Israel-Hamas war
Palestinian militant group Hamas said early Friday that its delegation attending Gaza ceasefire negotiations in Cairo had left the city for Qatar, adding the “ball is now completely” in Israel’s hands. Read our liveblog for all the latest developments in the Israel-Hamas war.
Issued on:
2 min
Summary:
- Heavy shelling was reported in Rafah on Thursday as the Israeli army massed tanks around the south Gaza city crowded with refugees, a day after US President Joe Biden warned Israel against carrying out a major ground assault.
- Israeli Prime Minister Binjamin Netanyahu said he hopes he and US President Joe Biden can overcome their disagreements over the war in Gaza, after Biden withheld some weapons from Israel.
- Palestinian militant group Hamas said early Friday that its delegation attending Gaza ceasefire negotiations in Cairo had left the city for Qatar, adding the “ball is now completely” in Israel’s hands.
- At least 34,904 Palestinians have been killed and 78,514 wounded in Israel’s military offensive in Gaza, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory. Some 1,170 people were killed in the Hamas-led October 7 attacks and 250 people were taken hostage, according to Israeli figures, with 132 still missing.
- Israel has submitted its reservations about a Hamas proposal for a hostage-release deal, and deems this round of negotiations in Cairo to have ended, a senior Israeli official has said, confirming earlier reports of an end to the latest round of talks in the Egyptian capital.
- UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, said it was temporarily shuttering its east Jerusalem headquarters after “Israeli extremists” set fire to the perimeter following weeks of repeated attacks.
- Ireland, Spain, Slovenia and Malta are considering recognising a Palestinian state on May 21, according to a report by Ireland’s national broadcaster RTE issued on Thursday. Israel said that the plan constituted a “prize for terrorism” that would reduce the chances of a negotiated resolution to the Gaza conflict.
- Israeli strikes on Syria early Thursday targeted facilities belonging to Iraq’s Al-Nujaba armed movement, a war monitor and the pro-Iran group said, with Damascus saying an unidentified building was attacked. No casualties were reported.
About casualty figures from Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry:
Gaza’s health ministry collects data from the enclave’s hospitals and the Palestinian Red Crescent. For more on the health ministry’s casualty figures, click here.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, Reuters, AP)
