MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
Israel's war with Iran is drawing military resources from its other war in Gaza. But as NPR's Aya Batrawy in Dubai and Anas Baba in Gaza report, Palestinians are still being killed and are under a near-total blockade.
AYA BATRAWY, BYLINE: Israeli media reported over the weekend the military views the war in Gaza as secondary to its new front with Iran. The Israeli newspaper Haaretz quoted security officials as saying the military's beefing up its troop presence at Israel's borders with Syria and Jordan. To do this, Haaretz says, the number of soldiers in Gaza will drop by more than half. In Gaza, already, fewer Israeli airstrikes have been reported in recent days. Israel's main focus is now Iran.
But the death toll continues to mount in Gaza. Bodies streamed into the Al-Shifa Hospital Saturday. Palestinians say large crowds of hungry people had amassed in a red zone that Israel's declared off-limits. They were desperate to grab aid off trucks crossing into northern Gaza.
IBRAHIM RAJAB: (Speaking Arabic).
BATRAWY: Ibrahim Rajab (ph) says his son-in-law was killed trying to get a sack of flour to feed his four daughters. Witnesses say Israeli troops opened fire and launched artillery shells at the crowd near the border. Israel's military didn't respond to NPR's request for comment. NPR's Anas Baba describes the scene at Al-Shifa.
ANAS BABA, BYLINE: Now, the family members are still mourning their own beloved, a 20-years-old guy, that he was only seeking and aiming for one thing, which is a flour sack for his family that was starving for the past three months.
BATRAWY: Gaza's health ministry says at least 300 people have been killed and more than 2,600 wounded in the past three weeks trying to reach food aid. The U.N. warns the territory could plunge into famine. Israel says its restrictions on aid are to keep it from reaching Hamas, the group that attacked Israel in 2023. Israel deems Hamas a proxy of Iran. Some Israeli officials say this war with Iran could advance Israel's aims in Gaza, which include eliminating Hamas.
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PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU: (Speaking Hebrew).
BATRAWY: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday he sees an opening to advance negotiations on a temporary ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza. But mediators tell NPR talks remain frozen. In Israel, families of hostages who have been protesting Netanyahu to strike a deal have canceled their rallies due to Iranian missiles overhead. And at the U.N., a conference where several Western countries were expected to formally recognize a Palestinian state has been postponed indefinitely.
Aya Batrawy, NPR News, Dubai. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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