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Here is where things stand on Monday 26 May 2025:
- Israeli forces pound Gaza, killing 25 at a school-turned-shelter as well as two Red Cross workers, a journalist and several children, including the enclave’s youngest influencer Yaqeen Hammad, 11.
- Spain urges the world to consider sanctions on Israel as it hosts foreign ministers from 20 European and Arab nations in Madrid to push for a two-state solution.
- Yemen’s Houthis claim a missile attack on Israel’s main Ben Gurion International Airport. The Israeli military says it intercepted the projectile.
- Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 53,939 Palestinians and wounded 122,797, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The Government Media Office updated its 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 of October 7, 2023, and more than 200 were taken captive.
Why did the GHF’s executive director resign?
We’ve been speaking to Robert Patman, a professor of international relations at the University of Otago, about the latest setback for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
He says Wood resigned because of a lack of support from key groups.
“Jake Wood has a background in humanitarian assistance, but dealing with natural disasters, and I think he realised that he wasn’t getting support from the organisations that he needed, in order to make this US-Israeli initiative an effective, independent humanitarian organisation,” Patman said from New Zealand.
“It’s no secret that major aid donors had not been convinced by this proposal, which is essentially a start-up. And secondly, the UN and particularly UNRWA have been very cool in their response and have indicated they won’t cooperate,” he said.
Patman also noted that many aid groups have pointed out that there’s “no need for a new humanitarian organisation” and that what’s needed is an end to the Israeli blockade on Gaza.
Death toll at Gaza City school rises to 30
Medical sources have told our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic that the death toll from the Israeli bombing of the Fahmi Al-Jarjawi school has risen from 25 to 30.
The sources put the total number of people killed across the enclave since dawn at 50.
Palestinian Mujahideen Movement condemns ‘international silence’ after Gaza City school massacre
The Palestinian armed group says the deadly Israeli attack on the Fahmi al-Jarjawi school in Gaza City is “a manifestation of the most heinous crimes against humanity caused by the criminal entity’s impunity for international accountability”.
“We condemn the international silence and Arab failure to address the ongoing genocidal and ethnic cleansing massacres in the Gaza Strip, the latest of which was the horrific massacre at the Fahmi al-Jarjawi school in Gaza,” said the group’s statement published on Telegram.
It said that it holds the US administration and President Donald Trump “fully responsible for this brutal crime and all the crimes” committed by Israel against Palestinians, as “they continue to be a genuine partner in supporting and providing cover for the entity”.
The group also called on the Palestinians “to shake off the dust of inaction and impotence and stand up for the bloodshed in Palestine”.
Israeli bombardment kills 19 in northern Gaza
At least 19 bodies have been recovered after Israeli forces bombed a Palestinian family’s home in northern Gaza’s Jabalia al-Balad, according to our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic.
We’ll bring you more soon.
GHF to begin aid deliveries in Gaza today
The embattled Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) has issued a statement expressing disappointment at the sudden resignation of its executive director, and announcing plans to begin distributing aid in Gaza today.
“We will not be deterred,” it said.
“Our trucks are loaded and ready to go. Beginning Monday, May 26, GHF will begin direct aid delivery in Gaza, reaching over one million Palestinians by the end of the week. We plan to scale rapidly to serve the full population in the weeks ahead,” it added.
As we’ve been reporting, Wood resigned, citing the GHF’s lack of independence.
Children killed, wounded in Israeli attack on Gaza City school
Israeli forces have targeted a school sheltering displaced Palestinians in Gaza City, killing at least 25 people.
In a separate attack, Israel also targeted a nearby tent camp, killing six members of a family.
Civilian casualties are mounting as Israel intensifies its assault. The latest attacks happened in the middle of the night, while people were sleeping.
If you’re just joining us
Let’s bring you up to speed:
- The death toll from Israel’s attack on the Fahmi al-Jarjawi school in Gaza has risen to 25. The victims include children who were burned to death.
- The executive director of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, Jake Wood, has resigned, dealing a blow to the US and Israel’s plans to take over aid deliveries in the Strip.
- In the occupied West Bank, Israeli settlers severely assaulted and kidnapped a Palestinian man as soldiers continued raids across the territory.
- Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has condemned Israel’s blockade on Gaza as an “outrage”, saying that its excuses and explanations are “completely untenable and without credibility”.
- US President Donald Trump hints at “good news” on Gaza, saying his administration has been talking to Israel “to see if we can stop that whole situation”.
US Muslim group slams Israeli attack on Gaza school
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has called on Trump to compel Israel to accept a ceasefire after its latest deadly attack on a Gaza school-turned-shelter.
“Enough. Benjamin Netanyahu must be stopped,” CAIR said in a post on X.
“Give Steve Witkoff the authority to demand that Netanyahu accept a permanent ceasefire deal that ends the genocide for good, frees all captives on both sides, and allows unfettered humanitarian aid to Gaza.”
Israeli settlers beat, kidnap Palestinian man in Masafer Yatta
We have more on the escalating violence by Israeli settlers and soldiers in the occupied West Bank.
The Wafa news agency is reporting that a group of Israeli soldiers kidnapped a Palestinian man, identified as Ibrahim al-Nawaj’a, after severely beating him in the Wadi Abu Ijheesh area of Masafer Yatta.
The settlers were dressed in army uniforms, Wafa reported.
Further north, in the town of Bruqin, west of the city of Salfit, settlers who had set up a tent on Palestinian land continued to harass Palestinian residents of the area, by firing live ammunition and tear gas.
There were several raids by Israeli soldiers too.
According to Wafa, Israeli soldiers severely beat a young man after detaining him during a raid on the town of Deir al-Ghusun, in Tulkarem, in the north of the occupied territory.
Israeli soldiers also forced a Palestinian to demolish an agricultural structure in Jabal al-Mukaber, southeast of occupied Jerusalem.
Spain advocates suspending EU-Israel deal over Gaza war
Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares spoke to Al Jazeera ahead of the Madrid Group meeting on Sunday.
He told Al Jazeera that his priorities are “stopping the war” and ensuring aid access. He also warned that a two-state solution to the conflict is “near nonviable” without swift Palestinian recognition.
The minister went on to compare the EU’s stalled action on Israel with the bloc’s response to Russia, stressing that “sanctions must be debated”.
Photos: Children killed, wounded in Israeli attack on Gaza City school
Australia’s Albanese says Israel’s excuses over blockade ‘completely untenable’
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has told reporters in Canberra that Israel’s blockade on Gaza is “completely unacceptable”.
“People are starving, and the idea that a democratic state withholds supply is an outrage,” he said. “That is my clear position. It’s one I’ve indicated clearly and directly to the Israeli government,” the prime minister said, noting that he spoke with Israeli President Isaac Herzog in Rome last week.
“We find Israel’s excuses and explanations completely untenable and without credibility,” Albanese added.
The Australian leader, however, pushed back at questions over why his country did not join the UK, France and Canada in calling for more “concrete actions” against Israel, saying that the statement was by members of the G7, which Canberra is not part of.
His remarks come after a former minister in the Albanese government, Ed Husic, penned an article in The Guardian criticising Australia for not taking a firmer stand over the weekend.
Israel’s deadliest attacks on Gaza’s schools-turned-shelters
We’ve been following an Israeli attack that killed at least 19 people sheltering at the Fahmi Al-Jarjawi school in Gaza City.
This is just the latest in Israel’s assaults on schools-turned-shelters in the Gaza Strip. Aid agencies say Israeli forces have destroyed or damaged some 95 percent of the territory’s schools since October 2023.
Here’s a look at some of the deadliest attacks:
- In November 2023, shortly after the start of the war, Israeli bombs and artillery strikes killed at least 50 people, including children, inside the al-Buraq School in Gaza City.
- In two attacks in November 2023 that were two weeks apart, the Israeli military struck the Al Fakhoura school in the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza, killing at least 65 people.
- In July 2024, the Israeli military killed at least 30 people in an attack on al-Awda School located in the southern town of Abasan, near Khan Younis.
- In August 2024, more than 100 people were killed when Israeli forces bombed the al-Tabin School in Gaza City as Palestinians gathered for their morning prayers.
- In April this year, at least 33 Palestinians were killed and more than 100 wounded in Israeli air attacks on three schools in the Tuffah neighbourhood of Gaza City.
UN experts have said that Israel’s attacks on civilian institutions, such as schools and hospitals, could amount to war crimes.
Photos: Thousands protest in Paris against Israel’s war on Gaza
US rights group says American bombs killed Red Cross workers in Gaza
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has called on US President Donald Trump to act over Israel’s latest attack on humanitarian workers in Gaza.
“The war criminals of the Israeli occupation forces just murdered two Red Cross workers with American bombs paid for with American taxpayer dollars,” CAIR said in a post on X.
“How many more until you stop Netanyahu, President [Trump]?”
Palestinians fleeing Israeli bombs shelter at Gaza seaport
Displaced Palestinians in Gaza are sheltering in makeshift tents at the overcrowded seaport in Gaza City.
With no running water, sanitation or safe drinking sources, families describe living in “landfill-like” conditions, dumping waste into the contaminated sea and contracting skin diseases.
“This is not a place for humans to live,” lamented one man.
Death toll at Gaza City school rises to 25
We are getting reports that the death toll at the Fahmi Al-Jarjawi school has risen from 19 to 25.
Trump hints at ‘good news’ on Gaza
The US president, while reporting “real progress” in nuclear talks with Iran, has said there could be positive developments on Gaza, too.
“I think we could have some good news on the Iran front, likewise with Hamas on Gaza,” he told reporters before he boarded Air Force One in New Jersey.
“We want to see if we can stop that, and Israel. We’ve been talking to them and we want to see if we can stop that whole situation,” he added.
Ex-captive briefly held at New York airport: Report
Israel’s Channel 12 is reporting that Liri Albag was briefly detained at the JFK International Airport in New York City following her arrival in the US for a vacation with her family.
The broadcaster said Albag was taken for questioning because the US immigration system showed that she was being held captive by Hamas, igniting suspicion that someone else was impersonating her.
Albag’s questioning lasted for about an hour, and she was later released with the assistance of staff from the Israeli consulate in New York, the report added.
Rescuers put out fire at Gaza City School
Gaza’s Civil Defence says its crews “were able to control a fire” that broke out at the Fahmi Al-Jarjawi school following Israel’s latest attack.
In an update on Telegram, the Civil Defence said its crews have so far retrieved the bodies of 13 people killed in the attack, and 21 people who were injured.
Many still missing after Israeli attack on Gaza City school
Many of the children are charred inside the classrooms amid a heavy fire that was caused by the bombing of the Fahmi al-Jarjawi School.
Given how overcrowded the school is, the number [of injured] keeps increasing as time goes by.
The Civil Defence service is still inside the school.
They say about half of the facility was destroyed, and the bombs caused a huge level of destruction.
Many people are still missing under huge piles of rubble.
What is the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation?
We’ve been covering the resignation of the GHF’s executive director, Jake Wood.
Here’s what we know about the US-Israel-backed group:
- The charity, registered in Switzerland, 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 United Nations says it won’t work with the GHF because its 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 say 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 relief chief Tom Fletcher says the GHF “makes aid conditional on political and military aims” and points out that humanitarian groups in Gaza already have the people, the distribution networks and the trust of communities to deliver supplies – if only Israel would let them.
These are the latest child victims of Israel’s genocide in Gaza
Israel’s war on Palestinians in Gaza is killing children through bombardment, illness and malnutrition.
Social media influencer Yaqeen Hammad, 11, is among the latest Palestinian children to be killed in Israel’s relentless bombing of Gaza.
Meanwhile, four year-old Mohammed Yassine is the latest child to die from starvation.
One killed in Israeli attack on central Gaza
Our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic say Israeli forces have bombed a kindergarten school housing displaced people in the Maghazi refugee camp.
At least one person was killed and several others were wounded.
We will bring more when we have it.
Chief of Gaza Humanitarian Foundation resigns
The executive director of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) has resigned, dealing a blow to a plan backed by the US and Israel to bring in aid to the Palestinian enclave.
“It is clear that it is not possible to implement this plan while also strictly adhering to the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence, which I will not abandon,” Jake Wood said in a statement announcing his resignation, effective immediately.
“I urge Israel to significantly expand the provision of aid into Gaza through all mechanisms,” he added.
The United States and Israel have touted GHF as the key to resolving the aid crisis in the Gaza Strip, but the United Nations and other humanitarian organisations have refused to work with the group, saying its plans will only worsen displacement in the Strip.
Wood, a former US Marine, said he had taken on the role after being approached just two months ago and that he’s proud of the work he has overseen.
Death toll from Sunday rises
Medical sources say Israeli forces have killed at least 57 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Sunday.
We’ll bring you more soon.
Displaced Palestinians ‘burned alive’ in Israeli attack on Gaza City school
We are following an Israeli attack on a school-turned-shelter in Gaza City that has killed at least 19 people.
The attack targeted the Fahmi al-Jarjawi School in the Daraj neighbourhood.
Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Gaza is reporting that the bombing caused a fire at the school, burning people alive and leaving dozens killed and wounded. At least six children were killed.
The search for survivors is ongoing.
A recap of recent developments
- Israeli forces pound Gaza, killing 19 people in an attack on a school-turned-shelter in the Daraj neighbourhood of Gaza City.
- The attack comes after a day of fierce bombardment that killed 30 others, including two Red Cross workers as well as a journalist and several of his family members.
- Spain urges the world to consider sanctions on Israel as it hosts foreign ministers from 20 European and Arab nations in the Spanish capital, Madrid, to push for a two-state solution.
- Malta says it will recognise the state of Palestine after a United Nations conference on June 20, calling the move a “moral responsibility”.
- US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem is in Israel and has met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to express her unwavering support for his country.
- Yemen’s Houthis claim to have fired a missile attack towards Israel’s main Ben Gurion International Airport. The Israeli military says it intercepted the projectile.
Welcome to our live coverage
Hello, and thank you for joining our live coverage of Israel’s war on Gaza, as well as its attacks on the occupied West Bank and the wider region.
Follow this page for round-the-clock updates and analyses of the latest developments.
You can read about key events from Sunday, May 25, here.
