Swords of Iron: Here is what happened on days 1 and 2

Following the recent surge in violence that tragically resulted in the deaths of at least hundreds-of-Israelis, newspapers worldwide have been covering the ongoing conflict.

The British "Sunday Telegraph" dubbed the incident "Israel's September 11th," featuring a photograph of a father and his two daughters fleeing the impact zone in Ashkelon. In contrast, the Daily Mail's front page showcased a photo of Noa Argamani, who was kidnapped to the Gaza Strip with her partner, accompanied by the plea: "Don't kill me."

Credit:

The Observer newspaper highlighted a haunting image of Hamas militants hoisting the organization's flag on an IDF tank at the Gaza Strip border. The Italian publication La Repubblica ran a cover story with the headline: "A Strike at the Heart of Israel."

Credit:

Credit:

Credit:

Credit:

Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad are holding more than 130 hostages, including senior officers, as of Sunday night, according to a statement by senior Hamas official Musa Abu Marzouk.

This is a developing story.

IDF's elite Shayetet 13 unit has detained Hamas' deputy commander of the terror group's southern naval brigade, Muhammad Abu Ali, the IDF said on Sunday night.

He is being interrogated by Israeli forces.

The IDF late Sunday night struck around 150 targets all within the Shejaiya neighborhood in Gaza, leveling large portions of the neighborhood associated with Hamas terror infrastructure in a short period of time.

The aerial assault followed a similar earlier assault on Beit Hanoun, with both of these instances showing a large escalation in the speed and volume of airstrikes by the IDF.

Shejaiya was also a central fighting point between the IDF and Hamas during the 2014 Gaza war, with a large number of Palestinians also being killed during the fighting.

צה"ל מנהל לחימה יבשתית בישובי העוטף.

כוחות היבשה של צה״ל בסדיר ובמילואים, בשיתוף פעולה עם כוחות הביטחון מנהלים לחימה ממושכת בישובי עוטף עזה, וסיכלו מאות מחבלים בישובי העוטף, בקו הגבול ובקו החוף ב-40 השעות האחרונות >> pic.twitter.com/CwCDSmM3g0

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) October 8, 2023

At least 260 bodies were recovered from the area of the party in Re'im in which Hamas terrorists carried out a massacre, medical emergency service ZAKA said.

Palestinian Islamic Jihad chief Ziyad al-Nakhalah said on Sunday that some 30 Israeli captives in the terror group's custody will only return home if Palestinian prisoners are freed.

This is a developing story.

Sderot residents are told to stay inside due to concerns of a suspected terrorist infiltration, according to the Sderot Municipality.

Residents in the West Bank settlement and kibbutz, Migdal Oz, are told to stay indoors due to a suspected terrorist infiltration.

This is a developing story.

The attacks on Israelis in Gaza over the weekend were war crimes, Israel's ambassador to the United Nations said on Sunday as Hamas fighters rampaged through Israeli towns killing 600 and abducting dozens more.

Israeli envoy Gilad Erdan, speaking to reporters at the United Nations ahead of a UN Security Council meeting later on Sunday, also said it was time to "obliterate" Hamas' military infrastructure.

Hamas has become the Gaza branch of ISIS, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on Sunday night following a situational assessment with security chiefs.

"In this war, we are fighting against a murderous terrorist organization that harms the women, infants and the elderly," Gallant wrote on X. "We will fight it as we fight against criminal terrorists, and we will win."

החמאס הפך לדעא״ש עזה.

במלחמה הזאת אנחנו נלחמים נגד ארגון טרור רצחני הפוגע בקשישים, נשים ותינוקות. נהלום בו כפי שנלחמים בטרוריסטים נפשעים, וננצח. pic.twitter.com/c2n6rL2Mhg

— יואב גלנט - Yoav Gallant (@yoavgallant) October 8, 2023