Live Blog Update| Israel's genocide in Gaza
This is an entry from: Israel-Palestine war: First week ends with over 2,500 Palestinians, 1,400 Israelis killed

Recap Day 8

14 October 2023 23:40 BST

Hello MEE readers.

It is now the early hours of Sunday morning in Gaza. A full week has transpired since Palestinian armed groups based in Gaza launched a surprise attack on southern Israel, and Israel responded with a full-force bombing campaign and full siege. Israel is now in preparations for a large-scale ground invasion after forcing residents in northern Gaza to leave their homes and flee to the south.

Here are the key points you need to know from the past several hours:

  • More than 1,000 Palestinian Christians in Gaza are sheltering in churches in the besieged strip. One of those sheltering said: "They [Israel] have the skies, but we pray to the one above the skies."
  • According to a report from Axios, Iran told Israel on Saturday that it didn't want to get involved in the Gaza war, but if Israel's operations continued, particularly if there was a ground invasion, Tehran would have to act. Iran's foreign minister said a ground invasion of Gaza was a "red line" for the Islamic Republic.
  • Thirty-five thousand Palestinians are sheltering in a hospital in Gaza ahead of an expected Israeli ground operation.
  • A close adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's wife posted incendiary remarks on Facebook, saying it's not enough to flatten Gaza, and that Israel needed to torture the Palestinians living there. The torture techniques she recommended included pulling out their nails and skinning them alive.
  • At least 279 Israeli soldiers have been killed by Palestinian fighters since 7 October, Israeli army spokesperson Daniel Hagari said.

We at Middle East Eye are doing our best to continue providing you with up-to-date information around the clock. Internet connectivity in Gaza has dropped by nearly half as of Friday, and we've lost contact with our correspondents there.

You can also find our coverage across Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube.