Israel attack: PM says Israel at war after 250 killed in attack from Gaza

Palestinian militants take dozens of Israelis hostage as they launch biggest attack in years.

BBC News
V @michaelh992:
#Hamas video confirming the group used gliders to get into #Israel - a unit called 'Saqr'
#Gaza
Israeli Air Force says dozens of their fighter jets are now attacking targets of #Hamas in the #Gaza Strip in several locations
#Israel
Reuters reporting Israel's military spokesman saying that "thousands of reservists will be called up" in the wake of the earlier rocket attacks on #Israel
#hamas #Gaza #IDF
#Israel hasn't yet commented on the number of captives
Fighting is still ongoing at the #Erez border crossing as well as at the #Zikim base - a training base belonging to the Israel Defense Forces.
#hamas #Gaza #IDF

According to Magen David Adom (ambulance services - member of the ICRC) at least 22 people have been killed since the start of the #hamas attack

Acc to local reports at least 300 people have been wounded
#Israel #Gaza

Updates and recap from the #BBCWorldService #news bulletin:
Security forces in southern #Israel have moved to a war footing to combat an unprecedented attack launched by the #Palestinian militant group, #Hamas Militants infiltrated Israel using motorbikes, paragliders and boats. Israeli Radio says 35 Israeli soldiers have been kidnapped.
#Israel 's emergency services say at least 22 people have been killed so far. #Israeli military vehicles have been attacked and some taken back over the border into #Gaza
In the town of #Sderot gunmen opened fire on residents. A hospital in #Beersheba (Soroka Medical Center) says it has received more than 80 wounded Israelis, with some in critical condition.
#Gaza #Hamas
A barrage of rockets from #Gaza into #Israeli territory began just after dawn, with explosions on the streets of #Ashkelon and #TelAviv. #Israel 's PM Benjamin #Netanyahu said his country was at war, and that it would win. Israeli forces have carried out retaliatory #airstrikes in the #Gaza Strip.
#Hamas said their operation was a response to #Israeli violence against #Palestinians in the West Bank. The #Lebanese militant group, #Hezbollah which went to war with #Israel in 2006 has expressed its support for the Hamas operation. The #Palestinian militant faction Islamic #Jihad - which is active in the occupied West Bank - has also backed the incursion.

The US has condemned the violence and urged both sides to refrain from retaliating. Egypt, which usually mediates between #Israel and #Palestinian militants, has warned both sides of dire consequences to the current escalation. In a statement, the Egyptian foreign ministry called for exercising maximum restraint and the need to spare civilians. The EU and several European countries have also condemned the attack.

#BBCWorldService bulletin at 1100 BST

Via #Haaretz :
#Palestinian Islamic #Jihad says it is holding several #Israeli soldiers captive
Sirens still on in #Sderot and #Gaza border communities
#Israel #hamas
Update from #BBC 's Yolande Knell on the ongoing attack on #Israel :
At least 40 #Israelis are reported dead
People are calling into TV stations being under attack asking to be rescued; large explosions in #Gaza , casualties reported there too after people rushing out there to buy supplies;
Recap: 8 hours ago dozens of militants entered Israel - no confirmations on numbers yet; fear is the fighting could spread to West Bank - this might become a wider conflict;

#Israel retaliates with air strikes on #Gaza - in response to the rocket attacks by #Palestinian militants earlier on Saturday.

The air strikes have killed 161 people and injured 1,000, according to Palestinian officials.

Emergency services in Israel say more than 40 people have been killed in the morning attack
#hamas

Recap: Dozens of #Israelis are believed to have been captured by #Palestinian militants in an unprecedented #assault into Israeli territory

"We are at war," says Israel's PM Benjamin #Netanyahu

At least 40 people in #Israel have been confirmed killed, with hundreds of others being treated in #hospitals , according to emergency services

Nearly 200 people have been killed in retaliatory Israeli strikes in the #Gaza strip, officials there say

#hamas

Emergency services say the death toll in #Israel from a surprise attack by #Palestinian militant group #Hamas has increased to 70 - v Magen David Adom (MDAIs) they say 'hundreds are wounded seriously, moderately and lightly'.

V #BBC security corr Frank Gardner:
#Israeli officials deny reports that an #IDF major #general has been kidnapped.

#Hamas claims it has taken 53 "prisoners of war" - ie. hostages.

V Haaretz:
985 people confirmed wounded in #hamas attack on #Israel
Fighting ongoing in southern communities of Be'eri, Re'im and #Sderot
Hostages held in Be'eri and #Ofakim
_________________
Opp leader Yair #Lapid says he is willing to form emergency govt with #Netanyahu

#Biden offering support

V Reuters, Guardian:

In a speech on Saturday, #Hamas leader, Ismail #Haniyeh , told Arab countries that #Israel cannot provide them with protection.

Haniyeh added that 'armed #Palestinian factions plan to extend #Gaza ’s fight into the West Bank and Jerusalem'

V Haaretz:
#Israel 's Health Ministry said the 'number of #Israelis who were wounded and hospitalized reached 1,104 people, incl 17 in critical condition.

200 people seriously wounded, 226 people in moderate condition, 451 sustained minor wounds. In addition, 142 are currently undergoing medical evaluation.'

Rocket sirens in Tel Aviv and central Israel;

#IDF says it killed hundreds of Palestinian militants in southern border communities
Energy minister signs off disconnecting #Gaza
#hamas

Direct hits and casualties reported in multiple locations, including Tel Aviv, Rishon Lezion,Yavne, Bat Yam, following the latest wave of rocket attack
#Israel #hamas #Gaza

V Haaretz:
#Netanyahu 's #Likud party says PM offered #Lapid , #Gantz to form #emergency govt

Other sources say unity govt will be badedon the current govt, incl #Smotrich and Ben Gvir

#Israel #hamas #Gaza

V Reuters, Guardian:
#Israeli planes bombed the house of #Hamas #Gaza chief Yehya Al-Sinwar in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, Hamas media said on Saturday, with no reports of casualties.

V Times of #Israel
Hamas-run health ministry says 232 people killed and 1,697 people wounded in the Gaza Strip.
#KhanYounis

" #Israel has the right to defend itself and its people, full stop," #Biden said. "This is not a moment for any party hostile to Israel to exploit these attacks, to seek an advantage. The world is watching"
#hamas #Gaza
Israel blindsided by most serious attack in a generation
Analysis by #BBC#MENA editor Jeremy Bowen
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-67041679
#Israel #Gaza #hamas
Hamas blindsides Israel with most serious attack in a generation - Jeremy Bowen

Risk of flare-up between Palestinian militants and Israel has been deepening for months, writes Jeremy Bowen.

BBC News
More and more #Israeli soc med (mainly telegram) accts are publishing photos of the missing and are filled with posts of people looking for their loved ones
#Israel #Gaza #hamas
V Haaretz:
The centre for locating the #missing will 'operate in HaNegev 4, building 433 in #Israel 's Airport City complex near the Ben Gurion #airport .
Relatives searching for family members are advised to come there with the missing person's identification details, a photograph, and an item from which DNA can be extracted. Relatives who are in conflict zones are urged to report to the police hotline 105 by phone.'
#hamas #Gaza
Israel faces 'long, difficult war' after Hamas attack from Gaza

Militants are still fighting in Israel, says the military, after an unprecedented Hamas attack.

BBC News
What we know about Israeli hostages taken by Hamas

A "significant number" of Israelis are being held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli military says.

BBC News
People hide in homes as Palestinian militants enter from Gaza

People in towns near the Gaza Strip are phoning news stations saying they are trapped in their homes.

BBC News

Deadliest day of violence since the Yom Kippur war
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-middle-east-67037895?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=6521ed443fc96e28602bfcb6%26Deadliest%20day%20of%20violence%20in%20Israel%20since%20the%20Yom%20Kippur%20war%262023-10-08T00%3A15%3A13.038Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:f3e4393e-3d46-4027-8fbc-c002fd2d8d14&pinned_post_asset_id=6521ed443fc96e28602bfcb6&pinned_post_type=share
At least 250 #Israelis have been reportedly killed following #Hamas 's ground, air and sea offensive. More than 1,000 people have been wounded - and more than 3,000 rockets have been fired into the Israeli territory, according to the #Israeli army.

More than 230 #Gazans were also killed when #Israel responded with retaliatory strikes, #Gaza officials have said.

V Times of Israel:
Some #hostages rescued in southern #Israel following unprecedented #Hamas assault

#IDF hits Hamas targets in #Gaza ; #rocket hits #Ashkelon hospital; relatives of missing persons rush to help with identification; forces take control of #Sderot police station
https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog-october-8-2023/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

Family members of those missing beg for info as death toll in Israel continues to climb

Residents of Sderot ordered to stay inside; IDF continues to strike Gaza; over 2,200 wounded in Israel; US, French, German, Ukrainian citizens among killed, kidnapped

The #Israeli military says there are still eight "points of engagement" in its territory, a day after #Palestinian militants stormed into #Israel from #Gaza
These are #Sderot , #Zikim , #Yakhini , #KfarAza , #Be'eri , #Re'im, #Kissufim , #Sufa
A spokesman says Israel is "still at war... still completing efforts to take full control of Israeli territory and communities from #Hamas "
#IDF

What could happen next?
By Yolande Knell, #BBC #MENA correspondent in #Jerusalem
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-middle-east-67037895?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=6522195cf34eee40bb92ae8e%26What%20could%20happen%20next%3F%262023-10-08T08%3A17%3A04.851Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:58b41f7a-7d2c-4acb-b9b0-386816377b09&pinned_post_asset_id=6522195cf34eee40bb92ae8e&pinned_post_type=share

#Israel undoubtedly sees the potential for a war that could open up on multiple fronts. A worst-case scenario is that it could draw in the powerful #Lebanese militant group, #Hezbollah .

Meanwhile, the Israeli military has ordered a massive reinforcement of troops. As well as its intense air raids on #Gaza, it has indicated that it is planning a ground operation there .

'They were going tree by tree and shooting' - #Israeli partygoer describes #festival attack
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-67044787
Graphic descriptions
#Israel #hamas #Gaza
'They were going tree by tree and shooting' - Israeli partygoer describes festival attack

Partygoer describes how she survived gunmen at an Israeli festival by lying in a field as shots rang out.

BBC News

'Safe recovery of #hostages may call for ground operation'
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-middle-east-67037895?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=65225b4102d73c280f4a91e6%26Safe%20recovery%20of%20hostages%20may%20call%20for%20ground%20operation%262023-10-08T07%3A48%3A03.196Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:e08fec38-d5a2-4f48-b88b-1bb10618427b&pinned_post_asset_id=65225b4102d73c280f4a91e6&pinned_post_type=share
'Overnight, #Israelis have been watching social media posts of civilians dragged out of their homes at gunpoint, shipped into #Gaza and often humiliated on camera.

That is a searing shock to the country. The safety and recovery of those hostages will be at the forefront of everyone's minds.'

The Israeli military is mobilising thousands of infrantry and tanks are being brought on the road to Gaza.
#hamas #IDF

V Times of Israel:
More than 400 #Palestinian militants have been killed in southern #Israel and the #Gaza Strip, and dozens more have been captured, according to #IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari
2 Thais killed, 8 injured, 11 kidnapped in Hamas attack on Israel

Two Thais are now known to have died during the Hamas attacks on Israel on Saturday, the premier said after arriving in Hong Kong on Sunday afternoon.

https://www.bangkokpost.com
Israel-Gaza Conflict Live Updates: Israel at War With Hamas After Surprise Attack, Netanyahu Says

The Gaza militant group launched its biggest sustained assault in years, prompting Israel's military to call up reservists and order retaliatory strikes.

WSJ
V Haaretz:
'The city of #Kiryat #Shmona, located near the #Israel - #Lebanon border, is advising its residents to evacuate themselves for several days. However, this is only a recommendation.'
#hamas #Gaza
World Service - Listen Live - BBC Sounds

Listen live to BBC World Service on BBC Sounds

BBC
#Israel 's foreign ministry confirms to BBC two #Israeli tourists have been killed in #Egypt .
V #BBC 's Sebastian Usher, #MENA editor: incident took place at an archaeological site in #Alexandria , a #policeman said to have shot at the tourists

V Times of #Israel :
The #Israeli military says it is evacuating civilians from towns adjacent to the border with the #Gaza Strip at this stage.

The towns include #Nahal Oz, #Erez, #Nir Am, #Mefalsim, #Kfar #Aza, #Gevim, #Or Haner, #Ibim, #Netiv Ha’asara, #Yad Mordechai, #Karmia, #Zikim, £Kerem Shalom, #Kissufim, #Holit, #Sufa, #Nirim, #Nir Oz, #Ein Hashlosha, #Nir Yitzhak, #Be’eri, #Magen, #Re’im, #Sa’ad and #Alumim

V Times of #Israel:
#IDF says it has established a situation room to put together info regarding the #Israeli #hostages held by #Hamas in #Gaza .

'Social media was filled with horrifying videos of men, women and children being carried into the Strip, many of them appearing to have been abused. There were also videos published of dead Israelis taken, including soldiers.'

Lior Carmeli, a general in reserves, is to head the team.

V Haaretz:
#Israel 's death toll reached 350

(Israeli TV has reported 400)

#Israeli Health Ministry reports 2048 injured - 20 critical, 330 serious, 396 moderate, 967 light injuries

V #BBC correspondent Rushdi Abualouf in #Gaza:
The Health Ministry in Gaza - which is run by #hamas - says 313 people have been killed in #Israeli air strikes
'The impact of this escalation will be far-reaching'
by #BBC Lyse Doucet:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-middle-east-67037895?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=65227d523fc96e28602bfd57%26The%20impact%20of%20this%20escalation%20will%20be%20far-reaching%262023-10-08T10%3A44%3A47.375Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:dba2e8eb-161a-4c38-8ef8-bfd0188e54b8&pinned_post_asset_id=65227d523fc96e28602bfd57&pinned_post_type=share
'This unprecedented escalation has come at a time of unprecedented diplomacy: Saudi-US negotiations seemed to be heading towards the kingdom’s recognition of #Israel ; greater engagement between #Riyadh and the #Palestinian Authority, #Hamas ' arch rival.
There are many players – #Iran, a staunch ally of Hamas, as well as #Russia . Even the war in #Ukraine could find itself in this orbit.
Threat of escalation hangs heavy here - by #BBC Quentin Sommerville in southern #Lebanon
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-middle-east-67037895?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=65227a8e02d73c280f4a922e%26Threat%20of%20escalation%20hangs%20heavy%20here%20in%20Lebanon%262023-10-08T10%3A10%3A07.281Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:b89f9e98-90c6-4b2d-a2d0-e775b6cc6ad3&pinned_post_asset_id=65227a8e02d73c280f4a922e&pinned_post_type=share
The #Iranian backed group chose its target carefully, the disputed territory of Shebaa farms. But it is capable of much more. #Hezbollah , which like #Iran , is committed to #Israel ’s destruction, yesterday congratulated #Hamas on its attacks on #Israeli territory.
The militant group has long-range missiles at its disposal which can strike deep into Israeli territory.

V Times of #Israel :
The security cabinet voted last night to put the country officially at war, and it can carry out “significant military activities,” the PM Office announces.

#Netanyahu had already said the country was at war.

The security cabinet decision gives the declaration legal standing in keeping with Basic Law: The Government, which in its Clause 40 says that the country cannot go to war without a government decision.

@fulelo
Bottom line: Israelis can go be tourists elsewhere.
Millions of people are being held hostage by Israel in various territories without access to documents to be able to travel in the first place.
@glynmoody
@fulelo Unfortunately some people I know could have attended that party… 😞
@gimulnautti really hope even if they were there they could escape - a horrific trauma even so, just so heartbreaking

@fulelo So far, we’re counting numbers. Which by itself is terrifying. Thank you for your concern.

And it’s not just that. The competing narratives of pro-Hamas vs pro-Israel are turning people into enemies, friends against each other.

I really hope we can get a turn back to international co-operation here. This conflict has been on a death spiral for a long time, and it seems just left to themselves they are going to just keep digging deeper at each other’s throats. 🙁

@fulelo vile. totally vile. they are terrorists.
@fulelo if the IDF sends troops into Gaza it will be a terrible thing. Many Isrealis will be killed. Many more Palestinians will also die.
@fulelo "...an endless cycle of suffering" So tragic.
@fulelo the ‘biggest’ & best thing would be to resign.

@fulelo

Lyse Doucet does realize Netanyahu is part of the right wing and also one of those wishing to do something big?