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Nestled on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean, in the heart of the renowned Taghazout Bay north of Agadir, Fairmont Taghazout Bay stands out as one of the top luxury destinations that blend breathtaking natural beauty with authentic Moroccan hospitality. Under the leadership of General Manager Francis Desjardins, the hotel offers a comprehensive tourism experience that caters to diverse tastes, attracting visitors from around the world, with a particular focus on guests from the Gulf region, especially Saudi Arabia.The hotel enjoys a unique beachfront location, surrounded by stunning landscapes of mountains and ocean, offering a peaceful haven far from the hustle and bustle of urban life. It features 152 luxurious rooms and suites, along with 10 private villas overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, ensuring ultimate privacy and an exceptional guest experience.No luxury experience is complete without exquisite cuisine. Crafted under the direction of Executive Chef Georgiy Danilov and his talented team, Fairmont Taghazout Bay is home to two world-renowned restaurants: the iconic Japanese Morimoto by Chef Masaharu Morimoto and the elegant Italian Paper Moon. Guests can also enjoy a variety of venues that celebrate Mediterranean cuisine and local ingredients, from fresh Atlantic seafood to premium meats. Traditional Moroccan cuisine is also featured prominently, reflecting the region’s flavors with a modern touch.Fairmont Taghazout Bay goes beyond luxury, demonstrating a deep commitment to environmental sustainability by implementing eco-friendly practices, including the use of renewable energy sources and the protection of the surrounding marine environment. This provides guests with a stay that combines luxury with ecological consciousness.The resort also serves as a vibrant cultural hub, hosting local events and festivals celebrating Moroccan arts, crafts, and music. It offers Moroccan cooking workshops and guided tours that enrich guests’ understanding of the city’s culture and identity.Family-oriented and educational programs are available for children and teenagers through supervised clubs that offer safe and enjoyable activities such as art classes and water sports—reinforcing the hotel’s position as a comprehensive family destination.Architecturally, the resort beautifully blends authentic Moroccan heritage with modern global design, using local materials such as wood, stone, and traditional Moroccan zellige tiles to create an atmosphere deeply connected to the locale.In a special statement, General Manager Francis Desjardins said:“We are proud to offer a refined hospitality experience in one of Morocco’s most stunning coastal locations. Fairmont Taghazout Bay is not just a hotel; it is an integrated destination that embodies the spirit of Agadir, where natural beauty meets exceptional service. We strive to provide everything our guests need, whether it’s privacy through our private villas, extraordinary dining experiences, or leisure activities that enrich their stay. We are equally committed to environmental stewardship and preserving authentic hospitality.”Desjardins added:“Agadir is a vibrant city that combines a mild climate with a rich cultural heritage. We are honored to contribute to its growth as a global tourism hub. We warmly welcome families from the Gulf region, offering an ideal environment that balances privacy, comfort, and enriching experiences tailored to their needs.”Francis Desjardins further stated:“At Fairmont Taghazout Bay, we offer a summer program filled with events for all ages—from local art festivals to Moroccan cooking workshops. We also provide exclusive offers for our guests during the 2025 summer season to ensure an unforgettable stay, with special packages designed for families, couples, and leisure travellers.”Desjardins emphasized that the hotel also delivers high-quality personalized services, including concierge, transportation, and organized tours ranging from surfing in Taghazout Bay to fishing trips and excursions to nearby natural wonders like Toubkal National Park and the Atlas Mountains.As the summer season approaches, Fairmont Taghazout Bay reaffirms its status as the perfect destination for those seeking a balance of luxurious relaxation, rich cultural experiences, and unparalleled natural tranquillity on Morocco’s Atlantic coast.Nestled on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean, in the heart of the renowned Taghazout Bay north of Agadir, Fairmont Taghazout Bay stands out as one of the top luxury destinations that blend breathtaking natural beauty with authentic Moroccan hospitality. Under the leadership of General Manager Francis Desjardins, the hotel offers a comprehensive tourism experience that caters to diverse tastes, attracting visitors from around the world, with a particular focus on guests from the Gulf region, especially Saudi Arabia.The hotel enjoys a unique beachfront location, surrounded by stunning landscapes of mountains and ocean, offering a peaceful haven far from the hustle and bustle of urban life. It features 152 luxurious rooms and suites, along with 10 private villas overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, ensuring ultimate privacy and an exceptional guest experience.No luxury experience is complete without exquisite cuisine. Crafted under the direction of Executive Chef Georgiy Danilov and his talented team, Fairmont Taghazout Bay is home to two world-renowned restaurants: the iconic Japanese Morimoto by Chef Masaharu Morimoto and the elegant Italian Paper Moon. Guests can also enjoy a variety of venues that celebrate Mediterranean cuisine and local ingredients, from fresh Atlantic seafood to premium meats. Traditional Moroccan cuisine is also featured prominently, reflecting the region’s flavors with a modern touch.Fairmont Taghazout Bay goes beyond luxury, demonstrating a deep commitment to environmental sustainability by implementing eco-friendly practices, including the use of renewable energy sources and the protection of the surrounding marine environment. This provides guests with a stay that combines luxury with ecological consciousness.The resort also serves as a vibrant cultural hub, hosting local events and festivals celebrating Moroccan arts, crafts, and music. It offers Moroccan cooking workshops and guided tours that enrich guests’ understanding of the city’s culture and identity.Family-oriented and educational programs are available for children and teenagers through supervised clubs that offer safe and enjoyable activities such as art classes and water sports—reinforcing the hotel’s position as a comprehensive family destination.Architecturally, the resort beautifully blends authentic Moroccan heritage with modern global design, using local materials such as wood, stone, and traditional Moroccan zellige tiles to create an atmosphere deeply connected to the locale.In a special statement, General Manager Francis Desjardins said:“We are proud to offer a refined hospitality experience in one of Morocco’s most stunning coastal locations. Fairmont Taghazout Bay is not just a hotel; it is an integrated destination that embodies the spirit of Agadir, where natural beauty meets exceptional service. We strive to provide everything our guests need, whether it’s privacy through our private villas, extraordinary dining experiences, or leisure activities that enrich their stay. We are equally committed to environmental stewardship and preserving authentic hospitality.”Desjardins added:“Agadir is a vibrant city that combines a mild climate with a rich cultural heritage. We are honored to contribute to its growth as a global tourism hub. We warmly welcome families from the Gulf region, offering an ideal environment that balances privacy, comfort, and enriching experiences tailored to their needs.”Francis Desjardins further stated:“At Fairmont Taghazout Bay, we offer a summer program filled with events for all ages—from local art festivals to Moroccan cooking workshops. We also provide exclusive offers for our guests during the 2025 summer season to ensure an unforgettable stay, with special packages designed for families, couples, and leisure travellers.”Desjardins emphasized that the hotel also delivers high-quality personalized services, including concierge, transportation, and organized tours ranging from surfing in Taghazout Bay to fishing trips and excursions to nearby natural wonders like Toubkal National Park and the Atlas Mountains.As the summer season approaches, Fairmont Taghazout Bay reaffirms its status as the perfect destination for those seeking a balance of luxurious relaxation, rich cultural experiences, and unparalleled natural tranquillity on Morocco’s Atlantic coast.

Residents, medics say Israeli forces fire at people heading to aid distribution siteCeasefire talks stall as Israel, Hamas swap blameUN chief says aid in Gaza has become death trapAn Israeli attack near an aid distribution point in Gaza killed as many as 31 Palestinians on Sunday, local health authorities said, as Hamas and Israel exchanged blame over a faltering effort to secure a ceasefire.The incident in Rafah in the south of the enclave was the latest in a series underscoring the insecurity around aid delivery to Gaza, following the easing of an almost three-month Israeli blockade last month."There are martyrs and injuries. Many injuries. It is a tragic situation in this place. I advise them that nobody goes to aid delivery points. Enough," paramedic Abu Tareq said at Nasser Hospital in nearby Khan Younis city.The Palestinian Red Crescent, affiliated with the international Red Cross, said its medical teams had recovered the bodies of 23 Palestinians and treated another 23 injured people near the aid collection site in Rafah.Local health authorities said at least 31 bodies had so far arrived at Nasser Hospital.The US-based Gaza Humanitarian Foundation operates the aid distribution sites in Rafah.GHF denied anyone was killed or injured near its site in Rafah and said that all of its distribution had taken place without incident.GHF is a US-based entity backed by the US and Israeli governments that began providing humanitarian aid in Gaza last month, bypassing traditional aid groups.The group has been widely criticised by the international community, with UN officials saying its aid plans would only foment forced relocation of Palestinians in Gaza and more violence.Residents and medics said Israeli soldiers fired from the ground at a crane nearby that overlooks the area, and a tank opened fire at thousands of people who were en route to get aid from the site in Rafah. Reuters footage showed ambulance vehicles carrying injured people to Nasser Hospital.The Hamas-run Gaza government media office accused Israel of using aid as a weapon, "employed to exploit starving civilians and forcibly gather them at exposed killing zones, which are managed and monitored by the Israeli military".Reda Abu Jazar said her brother was killed as he waited to collect food at the Rafah aid distribution centre. "Let them stop these massacres, stop this genocide. They are killing us," she said, as Palestinian men gathered for funeral prayers.The head of the UN Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, condemned the deaths on Sunday, saying in a statement on X that "aid distribution has become a death trap". He said aid distribution should be "only through the United Nations including UNRWA".The Red Crescent also reported that 14 Palestinians were injured on Sunday by Israeli fire near a separate site in central Gaza. GHF also operates the aid distribution site in central Gaza.Israel and Hamas meanwhile traded blame for the faltering of a new Arab and US mediation bid to secure a temporary ceasefire and the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza by Hamas, in exchange for Palestinians in Israeli jails.Hamas said on Saturday it was seeking amendments to a US-backed ceasefire proposal, but President Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff rejected the group's response as "totally unacceptable."Dozens of Palestinians marched on Sunday at the funeral of a Gaza doctor, Hamdi Al-Najjar, who was critically injured in late May in an airstrike that killed all but one of his 10 children. Najjar died late on Saturday.The Israeli military has confirmed it conducted an air strike on Khan Younis that day, but said it was targeting suspects in a structure that was close to Israeli soldiers.

A Hamas source on Friday said that the Palestinian resistance group had responded positively to a US-proposed ceasefire deal but emphasised its demand for a permanent ceasefire."Hamas informed the mediators of its formal written response, which includes a positive response to (US envoy Steve) Witkoff, but with emphasis on guaranteeing a permanent ceasefire and full Israeli withdrawal," said the Hamas source with knowledge of the ongoing negotiations.The Palestinian group said it would release 10 living hostages and hand over the bodies of 18 dead in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and detainees held in Israeli prisons.The Witkoff proposal includes a truce of at least 60 days.The White House had said the latest proposal for a deal was approved in advance by Israel.Hamas said "as part of this agreement, 10 living prisoners of the occupation held by the resistance will be released, in addition to the return of 18 bodies, in exchange for an agreed-upon number of Palestinian prisoners".A breakthrough in negotiations has been elusive ever since a previous ceasefire fell apart on March 18 with the resumption of Israeli operations.But US President Donald Trump had said Friday that the parties were "very close to an agreement".Two sources close to the negotiations had said Witkoff's proposal involved a 60-day truce, potentially extendable to 70 days.It would see the release of five living hostages and nine bodies in exchange for a number of Palestinian prisoners during the first week, followed by a second exchange the following week, the sources said.Israel has come under increasing international criticism over the dire humanitarian situation in the Palestinian territory, where the United Nations recently warned the entire population was at risk of famine.This week a spokesman for the UN humanitarian agency called the territory "the hungriest place on Earth".Aid is only trickling into Gaza after the partial lifting by Israel of a more than two-month blockade, and the UN has recently reported looting of its trucks and warehouses.The World Food Programme has called on Israel "to get far greater volumes of food assistance into Gaza faster", saying desperation was "contributing to rising insecurity".The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said on Saturday that at least 4,117 people have been killed in the territory since Israel resumed its offensive on March 18, taking the war's overall toll to 54,381, mostly civilians.The proposals would see a 60-day truce and the exchange of 28 of the 58 hostages still held in Gaza for more than 1,200 Palestinian prisoners and detainees, along with the entry of humanitarian aid into the enclave.A Palestinian official familiar with the talks told Reuters that among amendments Hamas is seeking is the release of the hostages in three phases over the 60-day truce and more aid distribution in different areas. Hamas also wants gurantees the deal will lead to a permanent ceasefire, the official said.There was no immediate response from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office to the Hamas statement.Yesterday, aid groups said dozens of World Food Programme trucks carrying flour to Gaza bakeries had been hijacked by armed groups and subsequently looted by people desperate for food after weeks of mounting hunger."After nearly 80 days of a total blockade, communities are starving and they are no longer willing to watch food pass them by," the WFP said in a statement.Hamas response unacceptable, says US envoyThe US envoy to the Middle East on Friday criticized Hamas over its response to a US-proposed ceasefire deal. "It is totally unacceptable and only takes us backward," Steve Witkoff wrote on X. "Hamas should accept the framework proposal we put forward as the basis for proximity talks, which we can begin immediately this coming week."That is the only way we can close a 60-day ceasefire deal in the coming days... and negotiations in good-faith to try to reach a permanent ceasefire," he added.

Hamas considering latest US ceasefire proposalsUN warns humanitarian situation worse than everAid trucks stopped by gunmen, supplies taken, aid groups sayArmed men hijacked dozens of aid trucks entering the Gaza Strip overnight and hundreds of desperate Palestinians joined in to take supplies, local aid groups said on Saturday as officials waited for Hamas to respond to the latest ceasefire proposals.The incident was the latest in a series that has underscored the shaky security situation hampering the delivery of aid into Gaza, following the easing of a weeks-long Israeli blockade earlier this month.US President Donald Trump said on Friday he believed a ceasefire agreement was close but Hamas has said it is still studying the latest proposals from his special Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff. The White House said on Thursday that Israel had agreed to the proposals.The proposals would see a 60-day truce and the exchange of 28 of the 58 hostages still held in Gaza for more than 1,200 Palestinian prisoners and detainees, along with the entry of humanitarian aid into the enclave.On Saturday, the Israeli military, which relaunched its air and ground campaign in March following a two-month truce, said it was continuing to hit targets in Gaza, including sniper posts and had killed what it said was the head of a Hamas weapons manufacturing site.The campaign has cleared large areas along the boundaries of the Gaza Strip, squeezing the population of more than 2 million into an ever narrower section along the coast and around the southern city of Khan Younis.Israel imposed a blockade on all supplies entering the enclave at the beginning of March in an effort to weaken Hamas and has found itself under increasing pressure from an international community shocked by the increasingly desperate humanitarian situation the blockade has created.The United Nations said on Friday the situation in Gaza is the worst since the start of the war began 19 months ago, with the entire population facing the risk of famine despite a resumption of limited aid deliveries earlier this month.Israel has been allowing a limited number of trucks from the World Food Programme and other international groups to bring flour to bakeries in Gaza but deliveries have been hampered by repeated incidents of looting.At the same time, a separate system, run by a US-backed group called the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has been delivering meals and food packages at three designated distribution sites.However, aid groups have refused to cooperate with the GHF, which they say is not neutral, and say the amount of aid allowed in falls far short of the needs of a population at risk of famine."The aid that's being sent now makes a mockery of the mass tragedy unfolding under our watch," Philippe Lazzarini, head of the main U.N. relief organization for Palestinians, said in a message on the social media platform X.The World Food Programme said it brought 77 trucks carrying flour into Gaza overnight and early on Saturday and all of them were stopped on the way, with food taken by hungry people."After nearly 80 days of a total blockade, communities are starving and they are no longer willing to watch food pass them by," it said in a statement.Amjad Al-Shawa, head of an umbrella group representing Palestinian aid groups, said the dire situation was being exploited by armed groups which were attacking some of the aid convoys.He said hundreds more trucks were needed and accused Israel of a "systematic policy of starvation".Overnight on Saturday, he said trucks had been stopped by armed groups near Khan Younis as they were headed towards a World Food Programme warehouse in Deir Al-Balah in central Gaza and hundreds of desperate people had carried off supplies."We could understand that some are driven by hunger and starvation, some may not have eaten bread in several weeks, but we can't understand armed looting, and it is not acceptable at all," he said.

French President Emmanuel Macron said Friday that abandoning war-torn Gaza to its fate and giving Israel a "free pass" would kill the West's credibility with the world."If we abandon Gaza, if we consider there is a free pass for Israel, even if we do condemn the terrorist attacks, we will kill our credibility," Macron told a top defence forum in Singapore, adding: "And this is why we do reject double standard."The French leader also said Europe and the US were unable to solve crises around the world, including in Gaza and Ukraine."I think the credibility of both the US and the Europeans to pretend to fix the crises in these regions (are) very low," Macron told the Shangri-la Dialogue at the end of his Southeast Asian tour.France could harden its position on Israel if it continues to block humanitarian aid to Gaza, Macron said, reiterating that Paris was committed to a two-state solution to resolve the Israel-Palestinian conflict."The humanitarian blockade is creating a situation that is untenable on the ground," Macron said at a joint press conference with Prime Minister Lawrence Wong."And so, if there is no response that meets the humanitarian situation in the coming hours and days, obviously, we will have to toughen our collective position," Macron said, adding that France may consider applying sanctions against Israeli settlers.EU leaders have toughened their tone on Israel in recent days.European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday denounced attacks in the past days on civilian infrastructure in Gaza as "abhorrent" and "disproportionate".But the 27-member bloc has long struggled to have an impact on the conflict due to long-standing divisions between countries that back Israel and those seen as more pro-Palestinian.The humanitarian situation in Gaza remains dire despite aid beginning to trickle back into the Palestinian territory after a more than two-month Israeli blockade.Food security experts say starvation is looming for one in five people.

The UN warned Friday that the entire population of Gaza was at risk of famine, as an Israeli far-right minister urged the use of "full force" against Hamas.Negotiations to end nearly 20 months of war have so far failed to achieve a breakthrough, with Israel resuming operations in Gaza in March following a short-lived truce.Israel recently intensified its offensive in what it says is a renewed push to destroy Hamas, drawing global condemnation over the dire humanitarian conditions in Gaza.Recent AFPTV footage has shown chaotic scenes as large crowds of Palestinians desperate for food rushed to a limited number of aid distribution centres to pick up supplies."Gaza is the hungriest place on earth," Jens Laerke, a spokesman for the UN humanitarian agency OCHA, said Friday."It's the only defined area — a country or defined territory within a country — where you have the entire population at risk of famine. One hundred per cent of the population at risk of famine."Laerke said 900 UN aid trucks had been authorised by Israel to enter so far, but only 600 had been offloaded on the Gaza side of the border, and an even smaller number had been picked up there due to security considerations.Laerke described the "limited number of truckloads" as "drip-feeding food".Adding to the international pressure,President Donald Trump said Friday he believes an agreement is close on a Gaza ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas and that it could be announced soon.US officials have been waiting on a formal response from Hamas about what a source said is a proposed 60-day Gaza ceasfire deal.Meanwhile, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry on Friday called on the international community to adopt effective mechanisms to halt settlement expansion, annexation plans, and incursions into the West Bank by Israeli occupation leaders, warning against attempts to destroy the two-state solution.In a statement, the ministry considered the incursions into the West Bank by ministers from the occupation government, the settlers' encroachment on its land, streets, and citizens' property, and the boasting about building 22 new colonial settlements an Israeli attempt to destroy the two-state solution, a blatant disregard for UN resolutions and international law, and a disregard for the international consensus rejecting settlements, which violate international law and directly threaten the establishment of a Palestinian state.Gaza's civil defence agency told AFP that at least 22 people had been killed in Israeli attacks on Friday, including seven in a strike targeting a family home in Jabalia in the north.Palestinians sobbed over the bodies of their loved ones at Gaza City's Al Shifa Hospital following the strike, AFPTV footage showed."These were civilians and were sleeping at their homes. The house was destroyed due to the indiscriminate bombardment," said neighbour Mahmud al-Ghaf, describing "children in pieces"."Stop the war!" said Mahmud Nasr, who lost relatives. "We do not want anything from you, just stop the war."

France could harden its position on Israel if it continues to block humanitarian aid to Gaza, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday, reiterating that Paris was committed to a two-state solution to resolve the Israel-Palestinian conflict."The humanitarian blockade is creating a situation that is untenable on the ground," Macron said at a joint press conference in Singapore with Prime Minister Lawrence Wong."And so, if there is no response that meets the humanitarian situation in the coming hours and days, obviously, we will have to toughen our collective position," Macron said, adding that France may consider applying sanctions against Israeli settlers."But I still hope that the government of Israel will change its stance and that we will finally have a humanitarian response".Under growing international pressure, Israel partially ended an 11-week long aid blockade on Gaza last week, allowing a limited amount of relief to be delivered under a system that has been heavily criticised.Macron said Paris is committed to working towards a political solution and reiterated his support for a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict.The existence of a Palestinian state "is not just simply a moral duty but also a political necessity," Macron told reporters in Singapore, in comments broadcast on French TV.Macron is leaning towards recognising a Palestinian state, diplomats and experts say, a move that could infuriate Israel and deepen Western splits.French officials are weighing up the move ahead of a United Nations conference, which France and Saudi Arabia are co-hosting in June, to lay out the parameters for a roadmap to a Palestinian state, while ensuring Israel's security.

A Hamas official said yesterday that a new Israeli-approved US plan for a truce in Gaza fell short of its demands, but that it was still studying the proposal.Hamas political bureau member Bassem Naim said Israel’s response meant “the continuation of killing and famine... and does not meet any of our people’s demands, foremost among them halting the war and famine. Nonetheless, the movement’s leadership is studying the response to the proposal with full national responsibility”.The new deal was proposed by US envoy Steve Witkoff.Negotiations on a ceasefire to end 18 months of devastating war have yet to yield a breakthrough since Israel resumed operations in the war-ravaged territory in March after a brief truce.The White House said that Israel had accepted US President Donald Trump’s proposal for a Gaza ceasefire, while discussions were “continuing” with Hamas.“I can confirm that special envoy Witkoff and the president submitted a ceasefire proposal to Hamas, that Israel backed and supported. Israel signed off on this proposal before it was sent to Hamas,” Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said.“I can also confirm that those discussions are continuing, and we hope that a ceasefire in Gaza will take place so we can return all of the hostages home,” Leavitt told reporters.

Eight Palestinian civilians were martyred and others injured early Thursday as a result of airstrikes carried out by the Israeli occupation army on northern Gaza Strip and Gaza City.Medical sources said that seven civilians were martyred and several others injured in an Israeli airstrike that targeted a home and a kindergarten sheltering displaced persons in Jabalia Al-Balad, in northern Gaza.Local sources, quoting eyewitnesses, said that the bodies of martyrs, including women and children, were lying in the streets of Beit Lahia in northern Gaza as a result of Israeli bombings and airstrikes in the area, while medical and emergency crews were unable to reach them.In Gaza City, medical sources confirmed at least one person was martyred, with several others injured or missing under the rubble, following an Israeli airstrike on a family home in Al-Sha'af area of ​​Al-Tuffah neighborhood, northeast of Gaza City.According to sources in the Ministry of Health, the number of people martyred due to Israeli airstrikes on various parts of Gaza since dawn Wednesday has reached 71.The total death toll from the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip has risen to 54,084 martyrs and 123,308 injuries since Oct. 7, 2023.The Israeli occupation resumed its aggression on Gaza on March 18, after a two-month ceasefire that came into effect on Jan. 19. However, the occupation violated the terms of the ceasefire throughout those two months, continuing its bombardment of various areas across Gaza, which is experiencing an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe.

Nine Palestinians were martyred Wednesday as a result of renewed Israeli shelling of Gaza City, Khan Yunis, and Bani Suhaila , southern Gaza Strip.Local sources reported that six Palestinians, including a journalist and a child, were martyred.They noted that some of the martyrs were targeted by Israeli forces on Al Nafaq Street in Gaza City, while the child was killed in the Shuja'iyya neighborhood east of the city.They confirmed that two people were killed as a result of Israeli shelling of Bani Suhaila near Khan Yunis, while another martyr was killed as a result of airstrikes on neighborhoods in Khan Yunis.The Ministry of Health in Gaza announced earlier Wednesday that the death toll from the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, had risen to 54,084 martyrs and 123,308 wounded.

The Trump administration plans to finalise soon a new written agreement that may form the basis for a potential Gaza ceasefire deal between Israel and Palestinian resistance movement Hamas."We are on the precipice of sending out a new term sheet," said US President Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff."The president is going to review it. And I have some very good feelings about getting to a long-term resolution, temporary ceasefire and a long-term resolution, a peaceful resolution, of that conflict."Witkoff made the comments at the White House alongside Trump, who said that his administration is working on accelerating food deliveries to Palestinians living in Gaza."We're dealing with the whole situation in Gaza. We're getting food to the people of Gaza. It's been a very nasty situation," Trump told reporters.Thousands of Palestinians looted a UN warehouse in central Gaza Wednesday, AFP reported. The United Nations World Food Programme said "hordes of hungry people" broke into one of the agency's warehouses in central Gaza and initial reports indicated that two people had died and several more were injured."Gaza needs an immediate scale-up of food assistance. This is the only way to reassure people that they will not starve," WFP said in a statement.

The UN on Wednesday condemned a US-backed aid system in Gaza after 47 people were injured during a chaotic food distribution, where the Israeli military said it did not open fire at crowds.The issue of aid has come sharply into focus amid a hunger crisis coupled with intense criticism of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a shadowy group that has bypassed the longstanding UN-led system in the territory.According to the UN, 47 people were injured in the mayhem that erupted on Tuesday when thousands of Palestinians desperate for food rushed into a GHF aid distribution site, while a Palestinian medical source said at least one had died.Ajith Sunghay, the head of the UN Human Rights Office in the Palestinian territories, said most of the wounded had been hurt by gunfire.Based on the information he had, "it was shooting from the IDF" -- the Israeli military.The UN has repeatedly hit out against the GHF, which faces accusations of failing to fulfil the principles of humanitarian work.Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, on Wednesday reiterated the criticism."I believe it is a waste of resources and a distraction from atrocities. We already have an aid distribution system that is fit for purpose," he said during a visit in Japan.In Gaza, the civil defence agency said Israeli air strikes killed 16 people since dawn Wednesday.Heba Jabr, 29, who sleeps in a tent in southern Gaza with her husband and their two children, was struggling to find food."Dying by bombing is much better than dying from the humiliation of hunger and being unable to provide bread and water for your children," she told AFP.Israel imposed a full blockade on Gaza for over two months, before allowing supplies in at a trickle last week.A medical source in southern Gaza told AFP that after Tuesday's stampede at the GHF site, "more than 40 injured people arrived at Nasser Hospital, the majority of them wounded by Israeli gunfire", adding that at least one had died since.The source added that "a number of other civilians also arrived at the hospital with various bruises".On Tuesday, the GHF said around "8,000 food boxes have been distributed so far... totalling 462,000 meals".UN agencies and aid groups have argued that the GHF's designation of so-called secure distribution sites contravenes the principle of humanity because it would force already displaced people to move again in order to stay alive.With the war entering its 600th day on Wednesday, Palestinians in Gaza felt there was no reason to hope for a better future."Six hundred days have passed and nothing has changed. Death continues, and Israeli bombing does not stop," said Bassam Daloul, 40, adding that "even hoping for a ceasefire feels like a dream and a nightmare".In Israel, the relatives of people held hostage in Gaza since the October 7 attack longed for the return of their loved ones, with hundreds gathering in their name in Tel Aviv."I want you to know that when Israel blows up deals, it does so on the heads of the hostages," Arbel Yehud, who was freed from Gaza captivity in January, told a press conference in Tel Aviv."Their conditions immediately worsen, food diminishes, pressure increases, and bombings and military actions do not save them, they endanger their lives."Israel stepped up its military offensive in Gaza earlier this month, while mediators push for a ceasefire that remains elusive.In Israel, hundreds of people gathered to call for a ceasefire that would allow for the release of hostages held by militants in Gaza since their 2023 attack.Protesters gathered along the country's roads and on the main highway running through the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv at 6:29 am, the exact time the unprecedented October 7 attack began.Most Israeli media headlines read "600 days", and focused on the hostage families' struggle to get their loved ones home.Other events were planned across Israel to mark the 600th day of captivity for the 57 remaining hostages still in Gaza.The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said on Wednesday that at least 3,924 people had been killed in the territory since Israel ended a ceasefire on March 18, taking the war's overall toll to 54,084, mostly civilians.

Thousands of Palestinians rushed into a new aid distribution centre run by a US-backed group in southern Gaza Tuesday, leading to chaotic scenes as Israel implemented a new distribution system.By late afternoon Tuesday, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation said it had distributed about 8,000 food boxes, equivalent to about 462,000 meals, after an almost three-month-old Israeli blockade of the war-devastated enclave.In the southern city of Rafah, which is under full Israeli army control, thousands of people including women and children, some on foot or in donkey carts, flocked towards one of the distribution sites to receive food packages.Videos showed lines of people walking through a wired-off corridor and into a large open field where aid was stacked. Later, images shared on social media showed large parts of the fence torn down as people jostled their way onto the site.The Israel military said its troops fired warning shots in the area outside the compound and that control was reestablished.A UN spokesperson called images of the incident "heartbreaking."Israeli foreign ministry spokesperson Oren Marmorstein wrote on X that 8,000 "food packages" were delivered to Palestinians Tuesday, the first day of what he described as an American initiative.Some of the recipients showed the content of the packages, which included some rice, flour, canned beans, pasta, olive oil, biscuits and sugar.Although the aid was available on Monday, Palestinians appeared to have heeded warnings, about biometric screening procedures employed at the foundation's aid distribution sites.Israel says the Switzerland-based GHF is a US-backed initiative and that its forces will not be involved in the distribution points where food will be handed out.The Israeli military said four aid sites have been established in recent weeks across the enclave, and that two of them in the area of Rafah began operations on Tuesday and "are distributing food packages to thousands of families in the Gaza Strip."The GHF said the volume of people seeking aid at one distribution site was so great at one point that its team had to pull back to allow people to "take aid safely and dissipate" and to avoid casualties. It said normal operations had since resumed.Humanitarian groups briefed on the foundation's plans say anyone accessing aid will have to submit to facial recognition technology that many Palestinians fear will end up in Israeli hands to be used to track and potentially target them.In New York, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters the U.N. and its partners have a sound plan "to get aid to a desperate population" and that Israel was still allowing it to deliver some relief but with a lot of obstacles.Last week Israel eased its blockade, allowing a trickle of aid trucks from international agencies into Gaza, including World Food Programme vehicles bringing flour to local bakeries.The death toll from the Israeli occupation's ongoing onslaught against the Gaza Strip, which has persisted since Oct. 7, 2023, has surged to 54,056, with an additional 123,129 individuals wounded, QNA reports from Gaza.In a statement Tuesday, the Ministry of Health in Gaza said that 79 martyrs and 163 injured individuals were received in hospitals across the Strip over the past 24 hours.

Merz and ministers sharpen criticism of IsraelGermany traditionally feels special responsibility after WW2German public opinion also shiftingMore than half of Germans oppose weapons exports, survey findsGermany's foreign minister threatened unspecified measures against Israel on Tuesday and said Berlin would not export weapons used to break humanitarian law, as he and Chancellor Friedrich Merz delivered their most severe rebuke yet over Gaza.Germany, along with the United States, had long remained in support of Israel's conduct since the October 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas, even as Israel became increasingly isolated internationally. Its about-turn comes as the European Union is reviewing its Israel policy and Britain, France and Canada also threatened "concrete actions" over Gaza.Speaking to broadcaster WDR, Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul warned Germany's historic support for Israel must not be instrumentalised, as massive air strikes and shortages of food and medicines had made the situation in Gaza "unbearable".Earlier, Merz criticised air strikes on Gaza as no longer justified by the need to fight Hamas and "no longer comprehensible", in comments at a press conference in Finland.While not a complete rupture, the shift in tone is significant in a country whose leadership follows a policy of special responsibility for Israel, known as the Staatsraeson, due to the legacy of the Nazi Holocaust.It also reflects a broader shift in German public opinion."Our committed fight against anti-Semitism and our full support for the right to exist and the security of the state of Israel must not be instrumentalised for the conflict and the warfare currently being waged in the Gaza Strip," Wadephul said."We are now at a point where we have to think very carefully about what further steps to take," he said, without giving further details."Where we see dangers of harm, we will of course intervene and certainly not supply weapons so that there will be further harm," he said, adding that no new weapons orders were currently under consideration.The shift in government stance comes after calls among the junior coalition partner, the Social Democrats, to halt arms exports to Israel or else risk what the move's backers say would be German complicity in war crimes.Attacks on Gaza killed dozens in recent days, and the population of more than 2 million faces worsening hunger and starvation, according to a UN-backed monitor.Efforts to revive a short-lived ceasefire that broke down in March have made little visible progress, although one regional diplomat said talks were still going on in Doha and there remained a chance for a deal.The German comments are particularly striking given that Merz won elections in February promising to host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on German soil in defiance of an arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court (ICC)."The massive military strikes by the Israelis in the Gaza Strip no longer reveal any logic to me - how they serve the goal of confronting terror," Merz said in Turku, Finland.He did not reply to a question about German weapons exports to Israel. Wadephul said arms deliveries were a matter for a security council presided over by Merz, whose meetings are confidential.The foreign ministry did not immediately reply to a further request for comment on whether Germany's next step could include halting weapons shipments.The chancellor is due to speak to Netanyahu this week.Israel's ambassador to Berlin, Ron Prosor, acknowledged German concerns on Tuesday but made no commitments."When Friedrich Merz raises this criticism of Israel, we listen very carefully because he is a friend," Prosor told the ZDF broadcaster.Merz's comments come on top of a groundswell of opposition to Israel's actions. A survey by Civey, published in the Tagesspiegel newspaper this week, showed 51% of Germans opposed weapons exports to Israel.More broadly, only 36% of people in Germany view Israel positively, a survey by the Bertelsmann Foundation found in May, down from 46% in the last survey in 2021.Only a quarter of Germans recognise a special responsibility towards the state of Israel, while 64% of Israelis believe Germany has a special obligation, the survey found.

Two Palestinians were martyred and others were injured in Israeli shelling last night on several areas in the Gaza Strip.Palestinian news agency (WAFA) reported that one person was martyred, and others were injured when the Israeli occupation shelled a house in the Zeitoun neighborhood, southeast of Gaza City. Another person was martyred, and others were injured in Israeli shelling of the town of Beit Lahia, north of the Gaza Strip.The eastern areas of Gaza have witnessed a series of airstrikes by Israeli warplanes, while Israeli artillery and vehicles continued their shelling.In a related context, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees UNRWA reported that only six of the agency's 22 health centers are operating inside and outside shelters, due to the ongoing bombardment in Gaza. It noted that essential medical supplies are extremely scarce and that there is an urgent need for the unimpeded delivery of life-saving assistance.Since Oct. 7, 2023, Israeli occupation forces have launched an offensive on the Gaza Strip, resulting in the martyrdom of 53,977 Palestinians, the majority of whom are children and women, and the injury of 122,966 others. Meanwhile, a number of victims remain under the rubble and in the streets, where ambulance and rescue teams are still unable to reach them.

A US-backed foundation tasked with supplying aid to Gaza made a faltering start Monday, with no clear sign that it had distributed promised supplies, a day after its chief unexpectedly stepped down.The aid plan, which has been endorsed by Israel but rejected by the UN, is unfolding amid fierce Israeli attacks on the enclave, including on a school building where dozens of Palestinians sheltering inside were killed.With food still critically short after a nearly three-month blockade, Washington says it is working to restore a ceasefire more than 19 months into the war, but progress is elusive.A Palestinian official said Hamas had agreed to a US proposal for a truce and the release of 10 Israeli hostages, but an Israeli official dismissed the proposal as unacceptable, denying it was Washington's.US special envoy Steve Witkoff rejected reports that Hamas had agreed to his proposal, telling Reuters that what he has seen is "completely unacceptable."Israel has faced a mounting international outcry this month, including from Western allies, as it launched a new offensive in Gaza, already largely destroyed by Israeli bombardment and where the population of 2 million is at risk of famine.Close ally Germany said Israel's recent attacks in The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which intends to use private contractors working under a broad Israeli security umbrella, said it would begin deliveries on Monday, with the aim of reaching one million Palestinians by the end of the week."We plan to scale up rapidly to serve the full population in the weeks ahead," it said in a statement.Palestinians said they had seen no sign of any aid distribution by the new company.The foundation's executive director, Jake Wood, announced his resignation on Sunday, saying it could not adhere "to the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence".Israeli strikes killed at least 45 people on Monday, local health authorities said.In Gaza City, medics said, 30 Palestinians, including displaced women and children who were seeking shelter in a school, were killed in an airstrike.Another strike on a house in Jabalia, adjacent to Gaza City, killed at least 15 other people, medics said.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz criticised Israel's actions in Gaza on Monday, saying the extent of harm being done to the civilian population could no longer be justified as a fight against Hamas."When boundaries are crossed, where humanitarian international law is really being violated, then Germany too, then the German chancellor too must say something about it," Merz told broadcaster WDR in a televised interview.He added: "What the Israeli army is doing now in the Gaza Strip, frankly speaking, I no longer understand with what goal."Germany has staunchly backed Israel's right to defend itself since the Hamas attacks of Oct. 7, 2023 that triggered the war, reflecting what it sees as its duty to stand by the country in atonement for its own role in the Holocaust in which 6 million Jews died.But German government officials have increasingly stressed the need for Israel to adhere to international law in its response to the Hamas attacks, while mostly avoiding outright criticism of its actions in the Palestinian territories.Merz, who has been in office for about three weeks, said: "The Israeli government must not do anything that, at some point, even its best friends are no longer willing to accept."The chancellor said he planned to hold a call with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week to tell him "to not overdo it," though he added that for "historical reasons" Germany would always be more guarded in its criticism than some of its European partners.

Sweden's foreign ministry will summon Israel's ambassador in Stockholm to protest against a lack of humanitarian aid to people in Gaza, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said on Monday.Last week, under growing international pressure, Israeli authorities allowed a trickle of aid into the Palestinian enclave but the few hundred trucks carried only a tiny fraction of the food needed by a population of 2 million at risk of famine after nearly three months of blockade.Kristersson told Swedish news agency TT that the European Union should impose sanctions and exert diplomatic pressure on Israel to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza."We have been incredibly clear about that, ourselves and together with many other European countries," Kristersson told TT."That pressure is now increasing, no doubt, and for very good reasons," he said.The Swedish prime minister's office confirmed to Reuters that Kristersson had made the statement.

At least 20 Palestinians, including children, were martyred and several others were injured in a new Israeli massacre at a shelter center in Gaza City at dawn on Monday.Sources reported that the Israeli occupation's warplanes targeted a school-turned-shelter in central Gaza City, setting the building on fire.The death toll from the ongoing Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip has risen to 53,939, with 122,797 others injured.

The international community should look at sanctions against Israel to stop the war in Gaza, Spain's foreign minister said, as European and Arab nations gathered in Madrid on Sunday to urge an end to its offensive.Some of Israel's long-standing allies have added their voices to growing international pressure after it expanded military operations against Gaza's Hamas rulers.A two-month aid blockade has worsened shortages of food, water, fuel and medicine in the Palestinian territory, stoking fears of famine.Aid organisations say the trickle of supplies Israel has recently allowed to enter falls far short of needs.The talks in Madrid aim to stop Israel's "inhumane" and "senseless" war in Gaza, Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares told reporters before the meeting opened.Humanitarian aid must enter Gaza "massively, without conditions and without limits, and not controlled by Israel", he added, describing the Strip as humanity's "open wound"."Silence in these moments is complicity in this massacre... that is why we are meeting," said Albares.Representatives from European countries including France, Britain, Germany and Italy are joining envoys from Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Morocco, the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.Norway, Iceland, Ireland and Slovenia, who like Spain have already recognised a Palestinian state, are also taking part, alongside Brazil.After the European Union decided this week to review its cooperation deal with Israel, Albares told reporters Spain would request its "immediate suspension".Spain would also urge partners to impose an arms embargo on Israel and "not rule out any" individual sanctions against those "who want to ruin the two-state solution forever", he added.Sunday's meeting will also promote a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot spoke by video link with Arab counterparts and would press "the need for coordinated pressure" for a ceasefire, aid and the release of Hamas-held hostages, his office said.The diplomatic drive comes one month before a UN conference on the Israel-Palestinian conflict presided over by France and Saudi Arabia.Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has said his country will back draft resolutions at the UN aimed at ramping up aid access to Gaza and holding Israel to account over its international humanitarian obligations.Madrid's attempt to rally a wider consensus on the war comes a year after it broke with some European allies by recognising a Palestinian state, infuriating Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government.