Live blog: Israel kills 16 Palestinians in Rafah strike — medics

Sunday, May 5, 2024

2248 GMT — Medics and first responders in Gaza have said 16 people were killed in Israeli air strikes in the southern city of Rafah, hours after Hamas rockets had killed three Israeli soldiers earlier in the day.

"The toll of martyrs in Rafah reached 16," Palestinian emergency first responders told AFP, adding that seven people from one family and nine from another were killed.

Medical sources confirmed two strikes they said took place at two different locations around the city.

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2152 GMT — UN expresses regret over Israel's Al Jazeera closure

The UN criticised a decision by Israeli authorities to shut down the local offices of Al Jazeera television.

“We regret cabinet decision to close Al Jazeera in Israel. A free and independent media is essential to ensuring transparency and accountability. Now, even more so given tight restrictions on reporting from Gaza,” the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said on X.

“Freedom of expression is a key human right,” said the OHCHR, urging the Israeli government to overturn the ban.

2132 GMT — Israeli defence chief urges Netanyahu to accept Gaza truce deal

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant has urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to approve an Egyptian proposal for a hostage swap and ceasefire in Gaza, according to local media.

Public broadcaster KAN reported Gallant said during a meeting of the country's Security Cabinet that the potential deal with Palestinian resistance group Hamas would be favourable and must be approved as "an opportunity to bring back the hostages held in Gaza."

According to the channel, Gallant personally urged Netanyahu to approve the deal.

During the meeting, the defence chief said: "We must bring back the hostages. I am not speaking about it publicly to avoid increasing the cost of the deal, but it must be approved."

1955 GMT — Israel army says three soldiers killed in rocket attack at Gaza

Israel's military has said a barrage of rockets fired from besieged Gaza towards the Kerem Shalom border crossing killed three soldiers and wounded a dozen others.

Three of the 12 wounded were in serious condition, the military told AFP.

The Qassam Brigades, armed wing of the Palestinian resistance group Hamas, earlier claimed the rocket attack which led Israeli authorities to close the crossing, used to deliver aid into Gaza.

1831 GMT — Hezbollah attacks Israel after deadly south Lebanon strike

Official media in Lebanon said an Israeli strike on a southern village killed four family members, with Hezbollah announcing retaliatory attacks.

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency (NNA) said Sunday's strike in Mais al-Jabal killed "four people from a single family", reporting that the raid was carried out by Israeli aircraft.

It identified the dead as a man, a woman and their children aged 12 and 21, and said two other people were wounded.

1826 GMT — UN accuses Israel of denying Gaza aid access as famine takes hold

A top UN official accused Israel of continuing to deny the United Nations humanitarian access in Gaza, where the UN food chief warned a "full-blown famine" has taken hold in the north of the enclave of 2.3 million people.

While not a formal famine declaration, World Food Programme Executive Director Cindy McCain said - in an NBC News interview broadcast- that based on the "horror" on the ground: "There is famine, full-blown famine, in the north, and it's moving its way south."

Israel's government did not immediately respond to a request for comment on McCain's remarks.

1800 GMT — Egypt-hosted talks for Gaza ceasefire concluded: Hamas

Palestinian group Hamas said that a two-day round of talks in Egypt to reach a Gaza ceasefire and hostage swap had ended.

In a statement, Hamas said its delegation will leave the Egyptian capital, Cairo, tonight for consultations with the group’s leadership.

“The delegation conveyed the Hamas response to the Egyptian and Qatari mediators,” it added, without giving details about the content of the group’s response.

“Hamas is determined to reach an agreement that meets the national demands of our people,” the statement said.

Egypt’s state-run Al-Qahera News channel, citing a well-placed source, said Hamas will return to Cairo on Tuesday with a “final response” to an Egyptian proposal for a ceasefire deal in Gaza.

According to the source, all details related to the Gaza ceasefire were discussed between an Egyptian security delegation and the Hamas delegation.

The source cited “great progress ” in the talks, without providing any further details.

1646 GMT — World Central Kitchen serves 1M meals in Gaza since resuming operations

World Central Kitchen (WCK) has served 1 million meals after resuming operations in Gaza on Tuesday, the international food charity said.

"Because of the tireless work of our Palestinian team, WCK has served 1 million meals in Gaza since resuming cooking this week.

"Thanks to their efforts, we’ve provided 46 million plates of food through hot meals & food kits since first responding to the conflict," the WCK said on X.

The US-based charity had suspended its operations in Gaza after seven of its aid workers -- three British nationals, an Australian, a Polish national, a US-Canadian dual citizen and a Palestinian -- were killed in an Israeli strike on April 1.

1812 GMT — Israel ‘unaware’ of US decision to suspend ammunition shipment: Report

Israel is “unaware” of any US decision to put a hold on a shipment of ammunition to Israel, an Israeli source said Sunday.

Tel Aviv “is not aware of any US decision regarding stopping or reducing military support to Israel,” said the Israeli public broadcaster KAN, citing a political source.

“It is possible that one shipment or another will be delayed, but the flow continues and we are not aware of a political decision to stop it,” the source added.

US news website Axios, citing two Israeli officials, said the Biden administration last week put a hold on a shipment of US-made ammunition to Israel.

1628 GMT — Lawyers group files criminal complaint with ICC against Israel

A group of peace activist lawyers filed a criminal complaint with the International Criminal Court (ICC) against 12 Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for alleged crimes committed by Tel Aviv in Gaza.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency on behalf of Lawyers for Peace, a group consisting of about 200 attorneys, lawyer Ibrahim Yildirim said they applied to the ICC Prosecutor's Office in The Hague against Prime Minister Netanyahu, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, Foreign Minister Israel Katz, Minister for the Advancement of Women's Status May Golan, and seven senior commanders.

"Our application consists of 163 pages and is one of the most comprehensive among the criminal complaints filed so far. We have applied to the ICC Prosecutor's Office against a total of 12 Israeli officials," Yildirim said.

He underlined that the application text was prepared by a team of nine experts.

1626 GMT — Rafah invasion 'imminent', Israeli minister says

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said that a planned ground attack on Rafah in southern Gaza is “imminent.”

“We are observing worrying signs that Hamas does not intend to reach an agreement with us," Gallant told army troops in central Gaza’s Netzarim Corridor.

"This means the operation in Rafah is imminent."

Despite growing international opposition, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to invade Rafah, home to more than 1.4 million displaced Palestinians, to defeat what he calls the “remaining Hamas battalions.”

Rafah is the last remaining area in Gaza where Israel has not yet formally announced the entry of its troops to continue the onslaught against Palestinians.

1558 GMT — Israel closes Gaza terminal to humanitarian aid after rocket fire

The Israeli army shut the Kerem Shalom crossing with Gaza to humanitarian aid following rocket fire from the besieged Palestinian enclave.

At least 10 Israelis were injured when a barrage of mortar shells was fired at a military site near the illegal settlement of Kerem Shalom, according to the Walla news portal. The Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Hamas group, claimed responsibility for the attack.

An Israeli military statement said the terminal between Israel and Gaza was closed to the passage of aid trucks.

1624 GMT — UNRWA chief says again barred entry to Gaza by Israel

The head of the UN agency for Palestinians, also known as UNRWA, said that Israeli authorities had barred him from entering Gaza for the second time in a week.

"Just this week, they have denied -- for the second time -- my entry to Gaza where I planned to be with our UNRWA colleagues including those on the front lines," Philippe Lazzarini wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

1550 GMT — US conducts humanitarian airdrops into Gaza

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) conducted another round of humanitarian airdrops into northern Gaza for civilians affected by Israel’s war on the enclave.

Planes dropped approximately 25,000 Meals Ready to Eat (MREs), CENTCOM wrote on X, adding the US has dropped nearly 1,170 tons of humanitarian assistance to date.

"During today's mission seven bundles landed in the sea. USCENTCOM does not assess civilian harm or damage to infrastructure at this time but continues to monitor the situation," it added.

1522 GMT — CIA chief to meet Qatar PM in Doha on mediation talks, source says

CIA Director William Burns is traveling to Doha to hold an emergency meeting with Qatar's prime minister, an official briefed on the talks said.

"Burns is on his way to Doha for an emergency meeting with the Qatari Prime Minister aimed at exerting maximum pressure on Israel and Hamas to continue negotiating," the source added.

1409 GMT — 2 killed, 6 injured as Israeli jets strike house in Gaza City

Two Palestinians were killed and six others seriously injured in a fresh Israeli airstrike in Gaza City, according to medical sources.

The attack targeted a house in the Zaytoun neighbourhood, the sources said.

Witnesses reported massive destruction in the area from the strike.

1322 GMT — 10 Israelis injured in rocket fire from Gaza: Israeli media

At least 10 Israelis were injured in a rocket fire from Gaza at a military site near the border with the Palestinian enclave, according to Israeli media.

Walla news portal said more than 20 mortar shells were fired at the site near the illegal settlement of Kerem Shalom.

Three of the injured were in serious condition, the broadcaster said.

Hamas’ armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, said early Sunday that it had targeted a gathering of Israeli soldiers near the Kerem Shalom settlement with short-range missiles.

1255 GMT — Hamas chief accuses Israel’s Netanyahu of hindering efforts to reach Gaza ceasefire

Hamas chief Ismail Haniya accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of undermining efforts to reach a ceasefire deal in Gaza.

“Hamas is still keen on reaching an agreement that ends the aggression, guarantees Israeli troop withdrawal, and achieves a serious prisoner exchange deal,” Haniya said in a statement.

"The world has become a hostage to an extremist government, which has a huge number of political problems and crimes committed in Gaza,” he added, in reference to Netanyahu’s government.

Haniya accused the Israeli premier of “inventing justifications” to continue his offensive on Gaza.

1245 GMT — No end to Gaza war in exchange for hostage swap — Netanyahu

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected calls to end his deadly offensive on Gaza in return for a hostage swap deal with Hamas. Netanyahu claimed that ending the Gaza war now would keep Hamas in power in the blockaded Palestinian enclave.

“Hamas remains entrenched in its extreme positions, first among them the demand to remove all our forces from Gaza, end the war, and leave Hamas in power. Israel cannot accept that,” he said in a video message on X.

The Israeli premier blamed media reports for damaging the Gaza hostage swap negotiations and causing “unnecessary suffering" for families, according to Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper.

1253 GMT — Al Jazeera condemns Israel's 'criminal' decision to close offices

Qatar-based network Al Jazeera condemned as "criminal" a move by the Israeli government to ban the broadcaster from operating over its coverage of the Gaza war.

"We condemn and denounce this criminal act by Israel that violates the human right to access information," Al Jazeera said in a statement on X, formerly Twitter, in Arabic.

1100 GMT — Families of killed soldiers disrupt Israeli government meeting, demand Rafah invasion

Families of Israeli soldiers killed in the Gaza war attempted to disrupt a government meeting in West Jerusalem, according to Israeli media.

Protesters tried to prevent ministers from attending the weekly government meeting amid chants for launching a military offensive in the southern city of Rafah, Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper reported.

“We all want to return the hostages to the homeland,” far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said as he showed support for the protesters’ demands.

He claimed that invading Rafah, home to more than 1.4 million displaced Palestinians, is “the only way to destroy Hamas and restore security.”

Extremist National Security Minister voiced support for calls for launching a ground attack on Rafah.

“I was the only one in the cabinet who voted against bringing aid into Gaza,” he said. “We must insist on entering Rafah now and that there be no illegal deal.”

1053 GMT — ‘US does not deserve to be Israel’s friend,’ says far-right Israeli minister

An Israeli minister said the US “does not deserve” to be called a friend of Israel.

"I think that the words that were said at the (negotiations) table indicate that the United States pledges on our behalf to stop the war,” said Settlements and National Projects Minister Orit Strock in an interview with Radio North 104.5FM.

“I am very worried this morning,” she added. "Israel is not another star on the American flag, it can and must adhere to its opinion,” said the far-right minister.

Strock added that “the United States does not meet the minimum requirements for being a friend of the State of Israel,” adding that “it does not deserve” to be labeled a friend of Israel.

1031 GMT — 3 civilians killed in Israeli raid on southern Lebanese town

At least three civilians were killed and others injured in an Israeli raid on a house in neighbouring southern Lebanon.

The Lebanese National News Agency reported that “enemy aircraft raided the town of Mays al-Jabal, targeting a house.”

The agency added that the attack resulted in “the death of three civilians and the injury of several others, including a member of the Civil Defense Center.”

0903 GMT — Gaza ceasefire talks in Cairo show 'positive progress'

“Positive progress” has been made in negotiations between Israel and Palestinian resistance group Hamas to reach a ceasefire agreement in Gaza, Egyptian state media has said, but warned against believing reported details of a possible deal.

“A high-level source confirmed that there is positive progress in negotiations regarding reaching a ceasefire agreement in Gaza,” reported Egyptian Al Qahera News.

But the unnamed source added: “What has been published about the terms of the agreement in the media is inaccurate."

The source confirmed that "the Egyptian security delegation is continuing its consultations with all parties,” adding that "the return of the displaced Palestinians to northern Gaza is among the terms of the agreement."

0956 GMT — Death toll from Israel's brutal war on Gaza rises to 34,683

The Health Ministry in Gaza has said that at least 34,683 people have been killed in the Palestinian territory during almost seven months of Israel's brutal war on the enclave.

The tally includes at least 29 deaths in the past 24 hours, a ministry statement said, adding that 78,018 people have been wounded in Gaza since October 7.

0931 GMT — Casualties in Israeli raid on southern Lebanese town

Several civilians have been killed and others injured in an Israeli raid that targeted a house in the town of Mays al Jabal in southern Lebanon.

The Lebanese National News Agency reported that “enemy aircraft raided the town of Mays al Jabal, targeting a house.”

The agency added that the attack resulted in “the deaths of civilians and the injury of a member of the Civil Defence Centre.”

In a separate report, the agency said Israel targeted the outskirts of the southern town of Alma al Shaab with artillery shells.

“The outskirts of the town of Alma al Shaab in the western sector were subjected to Israeli enemy shelling this morning (Sunday),” it noted.

0921 GMT — Two Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza

At least two Palestinians have been killed and several others injured in Israeli attacks targeting various areas in Gaza.

The official Palestinian news agency Wafa said: “Two Palestinian civilians were killed and others were injured in Israeli airstrikes today (Sunday) targeting the northern and central regions of the Gaza Strip.”

It added that “one civilian was killed and several others were injured in the Israeli artillery shelling on the neighbourhoods of Al Zaytoun, Tal Al Hawa, and Sheikh Ajleen in Gaza City.”

“In Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza, a civilian was killed in an Israeli air strike targeting a gathering of civilians,” it also said.

0913 GMT — Israel arrests 25 more Palestinians in occupied West Bank raids

The Israeli army has rounded up 25 more Palestinians in military raids in the occupied West Bank, prisoners’ affairs groups have said.

According to a joint statement by the Prisoners and Ex-Prisoners Affairs Authority and the Palestinian Prisoners Society, the new arrests brought the total number of Palestinians detained by Israeli forces since October 7 to 8,575.

During the Israeli arrest campaigns, the Israeli forces beat and abused Palestinians and damaged their homes and property, the statement also said.

0331 GMT — Gaza ceasefire talks to continue in Egypt amid Israeli attacks

Talks for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza amid the ongoing Israeli onslaught in the besieged enclave are expected to resume today.

Palestinian group Hamas says it rejects any deal that fails to end the war in the Palestinian territory and accused Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu of "personally hindering" an agreement.

Earlier, Qatari, Egyptian and US mediators met a Hamas delegation in Cairo and a senior Hamas source close to the negotiations told AFP news agency there would be "a new round" of talks on Sunday.

Negotiators, seeking to halt Israel's devastating seven-month war on the enclave, have proposed a 40-day pause in the fighting and an exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners.

2247 GMT — 38 percent of Americans believe US doing too much to support Israel

Nearly four in 10 Americans said the US is doing too much to support Israel in the onslaught in Gaza. An April 25 - 30 survey of 2,260 adults by US News Ipsos revealed that Americans are divided on the US’ Israel policies.

The survey revealed that 38 percent said the US was doing too much to support Israel, 20 percent saw too little US support for Israel and 40 percent said Washington’s backing is about right.

It showed that 37 percent trust former President Donald Trump more than President Joe Biden to handle the issue; 29 percent trust Biden more, an eight-point gap.

While 33 percent of respondents said they did not trust either, 1 percent did not express an opinion.

2233 GMT — OIC members call for immediate ceasefire in Israel's Gaza war

Saudi Arabia, Morocco and Egypt have called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza amid the ongoing Israeli onslaught in the besieged enclave.

The OIC summit started on Saturday in the Gambian capital Banjul.

The two-day summit, with the theme "Enhancing unity and solidarity through dialogue for sustainable development," will address global issues, notably the current situation in Palestine and the ongoing Israeli war in Gaza, which has so far killed over 34,600 people.

During the summit, three key documents — a draft Palestinian resolution, draft Banjul statement, and the draft final document — will be presented to the Council of Foreign Ministers and subsequently to the summit for discussion.

2145 GMT — Illegal Israeli settlers attack Palestinian gatherings in West Bank

Illegal Jewish settlers have launched multiple attacks targeting Palestinian gatherings in Jericho and the northern Jordan Valley, according to a Palestinian government report that documented 347 settler attacks in the occupied West Bank in April.

The Al Baidar Organization for the Defense of Bedouin Rights said in a statement that Israeli settlers twice attacked the Arab al Mleihat Bedouin community in northern Jericho.

“A group of extremist settlers invaded the Arab al-Mleihat community northwest of Jericho for the second time within one day," said the organisation supervisor Hassan Mleihat.

2125 GMT — Albanians demand international community stop Israel's war on Gaza

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators in Albania have gathered in Tirana to demand the international community stop supporting Israel’s war on Gaza.

"Stop the genocide in Gaza!" protesters came together in Skanderbeg Square upon the call of non-governmental organizations and marched along First Zog Boulevard.​​​​​​​​​

Protesters condemned Israel's attacks on Palestinians and demanded the massacre be stopped.

Protesters carried Albanian and Palestinian flags as well as chanted slogans such as "Stop the bombardment of Gaza!", "Stop Israel's war crimes in Gaza!", "Stop the blockade of Gaza!" and “Stop the killing of children!”

For our live updates from Saturday, May 4, click here.