Oct. 28: Israel expands ground offensive inside Gaza; families urge ‘all for all’ hostage deal

PMO again denies Netanyahu was warned ahead of October 7 Hamas onslaught

The Prime Minister’s Office issues a statement repeating PM Netanyahu’s previous insistence that he was not warned ahead of time about the October 7 Hamas assault. “In no way and at no stage” was he warned, it says.

“All the security hierarchies, including the head of the Shin Bet and the head of IDF military intelligence, assessed that Hamas was deterred and was interested in an arrangement [of ongoing quiet]. That was the assessment that was repeatedly presented to the prime minister and the cabinet by all security and intelligence hierarchies,” it adds.

It says it is issuing the denial because of “erroneous reports” to the contrary.

At his press conference earlier, Netanyahu was asked about a warning ostensibly issued by the head of the Shin Bet and the head of IDF military intelligence, and said the question was “inaccurate.”

Israel said to target Syrian posts in response to earlier shelling

Syrian opposition media says Israel has targeted Syrian Army posts, and pro-Iranian militia positions, in the Quneitra area of southern Syria.

This is reportedly in response to shelling toward the Golan Heights several hours ago.

The report is not confirmed by the IDF.

Hamas supporters take to the streets in West Bank city of Tulkarem

A mass rally is ongoing in the West Bank city of Tulkarem, as hundreds of protesters wave Hamas flags and chant in support of the Gaza-ruling terror group

“The people want the al-Qassam Brigades,” the protesters chant, referring to the military wing of Hamas.

Tulkarem is considered one of the bastions of support for Hamas in the northern West Bank, together with Jenin and Nablus.

Pro-Hamas rally tonight in Tulkarem, as protesters chant "The people want the Al-Qassam brigades" (the armed wing of Hamas) and wave green Hamas flags.
Note the child wrapped in the flag at the end of the video. pic.twitter.com/GfpehZZrkq

— Gianluca Pacchiani (@GLucaPacchiani) October 28, 2023

Hamas deputy chief meets with speaker of Lebanon’s Parliament

Hamas deputy chief Saleh al-Arouri (2nd-L) and other members of the terror group's political bureau with Nabih Berri, the speaker of Lebanon's parliament, in Beirut on October 28, 2023. (Courtesy(

Hamas deputy chief Saleh al-Arouri meets in Beirut with Nabih Berri, the speaker of Lebanon’s parliament and a Hezbollah ally.

The Hamas leader, accompanied by other members of the Gaza-ruling terror group’s political bureau, including Ghazi Hamad, speaks with Berri about the ongoing conflict with Israel and the need to allow humanitarian convoys into Gaza.

Berri, head of the Shiite Amal movement, congratulates Hamas for its brutal onslaught against Israel on October 7, in which 1,400 Israelis were killed, most of them civilians.

Warning sirens activated in parts of Ashkelon

Rocket warning sirens are triggered in parts of the southern coastal city of Ashkelon.

Pro-Palestinian demonstrations held in numerous European and Muslim countries

People demonstrate in a show of solidarity with Palestinians on October 28, 2023, in Paris, amid the war between Israel and Gaza-ruling Hamas terror group. (AP Photo/Thomas Padilla)

PARIS — Police encircle hundreds of people who defy a ban on a pro-Palestinian demonstration in central Paris. The officers try to contain the protest but fire tear gas when tensions rise as a breakaway group tries to march.

The protest collective known as Urgence Palestine called for a ceasefire in the increasingly intense war between Israel and Hamas. At least 80 people are given citations, according to French media. Other pro-Palestinian demonstrations are held in Marseille and Strasbourg in the east.

Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin’s order to ban pro-Palestinian demonstrations in France was trimmed back by the nation’s highest administrative authority. The Council of State ruled any protests in favor of either side in the war are to be authorized on a case-by-case basis after assessing risks to public order.

Demonstrations also take place today in London, Indonesia, Pakistan, Italy, Norway and Switzerland, and a crowd of protesters filled New York City’s Grand Central Station last night, many wearing black T-shirts saying “Jews say cease-fire now” and “Not in our name.”

IDF hits Hezbollah compound, observation posts after attacks along border

Flares are fired from northern Israel over the southern Lebanese border village of Aita al-Shaab, on October 28, 2023. (Fadel Senna/AFP)

The Israel Defense Forces says it struck a compound belonging to the Hezbollah terror group and a number of observation posts in southern Lebanon in response to rocket and missile attacks today.

The IDF publishes footage showing one of the strikes.

IDF says it struck a Hezbollah compound and a number of observation posts in southern Lebanon in response to the rocket and missile attacks today. pic.twitter.com/Q3JYDc1YIF

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) October 28, 2023

‘I love Israel,’ professes Trump in speech to Republican Jewish Coalition

Former US president Donald Trump stands on stage before speaking during an annual leadership meeting of the Republican Jewish Coalition, October 28, 2023, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Former US president Donald Trump opens his speech at the Republican Jewish Coalition’s conference by declaring, “I love Israel. I love Israel.”

Trump came under fire earlier this month for comments he made at a campaign event criticizing Israel over the intelligence failure that led to the October 7 Hamas onslaught, calling Defense Minister Yoav Gallant a “jerk” and the Hezbollah terror group “very smart.”

Trump made the remarks while recalling his administration’s 2020 assassination of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani, head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ elite Quds Force. Trump reiterated his claim that Netanyahu backed out at the last minute from actively taking part in the killing.

“I’ll never forget that Bibi Netanyahu let us down. That was a very terrible thing. We were very disappointed, but we did the job ourselves, and it was absolute precision, magnificent, beautiful job,” he said at the time. “Then Bibi tried to take credit for it. That didn’t make me feel too good. But that’s all right.”

While Netanyahu’s office did not respond to a request for comment, Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi told Israel’s Channel 13 that it is “shameful that a man like that, a former US president, abets propaganda and disseminates things that wound the spirit of Israel’s fighters and its citizens.”

Rocket lands in Ashdod, damages property; several treated for anxiety

People gather at the site of a rocket impact in the souther port city of Ashdod, October 28, 2023. (Courtesy(

A rocket launched from the Gaza Strip causes damage to property in the coastal city of Ashdod.

The United Hatzalah emergency service says its medics treated several people for acute anxiety.

Footage from the scene shows that the rocket landed on a street, damaging nearby cars and homes.

Clashes break out between Jewish townspeople, Arab students at Netanya dorms

Clashes have broken out between Jewish residents of Netanya and Arab Israeli students living in dorms at a local college.

The Jewish residents allege that the Arab students disrupted a prayer service at a Chabad synagogue earlier in the day, hurling eggs at worshipers and playing music loudly.

Several hundred Jewish protesters have gathered outside the Netanya Academic College’s dorms, many of them chanting, “Death to Arabs.”

קומץ קיצוני וגזעני הגיע הערב למעונות הסטודנטים במכללת נתניה עם קריאות מוות לערבים. משטרת ישראל לא עשתה דבר ואף הוציאה הודעה שהיא "מאבטחת את ההפגנה". בן גביר והמפכ"ל שלו בהתנהלות הזדונית שלהם הורסים את השקט שנשמר כאן במשך 22 ימים. פשוט לא ייאמן. pic.twitter.com/Uz08cVAViN

— מוחמד מג'אדלה محمد مجادلة (@mmagadli) October 28, 2023

Netanya Mayor Miriam Feirberg issues a statement saying she asked the school’s administrators to clear the dorms and find those responsible for allegedly harassing Jewish worshipers earlier in the day.

Sinwar claims Hamas ready for ‘immediate’ swap of captives for Palestinian prisoners

Yahya Sinwar, Hamas's Gaza governor, speaks during a meeting in Gaza City, on April 30, 2022. (Mahmud Hamas/AFP)

Hamas’s leader in the Gaza Strip, Yahya Sinwar, says the Palestinian terror group is ready for an “immediate” prisoner swap with Israel.

“We are ready to conduct an immediate prisoner exchange deal that includes the release of all Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails in exchange for all prisoners held by the Palestinian resistance,” Sinwar says in a statement.

Sirens sound in Ashdod, Ashkelon and other southern communities

Incoming rocket alerts sound in numerous southern communities, including the coastal cities of Ashdod and Ashkelon.

Pence announces he’s dropping out of 2024 race, stunning crowd at RJC confab

Former US vice president Mike Pence speaks at an annual leadership meeting of the Republican Jewish Coalition, October 28, 2023, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Former US vice president Mike Pence shocks the crowd at the Republican Jewish Coalition’s annual conference by announcing that he is withdrawing from the 2024 presidential race.

“The Bible tells us that there’s a time for every purpose under heaven. After traveling across the country over the past six months, I came here to say that it’s become clear to me that this is not my time,” Pence says, as many in the crowd gasp.

“After much prayer and deliberation, I have decided to suspend my campaign for president effective today,” he says.

Pence vows to never stop fighting for conservative values or to elect “principled Republican leaders,” in an apparent shot at his former boss Donald Trump.

סגן הנשיא לשעבר מייק פנס מודיע על פרישה מהמירוץ לנשיאות. פנס בנאומו בפני הקואליציה היהודית רפובליקנית:
״בתנ״ך כתוב שיש זמן לכל מטרה, נסעתי ברחבי המדינה בחצי השנה האחרונה וזה ברור לי, שזה לא הזמן שלי״ pic.twitter.com/WSC6kCrMNb

— יונה לייבזון yuna leibzon (@YunaLeibzon) October 28, 2023

Pence’s presidential campaign never took off and he has been polling in the low single digits for months.

Every major Republican presidential candidate is addressing the RJC conference today, including Trump, who is expected to run away with the nomination.

IDF raises number of captives to 230, says ‘military pressure’ on Hamas meant to free them

IDF spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari gives a statement on October 17, 2023. (Screenshot)

IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari says the military is slowly ramping up ground operations in the Gaza Strip.

“The IDF is gradually expanding its ground operations in Gaza and the scope of its forces,” Hagari says.

He says the “military pressure” on Hamas is also aimed at releasing the hostages the terror group is holding in Gaza.

Hagari says the military has notified the families of 230 hostages that their loved ones are currently being held in the Gaza Strip. He says the number is not final as the military investigates new information.

The number also does not include four released hostages — mother and daughter Judith and Natalie Ra’anan last Friday night, and elderly women Yocheved Lifshitz and Nurit Cooper on Monday night.

Netanyahu: Can’t say for certain if Iran was involved in planning October 7 attacks

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that Israel’s aim of destroying Hamas in the Gaza Strip will not change and that expanding IDF ground operations in Gaza will not get in the way of bringing back the hostages.

“Widening the ground offensive does not clash in any way with our ability to return the hostages,” he says, saying the war has two goals: the “supreme goal” to destroy Hamas’s capabilities, and the imperative to return the hostages. “I’m sure we’ll succeed in both.”

Asked about IDF intelligence and Shin Bet chiefs ostensibly writing recently to warn of the potential for a major Hamas attack, he says “that’s not accurate.”

Without being asked, he also denies wanting to strengthen Hamas, and says he oversaw repeated rounds of conflict against it. “In retrospect, it wasn’t enough. Now we’ll finish the work.”

Responding to a question about Iran’s involvement in the October 7 attacks, Netanyahu says “Iran supports Hamas… provides over 90% of Hamas’s budget. It finances, it organizes, it directs, it guides.

“I cannot tell you for certain that in this specific operation, at this particular moment, they were involved in the micro-planning.”

But, he adds, there is no Hamas without Iran. And no Hezbollah either. “That’s the axis of evil, against the free world and the moderates in the Arab world.”

That’s why Israel must defeat Hamas — for the sake of Israel but also for the benefit of Western civilization, he says.

Turning to the economy, Netanyahu also says he is in favor of closing some government ministries and increasing government spending.

“The only economy that interests me now is the economy of munitions,” he says.

He asserts that the economy can handle the war and pledges to invest massively in reconstruction in the Gaza border area that was devastated in the October 7 Hamas assault.

Asked again about the hostages, he is asked whether contacts on a possible deal will continue even as the war expands, and says yes.

He is also asked about a potential deal of “all for all” — an apparent reference to a potential deal in which all hostages would be freed and all Palestinian security prisoners in Israeli jails would be released.

“We are discussing the issue,” he says, without relating directly to the terms, and adds that he cannot share the intelligence and considerations the cabinet is debating, and that discussing the terms of a deal “will not help to realize” one.

Responding to a final question from the press, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant says the internal relations within the war cabinet are fine. “The prime minister, Minister Gantz, the ministers in the security cabinet, the war cabinet, are conducting discussions that are to the point, good and professional interpersonal relations, and in the end, we are united behind one goal, to bring the victory.”

Gantz says ‘no diplomatic time limit’ on Israeli military activities in Gaza

Minister Benny Gantz speaks during a press conference about the war against the Gaza-ruling Hamas terror group, October 28, 2023. (YouTube screenshot; used in accordance with clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

War cabinet member Benny Gantz also stresses that Israel is undertaking “every effort” to bring back the hostages.

Gantz, a former IDF chief of staff and defense minister, says the ground operation in Gaza can help bring them home. He adds that all of Israel’s leadership understands the scale of the mission, and is determined to return the captives.

Turning to world leaders, Gantz says “there is no diplomatic time limit, only an operational clock.”

“We will do what is right for us,” he says, calling on the world to keep the pressure on Hamas.

“This is total evil against total justice. And justice will win,” he says.

Gantz echoes Netanyahu’s comment that is Israel is fighting a second war of independence, saying the country will fight “where it must, and when it must.”

“We will end up not only stronger, but also more united.”

Gantz says the war will be a multi-stage effort with significant sacrifices, and that it will take a long time to win on the battlefield and to rehabilitate the south.

Gallant says return of captives ‘not a secondary mission,’ warns ‘long war’ ahead in Gaza

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant speaks during a press conference about the war against the Gaza-ruling Hamas terror group, October 28, 2023. (YouTube screenshot; used in accordance with clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

Speaking after Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant says there is not one moment he is not thinking about the hostages.

“Over the last day, we advanced to a new stage” in the war, he says. “The strength of the fire shook the ground in Gaza, and it’s different from anything Hamas has experienced since its creation.

“IDF forces are maneuvering in the relevant places, and are striking Hamas arrays right now, above ground and underground.”

“Hamas is suffering shocks it has never suffered,” he says.

Gallant says Israeli forces in Gaza are receiving all the intelligence and supportive fire they need, adding the operation is precise, lethal and extremely powerful.

Gallant says he “has full faith” in the IDF chief of staff, the heads of Shin Bet and Mossad, and the soldiers in the field.

He stresses Israel doesn’t want to expand the war, but is ready if anyone else gets involved.

Gallant also says the country is taking care of the reservists, those living near the combat areas and those who have had leave their houses.

Turning to the hostages, Gallant says Israel is doing everything it can to bring the hostages back. “It is not a secondary mission.”

“Let’s not delude ourselves, our enemies are not looking for humanitarian solutions.”

Gallant says the harder Israel hits Hamas, the greater the chances Hamas will agree to release hostages.

“It will not be a short war. It will be a long war,” he says.

“It is us or them,” Gallant says.

Netanyahu evades question on whether he bears responsibility for Hamas massacres

Taking his first questions from reporters since the Hamas massacres on October 7, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu avoids answering whether he bears responsibility for the Palestinian terror group’s deadly onslaught.

“After the war everyone will have to give answers, myself included,” he says, repeating comments he made earlier in the week. “There was an awful debacle.”

“There will not be a stone left unturned,” Netanyahu says, adding, though, that his focus right now is on winning and “saving the state.”

He is asked whether his government’s judicial overhaul distracted attention from addressing security challenges, and says the legislative proposals to weaken the courts are “no longer on the agenda,” and that the leaderships’ disagreements have been resolved.

The premier also defends a 2011 agreement to release over 1,000 Palestinian terror prisoners in exchange for captive soldier Gilad Shalit, while denying his policies have strengthened Hamas. “There were some very difficult things in it,” he says regarding the Shalit deal, adding the day will come to debate its wisdom.

PM: ‘Never again is now,’ Israel fighting ‘humanity’s war against the barbarians’

At the press conference, Netanyahu says, “We always said, ‘Never Again’. Never Again’ is now.”

He says his heart is broken after meeting families of the kidnapped, pledging, “We will utilize every opportunity to return our kidnapped brothers and sisters to their families’ embrace.”

“Their abduction is a crime against humanity,” he says.

Netanyahu also denounces those who “dare to accuse our soldiers of war crimes” as hypocrites and liars.

“The IDF is the most moral army in the world; the IDF does everything to avoid harm to non-combatants,” he says, again calling on residents of northern Gaza to head to the southern Gaza Strip.

Netanyahu accuses Hamas of war crimes, saying it “uses citizens as human shields,” uses hospitals as terror HQs, and takes fuel meant for hospitals to supply its war.

Many worldwide now understand what we said for years, he continues: “Israel is fighting not only its war, but humanity’s war against the barbarians.”

“Our allies in the Western world, and our partners in the Arab world, know that if we do not win, they are next in line in the campaign of conquest and murder from the axis of evil,” he says.

Netanyahu says that Israel has managed to get the world behind it, noting solidarity visits by the leaders of the United States, UK, Italy, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Greece, Cyprus and more.

“They brought a clear message — we don’t only support you, we are also hoping for your victory,” he says

“There are times a nation faces two options – to exist or to cease. We are now in such a test,” the premier continues.

“We are the ones that will win.”

Netanyahu says the initial stage was a massive air campaign “to allow our ground forces to go in as safely as possible.”

“We eliminated countless murderers, including mass murderers. We destroyed countless headquarters and terrorist infrastructure. We are only at the beginning,” he says.

Netanyahu adds the war will be “long and hard, and we are ready. It is our second War of Independence,” he says. “We will fight to defend the homeland. We will fight and we will not withdraw,” he vows, and will
destroy the enemy “above ground and below the ground.”

He terms the war as one of “light over darkness, life over death. This is the mission of our lives and my life.”

He says he prays for the safety of Israel’s soldiers, and ends: “We will fight together and win together.”

Rocket warning sirens heard in central Israeli cities

Rocket warning sirens are activated in several cities in central Israel, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other leaders hold a televised press conference in primetime.

Netanyahu: Goal of war is ‘to defeat the murderous enemy, ensure our existence in our land’

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference about the war against the Gaza-ruling Hamas terror group, October 28, 2023. (YouTube screenshot; used in accordance with clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the second stage of the war against Hamas has begun with the entrance of more ground forces into Gaza last night.

At a press conference in Tel Aviv, Netanyahu says Israel’s war aims are clear — “destruction of Hamas’s military and governing capabilities; and returning the hostages home.”

Netanyahu says the decision to begin the ground incursion was made unanimously, both by the war cabinet and the security cabinet.

“Our commanders and soldiers fighting in enemy territory know that the nation and the national leadership stand behind them,” he adds.

Netanyahu says the troops that he has met in the field are determined to make Hamas pay for its actions on October 7.

“They are determined to eradicate this evil from the world, for our existence and, I add, for all of humanity,” he says.

The premier quotes the biblical injunction to remember what the Amalekites did to the Israelites. “We remember, and we are fighting.”

Netanyahu says the soldiers are part of a legacy of Jewish warriors that goes back 3,000 years. He stresses that they have one goal: “To defeat the murderous enemy, and to ensure our existence in our land.”

Rocket fired from Gaza lands on Ramat Gan home; no injuries

A handout photo shows a home in Ramat Gan that was struck by a rocket fired by Palestinian terrorists in the Gaza Strip, October 28, 2023. (Israel Fire and Rescue Services)

A rocket launched from the Gaza Strip landed on a home in Ramat Gan earlier this evening.

Medics say there are no injuries.

IDF says rockets fired at northern border town hit open areas, strikes Hezbollah in response

The Israel Defense Forces says three rockets were fired from Lebanon toward Shtula earlier, setting off sirens in the northern community.

All three projectiles landed in open areas, causing no damage.

The IDF says it is responding with strikes on Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon.

WATCH: Netanyahu, Gantz, Gallant holding press conference

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Minister Benny Gantz are holding a press conference in Tel Aviv.

Military and diplomatic correspondents, but not political reporters, have been invited to attend.

After meeting PM, families of captives call for exchanging Palestinian prisoners for hostages

Representatives for families of captives held by Hamas in Gaza call to free all Palestinian prisoners in Israel in exchange for the release of their loved ones, after meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“Bring back everyone now,” Meirav Leshem-Gonen, whose 23-year-old daughter Romi was kidnapped on October 7, says during a press event in Tel Aviv.

Leshem-Gonen says they implored Netanyahu not to launch military operations that could endanger their loved ones, while asserting there would be broad national support for an exchange deal of “everyone for everyone.”

Representatives of families whose loved ones are held hostage in Gaza speak in Tel Aviv after a meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, October 28, 2023. (Channel 12 screenshot, used in accordance with clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

“We were very loud and clear in our statements about the situation,” says Malki Shemtov, the father of hostage Omer Shemtov. “We were speaking about what we feel and the military operation that’s underway. We are very worried about our loved ones who are there and we don’t know if the military operation will take those hostages under consideration, [to make sure] that no one will be injured.”

Shemtov says the families stressed they are all unified in their position that they feel there should be no limits on what the government will do to get all captives back home safely.

“The prime minister was listening to us,” says Shemtov, “and he said he will do everything he can.”

As Shemtov finishes mentioning the prime minister by name, the crowd erupts into jeers and shouts.

At least 20 demonstrations to show support for the families are being held around the country this evening.

Netanyahu tells families of captives Israel will ‘exhaust every possibility’ for their return

In this handout photo, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with representatives of families whose loved ones are being held hostage by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, October 28, 2023. (GPO)

After meeting with representatives of families whose loved ones are being held captive in Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledges Israel “will exercise exhaust every possibility” to bring about their return.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with representatives of families whose loved ones are being held hostage by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, October 28, 2023. (Channel 12 screenshot, used in accordance with clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

Netanyahu stressed to the families that freeing the hostages is a chief goal of the war.

“The key is the level of pressure,” the premier says. “The greater the pressure, the greater the chances [of freeing the captives].”

Channel 12 reports that Netanyahu also told them that there was no avoiding a major ground incursion, including to ratchet up pressure on Hamas.

Liberman: US won’t let this war go on for months; I warned PM in 2016 that Hamas would attack

Yisrael Beytenu party leader Avigdor Liberman speaks during a faction meeting at the Knesset on July 10, 2023. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Yisrael Beytenu party leader Avigdor Liberman says he gave Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a detailed document in December 2016 warning that Hamas would attack in “precisely the way it did” on October 7 if its capabilities were not dismantled.

Liberman, who was defense minister at the time, tells Channel 12 that the document set out the Hamas-attack scenario exactly as it occurred.

He says Netanyahu had to be persuaded to raise the issue at a cabinet meeting, where the document was “waved away dismissively,” including by security chiefs, and that he was made to feel “arrogant” for having presented it.

He says Israel’s time for military action in Gaza is limited, and that the US is indicating as much. Anyone who thinks the war against Hamas can continue for months isn’t watching the world, he says.

Liberman says there is enough fuel, food and medicine in Gaza for two months.

He also says the conflict must not end before Hezbollah is forced back from the northern border, because otherwise “everything that happened in the south will happen in north.”

He says the IDF is ready for a full-scale ground offensive and that the political leadership must not keep delaying.

IDF says Israeli ground forces in Gaza struck Hamas operatives and posts

A picture taken from Israel's southern city of Sderot shows smoke billowing following Israeli airstrikes on northern Gaza, on October 28, 2023, amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian terror group Hamas. (Aris Messinis/AFP)

The Israel Defense Forces says it continued ground operations in the Gaza Strip today, targeting several Hamas operatives and positions.

The IDF says that during the operations which began last night troops struck terror cells attempting to carry out anti-tank guided missile and mortar attacks.

Additionally, the ground forces found and destroyed a booby-trapped home, the IDF says.

Also during the raid, the IDF says tank forces directed a combat helicopter to strike a building in the Gaza Strip, where a number of Hamas members were gathered.

The military publishes a series of clips showing the forces operating inside Gaza.

החל משעות הערב המוקדמות אמש, צה"ל בהובלת צוותי קרב משולבים של כוחות שיריון, הנדסה וחי״ר פועל קרקעית בצפון רצועת עזה>> pic.twitter.com/Jq8pBQ6TeF

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) October 28, 2023

9-year-old Ashdod girl dies after suffering cardiac arrest amid rocket sirens

Tamar Haya Torphiashvili, 9, died on October 28, 2023, a week after going into cardiac arrest folowing a rocket siren in Ashdod. (Courtesy)

Assuta hospital in Ashdod announces the death of a nine-year-old girl who suffered cardiac arrest last week when an incoming rocket siren was activated in the southern port city.

She was later named as Tamar Haya Torphiashvili.

נקבע מותה של תמר בת ה-9, שפונתה שבוע שעבר לביה"ח לאחר שעברה דום לב בזמן שנשמעה אזעקה בעיר@Itsik_zuarets pic.twitter.com/thSpXAm2NW

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) October 28, 2023

Incoming rocket sirens sound in community along Lebanese border

Incoming rocket sirens are again sounding in the northern community of Margaliot, close to the Lebanon border.

The alert comes amid repeated missile and rocket attacks by the Hezbollah terror group.

Minister: Turkey’s Erdogan ‘supports Hamas-Daesh terror’

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a rally organized by his AKP party in solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza, in Istanbul on October 28, 2023, amid the war between Israel and Hamas terror group. (Yasin Akgul/AFP)

Senior Israeli officials bash Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan after his latest outburst at Israel amid the war against Hamas in Gaza.

Energy Minister Israel Katz, who is set to take over as foreign minister next year, says Erdogan “exposed his true face” during a mass rally today in Istanbul.

“The man of the Muslim Brotherhood supports Hamas-Daesh terror,” Katz writes on X. “Even his kaffiyeh will not cover up the shame.”

Israeli Ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan says “a snake will remain a snake.”

“[Erdogan] tried to improve his image, but remains an antisemite,” Erdan is quoted as saying by Army Radio.

IDF says it struck Hezbollah site after 3 rockets fired from Lebanon

The Israel Defense Forces says three rockets were fired from Lebanon at the Shtula area in northern Israel earlier, setting off sirens.

All three projectiles landed in open areas causing no injuries or damage.

The IDF says it struck a Hezbollah site in response to the rocket fire.

It publishes a video showing the strike.

IDF says three rockets fired from Lebanon at the Shtula area earlier, landing in open areas causing no injuries or damage. IDF struck a Hezbollah site in response. pic.twitter.com/KOolQCdIVK

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) October 28, 2023

Warning sirens again activated in cities throughout central Israel

Warning sirens are again activated in cities throughout central Israel as Palestinian terrorists in Gaza launch a fresh rocket salvo at the area.

Hamas demands all Palestinian security prisoners be freed in exchange for ‘enemy hostages’

Hamas spokesman Abu Obeida demands that Israel release all Palestinian security prisoners in return for the Israeli hostages it is holding, AFP reports.

“The price to pay for the large number of enemy hostages in our hands is to empty the (Israeli) prisons of all Palestinian prisoners,” he says, in a statement broadcast by the Hamas-run Al-Aqsa television channel.

Hamas and other Gaza terror groups are believed to be holding some 230 hostages, abducted from Israel during the terrorists’ October 7 assault on southern Israel in which over 1,400 were killed, mostly civilians.

Ahead of a likely Israeli ground invasion, Obeida also says Hamas is “waiting for you,” and predicts “a great defeat” and the imminent end of Zionism.

IDF chief says ground offensive in Gaza essential to achieve war aims

DF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi issues a video statement from southern Israel, October 28, 2023. (Israel Defense Forces)

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi in a video statement says that to defeat Hamas and return the hostages the terror group is holding, Israel must carry out a major ground offensive in the Gaza Strip

“Three weeks have passed since the start of the war. This war has stages, and today we moved into a new phase,” Halevi says, referring to ongoing, expanded ground operations in Gaza.

“Our forces are currently carrying out ground operations in the Gaza Strip… which serve to achieve all the war’s objectives: dismantling Hamas, security at the borders, and uppermost efforts to return all the hostages back home,” he says.

“The objectives of the war require ground entry. There are no achievements without risks, and there is no victory without prices being paid,” he continues.

“In order to expose the enemy and destroy it, there is no other way but to enter its territory with great force,” Halevi says, adding that the ground operations “serve all the objectives of the war.”

He also says returning the hostages “is a national effort of utmost importance.”

“Hamas is now holding innocents — babies, children, women, men, and elderly citizens,” he says. “We will do everything in order to succeed in this effort.”

“We have set clear goals, the road will be long… we will fight with determination, and win,” Halevi adds.

Rocket sirens heard in kibbutz near Gaza border

A rocket warning siren sounds in Be’eri, a kibbutz near the Gaza border.

FM Cohen says Israel to reassess ties with Turkey due to ‘harsh’ criticism over Gaza war

Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen speaks during a Security Council meeting at United Nations headquarters, October 24, 2023. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Foreign Minister Eli Cohen calls for a reassessment of diplomatic ties with Turkey, citing the “harsh” criticism by Turkish leaders of Israel’s military offensive against Hamas.

Cohen says he’s ordered Israeli diplomats stationed in Turkey to return to Israel.

Last week, Israel recalled its diplomats from the country as it also called on Israeli citizens to leave due to terror threats.

Netanyahu to hold first press conference since October 7 massacres

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is slated to hold a press conference at 8:30 p.m. on the war against Hamas, marking the first time the premier will answer reporters’ questions since the Gaza-ruling terror group’s onslaught in southern Israel on October 7.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Minister Benny Gantz are also due to speak alongside Netanyahu.

Rockets strike central cities of Kiryat Ono and Holon; no reports of injuries

The scene of a rocket strike from Gaza in Kiryat Ono, central Israel, October 28, 2023 (Channel 12 screenshot, used in accordance with clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

Rockets launched from the Gaza Strip have landed in the central cities of Kiryat Ono and Holon.

The Magen David Adom ambulance service says its medics are heading to the scenes to scan for possible injuries.

Images from Kiryat Ono show smoke rising from a neighborhood.

There are no immediate reports of injuries.

Images reportedly from the rocket impact in Kiryat Ono pic.twitter.com/yl2Q9ROEPD

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) October 28, 2023

IDF drops leaflets warning Palestinians that Gaza City now a ‘battlefield’

Smoke rises from explosions caused by Israeli airstrikes in the northern Gaza Strip, October 27, 2023. (AP Photo/Abed Khaled)

The Israel Defense Forces warns residents of Gaza City that the area is now a “battlefield,” as it steps up its air campaign against Hamas terrorists in the Palestinian territory.

“To the residents of the Gaza Strip: The Gaza governorate (Gaza City) has become a battlefield. Shelters in northern Gaza and Gaza governorate are not safe,” the army says in leaflets dropped by fighter jets, as it urges residents to “evacuate immediately” to the south.

Rocket warning sirens activated in Tel Aviv and cities across central Israel

Rocket warning sirens sound in Tel Aviv and other cities across central Israel, as well as in the southern coastal city of Ashkelon.

IDF says rockets fired toward town along Lebanon border, shells back in response

The Israel Defense Forces says a number of rockets were launched from Lebanon toward an area near the northern community of Zar’it area.

No injuries or damage are caused in the attack, the IDF says.

IDF says it is responding with artillery shelling toward the sources of the rocket fire.

Meanwhile, incoming rocket sirens sound in the northern town of Shetula, close to the Lebanon border.

UN peacekeeping force says shell hit base in south Lebanon

BEIRUT — A shell hit the headquarters of the UN peacekeeping mission in south Lebanon today, its spokesman says, the second such incident since war erupted between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

“A shell hit inside the base” in Naqura, says Andrea Tenenti, spokesperson for the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon. He reports “no injuries but some damage,” adding that UNIFIL is seeking to verify who fired the shell.

A Lebanese military source, on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to the media, says that “an Israeli shell penetrated the cement wall” around the UNIFIL headquarters.

Top EU diplomat calls for ‘pause of hostilities’ in Gaza

Josep Borrell, high representative of the European Union for foreign affairs and security policy, speaks to the press after attending the International Peace Summit in Egypt's New Administrative Capital (NAC), about 45 kilometers east of Cairo, on October 21, 2023. (Khaled Desouki/AFP)

BRUSSELS — EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell demands a “pause of hostilities” to allow humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip after the intense overnight bombing of the coastal territory.

“Gaza is in complete blackout and isolation while heavy shelling continues,” Borrell says on social media. “Far too many civilians, including children, have been killed. This is against international humanitarian law,” he says, adding: “A pause of hostilities is urgently needed to enable humanitarian access.”

Netanyahu meets with families of captives held in Gaza

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is now meeting with the families of hostages being held in Gaza by Hamas and other Palestinian terror groups.

At mass rally in Istanbul, Erdogan claims West ‘main culprit’ behind ‘massacre’ in Gaza

Protestors step on Israeli flags and pictures of French President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reading 'Baby killer,' near Taksim Square in Istanbul, during a protest against European governments on October 27, 2023. (Bulent Kilic/AFP)

In a show of solidarity with the Palestinians amid the war between Israel and Hamas, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attends a mass rally in Istanbul that was organized by his ruling party.

Addressing the demonstration, Erdogan claims Western powers are “the main culprit” behind the Israeli army’s “massacre” of Palestinians in Gaza.

“The main culprit behind the massacre unfolding in Gaza is the West,” Erdogan tells the several hundred thousand protesters.

בשעה זו באיסטנבול: עצרת תמיכה נרחבת בפלסטינים. גם הנשיא ארדואן לוקח בה חלק@asafroz15 pic.twitter.com/SwUE3Vkdwa

— החדשות – N12 (@N12News) October 28, 2023

Hamas claims to fire rockets at Dimona

The Hamas terror group claims to have launched rockets from the Gaza Strip at Dimona.

The claim comes as rocket warning sirens sound in Erez and Netiv Ha’asara, a pair of communities near the Gaza Strip.

Rocket warning sirens activated in areas around Dimona

Incoming rocket sirens are sounding in the Southern Negev region, close to the southern city of Dimona.

The alerts are activated in Ar’ara BaNegev, Abu Talul, Mamshit, Abu Qrenat and Qasr al-Sir.

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

Sirens also sound in Netiv HaAssara, close to the border with the Gaza Strip.

There are no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

In interrogation video, Hamas terrorists confirm group’s hideout under Gaza hospital

Ambulances crowd the entrance to the emergency ward of the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City on October 15, 2023 (Dawood NEMER / AFP)

The Israel Defense Forces releases footage of the interrogation of Hamas terrorists who participated in the October 7 massacre in southern Israel, where they confirm the terror group has a hideout under Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.

The publication of the footage comes a day after IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari accused Hamas of having its main base of operations under the hospital, the largest in the Gaza Strip.

IDF releases footage of the interrogation of Hamas terrorists who participated in the October 7 massacre in southern Israel, where they reveal that the terror group has a hideout under Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. pic.twitter.com/kCwKOBWUGr

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) October 28, 2023

After pressure, Netanyahu to meet this evening with families of hostages

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a press conference in Tel Aviv, Oct. 17, 2023. (AP/Maya Alleruzzo, Pool)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office says he will meet this evening with the families of those taken captive in the Hamas-led assault on October 7, after they demanded the premier and other Israeli leaders hold face-to-face talks as the military ramps up operations in Gaza.

The announcement from the Prime Minister’s Office of the upcoming meeting comes after Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said earlier that he will meet tomorrow with representatives of the families.

Estimated 100,000 in London hold ‘March for Palestine,’ denounce Israeli ‘genocide’

Protesters hold placards and wave Palestinian flags during a 'March For Palestine' in London on October 28, 2023, as they call for ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas. (Henry Nicholls/AFP)

Some 100,000 pro-Palestinian protesters have marched in central London calling for an immediate ceasefire in the deadly war between Israel and Hamas.

It was the third consecutive weekend that the British capital was the venue for a large rally in support of Palestinians since the terrorist onslaught by Hamas on Israel earlier this month.

Israel has vowed to dismantle Hamas in Gaza after its terrorists stormed across the Gaza border on October 7, killing 1,400 people, mostly civilians, and seizing more than 220 hostages.

The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says Israeli strikes have killed 7,700 people, mainly civilians, with more than 3,500 of them children. But these figures cannot be independently verified and are believed to include Hamas’s own members.

Saturday’s protest in London came as Israel’s army intensified its airstrikes in Gaza and continued a limited ground incursion.

Many demonstrators waved Palestinian flags and chanted slogans including “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”, a slogan that amounts to a call for the destruction of Israel.

They also held signs that read “Free Palestine” and “Gaza, stop the massacre,” while some protesters let off fireworks and red and green flares.

Protesters hold placards and wave Palestinian flags during a ‘March For Palestine’ in London on October 28, 2023, as they call for ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas. (Henry Nicholls/AFP)

Dani Nadiri, 36, said UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s call for a “humanitarian pause” in the fighting to allow aid into Gaza and hostages to leave was not enough.

“A full ceasefire needs to happen,” the TV producer told AFP, adding: “It’s time now to do something rather than let it escalate any further.”

Noori Butt, from Luton in southern England, said she just wanted the war “to end”.

“It can’t go on like this. The world is dying and I want lasting peace for everybody. That’s the way it should be,” the 38-year-old teacher told AFP.

About 100,000 people joined the “March for Palestine,” according to British media which reported that a few demonstrators threw kicks and punches at police officers as they detained someone near the British parliament.

Protesters hold placards and wave Palestinian flags during a ‘March For Palestine’ in London on October 28, 2023, as they call for ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas. (Henry Nicholls/AFP)

London’s Metropolitan Police, which deployed more than 1,000 officers to patrol the march, said one protester was arrested on suspicion of assaulting an officer.

A man was also arrested for making racist remarks and threats to kill, the force added.

The demonstrators gathered at a central point by the River Thames at midday, before making their way to the UK Parliament in Westminster.

The force had said it would not tolerate any hate crimes during the march.

Expressing support for Palestinians is allowed in Britain but praising Hamas — a banned terrorist organisation in the UK — is not.

Police said officers would intervene if protesters used the word “jihad” in chants.

Nearly 100,000 people attended a similar march in London last Saturday. Thousands also rallied in the British capital on October 14.

Other rallies took place Saturday in Manchester and Glasgow, Scotland.

The UK government’s stance on refraining from calling for a ceasefire is in line with the position of the United States — both say Israel has the right to defend itself within international law.

British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said Saturday that Hamas has given no indication it “desires or would abide by calls for a ceasefire”.

Gallant says Israel has ‘moved to new phase’ in war against Hamas: ‘The earth in Gaza shook’

In this handout photo, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant (R) speaks with Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar on October 28, 2023, amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. (Ariel Hermoni/Defense Ministry)

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant says Israel has “moved to a new phase” in the war against Hamas, after ground forces pushed into Gaza and the military bombarded terror targets in the Strip overnight.

“The earth in Gaza shook,” Gallant is quoted saying in a statement from his office. “We attacked above ground and below ground, we attacked terror operatives of all ranks, in all places. The commands to the forces are clear: The operation will continue until a new order.”

He adds: “Regarding other areas, we are preparing to defend Israeli citizens, to safeguard their security. We are doing this in the north, the center and everywhere.”

Gallant’s remarks come after he met with top security officials, including the heads of the IDF, Shin Bet and Mossad. The defense chief’s office says he laid out “the direction of action concerning the main efforts” in the war, including “the military effort, the effort to free the captives, the civil effort and the humanitarian effort.”

Rocket hits home in Beersheba, causing damage but no injuries

A home in Beersheba hit by a rocket from Gaza on October 28, 2023 (Emanuel Fabian/Times of Israel)

A rocket hits a home in the southern city of Beersheba, causing damage but no injuries.

The family was not home when the rocket struck, as the house is undergoing renovations.

In a statement, police say sappers are on the scene to collect the remains of the rocket “to remove an additional danger to the public,” while urging Israelis to stay away from the scene.

Turkey’s Erdogan: Israel must end ‘this state of insanity,’ halt strikes in Gaza

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at a joint press conference with Turkmenistan's president, after their meeting at the presidential complex in Ankara on October 26, 2023. (Adem Altan/AFP)

CAIRO — President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi of Egypt calls for the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, saying the number of trucks allowed into the besieged territory is far below the needs of Gaza’s population.

“The needs are massive,” he says in televised comments, noting the importance of all aid being delivered.

The Egyptian government is working to de-escalate the conflict through talks with the warring parties, including discussions about releasing prisoners and hostages, he says without providing details.

Egypt’s foreign ministry warns about “gave risks” of a wide-scale Israeli ground invasion, slamming Israel for not respecting the UN General Assembly’s resolution yesterday calling for a “humanitarian truce.”

An invasion would result in “unprecedented humanitarian and security repercussions” including a surge in casualties among civilians and eventual destabilization of the region, the ministry says in a statement.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan calls on Israel to emerge from what he describes as its “state of insanity” and end military actions.

“The ever-increasing Israeli bombardments on Gaza, which intensified last night, have targeted women, children and innocent civilians, deepening the humanitarian crisis,” Erdogan writes in a message posted today on X, formerly Twitter. “Israel must immediately emerge of this state of insanity and stop its attacks.”

Erdogan is scheduled to attend a mass rally today organized by his ruling party in Istanbul to show solidarity with Palestinians, which he says will be used to “make this call louder and shout that we stand with the Palestinian people against the Israeli oppression.”

Ex-general: Allow a brief ceasefire and aid to enter Gaza, but only if Red Cross visits hostages and Shifa is evacuated

Major General (ret.) Giora Eiland, former IDF operations chief and ex-head of the National Security Council (Channel 12 screenshot; used in accordance with clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

IDF Maj-Gen (ret.) Giora Eiland, a former IDF operations chief and ex-head of the National Security Council, tells Channel 12 he believes Israel is in “an existential war.” As such, the impact on civilians in the enemy state next door may need to be extremely high but would still be considered “proportionate.”

He quotes the former prime minister Ariel Sharon saying, “The Jews have the right to live, too.”

Israel has to decide which is more essential, he says: “To look good in the eyes of the West or to terrify the Middle East environment?”

Even within that framework, however, he stresses, there is certainly room to offer humanitarian assistance to Gazans, but it must done within parameters that serve Israel’s essential interests.

For example, he says, Israel could offer a 12-hour ceasefire during which humanitarian aid is allowed into the Strip — but only on condition that the Red Cross goes in, too, and sees the hostages and ascertains their fate, and that Shifa Hospital, under which Hamas maintains its main operations base, is evacuated.

He says there is no reason whatsoever for Israel to help the Hamas administration in Gaza, “and certainly not with fuel.”

It is not sufficient for Israel to be merely endlessly repeating that “Hamas is bad,” without creating maximal room for military maneuver to destroy Hamas militarily and administratively, Eiland says. He notes that, as with the Nazis, Hamas in Gaza is not only a war machine but an administration serving that machine, and it too must be taken down.

He also implores the Israeli leadership to utilize solidarity visits and support from world leaders not merely as a PR exercise, but to urge them to publicly endorse essential steps to help Israel destroy Hamas, such as calling on Gazans to evacuate areas where Israel is tacking the terrorists.

IDF says mortars, anti-tank guided missiles fired from Lebanon at towns, military positions

The Israel Defense Forces says mortars and anti-tank guided missiles were launched from Lebanon at military positions and Israeli towns on the border, setting off sirens.

No injuries are reported.

The IDF says it is responding with artillery shelling.

Rocket alert sirens sound in Ashkelon

Rocket alert sirens sound in the southern coastal city of Ashkelon.

There are no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

Rocket alert sirens in Beersheba

Rocket alert sirens sound in the southern city of Beersheba.

Residents report hearing at least two explosions although it is not immediately clear if they are impacts or interceptions.

There are no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

Rocket sirens in Gaza border town

Rocket alert sirens sound in the Gaza border community of Kissufim.

The town has been largely evacuated and there are no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

The incoming fire comes as Lebanese terror groups shoot missiles at towns on the northern border.

Rocket alert sirens sound in communities on Lebanon border

Incoming rocket sirens are sounding in the Upper Galilee communities of Misgav Am and Margaliot, close to the Lebanon border.

Sirens sound a short while later in Arab al-Aramshe, also near the Lebanon border, in the Western Galilee.

The alerts come amid repeated attacks by the Hezbollah terror group in south Lebanon on IDF positions and towns in northern Israel.

Residents of communities along the Lebanon border have already been evacuated by the military amid the Hezbollah attacks.

Musk says Starlink will provide services to ‘internationally recognized aid organizations in Gaza’

File: X (formerly Twitter) CEO Elon Musk leaves a US Senate bipartisan Artificial Intelligence (AI) Insight Forum at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on September 13, 2023. (Mandel Ngan/AFP)

Elon Musk announces that his satellite-based communications system Starlink “will support connectivity to internationally recognized aid organizations in Gaza.”

Musk makes the announcement on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, in response to a statement by United States Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez that cutting off communications in Gaza was “unacceptable.”

Aid groups say they are unable to communicate with their teams in the Gaza Strip after phone and internet services collapsed during intense Israeli bombardment supporting the intensifying ground operation.

Starlink, operated by Musk-owned company SpaceX, has also been deployed in Ukraine shortly after the country was invaded by Russia in February 2022.

The network, which helps increasingly high-tech soldiers to operate in areas where other means of communication are down, is a key battlefield tool for Kyiv. However, Musk has said he prevented Ukraine from wiping out Russia’s Black Sea navy fleet last year by denying Starlink internet access.

Since billionaire Musk acquired Twitter last year and renamed it X, experts say the platform has become not just unreliable, but actively promotes falsehoods.

X CEO Linda Yaccarino has said the platform has removed hundreds of Hamas-linked accounts and taken down or labeled thousands of pieces of content since the terror group’s murderous assault on Israel.

Rocket sirens sound in Tel Aviv, Bat Yam

Rocket alert sirens sound in Tel Aviv and Bat Yam for the first time today.

There are no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

Gallant to meet with relatives of Gaza hostages as ground operation intensifies

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant gives a statement on October 7, 2023. (Elad Malka/Defense Ministry)

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant will meet tomorrow with representatives of the families of those held hostage in Gaza amid concerns for their well-being amid the intensifying operation.

The announcement comes after relatives of the 229 confirmed hostages held in the Gaza Strip issued an urgent appeal for a meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Gallant and other members of the war cabinet amid fears for the safety of their loved ones as the military conducted a massive strike on Hamas tunnels and bunkers in the northern part of the enclave and ground forces went in.

Hamas says it’s trying to locate Russian dual citizens held in Gaza to release them — Russia news agency

Hamas is trying to locate eight Russian-Israeli dual citizens who were taken hostage during the Palestinian terror group’s attack on Israel in order to free them on Moscow’s request, Russian news agencies reported Saturday.

“From the Russian side, via the foreign ministry, we received a list of citizens that have dual citizenship,” a Hamas representative was cited as saying by the RIA Novosti news agency.

“We are looking for those people… It is hard but we are looking. And when we find them, we will let them go,” he says.

Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, has claimed in the past that it is not holding all the hostages and that some of them were taken by Palestinian Islamic Jihad and other factions.

Earlier this week, Hamas representatives arrived in Moscow to discuss the ongoing war with Israel with Russia’s deputy foreign minister, Mikhail Bogdanov, in a meeting that was also attended by Ali Bagheri Kani, the deputy foreign minister of the terror group’s chief sponsor, Iran.

Relatives of the 229 confirmed hostages have expressed concern that those held in Gaza who hold dual citizenship may be more likely to be released.

IDF says it hit terror cell readying for anti-tank guided missile attack from southern Lebanon

The Israel Defense Forces says it has carried out a drone strike against a terror cell in southern Lebanon preparing to carry out an anti-tank guided missile attack against an area near the northern community of Hanita.

The IDF publishes footage showing the strike.

The Hezbollah terror group in recent weeks has carried out dozens of missile and rocket attacks against IDF positions and Israeli towns in northern Israel.

IDF says it carried out a drone strike against a terror cell in southern Lebanon preparing an anti-tank guided missile attack against the Hanita area in northern Israel. pic.twitter.com/I6vdHgkKVg

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) October 28, 2023

Palestinian shot dead by settler while harvesting olives in West Bank – report

A Palestinian man was shot dead by a settler as he harvested olives near the village of As-Sawiya, Haaretz reports.

The report says Bilal Muhammed Saleh, 40, was shot in the chest, and that his death was confirmed by the Palestinian Authority’s health ministry, and by military sources.

According to Haaretz, Saleh was part of a group harvesting olives outside the village near Nablus when they were attacked by settlers.

A number of olive groves were apparently attacked in the area.

In a video circulating on social media which does not show how the incident began, it appears that there is a group of at least four settlers dressed in white. At one point, what sounds like a gunshot can be heard.

There is no immediate comment on the incident from the Israel Defense Forces.

Earlier this week, US President Joe Biden criticized Israel for not clamping down on extremist settler violence.

Biden has reportedly urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during phone calls in recent days to ensure that Israeli authorities are preventing growing incidents of settler violence, fearing that spiraling tensions in the West Bank could significantly exacerbate the current Gaza war.

כפר אלסאוויה ליד שכם. תיעוד למתנחלים במטעי זיתים של פלסטינים. משרד הבריאות הפלסטיני דווח על הרוג מירי מתנחלים. בלאל סאלח בן 40 נפגע מכדור חי בחזה. עדוית על התקפות במספר מטעי זיתים בגזרת שכם. pic.twitter.com/jTHrN50tdn

— Jack khoury.جاك خوري (@KhJacki) October 28, 2023

Rocket sirens sound in Gaza border towns, Ashkelon

Rocket sirens sound in a number of communities close to the Gaza border, as well as in the southern part of the coastal city of Ashkelon.

There are no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

Aid groups say unable to communicate with Gaza teams after phone, internet services collapsed

The UN health agency and other aid groups say they remain unable to communicate with their teams in the Gaza Strip after phone and internet services collapsed during intense Israeli bombardment.

Tedros Adhanom, head of the World Health Organization, says the blackout has made it “impossible for ambulances to reach the injured.”

“We are still out of touch with our staff and health facilities. I’m worried about their safety,” he writes on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Cindy McCain, executive director of the World Food Program, says the organization is “extremely worried” about aid workers and civilians in Gaza following the blackout preventing communications with its team.

“As conflict rages on, I am extremely worried for the safety of all humanitarian workers and civilians, she says on X. “We are at a tipping point. Humanity must prevail.”

War erupted after Hamas’s October 7 massacre, which saw some 2,500 terrorists storm the border into Israel from the Gaza Strip, killing some 1,400 people and seizing over 230 hostages of all ages under the cover of a deluge of thousands of rockets fired at Israeli towns and cities. The vast majority of those killed as gunmen seized border communities were civilians — including babies, children and the elderly.

Israel says its Gaza offensive is aimed at destroying Hamas’s infrastructure, and has vowed to eliminate the entire terror group, which rules the Strip. It says it is targeting all areas where Hamas operates, while seeking to minimize civilian casualties.

French Jewish groups set up hotline to help community members impacted by war

French Jewish groups have set up a helpline to provide support to people in the community traumatized by the latest Israel-Hamas war — from families who have lost loved ones in the Middle East to parents anxious about their children’s reaction to the conflict and Holocaust survivors.

Since it was launched a few days after the deadly October 7 Hamas incursion into southern Israel, dozens of people have called in every day, organizers say.

Fabien Azoulay, the deputy director general in charge of solidarity at the United Jewish Social Fund, or FSJU, which brings together many associations in France, says that over 60 psychologists, psychiatrists and child psychiatrists are volunteering to call back those who leave messages on the helpline number.

People of all ages are seeking support, from teenagers to parents and elderly people, Azoulay stresses.

For some survivors of the Holocaust, “it brings back childhood traumas they thought they’d never see again,” Azoulay says. “They see it in the country [Israel] that was supposed to be the refuge for Jews. So it’s very, very traumatic.”

The volunteers sometimes propose a longer consultation with a psychotherapist or put callers in touch with associations able to bring them social assistance when needed.

IDF intercepts missile fired from Lebanon toward Israeli military drone

The Israel Defense Forces says its air defenses intercepted a surface-to-air missile fired from Lebanon aimed at an Israeli military drone.

The IDF unmanned aerial vehicle was not damaged in the attempt.

Footage from Tiberias in northern Israel shows a trail of smoke from the air defense missile.

Reports of air defense activity over Tiberias in northern Israel. No sirens sounded. pic.twitter.com/QtkOiJxtBp

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) October 28, 2023

The IDF says it is returning fire at the source of the missile fire.

Hezbollah has attempted to target Israeli military UAVs over northern Israel and southern Lebanon several times in recent weeks.

Steady stream of rocket fire toward Gaza border towns throughout the morning

Rockets have been fired toward a number of communities near the Gaza border throughout the morning.

There have been no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

Rocket fire is widely expected to intensify amid the Israel Defense Forces’ expanded operations in the Gaza Strip.

NYT: Arab, Western officials back Israel’s assertion that Hamas stockpiled food, fuel as Gaza residents go without

An image shared by the IDF showing twelve oil tanks in which Hamas allegedly stores its reserves while the Gaza Strip is running out of fuel during the ongoing war with Israel, October 24, 2023. (IDF Arabic spokesman on X)

The New York Times backs up Israel’s assertion that Hamas is stockpiling food and fuel in the Gaza Strip, keeping it from residents who are in desperate need.

Arab and Western officials tell the outlet that the terror group has amassed stores in its vast network of tunnels.

“Hamas has hundreds of thousands of gallons of fuel for vehicles and rockets; caches of ammunition, explosives and materials to make more; and stockpiles of food, water and medicine,” the report says, citing the unnamed officials.

A senior Lebanese official tells the newspaper that Hamas has enough supplies for the terror group to sustain fighting for three to four months without a need for resupply.

The officials spoke to the newspaper on condition of anonymity so as not to reveal their sources.

Earlier this week, the IDF issued photos it said showed fuel tanks in the Gaza Strip, asserting it had information that half a million liters of fuel were being kept there by Hamas.

Israel, which usually provides fuel to Gaza, halted all transfers following Hamas’s October 7 assault on the country, when the terror group abruptly launched a ground, air and sea assault. Under the cover of a barrage of thousands of rockets, over 2,500 gunmen crossed the border and rampaged murderously through southern towns, killing more than 1,400, most of whom were civilians. Over 230 more were taken hostage.

Israel has barred the entry of fuel into Gaza after imposing a complete blockade on the coastal enclave in the early hours of the war. However, a number of aid convoys of food, water and medical equipment have been allowed in via Egypt.

IDF spokesman: ‘Bringing the hostages home is a national effort of utmost importance’

Images of the hostages held by the Hamas terror group in Gaza are on display in the southern Israeli city of Beersheba, October 27, 2023. (Flash90)

IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari says the military is working to both eliminate the Hamas terror group and return the hostages it is holding in the Gaza Strip back to Israel.

“We are operating according to objectives that were set out for us: dismantling Hamas, protecting the borders, and a national effort to return the hostages,” Hagari says.

“All of these together are part of our judgment, our assessments, our progress, and the decision-making,” he says.

“We will make the most correct operational decisions, with these objectives as our compass,” Hagari continues.

“Bringing the hostages home is a national effort of utmost importance, and all our activities, operational, intelligence, are aimed at realizing this objective,” he adds.

IDF says military ‘advancing through stages of war’ in Gaza; no soldiers hurt so far in expanded ground op

A still from video released by the IDF shows Israeli tanks rolling into Gaza on October 28, 2023. (Screen capture: IDF)

IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari says the military is “advancing through the stages of the war” in Gaza, with ground forces carrying out operations in the Strip.

“Infantry, armored, engineering and artillery forces participating in the activity, accompanied by heavy [air] fire,” he says, noting that “the forces are still on the ground and continue the fighting.”

He says no soldiers have been hurt in the expanded ground operation in Gaza so far.

On two Hamas commanders killed in overnight Israeli airstrikes — the head of the terror group’s aerial forces and a naval forces commander — Hagari says “their elimination brings good progress in the stages of the war and helps the forces fight a weaker enemy.”

IDF says it killed Hamas naval commander behind thwarted infiltration attempt

The Israel Defense Forces says it has killed the commander of Hamas’s naval forces of the Gaza City Brigade, Rateb Abu Sahiban, in an overnight airstrike.

The IDF says Abu Sahiban planned and commanded a Hamas infiltration attempt via the sea on October 24th, which was foiled by Israeli Navy forces.

The military releases footage showing the overnight strike.

IDF says it has eliminated the commander of Hamas's naval forces of the Gaza City Brigade, Rateb Abu Sahiban, in an overnight airstrike. pic.twitter.com/1c2yA1xr5i

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) October 28, 2023

Rocket attacks on Gaza border towns continue with sirens in Magen

Rocket sirens sound in the Gaza border community Magen.

It is the third community targeted within a number of minutes.

There are no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

Rocket sirens sound in Gaza border community

Rocket alert sirens sound in Nahal Oz, close to the border with the Gaza Strip.

There are no immediate reports of injuries or damage in the community, which has been largely evacuated of residents.

Reporter in Gaza describes ‘total chaos’ in Strip amid IDF’s expanded operation

Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, Oct. 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

While Palestinian reports from Gaza are scarce after internet and phone services collapsed during Israeli bombardment last night amid the Israel Defense Forces’ expanded ground operation, a reporter for the BBC says there is “total chaos” in the Strip.

“There was a huge bombardment in the north of Gaza Strip on a scale we’ve never seen before,” writes Rushdi Abualouf.

“At the hospital here, ambulance drivers told me they couldn’t communicate with anyone, so they were just driving in the direction of the explosions,” he writes.

“There’s been panic everywhere, even here in Khan Younis, where the bombing was less, as people try to reach family members in other areas to check they are safe, but the phones have been cut off,” Abualouf writes.

War erupted after Hamas’s October 7 massacre, which saw some 2,500 terrorists storm the border into Israel from the Gaza Strip, killing some 1,400 people and seizing over 230 hostages of all ages under the cover of a deluge of thousands of rockets fired at Israeli towns and cities. The vast majority of those killed as gunmen seized border communities were civilians — including babies, children and the elderly.

Israel says its Gaza offensive is aimed at destroying Hamas’s infrastructure, and has vowed to eliminate the entire terror group, which rules the Strip. It says it is targeting all areas where Hamas operates, while seeking to minimize civilian casualties.

Rocket sirens sound in Gaza border community Nir Oz

After a pause of some eight hours, rocket alert sirens sound in the Gaza border community Nir Oz.

There are no immediate reports of injuries or damage in the community, which has been largely evacuated.

Rocket fire is widely expected to intensify amid the Israel Defense Forces’ expanded operations in the Gaza Strip.

Iranian teen allegedly attacked by morality police for not wearing a hijab dies

In this image from surveillance video aired by Iranian state television, women pull 16-year-old Armita Geravand from a train car on the Tehran Metro in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, Oct. 1, 2023. The mysterious injury suffered by Geravand not wearing a headscarf while boarding a Metro train in Iran's capital has reignited anger just after the one-year anniversary of the death of Mahsa Amini and the nationwide protests it sparked. (AP Photo/Iranian state television)

TEHRAN — Iranian teenager Armita Garawand died a month after falling into a coma following a disputed incident on Tehran’s metro, media in the Islamic Republic says.

“Armita Garawand, a student in Tehran, died an hour ago after intensive medical treatment and 28 days of hospitalization in intensive care,” reports the Borna news agency affiliated with the youth ministry.

The 16-year-old ethnic Kurd was hospitalized in Tehran after she fell unconscious on the metro.

Her case was first reported on October 3 by the Kurdish-focused rights group Hengaw, which said she had been critically wounded during an incident on the underground train network.

Authorities say she suffered a sudden drop in blood pressure and denied that any “physical or verbal altercations” had taken place between her and other passengers.

But rights groups have said the teen was critically wounded during an alleged assault by members of Iran’s morality police.

It came just over a year after the death of Mahsa Amini, also a young Iranian Kurd, following her arrest by the morality police for allegedly breaching Iran’s strict dress code for women in an incident that sparked mass protests across the Islamic Republic.

In reversal, police allow protest over Oct. 7 failures to be held near Netanyahu’s Caeserea home

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to the media during a joint press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Oct. 17, 2023. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo, Pool)

Police issue a “clarification” after reports that they would not allow a protest over the failures that led to the October 7 Hamas onslaught to take place this evening outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s residence in Caesarea.

“The Israel Police considers the right to protest a cornerstone of a democratic country,” they say in a statement, adding that the demonstration must be held in accordance with the law and any instructions from the Home Front Command.

While a series of senior Israeli officials have said in recent weeks that they take responsibility for the massive failures that enabled thousands of Hamas terrorists to storm across the Gaza border, killing 1,400 people — mostly civilians — and taking at least 233 hostages, Netanyahu has so far refused to do so.

The closest the prime minister has come is saying that “everyone will have to give answers” after the war.

Gaza hostages’ families demand meeting with PM amid expanded op: ‘The worst of all nights’

Kfar Aza residents and supporters call for the release of the hostages held by terrorists in Gaza, outside the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv. October 26, 2023 (Jonathan Shaul/Flash90)

Amid the Israel Defense Forces’ expanded operations in the Gaza Strip which began last night, the families of the some 229 confirmed hostages held in the Strip issue an urgent plea for a meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and the other members of the war cabinet.

“This night was the worst of all nights,” reads the message issued on behalf of the families, according to the Walla news site.

“It was an unending night, against the background of the IDF’s major operation in the Gaza Strip, and complete uncertainty regarding the fate of the abductees who are being held there and are also subject to the heavy bombardment.”

“Anxiety, frustration, and especially enormous anger that nobody from the war cabinet bothered to meet with the families of the abductees to explain to them one thing — whether the ground operation endangers the safety of the 229 hostages in Gaza,” the statement read.

“The families are anxious for the fate of their loved ones and are waiting for an explanation. Every minute that passes feels like an eternity,” the statement reads.

IDF releases footage of troops, tanks operating in Gaza during expanded operations

The Israel Defense Forces releases footage of ground forces, including infantry troops, combat engineering forces and tanks, operating in the Gaza Strip overnight and this morning.

The forces are still in Gaza at this hour, operating deeper into the Hamas-run territory than previous limited incursions.

IDF releases footage of forces operating in the Gaza Strip overnight and this morning. pic.twitter.com/S1LnuFhQqm

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) October 28, 2023

Hostage’s father calls on public to join Tel Aviv vigil for return of those held in Gaza

Liri Albag, a surveillance soldier taken hostage by Hamas terrorists October 7 at the Nahal Oz base. (Courtesy)

The father of one of the hostages held in Gaza calls on the public to join the vigils at Tel Aviv’s Kaplan Street to call for the return of those who have been kidnapped.

Eli Albag’s daughter Liri, 18, a surveillance soldier at the Nahal Oz army base, was taken captive by Hamas terrorists on October 7, as Hamas terrorists took control of the IDF post.

“I see the pictures of the thousands gathering in London and in New York in solidarity, but I don’t see it here in Israel,” he tells Channel 12 news, adding that members of the government have also not attended the vigil outside the Defense Ministry and the Israel Defense Forces headquarters.

“We are there every day. Come today at 7 p.m. so that everyone understands how important this is to the people,” he says.

Albag also addresses concerns that some of the hostages may be freed before others as they hold dual citizenship.

“Liri is one of the 229 hostages in Gaza, but we want them all home at once,” he says. “There should be no selection as was done during the Holocaust.”

Albag had just finished her training course and was on the job for just three days before being abducted.

Albag’s mother, Shira, last heard from her daughter at 6:30 a.m. that day, when Albag reported that she was in a field shelter, trying to avoid the rocket barrage.

When she arrived back home, Albag’s boyfriend showed Shira a Telegram video posted by Hamas, in which they were able to identify Albag being kidnapped to Gaza.

IDF says it will allow significantly more humanitarian aid to enter Gaza from Egypt

A convoy of trucks carrying humanitarian aid enters the Gaza Strip from Egypt via the Rafah border crossing on October 21, 2023. (Eyad Baba/AFP)

The Israeli military is set to allow significantly more humanitarian aid to enter the southern Gaza Strip from Egypt.

The Israel Defense Forces is hoping that the additional food, water and medical supplies will encourage more Palestinians to leave the northern part of the Gaza Strip for its south.

Israel has warned that it is heavily targeting Gaza City and other areas in northern Gaza, where Hamas is believed to have its main bases of operations.

The IDF says it will not allow fuel into the Gaza Strip, as it says it is used by Hamas to manage the fighting against Israel.

IDF says it hit Hezbollah site in Lebanon in response to rocket fire

The Israel Defense Forces says it carried out an overnight airstrike against a Hezbollah site in southern Lebanon, in response to rocket fire toward Israel yesterday.

The rockets were aimed at an IDF position in the Golan Heights, but the projectiles landed in Syria.

IDF says it struck a Hezbollah site in southern Lebanon overnight, in response to rocket fire on Israel yesterday, which landed in Syria. pic.twitter.com/cOZ3E78ZIJ

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) October 28, 2023

IDF says 150 Hamas underground sites hit in airstrikes; troops, tanks operate in Gaza

During the Israel Defense Forces’s overnight ground operation in the Gaza Strip, there were a number of clashes between troops and Hamas terrorists.

No soldiers are reported hurt in the clashes. The military believes it managed to kill several Hamas terrorists in the raid, and says it destroyed infrastructure belonging to the terror group.

The IDF infantry, combat engineering forces, and tanks still remain inside the Gaza Strip at this hour, as a ground operation continues.

The IDF has described the raid as an “expanded ground activity,” rather than a full ground offensive.

Meanwhile, the IDF says that the Air Force struck some 150 underground sites belonging to the Hamas terror group.

It adds that a number of Hamas terrorists were killed in the strikes.

Palestinian reports from Gaza are scarce after internet and phone services collapsed amid Israeli bombardment last night.

מטוסי קרב תקפו הלילה כ-150 מטרות תת-קרקעיות בצפון רצועת עזה. במהלך התקיפה חוסלו מחבלים של ארגון הטרור חמאס והושמדו מנהרות לחימה, מרחבי לחימה תת-קרקעיים ותשתיות טרור תת-קרקעיות נוספות>> pic.twitter.com/cEJ5zqOA0l

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) October 28, 2023

Head of Hamas’s aerial forces killed in Gaza airstrike, IDF and Shin Bet say

The head of Hamas’s so-called aerial array Issam Abu Rukbeh has been killed in an overnight airstrike, the Israel Defense Forces and Shin Bet security services announce.

The military says Abu Rukbeh was responsible for managing the terror group’s drones, unmanned aerial vehicles, paragliders, aerial detection systems, and air defenses.

The military says that he played a role in the planning and execution of the October 7 onslaught by Hamas by directing the terrorists who entered southern Israel on paragliders, as well as the drone attacks on Israel Defense Forces observation posts.

IDF says it eliminated the head of Hamas's aerial array, Issam Abu Rukbeh, in an overnight airstrike in the Gaza Strip. According to the IDF, Abu Rukbeh was responsible for Hamas's UAVs, drones, paragliders, and air defenses. pic.twitter.com/hfAizPoasx

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) October 28, 2023

On October 14, the IDF announced that it had struck and killed the previous head of Hamas’s aerial forces, Murad Abu Murad.

Police say won’t allow protest over October 7 failures outside Netanyahu’s Caesarea home

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a press conference in Tel Aviv, Oct. 17, 2023. (AP/Maya Alleruzzo, Pool)

Police say they won’t allow a protest over the failures that led to the October 7 Hamas onslaught to take place this evening outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s residence in Caesarea.

Police say they will disperse any such demonstration because it “does not allow demonstrations on political, political or security issues during wartime.”

A law enforcement source tells Haaretz that had the protest been advertised as a silent vigil, it’s possible that it would have been allowed to take place.

Under Home Front regulations, large gatherings are permitted in Caesarea.

However during a time of war, police are able to argue that they do not have the manpower to secure a protest, Haaretz reports.

While a series of senior Israeli officials have said in recent weeks that they take responsibility for the massive failures that enabled thousands of Hamas terrorists to storm across the Gaza border, killing 1,400 people — mostly civilians — and taking at least 233 hostages, Netanyahu has so far refused to do so.

The closest the prime minister has come is saying that “everyone will have to give answers” after the war.

IDF names another soldier killed in October 7 onslaught

The Israel Defense Forces names Sgt. Shirel Haim Pour, a 20-year-old from Rishon Lezion, as one of the soldiers killed in the Hamas onslaught on October 7.

The military says it cleared Pour’s name for publication after notifying her family. Her body was only recently identified.

Pour served in the Gaza Division.

Her death brings the total number of slain soldiers, officers, and reservists — many of whom are local security officers — in the war to 311.

Biden says US ‘ready to take further action’ after striking Iran-linked targets

US President Joe Biden speaks from the Oval Office of the White House, October 19, 2023, in Washington, about the wars in Israel and Ukraine. (Jonathan Ernst/Pool via AP)

US President Joe Biden sends a letter to congressional leaders after ordering strikes on a pair of sites in Syria linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, following a series of attacks on American forces in the Middle East.

“The strikes were intended to establish deterrence and were conducted in a manner to limit the risk of escalation and avoid civilian casualties. I directed the strikes in order to protect and defend our personnel, to degrade and disrupt the ongoing series of attacks against the United States and our partners, and to deter Iran and Iran-backed militia groups from conducting or supporting further attacks on United States personnel and facilities,” Biden writes.

“The United States stands ready to take further action, as necessary and appropriate, to address further threats or attacks,” he adds.

Gallant, Pentagon chief discuss Israeli operations in Gaza

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, right, is greeted by Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in Tel Aviv, Oct. 13, 2023. (AP Photos/Lolita Baldor)

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant held another phone call with his US counterpart Lloyd Austin, with the Pentagon saying the two discussed Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip.

According to the US readout, Austin stressed “the importance of protecting civilians during the Israel Defense Forces’ operations and focusing on the urgency of humanitarian aid delivery for civilians in Gaza.”

“He also raised his focus on the need for Hamas to release all of the hostages,” the statement adds.

Urging ceasefire in Gaza, protest held by anti-Zionist group shutters NYC’s Grand Central

Demonstrators call for a ceasefire between Israel and Gaza-ruling Hamas terror group, during a protest organized by Jewish Voice for Peace at Grand Central Station in New York City on October 27, 2023. (Kena Betancur/AFP)

The Metropolitan Transit Authority says New York City’s Grand Central Terminal has been closed “until further protest” as the result of a demonstration calling for a ceasefire in the war between Israel and the Gaza-ruling Hamas terror group.

Photos from the train station show police detaining numerous protesters, whom are clad in black shirts with slogans such as “Jews say ceasefire now.” The protest was organized by Jewish Voice for Peace, an anti-Zionist group.

New US House speaker holds phone call with Netanyahu, stresses ‘strong support’ for Israel

Rep. Mike Johnson, Republican-Louisiana, takes the oath to be the new House speaker at the Capitol in Washington, October 25, 2023. (Alex Brandon/AP)

New US House Speaker Mike Johnson says he spoke by phone this evening with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, days after the Louisiana lawmaker was elected to the post by fellow Republicans.

“The House of Representatives stands with Israel and I reaffirmed our strong support,” Johnson writes in a post on X.

It was a privilege to speak this evening with my friend @netanyahu. The House of Representatives stands with Israel and I reaffirmed our strong support. pic.twitter.com/pzoh2SuMBb

— Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) October 27, 2023

US officials to CBS: ‘Expanded’ IDF activity in Gaza appears to be start of ground offensive

A pair of US officials tell CBS News that Israel’s “expanded” military activity in the Gaza Strip appears to be the start of a ground offensive, but stress the scope of the operations is not yet clear.

The comments came as Palestinian media in Gaza said Israel was carrying out further strikes in the Strip overnight, after reporting clashes between Palestinian gunmen and Israeli ground forces who entered the enclave, including tanks.