Israel-Gaza: IDF vows to intensify attacks as second aid convoy arrives in Gaza

Scotland Yard said its specialist counterterrorism officers had assessed the footage and did not identify any offences, with the force pointing out that the word “jihad” has numerous meanings.

World leaders including Rishi Sunak and Joe Biden are stepping up diplomatic efforts to prevent the Israel-Gaza war triggering wider bloodshed across the Middle East.

The prime minister and US president, along with the leaders of France, German, Italy and Canada, called for Israel to respect international humanitarian law, demanded the release of the hostages held by Hamas and pushed for aid for Gaza.

The joint call came as the conflict threatened to spread as Israel continues preparations for a ground offensive in Gaza.

French president Emmanuel Macron will visit Israel in coming days, Bejamin Netanyahu’s office has said.

Mr Macron and Dutch PM Mark Rutte “will arrive tomorrow and Tuesday and will meet with Prime Minister Netanyahu,” his office said.

US officials are in a race alongside international partners and embassies to secure the release of dozens of hostages kidnapped by Hamas militants two weeks ago. Hamas attacks on 7 October killed more than 1,400 Israelis while more than 4,300 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s retaliatory bombardments and airstrikes.

Israel is now preparing troops for a ground assault on Gaza which could significantly complicate hostage negotiations and the delivery of aid to more than two million Palestinians trapped in the region.

My colleague Alex Woodward reports:

Dame Maureen Lipman has said artists should feel “shame” for advocating for Palestinians following the Hamas attack on Israel.

Oscar-winning actress Tilda Swinton, Game Of Thrones star Charles Dance, I’m Alan Partridge star Steve Coogan and Harry Potter actress Miriam Margolyes are among more than 2,000 artists to back an open call for humanitarian support in Gaza.

The letter, written by Artists For Palestine UK, calls for “an immediate ceasefire and the opening of Gaza’s crossings to allow humanitarian aid to enter unhindered”.

It has also urged governments to “end their military and political support for Israel’s actions”.

My US colleague Alex Woodward reports:

An Israeli-American reservist has been killed by an anti-tank missile fired by Hezbollah along the Israel-Lebanon border.

Staff Sgt Omer Balva, of Rockland, Maryland, was serving as a platoon commander in the 9203 battalion of the Alexandroni Brigade when he died on Friday, roughly 115 miles from Gaza, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

Balva was among 360,000 reservists called up to combat Hamas after terrorist attacks on Israel two weeks ago, leaving more than 1,000 dead.

The 22-year-old grew up in the Maryland suburbs and moved to Israel with his parents in 2019. He was studying for a degree in business administration and economics at Reichman University in Herzliya, Israel.

Residents who have stayed in Gaza City, in the north, told The Independent Israel dropped more leaflets on Saturday that said if people did not move to the south they “might be identified as accomplices of a terrorist organisation”. They shared images of the leaflets.

This has raised further concerns about further violations of international law if civilians are targeted for not moving.

The Israeli military did not deny they sent the leaflets in a statement to The Independent, but added that “the translation from Arabic that has spread online is imprecise” without specifying which translation was wrong.

“We clarify that the IDF [Israeli army] has no intention to consider those who have not evacuated from the affected area of fighting as a member of the terrorist group. The IDF treats civilians as such, and does not target them,” the statement read.

“In order to minimise civilian harm, the IDF sent a request to the residents of the northern area of the Gaza Strip to evacuate southward of Wadi Gaza.”

As desperately-needed humanitarian aid trucks trickle through the only crossing into Gaza, President Joe Biden is reportedly pressing Israel to delay ground attacks of the occupied Palestinian territory.

US officials are in a race, alongside international partners and embassies, to secure the release of dozens of hostages kidnapped by Hamas militants two weeks ago. Hamas attacks on 7 October killed more than 1,400 Israelis while more than 4,300 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s retaliatory bombardments and airstrikes.

Israel is now preparing troops for a ground assault on Gaza which could significantly complicate hostage negotiations and the delivery of aid to more than two million Palestinians trapped in the region.

President Biden and Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke on Sunday and “affirmed that there will now be continued flow of this critical assistance into Gaza”.

US President Joe Biden also ramped up his diplomacy, convening separate calls on Sunday with the leaders of Canada, France, Britain, Germany and Italy, after speaking with Benjamin Netanyahu and Pope Francis.

Netanyahu also held a phone call with the leaders of France, Spain and the Netherlands late on Sunday, the Israeli leader’s office said.

“The prime minister noted his nation’s unity and determination to eliminate the military and governing capabilities of Hamas,” Netanyahu’s office said.

French President Emmanuel Macron and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte will visit Israel this week.