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Israeli troops are pictured during operations in northern Gaza on Nov. 8, 2023 amid continuing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group. — PHOTO TAKEN DURING A CONTROLLED TOUR AND SUBSEQUENTLY EDITED UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF THE ISRAELI MILITARY.
AFP
On the 35th day of the Israel-Hamas war, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government agreed to open two humanitarian corridors for evacuating northern Gaza residents, U.S. President Joe Biden said Thursday.
The corridors will be opened during four-hour pauses that Israel claimed to have implemented in the past days. However, based on footage released by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), there appears to have been a single corridor that Israeli troops opened to allow Gazans to move south.
“We’ve been told by the Israelis that there will be no military operations in these areas over the duration of the pause (and) that this process is starting today,” National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters. However, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said the pauses will not affect the Israeli army’s military movements in Gaza.
The U.S. has been pushing for the increase of humanitarian supplies into the besieged enclave and Biden said he will “continue to advocate for civilian safety.”
An unidentified drone hit a civilian building in Eilat, the IDF said Thursday. The announcement came after Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed the downing of a U.S. Reaper drone off of Yemen on Wednesday.
Longstanding Israel-Hamas tensions blew up after Hamas operatives launched a massacre in Israel on Oct. 7, killing more than 1,400 people and abducting more than 200 hostages that are still being held in Gaza more than a month after the war started. The fighting has drawn attacks against Israel from other Iran-backed militant groups, including Lebanon’s Hezbollah.
