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Israeli troops fought with Hamas militants on the edges of Gaza City on Thursday, as the Palestinian death toll rose above 9,000. With no end in sight after nearly four weeks of war, US and Arab leaders raised pressure on Israel to ease its siege and at least briefly halt its attacks in order to aid civilians. US secretary of State Antony Blinken was heading to the region for talks Friday in Israel and Jordan, after President Joe Biden suggested a humanitarian “pause” in the Gaza fighting to let in aid for Palestinians and let out foreign nationals.Israel did not immediately respond to Biden’s remarks. PM Benjamin Netanyahu has previously ruled out a cease-fire, vowing to destroy Hamas rule in the Gaza Strip after its bloody Oct. 7 rampage in southern Israel in which the militants killed over 1,400 civilians and took some 240 people captive.
Arab countries, including those allied with the US and at peace with Israel, have expressed mounting unease with the war. Jordan recalled its ambassador from Israel and told Israel’s envoy to remain out of the country until there’s a halt to the war and the “humanitarian catastrophe” it is causing. In Egypt, which has had ties with Israel for decades, protesters rallied in cities chanting “Death to Israel”. A parliamentary committee in Tunisia advanced a draft law that would criminalise normalization with Israel. In Morocco and Bahrain, activists are demanding the reversal of agreements that formalise ties with Israel.
At least 9,061 Palestinians have been killed in the war, the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry said. More than 3,700 children among them have been killed in 25 days of fighting.
Israeli forces have pushed further into Gaza City in their assault on Hamas in the north of the Gaza Strip, Netanyahu said on Thursday, but they faced resistance from militant hit-and-run attacks from underground tunnels. “We’re at the height of the battle. We’ve had impressive successes and have passed the outskirts of Gaza City. We are advancing,” Netanyahu said in a statement. He gave no further details. Israeli military chief Lieutenant-General Herzi Halevi said in a televised statement: “Our forces are now in the heart of a ground operation in the northern Gaza Strip”. Brigadier General Iddo Mizrahi, chief of Israel’s military engineers, said troops were in a first stage of opening access routes in Gaza but were encountering mines and booby-traps. Hamas and allied Islamic Jihad fighters were emerging from tunnels to fire at tanks, then disappearing back into the network, residents said and videos from both groups showed.
Arab countries, including those allied with the US and at peace with Israel, have expressed mounting unease with the war. Jordan recalled its ambassador from Israel and told Israel’s envoy to remain out of the country until there’s a halt to the war and the “humanitarian catastrophe” it is causing. In Egypt, which has had ties with Israel for decades, protesters rallied in cities chanting “Death to Israel”. A parliamentary committee in Tunisia advanced a draft law that would criminalise normalization with Israel. In Morocco and Bahrain, activists are demanding the reversal of agreements that formalise ties with Israel.
At least 9,061 Palestinians have been killed in the war, the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry said. More than 3,700 children among them have been killed in 25 days of fighting.
Israeli forces have pushed further into Gaza City in their assault on Hamas in the north of the Gaza Strip, Netanyahu said on Thursday, but they faced resistance from militant hit-and-run attacks from underground tunnels. “We’re at the height of the battle. We’ve had impressive successes and have passed the outskirts of Gaza City. We are advancing,” Netanyahu said in a statement. He gave no further details. Israeli military chief Lieutenant-General Herzi Halevi said in a televised statement: “Our forces are now in the heart of a ground operation in the northern Gaza Strip”. Brigadier General Iddo Mizrahi, chief of Israel’s military engineers, said troops were in a first stage of opening access routes in Gaza but were encountering mines and booby-traps. Hamas and allied Islamic Jihad fighters were emerging from tunnels to fire at tanks, then disappearing back into the network, residents said and videos from both groups showed.
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