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Situation in Haiti March 29, 2024

U.s. citizens in haiti, update january 10, 2024, information for u.s. citizens in the middle east.

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Israel, the West Bank and Gaza Travel Advisory

Travel advisory january 3, 2024, see individual summaries.

Updated to reflect the termination of authorized departure status for family members of U.S. government personnel and some non-emergency personnel.

U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents (LPRs), or immediate family members needing assistance to depart Gaza, please click here.  

Summary:  Terrorist groups, lone-actor terrorists and other violent extremists continue plotting possible attacks in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza. Terrorists and violent extremists may attack with little or no warning, targeting tourist locations, transportation hubs, markets/shopping malls, and local government facilities. Violence can occur in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza without warning.

Some areas have increased risk. Read the  country information page  for additional information on travel to Israel and the West Bank, and Gaza. 

Visit the CDC page for the latest  Travel Health Information  related to your travel.

Do Not Travel To :

• Gaza due to  terrorism and  armed conflict

Reconsider Travel To :

• Israel due to  terrorism  and  civil unrest
• West Bank due to  terrorism  and  civil unrest

If you decide to travel to Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza.

• Check the most recent Alerts at the  Embassy  website for the latest information on travel in all of these areas.  
• Maintain a high degree of situational awareness and exercise caution at all times, especially at checkpoints and other areas with a significant presence of security forces. 
• Avoid demonstrations and crowds. 
• Follow the instructions of security and emergency response officials. 
• Beware of and report suspicious activities, including unattended items, to local police. 
• Learn the location of the nearest bomb shelter or other hardened shelter. Download the Home Front Command Red Alert application for mobile devices (available on devices within Israel) to receive real time alerts for rocket attacks. 
• Obtain comprehensive travel medical insurance that includes medical evacuation prior to travel. Most travel insurance packages do not cover mental health related illnesses/care.  
• Enroll in the  Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP)  to receive Alerts and make it easier to locate you in an emergency. 
• Follow the Department of State on  Facebook  and  Twitter . 
• Review the  Country Security Report  for Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza.  
• Prepare a contingency plan for emergency situations. Review the  Traveler’s Checklist .

Gaza – Do Not Travel

Do not travel due to  terrorism and  armed conflict .

The U.S. government is unable to provide routine or emergency consular services to U.S. citizens in Gaza as U.S. government employees are prohibited from traveling there. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are conducting large-scale military operations in Gaza against Hamas, a U.S. government-designated foreign terrorist organization, which was responsible for the October 7 attack on Israel. As a result of the armed conflict, the security environment within Gaza and on its borders is extremely dangerous and volatile. The pedestrian crossing between Gaza and Israel was damaged on October 7 and remains closed, and the pedestrian crossing between Egypt and Gaza may close without advance notice depending on the security situation. There are sporadic telecommunication and internet outages within Gaza further inhibiting the ability of residents to obtain information.

Visit our website for  Travel to High Risk Areas .  

If you decide to travel to Gaza:

• Be prepared for an indefinite stay as the crossings between Gaza with Israel and Egypt can close without advance notice and for long periods during times of unrest and armed conflict.
• Have a plan for entering and departing Gaza that does not rely on U.S. government assistance.
• Households with infants and young children should plan for food and supplies, such as diapers and wipes, formula or baby food, and a change of clothing.
• If you take medication, make sure to have at least five days’ worth at any given time – if you can, we encourage enough for two weeks beyond your scheduled trip and have a copy of your prescriptions handy.
• If you use assistive or medical devices that require a power supply, be sure to find backup power or other ways that will sustain your device or equipment during a power outage.
• Draft a will and designate appropriate insurance beneficiaries and/or power of attorney.
• Discuss a plan with loved ones regarding care/custody of children, pets, property, belongings, non-liquid assets (collections, artwork, etc.), funeral wishes, etc.
• Leave DNA samples with your medical provider in case it is necessary for your family to access them.

Please be sure to visit our website for How to Prepare for a Crisis for information that may be helpful. 

Israel – Reconsider Travel

Reconsider travel due to  terrorism and civil unrest .

The security situation remains unpredictable, and U.S. citizens are reminded to remain vigilant and take appropriate steps to increase their security awareness as security incidents, including mortar and rocket fire, often take place without warning.

U.S. government employees in Israel under COM security responsibility are currently restricted from personal travel to the following locations:

• Within seven miles of the Gaza demarcation line, as well as the cities of Ashdod and Ashkelon;
• Within 2.5 miles of the Lebanese and Syrian borders; and
• Within 1.5 miles of the Israel-Egypt border.

Additional travel restrictions may be imposed on U.S. government employees under COM security responsibility, with little to no notice due to increased security issues or threats.

West Bank – Reconsider Travel

U.S. government employees in Israel under COM security responsibility are currently restricted from all personal travel to the West Bank other than Route 443 and traveling to Allenby Bridge via Route 1 and Route 90 via Jerusalem. Over the past few months, there has been an increase in settler violence, Israeli military operations and terrorist attacks.

Additional travel restrictions may be imposed on U.S. government employees under COM security responsibility with little to no notice due to increased security issues or threats.

Visit our website for  Travel to High Risk Areas .

Travel Advisory Levels

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FAQs - booking Russia flights

How long is the flight to russia.

An average nonstop flight from Israel to Russia takes 18h 12m, covering a distance of 5560 km. The most popular route is Tel Aviv - Moscow with an average flight time of 4h 15m.

What is the cheapest flight to Russia?

The cheapest ticket to Russia from Israel found in the last 72 hours was ₪705. The most popular route is Tel Aviv Ben Gurion Intl to Moscow Sheremetyevo and the cheapest round-trip airline ticket found on this route in the last 72 hours was ₪1,171.

Which airlines fly to Russia?

Red Wings & EL AL fly the most frequently from Israel to Russia.

What are the most popular destinations in Russia?

The next most popular destinations are Saint Petersburg (6%) and Sochi (3%). Searches for flights to Yekaterinburg (1%), to Mineralnye Vody (1%) and to Ulan-Ude (0.8%) are also popular.

How does KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool help me choose the right time to buy?

KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a given destination and date is likely to change within 7 days, so travelers know whether to wait or book now.

Top tips for finding cheap flights to Russia

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IRS reminder to taxpayers affected by terrorist attacks in Israel: 2023 returns and payments are now due Oct. 7; other relief available

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IR-2024-90, April 3, 2024

WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today reminded individuals and businesses affected by the terrorist attacks in the State of Israel that they have until Oct. 7, 2024, to file various federal returns, make tax payments and perform other time-sensitive tax-related actions.

In Notice 2023-71 , posted Oct. 13, 2023, on IRS.gov, the IRS provided relief to taxpayers who, due to the terrorist attacks, may be unable to meet a tax-filing or tax-payment obligation, or may be unable to perform other time-sensitive tax-related actions.

Filing and payment relief

The notice postpones various tax filing and payment deadlines that occurred or will occur during the period from Oct. 7, 2023, through Oct. 7, 2024, (postponement period). As a result, affected individuals and businesses have until Oct. 7, 2024, to file returns and pay any taxes that were originally due during this period. Among other things, this includes:

• 2023 individual and business returns and payments normally due on March 15 and April 15,

2024. These individuals and businesses have both more time to file and more time to pay.

• Quarterly estimated income tax payments normally due on Jan. 16, April 15, June 17 and Sept. 16, 2024.
• Quarterly payroll and excise tax returns normally due on Oct. 31, 2023, and Jan. 31, April 30 and July 31, 2024.
• For eligible taxpayers, 2023 contributions to IRAs and health savings accounts.
• Other retirement plan contributions and rollovers.

Other tax-related deadlines are postponed as well. Among other things, this includes individuals, corporations and tax-exempt organizations that had valid extensions to file their 2022 federal income tax returns, though payments for these returns do not get the extra time because they were due before the attacks occurred. See Notice 2023-71 and Rev. Proc. 2018-58 for details.

Who qualifies for relief?

• Any individual whose principal residence is in Israel, the West Bank or Gaza (the covered area), as well as any business entity or sole proprietor whose principal place of business is in the covered area. Any taxpayer with an address of record in Israel, Gaza or the West Bank does not need to contact the IRS to get relief. That’s because the IRS has automatically identified and provided relief to these taxpayers, based on addresses shown on previously filed returns.
• Any individual, business or sole proprietor, or estate or trust whose books, records or tax preparer is located in the covered area.
• Anyone killed, injured, or taken hostage due to the terrorist attacks.
• Any individual affiliated with a recognized government or philanthropic organization and who is assisting in the covered area, such as a relief worker.

Eligible taxpayers, or their representatives, whose filing address is outside the covered area can obtain relief by calling the IRS disaster hotline at 866-562-5227 . Alternatively, international callers may call 267-941-1000 .

If an affected taxpayer receives a late filing or late payment penalty notice from the IRS for the postponement period, the taxpayer should call the number on the notice to have the penalty abated.

Reminder about tax-preparation assistance

Any individual or family whose adjusted gross income (AGI) was $79,000 or less in 2023 can use IRS Free File’s Guided Tax Software at no cost. There are products in English and Spanish.

Another Free File option is Free File Fillable Forms . These are electronic federal tax forms, equivalent to a paper 1040, and are designed for taxpayers who are comfortable filling out IRS tax forms. Anyone, regardless of income, can use this option.

Members of the military also have another option. MilTax , a Department of Defense program, offers free return preparation software and electronic filing for federal tax returns and up to three state income tax returns. It’s available for all military members and some veterans, with no income limit.

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Israel’s war on Gaza updates: 6 months of war sees children deprived of aid

UNICEF official says one in three children under two years old in north Gaza suffers from malnutrition.

This live page is now closed. You can continue to follow our coverage of the war in Gaza here.

• Qatari PM confirms Gaza truce talks ongoing in Doha, while Hamas’s Haniyeh says Israel continues to “evade, resist” responding to group’s demands.
• Israel continues to block the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees ( UNRWA ) from bringing food and other aid into northern Gaza, the aid agency said.
• Worldwide condemnation rises as Israel’s military stands accused of deliberately targeting charity staff bringing food to thousands of Gaza Palestinians facing imminent famine.
• A UN-World Bank report estimates the infrastructure damage in the Gaza Strip at $18.5bn in the first four months of Israel’s devastating assault.
• At least 32,975 Palestinians have been killed and 75,577 wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7. The death toll in Israel from Hamas’s October 7 attack stands at 1,139 with dozens still held captive.

That’s a wrap from us

Thank you for joining us for updates on everything related to Israel’s war on Gaza. This live page is now closed.

A look at what happened today

We will be closing this live page soon. Here’s a quick recap of today:

• Israeli forces have raided Jenin city and refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, and have brought in bulldozers and destroyed essential infrastructure. Confrontations broke out soon after, according to local media.
• Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh has said the group remains committed to its demands for a potential ceasefire, including the Israeli army pulling out of Gaza.
• At least four Palestinians have been killed in an Israeli air attack on a residential building in central Gaza’s Deir el-Balah.
• The United States has said it wants to see the Israeli investigation into an attack that killed seven World Central Kitchen (WCK) aid workers in Gaza wrapped up as soon as possible, as international outcry over the incident mounts.
• Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani has met Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez in Doha, where the two discussed the situation in Gaza and the region.

Four aid bundles land in the sea during US, Jordanian airdrops

The US Central Command posted on X that it had conducted a combined humanitarian assistance airdrop into northern Gaza on Wednesday, along with the Royal Jordanian Air Force.

It said that “US C-130s dropped over 38,000 meal equivalents, providing life-saving humanitarian assistance in Northern Gaza”.

“During today’s mission, approximately four bundles landed in the sea. USCENTCOM does not assess civilian harm or damage to infrastructure at this time but continues to monitor the situation,” the post read.

In March, 12 Palestinians drowned attempting to retrieve aid from the sea.

Aid agencies have criticised the airdrops as a costly and ineffective way of delivering aid and have urged Israel to allow more aid to enter via the land border.

PRCS: Child injured during Israeli raid on Jenin

We’ve been bringing you updates on Israeli security forces’ raid on the occupied West Bank city.

The Palestine Red Crescent now says that a “13-year-old girl was injured by shrapnel from live bullets” during clashes that erupted during the raid.

It also said that she was transported to a hospital to receive treatment.

WATCH: WCK aid worker killings are a ‘message to the world’

Dr Marwan al-Hams, director of al-Najjar Hospital in Rafah, says that the killing of seven aid workers by the Israeli army is a wake-up call for the world’s governments to stop supporting the Israeli government and war effort with weapons.

Watch our video to hear more of what he said:

Israeli forces bring in bulldozers to Jenin during raid

We earlier reported that Israeli forces have raided Jenin city and refugee camp in the occupied West Bank.

In video footage verified by Al Jazeera’s Sanad verification agency, Israeli forces are seen using bulldozers to destroy infrastructure in the area.

Palestinian news agency Wafa cited security sources as saying Israeli forces destroyed main roads, as well as infrastructure in several neighbourhoods. It added that Israeli drones were roaming above the city.

Hamas: Netanyahu is not interested in negotiations

A Hamas leadership source told Al Jazeera that Israel is still “intransigent” in talks to secure a truce in Gaza and an exchange of prisoners.

“The occupation rejects the ceasefire, the withdrawal from the Strip, the return of the displaced and a real exchange of prisoners,” the source told Al Jazeera.

These positions have been core to Hamas’s demands during negotiations for weeks now.

Israeli PM Netanyahu “still puts obstacles to an agreement and is not interested in the release of [the] Israeli hostages”, the source said, adding that he is “trying to buy time and absorb the anger of the captives’ families and show false interest in continuing negotiations”. 

Israeli army issues response to AI ‘Lavender’ system claims

The Israeli military has now issued a statement regarding the AI ‘Lavender’ system that we reported on earlier, which was reportedly used to identify and clear Hamas targets in Gaza for strikes.

In it, the Israeli military said that its analysts must conduct “independent examinations” to verify that the identified targets meet the relevant definitions in accordance with international law and additional restrictions stipulated by its forces.

It refuted the notion that the technology is a “system”, but instead “simply a database whose purpose is to cross-reference intelligence sources, in order to produce up-to-date layers of information on the military operatives of terrorist organizations”.

“According to international humanitarian law, a person who is identified as a member of an organized armed group [like the Hamas military wing], or a person who directly participates in hostilities, is considered a lawful target,” the statement read.

The Israeli military procedures “require conducting an individual assessment of the anticipated military advantage and collateral damage expected” for each target, the statement said.

It added that it “does not carry out strikes when the expected collateral damage from the strike is excessive in relation to the military advantage”.

Israeli attack on aid workers part of ‘a structure of death and destruction’: Open Arms

Open Arms, the Spanish NGO working with World Central Kitchen, whose aid workers were the victims of Israel’s attack, posted a tribute on X.

“The end of mission 110 arrives, the one we never could have imagined, the most painful. We miss Saifeddin, Zomi, Damian, Jacob, John, Jim, and James, but they will remain forever in our memory”

The NGO added that it will continue to speak up for the seven aid workers, the more than 32,500 people killed in Gaza, the hundreds of humanitarian workers, the destroyed hospitals, journalists and all the ‘isolated cases’ that are not just accidents, but “part of a structure of death and destruction”.

The end of mission 110 arrives, the one we never could have imagined, the most painful. We miss Saifeddin, Zomi, Damian, Jacob, John, Jim, and James, but they will remain forever in our memory, and we will continue to speak up for them, for the more than 32,500 people killed in… pic.twitter.com/WySm6yY2LC — Open Arms ENG (@openarms_found) April 3, 2024

Israeli army raids Jenin in occupied West Bank

Israeli forces have raided Jenin city and refugee camp, the Palestinian state news agency Wafa reported.

It cited security sources as saying a “large number of Israeli occupation forces” stormed Jenin. Soon after, confrontations erupted between armed Israeli soldiers and Palestinian residents.

Israeli forces raid the city regularly, often arresting and killing Palestinians while destroying essential infrastructure by levelling the streets with armoured bulldozers.

Dutch FM says “deeply worried” about famine, killing of aid workers in Gaza.

“Aid workers and journalists are indispensable and must be protected like all innocent civilians,” Hanke Bruins Slot says on X, referring to the incident on Monday in which seven World Central Kitchen aid workers were killed by an Israeli attack.

She said the Netherlands calls on “all parties involved to agree on an immediate ceasefire leading to a sustainable cessation of hostilities, to release all hostages, and to alleviate the suffering by providing humanitarian access: unhindered and unrestricted”.

I am deeply worried about developments in Gaza. Continued suffering, media restrictions, looming famine and the death of @WCKitchen aid workers are of utmost concern. Aid workers and journalists are indispensable and must be protected like all innocent civilians. 1/3 — Hanke Bruins Slot (@HankeBruinsSlot) April 3, 2024

Israel’s use of the ‘Lavender’ system violates the principle of distinction: Expert

Professor Toby Walsh, an AI expert at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, spoke to Al Jazeera about Israel’s AI Lavender system used to target tens of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza.

He said the system “helps explain the terrible rate of collateral death” in the enclave, in part due to the fact that it is not 100 percent accurate and also because Israeli military leadership is “prepared to kill 20 innocent people for every combatant [and even up to 100 for a senior figure in Hamas]”.

Legal scholars will likely argue that this violates international humanitarian law, Walsh said.

“The principle of distinction requires you not to target civilians”, he said, adding that in using the system, the Israeli forces were aware that it was intentionally using a system that they knew violated this.

“And the principle of proportionality requires that collateral casualties are proportional to the threat. Twenty [civilian] deaths for one Hamas fighter is not proportional”, he explained.

“From a technical perspective, this latest news shows how hard it is to keep a human in the loop, providing meaningful oversight to AI systems that scale warfare terribly and tragically,” he said.

Islamic Jihad attacks Israeli territory from Gaza

On Telegram, the group’s armed wing, the Quds Brigades, says that it “bombed ‘Sderot’, ‘Niram’ and the settlements surrounding the Gaza Strip”.

Israeli media outlets confirmed the attack, saying air raid sirens sounded in the areas of Israel surrounding Gaza. Israeli website Ynet says that two rockets were fired, and that one was intercepted and the other landed in an open area.

Qatar’s emir meets with Spain’s prime minister in Doha

Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani met Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and discussed “regional and international developments”, the Emiri Diwan has said.

The two talked about the situation in the occupied Palestinian territory and the Gaza Strip as well, it said.

During the meeting, Sheikh Tamim reiterated the need to de-escalate the situation in Gaza and to open safe corridors to allow humanitarian aid to enter, it added.

Earlier, Sanchez met Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani. The pair spoke at a news conference, where Sheikh Mohammed commended Spain on its position regarding Palestinian statehood.

Sheikh Mohammed called on the international community to ensure that the perpetrators of the attack on the World Central Kitchen aid convoy are held accountable. For his part, Sanchez said Israel’s explanation for the attack was “unacceptable and insufficient”.

Video shows Palestinians racing for aid airdrops in north Gaza

Video verified by Al Jazeera’s fact-checking unit shows a crowd of hungry Palestinians racing to collect aid drops falling from the sky.

Aid drops over north Gaza, an area of the strip which a UN-backed report says is teetering on the brink of famine, have been much criticised for putting needy Palestinians at risk.

In one incident, only last week, several people drowned trying to retrieve aid drops that had fallen into the sea. This is only one incident in which Palestinians have died due to airdrops.

These airdrops are carried out by the US and its allies, and the US has said that they will continue despite the risk. Meanwhile, Israel continues to block aid from entering the Gaza Strip via land routes.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by عبد الرحمن ناصر | Abdulrahman Nasir (@abdulrahman_nasir7)

Translation: This is us every day in north [Gaza]. We don’t get food except by taking risks.

Fears over retaliatory attacks on Israel, US troops after Damascus attack

The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation has said Israel’s Air Force is on high alert as it expects an Iranian response to the air raid  on an Iranian embassy compound in Damascus on Monday.

Israeli media also reported that reserve forces operating air defence systems would be called up.

After the attack, which killed Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a senior commander in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and six others, Israel put all its embassies around the world on high alert.

US officials have also expressed concerns that its troops stationed in the region could be targeted.

During a recent telephone call, the Iranian foreign minister told his Lebanese counterpart that the attack on its consulate in Damascus would not go unanswered and Washington must take responsibility for Israel’s attacks.

Israel’s use of Lavender system is ‘an AI-assisted genocide’: Expert

In a recent report published by the Israeli-Palestinian publication +972 Magazine and Hebrew-language media outlet Local Call, it was revealed that the Israeli army identified tens of thousands of Gaza Palestinians as potential targets using an AI targeting system called, “Lavender”.

Marc Owen Jones, an assistant professor in Middle East Studies and digital humanities at Hamid bin Khalifa University, spoke to Al Jazeera about the report:

“It is becoming increasingly clear that Israel is deploying untested AI systems that have not gone through transparent evaluation to help make decisions about the life and death of civilians,” he said in an interview.

“The fact that the operators can tweak the algorithms based on pressure from senior officers to find more targets suggests they are actually devolving accountability and selection to AI and using a computer system to avoid moral accountability.”

“The operators themselves have pointed to how the AI is simply an efficient killing machine,” he said, “and it is explicitly not used to reduce civilian casualties but to find more targets”.

“This helps explain how over 32,000 people have been killed. Let’s be clear: This is an AI-assisted genocide, and going forward, there needs to be a call for a moratorium on the use of AI in the war.

He added, “It’s unlikely, without pressure from Israel’s allies, that there will be an end to [AI’s] use.”

US Senator Schumer supports Gantz’s call for elections in Israel

“When a leading member of Israel’s war cabinet calls for early elections and over 70% of the Israeli population agrees according to a major poll, you know it’s the right thing to do,” the Senate majority leader and top-ranking Jewish elected official in US history says on X.

Earlier, we reported that Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz said in a speech that Israel should have elections in September.

“Setting such a date will allow us to continue the military effort while signalling to the citizens of Israel that we will soon renew their trust in us,” he said.

Senator Schumer made waves about two weeks ago , when he slammed Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and his handling of Israel’s war on Gaza, calling for him to be replaced.

When a leading member of Israel’s war cabinet calls for early elections and over 70% of the Israeli population agrees according to a major poll, you know it’s the right thing to do. https://t.co/yGCHknmr8M — Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) April 3, 2024

Gaza media office marks ‘six months of aggression’

Gaza’s media office says it released updated “key figures” to mark 180 days since Israel launched its deadly assault on the besieged enclave.

Here are some of the most notable figures, according to the office:

• At least 32,975 Palestinians have been killed, including 14,500 children.
• Thousands more remain missing or trapped under the rubble.
• At least 484 medical staff members have been killed.
• More than 75,500 Palestinians have sustained injuries.
• Around 17,000 children have lost either one or both parents.
• More than one million people have been affected by infectious diseases due to repeated displacement.
• More than 300 medical staff members and 12 journalists have been arrested by Israeli forces.
• At least two million Palestinians are now internally displaced in Gaza.
• 70,000 housing units have been completely destroyed.

Captive agreement a ‘top priority’: Israeli army chief

The Israeli military posted a quote from its chief of the general staff on X in which he stated that the army is pressing to “initiate movement” in negotiations that could lead to the release of the captives held in the Gaza Strip.

Thousands of Israelis continue to stage daily protests against the government, demanding it secure a ceasefire deal and ensure the release of captives while also calling for early elections.

UN OCHA: Only 10 ‘partially functioning’ hospitals in Gaza

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that Gaza’s health system is “struggling” to meet the growing needs of the enclave’s population as it endures Israel’s constant bombardment.

It also cited the World Health Organization, which said that al- Shifa Hospital in Gaza City is “now in ruins and no longer able to function as a hospital”, and that 21 patients had died during the siege.

Israel’s two-week attack on the hospital only ended at the beginning of this week.

WATCH: Horrific killing of aid workers highlights dangers in Gaza, says WHO chief

Watch our video to see more of Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director of the UN’s World Heath Organisation, had to say about Israel’s fatal attack on seven World Central Kitchen aid workers in Deir el-Balah on Monday.

US wants Israeli probe into attack on WCK workers completed quickly

The United States wants to see the Israeli investigation into an attack that killed seven World Central Kitchen (WCK) aid workers in Gaza wrapped up as soon as possible, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said.

Israel needs to put in place better deconfliction and coordination measures to protect humanitarian workers and protect all civilians on the ground, Miller told reporters at a regular news briefing.

He added that the State Department will look at how the Israeli investigation is conducted, as well as its results, also saying that the killings are unacceptable and that Israel needs to “do better”.

‘Shocking increase’ in number of children denied aid in conflicts: UN

The last report by the United Nations secretary-general on the rights of children in conflicts – published in June 2023, four months before Israel’s war on Gaza began – recorded nearly 4,000 confirmed cases, of which almost half were of Israeli forces denying aid to children in the enclave.

“Data gathered for our forthcoming 2024 report shows we are on target to witness a shocking increase of the incidents of the denial of humanitarian access globally,” Virginia Gamba, the secretary-general’s special representative for children and armed conflict, told the UN Security Council (UNSC) on Wednesday.

The UN has, since Israel’s war on Gaza began, repeatedly denounced restrictions Israel has placed on aid entering the enclave.

“As a result of these constraints, children cannot access age-appropriate nutritious food or medical services and have less than two to three litres of water per day,” UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Ted Chaiban told the UNSC.

“The consequences have been clear,” Chaiban said, noting that one in three children in northern Gaza under two years old suffer from acute malnutrition and that this figure “has more than doubled in the last two months”.

Israel cannot wait six months for elections: Lapid

Israel’s opposition leader Yair Lapid says on X that citizens must replace “the worst, most dangerous and failed government in the country’s history”, after Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz called for elections to be held in September.

“This government needs to go home as soon as possible so that we can return the kidnapped, return the evacuees home, defeat Hamas and make sure that someone takes care of the Israeli middle class.”

Anger at Prime Minister Netanyahu’s government is roiling inside Israel, with thousands of protesters flooding the streets of the country on a weekly basis calling for his removal. Many are angry with his failure to return captives taken and held by Hamas and other groups in Gaza.

Morning Rundown: Israel halts military leave after Iran threats, Trump special counsel rips judge request, and why Germany is being threatened with elephants

Biden 'outraged' at Israel over aid workers' deaths as Netanyahu rival Benny Gantz calls for new elections

What we know.

• President Joe Biden said he was ''outraged and heartbroken'' as he leveled some of his harshest criticism yet at Israel over the killing of seven people working for World Central Kitchen and called on the country to do more to protect civilians and aid workers. The Israeli military's chief of staff, Gen. Herzi Halevi, said the attack was a ''mistake following a misidentification.''
• The seven workers who were killed in the strike included a U.S. dual citizen and three British veterans, WCK said. The charity also told NBC News it believed an Israeli sniper fired on one of its vehicles two days before the deadly strike.
• Water cannons were used to disperse thousands of protesters who had gathered for a third night to call for early elections in Israel and the release of the rest of the hostages held in Gaza. Protesters reached the front of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's home in Jerusalem, and Israeli police say a Molotov cocktail was thrown.
• Israeli minister Benny Gantz called for elections to be held in September, two years before Netanyahu's term is set to end. Gantz said an early election would restore public trust and prevent a "rift in the nation."
• The death toll in Gaza has surpassed 32,900 , according to the enclave's Health Ministry. Another 75,400 people have been reported injured. The Israeli military said at least 256 soldiers have been killed since the ground invasion of Gaza began.

Coverage on this live blog has ended. Follow live updates here.

Biden and Netanyahu to hold first call since Israeli strike killed World Central Kitchen workers

Monica Alba

Zoë Richards

WASHINGTON — President  Joe Biden  and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are expected to speak by phone tomorrow, according to a U.S. official with knowledge of the call.

It will be their first direct communication since  seven aid workers  were killed by an Israeli strike in Gaza this week.

The discussion comes after Biden on Tuesday  delivered some of his strongest criticism  of Israel since the start of its  war with Hamas , saying that he was “outraged and heartbroken” by the deaths of the World Central Kitchen humanitarian workers, who were killed by an Israeli airstrike on Monday.

“Israel has not done enough to protect aid workers trying to deliver desperately needed help to civilians,” Biden said in his  statement  Tuesday.

Read the full story here.

José Andrés says his aid workers were targeted 'systematically, car by car'

Doha Madani

José Andrés insisted on an investigation by the U.S government into the Israeli strike that killed seven people working with his aid organization in Gaza, saying they were targeted "systematically, car by car."

Israeli officials have opened an investigation into the strikes on three World Central Kitchen vehicles, saying that a misidentification led to the attack. Andrés rejected the assertion in an interview with Reuters, saying his teams worked in close coordination with Israel Defense Forces and were hit in military controlled, deconflicted zone.

“This was over a 1.5, 1.8 kilometers, with a very defined humanitarian convoy that had signs in the top, in the roof, a very colorful logo that we are obviously very proud of,” Andrés said.

He also added that it was "very clear who we are and what we do.”

Andrés said that investigations should be launched by the home countries of each of the six foreign aid workers killed, which includes the United States and the United Kingdom.

Iranian Supreme Leader says Israel will pay for attack on consulate building

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed revenge for the attack on the country's consulate building in Syria, which both Iran and Syrian officials have blamed on Israel.

Seven members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps., including two commanders, were killed in a strike on the ambassador's residence and a consular building. In a series of posts on X, Khamenei said that Israel "will receive a blow for their actions."

"The zionist entity’s attack on our consulate in Syria will not solve its problems in Gaza," Khamenei said. "The failure of the zionist entity in Gaza will continue, and desperate attempts such as the terrorist attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus will not save them from defeat."

Josep Borrell, foreign affairs representative for the European Commission, posted on X today that he spoke with the Iranian foreign minister about the strike.

"The inviolability of diplomatic premises and personnel must always be respected," Borrell wrote. "We need to avoid further escalation."

Sen. Schumer supports Gantz's call for new elections

Sen. Chuck Schumer, the highest-ranking Jewish official in the U.S., supported minister Benny Gantz's call for early elections today, describing it as the "right thing to do."

"When a leading member of Israel’s war cabinet calls for early elections and over 70% of the Israeli population agrees according to a major poll, you know it’s the right thing to do," Schumer wrote on X.

The statistic referenced by Schumer was from a poll from the Israel Democracy Institute published in February, which found a majority of Israeli voters wanted early elections.

Schumer urged Israel to hold new elections in a Senate floor speech last month , a rare public rebuke of the current leadership from one of Israel's strongest supporters in Congress. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized Schumer, describing the senator's statement as an inappropriate intervention by a foreign politician during wartime.

Spanish PM says Israeli explanation of aid workers attack is ‘insufficient and unacceptable’

DOHA — Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said explanations provided by Israel about the killing of seven people working for the aid charity World Central Kitchen in a Gaza airstrike were insufficient and unacceptable, demanding further details.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the incident “a tragic event in which our forces unintentionally harmed non-combatants," adding that “this happens in war."

“That is unacceptable and insufficient, and we are awaiting a much stronger and more detailed clarification, after which we’ll see what action to take,” Sanchez told a news briefing on Wednesday while visiting Qatar.

World Central Kitchen was founded by Spanish American chef Jose Andres.

Displeasure with Biden’s handling of war on display at closed-door White House meeting

Yamiche Alcindor

Elyse Perlmutter-Gumbiner

WASHINGTON — Just five minutes into a meeting with President Joe Biden, a Palestinian American doctor who has treated gravely injured patients in Gaza couldn’t bear to stay, so he left. 

Dr. Thaer Ahmad, who specializes in emergency medicine, recalled getting emotional when talking about the many Palestinians he cared for, describing the scale of death in the six months since the war began. 

“The decision to leave was a personal one,” he told NBC News in a phone interview, explaining he wanted to show the White House that “it was important to recognize the pain and the mourning that my community was in.” 

Ahmad stressed that he wanted “to let the administration feel the way that we felt this past six months and kind of get up and walk away from them.” 

He was one of only six Muslim American community leaders who attended a small meeting on Tuesday with Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and senior administration officials at the White House. 

Majority of U.K. voters support ending arms sales to Israel, Guardian reports

A YouGov poll 56% of voters in the United Kingdom support a ban on arms sales to Israel, according to an exclusive report by The Guardian today .

The poll was commissioned by Action for Humanity, a non-governmental aid organization based in the U.K., and was conducted prior to the Israeli strike that killed seven people working with World Central Kitchen.

When broken down by political affiliation, Labour voters and Lib Dem voters strongly supported an arms deal ban at 70% and 71%, respectively. The poll found that 38% of Conservative voters supported a ban.

Additionally, 59% of all voters polled said they believe Israel is violating human rights in Gaza.

Russia says any escalation after Iran consulate attack is on Western allies

Russia has called for the United Nations Security Council to meet over a strike this week on an Iranian consulate building, saying the council has not met on such a topic since the 1999 NATO bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade.

On Monday, Iranian officials said Israeli forces struck a residence for the Iranian ambassador and a consular building in Syria. Israel has not commented on whether or not it was responsible.

Dmitry Polyansky, Russia's deputy permanent representative to the U.N., described the strike in Damascus as a "casus belli" an act provoking war. He said that any further escalation falls on United States, Great Britain and France, allies of Israel.

"Western ‘triplet’ have talked about everything, but the airstrike on a diplomatic facility," Polyansky said yesterday. “Bottom line is that we have a targeted air attack by one state on a diplomatic mission of another. "

Cargo ship returns to port with undelivered Gaza aid

Matthew Nighswander

A cargo ship, one of three ships loaded with canned food that was destined for Gaza, after it returned to the port of Larnaca, Cyprus, today. Cyprus, which has played a key role in setting up the maritime corridor, said the ships that had arrived Monday were returning to the Mediterranean island nation with some 240 tons of undelivered aid, after seven aid workers were killed in an Israeli strike.

It 'doesn’t really matter how' Israel made fatal mistake that killed aid workers, State Department says

Abigail Williams

Though it is important to have a full investigation into the strike that killed seven people working with World Central Kitchen, "it doesn't really matter how they made the mistake," said State Department spokesperson Matt Miller during his briefing today.

"So whatever the reason was that led to this tragedy, whatever the mistake that happened inside the IDF is unacceptable," Miller said. "And they need to do better and they need to put measures in place to ensure that it doesn’t happen again."

The strike reveals "the very difficult situation that aid workers on the ground inside Gaza face" in being able to actually distribute aid, Miller said. Humanitarian assistance for civilians has been a sticking point between the U.S. and Israel, as Israel denies that it's obstructed aid and the U.S. insists that the country needs to do better.

"They need to put in place better deconfliction and better coordination measures to protect humanitarian workers and to protect all the civilians on the ground," Miller said today, adding that this is a topic officials have "consistently said" to the Israeli government over months.

Palestinians seek full U.N. membership again but U.S. likely to block for second time

The Associated Press

UNITED NATIONS — Supporters of the Palestinians’ request for full membership in the United Nations asked the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday to revive their application for admission submitted in 2011. But the United States is again almost certain to block it.

The supporters’ letter to the council president included the names of 140 countries that have recognized a Palestinian state, including members of the 22-nation Arab Group at the United Nations, the 57-nation Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and the 120-member Nonaligned Movement.

The Palestinians are making a fresh bid for U.N. membership as the war between Israel and Hamas that began on Oct. 7 nears its sixth month, and the unresolved decades-old Palestinian-Israeli conflict remains in the spotlight after years on the back burner.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas delivered the Palestinian Authority’s application to become the 194th member of the United Nations to then-Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Sept. 23, 2011, before addressing world leaders at the General Assembly.

That bid failed because the Palestinians failed to get the required support of nine of the Security Council’s 15 members. Even if they did, the United States, Israel’s closest ally, had promised to veto any council resolution endorsing Palestinian membership.

The United States has repeatedly said full U.N. membership should follow a negotiated peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians.

“Our position has not changed,” U.S. deputy ambassador Robert Wood told several reporters Tuesday, reiterating that the issue of full Palestinian membership in the U.N. is one of the final status issues to be decided in bilateral talks between the Palestinians and Israel on a peace agreement.

After the Palestinians’ initial bid for full U.N. membership was rejected, they went to the 193-member General Assembly, where there are no vetoes, and by more than a two-thirds majority succeeded in having their status raised from a U.N. observer to a non-member observer state in November 2012.

Netanyahu's party rejects call for new elections while opposition says government needs to go home

Parliamentary divisions have begun following minister Gantz's call for new elections in September, two years before Netanyahu’s term is over.

The Likud party, which is Netanyahu’s party, released a statement accusing Gantz of engaging in "petty politics" because Gantz's own party has disintegrated.

"Elections now will inevitably lead to paralysis, division, damage to the fighting in Rafah and fatal damage to the chances of a hostage deal," the statement said. "The government will continue until all the goals of the war are achieved."

Yair Lapid, leader of the Knesset's centrist opposition party, appeared to support Gantz's new election call in a post on X. He described the current Israeli leadership as the "worst, most dangerous and failed government in the country's history."

"This government needs to go home as soon as possible so that we can return the kidnapped, return the evacuees to their homes, defeat Hamas and make sure that someone takes care of the Israeli middle class," he wrote.

Qatari prime minister says hostage negotiations 'still stuck'

Hostage negotiations between Israel and Hamas are "still stuck" in the same place they have been for weeks, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said during a press conference with Spain's visiting prime minister.

"We are trying to find the appropriate opportunity to end the war in Gaza and return the prisoners safely home," Al-Thani told reporters today.

Qatar is one of the leading mediators attempting to secure a deal, along with the U.S. and Egypt. But despite months of negotiations, Hamas and Israeli officials have not secured a deal since a temporary truce was put in place in November.

Among the sticking points, according to Al-Thani, is that the return of displaced Gazans to their homes has not yet been approved by Israel.

Hamas has also publicly insisted on a permanent cease-fire, rather than a short-term pause. Israeli officials have also taken issue with the number of Palestinians that Hamas is demanding should be released from Israeli prisons.

Protesters seeking hostages’ release smear paint in Israeli parliament

JERUSALEM — A group of Israelis demanding their government do more to free the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza protested in parliament today, with some smearing paint on the partition between the visitors gallery and the plenum.

“Now! Now!” they chanted at lawmakers below, leaving the glass streaked with yellow — the color of their campaign — as ushers bundled them out.

The protest followed three days of anti-government demonstrations in Jerusalem when thousands took to the streets calling for more action to free the hostages and new elections to replace Netanyahu.

Of 253 people seized by Hamas during its cross-border rampage Oct. 7 that triggered the  Gaza war,  134 remain in captivity and incommunicado in the Palestinian enclave.

Israeli officials have declared at last 35 of them dead in absentia, and relatives and friends fear for the fate of the rest as the conflict drags on.

Qatar and Egypt have been trying to mediate a Gaza cease-fire that might secure the release of at least some of the hostages. But Hamas has demanded that any deal lead to an end to the war, while Israel insists it would resume the offensive to destroy the Palestinian Islamist group.

Shin Bet's head calls Jerusalem's unruly protests part of a 'worrying trend'

Yael Factor

TEL AVIV — Ronen Bar, head of Israel's Shin Bet security agency, expressed concern after last night's anti-government protests in Jerusalem turned into what police called a "riot" outside Netanyahu's home.

"There is a clear line between a legitimate protest and a violent and illegal protest," Bar said. "This is a worrying trend that may lead to dangerous areas that should not be reached.”

It was the fourth straight night of protests in Israel, where demonstrators demanded early elections and directed their anger at Netanyahu. Some tried to push their way through barricades to the prime minister's home.

"The violent discourse on the Internet and some of the scenes we saw tonight in Jerusalem, go beyond the accepted rules of protest, harm the ability to maintain public order, may lead to violent friction with the security forces, hinder them from fulfilling their duties and even harm secure individuals," Bar said.

Benny Gantz, Netanyahu's political rival, calls for new elections this year

Minister Benny Gantz today called for elections to be held in September to "prevent the rift in the nation" after four days of anti-government protests.

"Such an agreed upon election date will leave us time to continue the security effort, and it will also allow the citizens of Israel to know that we will soon renew the trust between us," he said at a news conference.

The former defense minister ran for prime minister against Netanyahu until they joined together in a parliamentary coalition. Gantz said today that he's spoken with other ministers on the matter and informed Netanyahu.

Netanyahu's term is set to go through 2026, but thousands have protested against him in recent weeks and demanded that early elections be held. Last night, a group of anti-government protesters attempted to break through barricades at Netanyahu's home during the fourth night of demonstrations.

No-fly zones are a 'must' for aid workers in war zones, retired general says

There are a number of measures that could prevent aid worker deaths without impacting the ability of soldiers to fight in a war zone, retired Lt. Gen. Steph Twitty told MSNBC's "Ana Cabrera Reports." "A couple of things here ... no-fly zone, that is a must when you have humanitarian folks who are operating," Twitty said. "You gotta put a no-fly zone and prevent Israeli zones from flying in that area." 

Twitty also notes that there should be a safe-zone for aid workers and a central command operations to coordinate humanitarian worker movements.

José Andrés, World Central Kitchen founder, said the group had been coordinating with the Israeli military for months and were on a deconflicted route when their truck was hit, killing seven of aid workers.

Polish ties to Israel put to the 'test' after citizen dies in strike on aid workers, prime minister says

The relationship between Poland and Israel is under strain after a Polish citizen, Damian Soból, was killed along with six other aid workers in Gaza.

Polish Prime Minster Donald Tusk addressed his Israeli counterpart directly in a post on X, saying that Poland has supported Israel since the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas. His post comes after Yacov Livne, Israel’s ambassador to Poland, accused Polish citizens who accused Israel of "intentional murder" of antisemitism.

"Today you are putting this solidarity to a really hard test," Tusk wrote. "The tragic attack on volunteers and your reaction arouse understandable anger."

The Israeli strike on a marked World Central Kitchen truck killed seven aid workers, six of whom were foreign nationals. Netanyahu said that it was unintentional and that this "happens in war."

Israel has faced calls from the U.S., the U.K., Canada and Australia for a thorough and transparent investigation into the strike. A Polish prosecutor's office has launched its own inquiry into Soból's death.

Bodies of World Central Kitchen workers arrive in Egypt to be returned home

The bodies of six World Central Kitchen workers who were killed in Gaza were taken across the border into Egypt, Dr. Khaled Zayed, head of the Egyptian Red Crescent of North Sinai, confirmed to NBC News.

There are no additional details available on how they will be repatriated to their home countries.

Jagan Chapagain, CEO of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, said yesterday that the Palestine Red Crescent Society facilitated getting the workers' bodies to the Rafah crossing.

Israel needs to start the journey to peace today, José Andrés writes

Chef José Andrés urged Israel to change course on how its conducting the war in Gaza in a New York Times column , which also honored the seven aid workers killed in an Israeli airstrike.

"Israel is better than the way this war is being waged," Andrés wrote. "It is better than blocking food and medicine to civilians. It is better than killing aid workers who had coordinated their movements with the Israel Defense Forces."

Andrés rejected the statement from Netanyahu that these type of deaths “happen in war.” He described it as a "direct attack on clearly marked vehicles whose movements were known by the Israel Defense Forces."

He also blamed the strike as a direct result of the policies that "squeezed humanitarian aid to desperate." Andrés pleaded to the best of Israelis to "show up" and remember that food is a universal human right.

"It is not a sign of weakness to feed strangers; it is a sign of strength," Andrés wrote. "The people of Israel need to remember, at this darkest hour, what strength truly looks like."

Situation in Gaza 'beyond catastrophic,' U.N. agency chief says

Henry Austin

The situation in Gaza is “beyond catastrophic,” Dominic Allen, head of the United Nations Population Fund, told the Agence France Press news agency yesterday.

Allen, who recently spent a week in the enclave, said that he was “terrified” of what could happen if the war continued.

“I have been to Gaza many times before this war, and what I saw (this time) was truly heartbreaking. Gaza is dust,” he told the French news agency. “Everybody we drove by and many we spoke to were gaunt, starving, hungry and looking frail. Everybody was looking for food.”

Palestinian American doctor walks out of Biden meeting in protest

WASHINGTON — A Palestinian American doctor walked out of the room during a meeting with Arab Americans at the White House last night. 

Dr. Thaer Ahmad confirmed to NBC News that he told President Joe Biden “it was disappointing I’m the only Palestinian here, and out of respect for my community, I’m going to leave,” and handed him a letter from an 8-year-old orphaned girl in Rafah.

Ahmad is an emergency room doctor who spent at least three weeks in Gaza. The meeting to mark the Muslim holy month of Ramadan comes amid anger in the community over the Biden administration's approach to the war and the U.S. support for Israel.

Prosecutors in Polish aid worker's home city launch probe into his death in Gaza

Prosecutors in the home city of the Polish aid worker killed in Gaza have launched an investigation into his killing, the state news agency PAP reported today.

“We have started an investigation into the killing of Polish citizen Damian Sobol on April 1-2 in the Gaza Strip as a result of an attack by the Israeli armed forces using explosives,” Beata Starzecka, the deputy district prosecutor in Przemysl, told PAP.

IDF says Hezbollah charge caused U.N. observer car blast

A explosion that injured three United Nations military observers and a Lebanese interpreter on a peacekeeping mission in Lebanon was caused when their vehicle drove over a charge that had been previously placed by Hezbollah militant group, the Israeli military said on X today.

The military observers were part of the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization, which supports the U.N. peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon, known as UNIFIL.

Saturday's blast came as clashes between the Israeli military and Hezbollah militants escalated in recent weeks.

The Israel Defense Forces has previously denied it was behind the attack.

Israeli protesters dress as Hamas militants at UNRWA headquarters

Max Butterworth

Wearing traditional Palestinian kaffiyeh scarves and carrying toy assault rifles, Israeli protesters dressed up as Hamas militants demonstrate outside the entrance of the UNRWA headquarters in Jerusalem today.

Pope expresses 'deep regret' over aid workers killed by Israeli strike

Alexander Smith

Pope Francis has made his latest request for a cease-fire in Gaza, while expressing his “deep regret” over the seven aid workers killed in an Israeli strike.

“I reiterate my firm request for an immediate cease-fire in the Gaza Strip,” he said during his weekly general audience at the Vatican, according to the Holy See’s news agency, Vatican News.

Francis said he was praying for the seven World Central Kitchen aid workers killed.

“Let us avoid any irresponsible attempts to escalate the conflict in the region,” he added, before calling for the world to work “tirelessly for an end to this and other wars that continue to bring death and suffering to so many parts of the world.”

USAID chief calls Israel's killing of aid workers 'devastating'

Samantha Power, who leads the U.S. Agency for International Development, has called the deaths of seven aid workers in an Israeli airstrike “devastating and deeply alarming.”

They “were there to do one thing — to help get food to desperate, starving people,” she said in a statement late yesterday. “Their deaths, and the deaths of more than 30,000 Palestinians and 200 humanitarian workers in this conflict, are devastating and deeply alarming.”

She said Israel’s investigation into the killings “must be swift, it must bring accountability, and its findings must be made public.” And that Israel “must do far more to protect aid workers and protect civilians from the unacceptable levels of casualties they continue to experience as a result of IDF military operations.” Power gave her “deepest condolences to the families, friends, and colleagues of those killed.”

The U.S., which has been criticized for verbally censuring Israel without leveraging its financial and diplomatic support of the country, “will continue to do all we can to deliver humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians in Gaza,” Power added, "but the government of Israel and the IDF must do much more to facilitate this work.”

Police and protesters clash in 'riot' outside Netanyahu's home

Police clashed with anti government protesters outside Netanyahu’s home in Jerusalem last night on the third day of demonstrations calling for the release of the hostages held in Gaza and for early elections in Israel.

Israel Police said in a statement on X that an authorized march started peacefully but then it turned into a “riot” as hundreds of people tried to break through barriers of Netanyahu’s home. 

One protester waved a burning torch at a police trooper and another was lying under a police car, the statement said. 

Five people were arrested for violating public order, it added.

Catch up on NBC News’ latest coverage of the war

• ‘I kept on saying goodbye’: Gaza hospital reports rise in stillbirths and neonatal deaths
• Biden ‘outraged’ by Israeli strike that killed aid workers in Gaza
• Photos show devastation of deadly Israeli airstrike on World Central Kitchen convoy
• What World Central Kitchen does and why the attack that killed 7 volunteers in Gaza matters
• Iran vows retaliation on Israel after commanders’ deaths, raising fears of war spiraling

Blinken: US urging Israel to investigate airstrike that killed World Central Kitchen workers

• Gaza war expected to dominate meetings in France
• Blinken urges US Congress unblock military aid for Kyiv

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Biden says he is ‘outraged’ by the attack on an aid convoy, after Israel’s military says it was a mistake.

• Share full article

By Ben Shpigel ,  Cassandra Vinograd and Erica L. Green

• Published April 2, 2024 Updated April 3, 2024

President Biden said he was “outraged and heartbroken” by the killing of seven humanitarian aid workers in a strike by Israeli forces, strongly condemning the attack just hours after Israel’s top military commander acknowledged its military had made a “grave mistake.”

Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi made a rare admission of fault by Israel in the six-month-old war in the Gaza Strip as he accepted responsibility for the deaths of the aid workers.

“It was a mistake that followed a misidentification, at night, during the war, in a very complex condition,” he said, adding, “It shouldn’t have happened.”

General Halevi’s mea culpa was a change in tone from that of Israel’s military, which throughout the war has largely rejected criticism of its conduct by arguing that it was doing what was necessary to defeat Hamas. It came as many of Israel’s closest allies voiced indignation and demanded explanations for the attack.

The seven workers, traveling in a convoy, were with World Central Kitchen, a charity that was helping to feed hungry Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip.

In a sharply worded statement, Mr. Biden said that Israel had not done enough to protect civilians and noted that the deaths were not a “stand-alone incident.” He said the conflict “has been one of the worst in recent memory in terms of how many aid workers have been killed.”

The president’s blunt criticism of an ally highlighted his growing impatience with Israel’s conduct of the war and increasing tensions with its leader, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as the death toll in Gaza has climbed, according to Gazan health authorities, past 32,000.Mr. Biden is scheduled to speak with Mr. Netanyahu on Thursday, according to a senior administration official. That official, who was not authorized to speak publicly, said that Mr. Biden’s anger and frustration had hit a peak in recent weeks.

David Cameron, the British foreign secretary, called the workers’ deaths “completely unacceptable,” saying in a statement that “Israel must urgently explain how this happened and make major changes to ensure the safety of aid workers.”

The World Central Kitchen workers — a Palestinian, an Australian, a Pole, three Britons and a dual U.S.-Canadian citizen — were traveling in clearly marked cars after leaving a warehouse in Deir al Balah, in central Gaza, when their convoy came under fire late Monday, the organization said in a statement. The Israeli military had been informed of the workers’ movements, the charity said.

The bodies of the six foreigners were driven to Egypt on Wednesday and from there were to be flown to their home countries.

The killings drew condemnation from countries around the world, including those of the people killed, and prompted aid agencies to reassess their operations in Gaza. World Central Kitchen, which was founded by the renowned chef José Andrés, said on Tuesday that it was suspending its operations in Gaza.

Throughout the war, Palestinians and relief organizations have accused Israel of bombing indiscriminately, heedless of civilian casualties — claims Israel has consistently denied. The killing of aid workers from countries that have backed Israel could add fuel to rising international anger over the way it has conducted the war.

General Halevi said that an independent body would investigate the killings and that the military would learn from the conclusions and share the findings with World Central Kitchen.

“Israel is at war with Hamas, not with the people of Gaza,” General Halevi said. “We are sorry for the unintentional harm to the members of the W.C.K. We share in the grief of the families, as well as the entire World Central Kitchen organization, from the bottom of our hearts.”

The remarks from General Halevi and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said on social media that Israel “deeply regrets the tragic incident,” came within 24 hours of the strike.

In December, it took several days for the Israeli military to acknowledge that it had carried out two airstrikes in the central Gaza Strip that health officials in the enclave said had killed dozens of civilians.

Katie Rogers contributed reporting.

Ben Shpigel is a senior editor on The Times’s Live team, coordinating with desks across the newsroom to provide editing and reporting support on fast-paced breaking news in real time. More about Ben Shpigel

Erica L. Green is a White House correspondent, covering President Biden and his administration. More about Erica L. Green

Our Coverage of the Israel-Hamas War

News and Analysis

A deadly Israeli strike  on an aid convoy run by World Central Kitchen  in Gaza is already setting back attempts  to address a hunger crisis in the territory, with aid agencies saying they are being more cautious and at least two suspending operations.

​​The Biden administration is pressing Congress to approve a plan to  sell $18 billion worth of F-15 fighter jets to Israel , as President Biden resists calls to limit U.S. arms sales to Israel over its military offensive in Gaza.

The Israeli police clashed with antigovernment protesters  outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s home in Jerusalem, on the third day of demonstrations  calling for early elections.

Internal Roil at TikTok: TikTok has been dogged for months by accusations that its app has shown a disproportionate amount of pro-Palestinian and antisemitic content to users. Some of the same tensions  have also played out inside the company.

Palestinian Detainees: Israel has imprisoned more than 9,000 Palestinians suspected of militant activity . Rights groups say that some have been abused or held without charges.

A Hostage’s Account: Amit Soussana, an Israeli lawyer, is the first former hostage to speak publicly about being sexually assaulted  during captivity in Gaza.

A Power Vacuum: Since the start of the war, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel has done little to address the power vacuum that would appear after Israeli forces leave Gaza. The risks of inaction are already apparent in Gaza City .