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

A Palestinian Journalist from the Gaza Strip recounts what it was like crossing into Israel after Erez crossing fell: 

Once Omar had crossed into Israel, the lands of historic Palestine, he was overwhelmed with emotion.

“I felt joy and started crying. People began to cry and prostrate because they had entered the land that they were displaced from in 1948. We were in a state of amazement as we walked around, free, in our lands, outside the prison that is Gaza. We felt that we were in control of our lands.”

The scenes in front of him were “bewildering”. Particularly, he said, seeing Israeli soldiers submissive to Palestinian fighters.

For the full story, click on the link below. 

Read more: When a Palestinian journalist crossed into Israel: 'The first time I felt freedom'

Israeli fighter jets have committed eight "massacres", wiping out entire Palestinian families at once in its continued bombardment of residential homes in Gaza, the Palestinian health ministry has said.

At least 54 people have been killed in these attacks, most of whom are relatives of the same families. 

The latest of those attacks came around 8:30pm, when bombs rained down on a house belonging to the Shamlakh family south of Gaza City, according to the Palestinian interior ministry. Many are feared dead and wounded. 

Earlier today, 20 members of the Zaaneen family were killed in an attack on a residential house in Beit Hanoun, Middle East Eye correspondent Mohammed al-Hajjar reported. 

At least 17 members of the Abu Daqa family were killed in a similar attack in Khan Younis in the morning, which was launched without prior warning. 

Palestine’s Ministry of Health stated that the death toll of Palestinians has reached 421.

The death toll includes 78 children and 41 women. 

Around 2,300 Palestinians have been wounded in the attacks so far.
 

Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has instructed the Firearms Licensing Division to launch an "emergency operation", which will pave the way to allow as many eligible citizens as possible to arm themselves. 

The decision means that any citizen who meets the criteria for firearm possession and has no criminal or medical history will be able to receive approval for firearm ownership within a week through a telephone interview.
 

US President Joe Biden told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that additional US aid for the Israeli army “is now on its way to Israel, with more to follow over the coming days,” according to the White House. 

The conversation is one of many that has occurred between the two leaders since Hamas struck Israel in a surprise attack yesterday.

The two also discussed “ongoing efforts to ensure that no enemies of Israel believe they can or should seek advantage from the current situation,” the White House says.
 

Hospital staff and medical personnel in Gaza tell Middle East Eye that they are being forced to rely on backup generators after Israel cut all power to the blockaded Strip.

As bombs continue to rain down on Gaza late this evening, medical professionals say that several hospitals are now relying on old and "dilapidated" generators which are leading to increased fuel consumption and have raised concerns that it will leave patients at risk.

With electricity already running low in the Gaza Strip, due to it only having one power plant which Israel has authorised, newborn children, Palestinians requiring dialysis, patients with respiratory conditions, and those undergoing surgical procedures could be heavily affected. 

Our correspondents on the ground have spoken to residents in Gaza who have expressed fears if they or their families get sick or wounded during the blackout. For the full story, click on the link below.

Read more: Gaza's hospitals on verge of blackout after Israel cuts electricity supplies

A rocket launched from Gaza has hit an apartment building in the southern Israeli city of Netivot, according to Israeli media. 

It is unclear if there are any injuries at this moment in time. However, video footage shared on social media platforms shows extensive damage. 
 

The United States is sending the USS Gerald R Ford aircraft carrier strike group to the Eastern Mediterranean, US Defence Secretary Lloyd James Austin said.

The US will be providing Israel with additional equipment and resources, including munitions, Austin said. The first security assistance will begin moving Sunday and will arrive in the coming days, he added.

Video footage shows a father bidding his son farewell in Gaza after the child was killed when an Israeli air strike hit their family home. 

The German government announced today that it will be reviewing its hundreds of millions of euros of aid for Palestinians, following Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel yesterday.

Germany’s minister of development, Svenja Schulze, said the government had always been careful to check that the money was only used for peaceful ends.

"But these attacks on Israel mark a terrible fracture," she said. "We will now review our entire engagement for the Palestinian territories."
 

Israel has renewed its heavy bombardment of Gaza on Sunday evening. 

The Shujaiya neighbourhood in eastern Gaza, which is mainly residential, has been specifically targeted.

Over 30 consecutive raids have been recorded according to local media. 

Al Jazeera Arabic correspondents on the ground say that jets are circulating above the neighbourhood, while plumes of smoke can be seen above buildings. 
 

At least 700 Israelis have been killed since the Hamas movement launched its surprise attack on Saturday morning, local time, Israel’s Channel 12 news reported.

The death toll is expected to increase, as a deescalation in fighting seems unlikely in the coming hours and days. 

Meanwhile, Israel’s health ministry reported that 2,243 injured individuals have been admitted to hospitals.

Israeli soldiers have killed a Palestinian man in the occupied West Bank city of Jericho, according to medical sources. 

The man has been identified as Abdelhalim Abu Sneineh.

Doctor Nasser al-Anani, the head of Jericho Hospital, said Abu Sneineh was killed by live fire in the chest and stomach. 
 

US President Joe Biden has reiterated his support for Israel in a White House press office statement. 

According to the White House press office, Biden and the vice president have been briefed on the situation in Israel. 

It added they will "continue to receive updates and White House officials will remain in close contact with our Israeli partners. Their national security teams are engaged with Israelis and counterparts throughout the region".

US Vice President Kamala Harris also emphasised Israel’s right to defend itself and said that the US would stand by Israel through the war. 
 

Israeli opposition party leader Benny Gantz has agreed to join Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government for wartime unity. 

On Saturday, Netanyahu asked Gantz and Opposition Leader Yair Lapid to form an emergency government, following the Hamas movement's surprise attack.