British aid workers killed in Israeli air strike named

A third British victim of the Israeli missile strike on an aid convoy has been named as James Kirby.

The victim was named by the BBC after John Chapman and James Henderson were also named as two of the British aid workers killed in Gaza.

The three were killed along with five other aid workers when a car owned by World Central Kitchen, a humanitarian group, was struck in Gaza by missiles fired from an Israeli drone.

Chapman, 57, is believed to have served in the Royal Marines and was described as an “excellent man” by his family.

Henderson, 33, was also reported locally to have served in the Royal Marines, working in a number of security jobs before volunteering with World Central Kitchen.

A close friend said that Henderson’s family had been informed of his death this morning. “Everybody is gutted, he was a lovely lad,” they added. “He hadn’t been out there long, only a couple of weeks.”

Damian Soból, a Polish citizen, has also been named as one of the seven aid workers who died in the attack. Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, described the strike as “unintentional”.

08:29 PM BST

That’s all for today

Thank you for following our coverage of the Israeli drone strike that killed seven aid workers, and the international condemnation that followed. We’ll be back tomorrow with the latest from the Middle East. This live blog is now closed.

08:20 PM BST

‘He was a dedicated young man’

Said Issam Abu Taha, a Palestinian aid worker, was reportedly identified by relatives as another victim of the attack.

His brother, Ahmed Abu Taha, said he had worked for World Central Kitchen as a driver since the start of the year, describing him as a “dedicated young man”.

08:16 PM BST

Australian aid worker was ‘outstanding human being’

Anthony Albanese, the Australian prime minister, paid tribute to Lalwami “Zomi” Frankcom, a 43-year-old aid worker killed in the air strike.

“We mourn this fine Australian who has a record of helping out her fellow citizens, whether it be internationally or whether it be through the support that she gave during the bushfires that occurred during that Black Summer,” he told the Australian Broadcasting Corp.

“She is someone who clearly was concerned about her fellow humanity.”

Relatives praised Frankcom, from Melbourne, as an “outstanding human being... killed doing the work she loves, delivering food to the people of Gaza.”

08:03 PM BST

Israeli president apologises for aid worker deaths

Isaac Herzog, the Israeli president, apologised for the air strike that killed seven aid workers in Gaza.

Herzog said he spoke to  José Andrés, the US-based celebrity chef who heads the World Central Kitchen organisation, to express his “deep sorrow and sincere apologies over the tragic loss of life”.

07:46 PM BST

Aid worker deaths are ‘intolerable’, says Sunak

Rishi Sunak told Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, that he was “appalled” by the deaths of three British citizens in an Israeli air strike when they spoke this evening.

He added that too many humanitarian workers had lost their lives in the war between Israel and Hamas, and said the situation in Gaza was “increasingly intolerable”.

A Downing Street spokesman said:

07:27 PM BST

White House: Israel should finish investigation in days

John Kirby suggested that Israel should be able to complete its investigation into the air strike within days.

“They have noted publicly that that they were responsible here, so that’s another that’s another reason to suspect that it shouldn’t need to be a long drawn out weeks long investigation,” he said.

“I think something like this could probably resolve be resolved in a matter of days.”

07:22 PM BST

Kirby: IDF should be protecting aid workers

The Israel Defence Force (IDF) should be a “protective force” that takes care of aid workers in Gaza, John Kirby said.

He told reporters at the White House: “As they conduct operations in our urban highly populated environment they have a concomitant obligation to take care of the civilians that are living there and the civilians, quite frankly, that are being moved about by the combat operations.”

07:02 PM BST

‘We still need to make sure Israel can defend itself’

John Kirby defended sending military aid to Israel following the aid worker deaths, telling reporters: “They’re still under a viable threat of Hamas.”

He continued: “We’re still going to make sure that they can defend themselves and Oct 7 doesn’t happen again.

“That doesn’t mean that it’s a free pass that that we that we look the other way when something like this happens, or that we aren’t, and haven’t since the beginning of the conflict, urged the Israelis to be more precise.”

06:55 PM BST

White House: Aid worker deaths are part of larger problem

John Kirby, White House national security communications adviser, said the US is “outraged” at the deaths of the seven humanitarian aid workers, which he said was “emblematic of a larger problem”.

He said Israel had already completed a preliminary investigation into the incident and that they expected a “broader investigation to be conducted and to be done so in a swift and comprehensive manner”.

Mr Kirby continued: “More than 200 aid workers have been killed in this conflict. making it one of the worst for aid workers in recent history. This incident is emblematic of a larger problem.

“Beyond the strike what is clear is that the IDF [Israel Defence Force] must do much more to improve de-confliction processes so that civilians and humanitarian aid workers are protected.”

06:51 PM BST

Biden ‘heartbroken’ by aid worker deaths

Joe Biden is “heartbroken” by the death of seven aid workers and has called the head of their group to “share his deepest condolences”.

He told José Andrés, the founder of World Central Kitchen, that he was “grieving” and would make clear to Israel that “humanitarian aid workers must be protected”, the White House press secretary said.

06:47 PM BST

Foreign Office summoned Israeli ambassador after air strike

The Foreign Office has summoned the Israeli ambassador after three Britons were among seven aid workers killed in an Israeli strike on Gaza, The Telegraph can reveal.

Tzipi Hotovely, Israel’s ambassador to the UK, was called in to meet Andrew Mitchell, the foreign minister, in the Foreign Office on Tuesday after the news broke.

The meeting was around half an hour long. The UK message is understood to have been similar to the comments issued publicly about the importance of an urgent investigation.

Taking the unusual step of summoning the Israeli ambassador is being seen within Whitehall as a reflection of how seriously the UK is taking the incident.

Lord Cameron, the Foreign Secretary, has also cut short his planned Easter break and will return to the Foreign Office today before travelling to a Nato summit in Brussels which starts tomorrow.

06:36 PM BST

Aid workers were ‘heroes’, says Blinken

Antony Blinken, the US Secretary of State, issued a “firm condemnation” of the strike that killed seven World Central Kitchen aid workers, whom he described as “heroes”,

“They run into the fire, not away from it,” Blinken added. “They show the best of what humanity has to offer when the going really gets tough. They have to be protected.”

05:47 PM BST

Killed aid worker had ‘zest for life’

Tributes have poured in for Lalzawmi Frankcom, an Australian aid worker who was among those killed in Gaza, US Correspondent Susie Coen writes.

Josh Phelps, who used to work for World Central Kitchen, said Ms Frankcom, known as Zomi, “loved to laugh” and “have a good time.”

“She had a zest for life, a heart for service,” he told the Washington Post.

Mr Phelps previously messaged Zomi to ask how she was getting on in Gaza. She said: “I’m getting used to the drones but the booms still make my tummy go funny”.

05:13 PM BST

Pictured: Aid workers’ car gutted by air strike

05:06 PM BST

Cameron: Israel needs to provide an explanation

Israel must “make major changes” to protect aid workers after three British civilians were killed in an Israeli air strike, Lord Cameron said.

The Foreign Secretary wrote on social media: “Israel must urgently explain how this happened & make major changes to ensure safety of aid workers on the ground.”

He said earlier today that Israel needed to “immediately investigate and provide a full, transparent explanation of what happened”.

05:00 PM BST

Mitchell meets with Israeli ambassador

Andrew Mitchell, a junior foreign minister, asked the Israeli ambassador for a “transparent investigation” and “full accountability” when they met today.

“I requested a quick and transparent investigation, shared with the international community, and full accountability,” he said in a statement following the meeting.

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

“We need to see an immediate humanitarian pause, to get aid in and the hostages out, then progress towards a sustainable ceasefire.”

04:40 PM BST

Watch: Three British aid workers killed in Israeli air strike

04:39 PM BST

Canada: There must be accountability for deaths

Canada’s foreign minister said there must be “full accountability” after a US-Canadian citizen was among the aid workers killed in an Israeli air strike.

Mélanie Joly said that she was “horrified” by the deaths, adding: “We condemn these strikes & call for a full investigation.”

She wrote on social media: “[Canada] expects full accountability for these killings & we will convey this to the Israeli government directly.

“Strikes on humanitarian personnel is absolutely unacceptable. International humanitarian law must be respected.”

04:28 PM BST

Three Britons killed in Gaza air strike

Three British civilians are among the seven aid workers killed in an Israeli strike on Gaza, according to the charity they worked for.

World Central Kitchen confirmed seven of its workers were killed on Monday night when their car was struck by a missile in Deir al-Balah, Gaza. In addition to the Britons, aid workers from Poland, Australia and Palestine were killed along with a dual US and Canadian citizen.

Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, admitted Tuesday that its armed forces “unintentionally” killed seven aid workers in an airstrike in Gaza.

“Unfortunately, in the last day there was a tragic case of our forces unintentionally hitting innocent people in the Gaza Strip,” he said.

“It happens in war, we will investigate it right to the end... We are in contact with the governments, and we will do everything so that this thing does not happen again.”

Rishi Sunak said earlier today, when it was thought that one Briton had been killed, that “questions need to be answered” by Israel over the incident.

The Prime Minister said he was “shocked and saddened” by the news.

03:46 PM BST

Starmer: Deaths of British aid workers are outrageous

Sir Keir Starmer said the deaths of three British nationals are “outrageous and unacceptable”, adding: “It is not the first time aid workers have come under fire in Israel’s campaign”.

The Labour leader said in a statement:

03:39 PM BST

Blinken: Israel must do more to protect civilians

Israel needs to do more to protect civilian lives, Antony Blinken has said, after seven aid workers were killed in an Israeli air strike.

The US Secretary of State said “a swift, thorough and impartial investigation” must take place to “understand exactly what happened”.

He added: “What we have impressed upon the Israelis is to do more to protect innocent civilian lives, be they innocent Palestinian children or aid workers.”

03:25 PM BST

Polish aid worker named

The Polish aid worker killed during an Israeli air strike has been named as Damian Soból.

Radek Sikorski, Poland’s foreign minister, paid tribute to him as a “brave compatriot” who had helped Ukrainian refugees in his hometown of Przemysl, following the Russian invasion in early 2022.

02:45 PM BST

Pictured: Al Shifa before and after destruction

02:23 PM BST

Israel operating ‘all over Middle East’ against foes, defence chief says

Israel is operating all over the Middle East to exact a price from those who threaten it, the country’s defence minister said on Tuesday, though he did not refer directly to a suspected Israeli strike against a group of Iranian officers in Damascus.

“We are currently in a multi-front war – we see evidence of this every day, including over the last few days,” Yoav Gallant, Israel’s defence minister, told a parliamentary committee, according to a statement from his office.

“We operate everywhere, every day, in order to prevent our enemies from gaining strength and in order to make it clear to anyone who threatens us – all over the Middle East – that the price for such action will be a big one.”

02:06 PM BST

Watch: Israeli flag burned by Iranian protestors

01:54 PM BST

Fitch removes Israel from ‘rating watch negative’

Fitch Ratings maintained Israel’s “A+” sovereign credit rating on Tuesday and removed the country from “rating watch negative” despite concerns over Israel’s war against Palestinian Islamist group Hamas in Gaza.

At the outset of the conflict in October, Fitch placed Israel’s sovereign debt rating on negative watch and warned a major escalation of the conflict could result in a downgrade.

However, the risk of a ratings downgrade, similar to that dealt by Moody’s in February, has not been completely removed; Fitch ratings’ outlook for Israel remains negative to “reflect the combination of uncertainties around the fiscal trajectory and the war’s duration and intensity, including the risk of regional escalation”.

01:40 PM BST

Netanyahu admits ‘unintentional’ Israel strike killed Gaza aid workers

Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, admitted Tuesday that its armed forces “unintentionally” killed seven aid workers in an air strike in Gaza.

“Unfortunately, in the last day there was a tragic case of our forces unintentionally hitting innocent people in the Gaza Strip,” he said as he left hospital in Jerusalem after a hernia operation.

“It happens in war, we will investigate it right to the end... We are in contact with the governments, and we will do everything so that this thing does not happen again.”

01:25 PM BST

Israel’s Netanyahu released from hospital after hernia surgery

Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, was released from hospital on Tuesday after hernia surgery and said he was recovering.

In a video released by his office, Mr Netanyahu thanked his doctors for performing “successful hernia surgery”.

Last year, Mr Netanyahu underwent surgery to have a pacemaker implanted.

01:05 PM BST

Sanchez wants Spain to recognise Palestinian statehood this year

Spain’s left-wing government is determined for parliament to recognise Palestinian statehood by July this year, Pedro Sanchez, the country’s prime minister said during a visit to Jordan, Spanish media reported on Tuesday.

“We have to think seriously about doing it this semester,” Mr Sanchez told a group of Spanish journalists accompanying him on a tour of three Middle East countries, the media reported.

Mr Sanchez had said on March 9 he would propose that parliament vote in favour of this recognition by the end of the current legislature, that is, by mid-2027.

Then on March 22, Spain and three other nations - Ireland, Malta and Slovenia - issued a joint statement on the sidelines of a European Union leaders’ summit in Brussels saying they were “ready to recognise Palestine” once the conditions for the setting up of a state were met.

12:40 PM BST

Israel says new Gaza truce proposal drafted in Cairo talks

Israeli negotiators will return from talks in Cairo on Tuesday after a new proposal for a Gaza truce and hostage release was drafted, Israel’s prime minister’s office said.

“As part of the talks, with the helpful mediation of Egypt, the mediators formulated an up-to-date proposal to be addressed by Hamas,” it said.

It added that Israel expects the mediators to push Hamas harder in order to reach a deal.

12:14 PM BST

Cyprus president says corridor from Cyprus to Gaza will continue to operate

Cyprus’s president on Tuesday called for an immediate probe into the killing of seven aid workers in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza, saying the US-based World Central Kitchen charity, of which the workers were members, was a “crucial partner” in its initiative to get aid to the enclave by sea.

“We need to double down on efforts to get aid to Gaza,” Nikos Christodoulides said, after a meeting with Roberta Metsola, the president of the European Parliament.

11:57 AM BST

David Cameron demands Israel give ‘full explanation’ over killing of British aid worker

David Cameron has demanded a “full explanation” from Israel over the killing of a British aid worker in Gaza.

Lord Cameron, the Foreign Secretary, said on Tuesday that news of seven aid workers, including a British national, being killed by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza was “deeply distressing”.

“British Nationals are reported to have been killed, we are urgently working to verify this information and will provide full support to their families,” Lord Cameron said on X, formerly Twitter.

“It is essential that humanitarian workers are protected and able to carry out their work. We have called on Israel to immediately investigate and provide a full, transparent explanation of what happened.”

11:46 AM BST

Israel says ‘suspicious aerial target’ fell inside neighbouring Jordan

A “suspicious aerial target” fell within Jordanian territory close to the border with Israel on Tuesday, the Israeli military said after local media reported the crash of a drone in an open area.

A military statement said the incident took place northeast of Israel’s Red Sea port of Eilat, which has come under repeated drone and missile attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels during the almost six-month-old Gaza war.

On Monday, the military said that a building in an Eilat naval base had been struck by an object launched from the east of Israel - suggesting that the provenance was Iraq, where an Iranian-backed militia said it had carried out an attack.

11:28 AM BST

Israel expresses ‘sincere sorrow’ over aid worker deaths

The Israeli military has expressed “sincere sorrow” over the deaths of seven aid workers killed in a strike on Gaza while stopping short of accepting responsibility.

Rear admiral Daniel Hagari, an IDF spokesman, on Tuesday said that officials are reviewing the incident at the highest levels. He says an independent investigation will be launched that “will help us reduce the risk of such an event from occurring again.”

The strike hit an aid convoy, killing six international workers from the World Central Kitchen and their Palestinian driver. They were delivering food aid that had been brought in by sea.

11:12 AM BST

British aid worker among seven killed in Gaza air strike

A British volunteer is among seven people who have been killed by an Israeli air strike in Gaza.

The World Central Kitchen (WCK) workers died on Monday night when their car was struck by a missile in Deir al-Balah, the NGO said.

The workers were Polish, Australian, Palestinian and included a dual US and Canadian citizen.

They were travelling in two armoured cars emblazoned with the WCK logo and another vehicle, the aid organisation said.

The convoy was hit as it was leaving its Deir al-Balah warehouse, after unloading more than 100 tons of humanitarian food aid brought to Gaza by sea, according to WCK.

“This is not only an attack against WCK, this is an attack on humanitarian organisations showing up in the most dire of situations where food is being used as a weapon of war,” said Erin Gore, chief executive of World Central Kitchen.

“This is unforgivable.”

11:05 AM BST

Destruction of Gaza’s Shifa Hospital rips heart out of health system, WHO says

The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday that the destruction of Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza amounted to “ripping the heart out” of the health system of the war-torn Palestinian enclave.

“Destroying Al Shifa means ripping the heart out of the health system,” said WHO spokesperson Margaret Harris .

“It was the place people go to for the kind of care that a really good health system provides, that we in all our societies expect to have should we be in need.”

10:22 AM BST

Blinken to hold talks in Paris after Gaza NGO attack

Antony Blinken, US secretary of state, will hold talks in Paris on Tuesday after a Washington-based NGO was struck by an Israeli airstrike in central Gaza, adding pressure on the United States to toughen its stance in the war between Israel and Hamas.

Mr Blinken arrived in the French capital before heading to Brussels for a Nato ministerial meeting on Wednesday.

He is scheduled to visit, with Sebastien Lecornu, the defence minister, a weapons’ factory providing howitzer canons to Ukraine, before meeting with Stephane Sejourne, the foreign minister, and with Emmanuel Macron, the French president.

Macron has in recent weeks adopted a more hawkish stance towards Russia, amid fears that Ukraine is losing ground and support in the war, notably as the United States struggles to approve a multi-billion dollar military aid package for Kyiv.

10:07 AM BST

Spain’s PM urges Israel to clarify circumstances of airstrike on aid workers

Pedro Sanchez, the Spanish prime minister, said on Tuesday that Israel must clarify the circumstances surrounding the deaths of seven people working for Spanish celebrity chef Jose Andres’ World Central Kitchen in an Israeli airstrike in central Gaza.

09:40 AM BST

Warsaw wants ‘explanations’ from Israel after Polish aid worker killed

Radoslaw Sikorski, the Polish foreign minister, said on Tuesday that he had asked the Israeli ambassador to Poland for “urgent explanations” after an Israeli strike killed seven aid workers in Gaza, including a Polish citizen.

“I personally asked the Israeli ambassador Yacov Livne for urgent explanations,” Mr Sikorski said on social media, adding that he had offered “condolences to the family of our brave volunteer” and saying Poland would open its own inquiry into the aid worker’s death.

09:24 AM BST

EU’s Borrell condemns Israeli strike on aid workers and demands probe

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on Tuesday condemned an Israeli strike that killed seven aid workers from World Central Kitchen in Gaza, and called for an inquiry.

“I condemn the attack and urge an investigation. Despite all the demands to protect civilians and humanitarian workers, we see new innocent casualties,” Borrell wrote on X.

09:14 AM BST

Pictured: Aftermath of strike on aid workers

08:57 AM BST

China condemns Israeli strike on Iranian consular annex in Syria

China on Tuesday said it condemned Israeli air strikes that destroyed the consular annex at close ally Iran’s embassy in Damascus.

Israel said it would not comment on Monday’s attack, but Iranian officials vowed a stiff response, with fears of even further violence between Israel and Iran’s allies amid the Gaza war.

A spokesman for the foreign ministry, Wang Wenbin, said: “China condemns the attack.”

“The security of diplomatic institutions cannot be violated, and Syria’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity should be respected,” he said.

08:40 AM BST

Poland expresses condolences to family of Polish volunteer killed in Gaza

Poland’s foreign ministry expressed condolences on Tuesday to the family of a Polish volunteer who was killed while working for celebrity chef Jose Andres’ World Central Kitchen providing aid in Gaza.

“We extend our deepest condolences to the family of the volunteer who was providing aid to the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip,” the ministry said on X, formerly Twitter.

“Poland objects to the disregard for international humanitarian law and the protection of civilians, including humanitarian workers.”

08:17 AM BST

Iran president says Israel’s Syria attack ‘will not go unanswered’

Ebrahim Raisi, Iran’s president, on Tuesday condemned Israel’s attack on his country’s consular annex in Damascus, saying the “cowardly crime will not go unanswered”.

“After repeated defeats and failures against the faith and will of the Resistance Front fighters, the Zionist regime has put blind assassinations on its agenda in the struggle to save itself,” Mr Raisi said on his office’s website.

08:09 AM BST

Pictured: Australian aid worker killed in Israeli air strike