Documents recovered from the bodies of dead militants at the sites of attacks that killed more than 1,300 Israelis suggest a deliberate strategy to kill as many people as possible, Israeli officials said. The similarity of the orders given to the attack teams suggests that the massacre was not a byproduct of the attack, but rather a central objective.
Evacuation request: Nearly a million people in Gaza have fled their homes in the past week, according to the United Nations. Israel has called for a mass relocation of civilians ahead of the expected ground invasion. Hamas has urged Gazans to stay in their homes.
Exit thwarted: Some 500 or more Americans who planned to leave Gaza via the enclave’s southern border with Egypt remained there after U.S. diplomatic efforts with Egypt stalled.
Hostages: Hamas said Israeli airstrikes in Gaza in recent days had killed 22 people captured by the group. President Biden said he plans to meet virtually with families of US hostages.
US involvement: Secretary of State Antony Blinken has sought at meetings across the Middle East to encourage Arab nations to abandon distrust of Israel and isolate Hamas. Iran warned of a response to an expected Israeli ground invasion of the Gaza Strip to drive out Hamas, but gave no specifics.
Losses: More than 1,300 Israelis have died since the Hamas attack began. Gaza officials said more than 2,200 Palestinians had died there. The death toll among US citizens has risen to 29 people, while 15 remain missing.
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