Seoul Gazette - Israeli 'warning' fire at diplomats sparks outcry amid Gaza pressure

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas urged Israel to hold accountable those responsible for the shooting near the city of Jenin, a stronghold of Palestinian armed groups and a frequent target of Israeli raids.

The Palestinian foreign ministry accused Israel of having "deliberately targeted by live fire an accredited diplomatic delegation".

The Israeli military said "the delegation deviated from the approved route", prompting troops to fire "warning shoots" to keep them away from "an area where they were not authorised to be".

In a statement, the military said it "regrets the inconvenience caused" by the shooting, which resulted in no injuries.

The incident came as international pressure mounted on Israel over the war in the Gaza Strip, where Palestinians waited desperately for vital supplies after the easing of a two-month total aid blockade.

Rescuers in the Palestinian territory, where Israel has recently intensified its devastating offensive, said overnight Israeli strikes killed at least 19 people, including a week-old baby.

- 'Unbearable' -

Israel said 93 trucks had entered Gaza on Tuesday but faced accusations the amount fell far short of what was required. The United Nations said the aid had been held up.

The world body on Monday said it had been cleared to send in aid for the first time since Israel imposed a total blockade on March 2 in a move leading to critical shortages of food and medicine.

Umm Talal al-Masri, 53, a displaced Palestinian living in an area of Gaza City, described the situation as "unbearable".

"No one is distributing anything to us. Everyone is waiting for aid, but we haven't received anything," she told AFP.

"We're grinding lentils and pasta to make some loaves of bread, and we barely manage to prepare one meal a day."

The Israeli army stepped up its offensive at the weekend, vowing to defeat Gaza's Hamas rulers, whose October 7, 2023 attack on Israel triggered the war.

Israel has faced massive pressure, including from traditional allies, to halt its intensified offensive and allow aid into Gaza.

Kallas said on Tuesday that "a strong majority" of foreign ministers from the 27-nation bloc backed the move to review its trade cooperation with Israel.

"The countries see that the situation in Gaza is untenable... and what we want is to unblock the humanitarian aid," she said.

Sweden said it would press the EU to impose sanctions on Israeli ministers, while Britain suspended free-trade negotiations with Israel and summoned the Israeli ambassador.

Pope Leo XIV described the situation in Gaza as "worrying and painful" and called for "the entry of sufficient humanitarian aid".

Israel's foreign ministry has said the EU action "reflects a total misunderstanding of the complex reality Israel is facing".

- 'Reckless act' -

Several European countries were quick to condemn the shooting incident in the West Bank, with Belgium demanding a "convincing explanation" and Italy saying that "threats against diplomats are unacceptable".

Ahmad al-Deek, political adviser for the Palestinian foreign ministry, said he had been leading the delegation.

"We condemn this reckless act by the Israeli army, especially at a time when it had given the diplomatic delegation an impression of the life the Palestinian people are living", he said.

A European diplomat present during the visit said he heard "repeated shots" coming from inside Jenin refugee camp, which has been largely emptied of its inhabitants since a major Israeli operation began in January.

"We were doing a visit with the governor of Jenin to the border of the camp to see the destruction," the diplomat said.

In Gaza, Israel resumed its operations across the territory on March 18, ending a two-month ceasefire.

Hamas's October 2023 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.

Militants also took 251 hostages, 57 of whom remain in Gaza including 34 the military says are dead.

Gaza's health ministry said Tuesday at least 3,509 people have been killed since Israel resumed strikes on March 18, taking the war's overall toll to 53,655.

N.Son--SG