Israel-Hamas war: Top developments Oct 12 | Blinken meets Netanyahu in solidarity visit to Israel, and more

Top developments Oct 12

-Blinken visits Israel, meets Netanyahu. He said that the US is doing everything for the release of hostages. 

-Israel that there would be no pause in its siege of the Gaza Strip for aid or evacuations until all its hostages were freed. 

-Netanyahu shares photos of babies allegedly killed by Hamas

-First batch of Indian passengers to board flight back to India from Tel Aviv under 'Operation Ajay'

-EU warns TikTok over 'illegal content and disinformation'

The British government will send two Royal Navy ships and surveillance aircraft to the eastern Mediterranean to support Israel, the prime minister's office said. 

"Alongside our allies, the deployment of our world class military will support efforts to ensure regional stability and prevent further escalation," Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said in a statement.

The maritime patrol and surveillance aircraft will begin flying in the region from Friday, the statement said, to "track threats to regional stability such as the transfer of weapons to terrorist groups".

The military package includes P8 aircraft, two Royal Navy ships -– the RFA Lyme Bay and RFA Argus –- three merlin helicopters and a company of Royal Marines, the statement said.

Russia condemned the Israeli strikes that knocked Syria's two main airports.

"These actions by the Israeli side constitute a flagrant violation of the sovereignty of the Syrian Arab Republic and of the basic norms of international law," Russia's foreign ministry said.

It added that "such military actions are fraught with extremely dangerous consequences, as they could provoke an armed escalation throughout the region". 

Click Here to read the story 

As the Israel-Hamas war continues, the world is watching with bated breath. But, it is easy to forget that there are real people living through the turmoil. Everyone has a unique story to tell. 

Click Here to read one of the stories here on WION

Israeli Army Chief of Staff said the that Hamas leaders and infractures will be "dismantled". 

Israel that there would be no pause in its siege of the Gaza Strip for aid or evacuations until all its hostages were freed. 

This comes after Washington urged it to protect civilians and the Red Cross warned of a humanitarian catastrophe in the enclave. 

Blinken said he will visit Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates on a crisis tour.

Blinken announced the stops at a news conference in Tel Aviv. The State Department has already announced his travel to Jordan and Qatar.

Netanyahu showed Blinken horrific pictures of babies killed by Hamas militants in Israel over the weekend, his office said Thursday.

The pictures were posted by the prime minister's office on X, formerly Twitter. One picture showed a dead baby in a body bag while the other showed the charred remains of another infant.

Click Here to read the story

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said during a news conference in Israel.

I'm in Israel today to deliver a message: you may be strong enough on your own to defend yourself, but as long as America exists, you will never, ever have to. https://t.co/6jxtvkA0kz

— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) October 12, 2023

France on Thursday said it was banning all pro-Palestinian demonstrations on the grounds such protests threaten to public order.

Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said in a note to regional prefects that the demonstrations "are likely to generate disturbances to public order", adding that organisers should face arrest.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid accused the Israeli government Thursday of "unpardonable failure" for not preventing the brutal weekend attack by Hamas militants that claimed lives of more than 1,200 people in Israel.

"Saturday's failure is unpardonable," Lapid said in a televised address, adding that he would not join the emergency government announced by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with his rival Benny Gantz.

The first Canadian military plane evacuating citizens from Israel has left Tel Aviv with 130 people on board, Defence Minister Bill Blair said in a social media post on Thursday.

Canadian officials said on Wednesday that around 700 people had reached out to the foreign ministry seeking to be taken out of Israel in the wake of an attack by Hamas.

Jordan's King Abdullah has ordered the government to allocate 3 million dinars ($4.23 million) for a UN body working with Palestinian refugees, the Jordanian state news agency reported on Thursday.

Isreali PM Netanyahu's office shared bone-chilling images of dead bodies of babies killed in Hamas' assault.

"These are horrifying photos of babies murdered and burned by the Hamas monsters. Hamas is inhuman, Hamas is ISIS," the post read on X.

The EU's top tech enforcer, Commissioner Thierry Breton, warned TikTok on Thursday over "illegal content and disinformation" on its platform following the bloody attack by Hamas in Israel.

The alert and a demand that Chinese-owned TikTok respond within 24 hours with details on how it is curbing online disinformation, mirrored similar warnings Breton issued this week to X, formerly Twitter, and Facebook parent Meta.

#BREAKING EU warns TikTok over 'illegal content' and disinformation following Hamas attack in Israel pic.twitter.com/72JadbyNDP

— AFP News Agency (@AFP) October 12, 2023

The Israeli army said it has bombarded the Gaza Strip with approximately 6,000 bombs containing a total of 4,000 tonnes of explosives since Saturday when it began striking Hamas targets.

"Approximately 6,000 bombs have been dropped on the Gaza Strip with a total weight of 4,000 tonnes," the army said in a statement Thursday.

The Hamas-run health ministry says 1,417 Palestinians have been killed and another 6,268 have been wounded in Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip. The Israel Defense Forces has said it has killed some 1,500 Palestinian terrorists inside Israeli territory.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Doha later this week to discuss Hamas with Qatari leaders.

"Tomorrow, Secretary Blinken will travel to Qatar to meet with senior officials there," a US official said.

China said it was "deeply concerned" about the escalating Israel-Hamas conflict during a telephonic conversation with an Israeli official on Thursday, Beijing's foreign ministry said.

"China is deeply concerned about the escalating tension and violence between Israel and Palestine, (and) is saddened by the civilian casualties caused by the conflict," Middle East envoy Zhai Jun told Israeli foreign ministry official Rafael Harpaz, according to a ministry statement.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday condemned 'killing of civilians' by both sides.

"We reject the practices of killing civilians or abusing them on both sides because they contravene morals, religion and international law," the official Palestinian news agency Wafa quoted Abbas as saying.

In a strong statement, the US Defence Secretary has said that there will be no conditions on the use of US military support to Israel. 
 

Israel continues to rain air strikes on Gaza City, six days after the start of a war triggered by a bloody attack by militant group Hamas, who killed 1,200 people in Israel, mostly civilians, and took about 150 hostages in their surprise onslaught Saturday.

"Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken are currently holding an additional expanded meeting – with the participation of Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, National Unity Chairman MK Benny Gantz and MK Gadi Eisenkot," the Israeli PM said in a post on X. 
 

"Met with Israeli President @Isaac_Herzog to discuss the situation on the ground and reaffirm our unwavering support for Israel’s right to defend itself from terrorism," Blinken wrote in a post. 

As per the Hamas-run health ministry, at least 1,417 Palestinians have been killed and another 6,268 have sustained injuries after they came under Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip, Times of Israel said. Meanwhile, the media report citing the Israel Defense Forces said it has killed some 1,500 Palestinian terrorists inside Israeli territory.

Saying that the humanitarian situation in Gaza Strip is 'dire', an official from World Food Programme on Thursday (October 12) and urged for corridors. This comes as Israel said there would be no humanitarian exceptions to its siege of the Gaza Strip until all its hostages were freed. 

France said that they have no official trace that links Iran to the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel, the foreign ministry said on Thursday (Oct 12). It is worth noting that France has Europe's largest Jewish community and thousands of dual nationals living in Israel.
 

WATCH | Tel Aviv resident gets emotional as she anticipates return of her six family members

The International Committee of the Red Cross said it is in contact with Hamas and Israel to try to facilitate the release of hostages taken into Gaza, AFP news agency said. 

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi held discussions on Wednesday (Oct 12) over the ongoing military escalation in Gaza and its surrounding areas. The crown prince reiterated that the Kingdom is exerting all possible efforts in communicating with all international and regional parties to halt the escalation, media reports said. 
 

After Israeli strikes rained down on Syria's two main airports they went out of service on Thursday (Oct 12), Syrian state media said. While citing a source, media reports said that the "simultaneous" strikes on the Aleppo and Damascus airports "damaged landing strips in the two airports, putting them out of service". 

Iran's foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian accused Israel of seeking "genocide" by siege against Gaza, media reports said. 
 

Syrian state media citing a military source reported that Israeli strikes knocked Syria's two main airports - in Aleppo and Damascus - out of service. 

The "simultaneous" strikes on the airports "damaged landing strips in the two airports, putting them out of service", said the state media. 

The United Kingdom government will arrange flights to get British citizens out of Israel, said the British media citing the country's foreign ministry. 

The UK foreign office will "facilitate" commercial flights to the UK for those who want to leave Israel the first flight is due to depart from Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv today (Oct 12). 

The British government has also deployed a "rapid deployment team" to Israel which will assist British citizens on the ground.

Syrian state television said Israel launched attacks on the main airports in the capital Damascus and the northern city of Aleppo. According to the local media Syrian air defences were launched in response to both attacks.

Some damage was reported to the Aleppo airport but so far no casualties. 

Click here to read more...

Indian foreign ministry in an update on nationals stranded in Israel said that there are no casualties that have come to be known in the wake of the brutal Hamas attack on the West Asian nation.    

"We haven’t heard of any casualty so far," MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said while speaking during the weekly presser over the Israel-Hamas war. 

Click here to read more...

During the press conference, the Israeli PM said that "Your (Secretary of State Antony Blinken) presence here is testimony of unequivocal support," adding that "Hamas is an enemy of the people. Hamas is ISIS."

He also went on to say how Hamas was created the same way ISIS was and there will be many difficulties day ahead. "We must stand tall against the evil. Thank you America for standing with Israel today, tomorrow and always." 

During his visit, Secretary of State Antony Blinken that the US will will "always" back Israel but said the Palestinians also had "legitimate aspirations" not represented by militant group Hamas.

"You may be strong enough on your own to defend yourself. But as long as America exists, you will never, ever have to. We will always be there by your side," said Blinken. 

“We know Hamas doesn’t represent the Palestinian people,” the US official, adding that the militant group rules repressively.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken says he came to Israel as a US official but also "as a Jew," adding that he understands the Hamas massacres on a "personal level.”

Washington's top diplomat in Tel Aviv said "Hamas has only one agenda to destroy Israel and to kill Jews. Israel has the right to defend and ensure such things never happened again." 

He also said that there is "no justification for this atrocities," adding that "Europe, Asia, American No reason has escape Hamas reign of terror." 

"As long as America exist - we will be all along your side," said Blinken, speaking about how the US deployed the world largest aircraft to sail to the Eastern Mediterranean to assist Israel, if needed. 

"Israel has the right to make sure that the event like this never happens again," said Blinken. 

Washington's top diplomat also said more US arms were "on the way".

The US Secretary of State confirms the death of 25 Americans, during a press conference with the Israeli PM, "So far 25 US Citizens has lost their lives." He also spoke about how the number of civilian casualties has increased. 

He also said that while Israel has a "right to defend itself," "How Israel does this matters." In a seemingly subtle reference to Israel's air strikes against Gaza and the announcement of a "complete seige" in the enclave.

During a joint press conference with Washington's top diplomat, Israeli PM thanked US President Joe Biden and American people. He added, "The massacring of the young people in an music festival, the burning of people alive, beheading, kidnappings and celebrating and glorification of the evil." 

"President Joe Biden was correct in saying that this is 'sheer evil'," said Netanyahu.

"Total 253 Nepali students board the rescue flight of Nepal Airlines," said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Nepal in a statement. The foreign minister was also aboard the aircraft, which is taking off from Ben Gurion Airport Tel Aviv shortly.

Ten Nepali students have been killed and four others injured in Israel after the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a surprise attack against Israel. 

The Israeli army on Thursday said that was preparing for a ground assault on Hamas militants in Gaza, but the lawmakers are yet to make the decision. The military's campaign would also involve "taking out" the Palestinian group's senior leadership including top government officials.

"We are waiting to see what our political leadership decides about a potential ground," Israeli army spokesperson, Richard Hecht told journalists. He added, "This has not been decided yet... But we are preparing for a ground manoeuvre if it is decided."

This comes after Israel has deployed tens of thousands of troops along the border with Gaza Strip while continuing airstrikes in enclave which it says targets Hamas infrastructure, commanders and operating centres. 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is currently meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, at the Kirya in Tel Aviv, said the Israeli PM's office in a post on X. This comes as Washington has reiterated its "unwavering" support for Israel after the attack by Hamas. 

The death toll in Gaza has risen to at least 1,354 while more than 6,000 have been injured said the Hamas health ministry as dozens were killed since Thursday morning after massive Israeli bombardment.

At least "1,354 citizens have been martyred and 6,049 suffered various injuries," said the ministry, updating the previous toll of around 1,200. 

The military confirms claims that soldiers found a flag of the Islamic State jihadist group on the vest of a terrorist killed during an assault on Kibbutz Sufa, near the Gaza border.

Yesterday, a Telegram channel called South First Responders, which has been distributing shocking footage from scenes on kibbutzim and other areas devastated in Saturday’s attack, published images showing the Islamic State flag, the Times of Isreael newspaper reported.

The military claimed that soldiers found a flag of the Islamic State jihadist group on the vest of a terrorist killed during an assault on Kibbutz Sufa, near the Gaza border.

In a social media post, Israel Katz said no "electrical switch will be turned on, no water hydrant will be opened and no fuel truck will enter" until the "abductees" are free.

Israel stopped supplies to the Gaza Strip after the Hamas attacks on Saturday.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will hold talks with the Palestinian and Joranian leaders in Amman, a US official said as Blinken was on a solidarity visit to Israel Thursday.

"Tomorrow (Friday) in Amman, Secretary Blinken will have meetings with Palestinian president (Mahmud) Abbas and Jordanian King Abdullah II," the official told an AFP correspondent travelling with Blinken, whose visit followed Hamas's surprise weekend onslaught in Israel.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz pledges Israel his country's full support in the conflict with Hamas militants, saying Berlin's "only place" right now is at Israel's aide.

He also annunced that Germany has 'temporarily suspendrd' development aid for Palestinians.

Amid the escalating war against the terrorist group Hamas, schools in Israel, as well as the UK and US, are urging parents to limit the use of social media by their kids. This comes amid concerns that Hamas terrorists might broadcast images or videos of hostages being executed in retaliation to Israeli strikes on Gaza.

Read more

The international war correspondent who initially broke the story of Hamas' horrifying act of beheading Israeli children has reaffirmed her reporting.

Despite doubts circulating on social media, i24News reporter Nicole Zedeck strongly defended her account and said, "I wish that it wasn't true."

Read more

US Secretary of State Blinken just arrived in Tel Aviv. Earlier he said he is heading with a clear message that ''US has Israel's back."

Speaking to reporters ahead of his departure, Blinken said, "We are heading, as you know, to Israel, and I'm going with a very simple and clear message on behalf of the President of the United States and on behalf of the American people, and that is that the United States has Israel's back. We have the back of the Israeli people. We have their back today. We'll have it tomorrow. We will have it every day."

Blinken is supposed to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli President Issac Herzog and other senior officials in Israel.

Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) fighter jets conducted a series of airstrikes in the Gaza Strip overnight, with the primary focus on Hamas' elite fighting unit known as Nokhba, responsible for leading a significant incursion from the Strip on Saturday.

These airstrikes by the Israeli military specifically targeted various operational centers from which Hamas had coordinated the terrorist incursion into Israeli territory.

Furthermore, the IDF confirmed the successful elimination of Mohammed Abu Shamala, a high-ranking official within Hamas' naval forces.

On Thursday, Israel's military stated that it would refrain from disclosing the count of Hamas rocket interceptions during the Gaza conflict due to apprehensions that sharing such data might aid Hamas.

Rocket alerts sound in a number of towns in central Israel and the West Bank.

Sirens are heard in localities including Even Yehuda, Tayibe, Ariel and Kfar Yona.

Explosions are heard from either impacts or interceptions.

The rocket fire comes after a lull of around 10 hours.

There are no immediate reports of injuries.

Brazil, currently holding the rotating presidency of the UN Security Council, has convened a meeting scheduled for Friday to address the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. This announcement came from the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday. Mauro Vieira, the Brazilian Foreign Affairs Minister, interrupted his trip to Asia to participate in this United Nations Security Council meeting in New York, specifically convened by Brazil to address the situation in the Gaza Strip. It's worth noting that Brazil had previously called an emergency Security Council meeting on Sunday, responding to a surprise attack by Hamas on Israel. Israeli forces report a tragic toll of 1,200 casualties, with the majority being civilians, marking it as one of the deadliest incidents in the country's history.

Taiwan, claimed by China as its own territory, has set up a task force to draw lessons from the surprise attack by Hamas on Israel.

Talking to media on Thursday, Defence Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng said that intelligence is key to preventing a war.

Former US President Donald Trump has criticised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over what he described as a lack of preparation for a weekend attack by Hamas militants.

Speaking to Fox News, Trump said Netanyahu "has been hurt very badly" because of the attack.

"He was not prepared. He was not prepared and Israel was not prepared. And under Trump, they wouldn't have had to be prepared," he said.

The Israel and Hamas War enters its sixth day now at least 51 people were killed in Gaza after a series of Israeli Air Raids which continue taking the total death toll in the Hamas-ruled region to over 1,100. Israel endured a massive multi-pronged surprise attack from Hamas on Saturday triggering another War.

As per latest data, the death toll in the Gaza Strip has risen to 1,200.

The number was released by the Palestinian Ministry of Health on Thursday, after an increase in Israeli bombardments on the sixth day of the ongoing conflict, which was sparked by Hamas's surprise attack.

"The number of martyrs has risen to around 1,200, and the number of wounded to around 5,600," said a health ministry spokesperson, as reported by AFP.

The United States is urging its international partners to make use of their influence with Hamas and its supporters in Iran. The nation is encouraging global partners to do this to get the militants to stand down their assault on Israel, said a senior US official, as reported by AFP.

This comes as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday headed to Israel on a Middle East Mission, showing his nation's solidarity with the war-torn nation.

Read more here

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Iran's President, Ebrahim Raisi, held their first phone call since the landmark restoration of ties between Sunni and Shia powerhouses of West Asia in March.

Read more here.

An Israeli-American teenager managed to survive a harrowing attack on his family's home by Hamas militants after his parents shielded him from gunfire with their bodies and died in the process.

Read full story here.

An Israeli legislator's recent calls for the use of a "doomsday" weapon against Hamas and Palestine have once again put the spotlight on nuclear weapons in West Asia, particularly the Jericho missile system.

Click here to read more...

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called on Germans to show solidarity with the country's Jewish population and guarantee their safety.

Scholz also condemned excesses at pro-Palestinian rallies. "I ask for the support of all citizens so that together we can guarantee the safety of our Jewish fellow citizens, and to do this we must show solidarity with them," Scholz said on ARD television.

Germany continues to come to terms with its troubled history of antisemitism monumentalised by the persecution of Jewish population led by its former dictator Adolf Hitler. 

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) took a group of international journalists through the aftermath of a purported site of a massacre by Hamas militants. The journalists examined the devastated Kibbutz Kfar Aza, located close to the Gaza Strip, where the remains of the deceased and the 'stench of dead' could be seen and smelt near homes scarred by fire.

Read full report here

US President Joe Biden said he "never thought" that he "would see and have confirmed pictures of terrorists beheading children."

Biden aslso cautioned Iran to "be careful" amid ongoing tensions in West Asia.

"We made it clear to the Iranians: Be careful," Biden said during a roundtable with Jewish community leaders at the White House.

Biden also urged Israel to abide by the rules of war in its fight against Hamas

Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "it is really important that Israel -- (with) all the anger and frustration... that they operate by the rules of war."

Hamas says Israeli woman and her two children freed in first signs of easing hostage crisis.

"An Israeli settler and her two children were released after they were detained during the clashes," Ezzedine al-Qassem Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, said in a statement.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has reportedly launched a negotiation process with Hamas for the release of Israeli hostages kidnapped by the Palestinian militants, an official source was quoted as saying by AFP.

"They are negotiating to secure the release of the hostages," the source was quoted as saying, confirming a report by the private TV channel Haberturk.

Dozens of people have been taken hostage during Hamas's surprise attack on Israel.

The Turkish President, who has offered to mediate to restore peace, has been stepping up talks with his counterparts in West Asia.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered an address on Wednesday evening (Oct 11) to declare Israel's intent to decimate Hamas. "Every member of Hamas is a dead man," Netanyahu said.

"Hamas is Daesh (Islamic State group) and we will crush them and destroy them as the world has destroyed Daesh," he said in a brief televised statement, the first delivered jointly with his war cabinet.

Israel's three-member "war cabinet" would include Netanyahu, Gantz and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant. The statement said that Gadi Eisenkot, who is also a former army chief from Gantz's party, and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer will serve as observers. 

A seat for the opposition leader Yair Lapid would be "reserved" in the war cabinet, but he has not joined his former ally, Gantz, the statement added. 

After the announcement, Justice Minister Yariv Levin said the agreement "is the right and necessary thing to do — from here, we work together". 

Read the full explainer here.

A coalition of ruling Israeli parties led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has agreed to form an emergency government in alliance with the opposition leaders in the wake of the Hamas terror attack.

In a joint statement, Netanyahu and former defence chief and centrist opposition party leader Benny Gantz said they had agreed to form an emergency government comprising the two leaders and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant.

Gallant, the defence minister, said: "We will wipe this thing called Hamas, ISIS-Gaza, off the face of the earth. It will cease to exist." 

Click here to read full story