Closing summary
Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is to convene his war cabinet on Sunday to discuss the latest efforts towards a Gaza truce and hostage release deal, a senior official told AFP. An official told AFP that “the war cabinet is expected to meet in Jerusalem tonight at 2100 (1800 GMT) to discuss a hostage release deal”. A member of the Hamas political bureau, Izzat al-Rishq, however, said on Sunday that “regarding the rumours about negotiations, we have not received anything from the mediators” so far. He insisted on Hamas’s longstanding demand for a permanent cessation of hostilities in all of Gaza as “the foundation and the starting point for anything”.
Israel prepared on Sunday to allow about 200 aid trucks into Gaza through Kerem Shalom at the south-eastern edge of the Palestinian enclave, bypassing the main Rafah crossing that has been blocked for weeks. Khaled Zayed, an official from the Egyptian Red Crescent, told Reuters 200 trucks of aid, including four fuel trucks, were expected to enter today through the Kerem Shalom crossing.
It came as 70 organisations called on all relevant authorities and international institutions to officially declare a famine in the Gaza Strip, where there is a rapid spread of famine, according to the Geneva-based Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor. It said that food insecurity is increasing across the enclave because of Israel’s use of starvation as a “weapon of war” against the Palestinian people – something the organisations say is part of a genocide. The organisation said food security levels have significantly declined due to the Israeli army’s offensive in Rafah which began in early May.
Hamas armed wing al-Qassam Brigades said it launched a “big missile” attack on Tel Aviv on Sunday as the Israeli military sounded sirens in the central city warning of possible incoming rockets. In a statement on its Telegram channel, al-Qassam Brigades said the rockets were launched in response to what it called “Zionist massacres against civilians”. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage in what appeared to be the first long-range rocket attack from Gaza since January.
At least 35,984 Palestinian people have been killed and 80,643 injured in Israeli strikes on Gaza since 7 October, the Gaza health ministry said in a statement.
Israeli troops continued their assault on Rafah, reportedly killing several people in the Khirbet al-Adas area. The Wafa news agency reported an attack on the Yabna camp in Rafah city. Fighting also continued on Sunday in the northern Gaza area of Jabaliya, a heavily built up area which saw weeks of intense combat earlier in the war.
We are closing this blog now, but you can stay up to date on the Guardian’s Middle East coverage here.
Updated
A “strong” Palestinian Authority is needed to bring peace in the Middle East, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said, alongside Palestinian prime minister Mohammed Mustafa.
“A functional Palestinian Authority is in Israel’s interest too, because in order to make peace, we need a strong Palestinian Authority, not a weaker one,” Borrell was quoted by Al Jazeera as having said.
Borrell has previously said he is determined to pursue a two-state solution in the Middle East, whether Israel is ready to participate or not.
In a carefully choreographed move that followed weeks of discussions, the Norwegian, Spanish and Irish governments said last week they intend to recognise the state of Palestine.
Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has sought to obstruct the establishment of a Palestinian state throughout his political career.
Here are some of the latest images coming out of Israel on the newswires:
Updated
Recognising the state of Palestine “is justice for the Palestinian people (and) the best guarantee of security for Israel,” Spain’s foreign minister, Jose Manuel Albares, said alongside Palestinian prime minister Mohammed Mustafa.
Welcoming Spain’s move, with Norway and Ireland, to recognise the Palestinian state last week, Mustafa said “we want to have every country in Europe to do the same”.
Albares and Mustafa spoke side-by-side in Brussels, where the Palestinian leader was also meeting EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and Norwegian foreign minister Espen Barth Eide.
Later Sunday, Mustafa was to have further talks with Borrell, Barth Eide and Saudi foreign minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan.
On Monday he will have another meeting in Brussels with the Spanish, Norwegian and Irish ministers. And on Wednesday he will be in Spain, according to AFP.
Israel has warned Spain, Norway and Ireland that ties with them will face “serious consequences” for their announced recognition of a Palestinian state.
Since 1988, 139 of 193 UN member states have recognised Palestinian statehood.
The US president, Joe Biden, believed a Palestinian state should be achieved through negotiations rather than by unilateral recognition, a White House spokesperson told Reuters on Wednesday.
Israel war cabinet to discuss new push for Gaza hostage deal - official
Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is to convene his war cabinet on Sunday to discuss the latest efforts towards a Gaza truce and hostage release deal, a senior official has told AFP.
While Israel’s main focus is to free the remaining hostages, Hamas has insisted on a permanent end to the war raging since 7 October – a demand Netanyahu has so far outright rejected.
An Israeli senior official told AFP that “the war cabinet is expected to meet in Jerusalem tonight at 2100 (1800 GMT) to discuss a hostage release deal”.
The official had said on Saturday that “there is an intention to renew these talks this week” after negotiations involving US, Qatari and Egyptian mediators had stalled in early May.
A member of the Hamas political bureau, Izzat al-Rishq, however, said on Sunday that “regarding the rumours about negotiations, we have not received anything from the mediators” so far.
He insisted on Hamas’s longstanding demand for a permanent cessation of hostilities in all of Gaza as “the foundation and the starting point for anything”.
Israel’s war cabinet consists of Netanyahu, his defence minister, Yoav Gallant, and Benny Gantz, the former defence minister and Netanyahu’s main rival.
The news of the cabinet convening came despite more Israeli airstrikes on Gaza and a rocket barrage Hamas aimed at Tel Aviv that sent people running for cover in bomb shelters.
Updated
There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage in what appeared to be the first long-range rocket attack from Gaza since January. Palestinian militants have continued to sporadically fire rockets and mortar rounds at communities along the Gaza border since then.
Hamas’ military wing claimed the attack, and rocket launches could be heard in central Gaza. The Israeli military said eight projectiles crossed into Israel after being launched from the area of the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where Israeli forces recently launched an incursion. It said “a number” of the projectiles were intercepted.
Summary of the day so far...
Israel prepared on Sunday to allow about 200 aid trucks into Gaza through Kerem Shalom at the south-eastern edge of the Palestinian enclave, bypassing the main Rafah crossing that has been blocked for weeks. Khaled Zayed, an official from the Egyptian Red Crescent, told Reuters 200 trucks of aid, including four fuel trucks, were expected to enter today through the Kerem Shalom crossing.
It came as 70 organisations called on all relevant authorities and international institutions to officially declare a famine in the Gaza Strip, where there is a rapid spread of famine, according to the Geneva-based Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor. It said that food insecurity is increasing across the enclave because of Israel’s use of starvation as a “weapon of war” against the Palestinian people – something the organisations say is part of a genocide. The organisation said food security levels have significantly declined due to the Israeli army’s offensive in Rafah which began in early May.
Hamas armed wing al-Qassam Brigades said it launched a “big missile” attack on Tel Aviv on Sunday as the Israeli military sounded sirens in the central city warning of possible incoming rockets. In a statement on its Telegram channel, al-Qassam Brigades said the rockets were launched in response to what it called “Zionist massacres against civilians”. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.
At least 35,984 Palestinian people have been killed and 80,643 injured in Israeli strikes on Gaza since 7 October, the Gaza health ministry said in a statement.
Updated
Al Jazeera has an update on the reported attack in Tel Aviv, which Hamas’ armed wing has claimed responsibility for:
The Israeli media says rockets were fired from Rafah in southern Gaza, where the Israeli army is carrying out an intense military operation.
Media reports also say rocket sirens sounded in many cities and towns, including Herzliya and Petah Tikva, in addition to Tel Aviv.
Some 10 rockets were launched in the barrage, according to the Times of Israel, quoting the army.
Multiple rockets have been intercepted by the Israeli defence systems, reports say, adding that some others landed in various areas.
The Guardian has not yet independently verified these claims.
Updated
Hamas' armed wing says it launched 'big missile' attack on Tel Aviv
Hamas’ armed wing al-Qassam Brigades said it launched a “big missile” attack on Tel Aviv in response to what it called “Zionist massacres against civilians”, in a statement on its Telegram channel on Sunday. We will give you more on this as soon as we have more information. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.
Amid the reports of an attack, the Israeli military has sounded sirens in Tel Aviv for the first time in months, warning of possible incoming rockets.
Updated
Famine should officially be declared in the Gaza Strip, human rights organisations say
70 organisations (including the Geneva International Centre for Justice and Brussels Court) are calling on all relevant authorities and international institutions to officially declare a famine in the Gaza Strip, where there is a rapid spread of famine, according to the Geneva-based Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor.
It said that food insecurity is increasing across the enclave because of Israel’s use of starvation as a “weapon of war” against the Palestinian people – something the organisations say is part of a genocide, a charge Israel has denied.
“The organisations stated that food security levels have significantly declined as a result of the Israeli army’s ground operation in Rafah City, south of the Gaza Strip, which began on 7 May and was preceded the day before by blocking the entry of humanitarian aid trucks through the Rafah crossing” the statement read.
“Thousands of trucks on the other side of the Rafah crossing have been at a standstill for weeks and are inaccessible to the residents whose lives depend on them due to Israel’s decision to starve the people of the Gaza Strip, close the crossings and prevent the entrv of aid.”
#غزة| مستويات انعدام الأمن الغذائي تتفاقم بشكل مضطرد في جميع أنحاء القطاع نتيجة استخدام إسرائيل التجويع كسلاح حرب ضد السكان المدنيينhttps://t.co/H0xbBcDn72
— المرصد الأورومتوسطي (@EuroMedHRAr) May 26, 2024
Euro-Med said health authorities have officially recorded 30 deaths due to famine, and that famine-related deaths occur nearly daily, compounded by Israeli bombings and inadequate medical treatment.
About 200 aid trucks, including four fuel trucks, are expected to enter Gaza on Sunday through the Kerem Shalom border crossing, Khaled Zayed, the head of the Egyptian Red Crescent Society in North Sinai, told Reuters earlier.
The Rafah border crossing, which was the main entry point into Gaza for humanitarian aid and commercial supplies, has been shut for almost three weeks, since Israel took control of the Palestinian side of the crossing as it stepped up its military offensive in the area in early May.
Updated
Israeli forces have arrested at least 20 Palestinian citizens, including children, in a series of raids carried out across the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Prisoners Society and the Authority of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs said in a joint statement.
The arrests took place across several areas, including Bethlehem, Ramallah, Nablus, Hebron, Jenin, and Jerusalem, Wafa, the Palestinian news agency, also reported.
The occupied West Bank, which Palestinians want as the core of a future independent state along with Gaza, has seen a surge in violence since the start of the war last year, and a major crackdown by Israeli security forces, which have made thousands of arrests.
Hundreds of Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in the West Bank since 7 October, Palestinian health officials have said. Some were reportedly killed by the Israeli military but others in attacks by settlers.
Updated
Death toll in Gaza reaches 35,984, says health ministry
At least 35,984 Palestinian people have been killed and 80,643 injured in Israeli strikes on Gaza since 7 October, the Gaza health ministry said in a statement on Sunday.
Most of the casualties since October have been women and children, the ministry has said, and thousands more bodies are likely to remain uncounted under rubble across the devastated enclave.
Israel’s military said on Sunday the arrival of aid had been stepped up via a new US-built pier and through its own land crossings, Kerem Shalom and Erez West (see earlier post at 08.35 for more details).
It said:
This week, after the pier began operating for the first time, a total of 1,806 pallets of food were transferred in 127 trucks to logistics centres of international aid agencies in the Gaza Strip.
In total, this week, 2,065 humanitarian aid trucks were inspected and transferred through the Kerem Shalom and Erez West crossings, which is almost twice the number in the previous week.
According to US Central Command, the transfer of aid from US army vessels through the newly completed Gaza pier was disrupted by rough seas on Saturday morning.
Deliveries of humanitarian supplies and fuel to the Palestinian territory have slowed to a trickle, with the two main aid crossings – Rafah, on the border with Egypt, and nearby Kerem Shalom, a goods crossing linking Gaza with Israel – having effectively been blocked by the fighting.
Updated
Israeli airstrikes have targeted the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, with witnesses saying heavy artillery shelling has also hit areas in northern Gaza, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.
Israeli tanks in Gaza City rained heavy gunfire on targets in the Zeitun and Netzarim area, an AFP reporter said.
We mentioned earlier that the Israeli artillery had also reportedly targeted central Rafah’s Yabna camp.
Witnesses have said heavy artillery shelling hit the city’s Sooq al-Halal and Qishta neighbourhoods.
Updated
Scuffles between Israeli police and protesters have erupted in Tel Aviv after thousands gathered to demonstrate against the government and demand that it bring back the hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza.
Some protesters in Tel Aviv carried photos of the female soldiers who appeared in a video earlier in the week showing them soon after they were abducted during the Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October. Some held banners reading, Stop the war and Help. They called on the government to reach a deal to release the dozens of hostages still in captivity.
The protesters also called for the resignation of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and demanded new elections.
You can read the full story here:
Hamas’s armed wing said it had taken “prisoner” at least one Israeli soldier in an ambush in a tunnel in Jabalia camp on Saturday.
In a statement on Telegram, however, the Israeli army said it “clarifies that there is no incident in which a soldier was abducted”.
Israeli troops continued their assault on Rafah, killing at least six people in the Khirbet al-Adas area, according to Al Jazeera.
The Wafa news agency also reported an attack on the Yabna camp in Rafah city.
About 900,000 people have fled Rafah, previously the shelter of last resort for 85% of the Gaza Strip’s 2.3 million population, since the Israeli ground operation in the area began on 6 May.
Judges at the top United Nations court ordered Israel on Friday to immediately halt its military assault on the southern Gaza city.
Reading out the ruling, the international court of justice president Nawaf Salam said the situation in the Palestinian enclave had deteriorated since the court last ordered Israel to take steps to improve it, and conditions had been met for a new emergency order.
“The state of Israel shall (….) immediately halt its military offensive, and any other action in the Rafah governorate, which may inflict on the Palestinian group in Gaza conditions of life that could bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part,” he said.
Israel says Rafah is where thousands of Hamas fighters are, along with their senior commanders. So far, the offensive has taken place on Rafah’s southern edge and eastern districts.
Updated
Medical sources have told Wafa, the Palestinian news agency, that no patient or injured person has been able to leave the Gaza Strip since the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing was occupied by the Israeli army, estimated at about 20,000 patients and injured people.
Aid trucks expected to start entering Gaza through Kerem Shalom crossing
About 200 aid trucks, including four fuel trucks, are expected to enter Gaza on Sunday through the Kerem Shalom border crossing, Khaled Zayed, the head of the Egyptian Red Crescent Society in North Sinai, told Reuters.
Egyptian state-affiliated Al Qahera News TV shared video on social media site X of what it said were the aid trucks as they entered the crossing.
The Rafah border crossing, which was the main entry point into Gaza for humanitarian aid and commercial supplies, has been shut for almost three weeks, since Israel took control of the Palestinian side of the crossing as it intensified its military offensive in the area on 6 May.
Egypt and the US agreed in late May to send aid via Israel’s nearby Kerem Shalom crossing until legal arrangements are made to reopen Rafah from the Palestinian side, the Egyptian presidency said.
The UN has said 1.1 million people in the coastal strip – nearly half the population – face catastrophic levels of hunger, and that the territory is on the brink of famine.
Opening summary
Hello and welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage of Israel’s war on Gaza.
About 200 aid trucks, including four fuel trucks, are expected to enter Gaza today, Khaled Zayed, the head of the Egyptian Red Crescent Society in North Sinai, told Reuters.
Two US army vessels supporting the temporary pier built to deliver aid to Gaza have run aground in heavy seas, US central command (Centcom) has said.
“The vessels broke free from their moorings and two vessels are now anchored on the beach near the pier. The third and fourth vessels are beached on the coast of Israel near Ashkelon,” the statement said.
“No US personnel will enter Gaza. No injuries have been reported and the pier remains fully functional,” it continued, adding that the Israeli navy is assisting with recovering the vessels.
Israel has imposed a siege on Gaza that has deprived the territory’s 2.4 million people of most clean water, food, medicines and fuel, creating what aid agencies have called a “man-made famine”.
US President Joe Biden had said in March the pier would be built to alleviate restrictions imposed by Israel on aid delivery by land to Gaza but it has faced numerous problems.
The UN this week warned that the $320m (£250m) project may fail unless Israel starts providing the conditions humanitarian groups need to operate safely.
In other developments:
The armed wing of Hamas said it had taken “prisoner” at least one Israeli soldier in an ambush on Saturday in the Gaza Strip; Israel denied the claim, which could not be verified independently. The Palestinian militant group targeted Israeli forces in a tunnel in the Jabalia camp and “all their members were killed, wounded or taken prisoner,” said Abu Obeida, spokesperson for the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades.
PalTel, or Palestine Telecommunications, announced internet blackouts across Gaza City and the northern Gaza Strip due to Israeli bombardment. In a post on X on Saturday evening, PalTel said that its crew was working on restoring services as quickly as possible.
A Hamas official denied on Saturday Israeli media reports that Gaza ceasefire talks would resume in Cairo on Tuesday, according to Reuters. “There is no date,” the Hamas official said.
The international court of justice’s (ICJ) order to Israel does not rule out the entire offensive, Israel said. After the ICJ’s ruling on Friday ordering Israel to halt its invasion on Rafah, an Israeli official told Reuters anonymously: “The order in regard to the Rafah operation is not a general order.”
In spite of the ICJ ruling, Israel carried out strikes and shelling in the Gaza Strip on Saturday in Rafah as well as the central city of Deir al-Balah, Gaza City and Jabalia refugee camp in the north. Palestinians medics said 45 Palestinians had been killed in the past day across Gaza.
A total of 35,903 Palestinians have been killed and 80,420 have been injured in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza since 7 October, the Gaza health ministry said in a statement on Saturday.
A school in Gaza City’s Saftawi suburb sheltering families was among the buildings targeted by Israeli strikes, according to Palestinians.
Ten Palestinians, including children and women, were killed and several others injured on Saturday in an Israeli airstrike on a house in the city of Beit Hanoun, north of the Gaza Strip, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa. The news agency reported that medical sources had confirmed the death toll and said that 17 others had sustained injuries in the attack.
Residents and civil emergency services said Israeli tanks entered deep into the area of Jabalia, destroying dozens of houses, shops and roads.
The UN Office for the coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha) has once again reiterated its calls for all land routes to be opened in order for humanitarian aid to be delivered into Gaza. In a video posted on X, Ocha employee Olga Cherevko said: “We continue to face immense challenges amid extreme insecurity and running out of supplies. Imagine how much more effective we could be if all land routes were to open and this war finally ended?”
The Spanish defence minister said on Saturday that the conflict in Gaza is a “real genocide”, as relations between Israel and Spain worsen after Madrid’s decision to recognise a Palestinian state.
Italian foreign minister Antonio Tajani announced on Saturday that Rome would resume funding for the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (Unrwa), at a meeting with Palestinian prime minister Mohammed Mustafa. Tajani said he had informed Mustafa that Rome had “arranged new funding for the Palestinian population, of a total of €35m ($38m)”. He said: “Of this, €5m will be allocated to Unrwa.” The remaining €30m will be allocated to Italy’s “Food for Gaza” initiative in coordination with UN aid agencies.
Updated
