Israel-Hamas war: 32 innocent kids hostage in 500km tunnel

Twenty Australians have crossed from the Gaza Strip into Egypt to escape the conflict.

A senior official from the terrorist group, which rules the Gaza Strip, today warned there will be more attacks like the one on October 7, in which over a thousand Israelis were killed.

Ghazi Hamad also reaffirmed that Hamas’s ultimate goal is Israel’s complete annihilation.

“The Al-Aqsa Flood (Hamas’s name for the attack on October 7) is just the first time. And there will be a second, a third, a fourth. Because we have the determination, the resolve, the capabilities to fight,” Hamad said.

“Will we have to pay a price? Yes, and we are ready to pay it.”

Israel has been copping international condemnation for its strike on a refugee camp in Gaza on Tuesday, which it says took out a Hamas commander – but dozens of civilians were also reportedly killed.

32 innocent kids hostage in 500km tunnel

The desperate parents of 32 child hostages snatched by Hamas pleaded last night for the terror group to release them.

The petrified youngsters are being held underground in the 500km network of tunnels dubbed the Gaza Metro as Israel battles to crush the jihadists and bring them home.

The Sun has exclusively published the names and photos of all 32 innocent kids to back the plea of their distraught families: “Please free our children.”

Dafna Eyakim, 15, and her sister Ella, eight, were among 32 child hostages — one just nine months old — taken in the bloodthirsty raid on Israel on October 7.

Mother Mayaan, 50, laid bare her desperation as a photo emerged of her tearful girls on mattresses in a tunnel under Gaza.

It was published on social media channel Telegram by Hamas with the Arabic message: “Dress them in prayer clothes” — a taunt as they are in pyjamas.

The divorcee told how the girls had gone to stay with their dad near the Gaza border to celebrate the 17th anniversary of his kibbutz, Nahal Oz.

Tragically, the dad, his new partner and her teenage son were all killed, while the two girls were taken to Gaza.

Speaking to The Sun, airport worker Mayaan asked: “Who kidnaps children? Where in the world is that the right thing to do?”

“You do not abduct babies and children. My two are wonderful, sweet girls who love TikTok and Snapchat and I want them home.”

The oldest of the taken children are five 17-year-olds on the verge of adulthood and the youngest is Kfir Bibas, just nine months and beginning to crawl.

He was taken with brother Ariel, four, and mum Shiri, 32, from their home in Kibbutz Nir Oz.

A video emerged of terrified Shiri clinging on to her boys surrounded by gunmen.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said families are “worried sick.”

“The ICRC has made repeated requests to visit the hostages so we can check on their well-being,” it said.

A total of 240 hostages were taken in the Hamas rampage. Four have been freed and a woman soldier was rescued.

US hostage expert Danielle Gilbert said taking kids is rare. She told The Sun: “Holding on to someone vulnerable and not predisposed to surviving in those conditions will make the kidnappers’ job more difficult.

“It remains to be seen whether Hamas intended to take this wide a range.”

– With The Sun

‘Shame:’ US university student mobbed by pro-Palestinian supporters

Troubling video footage shows a Harvard University student getting aggressively mobbed by pro-Palestinian demonstrators on the Ivy League campus screaming, “Shame, shame, shame.”

More than a half-dozen demonstrators are seen holding keffiyehs — traditional Palestinian scarves — in the student’s face as they surround him and stop him from getting away, a video posted on X shows.

The disturbing footage was posted Wednesday but is from an October 18 “stop the genocide in Gaza” die-in demonstration by the Harvard Business School, according to school officials and media reports.

Scores of students participated in the radical demonstration held 11 days after Hamas terrorists launched a surprise attack on Israel on October 7.

According to the Harvard Crimson, the school’s student newspaper, the confrontation at the demonstration was sparked when the accosted student “began to film demonstrators’ faces.”

“Within minutes, he was escorted out by protest organisers, who blocked his camera with their keffiyehs — traditional scarves worn by Palestinians that have come to symbolise Palestinian nationalism,” the newspaper wrote. “Demonstrators yelled ‘shame’ at the disrupter as he left.”

Harvard Business School Dean Srikant Datar later addressed the “troubling confrontation” that he said “left many of our students shaken.”

“Reports have been filed with [the Harvard University Police Department] and the FBI, the facts are being evaluated, and it will be some time before we learn the results of an investigation,” Datar wrote.

– With the New York Post

Israel releases map of ‘refugee camp’

The Israel Defense Forces has released a map claiming to show a “terrorist stronghold” in Jabalia, where a Hamas commander and dozens of people were killed at a refugee camp following an Israeli airstrike on Tuesday.

Palestinian health officials said at least 50 Palestinians were killed and 150 wounded in the blast, however, the IDF has claimed the estimated 50 deaths comprised of terrorists and not civilians.

The Israel military said its fighter jets “assassinated Ibrahim Biari, commander of the Jabalia brigade of the Hamas terrorist organisation, who was one of those who directed the murderous terrorist attack on October 7”.

It added that “Hamas’s underground military infrastructure beneath these buildings collapsed,” in the strike and “many Hamas terrorists” were killed.

The IDF have since released a detailed map of Jabalia, which they claim shows the location of a weapons facility, battalion command centre, tunnels and rocket launching posts.

“The stronghold was used for training and execution of terrorism activities,” it said in a post on X.

“During the ground activity, the troops eliminated approx. 50 terrorists, as well as destroyed entrances to terrorist tunnels and weapons.”

IDF spokesman Rear Adm Daniel Hagari earlier did not directly address reports of civilian casualties at a briefing.

Instead, he said, “The Hamas terrorists continue to use civilian population as protective armour. This is intentional and devastatingly barbaric.”

A Hamas spokesperson, who was quoted by Al Arabiya TV, has denied the senior commander was at the camp, and accused the IDF of attempting to justify “its heinous crime”.

Hamas also claimed seven hostages from its October 7 attacks, including three foreign passport holders, were killed in the bombing.

Earlier, a senior military commandeer conceded IDF knew there were countless innocent men, women and children in the refugee camp but decided to bomb it anyway.

The stark admission came amid growing condemnation of the air strike on the Jabalia refugee camp in Gaza’s north.

In an appearance on CNN with acclaimed broadcaster Wolf Blitzer, Lieutenant Colonel Richard Hecht was asked plainly if he could confirm whether Israel knew a large number of civilians, including children were in the camp.

“I can,” he replied.

Seemingly taken back, Blitzer repeatedly pressed Lieutenant Colonel Hecht on why the IDF launched air strikes when it knew civilians would be killed.

“Even if that Hamas commander was there, amidst all of those Palestinian refugees, Israel still went ahead and dropped a bomb, knowing a lot of innocent men, women and children would be killed?” Blitzer asked.

“We were focused on this commander … who killed many, many Israelis,” Lieutenant Colonel Hecht replied. “This is a very complicated battle space.”

Blitzer continued to ask why Israel seemed to disregard the high civilian cost of its attack.

“This is the tragedy of war,” he replied.

International aid organisation Médecins Sans Frontières – Doctors Without Borders – meanwhile said it was “horrified” by the attack, which saw scores of wounded civilians flood the nearby Dar al-Shifa hospital.

Mr Hawajreh said: “Young children arrived at the hospital with deep wounds and severe burns. They came without their families. Many were screaming and asking for their parents.”

20 Australians escape Gaza

The assistant minister for foreign affairs, Tim Watts, has announced 20 Australians who were registered with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade have escaped Gaza and crossed the border at Rafah to Egypt.

An additional three people who were also registered with the government also crossed.

More than 335 foreign passport holders were granted permission to leave Gaza for the first time since the Israel-Hamas conflict began on October 7. The Rafah crossing is currently the only way out of Gaza.

It had earlier been reported that 112 Australians had left Gaza, according to numbers from CNN via an Egyptian official.

“They were met by Australian consular officials who are on the ground in Egypt who were able to provide assistance with ongoing travel arrangements,” Mr Watts told ABC News.

“We‘re grateful that this initial cohort has made the crossing from Gaza to Egypt.”

Sixty-five Australians remain stuck in Gaza and are being provided with consular assistance.

“We are continuing to push for them to be able to make that passage across the Rafah crossing as soon as possible,” he said.

Almost 500 foreigners were expected at the crossing today but the remainder either didn’t make it or refused to cross into Egypt without family members.

A number of injured Palestinians were also able to leave Gaza.

‘Cries of young children’: Chilling Hamas video

A Hamas terrorist has admitted to shooting up a safe room after hearing the “cries of young children” inside, in a chilling video shared by the Israel Defense Forces.

In the video, an integrator questions the terrorist, who has been identified as Amer Abu Ghosha, a member of the Nukhba, the commando unit of Hamas, about an October 7 attack in Kfar Aza, The Times of Israelreports.

“We entered a house that was near us, we entered through the window,” he tells the integrator in the video.
“We checked the house and heard the sounds of young children in the safe room … We shot at the safe room.”

The man went on to explain himself and others militants initially walked past the room on the way to eat dates and drink water.

“After, we heard sounds of young children,” he said, adding they continued to shoot at the door “until we didn’t hear noise anymore”.

He said the IDF later arrived at the house and engaged in an armed confrontation with the militants until they surrendered and turned themselves in.

When asked what the difference is between Hamas and ISIS, the man says he was shown videos by an interrogator that are “worse than ISIS”.

“There is no difference.”

‘There will be more’ attacks, Hamas warns

Hamas official Ghazi Hamad has made some disturbing remarks on television, reaffirming the terrorist group’s commitment to destroy Israel and saying there will be more attacks like the one on October 7.

“Israel is a country that has no place on our land. We must remove that country, because it constitutes a security, military and political catastrophe to the Arab and Islamic nation, and must be finished,” Hamad said on LBC International.

“We are not ashamed to say this, with full force. We must teach Israel a lesson, and we will do this again and again.

“The Al-Aqsa Flood (Hamas’s name for the attack on October 7) is just the first time. And there will be a second, a third, a fourth. Because we have the determination, the resolve, the capabilities to fight.

“Will we have to pay a price? Yes, and we are ready to pay it.”

Hamad repeated his previous claim that Hamas “did not want to harm civilians” but “there were complications on the ground”. (A reminder, here, that Hamas militants killed over a thousand Israeli civilians, in often horrific ways, and abducted hundreds more.)

“The occupation must end,” he said.

“In the Gaza Strip?” the LBC interviewer asked.

“In all the Palestinian lands,” he replied.

“Does that mean the annihilation of Israel?” she followed up.

“Yes, of course,” said Hamad.

“The existence of Israel is what causes all that pain, blood and tears. It is Israel, not us. We are the victims of the occupation. Period. Therefore, nobody should blame us for the things we do … everything we do is justified.”

Refugee camp hit for a second time

The Jabalia suburb of northern Gaza, which on Wednesday was hit by air strikes killing around 50 people, has been hit again.

On Thursday afternoon, local time, a new blast occurred in the densely packed area.

It has coincided with a ground operation by Israeli troops which has seen around 15 soldiers die.

Hamas authorities in Gaza said dead and injured people were being retrieved from the rubble.

The Israel Defence Forces said the strike on Wednesday in Jabalia killed a number of senior Hamas commanders and destroyed a command centre and part of Hamas’ notorious tunnel network.

Countries around the world have condemned the Jabalia attack which killed civilians. Hamas has claimed seven hostages also died in the attack, including foreigners.

Israel has accused Hamas of using civilians has human shields around its military infrastructure.

Nation withdraws ambassador from Israel

Jordan, a country bordering Israel which has been on relatively friendly terms with Tel Aviv, has withdrawn its ambassador.

Relations between Israel and its Arab neighbours is being tested by the conflict.

Jordan’s foreign minister Ayman Safadi said the move was “an expression of Jordan’s position rejecting and condemning the Israeli war raging in Gaza”.

The ambassador would only return once the Gaza conflict was over.

Amman also said that Israel’s ambassador to Jordan, who is not in Jordan right now, was not welcome to return.

Shani Lock’s brother ‘relieved’ that she’s dead

Yesterday it was confirmed that Shani Louk, the 22-year-old German-Israeli tattoo artist who was among those abducted by Hamas, had been found dead, with DNA tests proving a skull fragment belonged to her. The rest of her body has not been located.

Speaking to Britain’s Sky News today, her brother Atim described his heartbreak – and relief.

“In so many ways, I feel (relieved) to know this, that she’s not suffering anymore,” Mr Louk said. He said his sister had “no dark side” and was “a pure angel”.

Both Atim and the siblings’ father, Nissim, have pushed back on the claim from Israeli President Isaac Herzog that Shani was beheaded. They believe she was shot in the head.

“Until about 6.45pm (on the day of the attack), Shani was still dancing, cheering, and going wild at the party and was surrounded by all her best friends Nissim Louk told the Israeli news outlet N12.

“She was killed on the spot and not only did she not suffer. Ten minutes earlier she was still enjoying herself.”

‘She was still breathing’: Young girl’s horrific fate

An Israeli medic, Linor Attias, has spoken to CNN and described more horrifying details from the aftermath of Hamas’s attack on October 7, including the grisly fate of family of four.

“I remember that I turned my head and I saw the family. They’d tied up the kids. And the parents were tied up in front of their kids, and they shot them,” Ms Attias said.

“There was so much blood. And I didn’t have the time to feel anything at that moment.”

She said the two children included a girl “around 11” years old, the same age as her own daughter, and a boy who was about six.

“Honestly in that moment, I just blocked all feeling. I understood that in that moment, I was a soldier, a robotic soldier, if I wanted to survive that and help as many people as we could.”

Breaking down in tears, Ms Attias also described the moment she found a girl who was “eight or nine years old”.

“They had cut her hand, here,” she said, pointing to her elbow.

“They cut it all. No hand. She was still breathing. She was shaking. And I performed a tourniquet, but it was her last breaths. I wasn’t there earlier to save her. She had just lost so much blood, for hours, all by herself. No one was near her. She was so afraid. Her eyes. All by herself.

“I don’t know how to explain that. What kind of evil can create that kind of operation? Because they thought about everything. I was well organised. And the world needs to know.”

An excerpt from the interview is below – it’s a tough watch.

Hamas says seven hostages killed in Gaza camp bombing

Hamas has claimed seven hostages from its October 7 attacks, including three foreign passport holders, were killed in Israel’s bombing of Gaza’s largest refugee camp.

Dozens of bodies were seen on Tuesday at the Jabalia camp where Israel said it killed a Hamas military commander in a strike on a tunnel complex.

“Seven detainees were killed in the Jabalia massacre yesterday, including three holders of foreign passports,” said a Hamas military wing statement.

No details were given and it was not possible to independently verify the claim.

Israel says that 240 hostages were taken when Hamas fighters crossed the border to stage raids in which they killed 1,400 people, mostly civilians.

Israel’s raid on the Jabalia camp was one of thousands since the attacks which the Hamas health ministry says have killed more than 8,500 people, two-thirds of them women and children.

The Israel military said its fighter jets “assassinated Ibrahim Biari, commander of the Jabalia brigade of the Hamas terrorist organisation, who was one of those who directed the murderous terrorist attack on October 7”.

It added that “Hamas’s underground military infrastructure beneath these buildings collapsed,” in the strike and “many Hamas terrorists” were killed.

Hundreds gather at border crossing

Hundreds of wounded Gaza residents and foreigners have gathered at the Egypt border to flee the shattered territory.

Livefootage of the Rafah border crossing showed the first people crossing over at 7pm (AEDT).

Images showed long lines of ambulances and several people in wheelchairs at the Rafah border crossing – the only one not controlled by Israel – after Egypt said it would let in 81 of the most seriously injured.

Egypt also announced the first foreigners could exit Gaza, which has suffered weeks of relentless bombardment by Israel that has cost the lives of more than 8,500 people, including more than 3,500 children, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

It comes as Israel continues to send tanks over the border into northern Gaza as the IDF steps up its ground incursion.

Gaza in total communications blackout

Gaza‘s largest telecommunications provider, Paltel, has announced that internet and phone networks are down, cutting civilians off from communicating with family members outside the Strip.

“Dear people in our beloved homeland, We regret to announce a complete interruption of all communications and internet services with the Gaza Strip, due to international routes that were previously reconnected being cut off again,” Paltel said in a social media post.

“May God protect you and protect our country.”