Netanyahu vows to 'crush' Hamas as military orders closures around Gaza

Summary

• Netanyahu describes the brutality of Saturday's attack on Israel and vows to "crush" Hamas, saying "any member of Hamas is a dead man"
• Israel has closed off a large area of land around Gaza, in what's seen as a prelude to a ground assault
• Gaza's only power plant runs out of fuel 
• More than 1,100 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, with Israel's death toll climbing to 1,200 as the scale of Hamas' atrocities becomes clear
• Israeli airstrikes are pummeling Gaza, hitting residential buildings, schools and hospitals across the besieged Palestinian enclave
• US President Joe Biden has redoubled his support for Israel, describing the weekend assault by Palestinian militants as an "act of sheer evil"
• A massive military build-up of Israeli forces is continuing on Gaza's border
• More than 260,000 have been displaced in Gaza due to Israeli airstrikes, says UN
• Israeli forces say they have been attacked by Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon and shelled from Syria
• Israel has announced the formation of a new unity government incorporating Benjamin Netanyahu's longtime political rival Benny Gantz

That's the end of our live blog today, on the fifth day of conflict between Hamas and Israel. 

We're back on Thursday morning at 06:00 with all the latest developments. 

Israel orders military closures

In what is seen as a prelude to a ground assault on Gaza, the Israeli military on Wednesday closed off a large land area around the Palestinian enclave.

(AP)

Netanyahu: Hamas militants beheaded soldiers, raped women

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that Hamas militants beheaded soldiers and raped women during their attack on Israel last weekend. 

Speaking in a late-night televised address, Netanyahu said boys and girls were shot in the head and people had been burned alive. 

Netanyahu compared Hamas to the militant group ISIS that took over parts of Northern Iraq and Syria in 2014 and said that Israel would "crush and destroy" Hamas as the world destroyed ISIS. "Any member of Hamas is a dead man," he said. 

(AFP/AP)

Gaza's only power plant runs out of fuel

Gaza's only power plant ran out of fuel on Wednesday afternoon, forcing it to shut down after Israel cut off supplies, the enclave's energy ministry said. Now only generators are left to power the territory - but they also run on fuel that is in short supply. 

US working with Egypt to secure safe passage for Gaza civilians

The White House says Washington is working with Israel and Egypt to secure safe passage out of Gaza for civilians. 

(AP)

Death toll in Gaza rises to 1,100 

At least 1,100 people have been killed in Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip, according to Israeli media. Another 5,339 Palestinians have been wounded. 

EU tackles misinformation on social media 

The European Commission gave Mark Zuckerberg 24 hours to detail how his company will prevent the spread of "manipulated" and "false" content about Hamas' surprise attack on Israel and the upcoming EU elections.

"I urge you to ensure a rapid, accurate and complete response (in the next 24 hours at the latest)," Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton wrote to the president of US technology company META, which owns Facebook and Instagram. 

The letter comes a day after the EU executive made a similar request to the owner of the social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter), Elon Musk. 

At least 22 US citizens killed in Israel-Hamas war 

The number of US citizens confirmed to have been killed in the Israel-Hamas war has risen to 22, according to the State Department. 

That's an increase from the 14 who'd been confirmed dead one day earlier.

‘We have to be crystal clear. There is no justification for terrorism," President Joe Biden said on Wednesday. "The United States has Israel’s back and we’re going to be working on this through the day and beyond." 

(AP) 
 

'Several children’ from France probably kidnapped: Borne

French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said Wednesday that ‘’several children’’ from France have probably been kidnapped from Israel. Speaking to the French Senate, she said the government is in touch with the families of the children concerned. She did not elaborate.

Among those believed kidnapped is a 12-year-old boy named Eitan who had been living in the Nir Oz kibbutz, according to family members who have spoken to French media.

France has said that 11 French citizens are confirmed dead in the fighting and 20 are unaccounted for, including several believed held hostage.

(AP)