Day Eight Of Swords Of Iron

8:00 pm
Iranian foreign minister Hossein Amirabdollahian threatened Israel with "a huge earthquake" if Israel does not stop its attacks on targets in Gaza. He warned that the war may involved other Middle Eastern countries if Hezbollah, which is funded by Iran, joins in the fighting. On Saturday, there was an exchange of fire between Israeli forces and Hezbollah across the border shared by Lebanon and Israel. Hezbollah is Israel's most serious threat. The terrorist organization has some 150,000 rockets and missiles, including precision-guided missiles that can hit anywhere in Israel.

In addition, Hezbollah 'Allah's Army' has thousands of veteran terrorists who participated in 12 years of fighting in Syria. It also has different types of military drones. Hezbollah has been on alert since Oct. 7, when Hamas (also supported by Iran) made an unprecedented surprise attack on Israel and killed over 1000 Israelis, most of whom were civilians. 

7:39 pm
Video evidence was distributed on social media purporting to show evidence that the explosion that killed and wounded dozens of fleeing Gazans may have been caused by an explosive device presumably detonated by Hamas terrorists instead of an Israel aerial bombardment, as claimed by Hamas. The social media post asserted that the explosive device was planted to falsely implicate Israel in the killings.

3:48 am
France deployed 7,000 soldiers to assist overwhelmed police in Paris and elsewhere in the country. Riots ensued in Paris after Hamas terrorists infiltrated into Israel. Pro-Palestinian demonstraters threw rock and molotov cocktails at police in the riots. On Oct. 13, the worldwide Day of Rage for Muslims that Hamas called for, a Muslim man stabbed to death a teacher at the Gambetta high school in Arras, a city in northeastern France. Two other people were severely wounded in the knife attack. The stabber, Mohammed Moguchov, has been arrested. Since then, police have struggled to maintain the peace. "This school was struck by the barbarity of Islamist terrorism," PM Macron said after visiting the school, adding that the victim had "probably saved many lives" by blocking the attacker.

3:24 pm

The IDF is ready for the "next stages of the war" against Hamas, including "strikes from the air, sea and land" with "significant ground operations." 300,000 reservists are being added to regular troops, whose actions will include "a wide range of operational offensive plans," the IDF said in a statement. Besides "combined and coordinated strikes," the Israeli army and the logistics leadership are preparing troops for an "expanded arena of combat," the statement said. The troops have received the equipment and materiel they need. “IDF battalions and soldiers are deployed across the country and are increasing operational readiness for the next stages of the war, with an emphasis on significant ground operations,” the statement read.

The Netherlands will continue sending humanitarian support to Gaza, according to PM Mark Rutte. On a tweet, Rutte said he spoke to Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas and “expressed [his] sympathy for all the innocent victims of the spiralling violence unleashed by the Hamas terror attacks.” Rutte said, “It is of great importance that the innocent residents of Gaza can obtain food, water, and medical care.” 

Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in the United Arab Emirates — his fifth stop in a multinational trip aimed at stopping the war in Israel from expanding. Blinken started today in Saudi Arabia, where he met with the Saudi foreign minister and spoke of protecting civilians and stopping the conflict. He will meet with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi. On Oct. 13, Blinken was in Jordan, Qatar and Bahrain before arriving in Riyadh. He was in Israel on Thursday, and he will stop in Egypt on Oct. 15 before returning to the US.

3:15 pm
50,000 people pro-Palestine demonstrators turned out in London in support of Hamas's war on Israel. Jewish boys on the street in London had to be rescued by police after shouting Muslim protesters pelted them with eggs, bottles, and other objects. Some of the protesters shouted "Where are the Jews? We want blood". One of the leaders, Mohammed Hijab, told police that he would kill the Jewish boys' dog because the dog was a "provocation." Police struggled to maintain order.

3:14 pm
CNN reports:

Egyptian authorities are not allowing US nationals and citizens of other countries to enter Egypt through the Rafah border crossing on Saturday, insisting that the crossing must also facilitate humanitarian aid to Gaza, according to Alqahera News, a local Egyptian news channel. "Egyptian authorities have rejected the idea of using the Rafah crossing only for foreigners. They added that, 'The Egyptian position is clear,' and that it requires the facilitation of the entry and passage of aid to the Gaza Strip," Alqahera News said, quoting Egyptian sources. Alqahera News is owned by Egypt's United Media Services and is linked to the government. 

3:08 pm

The Guardian published a video that purports to show that a flat-bed truck carrying Gazan refugees was struck by an IAF bombing sortie. It reported that victims were taken to a hospital in Gaza. The incident occurred on a road designated by the IAF for use by refugees to fleeing the bombing campaign.  Video distributed by The Guardian shows the moments before and after the Israeli strike, killing dozens of people on the Salah-ah-Din Road.

 “The next stage is coming,” the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, told Israeli troops today. On social media, he wrote: “We’re all ready.”

Canada’s foreign minister Melanie Joly has confirmed death of fourth Canadian in last week’s attacks by Hamas. Three remain missing. Joly also said that she is working on evacuating Canadians in Gaza through the Rafah border crossing into Egypt and out of the West Bank via bus and into Jordan.  “Canada has an agreement with Israel to get Canadians out of Gaza … Things are very volatile, obviously, in Gaza, where it is one of the worst places on earth right now to be living in,” Reuters reported Joly said in a phone call to reporters from Jordan.

According to The Guardian, drinking water is scarce while access to food, fuel and medical care are precarious. Médecins Sans Frontières is calling for safe zones to remain in northern Gaza, as well as ceasefire. MSF declared: “We are also calling for the possibility to flee through the Rafah crossing for those who wish to do so, without prejudice to the right to return. Médecins Sans Frontières has asked for its Palestinian staff who wish to leave to be evacuated.” Egypt has closed its border to Gazans.

Médicins Sans Frontieres called on the “Israeli authorities to show humanity”. In a statement issued on Saturday, MSF condemned Israel’s bombardment of the Gaza Strip “without restraint for a week”. “We are calling for the most elementary humanity to be shown,” it said.

Israeli authorities admitted to intelligence “mistakes” by failing to predict Hamas’s attacks on Oct. 7. “It’s my mistake, and it reflects the mistakes of all those making [intelligence] assessments,” Israel’s national security adviser Tzachi Hanegbi said, according to AFP. He added, “We really believed that Hamas learned the lesson from,” its last major war with Israel in 2021. Hanegbi refused negotiations for prisoner swaps with Hamas, saying: “There’s no way to negotiate with an enemy we have sworn to obliterate.”

Hamas had been training for months before the assault, having received aid from Iran. Hamas has vowed to kill hostages as revenge for Israel’s bombing campaign.

IDF announced that it is preparing a wide range of offensive plans, and that IDF troops have been activated and deployed throughout Israel for the next stages “with an emphasis on significant ground operations”.

The government of Scotland will provide £500,000 towards the UN Relief and Works Agency’s appeal to aid Gaza. Scotland’s international development minister, Christina McKelvie said: “Our thoughts are with all the innocent people caught in the middle of escalating conflict in Israel and Gaza. The Scottish government reiterates the call from the first minister and the UN secretary-general for a humanitarian corridor to be established so that urgent assistance can be given to those civilians who are trapped, helpless and cannot leave.”

Tamara Alrifai, a UNRWA spokesperson said, “This generous contribution is an incredibly humane gesture towards tens of thousands of people who are in utter distress in the Gaza Strip. UNRWA is very grateful for the show of support by Scotland and will use every penny to help alleviate the suffering of civilian women, children and men in Gaza.” UNRWA is the UN agency that funds and operates settlements where Gazans live, as well as schools and medical centers.

Lebanon said that “the Israeli enemy fired a rocket shell that hit a civilian car belonging to a media team, leading to the death of [journalist] Issam Abdallah”, according to AFP reports. The country’s foreign ministry called the strike a “deliberate killing” and a “crime against freedom of speech and journalism”.

The AFP photographer Christina Assi and AFP video journalist Dylan Collins were among the six journalists wounded.

2:44 pm
An Israel diplomatic envoy tweets evidence that Hamas is setting up roadblocks to prevent Gazans from reaching safehaven.

11:30 am
The IDF told Gazans that between 10am and 4pm local time that two safe routes will be open for them to move south, one along the coast and the other down the center of Gaza, as per an IDF tweet. “For your safety, take advantage of the short time to move south,” the message said. On Oct 13, the IDF gave Gazans 24 hours warning to evacuate in advance of ground operations.

Lack of electricity and fuel, cut by Israel, and poor Internet connectivity have meant little access to social media by Gazans, according to The Guardian.

The UN claims that en masse flight by Gazans would be calamitous, urging Israel to rescind the evacuation. The order was criticized by various international organizations, Hamas and Iran.

IDF Lt Col Richard Hecht responded to what an Israeli victory may look like, saying “That is a big question. I don’t think I have the capability right now to answer that.”

Sirens rang out in southern Israel. Following launches of missiles from Lebanon, the IDF responded.

The IAF struck the city of Jabalia in northern Gaza.

Saudi Prince Faisal bin Farhan said called to “stop further civilian suffering,” Al Jazeera reports. Following a meeting with Secretary of State Blinken, the Saudi foreign minister said, “We need to find a way to quickly de-escalate the situation to quickly bring back peace – at least stopping the guns – and then working towards addressing also the humanitarian challenges.”

Saudi-Israeli normalization paused

Saudi Arabia has announced that it has paused the planned normalization of diplomatic relations with Israel.

Hussein AlSheikh, secretary general of the executive committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, said, he spoke via phone with senior figures from Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Qatar. The talk was about Arab “consensus to stop the aggression against our people immediately and open humanitarian pathways for food and medicine, as well as the restoration of water and electricity, and a categorical rejection of the displacement of the Palestinian people from their homeland. We agreed to join efforts with all countries of the world for this.”

Dutch defence minister Kajsa Ollongren said another flight is on its way to evacuate Dutch citizens from Israel.

US embassy announced the evacuation of some government personnel and family from Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.

Russia claims 16 Russian citizens have been killed in the war, with 8 missing. One dual Russian-Israeli citizen is being held hostage by Hamas.

The Israeli Defense Forces says a number of launches of missiles were detected from Lebanese territory, and the incident is under investigation

Israel told the Al-Quds hospital in Gaza to evacuate by 4pm local time, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said. According to PCRS, the hospital will not be evacuated but will continue to provide medical services. Dr. Ashraf al-Qudra of Gaza’s health ministry has demanded that sick and wounded Palestinians be allowed to leave the territory, Al Jazeera reported. Gazan authorities are demanding the opening of the enclave’s borders to transfer sick and wounded for treatment abroad, and to import emergency medicines, supplies, and fuel to hospitals.

Al Jazeera news service has been told to leave Israel by Israeli authorities.

In Tel Aviv, hundreds of Israelis protested their demands for the release of Israeli hostages. in a statement posted on social media.

Spanish Socialist PM, Pedro Sánchez stated that Spain desires peace, condemning Hamas’s terror attack and calling for the urgent release of hostages. He said that Israel has the right to defend itself, but should respect international humanitarian law, which does not endorse the evacuation of Palestinians. He said that the conflict can only be resolved with the recognition of two states.

Protesters vandalize BBC headquarters

In London, hundreds of protested assembled outside Broadcasting House, the BBC headquarters, as part of a pro-Palestinian rally. Vandals smear paint on doors and windows of the building. Palestine flags and placards were waved as people chanted, with police officers stationed near Portland Place. Police formed a protective cordon around the building.

Israeli ambassador to the UN and international organizations in Geneva, Meirav Eilon Shahar, said Israel is complying with international humanitarian law (IHL). He said, “IDF [Israeli Defence Forces] takes every feasible precaution available to mitigate unintended civilian harm, including warning of operations that may cause harm to civilians, in Arabic, through media, social media, dropping leaflets, civic and international organisations. Under IHL, warnings should be effective and in advance. IDF is complying with these requirements.”

His statement was a response to World Health Organization Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus who said earlier that plane with supplies had arrived in Egypt and “we continue our plea to Israel to reconsider the decision to evacuate 1.1 million people”.

The International Committee of the Red Cross in Israel and the Occupied Territories said today that “humanitarian work must be made possible at all times” and called for a safe corridor into Gaza.

Moral compass check

The deputy chief of mission of Israel’s embassy to the EU and NATO Jonathan Rosenzweig responded to EU officials and politicians who issued conflicting messages about the war between Hamas and Israel, He said that they should “recalibrate …their moral compass.” In a tweet, he wrote:

“The concern of some organizations and researchers in the Brussels Bubble for a “EU common position” while more than 1,300 innocent civilians were butchered, raped, beheaded, burnt and kidnapped is an absurd (to say the least). You need to recalibrate your moral compass.”

Egypt, Israel, and the United States agreed to allow foreigners in Gaza to pass through the Rafah border crossing into Egypt, according to the Associated Press.

Ground war is coming

Israel is poised to launch a ground offensive into the northern half of Gaza, and called up 300,000 reservists to its 170,000-strong standing army. They are massing them near the Gaza border. Hamas has approximately 30,000 fighters, and it has neither the tanks nor the air power available to the attackers.

Hamas is ready for the invasion, having built a network of tunnels up to 70 meters (230 feet0 throughout Gaza to allow combatants to survive bombing. Bomb shelters for civilians are nearly nil. Deadly urban warfare is due to ensue as Israeli forces invade and Hamas responds by copying Russian counteroffensive techniques sharpened in Ukraine.

Israel is expected to mine tunnel entrances.

Leading Hamas terrorist is dead

The Israeli Defence Forces said they have killed Hamas’s Ali Qadi. They said Qadi – who was among the Palestinians released in a hostage exchange for the Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit – led an attack on Israel last weekend.

Jordan warned that displacement of Gazans by Israel may push the region to the “abyss” of a wider conflict, Reuters reported. Jordanian FM Ayman Safadi said Israel’s blocking of humanitarian aid to Gaza and forcing its residents to leave their homes were a “flagrant” breach of international law. For its part, Egypt is blocking the admission of Gazans to its territory.

WHO Director General ‘Ted’ Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said a plane with medical supplies has landed in Arish, Egypt, close to the Rafah crossing with Gaza. “We’re ready to deploy the supplies as soon as humanitarian access through the crossing is established. We continue our plea to Israel to reconsider the decision to evacuate 1.1 million people. It will be a human tragedy,” he said.

UK Tory warns against support for Israel

A Conservative British minister of parliament said he is planning to bring legal proceedings before the international criminal court, for the UK complicity with Israeli “war crimes in Gaza”, reported The Guardian. MP Crispin Blunt, former chair of the foreign affairs select committee, wrote a letter to PM Rish Sunak and foreign secretary James Cleverly. While Blunt is known as pro-Palestine, the step of accusing his party of war crimes is extraordinary, reported The Guardian.

The letter, however, does not refer to the attacks by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7 in which 1,000+ Israelis were killed, women raped, and babies and children beheaded. He wrote in conjunction with the International Centre for Justice for Palestinians co-direct Tayab Ali.

He writes: “In light of the catastrophic situation currently unfolding in Gaza, and clear evidence that Israel has committed war crimes and is on the verge of committing mass atrocity crimes in Gaza, this letter is provided to the UK government in order to emphasise that under international criminal law and its jurisprudence on individual criminal responsibility, support provided to perpetrators of international crimes can be investigated and prosecuted by the international criminal court.”

The letter puts government officials on notice that support for Israel will likely incur individual criminal liability and may be prosecuted at the ICC, domestic courts or other tribunals. The letter says attacks in Gaza have not complied with the requirement under international law for proportionality and distinction, leading to children being indiscriminately killed and injured.

“Entire residential housing blocks have been leveled to the ground, killing all inside. Reports document entire families being killed; with all members of the family – from every generation, young to old, being killed. Over 500 children have already been killed since 7 October – in the span of only 6 days.” It adds that under the Geneva convention “it must be remembered that the prohibition against collective punishment is absolute,” the letter claimed.

10:55 am
The IDF told Gazans that between 10am and 4pm local time that two safe routes will be open for them to move south, one along the coast and the other down the center of Gaza, as per an IDF tweet. “For your safety, take advantage of the short time to move south,” the message said. On Oct 13, the IDF gave Gazans 24 hours warning to evacuate in advance of ground operations.

Lack of electricity and fuel, cut by Israel, and poor Internet connectivity have meant little access to social media by Gazans, according to The Guardian.

The UN claims that en masse flight by Gazans would be calamitous, urging Israel to rescind the evacuation. The order was criticized by various international organizations, Hamas and Iran.
IDF Lt Col Richard Hecht responded to what an Israeli victory may look like, saying “That is a big question. I don’t think I have the capability right now to answer that.”
Sirens rang out in southern Israel. Following launches of missiles from Lebanon, the IDF responded.
The IAF struck the city of Jabalia in northern Gaza.

Saudi Prince Faisal bin Farhan said called to “stop further civilian suffering,” Al Jazeera reports. Following a meeting with Secretary of State Blinken, the Saudi foreign minister said, “We need to find a way to quickly de-escalate the situation to quickly bring back peace – at least stopping the guns – and then working towards addressing also the humanitarian challenges.”
Saudi Arabia has announced that it has paused the planned normalization of diplomatic relations with Israel.

Hussein AlSheikh, secretary general of the executive committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, said, he spoke via phone with senior figures from Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Qatar. The talk was about Arab “consensus to stop the aggression against our people immediately and open humanitarian pathways for food and medicine, as well as the restoration of water and electricity, and a categorical rejection of the displacement of the Palestinian people from their homeland. We agreed to join efforts with all countries of the world for this.”
Dutch defence minister Kajsa Ollongren said another flight is on its way to evacuate Dutch citizens from Israel.

US embassy announced the evacuation of some government personnel and family from Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. 

Russia claims 16 Russian citizens have been killed in the war, with 8 missing. One dual Russian-Israeli citizen is being held hostage by Hamas.

Summary:

9:00 am
The UN estimates that tens of thousands of Gazans have moved south toward Gaza’s southern border with Egypt after Israel urged them to evacuate in advance of a probable ground invasion by the IDF. Israel set a 24-hour deadline for about 1.1 million Gazans to avoid bombing and an invasion. Hamas had instead called on Gazans to die in their homes.
On Oct 14, the IDF confirmed that 120+ civilians are held hostage by Hamas in Gaza. The IDF has recovered the bodies of several missing Israelis after its forces entered Gaz, according to media reports. They also found evidence that might lead to other hostages.

The IDF struck Hezbollah in southern Lebanon in response to the “infiltration of unidentified aerial objects into Israel” and fire on an Israeli drone. The IDF intercepted the aerial objects, while the drone killed some of the Hezbollah terrorists who attempted to infiltrate from Lebanon.

UN Secretary General António Guterres warned that conditions in Gaza have reached “a dangerous new low”, while calling for  immediate humanitarian access to allow fuel, food and water to reach those in need. “Even wars have rules,” Guterres said. The UN Security Council discussed Gaza  at a closed door meeting on Friday.
At least 1,900 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza from Israeli strikes, according to Gaza’s health ministry on Friday. In addition, at least 16 Palestinians were shot and killed during confrontations with Israeli security forces. 

President Biden spoke to families of Americans held by Hamas in Gaza, and that they were “going through agony” not knowing the fate of their loved ones. He told CBS: “We’re going to do everything in our power to find them... we’re working like hell on it.”

Following a call by Hamas for a Day of Rage on Friday, tens of thousands of pro-Palestine demonstrators rallied in the Mideast, Asia, Europe, and the US, condemning the US and Israel. Jewish communities in the US, France and elsewhere were dealing with security threats but held rallies in solidarity with Israel. The British and French governments have bolstered security at synagogues and Jewish schools, fearing violence against Jews.

According to AFP, more than 100 foreigners have been confirmed dead. Many also held Israeli nationality. Of these, at least 27 US citizens have been killed, US authorities said. It is unknown how many Americans are being held hostage.

Citizens of other countries killed and missing:

Thailand
24 dead, 16 wounded, 16 abducted. 30,000 Thais live in Israel.

France
15 dead, including four children.

Nepal
10 dead, killed at Kibbutz Alumim. There were 17 students at the town at the time.

Argentina
Seven dead, 15 missing.

Many more have been reported dead or missing by governments in Ukraine, Russia, Chile, Austria, Belarus, Canada, China, Philippines, Brazil, Peru, Romania, Australia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Ireland, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, Germany, Mexico, Italy, Colombia, Paraguay, Sri Lanka and Tanzania.
United Kingdom
Two confirmed dead, but BBC reports 17 Britons, including children, are dead or missing.

October 14, 2023