Swords of Iron: Here is what happened on days 1 and 2

Several US nationals have died since the start of Hamas' surprise attack on Israel on Saturday, a National Security Council spokesman said Sunday, adding that US officials remained in touch with their Israeli counterparts.

At least three Americans were among those killed by Hamas gunmen, CNN reported, citing an internal US memo.

The shocking flare-up may undermine US-backed moves towards normalizing relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia - a security realignment that could threaten Palestinian hopes of self determination and hem in Hamas' main backer, Iran.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Washington would send multiple military ships and aircraft closer to Israel as a show of support and would also begin providing fresh munitions to its closest Middle Easy ally.

In Gaza, Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem condemned the US announcement as “an actual participation in the aggression against our people" and said the group would not be intimidated.

Viral YouTube content creator, Nuseir Yassin, the man behind the channel, Nas Daily, took to X (formerly Twitter) early on Monday morning to highlight his Israeli identity.

Yassin was born in Israel’s Arab-Muslim community.

In a reversal of how he previously saw his identity, going forward, Yassin states that he will see himself as Israeli first and as Palestinian second.

Personal Thoughts:
(not for everyone, feel free to skip)

For the longest time, I struggled with my identity.

A Palestinian kid born inside Israel. Like…wtf.

Many of my friends refuse to this day to say the word “Israel” and call themselves “Palestinian” only.

But since I…

— Nuseir Yassin (@nasdaily) October 8, 2023

The decision, he states, comes from a clarity brought forth by Hamas’s unprecedented attack on Israel.

Nuseir Yassin in his Nas Daily T-shirt. (credit: Wikimedia Commons)

“For the longest time, I struggled with my identity,” Yassin writes. “A Palestinian kid born inside Israel. Like…wtf. Many of my friends refuse to this day to say the word “Israel” and call themselves ‘Palestinian’ only. But since I was 12, that did not make sense to me. So I decided to mix the two and become a ‘Palestinian-Israeli.’ I thought this term reflected who I was. Palestinian first. Israeli second.”

The Nas Daily channel puts out short videos that draw attention to interesting people, places, and developments around the world that make impacts on their local communities and beyond.

Over the years his YouTube channel has been active, Yassin has put out multiple videos regarding his experiences and thoughts on Israel, Palestine, and Jewish and Arab relations.

In light of the current events in Israel, Yassin writes, he has been thinking a lot about his identity.

Choosing Israel

“And then my thoughts turned to anger,” he stated. “I realized that if Israel were to be ‘invaded’ like that again, we would not be safe. To a terrorist invading Israel, all citizens are targets.

"Nine hundreds Israelis died so far. More than 40 of them are Arabs. Killed by other Arabs," he continued. "And even two Thai people died too.

"And I do not want to live under a Palestinian government. Which means I only have one home, even if I’m not Jewish: Israel. That’s where all my family lives. That’s where I grew up. That’s the country I want to see continue to exist so I can exist. Palestine should exist too as an independent state. And I hope to see the country thrive and become less extreme and more prosperous. But it’s not my home. So from today forward, I view myself as an ‘Israeli-Palestinian.’ Israeli first. Palestinian second. Sometimes it takes a shock like this to see so clearly.”

Yassin’s thoughts were shared to his story on Instagram as well, where he added, “Today I feel sad for my home country of Israel. I also feel angry. Very angry. But I can’t find the words to express my anger right now.

"My family is safe. But many others are not. It looks like the next few days the situation will get even worse. Yet, I’m still hopeful. Hopeful for peace in the Middle East During our time.”

Many of the comments in the thread of the X post commended Yassin’s "bravery" in taking an "unpopular" stance.

Some others insulted Yassin for his statement, labeling him as a sellout or an asset of the Israeli government.

As the entire country of Israel is struggling to manage the war that is unfolding with Hamas and Gaza, the sports community has not been immune to the effects of the situation at hand.

Former soccer player Lior Assulin was killed at the desert party by terrorists from Gaza. The 43-year old was missing for more than 24 hours until his death was confirmed as more than 50 Hamas terrorists opened fire on the party-goers.

The striker began his career with Maccabi Herzliya back in 1997 and then went on to feature for Maccabi Petah Tikva, Bnei Sakhnin, Beitar Jerusalem and Bnei Yehuda. In 2007 he moved to Hapoel Tel Aviv and then played in Cyprus in 2008.

After returning to Israel, Assulin then went on to play Maccabi Petah Tikva once again as well as Hapoel Beersheba before moving to the country’s second division before ending his playing career in 2017.

Leumit League soccer player Ben Binyamin was at the desert party that terrorists opened fire on as he suffered a seriously injured foot which was later amputated.

Party-goers flee from terrorists who entered from Gaza into a nature party. (credit: Walla. Screenshot)

“I was in a group of 40 people in a bunker and the terrorists threw grenades at us. I saw so many horrible things, bodies upon bodies in this bunker including body parts. It’s hard for me to digest what we went through and what I’m going through personally. It’s tough to end my career this way, but there are more important things in life.”

Former Israel National Team coach Shlomo Sharf’s granddaughter who was at the same party is also unaccounted for.

All of the Israeli professional sports leagues, including soccer and basketball, have been put on hold while many of the teams have allowed their foreign players and staff the opportunity to leave the country.

The Israel Football Association is in discussions with UEFA in order to postpone the National Team’s upcoming Euro 2024 games against Switzerland, which is scheduled for Thursday night at Bloomfield Stadium in Tel Aviv, and at Kosovo to November.

Also, the IFA is trying to postpone the Under-17 matches against Germany and Estonia. Should UEFA not give permission to push the games off, they will most probably be held in Cyprus or in Greece as has been done in the past when there had been previous security situations in Israel.

Number of Israeli players in action in Europe over the weekend

There were a number of Israeli players in action in Europe over the weekend as former National Team captain Bibras Natcho scored for his club team Partizan Belgrade and broke down crying in the arms of teammates. Raz Shlomo who plays for Leuven in Belgium scored as well as tears streamed down his face following his goal.

“How can one celebrate a goal on this day,” Natcho said following the game. “When I saw all of those pictures earlier in the day, it was just too much. My teammates saw many videos on social media and they asked about my family and those types of things. It was a shock to everyone and don’t know what will be and what will happen. There isn’t much else to say. It’s hard to find the right words on days like this.”

Israeli gymnast Artem Dolgopyat who captured a gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, won gold again in the floor exercise at the World Championships held in Antwerp and held up an Israeli flag with a pair of black ribbons on it due to the war being waged.

Menashe Zalka, who is the captain of Hapoel Hadera, was called up to the reserves and immediately departed to help his nation.

Celtic fans in Scotland cheered on Hamas’s cause and waved flags in their support, which led to Nir Bitton who played a decade for the club and now features for Maccabi Tel Aviv to post on Instagram, “Shame on you!!! Yes free Gaza from Hamas not from Israel!!! Supporting terror organization who’s proudly celebrating the slaughtering of families is absolutely crazy!! Embarrassing”.

Football clubs Maccabi Tel Aviv, Hapoel Beersheba, Hapoel Tel Aviv and Maccabi Haifa have all allowed their import players to depart along with the coaches and professional staff, which included yellow-and-blue head coach Robbie Keane and Reds bench boss Michael Valkanis.

“There are moments in life that cannot be controlled,” Valkanis said. Today, we were supposed to play at home, in front of our fans after a great victory over Beitar Jerusalem. What was supposed to be a celebration turned into a wake-up call by sirens warning of the attack that Israel experienced.

“My heart is with all the people in Israel, sending support to those who have lost their loved ones. My thoughts are with the people and their family members I met who embraced me from the first moment and especially to my family, Hapoel Tel Aviv,” Valkanis added. “It is sad that in 2023 we are still talking about human lives being lost due to wars and terrorist attacks. I hope that this crisis will stop soon and that the people will continue with their daily lives. We will be together very soon,” concluded the Hapoel Tel Aviv coach.

Maccabi CEO Ben Mansford and his family have also departed for England while the club’s technical director Dominic Price has also done the same.

Hapoel Jerusalem Basketball Club’s foreigners have flown to Greece. In addition to the Reds, players from Maccabi Ramat Gan and Ness Ziona have also left for Athens as well as some of their professional staff.

Both the Maccabi Tel Aviv and Hapoel Tel Aviv basketball clubs will play abroad this week and as of now the Israeli security services are not allowing any Israeli teams or athletes to leave the country, which could put their games in Milan and Vilnius in jeopardy. The yellow-and-blue is slated to fly to Italy on Wednesday and will wait for updates throughout the upcoming days although they are trying to postpone the contest.

Hapoel Beersheba/Dimona moved its players down to Eilat where they will stay for the time being, while the basketball league has offered assistance in arranging flights out of Israel for the balance of the foreign players in the country.

Former Maccabi Tel Aviv star Scottie Wilbekin took to X (formerly Twitter) and posted: “My prayers are with Israel right now.”

Israel’s lone NBA player, Deni Avdija, took to Instagram and posted a number of images in support of Israel as well.

Enes Kanter Freedom, who played in the NBA between 2011-2022, also came out with a strong statement of support.

“Horrific and heartbreaking scenes from Israel. Dead people being stripped and paraded about like trophies on trucks, elderly women being driven into Gaza as hostages and the 5,000 rockets raining upon innocent civilians in Israel. UNACCEPTABLE!!! As a Muslim, I strongly condemn the current attacks against #Israel. I express my full solidarity with the victims, their families and loved ones.”

The Israeli Tennis Association canceled a tournament that was slated to take place this coming week as well.

Defense Minister Yoav Galant said Monday that "Hamas has become the ISIS of Gaza," shortly after meeting with Israeli senior security officials.

"In this war we are fighting against a murderous terrorist organization that harms the elderly, women and babies. We will fight it as we fight criminal terrorists, and we will win."

Israel's ambassador to the United Nations on Sunday accused Palestinian Islamist group Hamas of war crimes, vowing that it was time to "obliterate Hamas terror infrastructure," as the UN Security Council met to discuss the conflict.

In a dramatic assault launched from the Palestinian enclave of Gaza on Saturday, Hamas terrorists stormed into Israeli towns, killing more than 600 people and escaping with dozens of hostages, in the deadliest day for Israel since the 1973 war.

"These are war crimes, blatant documented war crimes," said Israeli UN Ambassador Gilad Erdan ahead of the closed-door meeting of the 15-member Security Council meeting.

"The era of reasoning with these savages is over," he told reporters. "Now is the time to obliterate Hamas terror infrastructure, to completely erase it, so that such horrors are never committed again."

Erdan appealed to int'l community to fully support Israel

Israel pounded Gaza on Sunday, killing hundreds of people in retaliation. Erdan appealed for the international community to fully support Israel and condemn the actions of Hamas.

A wounded Israeli is taken off a helicopter as he arrives to Haifa hospital following a shooting attack in the Jordan Valley, in Haifa, Israel (credit: AMIR COHEN/REUTERS)

Home to some 2 million people, the Gaza Strip has been run by Hamas since 2007. Its economy has long been choked by a blockade imposed by Israel with Egypt's help.

"Israel keeps saying: The blockade and repeated assaults on Gaza are to destroy Hamas military capabilities and ensure security. ... Its blockade and assaults accomplished neither," Palestinian UN Ambassador Riyad Mansour told reporters ahead of the Security Council meeting.

"When Israel now tries to justify yet another assault by the same faulty premise, no one should say or do anything to encourage it down this path," he said.

The council met for about 90 minutes and heard a briefing from UN Middle East peace envoy Tor Wennesland.

Diplomats said it was unlikely the Security Council would issue a statement, which are agreed to by consensus. Deputy US Ambassador to the UN Robert Wood told reporters that it was not a priority for Washington at the moment.

"What's important now is the international community show its solidarity with Israel. We have Israel's back fully," Wood told reporters after the meeting. "The condemnation of Hamas needs to continue until they end this violent terrorist activity against the Israeli people."

United Arab Emirates UN Ambassador Lana Nusseibeh said the council also discussed the applicability of international humanitarian law and the protection of the civilians.

"The point about proportionate response was also discussed, but clearly, right now, the focus for Israel is its own security needs and the fact that it has hostages being held in the Gaza Strip that should be released," she told reporters.

The assault by Hamas coincides with US-backed moves to push Saudi Arabia toward normalizing ties with Israel in return for a defense deal between Washington and Riyadh.

"We don't see any reason that should be off the table," said Erdan. "We still want it to happen. We'll do everything that we can to live in co-existence with all of our neighbors."

For the second time since the beginning of Hamas's invasion of Israel, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has met with his US counterpart Lloyd Austin, the Defense Ministry stated on Sunday evening.

Gallant provided Austin with an assessment of the operational situation and stated that despite heavy casualties, Israel will win the war. The Defense Minister italicized that the Jewish State will take all the necessary steps to beat Hamas.

Minister Gallant additionally voiced his expressed his gratitude for the Biden administration's public statements expressing solidarity with Israel and for the measures the US has taken to support Israel's security apparatuses in dealing with a variety of external threats.

Gallant went on to thank Austin for his personal commitment and efforts in supporting Israel’s security.

Hamas's attacks on Israel, which began Saturday morning, were planned weeks in advance with assistance from Iranian security officials, according to a Sunday report from The Wall Street Journal.

The report, citing senior members of Hamas and Hezbollah, stated that the Iranian officials "gave the green light" for the attacks during a meeting between them and Hamas in Beirut last week.

IRGC officers worked with Hamas since August to plan incursions from the "air, land, and sea," the report noted. Officers of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were also at the meetings in Beirut.

Backing by Iran

Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had praised the attacks, posting on X earlier this week that the cancer of the usurper Zionist regime will be eradicated at the hands of the Palestinian people and the Resistance forces throughout the region." Formerly known as Twitter, X stated that Khamenei's post violated the platform's rules.

At least 700 Israelis were killed and around 2,300 injured in attacks by Hamas since Saturday morning, with the number expected to rise.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks during a meeting with the guests of the Islamic Unity Conference in Tehran, Iran October 3, 2023. (credit: Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/WANA/Handout via Reuters)

Hours earlier, Hamas spokesman Ghazi Hamad told the BBC that the terrorist group had direct backing and support from Iran, which also promised it would "stand by the Palestinian fighters until the liberation of Palestine and Jerusalem," the report quoted him as saying.

This is a developing story.

The Biden administration is investigating reports that Americans are among the at least 600 people killed and the 100 or so abducted in the Hamas invasion of Israel.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken, speaking on Sunday news shows, said the United States had not confirmed any numbers yet but was pursuing reports of Americans among the casualties.

“So we have reports that several Americans may be among the dead we are very actively working to verify those reports,” Blinken told NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “Similarly, we’ve seen reports about hostages and there again, we’re very actively trying to verify them and nail that down.”

Officials at the US embassy in Israel and the Israeli embassy in Washington said they did not yet have any further information.

One American has appeared among appeals for information about missing people

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken looks on, as U.S. President Joe Biden (not pictured) speaks about the conflict in Israel, after Hamas launched its biggest attack in decades, while making a statement about the crisis, at the White House in Washington, U.S. October 7, 2023 (credit: REUTERS/ELIZABETH FRANTZ/FILE PHOTO)

At least one American has appeared among appeals for information about young adults missing after Hamas attacked an overnight outdoors party at Kibbutz Reim: Hersh Goldberg-Polin, whose father, Jon Polin, is posting on WhatsApp groups, seeking information about his son’s whereabouts. Attendees of the party, which was among the first targets in the surprise onslaught, are among the dead and abducted.

A building in Ashkelon was directly hit by a rocket early Monday after a barrage of rockets were fired on the city from the Gaza Strip.

Another barrage of rockets were fired towards the city minutes later.

More than 5,000 young adults on long-term programs in Israel are out of danger, an umbrella group for the programs said.

A spokesperson for Masa Israel Journey — which guides participants to hundreds of gap-year, career training and continuing education programs in Israel — told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that all of its 5,700 participants had been relocated away from areas “under direct danger.”

The organization has evacuated its programs in the south of the country, including gap years and kibbutz volunteering in the coastal city of Ashdod, and is following Israeli security protocol regarding whether other programs will need to be moved.

“At Masa, we are unequivocally committed to being present and available to our 5,700 Fellows in Israel during this emotionally challenging period,” the program’s spokesperson, Tal Bar-on Morali, told JTA.

Message comes as social media flood with images of missing people

The message came as Israeli social media networks have been flooded with images of people who are missing or have been taken captive or killed. Hundreds of those victims were young adults who were celebrating at an all-night nature party in the south that was attacked by Hamas fighters. In Saturday’s attack, Hamas fighters killed 700 people, injured more than 2,200 and took some 100 hostages to Gaza. 

Israeli military drive on a road in southern Israel, as rockets are launched from the Gaza Strip, outside Sderot October 7, 2023. (credit: REUTERS/AMMAR AWAD)

US citizens are reportedly among those who have been captured or killed, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said. 

“I am so, so grateful—beyond grateful—for this outpouring of love, but I’m having trouble responding to everyone,” author Joanna Rakoff, whose son Coleman is on Year Course, the Young Judaea gap-year program, wrote on Instagram on Saturday. 

“So I’m posting here to say: Coleman is fine right now,” she wrote. “He’s sheltering with a friend’s family. Love, love to you all, from this very worried mother.” 

A spokesperson for Taglit-Birthright Israel, the organization that runs free 10-day trips in Israel for young adults, in addition to other programs, told JTA it was not currently running any trips to Israel.

Other Israel programs were in close communication with parents abroad to assure them participants were safe. Yeshivat Netiv Aryeh, an Orthodox yeshiva in Jerusalem largely catering to American and British male students, alerted parents Saturday evening to report that all of their students were “safe and accounted for.”

Kivunim, a gap-year program in which Jewish students travel the world using Israel as a base, had been scheduled to fly out its latest class on Monday. The start of its program has now been delayed, its director told parents in a letter over the weekend. Some of Kivunim’s 36 student participants had traveled early to Israel or live there now, and the program has confirmed that they are safe.

“The security and safety of our students and staff are and always will be our first priority,” Kivunim’s leadership wrote in the email. Executive director Elie Lauter told JTA the group was exploring restructuring its schedule so that students could travel to the program’s other destinations while delaying their entries into Israel.

Some of Masa’s fellows have chosen to end their programs and leave the country, but no program has been canceled or closed, Morali said. Masa is also providing mental health services to its fellows.

“Above all else, we are dedicated to their welfare,” Morali said. “We hope and pray for better days ahead in Israel and for the entire Jewish community.”