Israel-Hamas war: Nearly 100 Britons on approved list to cross border to Egypt as Israel ‘surrounds Gaza City’
Nearly 100 Britons are listed among foreigners and Palestinians who will be allowed to leave Gaza and cross into Egypt on Friday.
The Palestinian Border Authority published a list that includes 92 British nationals among 127 names.
Two Irish dependants, one Moroccan, 31 Palestinians and one Palestinian dependant are also set to leave.
Israel-Gaza latest – live updates
Some Palestinians with foreign passports are being allowed into Egypt. Pic: AP
Egypt has said it will not accept an influx of Palestinian refugees in case Israel stops them returning after the war.
However, in the last few days, Palestinians with foreign passports have been allowed over Gaza‘s southern border at the Rafah crossing.
Some 342 Palestinians with foreign papers and 42 others crossed on Thursday, said the Palestinian Border Authority.
It followed around 400 on Wednesday – when an unspecified number of British nationals were also allowed over for the first time.
The crossings come as Israel continues attacks as it aims to destroy Hamas after last month’s terror attack.
Troops completely encircled Gaza City on Thursday, said the country’s military, as it steps up ground operations after weeks of aerial attacks.
Chief of staff Herzi Halevy said troops were fighting “face-to-face” battles in “built-up, dense, complex areas”.
He said they were inflicting heavy losses on Hamas and destroying its infrastructure.
This photo from the Israeli military shows ground operations inside the Gaza Strip. Pic: AP
Pic: AP
On Thursday, planes dropped leaflets telling people to evacuate the Shati refugee camp, near Gaza City’s centre.
“Time is up,” they read, warning that strikes “with crushing force” against Hamas were imminent.
Casualties are expected to rise as the fighting gets further into the densely packed streets of Gaza City
At least 20 people were also killed on Thursday when a school-turned-shelter was damaged in the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza, according to the United Nations.
It said four of its shelters had been hit in the last 24 hours.
A Palestinian man reacts after being rescued from rubble in Bureij refugee camp. Pic: AP
Fifteen people are said to have died after strikes hit the Bureij area
Fifteen also died after an airstrike hit a residential building in the the Bureij refugee camp a few miles south of Gaza City, a civil defence spokesperson said.
It happened in the southern zone where Israel has told people to flee – but which has been repeatedly hit.
Israel says it takes great care to avoid civilian casualties but that Hamas deliberately embeds itself among the population.
More than 9,000 Palestinians have now died in less than a month – with 32,000 wounded, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
‘At least 20 killed’ after school-turned-shelter damaged
The offensive was launched after Hamas murdered more than 1,400 Israelis and kidnapped more than 200 in its cross-border attack 7 October.
US secretary of state Antony Blinken is heading back to the region on Friday to try to push President Biden’s suggestion of a humanitarian pause.
He will hold talks in Israel and Jordan but faces a hard time convincing Benjamin Netanyahu to stand down his forces.
The Israeli prime minister has not responded directly to Mr Biden’s idea but previously dismissed calls for a ceasefire.
Speaking on Thursday, he insisted: “We are advancing… Nothing will stop us.”
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Blinken: ‘How Israel does this matters’
The hope behind a pause is to let more foreign nationals to leave while also allowing more aid trucks to enter.
Gaza’s 2.3 million people are facing crippling shortages of food and water, while hospitals are on the verge of collapse and without critical supplies.
Despite strong support among Western governments for Israel’s right to hit back at Hamas, there is growing unease at the number of deaths – with key questions including whether the counterattacks are proportionate.
Read more:
British surgeon out ‘at last’ after being trapped in Gaza
Analysis – How many people have died in Gaza?
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Rocket strike hits northern Israel
A man mourns Israeli medic staff sergeant Shay Arvas, killed in northern Gaza
On Thursday night, Israel’s military spokesman Brigadier General Daniel Hagari reiterated its mission was only to wipe out Hamas.
“I want to make something very clear,” he said in a recorded video.
“Israel is at war with Hamas. Israel is not at war with the civilians in Gaza.”
Twenty one Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza since the start of the ground offensive.
Meanwhile, continued rocket fire from Gaza and skirmishes with Lebanon’s Hezbollah militants have forced an estimated 250,000 Israelis to evacuate border towns in the north and disrupted life for millions.
World
Controversial aid distributer claims Hamas has carried out deadly attack on bus carrying Palestinians
The controversial US and Israeli-backed aid distributor in Gaza has accused Hamas of a deadly attack on a bus carrying Palestinians working with the organisation.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) has said at least five aid workers were killed and it fears some team members “may have been taken hostage”.
The aid organisation also said multiple people were injured in the alleged attack.
In a statement, the GHF has said the bus was carrying more than two dozen people working with the organisation when it was targeted at 10pm Gaza time (8pm UK time) on Wednesday.
The GHF said those in the bus were “local Palestinians” working with the organisation to “deliver critical aid”.
“At the time of the attack, our team was en route to one of our distribution centres in the area west of Khan Younis”, the GHF added.
It continued in its statement: “We are still gathering facts, but what we know is devastating: there are at least five fatalities, multiple injuries, and fear that some of our team members may have been taken hostage.
“We condemn this heinous and deliberate attack in the strongest possible terms. These were aid workers.”
The GHF also said in its statement that Hamas has in recent days been threatening members of the organisation, including aid workers, and civilians who have been receiving the aid.
The organisation said it holds Hamas fully responsible for “taking the lives of our dedicated workers who have been distributing humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people at the foundation’s sites in central and southern Gaza”.
“Tonight, the world must see this for what it is: an attack on humanity. We call on the international community to immediately condemn Hamas for this unprovoked attack and continued threat against our people simply trying to feed the Palestinian people,” the GHF said.
“We will release additional information once it becomes available. Despite this heinous attack, we will continue our mission to provide critical aid to the people of Gaza.”
Read more:
How the Israeli-backed aid plan in Gaza is unravelling
Two Israeli ministers who have been sanctioned by the UK?
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
From 10 June: The deadly road to Gaza aid point
The alleged attack came hours after health officials in Gaza said at least 25 Palestinians were killed by Israeli gunfire at a GHF site close to the former settlement of Netzarim, near Gaza City.
Medical officials at Shifa and al Quds hospitals say the people were killed as they approached the site.
Gaza’s health ministry said earlier this week that around 160 people have been killed in shootings near aid sites run by the GHF since they began distributing aid on 26 May.
However, the GHF has said there has been no violence in or around the distribution centres themselves.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
From 3 June: Shots fired as aid distributed in Gaza
Why is the aid system controversial?
Israel and the US have said the GHF system is aimed at preventing Hamas from siphoning off assistance.
Israel has not provided any evidence of systematic diversion, and the UN denies it has occurred.
The foundation’s distribution of aid has been marred by chaos, and multiple witnesses have said Israeli troops fired on crowds near the delivery sites.
Listen to The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim every Wednesday
UN agencies and major aid groups have refused to work with the new system, saying it violates humanitarian principles because it allows Israel to control who receives aid and forces people to relocate to distribution sites, risking yet more mass displacement in the territory.
Jake Wood, a former US marine, resigned as head of the GHF in May before it began distributing aid in Gaza over concerns about is independence.
Mr Wood said the foundation cannot adhere to the “humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence, which I will not abandon”.
As the first light breaks across a quiet beach near Dunkirk, a human tide begins to move.
Dozens of migrants, many with children, rush across the sand toward the water’s edge.
French police are present, but they do not intervene.
For many of these men, women, and children, this moment marks the final chapter of a journey that began months ago, fleeing war, persecution, and economic collapse in countries as far afield as Iran, Eritrea, and Sudan.
Now, they face the potentially deadly crossing to the UK in a flimsy inflatable boat.
We watched as one vessel emerged from an inland waterway already crowded with people.
The vessel is soon dangerously overloaded.
Floating haphazardly, a baby is yanked onto the boat, as they yell out for more people to climb aboard.
Despite the dinghy taking on water – scooped out with a shoe – the crossing continues.
On the shore, police officers stood by, watching.
When I asked why no attempt was made to intervene, one officer said: “It’s for their safety.
“There are children there. We’re not going to throw grenades at them. It’s inhumane. But it’s sad.”
French police protocol, along with international law, makes such interventions legally and morally complex once boats are afloat – especially when families are involved.
Despite millions spent by the UK government to curb these crossings, the numbers continue to rise.
As of the latest count, almost 15,000 people have already made the perilous journey across the Channel this year. Many more are expected this summer as the weather window widens.
In the makeshift camps near Dunkirk, migrants wait their turn for the smugglers to signal that conditions are right.
Ali Reza told us he fled Iran after converting to Christianity. He dreams of reaching Britain, where he hopes to claim asylum.
He said: “Britain is good and accepts refugees. It has good behaviour for refugees.
“I think I’ll get a good welcome. Many Iranian people go to Britain. There’s good behaviour.”
Read more from Sky News:
Spending review: The key announcements
Three-day thunderstorm warning issued for parts of the UK
Listen to The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim every Wednesday
Back on the beach, not everyone manages to get aboard. The boat taxi service is in high demand.
Among the group, a woman from Eritrea spoke with me briefly.
Although she missed today’s crossing, she vowed to try again later in the week.
At least 25 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli gunfire at a US-backed humanitarian aid site in Gaza, according to health officials.
Medical officials at Shifa and al Quds hospitals say the people were killed as they approached the site – operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).
Dozens more were injured at the scene close to the former settlement of Netzarim, near Gaza City, medical officials from the Hamas-run territory added.
It comes just a day after Gaza health officials said 17 people were killed close to another GHF site in Rafah, southern Gaza.
Health officials said at least another six people were killed by Israeli gunfire as they approached a GHF site in Rafah on Wednesday.
Ten other people were also killed on Wednesday by Israeli strikes in Khan Younis, in southern Gaza, according to officials.
The Israeli military said its forces fired warning shots towards suspects who were advancing and which it claimed posed a threat to the troops in the area of Netzarim.
“This is despite warnings that the area is an active combat zone. The IDF is aware of reports regarding individuals injured. The details are under review,” it added.
Listen to The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim every Wednesday
A total of 163 people have been killed and more than 1,000 wounded trying to reach the handful of aid sites operated by the GHF since it began work two weeks ago after a three-month blockade, according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry.
It comes as the US ambassador to Israel said he does not think an independent Palestinian state remains a foreign policy for the Trump administration.
Mike Huckabee’s comments to Bloomberg News prompted the White House to say he spoke for himself.
When asked if a Palestinian state remains a US goal, Mr Huckabee said: “I don’t think so.”
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
The deadly road to reach aid in Gaza
Read more:
‘Dozens killed’ near food distribution centre in Gaza
UK government sanctions Israeli ministers for ‘inciting violence’
Asked about Mr Huckabee’s comments, the White House referred to remarks earlier this year by Donald Trump when he pledged an American takeover of Gaza – a proposal which was condemned globally.
Rights groups, Arab states, Palestinians and the UN said such a move amounted to “ethnic cleansing”.
-
Sports3 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports1 year agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports2 years agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Sports2 years agoButton battles heat exhaustion in NASCAR debut