Live updates: Israeli airstrikes in Gaza kill at least 14, medics say
Israeli airstrikes killed at least 14 people in the Gaza Strip, hospital officials said Friday, while Hamas was reviewing a new Israeli-approved ceasefire proposal after giving it an initial cool response.
President Donald Trump's Mideast envoy had expressed optimism this week about brokering an agreement that could halt the Israel-Hamas war, allow more aid into Gaza, and return more of the 58 hostages still held by Hamas, around a third of whom are alive.
Experts say a nearly three-month Israeli blockade of Gaza — slightly eased in recent days — has pushed the population of roughly 2 million Palestinians to the brink of famine.
Israel's war in Gaza has killed around 54,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its tally. The war began with Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which left around 1,200 dead.
Here's the latest:
At least 14 dead in Gaza strikes, medics say
Hospital officials and paramedics say Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip have killed at least 14 people and wounded others.
Officials at Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza said the bodies of 12 people, including three women, were brought Friday from the nearby Jabaliya refugee camp.
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said the bodies of two people as well as nine others who were wounded were taken to Al-Quds Hospital in Gaza City. It said one of the wounded is a doctor who works at the same hospital.
Hamas reviewing a new ceasefire proposal
Hamas said Friday it was reviewing a new Israeli-approved ceasefire proposal.
The White House said Thursday that Israel accepted a new U.S. proposal for a temporary ceasefire with Hamas. Hamas officials, however, gave the draft a cool response, saying that it seeks to perpetuate Israel's policies of killing and starving people in Gaza. Still, the group said it was going to thoroughly review it.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has refused to end the war until all the hostages are released and Hamas is either destroyed or disarmed and sent into exile.
Hamas has said it will only release the remaining hostages for a lasting ceasefire and a full Israeli withdrawal.
Netanyahu undergoes a routine colonoscopy
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu underwent a routine colonoscopy on Friday morning in Jerusalem, his office said.
The office did not provide further information about whether Netanyahu was moderately sedated or under general anesthesia for the procedure.
Netanyahu, 75, underwent successful surgery in December to have his prostate removed.
Netanyahu has gone to great lengths to bolster a public image of himself as a healthy, energetic leader, as he manages multiple crises including the war in Gaza and his trial for alleged corruption, despite a series of recent health setbacks.
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27 minutes ago
- UPI
Hamas to release 10 alive hostages in response to U.S. cease-fire plan
1 of 2 | An internally displaced Palestinian girl stands as she plays on the streets of Gaza City, northern Gaza Strip, on April 14. File photo by Mohammed Saber/ EPA-EFE May 31 (UPI) -- Militant Hamas said Saturday it would release 10 living hostages and 18 bodies in return for Israel's release of Palestinian prisoners and ending the war that began in October 2023. Steve Witkoff, who is President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy, on Thursday submitted his proposal to mediators from Qatar and Egypt. "As part of this agreement, 10 living Israeli prisoners held by the resistance will be released, in addition to the return of eighteen bodies, in exchange for an agreed-upon number of Palestinian prisoners," Hamas said in a statement obtained by CNN. The group said it came to the decision "after conducting a round of national consultations." "This proposal aims to achieve a permanent cease-fire, a comprehensive withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, and ensure the flow of aid to our people and our families in the Gaza Strip," Hamas said in a statement also obtained by The Guardian. The Hamas response is similar to an earlier proposal to release 10 hostages, as well as a number of hostages' remains during the cease-fire in exchange for 1,100 Palestinian prisoners. An unidentified Israeli official told Israeli reporters in Saturday that they are treating Hamas' response as an "effective rejection." Fifty-eight hostages are believed to still be alive. A total of 146 Israeli hostages have been freed or rescued from Gaza, including 25 during the truce. The U.S. proposal called for a 60-day pause in fighting and renewed efforts toward long-term peace, as well as guarantees from Israel that it will not resume its offensive after Hamas releases hostages. Negotiations toward a permanent ceasefire would begin immediately on the first day of the 60-day truce, according to the proposal. Israeli negotiators accepted the deal, but Hamas has not backed it. On Thursday, Hamas official Basem Naim said the U.S. proposal "does not respond to any of our people's demands," including lifting the humanitarian blockade on the Gaza Strip that has led to famine-like conditions among 2 million. Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz on Friday threatened Hamas if it did not accept. "The Hamas murderers will now be forced to choose: accept the terms of the 'Witkoff deal' for the release of the hostages -- or be annihilated," Katz said. A cease-fire lasted from Jan. 19 to March 1. Israel refused to move to a planned second phase that could have led to a permanent end to the war. Israel began fighting, including airstrikes. In a ramped-up offensive, at least 60 people have been killed by Israeli strikes in Gaza over the last 24 hours, Hamas-run health officials said. And 72 were killed on Thursday. Negotiators have made little progress. "Negotiations are ongoing on the current proposal," Qatar's ambassador to the United Nations, Ayla Ahmed Saif al-Thani said Friday. He noted the mediators from Qatar are "very determined to find an ending to the horrific situation in Gaza." For three months, Israel's blockade has stopped virtually all humanitarian aid into Gaza. "After nearly 80 days of a total blockade, communities are starving - and they are no longer willing to watch food pass them by," the World Food Program said on Saturday. The United Nations aid agency was allowed to bring 77 trucks loaded with flour into Gaza overnight, but the trucks were stopped by crowds of hungry people. Lindsey Hutchison of Plan International said "having the military control aid and choose who they distribute it to in limited ways completely violates the way humanitarian operations are supposed to be conducted." She said the situation is not working. "We saw chaos and despair at the distribution site, which is frankly masquerading as a humanitarian aid scheme. That's not what this is," she told Al Jazeera from New York. More than 54,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the war began Oct. 7, 2023. Israel retaliated for a Hamas attack on the same da in which about 1,200 people were killed and 250 taken hostage.
New York Post
28 minutes ago
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Greta Thunberg to sail to Gaza on humanitarian ship as critics beg her to stay with Hamas:' Let's hope it's a one-way voyage'
Swedish activist Greta Thunberg will sail to Gaza this weekend aboard a humanitarian aid ship — a voyage critics are urging her to buy a one-way ticket for. The 22-year-old climate advocate, along with several other high-profile activists, will embark on the 'Madleen' from Catania, Sicily on Sunday to deliver vital supplies to the Palestinian people in Gaza and protest Israel's months-long blockade there. The World Health Organization has warned that Gaza is at risk of famine because of the blockade, with three-quarters of its population suffering 'emergency' or 'catastrophic' food deprivation. Advertisement 3 Greta Thunberg will sail to Gaza aboard a humanitarian ship this weekend. Getty Images 'The world cannot be silent bystanders,' Thunberg said about the mission, run by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC). 'This silence and passivity that we are seeing from most of the world is deadly. We are seeing a systematic starvation of 2 million people. Every single one of us has a moral obligation to do everything we can to fight for a free Palestine.' Advertisement It will mark the second attempt in as many months by FCC activists — the 'Conscience' was attacked by drones on May 2 in international waters off the coast of Malta. The FFC alleged that Israel was responsible for the attack, which prevented the ship from making its journey, a claim the Jewish State has neither confirmed nor denied. 3 The 'Madleen' will bring food and supplies to the Palestinian people. ORIETTA SCARDINO/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock 'Game of Thrones' actor Liam Cunningham and European Member of Parliament Rima Hassan will also be aboard the 'Madleen,' but critics zeroed in on Thunberg's participation — with many suggesting the young activist stay put in the warzone. Advertisement Sky News Australia host Danica De Giorgio named Thunberg her 'big loser of the week.' 'She's sailing to Gaza like it's some sort of idyllic holiday destination,' De Giorgio seethed. 'She really is annoying at all times.' 'She's such an urban terrorist herself, she'll fit right in. But also I'm wondering if it's a secret deal from the Israelis — all the Hamas terrorists will leave if she's inflicted on them. Wouldn't you?' added guest Prue MacSween of Verve Communications. 3 Sky News Australia host Danica De Giorgio, left, with guest Verve Communications' Prue MacSween, named Thunberg the 'big loser of the week.' Sky News Australia Advertisement 'This girl is not well, I believe, and let's just hope she stays over there. I think that would be a good thing.' Critics online shared the same sentiment. 'I hope she stay in Gaza,' one user wrote. 'Let's hope it's a one-way voyage,' said another. Thunberg's trip comes as Hamas is reportedly calling for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to remain in discussions on a permanent cease-fire after an initial release of hostages is completed as part of a US-backed 60-day peace proposal handed over to the terror group. US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff received Hamas' response Saturday that demanded the US make it more difficult for the Jewish State to resume fighting if a permanent ceasefire is not reached within the truce timeline, a source told The Times of Israel, indicating that more changes could delay the talks.
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Hamas responds to ceasefire proposal, reiterates demands
Hamas said it has submitted a response to the latest ceasefire proposal by U.S. Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff to mediators on Saturday, reiterating its key demands. Hamas' key demands are "to achieve a permanent ceasefire, a complete withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, and ensure the continuous flow of humanitarian aid," according to the group. The group's demands remain the same as in previous ceasefire negotiations. Hamas said its hostage exchange proposal would involve the release of 10 living hostages and the bodies of 18 dead hostages, in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
