Shia armed groups forming part of the self-proclaimed Islamic Resistance in Iraq took credit for an attack on oil refineries in the northern Israeli city of Haifa Saturday.
“Today at dawn, Saturday, April 6, 2024, the Mujahideen of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq attacked oil refineries in Haifa in our occupied territories with drones,” read a statement posted to Telegram.
The Iraqi armed groups said they "will continue to destroy enemy strongholds during operations to resist the occupation and support our people in the Gaza Strip, as well as in response to the Zionist massacre of unarmed Palestinian civilians."
Observers expect the Iranian-backed Axis of Resistance to step up attacks in the Middle East after The U.S-backed Israeli strike hit Iran's consulate in Syria this week. Seven Iranian military advisors were killed in the attack, including two generals.
Armed groups largely paused attacks on US installations in the Middle East earlier this year after a strike on a base near the Syria-Jordan border killed 3 American Army soldiers. Iran reportedly urged the groups to stand down after the provocative incident, but the bombing of the Iranian consulate marks a re-escalation of tensions.
Public opinion throughout the region has been inflamed since Israel began its military operation in the Gaza Strip last October, which has killed more than 33,000.
Iran has warned it will launch a retaliatory attack against Israel imminently, with analysts suggesting the country may strike within Israeli territory.
US, Israeli Military on High Alert for Iran to Strike Back at Israel - Reports
The United States and Israel have put their armed forces on high alert amid reports of a possible retaliation from Iran for Israel's airstrike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus, the New York Times reported, citing sources.
On Friday, the US broadcaster CBS reported citing officials that the United States and Israel believe Iran is about to retaliate for the Israeli bombing of the Iranian consulate in Syria.
Israel canceled leave for combat units, recalled some reservists to air defense units and blocked GPS signals, the NYT report said.
Two unnamed Iranian officials said Iran placed all its armed forces on full high alert, adding that a decision was made that Iran must give a response directly to the Damascus attack to create deterrence.
On Monday, Israel carried out an airstrike on the consular annex of the Iranian Embassy in Damascus, destroying the building. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said seven of its members had been killed in the attack, including two commanders. On Tuesday, the Syrian Health Ministry said that the attack had also killed four Syrians and injured 13 more.
Ketua PP Muhammadiyah Haedar Nashir bersama Pimpinan PP di Kantor Cik Di Tiro Yogya, hari Sabtu, 06/04/2024..
Sumber :
Istimewa
PP Muhammadiyah telah menetapkan 1 Syawal 1445 Hijriah atau Idulfitri 2024 akan jatuh pada Rabu, 10 April 2024. Meski demikian, tapi PP Muhammadiyah menghormati jika ada perbedaan Idul Fitri 1445 H.
"(Penetapan itu) tanpa dissenting opinion (di Muhammadiyah) dan tidak perlu dibawa ke MK," papar Ketua Umum PP Muhammadiyah, Haedar Nashir kepada awak media, pada hari Sabtu, 06/04/2024, di Gedung PP Muhammadiyah, Yogyakarta.
Pihaknya juga mengajak semua pihak menghormati keputusan yang akan diumumkan pemerintah terkait 1 Syawal 1445 Hijiriah. Namun, ia memperkirakan, pemerintah akan menetapkan 1 Syawal 1445 Hijriah jatuh pada 10 April 2024
"(Masyarakat) jangan bingung puasa (Muhammadiyah dengan yang ditetapkan pemerintah) beda, tetapi Idulfitri-nya sama," kata dia.
Haedar pun mengatakan harapannya, dengan rendah hati, umat Islam bukan hanya di indonesia tetapi seluruh dunia mengarah pada kalender Islam tunggal Global. Dengan demikian, kalender tersebut berlaku di semua negara.
"Kami percaya, kalau berbasis dasar Islam dan ilmu pengetahuan paling berkepastian, ke depan akan ada satu kalender Islam tunggal global," kata dia.
Dalam kesempatan itu, Haedar juga menyampaikan, Ramadhan bisa meningkatkan kualitas kepribadian yang bertakwa, kesalehan pribadi, keluarga, bangsa dan negara, bahkan antarbangsa.
Dalam usaha untuk menyatukan dan menyelesaikan masalah perbedaan ini, Muhammadiyah saat ini sedang mengkampanyekan Kalender Hijriyah Global Tunggal (KHGT).
Haedar menuturkan, KHGT ini diharapkan tidak hanya berlaku untuk Indonesia saja, melainkan juga untuk umat Islam di seluruh dunia.
Sehingga perbedaan-perbedaan yang terjadi tidak terulang kembali pada masa mendatang.
Selain itu, KHGT sebagai jawaban Muhammadiyah atas utang peradaban yang dimiliki oleh Islam.
“Sehingga nanti satu tanggal baru itu berlaku untuk di semua negara. Seperti kalender masehi yang tidak ada perbedaan,” katanya.
Muhammadiyah memandang jika masih terus menggunakan kalender sesuai dengan negara masing-masing, maka besar kemungkinan masih akan terus terjadi perbedaan dalam menentukan waktu-waktu penting umat Islam.
Sementara itu tentang menghormati perbedaan, Haedar menjelaskan, melalui praktik ibadah puasa Ramadan.
Menurutnya, Puasa Ramadan bagi muslim tidak sekadar mengubah waktu makan, tapi juga meningkatkan ketakwaan dan kesalihan.
Kesalihan dalam pandangan Muhammadiyah tidak hanya berlaku pada pribadi atau individu, tetapi juga pada keluarga, sosial – masyarakat, bahkan sampai pada kesalihan bernegara dan antar bangsa.
Nilai-nilai utama yang terkandung dalam kesalihan diharapkan menjadi landasan untuk saling menghormati dan bertoleransi di atas semua perbedaan yang ada di muka bumi ini.
Untuk Pemerintah, menentukan kapan Hari Raya Idul Fitri 2024 yang diperingati pada 1 Syawal 1445 H, dari hasil sidang isbat Lebaran.
Hasil sidang isbat akan diumumkan pada Selasa, 9 April 2024 oleh Kementerian Agama (Kemenag).
Jika hasil sidang isbat Lebaran 2024 menghasilkan keputusan 1 Syawal 1445 H jatuh Rabu, 10 April 2024, maka akan sama seperti keputusan jadwal Idul Fitri dari PP Muhammadiyah.
Sebelumnya, organisasi Islam itu telah memutuskan jauh-jauh hari, 1 Syawal 1445 H sebagai Lebaran atau Idul Fitri jatuh pada Rabu, 10 April 2024.
Bila ternyata, sidang isbat yang digelar Kemenag memutuskan Lebaran 2024 jatuh pada Kamis, 11 April 2024, maka jadwal Idul Fitri akan berbeda dengan Muhammadiyah.
Russian warplanes have conducted a strike on Ukrainian positions in the southern sector of the front using high-precision glide bombs, according to a new video released by the Defense Ministry in Moscow.
In a Telegram post on Thursday, the ministry shared footage of a twin-engine Su-34 strike jet with two pilots inside taking off from an airfield at an unspecified location. At some point during the sortie, a plane can be seen dropping at least four bombs, which then deploy small wings of their own.
Officials said that the strike targeted Ukrainian fortified positions and troops in the southern part of Russia’s Donetsk Region and used high-explosive bombs equipped with a gliding and correction module. Several Russian Telegram channels suggested that the bombs weighed 500kg each.
In January, the New York Times described the glide bombs as Russia’s weapon of choice for destroying Ukrainian bunkers, with Kiev officials admitting that they pose a “very serious threat” as they are difficult to intercept. Ukrainian Telegram channel DeepState, which covers the conflict, described the bombs as a “miracle weapon” against which Kiev has “practically no countermeasures.”
According to Russian and Western military experts, glide bombs can travel dozens of kilometers before accurately hitting their intended target.
To counter the Russian Air Force, Ukraine has for months been asking the West for deliveries of US-designed F-16 fighter jets that are widely expected to start arriving in the embattled country later this year.
However, Politico, citing sources in the Ukrainian military, said that the delivery would be of little value as it was coming too late, and Moscow was already testing countermeasures against the American jets.
Watch Russian Helicopters Strike Ukrainian Stronghold and Personnel
The Russian Aerospace Forces are a highly integrated branch of the nation's military, responsible for air, space, and missile defense operations. It includes both manned and unmanned aerial vehicles.
The Russian Defense Ministry has released footage showing Russian Aerospace Forces helicopters striking Ukrainian military positions and personnel in the Kupyansk area.
"A strike group of the Army Aviation of the Aerospace Forces of the Russian Federation consisting of Ka-52 ‘Alligator’ helicopters, Mi-35M transport and combat helicopters, and Mi-8 multi-purpose helicopters struck a position and an accumulation of enemy forces in the Kupyansk area in the zone of the special military operation," the ministry said.
It is noted that the crews of the helicopters carried out the strike with unguided C-8 air-to-air missiles, then carried out an anti-missile maneuver with the help of an onboard defense complex and successfully returned to the takeoff site.
Russian troops hammer Ukrainian military, energy sites over week — top brass
Russia delivered 39 massive strikes on Ukrainian military, energy and mercenaries’ deployment sites over the week in retaliation to Kiev’s attempts to damage its oil and gas and energy facilities, the Russian Defense Ministry reported on Friday.
"On March 31 - April 5 of this year, the Russian Armed Forces delivered 39 combined strikes by ground-based and air-launched long-range precision weapons and unmanned aerial vehicles against Ukrainian energy sites, military-industrial enterprises, air defenses, arsenals, fuel depots and temporary deployment sites of Ukrainian army units and foreign mercenaries in retaliation to the Kiev regime’s attempts to inflict damage on Russia’s oil and gas and energy facilities," the ministry said in a statement.
The goals of the strikes were achieved and "all the designated targets were destroyed," it stressed.
Ukrainian army suffers 270 casualties in Kupyansk area over week
The Ukrainian army suffered roughly 270 casualties in battles with Russian forces in the Kupyansk area over the past week, the ministry reported.
"Throughout the week, Western Battlegroup units operating jointly with aircraft and artillery inflicted casualties on manpower and equipment of four Ukrainian mechanized brigades and two territorial defense brigades near the settlements of Yampolovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic, Stelmakhovka in the Lugansk People’s Republic and Stroyevka in the Kharkov Region. The enemy’s losses amounted to 270 personnel, 2 armored combat vehicles, 22 motor vehicles and 13 field artillery guns," the ministry said in a statement.
In addition, Russian forces repulsed 10 counterattacks by assault groups of the Ukrainian army’s 95th air assault, 57th motorized infantry and 60th mechanized brigades near the settlements of Sinkovka in the Kharkov Region and Terny in the Donetsk People’s Republic. Russian troops also destroyed four field ammunition depots of the Ukrainian army, the ministry reported.
Kiev suffers over 2,110 casualties in Donetsk area over week
Russian forces improved frontline positions and repulsed 15 Ukrainian army attacks in the Donetsk area where the enemy lost more than 2,110 troops and 146 weapons systems over the week, the ministry reported.
"In the Donetsk direction, Southern Battlegroup units improved their tactical frontline position in successful operations. They inflicted casualties on formations of four assault, three airmobile and eight mechanized brigades of the Ukrainian army near the settlements of Belogorovka in the Lugansk People’s Republic, Kurdyumovka, Novomikhailovka, Kleshcheyevka, Spornoye, Andreyevka and Chasov Yar in the Donetsk People’s Republic. They also repelled 15 counterattacks by assault groups of the Ukrainian army’s 31st, 67th and 72nd mechanized brigades, 80th and 92nd air assault brigades," the ministry said.
The enemy’s losses in the Donetsk direction over the past week amounted to more than 2,100 personnel, 6 tanks, 11 armored combat vehicles, 89 motor vehicles and 40 field artillery guns, it specified.
Russian forces liberate Vodyanoye community in Avdeyevka area
Russian forces liberated the community of Vodyanoye in the Avdeyevka area and pressed ahead with their advance, the ministry reported.
"In the Avdeyevka direction, Battlegroup East units liberated the community of Vodyanoye in the Donetsk People’s Republic and kept advancing deep into the enemy’s defense and taking more advantageous sites," the ministry said.
Russian air strikes, artillery and heavy flamethrower fires inflicted casualties on personnel and military hardware of six Ukrainian army brigades and repulsed 39 enemy counterattacks near the settlements of Semyonovka, Novgorodskoye, Berdychi, Tonenkoye, Umanskoye and Pervomaiskoye in the Donetsk People’s Republic, it said.
The Ukrainian army’s losses in the Avdeyevka direction over the past week amounted to more than 1,695 personnel, 3 tanks, 15 armored combat vehicles, 23 motor vehicles and 19 field artillery guns, the ministry reported.
Russian forces improve frontline positions in south Donetsk area over week
Russian forces improved their frontline positions and inflicted casualties on seven Ukrainian army brigades in the south Donetsk area over the past week, the ministry reported.
"In the south Donetsk direction, Battlegroup East units improved their tactical frontline position and inflicted casualties on seven Ukrainian army, National Guard and territorial defense brigades near the settlements of Urozhainoye and Ugledar in the Donetsk People’s Republic and Malinovka in the Zaporozhye Region," the ministry said.
The Ukrainian army’s losses in the south Donetsk direction over the past week amounted to more than 760 personnel, 8 tanks, 2 armored combat vehicles, 24 motor vehicles and 11 field artillery guns, it specified.
Kiev loses over 240 troops in Kherson area over past week
The Ukrainian army lost more than 240 troops and 14 field artillery guns in battles with Russian forces in the Kherson area over the past week, the ministry reported.
"The enemy lost more than 240 personnel, 19 motor vehicles and 14 field artillery guns, including an M109 Paladin self-propelled artillery gun and two M777 artillery systems of US manufacture," the ministry said.
Russia’s Dnepr Battlegroup units inflicted casualties in well-coordinated operations on manpower and equipment of the Ukrainian army’s mountain assault and three mechanized brigades, a marine infantry brigade and three territorial defense brigades near the settlements of Vysshetarasovka in the Dnepropetrovsk Region, Rabotino, Nesteryanka, Novosyolovka and Pyatikhatki in the Zaporozhye Region, Ivanovka and Novotyaginka in the Kherson Region, it specified.
Russian forces destroy three Ukrainian Su-25 attack aircraft at airfields over week
Russian forces destroyed three Ukrainian Su-25 attack aircraft at airfields over the past week, the ministry reported.
"Over the week, missile troops, artillery and unmanned aerial vehicles of the Russian groupings of forces destroyed three Ukrainian Air Force Su-25 attack aircraft at airfields and five S-300 anti-aircraft missile launchers," the ministry said.
Russian air defenses destroy three Ukrainian fighter jets, 1,119 UAVs over week
Russian air defense forces destroyed three Ukrainian fighter jets and 1,119 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) over the past week, the ministry reported.
"Aircraft and air defense forces destroyed two Su-27 fighter jets and a MiG-29 fighter of the Ukrainian Air Force, five Hammer and JDAM guided aerial bombs, 91 rockets of the HIMARS, Vampire and Uragan multiple launch rocket systems and 1,119 unmanned aerial vehicles," the ministry said.
Seven Ukrainian soldiers surrender to Russian troops over week
Seven Ukrainian soldiers surrendered to Russian troops over the week, the ministry reported.
"Over the week, seven Ukrainian army personnel surrendered," the ministry said.
In all, the Russian Armed Forces have destroyed 583 aircraft, 270 helicopters, 18,892 unmanned aerial vehicles, 495 surface-to-air missile systems, 15,691 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 1,264 multiple rocket launchers, 8,674 field artillery guns and mortars and 20,627 special military motor vehicles since the start of the special military operation, the ministry reported.
Petugas membantu mengevakuasi warga yang terdampak banjir lahar dingin di Nagari Bukik Batabuah, Kecamatan Canduang, Agam, Sumatera Barat, Jumat (5/4/2024). Banjir lahar dingin dari Gunung Marapi tersebut menerjang permukiman di daerah itu dan sempat memutus akses ruas jalan Bukittinggi - Padang. ANTARA FOTO/Al Fatah/tom.
Banjir lahar dingin yang dikeluarkan oleh Gunung Marapi, Sumatera Barat, menerjang permukiman warga di sejumlah titik di Kabupaten Agam, Jumat sore, 5 April 2024. Belum ada laporan resmi terkait dengan dampak kerusakan bangunan maupun korban jiwa akibat peristiwa ini.
Juru Bicara Badan Penanggulangan Bencana Daerah (BPBD) Sumatera Barat, Ilham Wahab menyebutkan, banjir lahar ini terjadi akibat dipicu tingginya curah hujan. Hingga kini BPBD Sumatera Barat masih melakukan kajian cepat untuk mengetahui lebih awal seperti apa dampak yang timbul akibat peristiwa ini. "Banjir lahar ini dipicu curah hujan tinggi," kata Ilham Wahab, Jumat, 5 April 2024.
Ilham mengatakan, berdasarkan informasi sementara, Kota Padang Panjang, Kabupaten Agam dan Kabupaten Tanah Datar terdampak banjir lahar dingin ini. Dari tiga wilayah itu, Kabupaten Agam terparah khususnya di daerah Simpang Bukik Lasi, Nagari Bukik Batabuah Kecamatan Canduang Kabupaten Agam.
Selain permukiman warga, kata Ilham, banjir lahar dingin juga memutus total akses lalu lintas Padang Panjang - Bukittinggi tepatnya di daerah Aia Angek. Kondisi ini lantaran luasan sungai tak mampu lagi menampung debit air yang kian membesar.
"Sementara belum diketahui kerusakan atau korban jiwa dalam peristiwa ini. Banjir lahar dingin sedang terjadi saat ini," ujar Ilham.
Di Bukit Batabuah, personel kepolisian, TNI, BPBD, dan warga bahu-membahu membersihkan sisa-sisa material banjir yang menutupi aliran air di bawah jembatan.
"Ada seorang pengendara sepeda motor yang terseret oleh arus, tetapi berhasil diselamatkan dan dievakuasi. Kami masih terus melakukan evakuasi dan membersihkan," kata Kapolresta Bukittinggi, Kombespol Yessi Kurniati.
Yessi menegaskan bahwa mereka telah berkoordinasi dengan BPBD dan pihak lainnya untuk segera membuka kembali akses jalan.
"Kami sedang menunggu alat berat dan terus membersihkan karena material banjir menyumbat di jembatan. Kami mengingatkan warga untuk tetap waspada," tambahnya.
Camat Canduang, Syahrul Hamidi mengatakan, diduga, kejadian ini terkait dengan aktifitas vulkanik Gunung Marapi yang menyebabkan aliran lahar membawa material lumpur.
"Banjir lahar dingin masih terjadi di Bukit Batabuah. Kami terus memantau situasi dengan Badan Penanggulangan Bencana Daerah (BPBD)," ungkap Camat Canduang, Syahrul Hamidi.
Syahrul mengatakan, peristiwa tersebut terjadi sekira pukul 15.45 WIB. Banjir lahar dingin tampak menyapu jalan di sejumlah titik diantaranya, Bukit Batabuah dan Lasi.
"Kami sedang mengamati dampaknya, terutama terhadap jalan Bukit Batabuah-Lasi," tambahnya.
Sementara, Walinagari Sungai Pua, Ade F Dt Sinaro Intan, mengungkapkan bahwa air dan lumpur juga mencapai wilayahnya, khususnya di Kapalo Koto.
Masyarakat setempat berusaha menangani banjir yang merendam jalan, meskipun rumah-rumah tidak terkena dampaknya, kecuali pos ronda yang roboh.
Ade enggan berspekulasi apakah kejadian ini terkait dengan Gunung Marapi, mengingat curah hujan yang tinggi di daerah hulu.
"Belum pasti apakah ini akibat aktivitas Gunung Marapi atau bukan, karena hujan deras di hulu sangat mempengaruhi," jelasnya.
Terrorist Groups, Ukrainian Intel Probed for Having Hand in Crocus Attack - Moscow
Terrorist Groups, Ukrainian Intel Probed for Having Hand in Crocus Attack - Moscow
Russian investigators are probing terrorist organizations Ukraine's special services for involvement in organizing and financing the terrorist attack in Crocus City Hall, the Russian Investigative Committee said on Friday.
"The implementation of a set of investigative actions and operational measures to verify the involvement of representatives of the Ukrainian special services and international Islamist terrorist organizations in the organization and financing of the terrorist attack continues," the committee wrote on Telegram.
Russian investigators have obtained data from the mobile phones of those accused of the terrorist attack in Crocus City Hall near Moscow, who tried to destroy the devices, the Russian Investigative Committee said on Friday.
"The investigation obtained data from the mobile phones of those accused of committing the terrorist attack in Crocus City Hall ... The results of an expert study of the mobile phones that the terrorists tried to destroy made it possible to obtain information that is significant for the investigation about the circumstances of the preparation for the crime," the committee wrote on Telegram.
Photos of people in camouflage with the Ukrainian flag near destroyed houses and a Ukrainian postage stamp with an obscene gesture were found in the phone of the one of those accused, the committee said, adding that this may indicate a link between the terrorist attack and Russia’s special military operation.
"On the morning of February 24, 2024, that is, on the anniversary of the start of the special military operation, at the direction of the curator, one of the accomplices found on internet resources and sent him screenshots of images of the entrances to the Crocus City Hall building and the access roads to it," the committee said.
On March 22, several armed men broke into Crocus City Hall and started shooting at people. They also started a fire in one of the auditoriums, which was full of people ahead of a concert. The attack left 144 people dead, according to the latest data from the Russian Emergencies Ministry.
The four main suspects in the case — all of them citizens of Tajikistan — tried to flee the scene in a car but were detained and charged with terrorism. Russian authorities believe their plan was to flee to Ukraine, where the masterminds of the attack had arranged a safe haven for them. An investigation is underway.
Russia Unleashes Massive Retaliation in Response to Ukraine's Bid to Damage Oil & Gas Facilities
The Russian Armed Forces have carried out 39 strikes on Ukrainian energy and military facilities in response to the Kiev regime's attempts to damage Russian oil and gas and energy facilities, the Russian Defense Ministry said.
"From March 31 to April 5, the Russian armed forces have carried out 39 massive strikes with high-precision long-range land- and air-based weapons, unmanned aerial vehicles, on Ukrainian energy industry facilities, as well as enterprises of military-industrial complex, air defense systems, arsenals, fuel depots, temporary deployment sites for Ukrainian units and foreign mercenaries in response to attempts by the Kiev regime to cause damage to oil and gas industry and energy facilities in Russia," the ministry said in a statement.
The ministry added that "the objectives of the strikes were achieved and all the targeted objects were hit".
Ukraine has lost more than 2,110 soldiers in the Donetsk area over the past week, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Friday.
Over the given period, the Russian armed forces have repelled 15 counterattacks by Ukrainian military in the Donetsk region, as well as have taken control of the village of Vodyane in the Donetsk People's Republic in the Avdeyevka area.
"The enemy lost more than 2,110 soldiers, six tanks, 11 armored fighting vehicles, 89 vehicles and 40 field artillery pieces [in the Donetsk area]," the ministry said in a statement.
Ukraine has also lost more than 1,695 soldiers in the Avdeyevka area, over 760 soldiers in the South Donetsk direction, up to 270 soldiers in the Kupyansk region, and more than 240 soldiers in the Kherson area
World Central Kitchen, 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."
World Central Kitchen founder Chef José Andrés spoke out after seven of the humanitarian organization's staffers were killed by an Israeli air strike.
The renowned chef and restaurateur said that his group was in communication with Israeli armed forces and said humanitarian workers and civilians should never pay the consequences of war, adding that it's a basic principle of humanity.
"This it seems is a war against humanity itself. And you can never win that war. Because humanity eventually will always prevail," Andrés said in an interview with Reuters.
Andrés said the World Central Kitchen charity group had clear communication with the Israeli military, which he said knew his aid workers' movements.
FILE - Jose Andres, a Spanish chef, and founder of World Central Kitchen unloads the humanitarian food packages delivered with WCK's truck in Kherson, Ukraine, on Nov. 15, 2022.
AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky, File
"This was not just a bad luck situation where 'oops' we dropped the bomb in the wrong place," Andrés said.
He rejected Israeli and U.S. assertions that the strike was not deliberate.
"Initially, I would say categorically no," Andrés said when asked if he accepted that explanation. "Even if we were not in coordination with the Israel Defense Forces, no democratic country and no military can be targeting civilians and humanitarians," Andrés said.
"The U.S. must do more to tell Prime Minister Netanyahu this war needs to end now," he said, adding that he spoke to President Biden on Tuesday.
In a statement, Biden said he was "outraged and heartbroken by the deaths of seven humanitarian workers from World Central Kitchen, including one American, in Gaza yesterday. They were providing food to hungry civilians in the middle of a war. They were brave and selfless. Their deaths are a tragedy."
"Israel has pledged to conduct a thorough investigation into why the aid workers' vehicles were hit by airstrikes. That investigation must be swift, it must bring accountability, and its findings must be made public," the president's statement said.
Netanyahu said in a statement Tuesday that "Israel deeply regrets the tragic incident" and the IDF will conduct a "swift and transparent investigation" with the findings made public.
Andrés called for a "neutral" investigation of the incident.
"Even if we were not in coordination with the [IDF], no democratic country and no military can be targeting civilians and humanitarians," he told Reuters.
The deaths of the World Central Kitchen workers threatened to set back efforts by the U.S. and other countries to open a maritime corridor for aid from Cyprus to help ease the desperate conditions in northern Gaza. The loss also prompted multiple charities to suspend food deliveries to Palestinians on the brink of starvation.
This comes as the president is expected to speak to Netanyahu on Thursday.
The hit on the charity's convoy also highlighted what critics have called Israel's indiscriminate bombing and lack of regard for civilian casualties in Gaza.
Netanyahu's foreign policy adviser, Ophir Falk, pushed back against claims that the attack on the WCK-branded vehicles was intentional.
"That's absurd," Falk told ABC News on Wednesday. "The last thing we would want in the world is to endanger civilian lives."
Falk said the seven workers died due to "friendly fire in the middle of the night" and called the deaths a "tragic event."
"This war is a complex war," he said. "The incident happened in the middle of the night. It should not have happened. And we'll do everything possible that it doesn't happen again."
Palestinians inspect a vehicle with the logo of the World Central Kitchen wrecked by an Israeli airstrike in Deir al Balah, Gaza Strip, Tuesday, April 2, 2024.
AP Photo/Ismael Abu Dayyah
He said "we understand the outcry" from the international community over the deaths and noted that "a number of IDF soldiers" and three Israeli hostages died due to friendly fire during the war.
New images of the heavily damaged convoy show the workers traveling in clearly marked World Central Kitchen vehicles.
Menurut laporan pada bulan Maret oleh Klasifikasi Fase Ketahanan Pangan Terpadu (IPC), kelaparan “akan segera terjadi” di Gaza utara, karena seluruh penduduk di jalur tersebut mengalami kerawanan pangan tingkat tinggi di tengah perang Israel-Hamas yang sedang berlangsung.
