October 10, 2023 - Israel-Hamas war news

Hamas militants carried out a “massacre” in Kfar Aza in southern Israel during their attacks over the weekend, in which women, children, toddlers and the elderly were "brutally butchered in an ISIS way of action,” the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) told CNN Tuesday.

The IDF said it cannot confirm the number of people killed there and would not go into details how the people were killed.

The IDF was responding to a report by the news outlet i24 that some of its troops who arrived at Kfar Aza found terrible atrocities had been committed against the victims.

Earlier today, an Israeli general described to CNN the moment the military found bodies in the Kfar Aza kibbutz: "I’ve never seen anything like this in my career, never in 40 years of service this something I never imagined," he said.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have seemingly stopped the “knock on the roof.” The euphemism describes a military tactic first developed in 2009 and used in several conflicts since then.

How it works: IDF forces will alert a building’s occupants that they are targeting the structure for an airstrike by dropping a small, non-explosive munition on the roof before a larger strike is executed. Its objective is to minimize civilian casualties by allowing for evacuation in buildings where militant groups keep rockets or ammunition stashed.

Despite the ultimate goal of saving lives, the technique is controversial and has been criticized by human rights groups, who argue dropping a munition on a building should not be considered a warning.

Others say even with the heads-up, there are few safe places for civilians to go in a blockaded strip of land. Gaza is small, just 140 square miles, and one of the most densely populated places on the planet. Civilians, including children, are often killed in the bombardments.

IDF spokesperson Lt. Col. Richard Hecht explained that the distinction between military and civilian targets was not so simple.

What’s happening now: Following Hamas’ attack on Saturday, Israel seems to have abandoned the “knock on the roof.” CNN has spoken to multiple people in Gaza who said they were given no notice when their homes were bombed.

When asked whether the IDF has stopped the tactic, Hecht said on Monday that Hamas did not “knock on the roof.”

This absence of such warnings may be contributing to the significant number of civilian casualties reported so far in Gaza. At least 830 people have been killed in Gaza since Saturday.

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) troops engaged in a firefight with Hamas militants near the kibbutz Mefalsim Tuesday evening local time, multiple IDF troops on the ground told CNN.

A CNN team heard numerous exchanges of machine gunfire, while positioned near a group of IDF troops holding a perimeter about 1 kilometer (or about 0.6 miles) away from the battle.

At one point, CNN heard gunfire coming from a different direction and troops indicated there were numerous firefights with Hamas happening in the area.

An IDF spokesperson could not immediately confirm an official version of events.

Before Adrienne Neta went missing from Kibbutz Be'eri Saturday — assumed kidnapped by Hamas attackers — she was on the phone with her children, who were trying to calm the 66-year-old as she heard gunfire outside her home, her eldest son Nahar Neta told reporters Tuesday at a news conference held by families of US citizens missing in Israel.

“Both my brother and my sister were on the call with her as the terrorists barged into her home and we heard a little bit of screaming and that was our last contact with her,” Nahar Neta said. 

According to Nahar, he has not been contacted by the government about his mother.

Adrienne was born and raised in California, Nahar said, adding the US government also had a responsibility "for the life of every US citizen that is out there," and to bring each home "safe and sound."

Diana Neta, Adrienne’s youngest child, praised her mother, describing her as "an exceptional human being" who spent most of her adult life working as a nurse and a midwife. "When she walked into a delivery room, she saw a human being in front of her. Not a religion, not a race.”

The family once calculated that Adrienne has brought thousands of lives into this world.

“When Hamas walked into my mother’s room in Be'eri, they saw her alone, but they did not see a human being,” she said.

Th death toll in Gaza rose to 830 people killed, the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza said Tuesday, with another 4,250 people injured.

Internet disruptions are affecting the death toll updates, the ministry said.

Tens of thousands of Israeli troops are on the move as the country prepares for a possible ground operation in response to the surprise attack launched by Hamas early Saturday morning.

More than 300,000 troops have been called up, the largest mobilization on short notice in Israel’s history, according to Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus. Those in the south are readying ahead of the forthcoming operation in Gaza and defending the border. Jeeps, tanks and other large military vehicles have been seen heading south as well

Along the northern border with Lebanon, the IDF has deployed tens of thousands of troops, including reservists and regular units, Conricus said. Tanks have also been spotted in the area.

No shortages: In a briefing on its website, the IDF shot down any hints that it was suffering a shortage of goods, food and water. It said that the main struggle was equipping 300,000 troops who had mobilized in just 48 hours.“We are not lacking equipment, everyone will be provided everything they need,” the IDF said.

Washington's role: To support its ally, the United States sent a carrier strike group to the eastern Mediterranean Sea that, according to US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, is meant to help deter Hezbollah and other militant groups.

The first tranche of military assistance from the US is already on its way to Israel, according to John Kirby, the coordinator for strategic communications at the US National Security Council.Israel had previously requested more interceptors for the Iron Dome missile defense system and precision guided bombs, an Israeli military source and a US defense official told CNN. It’s unclear if Washington will provide the precision weapons. 

Israel is carrying out air strikes on the Gaza port, the Israel Defense Forces has confirmed to CNN, as seen on a live video feed from Reuters. 

"IDF is currently striking terror targets belonging to the Hamas terrorist organization on the coast of the Gaza Strip. Details to follow," it said in a statement Tuesday. 

A fishing boat was pictured ablaze at the port. 

Jonathan Dekel-Chen is calling on the US government to help negotiate the release of his son and other people presumed kidnapped by Hamas.

“The United States administration and its various services have relationships in the world with countries that Israel does not and it could be helpful for the United States in its various parts to engage with those friends and acquaintances to help it negotiate in some way, secure the release or at least get solid information,” Dekel-Chen told CNN.

Dekel-Chen grew up in Connecticut, but he says he has lived on a kibbutz in Israel for many years and raised his family there, including his 35-year-old son Sagui who is missing.

Sagui and others tried to repel attackers from their home in Kibbutz Nir Oz, the father said.

Sagui is the father of two girls and his wife is pregnant with a third daughter, he said.

According to Dekel-Chen, 400 people make up the Kibbutz Nir Oz community, but he currently knows of only 160 survivors.

“The rest have either died or are, as we said, prisoners are missing,” he said.

Some background: Traditionally agrarian, the kibbutzim (plural for kibbutz) were popular in the country’s early years, founded on ideals of communal living and agriculture. About 125,000 people live on them today, according to the Jewish Agency for Israel, and there are approximately 250 kibbutzim across Israel.

CNN's Amir Tal and Heather Chen contributed reporting to this post.

In a phone call with US President Joe Biden, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – reeling from one of the worst attacks on his country in decades – brought up the possibility of going into Gaza. President Biden did not warn him against doing so, a US official briefed on the conversation tells CNN.

With Biden set to deliver a second speech on the situation in Israel, he will continue to hold back from urging Netanyahu to exercise restraint, according to officials familiar with the remarks.

This decision in the immediate aftermath of the attacks in no small part reflects the sheer shock and breadth of Hamas’ brutal attack on Israel that makes this moment different, officials say.

Over the past 72 hours, officials have acknowledged what a deeply tenuous position that possibility puts the administration in: as a general matter, the US has historically urged for cease fire on all sides when conflicts have broken out in the region.

Further complicating the matter is the possibility of American hostages being held inside Gaza.

And now, as Biden is poised to deliver his second speech to the nation since war broke out in Israel, the president and his national security team are keenly aware of what appears to be a growing likelihood of Netanyahu making a ground incursion into Gaza.