The Israeli military said Thursday that two soldiers were killed in a car-ramming attack in the occupied West Bank. Violence in the West Bank has surged throughout the war in Gaza as Israel raids Palestinian towns in the territory to crack down on militancy, with incursions resulting in the deaths of more than 500 Palestinians.
In the Gaza Strip, Palestinians in the border city of Rafah reported heavy fighting Wednesday, and Israel’s military said it seized control of the entire length of Gaza’s border with Egypt.
Fighting in Rafah has already spurred more than 1 million Palestinians to flee, most of whom had already been displaced in the war between Israel and Hamas. They now seek refuge in makeshift tent camps and other war-ravaged areas, where they lack shelter, food, water and other essentials for survival, the United Nations says. Chinese President Xi Jinping promised more humanitarian aid for people in Gaza as he opened a summit with leaders of Arab states Thursday in Beijing.
Israeli bombardments and ground offensives in Gaza have killed more than 36,000 Palestinians, according to the Health Ministry, which doesn’t distinguish between combatants and civilians.
Israel launched its war in Gaza after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack in which militants stormed into southern Israel, killed some 1,200 people — mostly civilians — and abducted about 250. Israel says around 100 hostages are still captive in Gaza, along with the bodies of around 30 more.
Currently:
— China leader Xi Jinping pledges more Gaza aid at a summit with Arab leaders.
— A ship attacked by Yemen’s Houthi rebels was full of grain bound for Iran, the group’s main benefactor.
— A string of problems battered the plan to deliver desperately needed humanitarian aid to Gaza through a U.S. military-built pier.
— Israel says it’s taken control of a key area of Gaza’s border with Egypt that’s awash in smuggling tunnels.
Follow news agencies’s coverage of the war in Gaza at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war.
Here’s the latest:
TEL AVIV, Israel — The Israeli military said Thursday that it was reviewing an incident that killed two workers with the Palestinian Red Crescent in the Gaza city of Rafah.
The Gaza Health Ministry said the two medics were killed Wednesday when the ambulance they were traveling in to evacuate casualties came under Israeli fire.
The Israeli military said a “suspicious vehicle” approached soldiers, posing “a threat” to the forces. A tank then fired at the vehicle, the military said in a statement. The statement did not specify whether the vehicle was an ambulance.
The area of Rafah, where Israel is deepening its offensive, has seen intensifying fighting in recent days that has killed dozens of Palestinians.
