Days after Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel killing hundreds of Israelis, the crisis continues to escalate. Israel is pounding Gaza with airstrikes and hundreds of Palestinian civilians have been killed. 

Israel has announced a total blockade of the Gaza Strip and it has also called up 300,000 reservists. Meanwhile, Hamas is holding Israeli hostages inside Gaza.

Joining the discussion: 

• Amotz Asa-El is a senior commentator with the Jerusalem Post and a research fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute.
• Abdel Bari Atwan is Editor-in-Chief of Rai al-Youm. 
• Mitchell Barak is a pollster and political analyst.
• Omar Baddar is a political analyst. 

BREAKING: "We now know American citizens are being held by Hamas," President Biden says.

"I've directed my team to share intelligence and deploy additional experts … to consult with and advise Israeli counterparts on hostage recovery efforts." pic.twitter.com/pHPMlkukGo

— NBC News (@NBCNews) October 10, 2023

Humanitarian groups are scrambling to assist civilians caught in the war between Israel and Hamas, and to determine what aid operations are still safe to continue. The efforts are being complicated by an intensified blockade of Gaza and ongoing fighting. https://t.co/3Mej8eUh5W

— The Associated Press (@AP) October 10, 2023

The UN humanitarian office said that nearly 200,000 people or nearly a tenth of the population, have fled their homes in Gaza since the start of hostilities and they are poised for shortages of water and electricity due to a blockade https://t.co/XNIWujDdPF pic.twitter.com/85FVoJNip3

— Reuters (@Reuters) October 10, 2023