Israel, Hamas battle as first aid delivery arrives at US-built pier

Israel and Hamas fighters wage a fierce battle in northern Gaza Saturday as aid deliveries started moving into the Palestinian territory via a United States-constructed pier off the coast.

The aid delivery comes as Israel is facing growing international pressure to allow more relief supplies to enter the war-torn enclave, parts of which are facing a full-blown famine, according to United Nations officials. 

No U.S. troops went ashore in Gaza, said US Central Command, which described the operation as “an ongoing, multinational effort to deliver additional aid to Palestinian civilians.” 

The United Nations has agreed to help with coordinating aid deliveries and distribution at the temporary pier as long as the operation “respects the neutrality and independence of humanitarian operations,” said deputy UN spokesperson Farhan Haq. 

The use of the floating dock for delivering aid came as Israel was embroiled in some of its fiercest fighting so far in the seventh-month war. 

Israel said that its forces cleared Jabalia of Hamas fighters shortly after the terrorist group’s Oct. 7 attack on the Jewish state, killing 1,200 people and kidnapping another 250. But the Jewish state said its military last week returned to Jabalia, the largest of Gaza Strip’s eight historic refugee camps, to block the terrorists from regrouping there. Dozens were killed and wounded amid the fighting Saturday, medics and residents said.

The Israeli military said it has killed 60 Hamas fighters in Jabalia since returning and discovered a weapons warehouse in recent days as part of a “divisional-level offensive,” which typically involves several brigades, each made up of thousands of troops.

“The 7th Brigade’s fire control center directed dozens of airstrikes, eliminated terrorists and destroyed terrorist infrastructure,” the IDF said.

To the south, in Rafah, Israeli tanks and warplanes blasted parts of the city. Hamas fighters and Islamic Jihad meanwhile claimed they launched anti-tank missiles and mortars at the Jewish state’s forces assembling at the east, southeast and inside the Rafah bordering crossing with Egypt.   

The IDF said Saturday its forces have killed 80 Hamas terrorists and located dozens of rifles, grenades, and ammunition in eastern Rafah in recent weeks.

More than 630,000 people have fled Rafah since Israel launched its offensive on the city on May 6, according to the UN.

At least 35,303 Palestinians have been killed in the ongoing war, Gaza’s health ministry, which is run by Hamas, claims. It does not differentiate between civilians and armed fighters with its data. 

In other news: 

• National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan will travel to Israel Sunday to speak with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, White House national security spokesman John Kirby said. Sullivan is expected to stress US support for efforts take out Hamas terrorists in Rafah through targeted attacks rather than a full-blown invasion of the southern city. 
• Spain barred a Israel-bound cargo ship carrying weapons from docking at one of its ports in protest over the war in Gaza, The Telegraph reported. The move is in line with the nation’s policy for blocking any vessels hauling arms to Israel from stopping there, said Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares. 
• A Panama-flagged crude oil tanker was attacked roughly 10 nautical miles southwest of Mokha, on Yemen’s Red Sea coast, according to the British security firm Ambrey. The vessel was hit by a missile and caught fire, but received assistance, Ambrey said, citing radio communication.   
• Seventeen American doctors and healthcare workers were able to evacuate from Gaza after being stuck at a hospital where they had been providing aid, the White House said. The medical professionals were trapped after Israel seized and shut down the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt earlier this month. Three US medical volunteers who decided to remain included Dr. Adam Hamawy, who is known for saving the life of Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) when she was deployed to Iraq 20 years ago. 

With Post wires