Wings Egypt

  • Travel & Tourism

Today the Wings Group is an award-winning member of all internationally recognized travel associations and holds a prestigious position in the national industry. The Group counts seven branches located throughout Egypt from Alexandria to Aswan, in addition to international branches in the USA and Japan.

Wings Group has a history of achievements in the travel & tourism industry since 1978 from the day it was founded that shapes the present. Those achievements had a significant impact on the national and international travelers with the comprehensive services and facilities we offer them on which we stake our reputation in that industry.

Wings Group owns and operates some of the most luxurious five-star hotels, resorts, and Nile cruise ships in Egypt. Four of them located in the beautiful Sharm El Sheikh, another one is ideally suited in Al Ain Al Sokhna, and four Nile ships are cruising the great Nile River for Tailor-made holidays.

Best of the best accommodations

The entire accommodation at one of our resorts, hotels, or Nile Cruisers play on the concept of "luxury" and creates an experience that brings guests closer to the exceptional.

Dining is about the experience

In high-end kitchens, by genuine chefs who use rare sprinklings of ingredient-first luxury, you can expect a dining experience that will become more personal and intimate.

A service that makes a difference

They say "You know great service when you find it" that is why we at Wings group are attached to reading each guest's needs, and we know how to treat our visitors right during their stay and even after that.

You can visit us Wings Egypt

  • Hotels & Resorts
  • Nile Cruises

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Meet the cradle of ancient civilization & wisdom, travel safe, why to visit, time to visit, things to do, places to visit, festivals & events, transportation, how to reach, travel tips, nearby places, interesting facts, why book with us, useful info about egypt.

  • OFFICIAL NAME: Arab Republic of Egypt
  • FORM OF GOVERNMENT: Unitary semi-presidential republic
  • CAPITAL : Cairo
  • POPULATION: 100,075,480
  • OFFICIAL LANGUAGE(S): Arabic
  • LANGUAGES SPOKEN: Egyptian Arabic, Sa'idi Arabic, Arabic, Sudanese Arabic, Domari, Nobiin, Bedawi
  • ETHNICITY: Egypt is largely dominated by one ethnic group, the Egyptians (95%). But there are also smaller groups, Berbers, Nubians, Bedouins, and Copts
  • CURRENCY : Egyptian Pound
  • AREA: 1,010,408 km2
  • LAND : 995,450 km2
  • WATER : 6,000 km2

NETWORK / CONNECTIVITY:

  • Country Calling Code:+20-2
  • Embassy of UAE: (+20) 2 3776 6101
  • Egypt is the cradle of civilization; from the Pyramids of Giza, Luxor temple to the Valley of the Kings, there's a rich history in cities including Cairo, Hurghada, Aswan, Luxor, Sharm-El-Sheikh, etc.
  • Thrilling safaris in the various deserts such as the Great Sand Sea, Sinai Desert, Blue Desert, Eastern Desert, and Western desert are a great action-packed destination.
  • Embark on a magical River Nile cruise for a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
  • Beaches such as Agiba Beach, Cleopatra's Beach, and Hurghada Beach are the perfect getaway for couples and families.
  • Streets markets in Cairo are the pulse of the capital; find the best bargains in the famous Khan-el-Khalili bazaar.
  • The iconic Great Pyramid of Giza is one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and the most vouched places to visit in Egypt.
  • Egyptian cuisine is a feast you cannot resist; the lamb kebab, baba ghannouj, shawarma, kofta and dolma are historic delicacies.
  • A sunset cruise in Aswan aboard a felucca (traditional Egyptian wooden sailboat) is a serene experience to feel the tranquility of the land.
  • Egypt has the longest river in the world; Luxor and Aswan are some of the key attractions that can be visited through the River Nile.
  • Diving in the Red Sea is a powerful experience to see shipwrecks, vibrant marine life and much more.
  • Cairo is known for some of the finest Islamic architecture and art in the world.
  • Egypt is gaining popularity for therapeutic tourism with the mud in many areas providing healing properties.
  • Explore the historic Giza Pyramids, one of the must things to do in Egypt.
  • Learn about the legends of Egypt in the ruins of Luxor.
  • Feast on delicious Egyptian cuisine with specialties like Koshari.
  • Stroll along the Alexandria Promenade also called the corniche.
  • Catch a live performance at the Cairo Opera House.
  • Go for a hot air balloon ride above the River Nile.
  • Relax on the calm shores of Hurghada Beach.
  • Experience the luxurious life of royalty at the Manial Palace.
  • Explore the streets of Cairo to discover the Citadel of Saladin, Mosque of Ibn Tulun, Al-Azhar Mosque, Sultan Hassan Mosque, Sabil, and more.
  • Visit the Abu Simbel Temples carved out of mountains.
  • Go scuba diving in locations such as Hurghada, Marsa Alam, Sharm El Sheikh.
  • Go for a shopping spree in the famous Khan el-Khalili market.
  • Book a cruise down the River Nile.
  • Explore the water activities available at Philae Island.
  • Visit the incredible Mummification Museum to learn more about the process.
  • Incense/ Oud
  • Antique stones
  • Khayameya (textile decoration)
  • Fez "Tarboosh" (Formal hat of citizens and pashas worn in Egypt from 1805 to 1952)
  • Wooden jewelry boxes
  • Handcrafted metal decorations
  • Desserts such as Baklava, stuffed dates, and Basbousa
  • Papyrus paintings
  • Egyptian musical instruments
  • Learn the basic Arabic words and phrases to make communication easier (for e.g. Hello is "salam", thank you is "shukran", and you're welcome is "Afwan".)
  • The standard tip at restaurants is about 10%.
  • Get a local sim card.
  • Always use metered taxis.
  • The weekend falls on Friday and Saturday making the Egyptian attractions very busy.
  • Most tourist spots will charge extra if you wish to use your camera and tripod.
  • Stay away from local political or religious gatherings.
  • Mosquitoes around dusk and dawn can be very aggressive, always keep a bug repellant with you
  • Do not carry a drone to avoid being detained at the airport.
  • The maximum withdrawal at most ATMs is $250 USD; carry cash with you to avoid inconvenience.
  • Scammers are common around the pyramids and museums; do not give your money to someone without getting your services first.
  • If the vendors or shopkeepers become aggressive, do not engage in conversation.
  • Do not wear flashy jewelry or attract attention.
  • Never photograph military installations.
  • Keep copies of your identification with you.
  • Do not drink alcohol on the street or outside a licensed restaurant, or you could be arrested.
  • In case of emergency, go to the tourist police instead of the normal police.
  • Cooperate with all safety checks in hotels and road checkpoints.
  • Always drink bottled water (A one-liter bottle costs about $0.30); the water in Egypt is heavily chlorinated.
  • Keep yourself well hydrated, pack electrolyte tablets.
  • Use sunscreen to avoid sunburn.
  • Carry sanitizer and hand wipes.
  • Do not touch the river Nile water with bare skin.
  • Carry a hand sanitizer, mosquito repellent, and sun protection.
  • Get a vaccination against typhoid, Hepatitis A and B, and rabies.
  • Loose-fitting clothing made of breathable fabric (women should dress modestly and not show their chest, shoulders or legs below the knees especially in mosques, markets and souks).
  • Shoes - running shoes or closed-toed walking shoes because of the heat and the dirt.
  • Raincoat or umbrella
  • Travel adaptors for electronics (Local voltage is 220 volts)
  • Hygiene and toiletry items
  • First aid kit
  • Lightweight scarf
  • Swimsuit and cover-up
  • Sunscreen and hat
  • Camera with cover
  • Flashlight in case of a power outage
  • Travel documents and tickets
  • Travel insurance
  • Passport and Visa
  • Any snacks in case of allergies
  • Dress modestly to respect the local culture.
  • Many Muslim women wear headscarves in line with religious beliefs.
  • Avoid any public displays of affection that can offend the locals and their Muslim customs.
  • Only ask the price of something if you are truly interested in purchasing it, shopkeepers can get pushy otherwise.
  • Be discreet and respectful of everyone you interact with.
  • Eat with your right hand.
  • A majority of the pyramids built in ancient Egypt were intended to serve as tombs for the pharaohs.
  • The pyramids of Khufa located in Giza is the largest pyramid in Egypt.
  • Egypt is predominantly homogeneous with Egyptians comprising over 99% of the population.
  • Almost 90% of the population is Muslim, and various Christian denominations make up the other 10%.
  • Egypt has seven UNESCO-designated World Heritage sites including Abu Mena, Ancient Thebes with its Necropolis, Historic Cairo, Memphis, and its Necropolis; and Nubian monuments from Abu Simbel to Philae.
  • Cairo, the capital, is the most populated city in Egypt.
  • Egypt is the largest Arab country in the world.
  • The national sport is football.
  • The tourism industry in Egypt is very famous; it employs almost 12% of the country's workforce.
  • Egyptian hieroglyphs have more than 700 symbols.
  • An estimated 95% of Egypt's population lives along the banks of the river Nile.
  • The national animal is the Steppe eagle.
  • The country's major exports include cotton, aluminum, food products, and oil.
  • Customized Packages: Just tell us all about your dream holiday and we would turn it into a reality.
  • Global Presence: We are Global. Travel anywhere and everywhere. Book flight tickets and hotels instantly. There are no boundaries and no limitations with us.
  • Special Packages for Everyone: Select from a range of budget-friendly to luxury vacation packages of your choice. We have specialized travel and tours packages for couples, families, and solo travellers.
  • 24X7 Customer Support: Need Help? Talk to our agent on the go. We are at your service 24X7.

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Egypt is home to amazing treasures and deep history ranging from the Pyramids, the Great Sphinx to the most interesting museums on earth.

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16 Essential Things to Know Before Traveling to Egypt

Visiting Egypt for the first time? Read on for essential Egypt travel tips and advice to help you plan a perfect trip!

I grew up dreaming of visiting Egypt and wandering through dim corridors and colourful walls adorned with hieroglyphics.

Woman standing in the Temple of Horus in Edfu in Egypt

Tales from Egyptian mythology have long captivated me – I often found myself reading stories of Anubis weighing the dead’s heart against a feather, how pharaohs were mummified and prepared for the afterlife and how the goddess Nut would swallow the sun at the end of each day and birth it the following morning.

Woman walking at the Temple of Philae in Egypt with text overlay

While the historical and archaeological treasures were mind-blowing and beyond what I could have ever hoped for, our trip to Egypt was one of the most trying and exhausting weeks for a myriad of reasons.

Even though I had done boatloads of research and asked around for Egypt travel tips, there were certain elements about traveling to Egypt that the research simply didn’t (and couldn’t) prepare me for.

Hypostyle columns at the Karnak Temple Complex in Luxor Egypt

So, why visit Egypt? Despite the frustration, there’s nothing in the world that quite compares to the wealth of history and artifacts in Egypt. If you are planning a trip to Egypt, here are some important things you should know ahead of your trip – read on for some key takeaways and tips for visiting Egypt so that you know what to expect.

Looking for more Egypt travel tips and destination guides? Click here for everything you need to help plan your dream trip to Egypt!

Important Things to Know Before Going to Egypt

Kom Ombo Temple in Egypt

Are you wondering to yourself, “What should I know before going to Egypt?” Aside from the cultural dos and don’ts in Egypt it is also helpful to familiarize yourself with a select number of important Egypt tips for first-time visitors – after all, don’t you want a smooth and fuss-free experience in this fascinating trove of ancient history and culture?

1. Security is an issue to consider seriously

Philae Temple in Egypt

“Is Egypt safe?” and “should I visit Egypt?” are two very different questions. I feel that it is irresponsible for me to outright claim that “Egypt is safe” just because we encountered no issues, when there has been a string of high-profile and devastating attacks targeting both tourists and Egyptian citizens across the country – some as recent as in these past few months.

Look, no country is completely impervious to bad actors and extremists or 100% safe: safety can not be guaranteed anywhere in the world. However, I personally believe that safety and security is an issue that has to be considered seriously before traveling to Egypt.

There are also precautions you can and should take (such as booking a hotel that has ample security or booking your Egypt tour with an experienced tour company) when visiting Egypt. However, violent crime against tourists is considered fairly low and uncommon – you just need to be aware of petty crime (watch your belongings when you’re out in public) and minor scams.

Your Egypt Tours private van in Egypt

The vast majority of visits to Egypt are trouble-free. That being said, while we made the decision to travel to Egypt despite the concerns, it doesn’t mean that it is my place to tell anyone that it is perfectly safe to visit Egypt.

If you’ve read some of my other Egypt destination guides , you’ll know that a terrorist attack was carried out on our second day in Cairo and we drove past the wreckage. Thankfully, there were no casualties and we were out of harm’s way, however it could have been a very different story.

So, should you still visit Egypt? Only if you understand the complexities of traveling to Egypt and are sufficiently prepared – both mentally and logistically. In my opinion, Egypt is not a place where you can just wing it and show up without a plan.

GIZA - APRIL 27: Egyptian security forces guard the entrance to the pyramids at the great pyramids in Giza, Egypt on April 27 2007.Since the 90's tourist became a target by Muslim militant in Egypt

Though there are security checks and road barricades at most major tourist sites around Egypt, I encourage you to stay abreast of news concerning Egypt ahead of your trip, and check travel advisories for the latest updates and developments.

2. Hassling, scams and bribery run rampant

Camel in front of the pyramids in Cairo Egypt

Traveling to Egypt left me feeling extremely conflicted: on the one hand, it offers thousands upon thousands of years of history and culture. On the other, every day felt draining. And don’t get me wrong – I don’t have a glass jaw.

I’ve been told to eff off in Rome , scammed in Morocco, gotten into a super gnarly situation with some thugs outside of Naples, been physically and verbally harassed around Asia and had racial slurs yelled at me in Australia. But the level of harassment in Egypt is intense and felt unrelenting.

Nobody seems to take “no” for an answer, and the hassling is incessant from carriage drivers, camel jockeys, souvenir sellers and even the official security and temple guards at archaeological sites.

Though it’s one of the most important things to know before going to Egypt, you should also understand that Egyptians in the tourism industry (and the broader Egyptian economy) rely heavily on tourism, and the value of the Egyptian Pound has also fallen fairly drastically over the years. Coupled with the fact that base salaries are low, many see tips and bribes as a way (or the only way) to supplement their income.

Luxor Temple in Luxor Egypt

Here is a good rule to follow: assume that nothing is free. Don’t take photos of the camels or go on a “free” camel ride, don’t take photos of the guards and don’t accept any “free” souvenirs. There’s a lot of ways to be scammed in Egypt – your best bet is to say no firmly (or ignore if the hassling doesn’t stop), and always ask your tour guide if you are unsure.

In my opinion, it doesn’t help the situation if you pay off a temple guard to let you enter an area that is off-limits, or bribe them to let you take photos where you’re not supposed to. Had I known what to expect in Egypt in terms of constantly being approached I might have been able to be better prepared mentally.

3. Tipping is very much expected

Egyptian Pound note

Because of the aforementioned low base salaries, tipping (or “baksheesh”) is pretty much mandatory in Egypt. Get TONS of small change where you can because it feels like you have to tip everywhere, constantly, and no one is shy about asking you outright for a tip.

You might get baggage handlers offering to carry your luggage for 3 metres to the door and you’ll have to tip. Tip 5-10 LE to toilet attendants, 10-20 LE to baggage handlers and other hotel staff, 80-150 LE per day to your tour driver, US$15-20 per day per person to your tour guide – these are just ballpark figures, we tend to tip on the higher end of the spectrum.

Not sure how much to tip in Egypt and don’t want to personally handle the tipping? You can give your guide a fixed amount each day and he or she will distribute it as the day goes by.

4. You don’t need to avoid visiting during Ramadan

Outdoor bar at Marriott Mena House in Cairo Egypt

Egypt is a majority Muslim country, which means that many citizens observe Ramadan and fast during the holy month. That being said, we visited during Ramadan and it felt like everything was pretty much business as usual, especially for the tourism industry.

Mohamed Ali Alabaster Mosque in Cairo Egypt

One of the most important things to know about Egypt during Ramadan is that opening hours may change for many places (so double check the schedule), and you should avoid eating and drinking in public; essentially, tourist attractions are still open during Ramadan and your trip is unlikely to be affected by the festivities. Additionally, most places will not serve alcohol during Ramadan.

5. The summer months are sweltering hot

Karnak Temple Complex in Luxor Egypt

There is a reason why people say to avoid visiting Egypt during summer from May to August. It’s because the temperature is fairly unbearable, and most sightseeing landmarks offer minimal shade.

Temple of Hatshepsut in Luxor Egyp

I’ve never felt such dry, intense and oppressive heat, and we visited in mid-May which meant that it hadn’t even reached the peak temperature yet. I recommend visiting Egypt when the weather is moderately milder from September to April, though tourist attractions will also tend to be more crowded during this peak travel season.

6. Be prepared for the extra charges

Entry fees for Egyptian Museum in Cairo Egypt

This is one of my top travel tips for Egypt, because we were caught slightly unaware at the volume of extra charges we’d have to fork out. There are many additional charges that you need to be aware of!

Entry fees for Giza Pyramids in Cairo Egypt

These include the separate ticket for the Royal Mummy exhibit at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, photography permit at the Valley of the Kings, passenger train at the Temple of Hatshepsut, entry into the burial chambers of the pyramids of Giza and so on.

Photography ticket at the Valley of the Kings in Luxor Egypt

To budget for Egypt, I recommend tacking on an additional 30-40% or so to cover extra photography and entry charges, meals, drinks, gratuities and tipping and your Egypt entry visa. It all adds up quickly!

7. Dress on the conservative side

Tourists in Memphis Cairo Egypt

…but it’s probably not as bad as you think. While it is true that Egypt is a majority Muslim country and you should plan to dress modestly (both men and women should cover their shoulders and legs), there aren’t actually any specific dress codes at major tourist landmarks and you will see people walking around with tank tops and shorts. That being said, is it appropriate to visit the pyramids in a sleeveless low-cut maxi dress? Probably not.

Visiting the Philae Temple in Egypt

I wore t-shirts and jumpsuits on most days, and my boyfriend wore shorts and t-shirts in Egypt. I also recommend that you bring plenty of sunscreen and a hat to avoid a serious sun burn.

8. Leave your drone at home

Drone photo of pyramids in Egypt

Planning on flying your drone over the pyramids of Giza? Think again. Egypt prohibits the use or possession of unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) without a license from the Ministry of Defense.

There are many stories of people risking the penalties and getting their drones confiscated at the airport, and violators can face serious penalties or even jail time. It’s not worth the hassle so don’t even bother bringing your drone if you are just a recreational user.

9. Your Nile cruise might not actually involve that much sailing

Nile cruise in Egypt sitting on top deck

When we booked a 1 week tour in Egypt that included 3 nights aboard a Nile cruise, we expected to be sailing down the river for the majority of the time. So imagine our surprise when we only sailed for a few hours from Aswan to Luxor on the second day of the cruise, and spent the rest of the time docked at ports.

Amwaj Living Stone Nile Cruise in Egypt roof restaurant

Though the Nile cruise was still a highlight of our time in Egypt, it’s important to know that not much cruising is actually involved.

Sailing on a Nile Cruise in Egypt

That being said, if you want to spend most of your time sailing along the river Nile then you might want to consider boarding a traditional Egyptian felucca, though the experience and comfort will differ greatly from one of the luxury river cruises.

Important: For many Nile cruise ships, you need to board either on a Monday or Friday – many ships embark on their journey from Aswan on Mondays, or from Luxor on Fridays. For this reason, you will need to time the rest of your trip accordingly! Looking for more Egypt Nile cruise options? We traveled aboard the M/S Amwaj Living Stone Nile Cruise, which Your Egypt Tours booked on our behalf. Here are some other Nile cruise operators you might want to consider based on positive reviews from past guests. M/Y Alexander The Great Nile Cruise : For a mid-budget option consider this Nile cruise ship – the décor and furnishing is similar to the one we went on, and there is a small pool on board for a post-sightseeing dip. The ship has its own Egyptologists to take guests to the major landmarks, and reviewers say that the staff are very hospitable and helpful. The M/Y Alexander The Great sets sail from Luxor on Monday and Aswan on Friday. Click here to check rates and availability aboard M/Y Alexander The Great Nile Cruise . Historia The Boutique Hotel Nile Cruise : For a high-end Nile cruise consider this luxury ship. The rooms and common areas are modern and tastefully designed, and past guests love the cocktail bar on board. Reviewers say that the food is delicious and the staff go above and beyond to make guests feel at home. Historia The Boutique Hotel Nile Cruise sets sail from Luxor on Monday and Aswan on Friday. Click here to check rates and availability aboard Historia The Boutique Hotel Nile Cruise .

10. Be prepared to see a heavy military presence

Police in Cairo Egypt

This is one of my top tips for traveling to Egypt – don’t be alarmed at the somewhat intimidating military presence. Egyptian military and security personnel are everywhere and it’s not uncommon to see heavy duty weapons at tourist landmarks (especially those in Cairo).

When entering any major landmark, you will also need to have your bags scanned and walk through a metal detector.

11. It’s easy to get a visa on arrival

Visa on arrival at Cairo Airport in Egypt

Nationals from many countries are eligible for an e-visa, however, you can very easily purchase a visa-on-arrival for US$25 (approx 22 Euros) from the National Bank of Egypt counters located before immigration. I wouldn’t bother with the e-visa system, I can’t tell you the number of times I tried to get that darn website to work – it is extremely glitchy!

Visa on arrival at Cairo Airport in Egypt

The visa is valid for 30 days and you must have a passport with at least 6 months’ validity beyond your scheduled return date. If you are traveling to Egypt on a group or private tour, the tour organizers will also take care of this for you.

12. Don’t drink the tap water

This is one of the first things your tour guide will tell you about traveling around Egypt. The tap water in Egypt is not safe to drink, and you’re also advised to brush your teeth with filtered or mineral water.

Hotels and tour companies provide bottled water to their guests, or you can boil water ahead of time to brush your teeth or refill your water bottles.

13. Book a tour with a reputable company

Inside Kom Ombo Temple in Egypt

Here is one of my top Egypt tips for first timers who want a smooth trip and to hear illustrious and colourful Egyptian folklore and legends: enlist help from the experts. We typically prefer to travel on our own as independent travelers instead of through tour companies/agencies (and sure, you could try to plan a Egypt trip on your own), but our private tour in Egypt was made complete with our knowledgeable Egyptology guides and experienced drivers who navigated the chaotic traffic like pros.

Valley of the Kings in Luxor Egypt

Booking a private tour in Egypt was by far one of the best travel decisions we could have made, because Egypt is not an “easy” destination to visit by any means.

Temple of Philae in Egypt

Believe me, you’ll want a guide to explain the history and cultural significance of the monuments so you’re not just mindlessly looking at a bunch of hieroglyphics, and they can brief you on all of the customs in Egypt, what to avoid and what to be aware of so that you aren’t caught off-guard at any point.

Hieroglyphic carvings at Kom Ombo temple in Egypt

There are tons of options when it comes to private Egypt tours and reputable tour companies and it can be overwhelming trying to decide which one to go with – I highly recommend getting in touch with Your Egypt Tours for their incredible Egyptologists. You can read more reviews from other travelers here or e-mail them at [email protected] .

You might also like: A 7 Day Egypt Itinerary for First Time Visitors

14. You probably don’t want to rent a car in Egypt

Traffic in Cairo Egypt

The driving in Egypt is bonkers, mad, hectic, insane. Designated lanes and signalling lane changes don’t exist, and don’t get me started on the traffic and road conditions.

Traffic jam in Cairo Egypt

We love renting cars and embarking on road trips when we travel, but Egypt is one place where you probably need an experienced local driver to help you get around safely.

15. Egypt’s history and landmarks are mind-blowing

Temple of Horus in Edfu in Egypt

The history and beautiful artifacts in Egypt are, simply put, astounding. The integrity and preservation of its cultural heritage and history is truly impressive, especially considering the plundering and illegal excavations that Egypt has endured over the decades.

Valley of the Kings in Luxor Egypt

From the fallen statue of Ramses II in Memphis and the burial chambers of fallen pharaohs in the Valley of the Kings, to the sprawling Karnak Temple complex in Luxor, you’ll be left wide-eyed with wonder.

Luxor Temple entrance in Luxor Egypt

Make sure you check out these incredible sights in Cairo (beyond the pyramids of Giza) and these stunning landmarks in Luxor , as well as the Temple of Horus at Edfu and Kom Ombo near Aswan. If you have more than 1 week in Egypt you may also want to explore the port city of Alexandria or the visit the Abu Simbel temple complex.

Carvings in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt

To prepare for your trip I recommend reading up on Egyptian mythology (I like this Penguin book on Myths and Legends of Ancient Egypt ) and familiarizing yourself with this chronology of Egyptian history .

16. It’s not worth the extra fees to enter the Great Pyramid of Giza or King Tut’s Tomb

Pyramids of Giza Plateau in Cairo Egypt

The pyramids of Cheops (or Khufu), Khafre and Menakaure are the only survivors of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and you can enter them for an extra fee: approximately 400 LE/US$25 for the Great Pyramid or 100 LE/US$6 for each of the 2nd or 3rd pyramids as of 2019.

However, we were advised by our guide that the burial chambers are actually extremely bare so the entrance fee isn’t necessarily worth the money – you can see some photos from the inside of the Great Pyramid of Giza here .

Instead, wait until you visit Sakkara to enter the burial chamber of King Teti. The interior is in immaculate condition and you can still see the carved stars on the ceilings and hieroglyphics on the walls (photos are not permitted inside).

Ramses V and VI tomb in the Valley of the Kings in Luxor Egypt

The same goes for the tomb of King Tutankhamen in the Valley of the Kings in Luxor, as all of the treasures including his death masks and sarcophagi have since been moved to the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities in Cairo. You can see some photos from inside the tomb here .

Ceiling in KV9 in the Valley of the Kings Egypt

Instead, I recommend checking out the tomb of Ramses V and VI (KV 9) – it was the least busy tomb that we visited, well-lit and the walls and paintings were in pristine condition. In my opinion, knowing which “extra” attraction to skip and where to go instead was one of the most important things to know before visiting Egypt.

I hope these Egypt travel tips were helpful and that you have a better idea of what to expect before your trip!

Temple of Hatshepsut in Luxor Egypt

Ready to plan your dream trip to Egypt? Read more about visiting Egypt here:

  • Highlights of Egypt: A 7 Day Egypt Itinerary for First Time Visitors
  • Experience Egypt: How to Spend 2 Days in Cairo (And What to See Besides the Pyramids)
  • Discover the City of Palaces in Egypt: 6 Incredible Things to Do in Luxor

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Woman standing at the Edfu Temple in Egypt with text overlay

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Bhutan is unlike any other destination in the world. Read on for some of the best places to visit in Bhutan! The Kingdom of Bhutan is a small country located in the eastern Himalayas with India to its south and sharing a border with China in the north. Though Bhutan is only a tiny dot…

Thank you for this amazing content, it makes me want to go to Egypt.

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An eye opener. Well written!

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One omission. Don’t cross a main road in Cairo unless you can run.

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We offer a range of the best hand-picked accommodation, ranging from a small sociable hotel to luxury beach resorts. Soma Bay is very popular for all types of Wing Foiling holidays, including families, couples, friends and single travellers.

Planet Travel is not just a Wing Foiling holiday company, we have a lot of experience constructing luxury tailor-made tours in Egypt including Nile Cruises, Luxor, Aswan and Cairo. From Soma Bay we can easily tag on some days to any of these locations. Please call and speak to an Egypt specialist about putting together the perfect Egypt adventure.

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Experience was good

Experience was good except my sister in law was offered $100 off the trip if we booked before Feb 27. I did not get the same offer even though I asked specifically about it. I ended up booking with my sister in laws wing buddy rep rather than the one that responded to my email.

Date of experience : February 20, 2024

Reply from Wingbuddy

Hello May! Thank you so much for your feedback. We apologize for this confusion while booking your tour. We wish you an incredible trip filled with memories!

Impossible to change à flight

I booked a trip to Asia and now I réalise that the flight schedule is awful, I Asked wingbuddy to cancel my réservation or to change my flight but they refused. So, I will do this trip , but I am really disapointed.

Date of experience : March 07, 2024

Hello Louise, we are truly sorry to hear you are not satisfied with your flight itinerary, however as stated, the flights we book for the packages are non refundable. We are still confident you will thoroughly enjoy your hassle-free trip!

Very helpful

We are departing from different cities. The agent was very helpful in making the fight arrangements. We received our plane tickets the same day. Talk about being efficient.

Date of experience : March 04, 2024

Hello Dawn! Thank you so much for your review! We aim on giving our clients a fast and easy booking process. Have a great trip!

Working with Sharon was great

Working with Sharon was great. She made the process easy and fun. The excitement she expressed for our upcoming adventure just made this great. I've already told my friends about Wingbuddy

Date of experience : March 06, 2024

Hello Dwayne! Thank you so much for your review! We are very pleased to hear you enjoyed the booking process with our travel agents.

We were told to bring u s dollars…

We were told to bring u s dollars because everyone would take them or a credit card.. I have not been able to get money from my credit card at any of the atms. Many of the hotels don't have working showers.Water did come out of the tub but the drain didn't work. There is a charge for all water and toliets. (Would have been good to know). Much more walking than many in group could do. Just being informed would have helped to make decisions.

Date of experience : March 11, 2024

Hello Tammy, we are truly sorry to hear you were not satisfied with some aspects of your trip. We do advise our clients to bring cash as it is the easiest way to move around. We highly appreciate your feedback and have taken note of the hotel issues and will be applying accordingly. We hope you were still able to enjoy your tour!

Recent booking experience- French Riviera trip.

Quentin was very responsive to all our questions regarding the trip and flight options. He worked with us to find the best itinerary. All questions were answered in a clear manner.

Thank you so much for your review! At Wingbuddy, we strive in giving our clients an exceptional booking process, with the best itineraries available!

Greece Island Hoping

It was an easy process to book over the phone with an agent. She explained how the process would work and airline tickets arrived promptly

Date of experience : March 08, 2024

Hello Angie! We love to hear our clients found the booking process easy and straightforward. Have an incredible hassle-free trip!

So far I am happy with Wing Buddy

So far I am happy with Wing Buddy. Sharon our travel agent with Wingbuddy answered all our questions and gave advice as well to make our trip smooth. We leave in June and will update of the trip. The trip is a package deal of flight to Vienna, hotel, Croisieurope cruise of the Danube, booking tours for less.

That's great to hear Lunder! Thank you so much for taking the time to review us. We look forward to hearing from you after your trip! Enjoy your cruise!

After several exchanges about the plan…

After several exchanges about the plan and the flights the agent pulled up the wrong flights, did not verbally review them, and booked us incorrectly. Now WingBuddy won’t make the correction. Completely unacceptable.

Date of experience : March 01, 2024

Hello Renee, we are truly sorry you were not satisfied with the booking service on our part. We thank you for your feedback and have taken your concerns under consideration and will apply accordingly. We wish you an amazing trip.

The all-inclusive service fits us well

The all-inclusive service fits us well. Booking a Crouse and then worrying about airline, hotel etc is too much trouble. Consultant Menekse Kar (Mini) is great. She answered all our questions, and timely. That gave us some confidence that we will have a good experience. Sharon booked our travel. She explained everything, added two hotel nights. She is great!

Date of experience : February 29, 2024

Hello Dave, thank you so much for taking the time to review us! We are so glad to know our services are a great fit for you! At Wingbuddy, we strive in offering our clients exceptional hassle-free packages. We wish you an amazing trip filled with memories!

Everything looks and feels right on the…

Everything looks and feels right on the website, person to person communication could be better, the representative was very polite and helped in booking process, how ever I feel she should have been more Intune on what she was selling. The promo price $300. was missed and I had to emphasize 2-3 times to finally receive that - All in all I was happy with the booking

Hello! Thank you for your comments! We are happy to know you are satisfied with your booking! We have also taken note on your feedback and will apply it accordingly to ensure that these kinds of issues from our end do not happen again. We wish you a great trip!

My first time with Wingbuddy

This is my first time using this company and so far, the dealing I have had with the agent was really painless. I can't wait to see what the trip will be in October 2024.

Hello Carole! We are so happy you chose us for your hassle-free adventure. We look forward to hearing from you after your trip!

Package is not flexible

All the staff I talked to were great, especially Sharon. This is the first time I am using Wingbuddy. I have already travelled to about 50 countries. Normally, I join the tour group at the hotel at the starting location. I book air separately so that I have flexibility in planning any pre and/or post tour of my choice. Wingbuddy's package is not friendly for land only tours. If I am rating the staff experience only I would give a 4.5 - 5.

Hello Thomas, thank you so much for booking with us! We are sorry to hear you did not find our tours flexible as our tours are organized packages. We are pleased to know you enjoyed speaking with one of our travel agents and we are confident you will thoroughly enjoy your hassle-free trip!

Dubai Hotel Rooms were disappointing

The last time we travel to Dubai, the rooms were supposed to be exceptional and rated very high. We got there. The rooms were not as nice as we thought they should be they were downgraded. The one thing I think that wing buddy should do is be honest and truthful about reading the rooms, don’t say it’s if four star when they say two star. If that’s what we gettin in AUS. Last time and will share with others. Hoping it’s exceptioal!

Date of experience : May 05, 2023

Hello, We are very sorry to hear you did not enjoy the hotels at your stay. The accommodations we pick are always rated as they are displayed. We are pleased about your upcoming trip however and look forward to hearing from you after your vacation!

So far so good

So far so good. I booked with WingBuddy through a TravelZoo link. The booking process and information Naomy provided were good. The trip is later this year, so hopefully no hiccups along the way. I'll update again later and reduce stars if needed...fingers crossed!

Hello Michael, thank you so much for your review! We are happy to know you found our travel agents up to the task and we so look forward to hearing from you after your hassle-free trip!

Professional and efficient service

Dealing with Sharon was an enjoyable experience. She answered my many questions with obvious knowledge. Her communication (telephone and internet) was top notch. I would recommend Wingbuddy to friends and family.

Thank you for your review Joanne! We are pleased to know you found our travel agents up to par!

It was very nice to talk to a actual…

It was very nice to talk to a actual person. She did well booking our group of 5. We were hoping for a bit of a discount as return customers. Otherwise we are looking forward to our tour.

Date of experience : February 26, 2024

Thank you so much for your review and loyalty Roxane! We wish you an amazing trip full of memories!

I requested a quote and got a response…

I requested a quote and got a response back over the weekend. Monday morning all my questions were answered.

Date of experience : March 02, 2024

Hello Lisa, Thank you so much for your 5 star review! We are happy to know you all your questions and concerns were answered!

cannot get real confirmation of my…

cannot get real confirmation of my reservation, no call back on monday as Sharon promised to do. I"m still very insecure about this

Date of experience : March 05, 2024

Hello Colette, we are truly sorry to hear you did not feel secure following your reservation. We have already sent you all the documents and booking confirmations you will need via email. We wish you an incredible trip!

Wonderful!!

The booking experience was very easy and simple. The customer service representative was very nice and helpful. I would definitely book with wingbuddy again through their customer service.

That's great to hear! Thank you so much for your review. We are thrilled to know you are satisfied and we can't wait to hear from you after your trip!

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What to Do If You Have Upcoming Travel to Egypt, Jordan, or Lebanon

By Jessica Puckett

The sailboat shown is an Egyptian felucca.

This is a developing story and will be updated with more information.

In recent weeks, the war between Israel and Hamas has seeped further into surrounding areas of the Middle East. Violence has reached the southern stretch of the Red Sea, where Houthi rebels have attacked cargo ships off the coast of Yemen, and the US has responded with its own airstrikes. On Israel’s border , clashes between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon continue to intensify.

While it's a no-brainer to reconfigure plans located in the immediate conflict zone, many travelers with upcoming trips to the surrounding region are wondering what to do. Is it safe, or responsible, to embark on a Nile cruise in Egypt at the moment? Or to continue on with a visit to Petra, in Jordan? The questions have become only murkier as the conflict expands.

Following a regional security alert issued by the State Department in October that advises US citizens throughout the Middle East to “take caution,” some travelers have responded by canceling trips, while others have pressed on with plans under the guidance of travel providers.

One luxury tour group, Red Savannah says that all travel they have arranged for clients in Egypt and Jordan is continuing as normal. “While we are holding off selling Lebanon, we believe that Egypt and Jordan continue to be safe destinations to visit,” says George Morgan-Grenville, CEO of Red Savannah. “Feedback from clients who traveled over Christmas was incredibly positive.”

According to data from the travel booking company Hopper, Jordan is currently seeing increased demand from US travelers compared to January of last year. US travel demand to Lebanon has dropped relative to other countries in the region, while bookings for Egypt have remained flat, Hopper tells Condé Nast Traveler.

For many, there's an emotional calculation to make when planning travel to countries in close proximity to conflict zones. “Every person has their own unique risk threshold,” says Dave Dennis, executive director of Cornerstone Safety Group, a risk management organization that supports travel companies. “An acceptable risk for one person can be very different from another.”

We asked safety and industry experts to share advice for travelers considering trips to Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, and the Red Sea in the near future. Here's what travelers should know—from what's happening on the ground, to government advisories, to which choices other travelers are making.

Jump ahead:

Should you travel to Jordan right now?

Should you travel to egypt right now, should you travel to lebanon right now.

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The US State Department has kept Jordan under a “Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution” travel alert that it first issued on July 13. The only regions that travelers are instructed to avoid are the country’s borders with Syria and Iraq, its refugee camps, and Zarqa, Rusayfah, and the Baqa’a neighborhood of Ayn Basha due to ongoing safety concerns, according to the department’s guidance.

“Jordan, being further from regional unrest, remains at a Level 2 advisory, which is a common category for many regions globally,” says Dennis. As such, most tours throughout Jordan continue to operate as scheduled, and visitors can visit highlights like the Dead Sea , the Wadi Rum desert, Petra, and the capital city of Amman.

The Jordanian Tourism Board told the Times of London in January that the country remains safe for international travel: “In light of the recent developments in Gaza, we want to emphasize that Jordan continues to be a safe and welcoming destination for tourists from around the world,” the agency said in the statement. “Our commitment to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of all visitors remains unwavering and we want to reassure everyone that Jordan’s borders are open to tourists.”

Egypt's alert level from the State Department hasn’t changed since July 13, and remains at a “Level 3: Reconsider Travel.” Tourists should continue to avoid travel to the Sinai Peninsula, the land bordering Israel and Gaza and to the east of Cairo, as it is a “particularly dangerous area,” according to the department.

In a December 20 security reminder , the US Embassy in Cairo advised US travelers in Egypt to maintain situational awareness and personal security vigilance, exercise caution if unexpectedly in the vicinity of large gatherings or protests, and to keep a low profile.

Many group tours, like Red Savannah's, which visit sites like the Great Pyramids of Giza, the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, the Valley of the Kings , and Karnak Temple in Luxor, are continuing as normal. But even as many trips forge ahead, some operators are seeing significant cancellations. One firm in Egypt, Amisol Travel, has seen just 40 to 50% of its typical bookings from February and September 2024, according to the New York Times .

Nile River cruises are also continuing to operate as planned. The only changes at this time are cancellations of post-cruise land packages through Israel—most lines have removed these add-on tours for the near future.

“We continue to closely monitor the situation in Israel and Gaza and have canceled a select number of Jerusalem extensions for our Pharaohs & Pyramids itinerary,” says a January 11 statement on Viking’s website. “All of our departures in Egypt are operating as scheduled. Our top priority is the safety and wellbeing of our guests, crew and partners on the ground."

In recent months, AmaWaterways has been making similar cancellations ​​of extended land tours through Israel. “Guests with the post-cruise Israel package scheduled to depart on Secrets of Egypt & the Nile itinerary starting in Cairo up to and including June 21, 2024 will be refunded for the Israel land portion as well as the Cairo to Tel Aviv airfare,” the line said in an emailed statement. “There are no other changes to any other Egypt river cruise or associated land packages.”

Despite most Nile itineraries continuing as planned, lines are seeing an uptick in cancellations from passengers. "The impact has been pretty severe, quite honestly, for the first quarter of 2024," Pamela Hoffee, president of Avalon Waterways, told Travel Weekly in early December. "Close to half of our guests canceled for the first quarter of 2024. The rest of the year has not seen as much impact."

As of October 17, the US State Department has had a “Level 4: Do Not Travel” warning for Lebanon. The advisory was last updated on December 19 and recommends US citizens do not travel to the country “due to crime, terrorism, armed conflict, civil unrest, kidnapping, and Embassy Beirut’s limited capacity to provide support to US citizens."

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The advisory "speaks to inherent dangers of the region and the lack of immediate emergency services if a traveler was in need of assistance from government agencies,” says Dennis.

Clashes between the Israeli military and the Hezbollah militants in Lebanon have continued at the countries’ borders for months. Now, it's appearing more likely that serious conflict could spread even farther into Lebanon. The head of Israel’s military, Chief of the General Staff Herzi Halevi, said on January 17 that the IDF is increasing readiness for “fighting in Lebanon,” CNN reported .

“The State Department recommends that US citizens in Lebanon leave now, while commercial flights remain available, due to the unpredictable security situation,” says a security alert from the US Embassy in Beirut issued on November 4. (At the time of publication, no new security alerts have been issued from the Embassy in Beirut since).

What's happening with cruises in the Red Sea?

Some cruise lines have begun canceling or changing itineraries that were set to transit through the Red Sea, due to the heightening conflicts there. According to Seatrade Cruise News , MSC has canceled three sailings that had stops through the Red Sea and Middle East: a March 30 voyage on MSC Virtuosa sailing from Dubai to Southampton, England; an April 3 sailing on MSC Splendida from Cape Town to Genoa, Italy; and an April 21 sailing on MSC Opera from Dubai to Genoa.

Silversea has also canceled an upcoming voyage aboard Silver Moon from Dubai to Mumbai that was slated to depart on January 26. “Affected guests and their travel agents have been informed of the reprotection options,” Silversea told Traveler in an emailed statement. “The voyage between Mumbai and Singapore, scheduled between Feb 11 and Feb 29, is currently scheduled to proceed as planned. Our global security team continues to closely monitor the situation in the region and will make any additional changes if required.”

Additional tips for considering travel to the region

1. consider postponing instead of canceling.

The standard guidance in the travel industry, even in harrowing situations, is that postponing a trip is usually a better option than canceling, if you can swing it. That way, local workers and/or travel businesses don't completely lose out on travelers' support, particularly at a time of need. “We highly recommend postponing, or rebooking to another region, over canceling all together,” says Matt Berna, president The Americas for Intrepid Travel. "More than ever the world needs intrepid travelers. We want travelers to do and see incredible things, and for those experiences to have positive social and economic impacts on the host communities they visit.”

One benefit for travelers post-pandemic is that the majority of operators now offer flexible changes and postponements. “Since COVID-19, we have seen a trend towards rebooking flexibility in the travel industry,” says Christina Tunnah, general manager Americas for travel insurance provider World Nomads. “Many US-based airlines retained the credit and rebooking policies from the peak of COVID-19. If you booked with a tour provider, contact customer service to understand what kind of policies may apply in this type of situation.”

Some tour companies allow cancellations within a certain window or will give a voucher toward a future trip if you’d like to postpone. “Should a client feel uncomfortable about traveling, we will always do our best to offer a postponement,” says Morgan-Greenville of Red Savannah.

Jerry Sorkin , a travel specialist with Iconic Journeys Worldwide , says his company gives customers the option to reschedule and apply 100% of their funds toward a future tour to the same destination, up until 30 days before their trip. (Travelers who want to cancel their trip within 30 days of their departure will have to rely on travel insurance for refunds.) “If they did not take out travel insurance, they did so at their own risk and signed a document when booking with us that they had declined to take out travel insurance,” Sorkin says. These types of cancellation policies are standard throughout the industry, which makes understanding travel insurance policies all the more important.

2. Purchase travel insurance

“We always recommend purchasing travel insurance as soon as you invest in your flights, accommodations, and other travel costs,” says Tunnah. “All policies are different, so be sure the policy you select offers the coverage you are most concerned with, such as trip cancellation or trip interruption. And always be sure to read your policy details.” For instance, trip cancellations due to war, invasion, or hostilities between nations are generally excluded from travel insurance policies, but some may offer coverage for terrorist incidents that occur in your departure or destination city, according to Tunnah. (World Nomads’ travel insurance policies for US residents offer trip cancellation coverage in the event a terrorist incident occurs within 30 days of the scheduled departure date, for instance.)

3. Reference international sources during research and consider traveling with a local tour operator

If you decide to go ahead with your trip, there are still precautions to take, too, and ways to be as informed as possible. “I always advocate for travelers to research the areas visited, purchase travel insurance, and talk to insurance providers about coverage and emergency support options should a need arise,” says Dennis, the risk management expert. “Some travel insurance policies won't cover regions listed as a Level 4 (Do Not Travel) government rating, so it's important to verify exemptions prior to travel." Dennis also suggests traveling with a reputable, locally experienced operator: "These organizations typically have deep connections with the communities they visit and are responsible for making itinerary adjustments based on local circumstances.”

In your research, try to include international media sources for the most holistic picture of what’s happening in the area. “It's important to seek out information from multiple sources to find a balanced understanding of regional safety and security,” Dennis says. “This may include reviewing US, UK, Canadian, and even Australian State Department travel warnings, local embassy updates, and if available, gaining access to information from professional security organizations. Each resource may have slight variations of information depending on the audience they serve, so it's important to gather as many perspectives as possible for a balanced approach.”

4. Have an emergency plan

As a precaution, US tourists on international trips should always sign up for the State Department’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program ( STEP ) to receive important safety alerts from the US embassy in the country they are visiting. Enrolling is free, only takes a few minutes, and will help the embassy contact you in the event of an emergency.

It’s also a good idea to make sure loved ones at home have key information about your travels. “Personally speaking, when I travel internationally, I always leave a copy of my itinerary, passport, and travel insurance policy with my family,” Dennis says. “I also make a check-in plan, so they know when to expect a call, text, or email.”

More than anything, making these difficult travel decisions is about building up a sense of personal intuition for what feels safe and enjoyable.

This article has been updated since its original publish date.

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Neri Zilber in Tel Aviv and Andrew England in London

Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.

On the 14th floor of Israeli military headquarters in Tel Aviv, high up in the defence minister’s office, a large pyramid adorns the wall made up of images of Hamas’s top ranks. The title: “Status of leadership assassinations.”

After five months of ferocious conflict in Gaza , those still alive greatly outnumber the mostly mid-ranking commanders whose fate is illustrated by a giant red X across their faces.

At the top — and still decidedly active — are Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif and the handful of other leaders responsible for Hamas’s devastating October 7 attack that killed 1,200 people and triggered the war.

But the Xs on the pyramid are gradually spreading, just as Hamas’s fighting options appear to be dwindling. Israel is trying to confirm reports that Marwan Issa, the Hamas number-three in Gaza known as “the shadow man”, was killed in an air strike over the weekend.

Moreover, the quasi-state in Gaza that Hamas used to rule is wrecked, its forces are decimated and the strip’s population is enduring a deepening humanitarian catastrophe .

Israel has yet to achieve all its wartime goals. But for Hamas , an Islamist militant group founded to destroy the Jewish state, victory now has largely narrowed to one thing: survival.

“Let’s assume that all of Gaza lies in ruins, and someone will stand there left from Hamas, a wounded soldier, and will raise a Hamas flag — they’ve won the war,” said Micha Kobi, a retired former senior official in Israel’s Shin Bet security agency. “That’s what they believe.”

That too is the challenge for Benjamin Netanyahu, who has repeatedly vowed to “eliminate” Hamas. As long as the group’s top leadership and fighters remain at large, the Israeli premier will fall short of his call for “total victory” — and risk being viewed as a failure by many in Israel.

It underscores the challenge the US, Qatar and Egypt face as they struggle to negotiate a deal to halt the fighting and secure the release of more than 130 Israeli hostages still held in Gaza.

Senior Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar shakes hands with a masked fighter of the Qassam Brigades in 2022

Hamas insists that any arrangement must end with a permanent ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the strip — moves that could provide the battered group with a lifeline as it faces its gravest threat.

Yet Netanyahu has repeatedly rejected such demands, insisting that Israel would only pause its offensive to free the hostages. After that, it would renew its relentless pursuit of Sinwar and the Hamas leadership, whatever it takes in Gaza.

“It feels like a game of chicken and the question is who swerves first,” said an Arab diplomat.

From its humble roots in the slums and mosques of Gaza in the 1980s, Hamas underwent a steady rise in power and prominence — in the 1990s as a militant group violently opposed to the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, then more recently as the undisputed ruler of the coastal enclave.

There is little doubt, however, that after months of bombardment by air, land and sea, the overall picture for Hamas is grim, say Palestinian analysts, Israeli security officials and regional diplomats.

Estimates of Hamas’s strength are notoriously difficult. But according to Israeli intelligence assessments, more than 18 of the Islamist militant group’s 24 battalions have been dismantled as organised fighting forces, and about half of its 40,000 fighters have either been killed or wounded. Active Hamas fighters have melted away into small guerrilla cells, emerging to fire rocket-propelled grenades or place explosive devices.

Palestinian Hamas militants parade in the Bani Suheila district of Gaza City in July  2017

Hamas, meanwhile, has reportedly said it has only lost 6,000 fighters. Whatever its numbers, US intelligence analysts foresee Hamas being able to continue a “lingering armed resistance for years to come”, using its underground tunnel network to “hide, regain strength and surprise Israeli forces”.

“Does Hamas still exist militarily? Yes,” said one senior Israeli military official. “Is it organised? No. The path to completely dismantling them goes on.”

The group’s civil control over northern Gaza and large parts of the south has certainly been eroded. Armed gangs are growing in number, while law and order has broken down across the devastated enclave, where more than 31,000 have been killed and 80 per cent of Gaza’s 2.3mn residents have been forced from their homes since Israel launched its offensive, according to Palestinian health authorities.

The bulk of the remaining Hamas battalions, according to the senior Israeli military official, have retreated to the southern city of Rafah and the refugee camps of Deir al Balah and Nusseirat in central Gaza.

Israel has repeatedly said that it plans to expand its offensive to Rafah, despite international warnings that it would have a disastrous impact on the 1.5mn people who have sought sanctuary in the city.

And yet, despite all the devastation, Hamas officials continue to strike a defiant tone in public, speaking about Israel’s “impotence” and the “steadfastness”, or sumud , of its fighters.

Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas’s Doha-based political leader, said in a televised speech last month that Israel had achieved nothing but “killing children and women and old people and causing destruction”. “This is what will await it in Rafah militarily,” he warned.

Palestinians salvage items from the rubble after an Israeli air strike on Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on March 9

Hamas’s fighters on the ground think “they are doing well militarily”, said the Arab diplomat, simply by holding out against one of the world’s most sophisticated armies in what has already been the longest Arab-Israeli war in decades.

Even so, with “their families and friends suffering”, he said there was no doubt pressure was growing to reach a ceasefire and alleviate the dire conditions for civilians.

“The key is how they react to pressure,” said the diplomat. “With groups like Hamas, in general, if you push too hard you will not get the reaction you want.”

Some analysts believe Hamas’s insistence on a permanent ceasefire as part of a hostage deal is a sign of the desperate situation in which the group finds itself.

“This isn’t about helping civilians [in Gaza] but about making the resumption of the war [by Israel] more difficult,” said Ibrahim Dalalsha, head of the Ramallah-based Horizon Center think-tank.

For this reason, say regional diplomats and analysts, Hamas is holding out for nothing less than a full Israeli withdrawal, the return of more than 1mn displaced people to north Gaza and the mass entry into the enclave of aid and semi-permanent shelters.

With both sides playing hardball, Hamas leaders in Gaza are aware their only “insurance policy” and leverage in the talks are the hostages, said Dalalsha.

This is why they have “become almost suicidal vis-à-vis the negotiations, with this maximalist position”, he said. “They know that if the war resumes and they’ve released the hostages, they’ll be finished,” he added.

Yezid Sayigh, a Beirut-based fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and the author of a book on the Palestinian armed struggle, said the group’s predicament stemmed from its catastrophic miscalculation over the real balance of military power.

Hamas releases an Israeli hostage in November last year

The bloody October 7 attacks struck deep inside Israel on a scale even Hamas did not think possible. But it also laid bare what Sayigh called the group’s “delusion” that the cross-border raid would trigger uprisings against Israel across the Middle East — and thereby limit the war or tip the balance.

“There’s a certain kind of nihilism [in the Hamas leadership] — that whether civilians died or not . . . was not something they seem to have actually thought mattered,” Sayigh added.

Even Hamas may be realising its 17-year run as Gaza’s ruling power may be over. Already, according to multiple people familiar with regional diplomacy, Hamas officials have engaged in talks to allow the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority to reassert control over Gaza through an “ad hoc leadership committee” or newly formed technocratic government.

Survival, according to analysts, may ultimately only be possible for Hamas by reverting to its early roots: a resistance movement with an underground militant wing and religious social services network.

“Hamas has lost governance in Gaza but they’re still looking for political survival as an organisation,” said Dalalsha. “They’re not idiots. They see the needs of Gaza and realise the public and international community won’t accept them again.”

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International Edition

Israel’s war on Gaza updates: Hamas puts forth proposal aimed at ending war

These were the updates on the Israel-Gaza war for Friday, March 15, 2024.

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This live page is now closed.

  • Hamas says it submitted a new truce proposal to mediators in Egypt and Qatar that outlines its “view on the prisoner swap”.
  • Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu describes the latest Hamas ceasefire plan as “ridiculous” and says his war cabinet approved the ground invasion of Gaza’s southern Rafah city.
  • At least 21 Palestinians are killed and more than 150 wounded in northern Gaza City when Israel attacks a crowd of people waiting for humanitarian aid.
  • At least 31,490 Palestinians have been killed and 73,439 injured in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7. The death toll in Israel from Hamas’s October 7 attack stands at 1,139 with dozens taken captive.

Thank you for joining us

The live page is now closed. You can continue to follow our coverage of the war in Gaza here.

Read about the latest Israeli massacre of desperate people in Gaza waiting for food aid.

To learn more about how Israeli authorities blocked thousands of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank from reaching the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem, read our story here .

And you can find more news, features and videos on the conflict here .

Here’s what happened today

We will be closing this live page soon. Here is a recap of today’s main events:

  • The Israeli military carried out five separate attacks on aid distribution centres in the past 48 hours in the Gaza Strip, killing 56 people and injuring more than 300 others.
  • Hamas submitted a new truce proposal to mediators in Egypt and Qatar that Israel’s leader described as “ridiculous”.
  • The Hamas proposal is “within the bounds” of what negotiators discussed in recent months, the White House says.
  • US President Biden expressed support for a speech by Senate Leader Chuck Schumer, which heavily criticised Benjamin Netanyahu and called for early elections in Israel.
  • The number of people killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza since the start of the war rose to 31,490, according to the latest Health Ministry figures.

Many missing after Israeli forces hit Gaza City building

Our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic report dozens of people are missing following an Israeli attack on a seven-story building in the Remal neighbourhood.

Footage captured by Al Jazeera shows debris spread everywhere as rescue workers search for survivors under the rubble.

#تغطية_مباشرة – عشرات المفقودين في قصف إسرائيلي لبناية من 7 طوابق تؤوي نازحين في حي الرمال بمدينة غزة، وحماس تقدم مقترحا بشأن صفقة تبادل إلى الوسطاء يمكنكم متابعة تطورات #حرب_غزة عبر قناة الجزيرة على واتساب: https://t.co/oV6GNzGUoU https://t.co/QE17a8DqgK — قناة الجزيرة (@AJArabic) March 15, 2024

Translation:  Dozens of missing people in an Israeli bombing of a seven-story building housing the displaced in the Remal neighbourhood in Gaza City, as Hamas presents a proposal on a captive-exchange deal to mediators.

‘Costing children’s lives’: More from UNICEF report on infant deaths

The UN’s children agency says the malnutrition crisis in Gaza is “shocking, especially when desperately needed assistance has been at the ready just a few miles away”.

“We have repeatedly attempted to deliver additional aid and we have repeatedly called for the access challenges we have faced for months to be addressed,” the report says.

“Instead, the situation for children is getting worse by each passing day. Our efforts in providing life-saving aid are being hampered by unnecessary restrictions, and those are costing children their lives,” said Catherine Russell, UNICEF executive director.

About 28 percent of children under two years old suffer from acute malnutrition, and more than 10 percent have “severe wasting”, the most life-threatening form of malnutrition.

Yazan

‘Nowhere to go’: Germany tells Israel Rafah invasion unjustified

Germany warned Israel against a military offensive on Rafah where about 1.5 million Palestinian civilians are currently sheltering.

“A large-scale offensive in Rafah cannot be justified,” German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on social media platform X.

“Over a million displaced people have sought refuge there, they have nowhere to go. A humanitarian ceasefire is needed immediately so no more people die and the hostages are finally released,” she said.

Despite growing international pressure, Israel’s government announced on Friday its plans for a military offensive in Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah were authorised by the war cabinet.

Boerbock

News reports: Israeli military operation in Rafah ‘is not imminent’

Israeli media have questioned Prime Minister Netanyahu’s declaration of his approval for military plans to imminently launch a ground invasion of Rafah city, where about 1.5 million Palestinians are sheltering from attacks.

“Netanyahu’s talk of an imminent operation in Rafah appears more geared toward pressuring Hamas to agree to a hostage deal,” the Times of Israel reports.

It noted that Channel 12 and the Ynet news outlets also are sceptical of the Rafah attack. “The networks indicate that despite Netanyahu’s declarations, an operation in Rafah is not imminent.”

A Palestinian girl holds a bowl of beans before an iftar meal

UNICEF: ‘Staggering escalation’ in infant deaths in northern Gaza

The UN’s children agency says 31 percent, or one in three kids under the age of two in northern Gaza are now suffering from acute malnutrition, a “staggering escalation” from 15.6 percent in January.

“Malnutrition among children is spreading fast and reaching devastating and unprecedented levels in the Gaza Strip due to the wide-reaching impacts of the war and ongoing restrictions on aid delivery,” UNICEF said in a report.

At least 23 children have died of malnutrition and dehydration in northern Gaza in recent weeks, it said, also highlighting the mounting death toll of children at 13,450 since the war began.

Screenings found 4.5 percent of children suffer from “severe wasting”, the most life-threatening form of malnutrition.

Malnutrition among children is spreading fast and reaching devastating and unprecedented levels in the Gaza Strip due to the wide-reaching impacts of the war and ongoing restrictions on aid delivery. An immediate humanitarian ceasefire continues to provide the only chance to… — UNICEF (@UNICEF) March 15, 2024

Doctor says level of malnutrition for pregnant women ‘truly horrific’

Dr Brenda Kelly says new mothers are desperately struggling to keep themselves and their newborns alive during “huge and critical shortages of food, water and medical care”.

She said colleagues on the ground in Gaza are reporting a “huge increase” in pre-term births and a rising number of miscarriages and stillbirths.

“The level of malnutrition is truly horrific,” Kelly, a consultant obstetrician at Oxford University, told Al Jazeera.

Interactive_StayingWarm_Gaza_Starvation in Gaza

Israel says Gaza rocket launch sites hit ‘minutes’ after Sderot attack

The Israeli military released footage it says shows fighter jets hitting a rocket launch site in northern Gaza.

The army directed aircraft and artillery attacks and destroyed it “within a few minutes” after it launched projectiles at the southern Israeli city of Sderot. It added the launch was “successfully intercepted” by defence systems.

Rocket Alerts [21:00:46] – 3 Alerts: • Gaza Envelope — Sderot, Ibim, Nir Am #Israel #RocketAlert #RedAlert pic.twitter.com/TWA6XYxjfj — ILRedAlert (@ILRedAlert) March 15, 2024

Vessel targeted near western Yemen as Houthi attacks continue

British maritime security firm Ambrey reports a vessel was targeted about 80 nautical miles (150km) northwest of Hodeidah.

The crew was reported safe, Ambrey said in an advisory note. Meanwhile, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) says an incident occurred  65 nautical miles (120km) west of Hodeidah.

It was unclear if Ambrey and UKMTO were reporting the same event.

Yemen’s Houthi militia has been attacking ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since November in what it calls a campaign of solidarity  with Palestinians and against Israel’s continuing  war on Gaza .

UKMTO WARNING INCIDENT 053 ATTACK https://t.co/fX3hWupi7g #Maritimesecurity #MarSec pic.twitter.com/XUE4VU0rI8 — United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) (@UK_MTO) March 15, 2024

‘Up to Israeli people to decide’ on elections: White House

US President Joe Biden doesn’t seek to interfere with the will of the Israeli people on holding elections, the White House says.

The comments come after a controversial speech by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer who suggested Israel’s “extremist” government should call a vote after its brutal war on Gaza.

“That’s going to be up to the Israeli people to decide,” White House spokesman John Kirby told a press briefing when asked about the president’s backing of Schumer’s speech. He is the highest-ranking Jewish American in the US political hierarchy.

“I think he expressed serious concern shared not only by him but by many Americans,” Biden said.

U.S. President Joe Biden is welcomed by Israeli Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu, as he visits Israel amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Tel Aviv, Israel, October 18, 2023. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein

Israeli forces bomb home in central Gaza

Footage shared online, and verified by Al Jazeera’s fact-checking unit Sanad, shows bodies and wounded people being brought to Al-Aqsa Hospital after Israeli forces shelled a home in the Nuseirat refugee camp.

Children are among the injured in the attack. People can be seen outside the hospital distressed and consoling one another.

The camp has been repeatedly targeted by Israeli forces, forcing thousands of Palestinians to flee the central Gaza Strip. Areas including Deir el-Balah, Khan Younis and Rafah face continuing bombardment from Israeli artillery and warplanes, rendering no place safe for evacuees.

Elders group of world leaders calls on Biden to stop arming Israel

The Elders, a group of global leaders founded by Nelson Mandela , says President Biden should stop arming Israel in an effort to stop the war on Gaza, instead of focusing on sending limited amounts of aid to the besieged enclave.

“The United States can influence Israel by not continuing to provide arms. It has provided a lot of the arms, bombs and other arms that have been used on the Palestinian people, and [Biden] is continuing to do that. He’s also providing money,” said Mary Robinson, chairwoman of the organisation.

“This government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is on the wrong side of history completely.”

Elders’ Chair Mary Robinson says President Biden should not continue to provide arms to Israel. “The United States can influence Israel by not continuing to provide arms… The Government of Prime Minister Netanyahu is on the wrong side of history, completely. It’s making the… pic.twitter.com/fN3ptMjktz — The Elders (@TheElders) March 15, 2024

Beirut says French plan for Lebanon-Israel truce could be ‘step’ to stability

Lebanon sees a French proposal meant to end hostilities with Israel and settle a border dispute as a possible “significant step” towards peace.

The French plan was submitted to Lebanon last month and details were first reported by the Reuters news agency.

It outlines three phases in which military operations would cease, Lebanese armed groups would withdraw combat forces, and Lebanese regular troops would be deployed in the south.

To succeed, any deal would need approval from Hezbollah, which holds significant sway over the Lebanese state. Hezbollah says it won’t stop clashing with Israel until an Israeli-Hamas ceasefire is reached in Gaza.

Lebanon’s foreign ministry said it “believes the French initiative could be a significant step” towards peace and security in Lebanon and the broader region.

Hezbollah fighters raise their fists and shout slogans during the funeral of their senior commander Ali Dibs who was killed by an Israeli airstrike Wednesday night, in Nabatiyeh town, south Lebanon, Friday, Feb. 16, 2024. Israel's military said it killed a senior commander with the militant Hezbollah group's elite Radwan Force, Ali Dibs, who it says played a role in an attack inside Israel last year that unnerved Israelis, as well as other attacks directed at Israel over the past four months. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)

Humanitarian situation in northern Gaza a ‘nightmare’

Dominic Allen, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) representative for Palestine, says the true depth of the crisis and unfolding “nightmare” in northern Gaza cannot be captured with pictures.

He told reporters via video conference how he saw a five-year-old Palestinian boy, with his slightly older sister, holding up a white flag as they walked toward a military checkpoint operated by the Israeli military.

“These stories, these images, perhaps don’t do enough of a good job in helping to paint a picture of the tragedy and catastrophe that is happening right now in Gaza,” he said.

“I think what I took away was the looks in the eyes of the people, which the emotion is truly indescribable. Everyone we passed, everyone we spoke to was frail, was hungry,” Al Jazeera Arabic’s Biesan Abu-Kwaik quoted Allen as saying.

Palestinians gather to collect aid food in Beit Lahia, in the northern Gaza Strip

EU welcomes appointment of new Palestinian Authority PM

Senior European Union official Josep Borrell says the Palestinian people need “well-governed institutions that deliver much-needed services in these trying times”.

“We look forward to continuing our cooperation with the new government, including on addressing the tragic situation in Gaza, and working on key reforms towards stronger democratic institutions and governance for the benefit of the Palestinian people in the West Bank and in Gaza,” a statement said.

“The Palestinian Authority has been and remains an important partner of the EU, also for the future of Gaza.”

President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday appointed his longtime economic adviser Mohamed Mustafa to be the next prime minister in the face of US pressure to reform the Palestinian Authority as part of Washington’s post-war vision for Gaza.

I congratulate Dr Mohamed Mustafa on his appointment as Palestinian Prime Minister. We look forward to working together on building strong accountable institutions for the West Bank and Gaza. https://t.co/WF3MStGVmB — Josep Borrell Fontelles (@JosepBorrellF) March 15, 2024

White House ‘cautiously optimistic’ after new Hamas truce proposal

National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby says the Hamas proposal was “within the bounds” of what negotiators have been discussing in recent months.

“We’re cautiously optimistic that things are moving in the right direction,” he told reporters at a news conference.

“The fact there’s another delegation going to Doha, the fact this proposal is out there and there’s conversations about it – that’s all good.”

john kirby

‘Very likely’ Israel will now attack Rafah with ground forces

Israel is ending mixed messages after announcing its war cabinet approved a ground invasion of Rafah city, yet also saying it’s sending a delegation to Qatar for truce talks.

“It is very confusing what is going on especially after announcing the greenlight for the operation in Rafah,” said Luciano Zaccara from the Gulf Studies Center at Qatar University.

He told Al Jazeera despite mounting international pressure, Prime Minister Netanyahu hasn’t abandoned the plan to attack the southern city where about 1.5 million people are sheltering.

“Hopefully, the ground invasion of Rafah is just a bluff so they can use this as leverage to get something in negotiations. But everything Netanyahu said he will do he did it, so I assume it is very likely this is going to happen.”

Hezbollah says it’s ready for an escalation in fighting with Israel

Hezbollah released a video montage of some of the hundreds of attacks it launched on northern Israel since the start of the war on Gaza, saying it’s prepared for an expansion of hostilities if necessary.

“If you expand, we will expand,” the Lebanese armed group said in a post on its Telegram channel.

The comments come shortly after the Israeli military claimed several attacks on southern Lebanon targeting Hezbollah facilities. Israel has also been holding army exercises and high-level military discussions on potentially expanding the war with Hezbollah.

Read an analysis of the situation here .

attacks

Widespread criticism of Israel’s Rafah ground attack plan

Hamdah Salhut

Reporting from occupied East Jerusalem

The Israelis have been talking about this ground invasion of Rafah for months now.

They’ve said it is necessary in order to achieve all their war goals. But all of this comes despite widespread criticism and condemnation, especially from Israel’s biggest ally the United States. American officials say they simply wouldn’t support an operation such as this.

Early on Friday, the Israeli prime minister said there have been plans approved both for the military invasion and evacuation of about one-and-a-half million Palestinians in Rafah.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the Americans have not seen these plans the Israelis are talking about, and how exactly they’re going to move more than 1.5 million Palestinians who are seeking refuge in Gaza’s southern most city.

INTERACTIVE - Israeli attacks on Rafah intensify-1707724888

Dutch minister calls on Israel to ‘refrain’ from Rafah offensive

Foreign Minister Hanke Slot says reports of Israel preparing to launch an offensive in Rafah are “deeply worrying”.

“The Netherlands firmly repeats its call to Israel to refrain from such an offensive, which would result in an even bigger humanitarian catastrophe,” she posted on X.

“An immediate humanitarian ceasefire is of the highest importance, resulting in a sustained cessation of hostilities.”

An immediate humanitarian ceasefire is of the highest importance, resulting in a sustained cessation of hostilities. This is crucial for significantly increasing the amount of humanitarian aid and for the release of hostages. 2/2 — Hanke Bruins Slot (@HankeBruinsSlot) March 15, 2024

Qassam Brigades attacks Israeli military vehicles in Khan Younis

Intense ground fighting continues to rage around the Qatar-funded Hamad City neighbourhood in the northern part of Khan Younis city in southern Gaza.

The Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, said its fighters targeted an Israeli armoured troop carrier and a Merkava tank using Yassin-105 and Tandem rockets.

In January, Israeli forces encircled Khan Younis after 24 of its soldiers were killed in the largest single-day death toll in the months-long war. Heavy fighting reportedly continues to rage in Gaza’s second-largest city.

Houthis say ‘millions’ participate in rallies in support of Gaza

The Al Masirah television channel run by the Houthi militia in Yemen says “millions” more people took part in demonstrations in support of Palestinians.

It was the first weekly rally held since the start of Ramadan.

The footage below shows how the al-Sabeen Square in the capital, Sanaa, a main site of the protests since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza, filled up with demonstrators, some of whom were armed.

بتقنية تايم لابس.. شاهد| الطوفان البشري اليمني في صنعاء؛ إسناداً لغزة والمقاومة. pic.twitter.com/7dfZ21igzM — المركز الفلسطيني للإعلام (@PalinfoAr) March 15, 2024

Translation: Watch this time-lapse of the Yemeni human flood in Sanaa; Support for Gaza and the resistance.

Israel reportedly ‘expanding mandate’ of negotiating team heading to Qatar

Journalist Barak Ravid cites unnamed Israeli officials as saying Israel’s leader will hold a meeting to consider “expanding the mandate” of his negotiating team after the new Hamas truce proposal.

The team, led by Mossad Director David Barnea, will be dispatched to Doha as early as Sunday, and will meet Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani.

“There are gaps but to close them the Israeli team needs a mandate to negotiate,” Ravid quoted an official as saying.

Hamas and Israel still disagree over the ratio of the Israeli captives envisioned to be released from Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, in addition to Israel’s withdrawal from the enclave.

David Barnea, the head of the Israeli Mossad attends an honour guard ceremony for Israel's incoming military chief Herzi Halevi at Israel's Defence Ministry in Tel Aviv, Israel January 16

Israeli military says aid shipment delivered for north Gaza distribution

The Israeli military says it presided over the delivery of 115 tonnes of food and water delivered by ship to the coast of Gaza.

Its military spokesman for Arab media, Avichay Adraee, says the army transferred the shipments to 12 trucks belonging to World Central Kitchen (WCK) to be distributed in northern Gaza.

“The ship and the goods it carried were subjected to a careful security inspection,” he said.

Israel has restricted deliveries of food, medical supplies and other aid vital items through two land crossings – Rafah with Egypt and Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom). Critics say the slow trickle of humanitarian relief is far from enough needed to prevent famine faced by hundreds of thousands of Palestinians.

INTERACTIVE_GAZA _AID TRUCKS_11_MAR_2024 copy 2-1710161473

Middle East Crisis New Hamas Cease-Fire Plan Draws Contrasting Replies From U.S. and Israel

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  • Collecting food donated by a charity in Rafah, in southern Gaza. Haitham Imad/EPA, via Shutterstock
  • Friday prayers near a destroyed mosque in Rafah. Mohammed Salem/Reuters
  • Transporting belongings amid destroyed houses, west of Khan Younis. Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
  • Smoke rising in central Gaza. Abdel Kareem Hana/Associated Press
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Follow live news updates on the crisis in the Middle East .

Hamas drops demand for permanent cease-fire before a hostage-for-prisoner exchange, officials say.

Hamas is no longer demanding that Israel immediately agree to a permanent cease-fire in return for beginning a hostage and prisoner exchange, according to people familiar with the negotiations.

Hamas’s new proposal would allow the release of hostages in exchange for a phased pullback of Israeli troops from parts of the Gaza Strip as well as prisoner releases. By modifying demands for an outright end of hostilities, the new proposal could possibly restart negotiations.

The White House welcomed the new Hamas proposal and confirmed that talks would resume soon in Doha, Qatar, although without an American delegation present. “We’re cautiously optimistic that things are moving in a good direction but that doesn’t mean it’s done and we’re going to have to stick with it until the very end,” said John F. Kirby, a national security communications adviser for the White House.

The United States has been applying pressure on Hamas to resume talks and ease its demands. Various negotiating parties have been offering Gaza more promises of humanitarian aid and issuing vague threats to close down Hamas’s political office in Doha.

While publicly Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel was dismissive of the new proposal, other Israeli officials have reacted more positively, given that last week Hamas refused to offer terms for a hostage swap.

Negotiators, including senior Israeli intelligence officials, could arrive in Doha as early as Sunday, according to an official in the region.

While saying he did not want to negotiate from the White House podium, Mr. Kirby suggested that the Hamas proposal fit the framework that Israel, Qatar, Egypt and the United States agreed to in talks in Paris last month.

“I would say the proposal that was put forward is certainly within the bounds of — in broad brush strokes — within the bounds of the deal that we’ve been working on for several months,” he said. “But the devil’s in the details.”

Another U.S. official and the official in the region said that while gaps between the warring parties need to be closed, the new proposal was the first positive step in some time, and it was significant that Hamas was no longer demanding a permanent cease-fire.

In the first phase of an agreement, under the Hamas proposal, Israeli troops would pull back toward central Gaza, allowing some civilians to return to their homes, according to an Israeli official briefed on the proposal.

Under the Hamas proposal, Israel would have to agree to the release of more Palestinians from prison than the U.S.-backed proposal had offered.

The initial exchange of hostages would include the remaining five female hostages, in addition to 35 men who are old, sick or injured. Hamas is demanding the release of 350 Palestinian prisoners for the men. It wants 50 prisoners, including 30 sentenced to life in prison, for each of the women. The earlier American-backed proposal had said 15 prisoners convicted of serious acts of terrorism would be released for the female prisoners.

The first phase would last a few weeks. During the second phase, male prisoners would be released in return for a further cessation of hostilities. In the final stage, Hamas would return the bodies of hostages who have died and Israel would ease the blockade of Gaza, according to the Hamas proposal.

Israel has resisted any agreement to end its military campaign. American officials have been pushing to begin exchanges in return for a temporary halt in fighting as the only formula that can work.

Details of the Hamas proposal were earlier reported by Al Jazeera.

The various parties had been discussing for weeks a broader three-phase approach to the release of all hostages held by Hamas and its allies, including the bodies of deceased hostages. Israel and the United States wanted to focus negotiations on the first phase, involving releases of certain hostages for a number of Palestinian prisoners. But as part of those focused talks, Hamas had insisted that Israel commit to a permanent cease-fire after all three phases, which became a major point of contention, since Israel refuses to accede to that.

Edward Wong contributed reporting from Washington.

— Ronen Bergman ,  Julian E. Barnes and Aaron Boxerman Reporting from Tel Aviv, Washington and Jerusalem

Witnesses say Israeli shelling killed Gazans awaiting food, but Israel blames Palestinian gunmen.

It was hours after Gazans had broken their daylong fast for the holy month of Ramadan, but with famine stalking the enclave under a near total Israeli siege, few felt full and many were already thinking about how to secure their families’ next meals.

Hundreds of people gathered Thursday night at Kuwait square, one of two main southern entrances to Gaza City, where occasional convoys come to distribute desperately needed aid. Gazans came from all over the city in the northern Gaza Strip. Some had been there for hours.

Even before the aid trucks carrying flour arrived around 9 p.m., carnage and chaos engulfed the square. Gazan health officials said 20 people were killed and more than 150 wounded when Israeli forces targeted the crowd.

The Israeli military blamed the bloodshed on Palestinian gunmen. Three witnesses described shelling at the scene, while a doctor who treated victims at a hospital said their wounds appeared to be consistent with artillery shells, not bullets from rifles — in other words, Israeli arms.

Mohammad Hamoudeh, a photographer in Gaza City who said he was in the square, acknowledged that he did not see any Israeli forces or the weapons that fired on the crowd, but he said that Israeli shells fired from a distance appeared to be responsible.

“The cannons and tank shells are what targeted the civilians,” he said.

“I escaped by a miracle, we saw death with our eyes,” he said. Referring to similar bloodshed at an aid distribution on Feb. 29 , he said: “It was almost the same scenario as the Nabulsi incident. There were many martyrs. The scene was horrifying.”

Dr. Eid Sabbah, the head of nursing at the Kamal Adwan Hospital, said: “It wasn’t gunfire. It was ammunition from heavy weaponry that cause large openings, that’s obvious from the entrance and exit wounds.”

Another civilian, Ibrahim Al Najjar, 42, an unemployed taxi driver, said he arrived at the square around 8 p.m. and a large crowd had already gathered. An Israeli drone hovered overhead, he said. Soon, there was shelling and firing, he said, adding that “tens were killed and injured.” He saw many dead bodies. His cousin was also killed, he said.

Mr. Al-Najjar was injured in his right arm by shrapnel and was taken to Al Shifa hospital.

“I ran for life with others and then they hit a building next to us,” he said. “We kept running until we reached some ambulances far away.”

Ali Al Ajouri, a 16-year-old from Jabaliyah, also described shelling on the crowd. “There were some 30 people gathering in one spot and a shell shot them directly,” he said.

The Israeli military said that it had conducted a preliminary review of the incident and that “no tank fire, airstrike or gunfire was carried out toward the Gazan civilians at the aid convoy” by its forces. But in its statement, it did not say whether Israelis had fired on the area at all.

“Approximately one hour before the arrival of the convoy to the humanitarian corridor, armed Palestinians opened fire while Gazan civilians were awaiting the arrival of the aid convoy,” the military said. “As aid trucks were entering, the Palestinian gunmen continued to shoot as the crowd of Gazans began looting the trucks. Additionally, a number of Gazan civilians were run over by the trucks.”

The Israeli military said that it had facilitated the passage of the convoy of 31 humanitarian aid trucks containing food and supplies intended for distribution in northern Gaza, but did not elaborate. It was not clear who had sent the supplies, operated the trucks or provided security for them; the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, known as UNRWA, said it was not involved.

Dr. Sabbah said the wounds seen at Kamal Adwan Hospital were mostly in the chest and head. Doctors there could only stabilize victims and keep them alive, he said, but were unable to perform surgery because of the lack of medicine and medical equipment.

United Nations officials and other relief groups have warned that the Gaza Strip is nearing famine, with inadequate food delivery, and the crisis is especially severe in the north. At least 27 people, including 23 children, have died of malnutrition, dehydration and lack of baby formula, according to the health ministry.

After the bloodshed, witnesses said people collected what aid they could, including sacks of flour that had been bloodied.

Abu Bakr Bashir contributed reporting from London.

— Raja Abdulrahim

wing on travel egypt

Maps: Tracking the Attacks in Israel and Gaza

See where Israel has bulldozed vast areas of Gaza, as its invasion continues to advance south.

Alarming number of children suffer from most severe form of malnutrition, U.N. agency says.

Children in the Gaza Strip are facing severe and rapidly worsening food deprivation, and an alarming number are suffering from the most life-threatening form of malnutrition, United Nations experts reported on Friday, in their most dire assessment yet of the unfolding crisis.

About one in every 20 children in shelters and health centers in northern Gaza is experiencing “severe wasting,” the most critical sign of malnutrition, defined as being dangerously thin for their height, according to UNICEF, the U.N. agency for children. The findings were based on screenings conducted by the agency and released on Friday.

Among children under 2 years old, acute malnutrition, meaning the body is deprived of essential nutrients, has become fairly common across Gaza, the screenings found, with the most severe prevalence in northern Gaza. In some areas, it found that rates of acute malnutrition had doubled since they were last recorded in January.

Even in Rafah, the densely populated area in southern Gaza with the greatest access to food, 10 percent of children under 2 are acutely malnourished, and 4 percent are severely wasting.

Before the war, UNICEF said, the rate of acute malnutrition among young children was less than 1 percent, and severe wasting was extremely rare.

Lucia Elmi, UNICEF’s special representative in the Palestinian territories, who returned from Gaza last week, said she was particularly alarmed by not only the number of children suffering from malnutrition, but how quickly their health was deteriorating. Young children cannot be adequately nourished from just water, flour and bread, she said.

“They need protein, they need vitamins, they need fresh products and they need micronutrients, and all of this has been completely missing,” Ms. Elmi said in an interview last week. “That’s why the deterioration has been so fast, so rapid and at this scale.”

Children are bearing extreme costs of the war in Gaza, both physically and mentally, children’s rights groups and experts have repeated. More than 12,000 children have been killed in the conflict, and 27 children in northern Gaza have died from malnutrition or dehydration, according to the Gazan Health Ministry.

Palestinian parents say that, in addition to the threat of bombardment, their daily struggle is to find enough food for their children. Many have said they choose to feed what little they have to their children rather than themselves.

Dominic Allen, the United Nations Population Fund representative for Palestine, who just returned from a trip to Gaza, said on Friday that conditions there were worse than he could “describe or than pictures can show or than you can imagine.” He said at a press briefing in Jerusalem that everyone he saw or spoke to was “gaunt, emaciated, hungry.”

“The situation is beyond catastrophic,” he said.

Israel has said that it does not limit the amount of aid allowed into Gaza through border crossings, and recently signaled its support for new initiatives to get aid into Gaza by land, air and sea. Humanitarian groups have criticized Israel, saying that its insistence on checking every truckload of aid — and rejecting some — is a major cause of the food shortage.

The chief executive of Save the Children, an aid group, in the United States, Janti Soeripto, said that the crisis was currently, by far, the worst in the world for children.

“Every time I speak about Gaza, I sort of think to myself that it couldn’t get any worse,” she said in an interview. “And then every week, I’m proven wrong.”

Without a cease-fire, it has been difficult for teams to safely and comprehensively assist Palestinians.

Speaking from Rafah, Rachael Cummings, Save the Children’s director of humanitarian public health in the United Kingdom, said that the lack of sanitation — including dirty or salty water and sewage on the streets — was worsening the hunger crisis there.

“If a child isn’t eating adequate food or the right composition of food — they have poor water, poor sanitation — they will get very sick, very quickly,” she said.

— Gaya Gupta

The first ship bringing food to Gaza arrives.

A humanitarian aid ship arrived on Friday in Gaza for the first time since the start of the war, a first step in a fledgling maritime operation to bring more aid to hungry Palestinians as aid groups say that Israel is restricting more efficient deliveries by road.

The ship, the Open Arms, towed a barge loaded with some 200 metric tons of rice, flour, lentils, and canned tuna, beef and chicken, supplied by the World Central Kitchen charity, across the Mediterranean from Cyprus. It is the first vessel authorized to deliver aid to Gaza since 2005, according to Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Union’s executive arm, who has described the operation as a pilot project for a so-called maritime corridor for supplies to the territory.

Linda Roth, a spokeswoman for World Central Kitchen, said that the Open Arms had docked at a newly built jetty on the Gaza coast and that workers were beginning to move the food onto land. It remained unclear how the food would be distributed to Palestinian civilians.

The food on the ships is desperately needed in Gaza, where officials say around two dozen children have already died from malnutrition, and hundreds of thousands of others are “one step away from famine,” according to the United Nations. But delivering aid by sea is nowhere near as efficient as delivering it by land, and humanitarian groups have called on Israel for months to open more land crossings, ease restrictions on convoys and address their operational concerns.

“For aid delivery at scale there is no meaningful substitute to the many land routes and entry points from Israel into Gaza,” two U.N. aid officials, Sigrid Kaag and Jorge Moreira da Silva, said in a statement this week. Still, they welcomed the opening of a maritime corridor, given how much more humanitarian assistance is needed in Gaza.

Israel, which tightened an already restrictive blockade on Gaza after the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attack, has said throughout the war that it is committed to allowing as much aid into Gaza as possible. It has blamed delays on U.N. staffing and logistics.

This week, under growing international pressure to allow more aid in, Israel’s defense minister, Yoav Gallant, visited northern Gaza and viewed preparations for the new maritime humanitarian route. Mr. Gallant — who ordered in October that Gaza should receive “no electricity, no food, no water, no fuel ” — called aid a “central issue” in a statement the defense ministry issued about his trip.

But safely distributing food where it is needed — amid insecurity, lawlessness and roads damaged by Israeli strikes — could face many of the same hurdles as U.N. aid groups that were forced to suspend deliveries in northern Gaza last month.

José Andrés, the renowned Spanish American chef who founded the World Central Kitchen, acknowledged the challenges in an interview with The New York Times last week, but added: “It’s worth trying the impossible to feed the people of Gaza.”

The group said a second ship with 300 tons of aid was being loaded in Cyprus on Thursday, but it was not clear when it would set sail.

Gaya Gupta , Monika Pronczuk , Michael Levenson and Christina Morales contributed reporting.

— Anushka Patil

Netanyahu calls Hamas’s demands ‘ludicrous’ and proceeds with plans for a ground invasion in Rafah.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday rejected the latest cease-fire deal proposed by Hamas, calling its demands “ludicrous,” and said Israel would move forward with plans for a ground offensive in Rafah, the southern Gazan city where more than half the enclave’s population is sheltering.

Still, Mr. Netanyahu signaled he was open to more talks. He announced he was dispatching an Israeli delegation back to Qatar, where mediation efforts have been taking place.

The prime minister’s response came a day after Hamas presented a counteroffer to Israel aimed at securing a cease-fire and an exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners. In a statement, Hamas said it had presented to mediators in Qatar what it called a “comprehensive vision” for a truce in the five-month war, which has devastated the Gaza Strip and has cost at least 30,000 lives there.

Hamas’s new proposal would allow the release of additional hostages in exchange for a phased pullback of Israeli troops from parts of the Gaza Strip as well as additional prisoner releases, according to people familiar with the negotiations. In a significant departure from its previous demands, Hamas is no longer calling for an immediate and permanent cease-fire in return for beginning a hostage and prisoner exchange, a U.S. official said on Friday.

The official said that while there were still gaps to close, the new proposal could possibly restart negotiations.

Within hours of receiving the proposal, though, Mr. Netanyahu’s office said that “Hamas is continuing to hold to unrealistic demands.” Then on Friday, Mr. Netanyahu released a second statement saying, “Regarding the hostages — Hamas’s demands are still ludicrous,” without elaborating.

Talks on a truce have been stalled for weeks, despite the efforts of officials from the United States, Egypt and Qatar to broker a deal.

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, speaking during a visit to Vienna, confirmed that Hamas had issued a counterproposal but said that he couldn’t reveal the details.

The United States is working “intensively” with Israel, Qatar and Egypt “to bridge the remaining gaps,” he said. Israel’s decision to send a negotiating team to Qatar “reflects the sense of possibility — and urgency — to get an agreement.”

A weeklong cease-fire deal was successfully negotiated in late November, when Israel and Hamas agreed to a pause in fighting and an exchange of more than 100 hostages and 240 imprisoned Palestinians. Diplomats tried to extend the truce but it collapsed and fighting resumed in early December.

Mr. Netanyahu has come under growing international pressure to end the war and limit civilian deaths. President Biden has become more forceful in recent days in calling for Israel to ease the plight of civilians in Gaza, who are facing severe hunger and continue to die in Israeli airstrikes.

The American president has urged Mr. Netanyahu not to proceed with his plans to launch a major ground offensive in Rafah, where hundreds of thousands of displaced people are crammed into temporary shelters.

But Mr. Netanyahu has vowed to reject international pressure to refrain from a ground operation in Rafah, which Israel says is one of the last major strongholds of Hamas. On Friday, Mr. Netanyahu said he had approved plans for a military operation in Rafah and that the Israeli forces were also preparing “for the evacuation of the population.”

Michael Crowley , Ronen Bergman , Julian E. Barnes and Aaron Boxerman contributed reporting.

Biden embraces Schumer’s speech castigating Netanyahu.

President Biden on Friday praised Senator Chuck Schumer’s address lashing out at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, calling it “a good speech” without explicitly endorsing any of the specific criticisms in it or its call for new elections to replace the Israeli leader.

Mr. Biden said that Mr. Schumer, a Democrat from New York and the Senate majority leader, had informed his White House staff in advance of the speech in which the senator excoriated Mr. Netanyahu’s leadership of the war against Hamas and concluded that the prime minister risked making Israel a global pariah.

“I’m not going to elaborate on the speech,” Mr. Biden said in response to a reporter’s question as he hosted the visiting Irish prime minister at the White House. “He made a good speech, and I think he expressed a serious concern shared not only by him but by many Americans.”

The president has staunchly backed Israel’s right to defend itself and respond to the Hamas terrorist attack of Oct. 7 that killed 1,200 people and has rebuffed calls from inside his own party to cut off the flow of arms or impose conditions on their use. But he has grown increasingly critical of Mr. Netanyahu’s government for its conduct of the war, which has killed more than 30,000 civilians and members of Hamas and resulted in a humanitarian crisis for most of Gaza’s two million residents.

Speaking on the Senate floor on Thursday, Mr. Schumer went further than any senior American official has gone in castigating Mr. Netanyahu. The prime minister has “lost his way by allowing his political survival to take precedence over the best interests of Israel” and “has been too willing to tolerate the civilian toll in Gaza, which is pushing support for Israel worldwide to historic lows,” Mr. Schumer said. He went on to say that he believed “a new election is the only way to allow for a healthy and open decision-making process about the future of Israel.”

The senator’s speech touched off a furor in Israel, especially coming from Mr. Schumer, a longstanding Jewish supporter of the Jewish state and ally of Mr. Biden. The fact that the White House knew about it ahead of time raised speculation about whether Mr. Schumer was in a way speaking for the president as well.

Although Mr. Biden on Friday did not repeat any of the particular assertions or recommendations made by the senator, his general embrace of it will inevitably be seen by many as a further rebuke of Mr. Netanyahu and may exacerbate the friction that has already been growing between the two leaders.

A White House spokesman said later that the president was not specifically calling for new elections. “That’s going to be up to the Israeli people to decide,” the spokesman, John F. Kirby, said.

While he echoed Mr. Biden in saying that the senator’s remarks “resonate with many Americans out there,” Mr. Kirby said: “For our part, we’re going to keep supporting Israel in their fight against Hamas, we’re going to keep urging them to reduce civilian casualties and we’re going to keep working to get a temporary cease-fire in place.”

Critics in the United States and Israel have complained that Mr. Schumer’s statements amounted to an inappropriate foreign intervention into an ally’s internal democratic politics, one that was particularly egregious coming at a time of war with Israel fighting an enemy bent on its destruction.

Mr. Biden offered his thoughts during a meeting in the Oval Office with Prime Minister Leo Varadkar of Ireland, who himself has been a vocal critic of Israel’s handling of the war . Mr. Varadkar followed through on his promise to raise the matter with Mr. Biden during the annual White House get-together to mark St. Patrick’s Day.

“I want to keep talking about the situation in Gaza as well,” Mr. Varadkar told Mr. Biden. “You know my view that we need to have a cease-fire as soon as possible to get food and medicine in, to get hostages out. And we need to talk about how we can make that happen and move toward a two-state solution, which I think is the only way we’ll have lasting peace and security.”

Biden nodded. “I agree,” he said softly.

Still, Mr. Varadkar came away from his meeting understanding that whatever his own concerns about Mr. Netanyahu’s military operations, Mr. Biden had no intention of interrupting the flow of U.S. munitions and air defenses to Israel.

“The president’s very clear that the U.S. would continue to support Israel and to assist Israel to defend itself so I don’t think that’s going to change,” Mr. Varadkar told reporters outside the White House after the meeting. “But I think none of us like to see American weapons being used in the way they are. The way they’re being used in the moment is not self-defense.”

— Peter Baker Reporting from Washington

Schumer’s harsh words for Netanyahu reveal widening U.S.-Israel divisions, analysts say.

Senator Chuck Schumer’s harsh critique of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government revealed the widening gap between Israel and its most important ally, the United States, analysts said on Friday, but was unlikely to prompt Israel’s government to chart a new course.

Mr. Schumer — Democrat of New York, the majority leader and the highest-ranking Jewish elected official in the United States — repeatedly slammed Mr. Netanyahu in a speech on the Senate floor on Thursday as one of the main stumbling blocks to Israeli-Palestinian peace. While not explicitly calling for Mr. Netanyahu’s ouster, Mr. Schumer said Israelis must soon be allowed the opportunity to select new leadership.

Alon Pinkas, a former Israeli diplomat, called the speech a profound moment that reflected widespread American dissatisfaction with Israel’s direction among both its allies in Congress and in the American Jewish community.

“For a Jewish senator from New York, the majority leader, a friend of Netanyahu who’s the most centrist possible Democrat and even leans hawkish on Israel, to voice criticism like this?” said Mr. Pinkas, adding, “If you’ve lost Chuck Schumer, you’ve lost America.”

Yair Lapid, the leader of Israel’s opposition, was one of the few Israeli leaders to welcome Mr. Schumer’s remarks, calling his speech “proof that Netanyahu is losing Israel’s biggest supporters in the United States one by one.”

In a statement, Mr. Lapid said that “Netanyahu is causing heavy damage to the national effort to win the war and preserve Israel’s security.”

But that was a minority viewpoint. More typical was the reaction of Benny Gantz, a center-right critic of Mr. Netanyahu who joined him in an emergency wartime government. Mr. Schumer, he said on social media on Thursday, had “erred in his remark.” Any “external intervention is not correct and not welcome,” he added.

Widely seen as a serious contender for prime minister in the next elections, Mr. Gantz regularly outpolls Mr. Netanyahu in opinion surveys. But “given everything going on in Gaza, even Israeli political leaders who oppose Netanyahu are reluctant to turn this into a political moment,” said Michael Koplow, an analyst at the Israel Policy Forum think tank.

Mr. Schumer has long been comfortably ensconced in the more conservative wing of Washington’s pro-Israel establishment. In 2015, he sharply criticized the Iran nuclear deal, which was backed by then-President Barack Obama and fiercely opposed by Mr. Netanyahu .

“The distance that Schumer traveled to give that speech is probably farther than that of any other Democratic politician, given his longstanding support for Israel,” said Aaron David Miller, a former State Department diplomat.

Mr. Schumer repeatedly emphasized in his speech that he was directing his criticism not at Israel but at Mr. Netanyahu, who even before the war in Gaza had divided Israelis with his attempt to advance a contentious plan to weaken the judiciary. The devastating Hamas-led attacks on Oct. 7 that officials said left 1,200 people dead in Israel and more than 250 others taken as hostages to Gaza shocked Israelis, spurring greater calls for Mr. Netanyahu to step down over the security failure.

Mr. Schumer’s comments on Thursday — that “a new election is the only way to allow for a healthy and open decision-making process about the future of Israel, at a time when so many Israelis have lost their confidence in the vision and direction of their government” — are borne out by opinion polls in Israel. Roughly 71 percent of Israelis support holding early elections, either immediately or at the end of the war, according to a poll published in January by the Jerusalem-based Israel Democracy Institute.

“What Schumer said, in many ways, reflects Israeli public opinion regarding Netanyahu,” said Mr. Koplow. “He’s incredibly unpopular here, and an overwhelming majority of Israelis also want to see early elections.”

But the senator’s address is unlikely to galvanize change in Israel, observers said.

For now, Mr. Netanyahu’s government is unlikely either to set a date for new elections or to change its wartime policy. The premier is beholden to far-right coalition partners, such as Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, neither of whom appear to have much interest in heading to a vote or heeding U.S. concerns.

At the same time, most of the Israeli public — still reeling from several years of back-to-back election campaigns — remains intently focused on the military effort to eliminate Hamas in Gaza and on securing the release of the more than 100 hostages remaining there. However, while many have chosen to table partisan politics for the time being, the country continues to be sharply divided.

Those divisions “have not yet given birth to an aggressive protest movement, as we all have loved ones still in the field of battle,” said Shikma Bressler, a prominent leader of the mass movement that opposed Mr. Netanyahu’s judicial reforms.

Many of Mr. Netanyahu’s critics also back at least some of the wartime policies that have generated friction with allies abroad, such as his insistence on Israeli security control over Gaza after the war and launching a planned ground incursion into the densely packed southern city of Rafah, where more than one million Palestinians are sheltering.

Mr. Netanyahu “won’t commit to a military operation in Rafah that prioritizes protecting civilian life,” Mr. Schumer said. “He won’t engage responsibly in discussions about a ‘day after’ plan for Gaza, and a longer-term pathway to peace.”

On Friday, Mr. Netanyahu announced that he had approved the Israeli military’s plan to operate in Rafah in an attempt to root out Hamas military forces entrenched there. It was not immediately clear when the plan would be carried out.

In public, at least, members of Mr. Netanyahu’s government did not express concern over Mr. Schumer’s remarks.

Mr. Netanyahu’s Likud party quickly denounced them, saying in a statement that Israel was not a “banana republic, but rather an independent democracy proud to have elected Prime Minister Netanyahu.” It added that most Israelis support “total victory over Hamas” while rejecting a “Palestinian terrorist state.”

“There are elections in the United States and Biden is fighting for the White House. Netanyahu, meanwhile, is fighting for our homeland,” said Boaz Bismuth, a Likud lawmaker, in a phone interview. “It’s sad that you, a true friend of Israel, are hurting your friends,” he added, in reference to Mr. Schumer.

Some right-wing political commentators said that rising criticism from abroad could even help Mr. Netanyahu tamp down domestic anger. Nadav Strauchler, a political strategist who previously advised Mr. Netanyahu, said that Mr. Schumer’s criticisms gave the embattled premier another way to present himself as standing up for Israel’s security against the outside world.

“If the intent was ‘Help Netanyahu,’ then it worked splendidly,” said Mr. Strauchler. “If the United States wants to exert pressure, this isn’t the way to go about it. It creates the opposite effect.”

An earlier version of a picture caption with this article misstated the first day of Ramadan. It was earlier this week, not Friday.

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— Aaron Boxerman Reporting from Jerusalem

The threat of unrest looms over Al Aqsa on the first Friday of Ramadan.

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A heavy Israeli police contingent checked worshipers on Friday entering the Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem, where the threat of unrest loomed over the end of the first week of Ramadan, the holiest month for Muslims and one that has taken on added significance during the war in Gaza.

Hamas, the militant group that launched the deadly Oct. 7 attack that prompted Israel to go to war in the enclave, issued a statement on Thursday urging Palestinians from the occupied West Bank and Israel to go to Al Aqsa Mosque on Friday and “prevent all attempts of the occupation to desecrate it and impose its aggressive plans.”

“Let the first Friday of Ramadan be an escalation in all fields in support of Gaza, Jerusalem and Al Aqsa,” the group said, echoing earlier calls to action.

But there was no apparent unrest by Friday afternoon, and smaller crowds than on the same day in previous years, after Israel tightened restrictions on movement for Palestinians from the West Bank.

Al Aqsa is one of the holiest sites for Muslims and part of a compound that is sacred to Jews, who call it the Temple Mount. Muslim access to the mosque has long been a point of contention, and in recent years Israel has exerted tighter control over the compound, one of many restrictions endured by Palestinians living under Israeli occupation.

Israel’s agency overseeing policy for the Palestinian territories said on Monday that only men over age 55, women over 50 and children under 10 would be allowed to enter Israel from the West Bank to pray at Al Aqsa on Fridays during Ramadan.

On Monday, the first day of the Muslim holy month, Israeli police officers outside the compound chased away worshipers and struck some with batons, videos showed, as many attempted to enter the complex to pray but were denied entry under a different set of age restrictions.

The Israeli police said that they were “maintaining a balance between the freedom of worship and the imperative of ensuring security.”

In its statement on Thursday, Hamas called on young Palestinians in the West Bank to “rise up and go out in roaring crowds” and confront Israeli security officers. It called on supporters of the Palestinian cause “to continue their effective mass movement and angry solidarity marches, and to escalate all forms of mobilization and support,” putting pressure on their governments to stop the war in Gaza.

The group has issued similar statements during its war with Israel. They have not drawn much response from people in the West Bank, where fear and despair have been growing as Israeli raids have killed more than 425 people there since Oct. 7, according to the Palestinian health ministry in Ramallah.

Ayman Abu Ramouz and Rami Nazzal contributed reporting.

— Hiba Yazbek reporting from Jerusalem

The Palestinian Authority’s president names an insider to be prime minister.

President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority appointed a longtime insider within the authority’s top ranks as prime minister on Thursday, rejecting international pressure to empower an independent prime minister who could revitalize the sclerotic authority.

Mr. Abbas, who is 88 and has long ruled by decree, named Muhammad Mustafa, a close economic adviser, to take the prime minister’s spot, signing a document charging him with putting together a new government, according to Wafa, the Palestinian Authority’s official news agency. Mr. Mustafa has three weeks to do so, but can take an additional two weeks if needed, according to Palestinian law.

The document Mr. Abbas handed to Mr. Mustafa said the priorities of the government should include leading efforts to provide humanitarian aid to people in Gaza, reconstructing what has been destroyed during the war between Israel and Hamas, and putting forth plans and mechanisms to reunite Palestinian governing structures in the West Bank and the coastal enclave.

It also called for “continuing the reform process.”

Much of the Palestinian public sees the Palestinian Authority as tainted by corruption, mismanagement and cooperation with Israel.

As president, Mr. Abbas remains firmly in charge of the government. With no functional parliament, Mr. Abbas has long ruled by decree, and he exerts wide influence over the judiciary and prosecution system. There has been no presidential election in the Palestinian territories since 2005, and no legislative election since 2006.

In late February, Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh tendered the resignation of his cabinet , citing the need for a new government that “takes into account the emerging reality in the Gaza Strip.” Mr. Shtayyeh’s government has continued in a caretaker capacity.

Hamas led a deadly assault from Gaza into Israel on Oct. 7, and Israel has answered with intense bombardment and an invasion, vowing to break the group’s grip on the enclave. But those events have raised difficult questions about how a postwar Gaza will be governed and rebuilt.

The Palestinian Authority has limited governing powers on the West Bank. It lost control of Gaza to Hamas in a 2007 power struggle.

The United States has been calling for overhauling the widely unpopular Palestinian Authority in recent months, hoping it could eventually assume the reins of governance in Gaza after the war. The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, however, has rejected any such role for the authority.

While the Biden administration did not tell Mr. Abbas whom to appoint as prime minister, it conveyed that it hoped for an independent figure who was acceptable to ordinary Palestinians, the international community and Israel, according to Western diplomats, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak with the media.

A spokeswoman for the National Security Council, Adrienne Watson, said in a statement that the Biden administration welcomed the appointment and urged “the formation of a reform cabinet as soon as possible.”

In the Palestinian Authority, the prime minister is supposed to oversee the work of ministries, but Mr. Abbas often intervenes in decision-making, according to analysts.

Nasser al-Qudwa, a former foreign minister whose name was floated as a possible prime minister, said before the announcement of Mr. Abbas’s choice that appointing Mr. Mustafa would represent “no real change.”

“It would be replacing one employee named Mohammed with another employee named Muhammad, while Abbas continues to hold all the cards. What’s the change?” said Mr. Qudwa, a fierce opponent of Mr. Abbas, who is also known as Abu Mazen. “Abu Mazen wants to keep the status quo. He wants to keep all of the power in his hands.”

In addition to serving as Mr. Abbas’s adviser, Mr. Mustafa, an economist educated at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., has been the chairman of the Palestine Investment Fund, whose board is appointed by the president of the authority. He has previously been the authority’s economy minister and deputy prime minister.

For weeks, Mr. Abbas has signaled his desire to appoint Mr. Mustafa. In January, he sent Mr. Mustafa to the World Economic Forum’s annual conference in Davos, where heads of state and foreign ministers gather to discuss global affairs.

At the conference, Mr. Mustafa said he thought the Palestinian Authority could improve its governance. “We don’t want to give any excuses for anyone,” he said in a wide-ranging discussion with Borge Brende, the forum’s president. “The Palestinian Authority can do better in terms of building better institutions.”

In his new position, Mr. Mustafa will likely face enormous challenges, which may include trying to reconstruct the devastated Gaza Strip and improving the credibility of the government.

Some analysts, however, said judgment on a new government should be reserved until the public learns the identities of its ministers, and how much authority and independence they can wield.

“We shouldn’t rush to say it will fail,” said Ibrahim Dalalsha, the director of the Horizon Center for Political Studies and Media Outreach, a political analysis group based in Ramallah, West Bank. “We need to wait and see how it will perform.”

— Adam Rasgon Reporting from Jerusalem

Another Gaza aid convoy ends in violence, with at least 20 killed.

For at least the second time in just over two weeks, a convoy bringing aid to hunger-stricken northern Gaza ended in bloodshed late Thursday when Palestinians were killed and wounded in an attack surrounding the trucks, according to Gazan health officials and the Israeli military, which offered divergent accounts of what happened.

The Gaza Health Ministry said that at least 20 people had been killed and more than 150 injured, and it accused Israeli forces of carrying out a “targeted” attack against “a gathering of civilians waiting for humanitarian aid” near the Kuwait traffic circle in Gaza City.

The Israeli military denied the allegation in a statement on Friday, blaming Palestinian gunmen and saying that an “intensive preliminary review” had determined “that no tank fire, airstrike or gunfire was carried out toward the Gazan civilians at the aid convoy.” It did not say whether Israeli forces had opened fire at all.

The descriptions of chaos and violence, and the conflicting accounts for what caused it, resembled those that emerged after bloodshed in late February, when more than 100 people were killed or injured amid Israeli fire around a convoy in Gaza City. The Israeli military has said that most of the people died in a stampede and that some were run over by the trucks. Israel, which has been under growing pressure to allow more aid into the territory, had organized that convoy to northern Gaza, where the United Nations has warned that hundreds of thousands of people are facing starvation.

It was not clear immediately on Friday who had sent the latest supplies, driven the trucks or provided security for them. The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, said it was not involved. The Israeli military said it had “facilitated the passage” of the 31 trucks but did not elaborate on that.

Three witnesses described shelling at the scene, and a doctor who treated victims at a hospital said their wounds appeared to be consistent with artillery shells, not bullets from rifles, suggesting the use of Israeli arms.

One of the witnesses, Mohammad Hamoudeh, a photographer in Gaza City, said that he did not see any Israeli forces or the weapons that fired on the crowd. But he said that heavy Israeli fire from a distance appeared to be responsible for the casualties.

“I escaped by a miracle; we saw death with our eyes,” he said. Referring to the earlier convoy disaster, he said: “It was almost the same scenario as the Nabulsi incident. There were many martyrs. The scene was horrifying.”

Even after the bloodshed, people collected what aid they could, he said, including sacks of flour that had been bloodied.

Ali Al Ajouri, a 16-year-old from Jabaliya, also described shelling on the crowd. “There were some 30 people gathering in one spot, and a shell shot them directly,” he said.

Dr. Eid Sabbah, the head of nursing at the Kamal Adwan Hospital, said: “It wasn’t gunfire. It was ammunition from heavy weaponry that cause large openings; that’s obvious from the entrance and exit wounds.”

Dr. Sabbah said the patients who were treated at the hospital had mostly chest and head wounds. Doctors there could only stabilize them and keep them alive, he said, and were unable to perform surgery because of the lack of medicine and medical tools.

Ibrahim Al Najjar, 42, an unemployed taxi driver, said he was in the area around 8 p.m. when a large crowd had gathered. Soon, there was shelling and shooting, he said. He said that his cousin was killed and that he was injured in his right arm by shrapnel.

“I ran for my life with others, and then they hit a building next to us,” he said. “We kept running until we reached some ambulances far away.”

The Israeli military said it was not responsible for the attack. “Approximately one hour before the arrival of the convoy to the humanitarian corridor, armed Palestinians opened fire while Gazan civilians were awaiting the arrival of the aid convoy,” the military said. “As aid trucks were entering, the Palestinian gunmen continued to shoot as the crowd of Gazans began looting the trucks. Additionally, a number of Gazan civilians were run over by the trucks.”

The killing at the convoy came as Israel has been facing intense international pressure to allow more aid into Gaza, where aid workers have warned of calamitous hunger, spreading diseases and widespread lawlessness. People have become so desperate for food that some have resorted to eating leaves and animal feed. At least 27 people, including 23 children, have died of malnutrition, dehydration and lack of baby formula, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

Aid groups have called on Israel to open more border crossings directly into northern Gaza, where food shortages are most extreme, and to ease restrictions on convoys.

Aid groups have said stopping the war is ultimately the only way to help ease the privation in Gaza. But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel on Friday rejected the latest cease-fire and hostage-release deal proposed by Hamas, calling its demands “ludicrous,” and said Israel would move forward with plans for a ground offensive in the southern city of Rafah, where more than half the enclave’s population is sheltering.

The prospect of an invasion there has caused widespread alarm, including from the Biden administration, which has said it will oppose such an incursion without a credible plan to relocate civilians out of harm’s way.

As Israel has tightened a restrictive blockade on Gaza, several countries, including the United States, have dropped food from military planes into the territory. On Friday, a ship carrying food arrived off Gaza for the first time since the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7. The shipment was part of a fledgling effort to ferry more aid into the territory via a maritime route.

The ship, which left Cyprus on Tuesday, was carrying more than 200 tons of food supplied by World Central Kitchen, a charity founded by the celebrity chef José Andrés.

Linda Roth, a spokeswoman for World Central Kitchen, said that the ship, the Open Arms, had docked at a newly built jetty on the Gaza coast and that workers were beginning to offload the flour, lentils, canned tuna and other food from a barge.

It remained unclear how the food would be distributed to civilians, but officials hope the operation will show that more aid ships can follow. World Central Kitchen said a second ship with 300 tons of aid was being loaded in Cyprus on Thursday, but it was not clear when the ship would set sail.

Even if the operation is successful, aid groups say, delivering aid by sea is nowhere near as efficient as delivering it by land, describing trucks as the only way to send enough food into Gaza to alleviate the suffering there.

The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said on Friday that the Israeli military had a responsibility to facilitate the movement of humanitarian into Gaza “safely, regularly and at the scale required.”

“There is no alternative to the large-scale delivery of aid by land,” the office said.

Reporting was contributed by Abu Bakr Bashir , Gaya Gupta and Michael Levenson .

— Raja Abdulrahim and Anushka Patil Raja Abdulrahim reported from Jerusalem, and Anushka Patil from New York.

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