Israel-Hamas top updates (Oct 14) | Israel admits intelligence 'mistakes' in failing to predict Hamas attacks

The Israeli military said for the first time Saturday that the bodies of some hostages abducted by Hamas militants had been found during operations inside Gaza this week.

"We have found and located some bodies in the perimeter in the Gaza Strip of Israelis that were abducted," a military spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel Peter Lerner, told a briefing.

Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah group said one of its fighters in south Lebanon was killed on Saturday by Israeli fire.

A Hezbollah statement said the fighter was "martyred while performing jihad". A spokesperson told AFP he was killed in south Lebanon "either in Israeli strikes or in clashes".

Israeli families with members held captive by Hamas in Gaza for a week demanded an urgent arrangement Saturday enabling the transfer of medicines to their loved ones. 

"We expect that tonight, by midnight (2100 GMT), there will be an agreement to transfer medicine to the missing people and hostages," Ronen Tzur, who heads the Hostages and Missing Families Forum that is coordinating with the International Committee of the Red Cross, said at a Tel Aviv briefing.

A senior Israeli official admitted on Saturday "mistakes" in intelligence assessments ahead of a brutal Hamas attack last weekend that took the country by surprise.

"It's my mistake, and it reflects the mistakes of all those making (intelligence) assessments," National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi told a press briefing when asked about his recent remarks predicting no Hamas aggression.

"We really believed that Hamas learned the lesson from" its last major war with Israel in 2021, Hanegbi said.

Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh urged Palestinians Saturday to reject "displacement" within the Gaza Strip or out of the blockaded enclave to Egypt, following Israeli air strikes and calls to evacuate.

"No to displacement from the (West) Bank, not from Gaza and no to displacement from Gaza to Egypt," Haniyeh said in a televised speech.

Supporters and relatives of Israeli hostages captured by Hamas last week protest against Benjamin Netanyahu's government in Tel Aviv to demand investigation in intelligence failure that didn't prevent the Palestinian Islamist movement's attack. 

Hundreds of mourners attended on Saturday (October 14) the funeral for Reuters video journalist Issam Abdallah, who was killed in a missile strike in southern Lebanon.

Family members, friends and colleagues bid farewell to Abdallah, whose body was wrapped in the Lebanese flag and carried along the streets of his hometown in Lebanon.

Two Lebanese civilians were killed in Israeli shelling of the southern village of Shebaa on Saturday, its mayor said.

"A man and his wife have been killed in their home by Israeli shelling," mayor Mohammad Harb told news agency AFP.

At least 100 protestors took to the streets in Tel Aviv outside Israel’s defence ministry on Saturday demanding the safe return of hostages held by Hamas. This comes a week after Hamas launched a surprise attack on southern Israel and took hundreds of civilians and security personnel. 

Israel has said it has confirmed the identities of 120 that are being held by the Palestinian militant group and have informed their next of kin. Since the attack, Israel has vowed to annihilate Hamas after militants stormed through towns and villages in southern, killing 1,300 Israelis, mainly civilians. 

The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu toured Kibbutz Be’eri and Kibbutz Kfar Azza, two of the worst hit border communities after Hamas' attack. This is the first time that he visited the site. 

A short statement by his office said that he "walked between the ruins of the houses where these terrible massacres took place."

Netanyahu was also briefed by the Israeli army soldiers currently there, including from the head of the paratrooper battalion. According to Israeli media, the PM has recently come under fire for not visiting the scene, attending funerals or visiting the wounded.

A State Department spokesperson advised American citizens in Gaza to move south toward the Rafah Gate crossing with Egypt as they are trying to negotiate an opening to allow civilians out of the blockaded enclave. 

"We have informed US citizens in Gaza with whom we are in contact that if they assess it to be safe, they may wish to move closer to the Rafah border crossing," said a state department spokesperson, adding that "there may be very little notice if the crossing opens and it may only open for a limited time," 

A report by Al Jazeera citing the ministry of health in Gaza said at least 15 hospitals have been damaged by Israeli shelling and air raids. Additionally, two hospitals are out of commission. 

At least 28 medical staff have been killed and 23 ambulances have been hit, damaged or destroyed, according to the media report. 

The United States President Joe Biden took to X and said that Washington is working with the several countries' governments in the region as well as the United Nations to "ease the humanitarian consequences of Hamas’s attack". 

"The U.S. is working with the governments of Israel, Egypt, Jordan — and with the UN — to surge support to ease the humanitarian consequences of Hamas’s attack, create conditions needed to resume the flow of assistance, and advocate for the upholding of the law of war," said the US president. 

Lebanon's Hezbollah on Saturday said that they attacked five Israeli outposts in the disputed Shebaa Farms area on the Lebanese-Israeli border with guided missiles and mortars shells. 

The heavily armed Iranian-backed group said the attack took place at 3:15 pm (local time), the militia group said in a statement.

Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh on Saturday accused Israel of committing war crimes and preventing humanitarian aid from entering the Gaza Strip and said that the move "amount to war crimes". 

The remarks were made in a letter addressed to United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. 

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Saturday held a phone call with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi where he asked Beijing, a partner of Tehran to use its influence to push for calm in the Middle East amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. 

Washington's top diplomat who was visiting Saudi Arabia, had a "productive" one-hour telephone call with Wang, said the State Department spokesman Matthew Miller. 

Thousands of people in London, United Kingdom took to the streets for a pro-Palestinian protest on Saturday, after police warnings that anyone showing support for the militant group Hamas could face arrest.

The protestors had gathered near BBC News' headquarters in the morning and marched through the British capital ahead of an afternoon rally near parliament as well as UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's Downing Street office and residence.

China's top diplomat Wang Yi said the United States should "play a constructive and responsible role" in the Israel-Gaza conflict, during a phone call with his American counterpart Antony Blinken.

"The United States should practically play a constructive and responsible role, pushing the issue back on track for a political settlement as soon as possible," Wang told Blinken, according to the Chinese foreign ministry. 

Washington has reiterated its "unconditional" support for Israel in the past week since Hamas attacked its closest ally in the Middle East. 

In the past 24 hours, nine people captured by Hamas in an attack on Israel a week ago have been killed, said the Palestinian militant group's armed wing. 

The Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, according to AFP, said at least five Israelis and four foreign nationals had been killed in Israeli "strikes on locations where the prisoners were held", without elaborating.

According to AFP, the latest deaths bring to 22 the overall number of fatalities among the estimated 150 hostages which include Israeli citizens as well as foreign nationals. 

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society received an order from Israeli forces on Saturday to evacuate its Al-Quds hospital in Gaza City by 4:00 pm (local time) or 1300 GMT, said a report by Reuters citing a statement.

The initial deadline was given for 06:00 am (local time) or 0300 GMT but was later extended. However, the organisation, in the statement said that they cannot evacuate the hospital and it is obliged under a humanitarian mandate to continue providing services to the sick and wounded. 

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Saturday met Saudi Arabia's Foreing Minister Prince Faisal Bin Farhan, and both leaders held a joint press conference on the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. 

During the briefing, Blinken said that Hamas is not a representative of the Palestinian people or their legtimate aspirations for future. 

"Hamas is a terrorist group and its only agenda is to destroy Israel and murder Jews. And it is important that the entire world sees it as such. This is an important moment for more clarity when it comes to Hamas," Blinken said. 

A US official said on Saturday (Oct 14) that Israel and Egypt agreed to let American citizens leave the Gaza Strip through the Rafah crossing during the day. Speaking to the news agency AFP, the official said the two countries agreed to keep the sole crossing from Gaza to Egypt open from 12.00 pm to 5.00 pm (9.00-14.00 GMT). Read more

The Israeli military said on Saturday that Gaza residents must not delay their evacuation as thousands of Palestinians fled to southern Gaza as the Israeli military is expected to launch a ground offensive against Hamas militants. 

Military spokesman Richard Hecht said there is a safe passage "window" between 10.00 am and 4.00 pm (1300 GMT) on the roads, down the Gaza coast and through the centre of the narrow Palestinian territory, which is about 40 kilometres (25 miles) long.

The Israeli military said on Saturday that a Hamas militant who led a unit of commando forces which gunned down civilians in last week's attack on southern Israel was killed in an air strike. 

In a post on X, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said, "Ali Qadi led the inhumane, barbaric October 7 massacre of civilians in Israel. We just eliminated him. All Hamas terrorists will meet the same fate.""

Jordan said on Saturday (Oct 14) that any move by Israel to impose a new displacement of Palestinians would push the region to the "abyss" of a wider regional conflict.

Following a meeting with his Canadian counterpart, Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said, "The war is killing and displacing innocent Palestinians and will leave the region and the world facing the repercussion of a environment of destruction and despair that Israel will create in Gaza."

Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip killed at least 324 people in the past 24 hours alone, including 126 children, the Hamas-controlled health ministry said. There were 88 women among those killed, it said, adding that 1,018 were wounded over that period.

The total death toll has risen to 2,215, including 724 children. 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is currently holding a security assessment at the Kirya in Tel Aviv together with the Defense Minister, Minister Benny Gantz, Minister Gadi Eisenkot, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, MK Aryeh Deri and senior defense establishment officials.

More than 1,300 buildings in the Gaza Strip have been destroyed, the United Nations said Saturday, after nearly a week of fierce bombardment by Israeli forces.

The UN's humanitarian agency OCHA said "5,540 housing units" in those buildings were destroyed and nearly 3,750 more homes were so badly damaged they were uninhabitable.

A six-hour window, from 10:00am to 4:00pm, for the “safe movement” of Palestinians from the north to the south of the Gaza Strip is being given by the Israeli army, according to an IDF spokesman.

In a tweet on Platform X, the spokesperson said:

“An important announcement to the residents of Gaza City. For the past few days, we have asked you to leave Gaza City to the south of Wadi Gaza for your safety. I would like to inform you that the IDF will allow traffic on the mentioned roads without any harm between the hours of 10:00-16:00. For your safety, take advantage of the short time to move south – from Beit Hanoun to Khan Yunis.

The US intelligence community is believed to have briefed President Joe Biden about the imminent violence between Hamas and Israel in the weeks ahead of the October 7 terrorist attacks, a CNN report has revealed. One update came on September 28, backed by multiple intelligence inputs that indicated Hamas was planning a massive rocket attack on Israel. The second assessment was produced on October 5, when the country’s Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) warned of the increasing possibility of violence by Hamas.

Read More on this here.

The IDF Arabic language spokesman shared on X that the IDF will allow safe movement for Gazans on two main roads in the southern territory between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm on Saturday. Israel has warned the Gazans to evacuate towards south for "their own safety". Hamas, on the other hand, has urged the residents to ignore Israel's calls. 

A senior military commander of Hamas who headed the Islamist group's aerial operations in Gaza City has been killed in Israeli air strikes, the military said Saturday.

Murad Abu Murad was killed over the past day when fighter jets struck an operational centre of Hamas from where the group carried out its "aerial activity", the military said. There was no immediate confirmation from Hamas.

Death toll soared in the fighting between Israel and Hamas on Friday with more than 3,200 lives claimed on both sides as the elevated conflict entered its seventh day.

A total of 1,949 Palestinians have been killed in the fighting, with over 8,600 wounded, the Palestinian health authority said on Friday night.

The tally includes 1,900 deaths and about 7,696 injuries in the Gaza Strip, 49 deaths and over 950 injuries in the West Bank.

The death toll on the Israeli side rose to 1,300, with more than 3,484 wounded, according to the Israeli Ministry of Health as cited by The Jerusalem Post on the same day.

Israeli army has alleged that Hamas was stopping Gazans from evacuating the northen part of the enclave. Israel has appealed people in this part of the Gaza Strip to evacuate to southern areas. 

Lt Col Jonathan Conricus of the Israeli army has said that it is "extremely sad and worrying" to see Hamas trying to stop Palestinians.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has said that Israel's evacuation order for Gaza residents in the northern part of the enclave was "utterly impossible to implement".

"To imagine that you could move one million people in 24 hours in a situation like Gaza can only be a humanitarian crisis," he said during a press conference in Beijing. He was on a three-day diplomatic visit to China..

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The IDF has said that Hamas has more than 120 civilians in captivity. It says that these Israelis are in Gaza.

New-York based Committee to Protect Journalists has said that the Israel-Hamas war has witnessed deaths of at least 10 journalists since last Saturday.

Haaretz and the Jerusalem Post have reported that bodies of some Israelis held captive by Hamas have been recovered by the Israeli army. The news outlets have said that the IDF has found unspecified number of bodies.

Russian Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzya has warned that the Middle East was on the brink of full-scale war. He added that the responsibility for the situation lies largely with the US.

"It is Washington that recklessly and selfishly blocked the work of the Middle East Quartet of international mediators in an effort to monopolize the peace process and limit it to imposing an economic peace with Israel on the Palestinians and other Arab countries without solving the Palestinian question," the envoy said as quoted by Tass.

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) have taken to X (formerly Twitter) to 'unequivocally condemn' Israel's ultimatum to evacuate Al Awda Hospital in Gaza.

"Israel has given Al Awda Hospital in Gaza just two hours to evacuate. Our staff are still treating patients. MSF unequivocally condemns this action, the continued indiscriminate bloodshed and attacks on health care in Gaza. We are trying to protect our staff and patients," said MSF in a post on X

If you are joining us right now, here's the latest situation

-The death toll in Israel-Hamas war is mounting. On Israeli side, there have been at least 1300 deaths, while on Palestinian side at least 1900 people have lost their lives.

-The war today, will have completed 7 days.

-Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu has warned that the Gaza offensive is "Just the beginning"

-Isreal Defence Forces (IDF) has said that Israeli troops have been carrying out raids over the past day in Gaza Strip to search for hostages taken by Hamas.

-Israel has appealed people to evacuate Gaza, especially the northern part of the enclave.

-Israel-Hamas war is threatening to spill over with IDF attacking a Hezbollah target in southern Lebanon. This was in response to the infiltration of unidentified vessels.

-'Operation Ajay': Second batch of Indian nationals has flown out of Israel.

Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has quoted spokesperson for the UN Secretary General who said that people of Gaza should not be forced to leave their homes.

The post made by the ministry on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) further says that it is 'essential' for Israel authorities to protect all citizens in UNRWA shelters.

Hours after a Reuters journalist was reported dead and six other pressmen got wounded near Israel-Lebanon border, Israel Defense Forces said they attacked 'a Hezbollah target in southern Lebanon'.

This, the IDF said, was done 'in response to the infiltration of unidentified vessels that were intercepted and the shooting that was carried out at an unmanned IDF aircraft'. 

A Reuters news videographer was killed when an Israeli shell landed on a group of journalists working in southern Lebanon. Six others were wounded in the incident, Associated Press reported.

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Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu in his latest address to the nation said: "We will eliminate Hamas, we will defeat Hamas. It will take time."

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Bodies of missing Israelis were found during the special forces raid in Gaza, The Jerusalem Post reported. The bodies are currently being identified, the publication said.

Israel's military has issued an order for the evacuation of all civilians residing in Gaza City and the northern region of the Gaza Strip in anticipation of a potential ground offensive in the besieged enclave.

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