Middle East Live Blog: ++ Austin, US citizen death feared ++

US Secretary of Defense Austin expressed concern over Israel’s responsibility for the death of US-Turkish activist. Media asked Israel’s Supreme Court for access to Gaza. Development of live blog.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin expressed “serious concerns” about the Israeli Defense Ministry’s responsibility for the death of an American citizen in the West Bank during a conversation with his Israeli counterpart, Joe Gallant. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken also condemned Israel for the incident.

But U.S. President Joe Biden classified the shooting death of a Turkish-American activist in the West Bank last week as an accident, he told reporters at the White House.

A UN convoy carrying workers for a polio vaccination campaign in the Gaza Strip was detained at gunpoint at an Israeli checkpoint, according to the UN.

Stephane Dujarric, a spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said the convoy was hit by a bulldozer after being shot at. Monday’s incident was the “latest example of the unacceptable risk and obstruction faced by humanitarian workers in Gaza” by Israeli forces.

The Foreign Correspondents Association of Israel has asked the Israeli Supreme Court to allow journalists to enter Gaza. The FPA has filed a new petition with the court urging Israel to uphold press freedom.

Israeli authorities have denied journalists access to the coastal area since the Gaza war began in October last year, a move the Supreme Court confirmed in January, citing security concerns.

Palestinians have become the first of the 193 member states to attend the UN General Assembly. At the first meeting of the 79th session of the largest UN body, Palestinian diplomats from the “State of Palestine” took their places between Sri Lanka and Sudan.

The Egyptian representative who attended the meeting said this was a historic moment. The plenary session was met with applause. Until now, Palestinians have only sat as observers behind diplomats from member states in the General Assembly.

Israel has released footage showing the tunnel where six Hamas hostages were killed. According to the Israeli Defense Minister, most of the Hamas tunnel has been destroyed.