US aid ships face trouble in Gaza due to heavy seas
As Joe Biden boasted about US aid efforts in Gaza during his West Point military academy commencement speech, saying that the US army and navy has built a temporary pier in the Mediterranean “in record time” to deliver aid to Palestinians, efforts on the ground tell a different story.
On Saturday, US Centcom announced that four US army vessels were affected by “heavy sea states”:
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. Efforts to recover the vessels are under way with assistance from the Israeli navy.
No US personnel will enter Gaza and no injuries have been reported. The pier remains fully functional, US Centcom added, saying that it will release additional updates as they come.
Key events
Israel’s invasion of Rafah appears to continue as hostage bodies are recovered.
The Guardian’s Bethan McKernan reports:
Israel appears to be forging ahead with its offensive on the southern Gaza city of Rafah, despite a new ruling from the UN’s top court to halt the assault, which it said is worsening an already “disastrous” humanitarian crisis.
About 900,000 people have fled Rafah, previously the shelter of last resort for 85% of the Gaza Strip’s 2.3 million population, since the Israeli ground operation in the area began on 6 May. At the same time, deliveries of humanitarian supplies and fuel to the Palestinian territory have slowed to a trickle, with the two main aid crossings – Rafah, on the border with Egypt, and nearby Kerem Shalom, a goods crossing linking Gaza with Israel – effectively blocked by the fighting.
On Friday, the International Court of Justice in The Hague (ICJ), which arbitrates disputes between nations, made its third intervention in the conflict so far, ordering Israel to immediately stop its Rafah operation.
The court president Nawaf Salam said when announcing the 13-2 majority ruling, that Israel is obliged under the UN’s genocide convention not to inflict “conditions of life that would bring about [the Palestinian people’s] physical destruction in whole or in part”.
But Israeli airstrikes on the south and eastern edges of Rafah appeared to escalate even as the ICJ delivered its decision, residents and medics said, as Israeli ground troops edge closer to the overcrowded city centre. Another 30 Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire in the last 24 hours, Palestinian medics reported on Saturday; battles are also ongoing in northern and central parts of the Strip such as Jabalia and Zeitoun, where forces belonging to the Palestinian militant group Hamas have regrouped.
For the full story, click here:
A small group of Australians are hoping to set sail and deliver aid to Palestinians in Gaza.
The Guardian’s Rafqa Touma reports:
“My core worry is dying, being killed,” Surya McEwen says.
The Australian care worker is calling from a hotel room in Istanbul, where he is waiting with doctors, nurses, lawyers and activists to set sail on the Gaza “freedom flotilla”, which hopes to deliver aid to Palestinians under Israeli bombardment.
Two other Australians, Daniel Coward and Helen O’Sullivan, are also waiting to sail with the flotilla.
The mission – challenging Israel’s control over the entry of humanitarian assistance into Gaza – involves a hierarchy of worry. After the fear of death comes the fear of being arrested, McEwen says. “The way that happens, when it happens, is not a happy picture.
“But that is personal worry in the context of millions of people in unimaginably devastating situations,” he says. “Our worry is more for the people in Gaza and the West Bank than it is for ourselves.”
The plan is for one large cargo ship and two passenger ships to sail from Istanbul, explains James Godfrey, a spokesperson for Free Gaza Australia which is a branch of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition.
For the full story, click here:
PalTel, or Palestine Telecommunications, announced internet blackouts across Gaza City and the northern Gaza Strip due to Israeli bombardment.
In a post on X on Saturday evening, PalTel said that its crew was working on restoring services as quickly as possible.
أهلنا الكرام في قطاع غزة الحبيب،
نأسف للإعلان عن انقطاع خدمات الإنترنت الثابت في مدينة غزة وشمال القطاع، بسبب العدوان المستمر.
طواقمنا تعمل جاهدة على إعادة الخدمات بأسرع وقت ممكن.حماكم الله وحمى بلادنا
— Paltel (@Paltelco) May 25, 2024
Since Israel launched its war on Gaza last October, communication blackouts have been frequent across the strip, leaving thousands of surviving Palestinians trapped in the dark and unable to communicate with their families amid Israel’s aerial bombardment.
A Hamas official denied on Saturday Israeli media reports that Gaza ceasefire talks would resume in Cairo on Tuesday, according to Reuters.
“There is no date,” the Hamas official said, Reuters reports.
The International Court of Justice’s order to Israel does not rule out the entire offensive, Israel says.
Following the ICJ’s ruling on Friday ordering Israel to halt its invasion on Rafah, an Israeli official told Reuters anonymously: “The order in regard to the Rafah operation is not a general order.”
Also, speaking to Israel’s N12 TV on Saturday, Tzachi Hanegbi, Benjamin Netanyahu’s national security adviser, denied that Israel, which has killed nearly 36,000 Palestinians since October, is committing genocide in Gaza, saying:
What they are asking us, is not to commit genocide in Rafah. We did not commit genocide and we will not commit genocide … According to international law, we have the right to defend ourselves and the evidence is that the court is not preventing us from continuing to defend ourselves,.
Hanegbi’s comments come as Israel becomes increasingly isolated on the world stage as several European countries including Spain, Norway and Ireland moved to back Palestinian statehood this week amid Israel’s war on Gaza.
Earlier this year, South Africa launched a case against Israel in the ICJ, accusing it of carrying out genocide in Gaza where more than 2 million Palestinian survivors have been forcibly displaced to “safe zones” that Israel has repeatedly attacked.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha) has once again reiterated its calls for all land routes to be opened in order for humanitarian aid to be delivered into Gaza.
In a video posted on X, Ocha employee Olga Cherevko said:
When a crisis is as severe as it is in Gaza, what does the response look like? With resources scant and supply network unreliable, humanitarian partners have to be quick and creative …
We continue to face immense challenges amid extreme insecurity and running out of supplies. Imagine how much more effective we could be if all land routes were to open and this war finally ended?
With scant resources and an unreliable supply network, humanitarians in #Gaza must be quick and creative in delivering aid amid massive challenges.
But for a more effective response, they need all land routes open and an end to the war.
Hear from our colleague, Olga Cherevko 👇 pic.twitter.com/14dOf5qBP4
— UN Humanitarian (@UNOCHA) May 25, 2024
During his West Point military academy speech, Joe Biden briefly mentioned the aid drops carried out by the US air force across Gaza.
“The US air force has conducted food drops bringing tens of thousands of meals to people in Gaza,” Biden said.
The aid drops come as more than 2 million surviving Palestinians face dire humanitarian conditions across Gaza as a result of Israel’s strikes across the strip that have killed nearly 36,000 Palestinians since October.
Israeli restrictions on aid entering Gaza have made life across the narrow strip extremely difficult, with the UN announcing earlier this month that there is a “full-blown famine” now in northern Gaza.
In addition to severe shortages in fuel that have left the few remaining hospitals to operate in the dark, Palestinians are facing restricted access to medical supplies, water and food.
US aid ships face trouble in Gaza due to heavy seas
As Joe Biden boasted about US aid efforts in Gaza during his West Point military academy commencement speech, saying that the US army and navy has built a temporary pier in the Mediterranean “in record time” to deliver aid to Palestinians, efforts on the ground tell a different story.
On Saturday, US Centcom announced that four US army vessels were affected by “heavy sea states”:
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. Efforts to recover the vessels are under way with assistance from the Israeli navy.
No US personnel will enter Gaza and no injuries have been reported. The pier remains fully functional, US Centcom added, saying that it will release additional updates as they come.
Spanish defence minister says Gaza war is ‘real genocide’
Amy Sedghi
The Spanish defence minister said on Saturday that the conflict in Gaza is a “real genocide”, as relations between Israel and Spain worsen after Madrid’s decision to recognise a Palestinian state, reports Reuters.
Reuters said it could not immediately reach Israeli officials for comment on Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath.
Israel has strongly rejected accusations made against it by South Africa at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) that it is committing a genocide against Palestinians, saying it is waging war on the Hamas militant group that attacked Israel on 7 October.
According to Reuters, the remark by Spanish defence minister Margarita Robles in an interview with TVE state television echoed a comment by Spanish deputy prime minister Yolanda Díaz, who earlier this week also described the Gaza conflict as a genocide.
“We cannot ignore what is happening in Gaza, which is a real genocide,” Robles said in the interview, during which she also discussed the Russian invasion of Ukraine and conflicts in Africa.
Reuters reports that Robles also said Madrid’s recognition of Palestine was not a move against Israel, adding that it was designed to help “end violence in Gaza”.
“This is not against anyone, this is not against the Israeli state, this is not against the Israelis, who are people we respect,” she said.
Spain, along with Ireland and Norway, said this week it would recognise a Palestinian state on 28 May, prompting an angry response from Israel, which said it amounted to a “reward for terrorism” and recalled its ambassadors from the three capitals.
Judges at the ICJ, the top UN court, on Friday ordered Israel to immediately halt its military assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah, in a landmark emergency ruling in the case brought by South Africa accusing Israel of genocide.
Joe Biden spoke at the 2024 West Point military academy commencement ceremony, where he briefly mentioned the three US servicemembers killed in a Jordan drone attack in January, saying:
I have always been willing to use force when required to protect our nation, our allies, our core interest. When anyone targets American troops, we will deliver justice to them.
That happened earlier this year, when three heroic members of the US army reserve were killed in an unmanned drone attack in north-east Jordan. In response, we launched dozens of successful airstrikes against Iran-backed militants. And we’ll never forget, honor the memory of those warriors who gave their lives in the fight against terrorism.
Biden did not mention the ICJ’s latest ruling in which the UN’s top court ordered an immediate halt to Israel’s ground invasion of Rafah, nor the growing humanitarian crisis faced by 2 million Palestinians as a result of Israel’s deadly attacks across the strip, which have killed nearly 36,000 Palestinians in the last six months.
Summary of the day so far
It is 5.45pm in Gaza and Tel Aviv. I will shortly be handing the Israel-Gaza war live blog over to the US team.
But first, here are the key developments from today:
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The Spanish government demanded on Saturday that Israel comply with an order by the top UN court to immediately stop its bombardment and ground assault on Rafah. “The precautionary measures set out by the ICJ, including that Israel should cease its military offensive in Rafah, are compulsory. Israel must comply with them,” Spanish foreign minister José Manuel Albares wrote on X. “The same goes for a ceasefire, the release of the hostages and access for humanitarian aid [to Gaza],” he wrote, adding that “the suffering of the people of Gaza and the violence must end”.
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Mediated negotiations between Israel and Hamas to reach a deal to free Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip are due to restart next week, an official with knowledge of the matter said on Saturday. According to Reuters, the decision to restart the talks came after the head of Israel’s the Mossad intelligence agency met the head of the CIA and the prime minister of Qatar, which has been a mediator, said the source, who declined to be identified by name or nationality given the sensitivity of the issue.
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The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, spoke with Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz over the phone about new efforts to achieve a ceasefire and reopen the Rafah border crossing, Washington said. The brief statement from Blinken’s office made no mention of the international court of justice’s (ICJ) ruling, while a White House spokesperson said that “we’ve been clear and consistent on our position on Rafah.”
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French president Emmanuel Macron received the prime minister of Qatar and the Saudi, Egyptian and Jordanian foreign ministers on Friday “to press for a ceasefire”, according to Cairo. The French presidency said they held talks on the Gaza war and ways to set up a Palestinian state alongside Israel.
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The UK government has criticised the ICJ for ordering Israel to immediately halt its military assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah, saying the ruling would strengthen Hamas. “The reason there isn’t a pause in the fighting is because Hamas turned down a very generous hostage deal from Israel. The intervention of these courts – including the ICJ today – will strengthen the view of Hamas that they can hold on to hostages and stay in Gaza,” a UK foreign ministry spokesperson said late on Friday. The spokesperson added: “And if that happens there won’t be either peace, or a two-state solution.”
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Italian foreign minister Antonio Tajani announced on Saturday that Rome would resume funding for the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (Unrwa), at a meeting with Palestinian prime minister Mohammed Mustafa. Tajani said he had informed Mustafa that Rome had “arranged new funding for the Palestinian population, of a total of €35m ($38m)”. He said: “Of this, €5m will be allocated to Unrwa.” The remaining €30m will be allocated to Italy’s “Food for Gaza” initiative in coordination with UN aid agencies.
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In spite of the ICJ ruling, Israel carried out strikes on the Gaza Strip on Saturday morning as fighting raged between the army and Hamas’s armed wing. Palestinian witnesses and AFP teams reported Israeli strikes in Rafah and the central city of Deir al-Balah.
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The Kuwait Speciality hospital in Rafah pleaded for fuel deliveries on Saturday “to ensure its continued operation”, saying it was the only one in Rafah governorate still receiving patients.
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Israeli forces killed more than 30 people in new attacks in the Gaza Strip, Palestinian medical officals said on Saturday. They do not distinguish between civilian and militant casualties.
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The Israeli military said it had carried out “operational activity in specific areas of Rafah” on Friday, including killing militants, dismantling part of Hamas’s tunnel system, and locating stashes of weapons.
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Residents and civil emergency services said Israeli tanks entered deep into the area of Jabalia, destroying dozens of houses, shops, and roads. The Israeli military said its troops in Jabalia “eliminated dozens of terrorists in close-quarters combat and aerial strikes”. Palestinian medical teams were unable to reach the area, where they believed more people were killed.
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Hamas and Islamic Jihad said their fighters had fired anti-tank rockets and mortar bombs at Israeli troops in the north.
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At least 35,903 Palestinians have been killed and 80,420 injured in Israel’s military offensive on Gaza since 7 October, according to the Gaza health ministry’s latest statement on Saturday. The Hamas-run health ministry does not distinguish between combatants and non-combatants.
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Ten Palestinians, including children and women, were killed and several others injured on Saturday in an Israeli airstrike on a house in the city of Beit Hanoun, north of the Gaza Strip, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa. The news agency reported that medical sources had confirmed the death toll and said that 17 others had sustained injuries in the attack. The Guardian has been unable to independently verify the report.
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G7 finance leaders will call on Israel to maintain correspondent banking links between Israeli and Palestinian banks to allow vital transactions, trade and services to continue, according to a draft joint statement seen by Reuters on Saturday. The statement, which Reuters say is to be released at the end of a G7 finance ministers and central bank governors’ meeting in northern Italy, also calls for Israel “to release withheld clearance revenues to the Palestinian Authority, in view of its urgent fiscal needs”.
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An Israeli military strike targeted a family home in Gaza City’s Sabra neighbourhood, killing a woman and injuring other people, reported Al Jazeera on Saturday. It attributed the information to “colleagues on the ground”. The publication, citing the Palestinian news agency Wafa, reported that “numerous other neighbourhoods of Gaza City have come under heavy artillery shelling … including Sheikh Ajlin, Tal al-Hawa and Zeitoun”.
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UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths described Friday’s ICJ ruling as “a moment of clarity”, in a post on social media site X. “At a time when the people of Gaza are staring down famine … it is more critical than ever to heed the calls made over the last seven months: Release the hostages. Agree a ceasefire. End this nightmare,” he wrote.
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An Israeli drone strike in central Syria killed two fighters from Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement on Saturday, a war monitor said. “An Israeli drone fired two missiles at a Hezbollah car and truck near the town of Qusayr in Homs province, as they were on their way to al-Dabaa military airport, killing at least two Hezbollah fighters and wounding others,” said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
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A French court has found three Syrian officials of the regime of Bashar al-Assad guilty of crimes against humanity and war crimes, sentencing them in absentia to life imprisonment on Friday after a landmark trial in Paris.
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A car explosion killed one person in Damascus on Saturday, the official Syrian news agency Sana reported, without identifying the victim. Sana quoted a police official as saying “one person was killed when an explosive device exploded in their car in the Mazzeh district”. It did not provide any other details.
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Yemen’s Houthis postponed the release of about 100 prisoners belonging to government forces that had previously been announced to take place on Saturday. The head of the Houthi Prisoner Affairs Committee, Abdul Qader al-Murtada, said on X that the delay was caused by “technical reasons”.
Further to the earlier report that the Houthis had postponed the release of about 100 prisoners belonging to government forces that had previously been announced to take place on Saturday (see 14.07 BST), Reuters has published some additional information.
The head of the Houthi Prisoner Affairs Committee, Abdul Qader al-Murtada, said on X that the delay was caused by “technical reasons”.
Al-Murtada said on Friday that the group would release more than 100 prisoners in what he called “a unilateral humanitarian initiative”.
According to Reuters, the Houthis, an Iran-aligned movement that controls part of Yemen, last released prisoners in April 2023 in an exchange of 250 Houthis for 70 government forces.