Talks with Israel on providing US military assistance are “very much underway,” a White House senior official said Saturday, following the surprise large-scale attack by the Palestinian militant group Hamas. The conflict threatened to escalate to an even deadlier stage with Israel’s vows of greater retaliation. Follow our live blog for all the latest developments on the unfolding situation. All times are Paris time (GMT+2).
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00:40am: US says ‘too early’ to tell if Iran directly involved in Hamas attack on Israel
A senior White House official said Saturday it was “too early to say” whether Israel’s arch foe Iran was “directly involved” in the large-scale attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas.
However, there was “no doubt Hamas is funded, equipped and armed by Iran and others,” he added, as the conflict between the two sides escalated to its bloodiest point in decades.
00:35am: US-Israel discussions on military aid ‘very much underway’, says White House official
Talks with Israel on providing US military assistance are “very much underway,” a White House senior official said Saturday, following the surprise large-scale attack by the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
The official indicated an announcement by Washington was possible as early as Sunday, but noted that the situation in Congress — where the lower chamber currently lacks a leader — will complicate the matter.
There is “probably is a role for Congress here and without speaker of the House, that is a unique situation we’re going to have to work through,” he said.
00:30am: Saudi FM speaks with Blinken to urge halt to violence in and around Gaza.
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan has spoken to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to urge a halt to the violence in and around Gaza.
A Saudi Foreign Ministry statement released late Saturday says the two discussed “the necessity of working toward an immediate halt to the escalation.”
Prince Faisal emphasized “the kingdom’s rejection of the targeting of civilians and the need for all sides to respect international humanitarian law.”
The Saudis have been in talks with the White House over potentially forging diplomatic relations with Israel. Those efforts have been thrown into question by the unprecedented incursion into Israel launched by the Palestinian militant group Hamas on Saturday.
00:22am: Blinken speaks with Egypt to seek ‘immediate halt’ to Hamas assault
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke Saturday with Egypt, a key intermediary between Israel and Hamas, to seek an immediate end to the offensive by the militants, the State Department said.
In a telephone call with Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, Blinken raised “the urgency in achieving an immediate halt to the appalling assault by Hamas terrorists against Israel,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said.
00:12am: US says it is working with others to prevent Gaza conflict from spreading
The United States is working with other governments to make sure the crisis does not spread and is contained to Gaza following a deadly Hamas attack in Israel, a senior Biden administration official said on Saturday.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, also said the U.S. did not have any information at the moment to determine that Iran was involved in the “specific” assault in Israel, even though Tehran’s long-standing support for Hamas was well known.
The official said the US was looking closely at the issue.
Key developments from Saturday, October 8
More than 200 Israelis were killed on Saturday as Hamas militants carried out an unprecedented, multi-front attack on Israel at daybreak, firing thousands of rockets as dozens of Hamas fighters infiltrated the heavily fortified border in several locations by air, land and sea and catching the country off guard on a major holiday.
At least 232 people have been killed and 1,610 wounded in Gaza, the Palestinian Health Ministry said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was at “war” with Palestinian militant group Hamas after barrages of rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip into Israel on Saturday.
The total number of Israelis captured by Hamas in a surprise attack on Israeli towns on Saturday was “several times greater” than dozens, a spokesperson for the armed wing of Hamas said in a recording aired shortly after midnight on Sunday. The spokesman said those taken captive were spread throughout all areas of the Gaza strip.
(FRANCE 24 with AP, AFP and Reuters)
This story originally appeared on France24
