10/8/23

By Aditi Jha

Israel has formally declared war on Hamas, an Islamist militant group after it attacked an Israeli music festival, as well as a few other locations, on Saturday. Some festival attendees were taken hostage. There are over 100 hostages in Gaza, including high-ranking army officers. Over 700 people in Israel and over 400 Palestinians have been killed. In Gaza, around 2,300 others have been wounded. Israel cut power to Gaza, which the Palestinian Ministry of Health said was threatening to the "lives of hundreds." Many international airlines are canceling flights to Israel, including Delta Airlines, Air Canada, United Airlines, American Airlines, Air Malta, and Portuguese airline TAP. Senior officials from the State and Defense Departments said that the US is providing Israel with weapons (artillery shells and missiles to support their Iron Dome air defense system) and resources today at a briefing with House leadership. The US is sending a Navy carrier strike group that includes guided missile destroys and guided missile cruisers. President Biden is able to use the $100 million Presidential Drawdown Authority for all international matters. The administration said that they will try to send more aid using that funding, though they may need more from Congress. The briefing also addressed Iran's past history of providing Hamas with weapons and Iran's long history of proxy war with Israel, though Acting Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland said that they hadn't found a link to the country. The Israel Defense Forces said that Israel has "severely degraded the capabilities" of Hamas thanks to Israel's airstrikes on Gaza. Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, urged the United Nations Security Council to condemn Hamas' attacks. "Israel has one, sole demand," he said. "Hamas' war crimes must be unequivocally condemned. This unimaginable atrocity must be condemned. Israel must be given steadfast support to defend ourselves." He drew comparisons to the Holocaust, saying that "the UN was established on the ashes of the Holocaust. Yet yesterday we watched as hundreds of Jews were massacred in cold blood." German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak expressed their support for Israel on Sunday, according to Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. China suggested a two-state solution, with China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs saying today that they are "deeply concerned" and that "the fundamental way out of the conflict lies in implementing the two-state solution and establishing an independent state of Palestine." 

That's the news for today! Stay safe!