April 3, 2024 Israel-Hamas war

Family members of the hostages held in Gaza stormed into a gathering of the Knesset, Israel's parliament, on Wednesday. 

Video posted to X by the Knesset showed family members stepping over seats and putting handprints in yellow paint on the glass above the parliament.

Other protesters stood with yellow paint on their hands and held their hands up, the video shows.

Opposition members of the Knesset joined them, chanting "now, now," according to a statement posted on the official X page.

The protesters left shortly after entering the public gallery, after one man was forcibly removed by security. Some left pictures of hostages on seats, which are still visible on the Knesset's live feed. 

In January, family members of hostages held in Gaza also entered the Knesset's main room while members were in session. 

This post has been updated with more details on family members leaving the gallery.

More humanitarian assistance and "proper deconfliction" that would allow the movement of aid within Gaza are essential for those who remain in the enclave, UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron said Wednesday. 

Cameron also denounced the "dreadful events" that led to the death of seven humanitarian workers who were delivering aid, including three British citizens. 

Cameron said he welcomes what the Israeli ambassador to London told him on Tuesday about "a full, urgent and transparent inquiry," after being summoned over the killing of the World Central Kitchen aid workers in Gaza. "We want to see this happen very, very quickly," he added.

The foreign minister reiterated his commitment to getting aid into Gaza, saying it was "essential" and that Britain would be watching "very closely" to ensure it happens.

Former UK security adviser and member of the British House of Lords Peter Ricketts said the country should stop selling weapons to Israel.

“A country that gets arms from the UK has to comply with international humanitarian law – that’s a condition of the arms export license. So, honestly, I think the time has come to send that signal,” he added.

In response to the remarks, a UK government spokesperson said: “We keep advice on Israel’s adherence to International Humanitarian Law under review and will act in accordance with that advice. All export licence applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria."

Some background: Last year, Secretary of State for Defense Grant Shapps told the House of Commons that the UK’s "defense exports to Israel are relatively small—just 42 million pounds ($56.7 million) last year,” he said in November 2023, adding that such exports "go through a very strict criteria before anything is exported."

Four police officers were lightly injured in a car ramming attack early Wednesday morning at a security checkpoint in central Israel, police say. 

The assailant “subsequently continued to the Eliyahu crossing and attempted to stab security personnel who neutralized him,” the statement said, and his death was “determined at the scene.”

The victims were evacuated to hospital, according to Magen David Adam emergency services. 

Police later identified the attacker as a 26-year-old male from the Israeli Arab town of Tira, near the location of the attack. 

Police said the initial investigation ruled out any indication of an accomplice. 

War cabinet minister Benny Gantz has urged calm following “violent” protests against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.

On Tuesday night, some anti-government protesters breached security barriers near Netanyahu's Jerusalem residence according to social media videos. Israeli media reported several arrests.

Police said while most of the protesters behaved according to the law, some attempted to reach the residence of the prime minister and were arrested. 

While anti-government protests have been held weekly in Tel Aviv, demonstrators have relocated to Jerusalem this week to protest ahead of the Knesset's recess, calling for new elections and for the government to do more to have the remaining hostages released. 

The top US humanitarian aid official said the deaths of seven World Central Kitchen workers in Gaza, as well as "the deaths of more than 30,000 Palestinians and 200 humanitarian workers in this conflict, are devastating and deeply alarming."

US Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Samantha Power said she had shared with WCK Founder Jose Andres "deepest condolences to the families, friends, and colleagues of those killed."

Power reiterated that the Israeli government and the IDF "must do much more to facilitate this work."

The Israel Defense Forces' chief of staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi apologized Tuesday for the airstrikes that killed seven aid workers in Gaza, calling it “a mistake that followed a misidentification.” He said the fatal incident is being investigated.

US President Joe Biden said he was “outraged and heartbroken” by the killings of the humanitarian aid workers, adding that Israel has “not done enough to protect civilians.”

World Central Kitchen, that charity that employed the aid workers, on Tuesday shared the identities of those who were killed: John Chapman, 57; James (Jim) Henderson, 33; James Kirby, 47; Jacob Flickinger, 33; Damian Sobol; Lalzawmi (Zomi) Frankcom and Saifeddin Issam.

Here are the latest headlines from the region:

The family of an Australian aid worker killed in Gaza says she leaves a "legacy of compassion, bravery and love for all those in her orbit."

A statement issued by Zomi Frankcom's family said they are "deeply mourning the news that our brave and beloved Zomi has been killed doing the work she loves delivering food to the people of Gaza.

It added that the family was “still reeling from the shock” and has asked for “privacy during this difficult time".

Foreign nationals were among the seven aid workers from the non-profit World Central Kitchen killed in an Israeli military strike on Tuesday as they were delivering food to starving civilians in Gaza.

Speaking to reporters during a press conference in Canberra on Wednesday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called for full accountability for the deaths and said the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade was working to have her body returned to Australia.

An Israeli strike in Gaza that killed seven World Central Kitchen aid workers has touched off fury and indignation inside the White House, prompting President Joe Biden on Tuesday to release a public statement using a word he has rarely invoked over the course of the tragedy-ridden conflict: “Outraged.”

The deaths of the workers who were delivering food to starving civilians in the besieged enclave — including one dual US-Canadian citizen – has frustrated Biden and his top officials to a new level, a senior administration official told CNN. 

The strike has been a “standout incident” as far as the White House is concerned, the official said, prompting serious consternation and concern in what had already been a moment of high tensions between the US and Israel. 

The president discussed the deaths of the workers with a small group of Muslim community leaders at the White House Tuesday, according to one of the attendee

s. Some of the participants were doctors who had spent time in Gaza and had seen first-hand the plight of the Palestinian civilians there. One of them, CNN reported, walked out of the meeting early in a show of protest.

Asked about Biden blaming Israel for failing to protect civilians and aid workers in his statement, a senior adviser to the president told CNN: “It’s what he wanted to say.”