More than 1,000 Palestinians are trapped under the rubble in Gaza, Eyad Al- Bozom, spokesman for the Hamas Interior Ministry said on Monday in a statement, warning of a humanitarian and environmental crisis. Israel has imposed a “total siege” to stop food and fuel from reaching the enclave of 2.3 million people, many poor and dependent on aid in response to a surprise Hamas offensive on October 7 that left 1,300 Israelis dead, according to officials. After it suffered the deadliest attack in its history, Israel unleashed a relentless bombing campaign of the Gaza Strip that has flattened neighbourhoods and killed at least 2,750 people, mainly civilians, and wounded 9,700, the enclave’s health ministry said.

Separately, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office denied reports of a ceasefire in Gaza that would enable aid to enter and foreigners to flee to Egypt, 10 days into the conflict with Hamas. “There is currently no ceasefire and humanitarian aid in Gaza in return for removing foreigners,” a statement from Netanyahu’s office said. However, the army pledged to refrain from striking routes within Gaza designated for evacuating people from the enclave’s north to the south during a limited time window, from 8am to noon (5am GMT to 9am GMT). Media reports had said Israel, Egypt and the United States had agreed the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt would be opened for several hours on Monday in a one-off move to allow foreign nationals to flee and aid goods to enter.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)