DEVELOPING | Tanks reach Rafah's centre as Israel presses assault despite global scrutiny

'Many families have fled their houses': Rafah residents under fire  

Residents said the Tel Al-Sultan area, the scene of Sunday's deadly strike, was still being heavily bombarded.  

"Tank shells are falling everywhere in Tel Al-Sultan. Many families have fled their houses in western Rafah under fire throughout the night," one resident told Reuters via a chat app.  

Around one million people have fled the Israeli offensive in Rafah since early May, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) reported on Tuesday.  

Reacting to Sunday night's attack in a camp where families displaced from assaults elsewhere in Gaza had sought shelter, global leaders urged the implementation of a World Court order to halt Israel's assault.  

Israel has kept up attacks despite a ruling by the top UN court on Friday ordering it to stop, arguing that the court's ruling grants it some scope for military action there.  

- Reuters

This handout picture released by the Israeli army shows Israeli soldiers during military operations in the Gaza Strip, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

(Photo by Israeli Army/AFP)

Gun battles rage between Israeli forces and Hamas  

Israeli tanks pushed toward western neighbourhoods and took positions on the Zurub hilltop in western Rafah in one of the worst nights of bombardment reported by residents.  

On Tuesday, witnesses reported gun battles between Israeli troops and Hamas-led fighters in the Zurub area.  

Witnesses in Rafah said the Israeli military appeared to have brought in remote-operated armoured vehicles and there was no immediate sign of personnel in or around them.  

An Israeli military spokesperson had no immediate response.  

Since Israel launched its incursion by taking control of the border crossing with Egypt three weeks ago, tanks had probed around the edges of Rafah and entered some of its eastern districts but had not yet entered the city in full force.  

- Reuters

Phillip de Wet | One ICC prosecutor – and the US – is offering SA a gift. Will it accept?

South Africa once set out to destroy the International Criminal Court. But now it can save itself a lot of money, and lives, as long as ego doesn't get in the way, writes Phillip de Wet.

Israel Foreign Minister Israel Katz says Spain's Sanchez partner in 'incitement to Jewish genocide'  

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz accused Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez of being a "partner to incitement" to Jewish "genocide" on Tuesday as Madrid prepared to recognise the State of Palestine.  

"You are a partner to incitement to genocide of the Jewish people", Katz wrote on X, while making a parallel between Spanish minister Yolanda Diaz on the one hand, and Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei and Hamas Gaza chief Yahya Sinwar on the other following her call for a free Palestine, "from the river to the sea".  

- AFP

Palestinians gather at the site of an Israeli strike on a camp for internally displaced people in Rafah, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas militant group.  

The Palestinian Authority and the militant group Hamas said Israeli strikes on a centre for displaced people killed dozens near the southern city of Rafah, while the Israeli army said it had targeted Hamas militants.

(Photo by Eyad Baba/AFP)

Tanks reach Rafah's centre as Israel presses assault despite global scrutiny  

Israeli tanks reached the centre of Rafah for the first time on Tuesday, witnesses said, three weeks into a ground operation in the southern Gaza city that has sparked global condemnation.  

The tanks were spotted near Al-Awda mosque, a central Rafah landmark, the witnesses told Reuters.

The Israeli military said its forces continued to operate in the Rafah area without commenting on reported advancements into the city centre.  

Overnight, its forces pounded the city with airstrikes and tank fire, residents said, pressing its offensive despite an international outcry over an attack on Sunday that sparked a blaze in a tent camp, killing at least 45 Palestinians, more than half of them children, women and the elderly.  

Since that strike, at least 26 more people have been killed by Israeli fire in Rafah, officials in the enclave run by Hamas militants said.  

- Reuters

China expresses 'grave concern' over Israel's military operations in Rafah  

China expressed on Tuesday "grave concern" over Israel's military operations in Rafah, where an Israeli strike killed dozens in a displaced persons camp.  

China "expresses its grave concern over the ongoing Israeli military operations in Rafah", foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said, urging "all parties to protect civilians and civilian facilities".  

- AFP

'Give Israel a fair chance': No need for international courts, Israel's top lawyers say

Israel does not require the likes of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to get involved in the Gaza war, because it can and will prosecute those in its ranks who are responsible for war crimes, the top lawyers for its government and military told a conference on Monday.

Israel slams move to recognise Palestinian state  

Israel has slammed the announced move to recognise Palestinian statehood as a "reward" for the Palestinian Islamist Hamas movement that rules Gaza.  

Spain, Ireland and Norway will formally recognise a Palestinian state on Tuesday.  

"It is the only way to move toward the solution that we all recognise as the only possible way to achieve a peaceful future: That of a Palestinian state living side-by-side with the state of Israel in peace and security," said Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.  

He insisted that the move also demonstrated Spain's rejection of Hamas, which does not accept Israel's right to exist and whose unprecedented attacks on 7 October sparked the Gaza war.  

"This decision also reflects our outright rejection of Hamas, which is against the two-state solution," he said.  

- AFP

A protestor holds a sign reading "Rafah, Stop genocide" during a pro-Palestinian demonstration, in front of the Foreign Affairs ministry in Madrid, on 27 May 2024.

The Spanish government demanded on 25 May that Israel comply with an order by the top UN court to immediately stop its bombardment and ground assault on the Gazan city of Rafah.

(Photo by Thomas Coex/AFP)

Recognising Palestinian statehood 'essential for reaching peace', says Sanchez  

Recognising Palestinian statehood is an "essential" step for achieving peace in the Middle East, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Tuesday, with his government poised to formally take the step alongside Ireland and Norway.  

"Recognition of the state of Palestine is not only a matter of historic justice... is it also an essential requirement if we are all to achieve peace," he said in a brief address before meeting his cabinet, insisting it was "not against anyone, least of all Israel".  

He insisted that the move also demonstrated Spain's rejection of Hamas, which does not accept Israel's right to exist and whose unprecedented attacks on 7 October sparked the Gaza war.  

- AFP

'This horror must stop': Israel faces condemnation after Gaza strike kills 45

Israel faced a wave of international condemnation on Monday over a strike that Gaza officials said killed 45 people when it set off a fire that ripped through a tent city for displaced Palestinians.

Palestinians gather at the site of an Israeli strike on a camp for internally displaced people in Rafah, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas militant group.  

The Palestinian Authority and the militant group Hamas said Israeli strikes on a centre for displaced people killed dozens near the southern city of Rafah on 26 May, while the Israeli army said it had targeted Hamas militants.

(Photo by Eyad Baba/AFP)

'Gut-wrenching images': US Democrats pressure Biden on Israel  

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a prominent Democratic lawmaker in the House of Representatives, on Monday called the Israeli strike on Rafah "an indefensible atrocity", adding in a social media post that "it is long past time for the President to live up to his word and suspend military aid."  

"Horrific and gut-wrenching images coming out of Rafah last night," Representative Ayanna Pressley said in a social media post.  

"How much longer will the US stand by while the Israeli military slaughters and mutilates Palestinian babies?"  

Representative Rashida Tlaib, the only Palestinian-American serving in Congress, called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a "genocidal maniac".  

Netanyahu on Monday said the strike was not intended to cause civilian casualties but went "tragically wrong."  

A National Security Council spokesperson said the US government was "actively engaging" with the Israeli military and others on the ground to assess what happened.  

Almost half of Democratic voters disapprove of Biden's handling of the Israel-Hamas war, according to a recent poll from Reuters/Ipsos.  

Weeks of campus protests about the war have added to the pressure, and wider demands for a permanent ceasefire have put Biden's re-election campaign on the defensive.  

- Reuters

Biden tells Israel to protect civilians after Rafah strike  

The Biden administration told Israel to take every precaution to protect civilians after a military strike in Rafah killed dozens of Palestinians, as it faced calls from some fellow Democrats to halt military shipments to Israel.  

"Israel has a right to go after Hamas, and we understand this strike killed two senior Hamas terrorists who are responsible for attacks against Israeli civilians," a National Security Council spokesperson said.  

"But as we've been clear, Israel must take every precaution possible to protect civilians."  

Biden has faced increasing pressure from within his own party to scale back support for Israel, even before the airstrike on Sunday night that set tents and rickety metal shelters ablaze in a Rafah camp, killing 45 people.  

- Reuters

Israel PM says deadly Rafah strike a 'tragic accident'

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday a deadly strike that hit a displacement camp in Gaza's Rafah was a "tragic accident" which his government was "investigating".

"In Rafah, we evacuated a million uninvolved residents, and despite our best efforts a tragic accident happened yesterday (Sunday)," Netanyahu told parliament, adding that "we are investigating the case and will draw the conclusions" after Gaza officials reported 45 dead as the Israeli strike caused a fire.

- AFP

Canada raises cap on Gaza visas 5-fold

Canada has raised its cap for special visas for Gazans with family in Canada from 1 000 to 5 000, even though movement is not technically possible. 

But now Canada will be ready to help more people if the situation changes, its immigration minister said.

Egypt says border guard killed near Rafah

Egypt's military said Monday a border guard was killed in a shooting in the Rafah border area with Gaza, where Israeli forces are deployed, adding that a probe had been launched.

"The Egyptian armed forces, through the competent authorities, are investigating a shooting incident in the Rafah border area which led to the martyrdom of a guard," a military statement said.

The Israeli military reported a "shooting incident" on the Egyptian border, and said it was discussing the incident with Egypt.

- AFP

Israeli military prosecutor says 'very grave' Rafah incident being investigated  

Israel's top military prosecutor described as "very grave" on Monday an air strike on Rafah which according to Gaza health authorities killed dozens of Palestinian civilians, and said an after-action investigation by the armed forces continued.  

"The details of the incident are still under an investigation, which we are committed to conducting to the fullest extent," Major-General Yifat Tomer Yerushalmi told a conference hosted by the Israel Bar Association.  

"The IDF (Israel Defence Forces) regrets any harm to non-combatants during the war."  

- Reuters

A Palestinian man walks past a destroyed building in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Hamas militant group continues.

(Photo by Eyad Baba/AFP)

Egypt condemns Israel's 'deliberate bombardment' of Rafah displaced  

Egypt on Monday condemned what it called the "deliberate bombardment by Israeli forces of displaced peoples' tents" in Rafah, in strikes which Gaza's civil defence agency said killed at least 40 people.  

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry issued a statement calling on Israel to "implement the measures ordered by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) concerning an immediate cessation of military operations" in Rafah.  

The ministry condemned the strike as "a new flagrant violation of the provisions of international humanitarian law".  

It deplored the "tragic event" and denounced the "targeting of defenceless civilians" and "a systematic policy aimed at widening the scope of death and destruction in the Gaza Strip to make it uninhabitable".  

Jordan also expressed its condemnation, accusing Israel of committing "ongoing war crimes".  

Amman said the bombardment in Rafah "defies the rulings of the International Court of Justice and constitutes a severe violation of international law and international humanitarian law".  

The Palestinian presidency and Hamas have accused Israel of committing a "massacre" by targeting a centre for displaced people near Rafah, in the far south of the Gaza Strip.  

Israel's army said it had killed two senior Hamas officials in an air strike on a compound in the city and said it was aware of reports that civilians had been harmed in the incident and that it was "under review".  

"The strike was carried out against legitimate targets under international law", it said.  

- AFP

Israeli troop deaths in Gaza now at 289

The Israeli military on Sunday announced the death of a soldier in north Gaza, taking to 289 the number of troops killed since Israel began its ground offensive in late October.  

As the war ground on, the families of hostages still held by militants have piled pressure on Netanyahu to secure a deal to free them.  

Washington has also taken a tougher line with its close ally as outrage over the war and US support for Israel has become a major issue for Biden, seeking re-election in a battle against Donald Trump.  

With more strikes reported Sunday across Gaza, Israel's military said it had destroyed "over 50 terror targets" over the past 24 hours.  

Fighting has centred on Rafah, where it launched a ground operation in early May despite widespread opposition over concerns for civilians sheltering there.  

- AFP  

Egyptian trucks carrying humanitarian aid bound for the Gaza Strip wait near the Rafah border crossing on the Egyptian side on 26 May 2024, amid the ongoing conflict in the Palestinian territory between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.  

Aid trucks from Egypt began entering the Gaza Strip on Sunday through the Israeli-controlled Kerem Shalom crossing, state-linked media Al-Qahera News reported.

(Photo by AFP)

World Court ruling on Gaza is binding, Germany's Baerbock says  

The World Court ruling urging Israel to immediately halt its military offensive on the southern part of the Gaza strip is binding and must be respected, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said ahead of an EU ministers' meeting on Monday.  

"No Israeli hostage will be freed if more people now have to shelter in tents," Baerbock said, referring to the streams of displaced people following Israel's continued strikes.  

"International humanitarian law applies for all, also for Israel's conduct of the war," she added.  

- Reuters

A stronger Palestinian state 'is in Israel's interest'  

EU members Ireland and Spain, and also Norway, have said they will recognise the State of Palestine from Tuesday, drawing furious Israeli condemnation.  

"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," the European Union's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said.  

Palestinian premier Mohammed Mustafa, whose government is based in the occupied West Bank, said the "first priority" was to support the people in Gaza, especially through a ceasefire, and then "rebuilding the institutions of the Palestinian Authority" in the territory after Hamas seized it from the PA in 2007.  

US President Joe Biden has pushed for renewed international efforts to halt the war, now in its eighth month.  

- AFP

Israel orders Spain to stop consular services for Palestinians from 1 June  

Israel's foreign ministry said on Monday it had told the Spanish consulate in Jerusalem to stop offering consular services to Palestinians from 1 June over Madrid's recognition of a Palestinian state.  

The ministry said in a statement that Spain's consulate in Jerusalem is "authorised to provide consular services to residents of the consular district of Jerusalem only, and is not authorised to provide services or perform consular activity vis-a-vis residents of the Palestinian Authority".  

- AFP

Israel war cabinet discusses Gaza war, Netanyahu accused of 'trying to buy more time'  

A senior Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP the Israeli war cabinet would "discuss a hostage release deal" on Sunday.  

Before the meeting, Netanyahu's office said Hamas chief in Gaza Yahya "Sinwar continues to demand the end of the war, the withdrawal of the IDF (army) from the Gaza Strip and leaving Hamas in place, so that it will be able to carry out the atrocities of 7 October again and again".  

"Prime Minister Netanyahu strongly opposes this," a statement said.  

A member of Hamas' political leadership, Izzat al-Rishq, accused Netanyahu earlier on Sunday of "trying to buy more time to continue the aggression".  

In Brussels, the European Union's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told journalists before meeting Palestinian premier Mohammed Mustafa that a strong Palestinian Authority (PA) was in Israel's interest.  

- AFP

A Palestinian girl, wounded in an Israeli strike on a camp for displaced Gazans, receives treatment at a hospital in Rafah on 26 May 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the militant group Hamas.

(Photo by Eyad Baba/AFP)

Media watchdog files ICC case over journalists' deaths in Gaza  

Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said on Monday it had filed a complaint with the International Criminal Court over Palestinian journalists killed or injured in Gaza.  

RSF said it was asking the ICC's prosecutor to investigate alleged war crimes committed by the Israeli army against at least nine Palestinian reporters since 15 December.  

The ICC said in January it was probing potential crimes against journalists since the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas militants in Gaza, which has cost the lives of more than 100 reporters.  

RSF said it had "reasonable grounds for thinking that some of these journalists were deliberately killed and that the others were the victims of deliberate IDF (Israel Defence Force) attacks against civilians".  

This specific complaint - the third the RSF has made - concerns eight Palestinian journalists killed between 20 December and 20 May, and one other who sustained injuries.  

"All concerned journalists were killed (or injured) in the course of their work," RSF said in a statement.  

- AFP

Ramaphosa calls for Palestinian freedom, sparks controversy with 'from the river to the sea' phrase

President Cyril Ramaphosa deviated from his speech to repeat the controversial "from the river to the sea" slogan at the ANC's Siyanqoba rally at the FNB Stadium on Saturday.

Israeli war cabinet due to meet as Netanyahu 'opposes' ending Gaza conflict  

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday he "strongly opposes" ending the war in Gaza, ahead of his war cabinet meeting amid intense diplomacy to forge a truce and hostage release deal.  

Deadly fighting meanwhile rocked the Gaza Strip, and the Palestine Red Cross posted on X late on Sunday that Israeli aircraft killed or wounded a "large number" of people in a strike on a displacement camp near the far-southern city of Rafah.  

"This location was designated by the Israeli occupation as a humanitarian area," it said.

There was no immediate comment from the military.  

Hamas militants also fired rockets at Israel's commercial hub Tel Aviv for the first time in months, sending people scrambling for shelter.  

Netanyahu has long rejected Hamas' demand in negotiations for a permanent end to the conflict triggered by the Palestinian militant group's 7 October attack and that has left vast areas of besieged Gaza in ruins.  

- AFP

Israeli strikes kill eight people in southern Lebanon

At least eight people were killed on Sunday by Israeli strikes in villages across southern Lebanon, Lebanese security sources said.

They said two people were killed in Aita al-Shaab, three in Houla, two in Yaroun and a driver whose motorcycle was targeted along a main road in Naqoura.

Hezbollah said on Sunday it mourned four of its fighters from Israeli strikes, and that it responded to the attacks by launching dozens of katyusha rockets towards Israeli army reserve units along Israel's northern border.

Fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, running in parallel to the nearly eight-month-long war in Gaza, has been the most intense since 2006.

Increased bombardment from both sides has fuelled concerns of a bigger war between the heavily-armed adversaries.

Hezbollah has repeatedly said that it will cease fire when the Israeli offensive in Gaza stops, but that it is also ready to fight on if Israel continues to attack Lebanon.

-Reuters

Israel war cabinet to discuss new push for Gaza hostage deal

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was 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.

The news came despite more deadly Gaza fighting and a rocket barrage Hamas aimed at Tel Aviv that sent people scrambling for bomb shelters as air defences intercepted projectiles streaking across the sky.

US President Joe Biden has pushed for renewed international efforts to halt the Gaza war, and CIA chief Bill Burns on Friday met Mossad director David Barnea and Qatar's prime minister in Paris.

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 rejected out of hand.

An Israeli senior official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP that "the war cabinet is expected to meet in Jerusalem tonight at 21:00 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 long-standing demand for a permanent cessation of hostilities in all of Gaza as "the foundation and the starting point for anything".

-AFP

Hamas armed wing says fired 'large rocket barrage' at Tel Aviv

The armed wing of Palestinian militant group Hamas said on Sunday it had fired a "large rocket barrage" at Israel's commercial hub of Tel Aviv, with the military reporting it had intercepted several.

The Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades said in a post on Telegram that they had targeted Tel Aviv "with a large rocket barrage in response to the Zionist (Israeli) massacres against civilians".

Israel's army said at least eight rockets were fired towards central areas of the country from Gaza's far-southern city of Rafah, where its forces have been battling Palestinian militants.

The military said that "a number of the projectiles were intercepted " by Israeli air defences.

An AFP correspondent in the Gaza Strip reported seeing rockets being fired from Rafah.

Rocket sirens blared in Tel Aviv for the first time in months, with an AFP correspondent reported hearing at least three blasts.

The war in Gaza broke out after Hamas' 7 October attack on southern Israel, which resulted in the deaths of more than 1 170 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.

Militants also took 252 hostages, 121 of whom remain in Gaza, including 37 the army says are dead.

Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed at least 35 984 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry.

-AFP

Netanyahu under pressure over Hamas hostages  

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has come under increasing domestic pressure over the fate of the hostages, with demonstrators rallying again in Tel Aviv on Saturday.  

In recent days, the bodies of seven dead hostages have been retrieved from Gaza, heightening the fear and pain of relatives of the remaining captives.  

In Tel Aviv, a crowd of several thousand observed a minute of silence on Saturday for dead captives.  

"I feared this moment," Avivit Yablonka, whose brother Chanan was brought back dead from Gaza, told the rally.

"I will continue to shout, support, fight and do everything so that all the hostages return home."  

- AFP

UN warns of famine in Gaza  

The UN has warned of looming famine in Gaza, where most hospitals are no longer functioning.  

In the latest fighting, Gaza's civil defence agency said on Sunday it had retrieved six bodies after a house was targeted in a strike on Rafah's eastern Khirbet al-Adas neighbourhood.  

Witnesses said Israeli artillery had also targeted central Rafah's Yibna camp, and that heavy artillery shelling hit the city's Sooq al-Halal and Qishta neighbourhoods.  

The war broke out after Hamas' 7 October attack on southern Israel, which resulted in the deaths of more than 1 170 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.  

Militants also took 252 hostages, 121 of whom remain in Gaza, including 37 the army says are dead.  

Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed at least 35 903 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry.  

- AFP

Egypt pushes mediation efforts in Israel-Hamas war  

Mediator Egypt was continuing "its efforts to reactivate ceasefire negotiations", said Al-Qahera News, which has links with Egyptian intelligence.  

Israeli media has said intelligence chief David Barnea had agreed a new framework for talks on a ceasefire in a meeting with America's CIA chief and Qatari mediators in Paris.  

An Israeli official, requesting anonymity, told AFP on Saturday that "there is an intention to renew these talks this week."  

However, senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan told Qatar's Al Jazeera network that so far "there is nothing practical on this issue. It is just talk coming from the Israeli side."  

- AFP

Israel fights Hamas in Gaza but says ready for new truce talks  

Israel's armed forces bombarded Gaza on Sunday, but officials also said diplomatic efforts were expected to resume in coming days toward a truce and hostage release deal.  

Air strikes and artillery shelling rained down again overnight on northern, central and southern area of Gaza in the more than seven-month-old war sparked by Hamas' 7 October attack.  

Fighting has centred on the far-southern city of Rafah, where Israel has vowed to destroy the last remaining Hamas battalions despite a chorus of international opposition to a ground invasion of the city.  

Israel's assault there from early May led Egypt to shut its side of the Rafah border crossing - but on Sunday, aid trucks from Egypt again rolled into Gaza, this time via the nearby Kerem Shalom crossing.  

US President Joe Biden said Saturday his administration was engaged in "urgent diplomacy to secure an immediate ceasefire that brings hostages home".  

- AFP

Aid trucks from Egypt enter Gaza via Kerem Shalom crossing: media  

Aid trucks from Egypt began entering the Gaza Strip on Sunday through the Israeli-controlled Kerem Shalom crossing, state-linked media Al-Qahera News reported.  

A total of "200 trucks" had moved from the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing, which has been shut since early May when Israel seized the Palestinian side of the terminal, to the Kerem Shalom crossing.  

Al-Qahera News did not specify how many trucks had made their way through inspection into besieged Gaza, but said "four fuel trucks" had already crossed and were heading to hospitals.  

- AFP

97 trucks passed into Gaza from US-built pier, says UN  

The UN World Food Programme "took possession of 97 trucks since the floating dock came into operation" on 17 May, Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for UN chief Antonio Guterres, told reporters on Friday.  

In the first few days of deliveries, desperate people made off with the contents of some trucks heading to warehouses, but the situation has now stabilised, he said.  

CENTCOM said 1 005 metric tonnes of aid had been delivered from the sea to the beach transfer point as of Friday, with 903 metric tonnes distributed from the transfer point to the UN warehouse.  

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.  

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.  

- AFP

Four US Army vessels run aground near Gaza pier: CENTCOM  

Four US Army vessels supporting the temporary pier built to deliver aid to Gaza have run aground in heavy seas and Israel is aiding a recovery effort, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Saturday.  

"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.  

Gaza is suffering through its bloodiest ever war, which broke out after Hamas' unprecedented 7 October attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of more than 1 170 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures.  

Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed at least 35 800 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry.  

- AFP

Hamas says it captured Israeli soldiers in Gaza; Israel denies it     

A spokesperson for Hamas' armed wing said on Sunday its fighters had captured Israeli soldiers during fighting in Jabalia in northern Gaza on Saturday, though the Israeli military denied the claim.  

The Hamas armed wing spokesperson did not say how many soldiers had been abducted and showed no proof of the claim.  

"Our fighters lured a Zionist force into an ambush inside a tunnel ... The fighters withdrew after they left all members of the force dead, wounded, and captured," Abu Ubaida, the spokesperson for Al Qassam Brigades, said in a recorded message broadcast by Al Jazeera early on Sunday.  

The Israeli military on Sunday denied the claim by Hamas' armed wing.  

"The IDF (Israeli Defence Forces) clarifies that there is no incident in which a soldier was abducted," the military said in a statement.  

Hamas released a video that appeared to show a bloodied person being dragged along the ground in a tunnel and photos of military fatigue and rifle.  

Reuters could not independently verify the identity of the person shown in the video nor his or her condition.  

- Reuters

Gaza ceasefire talks could soon resume, but Israel-Hamas war rages on

Prospects for a resumption of mediated Gaza ceasefire talks grew on Saturday, although Israel carried out new attacks in which Palestinian medics said more than 40 people were killed.

An official with knowledge of the matter said the talks had been decided to resume next week after the head of Israel's Mossad intelligence agency met the head of the CIA and the prime minister of Qatar.

The source, who declined to be identified by name or nationality, said it had been decided that "in the coming week, negotiations will open based on new proposals led by the mediators, Egypt and Qatar and with active US involvement.

"A Hamas official later denied Israeli media reports that the talks would resume in Cairo on Tuesday, telling Reuters: "There is no date".

After more than seven months of war in Gaza, the mediators have struggled to secure a breakthrough, with Israel seeking the release of hostages held by Hamas and Hamas seeking an end to the war and a release of Palestinian prisoners in Israel.

Israel pressed on with its offensive in Gaza to eliminate the Palestinian Islamist militant group Hamas after the top United Nations court ordered Israel on Friday to stop attacking the southern city of Gaza.

Israel says it wants to root out Hamas fighters holed up in Rafah and rescue hostages it says are being held in the area, but its assault has worsened the plight of civilians and caused an international outcry.

In northern Gaza, where the Israeli military says it is trying to prevent Hamas from reestablishing its hold, Palestinian medical workers reported new Israeli airstrikes that they said killed at least 17 people.

Abu Mohammad said he had been taking shelter with his family at a school in Gaza City's Saftawi suburb with other families when an Israeli missile struck a yard and outside a classroom where women were preparing bread."We were sitting peacefully, then there was boom, a missile from a controlled drone, or a regular drone, but it did massive damage," he told Reuters. He said several people were killed, adding: "Even schools are not safe anymore."The Israeli military said it was looking into the report.

Palestinian medics said 45 Palestinians had been killed in the past day across Gaza. They do not distinguish between civilian and militant casualties.

Nearly 36,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's offensive, Gaza's health ministry says. Israel began the operation in response to Hamas-led militants attacking southern Israeli communities on 7 October, killing around 1 200 people and seizing more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

Hamas and the smaller armed group Islamic Jihad said their fighters had fired anti-tank rockets and mortar bombs at Israeli soldiers in the north.

The Israeli military said its troops in the northern district of Jabalia killed dozens of militants in close combat and airstrikes. Residents and civil emergency services there said Israeli tanks moving deep in Jabalia destroyed dozens of houses, shops, and roads.

Further south, the Israeli military said that on Friday, it had killed militants, taken down part of Hamas' tunnel system and found weapon stashes in Rafah, where its forces operated in what it said were specific areas.

Earlier in the war, Rafah became a refuge for Gazans fleeing fighting elsewhere. After Rafah became a target as well, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fled the city.

So far, fighting has occurred on Rafah's southern edge and eastern districts, away from the most populated areas.

Friday's ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) is binding, but the court has no enforcement powers and has been ignored.

Israeli officials said on Saturday that the World Court's order does not rule out all military action in the area. 

- Reuters

Gaza ceasefire talks could soon resume but Israel-Hamas war rages on

Prospects for a resumption of mediated Gaza ceasefire talks grew on Saturday although Israel carried out new attacks in which Palestinian medics said more than 40 people were killed.

An official with knowledge of the matter said a decision had been taken to resume the talks next week after the chief of Israel's Mossad intelligence agency met the head of the CIA and the prime minister of Qatar.

The source, who declined to be identified by name or nationality, said it had been decided that "in the coming week negotiations will open based on new proposals led by the mediators, Egypt and Qatar and with active US involvement."

- Reuters

World Court's order on Rafah does not rule out entire offensive, Israel says

Israel considers that an order by the World Court to halt its military offensive on Rafah in southern Gaza allows room for some military action there, Israeli officials said.

In an emergency ruling in South Africa's case accusing Israel of genocide, judges at the International Court of Justice ordered Israel on Friday to immediately halt its assault on Rafah, where Israel says it is rooting out Hamas fighters.

"What they are asking us, is not to commit genocide in Rafah. We did not commit genocide and we will not commit genocide," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's national security adviser, Tzachi Hanegbi, told Israel's N12 TV on Saturday.

- Reuters