Por telephone, the American addressed the recent military operations in Gaza and the need for Israel to increase communication with humanitarian agencies, according to a statement from the United States Department of Defense.
“Secretary Austin offered his condolences to the families of the seven hostages whose bodies were recovered in Gaza and reiterated his call for the immediate release of all hostages,” according to the same note.
The Israeli armed forces reported that they had taken “operational” control of the ‘Philadelphia’ corridor, located on the Palestinian side of the border between Gaza and Egypt, claiming that it served as an “oxygen conduit” for the smuggling of weapons to Palestinian Islamists of Hamas.
At a press conference, White House Homeland Security spokesman John Kirby commented that this action is part of the “limited” operation against Hamas and is not seen as the beginning of a “major ground operation” in southern Hamas. enclave.
The ‘Philadelphia’ corridor is the name given to the strip of land approximately 14 kilometers long along the border, whose Palestinian side came under the control of the Palestinian Authority following the 2005 “Withdrawal Plan” and whose Egyptian side became under the control of Cairo.
However, Hamas came to control the area after fighting between Palestinian groups in 2007, following disputes following the previous year’s elections. Egypt, which has had a peace agreement with Israel since 1979, warned Israel of the risk of operations in the zone.
The current conflict in Gaza was triggered by the Hamas attack on Israeli soil on October 7, 2023, which caused around 1,200 deaths and more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli authorities.
In response, Israel launched an offensive that has already caused more than 36,200 deaths, according to Hamas data.
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Source: https://www.noticiasaominuto.com/mundo/2571665/austin-afirma-importancia-de-corredor-para-ajuda-humanitaria-em-gaza
