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Hundreds of foreign nationals and dozens of seriously injured Palestinians have been allowed to leave Gaza for the first time since the Israel-Hamas war began more than three weeks ago. Their departures through the Rafah crossing into Egypt follow the release of four hostages by Hamas and the rescue of an Israeli soldier.
The opening of the border crossing came as Israeli forces advanced deeper into Gaza and airstrikes on Wednesday struck a refugee camp for a second time in as many days.
Communications and internet services were gradually being restored after the second major cut in five days, according to Paltel, the main telecommunications provider. Humanitarian aid agencies have warned that such blackouts severely disrupt their work in an already dire situation in Gaza.
The Palestinian death toll in the Israel-Hamas war has reached 8,805, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza. In the occupied West Bank, 130 Palestinians have been killed in violence and Israeli raids.
More than 1,400 people in Israel have been killed, most of them civilians slain in the initial Oct. 7 Hamas rampage that started the fighting. In addition, around 240 hostages were taken from Israel into Gaza by the militant group. One of the captives, a female Israeli soldier, was rescued in a special forces operation.
Currently:
1. 5 hostages of Hamas are free, offering some hope to families of more than 200 still captive.
2. Has Israel invaded Gaza? The military has been vague, even if its objectives are clear.
3. Bolivia severs diplomatic ties with Israel as Chile and Colombia recall their ambassadors.
4. Amnesty International says Israeli forces wounded Lebanese civilians with white phosphorus.
5. A media freedom group accuses Israel and Hamas of war crimes and reports deaths of 34 journalists.
6. Find more of AP’s coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war.
Here’s what is happening in the latest Israel-Hamas war:
BEIRUT — Two Lebanese shepherds were injured and are now missing amid clashes Wednesday on the Lebanon-Israel border, a spokesperson for the U.N. peacekeeping force on the border said.
UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti said the Lebanese army had requested the peacekeepers’ help in evacuating two people who had been injured near the border in the Wazzani area.
The Israeli army suspended fire to allow the Lebanese army and UNIFIL to search for the shepherds, he said, but “unfortunately, they could not be found.”
“Due to the darkness and presence of land mines in the area, the search will have to resume in the morning,” he added.
The border has been the site of regular clashes between Israeli forces on one side and Hezbollah and Palestinian armed groups in Lebanon on the other.
WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit Israel and Jordan this week as the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and international criticism of it intensify, the State Department said Wednesday.
Blinken will depart Washington on Thursday and will be in Israel and Jordan on Friday.
Further stops in the Middle East are possible, meaning the trip may follow the frenetic pace of Blinken’s last trip to the region shortly after the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks in Israel. Blinken traveled to Israel three times and visited six Arab nations during that trip.
Blinken will be entering a diplomatic maelstrom that will likely complicate his mission. Jordan announced Wednesday that it had recalled its ambassador to Israel and would not permit Israel’s ambassador to Jordan to return to the country. It also said it would not revisit those moves until the Gaza conflict was over.
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Blinken would once again underscore the Biden administration’s support for Israel’s right to defend itself but also stress the importance of minimizing civilian casualties and ensuring that humanitarian assistance reaches innocent Palestinians in Gaza.
LONDON — The British government says the first group of UK nationals allowed to leave Gaza have crossed into Egypt through the Rafah crossing.
The Foreign Office did not disclose numbers or identities on Wednesday. It said more British citizens would be able to leave Gaza when the crossing reopens for “controlled and time-limited periods” in the coming days.
WASHINGTON — The State Department has confirmed that a number of US citizens trapped in Gaza have crossed into Egypt after a deal was reached to allow foreigners to leave the enclave.
“An initial group of foreign nationals, including U.S. citizens, departed Gaza through Rafah today, and we expect exits of U.S. citizens and foreign nationals to continue over the next several days,” department spokesman Matthew Miller said.
He declined to say how many Americans had made it to Egypt on Wednesday but said there were consular officials on hand to assist them.
Roughly 400 American citizens in Gaza have told the State Department they want to leave the territory and, with family members, U.S. officials say they are looking at about 1,000 people who they are seeking to get out, Miller said.
“In the past 24 hours we have informed U.S. citizens and their family and family members with whom we are in contact that they will be assigned specific departure dates. We’ve asked them to continue to monitor their email regularly over the next 24 to 72 hours for specific instructions about how to exit,” Miller said.
UNITED NATIONS — U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres “is appalled over the escalating violence in Gaza” including the killing of Palestinians by Israeli airstrikes in the Jabaliya refugee camp on Tuesday and Wednesday, his spokesman says.
“He condemns in the strongest terms, any killings of civilians,” U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters Wednesday.
Dujarric said: “The secretary-general reiterates that all parties must abide by international law, international humanitarian law including the principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution.”
The U.N. chief also reiterated his call for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages taken from Israel by Hamas during its surprise attacks on Oct. 7, Dujarric said. And he called again “for the entry of vital humanitarian assistance at a scale needed to meet the mounting needs of the Palestinian population.”
PARIS — Five French citizens were among dozens of dual passport holders and seriously injured who were able to leave the Gaza Strip via the Rafah crossing Wednesday, the French Foreign Ministry said. A team from the French Embassy in Egypt awaited for the group and France thanked Egyptian authorities for facilitating the exit.
“We reiterate our call to protect all civilian populations in Gaza,” the ministry said in a statement.
The ministry said last month that several dozen French citizens and their families were in Gaza — including residents and those visiting family or in a humanitarian capacity. France has been working for weeks to get its citizens out of the strip. Nine French nationals remain missing and thought to be held hostage by Hamas militants.
French President Emmanuel Macron reiterated on Wednesday during a visit to Kazakhstan the need for protection of the civilian population caught up in the Israel-Hamas war that has killed thousands, including 1,400 Israelis and more than 8,700 Palestinians.
“We say the way to protect yourself should be compliant with international law … You have to attack and punish the terrorist group Hamas (but) you have to protect civilians in your counter-attack,” Macron said.
His remarks to students in Astana were in response to a question and directed at Israel.
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — A Jewish human rights organization has criticized Chile and Colombia for recalling their ambassadors to Israel, as well as Bolivia for breaking its diplomatic relations with Israel in protest of the continuing military operation in the Gaza Strip.
The Simon Wiesenthal Center noted Wednesday that Bolivia never mentioned the Oct. 7 Hamas attack against Israel in its decision to sever diplomatic ties with Israel and said the Andean country’s decision on Tuesday has to do with Bolivia’s partnership with Iran.
“Bolivia’s alliance with Iran is becoming clearer every day considering that the breakup is not due to the real interests of the Bolivian people,” Ariel Gelblung, the center’s director for Latin America, said.
The center characterized the decision by the governments of Colombia and Chile to recall their ambassadors on Tuesday evening “a clearly coordinated action.”
“Both leaders have always been hostile toward Israel and both have a history of diplomatic disagreements with representatives of the Jewish State,” the organization said.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro has devoted much of his account on X, formerly Twitter, to posting and retweeting criticism of Israel.
“The head of state who carries out this genocide is a criminal against humanity,” Petro wrote late Tuesday.
Bolivia, Chile and Colombia are all led by leftist governments.
NICOSIA, Cyprus — Cyprus’ government spokesman says a Cypriot initiative for the continuous flow of humanitarian assistance from Cyprus to Gaza will see ships sailing directly to the enclave where the United Nations personnel will receive it for distribution.
Spokesman Constantinos Letymbiotis said Wednesday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “saw the initiative in a positive light” during a long telephone call with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides Tuesday evening.
Cyprus is working with other European Union member states and Arab countries to work out the logistics of delivering aid to Gaza as soon as conditions on the ground permit it.
Ships loaded with medical supplies, food and clothing will depart from Cyprus’ main port of Limassol after being vetted to ensure that nothing being transported can be weaponized against Israel.
CAIRO — Philippe Lazzarini, head of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, crossed into Gaza Wednesday, where he met with Palestinian communities and other UNRWA colleagues working in the territory.
He said he was shocked by the scale of humanitarian needs Gaza and called for scaling up assistance delivered to the strip’s 2.3 million population.
“I was shocked by the fact that everyone there was asking for food, was asking for water … I never, ever have seen something similar in Gaza,” he said in comments to journalists.
Lazzarini is the most senior U.N official to enter the besieged enclave since the conflict erupted on Oct. 7.
ROME — Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani says a handful of Italian citizens have crossed out of the Gaza Strip.
“I just spoke with the first four Italians who departed from the Gaza Strip,” Tajani wrote on the social media platform X. “They are tired but in good condition, assisted by the Italian consul in Cairo. We will continue to work so all the others can get out.”
Tajani last week said there were 14 Italians in the Gaza Strip — seven with Italian citizenship and seven with dual Italian citizenship.
