As Israel enters a new, dangerous phase in its conflict with Hamas, The Algemeiner is rounding up developments in the region and around the world.

The Eiffel Tower in Paris is lit up in the colors of the Israeli flag. Photo: Reuters/Benoit Tessier

IDF Raises Israeli Flag in Kibbutz Be’eri

Israeli troops have raised their country’s flag at Kibbutz Be’eri in the Negev after overpowering Hamas terrorists who invaded on Saturday.

Regular IDF forces eventually recaptured the area, seen here reraising the Israeli flag. pic.twitter.com/hB6vAaWeJe

— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) October 9, 2023

“Hamas Offers Nothing More Than Terror and Bloodshed:” Western Leaders Issue Joint Statement

The leaders of the US, the UK, France, Italy and Germany have released a joint statement expressing their “steadfast and united support to the State of Israel, and our unequivocal condemnation of Hamas and its appalling acts of terrorism.

US President Joe Biden, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni declared: “Our countries will support Israel in its efforts to defend itself and its people against such atrocities. We further emphasize that this is not a moment for any party hostile to Israel to exploit these attacks to seek advantage.”

They continued: “All of us recognize the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people and support equal measures of justice and freedom for Israelis and Palestinians alike. But make no mistake: Hamas does not represent those aspirations, and it offers nothing for the Palestinian people other than more terror and bloodshed. Over the coming days, we will remain united and coordinated, together as allies, and as common friends of Israel, to ensure Israel is able to defend itself, and to ultimately set the conditions for a peaceful and integrated Middle East region. We make clear that the terrorist actions of Hamas have no justification, no legitimacy, and must be universally condemned.”

Thousands Rally for Israel in Boston

Thousands of people, including both senators from Massachusetts, the state’s governor, and the mayor of Boston gathered Monday on the Boston Common to express clear support for Israel after the terrorist invasion.

The gathering was especially noteworthy because some have alleged weakening support for Israel either in the American Jewish community or on the progressive left. Massachusetts leans Democratic, and the speakers at the Monday rally included Massachusetts’ first lesbian governor, Maura Healey; Senators Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren; and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, all Democrats. Many of them of offered unqualified, strong, and apparently sincere and deeply felt backing for Israel following the attack.  The Algemeiner’s Ira Stoll has more.

Anti-Zionist College Students Cheer Hamas Terrorism

Across the US, dozens of college student groups declared on Sunday solidarity with Hamas terrorists, cheering the acts of violence they committed against Israeli families, women, and children during a surprise attack on Israel.

In the past two days, Hamas and Palestinians living in Gaza have desecrated dead bodies, abducted children, and burned a young woman alive. In response, Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) chapters at Brown University, University of Maryland, Tufts University, and University of California-Los Angeles shared propaganda that described the attacks as “resistance” and demanded of their supporters acceptance of “our right to liberate our homeland by any means necessary,” drawing on a phrase coined by Frantz Fanon popularized in the US by Nation of Islam leader Malcolm X.

Additionally, 31 student groups at Harvard University, arguably the most prestigious university in America, issued a statement blaming Israel for the attack and accusing the country of operating an “open air prison” in Gaza. The Algemeiner’s Dion J. Pierre has more.

Rep. Ilhan Omar Calls Israeli Response to Terrorist Attack a ‘War Crime’

Far-left Israel critic Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) on Monday said that Israel’s response to the Hamas terrorist attack Saturday that has killed at least 900 Israelis is a “war crime” and called for the end of US weapons sales and aid to the Jewish state.

“As the world is condemning Hamas’s attacks, we must also oppose an Israeli military response that has already taken the lives of hundreds of Palestinians, including nearly two dozen children,” Omar posted on X/Twitter. “The Israeli Defense Minister has called Palestinians ‘human animals’ and promised to cut off all electricity, all food, and all fuel to civilians in Gaza. This is collective punishment, a war crime, and the US should oppose any violations of international law if we truly support a rules-based international order.”
Omar repeated the charge that Israel is an “apartheid” state and claimed that Israel was “targeting an entire civilian population.”

Casualty figures in Gaza are reported by the Hamas-controlled Health Ministry. That organization has been previously accused of falsifying casualty reports, including by listing adults as children, and by concealing that Hamas and other terrorist groups in Gaza recruit children by raising their ages. They also do not distinguish between civilians and terrorists killed in Israeli strikes. The Israel Defense Force’s spokesman on Sunday said that they believed they had killed more than 400 terrorists inside Gaza since the start of the operation.

US Senator Jeered at Rally for “De-escalation” Call

Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) was booed on Monday after he called for de-escalation at a pro-Israel rally in Boston.

“The United States and the international community must keep pushing for diplomacy and the ending of civilian casualties on all sides,” Markey said. “There must be a de-escalation of the current violence.”

Markey then paused, apparently taken aback by the booing, with Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) behind him visibly raising her eyebrows at the jeers.

Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-MA) in an apparent rejoinder to Markey said 15 minutes later at the same rally that the United States was in no position to call for de-escalation and needed to support Israel both morally and with materiel.

“Now is not the time for equivocation,” Auchincloss said to cheers. “Hamas is an internationally recognized terrorist organization that is executing and raping civilians. Israel is a liberal democracy with the right and responsibility to defend itself and its citizens. De-escalation is not possible when they are taking hostages. And Israel did not ask America to de-escalate on September 12th, 2001.”

Zelensky: Russia Stoking War Flames in Middle East

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said his country has “data” which proves that Russia “is interested in inciting war in the Middle East.” Zelensky said Moscow wanted “a new source of pain and suffering would erode global unity and exacerbate cleavages and controversies, helping Russia in destroying freedom in Europe.” He continued: “We can see Russian propagandists gloating. We can see Moscow’s Iranian friends openly extending a helping hand to those who attacked Israel.”

We have data very clearly proving that Russia is interested in inciting war in the Middle East. So that a new source of pain and suffering would erode global unity and exacerbate cleavages and controversies, helping Russia in destroying freedom in Europe.

We can see Russian… pic.twitter.com/TLW94hKc9e

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) October 9, 2023

Uncertainty Over EU Aid to Palestinians

Uncertainty overshadowed the EU’s aid policy towards the Palestinians on Monday, with one official announcing that the bloc’s development support funding had been suspended, while another stated shortly after that aid would “continue as long as needed.” The Algemeiner’s Ben Cohen has more.

US College Students Gather at Lincoln Memorial to Show Solidarity With Israel

Students from George Washington University assembled in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC, on Sunday to show solidarity with Israel in the wake of the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas’ shocking surprise attack over the weekend.

“We are here for each other, for our parents, for siblings, our grandparents, our aunts, our uncles our friends, but the reality is that all of Israel, the Jewish people, Arab, Druze, Muslim, Christian, we are a family and so is everyone here with us today,” third-year student Sabrina Soffer, who organized the demonstration, said during a speech to open the event. “We are frustrated, we are angry, and that’s an understatement. This surprise attack is full scale and savage war by Hamas is a shock to us all.” The Algemeiner’s Dion Pierre has more.

Vivian Silver, a well-known Israeli peace advocate and member of the Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem, is missing and has been reportedly taken hostage by Hamas terrorists, according to Canadian and Israeli media reports.

Silver, 74 and a grandmother, lives in the community of Be’eri in southern Israel, where terrorists carried out an hours-long massacre of Israeli civilians on Saturday.

“Vivian has devoted her life to women’s empowerment & helping Palestinian civilians, facilitating hospital treatments for sick Gazan children,” said former Canadian Justice Minister Irwin Cotler, founder of the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights, a Canadian NGO. “She was violently taken from her home in Kibbutz Be’eri in Israel on a Jewish holiday & is now being held captive by Hamas in Gaza.”

Wife of Maccabi Tel Aviv Coach Robbie Keane Abused Online Over Israel Messages

Claudine Keane, the wife of Maccabi Tel Aviv’s Irish coach Robbie Keane, was criticized by some Instagram users for denouncing Hamas’ violence against Israeli civilians over the weekend. She said in part that the “world is disgusted by what it sees” and shared a video that describes Hamas terrorists as “devils” for taking Israeli children hostage. In response, Instagram users called her a “f__king toilet” and accused of only voicing support for Israel “because Robbie is getting paid by the Jews.” The Algemeiner’s Shiryn Ghermezian has more.

French Far Left Party Slammed for Response to Hamas Invasion

French politicians from left to right have angrily condemned the reaction of France’s main far left party, La France Insoumise (LFI) to the invasion of Israeli territory by Hamas terrorists from Gaza over the weekend.

In a statement released on Saturday as Hamas terrorists overran dozens of Israeli communities in the south of the country, LFI blamed the attacks on the “intensification of Israeli occupation policy in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem.”

The party — which occupies 74 of the 577 seats in the French National Assembly — described the onslaught on Israeli civilians as an “armed offensive by Palestinian forces led by Hamas.” It notably did not condemn terrorism nor acknowledge the depraved nature of much of the violence meted out. The Algemeiner’s Ben Cohen has more.

Hamas Spokesman Says Terrorist Group Will Begin Executing Hostages

A spokesman for the terrorist group Hamas’ Izz ad-Din al-Qassam brigades on Monday said that the group would begin executing hostages in response to Israeli air strikes.

“The enemy does not understand the language of humanity and morality, and we will address him in the language he knows,” Hamas spokesman Abu Obaida said in a statement. “In the past few hours, we have felt the pain of what happened to many families throughout the Gaza Strip, as a result of the Zionist fascist attack, which bombed homes…. We have decided to put an end to this, and from this hour we announce that every targeting of our people who are safe in their homes without warning, we will meet with the execution of our civilian hostages and we will broadcast it with audio and video.”

Hamas has taken an unknown number of hostages into the Gaza strip following its attack on Israel on Saturday, with the terrorist group claiming they have more than 100 captives, including both civilians and Israel Defense Force soldiers.

A spokesperson for the Israeli Foreign Ministry on Monday said that Israel is not currently negotiating for the release of the hostages.

“We are in a war, and I think that this is not the time for negotiation and mediation,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Lior Haiat said. “We’re not talking about negotiations or mediations at this time.”

Hamas Terrorists Caught on Camera Shooting Dog, Burning Israeli Homes

A shocking body-camera video depicts a Hamas terrorist shooting a dog and setting fire to civilian homes in Kibbutz Kissufim in southern Israel.

Viewer discretion advised.

https://twitter.com/NTarnopolsky/status/1711426047890051497

Mosque in Israel Struck by Hamas Rocket

A mosque in the town of Abu Ghosh, located between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, has been hit by rocket fired by Hamas. A 20-year-old man is reported to be in serious condition.

Smoke billows from the mosque in the Israeli town of Abu Ghosh following a Hamas rocket strike.

Amy Schumer: “It’s the Hitler Playbook”

Celebrities including Natalie Portman, the Kardashians, Amy Schumer, Josh Gad, and many others are rallying behind Israel and condemning the “barbaric” attacks by Hamas terrorists against Israeli civilians over the weekend. Some are even bashing Palestinian activists and social media influencers for staying silent about the violence being carried out by Hamas or for justifying the attacks against Israelis. “You have been made to believe that the killing of Jews can be justified,” Schumer wrote, “Because every civilization has taught that the life of a Jew is less valuable than your own. It’s the Hitler playbook.”

Israel Strikes Hezbollah Positions In Lebanon After Infiltration on Northern Border

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have asked civilians along the Lebanese border to stay in their homes until further notice following an infiltration attack from Lebanon. The IDF say they have killed a number of armed suspects and have deployed additional troops to the area. Unconfirmed videos and images from social media show Israel striking Hezbollah observation posts along the border after the IDF reported mortar shells fired towards with Israel with no apparent casualties. According to Lebanese media, Hezbollah has denied responsibility for the infiltration effort. While the Iranian-backed Lebanese terrorist group firmly controls southern Lebanon, the group has allowed Hamas and other Gaza-based Palestinian terrorist groups to operate in their territory and carry out attacks on Israel in the past. Hezbollah so far has not committed to opening a second front in the Hamas-Israel conflict. The Algemeiner’s Andrew Bernard has more.

State Department Deletes Blinken “Ceasefire” Tweet

An earlier posting on X/Twitter by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was deleted on Monday morning after a wave of online criticism. Referring to a phone call with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan, Blinken said he had” encouraged Turkey’s advocacy for a cease-fire and the release of all hostages held by Hamas immediately.” One critic, foreign policy analyst Diliman Abdulkader, responded by asking, “Did he realize Turkey is with Hamas? Did he realize ceasefire doesn’t make sense as Hamas is holding Israeli hostages?” Turkey’s Islamist government does not regard Hamas as a terrorist group and hosts a number of Hamas officials. Israel’s Ambassador to Turkey on Irit Lillian on Sunday said that it was too early for any mediation with the terrorist group and called on Turkey to expel members of Hamas from the country.

Former French President: Anti-Zionism Leads to Antisemitism

Francois Hollande, who served as France’s President from 2012-17, expressed disgust at the response to the Hamas invasion of Israeli communities from far left party “La France Insoumise” (LFI — “France Rising”). “Anti-Zionism — that is to to say, the eradication of Israel — necessarily leads to antisemitism,” Hollande told broadcaster France Inter on Monday. At the height of the atrocities on Saturday, LFI released a statement asserting that “The armed offensive by Palestinian forces led by Hamas comes against a backdrop of intensification of Israel’s policy of occupation in Gaza, the [Jordan] West Bank and East Jerusalem.”

“Stars of David, they took your life, but they couldn’t take your pride”

Irish rockers U2 dedicated their hit “Pride (In the Name of Love)” to the 260 Israelis brutally massacred by Hamas terrorists at a dance music festival in Re’im over the weekend. “Sing for our brothers and sisters. Who they themselves were singing at the Supernova Sukkot festival in Israel,” U2 frontman Bono declared. As he began the song — a tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. — Bono changed the lyrics of the closing verse to “Stars of David, they took your life, but they couldn’t take your pride.” The Algemeiner’s Shiryn Ghermezian has more.

In the light of what’s happened in Israel and Gaza, a song about non-violence seems somewhat ridiculous, even laughable, but our prayers have always been for peace and for non-violence…

But our hearts and our anger, you know where that’s pointed. So sing with us… and those… pic.twitter.com/S1zfCMNtzz

— U2 (@U2) October 9, 2023

Sydney, Australia: “F_–k the Jews!”

Here’s a disturbing video of pro-Palestinian demonstrators in Sydney aggressively chanting “f–k the Jews” at a rally outside the city’s iconic Opera House.

At the pro-Palestinian rally in Sydney people are chanting "F**k the Jews".

Pure, unfiltered, hatred. This is the true face of the enemy.@nswpolice #auspol pic.twitter.com/EBbpHKT6iH

— Josh Feldman ג'וש פלדמן (@joshrfeldman) October 9, 2023

The Netherlands: “We are dealing with a lot of hatred”

The head of the Center for Information and Documentation Israel (CIDI) in The Netherlands warned on Monday morning that antisemitism in her country would flare in the wake of the Hamas attack on Israel. “We do not hold other groups in this country responsible for conflicts elsewhere in the world. That should not be the case in this case either,” Naomi Mestrum said on the “Good Morning, Netherlands” TV show. “There is no conflict that is as alive in our country as this conflict. When something happens in Israel, it always has an impact on the Jewish community here. We are dealing with a lot of hatred and antisemitism,” she added.

London Vandalism

The backlash against Jewish communities around the world has begun, with vandalism reported on Monday morning in the Golders Green neighborhood of northwest London. Pita, a popular kosher restaurant, had its windows smashed overnight and its cash till stolen. Graffiti declaring “Free Palestine” was sprayed on a nearby bridge.

Antisemitic vandalism in London’s Golders Green neighborhood, as pro-Palestinian demonstrators assemble in the British capital. Photo: Social media images

“Violence against Israel is often used as a pretext for antisemitism in the UK,” advocacy group Campaign Against Antisemitism said in a post on X.  “Jews must be able to live without fear.” Daniel Sugarman, director of public affairs for the Board of Deputies of British Jews, separately observed: “This is not & never has been about Palestine. This is about trying to make British Jews feel unwelcome and threatened where they live.”