October 9, 2023 - Israel-Hamas war news

Human Rights Watch in Israel and Palestine criticized the Israeli defense minister's call Monday for a "complete siege" of Gaza as a form of "collective punishment" and a "war crime.”

Omar Shakir, the director of Human Rights Watch in Israel and Palestine, called the comments by Defense Minister Yoav Gallant "abhorrent" and accused Israel of using starvation as "a weapon of war."

Omar, in a phone call with CNN on Monday, emphasized the risks to the 2.2 million Palestinians living under Israel's prolonged closure in Gaza and called for the International Criminal Court to intervene.   

In a statement posted to the Human Rights Watch website, Shakir also condemned the Hamas attacks on Israeli communities. saying the "deliberate targeting of civilians, indiscriminate attacks, and taking of civilians as hostages" also "amount to war crimes under international humanitarian law" 

At least 900 Israelis were killed in the Hamas attacks, according to Israeli Army radio, while Gaza authorities have reported at least 687 fatalities in the enclave.

Some context: Gallant on Monday ordered a “complete siege” of Gaza, and said he would halt the supply of electricity, food, water and fuel.

Tensions between Israelis and the Palestinians have existed since before Israel’s founding in 1948. The brazen attack by Hamas has become a turning point in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict with far-reaching repercussions, causing large civilian damage.

US aviation officials have published a new, special notice warning airlines and pilots to “closely monitor airspace developments in the region” of Israel.

United Airlines flights bound to Dubai from Newark, which typically overfly Israel, are taking new routes to avoid its airspace, airline spokesperson Leslie Scott told CNN.

The notice was published on Monday at 6:30 p.m. ET and is set to expire on October 19.  

The US government has said it is not “actively considering” emergency evacuation of US citizens in Israel, said a spokesperson for the National Security Council.

In a statement earlier Monday, President Joe Biden said that the State Department is providing consular assistance and updated security alerts to keep Americans apprised of the situation as it evolves, but that Americans would need to arrange their own travel plans to leave the country. 

Hayim Katsman, an Israeli-American academic killed in Saturday’s attacks by Hamas was “very pro-peace” and supported “a solution for this bleeding conflict” between Israel and Palestinians, his sibling told CNN.

Noy Katsman said they last heard from their brother on Saturday morning when he wrote that there were terrorists on Kibbutz Holit, which is in southwest Israel near Gaza.

Noy Katsman is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns. 

Katsman tried to reach their brother again about four hours later but got no response.

They later discovered that their brother had hidden in a closet with a neighbor on the kibbutz and was shot in the attack.

Katsman said their brother “was a brilliant academist.” He was also a musician, who DJ’d and played bass, and volunteered in the community garden in Rahat.

Katsman said their parents moved to Israel from the United States 34 years ago and that their brother was a US citizen. 

Hayim Katsman earned his Ph.D. in international studies from the University of Washington's Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies in 2021 and was described as “an emerging scholar in the field of Israel Studies,” in a statement issued by The Association for Israel Studies.

His work has been published in various scholarly publications and in 2019, he won a prestigious award for best graduate paper, the statement said.

Noy Katsman told CNN they hoped his death is not used “as an excuse to kill other innocent people.”

“He wouldn’t have wanted that,” they said.

Noy Katsman has been studying in Germany and is now trying to get back to Israel for the funeral. They said they don’t know when the funeral will be held because it is still dangerous to recover the bodies.

CNN teams on the ground in Israel have heard explosions in Gaza and heavy rumbles in the last hour, appearing to indicate further strikes. 

Fighter jets were also heard flying above close to the border, according to CNN's Nic Robertson in Sderot and Clarissa Ward in Ashkelon.

Robertson saw "big flashes in the sky" and "heard the sound of very, very heavy impact" coming from Gaza. 

CNN teams could also hear drone activity and a helicopter flying near the border with Gaza.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called on the United Nations to take immediate action against the continued “Israeli aggression” toward Palestinians.

Abbas made the remarks on a phone call with UN Secretary-General António Guterres, according to the state news agency WAFA.

Abbas called on the UN to "immediately intervene to stop the ongoing Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people, particularly in the Gaza Strip,” WAFA reported on Monday. 

The Palestinian president emphasized the urgent need for medical and relief aid in Gaza, drawing attention to the looming humanitarian crisis. He urged the UN to "uphold its responsibilities as recognized by international legitimacy and ensure protection for the Palestinian people." 

In response to Abbas's concerns, Guterres acknowledged the UN's continued efforts to deliver urgent humanitarian aid to the residents of Gaza. He also mentioned that the UN is actively liaising with pertinent international stakeholders to curb the current escalation, WAFA reported. 

Some historical context: Hamas presents itself as an alternative to the Palestinian Authority, led by Abbas.

The PA was established in the Israeli-occupied West Bank in 1993 through the Oslo Accords, a peace pact between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). It stipulated the PLO give up armed resistance against Israel in return for promises of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel.

The US is working “literally by the hour” to learn more about Americans unaccounted for in Israel but still cannot confirm how many — if any — are among the hostages taken by Hamas. 

"We can't confirm that they are in fact holding hostages,” John Kirby, the National Security Council spokesperson, said Monday evening. “The truth is, we don't have a solid idea of how many total are unaccounted for,” he said.

Kirby described the efforts underway to identify and determine how many Americans could be held hostage as a multi-pronged effort that included coordination with the Israelis and hearing directly from American families.

“We're in direct communication with them at various levels to try to get as much information as they might have that can help us,” he said.

Kirby said the US government has been “hearing from many family members” of people who are missing and asking about information.

Kirby declined to characterize the number of families the US has heard from since the attacks on Saturday.

“We know there is a number of unaccounted-for Americans, and we're trying very, very hard on an individual basis, to try to track them down. And to and to try to figure out where where they are,” he said.

The European Union clarified on Monday that aid payments for Palestinians will not be suspended, following comments by one of its officials, who said payments will be halted. 

Oliver Varhelyi, the European Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement, said in a series of posts on social media that the Commission is suspending all Palestinian funding until further review in light of the Hamas attack on Israel.

In a statement released after his remarks, the European Commission said it is "launching an urgent review of the EU's assistance for Palestine," but "this review does not concern humanitarian assistance provided under European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO)."

"In addition to the existing safeguards, the objective of this review is to ensure that no EU funding indirectly enables any terrorist organization to carry out attacks against Israel," the Commission said, adding it "unequivocally condemns the terrorist attacks carried out by Hamas against Israel over the weekend." 

Following Varhelyi's comments, Janez Lenarč, the European Commissioner for Crisis Management, said humanitarian aid for Palestinians will indeed continue. 

EU's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell also reiterated on Monday that the review of the EU assistance for Palestine announced by the European Commission "will not suspend the due payments." 

President Joe Biden will deliver remarks on the conflict in Israel on Tuesday, a White House official says. The address is expected to be around 1 p.m. ET.

This will mark the second time Biden will speak on camera about the attacks since Hamas launched its deadly assault Saturday. 

Earlier Monday: Biden spoke with the leaders of France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom. The allies expressed “steadfast and united support” for Israel and “unequivocal condemnation” of Hamas and, “its appalling acts of terrorism," the countries said in a joint statement.

The US president also said at least 11 Americans were killed in the Hamas attacks and others are likely being held as hostages.

CNN's Nikki Carvajal contributed reporting to this post.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Monday that the Israeli military would attack Hamas with a force “like never before,” more than 48 hours after the devastating surprise attack in Israeli territory.

"As the Prime Minister of Israel, I tell you frankly, difficult days are still ahead of us," he said in a televised address.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant ordered a “complete siege” of Gaza and said he would halt the supply of electricity, food, water and fuel to the Palestinian enclave.

Hours later, a spokesperson for Hamas’ armed wing said it would begin killing civilian hostages and broadcasting the act if Israel targets people in Gaza without warning.

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