Report: Hamas Missile Hit Base That Has Nuclear Weaponry

The New York Times has a disturbing report out of Israel, where it says a Hamas missile struck a military base that houses nuclear weaponry. However, none of Israel's nuclear warheads were hit, according to the story by investigative reporter Riley Mellen. The Oct. 7 rocket struck the Sdot Micha base, where Israel has nuclear-capable missiles, per the Times. How great of a risk was this? That's a little unclear, because the newspaper adds that the warheads that would go atop the missiles "are most likely kept in a separate location away from the base and thus were not under threat during the attack."

Still, it appears to be the first time Hamas has struck a base with a nuclear connection, and it's unclear whether the strike was for that reason. For the record, Israel formally denies having any kind of nuclear arsenal, but the rest of the world thinks otherwise. The Times quotes Hans Kristensen of the Federation of American Scientists' Nuclear Information Project as estimating that Israel has up to 50 nuclear-capable Jericho missile launchers at the military base. Though the rocket strike missed the missiles, it ignited a fire that came near missile storage sites, per the Times.

Meanwhile, Israel has ramped up bombings in southern Gaza and ordered mass evacuations around Khan Younis, reports the AP. Aid workers, however, say the refugee situation already is at a breaking point. "Another wave of displacement is underway, and the humanitarian situation worsens by the hour," tweeted Thomas White, the Gaza chief of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees. (More Israel-Hamas war stories.)