The Squiz 

We start today with confirmation that 3 US soldiers have died overnight in a drone attack near Jordan’s border with Syria – they are the first American troops to be killed in strikes in the region since Hamas’s 7 October attacks on Israel. US President Joe Biden says an Iran-backed militant group is to blame, and analysts say it’s another brick in the wall of concerns about a broadening conflict resulting from Israel’s war on Hamas in Gaza. Just on that, reports say negotiators are getting closer to a deal between Israeli and Hamas leaders for the release of more hostages and accompanying ceasefire. And there have been a couple of major developments in that war worth getting across…

Where do we start?

With the United Nations’ top court’s interim judgement in South Africa’s case against Israel over allegations of genocide. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) found some claims were plausible, and it issued 6 emergency orders to Israel – the big one is that Israel “must take all possible measures” to prevent acts of genocide in Gaza. “This entails not killing members of a particular group – in this case, Palestinians,” the court said. The ICJ didn’t order a ceasefire, but experts say it will be hard for Israel to implement the orders without a pause in fighting. Israel’s PM Benjamin Netanyahu called the ruling a “vile attempt” to deny his nation its right to self-defence. Note: the orders are unenforceable, but it has increased pressure on Israel’s Western allies to rethink their positions on the war. Here in Oz, human rights groups are calling on the government to review economic/military support for Israel.

Got you. What else?

The firing of staff of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) – which spearheads the organisation’s aid efforts – after Israeli officials alleged they were involved in the 7 October attacks. Mark Regev, an adviser to Netanyahu, said one released Israeli hostage claimed she’d been “held in the house of someone who worked for UNRWA” in Gaza. And he says there is evidence showing teachers at UNRWA schools “openly celebrated” the attacks. The agency’s boss Philippe Lazzarini says the claims are being taken seriously, and that an investigation into “the heinous allegations will establish the facts”. But he’s also pleaded with countries who have paused their aid funding – including Australia, Canada, the UK and US – to reconsider, saying more than 2 million people in Gaza are relying on UNRWA to survive. Foreign Minister Penny Wong says Australia “will engage closely” on the investigations.