Israel to reopen border crossing with north Gaza

A billow of smoke rises over buildings after an Israeli strike in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip. File pic/AFP

Israel on Friday said it is taking steps to increase the flow of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, including reopening a key border crossing into hard-hit northern Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office announced the plans, just hours after President Joe Biden told him that future US support for the war in Gaza depends on Israel taking more action to protect civilians and aid workers. The announcement did not elaborate on quantities or types of items to be let in.

Still, despite their differences, the Biden administration has continued to provide Israel crucial military aid and diplomatic support for Israel's six-month war against Hamas. Israel faces growing international isolation after its forces killed seven aid workers helping deliver food in Gaza.

The Palestinian death toll soared above 33,000 people on Thursday, with another 75,600 wounded, Gaza's Health Ministry said. The ministry doesn't differentiate between civilians and combatants in its tally, but says women and children make up two-thirds of the dead.

The United Nations says much of the population in northern Gaza is on the brink of starvation.

Eight held for inciting terrorism

Jerusalem district police on Friday arrested eight people on suspicion of inciting and supporting terrorism and terrorists, four of them residents of Jerusalem, and four residents of the north of the country. The arrests came after the Fajr (dawn) prayer on the Temple Mount, which was attended by thousands. The police said that similar to what occurred last week, there were chants of incitement and support for terrorism for a short time by some of the worshipers on the Temple Mount.

McDonald's buys all Israeli franchise

McDonald's announced that it will buy its 30-year-old Israel franchise from Alonyal Ltd, reclaiming ownership of 225 outlets employing over 5,000 individuals, Aljazeera reported. Following Alonyal's declaration of providing free meals to the Israeli military after the October 7 attack by Hamas, the US fast-food chain faced boycotts and protests. While McDonald's is a global corporation, its franchises are typically locally owned and operate independently.

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