UAE agrees with Israel to allow delivery of urgent aid to Gaza

The United Arab Emirates said on Tuesday it agreed with Israel to allow delivery of urgent humanitarian aid from the Gulf country to Gaza, the state news agency WAM reported.

International pressure on Israel has mounted in recent days as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government launched a renewed military offensive in Gaza.

The European Union's top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, said on Tuesday that there would be a review of the EU's trade agreement with Israel over the "catastrophic" situation in Gaza.

The agreement was reached in a phone call between UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed and his Israeli counterpart Gideon Saar.

According to WAM, the aid will initially cater to the food needs of around 15,000 civilians in Gaza. It will also include essential supplies for bakeries and critical items for infant care.

Earlier on Tuesday, a spokesperson for the UN humanitarian office in Geneva said Israel had given permission for about 100 aid trucks to enter Gaza.

Israel says it plans to intensify military operations against Hamas and to control the whole of Gaza, which has been devastated by an Israeli air and ground war since Hamas' cross-border attack on Israeli communities in October 2023.

More than 500 killed in fresh attacks

The Israeli military announced the start of a new operation last week and medics in Gaza say Israeli strikes have killed more than 500 people in the past eight days.

Israel has also blocked the entry of medical, food and fuel supplies into Gaza since the start of March, prompting international experts to warn of looming famine, although some trucks were allowed to enter on Monday.

Gaza's civil defense agency told AFP Wednesday that Israeli strikes overnight killed at least 19 people, including a week-old baby, as Israel faces mounting international pressure over its military offensive.

"Our crews transported 19 dead, most of them children, and dozens of injured following air raids carried out by the Israeli warplanes in various areas of the Gaza Strip last night and early today," civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal said, naming multiple victims including the newborn.