Aid convoy has entered Gaza: Live updates

Editor's Note: For the latest news on the Israeli-Hamas conflict, please see Saturday's live updates here.

The border crossing between Egypt and Gaza opened on Saturday, letting an aid convoy inside the besieged Palestinian territory for the first time since Israel sealed it off in the wake of Hamas' attacks from two weeks ago.

The 20-truck convoy includes life-saving supplies provided by the Egyptian Red Crescent and the United Nations, which are approved to cross and be received by the Palestinian Red Crescent, with the support of the U.N., Martin Griffiths, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, said in a press release.

"I am confident that this delivery will be the start of a sustainable effort to provide essential supplies – including food, water, medicine and fuel – to the people of Gaza, in a safe, dependable, unconditional and unimpeded manner," he said.

Gaza's 2.3 million Palestinians, half of whom have fled their homes ahead of an expected ground invasion aimed at routing out Hamas, are rationing food and drinking dirty water. Hospitals say they are running low on medical supplies and fuel for emergency generators amid a territory-wide power blackout. Israel is still launching waves of airstrikes across Gaza that have destroyed entire neighborhoods, as Palestinian militants fire rocket barrages into Israel.

The opening came after two weeks of after more than a week of high-level diplomacy by various mediators, including visits to the region by U.S. President Joe Biden and U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Israel had insisted that nothing would enter Gaza until some 200 people captured by Hamas were freed, and the Palestinian side of the crossing had been shut down by Israeli airstrikes.

The head of the U.N.’s World Food Program said the aid was insufficient. “The situation is catastrophic in Gaza,” Cindy McCain told The Associated Press. “We need many, many, many more trucks and a continual flow of aid," she said, adding that some 400 trucks were entering Gaza daily before the war.

The opening came hours after Hamas released an American woman and her teenage daughter, the first captives to be freed after the militant group's Oct. 7 incursion into Israel. It was not immediately clear if there was any connection between the two.

“Our fellow citizens have endured a terrible ordeal these past 14 days, and I am overjoyed that they will soon be reunited with their family, who has been wracked with fear,” President Joe Biden said. “These individuals and their families will have the full support of the United States government as they recover and heal, and we should all respect their privacy in this moment.”

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Latest developments:

∎ The border crossing between Egypt and Gaza opened on Saturday, letting first aid convoy inside the besieged Palestinian territory.

∎ The death toll of Israelis and Palestinians surpassed 5,000, making the conflict the deadliest of five wars involving the narrow, densely populated strip of land bordering Israel, Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea.

∎ The Israel Defense Forces said Friday more than 1,400 people have died and 4,600 others are injured. In Gaza, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said 4,137 people have died and 13,162 are injured.

∎ Israel Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Friday that following the defeat of the Hamas militant group, the Israeli military does not plan to control “life in the Gaza Strip,” The Associated Press reported. Gallant further added that there are three planned phases for the Israel-Hamas war, including airstrikes, ground maneuvers and the eventual ceasing of “responsibility for life in the Gaza Strip.”

∎ The Israel Defense Ministry in a statement Friday said the majority of the 200 people taken hostage by Hamas are still alive, according to CNN. The IDF said about 10-20 of the hostages are over the age of 60; over 20 are under the age of 18.

∎ The UNRWA, the U.N. agency for Palestine refugees, issued a statement on X on Friday saying two workers were killed in Gaza. Since the war began, there have been a total of 16 UNRWA workers killed. “UNRWA continues to advocate for adherence to international humanitarian law – @UN staff and civilians must be protected at all times,” the agency said.

∎ Spokesperson for the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Ravina Shamdasani on Friday said 14 Palestinians were reportedly killed in a drone strike on Thursday.

Two Americans held hostage by Hamas are freed

Judith Tai Raanan and Natalie Shoshana Raanan, the mother and daughter released Friday after being held hostage by Hamas, had been visiting Israel from their home in suburban Chicago.

They were released by Hamas' armed wing, the Izz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades, which said they were freed for "for humanitarian reasons,” Reuters reported. CNN, citing a source familiar with the negotiations, said the two have been handed over to the Red Cross and are “on their way out.” They are being released because the mother is in poor health, CNN said.

Uri Raanan, 71, said he saw the news Friday that Hamas was releasing an American mother and daughter, and he spent the day hoping they meant his daughter, Judith, and granddaughter, Natalie.

Uri said he has spoken to Judith since her release and believes she will be home soon.

“She’s doing good. She’s doing very good,” Uri, who is based in the Chicago suburb of Bannockburn, said Friday. “I’m in tears, and I feel very, very good.”

Natalie and Judith are believed to be on their way to Tel Aviv to reunite with relatives before returning to the U.S., Uri said, meaning his granddaughter will be able to celebrate her 18th birthday next week with family and friends.

Meir Hecht, a rabbi in Evanston, Illinois, told USA TODAY earlier this week that Judith worked in health care and was a bright, kind and involved member of the community. Her teen daughter recently graduated from Deerfield High School and loved art and animals, he said.

The pair had planned to visit relatives in Israel for about six weeks, he said.

They were staying in Kibbutz Nahal Oz, near the Gaza Strip, as house guests when the attack began Oct. 7, according to the Israeli Prime Minister's Office.

After their disappearance, the Israeli government and the U.S. State Department confirmed to the women's relatives that they were hostages in Gaza, said Hecht, who has remained in constant touch with the family. But they had received no further word on their condition.

The community north of Chicago prayed for their release over nearly two weeks, the rabbi said, while the women's relatives endured “unimaginable” pain.

The two Americans are among at least 199 hostages that have been held since Hamas staged a surprise attack on southern Israel two weeks ago, killing more than 1,400 Israeli civilians and soldiers.

Israel responded by hitting Gaza with a series of airstrikes that the Hamas-run Palestinian Health Ministry says has killed 2,800 people. Israel also has been setting the stage for a ground invasion that could begin any day. Fears are rising that other countries and groups could get pulled into the conflict, causing it to engulf the Middle East.

- Chris Kenning, Joey Garrison and Michael Collins

UN: ‘Restrictions’ preventing humanitarian aid into Gaza at Egypt border

At the Egyptian border, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told reporters that “restrictions” are preventing humanitarian aid from entering Gaza, which has been cut off by Israel from food, water, fuel and electricity since Hamas’ Oct. 7 surprise attack.

“We are actively engaging with all the parties in order to clarify these restrictions so we can have these trucks moving towards where they’re needed. We need these trucks moving as soon as possible,” said Guterres, adding: “We have two million people here who are suffering tremendously.”

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director-general of the World Health Organization, on Friday wrote on X, "We hope the Rafah crossing will open today. More delays will result in more suffering and more deaths."

US and EU reaffirm support for Israel, express concern over Gaza

Following a U.S.-European Union summit in Washington D.C. on Friday, American and EU officials demonstrated continued support for Israel in its military operation but said it should be in accordance with international law, including humanitarian law.

“We will work closely with partners in the region to stress the importance of protecting civilians, supporting those who are trying to get to safety or provide assistance, and facilitating access to food, water, medical care, and shelter,” a joint statement said. “We are concerned by the deteriorating humanitarian crisis in Gaza.  It is crucial to prevent regional escalation.”

Officials also expressed joint support for a two-state solution.

In a call Friday morning, Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed plans to get humanitarian aid into Gaza through Egypt. Biden also reiterated the “importance of operating consistent with the law of war to include the protection of civilians in Gaza,” the White House said.

Second gentleman Doug Emhoff tells Jewish students: "It's been a tough couple of weeks"

Second gentleman Doug Emhoff stopped by a Jewish day school on Friday in Washington, D.C., to talk with students about the war in Israel. Emhoff, the husband of Vice President Kamala Harris, is the first Jewish spouse of a U.S. president or vice president.

"It's been a tough couple of weeks," he said as he spoke to a group of eighth graders. "My emotions are very raw."

The second gentleman told students that President Joe Biden held his hand after the attack, looked him in the eye and asked him how he was doing.

"It really helped me get out there and speak about how horrible the situation is and how I was feeling," Emhoff told the students.

His visit on Friday to Milton Gottesman Jewish Day School was his second to the campus. Emhoff visited to help students prepare for Passover at the school in April 2022.

Emhoff has emerged as an important conduit between the Biden administration and the Jewish community. The White House said Thursday that Emhoff met in Washington, D.C., with Natalie Sanandaji, an American who survived Hamas' attack on a music festival in Israel.

– Francesca Chambers

Biden administration requests billions from Congress for aid to Israel, Ukraine

The Biden administration formally asked Congress for more than $105 billion in emergency funding for the wars in Israel and Ukraine. The aid package earmarks $10.6 billion for military support for Israel.

The aid package, however, cannot pass through Congress until the House of Representatives names a speaker. The chamber has been without a speaker for more than two weeks, since lawmakers ousted Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., during a vote triggered by a group of conservative rebels. Republicans have been unable to elect a successor for McCarthy, bringing the business of the House to a standstill.

Biden, during a primetime address from the White House on Thursday, argued that U.S. leadership abroad and congressional aid to both countries is essential.

"Hamas and Putin represent different threats, but they share this in common: they both want to completely annihilate a neighboring democracy," Biden said.

Historic Greek Orthodox church hit by Israeli airstrike in Gaza City

An Israeli airstrike hit a Greek Orthodox church in Gaza City late Thursday, resulting in an unverified number of death and injuries, along with displacing Palestinians who were taking refuge there. The Gaza health ministry, which is controlled by Hamas, said at least 16 people were killed and many others were injured in the blast.

Mohammed Abu Selmia, director general of Shifa Hospital, told The Associated Press that dozens were wounded at the Church of Saint Porphyrios but could not give a precise death toll because bodies were still under the rubble. The Holy Orthodox Order of the Holy Great Martyr George confirmed the blast, adding that more than 500 people were being housed at the church and monastery.

"The bombs hit the two church halls where the refugees, including children and babies, were sleeping. Presently, survivors are searching the rubble for other casualties," the order said in a statement Thursday.

Former U.S. Rep. Justin Amash, a child of Palestinian and Syrian immigrants, confirmed Friday that several of his relatives died at Saint Porphyrios Orthodox Church where they had been sheltering when the airstrike hit.

“The Palestinian Christian community has endured so much. Our family is hurting badly. May God watch over all Christians in Gaza—and all Israelis and Palestinians who are suffering, whatever their religion or creed,” Amash said.

Israel acknowledged the blast on Friday, issuing a statement that the church was not the intended target of the airstrike.

The blast comes after an explosion Tuesday that rocked the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital, in whose compound many Palestinians had been seeking refuge from the persistent Israeli bombardment. According to a preliminary U.S. intelligence analysis, the death toll was on the "low end" of 100 to 300.

Westerners accused of 'hypocrisy' for silence during Israeli war crimes

Human Rights Watch has accused Western states like the U.S. and Europe of "double standards" for their failure to condemn Israel's war crimes in the Gaza conflict.

The agency said American and European governments quickly condemned war violations by Russian forces, including surprise attacks, unlawful killings, and torture. Eighteen months later, Hamas was denounced for the surprise assault on Israel. But since Oct. 7, these states have been mostly silent about Israel's actions in Gaza, HRW said in a statement.

"Where is the outrage at statements by Israeli political leaders that seek to blur the all-important distinction between civilians and combatants in Gaza even as they order ever more intense bombardment of this densely populated territory, reducing city blocks and neighborhoods to rubble?" said HRW Deputy Program Director Tom Porteous. "Where are the clear and unequivocal calls for Israel to respect international norms in its attack on Gaza, let alone for accountability?"

The agency said the Western state's hypocrisy is "flagrant and obvious," and they risk undermining years of humanitarian efforts to standardize norms that protect civilians during times of conflict.

What is the IDF?

The Israel Defense Forces, also known as the IDF, is the national military of Israel. It has three branches: the army, navy and air force. It is a conscripted military service, meaning Israel mandates IDF service for Jewish, Druze and Circassian citizens over the age of 18, with some exceptions. It was established in 1948, two weeks after Israel became an independent country.

Before the war began, the IDF had 169,500 active troops and was the 28th largest military in the world by active personnel, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies' Military Balance 2023. There were also 465,000 reserve personnel to supplement active military forces if deemed necessary. Read more here.

− Olivia Munson

What is Hamas?

Hamas – an acronym for Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiya, or the Islamic resistance movement – was founded in 1987 by activists connected to the Muslim Brotherhood during the first Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation of Gaza and the West Bank. The State Department designated Hamas a terrorist group in 1997, and several other nations also consider Hamas a terrorist organization.

In 2006, Hamas won parliamentary elections, and in 2007 the group violently seized control of Gaza from the Palestinian Authority, which was controlled by the rival Fatah movement that still governs the West Bank. There have been no elections since. The group calls for the establishment of an Islamic Palestinian state that would replace the current state of Israel and believes in the use of violence to carry out the destruction of Israel.

Hamas receives financial, material, and logistical support from Iran. So far, however, the U.S. and other nations have said there is no evidence that Iran was directly involved in Hamas’ attack.

Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Israel war live updates: Aid convoy has entered Gaza