Sunak wants Israel to 'win' despite surging Palestinian toll
5 trucks of medical supplies were ready at the border between Gaza and Egypt
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who landed in Tel Aviv on Thursday, has reiterated his support for Israel and said the UK will increase aid to the region during a meeting with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu.
"I'm proud to stand here with you in Israel's darkest hour. As your friend, we will stand with you in solidarity, we will stand with your people, and we also want you to win," Sunak said in a briefing with Netanyahu, reports BBC.
Meanwhile, eight Palestinians were killed in clashes with Israeli forces in the Nur Shams refugee camp in the West Bank city of Tulkarm, the Palestinian Red Crescent said on Thursday.
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Clashes were still taking place between the Israeli army and a number of gunmen at the camp, witnesses said.
With this, the death toll in the West Bank after 7 October rises to 72, reports Al Jazeera.
In another development, five trucks of medical supplies were ready at the border between Gaza and Egypt, the World Health Organization said on Thursday, welcoming Israel's announcement that it will not block the entry of aid into the Palestinian territory.
"Our trucks are loaded and ready to go," WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a press conference. He said he hoped the supplies would be delivered as soon as the Rafah crossing with Gaza was opened. The crossing would be opened hopefully on Friday, he said.
The delivery of aid is set to be the first after Israel said it would impose a "total blockade" on the narrow Gaza Strip that is home to 2.3 million people, cutting electricity supplies and halting flows of food and fuel, in response to a devastating attack by Hamas on Israeli territory on 7 October.
There have also been heavy Israel air strikes on Gaza in the war with Hamas. The UN has warned of a "humanitarian catastrophe".
At least 3,785 Palestinians have been killed and 12,493 wounded in Israeli strikes on Gaza since 7 October, the health ministry in Gaza said on Thursday.
Of the total death toll, 1,524 were children and 1,000 were women, ministry spokesman Ashraf Al-Qudra told a press conference.
"There are no medicine stocks in any of the hospitals in Gaza," Al-Qudra added, calling on the international community to expedite the delivery of aid to Gaza.
Sunak, Netanyahu meeting
At the meeting with Sunak, Netanyahu told his British counterpart that one of the reasons behind Hamas's attack on 7 October was to "destroy Israel's regional peace moves in the region."
"This is not merely our battle, it's the battle of the entire civilised world. The battle of Israel, is also the battle of moderate Arab countries, the battle of the free world, the battle for the future," the Israeli prime minister said.
"We have two forces. One is an axis of evil run by Iran and supported by Hezbollah, Hamas and others that want to bring back the Middle East to the middle ages … to the age of war and slavery and annihilation," he added.
"The other forces [are those] of progress and humanity who want to push for a world of peace and prosperity".
Rishi Sunak later headed to Saudi Arabia where he was due to meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, reports Al Jazeera citing his spokesperson.
Describing Saudi Arabia as an important regional partner, the British prime minister's spokesperson said, "He's going to fly to Saudi Arabia to meet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman."
West Bank casualties
Dozens of Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank in the latest flare-up of Israeli-Palestinian violence.
The West Bank is home to the Palestinian Authority (PA) which is dominated by Hamas rivals Fatah and 87-year-old Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
It borders Jerusalem, which houses sites sacred to Muslims, Christians and Jews and is a flashpoint for internecine violence. Hamas announced its 7 October attack in part as revenge for Israeli attacks on Muslim worshippers at the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem's old city.
100 lorries of aid a day needed in Gaza: UN
UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths said at least 100 lorries of aid a day is needed in Gaza, reports BBC.
Aid agencies say Gaza needs far more aid than the initial 20 lorries announced by US President Biden as he flew home from Thursday's visit to Israel.
Egypt has agreed to reopen its border crossing with Gaza to allow deliveries through, though preparation for this is taking time.
Meanwhile, diplomatic contacts over more aid for Palestinians are continuing. Both Egypt and Jordan have been at peace with Israel for many years and have played significant mediation roles in previous conflicts. They are seeking to continue aid deliveries for Gaza people.
