© Reuters. Smoke rises within the air following Israeli bombings in Gaza, as seen from Israel’s border with the Gaza Strip, in southern Israel October 15, 2023. REUTERS/Amir Cohen
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By Humeyra Pamuk, Nidal al-Mughrabi and Dan Williams
CAIRO/GAZA/JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Israel stated on Monday no ceasefire had been carried out in southern Gaza although safety sources in Egypt stated a deal had been reached to permit foreigners out of the besieged Palestinian enclave and assist to be introduced in.
The bombardment of Hamas-ruled Gaza continued in a single day, with residents saying it was the heaviest pounding but in 9 days of battle.
As a humanitarian disaster gripped Gaza, two Egyptian safety sources stated Israel had agreed to a halt its bombardment of southern Gaza. The Egyptian-controlled Rafah border crossing was anticipated to reopen to permit international passport holders to go away, they stated.
However Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s workplace stated in an announcement: “There’s at present no truce and humanitarian assist in Gaza in alternate for getting foreigners out.”
The state of affairs on the Rafah crossing remained unclear.
The Israeli navy and the U.S. embassy in Israel had no remark, whereas officers from Hamas, which has fired rockets at Israel since its assault on civilians there simply over per week in the past, didn’t verify any ceasefire.
Diplomatic efforts have been intensifying to get assist into the enclave, which has been below intense Israeli bombing for the reason that Oct. 7 assault on Israel by Hamas militants that killed 1,300 individuals.
Israel has additionally imposed a strict blockade and is making ready a floor invasion to destroy Hamas.
Authorities in Gaza stated a minimum of 2,750 individuals had to this point been killed by the Israeli strikes, 1 / 4 of them kids, and practically 10,000 wounded. One other 1,000 individuals had been lacking and believed to be below rubble.
A whole bunch of tons of assist from a number of international locations have been held up in Egypt for days pending a deal for its secure supply to Gaza and the evacuation of some international passport holders by way of the Rafah crossing.
The USA has informed its residents in Gaza to get near the crossing to allow them to transfer out. The U.S. authorities estimates the variety of dual-citizen Palestinian-Individuals in Gaza at 500 to 600 among the many enclave’s inhabitants of two.3 million, and Washington hopes to get lots of its nationals out of hurt’s approach.
