- Palestinian fighters say they have captured Israelis after crossing into Israel from the Gaza Strip in a large-scale attack.
- Hamas, the group running the besieged enclave, said its surprise operation was in response to the desecration of Al-Aqsa Mosque and increased settler violence.
- Israel has launched air raids on Gaza, where witnesses reported heavy explosions, after Hamas fired thousands of rockets and sent fighters into Israel.
- The operation comes after thousands of settlers in recent days carried out provocative tours of the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in occupied East Jerusalem during the Jewish holiday of Sukkot.
- It also follows a major uptick of Israeli settler violence against Palestinians over the past year, occurring at a rate of three per day for the first eight months of 2023, according to the United Nations.
Large number of dead and wounded at Gaza hospital
We’ve just received the first images from our colleagues at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, where dozens of casualties have been brought after the Israeli bombardment.
A large number of grieving families rushed to the hospital after receiving the news.
Saudi Arabia calls for stop to violence
Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry has called for an “immediate cessation of violence between Israeli and the Palestinians”, the state news agency has reported.
It quoted a ministry statement which read: “We are following the unprecedented developments between a number of Palestinian factions and Israel occupation forces which has led to a high level of violence on a number of fronts”.
Difficult days ahead’: UN coordinator for Middle East Peace Process
Tom Wennesland, the UN coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, has told Al Jazeera that the scale of the confrontation is much bigger that previous time and signals “difficult days” ahead.
“I am horrified and disgusted by the attacks this morning. There are a number of people killed and kidnapped after thousands of rockets were launched into Israel … I am also very concerned about the situation in Gaza,” he said.
Asked why his official statementabout the attack had no mention about the Palestinians in Gaza and whether he had any sympathy for them, Wennesland responded: “I am a bit surprised by the question.”
He highlighted that as the UN, they are the only institution constantly reporting on situation and the plight of the people in Gaza and other occupied territories.
Wennesland added that civilians on both sites would bare the brunt of further attacks and said that the UN had already started talking to all the parties concerned about stopping escalations.
Israel says it struck 21 Hamas targets in air raids
Dozens of fighter jets and other military aircraft have attacked 17 military compounds and four operational headquarters of Hamas in Gaza, the Israeli army says.
Courtesy: Al Jazeera
