U.S. President Joe Biden said on Tuesday evening that he asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for a pause in fighting in Gaza during a call on Monday. A White House spokesperson previously said the two leaders discussed the potential for "tactical pauses" in fighting in Gaza for humanitarian reasons and possible hostage releases during their conversation on Monday. Meanwhile, Axios reported that Biden has told Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu that a three-day fighting pause could help secure release of some hostages.
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At the same time the White House said that U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris emphasized in a call with Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Tuesday the importance of protecting civilian lives and respecting international humanitarian law, the White House said in a statement.
The White House also indicated that the United States would oppose a reoccupation of Gaza by Israel's military in post-conflict Gaza. White House national security spokesperson John Kirby told reporters Tuesday that the U.S. is talking to Israel about "the day after the war" in Gaza and that Hamas "cannot be part of this equation." Kirby also acknowledged that "Hamas has genocidal intentions against the residents of Israel." Kirby said that Israel and the United States are friends and do not have to agree on every single issue. He also noted that more Americans are expected to be among the foreign citizens who leave Gaza through the Rafah crossing.
The United States does not support any forced relocation of Palestinians outside of Gaza and this is not something that Washington is pursuing or is on the table, U.S. State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel said at a daily news briefing on Tuesday. Patel also said Washington was opposed to any re-occupation of Gaza by Israel.
He was responding to a question about comments by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu telling ABC television Israel will "for an indefinite period" have the overall security responsibility for the Palestinian enclave.ir defenses intercepted a “suspicious aerial target” identified approaching Israeli airspace from Lebanon, the IDF said on Tuesday.
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and government minister Benny Gantz made three separate statements Tuesday
(Photo: Dana Koppel)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a nationally televised address Tuesday evening that "we have eliminated thousands of terrorists above and below the ground. Hamas is discovering that we are reaching places it never thought we would reach."
Netanyahu also referred to the northern border: "If Hezbollah chooses to enter the war, it will make the mistake of its life." Netanyahu emphasized that there will be no cease-fire without the return of the hostages.
He said to the families of the hostages: "We are working on all fronts to return your loved ones home. The military action is an essential part of this effort."
Tuesday evening saw two massive barrages of rockets fired on Tel Aviv and other central Israeli cities. One rocket hit a home in the affluent town of Savion, causing extensive damage. Rocket parts also rained down on Rishon LeTzion, causing damage.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant reported that in the Gaza Strip "the ground forces attacked from all directions with complete coordination with naval and ground forces. They are tightening the stranglehold around Gaza." Gallant added in a nationally televised address: "Yahya Sinwar is now hiding in his bunker and is cut off from his surroundings." Gallant emphasized that Gaza "is the largest man-made terrorist base."
Gallant noted that "the pressures on us will increase, we will be required to make difficult decisions. For me, it is impossible to stop this fighting until we achieve its objectives. The war was forced on us - therefore there is no stopping."
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Marking 30 days since the taking of the hostages and the start of the Gaza War in Dizengoff Square in Tel Aviv
(Photo: Motti Kimchi)
The Home Front Command announced it will launch a new version of its iOS application Tuesday evening, intended for iPhone devices, following reports from users about malfunctions that led to them to not receive alerts about missile launches in the area where they live.
National Unity party head and Knesset member Benny Gantz, spoke about the hostages in Gaza, saying: "I promise, we will do everything to bring them home - by force and by political action. We will fight whoever we have to, and talk to everyone we can. We will not give up the chance to bring anyone back."
Gantz criticized the international community: "There is no place where child killers are hiding that will be immune. You also called on the residents of Gaza to move to shelters in the south, to listen to the IDF's announcements and not to imprison themselves in the death trap of Hamas." Gantz also referred to the situation in the north: "The focal point is Gaza, but we are fighting defensively and offensively both in the north and in other places. I also promise the residents of the north, you will be able to live in your homes with security and hope." Gantz added that "there will be time for demonstrations, discussions, investigations - about everything. Now is the time to fight and win."
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IDF soldiers exposed the shaft of an underground tunnel adjacent to an amusement park
(Photo: IDF Spokesman's Unit)
As part of the ground operations in the Gaza Strip, the Paratroopers Brigade led a targeted operation in northern Gaza, during which the soldiers completed taking control of the area, the IDF Spokesman said Tuesday evening. During the operation, the soldiers exposed the shaft of an underground tunnel adjacent to an amusement park. The soldiers then destroyed the shaft. In addition, in cooperation with soldiers of the Armored Corps from the divisional combat team of the 7th Brigade, an underground tunnel shaft and a weapons warehouse were found near a university, containing chemical materials, RPGs, Claymore mines and more. "This is all further evidence of Hamas’ cynical use of the civilian population and various facilities as a human shield for its needs," the IDF said.
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President Isaac Herzog in a letter to presidents of US universities and colleges demanding students who identify with Hamas be dealt with
(Photo: EPA/ABIR SULTAN)
President Isaac Herzog sent an emergency letter to the presidents of universities and colleges in the United States, demanding that students who identify with Hamas or its actions be strongly dealt with, against the backdrop of an increase in manifestations of antisemitism in educational institutions. "The events on the campuses are not a discussion, but the denigration of the university institution and the desecration of its basic principles. How is it possible that those who support, encourage, explain and glorify the atrocities of Hamas have a place in any academic institution? Or in general - in the civilized and enlightened world," Herzog wrote.
Air defenses intercepted a “suspicious aerial target” identified approaching Israeli airspace from Lebanon, the IDF said on Tuesday.
Additionally, terrorists fired toward an IDF outpost near the village of Aramshe in Western Galilee. There were no casualties in the incident. IDF forces responded with artillery fire toward the source of the shooting in Lebanese territory.
IDF soldiers located several tunnels inside a residential building in a civilian area of Beit Hanoun, northeast of Gaza City. Yahalom Unit combat engineers, in cooperation with reserve soldiers and fighters from the elite Duvdevan Unit, destroyed the tunnels.
IDF soldiers locate and destroy Hamas terror tunnels in residential areas
(Video: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
Three armed drones were shot down on Tuesday over Erbil airport in northern Iraq, where U.S. forces and other international forces are stationed, in two separate attacks, Iraqi Kurdistan's counter-terrorism service said in a statement.
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IDF engineering vehicles during ground operations in Gaza
(Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
It was not immediately clear who was responsible for the attacks, the latest in a series on U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria as tensions soar in the Middle East over the Israel-Hamas war.
The defense system at a military base near the airport successfully defended against the drones, the statement said. There were no casualties or damage to infrastructure, a U.S. Defense Department official said.
The Kremlin called on Tuesday for "humanitarian pauses" during Israel's military operation in the Gaza Strip, and it described the humanitarian situation there as "catastrophic."
Russia will continue contacts with Israel, Egypt and the Palestinians to help ensure that humanitarian supplies can be delivered to Gaza, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a regular briefing.
An IDF tank attacked a terrorist cell in Lebanese territory as it attempted to launch an anti-tank missile toward an Israeli outpost near the town of Shtula. Earlier, IDF forces struck a Hezbollah outpost.
European officials have requested to maintain an open communication channel with Hezbollah in an attempt to deter the organization from taking any action that would expand the war from the Gaza Strip to Lebanon, Lebanese newspaper Al Joumhouria reported on Tuesday, citing Lebanese officials close to Hezbollah.
The sources expressed their concern that tensions on the Lebanese front have escalated to a critical point, raising the possibility of a wider conflict.
Hundreds of Palestinian civilians leave their homes in Gaza City’s Zeitoun neighborhood
Hundreds of Palestinian civilians left their homes in Gaza City’s Zeitoun neighborhood on Tuesday and evacuated south through humanitarian corridors opened by the IDF as the army was engaging in large-scale operations to dismantle Hamas’s military capabilities in the northern Gaza Strip. Some civilians were seen holding white flags as they were passing in front of an Israeli tank.
The IDF has taken control of a Hamas military stronghold in the northern Gaza Strip. The outpost was found to contain anti-tank missile launchers, weapons and intelligence materials.
In addition, an Israeli fighter jet struck a group of about 10 terrorists, and the 36th Brigade's fire control center identified several Hamas terrorists who had barricaded themselves inside a building near Al-Quds Hospital, from which they planned to launch an attack on Israeli forces.
The soldiers coordinated an airstrike targeting the terrorists, resulting in significant secondary explosions which suggests the presence of a large weapons cache belonging to the terrorist group within a civilian area.
Russia's foreign ministry said on Tuesday that a statement by an Israeli junior minister who appeared to voice openness to the idea of Israel carrying out a nuclear strike on Gaza had raised many questions.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday suspended Heritage Minister Amichay Eliyahu, from the far-right Otzma Yehudit party in the coalition government, from Cabinet meetings "until further notice".
Asked in a radio interview about a hypothetical nuclear option, Eliyahu had replied: "That's one way.
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Heritage Minister Amichay Eliyahu and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
(Photo: Moshe Mizrachi, Jacquelyn Martin / AFP)
His remark drew swift condemnation from around the Arab world, scandalized mainstream Israeli broadcasters and was deemed "objectionable" by a U.S. official.
The IDF is working to dismantle explosives planted by terrorist organizations within civilian infrastructure throughout the West Bank, a security source told Ynet Tuesday morning.
"Terrorist organizations, led by Hamas, have been recently planting numerous explosive devices under roads and civilian infrastructure throughout Palestinian cities in the West Bank,” the source said.
IDF forces operating in the West Bank
(Video: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
“We will persist in our efforts to detect and neutralize these explosives, which pose a danger to our forces and impede our freedom of operation in the area. Additionally, this use of civilian infrastructure seriously endangers the daily lives of thousands of residents and children across the West Bank."
According to him, "Wherever there is suspicion of an explosive device, whether in the Jenin refugee camp, Nour a-Shams or any other place, the Engineering Corps under Central Command will handle and neutralize it. The destruction of infrastructure is a direct result of the use of explosives by terrorist organizations."
Israeli security forces raided Tulkarm overnight Tuesday, the Palestinians reported, striking a target within the West Bank city using a drone. Four Palestinians were injured during the operations and required medical treatment.
This comes hours after the IDF eliminated four high-profile terrorists in Tulkarm who, according to intelligence, were on their way to carry out an attack.
Israeli security forces arrested the released prisoner and senior Islamic Jihad leader Jumah Abdullah al-Taiyah after raiding his home in the Palestinian city of Al-Bireh near Ramallah, Palestinian media reported Tuesday morning.
Al-Taiyah served time in an Israeli prison for establishing a terror cell in the Ramallah area and for carrying out dozens of shooting attacks against Israelis.
The U.S. is planning to send Israel $320 million worth of precision-guided bomb equipment, the Wall Street Journal reported late Monday, as U.S. officials are pressing on Israel to protect Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip.
“The administration sent formal notification on Oct. 31 to congressional leaders of the planned transfer of Spice Family Gliding Bomb Assemblies, a type of precision-guided weapon fired by warplanes,” the Wall Street Journal article read.
The report clarified the bombs would be delivered to Israel’s defense technology company Rafael Advanced Defense Systems in order to be used by the government, with a clause in the agreement detailing further aid in assembly, testing and provisions of additional technologies related to the rockets.
After a 13-hour lull, rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip toward the border towns of Nirim and Nir Oz. There were no reports of casualties.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel will have to govern Gaza for "an indefinite period" after the war with Hamas is finished.
In an held an interview with ABC on Monday, he said "We have the overall security responsibility because we've seen what happens when we don't have it, what we have is the eruption of Hamas terror on a scale that we couldn't imagine."
The Los Angeles police reported late Monday that a Jewish man died as a result of an Intracerebral hemorrhage caused after a pro-Palestinian protestor hit him in the head in one of the pro-Palestinian rallies held in the U.S. state, as was first published on Ynetnews.
According to initial reports, the two began arguing between them at the protest when suddenly the assailant raised his megaphone and hit the Jewish man's head, causing him to fall onto the ground bleeding. He was rushed to a local hospital where his death was later announced.
Hamas health officials on Monday evening said Israel carried out an air strike hitting a building at the Shifa hospital in Gaza. While flares lit up the night sky around the hospital, the military said it was not targeting the facility.
Earlier, the IDF said its troops operating in side Gaza located rocket launchers inside a mosque. In a youth hall, troops found 50 rockets ready for launch against Israeli communities. The military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said that since the start of the war, 348 members of the IDF were confirmed killed and their families notified. 240 hostages are being held by Hamas in Gaza.