Biden to visit Israel at ‘critical moment’ for the region | First Thing

US says it has reached agreement with Israeli government on provision of humanitarian relief for people in Gaza. Plus, how a little-known pollution rule keeps the air dirty for millions of Americans

Good morning.

Joe Biden will travel to Israel tomorrow after the US said it had reached agreement with Benjamin Netanyahu's government on the provision of humanitarian relief and safe areas to the more than 2 million people in Gaza under fire, and in urgent need of water, food and medical help.

How many people have evacuated from northern Gaza? 600,000 Gazans have been evacuated from the Gaza City area, following warnings from Israel's military on Friday, according to Israel Defence Forces spokesperson Jonathan Conricus. In a daily update, Conricus said more than 600,000 people had been evacuated from the Gaza City area, but that 100,000 people still had not left.

Why are food, water and power running out in Gaza? Israel's strict blockade has cut off vital resources and left the territory facing a humanitarian disaster. Power is off, clean water is scarce, and the last fuel for hospital emergency generators could expire, leaving Gaza facing a humanitarian crisis.

Who was the suspect? The suspect, a 45-year-old Tunisian calling himself Abdesalem Al Guilani, claimed in a video on social media that he was a fighter for Allah. The Belgian justice minister, Vincent Van Quickenborne, said he had sought asylum in Belgium in November 2019 and was known to police in connection with people-smuggling and illegal residence in Belgium. His asylum application was rejected, it has been reported.