Thursday marks the sixth day since the start of the Israel–Hamas war that began on Oct. 7. It was the same day Jews were celebrating their holiday Simchat Torah or “the joy of Torah.” See our live updates for Oct. 13 here.
Updates from Oct. 12:
Israeli Military Warns 1.1 Million Gaza Residents to Relocate South: UN
Israel’s military informed the United Nations early on Friday that the 1.1 million Palestinians in Gaza should relocate to the enclave’s south within the next 24 hours, a U.N. spokesman said, in what Palestinians fear could be a precursor to a planned Israeli ground offensive.
The Israeli military did not immediately provide comment on the warning, which came as Israel amassed tanks near the Gaza border and pounded the Palestinian enclave with air strikes following a deadly Hamas militant attack in Israel.
“The United Nations considers it impossible for such a movement to take place without devastating humanitarian consequences,” U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.
“The United Nations strongly appeals for any such order, if confirmed, to be rescinded avoiding what could transform what is already a tragedy into a calamitous situation,” he said.
Mr. Dujarric said the order by the Israeli military also applied to all U.N. staff and those sheltered in U.N. facilities, including schools, health centers, and clinics.
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House Holds Bipartisan Candlelight Vigil For Israel
More than 150 House lawmakers gathered for a candlelight vigil on the steps of the Capitol building late Thursday in support of Israel.
House Democrats and Republicans observed a moment of silence, remembering the victims of last weekend’s attacks by Hamas terrorists which resulted in hundreds of civilian deaths and over a hundred hostages taken into Gaza.
Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) held the vigil. In a statement on X, formerly Twitter, Mr. Gottheimer acknowledged that more than 1,200 Israelis and 27 Americans have been “brutally killed by Hamas terrorists.” He said lawmakers were there to commemorate them and also to “pray for hostages and those missing.”
“Proud of the strength of our unity tonight as Members of Congress, Democrats and Republicans, stood together with Israel and her people. We honored the lives of those we’ve tragically lost and those being held captive by Hamas in this savage act of mass terror,” Ms. Wasserman Schultz said on X. “We prayed for the swift return of the hostages and the lives brutally extinguished. May their memories be a blessing. Am Yisrael Chai.”
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Israel Targets Hamas Tunnels in Gaza, Strikes Focused on Commanders and Senior Officials
The Israeli military is targeting the terror group Hamas’ vast network of underground tunnels in Gaza that it uses to carry out attacks on the country, according to an update from the Israel Defense Forces.
The Gaza Strip is “one of the densest populated areas in the world,” IDF spokesperson Jonathan Conricus said in an Oct. 12 update by the military. It runs about 20 miles from one end to the other, with the widest location being nine miles across and the most narrow location less than six miles. “What Hamas has done since they took control almost 20 years ago of the Gaza Strip is basically to build a network of tunnels from Gaza City and under Gaza City, which is the center and the biggest part of their infrastructure” all the way down to other areas of the strip, he said.
“Think of the Gaza Strip as one layer for the civilians and then another layer for Hamas. And what we’re doing now is that we are trying to get to that second layer that Hamas has built—by the way, only for itself, not to be accessed by the civilians.”
These tunnels are not bunkers where Gazan civilians can find safe space during Israeli strikes, he said. Instead, they are solely used by Hamas to continue firing rockets at Israel, to plan out terror operations, and to launch terrorists into Israel. “That’s the only thing that this network is for.”
“So that is what we’re attacking. And the Israeli Air Force has been striking a lot of targets in various neighborhoods in the Gaza,” Mr. Conricus said.
Read more from here.
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DeSantis Issues Order to Rescue Floridians in Israel
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday issued an executive order authorizing rescue operations for U.S. citizens trapped in the ongoing conflict in Israel.
“There are more than 20,000 Americans, including many Floridians, in Israel who wish to return home but have been prevented from doing so because of commercial flight cancellations and other travel and logistics disruptions due to the ongoing war in the region,” Mr. DeSantis’s order said.
Multiple airlines, such as American Airlines, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Ryanair, and British Airways, have suspended their flights to and from Israel as a result of the ongoing conflict. This situation has arisen due to Hamas launching rockets, some of which have struck Ben Gurion International Airport.
Read more from here.
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Florida Church Group Escapes From Israel Into Jordan
A North Florida church with a group of 54 safely crossed the Jordanian border this weekend after a violent war between Israel and Hamas threatened to trap them overseas.
Zach Terry, the pastor of First Baptist Church Fernandina Beach, told The Epoch Times that it is his church’s fifth pilgrimage to Israel, but never before was a trip cut short due to the sound of aerial rocket blasts and machine gun fire echoing in the streets below their rooms.
“It didn’t seem real. It was like watching a movie,” Mr. Terry said. “The city sounds would drown out the explosions during the day, but we could hear them in the distance at night. The automatic weapons were much closer. We hoped it was coming from Israelis rather than Hamas.”
Read more from here.
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US Has No Intention to Send Combat Troops to Israel
National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told NTD at a White House presser briefing on Oct. 12: “There is no intention, no plan, and frankly, no desire by the Israelis, for U.S. combat troops to be involved in this conflict.”
NSC’s John Kirby told me: “There is no intention, no plan, and frankly, no desire by the Israelis, for US combat troops to be involved in this conflict.” pic.twitter.com/fIZsTGeUah
— Iris Tao (@IrisTaoTV) October 12, 2023
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Israel’s Military Says the Number of Soldiers Killed Has Risen to 247
Israel’s military said Thursday that 247 soldiers have been killed since the start of the war last weekend—an increase from 222 earlier in the day.
The military previously confirmed to The Associated Press that the 222 soldiers had all been identified and their families notified.
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US to Help Americans Evacuate Israel as Confirmed Deaths Rise to 27
The number of U.S. citizens confirmed dead in the Hamas attack in Israel over the weekend has risen to 27, with 14 more still unaccounted for, White House national security spokesman John Kirby said on Thursday.
Mr. Kirby, speaking to reporters at a news briefing, also said the United States will arrange charter flights to Europe starting on Friday for Americans wanting to leave Israel.
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US Defense Secretary Says Israel Can Use American-Provided Munitions as It Sees Fit
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Thursday that the U.S. is placing no specific conditions on how Israel uses the American-provided munitions. Israel has a professional military and “we would hope and expect that they would do the right things,” he told reporters at the close of the NATO defense ministers meeting in Brussels.
He was asked if the United States would put conditions on the weapons, specifically that they would not be used against civilians. Mr. Austin said he would leave it to the Israelis to define their operations.
Mr. Austin also said that the United States is working to provide Israel whatever it needs, even as America continues to support Ukraine. “The United States can walk and chew gum at the same time.”
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German Chancellor Scholz Meets With Emir of Qatar, Discusses Fate of Hostages
The German government says Chancellor Olaf Scholz has discussed the fate of hostages taken by Hamas with the emir of Qatar.
The emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, was in Berlin on Thursday for a previously scheduled visit. Qatar has been a mediator in the past.
Mr. Scholz’s office said the German leader underlined Berlin’s condemnation of Hamas’ attack and Israel’s right to defend itself. It said he stressed that “Hamas has full responsibility for the well-being of the hostages” and called for them to be released “as quickly as possible.”
The statement said Scholz “recognized in this context Qatar’s humanitarian effort” and the two leaders agreed to remain in close contact on the issue.
The hostages include several German-Israeli dual citizens, but Germany hasn’t given a precise figure.
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Blinken Vows US Support for Israel Will Never Falter as He Likens Hamas’s Crimes to ISIS
The United States will never falter from its support for Israel, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday, adding Hamas’ “litany of brutality and inhumanity” evoked “the worst of ISIS.”
“The message that I bring to Israel is this: you may be strong enough on your own to defend yourself, but as long as America exists, you will never, ever have to,” Mr. Blinken said while speaking alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv. “We will always be there by your side.”
Although the top U.S. diplomat did not explicitly speak of restraint, Mr. Blinken said he discussed with Mr. Netanyahu the importance of taking “every possible precaution to avoid harming civilians.”
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Israeli Military Says Bodies of 222 Soldiers Have Been Identified
Every Israeli soldier killed by Hamas terrorists so far in the latest Israel–Hamas war has been identified, the Israeli military confirmed Thursday.
A total of 222 Israeli soldiers have died and their families have all been notified, a spokesperson for the military said.
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Blinken to Visit Qatar on Friday
After visiting Israel and Jordan, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel on Friday to Doha where he will have talks with senior Qatari officials.
Qatar has ties with Hamas and has in the past served as a facilitator in discussions to calm tensions in and around Gaza.
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US Death Toll in Israel Rises to at Least 25
The number of U.S. citizens who have died in the Israel-Palestinian war has risen to at least 25, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday during a visit Thursday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
That’s an increase from 22 on Wednesday. The State Department previously said at least 17 more Americans remain unaccounted for.
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State Department Warns US Citizens to Reconsider Travel to Israel, West Bank
The State Department upgraded its travel warning for Israel and the West Bank on Wednesday to Level 3, “reconsider travel.”
It kept its travel advisory for Gaza at the department’s highest warning level, Level 4, meaning “do not travel.”
The State Department cited extremists continuing to plot attacks, the possibility of violence erupting without warning, and increased demonstrations.
The travel warning comes as five days of rocket fire and missile barrages between the Hamas terrorist group and Israel already have led many airlines to suspend commercial flights.
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Netanyahu Praises Blinken’s Visit to Israel
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken addressed journalists on Thursday in Tel Aviv.
Mr. Netanyahu praised Mr. Blinken’s visit as a “tangible example of America’s unequivocable support of Israel.”
“President Biden was absolutely correct in calling this ‘sheer evil,’” Mr. Netanyahu said, referring to Hamas’ unprecedented attack Saturday on Israel.
They shook hands after Mr. Netanyahu’s remarks.
Mr. Blinken said that he came before journalists “not just as secretary of state, but also a Jew” while recounting his own family’s history of surviving the Holocaust.
“So prime minister, I understand on a personal level, the harrowing echoes that Hamas’ massacres carry for Israeli Jews, as well as Jews everywhere,” Mr. Blinken said.
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French Death Toll in Latest Gaza War Rises to 12
The death toll among French citizens in the Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel has risen to 12, with 16 others missing, France’s Foreign Ministry said Thursday.
An evacuation flight bringing French citizens to Paris is expected later Thursday and others are planned in the coming days, officials said.
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CCP Media Share Post Warning US Not to ‘Interfere’ With Taiwan Strait Amid Hamas Attack on Israel
China’s communist regime hasn’t explicitly condemned the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas’s attacks on Israel and the massacre of Israeli civilians that occurred on Oct. 7.
Meanwhile, the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) media reposted a blog post warning the United States that “if you interfere with our Taiwan Strait, we will interfere with your Israel.”
CCP leader Xi Jinping’s recent direct contact with three Middle Eastern leaders before the attacks has attracted international attention.
Hamas fired thousands of rockets into Israel as large numbers of terrorists sneaked into the country on Oct. 7, killing more than 1,200 Israelis and taking 100 to 150 hostages back to the Gaza Strip. The Israeli military has launched counterattacks, and the Benjamin Netanyahu-led government has declared war on Hamas.
Read more from here.
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Islamic Group Condemns Israel’s Airstrikes in Gaza
The 57-nation Organization of Islamic Cooperation on Thursday strongly condemned what it called the “ongoing Israeli military aggression against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.”
“The OIC considers this brutal aggression against the Palestinian people a blatant international and humanitarian law violation and a war crime,” it said in a statement. It cited the killing and wounding of women and children, the destruction of civilian buildings and other locations.
The OIC said it held Israel “fully responsible” for the “repercussions of the continuation of this sinful aggression.”
The OIC, based in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, broadly aligns itself with the thinking of Saudi Arabia’s rulers. That suggests the ongoing war likely will affect the ongoing efforts by the United States to broker a deal that could see Saudi Arabia diplomatically recognize Israel.
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Israeli Airstrikes Have Blocked Operation of Rafah Crossing, Egypt Says
Egypt’s Foreign Ministry denied Thursday it had officially closed the Rafah crossing and said Israeli airstrikes have prevented it from operating.
In the statement, the ministry called on all countries and international organizations wishing to provide humanitarian aid to deliver supplies to el-Arish International Airport, in Egypt’s northern Sinai. Hamas’s border authorities said Tuesday that an Israel airstrike hit the no-man’s land between Gaza and Egypt, blocking the road with a large crater.
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ICRC Says It’s in Touch With Hamas, Israeli Authorities About Israeli Hostages
The International Committee of the Red Cross on Thursday said it was in touch with Hamas and Israeli authorities as part of efforts to secure the release of Israeli hostages who are believed to be held in the Gaza Strip.
“As a neutral intermediary we stand ready to conduct humanitarian visits, facilitate communication between hostages and family members, and to facilitate any eventual release,” said Fabrizio Carboni, the group’s Middle East regional director.
The Mideast emirate of Qatar, a frequent mediator between Israel and Hamas, has also confirmed its involvement in the negotiations.
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At Least 2,400 Dead, Not Counting 1,500 Hamas Bodies in Israel
As of early Thursday, at least 2,400 people have died on both sides of the border.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported that over 1,200 people have died, including 189 soldiers, and more than 3,000 have been injured, owing to Hamas’s attacks, which included ground assaults and around 3,500 Hamas rockets fired at Israel.
Meanwhile, Gaza’s Hamas-backed health ministry reported that the death toll in Gaza has risen to 1,200, with about 5,600 injured, due to Israeli precision airstrikes on Hamas targets in Gaza. The IDF noted on Oct. 10 that Hamas terrorists have embedded themselves in civilian buildings, making their military offensive a tragic and necessary action. Gazan civilians were urged to evacuate before many of the strikes.
Israel has estimated that hundreds of terrorists are among the deaths in Gaza.
Separately, the IDF previously said on Oct. 10 that at least 1,500 bodies of Hamas terrorists lie dead in Israel, killed while fighting with Israelis and their soldiers since the start of the war.
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Saudi Crown Prince Speaks With Iran’s President About Escalating Gaza War
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman spoke with Iran’s president via a 45-minute phone call to discuss the Gaza war.
The state-run Saudi Press Agency reported Thursday that President Ebrahim Raisi had called the crown prince. The crown prince “underscored the Kingdom’s unwavering stance in standing up for the Palestinian cause and supporting efforts aimed at achieving comprehensive and fair peace that ensures the Palestinian people’s legitimate rights,” it said.
“Iran and Saudi Arabia must support the oppressed Muslim nation of Palestine as two key players at a critical moment,” Mr. Raisi said in a statement posted on his website.
Saudi Arabia and Iran are longtime rivals that recently restored diplomatic relations in an agreement brokered by China.
Before the outbreak of hostilities, the United States had been negotiating with the Saudis over normalizing relations with Israel, a potentially historic agreement that would build on the so-called Abraham Accords with other Arab states. Iran has long supported Palestinian terrorist groups, and its leaders praised the wide-ranging attack into Israel launched by Hamas extremists over the weekend.
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Israeli Airstrikes Kill Palestinian Islamic Jihad Commander, Group Says
Israeli airstrikes pounded the Gaza Strip overnight, at one point late Wednesday killing Palestinian Islamic Jihad commander Moussa Naseer in an airstrike on his family home in the northern city of Beit Lahia, according to media linked to Al-Quds Brigades, the group’s armed wing.
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X Removes Hundreds of Hamas-affiliated Accounts Since Attack, CEO Says
The X social media platform has removed hundreds of Hamas-affiliated accounts and taken action to remove or label tens of thousands of pieces of content since the terrorist group’s attack on Israel, its CEO Linda Yaccarino said on Thursday.
The move came in response to EU industry chief Thierry Breton’s 24 hour-ultimatum to Elon Musk to tackle the spread of disinformation on X—formerly known as Twitter—since the Hamas assault to comply with new EU online content rules.
X has redistributed resources and refocused internal teams to address the rapidly evolving situation, Ms. Yaccarino said, without specifying the changes. She added that the Mr. Musk-owned company assembled a leadership group to assess the situation shortly after the attack.
“We wish to reiterate that we welcome further engagement with you and your team, including a meeting, to address any specific questions and look forward to receiving further specifics to which we can respond” Ms. Yaccarino said in the letter to Mr. Breton, posted on X.
X has responded to more than 80 take-down requests received in the EU within required the timeline and has not received any notices from Europol regarding illegal content on the platform, the letter states.
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Biden Says He’s Seen ‘Confirmed Pictures’ of Hamas Beheading Children, WH Issues Clarification
U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday said he’d seen “confirmed pictures” that beheaded children were among the many victims of the Hamas terrorists who murdered hundreds of civilians in Israeli border towns this weekend. The White House later issued a statement to clarify his remarks.
The reports of Hamas beheading Israelis came as the world was already grappling with the extent of the crimes being described in Israel’s southern kibbutz communities, which bore the brunt of the wave of 1,500 terrorists who invaded Israel on Oct. 7.
During a roundtable with Jewish community leaders at the White House on Wednesday, President Biden emphasized the importance of Americans understanding the nature of the unfolding events.
Read more from here.
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Survivor Recounts Hamas Attack on Israeli Music Festival
Zac Bernard was among the thousands of Supernova music festival attendees who were attacked by Hamas terrorists who breached the nearby Israel-Gaza fence. Mr. Bernard managed to evade the Hamas gunmen who fired on the unarmed civilians.
“They literally came into the festival at around 6:30 in the morning, everyone was dancing, enjoying themselves. And suddenly, rockets start falling everywhere,” Mr. Bernard told NTD “Good Morning” on Wednesday, just four days after surviving the attack.
Around 260 festival attendees were killed in the assault, and many more were wounded.
Read more from here.
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Israel Prepares for Ground War, Says Hamas ‘Will Not Continue to Exist’
Israel is in the process of mobilizing its army for a ground incursion into the Gaza region, with a military officer stating that Hamas “will not continue to exist” after the operation.
“We are preparing for a maneuver [in Gaza]. Recruiting all the reserve forces … accumulating the regular forces, making sure that everyone is ready, familiar with the orders, familiar with the plans, and actually want to enter the maneuver when everyone is maximally prepared,” Lt. Col. Yaron Buskila, General Staff Officer of the Gaza Division, said in an Oct. 11 Epoch Times exclusive.
“We will soon enter the maneuver, and enter inside the Gaza Strip. It will happen, this is not the place to say when.”
Hamas “will not continue to exist after we enter the Gaza Strip, and we will make sure that this threat no longer comes from the Gaza Strip,” he said.
According to IDF spokesperson Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus, a large part of Hamas’s operations exists in a huge expanse of tunnels the terrorist organization has built under the Gaza Strip.
Read more from here.
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Summary of Events So Far
On Oct. 7, the Hamas terrorist group launched a bloody, surprise attack on Israel from the air, land, and sea. In response, Israeli forces swiftly launched “Operation Swords of Iron” to defend Israeli civilians.
Israel formally declared war on the Hamas Islamists on Oct. 8, and eased its gun license standards, enabling more citizens to arm themselves.
Israel on Oct. 11 established an emergency government and a special war cabinet to oversee its military response—to eliminate the Hamas terror group so it can never again attack Israel. It has also recruited some 360,000 army reservists who are now gathered along the Gaza border.
Israel has cut off supplies of food, fuel, electricity and medicine into Gaza. Hamas media said electricity was cut after the only power station stopped working.
Hamas terrorists in Gaza are holding an estimated 100 to 150 hostages taken from Israel, and on Oct. 9, threatened to kill the hostages if Israeli airstrikes hit Gaza civilians “without warning.” But the IDF noted on Oct. 10 that Hamas terrorists have embedded themselves in civilian buildings, thus making those structures valid military targets.
Israel’s prime minister called on Gazan civilians to evacuate the region on Oct. 8, which was followed by a campaign of mass text messages urging civilians to evacuate before the planned assault on Hamas was well and truly underway.
The Biden administration on Oct. 11 confirmed that at least 17 Americans are unaccounted for, and at least 22 Americans have died since the start of the war. President Joe Biden said the U.S. government is working with the Israelis to rescue the Americans taken hostage by Hamas.
See the previous day’s updates here.
Alex Wu, Iris Tao, The Associated Press, and Reuters contributed to this report.
