US deploying ships closer to Israel, sends munitions
President Joe Biden ordered US ships and warplanes to move closer to Israel in a show of support on Sunday, while sending fresh military aid after attacks by the Palestinian militant group Hamas. The Pentagon said it was sending the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R Ford and its accompanying warships to the eastern Mediterranean, while boosting fighter aircraft squadrons in the region. US Central Command confirmed Sunday afternoon that ships and planes had begun moving to their new posts. At least four American citizens are known to have been killed in the violence so far, according to Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer. Biden on Sunday spoke to Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and “conveyed that additional assistance for the Israeli defense forces is now on its way to Israel with more to follow over the coming days,” the White House said. (AFP)
‘Hamas is no different than ISIS, al-Qaida…’: Israel envoy Gilad Erdan at UN
Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations Gilad Erdan in response to the deadly Hamas attack, said that “Hamas is a genocidal Islamist jihadist terror organization. It is no different than ISIS, al-Qaida” adding that, they do not want dialogue and wants only the annihilation of the Jewish state. “Hamas is a genocidal Islamist jihadist terror organization. It is no different than ISIS. It is no different than al-Qaida. There is no reasoning with genocidal jihadists. They do not want dialogue. They do not want conversation. They want one thing and one thing only the annihilation of the Jewish state,” he said.
10 Nepali nationals killed in Hamas attacks in Israel
Ten Nepali nationals have been killed and four others injured in Israel after the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a wave of rocket attacks in the country’s southern region, Nepal’s foreign ministry said on Monday. Hamas carried out a barrage of airstrikes in Southern Israel on Saturday, killing over 600 people, including soldiers, and wounding more than 1,900. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in response launched multiple attacks targeting Hamas’ key infrastructure. About 1,000 people have been confirmed dead in Israel and Gaza in the biggest escalation in decades between the two sides. (PTI)
Thailand says 12 of its citizens killed in Israel, 11 kidnapped
Thailand’s foreign ministry on Monday said 12 Thai nationals had been killed in unrest in Israel, plus 11 more kidnapped and eight injured. “We are working to help all Thai citizens in Israel,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Kanchana Patarachoke told reporters. (Reuters)
‘Iran helped Hamas plot devastating attack on Israel’
Iranian security officials collaborated with the Palestinian terror group Hamas to orchestrate its sneak attack on Israel last Saturday, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday. The plan allegedly received final approval at a meeting held in Beirut the previous Monday. The operation, involving air, land, and sea incursions, marked the most significant breach of Israel’s borders since the 1973 Yom Kippur War. These plans were developed during meetings in Beirut, where officers from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps(IRGC) and representatives from several Iran-backed militant groups, including Hamas and Hezbollah, refined the details, the WSJ report said.
Several airlines suspend Tel Aviv flights until safety conditions improve
Several international air carriers have suspended flight services with Tel Aviv in light of the Hamas militant attack on Israel, saying they were waiting for safety conditions to improve before resuming. Fighters from the Islamist group killed 700 Israelis and abducted dozens in Saturday’s attacks, which were the deadliest such incursion since the Yom Kippur war 50 years ago, prompting Israel to retaliate by pounding the Palestinian enclave of Gaza. On Sunday, US air carriers United Airlines, Delta Air Lines and American Airlines said they had suspended direct flights, as did Air France. The US airlines normally run direct services from major cities such as New York, Chicago, Washington, DC and Miami. (Reuters)
‘These terrorists broke into homes, shot people point blank as if they were stomping on insects’: Israel’s representative at UN
Gilad Erdan, Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations on Monday highlighted the severity of war crimes of Hamas terrorists, who in a “surprise attack” killed hundreds of Israelis, killing them at will and stomping on them as if they were insects. “Ruthless terrorists gunned down innocent Israeli civilians in the streets, murdering anything that moved… These terrorists broke into homes and shot people point blank as if they were stomping on insects…,” he said. Erdan further emphasized that these are “blatant documented war crimes.” Moreover, noting that this did not end there, as the Hamas terrorists killed several others at an outdoor party where Israelis were celebrating the holiday weekend.
Israeli and Palestinian supporters rally across US as Israel declares war after Hamas attack
Supporters of Israel and backers of the Palestinian cause rallied in American cities on Sunday over the conflict that has killed hundreds and wounded thousands in the Middle East. Palestinian Americans planned to gather Sunday outside of the Israeli consulates in Atlanta and Chicago. “In recent years, we have seen the unified Palestinian resistance grow stronger,” said Hatem Abudayyeh, the national chair of the US Palestinian Community Network and a spokesperson for the Chicago Coalition for Justice in Palestine, who has family in the region. “It really should be no surprise that this is happening.” Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was set to lead a Jewish community gathering in support of Israel at a synagogue in San Francisco. (AP)
