Israel strikes southern Gaza; US sets more aid

RAFAH AP) Israeli strikes on the southern Gaza city of Rafah overnight killed 18 people, including 14 children, health officials said yesterday, as the United States was on track to approve billions of dollars of additional military aid to its close ally.

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Israel has carried out near-daily air raids on Rafah, where more than half of Gaza's population of 2.3 million has sought refuge from fighting elsewhere.

The country has also vowed to expand its ground offensive to the city on the border with Egypt despite international calls for restraint, including from the US.

The US House of Representatives approved a $26-billion aid package last Saturday that includes around $9 billion in humanitarian assistance for Gaza.

The first strike killed a man, his wife and their three-year-old child, according to the nearby Kuwaiti Hospital, which received the bodies. The woman was pregnant, and the doctors managed to save the baby, according to the hospital.