The Indian Express (Delhi Edition)
Get ready for gaza ground assault: Israel to troops
Whoever sees gaza from a far, will see it from inside: Defence minister gallant
U.S. GENERAL MEETS PRESIDENT EL-SISI on how to send aid to Gaza via Rafah crossing ROAD REPAIRING MACHINERY ENTERS STRIP as aid shipments are stockpiled in Sinai Peninsula GAZA AUTHORITIES SAY BAKERIES SHELLED while Palestinians stood in queues to get bread
ISRAELI AIR STRIKES POUNDED LOcations across the Gaza Strip on Thursday, including parts of the south that israel told palestinians to take refuge, heightening fears among more than 2 million Palestinians trapped in the territory that nowhere was safe. Israel’s defence minister told groundtroops to beready toenter Gaza, though he didn’t say when the invasion will start.
Meeting with Israeli infantry soldiers on gaza border thursday, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant urged the forces to“get organized, be ready” for an order to move in. Israel has massed tens of thousands of troops along the border.
“Whoever sees Gaza from afar now, will see it from the inside,” he said. “I promise you.”
Israel’ s consent for egypt to let in food, water and medicine provided the first possibility for opening in its sealing off of the territory. Many among Gaza’s 2.3 million residents are down to one meal a day and drinking dirty water.
Israel did not list fuel as a permitted item, but a senior egyptian security official said Egypt was negotiating for the entry of fuel for hospitals. The official spoke on anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the press.
The Gaza Health Ministry pleaded with gas stations to give whatever fuel they had left to hospitals. UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, gave some remaining fuel stores to hospitals, according to spokesperson.
Machinery to repair roads has been sent through the raf ah border crossing from Egypt into the Gaza Strip in preparation for the delivery of some of aid stockpiled in egypt' s sinai peninsula, two security sources said on Thursday.
The United States and Egypt have been pushing for a deal with Israel to get aid delivered to gaza, White House said Wednesday that it had been agreed for up to 20 trucks to pass through, with hopes for more trucks later.
More than 100 trucks were waiting close to the crossing on the Egyptian side on Thursday, though it was not expected that aid would enter before Friday, Egyptian security sources said.
More aid is being held in the Egyptian city of Al Arish, about 45 km from Rafah.
The top us general over seeing American troops in the Middle East made an unannounced trip to Egypt for talks on Thursday with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-sisi that focused on the Israel-ham as war and how to get aid to the gaza strip.
A statement from sis i' s office said the talks with US Army General Michael “Erik” Kurilla, head of US Central Command, included in particular“the development sin the Gaza Strip ”.
Meanwhile, Israel has bombed and targeted areas with bakeries in gaza over course of the war while dozens of Palestinians were lining up to buy bread, causing high numbers of dead and wounded, Salammarouf, headof the Ham as-controlled government media office, said.