Biden calls IDF’s killing of American in West Bank ‘totally unacceptable’

But US president has still not called for an independent inquiry into the death of protester Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi

Joe Biden has described the Israel Defense Force’s fatal shooting of the Turkish American protester Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi as “totally unacceptable” in his first extensive comments on her death.

In a statement on Wednesday, Biden said that Israel had “acknowledged responsibility” for Eygi’s death, but he stopped short of backing the demands put out by Eygi’s family and other human rights advocates for an independent inquiry into the fatal shooting of the American activist at a protest in the West Bank town of Beita last week.

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‘So many similarities’: Rachel Corrie’s parents call for inquiry into death of Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi

Cindy and Craig Corrie say they fear Eygi’s death at West Bank protest will go unpunished like their daughter’s

When Cindy and Craig Corrie heard about the death of Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi, the American-Turkish woman killed at a protest in the occupied West Bank last week, it reopened a 21-year-old wound. “You feel the ripping apart again of your own family when you know that’s happening to another family. There’s a hole there that’s never going to be filled for each of these families,” Craig Corrie said.

In 2003, their daughter Rachel was crushed to death by an Israeli army bulldozer during a protest in Rafah against the demolitions of homes in Gaza. This week, the couple have joined a chorus of human rights advocates calling for an independent investigation into Eygi’s death, saying that they feared her case would go unpunished like their daughter’s.

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Family of US activist shot dead by Israeli forces says Biden has not called

Secretary of state and defence secretary decry fatal shooting of Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi in West Bank

The family of the American activist Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi said on Tuesday that neither the White House nor Joe Biden had called to offer condolences.

Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi, 26, who is also a Turkish national, was shot dead last Friday at a protest march in Beita, a village near Nablus where Palestinians have been repeatedly attacked by far-right Jewish settlers.

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UN says lives of staff endangered in Israeli halt of Gaza polio vaccine convoy

World body says two workers detained for questioning, live shots fired and vehicles damaged at checkpoint

Israeli soldiers halted a UN convoy involved in the recent polio vaccination drive in Gaza and detained two staff members for questioning, in an incident during which live shots were fired and vehicles damaged by a bulldozer, the UN has said.

Details of the incident, which occurred at the Al Rashid checkpoint, were revealed in a statement by the office of the UN humanitarian coordinator for Palestine, Muhannad Hadi, who said the lives of UN staff in the vehicles had been endangered.

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Khan Younis safe zone: Israel launches deadly strike on al-Mawasi, Gaza officials say

At least 19 people killed as missiles hit overcrowded area in attack that Israel says targeted a Hamas command centre

Israeli airstrikes on al-Mawasi “humanitarian zone” in the Gaza Strip have killed at least 19 people and injured a further 60, according to witnesses and medical officials in the blockaded Palestinian territory.

At least four missiles hit the overcrowded supposed “safe zone” on the coast in the early hours of Tuesday, causing dozens of tents to catch fire and leaving craters as deep as 9 metres, the civil emergency service said. Hundreds of thousands of displaced people are sheltering in Mawasi, where conditions are dire, after being ordered to move there by the Israeli military.

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Israel says ‘highly likely’ its troops killed Turkish-American activist

IDF expresses ‘regret’ over death of Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi on West Bank while US calls it ‘unprovoked and unjustified’

Israel’s military has said it was highly likely its troops fired the shot that killed Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi, the American-Turkish woman killed at a protest in the occupied West Bank.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said her death was unintentional and expressed deep regret.

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‘We are all Jenin together’: West Bank city seeks normality after IDF’s deadly raids

Palestinians go back to work but struggle to see positive future after destruction of Israel’s 10-day raid that killed 21 in city

In the occupied West Bank city of Jenin, residents are struggling to return to normality after the longest – and deadliest – Israeli military operation in the area for 20 years. On Sunday, the start of the working week, traffic choked the city centre for the first time in nearly two weeks after roads were repaired; street vendors sold peaches and the first of the season’s pomegranates as the city slowly came back to life.

But in some places, sewage still flowed through streets dug up by military bulldozers. Many burnt-out buildings showed signs of fierce fighting, the upper floors now peppered with bullet holes and broken windows. Water and electricity infrastructure was severely damaged, and it is not clear when these services will be restored.

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Australia backs UK decision to curb arms sales to Israel

Exclusive: Foreign minister Penny Wong says she ‘welcomes’ the British move and Palestinian civilians ‘cannot pay the price’ of defeating Hamas

Australia is coordinating with the UK and other allies to “pressure” Israel to alleviate the suffering of Palestinian civilians in Gaza and to stop the erosion of longstanding norms protecting aid workers.

The Australian government has also explicitly backed the UK’s decision to curb arms exports to Israel, putting it at odds with the US, which is reported to have privately warned Britain against the move.

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Funeral procession held for US-Turkish peace activist killed in West Bank

Palestinian Authority holds ceremony for Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi who was allegedly shot by Israeli troops during protest

The Palestinian Authority has held a funeral procession for an American-Turkish activist who a witness says was shot and killed by Israeli forces last week during a demonstration against settlements in the occupied West Bank.

Dozens of mourners – including several leading officials of the western-backed authority – attended the procession in Nablus for Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi, a 26-year-old from Seattle who also held Turkish citizenship.

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Middle East crisis: Israeli strikes on Syria kill at least 25 people, war monitor says – as it happened

Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says the dead include civilians as well as soldiers and ‘Syrians working with pro-Iran groups’

The UN human rights chief has said that ending the war in Gaza is a priority and asked countries to act on what he called Israel’s “blatant disregard” for international law in the occupied Palestinian territories.

“States must not – cannot – accept blatant disregard for international law, including binding decisions of the (UN) security council and orders of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), neither in this nor any other situation,” the UN high commissioner for human rights, Volker Turk, said in a speech at the opening of the UN human rights council in Geneva.

The court considers that the violations by Israel of the prohibition of the acquisition of territory by force and of the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination have a direct impact on the legality of the continued presence of Israel, as an occupying power, in the occupied Palestinian territory.

The sustained abuse by Israel of its position as an occupying power, through annexation and an assertion of permanent control over the occupied Palestinian territory and continued frustration of the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, violates fundamental principles of international law and renders Israel’s presence in the occupied Palestinian territory unlawful.

Forcible evictions, extensive house demolitions and restrictions on residence and movement.

The transfer by Israel of settlers to the West Bank and East Jerusalem and maintenance of their presence.

Its failure to prevent or to punish attacks by settlers.

Restricting the access of the Palestinian population to water.

Israel’s use of the natural resources in the occupied Palestinian territory.

The extension of Israel’s law to the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

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Jordanian driver kills Israeli workers at border with West Bank

Triple shooting on mostly quiet border with Jordan may be indicative of Gaza war spreading violence across region

Three Israeli workers have been killed at a border crossing between the West Bank and Jordan when a Jordanian truck driver opened fire on them, in a fresh sign that the nearly year-old Gaza conflict is spreading violence across the region.

On the same day, an Israeli airstrike in northern Gaza killed a senior aid official and two women and two children from his family.

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Middle East crisis: Senior Gaza rescue service official killed in Israeli airstrike; three Israelis killed near Jordan border crossing – as it happened

Deputy director of Gaza Civil Emergency Service and four family members killed in Jabalia, say Gaza health officials; three Israeli civilians killed in shooting near Jordan border crossing, says IDF

Here is more on the earlier incident (see 9.08am post) in which three Israelis were killed.

Reuters reports that Israeli authorities said a gunman crossing from Jordan killed the three civilians at the Allenby Bridge border in the occupied West Bank on Sunday before being shot dead by security forces.

A terrorist approached the area of the Allenby Bridge from Jordan in a truck, exited the truck, and opened fire at the Israeli security forces operating at the bridge.

The terrorist was eliminated by the security forces, three Israeli civilians were pronounced dead as a result of the attack.

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West Bank residents tell of teargas then shots before US woman’s death

Palestinians say they have no faith in Israel Defense Forces inquiry into killing as US officials insist Gaza ceasefire is near

US officials have insisted that a ceasefire in Gaza is close even as fighting rages unabated in the blockaded Palestinian territory and violence spirals in the occupied West Bank, where witnesses told the Observer an American-Turkish dual national was killed by Israeli forces on Friday.

William Burns, who is also the US’s chief negotiator in the indirect talks between Israel and Hamas, echoed secretary of state Antony Blinken during a speech in London on Saturday in which he said that “90% of the text had been agreed but the last 10% is always the hardest”.

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Israel-Gaza war: US and UK spy chiefs ‘working ceaselessly’ for ceasefire deal – as it happened

This live blog is now closed, you can read more of our Israel-Gaza war coverage here

CIA director William Burns, the chief US negotiator trying to help secure a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages by Hamas, said a more detailed proposal on the ceasefire would be made in the coming days.

“We will make this more detailed proposal, I hope in the next several days, and then we’ll see,” Burns said at an FT event in London on Saturday.

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American-Turkish woman shot dead at anti-settler protest in West Bank

Witnesses say Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi, 26, was fired at by Israel Defense Forces soldiers positioned in nearby field

An American-Turkish dual national has been shot dead – reportedly by Israeli troops – while participating in a protest against settler expansion in the occupied West Bank.

Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi, a 26-year-old volunteer with the anti-occupation International Solidarity Movement, died in hospital on Friday after being shot in the head during a protest in Beita, near Nablus, the Palestinian news agency Wafa reported.

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Aid agency insiders claim BBC ‘blocking’ Gaza humanitarian appeal

Disasters Emergency Committee sources say BBC fears backlash from those supportive of Israel’s war with Hamas

The launch of a major humanitarian appeal for Gaza by the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) is being delayed by the BBC, it has emerged.

The corporation said the appeal did not meet all the established criteria for a national appeal, but the possibility of broadcasting an appeal was “under review”. Other channels have agreed to broadcast an appeal.

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‘We are freed in Gaza by sport’: shot putter flies Palestinian flag at Paralympics

Fadi Aldeeb, who had a month to train in his old event, was sole Gaza-born athlete at either Paris Games

Fadi Aldeeb got the call just a month before the Paralympics began asking him to return to the shot put, an event in which he hadn’t competed in years, to be the sole Palestinian representative at the Paris Games.

“When they asked me, of course I said yes because this is my country,” said the 38-year-old wheelchair basketball player from Gaza. “This experience isn’t about me, I am the voice of millions of people, to show their goals, their hopes and their successes. This is my opportunity to show the world who we are.”

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Hamas accuses Netanyahu of trying to ‘thwart’ ceasefire and hostage deal – as it happened

This blog is now closed, you can read more of our Israel-Gaza war coverage here

Palestinian news agency Wafa reports that three people have been killed in an apparent Israeli strike on Gaza City in the north of the territory. The attack happened in the al-Zaytoun neighbourhood.

There has been an apparent shooting attack near the Israeli consulate in Munich in Germany on the anniversary of the 1972 Munich Olympics attack on Israeli athletes and staff at the Games. There are no reports of casualties, but the suspected attacker has been shot and killed. My colleague Lili Bayer has the latest developments here

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UN’s Gaza polio vaccination campaign reaches 189,000 children in first phase

Unicef calls inoculations ‘rare bright spot’ in war, as minister appears to suggest Israel might eventually fully withdraw

The United Nations children’s agency has said that a polio vaccination campaign to inoculate more than 640,000 children in Gaza is surpassing expectations at the end of the first phase of the programme.

Describing the campaign as a “rare bright spot” in almost 11 months of war, Unicef said that 189,000 children had been reached so far as more than 500 teams were deployed across central Gaza this week.

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Australian government won’t back public views of special envoys on antisemitism and Islamophobia

Exclusive: Documents obtained by Guardian Australia reveal ‘all communications’ will be solely attributed to special envoy

The Australian government is seeking to create some distance from its new special envoys on antisemitism and Islamophobia, suggesting they do not characterise their comments as official government policy.

Documents obtained by Guardian Australia reveal the instructions the government has given its new special envoy to combat antisemitism, Jillian Segal, including the need to highlight “diverse Jewish Australian identities”.

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