Hamas resumes rocket fire from Gaza on southern Israel

An anti-tank missile was fired at the northern Israeli moshav Shtula, near the Lebanese border, the IDF said.

Hezbollah took responsibility for the launch. IDF said artillery forces targeted the source of the fire.

The IDF was also striking targets in southern Lebanon after another anti-tank missile was fired at an Israeli military position in the North, it said.

At least four civilians were reportedly wounded in the incident, with one man in his 40s murdered following failed resuscitation attempts, Magen David Adom said. MDA added it rushed the other wounded civilians to the Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya for further treatment.

Two more men in their 40s are considered in moderate condition, MDA added.

Israel to evacuate northern border towns

The IDF announced the evacuation of towns four kilometers or less away from the northern border on Sunday morning, saying that entry to this area is strictly forbidden.

Residents of the northern moshav were told to seek shelter immediately. Later, the Kiryat Shmona municipality also told the border city's residents to seek shelter following exchanges of fire on the border

Residents of the nearby kibbutzim of Yiftach, Menara, Maayan Baruch, Misgav Am, Yeron, Bar'am, Tzivon, Dan, Daphna, Snir and Kfar HaGiladi were all told to seek shelter later on Sunday morning. 

This is a developing story.

Any use of the border crossing from the Gaza Strip into Egypt will be in coordination with Israel, the Israeli military spokesperson said on Saturday.

"Regarding Gaza, the crossings are closed. The borders are closed, and any movement or crossing to Egypt will be in coordination with us and in contact with us. For now, this issue is not happening," said Israeli military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari.

The Health Ministry has stated that 355 Israelis were injured on Saturday as a result of the ongoing conflict with Hamas in Operation Swords of Iron. 

There are currently 95 are in severe condition, 186 in moderate and 74 in light condition.

On October 12, the Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) organized a “National Day of Resistance” on college campuses across the United States.

A “Day of Resistance toolkit” released by SJP said the “students in exile are part of this movement, not in solidarity with this movement” and called for the mobilization of its supporters now that “the Zionist entity is fragile, and Palestinian resistance is alive.”

The Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs claims SJP has ties to terrorist organizations and is a campus front for Hamas.

“SJP is an extremist organization that maintains affiliations with Arab and Islamic terror groups, is overtly antisemitic, incites hatred and violence against Jewish students, and rejects the existence of the State of Israel in any borders,” the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs said in a press release. 

Supporting terrorism against Israel

SJP claims it rejects antisemitism and denies ties to terrorist organizations.

A person is detained during a Pro-Palestinian protest during the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Berlin, Germany, October 13, 2023. (credit: REUTERS/FABRIZIO BENSCH)

Two flyers for the event distributed nationally by SJP portray Hamas fighters in the latest attacks. The first one is a Getty Images photo of two Hamas fighters standing on an Israeli tank; the other flyer shows an illustration of a Hamas paraglider emblazoned on a red background.

As of publication, it was unclear how many US universities held SJP rallies or the exact number of attendees at each of the rallies, but at least 10 universities had anywhere between 200 and 500 SJP supporters attend their local events.

The following universities were among the US campuses that hosted SJP rallies on the National Day of Resistance: University of Washington (Seattle), Columbia University, University of North Carolina, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), University of Southern Florida (USF), University of Virginia, University of Illinois.

The USF rally came less than 24 hours after the USF Center for Jewish Campus Life had been evacuated due to a bomb threat.

Meanwhile, the president of the University of Arizona (UA) canceled the Day of Resistance at his university. UA President Robert Robbins said SJP’s ideals and celebration of Hamas were “antithetical to our university’s values.” Robbins said this was “because the University of Arizona has one of the largest populations of Jewish students in our country, this tragedy hits our community especially hard.”

UA’s cross-state rival, Arizona State University (ASU), allowed the SJP event to occur on campus. MEChA, a Latino student group, supported Students for Justice in Palestine at ASU at the pro-Palestinian rally.

ASU police told The Media Line they estimated 200 pro-Palestinian and 75 pro-Israel supporters attended the rally, which also featured a short march and photo op on the ASU bridge. There was a strong police and school administrator presence.

“I am out here because I think the Palestinian conflict is a matter of consistent racism towards the brown people in the Middle East. I think that Israeli occupation started because of disrespect to the Arab people. … We’re trying to explain to people what’s going on in a way that we are never going to get from the media because they have specific things they want to tell,” an ASU biochemistry major who asked not to be named told The Media Line.

The biochemistry major in his early twenties passed out surgical masks to Palestine supporters to help his “brothers and sisters” conceal their identities. The man acknowledged supporting Palestine could have a negative impact, mainly because of how the media portrays Palestinian supporters, he said.  The biochemistry major spoke extensively to The Media Line unmasked anyhow.

“I am extremely frustrated, and I am frustrated we are acting like the violence Hamas is causing is the crime. That is not the crime. The crime is the consistent centurylong violence that has been appropriated upon the Palestinian people by the Israeli government. The crime is the complete disregard for brown people and then the continuous marketing of them as savages, evil, as brutal animals who are rapists, who are murderers, which is not the case,” the biochemistry major continued.

SJP believes the media conceals crimes by Israel and exaggerates Palestinian violence.

The pro-Israel supporters, primarily from ASU Chabad, held Israeli flags while standing on a raised stage in front of the SJP rally. Rabbi Shmuel of ASU Chabad led prayers and supported ASU Chabad members who were on hand.

ASU Student Alex Lieferman attended to support Israel. He said his brother is serving in the IDF and that he personally knew Israeli families who had been raped and killed during the Hamas attack. He was perplexed seeing the rally on his campus.

“I think it is misleading, it’s a little odd to see such a negative thing happen in the world and have such a lot of support behind it,” Lieferman told The Media Line.

“When people are occupied, resistance is justified” and “Free Palestine” and “From the river to the sea” were chanted as the students marched across campus and back.

The rally did not end peacefully.

A young female student holding an Israeli flag, and perched upon another student’s shoulders, was pushed by a pro-Palestinian supporter when she inadvertently walked in front of a Muslim prayer that was occurring. This caused a small skirmish between the two sides.

A male student, who later identified himself as Israeli to The Media Line, attempted to go after the men he alleges assaulted the girls, but was apprehended by ASU police in the process. A member of SJP yelled, “F*ck your country” at the Israeli man while a group of ASU police officers forcefully pushed Palestinian supporters back.

The Israeli student told The Media Line that men in the SJP group had assaulted the two women for no reason. He asked not to be identified.

The Palestinian supporters told The Media Line the female Israeli supporters had instigated the event by walking in front of the Muslim men while they prayed to be intentionally disrespectful. 

While the Day of Resistance was mainly peaceful, Hamas has called for its “Global Day of Jihad” to occur today, Friday, October 13, 2023.

Four people were injured in the Nirim from mortars that were fired from Gaza.

This is a developing story.

Jordan on Saturday said any move by Israel to impose a new displacement of Palestinians would push the region to the "abyss" of a wider conflict.

Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi also said Israel's blocking of humanitarian aid to Gaza and forcing its residents to leave their homes as it escalates its military action were a "flagrant" breach of international law.

A plane with medical supplies to support urgent health needs in Gaza has landed in Al Arish, Egypt, near the Rafah crossing, the chief of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Saturday in a post on messaging platform X.

"We're ready to deploy the supplies as soon as humanitarian access through the crossing is established," he said.

A college student and native of Long Island, New York was captured by Hamas, according to a statement released to US media by the missing person's family. 

The family of Omer Neutra said that their son, an Israeli-American from New York was captured along the Israel-Gaza border on October 10th. CNN reported that a member of the Israeli consulate came to Ronen and Orna Neutra's Plainview home late Monday to inform them of their son's confirmed status as a hostage.

“Someone gave us the formal news that he was considered abducted by Hamas, but they did not give any further explanation,” Orna told US media.

What brought hostage Omer Neutra to Israel?

Neutra deferred his academic career at Binghamton University in upstate New York to serve in the IDF, according to his family's statement.

"He's a born leader and a great son, friend, and a passionate, giving person. After graduating high school, he decided to defer his college acceptance and spend a gap year in Israel connecting with our family's roots," his parents said in a statement posted to Facebook by the Plainview Volunteer Fire Department on Long Island. "This experience impacted his decision to stay in Israel and do what he believed in — serving and protecting the people of Israel."

His family said he was captured accomplishing that goal.

The IDF struck down 1,000 strategic Hamas locations in Gaza since Operation Swords of Iron started, IDF Brigadier General Daniel Hagari said Saturday morning.

It also eliminated dozens of Hamas terrorists, specifically "Nukhba Force" terrorists who were primarily responsible for last week's massacre that murdered more than 1,300 Israelis and wounded over 3,000 others.

For example, the IDF assassinated Merad Abu Mera, the head of the Hamas Aerial System in Gaza City, it said Saturday morning. He was primarily responsible for directing terrorists during the massacre. 

IDF to step up air strikes

Hagari stressed that some 600,000 Palestinians in Gaza should relocate to the enclave's south.

"The IDF calls on all residents of Gaza City to evacuate their homes, move south for their protection, and settle in the area south of the Gaza River," an IDF statement read Thursday. "This evacuation is for your safety. Returning to Gaza City after a notification confirming [safety] will be possible. Do not approach the border fence with the State of Israel."

Smoke is seen behind Ashkelon near Israel's border with the Gaza Strip, in southern Israel, October 13, 2023 (credit: REUTERS/AMIR COHEN)

Hagari reiterated that call and stressed that IDF needed the residents to leave because it planned to target strategic Hamas targets in the area. Hamas uses the residents as human shields, putting tunnels and bunkers under houses in Gaza City and inside civilian buildings. 

"We didn't put those civilians there," IDF spokesperson Jonathan Conricus said in an English briefing on X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday morning. "They are not our enemy. We are not trying to kill or injure any civilians. We are fighting against Hamas. That needs to be abundantly clear. We are targeting their infrastructure - wherever it is."

Listen in as an IDF Spokesperson @jconricus provides a situational update as the war against Hamas continues. https://t.co/UeIUKgRJGu

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) October 14, 2023

"We appreciate the tens of thousands who have left in the last hours," Hagar said. "Anyone who chooses not to leave puts their family in danger."

"We didn't put those civilians there. They are not our enemy. We are not trying to kill or injure any civilians. We are fighting against Hamas. That needs to be abundantly clear. We are targeting their infrastructure - wherever it is."

Jonathan Conricus

However, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement in New York on Thursday that "this amounts to approximately 1.1 million people," or nearly half of Gaza's 2.3 million population, a task that the UN "considers impossible for such a movement to take place without devastating humanitarian consequences."

Hagari stressed that any movement of Gazans out of the enclave, even through Egypt, would be coordinated with Israel.

Multi-front escalation

At the same time as Israel is attacking Gaza, the army will also protect Israel on other fronts, Hagari added.

He stressed that the army was strong and would be able to manage Hezbollah in the north and terrorism emanating from the West Bank.

On Saturday, Hezbollah fighters fired an anti-tank missile at Israeli troops. It also sent drones into Israel and fired surface-to-air missiles at an Israeli aircraft, which the IDF quickly intercepted.

The IDF also foiled a cell of Palestinian terrorists that operated under Hezbollah's direction and tried to infiltrate Israel via Lebanon, an army spokesperson said.

מצורף תיעוד מחיסול חוליית המחבלים שניסתה לחדור לשטח ישראל מלבנון הבוקר pic.twitter.com/bNtE0khDxT

— Israeli Air Force (@IAFsite) October 14, 2023

Conricus stressed that as of Saturday morning, the situation at Israel's northern border remains extremely tense, and Hezbollah's activities are being monitored.

In the West Bank, the IDF arrested more than 230 Hamas operatives since Operation Swords of Iron started, the military updated on Saturday morning.

The focus of the arrests has been on Hamas operatives, as well as instigators of terrorism. 

Reuters contributed to this report.