A man shot and killed at least 16 people at a restaurant and a bowling alley in Lewiston, Maine, on Wednesday and then fled into the night, sparking a massive search by hundreds of officers while frightened residents stayed locked in their homes.

A police bulletin identified Robert Card, 40, as a person of interest in the attack that sent panicked bowlers scrambling behind pins when shots rang out around 7 p.m. Card was described as a firearms instructor believed to be in the Army Reserve and assigned to a training facility in Saco, Maine.

The document, circulated to law enforcement officials, said Card had been committed to a mental health facility for two weeks in the summer of 2023. It did not provide details about his treatment or condition but said Card had reported “hearing voices and threats to shoot up” the military base. A telephone number listed for Card in public records was not in service.

Lewiston Police said in an earlier Facebook post that they were dealing with an active shooter incident at Schemengees Bar and Grille and at Sparetime Recreation, a bowling alley about 4 miles (6.4 kilometers) away.

One bowler, who identified himself only as Brandon, said he heard about 10 shots, thinking the first was a balloon popping.

“I had my back turned to the door. And as soon as I turned and saw it was not a balloon — he was holding a weapon — I just booked it,” he told The Associated Press.

Brandon said he scrambled down the length of the alley, sliding into the pin area and climbing up to hide in the machinery. He was among a busload of survivors who were driven to a middle school in the neighboring city of Auburn to be reunited with family and friends.

“I was putting on my bowling shoes when when it started. I’ve been barefoot for five hours,” he said.

Melinda Small, the owner of Legends Sports Bar and Grill, said her staff immediately locked their doors and moved all 25 customers and employees away from the doors after a customer reported hearing about the shooting at the bowling alley less than a quarter-mile away. Soon, the police flooded the roadway and a police officer eventually escorted everyone out of the building.

“I am honestly in a state of shock. I am blessed that my team responded quickly and everyone is safe,” Small said. “But the same time, my heart is broken for this area and for what everyone is dealing with. I just feel numb.”

After the shooting, police, many armed with rifles, took up positions while the city descended into eerie quiet — punctuated by occasional sirens — as people hunkered down at home.

The Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office released two photos of the suspect on its Facebook page that showed the shooter walking into an establishment with a weapon raised to his shoulder.

Two law enforcement officials told The AP that at least 16 people were killed and the toll was expected to rise. However, Michael Sauschuck, commissioner of the Maine Department of Public Safety, declined to provide a specific estimate at a news conference, calling it a “fluid situation.”

The two law enforcement officials said dozens of people also had been wounded. The officials were not authorized to publicly discuss details of the ongoing investigation and spoke to AP on condition of anonymity.

On its website, Central Maine Medical Center said staff were “reacting to a mass casualty, mass shooter event” and were coordinating with area hospitals to take in patients. The hospital was locked down and police, some armed with rifles, stood by the entrances.

Meanwhile, hospitals as far away as Portland, about 35 miles (56 kilometers) to the south, were on alert to potentially receive victims.

An order for residents and business owners to stay inside and off the streets of the city of 37,000 was extended Wednesday night from Lewiston to Lisbon, about 8 miles (13 kilometers) away, after a “vehicle of interest” was found there, authorities said.

Gov. Janet Mills released a statement echoing instructions for people to shelter. She said she had been briefed on the situation and will remain in close contact with public safety officials.

President Joe Biden spoke by phone to Mills and the state’s Senate and House members, offering “full federal support in the wake of this horrific attack,” a White House statement said.

Maine Sen. Angus King, an independent, said he was “deeply sad for the city of Lewiston and all those worried about their family, friends and neighbors” and was monitoring the situation. King’s office said the senator would be headed directly home to Maine on the first flight possible.

Local schools will be closed Thursday and people should shelter in place or seek safety, Superintendent Jake Langlais said, adding: “Stay close to your loved ones. Embrace them.”


Wednesday’s death toll was staggering for a state that in 2022 had 29 homicides the entire year.

Maine doesn’t require permits to carry guns, and the state has a longstanding culture of gun ownership that is tied to its traditions of hunting and sport shooting.

Some recent attempts by gun control advocates to tighten the state’s gun laws have failed. Proposals to require background checks for private gun sales and create a 72-hour waiting period for gun purchases failed earlier this year. Proposals that focused on school security and banning bump stocks failed in 2019.

State residents have also voted down some attempts to tighten gun laws in Maine. A proposal to require background checks for gun sales failed in a 2016 public vote.

Iceland's prime minister is expected to join tens of thousands of women in a strike for equal pay on Tuesday, labour unions in the country have said.

Katrín Jakobsdóttir told Icelandic media that she plans to take part in the industrial action, organised under the slogan 'Do you call this equality?', and not come to work.

She told the mbl.is website: "I will not work this day, as I expect all the women [in cabinet] will do as well.

"I have decided not to have a cabinet meeting tomorrow and in Alþingi [Iceland's parliament] only male ministers will answer impromptu questions. We show solidarity in this way."

Organisers said on the campaign's official website: "On 24 October, all women in Iceland, including immigrant women, are encouraged to stop work, both paid and unpaid [including household chores].

"For the whole day, women (and non-binary people) will strike, to demonstrate the importance of their contribution to society."

The strike, which is known as the "Kvennafrí" or "Women's Day Off", hopes to raise awareness about "systemic" pay discrimination and gender-based violence.

Iceland is seen as one of the most progressive in the world in terms of gender equality and has topped the World Economic Forum's gender gap index 14 years in a row.

No nation has achieved full gender equality, according to the index, but Iceland has closed at least 91% of its gap and is the only country to have passed 90%.

However, women in some jobs there earn at least 20% less than their male colleagues, Statistics Iceland has said.

And a study by the University of Iceland found 40% of Icelandic women experience gender-based and sexual violence in their lifetime.

Strike organiser Freyja Steingrímsdóttir, of the Icelandic Federation for Public Workers, said: "We're seeking to bring attention to the fact that we're called an equality paradise, but there are still gender disparities and urgent need for action.

"Female-led professions such as healthcare services and childcare are still undervalued and much lower paid."

Industries where women make up the majority of workers, like healthcare and education, will be especially affected.

The first Women's Day Off took place on 24 October, 1975 , when 90% of Icelandic women stopped work to protest gender inequality and it has been repeated in 1985, 2005, 2010, 2016 and 2018.

The Kazakh government has banned hijab headscarves for students and teachers at schools. Officials stress the need to preserve secularism, meanwhile some girls are dropping out of school in protest.

The Kazakh government's recent announcement of a ban on wearing the hijab headscarf in educational institutions has sparked fierce debate in the country.

"Requirements for the school uniform prohibit the wearing of the hijab, since any attribute, symbol, element in one way or another implies propaganda of the dogma to which they relate. Ensuring the equality of all religions before the law, the principles of secularism do not allow the advantage of any religion,” reads the statement on the "For citizens” section of the Kazakh government's website, dated October 16.

The statement also bans the hijab for school teachers. However, it emphasizes that the ban does not apply outside of schools.

A secular state
According to official figures, almost 70% of Kazakhstan's population practices Islam. But both supporters and opponents of the ban quickly came forward. Proponents stressed that Kazakhstan was a secular country and should therefore avoid privileging any particular religion. Opponents however believe that such restrictions violate the principles of freedom of conscience, and some have taken extreme measures to protest the ban.

Kazakh Education Minister Gani Beisembayev confirmed that in the Atyrau region alone, 150 girls have dropped out of school since the beginning of September because of the ban. And in the Turkestan region, two men reportedly beat a local school director because she refused to allow girls wearing hijabs to attend classes.

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev also commented on the matter at the national teachers' congress in the capital Astana, saying that a school is an educational institution where people come to acquire knowledge, while religious beliefs are a private matter. "Freedom of religion is guaranteed by law in our country. I think it is right for children to decide for themselves when they grow up and develop their own worldview," Tokayev said, adding that Kazakhstan was and would remain a secular state.

So far the authorities have not objected to this suggestion, though the ban on wearing the hijab applies to all educational institutions in Kazakhstan without exception.

The adjudicatory chamber of the independent Ethics Committee has banned Mr Jonathan Bukabakwa, former youth coach at clubs of the Urban Football Agreement of the regions of Lipopo and Malebo in Congo DR, from all football-related activities for 20 years, after having found him guilty of sexually abusing a minor football player. In addition, the adjudicatory chamber imposed a fine amounting to CHF 100,000 on Mr Bukabakwa.

This case arose following serious allegations related to the sexual abuse of minors in the Congo DR Football Association (FECOFA) that were made on several media platforms. In particular, various football coaches of different regions and leagues in Congo DR were accused of having abused minor players, leading to Mr Bukabakwa being provisionally suspended for a period of five months earlier this year.

In deciding this case, the adjudicatory chamber took into account the evidence collected during the investigations and was comfortably satisfied that Mr Bukabakwa had breached article 24 (Protection of physical and mental integrity) of the Code of Ethics. The terms of the decision were notified to Mr Bukabakwa today, the date on which the ban comes into force, and will be followed by the notification of the grounds within the next 60 days in accordance with the FIFA Code of Ethics.

The decision taken by the adjudicatory chamber is in line with FIFA’s zero tolerance approach to all forms of abuse in football. World football’s governing body has regularly updated its regulatory framework in recent years to provide greater protection to victims of discrimination and sexual abuse or harassment.

FIFA also provides a confidential, dedicated, highly secure and web-based whistleblowing system so that individuals can report any safeguarding concerns.

I am responsible for the defense establishment. I was responsible for it in the last two weeks, even in the difficult incidents, and I am responsible for bringing it to victory in the battle

We will be precise and deadly and we will continue until we complete the mission.

You now see Gaza from afar, soon you will see it from the inside. The order will come.

The Defense Ministry says an American plane has landed at Ben Gurion Airport with a shipment of armored vehicles for the Israeli military, to replace those damaged amid the fighting that began on October 7.

The ministry says the delivery is part of a larger NIS 400 million procurement to bolster the Israel Defense Forces’ fleet of vehicles.

It says further shipments will also contain armored ambulances, trucks, and mechanical engineering equipment.

An Israeli strike killed the head of the Hamas-led national security forces, Jehad Mheisen, and members of his family in their house, a Hamas-aligned news agency reported.

IDF spokesperson Peter Lerner: “We are determined to restore safety and security to our people.”

Hamas's security forces chief is killed along with some of his family in Israeli airstrike on their house

The head of Hamas's security forces was killed today along with members of his family in an Israeli airstrike on their house as Israel continued its bombardment of the war-torn Gaza Strip to 'destroy' the terrorist group.

Jehad Mheisen, a key leader within Hamas, was killed in the airstrike on his home in Gaza, a Hamas-aligned news agency said, as the IDF continued to hit hundreds of targets across the enclave including tunnel shafts and command centres.

Israel has said it is attacking Hamas terrorists wherever they may be in Gaza, describing them as 'dead men walking', and accused the group's leaders and fighters of taking shelter among the civilian population.

All our prayers for the inhabitants of Gaza, whom are once again victims of these unjust bombings that spare neither women nor children.

"Mister Karim Benzema has notorious ties, as we all know, with the Muslim Brotherhood

Karim Benzema is an "agent of Hamas propaganda,"

Karim (Benzema) is an accomplice to terroism

In a tweet, footballer Karim Benzema sent “his prayers” to the residents of Gaza. “All our prayers for the inhabitants of Gaza who are once again victims of these unjust bombings which spare neither women nor children,” he wrote.

Remember, Karim Benzema was transferred to the Al-Ittihad club in Saudi Arabia last June and also benefits from dual nationality: French and Algerian.

Also, the Minister of the Interior, Gérald Damanin, announced this Wednesday, October 18. that Karim Benzema is “in connection with the Muslim Brotherhood”.
Let us remember, as explained in particular by Florence Bergeaud-Blackler, anthropologist and responsible for research at the CNRS: “Muslim Brotherhood is a political-religious movement which has given itself the mission to organize the march of all Muslims towards the same objective: the establishment of Islamic society worldwide.

It is a theocratic movement which will ultimately have to get rid of democracy. "

If the statements of the Minister of Internal Affairs are true, we should consider sanctions against Karim Benzema.

Initially, it would be a symbolic sanction. withdrawing the Ballon d’Or.

Finally, we must request loss of citizenship. We cannot accept that a French dual national, internationally known, can dishonor and even betray our country in this way.

Everything is false. Benzema never had any relationship with 'Muslim Brotherhood'. We are thinking about prosecutions against this minister in application, for example, of the law on the manipulation of information dear to our government... and defamation or even public insult."

At least 500 people have been killed in a bombing of a hospital in Gaza City, the Palestinian Health Ministry has claimed.

A spokesman for the ministry said in a statement: "Initial estimates indicate that between 200 and 300 martyrs were killed in the bombing that targeted Baptist Hospital in Gaza city."

The ministry later revised the figure to at least 500, AP and Reuters reported.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are investigating what happened at the hospital.

Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said there were still no details on the hospital deaths, adding: "We will get the details and update the public. I don't know to say whether it was an Israeli air strike."

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas declared three days of mourning following the bombardment, according to state media. Abbas has also now announced his withdrawal from a planned meeting with Biden.

In a new war crime and a crime against humanity, Israeli warplanes targeted Al-Ahli Arab hospital (Baptist Hospital) in Gaza Strip

🚨UPDATE - Hamas Press Statement:

"The Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital massacre in the middle of the Gaza Strip is a crime of genocide. Enough silence over the arrogance and recklessness of the occupation."

"The horrific massacre carried out by the Zionist occupation in the Arab National Hospital in the middle of the Gaza Strip, during which hundreds of martyrs, wounded, and wounded died, most of them displaced families, patients, children, and women, is a crime of genocide that once again reveals the truth about this enemy and its fascist government and its terrorism, and exposes American and Western support for this criminal occupation entity."

"The international community and the Arab and Islamic countries must assume their responsibility and intervene immediately, now and not tomorrow, to stop the arrogance of the occupation and its fascist army and hold it accountable for the genocide it has been committing for eleven days."

Police in Brussels have shot dead the man who killed two Swedish nationals on Monday evening.

Abdesalem Lassoued, 45, was shot in a café in the Schaerbeek neighbourhood.

Two Swedes were killed and a third person injured in the automatic rifle attack on Monday.

It took place on Boulevard d'Ypres, 5km (3 miles) from the stadium where Belgium was playing Sweden to qualify for the Euro 2024 football tournament.

Brussels has been on its highest terror alert ever since.

The gunman is believed to be a man of Tunisian origin who was in Belgium illegally, after having his asylum application rejected.

He posted a video online saying he had killed people in the name of God and the prosecutor's office believe he was inspired by the Islamic State Group.

Belgian Interior Minister Annelies Verlinden told Flemish public broadcaster VRT that the automatic weapon found on him was the same as the one used in Monday's attack.

Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, called Monday's shooting "a harrowing act of terrorism" in a press conference on Tuesday.

The prosecutor on the case has said the likely motive was the Swedish nationality of the victims.

Mr De Croo said: "Perpetrators, they try to instil fear, distrust and division in our free societies. Terrorism. Terrorists must understand that they will never succeed in their intent."

A shooter killed two people near the center of Brussels on Monday evening, in what Belgium’s foreign minister has condemned as a “terrorist attack.”

Police said gunshots were fired near Place Sainctelette and Boulevard du Neuvième de Ligne shortly after 7 p.m. and patrols were immediately dispatched to the scene.

Two people were confirmed dead, said Brussels police spokesperson Ilse Van de Keere, but more details were not immediately available. “The investigation is ongoing,” she said.

Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said: “My deepest condolences to the relatives of this cowardly attack in Brussels. We are monitoring the situation and ask the people of Brussels to be vigilant.”

He added that he had passed on his condolences to Sweden’s prime minister “following tonight’s harrowing attack on Swedish citizens.” Sweden is playing Belgium in an international football match at the national stadium in northern Brussels.

Belgian’s Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib said she was “horrified” by the “terror attack,” adding, “All necessary means must be mobilized to combat radicalism,” Lahbib wrote on X.

A spokesperson for the Belgian National Crisis Center — charged with organizing the security response in case of a terror attack — said it was monitoring the situation.

Belgium’s Interior Minister Annelies Verlinden, Justice Minister Vincent Van Quickenborne and De Croo are currently at the National Crisis Center, near the prime minister’s office in the Belgian capital, the spokesperson added.

“Terrible shooting in Brussels,” Verlinden wrote on X, adding that the suspected shooter was being tracked down by police.

Brussels Mayor Philippe Close said: “Following the shooting in Brussels, the police services are mobilizing to guarantee safety in and around our capital” in collaboration with Verlinden’s ministry.

In the name of Allah, this is a message from the soldiers of the Islamic State. The Islamic State will remain despite your laws. We live for our religion and we die for our religion,”

Due to the incidents in Brussels earlier tonight, play is suspended. Our thoughts are with all those affected.

UPDATE from Gaza: The message we received a few hrs ago was that MSF-supported Al Awda Hospital is still standing.

After spending part of the night in the street with bombs landing in close proximity, we understand that some medical staff & all patients have been able to move-
but the situation remains extremely complicated and chaotic.

"The Israeli Occupation contacted us and informed us that it would bomb the hospital with warplanes."

We call on Israel once again to cease the indiscriminate bloodshed, withdraw the evacuation order, and protect health care facilities and civilians.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society received an order from Israeli forces on Saturday with a new deadline to evacuate its Al-Quds hospital in Gaza City by 1300 GMT (16:00 pm local), according to a statement.

An initial deadline was given for 0300 GMT (06:00 am local) but was later extended.

However, the association said they cannot evacuate the hospital and it is obliged under a humanitarian mandate to continue providing services to the sick and wounded, the statement added.

Israel requested Kamal Adwan Hospital, one of the largest in the north of the Gaza Strip, to evacuate - apparently in preparation for a renewal aerial attack.
Director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, Ahmed Kahlot said there are hundreds of patients, all children and pregnant women.

The only hospital for children and pregnant women, providing medical care to approximately 450 thousand residents in the northern Gaza Strip.
There are 150 patients, and there are more than 100 medical staff. It's a death sentence.

The Israeli army insists they evacuate even if they were told it was impossible. If premature babies are cut off from electricity, they will not survive.

Military spokesman Richard Hecht said there is a "window" for safe passage to south Gaza between 10.00 am and 4.00 pm. Without saying how many days the window would remain, Hecht told reporters: "We know this is going to take time but we recommend people not to delay."

Statement by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this evening, following a Security Assessment, at the Kirya in Tel Aviv:

"Citizens of Israel, Shabbat Shalom.
Shabbat shalom to our forces deployed across the country who are celebrating the Sabbath in the field, far from home."

Today, we all understand that we are fighting for our home. And we are fighting tooth and nail: soldiers, police officers, citizens, security forces, health personnel and rescue teams — and Israel's citizens, with your extraordinary volunteering spirit that has touched the world.

We are all mobilized, we are all united. Stories of the heroic acts of our people in these dark days of pain and grief, of that cursed Saturday, will be told for years to come. Stories that will become an integral part of the history of Israel.

We will never forget the horrific acts perpetrated against us by our enemies.

I spoke today with bereaved families and families whose loved ones are still unaccounted for. Their world has collapsed. I know.

We will never forget the horrific acts perpetrated by our enemies, and we will never forgive. We will not allow the world, or anyone, to forget these horrors, the likes of which the Jewish people have not endured in decades.

We are pounding our enemies with unprecedented force, and I stress, this is only the beginning. Our enemies have only just begun to pay the price. I will not detail our plans, but I tell you, this is only the beginning.

In my phone calls with President Biden and other world leaders, and through many other efforts, we are securing vast international support for Israel.

Earlier today I met with the US Secretary of Defense. We are ensuring that the war will continue through munitions and weapons that are en route to Israel.

We will obliterate Hamas, we will triumph. It might take time, but we will end this war stronger than ever. "May the Almighty cause the enemies who rise up against us to be struck down before them."

The UK will send surveillance aircraft and two Royal Navy ships to the eastern Mediterranean in plans “to support Israel", No 10 says.

The aircraft will begin patrols on Friday to "track threats to regional stability such as the transfer of weapons to terrorist groups".

The package includes surveillance assets, helicopters, P8 aircraft, and a company of marines.

Rishi Sunak said the military support would "prevent further escalation".

The British armed forces will be on standby to "deliver practical support to Israel and partners in the region, and offer deterrence and assurance", Downing Street said.

Under the plans, a Royal Navy task group will be moved to the area next week to support humanitarian efforts.

The prime minister said the government "must be unequivocal" in making sure the "horrific scenes" that have unfolded in Israel "will not be repeated".

"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," Mr Sunak said.

He has also asked for military teams in Israel, Cyprus and across the region to be bolstered to support contingency planning.

Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on southern Israel on Saturday, killing at least 1,300 and taking around 150 hostages to Gaza.

More than 1,300 have also been killed in Gaza since Israel launched retaliatory air strikes.

Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said the military aid "will be an undeniable display of the UK's resolve to ensure Hamas's terrorist campaign fails".

Meanwhile, the Foreign Office has begun arranging flights for British nationals stranded in Israel.

The first plane is expected to leave Tel Aviv on Thursday, with more planned "in the coming days, subject to security".

The U.S. government will begin operating evacuation flights to help Americans leave Israel as Israel prepares to escalate retaliatory action against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip, according to the Biden administration.

White House National Security spokesman, John Kirby confirmed Thursday that the U.S. would arrange charter flights from Israel to sites in Europe. “We’re still working through some of the details of that to assist U.S. citizens and their immediate family members,” he said.

The evacuation flights are expected to begin operating as early as Friday. The U.S. government is arranging for at least four charter flights a day out of Israel through Frankfurt, Germany.

Palestinian residents of the city of Beit Lahiya in the northern region of the Gaza Strip said Thursday that Israeli planes dropped flyers warning them to evacuate their homes and to head to “known shelters.”

“Anyone who is near Hamas terrorists will put their lives in danger,” the flyers said. “Adhering to IDF instructions will prevent you from being exposed to danger.”

The area had already been heavily struck by the time the flyers were dropped. Shelters in the Gaza Strip are not safe from airstrikes — the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees has seen 10 of its shelters struck since the start of the operation.

Palestinians living the pummeled Strip have said that the military often has not alerted them before striking homes, or will alert them but not with enough time to evacuate before their homes are struck. Israeli defense officials have said that they attempt to provide warning before strikes.

The British government is now organising flights to get British nationals out of Israel, with the first flight to the UK expected to leave Tel Aviv later today.

Today we are providing a UK-sponsored flight to help British nationals leave Israel.

Vulnerable British nationals will be prioritised for these flights. After this, seats will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.

We are directly contacting those who are eligible to take this flight.

If you are a British national in Israel or the OPTs, you should register your presence to receive updates:

The Israeli army said Thursday it was preparing for a ground assault on Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip but that the country's political leaders had not yet taken a decision.

It said the military's campaign against the Islamists was also aimed at "taking out" the group's senior leadership including top government officials.

"We are waiting to see what our political leadership decides about a potential ground" incursion, army spokesman Richard Hecht told journalists.

"This has not been decided yet... But we are preparing for a ground manoeuvre if it is decided."

The army has deployed tens of thousands of troops to the border with the Gaza Strip as it continues a withering air campaign it says targets Hamas infrastructure, commanders and operating centres in the enclave.

The air strikes came in response to a surprise air, land and sea assault on Saturday by Hamas fighters that left more than 1,200 people killed in Israel.

Until now Hamas has fired more than 5,000 rockets at Israel, according to the army.

Israel's air campaign has also so far left at least 1,354 people dead in the Gaza Strip, according to the latest toll from the Hamas-affiliated health ministry.

"We are preparing ourselves for the next stages of war... to prepare for multiple operative contingency plans," Hecht said.

He said the possible operation "could be from the air, it could be combined from the sea (and) air".

Israel's assault is targeting senior leaders of Hamas, Hecht said, including the group's chief in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar.

"Right now we are focused on taking out their senior leadership, not only the military leadership (but) also their governmental leadership, all the way up to Sinwar," Hecht said.

"They were directly connected" to the weekend attack, he added.

In a separate briefing to reporters, chief military spokesman Daniel Hagari reiterated the army's plans against the Islamists.

"We are crushing Hamas' ability to function as sovereign," Hagari said.

"It is already failing to run Gaza in some areas," he continued, adding that they would continue to target the group until it is no longer able to rule "in all of Gaza".

On Thursday, Israel and Hamas traded more fire, with AFP journalists witnessing several air strikes targeting two Palestinian refugee camps in the Gaza Strip.

"Whoever approaches the fence will be killed," Hagari said.

Israel has also imposed a "complete siege" on the Palestinian territory, cutting off electricity, water and fuel supplies into Gaza.

Israel formed a rare emergency government with some opposition members on Wednesday to see the country through its war with Hamas.

A “war management cabinet” will be established with three members, according to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office. They are Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and ex-Defense Minister Benny Gantz, who now heads an opposition party.

Today, the French troops escorted by Niger Forces began their withdrawal from Niamey, #Niger, traveling by road through Diffa en route to #Chad.

Hamas transformed an institute of knowledge into an institute of destruction.

A short while ago, the IDF struck an important Hamas operational, political and military center in Gaza—the Islamic University.

Hamas transformed a university into a training camp for weapons development and military intelligence.

Israel’s military scoured the country’s south for Hamas fighters and guarded breaches in its border fence with tanks on Monday, as it pounded the Gaza Strip from the air and mustered for a campaign its prime minister said would destroy “the military and governing capabilities” of the militant group.

More than two days after Hamas launched its unprecedented incursion from Gaza, the military said the fighting had largely died down for now. The attack caught Israel’s vaunted military and intelligence apparatus completely off guard, bringing heavy battles to its streets for the first time in decades.

Israel formally declared war on Sunday, portending greater fighting ahead, and a possible ground assault into Gaza — a move that in the past has brought intensified casualties. Palestinian militants continued firing barrages of rockets, setting off air raid sirens in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.

Civilians are already paying a high price. Around 700 people have been killed in Israel — a staggering toll by the scale of its recent conflicts. Nearly 500 have been killed in Gaza, a tiny, impoverished enclave of 2.3 million Palestinians bordering Israel and Egypt. Palestinian militant groups claimed to be holding over 130 captives from the Israeli side.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant meanwhile ordered a “complete siege” on Gaza, saying authorities would cut electricity and block the entry of food and fuel. Israel and Egypt have imposed various levels of blockade on Gaza since Hamas seized power from rival Palestinian forces in 2007.

The chief military spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, told reporters Israel has “control” of its border communities. He said there had been some isolated incidents early Monday, but that “at this stage, there is no fighting in the communities.” He added that “there might still be terrorists in the region.”

Israeli tanks and drones, meanwhile, guarded openings in the border fence to prevent more infiltrations, Hagari said, adding that 15 of 24 border communities have been evacuated, with the rest expected to be evacuated in over the next 24 hours.

Earlier, Hamas spokesman Abdel-Latif al-Qanoua told The Associated Press over the phone that the group’s fighters continued to battle outside Gaza and had captured more Israelis as recently as Monday morning.

He said the group aims to free all Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, which in the past has agreed to painful, lopsided exchange deals in which it released large numbers of prisoners for individual captives or even the remains of soldiers.

Meanwhile, Israel hit more than 1,000 targets in Gaza, its military said, including airstrikes that leveled much of the town of Beit Hanoun in the enclave’s northeast corner. Hagari said Hamas was using the town as a staging ground for attacks. There was no immediate word on casualties, and most of the community’s population of tens of thousands likely fled beforehand.

Hagari said the army had called up around 300,000 reservists — a massive mobilization — and that Israel would aim to end Hamas’ rule of Gaza.

“Our task is to make sure that Hamas will no longer have any military capabilities to threaten Israel,” said spokesperson Jonathan Conricus in a video tweeted by Israel’s military. “And in addition to that, we will make sure that Hamas is no longer able to govern the Gaza Strip.”

Hamas is deeply rooted in Gaza and has ruled the territory since driving out forces loyal to the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority in 2007. Its rule has gone unchallenged through the 16-year Israeli and Egyptian blockade and four previous wars with Israel.

After breaking through Israeli barriers with explosives at daybreak Saturday, Hamas gunmen rampaged for hours, gunning down civilians and snatching people in towns, along highways and at a techno music festival attended by thousands in the desert. Palestinian militants have also launched around 4,400 rockets at Israel, according to the military.

The Israeli military estimated 1,000 Hamas fighters took part in Saturday’s initial incursion. The high figure underscored the extent of planning by the militant group, which has said it launched the attack in response to mounting Palestinian suffering under Israel’s occupation of the West Bank, its blockade of Gaza, its discriminatory policies in annexed east Jerusalem and tensions around a disputed Jerusalem holy site sacred to Muslims and Jews.

The Palestinians want a state of their own in all three territories, captured by Israel in the 1967 war, but the last serious peace talks broke down well over a decade ago, and Israel’s far-right government is opposed to Palestinian statehood.

Hamas and the smaller Islamic Jihad group claim to have taken captive more than 130 people from inside Israel and brought them into Gaza. The captives are known to include soldiers and civilians, including women, children and older adults, mostly Israelis but also some people of other nationalities. The Israeli military has said only that the number of captives is “significant.”

Mayyan Zin, a divorced mother of two, said she learned that her two daughters had been abducted when a relative sent her photos from a Telegram group showing them sitting on mattresses in captivity. She then found online videos of a chilling scene in her ex-husband’s home: Gunmen who had broken in speak to him near the two weeping daughters, Dafna, 15, and Ella, 8. Another video showed the father being taken into Gaza.

“Just bring my daughters home and to their family. All the people,” Zin said.

The Israeli military was evacuating at least five towns close to Gaza, while the U.N. said more than 123,000 Gazans had been displaced by the fighting.

In Gaza, residents feared further escalation.

As of late Sunday, Israeli airstrikes had destroyed 159 housing units across the territory and severely damaged 1,210 others, the U.N. said. The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, said a school sheltering more than 225 people took a direct hit. It did not say where the fire came from.

In the city of Rafah in southern Gaza, an Israeli airstrike early Monday killed 19 people, including women and children, said Talat Barhoum, a doctor at the local Al-Najjar Hospital. Barhoum said aircraft hit the home of the Abu Hilal family, and that one of those killed was Rafaat Abu Hilal, a leader of a local armed group. The strike caused damage to surrounding homes.

Over the weekend, another airstrike on a home in Rafah killed 19 members of the Abu Quta family, including women and children, survivors said.

Several Israeli media outlets, citing rescue service officials, said those killed on the Israeli side include at least 73 soldiers. The Gaza Health Ministry said 493 people, including 78 children and 41 women, were killed in the territory. Thousands have been wounded on both sides. An Israeli official said security forces have killed 400 militants and captured dozens more.

An Egyptian official said Israel sought help from Cairo to ensure the safety of the hostages. Egypt also spoke with both sides about a potential cease-fire, but Israel was not open to a truce “at this stage,” according to the official, who insisted on not being identified because he was not authorized to brief media.

On Sunday, the U.S. dispatched an aircraft carrier strike group to the Eastern Mediterranean to be ready to assist Israel, and said it would send additional military aid.

In northern Israel, a brief exchange of strikes with Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group fanned fears that the fighting could expand into a wider regional war. The Israeli military said the situation was calm after the exchange.

Elsewhere, six Palestinians were killed in clashes with Israeli soldiers Sunday around the West Bank.

Israel's Prime Minister has warned people living in Gaza to leave the area as he vowed to reduce parts of the territory "into rubble" in revenge for a "black day".

Benjamin Netanyahu had earlier said Israel was at war with Palestinian militants from Hamas, which governs Gaza, after their fighters launched a surprise attack on his country on Saturday morning.

Rescue service officials told Israeli media at least 250 people were killed in the deadliest attack on the country in decades.

Israel's health ministry said at least 1,590 people had been injured.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian Health Ministry said at least 232 people had died and 1,700 wounded in Israel's retaliatory airstrikes on Gaza.

'Leave now'

In a televised address, Mr Netanyahu said the country's military would "take revenge for this black day" but he warned: "This war will take time. It will be difficult."

In a statement he later posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, he wrote: "All of the places which Hamas is deployed, hiding and operating in, that wicked city, we will turn them into rubble.

"I say to the residents of Gaza: Leave now because we will operate forcefully everywhere."

Rockets were seen landing on Gaza hours after Mr Netanyahu issued the threat.

Israel will stop supplying electricity, fuel and goods to Gaza, which is already blockaded, according to a statement from Mr Netanyahu's office on Saturday night.

Much of Gaza was already thrown into darkness by nightfall after electrical supplies from Israel, which serve power to almost all of the territories, were cut off earlier in the day.

Mr Netanyahu also said the "first phase" of the counter-operation had ended, and that Israel had fought off the majority of Hamas militants.

He vowed to continue the offensive "without reservation and without respite".

'Record year for Palestinians killed by Israelis'

Hamas gunmen targeted up to 22 locations in the initial assault with gun battles continuing well after nightfall. Militants held hostages in two towns and occupied a police station in a third.

Footage appeared to show Hamas fighters paraglide into Israel as they began a mass incursion.

Hamas' military wing claimed it was holding dozens of Israeli soldiers captive in "safe places" and tunnels in Gaza.

The Israeli military confirmed that a number of Israelis were abducted but would not give a figure.

A residential building has been destroyed in airstrikes on Gaza by Israel. According to the Israeli Defence Force several jets targeted military compounds and Hamas headquarters throughout Gaza.1:03

Palestinian activist Nour Odeh, a former Palestinian Authority spokesperson, told Sky News' US partner NBC News that the attack comes after a record-breaking year for the number of Palestinians killed by Israelis.

He said Saturday's incursion was not the "beginning of the story" and Israeli forces have occupied Palestinian territories for over 50 years.

Mr Odeh said: "It's a record-setting year for the number of Palestinians killed, the number of Palestinian children killed, the number of homes demolished, the number of attacks by armed settlers that, you know, burned down homes and attack people and wounded and killed Palestinian civilians."

Israel responds to Hamas attacks

After nightfall, Israeli airstrikes in Gaza intensified, flattening several residential buildings in giant explosions, including a 14-storey tower that held dozens of apartments as well as Hamas offices in central Gaza City.

Israeli forces fired a warning just before and there were no reports of casualties.

Soon after, a Hamas rocket barrage into central Israel hit four cities, including Tel Aviv and a nearby suburb, where two people were seriously injured.

Throughout the day, Hamas fired more than 3,500 rockets, the Israeli military said.

The official number of Israelis killed in today's Hamas attack has risen from 40 to 70, the country's emergency services has said.

Earlier, we told you local reports had stated at least 100 people had been killed, but this latest official figure confirms the number of dead is lower.

"The wounded are actively being evacuated in ambulances, mobile intensive care vehicles, and MDA-Hatzola Air helicopters to various hospitals," it added in a statement.

The latest figure we have on the wounded states 545 have been injured, although reports suggests this figure could be as high as 740.

198 Palestinians have died following retaliatory Israeli air strikes in the Gaza Strip - health officials there have said.

Officials added at least 1,610 people had been injured in the strikes.

Israel launched what it called "Operation Sword of Iron" in response to Hamas's incursion, which began with massive rocket strikes early this morning.

Joe Biden's dog Commander has been removed from the White House after biting agents and staff.

The two-year-old German shepherd had attacked members of the US Secret Service 10 times between October 2022 and January 2023.
^{Commander was a gift to the US president from his brother James.}
One female officer recently required medical treatment.

A spokesperson for First Lady Jill Biden confirmed Commander currently isn't on the White House campus "while next steps are evaluated".

Elizabeth Alexander went on to stress that the Bidens care deeply about the safety of staff, and those who protect them every day.

"They remain grateful for the patience and support of the US Secret Service and all involved, as they continue to work through solutions," she added.

In a previous statement, Ms Alexander had said the White House could be a "stressful environment for pets".

It is unclear where Commander - who was a gift to the US president in December 2021 from his brother James - currently is.

Commander was last seen on Saturday on an upper balcony of the White House.

The statement came hours after White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked about a fresh allegation that the dog had bitten a member of White House staff.

Ms Jean-Pierre referred questions to the first lady's office, which said Commander and Dale Haney, the head groundskeeper at the White House, were playing and that no skin was broken.

The incident was photographed by a tourist and shared with a news organisation, which published the image online.