Fighting near Gaza continues
Also several US citizens killed in Israel
October 9, 2023, 3:14 a.m
In a security update, the Israeli military reported ongoing fighting on the border with the Gaza Strip. The death toll rises to 700. Three US citizens are also said to have died in the Hamas attack. Palestinian sympathizers demonstrate in New York.
According to the government in Washington, US citizens were also killed in the major attack on Israel by the radical Islamic Palestinian organization Hamas. A spokesman for the US National Security Council confirmed the deaths of “several US citizens” and expressed condolences to the victims and their families. He did not give any further details. CNN reported that three US citizens died in Israeli areas near the Gaza border. In total, more than a thousand deaths were reported in Israel and the Gaza Strip by late evening. There were also several foreigners among them, including ten people from Nepal, two Ukrainians and a French woman.
Regarding the security situation in Israel, Reserve Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus reported on ongoing fighting in the south of the country. It could take a few more hours until the “last terrorists” are defeated. The Israeli military believes that around 1,000 terrorists were involved in the attack on Israeli territory. More than 700 Israelis were killed. However, the number could increase because there are a high number of injuries. Hamas reported 413 deaths.
As a result of the major attack, the US government announced deliveries of ammunition to the Israeli army and increased its military presence in the region. In a phone call, US President Joe Biden assured Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the US stands “firmly and irrevocably” on the side of its ally Israel.
Demonstration for Palestinians in New York
One day after Hamas’ major attack on Israel, thousands of people showed solidarity with the Palestinians at a demonstration in New York. Participants in the rally in Manhattan waved Palestinian flags and marched from Times Square near the Israeli consulate and the United Nations headquarters.
“What we saw yesterday was the people of Gaza breaking out of their open-air prison,” said protester Munir Atalla, who belongs to a Palestinian support group. He condemned Israel’s settlement policy and the blockade of the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, hundreds of people gathered in Manhattan for a pro-Israel demonstration.
Hamas attacked Israel with thousands of rockets from the Gaza Strip on Saturday morning. In addition, fighters from the radical Islamic Palestinian organization entered Israel, attacked soldiers and civilians and, according to the Israeli government, kidnapped at least a hundred hostages from Israel to the Gaza Strip. Germans and Americans are also at the mercy of terrorists.