Israeli rescue service: 260 bodies removed from music festival Israeli rescue service Zaka said that its parademics have removed approximately 260 bodies from a music festival that was attacked by Hamas. Videos posted online appeared to show festival goers running frantically and getting into cars following the attacks. “We didn’t even have any place to hide because we were at [an] open space,” festival goer Tal Gibly told CNN. “Everyone got so panicked and started to take their stuff,” she added. The US carrier United Airlines announced that it has suspended all flights to Tel Aviv following Hamas’s attacks on Israel this weekend. “The safety of our customers and employees is our top priority,” the company said in a statement, Reuters reports. “We operated two scheduled flights out of Tel Aviv late Saturday and early Sunday and accommodated our customers, crews and employee travelers who were at the airport. Our Tel Aviv flights will remain suspended until conditions allow them to resume,” it added. Palestine"s UN permanent observer mission on ongoing conflict: "These developments did not occur in a vacuum" The permanent observer mission of the state of Palestine to the UN has issued a response on Sunday to the Israel-Hamas war, saying that “these developments did not occur in a vacuum”. “At the writing of this letter, the death toll in Gaza stands at: 313 Palestinians killed, including at least 20 children, over 2,000 injured and thousands of families displaced, now over 20,000 civilians, in just the past 24 hours … These developments did not occur in a vacuum. They are preceded by the killing this year of hundreds of Palestinians … and preceded by decades of Israel’s unrelenting military raids on Palestinian villages, towns, cities and refugee camps … arrest, detention, imprisonment and abuse of thousands of Palestinian civilians, including children and women, a suffocating 16-year air, land and sea blockade of more than 2 million Palestinians in Gaza …” At least three American citizens have been killed in the violence following Hamas’s attacks on Israel on Saturday, Reuters reports CNN saying on Sunday, citing a US memo. In an earlier interview on CBS today, the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, said that the US “got reports that several Americans are among the dead, we’re working very actively to verify those reports”. Israelis have been sharing posts on social media about missing family members and relatives, asking for help identifying the whereabouts of people feared dead or abducted following the Hamas incursion into the south of the country. The posts describe mothers and their small children loaded by militants into vehicles, elderly grandmothers who were taken to Gaza and young party-goers seized from the desert rave that was infiltrated by militants early Saturday morning. Israeli medical services said about 260 dead bodies were retrieved from the scene of the party. It is unclear how many Israelis were abducted and taken to Gaza, but the government has said that the number has exceeded 100. Israeli media reports Egypt is involved in early negotiations to broker the release of the elderly and children among them. Here are some images from Gaza coming through the newswires: Summary It’s around 10pm in Gaza, where explosions have been lighting up the night sky in the last hour. Frantic diplomatic calls are still being made between various world leaders and the situation in southern Israel is very tense. Here’s where things stand: The United States defence secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R Ford to head its “strike group” of forces as it sails to the eastern Mediterranean to be closer to Israel following Hamas’s “heinous” attacks. US president Joe Biden told Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu that “additional assistance for the Israeli Defense Forces is now on its way to Israel with more to follow over the coming days.” The United Nations World Food Programme has called on the establishment of humanitarian corridors to deliver food supplies into Gaza following Israeli air strikes in response to Hamas’s attacks. British prime minister Rishi Sunak told Netanyahu that Britain stands with Israel “unequivocally against these acts of terror,” adding that “no-one wants to see regional escalation.” Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi said Iran supports the Palestinians’ right to self-defence and that “Iran supports the legitimate defence of the Palestinian nation” and added “the Zionist regime and its supporters are responsible for endangering the security of nations in the region.” Israel said 800 Hamas targets have been struck in Gaza since the Palestinian militant attacks erupted and hundreds of Hamas fighters have been killed, with dozens more captured. The UN’s relief agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, said thousands of people were sheltering in its 44 schools around Gaza and food distribution for more than 112,000 families had had to be put on hold. Up to 100 Israeli hostages, including women and children, may have been taken into Gaza by Hamas, hugely complicating any Israeli military operation to free them. The US government is investigating reports of American hostages also being taken, as well as some other nationalities. More than 1,000 dead. At this hour, the Israeli death toll after the surprise attack by the militant group Hamas on communities in the country’s south has risen to at least 600, including 44 soldiers. In Gaza, which was pummelled by Israeli airstrikes, officials reported at least 413 deaths. The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said the country was at war and would exact a heavy price from its enemies. Hamas leaders said they were prepared for further escalation. Israel military officials said “hundreds of terrorists” had been killed and dozens captured as the fighting broke out in the streets and continued on Sunday. In northern Israel, a brief exchange of strikes between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group raised fears of a broader conflict. In neighbouring Egypt, a police officer shot dead two Israeli tourists and an Egyptian at a tourist site in Alexandria. The UN security council is expecting to meet at some point after the secretary general, António Guterres, urged “all diplomatic efforts to avoid a wider conflagration”. US secretary of defense Lloyd Austin has issued a short statement about decisions by the Pentagon that amount to “several steps to strengthen Department of Defense posture in the region”. He called the Hamas attacks on Israel “heinous”. Austin’s statement said: My thoughts continue to be with the people of Israel and the many families who have lost loved ones as a result of the abhorrent terrorist attack by Hamas. Today, in response to this Hamas attack on Israel, and following detailed discussions with President Biden, I have directed several steps to strengthen Department of Defense posture in the region to bolster regional deterrence efforts. I have directed the movement of the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group to the Eastern Mediterranean. This includes the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), the Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser USS Normandy (CG 60), as well as the Arleigh-Burke-class guided missile destroyers USS Thomas Hudner (DDG 116), USS Ramage (DDG 61), USS Carney (DDG 64), and USS Roosevelt (DDG 80). We have also taken steps to augment U.S. Air Force F-35, F-15, F-16, and A-10 fighter aircraft squadrons in the region. The U.S. maintains ready forces globally to further reinforce this deterrence posture if required. In addition, the United States government will be rapidly providing the Israel Defense Forces with additional equipment and resources, including munitions. The first security assistance will begin moving today and arriving in the coming days. Strengthening our joint force posture, in addition to the materiel support that we will rapidly provide to Israel, underscores the United States’ ironclad support for the Israel Defense Forces and the Israeli people. My team and I will continue to be in close contact with our Israeli counterparts to ensure they have what they need to protect their citizens and defend themselves against these heinous terrorist attacks.” The Associated Press adds that the Ford carrier strike group has been ordered to sail to the eastern Mediterranean to be ready to assist Israel after the attack by Hamas that has left more than 1,000 dead on both sides. Americans were reported to be among those killed and missing. A US official says preliminary reports indicate that at least four American citizens were killed in the attacks and an additional seven were missing and unaccounted for. The USS Gerald R Ford and its approximately 5,000 sailors and deck of warplanes will be accompanied by cruisers and destroyers in a show of force that is meant to be ready to respond to anything, from possibly interdicting additional weapons from reaching Hamas to conducting surveillance. In 2012, the UN general assembly delivered an overwhelming vote in favour of Palestinian statehood. At least 138 member states recognise Palestine as a state. Meanwhile, dozens of countries including the US and UK do not recognise Palestinian statehood. For many, the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip are commonly referred to as the Occupied Territories. Over the years, various human rights organisations including the Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have condemned Israeli authorities’ actions in the territories, with the HRW calling them “crimes against humanity of apartheid and persecution against millions of Palestinians”. Amnesty International has called Israel’s governance a “continuing oppressive and discrminatory system” as it imposes arbitrary restrictions on Palestinians’ freedom of movement, including limiting their rights to work and asylum-seeking processes. In 2022, Amnesty International reported that administrative detention of Palestinians “hit a 14-year high”. The US has ordered the Ford carrier strike group to sail to the eastern Mediterranean to be closer to Israel following Hamas’s attacks, two US officials told the Associated Press anonymously on Sunday. “The USS Gerald R. Ford and its approximately 5,000 sailors and deck of warplanes will be accompanied by cruisers and destroyers in a show of force that is meant to be ready to respond to anything, from possibly interdicting additional weapons from reaching Hamas and conducting surveillance,” the Associated Press reported. President Joe Biden says initial US military assistance en route to Israel Joe Biden has told the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, on Sunday that “additional assistance for the Israeli Defense Forces is now on its way to Israel with more to follow over the coming days.” Following the call between the two leaders, the White House released a statement, saying: “The President again expressed deep sympathy for all those missing, wounded, and killed, and pledged his full support for the Government and people of Israel in the face of an unprecedented and appalling assault by Hamas terrorists. They discussed the taking of hostages by Hamas terrorists, including entire families, the elderly, and young children.” The UN’s World Food Programme has called on the establishment of humanitarian corridors to deliver food supplies into Gaza following Israeli air strikes in response to Hamas’s attacks, Reuters reports. “As the conflict intensifies, civilians, including vulnerable children and families, face mounting challenges in accessing essential food supplies,” the WFP said. “WFP urges safe and unimpeded humanitarian access to affected areas, calling on all parties to uphold the principles of humanitarian law … including ensuring access to food,” it added. The WFP delivers food assistance to approximately 350,000 Palestinians a month and said that it was ready to create pre-positioned food stocks for those who have since been displaced. “While most shops in the affected areas in Palestine currently maintain one month of food stocks, these risk being depleted swiftly as people buy up food in fear of a prolonged conflict,” Reuters reports it saying. The British prime minister, Rishi Sunak, has told the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, on Sunday that Britain stands with Israel “unequivocally”. “[Sunak] reaffirmed that the UK will stand with Israel unequivocally against these acts of terror. The prime minister offered Prime Minister Netanyahu any support Israel needs,” Sunak’s office said in a statement following the call between the two leaders, Reuters reports. “No one wants to see regional escalation, and both the UK and allies have urged everyone in the region not to use this as an opportunity to incite further violence,” Sunak said, adding, “In the meantime, we will continue to provide Israel with every support that it needs as we stand steadfast with Israel, including [supporting] its right to self defence to ensure that these attacks do not happen.” Sunak also confirmed that the UK foreign ministry has been in contact with Israeli counterparts over the status of British nationals on the ground. The UK Foreign Office has issued a travel advisory advising against all but essential travel to Israel and the Palestinian territories. British nationals requiring consular assistance should call the following numbers: +972 (0)3 725 1222 or +972 (2) 5414100. If you experience technical difficulties with these or if you are in the UK, call +44 20 7008 5000, the advisory said. It also warned that the international air and land borders in Israel and the Palestinian territories could close at “short notice”. “The security situation in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories can be fast moving, tense and unpredictable. You should be vigilant at all times and keep up to date with local media and travel reports. Terrorists are very likely to try to carry out attacks in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Attacks could be indiscriminate, including places visited by foreigners including the Old City in Jerusalem, on public transport, and in busy public spaces,” it added. Michael Herzog, the Israeli ambassador to the US, said there was an “element of surprise” to the Hamas attacks but said that Israel “will have enough time to investigate once we conclude that war in victory”. In an interview with CBS’s Face the Nation, Herzog said: “We suspect Iranian hands behind the scenes, as you know Hamas and Iran are closely tied. Iran provides a material support, funding weapons to Hamas. They are tied in what they call the Axis of Resistance, of course, resistance to the existence of the State of Israel. They are part of the same coalition. So, as far as we are concerned, this is an Iranian led coalition and we suspect that Iran is involved.” In response to whether Israel will take the fight to Iran, Herzog said, “I’m not going to say what exactly Israel is going to do. But I will just say that whoever strikes Israel, we’ll strike back.” The Iranian president, Ebrahim Raisi, has said Iran supports the Palestinians’ right to self-defence, Agence France-Presse reports. “Iran supports the legitimate defence of the Palestinian nation,” Raisi said on Iranian state television. “The Zionist regime and its supporters are responsible for endangering the security of nations in the region, and they must be held accountable in this matter,” he added. Raisi also urged other Muslim governments to “support the Palestinian nation”, Agence France-Presse reported. Mexican foreign secretary Alicia Bárcena has announced that two Mexican citizens, a man and a woman, have allegedly been taken hostage by Hamas in Gaza on Saturday. “We are in contact with authorities in Israel and family members to provide follow-up, support and care,” Bárcena said. One French citizen has been killed in the violence in Israel and Gaza, Reuters reports a French foreign ministry spokesperson saying on Sunday. The French president, Emmanuel Macron, condemned Hamas’s attacks against Israel on Saturday and held talks with the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, and other regional leaders. Israel says it has hit 800 Hamas targets in Gaza Eight hundred Hamas targets were struck in Gaza with hundreds of Hamas fighters killed, Reuters reports an Israeli military spokesperson saying. Dozens more had been captured, added the spokesperson.