Swords of Iron: Here is what happened on days 3, 4 and 5

Foreign nationals from several countries are missing in action in Israel, with many believed to either be held hostage or murdered by Hamas terrorists. Several nations have shared details of their missing and murdered as Israel continues to get bombarded by rocket fire from both Gaza and Israel’s northern border.

Israel is a country filled with immigrants who arrived from nations like Mexico, England, the United States, Nepal, Argentina, Russia, and many others. The country is also filled with people who were visiting on vacation for the High Holy Day season.

Switzerland and Hungary have arranged for mass evacuation of citizens living in Israel, arranging special flights to get them back to their country of origin, with no clear statement on whether any of their citizens are unaccounted for.

Missing London native Jake Marlowe was working security at the nature festival that was attacked, adding to speculation of his whereabouts in addition to the more than 10 British citizens that were confirmed dead or missing.
Several Brazilians are yet to be accounted for, leading the Brazilian community in Israel to raise awareness of their status, believed to either have been killed or held hostage and taken to Gaza. Among the missing include Bruna Valeanu, Karla Stelzer, and Ranani Glazer.

Outside of the United States Embassy in Tel Aviv, parents and loved ones of Itay Chen gathered in the hopes of gaining the attention of US President Joe Biden to help locate the American-born Israeli. Chen was born in New York City and moved to Netanya with his family as a baby.

Parents and loved ones of missing Israeli youth Itay Chen gather at the United States Embassy in Tel Aviv. (credit: JOANIE MARGULIES)

His father, Ruby Chen, led a protest outside of the embassy with signs that read things like “USA protects its citizens” and “Help find Itay.”

Chen told The Jerusalem Post that any American who went to public school recited the pledge of allegiance daily and that the pledge had to stand for all Americans, including those living in Israel and abroad. “Kids need to know that the US is behind all of its citizens,” he added.

After losing contact with their son yesterday morning, Chen’s parents went to a center for the missing. They were made aware that their son’s status was officially missing in action (MIA) and that he was not confirmed as hospitalized or dead.

Itay Chen’s younger brother was set to celebrate his bar mitzvah this coming Saturday, expecting to share it with his family. “We are still hopeful that we will be able to celebrate together as a family,” Chen added.

Over 1,000 Thai migrant workers seek rescue

Thailand said on Monday it is working with Jordan, Egypt, and Malaysia to secure the release of its citizens taken hostage during a shock Hamas attack on Israel, with over 1,000 Thai migrant workers caught in the conflict looking to return home. “We are coordinating with countries that have links to the country that have taken our nationals hostage to negotiate for their release,” Jakkapong Sangmanee, told a press briefing.

A dozen Thai nationals were killed, nine wounded and 11 more kidnapped, Thailand’s government said when Hamas militants burst across the border fence from Gaza on a rampage that killed at least 700 Israelis.

Some Thai workers were huddling in bunkers in southern Israel, awaiting rescue.

Negotiations towards securing the release of the Thai hostages have been “very positive,” Sangmanee said, without elaborating.

Some 1,400 Thais have signed up to be evacuated, he said, adding the first group to return home would be those injured.

Around 30,000 Thai nationals work in Israel, making up one of the largest migrant worker groups in the country, where fighting between Israeli troops and Hamas gunmen was still ongoing in several locations on Monday.

Reuters contributed to this report. 

The Israeli military said on Tuesday that a first plane carrying American ammunition had landed in Israel after the US said it would send new supplies of air defenses, munitions, and other security assistance to its ally to battle Palestinian Hamas militants.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the prominent progressive Democratic New York congresswoman from New York City, condemned a pro-Palestinian rally that took place over the weekend in Times Square, calling it “unacceptable and harmful.”

“It should not be hard to shut down hatred and antisemitism where we see it,” Ocasio-Cortez said in a statement on Monday night. “That is a core tenet of solidarity. The bigotry and callousness expressed in Times Square on Sunday were unacceptable and harmful in this devastating moment.”

The rally on Sunday came as the news was still emerging of widespread atrocities committed by Hamas terrorists who invaded Israel, killing more than 900 people, wounding more than 2,000 and taking more than 100 captive. It coincided with a pro-Israel rally taking place outside the United Nations.

The pro-Palestinian rally has drawn criticism from a broad swath of city and state officials. Mayor Eric Adams posted on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, that “it is disgusting that this group of extremists would show support for terrorism.”

‘THE SQUAD’ – US Reps. Ayanna Pressley (from left), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib hold a news conference on Capitol Hill in 2019 (credit: ERIN SCOTT/REUTERS)

But Ocasio-Cortez’s condemnation of the rally is notable because of her frequent criticism of Israel as well as her membership in the Democratic Socialists of America, a far-left group that endorsed Sunday’s rally. The group’s New York chapter posted on X on Saturday that the gathering was “In solidarity with the Palestinian people and their right to resist 75 years of occupation and apartheid.”

In her statement, Ocasio-Cortez said the rally “also did not speak for thousands of New Yorkers who are capable of rejecting both Hamas’ horrifying attacks against innocent civilians as well as the grave injustices and violence Palestinians face under the occupation.”

AOC and Israel

Earlier this year, Ocasio-Cortez skipped President Isaac Herzog’s address to Congress during a visit to Washington, DC In 2021, she switched her vote from “no” to “present” during a Congressional vote to approve $1 billion in new US funding for Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system. That same year, during a previous conflict with Hamas, she called Israel an “apartheid state.”

She wasn’t the only vocal progressive official in the city to denounce the rally. New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, who is Jewish and has previously identified as a member of the DSA, called the rally “abominable. ”Today’s DSA rally – which effectively celebrated Hamas’ murder & kidnapping of hundreds of Israeli civilians, including children & grandparents – was abominable. There is no place for glorifying terror, left, center, or right,” Lander said in a statement.

Jamaal Bowman, another member of New York’s congressional delegation who belongs to the DSA, has not commented on the rally but released a statement condemning Hamas’ attacks on Israel. 

“I strongly condemn the horrific attacks by Hamas and am saddened by the loss of precious lives, especially on the holy day of Simchat Torah,” said Bowman, whose congressional district includes parts of Westchester County and the Bronx, in a statement.

“We need a way to end this deadly violence that is killing and traumatizing generations of Israelis and Palestinians alike—including the blockade of Gaza. I have been to the Gaza border and know that Israelis and Palestinians are constantly living in fear. We must work harder to ensure peace in the region,” his statement added.

Ocasio-Cortez released a similar statement — separate from her comments on the rally — about the attacks on Monday. Others in the group of progressive congress members known as the “Squad,” including Missouri’s Cori Bush and Michigan’s Rashida Tlaib, released statements that primarily attributed the blame to Israel.

“Today is devastating for all those seeking a lasting peace and respect for human rights in Israel and Palestine. I condemn Hamas’ attack in the strongest possible terms,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote.

She also called for an immediate ceasefire and de-escalation in the region. 

“No child and family should ever endure this kind of violence and fear, and this violence will not solve the ongoing oppression and occupation in the region,” the statement read. 

IDF personnel killed three Hamas terrorists in the Ashkelon area late Tuesday night, a military spokesperson said.

Israeli forces and the terrorists exchanged gunfire for approximately an hour. 

A fire broke out in the area and Israel Fire & Rescue Services are making their way to the scene.

The IDF said it was responding to shells fired from Syria into Israel on Tuesday night.

Some of the shells most likely landed in open fields in Israel's Golan Heights, the military added.

The IDF responded with artillery and mortar fire toward the source of the Syrian shelling.

This is a developing story.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken plans to arrive in Israel on Thursday to meet with senior Israeli leaders, a US State Department spokesman told reporters at a news briefing on Tuesday.

Some 900 Palestinians were killed and 4,500 injured in the Gaza Strip from Israeli aerial assaults since the beginning of Operation Swords of Iron, the Gazan health ministry said.

President Joe Biden on Tuesday denounced Hamas and stressed US support for Israel as it mourns the killing of more than 1,000 people, including at least 14 Americans, from a surprise attack launched by the Palestinian militant group.

The president also voiced concern for Americans being held hostage by Hamas, an Iranian-backed Islamist group.

"There are moments in this life and I mean this literally when the pure unadulterated evil is unleashed on this world. The people of Israel lived through one such moment this weekend," Biden said.

​ "This is an act of sheer evil," he said.

“Hamas terrorists bound, burned, and executed children,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu proclaimed in a speech Monday, condemning the perpetrators of Saturday’s terror.

“They are savages. Hamas is ISIS.”

The comparison to the notorious terrorist organization ISIS underscored the gravity of the situation and the global threat that Netanyahu believes Hamas poses. Just as the international community rallied together to combat the menace of ISIS, the prime minister implored the forces of civilization to unite once more, supporting Israel’s efforts to dismantle Hamas.

But is Hamas ISIS? According to an expert, the two organizations have at least one more thing in common.

One Palestinian terrorist was killed by Israel Police and IDF forces near the complex of the Trans-Israel Pipeline in the port of Ashkelon, the local council's spokesperson said.

The incident is ongoing.