Israel downplays truce prospects after Hamas response

Hamas wants a permanent end to the war and full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. Israel denies involvement and accuses armed Palestinians of firing at the crowds. The incident took place at the Kuwaiti roundabout on the southern outskirts of Gaza City, a known drop off point for the little aid that reaches northern Gaza. Armed Palestinians opened fire while Gazan civilians were awaiting the arrival of the aid convoy.

People wounded in the attack were lying on the floor of Shifa hospital in Gaza City. Medical teams struggling to deal with the number and type of injuries they had, it said. Israel says it is facilitating the transfer of aid to Gaza while its forces continue to fight Hamas. But aid agencies say Israeli restrictions mean a fraction of what is needed is getting in.

Australia said it would resume funding to UNRWA - the main United Nations aid agency in Gaza. The Australian Government has been briefed by the World Food Program that there are large stocks of food outside of Gaza. There is no way to move it across the border into Gaza and deliver it at scale without Israel#39;s cooperation. Israel has said that trucks containing aid have crossed into Gaza but have not been distributed.

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