Swords of Iron: Here is what happened on days 1 and 2

A rocket landed in Netivot on Sunday evening, according to Maariv. There are no casualties and no damage was caused.

US President Joe Biden told Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday that additional assistance for the Israeli Defense Forces was on its way to Israel and more would follow in the coming days, the White House said.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has instructed Justice Minister Yariv Levin and former Health and Interior Minister Arye Deri to advance talks with the opposition regarding the formation of an emergency government. 

This is a developing story.

The IDF have launched precision strikes against multiple observation posts and combat positions used by Hamas terrorists, according to an IDF statement.

כלי שיט של צה"ל תקפו ביממה האחרונה, בעזרת חימוש מדוייק, מספר עמדות לחימה ששימשו את הכח הימי של ארגון הטרור חמאס pic.twitter.com/wOLnCJqx5r

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) October 8, 2023

This is a developing story.

President Herzog and his wife Michal on Sunday visited the Shamir Medical Center better known as Asaf Harofe, where they met with civilians and soldiers – including officers – who were wounded in the first day of fighting in Operation Swords of Iron.

Hospital staff told the Herzogs about the chaos generated by mass arrivals but assured them that everything was under control.

Over the past two days, Herzog has spoken to a series of world leaders, who without exception expressed their support for Israel at this time, endorsed Israel's right to self-defense and condemned the brutal attack on Israel by Hamas.

In an address to the nation on Sunday night, Herzog, while acknowledging that this is a difficult and painful period of uncertainty, said that Israel's enemies have underestimated the Israeli spirit.   They think that their psychological strategy of cyber attacks and fake videos on social media will weaken the Israeli public, but this is a big mistake, he said.

He was convinced that Israel would triumph in the end as it has in the past and asked the nation to maintain its spirit and its unity.

Eighty countries issued solidarity messages for Israel after Hamas attacked its southern border communities killing at least 600 civilians and soldiers, according to the Foreign Ministry. 

“Many of them state Israel's right to self-defense. This is a message that helps build the space of international legitimacy for the activities of the Israeli government and the IDF,” the Foreign Ministry said. 

Among those who have spoken out are Middle Eastern countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Morocco and Bahrain which Israel has relations with, as well as Oman and Saudi Arabia which do not have ties with the Jewish state. 

In addition, it noted that Foreign Minister Eli Cohen has spoken with his counterparts in Australia, Canada, Poland, Austria, Italy, Albania, Bulgaria, Benin, Norway, Spain, Finland, the Czech Republic, Germany, France and Great Britain and the United States.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in cooperation with the Ministry of Transportation, works to help Israelis abroad who wish to return to Israel

Was October 7 - the day Hamas invaded southern Israel and killed over 600 Israelis, wounded over 2,000, and kidnapped an unknown number at least in the dozens - the worst Israeli intelligence failure in history?

Probably looking back historians will still flag the 1973 Yom Kippur War as much worse because there were more deaths and because the state's very existence was far more in danger.

But the IDF of 2023 is far more powerful than the IDF of 1973 and Hamas today is far weaker than Egypt and Syria were 50 years ago, so the issue is debatable.

How did Israel fall so far to such an inferior enemy?

Over 50 Israeli fighter jets operated against Hamas in Gaza's Beit Hanoun on Sunday, according to the IDF Spokesperson.

Dozens of IDF fighter jets have struck near the Gaza border fence in Beit Hanun, according to an IDF statement.

IDF hit over 800 targets in Gaza Sunday afternoon. They also struck 120 targets in the Beit Hanoun area that were staging invasions into Israel.

IDF Chief Spokesperson Brig. Gen. Daniel Hagari said, "Hamas carried out the worst massacre of Israeli civilians in Israeli history. Haas was more barbaric than ISIS."

US President Joe Biden reaffirmed his unwavering support for Israel's defense in a phone call with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday evening.