Flash Report 10 OCT 2023 - 18:45 PDT - Israel-Hamas War Update

Casualties

We cannot independently verify claims made by either combatant and are reporting from publicly available government sources. In war, all combatants underreport their military causalities, overreport their enemy's military casualties, and overreport civilian causalities. All numbers should be considered unverified. Additionally, organizations such as the United Nations and Red Cross only report casualty numbers after a rigorous investigative process. Because of the requirements, the numbers reported are vastly lower than reality. Thank you for your understanding.

Israel: Officials report over 1,200 have been killed, including 123 Israeli soldiers. 2,806 have been wounded, mostly civilians, with 535 hospitalized. Over 100 Israelis are confirmed to be held as hostages, and 50 IDF soldiers have been taken prisoner. At least another 50 foreign nationals are also being held hostage.

The increasing death toll is mostly due to rescuers reaching settlements and villages that Hamas had occupied. In Be'eri, the bodies of 107, 10% of the population, have been recovered. Most were civilians, but an unreported number were members of the IDF. 

CNN reporter Nic Robertson, reporting from Kfar Aza, said there were bodies everywhere, including those who were decapitated. "There were so many murdered members of this Kibbutz,” he said. “Men, women, children, hands bound, shot, executed, heads cut."

French reporter Margot Haddad made a similar claim. "Infants and children under 2 years old were beheaded by Hamas in the Kibbutz of Kfar Aza. It is a horror, a massacre. For those asking for the source. They are multiple: Israeli army, internal intelligence service, and atrocious images which [sic] reached me and which I was able to cross-check. But the best source remains this: courageous journalists from the foreign press who were able to see / agreed to see with their own eyes the bodies in Kfar Aza."

BBC reporter Jeremy Bowen reported he was taken to a house with decapitated victims but ultimately refused to see the bodies under a bloodied cover. An Associated Press reporter stated they saw about 20 bodies and described them as "disfigured."

We cannot verify the claims made by the Israeli government, but we noted the numerous independent reports above. The Times of Israel reported the official death count is "over 100."

The death toll from the music festival stands at 260, with videos from concert-goers and Hamas militants showing people fleeing for their lives, executions, and the hours-long methodical search for survivors to kill or take hostage. 

On Monday, Fox News veteran war correspondent Trey Yingst broke down and started to cry. "Sorry, it’s … it’s difficult. But parents showing up to give hair of their kids to the authorities to see if they can match the DNA to the bodies." He added that the last several days have been "just horrific."

Dozens of foreign nationals have also been killed, and more are missing.

• Argentina - 7 dead, 15 unaccounted
• Austria - 3 unaccounted
• Brazil - 1 dead, 3 unaccounted
• Cambodia - 1 dead
• Canada - 1 dead, 3 unaccounted
• Chile - 3 dead, 1 unaccounted
• Columbia - 2 hostages
• France - 8 dead, 20 unaccounted
• Germany - undetermined number of hostages
• Ireland - 1 unaccounted
• Italy - 2 unaccounted
• Mexico - 2 hostages
• Nepal - 10 dead
• Paraguay - 2 unaccounted
• Peru - 2 dead, 3 unaccounted
• Philippines - 5 unaccounted
• Russia - 4 dead, 6 missing
• Sri Lanka - 2 unaccounted
• Tanzania - 2 unaccounted
• Thailand - 18 dead, 11 hostages
• Ukraine - 2 dead
• United Kingdom - 2 dead
• United States - 11 dead, up to 20 unaccounted

Some of the unaccounted were within Gaza visiting family when the hostilities started.

Hamas/Gaza: The Gaza Health Ministry reported that "at least" 900 have been killed and 4,500 wounded. They also claimed that 260 children had been killed.

There have been no official statements from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs/State Department from other nations on dead, wounded, or missing citizens.

Hamas and Gaza officials have not released any numbers on casualties among militants, with Israeli officials claiming they've recovered 1,500 bodies so far. Fox News reporter shared a brief video clip of a road aligned with dead militants, stating that there are "so many" bodies like this in the regions near the Gaza Strip.

The Battlefront

While pockets of militants remain, Israeli forces have achieved military control of all the territory outside of the Gaza Strip. The Israeli Air Force has conducted over 1,450 airstrikes inside the Gaza Strip, on their own soil, and reportedly in Syria since Sunday. During the overnight hours, there were over 250 attacks on Hamas positions and military resources. 

The IDF has taken the initiative on the battlefield. Defense Minister of Israel Yoav Gallant told his troops, “I have released all the restraints, we have [regained] control of the area, and we are moving to a full offense. You will have the ability to change the reality here. You have seen the prices [being paid], and you will get to see the change. Hamas wanted a change in Gaza; it will change 180 degrees from what it thought."

Over 300,000 Israeli reservists have been activated, but there are complaints of missing and outdated equipment and empty warehouses. This aligns with reports that were shared with one of our analysts that the slow response by the IDF over the weekend was in part due to the poor state of readiness.

Multiple reports indicate that Israeli officials warned residents of a neighborhood to evacuate and then start the strikes on the area. Palestinian officials report that Israel is no longer doing a "knock" before attacking. Previously, a concussion charge would strike the roof or the area above the targeted building to shake it as a warning that an attack was imminent. Then, the main strike would occur five to 45 minutes later.

U.N. Human Rights spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani said that a full siege of Gaza that would seal off the area is equivalent to "collective punishment" and "is prohibited by humanitarian law."

The U.N. also reported that over 187,00 residents of the Gaza Strip had left through Egpyt, which then sealed their border crossing on Tuesday. Reportedly, there are back-channel negotiations ongoing between multiple parties, including Israel, Hamas, and Palestinian officials, to open up a green corridor to allow evacuation and for limited humanitarian aid.

World Health Organization's Tarik Jašarević said that 13 health facilities had been damaged since hostilities began on Saturday and that medical supplies had run out.

in the occupied West Bank, up to 15 Palestinians have been killed in clashes and unrest with the IDF. 

Palestinian militants fired mortars from Lebanon, with Israel using artillery and potentially rockets for counterbattery. Hezbollah declared they were in a high state of readiness, and observers saw large groups moving to the border. So far, there has not been significant activity.

Across Israel, there have been a handful of terrorist attacks that have up to a dozen killed and an equal number wounded. Rocket attacks also continued, with Sderot being repeatedly targeted with rockets and mortars.

While there continue to be repeated reports of Israeli troops within the Gaza Strip, there is no evidence to support the reports. We maintain it is very likely that special forces and artillery spotters are operating in Gaza.

Russian GRU-backed hacker group Killnet has conducted a series of cyberattacks on Israeli government websites, knocking them offline. There is no evidence that Russia is directly involved in any of the hostilities, and the Kremlin has maintained that Killnet operates independently.

Israeli officials said there were no indications of direct involvement by Iran in reference to boots on the ground. The United States and other intelligence agencies have reported that Iran provided assistance but stopped short of accusing Tehran of direct involvement.

The Gerald R. Ford Carrier Battlegroup is on station in the eastern Mediterranean, and the Pentagon is considering sending a second carrier, the Dwight D. Eisenhower. The first C-17 Globemaster cargo planes started to arrive with ammunition to support Israel.

Mulitple nations will be sending their air forces in the coming days to evacuate their citizens who want to leave. All commercial air traffic, with the exception of a single Israeli airline, has been suspended due to the threat of being shot down. People who want to fly into Israel must first fly to Istanbul and then try to secure a ticket to Tel Aviv.

U.S. President Joe Biden's National Address and Hamas Responds

President Biden made a daytime address about the Israel-Hamas War and Washington's position.

Good afternoon.

You know, there are moments in this life — and I mean this literally — when the pure, unadulterated evil is unleashed on this world.

The people of Israel lived through one such moment this weekend.  The bloody hands of the terrorist organization Hamas — a group whose stated purpose for being is to kill Jews. 

This was an act of sheer evil. 

More than 1,000 civilians slaughtered — not just killed, slaughtered — in Israel.  Among them, at least 14 American citizens killed.

Parents butchered using their bodies to try to protect their children.

Stomach-turning reports of being — babies being killed.

Entire families slain.

Young people massacred while attending a musical festival to celebrate peace — to celebrate peace.

Women raped, assaulted, paraded as trophies.

Families hid their fear for hours and hours, desperately trying to keep their children quiet to avoid drawing attention.

And thousands of wounded, alive but carrying with them the bullet holes and the shrapnel wounds and the memory of what they endured.

You all know these traumas never go away.

There are still so many families desperately waiting to hear the fate of their loved ones, not knowing if they’re alive or dead or hostages.

Infants in their mothers’ arms, grandparents in wheelchairs, Holocaust survivors abducted and held hostage — hostages whom Hamas has now threatened to execute in violation of every code of human morality.

It’s abhorrent.

The brutality of Hamas — this bloodthirstiness — brings to mind the worst — the worst rampages of ISIS.

This is terrorism.

But sadly, for the Jewish people, it’s not new.

This attack has brought to the surface painful memories and the scars left by a millennia of antisemitism and genocide of the Jewish people.

So, in this moment, we must be crystal clear: We stand with Israel.  We stand with Israel.  And we will make sure Israel has what it needs to take care of its citizens, defend itself, and respond to this attack.

There is no justification for terrorism.  There is no excuse.

Hamas does not stand for the Palestinian people’s right to dignity and self-determination.  Its stated purpose is the annihilation of the State of Israel and the murder of Jewish people.

They use Palestinian civilians as human shields. 

Hamas offers nothing but terror and bloodshed with no regard to who pays the price.

The loss of innocent life is heartbreaking.

Like every nation in the world, Israel has the right to respond — indeed has a duty to respond — to these vicious attacks.

I just got off the phone with — the third call with Prime Minister Netanyahu.  And I told him if the United States experienced what Israel is experiencing, our response would be swift, decisive, and overwhelming. 

We also discussed how democracies like Israel and the United States are stronger and more secure when we act according to the rule of law.

Terrorists purpo- — purposefully target civilians, kill them.  We uphold the laws of war — the law of war.  It matters.  There’s a difference.

Today, Americans across the country are praying for all those families that have been ripped apart.  A lot of us know how it feels.  It leaves a black hole in your chest when you lose family, feeling like you’re being sucked in.  The anger, the pain, the sense of hopelessness. 

This is what they mean by a “human tragedy” — an atrocity on an appalling scale.

But we’re going to s- — continue to stand united, supporting the people of Israel who are suffering unspeakable losses and opposing the hatred and violence of terrorism.

My team has been in near constant communication with our Israeli partners and partners all across the region and the world from the moment this crisis began. 

We’re surging additional military assistance, including ammunition and interceptors to replenish Iron Dome.

We’re going to make sure that Israel does not run out of these critical assets to defend its cities and its citizens.

My administration has consulted closely with Congress throughout this crisis.  And when Congress returns, we’re going to ask them to take urgent action to fund the national security requirements of our critical partners.

This is not about party or politics.  This is about the security of our world, the security of the United States of America.

We now know that American citizens are among those being held by Hamas.

I’ve directed my team to share intelligence and deploy additional experts from across the United States government to consult with and advise the Israeli counterparts on hostage recover- — recovery efforts, because as president I have no higher priority than the safety of Americans being held hostage around the world.

The United States has also enhanced our military force posture in the region to strengthen our deterrence.

The Department of Defense has moved the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group to the Eastern Mediterranean and bolstered our fighter aircraft presence.  And we stand ready to move in additional assets as needed.

Let me say again — to any country, any organization, anyone thinking of taking advantage of this situation, I have one word: Don’t.  Don’t.

Our hearts may be broken, but our resolve is clear.

Yesterday, I also spoke with the leaders of
France, Germany, Italy, and the UK to discuss the latest developments with our European allies and coordinate our united response.

This comes on top of days of steady engagement with partners across the region.

We’re also taking steps at home.  In cities across the United States of America, police departments have stepped up security around centers for — of Jewish life.

And the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are working closely with state and local law enforcement and Jewish community partners to identify and disrupt any domestic threat that could emerge in connection with these horrific attacks.

This is a moment for the United States to come together, to grieve with those who are mourning.

Let’s be real clear: There is no place for hate in America — not against Jews, not against Muslims, not against anybody.  We reject — we reject — what we reject is terrorism.  We condemn the indiscriminate evil, just as we’ve always done.

That’s what America stands for.

You know, just over 50 years ago — I was thinking about it this morning, talking with the Secretary of State, the Vice President in my office and — over 50 years ago, as a young senator, I visited Israel for the first time, as a newly elected senator. 

And I had a long, long trip — or meeting with Golda Meir in her office just before the Yom Kippur War.  And I guess she could see the consternation on my face as she described what was being faced — they were facing.

We walked outside in that — that sort of hallway outside her office to have some photos.  She looked at me and w- — all of a sudden and said, “Would you like to have a photograph?”  And so, I got up and followed her out.

We were standing there silent, looking at the press.  She could tell, I guess, I was concerned.  She leaned over and whispered to me — she said, “Don’t worry, Senator Biden.  We have a secret weapon here in Israel” — my word, this is what she said — “We have no place else to go.”  “We have no place else to go.”

For 75 years, Israel has stood as the ultimate guarantor of the security of Jewish people around the world so that the atrocities of the past could never happen again. 

And let there be no doubt: The United States has Israel’s back.

We will make sure the Jewish and democratic State of Israel can defend itself today, tomorrow, as we always have.  It’s as simple as that.

These atrocities have been sickening.

We’re — we’re with Israel.  Let’s make no mistake. 

Thank you.

A Hamas spokesperson responded to the U.S. President in a statement. "We in the Islamic Resistance Movement 'Hamas' reject and strongly denounce the inflammatory statements made by American President Joe Biden, which coincided with the continuation and escalation of the barbaric Zionist aggression against our Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and the rest of our occupied territories. Biden's speech carried political and legal fallacies with his blatant bias towards the most hideous, racist, hateful settler colonial occupation known to the Middle East and giving full cover to continue its massacres against defenseless children, women, and the elderly, and by imposing the ugliest forms of collective punishment on more than two million Palestinians in Gaza, in clear violation of all international customs and covenants, which he claimed to adhere to. We consider these statements an attempt to cover up the criminality and terrorism of the Zionist government, which has infiltrated in the blood of our people, as he did not refer at all in his speech to the massacres committed by the Zionist forces against our people in cold blood and in full view of the world."

Washington D.C. Still Gridlocked

Hopes of a quick vote to establish a new Speaker of the House have faded, with front-runners Jim Jordan and Steve Scalise unofficially not having enough votes to be named speaker. Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has expressed he is open to being reconsidered, but during a lengthy closed-door session among Republicans on Tuesday night, asked that his candidacy not be considered "at this time."

Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville said he is unmoved by the Israel-Hamas War and will continue to block up to 600 promotions and appointments of senior officers of the United States Armed Forces.

The United States also has no sitting ambassador for Israel, Oman, Kuwait, and Egypt.

And hanging over all of this, there is still no resolution for additional military aid to Ukraine.