Gaza’s Health Ministry says an Israeli strike on Tuesday on a tent camp in a designated humanitarian zone killed at least 19 people.
The Civil Defense, first responders who operate under the Hamas-run government, said the strike left craters up to 10 meters (32 feet) deep. The Israeli military said it used precise munitions against a group of militants.
Gaza’s Health Ministry said the toll could rise. The ministry is also part of the Hamas-run government. Its figures are widely seen as generally reliable. Its tallies from previous wars have largely coincided with figures from independent researchers, the U.N. and even the Israeli military.
The Health Ministry says over 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the Israel-Hamas war began. It does not differentiate between fighters and civilians in its count. The war has caused vast destruction and displaced around 90% of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million, often multiple times.
Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in their Oct. 7 attack that sparked the war. They abducted another 250 and are still holding around 100. Around a third of them are believed to be dead.
Here’s the latest:
President Biden says the deadly shooting of an American activist was apparently an accident
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden said Tuesday that last week’s deadly shooting of an American activist by an Israeli soldier was apparently an accident.
The comments from Biden to reporters at the White House come after Secretary of State Antony Blinken earlier in the day issued a strong rebuke against the Israelis over the incident in the West Bank. The Israeli military has acknowledged that Aysenur Ezgi Eygi was likely shot “indirectly and unintentionally.”
“Apparently, it was accident,” Biden said shortly before boarding Marine One to head to New York. “It ricocheted off the ground.”
Israel says it has launched a criminal investigation into the killing of the 26-year-old activist from Seattle who was taking part in a demonstration against settlements in the Palestinian territory. Doctors who treated Eygi, who also held Turkish citizenship, said she was shot in the head.
Following the exchange with reporters, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Biden was conveying the preliminary findings that Israeli officials have presented to the U.S. about the incident.
UN protests the shooting on its clearly marked vehicles by Israeli military
UNITED NATIONS – The United Nations protested the breakdown of communications that led to the Israeli military ramming and firing at a clearly marked U.N. convoy in Gaza which had all the required Israeli clearances.
Monday’s incident was the second attack on clearly marked U.N. vehicles in two weeks. On Aug. 27, the Israeli military hit a U.N. food agency vehicle with at least 10 bullets as it was moving toward an Israeli military checkpoint at the central Wadi Gaza bridge. U.N. staffers inside the armored vehicle were not hurt.
U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Monday’s convoy, which was part of the polio vaccination campaign in Gaza, was stopped at the Al Rashid checkpoint, furthest to the west around Wadi Gaza.
Israeli soldiers ordered two of the 12 U.N. staffers – both Palestinians – to get out for interrogation, he said, and the situation quickly escalated, with soldiers pointing their weapons toward the U.N. personnel, then encircling the armored vehicles and firing shots.
Israeli tanks and bulldozers then rammed the U.N. vehicles, “compacting the convoy with U.N. staff still inside,” Dujarric said. “One bulldozer dropped debris on the first vehicle, while Israeli soldiers threatened staff, making it impossible for them to safely exit their vehicles.”
Senior U.N. officials engaged with Israeli authorities to de-escalate the situation, the U.N. spokesman told reporters Tuesday.
The two Palestinian staff members were interrogated and finally released, and the vehicles in the convoy left the checkpoint after 7½ hours and return to their base.
The Israeli military said it held up the convoy based on intelligence indicating the presence of suspected militants. Israel has long accused the U.N. agency that helps Palestinian refugees of having ties to militant groups. UNRWA denies the allegations.
He said the United Nations also protested to Israeli authorities the fact that the lives of the U.N. staffers were put in “pretty great danger.”
“It is critical that Israeli forces take measures to protect humanitarian staff and assets and to facilitate their work. This is what international humanitarian law requires,” Dujarric said. “Yesterday could have turned out tragically.”
Dujarric said polio vaccinations in northern Gaza went ahead on Tuesday.
Press freedom group asks the Israeli Supreme Court to allow journalists to enter the Gaza Strip
JERUSALEM — A press freedom group representing international media organizations has asked the Israeli Supreme Court to allow journalists to enter the Gaza Strip.
Israeli authorities have barred international journalists from independently entering Gaza since the war erupted last Oct. 7. The Israeli army has invited a small number of journalists on brief, guided tours of specific locations.
The court in January upheld the entry ban on security grounds, but invited the Foreign Press Association to submit a new request for access if circumstances change. With the one-year anniversary approaching, the FPA submitted a new petition to the court on Tuesday, asking Israel to uphold the democratic ideals of freedom of the press.
“Never before has Israel enforced such a long and strict information blackout,” the FPA said in a statement. “To Israel, we say enough with the excuses. It is time to let us in.”
The FPA represents dozens of major international media organizations, including The Associated Press, operating in Israel and the Palestinian territories.
Family of the Turkish-American woman killed in West Bank calls Israel’s preliminary investigation into her shooting inadequate
WASHINGTON — The family of the Turkish-American activist killed in the West Bank last week called the Israeli military preliminary investigation into her shooting “wholly inadequate.” In a statement Tuesday, the woman’s family in Seattle renewed their call to the Biden administration for an independent investigation.
“We are deeply offended by the suggestion that her killing by a trained sniper was in any way unintentional,” the statement said.
The Israeli military said Tuesday that 26-year-old activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi was likely shot “indirectly and unintentionally” by Israeli forces aiming at someone else.
UN chief strongly condemns Israel’s airstrike in designated safe zone
UNITED NATIONS – The United Nations chief strongly condemns Israel’s airstrikes in an Israeli-designated safe zone in southern Gaza, calling the use of heavy weapons in a densely populated area “unconscionable,” his spokesman said.
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed deep alarm at the continuing loss of life in Gaza and reiterated that no place in the territory is safe, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Tuesday.
Gaza’s Health Ministry, part of the Hamas-run government in the territory, said it has confirmed that at least 19 people were killed in the airstrikes early Tuesday on a tent camp in southern Khan Younis.
Civil Defense first responders earlier said 40 people were killed. The Israeli military disputed that toll, saying it had used precise munitions against a group of militants.
Secretary-General Guterres reiterated calls for a cease-fire in Gaza and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages taken during Hamas’ attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, Dujarric said.
Earlier, the U.N.’s top Mideast envoy, Tor Wennesland, strongly condemned Israel’s deadly airstrike, saying “the killing of civilians must stop, and this horrific war must end.”
While the Israeli military said it struck Hamas militants operating in a command-and-control center inside the humanitarian zone, Wennesland underlined that international humanitarian law requiring the protection of civilians and proportionality in attacks must be upheld at all times.
He also emphasized “that civilians must never be used as human shields.” Israel maintains that Hamas uses civilians to hide and protect their fighters and activities.
Israel releases video of a Gaza tunnel where it says militants killed 6 hostages
JERUSALEM — The Israeli military has released video footage of a Gaza tunnel where it says six hostages were recently killed by Hamas. The video shows a low, narrow passageway deep underground that had no bathroom and poor ventilation.
The discovery of the hostages’ bodies last month sparked a mass outpouring of anger in Israel and the release of the new video could add to the pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reach a cease-fire deal with Hamas to bring the remaining hostages home.
Israeli military spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said Tuesday the footage of the Gaza tunnel had been shown to the hostages’ families, and that it “was very hard for them to see how their loved ones survived in those conditions.”
Israel strikes Bekaa Valley and Nabatiyeh, Lebanese news agency says
BEIRUT — Lebanon’s state news agency says an Israeli drone strike in Lebanon’s eastern Bekaa Valley killed one person and wounded two others.
Hezbollah later said the dead man as one of its members identifying him as Mohammed Qassem al-Shaer. The Israeli military released video of the strike, adding that al-Shaer was a commander with Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force.
Later in the day, Lebanon’s state media said an Israeli airstrike hit a building in the southern city of Nabatiyeh, wounding six people. The airstrike hit the top floor of a four-story building in the city that was targeted several times in the past months.
Legislator Hani Kobeissy, who represents the city, told reporters during a visit to the area that the building is home to civilians, adding that militants have no presence there.
More than 500 people have been killed in Lebanon by Israeli strikes since Oct. 8, most of them fighters with Hezbollah and other armed groups but also more than 100 civilians. In northern Israel, 23 soldiers and 26 civilians have been killed by strikes from Lebanon.
Tens of thousands of people have been displaced on both sides of the tense border since the exchange of fire began a day after the Israel-Hamas war broke out on Oct. 7.
Turkish-American activist killed in the West Bank hid her travels from family, uncle says
ANKARA, Turkey — The uncle of the Turkish-American activist killed in the West Bank last week says his niece hid the fact that she was traveling to the Palestinian territories to avoid worrying family members.
In an interview with Turkey’s HaberTurk television Tuesday, Yilmaz Eygi also said that based on information from witnesses, he believes his niece was “deliberately” targeted by Israeli soldiers.
Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, a 26-year-old activist from Seattle, was killed Friday following a demonstration against Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, according to Jonathan Pollak, an Israeli protester who witnessed the shooting.
The Israeli military said Tuesday that Eygi, a volunteer with the activist group International Solidarity Movement, was likely shot “indirectly and unintentionally” by Israeli forces who were aiming at someone else.
Yilmaz Eygi said: “From what we watched on the news and according to eye-witnesses it was a murder committed deliberately.”
“She was there as an observer and was away from the main protesters. She was standing afar as an observer for the aid organization. It is not possible for her to harm the soldiers,” the uncle said. His comments were not in response to the Israeli military’s findings.
The uncle spoke to HaberTurk from the the Aegean coastal town of Didim, in western Turkey, where Eygi’s grandfather lives and where her burial is expected to take place.
Yilmaz Eygi said that his niece, who was in Didim 15 days ago, told family members she was traveling to Jordan.
“As her family, as her elders, we didn’t want her to come to any harm. We were opposed to her going to Jordan even. She hid the fact that she was going to Palestine. She blocked us from her social media posts so that we would not see them,” Yilmaz Eygi said.
Turkey urges Arab League to band together to end the war in Gaza
CAIRO — Turkey’s foreign minister is calling on Arab and Muslim states to band together to try to end the war in Gaza. It’s the first time a Turkish official has addressed the Arab League in more than a decade.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan is the first to attend the gathering of Arab states since President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attended in 2011. Turkey later fell out with many member countries.
“We cannot accept that Palestinian lives, Arab lives and Muslim lives matter less than others,” Fidan said Tuesday. “Our ranks must be watertight.”
Fidan also expressed concern at increasing violence in the West Bank. Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, a 26-year-old activist from the U.S. who also had Turkish citizenship, was shot dead Friday following a demonstration against Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. The Israeli military says she was likely shot “indirectly and unintentionally” by Israeli forces aiming at someone else.
Blinken says Israeli forces need to make ‘fundamental changes’ after shooting
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says Israeli security forces “need to make some fundamental changes in the way they operate in the West Bank,” including changes to rules of engagement. He spoke in London days after a U.S. citizen was shot and killed in the occupied West Bank while protesting Israeli settlements there.
Blinken called the shooting “not acceptable. It has to change, and we’ll be making that clear to the senior most members of the Israeli government.” He said it’s clear there are “serious issues that need to be dealt with, and we will insist that they be dealt with.”
The Israeli military said Tuesday that 26-year-old Aysenur Ezgi Eygi was likely shot “indirectly and unintentionally” by Israeli forces aiming at someone else.
The White House earlier said it was “deeply disturbed” by the killing of Eygi, who also held Turkish citizenship, and called on Israel to investigate. Her family seeks an independent investigation.
An Israeli strike on a humanitarian area in Gaza kills and wounds dozens, Palestinians say
JERUSALEM — An Israeli strike on a crowded tent camp housing Palestinians displaced by the war in Gaza killed at least 40 people and wounded 60 others early Tuesday, Palestinian officials said. Israel said it targeted “significant” Hamas militants and disputed the death toll.
It was among the deadliest strikes yet in Muwasi, a sprawl of crowded tent camps along the Gaza coast that Israel designated as a humanitarian zone for hundreds of thousands of civilians to seek shelter from the Israel-Hamas war.
Gaza’s Civil Defense said its first responders recovered 40 bodies from the strike and were still looking for people. It said entire families were killed in their tents.
An Associated Press camera operator saw three large craters at the scene, where first responders and displaced people were sifting through the sand and rubble with garden tools and their bare hands by the light of mobile phones.
The Israeli military said it had struck Hamas militants who were operating in a command-and-control center. It said its forces used precise munitions, aerial surveillance and other means to avoid civilian casualties. Hamas released a statement denying any militants were in the area. Neither Israel nor Hamas provided evidence to substantiate their claims.
International law allows for strikes on military targets in areas where civilians are present, provided the force used is proportionate to the military objective — something that is often disputed and would need to be settled in a court, which almost never happens.
Israeli military stops aid convoy for 8 hours, UN agency says
JERUSALEM — The United Nations agency in charge of aid for displaced Palestinians said the Israeli military stopped a convoy for more than eight hours on Monday, despite it coordinating with the troops.
The agency’s head Philippe Lazzarini said the staffers who were held had been trying to work on a polio vaccination campaign in northern Gaza and Gaza City.
“The convoy was stopped at gun point just after the Wadi Gaza checkpoint with threats to detain UN staff,” he wrote on the social platform X. “Heavy damage was caused by bulldozers to the UN armoured vehicles.”
He said the staff and the convoy later returned to a U.N. base but it was unclear if a polio vaccination campaign would take place Tuesday in northern Gaza.
“UN Staff must be allowed to undertake their duties in safety + be protected at all times in accordance with international humanitarian law,” he wrote. “Gaza is no different.”
The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The vaccination drive, launched after doctors discovered the first polio case in the Palestinian enclave in 25 years, aims to vaccinate 640,000 children during a war that has destroyed the health care system.
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