- The UN Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) says nearly 3,000 aid trucks are piled up at Gaza’s border, unable to cross due to Israel’s now two-month blockade.
- Israel has concentrated its attacks this morning on central and southern Gaza, in the Deir el-Balah and al-Mawasi areas.
- Mohsen Mahdawi was released from detention in the US after a judge ruled he should be free while he challenges Trump’s efforts to deport him over his pro-Palestine activism.
- Health Ministry says 2,308 people, including 595 children, killed across Gaza since Israel broke ceasefire on March 18.
- Residents of Nuseirat in central Gaza describe an “earthquake” as an Israeli attack on a building killed at least eight people. At least 35 have been killed across Gaza in the past 24 hours, Gaza’s Health Ministry says.
- Day three of International Court of Justice hearings on Israel’s humanitarian obligations to Palestinians saw the United States and Hungary defend Israel and discredit the court and the UN as biased.
- Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 52,400 Palestinians and wounded 118,014 others, according to the enclave’s Health Ministry. The Gaza Government Media Office updated the death toll to more than 61,700, saying thousands of people missing under the rubble are presumed dead. An estimated 1,139 people were killed in Israel during Hamas-led attacks on October 7, 2023, and more than 200 were taken captive.
Gaza death toll rises: Health Ministry
At least 18 Palestinians have been killed, including one person whose body was recovered, in Israeli attacks across Gaza in the past 24 hours, according to the enclave’s Health Ministry.
At least 77 people were also wounded in that period, the ministry said.
The death toll in Gaza rose to 52,418 killed, with 118,091 wounded, since October 7, 2023, it added.
Israel has killed at least 2,326 Palestinians and wounded 6,050 since it broke the ceasefire on March 18, according to the ministry.
Gaza’s sick and wounded must be evacuated, says British Foreign Office
The British Foreign Office has released a statement urging for aid to be let into Gaza, whose health system is “near collapse”.
“Aid supplies must be allowed in, medical workers protected, and the sick and wounded allowed to temporarily leave Gaza for treatment,” said the foreign office, adding that the UK is ramping up medical aid to Palestinians.
The appeal comes after two Palestinian girls left Gaza for specialised medical treatment in the UK – the first such evacuation to the country during the war, according to Sky News.
Unemployment in Gaza soars past 50 percent: Media office
The Gaza Strip is enduring dire economic and humanitarian conditions due to Israel’s near two-month-long blockade, the enclave’s Government Media Office has said on the occasion of Labour Day.
“The region’s unemployment rate has surpassed 50 percent, ranking among the highest globally,” it said.
“With the destruction of industrial facilities, factories, and public service facilities by the occupation during wars, Palestinian workers in the Gaza Strip are completely unable to secure a steady source of income, facing a humanitarian crisis that is worsening by the day.”
Animated maps show US-led attacks on Yemen
On March 15, nearly two months into his second term, US President Donald Trump launched Operation Rough Rider, a campaign of air strikes ostensibly targeting Houthi positions in Yemen, which has since killed nearly 300 people.
The US military said its forces “have hit over 1,000 targets” in Yemen since mid-March, “killing Houthi fighters and leaders, including senior Houthi missile and UAV [unmanned aerial vehicle] officials, and degrading their capabilities” with no mention of civilian deaths.
On April 18, a US strike on Yemen’s Ras Isa fuel port killed at least 80 people and wounded 150 in one of the deadliest attacks on the country by US forces.
Ten days later, US forces struck a migrant detention centre in Saada, reportedly killing at least 68 people. The centre had been housing about 115 people, mainly from African nations, who had been detained trying to cross into Saudi Arabia to find work.
Netanyahu expected to approve expanded Gaza war plans tomorrow: Report
Israeli PM Netanyahu will meet with senior defence officials tomorrow at noon for a situational assessment on the Gaza war, reports Israel’s Army Radio.
During the meeting, Netanyahu is expected to greenlight plans – already approved by the defence minister and military chief of staff – to expand combat operations in the enclave, according to the report.
Netanyahu says 18 arrested on suspicion of arson: Report
Israel’s Arutz Sheva media outlet has quoted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as stating that 18 people are detained on suspicion of starting fires that have swept parts of Israel.
We will continue to provide updates as more information comes in.
Israeli drone attack in southern Lebanon kills three: Ministry
Three people were killed in an Israeli drone attack on a vehicle in southern Lebanon, the country’s Health Ministry has said.
The ministry in a statement said an “Israeli enemy” drone attack on a vehicle in the southern town of Meiss el-Jabal killed “a Lebanese and two Syrians”.
Despite a ceasefire agreed in late November between Hezbollah and Israel, the Lebanese government said earlier this month that 190 people have been killed and 485 injured in Lebanon by Israeli attacks since the ceasefire took effect.
‘I wish I could go back to how I was’
A 12-year-old girl from Gaza City’s Shujayea neighbourhood has issued a plea to be taken abroad for medical treatment.
In a video verified by Al Jazeera’s Sanad fact-checking agency, the girl – identified as Rashaf – appears visibly emaciated as she describes her struggle with malnutrition.
“I wish I could go back to how I was, I wish my hair would grow long so I could brush it, and I wish I could pray standing up, but now I pray while sitting,” she says, breaking down in tears.
Israel wildfires flare near Jerusalem for a second day
Israeli firefighting teams have been tackling wildfires near Jerusalem for a second day, with police reporting the reopening of several major roads that had been closed.
The fires broke out on Wednesday along the main Jerusalem-Tel Aviv highway, prompting police to shut the roads and evacuate thousands of residents from nearby areas.
Israel’s firefighting service said 163 ground crews and 12 aircraft were working to contain the flames.
Rescue agency Magen David Adom said it treated 23 people on Wednesday, mostly for smoke inhalation and burns.
Columbia University pro-Palestinian activist Mahdawi released
“President Trump … I am not afraid of you.” Columbia University student activist Mohsen Mahdawi was freed on bail on Wednesday from custody in Vermont. Mahdawi was arrested in April by US immigration officials over his role in pro-Palestinian protests on campus.
More casualties amid another Israeli attack in northern Gaza
Our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic are reporting that a Palestinian was wounded by Israeli drone fire near the Dawla junction in the Zeitoun neighborhood, south of Gaza City.
At least 14 people have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza today, our team on the ground reports.
Israeli army says one solider injured by ‘explosive’ in Beita
The Israeli army says one soldier was injured by an “explosive” in the Beita area near Nablus in the occupied West Bank.
The army said the soldier was taken to hospital and soldiers were operating in Beita to locate the suspects.
As we reported earlier, fighting was reported during a morning Israeli army raid on the town where it fired live and rubber-coated metal bullets.
Today’s death toll from Israeli attacks rises again
Our team on the ground reports that at least 14 Palestinians have been killed by Israel in the Gaza Strip since the early hours of this morning.
‘On the verge of absolute famine
The aid shortage is being exacerbated by the ongoing attacks. People cannot reach whatever aid is left in warehouses in areas where the Israeli military is operating aggressively, and the food is going to waste.
The United Nations issued a statement on the 3,000 trucks filled with much-needed aid and survival items stuck on the other side of the border. There are 1 million children relying on this aid – without it, we’re on the verge of absolute famine.
Life in Masafer Yatta under Israeli occupation
Mohammad Hureini lives in Masafer Yatta in the occupied West Bank. His video for Al Jazeera shows the daily realities of Palestinians living under Israeli occupation.
From the intimidation tactics by Israeli settlers to Palestinian houses being demolished, Hureini shares the day-to-day difficulties of living under the threat of violence and annexation.
Survivor describes US attack on Yemen migrant facility
“The planes struck close by twice. The third time they hit us.”
That’s how Abed Ibrahim Saleh, a 34-year-old from Ethiopia, described Monday’s deadly US strike on a migrant detention centre in Yemen’s Saada governorate.
“Bodies ripped apart. I can’t describe what I saw,” Saleh was quoted as saying by AFP news agency from a nearby hospital, where he and other survivors were recovering.
“A hand here, a leg there,” Saleh said. “I don’t want to remember.”
Israel ‘cynically’ exploiting tensions in Syria
Israel’s intentions in Syria are an open question, says Rob Geist Pinfold, a lecturer in international security at King’s College London.
“We know that Netanyahu has previously said that Israel will act to defend ‘Druze brothers’ in Syria and any action against them is a red line,” Pinfold told Al Jazeera.
“And I don’t buy this, because hundreds of Druze were killed in the Syrian civil war for over a decade, and Israel did nothing to intervene there. So why is Israel suddenly showing the desire to protect the Druze?” Pinfold said, pointing at Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s statement this week that Israel won’t stop fighting until Syria is fragmented.
“So I think Israel is quite ruthlessly, and, quite frankly, cynically, exploiting the situation here, claiming it is a protector of the Druze when it has no record to show that it has done anything, not even lifted a finger to protect Syrian Druze.”
Netanyahu’s comments on victory are attempt to cover up army’s ‘failures’: Hamas
Hamas says Netanyahu’s comments on a “decisive victory” and dismantling Rafah were a “desperate attempt to cover up his army’s failure in Gaza and convince his audience of an illusion”.
“We affirm that our people’s resistance will continue until the occupation is defeated, and that Rafah will remain a symbol of steadfastness and a nightmare that haunts the invaders,” Hamas said.
Almost 600 children killed by Israeli attacks since March 18: Health Ministry
Gaza’s Health Ministry said Israeli attacks have killed 2,308 people and 5,973 wounded since Israel broke a ceasefire on March 18.
The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights said among those killed were 595 children and 308 women.
US Muslim group hails Palestinian student’s release as ‘victory’
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) says the release of Mohsen Mahdawi is “an important victory in the struggle for not only his freedom, but also in the broader struggle to protect the First Amendment”.
“Every person in America, including immigrants, has a constitutional right to free speech. The Trump administration must stop abducting and disappearing college students because they dared to criticize US support for the Israeli government’s war crimes in Gaza,” CAIR said.
A US judge ordered Mahdawi to be released from detention earlier today. The Columbia University student, who led Gaza protests there last year, was detained earlier this month during a citizenship interview.
You can read more about Mahdawi’s release – and what comes next in his case – in our story here.
Netanyahu thanks Hungary for withdrawing from the ICC
Netanyahu thanks Hungary for withdrawing from the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Currently, the ICC has an arrest warrant out for Netanyahu and his defence minister at the time, Yoav Gallant, over their actions during Israel’s war on Gaza, which has killed at least 51,000 people since October 2023.
During Netanyahu’s visit to Hungary at the beginning of April, Budapest, a signatory to the ICC and bound by the judicial body’s arrest warrants, announced it was withdrawing because it had become “political”.
Houthis says they targeted ‘vital and military’ sites in Tel Aviv
Houthis said in addition to “vital and military” sites in Tel Aviv, the group also carried out a military operation targeting a US aircraft carrier called Vinson in the Arabian Sea.
The operation was conducted with “a number of drones”, the group said.
There has been no immediate comment from Israel on the purported firings.
The Houthis have been carrying out attacks in what they say is a show of solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, promising to keep up their strikes until Israel ends its war.
The US, Israel’s top ally, has responded with a campaign of aerial bombings against Yemen that have killed many people across the country. A recent strike hit a migrant detention centre in the Saada governorate, killing dozens.
Trump administration reiterates opposition to ICJ hearings
A State Department spokesperson says the Trump administration rejects the decision to take the issue of Israel’s obligations under international law to the ICJ.
Tammy Bruce said in a statement that the referral from the UN General Assembly “is inappropriate because it unduly singles out Israel”.
She added that it “does not advance efforts to achieve progress towards a ceasefire and release of all the hostages” held in Gaza.
The administrations of both Trump and his predecessor Biden have faced widespread criticism for providing Israel with staunch military and diplomatic support as it wages war on Gaza.
The US provides Israel with at least $3.8bn in military assistance annually and Biden authorised billions more in additional support.
Swiss law banning Hamas to come into effect on May 15
Switzerland will enforce a new law banning Hamas and related organisations on May 15.
The government says the is aimed at preventing the use of the country as a financial hub, adding that it was initially approved in December.
The law, it added, would give Swiss authorities “the necessary tools to take action against Hamas activities or support for the organisation in Switzerland”. It will also permit preventive police measures, including entry bans or expulsions.
Israel says three Syrian-Druze taken for treatment
The Israeli army said three Syrian-Druze were taken from Syria for medical treatment in Israel.
Israel carried out a strike in Syria claiming it targeted those who attacked members of the Druze community.
Syria’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement, without mentioning Israel, that it “categorically” rejected all forms of foreign intervention in its internal affairs.
Daily life in Gaza marked by ‘continuous fear’
Rawan Eleyan, a UNICEF communications associate, says a “state of insecurity” hangs over Gaza.
Daily life is marked by a “lack of supplies, continuous fear and the horrifying sounds of bombardments”, Eleyan said in a video shared on social media. “We need a long-lasting ceasefire to be able as humanitarians to deliver, and work and reach every child in the Gaza Strip,” she said.
If you’re just joining us
Let’s bring you up to speed with the latest developments:
- The death toll since early this morning in Gaza has increased to 29, medical sources tell Al Jazeera, as Israeli attacks on the enclave continue.
- Hamas’s armed wing has said it engaged in clashes with Israeli forces in the Beit Hanoon area of northern Gaza.
- Palestinian prisoner support groups have appealed to the WHO to draw attention to poor conditions in Israeli prisons, which they say has led to an “unprecedented rate of deaths in custody”.
- Israeli forces have been deployed to the town of Beita, south of Nablus in the occupied West Bank, after reports that two soldiers were injured by an explosion during a raid.
- A Palestinian student activist at Columbia University in the US, Mohsen Mahdawi, has been released from detention. Mahdawi is challenging the Trump administration’s effort to deport him as part of its crackdown on pro-Palestine advocacy.
Gaza siege reaches 60th day
Israel’s total blockade of Gaza has reached its 60th day, as the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague held the third day of hearings on Israel’s humanitarian obligations to Palestinians.
No food, water or medical supplies have been allowed into the war-torn Gaza Strip since March 2, days before Israel broke the ceasefire on March 18 to restart the bombardments and ground assaults that have killed more than 52,000 Palestinians in the enclave since October 7, 2023.
The UN has warned of “full-scale famine conditions” across the Strip and called for “concerted” action to stop the “humanitarian catastrophe” there.
Aircraft from Italy, Croatia to help with Israel wildfires
The Israeli prime minister’s office said three aircraft from Italy and Croatia will arrive to help fight fires near Jerusalem that have been rapidly spreading.
“It has so far been agreed that three ‘Canadair’ aircraft from Italy and Croatia will arrive in Israel as soon as possible,” a statement from Netanyahu’s office said, following a situational assessment to advance international assistance.
Due to the wildfires, at least 30 people have been injured, including 12 who were hospitalised.
A national emergency has also been declared, and all major Independence Day events are cancelled.
Israel’s total blockade on Gaza: What does international law stipulate?
The Fourth Geneva Conventions of 1949 form the basis of what’s known as international humanitarian law (IHL), or the laws of war. Among other things, they include obligations that occupying powers hold towards civilians living in occupied territory.
In the case of Gaza, the Palestinian territory is considered to be occupied and Israel is the occupying power.
Article 55 of the Fourth Geneva Conventions states that “to the fullest extent of the means available to it, the Occupying Power has the duty of ensuring the food and medical supplies of the population; it should, in particular, bring in the necessary foodstuffs, medical stores and other articles if the resources of the occupied territory are inadequate”.
Article 59 stipulates that if the population of an occupied territory does not have adequate supplies, the occupying power “shall agree to relief schemes on behalf of the said population, and shall facilitate them by all the means at its disposal”.
It adds that those schemes can be organised by states or humanitarian groups and “shall consist, in particular, of the provision of consignments of foodstuffs, medical supplies and clothing”.
“All Contracting Parties shall permit the free passage of these consignments and shall guarantee their protection,” it says.
‘An affront to our humanity’: UN Security Council discussing Gaza
Country representatives have been commenting on the situation in the Middle East during a special Security Council session at UN headquarters in New York. Here’s some of what they said:
- Ireland: “What we are witnessing on the ground in Gaza and the West Bank is indicative of a complete disregard for international law, the UN Security Council, and the integrity of the United Nations as an institution. More fundamentally, it is an affront to our humanity and it must end.”
- Iran: “The Security Council must not stay silent. The main threat to peace and stability in the region comes from the terrorist and destabilising actions of the Israeli regime and its main sponsor, the United States.”
- South Africa: “There must be accountability for all of the atrocities, the ongoing genocide, violation of human rights and war crimes committed against the Palestinian people.”
- United States: “Since Hamas’s egregious terrorist attack on October 7, 2023, this Council has been subjected to constant lies and slanders targeting Israel.”
Remaining charity kitchens in Gaza could shut down within days
The Reuters news agency is reporting that dozens of local community kitchens in Gaza risk closing down, potentially within days, unless aid is allowed into the Strip.
At the Al-Salam Oriental Food community kitchen in Gaza City, Salah Abu Haseera said he is offering what he fears could be one of the last meals for the 20,000 people he and his colleagues serve daily.
“We face huge challenges in keeping going. We may go out of operation within a week, or maybe less,” Abu Haseera told Reuters by phone.
These kitchens vary from one-room businesses to regular restaurants.
“We have 70-80 community kitchens still working in Gaza… In four to five days, these community kitchens will close their doors,” Amjad Shawa, the director of the Palestinian NGOs Network (PNGO) in Gaza, told Reuters.
Shawa put the number of operational community kitchens in Gaza before the crossings closed at about 170.
He said an additional 15 kitchens closed down on Monday.
Israel, which has abandoned the ceasefire deal agreed with Hamas in January, imposed its total blockade on Gaza on March 2, in a bid to pressure the Palestinian group into agreeing to new terms.
The ongoing blockade is the longest such closure the Gaza Strip has ever faced.
US, UK forces conduct joint military operation in Yemen
The UK’s Ministry of Defence says British forces participated in a joint operation with the US military against a Houthi target in Yemen on Tuesday.
The ministry said the Royal Air Force’s Typhoon FGR4s, with air refuelling support from Voyager tankers, bombed a cluster of buildings used by the Houthis to manufacture drones near the capital, Sanaa.
There was no immediate comment from the US military.
Earlier, the Houthi-affiliated Al Masirah TV reported a series of air raids in the province of Sanaa, in the districts of Bani Matar, Bani Hashish, Al Husn and Hamdan.
It said a number of houses were damaged in the Al Dalia neighbourhood of Bani Hashish district.
The US has been bombarding Yemen on a near-daily basis since last month, when the Houthis, who control most of the country, threatened to resume attacks on Israel-linked ships passing through the Red Sea.
Three Palestinians, including child, killed in Israeli attack on central Gaza
Our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic are reporting that Israeli forces have bombed the Nuseirat refugee camp, killing at least three people.
The victims included a child.
The attacks follow a day of relentless bombardment that has killed at least 38 people.
UN chief warns two-state solution is ‘near a point of no return’
Antonio Guterres, the UN’s secretary-general, says the two-state solution is “at risk of dwindling to the point of disappearance” as Israel’s war and total blockade of Gaza continues.
A recap of recent developments
- Israeli forces continue bombarding Gaza after killing at least 38 Palestinians across the Strip on Tuesday.
- The United Nations rights chief, Volker Turk, has called for “concerted” action to stop the “humanitarian catastrophe” in Gaza from “reaching a new, unseen level” as Israel’s total blockade of the Strip entered its 60th day.
- Israel released 10 Palestinian detainees from Gaza, including Asaad Al-Nasasra, a paramedic who survived the Israeli attack that killed 15 emergency workers near Rafah in March.
- Israeli forces have arrested 22 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, including journalist Ali Al-Samoudi, following a raid on his home in Jenin.
- The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has held its second day of hearings to assess Israel’s humanitarian responsibilities as an occupying power in Palestinian territories.
- Qatar and the United Kingdom called for an immediate return to the truce in Gaza, while UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for “irreversible action towards implementing a two-state solution” in the Israel-Palestine conflict.
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