Highlights:
· The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) is reporting the following:
o There are now over 900 fatalities and 2,616 people injured in Israel.
o A total of 4,500 rockets have been fired from Gaza but only 1,290 struck their intended targets.
o Over 30 Israelis have been taken as hostages by Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
o About 1,000 Hamas fighters entered Israel during the initial assault.
o Around 300,000 Reserve troops are now deployed in Northern and Southern Israel.
o Israeli forces have secured all the communities in Southern Israel. There is still fighting along the borders though.
o Power and water service has been cut off to Gaza.
· Magen David Adom (MDA) has identified the staff member that was killed. His name was Aharon Chaimov and he was shot by Hamas as he was driving an ambulance in Ofakim:
o He was 25 years old, and he left behind two children and a wife.
· United Hatzalah (UH) reported the following activities:
o They are actively responding in the affected areas and providing medical supplies to the staging areas around the Gaza border.
o UH Muslim Bedouin volunteers in Rahat are packing ready-made Kosher food for soldiers and first responders in the Gaza periphery.
· Under Operation Swords of Iron, the IDFs goal is to dislodge Hamas from the Gaza Strip and eliminate their ability to conduct future military operations.
· The IDF has accomplished the following:
o IDF aircraft targeted and destroyed a concealed launch site in Gaza.
o They have targeted and destroyed Hamas fighters that were attempting to penetrate Israel from the sea.
o A Hamas rocket system operational command center was destroyed.
o Two operational situation room that were located within mosques were destroyed.
o The Hamas intelligence headquarters was destroyed.
o An aerial weapons production site used by Islamic Jihad has been destroyed.
o Hezbollah tried to attack Israel from Lebanon but was attacked by IDF artillery units and a drone.
· The Israeli National Security Council (NSC) has asked the public to refrain from visiting or leaving Middle Eastern countries that are subject to NSC travel warnings.
· The World Health Organization (WHO) is reporting the following in Gaza:
o At least 413 Palestinians have been killed and 2,300 injured.
o There have been 11 attacks on healthcare.
o Seven major hospitals in the Gaza Strip have already consumed the pre-positioned WHO trauma supplies. An additional stock of WHO trauma kits is being mobilized to support the treatment of up to 500 severely injured people.
o Access to healthcare in Gaza has been hindered with a lack of supplies.
o Hospitals in Gaza need an estimated $10 million to continue functioning. WHO is reprogramming $1 million to procure urgently needed medical supplies from the local market.
o Checkpoints being closed are also affecting the resupplying of healthcare facilities.
· The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) is reporting the following:
o A total of 350 staff and 26 ambulances have been deployed.
o PRCS ambulances have treated at least 683 people.
o At least 150 houses have been damaged in Gaza.
· The UN Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) is reporting the following:
o Over 137,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) are now being sheltered in 83 shelters. These shelters are at 90% capacity.
o One UNRWA emergency shelter was directly hit on October 8th.
o All 14 food distribution centers that serve half a million people remain closed.
· The United States of America provided the following updates:
o The Secretary of Defense informed the Israeli Defense Minister that the U.S. will be sending additional equipment and resources (including munitions) to Israel over the next few days.
o The United States has begun moving the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group to the Eastern Mediterranean and taken steps to augment U.S. Air Force squadrons in the region.
o The U.S. State Department is reporting the following:
ü Foreign tourists in Alexandria, Egypt were killed on October 8th. This may be related to the ongoing hostilities in Gaza and Israel.
ü Ben Gurion International Airport remains open and U.S. citizens wishing to depart Israel can check the status and the availability of flights here.
ü Information on the status of border crossings and safety information is available here.
· The UN Secretary-General has condemned the Hamas attacks on Israel and has urged all diplomatic efforts to avoid a wider conflagration.
Sources:
· Prime Minister of Israel Twitter Page
· Israeli Defense Forces Twitter Page
· Magen David Adom Twitter Page
· United Hatzalah Twitter Page
· OCHA Occupied Territories Twitter Page
· WHO in Occupied Palestinian Territory Twitter Page
· Palestine Red Crescent Society Twitter Page
· U.S. State Department Bureau of Consular Affairs Twitter Page
· U.S. Secretary of Defense Twitter Page
Resources
Anti-Defamation League, Hamas Backgrounder
Soufan Center, COMPLEX ATTACK BY HAMAS INTO ISRAEL HAS ALTERED THE DYNAMICS OF THE CONFLICT
Magen David Adom Monetary Donations
United Hatzalah Monetary Donations
UN Crisis Relief, Occupied Palestinian Territories (Monetary Donations)
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