Israel said it was working to allow civilians to exit Gaza through a crossing with Egypt. The Israeli military struck the south of the Gaza Strip after ordering people to seek refuge there.
(Bloomberg) — Israel said it was working to allow civilians to exit Gaza through a crossing with Egypt. The Israeli military struck the south of the Gaza Strip after ordering people to seek refuge there.
An adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Hamas militants were to blame for closing their side of the border with Egypt where crucial humanitarian aid for Gaza is being held up. Egypt earlier said Israel was responsible for the crossing remaining shut.
US President Joe Biden is set to travel to Israel Wednesday as a show of solidarity after the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas, which is designated a terrorist organization by the US and European Union. Israel’s shekel and dollar bonds remained under pressure while globally bonds dropped as investors weighed the latest efforts to contain the war.
For more on the Israel-Hamas war, click here.
(All time stamps are Israeli time)
Biden to Attend Jordan Summit (2:20 p.m.)
Jordan’s King Abdullah will host a four-way summit in Amman on Wednesday with Biden, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to discuss the developments in Gaza, Jordan’s Royal Hashemite Court said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
King Abdullah warned German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Monday that thousands of innocent Palestinians are at risk if the war doesn’t end.
Bonds and Stocks Drift, Shekel Extends Slump (1:42 p.m.)
Stocks edged lower and bonds dropped as investors kept a close eye on diplomatic efforts to contain the Israel-Hamas war. Brent crude oil traded near $90 a barrel.
The dollar strengthened, while Israel’s shekel extended its decline after sliding past 4 against the greenback on Monday. Some of the region’s other asset classes are drawing back investors.
US Defense Forces Placed on Heightened Readiness (1:39 p.m.)
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin placed 2,000 personnel and a range of units on a heightened state of readiness in order to respond quickly to the evolving security situation in the Middle East, his department said in a statement.
No decision has been made to deploy any forces, it said.
Gaza’s Only Cancer Hospital Is Running Out of Fuel (11:44 a.m.)
The Turkish Friendship Hospital, Gaza’s only cancer hospital, said large parts of its services will stop due to fuel shortages and the rest will shut down within 48 hours, according to the Health Ministry there. Israel has blocked food and electricity supplies to Gaza.
Iran’s Khamenei Says ‘Resistance’ Unstoppable (11:29 a.m.)
“If these crimes continue, Muslims and resistance forces will become restless and no one can stop them,” Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said in a speech, referring to Israeli air strikes in Gaza that have killed civilians.
Iran’s foreign minister warned Monday the possible expansion of the war to multiple fronts was “approaching the inevitable stage.”
Read more: Understanding the Roots of the Israel-Hamas War: QuickTake
Israel Says Working to Allow Civilian Exit Through Rafah (11:28 a.m.)
Mark Regev, an adviser to Netanyahu, said Israel is working with international stakeholders to allow civilians to leave Gaza through the Rafah crossing that connects the territory with Egypt. He didn’t elaborate on whether all civilians would be allows out or only foreign nationals.
The opening of Rafah “was supposed to happen yesterday. We worked with relevant parties to make that happen yesterday. But unfortunately, Hamas prevented that from happening and they closed their side of the closing,” Regev told Bloomberg Radio.
Aid Trucks Held Up Near Egypt-Gaza Crossing (10:19 a.m.)
A convoy of humanitarian aid is still unable to enter Gaza, Khaled Zayed, chairman of the Red Crescent in Egypt’s North Sinai, told Al-Arabiya. The TV channel aired footage of dozens of trucks backed up near the Rafah border.
Mark Regev earler told Times Radio in the UK that the crossing will open to allow foreign nationals to leave, with Israel seeking guarantees incoming aid won’t be commandeered to support Hamas.
“It’s just a matter of crossing the Ts and dotting the Is,” Regev said. “We are working on this; if it was easy, it would have been done already.”
Biden and Iraqi Premier Talk Ways to Contain War (9:14 a.m.)
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani and the US president stressed the need for coordinated efforts to promote regional stability, the premier’s office said on X. The two leaders also emphasized the importance of containing the conflict.
“Israel’s continued aggression on Gaza is stirring the anger of the people in this region and the world,” Al-Sudani told Biden during the call, according to the state-run Iraq News Agency.
Israel Strikes in South Gaza, AP Says (8:50 a.m.)
Palestinians said there’d been heavy Israeli bombing in southern Gaza, the part of the besieged territory where Israel had told civilians to seek refuge, the Associated Press reported.
Israeli bombs struck sites west and southeast of Khan Younis and west of Rafah, the crossing to Egypt where thousands of people have massed to try and get out of Gaza, the agency said, citing local reports.
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