Israel and Hamas are fighting again. Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel, and Israel responded with airstrikes. At least 313 Palestinians and over 350 Israelis have been killed, and more than 2,000 have been injured.
The fighting comes after weeks of tension in the region.
Jewish settlers have been making provocative tours of the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in occupied East Jerusalem and there has been an increase in Israeli settler violence against Palestinians.
The armed branch of the Palestinian resistance organization Hamas - known as the Al-Qassam Brigades - stated on Saturday that they are continuing with their planned "Operation Al-Aqsa Flood" to hold Israel responsible for its acts of aggression.
Hamas says it is fighting to protect Al-Aqsa Mosque and to stop the settler violence.
Israel says Hamas started the conflict and that it will continue attacking until Hamas is "degraded".
The United States, the United Nations (UN) and other countries are calling for a ceasefire.
OIC Condemns Israel military aggression against Palestinians
The General Secretariat of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) is greatly concerned about the developments on the ground and the dangerous Israeli escalation in the occupied Palestinian territory.
Israel-Hamas conflict: What has happened so far
- At least 313 Palestinians, and 350 Israelis were killed.
- Medical sources in Gaza say at least 198 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli air attacks launched after a Hamas offensive against Israel that killed at least 100.
- 908 wounded have been taken to Israeli hospitals, according to the Israeli health ministry.
- Hamas has taken hostages and prisoners of war, according to the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) spokesperson, Brigadier General Daniel Hagari.
- There are deaths among IDF soldiers, but the exact number is unknown, according to Hagari.
- Hamas says it fired thousands of rockets and captured “a big number” of Israelis after its fighters crossed into Israel from the Gaza Strip.
- The operation comes after thousands of settlers in recent days carried out provocative tours of the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in occupied East Jerusalem during the Jewish holiday of Sukkot.
- Netanyahu has spoken with Biden, saying the US president “emphasized that the US stands alongside Israel and fully supports Israel’s right to self-defense”.
- Biden has regularly touted the US and Israel’s “ironclad” relationship. The US provides $3.8bn in unconditional military aid annually.
- How Israeli intelligence agencies missed the surprise attacks by Hamas is likely to be investigated after the fighting ends, former Israeli justice minister Yossi Beilin told Al Jazeera.
- The Israeli government has said at least 100 Israelis have been killed in the attack, but local media are reporting that the number has now risen to at least 100.
- For average residents in Gaza, there is widespread shock and fear.
- In a statement, Saleh al-Arouri, deputy head of Hamas’ political bureau: “The Palestinian resistance and the Al-Qassam Brigades will not remain silent in the face of the desecration of our sacred sites. We will not accept the continuation of the siege on Gaza or the ongoing detention of our prisoners in Israeli prisons.”
- Saleh al-Arouri says Hamas has enough Israeli captives to make Israel free all Palestinian prisoners in its jails.
- The Hamas deputy chief said the group is engaged in a battle for freedom.
- Al-Arouri said that Palestinians have a right to freedom, to fight the Israeli occupation, and to safeguard their holy sites.
- The Hamas deputy chief said the group is ready for “the worst-case scenario”.
- Al-Arouri also said that Israel had been planning to launch an attack on the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
Iran supports Hamas attack
Iran's foreign ministry spokesman called the attack a "proud operation" and said that it marked a new page in the field of resistance and armed operations against the occupiers.
Iranian lawmakers also chanted "Down with Israel" and "Welcome Palestine" in a parliamentary session on Saturday.
The people of Iran also took to the streets to celebrate attack on Israel.
Iranian people came to streets to support the Palestinian Resistance Forces. pic.twitter.com/yjYFL0cguM
— Iran Observer (@IranObserver0) October 7, 2023
Celebration and joy in Tehran's #Palestine Square#Iran pic.twitter.com/b686vJgm7r
— Hosniye🇮🇷 (@Itshosniye) October 7, 2023
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London police said Sunday that they had boosted patrols across parts of the city following the attacks on Israel by the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
"We are aware of a number of incidents... in relation to the ongoing conflict in Israel and the border with Gaza," the Metropolitan Police said on social media.
"The Met has increased policing patrols across parts of London in order to provide a visible presence and reassurance to our communities," it said.
There was visible security around one synagogue in northwest London, an AFP journalist saw.
The flare-up of violence began with a massive rocket barrage and ground, air and sea offensive on Saturday that Israel's army said had killed more than 200 Israelis and wounded 1,000, with soldiers and civilians taken hostage.
Police in Germany and France also said they had reinforced security around synagogues and Jewish schools and monuments, with some supporters of the Palestinians taking to the streets of Berlin to celebrate the attack.
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Two Israeli tourists, one Egyptian killed in Alexandria shooting
Two Israeli tourists and one Egyptian were killed Sunday by a policeman in Egypt, local media and Israeli authorities said, as war rages for a second day between the neighbouring country and Hamas.
The policeman fired "at random" at an Israeli tour group visiting Alexandria using "his personal weapon", the state-affiliated private television Extra News said quoting a security source.
A fourth person was wounded and the policeman was "immediately arrested", it added.
The Israeli foreign ministry confirmed the deaths in a statement.
"This morning during a visit of Israeli tourists in Alexandria, Egypt, a local opened fire at them, murdering two Israeli citizens and their Egyptian guide," it reads.
"In addition, there is a wounded Israeli in moderate condition."
Tel Aviv Stock Exchange plunges after Hamas assault
The Tel Aviv Stock Exchange plunged after an unprecedented surprise attack on Israel was launched from Gaza by the Hamas.
The TA-35 stock index of blue-chip companies falls 4.8%, the benchmark TA-125 index declines 5% and the TA-90 index, which tracks the shares with the highest capitalization not included in the TA-35 index, is down 5.8%. The TA-Bank index of the five largest banks slumps 6.3%.
Where did it start?
Over 5,000 rockets were launched from the Gaza Strip into Israel on Saturday morning, according to an AFP journalist in the Palestinian territory, as sirens blared in Israel.
An AFP journalist in Jerusalem saw rockets being intercepted, moments after sirens blared across the city.
As Hamas's armed wing claimed the attack, which it called "Operation Al-Aqsa Flood", the Israeli army sounded alarms and urged the people to seek shelter.
"We decided to put an end to all the crimes of the occupation (Israel), their time for rampaging without being held accountable is over," the group was quoted by AFP as having said. "We announce Operation Al-Aqsa Flood and we fired, in the first strike of 20 minutes, more than 5,000 rockets."
The Israeli army sounded alarms across the country's south and central areas for over an hour, and urged people to remain close to bomb shelters.
The Israeli military also said "a number of terrorists have infiltrated into Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip," without providing further information.
"There has been widespread rocket fire into Israeli territory from Gaza, and terrorists have infiltrated Israeli territory through various entry points. Residents in the south and centre of the country are required to be in close proximity to protected areas, and those in the Gaza periphery should remain within a secure space," the statement said.
Reuters reported the Israeli military as saying that its forces were operating inside Gaza without providing any more details. Hamas "will face the consequences and responsibility for these events", the statement added.
Meanwhile, The Jerusalem Post quoted an Israeli army statement as saying that it has declared “a state of readiness for war".
An Israeli woman lost her life in the attack, and 15 others were injured, as per medics.
The Magen David Adom emergency services claimed a woman in her 60s was killed "due to a direct hit". It also said a 70-year-old woman was in critical condition and another person trapped after a rocket hit a building in central Israel.
In a separate incident, a 20-year-old man suffered moderate injuries from shrapnel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office announced a security meeting to address the escalating violence.
The conflict is rooted in the longstanding Israeli blockade of Gaza since 2007 when Hamas seized power.
The region has witnessed devastating wars, with the latest escalation following heightened tensions in September. During that period, Israel closed the border to Gazan workers for two weeks, leading to protests and clashes. Critics denounced the border closure as collective punishment against Palestinian workers.
The situation briefly calmed when the border reopened on September 28, offering hope for the 2.3 million people in Gaza. However, the recent rocket fire reignited the conflict.
This year alone, the toll includes at least 247 Palestinians, 32 Israelis, and two foreigners. Most casualties occurred in the West Bank, occupied by Israel since the 1967 Arab-Israeli conflict.
The West Bank has witnessed increased army raids, Palestinian attacks on Israelis, and settler violence against Palestinians and their property. The presence of far-right Israeli ministers in illegal settlements further complicates the situation under international law.
