Israel-Hamas Conflict: Blinken Says Israel Has 'No Intent' To Reoccupy Gaza; Evacuation Corridor Reopened

Israel has 'no intent' to reoccupy Gaza: Blinken

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said after the G7 meeting in Tokyo that from what he heard from Israeli leaders, there was "no intent to reoccupy Gaza and retake control of Gaza," though he admitted that there "may be a need for a transition period."

He added that Biden administration "has been clear" that it is against Israeli occupation and against the "displacement" of Palestinian civilians after the war.

Thousands of Gazans move south after corridor reopened: IDF

Thousands of residents from northern Gaza have passed through the IDF's evacuation corridor that it opened Wednesday along the strip's main highway, the Salah Al-Din Road.

Footage from the scene showed some Gazans waving white cloths as they walked through the corridor.

At least 39 journalists and media personnel died since Oct. 7

As of Wednesday, at least 39 journalists and workers in the media industry were confirmed to have died since Oct. 7, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said.

There are also eight journalists who've been injured in the Israel-Hamas war, nine who were arrested, and three still missing, the nonprofit said.

Israeli air force announces death of elite unit officer

Maj. Yonatan Hatzor, 22, of the Israeli Air Force's (IAF) Shaldag unit, which is considered one of the IDF's most elite military units, fell in battle Tuesday night in the northern Gaza Strip.

Hamas commander of 400-man battalion slams terror group leadership

A top Hamas commander who leads a battalion of 400 militants told Mail Online over the weekend that "the problem is because of our leadership," specifically criticizing the terror group's most senior leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, for acting like a "street fighter."

The commander, who went by the name Abu Mohammed, said the Hamas leadership "destroyed us," referring to the lower-ranked commanders who he said were also starting to question Sinwar and other leaders. He added that lower-level commanders "don't know what direction to go in next" while Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas' political bureau chief, was living well in Qatar.

Finally, Mohammed revealed that the original plan was "to take a few [military] hostages in return for our prisoners." He claimed that there was no plan to infiltrate civilian settlements and abducting civilians. However, Hamas leadership allegedly told fighters to "go, do whatever you like, take whatever you like...You see and witness we have killed babies."

Mohammed revealed he was among the "planners" of the Oct. 7 incursion but "we did not expect it to go this way."

World leaders should find 'pathway' for peaceful Israeli-Palestinian coexistence: Blinken

Blinken said during his speech at the Group of 7 (G7) conference Wednesday that world leaders should identify a "pathway to Israelis and Palestinians living side-by-side in states of their own, with equal measures of security, freedom, opportunity, and dignity."

He added that conversations about "the future" should be started now even as it was "hard to look ahead in this moment" due to the raging Israel-Hamas war.

Israeli army 'pushing on inside' Gaza City: Israel government

The IDF has "encircled Gaza City" and is "pushing on inside" the strip's largest city, the Israeli government's spokesperson Eylon Levy told Sky News Wednesday, but said he cannot speak about "specific operational matters" when asked if Yahya Sinwar has actually been surrounded in his bunker as the Israeli defense minister reportedly claimed.

More than 900 wanted persons arrested have Hamas ties: IDF

More than 900 of around 1,430 wanted individuals arrested since the war started have links to Hamas, the IDF said Wednesday. The arrests were made across Judea, Samaria and Beqaa.

Hamas leader in Gaza surrounded: Israeli defense minister

Sinwar, Hamas' most senior leader in Gaza, has been surrounded while hiding in his bunker and is "out of touch with his surroundings," Israeli Defense Minister Gallant claimed in a televised address Tuesday, local media reported.

International Business Times cannot independently verify the claim. Observers said that if the claim turns out to be true, it would "rock the region."

Sinwar, who is believed to have been leading the Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip for several years now, replaced Haniyeh, who resides in Qatar and is currently head of the terror group's political bureau.

Sinwar is one of a few top Hamas leader that IDF spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said had hands "dripping with blood" due to the Oct. 7 massacre of many Israelis and some foreign nationals.

Israel reopens evacuation corridor: IDF

The IDF reopened a humanitarian corridor for the evacuation of Gazans Wednesday, marking the fifth straight day that Israel opened pathways to allow civilians moving from the north to the southern tip of the enclave.

"For your safety, take advantage of the next time to move south beyond Wadi Gaza. The northern Gaza Strip area is considered a fierce combat zone, and time is running out to evacuate it," IDF spokesperson for Arab media Lt. Col. Avichay Adraee said in a Google-translated message to Gaza residents.

Gazans will be allowed to pass through the corridor from 10 a.m. IST (11:30 p.m. ET Tuesday) through 2 p.m. IST (3:30 a.m. ET Wednesday).

Biden asked Netanyahu to agree to 3-day pause for hostage release facilitation: Report

President Joe Biden, during a call Tuesday, asked the Israeli Prime Minister to agree to a three-day "pause" in the fighting to facilitate the release of more than 200 hostages being held by Hamas and other groups, Axios reported, citing two U.S. and Israeli officials.

A proposal being discussed by the United States, Israel and Qatar suggests that Hamas will release between 10-15 hostages during the three-day pause while the other parties use the said period to verify the identities of all hostages. However, Netanyahu reportedly told Biden that he doesn't trust Hamas and doubts if the terror group was prepared to agree to a hostage release deal.

Israeli assessment indicates that Hamas is holding around 180 hostages, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad has around 40 people in captivity, and around 20 hostages are being held by groups loosely linked to militant factions in Gaza, as per two Israeli officials.

Over 60 mid-level and senior Hamas commanders killed: IDF

Israeli troops have eliminated "a little more than 60" Hamas "mid-level and senior commanders," IDF spokesperson Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus said Wednesday.

At this point, the IDF is particularly hunting down combatant, battalion, and company commanders who have "direct influence on combat operations on the ground," he added.

Israeli troops 'slowly' reaching all Hamas tunnels: IDF

Israeli ground forces are "slowly" getting closer to "all" strategic tunnels in Gaza that Hamas are using to easily move around while engaging with Israeli troops, Conricus said Wednesday.

"It is a very challenging battlespace to be in" as Hamas "prepared the battlefield unfortunately very well" with many of the tunnels being "short and tactical" to allow terrorists to "move from one alley to another," he said.

On the other hand, Israeli fighters are "slowly getting to all of them, and there are gains achieved each day of the fight," he added.

Hamas ammunition leader assassinated: IDF

Abu Zina, head of Hamas' Industries and Weapons Department at the terror group's ammunition production headquarters, was killed in Tuesday night air strikes after IDF troops struck a "terrorist squad" in Gaza, the IDF said in a Google-translated post on X Wednesday.

Zina allegedly specialized in the production of strategic ammunition and rockets that Hamas operatives used in their attacks against Israel.

IDF to continue opening evacuation corridors: spokesperson

The IDF will continue opening humanitarian corridors to allow civilians from northern Gaza to move to the south, Conricus said Wednesday.

"It's happening despite the fact that Hamas is trying to keep those civilians there [in Gaza] in order to use them as human shields, but we are relentless in our plea and our demand, our advice to the Palestinians, the civilians to evacuate northern Gaza," he said.

The Israeli army has opened evacuation corridors for four consecutive days since the weekend. The Israeli government said Tuesday that "thousands" of Gazans crossed the corridor Tuesday.

US ambassador to Israel visits Hamas-ransacked Kibbutz: 'It's beyond imagination'

U.S. ambassador to Israel Jack Lew on Tuesday visited Kibbutz Be'eri in southern Israel, where Hamas operatives carried out a surprise carnage and murdered many civilians. "It's beyond imagination what you see here still, a month after with much work already having been done," he said.

In a video, Lew showed what remains of civilian residences ransacked by Hamas, including burnt homes, a refrigerator riddled with bullets, and scattered home equipment.

Israeli air strikes hit Hezbollah assets: IDF

Israeli fighter jets struck Hezbollah military assets late Tuesday following "firing from Lebanese territory" earlier in the day, the IDF said in a Google-translated post Wednesday.

Among the infrastructure attacked were launch positions, technological facilities and a warehouse used by the Iran-backed militant group.

Nearly 1,500 hand grenades and explosives found on Hamas on Oct. 7: IDF

A total of 1,493 hand grenades and explosives and various other weaponry were found on Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7, the IDF said early Wednesday. The rockets, missiles and various firearms were "just a few of the weapons" that the terror group used when it infiltrated Israel and killed many civilians, it added.

White House reiterates Biden against Israeli occupation of Gaza post war

"The President [Joe Biden] maintains his position that a re-occupation by Israeli forces is not the right thing to do," National Security Council (NSC) coordinator for strategic communications John Kirby reiterated Tuesday. Biden previously said it would be a "big mistake" for Israel to occupy the enclave, even if it is "necessary" to remove Hamas from the strip.

Kirby added that the White House was having "active conversations" with Israeli counterparts regarding "what post-conflict Gaza ought to look like." On Gaza governance, Kirby made it clear that the U.S. doesn't want Hamas to be "part of the equation."

The White House's latest reiteration of Biden's position on Gaza occupation came after the Israeli prime minister told ABC News that he sees Israel as being responsible for Gaza's "overall security" for an "indefinite period" when the war ends.

CIA chief discusses hostage release efforts: IDF

CIA director Bill Burns discussed work on rescuing more than 200 hostages being held by Hamas with the IDF's chief of staff Herzi Halevi, IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari told reporters.

Burns traveled to Israel on Tuesday to discuss intelligence materials, planning operations and other work related to the release of hostages, Hagari said.

"We're making our efforts along with the ISA (Israeli Security Agency), the Mossad, we're together assessing the situation every day to see what we need to adjust, change and plan, in order to fulfill our task – to bring them home," he added.