Israel takes responsibility for deaths of 7 international aid workers.

HAARETZ REPORTED TODAY AS FOLLOWS

? GAZA: An Israeli airstrike killed seven international aid workers with the World Central Kitchen charity, two dual-national Palestinians (U.S. and Canada) and five citizens of Australia, the UK, and Poland, and their Palestinian driver, late Monday. The IDF launched three missiles at the convoy which was traveling along a route preapproved and coordinated with the IDF.

• The missiles were launched because an armed terrorist was suspected to be traveling with the convoy, but he was not actually present at the time of the strike, defense sources told Haaretz, adding that the cars were clearly marked on the roof and sides as belonging to World Central Kitchen.
• PM Netanyahu called the incident a “tragic case of our forces unintentionally hitting innocent people…This happens in war, and we will investigate it to the end.”
• The IDF expressed “sincere sorrow” over the incident. Chief of Staff Herzl Halevi assured CENTCOM commander Michael Kurilla that the IDF’s “highest ranks” would investigate the event. IDF Spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said the military is committed to examining its operations “thoroughly and transparently.”
• World Central Kitchen called the strike “an attack on humanitarian organizations showing up in the most dire of situations where food is being used as a weapon of war,” and that it was immediately pausing its activity in Gaza. Anera, a U.S.-based NGO operating in the Strip, announced it too would halt operations.
• U.S. Secretary of State Blinken said the U.S. urged Israel to conduct a “swift, thorough” investigation of the incident. The foreign ministers of Britain and Poland summoned Israel’s envoys for clarifications. The UAE, which was the aid group’s primary state partner in its Gaza aid initiative, “condemned in the strongest terms the Israeli occupation forces targeting of the World Central Kitchen team.”
• Gaza’s Al-Shifa Hospital is no longer able to function as a hospital in any shape or form, the World Health Organization said.
• Japan will resume funding UNRWA, Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa told local media.
• The Hamas-controlled Health Ministry in Gaza said at least 32,916 Palestinians have been killed and 75,392 were wounded since the start of the war.

“The IDF understands that this is a serious incident that is liable to have far-reaching effects on the continued combat in Gaza, because of deteriorating international legitimacy in recent weeks” – Yaniv Kubovich