In response to international criticism, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu once again rejected demands for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip but said his country would take “tactical little pauses” in the combat to allow captives to escape or aid to reach the area.
After surrounding the heavily populated Gaza City, located in the northern part of the territory and home to the Islamist organization Hamas, Israel’s military declared that it had captured a militant facility and prepared to launch an attack on combatants concealed under a maze of underground tunnels.
Health authorities said that two distinct Israeli airstrikes early on Tuesday in the southern Gaza towns of Khan Younis and Rafah killed at least 23 Palestinians.
A guy rescued from the wreckage of a house in Khan Younis, where 11 people were reportedly murdered, warned that Israel would be “taught a very tough lesson.” This was according to Palestinian health officials.
The guy, who identified himself as Ahmed Ayesh, told reporters, “This is the bravery of the so-called Israel, they show their might and power against civilians, babies inside, kids inside, and elderly.”
Since Hamas gunmen killed 1,400 people and took 240 captives during their attack on southern Israel one month ago, Israel has been bombarding the enclave.
Over 10,000 Palestinians have died as a result of the Israeli attack, including almost 4,100 children, according to Gaza health officials.
Growing demands for a ceasefire have been met with resistance from both Israel and Hamas. According to Israel, captives ought to be freed first. As long as Gaza is being attacked, Hamas claims it will not give them up or cease fighting.
Although Israel’s leading partner, the United States, supports the notion of suspending combat for humanitarian reasons, Netanyahu stated that a universal ceasefire would hinder his country’s war effort and that it would continue to be examined, depending on circumstances.
We’ve had such small pauses, lasting an hour or two here or there. Netanyahu said to ABC News on Monday, “I assume we’ll assess the situation to allow supplies, humanitarian supplies, to enter or our captives, individual hostages, to depart.
“But I don’t think there will be a general ceasefire.” In a phone conversation with Netanyahu on Monday, U.S. President Joe Biden spoke about these pauses and potential captive releases, reaffirming his support for Israel but highlighting the need for it to safeguard civilians, according to the White House.
The U.S. shares Israel’s concern that Hamas will use a complete truce as an opportunity to reorganize. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres forewarned on Monday that Gaza is turning into a “graveyard for children” and called for an immediate ceasefire.
“The Israel Defense Forces’ ground operations and the ongoing shelling are causing damage to residents, hospitals, refugee camps, mosques, churches, and United Nations buildings, including shelters. Nobody is safe.” Guterres informed the reporters.
“At the same time, Hamas and other militants use civilians as human shields and continue to launch rockets indiscriminately towards Israel,” he stated.
International groups have reported that hospitals are unable to handle the number of injured, that food and clean water supplies are running low, and that humanitarian supplies are insufficient.
“We require a humanitarian cease-fire right away. After thirty days, that’s enough. In a statement released on Monday, the leaders of multiple U.N. agencies urged, “This has to end immediately.
The Israeli military claimed to have captured an anti-tank missile and launcher installation, armaments, and different intelligence materials from a Hamas military bastion in the northern Gaza Strip on Tuesday.
According to the report, Israeli aircraft targeted several Hamas terrorists who were preparing to assault Israeli soldiers after they had holed themselves in a building close to the al-Quds Hospital.
GAZA CITY IS CURRENT
On Monday, the Israeli military released footage showing troops going on foot and tanks traversing streets that had been bombarded. It claims to have encircled Gaza City and sealed off the northern portion of the slender coastal strip from the southern section.
Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, the top military spokesperson, stated during a press conference that forces were pursuing Hamas field-level leaders to impair the militants’ capacity “to carry out counter-attacks.”
On Monday, the United Nations Security Council convened in private. After failing to act four times in two weeks, the fifteen-member panel is still working to conclude. According to diplomats, a significant challenge is deciding whether to demand a humanitarian halt, a ceasefire, or an end to hostilities to provide assistance passage into Gaza.
Yoko Kamikawa, the foreign minister of Japan, said that the G7 major democracies will call for a ceasefire and the opening of Gaza to humanitarian supplies during a meeting in Tokyo.
According to a person acquainted with the plans, the Biden administration has notified Congress that it intends to send $320 million worth of precision bombs to Israel. This information was released on Monday.
Israel said on Monday that it was hitting Hezbollah positions in Lebanon in retaliation for a flurry of rockets fired into Israeli communities in the north. In an hour, the Israeli military claimed to have detected about thirty launches from Lebanon.
Since October 7, Hezbollah, which Iran supports, and Israeli soldiers have been engaging in gunfire across the Lebanese-Israeli boundary. This is the deadliest fighting that has occurred there since Hezbollah and Israel’s 2006 conflict. According to Hamas, 16 missiles were fired into southern Haifa and Nahariyya in Israel.
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