Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt opens for aid trucks

The border crossing between Egypt and Gaza opened Saturday to let desperately needed aid flow to Palestinians running short of food, medicine and water in the territory that is under an Israeli siege.

More than 200 trucks carrying roughly 3,000 tons of aid had been positioned near the crossing for days waiting to head into Gaza. An Associated Press reporter saw the trucks entering.

Israel blockaded the territory and launched waves of punishing airstrikes following the Oct. 7 rampage by Hamas militants on towns in southern Israel.

Many in Gaza, reduced to eating one meal a day and without enough water to drink, are waiting desperately for the aid. Hospital workers were also desperate for medical supplies and fuel for their generators as they treat huge numbers of people wounded in the bombings.

Hundreds of foreign passport holders also waited to cross from Gaza to Egypt to escape the conflict.

The Israel-Hamas war is the deadliest of five Gaza wars for both sides. The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry said Friday that 4,137 Palestinians have been killed and more than 13,000 others wounded.

More than 1,400 people in Israel have been killed, mostly in the initial attack on Oct. 7 when Hamas militants stormed into Israel. In addition, 203 people were believed captured by Hamas during the incursion and taken into Gaza, the Israeli military has said.

Israel tells citizens not to travel to Egypt or Jordan

The Israeli government has increased its travel alert for Egypt and Jordan, telling its citizens not to travel there and that those already there should leave immediately.

“Hostility and violence have been displayed against Jewish and Israeli symbols. The rhetoric of global jihad has become more extreme, which is calling to harm Israelis and Jews around the world,” the country’s National Security Council said in a statement.

It also increased its warning for Morocco, telling Israelis to avoid all nonessential travel to the North African country. That advice has already been issued for a slew of other Muslim countries in the region.

Israel has also issued a more general warning against travel to Muslim nations further afield.

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