October 19, 2023

*) Seven children among civilians killed in fresh Israeli strikes on Gaza At least seven children were among several civilians killed in an Israeli air strike on a house close to a school sheltering displaced people in southern Gaza. The official WAFA news agency reported that Israeli warplanes struck a home in the Khan Younis refugee camp besides other sites in the besieged enclave. “This is a massacre,” hospital director Dr. Yousef Al Akkad said, his voice choking with emotion. “Let the world see, these are just children.” *) US says Egypt to allow limited aid into Gaza Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el Sisi has agreed to open the Rafah crossing into besieged Gaza to allow a first batch of humanitarian aid trucks through, US President Joe Biden said. "He agreed to ... let up to 20 trucks through to begin with," Biden told reporters after calling Sisi from Air Force One while returning from a visit to Israel. Both leaders agreed to work closely on encouraging an "urgent and robust" response to a humanitarian appeal by the United Nations, the White House said. *) UN demands investigation into hospital attack in Gaza The UN has demanded an investigation into an Israeli attack on Al Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza that claimed hundreds of lives. When asked by Anadolu news agency whether the UN will be involved in the investigation to clarify details of the attack that killed hundreds of civilians, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said it is "early days" and the UN will "have to see what is done by way of investigation." "It is essential that there could be some form of investigation into this," he added. *) Türkiye declares three days of national mourning for Gaza Türkiye has declared a three-day national mourning period in solidarity with Palestine following an Israeli air strike on the Al Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza that killed at least 500 people. "As Türkiye, we feel the great suffering of our Palestinian brothers and sisters in our hearts," President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said. The Turkish legislatu