U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has arrived in Israel to press for more humanitarian aid to be allowed into besieged Gaza. Hezbollah, an ally of Hamas, has attacked Israeli military positions in northern Israel, raising fears of a regional conflict. Blinken is providing $130 million in additional aid to the Palestinians, including $40 million to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, and $15 million in aid to the Gaza Strip.
Posts tagged as “Gaza City”
Israeli forces are engaging in close combat battles with Hamas militants in Gaza City as part of a larger operation in the strip, with IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari reporting progress in their mission. Meanwhile, hundreds of Americans are set to depart Gaza and cross the border into Egypt, as the international community calls for a ceasefire to allow for humanitarian aid. The conflict in Gaza has been ongoing for more than a week and shows no signs of abating, with the IDF continuing to press forward in its mission.
At least dozens of people were killed and injured in the northern Gaza Strip on Wednesday after Israeli airstrikes targeted a refugee camp near Gaza City. Images obtained by Agence France-Presse showed major damage and destruction at the camp, with videos of wounded people, including children, being brought to a nearby hospital. The United Nations has expressed concern over the airstrikes and the potential evacuation of the Rafah crossing, calling for an immediate end to the violence and for the protection of civilians.
Dozens of people have been killed in airstrikes on the Jabaliya refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, where Israel says it targeted Hamas. The Rafah border crossing to Egypt opened on Wednesday, allowing hundreds of foreign passport holders and the wounded to leave the war-torn territory. Four hostages were released by Hamas, but no one else has been allowed to leave the embattled enclave. The international community is calling for an immediate ceasefire and for both sides to come to the negotiating table, but the situation in Gaza remains dire with no end to the violence in sight.
Hamas' attack on Israel has been ongoing for three weeks, with both sides showing no signs of backing down. Israeli forces have responded with airstrikes, resulting in over 7,000 Palestinian deaths, while former U.S. intelligence and military officers believe the attack was primarily aimed at disrupting negotiations with Saudi Arabia and the U.S.
At Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City, medical staff are struggling to treat the hundreds of injured arriving everyday with limited supplies. Israeli warplanes have recently struck targets across Gaza, including in areas where civilians have been told to seek refuge. The situation is so dire that even water is not available, and medical staff are doing their best to help without the most basic equipment.
The U.S. has determined that a deadly blast at al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City was most likely caused by a misfired rocket from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Egypt has allowed limited humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, but it is unclear if it will be enough to prevent further casualties. Joe Biden is visiting Israel in hopes of preventing a wider conflict in the Middle East.
President Joe Biden has arrived in Tel Aviv to demonstrate U.S. solidarity with Israel ahead of an expected ground assault against Hamas. During a meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Biden expressed sadness and outrage over a deadly blast at a hospital in Gaza City, suggesting Palestinian militants were behind it. Biden is expected to meet with Israeli and Palestinian leaders during his trip, and his visit is seen as an effort to show U.S. support for Israel and to prevent the war from escalating.