Israel announces it has surrounded Gaza City
Israel declared that it had encircled the largest city in the Gaza Strip, which is the primary target of its efforts to defeat Hamas.
Simultaneously, the United States was preparing to urge Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to agree to temporary ceasefires to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Palestinian territory.
As the conflict approached its fourth week, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was scheduled to make his second visit to Israel in a month to meet with Netanyahu. During this time, Israel's military was engaged in combat with Hamas militants, who were responding with guerrilla-style attacks launched from underground tunnels, according to a report from Reuters.
"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 issued a statement, following the military's announcement of having surrounded the primary coastal city within the enclave.
As Blinken left Washington for the Middle East, he said he would discuss concrete steps to minimize harm to civilians in Gaza. The White House, meanwhile, said any pauses in fighting should be temporary and localized, and insisted they would not stop Israel from defending itself.
A rising number of Palestinian civilians suffering casualties, coupled with severe shortages of essential supplies such as food, water, medicine, and fuel, have amplified the calls from global leaders for a temporary cessation of hostilities or a ceasefire.
Israel has rejected these appeals, asserting that its targets are Hamas combatants, whom it accuses of deliberately taking cover among the civilian population and in residential structures. The White House has also turned down requests for a ceasefire.
According to Gaza health authorities, a minimum of 9,061 individuals have lost their lives in Gaza since Israel initiated its offensive against the enclave, which is home to 2.3 million people. This retaliation was prompted by deadly attacks carried out by Hamas militants in southern Israel.
A group of independent United Nations experts issued a warning that the Palestinians in Gaza are at a "serious risk of genocide."
Israel has reported that on October 7, Hamas was responsible for the deaths of 1,400 individuals, with the majority being civilians, and the abduction of over 240 hostages, making it the deadliest day in Israel's 75-year history.
The White House mentioned on Thursday that it was exploring the possibility of implementing a series of temporary ceasefires in the ongoing conflict.
"What we're trying to do is explore the idea of as many pauses as might be necessary to continue to get aid out and to continue to work to get people out safely, including hostages," U.S. national security spokesperson John Kirby talked the media.
Blinken was also scheduled to have a meeting with Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi in Amman on Saturday. In a statement, Safadi emphasized that Israel needed to halt the conflict in Gaza, where he alleged that it was engaged in war crimes by targeting civilians and enforcing a blockade.
Furthermore, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a significant Gulf Arab nation, issued a warning on Friday, expressing concerns that tensions in the Middle East were reaching a critical juncture and emphasizing their relentless efforts to achieve an immediate and comprehensive humanitarian ceasefire.
