Israel-Gaza War: Amid the ongoing war with Hamas, Israel said on Monday that no ceasefire had been implemented in southern Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said in a statement: "There is currently no truce and humanitarian aid in Gaza in exchange for getting foreigners out."
Even though Egypt said a deal had been reached to allow foreigners out of the Palestinian enclave and aid to be brought in, news agency Reuters reported, citing security sources. The bombardment of Gaza continued overnight, with residents saying it was the heaviest pounding since the conflict began.
As a humanitarian crisis gripped Gaza, Israel agreed to halt its bombardment of southern Gaza, as reported by Reuters, citing Egyptian security sources. The Egyptian-controlled Rafah border crossing was likely to reopen to allow foreign passport holders to leave, they said. The situation remained unclear at the Rafah crossing, where food is running short. It is the only region not controlled by Israel that has imposed a full blockade on Gaza.
Diplomatic efforts have been intensifying to get aid into the enclave, which has been under intense Israeli bombing since the surprise attack on Israel by Hamas militants that killed over a thousand people. Israel is preparing a ground invasion to destroy Hamas.
The Palestinian militant group Hamas carried out a barrage of air strikes in southern Israel last week. The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) retaliated with multiple attacks targeting Hamas' key infrastructure. So far, thousands of people have lost their lives in Israel and the Gaza Strip in the biggest escalation in decades between the two sides. Authorities in Gaza said at least 2,750 people had so far been killed by the Israeli strikes and nearly 10,000 sustained injuries. Another 1,000 people were missing and believed to be under rubble, as per Reuters.
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