Biden in Israel to prevent Gaza war from escalating

President Joe Biden is in Israel on an urgent mission to keep the Israel-Hamas war from spiralling into a broader regional conflict. The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that limited humanitarian aid would be allowed into Gaza from Egypt following a request from Biden.

The presidents visit came after hundreds of people were reported killed in an explosion at a Gaza Strip hospital. There were conflicting claims of who was responsible for the hospital blast. Officials in Gaza quickly blamed an Israeli airstrike. Israel denied it was involved and released a flurry of video, audio and other information that it said showed the blast was due to a missile misfire by Islamic Jihad, another militant group operating in Gaza. The Islamic Jihad dismissed that claim. The Associated Press has not independently verified any of the claims or evidence released by the parties.

US vetoes UN resolution to condemn violence in Israel-Hamas war

The United States has vetoed a UN resolution that would have condemned violence against all civilians in the Israel-Hamas war including "the heinous terrorists attacks by Hamas” against Israel, and would have pushed for humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza. Twelve of the 15 Security Council members on Wednesday voted in favour of the resolution sponsored by Brazil. The United States voted against, while Russia and the United Kingdom abstained.

US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said after the vote that President Joe Biden is in the region engaging in diplomacy to secure the release of hostages, prevent the conflict from spreading, and stress the need to protect civilians. "We need to let that diplomacy play out,” she said. Russias UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia accused the United States of "hypocrisy” and "double standards,” saying the Americans didnt want a solution in the Security Council. Brazil, France, China, the United Arab Emirates and many other council members expressed regret and disappointment at the US veto.

Biden says US to provide USD 100m for Palestinians in Gaza and West Bank

The United States is promising USD 100 million in humanitarian assistance to help Palestinian people who have been displaced or otherwise affected by conflict in Gaza and the West Bank. President Joe Biden announced in a news release Wednesday that the assistance would be provided through trusted partners, including UN agencies and international NGOs. Biden is in Tel Aviv to show support for Israel following the Hamas attacks more than a week ago that killed some 1,400 people. His announcement came after Israel agreed to allow limited aid into Gaza from Egypt.

"Civilians are not to blame and should not suffer for Hamass horrific terrorism,” Biden said. "Civilian lives must be protected and assistance must urgently reach those in need.”

Aid group warns of unnecessary deaths at Gaza hospitals

Doctors Without Borders says severely injured people at overwhelmed Gaza hospitals are likely to die because the medical system is collapsing. The aid groups president in France, Isabelle Defourny, said Wednesday that one of their surgeons in Gaza reported he will likely have to perform amputations on patients in the coming days because the breakdown in medical care means their limbs cannot be saved.

"The seriously injured who arrive every day … are condemned in the days to come, she said. The doctors, the nurses courageously continuing to work wont succeed in saving their lives. Help is needed extremely urgently.”

Israel allows Egypt to deliver limited aid to Gaza

Israel says it will allow Egypt to deliver limited quantities of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus office said the decision was approved Wednesday in light of a request from visiting President Joe Biden. In a statement, it said it "will not thwart” deliveries of food, water and medicine, as long as the supplies do not reach Hamas. The statement made no mention of badly needed fuel. It was not clear when the aid would start flowing. Egypts Rafah crossing has only a limited capacity, and Egypt says it has been damaged by Israeli airstrikes. Israel, which controls most crossings into Gaza, says it will not allow deliveries from its territory. It also demanded that international Red Cross be allowed to visit kidnapped Israelis held captive in Gaza.

Iran accuses US of complicity in Israeli attacks on Gaza

President Ebrahim Raisi said Wednesday that Iran will retaliate against Israel for its attacks in the Gaza Strip and accused the United States of complicity. Addressing a crowd of thousands in central Tehran, Raisi warned of "severe revenge.” Raisi called Washington an "accomplice” of Israel, saying "the bombs that are falling on the people of Gaza belong to you.” He said Iran and other Muslim nations are ready to defend the Palestinian people.

Pro-Palestinian protesters clash with security forces in Lebanon

Hundreds of protesters in support of Gaza clashed with Lebanese security forces Wednesday in a suburb of Beirut near the United States Embassy. Rioters holding Palestinian flags and flags of Palestinian factions took down a security wall and cut a barbed wire barrier on a road leading to the embassy. Riot police lobbed dozens of teargas canisters and fired water canons to disperse the protesters in the intense standoff. Several protesters were wounded.

Meanwhile, in another suburb south of Beirut, Hezbollah organized a rally in support of the Palestinians and to slam the US for its ongoing support of Israel. "The time has perhaps come for the peoples of the region to declare their word in the face of American tyranny,” Senior Hezbollah official Hashem Safieddine said in a speech at the rally. Hezbollah and Israeli troops continue to clash in a handful of towns along the Lebanon-Israel border.

Turkey declares 3 days of mourning over Gaza hospital blast

Turkey has declared three days of national mourning following the blast on a Gaza hospital that killed hundreds of Palestinians, a senior official said. The period of mourning reflects Turkeys solidarity with the victims, said Omer Celik, spokesman for President Recep Tayyip Erdogans ruling party. Celik called the blast one of the worst massacres in modern history. The hospital explosion caused outrage in Turkey, where thousands of people demonstrated outside Israeli diplomatic missions in Istanbul and Ankara. Police used tear gas to disperse the crowds. At least 63 people, including 43 police officers, were injured and five people were arrested in Istanbul, according to officials.

France says 24 French citizens died in Hamas attacks, 7 missing

Frances death toll from the Hamas assault on Israel has climbed to 24, with seven other French citizens still listed as missing, including several thought to be held hostage in Gaza. French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne delivered the latest toll in a briefing to senators Wednesday. The family of 24-year-old French-Israeli citizen Karin Journo is among those who have recently learned of a loved ones death. Her sister, Meitav Journo, said the funeral was held Tuesday.

Gaza residents line up for fuel

A shortage of fuel led to a long line of cars and motorbikes blocking a street outside at a gas station in Khan Younis as motorists and people on foot with containers hoped to fill up. Men and boys stood in a parallel line holding empty plastic jugs and water bottles as they waited for a turn at the pump. Palestinians are struggling to survive since Israel cut off supplies of food, electricity, water and fuel to Gaza in retaliation for the attack launched Oct. 7 by Hamas militants. Scarce fuel that can be found can help to run generators and power water pumps.

"Everyone needs fuel to pump water to their homes, to irrigate their farms and to provide water for poultry, cattle and sheep,” said Khalid al-Najjar. "The whole world relies on fuel; it is an essential commodity just like food for us."

Egyptian university students rally in support of Palestinians

Thousands of students rallied at Egyptian universities Wednesday to condemn Israels airstrikes on Gaza. The pro-Palestinian demonstrations took place in Cairo, Alexandria and other cities. Videos posted on social media showed scores of mostly students protesting in the city of Fayoum, roughly 60 miles 100 kilometers from Cairo, chanting: "With our souls, with our blood, we sacrifice for you, Al-Aqsa.”

The Al-Aqsa mosque sits on a hilltop in Jerusalems contested old city. The mosque is the third-holiest site in Islam and stands in a spot known to Jews as the Temple Mount, which is the holiest site in Judaism. A Tuesday night explosion at a Gaza City hospital also triggered protests in Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria.

Hezbollah militants killed near Lebanon-Israel border

A Hezbollah spokesperson says the Lebanese Red Cross has collected the remains of four of the groups militants. An AP photojournalist saw three body bags and a bag of remains transferred from the Lebanese Red Cross to Hezbollahs Islamic Health Unit at Hiram Hospital, which is near southern Lebanons city of Tyre. The spokesperson said the bodies belonged to militants who were pronounced dead Tuesday. He did not say how they died. The Israeli military said Tuesday that its forces killed four militants who were allegedly carrying an explosive device and were suspected of attempting a cross-border operation.

Death toll from Gaza hospital explosion unclear

The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry revised the death toll from an explosion at a Gaza City hospital down from 500 to 471 on Wednesday but did not elaborate on how authorities reached that figure. Staff members at al-Ahli Hospital said they could not gauge the toll because the blast had dismembered so many bodies. Hospital director Suhaila Tarazi and Episcopal Church officials that run al-Ahli could only estimate that the toll was "in the hundreds” and refrained from giving an exact number.

Mohammed Abu Selmia, general director of Shifa Hospital where all the wounded and dead were transferred following the explosion, told The Associated Press early Wednesday that he believed the death toll was closer to 250, with hundreds more wounded.

UK leader urges no rush to judgement on hospital blast

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says U.K. intelligence services are "rapidly analyzing the evidence to independently establish the facts” behind the devastating explosion at a Gaza hospital. Sunak urged lawmakers in the House of Commons not to "rush to judgment” about the blast at the al-Ahli hospital, which Hamas blames on Israel and Israel blames on Palestinian militants. Calling it an "awful situation,” Sunak said: "Every member will know that the words we say here have an impact beyond this House.” Earlier, British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly urged people to "wait for the facts” on the cause of the explosion.

Cleverly planned to head to the region Wednesday as part of efforts to ease the humanitarian crisis. Hes expected to visit Egypt, Qatar and Turkey.AP RUP RUP