Israel said it had retaken control of its territory 48 hours after the bloody raid by Hamas fighters. The IDF has ordered a "full siege" of Gaza and gathered 300,000 troops ahead of what many expect to be a ground operation. Plus, U.S. lawmakers have learned at least four Americans are among the dead in Israel.
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Israel reclaims territory, orders a 'full siege' of Gaza
Israel said it had retaken control of its territory 48 hours after the bloody raid by Hamas fighters, despite reports of ongoing fighting and new breaches of the border into southern towns.
“We can’t deny that there are terrorists still inside Israel,” Israel Defense Forces Spokesman Richard Hecht said. “There are still small pockets of exchange, but in general right now, we have more or less gained control of the communities.”
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has ordered a “full siege” of the blockaded Gaza Strip. “No power, no food, no gas, everything is closed. We are fighting human animals and we act accordingly,” said Gallant, a former IDF commander who now serves in Benjamin Netanyahu’s hardline nationalist government.
Israel has been launching a barrage of retaliatory airstrikes against Gaza, with the death toll on both sides climbing. U.S. lawmakers were told last night that four Americans were among the dead in the Hamas attack, while some U.S. citizens are still missing.
Meanwhile, speculation is mounting about the next steps of Israel’s response. The IDF has called up at least 300,000 reservists since the Hamas incursion, it said this morning, amid widespread belief that Israel is on the verge of launching a ground operation.
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More coverage of the conflict between Israel and Hamas:
- The tactics Hamas used in its attack on Israel indicate Iran most likely played a significant role in the assault, former U.S. intelligence and military officers say.
- The U.S. is sending a carrier strike group closer to Israel and will begin supplying munitions.
- Watch NBC News' Raf Sanchez and his crew run to a shelter as they hear booms while reporting in Israel.
- What is the Gaza Strip? Who controls it? Here's what to know.
- Watch an Israeli mother recall her last moments speaking with her daughter, who went missing after the Hamas attacks in Israel.
- The office of Sen. Tommy Tuberville said he isn’t backing down on his monthslong blockade on hundreds of military promotions, despite the Hamas attack.
A vast hostage crisis continues to play out
Israel has not yet said exactly how many people were taken by Hamas, but the Israeli Embassy to the U.S. said early Sunday that dozens had been kidnapped.
Israel resident Yoni Asher said he watched on social media as a disturbing video emerged appearing to show his wife, two young daughters and mother-in-law being taken by Hamas and crammed onto the back of a vehicle.
Asher told NBC News he had last spoken with his wife earlier Saturday when she called to say terrorists had descended on a home where she and her relatives were hiding. The last thing he remembers her saying is that the militants were armed and that she feared talking too loudly on the phone. “It was a very terrifying moment,” Asher said. “The worst has happened — they discovered them and took them.”
Music festival becomes scene of a massacre and abduction
“Everyone just started running in all directions. Nobody knew where to go,” said Eliav Klein, who was among thousands at a music festival in the Israeli desert when militants opened fire early Saturday morning. By the end of the massacre, 260 had been killed and an unknown number had been abducted.
Klein and other survivors described chaos and indiscriminate violence as the attackers bore down. “My friend had to jump off a cliff that was 25 feet high as he was running away from terrorists to save his life,” Klein added, saying another friend witnessed victims on their knees at gunpoint.
Shoam Gueta said he ran away from the barrage with a group of 20 people and hid in the bushes for nearly six hours as the onslaught unfolded around them. He used his military training to stay camouflaged and urged everyone in the group to remain silent and not to run away even when militants came within several feet.
“We saw terrorists killing people, burning cars, shouting everywhere,” Gueta said. “If you just say something, if you make any noise, you’ll be murdered.”
New heart syndrome identifies link among obesity, diabetes and kidney disease
For the first time, the American Heart Association is identifying a new medical condition that reflects the strong links between obesity, diabetes and heart and kidney disease.
According to an advisory released Monday, the goal in recognizing the condition — cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic syndrome, or CKM — is to get earlier diagnosis and treatment for people at high risk of dying from cardiovascular disease.
Politics in Brief
Voting laws: Advocacy groups in Michigan used ballot measures to change their voting laws last year, but local election officials are having a hard time making those modifications a reality.
No regrets: Matt Gaetz told Kristen Welker on “Meet the Press” that it was “absolutely” worth risking his job to oust Kevin McCarthy.
Biden’s re-election campaign: Advisors urge President Biden to be more straightforward with how he wants to help businesses succeed, as it's becoming harder to rally support for his re-election bid.
In Case You Missed It
- The largest Hindu temple outside India opened in New Jersey, but the massive construction prompted a lawsuit alleging forced labor and bleak working conditions for the 12,500 volunteers that helped build it.
- Kanas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce gave fans a scare against the Minnesota Vikings as he left the game with a right ankle injury, but returned after halftime.
- Michael Chiarello, a celebrity chef and former Food Network star, died at the age of 61.
- Record rainfall and wildfires have devastated Greece since last summer, and here’s a look at how it will change the country.
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CORRECTION (Oct. 9, 2023, 5:53 p.m. ET): A previous version of this article misstated the extent of Israeli control of passage in and out of the Gaza Strip. Israel controls crossings along its border with Gaza, while Egypt enforces Israel's blockade along its border to the south. Israel does not control all official passage in and out of Gaza.
