LIVE | Day 28: Israel says it has surrounded Gaza; US calls for humanitarian pause
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) on Friday (November 3) said that its troops have completed encirclement of the Gaza City, in what is being seen as the beginning of a new phase in the 28-day-long battle between Israel and the Hamas.
The announcement comes amid pressure from the US and Arab leaders to ease its siege of Gaza and at least briefly halt its attacks in order to aid civilians.
So far 9,000 Palestinians have died in the war while more than 1,400 people have been killed on the Israeli side, most of them being civilians killed during the Hamas’ October 7 attack.
Nearly four weeks after Hamas' deadly rampage in Israel sparked the war, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was heading to the region for talks on Friday in Israel and Jordan following President Joe Biden's suggestion for a humanitarian “pause” in the fighting. The aim would be to let in aid for Palestinians and let out more foreign nationals and wounded. Around 800 people left over the past two days. Israel did not immediately respond to Biden's suggestion. But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has previously ruled out a cease-fire, said Thursday: “We are advancing … Nothing will stop us.”
He vowed to destroy Hamas rule in the Gaza Strip.
An airstrike Thursday smashed a residential building to rubble in the Bureij refugee camp several miles south of Gaza City.
Read more stories on the Israel-Hamas war:
Explainer | What happened on October 6, 1973? What's its link to Hamas' onslaught?
Explainer | Israel’s no-bargaining policy: How effective has it been?
Eighth Column | How the Israel-Palestine war has dimmed the lights for Gujarat’s diamond workers
Sorrow unmatched: Families of Israeli hostages held captive by Hamas tell their stories
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