Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that Hamas militants beheaded soldiers and raped women in their attack on Israel, and he vowed that Israel would “crush and destroy” Hamas in response to the attack. US President Joe Biden called the Hamas attack “the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust,” and a campaign of “pure cruelty.” Israel’s energy minister, Israel Katz, confirmed the country is blocking water, electricity and fuel from entering Gaza, warning that Israel will “continue to tighten the siege until the Hamas threat…is removed”. The Indian government has also launched Operation Ajay in order to bring back Indian nationals from war-torn Israel. 

Here are Top 10 updates you need to know on Israel-Hamas war

1. Israel would “crush and destroy” Hamas, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened amid the war like situation with Palestine. “Every Hamas terrorist is a dead man,” Netanyahu said at a late-night briefing, flanked by Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Benny Gantz, the head of Israel’s opposition.

2. Speaking of the latest death toll, at least 1,100 Palestinians, including 326 children, have been killed since Saturday, Gaza’s health ministry said while the total number of people injured stands at 5,339. The number of Israelis murdered during Hamas’ invasion of southern Israel over the weekend rose to 1,200 on Wednesday morning, as the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) continued to pummel Palestinian terror assets in the Gaza Strip.

3. India on Wednesday announced launching “Operation Ajay” to facilitate the return from Israel of those Indians who wish to come back home as a series of brazen attacks on Israeli towns by Hamas militants over the weekend triggered fresh tensions in the region

4. Nepal has planned to evacuate a total of 250 nationals from Israel while the bodies of 10 Nepali students killed will be repatriated later, the Foreign Ministry announced on Wednesday.

5. As many as 22 Americans have lost their lives in Hamas’ attack on Israel and 17 remain unaccounted for, the White House said on Wednesday, and added that the figure is likely to increase in the coming days.

6. The US State Department also upgraded its travel warning for Israel and the West Bank on Wednesday to Level 3 which means “reconsider travel.” It kept its travel advisory for Gaza at the department’s highest warning level, Level 4 which means “do not travel.” 

7. Joe Biden spoke with United Arab Emirates President Mohamed bin Zayed on Wednesday about ensuring humanitarian assistance reaches those in need as the war between Israel and Hamas extends into a fifth day, the White House said. The UAE was the first Gulf country to normalize relations with Israel in 2020 under the US-brokered Abraham Accords, which saw Bahrain and Morocco also establish diplomatic ties with Israel.

8. In a first call since a surprise rapprochement in March, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman received a call on Wednesday from the Iranian leader, Ebrahim Raisi, during which they discussed “the current military situation in Gaza and its environs”, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said. Prince Mohammed told Raisi that Riyadh is “communicating with all international and regional parties to stop the ongoing escalation”, SPA said. He also stressed “the kingdom’s firm position towards supporting the Palestinian cause”, it said.

9. The British Airways suspended flights to Tel Aviv after the airline returned a flight bound to the Israeli city back to London on Wednesday due to security concerns.

10. Air-raid sirens sounded in northern Israel and local residents were told to go to bomb shelters, but authorities later said reports of an “airspace intrusion” from Lebanon were a false alarm. Israelis have been on high alert for any sign Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon to the north might step up attacks after Hamas’ deadly attacks from Gaza in the south over the weekend.

10. 

(With inputs from agencies)

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Updated: 12 Oct 2023, 07:17 AM IST