11/09/2023 11:44 pm (current 11/09/2023 11:50 pm)
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu: Release of hostages under condition ©APA/AFP/POOL
After more than a month of war in Gaza, Israel agreed to four-hour daily humanitarian pauses in the northern part of the isolated coastal strip, according to the US. They should be announced three hours in advance, National Security Council communications director John Kirby said in Washington on Thursday. Humanitarian aid can be provided during gaps and a time window can be created for people to escape the danger zone.
The US government and Israel continue to reject a general ceasefire. Without the release of the 239 hostages held by Islamist Hamas, there will be no ceasefire, according to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office. There, reference was also made to an existing escape corridor for civilians in the Gaza Strip, from north to south, through which Israel currently regularly promises people safe passage for a few hours. It was said that 50,000 people used the escape route on Wednesday.
The Israeli military said Thursday on online platform X that there was no ceasefire, but “tactical and local pauses in humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza.” The US government also rejects a general ceasefire, arguing that it would only play into the hands of Hamas, which governs the Gaza Strip, and give the group time to reposition itself for further attacks. On October 7, Hamas terrorists attacked Israel and killed more than 1,400 people.
According to the Israeli army, around 9,500 rockets and mortars, as well as dozens of drones, have been fired at Israel since the start of the war in Gaza. Since the ground operations in the Gaza Strip, the number of shootings has decreased significantly, the army said. The military did not explicitly say whether bullets from Lebanon, Yemen and Syria were also counted. According to this, twelve percent of all projectiles fell in the Gaza Strip itself. Around 900 were fired from civilian locations, including mosques, schools and hospitals.
The Islamic Jihad terrorist organization, active in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, released a video of two Israeli hostages. It shows an older woman and a boy. The authenticity of the video could not initially be verified. However, those affected are listed as hostages on an official website by family representatives. According to reports, it is a 77-year-old woman and a 13-year-old child. Both hostages expressed strong criticism of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government in the video. It was unclear whether the two expressed their honest opinions.
With the mediation of the Gulf Emirate of Qatar, which has good relations with Hamas, and in consultation with the US, negotiations are currently underway to release around a dozen prisoners. This was confirmed by a person with knowledge of these discussions to the German Press Agency. In exchange, the fighting was to stop for 48 to 72 hours.
According to Palestinian sources, at least 14 people were killed in an Israeli military operation in Jenin, in the West Bank, on Thursday. The Palestinian Health Ministry said more than 20 people were injured. The situation in the West Bank has also worsened significantly since the start of the war.
Israeli ground troops have captured a Hamas base after intense fighting in the northern Gaza Strip, according to the army. This is in the Jabalia refugee district. It was said that both Hamas and Islamic Jihad were involved in the ten-hour fight. Many cities in the northern Gaza Strip were largely destroyed in the war that began more than a month ago. Videos released by Hamas show fighting among the ruins. Hamas fighters are seen repeatedly firing anti-tank missiles at Israeli tanks.
Israel believes that Hamas’ military and political leadership is hidden in the underground tunnel system in the Gaza Strip. At least some of the 239 hostages that Hamas and other extremist groups kidnapped in the massacre in Israel are also believed to be there.
According to Defense Minister Joav Galant, Israel is prepared to wage war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip in the coming years. The army will find everyone involved in the October 7 massacre in Israel, he said on Thursday night. “It doesn’t matter if it takes a week, a month, a year and possibly even years.” He also spoke out against a compromise with Hamas and other extremist groups in the Gaza Strip, saying they have harmed and murdered Israeli citizens. “Let’s eliminate them all.”
The army also began using new methods to destroy tunnels in the Gaza Strip. Galant left open what they exactly looked like.