Israel’s war on Gaza live: Israel has no ‘credible plan’ for Rafah – US

Here’s what happened today

We will be closing this live page soon. Here is a recap of today’s events:

• Thousands of Palestinians have been forced to flee from across Gaza, including Jabalia, Beit Lahiya and Rafah, as Israeli forces reinvade already heavily hit areas.
• Egypt foreign ministry has announced it will formally join the lawsuit filed by South Africa against Israel at the International Court of Justice which accuses Israel of violating its obligations under the Genocide Convention in the Gaza Strip.
• US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has defended a decision to pause a delivery to Israel of 3,500 bombs over concerns they could be used in the southern city of Rafah, saying Israel lacked a “credible plan” to protect 1.4 million civilians sheltering there.
• Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says the US and Europe are not doing enough to pressure Israel to agree a ceasefire in Gaza after Hamas accepted a truce proposal last week.
• The Israeli army says its fighter jets have struck two areas from which Hezbollah had launched rockets at northern Israel.

US forces bring down drone in Gulf of Aden: Army

The US Army’s Central Command says it had successfully “destroyed” one uncrewed aerial system allegedly launched by Yemen’s Houthi group.

“There were no injuries or damages reported by U.S., coalition, or merchant vessels,” it said in a post on X.

“It was determined the UAS presented an imminent threat to both coalition forces and merchant vessels in the region.”

Houthi forces have declared war on all vessels linked to Israeli firms or seaports, and say their campaign will end when Israel ends its war on Gaza.

May 12 CENTCOM Update⁰⁰At approximately 3:30 a.m.(Sanaa time) on May 12, U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) forces successfully destroyed one uncrewed aerial system (UAS) launched by Iranian-backed Houthis over the Gulf of Aden from Houthi controlled areas in Yemen. There were no… pic.twitter.com/cf3duJvqG3 — U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) May 12, 2024

US senator: End Gaza war by giving Israel any bombs it needs

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina has told a US broadcaster that the US was right to “end [WWII]” by dropping two nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Now, he said, Israel must be given “the bombs they need to end the war they can’t afford to lose”, during an interview with NBC News that is being widely shared online.

Graham said, “I thought it was okay” when the US dropped the nuclear bombs on Japan.

“To Israel, do whatever you have to do to survive as a Jewish state.”

This comes after President Joe Biden decided to halt a shipment of thousands of some of the largest bombs in the US military arsenal due to urgent humanitarian concerns after Israel launched its ground invasion of Rafah in southern Gaza.

Turkey hits back at Israel criticism of Erdogan

The ministry, in response to a social media post by Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz criticising President Erdogan, said the Turkish leader was “unwavering” in his condemnation of Israel’s “inexcusable crimes” against the Palestinian people.

“Turkiye continues to work tirelessly to stop the massacre committed by Israel, taking decisive action to isolate Israel internationally,” it said in a post on X.

“Turkiye will continue to shed light on the racist and unjust policies that Israel weaponises against the Palestinian people.”

Hezbollah claims attack on Israeli ‘spy equipment’

The armed Lebanese group says in its end-of-day report that it carried out three strikes on Israeli positions on Sunday, the latest of which targeted intelligence-gathering equipment in al-Malkiyya.

Hezbollah also released another video of its attacks carried out on Saturday, which showed fighters using multiple antitank guided missiles to attack the Ramyah site of the Israeli military along the Lebanese border.

WATCH: How the US State Department shields Israel from sanctions

Over the years, the US government has been creating special mechanisms to shield Israel from sanctions designed to punish countries for human rights abuses.

Palestinians injured in attacks by Israeli forces, settlers in occupied West Bank

Israeli settlers, who were protected by soldiers, attacked the town of Qusra south of Nablus in the occupied West Bank, the Wafa news agency reports citing local sources.

This came hours after settlers attacked the outskirts of the village of Duma, also south of Nablus, setting fire to one house and spraying walls with inflammatory slogans.

Wafa said that south of Bethlehem, a 50-year-old Palestinian woman suffered from fractures in her limbs after an attack by Israeli settlers.

In the town of Azzun east of Qalqilya, a young Palestinian man was reportedly injured after being beaten by Israeli soldiers.

Israeli military claims allowing limited fuel into Gaza

Israeli military authorities say they have allowed in seven tankers carrying 266,000 litres (70,269 gallons)of fuel into Gaza today through the Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossing, which has remained mostly closed since last week.

This comes as the UN and international organisations are warning of urgently dwindling supplies – especially fuel – across the Gaza Strip as the Israeli military expands attacks in multiple areas of the enclave, including Zeitoun and Jabalia in the north and Rafah to the south.

Cambridge college divests from all arms producing companies: Report

Trinity College Cambridge has opted to withdraw its investments from all arms manufacturers, the UK-based Middle East Eye (MEE) news outlet is reporting.

This development comes after MEE revealed in February that Cambridge’s wealthiest college had more than 61,735 pounds ($78,089) invested in Elbit Systems, Israel’s largest arms manufacturing entity that produces a significant number of drones for the Israeli military.

According to three sources who spoke to MEE, Trinity’s student union made the decision to divest from arms companies in early March.

College campuses around the world have exploded in recent weeks in protests by pro-Palestine students and faculty members against Israel’s war on Gaza, in which more than 34,000 people have been killed.

In university after university, protesters are demanding their schools sever any direct or indirect financial and academic links with Israel, including by divesting from companies with ties to Israel.

What is happening in Gaza is a ‘turkey shoot’: UN special rapporteur

UN Special Rapporteur Balakrishnan Rajagopal says what is happening in Gaza – the Israeli army forcing the population to move from one place to another – is a form of ethnic cleansing “with eventually, I suppose, the goal of not allowing them to live in a normal way”.

“This is a matter of great concern because it is a very grave war crime under international law, particularly given Israel’s status as an occupying power,” he told Al Jazeera.

Balakrishnan said the destruction of vast amounts of infrastructure and housing in Gaza by the Israeli army constitutes a “domicide”.

“What we have seen in the case of Gaza is clearly a case of domicide and constitutes an act of genocide as well because the purpose of that destruction, exceeding 70 to 80 percent across Gaza, is to make the place uninhabitable for the people of Gaza,” he added.

“The way I see it, it’s like a form of what in America we call a ‘turkey shoot’. They are just doing target practice on the people of Gaza. To me, there’s nothing that resembles this in any other conflict in the world.”

Leaving Israel a nuclear state could lead to regional arms race: Iran

Top Iranian foreign policy officials have told an Iranian-Arab dialogue forum in Tehran that the only way to a Middle East without nuclear weapons is to disarm Israel.

“We want a region with no nuclear weapons,” Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said.

Kamal Kharrazi, an adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, presented Iran’s solution towards that vision and warned of consequences of not realising it.

“This is the solution: Israel is the only country [in the region] to possess nuclear arms, so it must be disarmed. If it is not, a region without nuclear weapons will not be realised and there will be a nuclear race,” said Kharrazi, who said this week that Iran may change its policy of refraining from pursuing a weapon if existentially threatened.

Kharazi: We do not seek to possess nuclear weapons, and this is in line with Leader Khamenei’s fatwa prohibiting the manufacture and use of nuclear weapons, but if we are threatened, we will be forced to change this doctrine. https://t.co/p455yw8vQ9 — Ali Hashem علي هاشم (@alihashem_tv) May 12, 2024

‘Only broken lives and broken futures’ in Gaza: Head of UNRWA

Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the UN’s agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), is making another plea to stop the killing of Palestinians as the Israeli military continues its ground offensives in Gaza’s cities and its bombing of civilians from the air.

“No words are left that can do any justice to the people of Gaza,” he wrote in a post on X.

“They are people, like you and I. They used to have dreams, they were part of a vibrant and diverse community. … Now, it’s only broken lives and broken futures.”

Everything has been said already.

No words are left that can do any justice to the people of #Gaza

They are people, like you and I.

They used to have dreams, they were part of a vibrant and diverse community….

Now, it’s only broken lives and broken futures. — Philippe Lazzarini (@UNLazzarini) May 12, 2024

Erdogan says US, Europe not doing enough to pressure Israel into Gaza truce

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says the US and Europe are not doing enough to pressure Israel to agree a ceasefire in Gaza after Hamas accepted a truce proposal last week.

Speaking to Muslim scholars in Istanbul, Erdogan said Hamas had accepted a proposal from Qatar and Egypt in a “step on the path towards a lasting ceasefire” but Netanyahu’s government did not want the war to end.

“The response of the Netanyahu government was to attack the innocent people in Rafah,” he said. “It has become clear who sides with peace and dialogue and who wants clashes continuing and more bloodshed.

“And did Netanyahu see any serious reaction for his spoiled behaviour? No. Neither Europe nor America showed a reaction that would force Israel into a ceasefire.”

Although the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called Israel a “terror state”, stepping up his condemnation of the Israeli assault on the besieged Gaza Strip, he is critisized for not taking a material action against Israeli State.

Breaking

Israeli shelling kills four children in Gaza’s al-Zuwaida: Red Crescent

The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) reports that four Palestinians have been killed in the central Gaza town and 10 injured – all of whom are children and one of whom is an infant.

It also released a video showing its medics taking away the body of the baby, who was killed during an Israeli air strike.

The PRCS had earlier reported another deadly strike on the Maghazi refugee camp.

Hamas leaders meet Turkish intelligence chief in Doha

Hamas politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh and a senior delegation from the group have met with Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin in the Qatari capital.

Hamas said in a statement that the meeting centred on events unfolding in the past week, leading to the offensive on Rafah, after the group said it had agreed to a ceasefire proposal by mediators.

Haniyeh praised Turkey’s moves against Israel, including joining the genocide case at the International Court of Justice and halting trade with Israel.

He also reportedly handed over case files, including evidence of torture of Palestinian detainees in Israeli jails, some of whom were killed.

Hamas said Kalin emphasised Turkey’s “firm positions” on the Palestinian issue.

Gaza prisoners endure ‘barbaric treatment, systematic torture’ by Israeli forces: Rights group

Prisoner rights group Addameer is calling for an International Criminal Court (ICC) investigation into war crimes against Palestinian detainees and urges international action for accountability.

In a report, Addameer described severe violations against prisoners, including systematic torture during interrogation and assaults, in prisons like Ofer, Naqab (Negev) and others.

Israeli soldiers, the group said, use dogs to attack prisoners. Many are shackled with steel handcuffs, leading to limb amputations, and all are subject to “a deliberate policy of starvation”, it added.

Detainees are not allowed to change their clothes or cut their hair, beard or nails. Showers are few and far between. “They complained about the foul odours emanating from their clothes, saying they feel like they are living in a ‘livestock pen’,” Addameer said.

The group said there is a “reasonable basis to claim that the occupying forces are committing war crimes and crimes against humanity against prisoners from the Gaza Strip”, and it called on the prosecutor of the ICC to conduct an investigation and take measures to hold those responsible to account.

WATCH: ‘Israeli actions in Gaza amount to genocide’

Diana Buttu, a Palestinian lawyer and former legal adviser to the Palestine Liberation Organization, has urged the world to look more closely at the actions of the Israeli army as it carries out its war on Gaza.

Hezbollah claims attacks on Israeli positions in border fighting

The armed Lebanese group has claimed two attacks on Israeli positions so far today and has released videos of previous attacks.

Hezbollah said it targeted a group of Israeli soldiers at a site in the occupied Shebaa Farms in southern Lebanon and used anti-tank guided missiles to hit a military barracks in Hunin, saying it achieved a direct hit.

The group also released two videos of attacks on Saturday, one showing intelligence-gathering equipment targeted and another of an attack on Beit Hilal that targeted Iron Dome batteries.

Israeli protesters block road to demand captive deal

Footage shared on social media shows demonstrators at a barricade in Tel Aviv.

The video, verified by Al Jazeera’s fact-checking unit, Sanad, shows dozens of protesters seated on the street, chanting for the release of captives held in Gaza.

Qatari officials meet US lawmakers

A delegation of senior members of the US Congress has held a meeting with Qatari representatives in Doha, according to the Qatari Foreign Ministry.

It said the two sides discussed “the latest developments in the Gaza Strip and the occupied Palestinian territories, especially joint mediation efforts to end the war on the Strip”.

Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari led the Qatari team.

Additionally, the Amiri Diwan announced that a delegation of US Congress members met with the emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

The US delegation was made up of a mix of Democrats and Republicans and included Representatives Salud Carbajal, Dave Joyce, Ami Bera, Derek Kilmer, Juan Vargas and Lance Gooden.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson @majedalansari Meets Senior US Congress Delegation#MOFAQatar pic.twitter.com/jUhTcOrdy5 — Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Qatar (@MofaQatar_EN) May 12, 2024

Palestinian public sector salaries squeezed as Israel withholds tax revenues

The Palestinian Authority (PA) says the Israeli Finance Ministry is continuing to withhold tax revenues and, as a result, only part of public sector salaries would be paid this week, keeping up a squeeze on payrolls that has lasted for months.

The PA said it would pay Palestinian public sector employees 50 percent of their March salaries on Tuesday after Israel withheld a transfer due for the month of April. It said the arrears would be paid once the financial situation allows.

The Israeli Finance Ministry confirmed it had decided not to transfer tax revenues this month but declined to provide details.

Qassam Brigades claims series of attacks on Israeli forces in eastern Jabalia

The armed wing of Hamas has said on its Telegram channel that, since this morning, its fighters have:

• Attacked nine Merkava tanks and armoured vehicles
• Blown up a boobytrapped house with Israeli soldiers inside
• Targeted a group of Israeli special forces inside a house with TBG shells
• Attacked a tank using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)
• Shelled the cities of Ashkelon and Sderot in southern Israel
• Shelled groups of soldiers and army vehicles

Qassam Brigades claims hit on Israeli forces in northern Gaza

Hamas’s armed wing says it has hit a group of Israeli soldiers and vehicles in the al-Mabhouh area east of the Jabalia refugee camp with heavy-calibre mortar shells.

Additionally, the group said it shelled Israeli forces in a house in eastern Jabalia, causing casualties.

Earlier, we reported Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari saying in addition to Jabalia and the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City, Israeli forces are also operating in Beit Lahiya and Beit Hanoon.

Photos: Pro-Palestinian protesters at the US consulate in Istanbul

Israeli military reports deadly fighting, air strikes across Gaza

The Israeli military says it has directed its fighter jets to hit dozens of targets used by armed Palestinian groups in Jabalia in northern Gaza to support its latest ground invasion of the area amid what it says is a resurgence of Hamas.

In eastern Rafah, where Israeli ground troops are advancing, the army said its Givati Brigade located and destroyed a number of tunnels and rocket launchers. The Israeli military also said it killed a number of Palestinian fighters in the area.

In the Zeitoun neighbourhood of Gaza City in the north of the Strip, it reported close-quarters combat during which Palestinian fighters were killed and weapons were found.

The intensifying Israeli military strikes have killed dozens of Palestinians civilians in the past day.

Donors pledge more than $2bn for Gaza at Kuwait conference

A conference of international donors in Kuwait has pledged more than $2bn in aid to Gaza.

The conference, organised by the International Islamic Charitable Organization (IICO) and the UN’s humanitarian coordination agency OCHA, announced that the funds would be dispersed over two years, with the possibility of extension, in efforts to support life-saving humanitarian interventions in the besieged territory.

Victims unrecognisable due to traumatic injuries: Volunteer surgeon

Mohammed Tahir, an orthopaedic surgeon from London volunteering in Gaza with the charity FAJR Scientific, says it has been “quite horrific” to witness some of the injured victims that arrive at the European Gaza Hospital in Rafah.

“You have some really horrific injuries where people come and are not recognisable as a human being any more; they are simply lumps of flesh who have obviously died,” he told Al Jazeera.

“This not only exists for adults, but also children. It is horrific to witness firsthand. I’d only ever seen this level of trauma in photos; seeing it in the flesh is quite horrific.

“I’ve seen women and children as well as men all being cut down, with no preference for one demographic or the other.

“Many victims are dead on arrival and go immediately to the mortuary. Ambulances cannot evacuate many of the injured. The strikes happen often at night when people are gripped with fear and no one can get to them.”

He urged the world to “please try to bring this conflict to an end”.

Israel lacks ‘credible plan’ to safeguard Rafah civilians: Blinken

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has defended a decision to pause a delivery to Israel of 3,500 bombs over concerns they could be used in the southern city of Rafah, saying Israel lacked a “credible plan” to protect 1.4 million civilians sheltering there.

Speaking to ABC News, Blinken said President Joe Biden remains determined to help Israel defend itself and the shipment of 2,000-pound (900kg) and 500-pound (225kg) bombs was the only US weapons package being withheld.

That could change, he said, if Israel launches a full-scale attack on Rafah, a move that Israel says is imminent.

Biden has made it clear to Israel that if it “launches this major military operation to Rafah, then there are certain systems that we’re not going to be supporting and supplying for that operation”, Blinken said.

“We have real concerns about the way they’re used,” he continued. Israel needs to “have a clear, credible plan to protect civilians, which we haven’t seen”.

Palestinian Authority asks Arab countries for ‘financial safety net’ in light of Gaza war

The Palestinian Authority (PA) Minister of Economy Mohammad Alamour has called on the Economic and Social Council of the Arab League to activate a monthly fund created for the authority in 2019 “to support the steadfastness of our people in light of the genocidal war Israel has been carrying out since last October”.

Alamour made his comments in Manama on the sidelines of the council’s preparatory meetings ahead of the 33rd Arab Summit to be held in Bahrain.

He also called for states and organisations to “come to the rescue of our people and supply humanitarian relief to our people in these exceptional circumstances”, a ministry readout said.

The Arab League first pledged the monthly safety net in April 2019, after Israel cut funding to the PA.

Israel, which controls all borders, collects taxes on imports on behalf of the PA, which it then transfers over. But Israel has been withholding millions of dollars on and off in past years in protest at payments the PA makes to Palestinian detainees.

Water tank severely damaged in Tal al-Hawa: Gaza City Municipality

The Municipality of Gaza says the water tank in the Tal al-Hawa neighbourhood of Gaza City has been severely damaged in Israeli bombing.

About 40 wells and 42,000 metres (46,000 yards) of water pipelines have been damaged in Israeli attacks, it said.

صور || أضرار بالغة تصيب خزان المياه في منطقة تل الهوى بفعل قصف الاحتلال للمنطقة ليلة أمس.

وتسبب قصف الاحتلال بدمار كبير وواسع في مرافق المياه منذ بدء العدوان وحرب الإبادة الجماعية، حيث تضرر نحو 40 بئرا بأشكال متفاوتة وكذلك 42 ألف متر طولي من شبكات المياه.

وتعيش المدينة نقص حاد… pic.twitter.com/skOIy7iUeO — بلدية غزة - Municipality of Gaza (@munigaza) May 12, 2024

226 buildings in West Bank destroyed or damaged by Israeli army in April

The Palestinian Authority’s Ministry of Public Works and Housing says almost half of the structures (101) destroyed or damaged during Israeli raids are located in the Nablus governorate, mainly in the villages of Qusra and Duma.

The rest are in the Nur Shams refugee camp in Tulkarem (82) and in the Ramallah area (43).

The ministry said 54,000sq metres (580,000sq ft) of infrastructure has also been destroyed by Israeli forces during raids into Tulkarem and Jenin in April.

Egypt deals ‘unbelievable diplomatic blow to Israel’: Analyst

With Egypt joining South Africa’s ICJ genocide case against Israel, Alon Liel, former director of Israel’s Foreign Ministry, tells Al Jazeera the move is an “unbelievable diplomatic blow to Israel”.

“Egypt is the cornerstone of our standing in the Middle East,” he said. The connections that Israel has in the Middle East and North Africa today, including with Jordan, the UAE and Morocco, is all “a result of what Egypt did 40 years ago”.

“With Egypt joining South Africa now in The Hague, it’s a real diplomatic punch. Israel would have to take it very seriously.

“This is what I have been warning about. It’s coming from several directions. Israel has to … listen to the world – not only to the Israeli public opinion asking now for revenge.

“We have to look overall in the wider picture, in the long-term security of Israel, not only in the next few weeks in Gaza.”

Banning UK arms exports to Israel would strengthen Hamas: Cameron

Stopping British arms sales to Israel if it launches a ground assault on Rafah in the Gaza Strip would strengthen Hamas, United Kingdom Foreign Secretary David Cameron argues.

Israel ordered Palestinians to evacuate more of the southern city on Saturday in an indication it is pressing ahead with its plans for a full ground invasion.

Cameron said he did not support an operation in Rafah in the absence of a plan to protect hundreds of thousands of civilians sheltering in the southern city on the Egyptian border.

However, the UK is in a “completely different position” to the United States in terms of providing arms to Israel, he said, noting that less than 1 percent of Israel’s weapons come from the UK and they are controlled by a strict licensing system.

Egypt FM says ‘political will’ needed to reach ceasefire in Gaza

Sameh Shoukry has said that “political will” is needed to reach a ceasefire during the ongoing negotiations between Israel and Hamas – with Egypt and Qatar acting as mediators.

“There are moderate proposals that meet the purposes for both parties that should be approved so that there would be a truce, a hostages-prisoners swap deal, to handle the difficult humanitarian situation, and prevent any continuation of the displacement,” the Egyptian foreign minister said during a news conference with visiting Slovenian counterpart, Tanja Fajon.

Fajon said that every effort should be made to prevent further escalation in Rafah and to reopen border crossings.

On Thursday, the Slovenian government initiated the procedure for the recognition of a Palestinian state as a form of leverage to end the war on Gaza, a move it announced in March, Prime Minister Robert Golob said.

Golob said he would like his country’s recognition to be “an incentive for these negotiations to proceed more quickly”.

Protesters march in Sydney, Australia for a ‘free Palestine’

Hundreds of demonstrators have marched through the streets of Sydney, Australia protesting against the Israeli military assault on Gaza.

Local sources said the demonstrators went to the camp set up by students of The University of Sydney in solidarity with Gaza to express their support for the protesting students.

The students are demanding their university divest from Israeli companies.

Rally has arrived at @Sydney_Uni! pic.twitter.com/KnhBerLQgP — David Brophy (@Dave_Brophy) May 12, 2024

Journalists detained in Tel Aviv on suspicion of working for Al Jazeera

Journalists from London-based news outlet Al-Araby Al-Jadeed were detained last night by Israeli authorities during protests calling for a deal to release captives last night, The Times of Israel reports.

Citing social media posts, the Israeli news outlet said the journalists were held on suspicion that they may be working for Al Jazeera, which was recently banned in Israel.

Israeli photojournalist Oren Ziv shared video and photos on X, which showed the journalists from the Qatari-owned outlet being questioned after authorities reportedly saw live footage of the Tel Aviv protests being broadcast on Al Jazeera.

1/2 The Israeli Ministry of communication confirmed that its workers arrived yesterday to a protest calling for a hostage deal, after they saw a live video of the protest on Al Jazeera. They didn't locate the source, but police detained Al Araby crew to check if they work for AJ pic.twitter.com/0PsfUT9HBN — Oren Ziv (@OrenZiv_) May 12, 2024

Breaking

Egypt to join South Africa’s ICJ genocide case against Israel

Egypt says it will formally join the lawsuit filed by South Africa against Israel at the International Court of Justice which accuses Israel of violating its obligations under the Genocide Convention in the Gaza Strip.

In a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Egypt said the move comes due to the escalating Israeli aggression against Palestinian civilians.

“[It] comes in light of the worsening severity and scope of Israeli attacks against Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip, and the continued perpetration of systematic practices against the Palestinian people, including direct targeting of civilians and the destruction of infrastructure in the Strip, and pushing Palestinians to flee,” the ministry said.

Egypt said it is calling on Israel to comply with its obligations as the occupying power and to implement the provisional measures issued by the ICJ, which require ensuring access to humanitarian and relief aid in a manner that meets the needs of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

It also demands that Israeli forces not commit any violations against the Palestinian people.

In the statement, Egypt renewed its call to the UN Security Council and international parties to immediately take action to achieve a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and to stop military operations in Rafah, as well as to provide the necessary protection for Palestinian civilians.

Recap of the latest developments until now

• Thousands of Palestinians have been forced to flee from across Gaza, including Jabalia, Beit Lahiya and Rafah, as Israeli forces reinvade already heavily hit areas.
• Israeli forces have killed dozens of civilians over the last few hours across the besieged enclave; at least 45 bodies have arrived at Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir el-Balah, Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum reports.
• At least 35,034 people have been killed, including 15,000 children, and up to 78,755 people injured since Israel launched its offensive on October 7, Gaza’s Health Ministry said.
• Israeli forces have arrested at least 28 Palestinians from across the occupied West Bank, including children and former prisoners.
  UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called again for an “immediate” ceasefire.

Photos: Pro-Palestine rallies, street art, flags fill Malmo’s streets during Eurovision week

Thousands of pro-Palestine protesters march through the streets of Malmo, Sweden, May 11, 2024

Protesters are angry that Israel has been allowed to participate in the song contest despite its devastating war on Gaza

The Gaza roundabout just outside the Eurovision village in Malmo

Rafah offensive would be ‘irresponsible’: Scholz

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has warned Israel against expanding its military operations to Rafah.

“We consider an offensive on Rafah … to be irresponsible,” Scholz said on Saturday at a talk show organised by the RND media group in Potsdam just outside Berlin.

“We warn against this, and we do not believe that there is any concept that will ultimately lead to this happening without incredible human losses in terms of innocent civilians,” he said.

The German chancellor added that humanitarian aid must also be brought to Gaza, and there must be a perspective for peaceful coexistence in which two states can exist side by side.

Germany has been a staunch supporter of Israel. In 2023, about 30 percent of Israel’s military equipment purchases came from the European country.

Israeli forces invading Jabalia for second time, Zeitoun for third time: Columnist

Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari says in addition to Jabalia and Zeitoun in Gaza City, Israeli forces are also operating in Beit Lahiya and Beit Hanoon.

The two towns near Gaza’s northern boundary with Israel were heavily bombed in the opening days of the war.

“[The military] is now going into Jabalia for the second time and into Zeitoun for the third time, and it will continue to go in and out,” columnist Ben Caspit wrote in the Israeli daily Maariv, channelling the growing frustration felt by many Israelis more than seven months into the war.

Rafah offensive cannot be ‘reconciled’ with international law: UN rights chief

Volker Turk says a full-scale Israeli assault on the city of Rafah “cannot take place”.

“I can see no way that the latest evacuation orders, much less a full assault, in an area with an extremely dense presence of civilians, can be reconciled with the binding requirements of international humanitarian law and with the two sets of binding provisional measures ordered by the International Court of Justice,” the UN high commissioner for human rights said in a statement.

At least 45 bodies arrive at Al-Aqsa Hospital

There’s ongoing bombardment not only of Deir el-Balah but in other parts of central Gaza. At least 45 Palestinians have arrived at Al-Aqsa Hospital as dead bodies; this number is shocking.

The Israeli military is trying to exert more pressure not only on the Rafah and Jabalia refugee camps but at the same time on Deir el-Balah. We have been recording an advancement of Israeli military attacks in the eastern portion of Deir el-Balah.

The medical situation in Deir el-Balah is critically dire. Only Al-Aqsa Hospital is operating and responsible for providing medical treatment for the population. They are facing problems in terms of shortages of fuel, medical equipment and necessities.

Only 8,000 litres (2,113 gallons) of fuel have arrived at Al-Aqsa Hospital, which will be barely enough for two days of operations.

Boos and protests outside Eurovision final over Israel’s act

Israel’s performance at Eurovision was booed by spectators inside the venue as protesters outside condemned Israel’s participation in the song contest while waging a war on Palestinians in Gaza.

Police forcibly removed activists, including Greta Thunberg.

Breaking

More than 35,000 people killed in Israel’s war on Gaza: Health Ministry

The toll from the seventh month of the Israeli military offensive in Gaza has topped 35,000, according to the Health Ministry in the Palestinian enclave.

At least 35,034 people have been killed, including 15,000 children, and up to 78,755 people injured since Israel launched its offensive on October 7, the ministry said in a statement on Sunday.

Rescuers unable to reach 16 family members trapped under rubble in Zeitoun: Civil defence

Gaza’s civil defence says its teams are unable to access the Jabalia refugee camp and Gaza City in northern Gaza, which Israel has hit with a new round of air attacks.

“The direct and deliberate Israeli targeting of civil defence crews prevents us from reaching some of the targeted places in the Zeitoun neighbourhood in Gaza City,” spokesman Mahmoud Basal told the Anadolu news agency.

He said the teams were unable to reach 16 members of a family still trapped under the rubble of a house in Zeitoun.

“The Israeli army is targeting innocent civilians in the neighbourhoods of Gaza and the northern Gaza Strip, most of whom are women and children,” he said, adding that rescue workers are not spared from the attacks.

Israeli forces order Palestinians to evacuate Jabalia, Beit Lahiya, central Rafah

Thousands of Palestinians have been forced to flee from across Gaza, including Jabalia, Beit Lahiya and Rafah, after Israeli military ramped up offensive in the Palestinian enclave.

“It was a very difficult night,” said Abdel-Kareem Radwan, a 48-year-old Palestinian from Jabaliya. He said they could hear intense and constant bombing since midday on Saturday. “This is madness.”

First responders with the Palestinian Civil Defense said they were unable to respond to multiple calls for help from both areas, as well as from Rafah.

Last week Israel issued evacuation orders for people in eastern Rafah, ordering them to move west towards the “humanitarian zone” of al-Mawasi, a crowded tent camp on the coast.

Over the past seven months, Israel has repeatedly issued evacuation orders for Palestinians in the besieged enclave including critically ill patients from hospitals, often with unclear instructions.

On October 13 the Israeli army ordered all civilians in Gaza City and in the north to evacuate south of Wadi Gaza within 24 hours.

In December Israel issued evacuation orders again for residents of the Bureij refugee camp and other central Gaza areas and ordered them to move to Deir el-Balah.

The United Nations’ agency for Palestinian refugees, the main provider of aid in Gaza, said 300,000 people have fled Rafah since the operation began there. Most are heading to the heavily damaged nearby city of Khan Younis or al-Mawasi, where some 450,000 people are already living in squalid conditions.

Some families have been displaced as many as five times.

Palestinians in northern Gaza forced to flee by foot

Shazia Arshad, the head of communications at Islamic Relief, spoke to Al Jazeera about what the charity’s teams are reporting from northern Gaza.

She said that, despite having nowhere safe to go, Palestinians are being forced to evacuate by foot from the north of the Strip as there are severe fuel shortages.

She said the charity is able to distribute some aid in central and southern Gaza but is unable to replenish the dwindling stockpiles due to the block on aid coming through the borders.

She said Palestinians all over the Strip have been struggling with food shortages for more than six months.

“Every day, there are families there who are struggling to not only feed their children but also to feed themselves,” Arshad said.

“We’re talking about sick, wounded people.”

Israeli forces arrest 28 Palestinians from across occupied West Bank

The Palestinian Prisoner’s Society and the Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs say that the Israeli forces have arrested at least 28 Palestinians from across the occupied West Bank, including children and former prisoners, from Saturday evening until Sunday morning.

Biden administration’s changing rhetoric on Israel

Mohamad Elmasry, a political analyst and professor of media studies at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, spoke to Al Jazeera on subtle changes in the Biden administration’s language on Israel’s war on Gaza and the response of the Netanyahu government.

“It appears to me Israel is pretty much doing what it wants to do. It’s exerting pressure on the United States, not the other way around. We expect that it’s the US that’s going to exert pressure but it seems to be working backwards.”

“In terms of rhetoric, it had been interesting to follow [the] Biden administration’s rhetoric. [Earlier] the US said it did not want any kind of military operations in Rafah. You heard [Vice President] Kamala Harris say, to give one example, it was Israel that forced all those Gazans into Rafah in the first place. Therefore, the US opposes a military operation. But I think what happened [was] that in meetings and phone calls, Israel made it clear to the US that they were going to invade Rafah regardless of whether the US gave its blessings or not. So the US is now shifting its rhetoric. Instead of saying they oppose [the] Rafah operation they are saying they are opposed to a ‘major’ Rafah operation. We see that Israel that’s forcing the US hand.”

“The [US] rhetoric might become even more harsh towards Israel but the question that I have is: Is it too little too late? The opinion polling data we have, the encampments [at US universities] and man-on-the-street interviews suggest that people are really angry, especially young people. So, I am not sure ramping up the rhetoric against Israel is going to make a real difference. Donald Trump is ahead, according to FiveThirtyEight, a data collection and opinion polling site. He is ahead in all swing states. So, it’s looking disastrous for Biden, as one analyst said, Biden may have committed political suicide long ago.”

A dozen Palestinians killed in northern Gaza amid Israeli strikes: Report

The Palestinian news agency Wafa reports that dozens of civilians have been killed over the last few hours in Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip.

In the town of Beit Lahiya, in northern Gaza, 12 bodies arrived at Kamal Adwan Hospital, according to Wafa.

UK FM rejects Rafah offensive without ‘clear plan’ to save lives

The UK’s foreign minister, David Cameron, says Israel should not carry out an offensive in Rafah without a “clear plan” to protect people.

“For there to be a major offensive in Rafah, there would have to be an absolutely clear plan about how you save lives, how you move people out the way, how you make sure they’re fed, you make sure that they have medicine and shelter and everything,” he told Sky News television.

“We have seen no such plan … so we don’t support an offensive in that way,” he added.

Israeli tanks enter Jabalia refugee camp

There are more serious developments now as Israeli military tanks have started to go deeper into the Jabalia refugee camp.

They have crossed Salah al-Din Street into the camp as battles are raging between Hamas fighters and the Israeli military.

We have been hearing from eyewitnesses on the ground, in that very densely populated area, that military tanks are surrounding evacuation centres and residential buildings.

They have been describing the situation as critically dire as they witness mass evacuations and displacement to the western part of Gaza City.

Those residents had been moved from one place to another during the previous military incursion to the refugee camp, and now, again, they are leaving.

Palestinians displaced from Rafah have ‘nowhere safe to go’: UNRWA

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has labelled the forced displacement of Palestinians from Rafah as “inhumane” in a post on x.

“The bombardments shake the ground and wake you up - but the children’s cries are what keep you awake."@UNWateridge tells the @Independent "people feel very trapped, and fear is gripping in here - because it feels like there is danger from all sides.”https://t.co/oS2PvWb05j — UNRWA (@UNRWA) May 11, 2024