The Evening Wrap: Palestine says at least 198 killed in Israeli retaliation for Hamas assault

Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip carried out an unprecedented infiltration on October 7 into southern Israel and fired thousands of rockets into the country as the ruling Hamas militant group announced the beginning of a new operation. “We are at war,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a televised address, declaring a mass army mobilization. The elusive leader of Hamas’ military wing, Mohammed Deif, announced the beginning of what he called “Operation Al-Aqsa Storm.” “Enough is enough,” he said in the recorded message, as he called on Palestinians to join the fight. He said Hamas had fired over 5,000 rockets into Israel. Meanwhile, Israeli military spokesperson confirmed that Hamas militants held Israeli civilians and soldiers hostage in Gaza. Several hours after the invasion began, Hamas militants were fighting gunbattles inside several Israeli communities in a surprising show of strength that shook the country. Israel’s rescue service said that the death toll in Hamas’ incursion in the Gaza Strip rose to 70. It earlier said that hundreds were wounded, making it the deadliest attack in Israel in years. Meanwhile, the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza said at least 198 people were killed and at least 1,610 wounded in the territory in Israel’s retaliation. The toll came as Israel has carried out a number of airstrikes in Gaza and clashed with gunmen at the border fence around the coastal territory. Several countries condemned the violence and called for restraint from both sides. A senior adviser to Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei expressed support for the Hamas, calling it a “proud operation”. “We support the proud operation of Al-Aqsa Flood,” Yahya Rahim Safavi said at a meeting held in support of Palestinian children in Tehran, quoted by ISNA news agency. “We support this operation, and we are sure that the resistance front also supports this issue,” said Safavi, who is senior general in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed solidarity with Israel and condemned the attacks as “terrorist attacks”. The Indian Embassy in Israel asked all Indian nationals there to “remain vigilant” and “observe safety protocols.” Hangzhou Asian Games | Indian contingent finishes with record 107 medals India finished with a record haul of 107 medals at the Hangzhou Asian Games, its best ever, on October 7, the penultimate day of the event. India has won 28 gold, 38 silver and 41 bronze medals. There are no events scheduled for India on the final day of the event on October 8. India’s previous best haul of medals was 70 at the Jakarta 2018 Asian Games. On October 7, day 14 of the event, India clinched six golds, four silvers and two bronzes. Jyothi Surekha Vennam performed a hat-trick of golds by winning the women’s compound individual archery event. In the men’s individual compound event Ojas Deotale bagged the gold while Abhishek Verma clinched the silver. The 100th medal came when Indian women kabaddi team defeated Chinese Taipei in the final. Later in the day, Indian men also won gold after defeating defending champion Iran in the final. Indian men’s cricket team followed up with another gold. Though the match was abandoned due to rain, India won the gold by virtue of higher ranking than opponent Afghanistan. Star men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty earned India’s first-ever badminton gold medal at the Asian Games with a straight win over South Korea’s Choi Solgyu and Kim Wonho. Indian women hockey team defeated the defending champion Japan 2-1 in the bronze medal play-off. In the men’s 86kg freestyle wrestling, Deepak Punia lost to Iranian legend Hasan Yazdani to settle for silver. Indian wrestlers returned with 6 medals without a gold at this Asian Games. Finally, both Indian men and women settled for silver in chess. Sikkim flash floods | Eight soldiers killed, search on for 14 missing Even as search operations are ongoing to retrieve the 23 missing soldiers, one was found alive while another eight lost their lives in the flash floods that followed in the aftermath of a glacial lake burst in Sikkim. Search efforts continue to locate the 14 soldiers who are still missing. “Out of the 23 missing soldiers, one was rescued while the mortal remains of eight brave soldiers were recovered. Their sacrifice, while being deployed in forward areas in the service of the nation, will not be forgotten. Search operations to rescue remaining 14 soldiers and missing civilians are underway,” Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on X (formerly Twitter). The search has been focussed in the downstream areas of Teesta Barrage while at the site of incident at Burdang near Singtam, the Army vehicles are being dug out and stores being recovered. Survey is also being carried out by all agencies to assess the damage and plan restoration of road connectivity. The road link between Singtam and Burdang has been restored with the clearing of a single lane for vehicular traffic. NewsClick rejects allegations levelled in FIR against it as untenable, bogus The NewsClick portal has rejected as untenable and bogus allegations levelled in a Delhi Police FIR against it and said the proceedings initiated are “nothing but a blatant attempt to muzzle the free and independent press in India”. In an FIR filed under anti-terror law UAPA against NewsClick, the Delhi Police alleged a large sum of funds from China to disrupt India’s sovereignty and cause disaffection against the country as part of a “larger criminal conspiracy”. It claimed the foreign fund was fraudulently infused by Neville Roy Singham, an active member of the propaganda department of the Communist Party of China. The Delhi Police served a copy of the FIR to the portal on October 6. In a statement issued on X on October 6, the portal said, “The NewsClick has not received any funding or instructions from China or Chinese entities. Further, NewsClick has never committed or sought to encourage violence, secession or any illegal act in any manner whatsoever. “A perusal of NewsClick’s coverage, which is freely available online, should be sufficient to indicate the veracity of NewsClick’s claims.” It said that NewsClick has full faith in the judicial system of the country and is confident that its stand will be vindicated. “The allegations in the FIR, apart from being ex facie untenable and bogus, have been made time and again, in investigations by three government agencies – the Enforcement Directorate, the Economic Offences Wing, Delhi Police, and the income tax department,” it said. In Brief: Forcibly deporting Afghans from Pakistan could lead to severe human rights violations — including the separation of families and deportation of minors, the United Nations warned on October 7. Pakistan recently announced a crackdown on migrants living in the country illegally, including 1.7 million Afghans, telling them to return to their home countries by October 31 to avoid mass arrest and expulsion. The government denies targeting Afghans and says the focus is on people who are in the country illegally, regardless of their nationality. It said it is setting up a hotline and offering rewards to people who tip off authorities about such migrants. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. [logo] The Evening Wrap 07 October 2023 [The Hindu logo] Welcome to the Evening Wrap newsletter, your guide to the day’s biggest stories with concise analysis from The Hindu. [[Arrow]Open in browser]( [[Mail icon]More newsletters]( Palestinians say at least 198 killed in Gaza in Israeli retaliation for Hamas assault [Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip carried out an unprecedented infiltration on October 7 into southern Israel]( and fired thousands of rockets into the country as the ruling Hamas militant group announced the beginning of a new operation. “We are at war,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a televised address, declaring a mass army mobilization. The elusive leader of Hamas’ military wing, Mohammed Deif, announced the beginning of what he called “Operation Al-Aqsa Storm.” “Enough is enough,” he said in the recorded message, as he called on Palestinians to join the fight. He said Hamas had fired over 5,000 rockets into Israel. Meanwhile, Israeli military spokesperson confirmed that Hamas militants held Israeli civilians and soldiers hostage in Gaza. Several hours after the invasion began, Hamas militants were fighting gunbattles inside several Israeli communities in a surprising show of strength that shook the country. Israel’s rescue service said that the death toll in Hamas’ incursion in the Gaza Strip rose to 70. It earlier said that hundreds were wounded, making it the deadliest attack in Israel in years. Meanwhile, the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza said at least 198 people were killed and at least 1,610 wounded in the territory in Israel’s retaliation. The toll came as Israel has carried out a number of airstrikes in Gaza and clashed with gunmen at the border fence around the coastal territory. Several countries condemned the violence and called for restraint from both sides. A senior adviser to Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei expressed support for the Hamas, calling it a “proud operation”. “We support the proud operation of Al-Aqsa Flood,” Yahya Rahim Safavi said at a meeting held in support of Palestinian children in Tehran, quoted by ISNA news agency. “We support this operation, and we are sure that the resistance front also supports this issue,” said Safavi, who is senior general in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed solidarity with Israel and condemned the attacks as “terrorist attacks”. The Indian Embassy in Israel asked all Indian nationals there to “remain vigilant” and “observe safety protocols.” Hangzhou Asian Games | Indian contingent finishes with record 107 medals [India finished with a record haul of 107 medals at the Hangzhou Asian Games, its best ever]( on October 7, the penultimate day of the event. India has won 28 gold, 38 silver and 41 bronze medals. There are no events scheduled for India on the final day of the event on October 8. India’s previous best haul of medals was 70 at the Jakarta 2018 Asian Games. On October 7, day 14 of the event, India clinched six golds, four silvers and two bronzes. Jyothi Surekha Vennam performed a hat-trick of golds by winning the women’s compound individual archery event. In the men’s individual compound event Ojas Deotale bagged the gold while Abhishek Verma clinched the silver. The 100th medal came when Indian women kabaddi team defeated Chinese Taipei in the final. Later in the day, Indian men also won gold after defeating defending champion Iran in the final. Indian men’s cricket team followed up with another gold. Though the match was abandoned due to rain, India won the gold by virtue of higher ranking than opponent Afghanistan. Star men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty earned India’s first-ever badminton gold medal at the Asian Games with a straight win over South Korea’s Choi Solgyu and Kim Wonho. Indian women hockey team defeated the defending champion Japan 2-1 in the bronze medal play-off. In the men’s 86kg freestyle wrestling, Deepak Punia lost to Iranian legend Hasan Yazdani to settle for silver. Indian wrestlers returned with 6 medals without a gold at this Asian Games. Finally, both Indian men and women settled for silver in chess. Sikkim flash floods | Eight soldiers killed, search on for 14 missing Even as search operations are ongoing to retrieve the 23 missing soldiers, one was found alive while another eight lost their lives in the flash floods that followed in the aftermath of a [glacial lake burst in Sikkim](. Search efforts continue to locate the 14 soldiers who are still missing. “Out of the 23 missing soldiers, one was rescued while the mortal remains of eight brave soldiers were recovered. Their sacrifice, while being deployed in forward areas in the service of the nation, will not be forgotten. Search operations to rescue remaining 14 soldiers and missing civilians are underway,” Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on X (formerly Twitter). The search has been focussed in the downstream areas of Teesta Barrage while at the site of incident at Burdang near Singtam, the Army vehicles are being dug out and stores being recovered. Survey is also being carried out by all agencies to assess the damage and plan restoration of road connectivity. The road link between Singtam and Burdang has been restored with the clearing of a single lane for vehicular traffic. NewsClick rejects allegations levelled in FIR against it as untenable, bogus The [NewsClick portal has rejected as untenable and bogus allegations levelled in a Delhi Police FIR]( against it and said the proceedings initiated are “nothing but a blatant attempt to muzzle the free and independent press in India”. In an FIR filed under anti-terror law UAPA against NewsClick, the Delhi Police alleged a large sum of funds from China to disrupt India’s sovereignty and cause disaffection against the country as part of a “larger criminal conspiracy”. It claimed the foreign fund was fraudulently infused by Neville Roy Singham, an active member of the propaganda department of the Communist Party of China. The Delhi Police served a copy of the FIR to the portal on October 6. In a statement issued on X on October 6, the portal said, “The NewsClick has not received any funding or instructions from China or Chinese entities. Further, NewsClick has never committed or sought to encourage violence, secession or any illegal act in any manner whatsoever. “A perusal of NewsClick’s coverage, which is freely available online, should be sufficient to indicate the veracity of NewsClick’s claims.” It said that NewsClick has full faith in the judicial system of the country and is confident that its stand will be vindicated. “The allegations in the FIR, apart from being ex facie untenable and bogus, have been made time and again, in investigations by three government agencies – the Enforcement Directorate, the Economic Offences Wing, Delhi Police, and the income tax department,” it said. In Brief: [Forcibly deporting Afghans from Pakistan could lead to severe human rights violations]( — including the separation of families and deportation of minors, the United Nations warned on October 7. Pakistan recently announced a crackdown on migrants living in the country illegally, including 1.7 million Afghans, telling them to return to their home countries by October 31 to avoid mass arrest and expulsion. The government denies targeting Afghans and says the focus is on people who are in the country illegally, regardless of their nationality. It said it is setting up a hotline and offering rewards to people who tip off authorities about such migrants. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. 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