Five trucks of medical supplies are waiting at the border crossing between Egypt and Gaza, ready to enter the besieged Palestinian enclave, the World Health Organization said on Thursday. Israel has said it will not block the entry of 20 trucks with food, water and medical aid, but not fuel supplies. Aid agencies are warning that far more humanitarian supplies are needed for Gaza’s 2.3 million population after more than a week of Israeli bombardment. All times are Paris time (GMT+2).
The latest news in brief:
- Thousands of tonnes of aid bound for Gaza remained on the Egyptian side of the border on Thursday after US President Joe Biden announced a deal with Egypt and Israel to allow limited humanitarian relief into the besieged enclave. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi agreed to "let up to 20 trucks through to begin with" to the heavily bombarded Gaza Strip starting Friday, giving authorities time to repair roads.
- British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Thursday became the latest Western leader to carry out a solidarity visit with Israel and to meet with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu after the October 7 attack by Hamas.
- The death toll in Gaza has risen to 3,785 since the Israeli bombardment began, the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry announced Thursday.
- More than 1,400 people were killed in Israel during the October 7 Hamas attack, and more than 200 others were taken hostage. The Israeli army said Thursday that it had notified the families of 203 captives.
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