Civilian casualties could soarpublished at 23:56 British Summer Time 9 October 2023

23:56 BST 9 October 2023

Paul Adams
Diplomatic correspondent

For all the unprecedented horror surrounding the start of this episode, events now may start to follow a pattern familiar from previous Gaza “wars”.

Israel knows that a wave of international sympathy and goodwill gives its military a window of opportunity to conduct extensive military operations inside Gaza.

One former government official told me Israel will have “at least two weeks” before calls for restraint from Washington (the only power that matters here) will become hard to resist.

If Israel is determined to deal a decisive blow to Hamas, this will inevitably involve a massive ground operation, at which point civilian casualties – already high – are likely to soar.

Complicating matters enormously is the fate of at least 100 Israeli hostages – soldiers and civilians - now being held in Gaza.

If Hamas starts killing the civilians, the former official told me, “we will do to Hamas what the world did with ISIS and al-Qaeda”.

In the last few moments, we've heard from the White House National Security Council spokesman, John Kirby.

Kirby says the US government has no intention of sending troops into Israel, but it will protect US interests in the region.

He says more security requests are expected from Israel, which the US will try to fulfil as quickly as possible.

Kirby also says there is "no question that there's a degree of complicity" by Iran in supporting Hamas, but the US has not seen hard and tangible evidence Iran was directly involved.

A report in the Wall Street Journal newspaper claims that Iran played a role in helping Hamas prepare for the surprise attack.

BBC Journalist Rushdi Abu Alouf has given an update from inside a building on the Gaza Strip.

He says he could hear the screaming of children inside the seven-storey complex.

At one point, a loud blast echoes through the microphone as he talks.

You can click the Play button above to watch the full report.

Jonathan Josephs
BBC business reporter

At many synagogues, Britain’s Jewish communities have gathered this evening to pray for those suffering in Israel and Gaza.

Many were deeply moved as special Psalms were said for those who have been killed, injured and taken hostage - as well as for peace to prevail.

Lots of those present have family and friends in Israel and are constantly checking on their welfare.

At one synagogue in north-west London, congregants heard from a representative of the Magen David Adom (the Israeli medial emergency service).

They spoke about how senior paramedics had been killed and the service, which is entirely privately funded, was in desperate need of everything from bandages and blood test kits to breathing equipment and flak jackets.

After the service, congregants queued up to make donations.

The leaders of the UK, US, France, Italy and Germany have just released a statement which voices "unequivocal condemnation of Hamas and its appalling acts of terrorism".

The joint statement comes following a phone call between President Macron, Chancellor Scholz, PM Meloni, PM Sunak and President Biden.

"The terrorist actions of Hamas have no justification, no legitimacy, and must be universally condemned," the statement reads.

"Our countries will support Israel in its efforts to defend itself and its people against such atrocities," the statement continues, adding: "This is not a moment for any party hostile to Israel to exploit these attacks to seek advantage."

"All of us recognize the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people, and support equal measures of justice and freedom for Israelis and Palestinians alike.

"But make no mistake: Hamas does not represent those aspirations, and it offers nothing for the Palestinian people other than more terror and bloodshed."

Image source, Miryam Esther Shafir

Miryam Esther Shafir, 55, lives in Shlomi, in northern Israel.

Earlier today, she told the BBC about her search for her missing son, Dor Hanan Shafir, and his girlfriend, Savyon Hen Liper.

Dor and Savyon were at a nature party on Friday night in a place called Nirim, which is not far from the border of Gaza.

Miryam said that someone who had seen the couple at the party told her they had been the first to leave when a rocket hit, then they ran to their car and drove away.

“We know that at 07:03 Savyon sent a text message to a friend of hers, saying they drove for two minutes and found a shelter.

The police told us they tracked my son’s phone and saw it was switched off manually.

"We don't know if he turned it off to save his battery or if he was kidnapped and his phone was manually turned off."

Miryam added that they still didn't know where they were.

"If they are alive we want them back, if they are dead, we want their bodies back.”

"All Americans should be horrified and outraged by the brazen terrorist attacks on Israel and the slaughter of innocent civilians," former US President Barack Obama says in a statement that has just been released.

"We grieve for those who died, pray for the safe return of those who’ve been held hostage, and stand squarely alongside our ally, Israel, as it dismantles Hamas," he continues.

"As we support Israel’s right to defend itself against terror, we must keep striving for a just and lasting peace for Israelis and Palestinians alike."

Here's some more details from a statement issued by US President Joe Biden earlier.

Biden says in addition to the 11 Americans who have been killed, there are more that remain unaccounted for.

"The safety of American citizens—whether at home or abroad—is my top priority as President," he says.

"While we are still working to confirm, we believe it is likely that American citizens may be among those being held by Hamas."

The US president adds he directed his team to work with Israel on "every aspect of the hostage crisis", including sharing intelligence and deploying experts to "consult with and advise Israeli counterparts".

Biden says he last spoke directly with Israeli PM Netanyahu on Sunday, when he told him the US "will continue to make sure Israel has what it needs to defend itself and its people".

Yolande Knell
BBC Middle East correspondent, reporting from Tel Aviv

For Ido Dan, the horror of Saturday’s events played out on his family’s WhatsApp group.

His cousin, Hadas, who lives in Nir Oz, a kibbutz next to Gaza, had been updating her family from within an air raid shelter. Earlier that morning, she had written that she could hear gunmen shouting in Arabic.

“Something scary is going on here,” she told the group, describing the screaming of other kibbutz members.

She said it was “like a Holocaust here – they are killing everyone,” says Ido.

“And then at 9am she got disconnected. Her battery ran out.”

Hadas did survive – by wedging the door of her hideout closed.

But by nightfall it was clear that five members of the family were missing from their homes in the kibbutz. Two of Hadas’s children and her ex-husband - their father, as well as her niece and her 80-year-old mother, Ido’s aunt, Carmella.

Later a disturbing video surfaced on social media. It appeared to show Erez, Hadas’s 12-year-old son being taken by gunmen into Gaza.

Image source, Family handout

“There is hope to believe they’re alive,” says Ido, who lives near Tel Aviv. But he is deeply fearful for what might happen next.

With reports of hostage negotiations being brokered by Qatar, Ido has a message for Hamas about his family:

“Just get them out of this confrontation, it’s not for kids, it’s not for older people,” he says.

“Even war has rules and ethics and limits.”

How Israel might secure the hostages' release is a huge questionpublished at 22:17 British Summer Time 9 October 2023

22:17 BST 9 October 2023

Sebastian Usher
BBC Arab Affairs Editor

The issue of hostages in Hamas' hands is understandably highly emotive in Israel - especially so since the group's armed wing threatened to kill captives if the Israeli military carried out strikes against Gaza without first warning civilians.

How Israel might secure their release is a huge question - whether through special forces operations, a full scale invasion of Gaza, negotiation or a mixture of methods.

Reports have emerged from Qatari officials briefing journalists that the Gulf state - which has long provided vital financial support for Gaza and also hosts some of the Hamas leadership - has tried to initiate talks that could secure the release of at least some of the hostages.

Both Israel and Hamas have denied reports of a possible prisoner exchange.

For Israelis traumatised by the events of the past three days, there may be no stomach for a deal of any kind with Hamas, even if the country has long adhered to a principle that no prisoner, alive or dead, should be left behind.

Image source, Getty Images

The third day of clashes between Hamas militants and the Israeli army has lead to hundreds of deaths.

• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a televised address to the nation, saying that a number of Hamas gunmen are still in Israel
• Netanyahu called on Israel's opposition parties to form a national unity government and said "air strikes in Gaza are only the beginning"
• At least 900 people have been killed in Israel
• Almost 700 people have been killed in Gaza following Israeli military action
• The Al-Qassam brigades, known as the armed wing of Hamas, threatened to kill Israeli civilian hostages if Palestinian civilians were not warned about impending air strikes

A senior US defence official has been giving an update on the developing situation in Israel. Here are some of the key takeaways that were talked about.

• They called the Hamas attack "Isis-level savagery", referencing homes burned to the ground and young people massacred at a music festival
• The US is confident it can support both Ukraine and Israel with weapons
• Aircraft are headed to Israel with munitions, but the US official did not specify the type of weaponry
• The USS Gerald R Ford strike group has been deployed to the eastern Mediterranean
• When asked by a reporter if the US is concerned Israel will kill Palestinian civilians with American weapons, the official said Washington holds Israel to the same standard all partners are held to - which is to avoid civilian casualties
• The official did not confirm or deny if Hezbollah and Hamas had met in Iran prior to the attack. However the official did say Iran had been "fomenting instability across the region"

Turning to the UK now, where Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has been speaking on Monday evening at a synagogue in London.

"The people who support Hamas are fully responsible for this appalling attack. They are not freedom fighters, they are terrorists," he said.

"There is no question of balance, I stand with Israel."

Sunak added that he will "stop at nothing" to keep the Jewish community in the UK safe.

One more question and answer from the news briefing that the US Department of Defense has been holding at the Pentagon near Washington DC.

A senior official said the top priority of the US is to "contain the conflict and support the defence of Israel".

She said the US government is monitoring groups across the Middle East for anyone who "would consider joining or piling onto this conflict in a way that escalates it".

She then answered the BBC's Barbara Plett-Usher's question: "We all know that a lot of Palestinians will die... where will the US draw the line?"

"We are always urging our Israeli partners - all our partners - to avoid civilian casualties. I would note here that's absolutely something that Hamas did not do."

US President Joe Biden has confirmed at least 11 Americans have been killed in the Israel-Hamas conflict.

"Sadly, we now know that at least 11 American citizens were among those killed — many of whom made a second home in Israel," he said in a written statement from the White House.

A senior US defence official says they would "not comment on intelligence matters today" after a question from Fox News reporter Jennifer Griffin about an alleged meeting between Hamas and Lebanese Islamist group Hezbollah that was reportedly brokered by Iran.

A report in the Wall Street Journal newspaper says that Iran played a key role in helping Hamas prepare for its surprise attack.

The newspaper said talks in Beirut began in August and included members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp.

The US has not specified what role Iran may have had. "Iran is in the picture here," the unnamed official said.

"We've been clear for years in Iran's role in fomenting instability across the region," the official added.

The US defense department would not go into specifics about the type of weaponry and defence support it is sending Israel.

But a senior defense official said on background on Monday they are "working to assess what munitions are in the US inventory that can be made quickly available to Israel".

She said that aircraft had already taken off with munitions and added that the Pentagon is in constant contact with counterparts in Israel.

When asked if the US is worried they have used up ammunition supporting Ukraine, the official said they are able to support the armed forces there as well as Israel.

The US Defense Department is sending a firm message that it is "supporting Israel's defence" in this conflict.

A senior official said on background that adversaries looking to take advantage of instability in the region should "think twice" before stepping in.

The warships the US has deployed to the eastern Mediterranean - the USS Gerald R Ford strike group - are there to conduct a "full spectrum" of maritime operations, the official said.

Part of their mission is to "minimize risk to widespread conflict".

It comes amid concerns that Iran or other regional groups opposed to Israel such as Hezbollah in Lebanon may join in the conflict.

The US Department of Defense has been holding a news conference on the Israel-Hamas conflict.

A senior defence official said: "I want to differentiate this from other times we have seen between Israel and Hamas", calling it "Isis-level savagery" - referring to the actions of the so-called Islamic State group of militants.

The official said it was an “unprecedented attack on Israel” with houses burned to the ground and young people massacred at a music festival.

The European Commission has said that aid payments for Palestinians are not being suspended.

The bloc's new statement comes after Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi said, external earlier that all payments were immediately suspended.

The Commission said in a statement that it was launching a review of its aid programme.

"In the meantime, as there were no payments foreseen, there will be no suspension of payments," the statement added.

Elsewhere, the UK has announced it is also reviewing its aid for Palestinian projects.

Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden told ITV's Peston programme it was "very important to appreciate that we shouldn't clump together the Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip who have carried out these attacks and the Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian people".