(NEW YORK) — Iran on Saturday night unleashed a retaliatory strike against Israel, sending a volley of more than 300 uncrewed drones and missiles toward targets throughout the country, Israeli military officials said. All but a few were intercepted by Israel and its allies, including the United States, officials said.
The attack on Israel came more than six months after Hamas terrorists invaded the country on Oct. 7, after which the Israeli military began its bombardment of the Gaza Strip.
Apr 16, 6:31 AM Israeli war cabinet to consider response again Tuesday
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s war cabinet is expected to meet again on Tuesday to consider an Israeli response to Iran’s weekend attack.
“We are closely assessing the situation. We remain at our highest level of readiness,” Herzi Halevi, chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces, said on Monday. “Iran will face the consequences for its actions.”
Halevi added Israel would “choose our response accordingly.”
Apr 16, 6:14 AM UN watchdog calls for de-escalation in Israel-Iran conflict
United Nations officials called on Tuesday for Israel and Iran to de-escalate their conflict, saying the retaliatory military attacks “violate the right to life and must cease immediately.”
“All countries are prohibited from arbitrarily depriving individuals of their right to life in military operations abroad, including when countering terrorism,” the U.N.’s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said in a press release, quoting U.N. officials described as “experts.”
The retaliatory strikes by both countries may constitute the “international crime of aggression by civilian and military leaders responsible,” those officials said, according to the statement.
(LONDON) — One of the oldest buildings in Copenhagen, Denmark, that was built in the 17th century has become engulfed in flames as rescue efforts are underway to salvage artwork and other valuable assets from the building.
The Old Stock Exchange, located in the heart of downtown Copenhagen next to the Danish Parliament building, became engulfed by fire early Tuesday morning as the building’s iconic spire collapsed due to the flames.
People could be seen rushing into and out of the burning building attempting to salvage art work that is housed within the Old Stock Exchange.
The cause of the fire is currently unknown and no injuries have been reported as crews work furiously to extinguish the flames.
Denmark’s Minister for Culture Jakob Engel-Schmidt put out a message on X, formerly known as Twitter, saying there were “terrible pictures from the Stock Exchange this morning” and that “400 years of Danish cultural heritage” had gone up in flames.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas (R) speaks during a joint press conference with Guatemala’s President Bernardo Arevalo (not in frame) at the Culture Palace in Guatemala City, on March 21, 2024. (Johan Ordonez/AFP via Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — After voting in February to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas over his handling of the southern border, proceedings are expected to head to the next stage on Tuesday, when the articles of impeachment are transmitted to the Senate.
One thing is clear: This is not going to look like the impeachments we’ve seen in the last few years since a full-scale trial on the Senate floor is not likely, according to senators and leadership aides — despite what many House and Senate Republicans want.
The House voted to impeach Mayorkas on Feb. 13 by a vote of 214-213 over what Republicans claimed was his failure to enforce border laws amid what they call a “crisis” of high illegal immigration, allegations the secretary denied as “baseless.”
The DHS has blasted the impeachment efforts.
“Without a shred of evidence or legitimate Constitutional grounds, and despite bipartisan opposition, House Republicans have falsely smeared a dedicated public servant who has spent more than 20 years enforcing our laws and serving our country,” DHS spokesperson Mia Ehrenberg said in a statement. “Secretary Mayorkas and the Department of Homeland Security will continue working every day to keep Americans safe.”
The House had originally planned to send the articles of impeachment to the Senate for consideration last week, but Speaker Mike Johnson delayed transmission in part at the urging of Senate Republicans, who hoped a delay would give the Senate more time to prepare and debate the merits of having a trial, which many Republicans want.
Despite that delay, chances of a full-scale Senate trial remain slim. Exactly how the impeachment proceedings will play out is still unclear — the Senate has the option to either dismiss the trial outright or to require a committee to hear it instead.
Senate Democrats are largely expected to move to dismiss — or table — a trial, but that would require every Senate Democrat to vote together to accomplish that, and Republicans will object.
Here’s how the proceedings are expected to play out:
House managers walk articles of impeachment to Senate
The next formal steps are expected to get underway at 2:15 p.m. Tuesday.
On Monday, in what’s called an “engrossment ceremony,” Johnson signed the articles, calling on the Senate to hold a trial.
On Tuesday, the articles will be ceremoniously walked across the Capitol, led by the House clerk and the House sergeant-at-arms and followed by the House impeachment managers. The articles will go from the House chamber through the Capitol rotunda to the doors of the Senate.
The House impeachment managers are: Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green, Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, Reps. Andy Biggs, Ben Cline, Andrew Garbarino, Michael Guest, Harriet Hageman, Clay Higgins, Laurel Lee, August Pfluger and Marjorie Taylor Greene.
The sergeant-at-arms will then announce the House impeachment managers on the floor of the Senate, who — once received — will be escorted to the well of the Senate, in front of the dais.
The articles will then be read aloud and, once done, the manager who presents them will say: “The managers request that the Senate take order for the trial, the managers now request leave to withdraw.”
Senate President Pro Tempore Patty Murray, D-Wash., will then announce the Senate will notify the House when it is ready to proceed with the trial.
Murray will preside over the Senate trial. Chief Justice John Roberts is not required to preside because it is not the trial of a sitting president.
The House managers will then make a ceremonial walk back to the House.
Senators sworn in as jurors
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said senators will be sworn in as jurors on Wednesday.
“After the House impeachment managers present the articles of impeachment to the Senate, Senators will be sworn in as jurors in the trial the next day,” Schumer’s office said in a statement.
Once the Senate is back in session for the trial, the oath is administered to the Senate as a group. The senators rise from their desks and and raise their right hands in unison.
Murray will then read the oath: “Do you solemnly swear that in all things appertaining to the trial of the impeachment of Alejandro Mayorkas, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, now pending you will do impartial justice according to the constitutions and laws so help you God?”
Senators then come to the dais in groups of four to sign the oath book.
Then the sergeant-at-arms will make the proclamation: “Hear ye, hear ye, hear ye, all persons are commanded to keep silent on pain of imprisonment while the House of Representatives is exhibiting to the Senate of the United States an article of impeachment against Alejandro Mayorkas, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.”
The Senate then begins voting on the organizational rules of the trial.
This is not likely to be a trial like the previous ones; it will not consume weeks of floor time. However, Senate leaders have been tight-lipped about their precise plans.
How proceedings could play out
One possibility is that the Senate could move very quickly to dispense with the trial. In that scenario, Senate Democrats can make a motion to dismiss — a move that would take only 51 votes.
If the vote reaches that threshold, the trial would be tabled and that would be the end of the matter. Democrats control 51 seats in the Senate, so if they stick together, they can dismiss the trial without any GOP support if they so choose.
While senators have the authority to vote to dismiss the trial, don’t expect most Republicans to agree.
In a letter to Schumer on March 28, Johnson, along with the impeachment managers, called upon Schumer to “fulfill your constitutional obligation to hold this trial.”
“To table articles of impeachment without ever hearing a single argument or reviewing a piece of evidence would be a violation of our constitutional order and an affront to the American people whom we all serve,” they wrote.
Another option is that the Senate votes to send the trial to be heard by a committee.
When someone who is not president of the United States faces trial, the Senate has within its rules the ability to have a special committee of senators hear the whole of the trial instead of the entire Senate.
The committee is called a “trial committee” and it is usually convened via an organizing resolution.
The Senate gets to set its own rules for a trial, so in most impeachment trials, there’s a debate over an “organizing resolution” — a proposed set of rules governing the trial that the Senate must vote to approve. If the Senate were to try to kick this trial to a committee, instructions to do so would likely be in this organizing resolution.
That resolution would be brought up, debated and voted on. If it were approved, the articles would then be kicked to the committee and sent off the Senate floor. Leadership would appoint members (usually six Democrats and six Republicans) to sit on that committee.
House managers would then present their impeachment case to the committee. Lawyers for Mayorkas would have time to present counter arguments.
The committee would make footage of its hearings available to the public and to senators. At the end of the trial, they would present a full report and recommendation to the whole of the Senate. The whole Senate would then vote on whether or not to convict.
The last impeachment to be heard by a trial committee with the impeachment of federal judge Thomas Porteous in 2010.
A final option is that the Senate holds a full-scale trial.
Sources have signaled to ABC News that there will not be an impeachment trial like the ones we’ve come to know from impeachment proceedings of former President Donald Trump.
Though it’s unlikely that we’d see a weekslong trial on the floor of the Senate, it’s still technically possible.
If it does, the Senate would adopt an organizing resolution and then managers would present their arguments.
It would take a two-thirds vote of the Senate to convict Mayorkas.
File photo. (Official White House Photo by Adam Schultz)
(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden on Tuesday kicks off a multi-day campaign swing through Pennsylvania, in Scranton, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia — in what his campaign hopes to be a messaging contrast with Donald Trump as the former president goes on trial.
Biden, whom early polls show is in a close race with his predecessor, plans to focus on tax policy versus Trump, including in a stop at the United Steelworkers’ headquarters.
During a meeting with the Czech prime minister, Petr Fiala, on Monday, Biden shook his head “no” when asked by a reporter whether or not he would be watching Trump’s trial.
Rather, he plans to be “talking about the issues” that matter most to Americans, his campaign says, echoing what the White House has long said.
“Donald Trump and his team are gonna have to speak to his legal issues,” said Biden spokesman Michael Tyler, who also attacked Trump’s message of “revenge and retribution,” which he said is “going to be a continuation of the contrast the American people have been able to see since this campaign began.”
On a call with reporters on Monday, Tyler cited Biden’s personal ties to Pennsylvania, saying he sees the world from his “kitchen table” where he grew up in Scranton — while, Tyler argued, Trump sees the world from his “country club” at Mar-a-Lago, a reversal of Trump’s frequent boasts that his business success makes him a better leader.
“Nowhere is that contrast of world views on display more clearly than when it comes to who each candidate believes should be paying more in taxes and who they believe should be paying less,” Tyler said.
While the president regularly stops in Philadelphia, at the heart of a key battleground state, this is the first time he has visited Scranton since August.
His campaign wants to provide something of a split-screen with Trump as the former president’s historic New York trial is underway in which he’s accused of falsifying business records related to hush money paid to adult film star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election.
Trump denies the claims, including the alleged affair, and says he’s being politically persecuted, which the district attorney rejects.
He has regularly attacked Biden over high inflation, immigration and more, labeling Biden as the country’s “worst president.”
Biden’s campaign claims Trump plans to give billionaires tax breaks during his second term, while under Biden “nobody making less than $400,000 a year would see their taxes go up … [and] he would prioritize extending additional tax benefits to help working Americans in areas where they really need it,” said Brian Deese, a senior adviser.
In a memo, Biden’s campaign manager, Julie Chavez Rodriguez, highlighted the inroads the campaign says it has made in Pennsylvania, a swing state that Biden won by about a 1% margin in 2020, four years after Trump won by slightly less 1%.
Among other assets, the Biden campaign cited seven offices in Philadelphia and surrounding counties. In the month of March, they opened 14 offices around the state in a single week and engaged 1,700 volunteers, they said.
“This election is going to be one by earning and not just asking for each American’s vote,” said Deese, the adviser. “We’re obviously looking at Pennsylvania right now, where the president is spending the week campaigning — and it’s a textbook example of how we’re going to earn those votes.”
(WASHINGTON) — The Supreme Court on Tuesday will hear arguments in a high-stakes case that could invalidate felony obstruction charges for more than 300 individuals connected to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack — including former President Donald Trump.
At issue in the case of Fischer v. United States is whether a federal law enacted in 2002 to prevent the cover-up of financial crimes can be used to put some Jan. 6 defendants behind bars, potentially up to 20 years.
The Sarbanes-Oxley Act, passed in response to the Enron accounting scandal, criminalizes the destruction of evidence — specifically records or documents — and anyone who “otherwise obstructs, influences or impedes any official proceeding, or attempts to do so.”
Joseph Fischer was a participant in the “Stop the Steal” rally on Jan. 6 who faces prosecution for allegedly being part of the crowd that entered the Capitol as Congress was attempting to certify the 2020 election results.
The Justice Department alleges Fischer’s unauthorized presence inside the Capitol building impeded Congress’ certification of the electoral vote count, which is an “official proceeding.”
Trump is not named in the case but faces the same charge being challenged by Fischer, a former Pennsylvania police officer.
The DOJ has used the statute to win convictions or guilty pleas against more than 150 individuals involved in the events of Jan. 6.
Fischer argues the government’s reading of the law is overly broad and unprecedented. He claims the “obstruction of an official proceeding” clause should apply only to the types of financial and evidentiary crimes the law was intended to target.
A District Court judge — Trump-appointee Carl J. Nichols — sided with Fischer and dismissed the felony count against him and several other alleged rioters. Later, a divided Appeals Court panel reversed that decision in a 2-1 ruling that reinstated the charges.
Overall, 14 of the 15 federal judges who have overseen cases involving alleged Capitol rioters charged with obstruction of an official proceeding have allowed the DOJ to use the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.
If the Supreme Court rules in favor of Fischer, it could call into question dozens of Jan. 6 prosecutions — potentially resulting in some overturned convictions or reduced sentences — but would likely not upend the majority of Jan. 6 cases, most of which involve violent felony charges or misdemeanor infractions like trespassing, legal experts say.
Such a decision could, however, significantly undermine special counsel Jack Smith’s prosecution of Trump for his alleged efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Two of the four counts in the federal indictment against Trump involve the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and alleged conspiracy to obstruct and actual obstruction of an official proceeding.
In a separate case this month, the high court will decide whether Trump is altogether immune from criminal prosecution for his alleged election interference. A ruling in both cases is expected by the end of June.
NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb, Premier of NSW Chris Minns, NSW Deputy Police Commissioner Peter Thurtell and Ambulance Commissioner Dominic Morgan hold a press conference on April 16, 2024 in Sydney, Australia. (Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images)
(SYDNEY) — An attack on a religious leader during a sermon in a suburb of Sydney, Australia, on Monday has been deemed a terror-related incident, police said.
“Anyone with information about extremist activity or possible threats to the community should come forward, no matter how small or insignificant you may think the information may be,” the New South Wales Police Force said in a statement on Tuesday.
The government’s Joint Counter Terrorism Team has begun an investigation into the stabbing, which was first reported to police at about 7 p.m. on Monday.
A 16-year-old suspect was arrested at the scene after being restrained by members of the congregation, police said. He was hospitalized, underwent surgery for injuries sustained during the alleged attack and remained under police guard, they said.
“There is no place for violence in our community,” Anthony Albanese, the prime minister said. “There is no place for violence extremism. We are a peace-loving nation.”
Albanese identified the church as Christ the Good Shepherd, in Wakeley, where an Assyrian Orthodox congregation worships.
A video of the incident, which was viewed by ABC News, appears to show a man approaching the religious leader as he speaks to his congregation. The man appears to interrupt the sermon and to begin violently attacking the man.
Officers who responded to the church on Welcome Road attended to a 53-year-old man “with lacerations to his head,” police said. The man’s name has not been released.
“A 39-year-old man also sustained lacerations and a shoulder wound when he attempted to intervene,” a law enforcement statement said.
Both of the injured were treated by paramedics at the scene and were later taken to Liverpool Hospital, police said, adding that their injuries were not life-threatening.
Police Commissioner Karen Webb deemed the incident terror related, according to the force. It will be investigated by the NSW Police Force, Australian Federal Police, Australian Security Intelligence Organisation and the NSW Crime Commission, police said.
The church identified the attacked leader as Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel and asked for privacy during his recovery.
“We strongly condemn this senseless act of violence that took place during his sermon,” the church said in a media release.
The church added, “Such actions not only bring distress bust also contradict the cherished values of compassion and unity that are integral to our Australian identity.”
Former President Donald Trump appears with his legal team Todd Blanche, and Emil Bove ahead of the start of jury selection at Manhattan Criminal Court, Apr. 15, 2024, in New York City. (Jabin Botsford-Pool/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — Former President Donald Trump appeared in a Manhattan, New York criminal court on Monday, marking the first day of the first-ever criminal trial against a former U.S. president.
Trump last April pleaded not guilty to a 34-count indictment charging him with falsifying business records in connection with alleged hush money payments his then-attorney Michael Cohen made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels in order to boost his electoral prospects in the 2016 presidential election.
The historic trial — which is expected to last six to eight weeks — kicked off Monday with jury selection, which is supposed to take up to two weeks.
Outside the courtroom — and throughout the day on his social media platform Truth Social — the former president was defiant, lambasting the prosecution as politically motivated. Inside the courtroom, however, he cut a different figure — reclining in his seat, arms folded, at times appearing to shut his eyes.
Hundreds of prospective jurors showed up to the courthouse Monday morning, but voir dire did not begin until late afternoon, delayed by hours of pretrial procedural matters and questions about scheduling.
Judge Juan M. Merchan began by denying a motion filed by Trump’s legal team calling for the judge to recuse himself from the case — something they’ve sought repeatedly. Merchan called Trump’s insinuations that he is biased against him unsubstantiated and said they would not address the topic again.
The jury questionnaire was also a point of contention, with Merchan rejecting a claim by Trump lawyer Todd Blanche that it contained “asymmetry” that would allow staunchly anti-Trump jurors to be selected.
There were also issues to hash out regarding what evidence could be presented during the trial. Blanche argued against the inclusion of evidence concerning Trump’s interactions with the National Enquirer and his alleged affair with former Playboy model Karen McDougal — calling the matters a “sideshow” and “literally just salacious with no value” — but Merchan sided with prosecutors, saying the details were crucial to “lay the proper foundation” for the case. Trump has denied having an affair with either McDougal or Stormy Daniels.
“My ruling that we were not to play the tape was, and remains, that the tape itself is so prejudicial — to see Mr. Trump depicted, the words coming out of his mouth, the facial expressions … the tape itself should not come in,” Merchan said of the decision.
Prosecutors will, however, be permitted to read Trump’s words from the video aloud.
On Monday, prosecutors asked Judge Merchan to hold Trump in contempt and fined $3,000 for three alleged violations of the limited gag order in the case.
Prosecutors argued that three posts by the former president — related to likely witnesses Michael Cohen and Daniels, as well as a member of the prosecution team — violated the terms of the limited gag order. The gag order prohibits Trump from making public comments about potential witnesses, prospective jurors, lawyers on the case other than Bragg, and the families of both Merchan and Bragg.
Merchan set a hearing on the matter for April 23.
Just after 2:30 p.m. ET, 96 prospective jurors — some of whom craned their necks to catch a glimpse of the former president, and at least one who giggled and raised her eyebrows — were escorted into the courtroom to begin the selection process. As Merchan introduced the case, the former president turned to face the gallery, offering a tight-lipped smile.
More than half of the potential jury members were excused after they identified that they could not be fair or impartial in deciding the case. The remaining pool was questioned further, providing information about their jobs, hobbies, preferred news outlets and whether they hold any opinions of Trump that could unfairly sway them. Two witnesses were struck for cause, including a man who said the trial would interfere with his child’s wedding.
Another potential juror, a bookstore employee who lives on the Upper West Side, spoke about his feelings on the criminal justice system while answering the questionnaire.
“I believe that nobody is above the law, whether it be a former president or a sitting president or a janitor,” he said.
That particular juror was excused. No jurors were seated Monday for the trial.
The court adjourned for the day just after 4:30 p.m. and is expected to pick back up with jury selection on Tuesday morning at 9:30 a.m.
In this aerial image, the steel frame of the Francis Scott Key Bridge sits on top of a container ship after the bridge collapsed, Baltimore, March 26, 2024. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)
(BALTIMORE) — The body of one of the three victims that had been unaccounted for following the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse has been recovered, Baltimore’s Unified Command said Monday.
Salvage teams located what they believed to be one of the construction vehicles reported missing on March 26, after the incident, and promptly notified the Maryland Department of State Police, United Command said.
The Maryland State Police, the FBI, and the Maryland Transportation Authority Police responded and located a deceased victim trapped inside the vehicle Sunday, United Command said.
At the request of the family, authorities have not released the name of the victim, who was identified by the medical examiner’s office Monday, according to Unified Command.
“As we mourn the lives lost and continue the recovery operation, we recognize each missing individual is someone’s beloved friend or family member,” Col. Roland L. Butler, Jr., superintendent of the Maryland Department of State Police, said in a statement.
Two more victims remain unaccounted for and have been declared dead after the March 26 incident, when a cargo ship crashed into the Baltimore bridge, causing a near-total collapse of a bridge span in the port.
Six people were killed in the incident. The bodies of three of the deceased were previously recovered and identified by officials as Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, 35, Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, 26, and Maynor Yasir Suazo-Sandoval, 38.
Miguel Luna, a father of five from Usulutan, California, in El Salvador, was among the missing workers presumed dead, his family previously told ABC News.
A 35-year-old from Camotán, Chiquimula, in Guatemala and a Mexican resident were also reported missing and are presumed dead, according to their respective country’s foreign ministry.
(NEW YORK) — In the wake of the disappearance and killing of two women from Kansas, newly released court documents detail, according to prosecutors, the motive and evidence behind the alleged murder-kidnapping.
On Monday, the affidavit of probable cause for the arrest warrants of the four suspects arrested in connection with the alleged murder of moms Veronica Butler, 27, and Jilian Kelley, 39, was released.
The four individuals are Tad Bert Cullum, 43; Tifany Machel Adams, 54; Cole Earl Twombly, 50, and Cora Twombly, 44. All four remain in custody.
Ongoing custody battle
In the court documents, investigators state they discovered Butler was in a “problematic custody battle” with suspect Tifany Adams’ son for the custody of Butler’s two children.
Adams is the grandmother of Butler’s children and mother of the kids’ father, Wrangler Rickman, who has legal custody, according to the documents.
The custody battle between Butler and Rickman began in February 2019, according to the documents.
Previous child custody case recordings were obtained by investigators, in which Rickman allegedly discussed death threats made by his mother and her boyfriend, fellow suspect Tad Cullum, with legal representatives.
On March 30, the day of Butler and Kelley’s disappearance, Kelley was chosen to supervise Butler’s court-ordered custody exchange with Adams at 10:00 a.m. local time.
Adams’ preferred custody supervisor, Cheryl Brune, was allegedly “unavailable” for the March 30 exchange, however, Brune allegedly told investigators Adams had told her to take time off.
The children’s father was allegedly in an Oklahoma City rehabilitation facility at the time of the disappearance, according to the documents.
Investigators report that Adams claimed she was at home when Butler called to cancel the custody exchange at 9:00 a.m., local time.
Evidence near the vehicle
Amid the investigation into Butler and Kelley’s disappearance, authorities say they found their vehicle abandoned in rural Oklahoma, near the Kansas border.
An examination of the vehicle and the area surrounding found evidence of severe injury, according to the affidavit, which notes, blood was found on the roadway and edge of the roadway.
Butler’s glasses were also found in the roadway south of the vehicle near a broken hammer and a pistol magazine was found inside Kelley’s purse at the scene, but no pistol was found, according to documents.
Anti-government group
The affidavit states the two other suspects, married couple Cora and Cole Twombly, are allegedly members of an anti-government group called “God’s Misfits” with Adams and Cullum.
According to the court documents, an unnamed teen reported the Twomblys’ potential involvement in the alleged murder-kidnapping to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.
The teen allegedly told investigators that they “overheard” Cora allegedly confirm her involvement in the deaths and saw the alleged burner phones used in the suspected scheme.
All four suspects are scheduled to make their initial court appearance on Wednesday, according to officials.
Unidentified bodies discovered
On Sunday, police recovered two dead bodies in rural Texas amid the investigation into Butler’s and Kelly’s disappearance.
The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, the FBI and the Texas County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement on X that the bodies will be “transported to the Office of the Oklahoma Chief Medical Examiner to determine identification and cause and manner of death.”
(NEW YORK) — Iran on Saturday night unleashed a retaliatory strike against Israel, sending a volley of more than 300 uncrewed drones and missiles toward targets throughout the country, Israeli military officials said. All but a few were intercepted by Israel and its allies, including the United States, officials said.
The attack on Israel came more than six months after Hamas terrorists invaded the country on Oct. 7, after which the Israeli military began its bombardment of the Gaza Strip.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Apr 15, 4:18 PM Iran will respond in ‘seconds’ if Israel strikes back: Iranian official
If Israel strikes back, the response speed from Iran “will be less than a few seconds,” said Ali Bagheri Kani, the deputy foreign minister of Iran for political affairs.
Apr 15, 3:58 PM Iran did not give US heads up on Israel attack: Pentagon
Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, said Monday that Iran did not give the U.S. an advanced notice of its attack on Israel.
“I think what you’re asking was did Iran give us a heads up? No, they did not,” Ryder said, without indicating whether the U.S. learned of Iran’s plans through allies.
Ryder said U.S. forces in the Middle East intercepted dozens of missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles when Iran and its proxies launched attacks in retaliation for Israel’s strike earlier this month on the Iranian Consulate in Damascus, Syria, that killed an Iranian military leader.
Ryder repeated assessments that 99% of incoming Iranian fire was intercepted by Israel and its partners, but he wouldn’t confirm reports that half of the launches failed to get off the ground.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Ryder said, has spoken with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant three times since the attack.
“During their most recent call yesterday, the two leaders reviewed the successful combined operation by the United States, Israel and their partners to defend Israel from these unprecedented attacks by Iran and its proxies and emphasize that while the United States does not seek escalation, we will continue to take all necessary action to defend Israel and U.S. personnel,” Ryder said.
Asked whether the response to Iran’s attack depleted the air defense resources of Israel and its partners, Ryder declined to answer.
“As we demonstrated this weekend, we have the capability and the capacity to defend Israel and to defend our forces in the region,” he said.
-ABC News’ Chris Boccia and Matt Seyler
Apr 15, 2:55 PM Iranian attack ‘will be met with a response’: Israeli military chief
As Israel’s Chief of the General Staff Herzi Halevi met with troops at the Nevatim Airbase, where Iranian missiles struck over the weekend, he said Israel is weighing possible response actions.
“As we look forward, we weigh our steps, and this launch of so many missiles, cruise missiles, UAVs to the territory of the State of Israel will be met with a response,” Halevi said.
-ABC News’ Jordana Miller
Apr 15, 1:54 PM US to Israel: If you strike back at Iran, you’ll do it alone
As Israel on Monday weighed its response to Iran’s weekend attack, the U.S. is privately telling officials there: If Israel strikes back militarily, it will do so alone.
It’s an unusual message for a close ally that’s spent decades receiving more U.S. military aid than any other country in the world and whose relationship with America is often described as “ironclad.”
But after months of Israel acting on its own in Gaza — and facing tough criticism from the U.S. and other allies that its military operations have gone too far – the Biden administration made clear the U.S. wouldn’t participate in offensive military operations against Iran, fearing a broader war in the Middle East.
“We believe Israel has freedom of action to protect itself and defend itself,” a senior administration official told reporters shortly after Iran’s attack ended. “That’s a long-standing policy, and that remains.”
When asked by a reporter if the U.S. would help Israel counter with offensive military operations, the official said no.
-ABC News’ Anne Flaherty
Apr 15, 1:14 PM Biden: We ‘defeated’ Iran
President Joe Biden on Monday touted the “unprecedented military effort to defend Israel” against Iran, declaring “together with our partners we defeated that attack.”
In his first on-camera remarks since this weekend’s Iranian strike, the president stressed that “the United States is committed to Israel’s security.”
“We’re committed to a cease-fire that will bring the hostages home and preventing the conflict from spreading beyond what it already has” the president told reporters in the Oval Office ahead of his meeting with the Iraqi prime minister. “We are also committed to the security of our personnel and our partners in the region, including Iraq.”
Apr 15, 11:07 AM ‘Majority’ of intel came from coalition partners ahead of attack: Israeli Air Force official
A senior Israeli Air Force official said that the normalization of relations with Middle Eastern countries “served us during this crucial time” this weekend.
“It has to be clear that real assets” provided Israel with “information” and an “early warning,” and the “majority” of that intelligence came from the coalition, the senior Israeli Air Force official said at a Monday briefing.
In terms of the types of drones and missiles used by Iran in the Saturday night attack, the official said Israel did not face any types of missiles that it had not shot down during attacks in recent months by Iranian proxies.
The official confirmed that only “a handful” of ballistic missiles fired by Iran were not intercepted.
“Five, more or less, managed to penetrate,” the official said.
He said Israel’s “strategic investment” in air defense capabilities, made years ago, had paid off, and called Israel shooting down nearly all missiles a “historic success.”
The official was asked if Israel would be able to withstand a similar level of attack from Iran, without the support of allies such as the U.S.
“It would be more challenging,” the official conceded, but added that Israel has capabilities “to face this kind of challenge.”
-ABC News’ Tom Soufi Burridge
Apr 15, 7:26 AM Iran ‘not the power it purports to be,’ White House adviser says
Israel on Saturday demonstrated its “military superiority” against Iran while also showcasing its partnership with military allies, including the United States, John Kirby, spokesperson for the White House National Security Council, said Monday.
Israel said Sunday about 99% of the missiles and drones launched by Iran were intercepted by Israel and its allies, a defense that Kirby called a “tremendous success.”
“I think it did show, did demonstrate that Iran is not the power that it purports to be, that it doesn’t have that same military superiority,” Kirby said on “Good Morning America.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected on Monday to reconvene his war cabinet, a body that met on Sunday without deciding on a response to Iran’s attack. And President Joe Biden and his G7 counterparts on Sunday released a statement urging Iran to cease its attacks.
“With its actions, Iran has further stepped toward the destabilization of the region and risks provoking an uncontrollable regional escalation,” the G7 leaders’ statement said. “This must be avoided.”
The United States would not participate in an Israeli response, if the country decides to strike back against Iran, U.S. defense and security officials said on Sunday.
But the final decision on whether Israel strikes back will fall to Netanyahu, Kirby said Monday.
“The president was also clear, as he has been throughout, that we do not seek a wider war in the region and we don’t seek conflict with Iran,” he said.
-ABC News’ Kevin Shalvey
Apr 15, 5:13 AM Israeli war cabinet to reconvene Monday to consider response
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected on Monday to meet with his war cabinet to discuss potential responses to Iran’s attack.
The cabinet had convened on Sunday, but ended their meeting without making a final decision about a response to Iran’s attack, a person with knowledge of the meeting told ABC News.
The cabinet members include Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Benny Gantz, a former minister of defense.
-ABC News’ Joe Simonetti, Jordana Miller and Kevin Shalvey
Apr 14, 11:12 PM Half of ballistic missiles launched at Israel failed: Officials
Two U.S. officials confirm to ABC News that at least half of the ballistic missiles launched by Iran at Israel either failed to launch, failed in flight, or crashed before reaching their targets in Israel.
A senior U.S. official previously told ABC News that among the more than 300 drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles, there were between 115 and 135 ballistic missiles that targeted Israel.
That would mean that only half of the ballistic missiles launched by Iran needed to be shot down by Israel and other countries.
The Wall Street Journal was first to report this info.
-ABC News’ Luis Martinez
Apr 14, 7:54 PM US forces destroy 80 drones, at least 6 ballistic missiles
U.S. military forces destroyed 80 drones and at least six ballistic missiles out of the more than 300 launched from Iran, according to CENTCOM Sunday.
The drone number is an update from Saturday evening, when the U.S. said it had intercepted 70 drones.
CENTCOM said the total included a ballistic missile that was on its launcher vehicle and seven drones before they left the ground.
-ABC News’ Anne Flaherty
Apr 14, 7:34 PM Israeli military submitted a ‘spectrum of response options’ to the government
Israeli military officials have submitted “a wide range of options” to respond to Iran’s missile strike Saturday, Israeli Defense Federation (IDF) spokesperson Peter Lerner told reporters early Monday morning in Tel Aviv.
The IDF’s response could be “strike or no strike,” according to Lerner, who noted, there are “a lot of different scenarios in between those two.”
The Israeli government will “decide on the steps forward” as early as Monday or within the coming days, Lerner said.
When asked about Iran’s “substantial” missile strike being intercepted with minimal damage, Lerner said, “Just because we were successful in intercepting, we shouldn’t underestimate what Iran did.”
“We can’t take that lightly,” Lerner said.
Apr 13, 5:27 PM Israel says Iran only targeted military sites
An Israeli military source told ABC News that Iran has targeted military sites only — civilian sites were not targeted.
The Israel Defense Forces also moved up its arrival estimate: The first drones will close in on Israel an hour earlier than expected, at 1 a.m. local time, 6 p.m. ET.
Apr 13, 5:11 PM US officials think there will be 400 to 500 drones, missiles launched
A senior U.S. official told ABC News they now think there will be anywhere from 400 to 500 drones and missiles launched at Israel from Iraq, Syria, southern Lebanon and the Houthis but that the bulk will be launched form Iran.
The drones are the same kind used in Ukraine.
Apr 13, 5:11 PM Israeli airspace to close at 12:30 a.m. local time
Israeli aviation authorities say they are closing the country’s airspace to all flights at 12:30 a.m. local time, 5:30 p.m. ET.
Flights would be affected and advised travelers to check with their airlines for changes.
Iranian state television also announced that Tehran had launched an attack toward Israel. Iraq’s state news agency quoted Transportation Minister Raqqa Saadawi as saying the country’s airspace was closed.
Before the attack was announced, a FlyDubai flight from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates to Tel Aviv, Israel, turned around as it was over Saudi Arabia, flight-tracking data showed. United Airlines also canceled a Saturday flight from Newark to Tel Aviv and the return flight.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced that it has launched extensive missile and drone operations against targets in the occupied territories, according to Tasnim, the Iranian news-agency affiliated with the branch of Iran’s armed forces.
An Israeli source also confirmed to ABC News that Iran fired cruise missiles from Iraq as well.
In a post on X, the Iranian Foreign Minister said “necessary warning has been given to America.”
Apr 13, 4:56 PM What US officials expect in the coming hours
The U.S. will try to help Israel intercept everything possible — not just those that pass over U.S. ships — despite Iran informing the U.S. that they should stay out of it, a senior U.S. official confirmed to ABC News.
In the coming hours the U.S. expects missile launches from Iran and southern Lebanon — and maybe even the Houthis — as well as drones, which take longer to reach target. The Iranians are trying to overwhelm the Israeli air defenses with drones and missiles coming in at different altitudes, speeds and directions — but hitting targets at the same time, according to the official.
While the U.S. expects that most of these will be intercepted — upwards of 85% — the fear is that if any Israeli lives are lost, the Israeli response will be much bigger.
The target is believed to be three military bases, especially one where F-35s are kept. While these bases are relatively remote, there are towns nearby and these Iranian weapons are not completely accurate.
The U.S. has no doubt Israel will respond whether lives are lost or not. And that Iran itself will be targeted.
-ABC News’ Martha Raddatz
Apr 13, 4:48 PM Wide concern in the White House that Iran’s retaliatory attack will cause widespread war
Sources at the White House say there’s deep concern that an Iranian retaliatory strike against Israel — and the possible Israeli response — will widen this war.
President Joe Biden cut his weekend vacation short to consult with his national security team in preparation for this. They’ve been on high alert and knew this attack was imminent.
U.S. officials the military is prepared to provide assistance to defend Israel against attacks if needed.
The U.S. is already moving military assets to the region to deter Iran and help protect U.S. forces. Officials say they have been urging Iran against further escalation or attacks on U.S. forces. They’ve been stressing that the U.S. was not involved in the Damascus, Syria, strike earlier this month.
-ABC News’ Selina Wang
Apr 13, 4:39 PM Iran’s leader confirms attack on Israel, says ‘evil regime will be punished’
Iran’s leader has confirmed that a retaliatory attack on Israel has begun.
“The evil regime will be punished”, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a statement on X.
Iranian state TV also confirmed the attack in a banner.
“The extensive drone operation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps against targets in the occupied territories has started a few minutes ago,” the banner said.
Apr 13, 4:37 PM US official confirms Iran’s retaliatory strike has begun
A U.S. official has confirmed Israel’s announcement that Iran’s retaliatory strike has begun.
President Joe Biden will meet with principals of the National Security Council to discuss events in the Middle East Saturday afternoon. The meeting will take place in the White House Situation Room, the White House confirmed.
“Iran has begun an airborne attack against Israel. President Biden is being regularly updated on the situation by his national security team,” the White House said in a statement.
“This attack is likely to unfold over a number of hours. President Biden has been clear: our support for Israel’s security is ironclad. The United States will stand with the people of Israel and support their defense against these threats from Iran,” it added.
-ABC News’ Luis Martinez and Mary Bruce
Apr 13, 4:18 PM Israel says Iran fired dozens of drones
Iran has launched dozens of drones toward Israel, but it could take hours for them to reach, according to Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Daniel Hagari.
Israel is closing down its airspace after midnight local time and Israel’s defense systems are deployed, according to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“We are prepared for any scenario, both in defense and attack,” Netanyahu said in a video statement.
Apr 13, 3:34 PM Jordan temporarily closes its airspace to all incoming, departing, transiting aircrafts
Starting Saturday night, the Jordanian airspace will be temporarily closed to all incoming, departing and transiting aircraft, Jordan’s Civil Aviation Regulatory Authority said in a statement.
Apr 13, 2:48 PM Hamas ready for ‘serious and real’ swap deal, group says in response to Israeli proposal
Hamas says it has handed Egyptian and Qatari mediators its response to an Israeli proposal it received at talks in Cairo last week, while reiterating its key demands of a permanent cease-fire, a withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, the return of displaced people to their areas and places of residence and intensifying the entry of relief and aid.
“We also confirm our readiness to enter a serious and real prisoner exchange deal between the two parties,” Hamas said in a statement.
-ABC News’ Edward Szekeres
Apr 13, 2:29 PM Hezbollah says it hit Iron Dome after Israel says it struck military compounds
Hezbollah says it attacked Iron Dome platforms “with drones” hitting “the targets accurately.”
Earlier Saturday, the Israel Defense Forces said a number of anti-tank missiles crossed from Lebanon, as well as Hezbollah unmanned aerial vehicles.
The IDF also said it struck a series of Hezbollah military compounds on Saturday.
Apr 13, 2:28 PM Israel closes schools, limits gatherings ahead of anticipated Iranian attack
The Israel Defense Forces announced changes to the “Home Front Command’s defensive guidelines” as of 11 p.m. Israel time Saturday ahead of an anticipated Iranian attack that could be imminent.
As part of the changes, schools and educational institutions will remain closed across Israel, “prohibiting educational activities,” — not only because the Passover vacation is starting. Gatherings will be limited to 1,000 people in green areas.
-ABC News’ Edward Szekeres
Apr 13, 10:50 AM Ship seized by Iran in ‘pirate operation’ is Portuguese, Israel says
In a statement in response to Iran’s seizure of a cargo ship it said was Israeli, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz claimed it was a Portuguese civilian cargo ship, belonging to an EU member.
Katz called Iran’s seizing of the cargo ship “a pirate operation in violation of international law”. He also called Iran’s “Ayatollah regime” a “criminal regime”.
“The Ayatollah regime of @khameneiir is a criminal regime that supports Hamas’ crimes and is now conducting a pirate operation in violation of international law. I call on the European Union and the free world to immediately declare the Iranian Revolutionary Guards corps as a terrorist organization and to sanction Iran now,” Katz said in a statement.
-ABC News’ Dana Savir
Apr 13, 9:14 AM Palestinian man killed after Israeli boy goes missing, found dead in West Bank
A Palestinian man has been killed in the occupied West Bank and 25 are reported hurt after dozens of Jewish settlers stormed a village during an Israeli search for a missing teenager. Israeli troops intervened after dozens of settlers stormed al-Mughayyir armed with guns and stones.
It is not yet clear whether the man who died, Jehad Abu Alia, 26, was shot by an armed settler or Israeli soldier. The Palestinian Red Crescent said live fire hit at least eight people.
The missing boy, identified as Benjamin Ahimeir, 14, was found dead. He had gone missing Friday morning before Israeli officials say he was killed in a “terror attack.”
“Security forces are continuing the pursuit after those suspected of carrying out the attack,” the Israel Defense Forces said Saturday.
-ABC News’ Edward Szekeres
Apr 13, 7:16 AM Iran seizes Israeli-linked ship in Strait of Hormuz
In a report posted on X, the Iranian Tasnim state news agency affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IGRC) said paramilitary Revolutionary Guard commandos seized a cargo ship near the Strait of Hormuz.
The detained ship, named “MSC Aries,” operates under the flag of Portugal and is connected to the London-based company called Zodiac Maritime which is partially owned by Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer.
“MSC is the manager and commercial operator of the container vessel MSC Aries. MSC is responsible for all vessel activities including cargo operations and maintenance,” Zodiac Maritime said in a statement to ABC News on Saturday. “Title to the vessel is held by Gortal Shipping Inc. as financier and she has been leased to MSC on a long term basis. Gortal Shipping Inc. is affiliated with Zodiac Maritime. MSC is also responsible for the vessel’s itinerary, schedule and crew onboard and any queries about the vessel should be directed to MSC”.
Further details regarding the seized vessel are expected to be released shortly.
“We regret to confirm that MSC Aries owned by Zodiac Maritime and chartered to MSC has been boarded by Iranian authorities via helicopter as she passed the Strait of Hormuz,” MSC said in a statement. “She has since been diverted from her itinerary towards Iran. She has 25 crew onboard, and we are working closely with the relevant authorities to ensure their wellbeing, and safe return of the vessel.”
– ABC News’ Dana Savir
Apr 12, 3:23 PM Biden’s message to Iran on possible strike on Israel: ‘Don’t’
President Joe Biden told reporters he expects an Iranian strike on Israel to occur “sooner than later.”
Asked for his message to Iran in this moment, Biden was blunt, saying simply: “Don’t.”
Asked by ABC News if the U.S. would respond, he said, “We are devoted to the defense of Israel. We will support Israel. We will help defend Israel and Iran will not succeed.”
-ABC News’ Mary Bruce
Apr 12, 1:51 PM Iran has readied over 100 cruise missiles for possible strike on Israel: US officials
U.S. officials continue to see indicators that Iran could be ready to attack Israel with missile and drone strikes.
Iran has readied a large number of missiles for a possible strike, according to three U.S. officials. Two of the officials said that Iran has readied more than 100 cruise missiles for a possible strike. Iran has also readied a sizeable number of drones that could be used in an attack on Israel, according to one official.
The officials said that Iran has been readying the missiles and drones over the last week.
-ABC News’ Luis Martinez
Apr 12, 1:32 PM 1 dead after settlers storm West Bank village: Palestinian Health Ministry
At least one person is dead and 18 others injured after Israeli settlers allegedly stormed the village of Al-Mughayir in the West Bank, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
Some 1,500 settlers burned more than 40 homes and vehicles in the village, according to Marzouq Abu Naim, the deputy mayor of the Al-Mughir Village Council.
The Israel Defense Forces said that “violent riots” erupted in the area while forces searched for a missing 14-year-old boy.
“During the incident, rocks were hurled at IDF soldiers, who responded with fire. Hits were identified,” the IDF said in a statement. “Furthermore, IDF and Israel Border Police forces operated to withdraw Israeli civilians who entered the town of Al Mughayyir.”
The crowds have since dispersed and there are no longer any Israeli civilians present within the town, the IDF said.
Apr 12, 12:54 PM EU countries sanction 3 terrorist group wings over Oct. 7 sexual and gender-based violence
The European Union has sanctioned three terrorist group wings for “widespread sexual and gender-based violence” that occurred in Israel on Oct. 7, the EU Council said.
The sanctioned entities are the Al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad; Nukhba Force, a Hamas special forces unit; and the Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ military wing. The Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hamas are designated as terrorist organizations by the EU.
“Those listed under the sanctions regime are subject to an asset freeze, and the provision of funds or economic resources, directly or indirectly, to them or for their benefit, is prohibited,” the EU Council said.
Apr 12, 11:49 AM WHO details the destruction of medical facilities in Khan Younis
The World Health Organization described the destruction in Khan Younis as “disproportionate to anything one can imagine.”
Nasser Medical Complex — once the “backbone” of the health system in southern Gaza — Al-Amal and Al-Khair hospitals are “non-functional,” according to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
“These facilities have no oxygen supply, water, electricity or sewage system,” he said Thursday on X, a day after WHO team members and partners went to Khan Younis to assess health facilities following the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the city.
Jordanian Field Hospital was found to be “minimally operational,” he said.
“The once robust health system in Gaza is broken,” Ghebreyesus said. “WHO and partners stand ready to support reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts, but we need a ceasefire. Nothing else can bring a lasting and humane outcome.”
Apr 11, 5:36 PM Erez crossing to remain closed as Israeli builds new road into Gaza
Israeli military spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari told reporters Thursday that Israel is constructing a new land crossing from Israel into northern Gaza to facilitate more aid deliveries.
The Erez crossing, a key pedestrian crossing that was destroyed by Hamas on Oct. 7, will remain closed.
Last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would reopen the crossing for aid after speaking with President Joe Biden following the deaths of seven World Central Kitchen workers by an Israeli airstrike.
Although the timetable for the opening of the new land crossing wasn’t revealed, Hagari said it would be located near the Erez crossing but not in the exact same spot.
Hagari said he expected 58 trucks would pass through the new crossing daily.
-ABC News’ Will Gretsky
Apr 11, 3:47 PM White House pressed on whether famine in Gaza was preventable
Following USAID Administrator Samantha Power acknowledging that famine is happening in northern Gaza, the White House was pressed Thursday on whether this could have been prevented if they had pressured Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sooner to increase deliveries of humanitarian aid.
The U.S. has often called on Israel to open more crossings and allow for more aid to reach Gaza, but it wasn’t until last week when President Joe Biden told Netanyahu that U.S. policy on Gaza hinges on Israel announcing and implementing measurable steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering and the safety of aid workers.
“Every time the president has spoken to the prime minister there’s — part of that conversation has been to do more humanitarian aid,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said when asked if it was a mistake not to push Netanyahu to open the Ashdod port and Erez crossing sooner to help prevent famine.
She was asked specifically who is to blame for famine in Gaza, but she didn’t attribute it to anyone, instead saying the focus is going to be on getting aid in.
“The humanitarian situation in Gaza, obviously, is dire. And that is why the president is doing everything that he can to get more humanitarian aid in,” she said. “And that’s what our focus is going to be.”
-ABC News’ Justin R. Gomez
Apr 11, 3:41 PM US enacts new travel restrictions for personnel in Israel
The State Department revealed that U.S. government employees and their family members are now prohibited from undertaking any personal travel in Israel outside of the greater Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Be’er Sheva areas “until further notice.”
The alert says the restrictions were imposed “out of an abundance of caution” and shared to help other Americans in Israel make their own security plans.
“In response to security incidents and without advance notice, the U.S. Embassy may further restrict or prohibit U.S. government employees and their family members from traveling to certain areas of Israel (including the Old City of Jerusalem) and the West Bank,” the alert adds.
Asked whether the limitations were directly connected to Iran’s threats, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller declined to speak to the specific assessments motivating the policy but acknowledged the public warnings from Iran and said Israel is in “a very tough neighborhood.”
“Clearly we are monitoring the threat environment in the Middle East and specifically in Israel, and that’s what led us to give that warning to our employees and their family members and to make it public so all U.S. citizens who either live in Israel or traveling there are aware of it,” he said.
-ABC News’ Shannon Crawford
Apr 10, 7:33 PM US Central Command leader to meet with Israel about Iran threat, building piers
Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, the commander of U.S. Central Command, is set to meet with officials in Israel about Iran and the Joint logistics over-the-shore floating piers which U.S. military officials currently on the ground in Israel have been working to coordinate with Israeli military officials, an Israeli official told ABC News.
The official said there has been a “marathon of calls” between Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and the National Security Council, the State Department and the Pentagon, which the official credits with increasing statements of support by the administration for Israel in case it’s attacked by Iran. Those talks were an extension of the meetings two weeks ago when the White House summoned Israeli officials to Washington to discuss the urgent need to increase humanitarian aid in Gaza.
After months of U.S. calls for Israel to massively increase aid, multiple Israeli security officials tell ABC News that Israel heard the message loud and clear this time.
“We heard what they said about the humanitarian effort,” the official told ABC News, noting Gallant came back from his trip to the U.S. and gave a “directive: ‘We need to make an immediate impact on the scope and speed of the humanitarian aid going into Gaza,’ and that’s what we’ve done.”
Apr 10, 1:43 PM US skeptical that Hamas has enough hostages to fulfill 1st phase of proposed deal: Source
U.S. officials are skeptical that Hamas is holding enough Israeli hostages to meet the requirements for the first phase of the proposed deal currently on the table, according to a source familiar with the negotiations.
The proposal calls for Hamas to hand over 40 hostages who are either: children; women not affiliated with the Israel Defense Forces; sick adults; or adults over 50 years old, according to the officials.
In exchange, Israel would free an undefined number of Palestinian prisoners and implement a cease-fire of at least six weeks.
-ABC News’ Shannon Crawford
Apr 10, 1:36 PM World Central Kitchen worker hurt in separate IDF strike
World Central Kitchen said one of its workers was injured in a separate airstrike in Gaza on the same day that seven WCK workers were killed.
Fifteen minutes before the Israeli attack that killed seven workers on April 1, “One of our brave Palestinian staff members was gravely injured in a reportedly deadly airstrike at al-Bashir Mosque in Deir al-Balah,” World Central Kitchen said in a statement.
The two attacks were within miles of each other, WCK said.
The Palestinian staff member, Amro, suffered “serious head and hand injuries while he was off duty in a home close to the mosque in the area surrounding our warehouse and newly established kitchen in Deir al-Balah,” WCK said.
He was in a coma for some time and is now recovering, the agency said.
“Amro joined the WCK team just after the start of the year,” WCK said. “He was given rare opportunities to leave Gaza for Egypt several times, but he refused. He always says, ‘I am here serving people hot food every day. I will not leave my job and let them suffer.'”
Apr 10, 1:21 PM 3 sons of Hamas political chief killed in Israeli strike, Hamas says
Three sons of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza, according to a statement from Hamas.
Three of the brothers’ children were also killed in the strike.
The Israel Defense Forces confirmed the strike and said the sons were part of Hamas’ military wing.
Apr 10, 10:47 AM 3 sons of Hamas political chief killed in Israeli strike, Hamas says
Three sons of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza, according to a statement from Hamas.
Three of the brothers’ children were also killed in the strike.
Apr 09, 7:06 PM ‘No higher priority’: Harris meets with American hostages’ families
During a meeting at the White House on Tuesday with the families of Americans being held hostage by Hamas, Vice President Kamala Harris said there is “no higher priority than reuniting the hostages with their loved ones,” according to a White House readout.
Harris also reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to bringing home the remains of those hostages who have been confirmed dead, according to the readout.
Rachel Goldberg-Polin, whose 23-year-old son Hersh is being held hostage by Hamas, described the meeting with Harris as “very productive.”
“There is a possibility of holding two truths,” Goldberg-Polin told reporters outside the White House. “You can believe, as we do, that it is horrible that innocent civilians in Gaza are suffering, and at the same time you can also know that it is horrible and against international law for hostages to be held against their will.”
Goldberg-Polin said her son got his arm blown off during Hamas’ attack at the Nova Music festival on Oct. 7. Her husband, Jonathan Polin, said that they “have no choice but to stay hopeful.”
Jonathan Dekel-Chen, the father of American hostage Sagui Dekel-Chen, called on Hamas to reach a deal to release the hostages.
“We are waiting now and the world waits for Hamas to get to yes,” Dekel-Chen told reporters. “It is in their court.”
Apr 09, 6:48 PM Biden calls for cease-fire ‘now’ to get aid into Gaza in Univision interview
President Joe Biden called for an immediate cease-fire to get food and aid into Gaza in an interview airing Tuesday night on Univision.
“So I what I’m calling for is for the Israelis to just call for a cease-fire, allow for the next six, eight weeks total access to all food and medicine going into the country,” Biden said in the interview with Univision’s Enrique Acevedo. “I’ve spoken with everyone from the Saudis to the Jordanians to the Egyptians. They’re prepared to move in. They’re prepared to move this food in. And I think there’s no excuse to not provide for the medical and the food needs of those people. It should be done now.”
Biden did not mention tying the cease-fire to a hostage deal, according to a transcript of the interview, which would be a shift for the administration. ABC News has reached out to the White House for comment.
Last week, officials pushed back on suggestions that they were separating calls for a cease-fire from hostage negotiations in their readout of Biden’s call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“Our conviction remains that we need to see an immediate cease-fire to enable the release of hostages but also to enable a dramatic surge in humanitarian assistance, as well as obviously better protecting civilians,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on April 4.
In the Univision interview, Biden also called Netanyahu’s approach in Gaza “a mistake” when asked if he believed the prime minister was “more concerned about his political survival than he is in the national interest of his people” as calls for Netanyahu’s resignation have increased following the strike that killed seven World Central Kitchen workers.
“Well, I will tell you, I think what he’s doing is a mistake. I don’t agree with his approach. I think it’s outrageous that those four, three vehicles were hit by drones and taken out on a highway where it wasn’t like it was along the shore, it wasn’t like there was a convoy moving there, etc.,” Biden said in the interview.
The hour-long interview, which is airing at 10 p.m. ET, was taped a day before Biden’s call with Netanyahu on April 4.
Apr 09, 4:00 PM US effort to build humanitarian pier off Gaza expected to top $180M
President Joe Biden’s plan to use the military to build a giant pier off the coast of Gaza to deliver food, water and medicine will cost at least $180 million and could top $200 million, ABC News has learned.
The price tag was described by two people familiar with the initial estimate, which has not been released by U.S. Central Command.
The price tag is expected to fluctuate as U.S. officials scramble to finalize key details on the project, including which humanitarian organizations and foreign governments are willing to help carry the shipments to shore and distribute them.
The floating dock is expected to be nearly the size of a football field — about 97 feet wide and 270 feet long — stationed about 3 miles offshore. Container ships would screen their cargo in Cyprus before taking it to the floating dock and unloading it. From there, the aid would be moved aboard small Army ferries that would transport it to an 1,800-foot “trident” pier that connects to shore.
Officials also continue to discuss how to protect the service members who will be 3 miles offshore, where Hamas is believed to still operate.
The project — which triggered the deployment of six Army and Navy ships and will involve some 1,000 U.S. military troops — is on track to become operational in early May, enabling the delivery of some 2 million meals per day.
Apr 09, 2:36 PM New record number of aid trucks enter Gaza, IDF says
The Israel Defense Forces said 468 aid trucks entered Gaza on Tuesday — the highest number to enter Gaza in one day since the war began.
More than 1,200 aid trucks have entered Gaza over the last three days, according to the IDF and Israeli aid agency COGAT.
Apr 09, 2:02 PM Blinken gets emotional about Americans directly impacted by Israel-Hamas war
Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke emotionally Tuesday about the Americans directly impacted by the Israel-Hamas war, touching on both the hostages still held captive and the aid workers killed in Gaza.
At a news conference with his United Kingdom counterpart, David Cameron, Blinken was asked about Rachel Goldberg, whose 23-year-old son, American-Israeli Hersch Goldberg-Polin, was captured by Hamas. Goldberg is asserting that negotiators have failed.
“I know Rachel well. If I were sitting in her shoes, I’d undoubtably be feeling and saying the same thing,” Blinken said. “Because until the day that Hersch is home, we will not have succeeded in doing what we’re determined to do — which is to bring him and bring all the hostages back.”
Blinken also said he spoke with the family of Jacob Flickinger, a 33-year-old dual U.S.-Canadian citizen who was one of the seven World Central Kitchen aid workers killed by an Israeli strike in Gaza last week.
“I spoke over the weekend to Jacob’s father and to his partner. I heard directly from them,” he said. “Separately, Jacob leaves an 18-month-old son. Leaving everything else aside, just on a purely human level, my heart goes out to that family and to that little boy who now has no father.”
-ABC News’ Shannon Crawford
Apr 09, 1:52 PM Blinken says Israel hasn’t communicated date for Rafah operation, but he doesn’t ‘see anything imminent’
Asked about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s claim that Israel had set a date for its offensive in Rafah in southern Gaza, Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters Tuesday that the U.S. was in the dark. But Blinken added that he doesn’t think the operation is imminent.
“No, we do not have a date for any Rafah operation — at least one that’s been communicated to us by the Israelis,” Blinken said at a news conference with his United Kingdom counterpart, David Cameron. “On the contrary, what we have is an ongoing conversation with Israel about any Rafah operation. The president has been very clear about our concerns — our deep concerns about Israel’s ability to move civilians out of harm’s way.”
Blinken said he expected talks between Israeli and American officials on the matter would press on into next week and that he didn’t want to “prejudge” an outcome.
“I don’t anticipate any actions being taken before those talks,” he said. “I don’t see anything imminent.”
As other Biden administration officials have done, Blinken stressed that the administration’s evaluation of Israel’s efforts to meet dire humanitarian needs in Gaza would be ongoing, and that officials would be “looking at a number of critical things that need to happen in the coming days.”
Blinken said that list of items includes: opening a new portal for aid in northern Gaza; using Israel’s Port of Ashdod to bring in supplies on a regular basis; maximizing the flow of assistance from Jordan; repairing water lines throughout Gaza; and “putting in place a much more effective deconfliction mechanism with the humanitarian groups that are providing assistance.”
-ABC News’ Shannon Crawford
Apr 09, 12:23 PM McConnell criticizes Biden, claims he’s caving to political pressure on Israel
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is claiming President Joe Biden is caving to political pressure on Israel.
McConnell criticized Biden for expressing outrage at the deaths of the seven World Central Kitchen aid workers, who were killed in an Israeli strike in Gaza last week, after his administration had called it a tragic accident.
“[That] begs the question whether he’s also outraged at the way Israel’s cherished aggressors violate international law by turning hospitals and schools [in Gaza] into fighting positions,” McConnell said Tuesday. “Instead of welcoming Israel’s swift investigation and efforts to hold personnel accountable for their mistakes — accountability that has been sorely lacking during President Biden’s own administration — the president caved further to domestic political pressure. He indulged his radical base.”
-ABC News’ John Parkinson
Apr 09, 11:07 AM Harris to meet with American hostages’ families on Tuesday
Vice President Kamala Harris will meet with the families of American hostages being held by Hamas on Tuesday afternoon, according to the White House.
Harris will “express her continued support for these families and the hostages and will provide an update on our administration’s efforts to broker a deal to secure the release of all hostages and an immediate cease-fire,” a White House official said.
National security adviser Jake Sullivan met with the families on Monday.
The families told Sullivan they were appreciative of the Biden administration’s support, but also disappointed that a deal still hadn’t been reached to bring home the remaining hostages, which include eight American-Israeli citizens, the Hostages Families Forum Headquarters said.
The families said they told Sullivan they’re worried their loved ones will be the next to die if the negotiators don’t reach a deal soon.
-ABC News’ Justin Gomez
Apr 09, 10:54 AM Israel says IDF killed head of Hamas’ Emergency Bureau
The Israel Defense Forces said its fighter jets struck and killed Hatem Alramery, the head of Hamas’ Emergency Bureau, in Gaza on Monday night.
Hamas said civilians were also killed in the strike.
Apr 09, 10:48 AM Hamas says Israel is being ‘stubborn’ in negotiations
Hamas officials are accusing the Israelis of being “stubborn” during the latest round of negotiations in Cairo.
“Despite this,” Hamas officials said in a statement, Hamas leaders are “studying the submitted proposal … and will inform the mediators of its response once this is completed.”
CIA Director Bill Burns presented a new hostage/cease-fire proposal in Cairo this weekend, which included an initial release of 40 hostages in exchange for six-week cease-fire, a source familiar with the negotiations told ABC News.
Apr 09, 8:49 AM Harris to meet with American hostages’ families on Tuesday
Vice President Kamala Harris will meet with the families of American hostages being held by Hamas on Tuesday afternoon, according to the White House.
National security adviser Jake Sullivan met with the families on Monday.
Harris will “express her continued support for these families and the hostages and will provide an update on our administration’s efforts to broker a deal to secure the release of all hostages and an immediate cease-fire,” a White House official said.
Apr 08, 8:33 PM CIA director presented new hostage-release deal: Source
A source tells ABC News that CIA Director William J. Burns presented a new hostage-release/cease-fire proposal in Cairo last weekend to help broker a deal between Israel and Hamas.
The source confirmed the proposal included an initial release of 40 hostages in exchange for a six-week cease-fire.
Officially, the CIA did not provide a comment.
Apr 08, 3:52 PM Highest number of aid trucks enter Gaza since start of war
A total of 419 humanitarian aid trucks entered Gaza on Monday, marking the highest number of aid trucks to enter Gaza in one day since the start of the war, according to Israeli aid agency COGAT.
This beats the record that was set one day earlier, when 322 trucks entered Gaza.
Apr 08, 1:11 PM Netanyahu says Israel has set a date to enter Rafah
Israel has set a date for its forces to enter Rafah in southern Gaza, though the date has not been announced, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a brief video message in Hebrew on Monday.
“Today I received a detailed report on the [negotiation] talks in Cairo,” Netanyahu said. “We are working all the time to achieve our goals, primarily the release of all our hostages and achieving a complete victory over Hamas.”
“This victory requires entry into Rafah and the elimination of the terrorist battalions there,” he continued. “It will happen — there is a date.”
-ABC News’ Will Gretsky
Apr 08, 12:39 PM White House still reviewing IDF report on WCK strike, Kirby says
The White House is still reviewing the Israel Defense Force’s investigation of the Israeli strike that killed seven World Central Kitchen workers in Gaza, according to White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby.
Officials are “still working our way through it,” Kirby told reporters Monday. He didn’t provide any update on when that assessment will be done.
Kirby also said the postponed visit by the Israeli delegation to the White House to discuss the IDF’s presence in Rafah in southern Gaza will likely be delayed again.
“I’m not sure that it’s going to actually happen this week,” he said. “I think folks are really sort of circling around sometime next week.”
-ABC News’ Justin Gomez
Apr 07, 5:00 PM Egypt to dramatically increase number of aid trucks through Rafah crossing
Egypt has decided to increase the number of aid trucks entering the Gaza Strip through its Rafah border crossing to 300 trucks per day, Diaa Rashwan, the head of Egypt’s State Information Service, said Sunday.
The average number of trucks entering the crossing daily since the beginning of April has been 55, Egyptian officials said.
A total of 322 trucks entered North Gaza via Rafah during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, Rashwan said.
Since Oct. 7, 2023, more than 19,000 relief trucks have entered the Gaza Strip through Rafah, Rashwan said.
Rashwan also said 66,759 foreign passport holders and dual nationals exited Gaza into Egypt through Rafah since the war began. Some 3,764 wounded Palestinians and patients, along with 6,191 relatives have also left Gaza into Egypt, according to Rashwan.
-ABC News’ Ayat Al-Tawy
Apr 07, 3:48 PM Talks to resume Sunday in Egypt, Israeli source says
An Israeli delegation has arrived in Cairo, Egypt, for a new round of cease-fire and hostage release talks, an Israeli source confirmed Sunday to ABC News.
-ABC News Jordana Miller
Apr 07, 2:51 PM Troop withdrawal was to prepare for missions, including in Rafah, Israeli defense minister says
The withdrawal Sunday of Israeli troops from Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip was done to prepare forces for future missions, including in Rafah, according to Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
“The withdrawal of troops from Khan Younis was carried out once Hamas ceased to exist as a military framework in the city,” Gallant said Sunday. “Our forces left the area in order to prepare for their future missions, including their mission in Rafah.”
Speaking to reporters during a visit to the Israel Defense Forces’ southern command, Gallant said, “We saw examples of such missions in Shifaa, and [will see] such missions in the Rafah area. We will reach a point when Hamas no longer controls the Gaza Strip and does not function as a military framework that poses a threat to the citizens of the State of Israel.”
IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi also confirmed Sunday that “the war in Gaza continues” and Israel is “far from stopping.”
Senior Hamas officials are still hiding in the southern Gaza Strip area, Halevi said in a statement.
“We will get to them sooner or later,” Halevi said, adding that the IDF “will know how to return to fighting in the event of a truce as part of a hostage deal and that returning the hostages is a more urgent matter than other goals.”
Halevi also said Israel is preparing to defend itself from a possible strike from Iran, which has vowed to retaliate against an airstrike allegedly carried out by Israel in Syria last week that killed a top Iranian commander.
Halevi said the IDF is fully prepared to deal with Tehran “in attack and defense.”
-ABC News’ Jordana Miller
Apr 07, 11:31 AM Israeli reforms after strike on aid workers must be verified: White House
John Kirby, the White House National Security Council spokesperson, said Sunday that any reforms by Israel after its deadly strike on the World Central Kitchen humanitarian aid convoy in Gaza last week have to be verified to restore “confidence.”
Seven WCK workers were killed in the attack, which Israel has described as a “terrible mistake.” The Israeli government and military have taken some steps in response, including allowing more aid into Gaza and disciplining some officers involved in the WCK drone strike.
“We need to see change over time,” Kirby told ABC News “This Week” co-anchor Martha Raddatz. “So, these announcements, Martha, they’re very welcomed, and they’re good. And they are some of the things that the president asked specifically for Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu to do in terms of opening up additional crossings, allowing more trucks in, getting the deconfliction process in place.”
Kirby added, “But now we have to judge it over time, we have to see past the announcements and see if they actually meet these commitments over time, in a sustained and verifiable way, so that confidence can be restored not just between aid workers and [Israel’s forces], but between the people of Gaza and Israel.”
-ABC News’ Tal Axelrod
Apr 07, 10:31 AM Israel withdraws ground troops from southern Gaza Strip: IDF
Israel has withdrawn all ground troops from the southern Gaza Strip, after four straight months of fighting in the Khan Younis area, according to Israel Defense Forces sources.
A significant force led by Israel’s 162nd division and the Nahal Brigade continues to operate in the Gaza Strip, preserving the IDF’s freedom of action and its ability to conduct precise intelligence-based operations, according to the IDF sources.
-ABC News’ Dana Savir and Jordana Miller
Apr 07, 9:52 AM ‘War against humanity,’ WCK founder Jose Andres tells ABC News
Chef José Andrés claimed Israel is committing a “war against humanity itself” during an exclusive sit-down interview with “This Week” co-anchor Martha Raddatz, following the Israeli drone strike attack that killed seven of his World Central Kitchen workers.
Andrés, who founded the humanitarian organization in 2010, pushed back against the Israel Defense Forces’ findings on the WCK convoy strike, telling Raddatz, “Every time something happens, we cannot just be bringing Hamas into the equation.”
“This is not anymore about the seven men and women of World Central Kitchen that perished on this unfortunate event. This is happening for way too long. It’s been six months of targeting anything that seems moves,” Andrés said. “This doesn’t seem a war against terror. This doesn’t seem anymore a war about defending Israel. This really, at this point, seems it’s a war against humanity itself.”
The IDF findings released on Friday said there were three strikes on the convoy. It also said WCK workers hit in the first vehicle were hit again while moving to another vehicle in the convoy. The IDF confirmed that the aid group had coordinated their movements correctly with them in advance, but conceded that Israeli officials failed to update its brigade on the coordinated humanitarian operation.
Asked by Raddatz if he was satisfied with the report’s findings, Andrés thanked the IDF for conducting “such a quick investigation” though called for a more thorough, independent one.
“I will say something so complicated, the investigation should be much more deeper,” he said. “And I would say that the perpetrator cannot be investigating himself.”
Watch the full interview with Andrés on “This Week” Sunday morning on ABC.
-ABC News’ Meredith Deliso
Apr 07, 5:42 AM Israel ‘still unhealed’ 6 months into war, UK prime minister says
Six months into Israel’s war with Hamas, Israel’s “wounds” caused by the terror attack on Oct. 7 remain “unhealed,” U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said.
And Palestinians, including children, in the Gaza Strip need a humanitarian pause “immediately,” as well as a sustainable long-term cease-fire, Sunak said in a statement on Saturday.
“After six months of war in Gaza, the toll on civilians continues to grow — hunger, desperation, loss of life on an awful scale,” he said.
The U.K. continues to stand by Israel’s right to defend itself and defeat Hamas, he said, but he also called for the “terrible” conflict to end. The hostages must be released and aid must “be flooded in” to Gaza, he said.
“But the whole of the U.K. is shocked by the bloodshed, and appalled by the killing of brave British heroes who were bringing food to those in need,” Sunak said, referring to World Central Kitchen aid workers killed in Israeli military strikes.
Apr 06, 3:22 PM UN issues report on Al-Shifa Hospital, calling for cease-fire
The United Nations said it finally gained access to Gaza’s largest hospital, Al-Shifa, following a days-long Israeli raid and found what the head of the World Health Organization called “an empty shell,” with most buildings destroyed.
“The scale of devastation has left the facility completely non-functional, further reducing access to life-saving health care in Gaza. Restoring even minimal functionality in the short term seems implausible and will require substantial efforts to assess and clear the grounds for unexploded ordnance to ensure safety and accessibility for partners to bring in equipment and supplies,” WHO said in a statement.
The WHO said its efforts to reach the hospital “to medically evacuate patients and staff and conduct an assessment were denied, delayed or impeded 6 times between 25 March and 1 April.” According to the WHO at least 20 patients died due to lack of access to care.
The WHO said numerous shallow graves, and many partially buried bodies, were found just outside the emergency department after the Israeli siege.
“During the visit, WHO staff witnessed at least five bodies lying partially covered on the ground, exposed to the heat. The team reported a pungent smell of decomposing bodies engulfing the hospital compound. Safeguarding dignity, even in death, is an indispensable act of humanity,” according to the WHO.
The destruction of Shifa and the main hospital in southern Gaza – Nasser – “has broken the backbone of the already ailing health system,” the WHO said.
Apr 06, 3:15 PM UN marks ‘terrible milestone’ as Gaza faces ‘man-made famine’
The people of Gaza are facing the “immediate prospect of a shameful manmade famine,” United Nations Humanitarian Chief Martin Griffiths said, as he called for an end to the war.
“We have arrived at a terrible milestone,” Griffiths said in a statement marking six months of the Israel-Hamas war. He called the prospect of further escalation in Gaza “unconscionable.”
“Rarely has there been such global outrage at the toll of conflict, with seemingly so little done to end it and instead so much impunity,” Griffiths said.
-ABC News’ Nadine Shubailat
Apr 05, 4:21 PM Sullivan to meet with hostage families on Monday
National security adviser Jake Sullivan will meet families of hostages at the White House on Monday, which is one day after the war reaches the six-month mark, a senior administration official said.
President Joe Biden on Friday wrote letters to the president of Egypt and the emir of Qatar on the state of the talks, and he urged them to secure commitments from Hamas to agree to and abide by a deal, the official added.
“The president made clear that everything must be done to secure the release of hostages, including American citizens, now held by Hamas terrorists for nearly six months,” the senior administration official said.
“They discussed the importance of fully empowering Israeli negotiators to reach a deal, which in its first phase would secure the release of women, elderly, sick and wounded hostages,” the official said.
A new round of talks will take place this weekend in Cairo.
-ABC News’ Selina Wang
Apr 05, 3:49 PM Strike on World Central Kitchen workers was ‘a terrible chain of errors,’ IDF says
The Israeli Defense Forces issued a new statement in English calling the Israeli military’s strikes that killed seven World Central Kitchen aid workers on Monday a “tragedy.”
“It was a terrible chain of errors and it should never have happened,” the IDF said. “The IDF takes full responsibility for this regrettable loss of life.”
The IDF said earlier that the airstrike came after Israeli forces misidentified a WCK worker in the convoy as a Hamas gunman.
The IDF said WCK correctly coordinated its movements with the IDF prior to the night the workers were killed and that there was a “comprehensive plan” in place for the WCK workers’ movements on Monday.
-ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman
Apr 05, 10:05 AM US ‘carefully’ reviewing Israel’s report on WCK attack, Blinken says
U.S. officials are reviewing Israel’s report on the Israel military’s attack on World Central Kitchen aid workers “very carefully” and “will be discussing its conclusions with Israeli officials and with humanitarian organizations in the days to come,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters.
The Israel Defense Forces said its airstrike in Gaza that killed seven WCK aid workers on Monday came after Israeli forces misidentified a WCK worker in the convoy as a Hamas gunman.
Blinken said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “indicated” to President Joe Biden in their Thursday call “that Israel would be making further changes to its procedures to make sure that those who are providing assistance to people who so desperately need it in Gaza are protected.”
“It’s very important that Israel is taking full responsibility for this incident. It’s also important that it appears to be taking steps to hold those responsible accountable,” Blinken said. “Even more important is making sure that steps are taken going forward to ensure that something like this can never happen again.”
Blinken said the U.S. would be “looking to see not just what steps are being taken, but the results that follow” from potential changes to Israeli military operations.
-ABC News’ Chris Boccia
Apr 05, 9:43 AM Kirby: US must ‘start seeing meaningful changes’ from Israel
White House national security communications adviser John Kirby warned Friday that if the U.S. doesn’t “start seeing meaningful changes in the way Israel is prosecuting these [military] operations [in Gaza] and allowing for humanitarian assistance [in Gaza], and working toward a hostage deal and cease-fire, then we’re going to have to make changes in our Gaza policy.”
In his interview with ABC News’ Good Morning America, Kirby would not say if those changes in Gaza policy would mean conditioning U.S. aid.
But Kirby said President Joe Biden was very clear on his call Thursday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the U.S. must “see some changes.”
“We’ve got to see the humanitarian situation improve in Gaza, or otherwise we will have to try to take a look at our own policy and make decisions, and change the way that we’re supporting Israel,” Kirby said.
The U.S. still wants an immediate cease-fire in exchange for the release of the Israeli hostages and for getting more aid into Gaza, Kirby stressed. U.S. officials will be among the negotiators meeting this weekend in Cairo, he said.
Apr 05, 7:09 AM IDF says there were 3 strikes on WCK convoy, misidentified worker as Hamas gunman: ‘Misjudgment’
Israel Defense Forces released a statement Friday about the deadly airstrike in Gaza that killed seven World Central Kitchen aid workers on April 1.
The IDF said it misidentified a WCK worker in the convoy as a Hamas gunman.
“After the vehicles left the warehouse where the aid had been unloaded, one of the commanders mistakenly assumed that the gunmen were located inside the accompanying vehicles and that these were Hamas terrorists. The forces did not identify the vehicles in question as being associated with WCK,” the IDF said in a statement Friday.
“Following a misidentification by the forces, the forces targeted the three WCK vehicles based on the misclassification of the event and misidentification of the vehicles as having Hamas operatives inside them, with the resulting strike leading to the deaths of seven innocent humanitarian aid workers,” the statement continued.
The report said there were three strikes on the convoy. It also said WCK workers hit in the first vehicle were hit again while moving to another vehicle in the convoy.
“The investigation’s findings indicate that the incident should not have occurred. Those who approved the strike were convinced that they were targeting armed Hamas operatives and not WCK employees,” the IDF said. “The strike on the aid vehicles is a grave mistake stemming from a serious failure due to a mistaken identification, errors in decision-making, and an attack contrary to the Standard Operating Procedures.”
It said WCK correctly coordinated its movements with the IDF prior to the night the workers were killed and that there was a “comprehensive plan” in place for the WCK movement on April 1.
Apr 05, 5:16 AM ‘The real test is results’: Blinken reacts to Israel border crossing announcements
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was asked about the announcement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office’s announcement overnight that additional crossings into Gaza would be opened up for aid to enter.
He said the U.S. “welcomed” the development but that “the real test is results, and that’s what we’re looking to see in the coming days, the coming weeks.”
“Is the aid effectively reaching the people who need it throughout Gaza?” he said. “Do we have a much better system for deconfliction and coordination so that the humanitarian workers, the folks who are delivering the aid, can do it safely and securely? All of these things are critical.”
Blinken said these aims would be measured by clear metrics “like the number of trucks that are actually getting in on a sustained basis,” and the aid making it to those in need through the enclave — “including critically northern Gaza.”
He said the administration would be closely watching to see if other measurements were reversed, including “the fact that almost 100% of the population is acutely food insecure” as well as indicators of potential famine.
“So really, the proof is in the results,” he said.
-ABC News’ Shannon Crawford
Apr 04, 10:18 PM Partner of killed aid worker calls for answers: ‘We need the truth of what happened’
The partner of one of the seven World Central Kitchen aid workers killed in an Israeli air strike in Gaza this week is pleading for answers into the deadly attack.
“We need some answers,” Sandy Leclerc, the partner of Jacob Flickinger, a dual U.S.-Canadian citizen, told ABC News on Thursday, in her first television interview since the attack. “We need the truth of what happened because this situation is so unclear.”
“Please Mr. Biden, give us the truth of what happened,” she asked of President Joe Biden as she spoke with ABC News correspondent Phil Lipof.
Apr 04, 6:17 PM Israel to open another border crossing point after Biden-Netanyahu call: Official
Israel has decided to open another border crossing point — the Erez checkpoint — to allow humanitarian aid to cross into Gaza, according to an Israeli official.
The decision comes after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Joe Biden spoke by phone earlier Thursday.
“This increased aid will prevent a humanitarian crisis and is necessary to ensure the continuation of the fighting and to achieve the goals of the war,” the official said in a statement. “In light of this, Israel will allow the temporary delivery of humanitarian aid through Ashdod (port) and the Erez checkpoint and will increase the Jordanian aid coming in through Kerem Shalom.”
The U.S. military’s emergency pier system to get humanitarian aid into Gaza is still en route, Pentagon spokesperson Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters Thursday.
Ryder said that USAID continues to work with organizations to finalize a distribution plan for the aid once it’s transferred by the system — known as JLOTS — to shore. He also acknowledged that the deadly Israeli strike that killed seven humanitarian aid workers this week “certainly doesn’t make that job easier.”
He added that it “has not deterred us from continuing to work with groups and NGOs to come up with solutions.”
Ryder confirmed that Israel has committed to providing security on shore for the pier and port system.
“I know Israel’s investigating in terms of the strike on World Central Kitchen and we trust that Israel will provide the security that we need on the shore,” he said.
Ryder said the system is expected to be operational by the end of April or early May.
“We’re not changing the mission. We’ve been tasked to provide a temporary pier. Everything is on track on schedule at this point,” he said.
-ABC News’ Luis Martinez
Apr 04, 5:17 PM Child in Gaza ate grass to survive, UNICEF spokesperson says
A UNICEF spokesperson on the ground in Gaza told ABC News Live she is “shocked” by the conditions she has seen in hospitals, including malnourished children.
The spokesperson, Tess Ingram, said she recently visited Al-Aqsa Hospital in central Gaza and met a 7-year-old boy who was “eating grass.”
“He was so sick and in so much pain,” Ingram told ABC’s Terry Moran Thursday. “Thankfully, the doctors there think he will make a full recovery, but he is one of hundreds of children they said that they’re treating for malnutrition at the moment.”
“This has to be unacceptable, particularly when the aid is just a few kilometers away, as is the nutrition treatments that we have that can save children’s lives,” she added.
Asked how to protect those providing humanitarian resources in Gaza, following the Israeli airstrike on an aid convoy that killed seven World Central Kitchen aid workers earlier this week, Ingram said “it’s called international humanitarian law.”
“That is what we are calling on the parties to the conflict to respect,” she said.
-ABC News’ Luis Rodriguez, Isabella Meneses, Kiara Brantley-Jones and Robinson Perez
Apr 04, 4:15 PM World Central Kitchen attack is part of pattern, NGOs operating in Gaza say
Officials from humanitarian organizations operating in the Gaza Strip stressed to reporters Thursday that they believe the Israeli airstrikes that killed seven World Central Kitchen aid workers on Monday is part of a pattern.
They said other humanitarian workers were targeted and killed before, including doctors, nurses and journalists, but they were Palestinians.
“The condemnation for the World Central Kitchen incident is right and just, but where is it for every other humanitarian worker, for every other hospital that is destroyed, for every attempt to manipulate the media?” said Christopher Lockyear, secretary general of Doctors Without Borders / Médecins Sans Frontières. “What happened to [World Central Kitchen] is part of a pattern. … This is about impunity and total disregard of rules of war.”
Asked if the World Central Kitchen attack will significantly decrease humanitarian work in Gaza, Lockyear responded, “We remain present in Gaza, but we are assessing the risks on a daily basis.”
-ABC News’ Camilla Alcini and Ellie Kaufman
Apr 04, 4:11 PM US warns of policy changes if Israel doesn’t take action to better protect civilians
President Joe Biden spoke Thursday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, their first conversation since seven aid workers from World Central Kitchen were killed in Israeli airstrikes in Gaza.
Biden had strongly condemned the incident, which Israel’s said was unintentional, saying he was “outraged.”
Biden further expressed to Netanyahu that the strikes on the food relief workers and the overall humanitarian crisis in Gaza are “unacceptable,” according to a White House readout of the call.
For the first time, the White House hinted the president may consider a change in U.S. policy with respect to Gaza if Israel doesn’t take action to better protect civilians and aid workers.
“He made clear the need for Israel to announce and implement a series of specific, concrete, and measurable steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering, and the safety of aid workers,” the readout read. “He made clear that U.S. policy with respect to Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israel’s immediate action on these steps.”
