DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — European officials reached a new deal with Israel to allow desperately needed food and fuel into Gaza, the European Union's foreign policy chief said Thursday, hours after an Israeli airstrike killed 15 people, including 10 children, waiting for help outside a medical clinic.
The children's deaths drew outrage from humanitarian groups even as Israel allowed the first delivery of fuel to Gaza in more than four months, though still less than a day's supply, according to the United Nations.
''The killing of families trying to access life-saving aid is unconscionable,'' UNICEF's chief, Catherine Russell, said. ''These were mothers seeking a lifeline for their children after months of hunger and desperation.''
The Israeli military said it was targeting a militant when it struck near the clinic.
Security camera footage outside the clinic in the central Gaza city of Deir al Balah showed about a dozen people squatting in front of the clinic when a projectile explodes a few meters (yards) away, leaving bodies scattered.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepared to leave Washington after meetings with President Donald Trump, apparently without finalizing a temporary ceasefire advocated by the White House.
A deal to increase aid
The deal announced by European officials could result in ''more crossings open, aid and food trucks entering Gaza, repair of vital infrastructure and protection of aid workers,'' said Kaja Kallas, the 27-member EU's top diplomat.