The war between Israel and Hamas entered its 31st day on Monday as diplomatic efforts were made to reach at least a temporary cessation of hostilities sufficient to provide aid to Palestinians who remain in Gaza. Israel opposes such a pause, fearing a regrouping of Hamas. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken is on a diplomatic tour and recently met with officials and supporters of both sides of the conflict.

Israel-Hamas war – all information for the 31st day LIVE on HotNews.ro

05:50 Jordan parachuted aid packages into Gaza. Jordan neighbors the West Bank and hosts many Palestinian refugees. The king’s wife, Queen Rania, was born to Palestinian parents and has often criticized Israel’s treatment.

05:46After a trip to Iraq and the West Bank on Sunday, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken is now in Turkey for talks starting on Monday with his counterpart Hakan Fidan. It is possible that President Erogan will take part in the discussions.

05:00Israel says it needs progress on freeing hostages before accepting any pause in its offensive

04:00Three French planes carrying 54 tons of aid for Gaza arrived in Egypt this weekend, and France has three warships in the eastern Mediterranean ready to respond to developments, senior officials said on Sunday, Reuters reported.

The announcements came as French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonnade called for an “immediate humanitarian truce” during a trip to Doha and warned against an escalation of the conflict in the region.

10:50 in the eveningIsraeli forces have “completely divided the Gaza Strip into two parts,” Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari said Sunday evening.

Now there is “northern Gaza and southern Gaza,” he said. Israeli army units have reached the coast in the southern part of Gaza City and “own” the area, Hagari said.

Gaza City is now completely surrounded, he added, calling it a decisive step.

22:00 The Israeli army announces “significant strikes” in the Gaza Strip tonight, which will “continue in the coming days”.

“Significant strikes are ongoing (…) and will continue tonight and in the coming days,” army spokesman Daniel Hagari said.

He also said that Israeli forces operating in the area had “cut” it into two: “South Gaza and North Gaza”.

21:44Anthony Blinken on surprise visit to Iraq: “A humanitarian break would be welcome for all”

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken arrived on Sunday for a surprise visit to Iraq after a previous visit to the West Bank and a brief stop in Cyprus.

In Iraq, speaking about his ongoing efforts to get a humanitarian pause to allow more aid into Gaza and more civilians to leave, Blinken said Middle East leaders he spoke with during his tour welcomed the idea. “I think everyone would appreciate the humanitarian breaks, there’s no doubt about that,” he said.