logo
Israeli official says claims IDF targets aid workers are 'blood libel' after UK minister calls for investigation

Israeli official says claims IDF targets aid workers are 'blood libel' after UK minister calls for investigation

Sky News27-04-2025

An Israeli government spokesperson said suggestions that the IDF targets aid workers are "blood libel," after a Labour MP called for investigations into attacks leading to their deaths.
Hamish Falconer, minister for the Middle East and North Africa, said on social media that "aid workers need protection and must never be targeted".
The MP for Lincoln then added: "Following Israel's admission of responsibility for recent strikes on UN premises in Gaza, it must investigate all attacks that have killed aid workers, hold those responsible to account, and ensure this never happens again."
It came after the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) admitted its troops were behind the attack on a UN guest house in Gaza last month, killing one staff member. It had previously denied responsibility.
Responding to Mr Falconer, the spokesperson of the Israeli Foreign Ministry denied that the IDF had targeted aid workers, and accused those who suggested it of "blood libel" - a term used in the Middle Ages to describe antisemitic false claims that Jews carried out the ritualised murder of children.
"Israel never targets aid workers," Oren Marmorstein said. "Israel targets terrorists only, and any other suggestion is pure blood libel and must be retracted."
The spokesperson then said Israel "investigates itself transparently in events where aid workers are tragically hurt," saying the IDF "did not shy away from taking responsibility" for the attack on the UN building.
Mr Marmorstein then advised Mr Falconer to look into investigations into cases where the UK was responsible for the death of civilians during armed conflicts, adding: "We hope that the level of accountability would match that of Israel."
3:13
On 19 March, a building in Deir al Balah belonging to the UN's Office for Project Services (UNOPS) was attacked, killing a Bulgarian staff member and injuring six other international workers.
The UN said the building was fired on by an Israeli tank, which the IDF initially denied.
However, on 24 April, the Israeli military admitted it fired on the building "due to assessed enemy presence and was not identified by the forces as a UN facility".
UNOPS chief Jorge Moreira da Silva said at the time that Israel knew the location of the building and who was working there. He then claimed: "This was not an accident."
2:25
Sky News understands that the IDF had been previously informed that the building belonged to the UN, and that this is being investigated by the IDF.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Greta Thunberg bizarrely claims she DIDN'T KNOW her ‘Freedom Flotilla' crewmates had shown support for Hamas & Hezbollah
Greta Thunberg bizarrely claims she DIDN'T KNOW her ‘Freedom Flotilla' crewmates had shown support for Hamas & Hezbollah

Scottish Sun

time41 minutes ago

  • Scottish Sun

Greta Thunberg bizarrely claims she DIDN'T KNOW her ‘Freedom Flotilla' crewmates had shown support for Hamas & Hezbollah

GRETA Thunberg claims she didn't now her "Freedom Flotilla" crewmates had shown support for Hamas and Hezbollah. The 22-year-old activist told Swedish media she hadn't "heard about it or what this person has said". 6 Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg (C) is greeted on arrival at Stockholm-Arlanda airport Credit: AFP 6 Thunberg looks stunned as she sits on a flight to Paris Credit: Twitter/OSINTdefender 6 Thunberg with part of the crew of the ship headed to the Strip Credit: Getty Upon being asked why she didn't know about the views of the people she was on the boat with, she said: "Because I haven't had a phone." Greta was also challenged in questions from reporters on why she hadn't looked into the issue before setting off on the ship bound to Gaza. She responded: "Should I ask exactly everyone what exactly they have said about everything? "It would take some time." read more news GOOD RIDDANCE 'Deported' Greta lands in France & slams Israel for giving her a sandwich Thunberg, 22, was one of 12 passengers on board the British-flagged Madleen - a boat carrying aid destined for people in war-torn Gaza. The vessel's controversial crew includes figures who have openly supported terrorist organizations and have made inflammatory public statements. Brazilian activist Thiago Avila attended the funeral of slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, calling the terrorist a "beloved" leader and a "martyr". Avila said he was "very honoured" and "very happy" to attend, and described the funeral as something that "amazed him". He wrote that Nasrallah was an "important figure" who "inspired people all over the world". Also on board was Yasemin Acar from Berlin, who reportedly danced as Iranian rockets rained down on Israel and once told a white woman at a protest: 'You're a white person, you shouldn't tell us what to do.' Greta Thunberg's Gaza 'Freedom Flotilla' boarded & seized by Israeli forces French journalist Omar Faiad, of Al-Jazeera, sparked outrage for comparing the IDF to Nazis. On X, he wrote: 'The Israeli army resembles the Nazi army,' and claimed: 'Israel is committing a new Holocaust in Gaza.' Rima Hassan, meanwhile, previously tweeted: 'Kfir, Ariel, and Shiri Bibas were killed by an Israeli attack,' despite Hamas being responsible for their abduction and deaths. She was also seen at a protest where demonstrators chanted: 'We die for jihad.' Greta was taken to dry land on Monday after Israeli authorities seized the yacht. Adalah, a legal rights group in Israel representing those on board, said Thunberg and two other activists and a journalist had agreed to be deported and leave Israel. Other activists refused deportation, were being held in detention, and their case was set to be heard by Israeli authorities. Israel accused the group who were aboard the boat of supporting Hamas terrorists who detonated Middle East mayhem by massacring 1,200 and kidnapping 251 hostages. 6 Greta Thunberg was one of the 12 people aboard the vessel 6 A photo posted on Telegram purportedly showing activists with their hands up on board the Madleen Credit: Freedom Flotilla Coalition 6 Gaza has been hammered by the IDF as it aims to wipe out Hamas Credit: Getty The activists said they were protesting the ongoing war and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. But Israel says such ships violate its naval blockade of Gaza. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said that he had instructed the Israeli Defence Forces to screen footage of the 7 October attacks for the activists as soon as they arrive. The disturbing footage - titled "Bearing Witness" - shows innocent people being massacred and mutilated. And all the footage was taken from the Hamas terrorists' body cams as they filmed their massacre. But Greta and the other activists refused to watch the clips as soon as they were told about it, Katz told reporters. The boat was carrying a "tiny amount of aid" on board - which will be sent to Gaza, officials said. Hamas branded the interception of the yacht as a "crime of piracy". The group said in a statement that activists were on a "humanitarian mission aimed at breaking the siege on the Gaza Strip and exposing the crime of mass starvation." The flotilla's latest voyage follows a failed attempt in May, when another of its vessels was struck by two drones in international waters off Malta. The group accused Israel of being behind the attack. Despite the risks, activists aboard the Madleen attempted to enter Gaza's territorial waters on Sunday.

US urges UK to U-turn on Israeli sanctions
US urges UK to U-turn on Israeli sanctions

Spectator

timean hour ago

  • Spectator

US urges UK to U-turn on Israeli sanctions

As if the Labour government didn't have enough on its plate with Rachel Reeves's spending review to be announced at midday, it is also facing pressure from the US over sanctions imposed on two Israeli cabinet ministers. Late last night, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that the travel ban and asset freezes imposed on security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and finance minister Bezalel Smotrich 'Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, said that the asset freezes and travel bans on Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich 'do not advance US-led efforts to achieve a ceasefire, bring all hostages home, and end the war'. Rubio hasn't just taken aim at the UK – President Donald Trump's man has also urged Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Norway to row back on their sanctions, while Israel has slammed yesterday's sanctions as 'outrageous'. The move by the UK and allied countries came after remarks made by Ben-Gvir and Smotrich were deemed to have 'incited extremist violence and serious abuses of Palestinian human rights' by Foreign Secretary David Lammy.

Israel confirms Hamas terror chief ‘The Shadow' is dead as it releases footage of his hiding place in secret tunnels
Israel confirms Hamas terror chief ‘The Shadow' is dead as it releases footage of his hiding place in secret tunnels

Daily Mail​

timean hour ago

  • Daily Mail​

Israel confirms Hamas terror chief ‘The Shadow' is dead as it releases footage of his hiding place in secret tunnels

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have confirmed that Hamas chief Mohammed Sinwar was killed in a strike on the European hospital in southern Gaza as it released footage of his body being discovered in secret tunnels. The de facto leader of the terror group, 49, was eliminated in an IDF strike on May 13 with troops on Sunday recovering his body from a tunnel in Khan Yunis. The military made the announcement after the body had gone through an identification process, with the military sharing on X Sinwar's alleged Israeli and Hamas documentation, as well as his driver's license. In bodycam footage of the find also posted to X, a soldier enters a deep tunnel outside the medical facility before making their way down a dim corridor. They stumble into a packed out room filled with what appears to be guns and ammunition before panning the camera to find Sinwar's camouflaged body on the ground. The IDF member then makes their way through several other tunnels which lead to dark rooms filled with equipment. The IDF wrote: 'Mohammad Sinwar was responsible for the deaths of countless civilians. He was eliminated in an IDF & ISA strike on May 13. 'His body was found beneath the European hospital in Khan Yunis - more proof of how Sinwar, and Hamas, hide behind their civilians and purposely embed themselves in civilian areas, such as hospitals. The IDF said: 'His body was found beneath the European hospital in Khan Yunis - more proof of how Sinwar, and Hamas, hide behind their civilians and purposely embed themselves in civilian areas, such as hospitals' 'He died the way he lived - underground'. Sinwar, nicknamed 'The Shadow' and 'The Butcher of Khan Younis', was targeted in a massive airstrike on the hospital in Khan Yunis on May 13, just a day after Hamas released Israeli-American soldier Edan Alexander. At the time, the IDF said it had struck 'Hamas terrorists in a command-and-control centre' in underground infrastructure at the hospital. Yet, it took over two weeks for Israel to confirm it had definitely killed Sinwar in the strike. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made the announcement on the 600th day of the war two weeks ago. 'We changed the face of the Middle East, we pushed the terrorists from our territories, we entered the Gaza Strip with force, we eliminated tens of thousands of terrorists, we eliminated (Mohammad) Deif, (Ismail) Haniyeh, Yahya Sinwar and Mohammed Sinwar,' he said in a speech at the Knesset, Israel's parliament. The attack killed 28 Palestinians and wounded more than 50 others, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said after the strike. Hamas apparently hid Sinwar's body in a tunnel to prevent Israel verifying his death and to ensure he could receive a high-profile funeral at a time of the group's choosing. According to Israeli reports, its military took advantage of Sinwar briefly separating himself from some of the hostages who remain in Hamas custody following the atrocities of October 7, 2023. Sinwar used the hostages as human shields, confident Israel would not target him, but he attended talks with Hamas political leaders on May 13 without them. Word reached Israeli military commanders, and to the surprise of those involved in the operation, authorization was granted for air strikes close to the hospital. Mohammed Sinwar took over the leadership of Hamas's military wing last year following the death of his older brother Yahya. Remarkable footage recorded by a drone showed Yahya sitting in an armchair in the devastated remains of a multi-story building following an air strike in October. He appeared to wave a piece of floorboard in defiance at the reconnaissance drone. Minutes later an air strike reduced the structure to rubble. Israeli soldiers subsequently dragged Yahya's body from the rubble. His death was a watershed moment for the country as he was the main planner behind the October 7 attacks which killed 1,200 people and resulted in 250 hostages being taken into Gaza. The atrocity triggered Israel's retaliatory assault on the Occupied Palestinian Territories which has cost more than 50,000 lives, led to two million people being displaced and caused a humanitarian catastrophe. The celebration in Israel surrounding Mohammed Sinwar's death came amid shocking scenes of humanitarian aid centers being over-run and crowds looting boxes of desperately needed supplies in Gaza. Controversially, Israel has sidelined the major international aid agencies and set up its own distribution system in conjunction with the U.S. It said it did not want Hamas to intercept aid meant for Gaza residents. Opponents of Israel have accused the country of orchestrating the provision of lifesaving supplies effectively to enable ethnic cleansing.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store