US President Joe Biden has engaged in a phone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, marking their first contact since an Israeli airstrike resulted in the deaths of seven aid workers in Gaza earlier this week.
In the aftermath of the strike, President Biden expressed his “outrage” and criticized Israel for what he perceived as insufficient measures to safeguard humanitarian workers.
Israel, in response, characterized the incident as a “grave mistake” and pledged to conduct an independent investigation into the matter.
As a consequence of the strike, several aid groups have halted their operations, exacerbating a food crisis in the northern part of the Gaza Strip, where residents are grappling with dire, near-famine conditions.
Simultaneously, pressure mounts on the UK government to suspend arms sales to Israel. Over 600 legal experts have penned a letter to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, urging an end to exports to Israel amid escalating tensions in the region.
-BBC-