19 Oct 2023

Israel-Gaza conflict: All the latest developments on 19 October

6:50 pm on 19 October 2023

The United Nations' humanitarian agency says it is ready to go into Gaza to deliver supplies.

Israel said it would not prevent the delivery of aid to Gaza via Egypt, after a demand by US President Joe Biden during his visit to Tel Aviv.

The Israeli prime minister's office said humanitarian support would be allowed as long as supplies did not reach Hamas.

UN agency for Palestine Refugees, or UNWRA, spokesperson Juliet Tuma told the BBC fuel would be the most important delivery.

She said they were providing aid where possible, but said they were "overwhelmed".

"Our supplies are dwindling and running out fast," she said. "Our staff are also very, very tired. They have been impacted themselves by the war. Many of them lost loved ones. We have sadly at UNWRA lost 14 staff members and these numbers continue to increase."

In New Zealand, the Security Intelligence Service is in close contact with anxious Muslim and Jewish communities, as the war escalates.

SIS Director-General Andrew Hampton said it, along with others across government, had been meeting with community representatives to understand where the points of tension were that could worsen.

He said there was a lot of hateful rhetoric online at the moment, but most people would not act on it.

- BBC and RNZ

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