Diplomatic efforts to get aid into the neighborhood under intense Israeli bombing will lead to the reopening of an Egyptian-controlled border crossing into Gaza.
After the assault on towns and villages, Israel is bombarding Gaza more than ever, blocking it, and planning a ground invasion.
The Sinai Peninsula in Egypt has been holding hundreds of tons of aid from multiple countries for days, awaiting an agreement to ensure its safe delivery to Gaza.
The U.S. is increasing its firepower in the Middle East to stop the conflict between Israel and Hamas and to deter Iran as international fears of a wider regional war grow. A second U.S. aircraft carrier will join the world’s largest and newest in the eastern Mediterranean in 10 days.
Inaction against Palestinians would lead to escalation, Iran warned. Its foreign minister said other regional parties were ready to act.
As a result of Israeli warnings, tens of thousands of Palestinians have fled Gaza City for the south of the enclave. People are frantic for a safe place, but Hamas has warned not to leave their homes, claiming dozens were killed in strikes on refugee cars and trucks. Hamas denies Israel’s claim that it’s keeping people from leaving to use them as shields.
Gaza health officials keep Palestinians killed by Israeli air strikes in ice-cream freezer vehicles as hospitals are too hazardous and cemeteries are full. Generator fuel is running out quickly in hospitals, endangering patients.
According to the Israeli military, forensic teams that examined the bodies of those killed in the Hamas attack found numerous signs of rape, torture, and other atrocities.
Senior State Department officials said Blinken will return to Israel on Monday, broadening his Middle East shuttle diplomacy. Six Arab countries have followed his Thursday arrival in Israel.
U.S. senators will visit the Middle East to encourage Israel and Saudi Arabia to resume normalization talks.
