An Israeli strike on a refugee camp in Gaza overnight drew condemnation across the Middle East and comes ahead of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s trip to the region later this week.
The bombardment of the Jabaliya refugee camp killed and wounded hundreds of people, according to the Health Ministry in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip. The Israeli military said the refugee camp was used as a training center by Hamas, designated a terrorist group by the US, and said that the attack had killed dozens of militants.
Earlier, Hamas said some foreigners and injured Palestinians would be allowed to leave Gaza for Egypt for the first time since Israel began its ground invasion of the besieged territory.
For more on the Israel-Hamas war, click here.
(All time stamps are Israeli time)
US-Turkey Military Cooperation (9:20 a.m.)
US Air Forces B-1B Lancers have performed the first-ever hot-pit refueling at Incirlik Air Base in southern Turkey. The move, in which a plane is refueled while its engines are running, allows an aircraft to reduce time spent on the ground and get back in the air faster.
The drill confirms ongoing critical military cooperation between Turkey and the US even as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accuses Washington of fueling Israel’s war with Hamas militants by deploying US aircraft carrier battle groups in eastern Mediterranean. The US has said the deployments were aimed at deterring state and non-state actors from widening the conflict.
UN Says Ground Operation Is Largest to Date (9:00 a.m.)
The UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian affairs said Tuesday had witnessed the largest Israeli ground operation to date, primarily in northern Gaza and the outskirts of Gaza city, alongside intense bombardments. It recorded 216 Palestinians had been killed, citing Gaza Health Ministry figures. The total number of reported fatalities since the start of the hostilities is 8,525, of whom 67 per cent are children and women, the UN said.
Hamas Says Some Foreigners and Injured Palestinians Can Leave Gaza (5:12 a.m.)
About 81 wounded Palestinians are set to travel through the Rafah border crossing for treatment in Egyptian hospitals, officials at Gaza’s Hamas-run interior ministry said.
They also said some foreigners and dual nationals are expected to be allowed into Egypt. They published a list of people that could leave. It included workers from the International Committee of the Red Cross and nationals from Australia, Austria, Jordan and Indonesia. The list did not include US citizens.
Gaza Internet, Phone Services Cut Again, Provider Says (5:09 a.m.)
Internet and mobile services in the Gaza Strip were cut off amid Israel’s ground operations in the area, Paltel, the main telecom provider in the Palestinian territory, said.
Calls to mobile numbers via the other Gaza cellular operator, Ooredoo, didn’t go through as of Wednesday morning. The disruption marks at least the second time in the past week telecom services in Gaza have been cut off.
Biden, Jordan’s King Discuss Gaza (2:40 a.m.)
US President Joe Biden spoke with Jordan’s King Abdullah II and discussed developments in Gaza and their shared commitment to providing more humanitarian aid to Gaza civilians and ensuring the resumption of essential services, according to a readout from the White House.
Anger over the Israeli strikes has been rising in the region and the Jordanian leader said in late October: “The message the Arab world is hearing is loud and clear: Palestinian lives matter less than Israeli ones.”
Blinken Heads Back to Israel (12:30 a.m.)
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Israel and then “make other stops in the region,” according to a spokesperson. Blinken visited Israel twice in the days after the Oct. 7 assault by Hamas and went to other countries in the region for shuttle diplomacy.
Blinken spoke with Israeli President Isaac Herzog to reiterate “US support for Israel’s right to defend itself against terrorism,” his office said. They also spoke about increasing the volume of humanitarian aid entering Gaza.
Israeli Military Says Struck Gaza Refugee Camp (12 a.m.)
The Israeli military said the attack on the Jabaliya refugee camp had “eliminated many terrorists and destroyed terror infrastructure.”
Daniel Hagari, a spokesman for the armed forces, said the camp had been a Hamas stronghold and was a training center for the group’s Oct. 7th attacks on southern Israel.
The strike “caused the collapse of adjacent buildings” because of Hamas installations underground, Hagari said. Another military spokesman said dozens of militants had died.
