Israel-Hamas war highlights: 'Every Hamas member is a dead man', Israel PM vows to keep fighting

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant on Tuesday said the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) is moving to "full offence" against Hamas targets as the counter-offensive in the wake of the terror attacks rages on, The Times of Israel reported.

In an address to troops deployed along the Gaza border, the Israeli Defence Minister said, "I have released all the restraints. We have [regained] control of the area and we are moving to a full offence."

He asserted that Gaza will "never go back to what it was".

"You will have the ability to change the reality here. You have seen the prices [being paid], and you will get to see the change. Hamas wanted a change in Gaza; it will change 180 degrees from what it thought," The Times of Israel quoted the minister as saying in a report.

The war between Israel and the militant group Hamas raged for a fifth day on Wednesday, as Israeli warplanes hammered neighborhood after neighborhood in the Gaza Strip, reducing buildings to rubble and sending people scrambling to find safety.

Humanitarian groups pleaded for the creation of corridors that would allow them to deliver aid, saying hospitals were overwhelmed with wounded people and running out of supplies.

Israel has stopped entry of food, fuel and medicines into Gaza in response to Hamas' bloody incursion into Israel on Saturday. The sole remaining access from Egypt shut down Tuesday after airstrikes hit near the border crossing.

On the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict, Consul General of Israel to South India, Tammy Ben-Haim says "...At the moment, we need to stop what is happening now. The terror that is happening now, we need to make sure it stops and not only does it stop and we bring our hostages back, but we also need to make sure that we devastate Hamas so much, we hurt their infrastructure, we hurt their commanders that they will not think of ever striking Israel again..."

Residents of the Gaza Strip scrambled to find safety Wednesday, as Israeli warplanes hammered neighborhood after neighborhood in the tiny coastal enclave, retaliating for the deadly weekend attack by Hamas militants.

As Gazans crowded into U.N. schools and a shrinking number of safe neighborhoods, humanitarian groups pleaded for the creation of corridors to get aid into Gaza, warning that hospitals overwhelmed with wounded people were running out of supplies.

Israel has stopped entry of food, fuel and medicine into Gaza, and the sole remaining access from Egypt shut down Tuesday after airstrikes hit near the border crossing.

The war, which has claimed at least 2,100 lives on both sides, is expected to escalate.

Israeli troops have killed at least 1,000 Palestinian gunmen who infiltrated from Gaza in incursions that began at the weekend, and have reinforced all communities in Israel as hostilities spread to other fronts, the military said on Wednesday, reports Reuters.

In quotes carried by Israel Hayom newspaper online, chief military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari also said that among Hamas targets destroyed in a Gaza counter-offensive was an advanced system for tracking aircraft.

At least 30 people have been killed and hundreds wounded as Israel pounded the Gaza Strip with hundreds of air strikes overnight, a Hamas official said Wednesday.

Dozens of residential buildings, factories, mosques and shops were hit, the head of the government's media office, Salama Marouf, told AFP.

The Israeli military confirmed it had hit several Hamas targets during the night.

Tel Aviv is rapidly losing air links, with regional powerhouse Turkish Airlines joining a growing list of international carriers pulling out after the Israeli government vowed to aggressively counter the Hamas attacks.

Turkish Airlines flights to Israel have been halted until further notice, a spokesman for the carrier said in a post on X, the platform previously known as Twitter. The company had the second-most flights scheduled to Israel in October, according to Cirium data, behind El Al, Israel’s flagship carrier.

American Airlines Group Inc. extended its suspension of Tel Aviv flights through Dec. 4, it said Tuesday. American said it will continue working with partner airlines to assist people trying to leave the city. Finnair Oyj said it is canceling flights until March 30, while discount carrier easyJet Plc said it suspended flying to Tel Aviv and would monitor the situation “with a view to resuming some services when we can.”

The carriers follow Deutsche Lufthansa AG, Air France-KLM and other big US airlines that halted operations to Israel on Monday.

More than 1,200 Israelis have been killed in the Israel-Hamas conflict, an Israeli Defense Forces spokesperson said Wednesday, up from 1,000 previously reported.

"The death toll is a staggering 1,200 dead Israelis," IDF spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus said in a video message, adding that "the overwhelming majority of them" were civilians.

Thailand said it received reports that three more of its nationals had been taken hostage in the ongoing violence in Gaza, bringing the total abducted to 14, the foreign ministry said on Wednesday, reports Reuters.

It said 20 of its citizens were killed and 13 injured in the conflict.

Residents of the Gaza Strip scrambled to find safety Wednesday, as Israeli warplanes hammered neighborhood after neighborhood in the tiny coastal enclave, retaliating for the deadly weekend attack by Hamas militants.

As Gazans crowded into U.N. schools and a shrinking number of safe neighborhoods, humanitarian groups pleaded for the creation of corridors to get aid into Gaza, warning that hospitals overwhelmed with wounded people were running out of supplies.

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant on Tuesday said the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) is moving to "full offence" against Hamas targets as the counter-offensive in the wake of the terror attacks rages on, The Times of Israel reported.

In an address to troops deployed along the Gaza border, the Israeli Defence Minister said, "I have released all the restraints. We have [regained] control of the area and we are moving to a full offence."

President Joe Biden is dispatching his top diplomat to Israel on an urgent mission to show US support after major terrorist attacks by Hamas militants, the State Department said on Tuesday.

State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Secretary of State Antony Blinken would travel in coming days to deliver a message of solidarity and support. He said Blinken will also "talk about what additional resources we can give them”.

Blinken will leave Wednesday and is expected to arrive Thursday.

Nikki Haley has long tried to set herself apart from her Republican presidential rivals on foreign policy, peppering her speeches with anecdotes about serving as United Nations ambassador and the threats she sees from China and Russia.

The war provoked by Hamas' attack on Israel has shaken American politics — and put the primary race in her wheelhouse.

Haley still remains well behind former President Donald Trump after two energetic debate performances but is trying to position herself as his chief rival by drawing contrasts on how they view U.S. responsibility in foreign affairs. She's tying the war between Israel and Hamas to her conservative domestic priorities, arguing that both Israel and the U.S. could be made vulnerable by what she calls “distractions.”

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday held talks with Israeli Minister for Strategic Affairs, Ron Dermer, offering condolences for the lives lost in the Hamas terror attacks.

He reiterated US support for Israel's right to defend itself and its citizens against terrorist attacks.

Taking to X, Blinken posted, "I spoke with Israeli Minister for Strategic Affairs @AmbDermer to reiterate our profound condolences for the terrorist attack on Israel. I reiterated our support for Israel's right to defend itself and its citizens against terrorist attacks."

Notably, Blinken is all set to travel to Israel "to engage our Israeli partners directly about the situation on the ground", the US said on Tuesday.

The Canadian Airline, Air Canada grounded a pilot to a Montreal-based B787 for wearing pro-Palestinian colours while in Uniform, The Toronto Sun reported on Tuesday.

As per the Toronto Sun, the action qas taken after concerns about the social media posts allegedly containing profane commentary about Israel from the pilot.

"The pilot was taken out of service as of yesterday," reported The Toronto Sun quoting Air Canada spokesperson Peter Fitzpatrick

Two Brazilian citizens were killed as the result of the Hamas attack on Israel, the foreign ministry said Tuesday, reports AP.

The ministry identified the deceased as Ranani Nidejelski Glazer and Bruna Valeanu.

The ministry said in a separate statement that three people with dual Brazilian-Israeli citizenship were missing after they disappeared at a music festival outside of Kibbutz Re'im.

Amid the Israel conflict with Hamas, US navy aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier strike group arrived in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, US Central Command said in a press release on Wednesday.

The release added that the forces in the area include the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), with its 8 squadrons of attack and support aircraft, and the Ticonderoga class guided missile cruiser USS Normandy (CG 60), as well as the Arleigh Burke class guided missile destroyers USS Thomas Hudner (DDG 116), USS Ramage (DDG 61), USS Carney (DDG 64), and USS Roosevelt (DDG 80).

An Israeli American soldier lost his life while fighting in Israel, trying to save the lives of his fellow soldiers. The incident took place during Hamas’ brutal attack on the country. Staff Sgt. Roey Weiser was stationed at the Kerem Shalom border crossing. During the invasion, the terrorists entered his base, launching a brutal attack on Israeli soldiers in the 13th Battalion of the Golani Brigade. Read more

The Israel-Hamas war continues to wreak havoc on the lives of Israeli residents, with many forced to flee their homes and seek refuge as rocket attacks intensify. Residents of Ashkelon, a city in southern Israel, are among those enduring the daily fear and uncertainty brought about by this protracted conflict, reports ANI.

Yaacov, an Israeli national from Ashkelon, vividly recounted his upsetting experience, stating, "We came here because a rocket fell on our building... we have no shelter, we escaped thanks to local administration and they suggested us to come here to this hotel and this is a good place. My 11-year-old son, 2-year-old daughter, my wife and I are staying here."

Continuing its air assault on Hamas in the wake of the multi-pronged terror attacks, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said it struck over 200 targets of the terrorist group in the Al Furkan neighbourhood of the besieged Gaza Strip on Wednesday.

As part of the ongoing counter-offensive against Hamas on Wednesday morning, the security forces also bombed the house of the father of Mohammed Deif, the head of Hamas's military wing believed to be the key plotter of the terror attacks, The Times of Israel reported.

In what was its third aerial assault in the area, Israeli fighter jets struck 450 Hamas targets in the neighbourhood, the IDF posted on social media platform X.

Australian police said on Wednesday a pro-Palestinian protest scheduled for the weekend in Sydney will be an "unauthorised" activity, and it would set up a task force after reports of alleged anti-Semitism in a rally earlier this week, reports Reuters.

As police expect more protests ahead with Israel vowing to escalate its response to an attack by the Palestinian militant group Hamas with a ground offensive. Australian officials said the new task force would help coordinate police actions.

"In essence, the operation will capture all intelligence available to us in relation to community sentiment, potential protest activity and potential demonstrations that might take place in the future," New South Wales Police Acting Commissioner David Hudson told reporters.

Over 260,000 people have been forced to flee their homes in the Gaza Strip, as heavy Israeli bombardments from the air, land and sea continue to hit the Palestinian enclave, the United Nations said.

Fierce fighting has left thousands dead on both sides since Hamas launched a surprise assault on Saturday, spurring Israel's reprisal bombing campaign.

"Over 263,934 people in Gaza are believed to have fled their homes," said UN humanitarian agency OCHA said in an update Tuesday, warning that "this number is expected to rise further".

Israeli airlines El Al, Israir and Arkia added more flights on Tuesday to bring home reservists, according to their websites and Israel's airports authority, though the prospect of more conflict also stoked sector worries about staff shortages.

Israel said on Monday it had called up an unprecedented 300,000 reservists and warned residents of Palestinian enclave Gaza to evacuate in a sign it could be planning a ground assault in response to Palestinian militant group Hamas' unprecedented weekend attack.

Separately, U.S. State Department spokesman Matt Miller said the U.S. government was in conversation with various carriers to "encourage" them to consider resuming travel in and out of Israel to help a number of American citizens leave the country.

Until last weekend, the Biden administration was counting on the Middle East to remain relatively calm while it quietly pursued its main policy goals there: brokering Israeli-Saudi detente and containing Iran's nuclear ambitions, says Reuters analysis.

Those hopes were shattered when Palestinian Hamas militants infiltrated from Gaza and rampaged through Israeli towns on Saturday, killing hundreds and abducting scores more. Israeli forces have retaliated by pounding the coastal enclave, killing hundreds and imposing a total blockade there.

After keeping the intractable Israeli-Palestinian conflict at arm's length, President Joe Biden now finds himself thrust into a crisis likely to reshape his Middle East policy, and into an uneasy alliance with far-right Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He is dispatching U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to meet with Israeli leaders this week in a show of support.

The U.S. is talking with Israel and Egypt about the idea of a safe passage for Gaza civilians as Israel strikes the enclave after a deadly Hamas attack over the weekend, U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Tuesday.

"We are focused on this question, there are consultations going on," Sullivan told reporters at the White House.

"But the details of that are something that are being discussed among the operational agencies and I don't want to share too much of that publicly at this time," Sullivan said.