Egypt Warned Israel Three Days Before Hamas Attack: US Lawmaker

Israel got a warning from Egypt of potential violence three days before Hamas caught Israeli forces off-guard in a large-scale attack, the chairman of the powerful US House Foreign Affairs Committee said Wednesday.

"We know that Egypt has warned the Israelis three days prior that an event like this could happen," Republican Michael McCaul told reporters following a closed-door intelligence briefing for lawmakers on the crisis.

"I don't want to get too much into classified (details), but a warning was given," he said. "I think the question was at what level."

Israel is reeling from the deadliest attack in its 75-year history, as more than 1,500 Hamas members attacked through the Gaza security barrier in their coordinated land, air and sea attack on the Jewish Sabbath.

Hamas' ability to remain undetected while preparing and launching such a big, complex assault from the closely monitored and heavily guarded Gaza strip represents an unprecedented intelligence failure for US ally Israel.

Israeli authorities say Hamas gunmen killed more than 1,200 people and wounded over 2,700 as they swept into small towns and kibbutzim and indiscriminately killed residents who hid in their homes or died defending their communities.

Israel has been relentlessly pounding Hamas targets in Gaza in response, and the war has already claimed the lives of more than 3,700 lives of Israeli and Palestinian civilians, soldiers and combatants.

In Washington, President Joe Biden has pledged to send more US munitions and military hardware and expressed revulsion at the "sheer evil" of the slaughter of civilians.

Hamas' attack on Israel planned a year ago?

Republican Michael McCaul said the attack may have been planned as long as a year ago. 

"We're not quite sure how we missed it. We're not quite sure how Israel missed it," he told reporters.

Cairo has not commented officially on suggestions that it may have offered an early warning. 

But Egyptian media with close ties to the country's intelligence services on Wednesday quoted senior security sources denying Israeli press reports that such a warning was issued.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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''Our Story'': 'Humans Of Bombay' On Plagiarism Row With 'People Of India'

'Humans of Bombay', a popular storytelling platform, recently stirred controversy after it filed a case against People of India (POI) for alleged copyright infringement of its content. On Wednesday, the Delhi High Court directed both Humans of Bombay and People Of India to refrain from using each other's copyrighted material. The Court passed a permanent injunction, restraining POI from plagiarizing HOB's literary works and creative expressions. 

Shortly after the ruling, the platform's founder Karishma Mehta took to social media to issue a statement regarding the controversy and argued that their legal case was about ''substantial imitation''. She explained that they were forced to take the legal route because POI ''didn't stop the plagiarism'', even after 16 of their posts were taken down by Meta. 

In a long post, Ms. Mehta explained, ''Our legal case, however, was not about inspiration, but in fact, about as the Delhi High Court termed it-"substantial imitation". If there had not been explicit plagiarism at play (where the exact content shot, written and created by us was published on another creator's page), the Indian courts would not have been so willing to listen, let alone issue summons to the party in question.''

See the full post here:

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A post shared by Karishma Mehta🇮🇳 (@karimehta05)

Thanking the Delhi High Court for ''upholding their contentions'', Ms Mehta also addressed the trolling and criticism that her platform received for running Humans of Bombay as a business.

''The outcome of this case will set a precedent for the creator community, and will hopefully go a long way in safeguarding the original content that creators work so hard to build. And finally, yes, Humans of Bombay is a business; that's something we have never hidden. While some may choose to monetize stories through mediums like books and subscription platforms, we have chosen to do it primarily through meaningful campaigns with partner brands. To this date, what motivates me and my team to work extremely hard is our love for storytelling because we've witnessed how the stories we've told over the last years have had a lasting cultural impact,'' she wrote. 

She further revealed that she experienced bullying and a slew of personal attacks, including death and rape threats towards her team and her family.

''While we did not expect to be vilified to this extent, it will not deter us from continuing to tell important stories that change the narrative, and sometimes, even change lives,'' she concluded her post. 

According to HOB's plea, People of India allegedly violated copyright by using films from Humans of Bombay's Instagram account and YouTube channel without permission. Additionally, it claimed that the People of India have also copied HOB's unique storytelling format without authorisation.

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How Benjamin Netanyahu's Brother Helped Resolve Israel's Hostage Crisis

Air raids against Hamas will not dismantle its structure completely and a ground attack is the only way to go, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has indicated. In a conversation with US President Joe Biden, Mr Netanyahu has said, "We have to go in," news site Axios has reported.  

In a telephonic conversation with President Biden on Sunday, Mr Netanyahu said Israel does not have any choice but to unleash a ground operation in Gaza, according to three Israeli and US sources briefed on the call, reported Axios.

In an exclusive conversation with NDTV, Jerusalem Deputy Mayor Fleur Hassan Nahoum seconded the opinion, making it clear that the hostage situation has led to a crisis, where Israel's options were limited.

"I don't believe this is a war that can be fought alone from air, especially because we have hostages in there," she said.  

While Israel is keeping its cards close to its chest, Ms Nahoum also made clear the value Israel places on the lives of its citizens and underscored that freeing them is the first priority.  

For Israel, a ground operation to rescue hostages is not a first.  

Prime Minister Netanyahu's elder brother Yonatan (Yoni) Netanyahu -- one of the most celebrated military heroes of Israel -- was part of the best known such operation, Operation Entebbe in 1976, where more than 100 captured Jewish hostages were rescued.  

Operation Entebbe  

On July 4, 1976, Yoni Netanyahu -- already a decorated officer of the Israeli army's elite Sayeret Matkal -- led the mission that freed 102 Jewish hostages being held in Uganda's Entebbe by members of the "Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine" and a leftist West German radical group "Red Army Faction".

The hostages were among the passengers of an Air France flight from Athens headed for Tel Aviv. It was hijacked by the terrorists, who flew them to Uganda -- then a violent regime under dictator Idi Amin, who was a strong supporter of the Palestinian cause.  

The terrorists freed those of the plane's 258 passengers who did not appear to be Israeli or Jewish and held the rest hostage. Their demand was the release of 53 terrorists in jails across Israel, Kenya, West Germany, and a few other nations.

In response, Israel flew in a commando group of around 200 soldiers in four Hercules aircraft.

The Israeli commandos breached the terminal where the hostages were being held, managed to rescue 102 people and killed all the terrorists and dozens of Ugandan soldiers. Three of the hostages were killed in the crossfire.

Yoni Netanyahu was killed during the raid -- the only Israeli casualty. In his honor, the raid was later named Mivtsa Yonatan (Operation Yonatan).

Hostages Of Hamas  

Currently the Israel authorities have no number for the citizens abducted from the villages and towns near Gaza. Reports put the figure at around 130. Ms Nahoum said the government has now established a hotline and deputed a team led by a General to coordinate with the families who had their loved ones abducted.
 
But while Entebbe created a template for Israel in dealing with hostage situations -- no negotiation and no compromise -- Ms Nahoum said Israel should do all it can to secure the release of its innocent citizens.  

Despite all their threats, Hamas, she said, "essentially want some of their own prisoners back". Asked if it means that Israel should go for a prisoner exchange, she said while all Palestinian prisoners in Israel are terrorists, "we have a very high value for life... and I believe we should do anything we need to do in order to get our innocent citizens back".
 
This, she however added, was her personal opinion and she cannot "speak for the government".

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US Ignored Palestine's Interests, Their Need For Independent State: Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday said the explosion of violence between Israel and the Palestinians showed the US policy had failed in the Middle East and taken no account of the needs of the Palestinians.

Putin's spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, said the Kremlin was in touch with both warring sides and would seek to play a role in resolving the conflict, but did not specify how. Peskov warned that the conflict risked spilling over into other regions.

Putin took the opportunity, during talks with visiting Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, to blame the sharp escalation on years of US policy in the region.

"I think that many people will agree with me that this is a vivid example of the failure of United States policy in the Middle East," Putin said.

Putin said Washington had sought to "monopolise" efforts at forging peace, and accused it of failing to seek workable compromises. The United States, he said, had ignored the interests of Palestinians, including their need for their own independent Palestinian state.

He made no mention of Russia's own role in the Middle East peace process. Along with the United States, the United Nations and the European Union, it has since 2002 formed part of a "Quartet" of powers charged with helping to mediate.

Israel vowed to escalate its response to the attack by Iran-backed Hamas militants with a ground offensive, while US President Joe Biden pledged support for Israel and issued a warning to anyone who might seek to take advantage of the situation.

Russia pressed on with diplomatic contacts.

A Kremlin statement said Putin and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan deplored the "catastrophic rise in the deaths among civilians".

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called for a rapid cease fire in a conversation with his Iranian opposite number, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.

Kremlin spokesperson Peskov said Moscow took part in all formats for diplomatic efforts despite limited progress.

"But nevertheless we intend to keep making efforts and play our role in terms of providing assistance to seek ways to a settlement," he said.

Since the latest crisis erupted, the Kremlin has sought to appear even-handed, underscoring its relations with both sides.

Moscow allegedly uses Iran-made drones in its war in Ukraine and has longstanding ties with the Palestinians, including Hamas, which sent a delegation to Moscow in March. But it also has "a lot in common" with Israel, including the fact that many Israelis are former Russian citizens, Peskov said.

In comments later reported by Russian news agencies, Peskov said the turmoil was "more than worrying. It has the potential to be dangerous by growing and spilling over from the current zone of the Arab-Israeli conflict."

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Supreme Court Restores Fraud Charges Against Rajinikanth's Wife Latha

The Supreme Court on Tuesday restored the alleged criminal charges against Latha Rajinikanth in a matter pertaining to the Tamil film 'Kochadaiiyaan'.

A bench of Justice AS Bopanna and MM Sundresh passed the order while hearing petitions challenging the Karnataka High Court judgement.

"Accordingly, the SLP(Crl) No. 9818/2022 and SLP(Crl.) No. 8327/2022 is disposed of by restoring the final report filed. However, liberty is granted to the petitioner(s) in SLP(Crl.) No.8327/2022 to file an appropriate application, if so advised, seeking discharge," the court said.

"We make it clear that if such application is filed on behalf of the petitioner(s), the findings rendered under the impugned order will not stand in the way, and the Trial Court is directed," the court said.

"Taking into consideration the further submissions made, the physical presence of the petitioner-accused shall stand dispensed with until and unless the same is required by the Trial Court," the court said.

"We further make it clear that we have not expressed any opinions on the merits of the case and it is well open to the parties to resolve the issue, also through mediation," the court said.

The impugned order dated August 2, 2022, passed by the High Court of Karnataka at Bengaluru, has been challenged by both the contesting parties.

After hearing both sides, the court was of the opinion that in view of the earlier order passed by this Court on 10th July 2018 in Criminal Appeal, the only way open to the petitioners is either to file an application seeking discharge or to face the trial.

Chennai-based Ad Bureau Advertising Pvt Ltd has challenged the Karnataka High Court order, which quashed the cheating case against Latha.

On August 2, 2022, the Karnataka High Court gave some relief to Latha, by quashing the cheating charges against her but maintained the forgery cases against her.

She also challenged the HC decision in the Supreme Court.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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"Death Is Near": Gaza Disfigured By Israeli Air Strikes And Siege

Sheltering from Israeli night raids on Gaza, Mazen Mohammad and his family slept on the ground floor of their apartment block, huddling together with frightened neighbours as explosions rang all around them.   

The neighbourhood they woke up to the next day was ravaged beyond recognition: buildings had crumbled to the ground and debris carpeted the streets.

"As soon as we saw the neighbourhood, my wife and I simultaneously asked ourselves: Is this real?," said Mohammad, a 38-year-old father of four.

"We felt like we were in a ghost town, as if we were the only survivors," he told AFP.

Israel declared war on Hamas on Sunday following a shock land, air and sea assault by the Gaza-based Islamists.

The multi-pronged surprise assault on Israel launched before dawn on Saturday by Hamas has left thousands dead on both sides.

Hamas militants killed more than 900 people in Israel after infiltrating southern communities, shooting dead hundreds including at a desert festival and dragging 150 hostages back to Gaza.

In retaliation, Israel has bombarded Gaza where officials have reported 900 people killed so far.

Israel's army said the bodies of roughly 1,500 militants had been found.

Mohammad's family lives in the Al-Rimal neighbourhood in western Gaza which was pounded by a heavy barrage of Israeli strikes on Monday night.

"We could not... stay in the apartment because it was on the tenth floor," said Mohammad.

- 'No longer a human' -

At day break on Tuesday, hundreds of families flooded Gaza's streets, many of them barefoot as they walked over debris and shards of glass.

"I was shocked when I saw entire neighbourhoods destroyed," said Mohammad as he drove off with his family to Al Nasr neighbourhood in central Gaza to stay with friends.

He said he had to take several detours because the streets were clogged with rubble.

Outside Al-Shifa Hospital, Gaza's largest medical complex, men burst into tears after receiving news that their loved ones, injured in the Israeli air strikes, had died.

The Israeli raids left widespread destruction around the hospital and flattened a neighbouring six-story residential building.

"I feel death is near," said May Youssef, a 34-year-old mother of two, told AFP. "If not my death, then that of the people I care about."

Youssef also complained of a severe shortage of life-saving medicines and essential goods in Gaza, where Israel has imposed a total siege since Monday, cutting off the water supply, food, electricity and other essential supplies.

"I feel like I am no longer a human being. I am helpless," she said.

"My little daughter had a fever... and we found it very difficult... to buy medicine," she said.

Most businesses in Gaza, including grocery stores, have closed their doors. Only a few have remained open to cater for urgent needs.

- Out of Gaza? -

Gaza's economy ministry has said that stocks of most basic commodities could last eight months.

There is enough flour to last until the end of the year, it said in a statement.

On Tuesday long queues formed outside bakeries as Gazans sought to buy bread, but at one of them a man was rebuffed by an employee when he ordered five loaves. He was only allowed two.

The sound of ambulance and police sirens, meanwhile, ring out from every corner of the pummelled city, muted only by the overpowering roar of air strikes.

With no signs of the violence abating, many residents are trying to escape via Gaza's sole border crossing with Egypt, the only entry point not controlled by Israel.

The Rafah crossing was hit by an Israeli air strike Tuesday for the third time in 24 hours.

Sinai for Human Rights NGO said Tuesday's strikes had prompted the closure of the crossing, but there was no immediate confirmation from either side.

Travel through the Rafah is restricted to humanitarian cases and requires often time-consuming authorisations.

One Gaza company is trying to make a brisk business by arranging travel through Rafah, with those seeking to leave paying hundreds of dollars to register their names.

"Demand is high and reservations are complete for at least a whole week," one company employee told AFP on the condition of anonymity.

Abu Ahmad al-Shanti, 47, said the worst is yet to come for those who stay put.

"Israel intends to destroy and annihilate everything in Gaza."

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Bodies, Scorched Earth: The Human Cost Of The Israel-Gaza War

Bodies everywhere, a scorched patch of ground, charred vehicles and destroyed houses - with the war against Gaza continuing to escalate on its fourth day, a video posted on social media has given an insight into the human toll the conflict has taken in Israel. 

A video posted by the Israel Defense Forces on Tuesday shows a woman narrating what she sees as she walks around a village in southern Israel probably hit by rockets during the attack by Hamas. The village also saw people being taken as hostages.

WATCH: Exclusive IDF footage from the scene of the massacre in southern Israel.

Hamas' cruelty knows no bounds. pic.twitter.com/uPj2RSRihp

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) October 10, 2023

The video, which was posted on X (formerly Twitter) shows the woman entering the area, describing that she is seeing bodies everywhere and the ground burnt. The camera then pans to a bus stop, where clothes can be seen strewn, and the woman says that they belonged to people taken by Hamas operatives. 

A destroyed house is seen across the street, Several mangled cars can also be seen and so can a cut portion of a fence, from where the operatives allegedly entered the village. The woman says the operatives burnt down everything in sight and goes on to show a charred truck used to get supplies into the village, as well as a burnt-down house.

The video ends with sirens going off and the woman and other people taking cover. 

Death Count Rising

Over 3,000 people have died in the war, which began when Hamas fired 5,000 rockets into Israel in 20 minutes, news agency AFP reported. Israel has said it has recaptured the border areas of Gaza, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that Israel's fightback was only the beginning of a sustained war to destroy Hamas and "change the Middle East".

Fear and chaos also reigned among the 2.3 million Palestinians living in the crowded and impoverished Gaza strip, which has been hit by thousands of Israeli bombs, the AFP report said. Fireballs repeatedly lit up Gaza City before dawn on Tuesday, as explosions shook the ground and sirens wailed.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said Mr Netanyahu called him and gave him an update on the deadly conflict. The Prime Minister said he assured his Israeli counterpart that India stands with Israel in "this difficult hour", and underscored that India strongly and unequivocally condemns terrorism in all its forms. 

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