Israel-Hamas war live updates: Latest news on Gaza

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak ordered the deployment of two Royal Navy ships, surveillance assets and a P-8 reconnaissance aircraft to the eastern Mediterranean in order to bolster Israeli security.

“We must be unequivocal in making sure the types of horrific scenes we have seen this week will not be repeated. Alongside our allies, the deployment of our world class military will support efforts to ensure regional stability and prevent further escalation,” Sunak wrote in a statement announcing the new deployment.

“Our military and diplomatic teams across the region will also support international partners to re-establish security and ensure humanitarian aid reaches the thousands of innocent victims of this barbaric attack from Hamas terrorists,” he added.

The British deployment comes on the heels of Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin’s decision on Sunday to move the USS Gerald Ford Carrier Strike Group to the eastern Mediterranean.

— Amanda Macias

The White House said there was no “direct evidence” that Iran was a participant in the surprise terror attacks carried out by Hamas in Israel.

“We’re still looking into this but again, no direct evidence that Iran was a participant in these attacks,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters at the White House.

“But again, we’re still we’re still monitoring it,” Kirby added.

On Wednesday, President Joe Biden warned Iran to “be careful” as tensions in the region soar.

— Amanda Macias

Secretary of State Antony Blinken described the imagery released by the Israeli government of the ongoing violence in the region triggered by terror attacks carried out by Hamas over the weekend.

“It’s beyond what anyone would ever want to imagine, much less actually see and God forbid experience,” Blinken told reporters in Tel Aviv referencing the graphic imagery.

“A baby and infant riddled with bullets. Soldiers beheaded. Young people burned alive in their cars, or in their hideaway rooms. I could go on. But it’s simply depravity in the worst imaginable way,” he said, adding that the carnage “defies comprehension.”

“I think for any human being to see this it’s really beyond almost anything that we can comprehend and digest,” Blinken said.

“Civilians should not be used in any way as the targets of military operations,” he added.

— Amanda Macias

The White House said President Joe Biden met with senior administration officials to discuss the ongoing situation in Israel.

Attorney General Merrick Garland, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Chris Wray, Homeland Security Advisor Liz Sherwood-Randall, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, Principal Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer, and White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients were present for the meeting.

Vice President Kamala Harris attended the meeting virtually from Air Force 2.

— Amanda Macias

The White House said that at least 27 Americans have died as a result of the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters at the White House that there are 14 unaccounted for U.S. citizens.

Kirby said that the Biden administration estimates that there are “less than a handful” of American hostages held by Hamas.

— Amanda Macias

Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Jordan following a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and government officials. Blinken will meet with Jordan’s King Abdullah and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

Blinken said he is also planning on meeting with leaders in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Qatar while in the region.

 “Across each of these engagements, we will continue pressing countries to help prevent the conflict from spreading and to use their leverage with Hamas to immediately and unconditionally release the hostages,” Blinken told reporters during a press conference.

On Wednesday, the White House said there is “less than a handful” of American hostages believed to be held by Hamas.

— Amanda Macias

Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo told lawmakers that the Biden administration is working with the Qatari government to halt the release of $6 billion to Iran, according to a report from The Washington Post.

Adeyemo said the funds, which were previously brokered as part of a prisoner swap between Washington and Tehran, were not “going anywhere anytime soon,” the Post reports.

The revelation comes on the heels of surprise terror attacks carried out by Hamas in Israel over the weekend. The now-widespread violence has triggered concerns that Hamas received assistance from Iran, a longtime malign actor in the region.

President Joe Biden warned Iran Wednesday to “be careful” as tensions in the region soar.

“We’re surging additional military assistance to the Israel Defense Forces, including ammunition, interceptors, replenish the Iron Dome. We moved the U.S. carrier fleet to the eastern Mediterranean. We’re sending more fighter jets there for that reason. And made it clear to the Iranians: Be careful,” Biden said in an address from the White House.

— Amanda Macias

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Qatar on Friday to meet with senior officials there, a senior U.S. official said on Thursday.

—Reuters

Israel’s parliamentary finance committee approved a plan to provide a state guarantee of $6 billion to cover insurance against war risks to Israeli airlines, the Finance Ministry said on Thursday.

The guarantee framework will grant Israeli airlines insurance policies against war risks, thereby ensuring the continuity of air operations in Israel.

—Reuters

European regulator Thierry Breton shared a stern letter to TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew on Thursday claiming his office has “indications” that the platform is being used to distribute disinformation and illegal content around the war.

Under the European Union’s newly enacted Digital Services Act, TikTok is responsible for monitoring and removing illegal content like terrorist content or illegal hate speech. Breton said TikTok must be “timely, diligent and objective” about removing misinformation, particularly since minors often turn to the platform as a source of news.

Breton urged TikTok to step up its efforts and contact proper law enforcement authorities, and he requested a response to the letter within 24 hours. Breton issued similar letters to X owner Elon Musk and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg this week.

— Ashley Capoot

EDITORS NOTE- Graphic Content: This post depicts images of death in Re’im, Israel.

Israeli soldiers secure and search the site of the weekend attack by Palestinian militants on the Supernova Desert Music Festival, near kibbutz Reim in the Negev desert in southern Israel.

Israel’s intelligence community believes much of the money and material the world gave to the people of Gaza to rebuild after previous wars has been taken by Hamas and reinvested in the elaborate system of tunnels and bunkers.

Over the last decade, nervous Israelis have reported hearing digging underground. The army has tried to come up with means to discover and destroy the tunnels on both sides of the border, with only limited success.

Israel’s army knows the sophisticated underground system has electrical generators, intelligence rooms and supplies for Hamas’ underground army. Nobody in Israel seems to know how long the tunnels are but they know it’s a big network often euphemistically called “Gaza’s Metro.”

“We know they’re waiting for us,” said the soldier who previously fought in Gaza. “And as bad as Gaza is above ground, underground is much worse.”

Read the full story here.

— Jason Gewirtz

Volunteers take part in a taskforce in Tel Aviv to identify missing persons in the aftermath of a surprise attack by Hamas on communities in southern Israel.

-Gil Cohen-Magen | AFP | Getty Images

Israel’s El Al Airlines on Thursday said it would operate rare flights on Saturday to bring back reservists to assist in the fight against Palestinian militant group Hamas.

The flights will operate from New York and Bangkok.

The airline said it had not flown on a Saturday — when people of the Jewish faith observe the Sabbath — since 1982 but obtained the relevant religious permissions.

A record 300,000 Israeli reservists have been drafted into the hostilities against Hamas, which delivered a multi-pronged terrorist attack over the weekend. Israel has called back spates of soldiers and reservists from abroad, to assist with the campaign.

— Ruxandra Iordache

As Israel prepares for what could be a long war with massive humanitarian implications, there are also concerns about how a protracted fight could weigh on the country’s dynamic economy.

“The impact is substantial,” said Eyal Winter, a professor of economics at Hebrew University in Jerusalem who has studied the economic impact of Israel’s wars.

“In a case like this, tourism dries up immediately,” said Winter. But, he added, “there’s also a major increase in tourism when the fighting ends due to pent-up demand.”

Read the full story here.

— Jason Gewirtz

People looking to help those affected by the Israel-Gaza crisis can consider donating to charities working on the ground.

Read the full story here on how to give smartly and safely.

— Annie Nova

The International Energy Agency says oil markets will likely “remain on tenterhooks” as the Israel-Hamas conflict persists, noting that the Middle East region accounts for more than one third of global seaborne oil trade.

“The Middle East conflict is fraught with uncertainty and events are fast developing,” the IEA said in its latest monthly oil market report.

“Against a backdrop of tightly balanced oil markets anticipated by the IEA for some time, the international community will remain laser focused on risks to the region’s oil flows.”

The IEA’s report comes as the Israel-Hamas conflict enters its sixth day, with many energy market participants closely monitoring whether the fighting could lead to output disruption in the Middle East.

Here’s the full story.

— Sam Meredith

Israel’s Iron Dome is once again fending off attacks from the Palestinian militant group Hamas, underscoring its importance as one of the most important tools in the country’s arsenal.

In the wake of Hamas’ devastating and coordinated attack on southern Israel over the weekend, many are curious to understand more about exactly what it is and how it operates.

In short, Israel’s Iron Dome is a mobile all-weather defense system that is designed to launch guided missiles to intercept incoming rockets and other short-range threats mid-air.

Here’s the full story.

— Sam Meredith