Israel-Hamas conflict: Over 1,800 dead, Netanyahu says didn't start this war but will finish it

At least eight French citizens have been confirmed dead and 20 others remain missing following the Hamas attacks against Israel, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said on Tuesday, CNN reported.

An Israeli woman Galaia from Ashkelon says, "My children and family are here (taking shelter in a hotel) because rockets fell on the roof of our neighbour’s house, our windowpanes were broken…for one week we have been staying here, now we don’t know if this place is safe… we want a new place…I want to tell my Prime Minister that...finish this terrorism as soon as possible"

US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris just concluded a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “to discuss our support for Israel,” CNN quoted the White House.

Permanent Observer Mission of Palestine to the United Nations writes to the President of the Security Council - "...The mounting death toll and scale of the destruction demand an international reaction first and foremost focussed on stopping the bloodshed and saving civilian lives. The targeting of civilians must be halted immediately. International humanitarian law and human rights law must be respected by all."

The Ford carrier strike group has arrived in the far Eastern Mediterranean, within range to provide a host of air support or long-range strike options for Israel if requested, but also to surge US military presence to prevent the now four-day old war with Hamas from spilling over into a more dangerous regional conflict, a US official told the Associated Press.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has criticized Israel’s blockade of Gaza saying cutting off electricity and water is against the Palestinians’ human rights, reported the Associated Press.

Rocket barrage that hit Ashkelon, Israel near a media contingent reporting on the violence.

"A combat helicopter attacked another observation post of the Hezbollah terrorist organization. A short time ago a combat helicopter attacked a Hezbollah observation post after anti-tank fire was fired from Lebanese territory at a military vehicle in the Avivim area," said the Israeli Air Force on X.

Further to the report of launches in the northern area, about 15 launches were detected from the territory of Lebanon, the air defense fighters successfully intercepted four launches, ten launches fell in open areas.

A Lebanese security official said six rockets were fired from southern Lebanon into northern Israel on Tuesday evening, reported the Associated Press.

President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi of Egypt said Tuesday the ongoing escalation between Israel and Palestinian militant groups in Gaza “is very serious,” warning of repercussions on the region’s “security and stability", reported the Associated Press.

In a phone call with US President Joe Biden, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu brought up the possibility of going into Gaza. Biden president did not warn him against doing so, a US official briefed on the conversation tells CNN.

The United Nations human rights chief said on Tuesday that Israel’s announcement of a “complete siege” of Gaza would exacerbate the “already dire” humanitarian situation in the strip, as he condemned alleged mass killings and executions by Palestinian militants, reported the Associated Press.

US President Joe Biden on Tuesday said that ties between America and Israel "run deep" and the local and federal law enforcement partners are monitoring any domestic threats in connection to Hamas attacks.

More than 1,000 people were killed in an attack by Hamas on Israel over the weekend, CNN reported citing the Israeli Embassy in the US.

Israeli Air Force on Tuesday eliminated Zakaria Abu Ma'amer, one of the senior members of the Political Bureau of Hamas, and the head of the organization's Ministry of National Relations. He was responsible for making decisions in Gaza, operating internal relations and coordinating between the organizations in Gaza.

Visuals of Gaza skyline as rockets are launched into Israel and Israel bombards Gaza following Hamas' attack.  

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday described the latest Israel-Palestinian war as a result of failed US foreign policy, AP reported.

Speaking at the start of his talks with visiting Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Al-Sudani, Putin said in his first comment on the war that “many will agree with me that this is a vivid example of the failure of the US policies in the Middle East.”

German prosecutors are investigating after German citizens were apparently kidnapped in the attack by Hamas on Israel, reported the Associated Press.

Russia’s ambassador to Israel said two Russian citizens have been killed in of the latest Israel-Palestinian war.

Dozens of fighter jets recently attacked over 100 targets throughout the Al Furkan neighborhood. In the last day, the Air Force attacked over 250 targets in the area of the neighborhood.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza said Tuesday said that the death toll in Gaza has risen to 765, adding that 4,000 other people have been injured, CNN reported.

Two foreign workers have been killed and another seriously injured in a rocket attack in the Eskhol region that borders Gaza, BBC reported citing Israel's emergency services.

French President Emmanuel Macron says his country has no evidence that Iran was directly involved in Hamas’ attack on Israel but the militant group does appear to have had outside help and cooperation.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday that Moscow has been talking to both Israel and the Palestinians to help search for a settlement, reported the Associated Press.

The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, says the building housing its headquarters in Gaza city suffered significant damage because of an airstrike nearby. No casualties among staff were recorded, reported the Associated Press.

Israeli Air Force is currently launching an extensive attack against terror targets of the terrorist organization Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Tuesday that Tehran was not involved in the Hamas attack on Israel, but he praised the assault that left more than 900 people dead, CNN reported.  

Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu where the latter briefed him about the ongoing war with Hamas militants. PM Modi, who shares good relations with Netanyahu, spoke for the first time after the conflict broke out on October 7, Saturday. During his conversation, PM Modi condemned the terror activities by Hamas and extended support in this difficult hour.

"I thank Prime Minister @netanyahu for his phone call and providing an update on the ongoing situation. People of India stand firmly with Israel in this difficult hour. India strongly and unequivocally condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations," wrote PM Modi on X.

 The US has already begun delivering critically needed munitions and military equipment to Israel, the White House said Monday, as the Pentagon reviews its inventories to see what else can be sent quickly to boost its ally in the three-day-old war with Hamas.

The Israeli military said Tuesday that it struck two tunnels used by Hamas militants to enter Israeli territory. The news came a day after 70 militants 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.

The United Nations and other aid agencies were talking with Egypt to send humanitarian aid to the besieged Gaza through the Rafah crossing point between the strip and Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, an Egyptian official and aid worker said Tuesday. They said Egyptian authorities have contacted Israel and the United States to secure humanitarian corridors in Gaza amid Israel’s unrelenting bombardment of the strip.

In the hours after Hamas blew through Israel’s heavily fortified separation fence and crossed into the country from Gaza, Ahal Besorai tried desperately to reach his sister. There was no answer.
Soon after, he learned from witnesses that militants had seized her, her husband and their teenage son and daughter, along with dozens of others. Now, aching uncertainty over their fate has left Besorai and scores of other Israelis in limbo.

Incoming rocket sirens are sounding in towns close to the border with the Gaza Strip after a six-hour lull, Times of Israel reported. The alerts are activated in Ein Hashlosha and Kissufim. There are no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

The Israeli military on Tuesday announced that it considers Gaza's parliament and civilian ministries as legitimate targets in its offensive against the Palestinian militant group Hamas, reported the Associated Press.

Israel’s military said about 1,500 bodies of Hamas militants were found in Israeli territory as, as it said it had largely gained control in the country’s south and “restored full control” over the border on the fourth day of fighting following an unprecedented surprise attack. Spokesperson Richard Hecht said no Hamas fighters have crossed into Israel since last night, although infiltrations could still be possible. Israel has previously reported 900 soldiers and civilians killed, and Palestinian authorities have reported about 700 deaths in Gaza and the West Bank.

Israeli Defence Forces released footage of its airstrikes on the Gaza Strip wherein it shows the aftermath of massive destruction. According to Gaza authorities, over 700 people were killed.

The Israel Defense Forces’ spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, says the military has regained control of the Gaza border, after Hamas terrorists blew up sections of the border fence during its attack on Saturday morning, Times of Israel reported.

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

The European Union on 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.

An Israeli airstrike in Gaza City killed two Palestinian journalists early Tuesday, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa. Wafa identified the journalists as editor Saeed Al-Taweel and photographer Mohammed Sobih. The airstrike occurred close to an area housing several media offices. Three Palestinian journalists reportedly were shot and killed while reporting in Gaza on Saturday. 

At least 11 American citizens have been confirmed dead in the surprise Hamas attacks, US President Joe Biden said Wednesday. Biden also said the US government believes it is “likely” that Americans are among those currently being held hostage by Hamas militants, while other U.S. citizens are still unaccounted for after the deadly assault.

As retaliatory Israeli airstrikes continue, more than 187,500 people have been displaced in Gaza since the beginning of the conflict, according to a report from the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. UNRWA, the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, is hosting more than 137,000 people in schools across the territory. The report says airstrikes have razed 790 housing units and severely damaged 5,330 in the territory of 2.3 million people.

Israel’s military said early Tuesday that a deputy Israeli commander was killed in clashes on the northern border with Lebanon. The military identified the deputy commander as Alim Abdallah but did not specify the exact circumstances of his death.

As Hamas is raging war against Israeli civilians, the former spokesman, Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus, said, "The picture and the situation in Israel is a dire one."

A senior Hamas official on Monday said only a small number of top commanders inside Gaza knew about the wide-ranging incursion launched into Israel, but that allies like Iran and the Lebanese Hezbollah “will join the battle if Gaza is subjected to a war of annihilation.”

The war’s death toll rose to nearly 1,600 on both sides on Monday. Around 900 people, including 73 soldiers, have been killed in Israel, according to media. In Gaza, more than 680 people have been killed, according to authorities there. Thousands have been wounded on both sides.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says "that Israel has “only started” a fierce offensive in the Gaza Strip in response to an unprecedented Hamas attack.
Netanyahu delivered the pronouncement in a nationally televised address as Israel pressed ahead with a third day of heavy airstrikes in Gaza. "Hamas will understand that by attacking us, they have made a mistake of historic proportions. We will exact a price that will be remembered by them and Israel’s other enemies for decades to come," he said.