US says Israel has provided information on the bombing of the Gaza media tower New Israel-Palestine Conflict

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the additional information came through “intelligence channels.”

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States has received more information about the destruction of the Gaza summit, which housed the offices of Al Jazeera and The Associated Press, Israel.

“We have asked Israel for more information on this issue,” Blinken said in a statement with Iceland’s foreign minister in Reykjavik on Tuesday. “I understand we’ve received more information through intelligence channels, and it’s not something I can comment on,” he said.

He declined to give further details.

On Saturday, Israel destroyed an 11-storey tower block in Gaza, home to the offices of Al Jazeera, the AP and other media outlets.

The Israeli army gave a telephone warning to the owner of the al-Jalaa tower – which also has residential apartments – people had only an hour to evacuate the building before it was bombed by its fighter jets.

Israel said the building “contained military goods from the intelligence offices of the terrorist organization Hamas.”

AP editor-in-chief Sally Buzbee said on Sunday that she had not yet seen any evidence to justify the bombing by Israeli officials and added that her organization wanted an independent investigation into the attack.

Ron Dermer, a former Israeli ambassador to Washington and now an adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, told CNN that evidence has been provided in Washington.

“Evidence has already been provided, as I understand it, to U.S. intelligence officials. That building was the site of your Hamas intelligence, and I understand that they were engaged in activities that would undermine our ability to target effectively and weaken our ability to detect incoming rockets.”

Saturday’s airstrike came as the Israeli army ordered people to evacuate the building and came within an hour [File: Khalil Hamra/AP Photo]

Dr. Mostefa Souag, the acting director general of Al Jazeera Media Network, called the attack a deliberate act to prevent journalists from doing their job.

“We call on the international community to condemn such savage and journalistic actions and we immediately call for international action to make Israel responsible for deliberately targeting journalists and media organizations,” Souage said on Saturday.

Egyptian mediators are trying to negotiate a ceasefire, but the US has immediately stopped the immediate cessation of enemies and Israel has so far pledged to do so.

On Monday, U.S. President Joe Biden said he supports a ceasefire but he reaffirmed Israel’s right to defend itself.

At least 213 people, including 61 children, have been killed in airstrikes on the Gaza Strip since May 10, the Gaza Ministry of Health has reported. And in Israel, 12 people have been killed, mostly as a result of rockets.