The Latest | Israeli strike kills 3 sons of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh

An Israeli airstrike in Gaza killed three sons of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh, in response to Israel’s military and the militant group’s official media, with Haniyeh accusing Israel of performing in “the spirit of revenge and homicide.”

The Israeli army confirmed it carried out the assault Wednesday, saying the boys performed militant exercise in central Gaza, with out elaborating. Hamas stated 4 of the chief’s grandchildren have been additionally killed.

In an interview with the Al Jazeera satellite tv for pc channel, Haniyeh stated the killings wouldn’t strain Hamas into softening its positions amid ongoing cease-fire negotiations with Israel, brokered by worldwide mediators.

Haniyeh left Gaza in 2019 and lives in exile in Qatar. The highest Hamas chief in Gaza is Yehya Sinwar, who masterminded the Oct. 7 assault on Israel that sparked the warfare. Some 1,200 folks have been killed within the assault, largely civilians, and Palestinian militants took round 250 folks hostage.

Israel’s six-month warfare towards Hamas has devastated the Gaza Strip and pushed the tiny Palestinian territory right into a humanitarian disaster, leaving greater than 1 million folks on the point of hunger.

Israeli bombardments and floor offensives have killed at the very least 33,360 Palestinians and wounded 74,993, Gaza’s Well being Ministry says. The ministry doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants in its tally, however says ladies and kids make up two-thirds of the lifeless.

At present:

— An Israeli airstrike in Gaza kills 3 sons and 4 grandchildren of high Hamas chief

— Trump renews criticism of Jewish voters who again Biden: ‘Ought to have their head examined’

— Muslims worldwide have fun Eid al-Fitr within the shadow of Gaza’s distress

— Israel threatens to strike Iran instantly if Iran launches assault from its territory

— At U.N. court docket, Germany rejects allegations that it’s facilitating acts of genocide in Gaza

— Discover extra AP protection at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

Here is the most recent:

GERMAN AIRLINE LUFTHANSA EXTENDS FLIGHT SUSPENSIONS TO AND FROM TEHRAN

BERLIN – German airline Lufthansa says its flights to and from Tehran will stay suspended by Saturday “because of the present state of affairs within the Center East.”

Lufthansa, which often has 5 flights per week from Frankfurt to Tehran, suspended its flights on Saturday, initially till Thursday.

In an emailed response to a question concerning the flights on Thursday, the corporate didn’t elaborate on its issues concerning the state of affairs. Iran has vowed to retaliate towards Israel over an assault on its consulate in Damascus earlier this month.

Lufthansa stated that flights by its Austrian Airways subsidiary to Tehran proceed as a result of, because of the shorter flight time from Vienna, it will possibly run the flights as “daylight operations,” with the aircraft returning instantly after arrival in Tehran.

It stated that flights to and from Frankfurt needed to be canceled “as Lufthansa has determined to not let the crew disembark in Tehran.”

BIDEN VOWS ‘IRONCLAD’ SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL AS IRAN THREATENS TO STRIKE

WASHINGTON — U.S. President Joe Biden emphasised his nation’s “ironclad” help for Israel on Wednesday as Iran vows to retaliate for this month’s lethal strike on the Iranian Consulate in Syria.

The U.S. army believes Israel carried out the airstrike on Iran’s diplomatic station, which killed two high generals and others. Israel has not commented on the assault, nonetheless Tehran says it holds Israel accountable. The White Home says it had no prior data of the operation, however has repeatedly promised to again Israel within the face of Iranian threats.

Biden spoke Wednesday alongside Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who’s in Washington for an official go to.

“We additionally wish to handle the Iranian menace — to launch a major assault on Israel,” Biden stated throughout a joint information convention.

“Our dedication to Israel’s safety towards these threats from Iran and its proxies is ironclad. We are saying it once more, ironclad, and we’re going to do all we will to guard Israel’s safety,” Biden stated.

Earlier Wednesday, Iran’s supreme chief repeated a promise to retaliate towards Israel. And Israel’s international minister threatened Wednesday that his nation’s forces would strike Iran instantly if the Islamic Republic launched an assault from its territory towards Israel.

Because the Israel’s warfare in Gaza towards Hamas started six months in the past, there have been near-daily exchanges of fireplace alongside the Israel-Lebanon border between Israeli forces and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran.

Tehran additionally backs an umbrella group of Iraqi militias which have attacked U.S. army bases and positions in Syria and Iraq.

FOOD AID CHARITY SAYS ISRAELI STRIKE WOUNDED PALESTINIAN STAFFER ON SAME DAY AS DEADLY CONVOY ATTACKS

JERUSALEM — A off-duty Palestinian workers member with the meals support charity World Central Kitchen was badly wounded by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza on April 1, the identical day seven different staffers have been killed in a separate Israeli assault.

The staffer, recognized solely as Amro, was pulled from the rubble of a residence after an Israeli strike hit a close-by mosque, within the neighborhood of a WCK warehouse and kitchen, the charity stated Wednesday. He frolicked in a coma, and WCK stated continues to be recovering in a hospital from head and hand accidents.

Amro had joined WCK firstly of the 12 months, the charity stated in a press release, and earlier than the warfare had owned a candy store that was destroyed by Israeli bombardments.

The assertion stated Amro turned down possibilities to go away Gaza a number of instances: “He at all times says, ‘I’m right here serving folks sizzling meals on daily basis. I cannot go away my job and allow them to undergo.’”

On April 1, Israeli airstrikes on an support convoy killed seven WCK employees — six foreigners and one Palestinian. Israel says the deaths have been a tragic error. WCK laid the blame squarely on Israel’s army, saying the military had coordinated over the motion of the automobiles carrying the employees as they left northern Gaza.

Practically on daily basis, strikes degree buildings with Palestinian households inside, killing males, ladies and kids, with no rationalization of the goal or unbiased accountability over the proportionality of the strike. Israel blames the big variety of civilian casualties on militants, saying they function among the many inhabitants.

ISRAEL PLANS TO OPEN A NEW ENTRY POINT FOR AID INTO NORTHERN GAZA INSTEAD OF THE DAMAGED EREZ CROSSING

TEL AVIV, Israel — Israel will quickly open a brand new crossing to ship humanitarian support into the hard-hit northern Gaza Strip, Israel’s Protection Minister Yoav Gallant stated Wednesday.

Gallant’s announcement comes at a time of heavy U.S. strain to extend the circulate of desperately wanted support into Gaza. Earlier Wednesday, U.S. President Joe Biden stated Israel’s efforts are nonetheless “not sufficient.”

Israeli officers say the brand new crossing will likely be constructed as an alternative of utilizing the broken Erez crossing, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged final week to open. Erez was destroyed by Hamas militants throughout their Oct. 7 assault and was designed for pedestrians, not cargo, in response to COGAT, the Israeli army physique answerable for Palestinian civilian affairs.

An official from COGAT stated the brand new crossing could be near the beachfront on Gaza’s northern tip. It was not clear precisely when the crossing will likely be opened. The official spoke on situation of anonymity as a result of they weren’t licensed to speak to the media.

At a briefing with reporters, Gallant stated Israel plans numerous extra steps to enhance the humanitarian state of affairs – together with utilizing its port within the southern Israeli metropolis of Ashdod to just accept support shipments for the Palestinians. It was not clear when the port would open.

He additionally says Israel will permit Jordan to ship extra support to Gaza, and that Israel is working with the U.S. on infrastructure tasks resembling new water traces.

Israel faces strain from the U.S. to extend support into Gaza, the place its offensive has wreaked an unprecedented humanitarian disaster. Help teams say provides aren’t reaching folks shortly sufficient, blaming Israeli restrictions and noting that 1000’s of vehicles are ready to enter Gaza.

___

Related Press author Julia Frankel contributed.

BIDEN SAYS ISRAEL STILL NOT DOING ENOUGH TO GET AID INTO GAZA

WASHINGTON — U.S. President Joe Biden stated Wednesday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will not be doing sufficient to extend humanitarian support into Gaza.

“We’ll see what he does by way of assembly the commitments that he made to me,” Biden stated on the White Home.

Biden has warned Netanyahu that future U.S. help for the warfare is dependent upon swift implementation of latest steps to guard civilians and support employees. Though the circulate of vehicles has elevated since Biden spoke with Netanyahu final week, the U.S. president stated Israel ought to open one other entry level in Gaza’s north.

Israel halted support deliveries to Gaza within the early days of the warfare, however underneath U.S. strain has slowly elevated the variety of vehicles allowed to enter the territory.

Nonetheless, support teams say provides aren’t reaching determined folks shortly sufficient, blaming Israeli restrictions and noting that 1000’s of vehicles are ready to enter Gaza. International locations have tried much less environment friendly methods to ship support, together with airdrops and by sea.

IRAN’S SUPREME LEADER AGAIN PLEDGES RETALIATION AGAINST ISRAEL OVER KILLINGS OF IRANIAN GENERALS

JERUSALEM — Iran’s Supreme Chief Ayatollah Ali Khamenei once more promised to retaliate towards Israel over the killings of Iranian generals in a strike on its consulate in Syria.

Khamenei spoke Wednesday at a prayer ceremony in Tehran celebrating the primary day of the Eid al-Fitr vacation and the tip of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan. He stated final week’s assault on Iran’s consulate in Damascus, broadly blamed on Israel, was akin to an assault on Iranian territory. “The evil regime have to be punished, and it will likely be punished,” he added.

Israeli Overseas Minister Israel Katz appeared to reply, posting on social platform X in each Farsi and Hebrew: “If Iran assaults from its territory, Israel will reply and assault in Iran.”

The strike on April 1 killed 12 folks, together with seven Iranian Revolutionary Guard members, 4 Syrians and a Hezbollah militia member. Israel has not acknowledged its involvement, although it has been bracing for an Iranian response to the assault, which marked a major escalation of their long-running shadow warfare.

Iran helps anti-Israeli militant teams like Hamas, who’re battling Israeli forces within the Gaza Strip, in addition to the Lebanese Hezbollah.

BIDEN CALLS NETANYAHU’S APPROACH TO WAR AGAINST HAMAS A ‘MISTAKE’

TEL AVIV, Israel — U.S. President Joe Biden says Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s method to the warfare towards Hamas is mistaken.

Biden’s remarks in an interview that aired late Tuesday deepen an already rising rift between the 2 staunch allies over the warfare, now in its seventh month. These disagreements have compounded over the worsening humanitarian disaster within the Gaza Strip, Israel’s anticipated offensive within the metropolis of Rafah and Israel’s current strike on a humanitarian convoy, which killed seven support employees, most of them foreigners.

“What he’s doing is a mistake. I don’t agree together with his method,” Biden instructed U.S. Spanish-language broadcaster Univision in an interview performed on April 3, two days after the strike on the World Central Kitchen support convoy. He was responding to a query about whether or not Netanyahu was letting political concerns steer his decision-making within the warfare.

Biden stated Israel ought to comply with a cease-fire, flood beleaguered Gaza with support for the subsequent six to eight weeks and permit regional international locations to assist distribute the help. “It must be executed now,” he stated.

The Biden administration was outspoken in its help for Israel following the Oct. 7 Hamas assault, however in current weeks has stepped up criticism of Israel’s method to the warfare.

Israel and Hamas are holding talks meant to convey a few cease-fire in change for the discharge of hostages, though the edges nonetheless disagree on key phrases of a deal.