WORLD BRIEFING: October 9, 2023
At least 700 Israelis were killed as a result of the Hamas incursion into Israel. At least 2,000 were wounded, Haaretz reported. And over 130 civilians and soldiers are being held hostage in Gaza. More than 400 Palestinians have reportedly been killed.
The IDF has undertaken 1,149 airstrikes on Gaza as of Monday morning, a jump of around 800 since midday Sunday, while there are still six ongoing fights with Hamas in Israeli villages on the Gaza corridor - Jerusalem Post
Sources in the Biden administration estimate that Israel will launch a ground attack on the Gaza Strip within the next two days, according to The Washington Post. It also stated that Israel requested to renew its stock of interceptor missiles for the Iron Dome, as well as additional ammunition. It also requested intelligence assistance regarding possible actions by Hezbollah and other militias in Lebanon. The Biden administration is expected to seek congressional approval to send further aid to Israel, and to expand it's military aid to Ukraine.
Polish President Andrzej Duda believes the extremist group Hamas' attack on Israel will aid Russia in its war against Ukraine as it draws away attention from the conflict, he said on Polish television. “This certainly helps Russia and Russian aggression against Ukraine, it distracts the world's attention," he said - Kyiv Independent
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky: “Terror has opened far too many fronts against humanity. The war against Ukraine. The war in the Middle East. Terrible destabilizations throughout Africa. Constant attempts to cause a crisis on the global food market. Being strong under such circumstances is to confront terror. Being a large country is not enough. Being a wealthy country is not enough. It's not enough to have ambitions. Being strong means helping to protect people and life against any form of terror. Helping. That is the way.”
At least 16 civilians have been wounded in Russian attacks in the south and east of Ukraine, Ukrainian authorities said on October 8.
Rail traffic along the North Korea-Russia border spiked this week to its highest level in years, suggesting arms supply by Pyongyang to Moscow after their leaders discussed deeper military cooperation, a U.S. think tank said - RFE/RL
Russia will likely launch a record number of Shahed kamikaze drones against Ukraine in the coming fall and winter months, Yuri Ihnat, the Air Force's spokesperson, said on Oct. 8. The official pointed out that in September alone, Russian forces launched over 500 Shahed drones in attacks against Ukraine. “In the six months of the previous heating season, Russia launched over 1,000 Shaheds against Ukraine. We already had half of that number in just one month," Ihnat said on air. Ukrainian officials warned that Russia is likely to escalate its attacks against Ukraine's energy infrastructure in the coming months in order to cripple the country's power grid - Kyiv Independent
International aid groups in Afghanistan are scrambling to send help to survivors of this weekend’s earthquake in the west of the country which left more than 2,000 people dead and many more injured in a war-ravaged nation already stricken by an economic crisis. The 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck on Saturday 25 miles (40 kilometers) west of Herat city in the western Herat province – the third largest in Afghanistan. It was one of the deadliest quakes to hit Afghanistan in years - CNN