Hamas said some foreigners and injured Palestinians would be allowed to leave Gaza for Egypt for the first time since Israel began its ground invasion of the besieged territory.
The US, meanwhile, is sending its top diplomat back to Middle East for a fresh round of shuttle diplomacy as fighting intensifies in Gaza, with Israel reiterating its vow to destroy Hamas.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken heads to Israel and other countries on Friday. He will try to ease tensions after dozens of people were reported as killed at a Gaza refugee camp in an Israeli strike, stoking more anger in the region. Israel’s military said the refugee camp was used as a training center by Hamas, designated a terrorist group by the US.
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(All time stamps are Israeli time)
Hamas Says Some Foreigners and Injured Palestinians Can Leave Gaza (5:12 a.m.)
About 81 wounded Palestinians are set to travel through the Rafah border crossing for treatment in Egyptian hospitals, officials at Gaza’s Hamas-run interior ministry said.
They also said some foreigners and dual nationals are expected to be allowed into Egypt. They published a list of people that could leave. It included workers from the International Committee of the Red Cross and nationals from Australia, Austria, Jordan and Indonesia. The list did not include US citizens.
Gaza Internet, Phone Services Cut Again, Provider Says (5:09 a.m.)
Internet and mobile services in the Gaza Strip were cut off amid Israel’s ground operations in the area, Paltel, the main telecom provider in the Palestinian territory, said.
Calls to mobile numbers via the other Gaza cellular operator, Ooredoo, didn’t go through as of Wednesday morning. The disruption marks at least the second time in the past week telecom services in Gaza have been cut off.
White House Threatens to Veto Israel Bill (4:32 a.m.)
The White House said President Joe Biden would veto a bill proposed by House Republicans to slash funds for the Internal Revenue Service in order to pay for more financial assistance for Israel.
The Office of Management and Budget said the measure “fails to meet the urgency of the moment by deepening our divides and severely eroding historic bipartisan support for Israel’s security.” Senators and Biden administration officials have also warned that the Republican gambit to push through Israel aid and hold off on assistance for Ukraine threatens to stymie urgently needed funding to two US allies.
Read: Speaker Johnson Hits Early Hurdle in Standalone Israel Aid Bill
Biden, Jordan’s King Discuss Gaza (2:40 a.m.)
US President Joe Biden spoke with Jordan’s King Abdullah II and discussed developments in Gaza and their shared commitment to providing more humanitarian aid to Gaza civilians and ensuring the resumption of essential services, according to a readout from the White House.
Anger over the Israeli strikes has been rising in the region and the Jordanian leader said in late October: “The message the Arab world is hearing is loud and clear: Palestinian lives matter less than Israeli ones.”
Blinken Heads Back to Israel (12:30 a.m.)
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Israel and then “make other stops in the region,” according to a spokesperson. Blinken visited Israel twice in the days after the Oct. 7 assault by Hamas and went to other countries in the region for shuttle diplomacy.
Blinken spoke with Israeli President Isaac Herzog to reiterate “US support for Israel’s right to defend itself against terrorism,” his office said. They also spoke about increasing the volume of humanitarian aid entering Gaza.
Israeli Military Admits Attack on Refugee Camp (12 a.m.)
The Israeli military said the attack on the Jabaliya refugee camp had “eliminated many terrorists and destroyed terror infrastructure.”
Daniel Hagari, a spokesman for the armed forces, said the camp had been a Hamas stronghold and was a training center for the group’s Oct. 7th attacks on southern Israel.
The strike “caused the collapse of adjacent buildings” because of Hamas installations underground, Hagari said. Another military spokesman said dozens of militants had died.
Qatar, Saudi, UAE Condemn Strike on Refugee Camp (10:19 p.m.)
Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE “strongly” condemned strikes by Israel they said targeted the Jabaliya refugee camp.
Qatar called on the international community to stop the killing and destruction in Gaza, while the Saudi foreign ministry cited the “international community’s failure to pressure” Israel to accept an “immediate halt to the shooting of civilians” and a ceasefire.