Hyderabad/New Delhi/Jerusalem/Tel Aviv: Israel stepped up its offensive on the Gaza Strip on Tuesday in response to an unprecedented attack by Hamas, pounding neighbourhoods with airstrikes and expanding the mobilization of reservists to 360,000. The military said it had regained effective control over the Gaza border and areas Hamas attacked in the south of Israel. Humanitarian groups pleaded for the creation of corridors that would allow them to deliver aid, saying hospitals were overwhelmed with wounded people and running out of supplies.
The war, which has claimed at least 2,100 lives on both sides, is expected to escalate. New exchanges of fire over Israel's northern borders with militants in Lebanon and Syria pointed to the risk of an expanded regional conflict. The Israeli military said more than 1,200 people, including 155 soldiers, have died in Israel since Saturday's incursion. In Gaza, 900 people have been killed, including 260 children and 230 women, according to authorities there. Israel says hundreds of Hamas fighters are among them. Thousands have been wounded on both sides.
The war began after Hamas militants stormed into Israel on Saturday, bringing gunbattle to its streets for the first time in decades. At least 1,600 lives have already been claimed on both sides and perhaps hundreds more. Hamas and other militant groups in Gaza hold more than 150 soldiers and civilians hostage, according to Israel.
The conflict is only expected to escalate. Israel expanded the mobilization of reservists to 360,000 on Tuesday, according to the country’s media. After days of fighting, Israel’s military said Tuesday morning that it had regained effective control over areas Hamas attacked in its south and of the Gaza border.
Here's what is happening on Day 5 of the latest Israel-Palestinian war:
IDF says thefirst plane carrying US Armaments lands in Israel
A plane carrying advanced armaments “designed to facilitate significant military operations” landed Tuesday evening at the Nevatim Airbase in southern Israel, the Israel Defense Forces said.
“We are grateful for the US backing and assistance to the IDF, and to the State of Israel in general, during this challenging period. Our common enemies know that the cooperation between our militaries is stronger than ever, and is a key part of ensuring regional security and stability,” the IDF said in a statement.
Two Brazilians killed in attacks by Hamas, says Foreign Ministry
Two Brazilian citizens were killed as the result of the Hamas attack on Israel, the foreign ministry said Tuesday. The ministry identified the deceased as Ranani Nidejelski Glazer and Bruna Valeanu. The ministry said in a separate statement that three people with dual Brazilian-Israeli citizenship were missing after they disappeared at a music festival outside of Kibbutz Re'im.
Foreign Secretary says two Filipinos killed in attacks by Hamas
Two Filipinos have been killed as a result of the attacks by Hamas militants on Israel, where thousands of Filipinos live and work, said Philippine Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo.
Manalo condemned the killings in a brief statement he posted Wednesday on X, formerly known as Twitter, but did not provide other details, including the circumstances of the deaths and the identities of the victims. He added that the Philippines is ready to work with other countries toward a long-lasting resolution to the conflict, in accordance with a U.N. Security Council resolution.
Canada plans to airlift Canadians from Israel
Canadian citizens will be flown out of the country from the Tel Aviv, Israel, airport in the coming days in the wake of Hamas' attack on Israel, Canada's foreign minister said Tuesday. The government plans to conduct the evacuation using aircraft from the Canadian Armed Forces, Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. The post did not mention those Canadians who are believed to be trapped in Gaza after Israel closed off the Hamas-controlled territory.
Canada is trying to determine how many of its citizens are among the dead or missing. Friends and family have confirmed that 22-year-old Ben Mizrachi from Vancouver and former Montreal resident Alexandre Look, who recently celebrated his 33rd birthday, were two of the hundreds killed while attending a music festival in southern Israel.
Son of missing Italian-Israeli citizens think they were kidnapped
A son of two Italian-Israeli citizens unaccounted for after Hamas’ incursion into Israel believes they were kidnapped by Hamas militants. Eviatar Moshe Kipnis, 65, who has an autoimmune disease and uses a wheelchair, and his wife, Lilach Lea Havron, 60, were holed up in their safe room on Saturday morning at their home in the Kibbutz Be’eri, Nadav Kipnis told The Associated Press on Tuesday. He said that was the last time he and his brother Yotam heard from them.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani briefed parliament about the incursion on Tuesday, identifying the two Italians by name and saying they were “probably taken hostage.” The family also has lost contact with Havron’s sister and her extended family who lived nearby. All together, 11 people from two family households at the kibbutz are unaccounted for, including children ages 3, 8 and 12, Nadav Kipnis said.
Czech Foreign Minister visits Israel to show support
Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky visited Israel on Tuesday to show his country’s support after the Hamas attack and brought more than 30 Czech nationals home from Israel on his plane, the Foreign Ministry said. Lipavsky met his Israeli counterpart, Eli Cohen, and President Isaac Herzog, the Ministry said. He also met the relatives of a woman kidnapped by Hamas. “Israel is one of us, the attacks and kidnappings unleashed by Hamas terrorists are an attack on all of us,” Lipavsky said in a statement.
Australia says one of its citizens died in Hamas attack
A 66-year-old Sydney-born woman is the first known Australian to die in the Hamas attack on Israel, Australia’s government said Wednesday. Australian Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil said Galit Carbone was killed Saturday at the Be’eri kibbutz near Gaza. Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong is leading government efforts to help an estimated 10,000 Australians in Israel who want to leave.
Biden says US citizens among Hamas hostages, condemns Hamas attack again
President Joe Biden on Tuesday confirmed that U.S. citizens are among the hostages captured by Hamas as he condemned the militant group for the “sheer evil” of its shocking weekend assault on Israel. “Our hearts may be broken but our resolve is clear,” said Biden, who compared the brutality of the Hamas militants to that of the Islamic State terrorist group.
Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris spoke by phone earlier on Tuesday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the situation on the ground. Twenty or more U.S. citizens are unaccounted for, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Tuesday. He said he did not know precisely how many citizens are being held hostage, or their conditions. Biden confirmed earlier Tuesday that 14 Americans have been killed in the bloody Hamas incursion.
Portuguese citizen and student in Tel Aviv found dead
A Portuguese woman studying in Tel Aviv, Israel, who was identified as missing after the Hamas attack on Israel, was found dead Tuesday. Rotem Neumann, 25, had been missing for at least three days by the time her body was found. Her death was confirmed by her cousin Tomer Neumann.
Rotem Neumann was at the Teva festival, a music festival near the Gaza border that was invaded by militants in the early hours of Saturday morning. She first called her parents from the festival when she heard rocket fire, Tomer Neumann said. That was the last time the family heard from her. She then got into a car with friends and drove north, seeking shelter. The car soon encountered trucks filled with militants, shooting at them with machine guns. Panicked, they turned around and started going in the opposite direction. Militants with guns crowded the roads south, too.
They climbed out of the car and began running east, away from the border, piling into a concrete shelter they found at Kibbutz Re’im. Rotem Neumann sent a message to a friend there, sharing with him her location so he could take shelter. Militants soon peppered the shelter with bullets.
Israel shells Syria after rockets hit open land in Golan Heights
The Israeli military said it shelled Syria on Tuesday after rockets hit open land in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights. The military did not accuse any group of the rocket attack. The Syrian government did not comment. However, Britain-based opposition war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says a Palestinian faction conducted the rocket attack from Syrian territory.
US intelligence didn't see theattack coming, Security Adviser says
U.S. intelligence did not pick up signs of the Hamas attack on Israel, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Tuesday. “We did not see anything that suggested an attack of this type was going to unfold any more than the Israelis did,” Sullivan told reporters. As other White House officials have done in recent days, Sullivan also reiterated that the U.S. government has also not seen any direct linkage between Iran and the Hamas attack over the weekend.
US Secretary of State going to Israel on urgent mission
U.S. President Joe Biden is dispatching his top diplomat to Israel on an urgent mission to show U.S. support after the unprecedented attack by Hamas militants, the State Department said Tuesday. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will leave Wednesday and is expected to arrive Thursday to deliver a message of solidarity and support, and will “talk about what additional resources we can give them," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Tuesday.
Gaza Health Ministry says death toll in Gaza has risen to 900
Israeli airstrikes since Saturday have resulted in 900 deaths in Gaza, including 260 children and 230 women, with an additional 4,500 individuals wounded, the Ministry of Health in Gaza said Tuesday. The airstrikes have caused the deaths of 150 members of 22 families, six health workers, and eight journalists, while 15 health workers and 20 journalists have been wounded, the ministry said.
Airstrikes on residential neighbourhoods have displaced approximately 140,000 citizens to U.N. shelters and hospitals, the ministry said. The U.N. is reporting that at least 200,000 residents have been displaced.
US says special operations forces working with Israelis
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Tuesday that a small group of U.S. special operations forces is now working with the Israelis to help with planning and intelligence in their counteroperations against Hamas. “We also have the ability to rapidly deploy other resources into the region,” Austin said. Austin released the information to reporters travelling with him to a Ukraine contact group meeting in Brussels. (with AP inputs)
