Israel pummels Gaza after U.S. Congress approves military aid
The HinduIsrael pounded Gaza with air strikes and artillery fire in its war against Hamas on Wednesday after the U.S. Congress approved $13 billion in military aid. Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said the Senate's approval of the aid package already passed by the House of Representatives sent a "strong message to all our enemies" in a post on social media platform X. U.S.-Israeli relations been strained by Israel's conduct of the war in Gaza and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's determination to send troops into the southern Gazan city of Rafah, where 1.5 million people are sheltering, many in makeshift encampments. An AFP correspondent and witnesses also reported heavy bombardment of several areas of northern Gaza during the night, while the Israeli military said its aircraft "struck over 50 targets" over the previous 24 hours. Ismail al-Thawabta, head of the Hamas government media office said an invasion would be a "crime" and that central Gaza and Khan Yunis "cannot accommodate the numbers of displaced people in Rafah". Hospital bodies The U.N. human rights office said on Tuesday it was "horrified" by reports of mass graves found at the Gaza Strip's two biggest hospitals after Israeli sieges and raids.