Israel-Hamas War Day 19: Israelis Reject Calls for Cease-Fire

Israel has accelerated its bombardment of Gaza ahead of an expected ground invasion, as residents near Gaza were ordered to shelter after a reported "large-scale attack."

The airstrikes have reduced residential buildings to rubble and killed entire families. The war, in its 19th day Wednesday, is the deadliest of five Gaza wars for both sides.

Netanyahu Says He'll 'Answer' for October 7

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed answers Wednesday on the apparent intelligence breakdown that allowed Hamas terrorists to infiltrate southern Israel and kill over 1,400 people on Oct. 7, as a TV news investigation into possible missed warnings was set to air.

"Everyone will have to answer [for the attack]," said Netanyahu during a nationally televised address, according to Israeli newspaper Haaretz. "Including me."

The comments marked Netanyahu's first acknowledgement of some responsibility for the attack, according to Haaretz.

Netanyahu addressed the nation shortly before the airing of a television news interview with two Israel Defense Forces soldiers who say they raised the alarm about a possible Hamas attack only to be ignored.

The soldiers — the only two to survive the assault from among the 25 stationed near the border kibbutz of Nahal Oz — spoke out during an interview set to air later Wednesday on state-owned Israeli outlet Kan 11.

Shelter Call After 'Large-Scale Attack'

Residents near Gaza — then nationwide — were ordered Wednesday to take shelter "until further notice following a large-scale attack," according to a post on X documenting Israeli military radio.

They were directed to "put means of communication, food and water, mattresses, blankets, medicine and other necessary equipment into the protected space, and close the door and window tightly."

Further details of the attack were not immediately clear, but the order came amid stepped-up airstrikes on Gaza City that sent thick plumes of smoke rising into the air.

Israel Grants US Request for Invasion Delay

Israel has agreed to put off its anticipated ground incursion into Gaza to afford the U.S. military time to position air defenses to protect American troops in the region, a report said Wednesday.

U.S. officials have, for now, persuaded Israel to stay their hand until the shift is complete, as early as the end of this week, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing U.S. and Israeli officials.

It's believed that if and when the war with Hamas escalates, U.S. troops in the region will be at risk of attack by militant groups, the report said. Two dozen U.S. military personnel have already been injured in such regional attacks in recent days, the Pentagon said Tuesday.

Other considerations for Israel include efforts to send sorely-needed humanitarian aid into Gaza, and talks to free more hostages held by Hamas.

UN Leader Condemns Hamas Attack

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says he is “shocked” at the misinterpretation of part of his statement to the Security Council “as if I was justifying acts of terror by Hamas.”

“This is false. It was the opposite,” he told reporters Wednesday.

Israeli officials vehemently protested Guterres’ comment that the deadly Hamas attack on southern Israel “did not happen in a vacuum,” calling it justification for terrorism. Israel’s U.N. Ambassador Gilad Erdan has called for the secretary-general’s resignation.

Hamas Claims it Has Targeted Eilat

Hamas said Wednesday it has filed a long-range rocket at Israel's southernmost city of Eilat. IDF has not commented on the specific attack.

While there were no reports of injuries or damage in the area, residents there reported hearing an explosion.

Missiles Target Tel Aviv

Hamas reportedly launched a massive rocket barrage at Israel on Wednesday.

Five people were wounded and more than one million people needed to take shelter, the Express reported.

Saudi Arabia Intercepts Houthi Missile Headed for Israel

Saudi Arabia reportedly intercepted one of the cruise missiles fired toward Israel last week by Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

A U.S. Naval ship shot down four other missiles targeting Israel, the Wall Street Journal reported.

UN: Relief Operations in Gaza in Jeopardy

The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees said its relief operations across the Gaza Strip will need to be sharply curtailed amid crippling Israeli airstrikes.

The UNRWA said that nearly 600,000 people are sheltering in 150 UNRWA facilities.

Its shelters are four times over their capacities.  It reports many people are sleeping in the streets because current facilities are overwhelmed.

At least 40 UNRWA installations reportedly have been impacted by Israeli air strikes.

Israel Rejects Calls for Cease-Fire

Israel is vowing again to destroy Hamas, rejecting calls for a cease-fire from the U.N. chief, the Palestinians and many countries at a high-level U.N. meeting and saying the war in Gaza is not merely its own but “the war of the free world.”

Hezbollah Leader Meets with Hamas and Islamic Jihad Officials

The leader of Lebanon’s Hezbollah group held talks on Wednesday with senior Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad figures in a key meeting of three top anti-Israel militant groups amid the war raging in Gaza.

The groups said they would work to achieve “a real victory for the resistance in Gaza and Palestine” and halt Israel’s “treacherous and brutal aggression against our oppressed and steadfast people in Gaza and the West Bank."

Israeli Air Strikes Target Syria

Israeli airstrikes hit military sites in southern Syria on Wednesday.

Syrian state media reported that eight soldiers were killed and seven others were injured.

The Israeli military said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, that its fighter jets struck “military infrastructure and mortar launchers” of the Syrian army “in response to rocket launches from Syria toward Israel yesterday.”