President Biden condemned the explosion at a hospital compound in Gaza during a visit to Tel Aviv as a show of support for Israel.
Hospital explosion: Israel, the United States and security experts cast doubt on Palestinians’ claim that an Israeli airstrike was responsible for a deadly explosion at a Gaza hospital compound, saying preliminary evidence points to a local militant group.
US: President Biden visited Tel Aviv and expressed his support for Israel. Some Americans remain stuck in the Gaza Strip.
Help: Israel said it would allow humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip via Egypt at the U.S. request. Biden said Egypt had agreed to open the gates to the Rafah border crossing, but aid may not reach Gaza until later in the week. He said the U.S. would send $100 million in humanitarian aid to Gaza and the West Bank.
Protests: The hospital blast stirred anti-Israel and anti-American sentiment across the region, including in the West Bank, where protesters clashed with Palestinian security forces, and in Lebanon and Iraq, where some tried to break into the U.S. and French embassies.
Losses: More than 1,400 Israelis have died since the Hamas attack began. Israel said 289 of its soldiers were killed on October 7 and after. In Gaza, officials said the Palestinian death toll before the hospital explosion was about 3,000.
Hostages: American families pleaded for help and information about the missing. A Hamas spokesman said the group was holding around 200 people hostage and at least 50 others were being held by other groups, including the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.