Fifth day of war in Israel against Hamas

Israeli authorities confirmed that the number killed by the Hamas terrorist group is more than 1,200. They also reported that around 3,000 people are injured and around 150 are being held hostage, although their condition is unknown.

U.S. working to establish a humanitarian corridor in Gaza

At Wednesday's White House press briefing, National Security Council Communications Coordinator John Kirby announced that the United States is working to establish a humanitarian corridor in Gaza. "We believe that humanitarian aid is essential in Gaza," maintained Kirby, who said that the government is working with Egypt to get aid to the region.

"We support safe passage for civilians. The civilians are not to blame for what Hamas has done. They have done nothing wrong, and we continue to support safe passage," Kirby maintained. The Gaza Strip has a few crossing points available. Two of them lead to Israel, one from the north and another from the south. Both are closed. A third crossing point leads to Egypt.

State Department raises death toll of Americans to 22

A State Department spokesman gave an update on the number of Americans killed in Israel. The government raised the number to 22 since the clashes began last Saturday.

Hours after the State Department update, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre added that there are 17 other Americans whose condition is unknown. They are most likely being held by the Hamas terrorist group, according to Jean-Pierre. Both the press secretary and John Kirby, communications coordinator for the National Security Council, said that the number of missing Americans will likely increase in the coming hours.

The State Department released the new figure a few hours after it was learned that President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met on the phone. President Biden reportedly reinforced his support for the Israeli government and people.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) updated the number of dead soldiers to 170 after adding the 14 who lost their lives in recent hours. Most of the latest victims were under 24 years of age.

On the other hand, the IDF counted the number of dead Hamas terrorists at 1,500.

Hamas attacks continue

The bombings have not stopped. Anti-aircraft alarms sounded again in several areas of Israel. Once again, the south of the country was the target of attacks, as had already happened in the previous days. Central Israel was also targeted, including Tel Aviv.

Around noon, Hamas bombed the cities of Ashkelon and Ashdod in southern Israel. Authorities said more than 300,000 residents in both towns had to take shelter to avoid being hit.

Israel strikes back

Between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, the IDF carried out three counterattacks with fighter jets. They hit around 200 targets in different neighborhoods of Gaza City. According to the Israeli military, one of those targets was the family home of Hamas commander Mohammad Deif. They claim that several of his relatives died.

Israel also counterattacked the town of Beit Hanoun, located in the northern Gaza Strip. The IDF destroyed a system of video surveillance cameras used by Hamas terrorists as radars to detect the presence of Israeli military aircraft.

Daniel Hagari, spokesman for the IDF, assured that Israeli forces managed to kill 18 Hamas terrorists on Israeli territory. "These are the same terrorists who did not flee back to Gaza. They are in hiding places, near the border. ... There are tens of thousands of [IDF] fighters in the area surrounding Gaza," he said in statements reported by The Times of Israel.

Blinken travels to Israel

Israel has asked the United States for more help. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Israel to meet with the Israeli government. At the meeting, he will reaffirm the United States' "unwavering" support and learn firsthand about the current situation of the allied country:

Hours before flying to Israel, Blinken confirmed that he spoke with Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer to convey his condolences for the victims of the attacks and to once again give his support.

A Turkish deputy minister to Netanyahu: 'You will die'

Nazif Yilmaz, Turkey's deputy minister of education, threatened Benjamin Netanyahu on X (formerly Twitter). The Turkish official posted that the Israeli prime minister "will die." Yilmaz deleted the post, although several users managed to take a screenshot and re-share it.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan clarified that, although he opposes "the killing of Israelis," he condemns Israel's response to the attacks:

Other consequences of the Hamas attacks

Apart from those killed, injured and material destruction, the attacks perpetrated by the Hamas terrorist group have completely paralyzed Israeli activity.

The Ministry of the Interior has postponed the municipal elections originally scheduled for Oct. 31. The new election date has not yet been determined. The last time they were postponed was in 1973, during the Yom Kippur War.

Students will begin online classes next week after they were canceled due to the Hamas attacks. "All educational institutions (schools and kindergartens) will move to a regular and continuing learning format, with lesson plans adapted to distance learning possibilities… Returning to a learning routine in an emergency situation is necessary to encourage national resilience and to support the public," wrote the Ministry of Education in a statement reported by The Times of Israel.

Hospitals have had to move patients underground to shelter them from the bombings. The Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya, the Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan and the Rambam Healthcare Campus in Haifa are some of the hospitals that have taken this measure.