Israel-Palestine war: First week ends with over 2,500 Palestinians, 1,400 Israelis killed

The US State Department has said that the number of confirmed deaths of American citizens in Israel is now at least 22.

UN secretary general Antonio Guterres has called for the immediate allowance of humanitarian aid into Gaza.

“Crucial life saving supplies including fuel, food and water, must be allowed into Gaza. We need rapid and unimpeded humanitarian access, now.”

Guterres added that 220,000 Palestinians are sheltering in 92 UNRWA facilities.

UNRWA on Wednesday reported that the death toll among its employees had risen to nine people.

UN secretary general Antonio Guterres said on Wednesday that some UN staff “have already paid the ultimate price” in Gaza.

Guterres called for the immediate release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas, and that civilians should not be targeted and humanitarian law must be respected and upheld.

“I appeal to all parties and for those who have an influence over those parties, to avoid further escalation and spillover.”

Palestine's Ministry of Health says that the death toll has reached 1,100 since the start of the fighting on Saturday. 

Over 5,339 Palestinians have been wounded in Israeli attacks. 

Israel’s health ministry says that 3,192 have been received in hospitals, while the death count has reached 1,200.
 

US Senator Lindsey Graham appeared on Fox News on Wednesday, saying that what was happening was a “religious war” and that he is “with Israel”.

He also said he believes that Israel “should do whatever it takes to defend itself” and that Gaza should be “levelled”.
 

Sirens continue to be sounded across northern Israel, warning of incoming attacks from the air. 

Some Israeli reports say drones have flown in through Lebanon and other reports say they are aircrafts carrying people.

There are still no clear details of what has happened.

Israel’s Home Front Command has called on residents close to the Syrian and Lebanese borders to enter shelters and lock their windows. 

Hamas claims to have fired long-range missiles into the city of Haifa, according to Haaretz. 

Al Jazeera Arabic reported that residents have been advised to go into shelters.

Reports state that this is possibly their longest-range missile attack to date. 
 

Aircrafts, likely drones, have crossed from Lebanon to Israel, possibly carrying people, the head of the Galil Elyon Regional Council has told Israeli media. 

Giora Zaltz said people need to shelter and that this is "what we feared". 

Meanwhile, Channel 12 aired footage appearing to show a drone flying over northern Israel.

Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades said they have targeted Haifa with rockets from Gaza, in what could be their longest-range attack known to date.

The Palestinian Red Crescent said that Israeli jets bombed its headquarters in Gaza.

The rescue service said there were no immediate reports of injuries or deaths. The Israeli army said it was checking reports on the incident.

Dozens of drones or paragliders have infiltrated Israel from Lebanon, initial reports say. 

Sirens were sounded all over northern Israel including Safed, Tiberias, Beit She'an and others. 

A member of the Israeli parliament, Revital Gotliv, called on Israel to consider using nuclear weapons on Hamas, in a post on social media platform X on Monday.

"Jericho missile! Jericho missile! A strategic alert, before we consider introducing our forces. A doomsday weapon!,” she wrote. 

Jericho missiles refer to an intermediate-range ballistic missile developed and produced by Israel. It has a 4,800-6,500 km range and is reportedly equipped with a 750 kg nuclear warhead.

"Only an explosion that shakes the Middle East will restore this country's dignity, strength, and security! It's time to kiss doomsday," Gotliv added in another post on X. 

She also called on Israel to “shoot powerful missiles without limit. Not flattening a neighbourhood. Crushing and flattening Gaza.”

In a series of following posts, she said that Israel should use “penetrating bombs, without mercy”.

Gotliv, who is from the same political party as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has said that Israel is at war against “a dangerous and cruel monster”. 
 

Reporting from Gaza City, MEE correspondent Mohammed al-Hajjar says that residents of al-Karama woke up to the streets piling up with dead bodies following a night of heavy Israeli bombardment. 

The Israeli military dropped 100 bombs on the al-Karama neighbourhood in two hours on Tuesday night, as people were inside their homes, Palestinian eyewitnesses have said.

"My home was here - it’s gone. All of it. All the street is gone. It was random bombing,” one resident told MEE. 

The continuous bombing from 8pm to 10pm completely destroyed roads leading to the area, leaving emergency workers unable to reach the wounded.

Almost 12 hours later, bodies were still scattered all over the place and the wounded had yet to be evacuated to hospitals.

"It was heinous, indiscriminate bombardment without warning," Abdelaziz Helo, a resident who survived the assault, told Middle East Eye.

Click below to read the full story. 

Read more: Bodies piling up in the streets as Gaza Strip assault continues 

Palestine’s Ministry of Health said that four paramedics were killed in an Israeli air strike that targeted an ambulance in Gaza today.

As Israel continues to bombard Gaza, violence has also erupted in the occupied West Bank, with 23 Palestinians killed by Israeli forces. 

Israel has enforced a complete closure of the West Bank since hundreds of Palestinian fighters poured in from Gaza and killed around 1,200 Israelis.

Israeli soldiers have been storming neighbourhoods to suppress marches to denounce Israel’s attacks. 

Ihab al-Alami, a journalist from Beit Ummar, told MEE that Israeli soldiers killed a young man on Saturday, and then later opened fire on mourners at his funeral, killing another. At the second slain man’s funeral, soldiers opened fire once again, killing a third with a bullet to the head.

Read more: Violence flares in Jerusalem and the West Bank as funerals become targets

Armed Israeli settlers attacked the Palestinian town of Qusra in the occupied West Bank, killing three people and wounding others, including at least one child, according to initial reports by Palestinian media. 

The Palestinian health ministry said "three people have been killed in a settler attack against Qusra", without elaborating further.