After 35 days of unrelenting bombardment of the Gaza enclave, Israel agreed to a daily 4-hour pause in its military operations. The announcement comes after US President Joe Biden implored Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to create an additional avenue for civilians to escape the conflict.
Update 11: Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani of Qatar traveled to Cairo to sit with Egypt’s Al Sisi. During the meeting, the two leaders addressed the conflict in Gaza and explored methods to alleviate the hardships experienced by civilians in the region
Update 10: Palestinian Health Minister Mai Al Kaila has reported that 21 hospitals in Gaza have been forced to halt their operations since the beginning of the Israeli military offensive that began in early October.
Update 9: Ashraf Al Qudra, spokesperson for the Gaza Health Ministry, reports that Al-Shifa Hospital has been targeted by Israeli airstrikes five times since Thursday night. These attacks have hit the maternity department and outpatient clinics building, resulting in one Palestinian casualty and multiple injuries in the early morning assault.
Israel has issued evacuation warnings, but Al Qudra asserts that such a move is unfeasible due to the hospital’s critical situation. He highlights the presence of 45 babies in incubators, 52 children in intensive care units, hundreds of wounded patients, and tens of thousands of displaced individuals taking refuge within the hospital premises.
Update 8: Israeli military forces have reportedly surrounded three hospitals in Gaza City, as well as the Indonesian Hospital in the north. They’ve established a 100-meter perimeter using tanks and armored vehicles, where thousands of injured and displaced individuals are seeking refuge.
“People have sent appeals from inside al-Rantisi Hospital and Nasser Hospital, asking to be allowed to flee,” Hani Mahmoud told Al Jazeera. “The Israeli military ordered the evacuation of these hospitals, but without assurances from international organizations like the Red Cross, people are not taking that risk.”
Update 7: Palestinian media reported an attack on the outpatient clinic in Al Shifa hospital. The situation is still developing and no further verified information is currently available.
Update 6: Israeli occupation forces destroyed two homes in Khallet Manaa, south of Hebron in the West Bank. Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that a sizable Israeli military force raided the homes of two Palestinian families, forcibly evacuated them, planted explosives, and detonated the second floor of the first building. Additionally, a residential apartment in the second building was also detonated. At least 174 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since the start of the conflict on 7 October.
Update 5: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that the conflict in Gaza will persist until Hamas is defeated. However, he emphasized that Israel has no intentions to conquer or govern the enclave after the end of the war.
Update 4: The Indonesian Hospital in Gaza sustained damage as a result of a nearby rocket strike, according to an Indonesian foreign ministry spokesman on Friday, 10 November.
The targeted area was the Taliza’tar region, situated in close proximity to the hospital.
Hospital administrators have expressed concerns that it might be forced to cease operations by Friday, as it has almost run out of fuel.
Update 3: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi received a phone call from German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, in which the latter expressed gratitude for Egypt’s position in facilitating the passage of foreign passport holders through the Rafah crossing.
Scholz affirmed Germany’s stance on protecting Gazan civilians as the two heads of state discussed the unfolding humanitarian crisis in the enclave.
Update 2: Senior Hamas officials Ismail Hania, Khaled Mashal, and Khalil Al Hayya arrived in Cairo on Thursday to discuss the developing situation in Gaza with the Head of the General Intelligence Service, Abbas Kamel.
Update 1: Pro-Palestine protesters took over the lobby of The New York Times on Thursday night, 9 November, alleging that the media outlet was displaying a pro-Israel bias in its reporting on the conflict. The demonstrators called for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza.
The Conflict So Far
After a surprise attack conducted on 7 October by Hamas on a number of southern Israeli towns which resulted in the deaths of an estimated 1,405 people and more than 220 being taken hostage by Hamas, Israel launched a retaliatory bombing campaign against what it describes as ‘terrorist targets’ in the Gaza Strip.
Around 11,078 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip — including at least 4,506 children — and over 27,000 others injured. Meanwhile at least 183 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank and at least 2,400 have been injured.
The priority of the Egyptian government since the beginning of the conflict has been deescalation and the securing of a path for aid to enter the Gaza Strip through the Rafah crossing. Israel bombed the crossing at least six times, and limited aid trucks have crossed to Gaza so far, which UN officials warn is insufficient amid dire humanitarian conditions.
Most Western countries, with the United States at the forefront, have expressed unconditional support for Israel, despite the steadily rising death toll in Gaza. Meanwhile, the United Nations General Assembly has issued a resolution calling for a ceasefire.
Comment (1)
[…] After 35 days of unrelenting bombardment of the Gaza enclave, Israel agreed to a daily 4-hour pause in its military operations. The announcement comes after US President Joe Biden implored Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to create an additional avenue for civilians to escape the conflict…Read More […]