Israel-Palestine LIVE UPDATES: Air Force Continues to Pound Gaza Overnight, Death Toll Nears 1100, US Sends aid for Israeli Military
The Palestinian militant group Hamas has launched an unprecedented attack on Israel, with its fighters entering communities near the Gaza Strip, killing residents and taking hostages.
Backed by a barrage of rockets, Hamas militants stormed from the blockaded Gaza Strip into nearby Israeli towns, killing dozens and abducting others in an unprecedented surprise attack during a major Jewish holiday Saturday. A stunned Israel launched airstrikes in Gaza, with its prime minister saying the country is now at war with Hamas and vowing to inflict an “unprecedented price.”
Israel-Palestine LIVE UPDATES: Air Force Continues to Pound Gaza Overnight, Death Toll Nears 1000, US Sends aid for Israeli Military
- Air Force continues mass strikes on Gaza to ‘devastate’ Hamas capabilities
- Palestinian supporters, pro-Israel counter-protestors rally in Manhattan
- British PM assures Netanyahu of ‘steadfast support’
- Israel-Gaza war has worldwide impact
- Over 1,100 dead; oil soars on fears of proxy war
- US to send aircraft carrier strike group to support Israel
- Israel’s death toll rises to 700
- Biden orders ‘additional support’ for Israel amid escalating war
Israel-Palestine war news LIVE: Death toll nears 1000, US sends aid for Israeli military
- Air Force continues mass strikes on Gaza to ‘devastate’ Hamas capabilities
The Israel military says aircraft are continuing to pound the Gaza Strip at this time in order to “devastate the capabilities of the Hamas group.”
Among the targets hit in recent hours were several command posts; a building housing Hamas operatives; a command center used by a senior official in Hamas’s naval forces; an “operational asset used by Hamas” located within a mosque in Jabaliya; and an asset used by the group for intelligence.
- Palestinian supporters, pro-Israel counter-protestors rally in Manhattan
Some thousand demonstrators on Sunday gathered in Manhattan in solidarity with Palestinians as pro-Israel marchers counter-protested following a bloody escalation in the Middle East conflict.
The rallies followed Saturday’s surge in violence that’s killed hundreds and wounded thousands in the region, after militant group Hamas launched a deadly assault on Israel which responded by hammering blockaded Palestinian Gaza with heavy air strikes.
- British PM assures Netanyahu of ‘steadfast support’
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Sunday assured his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu of London’s “steadfast support”, after Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked Israel.
The blue and white Israeli flag was projected onto the facade of 10 Downing Street on Sunday evening after Sunak posted on X, formerly Twitter, “We stand with Israel”.
“I have just spoken with Prime Minister Netanyahu to assure him of the UK’s steadfast support as Israel defends itself against these appalling attacks,” Sunak said from his official country residence Chequers.
- Israel-Gaza war has worldwide impact
The conflict between Israel and Hamas militants is making a global impact with Britain, Canada, France and Germany among nations stepping up security around potential Jewish targets and pro-Palestinian demonstrations erupting in cities across the world.
- Over 1,100 dead; oil soars on fears of proxy war
The combined death toll from the Hamas attack on southern Israel has climbed to more than 1,100 as fighting entered a third day. Oil surged as the fighting threatened to inflame tensions in the Middle East, home to almost a third of global supply.
More than 700 Israelis, most of them civilians, were killed in the attacks which erupted outside the Gaza Strip on Saturday morning. About 400 Palestinians have died in fighting and retaliatory attacks, as the Israeli military regained control over most areas breached by militants.
- US to send aircraft carrier strike group to support Israel
The US will send an aircraft carrier strike group to the Eastern Mediterranean to support Israel, a US official says.
- Israel’s death toll rises to 700
In latest update, the death toll of Israelis killed in the dealy Hamas fighter attack has risen to 700.
- Biden orders ‘additional support’ for Israel amid escalating war
US President Joe Biden has ordered “additional support” for Israel after the attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas, the White House said Sunday, without giving details.
“The President directed additional support for Israel in the face of this unprecedented terrorist assault by Hamas,” the White House said in a statement. A senior US official had said Saturday that talks on supplying US military aid were underway.
What is Hamas?
Hamas is a Palestinian Islamist militant group which rules the Gaza Strip. Hamas is sworn to Israel’s destruction and has fought several wars with Israel since it took power in Gaza in 2007.
In between those wars, it has fired or allowed other groups to fire thousands of rockets at Israel, and carried out other deadly attacks. Israel has also repeatedly attacked Hamas with air strikes, and, together with Egypt, has blockaded the Gaza Strip since 2007 in what it says is for its security.
- Hamas explained
Hamas as a whole, or in some cases its military wing, is designated a terrorist group by Israel, the United States, the European Union and the UK, as well as other powers. Hamas is backed by Iran which funds it and provides weapons and training.
What is the Gaza Strip?
The Gaza Strip is a 41km (25-mile) long and 10km-wide territory between Israel, Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea. It is home to about 2.3 million people and has one of the highest population densities in the world.
Israel controls the air space over Gaza and its shoreline and restricts who and what goods are allowed in and out through its border crossings. Similarly, Egypt controls who passes in and out through its border with Gaza.
(With Inputs From Agencies)