A Humanitarian Crisis In Gaza As Israel Vows To Destroy Hamas

Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up!

Good morning,

We’re just a couple days out from the solar spectacle known as the "ring of fire.” It’s a partial solar eclipse expected to occur this Saturday, visible from parts of the United States.

Here’s what you need to know about it. Hopefully some news that can bring people together.

Mosheh and Jill

🗞 THE LATEST FROM ISRAEL & GAZA

Israel continues to go through the devastation from Saturday’s massacre, and now says Hamas terrorists killed 1,200 people. It was the deadliest day for Jewish people since the Holocaust.

Meanwhile, as Israeli airstrikes pound Hamas-ruled Gaza, there’s a humanitarian crisis on the ground as the death toll on each side climbs.

BIDEN MEETS WITH JEWISH LEADERS
President Biden met with Jewish leaders at the White House on Wednesday. He said that it’s important for Americans to see and understand what really happened in Hamas’ massacre.

ISRAEL WAR CABINET
Israel formed a rare emergency government, “a war management cabinet”:

It’s made of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and ex-Defense Minister Benny Gantz, who heads an opposition party.
A place in the war cabinet will be reserved for Yair Lapid, who was prime minister until late last year.
- He has not yet responded to the invitation.
Gantz and Netanyahu have been bitter political rivals up until now.
The far-right and controversial members of Netanyahu’s coalition will NOT be part of leading Israel’s military operations.

ISRAEL PUMMELS GAZA WITH AIRSTRIKES
Now to that military campaign, which has already started— Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that “every place from which Hamas operates will turn into ruins.”

Drone footage taken over Gaza City shows the destruction from Israeli airstrikes.

HUMANITARIAN CRISIS
Palestinians struggled to find safety as Israeli bombardment demolished neighborhoods. Israel is pursuing the terrorist group and its missile launch sites.

📍Hamas deliberately hides it munitions in mosques, hospitals and among the civilian population.

Israel has cut off food, water and fuel from entering the territory.
The only power station has run out of power.
- An official with Doctors Without Borders says Gaza’s biggest hospital, Al-Shifa, only has enough fuel to keep power on for three days and they’re running out of supplies.
Israeli airstrikes have flattened entire city blocks.
The UN says at least 11 United Nations employees have been killed in Israeli airstrikes in Gaza since the weekend
- Among the dead are five teachers, a doctor, an engineer, a psychological counselor and three support staff.

📍 A reminder: Gaza is densely packed. There are 2.3 million people living in a piece of land that is just 25 miles long and about seven miles wide.

Gaza borders Israel in the north and east, Egypt in the south.

SAFE PASSAGE FOR CIVILIANS
The U.S. said it is discussing with Israel and Egypt options for securing safe passage for civilians living in Gaza who may be caught in the crossfire.

Under the proposal being discussed, all U.S. citizens would be permitted to pass through the Rafah border crossing if they present their U.S. passports, while the movement of other Palestinian civilians would be limited to 2,000 people a day, the official with knowledge of the negotiations told CNN on Wednesday.

Rafah is the sole possible crossing point into Egypt for Gazans.
Final approval of the arrangement would need to come from the Egyptians, who control the Rafah border crossing. Until now, they’ve said they’re not interested in taking in Palestinian refugees.

⏳ SPEED READ

🚨NATION

📌 Rep. Steve Scalise wins the House GOP speaker nomination (NPR)

📌 Harvard student groups issued an anti-Israel statement. CEOs want them blacklisted (CNN)

📌 Republican lawmakers to introduce resolution to expel Rep. George Santos from Congress (NBC)

📌 Conservative justices suggest South Carolina GOP gerrymandering was based on politics, not race (CNN)

🌎 AROUND THE WORLD

📌 Afghanistan hit by second earthquake in days (BBC)

📌 Zelensky asks to visit Israel in show of solidarity (AXIOS)

📌 Initial US intelligence suggests Iran was surprised by the Hamas attack on Israel (CNN)

📌 Europe gives Mark Zuckerberg 24 hours to respond about Israel-Hamas conflict and election misinformation (CNBC)

📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH

📌 Nasa to launch first mission to metal-rich asteroid (FT)

📌 Birkenstock stock opens at $41, below the shoe maker’s IPO price of $46 (BARRON’S)

📌 Disney raises prices at its theme parks (WSJ)

📌 'Ring of fire' eclipse: What to know about the rare phenomenon headed to the US (FOX)

🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT

📌 Jada Pinkett Smith reveals she and Will Smith have been separated since 2016 (CNN)

📌 Mary Lou Retton 'continues to fight' rare form of pneumonia in ICU, daughter says (YAHOO)

📌 Ex-NFL Player Sergio Brown Arrested in Connection with Mother’s Death Weeks After He Went Missing (PEOPLE)

📌 X-rays of the "Mona Lisa" reveal new secret about Leonardo da Vinci masterpiece (CBS)

🗓 ON THIS DAY: OCTOBER 12

1492: Italian explorer Christopher Columbus made landfall in the Caribbean, reaching the “New World.”
1810: The first Oktoberfest was held in Munich, and included a horse race, to celebrate the marriage of Bavarian royalty.
1901: President Theodore Roosevelt officially changed the name of the president's residence at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue from Executive Mansion to the White House.
1993: Salt-N-Pepa released their fourth studio album ‘Very Necessary’, including hits Shoop and Whatta Man.