This blog is now closed. Follow live updates from the Israel-Hamas war here and at the link below:
Updated
More than 260,000 displaced in Gaza, says UN
Over 260,000 people have been forced to flee their homes in the Gaza Strip, as heavy Israeli bombardments from the air, land and sea continue to hit the Palestinian enclave, the United Nations said.
Fierce fighting has left thousands dead on both sides since Hamas launched a surprise assault on Saturday, spurring Israel’s reprisal bombing campaign.
“Over 263,934 people in Gaza are believed to have fled their homes,” said UN humanitarian agency OCHA said in an update Tuesday, warning that “this number is expected to rise further”.
It said that around 3,000 people had been displaced “due to previous escalations”, prior to Saturday.
In a televised speech on Tuesday, US president Joe Biden said Hamas does not represent the “legitimate aspirations” of Palestinian people and says the US “stands with Israel”.
Confirming that some US citizens are part of the many currently being held hostage, Joe Biden called the assault by Hamas militants that more than 1,200 people dead an “act of sheer evil”.
Michael Oren, the Israeli ambassador to the US from 2009-2013, told the BBC he had never seen a speech as unequivocal in its support for Israel.
“I have never heard a speech like President Biden just gave at the White House,” he said.
You can watch the video below:
Israel death toll climbs to more than 1,200
The death toll in Israel now stands at more than 1,200 people, most of whom were civilians, Kan, the public broadcaster, reports.
It is an increase of 200 people since the last toll was confirmed.
The Gaza health authority has put the death toll in the enclave at 900 since Saturday.
Updated
192 South Koreans arrive at Incheon Airport from Tel Aviv
A flight carrying 192 South Koreans from Tel Aviv has arrived at Incheon Airport South Korea, Reuters reports.
570 South Koreans are estimated to be staying long-term in Israel while around 230 are staying short-term, according to South Korea’s foreign ministry on Wednesday.
The Ben Gurion Airport was “crowded” and “hectic,” said Jang Jeong-yoon, a 62-year-old who was on board the Korean Air flight home after travelling to Israel to take part in the festival of Sukkot.
“As flights were cancelled or delayed, there was fear and people were rushing to leave the country,” she said.
Some relatives of those on board the plane were seen waiting at Incheon Airport early Wednesday morning.
Around 60 South Koreans who were visiting Israel moved to Jordan on Tuesday, according to the foreign ministry.
No South Korean casualties had been reported, foreign minister Park Jin said on Tuesday. Many of the short-term South Koreans travellers were visiting the country for a pilgrimage.
Korean Air has cancelled flights departing from Incheon to Tel Aviv on Monday and Wednesday and expects future flights to be irregular.
US, Israel and Egypt discussing possible safe passage corridor
The US is talking with Israel and Egypt about the idea of a safe passage for Gaza civilians as Israel strikes the enclave after a deadly Hamas attack over the weekend, US national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Tuesday.
“We are focused on this question, there are consultations going on,” Sullivan told reporters at the White House.
“But the details of that are something that are being discussed among the operational agencies and I don’t want to share too much of that publicly at this time,” Sullivan said.
“We do not deliberately target civilians,” Sullivan said of the US and Israel, when asked about civilian casualties in Gaza in the Tuesday press briefing.
“We work to make sure that our military operations are conducted consistent with the rule of law and the law of war,” he added.
Gaza’s Health Ministry said at least 900 Palestinians were killed and up to 4,600 wounded in Israeli air strikes on the blockaded enclave since Saturday. Gaza is 40km (25 miles) long by 10km (6 miles) wide and is home to 2.3 million people.
Updated
More now in Israel’s exchanges of fire with Syria, via AFP:
Israel’s military on Tuesday said it had responded with artillery fire from the Golan Heights after munitions were launched toward territory it has occupied since 1967.
“Soldiers are responding with artillery and mortar shells toward the origin of the launching in Syria,” an Israeli military statement said, on the fourth day of a war with Gaza-based Hamas militants that has sent regional tensions soaring.
The military said there had been “a number of launches from Syria into Israeli territory”.
A military spokesman told AFP it appeared to have been mortar fire.
This was the first exchange of fire between Israel and Syria since Hamas carried out an unprecedented assault on Israeli territory from the blockaded Gaza Strip on Saturday.
Fears of another front opening in the conflict have grown after days of clashes with militants on the northern border with Lebanon.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based NGO with an extensive network of sources in Syria, the shells were fired by “Palestinian factions working with the Lebanese Hezbollah”.
Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the Six-Day War of 1967. Its 1981 annexation of the strategic area is not recognised by the United Nations.
The South China Morning Post reports that 28 Hong Kong residents have asked for help getting home from Israel, and that 16 have managed to leave. The rest face uncertainty amid cancelled flights, in particular from Cathay Pacific.
“The news came as flagship carrier Cathay Pacific Airways cancelled flights from Hong Kong to Israel’s Tel Aviv on Tuesday and Thursday and the Immigration Department said it had already handled 28 requests for help as of 5pm,” the SCMP reports, as “Cathay Pacific said it would decide on Friday about flights on Sunday to Tel Aviv”.
There are indirect flights available for now, according to SCMP.
Meanwhile Airlines for America, a trade group representing major US carriers, said on Tuesday it remains in discussions with government agencies about flying between America and Israel, both to repatriate American citizens and to bring Israeli reservists back. “The situation in Israel is rapidly evolving, and our carriers continue to make individual assessments about operations based on security guidance and intelligence reports,” a spokesperson told Reuters.
Israel faces the threat of a multi-front war after clashes with Syria and Lebanon, Agence France-Presse reports.
On Tuesday, for the first time since the Hamas attack, there was an exchange of fire between Israel and forces in Syria, after Israel’s military said munitions were fired towards the Golan Heights it has occupied since 1967.
There have also been three days of clashes with militants on the northern Israeli border with Lebanon.
On Tuesday, mourners in the southern Lebanese village of Khirbet Selm carried two caskets, draped in yellow Hezbollah flags, with the bodies of two fighters it said were killed in Israeli strikes a day earlier. A third fighter was also killed, the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement said.
Israeli officials said a senior Israel Defence Forces officer and two soldiers were killed in a clash with gunmen who entered Israel from Lebanon on Monday afternoon. The Israeli army said no Israeli injuries were reported in Tuesday’s clashes with Hezbollah.
On Tuesday, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades claimed a fresh salvo of rocket fire from south Lebanon towards Israel, the Israeli army said, adding it retaliated with artillery fire.
Two Filipino nationals killed in Israel
Two Filipino nationals have been killed following Hamas’ assault on Israel, the Philippines Secretary for Foreign Affairs Enrique A. Manalo has said.
In a statement posted on social media, he said: “The Philippines condemns the killing of two Filipino nationals and all other acts of terrorism and violence as a result of Hamas actions against Israel. The Philippines is ready to work with other countries towards a long-lasting resolution to the conflict, in accordance with pertinent UN Security Council Resolutions and the general principles of international law. The Philippine government will continue to provide all possible assistance to distressed Filipinos nationals in Israel and Palestine.”
Just a note to say that I am not entirely sure, but I as far as I can tell, Darje Tupah, the neighbourhood mentioned by the Israeli Air Force, is a mistranslation of al-Daraj, the name of the Gaza neighbourhood. If you happen to know, please get in touch: helen.sullivan@theguardian.com.
The Israeli Air Force has announced that fighter jets hit 70 targets in “Darje Tupah”, or or al-Daraj, Gaza, on Tuesday night. They said Hamas had directed attacks against Israel from the neighbourhood.
“Dozens of IAF fighter jets attacked more than 70 targets throughout Darje Tupah in Gaza tonight. The Darje Tupah area serves as a terrorist nest for the terrorist organisation Hamas and from where many activities against Israel are carried out,” the Air Force wrote.
Updated
Israeli strikes hit homes in Gaza City and the southern city of Khan Younis on Tuesday, Hamas-affiliated media said.
A strike on a home in Gaza City’s Sabra neighbourhood killed five people, according to a medical official who spoke to Reuters.
Residents appealing for help on social media said many buildings had collapsed, sometimes trapping as many as 50 people inside with rescue workers unable to reach them.
The United Nations said more than 180,000 Gazans had been made homeless, many huddling on streets or in schools.
At the morgue in Gaza’s Khan Younis hospital on Tuesday, bodies lay on the ground on stretchers with names written on their torsoes, Reuters reports. Medics called for relatives to pick up bodies quickly because there was no more space for the dead.
A municipal building was hit while being used as an emergency shelter. Survivors there spoke of many dead.
“No place is safe in Gaza, as you see they hit everywhere,” Ala Abu Tair, 35, who had sought shelter there with his family after fleeing Abassan Al-Kabira near the border.
Israel’s military said its forces, backed by a helicopter and drones, clashed with militants inside Israeli territory late on Tuesday, Reuters reports.
Soldiers killed three militants in the incident in Ashkelon, starting a fire in an industrial area close to an oil terminal located just over 10 km (6 miles) from the Gaza Strip that has been shut in the wake of the attacks, it said.
Israeli airlines add more flights to bring home reservists
Reuters: Israeli airlines El Al, Israir and Arkia added more flights on Tuesday to bring home reservists, according to their websites and Israel’s airports authority, though the prospect of more conflict also stoked sector worries about staff shortages.
Israel said on Monday it had called up an unprecedented 300,000 reservists.
While many major airlines have cancelled flights to and from Israel, domestic carriers have looked to ramp up capacity, at least in coming days. Many Israelis were travelling abroad the last week for a Jewish holiday.
On its website, Israir Airlines said it was offering flights from Larnaca in Cyprus, Corfu in Greece and Batumi in Georgia to help bring Israelis back to the country.
Arkia was offering flights from Greek capital Athens to Eilat in southern Israel and from Marrakesh in Morocco to Tel Aviv, among others.
Flag carrier El Al added a flight from Athens on Tuesday. El Al added that, while it wasn’t offering free flights for reservists, it was trying to keep prices affordable. Reservists were being charged $900 for flying from the United States, $650 from Bangkok, and $300 from Europe for flights under four hours, a spokesperson said.
On Tuesday, a large part of Gaza City’s Rimal neighbourhood was reduced to rubble after hours of airstrikes the night before. Residents found buildings torn in half or demolished to mounds of concrete and rebar, the Associated Press reports:
Cars were flattened and trees burned out on residential streets transformed into moonscapes.
Palestinian Civil Defense forces pulled Abdullah Musleh out of his basement together with 30 others after their apartment building was flattened.
“I sell toys, not missiles,’’ the 46-year-old said, weeping. “I want to leave Gaza. Why do I have to stay here? I lost my home and my job.”
The Israeli military said it struck hundreds of targets in Rimal, an upscale district home to ministries of the Hamas-run government, universities, media organizations and the aid agency offices.
In a new tactic, Israel is warning civilians to evacuate neighbourhood after neighbourhood, and then inflicting devastation, in what could be a prelude to a ground offensive. On Tuesday, the military told residents of the nearby al-Daraj neighbourhood to evacuate. New explosions soon rocked it and other areas, continuing into the night.
In all, dozens of fighter jets hit more than 70 targets in the area, according to Israeli military officials, who said Hamas had directed attacks against Israel from the neighborhood.
One blast hit Gaza City’s seaport, setting fishing boats aflame.
“There is no safe place in Gaza right now. You see decent people being killed every day,” Gaza journalist Hasan Jabar said after three Palestinian journalists were killed in the Rimal bombardment. “I am genuinely afraid for my life.”
Updated
Canada planning evacuation flights for citizens stranded in Israel
Canada is planning to operate evacuation flights for Canadians stranded in Israel after major airlines canceled flights in the wake of Palestinian militant group Hamas’ unprecedented weekend attack, Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said on Tuesday.
Some 35,000 Canadian citizens live in Israel and nearly 90,000 Canadians travel to the country every year, according to the Canadian foreign ministry. About 1,000 Canadians in Israel are looking to leave after Hamas’ assault on Saturday, according to the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs.
At least two Canadians have been confirmed dead in the attack - 22-year-old Ben Mizrachi and 33-year-old Alexandre Look, according to Canadian officials.
Canada will send military aircraft to Tel Aviv “in the coming days” for citizens and permanent residents as well as their spouses and children, Joly said in a statement.
“We are planning to begin the assisted departure of Canadians from Tel Aviv ... We are also working on additional options for those who cannot reach the airport in Tel Aviv,” Joly said on X, formerly Twitter.
While many major airlines have canceled flights to and from Israel, domestic carriers have looked to ramp up capacity, at least in the coming days.
Despite Israel announcing a ‘total blockade’ of Gaza in Monday, US national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Tuesday that his understanding was that “the concept of siege is not something that in fact is going to be pursued by the Israeli government,” adding that Washington was speaking with the Israeli government “about their actions in this regard.”
Sullivan also said US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday discussed “the difference between going full bore against Hamas terrorists and how we distinguish between terrorists and innocent civilians.”
Israel’s UN Ambassador Gilad Erdan on Sunday accused Hamas of war crimes and said it was time to “obliterate Hamas terror infrastructure,” as the 15-member UN Security Council met behind closed-doors on the conflict.
Palestinian envoy to UN describes Israel's bombardment of Gaza Strip as 'genocidal'
The Palestinian envoy to the United Nations on Tuesday described Israel‘s bombardment of the Gaza Strip and vow to impose a complete siege on the Hamas-controlled Palestinian enclave as “nothing less than genocidal.”
Israel’s Defence Minister Yoav Gallant drew international condemnation by announcing on Monday a “total blockade” to stop food and fuel reaching Gaza, home to 2.3 million people. Gallant said Israel was battling “beastly people.” Israel has razed entire districts in Gaza as it prepares for a possible ground offensive.
“Such blatant dehumanization and attempts to bomb a people into submission, to use starvation as a method of warfare, and to eradicate their national existence are nothing less than genocidal,” Palestinian UN envoy Riyad Mansour wrote in a letter to the UN Security Council on Tuesday, seen by Reuters.
“These acts constitute war crimes,” he wrote.
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Biden’s remarks on X are drawn from his speech earlier at the White House, in which he was unequivocal in his condemnation of Hamas, calling it a terrorist organization whose “state purpose is the annihilation of the state of Israel and the murder of Jewish people”.
“Hamas does not stand for the Palestinian people’s right to dignity and self-determination,” he added, echoing the sentiment expressed in a rare joint statement by the leaders of the US, UK, France, Germany and Italy on Monday night.
“All of us recognize the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people,” it said. “But make no mistake: Hamas does not represent those aspirations, and it offers nothing for the Palestinian people other than more terror and bloodshed.”
Biden said the group’s attack “brings to mind the worst rampages of Isis”.
“Parents butchered, using their bodies to try to protect their children. Stomach churning reports of babies being killed … women raped, assaulted, paraded as trophies,” he said. “This is terrorism.”
Israel, Biden said, not only had the right to defend itself but a “duty” to do so. But in a phone call prior to his remarks, Biden said he reminded Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, that democracies were more secure when they act “according to the rule of law”.
Updated
Biden: 'This is terrorism'
Joe Biden has just posted a short statement to X, formerly Twitter.
He said: “The brutality of Hamas, the blood-thirstiness, brings to mind the worst rampages of Isis. This is terrorism.”
This is Helen Sullivan taking over our rolling coverage of the Israel-Hamas war.
Updated
Hamas rejected Joe Biden’s remarks on Israel, which they described as “inflammatory” and accused him of attempting to “cover up the criminality and terrorism of the Zionist government” against the Palestinian people.
In a statement, a Hamas spokesperson said the US president’s comments “coincided with the continuation and escalation of the barbaric Zionist aggression against our Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and the rest of our occupied territories”.
The statement accused Biden of not having referred “at all in his speech to the massacres committed by the Zionist forces against our people in cold blood and in full view of the world”.
Updated
On X, Elon Musk responded to a letter by Thierry Breton warning him over the alleged disinformation about the Hamas attack on Israel.
Musk wrote:
Please list the violations you allude to on 𝕏, so that that the public can see them.
In a reference to the law’s requirement that platforms regulate their own content under the new laws, Breton replied:
Up to you to demonstrate that you walk the talk.
Updated
Summary
It’s approaching 2am in Gaza and Tel Aviv. Here’s where things stand:
A massive Israeli military buildup was continuing along Gaza’s border on Tuesday, amid mounting expectations that Israel would launch a ground invasion of Gaza within days. The Israeli military said it had mostly secured its border with Gaza after a night of intensified airstrikes across the enclave that destroyed infrastructure and displaced thousands of people. Israel’s defence minister said he had “released all restraints” on his troops, adding that Gaza “will never return to what it was”.
Israel’s military confirmed the death toll from Saturday’s Hamas attack had passed 1,000 – the deadliest militant assault in its history. Israeli soldiers were still collecting bodies of the dead four days after Hamas rampaged through southern Israeli towns.
The Gaza health authority has put the death toll in the enclave at 900 since Saturday. Among the dead are 260 children and 230 women, it said. Frightened residents of Gaza described bombardments striking residential buildings, hospitals and schools across the enclave amid growing concern over destruction of civilian infrastructure as Israel pledges to enforce a full siege.
Two Palestinians were fatally shot in East Jerusalem by Israel’s border police, in a sign of increasing violence that is disproportionately targeting youth across the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
A salvo of rockets from Hezbollah-controlled southern Lebanon was fired at northern Israel, in a sign of the rapidly escalating crisis. Israeli forces responded with fire in the third consecutive day of violence along the Lebanese-Israeli border.
The Israeli military also shelled Syria from the Golan Heights after mortar rounds were fired into the territory.
The UN’s human rights council warned there is already “clear evidence” that war crimes may have been committed in the latest explosion of violence in Israel and Gaza. It said it had been collecting evidence of “war crimes committed by all sides” since Saturday.
Israel is believed to have identified most of the hostages abducted by Hamas and has started notifying their families. Officers from the Israel Defence Forces were to tell about 100 families on Tuesday that their loved ones were in Gaza.
Joe Biden declared support for Israel, calling the assault by Hamas militants that left nearly 1,000 people dead an “act of sheer evil”. At least 14 Americans were killed in last weekend’s attack and an as yet unknown number of Americans are being held hostage, Biden said from the White House. The first plane carrying US ammunition landed in Israel on Tuesday.
EU foreign ministers have reversed the decision by the European Commission to suspend payments to the Palestinian Authority, after an emergency meeting in Oman.
The EU has issued a warning to Elon Musk over the alleged disinformation about the Hamas attack on Israel, including fake news and “repurposed old images”, on X, which was formerly known as Twitter.
Updated
Josep Borrell, the EU’s chief diplomat, said on Tuesday that the “overwhelming majority” of EU states were in favour of continued support to the Palestinian Authority after an emergency meeting in Oman.
He also said some of Israel’s actions in response to this past weekend’s Hamas attack breached international law. Israel has launched airstrikes from land and sea on the Gaza Strip and pledged to enforce a total siege on the densely populated territory.
Speaking after a meeting of EU foreign affairs ministers in Muscat, Borrell said:
Israel has the right to defend [itself] but it has to be done accordingly with international law, humanitarian law, and some decisions are contrary to international law.
He added:
Some of the actions – and the United Nations has already said that – [such] as cutting water, cutting electricity, cutting food to a mass of civilian people is against international law.
Updated
Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, criticised Israel for imposing a total blockade of Gaza in response to the Hamas attack.
Speaking at a joint news conference with Austrian chancellor, Karl Nehammer, on Tuesday, Erdoğan said:
They cut providing water and electricity to Gaza. Where are the human rights? This is against the universal declaration of human rights.
He also criticised US plans to send an aircraft carrier to the region, saying the deployment could lead to “massacres”.
Erdoğan held phone calls with the UN chief, António Guterres, and Russian president, Vladimir Putin, on Tuesday as he renewed his offer for mediation between Israel and the Palestinians.
At the joint conference with Nehammer today, the Turkish president said he was speaking with regional leaders and leaders from other countries to try “to figure out how we can mediate and how we can stop this war”. He added:
Frankly, I have grave concerns. I don’t think this [conflict] will stop in a week or two. That’s why we’re continuing our efforts for peace.
Updated
'Gaza will never return to what it was': Israeli defence minister 'releases all restraints' on troops
Israel is moving to a “full offense” against the Gaza Strip, defence minister Yoav Gallant said on Tuesday.
Gallant said he has “released all restraints” as he addressed Israeli troops on the Gaza border earlier today, the Times of Israel reported.
You will have the ability to change the reality here. You have seen the prices [being paid], and you will get to see the change. Hamas wanted a change in Gaza, it will change 180 degrees from what it thought.
He added:
They will regret this moment, Gaza will never return to what it was.
First plane carrying US ammunition lands in Israel
A plane carrying US ammunition has landed in Israel, the Israeli military said.
John Kirby, a spokesperson for the US national security council, confirmed on Monday that the first batch of US military aid in the wake of the violent assault by Hamas militants was “making its way” to Israel.
Speaking earlier this afternoon, Joe Biden said the US was “surging” additional military assistance to Israel to replenish its Iron Dome rocket interceptor system.
Meanwhile, a US aircraft carrier strike group has arrived in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. The Pentagon had previously announced that it was moving the carrier Gerald R Ford to Israel to reassure Israelis.
A statement by Gen Michael “Erik” Kurilla of the US central command said:
The arrival of these highly capable forces to the region is a strong signal of deterrence should any actor hostile to Israel consider trying to take advantage of this situation.
Updated
Here are some more of the latest images sent over the news wires from Israel and Palestine.
Two Palestinian killed during clashes with Israeli police in Jerusalem
Two Palestinians have been fatally shot in East Jerusalem by Israel’s border police, in a sign of increasing violence that is disproportionately targeting youth across the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
An extremely brief statement from the Israeli police said that the two Palestinians, with no further details of their age or other specifics, were shot after they set fireworks and threw stones at police. Footage circulating on social media suggested this occurred in the Silwan neighbourhood of East Jerusalem, a Palestinian district on the edge of Jerusalem’s Old City that has become a byword for police brutality among local residents.
The deaths mark a further uptick in violence, including fatal shootings of Palestinian youth at checkpoints, protests or clashes with the Israeli security forces across the occupied Palestinian territories.
The organisation Defense for Children in Palestine, which documents harm to children across the occupied Palestinian territories, said yesterday that it had recorded five separate incidents of minors being shot and killed. All five children were shot in the abdomen, chest or head, suggesting that the shots were intended to be fatal. There are increasing, although unconfirmed, reports that this number has since risen.
Updated
'Bring them back home': Families plea for help after Israelis kidnapped by Hamas
Relatives of Israeli hostages who were abducted by Hamas militants called for their loved ones to be freed.
“There’s no reason in the world that the elderly, women, kids and babies get kidnapped,” said Adva Adar, whose grandmother was seen in a video after being taken hostage by Hamas.
About 100 people are believed to have been kidnapped and taken to Gaza, according to Israeli authorities.
Uncertainty over the hostages’ fate is a dilemma for the Israeli military as it plans a possible ground offensive in Gaza and is an agonising ordeal for the hostages’ relatives.
Updated
Joe Biden on Tuesday declared support for Israel, calling the assault by Hamas militants that left nearly 1,000 people dead an “act of sheer evil” and confirming that some US citizens are part of the many currently being held hostage.
The US president spoke as Israeli warplanes pounded the Gaza Strip, part of a retaliation Israel’s leader, Benjamin Netanyahu, said would be so crushing that “what we will do to our enemies in the coming days will reverberate with them for generations”.
Biden said the US was committed to supporting its ally and was “surging” additional military assistance to replenish its Iron Dome rocket interceptor system. The US Congress, presently plunged into chaos without a House speaker, may also be asked to take “urgent action” on the matter, Biden said.
Biden is a staunch ally of Israel, stretching back to his first visit to the country as a young US senator in 1973. In his remarks on Tuesday, Biden recalled that visit, 50 years ago, recounting a lengthy conversation he had with then Israeli prime minister, Golda Meir, in the weeks leading up to the Yom Kippur war.
He said Meir, sensing his concern for the fate of Israel, sought to assure him. “Don’t worry, Senator Biden, we have a secret weapon,” she whispered, according to Biden. “We have no place else to go.”
In Washington, the attack has largely drawn a similar response from lawmakers across the ideological spectrum, with condemnations of Hamas and expressions of solidarity with Israel.
Updated
Tal Nehu Nehushtai, a 29-year-old tech start-up worker, was dancing to DJ Sonic Caesar’s sunrise set on the dark-side trance stage at the Tribe of Nova festival when he saw the first rockets flying overhead. It wasn’t a typical barrage from Gaza.
“We started seeing the missiles in the sky, but a more extreme amount than we are used to – and something not good,” said Nehushtai.
The police stopped the music and told everybody to escape as fast as possible. Then we started to hear rumors that terrorists had managed to cross the line from Gaza.
The attack came at the peak of DJ Sonic Caesar’s set. “It was planned. It became like a game of chicken. Cars with guns everywhere, bikes with guns, people with guns. It was an extreme nightmare.” Israeli officials have counted at least 260 bodies near the site of the Nova festival.
Nehushtai, from Kidron, and two friends were among the first to leave in their cars. They headed north to Tel Aviv.
But everyone on the opposite side was making signs to turn around. Someone said you can’t keep going, there are terrorists on the road shooting at cars.
The road south was now jammed, so they made a decision to go to the closest village, Kibbutz Beeri. But that village had been taken over by terrorists. Nehushtai said:
They took everybody – the kids, the girls, the
parents. They kidnapped, slaughtered or raped everybody.
Luckily for the group, the gates to the village were closed – “our first miracle”, he said. They found concrete drainage tubes near the gate and hid. Then, they started hearing the shooting from the fields and the village. Through a hole, his friend saw two pickup trucks, each with six terrorists in the back.
“They were shooting like crazy. It was very scary. We knew we had to go but we cannot go anywhere,” said Nehushtai. When the shooting stopped, they drove north again but ran into a roadblock.
We didn’t know if it was Israelis. But in two seconds they pointed their guns and started shooting. We reversed. The bullets came through the windshield, five centimeters from us.
They sped back, went off-road and found an orange orchard, ran in and hid under a tree for six hours.
We were trying not to move, not to breathe, not to make a noise. We heard terrorists come to the car, smashing it and stealing the license plates. They passed one line of trees next to us, talking. All that
time we heard crazy shooting from everywhere – weapons that were never in Israel before – AK-47s, M-16s, machine guns and missiles.
“It was very extreme and we were very, very lucky,” he added. “We made the right decisions at the right time.”
Updated
Putin concerned over 'catastrophic increase' in Israel-Gaza casualties - Kremlin
Vladimir Putin has voiced concern over the “catastrophic increase” in the number of civilian victims in Israel and the Gaza Strip after four days of fighting, Agence France-Presse reports.
During a telephone call with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, ‘emphasis was placed on the sharply worsening situation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict zone’, the Kremlin said in a statement.
Deep concern was expressed about the continuing escalation of violence and the catastrophic increase in the number of civilian casualties, it added.
Putin and Erdogan had reiterated the need for ‘an immediate ceasefire’ and for ‘the resumption of the negotiation process’, according to the Kremlin.
The Turkish presidency also stated the two leaders had discussed ‘the alarming developments of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the measures to be taken in order to avoid an escalation’.
Erdogan also said that it was ‘regrettable to target civilian installations and that Turkey doesn’t welcome such acts’.
Updated
Two Palestinians were killed in clashes with the Israeli police in Jerusalem on Tuesday, according to Palestinian state TV, Reuters reports.
The Israeli police said in a statement they shot dead two Palestinians who shot fireworks and threw stones toward officers in East Jerusalem’s Silwan neighbourhood.
The divided city and its suburbs have been tense and threatened or hit with sporadic, incoming rockets since the conflict between Israel and Hamas exploded on Saturday, with militant incursions into southern Israel. But the city has not been in the thick of the crisis in the same way that Ashkelon and the areas closer to Gaza have.
The Guardian’s Ruth Michaelson reported earlier as part of a larger piece that Jerusalem is dotted with some of the holiest sites in Judaism, Islam and Christianity, and is claimed by both Israelis and Palestinians as their capital. Israel has occupied East Jerusalem since the 1967 war, with an increasingly harsh system of governance over Palestinians living in the eastern areas of the city amid the growing presence of Israeli settlers.
Updated
US national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Tuesday afternoon in Washington, DC, that 20 American citizens are currently unaccounted for in Israel, in addition to the 14 US citizens killed in the attacks by Hamas.
He said it was unclear if the 20 were among hostages grabbed by Hamas militants and taken to Gaza, although the White House has now confirmed that an unspecified number of Americans are among the hostages.
Sullivan also said that the US does not have any confirmation at this time that Iran is directly linked to the attacks launched by Hamas in southern Israel on Saturday, but that the regime is “complicit, in a broad sense” because of its historic support for Hamas.
There was nothing that US intelligence saw that “suggested an attack of this type would unfold,” he said.
Sullivan said at the White House that the US is talking to Israeli officials to see if there is an option to secure safe passage for Gaza civilians out of the enclave, which is being bombarded by Israel.
“We are focused on this question, there are consultations going on,” he said.
Israel reportedly identifies most hostages taken by Hamas
Israel is believed to have identified most of the hostages abducted by the militant group Hamas and has started notifying their families.
Officers from the Israel Defence Forces were to tell about 100 families on Tuesday that their loved ones were in Gaza, the Times of Israel reported, citing Israeli army radio.
For some, the notifications will merely confirm what they already know from recognising relatives in harrowing footage of people – some bleeding and visibly terrified – being dragged into the Palestinian enclave after Hamas’s lightning attacks last weekend. The videos were filmed by Hamas and shared on social media and through WhatsApp groups.
Gilad Erdan, Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, said the total number of hostages seized was between 100 and 150.
The hostages’ fate is unclear. Israeli airstrikes have pounded Gaza in intensive waves every four hours, reducing apartment blocks to rubble. The Qassam brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, have threatened to execute one hostage for each new Israeli airstrike on civilian targets without warning.
Updated
Israeli military claims shells fired from Syria aimed at Israel
Israel’s military said a number of shells had been launched from Syrian territory toward Israel, and that some landed in open areas in Israeli territory.
The military did not provide further details. It said Israel Defence Forces (IDF) soldiers “are responding with artillery and mortar shells toward the origin of the launching” in Syria.
A number of launches from Syria aimed for Israel were identified a short while ago. Part of the launches crossed into Israeli territory and presumably fell in open areas.
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) October 10, 2023
Updated
Médecins Sans Frontières said they were unable to reach their teams in Gaza on Tuesday, after the Israeli government completely shut off water and electricity supplies.
Léo Cans, the group’s head of mission in Palestine, said in a statement:
This all makes it extremely difficult to coordinate rescue operations and access the injured.
He said the people of Gaza are “terrified” and in “terrible mental distress”. “There aren’t words to describe what people are going through,” he added.
The declaration of war must not, under any circumstances, lead to collective punishment of the population of Gaza. Cutting off water, electricity and fuel supplies is unacceptable, as it punishes the entire population and deprives them of their basic needs.
The activist and Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai called for an immediate ceasefire to the conflict, and saying she was "grieving for all the children and people longing for peace and justice”.
In a statement posted to X, Yousafzai said she was 11 years old when she “witnessed violence and terrorism”. “Peace became something we could only dream about,” she wrote.
War never spares children – not those kidnapped from their homes in Israel, not those hiding from airstrikes or without food and water in Gaza.
— Malala Yousafzai (@Malala) October 10, 2023
The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, will travel to Israel on Thursday to meet with senior Israeli leaders, a state department spokesperson said.
“It will be a message of solidarity and support,” Matthew Miller said in a briefing.
He, of course, wants to hear from the leaders of Israel, hear from them directly about the situation they’re facing ... about what they need and how we can best support them.
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EU warns Elon Musk over ‘disinformation’ about Hamas attack on X
The EU has issued a warning to Elon Musk over the alleged disinformation about the Hamas attack on Israel, including fake news and “repurposed old images”, on X, which was formerly known as Twitter.
The letter comes less than two months after sweeping new laws regulating content on social media seen in the EU came into force under the Digital Services Act. If Musk, the owner of X, does not comply, he can face a fine of 6% of his revenues from X or a total blackout in the EU.
Thierry Breton, the commissioner responsible for the act, wrote to Musk to urge him to ensure “a prompt, accurate, and complete response” to the request to contact Europol, the EU police enforcement agency and “relevant law enforcement agencies” within the next 24 hours.
Breton reminded Musk that he needed to have “proportionate and effective mitigation measures to tackle the risks to public security and civic discourse stemming from disinformation”. He wrote:
Following the terrorist attacks carried out by Hamas against Israel, we have indications your platform is being used to disseminate illegal content and disinformation in the EU.
He added:
Public media and civil society organisations widely report instances of fake and manipulated images and facts circulating on your platform in the EU, such as repurposed old images of unrelated armed conflicts or military footage that actually originated from video games. This appears to be manifestly false or misleading information.
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In 1988, the Guardian’s Ian Black was in Gaza to interview Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, the spiritual leader and founder of the Islamic Resistance Movement, known by its Arabic acronym as Hamas.
Despite his frail state, Yassin was resolute in his belief that all Palestinians should support the armed struggle against Israel. Furthermore, he said:
To have a Palestinian state we must have Palestinian land ... there is no point in making a state on paper. Our state will be Islamic.
Founded in 1987, Hamas rejected the secular approach of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and opposed moves to cede any Palestinian land.
The group came to prominence in December 1987, at the beginning of the Palestinian intifada (“shaking off” in Arabic) uprising against Israeli occupation. Hamas contained factions of the PLO and members of the Muslim brotherhood.
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Palestinian death toll rises to 900 killed, including 260 children
The number of Palestinians killed in the Gaza Strip since Saturday has reached at least 900, an increase from 830 earlier today, Gaza’s health ministry said.
Among the dead are 260 children and 230 women, it said. Some 4,600 people are wounded, it said.
At least 1,000 people have been killed in Israel since the attacks by Hamas on the weekend, Israel Defence Forces said on Tuesday.
There are reports that Regina Goren hotel in the Israeli costal city of Ashkelon, where many foreign media are staying, suffered a direct hit.
My colleague Bethan McKernan writes:
Haaretz Hebrew reporting direct hit on Regina Goren hotel where we are staying. Guardian not there but many foreign media using it
— Bethan McKernan (@mck_beth) October 10, 2023
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Biden: US 'has Israel's back'
Joe Biden confirmed Americans are among those held captive by Hamas as part of the militant group’s attack on Israel. The US president said:
We now know that American citizens are among those being held by Hamas.
He said he had directed his team to share intelligence and deploy additional experts to consult with and advise Israeli counterparts on hostage recovery efforts.
As president, I have no higher priority than the safety of Americans being held hostage around the world.
Biden concluded his speech by saying that Israel has been a “guarantor for the security of Jewish people” for 75 years.
The atrocities of the past could never happen again. Let there be no doubt: the United States has Israel’s back. We’ll make sure the Jewish and democratic state of Israel can defend itself today, tomorrow, as we always have.
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Biden: Israel 'has a duty to respond' to attacks
Joe Biden, speaking from the White House, said Hamas “does not stand for the Palestinian people’s right to dignity and self-determination”.
They use Palestinian civilians “as human shields”, the US president said. He added:
Like every nation in the world, Israel has the right to respond – indeed has a duty to respond – to these vicious attacks.
He said he had just got off a call with the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, where he told him: “If the United States experienced what you’re experiencing, our response would be swift, decisive and overwhelming.’”
The US will continue to stand united in support of the people of Israel, he said, adding that his team has been in “near constant communication” with Israeli partners from the moment the crisis began.
Biden said he had spoken with the leaders of France, Germany, Italy and the UK to coordinate a “united response”, adding:
Let me say again: any country, any organization, anyone thinking of taking advantage of the situation – don’t. Our hearts may be broken but our resolve is clear.
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Biden: Hamas attack that slaughtered 1,000 people, including at least 14 Americans, was 'pure unadulterated evil'
Joe Biden is delivering remarks on the Hamas attack on Israel, which he described as a moment when “pure unadulterated evil was unleashed on this world”.
The US president said the Hamas group was a terrorist organization whose stated purposes is “to kill Jews”.
Hamas’s attack “slaughtered” 1,000 people, including at least 14 Americans, he said. He described “stomach-turning” reports of “babies being killed, entire families slain, young people massacred … women raped, assaulted, paraded as trophies”.
Biden said the brutality and “blood thirstiness” of Hamas brings to mind the “worst rampages” of Islamic State.
This is terrorism, but sadly for the Jewish people, it’s not new. This attack has brought to the surface painful memories. The scars left by a millennia of antisemitism and genocide.
So in this moment, we must be crystal clear. We stand with Israel. We stand with Israel and we will make sure Israel has what it needs to take care of its citizens, defend itself and respond to this attack. There’s no justification for terrorism. There’s no excuse.
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UN says there is ‘clear evidence’ of war crimes committed in Gaza and Israel
There is already “clear evidence” that war crimes may have been committed in the latest explosion of violence in Israel and Gaza, the UN’s human rights council said.
In a statement, the UN’s independent international commission of inquiry on the occupied Palestinian territory called for all those who have violated international law and targeted civilians to be held accountable for their crimes.
It said it had been collecting evidence of “war crimes committed by all sides” since Saturday, when Hamas launched its attack on Israel. The UN said:
Reports that armed groups from Gaza have gunned down hundreds of unarmed civilians are abhorrent and cannot be tolerated. Taking civilian hostages and using civilians as human shields are war crimes.
The commission said it was also “gravely concerned” by Israel’s announcement of a complete siege on Gaza. The withholding of water, food, electricity and fuel “will undoubtfully cost civilian lives and constitutes collective punishment”, it said.
It urged Israeli security forces and Palestinian armed groups “to adhere strictly to international humanitarian law and international human rights law”.
The Commission emphasises that the only path towards ending violence and achieving sustainable peace is through addressing the root causes of the conflict including through ending the illegal occupation of Palestinian territory and recognising the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination.
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The death toll of French citizens from the attacks in Israel has risen to eight, the French foreign affairs minister, Catherine Colonna, said.
This is an increase from the French foreign ministry’s announcement this morning, which put the death toll of French nationals in Israel at four.
Colonna, in a parliamentary hearing, added there would be a special Air France flight on Thursday to help repatriate French nationals from the region.
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We’re still waiting to hear from Joe Biden, who had been scheduled to deliver remarks more than an hour ago.
The US president completed a call with the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, alongside Biden’s vice-president, Kamala Harris, and other senior US administration officials.
In a social media post, Biden said his team spoke to Netanyahu “to discuss coordination to support Israel, deter hostile actors, and protect innocent people”.
.@VP and I sat down with our teams to receive a situation update on the terrorist attack in Israel and to direct next steps.
— President Biden (@POTUS) October 10, 2023
We connected with Prime Minister Netanyahu to discuss coordination to support Israel, deter hostile actors, and protect innocent people. pic.twitter.com/u4xOHMeMqw
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Here are some more of the latest images sent over the news wires from Israel, Lebanon and Palestine.
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On a hillside in Jerusalem, hundreds of people stood in near silence at the funeral of a lone soldier. Speaking only in whispers or exchanging glances, they crammed on to the stone walls that overlooked the line of white gravestones in Israel’s national cemetery on Mount Herzl.
A fearful quiet had descended on the city, with a line of cars snaking up the hillside and people finding their way to the cemetery – marking the only crowds in a place normally teeming with life.
Those attending the funeral all referred to Nathanel Young, 20, a British citizen killed on Saturday on the Gaza border during an incursion by Hamas militants, who had moved to Israel and enlisted in the military, as “the lone soldier”. They said they had come to ensure he was not buried alone.
Michail Levinson, sitting quietly on a stone bench with her daughter as she watched the columns of people arriving, said:
He didn’t have any family here, he was alone. Maybe he had family in the UK, but here he had nobody, and his soul should not go alone. We came to thank him and say goodbye.
Read the full story – ‘Here he had nobody’: strangers bury young Briton in quiet, jittery Jerusalem
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EU to continue support to Palestinians
EU foreign ministers reversed the decision by the European Commission to suspend payments to Palestine after an emergency meeting in Oman.
The EU’s chief diplomat, Josep Borrell, said they can review the funds to check for any “leakage” to Hamas, but if there is someone will have to pay the price for such a mistake.
“The overwhelming majority [of ministers] was against the idea of the proposal of suspending the payments to the Palestinian Authority. This is the thing that matters,” he said adding the funds would “not be cancelled”.
He said just two or maybe three countries disagreed, with speculation rife that Hungary was one of them following the unilateral announcement by the country’s commissioner in Brussels on Monday that all payments were being suspended.
Humanitarian aid will also be increased, said Borrell, who added that the EU is the biggest funder of the Palestinian Authority.
Figures released on Tuesday by the European Commission show €410m was given to the PA in 2021 and 2022 with 2023 funds yet to be allocated.
A further €271m was donated by the EU to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for humanitarian projects in the three years 2021-2023, the commission revealed.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party said it was taking “big steps” towards forming a unity government on Tuesday.
A party statement said Netanyahu invited the head of the key opposition National Unity party, Benny Gantz, to meet tonight.
The statement comes after an earlier announcement that all partners in Netanyahu’s coalition had approved a proposed expansion of the government to include politicians now in the opposition.
Palestinian death toll rises to more than 830 killed, says Gaza's health ministry
The number of Palestinians killed in Israeli military action has reached at least 830, Gaza’s health ministry said.
The Palestinian health ministry said more than 4,250 have been wounded since Saturday.
The ministry’s last update, on Tuesday morning, listed the death toll at 770 Palestinians and 4,000 wounded.
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After much confusion and diplomatic stress in the past 24 hours over an announcement by the European Commissioner for neighbourhood and enlargement, Olivér Várhelyi, that all €691m payments from the EU to Palestine were to be suspended, the European Commission has provided an explanation.
It transpires that much of the funding Várhelyi was referring to was allocated in 2021 and 2022, with just €82m allocated to the United Nations relief and works agency that has already been disbursed.
The European Commission chief spokesperson said on Tuesday that the humanitarian aid amounted to just €26.9m.
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Israel and Hezbollah trade border fire
Lebanon’s Hezbollah fired a guided missile at an Israeli tank on Tuesday afternoon, according to reports, and Israel said it responded by striking an observation post belonging to Hezbollah, in a third day of violence at the Lebanese-Israeli border.
The Israeli army said no injuries were reported in Tuesday’s attack by Hezbollah, three of whose fighters were killed on Monday by Israeli shelling into Lebanon, Reuters reported.
A salvo of rockets was also fired from Lebanon into Israel in an attack a security source in Lebanon said was carried out by Palestinian factions, according to the news agency. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.
Meanwhile, the Israeli army said a helicopter struck an observation post belonging to the Hezbollah. No injuries were reported, it said.
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Speaking before the EU foreign ministers meeting, the German foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, said she was urging Palestinian leaders “in no uncertain terms” to distance themselves from terrorism.
There can be no justification for it. As the Palestinian Authority, you have an obligation to act responsibly, also in the interests of your own people. The violence must not be allowed to spread to the West Bank.
On the issue of suspending EU aid to Palestine, she said:
Germany, like the European Commission, regularly reviews its assistance for the Palestinian territories. In this emergency situation we are once again scrutinising not only our development cooperation but also our humanitarian assistance, in close consultation with the United Nations. We agree, however, that it would be quite wrong at this point in time to halt vital humanitarian assistance for the civilian population.
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Israeli forces have freed 30 people who had spent three days in hiding after Hamas militants attacked their kibbutz in the south of the country, Israeli media reported.
Israel Defence Forces reached the group late on Monday evening, after getting a notice that a group of 16 Israelis and 14 Thai citizens were missing, The Times of Israel said.
They announced the rescue on Tuesday. The group lived in Ein Hashlosha kibbutz, just a few kilometres from Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip.
An officer from the Home Front Command was quoted saying the rescue “brought a little bit of light”. There were no other details given about where or how they had hidden, and a spokesperson for the IDF declined to comment further.
The US president, Joe Biden, is expected to speak on the hour about the unprecedented terror attacks carried about by Hamas and to reaffirm US support for Israel.
Biden will express concern about the potential that some Americans are being held hostage by Hamas, a senior White House official said.
He will also strongly condemn Hamas’s attacks and provide an overview of the actions the US is taking with allies around the world to support Israel, another official said.
Biden’s speech from the White House, slated for 1pm eastern time (1700 GMT), will come after holding his third phone call in four days with the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.
The White House’s national security spokesperson, John Kirby, told reporters on Monday that the US does not plan to put American military forces on the ground in Israel.
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Reports of injuries as Hamas attacks Ashkelon with rocket fire
We are hearing reports of injuries in the Israeli costal city of Ashkelon, which Hamas militants targeted with rockets after giving residents just hours to flee.
A 54-year-old woman was treated by medics after she was moderately hurt by the rocket attack on Ashkelon, the Times of Israel reported.
Rocket-warning sirens have been sounding in Ashkelon and the surrounding area.
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Israeli military and rescue services entered communities near the border with Gaza to find burned cars, destroyed homes and bodies. Here’s our video report on the latest:
Warning: video contains graphic images that viewers may find distressing.
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The body of a four-year-old girl was among the dead pulled from the rubble of a building in Gaza where many were sheltering, and which was damaged during an Israeli airstrike.
The girl was named as Shahid Abu Rokbah, Reuters reported. Rescuers said her family had fled from east of the Khan Younis district to inside the city in search of safety.
One rescuer said:
They tried to escape death only to find it … They came to find shelter. They were taking refuge next to the stairs where it could have been a safe place. They targeted them and killed them.
Rescuers said they were hopeful of finding survivors, as they dug through rubble.
Some injured people were sleeping here. This is their blood. Here there was a mother and her children. We removed the woman in the evening and the children were martyred and we just took them out from under rubble
Gaza’s health ministry said Israel’s retaliatory strikes had killed at least 770 people and wounded more than 4,000.
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Sweden has temporarily halted development aid to Palestinian territories, the country’s development minister, Johan Forssell, said.
Denmark has also announced that it would pause its aid.
EU foreign ministers have convened an emergency meeting today to discuss decisions on funding, a day after the European Commission appeared to backpedal on an announcement that it was to suspend “all payments” to Palestinians as a result of Hamas’s attacks on Israel.
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The number of Britons caught up in the violence in Israel and Gaza has yet to be confirmed, with ministers wary that official estimates of casualties and those injured are still being compiled.
Rishi Sunak said he understood there were families in the UK “anxious about their loved ones in the region”. He added:
I want to reassure them we’re doing everything we can, working very closely with the Israeli authorities to establish what is happening on the ground, provide support to people where it’s needed.
I’d urge anyone there to contact the Foreign Office so that they have their details, follow the advice locally from the Israelis but also from the Foreign Office, and we stand ready to support everyone as best we can.
Waving a Palestinian flag or singing a chant advocating freedom for Arabs in the region may be a criminal offence, the UK’s home secretary, Suella Braverman, has told senior police officers.
In a letter to chief constables in England and Wales, Braverman urged them to clamp down on any attempts to use flags, songs or swastikas to harass or intimidate members of the Jewish community.
Her words, which follow deadly attacks by Hamas on Israelis and a military response, will deeply concern freedom of speech advocates and members of the Muslim community. She also wrote:
It is not just explicit pro-Hamas symbols and chants that are cause for concern. I would encourage police to consider whether chants such as: ‘From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free’ should be understood as an expression of a violent desire to see Israel erased from the world, and whether its use in certain contexts may amount to a racially aggravated section 5 public order offence.
Braverman’s letter was sent after Rishi Sunak vowed that anyone in the UK supporting Hamas would be “held to account” in the aftermath of the attack on Israel.
Sunak confirmed his support for Israel, saying he stood in solidarity with the state and its people “in the face of these barbaric acts of terrorism”.
Israel claims to have intercepted four of 15 rockets fired from Lebanon
The Israeli air force has claimed that it intercepted four out of 15 rockets launched into the north of Israel from Lebanon. In a statement on social media, it posted:
Following the initial report regarding launches in northern Israel, approximately 15 rockets were launched from Lebanese territory. The IAF aerial defence array successfully intercepted four rocket launches. Ten launches fell in open areas.
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Here are some of the latest images sent to us over the news wires from Israel and Palestine.
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A salvo of rockets was fired on Tuesday from southern Lebanon towards Israel, three security sources told Reuters, in the third consecutive day of violence along the Lebanese-Israeli border since Hamas launched an attack on the south of Israel on Saturday.
The Israeli military said it was responding with artillery fire to launches coming from Lebanese territory.
Six people were killed on the border on Monday. The UN peacekeeping force in the south of Lebanon said it was verifying reports of rockets being fired.
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A Catholic priest in Gaza, Gabriel Romanelli, has recounted to the Vatican news website how Pope Francis had been in contact with him since violence between Hamas and Israel escalated on Saturday.
He told the website: “The pope called me a few minutes ago. He expressed his closeness and offered his prayers.”
Romanelli said the pope had called him twice.
The Vatican news website reports Romanelli said that the Gaza parish is home to about 150 people who have lost their homes or are seeking a safe place from the Israeli bombardments.
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Israeli military says more than 1,000 people killed by Palestinian militants
IDF Brig Gen Dan Goldfuss has confirmed an earlier report that 1,000 people have been killed by Palestinian militants since Saturday’s surprise attack.
Goldfuss told journalists in a briefing that the “last four days were very tough days for us”, adding that his forces were facing “a cruel, vicious enemy”.
“Unfortunately they have succeeded this time to kill over 1,000 people, over 1,000 people. It’s just ... you can’t imagine.”
Goldfuss did not give a breakdown of the nationalities of the deceased, and some foreign nationals are known to have been killed in the violence. He did not say what proportion were civilian or military.
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Sirens have been reported in northern Israel, close to Lebanon.
🚨Sirens sounding in Northern Israel🚨
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) October 10, 2023
Hamas is attacking the Israeli city of Ashkelon with rocket fire.
Earlier, the militant group warned civilians to leave before 5pm local time, which was almost 20 minutes ago.
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The Israeli embassy to the US, which earlier reported more than 1,000 Israelis had been killed in the violence, has since deleted the tweet.
An earlier tweet that reported “998+ Israelis murdered” remains on X, the social media platform previously known as Twitter.
The IDF has put the toll at above 900.
Scotland’s first minister, Humza Yousaf, has written to the UK foreign secretary, James Cleverly, calling on him to push for a humanitarian corridor in order to evacuate civilians from Gaza.
Yesterday, Yousaf revealed that his parents-in-law, who live in Dundee, are trapped in Gaza while visiting family there. Yousaf, whose wife, Nadia El-Nakla, is of Palestinian descent, said her parents were struggling to find safe passage.
In a letter to the foreign secretary on Tuesday, Yousaf reiterated his condemnation of the “abhorrent terrorist actions of Hamas” and added, “collective punishment of innocent civilians cannot be justified and will do nothing to set the conditions for peace in the region”.
“As a close friend and ally of Israel, I therefore ask the UK government to call on the government of Israel to ensure innocent civilians are protected and to put in place an immediate ceasefire to allow the safe passage of civilians through the Rafah border. Furthermore, it should open a humanitarian corridor into Gaza to allow supplies, including food, fuel, water and medical supplies, for those civilians who are trapped, helpless and cannot leave.”
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More rocket strikes on cities in central Israel, including Tel Aviv, are being reported.
Two members from Hamas’s political office, Jawad Abu Shammala and Zakaria Abu Maamar, were killed in an air strike in Khan Younis in southern Gaza Strip, an official from the group said, according to the Reuters news agency.
In separate statements, the Israeli military confirmed killing Abu Shammala and Abu Maamar, saying they had been struck overnight.
The EU’s chief diplomat, Josep Borrell, has provided an update on claims that the bloc was reducing its aid to Palestinians, which has caused shock in the humanitarian community.
Borrell said the Gulf states had in a joint statement with the EU agreed, “the importance of sustained financial support for UNRWA (the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine refugees), and to continue humanitarian and development support for the Palestinians in the occupied territories”.
Borrell said it was “false information” that Germany was cancelling aid after Saturday’s attack.
“The German minister has clearly stated that this was not the case at all, that Germany will continue providing this support,” he said.
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Israel’s Channel 12 reports that Israeli officials warned their Egyptian counterparts against supplying aid to the besieged Gaza Strip, saying they would conduct airstrikes on trucks carrying supplies to the area.
Shortly after the announcement, convoys of fuel trucks and Egyptian goods due to enter Gaza via the southern border crossing with Egypt “retreated from the Rafah crossing,” said Channel 12. The crossing is closed indefinitely.
When contacted for comment about the threat of striking the aid trucks, an IDF spokesperson said they were aware of Channel 12’s report, but would not confirm whether they had issued the threat against the aid convoy. “No comment – all we can say is that we are following orders from the political echelons, and the ministry of defence has ordered a siege,” they said.
Israeli officials previously announced a complete siege of the Gaza Strip, with cuts to all water, fuel and food supplies.
The UN secretary general, António Guterres, previously said he was “deeply distressed,” by Israel’s decision to impose a complete siege Gaza, which is home to more than 2 million people, almost half of them children. Israel has maintained a 16-year blockade of Gaza, which curtails the freedom of movement for Palestinians as well as the movement of construction materials, fuel and food.
“The humanitarian situation in Gaza was extremely dire before these hostilities; now it will only deteriorate exponentially,” Guterres told reporters at the UN in New York yesterday. “Medical equipment, food, fuel and other humanitarian supplies are desperately needed, along with access for humanitarian personnel.”
The UN chief said the latest bout of violence “does not come in a vacuum,” and instead “grows out of a longstanding conflict, with a 56-year-long occupation and no political end in sight”.
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New satellite images show the Erez frontier between Gaza and Israel before and after the current fighting.
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More than 1,000 Israelis killed in recent violence, Israeli embassy says
The Israeli embassy to the US has said 1,008 Israelis have been killed since Hamas forces crossed into the country on Saturday.
More than 3,400 Israelis have been injured, it said.
The Israeli government has not released a breakdown of those killed in the violence.
🚨 OPERATIONAL UPDATE: pic.twitter.com/od2AmyQLuw
— Embassy of Israel to the USA | #IsraelUSA75 (@IsraelinUSA) October 10, 2023
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Hamas warns Israeli civilians to leave Ashkelon city by 5pm
Hamas’s armed wing spokesperson, Abu Ubaida, has told residents of Israel’s port of Ashkelon to leave the area by 5pm local time (about 90 minutes from now), without giving any further details. Ashkelon is nine miles north of Gaza.
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Israeli bombardments hit the area of the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt earlier today, Palestinian officials and Egyptian security sources have said.
The Rafah border is the only exit point for civilians on Gaza’s southern border.
Drone footage from Gaza City shows crumbled buildings and rubble after one of the fiercest nights of Israeli airstrikes across the strip.
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Far-right Israeli minister says he will 'massively' arm civilians with assault rifles
The national security minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, has announced his ministry is buying 10,000 rifles to arm “civilian security teams” across Israel and the occupied West Bank, the Times of Israel reports.
The report said the rifles, 4,000 of which have already been bought, will go to Israeli towns close to the borders, but also to mixed Jewish-Arab cities inside Israel and West Bank settlements.
Ben-Gvir is a hardline Jewish settler who has past convictions for supporting terrorism and incitement against Arabs.
He was quoted as saying the weapons and equipment will be distributed to “hundreds of towns that have civilian security teams linked to the Israel police’s border police force”.
Civilian security teams provide security to small towns and communities but in the West Bank, some have attacked Palestinians.
“We will turn the world upside down so that towns are protected,” Ben Gvir was quoted as saying. “I have given instructions for massively arming the civilian security team.”
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Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party has announced that all members of his coalition have approved an expansion of the government to include politicians in the opposition.
This idea of an “emergency national government” would be to unify a country with deep domestic political fractures during a crisis.
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Kate Connolly reports for the Guardian from Berlin:
Germany is in the midst of a heated debate about the aid it sends to Palestinian organisations, with its development minister Svenja Schulze announcing that her ministry has put its “entire engagement in the Palestinian territories on the weighing scales”. Any financial help flowing to the region has been “temporarily suspended” a spokesperson for the ministry has confirmed.
It has also been suggested, with considerable pressure coming from beyond Germany, that the flow of money from one of the region’s biggest donors should be used as a lever in attempts to release Israeli hostages held by Hamas terrorists.
But the foreign ministry, under Annalena Baerbock, has said it sees no necessity to change any of its existing programmes, emphasising that it is “constantly checking that the aid sent is reaching those in need of it”, as well as the veracity of the organisations it deals with. The same approach is applied to other regions, whether Syria or Yemen, the ministry added, stressing that no German money is “finding its way to Hamas or other terrorist organisations”. This year the foreign ministry has committed €72m to the Palestinian territories, distributed via German and international aid agencies, as well as UN institutions, covering everything from nutritional aid to psychosocial care and security. In addition, development aid currently amounts to €250m.
However, the opposition CDU is putting pressure on the government to urgently review all of its aid to the region. Roderich Kiesewetter, foreign policy spokesperson for the conservative party, said closer attention had to be paid to whether organisations had “connections to the Palestinian Authorities, or to terror organisations like Hamas or Hezbollah”. Kiesewetter said it was also necessary to take a closer look domestically at organisations such as Hamburg’s Islamic Centre, which has been accused of having contact with Hezbollah and is considered to be the German operational hub of Iran’s Islamic regime. Iran stands accused of aiding the Hamas attack on Israel.
Both the CDU and the pro-business FDP, part of the government of Olaf Scholz, have recommended freezing all moneys to the region until thorough checks have been carried out.
Calls for changes to other areas of foreign policy, such as Germany’s adherence to a nuclear agreement with Iran, and its acceptance of Hezbollah as the governing party in Lebanon, have also been rife in the light of the attacks. “We can’t wait for an agreement any longer, in which Iran has absolutely no interest,” Kiesewetter said. “It is no longer possible to negotiate with Iran”.
In addition, the FDP’s leadership is urging the EU to place Iran’s revolutionary guard on its list of terrorists. Baerbock has given her support for the move, but there has so far been no universal agreement on the matter among EU members.
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Summary of the day so far …
The Israeli military said on Tuesday that Hamas operatives had “nowhere to hide” in Gaza and that its air force was carrying out intensive airstrikes in waves every four hours. “We will reach them everywhere,” chief military spokesperson Daniel Hagari said in a briefing. The Israeli air force has announced on social media that it is “launching an extensive attack against terror targets of the terrorist organisation Hamas in the Gaza Strip”.
The UN human rights chief said on Tuesday that Israeli air operations had struck residential buildings, including tower blocks, as well as schools and UN buildings across Gaza, resulting in civilian casualties. Gaza’s health ministry has put Palestinian casualty figures as at least 770 killed and 4,000 wounded by Israeli airstrikes since Saturday. They additionally claim that at least another 18 people were killed and 100 injured in the West Bank since Saturday.
Israeli media reports that Hamas fighters killed about 900 people inside Israel during the weekend incursion.
Israel has retaken control of the Gaza border fence breached by Palestinian Hamas gunmat the weekend, and is planting mines in the parts where the barrier was toppled, the chief military spokesperson said on Tuesday. Hagari said there had been no new infiltrations from Gaza since Monday.
The Times of Israel reports that officers are preparing to inform 100 families that their loved ones have been taken hostage by Hamas and are being held in Gaza. A senior member of the militant group has said it intends to use the dozens of hostages being held in Gaza to secure the release of Palestinians detained in Israel and overseas.
The Israeli air force confirmed it had flown back “hundreds of IDF soldiers who were abroad” in order to contribute to “the IDF’s efforts to mobilise additional forces to continue fighting”.
The UK foreign secretary, James Cleverly, said he was sure that Israel was focused exclusively on destroying Hamas in Gaza, and not on attacking Palestinians in general or the wider Arab world.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Iran was not involved in the Hamas attack on Israel, but hailed what he called Israel’s “irreparable” military and intelligence defeat. “We kiss the hands of those who planned the attack on the Zionist regime,” Khamenei said in his first televised speech since the attack. “The Zionist regime’s own actions are to blame for this disaster,” he added. The French president, Emmanuel Macron, said the comments were unacceptable.
The Spanish acting foreign minister, José Manuel Albares, said on Tuesday his government opposed the proposed suspension of EU aid to Palestinians. “This cooperation must continue, we cannot confuse Hamas, which is in the list of EU’s terrorist groups, with the Palestinian population, or the Palestinian Authority or the UN organisations on the ground,” Albares said in an interview with Spanish radio. His views were echoed by France’s foreign ministry, which issued a statement in Paris this morning saying: “We are not in favour of suspending aid that directly benefits the Palestinian people.”
The French foreign ministry has announced that four French nationals have died in the attacks. Thirteen French nationals are still missing, and their situation was considered “very worrying”, the ministry said. Spain has said two of its citizens are still missing.
Austria is arranging an evacuation of its citizens from Israel by military transport aircraft on Wednesday, chancellor Karl Nehammer said. Cyprus has said it is ready to help with the evacuation of nationals from third countries who might want to leave Israel.
Eighteen Thais have been killed in the conflict, the kingdom’s government said on Tuesday, up from the previous toll of 12. A foreign ministry spokesperson said nine Thai citizens had been wounded and 11 taken hostage. About 30,000 Thais work in Israel.
Russia’s deputy foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov, has said Moscow and Washington have not been in contact over the escalation of the conflict.
The Palestine football team has withdrawn from a tournament in Malaysia. It had been scheduled to compete in the Merdeka Cup in Malaysia from 13-17 October. Israel’s Euro 2024 qualifier against Switzerland, which was due to be played on Thursday, has already been postponed.
Updated
At least 770 Palestinians killed in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza
At least 770 Palestinians have been killed and 4,000 wounded in Israeli airstrikes on the blockaded enclave since Saturday, Gaza’s health ministry claimed on Tuesday.
At least another 18 people were killed and 100 injured in the West Bank since Saturday, Reuters reports the ministry added.
Israeli media report that Hamas fighters killed about 900 people inside Israel during the weekend incursion.
Updated
Macron: Iran's comments praising attack on Israel are 'unacceptable'
The French president, Emmanuel Macron, said on Tuesday Iran’s praise of the Hamas attack on Israel was unacceptable and that France was looking to establish whether Tehran was directly involved.
“I have no comment to make about the direct involvement of Iran for which we have no formal proof, but it’s clear that the public comments by Iranian authorities were unacceptable. And that it is likely that Hamas was offered help,” Reuters reports he said.
“But I will remain careful on that point until we have stabilised intelligence,” Macron added in a news conference with the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz.
France earlier confirmed that four of its nationals have been killed in the fighting so far.
Updated
The French foreign ministry has announced that four French nationals have died in the attacks on Israel.
Thirteen French nationals are still missing, and their situation was considered “very worrying”, the ministry said, adding that some had probably been taken hostage.
Updated
Israeli air force launching 'extensive attack against terror targets'
The Israeli air force has announced on social media it is “launching an extensive attack against terror targets of the terrorist organisation Hamas in the Gaza Strip”.
חיל-האוויר תוקף כעת תקיפה נרחבת כנגד יעדי טרור של ארגון הטרור חמאס ברצועת עזה, פרטים נוספים בהמשך.
— Israeli Air Force (@IAFsite) October 10, 2023
Earlier, the UN human rights chief, Volker Türk, reminded Israel of “the obligation to take constant care to spare the civilian population and civilian objects”.
Nearly 700 Palestinians have since been killed in Israeli strikes since the weekend, according to Gaza officials, and the UN said 180,000 people had been made homeless.
Updated
Iran: 'We kiss the hands of those who planned the attack on the Zionist regime'
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Iran was not involved in the Hamas attack on Israel, but hailed what he called Israel’s “irreparable” military and intelligence defeat.
“We kiss the hands of those who planned the attack on the Zionist regime,” Reuters reports Khamenei said in his first televised speech since the attack.
“This destructive earthquake has destroyed some critical structures which will not be repaired easily. The Zionist regime’s own actions are to blame for this disaster,” he added.
Khamenei said an attack on Gaza would “unleash a much heavier torrent of anger”.
“The occupying regime seeks to portray itself as a victim to escalate its crimes further. This is a misguided calculation. It will result in even greater disaster.”
Israeli media have said the death toll from the Hamas attacks has reached 900 people in Israel, while Gaza officials say nearly 700 people have been killed in subsequent Israeli strikes.
Updated
Bethan McKernan is in Israel for the Guardian, and has sent this report while she is travelling:
We just drove down the 234 highway to Reim, close to the border with Gaza. We could hear lots of rocket fire. We saw the bodies of five Hamas militants – they had been stripped to check for explosives. I don’t know how long they have been lying there, but by the look of them probably days.
We saw five abandoned Hamas vehicles. There was lots of military paraphernalia and what looked like RPG shells. There were several shot up cars with Israeli licence plates.
As we approached Reim we could hear gunfire along the 232 road, suggesting there is still some fighting going on. There have been at least four thuds in the last 30 minutes – it is hard to tell if it was incoming or outgoing.
I am currently about 15km from the Gaza border and we can see a massive plume of black smoke over the strip – possibly a burning weapons dump.
AP reports that the French lawmaker Meyer Habib said on Tuesday on RTL radio that a third French citizen had been killed in the weekend attack by Hamas on southern Israeli towns. France’s foreign ministry previously confirmed two French deaths and reported that at least 14 others were missing.
Updated
Here are some more of the latest images sent over the news wires from Israel, Lebanon and Palestine.
Israel rules out reports of suspected northern aerial incursion
The Israeli air force reports that Israel has ruled out the suspected aerial incursion to the north of the country, posting to social media to say:
Further to the initial report, suspicion of intrusion into the airspace in the Golan Heights and Galilee area was ruled out. There is no fear of a security incident.
התקבל דיווח על חשד לחדירה במרחב האווירי ברמת הגולן והגליל העליון, כוחות צה"ל מלווים בכלי טיס של חיל-האוויר פרוסים וסורקים במרחב. פרטים נוספים בהמשך.
— Israeli Air Force (@IAFsite) October 10, 2023
Updated
UN human rights chief reminds Israel of 'obligation to spare civilian population'
Israeli air operations have struck residential buildings, including large tower blocks, as well as schools and UN buildings across Gaza, resulting in civilian casualties, the UN human rights chief said on Tuesday.
“International humanitarian law is clear: the obligation to take constant care to spare the civilian population and civilian objects remains applicable throughout the attacks,” Reuters reports Volker Türk said in a statement.
In response to Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant’s announcement of a tightened blockade for Gaza, Türk said “sieges” that endanger the lives of civilians were prohibited under international law.
Updated
The UK foreign secretary, James Cleverly, said he was sure that Israel was focused exclusively on destroying Hamas in Gaza, and not on attacking Palestinians in general or the wider Arab world.
He said the links between Hamas and Iran were well-known, but like the US, the UK had no intelligence to assess that Iran had been directly involved in the assaults.
He said: “We know that Iran has been a long-term funder and supporter of terror groups around the region, including the terror group Hamas. Whether they were directly involved in this particular attack is something that is being investigated. The truth of the matter is that we know Iran has had a malign influence in the region for a long time.”
He also said Israel had a right to be proportionate in self-defence, but did not go into details as to how that could be defined. He said the Hamas attacks were an unprecedented atrocity, and added that “Hamas habitually embeds its military and terrorist operations within civilian communities”.
Writing in the Times, the former UK foreign secretary William Hague said Israel would be falling into the trap laid by Hamas if its response was so severe that it led to the whole of the Middle East falling into war.
Cleverly accepted that “Hamas want to make this a wider conflict between Israel and the Arab world”, and insisted that Arab foreign ministers did not wish for this to happen.
Cleverly indicated that a “significant number” of British-Israeli dual nationals had been caught up in the conflict in Israel and Gaza. He declined to confirm reports about the numbers affected, telling LBC: “The situation is fast-moving. It is complicated. I’m uncomfortable giving numbers”.
He also urged the media not to describe Hamas as militants but as terrorists. He said he would not share a platform with Husam Zomlot, Palestine’s ambassador to the UK.
Speaking on Sky News, Cleverly said: “I’ve met with him, I speak with him. Maintaining diplomatic relations is important. But I have said that Palestinian voices, particularly those in leadership positions, should criticise the appalling behaviour, the atrocious actions, that have been perpetrated by Hamas”.
He also called on supporters of the Palestinian people to stay home, since, he said, there was no need to add to the distress of the Jewish community in the UK.
Hague said the main Hamas motive behind its brutal attacks was to forestall a normalisation of arrangements between Saudi Arabia and Israel, adding that in his opinion for now this would inevitably be delayed.
Updated
Sam Jones is the Guardian’s Madrid correspondent:
More details have emerged about the two Spanish citizens missing following Hamas’s surprise attack on Israel.
One is a young Spanish-Israeli woman, Maya Villalobo, who was doing her military service in Israel when she disappeared. The other is reported to be a man in his 40s from the Basque Country, who is married to an Israeli woman and lives on a kibbutz close to the border with Gaza.
Villalobo’s family released a statement on Monday evening, saying they were worried about her and had not heard from her since 9.30am on Saturday.
“Maya is a very happy young woman with a massive heart and a deep love of Spain who knows how to receive and give back – in spades – the love of all those who love her,” it said.
The statement thanked the media for their interest but asked them to exercise caution in their reporting and respect the family’s privacy at a difficult time.
The missing man has not been named by his family or the Spanish government.
Spain’s foreign ministry confirmed on Monday that Spaniards had been caught up in the attacks and said it was in contact with their families.
Updated
Austria is arranging an evacuation of its citizens from Israel by military transport aircraft on Wednesday, chancellor Karl Nehammer said this morning.
Roughly 200 Austrians have so far informed the Austrian authorities that they wish to leave Israel, Nehammer told Puls 24 television.
“It is happening in cooperation with the Austrian armed forces. A transport aircraft is available and the mission will begin tomorrow,” Reuters reports Nehammer said, adding that the flight would be to Cyprus.
Israel investigating report of suspected aerial incursion in north
The Israeli air force says it is investigating a possible aerial incursion of Israel from the north. In a post on social media, it wrote:
A report was received of a suspected intrusion into the airspace of the Golan Heights and the Upper Galilee. IDF forces are accompanied by air force aircraft deployed and scanning the area.
התקבל דיווח על חשד לחדירה במרחב האווירי ברמת הגולן והגליל העליון, כוחות צה"ל מלווים בכלי טיס של חיל-האוויר פרוסים וסורקים במרחב. פרטים נוספים בהמשך.
— Israeli Air Force (@IAFsite) October 10, 2023
Updated
Cyprus is ready to help with the evacuation of nationals from third countries who might want to leave Israel, its foreign ministry said.
Reuters reports a Cypriot ministerial committee on Tuesday activated a repatriation scheme known as Estia, which offers temporary accommodation and assistance to EU and third-country nationals fleeing areas of crisis.
“In this context, the Republic of Cyprus intends to offer facilities for the repatriation of foreign nationals from Israel through Cyprus,” the Cypriot ministry of foreign affairs said in a statement.
The island was used as a transit point for the evacuation of British nationals from Sudan earlier this year.
Updated
Israel: Hamas has 'nowhere to hide'
The Israeli military said on Tuesday that Hamas operatives had “nowhere to hide” in Gaza and that its air force was carrying out intensive airstrikes in waves every four hours.
“We will reach them everywhere,” Reuters reports chief military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said in a briefing.
In another development, the Israeli military has said there are no events happening in the north where it borders Lebanon and Syria. Yesterday, Israel said its forces had fought off gunmen crossing from Lebanon – an incident that raised the possibility of a second front opening up in the conflict.
Updated
China is trying to verify and confirm information on reported Chinese nationals killed in conflict in Israel, Reuters reports the foreign ministry said on Tuesday.
Wang Wenbin, a ministry spokesperson, made the remarks in response to a report that two Chinese workers were killed in Sderot near the Gaza border.
Here is a selection of some of the latest images from Israel, Palestine and beyond.
Updated
The IDF reports that sirens are again sounding in southern Israel, warning of a possible rocket attack.
🚨Sirens sounding in southern Israel🚨
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) October 10, 2023
Citing the Interfax news agency, Reuters reports that Russia’s deputy foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov, has said Moscow and Washington have not been in contact over the escalation of the conflict between Hamas and Israel. Relations between the US and Russia have been increasingly strained since Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
Updated
France and Spain against suspension of EU aid to Palestinians
The Spanish acting foreign minister, José Manuel Albares, said on Tuesday his government opposed the proposed suspension of EU aid to Palestinians.
“This cooperation must continue, we cannot confuse Hamas, which is in the list of EU’s terrorist groups, with the Palestinian population, or the Palestinian Authority or the UN organisations on the ground,” Reuters reports Albares said in an interview with Spanish radio.
He added that Palestinians will probably need more aid in the near future.
His views have been echoed by the French foreign ministry, which issued a statement in Paris this morning saying: “We are not in favour of suspending aid that directly benefits the Palestinian people, and we made this clear to the European Commission yesterday.”
EU foreign ministers will meet to discuss the issue on Tuesday afternoon.
Updated
The Israeli air force has posted to social media to confirm that it has flown back “hundreds of IDF soldiers who were abroad” in order to participate in the hostilities that have erupted since the surprise Hamas attack on southern Israel on Saturday. In a message, the air force said it was contributing to “the IDF’s efforts to mobilise additional forces to continue fighting”.
מטוסי תובלה של חיל-האוויר (מסוג "קרנף" ו"שמשון"), הטיסו הלילה חזרה ארצה מאות לוחמי צה״ל ששהו בחו״ל, כדי לקחת חלק בלחימה במלחמת "חרבות ברזל", כחלק ממאמציו של צה״ל לרכז כוחות נוספים להמשך לחימה. pic.twitter.com/JWJmRzZn44
— Israeli Air Force (@IAFsite) October 10, 2023
Updated
The Palestine football team has withdrawn from a tournament in Malaysia. It had been scheduled to compete in the Merdeka Cup in Malaysia from 13-17 October.
Reuters reports the Football Association of Malaysia said in a statement: “The Palestinian team had to withdraw from participating because they could not fly to Kuala Lumpur due to the tense situation in the country at the moment.”
Israel’s Euro 2024 qualifier against Switzerland, which was due to be played on Thursday, has already been postponed.
Updated
Gaza’s health ministry has put Palestinian casualty figures as at least 687 killed and 3,726 wounded by Israeli airstrikes since Saturday.
According to media reports and witnesses’ accounts, apartment blocks, a mosque and hospitals were among the sites attacked, with some roads and houses destroyed.
Reuters reports Israel also bombed the headquarters of the private Palestinian Telecommunication company, which could affect landline telephone, internet and mobile phone services in the blockaded enclave.
The Israeli military claims it hit targets in the Gaza Strip from the sea and air, including a weapons depot it said belonged to Islamic Jihad, and Hamas targets along Gaza’s coastline.
The Hamas spokesperson Abu Ubaida issued a threat on Monday to kill Israelis among those held captive after the surprise Saturday morning attack. Reuters reports he said Hamas would kill an Israeli captive for every Israeli bombing of a civilian house without warning, and broadcast the murder. There was no immediate response from the Israeli military to that specific threat.
Updated
Bethan McKernan is in Israel for the Guardian. She reports:
It has been a quieter night in Israel, with two firefights on the Gaza periphery. The entire perimeter fence is now secure, according to the IDF spokesperson. The new figure given is approximately 1,500 Hamas fighters killed inside Israel since Saturday.
In Gaza, there have been hundreds of strikes on the high-rise neighbourhood of Rimal overnight. The IDF spokesperson said it was “laying down infrastructure for further options”, adding: “The scope of this is bigger than before and more severe. It is not going to be clean.”
Quieter night in Israel, two firefights on Gaza periphery overnight. Entire perimeter is now secure as per IDF spox. New figure is approx 1500 Hamas killed in Israel since Saturday.
— Bethan McKernan (@mck_beth) October 10, 2023
In Gaza, hundreds of hits on middle class high rise neighbourhood Rimal overnight.
Updated
The UK’s foreign secretary, James Cleverly, has issued a short video of a statement on the situation on social media, reiterating the UK’s intention to support Israel. In the clip, Cleverly says:
Israel has a right to defend itself against attack. The UK completely supports Israel’s right to defend itself proportionately. The truth of the matter is that this was a terrorist attack, perpetrated by Hamas, who are embedded in Gaza, shielding themselves among the Palestinian people in Gaza. And we will continue to support Israel as it seeks to defend itself against this brutal terrorist attack initiated by Hamas.
Updated
A little more here from Reuters on that revised message from the Israeli military to Palestinians recommending they head to Egypt. [See 6.48 BST]
Briefing foreign reporters, Lt-Col Richard Hecht said he would advise Palestinian refugees to “get out” through the Rafah crossing on Gaza’s southern border with Egypt.
His office later issued a statement. “Clarification: The Rafah crossing was open yesterday, but now it is closed,” it said.
On Monday evening, Egyptian security sources and a witness told Reuters operations at Rafah had been disrupted by what they described as a strike on the Gaza side.
This is Martin Belam taking over the live blog in London. You can contact me at martin.belam@theguardian.com.
Updated
Summary
It is 9am in Gaza City and in Tel Aviv. Here is where things stand:
Hamas is ready to fight a long war with Israel and will use the dozens of hostages being held in Gaza to secure the release of Palestinians detained in Israel and overseas, a senior member of the militant group has said. Speaking to the Associated Press news agency, Ali Barakeh, a member of the group’s exiled leadership in Beirut, said Hamas had an arsenal of rockets that would last a long time.
Barakeh said even Hamas was shocked by the extent of the operation, saying it had expected Israel to prevent or limit the attack. “We were surprised by this great collapse,” Barakeh said. “We were planning to make some gains and take prisoners to exchange them. This army was a paper tiger.”
Israeli airstrikes on Gaza have razed 790 housing units and severely damaged 5,330, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said early on Tuesday. Damage to three water and sanitation sites have cut off services to 400,000 people.
Israel retakes control of Gaza border fence, no new infiltrations since Monday. Israel has retaken control of the Gaza border fence breached by Palestinian Hamas gunmen who carried out a weekend mass-incursion, and is planting mines in the parts where the barrier was toppled, the chief military spokesperson said on Tuesday. In remarks aired by Israel’s Army Radio, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said there had been no new infiltrations from Gaza since Monday.
The Israel Defence Forces have announced that more than 200 targets have been struck overnight in Gaza. “In recent hours, IDF warplanes and vessels have attacked many targets of the terrorist organisations throughout the Gaza Strip. Dozens of fighter jets attacked over 200 targets throughout the Rimal neighbourhood and Khan Yunis during the night,” it said in a post on X accompanied by a video showing buildings being destroyed.
Israeli military to inform 100 families their loved ones are hostages. The Times of Israel reports that officers are preparing to inform 100 families that their loved ones have been taken hostage by Hamas and are being held in Gaza. Citing Israeli Army Radio, the Times of Israel reports. “The Israel Defence Force is sending out officers today to inform over 100 Israeli families that their relatives are being held in Gaza by Hamas”. It adds that “UN Ambassador Gilad Erdan tells CNN that Israel estimates ‘that the number is between 100-150 people’.’”
The US senate majority leader, Chuck Schumer, has criticised Beijing’s response to the Israel-Hamas conflict while in China, calling on the government there to show more support for Israel. Schumer spoke repeatedly about China’s response, including directly to China’s leader, Xi Jinping, on Monday, during a rare meeting on a multi-day trip to the country. “I urge you and the Chinese people to stand with the Israeli people and condemn the cowardly and vicious attacks upon them,” he told Xi in Beijing.
Three Austrian nationals may be among those abducted, says the Austrian foreign ministry. Three Austrian-Israeli dual citizens could be among those abducted by Hamas in Saturday’s attack, the ministry said, but it added that there was no official confirmation.
Eighteen Thais have been killed in the conflict between Israel and Hamas militants, the kingdom’s government said on Tuesday, up from the previous toll of 12. A foreign ministry spokesperson said nine Thai citizens had been wounded and 11 taken hostage. About 30,000 Thais work in Israel.
The US has already begun delivering munitions and military equipment to Israel, the White House said on Monday, as the Pentagon reviews its inventories to see what else can be sent quickly to boost its ally in the three-day-old war with Hamas. John Kirby, a spokesperson for the National Security Council, confirmed on Monday evening that the first batch of military aid in the wake of the violent assault by Hamas militants was “making its way” to Israel.
The Palestinian death toll has risen to more than 680 killed in Israeli counterattack strikes, the Gaza health ministry reported.
The Israeli death toll stands at more than 900, according to authorities.
Updated
After suggesting that Palestinians flee Gaza via the border with Egypt, an Israeli military spokesperson has amended their comments to clarify that the Gaza-Egypt border crossing is now closed.
What could an Israeli ground offensive in Gaza look like?
In response to Hamas’s attack, Israel appears likely to launch its first ground offensive in Gaza since 2014. So what would that offensive look like?
Fighting between the Israeli military and Hamas has tended to follow similar patterns, with ground incursions launched over the years on different scales usually preceded by a heavy barrage that targets areas and locations used by the Israelis to approach.
Israel has also made heavy use of air power and shelling from land-based artillery and naval gunboats in the first phase of campaigns to target what it says is Hamas’s military infrastructure, including government buildings, police stations, coastal installations, training facilities and the homes of senior officials.
But while Israel has a huge advantage in terms of the size of its military, technology, weapons systems and logistics, Hamas has adapted considerably over the years to take advantage of Gaza’s dense urban environment.
Here is a full explainer:
Updated
Israeli airstrikes on Gaza destroy 790 housing units, damage 5,330
Israeli airstrikes on Gaza have razed 790 housing units and severely damaged 5,330, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said early Tuesday.
Damage to three water and sanitation sites have cut off services to 400,000 people.
Updated
Australian police are investigating a pro-Palestinian protest outside Sydney Opera House, after footage emerged of a small group appearing to chant antisemitic slogans at the demonstration.
Police earlier defended their actions in arresting a man who carried an Israeli flag to a pro-Palestine rally in Sydney “for his safety” as local tensions over the Israel-Gaza conflict boiled over on Monday:
Updated
IDF has hit 'over 200 targets' in Gaza overnight
The Israel Defence Forces have announced that more than 200 targets have been struck overnight in Gaza.
“In recent hours, IDF warplanes and vessels have attacked many targets of the terrorist organisations throughout the Gaza Strip. Dozens of fighter jets attacked over 200 targets throughout the Rimal neighbourhood and Khan Yunis during the night,” it said in a post in X accompanied by a video showing buildings being destroyed.
Updated
Israeli military to inform 100 families their loved ones are hostages
The Times of Israel reports that officers are preparing to inform 100 families that their loved ones have been taken hostage by Hamas and are being held in Gaza.
Citing the Israeli Army radio, the Times of Israel reports, “The Israel Defence Force is sending out officers today to inform over 100 Israeli families that their relatives are being held in Gaza by Hamas”.
It adds that “UN Ambassador Gilad Erdan tells CNN that Israel estimates ‘that the number is between 100-150 people’.'”
Chuck Schumer criticises China's response to Israel-Hamas war
The US senate majority leader, Chuck Schumer, has criticised China’s response to the Israel-Hamas conflict while in China, calling on the government there to show more support for Israel.
Schumer spoke repeatedly about China’s response, including directly to China’s leader, Xi Jinping, on Monday, during a rare meeting on a multi-day trip to the country.
“I urge you and the Chinese people to stand with the Israeli people and condemn the cowardly and vicious attacks upon them,” he told Xi in Beijing.
Earlier he had accused China’s foreign minister Wang Yi of showing “no sympathy or support for Israel during these tough, troubled times.”
On Sunday, China’s foreign ministry released a statement calling on “relevant parties” to end to hostilities and protect civilians. It said “the fundamental way out of the conflict lies in implementing the two-state solution and establishing an independent State of Palestine”.
Speaking in Shanghai, Schumer said he was “very disappointed” with China’s initial statement. He also said he had asked for China to use its “influence” on Iran to “not allow the conflagration to spread”. On Monday, at the first daily press conference since a week-long holiday break in China, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Mao Ning responded to Schumer’s criticism by reiterating Beijing’s concern over the conflict and calling for peace.
Facing multiple questions on the topic, Mao said China was closely following the “recent escalation of tensions”.
“We are deeply saddened by the civilian casualties caused by the conflict and oppose and condemn acts that harm civilians. China opposes escalating the conflict and destabilising the region.”
In response to comments by Israel’s embassy in China that it had expected to see “stronger condemnation” of Hamas, Mao reiterated calls for a two-state solution, and said China was “a friend to both Israel and Palestine”. “What we hope to see is the two countries living together in peace”.
Three Austrian nationals may be among those abducted, says Austrian Foreign Ministry
Three Austrian-Israeli dual citizens could be among those abducted by Hamas in Saturday’s attack, the Austrian foreign ministry said, but it added that there was no “official confirmation”.
Israel retakes control of Gaza border fence, no new infiltrations since Monday
Israel has retaken control of the Gaza border fence breached by Palestinian Hamas gunmen who carried out a weekend mass-incursion, and is planting mines in the parts where the barrier was toppled, the chief military spokesperson said on Tuesday.
In remarks aired by Israel’s Army Radio, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said there had been no new infiltrations from Gaza since Monday.
3,000 Thais ask to be repatriated as 18 killed
More now on the Thai nationals killed in Israel.
Eighteen Thais have been killed in the conflict between Israel and Hamas militants, the kingdom’s government said Tuesday, raising the previous toll of 12.
Jakkapong Sangmanee, Thailand’s deputy minister of foreign affairs, gave the updated toll and said the government was working to evacuate thousands of Thais away from the conflict, which erupted on Saturday.
A foreign ministry spokeswoman said separately that nine Thai citizens had been wounded and 11 taken hostage.
Around 30,000 Thais work in Israel, mostly in agriculture.
Jakkapong said about 3,000 Thais had put in requests to be taken back to Thailand.
Concerns are growing about the fate of more than 100 individuals held by militants in Gaza. On Monday Hamas threatened to start executing its hostages if Israel carried out airstrikes in the Gaza Strip without prior warning to residents.
The IDF said in its most recent update that there were more than 30 hostages, but Israeli authorities have been cautious in revealing the exact numbers of people taken and media reports indicate figures are higher.
Palestinian militants abducted Iraelis during a surprise multi-front attack in which they killed more than 700 – making Saturday the deadliest day in Israel’s history. Israeli media said on Monday the death toll had climbed to 900.
In response to the attack, Israel has launched strikes from the air and sea, which medics said had killed more than 680 Palestinians in Gaza, an area home to 2.3 million people with nowhere to flee. Israel has since declared a “complete siege” of Gaza, cutting off water, food and power supplies.
Blinken speaks with Israeli foreign minister
US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, has spoken to Israel’s foreign minister Eli Cohen, Reuters reports.
In the call Blinken “reaffirmed US efforts to secure the immediate release of all hostages”, according to the US State Department.
Blinken also spoke with French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, reiterating their condemnation of Hamas’ attacks on Israel, the department said in a separate statement.
Updated
18 Thai nationals killed in Israel
Eighteen Thai nationals have been killed in unrest in Israel according to the latest available figures, a Thai Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday.
White House says military aid on its way Israel
The US has already begun delivering critically needed munitions and military equipment to Israel, the White House said Monday, as the Pentagon reviews its inventories to see what else can be sent quickly to boost its ally in the three-day-old war with Hamas.
John Kirby, a spokesman for the National Security Council, confirmed Monday evening that the first batch of military aid in the wake of the violent assault by Hamas militants is “making its way” to Israel.
The delivery came as President Joe Biden prepared to give formal remarks on the attacks from the White House on Tuesday afternoon, after he confirmed that at least 11 Americans were killed in the violence over the weekend.
“We fully expect there will be additional requests for security assistance for Israel as they continue to expend munitions in this fight,” Kirby said. “We will stay in lockstep with them, making sure that we’re filling their needs as best we can and as fast as we can.”
Hamas surprised by extent of ‘gains’ in Israel
Hamas is ready to fight a long war with Israel and will use the dozens of hostages being held in Gaza to secure the release of Palestinians detained in Israel and overseas, a senior member of the militant group has said.
Speaking to the Associated Press news agency, Ali Barakeh, a member of the group’s exiled leadership in Beirut, said that Hamas has an arsenal of rockets that will last a long time.
“We have prepared well for this war and to deal with all scenarios, even the scenario of the long war,” he said, adding that Hamas would use hostages to secure the release of people detained in Israeli jails and even some Palestinians imprisoned in the United States.
Barakeh said that only a small number of top commanders inside Gaza knew about Saturday’s incursion into Israel and that even the group’s closest allies were not informed in advance about the timing. He denied reports that Iranian security officials helped plan the attack.
However, he added that allies like Iran and the Lebanese Hezbollah “will join the battle if Gaza is subjected to a war of annihilation.”
He said even Hamas was shocked by the extent of the operation, saying it had expected Israel to prevent or limit the attack. “We were surprised by this great collapse,” Barakeh said. “We were planning to make some gains and take prisoners to exchange them. This army was a paper tiger.”
Opening summary
This is the Guardian’s live coverage of the Israel-Hamas war, which has now entered its fourth day.
The Associated Press has interviewed a senior Hamas official who said only a small number of top commanders inside Gaza knew about the wide-ranging incursion launched into Israel and that Hamas was shocked by the extent of the ‘gains’ made in the operation.
“We were surprised by this great collapse,” Barakeh said. “We were planning to make some gains and take prisoners to exchange them. This army was a paper tiger.”
Meanwhile US has already begun delivering critically needed munitions and military equipment to Israel, the White House said Monday, as the Pentagon reviews its inventories to see what else can be sent quickly to boost its ally in the three-day-old war with Hamas.
John Kirby, a spokesman for the National Security Council, confirmed Monday evening that the first batch of military aid in the wake of the violent assault by Hamas militants is “making its way” to Israel.
The delivery came as President Joe Biden prepares to give formal remarks on the attacks from the White House on Tuesday afternoon.
Here are the other key recent developments:
Israel increased airstrikes on the Gaza Strip and sealed it off from food, fuel, and other supplies in retaliation for a bloody incursion by Hamas militants, as the war’s death toll rose to nearly 1,600 on both sides.
US top general says Iran ‘not to get involved’. General Charles Q Brown, Junior, Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, has told reporters that his message to Iran is “not to get involved”, Reuters reports. Brown was appointed in September as the US’s highest-ranking military officer.
Palestine’s health ministry has released a statement claiming Israeli defence forces “targeted” ambulances in southern Gaza. Four ambulances have been “put out of service” the ministry claims:
Hamas also escalated on Monday, pledging to kill captured Israelis if attacks targeted civilians without warnings. In the war’s third day, Israel was still finding bodies from Hamas’ stunning weekend attack into southern Israeli towns. Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to destroy the militants’ “military and governing capabilities.”
The Palestinian death toll has risen to more than 680 killed in Israeli counterattack strikes, the Gaza health ministry reported.
The Israeli death toll stands at more than 900, according to authorities.
WHO cites 11 attacks on health care facilities in Gaza. The World Health Organisation said that a 16-year-blockade of Gaza had already left its medical system under-resourced, and the increased hostilities are “compounding an already dire situation.” The UN health agency reported Monday a total of 11 attacks on health care — which included medical facilities, ambulances and care providers — in the first 36 hours of the new conflict in Gaza.
In Gaza, tens of thousands fled their homes as relentless airstrikes leveled buildings. Israeli tanks and drones were deployed to guard breaches in the Gaza border fence to prevent new incursions. Thousands of Israelis were evacuated from more than a dozen towns near Gaza, and the military summoned 300,000 reservists – a massive mobilisation in a short time.
The Israeli military said it had largely gained control in the south. Hamas and other militants in Gaza say they are holding more than 130 soldiers and civilians snatched from inside Israel.
US President Joe Biden issued a statement announcing that at least 11 American citizens have been killed in the Hamas attacks on southern Israel and the White House believes “it is likely” that American citizens are among those being held by Hamas in Gaza.
Biden also released a joint statement with the leaders of Germany, Britain, France and Italy on Monday condemning the attacks on Israel by Hamas and expressed their “steadfast and united support” for Israel. The statement said, “Over the coming days, we will remain united and coordinated, together as allies, and as common friends of Israel, to ensure Israel is able to defend itself, and to ultimately set the conditions for a peaceful and integrated Middle East region”.
