Amid the ongoing conflict, approximately 50,000 Palestinians have been successfully evacuated from northern to southern Gaza through humanitarian corridors facilitated by Israel, as reported by the UN Office for the Coordinator of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), as per The Times of Israel.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) implemented a formalized humanitarian pause in several neighborhoods in northern Gaza, responding to pressure from the Biden administration. This marks the sixth consecutive day that the IDF has permitted people to flee northern Gaza through the Salah al-Din humanitarian corridor.
The daily update from OCHA highlighted the dire conditions faced by hundreds of thousands of people who remain in Gaza’s north, struggling to secure essential water and food supplies for survival. The UN office called Thursday’s humanitarian aid delivery, consisting of 65 trucks, “wholly inadequate,” emphasizing the urgent need for more assistance.
The report noted that municipal water wells ceased operation due to a lack of fuel, exacerbating the water crisis. Both desalination plants in southern Gaza faced challenges, with one shutting down entirely due to fuel shortages and the other operating at only five percent capacity. The shutdown of bakeries further compounded the humanitarian crisis.
Amid these challenges, an unconfirmed number of foreign nationals and a few injured individuals were reported to have evacuated Gaza through Egypt’s Rafah crossing.
In a significant development, Israel has agreed to formalize localized pauses in its fighting, marking a departure from its counter-offensive against Hamas. These tactical, localized pauses aim to build on the existing humanitarian corridor, providing a window for Gazans to evacuate from northern to southern Gaza and avoid the intense fighting zones.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a statement to Fox News, emphasized the efforts to reduce civilian casualties, highlighting the establishment of safe zones and corridors. He affirmed that Israel would not agree to a more extended ceasefire until the release of hostages held by Hamas, echoing the sentiment of the Biden administration and signaling a strategic shift in Israel’s approach to the conflict.