Region

GAZA  STRIP, Palestinian Territories — Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu admitted on Tuesday that Israel’s military had “unintentionally” killed seven aid workers with a US charity in an air strike in Gaza.

World Central Kitchen had earlier said a “targeted attack” by Israeli forces on Monday had killed the group, which included Australian, British, Palestinian, Polish and US-Canadian employees.

Britain summoned the Israeli ambassador to London to hear its “unequivocal condemnation” of the strike, with three of those killed British, and demanded “full accountability”.

Netanyahu said it was a “tragic case” that would be investigated “right to the end”.

AFPTV footage showed the roof of a vehicle emblazoned with the group’s logo had been punctured, alongside the mangled wreck of other vehicles.

The White House was “heartbroken”, US National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said on X, stressing that aid workers “must be protected”.

And US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington urged “a swift, thorough and impartial investigation to understand exactly what happened”.

Israeli strikes continued throughout the territory with the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza saying 71 people were killed between Monday and Tuesday.

The Israeli military on Monday ended a two-week operation around Gaza’s largest hospital, Al Shifa, which left the complex in ruins and killed hundreds.

And regional tensions have surged after Israel was blamed for a deadly air strike on the Iranian consulate in the Syrian capital Damascus on Monday that killed seven Revolutionary Guards, two of them generals.

Tehran — which backs Hamas and other groups fighting Israel and its allies across the region — has vowed revenge against its long-time foe.

‘Catastrophic’ hunger 

Netanyahu has promised to push on with the war to destroy Hamas despite nightly street protests at home demanding he step down.

He has also faced some pushback from staunch ally the United States.

The White House said in a statement on Monday it had once again expressed concerns to Israel about a planned offensive in Gaza’s crowded southern city of Rafah, which is crowded with 1.5 million people, most of them displaced by the war.

Israel pledged to “take these concerns into account”.

Israel’s retaliatory campaign has killed at least 32,916 people, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza.

After ending its two-week operation at Al Shifa Hospital, the Israeli military said its troops had killed 200 enemy fighters in the battle.

A spokesman for Gaza’s civil defence agency said 300 people had been killed in and around the hospital.

Military spokesman rear admiral Daniel Hagari said there were “more terrorists in the hospital than patients or medical staff”, with 900 suspects detained, of whom over 500 were “definitely” fighters.

Hamas has repeatedly denied operating from hospitals.

Gaza has been under Israeli blockade since the start of the war, with the United Nations accusing Israel of preventing humanitarian aid deliveries and warning of “catastrophic” hunger.

The World Bank on Tuesday released an interim assessment that said the war had caused about $18.5 billion worth of damage to Gaza’s critical infrastructure.

That was equivalent to 97 percent of the combined economic output of the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank in 2022, it said.

‘Heartbroken’ by deaths 

US-based WCK has been working to unload food brought to Gaza by sea from Cyprus.

The group’s CEO Erin Gore said: “I am heartbroken and appalled that we — World Central Kitchen and the world — lost beautiful lives today because of a targeted attack by the [Israeli army].”

The aid group said the team was travelling in a “de-conflicted” area in a convoy of “two armoured cars branded with the WCK logo” and another vehicle at the time of the strike.

“Despite coordinating movements with the [Israeli army], the convoy was hit as it was leaving the Deir Al Balah warehouse, where the team had unloaded more than 100 tons of humanitarian food aid brought to Gaza on the maritime route,” it said.

Cyprus said on Tuesday that the ship, the Jennifer, was returning to the Mediterranean island with around 240 tons of aid that had not been unloaded.

The Israeli military said it was “conducting a thorough review at the highest levels to understand the circumstances of this tragic incident”, adding it had been “working closely with WCK”.

The UN condemned what it said was Israel’s “disregard” for humanitarian law.

Iran vows revenge 

The Gaza war has ramped up tension between Israel and bitter foe Iran, as well as the groups it backs including Hizbollah in Lebanon.

Violence has also flared in Iraq, Syria and Yemen.

Monday’s strike in Damascus killed 13, including seven Iranians and six Syrians, according to reports on Iranian state TV.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said seven of its members were killed, including two commanders of the Quds Force — its foreign operations arm.

Israel has not commented but Iran has blamed its foe for the attack, with supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei saying the “evil Zionist regime will be punished” for the “crime”.

The UN Security Council was to discuss the strike later Tuesday at a meeting requested by Russia, an ally of Syria’s government.

ISTANBUL — Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s opponents may have celebrated on Sunday’s local election hammering for the Turkish president as if they’d unseated him, but the “reis” (chief) still has at least four years of power ahead.

It was a rare knockback for 70-year-old Erdogan, in power for 21 years and confirmed in the post last May with over 52 per cent of the vote — albeit after fighting his first-ever run-off.

The president personally poured energy into the municipal election campaign in the ultimately vain hope of re-taking Istanbul, leaving voters to identify his party’s failures with Erdogan himself.

The Islamic conservative Justice and Development Party (AKP) controls none of Turkey’s major cities and has even lost provinces and municipalities once thought impregnable to the secular, centre-left Republican People’s Party (CHP).

Nevertheless, “as a seasoned politician, [Erdogan] will adjust”, said Oxford University political scientist Dimitar Bechev, noting that “co-existence with mayors is already tried and tested”.

Some observers had prematurely predicted his political exit when AKP lost the Istanbul and Ankara mayorships in 2019.

Erdogan himself said on Sunday evening that “we will work with the mayors who have won” and called on his own camp to engage in “self-criticism”.

The president’s calm speech to a crowd of shaken supporters surprised observers, as he straightforwardly accepted the opposition surge, calling it a “turning point” for the AKP.

He later swatted aside speculation that he could call early elections to cling on to his presidential mandate for a little longer.

“Turkey has more than four years’ worth of treasure ahead of it. We cannot waste this period with discussions that will waste the time of the nation and the country,” Erdogan said.

‘Bet on nationalism’

With 265 seats, AKP remains by far the strongest force in the 598-seat parliament, and its alliance with far-right party MHP brings its seats in parliament to 314.

There are limits to the majority’s power: it lacks the numbers to revise the constitution to allow Erdogan to stand for president again in 2028.

Neither would there be much interest in Erdogan’s parliamentary allies dissolving the chamber for fresh elections as the leader “has lost the ability to attract voters from outside his ranks”, said Ahmet Insel, a Turkish political scientist living in exile. For now, Erdogan is likely to play the international statesman, he predicted, with an upcoming visit to Joe Biden’s White House on May 9.

“He’ll be able to keep things afloat until 2028, but beyond that it’s compromised... there’ll probably be a transfer of power” to the opposition, said Bayram Balci of Paris’ Sciences Po university, adding that “without Erdogan, there’s not much to the AKP”.

On the other hand, in a volatile region between Europe and the Middle East, “there’s a lot that could happen with Syria, Iraq or Russia” over the coming four years, “including on the internal security front”.

Erdogan was already talking tough late Sunday, warning that he “will not allow a ‘Terroristan’ on (Turkey’s) southern borders,” Insel pointed out.

The president may “bet on nationalism and the vital battle against terrorism, which the CHP will find hard to oppose”, he added.

Turkish warplanes were on Monday bombing positions of the Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK) in northern Iraq, a group branded as terrorists by Ankara, Turkey’s western allies and now Baghdad.

GAZA STRIP, Palestinian Territories — Heavy clashes and explosions shook Gaza, witnesses said on Saturday, as the Red Crescent reported several people killed during the latest chaotic aid distribution in the territory's north, where famine looms.

Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved a new round of talks on a Gaza truce between Israel and Hamas militants, after a binding UN Security Council resolution last Monday demanded an "immediate ceasefire".

A subsequent ruling by the world's top court ordered Israel to ensure aid reaches civilians, whose desperation was again laid bare on Saturday.

The Palestine Red Crescent said five people were killed and dozens injured by gunfire and a stampede during an aid delivery in Gaza's north.

Eyewitnesses told AFP that Gazans overseeing the aid delivery shot in the air, but Israeli troops in the area also opened fire and some moving trucks hit people trying to get the food.

The Israeli military told AFP it "has no record of the incident described".

Fighting has not eased — including around the territory's largest hospital — and the latest toll from the health ministry in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip said at least 82 more people were killed in the previous 24 hours.

The Hamas press office reported more than 50 Israeli air strikes over the past day, with "civilian houses" targeted across the coastal territory, as well as tank fire in the Gaza City area and southern Gaza.

Israel's military on Saturday said it had struck dozens of targets, including militants and their compounds in central and northern Gaza.

The war began with Hamas October 7 sudden attack that resulted in about 1,160 deaths in Israel, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.

Israel's retaliatory campaign against Hamas has killed at least 32,705 people, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry.

Netanyahu's office said new talks on a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release will take place in Doha and Cairo "in the coming days... with guidelines for moving forward in the negotiations".

Talks had appeared deadlocked despite a push by the United States — which provides billions of dollars in military aid to Israel — and fellow mediators Egypt and Qatar to secure a truce for the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, now more than halfway through.

In its ruling, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague said it had accepted South Africa’s argument that the further deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Gaza required Israel to do more, with famine now “setting in”.

Saturday’s aid delivery chaos is the latest incident of its kind in north Gaza, where a UN-backed report has projected famine by May unless urgent intervention occurs.

The report released on March 19 warned that half of Gazans are feeling “catastrophic” hunger.

The Israeli defence ministry body responsible for Palestinian civil affairs, COGAT, said the assessment contained inaccuracies and questionable sources.

Israel’s allies, and the UN, have blamed Israel for limitations on the aid flow but COGAT accused United Nations agencies of being unable to handle the quantity of assistance arriving daily.

With limited ground access, several nations have begun aid airdrops, and a ship was expected to depart on Saturday from Cyprus with the second cargo of food assistance.

ICJ rulings are binding but it has little means of enforcement.

‘A deep sadness’

On Saturday Israel’s military said it was continuing operations around Gaza’s largest hospital Al Shifa for a 13th day.

Most of the Palestinian territory’s hospitals are not functioning and its health system is “barely surviving,” the United Nations humanitarian agency, OCHA, said.

Troops first raided Al Shifa in November, but the army says Palestinian fighters have since returned. The army said it “continued to eliminate” militants and locate weapons in the area, adding to a toll of around 200 it earlier reported killed in the Al Shifa operation.

On Saturday Hamas said that in addition to the ongoing Al Shifa operation, Israeli troops continued “aggression” against Nasser Hospital and “besiege” Al Amal hospital in the same city.

The army said troops continue to operate in the Al Amal area of Khan Yunis.

Gaza’s Christian minority are marking Easter weekend, but in Jerusalem fewer pilgrims were visible.

“There is a deep sadness you can feel in the air,” John Timmons, of Australia, said on Good Friday, when Christians in the walled Old City follow the path they believe Christ took to his crucifixion.

CAIRO — Talks aimed at brokering a truce between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip will resume in Cairo on Sunday, Egyptian outlet Al Qahera reported, days after prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave the green light for fresh negotiations.

"An Egyptian security source confirmed to Al Qahera News the resumption of negotiations on a truce between Israel and Hamas in the Egyptian capital Cairo tomorrow," an anchor for the channel, which is close to country's intelligence services, said in a broadcast on Saturday.

Egypt, Qatar and key Israeli ally the United States have mediated previous rounds of negotiations, but a workable agreement has remained elusive.

The mediators had hoped to secure a ceasefire before the start of Ramadan, but progress stalled and the Muslim holy month is more than half over.

On Friday, Netanyahu approved a new round of ceasefire negotiations to take place in Doha and Cairo.

His office said the Israeli premier had spoken to Mossad chief David Barnea about the talks, but did not elaborate on whether Barnea would be travelling to either city.

Reports of the new talks in Cairo came as protesters in Israel’s biggest city blocked a major road Saturday following demonstrations calling for the release of hostages held in Gaza and criticising the government’s handling of the war.

Militants seized about 250 hostages during the October 7 attacks on Israel that sparked the war. Of those, Israel believes 130 remain in Gaza, including 33 who are presumed dead.

A key element of the ceasefire negotiations has been an agreement on releasing the hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held in Israel.

France’s top diplomat was also in Cairo on Saturday for meetings with his Egyptian and Jordanian counterparts, with all three calling for an “immediate and permanent ceasefire” in Gaza and the release of all the hostages.

French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne also said his government would put forward a draft resolution at the UN Security Council setting out a “political” settlement of the war that would include “all the criteria for a two-state solution” to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

On Monday, the Security Council adopted a resolution demanding an “immediate ceasefire” in Gaza, and a UN court ordered Israel on Thursday to “ensure urgent humanitarian assistance” reaches civilians there, though neither development appears to have changed the situation on the ground.

Hamas October 7 sudden resulted in about 1,160 deaths in Israel, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.

Israel’s retaliatory campaign against Hamas in the Gaza Strip has killed at least 32,705 people, most of them women and children, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry.

ISTANBUL — Turkey’s main opposition party on Sunday claimed victory in Istanbul and Ankara with its rising political star emerging from local elections as a serious challenger to veteran President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Partial results from across the nation of 85 million people showed major advances for the Republican People’s Party (CHP) at the expense of Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) that has dominated politics for more than two decades.

Erdogan, 70, had launched an all-out personal campaign to win back Istanbul, the economic powerhouse where he was once mayor. But rampant inflation and economic crisis have hit confidence in the ruling party.

With 96 per cent of ballot boxes opened, Istanbul’s CHP mayor Ekrem Imamoglu said he had seen off the challenge of Erdogan’s candidate by more than one million votes. “We have won the election,” he declared.

Large crowds filled the square outside the Istanbul city headquarters waving Turkish flags and lighting torches to celebrate the result.

After casting his vote, Imamoglu emerged to applause and chants of “Everything will be fine”, the slogan he used when he first took the city hall from the AKP in 2019.

The 52-year-old is increasingly seen as the biggest rival to Erdogan’s AKP ahead of the next presidential election in 2028.

In Ankara, the CHP mayor Mansur Yavas claimed victory in front of large crowds of supporters, declaring “the elections are over, we will continue to serve Ankara”.

“Those who have been ignored have sent a clear message to those who rule this country,” he added.

Yavas led with 58.6 per cent of the vote to 33.5 per cent for his AKP opponent, with 46.4 per cent of ballot boxes opened.

The CHP was also ahead in Izmir, Turkey’s third city, and Antalya where party supporters flooded onto the streets. Even some AKP stronghold towns were at risk of being lost, results indicated.

“Voters have chosen to change the face of Turkey,” said CHP chairman Ozgur Ozel as the results emerged. “They want to open the door to a new political climate in our country.”

More than a mayor’s race 

Although Erdogan dominated the campaign his personal role did not help overcome the widespread concerns over the country’s economy.

“Everyone is worried about the day-to-day,” said 43-year-old Istanbul inhabitant Guler Kaya as she voted.

“The crisis is swallowing up the middle class, we have had to change all our habits,” she said. “If Erdogan wins, it will get even worse”.

Erdogan has been president since 2014 and won a new term in May last year. He had called Istanbul the national “treasure” when launching his campaign to retake the city.

“This election will mark the beginning of a new era for our country,” Erdogan said after casting his vote in Istanbul on Sunday.

While opposition parties had been fractured ahead of the poll, analysts predicted a stormy political future for the AKP and its allies.

Berk Esen, an academic at Sabanci University, said that the CHP had pulled off “the biggest election defeat of Erdogan’s career”.

“Despite an uneven playing field, government candidates have lost even in conservative strongholds. This is the CHP’s best results since the 1977 elections,” Esen said on his social media account.

Unrest in southeast 

“Whoever wins Istanbul, wins Turkey,” Erman Bakirci, a pollster from Konda Research and Consultancy, recalled Erdogan once saying.

The election was held with the country reeling from an inflation rate of 67 per cent and having seen the lira currency slide from 19 to a dollar to 32 to a dollar in one year.

Armed clashes were reported in Turkey’s Kurdish-majority southeast, leaving one dead and 12 wounded, a local official told AFP.

The pro-Kurdish DEM Party said it had identified irregularities “in almost all the Kurdish provinces”, in particular through suspicious cases of proxy voting.

Observers from France were refused access to a polling station in the region, according to the lawyers’ association MLSA.

Some 61 million people were eligible to vote for mayors across Turkey’s 81 provinces, as well as provincial council members and other local officials.