October 11, 2023 - Israel-Hamas war news

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is seen in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on June 7. 

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said Saudi Arabia “is making unremitting efforts” to stop the escalation in fighting following Hamas’ assault on Israel, according to Saudi state-run SPA news. 

The crown prince affirmed, in a phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on Wednesday:

A senior Hamas official based in Lebanon said militants had been preparing for the attack on Israel for two years, according to an edited interview with Russia Today’s Arabic-news channel RTArabic published on its website a day after the attack.

“We manufactured a lot,” said Ali Baraka, head of Hamas National Relations Abroad. “We have local factories for everything.”

The factories can make different rockets with maximum ranges from 10 to 250 kilometers, and they can make mortars and mortar shells, he said.

They also produced firearms.

“We have factories for Kalashnikovs and their bullets. We’re manufacturing the bullets with permission from the Russians. We’re building it in Gaza.”

Half an hour after the attack, “the Palestinian resistance factions were contacted, in addition to our allies Hezbollah and Iran,” he said. Hamas also notified Turkey, he said.

Baraka made no mention of any outside involvement in the planning of the attack, saying only that the allies of Hamas “support us with weapons and money. First and foremost, it is Iran that gives us money and weapons. Also Hezbollah.”

Russia inquired about the attack afterward, Baraka said.

“They were updated about our situation and the goals of the battle,” Baraka said.

He also said Moscow was happy for the United States to be distracted by the Israel-Hamas conflict instead of the war in Ukraine.

Baraka said that among the goals of Hamas is the release of Palestinian prisoners in the United States.

“We have Hamas members sentenced to life in prison in the US,” he said. “We call on the US to free our sons in their prisons. The US does prisoner swaps. It recently did one with Iran. Why doesn’t it do a prisoner swap with us?”

Context: Baraka is a Hamas political official based in Lebanon. Palestinian factions in Lebanon are not always tightly coordinated with their counterparts in Gaza and the West Bank in part because of severe restrictions on travel on both ends, as well the hollowing out of Palestinian politics in Lebanon starting in 1982. The majority of Palestinians in Lebanon have never been to Palestinian territories. 

Aryeh Shlomo Ziering

Aryeh Shlomo Ziering, a 27-year-old dual Israeli-American citizen, was killed in Israel, his aunt Debby Ziering confirmed.

He was a captain in the Israel Defense Forces’ dog-handling unit.  

Ziering’s parents are from New York and Maine. They moved to Israel after getting married. Although he was born and raised in Israel, Ziering attended summer camp in the United States and grew up speaking English with his parents, his aunt said. 

Debby Ziering also told CNN that Aryeh grew up not wanting to be a soldier, but “when my nephew does something, he does it 200%. And he was very passionate about protecting his country.”

He was a “fun-loving, athletic, great kid.”

At least 13 Latin American citizens have been killed in Israel following Hamas’ surprise attack on Saturday.  

Colombia’s government announced Wednesday the death of a Colombian-Israeli woman who had been missing since Saturday.  

In addition, seven Argentines, two Peruvians, two nationals from Brazil, and one person from Chile have been reported killed after the attacks.

At least 20 more Latin American citizens are missing, with people from Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Paraguay, and Colombia.  

Several Latin American countries have also begun evacuating their citizens.  

Mexico’s Foreign Affairs Ministry announced Wednesday on X, formerly known as Twitter, that the first plane carrying 135 Mexican evacuees is en route to its capital.  

In Brazil, the first repatriation flight with 211 passengers landed in Brasilia early Wednesday. A second flight carrying 214 people took off shortly after midday, Brazilian time, from Tel Aviv. Additional flights are expected to fly to Tel Aviv until Sunday.   

Chile has evacuated 209 of its citizens on three flights, according to the country’s Foreign Ministry.  

Peru’s government reported on X that 16 nationals have been flown out of Israel, and 131 of them are expected to leave in the “next upcoming days.” Authorities also informed on Wednesday that a woman who was reported missing had been located and is safe.  

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wants his country to work on delivering humanitarian aid to civilians affected by the Israel-Hamas conflict, his office said Wednesday.

Erdogan made the comments during a phone call with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman and “stressed that it is important for regional countries to give constructive messages for the termination of the conflicts,” the Turkish presidency said on X, the platform previously known as Twitter.

As Erdogan discussed the aid delivery and the latest developments in the conflict with MBS, the Turkish president also said “it is unacceptable to bomb civilian settlements.” 

Following Saturday’s attack by Hamas, Israel said it has ordered a “complete siege” on Gaza, including halting supplies of electricity, food, water and fuel. 

Erdogan’s office did not say how the Turkish aid would be delivered to the Palestinian enclave.

Israel has called up roughly the same number of reservists as the combined number of reservists across the entire US military. 

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is composed of three service branches: the Israeli Ground Forces, the Israeli Air Force, and the Israeli Navy.  

IDF spokesperson Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus said Wednesday that 300,000 reservists were “close to the Gaza Strip.” The figure includes “infantry, armored soldiers, artillery corps and many other soldiers from the reserves,” Conricus said.  

The total number of US forces in the reserves across the Air Force, Army, Marines and Navy is 331,392 as of August 31, 2023, according to US Defense Department data. 

In an interview with CNN earlier Wednesday, IDF spokesperson Doron Spielman referenced reports that said Israel’s mobilization is on the “scale of a major country,” such as the US.  

“There’s not a family that does not have somebody that’s been called up,” Spielman said.  

Unlike most militaries, which have larger active-duty forces and relatively smaller reserve forces, Israel’s military is the opposite. Israel’s reserve force is larger than its active-duty force, and Israeli service members who complete their mandatory military service frequently become a part of the reserve forces. The system provides the country with a large population to call upon in the event of an emergency. 

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said Wednesday it is “urgently seeking” $104 million to provide its humanitarian response to the civilians impacted by the escalation of violence in Gaza. 

The agency said in a statement it wants “to enable its multi-sectoral humanitarian response over the coming 90 days. The requested funds will cover the urgent immediate food, non-food, health, shelter and protection needs of up to 250,000 persons seeking safety in UNRWA shelters across the ravaged Gaza Strip and another 250,000 Palestine refugees within the community.”

UNRWA said it is facing a financial crisis and only has sufficient funding to carry on its activities in the region until the end of the month. 

“What is unfolding is already an unprecedented humanitarian tragedy. Whatever the circumstances are, rules apply in times of conflict and this one is no exception. Aid to civilians who have nowhere to flee must be immediate: water, food, medicine,” Lazzarini said.

Itay Glisko

A New-Jersey-born Israeli soldier died in the attacks on Israel, his relatives tell CNN.  

On Tuesday night, soldiers knocked on the door of Itay Glisko’s parent’s home at 1:30 a.m. to tell them their son was dead, according to Rachel Glisko, Itay’s aunt who currently lives in Los Angeles.  

For four days, the family was hoping and praying. “Nobody knew what was going on with him,” she said.

The family posted on social media with caution, “afraid of writing the wrong things,” because he was American which they feared could hurt him.

“They would know that he’s a soldier,” said Zehava Glisko, Itay’s father’s cousin. 

Rachel has been in constant contact with Itay’s father in Israel. She was on the phone with him while he answered the door knock. 

“We knew, when the soldiers were coming at that time to the house, we knew,” Rachel said. 

Zehava learned from Rachel of his relative’s death at a gathering in a Jewish Community Center in Tenafly, New Jersey.

Itay was not supposed to be present during Saturday’s attack, Zehava said, but one of his friends asked him to take his shift that day.  

“He took care of them, he was fighting and was taking care of his fellow soldiers who got wounded,” Rachel said. “When he got attacked, he called his cousin, and told them, ‘I’m taking care of wounded soldiers but around me, there is 30 soldiers and I don’t know what to do,’” Rachel said, later clarifying that she was referring to Hamas “terrorists” surrounding him.

She described her nephew as smart, “a great great child” with manners, “kind and generous” and said he “didn’t complain about anything in the army.”

“Someone who made it out of there said he was fighting to the last minute,” Zehava said. said. “They fought like lions.”  

Rachel said her family is devastated. 

Zehava said in Hebrew, they called Itay the best of the best.

“In Hebrew, we said he was the salt of the Earth.”

This post has been updated to include additional comments from Rachel Glisko.

The Israel Defense Forces killed three gunmen in an area adjacent to kibbutz Nir Am on Wednesday, after identifying a number of vehicles with gunmen, the IDF said.

An IDF tank responded by firing toward the vehicles, killing the three gunmen, the IDF said, adding its soldiers are “continuing to conduct searches in the area.”

A CNN team in the area heard rounds of small arms fire around the time of the incident.

Hamas has denied that its militants beheaded children and attacked women when it launched a large-scale surprise assault on Israel last Saturday that left nearly 1,200 people dead in Israel.

Hamas spokesman and senior official Izzat al-Risheq said in a statement Wednesday that reports “spread lies about our Palestinian people and the resistance claiming that members of the Palestinian resistance beheaded children and attacked women with no evidence to support such claims and lies.”

Tal Heinrich, a spokesperson for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said earlier on Wednesday that babies and toddlers were found with their “heads decapitated” in Kfar Aza in southern Israel after Hamas’ attacks in the kibbutz over the weekend.

Some context: In addition, days after the assault, other horrifying details are still emerging.

In Kfar Aza, a kibbutz in southern Israel, the Israel Defense Forces told CNN that militants carried out a “massacre” in which women, children, toddlers and elderly were “brutally butchered in an ISIS way of action.”

Less than 20 kilometers (12 miles) away, the farming community Be’eri was among the worst-hit, with more than 100 bodies recovered and eyewitnesses describing assailants going door to door, breaking into homes and executing civilians.

In addition, at least 260 bodies were recovered at the site of the Nova festival, held on rural farmland in southern Israel.

Harris speaks with reporters in Charleston, South Carolina, on Wednesday, October 11.

Vice President Kamala Harris blasted “extreme acts of terrorism” that unfolded over the weekend while pledging the administration’s support for Israel in her first public comments since Hamas’ attack Saturday.

The vice president echoed comments made by President Joe Biden on Tuesday, saying that one of the administration’s “highest priorities, of course, is the safety and well-being of American citizens.”

Earlier Wednesday, a State Department spokesperson confirmed the American death toll following Hamas’ attack had risen to 22, while White House press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters during the press briefing that 17 Americans remain unaccounted for. 

Of the 17 Americans unaccounted for in Israel at this time, the number believed to be held hostage by Hamas “is very small, very small — like less than a handful,” National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications John Kirby told reporters Wednesday.

Earlier Wednesday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters that 17 Americans remain unaccounted for. Additionally, a State Department spokesperson confirmed the American death toll following the Hamas attack in Israel had risen to 22. Kirby said Americans “need to steel ourselves” for the possibility that this number could continue to rise.

“I think we all need to steel ourselves for the very distinct possibility that these numbers will keep increasing, and that we may, in fact, find out that more Americans are part of the hostage pool,” he said. In a follow-up exchange, he said the White House cannot confirm that all 22 American citizens confirmed killed were killed by Hamas.

Kirby also offered support for families affected by the ongoing hostage crisis. “We’re with you, we’re grieving with you, are sorrowful with you, we’re working with you, and we’re gonna do everything we can — particularly for those who don’t know where a loved one is, to find out where they are, and to get them home with you where they belong,” he said.

Biden administration is offering support to Israel in safely negotiating the safe return of hostages, he said, adding that while the Israelis “have a very robust hostage recovery capability of their own … we also have a lot of know-how too.”

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his trip to Israel.

American death toll could rise: The US is aware of 22 Americans who were killed following attacks by Hamas last weekend, Blinken noted, adding, “That number could still go up, and it probably will.”

Humanitarian corridor: Blinken also said discussions about a humanitarian corridor that would allow civilians to leave Gaza via Egypt are “ongoing,” telling reporters it was “understandably complicated.”

Blinken would not say whether the US had specifically advocated Israel for restraint, with the potential for ground operations in Gaza looming.

“I’m not getting into any of the operational details of what Israel may or may not do,” he said, adding:

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00:25 - Source: CNN

An Israeli army self-propelled howitzer fires rounds near the border with Gaza in southern Israel, on Wednesday, October 11.

Israel has formed an emergency government and war management cabinet as fighting enters a fifth day following the surprise attacks by Hamas on Saturday that killed at least 1,200 people and injured thousands more.

Israel is mobilizing troops and a humanitarian crisis is unfolding inside Gaza. The enclave’s only power station has stopped working Wednesday after running out of fuel, the head of the Gaza power authority said.

With a blockade on all sides of the border, the fuel needed for the generators needed to power essential equipment, such as medical supplies in hospitals, is running out.

Here’s where things stand:

The latest death toll: At least 1,100 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel began airstrikes in response to Hamas’ attacks, the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza said. Israel has reported at least 1,200 people dead since Saturday. Israel is “preparing for any scenario” as it continues to amass ground forces along its southern border,  IDF spokesperson Maj. Doron Spielman said.

Horrifying details: More gruesome details are emerging from the scenes of Hamas’ assault on border communities. Houses in Israeli kibbutz Kfar Aza were ransacked and set ablaze. Overturned mattresses, destroyed furniture, broken trinkets and unexploded grenades lay strewn across the grounds, along with bodies. Babies and toddlers were found with their “heads decapitated,” a spokesperson for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.

Conditions in Gaza: A humanitarian crisis is rapidly unfolding in the Palestinian enclave under Israeli bombardment. Hospitals are overwhelmed and experiencing shortages of drugs, medical supplies and electricity, Médecins Sans Frontières warned, adding that some hospitals only have enough fuel to run generators for four days.

Emergency government: National Unity Party leader Benny Gantz, a former defense minister, will join Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and current defense minister Yoav Gallant in a “war management cabinet,” they said in a statement. The emergency government will not pass any laws or make any decisions that do not concern the conduct of the war.

Involvement of Iran: Intelligence collected by the United States casts doubt on the idea that Tehran was directly involved in the planning, sourcing and approving of Hamas’ attack on Israel, sources said. Though the intelligence community is not ready to reach a full conclusion, government officials have pointed to Iran’s support for Hamas, including weapons and financing, that would have helped them even if not in a direct way.

Foreigners killed: The death toll of Americans rose to 22, the State Department said, and around 20 others are unaccounted for. At least 11 French citizens were killed, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said. About 17 British or dual British-Israeli citizens are believed to have been killed or missing, a spokesperson for Netanyahu said, citing UK officials. Additionally, two Canadians, one Austrian national and one Colombian citizen have also been confirmed dead, according to the country’s respective foreign ministries.

Several aid workers killed: Four paramedics with the Palestine Red Crescent Society were killed on Wednesday, the organization said, claiming an ambulance was targeted by Israeli forces. At least 11 employees working with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) were also killed in Gaza airstrikes since Saturday.

Evacuations being negotiated: Talks are underway to allow US and Palestinian civilians to leave Gaza through Egypt ahead of any land invasion, a senior Israeli official said. Norway and Sweden are offering to fly their citizens out of Israel, the country’s foreign minister said. Air France will operate a repatriation flight on Thursday for the “most vulnerable” French nationals, according to the French government. Germany’s foreign minister also said it evacuated students from 17 classes in Israel.

World leaders in Israel: UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly arrived in Israel on Wednesday, a spokesperson for the British Foreign Office said. He was later seen in a video running into a building as sirens sounded warning of incoming rocket fire. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will also travel to Israel with Deputy Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs Steve Gillen.

Violence has risen in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem since Israel declared its war on Hamas and continued to strike Gaza since Saturday, leaving a total of 29 Palestinians dead and 150 injured, the Palestinian health ministry said Wednesday.

Four Palestinians were killed by Israeli settlers Wednesday in the village of Qusra, south of the city of Nablus in the occupied West Bank, the head of the Qusra council, Abdelathim Wadi, told CNN. Several other people were injured.

Two of those killed by settler gunfire were adolescents, the Palestinian foreign ministry said in a statement Wednesday, adding a total of nine people were injured.

Settlers “protected by Israeli forces” also opened fire on farmers in the town of Kafr al-Dik and the village of Marda, east of Nablus, the foreign ministry statement added.

Settlers, according to international law, are Israeli civilians living in illegal settlements in the West Bank and have been accused of carrying out acts of violence – physical assault, property damage, and harassment – against Palestinians.

Clashes between Palestinians and Israeli military forces erupted in several areas in the occupied West Bank amid a closure that was imposed by the military following Hamas’ attack Saturday.

The closure includes checkpoints and roadblocks set up by the Israeli military at various entry and exit points – and limits the movement of Palestinians within the West Bank and between the West Bank and Israel, according to several Palestinian residents who spoke to CNN on Wednesday. 

Palestinians living in the West Bank told CNN the closure has significantly impacted their daily lives, restricting their ability to travel for work, school, medical treatment, and other essential activities.

Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said earlier this week that the military was on high alert in the West Bank, adding it was preparing to thwart any potential attacks.

Two Palestinians were also killed in clashes with Israeli police in the Silwan neighborhood in East Jerusalem on Tuesday, the Red Crescent said in a statement, adding that paramedics were “prevented from entering Silwan to evacuate those who sustained gun wounds.”

“The two bodies were taken away by Israeli forces,” the statement said.

Officers shot dead two people who launched fireworks at a close range and threw stones at officers operating in the area, Israeli police said in a statement Tuesday.

One of the officers was hit by the fireworks, the statement added.

Israeli police on Wednesday raided the wake tent held by the family of one of the men killed, a resident of Silwan told CNN. 

Eleven teachers in schools in Gaza run by the United Nations and 30 students have been killed in the violence, the UN said Wednesday.

An additional three teachers and eight students were also injured, according to the UN.

As 1,000 houses in Gaza have been destroyed and 560 rendered uninhabitable, 220,000 people are seeking refuge from air strikes, the UN said.

As 1,000 houses in Gaza have been destroyed and 560 rendered uninhabitable, 220,000 people are seeking refuge from air strikes, the UN said.

There are 92 UN schools in Gaza filled with citizens as food and water supplies dwindle, with some staffers working 24 hours a day, the UN said. 

The UN is following up with global leaders about the crossing into Egypt and Secretary-General António Guterres has a pending phone call with the Israeli prime minister.

 Sahar Ben-Sela speaks with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour during an interview on Wednesday from a wheelchair in a Tel Aviv hospital. 

A survivor of the Nova music festival massacre described what happened as “animal slaughter” in an interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour on Wednesday.  

“It’s like they take all the animals to one place and shoot them all,” Sahar Ben-Sela said from a wheelchair in a Tel Aviv hospital, recounting in great detail how a “big panic” set in as the shooting started amid the attacks by Hamas this weekend.

“Even in the biggest, worst scene that we’ve seen in movies, I can’t explain how many bullets and missiles were flying around us,” he said. 

A police officer pointed Sahar and others to go inside a shelter, he said – a call heeded by dozens of people.  But unfortunately, the attackers started dropping grenades into the shelter and shooting people “point blank,” Sahar said. Many of them died.  

“I got hit… but couldn’t really understand what happened,” Sahar said.

The world, he added, should know that “it was a peace festival, and we did nothing to provoke them. We just [were] dancing and having fun.” 

At least 260 bodies were found at the site of the festival, a rural farmland not far from the border between Gaza and Israel, according to Israeli rescue service Zaka. Some attendees were seen in videos posted on social media being taken hostage by armed captors.

Israel’s military said that of the at least 1,200 people killed in Israel following attacks by Hamas this weekend, at least 189 were Israeli soldiers, Daniel Hagari, the chief spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), said at a news briefing Wednesday.

At least 1,100 people have been killed and 5,339 others wounded in Gaza since Saturday, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said. 

The health ministry also warned on Wednesday that electricity outages will lead to the suspension of laboratory services and blood banks in at least 58 laboratories and blood banks, threatening the lives of thousands of people who need treatment.

Israel has stepped up its offensive in Gaza following Hamas’ initial onslaught over the weekend when armed militants poured over the heavily-fortified border.

Israel has also ordered a “complete siege” on the enclave, including halting supplies of electricity, food, water and fuel.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) issued an updated statement, ruling out a “suspected infiltration” into Israel from Lebanon “as of right now.” 

There is no major security incident in northern Israel, IDF chief spokesperson Daniel Hagari said at a press briefing on Wednesday.

This comes after the IDF earlier said a report was received regarding a suspected “infiltration from Lebanon into Israeli air space.” Sirens warning of incoming rocket fire were activated in most of northern Israel following the IDF’s warning. 

“There was an error - whether technical or human error,” Hagari said at the press event.

A man walks with mattresses in Gaza's Jabalia refugee camp on Wednesday.

Talks are underway to allow United States and Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip to exit the territory into Egypt ahead of any land invasion of the territory by Israeli forces, according to a senior Israeli official. 

Under the proposal being discussed, all US citizens would be permitted to pass through the Rafah border crossing if they present their US passports, while the movement of other Palestinian civilians would be limited to 2,000 people a day, the official with knowledge of the negotiations told CNN on Wednesday.

Final approval of the arrangement would need to come from the Egyptians, who control the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt. The Israeli official said it was “in Israel’s interests” for as many Palestinians as possible to leave Gaza.

Some context: Airstrikes in Gaza have forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes — but there is little room to go. Across the Middle East, Gaza is among the smallest and most densely packed cities.

Americans in Gaza who spoke with CNN have expressed fear and frustration about feeling that they are trapped without any safe route out of the region that is being heavily bombarded by Israeli forces.

There were reports that the only route of Gaza — via Egypt — was closed Tuesday due to strikes, and the threat of an Israeli ground incursion is looming.

The Iron Dome anti-missile system fires an interceptor missile as rockets are launched from Gaza towards Israel on August 6, 2022.

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

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, the Iron Dome fires missiles from the ground to destroy in the air.

Here’s how it works:

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg speaks during the tech giant's Connect developer conference on September 27, in Menlo Park, California.

The European Union’s Commissioner for the Internal Market, Thierry Breton, wrote a letter to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg Tuesday, saying that there has been a “surge of illegal content and disinformation” on Meta platforms.

He asked Zuckerberg to be “very vigilant” to ensure compliance with the rules, act against illegal content and deploy proportionate and effective mitigation measures. 

Breton urged Zuckerberg to respond to his requests within 24 hours, reminding him that penalties may be imposed if he did not comply. 

As Israeli airstrikes in Gaza have forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes and overwhelm areas, including hospitals, there is little room to go.

Across the Middle East, Gaza is among the smallest and most densely packed cities.

Take a look:

A report was received regarding a suspected “infiltration from Lebanon into Israeli air space,” Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Wednesday.

It did not provide further details and it was not clear whether the infiltration involved aircraft, drones, gliders, balloons or people.

It comes as sirens warning of incoming rocket fire have been activated in most of northern Israel. 

People in Upper Galilee, in northern Israel near the border with Lebanon, have been ordered by the IDF to take cover in bomb shelters “against the backdrop of the concern of an aerial infiltration to the area,” the regional council said on its Facebook account on Wednesday.

The residents in the northern Israeli city of Haifa have been told to “immediately” enter a building, close and lock the doors and windows, and turn off the lights, Haifa municipality announced on Wednesday.

“Do not leave the building until you are notified the incident is over,” the municipality said on its Facebook page. “Traffic in the area is prohibited and there is no access until further notice.”

No crashes have been detected or casualties reported so far in Israel’s territory following these reports, Israeli Air Force said on X, formerly known as Twitter. 

“IDF forces are scanning the area from the ground and from the air,” it said, urging people to “continue to obey the instructions of the Home Front Command and act accordingly.” 

A senior Israeli official says Iran was aware of the operation and effectively “gave the green light” to Hamas attacks that killed more than 1,200 Israelis at the weekend, despite US intelligence suggesting senior Iranian government officials were caught by surprise by Saturday’s bloody attack on Israel by Hamas.

The official, who has been briefed on Israeli intelligence, told CNN Wednesday that Iran, which has provided longstanding funding and training to Hamas militants, may not have known about the exact timing of the raids from Gaza, but was certainly “aware of the Hamas operation before it happened.”

On the threat from the Hezbollah militia, the Israeli official told CNN that the Iranian-backed group was currently “allowing” Palestinian factions to attack Israel from Hezbollah-controlled territory.

Amid concerns of the US being drawn into a Mideast conflict, the official told CNN that “Israel does not expect the United States to fight for us,” saying that a US aircraft carrier group newly positioned off the Israeli coast would help provide “long-range coverage” in the event of a broader regional conflict.

Deputy Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs Steve Gillen

Deputy Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs Steve Gillen is traveling with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Israel, the US State Department told the traveling press.

Gillen’s presence on the trip comes as the US is working to secure the release of an unknown number of Americans from Hamas.

Blinken has urged partner countries who have the ability to get messages to Hamas to urge the terrorist group to release all of the hostages immediately. 

Some context: There are around 20 Americans currently unaccounted for, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Tuesday. But he said the US government does not know how many of them have been taken hostage by Hamas.

At least 22 US citizens have died in Israel, a State Department spokesperson said Wednesday.

“We extend our deepest condolences to the victims and to the families of all those affected,” the spokesperson said.

This is an update from Tuesday when President Joe Biden had said at least 14 American citizens had died.

US President Joe Biden delivers remarks from the White House on Wednesday, October 11.

United States President Joe Biden is monitoring the situation in Israel “very closely,” he said Wednesday.

Speaking at a Rose Garden event on junk fees, Biden sought to balance his efforts to appeal to voters with kitchen table issues and his role as commander-in-chief during a crisis.  

Biden said he spoke Wednesday morning with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, adding that he would have more to say this afternoon as he attends an event with Jewish leaders. US Vice President Kamala Harris and Biden’s national security team were also involved in the call, he said.

Biden reiterated the “unshakeable” US commitment to the security and safety of Jewish people. 

“The United States has your back and we’re going to be working on this all day and beyond,” he said.

US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan briefs members of the press at the White House on Tuesday, October 10.

The Biden administration still does not know anything about the condition of Americans taken hostage by Hamas, a US official told CNN Wednesday.

There are around 20 Americans currently unaccounted for, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Tuesday. But he said the government does not know how many of them have been taken hostage by Hamas.

That number would be revised down if the person is confirmed dead, the US official said, and many of those 20 are expected to be dual Israeli-American citizens.

The US special operations forces that have been deployed to offer their expertise on hostage situations are not engaged in a mission to physically extract American hostages, the official added.

The Biden administration is engaged in a cross-government effort to try to account for missing Americans in Israel and those who may have been taken hostage into Gaza.

A US official familiar with the efforts says the administration is working through phone calls coming into the US embassy in Israel, the FBI and the White House from family and friends of Americans believed to be missing. Those individuals are being directed to fill out an intake form, which launches a formal verification process by the State Department and FBI.

Some of these phone calls have been based on eyewitness accounts of people being taken by Hamas. But one challenge has been trying to verify second-hand accounts, the US official said.

The government has been in touch with the next-of-kin of any American they are aware of as being missing.

Nearly two dozen Americans dead: The death toll of Americans killed in Israel rose dramatically Wednesday, climbing to 22, according to a State Department spokesperson. President Biden had said Tuesday that 14 Americans had died.

“We extend our deepest condolences to the victims and to the families of all those affected,” the State Department spokesperson said Wednesday.

Colombia’s Foreign Ministry has confirmed the death of a Colombian-Israeli woman who had been reported missing since Saturday after Hamas attacked Israel.

The woman, identified as Ivonne Rubio, had been missing along with her boyfriend, Antonio Macías, after the “severe events that occurred in the desert in southern Israel,” according to a statement from the Foreign Ministry posted on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

Rubio’s identity was confirmed through a DNA test, the statement adds, saying that local authorities have informed the victim’s father.

Macías, who’s also Colombian, remains missing. 

At least 11 employees working with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) have been killed in Gaza airstrikes since Saturday.

The agency warned that the ongoing conflict “has forced the closure of its 14 food distribution centers as well as a reduction in operations.”

“We have people who are responding to the needs of the people in the shelters. They’re giving them mattresses, a place to sleep, clean water, some food, in cooperation with the UN World Food Programme (WFP),” UNRWA Director of Communications Juliette Touma told UN News on Tuesday, saying many staffers are still working.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres acknowledged the deaths of the UN workers, saying Wednesday, “I deeply regret that some of my colleagues have already paid the ultimate price.”

“There is no time to lose; every moment counts,” he concluded.

This post has been updated with the latest information.

Israel is readying its hospitals and health care system for “possible escalations in the security situation,” according to health officials.

The Ministry of Health is “facilitating the transfer of patients from the hospitals in the north of the country to hospitals in the center to allow preparedness of the hospitals in the north for any possible future escalations that may occur,” Ministry of Health spokesperson Shira Solomon said in a statement. 

The move comes ahead of an expected ground incursion by the Israel Defense Forces into Gaza and attacks coming from within Lebanon and Syria.

Members of the Jewish community light candles during a vigil for Israel at Downing Street in London on October 9.

Demonstrations, rallies and vigils have been staged around the world after Hamas militants launched a series of brutal attacks on Israel over the weekend, moving the long-running conflict into uncharted and dangerous new territory.

Supporters of both the pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian movements around the world have gathered outside embassies and government buildings, further focusing the world’s attention on the tensions between Israelis and Palestinians that have existed since before Israel’s founding in 1948.

Supporters of the Palestinian cause rally outside the Sydney Opera House on October 9. The famous building was recently illuminated with the flag of Israel.

Many of the world’s most recognizable landmarks have in recent days been illuminated in the blue and white colors of Israel’s flag as a show of solidarity.

From locations such as Paris’ Eiffel Tower and Sydney’s Opera House to the White House in Washington DC and New York’s Empire State Building, there has been an extraordinary display of global support, the likes of which many in the Jewish community have never seen.

But while the expressions of solidarity have been welcomed by pro-Israeli supporters, cities have also had to reinforce security around houses of worship and other Jewish institutions.

Read more about the protests over the Israel-Hamas war here. 

Isaeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with US President Joe Biden on Wednesday, the prime minister’s office said in a statement.

Netanyahu “thanked the President for the powerful words of support he said after their last conversation yesterday and for his unreserved support for the State of Israel,” the statement read.

Biden on Tuesday addressed the attack in Israel a second time — the first time was Saturday — and he called it an “act of sheer evil”

A US official confirmed that the two leaders spoke on a phone call Wednesday. This is the fourth call they have held since Saturday. 

Israeli soldiers walk through the remains of a residential area of Kibbutz Kfar Aza, in southern Israel, on October 10.

Babies and toddlers were found with their “heads decapitated” in Kfar Aza in southern Israel after Hamas’ attacks in the kibbutz over the weekend, Tal Heinrich, a spokesperson for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said on Wednesday.

Heinrich’s comments come after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) told CNN Tuesday that Hamas militants carried out a “massacre” in Kfar Aza, in which women, children, toddlers and elderly people were “brutally butchered in an ISIS way of action.”

Hamas on Wednesday denied “false” media reports about attacking children during its attacks on Israel.

“The Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas has strongly dismissed the false claims promoted by some Western media outlets, such as Palestinian freedom fighters killing children and targeting civilians,” Hamas said on its Telegram channel.

UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly was seen in a video running into a building in Israel on Wednesday as sirens sounded warning of incoming rocket fire.

The video was posted to the official State of Israel’s account on social media platform X, formerly known at Twitter.

“While UK FM James Cleverly visits Ofakim in southern Israel, a siren goes off warning of incoming Hamas rocket fire. This is the reality Israelis live with every day,” the post said on the account which, it says, is managed by the foreign ministry’s digital diplomacy team.

At least 11 French citizens were killed in Israel following the Hamas attacks over the weekend, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said Wednesday during an interview on France Info.

Earlier Wednesday, France said it believes several children are among the 18 French nationals missing in Israel, and that they are likely being held hostage.

French officials are in “constant contact with the families,” of those missing, Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said.

The president of the Senate Gerard Lacher compared the Hamas attacks to the 9/11 attacks, saying there will be “a before and after October 7.”

This post has been updated with the latest information.

Jordan's King Abdullah II speaks at the opening of a new parliamentary session in Amman, Jordan, on October 11.

Jordan’s King Abdullah said on Wednesday that the two-state solution will provide security, peace and stability in the region. 

“Our region will not enjoy security and stability without achieving a just and comprehensive peace based on the two-state solution,” King Abdullah told Jordan’s parliament in a speech.

The two-state solution is a decades-old plan to establish a Palestinian state, next to Israel.

“Our compass will always point to Palestine, with Jerusalem at its heart,” he added. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday urged “both” sides in the fighting between Israel and Hamas to “minimize or reduce to zero” civilian casualties.

Speaking from Moscow on the longstanding Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Putin suggested the lack of a two-state solution has led to the current “explosion of violence,” saying, “Israel, as we know, was created, but Palestine as an independent sovereign state was never created, it did not happen.”

The Russian president voiced his concern at the growing violence and urged efforts to minimize civilian casualties.

Some context: Putin’s comments come as he continues a ruthless war campaign against Ukraine and is being investigated by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity for among other things, allegations of targeting civilians.

Putin was speaking at a plenary session of the international forum “Russian Energy Week” in Moscow, which he attended with Prime Minister of the Republic of Iraq Mohammed al-Sudani, who is on an official visit to Russia.

Austria has confirmed the death of one Austrian national in Israel, while two others remain missing.

Evacuations underway: The Austrian army is evacuating Austrian citizens from Israel as of Wednesday, according to a Foreign Ministry press release.

As “numerous airlines have suspended their flights to Israel for security reasons until further notice,” the Austrian government ordered the army to “carry out several evacuation flights” from Tel Aviv to the city of Paphos in Cyprus. From there, evacuees should organize travel home on regular flights.

Some background: About 8,000 Austrians, or people of dual-nationality, are currently in Israel, with 300 having registered for a possible evacuation.

“We will not abandon our Austrians and will get them out of the danger zone as quickly as possible,” Austrian Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner said, according to the press release, adding that a Hercules C-130 plane, including a military crisis support team, was provided for the evacuation.

Rockets are fired toward Israel from the Gaza Strip, on October 7.

The United States has collected specific intelligence that casts doubt on the idea that Iran was directly involved in the planning, resourcing or approving of Saturday’s bloody attack on Israel by Hamas, according to several sources familiar with the intelligence. 

Still, the sources stressed that intelligence community is not ready to reach a full conclusion as they continue to look for evidence of Iranian involvement in the attack which caught both Israel and the United States by surprise. Additionally, since the attack, government officials have all pointed to Iran’s significant support for Hamas, including weapons and financing, that would have helped them even if not in a direct way.

The sources did not disclose any details about the nature of the intelligence, which one source briefed on the information said is extremely sensitive. 

But the sources said that this piece of intelligence has led US analysts to lean towards an initial assessment that the government of Iran did not play a direct role in the attack.

Lawmakers on Capitol Hill have been briefed on the information and the early skepticism amongst intelligence analysts about Iranian involvement. 

For days, senior US officials have said publicly that they have no indication that Iran was directly involved in the attack, even as they have condemned Tehran as broadly “complicit” in the attack because its historic support for Hamas. 

Iran has for years been Hamas’ chief benefactor, providing it with tens of millions of dollars, weapons and components smuggled into Gaza, as well as broad technical and ideological support.

But Hamas maintains a degree of independence from the Iranian regime. Tehran doesn’t have advisers on the ground in blockaded Gaza, according to former security officials and other regional analysts, and it doesn’t command the group’s activities.

King Charles III is “appalled by and condemns the barbaric acts of terrorism in Israel,” a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said Wednesday.

“This is a situation His Majesty is extremely concerned about, and he has asked to be kept actively updated,” the spokesperson said.

Qatar is mediating with Israel and Hamas to exchange women and children hostages held in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian “women and teenagers held in Israeli jails,” a diplomatic source familiar with the discussions told CNN’s Becky Anderson.

What we know: Up to 150 hostages are believed to be held in Gaza, an Israeli official said.

At least two Canadians have been confirmed dead following Hamas’ attacks on Israel, Minister of Foreign Affairs Mélanie Joly said Wednesday, adding there are also reports of an additional Canadian presumed dead and three others missing.

Joly would not confirm whether there are any Canadians among Hamas’ hostages. But she has been in contact with the chief negotiator of hostages in Israel, she said, and Canada will be sending a support team.

Joly did not identify the Canadians confirmed dead. The parents of Alexandre Look, 33, have previously told CNN news partner CBC that their son was killed.

Helping Canadians leave: Additionally, Canada will begin the assisted departure of its citizens — including dual nationals — from Tel Aviv in the coming week.

Over 4,000 Canadians are registered in Israel, and close to 500 are registered in the West Bank and Gaza, according to Joly. These registrations are voluntary, she added.

Israeli-American brothers Igal Wachs, 53, and Amit Wachs, 48, were killed Saturday when Hamas entered their village of Netiv HaAsara, Igal’s ex-wife Liat Oren-Wachs told CNN.

Both brothers were dual citizens and a part of the security team for the village that borders Gaza, said Oren-Wachs, who shares an 11-year-old son with Igal.

She said she was notified of her ex-husband and his brother’s passing on Saturday morning after receiving a text from her brother about the attacks.

“My brother called me Saturday morning and told me that there’s a war in Israel. That terrorists crossed the border, and they went into Netiv HaAsara and killed people and two of those people were Amit and Igal,” Oren-Wachs said.

Oren-Wachs said her ex-brother-in-law, Amit, had lived in the village all his life and leaves behind a wife, two daughters and a son.

“Amit and Igal loved cycling together. Their father is also from Argentina, so they loved BBQing with family. They were both very family oriented,” Oren-Wachs said, adding she is “still processing everything.”

The town of Netiv HaAsara also listed Igal and Amit Wachs as two of the 15 residents who were killed during Saturday’s attack, according to multiple Israeli media outlets. CNN-affiliate WBZ also spoke with Oren-Wachs, reporting the news of the two deaths on Tuesday.

Benny Gantz and Benjamin Netanyahu

Israel is forming an emergency government and war management cabinet, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and National Unity Party leader Benny Gantz jointly announced Wednesday.

Gantz, a former defense minister, will join Netanyahu and current defense minister Yoav Gallant in a “war management cabinet,” the joint Netanyahu-Gantz statement said. 

Netanyahu added: “We are all going to fight together (against Hamas). The unity in our nation is breaking borders.”

Gantz added in the televised address: “Now is the time for war.”

The government will not pass any laws or make any decisions that do not concern the conduct of the war, the announcement said. 

That implies that the controversial judicial overhaul will not move forward while the emergency government is in place. 

There has been no indication that opposition leader Yair Lapid and his Yesh Atid party are joining the government.

Germany has so far evacuated from Israel students from 17 classes, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock told lawmakers Wednesday, after a moment of silence in Parliament to commemorate the victims of the Hamas attacks.

The children were evacuated by moving them on buses to neighboring Jordan, where they flew home from Amman or took flights through Reykjavik, Iceland, if direct flights to Germany were not available.

Lufthansa, the German airline, will also operate eight special flights on Thursday and Friday to evacuate German citizens who had to register with the country’s emergency list beforehand.

Around 5,000 Germans so far have registered to leave Israel and will be selected according to urgency, per a government spokesperson. More than 100,000 German citizens — many of them dual nationals — are presently staying in Israel.

“It is already clear that October 7, 2023, will be a turning point for Israel, probably the bloodiest day in the country’s history,“ Baerbock said, adding Israel’s security is a priority for Germany.

French Foreign and European Affairs Minister Catherine Colonna leaves after attending a meeting at the Elysee Palace, in Paris, France, on October 11.

Air France will operate a repatriation flight from Tel Aviv to Paris on Thursday for French nationals in Israel identified as the “most vulnerable,” according to the French government.

The special flight has been organized at the request of French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna. France’s embassy in Israel, through its website, called on French nationals to report and register for the flight before Wednesday at 3 p.m. local time.

Four paramedics have been killed in Gaza on Wednesday, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS).

The four deaths happened in a 30-minute timeframe, the Palestinian Red Crescent told CNN on a phone call, adding that six other paramedics working with the Gaza Health Ministry have been killed since Saturday.

This raises the death toll of paramedics in Gaza to 10 since Israel launched military operations against the enclave following a Hamas attack on Israel on Saturday.

Some background: Palestine Red Crescent Society caters to the health and welfare of Palestinians in the West Bank, Gaza and refugee camps in surrounding countries. With more than 4,000 employees and 20,000 volunteers, the group provides Emergency Medical Services (EMS) in times of conflict as well as preventative, curative and rehabilitative health care. PRCS is a non-government organization that adheres to the principles of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent.

General view of the only power station in the center of the Gaza Strip, on August 2, 2023.

Gaza’s only power station has stopped working after running out of fuel, the head of the Gaza power authority Galal Ismail told CNN on Wednesday.

People in Gaza can still use power generators for electricity, Ismail said, but with a blockade on all sides of the border, the fuel needed for the generators to work is running out.

The US government is in discussions with its partner countries, including Egypt and Israel, about ensuring safe passage for Americans and other civilians out of Gaza, US officials said.

However, according to one US official, Egypt wants to use a humanitarian corridor to send food and medical supplies into Gaza but doesn’t want to open the border in the other direction to accept fleeing civilians. 

Pressure is mounting to establish a humanitarian corridor as Americans in Gaza who spoke with CNN have expressed fear and frustration about the situation, feeling they are trapped without any safe route out of the region that is being heavily bombarded by Israeli forces.

They have told CNN that they do not feel the US government has been able to help them. There were reports that the only route out of Gaza — via Egypt — was closed Tuesday due to strikes and with the threat of an Israeli ground incursion looming. 

On Tuesday, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said the matter was “something also that we have been discussing with our counterparts in Israel and with our counterparts in Egypt.”

Neither Sullivan nor Miller gave any timeline of when such a safe passage could be operational. 

Sullivan has spoken over the past several days with Abbas Kamel, the Egyptian spy chief, and officials expect President Joe Biden to speak at some point with President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.

The number of Americans killed in Israel is expected to rise, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told CNN Wednesday.

The US continues to work to find the Americans who are unaccounted for, he added, noting that “it’s a moving target all the time.”

US President Joe Biden said on Tuesday that at least 14 Americans had been killed as a result of the Hamas attacks. National security adviser Jake Sullivan said “20 or more” Americans were unaccounted for as of Tuesday.

Norway and Sweden are offering to fly their citizens out of Israel, as the conflict in the region threatens to escalate.

Huitfeldt said the government is organizing the flights due to the deteriorating security situation in Israel.

The plane is scheduled to leave Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv on Wednesday evening, she said.

Sweden’s foreign ministry is also arranging flights for Swedes hoping to leave Israel.

“This is being organized in close collaboration with other Nordic countries,” the ministry said.

It said it had taken the decision because “the security situation has not improved, there is a risk of the conflict escalating and the capacity of regular flights is reduced.”

UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly arrived in Israel on Wednesday, a spokesperson for the British Foreign Office said, in an effort to “demonstrate the UK’s unwavering solidarity with the Israeli people following Hamas’ terrorist attacks.”

Cleverly “will be meeting survivors of the attacks and senior Israeli leaders to outline UK support for Israel’s right to defend itself,” the spokesperson added.

Daniel Ben Senior

Daniel Ben Senior, an Israeli-American who has been missing since the Nova music festival near the Gaza-Israel border was attacked by Hamas, has been killed, according to her father.

Jacob Ben Senior told CNN he was informed by authorities that his daughter had been killed.

Born in Los Angeles, Daniel Ben Senior was a 34-year-old Israeli-American citizen who has lived most of her life in Israel, according to her father.

Daniel was working at the Nova festival with a group of festival organizers, her father had previously told CNN.

Horrifying details from Hamas’ surprise assault on border communities in Israel are emerging. Bodies of Israeli residents and Palestinian attackers lay outside burned-out homes in the Israeli kibbutz Kfar Aza, one of the several kibbutzim, small farming enclaves, that bore the brunt of Hamas’ ground assault on Saturday.

Houses in Kfar Aza were ransacked and set ablaze. Overturned mattresses, destroyed furniture, broken trinkets and unexploded grenades lay strewn across the grounds, along with bodies – a window into the scale of devastation wrought by Hamas in this area.

Here’s what you need to know as the Hamas-Israel fight continues for a fifth day:

Death toll: At least 1,055 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel began airstrikes on the Palestinian enclave Saturday in response to Hamas’ attacks, the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza said Wednesday. Israel has reported at least 1,200 people dead since Saturday.

Israel has called up 300,000 reservists to fight: IDF spokesperson, Maj. Doron Spielman, reiterated remarks made by the IDF’s Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, stressing that Israel is “preparing for any scenario” as it continues to amass ground forces along its southern border.

US aid arrives: IDF said the first plane carrying US armaments arrived at the Nevatim air base in southern Israel late Tuesday evening. The cooperation between our militaries is a key part of ensuring regional security and stability in times of war,” the IDF said on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Israel struck inside Lebanese territory: IDF said this was in response to anti-tank missiles launched at one of their military posts near the Lebanese border. Lebanese group Hezbollah said they fired on an Israeli site with “guided missiles” in response to the killing of three of its members on Monday. Hezbollah said it had killed and injured Israeli soldiers in the attack. The IDF did not immediately respond when asked by CNN about the casualties. Rockets were also fired from south Lebanon toward Israel on Tuesday, according to Al Manar, a Lebanese outlet that is Hezbollah-owned. Hezbollah did not claim that it fired the rockets. The IDF said it responded with artillery fire, in another sign of growing tensions along Israel’s northern border with Lebanon.

Gaza hospitals overwhelmed: Hospitals are overwhelmed and experiencing shortages of drugs, medical supplies and electricity, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) warned on Wednesday, as a humanitarian crisis rapidly unfolds in the Palestinian enclave under Israeli bombardment. Hundreds of thousands are displaced, many cut off from food and electricity. MSF — also known as Doctors Without Borders — said it was also seeing shortages of water, electricity, and fuel, which hospitals rely on for their generators. Some hospitals only have enough fuel for four days.

Electricity will stop in Gaza: The electricity supply to Gaza “will completely stop within hours,” limiting the ability to provide basic services, the enclave’s Hamas-controlled government said on Wednesday. “All basic services in Gaza depend on electricity, and it will not be possible to partially operate them with generators due to the prevention of fuel supplies through the Rafah gate,” the Gaza government media office said in a statement.

On the ground: In today’s episode of CNN’s “Tug of War” podcast, CNN International Anchor Becky Anderson talks about the families of the missing she has met and what they are asking for from Israeli and US authorities.

Here are the areas impacted by the Israel-Hamas war:

Fuel used to operate generators in Gaza’s hospitals will run out on Thursday, the Palestinian health ministry in Gaza said, warning the lack of power could lead to “catastrophic” conditions, particularly with an anticipated electricity outage Wednesday.

Gaza’s Hamas-controlled government warned earlier Wednesday that electricity generaiton would “completely stop within hours,” limiting basic services.

Some context: Israeli Defense Ministry Yoav Gallant on Monday ordered a “complete siege” of Gaza, saying he would halt its supply of electricity, food, water and fuel following attacks by Hamas.

With conditions deteriorating amid Israel’s retaliatory airstrikes, a humanitarian crisis has already begun to unfold: The situation in Gaza was already “extremely dire before these hostilities,” United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres said Monday, and “now it will only deteriorate exponentially.”

Pope Francis speaks during his weekly general audience on St.Peter's Square in Vatican City on October 11.

Pope Francis on Wednesday called on Hamas to release all hostages it captured during its unprecedented attacks on Israel.

“I pray for those families who have seen a day of celebration turned into a day of mourning and ask for the immediate release of the hostages,” the Pope said during Wednesday’s general audience in front of St. Peter’s Basilica.

Pope Francis went on to acknowledge Israel’s right to self-defense, saying, “It is the right of those who are attacked to defend themselves.” He also expressed concern for the “total siege facing the Palestinians in Gaza, where there have also been many innocent victims.”

He added:

The Pope’s comments come several days after he first addressed the conflict during his weekly Angelus prayer on Sunday, in which he pleaded for a halt to the attacks and fighting, saying, “War is a defeat, every war is always a defeat.” 

Israel has called up 300,000 reservists to fight for its military, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson, Major Doron Spielman told CNN Wednesday.

Spielman pointed towards reports indicating that the mobilization in Israel, which has a population of around 9.2 million people, was on the “scale of a major country” such as the United States.

He reiterated remarks made by the IDF’s Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, stressing that Israel is “preparing for any scenario” as it continues to amass ground forces along its southern border.

In a press briefing Wednesday, another IDF spokesperson said its “mission” is “to make sure that Hamas at the end of this war won’t have any military capabilities by which they can threaten or kill Israeli civilians.”

“We have sent our infantry, armored soldiers, our artillery corps and many other soldiers from the reserves. 300,000 in numbers in different brigades,” IDF Spokesperson Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus said.

Hostage update: Spielman also gave an update on the situation with hostages taken by Hamas, telling CNN that two major generals have been appointed to deal with the issue on an operational level.

Hamas fighters are holding as many as 150 people hostage in locations across Gaza, Israel’s ambassador to the United States said Monday. Hamas said it would start executing civilian hostages if Israel targeted people in Gaza without warning.

An aerial view of destroyed buildings in the Jabalia neighborhood in Gaza City, Gaza, on October 11.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has said it is targeting civilian buildings in Gaza because Hamas headquarters and assets are hidden within them.

“You may have seen footage on TV or on social media and you may see a building standing and then flashes and then the building collapses and you say to yourself, well, that looks very much like a civilian building,” IDF Spokesperson Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus said at a press briefing Wednesday.

Hamas “wants to disguise itself within civilian buildings” because they are “cowards,” Conricus said.

Israel has hammered Gaza with rockets since Saturday, after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to take “might vengeance” on Hamas for its bloody incursion into Israel.

At least 1,055 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel began airstrikes on the enclave, the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza said Wednesday.

European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen, second right, was speaking at the Commission's weekly meeting at the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the attack perpetrated by the militant group Hamas against civilians in Israel was an “act of terror” and reflected “an ancient evil.”

The Israeli Ambassador to the EU and NATO Haim Regev was an invited guest at the meeting. “Hamas terrorists killed women and children in their homes,” she said. 

Roberta Metsola, president of the European Parliament, similarly condemned the attacks as “terror in its worst form,” saying October 7 — the day the attacks began — would “go down in global infamy.”

Metsola also addressed Regev to express Europe’s continued solidarity with Israel.

“This is Europe,” Metsola said, “and we stand with you.”

Continued aid to Gaza: The EU had to clarify Monday that aid payments for Palestinians will not be suspended in light of Hamas’ attack on Israel, after one of its officials had said that aid would be cut off.

“While I most strongly condemn the terrorist attack committed by Hamas, it is imperative to protect civilians and respect international humanitarian law,” Janez Lenarc, European Commissioner for Crisis Management, said Monday.

Von der Leyen confirmed this Wednesday, saying that the EU’s humanitarian support for the Palestinian people “is not in question.” She stressed that the EU has reviewed its financial assistance for Palestine, amid concerns that the aid could help fund Hamas.

The United States and its allies have warned the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah against escalating the conflict in Israel as the US prepositions military assets to deter a potential widening of the war, multiple US officials and people briefed on the discussions tell CNN.

Senior administration officials do not believe at this point that Hezbollah is likely to join Hamas’ war in force against Israel, and officials think the warnings are having an impact even though there have been some escalation on the border.

The US is sending the message to Hezbollah to stay out of the conflict through a number of channels, including the Lebanese government and the Hezbollah-allied Speaker of Lebanon’s Parliament, Nabih Berri.

Berri was mentioned by administration officials briefing Congress on Sunday as a go-between, according to a person familiar with the briefing. The US won’t officially engage with what has been designated a terrorist group, so Berri is one natural conduit.

France has also conveyed to Hezbollah, at Israel’s request, that they must stay out of the war and not escalate further or Israel will respond significantly, a source briefed on the talks said. Those discussions were also coordinated with the US, the source said.

Hezbollah is a highly trained, well-armed and sophisticated military force that also receives Iranian support, so its entry into the conflict would mark a significant escalation. But current and former senior officials don’t believe Hezbollah is eager to join the war, largely because the risks for the group would outweigh any potential rewards.

Read the full story here.

Bodies of Palestinians killed in Israeli airstrikes lie outside the Shifa Hospital, waiting to be buried after funeral prayers in Gaza City, Gaza, on October 11.

At least 1,055 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel began airstrikes on the Palestinian enclave Saturday in response to Hamas’ attacks, the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza said Wednesday.

A further 5,184 people have been injured, the ministry said.

Since Saturday, at least 1,200 people have died in Israel, according to the Israel Defense Forces.

Humanitarian crisis: Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Monday ordered a “complete siege” of Gaza, and said he would halt the supply of electricity, food, water and fuel to the enclave.

The Hamas-controlled government in Gaza said on Wednesday that electricity supply “will completely stop within hours,” limiting the ability to provide basic services.

On Monday, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) said it has been forced to close all 14 of its food distribution centers in Gaza and “as a result half a million people have stopped receiving vital food aid.”

Gaza is one of the most densely populated places on Earth, where some 2 million people live in an area of 140 square miles. More than half of its population lives in poverty and is food insecure, with nearly 80% relying on humanitarian assistance.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the first plane carrying US armaments arrived at the Nevatim Airbase in southern Israel late Tuesday evening.

Israel’s defense ministry published a video of the shipment arriving. It said on X that the equipment was “procured & brought to Israel by the Israel Ministry of Defense’s DOPP [Department of Production and Procurement], the US Procurement Mission & the International Transportation Unit.”

US pledges support: US President Joe Biden called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday, in the immediate wake of Hamas’ attack, to emphasize his country’s continued support for Israel.

U.S. President Joe Biden, center, accompanied by Vice President Kamala Harris, left, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, makes remarks after speaking by phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from the State Dining Room at the White House in Washington, DC, on October 10.

In remarks made at the White House Tuesday, Biden condemned the “pure, unadulterated evil” of the Hamas attackers, and confirmed that at least 14 American citizens were among those killed in Israel. 

Biden also said he would call on Congress to approve more funding for Israel to help it defend its territory and people. He promised his administration would not allow Israel to run out of ammunition and interceptors for its Iron Dome air defense system, which is intended to shoot rockets out of the air before they strike Israeli territory.

Concern for hostages: White House National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby told CNN Tuesday the White House is having “active conversations,” with Israel to try to bring American citizens in Hamas custody home.

Hamas fighters are holding as many as 150 people hostage in locations across Gaza following their raids on southern Israel Saturday, according to Israel’s ambassador to the United States.

In a chilling development, Hamas said it would start executing civilian hostages if Israel targets people in Gaza without warning.

Smoke rises from Dhayra village in southern Lebanon on October 11.

Israel struck inside Lebanese territory after anti-tank missiles were launched at an Israel Defense Forces military post near the Lebanese border, the Israel Defense Forces said Wednesday.

Lebanese group Hezbollah said they fired on an Israeli site with “guided missiles” in response to the killing of three of its members on Monday.

The IDF said it shelled the area in Lebanon where the anti-tank missile was fired.

Hezbollah said it had killed and injured Israeli soldiers in the attack. The IDF did not immediately respond when asked by CNN about the casualties.

Lebanese state media NNA reported that intense shelling had resumed near the border with Israel on Wednesday, and that gunfire could be heard in the Lebanese towns of Yarine, Marwahin and Al-Duheira.

Cross-border exchanges: Rockets were also fired from south Lebanon toward Israel on Tuesday, according to Al Manar, a Lebanese outlet that is Hezbollah-owned. Hezbollah did not claim that it fired the rockets.

The IDF said it responded with artillery fire, in another sign of growing tensions along Israel’s northern border with Lebanon.

CCTV footage shows one of two Hamas Islamist militants entering Be'eri kibbutz in southern Israel, on October 7, in this still image from video.

More than 100 bodies were found in Be’eri on Monday, as the horrors of Hamas’ attack on border communities in Israel continue to emerge.

Civilians were killed and taken hostage in the kibbutz, which is home to about 1,000 residents, according to Israeli authorities and videos obtained and authenticated by CNN.

Heavily armed militants arrived in Be’eri on motorbikes around 7 a.m., just half an hour after they breached the typically high-tech, tightly guarded border fence between Gaza and Israel, videos show.

A bloodbath followed.

Footage shows militants pulling three bodies out of a car, before stealing the vehicle and driving north. The video, which first surfaced on Telegram, was taken by a surveillance camera in Be’eri. CNN has geolocated the video to an intersection in the northeastern part of the kibbutz.

Another video shows armed militants taking five Israeli civilians captive, with the bodies of four later seen lying on the ground nearby in another video verified by CNN.

Terrified residents told Israel’s Channel 12 television station that assailants went door to door, trying to break into their homes.

Of at least 107 bodies discovered in the aftermath, most were of local residents of the kibbutz, though some were of Israeli security forces, a search and rescue spokesperson told CNN.

The IDF acknowledged on Monday that Be’eri was “very badly hit.”

The attack on Be’eri came around the same time as Hamas militants descended upon a music festival, known as Nova, just three miles south, shooting revelers at point-blank range and looting their belongings.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits the German Chancellery on March 16, 2023, in Berlin, Germany.

In his more than three decades in politics, Benjamin Netanyahu has accrued almost as many nicknames as he has election wins.

There’s “The Magician” for his uncanny ability to grab victory from the jaws of defeat. “King Bibi” for staying atop Israeli politics longer than anyone else. And, universally, though not necessarily affectionately: plain old “Bibi.” But there is another one he reveled in, and which now appears in tatters: “Mr Security.” How did it all go so wrong?

It remains unclear as to how more than 1,000 Hamas militants managed to take Israel by such devastatingly deadly surprise, murdering – as President Isaac Herzog wrote – more Jews in one day than at any time since the Holocaust.

And for now, Netanyahu’s opponents are not calling for Netanyahu to step down.

But that time and place will come. 

Indeed, according to Amit Segal, chief political commentator for Israel’s Channel 12, the surprise would be if Bibi’s prime ministership survives this war. “It would set a national precedent,” he told CNN. 

Read the full story here.

Bullet holes are seen on the walls of a house next to a broken door handle in Kfar Aza on Tuesday.

The horrifying details of attacks on border communities are just beginning to come to light, days after Hamas launched a surprise assault on Israel. Kfar Aza is one of the several kibbutzim, small farming enclaves, that bore the brunt of Hamas’ ground assault on Saturday.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) took a CNN team and other foreign press to the site, as they went house to house collecting the dead in body bags and loading them onto a truck. Among those killed in Kfar Aza were children, women and elderly, the IDF said.

Veruv said his soldiers spent “about 48 hours” fighting “waves and waves of terrorists” on roads and in neighboring communities.

The IDF told CNN that civilians were “brutally butchered in an ISIS way of action.” It could not confirm the number of people killed in Kfar Aza and would not detail how the people were killed.

At least 1,200 people have died in Israel since the conflict erupted, IDF spokesperson Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus said in an update on Wednesday. 

Read more about the Hamas attacks.

When Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas visited Beijing in June, China vowed to contribute “Chinese wisdom, Chinese strength” to resolve the longstanding conflict between the Palestinians and Israel.

That pledge, coming on the heels of a Beijing-brokered rapprochement between bitter rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia, was widely seen as part of China’s ambition to expand its diplomatic clout in the Middle East — a region traditionally dominated by US power.

A few months on, Beijing’s offer to broker peace in one of the world’s most intractable conflicts is being tested by a fresh outbreak of war between Israel and Gaza, after the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched an unprecedented surprise attack on Israel.

So far, China’s response to the crisis — which has left at least 1,200 Israelis dead alongside 950 Palestinians and thousands more wounded or displaced — has been a bland call for restraint from both sides, with no condemnation of Hamas for a rampage that unleashed the killing of civilians and kidnapping of hostages, including children and the elderly.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping, who touted a Beijing-led security initiative for the Middle East as an alternative to the US-led system when he last visited the region in December, has yet to make any public statement on the conflict.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, center left, and Arab leaders pose for a group photo during the China-Arab summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on December 9.

Experts say this initial response may expose Beijing’s limited influence in the region, despite official propaganda talking up China as the world’s new peacemaker.

Editor’s Note: A version of this post first appeared in CNN’s Meanwhile in China newsletter, which explores what you need to know about the country’s rise and how it impacts the world. Read the full analysis here.

Hospitals in Gaza are overwhelmed and experiencing shortages of drugs, medical supplies and electricity, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) warned on Wednesday, as a humanitarian crisis rapidly unfolds in the Palestinian enclave under Israeli bombardment.

Israel has stepped up its aerial offensive in Gaza following Hamas’ weekend assault, leaving hundreds of thousands displaced, many cut off from food and electricity.

In a statement, Avril Benoît, executive director of MSF-USA, said the aid agency — also known as Doctors Without Borders — was “seeing shortages of water, electricity, and fuel, which hospitals rely on for their generators.”

An MSF clinic in Gaza City was “slightly damaged” by an explosion on Monday, but is still operational, Benoît said. A nurse and ambulance driver were killed in strikes, and several others were injured, she added.

The death toll in Gaza rose to 950 and 5,000 others have been wounded in the Israeli airstrikes, according to the Gaza Health Ministry on Wednesday.

At least 1,200 people have died in Israel following Hamas’ unprecedented attack on Saturday, according to the Israel Defense Forces.

MSF said it does not currently operate medical programs in Israel but has offered its support to Israeli hospitals treating “a high number of casualties.”

A funeral ceremony is held for Palestinian journalists Saeed Al-Taweel and Mohammad Sobh, who were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza on Tuesday.

Some journalists are making the ultimate sacrifice while covering the war between Israel and Hamas.

At least seven journalists have been killed in the Gaza Strip since Hamas launched its brazen assault on Saturday, according to press freedom groups and media reports. That number could rise even further in the coming days as Israel carries out retaliatory strikes against Hamas, while the terror group continues waging its offensive against the Jewish state.

The bloodshed underscores the very real risk that journalists take on as they report from conflict zones, gathering information in extraordinarily fraught circumstances to keep the world informed and hold authorities accountable for what is transpiring on the ground.

Editor’s Note: A version of this post first appeared in the “Reliable Sources” newsletter. Sign up for the daily digest chronicling the evolving media landscape here and read more about journalists covering the conflict.

Palestinian civilians and medics run to safety during an Israeli strike over a UN school in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza, on January 17, 2009.

In January 2009, CNN’s Ben Wedeman, along with a crew, went on the ground to cover what Israel had dubbed “Operation Cast Lead” — the first in a series of flare-ups of various durations between Israel and Gaza in 2012, 2014, 2021 and 2022.

Here’s what he knows about how an Israeli ground assault in Gaza could play out based on what he saw then:

Read more here.

Palestinians inspect damage in the aftermath of Israeli strikes in northern Gaza on Wednesday.

More than 263,000 people have been displaced in Gaza during ongoing Israeli airstrikes, with the number “expected to rise further,” the United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said early Wednesday.

The figure represents more than one in 10 of the population in the densely populated enclave.

Among those displaced, at least 175,486 people are seeking shelter in United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) schools, while about 3,000 people remain displaced due to previous escalations, OCHA said in its update. 

It marks the highest number of internally displaced Palestinians since the 50-day escalation of hostilities in 2014, OCHA said.

The Israeli airstrikes have targeted telecommunication installations, destroying two of the three main lines for mobile communications that has disrupted mobile and internet service, OCHA said.

Basic needs such as access to water have also become a challenge due to damage and the reduction in power supply to sewage infrastructure, OCHA said. In Beit Lahia and northern areas, sewage and solid waste have accumulated in streets due to damage to sewage lines and infrastructure, it added. 

The Hamas-controlled government in Gaza said on Wednesday that electricity supply “will completely stop within hours,” limiting the ability to provide basic services.

Some context: A humanitarian crisis is swiftly unfolding in Gaza, as trapped residents, many cut off from food and electricity, face a fifth day of Israeli airstrikes in response to Hamas’ deadly attack on Israel.

More than half of its 2 million population lives in poverty and is food insecure, with nearly 80% relying on humanitarian assistance.

On Monday, the UN Secretary-General called for Hamas to cease its attacks on Israel and release hostages and urged all parties to allow UN access to deliver humanitarian assistance to Palestinians trapped in Gaza. 

A Hamas “advanced detection system” used to identify aircraft was destroyed as Israeli airstrikes hit more than 80 targets in Gaza, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Wednesday.

In a separate statement, the IDF said its latest targets included:

Israel, which has declared war on Hamas, is battering the densely populated coastal enclave with airstrikes that have killed 950 people and injured 5,000, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

A man reacts outside a collapsed building following an Israeli bombardment in Gaza City on Wednesday.

Nearly a thousand people have died in Gaza since Israel began airstrikes on the Palestinian enclave Saturday in response to Hamas’ attacks, the Gaza Ministry of Health said Wednesday.

Some 950 people have been killed and 5,000 others have been wounded in the strikes on Gaza, the ministry said. 

Since Saturday, at least 1,200 people have died in Israel, according to the Israel Defense Forces.

Humanitarian crisis: Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant on Monday ordered a “complete siege” of Gaza, and said he would halt the supply of electricity, food, water and fuel to the enclave.

The Hamas-controlled government in Gaza said on Wednesday that electricity supply “will completely stop within hours,” limiting the ability to provide basic services.

On Monday, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) said it has been forced to close all 14 of its food distribution centers in Gaza and “as a result half a million people have stopped receiving vital food aid.”

Gaza is one of the most densely populated places on Earth, where some 2 million people live in an area of 140 square miles. More than half of its population lives in poverty and is food insecure, with nearly 80% relying on humanitarian assistance.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have seemingly stopped the “knock on the roof.”

The euphemism describes a military tactic first developed in 2009 and used in several conflicts since then.

How it works: IDF forces will alert a building’s occupants that they are targeting the structure for an airstrike by dropping a small, non-explosive munition on the roof before a larger strike is executed. Its objective is to minimize civilian casualties by allowing for evacuation in buildings where militant groups keep rockets or ammunition stashed.

Despite the ultimate goal of saving lives, the technique is controversial and has been criticized by human rights groups, who argue dropping a munition on a building should not be considered a warning.

Others say even with the heads-up, there are few safe places for civilians to go in a blockaded strip of land. Gaza is small, just 140 square miles, and one of the most densely populated places on the planet. Civilians, including children, are often killed in the bombardments.

IDF spokesperson Lt. Col. Richard Hecht explained the distinction between military and civilian targets was not so simple.

What’s happening now: Following Hamas’ attack on Saturday, Israel seems to have abandoned the “knock on the roof.” CNN has spoken to multiple people in Gaza who said they were given no notice when their homes were bombed.

When asked whether the IDF has stopped the tactic, Hecht said on Monday that Hamas did not “knock on the roof.”

This absence of such warnings may be contributing to the significant number of civilian casualties reported so far in Gaza. At least 900 people have been killed in Gaza since Saturday.

The electricity supply to Gaza “will completely stop within hours,” limiting the ability to provide basic services, the enclave’s Hamas-controlled government said on Wednesday.

Israeli forces have been hammering Gaza with airstrikes since Saturday, hitting hundreds of targets and reducing neighborhoods to rubble, following unprecedented Hamas terror attacks on Israel.

Remember: On Monday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant ordered a “complete siege” of Gaza, saying he would halt the supply of electricity, food, water and fuel to the Palestinian enclave following Hamas’ attack.

Gaza is one of the most densely populated places on Earth, where some 2 million people live in an area of 140 square miles.

It has been almost completely cut off from the rest of the world for nearly 17 years, when Hamas seized control, prompting Israel and Egypt to impose a strict siege on the territory, which is ongoing. Israel also maintains an air and naval blockade on Gaza.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) said late Monday it has been forced to close all 14 of its food distribution centers in Gaza and “as a result half a million people have stopped receiving vital food aid.”

More than half of its population lives in poverty and is food insecure, with nearly 80% of its population relying on humanitarian assistance.

The number of confirmed Latin American victims of Saturday’s terror attacks in Israel has risen to 11 after Peru and Chile on Tuesday each said one of their citizens had died.

These Latin American countries have reported their citizens killed or missing:

Colombia is sending two planes to evacuate more than 300 citizens from Israel, Brig. Gen. Juan Francisco Mosquera, commander of Colombia’s Military Transport Command, said in a video on Tuesday. 

Mexico is sending two planes to Israel after some 300 Mexicans requested evacuation, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said Monday. 

IDF soldiers move the bodies of Israelis killed in the Kfar Aza kibbutz, near the border with Gaza, on Tuesday.

At least 1,200 people have died as a result of the Hamas attacks on Israel, IDF spokesperson Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus said in an update on Wednesday. 

It comes as new horrifying details emerge of Hamas attacks on border communities.

More than 900 people have died in Gaza since Israeli airstrikes began Saturday, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Wednesday said it struck naval targets in Gaza, which it claimed were used by Hamas militants to carry out attacks on the Israeli coastline. 

The operation was carried out by IDF naval soldiers, the Israeli Air Force and the Israeli Artillery Corps, the IDF said in a statement.

The targets included docks, which were hit using artillery fire from missile boats, IDF helicopters and ground artillery batteries, it added.

In addition, Israeli naval forces killed a Hamas diver who attempted to infiltrate into Israel from the Gaza shores earlier Wednesday, the IDF said.

Gaza strikes: Israeli airstrikes have pummeled Gaza, the densely-populated coastal enclave controlled by Hamas, since the Islamist militant group carried out an unprecedented surprise attack on Israel on Saturday. More than 900 people have died in Gaza and thousands more have been injured since the airstrikes began, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

As deadly fighting between Israel and Hamas intensifies, so too does a dire humanitarian crisis in the area.

Hundreds have been killed and thousands injured on both sides after Hamas launched unprecedented attacks on Israel on Saturday. Subsequent airstrikes have overwhelmed local hospitals and displaced more than 100,000 people in Gaza, one of the most densely populated areas on Earth.

The intense fighting has also hampered humanitarian relief. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which suffered damage to one of its buildings in Gaza, is calling for the protection of humanitarian workers, civilians, and critical infrastructure. Calling the situation “horrific,” Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is urging restraint after medical facilities have been destroyed in the fighting.

Impact Your World has gathered a list of vetted organizations that are on the ground responding.

You can support their work by clicking HERE.

More than 1,000 people have been killed in Israel and more than 900 people are dead in Gaza, according to Israel’s Army Radio and the Palestinian Health Ministry. Thousands more are injured, according to officials.

The fighting comes as a humanitarian crisis is swiftly unfolding in Gaza where trapped residents, many cut off from food and electricity, face a fifth day of Israeli airstrikes in response to Hamas’ deadly attacks in Israel.

On Tuesday, Hamas said it fired “hundreds” of rockets toward the Israeli city of Ashkelon. 

Here’s where things stand:

Flames and smoke rise after an Israeli airstrike in Khan Yunis, Gaza, on Wednesday.

Intense airstrikes hit residential areas in the eastern part of Jabalia and the Qizan al-Najjar region in Khan Yunis, Gaza, the Palestinian Ministry of Interior Affairs said.

The attacks targeted civilians’ homes and roads and resulted in “direct injuries among citizens,” the ministry said in a statement. 

More than 900 people have died in Gaza and thousands more have been injured since Israeli airstrikes began on Saturday, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

The Israel Defense Forces have not yet commented on the latest strikes.

Officials with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) said Tuesday four of its employees have died as a result of airstrikes on Gaza. 

At least 14 of their facilities in Gaza have been damaged directly or indirectly, UNRWA Director of Communications Juliette Touma told UN News. 

The agency has been unable to bring any aid into the Gaza Strip since Saturday, Touma said.

UNRWA hosts 170,000 people in more than 80 schools and other facilities throughout Gaza. As schools reach their capacity, people have been forced to seek shelter in health care facilities, Touma said. 

UNRWA headquarters were subjected to collateral damage on Tuesday morning due to airstrikes in the surrounding neighborhoods, she said. Some of UNRWA’s employees were taking shelter in the same compound in a nearby building during the strikes, she said. 

Smoke rises after Israeli strikes on the seaport of Gaza City on Tuesday.

Dozens of fighter jets struck more than 70 targets in the Daraja Tuffah area of the Gaza Strip early Wednesday local time, according to the Israel Defense Forces.

Israel is hammering Gaza with airstrikes, hitting hundreds of targets and reducing neighborhoods to rubble, as new atrocities are uncovered in its territory after a devastating surprise attack by Hamas militants. Hamas sent fighters pouring into Israeli territory on Saturday. More than 1,000 people were killed in Israel and thousands more injured in the onslaught, according to the IDF.

CNN previously reported Israel, which has formally declared war on Hamas, is now battering the densely inhabited strip with airstrikes that have killed at least 900 people, including hundreds of children, women, and entire families, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. Thousands more have been injured, it said.

The death toll in the West Bank since Saturday has now risen to 21 killed and 130 injured, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Ramallah.

The West Bank is led by the Palestinian Authority. The Fatah party, a rival faction to Hamas, is the political backbone of the Palestinian Authority.

The deaths occurred in clashes due to Israeli “aggression” and many of the victims were shot, the ministry said.

Clashes erupted in several parts of the occupied West Bank amid a closure that was imposed by the Israeli army following Hamas’ attack in southern Israel Saturday morning.

Israel’s defense minister said he has “released all restraints” on the Israel Defense Forces’ troops in their fight against Hamas.

“Whoever comes to decapitate, murder women, Holocaust survivors — we will eliminate him at the height of our power and without compromise,” Yoav Gallant told soldiers during an inspection of the front line along Israel’s border with the Gaza Strip on Tuesday.

The minister visited the IDF’s Gaza division headquarters in the Re’im military base. He also spoke to Shaldag fighters, paratroopers and soldiers at kibbutz Be’eri, one of the sites Hamas first targeted over the weekend. 

Airstrikes have been Israel’s primary retaliation measure so far in Gaza, with jets repeatedly pounding the heavily populated 140 square mile coastal strip, turning multiple buildings to rubble, displacing tens of thousands of people and sending waves of injured Palestinians to overwhelmed hospitals.

The streets of Ashdod have been deserted since Hamas launched its surprise attack on Saturday morning.

But the unmistakable sounds of the war are constant in this Israeli city, about 35 kilometers (20 miles) north of Gaza.

An intense and near continuous thunder of explosions has been heard from the Gaza Strip for more than 48 hours now. At the same time, rockets are being launched from Gaza.

When that happens, the sirens go off, giving residents about 45 seconds to find a shelter. Most of the buildings in Ashdod were built in the 1990s, during the city’s huge expansion following a wave of immigration from the Soviet Union. That means most apartments are equipped with shelters — a requirement for all buildings built here after 1993.

The vast majority of restaurants and cafes are shut, the sprawling beaches are closed and most people are staying inside.

For days now, the city has seen a heavy military presence and tensions are running high. At one point on Tuesday evening, about two dozen soldiers could be seen running outside and spending about 15 minutes patrolling a street in the city center before returning to one of the hotels that have become their hub.

Rockets were launched from Syria into Israeli territory, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Tuesday.

The rockets landed in open areas, the IDF said. 

The IDF did not immediately provide details on damage or injuries. 

A Syrian eyewitness, who spoke to CNN on the condition of anonymity for security reasons, said three rockets were launched in the direction of the Golan Heights.

According to the media activist group Shaam News Network, 12 rockets were launched from various Syrian locations close to the Israeli border. Of these, eight rockets landed inside Syria, while four flew toward the Golan Heights. It was not immediately clear where they landed.  

The Golan Heights is under Israeli government control and is considered to be occupied territory by the international community. 

The aftermath of Israel’s retaliatory airstrikes on Gaza following unprecedented attacks by Hamas this weekend can be seen in satellite images captured Tuesday by Maxar technologies.

The first image shows the rising smoke from an Israeli airstrike near the Mediterranean Sea in northeastern Gaza, near the Atatra neighborhood. CNN has been unable to confirm the target. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has said its airstrikes are only targeting Hamas infrastructure and operations.

This next image shows residential buildings in the western section of Gaza City covered in ash and soot following Israeli airstrikes. Again, CNN has been unable to confirm the target.

The third image shows an area just to the north, providing a view of Gaza City’s Rimal district. The sites of at least three airstrikes can be seen. The northernmost destroyed the Al Gharbi mosque, while the strike in the center of the image hit the Al Sousi mosque. The strike in the left corner hit the Abbas mosque.

The IDF has admitted to targeting mosques, claiming that decision is due to Hamas activity within them.

Iran is “complicit, in a broad sense,” in Hamas’ attack on Israel, but there is no intelligence that indicates Tehran specifically offered support for the unprecedented assault, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Tuesday.

Sullivan told reporters the administration was engaged with its Israeli counterparts and “looking back through our intelligence holdings to see if we have any further information on that,” adding, “If there’s an update to that, I’ll share it with you.” 

Pressed on why Israel was unable to anticipate Hamas’ attack on Israel, Sullivan referred questions to Israeli officials.

For America’s part, he said, “We did not see anything that suggested an attack of this type was going to unfold any more than the Israelis did.”

After the surprise attack by Hamas over the weekend, Israel is pounding Gaza in response with deadly airstrikes, displacing more than 100,000 people and sending waves of injured Palestinians to overwhelmed hospitals.

At the same time, Hamas is also firing rockets at Israel.

Here’s a look at the impacted areas: