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LIVE Israel PM warns Gaza

action only just begun as Hamas
threatens hostages
Israel-Gaza Conflict BBC News

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Read more: How Hamas staged lightning assault

no one thought possible. For the basics: What is
happening in Israel and Gaza Strip?

0:38 1:00

British Israeli soldier's 'I wish I could be a normal

funeral interrupted by child living with no war'
sirens

BBC BBC

Summary
Israel will use "enormous force" against the Hamas
militant group, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
has warned
He says the Israel Defense Forces' retaliation for the
worst attack on Israeli soil in decades has only just
begun
About 900 people have died in Israel since
Saturday's surprise attack, including 260 people
massacred by Hamas gunmen at a music festival
Since Israel began striking Gaza in response, almost
690 people have died on the Palestinian side
Hamas' armed wing has threatened to kill a hostage
every time Israel carries out an air strike without
warning civilians
Dozens of people have been kidnapped by Hamas
and their families are desperately searching for
information
Israel's defence minister earlier ordered a "complete
siege" of the Gaza Strip, cutting off food, fuel,
electricity and water supplies

Live Reporting Related Stories

Edited by Brandon Livesay

22:56

The latest from the Israel-Hamas conflict

Getty Images

Smoke rises aer Israeli airstrikes on the centre of

Gaza City, Gaza on 9 October.

The third day of clashes between Hamas

militants and the Israeli army has lead to
hundreds of deaths.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

made a televised address to the nation,
saying that a number of Hamas gunmen are
still in Israel

Netanyahu called on Israel's opposition

parties to form a national unity
government and said "air strikes in Gaza are
only the beginning"

At least 900 people have been killed in

Israel

Almost 700 people have been killed in

Gaza following Israeli military action

The Al-Qassam brigades, known as the

armed wing of Hamas, threatened to kill
Israeli civilian hostages if Palestinian
civilians were not warned about impending
air strikes

22:43

Pentagon briefing: US warships and

munitions en route to Israel

A senior US defence official has been giving an

update on the developing situation in Israel.
Here are some of the key takeaways that were
talked about.

They called the Hamas attack "Isis-level

savagery", referencing homes burned to the
ground and young people massacred at a
music festival

The US is confident it can support both

Ukraine and Israel with weapons

Aircra are headed to Israel with

munitions, but the US official did not
specify the type of weaponry

The USS Gerald R Ford strike group has

been deployed to the eastern
Mediterranean

When asked by a reporter if the US is

concerned Israel will kill Palestinian civilians
with American weapons, the official said
Washington holds Israel to the same
standard all partners are held to - which is
to avoid civilian casualties

The official did not confirm or deny if

Hezbollah and Hamas had met in Iran prior
to the attack. However the official did say
Iran had been "fomenting instability across
the region"

22:37

UK PM: People who support Hamas are

fully responsible for this attack

BBC

Turning to the UK now, where Prime Minister

Rishi Sunak has been speaking on Monday
evening at a synagogue in London.

"The people who support Hamas are fully

responsible for this appalling attack. They are
not freedom fighters, they are terrorists," he
said.

"There is no question of balance, I stand with

Israel."

Sunak added that he will "stop at nothing" to

keep the Jewish community in the UK safe.

22:31

US says it always urges Israel to avoid

civilian casualties

One more question and answer from the news

briefing that the US Department of Defense
has been holding at the Pentagon near
Washington DC.

A senior official said the top priority of the US

is to "contain the conflict and support the
defence of Israel".

She said the US government is monitoring

groups across the Middle East for anyone who
"would consider joining or piling onto this
conflict in a way that escalates it".

She then answered the BBC's Barbara Plett-

Usher's question: "We all know that a lot of
Palestinians will die... where will the US draw
the line?"

"We are always urging our Israeli partners - all

our partners - to avoid civilian casualties. I
would note here that's absolutely something
that Hamas did not do."

22:27

Biden confirms 11 Americans

BREAKING
killed

US President Joe Biden has confirmed at least

11 Americans have been killed in the Israel-
Hamas conflict.

"Sadly, we now know that at least 11 American

citizens were among those killed — many of
whom made a second home in Israel," he said
in a written statement from the White House.

22:25

US has 'no comment' on alleged Hamas

meeting

A senior US defence official says they would

"not comment on intelligence matters today"
aer a question from Fox News reporter
Jennifer Griffin about an alleged meeting
between Hamas and Lebanese Islamist group
Hezbollah that was reportedly brokered by
Iran.

A report in the Wall Street Journal newspaper

says that Iran played a key role in helping
Hamas prepare for its surprise attack.

The newspaper said talks in Beirut began in

August and included members of the Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corp.

The US has not specified what role Iran may

have had. "Iran is in the picture here," the
unnamed official said.

"We've been clear for years in Iran's role in

fomenting instability across the region," the
official added.

22:17

Pentagon confident it can provide

support to Israel and Ukraine

The US defense department would not go into

specifics about the type of weaponry and
defence support it is sending Israel.

But a senior defense official said on

background on Monday they are "working to
assess what munitions are in the US inventory
that can be made quickly available to Israel".

She said that aircra had already taken off with

munitions and added that the Pentagon is in
constant contact with counterparts in Israel.

When asked if the US is worried they have used

up ammunition supporting Ukraine, the official
said they are able to support the armed forces
there as well as Israel.

22:10

US warns those looking to bring

instability to the region

The US Defense Department is sending a firm

message that it is "supporting Israel's defence"
in this conflict.

A senior official said on background that

adversaries looking to take advantage of
instability in the region should "think twice"
before stepping in.

The warships the US has deployed to the

eastern Mediterranean - the USS Gerald R Ford
strike group - are there to conduct a "full
spectrum" of maritime operations, the official
said.

Part of their mission is to "minimize risk to

widespread conflict".

It comes amid concerns that Iran or other

regional groups opposed to Israel such as
Hezbollah in Lebanon may join in the conflict.

22:09

US calls Hamas attack 'Isis-level

savagery'

The US Department of Defense has been

holding a news conference on the Israel-Hamas
conflict.

A senior defence official said: "I want to

differentiate this from other times we have
seen between Israel and Hamas", calling it "Isis-
level savagery" - referring to the actions of the
so-called Islamic State group of militants.

The official said it was an “unprecedented

attack on Israel” with houses burned to the
ground and young people massacred at a
music festival.

21:56

European Commission says Palestinian

aid not suspended

The European Commission has said that aid

payments for Palestinians are not being
suspended.

The bloc's new statement comes aer

Commissioner for Neighbourhood and
Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi said earlier
that all payments were immediately
suspended.

The Commission said in a statement that it was

launching a review of its aid programme.

"In the meantime, as there were no payments

foreseen, there will be no suspension of
payments," the statement added.

Elsewhere, the UK has announced it is also

reviewing its aid for Palestinian projects.

Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden told

ITV's Peston programme it was "very important
to appreciate that we shouldn't clump together
the Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip who
have carried out these attacks and the
Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian
people".

21:42

Siege of Gaza will make getting aid in

even harder - refugee agency

UNRWA (UN Relief and Works Agency for

Palestine Refugees in the Near East) director of
communications Juliet Touma has been talking
to our TV colleagues.

Touma says people in Gaza are "terrified" and

worried for their safety - as well as that of their
children and families.

Asked how much harder it will be to get aid

into Gaza since a "complete siege" was ordered
by Israel, Touma says it is more of the same:
"Gaza has been under blockade for the past 16
years, which is why the number of people who
rely on UNWRA has increased massively in
recent years."

"We worry that further tightening will make a

situation that is already bad far far worse," she
says, adding 1.2 million people rely on the
agency for food assistance - a significant
number of those being women and children.

21:23

Emotions run high at Jewish vigil outside

Downing Street
Lucy Manning
BBC News Special Correspondent

Some prayed, others chanted, some stood in

tears, others in quiet thought. Across the
political and religious spectrum, British Jews,
Israelis and supporters, united outside
Downing Street.

Almost everyone here has relatives or friends

affected. Emotions very high about the killings
and the kidnappings with whole families wiped
out.

Scared, helpless and anxious, the trauma is a

collective one.

One Israeli who attended the candle-lit vigil

was Hanna Wine. She was supposed to be back
in Israel today.

“I'm currently stuck here. My flight got

cancelled. I have a close friend who's missing,
she's probably been taken into Gaza, I don't
know what's happening to her."

I don't think anyone here gets how bad the

situation is there. Every single person I
know, every boy I know has been draed.
People have been murdered in cold blood.”

BBC

21:15

Israeli strike leads to partial closure of

Gaza border with Egypt

The Rafah border crossing between the Gaza

Strip and Egypt was partially closed earlier
following an Israeli strike nearby, Egyptian
security sources have told the Reuters news
agency.

Rafah is the only crossing for Gaza residents in

and out of the strip aer Israel shut its border
crossings.

The crossing has since reopened, but only for

humanitarian cases.

A blockade by Egypt and Israel has long placed

severe restrictions on the movement of goods
and people in Gaza.

The Red Crescent has delivered some medical

aid to Gaza through the Rafah crossing since
Hamas gunmen attacked Israel on Saturday.

21:05

Palestinian death toll rises to almost 690

We reported a rise in the number of people

killed in Israel a little earlier - and now we've
got news of the latest figure from the
Palestinian side.

The death toll from Israeli attacks on Gaza has

risen to almost 690 - including 140 children
and 105 women, a spokesman for the
Palestinian health ministry said.

In a news conference, reported by some

international news agencies, the spokesman
added that an additional 3,700 people had
been wounded.

20:53

Netanyahu: Air strikes in Gaza are just

the beginning

BBC

We are hearing more from Israeli Prime

Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

During his speech, he said that air strikes in

Gaza were "just the beginning" and added that
they would do "everything for Israelis held
captive in Gaza".

He also called on the opposition parties to

form a broad coalition government, aer an
attempt by the two biggest opposition party
leaders failed on Saturday.

20:46

Netanyahu: A number of
BREAKING Palestinian gunmen are still
inside Israel

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

says "a number of Palestinian gunmen are still
inside Israel".

20:28

'At least 100 bodies recovered in Be'eri'

Israeli media report that at least 100 bodies

recovered from Kibbutz Be'eri, citing rescue
workers.

Be'eri is about 10 miles (20 km) from the Gaza

border and it was one of the first places Hamas
militants entered and took Israelis hostage on
Saturday.

The clashes between Hamas militants and

Israeli army have been continuing in the
community.

This morning, an IDF spokesperson said that

between 70 and 100 gunmen had been killed in
the Be'eri area since Saturday.

20:18

Pro-Palestinian groups gathered outside

the Israeli Embassy in London
Nick Johnson
Reporting from Israeli Embassy in London

Getty Images

Thousands of people have gathered outside

the gates of the Israeli Embassy in West
London.

Protests by pro-Palestinian groups here are

nothing new, but this time, they’re happening
against the backdrop of what many have
described as one of Israel’s worst days in its
history.

While speakers have taken to the stage

accompanied by the all-too familiar chants,
which jar with the magnitude of recent events,
each have been at pains to point out that
violence and intimidation are never the answer.

20:08

Here's where things stand

If you're just joining us, here's the latest news

on the conflict.

The death toll continues to rise in Israel

since Saturday's surprise attack by Hamas
fighters - with 900 killed, including 260
people massacred by gunmen at a music
festival

Since Israel began striking Gaza in

response, nearly 600 people have been
killed there

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke

earlier from southern Israel and has warned
the country will use "enormous force"
against the Hamas militant group

Israel's defence minister earlier ordered a

"complete siege" of the Gaza Strip, cutting
off food, fuel, electricity and water
supplies

The armed wing of Hamas, the Al-Qassam

brigades, has announced it will "begin
executing an Israeli civilian captive in
return for any new Israeli bombing of
civilians houses without pre-warning"

Nine US citizens are now confirmed dead in

Israel, while more than 10 Britons are
feared dead, or missing

Dozens of people are being held hostage