Democrats grew more divided on Israeli-Palestinian conflict, new Ipsos poll shows
56% of respondents who identified themselves as Democrats said they were less likely to support a candidate who backs military assistance for Israel, a new Reuters/Ipsos poll found.
The three-day poll, which closed yesterday, showed that a minority — 40% of Democrats — said they are more likely to support such a candidate.
As the death toll in the enclave climbs and tensions escalate in the Middle East, President Joe Biden’s support for Israel’s war with Hamas — including arms shipments to Israel — has angered some members of his party, whose support will be crucial ahead of the November presidential election.
The poll results also showed that Biden and former President Donald Trump, the likley Republican candidate, would be tied in a hypothetical election. 36% of respondents each favored Biden and Trump, with the rest saying they are unsure who to vote for, or if they would vote at all.
Medical staff at the neonatal department at Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahiya told an NBC News crew that there were seeing unprecedented numbers of Palestinian children suffering from malnutrition, hunger and dehydration. For every child discharged, two will take its place, they said.
Hakim Ahmed Elkahlout, the department's head nurse, showed the crew a frail baby girl who was admitted two days ago, lying limply in a hospital bed. "She needs specialized care and specialized nutrition," he said.
Some days ago, four malnourished children died at the hospital, staff said.
U.S. considering airdropping aid into Gaza, official says
The Biden administration is considering airdropping aid into Gaza, a U.S. official has told NBC News, given the dire need for humanitarian assistance and the slower pace of land deliveries into the Palestinian enclave.
This comes as the White House is growing increasingly concerned about a possible famine for a sizeable portion of Gaza’s population.
Axios was first to report the news.
Reports of more children dying in northern Gaza are ‘horrendous,' UNRWA says
Reports that at least six more children in northern Gaza have died of dehydration and malnutrition are “horrendous,” the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees said on X today.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency also called for “unimpeded access” across the enclave and an immediate cease-fire.
A camp for displaced civilians in Rafah
A man passes a barbed wire fence outside a camp for displaced civilians in Rafah, southern Gaza, yesterday.
Israel says its troops fired on a crowd of Gazans waiting for aid
Israel said that its troops opened fire on a crowd of people waiting for humanitarian aid this morning in Gaza City in the north of the enclave, responding to reports from officials in Gaza that dozens of people were killed in an Israeli attack.
"Early this morning, during the entry of humanitarian aid trucks into the northern Gaza Strip, Gazan residents surrounded the trucks, and looted the supplies being delivered. During the incident, dozens of Gazans were injured as a result of pushing and trampling," an IDF spokesperson said in a statement. "The incident is under review."
An Israeli government source said that "several people who surrounded the humanitarian aid trucks approached IDF troops securing the passage of trucks as part of a humanitarian operation to transfer aid."
"The crowd approached the forces in a manner that posed a threat to the troops, who responded to the threat with live fire. The incident is under review," the source added.
Israel-Hamas war has now killed at least 30,000 people in Gaza, most of them civilians
The Israel-Hamas war in Gaza has now killed at least 30,000 people, the Palestinian Health Ministry announced today, a swelling death toll that has already drawn condemnation internationally, isolated Israel and prompted dismay from its traditional friends and allies.
Though the United States says a cease-fire may be near, the military campaign looks far from over. Some 70% of the dead are women and children, according to figures published by the Palestinian Health Ministry.
American and U.N. officials say the death toll given by Palestinian officials is at least accurate and perhaps an undercount. Aid workers on the ground say that thousands more people could still be trapped under the rubble. In addition, some 70,000 people have been wounded, and 1.7 million — or 80% of the population — has been displaced, according to Gazan health officials and U.N. estimates.
Attack on Palestinians waiting for aid in Gaza kills dozens, Health Ministry says
An attack on a crowd of Palestinians waiting for aid in Gaza City has killed and wounded dozens of people, according to local officials.
At least 70 people were killed by an Israeli strike while waiting for humanitarian aid, Dr. Ashraf Al-Qudra, a spokesperson for the enclave’s Health Ministry, said in a statement this morning.
More than 280 people were injured, Al-Qudra said, adding that the injuries, ranged from critical to serious. He added that many had been taken to Al-Shifa, Gaza's largest medical facility which was raided by Israeli forces earlier this year.
The Israeli military said it was looking into the reports.
The incident comes after food aid entered northern Gaza yesterday for the first time in weeks, as the U.N. and aid agencies warn of mass starvation.
Canada says it’s working to airdrop aid to the Gaza Strip as soon as possible
OTTAWA, Ontario — Canada is working to airdrop humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip as soon as possible, a Cabinet minister said yesterday.
The confirmation that an active effort is underway comes after Canadian International Development Minister Ahmed Hussen said Ottawa was exploring new options to deliver aid.
He said the provision of airdrops in partnership with like-minded countries in the region, such as Jordan, was on the table.
Hussen said last week that the provision of aid is nowhere near what’s needed and a tedious inspection process was slowing down the movement of supplies brought in by truck.
He made the comments following a trip to the Rafah border crossing, the only way in or out of the Gaza Strip since the Israel-Hamas war began in October.
Canada has put 100 million Canadian dollars ($74 million) toward aid for the besieged territory since the start of the conflict, including 40 million Canadian dollars ($30 million) committed in January.
An IDF soldier fires from a position inside Gaza
An image released by the Israeli military today shows a soldier firing a missile at an undisclosed location during ongoing operations in the Gaza Strip.