In a development of events in the Gaza Strip, and welcomed by Israel, the US Department of Defense announced on Monday that an American Ohio-class nuclear-powered

submarine is in the Middle East to help prevent the aggravation and expansion of the war between Israel and Hamas.

Edited by| Tony Wild

Politic section -  CJ journalist

Middle East - November,6,2023

The US Central Command published a photo of the submarine the day before on the "X" platform, where it appeared crossing the Egyptian Suez Canal.

Pentagon spokesman General Pat Ryder told reporters that it is "now in the area of operations of the Fifth Fleet".

"What this submarine is doing is providing support for our deterrence efforts in the region," he said, without adding further details.

In the context, the Hamas government, which controls the Gaza Strip, announced on Monday the reopening of the Rafah crossing linking the Gaza Strip to Egypt to allow the evacuation of foreigners and dual nationals trapped in the Strip bombed by Israel since October 7 last, while the Ministry of Health in Gaza reported 10,022 dead, including 4,104 children since the start of the war.

The Rafah crossing was open for three days on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday last week to allow the evacuation of dozens of injured Palestinians and hundreds of foreign passport holders before it was closed on Saturday and Sunday due to a dispute over the crossing of ambulances.

On the other hand, the Israeli army announced on Monday its control over a Hamas headquarters in the Gaza Strip that includes observation points, training areas and tunnels, adding that during the past 24 hours it hit more than 450 Hamas targets and killed many of its members, while the movement's health ministry in Gaza said that the latest air strikes killed dozens.

A Reuters journalist in the Gaza Strip described the overnight bombing by air, land and sea as "among the most violent and intense" since the war began.

On the other hand, the "Qassam Brigades", the military wing of Hamas, announced that today it destroyed a number of Israeli vehicles penetrating into the Strip.

With its rejection of calls for a ceasefire until the release of hostages held by Hamas, pressure continues on Israel to avoid civilian deaths and injuries in Gaza, while a US diplomatic campaign in the region seeks to reduce the risks of escalating the conflict.