Joe Biden decries Hamas ‘campaign of pure cruelty’ as Antony Blinken to visit Israel
US President Joe Biden has decried Hamas’s attack on Israel as a “campaign of pure cruelty” as he labelled Saturday’s onslaught as the “deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust."
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was expected to arrive in Israel on Thursday, in a show of Washington’s support, and will also visit Jordan.
Israel’s leaders on Wednesday formed a unity government, promising to put bitter political divisions aside to focus on the fight against Hamas.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to "crush and destroy" Hamas.
Israel has put Gaza under “total siege" to stop food and fuel reaching the enclave of 2.3 million people in response to Hamas’s attacks. The attacks claimed the lives of 1,200 lives in Israel, while at least 1,100 people have been killed in Gaza.
No water or power for Gaza until hostages freed, says Israel
08:31 , Bill McloughlinIsrael's Energy Minister Israel Katz says the siege on Gaza will not end until the hostages captured by Hamas are freed. Officials in Gaza have warned that civilians will soon be without power or water after Israel closed off supplies on Saturday. In a social media post, Mr Katz said: “Humanitarian aid to Gaza? No electrical switch will be turned on, no water hydrant will be opened and no fuel truck will enter until the Israeli abductees are returned home.”
Anthony Blinken arrives in Israel
08:25 , Bill McloughlinUS Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has arrived in Israel. As part of his short visit, Mr Blinken will meet with senior Israeli officials and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.During meetings, Mr Blinken is expected to discuss the release of hostages kidnapped by Hamas, some of whom are believed to be American.
Israeli death toll rises to ‘at least 1,300'
08:18 , Bill McloughlinIsrael’s public broadcaster Kan, has updated the number of Israelis killed since the conflict began. The number has now reached 1,300, up from the 1,200 previously reported.
Scottish first minister’s wife says her family is trapped in Gaza
08:15 , Bill McloughlinNadia el Nakla, the wife of Scotland’s first minister Humza Yousaf, has said her parents have been stuck in Gaza since the conflict broke out.Elizabeth and Maged el Nakla, who live in Dundee, had travelled to Gaza last week to see a relative just days before Hamas militants attacked Israel.The first minister’s wife has since said that her parents are “terrified” and had tried to escape on Tuesday before the border between Egypt and Gaza was bombed.Speaking to the BBC, she said: “They are caught up in a war situation. My mother says there is continual bombardment from land, sea and air. They are terrified, absolutely terrified, about what is to come and what is happening right now as we speak.”
Health Secretary joins calls for Wembley arch to be lit up in support of Israel
08:02 , Bill McloughlinHealth Secretary Steve Barclay has joined calls for the Wembley arch to be lit up in blue and white to support Israel when England plays Australia on Friday.Asked about the idea on Sky News, Mr Barclay said: “I think we should make clear our strong support for Israel. We stand with Israel, and I think we've seen that with Parliament, we've seen it with Number 10. I think it would be fitting to show that with Wembley as well.”Asked what sympathy he has with the people of Gaza this morning, he said: “The UK does have sympathy. That's why we contribute about 10 per cent of the aid that is distributed in the region through the United Nations.“It's why the Foreign Secretary was in Israel yesterday talking to counterparts about the importance of minimising civilian casualties.”“Israel has a right to defend itself but also to deter future attacks from Gaza. So Hamas are responsible for what we're seeing in Gaza, but of course everyone has a responsibility in terms of minimising civilian casualties,” he added. “We agree that international law, international rules of war should be adhered to. And those are the sort of conversations I'm sure the Foreign Secretary was having in Israel in yesterday. But we should also be very clear it is Israel that has been attacked here.”
Latest death toll figures from Gaza
07:54 , Bill McloughlinOver 1,200 people have been killed and 5,339 injured in Gaza since Israel launched air strikes last Saturday, the Palestinian Health Ministry has said this morning.The UN agency for Palestinian refugees says more than 338,000 people have been displaced.
Irish-Israeli citizen among those killed in Hamas music festival attack
07:33 , Josh SalisburyIrish-Israeli citizen Kim Damti, 22, has been confirmed as one of hundreds killed in a “senseless and barbaric” attack by Hamas militants at a music festival in the Israeli desert. Ms Damti had been among thousands of young people who attended the Supernova festival near the Gaza border on Saturday where at least 260 people were killed during a surprise sunrise attack by Hamas gunmen. Irish President Michael D Higgins said he heard the news of Ms Damti’s death with the “greatest sadness”.“The circumstances in which her life was taken, having travelled as she did to attend a music festival, are truly appalling,” he said.Read more here.
Cabinet minister ‘concerned’ BBC does not describe Hamas as terrorist organisation
07:29 , Josh SalisburyHealth Secretary Steve Barclay said he is “concerned” that the BBC is not calling Hamas a terrorist organisation.He told Times Radio: “Yes, I am concerned because Hamas are terrorists. One can see quite clearly the terrorist atrocities that Hamas have perpetrated.“The Government is very clear that Hamas are a terrorist organisation and people should be clear in the (language) that they use.”The Chief Rabbi, Ephraim Mirvis, is among those who have criticised the broadcaster who have declined to use the term to describe Hamas, a move followed by other major broadcasters such as Channel 4.However, the BBC’s World Affairs Editor John Simpson said the term was not being used because of the BBC’s commitment to impartiality. “We regularly point out that the British and other governments have condemned Hamas as a terrorist organisation ... the key point is that we don't say it in our voice,” he said.
Israeli army ‘preparing for ground invasion of Gaza'
07:23 , Josh Salisbury The Israeli military says it is preparing for a possible ground operation in Gaza but says Israeli leaders have not yet decided on one.Lt. Col. Richard Hecht told reporters Thursday that forces “are preparing for a ground maneuver if decided."A ground invasion is widely expected among Israel’s allies, which has raised fears of the humanitarian impact on civilians in the densely-populated strip.Israel's unity government is under intense pressure from the public to topple Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since 2007. That would likely require formally reoccupying Gaza, at least temporarily.
UK Cabinet minister says ‘Israel must be able to defend itself'
07:15 , Josh SalisburyIsrael must be able to defend itself, rescue hostages and deter future attacks by Hamas, a UK Cabinet minister has said, writes political editor Nicholas Cecil.Health Secretary Steve Barclay gave unequivocal backing to Israel to defend itself against the “appalling terrorist atrocities” which left hundreds of its citizens dead.As Israel hits back, the Cabinet minister said civilians casualties should be minimised but avoided questions on whether aid convoys should be allowed into Gaza.Mr Barclay told GB News: “Israel needs to be able to defend itself from these attacks, to rescue the hostages that have been taken and to deter future attacks of the sort that we have seen.”He argued: “It’s Hamas that is putting the civilian population at risk, it’s Hamas that is co-locating its military operations in civilians areas, it’s Hamas that has launched the terrorist attacks on Israel and it’s Hamas that has taken hostages back into Gaza.“So responsibility sits with the terrorist organisation Hamas for what is happening.”Asked if Britain would support Israel with weapons if as expected it launches a ground offensive into Gaza, he added: “We stand with Israel and we are fully supportive of them and the Foreign Secretary is in Israel discussing that support.”
Former MI6 head: ‘Failure of imagination’ stopped Israel preventing attack
07:14 , Josh SalisburySir Alex Younger, the former head of MI6, has said Israel's failure to pre-empt Hamas' attack stemmed from a “failure of imagination".Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today Podcast, Sir Alex said he believed there were two main reasons why Israel's intelligence community had no knowledge of the impending attack.“The first is, the really big failures that are labelled as intelligence failures... are in fact failures of imagination," he said. “9/11 classically was that. The assumption was not that we were vulnerable to anything in terms of this type of attack. The assumption was that it essentially wasn't possible.“Absolutely, in this case, the received assumption, demonstrated through (Israel's) actions, particularly the deployment of the IDF (Israel Defence Forces), make it really clear that the received assumption was that the threat from Hamas in Gaza was quiescent.“And it is my assumption, therefore... that there will have been data breaking through which probably could have been interpreted differently and certainly would be, with hindsight, but people were just not looking at it in that way."
Key developments overnight
07:11 , Josh SalisburyGood morning. Overnight, several key developments in the escalating Israel-Hamas conflict are:The death toll in both Israel and Gaza has surpassed 1,000 in both Israel and the Gaza Strip. In Israel, more than 1,200 people have been killed, while at least 1,100 people, including 326 children, have been killed in the Gaza Strip.
Joe Biden has called Hamas’s Saturday attack a “campaign of pure cruelty…against the Jewish people,” and said it was the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to arrive in Israel in a show of Washington’s support. Before departing, Mr Blinken said the US stands "resolutely" with Israel and added: “Not since ISIS have we seen this depravity.”
More than 260,000 people in the Gaza Strip have been displaced by Israeli airstrikes, as calls grow for a humanitarian corridor, according to the United Nations. Some 2.3 million people live in the strip.
