Israel-Hamas War Highlights: Israel Pounds Gaza With "Significant" Strikes, Rejects Ceasefire Calls

 The White House cautioned Israel on Tuesday against reoccupying Gaza after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggested that Tel Aviv can consider to "have the overall security responsibility" in Gaza "for an indefinite period" once the war is over, the New York Times reported.

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said on "CNN This Morning" that "the president still believes that a reoccupation of Gaza by Israeli forces is not good. It's not good for Israel; it's not good for the Israeli people."

Nearly 60 Canadian nationals, residents and their dependents have been evacuated from the Gaza Strip to Egypt through the Rafah border crossing, Canadian officials said Tuesday.

"The first group of Canadians have left Gaza. Our team of officials has met them on the Egyptian side of the border, providing them with support and care," Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The ministry said 59 Canadians, permanent residents and family members have crossed the Rafah border into Egypt, out of 400 nationals registered with Canada seeking to leave.

The United States has helped more than 400 U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents and other eligible people to leave the Gaza Strip, the State Department said on Tuesday, but added that U.S. citizens remain in the besieged enclave.

Gaza has been under bombardment by the Israeli military since Palestinian militants of Hamas on Oct. 7 killed what Israel says were 1,400 people and took more than 240 captive into Gaza.

"The first group of Canadians have left Gaza. Our team of officials has met them on the Egyptian side of the border, providing them with support and care," Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said.

"Two groups of French nationals, officials and rights holders were able to leave" on Monday and Tuesday from Gaza and are now "in safety in Egypt," the ministry said in a statement.

The departures "bring the number of exits organised by France to more than 100 people," it added.

At Jerusalem's Hebrew University around 1,000 people observed a minute of silence and recited prayers for the 1,400 killed, mostly civilians, in the worst attack on Israel since its founding in 1948.

"The atrocities left a horrible mark," said university president Asher Cohen. "But there is hope. There will be rebirth."

"It has been one full month of carnage, of incessant suffering, bloodshed, destruction, outrage and despair," Mr Turk said in the statement.

"Human rights violations are at the root of this escalation and human rights play a central role in finding a way out of this vortex of pain."