October 9, 2023 - Israel-Hamas war news

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Monday that the Israeli military would attack Hamas with a force “like never before,” more than 48 hours after the devastating surprise attack in Israeli territory.

“As the Prime Minister of Israel, I tell you frankly, difficult days are still ahead of us,” he said in a televised address.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant ordered a “complete siege” of Gaza and said he would halt the supply of electricity, food, water and fuel to the Palestinian enclave.

Hours later, a spokesperson for Hamas’ armed wing said it would begin killing civilian hostages and broadcasting the act if Israel targets people in Gaza without warning.

These are the key details you need to know:

There is no intention to send US troops into Israel in the wake of the horrific attacks over the weekend, the White House said Monday.

But, he said, Biden would “always make sure that we are protecting and defending our national security interests wherever those interests are, including, particularly in that part of the world. And I think I’ll leave it at that.”

Kirby added that the first tranche of additional US security assistance to Israel in response to the attacks was on the way as of Monday evening. 

“I don’t believe it’s actually made it to Israel yet, it’s making its way there,” he said. “We fully expect that there will be additional requests for security systems from Israel as they continue to expend munitions in this fight, and we will stay in lockstep with them.”

The White House will be illuminated in white and blue tonight in honor of the Israeli flag, according to a National Security Council spokesperson.

“We will continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with Israeli people in this moment of crisis for them,” John Kirby said.

The United States government is not “actively considering” emergency evacuation of US citizens in Israel, a spokesperson for the National Security Council said.

In a statement earlier Monday, President Joe Biden said that the State Department is providing consular assistance and updated security alerts to keep Americans apprised of the situation as it evolves, but that Americans would need to arrange their own travel plans to leave the country. 

“For those who desire to leave, commercial flights and ground options are still available,” Biden said. 

The president said 11 Americans were among the casualties of Hamas-incited violence, with an untold number of Americans among the hostages the terrorist group had taken since its siege began early Saturday. 

US government planes evacuated American citizens from Afghanistan during the 2021 withdrawal of troops and from China in 2020 during the early days of the Covid-19 outbreak. During the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the US urged Americans located in the country to flee in the weeks leading up to — and immediately following — Russia’s invasion. 

Commercial options in Israel may become fewer as companies assess the danger of continuing to operate in the region. Delta Air Lines told CNN that it’s canceling all flights to and from Tel Aviv for the rest of the month, but that it will “work with the U.S. government as needed to assist with the repatriation of U.S. citizens who want to return home.”

Delta operates flights to Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport from Atlanta, Boston, and New York’s JFK.

CNN’s Pete Muntean contributed reporting to this post.

FBI personnel assigned in Israel are working with local counterparts “to locate and identify any impacted Americans,” the bureau said in a statement Monday.  

“Reports of deceased, injured, or missing Americans are being treated with the utmost urgency and aggressively investigated,” the statement said. 

At least 11 American citizens have been confirmed to have been killed in Israel, President Joe Biden said in a statement. The White House said it was bracing for news that more Americans were killed over the weekend.

Experts with the FBI trained in crisis response measures are also being deployed to Israel to provide assistance to Israeli security forces working to locate numerous hostages, a law enforcement source familiar with the deployment tells CNN. 

Earlier Monday, the White House issued a statement from President Joe Biden:

Regarding the security posture of law enforcement in the United States, the FBI said it was not aware of any specific nor credible threats to the homeland stemming from the Hamas attack against Israel. 

The agency said is it “closely monitoring unfolding events and will share relevant information with our state, local, federal and international law enforcement, intelligence and homeland security partners to ensure they are prepared for any impacts to public safety.” 

Two Americans have been stuck in Gaza City since Friday, one of them confirmed in an interview with CNN.

Dr. Barbara Zind, a pediatrician from Grand Junction, Colorado, said she and another colleague arrived Friday for a weeklong mission organized by the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF), an Ohio-based organization.

Zind was walking along the beach early Saturday with a local colleague when they saw the first rockets launched from Gaza into Israel. 

Zind said they headed back to her hotel, where she has remained since. She said another US-based colleague is at the same hotel in central Gaza City.

She said she’s been in touch with the US State Department and the PCRF about tentative plans to exit Gaza, possibly later this week.

Zind said she’s been on more than a half-dozen medical missions to Gaza, but has never witnessed Israeli airstrikes until now. She said the area where she’s staying has not been directly hit but there are constant bombardments in adjacent neighborhoods.

The US is offering Israel special operations planning and intelligence support as part of the effort to rescue hostages taken by Hamas, a US defense official tells CNN.

The support would not entail US troops on the ground in Israel. Instead, the assistance would come in the form of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance. 

The support would include help from US Central Command and US Special Operations Command, the official said, as well as Joint Special Operations Command, which is the command within the military that develops special operations tactics and plans. 

The topic also came up on a call between Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Israeli counterpart, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, over the weekend, the official said. Afterward, Austin directed the JSOC team to “lean forward” with planning and intel support to the Israeli military.

Israel has not publicly stated how many hostages were taken in Hamas’s cross-border surprise attack from Gaza, but officials have acknowledged the number is significant. 

US authorities have been scrambling to establish how many Americans have been killed or taken hostage in the conflict.

Israeli soldiers look out as they stand between buildings in Sderot, southern Israel, on October 9, 2023.

Israel will overcome the sorrow unleashed by Hamas but “difficult days are still ahead of us,” the country’s leader said Monday.

“We lost entire families, sons and daughters, young and old,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a televised speech. “Together we will overcome and together we will win — only together.”

He said the Israeli military is going on the offense against Hamas with a force “like never before” and said the images of the destruction of Hamas strongholds in Gaza are “just the beginning.”

“We grieve for our brothers and sisters whose blood was shed, and we are determined to win this war, to bring life, blessing and light to our people and our country,” he added. 

Abbey Onn speaks in an interview with CNN on Monday, October 9.

An American living in Israel is pleading for the return of five family members who were taken hostage Saturday.

Abbey Onn, who has been living in Israel for eight years, told CNN’s Jake Tapper on Monday she woke up to sirens Saturday morning only to find out her “worst nightmare” when she learned five family members were abducted by Hamas militants.

“We started getting messages via WhatsApp that Hamas was in the kibbutz, that they were in their homes,” Onn said. She said her family members sent messages saying they could hear gunfire and were scared for their lives.

Onn’s 80-year-old cousin, Carmela Dan, a dual US-Israeli citizen; Dan’s son-in-law Ofer Kalderon, 50; and Carmela’s grandchildren, Sahar Kalderon, 16; Erez Kalderon, 12; and Noya Dan, 13, were abducted from the kibbutz near the Gaza border.

Asked what she would say to those holding her family members, Onn said would urge them: “Think about your own mother, to think about your child and to know that all you ever want for them is peace and safety – and this is not the way to solve anything.”

Onn believes the attacks weren’t politically motivated and called the situation a humanitarian issue. “These are people’s grandparents and children,” she said.

She noted the difference between the Palestinian people and Hamas, saying, “You can care for the Palestinian people, and you can still be against terror and against Hamas.” 

The Palestinian health ministry in Gaza said Israeli forces killed five medical staff and injured 10 others in what it described as targeted attacks.

The emergency response community has been working nonstop to monitor and respond to the ongoing situation under immense risk and challenges, spokesperson Ashraf al-Qidra said in a news conference on Monday. 

“The Israeli occupation has expanded its targeting parameters to medical service clinics, hospitals, and ambulances, which resulted in the killing of five medical crew members and injuring 10 others. Additionally, Israeli strikes have targeted hospitals, rendering Beit Hanoun hospital inoperable. Medical crews have been hindered from entering or exiting the hospital, depriving the injured of its services,” he said. 

A spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces told CNN the military was adhering to international law.

Conricus said the responsibility for the situation lies on Hamas, not Israel.

“What we are doing is defending ourselves against the worst attack ever against Israeli civilians in history,” he said.

John Kirby in an interview with CNN on Monday, October 9.

The White House said it was bracing for news that more Americans were killed in Israel over the weekend.

“It’s hard to say but, sadly, yes,” National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told CNN, getting visibly emotional. “I think we are bracing here at the White House for the possibility that more Americans could end up having been killed in these terrible, reprehensible attacks.” 

There were still a number of Americans who were unaccounted for and whose whereabouts were unknown, he said, adding that the Biden administration is “deeply concerned about the possibility — the likelihood — that some of those Americans could also now be held hostage by Hamas.”

While Kirby was speaking to CNN’s Jake Tapper, the White House raised the number of confirmed Americans killed in the terror attacks to 11 from nine. Asked about the horrific images of murder that were circulating, Kirby seemed to struggle to keep composure. 

Iran’s involvement? Earlier in the interview, Kirby was asked about a report in the Wall Street Journal that Iran played a role in the attack. He said there was “no question that Iran has complicity here.”  

“They’ve been supporting Hamas now for many, many years: tools, training, capabilities, certainly rhetorically. The Supreme Leader is out there, basically cheering on this attack,” Kirby said. “There’s a complicity there. But what we haven’t seen — and our Israeli counterparts have said the same thing — we just haven’t seen a piece of intel or evidence that directly links Iran to these complex, as you put it, very complicated set of attacks over the last couple of days.” 

Kirby said the US will continue to look into it and “share our perspectives with the Israeli intelligence community.” 

Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system fires to intercept a rocket launched from the Gaza Strip towards Israel, near Sderot, Israel, on May 11, 2023.

As thousands of rockets have rained down on Israel, the country has been relying once again on the Iron Dome system to protect citizens.

The missile defense system is one of the most important tools in Israel’s arsenal and has saved countless civilian lives over various conflicts in the last decade, analysts say. It is highly effective. The Israel Defense Forces said the system boasted a 95.6% success rate during a rocket salvo fired by Islamic Jihad in May.

Development of the Iron Dome first began in 2007. After tests in 2008 and 2009, the first Iron Dome batteries were deployed in 2011. The system has been upgraded several times since.

The Iron Dome is designed to shoot down incoming projectiles. It is equipped with a radar that detects rockets and then uses a command-and-control system that quickly calculates whether an incoming projectile poses a threat or is likely to hit an unpopulated area. If the rocket does pose a threat, it fires missiles to destroy it in the air.

The United States is “surging support” to Israel, including air defense and munitions, a senior defense official said Monday. 

The official said there is “ongoing discussion” about Israel’s air defense needs but declined to specify what those are at this time. CNN previously reported that Israel has asked for additional interceptors for its Iron Dome air defense system. 

The Pentagon is also “contacting US industry to gain expedited shipment of pending Israeli orders for military equipment that otherwise may have been considered routine for movement,” the official said. 

“We’re also working across the (Department of Defense) enterprise, including with US Central Command, to assess what munitions and other equipment are in US inventories that can be made quickly available for Israel. All of these are actions we’re undertaking within our existing authority and appropriations,” the official added. 

The official said the administration currently has the resources, authorities, and funding it needs to continue its support for Israel, but said officials are working with Congress “to ensure that the appropriate authority and appropriations are available to support and respond to crises and contingencies.”

The administration remains “deeply concerned” about Hezbollah entering the conflict and choosing to open a second front in the war, the official said. 

The official added that there are continual conversations across the US government with Israeli counterparts about the hostages Hamas is holding in Gaza but would not elaborate. Asked about a potential US role in recovering hostages there, the official said they would not get into hypotheticals about any potential military role in the future.  

Asked about a potential Iranian role in planning the attack, the official said “of course Iran is in the picture. Iran has provided support for years to Hamas. And Hezbollah. But we have no information corroborating the specifics of the Wall Street Journal story at this time.”  

The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday that Iranian leaders met with Hamas officials several times in recent months to plan out the attack, citing senior members of Hamas and Hezbollah.

US President Joe Biden plans to convene a call Monday afternoon with leaders of France, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom – the so-called “Quint” countries – to discuss the coordinated response to violence unfolding in Israel, two Western officials tell CNN. 

The conversation is expected to focus on how best to provide military and humanitarian assistance to Israel, at war with Hamas militants after surprise attacks that killed hundreds of civilians. 

The five allies, which tout their shared values and close coordination on several fronts, all have issued forceful, public condemnations of the violence in Israel. The “Quint” format has been utilized more frequently in the last two years for the countries to coordinate aid to Ukraine, another country under attack where Western support has bolstered defenses. 

The White House said Biden would speak with “several of our close allies” and have “more to share soon.”

Residents look out from the window of their building in the southern city of Ashkelon, Israel, on October 9, 2023.

At least 11 American citizens have been confirmed to have been killed in Israel, President Joe Biden said in a statement.

He also says that it is “likely” that American citizens may be among those being held hostage by Hamas, and that his administration is working with Israeli officials on “every aspect of the hostage crisis.”

Biden also notes that there are American citizens whose whereabouts remain unaccounted for. 

Members of a Palestinian family rush out of a bombed house during Israeli airstrikes on Gaza City on October 9, 2023.

Hamas will not negotiate on the issue of hostages while under Israeli fire, a spokesperson said in a video statement Monday.

“It has become clear that the enemy’s hostages are at risk to the same extent as our people in light of the aggression against the Gaza Strip,” said Abu Obaida, spokesperson for al-Qassam Brigades. “We affirm that we will not deliberate or negotiate on the issue of hostages under fire, in light of aggression, or in light of battle.”

Abu Obaida added that al-Qassam Brigades are holding a very large number of hostages in detention sites — and that some had been killed.

At least four civilians were killed while in the custody of Hamas, just feet from where armed militants had been escorting them near the Gaza border, videos obtained and geolocated by CNN show.

Abu Obaida went on to say the Hamas assault was launched after years of planning and preparations. 

“[Al-Aqsa flood] came after the Zionist tyranny reached its peak in the desecration of the blessed Al-Aqsa and the aggression against it and against our people everywhere,” Abu Obaida said, referring to the Al-Aqsa compound in Jerusalem, one of the most revered places in Islam and Judaism. Israel killed hundreds and injured thousands of Palestinians over the past two years, yet still has a seat at the United Nations and receives weapons from the United States to kill children and destroy houses, he added. 

The remains of a destroyed vehicle are seen on a road after a rocket, launched from the Gaza Strip landed in the Israeli settlement of Beitar Ilit, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on October 9, 2023.

Seventeen people have been killed and 90 are injured across various parts of the West Bank, according to a statement from the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

The dead included three children, it said.

The 17 deaths occurred in Ramallah, Jerusalem, Nablus, Jericho, Qalqilya, and Hebron.

The nature and severity of the 90 injuries vary, officials say.

Clashes erupted in several areas of the occupied West Bank amid a closure imposed by the Israeli army after the Hamas attack on Saturday morning.

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange during morning trading on October 4, 2023 in New York City.

The US stock market staged an intraday recovery on Monday, reversing losses from earlier in the day after Israel formally declared war against Hamas.

The surprise attacks Hamas launched over the weekend, which left at least 900 people dead in Israel, sent jitters through Wall Street on Monday morning. It came as investors were already dealing with worries about higher-for-longer interest rates and surging yields.

But investors seemed to calm somewhat by early afternoon as oil prices stabilized.

US oil prices settled at $86.38 a barrel while Brent crude futures, the global benchmark, climbed to $88.15 a barrel. Both are well below their recent highs.

The US bond market is closed in observance of Indigenous Peoples’ Day and Columbus Day.

Traditionally defensive assets climbed Monday as investors sought safety. Gold prices rose to roughly $1,861 a troy ounce.

Defensive stocks also climbed. Lockheed Martin shares swelled 8.9%, Northrop Grumman added 11.4% and RTX advanced 4.6%.

Oil stocks gained. Exxon Mobil shares added 3.4%, Occidental Petroleum rose 4.5% and Halliburton gained 6.8%.

Investors are also looking ahead to two key inflation reports set for release this week: the Producer Price Index and the Consumer Price Index.

The Dow rose 197 points, or 0.6%.

The S&P 500 added 0.6%.

The Nasdaq Composite gained 0.4%.

As stocks settle after the trading day, levels might change slightly.

A Palestinian sits on the rubble of a building destroyed in Israeli strikes, in Rafah, southern Gaza, on October 9, 2023.

Gaza’s death toll has risen to 687 people, including 140 children, according to a statement by the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza on Monday.

The number of injured has reached 3,726 — 10% of them children — since the Israeli strikes began, the ministry added.

The ministry claims Israeli forces have targeted ambulances, with 11 ambulances and one health service vehicle being completely destroyed and subsequently rendered inoperable.

The health ministry said it continues to liaise and collaborate with global and humanitarian organizations to meet the hospitals’ lack of medications, medical equipment and fuel.

A plume of smoke rises in the sky over Gaza City during an Israeli airstrike on October 9, 2023.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that the Israeli military is going on the offense against Hamas with a force “like never before.”

“This enemy wanted war and this this is what they will get,” he said. 

The prime minister went on to thank US President Joe Biden and other world leaders for their support.

“I am in continuous contact with President Biden, and I would like to thank him again, on behalf of all the citizens of Israel, for the commitment of the US in words and deeds for the security of Israel,” he said. “Also, I want to thank many world leaders for your unprecedented support for Israel,” he added. 

Militants first arrived in Be’eri around 7 a.m. on Saturday — just 30 minutes after the Gaza-Israel border wall was breached, new video obtained by CNN indicates. 

As news begins to trickle out of Be’eri, it is emerging as one of the most affected kibbutzim. 

The video, geolocated by CNN, shows six militants, some of whom appear to be heavily armed, arriving from the north on motorbikes at 7:11 a.m. They are seen driving to the south, toward the town.

CNN previously reported that Gaza militants began firing around that time at people attending the Nova Festival, 3 miles south of Be’eri.

The kibbutz was “very badly hit,” IDF spokesperson Richard Hecht said in a briefing earlier on Monday.

Hecht said that although most of the Hamas militants in the kibbutz have been killed, Israeli troops are still fighting them. 

At least four civilians were killed while in the custody of Hamas, just feet from where armed militants had been escorting them in Be’eri near the Gaza border, videos obtained earlier and geolocated by CNN show.

Be’eri lies three miles from the eastern border of Gaza. 

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s al-Quds Brigades issued a warning about the fate of hostages if Israel does not stop targeting safe houses and killing civilians in Gaza.

On Sunday, it claimed to be holding at least 30 hostages in Gaza. CNN is unable to verify the claim.

“If the Zionist enemy is concerned about the lives of its soldiers, settlers, and captives in our custody, then it must immediately stop targeting safe houses and killing civilians,” Abu Hamza said in a statement on the al-Quds Brigades Telegram channel on Monday. “Otherwise, the fate of your soldiers and captives will be unknown, just like the fate of Ron Arad over forty years ago.”   

More context: Ron Arad was an Israeli Air Force Navigator, who crashed his warplane in Lebanon in 1986. He was captured by the local Shiite Amal militia and later handed over to Hezbollah, which announced his death in June 2008. 

Earlier, Hamas said that civilian hostages would be executed without warning and the killings broadcast if Israel targets people in Gaza. The group claims to be holding more than 100 hostages, including Israeli army officers.

Israeli forces launch artillery fire towards southern Lebanon from the border zone in northern Israel on October 9, 2023.

Hezbollah on Monday said that three of its members died during an Israeli air raid in southern Lebanon, shortly before the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said “a number of launches from Lebanese territory into Israeli territory.”

Hezbollah — an Iran-backed group that is considered a terrorist organization by the US and much of the Western world — said in a statement that “groups of the Islamic Resistance” fired guided missiles onto Israel, targeting the Israeli army’s Pranit barracks and Avivim barracks, “as a result of the Israeli attack on Lebanese towns and villages” and the deaths of the group’s members.

Explosions were heard for several hours as Israel’s helicopters carried out an air strike near its northern border with Lebanon. Several houses and shops were damaged, and some local residents have fled to the city of Saida, about 60 kilometers from the border, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA).

A fire was also seen raging in one of the regions targeted by the raid, according to images broadcasted in Lebanese media. The blaze was a result of Israeli phosphorus bombs, the NNA said. However, the IDF said it only used illumination flares and denied using phosphorus bombs.

The Lebanese army said the outskirts of Al-Dhaira and Aita Al-Shaab and other border areas were “subjected to air and artillery bombardment.” The army urged citizens to avoid the areas adjacent to the border.

A mother and daughter from the Chicago area who were visiting relatives in Israel are among those missing in the aftermath of Hamas attacks, a family member told CNN.

US citizens Judith Tai Raanan and Natali Raanan were visiting relatives in Nahal Oz, a kibbutz that was attacked by the militants from Gaza on Saturday, the family said, adding that they are in touch with the US Embassy.

Judith Raanan’s brother Adi Leviatan says he fears the pair has been taken hostage since he has not heard from them since the weekend. Natali and Judith Raanan arrived in Israel on September 2, he said.

Nahal Oz is in southern Israel, located about 1.5 miles from the Gaza border. Dozens of Gaza fighters took control of a military base nearby, and an Israel Defense Forces spokesperson confirmed to CNN there was fighting in Nahal Oz Sunday. 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that the war was forced upon Israel by a “horrendous enemy,” and he vowed that Israel would win.

“Citizens of Israel, we are in the third day of this war. We are fighting for our home and for our existence,” he said.

His comments come as Israel’s military said it has retaken control of all communities around Gaza, more than 48 hours after Hamas launched a surprise assault. Officials say at least 900 people have been killed in the Hamas attacks.

A rig is seen in the Tamar natural gas field in the Mediterranean Sea, off the coast of Israel, on September 2, 2015.

Chevron said on Monday it has shut down a major natural gas field in the eastern Mediterranean at the behest of Israeli officials amid Hamas launching rockets at the country.

The Tamar field is located just 15 miles off Israel’s southern coast and is a major source of natural gas to power Israel’s electric grid.

However, Chevron said it continues to supply its customers in Israel and in the region with gas from the larger Leviathan platform.

Tamar supplies 70% of Israel’s energy consumption needs for power generation, according to Chevron.

Jones said Chevron was “instructed” by Israel’s Ministry of Energy to shut in production at the Tamar platform.

Espen Erlingsen, Rystad Energy’s head of upstream research, said: “Shutting off supply from Tamar will have a significant impact on gas supply in the region and add pressure to prices.”

Tamar produces about 900 million cubic feet of gas per day — equal to approximately 40% of Israel’s total gas production, according to Rystad. Much of the gas is sent to Egypt for export to Europe as liquefied natural gas, or LNG.

The shutdown comes as Hamas continues to fire rockets towards Israel and as Israel is ramping up its retaliation for this past weekend’s deadly attack by Hamas.

More background: Israel has increasingly turned to natural gas discovered in the Mediterranean as a major fuel source and a replacement for coal. Israel has become a significant natural gas exporter in recent years.

An Israeli soldier “basically called to say goodbye” before she was kidnapped by militants on Saturday morning, her sister told CNN.

Karina, a 19-year-old corporal with the Israel Defense Forces, was stationed at the Nahal Oz base at the border with Gaza.

On Saturday, Karina’s family identified her bloodied face in a Telegram video, where men can be heard shouting “This is nothing, we are just starting.”

After the family reported the video to Israeli authorities, Ariev said they eventually confirmed Karina had been abducted.

Ariev believes her sister is now a hostage in Gaza, because the family “didn’t get any match with the DNA from the corpses found on the base,” she told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour.

“I’m devastated inside, and my parents are crying all day long,” Ariev said from Jerusalem.

Asked if she could speak to any ongoing efforts to get her sister and other hostages back, Ariev said “There are no negotiations currently going on, not ones that we’re aware of as families of the abducted.”

It is “not possible to give numbers” of British casualties in the Hamas attack on Israel due to a “significant number” of British-Israeli nationals, the United Kingdom’s Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said Monday.

Cleverly added that Hamas should be recognized as a “terrorist organization” that is “not acting on behalf of the entirety of the Palestinian people.”  

“Israel are very focused on dealing with the specific terrorist threat from Hamas emanating from Gaza. That remains their focus and we continue to support them in that work,” he concluded.  

Latin American governments are moving to evacuate their citizens stranded in Israel as a growing number of commercial flights are canceled amid the fighting there following attacks by Hamas.

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said his government was sending two planes to evacuate 300 Mexican citizens, among them members of the country’s rhythmic gymnastics team, which was participating in a training camp. The team’s coach released a video asking the government to help them return home.

Brazil is also sending two repatriation flights, one from Rome and a second from Brasília scheduled to leave Monday afternoon local time. Around 1,700 Brazilians in Israel — most of them tourists — have expressed interest in repatriation, according to a statement by the country’s foreign ministry.

Meanwhile, 235 Argentinians requested evacuation through a government registry, the country’s foreign minister said Monday. And the Colombian consulate in Tel Aviv provided information about departure options to 180 Colombian tourists in Israel, per a statement Sunday by the Colombian Foreign Ministry.

Peru’s government also reported Sunday its authorities are in touch with more than 100 Peruvian citizens — who are non-residents in Israel — to evacuate them.

Atleast 85 of the people killed in the Hamas attacks were Israeli soldiers, according to the chief spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces.

Overall, at least 900 people were killed by Hamas, Israel’s Army Radio separately reported on Monday.

“Hundreds” of Hamas militants have been killed in Gaza in recent Israeli attacks, said IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari.

The IDF has finished the evacuation of Israeli civilians living near Gaza, he said.

The entire length of the fence across the border with Gaza is covered with tanks and air coverage, Hagari said.

More than 300,000 Israeli reservists have been called up, he added.   

Ismail Haniyeh, center, chairman of the Hamas political bureau, flashes a victory sign, flanked by bodyguards and senior Palestinian officials during a rally at the southern Lebanese port city of Sidon.

The scale and sophistication of the Hamas incursion into Israel Saturday prompted questions about whether the militant group could have done it alone – and if it had help, whether that could have come from its longtime backer in the region, Iran.

While Tehran has commended the operation, it has denied involvement. US deputy national security adviser Jon Finer said there is no “direct information” linking these attacks to Iran at this time, but that the US believes Iran is “broadly complicit” in Hamas attacks in Israel.

Yet Iran’s evolving relationship with Hamas and its Palestinian militant partners, the Islamic Jihad, is well documented. Here’s what you need to know:

An ambiguous and evolving alliance: Hamas turned against Iran for several years over its support for Syria’s dictator President Bashar al-Assad during the country’s civil war. Ultimately it returned to Tehran’s orbit, and has been openly communicating with Iran and its paramilitary allies about its militant goals.

Funding: Israel says Iran supports Hamas to the tune of some $100 million dollars a year. The US State Department in 2021 said the group receives funding, weapons and training from Iran, as well as some funds that are raised in Gulf Arab countries.

Regional coordination: Iran’s paramilitary allies in the region – namely Lebanon’s Shia armed group Hezbollah – have repeatedly boasted about an ironclad security coordination with Palestinian Islamist groups. (Much of the Western world and some Arab countries consider Hezbollah, Hamas and Islamic Jihad to be terrorist groups.)

CNN’s Betsy Klein, MJ Lee, Jim Sciutto and Pamela Brown contributed reporting.

Read more here.

US President Joe Biden met Monday morning with administration officials for updates on the situation in Israel, the White House said, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, Principal Deputy National Security Adviser Jon Finer, Homeland Security Adviser Liz Sherwood-Randall and White House chief of staff Jeff Zients.

Secretary of the US Army Christine E. Wormuth testifies during a hearing in Washington, DC, in 2021.

Secretary of the US Army Christine Wormuth on Monday said additional funding from Congress would be needed for the Defense Department to provide munitions to Israel while the US continues to support Ukraine in its war with Russia.

“To be able to increase our capacity… to expand production, and then to also pay for the munitions themselves, we need additional support from Congress,” Wormuth said during a panel discussion at the annual meeting of the Association of the United States Army.

Biden administration officials have said they’re unclear about what Congress could pass in terms of support for Israel without a sitting Speaker of the House.

Wormuth would not say whether the US would provide Israel with additional Iron Dome systems. But she expected the US would “lean forward in support of Israel” in the same way it has for Ukraine, she said.

The European Union’s Commission is suspending all Palestinian funding until further review following the Hamas attack on Israel, an official said Monday.  

As the biggest donor for the Palestinians, the European Commission is putting its full development portfolio under review, which is worth a about 691 million euros ($728 million) he said. This included:

“The foundations for peace, tolerance and co-existence must now be addressed,” Varhelyi said. 

“Incitement to hatred, violence and glorification of terror have poisoned the minds of too many,” he added. “We need action and we need it now.”

The spokesperson of al Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, said civilian hostages will be executed and the killings will be broadcasted if Israel targets people in Gaza without warning.

“We declare that we will respond to any targeting of our people who are safe in their homes without warning, with the execution of our civilian hostages, and we will broadcast it with audio and video,” Abu Obaida said in a statement posted to al Qassam Brigades’ Telegram channel Monday.

Hamas claims it is holding more than 100 hostages, including Israeli army officers. Qatar has been in talks with Hamas about the hostages that the militant group is holding inside Gaza, a senior US official told CNN.

At least 900 people have been killed in the Hamas attacks on Israel, Israel’s Army Radio reported on Monday.

Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen speaks in Berlin in February.

Israel is at war with Hamas following the “brutal slaughter of civilians,” Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said in a video statement on Monday.  

He said Hamas’ attack is a “historical massacre that the world will not forget. That Israel will never forgive.”

“During the slaughter, they begin kidnapping hostages. Dragging babies, mothers, and elderly holocaust survivors on wheelchairs,” he added.

He thanked the international community for its support of Israel. 

“The people of Israel stand united. We will regain control and bring back security and stability. We will defeat terror because there is no other choice,” he said. “We trust this support will continue as we meet the challenge of fighting terror.” 

He said the safety of the hostages is Hamas’ responsibility, he said. 

“We fight for our homeland, and we will win,” Cohen concluded.

A near constant sound of explosions coming from Gaza is echoing throughout Ashdod, a city some 35 kilometers (21 miles) north of the enclave.

The strikes sound as if a massive thunderstorm was unfolding nearby, and the loud bangs are causing vibrations that can be felt throughout Ashdod.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement issued about two hours ago that it had attacked 130 Hamas targets in Gaza with airstrikes in the preceding three hours.

“Throughout the last 24 hours, Air Force planes have been carrying out extensive attacks along the length and breadth of the Gaza Strip, wreaking havoc on Hamas terrorists,” the IDF statement said at that time.

Since that statement, the strikes have continued and intensified. Flares light up above Gaza at regular intervals, and the darkness illuminated by bright orange lights.

As of 8:30 p.m. local time, the bombing appeared to be almost continuous, with numerous loud thuds heard every minute. While Gaza is often targeted by the IDF, the bombardment on Monday has been unusually heavy, both in its intensity and frequency.

At the same time, rockets continued to be fired from Gaza, albeit at much slower pace, and intercepted by Israel’s air defenses.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks to the UN Security Council in July.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for Hamas to cease its attacks on Israel and release hostages.

In remarks on Monday, he also urged all parties to allow UN access to deliver humanitarian assistance to Palestinians trapped in the Gaza Strip.

The secretary-general condemned the “abhorrent attacks by Hamas and others against Israeli towns and villages in the Gaza periphery.”

Guterres said that while he recognized “the legitimate grievances of the Palestinian people,” nothing can justify acts of terror, maiming, killing and the abduction of civilians.

“I am deeply distressed by today’s announcement that Israel will initiate a complete siege of the Gaza Strip, nothing allowed in — no electricity, food, or fuel,” the secretary-general said.

More about the seige: Israel’s Minister of Defense said he has ordered the “complete siege” of Gaza, cutting off electricity, food, fuel and water to the enclave. This comes as Israel has pounded Gaza with airstrikes and formally declared war on Hamas Sunday.

More than 550 Palestinians have died, according to Gaza’s health ministry, and medical care has been complicated by Israel cutting power to the territory.

A Palestinian man passes Israeli soldiers patrolling in a street of Gaza on December 20, 1987.

Tensions between Israel and the Palestinians have existed since before the nation’s founding in 1948. Thousands of people on both sides have been killed and many more injured in the long-simmering conflict between the two sides over the past few decades.

Violence has been particularly heightened this year. The number of Palestinians – militants and civilians – killed in the occupied West Bank by Israeli forces is at its highest in nearly two decades. The same is true of Israelis and foreigners – most of them civilians – killed in Palestinian attacks.

Israel and the militant group Hamas have been involved in armed conflict dating back as early as the 1987 First Palestinian Intifada, or uprising, against Israel’s occupation of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

Israel captured Gaza from Egypt in a 1967 war, then withdrew in 2005. The small territory — home to some 2 million Palestinians — fell under Hamas’ control in 2007 after a brief civil war with Fatah, a rival Palestinian faction that is the backbone of the Palestinian Authority.

After Hamas seized control of Gaza, Israel and Egypt imposed a strict siege on the territory, which is ongoing. Israel also maintains an air and naval blockade on Gaza.

Before Saturday’s operation, the last war between Hamas and Israel was in 2021, which lasted for 11 days and killed at least 250 people in Gaza and 13 in Israel.

Saturday’s assault occurred on the 50th anniversary of the 1973 war, when Israel’s Arab neighbors launched a surprise attack on Israel on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, on October 6, 1973.

At least four Latin American citizens are dead and 15 are missing after Hamas attacks on Israel on Saturday.

Four Argentinian nationals are dead and four have been missing since Saturday, Argentina’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Santiago Cafiero said on social media on Monday.

Panama’s Foreign Affairs Ministry reported a Panamanian woman missing after the attacks. Meanwhile, in Mexico, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said the number of Mexican nationals missing is now three. 

“There are reports of three missing Mexicans; there is already communication with their relatives, a complete search effort is being done, our diplomats are acting to protect Mexicans,” López Obrador said.  

The al-Quds Brigades of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for bombing several locations “in southern Lebanon on the border with occupied Palestine.”  

Several explosions were seen in the disputed border region between Israel and Lebanon amid an air raid by Israeli forces on Monday.

Seven Israeli soldiers were injured as a result of that shelling, one of whom was critically wounded, according to the al-Quds Brigades. The Israel Defense Forces did not corroborate that claim.

Several airlines have suspended flights to and from Israel, as intense fighting rages between Israeli forces and Hamas:

American Airlines, has canceled all flights to and from Tel Aviv through Friday after the union representing the airlines’ pilots issued a stark warning about the dangers to the airspace and advised crews to turn down any assignment into the country. Further adjustments will be made as needed, the carrier said in a statement.

Delta Air Lines, has canceled all flights to and from Tel Aviv for the rest of October, but said it will work with Washington if needed for repatriation flights of US citizens. Delta flies to Israel from Atlanta, Boston and New York.

Norwegian Air has canceled all flights from Copenhagen and Stockholm to Tel Aviv until Sunday. In a statement, it said it will contact affected passengers directly and that it is working to find solutions for passengers currently in Israel. 

Korean Air, the only South Korean airline that operates direct flights between Incheon and Tel Aviv, canceled its Monday flight — but said it would operate a return flight from Tel Aviv to Incheon, to bring people home.

There are about 570 South Korean nationals residing in Israel and an additional 360 tourists in the country, according to the foreign ministry, though no Korean nationals have been reported as casualties yet.

Air India has also suspended flights to and from Tel Aviv until October 14, citing the safety of its passengers and crew.

Hong Kong carrier Cathay Pacific also canceled its Tuesday flight to and from Tel Aviv, saying it would closely monitor the situation.

Other major carriers, including United Airlines, have also seen flight disruptions and cancelations due to the conflict.

From top left, clockwise: Margit Silverman and her husband Yosi Shnaider; their daughter Shiri Bibes and her husband Yarden; Bibes’ son Kfir, Bibes’ son Ariel.

Yosi Shnaider is desperately worried about his aunt and her family, he told CNN Monday, after recognizing her in images he said were posted by Hamas on social media.

“Nobody knows anything,” he said in a phone call Monday. “It’s hell. The situation in Israel is something we have never experienced.” 

Shnaider, who lives in the central Israeli town of Holon, told CNN that six members of his family are missing. They include his father’s sister, Margit Silverman, and her husband Yossi. Their daughter, Shiri Bibes, her husband Yarden and their two sons Ariel and Kfir — aged four and nine months, respectively — are also missing.

All six are residents of the Nahal Oz kibbutz, which is less than three miles from the Gaza Strip.

“We were trying to call them all the time on Saturday morning but there was no answer,” Shnaider told CNN. But he was horrified after seeing images on his phone that he said were posted by Hamas.

“I couldn’t believe the picture and I didn’t want to believe the picture,” Shnaider said. “But it was very clear that it was Shiri.”

“Half an hour afterwards I got a movie of Shiri with her two children,” he added, saying the clip was posted on Telegram. “So we know for sure that they have been kidnapped by Hamas.”

Shnaider has “zero information” about his family, he said, noting his aunt has Parkinson’s and diabetes and needs medication to survive. “We don’t know if they are alive or injured.”

“My only hope is that they don’t separate Shiri from her children,” he said.

Qatar has been in talks with Hamas about the hostages that the militant group is holding inside Gaza, and the US has been coordinating with the Qataris as they play a key mediating role with Hamas, a senior US official and another person familiar with the discussions told CNN. 

Qatar’s prime minister met with Hamas leaders on Sunday, one of the sources said. 

“Things are moving very fast,” the source said. 

US officials at the White House and State Department, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf, have remained in touch with the Qataris throughout the weekend as they communicate with Hamas.

A US official said the US believes Qatar, which has strong ties to Hamas, was caught off guard by the group’s attack on Israel on Saturday.

CNN has reached out to the governments of Qatar and Israel for comment.

Three hundred Mexican citizens in Israel have signed up to leave the country, Mexico’s President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said Monday, noting the country would send two aircraft to carry out evacuations.

The majority of Mexicans in Israel are there for tourism and religious purposes, the president said. The government decided to send the aircraft — one will go in the morning, the other in the afternoon — due to commercial flight cancelations.

In addition, López Obrador said three Mexicans remain missing, saying the government is communicating with their relatives and that “our diplomats are acting to protect Mexicans.”

Palestinian Hamas militants are seen during a military show in the Bani Suheila district on July 20, 2017 in Gaza City, Gaza.

Hamas is an Islamist organization with a military wing that came into being in 1987, emerging out of the Muslim Brotherhood, a Sunni Islamist group that was founded in the late 1920s in Egypt.

The word “Hamas” is itself an acronym for “Harakat Al-Muqawama Al-Islamia” – Arabic for Islamic Resistance Movement.

The group, like most Palestinian factions and political parties, insists that Israel is an occupying power and that it is trying to liberate the Palestinian territories. It considers Israel an illegitimate state.

Its refusal to recognize Israel is one reason why it has rejected peace talks in the past. In 1993, it opposed the Oslo Accords, a peace pact between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).

The group presents itself as an alternative to the Palestinian Authority (PA), which has recognized Israel and has engaged in multiple failed peace initiatives with it. The PA is today led by Mahmoud Abbas and is based in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Hamas, meanwhile, controls the Gaza Strip, an enclave that is home to some 2 million Palestinians and is frequently the site of civilian casualties when fighting flares between militants and Israeli forces.

Hamas has over the years claimed many attacks on Israel and has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union and Israel. Israel accuses its archenemy Iran of backing Hamas.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said dozens of its fighter jets struck several “targets” in the Al-Furqan area in Gaza earlier on Monday.

The area “serves as a hub for the Hamas terrorist organization in the Gaza Strip, from which many operations against Israel were launched, including over the last two days,” the IDF claimed in a statement. 

Palestinians react following Israeli strikes on a residential building, in Gaza City, on October 9.

When the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a devastating attack on Israel over the weekend, it prompted vows of retribution from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who declared that his country was at war. On Monday, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant ordered a “complete siege” of Gaza, cutting off electricity, food, fuel and water to the enclave.

No strangers to war with Israel, many Gazans are sheltering in their homes, with the vast majority lacking access to bunkers. The territory is one of the most densely populated places on earth, where some 2 million people live in an area of 140 square miles.

Those who venture out do so only to complete essential errands, or to look for their missing loved ones in the carnage of Israeli strikes. The streets are damaged and covered with rubble, and the air smells of dust and gunpowder.

Salim Hussein, 55, lost his home when his building was targeted in an Israeli airstrike. He lived on the first floor and told CNN that he and his family were given warnings by Israel just moments before the building was struck. “We left (the tower) only with the clothes we had on,” he told CNN, adding that he and his family now have nothing left and nowhere to go.

The IDF on Sunday said it was focused on taking control of the Gaza Strip, and urged civilians there to leave residential areas near the border immediately for their safety as Israeli military operations continued to target Hamas.

But most Gazans have no way of fleeing the besieged enclave. All crossings out of the territory are shut, with the exception of the tightly controlled Rafah crossing with Egypt.

CNN’s Nadeen Ebrahim and Elliott Gotkine contributed to this report.

Read more here.

Smoke billows following Israeli artillery bombing on the outskirts of the Lebanese border village of Aita al-Shaab, on October 9.

Several explosions were seen in the disputed border region between Israel and Lebanon on Monday amid an air raid by Israeli forces. 

Live images broadcast from several Lebanese channels show Israeli helicopters flying over the border region as towers of smoke can be seen billowing below. Most of the smoke is seen rising from unpopulated areas but not far from villages.

The Lebanese National News Agency (NNA) reported the raids struck an empty house.

Several foreign missions in Lebanon including those from Germany, the US and the UK, updated their travel advisories for citizens in Lebanon, urging them to exercise caution.

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a brief statement Monday that its helicopters were striking in Lebanese territory after a “number of armed suspects” who “infiltrated” Israel from Lebanon were killed. Lebanon borders Israel to the north.

The Lebanese Army urged citizens to avoid areas along the southern border amid the Israeli air and artillery strikes.

The IDF similarly cautioned Israeli civilians residing near the Lebanese border to “remain in their homes.”

JPMorgan Chase & Company Chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon testifies at a Senate Banking Committee annual Wall Street oversight hearing, on September 22, 2022, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.

Business leaders across the United States have expressed outrage and solidarity with Israel after the deadly surprise attack by Hamas.

JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon said Sunday the bank stands with Israel, instructing the company’s employees there to work remotely for the foreseeable future, a person familiar with the matter told CNN, as Dimon pledged support for the people of Israel.

“This past weekend’s attack on Israel and its people and the resulting war and bloodshed are a terrible tragedy,” Dimon told all employees on Sunday in a memo obtained by CNN. “We stand with our employees, their families and the people of Israel during this time of great suffering and loss,” Dimon said.

Morgan Stanley has also advised its handful of employees located in Israel to stay home at this time, a person familiar with the matter told CNN.

Goldman Sachs has also instructed employees at its Tel Aviv office to work remotely, according to a person familiar with the matter.

“All of us at Goldman Sachs are thinking of you and your families in the face of this shocking aggression directed at the people of Israel,” Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon said Sunday in a memo obtained by CNN. “The dynamics in the Middle East have always been difficult and complex. But, these attacks are terrorism and violate our most fundamental of values.”

The Partnership represents more than 300 of New York City’s business leaders and companies that employ more than 1 million New Yorkers.

“Nothing can justify the premeditated violence that took place in Israel this weekend,” Wylde said.

The Business Roundtable, a trade group representing leading US CEOs, said Monday in a statement to CNN: “We join the US government and global community in condemning the horrific attacks on Israel and stand in solidarity with the Israeli people.” 

The US Chamber of Commerce said in a statement on Sunday it “strongly condemns the heinous” attacks.

“We extend our heartfelt condolences to the people of Israel and stand in solidarity with them as they battle the scourge of terrorism,” the Chamber said.

The business group added that it’s in touch with partners from the Israeli government and AmCham Israel to explore ways to provide humanitarian assistance.

Services at the only functioning hospital in Gaza’s Beit Hanoun neighborhood have been suspended due to continuous Israeli airstrikes, the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza said Monday.

Extensive damage caused by continuous Israeli airstrikes blocked medical teams’ ability to enter or exit the building, the health ministry said.

The ministry claimed nine ambulances had been targeted since Saturday.

Several people were injured Tuesday from a “direct strike in the recent rocket barrage,” a volunteer emergency medical technician (EMT) group said.

“United Hatzalah volunteers are currently treating one person in a town in the Jerusalem area whose is in serious condition as a result of injuries sustained from a direct strike in the recent rocket barrage,” it said.

Additionally, volunteers are treating several others who were injured in a direct rocket strike in a town south of Jerusalem, the group said.  

The loud booms in Tel Aviv have been near constant on Monday.

One after another, the bangs reverberate throughout the city, as Israel’s Iron Dome air defense system keeps intercepting rockets and its military launches strikes against the Gaza Strip.

People in the city don’t just hear these bangs. Sometimes, they can feel them too.

A faint vibration that goes through the body like a wave. It’s barely noticeable, but combined with the distant thuds of explosions, this strange feeling is a reminder that Gaza is just 60 kilometers (about 37 miles) away from here.

Israel’s government ordered a “complete siege” of Gaza on Monday. As Hamas continued firing rockets toward Israel, a CNN team near the Israel-Gaza border heard multiple, near-continuous, impacts inside Gaza on Monday.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) says it carried out airstrikes against 130 Hamas targets in Gaza over the last three hours, according to a statement.

CNN’s Nic Robertson and team are close to the Israel-Gaza border and have heard multiple, near-continuous impacts inside Gaza since 10 a.m. ET on Monday.

The CNN team witnessed a large amount of Israeli troops arriving in jeeps loaded down with supplies. 

Palestinians transport the injured to the Indonesian Hospital in Jabalia, Gaza, on October 9.

Most of the patients arriving at hospitals in Gaza have sustained second-and third-degree burns and amputations of both their lower and upper extremities, a spokesperson for the Palestinian health ministry in Gaza told the news outlet Shibab Agency.

Many have also sustained shrapnel injuries, the spokesperson, Ashraf al-Qidra, told the Palestinian outlet.

The injured arriving at hospitals are mainly women and children, al-Qidra said, adding this is a “result of Israelis directly targeting residential houses and buildings.”

An empty street in central Jerusalem, Israel, on October 9.

Sirens are sounding across Jerusalem and Tel Aviv right now, according to CNN teams on the ground. Teams in Jerusalem heard a series of booms immediately after the sirens were activated.

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a brief statement on Monday that its helicopters are currently striking in Lebanese territory. 

No further details were provided. 

Earlier, the IDF said a “number of armed suspects” who “infiltrated” into Israel from Lebanon were killed, and that IDF soldiers were searching the area.

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) peacekeepers said in a statement on Monday that it has reported explosions near Al-Boustan in southwest Lebanon.

UNIFIL said its Head of Mission and Force Commander Major General Aroldo Lázaro is in contact with the parties involved, “urging them to exercise maximum restraint and utilize UNIFIL’s liaison and coordination mechanisms to prevent further escalation and loss of life.”

Lebanese Army Commander, General Joseph Aoun, met on Monday with Major General Aroldo Lázaro to discuss the situation at the southern border, the Lebanese army said.

A second French citizen has been confirmed dead following Hamas’ surprise attack against Israel, the French Foreign Ministry said Monday.

The foreign ministry — which said it would continue to locate its missing citizens — previously confirmed the death of one citizen. It has not provided details about those killed or the circumstances of their deaths.

French President Emmanuel Macron had a phone call with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu Monday, according to an Élysée statement, which said Macron reiterated France’s full support for Israel and expressed his concern for the Israelis taken hostage or injured.

The Israeli defense attaché to the United States, Maj. Gen. Hidai Zilberman, is visiting the Pentagon Monday.

He was spotted by CNN entering the Pentagon this morning around 9:15 a.m. ET. Zilberman met with members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, according to a defense official.

CNN has reached out to the Pentagon for comment on Zilberman’s meetings there, which come as the US has pledged to provide additional military support in the coming days amid Hamas’ ongoing attack on Israel.

Smoke rises over buildings as the Israeli airstrikes continue in Gaza City, Gaza, on October 9.

After more than 48 hours of the type of intense, door-to-door fighting unseen in Israel for decades, the country’s military has retaken control of all the communities around Gaza that gunmen from Hamas had infiltrated, the Israeli military said.

Israeli forces are currently conducting “wide-scale strikes” on several “strategic” centers in Gaza belonging to Hamas, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement Monday.

The Islamist militant group began its assault early Saturday morning, firing rockets into Israel and then sending gunmen over the border from Gaza. More than 700 people were killed, including foreign nationals and dual citizens from Brazil, France, Mexico, Nepal, Thailand, Ukraine, the United Kingdom and the United States. Many of those killed were young civilians who were attending an all-night rave. Israeli rescue workers said they found at least 260 bodies at the festival site. 

Here’s what else you need to know:

Hostages: Hamas, which is designated as a terrorist group by the United States and the European Union, claims to have taken more than 100 people hostage, including high-ranking army officers. Young children and elderly Israelis are among those who were kidnapped and later swept across the border back into Gaza, according to Israeli officials. Foreigners, including nine US citizens, have been killed, and some are being held captive as well

Gaza: Israel responded quickly to the attack by launching heavy airstrikes targeting Hamas in Gaza and formally declaring war on the militant group on Sunday. Palestinian authorities said at least 560 people have been killed in the strikes, which continued overnight, and that residential buildings and mosques had been flattened. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency said nearly 74,000 people had been displaced and were taking shelter in their schools.

Rockets: Hamas responded to the airstrikes by firing another volley of rockets into Israel, including 120 toward Ashdod and Ashkelon. The salvo set off sirens in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv as well.

Siege: Israel’s defense minister said Monday that he had given the order for a “complete siege” of the enclave, cutting it off from electricity, food and water. The decision will almost certainly complicate the lives of those living in Gaza, a small and impoverished enclave whose borders are effectively controlled by the Israeli military.

Response: The siege announcement is the latest indication of just how severe Israel’s military response will be. The Israeli government formally declared war on Hamas on Sunday, setting the stage for a major response that could include the first full occupation of Gaza since 2005, when Israel unilaterally withdrew. Former caretaker Prime Minister Yair Lapid said a ground incursion was not off the table, but that it must consider the fate of the dozens of hostages taken into Gaza.

CNN’s Chief International Correspondent Clarissa Ward and team had to take cover after a barrage of rockets was fired overhead along the Israel-Gaza border.

Ward and team had been surveying the aftermath of attacks carried out along the Israeli-Gazan border when they heard heavy rocket fire overhead.

The team then proceeded to run and drop to the ground in a nearby ditch.

“We came to this location because this was ground zero for this entire operation of carnage. Hamas militants came on a pickup truck. This was the first place where they breached that border wall,” Ward continued.

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After the situation stabilized, Ward stood up and walked towards several damaged vehicles, which she said most likely “blew up with the force of the ammunition they were taking.”

Ward also pointed to the fact that location is not far from the Israeli city of Sderot, which has become a ghost town following heavy fighting over the weekend.

US stocks fell on Monday morning after Hamas, an Islamist militant group, launched a surprise attack this weekend that rattled global markets.

That comes after recent volatility as investors wrestle with persistent inflation and the Federal Reserve’s interest rate hikes.

The New York Stock Exchange held a moment of silence on the trading floor for victims of the attacks in Israel.

While Israel is not a major oil producer, tensions in the oil-abundant Middle East drove crude prices higher, as investors worried that already limited supply would be stymied further. Brent crude futures, the international benchmark, rose to $88 a barrel.

Oil stocks also gained. Exxon Mobil shares added 2.5%, Occidental Petroleum rose 2.5% and Halliburton gained 3.5%.

Defense stocks also climbed. Lockheed Martin shares added 7.6% and Northrop Grumman gained 8.1%.

Prices of traditional safe assets rose. Gold prices climbed to $1,850.20 a troy ounce.

The US bond market is closed in observance of Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

Israeli forces are currently conducting “wide-scale strikes” on several “strategic” centers in Gaza belonging to Hamas, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement Monday, adding that more details will follow.

Ilan Troen told “CNN This Morning” Monday that he was on the phone with his daughter, Deborah Matias, at the moment she was killed shielding her 16-year-old son from Hamas gunfire this weekend.

“We were on the phone with Deborah as she was killed,” said Troen, a professor emeritus at Brandeis University. Troen’s son-in-law, Schlomi Matias, was also killed, he said while speaking to CNN from Be’er Sheva, Israel.

“He was told not to speak and therefore he was to hide and use texting,” Troen said. “By the time he was rescued, he had 4% left in his battery.”

“The brunt of the shot was borne by his mother,” Troen said. Both his daughter and grandson are US citizens.

Troen remembered his late daughter as a “child of light and life.”

“She, rather than becoming a scientist or a physician, she said to me one day, ‘Dad, I have to do music, because it’s in my soul,’” Troen said. His daughter attended the Berkeley College of Music in Boston, as well as the Rimon School of Music in Tel Aviv, where she met her husband.

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati gestures during a news conference at the governmental palace in Beirut, Lebanon, on December 28, 2021.

Lebanon does not wish to be drawn into the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, Lebanese Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati said Monday, according to state news NNA.

“We do not want Lebanon to enter into the ongoing war, and we are striving for that,” Mikati said in a meeting Monday with Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdullah Bu Habib, adding that part of the Lebanese government’s priority was to “maintain security and stability in southern Lebanon.”

Some context: Lebanon and Israel are considered enemy states, but a truce between the two has largely held since a conflict between them in 2006. There have been several small-scale rocket attacks in recent years from Lebanon — which borders Israel to the north — that have prompted retaliatory strikes from Israel. Palestinian factions in Lebanon were believed to be behind those rocket attacks.

The Israel Defense Forces on Monday said a “number of armed suspects” who “infiltrated” into Israel from Lebanon were killed, and that IDF soldiers were searching the area.

IDF helicopters are currently striking in the area,” the statement added.

Britain’s Jewish community is expected to turn out in force this evening for a vigil opposite 10 Downing Street in solidarity with the victims of the attacks in Israel. 

In a joint statement the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Jewish Leadership Council said that the gathering would be held close to the residence of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. 

The organizers told CNN that they are expecting several lawmakers to attend the event, but would not share their identities. 

A similar event is taking place in Paris this evening, with organizers posting details of the march on X, formerly Twitter. 

The Conseil représentatif des institutions juives de France (CRIF), a Jewish advocacy group, wrote: “The CRIF, Jewish groups and all friends of Israel call for a march in solidarity with Israel and Israelis, struck by Hamas terrorism.

“March starts tonight at 6:30, leaving Place Victor Hugo continuing until Trocadèro.”

A rally is also planned for 5pm on Wednesday in Manchester in the United Kingdom.  

These events come after a series of landmark buildings around the world were lit up with the Israeli flag, including the Sydney Opera House, Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate and the Empire State Building in New York City. 

A National Security Council spokesperson on Monday confirmed in a statement that nine US citizens are among those who have died in Israel’s conflict with Hamas.

State Department spokesperson Matt Miller confirmed that reporting, telling CNN’s Phil Mattingly, “We are in close contact with the government of Israel as they continue to conduct security operations to locate missing US citizens.. and we are, of course, in close contact with the families of these nine deceased Americans and offering them any consular assistance that we can provide.”

The US continues to gather information on US citizens involved in the conflict.

When 22-year-old Ben left Israel in August, he had set out on an exciting journey, planning to explore Asia for several months. Little did he know that his adventure would take an unexpected turn in the Nepalese Himalayas.

As he prepared to embark on a trek from a mountain village on Saturday, tragic news from home reached him. Israel had been struck by a horrific attack.

Now, this young man, who asked to keep his family name confidential, has abandoned his plans to return to Israel as a military reservist, serving in a reconnaissance unit.

“I think there are more than 100 Israelis in Kathmandu alone who are trying to get back to Israel,” Ben, who is also a US citizen, told CNN in a phone call. “Only El Al and Emirates are flying,” he said. 

Ben was discharged from compulsory military service in August 2022. He spent a year planning and working towards his long trip overseas – a rite of passage for many young Israelis following their time in the military. 

Yet just a few weeks into his travels, he is cutting short his adventure. “One of my friends from my unit has been killed,” he told CNN. “He had signed on for more time and to become an officer.

“We are 24 in our unit now and there are eight of us who are trying to get back to Israel from Asia, South America, Australia.”

Ben added: “It feels really hard to be so far away and there isn’t much you can do… you’re worried about the people there and all you do all day is watch the news and look at your phone. It’s impossible to be away right now.” 

Palestinians remove a dead body from the rubble of a building after an Israeli airstrike at Jebalia refugee camp, Gaza Strip, on October 9.

At least 560 people have died and 2,900 have been injured in Gaza since Israel began carrying out airstrikes in response to Hamas’ surprise attack early Saturday morning, the Palestinian health ministry said in a statement on Monday.

The Hamas attacks took place on Israeli soil, but they have impacted families around the world, with a growing list of foreign nationals killed or kidnapped.

Thailand announced that 12 nationals were confirmed dead and a further 11 taken hostage by Hamas, a spokesperson for Thailand’s Foreign Ministry said on Monday, the largest loss of life by a foreign nation so far.

A further eight Thais have been hospitalized for their injuries, spokeswoman Kanchana Patarachoke said.

“We don’t want to release the names as a courtesy. We don’t want the relatives learn the news from the media before we have direct communication with them,” she added.

Why Israel: Israel has long been a major destination for Thai migrants, most of whom work agricultural jobs.

There are approximately 30,000 Thai workers in Israel, according to the Foreign Ministry, and over 1,000 have requested help to be evacuated.

The Thai government is prepared to evacuated its remaining citizens with planes from the Royal Thai Air Force on standby, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

‘Toll will rise’: Among other foreign nationals known to have been killed so far are four Americans, two Ukrainians, 10 Nepali citizens, one French citizen, and one British citizen.

The Nepalis were killed when militants attacked Kibbutz Alumim in southern Israel on Saturday, Nepali ambassador Kanta Rizal told CNN Sunday.

The deceased were agriculture students, who were studying and working under the “Learn and Earn” program of the Israeli government, Rizal said. The embassy is working to repatriate the bodies, she added.

Other foreigners missing: Three Brazilians, two Mexican nationals, a Nepali student and a British citizen are among those unaccounted for.

Mexico’s Foreign Minister Alicia Barcena said Sunday the two Mexican nationals, a woman and a man, have “presumably” been taken hostage by Hamas.

The Brazilians and 26-year-old British citizen Jake Marlowe were all at the music festival near the Gaza border which was attacked on Saturday. Marlowe was working there as a security guard, his mother told the Israeli Embassy in the UK.

The German Foreign Ministry said it “has to assume” that there are German citizens amongst those kidnapped, a ministry source told CNN late Sunday.

One festival attendee with dual Israeli-German nationality, Shani Louk, was identified in social media videos stripped and motionless being paraded by fighters in Gaza.

U.S. Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer speaks in Bogota, Colombia, on July 22, 2022.

US Deputy National Security Adviser Jon Finer reiterated Monday that while the US believes Iran is “broadly complicit” in Hamas attacks in Israel, the US does not at this time have “direct information” linking Iran to the attacks.

In another appearance on “CBS Mornings,” Finer said the US will be “laser-focused” on confirming the presence of any Americans among the hostages taken by Hamas, saying he expected the issue “to take on increasing over the course of the coming days.”

The US is prepared to offer “expertise on how to address these hostage situations,” he said. Finer also predicted the Israeli response will “continue for quite some time,” vowing there would be “more US steps to show support and solidarity for Israel.”

Russian government spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow is worried about the situation in Israel and Gaza, calling it a “great danger for the region.”

No information on injured Russians: According to Peskov, while no information about any Russian victims has been reported yet, Russian diplomats are in close contact with both Israeli and Palestinian authorities to monitor the situation and ensure the safety of Russians residing in the conflict zone.

A complicated relationship: The war between Russia and Ukraine initially put Israel in a tight spot. Israel maintained a policy of neutrality, with then-Prime Minister Naftali Bennett calling for a ceasefire and initially declining to condemn Russia.

Some politicians, like then-foreign minister and former caretaker Prime Minister Yair Lapid, were candid in their opposition to Russia’s actions.

However, upon retaking office, current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared to take a tougher stance against Russian President Vladimir Putin than his predecessor.

It’s just after lunchtime in Jerusalem and the normally bustling city center is eerily quiet.

Sirens warning of incoming rockets sounded briefly earlier today, prompting people to seek shelter.

Many have not returned to the streets.The area around Yehuda Market, a popular spot for tourists and locals alike, has been unusually silent, with only a few people out and about. Many shops, restaurants and cafes are closed, which is unusual.

Locals are staying at home and the tourists have left.

Three days into the conflict, many in Jerusalem are still in shock. But is seems that at least for now, this is the new reality here.

European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell arrives for a summit at EU parliament in Brussels, Belguim, on February 9.

European Union foreign ministers are expected to meet on Tuesday to address the situation in Israel, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on X, formerly known as Twitter.

An EU official told CNN that the meeting will be held in a hybrid format with “a combination of personal presence of those EU Ministers who went to Muscat” and via video link for those not able to attend. 

Nine nationals from Latin American countries are unaccounted for following the attacks by Hamas in Israel.

Peru and Paraguay’s foreign ministries each said two nationals were from their respective countries. Mexico’s foreign minister said a pair of the country’s nationals were presumably taken hostage as well.

Three Brazilian nationals are also missing, according to CNN Brasil citing the Brazilian government.

Israeli emergency responders cordon off the site of a rocket attack in the southern Israeli city of Ashdod on October 9.

As of Monday afternoon, 2,506 people had been wounded in the attacks by Hamas that began Saturday morning in Israel, the country’s health ministry said.

A British-Israeli tech entrepreneur has helped hundreds of Israelis stranded in the United Kingdom to fly back home. 

Shneor Crombie, who has lived in London for 12 years, has been working closely with both El Al, Israel’s national carrier, and its embassy in the UK, to help citizens return to the country. 

Crombie put a call out on social media asking for anyone who had tickets to Israel and was willing to donate them to those in need. El Al has made flight changes free of charge, while other members of the public have donated funds to help buy extra airfares. 

“We are just ordinary civilians trying to do our best to help in this difficult moment,” he told CNN. “Dozens and dozens of people gave their tickets or donated tickets and the efforts keep going. It’s a very difficult time and from what I’m seeing everyone is helping us as much as possible.”

So far, Crombie says he has helped nearly 200 people get on flights, and there are many more people still awaiting flights.

“There are many more initiatives like our one in London. There are flights from Lima in Peru, New York, Los Angeles, Bangkok. We have been in contact with the people organizing those and are all trying to help each other,” he added.

Israel’s foreign ministry has now stepped in to play a bigger role in a more coordinated effort to bring its citizens home, Crombie said.

Israel's outgoing Prime Minister Yair Lapid heads a cabinet meeting in Jerusalem, Israel, on November 20, 2022.

Israeli opposition leader and former caretaker Prime Minster Yair Lapid said a ground incursion into Gaza is “not off the table,” but that Israel must consider the fate of the dozens of hostages that have been whisked into the enclave.

“On one hand everything is on the table, nothing is off, including an incursion. On the other hand, we have people there, and we are worried sick about them,” Lapid said in an interview with CNN’s Becky Anderson.

It is unclear how many people have been kidnapped. Israeli authorities have said “dozens” are being held in Gaza, while Hamas claims to have more than 100. Islamic Jihad, another Islamist militant group, said it is holding 30.

Visiting U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, center, speaks during a bilateral meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the Diaoyutai Guest House in Beijing, China, on October 9.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer expressed his disappointment over China’s response to the attacks on Israel to Chinese President Xi Jinping during a meeting in Beijing on Monday.

In a statement on Sunday, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs called on “relevant parties to remain calm, exercise restraint and immediately end the hostilities.” 

When asked to about Schumer’s criticism on Monday, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Mao Ning responded with a revised statement calling for a ceasefire and expressing sadness for the loss of civilian life.

Schumer, a Democrat from New York, is in China leading a bipartisan delegation of senators.

Rockets were seen being intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome air defense system by the CNN team in the southern Israeli city of Ashdod

Dirty dust could be seen rising through the air as several rockets hit the ground nearby. A number of rocket interceptors were launched, indicating that a large barrage had been fired from Gaza.

Hamas said earlier that it had shot 120 rockets toward Ashdod and nearby Ashkelon.

A salvo of rockets is fired from Gaza City toward Israel on October 7.

Iran’s mission to the United Nations said Tehran was not involved in Hamas’ attacks on Israel in a statement to CNN.

“We emphatically stand in unflinching support of Palestine; however, we are not involved in Palestine’s response, as it is taken solely by Palestine itself,” the statement said.

Some background: Iran has repeatedly been accused of attempting to arm Hamas and other groups in its effort to attack by proxy.

US officials told CNN on Sunday that the Biden administration has yet to find a smoking gun so far linking Iran directly to planning and executing this weekend’s assault.

However, there’s no denying Iran’s history of aiding Hamas, the officials say. They are beginning to go as far as to say that Iran’s well-established connections to Hamas would mean it is likely Tehran’s help in training and financing ultimately played a role.

Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant attends a news conference in Berlin, Germany, on September 28.

Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant says he has given an order for Gaza’s “complete siege.” 

No electricity, food, fuel or water will be delivered to the enclave, which is surrounded on three sides by Israel and Egypt.

“We are fighting barbarians and will respond accordingly,” he said on camera.

Rockets are fired from Gaza toward Israel on October 9.

Hamas says it fired 120 rockets toward the southern Israeli cities of Ashdod and Ashkelon in response to Israeli airstrikes, the militant group said in a statement.

The salvo comes after the group said it fired rockets toward Jerusalem and Tel Aviv further north, setting off sirens in those cities.

Rescuers carry the bodies of people pulled from collapsed buildings after Israeli airstrikes in Rafah, Gaza, on October 9.

At least 493 people have died and 2,651 have been wounded in Gaza since Israel began carrying out airstrikes in response to Hamas’ surprise attack early Saturday morning, the Palestinian health ministry in the enclave said.

Sirens warning of incoming rockets in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv rang out at noon local time (5 a.m. ET) on Monday, the third day of war between Israel and Hamas.

A CNN producer in Gaza saw outgoing rocket fire, and CNN producers in Jerusalem heard booms of what sounded like Israel’s Iron Dome air defense system intercepting incoming rockets.

Hamas later said on social media that it had it fired rockets on Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.

Israeli soldiers look at the remains of a police station which was the site of a battle with Hamas gunmen in Sderot, southern Israel, on October 8.

There is no fighting going on between Israel Defense Forces troops and Hamas inside Israel, and the IDF has re-taken control of all communities around the Gaza Strip, IDF spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari told reporters Monday morning.

The announcement comes more than 48 hours after Hamas launched a surprise attack with thousands of rockets and sent fighters across the border in an incursion the likes of which Israel has not seen since its 1948 War of Independence.

Rescuers remove a person on a stretcher from under the rubble of a house destroyed during Israeli strikes in Rafah, southern Gaza, on Monday.

Videos and images on social media show mosques and residential buildings flattened in Gaza, as the death toll in the territory rose to at least 436 people on Monday.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Monday it attacked 500 Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad targets overnight.

The Palestinian interior ministry said most of the targets were “towers, residential buildings, civil and service facilities, and many mosques.”

Mosques and homes hit: The IDF claimed Monday that two Hamas operational assets were struck inside a mosque in Gaza. It claimed to have struck another seven Hamas command centers, an Islamic Jihad command center, and numerous multi-story buildings including the home of Hamas secretary Ruhi Mashtaa.

Hamas denied that the buildings targeted were used by the militant group, saying residential homes were targeted without warning. 

Thousands displaced: The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) said nearly 74,000 people in Gaza were displaced and taking shelter in their schools. Those numbers are “likely to increase as heavy shelling and airstrikes continue including on civilian areas,” it said.

The agency said one UNRWA school sheltering people was directly hit.

Germany “has to assume” there are German citizens among those captured by Islamist militant group Hamas on Saturday, a German foreign office source told CNN Sunday.

The German foreign ministry and German embassy in Tel Aviv are coordinating “very closely” with Israeli authorities, the source said.

The source added that Germany will not comment publicly on the number of kidnapped or individual cases to protect those individuals.

CNN earlier confirmed the identity of German-Israeli woman Shani Louk, who was seen unconscious in a video in the custody of armed militants in Gaza. Her mother told CNN she discovered Louk had been captured at a music festival near the Gaza border through a viral video on social media.

Hamas has claimed it is holding more than 100 hostages.

An Israeli father is missing after he rushed to a music festival near the Gaza-Israel border to save his daughter during an attack by Hamas militants, his family told CNN on Sunday.

Mark Peretz was on the phone with his daughter Maya, who was at the outdoor Nova Festival event Saturday, when he heard gunshots and screaming.

“When we started to figure out that Hamas just crossed the borders … my father understood that my sister’s gonna be kidnapped soon, so he decided to take the car and started to drive south,” said Peretz’s son Gilad Peretz.

Gilad said his father reached the site of the festival around 8:30 a.m.

When he called, “I heard shots and he tried to say ‘don’t shoot them,’” Gilad said. He lost contact with his father soon after.

“He might be kidnapped or dead at this moment,” Gilad said.

His sister Maya managed to escape Hamas militants by running and hiding in bushes and trash cans, and later took shelter in a police station, Gilad said. She made it home safely.

Israeli rescue workers later said they found at least 260 bodies at the festival site. Some attendees were taken hostage, seen in social media videos being seized by their armed captors.

The community of Be’eri in southern Israel was “very badly hit” during an attack by Islamist militant group Hamas, an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson said Monday.

Israeli troops are still fighting in the kibbutz, though most Hamas militants there have been killed, Hecht added.

Be’eri lies just three miles (5 kilometers) from Gaza’s eastern border.

Videos obtained and geolocated by CNN show that at least four civilians were killed while in Hamas custody, just feet from where armed militants had been escorting them in Be’eri.

Palestinians inspect the destruction in a neighborhood heavily damaged by Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City's Shati refugee camp early on Monday.

The death toll in Gaza has risen to 436, Palestinian officials said Monday, as Israel pummels the isolated, densely populated territory with airstrikes in response to the Hamas attack.

The toll includes 81 children and 61 women, according to the Palestinian health ministry in Gaza.

Some 2,271 people have been injured in Gaza, including 244 children and 151 women, the ministry added.

Meanwhile, the death toll in Israel has risen to more than 700, a spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces said on Sunday.

Twelve Thai citizens have been killed and 11 others kidnapped during the conflict in Israel, a spokesperson for Thailand’s foreign ministry said Monday.

Eight Thais have also been injured in the country since violence erupted on Saturday, the spokesperson told a news conference, adding that the names of the victims would be withheld from the media until their families had been told.

More than 1,000 Thai workers have requested help to be evacuated, the spokesperson said. There are approximately 30,000 Thai workers in Israel, according to the foreign ministry.

The Royal Thai Air Force is on standby to evacuate Thai citizens from Israel, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has said.

Foreign victims: A number of foreign or dual nationals have been confirmed killed or captured by Hamas militants, including Mexican and Brazilian nationals taken hostage by the group.

US Sen. Chuck Schumer said Sunday that four Americans had been killed, adding: “We know the toll will rise.”

At least 10 Nepali citizens and two Ukrainians were also killed, according to their respective authorities.

The Capitol Building is seen at sunrise on September 30.

A weekend of terror in Israel has sharpened already grave questions about the capacity of the politically fractured United States to lay out a unified and coherent response to a world spinning out of its control.

When the House of Representatives descended into chaos last week, many Republicans, Democrats and independent experts warned that anarchy raging in US politics sent a dangerous message to the outside world. But no one could foresee just how quickly the paralysis in Washington would test the country’s reaction to a major global crisis.

The horrific Hamas attacks on Israeli civilians, which have killed hundreds of people and shattered the country’s sense of security, thrust the Middle East to the precipice of a new era of violence and instability. This followed a period of relative calm and after US presidents spent years trying to extricate American forces from the region.

Israel’s response to the carnage caused by a major Iranian proxy raises the possibility of a wider regional war that would further destabilize the global order already rocked by the war in Ukraine and China’s flagrant challenges to Western power.

A situation this dangerous requires a calm, united and thoughtful US response, supported across the political spectrum. But the turmoil in America’s politics — plagued by internal extremism, threats to democracy and the hyperpoliticization of foreign policy — means it will be an impossible task to bring the country together at a perilous moment.

House Speaker vacancy: Swift efforts by lawmakers to quickly register support for Israel and to rush extra aid to its government could be hampered by the collapse of the Republican Party’s ability to govern in the House after the ouster of Speaker Kevin McCarthy last week by his party’s extreme elements.

Looming presidential election: And the US is also facing an unprecedented election season. A president with low approval ratings confronting questions about his advanced age could go up against a potential Republican nominee who could be an indicted felon by Election Day. This means, at best, the United States will spend the coming months preoccupied by its own political plight. At worst, the world’s superpower guarantor of democracy could actually worsen global disruption and instability.

Read Collinson’s full analysis here.

At least four civilians were killed while in the custody of Hamas, just feet from where armed militants had been escorting them near the Gaza border, videos obtained and geolocated by CNN show.

One video from the kibbutz of Be’eri in southern Israel showed armed fighters with burned cars and a bulldozer in the background. Toward the end of the video, which was released on a Hamas-affiliated Telegram channel, four bodies can be seen on the ground.

Another video previously geolocated by CNN showed five Israeli civilians taken captive by armed militants in nearly the same spot.

A CNN analysis of the videos determined that the bodies, and the individuals being escorted by heavily armed militants, had matching clothes and hairstyles. It is not clear what happened to the fifth hostage.

Be’eri lies just three miles from the eastern border of Gaza.

Hamas militants have taken more than 100 Israelis hostage, including high-ranking army officers, a spokesperson for the group claimed Sunday. It’s believed they are in Gaza but their fate is unknown.

Read more here.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are still fighting against Hamas on the ground in southern Israel, a military spokesperson said Monday, more than 48 hours after the Palestinian militant group launched a surprise attack.

It’s also possible that Hamas fighters are still crossing into Israel from Gaza, he said, adding that Israeli airstrikes are targeting locations where militants are gathering to cross the border.

Dozens of Israelis are being held as hostages, Hect also said, without providing a specific number.

He added that Hamas did not “knock on the roof” — the Israeli military’s warning for civilians before it bombs a building.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer speaks during a bilateral meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing on Monday.

US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer urged China to “stand with the Israeli people” during a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing on Monday.

In a statement Sunday, China’s foreign ministry said it is “deeply concerned” over the escalation of tensions and violence.

Schumer, who is leading a bipartisan delegation to Beijing, told Wang on Monday he “was very disappointed,” by the Chinese foreign ministry’s statement “that showed no sympathy or support for Israel during these tough, troubled times.”

Palestinian militants move toward the border fence with Israel from Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on Saturday.

Armed militants from Gaza launched a surprise attack on Israel at dawn on Saturday, blasting holes in the border fence, killing an unknown number of Israeli soldiers and taking hostages, propaganda videos geolocated and authenticated by CNN show.

Israeli soldiers at border posts appeared to have been largely caught by surprise by the assault, which was carried out using what appeared to be drones, rocket-propelled grenades, anti-tank guided missiles and assault weapons, according to videos shared on social media by the Islamist militant group Hamas.

The militants also took over military bases near the border, capturing military vehicles and setting fire to tanks. In some cases, fighters advanced for a few miles into communities near the security fence separating Gaza from Israel, taking civilians captive.

CNN has examined nearly a dozen Hamas propaganda videos, using analysis and geolocation to piece together what happened in key locations. These videos, published by Hamas on their social media channels, were heavily edited by the terror group.

Read CNN’s analysis here.

Smoke rises above buildings during an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City on Monday.

Israel is not in full control of its territory along the border with Gaza, an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson told CNN on Sunday.

Conricus said there are still openings in the border, but they have been “temporarily patched up and guarded.”

The IDF’s goal now is to rid Hamas of its “military capabilities to fight and to harm Israeli civilians, and also achieve the situation where Hamas no longer has the ability to govern the Gaza Strip,” he said.

Families of some Israelis feared to have been taken hostage by Hamas militants on Sunday urged the government to provide answers about their loved ones.

In a news conference broadcast by Israel’s Channel 12, father Uri David said he had been on the phone with his two daughters for half an hour before they were believed to have been captured.

A mother at the news conference in the city of Ramat Gan, Meirav Leshem Gonen, said she was on the phone with her daughter as gunmen shot at the car she was in.

Gonen said her daughter had begged for help as the militants approached. Gonen heard more shots fired — then the call ended.

David and Gonen said they do not know the status of their children. 

Hostages taken: Hamas militants claimed Sunday to be holding more than 100 hostages in Gaza, including high-ranking Israeli army officers.

Israeli authorities have said that dozens of hostages are being held in Gaza, but have not confirmed a precise number.

A gunman is seen in dashcam footage from a car at a music festival in southern Israel.

Hamas militants who attacked a music festival in southern Israel Saturday shot and killed people at point-blank range then looted their belongings, according to dashcam footage authenticated and geolocated by CNN.

It’s unclear whose car the video came from, or who salvaged the footage, which began circulating on social media on Sunday. But the clips are shedding new light on the attack at the festival site, where Israeli rescuers say they found 260 people dead.

The first video begins at 9:23 a.m., according to its timecode — several hours after attendees told CNN they heard the first explosions.

A militant is seen yelling, then pointing his machine gun at a person taking cover next to the car. Empty shells rocket out of the gun; it’s unclear if he was firing warning shots, or if he had shot the civilian. 

The man, covered in blood, is led away by the gunman. It’s unknown what happened to him afterward.

A second individual is seen lying on the ground at the back of another car. The person begins to move, when another militant appears on screen. The gunman runs up to them, fires at the person, and walks away.

A second video from the dashcam, timestamped 12:09 p.m., shows two militants approach the body of the second individual. 

After rifling through their pockets, a militant picks something off the body and puts it in his own back pocket.  

A few minutes later, they grab a woman out of the back of the car, and she is led off-screen. The militants then empty a suitcase from another car’s trunk, going through the contents.

Shortly afterward, the captured woman is seen running and waving toward the festival grounds, with bullets hitting the ground around her. She takes cover again next to the emptied suitcase and open trunk. Her fate is unknown.  

Oil prices surged and US stock futures fell on Sunday night in their first reaction to Israel’s war with Hamas.

Although Israel is not a major oil producer, escalating tensions in the oil-rich Middle East spooked investors who have already been selling off oil in recent weeks.

On Sunday night, US oil prices surged 4% higher above $86 a barrel. Brent crude, the global benchmark, was also about 4% higher, trading around $88 a barrel.

Stephen Innes, managing partner of SPI Asset Management, said the surge was likely due to a tendency among traders to take “a buy-first-ask-questions-later response to Middle East geopolitical escalations.”

In the equity markets, US stock futures, which rose Friday on a surprisingly strong American job market report, fell sharply Sunday night.

Dow futures were down 200 points, or 0.6%. S&P 500 futures were down 0.7%. And Nasdaq futures were 0.7% lower.

Global investors fear prolonged tensions in the Middle East could hurt the fragile global economic recovery.

Read more here.

A missile explodes in Gaza City during an Israeli air strike on Sunday.

The death toll is rising in Israel and Gaza as fighting rages between Israeli forces and Hamas militants and as more details emerge of the dead and those taken hostage.

Israel formally declared war on Hamas on Sunday after the Islamist militant group launched its deadly surprise assault on Saturday. Israel also cut power to Gaza — complicating medical care efforts as the densely-populated territory is pounded by Israeli airstrikes.

If you’re just joining us, here’s what you need to know:

Islamist militant group Hamas on Sunday accused the United States of taking part in “aggression against Palestinian people” by sending a Navy carrier strike group to the eastern Mediterranean Sea.

The Navy carrier strike group includes the USS Gerald R. Ford, a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, accompanied by guided missile destroyers and guided missile cruisers.

The US is also positioning more fighter jets to the Middle East, as a deterrent to Hezbollah in Lebanon and other militant groups aligned against Israel, officials say.

Israel has “severely degraded the capabilities” of Palestinian militant group Hamas as airstrikes on Gaza continued into early Monday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said.

The IDF said it targeted a structure that housed Hamas operatives and several of the group’s operational command centers, including a three-floor command center.

The IDF also said it targeted:

Israel has been pounding Gaza with airstrikes and formally declared war on Hamas Sunday following an unprecedented surprise attack by the militant group that began on Saturday. More than 400 Palestinians have died, according to the health ministry in Gaza, and medical care has been complicated by Israel cutting power to the territory.

Officials say the death toll in Israel has passed 700.

Hamas fighters are holding more than 100 Israeli hostages in Gaza, including high-ranking army officers, a spokesperson for the militant group claimed Sunday.

Asked about the presence of Israeli army officers among the hostages, Marzouk said: “There are high-ranking officers.” 

Another Palestinian armed group, Islamic Jihad, on Sunday said it is holding at least 30 hostages in Gaza.

CNN is unable to verify the claims of Hamas and Islamic Jihad. 

Israel authorities have said that dozens of Israelis are being held hostage in Gaza but have not confirmed exact numbers.

In addition to Israeli captives, there are several other nationalities believed to be taken hostage. Two Mexican nationals, a woman and a man, have “presumably” been taken hostage by Hamas, Mexico’s Foreign Minister Alicia Barcena said on Sunday. At least three Brazilian nationals are also missing, according to Brazilian authorities.

Ambassador Riyad Mansour, Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine to the United Nations, arrives to speak to reporters during a press conference before the UN Security Council meeting on Sunday.

No action was taken following the United Nations Security Council emergency meeting on the situation in the Middle East, according to several Security Council members who spoke Sunday afternoon.

“I don’t want to get into what was really discussed in the briefing, but there are a good number of countries that condemned Hamas’ attacks,” Deputy US Ambassador to the UN Robert Wood told reporters following the meeting. “They’re obviously not all (condemning the attacks), and I don’t really want to get into that. I think you can probably figure out one of them without me saying anything.”

Some context: The Security Council consists of 10 elected members, and five permanent members — China, the United States, France, the United Kingdom, and the Russian Federation. All 15 members would have needed to vote unanimously for any statement to emerge following the Security Council meeting.

More from the council: “The situation is still fluid and very dangerous,” Wood said.

He added officials are working hard to try to prevent the conflict from spreading through the region.

When asked about the plight of Palestinians in the region, Wood said, “We condemn civilians who are hurt or killed anywhere in the world. That goes without saying. What’s important now is that the international community to show its solidarity with Israel.”

Hamas should be condemned until they end their violent terrorist activity, he added.

Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepts rockets launched from the Gaza, as seen from Ashkelon, on Sunday.

Hamas, which earlier said it was targeting Ben Gurion International Airport, also said it had launched “a major missile attack with 100 rockets” on Ashkelon in southern Israel.

The rockets were fired at the coastal city in response to Israel Defense Forces “targeting of their safe houses,” said the Izzedine al Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Palestinian militant group.

Ashkelon is not far north of the border with the Gaza Strip.

Loud explosions could be heard across central Israel and the suburbs of Tel Aviv late Sunday, according to CNN teams on the ground.

Hamas has claimed it is targeting the Ben Gurion International Airport, Israel’s international hub, which is located just outside Tel Aviv.

The Izzedine al Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, said in a statement that the “missile barrage was in response to the continuing crimes and targeting of civilian homes.”

Remember: Hamas launched an unprecedented surprise attack from Gaza on Saturday, leading Israel to declare war on the Palestinian militant group. Since then, Israel has bombarded Gaza with airstrikes, and Hamas has launched further attacks from the territory.

At least 260 bodies have been found at the site of an Israeli music festival following Saturday’s attack by Hamas, according to Israeli rescue service Zaka.

Hamas gunmen shot at fleeing attendees and took others hostage at the festival in a rural farmland area near the Gaza-Israel border, according to social media videos and accounts from festivalgoers.

The terrifying attack was just one of multiple locations hit on Saturday morning by the most sustained and coordinated assault inside Israel ever carried out by Hamas, the Palestinian militant group designated as a terror organization by the United States, European Union and Israel.

The outdoor Nova Festival event was supposed to be an all-night dance party, celebrating the Jewish holiday of Sukkot.

Read more about the festival attack here.

CNN’s Paul P. Murphy, Allegra Goodwin, Benjamin Brown and Sharif Paget contributed reporting to this post.

A US Navy carrier strike group is headed to the eastern Mediterranean Sea, according to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, as Israel prepares for a large-scale campaign against Hamas in Gaza.

The USS Gerald R. Ford, a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, was sailing with the Italian Navy earlier this week, according to the ship’s social media, putting it close to Israel.

The carrier will be accompanied by guided missile destroyers and guided missile cruisers, which are two other classes of Navy warship.

The US is also taking steps to bolster its presence of fighter jets in the region, including F-35, F-15, F-16 and A-10 squadrons. It sent several of these aircraft to the Middle East in recent months in response to aggression from Iranian forces across the region, including in Syria and in the Gulf of Oman.

Why it matters: The strike group’s presence is intended as a deterrent to Hezbollah in Lebanon and other militant groups aligned against Israel, the officials said.

US President Joe Biden warned Saturday that “this is not a moment for any party hostile to Israel to exploit these attacks to seek advantage.”

Remember: Hamas, like Hezbollah, has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, European Union and Israel.

Israel accuses its archenemy Iran of backing Hamas.

An official in US President Joe Biden’s administration said Saturday that it’s not yet clear whether Iran played a direct role in this weekend’s attacks on Israel, but that there is no question Hamas is funded, equipped and armed by Iran.

Women are seeing walking by destroyed buildings in southern Gaza on Sunday.

Tens of thousands of people have been displaced in Gaza as Israeli Defense Forces continue to target Hamas positions on the strip, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) said on Sunday.

The statement also noted that an “UNRWA school sheltering displaced families in the Gaza Strip was directly hit today (Sunday). The school, sheltering more than 225 people, was severely damaged. No casualties were recorded among the displaced.”