A US Congressman has said that the aftermath of the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7 was the “most horrific and barbaric sight”. The Congressman, Derrick Van Orden, spoke to the New York Post after touring Israel last week. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Mr Van Orden had called Hamas the enemies of peace and said no aid should be sent to Gaza. The Post said the Congressman served 26 years in the Navy and 22 of those were as Navy Seal.

“This is ISIS times 1,000,” the Congressman said, adding, “I can speak with authority. I’ve done multiple combat tours. People were slaughtered at a level not seen since the Holocaust.”

Mr Van Orden called Hamas operatives “savages” and “beasts” for targeting children.

“They were told to cut people’s arms and legs off…It’s gut wrenching,” he told the outlet.

Mr Van Orden also blasted the Biden administration for delivering $100 million in humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza, from where governing Hamas staged the attack.

Israel retaliated strongly to the attack and on Monday, ramped it further by briefly advancing tanks into the fringes of Gaza City.

The military said it had struck more than 600 targets in 24 hours, up from 450 the previous day, in one of the most intense days of the conflict unleashed when Hamas militants crossed into Israel on a killing rampage on October 7.

Israeli jets bombed a section of the road leaving large craters, a resident told news agency AFP.

The tanks stayed for just over an hour and cars soon returned to the highway, driving onto the verge in the parts where craters made the road unusable, the news agency said in its report.

Taking a dig at Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, former Rajasthan chief minister and BJP leader Vasundhara Raje on Monday said while the Congress makes many promises to the people before elections, there are no guarantees that they would be fulfilled if they win.

Speaking to ANI on Monday, the senior BJP leader said, “A few days ago, Priyanka Gandhi visited Rajasthan. She expressed concern over the state of women in Rajasthan, which is under Congress rule currently. If they (Rajasthan govt) had implemented the (Centre’s) ‘Nari Shakti’ scheme in earnest, it would have helped the women of Rajasthan. Whenever she and her brother (Rahul Gandhi) come visiting the state, they make plenty of promises to the people. However, with the Congress, there’s no guarantee that they would deliver on their promises if elected.”

Claiming that the Congress government did not waive off farmer loans despite being in power for five years, Ms Raje, who is seeking a fresh term in the Assembly from the Jhalrapatan constituency, added, “Owing to rising crimes against women in the state, families fear for the safety of their female members.”

Addressing an election rally in Jhunjhunu earlier, Priyanka Gandhi announced that the Congress would give Rs 10,000 annually to women as honorarium if elected in the state.

The polls for the 200-member assembly in Rajasthan will be held on November 25.

The counting of votes, along with those of four other poll-bound states, will take place on December 3.

The recent spate of deaths due to heart attack in Gujarat at Garba events during the Navratri has shifted the focus back to a possible link between COVID-19 infection and the cardiac health of those affected.

A COVID-19 infection may affect the artery wall tissue and the associated macrophages, a study by the National Institutes of Health said. “The findings suggest that SARS-CoV-2 may increase the risk of heart attacks and stroke by infecting artery wall tissue, including associated macrophages. This provokes inflammation in atherosclerotic plaques, which could lead to heart attack or stroke,” it added.

A study by the Indian Council of Medical Research, or ICMR, also pointed out that a COVID-19 infection may contribute to heart attacks and that those who have suffered a severe bout of the infection should not overexert themselves for at least a year or two.

At least 10 heart attack deaths were reported at Garba events across Gujarat in a day during Navratri and the youngest of the victims was just 17, prompting the state health minister, Rushikesh Patel, to call a meeting of health experts and cardiologists.

“The ICMR has conducted a detailed study according to which those who have suffered from severe COVID-19 infection should not overexert themselves. They should stay away from hard workouts, running, and strenuous exercises for a short time, say a year or two, to avoid heart attacks,” he said.

The Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya cited the ICMR report as he urged people not to overexert themselves if they have had a Covid infection in the last one or two years. Speaking about the country’s healthcare ecosystem, Mr Mandaviya said, “We follow a holistic and inclusive approach.”

Addressing how the healthcare infrastructure scrambled to treat patients during the pandemic, Mr Mandaviya said, “We are expanding the health infrastructure and are promoting traditional systems of medicine.”

An AIIMS study underlining India’s cardiac crisis said that only 10 per cent of patients with cardiac emergencies make it to the healthcare facilities within an hour. “55% of them delayed hospital visits to understand what had happened, while around 20-30% found it difficult to arrange a vehicle or the money for treatment.