Israel changes accounts over killing of Gaza aid workers
GAZA CITY
The Israeli army has admitted it mistakenly identified a convoy of aid workers as a threat, following the release of a video that showed their ambulances were clearly marked and had flashing lights when Israeli forces opened fire.
According to Jonathan Whittall, head of the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the bodies of 15 aid workers — including eight medics from the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) — were later discovered in a mass grave at the scene.
Initially, the Israeli military said its investigation determined the vehicles had no headlights or emergency signals, making them appear "suspicious."
However, verified footage contradicted this, showing ambulances and a fire truck with visible red lights.
In a briefing, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) explained that the convoy had arrived in Rafah’s Tel Sultan neighborhood shortly after a Hamas police vehicle had passed through.
An IDF surveillance drone had tracked the ambulances and alerted ground troops. The IDF claimed the soldiers opened fire, mistaking the medics for a threat, especially after the convoy stopped and people exited the vehicles quickly, causing confusion.
The army later acknowledged its earlier claim about the ambulances having no lights was incorrect and based solely on soldiers’ accounts.
The newly surfaced video prompted the military to launch a new investigation into the incident.
‘Humanitarian islands’
In Gaza, at least 46 people were killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza over the last 24 hours, the auhtorities said on April 6.
The Israeli Defense and Security Forum (IDSF) has proposed creating "displaced persons' cities" throughout Gaza, overseen by a temporary administrative body tied to Israel, local media said.
This “humanitarian islands,” under the control of Israel's National Security Council, would be financed by international donors and organizations, effectively placing Gaza under full Israeli control without officially annexing it.
Aid to these cities would be strictly monitored and distributed using biometric data, with Hamas and U.N.’s Palestinian agency excluded from any role.
The report came after Israeli troops deployed to a newly established security corridor across southern Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week announced the new Morag Corridor and suggested it would cut off the southern city of Rafah, which Israel had ordered evacuated, from the rest of Gaza.
In the meantime, two British members of parliament who were refused entry to Israel and briefly detained are traveling back to London, a British minister said yesterday.
Yuan Yang and Abtisam Mohamed, Labour MPs from the U.K., were denied entry into Israel after flying in from London as part of a parliamentary delegation. According to Sky News, which cited the Israeli Immigration Ministry, they were barred over suspicions that they intended to "document the activities of security forces and promote anti-Israel sentiment."
Netanyahu, Trump to meet again on April 7
Netanyahu is set to travel to Washington to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump, discussing issues including tariffs, Israel- Türkiye relations and the “Iranian threat," his office has said.
The meeting will take place on April 7, a White House official said on condition of anonymity.
Netanyahu will meet Trump to "discuss tariffs, efforts to bring back Israeli hostages [from Gaza], Israel-Türkiye relations, the Iranian threat and the fight against the International Criminal Court," which has accused the Israeli leader of war crimes, his office said.
Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron said he would hold a trilateral summit on the situation in Gaza with Egypt President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Jordan's King Abdullah II.
The French president is expected in Cairo on April 6 evening, where he will hold talks with his Egyptian counterpart on April 7 morning.
The trilateral summit will be held the same day in the Egyptian capital, according to Macron's office.
On April 8, Macron will also visit the Egyptian port of El-Arish, 50 kilometers west of the Gaza Strip, to meet humanitarian and security workers and demonstrate his "constant mobilisation in favor of a ceasefire.”
