Residents in Gaza are facing ever-growing uncertainty after the territory's only power plant ran out of fuel and shut down Wednesday. Israeli airstrikes further demolished entire neighborhoods and sent people scrambling to find safety. And hospitals in the Gaza Strip are struggling to treat the injured with dwindling medical supplies.
The war, which has claimed more than 2,200 lives on both sides, is expected to escalate. The weekend attack that Hamas said was retribution for worsening conditions for Palestinians under Israeli occupation has inflamed Israel’s determination to crush the group’s hold in Gaza.
The Israeli military said more than 1,200 people, including 155 soldiers, have died in Israel since Saturday’s incursion. In Gaza, the health ministry says more than 1,050 have been killed and over 5,100 injured. The United Nations Palestinian refugee agency says 250,000 people have been displaced in Gaza.
Here's what's happening on Day 5 of the latest Israel-Palestinian war:
CZECH GOVERNMENT TO EVACUATE CZECH NATIONALS FROM ISRAEL ON WEDNESDAY
PRAGUE — A Czech government plane will fly to Israel on Wednesday to evacuate Czech nationals from the country which is at war with Hamas, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said.
Fiala said other flights will follow through the end of the week, but gave no further details.
The announcement came after a plane with Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky landed in Prague early Wednesday with 34 other Czechs onboard who returned from Israel with the minister.
Lipavsky was the first foreign minister to visit Israel after Saturday’s attacks, Israeli President Isaac Herzog said on X, formerly known as Twitter, after their meeting.
There are still at least 181 Czechs in Israel, Lipavsky said Wednesday.
PROMINENT MOSQUE CALLS FOR INVESTIGATION INTO WAR CRIMES BY ISRAEL
CAIRO — Al-Azhar al-Sharif, the Sunni world’s foremost seat of religious learning, on Wednesday called for an international investigation into allegations of war crimes by Israel against civilian Palestinians in Gaza.
In a strong worded statement, the Cairo-based religious institution called for Arab and Islamic countries to take “a serious and unified position against the West’s inhuman rally” behind Israel’s attacks against “innocent Palestinian civilians.”
It said Israel’s “inhuman siege,” which included cutting off electricity and water, and preventing the delivery of food and humanitarian aid to the strip, is a “genocide and war crimes.”
The statement urged Arab and Islamic countries to quickly provide humanitarian aid and “ensure its crossing” to the Palestinians in Gaza.
BRITAIN'S FOREIGN SECRETARY ARRIVES IN ISRAEL, WILL MEET WITH SENIOR OFFICIALS
LONDON — Britain’s top diplomat has arrived in Israel to express “unwavering solidarity” with the country following the attacks by Hamas.
The government says Foreign Secretary James Cleverly will meet survivors and senior Israeli officials “to outline U.K. support for Israel’s right to defend itself.”
The U.K.’s Conservative government and the opposition Labour Party have both strongly backed Israel’s right to retaliate for the attacks that killed more than 1,200 Israelis.
The British government has said 10 or more U.K. citizens are dead or missing after the attacks on southern Israel.
AUSTRIA SAYS AUSTRIAN-ISRAELI CITIZEN DEAD, 2 OTHERS STILL MISSING
BERLIN — The Austrian government has confirmed that one of three Austrian-Israeli citizens who had been missing after Hamas’ attack on Israel, has been found dead.
The Austria foreign ministry said in a statement Wednesday that “he was a victim of the brutal large-scale attack on Israel by the terrorist organization Hamas. The family of the deceased informed us about this today.”
The Austrian government did not release the victim’s name and said that out of respect for the victims and their families, no further details would be released.
The ministry added that “we strongly condemn the barbaric terror of Hamas. Our deepest sympathies go out to the family and friends."
GAZA'S SOLE POWER PLANT RUNS OUT OF FUEL
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Gaza’s only power plant ran out of fuel Wednesday afternoon, forcing it to shut down after Israel cut off supplies, the Energy Ministry said. That leaves only generators to power the territory — but they also run on fuel that is in short supply.
1 SPANIARD DIES AFTER HAMAS ATTACKS, SPANISH GOVERNMENT SAYS
MADRID — Spain’s Foreign Ministry says one of two Spaniards affected by the Hamas attacks in Israel has died.
The ministry named the woman as Spanish-Israeli citizen Maya Villalobo Sinvany. The ministry condemned the attacks and expressed its condolences to her family. It gave no further details about the woman.
Spain’s state news agency Efe and other outlets have reported that Villalobo was on military service at an Israeli miliary base at the time of the attacks.
The ministry earlier this week reported that another Spaniard was also affected in the attacks but gave no other details. Efe said the person was a Spanish man who lived in a kibbutz near the Gaza Strip.
GERMAN PARLIAMENT HOLDS MOMENT OF SILENCE FOR ISRAELI VICTIMS
BERLIN — The German government held a minute of silence for the Israeli victims of the Hamas terror attacks in parliament.
The president of parliament, Baerbel Bas, vowed Wednesday that Germany will stand univocally on the side of Israel and support the country’s right to defend itself and protect its people.
“In these dark hours, our thoughts are with the families of all the victims, with the injured and with the abducted hostages who are being abused as human shields, and with the family members and friends who fear for them. Their anguish, unimaginable to us, cannot be put into words,” Bas said.
Bas stressed that Germany will not accept any kind of anti-Israeli or antisemitic protests in Germany.
The Israeli ambassador to Germany, Ron Prosor, who also attended the minute of silence in parliament, received long, standing ovations by Germany’s government ministers and lawmakers.
MEDIA REPORTS: 3 CIVILIANS INJURED AND 10 HOMES DAMAGED IN LEBANON BY ISRAELI SHELLING
BEIRUT — Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency says Israeli shelling of southern Lebanese villages has wounded three civilians and damaged about 10 homes.
The agency said the shelling hit the villages of Marwaheen and Duhaira.
The Israeli shelling came after the militant Hezbollah fired an anti-tank missile at an Israeli army position.
CONSERVATIVE MUSLIMS IN INDONESIA PROTEST US SUPPORT OF ISRAEL
JAKARTA, Indonesia — Hundreds of conservative Muslims marched to the heavily guarded U.S. Embassy in Indonesia’s capital on Wednesday to protest the U.S.'s staunch support of Israel and to demand an end to Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip.
More than 500 pro-Palestinian protesters, many wearing white Islamic robes, gathered along a major street in Jakarta that runs outside the embassy. They chanted “God is Great” and “Save Palestinians” as they marched. Their banners and placards slammed the airstrikes in Gaza and some protesters expressed their anger by burning the U.S. and Israeli flags.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Tuesday said in a televised comments that the occupation of the Palestinian territories by Israel must be resolved and urged an end to the war.
PALESTINIAN FACTIONS IN SYRIA EXPRESS SUPPORT FOR FIGHTERS IN GAZA
DAMASCUS, Syria — Top officials from Palestinian factions based in the Syrian capital have expressed their support to fighters in Gaza saying their aim is to liberate their land.
The officials did not comment on a rocket attack late Tuesday from southern Syria that hit the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
There have been concerns that the heightened escalation in Gaza and southern Lebanon could escalate into Syrian territories, sparking a regional war.
The officials from factions including the "Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command said Arab Foreign ministers meeting in Cairo later Wednesday should come out with a clear stance supporting the Palestinian people.
KING OF JORDAN CALLS AGAIN FOR ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN TALKS
BEIRUT — The King of Jordan renewed calls for Israeli-Palestinian talks as the ongoing war between Gaza and Israel continues, as it threatens regional security.
“There will be no security, no peace, no stability without just and total peace that comes through a two-state solution,” King Abdullah II said in an address to Jordanian parliament Wednesday, calling for a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital based along on its pre-1967 borders.
Abdullah II Tuesday called to dispatch medical and humanitarian aid to the blockaded Gaza Strip through Egypt.
FATE OF RUSSIAN CITIZENS AND OPEN DIALOGUE WITH BOTH SIDES ARE TOP PRIORITIES, KREMLIN SAYS
MOSCOW — The Kremlin said that Russia needs to maintain a dialogue with both sides amid the Israeli-Palestinian war.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday that “it’s important for us to maintain a balanced approach and remain in contact with both parties to the conflict.”
He said that Russia has “long historic ties” with both Israel and the Palestinians, adding that millions of Russians have moved to live in Israel and Moscow is concerned about their security.
“The fate of Russian citizens is our No. 1 priority,” Peskov said. “We need to maintain an equal distance — only that will give us the right to participate in a settlement process."
Peskov added that “acts that can only be described as terrorist must be undoubtedly condemned, but the roots of the situation mustn’t be forgotten.”
A PROMINENT MILITIA THREATENS TO ATTACK US BASES IF THE COUNTRY INTERVENES IN THE LATEST GAZA WAR
BAGHDAD — The leader of a prominent Iranian-backed militia in Iraq threatened Wednesday to attack American bases in retaliation if the United States intervenes in the latest war between Hamas and Israel in Gaza.
“Our missiles, drones, and special forces are ready to direct qualitative strikes at the American enemy in its bases and disrupt its interests if it intervenes in this battle,” Ahmad “Abu Hussein” al-Hamidawi, head of the Kataib Hezbollah militia, said in a statement. He also threatened to launch missiles at Israeli targets.
Al-Hamidawi called on Iraqis to demonstrate and collect donations in support of the Hamas military campaign.
9 UN STAFFERS ARE KILLED IN AIRSTRIKES IN GAZA SINCE SATURDAY
JERUSALEM — The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees told the AP on Wednesday that nine of its staffers have been killed in airstrikes since the the start of the Israeli bombardment on Gaza on Saturday, with several killed late Tuesday.
“The protection of civilians is paramount, including in times of conflict,” said Juliette Touma, director of communications of the agency, known as UNRWA. “They should be protected in accordance with the laws of war.”
Touma said the strikes killed the U.N. staffers at their homes across the territory. She also said that 18 UNRWA schools-turned-shelters were damaged in the bombing, and that its headquarters in Gaza City was also damaged, without causing casualties.
POPE FRANCIS CALLS ON HAMAS TO RELEASE HOSTAGES IMMEDIATELY
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis on Wednesday called for the immediate release of hostages taken by Hamas fighters in the most serious assault on Israel in half a century.
Francis said during a weekly audience that he is following events in Israel and the occupied territories with “pain and apprehension,” with “many dead and injured,’’ and said he is praying for those who saw “a day of celebration transformed into a day of mourning.”
The pope said that “whoever is attacked has the right to defend himself. But I am very worried about the total siege under which the Palestinians in Gaza are living, where there are also many innocent victims.”
GERMAN DEFENSE MINISTER OFFERS HIS ISRAELI COUNTERPART SUPPORT
BERLIN — Germany’s defense minister has offered his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Galant, support from Germany following the major attack by Hamas.
The German government made that offer also to the Israeli military attaché in Berlin, Boris Pistorius told reporters on Wednesday. “Both have said so far that they do not need support of a military or technical nature. It is about political support,” the German defense minister said, adding that Germany’s political support for Israel was self-evident.
Pistorius also said that “as soon as we can help in a humanitarian way, the offer is there, too, but so far it has not been asked for.”
RAFAH BORDER CROSSING IS STILL CLOSED, EGYPT SAYS
CAIRO — The Rafah border crossing remains closed on both sides as of Wednesday morning, according to an Egyptian security official.
The official told The Associated Press that a number of Egyptian aid convoys loaded with fuel, construction materials and food were unable to enter the Gaza Strip through Rafah on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, dozens of Palestinian families remain stranded in the Sinai city of el-Arish. No other details were immediately available. The official spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not briefed to speak.
THE FIRST PLANE CARRYING US ARMAMENTS LANDS IN ISRAEL, IDF SAYS
A plane carrying advanced armaments “designed to facilitate significant military operations” landed Tuesday evening at the Nevatim Airbase in southern Israel, the Israel Defense Forces said.
“We are grateful for the US backing and assistance to the IDF, and to the State of Israel in general, during this challenging period. Our common enemies know that the cooperation between our militaries is stronger than ever, and is a key part in ensuring regional security and stability,” the IDF said in a statement.
2 BRAZILIANS KILLED IN ATTACKS BY HAMAS, FOREIGN MINISTRY SAYS
Two Brazilian citizens were killed as the result of the Hamas attack on Israel, the foreign ministry said Tuesday.
The ministry identified the deceased as Ranani Nidejelski Glazer and Bruna Valeanu.
The ministry said in a separate statement that three people with dual Brazilian-Israeli citizenship were missing after they disappeared at a music festival outside of Kibbutz Re'im.
2 FILIPINOS KILLED IN ATTACKS BY HAMAS, FOREIGN SECRETARY SAYS
MANILA, Philippines — Two Filipinos have been killed as a result of the attacks by Hamas militants on Israel, where thousands of Filipinos live and work, said Philippine Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo.
Manalo condemned the killings in a brief statement he posted Wednesday on X, formerly known as Twitter, but did not provide other details, including the circumstances of the deaths and the identities of the victims. He added that the Philippines is ready to work with other countries toward a long-lasting resolution to the conflict, in accordance with a U.N. Security Council resolution.
CANADA PLANS TO AIRLIFT CANADIANS FROM ISRAEL
OTTAWA, Ontario — Canadian citizens will be flown out of the country from the Tel Aviv, Israel, airport in coming days in the wake of Hamas' attack on Israel, Canada's foreign minister said Tuesday.
The government plans to conduct the evacuation using aircraft from the Canadian Armed Forces, Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. The post did not mention those Canadians who are believed to be trapped in Gaza after Israel closed off the Hamas-controlled territory.
Canada is trying to determine how many of its citizens are among the dead or missing. Friends and family have confirmed that 22-year-old Ben Mizrachi from Vancouver and former Montreal resident Alexandre Look, who recently celebrated his 33rd birthday, were two of the hundreds killed while attending a music festival in southern Israel.
SON OF MISSING ITALIAN-ISRAELI CITIZENS THINKS THEY WERE KIDNAPPED
A son of two Italian-Israeli citizens unaccounted for after Hamas’ incursion into Israel believes they were kidnapped by Hamas militants.
Eviatar Moshe Kipnis, 65, who has an autoimmune disease and uses a wheelchair, and his wife, Lilach Lea Havron, 60, were holed up in their safe room on Saturday morning at their home in the Kibbutz Be’eri, Nadav Kipnis told The Associated Press on Tuesday. He said that was the last time he and his brother Yotam heard from them.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani briefed parliament about the incursion on Tuesday, identifying the two Italians by name and saying they were “probably taken hostage.”
The family also has lost contact with Havron’s sister and her extended family who lived nearby. All together, 11 people from two family households at the kibbutz are unaccounted for, including children ages 3, 8 and 12, Nadav Kipnis said.
CZECH FOREIGN MINISTER VISITS ISRAEL TO SHOW SUPPORT
PRAGUE — Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky visited Israel on Tuesday to show his country’s support after the Hamas attack and brought more than 30 Czech nationals home from Israel on his plane, the Foreign Ministry said.
Lipavsky met his Israeli counterpart, Eli Cohen, and President Isaac Herzog, the Ministry said. He also met the relatives of a woman kidnapped by Hamas.
“Israel is one of us, the attacks and kidnappings unleashed by Hamas terrorists are an attack on all of us,” Lipavsky said in a statement.
AUSTRALIA SAYS 1 OF ITS CITIZENS DIED IN HAMAS ATTACK
CANBERRA, Australia — A 66-year-old Sydney-born woman is the first known Australian to die in the Hamas attack on Israel, Australia’s government said Wednesday.
Australian Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil said Galit Carbone was killed Saturday at the Be’eri kibbutz near Gaza.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong is leading government efforts to help an estimated 10,000 Australians in Israel who want to leave.
BIDEN SAYS US CITIZENS AMONG HAMAS HOSTAGES, AGAIN CONDEMNS HAMAS ATTACK
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Tuesday confirmed that U.S. citizens are among the hostages captured by Hamas as he condemned the militant group for the “sheer evil” of its shocking weekend assault on Israel.
“Our hearts may be broken but our resolve is clear,” said Biden, who compared the brutality of the Hamas militants to that of the Islamic State terrorist group.
Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris spoke by phone earlier on Tuesday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the situation on the ground.
Twenty or more U.S. citizens are unaccounted for, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Tuesday. He said he did not know precisely how many citizens are being held hostage, or their conditions. Biden confirmed earlier Tuesday that 14 Americans have been killed in the bloody Hamas incursion.
PORTUGUESE CITIZEN AND STUDENT IN TEL AVIV FOUND DEAD
JERUSALEM — A Portuguese woman studying in Tel Aviv, Israel, who was identified as missing after the Hamas attack on Israel, was found dead Tuesday.
Rotem Neumann, 25, had been missing for at least three days by the time her body was found. Her death was confirmed by her cousin Tomer Neumann.
Rotem Neumann was at the Teva festival, a music festival near the Gaza border that was invaded by militants in the early hours of Saturday morning. She first called her parents from the festival when she heard rocket fire, Tomer Neumann said. That was the last time the family heard from her.
She then got into a car with friends and drove north, seeking shelter. The car soon encountered trucks filled with militants, shooting at them with machine guns. Panicked, they turned around and started going in the opposite direction. Militants with guns crowded the roads south, too.
They climbed out of the car and began running east, away from the border, piling into a concrete shelter they found at Kibbutz Re’im. Rotem Neumann sent a message to a friend there, sharing with him her location so he could take shelter. Militants soon peppered the shelter with bullets.
ISRAEL SHELLS SYRIA AFTER ROCKETS HIT OPEN LAND IN GOLAN HEIGHTS
The Israeli military said it shelled Syria on Tuesday after rockets hit open land in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights.
The military did not accuse any group of the rocket attack.
The Syrian government did not comment. However, Britain-based opposition war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says a Palestinian faction conducted the rocket attack from Syrian territory.
US INTELLIGENCE DIDN'T SEE ATTACK COMING, SECURITY ADVISER SAYS
WASHINGTON — U.S. intelligence did not pick up signs of the Hamas attack on Israel, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Tuesday.
“We did not see anything that suggested an attack of this type was going to unfold any more than the Israelis did,” Sullivan told reporters.
As other White House officials have done in recent days, Sullivan also reiterated that the U.S. government has also not seen any direct linkage between Iran and the Hamas attack over the weekend.
US SECRETARY OF STATE GOING TO ISRAEL ON URGENT MISSION
WASHINGTON — U.S. President Joe Biden is dispatching his top diplomat to Israel on an urgent mission to show U.S. support after the unprecedented attack by Hamas militants, the State Department said Tuesday.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken will leave Wednesday and is expected to arrive Thursday to deliver a message of solidarity and support, and will “talk about what additional resources we can give them," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Tuesday.
GAZA HEALTH MINISTRY SAYS DEATH TOLL IN HAS RISEN TO 900
GAZA CITY — Israeli airstrikes since Saturday have resulted in 900 deaths in Gaza, including 260 children and 230 women, with an additional 4,500 individuals wounded, the Ministry of Health in Gaza said Tuesday.
The airstrikes have caused the deaths of 150 members of 22 families, six health workers, and eight journalists, while 15 health workers and 20 journalists have been wounded, the ministry said.
Airstrikes on residential neighborhoods have displaced approximately 140,000 citizens to U.N. shelters and hospitals, the ministry said. The U.N. is reporting that at least 200,000 residents have been displaced.