Israel continued its air strikes against Gaza on Sunday as its forces pressed deeper into the enclave in a ground offensive. The country has been shelling the enclave since October 7, when Hamas attacked Israeli cities, killing more than 1,400. The terror group has also taken at least 239 people hostage. The Israeli government says that more than half of the people held by the terror group have foreign passports, with 54 Thai nationals among them. On Sunday, medical authorities in Gaza reported the death of over 8,000 people – 3,324 of whom were minors – in the enclave. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has said that Israel will “crash” the network of tunnels used by Hamas in and around the city of Gaza.
33 aid trucks entered the Gaza Strip on Sunday, according to the United Nations, which said it was the largest such shipment since the resumption of limited deliveries on October 21. OCHA, the UN’s humanitarian agency, said that the aid trucks, which included water, food, and medical supplies, arrived at the Gaza Strip’s Rafah crossing with Egypt on Sunday. Since limited deliveries resumed on October 21, OCHA said that 117 aid trucks have entered the Gaza Strip via the Rafah crossing since then.
On Sunday, US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke about the Gaza situation.
“We discussed efforts to secure the release of hostages and help Americans in Gaza leave safely, and I underscored the need to immediately and significantly increase the flow of humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza,” stated Vice President Biden.
In a conversation with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi on Sunday, US President Joe Biden expressed gratitude for Egypt’s assistance in facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, a region devastated by conflict.
The two presidents agreed, according to the White House, to greatly speed up and expand the aid going into Gaza starting on Sunday and continuing thereafter.