LIVE | Israel-Hamas War Day 34: Israel agrees to 4-hour daily pauses in Gaza
Israel has agreed to put in place four-hour daily humanitarian pauses in its assault on Hamas in northern Gaza beginning Thursday (November 9), the White House said, as President Joe Biden pressed Israelis for a multi-day stoppage in the fighting in a bid to release hostages held by the militant group.
Biden said on Thursday that there was “no possibility” of a formal cease-fire at the moment, and said it had “taken a little longer" than he hoped for Israel to agree to the humanitarian pauses.
Biden had asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to institute the daily pauses during a Monday call and said he had also asked the Israelis for a pause of at least three days to allow for negotiations over the release of some hostages held by Hamas.
“Yes,” Biden said when asked whether he had asked Israel for a three-day pause. “I've asked for even a longer pause for some of them.” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that the first daily humanitarian pause would be announced on Thursday and that the Israelis had committed to announcing each four-hour window at least three hours in advance.
Israel, he said, also was opening a second corridor for civilians to flee the areas that are the current focus of its military campaign against Hamas, with a coastal road joining the territory's main north-south highway.
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Live Updates
- 9 Nov 2023 1:39 PM IST
Hezbollah says it struck Israeli infantry units
Lebanese militant group Hezbollah claimed two attacks on Israeli infantry units in the areas of Shomera and Dovev on Wednesday which it said inflicted casualties on Israeli forces. There was no immediate confirmation of the casualties from the Israeli military.
Following the strikes, Lebanon's state-run National News Agency and an Associated Press journalist in south Lebanon reported heavy shelling in several border areas in Lebanon.
Hezbollah said in a statement that the attack on Dovev was in retaliation for Israeli forces targeting an ambulance in Lebanon. On Sunday, local Lebanese officials said an Israeli drone had struck near two ambulances on their way to pick up casualties from overnight strikes in southern Lebanon, wounding four paramedics. The Israeli army said it had launched strikes on a “terrorist cell” that was attempting to fire missiles toward Israel and hadn't intentionally targeted the vehicles.
Another Israeli airstrike in south Lebanon on Sunday evening hit a car driving between the towns of Ainata and Aitaroun and killed three children and their grandmother and wounded the children's mother. An Israeli military statement later said the car had been “identified as transporting terrorists” and that the military was reviewing “allegations that there were civilians in the vehicle.”Israeli troops and Hezbollah militants and their allies have been clashing along the border since the start of the Israel-Hamas war a month ago. While the clashes remain largely contained, they have increased in intensity as Israel conducts a ground incursion in Gaza against Hezbollah ally Hamas. (AP) - 9 Nov 2023 12:25 PM IST
Hezbollah warning of regional war if Gaza bombing continues
Sheikh Naim Qassem, the second-in-command of Hezbollah, the militant group in Lebanon, said the killing of civilians in Gaza by Israel’s military could lead to a regional war.
He said that “very serious and very dangerous developments could occur in the region, and no one would be able to stop the repercussions, speaking to the BBC.
He continued, “The danger is real because Israel is increasing its aggression against civilians and killing more women and children. Is it possible for this to continue and increase, without bringing real danger to the region? I think not. Every possibility has a response.” - 9 Nov 2023 11:43 AM IST
UN human rights commissioner accuses Israel and Hamas of war crimes
The United Nations’ human rights commissioner Volker Turk has accused both Hamas and Israel of committing war crimes.
He said Israel forcing Gaza residents to evacuate from their homes was a collective punishment of Palestinian civilians. He also condemned Hamas continuing to hold hostage Israeli civilians.
- 9 Nov 2023 9:56 AM IST
Gaza Strip faces increased risk of disease spreading: WHO
The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Wednesday (November 8) warned that the Gaza strip faces an increased risk of disease spreading due to Israeli war bombardments that have disrupted the health system, access to clean water, and caused overcrowding in shelters.“As deaths and injuries in Gaza continue to rise due tointensified hostilities, intense overcrowding and disrupted health, water, andsanitation systems pose an added danger: the rapid spread of infectious diseases,”said WHO.“Some worrying trends are already emerging,” it said.The global health body said that more than 33,551 cases of diarrhoea had been reported since mid-October, most of it among children under five. It used to be an average of 2,000 cases monthly in that age group during2021 and 2022, it said. WHO said that the lack of fuel in Gaza had led to the shut-down of desalination plants, which increased the risk of bacterial infections spreading.
