Israel-Hamas war live updates: Hamas threatens to kill hostages as Israel vows complete siege on Gaza
The armed wing of the Palestinian militant group Hamas has warned that it will kill an Israeli hostage every time Israel’s military bombs civilian targets in the Gaza Strip without warning.
Abu Obeida, the spokesman of the Qassam Brigades, said that the past hours have witnessed intense strikes by Israel on civilian areas in which homes were destroyed over people’s heads.
STORY CONTINUES AFTER LIVEBLOG
Israel strikes two tunnels used by Hamas militants, military says
Vita
The Israeli military said early Tuesday [local time] 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.
Authorities did not immediately provide more information on the location of the tunnels.
The militant group has used tunnels in the past. It has an established a network running from Gaza to Egypt to smuggle in weapons, as well as attack tunnels burrowing into Israel.
-AP
Evacuations ordered for dozens of towns near Gaza Strip
Vita
Following the Oct. 7 surprise attack by Hamas militants, Israeli authorities directed residents to leave dozens of towns near the Gaza Strip.
-AP
Sophie Ryan
European Union reverses earlier announcement it was suspending development aid to Palestinians
Vita
The European Union late on Monday reversed an earlier announcement by an EU commissioner that the bloc was “immediately” suspending development aid for Palestinian authorities and instead said it would urgently review such assistance in the wake of the attacks on Israel by Hamas to make sure no money was misused.
- AP
Lack of House Speaker will slow US response to war in Israel
Vita
Republicans have no clear idea who to elect U.S. House speaker, leaving an unprecedented power vacuum in Congress. They’re preparing to meet Monday evening as the vacancy limits America’s ability to quickly respond to the crisis in Israel.
-AP
US to support Israel with what it needs for defence
Vita
President Biden has confirmed the US will "continue to make sure Israel has what it needs to defend itself and its people".
'Likely' that US citizens are being held hostage - Biden
Vita
At least 11 U.S. citizens have been confirmed dead in the surprise Hamas attacks, U.S. President Joe Biden said Wednesday.
Biden also said the U.S. 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.
“My heart goes out to every family impacted by the horrible events of the past few days,” Biden said in a statement. “The pain these families have endured, the enormity of their loss, and the agony of those still awaiting information is unfathomable.”
He stressed that the State Department is offering assistance for U.S. citizens who are currently in Israel, and air and ground options to leave the country are still available for those who choose to do so. He also said federal law enforcement officials are “closely monitoring” potential domestic threats stemming from the weekend attacks.
-AP
What is Israel’s first line of defence, the Iron Dome?
Vita
The Iron Dome is a land-based shield that was built to keep the citizens of Israel safe from barrages of rockets deployed from the Gaza Strip by Iranian-backed terrorists Hamas.
11 Americans killed in conflict
Sophie Ryan
The US has already begun delivering critically needed munitions and military equipment to Israel, and the Pentagon is reviewing inventories to see what else can be sent quickly to boost its ally in the three-day-old war with Hamas, a senior Defense Department official said Monday.
Planes have already taken off, said the official, who declined to provide details on the weapons. The official, who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive shipments, also warned that the US is closely watching Hezbollah and other Iranian-backed groups, noting that the decision to shift American ships in the region was to deter any of them from entering or expanding the conflict against Israel.
The weapons movement came as President Joe Biden announced that the U.S. death toll in the war has gone up to 11.
- AP
Families in Israel and Gaza mourn the dead
Vita
Familiar scenes of grief were on display from Gaza to Jerusalem as people on both sides of the latest Israel-Hamas war buried their dead.
- AP
More tales of heroism emerge from Israel
Vita
More tales of heartbreak and heroism are emerging from Israel as the nation grieves its growing toll of those killed by Hamas militants during their unprecedented attack.
Israel's ambassador to Colombia, Gali Dagan, has shared the story of two young parents who gave their lives to protect their ten-month-old twins.
Itay and Hadar Berdichevsky hurriedly placed their babies into a hidden shelter as militants assaulted their home.
The 30-year-olds were both killed but their children survived, discovered 12 hours later by Israeli soldiers.
"Imagine the horror. Two terrified parents doing everything they can to save their children, who are now orphaned," Dagan wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
"Blessed be the memory of these heroes."
'The nightmare of my life'
Vita
A distraught granddaughter has shared her heartbreak after Hamas killed her Israeli grandmother and used her own phone to film the horror scene and share it to her Facebook account.
Senior Hamas official says Iran, Hezbollah had no role in Israel incursion, but will help if needed
Vita
A senior official with the Palestinian militant group Hamas says only a small number of top commanders in Gaza knew about the surprise attack launched into Israel over the weekend.
Ali Barakeh told The Associated Press Monday that even Hamas' closest allies were not informed in advance about the timing of the incursion.
“Only a handful of Hamas commanders knew about the zero hour,” Barakeh said, adding that no one from the central command or the political bureau of Hamas was in the Lebanese capital last week.
He denies reports that Iran and Lebanon's Hezbollah helped plan the assault but said they would join the battle if Gaza faces “a war of annihilation.”
He also denied that the attack was aimed at derailing U.S. efforts to broker diplomatic relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
He said Hamas has not yet used most of its forces and is prepared for a long war.
-AP
Hipkins on Israel conflict
Vita
Labour Party leader Chris Hipkins told the AM Show that New Zealand always makes contributions to worldwide conflicts in a multilateral way
“We work with other like-minded partners to identify how best New Zealand can support efforts,” he said.
“We have offered military aid in limited circumstances, but it’s a big decision to take. We’re offering support in the military conflict in Ukraine, but in support in terms of troop training."
"It’s too early to speculate on what a New Zealand contribution may look like.”
Hipkins said Israel has a right to defend itself, but there are international norms in terms of what a proportionate response is, and we expect they continue to abide by those norms.
“New Zealand supports a two-state solution, but in terms of this specific conflict, I’m not going to take a day by day position on what is happening.”
When pressed on why Nanaia Mahuta’s response to the conflict was so slow, Hipkins said the Foreign Minister admitted that she could have used stronger language.
“I used very strong language in my response, and I stand by that. I think that a tweet wasn’t as strongly worded as it could have been, but didn’t make New Zealand’s response any less strong.”
Latest casualty figures
Vita
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.
-AP
Hamas wing warns that Israeli strikes will bring hostage deaths
Vita
The armed wing of the Palestinian militant group Hamas has warned that it will kill an Israeli hostage every time Israel’s military bombs civilian targets in the Gaza Strip without warning.
Abu Obeida, the spokesman of the Qassam Brigades, said in an audio released Monday night that the threat was a response to intense air strikes by Israel on civilian areas.
“We have decided to put an end to this and as of now, we declare that any targeting of our people in their homes without prior warning will be regrettably faced with the execution of one the hostages of civilians we are holding,” he said.
In a video statement Monday, Israel’s foreign minister warned Hamas against harming any of the hostages who were taken from Israel and being held in Gaza. Eli Cohen said Israel was committed to bringing the hostages home “in the spirit of mutual responsibility.”
“We demand Hamas not to harm any of the hostages, Cohen said. “This war crime will not be forgiven,” he added.
- AP
'Major failure' in Israel's intelligence agencies says expert
Vita
Israel’s eyes appeared to have been closed in the lead-up to an unprecedented onslaught by the militant Hamas group.
Gaza says more than 680 people killed in Israeli strikes
Vita
The Health Ministry in the Gaza Strip said Monday that more than 680 people have been killed in Israel’s retaliatory strikes following an unprecedented Hamas attack.
The ministry said more than 3,700 people have been wounded.
Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip since the Saturday attack, striking hundreds of targets and leaving vast destruction.
- AP
Israel has ‘only started’ offensive in Gaza Strip, PM says
Vita
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.
“We have only started striking Hamas,” he said. “What we will do to our enemies in the coming days will reverberate with them for generations.”
- AP
Siege on Gaza
Vita
Israel’s military ordered a complete siege on the Gaza Strip on Monday, halting deliveries of food, fuel and supplies to its 2.3 million people as it pounded the Hamas-ruled territory with waves of airstrikes in retaliation for the militants’ bloody weekend incursion.
More than two days after Hamas launched its surprise attack, the Israeli military said it had largely gained control in its southern towns where it had been battling Hamas gunmen.
Israel’s vaunted military and intelligence apparatus was caught completely off guard by Hamas, resulting in heavy battles in its streets for the first time in decades.
- AP
STORY CONTINUES
“We have decided to put an end to this and as of now and we declare that any targeting of our people in their homes without prior warning will be regrettably faced with the execution of one the hostages of civilians we are holding,” he said.
It comes as Israel’s military ordered a complete siege on the Gaza Strip, halting deliveries of food, fuel and supplies to its 2.3 million people as it pounded the Hamas-ruled territory with waves of airstrikes in retaliation for the militants’ bloody weekend incursion.
More than two days after Hamas launched its surprise attack, the Israeli military said it had largely gained control in its southern towns where it had been battling Hamas gunmen. Israel’s vaunted military and intelligence apparatus was caught completely off guard by Hamas, resulting in heavy battles in its streets for the first time in decades.
Israeli tanks and drones were deployed to guard breaches in the Gaza border fence to prevent new incursions. Thousands of Israelis were evacuated from more than a dozen towns near Gaza, and the military summoned 300,000 reservists — a massive mobilisation in a short time.
The moves, along with Israel’s formal declaration of war on Sunday, pointed to Israel increasingly shifting to the offensive against Hamas, threatening greater destruction in the densely populated, impoverished Gaza Strip.
A major question remains whether Israel will launch a ground assault into the tiny Mediterranean coastal territory, a move that in the past has brought intensified casualties.
Israel and Hamas have had repeated conflicts in past years, often sparked by tensions around a Jerusalem holy site. This time, the context has become potentially more explosive, and both sides talk of shattering with violence a years-long Israeli-Palestinian deadlock left by the moribund peace process.
Israel has been stunned by a surprise attack and death toll unseen since the 1973 war with Egypt and Syria. That is fomenting calls to crush Hamas no matter the cost, rather than continuing to try to bottle it up in Gaza. Israel is run by its most hard-right government ever, dominated by ministers who adamantly reject any Palestinians statehood.
Hamas, in turn, says it is ready for a long battle to end an Israeli occupation it says is no longer tolerable. Desperation has grown among Palestinians, many of whom see nothing to lose under unending Israeli control and increasing settler depredations in the West Bank, the blockade in Gaza and what they see as the world’s apathy.
“I ask you to stand firm because we are going to change the Middle East,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told authorities this week. “I know you have been through terrible and difficult things. What Hamas will go through will be difficult and terrible … we have only just begun.”
As Israel hit more than 1000 targets in Gaza, Palestinian militants continued firing barrages of rockets, setting off air raid sirens in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
Around 700 people, including 73 soldiers, have been killed in Israel, according to Israeli media outlets, citing rescue service — a staggering toll by the scale of its recent conflicts. The Gaza Health Ministry said 493 people, including 78 children and 41 women, were killed in the territory. Thousands have been wounded on both sides.
Palestinian militant groups claimed to be holding more than 130 people abducted in Israel and dragged into Gaza. The armed wing of Hamas claimed on its Telegram channel that four of them were killed in Israeli airstrikes. That could not be independently confirmed.
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant ordered a “complete siege” on Gaza, saying authorities would cut electricity and block the entry of food and fuel.
Gallant said Israel was at war with “human animals”, using the kind of dehumanising language often employed by both sides at times of soaring tensions.
Israel and Egypt have imposed a blockade on Gaza of varying strictness since Hamas seized power in 2007. In recent years Israel has provided limited electricity and allowed the import of food, fuel and some consumer goods, while heavily restricting travel in and out.
The Israeli seal will leave Gaza almost entirely dependent on its crossing into neighbouring Egypt at Rafah, where cargo capacities are lower than other crossings into Israel.
An Egyptian military official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to talk to the press, said more than two tons of medical supplies from the Egyptian Red Crescent were sent to Gaza and efforts were underway to organise food, and other deliveries, but the question of allowing in fuel was not yet decided.
Israeli Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari told reporters that Israeli bombardment was moving from district to district to destroy houses and buildings Israel says are being used by Hamas. Israel is planning to hit thousands of targets, he said. He said “hundreds” of Hamas militants were buried under rubble of buildings destroyed by Israel in the past 48 hours. His claims of the numbers – and his characterisation of the dead as Hamas – could not be confirmed.
The UN said more than 123,000 people have fled their homes in Gaza – many after Israeli warnings of imminent bombardment. The UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, said a school sheltering more than 225 people took a direct hit. It did not say where the fire came from.
In the past Israel has agreed to lopsided exchange deals with Hamas in which it released large numbers of prisoners for individual captives or even the remains of soldiers.
Among the captives from the weekend’s incursion by Hamas are soldiers and civilians, including women, children and older adults, mostly Israelis but also some people of other nationalities. Egypt’s state-run Al-Ahram newspaper said that Egyptian officials are trying to mediate a release of Palestinian women in Israel’s prisons in exchange for Israeli women captured by militants.
Mayyan Zin, a divorced mother of two, said she learned that her two daughters had been abducted when a relative sent her photos from a Telegram group showing them sitting on mattresses in captivity. She then found online videos of a chilling scene in her ex-husband’s home: Gunmen who had broken in speak to him near the two weeping daughters, Dafna, 15, and Ella, 8. Another video showed the father being taken into Gaza.
“Just bring my daughters home and to their family. All the people,” Zin said.
Hamas has ruled Gaza since driving out forces loyal to the internationally recognised Palestinian Authority in 2007 and its rule has gone unchallenged through the blockade and four previous wars with Israel.
After breaking through Israeli barriers with explosives at daybreak Saturday, an estimated 1000 Hamas gunmen rampaged for hours, gunning down civilians and snatching people in towns, along highways and at a techno music festival attended by thousands in the desert. Palestinian militants have also launched around 4400 rockets at Israel, according to the military.
On Sunday, the US dispatched an aircraft carrier strike group to the Eastern Mediterranean to be ready to assist Israel, and said it would send additional military aid.
- AP