Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared on Monday that Israel’s fierce offensive against the Hamas terrorist group in the Gaza Strip has “only started.”
Mr. Netanyahu delivered the pronouncement in a nationally televised address as Israel pressed ahead with a third day of heavy airstrikes in Gaza following Hamas’s unprecedented and deadly incursion into Israel.
“We have only started striking Hamas,” he said. “What we will do to our enemies in the coming days will reverberate with them for generations.”
Israel formally declared war on Sunday. The hostilities so far have killed around 900 people in Israel and more than 680 people in Gaza, according to authorities on each side.
Here are the latest updates on the Israel–Hamas war.
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Israel Strikes 2 Tunnels Used by Hamas Terrorists
The Israeli military said early Tuesday that it struck two tunnels used by Hamas terrorists to enter Israeli territory.
The news came a day after 70 terrorists infiltrated the Be’eri kibbutz Monday night. The small farming community has been a flashpoint of the conflict—the scene of a hostage standoff during the attack.
Authorities did not immediately provide more information on the location of the tunnels.
The terrorist group has used tunnels in the past. It has an established network running from Gaza to Egypt to smuggle in weapons, as well as attack tunnels burrowing into Israel.
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US Military Assistance Is ‘On the Way’ to Israel
U.S. military assistance is “on the way” to Israel, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said on Oct. 9.
“The first tranche [of security assistance], in the wake of these terrorist attacks, is already on the way,” Mr. Kirby told reporters in a call.
“I don’t believe it’s actually made it to Israel yet, but it’s making its way there.”
He did not specify what kind of equipment was being sent.
The administration, he said, expects that “there’ll be additional requests for security systems from Israel as they continue to expend munitions in this fight, and we will stay in lockstep with them, fulfilling their needs as best as we can and as fast as we can.”
Mr. Kirby said he “knows of no efforts to go to Congress” to request additional assistance to the Jewish state.
The United States gives $3.8 billion annually in assistance to Israel with all but $500 million of it being for military aid.
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European Union Reverses Suspension of Aid to Palestinian Authorities
The European Union late Monday reversed an earlier announcement by an EU commissioner that the bloc was immediately suspending aid for Palestinian authorities and instead said it would urgently review such assistance in the wake of the attacks on Israel by Hamas.
“There will be no suspension of payments” at the moment, a terse European Commission statement said late Monday, five hours after EU Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi had said that all payments from the development program for Palestinians would be immediately suspended.
No immediate explanation for the reversal was given. The reversal on a 691 million-euro ($730 million) program capped an embarrassing day at the EU’s executive at a time of extreme geopolitical sensitivities.
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At Least 11 Americans Killed in Israel: Biden
At least 11 Americans have been killed in the latest conflict between Israel and the U.S.-designated terrorist group Hamas, President Joe Biden said on Oct. 9.
“It’s heart wrenching. These families have been torn apart by inexcusable hatred and violence. We also know that American citizens still remain unaccounted for, and we are working with Israeli officials to obtain more information as to their whereabouts,” President Biden said in a statement.
“My heart goes out to every family impacted by the horrible events of the past few days. The pain these families have endured, the enormity of their loss, and the agony of those still awaiting information is unfathomable.”
President Biden also said that ” it is likely that American citizens may be among those being held by Hamas.”
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Israel Has ‘Only Started’ Offensive in Gaza Strip, Netanyahu Says
Mr. Netanyahu says that Israel has “only started” a fierce offensive in the Gaza Strip in response to an unprecedented Hamas attack.
Mr. Netanyahu delivered the pronouncement in a nationally televised address on Monday as Israel pressed ahead with a third day of heavy airstrikes in Gaza.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Monday that his country would impose a “complete siege” on the Gaza Strip.
Mr. Gallant said authorities would cut electricity to Gaza and block the entry of food and fuel there as part of a “complete siege” he ordered.
The announcement on Monday came as Israel’s military scoured the country’s south for Hamas terrorists and guarded breaches in its border fence with tanks, while it pounded the Gaza Strip from the air.
Israel and Egypt have imposed various levels of blockade on Gaza since Hamas seized power from rival Palestinian forces in 2007.
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More Than 680 Killed in Gaza, Health Ministry Says
The Health Ministry in the Gaza Strip said Monday that more than 680 people have been killed in Israel’s retaliatory strikes following an unprecedented Hamas attack.
The ministry said more than 3,700 people have been wounded.
Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip since the Saturday attack, striking hundreds of targets and leaving vast destruction.
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Hamas Threatens to Execute Civilians
Hamas said Monday that it would start executing Israeli hostages if civilian houses were bombed.
“Every targeting of our people without warning will be met with the execution of one of the civilian hostages,” the Ezzedine al-Qassem Brigades, the armed branch of Hamas, said in a statement to news outlets.
The group, designated by the State Department as a terrorist organization, added that “the enemy doesn’t understand the language of humanity and ethics, so we’ll address them in the language that they understand.”
Hamas spokesman Abu Ubaida told Reuters that it has kept its Israeli captives safe. But in return for every Israeli bombing of a civilian house without warning, it will begin executing an Israeli civilian captive and broadcast it, he said.
His comment, however, appears to contradict video footage of the bodies of hundreds of Israeli civilians sprawled across streets of towns. Footage also showed people at an outdoor dance party being gunned down, with reports indicating that upwards of 200 died in the incident.
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Turkish President Holds Calls With Abbas and Israeli President
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held back-to-back telephone calls on Monday with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli President Isaac Herzog, according to Mr. Erdogan’s press office.
Mr. Erdogan and Mr. Abbas discussed the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. “President Erdogan stated that Turkey is making every effort to end the conflicts in the region and ensure calm as soon as possible,” a statement from his press office said.
In his call with Mr. Herzog, “President Erdogan emphasized that any step that could harm the people of Gaza collectively and indiscriminately will further increase the suffering and spiral of violence in the region,” the presidential office statement said.
Mr. Erdogan also told his Israeli counterpart that it is “necessary to act with common sense and that establishing tranquility in the region as soon as possible is of great importance for the well-being of the entire region.”
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European Leaders and US President Plan to Discuss Israel
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz says he and French President Emmanuel Macron will discuss the situation in Israel with U.S. President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak late Monday.
Mr. Scholz, who was hosting Mr. Macron at a joint German-French Cabinet retreat in Hamburg, called Hamas’ attack on Israel “barbaric.” But he added that Germany, France, the United States, and the UK agree that there must not be a “conflagration” in the region, and “no one should further fuel terror in this situation.”
Mr. Macron pledged his “full support and solidarity for Israel.” He spoke with Mr. Netanyahu for the second time in three days and spoke over the weekend with Mr. Abbas and the leaders of Lebanon, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt.
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Hezbollah Says 5 Members Killed in Israeli Shelling in Lebanon
Five members of Hezbollah were killed during Israeli shelling in southern Lebanon, the Iran-backed Lebanese terrorist group announced Monday. The group identified them as Hussam Mohammad Ibrahim, Ali Raef Ftouni, Ali Hudruj, Bilal Madi, and Mohammed Mansour.
The first of three statements announcing the deaths shared photos of Ibrahim in military garb, posing with an AK-47 rifle.
Earlier Monday, the Palestinian terrorist group Islamic Jihad said in a statement that it sent four gunmen across Lebanon’s border into Israel as part of the Hamas-led attack that started over the weekend. Israeli Defense Forces reported that its troops shot and killed several gunmen who crossed into the country from Lebanon.
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Israel Death Toll Rises to 900
Israeli rescue service Zaka says more than 100 bodies have been recovered from a small farming community that was the scene of a hostage standoff during Hamas’ attack against Israel.
The figure is part of the total 900 reportedly killed in Hamas’ multi-pronged attack. Beeri, a kibbutz, had a population of about 1,000 people before the attack.
Israeli TV channels said the death toll from the Hamas attack had climbed to 900 Israelis, with at least 2,600 injured and dozens taken captive. Among the Israeli dead were 260 mostly young people gunned down at a desert music festival, where some of the hostages were abducted.
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Biden to Speak With Allies on Israel Situation: White House
U.S. President Joe Biden plans to speak with several allies Monday regarding the situation in Israel, according to the White House.
Earlier Monday, President Biden convened a meeting with top national security aides, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, national security adviser Jake Sullivan, principal deputy national security adviser Jon Finer, homeland security adviser Liz Sherwood-Randall, and White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients.
During that meeting, President Biden urged continued coordination with Israel and other regional partners, the White House said.
The White House has called a “lid” for the day, meaning the public won’t lay eyes on the U.S. president until Tuesday.
President Biden has spoken at least twice with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the White House says his top national security aides have been in regular contact with their counterparts in the region since the surprise Hamas attack on Saturday.
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Israeli Military Says Its Troops Killed Terrorists Who Infiltrated From Lebanon
Israeli soldiers backed by helicopters killed at least two terrorists who crossed the border from Lebanon on Monday, the military said, in a sign of a possible new front opening as Israel’s forces battled Palestinian Hamas terrorists in Gaza.
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist group claims it sent four members across Lebanon’s border into Israel as part of the Hamas-led attack that started over the weekend.
Palestinian Islamic Jihad said in a statement that seven Israeli soldiers were wounded in Monday’s cross-border operation.
The Israeli Defense Forces reported earlier that its troops shot and killed several terrorists who crossed into the country from Lebanon. Israel also intensified shelling of southern Lebanon in response to the incident.
The Lebanese military called on residents of border towns to “take the utmost precautions.” Families in several towns in southern Lebanon started fleeing north as the Israeli shelling continued.
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European Union Suspends Payments to Palestinians
European Union Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi said Monday that the bloc is suspending “all payments immediately” to the Palestinians because of what he called the “scale of terror and brutality” during the attacks of Hamas against Israel.
The surprise announcement by Mr. Varhelyi came just hours after EU officials stressed that no EU money had been going to Hamas and that contacts had been frozen for 16 years. The EU considers Hamas a terror group.
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Qatar in Talks With Hamas, Israel to Swap Israeli Hostages for Palestinians in Israeli Jails
Reuters reported on Monday that Qatar’s foreign ministry confirmed to Reuters its involvement in mediation talks with Hamas and Israeli officials, including over a possible prisoner swap.
“We are in constant contact with all sides at the moment. Our priorities are to end the bloodshed, release the prisoners and make sure the conflict is contained with no regional spillover,” foreign ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari told Reuters, without elaborating.
When asked to respond to the Reuters report, an Israeli official told Reuters only: “There are no negotiations underway.”
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9 Americans Are Among the Dead in Israel
The U.S. State Department said Monday that at least nine American citizens have been killed in the weekend Hamas attacks on Israel, raising the toll from four.
The State Department says an undetermined number of American citizens remain missing and unaccounted for. It is not clear whether the missing had been taken hostage, were killed, or are in hiding.
The State Department is in touch with families “and providing all appropriate consular assistance,” spokesman Matthew Miller said.
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Death Toll Rises as Israel and Hamas Fighting Intensifies
Israel says it has brought in special forces to try to wrest control of four sites from Hamas terrorists after the terrorist group launched its unprecedented incursion into Israel. On Sunday, Israel formally declared war and gave the green light for “significant military steps” to retaliate against Hamas for Saturday’s surprise attack. The Israeli military tried to crush fighters still in southern towns and intensified its bombardment of the Gaza Strip.
The toll passed 1,100 dead and thousands wounded on both sides.
The fighting continued in several locations Monday morning. At least 700 people have reportedly been killed in Israel and more than 400 have been killed in Gaza.
Here are the latest updates on the conflict.
Biden in Tough Spot After Surprise Attack on Israel Exposes Massive Intelligence Failures
Israel has been through many wars before, but the recent Hamas assault, which displayed an unexpected level of sophistication and coordination, shocked Israelis and the rest of the world.
Using motorcycles, pickup vehicles, and even paragliders and speed boats, Hamas terrorists penetrated Israeli towns near the Gaza Strip and began killing and kidnapping civilians. They also launched thousands of rockets into Israeli cities starting at 6:30 a.m. on the morning of Oct. 7.
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Schumer Confirms at Least 4 Americans Killed in Vicious Hamas Attacks
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has confirmed that at least four Americans have been killed in the attack in Israel.
“The administration told us that they know of four [Americans who were killed] thus far, but, sadly, we know the toll will rise,” Mr. Schumer said in a statement released Sunday night.
The senator said he had received an unclassified briefing from Acting Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland and Acting Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Sasha Baker about the “overwhelming and heart wrenching” viciousness and brutality in what he called an “unprecedented attack.”
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Flights Disrupted to and From Tel Aviv, US May Restrict Use of Israeli Airspace
The “state of war” that was dropped by the Hamas terror group in Israel this weekend has disrupted flight operations in and out of Israeli airports, with several major U.S. airlines either halting or re-routing flights.
According to the flight tracking website Flightradar24, flights to and from Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport by airlines like Delta Air Lines and United Airlines have been canceled, amongst many other airlines flying to and from Israel.
The State Department said in a travel update on Sunday, “While Ben Gurion International Airport remains open, we are aware that several major airlines have announced that they have suspended flights.”
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1,000 Terrorists Participated in Saturday’s Attack on Israel: IDF Update
An Israel Defense Force (IDF) spokesperson has revealed approximately 1,000 terrorists participated in Saturday’s assault on Israel, resulting in more deaths in one day than at any other time in the nation’s history since the Yom Kippur War in 1973.
Hamas, recognized as a terrorist organization by the United States and other nations, initiated a surprise attack against Israel from the air, land, and sea on Saturday, launching thousands of rockets from their territory in the Gaza Strip, and raiding homes where they killed or took hostage Israeli civilians.
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Jack Phillips, Rashi Varshney, Emel Akan, Stephen Katte, Reuters, and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
