Israeli warplanes are striking targets across Gaza as the US advised Israel that a delay in its expected ground offensive in the besieged Hamas-ruled territory would allow more time to negotiate the release of hostages. Fears of a widening war have grown as Israel struck targets in the West Bank, Syria, and Lebanon and traded fire with Lebanon's Hezbollah terrorist group.
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Two aid convoys arrived in the Gaza Strip over the weekend through the Rafah crossing from Egypt. Israel said the trucks carried food, water, and medical supplies. Israel has not allowed fuel, which is critically needed for water and sanitation systems and hospitals.
The war, on its 17th day Monday, is the deadliest of five Gaza wars for both sides. The Hamas-run Health Ministry said Monday that at least 5,087 Palestinians have been killed and 15,270 wounded.
More than 1,400 people in Israel have been killed, mostly civilians who died in the initial Hamas rampage into southern Israel. In addition, 222 people including foreigners were believed captured by Hamas during the incursion and taken into Gaza, Israel's military has said. Two of those have been released.
A third small aid convoy from Egypt has entered Gaza, where the population of 2.3 million has been running out of food, water, and medicine under Israel's two-week seal.
The British government says it has concluded that a devastating explosion at a hospital in Gaza was likely caused by a misfired missile from within Palestinian territory, rather than an Israeli strike.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told lawmakers in the House of Commons that based on an intelligence assessment, "the British government judges that the explosion was likely caused by a missile, or part of one, that was launched from within Gaza towards Israel." The conclusion tallies with assessments by US and French officials about the cause of the explosion at the al-Ahli hospital on Tuesday.
Officials in Hamas-ruled Gaza have blamed it on an Israeli airstrike and said the blast killed almost 500 people. A US intelligence report estimated that somewhere between 100 and 300 Palestinians were likely killed.
Video: 'It's a massacre' - Israeli kibbutz highlights destruction of Hamas attack / Credit: Reuters
An analysis by The Associated Press of videos, satellite imagery, and photos found the explosion was most likely caused when part of a rocket fired from within Palestinian territory crashed to the ground.
Sunak told British lawmakers that the UK stood by Israel in its war against Hamas but would also work to ensure that "a constant stream of aid" reached civilians "suffering terribly" in Gaza. He announced 20 million pounds ($24 million) in UK humanitarian aid for Gaza.
The US has advised Israel that a delay in its possible ground offensive in Gaza would allow more time for the US to work with its regional partners to release more hostages seized by Hamas, according to a US official familiar with the Biden administration's thinking on the matter. The official, who requested anonymity to discuss the private discussions, said it was unclear how much the argument would "move the needle" on Israeli thinking.
The official noted that Qatar's help in mediating with Hamas was able to win the release of two captives, Judith and Natalie Raanan. The process that led to their release – just two of the more than the 222 people believed taken hostage in Israel in the Oct. 7 attacks – started soon after the Hamas operation. The official said arranging for the release of the Raanans "took longer to come together than folks really realize."
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