Stay informed with our live updates on the unfolding crisis in Israel and the Gaza Strip. Saturday is the eighth day since the start of the Israel–Hamas war. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), early Friday, ordered hundreds of thousands of civilians living in Gaza City to evacuate ahead of a feared Israeli ground operation. The United Nations moments earlier had received a warning from Israel to tell the 1.1 million people living in northern Gaza to evacuate within 24 hours. Tens of thousands of people in Gaza are estimated to have fled south since Israel’s warning, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Friday. In urging the evacuation, Israel’s military said it planned to target underground Hamas hideouts around Gaza City—areas that civilians cannot access. Meanwhile, the Hamas terrorist group has vowed to fight to the last drop of blood and told residents to stay.
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Russian Death Toll in Israel Rises to 16. Russia’s embassy in Israel said Saturday that the number of Russian citizens killed since Hamas launched its attacks against Israel a week ago has risen to 16. Eight Russian citizens are missing, according to embassy press secretary Marina Ryazanova. At least one Russian citizen is being held hostage in the Gaza Strip, Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported.
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French Officials in Contact With Citizens in Gaza, Working to Ensure Their Evacuation. France is in contact with dozens of French citizens currently in Gaza, and employees of the French Institute of Gaza, in hopes of ensuring their evacuation, a French diplomatic official said Sunday. The French citizens include people who live there as well as those visiting for humanitarian or family reasons.
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Egyptian Humanitarian Aid for Gaza Arrives in Sinai. Egyptian charities on Saturday sent over 100 trucks carrying 1,000 tons of humanitarian aid including food and other supplies to the Palestinian people in Gaza, local media reported. The aid will wait in Sinai until a deal is secured with Israel to allow the delivery of aid into the besieged territory.
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Israel Readies Next Stage of Operations, Says Many Palestinians Moving South. The Israeli military said on Saturday it had seen a “significant movement” south of Palestinian civilians, a day after ordering Gaza City residents to flee, as Israel’s prime minister promised further actions in response to Hamas’s brutal massacre of Israelis last week. Palestinians evacuate a neighborhood in Gaza City on Oct. 11, 2023. U.S. President Joe Biden said consultations were underway with regional governments on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza as trapped Palestinians endured a power blackout and shortages of food and water amid fierce Israeli bombing.
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US Air Force Deploys Fighter Aircraft to Middle East. The United States Air Force said overnight that it had deployed F-15E fighter aircraft in the Middle East to support its operations backing Israel after Hamas’s unprecedented attack on Oct. 7.
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Schumer Says He’s Leading Bipartisan Group of Senators to Israel to Show ‘Unwavering’ US Support. Ahead of a trip to Israel this weekend, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer says an upcoming administration request for wartime funding could include aid for both Israel and Ukraine. Mr. Schumer is leading a bipartisan delegation of senators to Israel this weekend to express support for the country amid its week-old war against Hamas.
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Israeli Airstrike Destroys Gaza’s Only Planned Parenthood-Affiliated Clinic. The Gaza Strip’s only Planned Parenthood-affiliated clinic “was destroyed” this week by an Israeli military air strike against Hamas targets that destroyed an adjacent building, the organization has said.
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Hezbollah Says Calls for It Not to Intervene in War ‘Will Have No Effect’. Hezbollah deputy chief Naim Qassem said on Friday that the group would not be swayed by calls for it to stay on the sidelines of the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, saying the party was “fully ready” to contribute to the fighting.
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US Banks, Tech Firms Offer Support for Israel Victims, Announce Aid. As big U.S. corporations kicked off corporate earnings season this week, executives addressed the Israel-Hamas conflict and some companies launched fundraising efforts.
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Israel Strikes Hezbollah Target in Southern Lebanon. Israel’s military has hit a target belonging to the Hezbollah terrorist group in southern Lebanon after one of its drones was fired on.
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Israel Makes First Raids Into Gaza. Israeli infantry made their first raids into the Gaza Strip Friday and vowed to eradicate Hamas. On Telegram, the IDF announced it was “currently conducting a wide-scale strike on terror targets belonging to the Hamas terrorist organization in the Gaza Strip.” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was “striking at our enemies with…