As combat entered a third day, the total number of fatalities from the Hamas offensive on southern Israel reached more than 1,100. The US announced that it is expanding its fighter aircraft squadrons in the area and transferring a six-vessel aircraft carrier strike group to the eastern Mediterranean.
The strikes that broke out outside of the Gaza Strip on Saturday morning claimed the lives of more than 700 Israelis, the majority of whom were civilians. As the Israeli forces restored control over the majority of the areas penetrated by terrorists, there have been almost 400 Palestinian deaths in clashes and reprisals.
The operation by Hamas, which involved kidnapping numerous Israelis, was an unparalleled intrusion that has rocked the markets and stability of the region. Israel formally declared war and has vowed to continue fighting until all of Hamas’ military facilities have been destroyed. This mission is likely to require a land invasion and might last months.
In a closed meeting of the UN Security Council, a sizable number of nations” denounced the Hamas attacks, according to US Ambassador Robert Wood. “Clearly not all. I really don’t want to discuss that. Without my help, I believe you could probably solve one of them.
The safe and unconditional release of hostages is the top priority, according to UAE Ambassador Lana Nusseibeh; afterwards, more extensive political conversations targeted at a potential two-state solution can be handled.
According to the Wall Street Journal, which cited senior members of Hamas and Hezbollah, the Shiite terrorist organisation and political entity in Lebanon, anonymous senior members of Iranian security authorities assisted Hamas in planning its attack on Israel in a series of meetings spanning months.
According to The Journal, Hamas received “green light” for the strike in Beirut on Monday.
US officials have drawn attention to Iran’s ongoing financial and material backing for Hamas. However, according to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the US hasn’t “yet seen direct evidence that Iran was behind this particular attack.”
Early on Monday, as currency dealers had their first chance to reacted to a surprise attack by Hamas within Israel, the dollar increased versus its key competitors.
As trading got underway in Sydney, the dollar—long seen as a safe haven in difficult times—rose against the euro and the pound, while riskier currencies like its Australian counterpart fell. Another popular haven for investors, the yen, increased.
Before the Security Council (10:28 p.m.), the Palestinian observer at the UN is defiant.
In remarks to media prior to a special Security Council meeting, the Palestinian observer at the UN, Riyad Mansour, adopted a combative tone. He claimed that his people had repeatedly warned the Security Council about “the consequences of Israeli impunity and international inaction.”
We are all too aware that Israel will read statements about its right to self-defense as a green light to kill and continue down the same road that got us here, Mansour added.
(9:25 a.m.) Islamic Jihad claims to have 30 hostages.
Ziad Al-Nakhala, the commander of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, stated in a televised speech that the organisation is keeping more than 30 Israeli captives who won’t be released unless all Israeli Islamic Jihad inmates are likewise released.
Israel claims that Hamas’ “War Machine” is present in “every inch of Gaza.” (9:21 p.m.)
Gilad Erdan, Israel’s ambassador to the UN, declared that “every inch of Gaza has become part of Hamas’ war machine,” and he promised that his nation will “obliterate” all of the organization’s terrorist infrastructure.
He claimed that despite the bloodshed, Israel is continuing its attempts to normalise relations with Saudi Arabia and that giving up on those efforts would only serve Iran.
There are stable nations in our region.
Speaking to reporters prior to a closed-door UN Security Council meeting on the subject, he claimed that Saudi Arabia is unquestionably one of those nations “that want to normalise relations and live in peace and coexistence.”
AP (8:57 p.m.): Four US citizens are reportedly dead.
According to preliminary indications from an anonymous US official, the assaults against Israel claimed the lives of at least four US citizens.
(8:35 p.m.) The US sends warships and weapons as a show of force
The USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier is among a group of six US military ships that are sailing to the eastern Mediterranean to “bolster regional deterrence efforts,” according to a statement from Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin. In the upcoming days, he claimed, more US supplies and equipment, including munitions, will come.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Joe Biden spoke on the phone for the second time in two days. According to a White House statement, Biden informed Netanyahu during the phone that greater military support for Israel “is now on its way.”
Erdogan: Regional issues are rooted in the Palestinian conflict (5:45 pm)
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the president of Turkey, repeated his desire for the creation of an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital within the boundaries of 1967.
The Palestine conflict is the root of the current issues in our region. In Istanbul on Sunday, Erdogan said, “It is crucial to safeguard the two-state solution. The region will hunger for peace unless the issue is handled.
Israel will get ready for evacuations in the north (5:30)
Yoav Gallant, Israel’s defence minister, gave officials instructions to get ready for the evacuation of residents from northern villages. The plan would resemble the evacuations that took occurred in more than 20 nearby villages to the Gaza Strip.
5:30 p.m. US Checking Reports Citizens Killed, Taken Hostage
According to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the country is “working very actively” to confirm rumours that “several Americans” are among the deceased.
American hostages are reportedly being held at the same time. We are attempting to gather the information and determine the veracity of those reports there as well,” he stated on CBS’s Face the Nation.
(5:25 p.m.): According to Netanyahu, Europeans support Israel’s right to self-defense.
On Sunday, Netanyahu spoke with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. According to Netanyahu, all four people stated their unwavering support for Israel’s right to self-defense.
The Iranian President Calls For Support In The Middle East (4:40 PM)
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi discussed the situation in the occupied regions with representatives of the militant organisations Hamas and Islamic Jihad, according to the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency.
According to Raisi, Muslim states ought to stand up for the Palestinians. “The hostile Israelis ought to be aware that the maths has changed. Iran is in favour of the Palestinian people’s rightful defence.
Israel has stated that it believes Iran is responsible, but Tehran has not specifically stated that it supported the assaults. According to Blinken, there is yet no proof that Iran was the attack’s mastermind.
–with help from Selcan Hacaoglu, Albertina Torsoli, Victoria Cavaliere, Galit Altstein, Gregory White, Courtney McBride, Natalia Drozdiak, Dana Khraiche, Ethan Bronner, Gwen Ackerman, Fadwa Hodali, Marie Patino, and Marie Patino.