08 October 2023 , 21:31
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Air strikes pounded Gaza overnight after hundreds of Israelis were killed in attacks by Hamas.
Over 100 soldiers and civilians were being held hostage, many in underground tunnels in the territory. It was confirmed 600 Israeli citizens were killed by militants who crossed the border. At least 413 Palestinians have died in air strikes from Israel.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed “mighty vengeance” and said he was prepared to do “anything” to free the hostages, believed to include children and grandparents. Some of the stories of the young people killed were heartbreaking.
Smoke billows following an Israeli airstrike in Gaza (Xinhua/REX/Shutterstock)London-born Nathanel Young, 20, was serving with the Israel Defence Forces when he was killed on the Gaza border. His brother Eliot said he had been “the life of the party”. He said: “He loved his family and friends and was loved by everyone.
“He loved music and was a talented DJ” and “always had strong Jewish pride”. He was a “bubbly guy who his four nieces loved playing with”. Attendees at a music festival just north of Gaza were targeted. Among them was German tattoo artist Shani Louk, 30, whose semi-naked body was seen in the back of a Hamas pick-up truck as militants sat on top of her and jeered.
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Her cousin Tomasina Weintraub-Louk said the family recognised her leg tattoos and dreadlocked hair. She said: “It is definitely Shani. She was at a music festival for peace. This is a nightmare. for our family.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (AFP via Getty Images)Footage of a 25-year-old woman being kidnapped from the festival by Hamas fighters emerged online. The distressing video shows Noa Argamani sitting on the back of a fighter’s motorcycle.
As she is taken away by gunmen, she screams: “Don’t kill me! No! No!” Her boyfriend Avi Nathan is also seen being manhandled by the Hamas group, and was also missing. Survivor Gili Yoskovich said: “They were all over the place with automatic weapons. The terrorists were coming from four or five places. People were shooting at me. People were dying all around.
“I was just thinking about my kids, my friend, about everything and I was saying it’s not the time to die for me.” A Nova Festival spokesman said: “We are doing the best we can to help security forces locate the missing.”
Hamas transporting a captured Israeli civilian from Kibbutz into the Gaza Strip (AP)Doron Asher, 34, and her two daughters, Raz, five, and Aviv, three, were reportedly among Israeli civilians taken hostage by Hamas gunmen and held captive in Gaza. Another clip showed an elderly civilian woman being taken from Kibbutz Kfar Aza into the Gaza Strip.
Israel could sent in thousands of ground troops to rescue hostages. Major Doron Spielman said: “We have men, women, children and grandmothers sitting in Gaza in some basement. What I can tell you is that we’re not going to stop until we exhaust every means possible of [getting them back].
“We will not leave any person behind, and we will do anything to make that happen.” He added: “This is the most devastating attack in the history of the state of Israel in 75 years.”
An Israeli woman and man being abducted by Hamas as they plead for their livesIsraeli warplanes continued to attack Gaza today. The IDF said it had struck 426 targets, including 10 towers used by Hamas. Israel said drones were used to strike “a number of terrorist squads”. Missiles fired by militants in Gaza were intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome defence system.
Inside Gaza, neuro-rehabilitation consultant Dr Khamis Elessi said: “Everywhere you are going in Gaza you see funerals, you see death”. He said he had moved his family to the ground floor. He added: “You cannot just close your eyes, the kids are crying and screaming, there is no electricity, there’s no internet and so you feel you could be next.
“This bomb could be on top your home, on top of your apartment.” The attacks have drawn worldwide condemnation. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak last night offered his support to Mr Netanyahu last night, “whether that’s diplomatic or security support”.
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Shani Louk was attending a Nova Festival near the Gaza-Israel border when she was kidnapped by Hamas invaders (Instagram)He said: “We will continue to do everything that we can to help. Terrorism will not prevail.” The US will send an aircraft carrier strike group to the Mediterranean to support Israel, a US official said.
Labour leader Keir Starmer said: “This is an appalling attack on Israel, a terrorist attack, for which there is no justification. The perpetrators of this have deliberately pushed back the prospect of peace agreements.”
Home Secretary Suella Braverman said she expected the police to “use the full force of the law” against displays of support for Hamas. Videos were highlighted on social media of people appearing to celebrate the attack on Israel, including by Countdown co-host Rachel Riley.