Israel admits ‘serious failures’ over deadly strike but insists aid workers were mistaken for Hamas: Updates

Families in northern Gaza are being forced to live on less than a can of fava beans a day, Oxfam has said, as senior UN officials described malnourished newborns so small that they weigh little more than a kilo.

More than 300,000 people are still believed to be trapped in the north of the besieged strip, which has seen the worst of Israel’s ferocious bombardment and where little to no aid has been getting in.

There, since January, families have been surviving on an average of 245 calories a day, according to Oxfam – less than 12 per cent of the average recommended daily calorie intake.

Read the full article from chief international correspondent Bel Trew here:

The UK government is facing renewed calls to stop exporting weapons to Israel in light of the country’s alleged breaches of international humanitarian law (IHL) since the October 7 Hamas attacks.

The Israeli government was heavy criticised by world leaders on April 2 following the killings of seven aid workers in a targeted air strike in Gaza. The Israeli Defence Force (IDF) accepted responsibility for their deaths, claiming they were unintentional.

The attack brought the number of aid workers killed in Israel since October to 203, according to the Aid Worker Security Database.

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The Israeli army’s killing of seven international aid workers from the World Central Kitchen serves as a terrible reminder that the Israel-Hamas war has gone on for far too long.

Now is the time to end it with a comprehensive ceasefire agreement, the release of all the hostages, a return of the displaced Gazan population to their towns and villages, and the opening of a land crossing to allow unhindered flow of humanitarian aid. Plans for the rehabilitation of Gaza coupled with a carefully mapped out plan for Palestinian statehood and Israeli normalisation with Arab states must follow suit.

The discontent with Benjamin Netanyahu’s conduct, his prioritising of the outrageous demands of his extreme government – while sacrificing its relationship with its greatest ally, the US, and the wider world – has finally reached a point of no return.

Read the full article from Nomi Bar-Yaacov here:

For six months, the divided Conservatives have enjoyed the rare luxury of being united on the Israel-Hamas conflict. In contrast, Labour could not disguise its split, as many of its MPs urged Keir Starmer to take a stronger line against Israel over the horrific events unfolding in Gaza.

Now the boot is on the other foot. After the killing of seven aid workers in Gaza, Labour is broadly united in calling for the UK to end arms exports to Israel if the government’s legal advice says the country is breaching international humanitarian law. (Even now, Labour’s line is still more cautious than that of the SNP, Liberal Democrats and Greens, who have called for an unconditional ban.)

Labour’s traditional support for the Palestinian cause created a headache for Starmer, while the Tories’ once-loud Arabist wing has long been quiet. The Conservatives are an overwhelmingly pro-Israel party, and the Conservative Friends of Israel is a very influential lobby group.

Read the full analysis here from Andrew Grice:

Turkish authorities have arrested two people suspected of providing information to the Israeli spy agency, a top official said Friday, in the latest in a series of such arrests in Turkey.

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said the suspects allegedly gathered information about people and companies of interest to Israel and passed on the data and documents to Israeli intelligence officials.

Six other people who were also detained in the operation, codenamed “Mole-3,” were released following questioning, Yerlikaya said in a statement posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.

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The Israel-Hamas war has stretched on for half a year and become one of the most destructive, deadly, and intractable conflicts of the 21st century.

Since Hamas’ Oct. 7 cross-border attack, Israel has pummeled the Gaza Strip, displacing the vast majority of the population and causing many to flee to Gaza’s southernmost city, Rafah. Food is scarce, the U.N. says famine is approaching and few Palestinians have been able to leave the besieged territory.

Here’s a look at the conflict by numbers, which mainly come from the Israeli military and prime minister’s office, the Gaza health ministry, the U.N.’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, and Associated Press reporting.

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Some will see the recent and tragic deaths of foreign aid workers in Gaza as the definitive ‘red line’ that Israel has crossed, signifying that their military action must now cease. But that red line was crossed weeks – no, months – ago when, with the bombing of hospitals, the Gazan people lost access to proper medical care. When they began to starve because of the targeting of critical infrastructure and the inaccessibility of aid routes.

This war must stop and it must stop now.

An alternative way must be found that provides security for Israel, justice for Palestinians and peace for all. That journey starts with an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages and sustained humanitarian access for the provision of essential supplies to those most in need.

Read the full article from the Bishop of Southwark here:

More than 500 officers are being deployed in central London to police an annual march in support of Palestine and a pro-Isreal counter protest outside the House of Parliament.

The Metropolitan Police announced details of a major policing operation ahead of the demonstrations on Friday amid tensions over the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

Protestors must not “cross the line into criminality”, the Metropolitan Police has warned, adding that the force will “police without fear or favour right up to the line of the law”.

Read the full article from our crime correspondent here:

Donald Trump criticised President Joe Biden’s handling of the Israel-Hamas conflict and seemingly stepped back his support for the country as they wage war in Gaza – but made no mention of the seven World Central Kitchen workers killed by Isaraeli airstrikes on Wednesday.

In an interview with Hugh Hewitt on Thursday, the former president asserted that Mr Biden was “grossly incompetent” – citing the chaotic withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan – and advised Israel not to follow the president’s advice as tensions heat up between Israel and the US.

“I wouldn’t listen to them. I wouldn’t take any instruction from them. Israel knows what they’re doing,” Mr Trump said.

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