Operation Swords of Iron: Here is what happened on days 9-10

Sirens were heard in western Galilee on Sunday afternoon close to the Lebanon border in the towns of Nahariya, Rosh Hanikra, Hanita, Gesher HaZiv, Betzet, and Shlomi.

Hamas in Lebanon took responsibility for the rocket fire.

A spokesperson for the Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya announced they received eight people who had been wounded by the rocket fire.

In a post on the social network X, President Joe Biden said that he had spoken with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

"I spoke with Palestinian Authority President Abbas," Biden said "to condemn Hamas’ attack on Israel and reiterate that Hamas does not stand for the Palestinian people’s right to dignity and self-determination.

"I assured him that we're working with partners in the region to ensure humanitarian supplies reach civilians in Gaza and to prevent the conflict from widening."

Rocket sirens were heard on Sunday evening in Tel Aviv, Bnei Brak, Givatayim, Jaffa, Bat Yam, Holon, Rishon LeZion, Yehud-Monosson, Savyon, Kfar Chabad, Tzafria, Or Yehuda, Azor, Givat Shmuel, Kiryat Ono, Ramat Gan, Hemed, Mishmar HaShiva, Ganot, Zrifin Industrial Zone, Beit Dagan, and Mikveh Israel.

Rocket sirens were heard in Ashkelon and the surrounding communities, such as Zikim, Karmia, Mavki'im, Mivtahim, Ami'oz, and Yesha.

Two direct hits on a building were reported, and fire and rescue crews are searching for any injured.

This is a developing story.

Health Ministry updated that as of Sunday there are 369 hospitalized wounded people of which 90 are in serious condition, 191 are in moderate condition and 89 are in light condition.

So far, 3,842 injured have been evacuated to the hospitals, of which: 26 are in critical condition, 313 are in serious condition, 699 are in moderate condition, 2,471 are in light condition, 194 are suffering from shock and 139 are under medical evaluation.

Israel’s government gave the Cabinet extra responsibilities to help manage civil coordination related to the current war with Hamas, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced on Sunday.

The ministers’ socioeconomic committee, previously headed by Netanyahu, will now be managed by Smotrich. Education Minister Yoav Kisch, Health Minister Uriel Busso, and Welfare and Social Affairs Minister Ya’acov Margi have joined the committee, along with Ministers Gideon Sa’ar, Yifat Shasha-Biton, and Chili Tropper.

Health officials in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip have resorted to storing the bodies of Palestinians killed by Israeli air strikes in ice cream freezer trucks because moving them to hospitals is too risky and cemeteries are short of space.

Israel has unleashed the fiercest bombardment on the Gaza Strip to hit back at the Palestinian militant group Hamas after it carried out the deadliest attack on Israel for decades.

The Middle East Media Research Institute announced on Thursday it opened the Hamas Atrocities Documentation Center — a repository for the videos and photographs of the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust that unfolded on October 7.

The Washington-based think tank wrote “The Hamas Atrocities Documentation Center (HADC)… will provide historical documentation for the years to come, for academic and educational purposes.

US Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer and Senator Mitt Romney were rushed to a shelter during a rocket siren in Tel Aviv while visiting Israel on Sunday according to Israeli media. 

The pair were in Tel Aviv after meeting President Isaac Herzog as part of a bipartisan US Senate delegation. In the meeting, the Senators emphasized cross-party support for the State of Israel.

As well as Schumer and Romney and Senators Bill Cassidy, Mark Kelly, and Jacky Rosen, also expressed their solidarity and firm support for the State of Israel.

Hamas used small drones, converted to carry munitions, in its attacks on Israel on October 7, a new video published by the terrorist group claims. It shows Hamas members using them to attack IDF observation posts, including one equipped with a remote machine gun. This indicates that Hamas has invested heavily in new technology to fight Israel; what is known now is the full extent of this plan, including how Hamas used maps and tried to invest in air defenses.

The use of the commercially available drones is concerning on a number of levels, but Hamas was not the first to do so. ISIS had also converted drones, some that can be bought at stores, and turned into deadly instruments of war. During the battle of Mosul, ISIS used many of these small quadcopter drones. The US Central Command has warned for years about how drones purchased over the shelf at commercial stores can be converted to be used in attacks.