In southern Gaza, an explosion planted on an Israeli armored vehicle reportedly killed seven Israeli soldiers, including one lieutenant, three staff sergeants, and three sergeants; the attack was the military’s deadliest day in Gaza since it agreed to a ceasefire with Hamas in March (Reuters)
U.S. to Fund Gaza Charity
Washington will give $30 million to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation aid group, despite the deaths of dozens of Palestinians near its distribution sites, according to four unnamed sources and a document seen by Reuters; the charity relies on private U.S. military contractors and logistics firms, but this is the first reported direct financial contribution from the government (Reuters)
In southern and central Gaza, Israeli forces using tanks and drones reportedly attacked hundreds of Palestinians waiting for aid, killing at least forty-four and bringing the total death toll of Palestinians in the war to over fifty-six thousand (AP)
UNICEF Warns of Drought in Gaza
UNICEF spokesperson James Elder warned that in Gaza, only 40 percent of drinking water production facilities are functional, which is below emergency standards (Reuters)
Moreover, Israeli airstrikes allegedly killed twenty-five people waiting for aid trucks south of Netzarim and nineteen others in a house in Deir Al-Balah (Reuters)
Israeli Forces Allegedly Kill 140 Palestinians in Twenty-Four Hours
According to local health officials, from June 17 to June 18, at least 140 Palestinians were killed by Israeli gunfire and airstrikes (Reuters)
Sixty-nine of the deaths reportedly occurred in Gaza on June 18, including twenty-nine Palestinians who were killed waiting for aid trucks; at least one hundred people were also wounded (Al Jazeera)
Southern and central Gaza have been without internet for the past two days because of an Israeli attack on a central point of key infrastructure (AP)
Dozens Killed in Khan Younis
At least fifty-one Palestinians were killed while waiting for food trucks to enter the territory today, Gaza’s health ministry and a local hospital said (AP)
Israel’s military said it was investigating what happened and “regrets any harm to uninvolved individuals” (NYT)
Thirty Killed, Two Hundred Wounded Near Rafah Aid Distribution Site
Israeli gunfire allegedly killed at least thirty Palestinian civilians and wounded two hundred more near a Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) aid site in Rafah; the United Nations has condemned the plan to distribute aid via the GHF sites, as over 300 people have been killed and over 2,600 wounded since the GHF began operations (Reuters)
Israel’s military told the BBC it had fired warning shots at people who were approaching and posed a threat (BBC)
Israeli Forces Raid Syrian Village, Allegedly Arresting Hamas Fighters
While conducting an operation to detain suspected Hamas militants in Beit Jin in southern Syria, reportedly roughly one hundred Israeli soldiers raided the area, capturing seven alleged Hamas militants and killing one (AP)
At Least Fifty Palestinians Killed Seeking Aid
Israeli forces opened fire on Palestinians near two Gaza Humanitarian Foundation aid sites in Netzarim and Rafah, allegedly killing at least twenty-five and fourteen people, respectively, and injuring dozens more (BBC)
Across the coastal enclave, at least eleven people were reportedly killed by Israeli gunfire and strikes (Reuters)
Separately, A Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) bus transporting roughly twenty-four Palestinian workers was reportedly attacked by Hamas on Wednesday night, killing eight people (BBC)
The GHF is an organization backed by the United States and Israel for distributing aid to Gaza (CNN)
The Gaza Health Ministry reported that over fifty-five thousand Palestinians had been killed and over one hundred and twenty-five thousand have been wounded since the start of the Israel-Gaza war in 2023; the Ministry stated that over half of the dead were women and children (AP)
U.S. Stance on Palestinian State
Washington no longer fully endorses an independent state for Palestinians, U.S. ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee told Bloomberg, marking a major shift from prior U.S. policy; he said that if one is formed, it might not include current Palestinian territories but be located in a different part of the region (Bloomberg)
A State Department spokesperson declined to comment, while the White House referred to former comments by Trump proposing a U.S. takeover of Gaza and said that the president was unsure about a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict (Reuters)
Meanwhile, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Norway, and the United Kingdom sanctioned Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, saying they had repeatedly incited “violence against Palestinian communities” (WaPo)
The sanctions announcement mainly focused on violence in the West Bank (BBC)
Israel’s foreign minister called the sanctions “unacceptable” and the United States condemned them, saying they did not advance the prospect of a truce in Gaza (NYT)
Israel Intercepts Aid Ship
Israeli authorities intercepted a Gaza-bound ship carrying activists and humanitarian aid; Israel said it would send the passengers back to their home countries (NYT)
The activists oppose Israeli restrictions on aid at the enclave’s land borders as well as the nearly two-decade-old Israeli naval blockade of Gaza, which Israel says aims to prevent weapons smuggling (Reuters)
Israeli Gunfire Kills Twelve People En Route to Aid Distribution Points
According to Palestinian health officials and witnesses, Israeli officials fired warning shots roughly half a mile from an aid site run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation near Rafah (AP)
Israel Backs Armed Groups in Gaza
Israel has “activated” some groups inside of Gaza to oppose Hamas, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said after the news was leaked by a political opponent (NPR)
Unnamed Israeli officials told Ynet that one such militia is run by local clan leader Yasser Abu Shabab; some Palestinians have accusedthe group of looting aid in the past, while Abu Shabab’s group said it was protecting aid shipments in recent weeks (Ynet; NBC News)
United States Vetoes Gaza Truce Resolution
The United States vetoed a UN Security Council resolution yesterday that called for an “immediate, unconditional, and permanent” ceasefire in Gaza and unimpeded access to humanitarian aid; all other fourteen members voted in favor (Reuters)
The acting U.S. ambassador to the UN said Washington opposed the resolution because it did not call for Hamas to disarm and leave Gaza, arguing the omittance would hinder efforts to reach a truce (CNN)
Aid Distribution Site Closes After Deadly Shootings
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation aid distribution site in the territory’s south is closed today for logistical work after a series of deadly incidents in recent days; the pause is meant to ensure the site can accommodate larger crowds, according to the U.S.- and Israeli-backed organization (Times of Israel)
Yesterday, at least twenty-seven people were killed after Israeli forces opened fire near the site, the Red Cross and Gaza Health Ministry said; Israel’s military said certain people near the site “posed a threat” to soldiers (NYT)
Shooting Near Gaza Aid Site Kills At Least Twenty
More than twenty Palestinians were killed with gunshot and shrapnel wounds after a reported incident at an aid distribution site in southern Gaza, the Red Cross said yesterday (BBC)
Three witnesses told the Washington Post that gunfire came from Israeli military positions (WaPo)
The Israeli military said an initial inquiry found its forces did not fire at civilians near the site, while aid distributor Gaza Humanitarian Foundation denied claims of injuries at the site (NYT)
Hamas Responds to U.S. Ceasefire Proposal
Hamas requested several amendments be made to the U.S. ceasefire proposal agreed to by Israel, calling for a permanent end to the war, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip, and guarantees for the continued supply of aid to Palestinians (Reuters)
An Israeli official indicated that this response was tantamount to a rejection of the ceasefire proposal, while U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff called the statement “totally unacceptable” (WaPo)
Israel Accepts U.S. Ceasefire Proposal
Israel endorsed a new U.S. plan for a truce with Hamas, the White House press secretary said yesterday; Hamas said it would study the plan before giving an official response (Reuters)
Unnamed Egyptian and Hamas officials told the Associated Press that the deal includes a sixty-day pause in fighting, a pull-back of Israeli forces from recent advances, assurances of long-term truce negotiations, daily access for hundreds of aid trucks, and the release of ten living hostages and more than 1,100 Palestinian prisoners (AP)
West Bank Settlement Expansion
Israel’s government approved the establishment of twenty-two settlements in the West Bank, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said; some already exist as unauthorized outposts (Reuters)
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the settlements would prevent “the establishment of a Palestinian state that would endanger Israel,” while a spokesperson for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas called the move a “dangerous escalation” (BBC)
Chaotic Gaza Aid Distribution Leads to Another Crush
As nascent aid distribution continues in Gaza, a crowd rush on a UN food distribution center wounded several people and may have killed two of them, a UN agency said (FT)
A UN official also said that around forty-seven people were injured in the chaos yesterday, mostly due to gunshots fired by IDF troops, and that the organization was still gathering information about the incident (CNA)
The United Nations criticized GHF as inexperienced and uncommitted to providing aid for all (Guardian)
“Many more” GHF distribution sites will be set up, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said (Times of Israel)
Separately, Israel killed Gaza-based Hamas leader Mohammed Sinwar in a strike earlier this month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said; Israel killed his brother, Yahya Sinwar—one of the architects of the October 7 attack on Israel—last year (AP)
Palestinians Rush to Distribution Site as Gaza Humanitarian Foundation Begins Aid Deliveries
The Israeli military said its troops fired warning shots as desperate Palestinians overwhelmed the distribution site in Rafah (AP)
Israel authorized the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) to give out food after international criticism of its monthslong blockade on aid, which began to ease last week; though the chaos briefly halted operations, GHF said it had distributed the equivalent of around 462,000 meals, enough to feed around 2 percent of Gaza’s population for half a week (Reuters)
The GHF distribution point is located in southern Gaza, where Israel plans to push the territory’s whole population; Israel says it aims to screen aid recipients to ensure they are not connected to Hamas (AP)
Humanitarian groups and the UN boycotted GHF, saying its distribution center is hard for the elderly and disabled to access, that it could promote forced displacement, and that they oppose the use of facial recognition software to vet aid recipients (WaPo)
A UN spokesperson called for Israel to reopen all crossings into Gaza for aid (FT)
Meanwhile, Israel, Hamas, and the United States have issued conflicting public statements in recent days about the ongoing ceasefire and hostage talks; unnamed Israeli and Western officials told the New York Times that a proposal for a sixty-day truce was on the table but that Israel and Hamas disagreed over whether it should include an assurance that further talks would produce a permanent end to the war (NYT)
Israeli Strike Kills Fifty-Four Sheltering in School
The overnight strike hit Fahmi Al-Jargawi School in Gaza City; the IDF said it targeted “a Hamas and Islamic Jihad command and control centre” (BBC)
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, chosen by Israel to distribute aid, said it began work today and hopes to reach more than one million people this week (FT)
Meanwhile, Germany’s Merz said that harm to the civilian population “can no longer be justified by a fight against Hamas terrorism” (FT)
Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’s Director Resigns
Jake Wood said that it was not possible to do the job while maintaining neutrality (NYT)
Separately, Israel’s military said that it aims to capture 75 percent of Gaza in two months (Times of Israel)
Aid Distributed in Gaza
Humanitarian aid reached warehouses inside Gaza for the first time in eleven weeks, UN agencies said; the aid included flour and baby food (UN)
Twenty-nine children and elderly people in the territory died from “starvation-related” causes in the last few days, the Palestinian Authority health minister stated (BBC)
Israel said 107 aid trucks crossed the border into Gaza (Reuters)
UN agencies say an estimated 600 per day are needed to address the territory’s humanitarian crisis (BBC)
Israeli Airstrikes Kill At Least Fifty-Five in Gaza
The strikes reportedly hit two homes where women and children were sheltering and a school housing displaced families (Reuters)
While Israel announced Sunday that it would allow a “basic” amount of food into the territory and reported sending ninety-three trucks across the border, the United Nations said that Israel had not yet allowed any food to be distributed (BBC)
Meanwhile, the United Kingdom suspended trade deal negotiations with Israel over its continued campaign in Gaza and announced sanctions on West Bank settlers (AP)
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that he, as well as the leaders of Canada and France, were “horrified” by Israel’s military escalation in Gaza (Reuters)
The European Union (EU) said it would review its relationship with Israel due to concerns over its conduct in Gaza; EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the aid that had crossed the Gaza border was “welcomed” but just “a drop in the ocean” (Reuters)
The United Arab Emirates announced that Israel had agreed to allow the aid that it donated to enter Gaza, but did not specify a timeline (Times of Israel;BBC)
An Israeli foreign ministry official said that “external pressures will not divert Israel from its path” (Bloomberg)
Israel called back its senior envoys from ceasefire talks in Doha; Qatari officials, who are mediating, said a gap remained between the two sides (AP)
Unnamed U.S. officials told Axios that U.S. President Donald Trump is “frustrated” about events in Gaza (Axios)
Israel’s Plan to ‘Take Control’ of Gaza
Israel is deploying “massive force to take control of all of the Gaza Strip,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said (WaPo)
Five aid trucks entered the territory, Israel’s defense ministry said (BBC)
Canada, France, and the United Kingdom called Israel’s plan to allow only limited food to enter Gaza “wholly inadequate” and threatened “concrete actions” if Israel did not stop its new offensive and allow in more aid (Times of London)
Separately, Axios reported that U.S. Vice President JD Vance skipped a potential trip to Israel because he did not want to appear to be supporting Israel’s offensive (Axios)