The Hamas operation in Israel has been planned for more than a year, involving almost 2,000 fighters, while there are 40,000 in Gaza, said Ali Baraka, a member of the Hamas leadership abroad.

He denied suggestions that Iran helped prepare the operation and that it was aimed at disrupting US efforts to normalize relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia.

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❗️US to announce new military aid to Israel in coming days, the White House said.

There's no plans to send troops to take part in military action in Israel, the White House added.

❗️ Nearly 140,000 people have fled their homes because of the escalating Palestinian-Israeli conflict, shelters are 90% full, the UN agency told Sputnik

🇹🇷 Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned Israel in a speech on Monday that it would never see peace in the region if it continued to deny statehood to Palestinians.

"We believe that there will be no peace in the region without the establishment of an independent, sovereign Palestinian state within the pre-1967 borders and with Jerusalem as its capital. Obviously, the problem in the region cannot be solved by constantly oppressing Palestinians and seizing their homes and land," he said after a cabinet meeting in Ankara.

The Turkish president criticized the international community for failing to deliver on the promises it had made to Palestinians. Separately, Erdogan urged his Israeli counterpart, Isaac Herzog, to work toward the immediate restoration of peace in the region.

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The European Commission will not suspend due assistance payments to Palestinians, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Monday, shortly after the EU neighborhood commissioner announced an end to "all payments."

The top EU diplomat said that the review of the EU's assistance for Palestine announced by the commission earlier in the day would not suspend "the due payments, as clarified by the Commission's press release." This is despite the commission saying that no due payments were forthcoming.

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The tightening of the blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip by Israel will make the already bad humanitarian situation there much worse, UN Relief and Director of Communications Juliette Touma told Sputnik.

"Gaza has been under a severe blockade for the past 16 years with high levels of poverty, with dependence on UN agencies, including UNRWA, which is the UN agency for Palestine refugees," Touma said. "So, any tightening of the blockade is going to make things that are very, very bad, far, far worse, including for civilians, among them many women and children."

Earlier on Monday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant ordered a complete blockade of the Gaza strip, including of food, gas and electricity supplies. Israeli Energy Minister Israel Katz said he had ordered an immediate stoppage of the water supply to the Palestinian enclave.

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🇩🇪 Germany's Social Democratic Party (SDP), led by Chancellor Olaf Scholz, faced a significant setback in the Bavaria and Hesse parliamentary elections.

Preliminary results from Sunday's German elections showed the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) winning in Hesse with 34.6% of the vote, while the SDP received only 15.1%. In Bavaria, the SDP secured a mere 8.4% of the votes, with the center-right Christian Social Union (CSU) emerging as the victor with 37%.These results are considered the SDP's worst performance since 2018.

The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) also made gains in both elections, receiving 18.4% of the vote in Hesse and 14.6% in Bavaria.

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German airline Lufthansa announced that it had canceled all flights to and from Israel until October 14, citing possible security threats in the light of the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian hostilities, the air carrier said on Monday.

The airline also urges passengers to check current status of their flight before heading to the airport.

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Will US put Ukraine on back burner while aiding Israel?

The Israeli Iron Dome, a short-range aerial defense system, was overwhelmed by Hamas strikes on October 7, revealing its vulnerability. Following the strike, Tel Aviv asked Washington to assist it militarily, which includes the provision of Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs), interceptor missiles for Israel's air defenses, intelligence support and, potentially, "more capabilities and weapons" depending on how Tel Aviv's operation against Hamas evolves, according to the US press.

How could the MidEast conflict affect Washington's Ukraine commitments?

Find out here

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The Finnish Border Guard is taking part in the investigation into an unusual drop in pressure in the Balticconnector gas pipeline, which could mean that there is a leak, a Finnish Border Guard spokesperson said on Monday.

Earlier in the day, energy operator Gasgrid Finland said that the pipeline between Finland and Estonia had been shut down on Sunday night after an unusual drop in pressure, which could have been caused by a leak.

The Finnish Security Intelligence Service (Supo) will also be involved in the investigation, the broadcaster said it was told by a spokesperson.

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German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told US President Joe Biden during a telephone conversation that he was categorically against a specific "invitation" for Ukraine to join NATO following the summit in Vilnius, US media reported.

Scholz also made it clear to Biden that he was skeptical about providing Kiev with special conditions for entering the bloc, but Biden did not support the German chancellor’s position, since by that time, he had already agreed to ease Ukraine's accession process, the report said.

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🇺🇸 The Biden administration may ask Congress to approve additional funding to better support Israel and Ukraine at the same time, White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said.

"We believe both are important, support to Ukraine needs to continue... it's a critical need, we're going to continue to make that case on Capitol Hill," Kirby said during a conference call on Monday. "If we need to go back to Capitol Hill for additional funding support for Israel, we will absolutely do that."

Earlier on Monday, US Army Secretary Christine Wormuth said the US military will need additional support from Congress to be able to provide security assistance to Ukraine and Israel at the same time.

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US federal agencies are currently monitoring for any potential domestic threats to the US mainland in connection to the Hamas attacks in Israel, President Joe Biden said.

Earlier in the day, former US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy expressed concern about some 151 illegal immigrants encountered on the southern border with Mexico this year who are on the FBI's terrorist watch list.

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⚡️ Palestinian Hamas movement has achieved the goals of its operation in Israel and now it is open to any discussions, a member of the movement's political bureau, Mousa Abu Marzouq, said

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❗️ The Israeli Air Force launched a series of attacks on populated areas in the Gaza Strip early in the morning

Palestinian media reported that in the city of Beit Lahiya, a family of 14 people was killed in a bombing at one of their houses.

According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, the number of civilian casualties has increased to 704 over the past 24 hours, with more than 3.9 thousand injured.

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🇮🇱 1,100 Israelis killed, 2,740 wounded, according to Israeli media

🇮🇱 IDF totally controls south border with Gaza Strip - reports

IDF says its task to guarantee zero military capabilities of Hamas when the conflict ends

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