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Jerusalem: The Israel government on Friday announced that “there will be no more Palestinian workers from Gaza” and that it was “severing all contact” with the Hamas-controlled enclave.
“Israel is severing all contact with Gaza. There will be no more Palestinian workers from Gaza. Those workers from Gaza who were in Israel on the day of the outbreak of the war will be returned to Gaza,” the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office said in a post on X.
It also added that the Israeli Security Cabinet has decided “to deduct all funds designated for the Gaza Strip — in addition to the deduction, required by law, of funds paid to terrorists and their families — from Palestinian Authority funds”.
The Palestinian Authority controls areas of the West Bank, but not the Gaza Strip.
Some 18,500 Palestinians from Gaza had received permits to enter Israel before the massive October 7 Hamas attack, the BBC reported citing Cogat, the Israeli defence body responsible for Palestinian civilian affairs, as saying.
Since then, Israel has launched a retaliatory bombardment of the Strip.
So far, a total of 9,061 Palestinians have been killed in the war, mostly women and children, while more than 32,000 people have been injured as a result of the raging violence, according to the latest update by the Gaza Health Ministry.
In Israel, there were about 1,400 casualties with some 5,400 people injured.
According to the Israeli authorities, 242 people are held c1aptive in Gaza, including Israelis and foreign nationals.
Media reports indicate that about 30 of the hostages are children.
Till date, four civilian hostages were released by Hamas, and one female Israeli soldier was rescued by Israeli forces.
Accompanied by the newly-confirmed US Amabassador to Israel Jack Lew, Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Tel Aviv on Friday, marking his third visit to the Jewish nation since the Hamas launched its war on October 7.
During the visit, Blinken, who traveled twice to Israel last month in the wake of the unprecedented attack, will meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior government officials.
Ahead of his departure, the top US diplomat said in a post on X: “On my way to Tel Aviv for more diplomacy during an incredibly challenging time. We will continue to work with regional leaders to protect civilians and prevent the spread of conflict.
“We remain focused on two states and broader peace and security in the region.”
Addressing reporters in Washington D.C. on Thursday night, Blinken said that he planned to talk to the Israeli government about “the ongoing campaign against the Hamas terrorist organization” and “steps that need to be taken to protect civilians”.
The Secretary noted that he intended to discuss about the hostage situation but declined to provide details about the “concrete steps” to better protect civilians.
When asked whether Israel has shown restraint in its offensive so far, he said this was “a crossfire of Hamas’ making”, CNN reported.
“When I see a Palestinian child, a boy or girl, pulled from the rubble of a collapsed building – that hits me in the gut as much as seeing a child in Israel or anywhere else… This is something that we have an obligation to respond to, and we will,” he said.
Blinken further stressed that continued flow of that humanitarian aid and ongoing departure of civilians will also be a part of the discussions during his latest trip.
His last priority in Israel is to discuss “how we can set the conditions for a durable, sustainable peace; durable, sustainable security for Israelis and Palestinians alike”, the top diplomat noted.
This post was last modified on November 3, 2023 1:11 pm