Hamas armed wing tells residents of Israeli city, Ashkelon, to leave within hours: Live updates

The al-Qassam brigades, an armed wing of Palestinian militant group Hamas, posted a warning on social media for citizens of the Israeli city Ashkelon.

“In response to the enemy’s crime of displacing our people and forcing them to flee their homes in several areas of the Gaza Strip, we give the residents of the occupied city of Ashkelon a deadline to leave it before five o’clock this evening, and those who warned are excused,” spokesperson Abu Ubaida said on Telegram, according to a Google translation.

Al-Qassam did not elaborate on why it was issuing this warning.

The deadline of 5 p.m. in Israel translates to 10 a.m. ET, and 3 p.m. London time.

Ashkelon is located just north of Gaza, on Israel’s Mediterranean coast.

— Katrina Bishop

U.S. President Joe Biden will address the unprecedented terror attacks carried out over the weekend by Palestinian militant group Hamas, as violence soars in the Middle East.

Biden’s remarks, slated for 1 p.m. ET from the White House, come on the heels of what the Pentagon has dubbed as “ISIS-level savagery” in Israel.

The Israel-Hamas conflict, which has so far claimed the lives of nearly 1,700 people, has triggered the movement of U.S. firepower to the region, in an effort to bolster Israeli security.

In a statement on Monday evening, Biden confirmed the deaths of at least 11 Americans in Israel and acknowledged that some U.S. citizens may have been kidnapped by Hamas. He said he directed a team to work with Israeli counterparts “on every aspect of the hostage crisis.”

The Pentagon on Monday said it is coordinating with the U.S. defense industry to expedite the shipping of pending Israeli weapon orders.

Read the full story here.

— Amanda Macias

Research Fellow for Middle East Policy at the IISS, Hasan Alhasan, discusses how the international community could impact the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Israeli soldiers are pictured surveying the grounds of the Supernova electronic music festival after Saturday’s deadly attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas. Around 260 people died, and more than 100 were taken hostage in the incident, according to the ZAKA rescue agency.

– Ilia Yefimovich/picture alliance via Getty Images

U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk condemned attacks on civilians in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestinian military group Hamas in a statement out Tuesday.

Israeli forces have engaged in a series of retaliatory strikes following a Saturday offensive by Hamas, which openly targeted civilians and opened fire at the site of a musical festival.

Türk criticized the bloodshed triggered by Hamas, saying he was “deeply shocked and appalled by allegations of summary executions of civilians, and, in some instances, horrifying mass killings by members of Palestinian armed groups.”

“It is horrific and deeply distressing to see images of those captured by Palestinian armed groups being ill-treated, as well as reports of killings and the desecration of their bodies,” he said. “Civilians must never be used as bargaining chips.”

He said that Israeli air strikes have also hit residential areas in the Gaza Strip, schools and the local premises of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency.

“International humanitarian law is clear: the obligation to take constant care to spare the civilian population and civilian objects remains applicable throughout the attacks,” he said.

Türk further condemned a decision by Israel to impose a siege on the Gaza Strip, depriving the already vulnerable region of fuel, food, electricity and water supplies.

“This risks seriously compounding the already dire human rights and humanitarian situation in Gaza, including the capacity of medical facilities to operate, especially in light of increasing numbers of injured,” he said. “The imposition of sieges that endanger the lives of civilians by depriving them of goods essential for their survival is prohibited under international humanitarian law.”

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had previously expressed on Monday that he was “deeply distressed” by the siege announcement.

— Ruxandra Iordache

The European Union’s top diplomat Josep Borrell said he has invited both Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen and Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister Ryiad al-Maliki to an emergency meeting of the European Foreign Affairs ministers later on Tuesday.

Borrell made the announcement in a social media post on X, previously known as Twitter.

The meeting will cover developments in Israel following a lethal and unprecedented strike by Palestinian militant group Hamas over the weekend. The conflict has so far claimed over 1,600 lives. EU ministers will convene in Muscat, Oman, where Borrell was already scheduled to co-chair a meeting of the EU and Gulf Cooperation Council.

The international community has largely condemned the attack by Hamas. The U.N. has acknowledged Israel’s security concerns while also urging an obligation to spare civilian populations amid the hostilities.

— Ruxandra Iordache

Iran’s top official Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Tuesday said Israel suffered an “irreparable failure, both militarily and in terms of intelligence” amid the weekend attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas.

U.S.-sanctioned Iran, historically a supporter of Hamas and a long-standing rival of Israel, claims it was not involved in the offensive, which has resulted in at least 1,587 deaths at the time of writing.

“We kiss the foreheads and arms of resourceful and intelligent designers and Palestinian youth, but those who say that the recent saga is the work of non-Palestinians have miscalculated,” he said in Google-translated comments carried by the Iranian state-owned Islamic Republic News Agency.

Since the weekend hostilities, Israel has carried out an intense retaliatory offensive which includes a “complete siege” of the Gaza Strip and has resulted in droves of displaced Palestinians.

— Ruxandra Iordache

Displacements across the Gaza Strip have “escalated” over the past 24 hours, affecting 187,518 people, according to the latest figures from the U.N. Relief and Works Agency out on Tuesday.

The agency expects these numbers to increase further and notes that around 3,000 Palestinians in Gaza remain displaced, following previous escalations.

Israel has declared a “complete siege” of the Gaza Strip, banning fuel, water and electricity supplies to the region in retaliation for the surprise multi-pronged attack of Palestinian militant group Hamas over the weekend.

“While I recognize Israel’s legitimate security concerns, I also remind Israel that military operations must be conducted in strict accordance with international humanitarian law,” U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Monday, noting reports of Israeli missiles striking health facilities in Gaza, multi-story residential towers and a mosque.

“I am deeply distressed by today’s announcement that Israel will initiate a complete siege of the Gaza Strip. Nothing allowed in, no electricity, food or fuel. The humanitarian situation was extremely dire before these hostilities. Now, it will only deteriorate exponentially,” he added.

— Ruxandra Iordache

The Israeli Air Force sent transport planes to bring back “hundreds” of soldiers of the Israeli Defense Force who were abroad.

The soldiers will “take part in the fighting in the ‘Iron Swords’ war, as part of the IDF’s efforts to mobilize additional forces to continue fighting,” the IAF said Tuesday in a Google-translated post on the X social media platform, previously known as Twitter.

Israel launched operation “Iron Swords” in retaliation for the unexpected and bloody Saturday attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas. Israel has said it has drafted 300,000 reservists as part of its response.

Military service is compulsory for most Israeli citizens over the age of 18, with enlisted men and women expected to serve a minimum of 32 and 24 months, respectively. Israeli Arabs are exempt.

— Ruxandra Iordache

Israel’s military said it had regained control of the Gaza-Israel border, four days after the surprise attack from Hamas militants inflicted the highest casualty toll on Israel in fifty years.

Israeli Defense Forces spokesperson Richard Hecht said that about 1,500 bodies of Hamas militants were found in Israel territory as the country’s forces “restored full control” over the border. Hecht said that no Hamas fighters have entered into Israel since last night, but infiltration is still possible.

— Natasha Turak

Israel’s economy can withstand an extended conflict of more than eight weeks, Bob Savage, head of Markets Strategy and Insights at BNY Mellon, said in a note on Tuesday.

“The ability for Israel to handle an extended war – over eight weeks – is very different now than back in 1973,” Savage said, referencing the Arab-Israel conflict that kicked off nearly fifty years to the day of the multi-pronged Saturday offensive of Palestinian militant group Hamas.

“There are some notable economic strengths along with political shifts in play. Israel has links to Egypt and to UAE, along with some significant natural gas reserves now. When you look at Israel’s budget situation, it appears to have plenty of room for war spending,” the note added, pointing to the prospect of higher defense spending and “more unification around preventing this from happening again.”

Over the course of the year, Israel’s civil unity was fissured by widespread protests in response to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s broad judicial reforms, which opponents questioned could propel the nation toward autocracy.

— Ruxandra Iordache

The death toll from the ongoing violence between Israel and Hamas has passed 1,500, with over 900 killed and 2,600 injured in Israel and at least 687 people killed and 3,700 injured in Gaza, according to Palestinian and Israeli health services.

The conflict, declared a war on Saturday by Israel’s President Benjamin Netanyahu, is now in its fourth day as Israel bombards the Gaza Strip with airstrikes in retaliation for the terrorist attack carried out by Palestinian militant group Hamas in southern Israel.

Some 150 Israeli hostages remain captive by Hamas in Gaza, Israeli officials said Monday. The U.S. and other governments are working to determine how many foreign nationals are among the hostages.

— Natasha Turak

A North Korean state media outlet pinned fault on Israel for the recent violence with Palestinian militant group Hamas, in a rare opinion on the conflict from Pyongyang.

“The international community called this clash a bloody conflict, saying it was the result of Israel’s constant criminal acts against the Palestinian people. They claim that the fundamental way to end it is to build an independent Palestinian state,” a brief article carried by Rodong Sinmun said Tuesday, according to a Google translation.

The publication serves the North Korea’s ruling Worker’s Party.

U.N.-sanctioned Pyongyang has frequently taken foreign policy positions that oppose those of the West, particularly the views of the United States. The international community has largely expressed support for the losses of Israel and called for a cease-fire.

— Ruxandra Iordache

— Scott Mlyn and Adam Jeffery

Saudi Arabia announced its support for the Palestinian people in a call with President Mahmoud Abbas, Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.

“President Abbas expressed appreciation for the firm position and efforts exerted by Saudi Arabia in support of the Palestinian people and their just cause,” the report stated.

“The Saudi Crown Prince affirmed that his country will continue to stand by the Palestinian people and that it is exerting great efforts to ensure the return of calm and stability.”

Abbas is the head of the Palestinian Authority, the internationally recognized government of the Palestinian people. He is also the head of Fatah, the other major Palestinian party that’s a key rival to Hamas. The Palestinian Authority currently administers part of the West Bank.

On Saturday, Saudi Arabia stated it does not support the attacks, and has joined global calls for a de-escalation.

— Lee Ying Shan

The leaders of France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom and the United States reiterated their support for Israel and “for a peaceful and integrated Middle East region” during a call earlier today.

“We make clear that the terrorist actions of Hamas have no justification, no legitimacy, and must be universally condemned. There is never any justification for terrorism,” the leaders wrote in a joint statement.  

“Our countries will support Israel in its efforts to defend itself and its people against such atrocities. We further emphasize that this is not a moment for any party hostile to Israel to exploit these attacks to seek advantage,” wrote French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and American President Joe Biden.

— Amanda Macias

President Joe Biden confirmed at least 11 Americans were killed in Israel. Sadly, we now know that at least 11 American citizens were among those killed—many of whom made a second home in Israel,” Biden said in a statement released by the White House.

Commenting on hostages, Biden said: “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.”

Read the full statement from the president:

— Riya Bhattacharjee