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(NEW YORK) — Scott Paul, the associate director for peace and security at Oxfam America, spoke with ABC News Live about the crisis in Gaza and the necessary steps to protect civilians and aid workers.

Paul believes that the tragic deaths of seven employees of World Central Kitchen this week are a collective failure on everyone’s part, despite the fact that over 200 aid workers have been killed in the past six months after not being able to muster enough support to prevent such incidents from happening.

He stated that Gaza is the most dangerous place for aid workers and that it’s the deadliest conflict we have seen in quite some time, all because it appears to be a free fire zone, where there are no restrictions on the use of military force.

Paul sat down with ABC News Live to suggest a complete ceasefire in Gaza, along with malnutrition relief and medical interventions.

ABC NEWS LIVE: Joining us now for more is associate director for peace and security at Oxfam, Scott Paul. Scott, thanks for taking the time. Let’s dive right into this. Today, you called the killing of the World Central Kitchen workers systematic. What have you seen that’s led you to that?

SCOTT PAUL: What’s happened this week is tragic, but it is not anomalous. I think it’s a collective failure on all of our part that the outrage we have mustered for the seven people working for World Central Kitchen who are killed this week, we haven’t managed to muster for the more than 200 aid workers who were killed over the past six months.

I say it’s systematic because it’s part of an ongoing pattern. We know what the problems are. We know what the solutions are, and nothing is changing. And if we expect anything to change without a marked shift in policy on the part of the Israeli authorities, we should be prepared to be disappointed.

ABC NEWS LIVE: Well, let’s dig into that a little bit. The UN spokesperson says that they see a blatant disregard for international humanitarian law in Gaza. Do you think this amounts to war crimes?

PAUL: We’ve seen war crimes on the part of the Israeli authorities and, of course, on the part of Hamas going back to October the 7th. But yes, this is a particular kind of attack that we’ve seen, carried out on, if not daily, then certainly weekly basis. This is why now Gaza is the most deadly place for aid workers, not just now, but it’s the most deadly conflict that we have recorded for quite some time.

And the reason is because it appears to be a free-fire zone. There are processes that aid workers typically set up with militaries to make sure that the militaries know where aid workers are, to make sure they know that they’ll be safe. Those processes have failed. But let’s also remember that those processes are meant to be a last resort, a failsafe. The first resort is that militaries need to understand where the military targets are and only fire on those military targets.

ABC NEWS LIVE: Yeah. And when we get statistics like this that children are surviving trying to eat grass, 245 calories a day, now, in light of this, this latest attack, less aid will get in. You know, I hear what you’re saying, and I hear what everybody, you know, the world doesn’t want this to happen. But now what has to happen right now in Gaza for all of this to stop?

PAUL: There needs to be a ceasefire. Full stop. There is no alternative to a ceasefire. And the reason is because aid workers cannot safely provide for the basic needs of 2.2 million people in Gaza. While this level of hostilities continues. I should add, by the way, it’s not just humanitarian assistance that needs to flood the zone. It’s commercial activity, it’s basic services that have been cut off since October 8th because humanitarian assistance is never by itself going to meet the needs of 2.2 million people.

But, as a starting point, there needs to be. And this isn’t just an expression of our values and hope that people are safe, because we do hope the people are safe, but it’s simply not going to be possible to scale up, to manage what is likely already a famine in the north, and prevent what is likely to even, will be a larger famine in the middle and southern parts of Gaza. That we’re on track for at the moment.

ABC NEWS LIVE: And Chef [Jose] Andres has said that he was in contact with the IDF, and all of their movements were being relayed to the IDF. In lieu of a ceasefire, which, you know, people are trying to get their heads around right now. What actually has to happen to protect the aid workers who are still bringing that crucial humanitarian assistance to the people there in Gaza?

PAUL: Well, there is no in lieu of a ceasefire. I’ll accept the premise just for a moment to say, there is more that can be done to protect aid workers. For a start, the basic rules of engagement that the Israeli military is following has to change.

There can’t be an assumption that when you don’t, when you don’t know why someone is moving around, that they’re targetable or they’re considered military. It can’t just be left up to the process by which we transmit our coordinates to protect people, because even if we do that, it still means that the vast majority of Palestinians who are civilians, who are not combatants, who are not fighting against Israel, will still be vulnerable.

You need to flood the zone not just with food, but with malnutrition interventions, medical interventions. And that is not possible so long as this level of violence is present and so long as this level of obstruction is present.

ABC NEWS LIVE: Yeah. So people have to realize past the point of just food. There’s so much other aid that needs to get in there. Scott Paul, thanks so much for taking the time to talk to us. Appreciate it.

PAUL: Thank you very much.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — Since the outbreak of the Israeli-Gaza conflict, the United Nations agency representing Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has provided aid to Gazan civilians facing dire humanitarian conditions.

But the agency’s future is now in jeopardy after several nations, including the United States, suspended funding after the Israeli government published evidence allegedly showing that 16 UNRWA members were involved in the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attack.

Despite calls for the group to be dissolved, UNRWA officials and humanitarian groups have pleaded for help, contending that aid for the Palestinians caught in the crossfire is needed now more than ever as the humanitarian crisis deepens.

“People’s lives are on the line because they would have no other alternative,” Adam Bouloukos, a UNRWA director, told ABC News.

UNRWA has been in operation since 1949 and has provided education, health care and other basic services in Gaza, the West Bank, and parts of Lebanon, Jordan and Syria.

Since the Israeli-Hamas war began, agency leaders said they have been working around the clock to provide aid and shelter to the growing number of Gazan refugees.

“The humanitarian crisis in Gaza is like nothing we in the UN have seen,” Bouloukos said.

However, UNRWA’s integrity and future have been on the line since January after Israel Defense Forces initially accused 12 UNRWA employees of being directly involved with the Oct. 7 attacks.

Israeli officials say they now have evidence implicating four more UNRWA workers.

A dossier released by the IDF alleged six UNRWA staff members crossed into Israel on that day and four UNRWA workers were involved in the taking of hostages.UNRWA terminated the accused employees after the allegations were made public and an independent investigation by the UN’s Office of Internal Oversight is ongoing.

Israeli officials have released some evidence of the alleged terrorism by the accused members, including a video allegedly showing an UNRWA employee helping to move Oct. 7 victim Jonathan Samerano’s lifeless body into the trunk of an UNRWA vehicle before it was driven into Gaza.

UNRWA said it has no way of verifying the video and has urged Israeli officials to hand over all evidence to investigators.

Ayelet Samerano, Jonathan’s mother, told ABC News she is outraged that someone working for a UN body could be implicated in the murder and abduction of her son.

“It’s unbelievable. That’s a worldwide organization that should take care of people and should take care the human rights … and now it’s the opposite,” she said.

The U.S. and several Western allies paused funding to the agency following the Israeli report in January.

However, Israel’s accusations of ties between UNRWA and Hamas go beyond the October 7 allegations against a number of individuals.

The IDF has published several videos saying they show UNRWA food supplies were found in Hamas tunnels. In one video, they claim Hamas weaponry was stored in UNRWA sacks.

The IDF alleged Hamas tunnels ran underneath UNRWA properties, including the agency’s headquarters in Gaza.

UNRWA said it moved out of its Gaza headquarters weeks before those deep underground tunnels were discovered, and empty UNRWA sacks are often recycled and used in Gaza to store other goods.

In several statements, UNRWA has rejected any suggestion that it’s been aiding Hamas and accused Israel of attempting to demonize the agency.

The accusations against the agency have sparked protests from Israelis who have been blocking the route for aid trucks into Gaza.

Israeli officials have also publicly called for the group to be dissolved.

Despite the financial cuts and the opposition, UNRWA has continued to provide its services in Gaza, with many other humanitarian groups backing it.

“You know that many NGOs use UNRWA’s facilities to store their aid. They rely on UNRWA to deliver the aid that they procure,” Dr. Thaer Ahmad, of the American-based NGO MedGlobal, said in a statement.

Ahmad also refuted the allegations that the agency is helping Hamas.

“If you want to say that there have been allegations made against individual employees, I think that’s something that needs to be looked into. That’s very serious. But if you’re talking about the institution itself, I don’t think that anybody that has any sort of knowledge about what they do and how long they’ve existed for would make a similar accusation,” he said.

He and others noted that UNRWA has suffered major losses during the conflict.

More than 170 UNRWA workers have been killed since the war began, with one being killed by an Israeli air strike on a food distribution center last month, according to the agency.

The agency said dozens of its schools and its Gaza headquarters have been struck by the Israeli military.

Canada and the European Union have recently resumed funding to UNRWA and the agency has agreed to allow EU officials to help screen employees for possible extremist links.

However Congress has voted to block U.S. funding for at least a year, meaning UNRWA’s entire operation is in peril.

“They provide something like 30 to 40% of our funding,” Bouloukos said of the U.S. “It looks like we have funding through the end of April, and that’s very, very tight.”

Humanitarian groups have warned of a full-scale famine in Gaza if nothing is done.

Ahmad stressed that it would be impossible to replace UNRWA if it were dissolved.

“No one, not even if all of the NGOs combined came together, would be able to replicate what they’re doing on the ground,” he said.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — An Israeli attack in Gaza on a convoy of aid workers from World Central Kitchen, the relief organization providing desperately needed food to Palestinians, has generated outrage from the group’s founder, celebrity chef José Andrés and condemnation from around the world.

Israel has apologized for the strikes, which killed seven members of the group late Monday, saying it was an accident in “the fog of war.” They have promised a thorough investigation of the incident, which Andrés said was deliberate.

Nearly six months after Hamas terrorists invaded Israel on Oct. 7, the Israeli military continues its bombardment of the neighboring Gaza Strip. About 1,200 people were killed in the initial terrorist attack, according to Israeli officials, while Israel’s bombing of Gaza has killed more than 32,000 people, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza.

Here’s how the news is developing:

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.”

-ABC News’ Dana Savir

Apr 04, 6:07 PM
WCK airstrike won’t affect emergency pier mission: Pentagon

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.”

Click here to read more.

-ABC News’ Molly Nagle and Alexandra Hutzler

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — An Israeli attack in Gaza on a convoy of aid workers from World Central Kitchen, the relief organization providing desperately needed food to Palestinians, has generated outrage from the group’s founder, celebrity chef José Andrés and condemnation from around the world.

Israel has apologized for the strikes, which killed seven members of the group late Monday, saying it was an accident in “the fog of war.” They have promised a thorough investigation of the incident, which Andrés said was deliberate.

Nearly six months after Hamas terrorists invaded Israel on Oct. 7, the Israeli military continues its bombardment of the neighboring Gaza Strip. About 1,200 people were killed in the initial terrorist attack, according to Israeli officials, while Israel’s bombing of Gaza has killed more than 32,000 people, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza.

Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:

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.”

-ABC News’ Dana Savir

Apr 04, 6:07 PM
WCK airstrike won’t affect emergency pier mission: Pentagon

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.”

Click here to read more.

-ABC News’ Molly Nagle and Alexandra Hutzler

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(TEL-AVIV, Israel) — An Israeli attack in Gaza on a convoy of aid workers from World Central Kitchen, the relief organization providing desperately needed food to Palestinians, has generated outrage from the group’s founder, celebrity chef José Andrés and condemnation from around the world.

Israel has apologized for the strikes, which killed seven members of the group late Monday, saying it was an accident in “the fog of war.” They have promised a thorough investigation of the incident, which Andrés said was deliberate.

Nearly six months after Hamas terrorists invaded Israel on Oct. 7, the Israeli military continues its bombardment of the neighboring Gaza Strip. About 1,200 people were killed in the initial terrorist attack, according to Israeli officials, while Israel’s bombing of Gaza has killed more than 32,000 people, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza.

Here’s how the news is developing:

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.”

Click here to read more.

-ABC News’ Molly Nagle and Alexandra Hutzler

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — The death toll from Wednesday’s powerful 7.4 magnitude earthquake in Taiwan climbed to 10 people on Thursday, with hundreds more stranded or trapped, Taiwanese officials said.

At least 11 people were missing and some 705 people were in need of rescue, authorities said.

A total of 688 people, up from the previous tally of 611, were stranded near the Silks Palace Hotel and Tien Hsiang Youth Activity Center, officials said in a Thursday night local time update. The rescue team, which had set up a post there, will provide necessary aid in case of emergencies and find ways to get them out.

Ten Silks Palace Hotel employees were still stranded at the Jiuqu Cave area, but that total was down from 30 employees and 24 tourists earlier Thursday.

Six students at Tung Hua University also remained stranded, officials said.

The 7.4 magnitude earthquake hit just before 8 a.m. Wednesday, with an epicenter near Hualien, a city on the eastern coast. More than 100 aftershocks, including one with a preliminary magnitude of 6.5, also near Hualien, have struck the island, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Search and rescue personnel had reached some of those stranded at the Silks Palace Hotel early Thursday, including one who appeared to have broken legs, Minister of the Interior Lin Yu-chang said in a social media post.

Aerial cameras spotted others in a minibus on Taiwan Highway 8, a route that cuts through the area.

“Now, we are also asking the Meteorological Agency to make the latest weather forecast to see if the weather allows the aircrew to carry relevant personnel and supplies into the Tianxiang area,” Lin said. “As long as the weather allows, we will take every minute to rescue the people trapped and in need of rescue.”

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — The death toll from Wednesday’s powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake in Taiwan climbed on Thursday to 10 people, with dozens more missing, Taiwanese officials said.

At least 38 people were missing and some 660 people were trapped by rubble, authorities said in a 4:30 p.m. update.

The list of people who were trapped included 611 who were found on Thursday to be stranded in the mountainous area near the Silks Place Taroko hotel and Tien Hsiang Youth Activity Center.

A rescue helicopter had landed nearby, officials said.

Search-and-rescue personnel have reached seven of those missing at the hotel, including one who appeared to have broken legs, Minister of the Interior Lin Yu-chang said in a social media post.

Aerial cameras spotted others in a minibus on Taiwan Highway 8, a route that cuts through the area.

“Now, we are also asking the Meteorological Agency to make the latest weather forecast to see if the weather allows the aircrew to carry relevant personnel and supplies into the Tianxiang area,” Lin said. “As long as the weather allows, we will take every minute to rescue the people trapped and in need of rescue.”

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(LONDON) — The foreign-aid organization World Central Kitchen called on Thursday for an independent and international investigation into the killing of seven of its workers in an Israel airstrike in Gaza.

“An independent investigation is the only way to determine the truth of what happened, ensure transparency and accountability for those responsible, and prevent future attacks on humanitarian aid workers,” the organization said in a statement.

The seven aid workers were killed Monday night when their three-vehicle convoy, including two armored cars, was struck after leaving the Deir al-Balah warehouse in central Gaza, where the aid workers had helped unload more than 100 tons of humanitarian aid brought to Gaza on the maritime route, according to the statement from WCK, a humanitarian organization dedicated to delivering food aid.

The organization, which was founded by chef Jose Andres, described the airstrike that killed the workers as a “military attack that involved multiple strikes and targeted three WCK vehicles.”

“All three vehicles were carrying civilians; they were marked as WCK vehicles; and their movements were in full compliance with Israeli authorities, who were aware of their itinerary, route, and humanitarian mission,” the non-governmental organization said Thursday.

WCK said it had asked the U.S., Australian, Canadian and Polish governments to “join us in demanding an independent, third-party investigation into these attacks, including whether they were carried out intentionally or otherwise violated international law.”

A senior adviser for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said claims that the Israeli strike was intentional were “absurd.”

“The last thing we would want in the world is to endanger civilian lives,” Ophir Falk, the adviser, told ABC News on Wednesday.

WCK said Thursday that it had asked Israel to preserve all material — including documents and communications — that may be relevant to the strike.

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(LONDON) — Botswana’s President Mokgweetsi Masisi has offered to export 20,000 elephants to Germany in a conservation spat with Berlin following comments from Germany’s environment ministry calling on tougher rules on the import of hunting trophies.

“20,000 wild elephants for Germany. It’s not a joke,” Masisi said speaking to German newspaper Bild. “It is very easy to sit in Berlin and have an opinion about our affairs in Botswana. We are paying the price for preserving these animals for the world.”

Maisisi was responding to comments from German Environment Minister and Green Party politician, Steffi Lemke, calling on the southern African nation to restrict the movement of hunting trophies due to poaching concerns.

Germany — one of the European Union’s largest importers of hunting trophies — proposed introducing stricter limits on the imports of hunting trophies, citing concerns over poaching.

The move was met with scorn from Botswana, with Maisisi saying Germans should try living “together with the animals, in the way you are trying to tell us to.” The president said Botswana does more “than any country in the world” in wildlife protection.

Botswana is home “one of the last strongholds for African elephants,” with over 130,000 elephants living within the borders of the southern African nation, according to the African Wildlife Foundation.

Botswana is home to the largest elephant population in the African continent, and the world.

However, Botswana has said it is tackling an “overpopulation” of elephants — particularly in the north of the nation — with high population of the giants causing an increase in human-wildlife conflict, inflicting damage on vegetation and in some cases trampling residents.

Trophy hunting — which refers to the hunting of animals for sport for “trophies” such as horns, tusks, heads and antlers — has been a divisive topic in Africa, with conservationists arguing that the activity is exacerbating the decline of wildlife populations that are already facing the threat of decline due to poaching. However Botswana, and other conservationists, argue the activity can help revive animal populations, helping to fund communities, deter poachers and protect biodiversity.

In 2014, Botswana instituted a ban on trophy hunting following a decline in local elephant populations. However, the ban was reinstated in 2019 following pressure from local communities, with the southern African nation now issuing hunting quotas for elephants and other species.

Maisisi said restricting the import of trophies will harm conservation efforts by causing a spike in poaching, leading to loss of wildlife habitats and decrease income for Botswana, leading to poverty.

Last month, Botswana’s Environment and Tourism minister, Dumezweni Mthimkhulu, said trophy hunting was a mechanism of “controlling elephants” as opposed to culling them, providing a source of income for Botswana.

In an interview with Sky News, Mthimkhulu suggested sending 10,000 elephants to London’s Hyde Park, so the British could have a “taste of living alongside them,” following the introduction of the Hunting Trophies (Import Prohibition) Bill.

Following the conservation spat, Botswana’s Ministry of Environment announced Mthimkhulu has urged his German counterpart to consider an “in-depth consultation and assessment” on the impact of the proposed ban on importation of Hunting trophies with European Union Members, urging them to visit Botswana to “appreciate the country’s conservation strides.”

“Minister Mthimkhulu reiterated that hunting is a significant wildlife conservation measure widely used in Southern Africa and other parts of East Africa, that generates income and used to combat poaching, support community development, habitat Protection and adapting to the effects of climate change,” the ministry said.

ABC News has reached out to Botswana’s Ministry of Environment and Tourism for comment.

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(NEW YORK) — The bodies of six of the seven World Central Kitchen aid workers killed in an Israeli military missile strike this week left Gaza on Wednesday, hospital officials said, as the fallout from the deadly incident continues to grow.

The bodies were taken by ambulance from the Abu Youssef Al-Najjar Hospital morgue in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, hospital officials said, beginning the long journeys home to their respective countries around the globe.

“On this day, as we bid farewell to martyrs of foreign nationalities — three martyrs of the humanitarian duty of British nationality, one American, one Australian, and one Polish — this is a sign that the weapons provided by the British and American governments in support of the Israeli occupation army in weapons, money and equipment, do not differentiate between Palestinians and other nationalities,” said Marwan Al-Hams, director of the Abu Youssef Al-Najjar Hospital.

Saifeddin Issam Ayad Abutaha, 25, the seventh aid worker killed in the strike, was laid to rest in Gaza on Tuesday, according to reports. 

The aid workers, ranging in age from 25 to 57, were killed Monday night when their three-vehicle convoy, including two armored cars, was hit after leaving the Deir al-Balah warehouse in central Gaza, where the aid workers had helped unload more than 100 tons of humanitarian aid brought to Gaza on the maritime route, according to the statement from WCK, a humanitarian organization dedicated to delivering food aid.

Herzi Halevi, chief of the Israel Defense Forces, said in a video statement Tuesday that the airstrike that killed the aid workers was a “grave mistake” and was “not carried out with the intention of harming the WCK aid workers.”

“It was a mistake that followed a misidentification at night, during a war, in very complex conditions. It shouldn’t have happened,” Halevi said. “This incident was a grave mistake. Israel is at war with Hamas, not with the people of Gaza. We are sorry for the unintentional harm to the members of WCK.”

Halevi’s statement echoed those of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli military and government officials, who promised that Israel would conduct a thorough and transparent investigation of the missile strike.

In addition to Abutaha, the WCK aid workers killed in the strike were identified as Damian Sobol, 35, of Poland; Jacob Flickinger, 33, a duel U.S.-Canada citizen; and Lalzawmi “Zomi” Frankcom, 43, of Australia. Also killed were three members of the WCK security team, John Chapman, 57, James (Jim) Henderson, 33, and James Kirby, 47, all of Great Britain.

In a statement identifying the seven aid workers, WCK CEO Erin Gore described them as “the heroes of World Central Kitchen.”

“These seven beautiful souls were killed by the IDF in a strike as they were returning from a full day’s mission,” Gore said. “Their smiles, laughter, and voices are forever embedded in our memories. And we have countless memories of them giving their best selves to the world. We are reeling from our loss, the world’s loss.”

President Joe Biden said in a statement Tuesday that he is “outraged” and “heartbroken” by the deaths of the aid workers.

“They were providing food to hungry civilians in the middle of a war,” Biden said. “They were brave and selfless. Their deaths are a tragedy.”

Ophir Falk, a foreign policy advisor to Netanyahu, called allegations that the aid workers were deliberately targeted “absurd.”

“The last thing we would want in the world is to endanger civilian lives. We seek to minimize civilian casualties,” Falk said. “The last thing we would want is for humanitarian aid workers to be, to be harmed. And we go to great lengths to minimize civilian casualties. This war is a complex war. The incident happened in the middle of the night. It should not have happened. And we’ll do everything possible so that it doesn’t happen again.”

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