Hello from CNN, I'm Chris Debeau with the five things you need to know for

Wednesday October 11th. Israel has stepped up its offensive in Gaza following

Hamas's assault over the weekend as horrifying details emerge of the terror group's attacks

on border communities.

In one of the small farming enclaves

that bore the brunt of Hamas's attack,

the Israeli military was going house to house, collecting dead bodies, telling

CNN women, children, toddlers, and the elderly were, quote, brutally butchered.

Israeli authorities say at least 1,200 people have died in Israel since the conflict began,

and Israel has called up 300,000 reservists to fight.

A coalition of politically diverse leaders in Israel say they formed an emergency government and

war cabinet focused only on the conflict.

And there are rising fears that fighting is spilling over into border countries.

Israeli military spokesperson

Lieutenant Colonel Peter Lerner told CNN they're responding to air and

ground attacks from the north in Lebanon in Syria and the south in Gaza.

We are currently continuing to amass our forces,

not only on the border with Gaza,

because we also need to be prepared for what potentially could happen

from Lebanon.

Last night we had mortar rounds, also from Syria, so we are at the top alert and we need to be prepared for a deterioration.

A humanitarian crisis is swiftly unfolding in Gaza.

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