‘Up to 700’ Israelis dead in Hamas attacks as ‘dozens’ of warplanes strike Gaza Strip
Up to 700 Israelis have reportedly died in attacks by Hamas militants as fighting continues and dozens of warplanes attack the Gaza Strip.
At least 413 Palestinians are confirmed dead, with a further 2,300 injured, according to the health ministry.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned people living in Gaza to leave as he vowed to turn parts of the territory “into rubble” in revenge for a “black day”.
Netanyahu says war will ‘take time’ – follow live updates
The US military confirmed on Sunday it plans to move Navy ships and military aircraft closer to Israel in a show of support.
It is also sending additional support for the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), which will increase in the coming days, President Joe Biden told Mr Netanyahu in a phone call.
Israel-Hamas War – watch special programme on Sky News tonight at 9pm
A huge barrage of rockets was launched into southern Israel on Saturday morning before Hamas gunmen crossed into the country in a surprise incursion.
Explosions over Gaza City on Sunday. Pic: AP
A map shows where attacks have happened within Israel
One Briton confirmed dead and two missing
Corporal Nathanel Young, a 20-year-old British man serving in the Israeli army, was among those killed as tributes were paid by his “heartbroken” family.
Another British citizen, 26-year-old Jake Marlowe, is “missing near Gaza”, the country’s embassy in the UK has told Sky News.
Dan Darlington, who is originally from the UK but has been living in Germany, is also missing on a trip to Israel.
Nathanel Young, 20, died on Saturday, the Israel Defence Forces said
It is understood that the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is in contact with and assisting the families of several people in the region.
The FCDO has updated its travel advice to advise against all but essential travel to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. It warns against all travel to Gaza and areas close to the border including southwest of Ashkelon and west of Be’er Sheva among others.
Several airlines, including United, Delta, American and Air France have suspended flights to Tel Aviv until the situation improves.
A mosque destroyed in Israeli strikes in the southern Gaza Strip. Pic: AP
800 Hamas targets struck by Israeli forces
Up to 700 Israelis have been killed so far, according to Israeli media, while the health ministry said at least 1,590 people had been injured.
According to the Israeli rescue service Zaka, 260 bodies were found after one of the Hamas strikes hit a music festival.
An Israeli military official said “hundreds” of Hamas militants have been killed and dozens captured.
The IDF began an intense air strike in the Gaza Strip using dozens of fighter jets on Sunday.
It says it struck 800 targets, including a compound housing the Hamas intelligence department and a 14-storey tower that held dozens of apartments as well as Hamas offices in central Gaza City.
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Sky’s chief correspondent Stuart Ramsay has been to a police station in Sderot
Read more:
Haunting messages left by Israelis taken hostage
Police stand by for protests in London
What is Hamas – and why has it chosen now to strike?
Fighting continued overnight with the IDF still conducting operations around eight areas near the Gaza Strip, according to an IDF spokesman, while Hamas armed wing said on Sunday its fighters are still engaged in fierce clashes in several sites inside Israel.
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Shootout in Israel as motorists duck for cover
More than 100 kidnapped
The Israeli embassy to the United States said women and children were among more than 100 soldiers and civilians kidnapped by Hamas fighters and that active hostage situations are “ongoing”.
Two hostage situations had been “resolved”, according to the IDF spokesman, who did not say whether all the hostages had been rescued alive.
The Lebanon-based Hezbollah militant group – one of the first to openly support the Hamas incursion – struck Israeli positions in a disputed area along the border with Syria’s Golan Heights and Israel responded with drone strikes on Hezbollah targets.
On Sunday, IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari accused Hamas of being “more brutal than ISIS”.
“Israeli intelligence indicates that Hamas are hiding among Gazan civilians inside Gazan homes, in schools, hospitals and mosques. Hamas behaves like ISIS. I repeat, Hamas behaves like ISIS,” he said.
In Egypt, a policeman opened fire on Israeli tourists in Alexandria killing at least two Israelis and one Egyptian on Sunday, according to Egypt’s Interior Ministry as local media reported the suspect was detained.
Israel’s Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepts rockets in Ashkelon, southern Israel. Pic: Reuters
Netanyahu threatens to ‘turn Hamas to rubble’
Mr Netanyahu has said Israel is at war with Palestinian militants from Hamas and in a televised address said the country’s military would “take revenge for this black day”.
But he warned: “This war will take time. It will be difficult.”
In a statement on X, he wrote: “All of the places which Hamas is deployed, hiding and operating in, that wicked city, we will turn them into rubble.
“I say to the residents of Gaza: Leave now because we will operate forcefully everywhere.”
Rockets were seen landing on Gaza hours after Mr Netanyahu issued the threat, while much of the territory was thrown into darkness by nightfall after electricity from Israel was cut off earlier in the day.
Palestine’s representative to the UN, Riyad Mansour, said late on Sunday that messaging about Israel’s right to defend itself will be interpreted as a “licence to kill”.
While his Israeli counterpart, UN ambassador Gilad Erdan, told reporters at its headquarters in New York that it is the time to “obliterate Hamas terror infrastructure… so that such horrors are never committed again”.
An Israeli police station destroyed in Sderot after a battle with Hamas fighters
Israelis walk past the rubble of a building in Tel Aviv. Pic: AP
Leaders around the world have expressed their countries’ support for Israel.
Speaking on Sunday, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak condemned Hamas for its “appalling act of terror” and confirmed he had spoken to his Israeli counterpart again by phone.
“I want to express my absolute solidarity for the people of Israel. Now is not a time for equivocation and I am unequivocal,” he said.
“Hamas and the people who support Hamas are fully responsible for this appalling act of terror, for the murder of civilians and for the kidnapping of innocent people including children.”
More than 300 UK politicians, including serving cabinet ministers, wrote a letter of support to Israeli President Isaac Herzog on behalf of the all-party parliamentary group on Britain and Israel.
The government has also asked that all its buildings fly the Israeli flag in a show of solidarity.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey would ramp up diplomatic efforts to restore peace between the two sides.
Qatar’s ministry of foreign affairs said it was observing violence in the region with “grave concern”, particularly between Hezbollah in Lebanon and Israeli forces over the border.
Its counterpart in the United Arab Emirates urged that the international community “remain resolute in the face of these violent attempts to derail ongoing regional efforts aimed at dialogue, cooperation, and co-existence, and must not allow nihilistic destruction”.
‘Record year for Palestinians deaths’
Hamas gunmen targeted up to 22 locations in the initial assault, with gun battles continuing well after nightfall.
Militants held hostages in two towns and occupied a police station in a third.
Hamas’ military wing claimed it was holding dozens of Israeli soldiers captive in “safe places” and tunnels in Gaza.
The Israeli military confirmed that a number of Israelis were abducted but would not give a figure.
Palestinian activist Nour Odeh, a former Palestinian Authority spokesperson, told NBC News that the attack comes after a record year for the number of Palestinians killed by Israel.
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Video shows aftermath of Gaza airstrike
The ruins of a tower destroyed in an Israeli airstrike on Gaza City
He said Saturday’s incursion was not the “beginning of the story” and that Israeli forces have occupied Palestinian territories for over 50 years.
Mr Odeh said: “It’s a record-setting year for the number of Palestinians killed, the number of Palestinian children killed, the number of homes demolished, the number of attacks by armed settlers that, you know, burned down homes and attack people and wounded and killed Palestinian civilians.”
World
Trump criticises Putin after potentially ‘historic’ meeting with Zelenskyy before Pope’s funeral
Donald Trump has criticised Vladimir Putin and suggested a shift in his stance towards the Russian president after a meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy before the Pope’s funeral.
The Ukrainian president said the one-on-one talks could prove to be “historic” after pictures showed him sitting opposite Mr Trump, around two feet apart, in the large marble hall inside St Peter’s Basilica.
The US president said he doubted his Russian counterpart’s willingness to end the war after leaving Rome after the funeral of Pope Francis at the Vatican.
Follow live updates: 200,000 mourn at Vatican
In a post on his Truth Social platform, he said “there was no reason” for the Russian president “to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days”.
The two leaders held talks before attending the Pope’s funeral
He added: “It makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently, through ‘Banking’ or ‘Secondary Sanctions?’ Too many people are dying!!!”
The meeting between the US and Ukrainian leaders was their first face-to-face encounter since a very public row in the Oval Office in February.
Mr Zelenskyy said he had a good meeting with Mr Trump in which they talked about the defence of the Ukrainian people, a full and unconditional ceasefire, and a durable and lasting peace that would prevent the war restarting.
Other images released by the Ukrainian president’s office show Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron were present for part of the talks, which were described as “positive” by the French presidency.
Mr Zelenskyy‘s spokesman said the meeting lasted for around 15 minutes and he and Mr Trump had agreed to hold further discussions later on Saturday.
The world leaders shared a moment before the service
Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy meet in the Basilica
But the US president left Rome for Washington on Air Force One soon after the funeral without any other talks having taken place.
The Ukrainian president’s office said there was no second meeting in Rome because of the tight schedule of both leaders, although he had separate discussions with Mr Starmer and Mr Macron.
The French president said in a post on X “Ukraine is ready for an unconditional ceasefire” and that a so-called coalition of the willing, led by the UK and France, would continue working to achieve a lasting peace.
There was applause from some of the other world leaders in attendance at the Vatican when Mr Zelenskyy walked out of St Peter’s Basilica after stopping in front of the pontiff’s coffin to pay his respects.
Donald Trump and the Ukrainian president met for the first time since their Oval Office row. Pic: Reuters
Sir Tony Brenton, the former British ambassador to Russia, said the event presents diplomatic opportunities, including the “biggest possible meeting” between Mr Trump and the Ukrainian leader.
He told Sky News it could mark “an important step” in starting the peace process between Russia and Ukraine.
Professor Father Francesco Giordano told Sky News the meeting is being called “Pope Francis’s miracle” by members of the clergy, adding: “There’s so many things that happened today – it was just overwhelming.”
The bilateral meeting comes after Mr Trump’s peace negotiator Steve Witkoff held talks with Mr Putin at the Kremlin.
They discussed “the possibility of resuming direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine”, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said.
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Russia and Ukraine have not held direct talks since the early weeks of the war, which began in February 2022.
Mr Trump has claimed a deal to end the war is “very close” and has urged Mr Zelenskyy to “get it done” in a post on his Truth Social platform.
He has previously warned both sides his administration would walk away from its efforts to achieve a peace if the two sides do not agree a deal soon.
Meanwhile, the Polish armed forces said a Russian military helicopter violated its airspace over the Baltic Sea on Friday evening.
“The nature of the incident indicates that Russia is testing the readiness of our air defence systems,” they said in a post on X.
On an extraordinary day, remarkable pictures on the margins that capture what may be a turning point for the world.
In a corner of St Peter’s Basilica before the funeral of Pope Francis, the leaders of America and Ukraine sit facing each other in two solitary chairs.
They look like confessor and sinner except we cannot tell which one is which.
Leaning forward hands together in their laps, Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy stare at each other in one photo.
In another, the Ukrainian president seems to be remonstrating with the US president. This is their first encounter since their infamous bust-up in the Oval Office.
The two leaders held talks before attending the Pope’s funeral
Other pictures show the moment their French and British counterparts introduced the two men. There is a palpable sense of nervousness in the way the leaders engage.
We do not know what the two presidents said in their brief meeting.
But in the mind of the Ukrainian leader will be the knowledge President Trump has this week said America will reward Russia for its unprovoked brutal invasion of his country, under any peace deal.
Mr Trump has presented Ukraine and Russia with a proposal and ultimatum so one-sided it could have been written in the Kremlin.
Kyiv must surrender the land Russia has taken by force, Crimea forever, the rest at least for now. And it must submit to an act of extortion, a proposed deal that would hand over half its mineral wealth effectively to America.
The world leaders shared a moment before the service
Afterwards, Zelenskyy said it had been a good meeting that could turn out to be historic “if we reach results together”.
They had talked, he said, about the defence of Ukraine, a full and unconditional ceasefire and a durable and lasting peace that will prevent a war restarting.
The Trump peace proposal includes only unspecified security guarantees for Ukraine from countries that do not include the US. It rules out any membership of Ukraine.
Ukraine’s allies are watching closely to see if Mr Trump will apply any pressure on Vladimir Putin, let alone punish him for recent bloody attacks on Ukraine.
Or will he simply walk away if the proposal fails, blaming Ukrainian intransigence, however outrageously, before moving onto a rapprochement with Moscow.
If he does, America’s role as guarantor of international security will be seen effectively as over.
This could be the week we see the world order as we have known it since the end of the Second World War buried, as well as a pope.
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