The spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces, Daniel Hagari, reported that the Israeli military has completed its siege of Gaza City and has established positions along the city’s coastline. He noted, however, that a humanitarian corridor remains open in the southern part of the strip to allow local residents to exit. This information was carried by TASS at the time. In Hagari’s account, Israeli troops reached the coast by advancing from the south and proceeded to encircle Gaza City from the shore, effectively tightening their control over the coastal perimeter.
Hagari emphasized that the humanitarian corridor was kept operational to enable residents of northern Gaza to move southward and evacuate when needed. The corridor is intended to facilitate civilian movement and to provide a safer route for those seeking to leave densely populated areas amid ongoing hostilities.
John Finer, who previously served as Deputy National Security Advisor to the president, stated that the United States has not committed to predicting the precise timing of a conclusion to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Nevertheless, he conveyed an expectation that the situation is likely to evolve in the coming period, reflecting shifts in regional dynamics and diplomacy.
On October 7, Hamas launched a large-scale offensive, firing several thousand rockets toward Israel and announcing the start of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood. Militants reportedly crossed into Israeli territory, seized equipment, and took a substantial number of hostages. In response, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that Israel is at war, signaling a major turn in the ongoing security crisis and the broad range of implications for regional stability.
Scholars and analysts have long pointed to a constellation of factors that contribute to the periodic flare-ups in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. A political scientist cited in recent analyses suggested that historical grievances, security concerns, and political pressures within both sides play critical roles in shaping the intensity and timing of confrontations. This perspective underscores the complexity of the conflict and the difficulty of forecasting outcomes in the near term.