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Here is where things stand on Thursday 29 May 2025:
Here’s what happened today
We will be closing this live page soon. Here’s a look at the day’s main events:
- At least 70 Palestinians have been killed since dawn in Israeli attacks across Gaza, including strikes on the central Bureij refugee camp that killed nearly two dozen people.
- Palestinians express growing frustration with a US- and Israeli-backed aid distribution scheme that has caused scenes of chaos and deadly violence over the past few days.
- The UN says Israel is blocking it from accessing and distributing much-needed humanitarian supplies to Gaza, with about 600 truckloads of goods stuck at a crossing point.
- Israel has ordered the closure of al-Awda Hospital – the last functioning hospital in northern Gaza – as the World Health Organization says dozens of people remain at the facility.
- The White House says Israel has “signed off” on a new Gaza ceasefire proposal that was delivered to Hamas; the Palestinian group says it is reviewing the plan.
Israel killing Palestinians with weapons paid for by US taxpayers: CAIR
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) condemned Israel’s bombardment of the Bureij refugee camp earlier today, which killed at least 23 people and injured many others.
“After expelling these Palestinian refugees from their land, the Israeli government slaughtered them in their refugee camp,” CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad said in a statement.
“Blowing up families sleeping in tents is a cowardly, sociopathic war crime that the Israeli occupation has committed again and again with American weapons paid for by American taxpayer dollars. The barbarity and sadism of the Israeli occupation’s war crimes knows no bounds,” he said.
“How much longer will President Trump, his administration and the world see images of dismembered children and burning tents before stopping this genocide?”
The US provides Israel with at least $3.8bn in military aid annually, and it has provided billions in additional funds since the Israeli military began its deadly bombardment of Gaza in October 2023.
Israel is burning Gaza’s children. And the world lets it happen
Dr Alaa al-Najjar, a 36-year-old paediatrician and mother of 10, spent the morning of Friday, May 23, doing what she had devoted her life to: saving children at Gaza’s Nasser Hospital.
By nightfall, she was no longer a healer, but a mourner, cradling the charred, dismembered remains of her own children – Yahya, Rakan, Ruslan, Jubran, Eve, Revan, Sayden, Luqman, and Sidra.
Seven were confirmed dead. Two remain buried beneath the rubble, including her youngest, six-month-old Sayden, still asleep in his crib when Dr al-Najjar kissed him goodbye that morning.
In just one Israeli air strike – in just one minute – her entire world was annihilated.
Read more here.
Two Palestinians injured in Israeli raid in southern West Bank: Report
Two Palestinians have been injured after Israeli forces opened fire during a raid in a town west of Hebron in the south of the occupied West Bank, the Wafa news agency is reporting.
Wafa said a 17-year-old was shot in the thigh and a 30-year-old man suffered a gunshot wound in the foot during the raid in Idhna.
The incident comes as the Israeli military has carried out an intensified wave of violence across the occupied West Bank amid the Gaza war.
Israeli settler violence has also soared, with the UN’s humanitarian office (OCHA) saying in its latest report that settlers have injured more than 220 Palestinians so far this year.
That amounts to 44 injured people per month, the highest rate in at least 20 years, OCHA said.
Hamas official says US proposal means ‘continuation of killing’
Hamas political bureau member Basem Naim has told the Reuters news agency that the Trump administration’s ceasefire proposal is “still under discussion” by the group.
As we’ve been reporting, the White House said earlier that Israel had “signed off” on the proposal, which Washington sent over to Hamas to review.
Naim also told the AFP news agency that the proposal meant “the continuation of killing and famine … and does not meet any of our people’s demands, foremost among them halting the war”.
“Nonetheless, the movement’s leadership is studying the response to the proposal with full national responsibility,” he said.
Israeli army orders Palestinians to leave several areas in Gaza’s north
Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee has released a statement ordering Palestinians in the northern Gaza areas of al-Atatra, Jabalia, Shujayea, Daraj and Zeitoun to leave their homes.
The army will “expand” its offensive in those areas due to “terrorist” activity, Adraee said, without providing any evidence.
“From this moment on, the mentioned areas will be considered dangerous combat zones.”
Israel has routinely and repeatedly ordered Palestinians to leave their homes in northern Gaza in what rights groups say is a campaign of mass forced displacement.
What are Israel’s obligations under international law?
As we’ve been reporting, the UN and other top humanitarian groups have slammed the US- and Israeli-backed aid distribution plan for Gaza, saying it does not meet humanitarian standards and falls far short of meeting local needs.
So what exactly are Israel’s obligations under international humanitarian law when it comes to providing food to Palestinians in Gaza?
The Fourth Geneva Convention, which lays out rules for the protection of civilians during armed conflict, states that an 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,” it says.
Occupying powers also have an obligation “to the fullest extent” possible to maintain medical and hospital establishments. They must also facilitate “relief schemes” if the occupied population does not have access to adequate supplies.
The UN and the world’s top human rights groups have said for months that Israel is not only failing to supply adequate food, water, medicine and other needed supplies to people in Gaza, it is impeding deliveries of humanitarian assistance.
How Israel targets Gaza’s charity kitchens
Once vital lifelines, Gaza’s charity kitchens have become deliberate targets under Israel’s military campaign, with more than 20 destroyed since March alone.
An Al Jazeera investigation reveals concentrated strikes on food distribution points in northern Gaza that are compounding a man-made famine exacerbated by Israel’s total aid blockade.
Israeli military court sentences two soldiers to prison for refusing to rejoin Gaza war
An Israeli military court has sentenced two soldiers from the Nahal Brigade to prison for refusing to take part in the war on Gaza.
“Despite the Israeli army’s commitment not to imprison soldiers, two Nahal Brigade soldiers who fought in Gaza over the past year and a half were prosecuted for refusing to return to the Strip due to exhaustion,” Israel’s public broadcaster KAN reports.
The two soldiers were sentenced to 15 and 20 days in prison, the broadcaster said, adding, “The soldiers, who were enlisted in August 2022, complained to their battalion commander that after a year and a half of operations, they were experiencing severe fatigue.”
Israel carries out wave of strikes across Lebanon
Lebanon’s National News Agency is reporting that the Israeli military launched several air raids across southern Lebanon.
As we reported earlier, at least one person was killed in the attacks.
The most recent strikes targeted areas near the towns of Nabatieh al-Fawqa, Beit Lif, Ramyah, al-Bisariya, Wadi al-Safa and al-Sarira.
Low-flying Israeli jets and drones were also reported in several regions of southern Lebanon.
Israel’s settlements take two-state solution in ‘wrong direction’: UN
Israel’s 22 new illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank take efforts seeking a two-state solution that would see Israelis living side by side with Palestinians “in the wrong direction,” the United Nations chief’s spokesman has said.
“We stand against any and all” expansion of the settlements, Stephane Dujarric told reporters, repeating calls by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for “Israel to cease all settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territory … an obstacle to peace and economic and social development”.
Houthis confirm missile fired towards Israel’s main airport
The Yemeni group has said it fired a ballistic missile at Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv.
The firing comes in response to “the crime of genocide” being carried out against Palestinians in Gaza, the Houthis said in a statement shared on Telegram.
The Houthis have pledged to continue to launch attacks against Israel until the country ends its bombardment and blockade of the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli army said today’s missile was intercepted.
‘Critical lifeline’ al-Awda Hospital now out of service, WHO says
The director-general of the World Health Organization has announced that al-Awda Hospital in northern Gaza is now out of service after an Israeli order was issued to evacuate the building.
There are still 97 people, including 13 patients inside the building, and the UN is planning a mission tomorrow to transfer patients to another facility, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement on X, adding that the hospital’s medical equipment cannot be relocated due to impassable roads.
“With al-Awda’s closure, there is no remaining functional hospital in North Gaza – severing a critical lifeline for the people there,” he said.
“WHO pleads for the hospital’s protection and staff and patients’ safety, and reiterates its call for the active protection of civilians and health care. Hospitals must never be attacked or militarised. Ceasefire!”
Many Israelis apathetic or agree with Israel using starvation as a ‘tool’ in Gaza: Analyst
Akiva Eldar, an Israeli political analyst, has told Al Jazeera that many Israelis are completely unmoved by the images of hunger and desperation coming out of Gaza.
“[Starvation] is a tool that Israel is using. Many Israelis believe that the humanitarian crisis and the starvation have forced Hamas to come closer to the [US special Middle East envoy] Witkoff proposal to agree to a ceasefire and to release the captives,” he said, speaking from Tel Aviv.
“I think the mood in Israel about the footage that is coming from Gaza – there’s not much in the Israeli media, but we see it in other networks – is on a scale from apathy to some people saying [Palestinians] deserve it.”
Eldar also commented on reports that Israel has accepted the latest ceasefire proposal made by Witkoff, saying it was “unusual” for Israel to come out and agree to a proposal first and that Netanyahu may be betting on the plan being impossible for Hamas to accept so that he can paint them as the “bad guys” and continue the war.
“It happened before … and Netanyahu put the blame on them,” he said.
If you’re just joining us
Let’s bring you up to speed on the latest developments:
- The White House says Israel has “signed off” on a Gaza ceasefire proposal that the Trump administration submitted to Hamas.
- UN spokesman Dujarric says there are 600 aid trucks on the Gaza side of the Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossing, but Israel has blocked the world body from retrieving the supplies for the past three days.
- Palestinians in Gaza have denounced the US- and Israeli-backed aid distribution scheme as an effort to humiliate them as hunger grips the enclave.
- An employee of a contracting company carrying out “engineering work” for the Israeli military on behalf of the Ministry of Defence has been killed in northern Gaza, the army says.
‘We haven’t seen any food or flour in five days’
Desperation is growing in Gaza as thousands of Palestinians are having to walk long distances to find food.
“We have come a long distance, around 10km [6.2 miles] to take this box tainted with blood,” Saher Abu Tahoon told Al Jazeera in central Gaza.
“We need this box because there’s no food to eat. We haven’t seen any food or flour in five days.
“We went to get food for our children from a very faraway place. I can’t even carry this box because I am too tired, and I am too hungry.”
Israel’s Gaza offensive ‘a war on children’: UNRWA chief
Philippe Lazzarini says that in addition to Israel’s intense bombardment, “starvation is threatening the future of the children” in the Palestinian enclave.
“What’s urgently needed is a political will to allow the UN and partners to provide assistance at scale without hindrance or interruption,” the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said in a post on X.
“Allow us to do our work.”
‘Degrading, humiliating us’: Palestinians slam Israel’s aid scheme
Gaza resident Sobhi Areef has denounced the Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) aid distribution setup.
“What is happening to us is degrading. The crowding is humiliating us,” Areef told the AFP news agency after visiting one of the GHF centres in Gaza. “We go there and risk our lives just to get a bag of flour to feed our children.”
Another resident, 60-year-old Abu Fawzi Faroukh, also said the situation was “so chaotic”.
“The young men are the ones who have received aid first, yesterday and today, because they are young and can carry loads,” Faroukh told AFP. “But the old people and women cannot enter due to the crowding.”
Death toll from Israeli attacks on Gaza since dawn rises to 70
At least 70 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip since dawn today, Gaza’s Health Ministry has said.
Israel blocking UN from retrieving aid to deliver it to Gaza: Spokesperson
Dujarric, the UN chief’s spokesperson, says there are 600 aid trucks on the Gaza side of the Karem Abu Salem crossing (also known as Kerem Shalom), but Israel has blocked the world body from retrieving the supplies for the past three days.
He explained that the UN must coordinate with COGAT, the Israeli government agency that administers activities in the occupied Palestinian territory.
“We need [Israeli] clearance to go get the material. We need their clearance to go back, and we also need to accept that the route that they’ve … given us a greenlight for is not one where we feel it is unsafe for the cargo and our colleagues to travel on,” Dujarric told reporters.
He said that the last time the United Nations was able to bring goods into Gaza, both the UN and the Israeli authorities had agreed to a route.
“The problems are that the insecurity continues, and frankly, they are not making it easy for us to deliver humanitarian goods,” Dujarric said.
Israel says missile launched from Yemen
The Israeli military says defence systems are working to intercept the firing towards Israeli territory.
We’ll bring you more on this when we can.
Israeli military contractor killed in northern Gaza
An employee of a contracting company carrying out “engineering work” for the Israeli military on behalf of the Ministry of Defence has been killed in the northern Gaza Strip, the army said in a statement.
It did not provide additional details on the identity of the person or company or details of the task.
UN spokesman says efforts to evacuate patients, staff at Gaza hospital ongoing
A spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says “efforts are ongoing to move the patients and the medical staff” out of al-Awda Hospital in northern Gaza after Israel ordered them to evacuate earlier today.
“Al-Awda is the only remaining partially functioning hospital in north Gaza,” Stephane Dujarric told reporters.
“The facility is currently overwhelmed with injuries and critically low on supplies,” he said.
The Israeli military has repeatedly targeted hospitals and health facilities across Gaza since it began its offensive in October 2023, pushing the healthcare system to the brink of total collapse.
Demonstrators rally for end to Gaza war just outside Harvard commencement
A group of demonstrators is holding a silent vigil to demand an end to US support for Israel’s war on Gaza just beyond the grounds of the Harvard University campus, which is hosting commencement ceremonies.
“As a US citizen, my money is supporting the genocide that’s happening in Gaza and I’ve got to stand out against it,” said Carole Rein, a Harvard graduate who has been an activist for 50 years.
“There’s many of us who are standing out against it,” Rein added.
US President Trump’s administration has been cracking down on pro-Palestine advocacy in the US, including most notably on college campuses. It has pushed to deport several outspoken student activists in what critics say is also an assault on freedom of speech.
For more updates from the US, check out our live coverage here.
White House says Israel ‘signed off’ on ceasefire proposal sent to Hamas
White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt says the proposal that the Trump administration submitted to Hamas earlier today was “backed and supported” by Israel.
“Israel signed off on this proposal before it was sent to Hamas,” Leavitt told reporters.
“I can also confirm that those discussions are continuing, and we hope that a ceasefire in Gaza will take place so we can return all of the hostages home.”
Leavitt said she could not comment further. She also said she didn’t know whether Hamas has accepted the proposal.
“Certainly, if that becomes the case, and the ceasefire comes into effect, you’ll hear it from myself, the president or special envoy Witkoff,” she added.
Amnesty International says settlers displacing dozens of Palestinian herding communities
Dozens of Palestinian herding communities in the occupied West Bank are being displaced due to Israeli-supported settler violence, Amnesty International has said.
“This forcible transfer is a war crime,” Amnesty wrote on X. “States must act now and live up to their obligations to cooperate to bring Israel’s unlawful occupation to an end and to dismantle its system of apartheid against Palestinians.”
Gaza Humanitarian Foundation a ‘fig leaf for genocide’
Chris Gunness, a former UNRWA spokesperson, says he would describe the US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation as “a fig leaf for genocide”.
Photos: Aftermath of an Israeli attack on Jabalia
‘Very risky’: Palestinians stuck near aid distribution point
Reporting from Gaza City, Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud says Palestinians who walked to a newly opened aid distribution point at the Netzarim Corridor in central Gaza are unable to leave due to Israeli military activity in the area.
“Many of the people who showed up at the site are trapped right now and unable to leave the area due to the presence of Israeli tanks and armoured vehicles [and] the ongoing shooting,” Mahmoud said.
“They’ve been sending appeals to the Red Cross to coordinate their departure from the area. It’s becoming very risky for them to walk on their own.”
He explained that many of the people who are stuck near the site walked more than 5km (three miles) to reach the distribution point.
“Exhausted, tired, traumatised and hungry – many of the people showed up earlier today just to pick up one food parcel,” he said.
Chaos at Gaza aid distribution points ‘predictable and preventable’: Advocate
Shaina Low, the Norwegian Refugee Council’s (NRC) communications adviser in Palestine, says the scenes of Palestinians desperately seeking food highlight the risks involved in bypassing coordinated humanitarian distribution systems.
“What we’re seeing now – people walking tens of kilometres to access distribution sites, the chaos that is unfolding, the way that Palestinians are being corralled to reach aid – it’s just devastating,” Low told Al Jazeera from Amman, Jordan.
“People have been suffering for nearly 20 months of hostilities now and are desperate for any type of food or any type of assistance to help them and their families survive. No one should be subjected to this type of undignified treatment and the danger that it poses for civilians.”
Low added that these distribution sites are being used “to advance Israel’s political and military objectives” to displace Palestinians. In contrast, humanitarian groups such as the NRC and the United Nations deliver assistance directly to people in need, where they are.
“That ensures that vulnerable people … don’t have to go long distances. We make sure that aid reaches people in need and is fit for what their needs are. The boxes that they have been receiving are nowhere near adequate to meet the desperate needs of a population that’s been starved for the past 80-plus days.”
Israel killed municipal worker in South Lebanon, not Hezbollah member: Official
Mayor of Nabatieh al-Fawqa Zein Ali Ghandour says the Israeli strike that killed one person on the outskirts of the village earlier targeted a municipal worker operating a water well, not a Hezbollah member, as the Israeli military claimed.
Ghandour said the victim, Mahmoud Hasan Atwi, was killed while performing his official duty of trying to provide water for the people of the town.
“We condemn in the strongest terms this blatant aggression against civilians and civilian infrastructure as well as the Lebanese state and its institutions,” the mayor said in a statement.
Ghandour called on the international community to press the issue and put an end to Israeli violations.
Netanyahu prepared to move forward with Witkoff ceasefire proposal: Israeli media
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has told the families of Israeli captives that he is prepared to move forward with the US special envoy Steve Witkoff’s temporary ceasefire proposal, Israeli media are reporting.
Hamas earlier released a statement saying it was studying the proposal and would take a decision “in a manner that serves the interests of our people”.
If you’re just joining us
Let’s bring you up to speed on the latest developments:
- Our colleagues on the ground in Gaza are reporting that nine people have been killed in an Israeli bombing near al-Saraya junction in Gaza City; the Interior Ministry says a number of police officers were targeted.
- The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza says the Israeli army has ordered the forced evacuation of al-Awda Hospital in Jabalia.
- Condemnation of a US-Israeli-backed humanitarian aid scheme continues to mount amid chaotic scenes at distribution points while United Nations agencies warn that starvation is gripping Gaza.
- One person has been killed in an Israeli drone attack on the outskirts of the town of Nabatieh al-Fawqa in southern Lebanon, the Lebanese Ministry of Health says.
UK says new Israeli settlements ‘deliberate obstacle’ to Palestinian state
UK Minister for the Middle East and North Africa Hamish Falconer has said Israel’s approval of 22 new settlements in the West Bank was a “deliberate obstacle to Palestinian statehood”.
“The UK condemns these actions,” he wrote on X. “Settlements are illegal under international law, further imperil the two state solution, and do not protect Israel.”
‘People were hungry and they took everything’
A displaced Palestinian man has described the chaotic scenes confronting people seeking assistance under a new US-backed aid system in Gaza.
Wessam Khader, a 25-year-old father of a three-year-old boy, told the Reuters news agency he had repeatedly visited a newly established aid distribution site near Rafah, run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a group sponsored by the United States and endorsed by Israel.
Speaking from Rafah, he said he had gone to the new distribution hub every day since Tuesday, but had only managed to secure food on the first day: a 3kg (about 6.6lbs) bundle of flour, tinned sardines, noodles, biscuits, jam and salt.
“I was driven by the hunger, for several weeks we had no flour, we had nothing in the tent,” he said.
“My son wakes every day asking for something to eat, and I can’t give him.”
When Khader arrived at the hub with his father and brother, thousands were there already, driven by a desperate need for aid following a blockade of nearly three months.
He said that gates and wire fences at the site were trampled by the surging crowds, with plastic pipes and fencing material carried off amid the chaos.
“People were hungry and they took everything at the site,” he said.
At least three Palestinians were killed in the chaos on Tuesday, with many more injured.
Shots were heard as Palestinians ducked for cover. Israeli forces say they opened fire into the air as a crowd control measure, but injuries sustained by Palestinians on the ground suggest gunshots were fired into the crowd.
Hamas says it has received Witkoff’s ceasefire proposal
The Palestinian group has issued a statement saying it received a proposal for a ceasefire agreement from United States special envoy Steve Witkoff.
It added that it was studying it “responsibly, in a manner that serves the interests of our people, provides them with relief, and achieves a permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip”.
No humanitarian aid reaching northern Gaza
Palestinians for the past 20 months have been crammed into small areas in parts of the Gaza Strip. There is little manoeuvering that displaced families can do here in order to secure food supplies for their hungry children.
More than half the people who are showing up [at aid distribution points] are not getting the food parcels due to overcrowding at the site.
The sense of chaos that erupts at every one of these sites is making it difficult.
Meanwhile, northern Gaza has not seen any of these distribution points. None of the [aid] trucks came into the northern territories yet.
Israeli Foreign Ministry publishes misleading video about alleged Hamas aid warehouse
The Israeli Foreign Ministry account used misleading video clips to suggest that Hamas owned an aid and food warehouse in Gaza, Al Jazeera’s verification unit Sanad has found.
The ministry relied on a post on X published by an account named “ihab hassan” that was later deleted. It stated: “This is Hamas’s warehouse in central Gaza, filled with food supplies, out of civilians’ reach,” a phrase that the ministry spokesperson also shared on his official account.
An archive site shows the clip was edited to remove the claim that the warehouse belonged to Hamas, before being deleted entirely. A review of the source of the video showed that the post originated in Washington, DC.
‘Window to prevent famine is closing fast’: UNRWA
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has reiterated its call to increase humanitarian access to Gaza as people across the enclave grapple with malnutrition and growing starvation.
“After nearly 12 weeks of siege by Israeli authorities, only a trickle of supplies has entered Gaza,” UNRWA said in a post on X.
“But what made it through falls far short of people’s massive needs. Unimpeded access for all humanitarian partners, including UNRWA, is urgently needed.”
Here’s what we know about the proposed ceasefire agreement
The US’s Mideast envoy has said he has “very good feelings” about the prospects of his proposal for a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, providing a rare glimmer of hope for a halt to the carnage in Gaza.
But while Hamas says it has agreed to the framework of an agreement, hardliners within Israel’s cabinet have strongly opposed the proposal.
So what do we know about the proposed ceasefire agreement?
Hamas has said that it has reached an agreement with Steve Witkoff, Donald Trump’s envoy to the region, on a “general framework” for a ceasefire. The group said the deal would involve the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, the flow of aid into the territory, and the transfer of power to an independent “professional committee” once the agreement was announced.
The proposed deal would see Hamas release 10 living Israeli captives, and an unspecified number of bodies of dead captives, in exchange for Israel’s release of a number of Palestinian prisoners, the group said.
While Witkoff has not released details of the proposal, sources have told Al Jazeera that the release would take place in two stages over the course of a 60-day ceasefire.
The AP news agency reported, quoting a Hamas official and an Egyptian official, that more than 1,100 Palestinian prisoners, including 100 serving long sentences for deadly attacks, would be released, and that Israeli forces would withdraw to positions held during the previous ceasefire, while both sides pledged to hold serious negotiations to reach a long-term deal.
Israel’s government, though, has said it will only agree to temporary halts to the fighting to secure the release of captives, while Israeli media has quoted officials saying the proposed agreement, as reported, was a non-starter.
Hardline government ministers have railed against the proposal, with Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich saying it would be “a lifeline to Hamas”.
“We are not leaving areas we’ve conquered,” he said.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said that Netanyahu accepting such a deal would be crossing a “red line”.
Israeli opposition figures, though, have voiced support for the proposal, with opposition leader Yair Lapid urging Netanyahu to “immediately” accept the framework, pledging to give him political support for the deal if the prime minister’s hardline allies tried to “torpedo it”.
Benny Gantz, chairman of the opposition National Unity Party, has also called for Netanyahu to accept the proposal, saying he had “no excuse” not to.
Netanyahu is expected to hold a security meeting today to discuss the proposal, Israeli media is reporting.
Palestinian farmers brace for Israel’s settlement expansion plan
Abbas Milhem, executive director of the Palestinian Farmers’ Union, says the international community must respond to Israel’s plan to establish nearly two dozen new illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Speaking to Al Jazeera from Ramallah, Milhem said the Israeli settlement push would hit Palestinian farmers particularly hard.
“This is the first wave of settlement expansion … and this will bring a big burden to Palestinian farms who are already suffering and [struggling] to get access to their farmland,” said Milhem, who explained that Israel has restricted access to Palestinian lands for decades.
Palestinian farmers also have faced a wave of “increased settler violence”, he said, including harassment and fatal attacks.
“And those settlers are supported and financed by their government … All this will make farming and farmers’ existence in the West Bank very challenging,” said Milhem, adding that supporting Palestinian farmers is a form of resistance to the Israeli occupation and settler attacks.
Photos: Palestinians displaced by Israel take shelter in tents in Khan Younis
Nine police officers killed in Israeli strike in Gaza City
Our colleagues on the ground are reporting that nine people were killed in an Israeli bombing near the as-Saraya junction in Gaza City.
Gaza’s Interior Ministry confirmed the news, stating: “Israeli occupation aircraft targeted a number of police officers at the Saraya Junction in central Gaza City this afternoon, while they were carrying out their duty to confront a group of thieves.
“This resulted in the deaths of several police officers and passersby in a new massacre perpetrated by the occupation.”
The ministry added that the thieves and Israeli forces work hand in hand to “create chaos and spread fear among citizens”.
“Despite the great sacrifices and heavy losses in the lives of members of the security and police establishment, we will not abandon our duty and will continue to protect the lives and property of citizens,” the ministry said.
Reporting from Deir el-Balah, Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum said the air strike that targeted the officers was among many that occurred today in densely populated areas.
“Six law enforcement members were killed in a drone strike following their efforts to contain and control a looting incident led by a group of desperate Palestinians,” he said.
Israeli military says Hezbollah member hit in southern Lebanon
The Israeli military has released a statement saying one of its aircraft struck a Hezbollah member in the area of the Beaufort Ridge in southern Lebanon.
The statement referred to the target as a “terrorist” and said he was rehabilitating a site used by the group to manage its fire and defence array.
“The activity at the site constitutes a blatant violation of the understanding between Israel and Lebanon,” it said, in reference to the November ceasefire. “The site was struck several times by the [military] over the past weeks.”
More than 300 public figures call on UK premier to end ‘complicity’ in Gaza
Actors, singers, writers and intellectuals have signed an open letter to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer calling on his government to end its “complicity” in Gaza.
More than 300 public figures, including Sherlock Holmes star Benedict Cumberbatch, singer and activist Annie Lennox and sports broadcaster Gary Lineker have signed the letter led by refugee charity Choose Love.
“You can’t call it ‘intolerable’, yet do nothing … Prime minister, what will you choose? Complicity in war crimes, or the courage to act?” the letter read, before calling on the government to take steps to “prevent and punish genocide”.
Israel orders northern Gaza hospital evacuation, Health Ministry says
The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza says the Israeli army has ordered the forced evacuation of al-Awda Hospital in Jabalia.
The ministry called on the international community to protect Gaza’s health system and uphold international humanitarian law.
We’ll bring you more on this situation when we can.
2One person killed in Israeli air raid on southern Lebanon
The Lebanese Ministry of Health says one person has been killed in an Israeli drone attack on the outskirts of the town of Nabatieh al-Fawqa, in the south of the country.
Israel has launched multiple attacks on Lebanon since approving a ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah in November.
Aid distribution chaos brings further ‘dehumanisation’ to Gaza
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has opened a new distribution centre in central Gaza close to the Netzarim Corridor, where thousands of desperate families have gathered to get aid.
The distribution process has played out there chaotically, in a sign of a failing strategy to safely distribute aid.
Let’s compare this with how UN agencies have operated over the past decades. The UN usually follows a very established humanitarian network, using some sort of concrete data to distribute aid – sending messages for every family individually with a time and location for collection, in order to ensure that the operation will go smoothly and safely.
By contrast, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’s mechanism is bringing more cycles of turmoil to Gaza – a new episode of dehumanisatio