Israel Palestine live news: Netanyahu orders siege on Gaza as hostages are threatened with execution

Irish president Michael D Higgins has called for a cessation of violence in Israel and Gaza for “the protection of the lives of innocent civilians”.

His comments came as the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs criticised a unilateral announcement from an EU commissioner which said payments under a development portfolio for Palestinians would be suspended.

In a statement, Mr Higgins said: “May I, as President of Ireland, lend my voice to those internationally that have called for an immediate end to the killing which has, since Saturday following Hamas’ attack on Israel and the response to it, included so many civilians, young people and children, as well as older members of families.

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed revenge for the loss of Israeli lives in a fiery speech accusing Hamas of executing tied-up children and other atrocities. “This vile enemy wanted war and it will get war,” he said.

Comparing Hamas to Isis, he said: “The atrocities committed by Hamas have not been seen since Isis atrocities. Bound children executed along with their families. Young men and women shot in the back, executed. Other horrors I won’t describe here.

“We have always known who Hamas is. Now the entire world knows. Hamas is Isis. And we will defeat it just like the enlightened world defeated Isis,” he said.

Israel has “only started” its offensive, said Mr Netanyahu, adding “what we will do to our enemies in the coming days will reverberate with them for generations”.

The death toll has continued to rise since the devastating weekend attack by Hamas, prompting international declarations of support for Israel and appeals for an end to the fighting and the protection of civilians. The death toll now stands at 1587 on both sides.

Israeli TV channels said the death had climbed to 900 Israelis, with at least 2,600 injured, and dozens taken captive. Among the Israeli dead were 260 mostly young people gunned down at a desert music festival, where some of the hostages were abducted.

Gaza’s health ministry said at least 687 Palestinians had been killed and 3,726 wounded in Israeli air strikes on the blockaded enclave since Saturday. Apartment blocks, a mosque and hospitals were among the sites attacked, and the strikes destroyed some roads and houses, according to media reports and eyewitnesses.

Israel also bombed the headquarters of the private Palestinian Telecommunication Co, which could affect landline telephone, internet and mobile phone services.

The Islamist militant group Hamas threatened to execute an Israeli captive every time Israel bombs a Palestinian home without warning, as Israel called up an unprecedented 300,000 reservists and imposed a blockade on the Gaza Strip, raising fears it planned a ground assault.

The violence, which has claimed more than 1,500 lives, prompted international declarations of support for Israel after a devastating weekend attack by Hamas, and appeals for an end to the fighting and protection of civilians.

The Israeli military said it hit targets in the Gaza Strip from the sea and air, including a weapons depot it said belonged to Islamic Jihad and Hamas targets along Gaza’s coast line.

Hamas spokesperson Abu Ubaida issued the threat yesterday to kill Israelis among the dozens held captive after the surprise attack on Saturday morning. He said Hamas would execute an Israeli captive for every Israeli bombing of a civilian house without warning, and broadcast the execution.

There was no immediate response from the Israeli military to that threat. Israeli foreign minister Eli Cohen said more than 100 people had been taken captive by Hamas during the deadly cross-border incursion over the weekend.

Three people have been arrested during protests and vigils over the conflict between Israel and Hamas.

British Transport Police arrested a 15-year-old male in Kensington High Street on suspicion of assault on an emergency worker, racially motivated criminal damage and possessing an offensive weapon.

A 70-year-old man was also arrested in Kensington on suspicion of racially motivated criminal damage and a 29-year-old man was arrested in Oxford Street on suspicion of causing actual bodily harm and possession of an offensive weapon.

The arrests were confirmed by the Metropolitan Police, who said officers will continue to have an “enhanced visible presence” on the streets of London to reassure the public.

A special focus will be placed on Jewish communities across the city.

Supporters of both Palestine and Israel took to the streets of London on Monday to attend vigils and protests after the conflict heightened on Saturday when Hamas launched an unprecedented attack against Israel.

A police spokesperson said: “UK policing has an obligation to uphold the right to protest. However, we are clear that where any activity crosses into criminality, we will, and have, taken action.”

In Washington DC, the blame game over responsibility for the Hamas attacks has already begun.

Over the weekend as every Republican candidate in the race blamed Joe Biden and his administration for the outbreak in violence — a result, they say, of the Biden administration’s softened approach towards Iran.

The Iranian government’s involvement in the conflict has been hotly debated, with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)’s support for Hamas well known but no clear evidence yet pointing to Iranian tactical or military support for the militants involved in the fight today.

Are Republican claims that the Biden administration’s recent dollars-for-prisoners deal with Tehran is behind the attack on Israel supported by the facts? Or is the party exploiting the tragedy for its own ends in the heat of a presidential primary?

John Bowden looks at what we know so far

President Joe Biden on Monday said the US government is aware of “at least 11” Americans who have been killed in attacks on Israel by Hamas and warned that an as-yet unknown number of US citizens may have been taken as hostages by the terrorist group.

In a statement, Mr Biden said the updated toll of American fatalities was part of efforts to “continue to account for the horrors of the appalling terrorist assault against Israel this weekend and the hundreds of innocent civilians who were murdered” and stressed that the “immense scale and reach of this tragedy” is only now being understood.

“We also know that American citizens still remain unaccounted for, and we are working with Israeli officials to obtain more information as to their whereabouts,” he said, adding that his “top priority” as president is “the safety of American citizens—whether at home or abroad”.

Protesters from both sides of the Israel-Palestinian conflict rallied at the Israeli consulate in New York on 9 October.

Split by East 42nd Street, the two opposing groups raised signs and flags as they chanted.

“I’m here to show solidarity to the Palestinians,” Queens resident Saif Eldilemi said.