KEY POINTS
- Australia demands full accountability over killings of WCK staffers
- Polish FM says Israeli army has taken responsibility for strike that killed 7 food aid workers
- A rescued 71-year-old hostage talks about the surreal moment when he was freed from Hamas captivity
The Israel-Hamas war has entered Day 179 – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu late on Tuesday afternoon seemingly confirmed that the Israeli army did strike a humanitarian food aid convoy in the Gaza Strip Monday.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Tuesday vowed that Israel "will be punished" after the assassination of Mohammad Reza Zahedi, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander for Syria and Lebanon.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has been sworn in for his third term at a time when tensions in the Middle East run high and Egypt, alongside Qatar, is under increasing pressure to push Hamas to agree to a ceasefire with Israel.
In war-torn Gaza, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) expressed sorrow for the killing of seven staff members of American food charity World Central Kitchen (WCK) in an airstrike attributed to Israel.
- Targeting of food aid convoy 'one mistake too many': Former IDF intelligence deputy head
- Israeli 'forces unintentionally harmed non-combatants in the Gaza Strip': Netanyahu
- Khamenei pays tribute to 'selfless' Zahedi, blasts 'usurping' Israel
- Defense minister says Israel operates everywhere after IRGC commander's assassination
- Explosive-laden drone explodes in Jordan near Israeli port city of Eilat: Local media
- US informs Iran it was not involved in Damascus airstrike: Report
- Japan to resume UNRWA funding under a monitoring mechanism
- UK's Cameron demands 'urgent' explanation from Israel over WKC employees' deaths
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will hold talks in Paris following the deaths of WCK staffers delivering food aid for Gaza residents when the charity organization's convoy was struck by what the WCK said was an Israeli airstrike.
In Israel's northern border with Lebanon, Iranian-backed Hezbollah claimed an attack on an IDF post near the Israeli-Lebanese border.
Suspected gunshots were heard in the Red Sea after an entity claiming to be the Yemeni Navy hailed a commercial vessel off of Houthi-controlled Hodeidah, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said.
The fighting in Gaza, which sparked tensions across the Middle East, stems from the violent history of the Israel-Palestine conflict that erupted on Oct. 7, when Hamas militants broke into Gaza's border with Israel, murdering over a thousand people and dragging over 250 hostages into the Gaza Strip, some 130 of which are still in Hamas captivity.
Gaza has suffered the brunt of the fighting, as the Hamas-run health ministry said more than 32,000 have been killed so far and over 75,000 others have been wounded.
The live update has ended.
Israeli MFA says food convoy strike will be investigated
Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) on Tuesday said the strike that killed seven food aid workers "will be investigated by qualified authorities" in its first statement since WCK attributed the strike to the Israeli army.
"IDF and decision-makers are doing and will do everything to prevent harm to civilians," it said.
— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) April 2, 2024
