Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the U.N. Humanitarian agency OCHA, said Thursday the trucks that entered carried medicine, wheat flour and nutrition supplies. Aid groups faced significant challenges distributing the aid because of insecurity, the risk of looting and coordination issues with Israeli authorities, Laerke added.
Also Thursday, international leaders were reacting to the shooting of t wo staff members of the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., the previous day. The attack was seen by officials in Israel and the U.S. as the latest in a growing wave of antisemitism as Israel ramps up its offensive in the Gaza Strip.
Here's the latest:
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France summons Israel’s ambassador to protest West Bank incident
Israel's ambassador to Paris was being summoned to the French Foreign Ministry on Thursday afternoon after Israeli soldiers fired warning shots at a delegation of diplomats the previous day.
The diplomats, including one from France, came under fire Wednesday while visiting Jenin, a city in the Israel-occupied West Bank. The Israeli military said the visit had been approved but the soldiers fired warning shots when the delegation deviated from an approved route.
French Foreign Ministry spokesman Christophe Lemoine said the shots put diplomats in danger and were “unjustifiable and unacceptable.” The Israeli ambassador was summoned “to explain himself about this extremely serious incident,” the French Foreign Ministry said.
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Bakery in Gaza resumes operations for the first time in over a month
The bakery, in the central Gaza Strip, was baking bread again Thursday after Israel eased its blockade to allow some aid into the Palestinian territory.
Vladimir Jovcev of the U.N.’s World Food Program said it was “definitely not enough, but we hope that the borders will remain open and we will be able to bring in more aid.”
Israel imposed a blockade on all imports, including food, medicine and shelter, at the beginning of March, shortly before ending a ceasefire with Hamas.
It announced an easing of the blockade this week and has allowed around 200 trucks to enter since Monday. But U.N. agencies say Israeli military restrictions and the breakdown of law and order in Gaza make it difficult to retrieve and distribute the aid. As a result, little of it has so far reached those in need. Around 600 trucks entered per day during the ceasefire.
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Japan protests to Israel over West Bank warning shots
Japan’s Foreign Ministry says it has made “a severe protest” to Israel over its military’s firing of warning shots at a diplomatic delegation including Japanese diplomats that was visiting a refugee camp in the Israel-occupied West Bank on Wednesday.
Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Takehiro Funakoshi summoned the Israeli Ambassador to Japan, Gilad Cohen, to request a full explanation and preventive measures. Fukakoshi told Gilad the incident was “deeply regrettable and should not have happened."
Funakoshi also reiterated Japan’s strong concern over Israel’s attempted reoccupation of the Gaza Strip and the expansion of military operations, urging it to allow a full and immediate resumption of aid into Gaza, the foreign ministry said.
Funakoshi also offered his condolences on the killing of two Israeli embassy staff in Washington, stating that “terrorism is not tolerated anywhere in the world.”
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France boosts security around Jewish sites
The French government has instructed police and military officials to put “visible and dissuasive” security in place around Jewish sites after the killing of two Israeli Embassy staffers in Washington D.C.
The instructions were issued Thursday by Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau and published by his ministry. The minister said security should be reinforced around Jewish sites including synagogues, schools, shops, media and cultural events following Wednesday's shooting.
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Italy condemns attack on Israeli embassy employees
“Anti-Semitic violence that is the child of hatred against Jews is not acceptable and must be stopped,” Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said in a statement.
He said Italy was committed to fighting all forms of hatred and discrimination and promoting “a culture of respect and peaceful coexistence through education, remembrance and the firm defense of human rights.”
Macron reaches out to Israeli president after shootings
French President Emmanuel Macron says he has reached out to his Israeli counterpart in the wake of the killings of two Israeli Embassy staffers in Washington, in what the French leader called “an anti-Semitic attack.”
“To President @Isaac_Herzog, I extended our thoughts to the families and loved ones of the victims,” Macron posted on X.
Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels fire two missiles at Israel
The missiles were fired hours apart on Thursday, each time setting off nationwide air raid sirens.
The Israeli military said it intercepted both missiles, and there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage. An Associated Press reporter heard a loud explosion in central Israel that might have been caused by an interceptor.
Israeli police said they were searching the Jerusalem area for debris.
The Houthis have launched repeated missile attacks targeting Israel as well as international shipping in the Red Sea, portraying it as a response to Israel's offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Most of the targeted ships had no relation to Israel or the conflict.
The United States halted a punishing bombing campaign against the Houthis earlier this month, saying the rebels had pledged to stop attacking ships. That agreement did not include attacks on Israel.
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France, EU condemn shooting outside Jewish museum in Washington
France's foreign minister says the killing of two staff members of the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday "is an abhorrent act of antisemitic barbarity."
In a post in English on X, the minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, said: “Nothing can justify such violence. My thoughts go to their loved ones, their colleagues, and the State of Israel.”
The European Union’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, said: “There is and should be no place in our societies for hatred, extremism, or antisemitism."
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP