Israel - Palestinian militants launch massive attack, 7 Oct 2023

[DS2021]

War used to be men soldiers fighting against other men soldiers. Now they torture and kill the most innocent and vulnerable and think it’s some sort of victory.

Theres always been this type of behavior in war, the internet has just made it harder to sweep under the rug

 

[DS2021]

Theres always been this type of behavior in war, the internet has just made it harder to sweep under the rug

Peter von Hagenbach and the world’s first international war crimes trial

The Nuremberg trials that followed the close of World War II were, like the atrocities they prosecuted, unprecedented in international law. And yet the idea that political and military leaders migh…

mathewlyons.co.uk

 

[DS2021]

I just heard an explosion on the reuters feed

 

[imstilla.grandma]

• Gunbattles between Hamas and Israeli forces continuing in southern Israel more than 24 hours after surprise assault
• Israeli TV reports say at least 600 people killed in attacks; Gaza health ministry says 370 dead in retaliatory strikes
• 'We're going to be attacking Hamas severely and this is going to be a long, long haul' - Israeli military spokesperson
• In Lebanon, Hezbollah says its 'guns and rockets' stand with Hamas

"My two little girls, they're only babies. They're not even five years old and three years old," said Yoni Asher who had seen video of gunmen seizing his wife and two small daughters after she took them to visit her mother, he said.

Israel's military, which faces questions over its failure to prevent the attack, said it had regained control of most infiltration points along security barriers, killed hundreds of attackers and taken dozens more prisoner.

"We're going to be attacking Hamas severely and this is going to be a long, long haul," an Israeli military spokesperson told a briefing with reporters

"This is my fifth war. The war should stop. I don't want to keep feeling this," said Qassab al-Attar, a Palestinian wheelchair user in Gaza whose brothers carried him to shelter when Israeli forces shelled their house.

Israeli air strikes pound Gaza as death toll on both sides climbs

In a sign the conflict could spread beyond Gaza, Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah militia exchanged artillery and rocket fire, while in Alexandria, two Israeli tourists were shot dead along with their Egyptian guide.

www.reuters.com

 

[Sundog]

What is Hamas, what is happening in Israel and Gaza Strip, and other questions​

What is Hamas and why is it fighting with Israel in Gaza?

Why did Hamas attack Israel, and what has happened in Gaza since the 7 October raid?

www.bbc.co.uk

"Is this a major Israeli intelligence failure?"
"Yes, says our security correspondent Frank Gardner. With the combined efforts of Shin Bet, Israeli domestic intelligence, Mossad, its external spy agency and all the assets of the Israel Defense Forces, he says it is frankly astounding that nobody saw this coming or failed to act on it if they did have a warning."

The United States, with all our intelligence, did not see 9-11 coming. There will be time to look into this more once Israel stabilizes its security from the terrorist forces. I am sure that the U.S. did the same following the 9-11 terrorist attacks.

 

[Momoffourboys]

I just heard an explosion on the reuters feed

Its ongoing. Residents of the south and kibbutzim were urged to leave and head to central Israel. Many residents offering their homes to displaced families. Whoever chose to remain must stay in their fortified room/shelter. Residents in the north, near the Lebanon border, were also urged to leave

 

[whitelilac]

Not yet confirmed by news agency.
Friend in Ashdod has posted that hundreds of Israeli civilians, both those that were in the rave festival, locals and people that were in the area by chance, were found alive, hiding without cell service in a rainwater canal near the border.
Currently being escorted to safety by IDF forces.
He posted a video of the rescue.

 

[PommyMommy]

7min ago

Families of missing Israelis in joint press conference: ‘Give us answers’​

Uri David speaks during a press conference of families of Israelis taken captive by Hamas to Gaza, October 8, 2023. (Screenshot/used in accordance with clause 27a of the copyright law)

At a joint press conference held by the family members of Israelis gone missing, the families demand the government provide them with answers and updates about their loved ones.

“Our number one goal is to bring back our family members, the missing, the captives,” says a representative of the group. “We are calling on the families. Don’t deal with this alone. You don’t have to do this alone… Be in contact with me,” he says, listing his phone number as 052-448-1981.

Uri David, whose two daughters are missing, says the current situation is “unbelievable… it’s impossible to understand. We are demanding this government give us answers. We know they won’t all be happy answers,” he adds, as parents around him break down in tears. “We want our children back, our family members.”

“We demand to meet [with government officials] tonight, we need answers, even some answers,” he adds.

 

[PommyMommy]

3min ago

Biden tells Netanyahu boosted US aid to the IDF is ‘on its way,’ says White House​

US President Joe Biden tells Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that additional US aid to the IDF “is now on its way to Israel with more to follow over the coming days,” according to a White House readout on the second call between the two leaders in as many days.

The two also discussed “ongoing efforts to ensure that no enemies of Israel believe they can or should seek advantage from the current situation,” the White House says.

“The president again expressed deep sympathy for all those missing, wounded, and killed, and pledged his full support for the government and people of Israel in the face of an unprecedented and appalling assault by Hamas terrorists.”

“They discussed the taking of hostages by Hamas terrorists, including entire families, the elderly, and young children. The president emphasized that there is no justification whatsoever for terrorism, and all countries must stand united in the face of such brutal atrocities.”

“President Biden updated the prime minister on the intensive diplomatic engagement undertaken by the United States over the last 24 hours in support of Israel,” the White House says. “The two leaders committed to stay in regular contact over the coming days.”

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Authorities were still trying to determine how many civilians and soldiers were seized by Hamas fighters during the mayhem and taken back to Gaza. From videos and witnesses, the captives are known to include women, children and the elderly.


Speaking on ABC’s “This Week,” U.S. Secretary of State Andrew Blinken said as many as 1,000 Hamas fighters were involved in the assault — a high figure that underscored the extent of planning by the militant group ruling Gaza. The gunmen rampaged for hours, gunning down civilians in towns, along highways and at a techno music festival being held in the desert near Gaza.

Israel hit more than 800 targets in Gaza so far, its military said, including airstrikes that leveled much of the town of Beit Hanoun in the enclave’s northeast corner.

Warplanes fired tons of explosives on 120 targets, Israeli Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari told reporters, saying Hamas was using the town as a staging ground for attacks. There was no immediate word on casualties, and most of the community’s population of tens of thousands of people likely fled before the bombardment.

Israel declares war and approves ‘significant’ steps to retaliate for surprise attack by Hamas

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — The Israeli government formally declared war Sunday and gave the green light for “significant military steps” to retaliate against Hamas for its surprise attack, as the mili…

cbs4indy.com

 

[Chelly]

Hamas as a whole, or in some cases its military wing, is designated a terrorist group by Israel, the United States, the European Union and the UK, as well as other powers. Hamas is backed by Iran which funds it and provides weapons and training.

What is Hamas, what is happening in Israel and Gaza Strip, and other questions

We explain the background to the militant group, the scale of their attack on Israel and what could happen next.

www.bbc.com

 

[DS2021]

Israel hit more than 800 targets in Gaza so far, its military said, including airstrikes that leveled much of the town of Beit Hanoun in the enclave’s northeast corner.

Im concerned for the safety of the hostages

 

[arielilane]

5 Things to Know About the Hamas Militant Group's Unprecedented Attack on Israel

Here are some key takeaways from the multi-pronged attack that has suddenly plunged Israel and Gaza into battle.

www.military.com

7 Oct 2023

 

[imstilla.grandma]

“Please stop the attacks and the weapons,” Pope Francis pleaded on Sunday, “and understand that terrorism and war do not lead to any solution, but only to the death and suffering of so many innocent people.”

“War is always a defeat! Every war is a defeat!” he insisted.

Speaking after the Angelus prayer on Sunday, the Holy Father said he is following “with apprehension and sorrow,” the latest news from Israel, “where violence has erupted even more ferociously, causing hundreds of deaths and injuries.”

Pope prays for peace in Israel and Palestine: ‘Every war is a defeat!’ - Vatican News

Pope Francis calls for attacks to cease as he prays for peace in Israel and Palestine.

www.vaticannews.va

“Let the attacks and weapons cease, please, because it must be understood that terrorism and war bring no solutions, but only to the death and suffering of many innocent lives," the Pope said.

 

[whitelilac]

The US has ordered the Ford carrier strike group to sail to the eastern Mediterranean in efforts to be closer to Israel following Hamas’s attacks, two US officials told the Associated Press anonymously on Sunday.

“The USS Gerald R. Ford and its approximately 5,000 sailors and deck of warplanes will be accompanied by cruisers and destroyers in a show of force that is meant to be ready to respond to anything, from possibly interdicting additional weapons from reaching Hamas and conducting surveillance,” the Associated Press reported.

The Guardian

 

[DeDee]

Gaslighting 101


Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh blamed Israel for the war, accusing it of "creating a climate of hatred, violence, incitement, and violating international law."

Death toll nears 1,000 as Israel formally declares war

 

[Sundog]

Hostage situation fraught with danger for Israel​

Frank Gardner
BBC News, Security Correspondent

Israel is no stranger to hostage crises. As far back as the Entebbe raid in 1976 it showed the world it had the capability and the will to use its special forces to resolve them.

But the current situation in Gaza is on another level altogether. An estimated 100 Israeli citizens are being held by Hamas militants in Gaza after being captured and dragged across the border.

They’re believed to include military officers, civilians, women and children. Hamas are unlikely to concentrate them all in one place.

Instead, they will have been distributed across the heavily populated Gaza Strip, most likely in cellars below ground, their mobile phones and all digital devices taken off them so they’re unable to communicate or reveal their locations.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have set up a situation room to deal with the issue but any rescue attempt is fraught with danger.

Gaza is so densely inhabited that even a stealthy approach by night is unlikely to go unseen by the intensely hostile population. A potential ground invasion by Israeli troops may release some but endanger others.

And negotiations, if they start, could easily stretch into years.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-middle-east-67037895

The door to door searches for Hamas terrorists will be very dangerous for both the military, the hostages, and civilians who live in the Gaza strip. The terrorists set it up this way, they took civilian Israelis as human shields. Tragically, there will be casualties of civilians, likely including some Israeli hostages. The Hamas terrorists are to blame, they set it up this way, purposefully. Their goal is to turn public opinion against Israel as civilian deaths occur during this stage of Israel's war against terrorism.

The IDF is well-trained, and I know Israel will do everything it can to minimize casualties of civilians as it eliminates terrorist cells in the Gaza strip.

 

[PommyMommy]

8:53 pm

Pentagon says US sending munitions, equipment to Israel, redirecting aircraft carrier​

By AFP

The USS Gerald R. Ford. (Public domain)

The United States will provide munitions and equipment to Israel and boost American forces in the Middle East, in response to the attacks by Hamas, the Pentagon says.

“The United States government will be rapidly providing the Israel Defense Forces with additional equipment and resources, including munitions,” US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says in a statement.

The US defense chief also says he has directed the USS Gerald R. Ford, an aircraft carrier, and its accompanying warships, to the eastern Mediterranean, and that Washington is augmenting fighter aircraft squadrons in the region.

 

[Momoffourboys]

Gaslighting 101


Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh blamed Israel for the war, accusing it of "creating a climate of hatred, violence, incitement, and violating international law."

Death toll nears 1,000 as Israel formally declares war

Says the one who’s people are dancing in the streets in celebration.

 

[DS2021]

Rocket fired from Gaza hits apartment building in Netivot

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www.timesofisrael.com