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- Israeli forces bombard Gaza, killing at least 73 people since midnight, including attack on displacement shelter in Gaza City that killed 22, including children.
- The leaders of Canada, France and the UK threaten to take “concrete action” against Israel if it does not end its renewed offensive in Gaza, while 22 countries urge Israel to let aid into the besieged enclave.
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismisses the calls and pledges to press on with the offensive, which includes plans for Israel to take control of the whole of Gaza.
- Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 53,475 Palestinians and wounded 121,398, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The 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 the Hamas-led attacks on October 7, 2023, and more than 200 were taken captive.
Israel thinking about recalling negotiating team: Report
Israel’s government is considering pulling its negotiating team out of Qatar after a week of talks there, according to local news organisation Channel 12.
The report comes as Qatar’s prime minister says negotiations in the country “didn’t lead us anywhere”, with mediators unable to bridge a “fundamental gap” between Israel and Hamas.
Israel seemed reluctant to send negotiations in the first place, but did so after the US privately negotiated the release of Edan Alexander, an American Israeli soldier who had been held captive in the Gaza Strip.
UN says about 100 trucks approved to enter Gaza today
The UN humanitarian office’s spokesman Jens Laerke made the announcement at a news briefing in Geneva, calling it a major jump from the nine trucks cleared for entry yesterday.
He said the incoming trucks contain baby food and nutritious products for children.
“The next step is to collect them, and then they will be distributed through the existing system, the one that has proven itself,” he added.
We will update you if and when the aid trucks are allowed into the Strip, as Israel has previously promised to let aid in, without following through.
No relief yet for Gaza’s hunger crisis
Israel has repeatedly denied there is a hunger crisis in Gaza.
That’s despite the overwhelming evidence – images that come out of the devastated areas of children queueing in front of community kitchens to get food – and alarming reports issued by UN agencies.
UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, stated that over 92 percent of Gaza’s houses have been destroyed or damaged by the Israeli military, and they have repeatedly stated that Gaza is experiencing a full-blown famine.
Here on the ground, what we can see and have heard is that despite the Israeli decision to allow aid into Gaza, nothing has been transferred.
They say Gaza needs approximately 500 humanitarian aid trucks and 50 fuel trucks to get in on a daily basis to alleviate the current crisis.
Israel is preparing to transfer the responsibility of the aid distribution process to the newly formed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which is expected to start operating by the end of this month through distribution hubs in the southern part of Gaza.
It means that people who are in desperate need will be forced to travel a long distance and encounter different security challenges to reach the aid distribution centres – an approach that’s been widely rejected by humanitarian organisations and countries in the region.
Photos: Palestinians inspect site of Israeli attack on school in Gaza City
UNRWA official warns malnutrition in Gaza could ‘get beyond our control’
Malnutrition rates in Gaza may increase “exponentially” if food shortages continue, says Akihiro Seita, the health director of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA).
“I have data until end of April and it shows malnutrition on the rise,” Seita told a news briefing. “And then the worry is that if the current food shortage continues, it will exponentially increase, and then get beyond our control.”
Israel says it is now allowing a minimal amount of aid into Gaza after nearly three months of total blockade, but aid agencies say it falls far short of what’s needed to ease the suffering of an exhausted population.
Today’s death toll in the Gaza Strip rises again
Medical sources say Israeli attacks have killed at least 73 people in the territory since the early hours of this morning.
Homes and shelters housing displaced people are among the sites that have been hit.
Qatari PM says Israeli aggression derailing peace efforts, no progress in ceasefire talks
Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani has said unrelenting Israeli attacks on Gaza are eroding renewed hopes for peace that followed the release of American Israeli captive Edan Alexander last week.
“We thought that moment would open a door to end this tragedy, but the response was a more violent wave of strikes,” Sheikh Mohammed said at the Qatar Economic Forum in Doha. “This irresponsible, aggressive behaviour undermines any potential chance for peace.”
He also provided an update on recent ceasefire negotiations in the Qatari capital, which he says have so far not led anywhere.
“There is a fundamental gap between the two parties,” Sheikh Mohammed said. “One party is looking for a partial deal that might … lead to a comprehensive deal, and the other party is looking just for a one-off deal … and to end the war and to get all the hostages out.”
“We couldn’t bridge this fundamental gap,” he added.
Four people killed in new Israeli attacks across Gaza
At least two people were killed by Israeli drone fire in the Tuffah neighbourhood in eastern Gaza City, our correspondent on the ground reports.
At the same time, two people were killed by Israeli artillery shelling in the eastern part of Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, our correspondent added.
‘Handful of trucks not enough’ for Gaza’s exhausted population
Israel’s limited aid plan for Gaza falls far short of what is needed and violates basic humanitarian principles, according to Tess Ingram, UNICEF’s communication manager for the MENA region.
“A handful of trucks is not enough,” Ingram told Al Jazeera. “We have two million people who have endured three months of being deprived of all of the basics that they need to survive – food, water, medicine.”
She said even accessing the small amount of aid getting in will be punishing, as Israel’s distribution scheme seems to rely on just a “handful” of hubs in southern Gaza.
That means “people would have to walk a long way just to collect [aid packets] – weighing probably 20-25kg [45-55 pounds] – and then walk back again,” she said. “Imagine someone who is exhausted, sick, malnourished, dealing with an amputation – how are those people going to access that aid? That does not adhere to humanitarian principles.”
Western call for Israel to allow aid into Gaza due in part to public pressure
Robert Patman, a professor in international relations at Otago University in New Zealand, says the call by 22 countries for Israel to allow aid into Gaza was in part due to public pressure.
“I think there’s a sense that in liberal democracies, they can’t ultimately be indifferent to public concern about the situation … I think another factor is a perception among many countries that Trump himself is getting impatient with the Netanyahu government,” he told Al Jazeera.
Patman explained that with many countries in the Global South having experienced colonialism before, they were quicker than the West to condemn Israel’s actions.
“They have a history of having to struggle for their own political self-determination, and given that experience, they can empathise with the Palestinians who’ve been denied the right,” he said.
Evacuations heap misery on traumatised Palestinian families
Israel’s military escalations often begin with heavy aerial bombardment, followed by ground incursions.
For most Palestinian families, this means sudden, terrifying evacuations under heavy fire, sometimes in the dead of night.
Many families have been repeatedly forced to flee since October 2023, dragging what little they have, moving from one destroyed area to another.
This repeated cycle of despair and evacuation has forced children to suffer trauma from constant displacement, seeing dead bodies, and living without stability or shelter.
Many families have been struggling to find any place to go. Some areas have started to appear to be no-go zones because of the Israeli military activities on the ground.
People have been given a very short time to evacuate. This very short period has been accompanied by heavy and extensive aerial and ground attacks. Some families were killed while they were on the move, and others were killed when they reached the designated safe zone.
For many families, evacuation orders mean new layers of torment will be added to their already aggravated suffering. Simply, they have been pushed beyond their capacity to endure.
Israeli opposition leader warns country ‘becoming pariah state’
Opposition leader Yair Golan has unleashed fiery criticism of the Israeli government, saying it is full of people with “no morals” who are turning the country into a “pariah state”.
“Israel is on the way to becoming a pariah state, like South Africa was, if we don’t return to acting like a sane country,” Golan, who previously served as the military’s deputy chief of staff, said in comments carried by The Times of Israel.
“And a sane country does not fight against civilians, does not kill children as a hobby and does not give itself the aim of expelling populations,” he said. “This government is full of vengeful types with no morals and no ability to run a country in a time of crisis. This endangers our existence.”
Golan’s remarks have been slammed by several Israeli legislators, including right-wing Avigdor Liberman, who accused him of making “false statements” that endanger Israeli soldiers.
Netanyahu also accused Golan of “wild incitement against our heroic soldiers”.
Israeli forces arrest 10 Palestinians in West Bank raids
Israeli forces have arrested 10 people, including a 17-year-old, in operations in the occupied West Bank’s Bethlehem governorate, the Wafa news agency is reporting.
Quoting a security source, Wafa reported that Israeli forces had stormed the town of al-Khader, about 5km (3 miles) west of Bethlehem, and raided several houses, detaining nine men. A father and son were among those arrested.
Another raid took place in Beit Fajjar, about 8km (5 miles) south of Bethlehem, where a 17-year-old boy was arrested.
As we previously reported, Israeli forces have made arrests elsewhere in the occupied West Bank, including near Tulkarem and Ramallah.
More killed in Khan Younis as Israel continues attacks
Our team on the ground reports that at least five Palestinians have been killed in Khan Younis refugee camp.
Three of them, who were killed by Israeli army drone fire, were children.
Khan Younis refugee camp is situated west of the city of Khan Younis, about 2km (1.2 miles) from the Mediterranean coast.
So far this morning, at least 10 other Palestinians have been killed in separate Israeli attacks on Khan Younis.
France says Israel’s limited easing of Gaza aid blockade ‘totally insufficient’
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot has said “immediate and massive aid is needed” in Gaza, a day after his country signed on to a joint statement with other European countries threatening further action if Israel does not lift its blockade fully.
In an interview with France’s Inter Radio, Barrot said Israel’s partial lifting of the blockade on Monday was “totally insufficient”.
“Indiscriminate violence and the blocking of humanitarian aid by the Israeli government” have turned the besieged territory into “a death trap”, he added.
Barrot also said his government supports a review of the European Union-Israel trade deal, over concerns about Israel meeting its human rights commitments.
His comments come as EU foreign ministers are expected to discuss the trade deal in Brussels today, following a request from the Dutch foreign minister.
EU-Israel trade agreement to come under scrutiny during EU meeting in Brussels
EU ministers are meeting here in Brussels amid growing discontent in Europe [with the war on Gaza].
The Netherlands is going to lead a push to review the EU-Israel Association Agreement. It’s going to be backed by many other countries, including France, Ireland…
But Germany, which is a financial and political heavyweight, has dismissed the push to put into action any sanctions or a review of that trade agreement, saying it has to be given time. Many other countries are sceptical of the push for sanctions or to review the bloc’s trade relationship with Israel.
If they decide today to go forward with this review, it’s going to be a significant diplomatic development.
Casualties arrive at Kamal Adwan Hospital after Israeli attack
Dozens of wounded people have arrived at Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza after Israeli bombardment in Beit Lahiya, our correspondent on the ground reports.
Overnight and into this morning, Israeli attacks on the enclave have killed at least 60 people.
We’ll bring you more on the attack on Beit Lahiya as we get it.
Bombs ‘only thing entering Gaza right now’, says UNRWA
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, says “the Gaza Strip is likely facing its worst humanitarian crisis since October 2023.”
“Intensified Israeli bombardments from air, land, and sea have resulted in hundreds of casualties and mass displacement,” UNRWA said in a post on X.
“For 11 weeks, Israeli authorities have deliberately blocked all supplies to Gaza. The only thing entering Gaza right now are bombs. Nowhere is safe.”
Smotrich accuses France, UK, Canada of ‘moral hypocrisy, anti-Semitism’
Israel’s far-right finance minister has lashed out at the leaders of France, the UK, and Canada after they threatened to take action over Israel’s violations of international law.
“Israel will not bow its head before this moral hypocrisy, antisemitism, and one-sidedness,” Smotrich said in a post on X, accusing the three countries of “morally aligning themselves with a terrorist organisation”.
In particular, Smotrich took issue with the three countries saying they are “committed to recognising a Palestinian state”.
“They have gone so far as to seek to reward terrorism by granting it a state,” Smotrich said in a post on X.
“Israel will never agree to the establishment of a terrorist state in its midst that would endanger its existence and threaten the future of the Jewish people and their one and only state,” he added.
Israeli MP says ‘unacceptable’ to send Gaza aid
Moshe Saada, an MP with the right-wing Likud party, which Netanyahu has led since 1993, has slammed the government’s move to let minimal aid into Gaza, saying it bolsters Hamas and drags out the war.
“Providing them with food is effectively giving them ammunition,” Saada told Israel’s Arutz Sheva media. “It is unacceptable that we send four divisions of soldiers to conquer Gaza and risk their lives, while simultaneously giving Hamas the means to keep fighting.”
The UN, aid organisations and dozens of European countries, including Israel’s allies, have issued urgent calls for aid to enter Gaza after an 11-week blockade, warning the civilian population is facing famine. Netanyahu has said Israel will let some basic aid into Gaza to alleviate pressure from its allies.
Israeli forces carry out raids, make arrests near Tulkarem, Nablus, Ramallah
Israeli forces have carried out numerous raids across the occupied West Bank, using live ammunition and making arrests, according to the Wafa news agency.
Wafa said Israeli troops raided several homes in the town of Anabta, east of Tulkarem, and detained three young men. In the town of Kobar, near Ramallah, they arrested two people and closed the main entrance to a nearby town that thousands rely on.
In al-Ein refugee camp near Nablus, an elderly Palestinian was injured by Israeli gunfire, Wafa added.
Death toll from overnight Israeli attacks rises to 60
Palestinian officials tell the AP that Israeli attacks overnight and into this morning killed at least 60 people across the Gaza Strip.
As we’ve been reporting, there have been several attacks with high death tolls since the early hours of this morning.
Here are some of those:
- Attacks in northern Gaza on a family home and a school-turned-shelter, killing at least 22 people, more than half of them women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
- A strike in the central city of Deir el-Balah that killed 13 people, and another in the nearby Nuseirat refugee camp killed 15, according to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital.
- Two strikes in the southern city of Khan Younis killed 10 people, according to Nasser Hospital.
Israeli soldier killed in Gaza
The Israeli military says the 22-year-old was killed in fighting in northern Gaza on Monday and it is investigating the cause of death.
According to figures published by the military, at least 857 soldiers have been killed since the Hamas-led attacks of October 7, 2023.
World Central Kitchen slams US-Israeli plan for Gaza aid
Chef Jose Andres, the founder of the World Central Kitchen (WCK), says Israel’s plans to set up aid distribution hubs in Israeli-controlled areas in southern Gaza will take weeks to get off the ground and “will leave Palestinians hungry”.
Andres’s comment came in response to a report that the Israeli government plans to let aid into Gaza through the existing UN system for about a week, and then let the US-Israeli backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation take over the distribution of supplies.
“The new Humanitarian foundation members should be ashamed of themselves,” Andres said in a post on X.
“We already have a system in place to feed all Palestinians with the help of Palestinians….creating jobs and systems in the process…!”
As we’ve been reporting, the UN says it won’t work with the GHF because their distribution plan is not impartial, neutral or independent.
Photos: Children wounded in Israeli attacks brought to Al-Aqsa Hospital
Palestinian killed in Israeli attack on northern Gaza
Al Jazeera’s correspondent is reporting that at least one person has been killed in Israeli bombardment on as-Sikka Street in the Zeitoun neighbourhood of Gaza City.
What is the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation?
As we’ve been reporting, some 22 Western countries have demanded Israel let aid into Gaza and rejected the US-Israeli-backed plan for a charity called the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation to take over the distribution of aid in the enclave.
Here’s what we know about the GHF:
- The charity, registered in Switzerland, is led by former US Marine Jake Woods.
- It aims to set up four distribution sites in southern Gaza, run by private security companies and overseen by the Israeli military, to ensure aid is not “diverted” by Hamas.
- The UN says it won’t work with the foundation because the distribution plan is not impartial, neutral or independent. Officials there also dismiss Israeli claims of large-scale diversion of aid by Palestinian fighters.
- Aid groups note that the GHF seeks to supplant the existing system run by the UN, which already has 400 distribution points across Gaza, and will reach only a limited number of people.
- Aid officials say it would also advance Israel’s military plans to coerce Palestinians to move from north to south Gaza, and eventually out of the enclave altogether.
- UN aid chief Tom Fletcher said in a statement on Friday: “To those proposing an alternative modality for aid distribution, let’s not waste time. We already have a plan. We have the people. We have the distribution networks. We have the trust of the communities on the ground. And we have the aid itself – 160,000 pallets of it – ready to move. Now.”
If you’re just joining us
Let’s bring you up to speed:
- Israel’s relentless bombardment of Gaza continues, with attacks on homes, a petrol station and a school-turned-shelter killing at least 50 Palestinians since midnight.
- The killings come after a day of fierce Israeli attacks that left at least 126 Palestinians dead, according to medics.
- Israel’s military says it shot down a drone carrying weapons from Egypt into Israeli territory.
- More than 760 NGOs around the world have signed a petition urging the world to break the Israeli siege and send in a diplomatic convoy through the Rafah crossing.
- Amnesty International decries Israel’s decision to only let a handful of trucks into Gaza, saying only an end to the Israeli siege and war will alleviate the suffering of Palestinians in the enclave.
Welcome to our live coverage
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