Israel Continues Airstrikes On Gaza After Promise Of Humanitarian Aid

Israeli airstrikes on Gaza continued a day after President Biden visited Tel Aviv and gave the country's leaders and people his firm support as the Jewish state grapples with the perilous realities of its war against Hamas militants. Tension in the region was still rising Thursday over Israel's relentless strikes on Gaza — and warring narratives over what happened at the Al Ahli hospital in Gaza City on Tuesday night, where Palestinian officials say an explosion killed hundreds of people.

U.S. and Israeli officials including Mr. Biden said Wednesday that evidence shows the explosion was caused by a rocket fired by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group that fell short of its target, but many in the region still blame the carnage on the Israeli military.

Protests have erupted across the Middle East in the wake of the deadly blast, including in Tunisia, Bahrain, Egypt, Lebanon, and Morocco. At demonstrations in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Palestinian officials said two teenagers were shot dead by Israeli forces. The Israeli military said it was looking into the report.

Mr. Biden backed Israel's right to quash Hamas, which has ruled the Gaza Strip for almost two decades, but he urged Israelis not to be consumed by rage, warning that wartime decisions made without careful consideration would lead to mistakes.

The U.S. leader secured a commitment from Israel to stop bombing the area around Egypt's Rafah border crossing with the Gaza Strip so desperately needed humanitarian aid can flow into the enclave for the first time since Israel imposed a complete blockade on Oct. 7.

But it remained unclear on Thursday when the border would open, and instead of aid, it was still Israeli missiles reaching Gaza's two million inhabitants. A residential building just yards from the Al Quds hospital in Gaza City was struck Wednesday, sending medical staff and civilians running for cover inside.

As of Thursday, health officials in Hamas-controlled Gaza say Israeli strikes have killed almost 3,800 people and wounded almost 12,500 others, a majority of them women and children. That number includes more than 470 said to have been killed in the hospital blast, which Israel denies causing.

In Israel, officials say Hamas' attack killed some 1,400 people and wounded 3,500 others. 

Leaders of Egypt, Jordan reiterate support for Gaza after bilateral talks

King Abdullah of Jordan and President Abdel Fattah El Sisi of Egypt reaffirmed their countries' "unified position in rejecting the policy of collective punishment" in the Gaza Strip after joint bilateral talks. 

The news release, which came from the Royal Hashemite Court of Jordan, criticized policies including "siege, starvation or displacement of people." 

It's been estimated that about one million people in Gaza have been displaced, and the Hamas-controlled territory has been under a total blockade as Israel launches airstrikes in response to Hamas' brutal terror attacks on Oct. 7. On Wednesday, Israel announced that it would not stop humanitarian aid from entering Gaza through Egypt, but there has not been any aid delivered yet. 

The two leaders also "expressed rejection of any attempt at the forced displacement" of Gaza residents into Jordan or Egypt, and "reiterated the call to immediately stop the war on Gaza, protect civilians, lift the siege, and deliver humanitarian aid to the people there." 

The leaders also condemned the blast at Al Ahli hospital, which they warned was a "dangerous escalation" in the war. Israel and Gaza have traded blame for the explosion, with Israel saying it was caused by a failed militant rocket. The United States has released some of its own intelligence findings supporting Israel's statements. 

President Biden was supposed to meet with Sisi, Abdullah and Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas in Jordan after a visit to Israel Wednesday, but the meeting was canceled following the hospital explosion. 

The leaders of Jordan and Egypt warned that "if the war does not stop and expands, it threatens to plunge the entire region into a catastrophe."