Israel Hamas War: Prepared for 'coordinated' air, ground, naval offensive in Gaza Strip: Israeli military

Israeli military announces it is prepared for “coordinated” air, ground and naval offensive in Gaza Strip, reports AP.

Medical officials say an estimated 35,000 people have crammed into the grounds of Gaza City’s main hospital, seeking refugee ahead of an expected Israeli ground offensive, reported Associate Press. 

Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu interacts with the Israeli soldiers at the front.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has called Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to seek China’s help in preventing the Israel-Hamas war from spreading, reported Associate Press. 

 Australia cancels repatriation flights from Israel due to 'highly challenging' situation.

Egyptian charities on Saturday sent over 100 trucks carrying 1,000 tons of humanitarian aid including food and other supplies to the Palestinian people in Gaza, local media reported. The aid will wait in Sinai until a deal is secured with Israel to allow the delivery of aid into the besieged territory, reported the Associated Press.

After flying out more than 400 Indian nationals from Israel on two consecutive days, the Indian Embassy in Tel Aviv has announced two special flights on Saturday to further facilitate more Indians wanting to leave the country amidst the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Qatar and Saudi Arabia have categorically rejected the "forcible displacement" of Palestinians inside Gaza, after Israel issued an order for Gazans to leave the north of the territory and head south, BBC reported.

Palestinian medical services and civil defense crews were targeted by an Israeli strike at the site of a rescue operation in northern Gaza on Saturday, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Interior and National Security, CNN reported.

The UN children’s agency is calling for an immediate cease-fire and humanitarian access into the Gaza Strip, saying hundreds of thousands of children and their families have started fleeing northern Gaza, AP reported.

The Israel Defense Forces says troops have arrested 280 wanted Palestinians across the West Bank, including 157 affiliated with Hamas, since fighting began last weekend in southern Israel, according to The Times of Israel.

"A short while ago, IAF aircraft targeted Hamas terrorists immediately after they launched an anti-tank missile toward the area surrounding the Gaza Strip. A hit was identified upon the terrorist cell," tweeted the Israeli Air Force.

The United Nations has described the situation in the Gaza Strip as a matter of "life and death," warning that the clean water supply for the 2 million people there is running dangerously low, CNN reported.

Patrolling by Israeli troops as well as aerial patrolling near the Gaza border; security checkpoints set up at the border.

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says, "... No country can or should be expected to tolerate what Israel has just been on the receiving end of, which is an attack which also defies description in words, in which 1300 of its people were slaughtered along with the nationals of more than 30 other countries by Hamas. Hamas is not a representative of the Palestinian people or their legitimate aspirations for the future. Hamas is a terrorist group and its only agenda is to destroy Israel and murder Jews. And it is important that the entire world sees it as such. This is an important moment for more clarity when it comes to Hamas."

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal Bin Farhan says, "We need to find a way to quickly de-escalate the situation (Israel-Palestine conflict)...at least stopping the guns and working towards addressing the cause of humanitarian challenges. I have to emphasise that humanitarian situation in Gaza is very difficult. We need to work together to make sure that access to humanitarian relief is allowed...We need to work together to find a way out of the cycle of violence..."

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says, "As Israel pursues legitimate right to defend its people and to try to assure this never happens again. It is important that all of us look out for civilians, and we're working together to do exactly that. In particular, working on establishing safe areas in Gaza, working on establishing corridors so that humanitarian assistance can reach people who need it. None of us wants to see suffering by civilians on any side, whether it's in Israel, Gaza or anywhere else. And we're working together to do our best to protect them. At the same time, it's vitally important, that we work together to make sure that, to the best of our ability, this conflict does not spread to other places on other fronts.... In addition, the United States and Saudi Arabia are working together very closely in a number of other critical areas where it's so important to try to bring greater peace, stability, and security. That includes Yemen as well as Sudan..."

Egypt, Israel and the United States have agreed to allow foreigners in Gaza to pass through the Rafah border crossing into Egypt, the Associated Press cited a senior Egyptian official.

The Hamas-run health ministry reports that 2,215 Palestinians have been killed and another 8,714 have been wounded in Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip since fighting began on October 7, The Times of Israel reported.

China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi warned Friday that “Palestine is now in a critical situation,” and the ongoing conflict “has caused heavy civilian casualties”, CNN reported.

Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi condemned Israel's actions in Gaza on Saturday, accusing Israel of breaching international law, CNN reported. 

Iran’s foreign minister on Saturday called on Israel to stop its attacks on Gaza, warning that the war might expand to other parts of the Middle East if Hezbollah joins the battle, and that would make Israel suffer “a huge earthquake.”

Air India has extended the suspension of its scheduled flights to and from Tel Aviv till October 18, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and militant group Hamas.

"Based on precise IDF and ISA intelligence, IAF aircraft killed Ali Qadi, a company commander of the Hamas "Nukhba" commando force, who led the terror attack in Israeli communities near the Gaza Strip last weekend," tweeted the Israeli Air Force.

View of Gaza from Israel's Sderot amid the Israeli–Hamas conflict.

Israel | Tank firing by Israel towards Gaza seen near the Gaza border. Tanks, munitions and Israeli soldiers have been deployed near the border.

Egyptian authorities have erected “temporary” blast walls on Egypt’s side of the Rafah crossing point with Gaza, AP reported citing two Egyptian officials.

"Attached is a video of the targeting of the terrorist cell that attempted to infiltrate from Lebanon into Israeli territory this morning," said the Israeli Air Force on X.

The 57-nation Organization of Islamic Cooperation issued a blistering statement Saturday expressing what it describes as “its absolute rejection and condemnation of Israel, the occupying power’s calls for the forced displacement of the Palestinian people", reported the Associated Press.

The United States Air Force said overnight that it had deployed F-15E fighter aircraft in the Middle East to support its operations backing Israel after Hamas’ unprecedented attack, reported the Associated Press.

Rocket sirens sound in a number of towns on the Gaza border. The renewed fire from the Strip comes after a lull of approximately 10 hours, a pattern that the Gaza militant groups have replicated over the past three days, reported the Times of Israel.

Due to the Israel-Palestine conflict, all the countries have started work of evacuating their citizens from Israel. Embassies of several countries such as the US, Denmark, Finland and France have set up counters at Tel Aviv airport to help people leave Israel

The US intelligence community produced at least two assessments based in part on intelligence provided by Israel warning the Biden administration of an increased risk for Palestinian-Israeli conflict in the weeks ahead of Saturday’s seismic attack on southern Israel, CNN reported citing sources.

The number of Thai nationals killed in the Hamas attack on Israel has risen to 24, CNN quoted Thailand’s Foreign Ministry.

"A short while ago, IDF soldiers identified a terrorist cell which attempted to infiltrate from Lebanon into Israeli territory. An IAF UAV targeted the terrorist cell and killed a number of the terrorists," said the Israeli Air Force on X.

Last rites of Israeli soldiers, who lost their lives in conflict with Hamas, was held in Jerusalem yesterday.

"During the strike, IAF fighter jets killed Merad Abu Merad who was the head of the Hamas Aerial System in Gaza City, and was largely responsible for directing terrorists during the massacre on Saturday," said the Israeli Air Force.

"Last night, IAF fighter jets conducted wide-scale strikes throughout the Gaza Strip. These included dozens of Hamas terror targets as well as “Nukhba” terrorist operatives that were in a staging ground in the Gaza Strip," said the Israeli Air Force.

The Israel Defense Forces says it has killed a senior member of the Hamas terror group in an overnight airstrike in the Gaza Strip. The strike, targeting a headquarters from which the terror group managed its aerial activity, kills Murad Abu Murad. the head of Hamas’s aerial array, the Times of Israel reported citing the IDF.

A view of Gaza as the Israel-Palestine conflict continues

Israel's ultimatum that over one million people in northern Gaza should relocate within 24 hours is "extremely dangerous" and "simply not possible", UN chief Antonio Guterres has said, asserting that "even wars have rules.

Israel Defense Forces Spokesperson Jonathan Conricus says, "Around the Gaza strip, our Israeli soldiers are getting ready for the next stage of operations...our aim is very clear, the end state of this war is that we will dismantle Hamas and its military capabilities..."

The Palestinian Health Ministry reported 16 Palestinians killed Friday in the occupied West Bank, bringing to 51 the total number of West Bank Palestinians killed since Hamas waged its brutal assault on Israel last Saturday, reported the Associated Press.

Israel's military says it attacked a Hezbollah target in southern Lebanon 'in response to the infiltration of unidentified vessels'.

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a statement has said, "We will not allow the world, or anyone, to forget these horrors, the likes of which the Jewish people have not endured in decades."

"We are pounding our enemies with unprecedented force, and I stress, this is only the beginning. Our enemies have only just begun to pay the price. I will not detail our plans, but I tell you, this is only the beginning. In my phone calls with President Biden and other world leaders, and through many other efforts, we are securing vast international support for Israel," he said.

World Health Organization chief says moving some patients out of Gaza hospitals would 'put their lives at immediate risk', and calls for the 'immediate reversal' of evacuation order, as Israel-Hamas war rages on.

The Israel Defence Force (IDF) conducted raids in Gazan territory to eliminate the threat of terrorist cells and infrastructure.

Soldiers collected evidence that will aid in locating hostages. The Israel Air Force (IAF) continued striking Hamas terrorist targets and anti-tank missile launchers in Gaza immediately after they were used to attack Israel.

A rocket attack was reported over Tel Aviv around 12:30 AM. Israel's iron dome also intercepted four rockets fired by Hamas terrorists over Ashkelon.

Israel's Kan public broadcaster says it found a document left behind by a Hamas fighter, which included a combat protocol to kill as many civilians as possible, The Spectator Index reported.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to destroy Hamas as the army prepares for an expected ground invasion of the Gaza Strip.

Israel launched an all-out offensive against Gaza with airstrikes since Hamas militants carried out an unprecedented cross-border attack last Saturday, killing over 1,300 people in a brutal rampage.