Israel - Palestinian militants launch massive attack, 7 Oct 2023 #6

[PommyMommy]

Live updates: Israel-Hamas war rages, Greek Orthodox church in Gaza hit in airstrike (cnn.com)
46 min ago

Dozens of bodies of terror attack victims still to be recovered from Gaza border, Israeli aid agency says​

Dozens of bodies of victims of the October 7 Hamas terror attack are still lying near Israel’s border with the Gaza Strip, a search and rescue volunteer told CNN in Be’eri, an Israeli kibbutz that was attacked close to the border.

They have not been recovered yet because of rocket attacks by Hamas from Gaza, said Yossi Landau, the head of the southern command of ZAKA, the Israeli volunteer-run emergency rescue service.

The group has been working non-stop trying to retrieve the bodies of the victims of the massacre last week. More are found and identified every day, he said.

Rocket attacks continue to be launched from the Gaza Strip toward Israel, even as the Israel Defense Forces continue to pound the enclave with heavy strikes.

Smoke rising from the Gaza Strip is visible from kibbutz Be’eri,

 

[Momoffourboys]

Thursday’s escalation along the border between Israel and Lebanon has revived Hamas’s hope of fulfilling its vision of the “unity of the battlefields,” which aims to trigger a multi-front confrontation with Israel.

Hamas yet to give up on the ‘unity of the battlefields’ against Israel

Prior to the October 7 Hamas assault on Israel, leaders of the group seemed confident that the “axis of resistance” would immediately attack Israel once a war erupts in the Gaza Strip.

www.jpost.com

 

[Momoffourboys]

Israel's Dead: The Names of Those Killed in Hamas Attacks, Massacres and the Israel-Hamas War​

Over 1,300 Israelis, civilians and soldiers were killed in their homes, communities and in confronting Hamas terrorists. Here are the officially confirmed names of Israel's dead in the atrocities of October 7 and the subsequent Israel-Hamas war

https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2023-10-19/ty-article-magazine/victims/0000018b-325c-d450-a3af-7b5cf0210000

 

[PommyMommy]

Israel-Hamas war live updates: Aid trucks wait to cross into Gaza after another night of heavy bombing (nbcnews.com)
8m ago / 5:23 AM PDT

A Shabbat table with 203 empty seats awaits hostages' return​

TEL AVIV — In a large square outside the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, a Shabbat table has been prepared that’s so long it almost disappears into the baking midday heat. Its 203 empty place settings, each ready to receive wine and challah bread, represent the number of Israeli hostages confirmed kidnapped by Hamas almost two weeks ago.

... Nearby a 20 -foot ream of paper allows people to write messages, which the group plans to hang outside the White House.

“This is a traditional Jewish Friday night table, including the wine, the special bread," said Nimrod Arluk, 49, a volunteer who works as a tech entrepreneur. "We have 203 seats, including baby seats, and we’re keeping them empty until they come back."

[...]

“The hostages are the main issue but for some reason it is not the main thing we are talking about, both on Israeli TV and internationally.”

[...]

A Shabbat table with empty seats representing hostages at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art.Alexander Smith / NBC News

Visitors write messages on a banner at the museum.Alexander Smith / NBC News

 

[PommyMommy]

The Greek-Orthodox Church of Saint Porphyrius, one of the Oldest Churches in the World having Opened in 1150, which was claimed to have been Targeted last night by an Israeli Airstrikes now appears to have only suffered Moderate Damage and was not the Actual Target of the Strike; the Target Building was a Location next to the Church Complex which Partially-Collapsed onto an Section of the Church following the Attack.

A Majority of the Church is reported to have Thankfully not suffered any or Minor Damage.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1715339678700683691

 

[cottonweaver]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1714976116438450656

Again, analysts are ten-a-penny. I can't judge how unique this is, others might be able to :

https://twitter.com/x/status/1714199956506968397

a report from Lebanon, published 7 hrs ago

'The question about what Hezbollah will do hangs over the whole country. The group, like Hamas, is considered a terrorist organisation by the UK, the US and others. Its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, has remained silent since the Israel-Hamas war broke out.'

( re hospital explosion.... ) 'Hezbollah, however, described it as a "massacre" by Israel and, in Beirut, hundreds of its followers protested, chanting anti-American and anti-Israeli slogans. But it was a small demonstration for what the group had described as an "unprecedented day of anger".
A source familiar with Hezbollah's thinking, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the group's actions would be determined by what happens in Gaza. "If the Israelis invade [the territory]," the source said, "this will lead to a regional catastrophe".
Some believe the decision about what to do next will likely come from Hezbollah's main backer, Iran.

Before the latest outbreak of violence, the consensus among observers was that neither Israel nor Hezbollah were interested in another war, as many still remember the devastating month-long conflict they fought in 2006.
Lebanon is suffering from an economic crisis dating back years, and political infighting has left the country without a functioning government or president, while sectarian divisions have been exacerbated.
To the west of Bein Jbeil, in the border village of Dhayra, Israeli retaliatory strikes hit the local mosque and some houses last week.
Sabrina Fanash, a 36-year-old resident who moved to Beirut after the war started, was vocal in her criticism of militants who, she said, were using her Sunni-majority village for their attacks.
"It's not fair that our houses are like that. Who will rebuild them?" she said, walking through the rubble of her cousin's partially destroyed home.
"All of us are sad… We depend on God, God will protect us."

Residents leave as tension grows at Israel-Lebanon border

Fears fighting could erupt between Hezbollah and Israel are seeing communities on both sides evacuate.

www.bbc.co.uk

very short clip showing Iranian 'speaker' getting boos ( I wonder if we'll see more Iranian protests- despite the brutal crackdowns in 2022 - if the conflict escalates with Hezbollah)

https://twitter.com/x/status/1714627527619031310

 

[Momoffourboys]

Israel's defense minister on Friday said that one objective in the military campaign in the Gaza Strip is to end Israel's responsibility over the Palestinian coastal enclave.

https://x.com/Jerusalem_Post/status/1715344651895394814?s=20

 

[PommyMommy]

“We fight for our existence,” IDF Spokesperson LTC (Res.) Jonathan Conricus.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1715344844779098566

 

[Gypsy Road]

I should probably already know the answer to this, but I don’t so I’ll ask. There’s so much I don’t know or understand yet.

Did the majority of the Hamas terrorists who attacked Israel reside in Gaza? With the blockade - how to they get weapons in and supplies? Where do the tunnels originate?

 

[Momoffourboys]

Editor's Notes: Now I know what death smells like​

I had heard about the smell of death before, but I never quite knew what it was. Now I do. It hung over the entire kibbutz, thick and nauseating.​

Kibbutz Be’eri is remarkably peaceful.

Established in 1946, the community had a population of 1,047 in 2021. Verdant lawns stretch between small public buildings and houses shielded by leafy trees. The kibbutz is home to a printing press that serves as the community’s main source of income, as well as a veterinary clinic and a cycling center, and it is surrounded by agricultural fields. In wintertime, families from across the country flock to the adjacent Be’eri Forest to see the bright red anemones that blanket the area. Some years ago, the community – a bastion of liberalism and home to several prominent peace activists – established a fund to help support Palestinian families just a couple of miles away in Gaza.

More: Editor's Notes: Now I know what death smells like

 

[dotr]

Lengthy article, especially of interest to Wsers..

Inside the ‘civilian war room’ where Israeli volunteers hunt for the prisoners of Hamas - National | Globalnews.ca

Freeing the more than 200 Israeli prisoners taken by Hamas on Oct. 7 has become a national cause.

globalnews.ca

''The Oct. 7 assault on Israel was widely captured on phone, security, dashboard and body cameras. Now those images are being closely analyzed for traces of the more than 200 people taken hostage that day.

Hamas not only killed 1,400 during its attack, but it also took prisoners, among them kids and seniors. Freeing the captives has become a national cause in Israel, but first they have to be found.

It’s a significant challenge, and Rafael Franco decided to try a technological approach. The day after the attack, he reconfigured his Tel Aviv cyber company to search for the disappeared.''
........................................................

''Franco’s office is now a “civilian war room,” where volunteers scour the internet for the prisoners. The system they built consists of 300,000 images downloaded from TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat.

Face recognition technology compares them with photos provided by the families of those missing. So far, they have found about 50 matches.

They also geolocate landmarks in the images to determine where the prisoners were last seen. Their findings are passed to the Israeli military.''

 

[Brightchaser47]

Lengthy article, especially of interest to Wsers..

Inside the ‘civilian war room’ where Israeli volunteers hunt for the prisoners of Hamas - National | Globalnews.ca

Freeing the more than 200 Israeli prisoners taken by Hamas on Oct. 7 has become a national cause.

globalnews.ca

''The Oct. 7 assault on Israel was widely captured on phone, security, dashboard and body cameras. Now those images are being closely analyzed for traces of the more than 200 people taken hostage that day.

Hamas not only killed 1,400 during its attack, but it also took prisoners, among them kids and seniors. Freeing the captives has become a national cause in Israel, but first they have to be found.

It’s a significant challenge, and Rafael Franco decided to try a technological approach. The day after the attack, he reconfigured his Tel Aviv cyber company to search for the disappeared.''
........................................................

''Franco’s office is now a “civilian war room,” where volunteers scour the internet for the prisoners. The system they built consists of 300,000 images downloaded from TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat.

Face recognition technology compares them with photos provided by the families of those missing. So far, they have found about 50 matches.

They also geolocate landmarks in the images to determine where the prisoners were last seen. Their findings are passed to the Israeli military.''

Awesome

 

[Momoffourboys]

What Matters Now to Rachel Goldberg: Her son Hersh, held hostage by Hamas​

Hersh Goldberg-Polin was captured by terrorists on Oct. 7 at the Supernova rave. In a raw interview, his mother describes him, the media campaign and an ongoing unbearable nightmare​

https://x.com/TimesofIsrael/status/1715246740360818907?s=20

 

[PommyMommy]

10min ago

758 bodies of civilians have been identified so far as work continues, police say​

Bodies of the victims of the mass murderous attack by Hamas on southern Israeli communities on October 7, 2023 await advanced examination for identification at the National Center of Forensic Medicine (Abu Kabir) in Jaffa, October 16, 2023. (Tomer Neuberg/Flash90)

The Israel Police says in a statement that so far the bodies of 758 civilians have been identified from the October 7 Hamas massacre in southern Israel.

Of those, 655 have been transferred to families for burial.

Police say that workers and volunteers have been working 24/7 since the start of the war in order to identify the slew of bodies collected following the murderous rampage in which some 1,400 Israelis are believed to have been killed. Some of the bodies have been badly burned or destroyed, making identification extremely challenging.

Separately, 306 soldiers, officers and reservists have also been identified.

 

[PommyMommy]

4min ago

Russian envoy in Israel says Moscow in talks with Hamas to release hostages​

Russia’s Ambassador to Israel Anatoly Viktorov says Moscow is in talks with Hamas to release the 200 to 250 hostages that terror groups are currently holding in Gaza.

Russia appears to be one of at least half a dozen countries that claim to be in talks with Hamas to release the hostages.

 

[PommyMommy]

October 7th was the day the music died.

Omar was kidnapped and is currently being held hostage in Gaza by Hamas terrorists.

His family asked that we share this video and help bring him home. Please RT.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1715354011140858010

 

[Sundog]

dbm

 

[PommyMommy]

Live updates: Israel-Hamas war rages, Greek Orthodox church in Gaza hit in airstrike (cnn.com)
6 min ago

Iran's military chief warns the US over sending weapons to Israel, state media says​

Iran warned the US about the consequences of sending weapons to Israel, saying it would further complicate the situation in Gaza, according to Iran's state-aligned news outlet Tasnim.

“The widespread support of the United States including sending weapons and ammunition to the Zionist regime is considered as participation by the American government in the crimes of the Zionist regime. It further complicates the situation in Gaza,” Iranian Armed Forces chief of staff, Maj. Gen. Mohammad Bagheri said during a telephone call with Turkey’s defense minister Yasar Guler on Friday.

Bagheri also said that “serious action” is needed to prevent war crimes and called for humanitarian aid to be sent to Gaza, Tasnim reported.

 

[PommyMommy]

Israel-Hamas war live: UN refugee chief warns military escalation would be ‘catastrophic’ for Gaza, as IDF says it hit 100 targets overnight (theguardian.com)
9m ago14.12 BST

The Egyptian foreign ministry targets "western media"​

The Egyptian foreign ministry has accused “western media” of targeting the country about the Gaza humanitarian crisis.

On the social media site X, formally known as Twitter, the Egyptian foreign minister said the media were “Promoting displacement scenario, holding Egypt responsible for the Crossing closure despite Israeli targeted attacks and refusal of aid entry and recently insinuating Egypt responsibility for obstructing third-country nationals exit.”

It added: “Rafah crossing is open and Egypt is not responsible for obstructing third-country nationals exit.” A subsequent tweet said: “The opportunity is available tomorrow to change course and awaken the conscience.”

https://twitter.com/x/status/1715346965515354180

https://twitter.com/x/status/1715346975258726856

 

[cottonweaver]

YouGov poll for CBS

https://twitter.com/x/status/1715333553691541820

( I guess there must be other new YouGov polled questions out there, sorry am using this guy's screenshot. he's rather flippant - ignore that bit )

Anyway, the results don't seem particularly partisan to me, each voter-group seems to be fairly evenly divided