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

[PommyMommy]

9:12 pm

IDF stepping up strikes to create ‘best conditions’ for ‘next phase of war’​

Israel will immediately step up its strikes in Gaza to increase pressure on Hamas, IDF spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari says.

“We have to enter the next phase of the war in the best conditions, not according to what anyone tells us. From today, we are increasing the strikes and minimizing the danger,” Hagari tells a press conference, likely referring to a looming ground offensive.

In the past, Israel has pounded areas near the Gaza border with artillery and airstrikes to soften resistance immediately before launching a ground incursion.

Israel-Hamas war live: aid trucks enter Gaza but UN warns action needed to end ‘godawful nightmare’ (theguardian.com)

"We will deepen our attacks to minimize the dangers to our forces in the next stages of the war. We are going to increase the attacks, from today."

Reuters reports that Hagari repeated his calls for Gaza residents to evacuate south.

 

[Chimera]

I wonder what the number of Palestinians who died from these defective Hamas rockets is?

I'm sure that Israel will be blamed for all of these deaths.

Exactly right, all of this !
Sadly.
Omo.

 

[Vern]

I wonder what the number of Palestinians who died from these defective Hamas rockets is?

I'm sure that Israel will be blamed for all of these deaths.

And for all the damage/destruction those 550 (so far) failed rockets have caused to houses, stores, hospitals, infrastructure etc too.

 

[PommyMommy]

Israeli Artillery and Airstrikes are continuing to Pound the Hezbollah Positions along the Border with Southern Lebanon; this is the most Intense Strikes I have seen since the War began.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1715789771656609798

(Also see a video clip at the link)

 

[Friday Fan]

8:59 pm

At Cairo summit, Abbas rejects ‘killing of civilians on both sides’​

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is calling for an international peace summit to bring about the end of the Israel-Hamas war.

Speaking at a conference in Cairo, Abbas reiterates his “complete rejection of the killing of civilians on both sides.” He also urges the “release of all civilians, prisoners, and detainees,” likely alluding to some 210 hostages kidnapped from Israel and held by Hamas in Gaza, almost all of them civilians, including children and the elderly, and Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

Abbas calls for Israel to stop “its barbaric aggression” in Gaza. He also says Palestinians will not exit the coastal territory, even as Israel’s campaign to eliminate Hamas terrorists, including heavy restrictions on food, water and fuel entering the Strip, pushes the enclave’s humanitarian situation to the brink.

“We will not leave, we will not leave, we will not leave, and we will remain in our land,” he tells the summit.

I tend to agree that a significant number will stay in the rubble/combat zone.

As someone whose family has ME roots, in those who came from there, "Only trust family" (And be wary of in-laws)


I would hear this advice from my grandmother: "Don't tell your friends where you got your hair cut" "Don't tell anyone where you bought your clothes". Tornado sirens go off.."Don't go to the basement. The house may disappear. You will get stuck. They won't find you" (This was due to distrust. )

With these kind of attitudes how can you trust your home won't be looted, your possessions gone? Or how can you trust evacuation advice....?

MOO MOO It's an attitude. An attitude based on relationships where things aren't linear by our standards. "Don't trust no one"

 

[PommyMommy]

A Drone Attack is being reported against Al-Harir Air Base in the Erbil Region of Northwestern Iraq which Houses a number of U.S. Troops; this is likely the Second Attack on U.S. Forces in Iraq today by the “Islamic Resistance of Iraq.”

https://twitter.com/x/status/1715790782609629679

 

[PommyMommy]

Israel-Hamas war live updates: Relief over hostage release; aid crosses into Gaza from Egypt (nbcnews.com)
2m ago / 11:24 AM PDT

Father of U.S. citizen still held hostage says 'time will tell' what yesterday's release means for his son​

The father of Sagui Dekel-Chen, a U.S. citizen who was taken hostage by Hamas, has said he is "happy for the family" of Judith Tai Raanan and Natalie Shoshana Raanan, who were released by the militant group last night — but he said he still doesn't know what the development means for his son, a 35-year-old father of two, and others still held captive.

"It’s impossible to say what bearing that might have on the fate of the rest of the hostages," Jonathan Dekel-Chen, 60, said. "Time will tell. It’s just impossible to tell if this is a sign of things to come."


Sagui Dekel-Chen.Courtesy of Jonathan Dekel-Chen

In the days since his son was taken hostage by Hamas on Oct. 7, Dekel-Chen said he has had to "just stay steady" every time there's an update on those taken hostage. "Don’t get too high when things seem to be moving in the right direction and don’t get too low when they don’t," he said.

"As time goes by, this doesn't get any easier," he said. "And the tension around what the continuation of this war is going to look like and what that would mean for the safety and wellbeing of our loved ones — that just gets even more unbearable by the moment."

 

[PommyMommy]

9:24 pm

Netanyahu meeting Italy’s Meloni in Tel Aviv​

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Tel Aviv on October 21, 2023. (Avi Ohayon/GPO)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is meeting with Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni at Defense Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv, his office says.

The two are first meeting alone before holding expanded talks, the Prime Minister’s Office says.

 

[PommyMommy]

A Massive Explosion occurred roughly an hour ago at a Night-Market within the Nuseirat Camp of Central Gaza; Significant Damage and Casualties are being reported as claims have been made that this was either an Israeli Airstrike or a Misfired-Rocket once again launched by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad or possibly Hamas.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1715797542053511314

 

[PommyMommy]

Israel’s war is against Hamas terrorism, while Hamas’ war is against civilians, including their own.

Unlike the terrorist organizations we face, Israel has been and will always be committed to the rule of law & international law.

This is our way.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1715795532931539265

 

[PommyMommy]

Since Oct 7, the IDF has identified about 550 failed launches fired by Hamas that landed inside Gaza.

The Hamas terrorist organization launches rockets from civilian infrastructure, areas and buildings in Gaza, injuring their own civilians.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1715796045278380461

 

[MyBelle]

Israel-Hamas war live: aid trucks enter Gaza but UN warns action needed to end ‘godawful nightmare’ (theguardian.com)
5m ago18.57 BST

“Israel and Ukraine’s success is vital to our national security,” US president Joe Biden said in a statement on Saturday.

“History has taught us that when terrorists and dictators don’t pay a price, they cause more death and destruction.”

https://twitter.com/x/status/1715774951649673680

Very true! I think the price they pay for their hateful slaughter of innocent civilians should be death, not imprisonment in some place like Gitmo where "exchanges" of prisoners are inevitably negotiated.

JMO

 

[cottonweaver]

Israeli Artillery and Airstrikes are continuing to Pound the Hezbollah Positions along the Border with Southern Lebanon; this is the most Intense Strikes I have seen since the War began.
View attachment 454911

https://twitter.com/x/status/1715789771656609798

(Also see a video clip at the link)

what's pre-emptive and what's escalatory & offensive here? Anybody know?

 

[PommyMommy]

what's pre-emptive and what's escalatory & offensive here? Anybody know?

I don't know if this will answer your question or not but if you have twitter, scroll down on OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) / X (twitter.com) - there are reports from earlier about heavy exchanges of fire between IDF and Hezbollah, Hezbollah firing anti-tank missiles, an IDF soldier being air-lifted, etc. MOO

 

[Vern]

what's pre-emptive and what's escalatory & offensive here? Anybody know?

Pre-emptive: Striking to take out military targets that pose an imminent risk to one's security before those targets can act against you (also falls into a category of "self-defence") [he had a weapon and I thought he was going to kill me, so I shot him];

Self-Defence: Waiting until those targets are firing before firing back [he shot at me, so I shot him];

Offensive: Striking out against targets that pose no imminent risk to one's security (ie: Canada decides to bomb the US today - OMFG)

Escalation: Anything can be seen by either side (or the world) as an 'escalation'. For example, Israel can see the build-up of rockets and Hezbollah terrorists on it's northern border with Lebanon as them attempting to "escalate" this situation into a two-front war. Likewise, Hezbollah can view Israel taking out targets on the Lebanese side of the border as an "escalation".

None of the above are all-inclusive and can be viewed completely differently by each side. IE: What one side calls "pre-emptive", the other side may very well insist is "offensive".

 

[PommyMommy]

11min ago

Family of released hostages: No celebrating until everybody home​

The family of Judith and Natalia Raanan are tempering their relief over the pair’s release from Hamas captivity, saying they cannot rejoice with so many others still being held hostage by the terror group.

“The release of Judith and Natalie is a moment of extraordinary relief – far beyond anything we can express in words,” say family spokespeople Ayelet, Or, and Limor Sella, cousins of the Illinois-based pair, in an English-language statement. “Unfortunately, we do not have the privilege of celebrating their return, or of mourning our lost loved ones.

“We remain entirely focused on the efforts to secure the return of our eight other family members that remain captive in Gaza, along with the estimated 192 other people still held hostage, which includes numerous Americans and many who are seriously injured and in need of immediate medical treatment,” they say.

They vow to continue working with other families for the hostages’ release, and thank the US administration, Congress “and the many others around the world who were involved in the delicate effort to return our beloved Judith and Natalie.”

 

[Arkay]

It is called "news" for a reason. They report on the "latest news", on what is "new", happening "now".

Do not want to go in circles, so I will just have this one reply to this comment.

I taught English and Journalism for 25 years in NYC.

I know what “new” and “news” mean.

In the younger grades, which I didn’t teach, the subject is called “Current Events.”

The kidnapping of innocent civilians is still CURRENT. It is newsworthy even if further events have transpired in the region.

The Israeli dead are still being identified. Families are still in shock. The fate and location of the hostages remain unknown but to Hamas.

What happened in Israel is ongoing and is by no means old news.

Due attention must be paid, and IMO the massacre in Israel is being subsumed by reports about the perpetrators and not the victims.

JMO

 

[PommyMommy]

Live updates: First humanitarian trucks enter Gaza as Israel-Hamas war rages (cnn.com)
24 min ago

Satellite photos show trucks leaving Gaza after dropping off aid, with more lined up at border crossing​

Aid trucks queue on the Egypt side of the Rafah border crossing on October 21. Satellite image ©2023 Maxar Technologies

A satellite photo taken Saturday morning captured aid trucks returning from Gaza and others still lined up at the Rafah crossing, which was briefly opened earlier.

The image was taken at 11:22 a.m. local time (4:22 a.m. ET), more than an hour after the crossing opened for aid. In it, empty trucks are seen crossing back into Egypt.

The border crossing was opened for a short window to let 20 aid trucks cross into the Gaza Strip from Egypt. While many have welcomed the development, rights groups stress that more aid is desperately needed for over 2 million people within the besieged enclave.

World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus was one of those who warned Saturday that "needs are far higher."

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also called for the crossing to remain open “to enable the continued movement of aid that is imperative to the welfare of the people of Gaza” in a statement Saturday.

Trucks cross back into Egypt from the Gaza side of the Rafah crossing. Satellite image ©2023 Maxar Technologies

 

[PommyMommy]

10:12 pm

Qatari official says he’s optimistic all hostages will be released soon​

Senior Qatari official Majed Al-Ansari says he is optimistic that all hostages held by Hamas will be released soon, indicating that the release of two American-Israelis Friday was a first step toward the release of more civilian hostages.

“The release took place within a framework that confirms the positive intention to release the hostages,” he tells German newspaper Die Welt. “We are optimistic that the hostages, especially the civilians, will be released very soon.”

Al-Ansari, an adviser to Qatar’s foreign ministry, says Doha is one of several parties involved in negotiations for their release, but unique in that it is talking to both Israel and Hamas.

He also seems to give way when pressed on Doha’s decision to blame Israel for Hamas’s attacks on October 7, in which the terror group rampaged through Israeli communities, slaughtering families.

“Yes, it was particularly serious,” he says. “It was certainly worse than anything we’ve seen before. But when Israel bombs homes knowing that there are children in them, then innocent people are also at stake. And no human life is more important than another.”

 

[PommyMommy]

Live updates: First humanitarian trucks enter Gaza as Israel-Hamas war rages (cnn.com)
17 min ago

Georgia woman says 14 family members have been killed in Gaza​

Through a series of airstrikes in Gaza, Hadeel Masseoud says she has lost at least 14 family members, including a 2-month-old child.

Masseoud, who is a Georgia resident, told CNN on Saturday that she has “lost track” as the death toll continues to increase.

“I don’t think hurt even begins to describe what I feel. It’s immense pain and anger,” she said.
One airstrike killed six Masseoud family members at their home earlier this month, she said. Another relative wasn’t home at the time of the attack and returned to find his loved ones dead. Masseoud said the man then suffered a heart attack and was hospitalized.

“They don’t have clean water. The hospitals don’t have anesthesia. I’m going to assume that he’s not doing well,” she told CNN.

[...]