Friday, May 31, 2024
17:54 GMT — US President Joe Biden has said that it was time to end the war in Gaza as he outlined a three-phased ceasefire proposal.
"This is truly a decisive moment," Biden said as he spoke of the deal that Israeli officials have offered to the Palestinian resistance group Hamas.
"Here's what it would include: a full-and-complete ceasefire, withdrawal of Israeli forces from all populated areas of Gaza, release of a number of hostages, including women, the elderly, the wounded, in exchange for (the) release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners," he added.
Biden said Palestinians have endured "sheer hell" and that too many civilians have been killed in this war.
17:06 GMT — WFP warns of 'apocalyptic' scenes in southern Gaza
Daily life has become "apocalyptic" in parts of southern Gaza since Israel invaded Rafah, though the situation in the north is improving, the UN's food agency has said.
"The exodus that we've seen in the past 20 days or so out of Rafah has been an awesome and horrific experience for many, many people," Matthew Hollingworth, the World Food Programme (WFP) director for the Palestinian territories.
They have fled the fighting to areas where there was not enough water, healthcare or fuel, where food was limited, telecommunications had stopped and there was not enough space to dig pit latrines, Hollingworth told an online briefing.
The public health situation was "beyond crisis levels", he said, adding: "The sounds and smells of everyday life are horrific and apocalyptic." People "sleep to the sounds of war... and they wake to the same sounds", he said.
16:41 GMT — Spain slams Israel restrictions on Jerusalem consulate
Spain has rejected Israel's "restrictions" on the activities of its Jerusalem consulate in response to Madrid's recognition of a Palestinian state, Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares has said.
"This morning we sent a 'note verbale' to the Israeli government rejecting any restriction on the normal activity of Spain's consulate general in Jerusalem, as its status is guaranteed by international law and by the Vienna Convention" on diplomatic relations, Albares told Onda Cero radio.
"This status cannot be changed unilaterally by Israel," he said, indicating that Madrid had asked Israel "to reverse this decision".
16:33 GMT — Israel 'implemented scorched-earth policy' in Jabalia: Gaza authorities
The Gaza local authorities have said the Israeli army "implemented a scorched-earth policy" during its incursion into the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza as it left an immense scale of destruction in the camp's homes and infrastructure.
In a statement, Salama Marouf, chairman of the media office of the Gaza government, said that the scenes from Jabalia expose the atrocities committed there against the homes and public facilities, including markets and cemeteries.
He said that the medical teams recovered dozens of corpses of people killed during the incursion, while they continue to search for dozens of others missing under the rubble of destroyed homes and shelters.
15:27 GMT — Israeli army destroyed its premises in Jabalia: UNRWA
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has said that it "received horrific reports" from its premises in the Jabalia refugee camp, northern Gaza, during the Israeli military offensive in the camp.
In a statement, UNRWA said displaced people, including children, who were sheltering in its schools in Jabalia, were killed and injured by the Israeli army. It added that "tents of people sheltering at our (UNRWA) school reportedly set on fire by IDF (Israeli army)."
UNRWA noted that it received reports that its offices in Jabalia were "destroyed by air strikes and bulldozed" by the Israeli forces. So far, "more than 170 UNRWA premises have been damaged or destroyed across Gaza" since the outbreak of the war on Oct. 7, 2023.
14:45 GMT — Israel confirms its forces are in central Rafah in expanding offensive
The Israeli military has confirmed that its forces are operating in central parts of Rafah in its expanding offensive in the southern Gaza city.
The statement did not specify where in central Rafah the operations were taking place, but previous statements and witness reports have pointed to raids in the Shaboura refugee camp and other sites near the city centre.
More than one million Palestinians have fled the city since the assault began, scattering around southern and central Gaza.
14:19 GMT — Gaza death toll from relentless Israeli attacks surges to 36,284
Gaza’s death toll from relentless Israeli attacks since last October has reached 36,284, the Health Ministry in the besieged enclave has said.
At least 82,057 people have also been injured in the onslaught, the ministry added in a statement.
"Israeli forces killed 60 people, and injured 280 others in five 'massacres' against families in the last 24 hours," the ministry said.
14:13 GMT — Jordan to host international humanitarian conference on Gaza
Jordan will host on June 11 an emergency international conference to work on the humanitarian response to Israel's war on Gaza, in coordination with Egypt and the United Nations, the Jordanian royal court has posted on X.
13:06 GMT — Humanitarian situation remains dire in Gaza: US
The humanitarian situation remains dire in Gaza, especially in terms of distributing aid to civilians, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said.
"Rafah remains closed and that's a real problem," Blinken said during a news conference in Prague. The United States is working intensely to address the acute needs of Gaza civilians, he claimed.
12:59 GMT — Israel won't be present at France's Eurosatory arms fair: organisers
Israel will not have a stand present at this year's annual Eurosatory arms and defence industry exhibition in France, a spokesperson for the organisers has said, confirming earlier media reports.
"Following a decision by government authorities, there will not be an Israeli stand at the Eurosatory 2024 salon," said the spokesperson via email.
"No further information will be given on this," added the spokesperson.
12:32 GMT — Hezbollah-affiliated rescuers say Israel strike on ambulance kills medic
Rescuers affiliated with Hezbollah have said a medic was killed and another wounded in an Israeli strike on one of their ambulances in south Lebanon.
"An Israeli drone strike targeted an ambulance... One rescuer was martyred and another wounded" in the border town of Naqura, the operations room of the Hezbollah-affiliated Islamic Health Committee said
Lebanon's state-run National News Agency also said "an enemy drone targeted a Health Committee ambulance in the town of Naqura", reporting casualties.
11:56 GMT — Overcrowded shelters in Gaza fuel spread of diseases, warns UN agency
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has warned that the overcrowding and poor sanitation in Gaza's refugee camps are advancing the spread of infectious diseases.
In a statement released on X, the UNRWA emphasised the urgent need for improved healthcare services. "Our teams continue to provide essential medical care to vulnerable individuals, including children and the elderly,” the agency said.
However, the situation remains critical due to the scarcity of vaccines and medicines, it said. The overcrowding and lack of proper sanitation in Gaza’s shelters have contributed significantly to the health crisis. "Overcrowded shelters and inadequate hygiene practices are fueling the transmission of infectious diseases," the UNRWA warned.
It called for "safe and unrestricted access" to address the pressing health needs of the refugee population.
05:38 GMT — US-British joint strikes leave two people dead in Yemen
The US and British militaries have announced that they have launched strikes against Houthi fighters in Yemen. Houthi media confirmed on Thursday that at least two persons were killed in the strikes.
The British defence ministry said the joint operation targeted three locations in the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah.
The Houthi-run Al Masirah TV reported at least two deaths and 10 injuries from strikes against a radio building in Hodeidah's Al-Hawk district.
04:40 GMT — French opposition lawmakers call for boycott of TV channel over Netanyahu interview
Opposition lawmakers in France have called for a boycott of the French television channel LCI after it aired an interview with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday.
The interview was featured on Le 20h de Darius Rochebin, a programme on LCI, which is part of the TF1 Group.
Opposition politicians and social media users expressed outrage, labeling Netanyahu a "butcher," "genocidal" and a "war criminal."
04:25 GMT — Qassam Brigades say they targeted Israeli tanks, troops in Gaza
The Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Palestinian group Hamas, said that they targeted seven Israeli tanks as well as Israeli forces during battles in Gaza.
They provided the news in a series of statements detailing skirmishes across the enclave.
The armed wing said they targeted three Merkava tanks in the Yibna refugee camp in the city of Rafah using Yassin 105 shells.
03:00 GMT — Hundreds protest Netanyahu interview broadcast in France
Hundreds of demonstrators rallied late Thursday outside a top French television station to protest the broadcast of an interview with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the brutal Israeli war on Gaza.
Wearing black and white keffiyeh scarves and waving Palestinian flags, protesters gathered peacefully outside the offices of private broadcaster TF1 in the western Paris suburbs.
Kept away from the building by a heavy police presence, the protesters chanted: "Gaza, Paris is with you," "Immediate ceasefire!" and "Israel, murderer."
In the interview broadcast on TF1's news channel LCI, Netanyahu defended his country's devastating offensive in Gaza.
For our live updates from Thursday, May 30, 2024, click here.
