April 10, 2024 - Israel-Hamas war

Hamas' political leader said that killing the sons of leaders would only make the group “more steadfast in our principles and adherence to our land.”

“Whoever thinks that by targeting my kids during the negotiation talks and before a deal is agreed upon that it will force Hamas to back down on its demands, is delusional,” Haniyeh said in a statement.

The Israeli military confirmed that it carried out the attack and described the men as “three Hamas military operatives that conducted terrorist activity in the central Gaza Strip.”

The decision was made after careful consideration, the spokesperson said, and will likely last until Thursday.

"We are constantly monitoring the situation in the Middle East and are in close contact with the authorities. The safety of our guests and crew members is Lufthansa’s top priority," the spokesperson said. 

CNN has reached out to Lufthansa for confirmation. 

Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated the US support for Israel and pledged the US "will stand with Israel against any threats by Iran and its proxies" in a call with Israel's defense minister.

The two leaders “also discussed ongoing efforts to secure the release of all hostages through an agreement for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza,” according to a readout from State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller.

“Blinken welcomed Israel’s recent announcements of urgent steps to facilitate the entry of humanitarian assistance into Gaza and to improve humanitarian deconfliction and coordination, reiterating that incidents such as the strike on World Central Kitchen workers must never reoccur,” Miller said.

The top US diplomat also emphasized to Gallant that the US "expects Israel to quickly implement its commitments on humanitarian assistance and deconfliction and that those commitments must be sustained over time,” he said.

US Reps. Jason Crow and James Clyburn both told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer today they believe Netanyahu “must go.”

Crow seconded the sentiment.

"He's not the leader that's going to take Israel forward. He is a failed leader in every respect. He's not made Israel safer, he's helped escalate regional tensions. He's not listening to us and he is, in my view, in large part, responsible for this massive humanitarian catastrophe that we are seeing," Crow said.

The Palestinian WCK staff member — named only as Amro by the organization — was “gravely injured” in a reported airstrike at the al-Bashir Mosque in Deir al-Balah, WCK said Wednesday. The strike occurred a mere 15 minutes before the aid convoy was first hit, according to the organization.

CNN has reached out to the Israel Defense Forces for comment on this claim by the WCK.

The aid worker suffered “serious head and hand injuries while he was off duty in a home close to the mosque in the area surrounding our warehouse and newly established kitchen in Deir al-Balah,” WCK said.

After being pulled from the rubble, he was taken to the same hospital where those killed in the deadly strike on the WCK convoy were brought, WCK said.

Both airstrikes occurred within miles of each other and were “flagrant reminders of the harrowing conditions humanitarian aid workers and Palestinian families continue to face every minute of every day,” the NGO said.

The aid organization said more than 400 Palestinians are employed by WCK, with thousands working as volunteers.

The aid worker injured in the April 1 strike owned a sweet shop until it was destroyed early in the war. Despite several opportunities to leave Gaza for Egypt, he chose to continue working for the organization, WCK said.

US officials have not seen evidence of Hamas targeting Palestinian civilians working with international aid organizations in Gaza, according to Samantha Power, administrator for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

“That is not what our partners are reporting back to us,” Power said at a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing. She was being asked about such allegations by Democratic Rep. Kathy Manning.

Power added that US aid partners in Gaza are also not reporting that Hamas is impeding the distribution of humanitarian assistance. She said the Israel Defense Forces has also not been reporting such obstructions by Hamas. 

“I, like you, would expect it would be, given what Hamas does otherwise targeting innocent civilians, using innocent civilians as human shields, but again — trusted partners like World Food Programme and UNICEF and others have not reported that Hamas is getting in the way of humanitarian assistance," Power said.

Power previously testified that USAID has not received reports of Hamas “systematically” diverting food aid in Gaza.

US forces dropped more humanitarian assistance into northern Gaza on Wednesday, according to a statement from US Central Command.

"The joint operation included four C-130 U.S. Air Force aircraft, and U.S. Army Soldiers specialized in aerial delivery of U.S humanitarian assistance supplies," CENTCOM said in a statement.
"The U.S. C-130s dropped over 50,680 U.S. meal equivalents into Northern Gaza," according to CENTCOM.

The United States has dropped approximately 852 tons of humanitarian assistance supplies to date, CENTCOM said.

Two other Israeli officials said neither Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nor Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant had been informed about the strike ahead of time.

The comments from Israeli officials come after Haniyeh suggested the airstrike was an attempt to “force Hamas to back down on its demands” at the negotiating table.