Humanitarian aid ‘targeted’ as Israeli forces encircle heart of Gaza City

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) says it’s “deeply troubled” that its humanitarian convoy of five trucks and two ICRC vehicles carrying lifesaving medical supplies to health facilities in Gaza City came under fire on Tuesday.

Two trucks were damaged and a driver was lightly wounded in the Israeli attack, it said in a statement.

“These are not the conditions under which humanitarian personnel can work,” said William Schomburg, head of the ICRC delegation in Gaza.

“We are here to bring urgent assistance to civilians in need. Ensuring that vital assistance can reach medical facilities is a legal obligation under international humanitarian law.”

Israel’s ground forces in the Gaza Strip aimed on Wednesday to locate and disable Hamas vast tunnel network beneath the enclave, the next phase in an Israeli offensive that has killed thousands of Palestinians.

Gaza City, Hamas’ main stronghold in the territory, is encircled. Israel says its troops have advanced to the heart of the densely-populated city while Hamas says its fighters have inflicted heavy losses on the invading forces.

Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said Israel had “one target – Hamas terrorists in Gaza, their infrastructure, their commanders, bunkers, communications rooms”.

Israeli tanks have faced heavy resistance from Hamas fighters using the tunnel network to launch ambushes, sources with Hamas group said.

Since Oct. 7, the Israeli bombardment has killed more than 10,000 Palestinians, around 40% of them children, according to counts by health officials in Hamas-ruled Gaza.

Washington has backed Israel’s position that a ceasefire would help Hamas militarily. But U.S. President Joe Biden said on Tuesday he had urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to undertake a pause in fighting.

Israel has so far been vague about its long-term plans if it achieves its stated goal of vanquishing Hamas. In some of the first direct comments on the subject, Netanyahu said Israel would seek to have security responsibility for Gaza “for an indefinite period” after the war.

Saudi Arabia will host summits of Arab and Islamic nations in coming days to discuss the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the kingdom’s investment minister said on Wednesday.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi will travel to Saudi Arabia on Sunday for the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation summit, Etemadonline news reported, the first visit by an Iranian head of state since Tehran and Riyadh ended years of hostility under a deal brokered by China in March.

“The objective of bringing these…summits and other gatherings under the leadership of Saudi Arabia would be to drive towards peaceful resolution of the conflict,” said Saudi investment minister Khalid Al-Falih, at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum in Singapore.

Nearly two-thirds of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents are internally displaced, according to U.N. figures, with thousands seeking refuge at hospitals including in makeshift canvas shelters in their car parks.

At Gaza City’s Al Shifa hospital, Um Haitham Hejela, a woman sheltering with young children in an improvised tent fashioned from fabric, said they fled their home because of air strikes.

“The situation is getting worse day after day,” she said. “There is no food, no water. When my son goes to pick up water, he queues for three or four hours in the line. They struck bakeries, we don’t have bread.

International organizations and Western countries have been urgently trying to get aid into the Gaza Strip and get foreign nationals out.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said a humanitarian convoy came under fire in Gaza City on Tuesday.

After rerouting, the convoy delivered medical supplies to Al Shifa hospital. Calling the incident “deeply troubling,” the organisation said two trucks were damaged and a driver was lightly wounded. It did not identify the source of the firing.