CNN team ducks from 'massive barrage of rockets' near Israel-Gaza border 03:23
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Israel at war with Hamas after unprecedented attacks
By Kathleen Magramo, Jessie Yeung, Adam Renton, Ed Upright, Joshua Berlinger, Aditi Sangal and Dakin Andone, CNN
Updated 9:29 a.m. ET, October 10, 2023
What we're covering
Israel is pounding Gaza with deadly airstrikes, displacing more than 100,000 people and sending waves of injured Palestinians to overwhelmed hospitals, as the military threatened a "complete siege" of the densely populated enclave.
Israel’s UN ambassador told CNN the country’s priority is "to obliterate Hamas terrorist capabilities" after the militant group threatened to kill civilian hostages and broadcast the executions if airstrikes target Gaza without warning.
The number of hostages held in Gaza is estimated at between 100 and 150, Ambassador Gilad Erdan said. Hamas has claimed it is holding more than 100 captives, including Israeli army officers.
More than 1,000 people have died in Israel and more than 765 people have died in Gaza since the conflict erupted on Saturday when Hamas launched a devastating surprise attack on Israel.
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16 min ago
The only crossing available to fleeing Gazans was struck
From CNN’s Celine Alkhaldi in Jerusalem
Smoke billows from the Rafah, Gaza, border crossing with Egypt during an Israeli airstrike on October 10.
Smoke billows from the Rafah, Gaza, border crossing with Egypt during an Israeli airstrike on October 10. Said Khatib/AFP/Getty Images
The only border crossing between the Gaza strip and Egypt was struck on Tuesday, the spokesperson for the Palestinian Interior Ministry Eyad al-Bozom said Tuesday.
Israeli warplanes struck the gateway and teams working at the crossing were asked to evacuate “immediately due to threats of strikes of the crossing,” al-Bozom said Tuesday.
The order came from the management of the Rafah crossing on the Egyptian side, Bozom said.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) did not say that the border crossing was struck but said that an underground tunnel for smuggling weapons and equipment was struck in the Rafah area. It’s unclear where exactly the strike occurred.
The Rafah crossing was working normally on Tuesday, according to the Palestinian Border Crossing General Authority, adding that 75 names had been cleared for passage on Wednesday.
About the Gaza border crossings: The tightly controlled Rafah crossing with Egypt is the only crossing available to Gazans looking to flee following Hamas' attack on Israel. All crossings out of the territory are shut.
The IDF has urged civilians in Gaza to leave their residential areas immediately for their safety as Israeli military operations continue to target Hamas, and shut all crossings between Israel and Gaza, potentially setting the stage for a ground incursion into the enclave.
17 min ago
Biden expected to speak with Netanyahu on Tuesday
From CNN's Arlette Saenz
US President Joe Biden is expected to speak with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday, an administration official says.
The anticipated call would mark the third call between the two leaders since Hamas launched its attacks on Israel on Saturday and would come as the president is set to speak about the “terrorist attacks” Tuesday afternoon.
Netanyahu has been in “continuous contact with President Biden” as the crisis has unfolded, the Israeli prime minister said Monday.
11 min ago
Putin criticizes US policy in first comments on Israeli-Hamas conflict
From CNN’s Anna Chernova
Russian President Vladimir Putin has made his first comments on the conflict in Israeli, framing it as a “clear example” of the failure of the US policy.
"We see a sharp escalation of the situation in the Middle East. I think that many will agree with me that this is a clear example of the failure of the United States policy in the Middle East, which tried to monopolize any settlement (between the Israelis and the Palestinians)," Putin said at the Kremlin on Tuesday.
Putin went on to criticize the US approach for not prioritizing compromises acceptable to both sides, emphasizing that it often involved imposing ideas and pressure without considering the fundamental interests of the Palestinian people.
“Unfortunately, they (the US administration) were not concerned with finding compromises acceptable to both sides, but on the contrary, (they were) putting forward their own ideas about how this should be done, putting pressure on both sides,” Putin said.
“Without taking into account the fundamental interests of the Palestinian people. I mean, first of all, the need to implement the decision of the UN Security Council on the creation of an independent sovereign Palestinian state,” he added.
Putin also emphasized the need to minimize damage to the civilian population and called on all conflicting parties to prioritize this goal.
21 min ago
Two foreign workers killed in rocket attack in southern Israel, volunteer medic group says
From CNN's Amil Tal
Two foreign workers were killed and another seriously injured in a rocket attack Tuesday in the Eshkol region in southern Israel, according to United Hatzalah, a volunteer Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) group.
"The two foreign workers were found lifeless as a result of the rocket hit. Unfortunately, their death had to be pronounced at the scene. We also provided initial treatment to an additional foreign worker who was seriously injured and are continuing to scan the area to look for additional casualties,” the medic group's volunteer David Ben Romano told CNN.
The nationalities of the foreign workers are not immediately clear.
24 min ago
Hamas warns Ashkelon residents to leave the city before 5 p.m. local time
From CNN's Ibrahim Dahman in Gaza
A Hamas spokesperson on Tuesday issued a warning to the residents of the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon to leave the city before 5 p.m. local time.
The warning is in response to the “crime of displacing our people and forcing them to flee their homes” in the Gaza strip, the spokesperson said.
No further details were provided in the statement, which was shared by Hamas on Telegram.
28 min ago
Israel death toll rises to more than 1,000 in Hamas attacks, Israeli embassy in US says
Israeli forces extract the dead bodies of Israeli residents from a destroyed house in Kfar Aza, Israel, on October 10.
Israeli forces extract the dead bodies of Israeli residents from a destroyed house in Kfar Aza, Israel, on October 10. Ilia Yefimovich/picture alliance/Getty Images
More than 1,000 people were killed in an attack by Hamas on Israel over the weekend, according to the Israeli Embassy in the US.
The death toll now stands at 1,008, with at least 3,418 injured, the embassy said on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
A bomb shelter in Ashdod, Israel, on October 10. Ivana Kottasova
Air raid sirens warning of a rocket attack have sounded throughout the area north of the Gaza Strip on Tuesday afternoon, prompting residents and visitors to rush to the shelters.
People here know that time is of essence — while those in Tel Aviv and areas further north have a bit more time to find a shelter, people near the Gaza Strip have mere seconds to run to safety.
Shortly after the sirens sounded, several loud bangs could be heard in Ashdod, as rockets fired from Gaza were being intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome defense system.
27 min ago
It's the fourth day of fighting between Israel and Hamas. Here's what you need to know today
From CNN staff
It's the fourth day of fighting between Israel and Hamas since the Islamist militant group carried out one of the deadliest terror attacks in Israel's history, killing at least 900 people. Israel has responded with an overwhelming number of airstrikes on Gaza, the 140 square-mile densely populated territory controlled by Hamas, leaving at least 765 people dead, wounding 4,000 and displacing more than 137,000.
Israel's ambassador to the United Nations told CNN that the country’s priority is "to obliterate Hamas terrorist capabilities. Overnight, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched another 200 strikes targeting "terror hubs." Hamas is threatening to kill civilian hostages and broadcast the executions live should the aerial attacks continue without warning. The group claims to be holding more than 100 captives, including Israeli army officers. Israel's UN ambassador said the number of hostages could be as high as 150.
Here are the developments to get you up to speed:
Bloodbath at Be'eri: More than 100 bodies have been found in the Israeli kibbutz Be’eri, a self-sustaining farming community of 1,000 residents near Gaza. Be'eri was one of the first places targeted by militants who breached the border early Saturday morning, and among the hardest hit. Civilians there were killed and taken hostage, according to Israeli authorities and videos obtained and authenticated by CNN.
More foreign victims: More foreign nationals were reported dead on Tuesday, including citizens of France, Russia and Thailand.
Bodies of attackers: The IDF said it has recovered the bodies of about 1,500 Hamas militants since the group's surprise blitz early Saturday.
Control at the border: Hecht, the IDF spokesperson, said Tuesday that the Israeli military had "more or less" restored full control over the border fence with Gaza following the breach over the weekend. A huge buildup of tanks was apparent close to the border with Gaza, while Israel continued its barrage of airstrikes. Hecht said Israeli forces have secured communities around the border and have nearly completed evacuations in the area. He added that there were two small firefights overnight in a pair of communities. The focus is now on airstrikes and the forthcoming offensive in Gaza, Hecht said.
Fearing the worst: Some Israeli parents are being told to remove social media from their children's phones in case Hamas carries through with its threat to broadcast hostage videos.
1 hr 8 min ago
Air raid sirens sound in Israel
Air raid sirens are going off in Tel Aviv and surrounding areas as well as in the city of Ashdod, CNN teams report.
A CNN team in Tel Aviv has been moved to shelter, according to a field producer.
1 hr 8 min ago
US is taking the possibility of American hostages "seriously," National Security Council says
From CNN's Betsy Klein
The US is still not aware of any American citizens taken hostage by Hamas, but concerns remain “high” as US President Joe Biden's administration offers Israel assistance, National Security Council Strategic Communications Coordinator John Kirby told CNN Tuesday.
“Our concerns were high immediately. You can't take a threat like that lightly. You’ve got to take it seriously, because of the barbarity that Hamas has already shown that they're capable of. So obviously, we're watching it very, very closely. We have talked to the Israelis about offering them additional intelligence information as well as hostage recovery expertise,” Kirby said during an appearance on “CNN This Morning.”
Pressed on what lengths the US is willing to go to bring possible American hostages home, Kirby said the administration will “work with might and main,” but declined to speculate.
“We don’t know if there are Americans in this population, we don’t know where they are, we don’t know how they’re being held, and it’s an active warzone – so that complicates the options. But clearly, we’re going to do everything we can to help with this hostage crisis, with or without Americans being in the population,” he said.
Kirby also declined to say whether the Biden administration has issued any warnings to Israel as it mounts its response.
“We don't want to see any innocent civilians killed anywhere in the world, and that certainly includes in Gaza and in Israel. And sadly, there have been too many innocent civilians that have already been killed in this conflict by Hamas now, almost 1000 Israeli citizens. But we also know that as a vibrant democracy, Israel shares many of our values and interests and certainly. one of those values is that respect for life, and we're always better together when we are observing that respect for life and for the laws of war as well,” he said.
There is still “no direct evidence” that Iran was involved in the sourcing or planning of these attacks, Kirby reiterated, though he said there is a “level of complicity.”
1 hr 13 min ago
Israeli general describes moment his soldiers found dead bodies in kibbutz attacked by Hamas
From CNN’s Nic Robertson, Muhammad Darwish and Martin Goillandeau
Israeli soldiers carry the body of a victim of an attack at Kibbutz Kfar Aza, in southern Israel, on October 10.
Israeli soldiers carry the body of a victim of an attack at Kibbutz Kfar Aza, in southern Israel, on October 10. Violeta Santos Moura/Reuters
Just a few hours after Israeli troops secured the Kfar Aza kibbutz from Hamas militants, Major Gen. Itai Veruv reflected on what he saw — although he has “the skills” to prepare for this sort of situation from his many years of experience, he had never imagined anything like this could happen.
“I’ve never seen anything like this in my career, never in 40 years of service this something I never imagined,” he told CNN on Tuesday,
Veruv couldn’t confirm how many people were killed in the attack but said his soldiers spent “about 48 hours” fighting “waves and waves of terrorists” on roads and in neighboring communities.
Veruv said he started fighting Hamas militants in the Yakhini moshav (community) on Saturday, moving then “from battle to battle,” on the road to Sderot, before joining the Be’eri kibbutz on Monday evening.
In Be'eri, he said he saw that “some people came out with their children and [Hamas attackers] killed them. They killed babies in front of their parents and then killed the parents. They killed parents and we found babies between the dogs and their families killed before him.”
Thinking about what he saw in Kfar Aza kibbutz, just a few miles from Be'eri, he said, “I have heard during my childhood about the pogroms in Europe, the Holocaust, of course. All my family came from Europe, they are survivors. But I never thought I would see in my eyes pictures and things like that”
Yet, Veruv said it was “not a time for feelings.”
“Now is time for the mission and to be very effective and very strong," he said. "Maybe later, we will take time to think about ourself and our soul. Now, I only want to fight in defense and attack."
1 hr 45 min ago
Red Cross calls for hostages to be "released unharmed"
From CNN’s Caitlin Danaher in London
The President of the International Committee of the Red Cross ICRC, Mirjana Spoljaric, sits for a portrait in the organisation's office in New York, US, on May 22.
The President of the International Committee of the Red Cross ICRC, Mirjana Spoljaric, sits for a portrait in the organisation's office in New York, US, on May 22. Alessandro Della Valle/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
The violence in Israel and Gaza has the “potential to escalate dramatically,” the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) warned in a statement on Tuesday, as the organization's president called for the safe release of hostages.
“Amid the devastating violence – the premeditated killings of civilians, and the bombings in residential neighborhoods – a worrying sign is that few voices of de-escalation have been heard,” the ICRC statement said.
“Heightened war rhetoric, in our experience, leads to greater civilian suffering,” it said, adding that without “immediate restraint, we are heading for a humanitarian disaster.”
ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric was quoted in the statement calling for all hostages to be “immediately released unharmed” in accordance with international humanitarian law.
Additionally, authorities must ensure civilians have access to water, food, and medical care, “irrespective of any military siege," Spoljaric said.
“ICRC teams are working closely with the Magen David Adom (MDA) and the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) to assist those who are wounded or sick and in need,” she said, noting her organization had sent medical supplies to a hospital in Gaza.
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55 min ago
A second Russian national has been reported dead in the Hamas attack
From CNN's Anna Chernova
At least two Russian citizens have now been confirmed killed in the attack by Hamas on Saturday, Russian Ambassador Anatoly Viktorov said on Russian television.
Viktorov added that the embassy has not yet contacted the relatives of the latest victim. He previously told the state-run Channel One television station that the first person reported dead was a "young man" with dual Israeli-Russian citizenship.
Russian state media RIA Novosti has reported that one of the duo is a 47-year-old Russian citizen born in the Kaliningrad region, who moved to Israel in 1992.
Four Russians are listed as missing, but Russia's diplomatic mission in Israel has no information on whether its citizens are being held hostage by Hamas, Viktorov added.
1 hr 30 min ago
Kremlin comments on Chechen leader Kadyrov’s statement on supporting Palestinians
From CNN’s Anna Chernova
After Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov expressed support for the Palestinians, the Kremlin said that Russia maintains diplomatic ties with both sides in the conflict.
“We have long-standing historical ties with the Palestinians, we continue to foster contacts, including at high level. But at the same time, we have relations with the state of Israel, with which we also have much in common, particularly, the large number of our compatriots residing in this state," said Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov. “Therefore, in this case, we maintain relations with both parties.”
When questioned about the nature of Russia's support for Palestinians, Peskov said Moscow is actively engaged in diplomatic efforts and participating in various formats seeking grounds for a settlement. “We intend to continue to make efforts and play a role in terms of assistance in finding a way to a settlement,” he said Tuesday.
Peskov added that the dates for an announced visit by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to Moscow have not been finalized but said the visit had been planned in advance.
In a video posted Monday, Kadyrov expressed “complete support” for the Palestinians and suggested the deployment of his “peacemaking” forces on a mission to settle the conflict in Israel. Kadyrov also called on “Islamic, Muslim and Arabic countries to make a joint statement in protection of their Muslim brothers” and blamed the West and Europe for the conflict in Israel.
Earlier Monday, Peskov voiced significant concern over the escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and called for a peaceful resolution.
2 hr 1 min ago
French president says there's no "formal proof" of Iranian involvement in Hamas attacks
From CNN’s Joseph Ataman in Paris
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, right, and French President Emmanuel Macron speak at a news conference after a joint cabinet meeting of the German and French governments in Hamburg on Tuesday.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, right, and French President Emmanuel Macron speak at a news conference after a joint cabinet meeting of the German and French governments in Hamburg on Tuesday. Markus Schreiber/AP
French President Emmanuel Macron said that he has no “formal proof” of Iranian support for Hamas’ attacks on Israel.
Speaking Tuesday at a news conference in Hamburg alongside German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Macron said it was, however, “likely that Hamas was offered help."
What others are saying about Iran: The scale and sophistication of the Hamas incursion into Israel Saturday prompted questions about whether the militant group could have done it alone.
US security officials have struck a similar tone as Macron. Deputy national security adviser Jon Finer said there is no “direct information” linking these attacks to Iran at this time, but that the United States believes Iran is “broadly complicit” in Hamas attacks in Israel.
On aid to Gaza: Macron also said that Paris is “not in favor of a suspension” of aid to Palestinian populations, echoing a statement made by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs earlier Tuesday. He said that France had already put in place measures to ensure that aid to Palestinian populations in the occupied territories and neighboring countries does not go to terror groups.
“We must not confuse the struggle against terrorism with the most basic human rights,” the French president urged as it would risk an increase in “popular support” for terrorist acts in the region.
2 hr 21 min ago
Gaza death toll reaches 765, with 4,000 injured
From CNN's Mostafa Salem in Abu Dhabi
The death toll in Gaza has risen to 765, the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza said Tuesday, adding that 4,000 other people have been injured.
Internet disruptions are affecting the death toll updates, the health ministry said.
2 hr 22 min ago
Israeli parents told to remove social media from kids' phones ahead of possible hostage videos
From CNN's Elliott Gotkine
Some Israeli parents are being told to remove social media from their children's phones before Hamas militants start the expected broadcasting of video of hostages taken over the weekend.
A Tel Aviv school's parent's association has said that it has been told to expect the video of hostages "begging for their lives."
In a message to parents, it asked them to remove the TikTok app in particular from their children's phones.
"We cannot allow our kids to watch this stuff. It is also difficult, furthermore -- impossible -- to contain all this content on social media. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation."
Hamas has claimed it is holding more than 100 captives, including Israeli army officers.
2 hr 24 min ago
Around 1,500 bodies of Hamas militants have been found inside Israel
From CNN's Ana Bickford
The bodies of approximately 1,500 Hamas attackers have been recovered inside Israel since the Islamist group's surprise attack early Sunday, Israel Defense Forces spokesman Jonathan Conricus said Tuesday.
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3 hr 10 min ago
4 French citizens have been reported dead
From CNN’s Joshua Berlinger and Joseph Ataman in Paris
Four French citizens were among those killed in the Hamas attacks in Israel, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement Tuesday.
Thirteen more are also missing, and the ministry has no information on their whereabouts. The statement said the situation is "very worrying" as some of those unaccounted for have “very probably been kidnapped.”
3 hr 17 min ago
Evidence suggests gunmen at music festival threw grenade into bomb shelter
From CNN's Nic Robertson in Ashdod, Israel
An aerial picture shows the abandoned site of the music festival in the Negev desert, southern Israel, on October 10.
An aerial picture shows the abandoned site of the music festival in the Negev desert, southern Israel, on October 10. Jack Guez/AFP/Getty Images
The bullet holes and empty shell casings littered inside a bomb shelter near the music festival attacked on Saturday indicate that Hamas militants threw a grenade and opened fire at civilians sheltering inside, according to a weapons expert.
CNN visited the bomb shelter on Monday and saw a number of empty shell casings on the floor, in addition to bullet holes high up on the walls. The military expert who accompanied CNN in the shelter concluded that the location of the holes, in addition to their height, pattern and size, were caused by gunfire.
CNN is not naming the weapons expert because the individual is in a conflict zone in Israel.
24 min ago
Iran's Supreme Leader says Tehran was not involved in the Hamas attack on Israel
From CNN’s Mostafa Salem in Abu Dhabi
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Tuesday that Tehran was not involved in the Hamas attack on Israel, but he praised the assault that left more than 900 people dead.
“Supporters of the Zionist regime and some from that usurping regime have said some nonsense these past days that the Islamic Republic of Iran was behind this act. They are mistaken,” he said.
“Those who say the acts of the Palestinians come from non-Palestinians don't have a true understanding of the Palestinian people and make wrong calculations,” he added.
Some context: The scale and sophistication of the Hamas incursion into Israel Saturday prompted questions about whether the militant group could have done it alone.
United States deputy national security adviser Jon Finer said there is no “direct information” linking these attacks to Iran at this time, but that the US believes Iran is “broadly complicit” in Hamas attacks in Israel.
Read more about Hamas and Iran's relationship here:
Hamas and Iran are longtime allies. Did Tehran help with its attack on Israel? | CNN
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3 hr 50 min ago
Rockets fired on two kibbutzim, Hamas says
From CNN's Mostafa Salem in Abu Dhabi
Hamas has fired rockets targeting two kibbutzim in southern Israel, Zikim and Ra’im, the group said on social media.
What's a kibbutz?: A kibbutz is a type of self-sustaining community in Israel. Traditionally agrarian, the kibbutzim (plural for kibbutz) were popular in the country's early years, but today about 125,000 people live on them, according to the Jewish Agency for Israel. There are approximately 250 kibbutzim across the country.
3 hr 55 min ago
More than 120 Israeli soldiers died in the Hamas attacks
From journalist Lauren Izso in Ashdod, Israel
At least 123 Israeli soldiers were killed in the attacks by Hamas that began early Saturday, Israel Defense Forces spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said.
Those 123 dead are included in the death toll of more than 900 people previously reported by the Israeli army.
Hagari added that the families of 50 Israeli hostages have been contacted by security forces. Hamas has claimed it is holding more than 100 captives, including Israeli army officers.
3 hr 57 min ago
The Israeli military is responding to report of suspected aerial infiltration in the country's north
From journalist Lauren Izso in Ashdod, Israel
Israeli soldiers kneel in position on patrol in northern Israel on October 10.
Israeli soldiers kneel in position on patrol in northern Israel on October 10. Lisi Niesner/Reuters
The Israel Defense Forces are conducting searches following a report of a suspected aerial infiltration in the northern areas of the Golan Heights and Upper Galilee, near Syria and Lebanon, it said in a statement.
Israel has warned hostile neighbors against trying to take advantage of Saturday's attack with the military squarely focused on Gaza in the south.
The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah appeared to try to do just that over the weekend, targeting an area known as Shebaa Farms using missiles and artillery.
Some context: Lebanon and Israel are considered enemy states, but a truce between the two has largely held since a conflict between them in 2006. There have been several small-scale rocket attacks from Lebanon in recent years that have prompted retaliatory strikes from Israel.
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4 hr 29 min ago
France is "not in favor" of suspending EU aid to the Palestinian people
From CNN’s Martin Goillandeau in London
France is “not in favor of suspending aid that directly benefits the Palestinian people,” the French foreign ministry said Tuesday.
France provided 95 million euros ($100m) worth of support to Palestinians in 2022, focusing on "water, health, food security and education."
The statement said the ministry made its position clear to the European Commission following comments from a commission official that the European Union aid payments to Palestinians would be suspended following Hamas' attack.
The EU later backtracked and said payments would not be halted, but was launching an "urgent review of the EU’s assistance for Palestine." The review will not affect assistance provided by the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations.
CNN's James Frater and Radina Gigova contributed to this post
5 hr 52 min ago
Israeli forces target Hamas "terror hubs" in hundreds of Gaza airstrikes
From CNN's Ivana Kottasová and Lauren Izso in Ashdod, Israel
Smoke rises following Israeli strikes in Gaza on Tuesday.
Smoke rises following Israeli strikes in Gaza on Tuesday. Mohammed Salem/Reuters
The rolling thunder of explosions reverberated throughout the area around Gaza on Tuesday morning as the Israel Defense Forces carried out heavy bombardment against the enclave.
The strikes continued throughout the night and into the morning, with multiple fighter jets heard flying over the area.
The IDF said in a statement that its planes struck over 200 targets in Rimal and Khan Yunis in Gaza, claiming the areas "are used as terror hubs" by Hamas and that "a large number of terror attacks against Israel are directed there."
The IDF said it was committed to "making sure Hamas doesn’t have any military capabilities at the end of the war."
While the IDF said it was focusing on strikes against Hamas targets, the nature of Gaza — a narrow, densely populated strip of land completely sealed off from the outside world — means civilians, including children, are often caught up in the strikes.
IDF spokesman Lt. Col. Richard Hecht said Tuesday that the distinction between military and civilian targets was not so simple. “In buildings where people are living there could be a weapons store... there could be a Hamas kingpin living there,” he said.
Death toll rises: At least 900 people have died in Israel and more than 680 Palestinians have been killed since the conflict erupted on Saturday when Hamas launched a devastating surprise attack on Israel.
On Tuesday, the Hamas-controlled Government Media Office added that two local journalists were killed and another injured in an Israeli airstrike on a residential building in western Gaza.
The IDF strikes are even more complicated given that a number of hostages are being held by Hamas.
Israeli authorities believe women and children are among up to 150 hostages in Gaza, the country's UN ambassador said. Hamas has claimed it is holding more than 100 captives, including Israeli army officers.
5 hr 57 min ago
US supports Israel's defense against "Hamas' terrorist attack," Blinken says
From CNN's Andrea Cambron
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen on Monday to discuss support for Israel as it “defends itself against Hamas’ terrorist attack,” according to a readout of the call.
Blinken extended condolences to the foreign minister and reaffirmed US efforts to secure the release of hostages captured by Hamas militants.
The hostages include Israelis and foreign citizens including Brazilian and Mexicans. On Monday, President Joe Biden said in a statement it was "likely” that American citizens may be among those being held captive.
Blinken also spoke to French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, according to a separate readout, and welcomed French and European efforts "toward our shared goal of ending Hamas’ violence.”
6 hr ago
Thai death toll rises following Israel attacks
From CNN's Kocha Olarn in Bangkok, Thailand
The number of Thai nationals killed in Israel has risen to 18, Thailand's Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.
It also clarified that nine people have been injured, revising its earlier figure of 15.
So far, 11 Thai nationals are also believed to have been captured, with their whereabouts unknown, the ministry said.
Thai embassies in various locations are working to reach out to the Palestinian Authority to request their release.
Thailand's foreign minister has also spoken to his Israeli counterpart, who expressed condolences for the deaths of Thai citizens, the ministry said. Compensation will be provided to the families of Thai victims, the ministry added.
Return to Thailand: At least 15 Thai nationals, including some of the injured, are scheduled to leave Israel on Wednesday to return to Thailand.
The group will return through commercial flights, as Thai military aircraft have not received permission to enter Israeli airspace, the Thai foreign minister said.
There are approximately 30,000 Thai workers in Israel, according to the ministry. As of Monday, more than 1,000 Thai workers have requested help with evacuation.
6 hr 17 min ago
Here's what you need to know about Iran's relationship with Hamas
From CNN's Nadeen Ebrahim
The scale and sophistication of the Hamas incursion into Israel Saturday prompted questions about whether the militant group could have done it alone — and if it had help, whether that could have come from its longtime backer in the region, Iran.
While Tehran has commended the operation, it has denied involvement. US deputy national security adviser Jon Finer said there is no “direct information” linking these attacks to Iran at this time, but that the US believes Iran is “broadly complicit” in Hamas attacks in Israel.
Yet Iran’s evolving relationship with Hamas and its Palestinian militant partners, the Islamic Jihad, is well documented.
Here's what you need to know:
An ambiguous and evolving alliance: Hamas turned against Iran for several years over its support for Syria’s dictator President Bashar al-Assad during the country’s civil war. Ultimately it returned to Tehran’s orbit, and has been openly communicating with Iran and its paramilitary allies about its militant goals.
Funding: Israel says Iran supports Hamas to the tune of some $100 million dollars a year. The US State Department in 2021 said the group receives funding, weapons and training from Iran, as well as some funds that are raised in Gulf Arab countries.
Regional coordination: Iran’s paramilitary allies in the region — namely Lebanon’s Shia armed group Hezbollah — have repeatedly boasted about an ironclad security coordination with Palestinian Islamist groups. (Much of the Western world and some Arab countries consider Hezbollah, Hamas and Islamic Jihad to be terrorist groups.)
CNN’s Betsy Klein, MJ Lee, Jim Sciutto and Pamela Brown contributed reporting.
Read more here.
6 hr 27 min ago
Taking hostages is a "crime against humanity," father of missing Israeli woman says
From CNN's Jadyn Sham
Tomer Shalom, an Israeli citizen whose 20-year-old daughter has been missing since the weekend, said the capture of hostages by Hamas militants is a "crime against humanity."
Shalom told CNN his daughter, Noam, called him frightened and crying at around 8:30am on Saturday from a music festival in southern Israel after Hamas militants stormed the event.
He heard gunshots over the phone, he said.
“It’s beyond understanding. You cannot imagine this situation that kids are going to dance and you know, have fun, and going to club and they are not coming back home because they have been captured," Shalom said.
At least 260 people died in the festival attack and an unknown number of revelers were taken hostage to Gaza, according to Israeli authorities.
Shalom said his daughter, a paramedic, spoke to a friend on the phone around 9:15am on Saturday from an ambulance where another friend was being treated for a gunshot wound.
It's the last time anyone heard from her, he said.
"Fragile" situation: Israeli authorities believe women and children are among up to 150 hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza, according to the country's UN ambassador. Hamas has claimed it is holding more than 100 captives.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces are pounding Gaza from the air after Hamas threatened to kill civilian hostages and broadcast the executions if airstrikes target the enclave without warning.
Shalom said the situation is "very fragile."
"If we let this thing happen, if we won’t raise our voice now, we normalize the situation...We should all raise our voice, they are not allowed to take kids," Shalom said.
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6 hr 23 min ago
Killing Gaza hostages "will not make things better," IDF warns Hamas
From CNN's Richard Allen Greene and Alex Stambaugh
Killing hostages "will not make things better," an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson said Tuesday, a day after Hamas militants threatened to execute civilian captives if Israel targets Gaza without warning.
Israeli authorities believe women and children are among up to 150 hostages being held by Islamist militants in Gaza, according to the country's UN ambassador. Hamas has claimed it is holding more than 100 captives, including high-ranking Israeli army officers.
"If they harm one of these grandmothers or one of these babies or one of these children, it will not make things better and they know it," IDF spokesperson Lt. Col. Richard Hecht said.
Dozens of Israeli fighter jets struck more than 200 targets in Gaza overnight, the IDF said in a statement Tuesday.
The bombings have killed at least 687 people, including dozens of children and women, and left thousands injured, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
More than 137,000 people are taking cover from Israeli strikes at UN emergency shelters in Gaza. The shelters are at 90% capacity, the UN relief agency said.
Hecht said Tuesday that the IDF was sending some warnings before bombing targets, including via social media and warning shots.
"We will be notifying the best way we can... people will have to move," he said.
Asked if the IDF was distinguishing between civilian, governmental and military targets, Hecht said the distinction was not so simple.
"In buildings where people are living there could be a weapons store... there could be a Hamas kingpin living there," he said.
7 hr 30 min ago
How did Israel and Palestinians get here?
From CNN's Hadas Gold, Richard Allen Greene, Amir Tal, Ibrahim Dahman, Abeer Salman, Kareem Khaddar and Nadeen Ebrahim
Israeli soldiers celebrate the capture of Old Jerusalem in June,1967.
Israeli soldiers celebrate the capture of Old Jerusalem in June,1967. Bettmanm Archive/Getty Images
Tensions between Israel and the Palestinians have existed since before the nation’s founding in 1948. Thousands of people on both sides have been killed and many more injured in the long-simmering conflict between the two sides over the past few decades.
Violence has been particularly heightened this year. The number of Palestinians — militants and civilians — killed in the occupied West Bank by Israeli forces is at its highest in nearly two decades. The same is true of Israelis and foreigners — most of them civilians — killed in Palestinian attacks.
Israel and the militant group Hamas have been involved in armed conflict dating back as early as the 1987 First Palestinian Intifada, or uprising, against Israel’s occupation of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
Israel captured Gaza from Egypt in a 1967 war, then withdrew in 2005. The small territory — home to some 2 million Palestinians — fell under Hamas’ control in 2007 after a brief civil war with Fatah, a rival Palestinian faction that is the backbone of the Palestinian Authority.
After Hamas seized control of Gaza, Israel and Egypt imposed a strict siege on the territory, which is ongoing. Israel also maintains an air and naval blockade on Gaza.
Before Saturday’s operation, the last war between Hamas and Israel was in 2021, which lasted for 11 days and killed at least 250 people in Gaza and 13 in Israel.
Saturday’s assault occurred on the 50th anniversary of the 1973 war, when Israel’s Arab neighbors launched a surprise attack on Israel on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, on October 6, 1973.
5 hr 1 min ago
IDF strikes more than 200 targets in Gaza overnight
From journalist Lauren Izso in Ashdod
Palestinians inspect the destruction from Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City's al-Rimal neighbourhood early on October 10.
Palestinians inspect the destruction from Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City's al-Rimal neighbourhood early on October 10. Mohammed Abed/AFP/Getty Images
Dozens of Israeli fighter jets struck more than 200 targets in Gaza overnight, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement Tuesday.
The targets were in the Rimal and Khan Yunis neighborhoods in the densely populated coastal enclave, where the IDF claimed a number of attacks against Israel were directed from.
The IDF said it struck an Islamic Jihad terror infrastructure in Khan Yunis, a weapons storage site of Hamas militants located inside a mosque, and "operational terror infrastructure used by Hamas terror operatives," among other targets.
The fighter jets also struck a number of "operational residences" belonging to Hamas operatives, as well as a Hamas operational command center located inside a mosque, the IDF said.
So far, the bombings have killed at least 687 people, including dozens of children and women, and left thousands injured, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
A major Israeli offensive such as a ground incursion into Gaza is widely anticipated though the full scale of the Israeli response remains unclear.
Earlier Tuesday, the IDF said it had "more or less" restored full control over the border fence with Gaza, after it was breached by Hamas militants launching their surprise attack on Saturday.
7 hr 49 min ago
"The house and living room were filled with bullets": Survivors recount horror of Hamas attack
From CNN's Becky Anderson and Zeena Saifi
Members of an Israeli family who survived a Hamas attack on their home have described the terror unleashed by the Islamist militants during their unprecedented assault in southern Israel on Saturday.
The Shindler family's home in the kibbutz of Kerem Shalom is located mere steps away from where militants bulldozed through the Gaza border as they launched a killing spree against civilians.
"They woke us up at 6:30, 'red alert,'" mother of six young children, Revital Shindler, told CNN. "We went to the bathroom. We started hearing shots from everywhere, and the house and living room were filled with bullets.
"My husband heard noises in Arabic in the house. He immediately went into the safe room and held the door handle so that nobody could get in. They screamed at us 'we are IDF soldiers, we want to come in.'
"We heard they had an Arabic accent, we said: 'We are not opening the door,' and there was a battle of shouting."
She said the militants threw a grenade at the door, sending her husband, Amichai, flying through the air.
Amichai Shindler, 33, survived the blast and is recovering in hospital in Tel Aviv after one of his arms was amputated, his wife said.
It's not the first time the family has experienced the pain of a terror attack. Over a decade ago, they lost Amichai’s 24-year-old brother, said his mother, Sagalit. He was shot by militants during a flare-up of tensions between Palestinians and Israelis.
"It brings me back 13 years ago, to cope with this massacre, this monstrosity. It’s just so difficult and sad," she said.
Despite the horror of Saturday's attack, the family said they remain positive and hoped those injured would pull through.
"We believe Amichai will get out of this alive, and everyone else injured will, too. We want peace, this is all we want," Revital told CNN.
"We are not afraid, we will continue to live in these places. We won't flee as they wish because this is our home and we don’t have another."
4 hr 55 min ago
IDF says it has "more or less" restored full control over border fence with Gaza
From CNN's Richard Greene in Jerusalem
Israeli forces patrol areas along the Israeli-Gaza border in Sa'ad on October 10.
Israeli forces patrol areas along the Israeli-Gaza border in Sa'ad on October 10. Ilia Yefimovich/picture-alliance/dpa/AP
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have "more or less" restored full control over the border fence with Gaza, after it was breached by Hamas militants launching their surprise attack on Saturday, according to IDF spokesman Lt. Col. Richard Hecht.
"Looking towards the south, we have more or less restored full control over the border fence. Hopefully in the next few hours it will be final," he said in a briefing on Tuesday.
Hecht said Israeli forces have secured communities around the border and have nearly completed evacuations in the area.
He added there were two small firefights overnight in the Sa'ad and Kissufim communities. "We are focusing our offensive in the Gaza Strip and our airstrikes," he said.
8 hr 19 min ago
IDF adds "tens of thousands" of additional troops along border with Lebanon after deadly clash
From CNN's Nada Bashir
A convoy of Israeli armored vehicles drive on a road near Israel's border with Lebanon on Monday.
A convoy of Israeli armored vehicles drive on a road near Israel's border with Lebanon on Monday. Ammar Awad/Reuters
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has amplified its presence along the border with Lebanon, adding tens of thousands of additional troops after clashes in the disputed region, according to IDF spokesperson Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus.
“The situation [on the Lebanon border] is volatile. We are vigilant. We have added tens of thousands of additional troops along the border — reservists as well as regular units — in anticipation of a Hezbollah attack," Conricus told CNN.
“We have strongly urged them to think twice before they embark on any such attack against Israel," he said. “So far in the last few hours, the situation has been quiet. Let’s hope it remains like that."
Some context: Lebanon and Israel are considered enemy states, but a truce between the two has largely held since a conflict between them in 2006.
There have been several small-scale rocket attacks in recent years from Lebanon that have prompted retaliatory strikes from Israel. Palestinian factions in Lebanon were believed to be behind those rocket attacks.
On Monday, the IDF said militants had infiltrated from Lebanon into Israeli territory, with a "number of armed suspects" killed and IDF troops searching the area. An IDF officer died after an "encounter" with the militants, Israeli hospital officials said.
It came after Hezbollah, an Iran-backed group that is considered a terrorist organization by the US and much of the West, on Monday said three of its members died during an Israeli air raid in southern Lebanon.
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8 hr 42 min ago
What you need to know about Hamas
From CNN's Hadas Gold, Richard Allen Greene, Amir Tal, Ibrahim Dahman, Abeer Salman, Kareem Khaddar and Nadeen Ebrahim
Hamas members attend a funeral in Rafah, southern Gaza, on February 16, 2022.
Hamas members attend a funeral in Rafah, southern Gaza, on February 16, 2022. Said Khatib/AFP/Getty Images/FILE
Hamas is an Islamist organization with a military wing that came into being in 1987, emerging out of the Muslim Brotherhood, a Sunni Islamist group that was founded in the late 1920s in Egypt.
The word “Hamas” is itself an acronym for “Harakat Al-Muqawama Al-Islamia” — Arabic for Islamic Resistance Movement.
The group, like most Palestinian factions and political parties, insists that Israel is an occupying power and that it is trying to liberate the Palestinian territories. It considers Israel an illegitimate state.
Its refusal to recognize Israel is one reason why it has rejected peace talks in the past. In 1993, it opposed the Oslo Accords, a peace pact between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).
The group presents itself as an alternative to the Palestinian Authority (PA), which has recognized Israel and has engaged in multiple failed peace initiatives with it. The PA is today led by Mahmoud Abbas and is based in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Hamas, meanwhile, controls the Gaza Strip, an enclave that is home to some 2 million Palestinians and is frequently the site of civilian casualties when fighting flares between militants and Israeli forces.
Hamas has over the years claimed many attacks on Israel and has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union and Israel. Israel accuses its archenemy Iran of backing Hamas.
6 hr 27 min ago
"We just kept on going": Israeli woman recalls escape with young children from deadly Gaza attack
From CNN’s Yong Xiong
An Israeli woman who survived a deadly Hamas attack on Monday recounted how the Islamist militants stormed her home, taking her and others captive and killing her friend.
Avital Alajem told CNN's Anderson Cooper that she and her neighbor, Hayim Katsman, hid in a closet on Saturday when around eight Hamas militants bombed the door and began shooting — killing Katsman.
Alajem said she was dragged by militants alongside another friend's two young children — Negev, 4, and baby Eshel, just 4 months — and forced to walk toward Gaza as her neighborhood was torched.
"They burned everything they could, the cars, everything. They broke everything. Everything is ruined," she said. "I just kept on saying to myself that maybe some women over there will take care of us, and maybe they will be a little humane to us."
Alajem said that for reasons she doesn't understand, the militants released her and the two children after crossing into Gaza.
"I don't know why they saved the kids' life and my life. They just told me to go. And then we started walking back," she said. “I saw tanks and I heard lots of bombs. They were shouting, tooting. We just kept on going."
Negev, whose foot was injured by shrapnel, had to crawl on the way home, she said.
Alajem was able to safely return the two children to their father, but their mother, Adi Kaaplon, is still missing, she said.
Hayim Katsman, her neighbor who was killed in the attack, "was a good soul in this world," who "gave life to this planet, because he saved me and I was able to save two kids," Alajem said.
“Hayim in Hebrew is ‘life,’” she said.
Watch the interview here:
8 hr 47 min ago
Analysis: Deep and wide political shockwaves will result from Israel's war with Hamas
Analysis from CNN's Stephen Collinson
Israeli soldiers keep watch in Sderot, southern Israel, on Monday
Israeli soldiers keep watch in Sderot, southern Israel, on Monday Amir Cohen/Reuters
Cataclysmic events like the Hamas onslaught on Israel trigger profound political shocks and strategic transformations that no one could predict at the time.
The rocket attacks, hostage takings and mass killings inside Israel came as the global order was already at a pivot point, with the post-Cold War era swept away by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and China’s superpower ascent.
The raw shock over what just happened — the scenes of gunned down civilians at an Israeli music festival, the wrenching accounts of families torn apart and the fierce first burst of Israeli reprisal attacks on Gaza — are transfixing the world.
But politics is never still for long. The sudden and bloody shattering of a rare interregnum of calm and hope for diplomatic breakthroughs in the Middle East is already shifting calculations in Israel, the United States, the Arab world and across the globe.
The Hamas assault has been compared to the September 11 attacks in the United States in 2001 — as a comparatively low-tech assault on civilians that breached the homeland of a more powerful and sophisticated adversary, partly by defying the imagination of threat assessors in a complacent national security and political establishment.
The lesson of that historic trauma was that the political and military steps taken by American and other leaders when normal politics roared back to life did not just change the world through military action. They unleashed extraordinary political forces inside nations like the United States and Britain, creating conditions that are still influencing society and elections.
This may be where Israel finds itself now. The Jewish state is no stranger to rocket attacks from Gaza or Lebanon or bus and suicide bombings. But the Hamas invaders just shattered Israelis’ illusions of their own security more deeply than at any time since the Yom Kippur war in 1973 when Egyptian and Syrian forces attacked. This sense of emotional violation will condition Israel’s response in the days ahead and will influence how the rest of the world reacts to its fight-back.
Read Collinson's full analysis here.
9 hr 13 min ago
Netanyahu says Israel will respond "like never before" after Hamas assault. Here's what you need to know
From CNN staff
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivers an address on Monday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivers an address on Monday. GPO
The Israeli military would attack Hamas with a force "like never before," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed, as the conflict enters a fourth day following the Islamist militants' devastating surprise attack in Israeli territory.
"As the Prime Minister of Israel, I tell you frankly, difficult days are still ahead of us," he said in a televised address Monday.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant ordered a “complete siege” of Gaza and said he would halt the supply of electricity, food, water and fuel to the Palestinian enclave.
Hours later, a spokesperson for Hamas’ armed wing said it would begin killing civilian hostages and broadcasting the act if Israel targets Gaza without warning.
These are the key details you need to know:
Stunning attack: Hamas launched a surprise assault early Saturday, firing thousands of rockets and sending armed fighters into Israel. At least 900 people died — including more than 260 attending a music festival near the Gaza border. Thousands were wounded and dozens were taken hostage, according to Israeli officials.
Americans killed: At least 11 US citizens have been confirmed killed in the Hamas attack, President Joe Biden said Monday, and White House officials are bracing for that number to grow. Twelve Thai citizens, 10 Nepalis, two Ukrainians, two French nationals and one British citizen are also among the dead, according to officials.
War declaration: Israel on Sunday formally declared war on Hamas in response to the attack and Israeli jets bombarded Gaza with airstrikes. Gaza's health ministry said Monday the death toll has reached 687 people, including 140 children.
Hostages in Gaza: Israeli authorities believe up to 150 hostages are being held in Gaza as it lays siege to the enclave in an effort to "obliterate Hamas terrorist capabilities," Israel's ambassador to the UN said late Monday. Hamas said Sunday more than 100 hostages are being held in Gaza, including high-ranking Israeli army officers. Videos on social media appeared to show militants capturing multiple civilians, including children. A White House official said the US believes Americans may be among those in captivity. On Monday, Hamas warned civilian hostages would be executed if Israel targets people in Gaza without warning.
Gaza under siege: More than 137,000 people are taking cover from Israeli strikes at UN emergency shelters in Gaza. The shelters are at 90% capacity, the UN relief agency said.
Security lapse? Questions remain over how the Israeli military and intelligence apparatus appeared to be caught off guard in one of the country’s worst security failures. Fighting between the two sides has surged in the past two years. The violence has been driven by frequent Israeli military raids in Palestinian towns and cities, which Israel has said are a necessary response to a rising number of attacks by Palestinian militants on Israelis.
9 hr 41 min ago
Israeli officer dies in militant attack near Lebanon border
From CNN's Amir Tal
An Israel Defense Force (IDF) officer has died after being injured in an "encounter" with militants near the northern border with Lebanon, Israeli hospital officials said.
The 40-year-old officer from the northern Yanoach-Jat district was brought to the hospital in critical condition, the Galilee Medical Center said in a statement.
"He was rushed into the operating room and the doctors fought for his life, but unfortunately they had to pronounce him dead," the statement said.
The IDF said the officer died after militants had infiltrated from Lebanon into Israeli territory.
It comes after Hezbollah, an Iran-backed group that is considered a terrorist organization by the US and much of the West, on Monday said three of its members died during an Israeli air raid in southern Lebanon.
The IDF later said there were "a number of launches from Lebanese territory into Israeli territory."
9 hr 56 min ago
Up to 150 hostages in Gaza as Israel aims to "obliterate Hamas terrorist capabilities," UN envoy says
From CNN's Alex Stambaugh
Israeli authorities believe up to 150 hostages are being held in Gaza as it lays siege to the enclave in an effort to "obliterate Hamas terrorist capabilities," Israel's ambassador to the United Nations said late Monday.
Speaking to CNN's Kaitlan Collins, Israeli Ambassador Gilad Erdan said while authorities hoped those held captive would return home safely, their situation would not "prevent us from doing what we need to do in order to secure the future of Israel."
"We have an unprecedented number of hostages," Erdan said, estimating the number was between 100 and 150.
"We expect the Red Cross, we expect all international organizations to focus on these hostages and how they are treated and that they receive treatment according to international law, but it's not going to stop us, prevent us from doing what we need to do in order to secure the future of Israel."
Hamas has said civilian hostages would be executed and the killings broadcast if Israel targets people in Gaza without warning. The group claims to be holding more than 100 hostages, including Israeli army officers.
Erdan, the Israeli ambassador, told CNN Monday "we cannot restore security for the citizens of Israel if Hamas continues with its military buildup."
"Of course, we want to see all of our boys, girls, grandmothers, everyone who was abducted we want to see them back home, but right now, our focus is looking at our national strategy is to obliterate Hamas terrorist capabilities," he said.
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9 hr 34 min ago
More than 137,000 people are taking cover at UN shelters in Gaza, relief agency says
From CNN's Hilary Whiteman
Palestinians fleeing Israeli airstrikes take refuge in a school run by the United Nations in Gaza City on Sunday.
Palestinians fleeing Israeli airstrikes take refuge in a school run by the United Nations in Gaza City on Sunday. Mohammed Abed/AFP/Getty Images
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) said late Monday its emergency shelters in Gaza are at 90% capacity with more than 137,000 people taking cover from Israeli strikes.
The agency said 83 UNRWA schools have been turned into shelters.
It said that one UN school housing displaced families was "directly hit," without giving further details. It's unknown how many people were in the shelter at the time of the attack.
UNRWA also said they had been forced to close all 14 food distribution centers, writing in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that "as a result half a million people have stopped receiving vital food aid."
Israel has launched retaliatory strikes in Gaza after Hamas' surprise attack over the weekend, with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Monday ordering a “complete siege” of Gaza.
More than 680 Palestinians have died and more than 3,700 were injured, according to Gaza's health ministry.
Some context: The Gaza Strip has been almost completely cut off from the rest of the world for nearly 17 years.
Governed by Hamas since 2007, the enclave is under strict siege by Egypt and Israel, which also maintains an air and naval blockade. It has been described by Human Rights Watch as the “world’s largest open-air prison.”
Gazans have seen Israeli strikes ravage the strip on several occasions since Israeli forces withdrew from the territory in 2005. Fighting regularly takes place between Israel and Palestinian factions in Gaza, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
12 hr 54 min ago
CNN teams in southern Israel report hearing heavy explosions from Gaza
From CNN's Nic Robertson in Sderot, Israel and Clarissa Ward in Ashkelon, Israel
CNN teams on the ground in Israel have heard explosions in Gaza and heavy rumbles in the past hour, appearing to indicate further strikes.
Fighter jets were also heard flying above close to the border, according to CNN's Nic Robertson in Sderot and Clarissa Ward in Ashkelon.
Robertson saw "big flashes in the sky" and "heard the sound of very, very heavy impact" coming from Gaza.
CNN teams could also hear drone activity and a helicopter flying near the border with Gaza.
9 hr 46 min ago
"Massacre" in Gaza as Israeli defense minister orders "complete siege" of enclave
From CNN's Hadas Gold, Eyad Kourdi, Jonny Hallam, Ibrahim Dahman, Helen Regan and Tara John
A ball of fire is seen over a buildings after an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City on Sunday.
A ball of fire is seen over a buildings after an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City on Sunday. Sameh Rahmi/NurPhoto/Shutterstock
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that the Israeli military would attack Hamas with a force “like never before,” as the militant group threatened to kill civilian hostages if airstrikes target Gaza without warning.
Following Hamas’ devastating surprise attack in Israeli territory over the weekend, Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant on Monday also ordered a “complete siege” of Gaza, and said he would halt the supply of electricity, food, water and fuel to the Palestinian enclave.
Gaza strikes: Airstrikes have been Israel’s primary retaliation measure within Gaza itself, with jets repeatedly pounding the heavily populated 140 square mile coastal strip, turning multiple buildings to rubble, displacing tens of thousands of people and sending waves of injured Palestinians to overwhelmed hospitals.
An Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson said it had been hitting Hamas, destroying around 800 targets and killing “hundreds” of fighters, wounding thousands and capturing scores of others.
Most of those arriving at hospitals in Gaza have sustained second- and third-degree burns and amputations, a spokesperson for the Palestinian health ministry in Gaza told Palestinian news outlet Shihab Agency on Monday. Many have also sustained shrapnel injuries, Ashraf al-Qidra said.
Those seeking hospital care are mainly women and children, al-Qidra said, adding that this is a “result of Israelis directly targeting residential houses and buildings.”
Access to medical care has been complicated by Israel cutting power to the territory, threatening the “lives of hundreds” of those injured, the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza said.
The ministry said later that all services at the only functioning hospital in Gaza’s Beit Hanoun neighborhood were suspended due to continuous Israeli airstrikes, blocking medical teams’ ability to enter or exit the building. Nine ambulances have been targeted since Saturday, the ministry added.
"Massacre" in refugee camps: Israeli airstrikes targeted the Shati and Jabalia refugee camps in Gaza on Monday, the Palestinian health ministry said, describing the assault as a “massacre against the entire neighborhood.”
The ministry said bodies were still being recovered after the strikes killed a “large number” of people. No death toll has been provided.
Meanwhile, Palestinian Minister of Health Mai al-Kaila urged the international community to stop “the aggression” against medical facilities and teams in Gaza.
Read more here.
9 hr 34 min ago
Palestinian president urges UN to intervene against "Israeli aggression" in Gaza
From CNN’s Kareem Khadder
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas speaks during the United Nations General Assembly on September 21.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas speaks during the United Nations General Assembly on September 21. Kena Betancur/Getty Images/FILE
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called on the United Nations to take immediate action against the continued “Israeli aggression” toward Palestinians.
Abbas made the remarks on a phone call with UN Secretary-General António Guterres, according to state news agency WAFA.
Abbas called on the UN to "immediately intervene to stop the ongoing Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people, particularly in the Gaza Strip,” WAFA reported on Monday.
The Palestinian president emphasized the urgent need for medical and relief aid in Gaza, drawing attention to the looming humanitarian crisis. He urged the UN to "uphold its responsibilities as recognized by international legitimacy and ensure protection for the Palestinian people."
In response to Abbas's concerns, Guterres acknowledged the UN's continued efforts to deliver urgent humanitarian aid to Gaza residents. He also said the UN is working with international stakeholders to curb the current escalation, WAFA reported.
Some historical context: Hamas presents itself as an alternative to the Palestinian Authority, led by Abbas.
The PA was established in the Israeli-occupied West Bank in 1993 through the Oslo Accords, a peace pact between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). It stipulated the PLO give up armed resistance against Israel in return for promises of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel.
12 hr 57 min ago
"Difficult days" are still ahead for Israel, Netanyahu says
From CNN's Radina Gigova
Israel will overcome the sorrow unleashed by Hamas but "difficult days are still ahead of us," the country's leader said Monday.
"We lost entire families, sons and daughters, young and old," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a televised speech. "Together we will overcome and together we will win — only together."
"As the Prime Minister of Israel, I tell you frankly, difficult days are still ahead of us," Netanyahu added.
The Israeli military is going on the offense against Hamas with a force "like never before" and the images of destruction of Hamas strongholds in Gaza are "just the beginning," he said.
"We grieve for our brothers and sisters whose blood was shed, and we are determined to win this war, to bring life, blessing and light to our people and our country," he added.
12 hr 58 min ago
Hamas says it will not negotiate on the issue of hostages under Israeli fire
From CNN's Kareem El Damanhoury
Hamas will not negotiate on the issue of hostages while under Israeli fire, a spokesperson said in a video statement Monday.
"It has become clear that the enemy’s hostages are at risk to the same extent as our people in light of the aggression against the Gaza Strip," said Abu Obaida, spokesperson for al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas. "We affirm that we will not deliberate or negotiate on the issue of hostages under fire, in light of aggression, or in light of battle."
Abu Obaida added that al-Qassam Brigades are holding a very large number of hostages in detention sites — and that some had been killed.
At least four civilians were killed while in the custody of Hamas, just feet from where armed militants had been escorting them near the Gaza border, videos obtained and geolocated by CNN show.
Abu Obaida went on to say the Hamas assault was launched after years of planning and preparations.
“[Al-Aqsa flood] came after the Zionist tyranny reached its peak in the desecration of the blessed Al-Aqsa and the aggression against it and against our people everywhere," Abu Obaida said, referring to the Al-Aqsa compound in Jerusalem, one of the most revered places in Islam and Judaism.
Israel killed hundreds and injured thousands of Palestinians over the past two years, yet still has a seat at the United Nations and receives weapons from the United States to kill children and destroy houses, he added.
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9 hr 38 min ago
Israel is going on offense against Hamas with a force "like never before," Netanyahu says
From CNN's Radina Gigova
Israeli ammunition is seen in Sderot, Israel on Monday.
Israeli ammunition is seen in Sderot, Israel on Monday. Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that the Israeli military is going on the offense against Hamas with a force "like never before."
"We always knew who Hamas was. Now, the rest of the world knows. Hamas is ISIS and we will win against them as the modern world prevailed against ISIS," Netanyahu said in a televised speech to the nation.
"This enemy wanted war and this this is what they will get."
The prime minister went on to thank US President Joe Biden and other world leaders for their support.
"I am in continuous contact with President Biden, and I would like to thank him again, on behalf of all the citizens of Israel, for the commitment of the US in words and deeds for the security of Israel," he said. "Also, I want to thank many world leaders for your unprecedented support for Israel."
10 hr 55 min ago
Hamas militants shot revelers at point-blank range, video shows
From CNN's Paul P. Murphy, Teele Rebane, Hilary Whiteman, Brad Lendon, Amanda Jackson and David Williams
Gaza militants who attacked an all-night music festival in southern Israel shot and killed revelers at point-blank range, then looted their belongings, car dashcam video verified by CNN reveals.
The video began circulating on social media on Sunday and — alongside footage of harrowing kidnappings from the same event — has been scrutinized by horrified families desperate for news of loved ones missing since a series of coordinated attacks triggered Israel’s declaration of war on Sunday.
Israeli officials counted at least 260 bodies near the site of the Nova festival, outside Re’im, where earlier footage showed carefree partygoers from Israel and overseas dancing in the desert soon after sunrise on Saturday.
Some survivors are among more than 100 hostages that the militant group Hamas claims to be holding in Gaza, according to friends and family members who have seen them in videos shared on social platforms.
The dashcam video verified by CNN gives a glimpse of the terror as militants took over the festival, preventing some partygoers from leaving with deadly force.
The first clip, begins at 9:23 a.m. according to its timecode, just under three hours after the first explosions were reported at the Nova festival.
The video has no audio, but a militant is seen yelling, then pointing his machine gun at a man taking cover next to the car. It’s unclear if the gunman is firing a warning shot, or if he’s just shot and injured the civilian, who is then seen being led away. His fate is unknown.
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13 hr 8 min ago
Hezbollah strikes Israel after 3 of its members killed in Israeli raid in southern Lebanon
From CNN's Mia Alberti and Hadas Gold
Hezbollah on Monday said three of its members died during an Israeli air raid in southern Lebanon, shortly before the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said there were “a number of launches from Lebanese territory into Israeli territory.”
Hezbollah — an Iran-backed group that is considered a terrorist organization by the US and much of the West — said in a statement that "groups of the Islamic Resistance" fired guided missiles onto Israel, targeting the Israeli army's Pranit barracks and Avivim barracks, "as a result of the Israeli attack on Lebanese towns and villages" and the deaths of the group's members.
Explosions were heard for several hours as Israel's helicopters carried out an airstrike near its northern border with Lebanon. Several houses and shops were damaged, and some residents have fled to the city of Saida, about 60 kilometers from the border, according to Lebanon's National News Agency (NNA).
A fire was also seen raging in one of the regions targeted by the raid, according to images broadcast in Lebanese media. The blaze was a result of Israeli phosphorus bombs, the NNA said. However, the IDF said it only used illumination flares and denied using phosphorus bombs.
The Lebanese army said the outskirts of Al-Dhaira and Aita Al-Shaab and other border areas were "subjected to air and artillery bombardment." The army urged citizens to avoid the areas adjacent to the border.
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