Israel-Hamas war: Pause in military operations as thousands flee northern Gaza

Benjamin Netanyahu has declared his country has no plans to occupy Gaza, as Israel agrees to hold daily military pauses in the region. Follow updates. Warning: Graphic

Israel’s military is performing “exceptionally well” in its offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said stressing Israel does not plan to reoccupy the Palestinian territory.

“I think the Israeli army is performing exceptionally well,” he told Fox News.

“We don’t seek to govern Gaza. We don’t seek to occupy it, but we seek to give it and us a better future.“

It comes after Israel agreed to start daily four-hour military pauses in northern Gaza to allow civilians to flee the war with Hamas, as terrorists from Islamic Jihad claim they’re prepared to release two hostages in exchange for “certain conditions”.

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“Israel will begin to implement four-hour pauses in areas of northern Gaza each day, with an announcement to be made three hours beforehand,” the White House’s National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters.

However US president Joe Biden said there was “no possibility” of a ceasefire.

“None. No possibility,” Mr Biden told reporters at the White House.

Israel Defense Force troops during ground operations in Gaza. Picture: @IDFONLINE/Twitter

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ISLAMIC JIHAD PREPARED TO ‘RELEASE TWO HOSTAGES’

Islamic Jihad released hostage videos of two Israelis and said they were prepared to release them for “humanitarian and medical reasons”.

A spokesman for the terrorist group’s al Quds Brigades said in a recorded message that the release would only take place “once certain measures were met”.

A video of the hostages showed 76-year-old Chana Katzir, and 12-year-old boy Yagil Jacob, who has a life-threatening peanut allergy.

The 76-year-old, Chana Katzird.

The 12-year-old boy, Yagil Jacob.

‘MAJOR HAMAS BASE CAPTURED’ AFTER 10-HOUR BATTLE

The Israel Defence Forces says it has captured a key terrorist base after a 10-hour battle.

The Hamas stronghold, dubbed “Outpost 17” in West Jabaliya, northern Gaza, was secured by the Nahal Brigade after intense fighting above and below ground, according to the Israel Defense Force.

“The fighters completed the takeover of the outpost after 10 hours of fighting, during which they eliminated terrorists, seized many weapons, uncovered terrorist tunnel shafts, including a shaft located near a kindergarten and leading to an extensive underground route,” an update read.

ISRAEL TIGHTENS ‘STRANGLEHOLD’ ON GAZA

Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said Israeli troops were “tightening the stranglehold around the city of Gaza” as air strikes pounded Gaza City and soldiers battled street-by-street with Hamas militants.

Israel has air-dropped leaflets and sent texts ordering civilians in northern Gaza to flee south, but potentially hundreds of thousands remained in the worst-hit areas.

Around 15,000 people had fled on Tuesday, compared with 5000 on Monday and 2000 on Sunday, said the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

A flare falls during Israeli bombardment in the Gaza Strip off a position across the border in southern Israel. Picture: AFP

UN rights chief Volker Turk condemned Israel over the forced evacuations during a visit to the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt, the only way out of the besieged territory.

“The collective punishment by Israel of Palestinian civilians amounts also to a war crime, as does the unlawful forcible evacuation of civilians,” he said.

“We’ve lost our homes, we’ve lost our children. Where is the global community? Where are our fellow Muslims? Look at us!” said Nouh Hammouda, who was among those fleeing.

“We left our homes due to the relentless bombardment. Where can we go now?” he said as people streamed southward on the road.

An Israeli army battle tank crosses a barbed wire fence at a position along the border with the Gaza Strip and southern Israel. Picture: AFP

THOUSANDS FLEE AS CALLS FOR CEASEFIRE BUILD

With the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza claiming more than 10,500 Palestinians have been killed, calls for a ceasefire are building,

A source close to Hamas said talks – mediated by Qatar – were underway for the release of hostages in Gaza, including six Americans, in return for a humanitarian pause.

“Negotiations mediated by the Qataris in co-ordination with the US are ongoing to secure the release of 10-15 hostages in exchange for a one to two-day ceasefire,” the informed source said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the talks’ sensitivity.

But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu again rejected any talk of a ceasefire without the release of hostages.

“I’d like to put to rest all kinds of false rumours we’re hearing from all kinds of directions, and reiterate one clear thing: There will be no ceasefire without the release of our hostages,” he said.

People gather by the rubble of a building that collapsed after Israeli bombardment while searching for survivors and the bodies of victims. Picture: AFP

G7 LEADERS HALT CALL FOR CEASEFIRE

G7 foreign ministers said they supported “humanitarian pauses and corridors” in the Israel-Hamas war, but stopped short of calling for a ceasefire.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, speaking after the G7 meeting, said Washington believes there should be “no forcible displacement of Palestinians from Gaza – not now, not after the war”.

In comments that appeared to indicate American officials may be growing more concerned over Israel’s conduct of the war, he also said: “No reoccupation of Gaza after the conflict ends. No attempt to blockade or besiege Gaza. No reduction in the territory of Gaza.”

IDF forces in ground operations in the Gaza Strip. Picture: IDF/Twitter

US CARRIES OUT STRIKE IN SYRIA

US warplanes carried out a strike on an Iran-linked site in eastern Syria in response to attacks against American personnel.

US military forces conducted the strike on a facility in eastern Syria used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and affiliated groups.

This strike was conducted by two US F-15s against a weapons storage facility, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said.

Israeli troops near the border fence between Israel and the Gaza Strip ahead of an operation in the north of the Palestinian enclave. Picture: Daphné LEMELIN / AFP

“Nine people working for Tehran-backed groups were killed in US strikes on sites used by pro-Iran groups,” Rami Abdel Rahman, who heads the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), told AFP.

The US is striving to deter Iran and its proxies from turning the Israel-Hamas fighting into a regional war, but the repeated attacks and strikes in response risk a conflict between Washington and Tehran.