Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and rival Benny Gantz on Wednesday formed a wartime unity government. “Every Hamas member is a dead man,” Netanyahu said, as he promised to “crush and eliminate” the group.

The death toll from the Hamas attack has surpassed 1,300 – most of them civilians.

The victims…

‘He lived such a full life’ | In a city on a hilltop, a family mourns its oldest son: Dozens of visitors – including our Laura E. Adkins on the ground in Israel – paid a shiva call Wednesday to the family of Ariel Eliyahu, a 19-year-old killed fighting Hamas this week. Ariel “did so many things in his life,” his father told Laura, ticking off his love of music and of learning Torah. “It’s sad to know that most of these things will not exist anymore.” Read the story ➤

‘I found a hostage!’ | Inside the Tel Aviv war room where civilians locate the kidnapped: Earlier in the day, Laura found herself inside a converted convention center, where 1,500 tech experts are working around the clock to locate the estimated 100-plus people kidnapped by Hamas. This war room is run entirely by civilians — many of them the very same people who marched in the pro-democracy protests in Israel’s streets for 40 weeks. “We know a lot of things that the government doesn’t know,” said Professor Karine Nahon, one of the organizers. Read the story ➤

One of those feared abducted by Hamas is Vivian Silver, a 74-year-old peace activist and grandmother: Prior to Saturday’s invasion, Silver, who lives on a kibbutz, drove to Gaza several times a week and brought Palestinians needing medical care to hospitals in Tel Aviv or Jerusalem as a volunteer for an organization called Road to Recovery. “If there’s anybody who ends up being a hostage in captivity and can organize a meeting, and negotiations between Hamas and their captives, that would be Vivian,” said Maggie Bar-Tura. “She’s indefatigable.” Read the story ➤

What we know about accounts of sexual assault during the Hamas attack: Both President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have described women being raped during the Saturday attack by Hamas, echoing reports circulating widely on social media. We spoke with the Israeli military and a White House official to learn what evidence they have for these claims. Read the story ➤

More on the victims…

• A mother and daughter flew from Chicago to Israel for the Jewish holidays. Now they’re missing.
  
  
• The number of Americans confirmed to be among the hundreds of people killed is now at 22, with more expected as identities are confirmed.
  
  
• An impassioned President Biden, detailing how he took each of his kids to visit the Dachau concentration camp, told a roundtable of Jewish leaders at the White House Wednesday that the U.S. is deploying experts to assist Israel in hostage recovery.
  
  
• U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Israel Thursday and met with Netanyahu at an IDF outpost. “We’re here,” Blinken said. “We’re not going anywhere.”
  
  
• The mayor of Hollywood, Florida, fought back tears while talking about his family members that he said were “all slaughtered” in Israel.
  
  
• Family members who want their loved one’s sperm extracted and frozen in hopes that a child can be conceived for their genetic legacy to live on have been calling on IVS specialists for help with posthumous sperm retrieval.
  
  
• “We heard booms everywhere”: Survivors recall the massacre at the Israeli rave.

More updates on the war…

Weeks ago he was a Columbia University undergrad. Now this American leads an IDF squad near Gaza: David Ben-Naim is a “lone soldier,” one of thousands of foreign volunteers in the IDF ranks. “We may feel that we gave him too much Zionism and suddenly we want to back up,” said his dad, Gal. “But we should be very proud.” Read the story ➤

“It’s dire times on steroids”: She spent months organizing protests in the U.S. against Netanyahu. Now her activism has morphed.

Plus…

• Jewish White House staffers are grappling with how the attack is both a political crisis and, for them, a personal tragedy.
  
  
• Former President Donald Trump criticized Netanyahu and Israel’s intelligence failures in a speech on Wednesday night.
  
  
• Israeli cabinet ministers were heckled out of hospitals as they tried to visit the wounded. “You’ve ruined this country,” one doctor yelled. “Get out of here.”
  
  
• A law firm rescinded a job offer after an NYU law student said Israel was responsible for Hamas’ attack.
  
  
• The U.S. State Department raised its travel advisory for Americans visiting Israel, warning that terrorists and lone actors may carry out attacks. Meanwhile, American Airlines suspended all flights to and from Tel Aviv through Dec. 4.
  
  
• A congressional resolution supporting Israel is backed by 90% of the House. But it’s going nowhere because there is currently no speaker of the House.
  
  
• Rukhl Schaechter, our Yiddish editor, shares how her sister in Israel is helping Haredi women cope as warplanes fly overhead.
  
  
• More than 5,000 medical personnel from around the world volunteered to travel to Israel. Israeli officials say they are not needed – yet.
  
  
• A young couple in Israel rushed to get married this week before the groom was deployed into battle.

Around the world…

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wants to visit Israel in a show of solidarity.
  
  
• A number of European countries are considering suspending their financial assistance to the Palestinians.
  
  
• France reported dozens of antisemitic attacks since Saturday, including harassment of Jewish children by fellow students at school.
  
  
• In Britain, there are reports of a 300% increase in antisemitic incidents (89 incidents Oct. 7-10), compared to the same time period last year.
  
  
• The government in Sydney, Australia, apologized for a pro-Palestinian rally that included “gas the Jews” chants.
  
  
• Air Canada said it took a pilot out of service after he penned a number of disturbing posts following Hamas’ attacks on Israel over the weekend.
  
  
• Dozens of Japanese people gathered in a public square in Tokyo to sing “Oseh Shalom” while waving Israeli flags.
  
  
• The Arch of Titus, the Roman landmark celebrating the ancient destruction of Jerusalem, lit up in in tribute to Israel.

Opinions…

• How Netanyahu exploited the politics of fear in a country that now fears for its survival
  
  
• Justifying Israeli deaths is antisemitic. Yet many progressives are doing just that
  
  
• Spare us your explanations about what’s happening in Israel — now is the time for grief
  
  
• Hamas is guilty of inhuman violence. What about the Palestinians who cheered them on?
  
  
• How do we forge ahead after calamity? The Jewish way of mourning offers a roadmap

How you can help: Here’s where U.S. Jews can donate to support Israel’s hospitals, troops, survivors and more.

Stay informed: You can follow our partners at Haaretz for live updates throughout the day. And we’ve taken down our paywall for coverage of Israel’s war with Gaza. Read all of our stories here.