“Israeli troops reach the heart of Gaza City”, hundreds of foreigners evacuated again, including a Belgian

The Israeli army is currently fighting in the center of Gaza City. This is what the Major General of the Israeli Army (IDF) said. “I just got back from there,” it sounds. “For the first time this decade, the Israeli army is fighting in the center of Gaza.”

He calls the battle complex and difficult, but is positive about the further course. “Israeli soldiers are eliminating terrorists, discovering tunnels, destroying weapons and continuing their progress toward the center of the enemy territory,” he said.

But if it is up to Israeli Defense Minister Gallant, Israel will not govern Gaza after the war. He said this during a press moment. A striking statement, because Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu claimed (indirectly) the opposite earlier today. He said Israel had security responsibility over Gaza. In practice, this means (in the other Palestinian areas) that Israel is in charge. Only local matters, such as education or garbage collection, fall under Palestinian administration.

Gallant during his speech

The Israeli army is releasing more and more images into the world to prove that Hamas is interfering with the civilian population and using hospitals, mosques and other civilian buildings to hide and attack Israel. Are those claims true? And if so, does Israel have the right to attack those civilian buildings? Read all about it here.

About 320 foreigners were evacuated today via the Rafah border crossing. A Belgian and a claimant were also able to leave the Gaza Strip for Egypt. The Federal Public Service Foreign Affairs reported this on Tuesday. According to Jordan’s Foreign Ministry, 262 Jordanians were evacuated. 100 Egyptians were also allowed to cross the border (not included in the figures). The French ministry reports that dozens of French nationals and their relatives were also able to leave the area.

The first group of Canadians was also allowed to cross the border with Egypt. “They are safe in Egypt. That makes us very happy,” said Canadian International Development Minister Ahmed Hussen.

Almost all bakeries in the north of the Gaza Strip are said to be out of use due to Israeli attacks and a lack of fuel. This was reported by the Ministry of the Interior of Gaza, which is under the authority of Hamas.

It is becoming increasingly difficult for many Gazans to obtain bread. Last week, the UN published a report showing that the average Gaza resident survived on two slices of bread a day.

Many bakeries were destroyed by Israeli attacks, but the shortage of fuel appears to be a major problem. Of the 569 trucks carrying aid that reached the region, not a single vehicle had fuel on board. The fuel shortage not only has an impact on the food supply, the health sector and sanitation are also affected by the shortage.

The Israeli military released images of Palestinians reportedly leaving Gaza City and heading south through an evacuation corridor. They carry white flags and hold their hands above their heads.

The Israeli army had announced that it would reopen a corridor for people in the north of the Gaza Strip who want to go south. They were able to leave the area between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. local time.

A minute’s silence was held in several places in Israel to commemorate the victims of the attacks. On October 7, exactly one month ago, the extremist Palestinian organization Hamas carried out a surprise attack in southern Israel, during which Hamas fighters murdered and kidnapped civilians. Nearly 1,400 Israelis were killed.

WATCH – A minute’s silence will be held in several places in Israel:

The Israeli army says it has reopened a corridor for people in the north of the Gaza Strip who want to go south. Between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. local time (9 a.m. and 1 p.m. in our country, safe passage is granted on the main road from the north to the south).

“For your own safety, take this opportunity to go south to Wadi Gaza,” said Avichay Adraee, the Arab spokesman for the Israeli army on X, formerly Twitter. He added that “a lot of people” use this road. His post on X was accompanied by a video allegedly showing residents leaving.

A week after Hamas’s attack on Israel, the army began mass appeals to the population in the north of the Gaza Strip to move south. It would be safer there from attacks by the Israeli army.

Over the past 24 hours, 70 trucks carrying humanitarian aid supplies for the Gaza Strip have entered the Gaza Strip through the Rafah border crossing. Cogat reported this on X (formerly Twitter). Cogat is a branch of the Israeli army that oversees Israeli policy in Gaza and the West Bank. The trucks transport medical equipment, food and water. According to Cogat, the trucks were inspected before entering the Gaza Strip from Egypt.

Before the outbreak of the recent conflict, hundreds of trucks carrying aid entered the Gaza Strip. According to the United Nations, about 1.2 million Gazans were already dependent on food aid at that time.