- International condemnation and calls for an urgent investigation after Israeli air attack kills seven aid workers – six foreign nationals and a Palestinian – in Gaza.
- US-based aid group World Central Kitchen says the foreign aid workers killed in the “targeted Israeli strike” were nationals from Australia, Poland and the UK, as well as a US-Canadian citizen. PM Benjamin Netanyahu admits Israeli army responsible for the strike.
- Iran vows to revenge Israeli attack on its consulate building in Syria’s Damascus that killed several people, including top military commanders.
- At least 32,916 Palestinians have been killed and 75,494 wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7. The death toll in Israel from Hamas’s October 7 attack stands at 1,139, with dozens still held captive.
- UK ‘deeply concerned’ for potential escalation in the regionJames Kariuki, Britain’s deputy ambassador to the UN, says the “safety and security” of diplomatic premises and staff is a “fundamental principal, guiding diplomatic relations”.Speaking at the UN Security Council, Kariuki said his country stresses the “importance of respect for the inviolability of diplomatic premises” and staff, after the strike on Iran’s consulate in Damascus yesterday.However, Iran’s “will in destabalising the region” through its support to groups which have been “conducting and threatening attacks, is unacceptable”, he said.“Amongst the groups … are Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, militais in Syria and Iraq, and Houthis,” Kariuki said.He ended his remarks by saying the UK has been “long calling” for a humanitarian pause in Gaza, and that his country is “deeply concerned” about the potential for escalation in the region.Click here to share on social media
- US envoy to UN says his country was not involved in strike on Iranian consulateRobert Wood has told the UN Security Council that “the United States had no involvement” in the strike on the Iranian consulate in Syria yesterday, neither did it “know about it ahead of time”. Wood says the US communicated this to Iran.The US refused to confirm Israel’s involvement in the strike.Wood did say that “Iran and its proxy and partner groups need to avoid escalating tensions in the region”.He went on to accuse Iran of doing just that, using Israel’s war on Gaza as cover to wage a proxy war on Israel and “other actors”.Wood cited Iran-aligned Lebanese group Hezbollah’s exchanges of fire with the Israeli army, ongoing since last October. He would not confirm that the building that was struck yesterday was a diplomatic consulate, but said that if true, it would be “concerning” to the US. He closed his speech by condemning Israel’s attack on World Central Kitchen personnel in Gaza, saying that it is “unacceptable” that Israeli army deconflicton methods with humanitarian workers are not functioning this far along into the war in Gaza. Click here to share on social media
- Sharp criticism of Israel from Russia at UN Security CouncilVasily Nebenzia, Russia’s UN envoy, says that his country called this meeting of the council to discuss the “incessant bomb and missile attacks by the [Israeli military] targeting various sites in Syria, against the backdrop of the unprecedented scale of casualties” incurred during Israel’s war on Gaza.The Russian envoy noted that Israel’s military operation continues in Gaza “despite the demand of UN Security resolution 2728”, which calls for a ceasefire.Nebenzia slammed Israel’s “blatant disregard” for the decision of the council, citing as an example the attack by the Israeli army on World Central Kitchen personnel.He also condemned “in the strongest terms” Israel’s attack on the Iranian consulate in Syria.Click here to share on social media
- Israeli president apologises to founder of World Central KitchenAfter an Israeli attack killed seven people working for the World Central Kitchen (WCK) aid group in Gaza, Israeli President Isaac Herzog “expressed his deep sorrow and sincere apologies” during a phone call with the Spanish-American chef and founder of the NGO, Jose Andres.In a post on X, the Israeli president’s office said Herzog apologised for “the tragic loss of life of WCK staff” and said he sent his “condolences” to their families and loved ones.“The President reiterated Israel’s commitment to ensuring a thorough investigation of the tragedy,” his office said.The statement comes following widespread international condemnation of the incident, and after calls for a thorough and transparent probe.
- UN Security Council meets on Iranian consulate attack in SyriaThe UN’s Assistant Secretary-General for the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific Khaled Khiari has briefed the council on the UN’s assessment of yesterday’s attack on the Iranian consulate in Syria by the Israeli army.He reiterated UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’s condemnation of the attack, saying “The inviolability of diplomatic and consular presmesis and personnel must be respected in all cases in accordance with international law.”Khiari also mentioned at least a dozen attacks on Iranian personnel inside Syria since the beginning of this year – attacks that, while not claimed by Israel, could be attributed to the country. He said that the continuation of these attacks adds to regional “escalation” and “undermines international peace and security”.Click here to share on social media
- 54m ago (19:45 GMT)Israeli forces deliberately hit aid workers convoy, Al Jazeera concludesAn investigation by Al Jazeera’s Sanad Verification Agency has found that the Israeli army attacks that killed seven people in a World Central Kitchen (WCK) aid convoy were intentional.Based on open-source information, witness testimonies, and images from the site, a chronological and geographical timeline of the events was constructed.Read the full investigation here.
Upon analysing images of the second and third targeted vehicles, signs of a projectile entering from the top and exiting through the bottom of the cars are evident, suggesting that the cars were targeted from the air [Sanad/Al Jazeera]Click here to share on social media - Israel’s plan to ban Al Jazeera ‘unprecedented censorship’, RSF saysReporters Without Borders (RSF) is calling for a “repeal” of the newly adopted Israeli law that paves the way for a ban on Al Jazeera and other foreign news networks.In a statement, RSF said the new law “above all targets Al Jazeera”.“Israel is using every possible method to try to silence Al Jazeera for its coverage of the reality of the fate of Palestinians” in the occupied West Bank and Gaza since October 7, Jonathan Dagher, the head of RSF’s Middle East desk, said.The group said Israel has killed at least 103 journalists in Gaza – at least three worked for the Doha-based network.
Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/4/2/israels-war-on-gaza-live-five-aid-workers-killed-after-delivering-food
