Jerusalem, March 25: The Israeli military acknowledged that it mistakenly struck a building belonging to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Gaza due to misidentification.

Israeli military forces operating in the city of Rafah, southern Gaza, fired at the building after “identifying suspects inside who they perceived as a threat,” a military statement said.

A subsequent inspection revealed the identification was incorrect, and the troops “were unaware of the building’s affiliation” with the ICRC at the time of the shooting, Xinhua news agency reported quoting the military statement.

Earlier on Monday, the ICRC said in a statement that its office in Rafah “was damaged by an explosive projectile despite being clearly marked and notified to all parties.”

“Fortunately, no staff were injured in this incident, but this has a direct impact on the ICRC’s ability to operate. The ICRC strongly decries the attack against its premises,” said the ICRC, which runs a field hospital in Rafah and other facilities in the Palestinian enclave to treat mass casualties from Israeli strikes.

In the statement, the ICRC also said that it lost contact on Sunday with emergency medical technicians from the Palestine Red Crescent Society, and that humanitarian workers in Gaza were killed and injured last week.

Israel ended a two-month ceasefire with Hamas on Tuesday by resuming air and ground attacks in the Palestinian enclave, which have so far killed more than 730 Palestinians. In response, Hamas also made several rocket launches targeting Israeli territory, most of which Israel said have been intercepted.

Gaza/Jerusalem, March 24: The Israeli army has killed Ismail Barhoum, a member of Hamas’ politburo, and at least four other Palestinians in an airstrike on the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, according to Palestinian medical sources and eyewitnesses.

Local sources and eyewitnesses told Xinhua news agency on Sunday that an Israeli drone targeted the second floor of the emergency building in the complex, where the surgery department is located, with at least one missile, causing a large fire.

Medics confirmed to Xinhua that medical workers immediately recovered the bodies of five people, including Barhoum, along with a number of injured persons, some in critical condition.

“The Israeli army targeted the surgery building inside the Nasser Medical Complex a short while ago, which housed many patients and wounded, and a large fire broke out there,” Gaza-based health authorities said in a statement in the evening.

Later, Hamas confirmed the death of Barhoum, saying he was receiving treatment in a hospital ward when the attack happened, Xinhua news agency reported.

Meanwhile, Israeli forces said Sunday night that they launched an attack on the Nasser Hospital compound in southern Gaza, claiming they targeted a Hamas official.

In a joint statement, the Israel Defense Forces and Shin Bet domestic security agency described the official as a “key” Hamas militant, who was “operating inside the Nasser Hospital compound” in Khan Younis, without providing the official’s name and identity.

They added that “the strike was conducted following an extensive intelligence-gathering process and with precise munitions, in order to mitigate harm to the surrounding environment as much as possible”.

The strike comes after Israeli operations intensified in southern Gaza, with the military saying earlier on Sunday that it had encircled an entire district and ordered evacuations.

he Israeli military resumed air and ground operations in Gaza earlier this week, blamed on Hamas for refusing to agree to revised terms on extending the first phase of the ceasefire. Gaza health officials meanwhile said the toll from the fighting since October 7, 2023, has passed 50,000.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz in a statement hailed the killing of Barhoum, saying he was “the new Hamas Prime Minister in Gaza, who replaced Issam Da’alis, the previous Prime Minister who was eliminated a few days ago”.

He was at least the fourth member of Hamas’s political bureau killed since last Tuesday, when Israel resumed airstrikes in the territory after an impasse over continuing a ceasefire. Earlier Sunday, an Israeli airstrike near Khan Younis killed Salah al-Bardawil, another senior member of its political bureau.

Barhoum was a member of Hamas’s political wing and had been involved in financial activities for the terror group, according to the European Union, which placed sanctions on him last year. He was also reported to have dealt with Hamas’s finances.

Out of the 20 members of Hamas’s political bureau elected in 2021, 11 have been assassinated during the war in Gaza. Seven are either certain or highly likely to be outside the Gaza Strip.

In a separate announcement on Sunday, the IDF and Shin Bet security agency said two senior Hamas military wing commanders had been killed in recent airstrikes in the Gaza Strip.

Nasser Medical Complex is the second-largest hospital in Gaza and has been subjected to several Israeli attacks since the outbreak of the war on October 7, 2023.

Wellington, March 22: Calling India an “increasingly important partner”, New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said on Saturday that the partnership between the two countries has “grown much stronger” during his five-day visit to New Delhi and Mumbai, earlier this week.

“India, the world’s most populous country, is an increasingly important partner for New Zealand. That partnership has grown much stronger during my visit this week,” Luxon said after returning home from an official visit to India from March 16-20.

“It was a pleasure to visit India this week and spend time with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss ways to strengthen ties between our countries. I am delighted that negotiations on a Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement have now been launched,” he added.

This was Luxon’s first visit to India in his current capacity – also the first by a New Zealand Prime Minister since October 2016. During their discussions, both Prime Ministers welcomed the launch of FTA negotiations for a balanced, ambitious, comprehensive, and mutually beneficial trade agreement to achieve deeper economic integration.

“India is one of the fastest-growing economies and on track to become the third largest in the world over the next 10 years. Our Government is relentlessly focused on growing our economy so that all Kiwis can do better, and the launch of negotiations presents an opportunity to do exactly that,” Luxon posted on X on Saturday.

Bolstering bilateral defence cooperation, the two countries have also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for Defence Cooperation and noted the need for ensuring the safety and security of sea lanes of communication while agreeing that there needs to be regular dialogue to discuss enhancement of maritime safety.

“New Zealand’s commitment to regional security has also been reinforced, with New Zealand and India announcing a new Defence Cooperation Arrangement,” the New Zealand PM said on Saturday.

During his five-day visit to New Delhi and Mumbai, Luxon was also accompanied by Tourism and Hospitality Minister Louise Upston; Ethnic Communities, and Sport and Recreation Minister Mark Mitchell; Todd McClay, the Minister for Trade and Investment, Agriculture, and Forestry; and, a high-level delegation comprising of officials, and representatives of businesses, community diaspora, media and cultural groups.

“On top of that, I and our business delegation focused on enhancing New Zealand’s presence in key sectors, including education, technology, tourism, investment, manufacturing, food and primary industries. Unlocking new business opportunities, 33 MOUs and other commercial outcomes were progressed on the mission, reflecting the growing partnerships between New Zealand and Indian businesses,” Luxon said after returning home.