Shani Louk: Mother pleads for help as daughter goes missing at festival
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-67046444
#Israel #Gaza #hamas
Shani Louk: Mother pleads for help as daughter goes missing at festival

Shani Louk's family believe she was taken away by Hamas militants in the back of a pick-up truck.

BBC News

#BBC Yolande Knell reports from #Ashkelon:
'The hospital here has treated over 400 people injured in this huge assault: soldiers from military bases that were overrun, partygoers from a rave in the fields next to #Gaza , and locals injured when their homes were hit by #rockets

There are reminders that the fighting still continues with booms overhead as the Iron Dome missile defence system intercepts incoming rocket fire

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-middle-east-67037895?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=6522ac6c3fc96e28602bfe5d%26Hospitals%20treat%20hundreds%20as%20fighting%20continues%262023-10-08T13%3A53%3A46.722Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:04adb7af-8b04-41f9-990f-21dd5627c257&pinned_post_asset_id=6522ac6c3fc96e28602bfe5d&pinned_post_type=share
#Israel #hamas

On the hostages, v ToI:
WSJ cites #Egyptian officials saying that their negotiators “failed to convince the #Palestinian factions to release injured #Israeli captives.”

Earlier the newspaper reported that #Israel had reached out to #Cairo to request its intervention.
#hamas #Gaza

V Haaretz:
#Israeli PM office says #Netanyahu held discussions on Sunday with German Chancellor Olaf #Scholz , Ukrainian President Volodymyr #Zelensky , Italian Prime Minister Giorgia #Meloni , and British Prime Minister Rishi #Sunak

According to the statement, "the leaders expressed unwavering support for Israel's right to self-defense as needed."
#hamas #Gaza

#BBCNews - How an #Israel music festival turned into a nightmare after #Hamas attack
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-67047034
Israeli music festival: 260 bodies recovered from site where people fled in hail of bullets

Festival-goers describe mass panic as they fled and hid in bushes as a trance music party came under attack.

BBC News
Germany increases protection of Israeli, Jewish institutions

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz warned on Sunday against violence spreading like wildfire "with incalculable consequences for the whole region" following the biggest attack on Israel in years by Palestinian Islamist group Hamas.

Reuters
Jews In France Fear Reprisals From Israel-Hamas War

Jews in France said Sunday they fear the war between Israel and Hamas could fan anti-Semitic hatred against their community and make them targets of violence.

Barrons

#BBC live page:
It's approaching midnight in #Israel , where the overall death toll following attacks from #Hamas militants has passed 600 - although some some reports say the number is even higher.

In the #Gaza Strip, more than 400 people have been killed in retaliatory #Israeli strikes.

Here's the latest top lines:

More than 250 bodies have been removed from the site of a music #festival in southern Israel which came under attack, according to search and rescue organisation Zaka

Here are some of the graphic testimonies of those who survived the festival shooting:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-67047034

And here is Gili Yoskovich' story:
'They were going tree by tree and shooting'
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-67044787
#Israel #hamas #Gaza

Israeli music festival: 260 bodies recovered from site where people fled in hail of bullets

Festival-goers describe mass panic as they fled and hid in bushes as a trance music party came under attack.

BBC News

Latest #IDF update:
more than 700 #Israelis have been killed since Saturday morning and 2,150 have been injured.

According to the IDF, 3,284 rockets have been fired from the #Gaza Strip (Hamas says the number is more than 5,000) and Israel has struck 653 #Hamas targets.

In #Gaza , 413 people have been killed and 2,300 wounded in retaliatory air strikes from #Israel , according to the latest update from #Palestinian officials.
'Nobody could help us' - Shock and anger in #Israel 's #Ashkelon
- a report by #BBC 's Yolande Knell
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-67048672
'Nobody could help us' - Shock and anger in Israel's Ashkelon

Many people are shocked at how their powerful security forces were overwhelmed by Hamas.

BBC News

Situation in #Sderot now:
'In the last few hours there's been a fresh infiltration, he says, with more gunmen reaching the town.

The residents have been told to stay inside and be quiet. They can hear the sound of gunshots outside.

"I am carrying a knife. It won't help me much against a gun, but I can't not do anything. I am just hoping they don't come for me."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-middle-east-67037895?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=65230c3d02d73c280f4a952c%26%27Why%20take%20the%20children%3F%20It%27s%20insane%27%262023-10-08T22%3A07%3A12.789Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:f0c50208-211c-4454-b89a-ed3ae0d41e5b&pinned_post_asset_id=65230c3d02d73c280f4a952c&pinned_post_type=share
#Israel #hamas

#Israeli forces are still fighting #Hamas gunmen at seven to eight sites in southern Israel close to the #Gaza Strip, the Israel Defense Forces #IDF said in a briefing this morning.

These include Be’eri, an agrarian community, which was infiltrated by Hamas fighters overnight

In #Gaza, air strikes have displaced around 123,000 people, the UN says

Hospitals in Gaza are deluged and struggling under power cuts. The UN says Gaza's last power source - its only power plant - could run out of fuel in days

V BBC Poland correspondent, Adam Easton:
' #Poland has started evacuating its citizens from #Israel, with the first plane carrying around 120 people landing in #Warsaw early on Monday
Two more planes are expected to arrive later in the day.
Acc to the defence minister there were about 200 Polish tourists, including children on a school trip, waiting to leave Israel.'
#hamas #Gaza

#Iran was "not involved" in the attack carried out by #Hamas militants in southern #Israel , its mission to the UN has said.

"We emphatically stand in unflinching support of #Palestine ; however, we are not involved in Palestine's response" it said in a stmt acc to Reuters.

Hamas had said that assistance from Iran helped it carry out its attack over the weekend.

Iran has backed Hamas for years.
Acc to Blinken the US has "not yet seen evidence Iran was behind this particular attack"

#US officials expect #Israel to launch a ground incursion into #Gaza within the next 48 hours

#Oil prices jumped on Monday over concerns that the latest events could disrupt output from the Middle East
#Israel #hamas

The US is concerned the conflict could broaden
- BBC 's Barbara Plett-Usher, state dept corr
#US sending an aircraft carrier with a deck of warplanes, accompanied by cruisers and destroyers – also extra military assistance such as munitions.
they want to prevent #Lebanon ’s #Hezbollah movement from joining the fight. It’s backed by #Iran, which also funds and arms #Hamas
Hamas leaders have said #Israel ’s normalization agreements with Arab states were among the factors that drove the attack

#Thailand 's foreign ministry says 12 #Thai nationals have been killed since #Hamas launched its attacks.

Another 11 were kidnapped, and eight were injured.

One Thai worker told #BBC Thai he was almost killed on Saturday.

"I was crawling underneath a truck then the Hamas militant pulled me out and pointed the gun at me," he said.

There are approximately 30,000 Thai nationals in #Israel , and about 5,000 in the #Gaza Strip.

Here is 'The Times' view of the terrorist attack launched by #Hamas from the #Gaza Strip: Unending war'

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/ff1b0e44-660f-11ee-a4e7-0fb10af55688?shareToken=63144bb373ebc1a7fd074ded4436add6
#Israel

The Times view on the terrorist attack launched by Hamas from the Gaza Strip: Unending War

SAID KHATIB/AFP/Getty ImagesChildren walk on the ruins of a mosque in Khan Yunis, in the Gaza Strip. It was destroyed by Israeli airstrikes in retaliation for

The Times

'Volunteers searching for bodies at the Supernova music #festival site - where at least 260 people were killed on Saturday - have had to suspend their search because they are “under fire” from militants.

Yossi #Landau , a commander in the #Zaka volunteer group, says his team of 25 have so far recovered 162 bodies from the site of the festival but “couldn’t get any further”.

“We work under fire, so had to evacuate that place,” Landau told the #BBC 's Today programme.
#Israel #Gaza #hamas

This #Reuters report is full of new details on how the attack on #Israel was prepared
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2387776/middle-east
' #Hamas constructed a mock Israeli settlement in #Gaza where they practiced a military landing and trained to storm it, the source close to Hamas said, adding they even made videos of the maneuvers.'
'a crucial part of the plan was to avoid leaks.' (Cont.)
How Israel was duped as Hamas planned devastating assault

A careful campaign of deception ensured Israel was caught off guard when the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas launched its devastating attack, enabling a force using bulldozers, hang gliders and motorbikes to take on the Middle East’s most powerful army. Saturday’s assault, the worst breach in Israel’s defenses since Arab armies waged war in 1973, followed two years of subterfuge by Hamas that involved keeping its military plans under wraps and convincing Israel it did not want a fight.

Arabnews
'Many #Hamas leaders were unaware of the plans and, while training, the 1,000 fighters deployed in the assault had no inkling of the exact purpose of the exercises'
'The #Israeli security source said Israeli troops were below full strength in the south near #Gaza because some had been redeployed to the West Bank to protect Israeli settlers'
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2387776/middle-east
How Israel was duped as Hamas planned devastating assault

A careful campaign of deception ensured Israel was caught off guard when the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas launched its devastating attack, enabling a force using bulldozers, hang gliders and motorbikes to take on the Middle East’s most powerful army. Saturday’s assault, the worst breach in Israel’s defenses since Arab armies waged war in 1973, followed two years of subterfuge by Hamas that involved keeping its military plans under wraps and convincing Israel it did not want a fight.

Arabnews

#Israel 's Def Min Yoav Gallant says he has ordered a "complete #siege " on the #Gaza Strip: "No electricity, no food, no fuel."

As a reminder - #Israel controls the air space over Gaza and its shoreline, and restricts who and what goods are allowed in and out through its border crossings.

Similarly, #Egypt controls who passes in and out of its border with Gaza.

#Israel 's foreign minister says special flights are being arranged to help #Israeli military reservists living abroad get back to the country.

Eli Cohen says there have been "many requests" to return as soon as possible to volunteer.

Some military service is mandatory for most Israeli citizens, even if they are of dual nationality.

The #IDF says it has recruited 300,000 #reservists since Saturday - its highest #mobilisation ever.
#hamas #Gaza

#Israel imposes complete closure of #WestBank - Reporting by Yousef Shomali, #BBC Jerusalem:
'Residents say that entrances to towns and cities have been shut off with iron gates, cement blocks and mounds of earth.
New military checkpoints have been set up.'
On Sunday, shops and businesses in the West Bank were shuttered as a general strike was called in response to Israel’s military action in #Gaza.
There were angry protests. Four #Palestinians were shot dead by Israeli soldiers in Ramallah'

From BBC live page:
#Lebanese political party and militant group #Hezbollah says it has not mounted an operation in #Israel after the #IDF killed at least two gunmen on the border with #Lebanon

The IDF stmt said it had killed "a number of armed suspects that infiltrated into Israeli territory from Lebanese territory", but didn't provide more details.

Hezbollah emerged with the help if Iran in the 1980s during the Israeli occupation of Lebanon.

Recap:
#Israel said its forces were in full control of the communities that had been attacked by #Hamas , whose militants shot civilians on sight

The #IDF has acknowledged some #Palestinian militants might still be at large or even continuing to enter the country

At least 700 #Israelis and 500 #Palestinians have been killed so far in the violence

A Hamas spokesman said four (of the dozens of) hostages had been killed in Israeli airstrikes - #BBC couldn't verify this

Every #Jewish family in UK affected by attack on #Israel , says chief rabbi

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-67030722

Every Jewish family in UK affected, says chief rabbi

The chief rabbi calls it a time of mourning, deep grief and enormous worry for the whole community.

BBC News

Two #refugee camps have been hit by #Israeli air strikes in #Gaza , according to the #Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

It says both the Al-Shati (also known as the Beach camp) and Jabalia camps were attacked, reportedly leaving several injured and dead.

More on the refugee camps in Gaza:

https://www.unrwa.org/where-we-work/gaza-strip

Gaza Strip | UNRWA

The Gaza Strip has a population of approximately 2.1 million people, including some 1.7 million Palestine Refugees. For at least the last decade and a half, the socioeconomic situation in Gaza has been in steady decline.

UNRWA
Qatar in talks with Hamas, Israel to swap hostages for prisoners

Qatari mediators have held urgent calls to try to negotiate freedom for Israeli women and children seized by the <a href="/world/middle-east/israel-retaliates-after-hamas-attacks-deaths-pass-1100-2023-10-09/">militant group</a> and held in Gaza in exchange for the release of 36 Palestinian women and children from Israel's prisons, a source briefed on the talks told Reuters.

Reuters

V Reuters
The #European Commission said it was putting its full portfolio of development #aid to #Palestinian s, worth 691 million euros, under review and immediately suspending all payments.

"The scale of terror and brutality against #Israel and its people is a turning point," Oliver Varhelyi, the Commissioner for the #EU 's neighbourhood, said in a post on X. "There can be no business as usual."

V Haaretz
US Sec of State Blinken deleted a tweet where he called for a cease-fire – the 2nd such instance in the past several days when officials deleted tweets encouraging #Israeli restraint.
This follows a similar incident w the State Dept's Off. of #Palestinian Affairs, which originally said it "unequivocally condemned the attack of #Hamas terrorists and the loss of life that has incurred. We urge all sides to refrain from violence and retaliatory attacks. Terror and violence solve nothing."
V Haaretz, BREAKING
Combat helicopters now attacking #Lebanese territory, #Israeli army spokesman says
#IDF #Israel #hamas #Hezbollah #Gaza

GRAPHIC UPSETTING TRIGGERING CONTENT

#Supernova #festival : How massacre unfolded from verified video and social media

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-67056741
#Israel #hamas #Gaza

Supernova festival: How massacre unfolded from verified video and social media

The footage that shows joy turning to horror at an Israeli music festival in the desert.

BBC News

US President Joe #Biden has confirmed at least 11 #Americans have been killed since the #Hamas attack on #Israel started on Saturday.

"Sadly, we now know that at least 11 American citizens were among those killed — many of whom made a second home in Israel," he said in a written statement from the White House.

The US defense dept would not go into specifics about the type of weaponry and defence support it is sending #Israel

A senior official said that aircraft had already taken off with #munitions and added that the #Pentagon is in constant contact with counterparts in Israel.

When asked if the US is worried they have used up ammunition supporting #Ukraine , the official said they are able to support the armed forces there as well as Israel.

The European Commission now says that aid payments for #Palestinians are not being suspended, despite an earlier statement of Oliver Varhelyi.

The Commission said in a statement that it was launching a review of its #aid programme.

"In the meantime, as there were no payments foreseen, there will be no suspension of payments," the statement added.

Elsewhere, the UK has announced it is also reviewing its aid for #Palestinian projects.
#EU #Israel #hamas #Gaza

#BBC iv with #UNRWA rep (UN Relief and Works Agency for #Palestine #Refugees in the Near East): Juliet Touma says people in #Gaza are "terrified" and worried for their safety

Asked how much harder it will be to get aid into Gaza since a "complete siege" was ordered, she said "We worry that further tightening will make a situation that is already bad far far worse," adding 1.2 million people rely on the agency for food assistance - a significant number of those being women and children.

An #Israeli embassy spokesperson has told US News network CBS that the number of people killed in the #Hamas attacks on #Israel is now 900.
The death toll in #Gaza has risen to almost 690, a spokesman for the #Palestinian health ministry said. He added that an additional 3,700 people had been wounded.

Recap:
Benjamin #Netanyahu warned the country will use "enormous force" against #Hamas

Israel's defence minister ordered a "complete #siege" of the #Gaza Strip, cutting off food, fuel, electricity and water supplies

The armed wing of Hamas, the Al-Qassam brigades, has announced it will "begin executing an #Israeli civilian captive in return for any new Israeli bombing of civilians houses without pre-warning"

Why did it take #Israel so long to deal with #Hamas 's attack from #Gaza ?
Analysis by BBC security correspondent Gordon Corera
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-67056987
'Defences seem to have been patchy - #Israeli security and defence forces had in recent months been more focused on the West Bank rather than Gaza, potentially leaving gaps. 

Israel's military and intelligence capability has long been rated one of the best in the world. But they may also have underestimated the abilities of their opponents.'

Why did it take Israel so long to deal with Hamas's attack from Gaza?

It took two full days for Israel to clear Hamas fighters from its land - and some are asking why.

BBC News

Every #Jewish family in #UK affected by attack on #Israel , says chief rabbi

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-67030722
 "a traumatic and horrific time"; "many, many people showing their full solidarity with our Jewish community and people in Israel".
" #Antisemitism is a feature of life right around the globe, and we have just witnessed one of the most awful terrorist outrages in living memory, ever since the conclusion of World War Two."

Every Jewish family in UK affected, says chief rabbi

The chief rabbi calls it a time of mourning, deep grief and enormous worry for the whole community.

BBC News
Scotland's first minister says his parents-in-law are "trapped" in #Gaza , as he unequivocally condemned the attacks by #Hamas in #Israel
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-67057367
Hamas Israel attacks: Humza Yousaf's in-laws trapped in Gaza

Scotland's first minister says he is "worried sick" for his wife's parents who are in Gaza visiting family.

BBC News
Did Iran support plan for attack on Israel?

Iran has long backed Hamas, and questions are being asked about its role in the militant group's attack on Israel.

BBC News

#BBCNews - #Israelis , united in shock, rally behind war to punish #Hamas
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-67056981
Jeremy Bowen reporting from southern #Israel
'Outside a military base on the highway that goes south to #Gaza hundreds of cars were parked along both hard shoulders and on the central reservation. They were left by reservists who had reported for duty. More were arriving.'

'More armed men have entered Israel through breaches in the wire that was designed by Israel to contain Hamas.'
(Cont.)

Israelis, united in shock, rally behind war to punish Hamas

The country is adjusting to a new reality as the conflict enters uncharted territory

BBC News

#Israelis are incredulous that their army is taking so long to regain control of the land and villages bordering #Gaza . One unit appealed on social media for drones, others have asked for sleeping bags and food.'

#Israel is still bitterly divided about Mr #Netanyahu , whose government's extreme right-wing agenda prompted months of protests. But citizens of all political persuasion are rallying behind their flag'

'As survivors and victims tell their stories, the desire deepens to punish #Hamas for the way its men went from house-to-house killing families and children in Israeli border communities. As we drive, callers phoning in to the radio are talking about parents who had calls from their terrified children at the rave in the desert where Hamas massacred hundreds of civilians.
They're haunted that parents heard the shots that killed their sons and daughters. '
#Israel #Gaza
'The scale of the bloodshed inflicted on #Israel by #Hamas is unprecedented. An organisation that planned its attack so carefully will have been aware that 'Israel's response would be ferocious'
Israel's war plans will be complicated by the presence of around 100 #hostages taken in the attack. But one cabinet minister, according to a cabinet leak reported in the #Israeli press, has said that should not hold them back."
'My phone pings. A post on the #BBC #Jerusalem office WhatsApp group says that a market in €Gaza has been hit and many killed as #Israel attacked what it said was a #Hamas target. The video of broken bodies feels like a harbinger of something even worse. '

Barack Obama:
"All Americans should be horrified and outraged by the brazen terrorist attacks on #Israel and the slaughter of innocent civilians."

"We grieve for those who died, pray for the safe return of those who’ve been held hostage, and stand squarely alongside our ally, Israel, as it dismantles #Hamas ."

"As we support Israel’s right to defend itself against terror, we must keep striving for a just and lasting peace for #Israelis and #Palestinians alike."

By Sebastian Usher, #BBC Arab Affairs Editor:
'Reports have emerged from #Qatari officials that the Gulf state - which has long provided vital financial support for #Gaza and also hosts some of the #Hamas leadership - has tried to initiate talks that could secure the release of some of the #hostages

Both #Israel and #Hamas have denied reports of a possible prisoner exchange.'

Good morning from London, posts to follow from where i left yesterday, so you don’t miss any major news on #Israel #Gaza #hamas

Leaders of UK, US, France, Italy and Germany released a stmt last night which voices "unequivocal condemnation of Hamas and its appalling acts of terrorism".
"Our countries will support Israel in its efforts to defend itself and its people against such atrocities. This is not a moment for any party hostile to Israel to exploit these attacks to seek advantage"
(Cont.)

"All of us recognize the legitimate aspirations of the #Palestinian people, and support equal measures of justice and freedom for #Israelis and Palestinians alike."

"But make no mistake: #Hamas does not represent those aspirations, and it offers nothing for the Palestinian people other than more terror and bloodshed."

At a prayer for peace at a N. London synagogue a representative of the Magen David Adom (the Israeli medical emergency service - #MDAIs ) spoke about how senior paramedics had been killed and the service, which is entirely privately funded, was in desperate need of everything from bandages and blood test kits to breathing equipment and flak jackets.
#Israel #hamas #Gaza

@fulelo

Sounds like both the al-Qassam brigades and Yoav Gallant are reserving their prison cells in The Hague. Gallant under War Crimes 8.2.(b)(xxv) [1].

The most urgent thing for the international community to do now is increase funds for and politically support the ICC so that war criminals at least have arrest warrants issued in the ongoing investigation [2], even if they remain fugitives. This should be top of the news.

[1] https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Rome_Statute_of_the_International_Criminal_Court#Article_8:_War_crimes

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Criminal_Court_investigation_in_Palestine

Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court - Wikisource, the free online library