Operation Swords of Iron: What happened on days 6-7?

Israel will destroy Hamas, no matter how long it takes, and will finish the war stronger, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an unusual address on Friday night.

"This is just the beginning," he said. "Our enemies have only begun paying the price and I will not say more. This is just the beginning."

Lapid: Netanyahu sent Israel into a frenzy for nothing

Opposition head Yair Lapid attacked Netanyahu for not giving any new information while inducing anxiety among Israelis for an unusual address during Shabbat. 

"How can Israel's prime minister send an entire nation into a frenzy for an unusual Friday night statement only to then say nothing on the hostages, the North, the evacuations," Lapid charged.

"A prime minister should not make these statements unless he has new information."

לא ייתכן שראש ממשלת ישראל יכניס מדינה שלמה לסחרור חרדה בהמתנה להצהרתו בשישי בלילה בזמן של חירום ואז לא יגיד דבר חדש לא על משפחות החטופים, לא על חזית הצפון, לא על המפונים. הצהרות כאלה לא עושה ראש ממשלה אלא אם כן יש לו מידע חדש להביא לעמו ולארצו.

— יאיר לפיד - Yair Lapid (@yairlapid) October 13, 2023

During his short address, Netanyahu also stressed that Israel, through talks with US Secretary of State Lloyd Austin, is "ensuring the continuation of fighting" with American supply on its way to Israel.

Benny Gantz's National Unity party leads Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud by 22 seats in Maariv's latest dramatic poll which is its first since the war with Hamas broke out on Saturday.

In the last week, Gantz's party gained 12 seats while the Likud lost nine. Yesh Atid lost one seat, Shas lost three, and the Religious Zionist Party lost two. Meanwhile, Itamar Ben-Gvir's Otzma Yehudit party gained one seat.

An employee at the Israeli Embassy in Beijing was attacked on Friday, with the background of the attack unclear as of yet, according to the Foreign Ministry.

The employee was transferred to the hospital in stable condition. The attack did not take place in the area near the embassy.

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin landed in Israel on Friday morning.

Austin is set to met with Israeli officials later in the day.

Israel Railways will operate some lines on Shabbat in order to aid the war effort, according to the Transportation Ministry. The trips on the train will be free.

Starting from 6 p.m. on Friday and continuing throughout the night, trains will operate between Ben-Gurion Airport and Tel Aviv - Savidor Center station and between Ben-Gurion Aiport and Beersheba Center in a "full and go" format.

The Transportation Ministry has arranged shuttles from Tel Aviv - Savidor Center to additional destinations.

Starting from 7 a.m. on Saturday until 9 p.m., trains will operate between Beersheba Center and Nahariya once an hour, with stops in Ben-Gurion Airport, Tel Aviv - Savidor Center and Hof HaCarmel.

Al Hambra Deli, a neighborhood cafe and wine bar in Jaffa, would usually expect to be bustling on this Thursday night, the beginning of the Israeli weekend. Located on Jerusalem Boulevard, one of the city’s main arteries, it’s right on the path of Tel Aviv’s recently opened light-rail system, and not far from a soccer stadium.

But this week, its doors have been shuttered. A sign greets passersby: “Beloved neighborhood, half of us are in the army and half are protecting our homes. We love you and are waiting to return, Staff.”

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken referenced photos he was shown from Hamas's assault on southern Israel in an interview on Thursday, saying "It almost defies human comprehension, precisely because it’s not human."

In an interview with World News Tonight, Blinken stated "It’s genuinely overwhelming.  The world’s already seen a lot of these images, but I saw some images today that I hadn’t seen before, and I suspect others hadn’t. I almost hesitate to get into it, but a young infant riddled with bullets; a family hugging each other in a death embrace, having been burned to death; beheaded soldiers; more. It almost defies human comprehension, precisely because it’s not human. And it reminds me in some ways of the worst of what we saw from ISIS a few years ago.  Thankfully, ISIS has been dealt with.  Hamas – not yet."

Human Rights Watch on Thursday accused Israel of using white phosphorus munitions in its military operations in Gaza and Lebanon, saying the use of such weapons puts civilians at risk of serious and long-term injury.

Asked for comment on the allegations, Israel's military said it was "currently not aware of the use of weapons containing white phosphorus in Gaza." It did not provide comment on the rights watchdog's allegations of their use in Lebanon.

Israel has been bombarding Gaza in retaliation for a Hamas rampage in southern Israeli towns that killed at least 1,300 people this week. At least 1,500 Palestinians have been killed. Israel has also traded barbs with Lebanon's Hezbollah group.

The Israeli military announced on Thursday evening that some 1.1 million Palestinians in Gaza should relocate to the enclave's south within the next 24 hours.

"The IDF calls on all residents of Gaza City to evacuate their homes, move south for their protection, and settle in the area south of the Gaza River," the IDF statement read. 

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken landed in Jordan's capital, Amman, Friday morning. Blinken is expected to meet with Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and King Abdullah of Jordan, according to Ynet.

Blinken will travel to Qatar, where he will meet with senior officials, at the conclusion of his visit to Jordan.