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An Israeli airstrike in Gaza has killed at least nine Palestinians, including three local journalists, the territory’s health ministry has said.

The strike hit a car, with casualties inside and outside the vehicle, and several people were critically injured, according to officials in the Gaza Strip.

Six volunteers from the Al Khair Foundation were “deliberately targeted” and killed while on their way to deliver aid in the northern town of Beit Lahia, said the UK-based international non-governmental organisation (NGO).

Among the six were the three journalists – Mahmoud al Sarraj, Mahmoud Isleem, and Bilal Abu Matar – who were recording humanitarian relief efforts for those affected by the war in Gaza, the foundation said.

The other three victims have been named as Bilal Akeela, Mohammad al Ghafir, and Hazem Gharib.

The foundation said: “The first strike injured one team member, prompting them to move away, but a drone followed them and struck their vehicle directly with a second strike, killing them all.”

What has Israel’s military said?

In a statement, the Israeli military said it had struck two individuals who it identified as “terrorists” operating a drone that it said posed a threat to forces in Beit Lahiya.

The military later struck several other suspects who it said had collected the drone equipment and entered a vehicle.

The military did not say how it had established that the individuals it had struck were “terrorists” or provide details about the threat that the drone had posed to its troops.

Gaza official denies army’s claims

Salama Marouf, the head of the Hamas-run Gaza government media office, denied the Israeli army’s allegations.

“The team was made of civilians and worked in an area near a shelter on a mission sponsored by a charity. They didn’t exist in a prohibited area and didn’t pose any danger of any kind to the occupation army,” Marouf said in a statement.

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Thousands call for longer ceasefire deal for hostages

Saturday’s incident underscores the fragility of the 19 January ceasefire agreement that halted large-scale fighting in the Gaza Strip. Palestinian health officials say dozens of people have been killed by Israeli fire despite the truce.

The airstrike coincided with a visit to Egypt’s capital Cairo by Hamas’s exiled Gaza chief, Khalil al Hayya, for further truce talks aimed at resolving disputes with Israel.

Read more:
Israel accused of ‘genocidal acts’ against Palestinians in UN report
Palestinian officials say Israel kills eight in Gaza and five in West Bank

The militant group has accused Israel of attempting to renege on the ceasefire agreement, putting the number of Palestinians killed since 19 January, it says, at 150.

Hamas urged mediators to compel Israel to move ahead with the implementation of the phased ceasefire deal, blaming Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the current impasse.

What next for ceasefire deal?

The temporary first phase, where Hamas released dozens of Israeli hostages in return for around 1,500 Palestinian prisoners being freed from Israeli jails, expired on 2 March.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
File pic: AP/Evelyn Hockstein/Pool
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. File pic: AP

But Israel says it wants to extend the first phase, a proposal backed by US envoy Steve Witkoff.

Hamas says it will only resume freeing hostages under the second phase.

Israel has rejected opening the second phase of talks, which would require it to negotiate over a permanent end to the war, which is Hamas’s main demand.

The war began when Hamas militants carried out a cross-border raid into southern Israel on 7 October 2023, killing 1,200 people and capturing around 250 hostages, according to Israeli officials.

Israel responded by launching an air and ground offensive in Gaza which has killed more than 48,000 Palestinians, say Gaza health officials.

The Gaza health ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count but said more than half of the fatalities were women and children.

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Boy, 8, and girl, 10, killed in US Catholic school shooting named – as father brands attacker ‘a coward’

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Boy, 8, and girl, 10, killed in US Catholic school shooting named - as father brands attacker 'a coward'

The families of two children killed in the US Catholic school shooting have said their “hearts are broken” and branded the attacker a “coward”.

Fletcher Merkel who was eight and 10-year-old Harper Moyski were killed during mass at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis on Wednesday.

Eighteen other people were injured, including children aged between six and 15 and three adults in their 80s.

Police said Robin Westman, a male born as Robert Westman, opened fire with a rifle through the windows of the school’s church as children sat in pews.

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New details released of US school shooting

‘Our hearts are broken’

Harper’s parents, Michael Moyski and Jackie Flavin, remembered her as “a bright, joyful, and deeply loved 10-year-old whose laughter, kindness, and spirit touched everyone who knew her”.

“Our hearts are broken not only as parents, but also for Harper’s sister, who adored her big sister and is grieving an unimaginable loss. As a family, we are shattered, and words cannot capture the depth of our pain,” their statement said.

They urged leaders and communities to “take meaningful steps to address gun violence and the mental health crisis in this country.”

“Change is possible, and it is necessary – so that Harper’s story does not become yet another in a long line of tragedies,” the statement added.

The family of Fletcher Merkel said there was a 'hole in our hearts'. Pic: Family handout/AP
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The family of Fletcher Merkel said there was a ‘hole in our hearts’. Pic: Family handout/AP

‘Fletcher loved his family’

In a statement reported by Sky’s US partner network NBC News, Fletcher’s father Jesse Merkel blamed the “coward” killer for why the boy’s family can’t “hold him, talk to him, play with him, and watch him grow into the wonderful young man he was on the path to becoming”.

He said: “Fletcher loved his family, friends, fishing, cooking, and any sports that he was allowed to play.

“While the hole in our hearts and lives will never be filled, I hope that in time, our family can find healing.”

Mr Merkel also praised “the swift and heroic actions of children and adults alike from inside the church”.

“Without these people and their selfless actions, this could have been a tragedy of many magnitudes more. For these people, I am thankful,” he added.

Families and loved ones reunite at the scene after the shooting. Pic: Reuters
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Families and loved ones reunite at the scene after the shooting. Pic: Reuters

Mayor calls for assault weapon ban

It comes after Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey called for a statewide and federal ban on assault weapons, a day after the deadly school shooting.

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Minneapolis mayor urges assault weapons ban

“Thoughts and prayers are not going to cut it. It’s on all of us to see this through,” the mayor said at a news conference. “We need a statewide and a federal ban on assault weapons.

“We need a statewide and a federal ban on high-capacity magazines. There is no reason that someone should be able to reel off 30 shots before they even have to reload.

“We’re not talking about your father’s hunting rifle gear. We’re talking about guns that are built to pierce armour and kill people.”

Meanwhile, Minneapolis police chief Brian O’Hara gave an update on the investigation, saying the suspect had fired 116 rifle rounds into the church.

“It is very clear that this shooter had the intention to terrorise those innocent children,” he added, before saying the killer “fantasised” about the plans of other mass shooting attackers and wanted to “obtain notoriety”.

Read more from Sky News:
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Thomas Klemond, interim CEO of Minneapolis’s main trauma hospital Hennepin Healthcare, said at an earlier news conference that the hospital was treating nine patients injured in the shooting.

One child at the hospital was in a critical condition, he added.

Children’s Minnesota Hospital also said that three children remain in its care as of Thursday morning.

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New details released about killer in Catholic school shooting in US

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New details released about killer in Catholic school shooting in US

Police have released new details about the killer in the US Catholic school shooting – including that they “idolised” mass murderers and they wanted to “watch children suffer”.

Two children, aged eight and 10, were killed during mass at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis on Wednesday.

The victims have been named as Fletcher Merkel, 8, and Harper Moyski, 10, – click here to read more

Eighteen other people were injured, including children aged between six and 15 and three adults in their 80s.

Police said Robin Westman, a male born as Robert Westman, opened fire with a rifle through the windows of the school’s church as children sat in pews.

Robin Westman
Image:
Robin Westman

Almost 120 rifle rounds fired, police chief says

In a news conference on Thursday, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said the attacker fired 116 rifle rounds into the church.

“It is very clear that this shooter had the intention to terrorise those innocent children,” he added.

The police chief said the killer “fantasised” about the plans of other mass shooting attackers and wanted to “obtain notoriety”.

When asked about the attacker obtaining the firearms used legally, Mr O’Hara said that they did not have a criminal history or any diagnosed mental health disorders.

While they had potentially concerning social media posts, the police chief added that there was no evidence to suggest that Westman was legally barred from purchasing a firearm.

People mourn outside the Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis. Pic: Reuters
Image:
People mourn outside the Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis. Pic: Reuters

Suspect ‘wanted to watch children suffer’

Joe Thompson, acting US attorney for Minnesota, also said evidence recovered of the killer’s plans showed “pure indiscriminate hate” and that they “idolised some of the most notorious school shooters and mass murderers in our country’s history”.

“I won’t dignify the shooter’s words by repeating them,” Mr Thompson added. “They are horrific and vile, but in short, the shooter wanted to watch children suffer.”

Earlier, the mayor of Minneapolis called for a statewide and federal ban on assault weapons after the deadly attack, saying “thoughts and prayers are not going to cut it”.

“There is no reason that someone should be able to reel off 30 shots before they even have to reload,” Jacob Frey said.

“We’re not talking about your father’s hunting rifle gear. We’re talking about guns that are built to pierce armour and kill people.”

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Minneapolis mayor urges assault weapons ban

Thomas Klemond, interim CEO of Minneapolis’s main trauma hospital Hennepin Healthcare, said at a news conference that the hospital was treating nine patients injured in the shooting.

One child at the hospital was in a critical condition, he added.

Children’s Minnesota Hospital also said that three children remain in its care as of Thursday morning.

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In a post on Facebook, the hospital said “there are no words to describe the overwhelming pain many are feeling”, adding: “We feel that pain with you.

“To the entire Annunciation community, you have our deepest condolences. During this time of unimaginable grief and loss, we want you to know that we at Children’s Minnesota are with you.

“We will always be here to care for you. And in this moment, we hurt alongside you.”

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Vladimir Putin may be playing for time while he carries on beating down Ukraine’s will to win

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Vladimir Putin may be playing for time while he carries on beating down Ukraine's will to win

After all those raised hopes of peace, Ukraine has been hit by the second-worst night of Russian air attacks since the war began.

So much for diplomacy, despite the Alaska summit, then the Washington DC meeting.

The Kremlin says it was aiming at military targets, but yet again, the pictures tell a very different story.

Follow latest: UK summons Putin’s ambassador

Firefighters work at the site of a burning building after a Russian attack in Kyiv, Ukraine. Pic: AP
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Firefighters work at the site of a burning building after a Russian attack in Kyiv, Ukraine. Pic: AP

One civilian building after another was hit, more than a dozen people were killed and British Council and EU buildings were also damaged.

So what’s going on? Why is Vladimir Putin doing it?

Because he can.

The Russian president thinks he’s winning this war, and it’s hard to escape the conclusion that he’s using diplomacy to play for time while he carries on beating down the Ukrainians will to win.

And at the moment, no one is stopping him

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At least 14 killed in Kyiv attack

Ukraine is hitting back, particularly at Russia‘s oil installations, more of them going up in thick black smoke, after being hit by long-range Ukrainian drones.

It is taking a heavy toll on Putin’s ‘Achilles heel’, but on its own, analysts don’t expect it will be enough to persuade him to end this war.

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British Council building hit in Kyiv

The West can wring its hands in condemnation.

But it’s divided between Europe that wants a ceasefire and much more severe sanctions, and President Trump, who, it seems, does not – strangely always willing to sympathise with the Russians more than Ukraine.

He’s back to blaming Ukraine for starting the war, saying earlier in the week that Kyiv should not have got into a war it had no chance of winning.

It is a grotesque perversion of history. Ukraine, of course, had no choice but to fight to defend itself when it was invaded in an act of unprovoked aggression.

Every time the US president has condemned Russia for these kinds of attacks, he has never followed through and done nothing to punish them.

Rescue workers carry an injured woman after a Russian strike on Kyiv, Ukraine. Pic: AP
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Rescue workers carry an injured woman after a Russian strike on Kyiv, Ukraine. Pic: AP

More worryingly for the Ukrainians, the Russians are getting the upper hand in the drones war, taking Iranian technology and souping it up into faster-moving drones that the Ukrainians are having increasing difficulty bringing down.

They expect as many as a thousand drones a night coming their way by the winter, and many, many more innocents to die.

Next week, Putin will join Chinese and North Korean leaders in a summit in Beijing, both supporting his war in Ukraine.

(L-R) Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping and Kim Jong Un. Pics: Reuters
Image:
(L-R) Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping and Kim Jong Un. Pics: Reuters

Read more from Dominic Waghorn:
Ukrainians warn they’re in danger of losing drone arms race
We are further away from peace now than we were two weeks ago

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A war that began as one man’s mad idea has, in three and a half years, metastasised into a titanic struggle between east and west, fought increasingly with machines in a dystopian evolution of war.

If President Trump is not prepared to use his power to bring this war to an end, what will another three and a half years of his presidency bring?

It is a chilling question.

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