- At least 70 people, including dozens in northern Gaza, have been killed since dawn in heavy Israeli bombardment with four children’s bodies recovered from the debris in an attack in Jabalia.
- The war on Gaza dominates an Arab League summit in Baghdad, Iraq.
- The Red Crescent renews call for Israel to reopen crossings with Gaza for the entry of humanitarian aid, warning it has been “left to starve and ache”.
- Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 53,272 Palestinians and wounded 120,673, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health. 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 taken captive.
Without real action, Western warnings to Israel ‘can be safely ignored’
Mouin Rabbani, a political analyst, says Western governments and officials “have issued increasingly stern warnings to Israel” about its Gaza policies over the past days.
Despite that, Rabbani said it is understood “as long as Western responses are limited to statements, those making them can be safely ignored and Israel can continue to do as it pleases”.
That is “particularly so when such statements are accompanied by continued weapons deliveries, preferential trade agreements, political support, and other forms of cooperation”, Rabbani wrote on X.
How much space can Palestinians in Gaza access?
On March 18, Israel resumed its bombing of Gaza, shattering a fragile ceasefire it had agreed to with Hamas.
Since then, it has issued at least 23 forced displacement orders, making about 146 square kilometres (56sq miles) of the Gaza Strip inaccessible.
The total area of the Gaza Strip is 365sq km (141sq miles), according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
This, along with declaring large areas branded no-go zones, means Palestinians can’t access more than two-thirds of the enclave. By governorate:
- 100 percent of Rafah is a no-go zone or a displacement area
- 84 percent of northern Gaza
- 51 percent of southern Khan Younis
- 41 percent of central Deir el-Balah
The UN estimates that about 436,000 people have been displaced again since the breakdown of the truce.
US senator says Netanyahu starving 2 million Palestinians
Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen has slammed Netanyahu’s government for its two-month blockade on Gaza.
“Let food into Gaza NOW! Netanyahu & his govt are starving 2M civilians,” Van Hollen wrote in a social media post. “The US is complicit in this gross violation of international law.”
The US is Israel’s top ally providing at least $3.8bn in military aid to the country each year. It also has provided billions of dollars in additional assistance to Israel since the war on Gaza began.
How is famine measured?
This week, the world’s top hunger monitor warned because of Israel’s blockade “the risk of famine in the Gaza Strip is not just possible – it is increasingly likely”.
How is famine measured exactly? According to the UN’s criteria, famine is declared when:
- At least 20 percent (one-fifth) of households face extreme food shortages
- More than 30 percent of children suffer from acute malnutrition
- At least two out of every 10,000 people or four out of every 10,000 children die each day from starvation or hunger-related causes.
Read more in our explainer here.
‘Time for empty statements is over’: Rights group
Al Mezan Center for Human Rights has warned Israel is moving forward with its plans to “escalate the genocide” against Palestinians.
As we’ve been reporting, Israel says it is in the opening stages of an expansion of its military offensive on Gaza, which it has dubbed “Gideon’s Chariots”.
“On 7 May, we warned Israel was planning to escalate the genocide in Gaza with the stated aim to seize the territory and forcibly expel Palestinians,” Al Mezan said in a post on X.
“This is no longer a threat. The plan is being carried out. The tools to stop it exist: sanctions, arms embargo, and cutting diplomatic and economic ties.”
Iran’s leaders slam Trump for ‘disgraceful’ remarks during Middle East tour
Tehran, Iran – Iran’s political and military leaders are pointing the finger back at Donald Trump after the US president sharpened his rhetoric during his first major tour of the Middle East.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said some of Trump’s comments were not even worth responding to.
“The level of those remarks is so low that they are a disgrace for the one who uttered them and a disgrace to the American nation,” he said, to chants of “Death to America” and others from the crowd.
Khamenei added that Trump “lied” when he said he wants to use power towards peace, as Washington has backed “massacring” Palestinians and others across the region. He called Israel a “dangerous cancerous tumour” that must be “uprooted”.
Read the full story here.
Former Israeli prime minister calls for ‘civic revolt’ against Netanyahu’s govt
The Times of Israel reports former Prime Minister Ehud Barak has called for “civic revolt” against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.
Barak, who served as prime minister from 1999-2001, said the Israeli leader is “acting impulsively like a caged animal”, according to the news report.
“A black flag of illegitimacy flies over every one of its actions, and it’s our civic duty to act in every way possible toward its downfall, before it marches us into the abyss,” it cited Barak as saying during an anti-government demonstration in Tel Aviv.
Barak is supportive of a “technocratic government alongside a Palestinian bureaucracy with Saudi and Emirati funding and Egyptian oversight … no Hamas member could take part in the arrangement”, he said.
New Middle East order as Arab League summit discusses Gaza
Arab leaders came together for their annual diplomatic meeting, this time in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad. They met two months ago in Cairo, Egypt, and then, like now, Israel’s war on Gaza dominated discussions.
Gaza may have taken centre stage, but this year’s Arab League summit was held against a backdrop of a new Middle East order. There is a new balance of power that is not in favour of Iran and its regional allies.
A few days ago, Iran tried to project its influence in Iraq with a rare public visit by Iran’s Al-Quds Force chief Esmail Qaani.
Powerful Iraqi politicians also opposed Prime Minister Sudani’s invitation to the new Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa because of a past linked to al-Qaeda. Iraqi groups supported the ousted Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad.
Pro-Palestinian activists spray Shannon Airport warplane with red paint
Pro-Palestinian activists have sprayed warplanes at Ireland’s Shannon Airport with red paint, according to Palestine Action Eire.
“Demilitarise Shannon Airport,” can be heard by a woman in a video posted by the group on social media.
“The US military is not allowed here,” she said while holding what appears to be an Irish flag with the words “US military out of Ireland” in front of an aeroplane splashed with red.
Shannon Airport has been used by the US military for its wars on Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere for more than 15 years.
This is not the first time activists breached the airport perimeter. Earlier in May, three members of Palestine Action Eire were arrested after trying to inspect a US military plane there.
According to the group, US aircraft are “key suppliers of the genocide in Palestine” and Ireland should not be an accomplice.
Breaking down a deadly week in Gaza as Israel kills hundreds
More than 19 months into its war on Gaza, Israel shows few signs it is relenting. The last week has shown the opposite – an intensification of violence across the besieged Palestinian territory, leaving hundreds dead, and hundreds of thousands terrified of what comes next.
This was a week where United States President Donald Trump toured the Middle East, visiting Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. There had been hope that some kind of ceasefire deal would be announced, or that the US would put more pressure on Israel to seriously come to the negotiating table.
Ultimately, none of that happened with Trump returning to his idea of US involvement in the future administration of whatever is left of Gaza.
Read the full story here.
If you’re just joining us
Let’s bring you up to speed on the latest developments:
- At least 66 Palestinians have been killed since dawn in Israeli attacks across Gaza, including a family of nine killed in the bombardment of the central city of Deir el-Balah.
- Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz says Hamas returned to the negotiation table to discuss the release of captives. Senior Hamas official Taher al-Nono says this round of talks “are open to discussing all issues”.
- Arab leaders met in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, and called on the international community to support and fund their plan for Gaza reconstruction.
- UN chief Antonio Guterres says the world body will not take part in any aid operation in Gaza that does not adhere to international law and humanitarian principles.
- The head of UNRWA says, “Our aid is piled up outside: food will rot, medicines will expire. At the same time, the clock is ticking towards famine. The people of Gaza are dying.”
More than 300,000 Palestinians displaced from northern Gaza
Gaza’s Government Media Office says more than 200 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks over the past 48 hours, with 1,000 housing units destroyed.
Another 140 victims remain buried in the debris of destroyed buildings with the Israeli military’s “deliberate prevention of ambulance and civil defence crews from reaching the bombed areas in northern Gaza”.
“This is a complex crime that constitutes a clear violation of international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions, which require the protection of civilians and the facilitation of rescue operations during times of war,” the office said in a statement.
It condemned “suspicious international silence and actual participation in the ongoing genocide”.
Photos: European protests against Israel’s war on Gaza
Israel’s expanded attack a ‘concern’ for Gaza’s people, captives: Germany
Germany has condemned Israel’s escalation of attacks on Gaza, calling it a “deep concern”.
“Like every state, Israel has the right to defend itself within the framework of applicable international law,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
“However, the current actions could endanger the lives of the remaining hostages, including the Germans, who after almost 600 days still fear for their survival in Hamas prisons.”
A large-scale military offensive also carries the risk of further worsening the catastrophic humanitarian situation of the population in Gaza and diminishes “the prospect of a much-needed long-term ceasefire”.
Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul spoke with his Israeli counterpart, Gideon Saar, today about the issue.
Has Donald Trump taken US-Gulf relations to a new era?
Trillions of dollars were pledged during the US president’s three-nation tour of the Gulf this week.
So, are the Gulf nations now in sync with the US on some of the biggest challenges in the region?
And is Trump reshaping the Middle East, or is it the Gulf states that will dictate future US foreign policy?
Palestinian mother describes ‘indescribable pain’ of losing baby to hunger
The Gaza-based Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) has shared testimonials from women in Gaza struggling to survive under Israel’s “starvation policy”.
Aya al-Iskafi, 21, described how her newborn baby girl, Jenan, died because of Israel’s refusal to allow any food, water or humanitarian supplies into the enclave since early March.
The baby, who was born in late December of last year, suffered from dehydration and saw her weight drop to 2.8kg (six pounds) at three months old.
“Doctors had to supplement her breastfeeding with formula milk, but formula was also severely limited due to the ongoing siege. We stayed for 14 days at al-Rantisi Hospital, where my daughter could not breastfeed and relied only on IV fluids,” al-Iskafi told PCHR.
By the start of May, Jenan was suffering from chronic diarrhoea but could not get the medical care she needed in Gaza because of the lack of supplies. “She was in severe pain in front of me while I was helpless and unable to help her or alleviate her pain,” her mother said.
“My heart was breaking but I couldn’t do anything given the lack of resources and harsh conditions. On May 3, my daughter died of hunger. Saying goodbye to her was an indescribable pain, and everything she endured continues to torment me every moment of my life.”
Hamas-US ‘positive’ talks disrupted by Israeli bid to undermine efforts to end war
We have more lines from the interview with journalist Jeremy Scahill.
The cofounder of Drop Site News has said Israeli officials tried to sabotage secret negotiations between the US special envoy for hostage response, Adam Boehler, and Hamas by leaking that these talks were taking place, as the two parties were discussing not just the release of captives, but also an end to the war.
Two senior Hamas officials who spoke to Scahill described “a very positive series of discussions” with Boehler “that went far beyond the scope of Edan Alexander”, Scahill told Al Jazeera, referring to the US captive released on Monday.
“Hamas had a real sense that for the first time during this genocide, they were sitting across from people representing the United States that actually were interested in ending the war and understanding the root causes of the war,” Scahill said, referencing his discussion with the group’s officials.
“And so from Hamas perspective, the Israelis were not just leaking this to try to smear or undermine Adam Boehler, but to sabotage the next step in this process: sitting down directly with Hamas and talking about paths to release all captives but also to end the war,” he added.
Eurovision threatens to fine Spanish broadcaster over Israel criticism
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has threatened Spain’s public broadcaster RTVE with punitive fines if its commentators repeat references to Israel’s devastating war on Gaza during the Eurovision final.
During Thursday’s broadcast, RTVE highlighted the deaths of more than 50,000 civilians, including at least 15,000 children, in Gaza as the Israeli candidate was introduced.
“Casualty figures have no place in an apolitical entertainment show,” said the EBU in a letter to RTVE, calling on it to follow guidelines prohibiting political statements that could “compromise the contest’s neutrality”.
“We count on RTVE’s full cooperation to prevent any recurrence. Any further breach may incur punitive fines under the rules,” it added.
RTVE also reiterated its call for a debate on Israel’s inclusion in the song competition and called for justice and respect for human rights during Thursday’s semifinals.
The Spanish daily El Pais reported that RTVE plans to include similar commentary during Saturday’s final. The EBU is handling Israel’s participation “poorly” by suppressing criticism and limiting freedom of expression, it said.
Earlier in the week, Belgium’s Flemish public broadcaster VRT included a pro-Palestinian message during the first semifinal. It has backed RTVE’s call for debate, along with delegations from Slovenia, Iceland and Ireland.
Death toll rises as Israeli attacks devastate Gaza’s Deir el-Balah
This was one of the deadliest days in Deir el-Balah, the central part of the Gaza Strip, where at least 18 Palestinians have been killed in the past hour and a half.
Israeli forces killed a family of nine. Among them are three-year-old Muhammad, one-week-old Husaid, and four-year-old Siwar – these Palestinian children were severely injured and later died of their wounds.
There has been another attack on a warehouse that had a little bit of food left, where at least six Palestinians were killed. And there has been another attack on a group of Palestinians in the market in one of the busiest streets in Deir el-Balah, where at least five other children were critically injured.
The Al-Aqsa Hospital has been chaotic with very heartbreaking moments. Families are crying, mothers are crying as they wait for injured family members inside the hospital right now.
The northern Gaza Strip has been very dangerous for Palestinians who are on the move, evacuating from their houses in Jabalia’s refugee camp. In the past couple of hours, at least three houses have been targeted by Israeli forces.
Civil Defence teams say they are trying to search for bodies trapped under the rubble. According to doctors, the death toll for today is likely to rise to more than 60.
We should not forget, there has been a strict blockade on the Gaza Strip banning medical supplies and medication. This is why the chances for wounded Palestinians to live are extremely low.
Netanyahu ‘determined to continue with his own agenda’
Sultan Barakat, professor of public policy at Qatar’s Hamad Bin Khalifa University, says Israel’s ramped-up military strikes on Gaza are “to determine who calls the shots in the Middle East”.
“Netanyahu, over the past few days, was pushed aside by the Americans a little bit, ignored to some extent. They went ahead with the deal with the Houthis, the release of the American-Israeli soldier, and of course, Trump didn’t visit Israel,” Barakat told Al Jazeera.
The Israeli PM’s policy is “security by force, aggression and violence”, he added.
“So now he’s just trying to show everyone he’s still the man, still in the driver’s seat, regardless [of] what Trump has said and regardless of how much the relationship with the United States has developed. He is determined to continue with his own agenda.”
‘My wife and kids are still under there,’ man says after Jabalia attack
We’ve spoken to a Palestinian man whose wife and three children are under the rubble after an Israeli attack on their home in Jabalia in northern Gaza.
Hussein Odeh said the house was struck as he was standing in the street trying to find a driver who could help them leave the area. “My wife and kids are still under [the rubble] there – poor souls, still children, three years old, five years old, and nine years old,” he said.
Odeh said his daughter, sisters and mother were killed in a separate attack at the beginning of Israel’s war on Gaza. “And now, again,” he said.
“I want to get them out, but I don’t know how. I’m in shock from what happened. My son just spoke to me from under the rubble. I just want someone to bring me back any memory of them … anything from my family.”
Iran denounces Israeli attacks on Yemen
Iran’s Foreign Ministry has “strongly” condemned Israel’s air raids on Yemeni ports.
The attacks are a “clear sign of the regime’s war-mongering and criminal nature”, said Esmaeil Baghaei, the ministry’s spokesperson.
“The attack on Yemen’s economic infrastructure and public facilities, including the ports of Hodeidah, Ras Isa and as-Salif, is not only a gross violation of the principles of international law and the United Nations Charter, but also clearly constitutes a war crime and a crime against humanity,” he said.
“Such attacks are taking place in a situation where the Yemeni people are under siege and suffering double human suffering, and targeting their vital infrastructure is a brutal act to deprive them of access to the basic necessities of life.”
Baghaei said Western governments are complicit in the “massacre” of “Palestinian women and children, and now the oppressed people of Yemen”.
Elderly Palestinian man shot by Israeli army near Jenin camp: Report
Palestinian news agency Wafa reports the man was shot in the leg near the entrance to Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank.
He received medical treatment from the Palestine Red Crescent Society, Wafa said.
In a separate incident, three Palestinians were injured during confrontations with Israeli troops in Sebastia, a village near Nablus in the north of the West Bank. The three injured people – aged 60, 52 and 35 – were taken to hospital, Wafa reported.
Earlier in the day, Israeli settlers set fire to agricultural land near Sebastia, causing “significant damage”.
Palestinians in the occupied West Bank have experienced a surge in Israeli settler and military violence during the war on Gaza. The northern areas in and around Jenin, Nablus, Tulkarem and Qalqilya have been particularly hard-hit.
Photos: Thousands rally in central London to mark 1948 Palestinian Nakba
New Gaza aid plans ‘a distraction from atrocities’: UNRWA chief
Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), says humanitarians in Gaza are ready to deliver assistance to Palestinians but can’t carry out that work due to Israel’s blockade, which has been in place since March 2.
“Our aid is piled up outside: food will rot, medicines will expire. At the same time, the clock is ticking towards famine. The people of Gaza are dying,” Lazzarini wrote on X.
Referring to a US-backed humanitarian operation in Gaza that has been rejected by aid groups and the UN, Lazzarini also said, “Don’t reinvent the wheel”.
“Putting together new ‘plans’ is a distraction from the atrocities + a waste of resources,” he wrote.
US rhetoric on Gaza peace clashes with support for Israel’s intensifying military assault
Jeremy Scahill, cofounder of Drop Site News, says there is a disconnect between what is happening in Gaza and the rhetoric of the US administration about wanting to end the war in the besieged territory.
“What we’re witnessing right now on the ground in Gaza is a radical intensification of the forced starvation campaign against the Palestinians of Gaza,” Scahill told Al Jazeera.
For “more than two months, not a grain of wheat, not a pill of medicine, not a bottle of water, no fuel has entered the Gaza Strip – and the United States continues to fully support Israel in its scorched earth terror bombings of the Palestinians of Gaza,” Scahill said.
“There’s this sort of disconnect with the world of diplomacy, and with the rhetoric coming from the Trump administration,” he added.
During the Saudi-US Investment Forum in Riyadh earlier this week, Trump said his “greatest hope is to be a peacemaker and a unifier. I don’t like war.”
On that same day, a series of Israeli attacks on the European Hospital in southern Gaza killed and wounded dozens of people.