US intelligence estimates Gaza hospital blast death toll at 100 to 300

WASHINGTON — An unclassified U.S. intelligence assessment delivered to Congress estimates casualties in an explosion at a Gaza City hospital on the “low end” of 100 to 300 deaths.

That death toll “still reflects a staggering loss of life,” U.S. intelligence officials said in the findings, which were seen by the Associated Press. Officials were still assessing the evidence, and the estimate may evolve.

Officials in Hamas-ruled Gaza quickly said an Israeli airstrike had hit Gaza’s al-Ahli hospital on Tuesday. Israel denied it was involved. President Joe Biden and other U.S. officials already have said that U.S. intelligence officials believed the explosion was not caused by an Israeli airstrike. Thursday’s findings echoed that.

The U.S. assessment noted “only light structural damage” to the hospital itself was evident, with no impact crater visible.

Defense minister: Prepare for ground invasion

JERUSALEM — Israel’s defense minister has told ground troops to be ready to enter the Gaza Strip, though he is not saying when the invasion will start.

In a meeting with Israeli infantry soldiers on the Gaza border, Yoav Gallant urged the forces to “get organized, be ready” for an order to move in.

“Whoever sees Gaza from afar now, will see it from the inside,” he said. “I promise you.”

Israel has massed tens of thousands of troops along the border following a bloody Oct. 7 cross-border massacre by Hamas militants.

Israel says 30 children taken hostage

JERUSALEM — Nearly 30 of some 200 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza are children, the Israeli military said.

More than 10 are over the age of 60, it said in a statement.

Authorities have no information about the location of more than 100 missing Israelis, it added.

U.S. Navy intercepts missiles from Yemen

CAIRO — A U.S. Navy warship took out three missiles that were fired from Yemen and were heading north, U.S. officials said.

The officials said the USS Carney, a Navy destroyer, was in the Red Sea and intercepted the missiles. It wasn’t immediately certain if they were aimed at Israel. One of the officials said the U.S. does not believe the missiles were aimed at the ship.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss military operations not yet announced.

Iranian-backed Houthi rebels have expressed support for the Palestinians and threatened Israel. Last week in Yemen’s Sanaa, which is held by the Houthi rebels still at war with a Saudi-led coalition, demonstrators crowded the streets waving Yemeni and Palestinian flags. The rebels’ slogan long has been, “God is the greatest; death to America; death to Israel; curse of the Jews; victory to Islam.”

Last week Abdel-Malek al-Houthi, the rebel group’s leader, warned the United States against intervening in the Israel-Hamas conflict, saying his forces would retaliate by firing drones and missiles.

Associated Press writer Jack Jeffery in Cairo contributed.

Humanitarian agencies want quick response

ZUWAIDA, Gaza Strip — Oxfam is working with other humanitarian agencies to provide a quick response when supplies begin flowing into Gaza.

Najla Shawa, a spokesman for Oxfam in Gaza, said they’re waiting for a cease-fire to be able to provide assistance to people who have had electricity, food and fuel supplies cut off.

“This is going to be a big challenge because there’s a lot to be done and we still don’t have enough information about what’s going to come in tomorrow,” Shawa said. Authorities have said the Egypt-Gaza border crossing in Rafah could open as soon as Friday.

Oxfam will probably focus on providing water and cash assistance once there’s clarity on what’s happening.

She said any response will take longer than usual because so many aid workers have been driven from their homes.

“All the team is displaced,” she said. “They’re all in shelters and schools and different apartments. Nobody has full electricity. … So the situation is extremely challenging.”

U.N. to inspect aid shipments

CAIRO — A U.N. flag will be raised at the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza to protect against Israeli airstrikes under a U.N.-brokered deal between Israel and Egypt to allow aid into the Palestinian territory.

An Egyptian official and a European diplomat said observers from the U.N. will also inspect trucks carrying aid before they cross.

They said the U.N will oversee the aid, along with the Egyptian and Palestinian Red Crescent societies, to ensure it is given to civilians and not used by Palestinian militants.

The Egyptian official said they are still negotiating with Israel over allowing fuel into Gaza, where a shortage has forced the closure of multiple hospitals.

The official and the diplomat spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief media.

Associated Press reporter Sam Magdy in Cairo contributed.

Israel withdraws diplomats from Turkey

ANKARA, Turkey — Israel has withdrawn all of its diplomats from Turkey over concerns for their security, according to two Turkish officials.

The move follows a spate of protests outside Israeli diplomatic missions in Turkey after a blast at a Gaza hospital that killed hundreds of Palestinians. Some protesters tried to storm the ambassador’s residence in Ankara and a building housing the consulate in Istanbul.

The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to make public statements, said diplomats including ambassador Irit Lillian have already left.

They said the diplomats left over safety concerns and their withdrawal was not political.

Turkey and Israel recently restored full diplomatic relations after withdrawing ambassadors in 2018 amid tensions sparked by the United States’ decision to move its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.

Associated Press reporter Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey, contributed.