The US military finished installing a floating dock for the Gaza Strip on Thursday to deliver much-needed humanitarian aid to the enclave besieged during seven months of intense fighting in the war between Israel and Hamas.
Israel has been stepping up its military operations in Rafah, a city along Gaza’s southern border with Egypt, and in northern Gaza, where Hamas has regrouped. Around 600,000 Palestinians have been expelled from Rafah since the beginning of last week, the UN said. In northern Gaza, Israeli evacuation orders have so far displaced at least 100,000 people.
About 80% of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million Palestinians have fled their homes since the start of the war, and many have moved multiple times.
No food has entered the two main border crossings in southern Gaza for more than a week. Around 1.1 million Palestinians are on the verge of famine, according to the UN, while a “full-blown famine” is occurring in the north of the territory.
Israel has portrayed Rafah as the last stronghold of Hamas, ignoring warnings from the United States and other allies that any major operation there would be catastrophic for civilians.
Seven months of war have killed more than 35,000 people in Gaza, most of them women and children, according to local health officials.
The war began on October 7 when Hamas attacked southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking about 250 hostages. Israel says militants are still holding about 100 hostages and the remains of more than 30 others.
At the moment:
— The U.S. military says the pier project in the Gaza Strip is complete and aid will arrive soon.
— The top UN court is holding hearings on the Israeli army’s incursion into Rafah.
— An Interior Department employee becomes the first Jewish Biden appointee to publicly resign over the war.
Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Gaza at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war
Here’s the latest:
WASHINGTON – The US military finished installing a floating dock for the Gaza Strip on Thursday.
Authorities said they are prepared to begin transporting much-needed humanitarian aid to the enclave besieged by seven months of intense fighting in the war between Israel and Hamas.
The final construction, which took place overnight, sets up a complicated delivery process more than two months after President Joe Biden ordered it to help Palestinians facing famine while food and other supplies fail to arrive.
Israel recently seized the key Rafah border crossing in its advance toward that southern city on the border with Egypt, complicating those shipments. US troops anchored the pier at 7:40 a.m. local time on Thursday. This is according to the army’s Central Command, which highlighted that none of its forces entered the Gaza Strip.
JERUSALEM – The Palestinian Health Ministry said Thursday that Israeli forces killed three Palestinians in the northern West Bank.
The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Ramallah-based ministry said the three men, all under the age of 30, were killed by Israeli fire overnight in the town of Tulkarem, although the circumstances of the shootings were uncertain.
Since October 7, violence has erupted in the occupied territory, and intensified Israeli raids on Palestinian cities and towns have often turned deadly. The shootings raised the Palestinian death toll in the territory since the start of the war in Gaza to just over 500.
Also overnight, Israeli police said they shot and killed a man who tried to stab an officer in east Jerusalem. Police said officers opened fire when the man attacked them with a knife, killing him. The officers were not injured and the identity of the attacker was not immediately clear.
Palestinians and human rights groups say Israel uses excessive force in trying to subdue the alleged attackers. Israel says its forces face complex and often life-threatening situations that demand a response.
Palestinian attacks have been increasing since the war against Hamas broke out on October 7.
TEL AVIV, Israel – The Israeli military said Thursday that five soldiers were killed in northern Gaza, which Israeli media said was the result of a friendly fire incident.
The military released the names of those killed but did not immediately reveal the circumstances of their deaths.
Israeli army radio said a tank fired on a building housing soldiers, killing five and wounding seven.
There have been multiple incidents of friendly fire throughout the seven months of war. According to military figures, at least 27 soldiers have been killed in mistaken shooting by Israeli forces.
The incident comes as Israel has re-invaded parts of northern Gaza over which it had previously said it had asserted control. In recent days there has been heavy fighting with militants and rocket fire towards Israel has increased, suggesting that Hamas is regrouping in those areas.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has faced criticism from Israel’s main ally the United States, as well as at home, for not moving toward a postwar vision for Gaza that would replace Hamas with a different Palestinian government.
Along with the fighting in northern Gaza, Israeli troops have also advanced toward parts of the city of Rafah on the southern edge of Gaza.
BEIRUT – The Israeli air force carried out airstrikes against mountains in northeastern Lebanon, near the border with Syria. There was no information about the victims.
Al-Manar TV of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah said the airstrikes that occurred around midnight on Wednesday hit the hills overlooking the city of Brital. He did not give more details.
The area that was attacked is a Hezbollah stronghold and is a vital route linking the group’s positions in eastern Lebanon with the Qalamoun Mountains in Syria, where Hezbollah also has a military presence.
The Israeli military said there were no injuries from the attack.
The Israeli strikes came hours after Hezbollah said it attacked an Israeli military base near the city of Tiberias with explosive drones, its deepest attack into Israel since the two sides began exchanging fire a day after the conflict broke out. between Israel and Hamas on October 7.
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