At least four Palestinians have been killed after an Israeli military strike hit the first vehicle in a convoy carrying medical supplies and fuel to an Emirati hospital in the Gaza Strip.
Israel claimed, without providing evidence, that it opened fire after gunmen seized the convoy. The strike killed several people employed by a transportation company that the aid group was using to transport supplies to the Emirates Red Crescent Hospital in Rafah, said Sandra Rasheed, Anera's director for the Palestinian territories.
Israeli forces have previously opened fire on other aid convoys in the Gaza Strip. The World Food Program announced on Wednesday that it is pausing all staff movement in Gaza until further notice after Israeli troops opened fire on one of its marked vehicles, hitting it with at least 10 rounds. The shooting occurred despite receiving multiple clearances from Israeli authorities.
So far, at least 40,602 people have been killed and 93,855 wounded in Israel’s war on Gaza.
West Bank Assault Enters Day 3
Israel's largest military assault in two decades in the occupied West Bank has entered its third day. In the early hours of Friday, witnesses reported that three people were killed after Israeli forces attacked a car in the village of Zababdeh, according to Al Jazeera.
The Israeli military claimed to have killed five more militants, including a local commander, early Thursday in the West Bank. Israel says the simultaneous raids across the northern West Bank, which have killed a total of 16 people, mostly militants, since late Tuesday, are aimed at preventing attacks. However, Palestinians see them as a widening of the Israel-Hamas war aimed at perpetuating Israel's decades-long military rule over the territory.
The 3 million Palestinians in the West Bank live under seemingly open-ended Israeli military rule, with the Western-backed Palestinian Authority administering towns and cities.
Meanwhile, over 500,000 Jewish settlers, who hold Israeli citizenship, live in more than 100 settlements across the territory, which most of the international community considers illegal.
EU Considers Sanctions On Israeli Ministers
The European Union's top diplomat has suggested that the bloc consider imposing sanctions on several Israeli government ministers due to their remarks about the war in Gaza.
“Some Israeli ministers have been launching hateful messages, unacceptable hateful messages, against the Palestinians and proposing things that go clearly against international law and is an incitation to commit more crimes,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said.
Borrell said there should be “no taboos” to prevent the EU from ensuring that international humanitarian law is respected. Borrell was chairing a meeting of the bloc's foreign ministers in Brussels on Thursday, and he wanted them to discuss possible sanctions.
(AP Inputs)
