‘We are just getting started’: Netanyahu says Israel response will ‘change Middle East’ Israel’s response to the hostilities initiated by Hamas will “change the Middle East”, its prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said earlier today. Netanyahu, speaking to local mayors on Israel’s southern border, was quoted by his office as saying: What Hamas will experience will be difficult and terrible; we are already in the campaign and we are just getting started … The state will leave no stone unturned to help all of you. I ask that you stand steadfast because we are going to change the Middle East. Summary It’s shortly after midnight in Israel and Gaza and there has been no letup in the tension and trauma of this conflict. We’ll continue to bring you the news developments from the region and internationally, as they happen. Here’s where things stand: Joe Biden has just issued a statement announcing that at least 11 American citizens have been killed in the Hamas attacks on southern Israel and the White House believes “it is likely” that American citizens are among those being held by Hamas in Gaza. Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, said Turkey is ready to act as a mediator between Israeli and Palestinian authorities if the two parties make such a proposition. Erdoğan’s remarks came after he held calls with the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, and the Israeli president, Isaac Herzog. Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, echoed remarks made by the country’s president, Isaac Herzog, saying atrocities committed by Hamas during its attack on Israel mirrored the kind of horrors carried out by Islamic State (IS). Hamas is open to discussions over a possible truce with Israel, having “achieved its targets”, senior Hamas official Moussa Abu Marzouk said in a phone interview with Al Jazeera. The UK’s prime minister, Rishi Sunak, has pledged to provide diplomatic, intelligence or security support to Israel if requested after attacks by Hamas, as he chaired an emergency government meeting. The Palestinian death toll has risen to more than 680 killed in Israeli counterattack strikes and 3,726 others wounded, the Gaza health ministry reported. The Israeli death toll stands at more than 900. Hamas threatened to execute civilian hostages if Gaza attacks by Israeli forces continue without warning. United Nations secretary general António Guterres urged an end to the ‘vicious circle of bloodshed, hatred and polarisation’ in the region and said he was “deeply distressed” by Israel’s declaration of a “complete siege” of Gaza. Netanyahu says Israel response to the attacks started by Hamas on Saturday will ‘change the Middle East’ and the his state actions are ‘just getting started’. Earlier, Gaza continued firing rockets toward southern and central Israel, with injuries reported, and Israel continued carrying out airstrikes in Gaza. Israeli authorities said they restored control in southern communities but that some Hamas militants might still be present inside Israel. Israeli forces exchanged fire with armed individuals in northern Israel who crossed the border from Lebanon. Militants were killed, while Israeli soldiers were wounded. Israeli combat helicopters carried out strikes inside Lebanon, and Israelis living near the Lebanese border were told to seek shelter until further notice. Egypt had warned Israel “something big” was coming, the Associated Press reported. The Israeli prime minister’s office denied a warning came from Cairo. Joe Biden’s statement from the White House also included some advice for Americans in the region, following his news that at least 11 US citizens have been killed and others are believed to be among hostages snatched by Hamas. And he issued a reiteration of some diplomatic sentiments. For American citizens who are currently in Israel, the State Department is providing consular assistance as well as updated security alerts. For those who desire to leave, commercial flights and ground options are still available. Please also take sensible precautions in the days ahead and follow the guidance of local authorities…. The United States and the State of Israel are inseparable partners, and I affirmed to Prime Minister Netanyahu again when we spoke yesterday that the United States will continue to make sure Israel has what it needs to defend itself and its people.” Joe Biden’s statement, just issued by the White House, goes on to discuss how the US president says his administration is sharing intelligence and deploying experts from across the US government to assist Israel in trying to resolve the hostage crisis. The statement says in fuller detail: I have directed my team to work with their Israeli counterparts on every aspect of the hostage crisis, including sharing intelligence and deploying experts from across the United States government to consult with and advise Israeli counterparts on hostage recovery efforts … This is not some distant tragedy. The ties between Israel and the United States run deep. It is personal for so many American families who are feeling the pain of this attack as well as the scars inflicted through millennia of antisemitism and persecution of Jewish people. In cities across the country, police departments have stepped up security around centers of Jewish life, and the Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and other federal law enforcement partners are closely monitoring for any domestic threats in connection with the horrific terrorist attacks in Israel. In this moment of heartbreak, the American people stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Israelis. We remember the pain of being attacked by terrorists at home, and Americans across the country stand united against these evil acts that have once more claimed innocent American lives. It is an outrage. And we will continue to show the world that the American people are unwavering in our resolve to oppose terrorism in all forms.” Biden talks of heartbreak as ‘at least 11’ Americans killed Joe Biden has just issued a lengthy statement from the White House announcing that at least 11 American citizens have been killed in the Hamas attacks on southern Israel. The US president also said: “We believe it is likely that American citizens may be among those being held by Hamas.” Here is the first section of the statement: As we continue to account for the horrors of the appalling terrorist assault against Israel this weekend and the hundreds of innocent civilians who were murdered, we are seeing the immense scale and reach of this tragedy. Sadly, we now know that at least 11 American citizens were among those killed – many of whom made a second home in Israel. It’s heart-wrenching. These families have been torn apart by inexcusable hatred and violence. We also know that American citizens still remain unaccounted for, and we are working with Israeli officials to obtain more information as to their whereabouts. My heart goes out to every family impacted by the horrible events of the past few days. The pain these families have endured, the enormity of their loss, and the agony of those still awaiting information is unfathomable. The safety of American citizens – whether at home or abroad – is my top priority as president. While we are still working to confirm, we believe it is likely that American citizens may be among those being held by Hamas. A married couple with dual Italian-Israeli citizenship are missing from the Be’eri kibbutz, Italy’s foreign minister, Antonio Tajani, said. Speaking to the country’s state broadcaster, Rai, Tajani did not give the names of the man and woman, whom he said had not answered calls from their family. He added: We hope to find them, but at this time we don’t have any other news. It is probable that they have been kidnapped. About 2,000 people attended a Jewish community vigil in Westminster, London for Israel on Monday night, arranged by the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Jewish Leadership Council. A bloody attack by Hamas has shocked the world – and left Israel reeling. As the country responds with devastating airstrikes, Peter Beaumont explains how the surprise attack unfolded and what could happen next in an extra episode of the Guardian’s podcast Today in Focus. He tells Michael Safi how Hamas managed to take Israel by surprise and break through one of the most secure borders in the world. They discuss what the terrible events of the past few days mean for Israelis, Palestine and the world. Turkey ready to act as mediator, says Erdoğan Turkey is ready to act as a mediator between Israeli and Palestinian authorities if the two parties make such a proposition, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said. Speaking during a press conference after a cabinet meeting in Ankara, Erdoğan said Turkey was making necessary preparations to send humanitarian aid to Gaza, Reuters reported. He urged Israel to stop bombing Palestinian lands and Palestine to stop harassing Israeli civilian settlements, adding: We believe that there will be no peace in the region without an independent, sovereign Palestine. Erdoğan’s remarks came after he held calls with the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, and the Israeli president, Isaac Herzog. The Turkish leader told Abbas that Ankara “is making every effort to end the conflicts in the region and ensure calm as soon as possible,” a statement from his press office said, AP reported. In his call with Herzog, Erdoğan “emphasised that any step that could harm the people of Gaza collectively and indiscriminately will further increase the suffering and spiral of violence in the region,” the presidential office statement said. Erdoğan also told his Israeli counterpart that it was “necessary to act with common sense and that establishing tranquility in the region as soon as possible is of great importance for the wellbeing of the entire region”, according to the statement. Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, echoed President Isaac Herzog’s remarks, saying atrocities committed by Hamas during its attack on Israel mirrored those carried out by Islamic State. Speaking in a televised statement, Netanyahu recounted how some Israelis were killed during the Hamas incursion. He said: The atrocities committed by Hamas have not been seen since Isis atrocities. Bound children executed along with their families. Young men and women shot in the back, executed. Other horrors I won’t describe here. He added: We have always known who Hamas is. Now the entire world knows. Hamas is Isis. And we will defeat it just like the enlightened world defeated Isis. This vile enemy wanted war and it will get war. Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog, compared the incursion by Hamas militants on the weekend with the “abhorrent and unspeakable” actions of Islamic State, calling on world leaders to designate Hamas as a terrorist body and to support Israel “in words and in deeds”. In a televised statement, he said: To my mind, not since the Holocaust have so many Jews been killed in one day. And not since the Holocaust have we witnessed scenes of Jewish women and children, grandparents – even Holocaust survivors – being herded into trucks and taken into captivity. Hamas has imported, adopted, and replicated the savagery of Isis, entering civilian homes on a holiday, and murdering in cold blood whole families. Young and old, violating and burning bodies, beating and torturing their innocent victims, Jews and Muslims, and other faiths. The brutality. Inhumanity. The barbarity of monsters. Not humans – monsters.