Israel orders siege on Gaza as Hamas threaten hostages with execution – latest

Protesters from both sides of the Israel-Palestinian conflict rallied at the Israeli consulate in New York on 9 October.

Split by East 42nd Street, the two opposing groups raised signs and flags as they chanted.

“I’m here to show solidarity to the Palestinians,” Queens resident Saif Eldilemi said.

Democratic senators have called on the Senate to rapidly confirm the Biden administration’s nominee to be US ambassador to Israel as war between Israel and Gaza rages on.

The Senate is out for the week and will not return until Monday 16 October. President Joe Biden nominated Jacob Lew, the former US Treasury Secretary during the Obama administration who practices Orthodox Judaism, to be US ambassador to Israel, in September.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said the UK will “continue to support Israel” after Tel Aviv announced a “complete siege” on the Gaza strip following Hamas’ attack.

Speaking after an emergency Cobra meeting chaired by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to discuss the situation in Israel, Mr Cleverly said Hamas fighters were “shielding themselves among the Palestinian people”.

It comes after Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant said he had ordered a siege on Gaza that would halt the supply of electricity, food and fuel to 2.3 million people living in the Hamas-ruled territory, while Israel’s forces pound the strip with retaliatory waves of airstrikes.

The Metropolitan Police said three people had been arrested and further enquiries were underway following pro-Palestine protests in central London.

The force earlier said it was looking into “instances of suspected criminal damage in Kensington High Street” where the protests initially took place.

At close to midnight on Monday, the Met announced protests had concluded, writing on X: “Londoners have seen more officers on the streets today to reassure the public, with an enhanced visible presence in Jewish communities.”

California Congressman Brad Sherman has said he believes the conflict in Gaza may last “months” and Hamas must be defeated.

“You can’t just pretend this didn’t happen and just leave them [Hamas] with the sophisticated military power that they’ve demonstrated. You’ve got to disarm Hamas,” Mr Sherman told BBC News.

He added that the organisation may have felt obliged to launch an attack out of the fear that Saudi Arabia would reach a peace deal with Israel that was being brokered by the Biden administration. Mr Sherman added that there was a liklihood that Hamas would execute prisoners.

“They did this because they had to… You have to defeat Hamas. You cannot reform Hamas,” he said.

Joe Biden said on Monday, 9 October, that at least 11 Americans have been killed in Israel while other US citizens are “likely” among the hostages being held by Hamas.

After seeing images of the victims, Mr Kirby said: “It’s very difficult to look at these images and the human cost.

“It’s difficult, and I apologise.”

White House National Security Council spokesman, John Kirby, said that the US government has currently seen no evidence of Iran’s involvement in planning the surprise attacks on Israel by Hamas.

Mr Kirby told PBS News Hour that there was “no question that there’s a degree of complicity” by Iran in supporting the events but there was no “direct evidence” of the nation’s involvement.

“We’re looking very hard to see if there is corroborating evidence that proves that Iran was, you know, a participant in these attacks but we just haven’t seen it. And frankly, our Israeli counterparts, they haven’t seen it either,” he said.

“But look, I mean, make no mistake, there’s a degree of complicity here just because Iran has been supporting Hamas now for many, many years – weapons tools, capabilities training. So clearly [with] Iran, there’s a complicity here, but in terms of the specific series of attacks we’ve seen in the last 24-36 hours, we just don’t have direct evidence.”

Claims of Iran’s involvement in helping preparations for Hamas’ attack were first made in a report in the Wall Street Journal.

Mr Kirby added that the US government has no intention of sending troops into Israel, but it will protect US interests in the region.

Rishi Sunak pledged his support to the British-Jewish community, as he joined Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis for a vigil with local communities at the Finchley United Synagogue in north London on Monday.

In a short address, the UK prime minister said: “The people who support Hamas are fully responsible for this appalling attack. They are not militants. They are not freedom fighters. They are terrorists.

“The days and weeks ahead will continue to be very difficult. But when we say we stand with Israel, we mean it. Not just today, not just tomorrow, but always.

“And I will stand with you, the British-Jewish community. Not just today, not just tomorrow, but always.”

It was Yoni Asher’s phone that confirmed his worst fears.

Tracking his wife Doron’s mobile, he watched helplessly as he saw it pop up in southern Gaza, miles from where she was supposed to be with their daughters Raz, five, and Aviv, aged three.

They had been taken hostage, along with scores of others, by Hamas militants in their devastating weekend attack.

“I saw she had been taken into Kfar Younis which is deep inside Gaza,” Yoni told The Independent, his voice blank with grief. “The GPS even showed us the route the terrorists took.”