Israel will let Egypt deliver some aid to Gaza

KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel said Wednesday that it will allow Egypt to deliver limited quantities of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, the first crack in a 10-day siege on the territory.

A massive blast at a Gaza City hospital that killed hundreds the day before put immense strain on Gaza doctors treating the wounded as medical supplies ran out.

The announcement to allow water, food and other supplies came as rage over Tuesday night's blast at al-Ahli Hospital spread across the Middle East, and just as US President Joe Biden visited Israel in hopes of preventing a wider conflict in the region.

There were conflicting claims of who was responsible for the explosion. Hamas officials in Gaza quickly blamed an Israeli airstrike, saying nearly 500 were killed.

Israel denied it was involved and released a flurry of video, audio and other information that it said showed the blast was instead due to a rocket misfire by Islamic Jihad, another militant group operating in Gaza. Islamic Jihad dismissed that claim.

The Associated Press has not independently verified any of the claims or evidence released by the parties.

Israel shut off all supplies to Gaza soon after Hamas militants rampaged across communities in southern Israel on October 7. The al-Ahli carnage threw the siege's impact into sharp relief.

Hundreds of wounded were rushed to another hospital, nearly out of supplies and fuel for its generators, and doctors performed surgery on the floors, often without anaesthesia.

It was not clear when the aid would start flowing, or how much.

At Rafah crossing, Gaza's only connection to Egypt, truckloads of aid have been waiting for days to enter. But the facility has only a limited capacity. Egypt must still repair the road across the border that was cratered by Israeli airstrikes.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said the decision was approved after a request from Biden. It said Israel "will not thwart" deliveries of food, water or medicine from Egypt, as long as they are limited to civilians in the south of the Gaza Strip and don't go to Hamas militants. The statement made no mention of badly needed fuel.

Palestinian rocket attacks on Israel resumed shortly before Biden's arrival, after a 12-hour lull. Israeli strikes on Gaza continued Wednesday, including on cities in south Gaza that Israel had described as "safe zones" for Palestinian civilians.

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