On Monday, October 16, 2023, humanitarian aid was stuck at the Gaza-Egypt border as the Israeli siege strains hospitals. Gaza’s only connection to Egypt was destroyed by Israeli airstrikes a week ago. Egypt’s Foreign Minister, Sameh Shoukry, said Israel “has not taken a position to open the crossing from the Gaza side.” The Israeli government did not respond to a
request for comment. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinian shelters run by the U.N. were giving out less than one quart (1 liter) of water per day. People are taking cover in schools, hospitals, bunkers, and abandoned buildings to hide from the ongoing war. Hospitals are running out of backup generators, medical staff are being flooded with new positions every day, hospitality staff are being overworked, and there isn’t a sign of it ending anytime soon. Hospitals expect the generators to run off fuel for the next 24 hours, endangering the lives of thousands of patients.
The Gaza Health Ministry said 2,750 Palestinians were killed and 9,700 wounded since the fighting erupted, more than in the 2014 Gaza war, which lasted over six weeks. That makes this the deadliest of the five Gaza wars for both sides. On Monday 199 hostages were taken back to Gaza. The Israeli military did not specify whether that number includes foreigners. The military says it is trying to clear away civilians ahead of a major campaign against Hamas in the north, where it says the militants have extensive networks of tunnels and rocket launchers. Israel has said “the siege won’t be lifted until Hamas releases all the captives, but the country’s water ministry said water had been restored at one “specific point” in Gaza. A very specific location outside the southern town of Khan Younis. Aid workers in Gaza said they had not yet seen evidence the water was back.
President Joe Biden is also considering a trip to Israel, though no plans have been finalized. Biden postponed a planned trip to Colorado on Monday to talk about his domestic agenda and instead will hold meetings with top aides on the Israel-Hamas conflict. In a television interview Sunday night, Biden, who has repeatedly proclaimed support for Israel, said he thought it would be a “big mistake” for the country to reoccupy Gaza. Israel’s ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan, told CNN the country does not want to occupy Gaza but will do “whatever is needed” to obliterate Hamas’ capabilities. “We share Israel’s concern that Hamas may seize or destroy aid entering Gaza or otherwise prevent it from reaching the people who need it,” Blinken said. Israel evacuated towns near its northern border with Lebanon, where the military has exchanged fire repeatedly with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group. The Israeli military ordered residents to evacuate 28 communities within 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) of the Lebanese border. “Israel is ready to operate on two fronts, and even more,” said Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, a military spokesman. The U.S. government began evacuating some 2,500 American citizens by ship from the Israeli port city of Haifa to Cyprus. Commercial airlines have largely stopped flying into Israel’s Ben-Gurion International Airport.
