Concern grows over Israeli war tactics

  Concern grows over Israeli war tactics

We have known for some time there have been tensions and frustrations within the US-Israel relationship, which is so crucial to events that have taken place in the Middle East.

These frustrations have been very much on show overnight.

US President Joe Biden put out a statement saying he was "outraged" and "heartbroken" at the killing of the seven humanitarian workers from World Central Kitchen, that Israel has admitted it was responsible for.

But he also said, very specifically, not just what all other world leaders said - that there should be an investigation, that it should be swift, that there should be accountability and the findings should be should be public. 

Biden said this is not a standalone incident and that this conflict has been one of the worst in recent memory in terms of how many aid workers have been killed.

This is a major reason why distributing aid in Gaza has been so difficult, because Israel has not done enough to protect aid workers.

What is so significant about this is it's a demonstration of the allies becoming increasingly concerned by way Israel is prosecuting its war.

The UN secretary general Antonio Guterres echoed this on the floor of the UN General Assembly last night, saying that what had happened was an "inevitable result of the way the war was being conducted".

In other words, regardless of the actual findings of any investigation, what Biden is suggesting, what the UN leader is suggesting, is just the nature of the way Israel is behaving militarily on the battlefield is a way they are becoming unhappy with.

Deaths of aid workers appalling, Unicef says 

The Israeli strike that killed seven aid workers in Gaza was "appalling", Unicef says.

Tess Ingram, Unicef's communications specialist, told BBC Breakfast: "These were brave humanitarian workers trying to do their job.

"This absolutely should not happen in the line of duty and it is appalling they have been killed."

She says Unicef's operations in Gaza have been impacted by World Central Kitchen - the charity the seven victims worked for - "pausing their operations as they are one of the big helpers".

"We have lost so many colleagues. It is dangerous for us and it is also dangerous for people in Gaza," she adds.

Israel’s relationships with allies shows signs of strain

The conversations between the UK and Israel in the past day have been far from business as usual.

The Israeli ambassador was summoned to the Foreign Office for the first time in 12 years. And Rishi Sunak’s conversation with his Israeli counterpart last night was frank.

Sunak told Benjamin Netanyahu that he was “appalled” at the killings, that too many aid workers and civilians had died and the situation was “increasingly intolerable”. 

That sort of language is not what you’d expect from an official readout between two allies.

And we’ve seen similar frustration from other countries who are typically supportive of Israel. The pressure on Netanyahu is growing.

The UK has also made it clear it wants more protection for civilians, fewer restrictions on aid and more done to repair vital infrastructure like hospitals.

The government in London is likely to wait and see whether Israel delivers on demands for an independent, transparent and thorough investigation.

But the relationship is showing signs of strain – as is Israel’s relationship with other allies.

THESE STORIES AND MORE UPDATES AT: British aid worker killed in Gaza will be remembered as a hero, say family - BBC News