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PremiumIsrael Hamas War LIVE Updates: A spokesperson from the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), James Elder, warned of the risk of infant deaths due to dehydration, with water output at 5% of normal levels, Reuters reported.
About 940 children are reported missing in Gaza, he said, with some thought to be stuck beneath the rubble.
"So child deaths due to dehydration, particularly infant deaths due to dehydration, are a growing threat," he said, adding that children were getting sick from drinking salty water.
At least 50 bodies were recovered from the rubble after an Israeli airstrike on the Jabalia refugee camp completely destroyed the shelter.
Meanwhile, Gaza’s interior ministry reported the Jabalia refugee camp has been “completely destroyed" by Israeli bombardment.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken will head back to Israel on Friday and also visit other countries in the region.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Hamas is part of an axis of evil Iran has formed.
Meanwhile, Israel's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan characterized Hamas as a group with intentions similar to that of the ‘Nazis’ and emphasized that the organization does not appear to seek a resolution to the conflict.
Erdan said that Hamas is interested in the annihilation of the Jewish people.
Israel's armed forces have reported conducting operations that targeted over 600 militant sites in recent days, as they escalate their ground actions in the region.
This comes at a critical juncture in the conflict, with Palestinian civilians facing severe shortages of essential supplies such as fuel, food, and safe drinking water, as the conflict enters its fourth week.
More than 8,300 people have been killed — 66% of them women and children – and tens of thousands injured, according to the latest figures from Gaza’s Ministry of Health.
Check all the LIVE updates here
The UN child rights committee said Wednesday there were "no winners in a war where thousands of children are killed", as they condemned mounting "grave human rights violations" in the Gaza Strip.
The committee, which monitors countries' adherence to the international Convention on the Rights of the Child, expressed its "outrage at the profound suffering of children" in the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
"Grave human rights violations against children are mounting by the minute in the Gaza Strip, and there are no winners in a war where thousands of children are killed," the committee said in a statement.
Israel has heavily bombarded Gaza since Hamas gunmen stormed across the border on October 7, killing 1,400 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping at least 240 others, including children, according to Israeli officials.
The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says nearly 8,800 people have been killed since the war with Israel erupted, while more than 22,000 people have been wounded.
Fifteen Israeli soldiers have been killed fighting in Gaza since Tuesday, a spokesman for the country's military told AFP.
Israeli troops have been fighting Hamas militants on the ground since Friday, backed by heavy air strikes which have killed multiple civilians in the Palestinian territory.
Egypt started curbing vital natural gas supplies to some energy-intensive industries, a sign of the widening economic impact the Israel-Hamas war is having on a country already facing power cuts due to fuel shortages.
The government’s gas flow reduction to industry is temporary and hasn’t impacted production yet, according to two people familiar with the situation. Even so, fertilizer companies have seen supplies reduced by 30%, one of the people said.
Since Israel shut its offshore Tamar gas field because of the fighting in Gaza, Egypt’s natural gas imports have fallen to zero from 800 million cubic feet per day, the government said this week. This has led to more of the electricity shortages that have already plagued the country since the middle of the year as an exceptional heat wave stretched fuel supplies.
Egypt relies on gas imports from its neighbor Israel to meet some of its domestic demand, as well as for re-exporting to Europe via its liquefied natural gas facilities. The unusually hot weather meant Egypt was consuming all the gas that it was producing, leaving little for overseas shipments. The government’s plan was to resume exports to Europe in October.
Jordan on Wednesday said it would "immediately" recall its ambassador to Israel in protest at the war against Gaza's Hamas rulers triggered by the militant group's October 7 attacks, an AP report cited
"Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi decided to immediately recall Jordan's ambassador to Israel," the foreign ministry said in a statement that condemned "the ongoing Israeli war that is killing innocent people in Gaza and causing an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe".
Now in its 26th day, the conflict began after Hamas militants stormed over the Gaza border killing 1,400 people, mostly civilians, Israeli officials say, prompting a devastating military response that medics in Hamas-run Gaza say has killed more than 8,500 people, two-thirds of them women and children.
The last time Jordan recalled its ambassador to Israel was 2019.
The leader of Palestinian Islamist militant group Hamas said on Wednesday that Israeli hostages held in the besieged Gaza Strip were subject to the same "death and destruction" that Palestinians have faced.
Hamas has told mediators that it was necessary for the "massacre" to stop and called on people to continue protesting, particularly in the West, to mount pressure on decision makers, Ismail Haniyeh said in a recorded video message.
French President Emmanuel Macron said Wednesday he "hates the debate" over the value of "Jewish lives" and "Palestinian lives" and called for "civilians in Gaza to be protected first".
"I hate this debate dividing people and saying: 'For me Jewish lives are more important' or 'for me Palestinian lives would be more important'. This is crazy," Macron said on a visit to the Kazakhstan capital.
"All lives matter in this world," he stressed, speaking in English to students.
Civilians in Gaza "have nothing to do with the terrorist attacks", Macron said.
Hamas gunmen killed 1,400 people, mostly civilians, when they stormed the Gaza border into Israel on October 7 and took 240 hostages, according to Israeli officials.
The first group of foreign passport holders have been evacuated from the Gaza strip and have reached the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing, two sources at the border and local media said on Wednesday.
One of the sources said that as of 1210 GMT the evacuees were undergoing security checks on the Egyptian side of the border
The Hamas-run government in Gaza says Israeli airstrikes have hit apartment buildings in a refugee camp near Gaza City for a second day in a row, causing many deaths and injuries.
The toll from Wednesday's strikes was not immediately known.
Al-Jazeera television, which is still reporting from northern Gaza, aired footage of devastation and of several wounded people, including children, being brought to a nearby hospital.
Turkey and Iran on Wednesday called for a regional conference aimed at averting the spread of the Israel-Hamas war.
"We do not want the human tragedy in Gaza to turn into a war that affects the region's countries," Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told a joint media appearance with Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, who urged the meeting to be held "as soon as possible".
Oil prices rose more than 1% on Wednesday ahead of the keenly watched meeting of the U.S. central bank for clues on interest rate policy, while the conflict in the Middle East remains in focus.
Brent January crude futures were up about 1.1%, or 90 cents, to $85.92 a barrel by 1042 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures also gained 1.1%, or 90 cents, to $81.92 a barrel.
"Crude prices are steadying ahead of a key issuance update by the Treasury and FOMC rate decision," said OANDA analyst Edward Moya, referring to the Federal Open Market Committee that sets the direction of U.S. monetary policy.
The Fed, which will end its meeting on Wednesday, is widely expected to hold rates steady.
Some foreigners and wounded Palestinians were allowed to leave Gaza for the first time since Israel began its ground invasion of the war-ravaged territory. A group of them were allowed into Egypt on Wednesday morning, according to Arab television channels.
An Israeli strike on a refugee camp in Gaza overnight killed and wounded hundreds of people, according to the Health Ministry in the Hamas-run territory, and drew condemnation from across the Middle East. Israel said Hamas, designated a terrorist group by the US, was using Jabaliya as a training center and the strike killed militants.
Jabaliya, in the northern Gaza Strip, with more than 100,000 inhabitants, is today little different from a city, with tall buildings and infrastructure. It’s one of eight camps begun by the UN to absorb Palestinians fleeing the 1948 war that led to Israel’s existence.
Gaza was plunged into another communications blackout Wednesday, with internet and phone service cut for several hours as Israeli troops battled Hamas militants. Meanwhile, dozens of foreign passport holders crowded into a border crossing ahead of what could be the first such departure from the besieged Palestinian enclave.
Communications began to be restored later in the day, but aid agencies warned that such blackouts severely disrupt their work in an already dire situation. Daily airstrikes have displaced more than half of the population and basic supplies are running low. On Tuesday, an Israeli barrage leveled apartment buildings in a refugee camp near Gaza City, killing an unknown number of people.
No one has been allowed to leave Gaza, except for four hostages released by Hamas, since Israel declared a total siege in the wake of the militants’ bloody Oct. 7 rampage into southern Israel. Disagreements among Egypt, Israel and Hamas have prevented any exit, even as hundreds have gathered at the Rafah crossing, the only one currently operating, at different times in recent weeks.
The Palestinian crossing authority said more than 400 foreign passport holders would be permitted to leave Gaza for Egypt on Wednesday, as would a small number of wounded people. Egypt has said it will not accept an influx of Palestinian refugees because of fears Israel will not allow them to return to Gaza after the war.
Dozens of people could be seen entering the Rafah crossing, while ambulances drove in from the other direction. Egypt's Health Ministry said more than 80 wounded Palestinians would be brought in for treatment, and a field hospital has been set up in an Egyptian town near the crossing.
But as a few hundred prepared to leave, the rest of of Gaza's 2.3 million people found themselves cut off from the world — and each other — once again.
The Palestinian telecoms company Paltel said internet and mobile phone services were gradually being restored in Gaza following a “complete disruption" that was also reported by internet-access advocacy group NetBlocks.org. It was the second time residents were largely cut off after communications went down over the weekend, as Israeli troops pushed into Gaza in larger numbers.
Hamas said Wednesday that seven hostages, including three foreign passport holders, were killed in Israel's bombing of Gaza's largest refugee camp.
Dozens of bodies were seen on Tuesday at the Jabalia camp where Israel said it killed a Hamas military commander in a strike on a tunnel complex.
"Seven detainees were killed in the Jabalia massacre yesterday, including three holders of foreign passports," said a statement from the Hamas military wing.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called on Muslim states to cease oil and food exports to Israel, demanding an end to its bombardment of the Gaza Strip, state media reported.
"The bombings on Gaza must stop immediately ... the path of oil and food exports to the Zionist regime should be stopped," Khamenei said in a speech, according to Iranian state media.
Israel has vowed to wipe out Tehran-backed Hamas, which rules Gaza, in retaliation for an Oct. 7 attack that killed 1,400 people and saw hundreds taken hostage.
Israel has launched an unprecedented bombardment of Gaza and imposed a siege of the enclave. Palestinian authorities say more than 8,000 people have been killed.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on Wednesday to continue Israel's war on Hamas despite suffering "painful losses" in ground fighting inside the Gaza Strip.
"We have so many important achievements, but also painful losses. We know that every soldier of ours is an entire world," Netanyahu said in a televised address after the army confirmed at least 11 soldiers killed in ground fighting on Tuesday.
Iran's supreme leader Khamenei said that Muslim countries should stop exporting oil and food to Israel. (Reuters)
Dozens of foreign passport holders could be seen entering the Rafah crossing from Gaza to Egypt on Wednesday. It appeared to be the first time foreign passport holders have been allowed to leave the besieged territory since the start of the Israel-Hamas war more than three weeks ago. (AP)
Israel-Gaza war: As the world witnesses and gets entangled in the the war between Benjamin Netanyahu's Israel and Hamas fighters from Gaza, China in all likelihood has expressed its stand, through their map.
In the latest of their stance, netizens have noticed that the digital maps being circulated in China do not mention Israel. The digital maps provided by tech giants Baidu and Alibaba skip mentioning Israel, even though smaller nations like Luxembourg have been pointed on the map.
Notably, maps from China has often been the bone of contention in the East Asian Nation's diplomatic relation with other countries. Notably, the absence coincides with China's often non-committal diplomatic stance toward the Middle East and has raised questions among Chinese netizens, particularly in light of recent conflicts. Read the complete story.
Israel on Wednesday slammed Bolivia's decision to cut diplomatic ties over its war in Gaza after a deadly Hamas attack as a capitulation to "terror".
"The government of Bolivia's decision to cut diplomatic ties with Israel is a surrender to terrorism and to the Ayatollah's regime in Iran," foreign ministry spokesman Lior Haiat said in a statement.
"By taking this step, the Bolivian government is aligning itself with the Hamas terrorist organisation." (AFP)
The US and Israel are exploring options for the future of the Gaza Strip, including the possibility of a multinational force that may involve American troops if Israeli forces succeed in ousting Hamas, people familiar with the matter said.
The people said the conversations have been impelled by a sense of urgency to come up with a plan for the future of Gaza now that a ground invasion has begun. A second option would establish a peacekeeping force modeled on one that oversees a 1979 Egypt-Israel peace treaty, while a third would see Gaza put under temporary United Nations oversight. (Bloomberg)
“Missile boats deployed in the Red Sea as part of regional reinforcement", informed the Israeli military. (Reuters)
Qatar has mediated an agreement between Egypt, Israel and Hamas, in coordination with the U.S., to allow for the movement of foreign passport holders and some critically injured people out of besieged Gaza, a source briefed on deal told Reuters on Wednesday.
The agreement would allow the movement of foreign passport holders and some critically injured people through the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza, though there is no timeline for how long the Rafah crossing will remain open for evacuation, the source added. (Reuters)
An Israeli strike on a refugee camp in Gaza overnight drew condemnation across the Middle East and comes ahead of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s trip to the region later this week.
The bombardment of the Jabaliya refugee camp killed and wounded hundreds of people, according to the Health Ministry in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip. The Israeli military said the refugee camp was used as a training center by Hamas, designated a terrorist group by the US, and said that the attack had killed dozens of militants. (Bloomberg)
Israel accused Bolivia on Wednesday of "capitulation to terrorism and to the ayatollah regime in Iran" after the South American nation cut ties in protest at civilian casualties from Israel's war with Tehran-backed Palestinian militants in Gaza. (Reuters)
Craig Mokhiber, a top-ranking official of the United Nations (UN), has resigned as he called for the dismantling of the “deeply racist, settler-colonial project" while citing “genocide" of the Palestinian civilians as Israel continues to batter Gaza. Craig Mokhiber, Director of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in New York, sent his “last official communication" to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk, detailing how the UN “failed" in its duty.
Craig Mokhiber also alleged that the United States, United Kingdom and much of Europe were “wholly complicit in the horrific assault" and that the UN has failed to prevent the genocide of civilians. Read the complete story here.
As the Israel-Hamas war enters day 26, US President Joe Biden in a call with King Abdullah II of Jordan, agreed that it is critical to ensure that Palestinians are not forcibly displaced outside of Gaza.
Apart from discussions on the latest developments there, the leaders spoke on the facilitation of the delivery of life-saving humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza.
"President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. spoke today with His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan. The leaders discussed the latest developments in Gaza and their shared commitment to facilitating the increased, sustained delivery of life-saving humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza and the resumption of essential services," the White House said, quoting the readout of President Biden's Call with King Abdullah II of Jordan. (ANI)
Internet and phone networks were down across the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, the Palestinian telecommunications agency said, in the second such blackout in the besieged territory in less than a week.
"To our good people in the beloved country, we are sorry to announce that communications and internet services have been completely cut off in Gaza," the Palestine Telecommunications Company (Paltel) said on X. (AFP)
Saudi Arabia-based Tabby raised $200 million in a funding round that values the buy-now-pay-later firm at over $1.5 billion ahead of a planned listing in the kingdom.
The Series D round was led by Wellington Management, with participation from Bluepool Capital and existing investors Saudi venture capital firm STV, Mubadala Investment Capital, PayPal Ventures and Arbor Ventures, Tabby said in a statement. The fundraise makes Tabby one of the Gulf region’s first fintech unicorns and more than doubles the firm’s valuation from $660 million as of January. (Bloomberg)
The Israel-Gaza war has entered its 26th day. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is all set to visit war-torn Israel on Friday. The United States and other countries are looking at "a variety of possible permutations" for the future of the Gaza Strip if Hamas militants are removed from control. Read the story here.
Hamas said some foreigners and injured Palestinians would be allowed to leave Gaza for Egypt for the first time since Israel began its ground invasion of the besieged territory.
The US, meanwhile, is sending its top diplomat back to Middle East for a fresh round of shuttle diplomacy as fighting intensifies in Gaza, with Israel reiterating its vow to destroy Hamas. (Bloomberg)
The Israeli army said on Wednesday that its forces had carried out attacks on more than 11,000 militant targets in the Gaza Strip since the beginning of its ongoing war with Hamas.
"Since the beginning of the war, the IDF (Israel Defence Forces) has struck over 11,000 targets belonging to terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip," a statement from the military said. (AFP)
Nine Israeli soldiers were killed during combat operations in Gaza on Tuesday, the military said, bringing the total number of troops killed since October 7 to 326.
Two other soldiers were seriously wounded in fighting in the Palestinian territory Tuesday, according to the Israeli military, which has been waging a war against Hamas since the Palestinian militant organisation carried out the worst attack in Israel's history. (AFP)
A barrage of Israeli airstrikes leveled apartment buildings in a refugee camp near Gaza City on Tuesday, and footage showed rescuers pulling men, women and children out of the rubble. Israel said the strike destroyed a Hamas command center set up in civilian houses and a network of tunnels underneath.
The toll from the strikes in the Jabaliya camp was not immediately known. The Israeli military said a large number of militants were killed, including the commander overseeing Hamas operations in northern Gaza. (AP)
Yemen's Houthi rebels for the first time Tuesday claimed missile and drone attacks targeting Israel, drawing their main sponsor Iran closer into the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip and further raising the risks of a regional conflict erupting.
The Houthis had been suspected of an attack earlier this month targeting Israel by sending missiles and drones over the crucial shipping lane of the Red Sea, an assault that saw the US Navy shoot down the projectiles. (AP)
Israeli families of victims of the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks appealed on Tuesday to the International Criminal Court (ICC) to order an investigation into the killings and abductions, despite Israel's opposition to the court.
Tel Aviv-based international lawyer Yael Vias Gvirsman who represents the families of more than 34 victims of the Hamas attacks, including hostages, missing persons and people killed, filed a so-called 'article 15 communication' with the ICC prosecutor.
Israel is not a member of the Hague-based ICC and refuses to recognise the court's jurisdiction. (Reuters)
Hamas said it will release a number of foreign captives within days, as fighting escalated inside Gaza.
Dozens were reported killed and wounded at a Gaza refugee camp. Health officials in the Hamas-controlled territory said the Jabaliya camp was hit by a series of Israeli airstrikes. Israel’s military said it targeted Hamas infrastructure in the area and killed a senior leader of the group. It also said two soldiers were killed in fighting in northern Gaza. (Bloomberg)
The Palestinian Authority should retake control of the Gaza Strip from Hamas with international players potentially filling a role in the interim, said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken while endorsing the Islamist militant movement that has ruled the impoverished territory since 2007.
Addressing a Senate hearing, Blinken said, “At some point, what would make the most sense would be for an effective and revitalized Palestinian Authority to have governance and ultimately security responsibility for Gaza." Read the complete story here.
A Cornell University student was arrested Tuesday and accused of posting threatening statements online about Jewish students at the school, law enforcement officials said.
Patrick Dai, 21, a junior from Pittsford, New York, is charged in a federal criminal complaint with posting threats to kill or injure another using interstate communications, according to a joint announcement from the U.S. Attorney's office, FBI, New York State police and Cornell University Police. (AP)
Israeli airstrikes hit a densely populated refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, killing at least 50 Palestinians and a Hamas commander, and medics struggled to treat the casualties in the enclave where food, fuel and basic supplies are running scarce.
Israeli tanks have been active in Gaza for at least four days following weeks of air bombardments in retaliation for an attack by Palestinian Hamas militants on southern Israeli towns on Oct. 7 and the taking of more than 200 hostages. (Reuters)
Internet and phone networks were down across the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, the Palestinian telecommunications agency said, in the second such blackout in the war-ravaged territory in less than a week.
"To our good people in the beloved country, we are sorry to announce that communications and internet services have been completely cut off in Gaza," the Palestine Telecommunications Company (Paltel) said on X. (AFP)
9 Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza fighting, says IDF. (Reuters)
A barrage of Israeli airstrikes leveled apartment buildings in a refugee camp near Gaza City on Tuesday, and footage showed rescuers pulling men, women and children from the rubble. Israel said the strike destroyed a Hamas command center set up in civilian houses and an underground tunnel network.
The toll from the strikes in the Jabaliya camp was not immediately known. The director of the nearby hospital where casualties were taken, Dr. Atef Al-Kahlot, said hundreds of people were wounded or killed, but he did not provide exact figures. (AP)
US President Joe Biden and Jordan's King Abdullah discuss 'urgent' ways to stem violence and reduce regional tensions, Reuters reported quoting The White House as saying.
Biden and King Abdullah agreed that it is critical to ensure that Palestinians are not forcibly displaced outside of Gaza, said the White House. (Reuters)
More than one border crossing was needed to deliver aid to the besieged Gaza Strip and Kerem Shalom controlled by Israel is the only one equipped to take enough trucks, the United Nations said on Monday.
Aid trucks have been trickling into Gaza from Egypt over the past week via Rafah, the main crossing that does not border Israel. It has become the main point of aid delivery since Israel imposed a "total siege" of the enclave in retaliation for an attack by Palestinian Hamas militants from Gaza on Oct. 7. (Reuters)
Israeli airstrikes hit a densely populated refugee camp in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, killing at least 50 Palestinians and a Hamas commander, and medics struggled to treat the casualties, even setting up operating rooms in hospital corridors.
Israeli tanks have been acting in Gaza for at least four days following weeks of air bombardments in retaliation for an attack by Palestinian Hamas militants on mostly Israeli civilians on Oct. 7 and the taking of more than 200 hostages.
An Israel Defense Forces statement said the strike on Jabalia, Gaza's largest refugee camp, had killed Ibrahim Biari. It said he was a ringleader of what it called the "murderous terror attack" on Oct. 7. (Reuters)
Gaza has become a graveyard for thousands of children. It's a living hell for everyone else, said UNICEF.
As reported by Reuters, 940 children were reported missing in Gaza.
UNICEF spokesperson noted, “Infant death due to dehydration in Gaza is a growing threat with 5% of normal daily water output."
The White House said President Joe Biden would veto a bill proposed by House Republicans to provide assistance for Israel that would be paid for by slashing funds for the Internal Revenue Service.
The Office of Management and Budget, in a lengthy statement on Tuesday night, said the measure “fails to meet the urgency of the moment by deepening our divides and severely eroding historic bipartisan support for Israel’s security." (Bloomberg)
Hamas spokesperson, Ghazi Hamad, who is also the deputy foreign minister, has told a BBC correspondent during an interview, that the fighter group had not been instructed to kill civilians during their 7 October land-air-water surprise attack on Israel.
In the interview, Hamas spokesperson Hamad defended his statement, and said that “because the area was very wide" there “were clashes and confrontation".
During the interview, when the interviewer mentioned the Hamas fighters killed Israelis in their houses, while they were sleeping on the night of 7 October and asserted that "it was not a confrontation", the Hamas spokesperson replied, "I can tell you we didn't have any intention or decision to kill the civilians." Read the complete story here.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim joined 16,000 pro-Palestinian supporters to condemn Israel's "barbaric" acts in the Gaza Strip, where thousands are estimated to have been killed in Israeli attacks, and denounce its Western supporters.
The gathering in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, was the largest in a series of demonstrations held in Muslim-majority Malaysia in recent weeks.
More than 700 Palestinians were killed in overnight Israeli air strikes, Gaza's health ministry said on Tuesday, the highest 24-hour death toll since Israel began a bombing campaign to crush Hamas militants who stunned the country with a deadly Oct. 7 attack. (Reuters)
Israel said Saturday its war on Hamas had "entered a new phase" with its massive bombardment of Gaza as the Islamist group demanded the release of all Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the hostages it seized three weeks ago.
The United Nations warned thousands more civilians could die in Gaza as Israel said ground forces were still operating inside the Hamas-run territory more than 24 hours after entering it on Friday.
Israel unleashed its bombing campaign after Hamas gunmen stormed across the Gaza border on October 7, killing 1,400 people, mostly civilians, and seizing more than 220 hostages, according to Israeli officials. (AFP)
