Second humanitarian aid convoy set to enter Gaza via Rafah crossing, say sources
The Israeli military has vowed to intensify its attacks on the Gaza Strip after the enclave’s health ministry said 266 Palestinians had been killed by Israeli air strikes in the past 24 hours.
Israeli Defence Forces spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, said the country planned to step up its airstrikes starting Saturday as they prepare for an imminent ground invasion of the territory.
“We will deepen our attacks to minimize the dangers to our forces in the next stages of the war. We are going to increase the attacks, from today,” Hagari said.
It comes as Gaza’s Health Ministry said 266 Palestinians, including 117 children, had been killed by Israeli air strikes over the past day in the enclave, to which Israel laid “total siege” after a deadly mass infiltration into Israel by Hamas gunmen on 7 October.
Meanwhile, a second humanitarian aid convoy of around 19 trucks is set to enter Gaza via the Rafah crossing, security and humanitarian sources have said. On Saturday, the 20 trucks that arrived in the Strip were the first allowed into the territory since Israel sealed it off.
But the UN humanitarian office said the volume of aid entering so far was just 4 per cent of the daily average before the hostilities and a fraction of what was needed with food, water, medicines and fuel stocks running out.
Israel vows to intensify attacks as ‘266 Palestinians killed’
Gaza’s Health Ministry said 266 Palestinians, including 117 children, had been killed by Israeli air strikes in the past 24 hours in the enclave, to which Israel laid “total siege” after a deadly mass infiltration into Israel by Hamas gunmen on 7 October.
Israeli Defence Forces spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, said the country planned to step up its airstrikes starting Saturday as they prepare for an imminent ground invasion of the territory.
“We will deepen our attacks to minimize the dangers to our forces in the next stages of the war. We are going to increase the attacks, from today,” Hagari said.
Gaza’s Health Ministry said on Sunday that Israel’s air and missile strikes in retaliation had killed at least 4,741 and wounded 15,898, with over a million of the tiny, densely populated enclave’s 2.3 million people displaced.
Second convoy of aid includes water, food and medical supplies, says Israel
Israeli authorities have said they had allowed a second batch of aid into Gaza at the request of the United States.
Cogat, the Israeli defense body responsible for Palestinian civilian affairs, said the aid included water, food and medical supplies and that everything was inspected by Israel before it was brought into Gaza.
UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, confirmed the arrival of 14 trucks.
A second convoy of UN aid trucks has now entered Gaza from Egypt.
The arrival of 14 trucks comes after 20 trucks were allowed to enter on Saturday.
The UN’s humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths called it “another glimmer of hope” but warned that the millions of people of Gaza “need much, much more”.
At least three killed in Israeli airstrike on Jabalia refugee camp
At least three Palestinians were killed on Sunday night and several others were wounded in an Israeli air strike in Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza strip, medics and witnesses have told Reuters.
The camp, situated a few miles north of Gaza City, is no stranger to strikes, with Amnesty International stating that at least 69 people were killed on 9 October when Israeli air strikes hit a market there.
Israel strikes on Gaza intensify as WHO warns 130 premature babies at ‘grave risk’ as fuel runs out
Israel has launched its heaviest air strikes yet on Gaza yet as the World Health Organisation warned 130 premature babies and 1000 kidney patients in Gaza, were at “grave risk” as fuel needed to power dialysis and incubators runs out.
Israeli’s military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari warned that it planned to “intensify” its strikes on Gaza to “minimise the risk to troops in the next stages of the war” that is widely anticipated to be a ground invasion.
Cross border fire with militant groups in Lebanon have also increased and Israel has struck two airports in Syria, as the two-week war with Hamas threatened to spiral into a broader region-wide conflict.
Residents of Gaza told The Independent the air raids had never been so heavy, as supplies were running out.
Residents of Gaza told The Independent that air raids had never been so heavy and supplies are running out
Michael Gove says Jewish community ‘must be protected’ at rally in London
Michael Gove has told a rally in central London that the Jewish community in England “must be protected”, reports my colleague Francesca Casonato.
“Israel must stand strong and Britain stands with Israel”, Mr Gove reiterated on the stage of a rally organised by The Jewish Leadership Council to ask for the release of the Israelis kidnapped by Hamas.
Dutch PM to meet with Netanyahu and Abbas
Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte’s office has said he will travel to Israel for talks on Monday with prime minister Benjamin Netanyhu and Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas.
Second arrest made over ‘abuse shouted’ at Israeli hostages vigil
A second person has been arrested on suspicion of a public order offence after allegedly shouting abuse towards those taking part in a vigil for Hamas hostages, the Metropolitan Police has said.
Israeli soldier killed during raid into Gaza Strip, IDF says
An Israeli soldier was killed by an anti-tank missile on Sunday during a raid into the Gaza Strip, the Israeli military said.
Israeli troops have been conducting raids across the border, which the military says are meant to clear the area and gather intelligence about missing people and captives being held by militant group Hamas in the enclave.
“An IDF soldier was killed, one was moderately injured, and two were lightly injured as a result of an anti-tank missile launched toward an IDF tank and an engineering vehicle,” the Israeli military said.
British-born man tells of sister-in-law’s killing in Hamas attack
A British-born man has told of discovering his sister-in-law had been killed in the Hamas attack on Israel as he and his wife hid from the militants in their home.
David, a teacher who was born and grew up in Leeds, said he was woken up at 6.30am on 7 October to the sound of rocket strikes and “shooting from all sides” in his kibbutz.
Speaking at a rally in central London, his voice broke as he told of receiving two phone calls from his eldest son and his daughter who were both also under attack in Israel with their families.
He said he expressed his concern to his wife about her sister Naomi, who usually goes for a run on Shabbat morning.
The pair sheltered in their bomb-proof room for hours and when they emerged the following afternoon news filtered through that Naomi had been killed, he said. “She went for a run and was shot in the back and head from zero range.”
When he and his wife finally managed to escape their kibbutz, he said: “I got to the gate of the kibbutz, and there were bodies everywhere and cars riddled with bullets. I said to my wife, ‘Don’t look.’ But how could you not look? There’s nowhere, no place you can’t look. Death everywhere.”
Appealing to the British government, he said: “Bring back our families, our children.”
