Israel at War 250 Killed in Hamas Assault, Hosta

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Israel at war: 250 killed

in Hamas assault,
hostages taken to Gaza,
rockets on Tel Aviv
Over 1,590 injured in unprecedented infiltration
from Gaza, with terrorists at 22 sites attacking
civilians and soldiers; thousands of rockets fired
at Israel; reservists called up
3min ago
Senior White House o7cial: US ready to offer 'all

means of support' to Israel
10min ago
Family of kidnapped Israeli shares video of her

abduction by Hamas
14min ago
Hostage situation in kibbutz dining hall said to be

resolved, hostages rescued safely
15min ago
Hamas: Number of Israeli hostages in Gaza much

higher than Netanyahu thinks
By TOI STAFF
Today, 7:19 am
Palestinians terrorists transport an abducted Israeli civilian

from Kibbutz Kfar Azza into the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023.
(AP Photo/Hatem Ali)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
    
The Times of Israel is liveblogging

Saturday’s events as they unfold.
3min ago
Senior White House o.cial: US

ready to offer ‘all means of support’
to Israel
By LAZAR BERMAN
Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, listens as President

Joe Biden speaks in the State Dining Room of the White
House, Oct. 7, 2023, in Washington, about the situation in
Israel. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
A senior Biden administration official

says on a call with reporters that the US
“will treat Hamas for what they are. They
are an international terrorist
organization.”
Washington’s focus is currently on

“ensuring that the Israelis have what
they need to respond appropriately,”
says the official.
The White House official says the US is

ready “to offer all appropriate means of
support to the people and government of
Israel.”
“Israel has a right to defend itself and its

people. Full stop.”
“We remain deeply aligned,” said the

official, adding that Israel’s response is
likely to continue “for some time.
The official says that that US will

continue to “work with parties
throughout the region” to make sure the
fighting doesn’t spread from Gaza.
The official also speaks about the

potential of a normalization deal
between Israel and Saudi Arabia, saying
that it is “premature to say the impact”
that the war will have on those efforts.
“That process has a ways to travel,” says

the official, adding that “terrorist groups
like Hamas will not derail any such
outcome.”
 
State of Jerusalem: The Maqdasyin
 
 00:40 / 12:36 
10min ago
Family of kidnapped Israeli shares

video of her abduction by Hamas
Israeli Noa Argamani is seen being kidnapped by Hamas

terrorist in the south on October 7, 2023. (Screenshot used in
accordance with clause 27a of the copyright law)
The family of Noa Argamani is sharing

harrowing footage of her abduction in
southern Israel earlier today.
The video shows her being taken away

on the back of a motorcycle by Hamas
terrorists as she screams “don’t kill me”
and stretches her arms out to her
boyfriend, Avi Natan, who is also being
held by Hamas operatives. They were
both attending a festival in the south.
Other footage shows Argamani being

held in Gaza sipping from a cup of water.
Not found
“
Her name is Noa.”
Her crime was going to a music
festival in southern Israel. She was
kidnapped by Hamas terrorists. I
call on the international community
to act against this vicious war crime
and ensure all the Israelis will return
home safely.
pic.twitter.com/CiZcsD5eka”
— Hananya Naftali
(@HananyaNaftali) October 7,
2023”
Israel has confirmed that civilians and

soldiers have been abducted and taken
into Gaza but have not given a number.
Dozens are feared to be held by the
terror group, including children and the
elderly.
 
14min ago
Hostage situation in kibbutz dining

hall said to be resolved, hostages
rescued safely
The ongoing hostage situation in the

dining hall of Kibbutz Be’eri has
reportedly been resolved and the
hostages rescued.
According to a number of Hebrew media

reports, the terrorists who were holding
them were neutralized.
 
15min ago
Hamas: Number of Israeli hostages

in Gaza much higher than
Netanyahu thinks
By GIANLUCA PACCHIANI
Palestinians ride on an Israeli military vehicle taken by an

army base inside Israel overrun by Hamas, in Gaza City, Oct.
7, 2023. (AP/Abed Abu Reash)
In a statement to Hamas’s Al-Aqsa TV,

the terror group’s military spokesman
Abu Ubaida claims that the number of
hostages taken into Gaza is “many times
greater than what Netanyahu thinks,”
and that they are being held in various
locations throughout the coastal strip.
The spokesman also urges Israel not to

make “miscalculations,” adding that
“whatever happens to the people of the
Gaza Strip, will happen to [the
hostages].”
Israel is now facing a deep crisis after

witnessing the heroism of Hamas
militants, Abu Ubaida says, adding that
Israeli soldiers fell before them “like
locusts.”
He vows that Hamas will continue the

ongoing operation on all fronts.
 
25min ago
Blinken speaks with Egyptian FM,

urges halt to Hamas attacks
Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry addresses a joint

press conference to comment on the Ministerial Meeting on
the Middle East Peace Process, on May 11, 2023 at the
Foreign OVce in Berlin. (Photo by Odd ANDERSEN / AFP)
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken

speaks with his Egyptian counterpart,
Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry.
According to the US State Department,

Blinken calls for “an immediate halt to
the appalling assault by Hamas terrorists
against Israel” and also expresses US
appreciation for “for the Egyptian
leadership’s ongoing efforts” in
attempting to reduce tensions.
 
42min ago
Rocket sirens sounding in Sderot,

Sha’ar Hanegev
Salvo of rockets Wred by Palestinian terrorists from Gaza City

toward Israel on October 7, 2023 (EYAD BABA / AFP)
Rocket alert sirens sound in Sderot,

Sha’ar Hanegev and other Gaza border
communities.
 
51min ago
Health Ministry says close to 1,600

wounded today
Wounded Israeli soldiers arrive at the Hadassah Ein Kerem

Hospital in Jerusalem, October 7, 2023. (Noam Revkin
Fenton/Flash90)
The Health Ministry says in an update

that at least 1,590 people were wounded
and being treated in hospitals today.
As of 11:30 p.m., there are 19 in critical

condition, 293 in serious condition, 315
in moderate condition, 715 in mild
condition, 20 being treated for severe
anxiety and 181 still being evaluated by
medical officials.
More than 250 are thought to be have

been killed, with that figure expected to
rise.
 
53min ago
IDF says it struck 2 Hamas

operation sites inside Gaza
mosques
A ball of Wre and smoke rises above a building in Gaza City on

October 7, 2023 during an Israeli air strike. (MAHMUD HAMS
/ AFP)
The Israel Defense Forces says that

earlier today it struck two “operational
infrastuctures” in Gaza that were housed
inside mosques and were being used by
Hamas to direct terror toward Israel.
The IDF slams Hamas for using “holy

sites” and exploiting the civilian
population in the Gaza Strip.
 
1hr ago
Retired IDF major general recounts

rescuing his family in Nahal Oz
Illustrative -- A vehicle blocks road near Nahal Oz in southern

Israel on March 25, 2019. (Hadas Parush/Flash90)
Maj.-Gen. (retired) Noam Tibon

describes to Channel 12 going to Kibbutz
Nahal Oz and, together with IDF troops,
“saving my family” whose home was
surrounded by terrorists from Gaza.
He tells Channel 12 that the troops

killed several terrorists and rescued his
son and grandchildren.
His son, Amir, a journalist for Haaretz,

posts on the social media platform X
that his “heroic” father came from Tel
Aviv, “led the troops” to the family’s
home and “helped kill the terrorists.”
Amir also praises his daughters for

staying quiet in the house for hours
before they were rescued. “We are
praying for the neighbors who are
missing and injured.”
 
1hr ago
Nepalese nationals among those

wounded in Hamas assault,
reportedly among abducted
By GAVRIEL FISKE
Israeli rescue teams evacuate a wounded person near the

southern city of Sderot on October 7, 2023, after the
Palestinian terror group Hamas launched a large-scale
surprise attack on Israel. (Menahem KAHANA / AFP)
Eleven Nepalese agricultural students

have been injured, two of them seriously,
in the Hamas attack on southern Israel,
according to a statement by the
Nepalese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Nepal’s ambassador to Israel tells CNN

that when the attack began, the students
were working on a farm in the area. They
hid in a bomb shelter but that building
was taken over by Hamas.
Separate unconfirmed reports in the

Hindustani Times and India Today state
that some Nepalese students are also
among those who have been taken
hostage by Hamas.
 
1hr ago
IDF says its strikes on Gaza hit

rocket launchers, terror cell, Hamas
HQ
By EMANUEL FABIAN
A ball of Wre and smoke rises above a building in Gaza City on

October 7, 2023 during an Israeli air strike. (MAHMUD HAMS
/ AFP)
The Israel Defenses Forces provides

details on a number of airstrikes it
carried out in the Gaza Strip in the last
few hours.
The IDF says it carried out a drone strike

on a rocket launcher, and killed two
terrorists standing next to it.
In other drone strikes, a terror cell was

hit while attempting to infiltrate into
Israel via Zikim beach, and another cell
was hit while trying to infiltrate from
central Gaza, the IDF says.
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian

@manniefabian · Follow
IDF says it struck a rocket launcher in the

Gaza Strip and two terrorists standing next to
it. In other drone strikes, a terror cell was hit
while attempting to infiltrate into Israel via
the Zikim beach, and another cell was hit
while trying to infiltrate from central
Gaza.… Show more
Watch on X
9:53 PM · Oct 7, 2023
433 Reply Share
Read 14 replies
Fighter jets, meanwhile, targeted a

Hamas operational headquarters used by
the terror group to carry out rocket
attacks, and a headquarters belonging to
the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the IDF
says
Footage published by the IDF shows

several recent strikes in the Gaza Strip.
 
2hr ago
Saudi FM calls for ‘immediate halt

to escalation’ and rejects ‘targeting
of civilians’
By AP
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, shakes hands with

Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan
during a joint news conference at the Intercontinental Hotel in
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, June 8, 2023. (Ahmed Yosri/Pool Photo
via AP)
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin

Farhan speaks with US Secretary of State
Antony Blinken to urge a halt to the
violence in and around Gaza.
A Saudi Foreign Ministry statement says

the two discussed “the necessity of
working toward an immediate halt to the
escalation.”
Prince Faisal emphasizes “the kingdom’s

rejection of the targeting of civilians and
the need for all sides to respect
international humanitarian law.”
The Saudis have been in talks with the

White House over potentially forging
diplomatic relations with Israel, efforts
which have now been thrown into
question.
 
2hr ago
Germany, France step up security at

Jewish sites amid Israel war
By AFP
Illustrative: A French oVcer stands guard near a synagogue in

Marseille on November 3, 2020. (Christophe SIMON / AFP)
Germany and France move to reinforce

security around Jewish temples, schools
and monuments after the surprise attack
by Hamas against Israel.
Germany tightens police protection of

Jewish and Israeli institutions, as some
supporters of the Palestinians took to
the streets of Berlin to celebrate the
attack.
France is focusing on Jewish temples and

schools in cities across the country, as
one Jewish leader expresses concern at
the possibility the conflict might be
imported there.
“In Berlin, police protection has been

immediately stepped up,” Germany’s
Interior Minister Nancy Faeser tells Bild
newspaper. “The federal government
and the regions are closely coordinating
their actions.”
Germany’s authorities are also closely

watching “potential supporters of
Hamas in the Islamist sphere,” she adds.
In France, security had already been

stepped up at synagogues in Paris,
Marseille, Lyon and Strasbourg because
of the holiday period being observed
since late September.
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin sends

an urgent message to prefects running
the country’s regions asking them to
reinforce surveillance even further.
“At a time when terrorist attacks from

Gaza are hitting Israel, I ask you to
immediately step up vigilance, security
and protection of Jewish community
sites in France,” he writes in a message
seen by AFP.
He called for a “visible and systematic

static presence,” and the use of soldiers
from France’s Operation Sentinelle, a
special force deployed across the country
since the 2015 terror attacks. The
interior ministry will review the security
situation at a special meeting tomorrow.
 
2hr ago
Border town identi[es at least 15 of

its residents killed in Hamas attack
The Gaza border town of Netiv HaAsara
publishes the names of 15 residents who
have been killed in today’s attack by
Hamas terrorists.
The names of those killed are listed as:
Amit Wax
Yigael Wax
Adi Baharav
Tal Keren
Oren Stern
Ruti Akuni
Aryeh Akuni
Or Akuni
Orit Molcho
Shlomi Molcho
Nurit Berger
Hevik Segel
Marina Almagor
Gil Ta’aseh
Dani Wabak
A statement from the town notes that

these are the names that “have been
cleared for publication.” The town has a
population of around 900.
 
2hr ago
Hamas o.cial: Our attack has only

just begun
Hussam Badran, a member of the

political bureau of Hamas, says the
terror group’s onslaught is only in its
early stages.
Badran says the attack, called the “Al-

Aqsa Deluge” by the terror group, comes
after careful preparation aimed at
catching Israel by surprise.
The terror leader says this battle is

different from all previous rounds of
conflict, and calls on Arab mediators to
convey to Israel that it must “leave our
occupied lands.”
He adds that Hamas does not expect

them to be mediators but rather
supporters of its position.
Like a number of Hamas leaders who

have issued statements today, Badran
claims the attack is motivated by Israeli
control over the flashpoint Al-Aqsa
mosque in Jerusalem.
The mosque, the third holiest site for

Muslims, sits atop the Temple Mount,
the holiest site for Jews as the location
of the biblical temples. Israel has long
maintained a delicate status quo at the
site, in which Jews are allowed to visit
during limited hours, but not pray.
Terror groups have repeatedly used
baseless claims of Israeli intentions to
take over the mosque as a pretext for
violence.
Badran also blames Israeli policies in the

West Bank and its treatment of
Palestinian prisoners for the attack,
adding that “we are the owners of this
land, and this occupation will not last
forever.”
The surprise onslaught against Israel has

killed at least 250 Israelis, including
many civilians, and injured over 1,000.
An unspecified number of Israelis, living
and dead, are held hostage by terrorists
in Gaza.
 
2hr ago
Ireland condemns Hamas attack,

stresses need for ‘moderate voices’
By AFP
Irish deputy premier and foreign affairs

minister Micheal Martin condemns the
attack by Hamas on Israeli citizens, and
says it is “vital that the voice of
moderation comes to the fore.”
Martin says he could “see tensions

rising” during a recent trip to the region,
and that the scale of today’s attack is
“quite shocking.”
“We believe a two-state solution remains

the only sensible and rational solution
to this issue and it needs political
momentum behind it,” he says.
“My sense is that the hardliners are

growing in influence, and that’s why I
believe the need to have moderate voices
in the center is key,” he says.
“So what we need really is a political

peace process to get on track in a serious
way. That will mean I think,
international intervention as well to
facilitate that, but it’s a very, very
complex and difficult situation and there
will be many consequences to today’s
attack.”
 
2hr ago
Courts system to operate on

emergency mode tomorrow amid
war
By JEREMY SHARON
An illustrative photo of a court room in the Supreme Court in

Jerusalem, August 1, 2023. (Chaim Goldberg/FLASH90)
Israel’s courts will operate on an

emergency footing tomorrow and will
only hold hearings on urgent matters
due to the Hamas invasion of southern
Israel and the war with Gaza, it
announces.
A statement put out by the Israel Courts

Administration says the decision was
made by Justice Minister Yariv Levin
“with the knowledge of and [in
accordance with the] opinion of Supreme
Court President Justice Esther Hayut and
Director of the Courts Administration
Judge Michael Spitzer.”
The decision applies to Israel’s

magistrates, district and labor courts, as
well as the Supreme Court and the
rabbinical courts.
Hearings scheduled for parole

committees on Sunday will be postponed
to a later date.
 
2hr ago
Commander of IDF Nahal Brigade

killed during clashes with Hamas,
IDF says
By EMANUEL FABIAN
Col. Jonathan Steinberg, the commander of the Nahal

Brigade, in an undated photo (Israel Defense Forces)
The commanding officer of the Nahal

Infantry Brigade, Col.
Jonathan Steinberg, was killed this
morning during clashes with Hamas
terrorists in the Kerem Shalom area near
the border with the Gaza Strip, the
military says.
Steinberg, 42, from the southern town of

Shomria, was en route to the site of
clashes being managed by his
subordinates when he encountered a
terrorist who killed him.
He is one of the most senior Israeli

officers to have been killed in combat in
recent memory.
 
2hr ago
Brandenburg Gate in Berlin lights up

with Israeli _ag in solidarity
The Brandenburg Gate in Berlin lights up with the Israeli dag

in solidarity after a multi-front Hamas attack, October 7, 2023.
(Chancellor Olaf Scholz on X)
The Brandenburg Gate in Berlin is lit up

with the Israeli flag in solidarity
following the devastating Hamas attack.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz posts a

photo of the gate on X, writing: “In
solidary with Israel.”
Bundeskanzler Olaf Scholz

@Bundeskanzler · Follow
In Solidarität mit #Israel.

In solidarity with #Israel.
9:08 PM · Oct 7, 2023
18.9K Reply Share
Read 2.1K replies
 
2hr ago
US Muslim umbrella org issues

statement backing Palestinians, no
mention of Hamas attacks
The United States Council of Muslim

Organizations (USCMO), a Muslim
umbrella organization in the US, issues a
statement reiterating its support for
Palestinians, and does not mention or
condemn in any way the Hamas attacks
on Israeli civilians.
The statement condemns “the recent

unprovoked and continuous attacks by
Israel on Palestinian towns, cities, and
refugee camps” as well as “the inhumane
siege imposed on the nearly 2 million
inhabitants of Gaza,” which the
organization says is “an implied
declaration of open war on the
Palestinians which oblige them to be in
constant self-defense.”
The organization calls on the US

government “to exert pressure on the
occupation regime to immediately cease
these atrocities” and criticizes any Arab
and Muslim nations that have
normalized relations with Israel.
 
3hr ago
Blinken calls on Abbas to condemn

Hamas attack on Israel
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas (R) and US

Secretary of State Antony Blinken shake hands following their
meeting in the West Bank city of Ramallah on January 31,
2023. (Ronaldo Schemidt/Pool/AFP)
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken

says he has spoken with Palestinian
Authority President Mahmoud Abbas
and is urging him to take steps toward
calming the situation.
According to the US State Department,

Blinken calls “on all leadership in the
region to condemn” the Hamas attacks
on Israel, and also urges the PA to
“enhance steps to restore calm and
stability in the West Bank.”
Today in Ramallah, Abbas chaired an

emergency leadership meeting of the
Palestinian Authority, and according to
the official news agency Wafa, “gave
instructions to provide protection for
the Palestinian people, stressing the
right of the Palestinian people to defend
themselves against the terrorism of
settlers and the occupation forces.”
Abbas also “gave directions to provide

all that is necessary to bolster the
resilience and steadfastness of the
Palestinian people in facing the crimes
committed by the Israeli occupation and
settler gangs.”
 
3hr ago
Barrage of rockets [red toward

southern Israel

A barrage of rockets is fired from Gaza

toward towns in southern Israel, setting
off sirens in Sderot, Netivot and a
number of other communities near the
Gaza Strip.
 
3hr ago
Netanyahu thanks Biden for

unreserved support, says Israel
faces ‘challenging days’ but will win
Netanyahu says the army is currently

clearing Hamas terrorists from
everywhere they infiltrated, going house
to house, “restoring control to our
hands.”
He sends love and condolences to all the

bereaved families that lost loved ones
“brutally murdered in cold blood.” He
prays for the recovery of the injured.
And he warns Hamas that Israel will

hold it responsible for the hostages it
has taken. “Israel will avenge anyone
who is harmed,” he says, “in so much as
a hair on their head.”
He says Israel stands in solidarity with

residents of the south, who stood firm
and fought bravely.
He praises the security forces, calling

them the latest in the long history of
Israel’s war heroes.
“You are fighting now for all of our

homes, for all of our futures,” he says.
“We are all with you, we all love you, we

all salute you.”
He praises the members of the

emergency services, and says their spirit
will help overcome our enemies.
He says he spoke with President Biden

and other world leaders from France,
Britain and beyond, thanks Biden for his
“unreserved support,” and says he
secured international backing for
“freedom of action” for Israel.
Netanyahu says all Israelis “are in this

together. It will take time. It will be hard.
We have challenging days ahead of us.”
But he promises that “with God’s help,

with our combined strength, and with
our belief in an eternal Israel, we will
win.”
 
3hr ago
Major airlines cancel dozens of

_ights to Tel Aviv amid war
By AFP
Airplanes at Ben Gurion International Airport, on May 7, 2021.

(Yossi Aloni/FLASH90)
Major airlines have canceled dozens of

flights to Tel Aviv after Hamas launches
a surprise large-scale attack against
Israel.
American Airlines, Air France,

Lufthansa, Emirates, Ryanair and Aegan
Airlines are among those pulling flights.
Air France says it has halted Tel Aviv

flights “until further notice.”
Air France-KLM group’s low-cost carrier

Transavia also canceled a flight from
Paris to Tel Aviv this evening.
In Warsaw, Polish carrier LOT says it has

also canceled a flight to Tel Aviv today.
 
3hr ago
Report: Israelis still held hostage

inside kibbutz dining hall
Israeli soldiers head south near Ashkelon, Israel, Israel, Oct. 7,

2023. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
Security forces are still trying to

extricate an undisclosed number of
Israelis who have been held hostage for
hours by Hamas gunmen inside the
dining hall at Kibbutz Be’eri.
Large numbers of security forces are

deployed in the area, Channel 12
reports.
 
3hr ago
Netanyahu: We will target Hamas

everywhere it operates; Gazans
should ‘get out now’
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivers a televised

address on October 7, 2023. (screen capture/ GPO)
In an address to the nation, Prime

Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vows to
use “all the power” of the IDF to destroy
Hamas’s capabilities, and tells Gaza’s
residents to “get out now.”
Calling today’s events something “never

before seen in Israel,” he vows to ensure
“it will never happen again.”
He begins by saying Hamas “invaded

Israeli territory this morning,” and
started a “cruel and evil war,” targeting
innocent civilians young and old.
“We will win this war, but the price will

be unbearably heavy,” he says.
“Hamas wants to murder us all,”

Netanyahu says, “murdering children
and mothers in their homes, in their
beds.
“It is an enemy that kidnaps elderly

people, children, young girls,” an enemy
“that massacres and slaughters our
civilians, our children, who simply
wanted to enjoy the festival.”
“What happened today has never been

seen before in Israel and I will ensure it
never happens again. The entire
government supports this decision. The
IDF will immediately use all its power to
destroy Hamas’s capabilities,” he says.
“We will fight them to the bitter end and
avenge this black day they plotted for
Israel and its people.”
Israel will target Hamas everywhere —

turning the places it “hides and
operates” into “cities of ruin.”
He tells the “residents of Gaza” to “get

out now because we will operate
everywhere and with full force.”
 
3hr ago
New York police step up protection

of Jewish communities
By LUKE TRESS
New York State and New York City police

have stepped up their protection of
Jewish communities and synagogues,
Governor Kathy Hochul says.
There are no known threats to New York

Jews, she says, adding that local
authorities are in touch with the FBI and
other federal partners after the terror
onslaught in Gaza.
Jewish security organizers have also said

there are no known threats to US Jews,
but are urging vigilance.
 
3hr ago
Israeli forces beginning to demolish

Sderot police station where
terrorists holed up
By EMANUEL FABIAN
Polic near the southern towns of Or haNer and Sderot,

October 7, 2023. (Nati Shohat/Flash90)
Israeli forces are seen beginning to

demolish a police station in Sderot
where a number of Hamas terrorists
were holed up earlier.
It is unclear how many terrorists are left

inside, and how many Israeli forces were
killed when Hamas stormed the station
this morning.

Israeli forces seen beginning to demolish a

police station in Sderot where a number of
Hamas terrorists were holed up earlier.
Unclear how many terrorists left inside.
Watch on X
8:15 PM · Oct 7, 2023
1K Reply Share
Read 43 replies
 
3hr ago
Israeli death toll from multi-front

Hamas attack rises to more than
250
Bodies lie on a main road near Kibbutz Gevim on October 7,

2023 following an attack by Hamas terrorists. (Oren ZIV /
AFP)
The death toll from the Hamas terror

group’s massive attack on Israel rises to
more than 250, Hebrew-language media
reports say, citing medical officials.
The toll is expected to continue to rise.
At least 1,450 have been wounded, many

seriously.
Dozens of civilians as well as IDF

soldiers are believed to have been
abducted and brought into Gaza; the IDF
has confirmed that soldiers and civilians
have been taken hostage, but has not
specified a number.
Thousands of rockets have been fired at

the south and center of the country,
killing a number of people.
 
3hr ago
Police to families of missing: Bring

DNA samples to police stations to
aid in identi[cation
Bodies of slain civilians in the southern city of Sderot on

October 7, 2023 following an attack by Hamas terrorists.
(Oren ZIV / AFP)
Police call on people who have family

members missing to go to the police
station closest to their home with
photos and DNA samples of the missing
person.
Those who are located in areas where

they are not able to leave their homes
are asked to call 105 with details and to
go to a police station when possible.
 
3hr ago
Biden offers ‘rock solid’ support for

Jerusalem, warns others against
joining attack on Israel
By LUKE TRESS
US President Joe Biden speaks about the terror attack

against Israel, October 7, 2023. (Screenshot/Used in
accordance with clause 27a of the copyright law)
US President Joe Biden backs Israel’s

right to self defense, warns other parties
in the region against joining the attack
against the Jewish state, and says he is in
contact with leaders around the region.
“Today the people of Israel are under

attack orchestrated by a terrorist
organization, Hamas. In this moment of
tragedy, I want to say to them and to the
world and to terrorists everywhere, the
United States stands with Israel. We will
not ever fail to have their back, we’ll
make sure that they’ll have the help
their citizens need and they can
continue to defend themselves,” Biden
says in a broadcast, while flanked by US
Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
CNN
@CNN · Follow
President Joe Biden addressed the situation

in Israel Saturday, saying, "The United States
stands with Israel." cnn.it/3rAiH4m
Watch on X
8:04 PM · Oct 7, 2023
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“The world has seen appalling images of

thousands of rockets in a space of hours
raining down on Israeli cities… Hamas
terrorists crossing into Israel, killing not
only Israeli soldiers but Israeli civilians
in the streets, in their homes, innocent
people murdered, wounded, entire
families taken hostage by Hamas, just
days after Israel marked the holiest of
days on the Jewish calendar. It’s
unconscionable.”
“Israel has the right to defend itself and

its people, full stop. There’s never
justification for terrorist attacks and my
administration’s support for Israel’s
security is rock solid and unwavering.”
“This is not a moment for any party

hostile to Israel to exploit these attacks
to seek advantage. The world is
watching.”
“It’s also a terrible tragedy on a human

level, hurting innocent people, seeing
the lives that have been broken by this,
the families torn apart. It’s
heartbreaking.”
Biden says he has spoken to the king of

Jordan and members of Congress, and
told his national security team to engage
with their Israeli counterparts for
military, diplomatic and intelligence
cooperation to “make sure Israel has
what it needs.”
Biden has directed his team to be in

constant contact with leaders around the
region, including in Saudi Arabia, the
Palestinian Authority, Turkey, Egypt,
Qatar, Oman, the UAE and Europe.
He says he will remain in close contact

with Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu, whom he spoke to earlier
today.
“Let there be no mistake, the United

States stands with the State of Israel,”
Biden says.
 
3hr ago
MDA paramedic Aharon Haimov,

father of 2, identi[ed as among
those killed; was shot in his
ambulance
By RENEE GHERT-ZAND
Aharon Haimov (Courtesy MDA)
Magen David Adom names the senior

paramedic and ambulance driver who
was killed this morning as Aharon
Haimov.
He died after being shot in an MDA

ambulance by Palestinian terrorists as
he was on his way to treat victims in his
hometown of Ofakim as the coordinated
attack on Israel by Hamas from Gaza
unfolded.
Haimov was a 25-year-old married father

of two. He also leaves behind parents,
siblings and an extended family.
Haimov began his career with MDA as a

post-high school volunteer. He later
joined the organization in a professional
capacity as an emergency medicine
paramedic and ambulance driver.
In a statement, MDA says that Haimov

always performed his duties in an
exemplary way and was the first to
respond to emergency events.
“He was a person who put the good of

others and the value of life ahead of
everything else — including today, on
this tragic morning,” says MDA director-
general Eli Bin.
 
4hr ago
Gallant extends emergency

situation to entire country
By EMANUEL FABIAN
Israeli soldiers deploy in Sderot, Israel, on October 7, 2023.

(AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has

decided to extend an emergency
situation to the entire State of Israel, his
office says.
Earlier, Gallant declared the “special

situation” within a range of 80
kilometers from the Gaza Strip.
The “special situation” allows the

military’s Home Front Command to
restrict gatherings and close off areas.
 
4hr ago
Herzog speaks with range of world

leaders offering support to Israel
President Isaac Herzog speaks during a ceremony at the Tel

Aviv Stock Exchange on July 17, 2023. (Avshalom Sassoni/
Flash90)
President Isaac Herzog speaks with a

range of world leaders who are
expressing support for Israel, his office
says.
According to his office, Herzog has

spoken so far today with US Secretary of
State Antony Blinken, French President
Emmanuel Macron, German President
Frank-Walter Steinmeier, President
Andrjez Duda of Poland, President
Fernández of Argentina, UN Secretary
General Antonia Guterres, Serbian
President Vučić, EU Commission
President Ursula von der Leyen, Austrian
Chancellor Karl Nehammer, NATO
Secretary General of Jens Stoltenberg
and European Parliament President
Roberta Metsola.
Blinken sends Herzog his condolences

for the Israeli victims and condemns the
attacks, and discusses measures to
bolster Israel’s security.
 
4hr ago
National Security Council warns

Israelis abroad to be on alert against
attacks
The National Security Council warns

Israelis living abroad to be on alert for
attacks linked to the current war.
In a statement, the council warns that

Simhat Torah celebrations could be a
target for those looking to harm Israelis
or Jews abroad.
 
4hr ago
UN’s Palestinian rights o.cial

condemns both sides after surprise
terror attack
By LUKE TRESS
The UN Human Rights Council official

tasked with investigating the Israeli-
Palestinian conflict refrains from
condemning Palestinian terrorists after
they launch a devastating surprise attack
on Israeli civilians and soldiers.
UN special rapporteur for the

Palestinians Francesca Albanese says, “I
unequivocally condemn attacks on
civilians. Whoever launches them.”
“Today’s violence must be put into

context. Almost six decades of hostile
military rule over an entire civilian
population… are in themselves an
aggression,” Albanese says. Israel
withdrew from Gaza in 2005.
Albanese has a history of antisemitism

and tends to place sole blame for the
conflict on Israel, which she views as a
“colonial” entity.
The US, Israel and other authorities have

demanded her removal due to her bias,
but the UN has not taken any action
against her.
Martin Griffiths, UN under-secretary-

general for humanitarian affairs, also
hedges in his condemnation of terror.
“I am extremely alarmed by the rapidly

escalating events in Israel and the
occupied Palestinian territory. The
number of civilian casualties on both
sides is reportedly already in the
hundreds,” he says. “Violence is never
the answer. I appeal to all sides to stop
the fighting immediately and protect
civilians everywhere and at all times.”
The UN high commissioner for human

rights, Volker Türk, condemns the terror
attacks.
“I am shocked and appalled at reports

this morning that hundreds, possibly
thousands, of indiscriminate rockets
have been fired by Palestinian armed
groups towards Israel, and that at least
22 Israelis have been killed and
hundreds injured,” Türk says.
More recent figures indicate at least 200

Israelis have been killed, over 1,400
wounded, and others taken hostage.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres

and Tor Wennesland, the UN’s special
coordinator for the Middle East peace
process, both issue condemnations of
the terror attacks.
 
4hr ago
Health Ministry updates number of

wounded to more than 1,400
Wounded Israeli soldiers from the south arrive at the

Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in Jerusalem, October 7, 2023
(Noam Revkin Fenton/Flash90)
Health Ministry updates the toll of those

wounded and hospitalized during the
current war to at least 1,452.
As of 9:30 p.m., the ministry says that

there are 18 people in critical condition,
267 in serious condition, 279 in
moderate condition, 636 in good
condition and 16 being treated for severe
anxiety. Another 169 are still being
evaluated by medical authorities.
More than 200 people are believed to

have been killed so far.
 
4hr ago
IDF says it is carrying out fresh

airstrikes in Gaza
By EMANUEL FABIAN
Smoke billows from a residential building following an Israeli

airstrike in Gaza City on October 7, 2023. (MOHAMMED ABED
/ AFP)
The Israel Defense Forces says it is

carrying out a new wave of airstrikes in
the Gaza Strip.
The IDF says it is hitting targets

belonging to the Hamas terror group.
Further details will be provided soon, the

IDF adds.
 
4hr ago
4 reported wounded in Tel Aviv,

Rishon, Bat Yam in latest rocket
barrage
By EMANUEL FABIAN
Rockets are launched by Palestinian militants from the Gaza

Strip towards Israel, in Gaza, October 7, 2023. (AP
Photo/Hatem Moussa)
In the latest rocket barrage from the

Gaza Strip on central Israel, the Magen
David Adom ambulance service reports
four wounded.
A man is lightly hurt in Rishon Lezion; a

34-year-old woman is seriously hurt in
Tel Aviv; and a 70-year-old man is
moderately hurt and a 40-year-old man
is lightly hurt in Bat Yam, MDA says.
 
4hr ago
Health Ministry reports over 1,000

wounded in terror onslaught
The Health Ministry says at least 1,104

people in Israel have been wounded in
the Gaza terror onslaught.
The figure includes 17 people in critical

condition, 200 who are severely
wounded, 226 in moderate condition,
and 142 who are undergoing medical
assessments.
The death toll is at least 200, and is

expected to rise, according to Hebrew
media reports.
The IDF says an unspecified number of

soldiers and civilians have been taken
hostage.
 
4hr ago
Report: Bodies being removed,

identi[ed from site of large party
near Re’im
Hundreds dee gunmen at a Nature Party near Kibbutz Re'im,

October 7, 2023. (Used in accordance with Clause 27a of the
Copyright Law)
Dozens of bodies are being removed

from the scene where Israelis were
massacred at a nature party near Kibbutz
Re’im, Channel 12 reports.
The reporter says the sight of the dead

Israelis is unbearable.
The bodies are being taken for the

beginning of the process of identifying
the victims, she says.
 
4hr ago
Gallant: Hamas will soon realize it

made a grave mistake, and will pay
a heavy price
By EMANUEL FABIAN
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant gives a statement on October

7, 2023. (Elad Malka/Defense Ministry)
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant threatens

the Hamas terror group after it launched
a murderous invasion in southern Israel
today and fired thousands of rockets
“It did not distinguish between women,

children, and elderly, it harmed all of
them. [Hamas] will soon realize it made
a grave mistake, and will pay the price,”
Gallant says in a video statement.
“We will change the face of reality in

Gaza 50 years ahead,” Gallant adds.
 
4hr ago
Sirens sound across central Israel

as heavy volley [red from Gaza

Sirens sound in dozens of communities

across Israel including Tel Aviv as a
heavy volley of rockets is fired from
Gaza.
 
4hr ago
Parents search for children who

attended outdoor party attacked by
terrorists
By JESSICA STEINBERG
Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 23, hasn’t been

heard from since 8:11 a.m. this morning,
when he sent two messages to his
parents: “I love you” and “I’m sorry.”
At the time, Goldberg-Polin’s parents,

Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg, didn’t
understand the cryptic meaning of the
message.
They’d last seen Hersh at 11 p.m. the

previous night, after he attended Simhat
Torah holiday services with them at their
local Jerusalem synagogue and then
joined them for dinner with family
friends.
“He had a backpack and left at around 11

to join his friend,” said Polin, who didn’t
know anything specific about his son’s
plans.
The family is religiously observant and

doesn’t usually use phones on Shabbat,
but after Polin came home early from
synagogue Saturday morning, the two
reached out to a good friend of their
son’s who confirmed that Goldberg-
Polin was at an all-night “nature party”
near Kibbutz Re’im.
The community is close to the Gaza

Strip, in an area where Hamas terrorists
attacked civilians, including at the party.
Within several hours, photos of

handwritten lists began circulating on
social media with the names of party
attendees and the locations where some
had escaped to, Polin says.
“One list said Yishuv Saad, and his name

was on that list, and then it was on the
Ofakim list,” Polin says. “But he wasn’t
at any of those places.”
Friends were at the couple’s home all

day, calling and checking with people
they knew in each location, but
Goldberg-Polin and his friend haven’t
been found anywhere. They called
hospitals in the south, including Soroka
and Barzilay, without any success.
The Jerusalem police are involved, Polin

says, and are taking responsibility for
reporting the two missing young men to
all police units. Pictures of Polin-
Goldberg and his friend are also being
circulated on social media.
“They think there’s still a bunch of

people hiding in the area,” Polin says,
adding that the mother of his son’s
friend is inclined to drive down south to
look for them, but he advises against it,
having heard that roads are closed.
“Every time we hear information, we
turn over everything we can to find out
anything. There’s very little we can
actually do.”
 
4hr ago
IDF says it struck 2 more high-rise

towers being used by Hamas in
Gaza
By EMANUEL FABIAN
Smoke billows from a residential building following an Israeli

airstrike in Gaza City on October 7, 2023. (MOHAMMED ABED
/ AFP)
The Israel Defense Forces says it struck

another two high-rise towers in the Gaza
Strip, used by Hamas.
The “Palestine” building was used by a

number of Hamas units, including
intelligence, weapon production, and
offices of senior members, the IDF says.
Another office building served as the

headquarters of Hamas’s general
security, the IDF says.
Earlier today, the IDF hit two other

multistory buildings in the Gaza Strip
that the military says housed Hamas
assets.
 
4hr ago
Hamas deputy anticipates Israeli

hostages will be swapped for
Palestinian prisoners
Hamas commander Saleh al-Arouri (YouTube screenshot)
In an interview with Al Jazeera, Saleh al-

Arouri, deputy head of the political
bureau of Hamas, calls the terror group’s
onslaught against Israel an “open battle”
aimed at achieving the liberation of the
Palestinian people and their holy places,
following the perceived “desecration” of
the Temple Mount in Jerusalem —
known as the Al-Aqsa compound to
Muslims — by Jewish worshipers over
the holiday of Sukkot.
Al-Arouri alleges plans by Israel to

impose an unspecified “new reality” at
the flashpoint site after the holiday.
Hamas has repeatedly accused Israel of
seeking to alter the sensitive status quo
at the holy site as a pretext for violence.
Al-Arouri adds that Palestinian

detainees in Israeli jails are “about to be
freed,” anticipating the liberation of
security prisoners in exchange for
dozens of Israeli hostages the group has
reportedly taken, including both
civilians and soldiers.
Al-Arouri says some of the Israeli

hostages are “senior officers.” He falsely
says Hamas does not kill or harm
civilians, claiming that there are videos
showing how the terror group treats
civilians “humanely.” Hamas terrorists
slaughtered civilians in southern Israel
today, took others captive, and fired
hundreds of rockets at civilian
population centers.
“We have a plan for all stages of this

conflict,” al-Arouri says, “both in case of
an Israeli request for a ceasefire, and in
case of a continuing escalation of the
violence. We are prepared for all
options.” He adds that an Israeli ground
invasion would be the “best scenario” for
Hamas.
Al-Arouri also expresses his “hope and

trust” that Palestinians outside Gaza will
join the fight “to defend Al-Aqsa,”
especially terror groups in the West
Bank. Al-Arouri is considered the de
facto leader of Hamas in the West Bank.
“We entered this battle not just for a few

hours. We entered it knowing that there
will be consequences, and we have no
choice but to fight it to achieve our high
goals,” he says.
He adds that Hamas is in communication

with international and regional parties,
and implies that it has received offers for
mediation. He also accuses the US of
providing financial and military aid to
Ukraine but neglecting Palestinians.
Al-Arouri touches on the possible

participation of Hezbollah in the attack
on Israel, saying Israel is right to fear
violence on the Lebanese front in the
north, claiming that Israel occupies part
of Lebanon’s territory.
 
4hr ago
Netanyahu offers Lapid, Gantz to

join him in emergency unity
government
By JEREMY SHARON
Yair Lapid (L), Benny Gantz (C) and Benjamin Netanyahu (R)
(Flash90)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

proposes that opposition parties Yesh
Atid and National Unity enter an
emergency government following
Hamas’s devastating surprise attack
Saturday morning.
Netanyahu makes the offer during a

meeting with Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid
and National Unity party leader Benny
Gantz held earlier today, saying such a
government would be the same in
format as the Levi Eshkol government
then-opposition leader Menachem Begin
joined before the Six Day War in 1967.
Gantz says he is considering entering

such a government for the duration of
the war but insists that government
would “deal with security challenges
alone” and in a manner that would allow
“substantive partnership and influence
over decision-making in relevant
forums” for his party.
The National Unity party leader tells

Netanyahu that regardless, the current
government will receive full backing “for
any responsible and determined security
action.”
Lapid said earlier this evening that he

would join “a reduced, professional,
emergency government” and says it
would be impossible to manage a war
with “the extreme and dysfunctional
composition of the current cabinet,”
essentially calling on the prime minister
to remove the far-right Religious
Zionism and Otzma Yehudit parties from
the government in order for him to bring
his Yesh Atid party into the coalition.
 
5hr ago
Hamas-run health ministry says 232

killed in Gaza since start of terror
group assault on Israel
By EMANUEL FABIAN
The Hamas-run health ministry in the

Gaza Strip says 232 Palestinians have
been killed and another 1,697 have been
wounded in the Gaza Strip since the
start of the violence this morning.
 
5hr ago
Israeli death toll from devastating

Hamas attack rises to more than
200

surprise attack on Israel. (Menahem KAHANA / AFP)

group’s massive attack on Israel rises to
more than 200, Hebrew-language media
reports say.
The toll is expected to rise higher.
At least 1,100 have been wounded, many

seriously.
Hundreds of Hamas gunmen infiltrated

into Israel this morning, crossing at
multiple points and overwhelming what
the IDF considered to be the highly
sophisticated border fence.
Hamas claims to have abducted dozens

of Israelis to Gaza; the IDF has
confirmed that soldiers and civilians
specified a number.
Thousands of rockets have been fired at

the south and center of the country,
killing a number of people.
 
5hr ago
9 wounded in Rishon Lezion, Tel

Aviv, Bat Yam and Yavne during
rocket barrage
By EMANUEL FABIAN

The Hamas rocket barrage on central

Israel a short while ago has wounded at
least nine civilians, medics say.
The Magen David Adom ambulance

service said in Rishon Lezion, medics
treated two men aged 28 who were
seriously hurt.
In Yavne, a 73-year-old woman was

seriously hurt and a 77-year-old man
was lightly hurt, MDA says.
In Bat Yam, a 24-year-old man was

moderately hurt, MDA says.
In Tel Aviv, four people were wounded,

including one in moderate condition,
MDA adds.
The victims are being taken to hospitals

in the area.
Hamas claimed to have launched 150

rockets from the Gaza Strip at Tel Aviv in
the barrage.
N12 - ‫החדשות‬
@N12News · Follow
‫תיעוד מאיזור הנפילה בתל אביב‬
Watch on X
6:27 PM · Oct 7, 2023
72 Reply Share
Read 4 replies
 
5hr ago
Anti-overhaul protest groups

announce aid effort for Israeli
residents near Gaza border
By GAVRIEL FISKE
Anti-overhaul protesters rally against the government's

judicial overhaul in Tel Aviv, August 5, 2023. (Miriam
Alster/Flash90)
A coalition of organizations behind the

anti-judicial overhaul protests announce
a general aid effort for residents of
Israeli communities near the Gaza
border, including hosting for citizens
fleeing the fighting, transportation
services, equipment logistics, assistance
from mental health professionals, and
more.
“At this difficult hour for our brothers

and sisters in the south and the entire
Jewish nation, the protest organizations
are putting their complete
organizational infrastructure and
logistical capabilities toward the aid and
support of the residents in the line of
fire,” the organizations say in a social
media notice.
The organizations also call for a freeze

on all protest activities until further
notice and said that while the “gigantic
failure” of the security establishment in
regards to the surprise Hamas attack
must be addressed, “at this time all
efforts must be directed toward aid of
the southern residents, IDF soldiers and
security forces.”
 
5hr ago
IDF hits Hamas terror targets in

airstrikes
By EMANUEL FABIAN

carrying out a new wave of airstrikes in
the Gaza Strip.
The IDF says it is hitting targets

belonging to the Hamas terror group.
Further details will be provided soon, the

IDF adds.
 
5hr ago
White House slams Republican

‘disinformation’ blaming Biden
administration for Hamas attack on
Israel
By JACOB MAGID
US President Joe Biden walks towards Marine One on the

South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Sunday, Sept.
17, 2023, for a short trip to Andrews Air Force Base, Md., and
then on to New York for the United Nations General
Assembly. (AP/Andrew Harnik)
The White House slams a Republican

“disinformation” campaign blaming the
Biden administration for today’s Hamas
attack on Israel.
Prominent Republican lawmakers as well

as former president Donald Trump have
claimed the US deal to release hostages
from Iran gave Tehran access to funds
that it is using to support Hamas.
“Not a single cent from these funds has

been spent, and when it is spent, it can
only be spent on things like food and
medicine for the Iranian people,” says
White House National Security Council
spokesperson Adrienne Watson.
“These funds have absolutely nothing to

do with the horrific attacks today and
this is not the time to spread
disinformation,” she adds.
 
5hr ago
2 seriously wounded in Rishon

Lezion rocket attack
By EMANUEL FABIAN

service says it has received reports of
two seriously wounded in a rocket
impact in Rishon Lezion.
MDA says its medics are checking the

scene, along with rocket impact sites in
Yavne, Givatayim, Bat Yam, Beit Dagan,
and Tel Aviv.
 
5hr ago
Israeli death toll from Hamas war

rises to more than 150
An Israeli soldier stands by the bodies of Israelis killed by

Palestinian terrorists who entered from the Gaza strip, in the
southern Israeli city of Sderot, Oct. 7, 2023. (AP Photo/Tsafrir
Abayov)

group’s war on Israel rises to more than
150, Hebrew-language media cite
medical officials as saying.
The Health Ministry says 1,104 people

have been wounded in the attacks, which
included Hamas terrorists infiltrating
into Israel and gunning down soldiers
and civilians. Others were wounded in
rocket attacks.
The death toll is expected to rise higher.
Graphic content: The bodies of Israeli civilians lie covered in

the southern city of Sderot on October 7, 2023, amid an
unprecedented inWltration into Israel by hundreds of gunmen
from the Hamas terrorist organization from Gaza. (Oren ZIV /
AFP)
Hundreds of Hamas gunmen infiltrated

into Israel this morning, crossing at
multiple points, overwhelming what the
IDF considered to be the highly
sophisticated border fence.
Thirteen hours after the start of the

attacks, there are reported to still be 22
“active” areas in southern Israel, where
gunmen are still active or feared to be in
the field.
Hamas claims to have abducted dozens

of Israelis to Gaza; the IDF has
confirmed that soldiers and civilians
specified a number.
 
5hr ago
Rocket barrage [red at Tel Aviv area

after Hamas threat
Rockets are again fired at Tel Aviv and

surrounding areas after Hamas
threatened to target the area.
Sirens sound in Rehovot, Nes Ziona, Tel

Aviv-Jaffa, Ramat Gan, Yavneh, Rishon
Lezion, Givatayim, Ramat Hasharon,
Petah Tikva, Kiryat Ono, Bnei Brak, Givat
Shmuel, Beer Ya’akov, Ramla, Holon,
Mikve Israel, Bat Yam.
Loud explosions are heard over Tel Aviv.
There are no immediate reports of

casualties.
Earlier, Hamas threatened to target Tel

Aviv after the IDF bombed two high-rise
towers in the Gaza Strip that were used
to house Hamas assets.
Jackson Hinkle
@jacksonhinklle · Follow
MASSIVE rocket barrage reportedly

headed toward Tel Aviv.
Huge explosions reported in the north of

Jerusalem.
Watch on X
6:08 PM · Oct 7, 2023
749 Reply Share
Read 58 replies
 
6hr ago
IDF said to hit Gaza home of Hamas

chief Yahya Sinwar amid terror
group assault
By EMANUEL FABIAN
Yahya Sinwar, head of Hamas in Gaza, delivers a speech

during a meeting with people at a hall on the sea side of Gaza
City, April 30, 2022. (AP Photo/Adel Hana)
Palestinian media outlets report that the

Israeli Air Force bombed the home of
Yahya Sinwar, the head of the Hamas
terror group in the Gaza Strip.
There is no further information on the

strike, or confirmation by Israel.
 
6hr ago
Israel cuts electricity supply to Gaza

By TAL SCHNEIDER
Energy Minister Israel Katz signs an

order instructing the Israel Electric
Corporation to cut the supply of
electricity to Gaza.
“It’s not going to be how it was,” Katz

says in a statement.
Gaza largely relies on Israel and fuel

imports for its power.
 
6hr ago
Turkey declines to condemn Hamas

as it calls for restoration of calm in
region
By LAZAR BERMAN
Turkey’s Foreign Ministry declines to

condemn Hamas or say the word
“terrorism,” saying only that they “are
deeply concerned about the violence and
tension occurred [sic] in Israel and
Palestine today.”
“We attach high importance to the

restoration of calm in the region as soon
as possible, and strongly condemn the
loss of civilian lives. We underline that
acts of violence and associated
escalations will not benefit anyone, and
call on the parties to act with restraint
and avoid impulsive steps.”
Ankara also urges “the parties” to work

toward a two-state solution.
 
6hr ago
Thousands of units of blood

donated; MDA says drive paused
By RENEE GHERT-ZAND
Hundreds in line at the Ichilov hospital in Tel Aviv to donate

blood, October 7, 2023 (Tomer Neuberg/Flash90)
Magen David Adom thanks the Israeli

public for its huge response to the call
for blood donations for treating war
victims at Israel’s hospitals. Thousands
of units of blood were donated at the
many MDA donation sites around the
country.
As of 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, MDA says it

has enough blood supply for the time
being and has asked people to hold off
on donating until tomorrow or later in
the week.
At Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv alone, 650

individuals showed up to donate blood.
Overwhelmed by the turnout, Ichilov
announced that it had closed its blood
donation station until further notice.
For information on where to donate

blood around the country, check the
MDA website.
 
6hr ago
IDF regains control of Re’im military

base from Hamas terrorists in
southern Israel
By EMANUEL FABIAN
The Israel Defense Forces has regained

control of the Re’im military base in
southern Israel, which houses the Gaza
Division, from Hamas terrorists,
according to Hebrew-language media
reports.
Earlier, the IDF said it was fighting

Hamas terrorists at 22 different
locations in southern Israel.
The military has been sweeping the

towns where the terrorists infiltrated,
reaching civilians who have been holed
up for more than 12 hours.
 
6hr ago
UN envoy calls on Security Council

to condemn Hamas: ‘Zero tolerance
for terror group’s war crimes,
genocidal agenda’
By LAZAR BERMAN
Israeli Ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan addresses the

General Assembly on January 20, 2022. (Screen capture)
Israel’s Ambassador to the UN Gilad

Erdan sends a letter to UN Secretary-
General Antonio Guterres and Sérgio
França Danese, the Brazilian diplomat
who holds the Security Council
presidency this month, calling on the
Security Council to immediately
condemn Hamas.
“It is now time for the international

community including the Security
Council to unequivocally condemn the
appalling terror attacks carried out by
Hamas and all terrorist organizations
against the civilians of Israel,” Erdan
writes.
“Israel expects and demands the

solidarity and support of all those in the
international community who oppose
this barbaric terrorism and the targeting
of innocent men, women and children
for slaughter. It will not tolerate moral
equivalence between those defending
against this terrorism and those
perpetrating it. There can be no option
other than zero tolerance for Hamas’ war
crimes and genocidal agenda.”
Erdan also places blame on Iran for, in

his words, funding and directing Hamas.
“The State of Israel will act in any way

necessary to protect its citizens and
sovereignty from the ongoing terrorist
attacks originating from the Gaza Strip
and carried out by Hamas and other
terrorist organizations,” he writes. “We
will not stand idly by as Israelis are
attacked and killed.”
 
6hr ago
US defense chief Austin speaks with

Gallant, rea.rms Pentagon
commitment to Israel’s security
By JACOB MAGID
Left: Defense Minister Yoav Gallant during a ceremony at the

IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv, January 1, 2023; Right: US
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin speaks during a brieWng at
the Pentagon in Washington, November 16, 2022. (Tomer
Neuberg/Flash90; AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant just got

off the phone with his US counterpart
Lloyd Austin during which the latter
“reaffirmed that the [Pentagon’s]
commitment to Israel’s security and its
absolute right to defend itself from acts
of terrorism is unwavering.”
“Secretary Austin has directed his team

to ensure that DoD is closely consulting
with all of our Allies and partners who
share a commitment to peace and
oppose terrorism,” the US readout says.
“Secretary Austin will continue to
consult with Minister Gallant in the
coming days and weeks to ensure that
Israel has the support it needs.”
 
6hr ago
IDF says troops have killed

hundreds of terrorists
By EMANUEL FABIAN
Screenshot from footage released by IDF showing strikes on

terrorists near Gaza, on October 7, 2023. (Screenshot/IDF)
The Israel Defense Forces claims to have

killed hundreds of Palestinian terrorists
in southern Israel and the Gaza Strip in
the last few hours.
Among the counter-attacks is a drone

strike against two terrorists attempting
to breach the security barrier near the
disused Karni crossing; nine terrorists
killed during clashes with troops in the
town of Nirim; and four terrorists
targeted by a fighter jet at the Erez
Crossing.
Other terror squads were killed by troops

in the southern towns of Sufa, Kfar Aza,
and Kerem Shalom, the IDF says.
The IDF also carried out several drone

strikes against terrorists in the area.
The military publishes footage showing

one of the strikes near the southern
town of Be’eri.

IDF publishes footage showing a strike

against a Hamas terror cell in Be'eri earlier
Watch on X
5:16 PM · Oct 7, 2023
225 Reply Share
Read 4 replies
 
6hr ago
4 Hamas terrorists holding two

Israelis hostage for hours in Ofakim
apartment
Four terrorists are still holding two

Israelis hostage in an apartment in
Ofakim, some 12 miles (20 kilometers)
from the Gaza border.
The incident has been playing out all

day, since several carloads of terrorists
drove into the city, Channel 12 reports.
When rocket alarms sounded, and

residents of the city descended into
bomb shelters, the gunmen opened fire
on them, killing several people. Many
terrorists have been killed in the hours
since.
Four terrorists went up into an

apartment in the city, where two Israelis
remained, and they have been holding
them hostage ever since.
Security forces have made several

attempts to find a way to break in and
rescue them, but to no avail thus far.
Magen David Adom’s Shai Kadosh says

two people he knows were killed in the
city during the day and that he and his
colleagues have been treating casualties
all day.
 
6hr ago
Hamas claims to be holding dozens

of Israeli soldiers, o.cers in Gaza
Strip
By EMANUEL FABIAN
Palestinians drive a captured Israeli military vehicle in Gaza

City on Oct. 7, 2023. (AP Photo/Hatem Moussa)
The Hamas terror group says it is

holding hostage dozens of Israeli
soldiers and officers in the Gaza Strip.
In a statement, Hamas claims the

captives “have been secured in safe
places and resistance tunnels.”
 
6hr ago
Health Ministry says all elective

medical services cancelled in south,
center hospitals on Sunday
By RENEE GHERT-ZAND
In light of the high number of injuries

due to the war, the Health Ministry
announces that all ambulatory and
elective medical services will be
canceled on Sunday at hospitals within
80 km of the Gaza border. Well-baby
clinics will also be closed within that
area.
Some hospitals in the center of the

country, including Hadassah in
Jerusalem and Meir in Kfar Saba, have
also announced that they will only
accept patients in need of urgent
medical care.
Hospitals throughout the country will

continue to provide critical and timely
care, such as oncological and
hematological treatments, dialysis, in
vitro fertilization treatment, and
emergency cardiological procedures.
If patients are scheduled for a hospital

procedure or clinic visit on Monday, they
should double-check with the hospital
whether they should come in or not.
The Meuhedet health maintenance

organization has asked its members to
seek service from their primary
physicians via hybrid (online) medicine
appointments as much as possible.
All medical system employees have been

ordered to cancel plans to travel outside
the country, and all medical staff
currently outside Israel have been asked
to return.
 
6hr ago
UN Security Council to hold

emergency meeting amid Hamas
attack on Israel
By AFP
A general view of a United Nations security council meeting

at the United Nations headquarters in New York City on
March 20, 2023. (Ed Jones/AFP)
The United Nations Security Council will

hold an emergency meeting on Sunday
on the violence in the Middle East, the
body said in a statement issued after
deadly attacks by Hamas terrorists on
Israel.
The council will convene Sunday at 3:00

p.m. local time (1900 GMT) to discuss
“the situation in the Middle East,
including the Palestinian question,”
according to a statement.
The meeting will be closed to the press

and public.
 
6hr ago
EU statement on behalf of member

states: Bloc condemns Hamas
attack ‘in the strongest possible
terms’
By LAZAR BERMAN
Josep Borrell, the high representative of the European Union

for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, speaks with members
of the European parliament March 14, 2023, in Strasbourg,
France. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)
The European Union “condemns in the

strongest possible terms” the Hamas
attacks on Israel, and stressed Israel’s
right to self defense.
“The EU calls for an immediate cessation

of these senseless attacks and violence,”
says EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell
in a statement issued on behalf of all 27
member states, “which will only further
increase tensions on the ground and
seriously undermine Palestinian
people’s aspirations for peace.”
Borrell says the EU “stands in solidarity

with Israel which has the right to defend
itself in line with international law, in
the face of such violent and
indiscriminate attacks.”
 
7hr ago
Man says he saw wife, 2 young

children, mother-in-law in Gaza
video of hostages
Screenshot said to show members of an Israeli family being

kidnapped by Hamas and taken to Gaza, October 7, 2023.
(Channel 12 screenshot)
A man says his wife, two young children

and mother-in-law have been taken to
Gaza and that he has seen them in a
video from the coastal enclave.
Yoni Asher tells Channel 12 news that

his wife and children aged three and five
were visiting his mother-in-law at
Kibbutz Nir Oz near the Gaza border
when they were taken during an
infiltration by Hamas terrorists.
Earlier this afternoon, he told the outlet

that he had not spoken to his family for
a number of hours but that he had
tracked his wife’s phone to the Gaza
Strip.
Asher issued desperate pleas for help in

finding his family, speaking to multiple
outlets in the hope that he could get the
message out.
“I have seen my wife’s phone in [Gaza

city] Khan Yunis,” he told the Kan public
broadcaster. “I contacted the police, the
Home Front Command and I don’t know
what’s going on. I need your help so that
I can contact my wife, my daughters and
my mother-in-law.”
 
7hr ago
Israeli activists in US raise funds,

coordinate hosts for canceled
_ights
By LUKE TRESS
Israeli activists in the US launch a

crowdfunding campaign to assist
residents of southern Israel.
The activists from the anti-overhaul

protest movement leverage their
network of thousands of Israelis and US
Jews in the US to respond to the
Palestinian terror onslaught in Israel.
The funds will go to medical,

psychological and physical support for
the victims, the campaign says.
“We join hands to support the needs of

Israelis under attack. This is what we can
do from here now,” organizers say. “This
is exactly the same solidarity from which
we stand in rallies every week.”
All protest activities are suspended.
With some flights to Israel canceled, the

activists are also organizing local hosts
who can house Israelis who are unable to
return home.
Activists from the UnXeptable protest

group urge Israelis who are in the US
and need assistance to contact them.
An open support gathering will take

place at the Jewish Community Center of
Manhattan at 76th Street and
Amsterdam Ave. between 2-4 p.m. this
afternoon.
The Israeli consulate in New York also

says it is accepting all offers of help and
support.
 
7hr ago
US Jewish security group urges

vigilance, says no known threats
By LUKE TRESS
The Secure Community Network, which

coordinates security for Jewish
communities in North America, urges
vigilance but says there are no known
threats to US Jews related to the terror
onslaught in Israel.
The group says it is coordinating

security measures with law enforcement
and other partners.
“SCN recommends Jewish facilities

review and enforce security protocols,
and maintain coordination with law
enforcement,” the group says in a
statement.
Police in the New York town of Ramapo,

which has a significant Jewish
population, increase patrols to “ensure
our residents’ safety during this crisis,”
town supervisor Michael Specht says.
 
7hr ago
IDF strikes 2 high-rise towers in

Gaza used to house Hamas assets;
terror group threatens Tel Aviv
By EMANUEL FABIAN
The Israel Defense Forces says it carried

out airstrikes against two high-rise
towers in the Gaza Strip that were used
to house Hamas assets.
“The Hamas terrorist organization

deliberately places its military assets in
the heart of the civilian population in
the Gaza Strip,” the IDF says.
“Prior to the strike, the IDF provided

advance warning to the occupants of the
building and asked them to evacuate,”
the military adds.
Quds News Network

@QudsNen · Follow
BREAKING: Israeli fighter jets destroy the

Palestine Tower in Gaza City, displacing its
residents.
Watch on X
4:28 PM · Oct 7, 2023
323 Reply Share
Read 43 replies
The Hamas terror group threatens to

launch rockets at Tel Aviv in response to
the IDF strikes on the towers.
 
7hr ago
Opposition Leader Lapid urges

emergency government, says PM
can’t manage war with current
extreme cabinet
By TOI STAFF and CARRIE KELLER-LYNN
Yesh Atid head MK Yair Lapid speaks during a press

conference in Tel Aviv on September 20, 2023. (Miriam
Alster/Flash90)
Opposition Leader Yair Lapid calls for an

“emergency government” to manage
“the difficult and complex operation
ahead of us” after more than 100 Israelis
have been killed, close to 1,000 wounded
and an unknown number of soldiers and
civilians abducted by Hamas terrorists
into Gaza.
“The State of Israel is at war. It won’t be

easy and it won’t be short. It has
strategic consequences which we haven’t
seen for many years. There is a serious
risk that it will become a multi-front
war,” Lapid says in an announcement.
“A short while ago, I met with Prime

Minister Netanyahu. I told him that in
this emergency situation I’m willing to
put aside our differences and form an
emergency, narrow, professional
government with him to manage the
difficult and complex operation ahead of
us.”
Netanyahu, he says, “knows that with

the current extreme and dysfunctional
security cabinet, he can’t manage a war.
Israel needs to be led by a professional,
experienced, and responsible
government. I have no doubt that former
Defense Minister [Benny] Gantz would
also join a government like this.”
“Forming an emergency professional

government will make clear to our
enemies that the vast majority of Israeli
citizens stand behind the IDF and
security forces. It will make clear to the
world, in the international community,
that the people of Israel stand united
against this threat,” says Lapid.
“The State of Israel suffered a hard blow

today. We are all hurting, we are all
angry. However, wars and countries
aren’t managed with pain and anger but
with calm and a strategic understanding
of the situation. We need to put politics
to one side for the sake of an emergency
government that will manage this
situation with determination and won’t
deal with anything else until we achieve
victory over our enemies.”
Lapid made his offer for an emergency

government in person to Netanyahu
after receiving a security update, says a
source close to the opposition leader.
The source says that “the offer is real,

this isn’t a political thing. The offer is
there.”
Netanyahu has not responded and a

source close to Lapid declines to
comment if fellow opposition party
head, National Unity leader Gantz, was
consulted before or after the unity
government offer was made.
 
7hr ago
Gallant speaks with US Secretary of

Defense Lloyd Austin, thanks him
for US support
Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant speaks

with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd
Austin, his office says.
“The IDF and defense establishment are

currently operating to defeat the enemy
and to defend our citizens. We are
prepared to widen our operations,”
Gallant tells Austin.
During the call, which was requested by

Secretary Austin, Gallant details recent
events in Israel and operations carried
out by the IDF and defense
establishment, his office says.
Gallant says Israel is currently at war,

and has been facing terror attacks
against its citizens since this morning –
this includes men, women, children and
elderly individuals.
“The State of Israel will win this war, and

Hamas will be held responsible for its
actions,” his office says.
Gallant thanks Austin and the US

Administration for their support for
Israel.
 
7hr ago
985 injured in massive Hamas

attacks on Israel, Health Ministry
says
By TOI STAFF

surprise attack on Israel, Wring a barrage of rockets from
Gaza and sending ground units to kill or abduct Israelis.
(Menahem Kahana/AFP)
The Health Ministry says that at least

985 people have been wounded and
taken to hospitals in today’s
unprecedented attack by Hamas
terrorists on Israel.
 
7hr ago
US ‘ready to offer all appropriate

means of support’ to Israel, Biden
tells Netanyahu
By JACOB MAGID
US President Joe Biden says he told

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on
their phone call earlier today, “we stand
ready to offer all appropriate means of
support to the government and people of
Israel.”
“Terrorism is never justified. Israel has a

right to defend itself and its people. The
United States warns against any other
party hostile to Israel seeking advantage
in this situation. My administration’s
support for Israel’s security is rock solid
and unwavering,” Biden says in a
statement condemning this morning’s
surprise Hamas attack on southern and
central Israel.
“Jill and I are keeping in our prayers all

of the families who have been hurt by
this violence. We are heartbroken by the
lives that have been tragically cut short
and hope for a swift recovery for all
those who have been wounded,” he adds.
“My team and I are tracking this

situation closely, and I will remain in
close touch with Prime Minister
Netanyahu,” Biden says.
 
7hr ago
UN chief ‘appalled’ by attacks,

abductions of Israelis by Hamas in
massive assault
By JACOB MAGID
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres

has condemned Hamas’s surprise attack
on southern and central Israel this
morning.
“The secretary-general is appalled by

reports that civilians have been attacked
and abducted from their own homes,”
says a statement from his spokesperson.
Guterres “is deeply concerned for the

civilian population and urges maximum
restraint. Civilians must be respected
and protected in accordance with
international humanitarian law at all
times.”
“The secretary-general urges all

diplomatic efforts to avoid a wider
conflagration,” the statement continues.
“He stresses that violence cannot
provide a solution to the conflict, and
that only through negotiation leading to
a two-state solution can peace be
achieved.”
 
7hr ago
Israeli TV shows pixelated videos of

Israelis being taken as hostages to
Gaza by Hamas
Israelis being kidnapped and taken into Gaza by Hamas

terrorists, October 7, 2023, as seen in pixelated videos from
social media screened on Israeli television. (Channel 12
screenshot)
Now that the IDF has confirmed that

Israeli civilians and soldiers have been
kidnapped and taken as hostages to
Gaza, Israeli television is showing
heavily pixelated clips that have been
running for hours on social media.

social media screened on Israeli television. (Channel 12
screenshot)
The clips appear to show Israelis being

abducted on foot and in vehicles, and
were apparently filmed inside Israel and
inside Gaza.
Many of the clips are too gruesome to

broadcast.

social media screened on Israeli television (Channel 12
screenshot)
 
7hr ago
Senior [re[ghters among 100 killed

in Hamas attacks on Israel
By EMANUEL FABIAN
The Israel Fire and Rescue Services say the head of the Kiryat
Gat station, Cpt. Shalom Tzaban, and a senior WreWghter from
the Netivot station, Yevgeny Galsky, were among those killed
in the Hamas terrorist attack on southern Israel October 7,
2023. (Courtesy)
The Israel Fire and Rescue Services say

the head of the Kiryat Gat station, Cpt.
Shalom Tzaban, and a senior firefighter
from the Netivot station, Yevgeny
Galsky, were among those killed in the
Hamas terrorist attack on southern
Israel today.
Tzaban, 60, a father of two, was drafted

into the fire service in 1992. He is
posthumously promoted to the rank of
Deputy Fire Chief.
Galsky, 34, joined the force three years

ago. He is posthumously promoted to
the rank of Sergeant Firefighter.
 
8hr ago
Hamas never dreamed of such

success, like 9/11 for Israel, says
Mideast analyst
By AMANDA BORSCHEL-DAN
Middle East analyst Avi Issacharoff tells

The Times of Israel on Saturday that the
unprecedented assault on Israel by land,
sea and air is an inadvertent benchmark
for the Israel-Hamas relations, as
significant as the September 11, 2001
attacks on the US.
“I think that they wanted to kidnap a few

people, to negotiate over them, and not
to get into the threat of their collapse —
of their ending” — that this coordinated
attack will inevitably bring, Issacharoff
says. “Everyone knows that Gaza will pay
a very heavy price.”
Any former policies of cooperation with

the Gaza-based terrorist organization
are “not even relevant anymore,” he
says, and negotiations “under or over the
table” will no longer take place.
Asked whether he believes Israel’s

northern border will become another
front in the current war, he says it is as
yet unclear whether Hezbollah is
planning a coordinated attack.
“Either they’re going to jump in and be

very stupid, or not,” he says.
“Starting another front with Israel may

bring more [Israeli] casualties… but at
the end of the day, we might end up with
the end of Hamas and Hezbollah.”
“It’s the 9/11 [for Israel], and if this

doesn’t go into a major ground
operation, it’s the end of this
government’s political life,” says
Issacharoff.
 
8hr ago
IDF con[rms Hamas has taken

Israeli hostages to Gaza Strip,
soldiers killed in [ghting
By EMANUEL FABIAN

The Israel Defense Forces’ top

spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari,
confirms the Hamas terror group has
taken Israelis as hostages to the Gaza
Strip.
In a briefing with reporters, Hagari says

Israeli soldiers have also been killed in
the fighting.
No numbers are given on the number of

hostages or soldiers killed.
Hagari says there are still 22 locations of

ongoing fighting in southern Israel,
including hostage situations in Be’eri
and Ofakim.
He says Israeli troops have reached all

towns on the Gaza border, and are
working to scan each and every one.
Four divisions are being deployed to the

Gaza border, joining 31 battalions that
are already there, Hagari says.
 
8hr ago
Several injured in clashes between

Israeli forces, terrorists at Sderot
police station — report
An Israeli soldier stands next to a vehicle used by Hamas

terrorists in the southern Israeli city of Sderot, October 7,
2023. (Jamal Awad/Flash90)
Several are injured in clashes between

Israeli forces and suspected terrorists
inside and outside a police station in the
southern city of Sderot, Channel 12
reports.
Massive amounts of gunfire and

explosions are heard in the area.
Bar Peleg
@bar_peleg · Follow
‫עשר שעות בדיוק לתחילת הלחימה וחילופי אש כבדים‬

‫ עכשיו‬.‫עדיין נמשכים בשדרות באזור תחנת המשטרה‬
‫ בסמוך רכב המחבלים עם‬.‫עוד כח צבאי נכנס לאזור‬
‫מקלע כבד שעדיין לא נפרק‬
Watch on X
2:37 PM · Oct 7, 2023
311 Reply Share
Read 10 replies
 
8hr ago
Gantz: All of Israel united,

government has full support; Israel
can be surprised but not beaten
File: National Unity party head Benny Gantz gives a

statement. (Video screenshot)
Benny Gantz, the leader of the

opposition National Unity party, pledges
support for the security and emergency
forces and says Israel is “completely
unified.”
“I want to say clearly, in a way that

resonates from Gaza, via Beirut, to
Tehran: The entire people of Israel are
united,” he says. “All Israel’s citizens
stand behind the security forces, and the
government has the backing to charge a
heavy, painful and effective price in
order that an event like this is not
repeated.”
“There is no coalition and opposition

now,” Gantz adds, “just a single fist that
will pound the enemy.”
He says all those involved in this attack

are destined to die, and that any other
terror groups that decide to take part
“will be making a terrible mistake.”
“It must be honestly said: the results of

this attack are grave. Soon, some of the
rumors will be confirmed as bad and
painful news for us all. I send my
condolences to the families of the
fallen… and pray for the recovery of all
the injured.”
He hails the bravery of civilians, the

emergency services and soldiers. “Israel
can be taken by surprise, but it cannot be
beaten, as we will prove this time as
well,” Gantz says.
 
8hr ago
Blinken: Washington ‘unequivocally

condemns’ appalling attacks by
Hamas terrorists
By JACOB MAGID
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken

says Washington “unequivocally
condemns the appalling attacks by
Hamas terrorists against Israel,
including civilians and civilian
communities.”
“There is never any justification for

terrorism. We stand in solidarity with
the government and people of Israel, and
extend our condolences for the Israeli
lives lost in these attacks.”
“We will remain in close contact with

our Israeli partners. The United States
supports Israel’s right to defend itself,”
Blinken says in a statement.
 
8hr ago
Biden calls Netanyahu, says US

stands by Israel; PM warns of
‘prolonged, powerful campaign’ to
win
By EMANUEL FABIAN
US President Joe Biden called Prime

Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and
stressed that the US stands by Israel and
fully supports Israel’s right to defend
itself, the Israeli premier’s office says.
Netanyahu thanked Biden for his

support and told him that a “prolonged
and powerful campaign would be
required in which Israel would win,” the
Israeli readout says.
 
8hr ago
Macron says France ‘stands by

Israel and Israelis’ in ongoing
massive attack from Hamas
By EMANUEL FABIAN
French President Emmanuel Macron

tweets in Hebrew in support of Israel.
“I spoke with President Herzog and

Prime Minister Netanyahu,” he writes.
“I condemn the terror attacks from Gaza

against Israel, its soldiers and citizens.
“France stands by Israel and Israelis,

supports their security and their right to
defend themselves.”
Emmanuel Macron
@EmmanuelMacron · Follow
.‫שוחחתי עם הנשיא הרצוג ועם ראש הממשלה נתניהו‬
‫ חייליה‬,‫אני מגנה את מתקפות הטרור מעזה נגד ישראל‬

.‫ואזרחיה‬
‫ דבקה בביטחונם‬,‫צרפת ניצבת לצד ישראל והישראלים‬

.‫ובזכותם להגן על עצמם‬
2:52 PM · Oct 7, 2023
16.3K Reply Share
Read 2.9K replies
 
9hr ago
Trump: Hamas assault on Israel a

‘disgrace,’ US taxpayer dollars
‘helped fund these attacks’
By JACOB MAGID
Former US president Donald Trump

weighs in on the ongoing Hamas attack
on Israel, calling them a “disgrace” and
asserting that Israel “has every right to
defend itself with overwhelming force.”
“Sadly, American taxpayer dollars

helped fund these attacks, which many
reports are saying came from the Biden
Administration,” he says, ostensibly
blaming US policy on Iran for today’s
attacks.
“We brought so much peace to the

Middle East through the Abraham
Accords, only to see Biden whittle it
away at a far more rapid pace than
anyone thought possible. Here we go
again,” Trump says in a statement.
 
9hr ago
White House says Biden briefed on

Hamas assault on southern Israel
The White House says US President Joe

Biden has been briefed by senior
national security officials regarding the
ongoing Hamas aerial and ground
assault on towns in southern and central
Israel.
“The president will continue to receive

updates and White House officials
remain in close contact with Israeli
partners,” the White House Press Office
 
9hr ago
IDF says dozens of Palestinian

terrorists killed in attempt to
in[ltrate from the sea this morning
By EMANUEL FABIAN
The Israeli Navy killed dozens of

Palestinian terrorists who attempted to
infiltrate into Israel this morning, the
military says.
“Forces conducted a naval pursuit and

targeted dozens of terrorists after they
attempted to infiltrate into Israeli
territory,” the Israel Defense Forces says
in a statement, publishing a video of the
incident.
“The soldiers opened fire toward the

terrorists and thwarted dozens of them,
as well as two rubber boats and two
additional vessels,” the IDF adds.

This morning the Israeli Navy killed a number

of Hamas terrorists who attempted to
infiltrate into Israel, the military says.
Watch on X
2:56 PM · Oct 7, 2023
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 
9hr ago
9 Hamas terrorists killed in the

southern town of Nirim, near Gaza
By EMANUEL FABIAN
Israeli troops killed nine Hamas

terrorists in the southern town of Nirim,
close to the border with the Gaza Strip,
Army Radio reports.
The Israel Defense Forces has been

fighting Palestinian gunmen in Israeli
territory since early this morning.
 
9hr ago
At least 900 wounded in massive

The Health Ministry says so far 908

injured people have been taken to
hospitals for treatment in the ongoing
terror attack by Hamas on southern and
central Israel.
At least 100 have been killed in the

unprecedented assault, authorities say.
 
9hr ago
Over 100 killed in Hamas onslaught

on southern Israel; toll expected to
rise
An Israeli soldier stands by the bodies of Israelis killed by

Palestinian terrorists who entered from the Gaza strip, in the
southern Israeli city of Sderot, Oct. 7, 2023. (AP Photo/Tsafrir
Abayov)

group’s attack on Israel rises to more
than 100, Hebrew-language media cite
medical officials as saying.
The number is seen as certain to rise

further.
Some 800 people have been wounded in

the attacks, which have included
hundreds of Hamas terrorists infiltrating
into Israel and gunning down soldiers
and civilians. Others were wounded in
rocket attacks.
 
9hr ago
Hamas claims to have captured

many Israeli captives, ‘including
senior o.cers’
Hamas deputy chief Saleh al-Arouri tells

Al Jazeera that the group has captured “a
big number” of Israelis. He says “senior
officers” are among them.
These claims have not been confirmed or

verified by Israel.
 
9hr ago
Hamas-run ministry in Gaza says

198 Palestinians killed since start of
terror group’s assault
By EMANUEL FABIAN
The Hamas-run health ministry in the

Gaza Strip says 198 Palestinians have
been killed and another 1,610 have been
wounded since the start of the escalation
this morning.
 
9hr ago
Rocket [re continues toward south

as IDF focuses on Hamas terrorists
in Israeli territory
By EMANUEL FABIAN
Smoke billows in Ashkelon on October 7, 2023, as barrages of

rockets were Wred from the Palestinian enclave into Israeli
territory (AHMAD GHARABLI / AFP)
Sporadic rocket fire continues against

towns close to the border with the Gaza
Strip.
The rate of rocket fire from Gaza appears

to have slowed in the last hour, with
sirens sounding in several communities.
The Israeli military is still focusing on

fighting Hamas terrorists still in Israeli
territory.
 
9hr ago
Ra’am leader Abbas urges Arab

community not to respond to
incitement, calls for unity
Ra'am party head MK Mansour Abbas leads a faction

meeting, at the Knesset in Jerusalem, on June 12, 2023.
(Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Ra’am’s Mansour Abbas urges Arab

Israelis not to respond to rumors or
incitement
Abbas, leader of the Islamist Ra’am

party, is the first Arab Israeli political
leader to publish a statement reacting to
the ongoing deadly Hamas assault on
Israel.
The party leader writes in Hebrew: “In

light of the sad, tragic events since this
morning, and the situation assessments
saying that the situation may devolve
into a regional war, I call on Arab
citizens of Israel and on all citizens,
Arabs and Jews alike, to exert restraint
and behave responsibly and patiently, to
obey the law and maintain public order.”
“I urge [Arab Israeli citizens] to restrain

from any type of violence or damage to
public or private property, and not
respond to rumors or incitement aimed
at causing an escalation inside or
outside Arab towns, or in mixed cities.”
Abbas further calls for unity and mutual

support and to give hospitality to
families fleeing the areas under attack,
particularly in the Negev and in
unrecognized villages, many of which
are not equipped with anti-rocket
shelters.
 
9hr ago
Kibbutz Be’eri resident hears ‘lots of

gun[re’ amid uncon[rmed reports
of hostages held there
Ella, a resident of Kibbutz Be’eri, tells

Channel 12 that she is in a safe room at
her home in the kibbutz and is hearing
“lots of gunfire” nearby.
She speaks amid unconfirmed reports

that Hamas gunmen are holding
hostages at the kibbutz dining hall.
Meanwhile, another resident of the

south says his wife and daughters have
disappeared, and that he has traced his
wife’s phone — which doesn’t answer —
to Khan Younis in the southern Gaza
Strip. He says he fears his family has
been kidnapped to Gaza.
Hamas claims to have kidnapped dozens

of Israeli civilians and soldiers to Gaza.
These reports are not officially

confirmed by Israel. Channel 12 news
reports, however, that Hamas has
kidnapped men and women, young and
old, civilians and soldiers to the Gaza
Strip. The infiltration is proving “far
more successful” from Hamas’s
perspective than it would have expected,
the TV station’s Ohad Hemo says, and
Hamas almost certainly doesn’t know
itself how many Israelis it has
kidnapped.
In turn, though, Hemo says, the Israeli

response in Gaza is likely to be much
more far-reaching than Hamas would
have expected.
 
9hr ago
Iranian o.cials praise Hamas

attack on Israel: ‘A proud operation’
By AFP and TOI STAFF
Palestinians wave their national dag and celebrate by a

destroyed Israeli tank at the Gaza Strip fence east of Khan
Younis, Oct. 7, 2023. (AP Photo/Yousef Masoud)
A senior adviser to Iran’s supreme leader

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei expresses
support for an attack Hamas launched
against Israel, calling it a “proud
operation.”
“We support the proud operation of Al-

Aqsa Flood,” Yahya Rahim Safavi says at
a meeting held in support of Palestinian
children in Tehran, quoted by ISNA news
agency.
“We support this operation, and we are

sure that the resistance front also
supports this issue,” says Safavi, who is a
senior general in the Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Safavi expressed backing for the

Palestinian terrorists “until the
liberation of Palestine and Jerusalem.”
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman

Nasser Kanani also hailed the
Palestinian terror assault on Israel.
“Today’s operation marked a new page

in the field of resistance and armed
operations against the occupiers,” he
says.
“The resistance has so far achieved

brilliant victories during this operation,
and this is a bright spot in the history of
the Palestinian people’s struggle against
the Zionists.”
At a parliament session on Saturday,

Iranian lawmakers chanted “Down with
Israel,” “Down with America,” and
“Welcome Palestine,” according to a
video published by Tasnim news agency.
Iran, which hosted leaders of Hamas and

Islamic Jihad in June, considers Israel its
arch-enemy.
 
9hr ago
A number of airlines cancel _ights

to Israel amid widespread Hamas
attack
German airline Lufthansa is cutting

flights to Israel following a wave of
Palestinian attacks, a spokesman tells
AFP.
“Given the current security situation in

Tel Aviv,” Lufthansa will maintain a
single flight to Frankfurt but “all other
Lufthansa flights to and from Tel Aviv
have been canceled for this Saturday.”
The Walla news site says Swiss Air,

Austrian Airlines and Turkish Airlines
are among the companies to cancel
flights to and from Israel.
 
10hr ago
Police say forces clashed with

rioting Palestinians in East
Jerusalem refugee camp earlier
today
By EMANUEL FABIAN
Police say forces clashed with

Palestinians in the Shuafat refugee camp
in East Jerusalem earlier today.
According to police, amid the rioting,

officers shot at a gunman who opened
fire toward the forces.
No Israeli officers are hurt, police say.

Police forces clashed with Palestinians in the

Shuafat refugee camp in East Jerusalem
earlier today. Amid the rioting, officers shot
at a gunman who opened fire toward the
forces. No Israeli officers hurt.
Watch on X
1:52 PM · Oct 7, 2023
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 
10hr ago
US defense chief: ‘We’ll ensure that

Israel has what it needs to defend
itself, protect civilians from terror’
By JACOB MAGID
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin arrives for talks with

Estonia's prime minister in Tallinn, Estonia, on February 16,
2023. (RAIGO PAJULA / AFP)
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says

the Pentagon will work in the coming
days “to ensure that Israel has what it
needs to defend itself and protect
civilians from indiscriminate violence
and terrorism.”
“Our commitment to Israel’s right to

defend itself remains unwavering, and I
extend my condolences to the families of
those who lost their lives in this
abhorrent attack on civilians,” Austin
 
10hr ago
9 hours since start of Hamas

assault, terrorists still in a number
of Israeli communities
Over nine hours since the Hamas terror

group launched a deadly assault on
Israel with terrorists infiltrating from
land, air and sea, there are still gunmen
in a number of Israeli communities.
In addition, there is still near-

continuous rocket fire — while the
center of the country was targeted by
projectiles earlier in the day, the fire is
now mainly toward southern towns.
 
10hr ago
IDF says it carried out drone strike

on Hamas cell near Gaza border
crossing
By EMANUEL FABIAN

out a drone strike against a Hamas terror
cell near the Erez border crossing with
the Gaza Strip.
Footage published by the IDF shows

several more airstrikes against Hamas
terrorists in southern Israel earlier
today.

IDF says it struck a Hamas terror cell near the

Erez crossing on the Gaza border. Footage
shows several airstrikes in southern Israel
earlier.
Watch on X
1:42 PM · Oct 7, 2023
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 
10hr ago
Saudi Arabia calls for ‘halt to

escalation between the two sides’
amid deadly Hamas assault
Saudi Arabia calls for an “immediate halt

to the escalation between the two sides,
the protection of civilians, and restraint”
amid the ongoing assault by the Hamas
terror group.
Riyadh says it ‘repeatedly warned’ of an

explosive situation with Palestinians.
In a statement, the Kingdom recalls its

“repeated warnings of the danger of the
explosion of the situation, as a result of
the continued occupation, the
deprivation of the Palestinian people of
their legitimate rights, and the
repetition of systematic provocations
against its sanctities.”
The Saudi Foreign Ministry further calls

on the international community to lead
a “credible peace process” to achieve a
two-state solution.
The kingdom has been conducting

negotiations to achieve a normalization
deal with Israel. According to recent
leaks, the Saudi negotiators, while
insisting on concessions for the
Palestinians, do not see the creation of a
Palestinian state as a precondition for a
possible deal.
 
10hr ago
Netanyahu and Biden expected to

speak in the next hour
US President Joe Biden, right, meets with Israeli Prime

Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in New York, Wednesday,
September 20, 2023. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and

US President Joe Biden are expected to
speak in the next hour amid a massive
and deadly attack by the Hamas terror
group on Israel.
Dozens have been killed and hundreds

wounded as terrorists infiltrated from
Gaza into Israeli towns, and thousands
of rockets were launched at the south
and center of the country.
 
10hr ago
Herzog calls on international

community to stand with Israel after
Hamas attack
President Isaac Herzog speaks during a ceremony at the Tel

Aviv Stock Exchange on July 17, 2023. (Avshalom Sassoni/
Flash90)
President Isaac Herzog calls for the

international community to unite in its
condemnation of Hamas after the Gaza-
based terror group launched a deadly
attack.
“Today we saw the true face of Hamas. A

terrorist army whose only goal is the
cold-blooded murder of innocent men,
women, and children. Supported and
directed by their proxy commanders in
Iran, they carried out an unprovoked,
heinous attack against the Jewish state
on a Jewish holy day. Innocent civilians
were massacred and wounded, and many
are still under attack,” Herzog says in a
statement.
“The State of Israel will take all

measures necessary to eliminate this
clear and immediate danger to our
citizens. Israel will overcome in the face
of all challenges,” he says.
“I call upon the family of nations – this

war waged against us marks a line in the
sand. Now is the time to hear clear,
unequivocal condemnation of Hamas, its
allies, and its backers in Iran. Now is the
time to stand firm with Israel in support
of its just and moral battle in the face of
an abhorrent enemy,” he says.
 
10hr ago
After massive Hamas assault,

Palestinian media says 160 killed in
Gaza clashes, airstrikes
By EMANUEL FABIAN
Palestinian media outlets report 160

killed and over 1,000 wounded recorded
by hospitals in the Gaza Strip since this
morning.
The toll likely includes those targeted by

the Israeli military in airstrikes, and
during clashes with troops in southern
Israel.
 
10hr ago
Sderot resident: People opened

their doors when Hamas terrorists
knocked, thinking they were IDF
troops
By CANAAN LIDOR
Shoval Kahlon, a resident of Sderot,

describes the situation in the border
town which was infiltrated by Hamas
terrorists.
“There are Hamas troops walking

around. We see videos of them. They’re
walking round with impunity,” she tells
the Kan public broadcaster from the
bomb shelter of her home.
Security forces are fighting terrorists in

at least four areas in the town, the
broadcaster reports.
“We woke up at 6:30 a.m. to alarms, we

thought it was the usual rocket attacks
but we started hearing gunshots on the
street, sounded like it came from the
parking of our building. Then we
realized something was unusual. We
then started seeing Hamas people in
pickup trucks. They knocked on the
homes of residents, who thought they
were Israeli soldiers. They took them
hostage,” says Kahlon.
 
10hr ago
US condemns Hamas attacks on

Israeli citizens
By JACOB MAGID
An ultra-Orthodox Jew peers out of a building after a rocket

attack from the Gaza Strip in Ashkelon, Israel, on Oct. 7, 2023
(AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
The United States “unequivocally

condemns the unprovoked attacks by
Hamas terrorists against Israeli
civilians,” says White House National
Security Council spokesperson Adrienne
Watson.
“There is never any justification for

terrorism. We stand firmly with the
government and people of Israel and
extend our condolences for the Israeli
lives lost in these attacks,” Watson says.
US “National Security Advisor Jake

Sullivan has spoken to Israeli National
Security Advisor Tzachi Hanegbi and we
remain in close contact with our Israeli
partners,” Watson adds.
 
10hr ago
Baby found at kibbutz where Hamas

gunmen in[ltrated; parents nowhere
to be seen
A baby has been found at Kibbutz Kfar

Aza near the Gaza border, and the
parents are nowhere to be seen, Channel
12’s Tamir Steinman reports.
The baby is alive. Kibbutz residents are

pleading for anyone who has
information on the baby’s family to
come forward.
The kibbutz is one of several places

where Hamas gunmen are still believed
to be on the loose.
Steinman, speaking a few minutes later,

also says several of his friends and
contacts who live in areas close to the
Gaza border, including some he was
talking to earlier today, “are no longer
answering… and it’s clear why they’re
not answering.”
 
10hr ago
Education Ministry says schools,

kindergartens to be closed
nationwide on Sunday
The Education Ministry says all

kindergartens and schools will be closed
across the country on Sunday.
Earlier, the Israel Defense Forces’ Home

Front Command said that studies would
not go ahead in the center and south of
the country, but the ministry has
expanded the closure to the entire
country.
 
10hr ago
UN Middle East envoy ‘vehemently

condemns’ Hamas assault on Israel
By JACOB MAGID
UN Mideast envoy Tor Wennesland addresses the UN

Security Council in New York on November 28, 2022.
(Screenshot/ UN, used in accordance with Clause 27a of the
Copyright Law)
The UN’s Middle East envoy Tor

Wennesland “vehemently condemns”
today’s multi-front Hamas assault of
Israeli towns near Gaza and the firing of
rockets into central Israel.
“These events have resulted in horrific

scenes of violence and many Israeli
fatalities and injuries, with many
believed to be kidnapped inside the
Strip. These are heinous attacks
targeting civilians and must stop
immediately,” Wennesland says in a
statement.
“I am deeply concerned for the well-

being of all civilians. I am in close
contact with all concerned to urge
maximum restraint and call on all sides
to protect civilians.”
“This is a dangerous precipice and I

appeal to all to pull back from the brink,”
he adds.
 
10hr ago
TV reporter describes ‘bodies on the

ground’ in Sderot; mayor says
Israelis haven’t yet understood
what’s happened
Alon Davidi, mayor of the southern city of Sderot, attends a

press conference in Jerusalem, March 27, 2017. (Hadas
Parush/Flash90)
The mayor of Sderot, Alon Davidi, says

his city is still under attack.
“Don’t open the doors, stay inside, close

the windows… we’re still searching the
area,” he tells local residents via
Channel 12.
He says the Hamas leadership, from

Ismael Haniyeh on down, are “animals”
who “must be harmed and killed.”
The people of Israel “haven’t yet seen”

what’s happened in the city, he says —
“inhuman acts” against innocent people.
The terrorists have to be “wiped out,” he
says.
Israel has given Gazans food, water and

electricity, and allowed Gazans into
work, he notes, but the Gaza Hamas
leadership are “murderers who must be
buried under the ground. Not because we
are cruel, but because those who are
merciful to the cruel, ultimately are
cruel to the good.”
“People still don’t understand the

numbers” and the extent of the attacks,
he says.
A Channel 12 reporter in the city says

there are many “bodies on the ground…
terribly grave pictures, scenes that are
hard to describe.”
These fatalities, the reporter stresses,

are victims of gunfire by Hamas
terrorists who infiltrated from Gaza into
the city, not rocket attacks.
 
11hr ago
At least 40 killed, over 700 injured in

devastating Hamas attack
Wounded Israeli soldiers from the south arrive at the

Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in Jerusalem, October 7, 2023
(Noam Revkin Fenton/Flash90)
At least 40 people have been killed and

over 700 injured since the start of the
massive attack by the Hamas terror
group, the Magen David Adom
emergency service says.
The Health Ministry says 779 people

have been hospitalized.
Terror cells from the Gaza group have

infiltrated a number of communities in
the south of the country.
In addition, thousands of rockets have

been fired at the center and south.
Hamas has claimed to have taken a

number of hostages from Israel to the
Gaza Strip. There has been no
confirmation from Israel.
The assault has been ongoing since

approximately 6:30 a.m.
The death toll is expected to rise.
 
11hr ago
Netanyahu calls on citizens to unite

and achieve victory in war amid
Hamas assault
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu leads a security cabinet

meeting in Tel Aviv, October 7, 2023. (Haim Zach/GPO)

makes a statement at the start of the
security cabinet meeting, calling for all
the citizens of the country to unite.
“Since this morning, the State of Israel

has been at war. Our first goal is first of
all to cleanse the area of the enemy
forces that have infiltrated, and restore
security and peace to the settlements
that were attacked,” Netanyahu says.
“The second goal, at the same time, is to

exact a huge price from the enemy, also
in the Gaza Strip,” he says.
“The third goal is to fortify other arenas

so that no one makes the mistake of
joining this war,” Netanyahu says.
“We are at war, in war, you have to keep

calm. I call on all citizens of Israel to
unite in order to achieve our highest
goal – victory in the war,” the premier
says.
The official name for the campaign by

the Israel Defense Forces amid the
devastating Hamas attack is Operation
Swords of Iron.
 
11hr ago
IDF says carried out drone strikes

on Hamas terrorists at Gaza border
By EMANUEL FABIAN
The Israel Defense Forces says it has

carried out a number of drone strikes
against several Hamas terrorists on the
border with the Gaza Strip.
Airstrikes are continuing in other areas

of the Gaza Strip at this hour, the IDF
says.
 
11hr ago
Ukraine’s Zelensky on ‘horrible’

Hamas attack: ‘Israel’s right to self-
defense is unquestionable’
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks during a

press conference with President of the European
Commission Ursula Von der Leyen in Kyiv on May 9, 2023
(Sergei SUPINSKY / AFP)
Ukraine’s President writes a long post

condemning the devastating Hamas
terror assault on Israel and says that all
its details should be revealed to the
world.
Here is the post in full:
“Horrible news from Israel. My

condolences go out to everyone who lost
relatives or close ones in the terrorist
attack. We have faith that order will be
restored and terrorists will be defeated.
“Terror should have no place in the

world, because it is always a crime, not
just against a specific country or this
terror’s victims, but against humanity in
general and our entire world.
“Anyone who resorts to terror commits a

crime against the world. Whoever
finances terror is committing a crime
against the world. The world must stand
united and in solidarity so that terror
does not attempt to break or subjugate
life anywhere and at any moment.
“Israel’s right to self-defense is

unquestionable.
“All details surrounding this terrorist

assault must be revealed so that the
world knows and holds accountable
everyone who supported and helped
carry out the attack.
“All Ukrainian citizens who remain in

the risk zone must carefully obey all
orders issued by local security services
and remain vigilant. Please be cautious.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign
Affairs and our embassy in Israel are
ready to assist in any situation.
“To support Ukrainians in Israel, we

established an operational headquarters.
If you require assistance, please contact
any of our diplomatic or consular offices
in any convenient and accessible
manner.
Every life is valuable! We condemn all

forms of terrorism.”
 
11hr ago
Reports of hostage situation in

Ofakim, 20 km from Gaza border
By EMANUEL FABIAN
An ongoing hostage situation is reported

by Hebrew-language media in the
southern city of Ofakim, some 20
kilometers from the border with the
Gaza Strip.
Some reports say several Hamas

terrorists have been killed by Israeli
forces there.
There is no immediate comment from

authorities on the incident.
 
11hr ago
Kibbutz Ein HaShlosha, Nir Yitzhak

residents say terrorists still inside
communities
Residents of Kibbutz Ein HaShlosha near

the border with the Gaza Strip tell
Channel 12 news that there are still
terrorists within the community.
“Send police or troops to help us,

please,” one of them messages a
reporter. “I am in the safe room, with a
knife.”
In addition, the outlet says there is a

Hamas gunman still roaming around
Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak.
Throughout the day, residents of the

border communities have been calling
television outlets to beg for security
forces to come and rescue them amid a
mass infiltration by Hamas terrorists.
 
11hr ago
Hamas publishes footage of drone

attack on IDF ambulance
By EMANUEL FABIAN
The Hamas terror group publishes a

video showing it dropping a bomb from a
drone on a military ambulance near the
Gaza border, wounding Israeli troops.

Hamas publishes a video showing it dropping

a bomb from a drone on a military ambulance
near the Gaza border, wounding troops.
Watch on X
12:10 PM · Oct 7, 2023
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 
12hr ago
Footage shows bulldozer breaking

through border fence from Gaza into
Israel
Palestinians from the Gaza Strip enter the Kibbutz Kfar Aza
on Oct. 7, 2023 amid a massive assault by the Hamas terror
group. (AP Photo/Hassan Eslaiah)
Channel 12 broadcasts footage from

earlier this morning apparently showing
a bulldozer breaking through the border
fence between Israel and the Gaza Strip.
Dozens of terrorists from the Hamas

terrorist group infiltrated into Israel by
land, air and sea, going on deadly
rampages through border communities.
The Hamas terror group has published

footage showing its members capturing
a number of Israeli soldiers during an
attack on a military base on the border
with the Gaza Strip this morning.
Other clips circulated online have

purported to show Israeli civilians taken
hostage by the terror group.
The IDF has yet to comment on the

allegations.
N12 - ‫החדשות‬
@N12News · Follow
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‫טרקטור עזתי פורץ את הגבול באין מפריע‬
bit.ly/46Fr9xX
Watch on X
10:59 AM · Oct 7, 2023
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 
12hr ago
Gaza terrorists have now been [ring

rockets at Israel for 7.5 hours
Gaza-based terror groups have been

firing rockets toward Israel for over 7.5
hours.
There are multiple dead and hundreds

injured in the assault by the Hamas
terror group which also includes
infiltration by dozens of terrorists into
southern border communities.
 
12hr ago
IDF says it hit Hamas military

compounds in airstrikes amid
massive terror assault
By EMANUEL FABIAN

out airstrikes against 17 military
compounds and four headquarters
belonging to the Hamas terror group in
the Gaza Strip, among other targets.
The IDF publishes a clip showing the

strikes.

IDF says it struck 17 military compounds and

four headquarters belonging to Hamas in the
Gaza Strip, among other targets.
Watch on X
11:47 AM · Oct 7, 2023
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 
12hr ago
EU foreign policy chief calls for

immediate release of Israeli
hostages from Gaza
High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs

and Security Policy Josep Borrell on August 31, 2023.
(PIERRE-PHILIPPE MARCOU/AFP)
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell

calls for the immediate release of Israeli
hostages who were kidnapped and taken
to Gaza amid a massive assault by the
Hamas terror group.
“News of civilians taken as hostages in

their homes or to Gaza are appalling,”
Borrell writes on X, the social media site
formerly known as Twitter.
“This is against international law,” he

writes. “Hostages must be released
immediately.”
The Hamas terror group has published



allegations.
 
12hr ago
European leaders strongly condemn

Hamas terror assault
Israeli police oVcers evacuate a family from a site hit by a

rocket Wred from the Gaza Strip, in Ashkelon, southern Israel,
October 7, 2023. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov)
European leaders roundly condemn the

massive assault by the Hamas terror
group on Israel.
German Foreign Minister Annalena

Baerbock says Hamas contributes to “the
intensification of violence,” adding
Israel “has our full solidarity” and “the
right, guaranteed by international law, to
defend itself against terrorism.”
France expresses “full solidarity with

Israel and the victims” and underscored
“its absolute rejection of terrorism and
its commitment to Israel’s security.”
French President Emmanuel Macron
said he “firmly condemns” the attacks.
Italy also backed “Israel’s right to defend

itself” against the “brutal attack.”
Britain’s foreign minister James Cleverly

condemns the “horrific attacks” and
underlined Israel’s right to self-defense.
Dutch PM Mark Rutte says: “Appalling

images from Israel. Terror organization
Hamas is waging an unprecedented
attack on Israel… This violence must
stop; Israel has every right to defend
itself.”
Spain says it is “shocked by the

indiscriminate violence” of the attacks
on Israel while Ukraine and the Czech
Republic say they back Israel’s right to
defend itself.
 
12hr ago
Top EU o.cial says bloc

‘unequivocally’ condemns Hamas
terror attacks
By AFP
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen

speaks during a press statement on Ukraine, at EU
headquarters in Brussels, Feb 24, 2022. (Kenzo Tribouillard,
Pool Photo via AP)
The European Union “unequivocally”

condemns attacks by the Palestinian
group Hamas on Israel and called for an
immediate stop to the violence.
The comments came after a barrage of

rockets was fired and fighters from the
Palestinian enclave infiltrated Israel, a
major escalation in the Israeli-
Palestinian conflict.
EU chief Ursula von der Leyen says she

“unequivocally” condemns the “terrorist
attack by Hamas on Israel,” adding that
it was “terrorism in its most
contemptible form.”
“Israel has the right to defend itself

against such odious attack,” she adds.
“This horrific violence must stop

immediately. Terrorism and violence
solve nothing. The EU expresses its
solidarity with Israel in these difficult
moments,” EU foreign policy chief Josep
Borrell says.
European Council president Charles

Michel also condemns the
“indiscriminate attacks launched against
Israel and its people this morning
inflicting terror and violence against
innocent citizens.”
“My thoughts are with all the victims.

EU stands in solidarity with Israeli
people in this horrific moment.”
 
12hr ago
Paramedic among those killed;

Hamas has control of 2 Israeli
ambulances – Magen David Adom
A paramedic is among the confirmed

dead so far in the massive assault by the
Hamas terror group, the spokesman for
the Magen David Adom emergency
service says.
Eli Bin tells Army Radio that the

paramedic was killed in his ambulance,
and a medic in a second ambulance was
badly injured.
Additionally, Bin says Hamas has control

of two ambulances.
 
13hr ago
Health Ministry: 545 hospitalized

since start of Hamas attack
A member of the Wre brigade puts out the blaze following a

rocket attack from the Gaza Strip on Ashkelon in southern
Israel, on October 7, 2023 (AHMAD GHARABLI / AFP)
The Health Ministry says 545 people

have been hospitalized since the start of
the massive attack by Hamas, which was
launched by the terror group at around
6:30 a.m. this morning.
Earlier, the Magen David Adom

emergency service said that at least 22
people have been killed. The death toll is
expected to rise.
 
13hr ago
Hamas publishes footage of

terrorists capturing IDF soldiers in
attack on Gaza border base
By EMANUEL FABIAN
The Hamas terror group publishes



allegations.
 
13hr ago
Attempted stabbing at entrance to

West Bank settlement, attacker shot
The scene of an attempted stabbing attack at Beit Aryeh

settlement in the West Bank, October 7, 2023 (Courtesy)
There is an attempted stabbing attack at

a settlement in the northern West Bank,
according to local security officials.
The alleged attacker is said to have

attempted to stab the civilian guard at
the entrance to the Beit Aryeh
settlement. The guard shot the assailant.
The suspect is being treated by military

medics at the scene.
 
13hr ago
IDF Palestinian liaison chief: ‘Hamas

opened the gates of hell on the Gaza
Strip’
By EMANUEL FABIAN
The military’s liaison to the Palestinians

threatens Hamas after the terror group
launched a surprise attack on Israel
today.
“Hamas opened the gates of hell on the

Gaza Strip, Hamas made the decision
and Hamas will bear the responsibility
and pay the price,” says Maj. Gen.
Ghassan Alian, the Coordinator of
Government Activities in the Territories.
 
13hr ago
At least 22 killed in massive Hamas

surprise attack, emergency service
says
Police oVcers evacuate a woman and a child from a site hit

by a rocket Wred from the Gaza Strip, in Ashkelon, southern
Israel, Oct. 7, 2023 (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov)
The Magen David Adom emergency

service says at least 22 people have been
killed since the start of the massive
attack by the Hamas terror group.
There are over 70 people seriously

injured, a spokesman says.
Terror cells from the Gaza group have

infiltrated a number of communities in
the south of the country.
In addition, thousands of rockets have

been fired at the center and south.
The assault has been ongoing since

approximately 6:30 a.m.
The death toll is expected to rise.
 
13hr ago
IDF publishes footage of Gaza

strikes in response to massive
Hamas attack
By EMANUEL FABIAN
The Israel Defense Forces publishes

footage of Air Force strikes on Hamas
assets in the Gaza Strip earlier today.
IAF jets have so far dropped more than

16 tons of munitions, according to a
military source.
Several battalions from the standing

army have been deployed to the Gaza
border, as the military focuses most of
its efforts on fighting Hamas terrorists
still in Israeli territory.

IDF publishes footage of strikes on Hamas

assets in the Gaza Strip. Air Force jets have
used so far more than 16 tons of munitions.
Watch on X
10:18 AM · Oct 7, 2023
2.8K Reply Share
Read 104 replies
 
13hr ago
IDF Home Front cancels school in

south, center of country on Sunday
By EMANUEL FABIAN
Residents take shelter in the basement of a building following

a rocket attack from the Gaza Strip into Israel on October 7,
2023 (JACK GUEZ / AFP)
The Israel Defense Forces announces it

is canceling schools in central and
southern Israel, meaning roughly 1
million children will stay home
tomorrow, amid ongoing fighting
between Israel and terror groups in the
Gaza Strip.
All schools south of Netanya and north

of the central Negev are to be closed and
businesses can only be opened if there is
ready access to bomb shelters, the
military says.
Gatherings are also restricted to 10

people outdoors and 50 people indoors
in those areas, the IDF Home Front
Command says.
The restrictions are valid till Sunday at 6

p.m., but will likely be extended further
amid the fighting.
 
14hr ago
IDF: Country in state of war, Hamas

terrorists still in Israel
By EMANUEL FABIAN
Palestinians take control of an Israeli tank after crossing the

border fence with Israel from Khan Yunis in the southern
Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023. (SAID KHATIB / AFP)
The Israel Defense Forces’ top

spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari,
says Israel is “in a state of war” following
Hamas’s surprise attack.
“The IDF has declared a state of war. We

are in a state of war,” Hagari says in a
live video statement.
“More than 2,000 rockets have been

fired. Terrorists infiltrated, and some are
still in Israel,” he says.
“The IDF is flooding the area with

troops. We are focusing on the fighting
on the Gaza border,” Hagari continues.
“We have begun a widespread call-up in

all parts of the IDF. The Air Force is also
striking in Gaza,” he adds.
 
14hr ago
Resident of southern town: ‘They

kidnapped my father, I saw pictures
of him in Gaza’
A woman tells Channel 12 news that her

father has been kidnapped from a
southern border community by Hamas
terrorists and taken to the Gaza Strip.
“He messaged me that they were in the

house,” she says, through tears.
“He told me they were taking him,” says

the resident of Kibbutz Be’eri.
“I saw pictures of him in Gaza,” she says.
 
14hr ago
Hezbollah praises Hamas, says

attack is message to Arab countries
normalizing ties with Israel
Hezbollah Wghters hold the terror group's dags as they parade

during a rally to mark Jerusalem Day in a southern suburb of
Beirut, Lebanon, April 14, 2023. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Hezbollah praises the massive Hamas

operation against Israel, and says it is
message to Arab countries normalizing
with Israel.
The terror group Hezbollah says it is in

direct contact with the Hamas leadership
in Gaza and abroad, and calls on Arab
and Muslim peoples around the world to
declare their support to Hamas and the
Palestinian people, adding that armed
resistance is the only way to confront
the Israeli “aggression.”
Hezbollah adds that the “Al-Aqsa

Deluge” operation launched by Hamas
against Israel is a message to the
international community and the Arab
and Muslim world, in particular those
countries seeking normalization with
Israel.
It also calls on the Israeli government to

learn the “important lessons” taught by
the “Palestinian resistance.”
 
14hr ago
Netanyahu on massive Hamas

attack: ‘We are at war’
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gives a statement on

October 7, 2023 (Screen grab)

gives his first public statement on the
massive attack by the Hamas terror
group, saying the country is at war.
“Citizens of Israel, we are at war,” he

says. “And we will win.”
“The enemy will pay a price like they

have never known before,” he says, in his
first public statement on the matter,
some five hours since the start of the
assault by the Gaza-based terror group.
There are reports of a number of dead

and nearly 300 wounded as terrorists
infiltrate a number of southern towns
and thousands of rockets are fired at the
center and south of the country.
 
14hr ago
Residents of towns near Gaza Strip

beg for help as they [ght off
terrorists
Israeli residents near the Gaza Strip

continue to ask for help and report on
shooting by terrorists inside the towns
while there is little or no IDF presence
on the streets.
A pregnant Kibbutz Sufa resident speaks

to Channel 12 from a safe room with her
two-year-old child and close family
members, saying: “They are shooting at
our house, they are trying to break down
the door of the safe room.”
She reports that her husband and four

other armed residents are fighting in the
streets with no aid from the military.
“I don’t understand how this is still

going on. We’re in this situation since 6
a.m.,” she says. “Four people cannot
fight them off alone
“Send help, please,” she cries.
Residents in other areas near the Gaza

Strip report of unprecedented fighting
on all major Israeli media sources. In an
Instagram story timed to 9:55 a.m. cited
by Ynet, a resident of Kfar Gaza writes:
“I’m begging you!!! We can’t catch
anyone! There are terrorists in Kfar
Gaza, send forces to Kibbutz Kfar
Gaza!!!”
A Channel 12 reporter in Beersheba

describes receiving dozens of requests
for help from residents of the Gaza Strip.
Mirjam Reijnen, a 42-year-old volunteer

firefighter in Nahal Oz, tells AP: “With
rockets we somehow feel safer, knowing
that we have the Iron Dome (missile
defense system) and our safe rooms. But
knowing that terrorists are walking
around communities is a different kind
of fear,” she said, adding that she and
her three kids have been too scared to
leave the shelter even for a moment to
use the bathroom.
 
14hr ago
Magen David Adom calls for public

to donate blood amid widespread
Hamas assault
Hundreds in line at the Ichilov hospital in Tel Aviv to donate

blood, October 7, 2023 (Tomer Neuberg/Flash90)
The Magen David Adom emergency

service calls for the public to donate
blood, especially those who are Type O.
Drives are being held in Tel Aviv at the

Ichilov Hospital, in Jerusalem at the
Magen David Adom station at 7 Ha’Mem
Gimmel Street and in Haifa at the MDA
station at 34 Yitzhak Sade St.
A further station will open in Hadera at

the sports hall in the school at 20
Ha’atzmaut Street.
Further locations will be announced

later in the day.
Nearly 300 people have been wounded in

the widespread rocket attack and
infiltrations by the terror group.
Magen David Adom

@Mdais · Follow
Magen David Adom is calling for urgent blood

donations at the following locations:
Tel Aviv - Ichilov Hospital
Jerusalem - MDA Station (7 Hamem Gimel

St.)
Haifa - 10 Yitzhak Sadeh St.
8:43 AM · Oct 7, 2023
75 Reply Share
Read 10 replies
 
14hr ago
Nearly 200 wounded in ongoing

People try to extinguish cars following a rocket attack from

the Gaza Strip in Ashkelon, southern Israel, on October 7,
2023 (AHMAD GHARABLI / AFP)
There have been nearly 200 wounded in

the ongoing Hamas attack, according to
statements from various hospitals.
At least two dozen are seriously or

critically wounded.
In addition, at least six people have been

confirmed killed.
 
14hr ago
In 3.5 hours since attack started, no

public statement from Netanyahu
beyond cabinet meeting
announcement
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu leads a government

conference at the Prime Minister's OVce in Jerusalem on
September 27, 2023. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
With Israel under attack by Hamas

terrorists for over 3.5 hours, there has
been no public statement from Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the
situation, beyond the announcement
that the security cabinet will convene at
1 p.m.
At least six people have been killed and

over 100 wounded in the ongoing assault
by the Gaza-based terror group.
 
14hr ago
Gun battles with Hamas terrorists

still ongoing in at least 7 locations
in Israel
By EMANUEL FABIAN
Polic near the southern towns of Or haNer and Sderot,

October 7, 2023. (Nati Shohat/Flash90)
The Israeli military is still fighting

Hamas terrorists in a number of
locations in southern Israel near the
border with the Gaza Strip.
The gun battles are taking place in and

around the towns of Kfar Aza, Sderot,
Sufa, Nahal Oz, Magen, Be’eri and the
Re’im military base.
 
15hr ago
Resident of kibbutz in[ltrated by

terrorists sends whispered plea for
help: ‘Please send troops’
A resident of Kibbutz Be’eri tells

Channel 12 news that they are
barricaded in their homes and believe
they have been abandoned by the
authorities as Hamas terrorists infiltrate
their community.
“Please send troops,” Eli Messika says,

using the television channel as a conduit
in a desperate attempt to speak to the
authorities.
“There are wounded here,” he says.

“There are burning houses.”
 
15hr ago
IDF says dozens of jets carrying out

Gaza strikes on terror targets amid
massive Hamas attack
By EMANUEL FABIAN
The Israel Defense Forces says dozens of

fighter jets are carrying out strikes
against sites belonging to the Hamas
terror group in the Gaza Strip.
The IDF says it will provide further

information soon.
 
15hr ago
Head of Sha’ar Hanegev council O[r

Liebstein killed in gun[ght with
Hamas terrorists
By EMANUEL FABIAN
OWr Liebstein, head of Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council,

attends a convention of newly elected mayors and heads of
local councils, in Ashkelon, November 27, 2018 (Flash90)
The head of the Sha’ar Hanegev Regional

Council, Ofir Liebstein, was killed during
fighting with Hamas terrorists this
morning, local authorities say.
“Ofir was killed when he went to defend

a town during the terrorist attack,” the
council says.
The deputy head of the council, Yossi

Keren, is currently filling his place.
 
15hr ago
Opposition heads call for united

front amid massive ongoing Hamas
attack
File: Heads of opposition parties Labor MK Merav Michaeli,

Yesh Atid head MK Yair Lapid, National Unity head MK Benny
Gantz, Israel Beteinu head MK Avigdor Liberman and leader
of the United Arab List MK Mansour Abbas hold a joint press
conference in Tel Aviv, on March 16, 2023. (Avshalom
Sassoni/Flash90)
A joint statement from Knesset

opposition party heads gives full backing
to the IDF and calls on the international
community to condemn the acts of
terror.
Yesh Atid head Yair Lapid, National

Unity head Benny Gantz, Yisrael Beitenu
head Avigdor Lieberman and Labor party
head Merav Michaeli say, “In days like
these there is no opposition and no
coalition in Israel.”
We “are united in the face of terrorism”

and the need to strike with “a strong and
determined fist,” says the statement,
calling for retribution against Hamas
and all terrorist organizations that
cooperates with it.
“It is necessary to mobilize the

international community against
terrorism,” the statement continues,
ending with strong support for the
citizens of Israel, active and reserve IDF
soldiers all security and emergency
forces.
“We call on the citizens — obey the

directives of the Home Front Command,
take care of yourselves and together we
will overcome terrorism,” say the heads.
 
15hr ago
IDF: 2,200 rockets [red from Gaza;

Hamas terrorists in[ltrated from
land, sea and air
By EMANUEL FABIAN
A residential building in Tel Aviv is damaged following a

rocket attack from the Gaza Strip into Israel on October 7,
2023. (JACK GUEZ / AFP)
The Israel Defense Forces says it has

launched “Operation Swords of Iron” in
response to Hamas’s surprise attack on
Israel.
IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari

tells reporters that more than 2,200
rockets fired into Israel since 6:30 a.m.
Hagari says the Hamas terrorists

infiltrated from land, sea and air.
There are at least seven sites of fighting

between Hamas terrorists and IDF
troops.
The military expects to draft tens of

thousands of soldiers.
IDF won’t comment yet on kidnapping

allegations.
 
15hr ago
Bruno Mars Tel Aviv concert

cancelled amid widespread Hamas
attack
By JESSICA STEINBERG
Pop singer Bruno Mars performs at Yarkon Park in Tel Aviv on

October 4, 2023. (David Granot)
Live Nation, promoters of the Bruno

Mars performances this week in Israel,
announced that the planned Saturday
night show is canceled.
All ticket holders for the concert will

automatically receive refunds to the
credit cards used to make the ticket
purchase.
Earlier this morning, the promoter

announced that the artist and his
managers are being kept informed on
the unfolding situation and waiting for
instructions.
Bruno Mars performed on Wednesday

night in Tel Aviv in front of a crowd of
60,000-plus, declaring his love for Tel
Aviv during his first-ever Israel show.
 
15hr ago
Hamas publishes footage of

terrorists breaking through gate of
Israeli community
Hamas publishes video showing its

members breaking into an Israeli
community near the border with Gaza.
The footage appears to show the

terrorists detonating a charge at the
gate.
Gianluca Pacchiani
@GLucaPacchiani · Follow
Hamas terrorists blowing up the entrance

gate of an Israeli community near Gaza
Watch on X
8:19 AM · Oct 7, 2023
8 Reply Share
Read 9 replies
 
15hr ago
Fire and Rescue Services raise alert

to highest level amid Hamas assault
By EMANUEL FABIAN
Israeli military vehicle heads towards the south on Oct. 7,

2023 (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
The Israel Fire and Rescue Services say

they have raised their alert to the
highest level amid Hamas’s
unprecedented attacks on Israel.
The fire service says it has been given

approval to call up 200 firefighters from
the Home Front Command to assist with
rocket impact sites in southern Israel.
 
15hr ago
Israel under sustained rocket attack

from Gaza for over 3.5 hours
Rockets Wred from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel on

October 7, 2023. (Liron Moldovan/Flash90)
The center and south of Israel have been

under heavy rocket fire for over 3.5
hours amid a sustained and widespread
attack.
At least five people are thought to have

been killed and at least 100 hundred
injured.
In addition, dozens of terrorists have
infiltrated a number of southern towns.
There are reports of multiple casualties.
 
15hr ago
Hamas publishes footage of terror

group members in[ltrating into
Israel from Gaza
By EMANUEL FABIAN
The Hamas terror group publishes

images showing its members infiltrating
into Israel.
The pictures show Hamas terrorists

raiding an Israeli army post on the Gaza
border.

Hamas publishes images showing the

infiltration of terrorists into Israel and an IDF
post on the Gaza border.
8:09 AM · Oct 7, 2023
332 Reply Share
Read 43 replies
 
15hr ago
Defense Minister Gallant: ‘Israel will

win this war,’ Hamas made ‘grave
mistake’ with surprise attack
By EMANUEL FABIAN
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant speaks at an awards ceremony

for outstanding oVcers, at the IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv,
September 3, 2023. (Shahar Yorman/ Defense Ministry
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant says the

Hamas terror group has made a “grave
mistake” for launching a surprise attack
on Israel with rocket attacks and
infiltrating into towns on the border
with the Gaza Strip.
“Hamas made a grave mistake this

morning and started a war against the
State of Israel. IDF soldiers are fighting
the enemy at all the infiltration sites,”
Gallant says in remarks provided by his
office.
“The State of Israel will win this war,” he

adds.
 
15hr ago
Some East Jerusalem mosques call

for residents to join Hamas assault
Mosques in Shuafat refugee camp in

Jerusalem call to join the fight.
Pro-Hamas channels share a clip

showing mosques of the Shuafat refugee
camp inside the Jerusalem municipality,
issuing from their minarets calls for
people to mobilize.
Gunfire can also be heard in the

background.
The channels also share videos of street

celebrations in the West Bank city of
Nablus.
 
15hr ago
Hospitals say more than 100 Israelis

wounded in rocket barrage, several
seriously
The scene after a rocket Wred from Gaza hit a building in

North Tel Aviv on October 7, 2023 (Tomer Neyberg/Flash90)
Hospitals say more than 100 Israelis

have been wounded in rocket strikes
across south and central Israel, some in
critical condition.
Soraka Hospital in Beersheba says it has

received 80 patients, some of them in a
very serious condition.
The Assaf Harofeh Medical Center near

Tel Aviv says it is treating 17 patients,
two in serious condition and one in
moderate condition. the rest are lightly
wounded.
The Kaplan Medical Center in Rehovot is

treating 21 casualties including two in a
serious condition who are being
operated on.
Four are moderately wounded and 15

lightly.
Not all hospitals have reported their

patients.
 
16hr ago
Rocket [red from Gaza hits road in

town near Jerusalem
By EMANUEL FABIAN
Police say a rocket launched from the

Gaza Strip landed on a road in a town
near Jerusalem.
The rocket impact causes damage in

Mevaseret Zion, but no injuries.
 
16hr ago
IDF closes roads near Gaza border

amid ongoing Hamas assault
By EMANUEL FABIAN
Smoke rises after a rocket Wred from the Gaza Strip hits
southern Israel, October 7, 2023 (Jamal Awad/Flash90)
The Israel Defense Forces shutters roads

near the border with the Gaza Strip amid
Hamas’s surprise attack.
The closures include Route 4 from the

Zikim junction to Netiv Ha’asara; Route
34 from the Yad Mordechai junction to
Nir Am; and Route 232 from Mefalsim to
Sa’ad and Nir Yitzhak to Kerem Shalom.
All routes used by farmers in the area as

also closed off by the army.
The Zikim beach on the Gaza border is

also closed off, and trains will not run
between Ashkelon and Sderot, the IDF
says.
 
16hr ago
Videos show terrorists in Sderot,

apparent kidnapping of soldier
By AP
Videos posted on social media showed

what appeared to be uniformed
Palestinian gunmen inside the Israeli
border town of Sderot.
A video from Gaza showed what looked

like the lifeless body of an Israeli soldier
being trampled by an angry crowd
shouting “God is Great.”
Another video appeared to show

Palestinian militants dragging away a
live Israeli soldier on a motorcycle.
Other videos showed a crowd of

Palestinian men dancing around and
atop an Israeli tank that was on fire.
The authenticity of the videos could not

immediately be verified.
 
16hr ago
Lapid says would back ‘harsh

military response’ to Hamas attack
By CARRIE KELLER-LYNN
Yesh Atid head MK Yair Lapid speaks during a press

conference in Tel Aviv on September 20, 2023. (Miriam
Alster/Flash90)
Opposition Leader Yair Lapid receives a

security update from the prime
minister’s military secretary, Avi Gil.
A statement from Lapid’s office says that

“Israel is in an emergency” and that
Lapid would back “harsh military
response” to Hamas’s coordinated
attack.
 
16hr ago
Mayor of southern Bedouin town

says at least 4 killed by Gaza rocket
[re
By EMANUEL FABIAN
The mayor of Kuseife, Abd al-Aziz

Nassara, tells the Kan public broadcaster
that there are at least four dead and
several more wounded as a result of a
number of rocket impacts in the town.
Kuseife, a Bedouin town in southern

Israel, is located some 65 kilometers
from the Gaza Strip.
 
16hr ago
Hamas claims to [re 5,000 rockets

at Israel, declares ‘Operation Al-
Aqsa Flood’
A residential building in Tel Aviv is damaged following a

rocket attack from the Gaza Strip into Israel on October 7,
2023. (JACK GUEZ / AFP)
Hamas says it has launched 5,000

rockets at Israel in an early morning
surprise attack it calls “Operation Al-
Aqsa Flood.”
Mohammad Deif, the Hamas military

commander, issues a statement saying
that the ongoing attacks are in
retaliation for Israel’s “desecration” of
the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.
He adds that Israel killed and wounded

hundreds of Palestinians this year, and
that Israel rejected offers for prisoner
exchange deals.
Over 5,000 missiles were fired, Deif

claims.
“Today, the people are bringing back the

revolution and reviving the March of
Return,” he says.
He urges Arabs in Jerusalem and inside

Israel, in the Negev, the Galilee and
northern Israel “set the earth on fire
under the feet of the occupiers.”
He further calls on the “Islamic

resistance in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and
Lebanon” — countries with terror
movements that are militarily supported
by Iran — to “merge their resistance with
that of the Palestinians today,” and
“start marching towards Palestine now.”
Saleh al-Arouri, deputy head of Hamas

who is considered to be its leader in the
West Bank, issued a statement along the
same lines, calling on the Arab and
Islamic nations to join “Operation Al-
Aqsa Flood.”
 
16hr ago
Resident of southern town says

terrorists roaming the streets, she
can hear gun[re
A resident of Kibbutz Be’eri says that

terrorists are on the streets of the small
town near the Gaza border.
Dvir Efrat tells Channel 12 that she does

not dare raise her voice above a whisper
and that she is barricaded in her home
with a knife.
“I can hear gunfire,” she says.
 
16hr ago
Security cabinet to convene over

Hamas surprise attack
Smoke rises after a rocket Wred from the Gaza Strip hit a
house in Ashkelon, southern Israel, Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023.
(AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov)
Israel’s top-level security cabinet will

hold a meeting at 1 p.m. amid the
surprise Hamas attack, the Prime
Minister’s Office says.
Before the meeting, Prime Minister

Benjamin Netanyahu will hold an
assessment with security chiefs at 9:30
a.m.
 
17hr ago
Saturday night anti-overhaul

protests canceled; Brothers in Arms
urges all who are needed to report
for duty
Organizers of protests against the

judicial overhaul scheduled for Saturday
night announce the cancellation of the
weekly demonstrations.
“We stand with the residents of Israel

and give full support to the IDF and the
security forces,” the protest organizers
say in a statement.
“We call on all those who are needed to

report [for duty] and play their part to
safeguard the security and health of of
the residents of Israel.”
The Brothers and Sisters in Arms protest

group also urges all those who are
needed to report for duty “without
hesitation.”
 
17hr ago
Sirens in Jerusalem, surrounding

towns for second time amid ongoing
massive barrage
Rocket alert sirens sound in Jerusalem

and the surrounding towns for the
second time this morning amid an
ongoing attack by the Hamas terror
group.
Residents report hearing the sound of

multiple explosions from rockets or an
Iron Dome interceptions.
 
17hr ago
Gallant declares emergency

situation in south, center;
gatherings restricted
By EMANUEL FABIAN
Israeli WreWghters extinguish Wre after a rocket Wred from the

Gaza Strip hit a parking lot in Ashkelon, Oct. 7, 2023. (AP
Photo/Tsafrir Abayov)

declared an emergency situation within
a range of 80 kilometers from the Gaza
Strip, his office says.
The “special situation” allows the

military’s Home Front Command to
restrict gatherings and close off areas.
The area includes the major cities Tel

Aviv and Beersheba.
 
17hr ago
Israel under sustained rocket [re

from Gaza for over two hours
Hamas Wres a large number of rockets towards Israel in the

city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, October 7, 2023.
(Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash90)
There has been sustained rocket fire

toward Israel for over two hours.
One woman has been killed and there

are multiple wounded from the barrages.
Sirens have been heard in a number of

major cities including Jerusalem, Tel
Aviv and Beersheba.
In addition, Hamas terror cells have

infiltrated across the border into at least
one town in the south.
 
17hr ago
Unveri[ed Gaza footage shows

Hamas terrorists with body of IDF
soldier
By EMANUEL FABIAN
Unverified footage from the Gaza Strip

purports to show Hamas terrorists with
the body of an IDF soldier taken from
Israel during the attack this morning.
The graphic videos show the body being

taken out of a truck, as a crowd swarms
around it.
 
17hr ago
Gallant approves widescale call-up

of IDF reservists amid ongoing
Hamas attack
By EMANUEL FABIAN
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant addresses a press conference

with his German coounterpart after signing a declaration of
Intent on the Arrow 3 missile defense system, at the German
defense ministry in Berlin on September 28, 2023. (Tobias
Schwarz/AFP)

approved a widescale call-up of
reservists, following a surprise attack by
Hamas on Israel, his office says.
The number of reservists to be called up

will depend on the military’s needs.
 
17hr ago
Casualties reported after Hamas

terrorists in[ltrate southern town
By EMANUEL FABIAN
There are a number of casualties after

Hamas terrorists infiltrated the southern
city of Sderot.
It is unclear how many terrorists

infiltrated into the country.
The clashes are ongoing.

Hamas terrorists seen clashing with Israeli

forces in southern Israel.
Watch on X
6:04 AM · Oct 7, 2023
1.1K Reply Share
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 
17hr ago
IDF carries out retaliatory strikes on

Gaza amid in[ltrations, massive
rocket barrages
By EMANUEL FABIAN

carrying out airstrikes in the Gaza Strip
now.
The strikes come nearly two hours after

Hamas launched a surprise attack.
 
17hr ago
Hamas’s Gaza commander Deif

urges Israeli Arabs, neighboring
states to join attack
Hamas military commander Muhammad Deif (courtesy)
Mohammad Deif, the Hamas military

commander, issues a statement calling
the morning’s attacks and infiltration
“the day of the great revolution.”
He urges Israeli Arabs to take up arms,

and encourages Arabs on Israel’s borders
to join in the attack.
“Today, the people are bringing back the

revolution and reviving the March of
return,” he says. He urges Arabs in
Jerusalem and inside Israel, in the
Negev, the Galilee and the Triangle area
to “set the earth on fire under the feet of
the occupiers.”
He further calls on the “Islamic

resistance in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and
Lebanon” – countries with terror
movements that are militarily supported
by Iran – to “merge their resistance with
that of the Palestinians today,” and and
“start marching towards Palestine now.”
Saleh al-Arouri, deputy head of Hamas

who is considered to be its leader in the
West Bank, issued a statement along the
same lines, calling on the Arab and
Islamic nation to join the battle “Flood
al-Aqsa.”
 
17hr ago
Rocket sirens sound in Jerusalem

amid massive ongoing rocket
barrage
Rocket sirens sound for the first time in

Jerusalem and the surrounding area.
Residents report hearing the sound of

explosions.
 
17hr ago
IDF declares ‘state of readiness for

war’ amid Hamas in[ltrations,
rocket barrages
By EMANUEL FABIAN

declaring a state of readiness for war
following a massive barrage of rockets
from the Gaza Strip and infiltration of
Hamas terrorists into Israel.
In a statement, the IDF says Chief of

Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi is holding an
assessment and approving plans of
action.
“Hamas… which is behind this attack,

will bear the results and responsibility
for the events,” the IDF says.
 
18hr ago
Woman killed in rocket attack on

southern Israel
By EMANUEL FABIAN
Rockets are Wred from Gaza City towards Israel on October 7,

2023. (SAID KHATIB / AFP)

service says one person has been killed
and another 15 are wounded in the
rocket attacks on southern and central
Israel this morning.
A woman in her 60s was killed in a direct

rocket impact in the Gderot area.
Another two people are seriously

wounded, six moderately and seven with
minor injuries, MDA says
 
18hr ago
IDF says Hamas will ‘pay a very

heavy price’ for its surprise attack
By EMANUEL FABIAN
Rockets Wred from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel on

October 7, 2023. (Liron Moldovan/Flash90)
The Israel Defense Forces says the

Hamas terror group will “pay a very
heavy price” for its surprise attack this
morning.
“Hamas carried out a combined

operation that included firing rockets
and a terrorist infiltration into the
territory of the State of Israel,” the IDF
“The IDF will protect the residents of the

State of Israel, the Hamas terror
organization will pay a very heavy
price,” the army says.
The military has ordered residents of

towns near the Gaza Strip to remain
locked in their homes, and the rest of the
public to remain near bomb shelters.
 
18hr ago
Rocket [re at central, southern

Israel for over an hour
A rocket Wred from Gaza into southern Israel hits Ashkelon,

October 7, 2023 (Edi Israel/Flash90)
Incoming rocket sirens continue to

sound across southern and central Israel
for more than an hour now amid a
surprise attack from the Gaza Strip.
 
18hr ago
Reports of direct hit on Tel Aviv

building amid rocket barrage
There are reports of a direct hit on a

building in Tel Aviv.
Video circulating on social media shows

smoke rising in the central city.
There are no immediate reports of

injuries.

Direct rocket impact reported in Tel Aviv
Watch on X
5:44 AM · Oct 7, 2023
1K Reply Share
Read 41 replies
 
18hr ago
IDF con[rms Gaza terrorists

in[ltrated across border into south
By EMANUEL FABIAN
The Israel Defense Forces confirms

Palestinian terrorists from the Gaza
Strip infiltrated into Israel.
The IDF doesn’t provide further

information.
Footage has shown armed Palestinians

driving trucks and opening fire in Sderot.
Another clip purported to show a hand
glider near the Gaza border.

Footage shows dozens of Palestinian

terrorists infiltrating into Israel from Gaza.
Watch on X
5:43 AM · Oct 7, 2023
873 Reply Share
Read 89 replies
 
18hr ago
Sirens sound in Tel Aviv for second

time, explosions heard
Amid the massive ongoing rocket fire

across Israel for over an hour, rocket
sirens sound for a second time in Tel
Aviv and the surrounding
neighborhoods.
Explosions are heard.
 
18hr ago
Palestinian terrorists in[ltrate

Sderot near Gaza border, clashing
with IDF troops
By EMANUEL FABIAN
A number of Palestinian terrorists from

the Gaza Strip have infiltrated into
southern Israel.
Israeli forces are clashing with the

gunmen in Sderot and nearby areas.

Palestinian terrorists from the Gaza Strip are

seen in Sderot.
Watch on X
5:33 AM · Oct 7, 2023
2K Reply Share
Read 265 replies
 
18hr ago
IDF orders residents of Gaza border

towns to remain in homes amid
security incident
By EMANUEL FABIAN
The Israel Defense Forces orders

residents of towns near the Gaza border
to remain in their homes amid a security
incident.
 
18hr ago
Massive rocket attack ongoing

across central, southern Israel
Sirens have been sounding across

southern and central Israel for around 40
minutes amid a massive ongoing barrage
fired from the Gaza Strip.
A number of people have been wounded

in at least two locations.
 
18hr ago
2 lightly wounded as result of rocket

[re on Ashkelon
By EMANUEL FABIAN

service says it is treating two people
lightly wounded as a result of a rocket
impact in the southern city of Ashkelon.
 
18hr ago
Residents of south, center told to

stay close to shelters amid massive
barrage
By EMANUEL FABIAN
The Israeli military calls on residents of

southern and central Israel to remain
close to bomb shelters amid a massive
barrage of rockets from the Gaza Strip
over the past half an hour.
“The public in the south and center of

the country are urged to stay near
protected areas and follow the
instructions of the Home Front
Command,” the Israel Defense Forces
says.
 
18hr ago
Woman critically wounded in rocket

hit in center
By EMANUEL FABIAN

service says its medics are treating a 70-
year-old woman in critical condition and
another man trapped following a direct
rocket impact in the Gederot Regional
Council area in the center.
 
18hr ago
Netanyahu, Gallant to meet security

chiefs amid rising violence
By EMANUEL FABIAN
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (right) and Defense

Minister Yoav Gallant issue a statement from the scene of a
terror shooting near the West Bank city of Hebron, August 21,
2023. (GPO)
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant is

heading to the military headquarters in
Tel Aviv amid a massive barrage of
rockets from the Gaza Strip, his office
says.
Gallant and Prime Minister Benjamin

Netanyahu are set to hold meetings with
top security officials soon, their offices
say.
 
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Israel at war: 250 killed

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