LIVE | Israel-Hamas war: Death toll nears 1,200; Israel to cut off electricity, food, fuel to Gaza
Israel regains control of all towns on Gaza border: IDF
The Israel Defense Forces’ (IDF) spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said on Monday morning that Israeli troops have regained control of all towns on the Gaza border, according to a report in Times of Israel.
He added that there is no fighting going on between IDF troops and Hamas inside Israel.
US Senate Majority Leader Schumer criticises China for not supporting Israel
US Senate Majority Leader Schumer criticised China on Monday and told Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi that he was very disappointed by China's statement on the recent Hamas attack because it didn't show any sympathy or support for Israel, reports Associated Press (AP).
Schumer is leading a delegation of six senators to China this week.
The delegation, which includes three Democrats and three Republicans, is the first visit by US lawmakers since 2019 and comes at a time of growing attacks on China in Congress as America contends with the rise of China as a global power.
“I urge you and the Chinese people to stand with the Israeli people and condemn these cowardly and vicious attacks,” said Schumer.
A Chinese Foreign Ministry statement on Sunday called on both sides to exercise restraint and immediately end the hostilities — but made no mention of the unprecedented Hamas surprise attack early Saturday that has left more than 1,100 dead in fighting so far and thousands wounded on both sides.
Rescue workers shot at while recovering bodies: Report
Reports say rescue workers were shot at while recovering bodies from the site of the Supernova music festival where at least 260 people were killed on Saturday.
“We work under fire, so had to evacuate that place,” Yossi Landau, a commander in the Zaka volunteer group told BBC.
Israeli authorities warn of ‘hostile aircraft’
Local media quoting Israeli authorities said that a “hostile aircraft” has entered the Israeli territory near the Gaza Strip.
Gaza death toll rises to 493: Health officials
Palestanian health officials have say the death toll in Gaza has risen to 493 while over 2,750 people have been injured so far.
‘Cannot go back to business as usual’: Austria suspends aid to Palestinians
Austria has suspended aid of around 19 million euros for Palestinians in protest against Hamas’ attack on Israel.
“The extent of the terror is so horrific…that we cannot go back to business as usual. We will therefore put all payments from Austrian development cooperation on ice for the time being,” Reuters quoted Austrian foreign minister Alexander Schallenberg as saying.
How did Israel’s intelligence network fail?
For Palestinians in Gaza, Israel's eyes are never very far away. Surveillance drones buzz constantly from the skies. The highly-secured border is awash with security cameras and soldiers on guard. Intelligence agencies work sources and cyber capabilities to draw out a bevy of information.
But Israel's eyes appeared to have been closed in the lead-up to an unprecedented onslaught by the militant Hamas group, which broke down Israeli border barriers and sent hundreds of militants into Israel to carry out a brazen attack that has killed hundreds and pushed the region toward conflict.
Israel's intelligence agencies have gained an aura of invincibility over the decades because of a string of achievements. Israel has foiled plots seeded in the West Bank, allegedly hunted down Hamas operatives in Dubai, and has been accused of killing Iranian nuclear scientists in the heart of Iran. Even when their efforts have stumbled, agencies like the Mossad, Shin Bet, and military intelligence have maintained their mystique.
But the weekend's assault, which caught Israel off guard on a major Jewish holiday, plunges that reputation into doubt and raises questions about the country's readiness in the face of a weaker but determined foe.
“This is a major failure,” said Yaakov Amidror, a former national security adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “This operation actually proves that the (intelligence) abilities in Gaza were no good.”
Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the chief military spokesman, acknowledged the army owes the public an explanation. But he said now is not the time. “First, we fight, then we investigate,” he said.
Some say it is too early to pin the blame solely on an intelligence fault. They point to a wave of low-level violence in the West Bank that shifted some military resources there and the political chaos roiling Israel over steps by Netanyahu's far-right government to overhaul the judiciary. The controversial plan has threatened the cohesion of the country's powerful military.
But the apparent lack of prior knowledge of Hamas' plot will likely be seen as a prime culprit in the chain of events that led to the deadliest attack against Israelis in decades.
Amir Avivi, a retired Israeli general, said that without a foothold inside Gaza, Israel's security services have come to rely increasingly on technological means to gain intelligence. He said militants in Gaza have found ways to evade that technological intelligence gathering, giving Israel an incomplete picture of their intentions.
“The other side learned to deal with our technological dominance and they stopped using technology that could expose it,” said Avivi, who served as a conduit for intelligence materials under a former military chief of staff.
“They've gone back to the Stone Age,” he said, explaining that militants weren't using phones or computers and were conducting their sensitive business in rooms specially guarded from technological espionage or going underground.
An Egyptian intelligence official said Egypt, which often serves as a mediator between Israel and Hamas, had spoken repeatedly with the Israelis about “something big,” without elaborating.
He said Israeli officials were focused on the West Bank and played down the threat from Gaza. Netanyahu's government is made up of supporters of Jewish West Bank settlers who have demanded a security crackdown in the face of a rising tide of violence there over the last 18 months.
“We have warned them an explosion of the situation is coming, and very soon, and it would be big. But they underestimated such warnings,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to discuss the content of sensitive intelligence discussions with the media.
Sensex and Nifty tumble in early trade
Benchmark equity indices tumbled in early trade on Monday (October 9) as escalating tensions in the Middle East triggered a risk-off in the market.
Market analysts said investors preferred to remain on the sidelines and refrained from taking big risks as the Israel-Hamas conflict has introduced a huge uncertainty for the markets.
The 30-share BSE Sensex plunged 407.19 points or 0.62 per cent to 65,588.44 points in early trade. The Nifty declined 142.70 points or 0.72 per cent to 19,510.80 points.
State Bank of India, Tata Steel, Titan, IndusInd Bank, and Asian Paints were among the major laggards.
On the other hand, HCL Technologies, Tech Mahindra, TCS, Wipro, Infosys, Hindustan Unilever, and Sun Pharma defied the broader market trend and were trading in the positive territory.
"The Israel-Hamas conflict has introduced a huge uncertainty for the markets. Nobody knows how this war is going to evolve," V K Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist at Geojit Financial Services, said.
He said that even though it is unlikely to cause major disruption in oil supplies at present, the situation will change if Iran, a major Hamas supporter, is drawn into the war.
"That can disrupt oil supplies causing a spike in crude, which can trigger a risk-off in the market. This is a time to be cautious," he added.
Traders are also expected to remain cautious ahead of macroeconomic data to be announced later this week.
Asian markets are trading lower on Monday (October 9) as Chinese and Hong Kong shares fell.
Meanwhile, global oil benchmark Brent crude witnessed a sharp rise of 3.68 per cent to USD 87.69 a barrel on Monday (October 9).
Hamas wants genocide of Jews; not different from ISIS: Israel’s envoy to UN
Gilad Erdan, Israel’s permanent representative to the United Nations said that Hamas was a “genocidal Islamist jihadist terror organization” and not very different from the ISIS or Al Qaeda and don’t want any dialogue but 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-Qaeda. 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.
He said the Hamas’ charter itself propounds the genocide of Jews.
“This is a direct quote from their charter. The day of judgment will not come until Muslims fight the Jews and kill them. This is the Hamas charter, and it also says that whenever a Muslim encounters a Jew, he must butcher him. The Hamas charter internalizes this. They want to butcher me. They want to butcher my children, my people, my nation. They will not stop until they murder every single one of us,” he said.