces have apparently killed four armed men in the area. There is no immediate comment from the Israeli army.

‘It’s not a war, it’s not a battlefield, it’s a massacre’: Senior IDF officer at scene of kibbutz slaughter

An IDF soldier prepares to remove the bodies of Israelis killed during an October 7, 2023, attack by Palestinian terrorists, in Kibbutz Kfar Aza, in southern Israel bordering the Gaza Strip, on October 10, 2023. (JACK GUEZ / AFP)

The Israel Defense Forces takes international journalists to Kfar Azza, a kibbutz close to the border where around 70 residents were slaughtered during the devastating attack by Hamas terrorists.

“It’s not a war, it’s not a battlefield, it’s a massacre,” IDF Major General Itai Veruv says. “You see the babies, their mothers and their fathers, in their bedrooms, and in their protected rooms, and how the terrorists killed them — it’s not a war.”

“It’s something that I never saw in my life,” he says. “We used to imagine our grandmothers and grandfathers during the pogroms in Europe. It’s not something that we have seen in recent history.”

Zikim, Karmia residents ordered to remain in homes amid suspected security incident

Residents of the northern Gaza border communities of Zikim and Karmia are ordered to remain in their homes amid a suspected security incident in the area, the Hof Ashkelon Regional Council says.

The vast majority of residents have already been evacuated from the towns.

Rocket lands in Gaza border community; no injuries

A rocket launched from the Gaza Strip has caused damage in the southern kibbutz of Zikim, local authorities say.

The Hof Ashkelon Regional Council says damage has been caused to property and a factory, but there are no injuries.

Hamas calls for mass rallies on Friday throughout Muslim world

The Hamas terror group calls for mass rallies in the West Bank, Jerusalem and throughout the Arab and Muslim world on Friday in support of its fight against Israel.

The group hails the achievements of its armed wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam, and calls on young Palestinians in the West Bank to “rise up and go out in roaring crowds,” and clash with settlers and soldiers in the area.

It also addresses Arab Israelis, asking them to gather at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa compound, the Temple Mount, to prevent Jews from “desecrating it” and “building on it.”

Hamas also extends an appeal to Palestinians in the diaspora, as well as “the free people of our Arab and Islamic nation all around the world,” to gather in “the closest point to Jerusalem” in order to show their solidarity with the terror group and stop the “Israeli plans to Judaize Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa.”

Hamas slams joint international statement in support of Israel

An aerial picture shows the abandoned site of the weekend assault by Hamas terrorists on the Supernova music festival near Kibbutz Re'im in the Negev desert, southern Israel, October 10, 2023. (Jack Guez/AFP)

Izzat al-Rishq, a member of the Hamas political bureau, lambasts the joint statement issued yesterday by the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France and Italy.

“These positions once again confirm the double standards of these countries, and their blatant bias towards the Zionist occupation,” al-Rishq claims, “and provide it a cover and encouragement to continue and escalate its crimes against our defenseless people.”

In the statement, the leaders of the five countries wrote: “Our countries will support Israel in its efforts to defend itself and its people against such atrocities. We further emphasize that this is not a moment for any party hostile to Israel to exploit these attacks to seek advantage.”

Over 1,500 people stand in half-kilometer line to donate blood in Tel Aviv

Israelis donate blood at Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv, October 10, 2023. (Ichilov Hospital)

Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv reports that more than 1,500 people are standing in a half-kilometer-long line waiting to enter the hospital’s lobby to donate blood.

The blood drive lasts until 8 p.m. this evening, and donors with type O blood are especially needed.

Hamas leader: No prisoner swap before end of war

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh speaks during a press conference after meeting with Lebanese President Michel Aoun, at the presidential palace, in Baabda, east of Beirut, Lebanon, June 28, 2021. (Dalati Nohra/Lebanese Official Government via AP)

Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh says that the issue of prisoner exchanges will only be tackled after the end of the war.

In a statement, the terror group leader says that “parties that have contacted us” offering mediation for a hostage release through a prisoner swap have been informed of the decision.

Haniyeh also praises Gazans’ endurance and willingness to sacrifice themselves for the Palestinian cause, and says that the “destruction” currently carried out by the Israeli army in Gaza in retaliation strikes is a reflection of the “shame of its defeat.”

The death toll since Hamas launched its devastating cross-border attack on Saturday has risen to over 900, with some 150 people kidnapped to Gaza, according to reports.

Health Ministry says 2,806 injured since Saturday

Wounded Israeli soldiers arrive at the Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in Jerusalem, October 7, 2023. (Noam Revkin Fenton/ Flash90)

The Health Ministry says that as of 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, 2,806 injured people have been brought to hospitals since Saturday morning at the start of the cross-border attack by Hamas.

Of them, 26 have been in critical condition, 336 in serious condition, 534 in moderate condition, and 1,479 in light condition.

Another 107 were treated for psychological shock, and 210 are still undergoing medical assessment.

While many have been discharged, there are 535 injured people still being treated in hospitals around the country.

Rocket sirens in Ashkelon, Gaza border communities

Rocket alert sirens sound in the coastal city Ashkelon and the Gaza border communities.

There are no immediate reports of injuries.

IDF clarifies that it was not telling Gaza residents to flee to Egypt

Palestinian cross into Egypt through the Rafah border crossing in the southern Gaza Strip, on November 15, 2021. (AFP)

After a senior military spokesman advised Palestinians in the Gaza Strip to flee to Egypt, the Israel Defense Forces issues a clarification.

“In recent days, the IDF has been instructing the population inside of the Gaza Strip to distance themselves from designated areas. We emphasize that there is no official call by Israel for residents of the Gaza Strip to exit into Egypt,” the IDF says in an English-language statement.

Earlier today, the IDF’s international media spokesman Lt. Col. Richard Hecht, advised Palestinians to leave the Gaza Strip for Egypt amid the ongoing war with the Hamas terror group.

“Rafah crossing is still open. Anyone who can get out, I would advise them to get out,” he said.

Hamas: 770 dead in Gaza, 4,000 wounded

The Hamas-run health ministry says 770 Palestinians have been killed and another 4,000 have been wounded in Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip.

The Israel Defense Forces has said it has killed some 1,500 Palestinian terrorists in Israeli territory.

Coalition party chiefs back establishment of unity government

All leaders of the coalition parties give their backing to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to establish an “emergency national government” during a meeting of the party heads.

An agreement for Benny Gantz’s National Unity party to join such a government has yet to be reached however, although it is expected to be reached shortly.

“Every head of the coalition parties, without exception, supported the establishment of an emergency national government and authorized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to act to create it,” says a spokesman for the Likud party.

Ben Gvir’s ministry to buy 10,000 guns for civilian security teams

File: National Security Itamar Ben Gvir visits south Tel Aviv, September 3, 2023. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir announces his ministry is purchasing 10,000 rifles in order to arm civilian security teams, specifically those in towns close to borders, as well as mixed Jewish-Arab cities and West Bank settlements.

The minister, who heads the far-right Otzma Yehudit party, says 4,000 assault rifles have already been bought from an Israeli manufacturer and will be distributed immediately.

Helmets and bulletproof vests have also been acquired and will be distributed along with the assault rifles.

Ben Gvir said the weapons and equipment will be distributed to “hundreds of towns that have civilian security teams linked to the Israel Police’s Border Police force.”

Civilian security teams provide security to small towns and communities in Israel’s periphery and the West Bank settlements, some of which helped defend residents from the Hamas invasion on Saturday.

“We will turn the world upside down so that towns are protected. I have given instructions for massively arming the civilian security teams,” says Ben Gvir.

Sderot drone alert was false alarm, says IDF

The Israel Defense Forces says the suspected drone infiltration in Sderot and nearby towns on the Gaza border was a false alarm.

An Iron Dome interceptor missile was fired at the “target moving toward state territory,” the IDF says, but adds that it was not an enemy drone.

“There is no threat to residents,” the IDF says.

Bank Hapoalim announces concessions for reservists, civilians near Gaza

As the fighting with the Hamas terror group enters its fourth day, Bank Hapoalim, one of Israel’s largest lenders, announces a series of concessions for customers who live up to 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the Gaza Strip, and for called-up reservists.

The bank is creating a NIS 750 million fund to offer interest-free bridging loans to business and private customers in the south of the country. As part of the concessions, Bank Hapoalim will enable the deferment of loan payments for up to two months without additional cost and exempt customers from main bank transfer fees for three months.

Additionally, all customers with an active current account at Bank Hapoalim will be able to take out loans at the prime rate, reschedule or defer payments of existing loans, and defer or spread bank credit card charges.

Furthermore, customers will be given the possibility to freeze mortgage payments for up to three months.

Sirens warn of possible drone infiltration near Gaza

A suspected drone infiltration alert is sounding in the southern city of Sderot and nearby towns, close to the border with the Gaza Strip.

The siren comes amid repeated rocket attacks from the Strip on Israel.

Israel reportedly bombs crossing between Gaza and Egypt

The Rafah crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt comes under Israeli fire again, blocking the only land exit from the coastal enclave, according to a report in the Washington Post.

The bombing, which occurs a few minutes after a warning was conveyed to Gazan officials operating it, comes in spite of the fact that the Israeli military this morning advised Palestinians to leave the Gaza Strip for Egypt amid the ongoing war with the Hamas terror group.

“Rafah crossing is still open. Anyone who can get out, I would advise them to get out,” Lt. Col. Richard Hecht said in a call with foreign reporters.

On Monday, Egyptian officials warned against pushing Gazan civilians toward the Egyptian borders and denounced Israeli calls for mass displacement, according to Egyptian media sources.

The Rafah crossing was open this morning, but Egypt only allowed through Palestinians who’d already gotten authorization to leave the Strip.

On the Rafah crossing’s Facebook page, Gazans lamented the decision to not open the crossing for anyone wishing to leave, with one user writing: “Interior Ministry, this is not the time to put someone in danger who survived a bombing and miraculously reached the crossing. We cannot return to death.”

IDF brings international press to massacres sites near border

The Israeli military is allowing foreign journalists to cover the scenes of Hamas’s massacres in towns on the border with the Gaza Strip.

Footage shows dozens of reporters from international media outlets being escorted by the army in a Kfar Aza, a kibbutz close to the border.

The IDF has not allowed Israeli media to approach the area.

IDF carries out new strikes in Gaza

The Israel Defense Forces says it is carrying out “widespread” airstrikes against many Hamas sites across the Gaza Strip.

The IDF says it will provide further details on the strikes soon.

In strikes earlier today, the IDF says it hit a Hamas military compound, weapons storage site, and a war room.

Rocket sirens sound in Beersheba; Hamas claims responsibility

Incoming rocket sirens sound in the southern city of Beersheba.

Several explosions are heard over the city, indicating rockets were intercepted or landed in the area.

There are currently no reports of damage or injuries.

Hamas claims responsibility for the rocket attack.

Top Netanyahu aide clarifies comments about slaughter at music festival

Prime Minister's Office director general Yossi Shelley speaks during a Knesset Finance Committee meeting in Jerusalem, February 22, 2023. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

The director general of the Prime Minister’s Office, Yossi Shelley, says he was misunderstood when he said yesterday that participants at an all-night music festival outside Kibbutz Re’im close to the Gaza border “contributed to the chaos” during the brutal Hamas attack Saturday morning.

At least 260 people were massacred at the rave; others were taken hostage by the terrorists.

Responding to questions during an interview on Channel 12 about the government’s reaction time, Shelley said that “the party made a not insubstantial contribution to the chaos,” adding “I’m not casting blame but sometimes there are cumulative conditions, this is a situation which no one planned.”

Shelley said the process of identifying the fatalities and the hostages was like “standing in line at the supermarket, it doesn’t matter how many shop assistants there are, sometimes it’s impossible to deal with everyone.”

In a statement to the press today, Shelley says, “I never in any way intended to say that the partygoers contributed to the results of the tragic event. The youngsters who were celebrating, including my beloved cousin Lori who was murdered, celebrate like the people of Israel should do on their festivals.”

He explains, “Because of the large number of those murdered, the difficulty in getting to the bodies during the fighting, and the large amount of time needed to collect the bodies and the difficult identification process due to their condition, we had to establish a special system, bring in professionals, and pass a cabinet resolution for identification through the biometric database. All these are actions that take time.”

Medical, health students could be called to service in hospitals

The Health Ministry announces that medical, nursing and health profession students who have not been called up for IDF reserve duty may be called to serve in the medical system for a limited time with a salary.

With students generally being young, it is assumed that many have been called up for military service and it is as yet unclear how many will be able to serve in this other capacity.

The decision to recruit students to augment human resources in the medical system was made under the assumption that the need for more staff would continue for a long period.

In the first three days of the war, 2,616 people were taken to hospitals. This morning, there were 544 still hospitalized — three in critical condition, 126 in serious condition, 192 in moderate condition, and 223 with light injuries.

Official guidelines for the call-up of students are being finalized. It was reported in an online publication for the Israeli medical community that the students may be called up to serve 180 hours per month, for one month only, in a hospital, health maintenance organization, nursing home, or the Magen David Adom rescue organization.

Dr. Adi Niv-Yagoda, an expert on medicine and law policy, was quoted as saying, “There were situations in the past during wars when students in various stages of training were brought in to perform tasks that do not require specific expertise…they can do technical jobs or even be asked to work as janitors or orderlies.”

New footage shows how terrorists broke into border kibbutz

New footage emerging from Hamas’s murderous attack on southern Israel on Saturday shows how terrorists infiltrated into the southern kibbutz of Be’eri.

Surveillance camera video shows how two terrorists arrive at the entrance to Be’eri but are initially unable to break through the security barrier.

They hide on the side of the road and in a booth usually manned by a security guard, and ambush a car driving into the town.

The two terrorists kill the occupants of the car as the security gate opens, and they breach the community.

The bodies of more than 100 Israelis were later found in the town.

Exclusive footage from the attack in Kibbutz Be'eri, where over 100 Israelis tragically lost their lives.

In this video, you can witness the chilling moments when Hamas terrorists approached the main gate of the kibbutz. After their initial attempt to breach the gate failed,… pic.twitter.com/dlvGnh2YGb

— Sacha Roytman (@SachaRoytman) October 10, 2023

Police release footage of battle with Hamas to rescue wounded soldiers

Police publish a video showing the moment Border Police fighters engaged Palestinian terrorists in the southern town of Kibbutz Nir Am on Saturday morning, following Hamas’s infiltration from the Gaza Strip.

The officers had received a report of wounded soldiers who were trapped amid heavy gunfire by terrorists near the kibbutz.

Police say the officers “encountered heavy firefights with armed terrorists, while they were conducting searches in order to locate the wounded soldiers.

“Amid the fighting, the officers found a group of wounded soldiers hiding inside a tank.

“Under heavy fire and while eliminating many terrorists in the area, the fighters… rescued the wounded soldiers and took them to receive medical treatment,” police say.

Police publish footage showing Border Police officers battling Hamas terrorists in southern Israel and rescuing wounded soldiers. pic.twitter.com/QdLnumQ5WB

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) October 10, 2023

US families with missing loved ones to call on Biden to get involved

Palestinians take a kidnapped Israeli civilian, center, from the Nir Oz kibbutz into the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023. (Hatem Ali/AP)

Four families who are US citizens will hold a press conference at 4 p.m. today in Tel Aviv to discuss loved ones who are missing or were taken hostage by Hamas in Gaza.

They will urge US President Joe Biden to actively work to release the over 100 hostages kidnapped on Saturday.

IDF says no infiltration of airspace in north

The Israel Defense Forces gives an all-clear to residents of the north after a suspected infiltration into Israeli airspace.

“There is no fear of a security incident,” the IDF says.

Israeli star sings at reservist’s backyard wedding

Israeli singer Yishai Ribo, who recently played New York City’s Madison Square Garden, performed last night at rather different venue: a last-minute backyard wedding for a bride and her groom who took a 24-hour leave from reserve duty in order to get married.

Ribo sang “V’he She’amda” and several other songs at the wedding of Maor and Gal Peretz, which took place at a neighbor’s backyard in the settlement of Nofei Prat, near Maale Adumim.

“Our neighbor’s son wanted to get married, and they didn’t have room so they asked us, and we said ‘happily,’ said Yossi Zer.

The groom’s mother was getting her hair done at her Kfar Adumim hairdresser, telling him about their wedding on the fly. He told her he would get Ribo to perform. And he did.

“He came and sang a few songs and then left,” said Zer, the neighbor who hosted. “It was just very emotional, the whole thing.”

Israelis in northern border communities reported to be heading southward

As tension rises in northern Israel, Channel 12 news claims that “75% of Galilee residents have left their homes” — in an apparent reference, in particular, to areas close to the northern border. (Some 1.6 million Israelis live in the Galilee.)

The TV station’s reporter at the border says that in some border communities, the figure is closer to 90%.

“Those who feel they cannot deal with the tension — not just today, but who are suffering accumulated trauma from years back — were advised two days ago that they should take their things and slowly, carefully head south,” he says, without specifying who gave this advice.

“The roads are open… The Homefront Command is permitting some kind of normal life in the area, but many have headed south toward the center of the country,” he says.

He notes that the border communities’ local security squads are continuing to ask the IDF to expedite the distribution of weapons to them.

Supermarket chain limits purchases of water, eggs

File: People shop for dairy products at the Shufersal Deal supermarket in Katzrin, on November 28, 2022. (Michael Giladi/Flash90)

Israel’s largest supermarket chain Shufersal announces that it is putting a limit on the purchase of basic goods, including water and eggs, as Israelis are continuing to stock up on food supplies on the fourth day of the war with the Hamas terror group.

Israeli shoppers going into Shufersal stores will be able to buy up to two six-packs of 1.5 liter water bottles, a rack of 30 eggs or two cartons of 12 eggs, three units of price-controlled milk, and two loaves of price-controlled bread.

The move comes after the Home Front Command issued a recommendation to stock up on water, food, and other supplies to last at least three days. The notice prompted Israelis to quickly crowd supermarkets and empty their shelves.

“Out of responsibility towards all customers, and due to heavy demand, supply difficulties and a partial lack of products in the stores, we have decided to limit the purchase of basic food products such as water, eggs, bread and milk,” says Shufersal CEO Uri Watermann. “At the same time we’re working continuously to get additional goods into the stores.”

IAF kills terrorists hiding on Israeli beach near border

The Israel Defense Forces says forces of the elite Maglan unit identified a terror cell hiding on Zikim beach near the border with the Gaza Strip this morning.

A combat helicopter was dispatched to the scene to strike the cell.

The IDF says the terrorists were killed.

The military publishes footage of the strike, and says it is currently continuing to strike targets in the Gaza Strip.

IDF says Maglan forces identified a terror cell hiding on the Zikim beach near the Gaza border this morning, and dispatched a combat helicopter to strike them. pic.twitter.com/oFz7leLFug

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) October 10, 2023

IDF checking infiltration of airspace over Golan, Galilee

Residents of a number of towns in northern Israel have been ordered to remain in bomb shelters until further notice as the Israel Defense Forces says it is investigating an infiltration into Israel’s airspace in the Golan Heights.

“A report was received regarding a suspected aerial infiltration in the area of the Golan Heights and the Upper Galilee,” the IDF says in a statement.

“IDF soldiers are directing IDF aircraft and conducting searches in the area,” it adds.

Justice minister calls for immediate unity government ahead of coalition meeting

Justice Minister Yariv Levin attends a conference at the Begin Heritage Center, in Jerusalem, September 5, 2023. (Chaim Goldberg/ Flash90)

Justice Minister Yariv Levin says a “national emergency government needs to be established immediately” and that he has been working to achieve this goal in the last few days.

“These are difficult days which require unity, resilience and for us to limit our declarations,” says the minister in his first statement to the press since Hamas’s brutal assault against Israel began on Saturday.

Following discussions held over the last few days it now appears likely that Benny Gantz’s National Unity party will join the government today.

Coalition party heads are scheduled to meet at 11:30 a.m. to discuss and potentially approve National Unity’s entry into the government.

Health Ministry asks for doctors to help with burial certificates

The Health Ministry issues a request for doctors of all specialties to volunteer to issue burial certificates in the field.

When a person dies at home or on the street, and not in a hospital or institution, their family must obtain a burial certificate from the regional health office.

The certificate is required for the ritual burial society, or hevra kadisha, to bury the deceased.

“Because of the dire and extreme circumstances, we are looking for doctors to volunteer to do this. No specific specialty training is required,” said the Health Ministry in its statement.

Physicians interested in volunteering should contact Yael Yisraeli Nevo at 050-6217221

IDF says it has contacted families of 50 hostages in Gaza

IDF spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari announces that Israel is at war, after a deadly mass Hamas infiltration from Gaza, October 7, 2023. (IDF Spokesman)

The Israel Defense Forces’ top spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, says the military has notified the families of 50 Israelis being held hostage in the Gaza Strip by Hamas.

More families will be contacted as the military verifies the information.

Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad claim they are holding at least 130 hostages taken during its murderous attack on southern Israel on Saturday morning.

Families of kidnapped Thai workers wait for good news

The families of Thai laborers held hostage by Hamas speak about their fears for their safety.

“When I heard that he was among the 11 hostages taken by Hamas my heart dropped,” Kanyarat Suriyasri, whose husband Owat Suriyasri is among those taken, tells AFP. “I am waiting to hear some good news.”

Owat, 40, from Si Saket province in eastern Thailand, is a “very friendly, caring and happy man,” she says.

He moved to Israel in 2021 for improved wages, hoping to build a better house for his wife and two children.

“We have a lot of debts, and working abroad pays better than in Thailand,” she says.

She tells AFP that if she could see her husband she would tell him: “I’ve missed you, I won’t let you anywhere far away again.

“I would hug him.”

Wannida Ma-asa’s husband Anucha Angkaew, an avocado farm worker, was another of those taken hostage.

“I’m devastated. I spoke with him the day when he was kidnapped. I had a video call with him before it happened and we chatted normally,” she tells AFP.

But despite Hamas’s threat to kill its captives, Wannida says she was holding out for the safe return of her husband, who is 28.

“I really hope he survives… I have a 100 percent hope. I am patiently watching the news, waiting to hear some good news,” she says.

Anucha, who has a daughter, moved to Israel in March 2022 from his home region of Udon Thani, an agricultural area in northeast Thailand.

Incoming rocket fire toward communities north of Gaza

Sirens sound north of the Gaza border, including Zikim and Netiv Ha’asara.

Netanyahu holds situational assessment with IDF, ministers

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu holds a situational assessment by phone with top aides and government ministers.

He is joined by Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi, the heads of the Mossad and Shin Bet, and members of the IDF’s General Staff.

UN: 180,000 Gazans have fled their homes

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency announces that there are 180,000 internally displaced persons in the Gaza Strip, with 137,500 sheltering in 83 UNRWA schools.

Sirens sound in towns near Gaza border

Incoming rocket sirens are sounding in towns close to the border with the Gaza Strip after a six-hour lull.

The alerts are activated in Ein Hashlosha and Kissufim. There are no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

Towns close to the Gaza border have been nearly entirely evacuated of residents.

Ichilov Hospital to hold blood drive

Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv announces a blood drive in its lobby today between 12 noon and 8 p.m.

Donors with blood type O are in particular demand.

Magen David Adom blood services will have donation stations open around the country today.

Those interested in donating can check locations and times on the MDA website.

Four more fallen police officers named

Police name another four officers killed during fighting with Hamas terrorists in southern Israel.

Chief Inspector Avi Tzidon, the deputy head of the patrol unit at the Ofakim station

Sergeant Major David Ben Dayan, a patrolman from the Sderot station

Sergeant Major Yaron Moris Dayan, a patrolman in the Lachish District

Master Sergeant Eliran Abarjil, an officer in the coordination of enforcement operations unit.

Police have so far named 41 officers killed in the fighting.

IAF flies hundreds of off-duty troops back to Israel from Europe

Israeli soldiers board an IAF heavy transport plane in an undisclosed European country, late October 9, 2023. (Israel Defense Forces)

The Israeli Air Force has airlifted hundreds of Israeli troops who were abroad across Europe over the past day, in order for them to fight in the ongoing war against the Hamas terror group in the Gaza Strip.

The military says C-130 and C-130J heavy transport planes flew to various countries in Europe to bring the off-duty soldiers back to Israel.

The operation was carried out in coordination with the Foreign Ministry, the IDF says.

IDF: We’ve found 1,500 bodies of Hamas terrorists in Israel

Israel Defense Force Spokesperson Richard Hecht says 1,500 bodies of Hamas terrorists have been found in Israeli territory and no Hamas fighters have crossed into Israel since Monday night, although infiltrations could still be possible.

Israel shuts down Hamas cryptocurrency accounts

The cyber branch of the Israel Police’s Lahav 433 unit freezes cryptocurrency accounts belonging to Hamas, the police says in a statement.

Hamas had been using accounts to raise money on social media since Saturday, according to the police spokesperson’s unit.

Lahav 433 is working with the Defense Ministry, Shin Bet, and other intelligence agencies in the effort to shut down cryptocurrency channels that terrorist groups are using.

The cryptocurrency exchange Binance cooperated with Israel in locating and shutting down the accounts.

Lahav 433 also worked with the UK police to freeze an account in Barclays bank.

Farewell ceremony for Supreme Court president canceled

Supreme Court President Esther Hayut (left) and Justice Minister Yariv Levin attend the opening of the Magistrate's Court in the northern city of Safed, on September 27, 2023. (David Cohen/Flash90)

The ceremony for Supreme Court President Esther Hayut, who will be stepping down Monday, has been canceled because of the ongoing war, according to Maariv.

The farewell ceremony was already attracting controversy, as Justice Minister Yariv Levin and other officials would not be allowed to deliver speeches amid the tensions surrounding the government’s attempts to reform the judiciary.

IDF tells Gazans to flee to Egypt while they still can

Palestinian cross into Egypt through the Rafah border crossing in the southern Gaza Strip, on November 15, 2021. (AFP)

The Israeli military advises Palestinians to leave the Gaza Strip for Egypt amid the ongoing war with the Hamas terror group.

“Rafah crossing is still open. Anyone who can get out, I would advise them to get out,” says Lt. Col. Richard Hecht in a call with foreign reporters.

IDF chief of staff holds first call with US counterpart

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi holds an assessment at the IDF Southern Command in Beersheba, October 8, 2023. (Israel Defense Forces)

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi has held a first phone call with his US counterpart, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr.

Brown Jr. entered the role earlier this month.

The call, which took place yesterday, comes as Israel is fighting a war against Palestinian terror groups in the Gaza Strip.

IDF spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari says in the call, the US general “stated that he stands by the IDF.”

Heads of coalition parties to meet on unity government

The conditions are now ripe for the establishment of a national unity government, political sources tell Ynet.

A meeting of the heads of the parties in the governing coalition is set to take place later today.

Playboy cut ties with porn star over support for attacks

Playboy announces that it is terminating its relationship with Lebanese-American media personality and former adult star Mia Khalifa over social media posts supporting the Hamas attack on Israel.

“Over the past few days,” says the adult magazine in a statement, “Mia has made disgusting and reprehensible comments celebrating Hamas’ attacks on Israel and the murder of innocent men, women, and children.”

“Can someone please tell the freedom fighters in Palestine to flip their phones and film horizontal,” Khalifa tweeted as the assault was underway.

“I just wanna make sure there’s 4k footage of my people breaking down the walls of the open air prison they’ve been forced out of their homes and into so we have good options for the history books that write about how how they freed themselves from apartheid,” she wrote in response to criticism.

Israeli forces strike more than 200 Gaza targets overnight

The Israel Defense Forces says it struck more than 200 targets in the Gaza Strip overnight.

The IDF says the sites include a weapons storage site in a mosque, an apartment used by Hamas’ anti-tank guided missile forces, and a high-rise tower used by the terror group, among other military installations.

The military releases footage showing several of the strikes.

מטוסי קרב וכלי שיט של צה"ל תקפו בשעות האחרונות מטרות רבות של ארגוני הטרור ברחבי הרצועה.

עשרות מטוסי קרב תקפו במהלך הלילה מעל ל-200 מטרות ברחבי שכונת רימאל ובחאן יונס>> pic.twitter.com/lIO6Z5tBri

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) October 10, 2023

IDF: We have full control of Gaza border

Illustrative: A picture taken from Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip shows Israeli soldiers inspecting the area around their observation post next to the border fence with the coastal enclave on August 1, 2019, following a firefight with a Palestinian gunman. (Said Khatib/AFP)

The Israel Defense Forces’ top spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, says the military has regained control of the Gaza border, after Hamas terrorists blew up sections of the border fence during its attack on Saturday morning.

“In the last day, not a single terrorist entered via the fence,” he says in a call with reporters.

Combat Engineering troops are working to mine the areas near the holes in the fence, Hagari says.

The IDF estimates that there is a small number of terrorists still hiding in Israeli territory.

Thai diplomat: 18 citizens killed by Hamas

The death toll of Thai citizens in Hamas attacks on Saturday has risen to 18, Deputy Foreign Minister Jakkapong Sangmanee says.

According to the Bangkok Post, many victims’ bodies are unreachable.

Some 5,000 Thai workers were in the Gaza border area during the assault, out of some 30,000 in Israel, reports the Post.

IDF to inform over 100 families loved ones are hostages

The Israel Defense Force is sending out officers today to inform over 100 Israeli families that their relatives are being held in Gaza by Hamas, according to Army Radio.

UN Ambassador Gilad Erdan tells CNN that Israel estimates “that the number is between 100 and 150 people.”

IAF attacks Hamas across Gaza Strip

The Israel Defense Forces says it is carrying out “widespread” airstrikes against many Hamas sites across the Gaza Strip.

The IDF says it will provide further details on the strikes soon.

In call with FM, Blinken stresses efforts to free hostages

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (R) is greeted by Foreign Minister Eli Cohen at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, January 30, 2023. (Sivan Shahor/GPO)

Foreign Minister Eli Cohen held another phone call this morning with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to discuss the ongoing Gaza war, the State Department says.

The US readout offers little new information but says the two discussed “US support for Israel as it defends itself against Hamas’s terrorist attacks.”

Blinken “reiterated US condolences to the people of Israel and all those impacted by Hamas’ violence and reaffirmed our efforts to secure the immediate release of all hostages.”

Blinken also held a phone call with with French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna during which the two “reiterated their condemnation of Hamas’s terrorist attacks on Israel.”

Blinken called for an immediate cessation of these attacks and the release of all hostages.”

Blinken “welcomed continued French engagement alongside other European allies and partners toward our shared goal of ending Hamas’s violence,” the State Department says.

IDF releases names of 38 more soldiers killed in Gaza war; official toll at 123

The Israel Defense Forces names another 38 soldiers killed during fighting with the Hamas terror group on Saturday.

The names bring the toll of slain Israeli soldiers to 123.

They are:

Maj. Ido Yisrael Shani, 29, the deputy commander of the Nahal reconnaissance unit, from Ramat Gan

Maj. Tal Cohen, 30, a Sayeret Matkal soldier, from Ganei Tal

Maj. Mordecai Shamir, 29, an officer in the Infantry Corps, from Yakir

Cpt. Raz Peretz, 24, a Golani commander, from Afula

Cpt. Hadar Kama, 24, a Sayeret Matkal soldier, from Givat Shapira

Lt. Dekel Suisa, 21, a Golani commander, from Bar Giora

Master Sgt. (res.) Tal Maman, 38, a local security officer, from Mivtahim

Master Sgt. (res.) Lior Ben Yaakov, 44, a local security officer, from Yesha

Master Sgt. (res.) Yuval Gabai, 35, a commander in the Border Defense Corps

Sgt. First Class Imri Belkin, 25, a Lotar instructor, from Ramat Hasharon

Sgt. First Class Yosef Malachi Guedalia, 22, a Duvdevan soldier, from Jerusalem

Staff Sgt. Moshe Danino, 21, a Golani soldier, from Haifa

Staff Sgt. Yaad Ben Yaakov, 20, a Golani soldier, from Petah Tikva

Staff Sgt. Max Rabinov, 21, a Unit 414 soldier, from Ashdod

Staff Sgt. David Retner, 20, a Golani soldier, from Ashdod

Staff Sgt. Jonathan Golan, a soldier in the 7th Armored Brigade, from Yehud

Staff Sgt Yogev Aharon, 20, a Golani soldier from Pardes Hana

Staff Sgt. Amit Peled, 21, an Egoz unit soldier, from Haifa

Staff Sgt. Adi Tzur, 20, a Golani soldier, from Jerusalem

Sgt. Yakir Levi, 21, a Golani soldier, from Moreshet

Sgt. Benjamin Lev, 23, a Paratrooper, from Jerusalem

Sgt. Amichay Yaakov Vaninu, 22, a Maglan commander, from Katzrin

Sgt. Itay Nahmias, 20, a Multidomain Unit soldier, from Yesha

Sgt. Tomer Barak, 20, a Golani soldier, from Petah Tikva

Sgt. Evyatar Ohayon, 22, a Golani soldier, from Jerusalem

Cpl. Shir Biton, 19, a medic in the Gaza Division, from Ashdod

Cpl. Osher Shmia, 19, a soldier in the Gaza Division, from Beersheba

Cpl. Shir Shlomo, 19, a Home Front Command soldier, from Netanya

Cpl. Ofir Testa, 21, a soldier in the 7th Armored Brigade, from Jerusalem

Cpl. Ariel Ohana, 19, a Paratrooper, from Revadim

Cpl. Hallel Shmuel Saadan, a Nahal soldier, from Barkai

Cpl. Erez Ariel, 19, a Golani soldier, from Amuka

Cpl. Sivan Simcha Asraf, 20, a signals soldier, from Ashkelon

Cpl. Ram Meir Batito, 19, a Golani soldier, from Netanya

Cpl. Amir Lavi, 19, a Nahal soldier, from Jerusalem

Cpl. Uriel Segal, 19, a Golani soldier, from Petah Tikva

Pvt. Ili Azar, 18, a soldier in the Gaza Division, from Shefayim

Hamas official says ‘only a handful’ of terror group commanders knew of assault

Ali Barakeh, a member of Hamas’ exiled leadership, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, Oct. 9, 2023. (AP/Hussein Malla)

A senior Hamas official says only a small number of top commanders inside Gaza knew about the wide-ranging incursion launched into Israel, but that allies like Iran and the Lebanese Hezbollah “will join the battle if Gaza is subjected to a war of annihilation.”

Ali Barakeh, a member of Hamas’ exiled leadership, speaks to The Associated Press in his Beirut office as Israel bombarded Gaza and vowed a total blockade of the Hamas-ruled territory.

“Only a handful of Hamas commanders knew about the zero hour,” Barakeh says, adding that no one from the central command or the political bureau of Hamas was in the Lebanese capital last week.

He acknowledges that Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group have helped Hamas in the past, but said that since the 2014 Gaza war Hamas has been producing its own rockets and training its own fighters.

Argentinian FM says 7 nationals killed in Hamas assault in Israel

Seven Argentinian nationals were killed in the attacks by Hamas terrorists in Israel this weekend, and 15 more are still unaccounted for, Argentina’s foreign minister Santiago Cafiero says, according to Reuters.

UN Human Rights Council marks loss of life in ‘Palestinian territory and elsewhere’

The UNHRC holds a moment of silence for the loss of life in "Palestinian territory and elsewhere," after Hamas slaughters over 900 Israelis. (Screenshot/Used in accordance with clause 27a of the copyright law)

The UN Human Rights Council holds a moment of silence for the “loss of innocent lives in the occupied Palestinian territory and elsewhere,” after Palestinian terrorists’ indiscriminate slaughter of over 900 Israelis.

Pakistani envoy Zaman Mehdi calls the motion on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation member states, representing 57 countries.

Mehdi’s statement blames Israel for the attack and “breeding violence,” without mentioning Israel by name at any point. The statement makes no mention of Israeli victims, terror or Hamas.

On Monday afternoon, the @UN Human Rights Council observed a moment of silence for the loss of innocent lives in the occupied Palestinian territory and elsewhere.#HRC54 pic.twitter.com/9cgQDoQAyF

— United Nations Human Rights Council | ???? #HRC54 (@UN_HRC) October 9, 2023

The whole chamber appears to stand up at Mehdi’s request for a moment of silence, including the representatives of Germany, Belgium, France, Finland, Argentina, the UAE, Mexico and Morocco.

The Anti-Defamation League lashes the UNHRC, saying it is “blatantly ignoring the nearly 1,000 people in Israel who were brutally massacred by Hamas, and the over 150 innocent people taken hostage into Gaza.”

The UNHRC in Geneva and UN General Assembly have long had a lopsided focus on the Jewish state, targeting Israel in more condemnations and investigations than any other country.

The UNHRC’s special rapporteur for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Francesca Albanese, has not condemned Hamas for its onslaught against Israeli civilians, but today accused Israel of “militarized settler colonial occupation.”

Albanese did not respond to a Times of Israel request for comment on Hamas atrocities.

Albanese has a history of antisemitic comments and regularly singles out Israel for criticism. Two weeks ago, she said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu holding a map that did not show the Palestinian territories was “flagrantly unlawful.” In recent months, she said Israeli activities in the West Bank could constitute war crimes and demanded Israel release Palestinian prisoners.

White House lights up in blue and white in support for Israel

The outer exterior of the White House is lit up in blue and white on October 9, 2023, in solidarity with Israel following the Hamas terror attacks over the weekend. (Brett McGurk/X)

The White House is illuminated in the blue and white colors of the Israeli flag as a symbol of the United States’ 75-year relationship.

Brett McGurk, the White House coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa, tweets a photo of the White House in the colors

The White House had announced its intention to make the gesture earlier. “This symbolizes the ironclad support and solidarity of the American people with the people of Israel in the wake of the barbaric terrorist attacks committed by Hamas,” it said in a statement.

White House in White and Blue tonight. We stand with Israel. ???????????????? pic.twitter.com/8f5OLHj0U2

— Brett McGurk (@brett_mcgurk) October 10, 2023

Earlier, White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby choked up during a CNN interview while discussing the scenes coming out of Israel after Hamas’s surprise attack.

NSC's John Kirby chokes up when speaking to @jaketapper about the images coming out of Israel. pic.twitter.com/BkknrKCWPI

— Natasha Bertrand (@NatashaBertrand) October 9, 2023

Israeli strikes in Gaza enter 4th day

Israel is continuing its air strikes in the Gaza Strip as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned that Israel’s response to Hamas’ massacre in Israel on Saturday “will reverberate with them for generations.”

Earlier, Hebrew media reported that Israel hit 1,707 targets in Gaza since Saturday, including 475 rocket systems, 73 command centers, 23 strategic infrastructure sites and 22 underground targets.

Sirens blare across communities near Gaza Strip

Sirens warning of incoming rocket fire are blaring in southern Israel.

The Red Alert sirens are heard in Kfar Aza, Kibbutz Sa’ad, Kibbutz Alumim, and Nahal Oz.

The sirens came moments after Israeli security forces killed at least one Palestinian terrorist near the Kibbutz Sa’ad overnight in an exchange of gunfire.

According to initial reports by Channel 12, security forces spotted a suspicious vehicle near the Gaza area community. It had crossed into Israel from the Palestinian enclave, according to the report.

Forces opened fire, killing at least one terrorist, the report says.