Swords of Iron: What happened on day 10?

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday that US President Joe Biden will travel to Israel on Wednesday after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Biden will reaffirm US solidarity with Israel and make clear that Israel has the right and duty to defend its people from Hamas, Blinken said.

The US President will continue to coordinate with Israeli partners to secure the hostages' release from Hamas, the US secretary said, and also noted that the US and Israel agreed on a plan that will allow aid to reach Gazan civilians.

"If Hamas blocks humanitarian aid from reaching civilians, we'll work to prevent it from happening again," the Secretary of State said.

Speaking with the Egyptian President

Biden earlier spoke with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and discussed the need to preserve stability in the Middle East during a phone call on Monday, the White House said.

A billboard in support of US President Joe Biden seen in Israel, October 11, 2023 (credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI/MAARIV)

Biden and Sisi also discussed ongoing efforts to alleviate the worsening humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, the White House said.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Monday held a call with Ismail Haniyeh, leader of the Palestinian militant group Hamas, a ministry source said, adding the two discussed the release of civilian prisoners held by the group.

Last week, a senior Turkish official had said Ankara was in talks with Hamas on the release of the prisoners. Monday's call marks the first official announcement of contact between Ankara and Hamas, whose members Turkey has hosted for years.

The yellow gate of Kibbutz Beeri is burned. It is half open now and IDF vehicles flow back and forth. What was once a thriving community is now empty of civilians.

The fields are full of gear, backpacks, and other necessities for war. It’s also calm here. The winter months are coming and the clouds above give a crisp air, to this otherwise sweltering hot area near the Gaza border.

A press conference by IDF Chief Spokesperson Brig.-Gen. Daniel Hagari on Monday night was delayed by several minutes, with the setup team running off the live running feed when a siren went off due to Hamas rocket fire.

Despite that, a senior IDF official said that Hamas’s rocket-firing capabilities has been reduced to approximately 100 per day, whereas expectations had been that it could fire 10 times more than that.

Hamas is to blame for civilian deaths in the Gaza Strip and Israel, according to Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah).

“You are going to see pictures of Palestinian civilians that are going to be injured, killed by virtue of the conflict, which is ongoing,” he said Sunday in Tel Aviv during a bipartisan solidarity visit with four of his Senate colleagues.

Approximately 78,000 have been displaced by the war against the Islamist terrorist organization, Hamas, according to the latest update from the Israeli Institute for National Security Studies.

Israel previously ordered an evacuation of communities around the Gaza Strip due to safety concerns.

Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar on Monday said there was no time limit or limit of power on Israel regarding the punishment it will bring to bear on Hamas for its invasion of the south on October 7 and ensuring the end of the terror group.

"We are at war, not in another round [of lower-scale conflict.] In a round, you win with the perception of victory and achieving quiet, in a war you conclude with a decisive win by altering the situation. There are no limiting lines and no time limit. Until the end," said Bar.

It seemed crystal clear on Thursday: the IDF counter-invasion of Gaza would start either Friday or Saturday.

The IDF had given certain deadlines for Palestinians to evacuate northern Gaza, with the deadlines expiring by midday Friday.

The drum beat toward an invasion had started as early as Sunday-Monday and was only getting louder, with the air force having already paved the way with several days of withering bombing.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on Monday afternoon that it had successfully assassinated the head of Hamas General Intelligence in Khan Yunis. 

In addition, the IDF presented evidence of their precise strikes on vital underground Hamas facilities and the terrorists responsible for launching rockets into Israel.

The Knesset's winter session opened on Monday with a moment of silence for the more than 1,300 Israelis murdered in Hamas's attack on Israel last week.

After opening statements by Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, President Isaac Herzog, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and opposition leader Yair Lapid, the proceedings were disrupted twice by sirens.

The session, which was set to be another dramatic few months of legislation, will be muted until the end of the war with legislation only of laws related to the war.