October 9, 2023 - Israel-Hamas war news

The United States is “surging support” to Israel, including air defense and munitions, a senior defense official said Monday. 

The official said there is “ongoing discussion” about Israel’s air defense needs but declined to specify what those are at this time. CNN previously reported that Israel has asked for additional interceptors for its Iron Dome air defense system. 

The Pentagon is also “contacting US industry to gain expedited shipment of pending Israeli orders for military equipment that otherwise may have been considered routine for movement,” the official said. 

“We’re also working across the (Department of Defense) enterprise, including with US Central Command, to assess what munitions and other equipment are in US inventories that can be made quickly available for Israel. All of these are actions we’re undertaking within our existing authority and appropriations,” the official added. 

The official said the administration currently has the resources, authorities, and funding it needs to continue its support for Israel, but said officials are working with Congress “to ensure that the appropriate authority and appropriations are available to support and respond to crises and contingencies.”

The administration remains “deeply concerned” about Hezbollah entering the conflict and choosing to open a second front in the war, the official said. 

The official added that there are continual conversations across the US government with Israeli counterparts about the hostages Hamas is holding in Gaza but would not elaborate. Asked about a potential US role in recovering hostages there, the official said they would not get into hypotheticals about any potential military role in the future.  

Asked about a potential Iranian role in planning the attack, the official said “of course Iran is in the picture. Iran has provided support for years to Hamas. And Hezbollah. But we have no information corroborating the specifics of the Wall Street Journal story at this time.”  

The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday that Iranian leaders met with Hamas officials several times in recent months to plan out the attack, citing senior members of Hamas and Hezbollah.

US President Joe Biden plans to convene a call Monday afternoon with leaders of France, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom – the so-called “Quint” countries – to discuss the coordinated response to violence unfolding in Israel, two Western officials tell CNN. 

The conversation is expected to focus on how best to provide military and humanitarian assistance to Israel, at war with Hamas militants after surprise attacks that killed hundreds of civilians. 

The five allies, which tout their shared values and close coordination on several fronts, all have issued forceful, public condemnations of the violence in Israel. The “Quint” format has been utilized more frequently in the last two years for the countries to coordinate aid to Ukraine, another country under attack where Western support has bolstered defenses. 

The White House said Biden would speak with “several of our close allies” and have “more to share soon.”

At least 11 American citizens have been confirmed to have been killed in Israel, President Joe Biden said in a statement.

He also says that it is “likely” that American citizens may be among those being held hostage by Hamas, and that his administration is working with Israeli officials on “every aspect of the hostage crisis.”

Biden also notes that there are American citizens whose whereabouts remain unaccounted for. 

Hamas will not negotiate on the issue of hostages while under Israeli fire, a spokesperson said in a video statement Monday.

"It has become clear that the enemy’s hostages are at risk to the same extent as our people in light of the aggression against the Gaza Strip," said Abu Obaida, spokesperson for al-Qassam Brigades. "We affirm that we will not deliberate or negotiate on the issue of hostages under fire, in light of aggression, or in light of battle."

Abu Obaida added that al-Qassam Brigades are holding a very large number of hostages in detention sites — and that some had been killed.

At least four civilians were killed while in the custody of Hamas, just feet from where armed militants had been escorting them near the Gaza border, videos obtained and geolocated by CNN show.

Abu Obaida went on to say the Hamas assault was launched after years of planning and preparations. 

“[Al-Aqsa flood] came after the Zionist tyranny reached its peak in the desecration of the blessed Al-Aqsa and the aggression against it and against our people everywhere," Abu Obaida said, referring to the Al-Aqsa compound in Jerusalem, one of the most revered places in Islam and Judaism. Israel killed hundreds and injured thousands of Palestinians over the past two years, yet still has a seat at the United Nations and receives weapons from the United States to kill children and destroy houses, he added. 

Seventeen people have been killed and 90 are injured across various parts of the West Bank, according to a statement from the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

The dead included three children, it said.

The 17 deaths occurred in Ramallah, Jerusalem, Nablus, Jericho, Qalqilya, and Hebron.

The nature and severity of the 90 injuries vary, officials say.

Clashes erupted in several areas of the occupied West Bank amid a closure imposed by the Israeli army after the Hamas attack on Saturday morning.

The US stock market staged an intraday recovery on Monday, reversing losses from earlier in the day after Israel formally declared war against Hamas.

The surprise attacks Hamas launched over the weekend, which left at least 900 people dead in Israel, sent jitters through Wall Street on Monday morning. It came as investors were already dealing with worries about higher-for-longer interest rates and surging yields.

But investors seemed to calm somewhat by early afternoon as oil prices stabilized.

US oil prices settled at $86.38 a barrel while Brent crude futures, the global benchmark, climbed to $88.15 a barrel. Both are well below their recent highs.

The US bond market is closed in observance of Indigenous Peoples' Day and Columbus Day.

Traditionally defensive assets climbed Monday as investors sought safety. Gold prices rose to roughly $1,861 a troy ounce.

Defensive stocks also climbed. Lockheed Martin shares swelled 8.9%, Northrop Grumman added 11.4% and RTX advanced 4.6%.

Oil stocks gained. Exxon Mobil shares added 3.4%, Occidental Petroleum rose 4.5% and Halliburton gained 6.8%.

Investors are also looking ahead to two key inflation reports set for release this week: the Producer Price Index and the Consumer Price Index.

The Dow rose 197 points, or 0.6%.

The S&P 500 added 0.6%.

The Nasdaq Composite gained 0.4%.

As stocks settle after the trading day, levels might change slightly.

Gaza's death toll has risen to 687 people, including 140 children, according to a statement by the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza on Monday.

The number of injured has reached 3,726 — 10% of them children — since the Israeli strikes began, the ministry added.

The ministry claims Israeli forces have targeted ambulances, with 11 ambulances and one health service vehicle being completely destroyed and subsequently rendered inoperable.

The health ministry said it continues to liaise and collaborate with global and humanitarian organizations to meet the hospitals' lack of medications, medical equipment and fuel.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that the Israeli military is going on the offense against Hamas with a force "like never before."

"This enemy wanted war and this this is what they will get," he said. 

The prime minister went on to thank US President Joe Biden and other world leaders for their support.

"I am in continuous contact with President Biden, and I would like to thank him again, on behalf of all the citizens of Israel, for the commitment of the US in words and deeds for the security of Israel," he said. "Also, I want to thank many world leaders for your unprecedented support for Israel," he added. 

Militants first arrived in Be'eri around 7 a.m. on Saturday — just 30 minutes after the Gaza-Israel border wall was breached, new video obtained by CNN indicates. 

As news begins to trickle out of Be'eri, it is emerging as one of the most affected kibbutzim. 

The video, geolocated by CNN, shows six militants, some of whom appear to be heavily armed, arriving from the north on motorbikes at 7:11 a.m. They are seen driving to the south, toward the town.

CNN previously reported that Gaza militants began firing around that time at people attending the Nova Festival, 3 miles south of Be'eri.

The kibbutz was "very badly hit," IDF spokesperson Richard Hecht said in a briefing earlier on Monday.

Hecht said that although most of the Hamas militants in the kibbutz have been killed, Israeli troops are still fighting them. 

At least four civilians were killed while in the custody of Hamas, just feet from where armed militants had been escorting them in Be’eri near the Gaza border, videos obtained earlier and geolocated by CNN show.

Be’eri lies three miles from the eastern border of Gaza.