Israel-Hamas updates: US set to deploy ‘additional assets’ to Middle East
These are the updates from Tuesday October 10, 2023.
This live page is now closed. You can find today’s live coverage here.
People in Gaza should not suffer ‘collective punishment’: Scotland leader Yousaf
Scotland’s First Minister Humza Yousaf has told Al Jazeera that he “completely understands” why Israel wants to “protect itself from terror”, but imposing collective punishment on more than two million Palestinians in Gaza must not be the consequence of it.
“What we need leaders to do is to treat an Israeli life and a Palestinian life as equal. Just as I am anxious about my in-laws, there will be people in Scotland’s Jewish community who are worried about their family in Israel,” he said.
“The collective punishment of men, women and children simply cannot be justified. The overwhelming majority have nothing to do with Hamas.”
First batch of US ammunition arrives in Israel: Report
An aircraft with “advanced” ammunition from the US has landed at the Nevatim airbase in southern Israel, the Times of Israel reported, citing the Israeli army.
Earlier, US President Joe Biden said his administration was rushing additional military assistance to Israel, including ammunition and interceptors to replenish the Iron Dome defence system.
He told reporters the US had enhanced its “military force posture in the region to strengthen our deterrence”, including by moving an aircraft carrier strike group and fighter aircraft.
A look back at today’s events
We’re going to bring our live coverage to an end shortly. Here’s a summary of today’s main events:
- US President Biden has pledged unwavering support for Israel as its military bombards Gaza.
- Israeli air strikes since Saturday have resulted in 900 deaths in Gaza, including 260 children and 230 women, with an additional 4,500 people wounded. An estimated 1,000 people were killed in Israel.
- The Israeli military says the first plane carrying “advanced” US ammunition has landed in Israel after the US said it would send new supplies.
- The USS Gerald R Ford aircraft carrier strike group has arrived in the eastern Mediterranean.
Canada to evacuate citizens from Israel
Canada is planning to evacuate Canadians from Israel in the coming days with the help of aircraft from the Canadian Armed Forces, Foreign Minister Melanie Joly has said.
“We are planning to begin the assisted departure of Canadians from Tel Aviv in the coming days… We are also working on additional options for those who cannot reach the airport in Tel Aviv,” Joly said on X.
My message to Canadians in Israel, West Bank and Gaza: pic.twitter.com/lbUxpVr66i
— Mélanie Joly (@melaniejoly) October 10, 2023
Kirby provides few details on where Palestinians in Gaza can flee Israeli attack
Al Jazeera presenter Emily Angwin has asked Kirby where Gazans are meant to go amid the Israeli attacks.
That comes after Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu warned civilians to move away from Hamas targets, promising to turn their hideouts to rubble.
Palestinians living in Gaza, the most densely populated region on Earth, do not enjoy freedom of movement. To make matters worse, rights groups say two Israeli air attacks hit the Rafah border on Tuesday – the only land crossing out of Gaza not controlled by Israel.
That means that there is simply nowhere for Gaza residents to escape the bombing.
“We are working and communicating with our allies and partners in the region about routes, but again, I can’t speak for Israeli operations, or what the Israelis will be doing around that border,” Kirby said.
Kirby defends Biden claim that US, Israel ‘uphold the laws of war’
Speaking to Al Jazeera, Kirby defended the distinction Biden made between killings perpetrated by Hamas fighters and the ongoing bombardment of Gaza by Israel, which observers say has so far killed 260 children. The US president said Washington and Israel “uphold the laws of war”.
“Nobody wants to see any more innocent life taken or hurt as a result of the events over the past weekend and I think it’s important to remember that Hamas deliberately struck out at innocent civilians, slaughtering them and I mean up close and visceral with knives, torture, rape, gunshots – that’s pretty visible,” Kirby said.
“And that’s why it was important, I think, for the president to talk about setting up the difference, making clear the difference between Hamas – whose actual goal is to take human life, to take innocent human life – and the Israelis who are doing everything they can to preserve their way of life and to defend themselves,” he said.
US National Security Adviser John Kirby speaks with Al Jazeera
Kirby spoke live on Al Jazeera shortly after Biden’s national address condemning Hamas and pledging unequivocal support for Israel. Critics have said that the rhetoric from Washington has given a “green light” to Israel for its bombardment and siege of Gaza.
But Kirby has been careful to avoid any criticism of Israel, sidestepping several questions.
“We take seriously all our obligations to humanitarian systems around the world and respect for life, and obviously nothing’s going to change about that when it comes to the humanitarian situation in Gaza,” Kirby said.
‘Why bomb schools?’ Gaza families have no place to hide
Residents across the Gaza Strip have sought shelter in UN-run schools. But schools, too, have been targeted by Israel.
Read more here.
First plane carrying ‘advanced’ US ammunition lands in Israel
The Israeli military says the first plane carrying “advanced” US ammunition has landed in Israel after the US said it would send new supplies of air defences, munitions and other security assistance to its ally to battle Hamas.
The military hardware will “enable significant strikes and preparations for additional scenarios”, it said.
“We are grateful for the American support and assistance to the IDF [Israeli military] in particular, and to the State of Israel in general, during this challenging period,” the military said.
US aircraft carrier arrives in eastern Mediterranean
The USS Gerald R Ford aircraft carrier has arrived in the eastern Mediterranean, according to US Central Command.
“The arrival of these highly capable forces to the region is a strong signal of deterrence should any actor hostile to Israel consider trying to take advantage of this situation,” General Michael Kurilla, commander of US Central Command, said in a statement.
The carrier includes eight squadrons of attack and support aircraft. It is accompanied by the cruiser USS Normandy as well as the USS Thomas Hudner, USS Ramage, USS Carney and USS Roosevelt destroyers.
#USSGeraldRFordCarrierStrikeGroup Sailors stand watch in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. @USNavyEurope @US_EUCOM pic.twitter.com/vos5tYHOZ5
— USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) (@Warship_78) October 10, 2023
No evidence of direct Iran role in Hamas attack: Pentagon
The United States has no evidence of direct Iranian involvement in the Hamas attack on Israel, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has said, noting however that Tehran has backed the group for years.
“But in this particular instance, we don’t have any evidence that there was direct involvement in the planning or the execution of this attack,” Austin told journalists.
That assessment was echoed by the US State Department, which emphasised that it could change.
“Our experience in these matters tells us that it’s premature to draw any final conclusions about this issue,” spokesman Matthew Miller said.
“We’ll be looking at additional intelligence in the coming weeks and days to inform our thinking on this issue, including whether at least there were some in the Iranian system who either had a clearer sense of what was coming or even contributed to aspects of the planning.”
Hamas says Biden remarks ‘attempt to cover crimes’ of Israel
Hamas has called Biden’s comments “inflammatory” after the US president condemned the group’s attack on Israel as “sheer evil”.
“These remarks are an attempt to cover up the crimes and terror of the Zionist government,” Hamas said in a statement on its website.
Three Palestinian fighters killed in Ashkelon
The Israeli army has said that three Palestinian armed men were killed in an exchange of fire with Israeli soldiers in Ashkelon, a major city near the Gaza Strip.
The fighting reportedly took place in an industrial area of the port city.
A major barrage of rockets was fired from Gaza towards Ashkelon earlier on Tuesday, with Hamas sending out a warning to civilians to evacuate before the attack.
Two Palestinians killed by Israeli police in East Jerusalem
Two Palestinians have been killed in a confrontation with the Israeli police in occupied East Jerusalem on Tuesday, according to Israeli police and Palestinian state television.
The Palestinians were fatally shot after they set off fireworks and threw stones towards officers in East Jerusalem’s Silwan neighbourhood, Israeli authorities claimed.
BBC refuses UK government demand to call Hamas ‘terrorists’
The BBC says it won’t bow to pressure from the UK government to describe Hamas as a “terrorist” group.
“We always take our use of language very seriously. Anyone watching or listening to our coverage will hear the word ‘terrorist’ used many times – we attribute it to those who are using it, for example, the UK government. This is an approach that has been used for decades, and is in line with that of other broadcasters,” a BBC spokesperson said.
“The BBC is an editorially independent broadcaster whose job is to explain precisely what is happening ‘on the ground’ so our audiences can make their own judgement.”
Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer had asked Tim Davie, the BBC’s director general, if the corporation should review its guidelines.
Biden pledges support for Israel as its military pummels Gaza
US President Biden has pledged unwavering support for Israel as its military bombards Gaza in the wake of an unprecedented attack from the Palestinian group Hamas over the weekend.
In a White House speech on Tuesday, Biden said Washington will provide additional military assistance to Israel, which has declared war on Hamas.
Read our story here.
Medical teams unable to access Gaza strike locations
By Tareq Abu Azzoum in Gaza
The shelling of the Gaza Strip continues, specifically now in the north of the Gaza Strip. The Israeli occupation forces have struck the Al Karama neighborhood with tons of bombs.
Medical teams cannot at this moment access this place to know the number of casualties or to evacuate victims. This kind of attack is similar to the attacks carried out against Remal neighbourhood inside the central Gaza Strip.
This coastal place, the Al Karama neighborhood, is also a densely populated area which contains hundreds and thousands of Palestinian families who are now under heavy bombardment.
Ukraine accuses Russia of supporting Hamas operations
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused Russia of supporting Hamas in its conflict with Israel.
“We are certain that Russia is supporting, in one way or another, Hamas operations”, Zelenskyy said in an interview with the France 2 television channel. “Russia is really trying to carry out destabilising actions all over the world.”
Zelenskyy added violence engulfing Israel and Gaza threatened to distract the focus from the war in his own country. “There is a risk that international attention will turn away from Ukraine, and that will have consequences.”
The tragedies affecting Ukraine and Israel “are different but both are immense”, he said.
Death toll in Palestine: 900 in Gaza, 21 in West Bank
Israeli air strikes since Saturday have resulted in 900 deaths in Gaza, including 260 children and 230 women, with an additional 4,500 individuals wounded, the health ministry said.
The raids have six health workers and eight journalists. The attacks on residential neighbourhoods have displaced about 140,000 citizens to UN shelters and hospitals.
Gaza:
- 900 killed
- 4,500 injured
West Bank:
- 21 killed
- 130 injured
Israeli military claims shells fired from Syria
In what could potentially be a new front in the conflict, the Israeli military has said that shells launched from Syria have landed in open areas within Israel.
While there have been no reports of damage or injuries, Israel has now said that it is responding to the reported shelling by firing mortars and artillery towards Syria.
No further details have been provided by the Israeli military, and there has been no confirmation of the reports by Syria or any other party.
The Lebanese group Hezbollah was involved in cross-border clashes with Israel on Monday, leading to the death of at least three Hezbollah fighters and one Israeli deputy commander. Both Hezbollah and the Syrian government are close allies of Iran, and Israel has repeatedly bombed Syria over the past few years, in what have been believed to be attacks on Hezbollah supply lines, as well as attacks on other pro-Iranian groups.
Apparent false alarm over Hamas fighters infiltrating Ashdod city
By Mohammed Jamjoom in Ashdod, southern Israel
There was a lot of concern about a potential infiltration by Hamas in a city like this, 30km (19 miles) or so north of the Gaza Strip. That is something that nobody here would have thought imaginable just a few days ago.
There is an investigation going on over gunfire and a stay-in-place order that was earlier given. Israeli media sites in the past few minutes reported that the incident involved “friendly fire” between different units of Israeli armed forces. There is still a large security presence. Media reports say two security personnel were injured.
It really goes to show how much panic there is at a time like this.
At leat 20 US citizens missing in Israel: White House
White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan has said that 20 US citizens remain unaccounted for in Israel.
Sullivan said that US citizens were also known to have been taken captive by Hamas, but he told reporters he could not provide a number on US hostages. US President Biden had previously said 14 US citizens were killed in the Hamas attacks on Saturday.
Sullivan added that while the US was aiding in hostage negotiations and sending other assets to Israel, deploying US troops is “not under planning”.
Israeli general: ‘Have to change the reality from within Gaza’
An Israeli military official says the death toll from Hamas’s surprise attack over the weekend has now risen above 1,000.
Brigadier-General Dan Goldfus announced the figure as Israel pressed ahead with an offensive of air strikes on Gaza that have killed at least 830 Palestinians and caused widespread destruction.
“We are going to go on the offence and attack the Hamas terrorist group and any other group that is in Gaza,” Goldfus said. “We will have to change the reality from within Gaza to prevent this from happening again.”
The surprise Hamas incursion is the deadliest attack in Israeli history.
Blinken to arrive in Israel as US Middle East policy takes shape
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken plans to arrive in Israel on Thursday to meet senior Israeli leaders.
After keeping the intractable Israeli-Palestinian conflict at arm’s length, President Biden now finds himself thrust into a crisis likely to reshape his Middle East policy, and into an uneasy alliance with far-right Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The United States is talking to Israeli officials and others about the idea of a safe passage for Gaza civilians as Israel’s air raids continue.
“We are focused on this question, there are consultations going on,” US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters in a White House news briefing.