Bel Trew reports from Kfar Aza, Israel
The White House has said it is talking to Israel about a safe passage for Gaza civilians after the besieged strip was pounded by air strikes today.
The US national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, said they are “focused on this question” during a press briefing on Tuesday.
It comes as at least 830 Palestinians were killed and up to 4,250 wounded in Israeli air strikes since Saturday’s unprecedented attacks by Hamas, which has seen over 900 Israelis killed and at least 2,600 injured.
In fears that the war could erupt into surrounding territories, Israeli troops fired artillery and mortar shells toward Syria on Tuesday after a number of shells launched from its northern neighbour landed in open areas on Israeli territory, Israel‘s military said.
A source in southern Syria said a Palestinian faction had fired three rockets toward Israel.
The IDF said its soldiers had fired “toward the origin of the launching in Syria”. It did not provide details.
Israel has also traded fire with Lebanon’s Hezbollah group, which resulted in the death of three Hezbollah fighters.
Key Points
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WhatsApp says warning message of cyberattacks on Jewish people is a hoax
WhatsApp has said warnings about cyberattacks targeting Jewish people are a hoax with no basis in reality.
But WhatsApp communications manager Emily Westcott said the forwarded messages, which have been widely shared on the platform as well as across other social media including X/Twitter, are a hoax.
My colleague Vishwam Sankaran reports:
Namita Singh11 October 2023 04:02
Flying Palestinian flag in UK ‘may not be legitimate’, says Suella Braverman
Waving a Palestinian flag on British streets “may not be legitimate” any longer if it is deemed to be a show of support for acts of terrorism, home secretary Suella Braverman has said.
The cabinet minister has told police officers to use the “full force of the law” against any shows of support for Hamas or bids to intimidate the UK’s Jewish community in the wake of the attack on Israel.
Hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters gathered outside the Israeli embassy in Kensington to demonstrate on that same evening, letting off fireworks, lighting flares and chanting “Israel is a terrorist state” and “Free Palestine”.
Maryam Zakir-Hussain11 October 2023 04:00
As Israel declares war, the US has no ambassador there. That’s exactly how Republicans want it
GOP obstruction of Joe Biden’s nominees is an expression of their belief in his illegitimacy, writes Andrew Feinberg:
As Hamas fighters bulldozed and paraglided their way into Israeli territory to massacre and kidnap civilians amid a barrage of rocket fire early on Saturday morning, the account on X (formerly known as Twitter) belonging to the US Ambassador to Israel issued a post to “condemn the indiscriminate rocket fire by Hamas terrorists against Israeli civilians” and state that she was “in contact with Israeli officials, and fully support[ing] Israel’s right to defend itself from such terrorist acts”.
But even though the name of the account was “@USAmbIsrael” — short for “US Ambassador to Israel” — the State Department-affiliated account was not being operated in the name of any ambassador.
Maryam Zakir-Hussain11 October 2023 03:00
The reality of Israel’s ‘total siege’ on Gaza – where two million Palestinians are trapped in a 25 mile stretch of land
Israel’s defence minister has ordered a “total” siege on Gaza that would sever all power and water supplies, as well as blocking food and fuel, a move Palestinian medics warn will be “catastrophic” for the embattled civilian population.
Bel Trew reports from Tel Aviv:
Maryam Zakir-Hussain11 October 2023 02:00
Bel Trew reports from Gaza border after Hamas militants commit massacre in Kfar Aza
The ‘smell of death’ dominates the air in Kfar Aza after Hamas breached the nearby Gaza border and committed a savage massacre in the village. The Independent’s Bel Trew is on the ground in Israel after Hamas militants launched a brutal attack early Saturday 7 October. “They came with one mission, to kill more and more Jews”, said Major David Ben Zion as he stands among the wreckage. The IDF described how they entered homes and found residents’ bodies “decapitated” the rural farming community of around 800 people left decimated by the attack. At least 900 Israelis and almost 800 people in the Gaza Strip have lost their lives in the attack.
Maryam Zakir-Hussain11 October 2023 01:00
Mother of tattoo artist missing after Hamas attacks says daughter is alive in Gaza hospital
The mother of a tattoo artist, believed to have been killed by Hamas terrorists at a music festival, has claimed her daughter is alive but in critical condition.
Shani Louk, 22, was recognised by her distinctive tattoos and dreadlocks as the partially naked body inside a pick-up truck that was paraded through the streets by Palestinian gunmen.
Maryam Zakir-Hussain11 October 2023 00:00
Why a ground attack on Gaza by Israeli troops now appears inevitable
Israel’s military has laid out the extent to which troops at the border were caught unaware by the Hamas attack that the IDF says left dozens killed in their beds, writes Kim Sengupta. As Israeli air strikes continue to hit Gaza, a ground offensive is likely to come next:
Troops at the Gaza border were caught unawares and “slaughtered by the dozens in their beds” by Hamas as 11 military bases were overrun as a result of the lethal and massive Israeli intelligence failure over the raid.
More than 60 soldiers were killed in the first hours of the coordinated assault after drones were used to destroy state-of-the-art surveillance systems, with the numbers expected to rise as identities are established. A police station with communication equipment had to be blown up by Israeli forces after it had been captured by Islamist fighters.
Maryam Zakir-Hussain10 October 2023 23:00
Blinken to visit Israel this week to affirm US support amid Hamas attacks
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is being dispatched to affirm the Biden administration’s support for Israel as the latter faces shocking violence perpetrated by Hamas militants and has vowed an unprecedented armed response.
Mr Blinken is due to touch down on Thursday, where he will speak to officials in the Israeli government about the US’s plans to shore up financial and military aid to the Israeli military.
His arrival will follow President Joe Biden’s forceful remarks in support of Israel and the country’s right to respond with military force to the murder of civilians and attacks on Israeli security forces over the past few days.
Maryam Zakir-Hussain10 October 2023 22:30
Gaza hospitals running out of supplies to treat wounded as Israel’s bombardment goes on
Hospitals in Gaza are running out of supplies including anaesthetic, while the only power plant is on the brink of shutdown, pushing the enclave to the verge of humanitarian collapse.
The Israeli government later announced a “total siege” on the 42-km long territory, vowing to cut off power, water, fuel and food to the more than 2 million people who live there. The sole remaining access from Egypt shut down Tuesday after Israeli airstrikes hit near the border crossing.
Our chief international correspondent Bel Trew reports from Tel Aviv:
Maryam Zakir-Hussain10 October 2023 22:12