Radical Islamist Hamas took 199 people hostage in its massive attack on Israel more than a week ago and deported them to the Gaza Strip. “We have informed the families of 199 hostages,” Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari told reporters today. Yesterday, Israel reported that the number of hostages kidnapped was 155.
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The hostages also include foreigners and people with dual nationalities. “The effort to recover the hostages is a national priority,” Hagari said. “The army and Israel are working around the clock to bring them back.”
When asked how the fact that so many hostages are being held in the coastal strip affects Israeli attacks there, the army spokesman replied: “Our attack targets are based on intelligence information.” , who governs there, and high-ranking members of the organization.
Army sets time window for escape corridor
Meanwhile, there was confusion over a ceasefire. In the morning, the Israeli army suspended its attacks on escape routes from north to south of the Gaza Strip. “In the period from 8:00 to 12:00” (local time, 7:00 to 11:00 CEST), the military will “refrain” from attacking this axis, said army spokesman Avichai Adra’i via Twitter (X): “ To your Security, take advantage of this brief moment to move from the north and Gaza City to the south!”
Following the major Hamas attack on October 7, Israel is currently preparing a ground offensive into Palestinian territory. In advance, Israel called on 1.1 million residents in the north of the Gaza Strip to flee. According to the UN, around one million people have been displaced in the Gaza Strip so far.
Egypt: Israel blocks opening of Rafah
According to Egyptian security sources, the Gaza Rafah border crossing is expected to be open by 4pm CEST. The ceasefire agreed between the US, Israel and Egypt for the southern Gaza Strip is expected to last several hours, he said. The Israeli military and the US Embassy in Israel declined to comment on the information. The radical Islamic group Hamas said it was not aware of a ceasefire for humanitarian purposes.
The Israeli government later denied a ceasefire in southern Gaza. “There is currently no ceasefire or humanitarian assistance in the Gaza Strip in exchange for the withdrawal of foreigners,” said a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office this morning.
According to Egyptian Foreign Minister Samih Shukri, Israel is preventing the opening of the Rafah border crossing. Israel has not yet taken a position on this, Schukri said. Since the conflict escalated, Egypt has tried to keep the passage open.
Biden against the occupation of the Gaza Strip
The US, however, would not be enthusiastic about Israel’s occupation of the Gaza Strip: it would be a mistake if Israel occupied the Gaza Strip, US President Joe Biden said on the television program “60 Minutes”. While I am of the opinion that the radical Islamic terrorist organization Hamas must be completely eliminated, there must also be a way to form a Palestinian state. In Biden’s opinion, it is not necessary to send US troops to Israel: Israel has “one of the best combat troops”.
Biden expressed confidence that Israel would comply with the rules of war. He warned that the threat of terrorism in the United States has increased due to unrest in the Middle East. According to US media, Biden is considering a trip to Israel in the coming days. This was reported by US media such as Axios last night (local time), citing Israeli and US government sources.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu invited Biden to Israel during a phone call on Saturday. A final decision on the trip has not yet been made, he said. Biden sent US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Israel and other countries in the region last week. Blinken also wants to return to consultations in Israel. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was also in Israel for talks on Friday.
Land offensive could begin soon
The Israeli military confirmed an upcoming ground offensive over the weekend. It is unclear when this might begin. According to Israeli information, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have already left the northern coastal strip heading south. An Israeli army spokesman indicated yesterday that it wanted to wait until more people left northern Gaza before launching the offensive.
To encourage people to escape, water supplies were also restored in the south. Recently there were also signs that the Rafah border crossing into Egypt would be opened. According to US information, this is intended to allow foreign nationals to leave the Gaza Strip and deliver urgently needed aid supplies. Increasing fighting on the Lebanese-Israeli border has also raised concerns that the conflict will spread.
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