Israel Orders ‘Complete Siege’ of Gaza as Death Toll Tops 1,100
The number of Israeli hostages being held by Hamas has been revised upward to an estimated 150. By Monday’s end, at least 900 Israelis have been reported killed and nearly 2,400 wounded since the Saturday surprise assault from Gaza. Palestinian emergency sources report 560 dead and over 2,700 wounded in Gaza as heavy Israeli bombardment of the strip has continued.
In one single kibbutz near the border, at least 108 bodies have been discovered amid the ongoing Israeli search, rescue and recovery efforts: Israeli volunteer rescue organization ZAKA said Monday night that it had discovered more than 100 bodies in Kibbutz Be’eri near the Gaza border. “Large teams cleared bodies all day from kibbutz Be’eri,” the organization said. “There were weapons everywhere, grenades, and RPGs. We cleared 108 bodies and we are not done yet.”
Front gate of the Kibbutz after the attack. pic.twitter.com/bNmGee4MnT
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) October 9, 2023
The New York Times has also begun to piece together eyewitness accounts of the Saturday invasion into southern Israel, as more identifies of the kidnapped have come to light:
The hostages were seized from homes in towns along Israel’s border with Gaza — including the Kalderons’ small village of Kibbutz Nahal Oz — as well as from military bases and an enormous outdoor dance party.
They include civilians, soldiers, people with disabilities, children, grandparents and even a 9-month-old baby. The hostages are also believed to include at least one Palestinian resident of Israel, a bus driver who spent the night near the outdoor party after driving Israelis there, his family said.
The capture of so many Israelis by Palestinian militants has taken the Israeli-Palestinian conflict into uncharted territory — not only in the sheer number of hostages but also in the dire threats Hamas is making against them.
The Washington Post has verified some of the horrifying footage to have emerged, including summary executions of Israeli hostages in the immediate aftermath of the Hamas/PIJ incursion: At least four Israelis taken hostage by Hamas during their unprecedented incursion into Israel on Saturday were killed soon after being taken captive, according to videos reviewed by The Washington Post. Graphic video shared on Telegram on Oct. 8, and verified by The Post, shows multiple bodies in the street in Be’eri, a kibbutz in southern Israel, just yards from where Hamas militants were filmed walking with several civilians who appear to be those same hostages.
Huge swathes of Gaza are under rubble…
JUST IN: Drone footage of Gaza city has been released by Bloomberg.
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) October 9, 2023
Citizens along the Gaza Strip are being caught in the crossfire as the war between Hamas and Israel escalates.
Hundreds of apartments and homes have been demolished displacing more than 123,000 people.
The IDF… pic.twitter.com/1CTbUZDugL
Netanyahu in a Monday speech vowed, “What we will do to our enemies in the coming days will reverberate with them for generations.”
Meanwhile, Hezbollah’s involvement from the north appears to be growing.
The US has issued a stern warning for the Lebanese Shia paramilitary group not to enter the conflict. President Biden on Monday said that at least 11 Americans were confirmed killed. He said there are “likely” more being held hostage. Many of these may be dual citizens. Here’s part of Biden’s statement:
“It’s heart wrenching,” Biden said in a statement. “These families have been torn apart by inexcusable hatred and violence.” Biden said his administration is aware other U.S. citizens are missing and that they are working with Israeli officials to learn more about their whereabouts, though he didn’t elaborate on how many Americans are unaccounted for as the conflict rages.
“The safety of American citizens — whether at home or abroad — is my top priority as President,” Biden said. “While we are still working to confirm, we believe it is likely that American citizens may be among those being held by Hamas,” he continued. “I have directed my team to work with their Israeli counterparts on every aspect of the hostage crisis, including sharing intelligence and deploying experts from across the United States government to consult with and advise Israeli counterparts on hostage recovery efforts.”
Hezbollah targeted the command centre of #Israel’s Galilee Division based at Branit military barracks with 5 guided missiles in response for the martyrdom of 3 Hezbollah fighters in Israeli shelling in southern #Lebanon.
— H. Sumeri (@IraqiSecurity) October 9, 2023
Slow and unmistakable escalation on the northern front. pic.twitter.com/Rx5nvaDpXl
