Illustrative image.
Hamas attacked on October 8 a post of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) in the Netzarim Corridor in the center of the Gaza Strip, in what was likely an attempt to capture soldiers.
At least five fighters of the group emerged from a tunnel and attacked the post where troops from the Golani Brigade’s reconnaissance unit were deployed, the IDF said in a statement, adding that the troops, with air support from the Israeli Air Force, struck and killed at least three of the fighters.
According to the military, the remaining two fighters likely fled back into the tunnel. No Israeli troops were hurt in the attack.
Notably, the attack took place shortly after Defense Minister Israel Katz visited troops in Gaza City’s Sabra neighborhood, which is located to the north of the Netzarim Corridor.
Click to see full-size image. (Israeli Defense Forces)
Click to see full-size image. (Israeli Defense Forces)
Click to see full-size image. (Israeli Defense Forces)
The IDF halted its offensive against Hamas in Gaza City last week after United States President Donald Trump announced that the group accepted his peace plan.
The peace plan, announced by Trump on September 29, demands a ceasefire, hostage release, and Hamas’s disarmament, with Israel withdrawing on several stages and Palestinian technocrats taking over under international oversight for up to five years.
Israel slowed down operations in Gaza, but a ceasefire is yet to be reached. On October 8 alone, at least eight Palestinians were killed by IDF fire across the Strip.
Hamas’ attack in the Netzarim Corridor was likely both a response to recent Israeli strikes on Gaza, as well as an attempt to capture Israeli soldiers in order to improve the group’s stance in the ongoing talks in Egypt.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sissi said on October 8 that he had received “very encouraging” messages from mediators about the talks
“Yesterday, delegations from Qatar, Egypt, and envoys of President Trump arrived in Sharm el-Sheikh, and the messages I received from them are very encouraging,” he said at a graduation ceremony for Egyptian police officers in Cairo.
El-Sissi told the new police officers that Egypt is working tirelessly to bring about an end to the war in Gaza, praising Trump’s role.
“A ceasefire, the return of prisoners and detainees, the reconstruction of Gaza and the launch of a peaceful political process that leads to the establishment and recognition of the Palestinian state means we are on the right path to lasting peace and stability,” he said.
Later in the day it was reported that U.S. Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, arrived in Egypt to join the talks. A senior U.S. official told Israel’s Channel 12 news a day earlier that the two men would not leave the country without an agreement in hand.
However, an Israeli official who spoke to The Times of Israel cautioned that positive statements coming from the U.S. and Egypt seem designed to push talks forward instead of actually reflecting the state of negotiations, and that Israel is far more cautious in its assessments of how things are going.
Overall, Israel and Hamas appear to be heading towards an agreement, although it could cover only the first phase of Trump’s peace plan, which includes a ceasefire and the release of all hostages.
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no agreement will be reached america never honors their word, look what happened to hezbollah when they agreed to a ceasefire
the us is destroying the west and has thrown russia into the arms of china. china meantime strides seamlessly towards being the world’s hegmon as the west destroys itself. utterly outrageous.