Washington [US], November 10: The White House announced that Israel has agreed to a 4-hour ceasefire every day for humanitarian reasons and that people in the Gaza Strip will have 2 routes to leave the area where fighting is fierce.
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said on November 9 that Israel had agreed to a 4-hour ceasefire every day for humanitarian reasons. The duration of the ceasefire will depend and Israel will notify at least 3 hours in advance. This is to prevent Hamas from exploiting it for military purposes.
AP quoted Mr. Kirby adding that a second corridor is being established for civilians fleeing the war concentration area, next to the coastal road connecting the north-south highway of the Gaza Strip.
Similar short-term ceasefires had taken place in previous days, but the November 9 announcement was said to legitimize them. US President Joe Biden confirmed that he had proposed a longer ceasefire to rescue hostages being held by Hamas, but the leader admitted there is "no possibility" for an official long-term ceasefire at the present time.
The Israeli side has not officially commented on the White House's announcement. However, The Times of Israel quoted a senior official in the country confirming it had agreed to a "tactical, localized" pause each day.
The conflict broke out when Hamas suddenly attacked Israel, killing 1,400 people on October 7 and taking at least 245 hostages. Israel then retaliated and killed more than 10,000 people in the Gaza Strip.
US Assistant Secretary of State for the Near East Barbara Leaf told a House committee on November 9 that casualties in Gaza may be higher than the number reported by local officials. She said the data was compiled from many sources on the ground but did not specify. However, Ms. Leaf noted that Hamas does not separate the deaths of civilians and gunmen.
Arrow 3 successfully intercepted for the first time
Regarding the war situation, Houthi forces in Yemen announced on November 9 that they had launched ballistic missiles targeting many sensitive targets in southern Israel, including the city of Eilat. Organization spokesman Yahya Saree said the missile hit the target and announced that the Houthis would continue military actions in support of the Palestinians until Israel stopped.
Earlier that day, the Israeli army announced that the Patriot air defense system had intercepted a suspicious target in the Arava region in the south, north of Eilat. The target had not yet flown into Israeli airspace.
In addition, Israel's Arrow 3 long-range air defense system also had its first successful interception when it shot down a missile heading towards Eilat. The surface-to-surface missile was believed to have been launched from Yemen and was shot down in the Red Sea. The Arrow 3 system was first deployed in 2017 to prevent ballistic missiles outside the atmosphere. This is a high-altitude defense system in Israel's multi-layered air defense shield.
On the other hand, the Israeli army also attacked many targets of the Hezbollah force in Lebanon in response to missile and rocket launches targeting northern Israel.
On the same day, US defense officials said that US and coalition forces in Iraq and Syria had been attacked many times in the past 24 hours, including 3 people with minor injuries. Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh said that US and coalition forces have been attacked 46 times since October 17, injuring 56 people. The new attack took place after the US airstrike on an Iranian weapons depot in Syria on November 8.
Source: ThanhNien Newspaper