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

The Israeli army has instructed residents of the Kibbutz Mefalsim and the city of Sderot, close to the separation fence with the Gaza Strip, to stay inside their homes “until further notice.”

No further details were given.

Meanwhile, the Israeli National Security Council has also urged people to refrain from travelling to countries in a travel warning issued. 

In a statement, the Security Council said that they are concerned over any further attacks.
 

While residents in the south of Lebanon are being advised to evacuate, most have chosen to remain. 

"Life is normal. I don't know anyone who has left their village in the past two days because of the recent events. Of course, some people in the south were urged by their families in Beirut to leave, but they have refused to do so," one resident of Bint Jbeil, a town in Lebanon's south, told MEE.

"There is a sense of anticipation in the south, but markets and shops are open, and people are on the streets going about their day as usual. I can't say if there has been mobilisation near the border, but there haven't been any mobilisations in the villages, neither before nor after the attack on Israel."

Israeli universities have pushed back the start date for the new academic year amidst the exchange in attacks which started yesterday morning. 

While university typically starts on 15 October, it has now been pushed back to 22 October, according to the Committee of University Presidents. 

Large numbers of students and faculty members have been drafted into reserve duty, the committee announced. 

Primary and secondary schools in Israel have also been closed, at least until 10 October, Israeli media states. 
 

Gaza remains in total darkness for a second day after Israel cut power to the besieged enclave yesterday. 

Israeli jets have continued to circle above residential areas throughout the day and into the evening. 

Thousands of Palestinians in Gaza have been rendered homeless and are frantically searching for somewhere to go.
 

The Israeli army says that another 13 soldiers have been killed in fighting in southern Israel today, according to Israeli media. 

The additional numbers bring the total number of soldiers killed to 57. 
 

Civil defence teams have arrived in the Shujaiya neighbourhood of Gaza and are putting out fires following Israeli bombing. 

The neighbourhood is predominantly residential, and many of the residents have been rendered homeless or are seeking shelter with relatives. 

Live footage shared by Al Jazeera Arabic showed Israeli jets destroying infrastructure in Gaza, including the Palestinian Islamic National Bank. 

Israel struck the building during live coverage of the events taking place.

Many residential buildings have been targeted in Israel's air strikes, leaving thousands of people displaced. 

Reports in Israeli media state that the death toll has increased to reach 659 so far.

An additional 2,156 people have been admitted to hospital. 

There have been widespread witness reports that Israeli tanks have been seen on the way to the north of Israel, as Israel's Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has ordered the evacuation of areas near the Lebanon border. 

Israeli opposition Knesset member Avigdor Lieberman says that he is willing to join an emergency government, only "if it annihilates Hamas", Haaretz reported. 

Israel's President Isaac Herzog and the opposition head, Benny Gantz, are set to deliver an address later today. 
 

Video footage circulating on social media platforms earlier today showed Palestinians in Gaza fleeing for cover while Israeli air strikes targeted residential areas of the blockaded Strip. 

Author and journalist Jonathan Cook says that Palestinian civilians in Gaza have faced repeated rampages from Israel decade after decade, "producing far more suffering, but have never elicited a fraction of the concern currently being expressed by western politicians or publics".

He says that Palestinians in Gaza's strikes against Israel are "vaguely comparable to the savagery Palestinians in Gaza have faced repeatedly since they were entombed in a cage more than 15 years ago, when Israel began its blockade by land, sea and air in 2007".

Much of the analysis, according to Cook, has distracted from the real lessons in the events, which are that "no one cared" when Palestinians were subjected to a blockade, starvation diets, targeted by snipers and bombed. 

For the full opinion piece, click on the link below. 

Read here: 'The West's hypocrisy towards Gaza's breakout is stomach-turning'
 

A long list of celebrities and public figures have voiced their support for both Palestine and Israel since events unfolded early yesterday morning. 

Among them is Canadian psychologist and conservative influencer Jordan Peterson, who has come under fire for his comments. 

"Give 'em hell [Netanyahu]... Enough is enough," Peterson posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, after Palestinian fighters in Gaza launched an unprecedented attack against Israel.

Peterson's remarks drew widespread criticism on X, with many accusing him of failing to understand the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which has seen Palestinians in Gaza live under a debilitating siege since 2007.

For the full story, tap on the link below. 

Read here: Jordan Peterson faces backlash for urging Netanyahu to unleash hell on Gaza

Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's prime minister, has appointed Brigadier General (Ret) Gal Hirsch as coordinator for the captives and the missing.

His office issued a statement saying that all government ministries "will carry out his directives on this issue".

The number of Israelis captured by Palestinians could be close to 100, Israeli sources familiar with the matter have told Haaretz. However, the actual number remains unknown. 
 

A statement shared by Palestine's Ministry of Interior states that Israel has sent voice notes to citizens in Gaza, in a random fashion, calling on them to leave their homes. 

The Ministry of Interior called on people not to engage or listen to the messages, saying that they are a form of "psychological warfare" and are inciting fear and panic.