‘We have normalised horror,’ says Unrwa official after Israeli strike on school | First Thing

Unrwa's Sam Rose responds to bombing that killed at least 33 people. Plus, Griffin Dunne on his memoir

• Don't already get First Thing in your inbox? Sign up here

Good morning.

Mass casualty incidents caused by the Israeli military offensive in southern Gaza are becoming normalised in the west and leading to a sense of fatalism inside Gaza itself, according to Sam Rose, the director of planning for the United Nations Palestinian relief agency, Unrwa.

What did the US say about the bombing? The US has called on Israel to be transparent, after Palestinian medics and officials said women and children were among the dead. Israel claimed it was targeting Hamas and was unaware of civilian casualties.

What is the humanitarian cost of the war? After the Hamas attack on Israel that killed about 1,200 people and resulted in another 250 being taken hostage on 7 October, Israel's invasion of Gaza has killed more than 35,000 people, mostly women and children, destroyed 80% of Gaza's buildings and led the strip to the brink of famine.

Who invited Netanyahu? The House speaker, Mike Johnson, Senate majority leader, Chuck Schumer, Senate Republican leader, Mitch McConnell, and House Democratic leader, Hakeem Jeffries. Democratic lawmakers most critical of Netanyahu's strategy are expected to be no-shows. Senator Bernie Sanders said: Netanyahu is a war criminal. I certainly will not attend."