New Report Reveals Half a Million People at Risk of Starvation in Gaza
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) revealed that one in five people may face starvation in the upcoming summer months, amid rising, acute risks of famine and Israel’s blockade on aid entering Gaza (IPC)
Separately, Israel confirmed that it received Israeli American hostage Edan Alexander, a move which Trump called a goodwill gesture to negotiators trying to end the war (WaPo)
The U.S. talks with Hamas about Alexander bypassed Israeli officials; U.S. hostage envoy Adam Boehler and U.S. envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff told the families of remaining hostages that they were committed to bringing back all fifty-eight of those still in Gaza, a forum for hostage families said (Times of Israel)
Prior to Alexander’s release, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) struck a shelter in a school in Jabalia, killing at least seventeen Palestinians (Al Jazeera)
Hamas to Free Israeli-American
Hamas agreed to release hostage Edan Alexander as part of a “good faith” gesture in response to mediation efforts by the United States, Egypt, and Qatar, Trump wrote on social media (Times of Israel)
A senior Hamas official said that the group is ready to make a deal to end the war and exchange prisoners; the Israeli prime minister’s office said the country remains committed to all of its war objectives (Reuters)
Talks on Gaza Aid
The U.S. State Department said yesterday that an announcement was coming soon about a new arrangement to be able to deliver food aid to Gaza; Israel, which has imposed a monthslong blockade on aid, has in recent days outlined a plan in which it would guard food distribution points (Reuters)
However, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said today that Israel would not take part in the aid distribution itself; he said the provision of aid would not depend on there being a pause in fighting (Reuters)
Ninety-Two Palestinians Killed in Israeli Airstrikes Across Gaza
Gaza’s health ministry stated that two Israeli airstrikes targeted a central market area in Gaza, killing at least thirty-three; earlier in the day, a separate strike killed at least sixteen at a shelter in a school (AP)
Separately, Greece endorsed an Arab-backed plan for the postwar reconstruction of Gaza, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said as Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi visited Athens (Times of Israel)
Senior Hamas Official Says There Is “No Sense” in Continuing Truce Talks
Israel’s security cabinet approved a plan Sunday night to expand its military offensive in Gaza (WaPo)
Hamas has rejected recent truce proposals, calling for an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and an end to the war; Qatar, which mediated the last truce alongside the United States, said today that its “efforts remain ongoing” for a ceasefire (France24)
The United Nations has said parts of Gaza are near starvation after two months of Israel’s aid blockade, and its humanitarian office said Israel’s plan “does not live up to the core fundamental humanitarian principles of impartiality, neutrality, and independent delivery of aid” (Reuters)
Additionally, an Israeli airstrike targeted the Al Bureij refugee camp at a school compound in Gaza, where many women and children took shelter, killing at least thirty-three people; the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated that its targets were Hamas militants operating at a “command and control center” (CNN)
Israel’s Plans to Occupy Gaza
Israel’s security cabinet approved a plan last night to expand its military offensive in Gaza, an unnamed Israeli official told news organizations today (WaPo)
The plans reportedly include capturing all of the territory and remaining there for an unspecified time (AP)
Palestinian civilians would be moved into Israeli-administered zones (Economist)
Israel would distribute aid to vetted Palestinians through hubs protected by U.S. security contractors, unnamed Israeli officials said (WaPo)
Unnamed Israeli officials told reporters that the plan would be put in motion after U.S. President Donald Trump’s trip to the Middle East next week if Hamas does not agree to a hostage and ceasefire deal (Axios;Guardian)
Gaza Says Nearly Sixty Killed by Starvation Under Israeli Blockade
Gaza’s state media office cited fifty-seven cases of deaths due to malnutrition and dehydration in the enclave since Israel’s blockade on humanitarian aid began on March 2; Gaza’s media added that the majority of victims were children (Al Jazeera)
ICJ Concludes Public Hearings on Israeli Humanitarian Aid Obligations to Gaza
Reports indicated that most states present at the hearings agreed that Israel must allow access for humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip; the United States reportedly defended Israel and did not call for specific actions to resolve the humanitarian crisis (Al Jazeera)
Amnesty International: Israel Committing “Livestreamed and Unheeded Genocide of Palestinians in Gaza”
The international organization published its annual report, citing evidence that Israel carries out targeted attacks with the intent to kill Palestinian civilians and deprive Gaza of essential resources to live (Amnesty)
Gaza Aid Case at ICJ
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) heard arguments in a case over whether Israel is required to permit aid into Gaza under international law and the UN charter after a nearly two-month blockade; the UN’s World Food Program said last week it had run out of food to distribute in Gaza, and the UN General Assembly asked the ICJ to rule on the case (WaPo)
At Least Fifty Killed in Israeli Strikes on Gaza
Israeli strikes have reportedly intensified in recent days, particularly in eastern Gaza (Al Jazeera)
Israeli Strikes Kill At Least Fifty in Gaza
Gaza’s health ministry stated that Israeli strikes struck a police station and a family home, where twenty-three people were killed; the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated that it carried out precise strikes to minimize civilian casualties on the family home, which it called a Hamas “command-and-control center” that housed a terrorist (BBC)
Abbas’s Appeal on Gaza Governance
Palestinian Authority (PA) leader Mahmoud Abbas called for Hamas to lay down its weapons and put Gaza under PA administration at a leadership conference; he has appealed for unified leadership in the past, but not since the current war with Israel began (Reuters)
Abbas is expected to name a successor in the coming days amid international pressure to reform the PA and equip it to play a larger role in Gaza’s governance (AP)
Meanwhile, the Israeli military intercepted a ballistic missile launched by Houthi rebels that targeted the Israeli city of Haifa (Al Jazeera)
Israeli Blockade on Gaza Forces Suspension of UN Polio Vaccination Campaign
Gaza’s health ministry stated that the United Nations campaign sought to vaccinate over six hundred thousand children in the enclave, as international aid agencies warn of growing risks of mass spread of disease (Reuters)
Commander Dismissed After Investigation Into Deadly Attack on Medics in Gaza
The Israeli military released a statement indicating “several professional failures” contributed to the shooting that killed fourteen rescue workers and one UN employee in Rafah last month (NYT)
Meanwhile, a report by the Saudi Arabian media outlet, Al Arabiya, found that Hamas has recruited roughly thirty thousand young Palestinians to join the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the group’s military wing (Times of Israel)
Hamas Rejects Cease-Fire Proposal as Israeli Strikes Continue
Hamas rejected an Israeli proposal for a forty-five day truce in exchange for releasing ten hostages, saying that instead it was willing to release all hostages in exchange for a permanent end to the war (BBC).As fighting continues, Israeli strikes on an area housing displaced Palestinians killed at least twelve people from Wednesday night to Thursday, a rescue service said (NYT)
Hamas is struggling to pay its political staff and fighters amid restrictions on money and aid to Gaza, the Wall Street Journal reported (WSJ)
Trump Partly Confirms He Blocked Israeli Strikes on Iran
U.S. President Donald J. Trump appeared to partly confirm a New York Times report that he recently pushed back against an Israeli plan to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities; Trump said he was “not in a rush” to strike Iran and that he would like to see Iran “live happily without death” (Times of Israel)
Israel Plans to Hold “Security Zones” Indefinitely
Israel will keep troops deployed in certain zones of Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria indefinitely, Defense Minister Israel Katz said yesterday; he added they would create buffer zones to protect Israeli communities (AP)
Netanyahu Criticizes Macron for Floating Recognition of Palestinian State
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told French President Emmanuel Macron on a phone call that recognizing the state of Palestine would reward Hamas and Iran and serve as “a huge prize for terrorism;” last week, Macron announced that France could recognize an independent Palestinian state in June (Politico)
Hamas Officials Reject Egyptian Ceasefire Proposal Over Disarmament
While Egypt’s proposal states that negotiations with Israel cannot commence without Hamas laying down its weapons, Hamas reiterated that disarmament remains out of the question and that Israel must first withdraw from the Gaza Strip and end its strikes (Al Jazeera)
Israel Establishes New Security Corridor in Rafah
The Israel Defense Forces announced that it seized full control of the Morag Axis between Khan Younis and the southern city of Rafah, widening the IDF’s security zone and cutting off Rafah from the rest of the Gaza strip (ABC)
Israel Launches Raid on Balata Refugee Camp in West Bank
Palestinian sources published a video showing Israeli forces entering the refugee camp in the city of Nablus, where soldiers reportedly beat and arrested individuals and surrounded the camp with military vehicles; meanwhile, Israeli strikes on the Shujayea district in Gaza killed at least twenty-nine and left over eighty wounded (Al Jazeera)
Trump, Netanyahu Comment on Gaza
Trump said alongside Netanyahu in the Oval Office yesterday that he would like the war in Gaza to “stop,” as he believed it would in the not “too-distant” future; Netanyahu said Israel was committed to getting hostages out of Gaza and eliminating Hamas (Times of Israel)
Trump reiterated his suggestion that Palestinians be removed from Gaza (Reuters)
Also yesterday, the heads of six UN agencies issued a joint statement calling for a cease-fire and noting that no aid had entered the territory since Israel started blocking it on March 2 (Reuters)
Macron Visits Cairo for Summit on Gaza With Egyptian and Jordanian Leaders
French President Emmanuel Macron met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi ahead of the summit to discuss the situation in Gaza, where Macron reiterated France’s opposition to any relocation or annexation plans for Gaza and its inhabitants; Macron also stated that Hamas “must have no role” in governing Gaza, in line with Egypt’s and the Arab League’s peace proposal (France24)
Meanwhile, medics in Gaza stated that Israeli attacks have killed at least forty-two Palestinians since dawn (Al Jazeera)
Israeli Forces Shoot and Kill Palestinian-American Teenager in West Bank
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated that three “terrorists” hurled rocks toward their vehicle on a highway near Ramallah, which reportedly prompted the IDF soldiers to open fire on the three Palestinian teenagers, killing Omar Rabea in the process (BBC)