‘Outrage’ after 7 aid workers killed in air raid

The killing of aid workers in Gaza is “the inevitable result of the way this war is currently being conducted”, United Nations spokesperson Stephane Dujarric says.

The UN again calls for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, Dujarric said.

• Damage to Gaza infrastructure estimated at $18.5bn

  According to a new report released by the World Bank and the United Nations, that number is equivalent to 97 percent of the combined GDP of the West Bank and Gaza in 2022.

  The report finds that damage to structures affects every sector of the economy. Housing accounts for 72 percent of the costs. Public service infrastructure such as water, health and education account for 19 percent, and damage to commercial and industrial buildings account for 9 percent.

  “An estimated 26 million tons of debris and rubble have been left in the wake of the destruction, an amount that is estimated to take years to remove,” the report says.

  The report also says:

  • More than a million people are without homes, and 75 percent of the population is displaced.
  • Eighty-four percent of health facilities have been damaged or destroyed.
  • The water and sanitation system has nearly collapsed, delivering less than 5 percent of its previous output.
  • The education system has collapsed with 100 percent of children out of school.

  US ambassador to Israel comments on World Central Kitchen attack

  Jack Lew says on X that he is “deeply saddened” by the killings of seven aid workers in Deir el-Balah, especially by the loss of a US citizen among them, and extended his condolences “to the families of all those who perished” in the attack.

  “We await the findings of the [Israeli army] and urge a swift, thorough, and impartial investigation on how this tragedy occurred. Humanitarian workers must be protected,” he added.

  Hamas ‘strongly condemns’ Israeli attack on World Central Kitchen team

  The group that governs Gaza says that the attack once again proves that the “occupation insists on systematically killing civilians, international aid workers, and members of humanitarian organisations”.

  In a statement on Telegram, Hamas said the objective of the attack was to “terrorise” aid workers and prevent them from continuing to carry out their humanitarian duties.

  “We call on the international community and Security Council to denounce this heinous act, and to move towards putting an end to the occupation’s crimes and aggression against our people in the Gaza Strip.”

  UK PM demands Israel protect aid workers after deadly attack

  Rishi Sunak has joined calls by officials within the UK’s government demanding an explanation from Israel on an attack by its military that killed seven aid workers and their Palestinian driver in Deir el-Balah.

  “Israel must explain how this tragic incident happened and take immediate steps to protect aid workers and facilitate vital humanitarian operations in Gaza”, the UK’s prime minister said on X.

  David Cameron, the country’s foreign minister, has also called for a probe into the attack, and earlier we reported that the UK’s minister of development summoned the Israeli ambassador in London over this incident.

  Canada denounces Israeli strike on Gaza aid workers

  Ottawa calls for a full investigation of the Israeli air strike that killed seven people, one of whom is a Canadian citizen.

  “We condemn these strikes and call for a full investigation. Canada expects full accountability for these killings, and we will convey this to the Israeli government directly. Strikes on humanitarian personnel are absolutely unacceptable,” Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said on X.

  Joly’s comments are some of the harshest that Canada has directed against Israel since the start of its latest war on Gaza.

  WHO reports sharp rise in newborn deaths in Gaza

  Newborn mortality is rising sharply in the Gaza Strip, with babies being born underweight, the World Health Organization has said, citing medics on the ground.

  “From different doctors, particularly in the maternity hospitals, they’re reporting that they’re seeing a big rise in children born with low birth weight, and just not surviving the neonatal period because they’re born too small,” WHO spokeswoman Margaret Harris said at a briefing in Geneva.

  She said that at Kamal Adwan, the only paediatric hospital in northern Gaza, “at least 15 malnourished children are coming in per day, and the needs are just getting ever more severe”.

  UK summons Israeli ambassador over killed aid workers

  The United Kingdom’s Minister for Development and Africa Andrew Mitchell has said in a statement that he “set out the government’s unequivocal condemnation of the appalling killing of 7 World Central Kitchen aid workers, including 3 British nationals” in a meeting with Israel’s ambassador to the UK, Tzipi Hotovely.

  “I reiterated the need for Israel to put in place an effective deconfliction mechanism immediately and urgently to scale up humanitarian access,” he said.

  Israel has admitted responsibility for an attack in which seven aid workers of the World Central Kitchen, along with their Palestinian driver, were killed in central Gaza in a “targeted attack” by Israeli forces that has drawn global condemnation and forced the charity to suspend operations in the region.