The British royal family is expressing solidarity with Israel following the unexpected attacks by Hamas operatives that resulted in the deaths of more than 1,000 civilians over the past weekend. While the King and other senior members of the royal family have denounced the attacks, Prince William and Kate Middleton issued a joint statement on Wednesday evening strongly condemning Hamas’ brutal act of violence.

The BBC reported, quoting Palace sources, that the King was “appalled”, and condemned the “barbaric acts of terrorism in Israel”. The Prince and Princess of Wales are “profoundly distressed” by the events since strikes began on Saturday, according to their spokesman. He said the couple believes all Israelis and Palestinians will be “stalked by grief, fear, and anger”.

“A spokesperson for The Prince and Princess of Wales said, ‘The Prince and Princess of Wales are profoundly distressed by the devastating events that have unfolded in the past few days. The horrors inflicted by Hamas’s terrorist attack upon Israel are appalling; they utterly condemn them,” the statement shared on microblogging platform X, formerly known as Twitter, read.

pic.twitter.com/lh3f5lusNx

— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) October 11, 2023

“As Israel exercises its right to self-defense, all Israelis and Palestinians will continue to be stalked by grief, fear, and anger in the time to come. They hold all the victims, their families, and their friends in their hearts and minds. Those the Prince of Wales met in 2018 overwhelmingly shared a common hope-that of a better future.”

“In the midst of such terrible suffering, the Prince and Princess continue to share that hope without reservation.”

Meanwhile, Israeli forces reported that approximately 1,200 people, the majority of whom were civilians, had lost their lives in the Hamas attack, marking it as the most devastating in the nation’s history.

As Israel pounded Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip, a densely populated enclave of 2.3 million people, in response, the number of deaths there has also reached 1,200 people, including a high number of civilians, according to Palestinian authorities.

More than 338,000 people in the enclave have been displaced, according to the United Nations.

(With inputs from agencies)

A tornado in eastern China killed 10 people and seriously injured several others, state media said Wednesday, the latest in a string of extreme weather events to strike the country. The tornado affected more than 5,500 people, with 137 houses collapsing, according to “preliminary statistics” cited in a CCTV report. More than 400 people have been temporarily relocated because of the twister, state media said.

Video footage of the tornado ripping through buildings has gone viral on the internet, showing the sheer power and destructive force of this natural disaster.

Watch the video here:

Large, deadly tornado in Suqian, Jiangsu Province this afternoon. Tornado likely moved directly through downtown, massive injuries and some fatalities reported. pic.twitter.com/vvKmTRlzZx

— Eric Wang (@Ericwang1101) September 19, 2023

The video shows the tornado as it descends from the sky, forming a massive funnel cloud that twists and turns as it approaches the town. The tornado quickly picks up speed and strength, tearing through buildings and sending debris flying into the air. The video ends with the tornado moving away from the town, leaving behind a trail of destruction.

The viral video has served as a stark reminder of the dangers of tornadoes and the importance of heeding warnings from meteorologists. It has also sparked a debate about the need for better tornado preparedness measures in communities that are at risk.

China saw record-breaking downpours and weeks of historic heat this summer, with scientists saying such extreme weather events are being exacerbated by climate change.

Whole villages in Jiangsu were levelled, and at least 98 people were killed in 2016 after the region was hit by a storm with hurricane-force winds and the worst tornado in half a century.

(With inputs from AFP)