International outrage mounts

ISRAEL was today facing mounting international outrage over its killing of seven aid workers, including three Britons, in Gaza as it said in a grovelling apology that it was "a grave mistake".

- Martin Bentham

John Chapman, 57, James Henderson, 33, and James Kirby, 47, died with four World Central Kitchen colleagues when the three vehicles they were using to deliver food were hit in a triple drone strike by the Israel Defence Forces.

All three Britons were part of the aid organisation's security team with Mr Henderson, a former Royal Marine, due to leave Gaza that day. Mr Chapman, from Poole, Dorset, is understood to have been a former member of Britain's special forces.

The three were reportedly working for the charity as contractors from a security company in Poole. Erin Gore, the chief executive of World Central Kitchen described the strike as "unforgivable", saying that it was "not only an attack against WCK, this is an attack on humanitarian organisations showing up in the most dire of situations where food is being used as a weapon of war".

Mr. Kirby's family today paid tribute to a "genuine gentleman". In a statement, they said: "Alongside the other six individuals who tragically lost their lives, he will be remembered as a hero. James understood the dangers of venturing into Gaza, drawing from his experiences in the British Armed Forces, where he bravely served tours in Bosnia and Afghanistan.