- Israel’s prime minister has admitted Israeli forces killed seven humanitarian aid workers in Gaza in an airstrike yesterday.Saying “This happens in wartime,” Benjamin Netanyahu described it as “a tragic case of our forces unintentionally hitting innocent people in the Gaza Strip.”
- Three of the seven people killed were British nationals. The UK summoned the Israeli ambassador in London saying Israel must “put in place an effective deconfliction mechanism immediately and urgently to scale up humanitarian access”. The UK’s foreign secretary David Cameron said the deaths were “completely unacceptable”.
- The group had been travelling in two armoured vehicles branded with the World Central Kitchen (WCK) charity’s logo. WCK said those killed were from the UK, Australia, Poland and Palestine, as well as a US-Canada dual citizen. The charity said it was suspending operations in the Palestinian territory.
- US president Joe Biden’s administration said it had been in touch with José Andrés, who founded WCK. Secretary of state Antony Blinken said the US had also spoken directly to the Israeli government about the issue. He told the media “We’ve urged a swift, a thorough and impartial investigation to understand exactly what happened.”
- France’s foreign minister Stéphane Séjournéon Tuesday said his country “strongly condemned” the Israeli airstrike, which “nothing can justify”.
- Israel has said it plans to open a joint situation room with international groups to enable the coordination of humanitarian aid. WCK on Monday said in its statement about the attack that “Despite coordinating movements with the IDF, the convoy was hit as it was leaving the Deir al-Balah warehouse.”
- Cyprus said on Tuesday afternoon that ships that recently arrived in Gaza were turning back with 240 tonnes of undelivered aid. “At least two-thirds of the assistance is on its way back,” Cyprus’s foreign minister spokesperson, Theodoros Gotsis, told the Guardian.
- UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric has said that the organisation’s secretary-general António Guterres condemns an attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus, calling for “utmost restraint”. The attack, which killed at least 11 people, including a senior commander in the al-Quds force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), has been widely attributed to Israel. Turkey said the attack was a violation of international law by Israel. Iran’s leaders in Tehran described the targeting of a diplomatic mission late on Monday as unprecedented and promised a harsh response.
- Israel’s defense minister, Yoav Gallant said Israel would “act everywhere, every day to prevent the force buildup of our enemies. We are in a multi-front war, in the offence and defence. We see evidence of this every day, including in recent days”. He said Israel was acting “to make it clear to everyone who acts against us, all over the Middle East, that the price for acting against Israel will be a heavy price.”
- Israel’s delegation will return from Cairohaving formulated a new proposal for a ceasefire and hostage release deal with Hamas, according to reports.
- The World Health Organization (WHO) said the destruction of al-Shifa hospital in Gaza amounted to “ripping the heart out” of the health system of the territory.
- Israel’s prime minister has admitted Israeli forces killed seven humanitarian aid workers in Gaza in an airstrike yesterday.Saying “This happens in wartime,” Benjamin Netanyahu described it as “a tragic case of our forces unintentionally hitting innocent people in the Gaza Strip.”
- Three of the seven people killed were British nationals. The UK summoned the Israeli ambassador in London saying Israel must “put in place an effective deconfliction mechanism immediately and urgently to scale up humanitarian access”. The UK’s foreign secretary David Cameron said the deaths were “completely unacceptable”.
- The group had been travelling in two armoured vehicles branded with the World Central Kitchen (WCK) charity’s logo. WCK said those killed were from the UK, Australia, Poland and Palestine, as well as a US-Canada dual citizen. The charity said it was suspending operations in the Palestinian territory.
- US president Joe Biden’s administration said it had been in touch with José Andrés, who founded WCK. Secretary of state Antony Blinken said the US had also spoken directly to the Israeli government about the issue. He told the media “We’ve urged a swift, a thorough and impartial investigation to understand exactly what happened.”
- France’s foreign minister Stéphane Séjournéon Tuesday said his country “strongly condemned” the Israeli airstrike, which “nothing can justify”.
- Israel has said it plans to open a joint situation room with international groups to enable the coordination of humanitarian aid. WCK on Monday said in its statement about the attack that “Despite coordinating movements with the IDF, the convoy was hit as it was leaving the Deir al-Balah warehouse.”
- Cyprus said on Tuesday afternoon that ships that recently arrived in Gaza were turning back with 240 tonnes of undelivered aid. “At least two-thirds of the assistance is on its way back,” Cyprus’s foreign minister spokesperson, Theodoros Gotsis, told the Guardian.
- UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric has said that the organisation’s secretary-general António Guterres condemns an attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus, calling for “utmost restraint”. The attack, which killed at least 11 people, including a senior commander in the al-Quds force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), has been widely attributed to Israel. Turkey said the attack was a violation of international law by Israel. Iran’s leaders in Tehran described the targeting of a diplomatic mission late on Monday as unprecedented and promised a harsh response.
- Israel’s defense minister, Yoav Gallant said Israel would “act everywhere, every day to prevent the force buildup of our enemies. We are in a multi-front war, in the offence and defence. We see evidence of this every day, including in recent days”. He said Israel was acting “to make it clear to everyone who acts against us, all over the Middle East, that the price for acting against Israel will be a heavy price.”
- Israel’s delegation will return from Cairohaving formulated a new proposal for a ceasefire and hostage release deal with Hamas, according to reports.
- The World Health Organization (WHO) said the destruction of al-Shifa hospital in Gaza amounted to “ripping the heart out” of the health system of the territory.
