Israel war in the live ticker
+++ 04:04 Airlines worldwide cancel flights to Israel +++
October 8, 2023, 1:10 a.m
Because of the Hamas attack on Israel, airlines around the world are canceling dozens of flights to the country. As stated on the arrival boards at Ben-Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, Lufthanse, Air France, Ryanair, Aegan Airlines and American Airlines, among others, canceled connections to the Israeli metropolis. A spokesman for Germany’s largest airline Lufthansa explains: “In view of the current situation in Israel, Lufthansa is canceling all flights to and from Tel Aviv up to and including Monday.”
+++ 03:30 Anti-Semitic attacks feared +++
The Federal Government’s Anti-Semitism Commissioner, Felix Klein, warns of attacks on Jewish institutions in Germany. “I therefore welcome the fact that the security authorities are immediately increasing the protection of Jewish institutions nationwide,” he tells the editorial network Germany. On Saturday, Hamas sympathizers in Berlin were already handing out sweets on the streets to celebrate their supposed success. (See entry at 10:59 p.m.) “We as a society cannot accept such a disgusting glorification of violence,” said Klein. Ahmad Mansour, a German-Israeli psychologist and author of Arab-Palestinian origin, expresses his dismay at the spontaneous celebrations of Arab refugees in a camp in Greece.
+++ 02:41 Fighting in southern Israel continues +++
According to the Israeli military, fighting continued overnight in some parts of southern Israel. The situation in the country is not yet completely under control. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the security cabinet has decided to destroy the military and state facilities of the radical Islamic Palestinian group Hamas and the Palestinian militia Islamic Jihad.
+++ 02:15 White House: No evidence yet of Tehran’s involvement +++
According to its own statements, the USA has so far “no indications” of Iran’s possible involvement in the major attack on Israel by the radical Islamic group Hamas. A White House official said it was “too early” to say whether Iran was directly involved in the large-scale offensive. Nevertheless, there is “no doubt” that Hamas is “financed, equipped and armed” by Iran, among others, he emphasizes.
+++ 01:32 Hamas spokesman: Iran helped +++
A Hamas spokesman tells the BBC that the militant group had the support of its ally Iran in its surprise attacks on Israel. This is a source of pride, says Ghazi Hamad, adding that other countries have also helped Hamas, but does not mention them by name. Earlier, a senior adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei confirmed that the Islamic Republic supported the attacks. However, he did not go into details.
+++ 01:01 Germans killed too? Foreign Office checks +++
The federal government is examining whether German citizens are affected by the kidnapping of people by Hamas. The Foreign Office in Berlin and the German Embassy in Tel Aviv are in close contact with the Israeli authorities to clarify whether and to what extent German nationals are affected, the German Foreign Ministry said late in the evening. The situation in Israel and the Palestinian territories remains confusing. The Federal Foreign Office also reports that the Federal Government does not comment on individual consular cases or hostage-taking of German nationals. Meanwhile, a video is circulating on the Internet that shows a young woman with dreadlocks presumably dead in the back of a pickup truck. The German, who lives in Israel, is said to have been kidnapped by Islamist terrorists in the morning while visiting a festival near the border with the Gaza Strip.
+++ 00:29 Brandenburg Gate shines blue and white +++
In solidarity with Israel, the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin is illuminated blue and white at night. Below the quadriga of the famous monument is a projection of the blue and white Israeli flag with the Star of David. “Full solidarity with Israel! Berlin mourns the victims of this cowardly and criminal terrorist attack and fears for the people who were kidnapped,” commented the Berlin Senate Chancellery on a photo of the solidarity campaign on online service X, formerly Twitter. “Our city stands firmly on Israel’s side!” Berlin’s Governing Mayor Kai Wegner (CDU) writes on X: “Israel is not alone. Berlin and the entire free world stand firmly at Israel’s side in solidarity.”
+++ 23:58 Number of dead Israelis rises to 300 +++
After the major attacks from the Gaza Strip, the number of deaths in Israel rose to at least 300, according to media reports. Around 1,590 people were injured, as several Israeli media reported on Saturday evening, citing medical sources.
+++ 23:30 Macron: France is on Israel’s side +++
After Hamas’ major attack on Israel, President Emmanuel Macron pledged France’s solidarity with the country. Macron said in the evening that he had spoken to Israeli President Izchak Herzog and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “I condemn the attacks carried out from Gaza against Israel, its soldiers and its people,” says Macron. “France stands in solidarity with Israel and the Israelis, maintaining their security and their right to self-defense.” According to the Elysee Palace, Macron also held talks with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Lebanese Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati.
+++ 22:59 Pro-Palestinian demonstration in Berlin-Neukölln +++
Late in the evening, around 50 people gathered in Berlin-Neukölln for what the police said was a pro-Palestinian demonstration. When asked, a police spokesman said the police checked the people and took appropriate measures. A video on Instagram shared by the anti-Israel network Samidoun showed a group chanting slogans. The organization distributed sweet baked goods to passersby in the afternoon, “to celebrate the victory of the resistance,” as they wrote on Instagram.
+++ 22:21 Netanyahu calls on all Palestinians to leave Gaza +++
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calls on all Palestinians to leave Gaza. The Israeli army will reduce Hamas hideouts in Gaza to “rubble,” Netanyahu said in a televised speech. Referring to Gaza, which he described as the “city of evil,” he emphasized: “I say to the residents of Gaza: leave there now, because we will work everywhere with all our strength.”
You can read the events of the previous day here.