Israel-Hamas conflict highlights: Fresh barrage of rockets fired from Gaza

Pope Francis called for end to attacks and violence in Israel on Sunday, saying terrorism and war would not solve any problems, but only bring further suffering and death to innocent people.

"War is a defeat, only a defeat. Let's pray for peace in Israel and Palestine," the pope said in his weekly address to faithful in St. Peter's Square.

The Israeli Embassy in the UK told BBC that a British citizen, Jake Marlowe, is missing in Israel following the attack by Hamas. It is unclear whether he has been taken hostage.

A policeman opened fire at a tourist site in Alexandria, killing two Israeli tourists and an Egyptian, reports AP, citing local media.

“IAF UAVs struck a number of terrorist squads in the area surrounding the Gaza Strip overnight. Three terrorists attempting to approach the security fence in the northern Gaza Strip were thwarted. In addition, seven terrorists were thwarted in Kibbutz Kfar Aza," the air force wrote on X.

A significant number of rockets targeted towards Israel on Saturday were intercepted through the Israeli military's anti-rocket defence system — Iron Dome.

Israel's Iron Dome system is a short-range air defence system that is known to have a 96% success rate in intercepting rockets. The system was developed by state-owned Rafael Advanced Defence Systems with the backing of the United States and became operational in 2011. Read more.

The Scotland Yard has increased patrols across London after a number of incidents, including messages and images shared on social media, took place in relation to the ongoing conflict in Israel, reported PTI.

This came UK Home Office minister Robert Jenrick condemned anyone “glorifying” the terrorist activities of Hamas, a banned outfit, and London Mayor Sadiq Khan warned that hate crimes will not be tolerated.

The woman, whose lifeless and undressed body surfaced in a disturbing video on social media on Saturday after Hamas militants from the Gaza Strip launched a massive assault on multiple Israel towns, has now been identified as German citizen Shani Louk. Read more.

Israel-Hamas conflict LIVE: Air India on Sunday said it has cancelled its flights to and from Tel Aviv till October 14.

Israel came under attack by Hamas militants on Saturday and since then, both sides are engaged in fighting in which scores of people have died.

Israle-Hamas conflict LIVE: Israeli soldiers battled Hamas fighters in the streets of Israel’s south on Sunday and exchanged strikes with Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group in the north, a day after facing large scale surprise attack from the Palestinian militant group.

What we know so far:

• 1)The prospect of Hezbollah joining the fighting a day after an unprecedented surprise attack from Gaza raised the chances of a broader conflict.
• 2)Hamas fighters, backed by a volley of thousands of rockets, broke through barricades around Gaza early Saturday to rampage through nearby communities in Israel.
• 3)They took captives back into the coastal enclave, including women, children and the elderly, while Israel's retaliation strikes levelled buildings in Gaza and its prime minister said the country was at war.
• 4)An Israeli military spokesperson said Sunday morning that two hostage situations had been “resolved,” but did not say whether all the hostages had been rescued alive.
• 5)Israeli media, citing rescue service officials, said at least 300 people were killed, including 26 soldiers.
• 6)More than 300 people have been killed in Gaza, while residents fled homes near the border to escape Israeli strikes.
• 7)On Sunday, the Israeli military said its forces were fighting Hamas incursions in eight places. It also claimed it had killed over 400 militants in south and Gaza amid the ongoing battle.
• 8)Israel struck 426 targets in Gaza, its military said, flattening residential buildings in giant explosions.
• 9)Israel's military is preparing to evcuate its residents from Gaza border areas within the next 24 hours.
• 10)A U.N. peacekeeping force deployed along Lebanon’s southern border called for “everyone to exercise restraint”.

Israel-Hamas conflict LIVE updates: Israel aims to evacuate residents around Gaza border within the next 24 hours, its army said Sunday. "Our mission for the upcoming 24 hours is to evacuate all residents living around Gaza," military spokesman Daniel Hagari told reporters, adding that fighting was still on to "rescue hostages" held by militants in Israel. "There are tens of thousands of combat soldiers in the area. We'll reach each and every community till we kill every terrorist in Israel."

Massive attack by Hamas militants a day before, caught Israel off guard, as it failed to prevent their large scale infiltration and rocket strikes that resulted in the death of over 250 people so far.

Organising a retaliation airstrike operation in response, the military has hit nearly 150 Hamas posts since the escalation and claimed to kill over 400 militants in the process. However, a key concern remains over the situation of hostages, both civilians and soldiers, dragged to Gaza by the militants.

The military said Sunday morning that operation to fight Hamas at eight of such location are still underway as it seeks to regain control of its border towns.

Israel-Hamas conflict LIVE updates: The Israel Defense Forces said Sunday that more than 400 Hamas fighters were killed in the ongoing violence in southern Israel and Gaza Strip, triggered by an unprecedented attack on Israel by the militant group a day before, Times of Israel reported.

A top spokesperson said that dozens of militants were captured during the fighting that began yesterday.

Unspecified number of Israel civilians and soldiers are also held hostage by Hamas in Gaza.

Earlier, a military spokesperson had said the hostage situation would shape the "future of war".

So far, 313 Palestinians have been killed in the air strikes conducted by Israel since the beginning of escalation, the health ministry said Sunday.

Israel-Hamas conflict LIVE: Gaza death toll in war with Israel rose to 313 on Saturday, its health ministry said. The retaliatory strikes came in response to Hamas unprecedented large scale attack on Israel a day before, which has killed over 250 in the country so far.

Israel-Hamas conflict LIVE updates: An Israeli military official says “hundreds of terrorists” have been killed and dozens captured amid ongoing fighting with Hamas militants in Gaza and southern Israel.

Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari spoke to reporters on Sunday, more than 24 hours after the Palestinian militant group launched an unprecedented assault into Israel, killing hundreds of people and taking captives back into blockaded Gaza as the group launched thousands of rockets.

Israel is battling militants in the south and launching airstrikes across Gaza that have leveled buildings.

Israel-Hamas conflict LIVE: Two Thai nationals have died in the violence between Israeli forces and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, Thailand's prime minister said Sunday.

The dramatic escalation of the long-running conflict has seen hundreds killed on both sides following Saturday's surprise large-scale attack by Hamas from the Gaza Strip against Israel and Israeli retaliation.

Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin tweeted Sunday he had received reports from the Thai ambassador in Tel Aviv "that two Thai people had died from the violence".

He did not share further details, but said Thailand's foreign ministry was working to evacuate Thais from the country.

Israel-Hamas conflict LIVE: The head of the African Union Commission has appealed for an end to the conflict between Israeli forces and the Palestinian militant group Hamas which has killed hundreds on both sides.

Moussa Faki Mahamat called on both parties "to return, without preconditions, to the negotiating table to implement the principle of two States living side by side".

"The Chairperson further calls on the international community, and the major world powers in particular, to assume their responsibilities to impose peace and guarantee the rights of the two peoples," Faki said in a statement posted late Saturday by the 55-member AU bloc on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Israel-Hamas conflict LIVE: Popular Israeli actors Gal Gadot and Lior Raz have condemned the attack on Israel by Hamas militants, launched Saturday killing at least 250 people so far. They appealed to the world to show solidarity with the country.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared "war" and said his country would extract an "unprecedented price" from its enemy.

Gadot, star of Hollywood films such as the "Wonder Woman" franchise and "Heart of Stone", posted a picture of Israel's flag on her official Instagram.

Nearly 230 Paletinians have also been killed in the retaliation that followed from the Israel's side after large scale attack.

Israel-Hamas conflict LIVE: MoS MEA Meenakashi Lekhi said Sunday, “I received many messages last night and through the night we were working but I'm also aware that Prime Minister's office is directly supervising the situation and we are on the job. Even in the past, many students including people from Andhra Pradesh were stuck across. So whether it was Operation Ganga or Vande Bharat, we brought everyone back and I'm sure GoI and the Prime Minister's Office are directly in touch with those people and are working and monitoring the situation.”

Hamas fighters, backed by a volley of thousands of rockets, broke through Israeli barricades early Saturday to rampage through nearby Israeli communities.

Israel-Hamas LIVE: Several people were reportedly injured at an all-night nature party near Kibbutz Re’im close to the Gaza Strip when the first rockets were fired by Palestine's Hamas militants on Saturday morning. On Sunday, a video surfaced online in which Hamas terrorists could be seen sailing into Israeli territory on motorised paragliders – while partygoers watching them without concern – as they launched a devastating ground invasion and air assault on the country.

Pop star Bruno Mars left Israel on Sunday after cancelling a concert and spending several hours in Tel Aviv as the Hamas launched a massive attack.

Late Saturday, an Instagram story from the entertainment show “Good Evening with Guy Pines” shows a screenshot of Mars, his band and crew lining up at Ben Gurion Airport’s Terminal 1.

Bruno Mars' concert was scheduled to be held in Tel Aviv on Saturday.

Israel-Hamas conflict LIVE updates: Amid the rising tensions between Israel and Palestine-based Hamas militants, Saudi Arabia appealed for an immediate halt of war, calling upon the international community to “activate a credible peace process” leading to a two-state solution.

“The Kingdom renews the call of the international community to assume its responsibilities and activate a credible peace process that leads to the two-state solution to achieve security and peace in the region and protect civilians,” Saudi Arabia said in a statement.

Israel-Hamas war LIVE: Israel forces fighter on Sunday launched airstrikes at a compound belonging to the head of the intelligence department in the Hamas terrorist organisation.

The “Swords of Iron” operation launched by Israel against Hamas attack entered day two as the conflict escalated between them.

Israeli forces said they are still fighting with Hamas at eight locations around Gaza.

Israel-Hamas war LIVE updates: Israel is “at war,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, after militants from the Gaza Strip fired over 3,000 missiles and infiltrated southern parts of the country early Saturday.

Here's what's happened on Sunday:

• After the continues fighting between the Israeli military and the Hamas fighters through the night, the forces were able to regain the control of some places in southern Israel, however, operations are still on in eight locations.
• The conflict escalated on day two, with fire from Lebanon into northern Israel. The armed group Hezbollah claimed the responsibility for the attack and said it was "in solidarity" with the Palestinian people.
• News agency BBC reported a Hamas spokesperson has said that the attack was backed Iran.
• In continued retaliation on Hamas targets in Gaza, the IDF fighter jets launched airstrikes at a compound belonging to the head of the intelligence department in the Hamas terrorist organization.
• More than 500 people have been killed on both the sides. Many Israelis including women and children remain hostages with Hamas.

Israel-Hamas war LIVE: Israel fired barrages of artillery into southern Lebanon on Sunday after Hezbollah targeted three Israeli military positions in the disputed Shebaa Farms.

• The cross-border fire comes a day after a surprise attack by Palestinian gunmen on Israeli towns in which more than 500 people have died so far.
• Hezbollah, a powerful armed party backed by Iran, said its actions were "in solidarity" with the Palestinian people.
• The Israeli military said Sunday it fired artillery into an area of Lebanon where cross-border mortar fire was launched.
• Israel has held the Shebaa Farms, a 15-square-mile (39-square-km) patch of land, since 1967. Both Syria and Lebanon claim the Shebaa Farms are Lebanese.

Israel-Hamas war LIVE updates: The Israelis have described the October 7 massacre of innocent Jews by Iran backed Hamas Sunni terrorists as their 9/11. Indian media tends to compare the dastardly attack on Israel with 26/11, where even Israeli Jews were targeted by Pakistan Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) group with ISI support at Chabad House at Nariman Point.

The common thread in all these three massacres is that innocents by the hundreds were butchered by jihadists with the exception that intelligence was available in 9/11 and 26/11 but not properly assessed. In 26/11, the intelligence was actionable, pin-pointed and shared by US with India but still the attack could not be prevented due to poor national security leadership and even more pathetic CT execution.

The 10/7 ongoing terror attack is far more complex in nature with strikes from land, sea and air across the Gaza border and with no chatter. The synchronization of terrorists infiltrating into south Israel through land by simply over-running the check posts, using para-gliders to cross the border through air and finally use boats to infiltrate into Siderot-Ashkelon-Ashdod areas shows tremendous planning for a military commando operation that will be hailed as a master operation for jihadists in times to come. (Read a complete analysis of Israel-Hamas war by Hindustan Times)