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‘We've received more info': US on Gaza tower housing media outlets bombed by Israel

A call from US President Joe Biden on Monday in support of a ceasefire appeared to go unheeded, even as cross-border fighting between Israel and Hamas appeared to abate slightly on Tuesday.

Published on: May 18, 2021, 18:13:10 IST
Reuters | Reykjavik
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U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday that Washington had received further information about Israel's destruction of a Gaza high-rise that housed the local offices of the Associated Press and Al Jazeera news organisations.

A tower building housing AP, Al Jazeera offices as it collapses after Israeli missile strikes in Gaza city. (Reuters)
A tower building housing AP, Al Jazeera offices as it collapses after Israeli missile strikes in Gaza city. (Reuters)

But he declined to comment further on it.

"We did seek further information from Israel on this question," Blinken said at a joint briefing with Iceland's foreign minister in Reykjavik. "It's my understanding that we've received some further information through intelligence channels, and it's not something I can comment on," he said.

Israel said its fighter jets struck a multi-storey building “which contained military assets belonging to the intelligence offices of the Hamas terror organization”.

The Associated Press’ top editor Sally Buzbee on Sunday said they were yet to see any evidence from Israeli officials to justify the bombing and added that her organization wants an independent investigation into the incident.

A call from by U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday in support of a ceasefire appeared to go unheeded, although cross-border fighting between Israel and Hamas seemed to abate slightly on Tuesday.

"The evidence has already been provided, as I understand it, to U.S. intelligence officials. And that was a site where you had Hamas intelligence in that building, and they were engaged in activity that actually would have, as far as I understand, would have undermined our ability to actually target effectively and also undermined our ability to intercept incoming rockets."

 
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