October 26, 2023 Israel-Hamas war news

Our live coverage of the conflict in Israel and Gaza has moved here.

The Israel Defense Forces will continue ground raids into Gaza in the coming days to prepare for the next stages of the war against Hamas, spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari announced Thursday.

He said the IDF continues its strikes against Gaza from air and sea, and is focusing on killing senior Hamas commanders and destroying Hamas infrastructure.

“There will be more,” vowed Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant at a news briefing Thursday.

Gallant’s comments echoed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address on Wednesday, during which he said Israel is “raining down hellfire on Hamas” and “preparing for a ground incursion.”

Here are other headlines you should know:

The health ministry in Hamas-controlled Gaza has responded to US President Joseph Biden’s public questioning of the reliability of Palestinian casualty figures in the conflict with Israel, in a statement published by the ministry Thursday.  

The ministry published a 212-page report listing the names of thousands of what it described as “documented deaths since October 7th” in Gaza which it blamed on Israeli military “aggression.”

The ministry also declared its “commitment to accuracy and accountability” in tabulating the numbers. 

The list does not distinguish between combatants and non-combatants. 

On Wednesday, Biden said he had “no confidence” in the figures of civilian casualties reported by the Gaza Health Ministry.

He added Israel must be “incredibly careful to be sure that they’re focusing on going after the folks that are propagating this war against Israel” rather than civilians.

On Thursday, White House spokesperson John Kirby echoed Biden’s remarks calling the Gaza-based ministry “a front for Hamas,” though when asked, he did not dispute that thousands of Palestinians and many innocent civilians had been killed.

Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh of the US-backed Palestinian Authority (PA) in the West Bank, criticized Biden’s remarks, and said the PA’s own health authority saw the numbers as accurate.

“The numbers are correct,” he added. “They are our numbers. These numbers are fed to us from the hospitals of Gaza every single day that are received by our Ministry of Health.”  

The Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority is run by a rival faction to Hamas, and operates its own Ministry of Health which maintains a relationship with the ministry in Gaza.  

Death toll numbers for Gaza are released both in Gaza and Ramallah daily. 

CNN is not able to independently verify the death toll tabulated in Gaza. 

The Israeli military has expressed doubts about the casualty numbers being reported out of Gaza, but it has not provided evidence that they are exaggerated. 

US President Joe Biden speaks during an event at the White House on October 23, in Washington, DC.

US President Joe Biden met Thursday with a small group of Muslim American leaders at the White House, two sources familiar with the meeting said, as the president comes under criticism from the community for not doing more to ease the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

The meeting was expected to focus in part on efforts to combat Islamophobia, one of the sources said. Biden has denounced Islamophobia, including during a primetime address last week.

The White House did not comment on the meeting. 

Some background: Biden and the administration have faced harsh criticism from Muslim Americans for his handling of the crisis in the Middle East, including on efforts to get US citizens out of Gaza and on preventing civilian deaths.

During a news conference Wednesday, Biden said he had “no confidence” in death figures provided by the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health in Gaza.

A day later, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby acknowledged thousands of Palestinian civilians have been killed during Israel’s bombardment of Gaza, telling reporters, “We absolutely know that the death toll continues to rise in Gaza, of course we know that — but what we’re saying is that we shouldn’t rely on numbers put forth by Hamas and the Ministry of Health.”

He also pushed back against charges, including from the Council on American–Islamic Relations, that Biden’s comments on civilian deaths in Gaza were insensitive and harsh.

“What’s harsh is the way Hamas is using people as human shields, what’s harsh is taking a couple of hundred hostages and leaving families anxious, waiting and worrying to figure out where their loved ones are. What’s harsh is dropping in on a music festival and slaughtering a bunch of young people just trying to enjoy an afternoon — I could go on and on, that’s what’s harsh,” Kirby said. “And being honest about the fact that there have been civilian casualties, and that there likely will be more, is being honest, because that’s what war is, it’s brutal, it’s ugly, it’s messy.”

CNN’s DJ Judd contributed reporting to this post.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the Tekuma Authority, which is responsible for rebuilding Israeli communities near the Gaza Strip that were damaged or destroyed in Hamas’ October 7 attack, according to a release from the Israeli Government Press Office on Thursday.

The agency was established in Yavne, Israel, last week, according to the release.

Director Moshe Edri, who briefed Netanyahu, said the authority has provided cash advances to “severely damaged” communities and that additional funds would be transferred in the coming days.

The prime minister was also shown areas undergoing reconstruction.

Netanyahu said the government would pass a law to provide additional funding and speed up the rebuilding process.

Ursula von der Leyen arrives at the European Council in Brussels on Thursday.

European Union leaders meeting in Brussels, Belgium, on Thursday expressed their concerns about the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza and called for “aid to reach those in need through all necessary measures.”

In their communique on the Middle East, which sets out the position of the EU, leaders also called for “continued, rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access” to Gaza.

The call for humanitarian “pauses” stops short of calling for a ceasefire, which several European leaders have previously ruled out.

The 27 heads of state and government agreed that the EU “will work closely with partners in the region to protect civilians, provide assistance and facilitate access to food, water, medical care, fuel and shelter.”

The European leaders also said the EU will ensure “that such assistance is not abused by terrorist organizations.”

EU leaders reiterated their call “on Hamas to immediately release all hostages without any precondition” and their condemnation in the “strongest possible terms of Hamas for its brutal and indiscriminate terrorist attacks across Israel.”

Leaders also reiterated “the importance of ensuring the protection of all civilians at all times in line with international humanitarian law,” adding that the EU “deplores all loss of civilian life.”

The EU also said the body is “ready to contribute to reviving a political process on the basis of the two-state solution, including through the Peace Day Effort,” referring to an ongoing diplomatic effort by the EU, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and Arab League.

Israeli armored vehicles take part in an operation in northern Gaza on Thursday.

The Israel Defense Forces will continue ground raids into Gaza in the coming days to prepare for the next stages in Israel’s war against Hamas, IDF spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said Thursday in a televised news conference.

The purpose of Israel’s ground operations is to kill Hamas militants, lay the foundations for an all-out invasion and neutralize explosive devices and reconnaissance posts, according to Hagari.

Hagari’s comments come after the IDF said it carried out a “targeted raid” overnight in northern Gaza using tanks.

Hagari also said the IDF continues its strikes against Gaza from air and sea, and is focusing on killing senior Hamas commanders and destroying Hamas infrastructure.

When asked about US involvement in the Israeli forces’ decision-making related to ground operations, Hagari said, “We’re constantly in touch with the US. The IDF chief of the General Staff speaks almost on a daily basis with the commander of the US Centcom.”

On Gaza’s dwindling fuel supplies: Hagari also reiterated that Israel would not allow fuel into Gaza for now, saying that Hamas’ arrays are “struggling to function” without fuel and blaming Hamas for stealing fuel from a facility belonging to the main United Nations agency aiding Palestinians, UNRWA.

Israel has also disputed that there are fuel shortages in Gaza. Responding to a post from the UNRWA about low supplies, the IDF on Tuesday posted an aerial photo of what it said were fuel tanks in Gaza, claiming they held more than 500,000 liters of fuel. CNN is unable to verify the IDF claim.

“The facility that was posted (on Tuesday) is located in Rafah and belongs to UNRWA. … We supervise it aerially and together with UNRWA. Again, we’re not striking UNRWA. On the contrary, we’re making an effort along with the international community to ensure that south of Wadi Gaza, there will be conditions that allow the civilian population to access water, food and drugs,” he said.

UNRWA said Thursday that its operations are being “paralyzed” in Gaza due to the lack of fuel.

CNN cannot independently verify the amount of fuel in Gaza.

At an emergency United Nations General Assembly session, Iran’s foreign minister warned the US that if Israel’s retaliation against Gaza doesn’t end, the United States will “not be spared from this fire.”

Minister of Foreign Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian spoke following a deadlock in the Security Council about agreeing to a Mideast resolution.

The minister claimed Hamas is ready to release its civilian hostages, saying the world should urge for the release of thousands of Palestinians in Israeli jails.

Israeli Ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan spoke before Amir-Abdollahian at the emergency session, saying the foreign minister was in New York Thursday “to fill your ears with poison.”

“This man, the mass murderer, or any other representative of the terror regime in Iran has no place at the UN, let alone in the family of nations. It is a moral stain on the UN and the values it was founded upon,” Erdan said.

France is chartering a special flight to transport 54 tons of emergency humanitarian aid for Palestinians in Gaza, according to a statement released Thursday by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The emergency humanitarian cargo will be flown from Paris to Egypt, where it will be handed over to the Egyptian Red Crescent for delivery to Gaza.

The ministry says the 54-ton cargo includes:

Israeli tanks are lined up during in a military drill near the border with Lebanon in northern Israel on Thursday.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said during a news briefing on Thursday that Israel is preparing for the “next stages” in its war against Hamas, adding that “there will be more.”

“The maneuvering will begin when the conditions are right. These conditions are complex because so is the campaign. The troops are ready,” Gallant said in the briefing in Tel Aviv. 

Gallant’s comments echoed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address on Wednesday, during which he said Israel is “raining down hellfire on Hamas” and “preparing for a ground incursion.”

Gallant reiterated the effectiveness of “lethal” Israeli strikes on Gaza and said that within 24 hours of the deadly Hamas attacks, Israeli forces shifted to the offensive with airstrikes.   

“Whatever happens in Israel’s next 75 years, will highly depend on the achievement that we’ll gain in that fight. That’s why I tell you — we have no other choice, and we’ll win because there’s no other option,” he said.

Gallant said Israeli forces and security authorities will “do everything needed” to bring back hostages taken by Hamas attackers. 

In response to a question about whether Qatar is a legitimate mediator in the conflict, Gallant said, “The way I see it, every channel is a possible channel. The goal is the important thing.” His comment comes after Israel’s foreign minister accused Qatar of financing Hamas. 

The families of hostages being held by Hamas have warned the Israeli government that their “patience has run out,” calling on the government to act immediately, according to a statement released Thursday.

Parents and other family members of some of the hostages and missing persons voiced their anger at the ongoing crisis, accusing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government of being “silent” about the fate of their loved ones, who were taken hostage by Hamas attackers on October 7 or are missing.

“They have been there for 20 days, 20 days that we have no idea of their condition, if they are being cared for, if they are breathing, 20 days that we are asked to be patient,” said Meirav Leshem Gonen, whose daughter Romi Gonen was kidnapped from the Nova music festival, in the statement.

Eyal Eshel, whose son Roni Eshel is missing, also accused the government of being “silent” for 20 days.

Ditza Or, the mother of Avinatan Or, who was also kidnapped from the Nova music festival, said, “If the hostages do not return, we have an existential problem. I call on all the rulers in this country – I do not call them leaders because they do not lead us. This is not right or left-wing.”

Earlier on Thursday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said that Israeli forces and security authorities will “do everything needed” to bring back hostages taken by Hamas attackers. 

Netanyahu acknowledged Wednesday that he will “have to give answers” for the intelligence failures that allowed the worst terror attack in Israeli history, marking the first time he has talked about his role in the security breakdown since October 7.

Roughly 900 US troops have deployed or are deploying to the Middle East to bolster US force protection in the region, Pentagon spokesman Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said Thursday.

Ryder added that the deploying units would not be going to Israel and are “intended to support regional deterrence efforts and further bolster US force protection capabilities.” The Pentagon previously announced the deployment of the THAAD and Patriot batteries.

As the war between Israel and Hamas continues, the US is seeking to send a strong message to adversaries to prevent the conflict spreading more widely in the region.

CNN has reported that US has intelligence that Iranian-backed militia groups are planning to ramp up attacks against US forces in the Middle East, as Iran seeks to capitalize on the backlash in the region to American support for Israel.

The Palestine Red Crescent Society says 12 aid trucks entered Gaza through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt Thursday, carrying water, food, medicine and medical supplies — but no fuel.

The organization said it has received 74 trucks since humanitarian aid transfers into the Gaza Strip resumed several days ago.

United Nations officials emphasized that hundreds of aid trucks entered Gaza daily before the deadly October 7 Hamas attacks, meaning basic supplies are trickling into the enclave at a much slower pace than needed.

Israel continues to block deliveries of fuel altogether, saying that Hamas would only divert it for military use. 

A Hamas delegation has held talks in Moscow with a senior Russian foreign ministry official, according to Russian state media TASS and a Hamas statement. TASS said discussions focused on the release of hostages held by Hamas, as well as the evacuation of Russian citizens from Gaza.

Mousa Abu Marzouk, deputy chief of Hamas’s political bureau, and Basem Naim, another senior Gaza-based Hamas leader, were among the visiting delegation, which met with Russia’s deputy foreign minister and Special Presidential Representative for the Middle East and Africa Mikhail Bogdanov, according to the Hamas statement. 

TASS quoted the foreign ministry saying talks had taken place as part of Russia’s position calling for “the immediate release of foreign hostages located in the Gaza Strip.”

The Hamas delegation praised the position of Russian President Vladimir Putin and stressed the need for the international community to “uphold its responsibilities against the crime of genocide committed by the Zionist government,” according to the Hamas statement.

“Mr. Bogdanov expressed his country’s position in support of the rights of the Palestinian people and showed his country’s efforts with the relevant parties aimed at a ceasefire, opening the crossings and bringing in humanitarian aid (to Gaza),” the Hamas statement added.

Israel’s reaction: Israel condemned Russian officials’ meeting with senior Hamas officials, according to an Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement. 

“Israel condemns the invitation of senior Hamas officials to Moscow, which is an act of support of terrorism and legitimizes the atrocities of Hamas terrorists,” the foreign ministry said. “We call on the Russian government to expel the Hamas terrorists immediately.”

Evacuation requests: On Thursday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova also that about 1,000 citizens of Russia and member countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) have requested to be evacuated from Gaza.

The CIS member countries include Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

CNN’s Lauren Kent and Tamar Michaelis contributed reporting to this post.

Israeli forces have killed the deputy head of the Hamas’ intelligence directorate, one of the Hamas officials they say is partially responsible for planning the October 7 attacks, according to a joint statement from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Israeli Security Agency (ISA), or Shin Bet. 

“Based on precise IDF and ISA intelligence, IDF fighter jets struck the Deputy Head of the Hamas’ Intelligence Directorate, Shadi Barud,” according to the joint statement released Thursday. 

The IDF and ISA also released footage they claim is of the strikes that killed Barud, showing at least two buildings in Gaza hit with strikes and appearing to collapse. 

The Israeli statement said Barud and Yahya Sinwar planned the October 7 attacks that killed more than 1,400 people and saw more than 200 taken hostage.

According to the statement, Barud went on to hold several positions in Hamas’ military intelligence and was in charge of Hamas’ intelligence relations.

Sinwar was a former head of the Al Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ militant wing; he’s now the head of Hamas in Gaza. He focused efforts on building relationships with foreign powers — notably Egypt and Iran.

Hamas has not commented on the statement. 

Hamas rocket commander reportedly killed: The Israeli military also said Thursday that intelligence reports suggest airstrikes have killed a Hamas rocket commander, Hassan Al-Abdullah, who the army says commanded rocket units in the Khan Younis area of Gaza.

Shin Bet, the Israeli Security Agency, told CNN it believes it has killed “scores” of senior figures in Hamas’s military structure since it began strikes on Gaza more than two and a half weeks ago. 

CNN’s Sam Kiley and Amir Tal contributed reporting to this post.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, on October 20.

Two cargo planes recently orchestrated by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to carry supplies into Israel also contained drones, body armor and helmets for the country, CNN has learned.

The Israeli government procured the equipment and asked the state of Florida for help transporting it overseas, a source with knowledge of the arrangement told CNN. The supplies were included on two cargo planes that left Florida for Israel on October 17.

DeSantis’ office previously said the cargo flights carried “medical supplies, clothing items, hygiene products and children’s toys” that had been donated to help Israel in the aftermath of the attack by Hamas earlier this month, but it did not mention that the state was also carrying equipment for Israel that could be used in response to the war effort.

The governor’s office confirmed to CNN on Thursday the inclusion of the additional equipment.

Redfern said that the governor’s office also worked with the Israeli consul general to “help get weapons and ammunition to Israel through private parties.” However, the source said Florida did not transport those supplies, and it’s unclear how the state aided Israel in the movement of munitions.

DeSantis, a Republican presidential candidate, has regularly touted his push to arrange flights to help Israel in the aftermath of the attack by Hamas that killed at least 1,400 people, including planes used to evacuate Americans out of the region.

CNN has reached out to the Israeli Embassy in Washington, DC, for comment.

Civilian flights: Florida emergency officials are spending millions of taxpayer dollars on a single contractor to bring US citizens stranded in Israel to Florida, CNN has also learned. 

The Division of Emergency Management confirmed officials have authorized up to $19 million for ARS Global Emergency Management to continue to charter flights from the Middle East to Florida. 

In media appearances and on the campaign trail, DeSantis has highlighted these efforts as evidence of his leadership and has accused President Joe Biden of not doing enough to assist Americans looking to leave the war-torn region.

The Biden administration has also chartered flights from Israel to destinations in Europe amid a scramble to get Americans back to the US.

Read more details here.

CNN’s Carlos Suarez and Denise Royal contributed reporting to this post.

Federal law enforcement officials are increasingly concerned that violent extremists and “lone offenders” will target Jewish, Arab American and Muslim communities with hate crimes in response to the war between Israel and Hamas, the FBI and Department of Homeland Security said in a public advisory Wednesday. 

The “volume and frequency of threats” to people in those communities has increased in the last two weeks, the federal agencies said. They noted hoax bomb threats targeting places of worship and the October 14 stabbing of a six-year-old Palestinian American child in an incident that is being investigated as an anti-Muslim hate crime. 

There is no specific information suggesting foreign terrorists are plotting attacks against the US homeland, the advisory said. But terror groups al Qaeda and ISIS have called for attacks on American military bases abroad and Jewish communities in the US, respectively, FBI and DHS said. 

US officials are also concerned that the widespread sharing of graphic footage from the war online could further inflame extremists, the bulletin said. Images of Hamas-held hostages and civilian deaths in Gaza have proliferated on social media.

TOPSHOT - People pray during a rally in support of Palestinians in Brooklyn, New York on October 21, 2023, amid ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. (Photo by KENA BETANCUR / AFP) (Photo by KENA BETANCUR/AFP via Getty Images)

Related article Jews, Palestinians and Muslims in the US say they're experiencing growing fear about rising bigotry and hatred | CNN

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan makes a speech as he attends the 8th Family Council at the Bestepe Nation's Convention and Culture Center in Ankara, Turkey, on October 26.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Thursday that Israel’s military operation on Gaza in response to the brutal October 7 terror attack by Hamas has become an “atrocity.”

“The attacks on Gaza have long passed the point of being self-defense. It is now oppression, atrocity, massacre and barbaric,” he said in Ankara.

Erdogan’s latest remarks come a day after saying that Hamas was not a terrorist organization but a “group for liberation and of fighters fighting to protect their land and citizens.”

The Turkish president also criticized the European Commission and the United Nations for advocating for a “humanitarian pause” and not a ceasefire.

Leaders of the European Union member states are meeting in Brussels Thursday to discuss the unfolding crisis. Ahead of the summit, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell indicated that the bloc would push for a pause.

While EU member states are broadly in agreement that aid needs to be allowed into Gaza as soon as possible, there is hesitation from some to endorse a ceasefire over fears it limits Israel’s ability to defend itself against terror attacks.

Nine French nationals are still missing following the Hamas attacks in Israel, the French Foreign Ministry said in a news release Thursday.

The ministry added that “it has now been confirmed that some of them are hostages of Hamas.” The ministry statement also said it is “doing everything we can” to secure the release of the French hostages.

French President Emmanuel Macron met with the families of hostages on his recent trip to Israel, as did French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna on October 15 in Tel Aviv, the ministry said.

According to the ministry, the latest figure of French citizens confirmed dead following the attacks is 35.

The Israeli currency sunk to its lowest level against the US dollar in 11 years on Thursday amid growing speculation that a ground operation by the Israel Defense Forces into Gaza might be imminent.

The shekel fell 0.44% to trade at 4.08 to the dollar by mid-afternoon local time. The last time the shekel traded that low was in July 2012, according to Refinitiv data.

The value of the shekel has fallen by more than 6% since Hamas launched its brutal assault on Israel on October 7 and Israel responded by launching airstrikes on Gaza.

But the shekel slid further on Thursday following news that the IDF had conducted a “targeted raid” overnight in northern Gaza, and after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that his forces were preparing for a ground offensive.

Ratings agencies have warned that they could downgrade Israel’s credit rating as a consequence of the impact of the war on the economy, institutions and public finances.