Six months ago tomorrow, Hamas’ furtive and obscene October 7 attack, replete with murder, rape and kidnapping, prompted widespread sympathy for Israel. Yet, as the war in Gaza has dragged on, claims and counterclaims of atrocities, killings and bombings and dashed hope of a ceasefire make it increasingly hard to maintain that support.

But the Israel Defense Forces’ indiscriminate killing of seven humanitarian workers from England, Poland, Palestine, dual American-Canadian nationals and Australia’s Zomi Frankcom, has erased empathy around the world and for the first time the support of Israel’s most reliable ally, the United States, has been jeopardised.

The IDF claimed targeting the aid convoy had been a “mistake” and the result of a “misidentification”, but the White House said US President Joe Biden has made it clear to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of the need to implement steps to address “civilian harm, humanitarian suffering, and the safety of aid workers” and that future US policy would be determined by Washington’s assessment of Israel’s response. Previously, Biden has supported Israel, even when other governments sought to exert more pressure, and his stance marks a sharp change as for the first time, strings have been attached to continued US support.

Biden’s threat to reassess US policy, which centres largely on the supply of weapons to Israel, has some slight effect. Netanyahu reportedly agreed to open a crossing in northern Gaza to allow in more aid.

But anger at the thoughtless and insensitive killing of innocent aid workers remains deep around the world: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese spoke to Netanyahu expressing Australia’s anger and concern at the death of Frankcom. He said the Israeli prime minister had committed to “full transparency” about how the tragedy had occurred. Foreign Minister Penny Wong warned Israel it was at risk of losing Australia’s support, telling her Israeli counterpart the death of Frankcom and her colleagues was “outrageous and unacceptable”.

A month ago, there were hopes of a temporary ceasefire before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan but that unravelled and Israel has upped the ante, sending warplanes on Monday to destroy the Iranian consulate in Damascus in neighbouring Syria, killing at least 11 people, including a senior commander in the al-Quds force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps.

The Damascus consulate bombing is especially problematic as it risked escalating the Gaza war into a wider conflict between Iran and Israel. Israel has mounted successive strikes on Iranian and Syrian military leaders in Lebanon and Syria since before the latest conflict in Gaza, but this was one of the most audacious.

As international frustration with the war in Gaza reaches new heights, Netanyahu’s growing bellicosity blocks resolution of the conflict and risks spreading it across the Middle East; the US media report the CIA has warned Iran will attack Israel over the weekend.