Aid Reaches Gaza via Temporary Pier Amid Heavy Fighting

Aid finally reaches War-Torn Gaza via temporary pier amid intense fighting.

The first aid trucks began delivering desperately needed humanitarian assistance to Gaza via a temporary offshore pier, the US military said, as fierce fighting raged in the Palestinian territory.

US Central Command stated "trucks carrying humanitarian assistance began moving ashore" through the long-awaited floating pier a day after it was anchored off a Gaza beach. Around 500 tonnes of aid, including 88,000 cans of food from the EU, is expected to be brought ashore in the coming days.

The move comes as the United Nations has warned of looming famine in Gaza, where Israel's retaliatory offensive against Hamas has killed over 35,000 people, mostly civilians, since the war erupted after an October 7th attack on Israel left over 1,170 dead.

Aid deliveries have become increasingly complex and dangerous, with several killed by falling crates or in stampedes. This week, Israeli settlers torched aid trucks headed to Gaza twice.

Out of 252 Israelis taken hostage, 125 remain captive, including 37 the army says are dead after troops recovered three bodies.

Overnight, witnesses reported intense fighting in northern Gaza, which the army called "perhaps the fiercest" in over seven months as Israeli forces pushed towards Rafah despite international opposition.

Overnight in Gaza, witnesses reported heavy fighting in the northern town of Jabalia and its adjacent refugee camp.

The Israeli army said the renewed fighting in the town was "perhaps the fiercest" in more than seven months of war.

Witnesses reported Israeli helicopter strikes and artillery shelling in and around the town's refugee camp.

The bodies of six people were retrieved and several wounded people were evacuated after a strike hit a house in Jabalia, Gaza's civil defense agency said.