Israel Gaza: Biden clinches deal with Egypt to allow aid

BBC News:

US President Joe Biden has secured a deal with Egypt to deliver limited aid to Gaza to ease a humanitarian crisis amid the Israel-Hamas war.

Visiting Tel Aviv, Mr Biden said Israel had a right to hit back for the Hamas attack that triggered the fighting.

The US president said Israel had been “badly victimised”, though he cautioned against being “consumed” by rage.

He also backed Israel’s account that a blast at a Gaza hospital on Tuesday was not caused by an Israeli air strike. 

Palestinian officials say the explosion at Gaza’s Al-Ahli Arab Hospital killed 471 people, blaming it on Israel. The incident has further inflamed tensions across the region.

But during a trip to Tel Aviv lasting fewer than eight hours on Wednesday, Mr Biden supported the Israeli claim that the deadly blast appeared to have been caused by a misfiring Palestinian rocket.

The American president said he was “deeply saddened and outraged” by the explosion.

Israel has pointed the finger at Islamic Jihad, another militant group operating in Gaza. Islamic Jihad denied any role in the blast.

The Palestinian-reported death toll has also been disputed by Israel. A foreign ministry spokesman, Lior Haiat, said on social media platform X that “several dozen people” had been “apparently killed”.

While flying home, Mr Biden discussed aid for Gaza with Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi by phone.

Mr Biden told journalists that Mr Sisi had agreed to open the Rafah crossing from Egypt to Gaza to allow about 20 lorries carrying humanitarian aid into the territory.

Egypt confirmed its president and Mr Biden had agreed to provide aid to Gaza “in a sustainable manner”.

Mr Biden did not give a timeline for the border crossing opening, but White House spokesman John Kirby said it would occur in the coming days after road repairs.