| | | | | | | Hello. The scale of Israel’s retaliation against Hamas became clearer, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the country’s response would "change the Middle East" and launched thousands of strikes against the Gaza Strip, as well as imposing a siege. As International Editor Jeremy Bowen writes, this latest confrontation feels different from previous conflicts. If you need a better understanding of what’s happening, Middle East Editor Raffi Berg explains the context of the fighting. And for a break from the bleakness, scroll down for stories about a youth orchestra and a Welsh under-14s football team. |
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| | | | Get up to speed | | • | Presidential hopeful Robert F Kennedy Jr has announced he’ll run as an independent in the 2024 election, a choice that could potentially impact a close race. Mike Wendling spoke to his supporters. | | • | California’s Democratic governor Gavin Newsom has vetoed a bill that banned caste discrimination, calling it "unnecessary". | | • | Claudia Goldin won the Nobel Prize in Economics for her work on the gender pay gap, the first woman not to share the award with male colleagues. |
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| AT THE SCENE |  Southern Israel | | Israelis rally behind war to punish Hamas |  | | The aftermath of a reported Israeli strike in Gaza City. Credit: Reuters | | With about 900 people killed in Israel since Saturday's surprise attack by Hamas, Israelis are adjusting to a new reality. And they are rallying behind the flag as their nation retaliates. |  | | Jeremy Bowen, International Editor |
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| Outside a military base on the highway that goes south to Gaza hundreds of cars were parked along both hard shoulders and on the central reservation. They were left by reservists who had reported for duty. A middle-aged couple had managed to meet up with their son, a young man of around 20 who is doing his compulsory military service. The mother handed over a jar of home-made pickles. The father said: "We've told him to concentrate on what he has to do, and not to think too hard about friends who've been hurt and killed."
Israelis, collectively, are reeling from the shock of the Hamas attack. The scale of the bloodshed inflicted on Israel by Hamas is unprecedented. An organisation that planned its attack so carefully will have been aware that Israel's response would be ferocious. Israel's war plans will be complicated by the presence of around 100 hostages taken in the attack. But one cabinet minister, according to a cabinet leak reported in the Israeli press, has said that should not hold them back. |
| | | | • | International victims: Citizens of at least 14 countries, including the US, Thailand and France, were killed in the assault by the Palestinian militant group Hamas on Israel. | | • | Hamas hostages: Relatives of some of the dozens of people taken captives into Gaza spoke of the horror of discovering videos of their loved ones on social media, and the hope of being reunited. | | • | | Rocket attacks: Watch and listen as BBC reporters in Israel and in Gaza witness loud explosions from the fighting. |
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| | Questions Answered | | Essential context about Israel-Gaza attacks |  | | The tense border fence between Gaza and Israel is frequently patrolled by soldiers. Credit: Reuters |
| | Palestinian militant group Hamas has fought several wars with Israel since it took power in Gaza in 2007. This weekend’s surprise attack, however, finds its root even further back in time. We answer the most essential questions to make sense of the events unfolding in Israel, the Gaza Strip and the surrounding region. |  | | Raffi Berg, Middle East Editor, online |
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| | Why did Hamas attack now? | | Although the attack by the militants on 7 October came without warning, it happened at a time of soaring Israeli-Palestinian tensions. This year has been the deadliest year on record for Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Hamas might also have been seeking to score a major propaganda victory against Israel to boost its popularity among ordinary Palestinians. The fact that it has taken so many Israelis captive is likely to be aimed at pressuring Israel to free some of the about 4,500 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons - a highly emotive issue for all Palestinians. | | What is Iran’s role in the attack? | | There is speculation that the attack was orchestrated by Iran - Israel's arch-foe - though Iran's ambassador to the UN has denied his country's involvement. Iran and Hamas also staunchly oppose the growing prospect of a historic peace deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia - something which might be thwarted if Israel's military response to the attacks provokes widespread anger in the Arab world. Diplomatic Correspondent Paul Adams takes a closer look. | | Is this a major Israeli intelligence failure? | | Yes, says our Security Correspondent Frank Gardner. With the combined efforts of Shin Bet, Israeli domestic intelligence, Mossad, its external spy agency and all the assets of the Israel Defense Forces, he says it is frankly astounding that nobody saw this coming or failed to act on it if they did have a warning. | | | | Latest updates: Our live page features official statements, first-hand accounts, videos and images as the story keeps developing. | | |
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| | The big picture | | Playing to inspire |  | | Orlando started playing the trombone four years ago. Credit: Gemma Handy |
| | The Youth Symphony Orchestra formed in the small island nation of Antigua and Barbuda seven years ago is getting ready to take London by storm. "My parents are really proud of me," said 17-year-old Orlando Gordon. "They didn't expect it at all as they're not musical people." | | | | |
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| | | | For your downtime | | Corn cookies | | Marking US Indigenous Peoples' Day with a Native American-inspired treat. | | |
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| | | | | | | | | | Future Planet | | Explore the wonders of our amazing planet. | | |
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– Sofia |
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