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Israel intensified its assault on Gaza Tuesday, stepping up rocket attacks and tightening a blockade on food, fuel and medicines as the war sprawled into a fourth day.
The Israel Defense Forces said it regained control over the border with the Gaza Strip early Tuesday, three days after Hamas militants crashed through a barrier and launched an invasion that saw over 1,000 Israelis killed or kidnapped. At least 14 Americans are among the dead, U.S. officials said.
Israeli Lt. Col. Richard Hecht said the bodies of 1,500 militants were found around southern Israel. Another 900 people have been killed and 4,500 injured in Israeli strikes in Gaza, Hamas health officials said.
“There is no safe place in Gaza right now. You see decent people being killed every day,” Hasan Jabar said after three fellow journalists were killed in the ferocious bombardment.
More than 200,000 people in Gaza have fled their homes, the U.N. said, as the violence shows no sign of abating. Three militants were killed after a gun battle in the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon, which was also the site of a rocket attack, Israel’s military said.
Israel’s overwhelming response may foreshadow a concerted attempt to end Hamas’ reign, some experts believe, in contrast to the four previous conflicts since 2008, which essentially ended with the sides deadlocked and the militant organization still in power.
“The objective is for this war to end very differently from all of the previous rounds,” said Chuck Freilich, a former deputy national security adviser in Israel. “There has to be a clear victory.”
Developments:
∎ Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to arrive in Israel on Thursday to “engage our Israeli partners directly about the situation on the ground” and offer U.S. help, the State Department said.
∎ Israel’s mobilization has grown to 360,000 reservists.
∎ The United Nations health agency says the medical supplies pre-positioned in seven Gaza hospitals have already been used. Humanitarian organizations are asking for corridors to get aid into Gaza.
∎ Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday blamed U.S. foreign policy for the war. Moscow has been talking to both Israel and the Palestinians to help seek a settlement, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.
∎There are 20 Thai nationals feared dead, 13 injured and 14 kidnapped, the country’s Foreign Affairs Ministry said Wednesday during a news briefing, citing reports from workers and their employers.
Israeli retaliation:Could be felt ‘for generations’; FBI searching for Americans impacted by attack
First plane carrying US armaments lands in Israel, IDF says
A plane carrying advanced armaments designed to “facilitate significant military operations” landed Tuesday evening at the Nevatim Airbase in southern Israel, the Israel Defense Forces said.
“We are grateful for the US backing and assistance to the IDF, and to the State of Israel in general, during this challenging period,” the IDF said in a statement. “Our common enemies know that the cooperation between our militaries is stronger than ever, and is a key part in ensuring regional security and stability.”
Biden says Hamas atrocities like ‘the worst rampages of ISIS’
President Joe Biden expressed the United States’ unequivocal support for Israel in the crisis while denouncing the “pure, unadulterated evil” Hamas unleashed in its attack.
In a Tuesday afternoon address, Biden also updated the U.S. death total to 14 and confirmed Americans were among the hostages taken in Saturday’s assault. The number remains unclear, but national security adviser Jake Sullivan said 20 or more Americans remain unaccounted for, though that doesn’t mean all are being held captive.
Biden spared no detail in outlining the atrocities committed by Hamas militants as they “slaughtered” more than 1,000 civilians.
“Parents butchered using their bodies to try to protect their children,” Biden said. “Stomach-turning reports of babies being killed. Entire families slain. Young people massacred while attending a music festival to celebrate peace – to celebrate peace. Women raped, assaulted and paraded as trophies. … These traumas never go away.’’
The president branded those actions as terrorism, said they evoked thoughts of “the worst rampages of ISIS” and vowed Israel will have the tools necessary to respond.
White House committed to Ukraine funding while aiding Israel
The White House said Biden’s push for additional aid for Israel won’t deter from efforts to secure more U.S. funding for Ukraine.
Biden said Tuesday he plans to ask Congress to take “urgent action to fund the national security requirements” of allies after last weekend’s brutal Hamas attack in Israel. The U.S. has already provided Israel with additional ammunition and interceptors to replenish Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system, Biden said.
“We’re going to make sure that Israel does not run out of these critical assets to defend its cities and its citizens,” he said.
The Israel-Hamas conflict comes as the U.S. is also asking Congress to approve additional U.S. aid for Ukraine in its war against Russia. Sullivan said the administration remains committed to both Israel and Ukraine, although details of the funding package remain unclear.
“The notion that we’re going to go up and ask for Israel aid and Ukraine aid, that’s unequivocal,” Sullivan said. “We are going to do that.”
− Joey Garrison and Maureen Groppe
Hamas overwhelmed Iron Dome with thousands of rockets
How did Hamas beat Israel’s vaunted Iron Dome? By overwhelming it.
The militant group’s Saturday incursion into Israeli soil was accompanied by a barrage of between 2,200 and 5,000 rockets − the sides differ on the number − launched from Gaza in a mere 20 minutes. The Israeli defensive system, with an accuracy rate of up to 96%, couldn’t keep pace.
“With thousands of rockets in the air in a very short period of time, there is not a single air defense system in the world that’s going to be able to cope with that,” Ben Barry, Senior Fellow for Land Warfare at the International Institute of Strategic Studies, told thenationnews.com.
Iran denies playing a role, praises attack
Tehran was not involved in the attack by Hamas, but Israel is to blame for the war, Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Tuesday. Iran, however, also has denied providing drones to Russia for its invasion of Ukraine despite extensive evidence that the armed drones were Iranian-built.
The Tehran Times said Khamenei, at a graduation ceremony for military cadets, praised the Hamas militants and said Israel and its supporters must know that Israel’s retaliatory bombardments targeting Gaza will lead to “a heavier slap on their ugly face.”
“When injustice and crime exacerbate, when savagery reaches its height, one should wait for a storm,” Khamenei said.
Iran involvement could have significant impact on crisis
The U.S. and Israeli governments say they don’t – as of yet – have any direct evidence the Tehran government was behind the Hamas terrorist attacks. But a senior U.S. official said Monday night that Iran certainly is complicit in funding Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist movement, providing it weapons and training its paramilitary forces.
Analysts say direct Iranian involvement could have a significant impact on a rapidly intensifying crisis that until now has been limited to battles between Israeli and Hamas forces.
Iran “has historically been the largest state sponsor of terrorism,” said Andrew Borene, former senior executive in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. “And they are the most active state sponsor of terrorism. So it’s not without cause that people are investigating that thread.”
− Josh Meyer
Israel kills two senior Hamas officials
The Israeli Defense Forces said it killed Hamas Minister of Economy Jawad Abu Shamala. The IDF said he funneled money for financing and directing terrorism inside and outside Gaza. Abu Shamala previously held security positions and led several operations aimed at Israeli citizens, the IDF said.
An IDF aircraft also killed Zakaria Abu Ma’amr, a senior member of the Hamas Political Bureau and the head of the Ministry of National Relations, the military entity said. Abu Ma’amr “did a lot of work to incite and act against the sovereignty of the State of Israel and endanger its residents,” the IDF said, adding that he also belonged to the organization’s senior forum and was involved in decision-making and planning of terrorists attacks.
‘The sound of revenge’: Israeli strikes raze parts of Gaza City
The Israeli retaliation has not been limited to the border towns from where the Hamas attack was launched but has also targeted the heart of Gaza City, the upscale Rimal neighborhood that’s home to shopping malls, restaurants and residential and office buildings − but also the Hamas government ministries.
The extent of the destruction from hundreds of airstrikes Monday is astonishing. From demolished mosques and university buildings to ruined luxury apartment towers and high-rise offices − including those for the Gaza Bar Association − the Israeli fury was felt far and wide.
“Israel has destroyed the center of everything,” Palestinian businessman Ali al-Hiyak said from his home near Rimal. “That is the space of our public life, our community.”
Residents said the Israeli bombing was more powerful and destructive than anything they had experienced over four previous wars with Hamas, which assumed power in 2007.
“These sounds are different,” Saman Ashour, 30, texted from north of Rimal as she listened to explosions. “It’s the sound of revenge.”
Red Cross attempting to visit hostages, prisoners
The International Committee of the Red Cross said it was attempting to gain access to people being held on both sides to provide medical care and learn news of their fate for their loved ones. Fabrizio Carboni, regional director for the Near and Middle East, said kidnapping is prohibited under international humanitarian law and that anyone detained, including combatants, must be treated “humanely and with dignity.” Health care workers must be protected to ensure people needing help can receive treatment, he said.
“The violence directed against civilians is appalling and cannot be justified,” Carboni said in a statement. “If the situation continues to escalate, then civilians on both sides will suffer immensely.”
Is Iran behind Hamas terrorist attacks?What it would mean for US and Middle East security
War hits home: American family mourns loss of soldier
Aryeh Ziering was raised Israeli but had American parents. He lived in a mixed Hebrew- and English- speaking neighborhood. He spent summers in Maine, loved baseball and hiking and felt a sense of duty as a soldier in the Israeli Defense Forces. Ziering, 27, a captain in a canine unit who served in the Israeli military for six years, was killed Saturday.
“We’re shattered,” said his aunt Debby Ziering, who lives in Connecticut. “I know they prepare for war but you never really think that it’ll be your family. It’s just so hard.” Read more here.
− Alexandra Rivera, Rockland/Westchester Journal News
Chaos at Florida vigil for Israel
More than 30 University of Florida students were sent to a local hospital late Monday after a vigil for victims in Israel erupted in chaos with students trampling over others. Rabbi Berl Goldman with Chabad UF said he was with school President Ben Sasse at the “United with Israel” candlelight vigil at UF’s Turlington Plaza when someone in the crowd fainted or fell, and people began yelling “911,” campus police said. Earlier accounts of the incident included some fearing they heard gunshots, though no shots were fired. It is believed that the person’s bag or items dropped to create a loud noise.
− Andrew Caplan, Gainesville Sun
What started the war in Israel?
The Israeli military estimated 1,000 Hamas fighters crashed across the Israeli border Saturday, igniting a rampage that included shooting hundreds of civilians and kidnapping dozens who were transported back to Gaza. Hamas, the largest Palestinian militant group, also has fired rockets from Gaza that have riddled Israeli cities.
Mohammed Deif, the leader of Hamas’ military wing, said “Operation Al-Aqsa Storm,” was a response to activity at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem that is the third holiest site in Islam. The site, which is also located on the holiest site for Jews − who refer to it as the Temple Mount − has long been a flashpoint between Israelis and Palestinians. Israeli security services routinely raid the compound.
“Enough is enough,” Deif, said in a recorded message. “Today the people are regaining their revolution.”
Diplomatic connections developing between Israel and some Arab nations have also been a concern to Hamas and to Iran. The war could compel those Arab nations to choose a side.
Jews, Palestinians in US fearful after Hamas attack
Ripples of fears and countless prayers for an end to the violence traveled through Jewish, Israeli and Palestinian-linked communities in the United States this week. Some groups held prayer meetings while others worried about local attacks, immediately beefing up security and urging community members to be vigilant as the death toll from the battle overseas climbed.
The attacks came toward the end of Sukkot, a weeklong celebration marking the time Jews lived in the desert after escaping slavery in Egypt. As news of the tragedy spread, many Jewish and Israeli communities in the United States shifted from celebrating to holding vigils and protests.
“There’s an unspoken deep bond and connection that no matter where we are, we have this shared pain,” said Melissa Chapman, chief executive officer of the Jewish Community Center in Berkeley, California. Read more here.
− Cybele Mayes-Osterman, Christopher Cann, Terry Collins, Leora Arnowitz
Maps and graphicsshow how Hamas militants’ deadly raid unfolded – and how fighting will get worse
How large is the Gaza Strip?
Gaza, or the Gaza Strip, is a densely populated Palestinian exclave of about 2.3 million people. The narrow strip of land − about 150 square miles, or less than half the size of New York City − is about 25 miles long and six miles wide. Gaza shares a northern and eastern border with Israel and a southwestern border with Egypt while its western side abuts the Mediterranean Sea.
Who controls the Gaza Strip?
Hamas won the 2006 parliamentary elections and in 2007 seized control of the Gaza Strip from the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority. The Palestinian Authority, controlled by the rival Fatah movement, administers semi-autonomous areas of the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Hamas has fought four wars against Israel since taking power.
Who is Hamas’ leader?
Deif leads the military wing while Yahya Sinwar and Ismail Haniyeh are the senior leaders of Hamas. Haniyeh has warned Arab countries against making diplomatic inroads with Israel.
“We are on the verge of a great victory and a clear conquest on the Gaza front,” he said in a speech broadcast Saturday on Hamas-run Al-Aqsa TV. “Enough is enough, the cycle of intifadas and revolutions in the battle to liberate our land and our prisoners languishing in occupation (Israeli) prisons must be completed.”
What is Hamas?
Hamas was founded in 1987 during the first Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation of Gaza and the West Bank. Hamas is an acronym for Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiya, or Islamic resistance movement. The group’s charter calls for establishment of an Islamic Palestinian state that would replace the current state of Israel. The militant organization is committed to the destruction of Israel and has been designated a terrorist group by the U.S., the EU and various nations. The political wing of Hamas has controlled Gaza since 2007.
It was founded by a Palestinian activist connected to the Muslim Brotherhood, a transnational Islamist organization with ties to Egypt. Iran provides Hamas with financial, material and logistical support. Hamas also cooperates with Hezbollah, another Iran-backed, U.S.-designated terrorist group, based in Lebanon.
Clash dates to ancient times
The dispute is rooted in pre-biblical times. Though its borders have shifted over the years, Palestinian territories used to be what is now Israel, Gaza and the West Bank. Both Israeli Jews’ and Palestinian Arabs’ history, culture and identity are linked to the Palestinian territories. Jewish migration from eastern and central Europe surged from 1922 to 1947 as Jews fled persecution and the destruction of their communities, most notably during World War II. As the number of Jewish immigrants increased, many Palestinians were displaced. They began pushing back and violence resulted.
In 1948, the Jewish People’s Council met in Tel Aviv and established the State of Israel. The U.S. officially recognized the new nation later that day; the USSR acknowledges it three days later. Read more here.
− George Petras, Janet Loehrke and Kim Hjelmgaard
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