How the strike on Gaza aid workers could impact the war 

Welcome to Wednesday’s Early Edition from i.

The level of destruction inflicted by six months of conflict in Gaza is unfathomable. Around 33,000 people,- 70% of which are said to be women and children have so far been killed, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. Many more now have their lives threatened not only by war but by famine, which is already believed to be present in the Palestinian enclave. Earlier this week Israeli forces withdrew from the Al Shifa hospital, leaving it in ruins and Gaza without its largest medical facility. Yesterday, the news that seven foreign aid workers had been killed in a strike prompted international outcry. In the scheme of this brutal war, it may feel awkward that it took the deaths of three British nationals, an Australian, a Polish national, an American-Canadian dual citizen to prompt such a strong reaction, when so many children have died. But the latest events may mark a pivotal moment in the conflict. Yesterday former Israeli President Reuven Rivlin said Israel is “one step away from international ostracism”. He told IDF radio: “We are losing the tremendous moral values that all Israeli governments for generations have enjoyed, by the conduct and behavior of the IDF and by the behavior of the State of Israel in everything related to the wars we have waged for 76 years.” What happened, and how might their deaths impact the course of the war?

 Today’s news, and why it matters

 Tory MPs have criticised those within their party who are calling for an early election, branding it a “really stupid idea” to hold it so close to the May local elections. There has been speculation that No 10 has left the door open for the election to be held in June or July as the Conservatives battle consistently poor polling indicating a catastrophic defeat for the party.

The Government’s crackdown on net migration to the UK is fuelling a shortage of childcare spaces, nurseries have warned. Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Early Years Alliance, said the sector has lost EU workers since Brexit and is struggling to recruit British workers, who are “leaving in droves” due to low pay.

Waspi women who were forced to sell their homes and continue working despite long-term illnesses after their pension age was controversially raised said this week’s hike to the state pension through the triple lock will do little to help their financial struggles.

A black electrician who was stopped and searched in his work uniform by the Metropolitan Police claims officers told him he “does not look like an electrician”. Josh King told i he believes he and his colleagues were racially profiled by officers as they pulled over their vehicle and arrested one of the group for carrying a lock knife in Clapham in September 2023.

Labour would not repeal new hate crime laws introduced in Scotland despite concerns about how they are enacted. Scottish Labour, which voted to amend the legislation before ultimately supporting it, would change the law to include misogyny.

An 80-year-old man has been arrested at an airport after 27 years on the run, police have said. Richard Burrows, who is accused of historic sexual abuse of children, was arrested at Heathrow after returning to the UK from Thailand, a spokesman for Cheshire Police said.

The UK Government will continue to promote vaping as a useful tool to stop smoking, despite a major study linking e-cigarettes to a heightened risk of heart failure. A study of more than 170,000 people in the US found that vape users are almost 20 per cent more likely to develop heart failure over a four-year period compared with people who have never used e-cigarettes.

A man has pleaded guilty to the theft of a £4.8m gold toilet from Blenheim Palace. The 18-carat lavatory was stolen in September 2019 while it was featuring in an art exhibition.

Three key questions on the strike which killed foreign aid workers in Gaza:

What happened? The seven workers were killed on Monday when three of their vehicles were hit by an airstrike near Deir al Balah in Gaza. The cars were in an area that the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs previously flagged as one where “civilians and aid workers have been repeatedly placed at risk”, despite the road being cleared as an “Accessible Road for Humanitarian Aid”. Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu admitted an “unintentional” Israeli strike killed “innocent people” in Gaza but said “it happens in war”. i has examined what open-source information can tell us about the attack, using images and videos from on the ground that have been independently verified. The analysis suggests that the aid workers were fired upon three times despite at least one of the vehicles being clearly marked as aid transport on its roof. Bellingcat, a highly-respected open-source investigative journalism team, also noted that the “vehicles bear the hallmarks of a precision strike by inert or low-yield missiles”. All three of the heavily damaged vehicles are clearly marked with evidence that they were being used by WCK, including branded high visibility vests and other branded items. Read the full investigation here. Meanwhile, the IDF says it is carrying out an in-depth examination of the circumstances around Monday’s attack.

Impact on aid: With at least half a million lives in Gaza at risk of famine, getting food supplies into the territory has been even more crucial in recent weeks. But the deaths of the workers for the World Central Kitchen, which says it has provided more than 43 million meals to Palestinians, has caused a major set back for aid operations. In the wake of Monday’s deaths, the NGO announced a halt to its mission for Gaza and said it would make decisions about longer-term plans in the region soon. “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,” its CEO Erin Gore said. But other charities have also suspended food deliveries to the region since the attack. Anera, which helps refugees and the US-based Project Hope said they were pausing operations. Ships still laden with around 240 tonnes of aid turned back from Gaza just a day after arriving, according to Cyprus. Chris Skopec, executive vice president of global health at Project Hope told the Associated Press the attack increased apprehension among aid workers in the region.

How could it impact the conflict? Israel is facing mounting international criticism of its military operation in Gaza. The suspected assassination of an Iranian commander by Israeli airstrike has also raised concerns about a broader regional conflict. World leaders have condemned Monday’s attack in Gaza, demanding answers and accountability. US President Joe Biden said he was “outraged and heartbroken” and accused Israel of not doing enough to protect aid workers. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said his country was outraged by the “completely unacceptable” death of Australian aid Zomi Frankcom. ” He said:”I conveyed to Prime Minister Netanyahu in very clear terms that Australians were outraged by this death.” Rishi Sunak has demanded that Israel carry out a full investigation into the air strike, telling Netanyahu he was “appalled” by the deaths of air workers from WCK, and described the bloodshed in Gaza as “increasingly intolerable”. Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron said: “Israel must urgently explain how this happened and make major changes to ensure safety of aid workers on the ground.” But will anything change? Alistair Bunkall, Sky News’s Middle East correspondent, says the latest incident highlights how the Israeli government is ignoring its obligation to create a safe environment for aid to be handed out. Read his piece here.  

Around the world

 The suspected assassination of an Iranian commander by an Israeli air strike at the Iranian consulate in Damascus would have required on-the-ground intelligence from local operatives, according to an Israeli security analyst and a former CIA agent. Yoni Ben Menachem, an Israeli security analyst with close ties to the defence establishment, said the operation appeared to have relied on local informants.

One child has been reported dead, while two children have been reported injured in a shooting after a pupil opened fire at a primary school in Finland. Finnish police said all those involved in the shooting were 12 years old, including the shooter.

A powerful earthquake has rocked Taiwan, damaging buildings and creating a tsunami that washed ashore on southern Japanese islands. Taiwan’s earthquake monitoring agency said Wednesday morning’s earthquake was magnitude 7.2 on the Richter scale, while the US Geological Survey put it at 7.4.

Why we should be worried about the human bird flu case in Texas. The transmission to a farmer from an infected dairy cow is thought to be different from previous animal-to-human infections for a number of reasons and is causing concerns among scientists, writes Tom Bawden.

The president of Botswana has threatened to send 20,000 elephants to Germany in a political dispute. Germany’s environment ministry suggested there should be stricter limits on importing hunting trophies, but Botswana’s president Mokgweetsi Masisi said elephant numbers had exploded as a result of conservation efforts.

 Watch out for…

 Nato, where Lord Cameron is due to encourage allies to “step up and spend more on defence” in the face of Russian aggression. He hopes to sign other countries up to British-led initiatives to buy Nato standard missiles and munitions for the Ukrainian armed forces. 

 Thoughts for the day

 Arab nations have utterly betrayed Palestinians. Their silence and collusion is reprehensible, argues Yasmin Alibhai-Brown.

Why happily married people cheat. The idea that happy people cheat is deeply troubling, but it’s true, writes Kate Lister.

I’ve been a Lord for two weeks – I can already see it needs abolishing. Too many of my colleagues regard appointment to the Lords as just an honour, explains Carmen Smith.

Culture Break

 Biba was revolutionary – but cheap, tatty clothes don’t make a good exhibition. I was hugely looking forward to the Fashion and Textile Museum’s celebration of the pioneering fashion house. What a disappointment it turned out to be, writes Hettie Judah.

The Big Read

 World must prepare for Isis 2.0, former Iraq foreign minister warns. Hoshyar Zebari, who was foreign minister when Isis seized parts of Iraq in 2014, warned that there was a ‘viable environment’ for the terror group to return, reports Molly Blackall.

Sport

 Gabriel Jesus has fallen into the same trap at Arsenal as he did at Man City. The Brazilian was praised for his work-rate in the draw at City but it is cause for concern when that becomes a striker’s defining trait, writes Oliver Young-Myles.

Something to brighten your day

 I love being average – here’s how I teach my daughter to be imperfect too. Genevieve Roberts says it’s liberating to be average, and she’s teaching her children – particularly her daughter – to think the same.