JERUSALEM: Israeli troops cut off the Hamas stronghold of northern Gaza Strip after surrounding the city amidst a communications blackout on Sunday night, while the Palestinian death toll crossed 10,000 on the 30th day of the war, according to the Gaza health authority.
While Israel announced a daily four-hour window for north Gaza residents to leave, some eight lakh have left while four lakh remain. Many are deterred due to Israeli strikes in the supposed safe zones that killed over 50 on Sunday alone.
Troops are poised to enter the city where a bloody hand-to-hand fight is expected on the Israeli side, which has so far lost 31 soldiers so far. The Israeli army said on Monday it battered Gaza with new strikes on 450 targets, to add to its previous 12,000 strikes.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken wrapped up a gruelling West Asia diplomatic tour on Monday in Turkey where he again did not endorse the call for an immediate ceasefire but promised more aid for Gaza.
Turkish president Recep Erdogan snubbed Blinken by leaving Ankara when he was in the city. CIA Director William Burns has arrived in Israel and will visit some of its neighbours as part of American diplomatic efforts to free hostages and contain the war’s spread while Israel continues its operation.
A Jordanian military cargo plane air-dropped medical aid in northern Gaza, raising the possibility of another avenue for delivery of aid besides the sole crossing point at Egypt’s Rafah.
Appalled by the tales of human suffering coming from their filed offices in Gaza, chiefs of 18 UN branches jointly called for a humanitarian ceasefire.
“Enough is enough,” wrote the signatories.