October 9 top stories
It is October 9. Here are today’s top stories.
Hamas’ attack on Israel
On Saturday, Hamas, a military, political, and terrorist organization that is based in Gaza (next to Israel) launched a surprise attack against Israel by launching thousands of rockets at civilians and bulldozing down border fence areas to allow gunmen to enter Israel and attack civilians and take many hostages.
One of the worst-hit areas is a music festival that was taking place in south Israel near the border with Gaza. Hamas gunmen swarmed the desert setting on Saturday early morning, gunning down young adults and taking hostages. Tragically, at least 260 people were killed at the festival.
There are videos on social media that show Hamas gunmen taking women from the festival as hostages. One of them is Shani Louk, a German-Israeli dual national. Her body was seen in a video in the back of a pickup truck surrounded by Hamas militants. Her mother posted a video confirming that it is her daughter and asked for any news or information about Shani to be sent to her.
Hamas gunmen burst through several Israeli communities near the border, killing civilians and kidnapping Israeli citizens, including elderly people and young children. As of today, more than 700 people have been killed in Israel and at least a hundred have been kidnapped and taken into Gaza.
U.S. officials said at least nine Americans were killed by Hamas gunmen.
A Hamas spokesperson said they attacked Israel because they were angry about Israel’s occupation of the West Bank, police raids on an important mosque in Jerusalem, and the detention of thousands of Palestinians in Israeli jails.
The Israel government, led by Prime Minister Netanyahu, declared war on Hamas on Saturday and launched retaliatory strikes that toppled buildings in Gaza. Israel cut off electricity to Gaza and the area continues to be pounded by Israeli airstrikes. Palestinian officials said over 400 people have been killed in Gaza, including over 70 children. There is a lot of concern for civilians in Gaza who may be hit by airstrikes. The Israeli military said it’s retaken control of all Israeli communities near the border with Gaza.
BBC News said Israel’s military is massing tanks, troops and armored vehicles near Gaza’s border and that it looks like preparations for a major military operation into Gaza. Israeli officials said they want to completely eliminate Hamas and its infrastructure. The Israeli military has called up 300,000 army reservists.
The Biden administration said it supports Israel and stands by them. The U.S. said it would provide military assistance to Israel and would move several military ships and aircraft closer to Israel.
In Israel, there are many questions about how its advanced military and intelligence failed to detect and prevent Hamas’ attack. An Israeli military spokesperson said they would investigate what happened but they have to fight first.
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Race to elect next House Speaker
The House of Representatives, which has a Republican majority, is now trying to figure out who will be their next Speaker of the House after Kevin McCarthy was ousted last week.
The top two potential replacements are Steve Scalise (R-La) and Jim Jordan (R-Ohio). Donald Trump said he is endorsing Jordan.
“The Hill” explained that the race is dividing Senate Republicans and reflects the broader division in the GOP between traditional and MAGA-aligned conservatives.
News reports said Republicans will meet internally on Monday and Tuesday with a possible official floor vote taking place on Wednesday.
Afghanistan earthquake
On Saturday, a powerful 6.3 magnitude earthquake hit Afghanistan in the western part of the country. Over 2,000 people were killed. CNN said international aid groups are scrambling to send help to survivors who remain stranded in heaps of debris and rubble. The country has been isolated from international aid since the Taliban seized power in 2021.
Kelvin Kiptum’s marathon world record
On Sunday, Kenyan marathon runner Kelvin Kiptum set a new men’s marathon world record in Chicago. His time was 2:00:35.
This means he ran an average mile in 4 minutes and 31 seconds in the 26.2 miles race.
Kiptum is 23 years old and this was only his third time running in a competitive marathon.
That is all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-middle-east-67050350
https://www.cnn.com/middleeast/live-news/israel-hamas-gaza-attack-10-08-23/index.html
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2023/10/09/world/israel-gaza-attack-hamas-news
https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-gaza-attack-intel-a5287a18773232f26ca171233be01721
https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/09/world/herat-afghanistan-earthquake-aid-challenges-intl-hnk/index.html
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/4244261-senate-gop-divided-over-race-to-replace-mccarthy/
https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/09/politics/house-speaker-removed-israel-war/index.html