Israel-Hamas war Day 4 highlights: ‘Never seen since Holocaust', Netanyahu tells Biden on call on conflict

The Israeli military on Tuesday said that Gaza's parliament and civilian ministries are legitimate targets in its offensive against Hamas.

The Israeli military on Tuesday revised a recommendation by one of its spokespeople that Palestinians fleeing its air strikes in the Gaza Strip head to Egypt, saying in a follow-up statement that the main crossing on that border was currently closed. Addressing the media, Lieutenant-Colonel Richard Hecht said he would advise Palestinian refugees to "get out" through the Rafah crossing on Gaza's southern border with Egypt.

Around 1,500 bodies of Hamas militants have been found in Israel around the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army said on Tuesday, reported AFP.

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s al-Quds Brigades on Tuesday warned Israel to stop targeting safe houses and killing civilians in Gaza if they are concerned about the safety of the hostages, reported CNN.

North Korean state media on Tuesday blamed Israel for causing bloodshed in Gaza, saying , “The international community claims that this clash was the result of Israel's constant criminal acts against the Palestinian people, and that the fundamental way out is to build an independent Palestinian state.”

A growing number of international airlines have suspended flights to Israel, which declared a state of war following the surprise attack by Hamas over the weekend.

The Israeli defence forces announced that they have attacked over 200 targets belonging to the Hamas group in the last few hours. “Among other things, the planes attacked a military infrastructure of the GAP terrorist organization located in Khan Yunis, a warehouse of weapons used by Hamas located in the mosque, an operational infrastructure used by operatives of the terrorist organization Hamas, an operational apartment of a Hamas operative in the anti-tank system, an infrastructure used by one of the organization's senior officials and a property that was used by the organization's operatives,” the Israeli forces said on X.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed US support for Israel in a call with Israeli foreign minister Eli Cohen, the State Department said in a statement early Tuesday. Blinken "reaffirmed our efforts to secure the immediate release of all hostages," the statement said.

The Gaza-based Palestinian militant group Hamas on Tuesday told the Guardian that they are “ready for the possibility of a long war”.

18 Thai nationals have been killed in unrest in Israel according to the latest available figures, a Thai Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday.

Qatari mediators have held urgent calls to try to negotiate freedom for Israeli women and children seized by Hamas in Gaza in exchange for the release of 36 Palestinian women and children from Israel's prisons, reported Reuters citing sources.

A CNN reporter and her crew had a close call with Hamas rockets as they were reporting live from near the Israel-Gaza border on Monday. Clarissa Ward, CNN’s chief international correspondent, was in the middle of a live segment when she heard a loud barrage of rockets flying overhead. Read more here

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is expected to visit Moscow amid war with Israel, Russian news media quoted the Palestinian envoy to Moscow as saying.

Sahar Ben Sela, one of the survivors of the Hamas militant attack on a music festival (rave) in Israel has shared the memories of the horrifying incident as he recovers at a hospital in the aftermath of the attack. Read more here

Chinese leader Xi Jinping's reaction to the Israel-Hamas conflict is exposing the limits of Xi’s ability to bring lasting solutions to some of the world’s most intractable clashes, reported Bloomberg. After Hamas launched a shock incursion into Israel, killing hundreds, China’s Foreign Ministry reiterated a call for an independent Palestinian state while making no mention of the attacks on civilians.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared on Monday that Israel's fierce offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip has “only started.” During a nationally televised address, Netanyahu said, “We have only started striking Hamas. What we will do to our enemies in the coming days will reverberate with them for generations.”

A senior Hamas official on Monday said only a small number of top commanders inside Gaza knew about the wide-ranging incursion launched into Israel, but that allies like Iran and the Lebanese Hezbollah “will join the battle if Gaza is subjected to a war of annihilation,” reported AP.

In a record mobilisation of troops, Israel mobilised 3,00,000 troops in the last 48 hours. This is the largest mobilisation since the 1973 Yom Kippur War when Israel called up to 400,000 reservists.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on Tuesday said that they do not have any credible intelligence indicating a threat to the US from the Hamas attacks in Israel. "We are closely monitoring unfolding events and will share relevant information with our state, local, federal, and international law enforcement, intelligence, and homeland security partners to ensure they are prepared for any impacts to public safety,” the FBI said in a statement.

This came as US President Joe Biden announced that the US death toll in the war has gone up to 11.

Several journalists have been killed in Israeli airstrike near Gaza City, reported Al Jazeera on Tuesday.

The United States' top general Charles Q. Brown warned Iran not to get involved in the crisis in Israel. “We want to send a pretty strong message. We do not want this to broaden and the idea is for Iran to get that message loud and clear,” Brown said while speaking to the media.

Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau and other Canadian authorities on Monday condemned demonstrations across Canada glorifying violence by supporting the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas' attack on Israel. “I strongly condemn the demonstrations that have taken place, and are taking place, across the country in support of Hamas' attacks on Israel,” Trudeau said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Saudi Arabia crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman backed the Palestinians as bombings on Hamas rocked Gaza and said that the Gulf kingdom continued “to stand by the Palestinian people to achieve their legitimate rights to a decent life, achieve their hopes and aspirations, and achieve just and lasting peace.”