Israel's Yael Arad is set for election as IOC member at the Session on Monday ©Getty Images

Olympic Committee of Israel President Yael Arad's attendance at the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Session here, where she is set to be elected as a member, has been confirmed, despite the escalating war between her country and Hamas.

Hamas led a surprise attack on Israel on Saturday (October 7) which has led to a major escalation in the ongoing conflict between Gaza and Israel.

Israel has threatened a full-scale military assault on the Gaza Strip, but the vast majority of more than one million Palestinian civilians ignored the Israeli military's order to evacuate, and it is being urged to hold off the plans.

Both Israel and Hamas have been accused of breaching international law and committing war crimes.

Arad, Israel's first-ever Olympic medallist at Barcelona 1992 with a judo silver, was one of eight officials proposed by the Executive Board last month for election at the Session in Mumbai on Monday (October 16).

The IOC had been unable to confirm Arad would attend yesterday, but President Thomas Bach today assured she is in the Indian city and able to take the oath for formal admission as member after her election is rubber-stamped.

"The President of the Israeli NOC (National Olympic Committee) is here in Mumbai to stand for election as IOC member," Bach revealed.

"During the last couple of days, she has always kept us informed about her activities to support in particular the Olympic community in Israel."

Yael Arad, second right, was Israel's first-ever medallist at an Olympic Games ©Getty Images
Yael Arad, second right, was Israel's first-ever medallist at an Olympic Games ©Getty Images

Bach reiterated the IOC's thoughts were with the victims of the war.

"The members of the IOC Executive Board expressed out very strong feelings at the very beginning when we came together here at our working dinner on the eve of the Executive Board meeting, and expressed our deepest sympathy with the innocent victims of this terrible violence," he said.

"It continued at the very beginning of our meetings yesterday morning.

"We have been in contact on the day these incidents and terrible violence started in Istanbul with the President and the secretary general of the Israeli NOC.

"There have been contacts also with private friends over all these days."

Increasing numbers of sports events have been moved from Israel since the start of the conflict, and Palestine's men's team has pulled out of a football tournament.

The Hamas attacks are reported to have killed at least 1,300 people, and more than 1,700 people have died in Gaza from Israeli strikes.