US Ready to Offer Israel Support after Attacks, Says Biden

 07 October 2023, Israel, Ashkelon: Members of the fire brigade try to extinguish fire on cars following a rocket attack from Gaza. (dpa)
07 October 2023, Israel, Ashkelon: Members of the fire brigade try to extinguish fire on cars following a rocket attack from Gaza. (dpa)
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US Ready to Offer Israel Support after Attacks, Says Biden

 07 October 2023, Israel, Ashkelon: Members of the fire brigade try to extinguish fire on cars following a rocket attack from Gaza. (dpa)
07 October 2023, Israel, Ashkelon: Members of the fire brigade try to extinguish fire on cars following a rocket attack from Gaza. (dpa)

US President Joe Biden said on Saturday he told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the United States was ready to offer "all appropriate means of support " after Palestinian movement Hamas launched an attack on Israel.

"I made clear to Prime Minister Netanyahu that we stand ready to offer all appropriate means of support to the Government and people of Israel," Biden said in a statement after he spoke with Netanyahu.

"Israel has a right to defend itself and its people. The United States warns against any other party hostile to Israel seeking advantage in this situation," he added.  

Earlier, a White House National Security Council spokesperson said the US "unequivocally condemns" attacks by Hamas against Israeli civilians and firmly stands with the government and people of Israel, CNN reported on Saturday.  

Citing a statement from the spokesperson, CNN reported that White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan had spoken with his Israeli counterpart, Tzachi Hanegbi, and would remain in close contact.  

Britain "unequivocally condemns" a surprise attack by Palestinian movement Hamas on Israel, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said.    

"The UK unequivocally condemns the horrific attacks by Hamas on Israeli civilians. The UK will always support Israel’s right to defend itself," Cleverly said in a post on social media.    

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he was shocked by the attacks.    

"We're in contact with Israeli authorities, and British nationals in Israel should follow travel advice," Sunak added.    

French President Emmanuel Macron said he strongly condemned the attacks.   

"I strongly condemn the terrorist attacks which are currently hitting Israel. I express my full solidarity with the victims, and their families and those close to them," Macron wrote on X.    

The French foreign ministry said earlier that Paris condemned the "terrorist attacks under way against Israel and its population" and that it expressed its full solidarity with Israel.   

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said she strongly condemned the attacks, saying violence against innocent people must stop straight away.    

"I strongly condemn the terrorist attacks against Israel from Gaza. Violence and rockets against innocent civilians must stop now. We stand in full solidarity with Israel and its right under international law to defend itself against terror," Baerbock said on X.   

Ukraine's foreign ministry condemned what it described as "ongoing terrorist attacks" on Israel.  

"Ukraine strongly condemns the ongoing terrorist attacks against Israel, including rocket attacks against the civilian population in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv," the ministry said on X.  

"We express our support for Israel in its right to defend itself and its people."  

Hamas launched the biggest attack on Israel in years on Saturday, killing dozens of people and taking hostages in a surprise assault that combined gunmen crossing into Israel with a barrage of rockets fired from the Gaza Strip.  

Israel said the Iran-backed group had declared war as its army confirmed fighting with militants in several Israeli towns and military bases near Gaza, and Netanyahu vowed to retaliate.  

"Our enemy will pay a price the type of which it has never known," he said. "We are in a war and we will win it".

Israel's N12 News reported that at least 100 Israelis were killed. A Reuters photographer saw multiple bodies lying in streets of the southern town of Sderot.

Gaza health officials said 198 Palestinians had been killed in air strikes as bombardments hit deep into Gaza City, sending clouds of black smoke spiraling into the sky.

Hamas military commander Mohammad Deif announced the start of the operation in a broadcast on Hamas media, calling on Palestinians everywhere to fight.   

"This is the day of the greatest battle to end the last occupation on earth," he said, adding that 5,000 rockets had been launched.   

The last major flare-up between Israel and Hamas was a 10-day war in 2021.



UN Food Agency Says Its Food Stocks in Gaza Have Run out under Israel’s Blockade

A girl puts a pot to her head as Palestinians wait to receive food cooked by a charity kitchen, in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza Strip, April 24, 2025. (Reuters)
A girl puts a pot to her head as Palestinians wait to receive food cooked by a charity kitchen, in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza Strip, April 24, 2025. (Reuters)
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UN Food Agency Says Its Food Stocks in Gaza Have Run out under Israel’s Blockade

A girl puts a pot to her head as Palestinians wait to receive food cooked by a charity kitchen, in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza Strip, April 24, 2025. (Reuters)
A girl puts a pot to her head as Palestinians wait to receive food cooked by a charity kitchen, in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza Strip, April 24, 2025. (Reuters)

The World Food Program says its food stocks in the Gaza Strip have run out under Israel’s nearly 8-week-old blockade, ending a main source of sustenance for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in the territory.

The WFP said in a statement that it delivered the last of its stocks to charity kitchens that it supports around Gaza. It said those kitchens are expected to run out of food in the coming days.

Some 80% of Gaza’s population of more than 2 million relies primarily on charity kitchens for food, because other sources have shut down under Israel’s blockade, according to the UN. The WFP has been supporting 47 kitchens that distribute 644,000 hot meals a day, WFP spokesperson Abeer Etefa told the Associated Press.

It was not immediately clear how many kitchens would still be operating in Gaza if those shut down. But Etefa said the WFP-backed kitchens are the major ones in Gaza.

Israel cut off entry of all food, fuel, medicine and other supplies to Gaza on March 2 and then resumed its bombardment and ground offensives two weeks later, shattering a two-month ceasefire with Hamas. It says the moves aim to pressure Hamas to release hostages it still holds. Rights groups have called the blockade a “starvation tactic” and a potential war crime.

Israel has said Gaza has enough supplies after a surge of aid entered during the ceasefire and accuses Hamas of diverting aid for its purposes. Humanitarian workers deny there is significant diversion, saying the UN strictly monitors distribution. They say the aid flow during the ceasefire was barely enough to cover the immense needs from throughout the war when only a trickle of supplies got in.

With no new goods entering Gaza, many foods have disappeared from markets, including meat, eggs, fruits, dairy products and many vegetables. Prices for what remains have risen dramatically, becoming unaffordable for much of the population. Most families rely heavily on canned goods.

Malnutrition is already surging. The UN said it identified 3,700 children suffering from acute malnutrition in March, up 80% from the month before. At the same time, because of diminishing supplies, aid groups were only able to provide nutritional supplements to some 22,000 children in March, down 70% from February. The supplements are a crucial tool for averting malnutrition.

Almost all bakeries shut down weeks ago and the WFP stopped distribution of food basics to families for lack of supplies. With stocks of most ingredients depleted, charity kitchens generally can only serve meals of pasta or rice with little added.

World Central Kitchen -- a US charity that is one of the biggest in Gaza that doesn’t rely on the WFP -- said Thursday that its kitchens had run out of proteins. Instead, they make stews from canned vegetables. Because fuel is scarce, it dismantles wooden shipping pallets to burn in its stoves, it said. It also runs the only bakery still functioning in Gaza, producing 87,000 loaves of pita a day.

The WFP said 116,000 tons of food is ready to be brought into Gaza if Israel opens the borders, enough to feed 1 million people for four months.

Israel has leveled much of Gaza with its air and ground campaign, vowing to destroy Hamas after its Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel. It has killed over 51,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, whose count does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.

In the Oct. 7 attack, gunmen killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted 251. They still hold 59 hostages after most were released in ceasefire deals.