My terror as Hamas bombs fell on us

Welcome to The Independent's US Morning Headlines newsletter

Monday, October 9, 2023 1/ My terror as Hamas bombs fell on us at desert rave The first hint of the horror raging towards the partygoers in the desert rave near the border with Gaza was a barrage of rockets roaring through the morning sky. It was 6am. Most of the attendees, including a British and a German citizen, had not been to bed and were dancing to trance music under multicoloured tents set up for the Nova festival.   The music stopped briefly and they dropped to the floor – a well-rehearsed drill for Israelis in the south of the country used to frequent cross-border exchange of fire with the Hamas militant group. But this was so much worse than usual.   "For five minutes there wasn't a second's break without a rocket," says bartender Peleg Oren, 26, one of those who escaped safely. The barrage was so relentless that his friend started to have a panic attack, and begged him to help her leave.   Read Bel Trew and Natalie Lisbona's full story about thousands of young festival goers caught up in Hamas' invasion here. 2/ Israel suffers bloodiest day in decades as fierce gunfights rage in streets Netanyahu vowed to 'go through every community until we kill every terrorist that is in Israeli territory' 3/ Pence accuses Trump, DeSantis and Ramaswamy of 'appeasement' Advocates for US involvement in world affairs see their moment amid Republican jousting 4/  Ex-soldier charged with trying to pass US defence secrets to China Joseph Daniel Schmidt is accused of attempting to deliver secret and top secret national defence information 5/  Death toll from Afghanistan earthquakes rises to 2,000 Hundreds of civilians buried under debris, says Taliban spokesperson THE BIG QUESTION How does the House vote in a new speaker? For the second time this year, the House of Representatives is preparing to hold a vote to elect a new speaker of the House after Kevin McCarthy was suddenly ousted from the post.   Members of each party will have closed-door discussions to determine potential nominations within their caucus before the House holds a formal vote.   There's no telling how long it will take for the House to elect a new speaker, given the last election required 15 rounds of voting before Mr McCarthy claimed the gavel.   Ahead of the vote, here's everything to know about how the House votes to elect a speaker. Watch / Gaza's National Bank explodes after building hit by Israeli airstrike NUMBER OF THE DAY 4 At least four Americans have been killed following the attacks by Hamas on Israel – with many more believed to be missing, according to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. Read more QUOTE OF THE DAY "I love you." The family of an American man has revealed his final heartbreaking text messages as Hamas militants launched an attack on a music festival in the Israeli desert. Read more OTHER STORIES YOU MIGHT LIKE  Several Americans may have been killed or kidnapped in Hamas attacks, Blinken says Horror in the heart of American farmland Six suspects in assassination of Ecuador presidential candidate are found dead in prison cell Melanie Rickey: This is what you need to know before you give up drinking The Independent proudly partners with Refuge and the National Domestic Abuse Helpline: 0808 2000 247 Join the conversation or follow us Download the free Independent app Please do not reply directly to this email   You are currently registered to receive The Independent's US Morning Headlines newsletter.   To unsubscribe from The Independent's US Morning Headlines newsletter, or to manage your email preferences please click here.   This e-mail was sent by Independent Digital News and Media Ltd, 14-18 Finsbury Square, London EC2A 1AH. Registered in England and Wales with company number 07320345 Read our privacy notice and cookie policy