Hamas militants launched a surprise attack inside Israel Saturday, in which they fired thousands of rockets, sent dozens of fighters into Israeli towns near the Gaza Strip and kidnapped Israeli civilians and soldiers.
The attacks started on a religious holiday (Simchat Torah) weekend in Israel, and nearly 300 people have been killed, according to the New York Times.
President Joe Biden shared a statement regarding the attacks in Israel: “This morning, I spoke with Prime Minister Netanyahu about the horrific and ongoing attacks in Israel. The United States unequivocally condemns this appalling assault against Israel by Hamas terrorists from Gaza, and I made clear to Prime Minister Netanyahu that we stand ready to offer all appropriate means of support to the Government and people of Israel. Terrorism is never justified. Israel has a right to defend itself and its people. The United States warns against any other party hostile to Israel seeking advantage in this situation. My Administration’s support for Israel’s security is rock solid and unwavering.”
Vice President Kamala Harris posted a statement on X/Twitter, writing that Biden’s and her support for “Israel’s security is unwavering.”
Doug’s and my prayers are with the victims of the heinous terrorist attacks in Israel. @POTUS and my support for Israel’s security is unwavering.
— Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) October 7, 2023
NBC News broadcast a special report on the Hamas’s surprise attack at 6 a.m. ET, featuring “NBC News Now” anchor Joe Fryer and NBC News senior legal correspondent Laura Jarrett. They were joined by NBC News foreign correspondents Raf Sanchez and Richard Engel and foreign affairs correspondent Andrea Mitchell.
“We haven’t seen something like this, this level of sophistication, to catch the Israelis off guard and to keep this operation moving for hours now. This began at dawn, its is already afternoon in Israel. So, this has been going on for multiple hours now,” said Richard Engel, NBC News chief foreign correspondent, during Saturday’s special report.
“I think it’s very likely that we’re going to see an escalation in some sort of small-scale war, maybe bigger scale war, between Hamas and Israel. And I think we’re in the early phases of that right now.”
MSNBC announced the news channel will continue live, ongoing coverage of the latest develops in Israel, with Ayman Mohyeldin anchoring coverage live from New York starting at 8 p.m. ET. and José Díaz-Balart picking up coverage from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Fox News Channel is also presenting continuous coverage of the developing conflict in Israel, with FNC’s foreign correspondent Trey Yingst reporting live from southern Israel. FNC’s chief political anchor and “Special Report’s” Bret Baier will contribute to live coverage throughout the day, while chief national security correspondent Jennifer Griffin will report from the Pentagon with correspondent Lucas Tomlinson reporting from the White House.
— Variety