Sobbing father says it was a ‘blessing’ his daughter was killed by Hamas rather than being taken hostage

An Irish father cried tears of relief on CNN after finding out his 8 year old daughter was slaughtered by Hamas monsters.

The violence between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas continues to escalate, with the Gaza Strip’s two million residents left almost completely without power.

Hamas, which rules Gaza and is classified as a terrorist organisation by Australia and other Western nations, launched a multi-pronged surprise attack against Israel on Saturday, killing civilians and abducting others.

Israel has responded by bombarding Gaza in a massive wave of air strikes, and imposing a “complete siege” on the region.

Gaza now faces an indefinite period without power as hospitals struggle to stay operating amid the crisis.

Follow our live coverage of the conflict below.

Australian family trapped in Gaza

The Aussie father said the house next door to where they were staying had been hit by a bomb and was completely destroyed.

An Australian family stuck in the Gaza Strip have pleaded for help as bombs drop metres from where they are staying.

The Palestinian-Australian man, his wife and their two young children aged seven and 10, had travelled to Gaza from Adelaide to visit family two weeks ago.

The family have now become stuck in the blockaded territory with all borders to ­Israel and Egypt cut off.

The family have since fled from the mother’s parents’ house where they stayed on Monday night. The Aussie father told The Daily Telegraph that the house next door to his in-laws had been hit by a bomb and was completely destroyed.

“A few hours after we arrived, the neighbourhood received a warning that a soccer field would be shelled so everyone evacuated,” he said.

“The IDF bombarded not just the soccer field but the building next door to my in-laws — we just survived.”

The family had attempted to cross the Rafah Border Crossing into Egypt immediately after conflict broke out but were turned back.

They are now staying with the father’s parents but his wife had become sick and needs medical help.

A DFAT spokesman said the government was providing assistance to an Australian family in Gaza but “owing to our privacy obligations we cannot provide further comment”.

Father’s grim comments after daughter killed by Hamas

An Irish father has said he was relieved to hear his daughter Emily had died in the Hamas attack on an Israeli kibbutz that claimed the lives of 100 people over the weekend.

In an emotional interview with CNN, Thomas Hand said he was relieved to hear his daughter had died after a gruelling two-day wait for news. He said he believed death was a better fate for his child than being taken hostage by terrorists.

Thomas Hand sobbing after his daughter Emily was killed by Hamas.

Mr Hand said it was a "blessing" his daughter hadn't been taken hostage.

“They said, ‘We found Emily. She’s dead,’ and I just went “Yes!” I went ”yes”, and I smiled, because that is the best news of the possibilities that I knew,” Mr Hand said.

“She was either dead, or in Gaza. And if you know anything about what they do to people in Gaza, that is worse than death.

“They’d have no food. They’d have no water. She’d be in a dark room filled with Christ knows how many people. And terrified every minute, hour, day, and possible years to come. So death was a blessing. An absolute blessing.”

In a heart-wrenching interview on @CNNsitRoom, CNN reporter Clarissa Ward speaks with @WolfBlitzer about a grieving father who finally received confirmation of his daughter's tragic death during the Hamas attack. Watch: pic.twitter.com/F9Yh3lW5KI

— CNN (@CNN) October 12, 2023

Gaza hospitals have ‘a few hours’ of power left

The Red Cross has warned hospitals treating hundreds of injured people in Gaza will run out of fuel for their generators just a few hours.

“Our understanding is that there is still fuel - but probably only for a few hours - to allow generators to work,” regional director for the Near and Middle East Fabrizio Carboni said.

Israel minister poses hostage ultimatum

Israel’s Energy Minister Israel Katz has threatened to cut Gaza off from essential utilities until every single hostage is released.

In a social media post on Thursday, Katz said no “electrical switch will be turned on, no water hydrant will be opened and no fuel truck will enter” until the abductees are free. Israel has put a chokehold on supplies to the Gaza Strip after the Hamas attacks on Saturday, leaving citizens stranded and hospitals at the brink of collapse.

“Humanitarian aid to Gaza? No electrical switch will be turned on, no water hydrant will be opened and no fuel truck will enter until the Israeli abductees are returned home. Humanitarian for humanitarian. And no one will preach us morals,” Katz said.

Israel’s top military spokesperson said the army has been able to confirm the identities of 97 people currently held by Hamas.

“The military is preparing for the next stage of the war,” Daniel Hagari.

Humanitarian workers have warned of the “catastrophic” ramifications from cutting civilians from power as the conflict continues to injure hundreds.

“This threatens to plunge the Strip into complete darkness and make it impossible to continue providing all basic life services, all of which depend on electricity, and it will not be possible to operate them partially with generators in light of the prevention of fuel supplies from Rafah Gate,” a statement issued by Gaza’s authorities on said.

“This catastrophic situation creates a humanitarian crisis for all residents of the Gaza Strip.”

War could cause pain at the pump

The war between Israel and Hamas has sparked fears oil prices could rise dramatically again to more than $US100 a barrel.

After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine early last year, oil prices hit a record $US128 a barrel. The benchmark Brent crude is currently sitting at about $US88 a barrel, up 4 per cent since Hamas’ attack on Israel.

“If we start seeing the United States point the finger at Iran, we could see Iran’s oil exports start falling,” Vivek Dhar, mining and energy economist from the Commonwealth Bank, told the ABC.

“We could comfortably see oil prices, particularly that Brent benchmark, cross that $US100 a barrel mark.”

A man pumps gas at a petrol station in Los Angeles. Picture: Robyn Beck/AFP

Biden urges Israel to follow ‘rules of war’

US President Joe Biden urged Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday to follow the rules of war after the Israeli Prime Minister vowed to destroy Hamas following the Palestinian militants’ brutal attack.

The 80-year-old president, who has dispatched a US aircraft carrier to the region in a show of support for Israel, also warned Hamas-backer Iran to “be careful”. Mr Biden told a gathering of US Jewish community leaders at the White House that the attacks on Israel in which 1200 people were killed was the “deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust“.

But as Israel responded with air strikes on Gaza which Palestinian officials say have killed more than 1000 people, Mr Biden said he had spoken earlier Wednesday to Mr Netanyahu.

The US President said he had known “Bibi” Netanyahu for 40 years and they had a “very frank relationship, I know him well”. “And the one thing that I did say is that it is really important that Israel, with all the anger and frustration... that exists, is that they operate by the rules of war,” Mr Biden said.

Joe Biden speaks with Jewish community leaders. Picture: Brendan Smialowski/AFP

US issues terror warning

Federal agencies in the United States have warned of potential domestic terror attacks following Hamas’ assault on Israel, CNN reports.

The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security issued a public service announcement saying while there was no current intelligence suggesting a planned domestic attack, the potential remained a concern amid the pervasiveness of antisemitism in violent extremist groups.

“Foreign terrorist organisations and their supporters remain committed to attacking the United States within and beyond our borders,” the PSA said.

“In recent years, there have been several events and incidents in the United States that were purportedly motivated, at least in part, by the conflict between Israel and Hamas. These have included the targeting of individuals, houses of worship, and institutions associated with the Jewish and Muslim faiths with acts of physical assault, vandalism, or harassment.”

Palestinians supporters march during a protest in New York. Picture: Adam Gray/AFP

‘Every Hamas member is a dead man’

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday vowed to keep fighting Hamas, saying that every member of the Palestinian militant group was “a dead man”.

In his statement, Mr Netanyahu for the first time clearly expressed Israel’s intention to “destroy” Hamas following its surprise attack on Saturday.

“Hamas is Daesh [Islamic State group] and we will crush them and destroy them as the world has destroyed Daesh,” he said in a brief televised statement, the first delivered jointly with his war cabinet.

Defence Minister Yoav Gallant added “we will wipe Hamas off the face of the earth”.

Israeli soldiers deploy at kibbutz Beeri near the border with Gaza. Picture: Jack Guez/AFP

Ex-Hamas leader calls for Friday ‘jihad’

The former leader of Hamas has called on Muslims to stage global demonstrations in support of Palestinians on Friday, and urged Arabs in neighbouring countries to take up arms against Israel.

Khaled Meshaal, who served as chief of Hamas from 2004 to 2017, called on the Islamic world to stage the protests. “[We must] head to the squares and streets of the Arab and Islamic world on Friday,” Meshaal said in a recorded statement sent to Reuters.

Meshaal is based in Qatar, where he serves as the head of the Hamas diaspora office. “To all scholars who teach jihad ... to all who teach and learn, this is a moment for the application [of jihad],” he said.

Meshaal specifically called on the governments and peoples of Syria, Lebanon, Egypt and Jordan to join the fight against Israel, characterising their involvement as a duty. “Tribes of Jordan, sons of Jordan, brothers and sisters of Jordan ... this is a moment of truth and the borders are close to you, you all know your responsibility,” he said.

Former Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal. Picture: YouTube

Faces of Israeli child hostages

Children as young as nine months old are thought to be among the hostages being held by Hamas.

In the wake of the terror group’s pledge to execute one hostage for every Israeli air strike that hits a Gazan home, loved ones in Israel and abroad are begging the abductors to spare the youngest lives.

Hamas, meanwhile, claims to have stockpiled “dozens” of captives in “safe places and tunnels” over the border in Gaza, Hamas spokesperson Abu Obeid said in a Telegram post.

One desperate Israeli mother – who requested not to be identified for security reasons – says her 12- and 16-year-old sons were abducted by Hamas while on the phone with her, ABC News reported.

“My youngest, who’s only 12, [was] saying to them, ‘Don’t take me, I’m too young.’ That was it. The line cut off. That was the last time I heard from them,” she said.

Shiri Silberman-Bibas was abducted with her sons. Picture: Facebook

Ariel and Kfir Bibas: A brief video making the rounds on social media shows kindergarten teacher Shiri Shiri Silberman-Bibas clutching her sons – Ariel, 3, and 9-month-old Kfir – as the family is abducted by Hamas from their kibbutz in southern Israel Saturday.

Raz and Aviv Asher: Five-year-old Raz and 3-year-old Aviv Asher are believed to have been taken hostage alongside their mother, Doron Asher Katz, and their grandmother, heartbroken dad Yoni Asher told The New York Times.

Raz, 5, and Aviv, 3, were kidnapped with their mother and grandmother. Picture: Doron Katz Asher/Instagram

Sahar and Erez Kalderon and Noya Dan: Siblings Sahar and Erez Kalderon and their cousin Noya Dan were violently taken from Kibbutz Nir Oz Saturday alongside their father and uncle and their grandmother, older sister Gaya Kalderon said. A heartbreaking video shows Erez, 12, looking distressed while being manhandled by Hamas gunmen near a barbed wire fence.

Sahar, 16, and Erez, 12, were kidnapped by Hamas. Picture: Noam Dan/Facebook

Dafna and Ella: Divorced mum of two Mayyan Zin learned her daughters – Dafna, 15, and Ella, 8 – were abducted by Hamas when a relative sent her photos on Telegram of the girls sitting on mattresses, apparently in captivity.

Yahel Neri Shoham, Haveh Shoham, Noam Avigdori: Eleven members of Israeli lawyer Shaked Haran’s family – including three children between 3 and 12 years old – have been missing since Hamas stormed their home at Kibbutz Be’eri early Saturday, a close friend told the NY Post. In addition to her parents, sister, and brother-in-law, Haran’s nieces Yahel Neri Shoham, 3; Naveh Shoham, 8; and 12-year-old Noam Avigdori, are believed to have been brought into Gaza.

Eleven members of one family, including three children, are being held. Picture: Haran Family

Israel forms extraordinary unity government

Israeli media reports that members of the nation’s opposition will join Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet in an emergency “unity government”, in a show of bipartisanship as the response to Hamas’s attack unfolds.

‘Worse than ISIS’: Israeli PM shares horrific image

The Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, has shared a photograph of what appears to be a child’s bed covered in blood, citing it as proof that Hamas is “worse than ISIS”.

Mr Netanyahu did not provide any further context.

Gaza’s only power station goes dark

The only power plant in the Gaza Strip, which is under Israeli bombardment and siege, shut down on Wednesday after it ran out of fuel, the Palestinian enclave’s electricity authority said.

“The only power plant in the Gaza Strip stopped functioning at 2pm (local time),” the authority’s head, Jalal Ismail, said in a statement, having earlier warned that it was running short of fuel.

It means Gaza’s population of roughly two million people is now without power, with the exception of what can be provided by private generators.

Gaza man loses eight family members

A Gaza resident has lost eight members of his family, including his pregnant wife, as a result of Israel’s attacks on the region.

Speaking to Al Jazeera, Ala al-Kafarneh is the only survivor of an Israeli air raid that killed his family, who are some of the 1050 now confirmed dead after the retaliatory attacks.

“We received a message to leave Beit Hanoon town, so we went to the beach refugee camp. They threatened the building we were in, so we went to find safety,” he said.

“But the building we were in was also threatened so we had to move to Sheikh Radwan town where we stayed in an apartment. Around 4am, a strike hit us. We don’t know why. We have done nothing.”

Smoke plumes billow following Israeli bombardment in Gaza City on October 11. Picture: Mahmud Hams/AFP

Hospitals on the brink

Hospitals in Gaza are becoming increasingly overwhelmed and face shortages in crucial medical supplies.

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) warned that without power, the situation will deteriorate rapidly for healthcare workers and patients, as Israel’s retaliation continues through Wednesday.

Executive director of MSF-USA Avril Benoît said the aid agency was “seeing shortages of water, electricity, and fuel, which hospitals rely on for their generators”.

“Some hospitals only have enough fuel for four days,” she said.

Israel launches 250 air strikes in just one hour into ‘Nest of Terror’

Forces unleashed 250 air strikes in just one hour early on Wednesday, Fox News’ Trey Yingst reported.

The IDF said the area hit is a “Nest of Terror” used by Hamas militants to launch attacks against Israel.

Dozens of buildings were reduced to rubble – leaving unknown numbers of bodies beneath mounds of debris as residents scrambled to find safety.

Israel’s Iron Dome air defence system intercepts rockets launched from Gaza on October 11. Picture: Mahmud Hams/AFP

Albanese announces repatriation flights

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has told Australians in Israel they will have the option to fly home on Friday.

The Federal Government is reportedly in talks with Qantas and Virgin to offer repatriation flights to Israel to help those who wish to flee the region.

“Australians who want to leave Israel on our assisted departure flights must register with the Australian government’s 24-hour consular emergency centre,” he said.

“We are assessing all options to get Australians home as soon as possible who wish to travel back here.

“We have been working on these contingencies over recent times and will continue to do so across the range of issues as a result of the appalling and abhorrent attacks by Hamas that we saw on the weekend.”

Graphic images as Israel continues extraction

Israeli workers are still removing dead bodies from the city of Sderot, four days after the city was attacked by Hamas.

The Israeli death toll has risen past 1,200 on Wednesday, while the Palestinian health ministry says 1,055 people have been killed over 5,100 others injured since Israel‘s retaliation.

Bodies of Hamas militants are removed from the police station in Sderot.

The Israeli death toll rose past 1200 on Wednesday.

Thousands attend Sydney vigil for Israel attacks

Thousands are attending a vigil organised by Sydney’s Jewish community to commemorate the deaths of more than a thousand Israeli civilians after the weekend’s shock attack from Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Organisers said by 6pm, close to 5000 attendees had flooded Rodney Reserve in Dover Heights in Sydney’s east.

Couple Danielle Chaanger and Gioel Gottlieb, both of whom are Jewish, said they had been “devastate and crushed” at the Hamas attack.

Thousands flocked to Dover Heights to show their support. Picture: David Gray/AFP

“This morning I went to my doctor and my doctor’s wife sister had been shot. She barricaded herself in the house, but they kidnapped her neighbours and killed her baby,” he said.

He said he was at the vigil in a show of support for Israel.

“We are not here to protest. We’re here to show that we are very different. We’re here to unite ourselves because we love each other,” he said.

Gaza power plant on brink of shutdown

Gaza’s power plant, the only source of electricity in the embattled region, will run out of fuel within hours as Israel continues its total siege.

Head of the Palestinian Energy Authority Thafer Melhem told Voice of Palestine radio that Gaza could be completely without power in just three hours.

Israel has also vowed to cut off the region from food, fuel and water supplies in an effort to choke Hamas.

Stéphane Dujarric, spokesman for the UN secretary-general, said over a dozen healthcare workers had been killed or injured over the past two days of retaliation.

“Damage to water, sanitation and hygiene facilities has undermined services to more than 400,000 people,” Mr Dujarric said via the BBC.

“The Gaza Power Plant is now the only source of electricity and could run out of fuel within days.”

Israel retaliates after Hezbollah attack

The IDF conducted retaliatory strikes on Lebanon on Wednesday in response to missile attacks originating from Lebanese territory aimed at an Israeli military position at the border.

Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the missile launches, claiming they had caused “a large number of confirmed casualties”.

The attack occurred near the Israeli town of Arab al-Aramshe, across from the Lebanese village of Dhayra on Wednesday.

Residents of the southern Lebanese town of Rmeish reported Israeli shelling in their vicinity as Israeli artillery shells targeted the rocket launch point near Dhayra.

The IDF confirmed it is carrying out the strikes and has not yet provided information on casualties.

— with AFP and NY Post