Swords of Iron: Here is what happened on days 1 and 2
Hamas rocket directly slams into building in Ashkelon • 2,315 wounded, over 300 in serious condition
Four Argentinian-Israelis dead, others missing from kibbutzes after Hamas attack
Argentina is home to an estimated 180,000 Jews, the sixth-largest Jewish population of any country in the world.
(JTA) — Argentina’s Jewish community is reeling after at least four people with local roots were killed in the Hamas attack on Israel Saturday, while several others are missing and feared kidnapped or dead.
The distress is being acutely felt in Buenos Aires, which until Saturday held the ignominious record of being the site of the worst terrorist attack on Jews since the Holocaust. Eighty-five people died in the 1994 bombing of the headquarters of AMIA, Argentina’s umbrella Jewish organization. At least 700 people died in Saturday’s surprise attack by Hamas, which like the assumed perpetrators of the AMIA bombing is linked with Iran.
Meanwhile, four of five people running for president in Argentina expressed solidarity with Israel during a televised debate Sunday. The fifth, Myriam Bregman, a left-wing candidate and self-identified atheist Jew, said that while “lamenting the civilian victims,” she blamed “the occupation and apartheid” of Israel for the violence.
Argentina is home to an estimated 180,000 Jews, the sixth-largest Jewish population of any country in the world. A long-faltering economy coupled with the violence of the AMIA bombing and other attacks in the 1990s have fueled a high rate of emigration to Israel for decades.
The dead in Israel include Rodolfo “Rody” Fabián Skariszewski, 56, who lived in Ohad, a small agricultural community in southern Israel. A graduate of the ORT Jewish high school in Buenos Aires and the Hechalutz Lamerchav youth movement, he was the father of three.
“I don’t know who I am without you,” his daughter Danielle wrote on Facebook. “You are my heart.”
Silvia Mirensky, 80, was also confirmed dead. Mirensky moved to Israel more than 50 years ago with her husband and sons, moving to Ein Hashlosha, a kibbutz near Gaza that, like others in the region, drew many immigrants from South America. According to her sister, who also lived on the kibbutz, she died when militants breached her security room and set it afire.
Ronit Rudman Sultan, 55, was killed at Kibbutz Holit along with her husband Rolan. She had lived in Israel for 35 years since moving there from Buenos Aires and is survived by two sons and a grandson.
News of the death of Abi Korin, 56, traveled especially quickly because his father, Moshe Korin, is a prominent communal leader, an educator who directed the Ramat Shalom primary school in Buenos Aires and served as AMIA’s culture secretary. Abi Korin moved to Israel in the 1980s and had three children; he was also a resident of Kibbutz Holit. “He fell fighting,” his daughter Sara told local media.
Other Argentinians still missing
Several other Argentinians in Israel remain missing, all from Kibbutz Nir Oz, a community of about 400 that was hard-hit in the violence. Brothers Eitan and Iair Horn disappeared from the kibbutz, where Iair lives and Eitan was visiting. Friends who launched a campaign for their release, “Free the Argentinean Hostages,” also highlighted another missing woman from Nir Oz, Ofelia Roitman.
Also missing is Jose Luis Silberman, born in Buenos Aires, who has been living in Israel for 40 years, and his wife Marguit, daughter Shiri, and two sons Kfir (9 months old) and Ariel (3 years old).
Friends and family of the missing are hoping that they are among the more than 100 people that Israel believes Hamas is holding captive in Gaza.
Go to the full article >>Cathay Pacific cancels Tel Aviv flights on Tuesday citing Israel situation
Cathay Pacific Airways 0293.HK said on Monday that it was cancelling its flights CX675 from Hong Kong to Tel Aviv, and CX676 from Tel Aviv to Hong Kong on Tuesday.
Cathay said it would provide further updates ahead of its next scheduled service on Thursday Oct. 12.
Go to the full article >>Iran denies involvement in Hamas attacks on Israel
Iran denied on Monday their reported involvement in Hamas's attacks and invasion of Israel.
The Iranian delegation to the United Nations issued a statement saying: "The determined steps of the Palestinians constitute a completely legitimate defense against seven decades of occupation and terrible crimes by the illegitimate Zionist regime. We support Palestine without reservation. However, we are not involved in the Palestinian response, which was carried out only by Palestine itself."
Go to the full article >>Elon Musk: 'Khamenei’s position clear that eradication of Israel is the actual goal'
Musk had also deleted a post recommending people follow a user who made antisemitic statements for updates on Operation Swords of Iron.
Elon Musk, owner of X, formerly known as Twitter, slammed Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Sunday on the platform after he tweeted a video of Israeli civilians at a music festival running away from Hamas terrorists who infiltrated the country.
Khamenei posted the video with the caption: "God willing, the cancer of the usurper Zionist regime will be eradicated at the hands of the Palestinian people and the Resistance forces throughout the region."
Musk responded by writing: "Khamenei’s official position is clear that the eradication of Israel is the actual goal, not just supporting Palestinians.
"That will not happen. All that actually happens, decade after decade, is a never-ending cycle of violence and vengeance. Stoking the fires of hatred isn’t working. Perhaps it is time to consider something else."
Khamenei’s official position is clear that the eradication of Israel is the actual goal, not just supporting Palestinians.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 8, 2023
That will not happen. All that actually happens, decade after decade, is a never-ending cycle of violence and vengeance.
Stoking the fires of hatred isn’t… https://t.co/ffNuY9AgAC
The Iranian leader's original post has "violated the X Rules," the platform stated. "However, X has determined that it may be in the public’s interest for the post to remain accessible."
"Khamenei’s official position is clear that the eradication of Israel is the actual goal, not just supporting Palestinians."
Elon Musk
Musk also deleted posts relating to the conflict
The same day, Musk posted on his account recommending accounts to follow for coverage of Operation Swords of Iron to his 160 million followers.
Shortly after posting, people began criticizing Musk for recommending the accounts, as both users in the past had posted questionable content on the platform. The first user posted antisemitic content and the second user had been criticized as anti-Palestinian.
Elon Musk lauds this bigot as a good source of information, part Infiniti pic.twitter.com/n318hVaJaW
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) October 8, 2023
CNN journalist Jake Tapper, regarding the user Musk promoted who made antisemitic statements, said that Musk "lauds this bigot as a good source of information, part Infiniti."
Musk then later retracted his recommendation for following the account @WarMonitors, criticizing the user over the description of the words "martyr" and "murder" in order to report accurate information.
“Martyrs” is not an objective or accurate word, nor is “murdered”.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 8, 2023
The former implies dying for a cause in battle and the latter implies a deliberate attempt to kill those specific people.
While reporting both sides is fair, please use maximally accurate words or I must…
Musk later wrote: "As always, please try stay as close to the truth as possible, even for stuff you don’t like. This platform aspires to maximize signal/noise of the human collective."
Musk last month met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in California, where he also gave the Israeli leader a tour of the Tesla factory.
Go to the full article >>Iran's UN mission says Tehran not involved in Hamas attacks
"We emphatically stand in unflinching support of Palestine; however, we are not involved in Palestine's response, as it is taken solely by Palestine itself," Iran's UN mission said.
Iran's mission to the United Nations said on Sunday that Tehran was not involved in one of the bloodiest attacks in Israel's history when Islamist group Hamas killed 700 Israelis and abducted dozens more.
"The resolute measures taken by Palestine constitute a wholly legitimate defense against seven decades of oppressive occupation and heinous crimes committed by the illegitimate Zionist regime," Iran's UN mission said in statement.
Iran has made no secret of its backing for Hamas, funding and arming the group and another Palestinian militant organization Islamic Jihad.
The Hamas assault on Saturday, the biggest incursion into Israel in decades, coincided with US-backed moves to push Saudi Arabia towards normalizing ties with Israel in return for a defense deal between Washington and Riyadh, a move that would slam the brakes on the kingdom's rapprochement with Tehran.
"We emphatically stand in unflinching support of Palestine; however, we are not involved in Palestine's response, as it is taken solely by Palestine itself," Iran's UN mission said.
Hamas' attacks on Israeli civilian
Hamas fighters' rampage through Israeli towns on Saturday was the deadliest such incursion since Egypt and Syria's attacks in the Yom Kippur war 50 years ago and has threatened to ignite another conflagration in the long-running conflict.
Iran's UN mission said the "success" of the Hamas operation was because it was a surprise, which makes it the "biggest failure" of Israel's security organizations.
"They are attempting to justify their failure and attribute it to Iran's intelligence power and operational planning," Iran's UN mission said.
In response to the Hamas attacks, Israeli air strikes have hit housing blocks, tunnels, a mosque and homes of Hamas officials in Gaza, killing more than 400 people, including 20 children.
"They (Israel) find it very difficult to accept that in the intelligence community, it is being narrated that they were defeated by a Palestinian group," said Iran's UN mission.
Go to the full article >>Congressional Candidate Miss Iraq stands with Israel, against Hamas terrorists
Sarai Idan has received threats for publicly standing with Israel.
Miss Iraq winner and Democratic Congressional Candidate Sarai Idan has again taken a public stance in support of Israel and against the Islamic terrorist organization Hamas.
Idan has faced threats for her support for Israel, but has maintained her position and continued to express affirmations for the state of Israel.
In one X (formerly Twitter) post, Miss Iraq shows pro-Palestine protesters exhibiting swastikas at an event next to a photo of members of the Nazi party meeting with Islamic leaders in the Middle East. In the post, she writes “Those who know history understand why these pro-Palestinian groups are gathering around the world to condemn the Jewish state for responding to Hamas attack. #hamasattack #Israel_under_attack”
Those who know history understand why these pro-Palestinian groups are gathering around the world to condemn the Jewish state for responding to Hamas attack. #hamasattack #Israel_under_attack pic.twitter.com/ch7ZfwRpqn
— Sarai (Sarah Idan) Miss Iraq (@RealSarahIdan) October 8, 2023
In another post, Idan tries to educate her followers on the difference between Hamas’ attacks and Israel’s response. She wrote that “What unfolded in last 48 hours: a Surprise Hamas attack resulted in a massacre of Israelis, rape of women, barbaric scenes & children/women being held hostages. Netanyahu tells Gaza residents to “GET OUT NOW” before attacking Hamas. See the difference?”
What unfolded in last 48 hours: a Surprise Hamas attack resulted in a massacre of Israelis, rape of women, barbaric scenes & children/women being held hostages.
— Sarai (Sarah Idan) Miss Iraq (@RealSarahIdan) October 8, 2023
Netanyahu tells Gaza residents to “GET OUT NOW” before attacking Hamas.
See the difference?
pic.twitter.com/183qrRq67z
Idan has also used her platform to call out influential figures for failing to support Israel or for misrepresenting the conflict.
Other posts shared by Idan feature graphic images and videos of Hamas terrorists attacking civilians. Each post has gone on to translate the terrorist’s comments and condemn Hamas. In one post, Idan targeted controversial Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, writing, “You’re not advocating for peace, you’re advocating for Hamas safety by asking Israel to “deescalate” in other words not respond to the attacks they just received and end Hamas, But Israel will respond & they have every right too. #IsraelUnderAttack”
You’re not advocating for peace, you’re advocating for Hamas safety by asking Israel to “deescalate” in other words not respond to the attacks they just received and end Hamas, But Israel will respond & they have every right too. #IsraelUnderAttack https://t.co/CNkQBIw8uT
— Sarai (Sarah Idan) Miss Iraq (@RealSarahIdan) October 7, 2023
Sarai Idan faces abuse for Israel support
In one post, Idan wrote that “hate messages I [have] been getting from my people include: You w****, you s***, mention of female body parts & wishing rape. “
“Last night I received a very explicit voice message on IG and I played it for a family member who’s a girl, a girl like me who suffered from misogyny her entire life. We discussed why so many men in our religion & culture are obsessed with hating women. The stronger, the freer she is, the more they hate her.
“We pulled the Instagram of Shani Louk looking at her posts, just an innocent young girl who loved life, music & dancing. We cried watching the barbaric footage of how Hamas broke her bones & paraded her body like animals."
Shani Louk is a German national who was kidnapped and murdered by Hamas terrorists. She was attending a music festival in the Negev when they attacked. Graphic footage of Louk has circulated online, showing her dead naked body being spat on and driven through the streets of Gaza. A video of Louk still alive shows blood on her trousers, leading to the widespread belief that she was raped and tortured before being killed.
“We knew exactly why because we know how Islamists in our culture would immediately dehumanize any woman who dare [sic] to show some skin. There’s something fundamentally wrong with a religion that degrades women, we can’t continue to ignore the root cause of radical Islam, which [is] the lack of reform in our religion. Islam needs to be reformed! women need to be treated with respect regardless of how they dress, to be allowed to choose whether to be religious or not. Enough is enough! Just two Muslim girls speaking from the heart into the void, hoping our people will change.”
All the hate messages I been getting from my people include : You whore, you slut, mention of female body parts & wishing rape.
— Sarai (Sarah Idan) Miss Iraq (@RealSarahIdan) October 8, 2023
Last night I received a very explicit voice message on IG and I played it for a family member who’s a girl, a girl like me who suffered from misogyny…
Go to the full article >>
Israelis organize volunteer missions: Here's how you can help
These are some ongoing volunteer initiatives to aid Israel's southern communities as they endure a Hamas onslaught.
Since the surprise attack by Hamas and the outbreak of the Swords of Iron war, a day has passed. But the fight in the south as not stopped.
Walla is organizing volunteer-run initiatives to help the residents of the Gaza border region and IDF soldiers on the front line.
Here's how you can assist:
Breast milk donations
In the past day, requests for breast milk and mothers of breastfeeding infants have been received due to the absence of nursing mothers.
Regarding the initiatives on social networks for breast milk donation, it's important to mention that the Health Ministry encourages donations of breast milk through the Health Ministry's breast milk bank, where the donated milk undergoes testing and is safe for use by infants.
Women willing to donate breast milk can contact the breast milk bank via email at milkbank@mda.org.il, WhatsApp at 052-634-4101, or by phone at 073-260-200.
Nursing mothers in need of assistance with breastfeeding or information related to nutrition are invited to contact the Breast Milk Hotline at *5400, extension 9, on Sundays through Thursdays between 16:00 and 21:00 and on Fridays between 8:00 and 13:00.
Donations for Holocaust survivors and lonely elderly in the South
The "Living with Dignity" Association's team has started field activities, providing hot meals in parallel with recruiting volunteers and distributing the emergency hotline to assist the elderly and Holocaust survivors in need.
For updates on Holocaust survivors and lonely elderly individuals in the South in need of assistance, you can call the telephone hotline at *9670, extension 3. If you wish to volunteer, you can register here: https://lp.vp4.me/oyxj. To donate a hot meal for those in need, visit: https://bit.ly/3y2dFvI.
Donations for babies and single mothers in the South
The "Babies of Life" project, founded by the Olim Fund, has established an emergency hotline to assist babies and single mothers in the South who are in need of essential supplies.
Contacts for mothers in need are Adi at 054-571-8641 and Lital at 050-881-9029. Additionally, the organization is collecting donations for food packages for babies to provide support to as many packages as possible in the South.
You can donate here: bit.ly/3rQyCeG. They are also calling for more volunteers, especially in the south, to join groups and provide support. You can register as a general volunteer here: https://lp.vp4.me/c6j7.
Donations for residents of Netivot and soldiers
Residents of the city are preparing sandwiches for residents in need and soldiers operating in the Netivot area. They are requesting help in making sandwiches and providing bread. For assistance, please contact Eyal Masika on Facebook.
Go to the full article >>Israel is only the first target, warns Hamas Commander in resurfaced video - Watch
Mahmoud Al-Zahar: "The entire planet will be under our law, there will be no more Jews or Christian traitors."
Footage of Senior Hamas Official Mahmoud Al-Zahar calling for world domination has resurfaced online.
“We believe in what our Prophet Muhammad said: “Allah drew the ends of the world near one another for my sake, and I have seen its eastern and western ends. The dominion of my nation would reach those ends that have been drawn near me," Al-Zahar said in the video that was published on MEMRI TV in December of 2022,
“The entire 510 million square kilometers of Planet Earth will come under [a system] where there is no injustice, no oppression, no Zionism, no treacherous Christianity and no killings and crimes like those being committed against the Palestinians, and against the Arabs in all the Arab countries, in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and other countries," he said.
The entire 510 million square kilometers of Planet Earth will come under [a system] where there is no injustice, no oppression, no Zionism, no treacherous Christianity...
Mahmoud al-Zahar
This Hamas Commander says this is not about land, not just Palestine. "The entire planet will be under our law, there will be no more Jews or Christian traitors." Only then, if everyone adopts his law, will there be peace. pic.twitter.com/97sWBcH8yJ
— CSW Latinoamérica (@CSWLatAm) October 8, 2023
Hamas' attacks on global citizens
Several Americans were killed by Hamas attackers, a White House National Security Council spokesperson confirmed on October 8.
An unknown number of American-Israelis, British-Israelis and a Mexican man and woman are also currently being held hostage by Hamas terrorists.
REUTERS contributed to this report.
Go to the full article >>'Mom, it's Daria. Dad was murdered'
Net surfer shares last painful conversation with husband before his murder in Gaza Strip kibbutz.
Hard Evidence: A net surfer, likely from the south, published the final difficult conversation she had with her husband Dvir just moments before he was murdered in a Gaza Strip kibbutz.
At the start of the conversation, Dvir informed her about hearing gunshots in the kibbutz.
Within minutes, she received a heart-wrenching message: "Mom, it's Daria. Dad was murdered."
Alongside the painful conversation share, she wrote: "This is the last correspondence with my husband, father of my children, Dvir Karp RIP, 1977-2023."
Reut Karp: ״This is the last correspondence with my husband, father of my children, Dvir Karp RIP, 1977-2023."
— The Jerusalem Post (@Jerusalem_Post) October 8, 2023
At least 600 Israelis were murdered on Saturday.https://t.co/ziAvxoMpS3 pic.twitter.com/gwCguzYnOX
'This is my grandmother'
In another distressing testimony, a different surfer revealed that his 85-year-old grandmother had been kidnapped and taken into the Gaza Strip.
"This is my grandmother, abducted without any hindrance into Gaza. She helped establish the kibbutz with her own hands, believed in Zionism, and loved this country that trusted her. She is now likely abandoned somewhere, suffering in severe pain, without medicine, food, or water, dying in fear, all alone," he painfully expressed.
The young man said that no one had been communicating with him and no one seemed to know anything. Families, he claimed, were learning about their loved ones from circulating videos. He called on the government to take swifter action.
"I want them to lose sleep at night and tirelessly search every inch of land until these individuals return home," he said.
Go to the full article >>Nathaniel Buzolic: Those who support Palestinians are the devil
"If you really wondered what the true face of the Palestinian movement is, today, you have seen it," Buzolic wrote.
The world's famous are not silent in the face of the terrible massacre of the residents of southern Israel and the abductees taken captive by Hamas in Gaza.
Some of them shared photos alongside distressing videos of the Israeli abductees, including children and elderly people.
Among them, the star of The Vampire Diaries, Nathaniel Buzolic, who uploaded a series of hard-to-watch videos of the Israeli abductees who were taken captive and are being abused.
'These videos are very disturbing'
He said: "These videos are very disturbing, I'm sorry I have to share barbaric and violent content, but what's most important is that the most people see it. The next time someone supports the pro-Palestinian movement, remember these videos, remember what they did, for the idea of freedom."
Also, Buzolic shared a video in which the little six-year-old boy was taken captive and beaten by Palestinian children.
"You see this video, it is an Israeli child who was taken captive to Gaza and now he is being abused by Palestinian children," Buzolic wrote. "If you really wondered what the true face of the Palestinian movement is, today, you have seen it. What is happening now in Israel is unprecedented, images of old women being shot and killed by Palestinian hands were exposed at bus stops, women and children were kidnapped and dragged to Gaza, children were shot in their beds while they were sleeping, 400 [now more than 700] Israelis were murdered, there are hundreds of missing and thousands injured, and many were taken as hostages and will be taken captive and used as human shields for the Palestinians in Gaza."
He added: "I will be clear, the pro-Palestinian movement is satanic, those who support the pro-Palestinian movement are the devil, we are witnessing the height of human ugliness and satanism.
"Everything the Palestinian people claimed Israel did to them - all lies - the Palestinians are doing today. Israel is trying to show the world for decades the true face of the Palestinians and today you see it. To all Israeli brothers and sisters, I will do everything I can to support you and show the world the weakness you are forced to face."
Other celebrities also expressed support
Other celebrities from around the world expressed their support for Israel, including the actress and comedian Amy Schumer, who shared a photo of a young woman wrapped in the Israeli flag next to the caption "Stand with Israel" to all of her 13 million followers.
Actress Jamie Lee Curtis, winner of the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, and an American writer of Jewish origin, shared a photo of the Israeli flag.
Nina Dobrev, the star of The Vampire Diaries shared with her 25 million followers a series of videos with the text "Pray for Israel," including the video of the abduction of a girl to Gaza.
She wrote: "The Hamas terrorists kidnapped an Israeli girl to Gaza, marching with her in the streets and shouting Allah Akbar."
Actress Sarah Miguel also shared a photo of the Israeli flag with the caption "Now and always we support the citizens of Israel."
Go to the full article >>