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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.

Israeli military strikes killed at least 30 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip Sunday, including a senior rescue service official and a journalist, local health authorities said.The latest deaths in the Israeli campaign resulted from separate Israeli strikes in Khan Younis in the south, Jabalia in the north and Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip, medics said.In Jabalia, they said local journalist Hassan Majdi Abu Warda and several family members were killed by an airstrike that hit his house earlier Sunday.Another airstrike in Nuseirat killed Ashraf Abu Nar, a senior official in the territory's civil emergency service, and his wife in their house, medics added.The Hamas-run Gaza government media office said that Abu Warda's death raised the number of Palestinian journalists killed in Gaza since October 2023 to 220.Israel's military said in a statement that chief of staff Eyal Zamir visited troops in Khan Younis Sunday, telling them that "this is not an endless war".Later Sunday, the International Committee of the Red Cross ICRC said in a statement that two of its staff - Ibrahim Eid and Ahmad Abu Hilal - had been killed in a strike on a house in Khan Younis on Saturday."Their killing points to the intolerable civilian death toll in Gaza. The ICRC reiterates its urgent call for a ceasefire and for the respect and protection of civilians, including medical, humanitarian relief, and civil defence personnel," the ICRC statement added.In a separate statement, the Gaza media office said Israeli forces were in control of 77% of the Gaza Strip, either through ground forces or evacuation orders and bombardments that keep residents away from their homes.Israel launched an air and ground war in Gaza on October 7, 2023. The conflict has killed more than 53,900 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities, and devastated the coastal strip.

Thirteen Palestinians were martyred and several others injured on Sunday as the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) continued airstrikes and shelling across multiple areas in the Gaza Strip.According to the latest updates, sources at Shuhada Al-Aqsa Hospital reported the martyrdom of five Palestinians, including three siblings, following an Israeli airstrike that targeted a tent sheltering displaced civilians in the Al-Mash'ala area of Deir al-Balah, central Gaza.In a separate incident, one person was martyred and others were injured in a drone strike targeting another tent sheltering displaced people west of Al-Nuseirat camp. Al-Awda Hospital reported that one person sustained gunshot wounds after the IOF opened fire on civilians in the new camp area north of Al-Nuseirat.In the southern part of the Strip, two Palestinians were martyred in drone strikes on the Al-Zana area, north of Bani Suheila, and Abasan Al-Kabira, east of Khan Yunis city.Additionally, a man and his wife were martyred in an overnight airstrike targeting their home west of the city.Medical sources also reported that two individuals were injured in an Israeli strike on Al-Fukhari, southeast of Khan Yunis, the previous day.In northern Gaza, one Palestinian was martyred and several others injured in an airstrike on a group of civilians in the Al-Faluja area of Jabalia camp.Later in the morning, seven more people were martyred in an Israeli airstrike targeting a residential home in Jabalia's Al-Nazla.Gaza's Ministry of Health reported that the total number of fatalities from Sunday's Israeli bombardments across the Gaza Strip stands at 19.The ongoing Israeli assault on Gaza resulted in the causality toll reaching 53,901 deaths and 122,593 injuries since the escalation began on October 7, 2023.The IOF resumed their aggression on Gaza on March 18, following a two-month cessation of hostilities under a ceasefire agreement that came into effect on January 19.The ceasefire was repeatedly violated by the IOF, who continued their attacks on various areas of the Gaza Strip, worsening an already unprecedented humanitarian crisis.

A Palestinian journalist and several members of his family were martyred Sunday morning in an Israeli airstrike on Jabalia Al-Nazla, north of the Gaza Strip.Palestinian news agency (WAFA), citing medical sources, reported that the journalist and several members of his family were martyred when the Israeli occupation forces bombed their home in Jabalia Al-Nazla.With today's martyrdom, the number of journalists martyred since the start of the genocidal war on Oct.7, 2023, has risen to more than 221. Hundreds of others have been injured or detained during the same period.During its aggression on Gaza, the occupation forces deliberately targeted journalists and media institutions, wounding nearly 400 journalists, arresting 40 others, and destroying the majority of the headquarters of local and international institutions operating in the Strip. They also forced all local radio stations to close due to displacement and the lack of journalistic resources, especially electricity and internet access.

Sunday, May 25, marks the 44th anniversary of the founding of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). This historic occasion reflects a long history of joint action and integration among the Gulf states, and serves as evidence of the success of the GCC's efforts and the solidity of its foundations, thanks to the wise and balanced policies it has adopted, under the generous guidance and sound wisdom of Their Majesties and Highnesses, the leaders of the six GCC states.On May 25, 44 years ago, the first Gulf summit was held in Abu Dhabi, where the establishment of the GCC was officially announced as a regional entity that aimed to achieve coordination, integration and interconnection between member states in all fields, leading to their unity. The Council was established based on the leaders of the Gulf states' awareness of the special relations, common characteristics, and similar systems that bind their countries together, based on the Islamic faith, belief in a common destiny and unity of purpose that unite their people, and a desire to achieve coordination, integration, and interconnectedness among them in all fields.From the first moment of the GCC's establishment, its aim was to transform the dreams of Gulf generations into reality, achieving unity of ranks, a shared destiny, and strengthening the authentic Gulf identity to meet the demands of the present and future and confront the winds of change.The GCC has continued its blessed journey with the support, guidance and patronage of Their Majesties and Highnesses, the leaders of its six countries, until the present, in which it became a strong institution with solid foundations based on its roots that extend deep into history and geography, and the depth of brotherhood and ties of blood, religion, language, common destiny and the shared aspirations and ambitions of the Gulf countries and their people.The GCC's journey, which includes tireless joint work and a record of achievements over its 44 years, is a model to be emulated for successful integration and interconnectedness at the regional and international levels. This is due to the grace of God Almighty, and the belief of the GCC leaders in the important role of the Council in protecting security, consolidating stability, and achieving sustainable development for their peoples.Since its establishment, the GCC developed a clear vision for the level of joint integration between its countries, based on protecting the Council from all threats, and that the security of the GCC countries is indivisible. It also aims to support and increase economic growth and its sustainability through diversifying the production base and transitioning to a knowledge and innovation-based economy. It also aims to maintain a high level of human development, based on the belief that the human being is the goal of development. It also aims to enable the GCC to deal with and recover from all types of crises, in addition to strengthening the GCC's regional and international standing, championing just causes and providing support during international crises.The 44th anniversary of the establishment of the GCC comes at a time when the Council has proven itself to be the most successful integration experiment in the region, and has become the subject of praise and admiration, and a fundamental pillar of security and stability, a voice of wisdom and balance, and a unique model for a dignified life.This anniversary comes as Gulf citizens enjoy security and stability, are elevated by their sense of belonging and principles, feel proud of their achievements and gains, and extend a helping hand to their brothers and humanity as a whole.In March 2025, the final statement issued by the Ministerial Council of the GCC at its 163rd session stated that the Ministerial Council reviewed the progress made in consultations regarding the implementation of its decision at its 33rd session, regarding the proposal of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, to move from the cooperation phase to the union phase, and directing the Ministerial Council to continue its efforts, and assigning the Ministerial Council and the head of the specialized body to complete the necessary measures for this, and submitting the results reached to the Ministerial Council in its next session. (MORE)

Eight Palestinians were martyred and others injured Sunday in the ongoing Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip, as the humanitarian catastrophe worsens amid the continued ban on fuel entry and a scarcity of aid. This comes amid warnings of a growing threat of famine.According to local sources, at least seven Palestinians were martyred as a result of the Israeli shelling of several homes in the northern Gaza Strip, Palestinian news agency (WAFA) reported.Additionally, another martyr and several others injures were reported following the Israeli occupation shelled a tent housing displaced persons in the Al-Mawasi area, west of Khan Yunis.Medical sources reported that 52 Palestinians, the majority of whom were children and women, were martyred in the past 24 hours as a result of the ongoing Israeli airstrikes targeting various areas of the Gaza Strip.Since Oct. 7, 2023, the Israeli occupation has committed genocidal crimes in the Gaza Strip, wounding many and killing over 176,000 citizens, most of them children and women. Meanwhile, over 11,000 people are missing, in addition to hundreds of thousands displaced

The Trump administration issued orders on Friday that it said would effectively lift sanctions on Syria, after President Donald Trump this month pledged to unwind the measures to help the country rebuild after a devastating civil war.The Treasury Department issued a general license that authorizes transactions involving the interim Syrian government led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa, as well as the central bank and state-owned enterprises.The general license, known as GL25, "authorizes transactions prohibited by the Syrian Sanctions Regulations, effectively lifting sanctions on Syria," the Treasury said in a statement."GL25 will enable new investment and private sector activity consistent with the President’s America First strategy," the statement said.Secretary of State Marco Rubio also issued a 180-day waiver under the Caesar Act to ensure that sanctions do not obstruct investment and to facilitate the provision of electricity, energy, water and sanitation and enable humanitarian efforts, he said in a statement."Today’s actions represent the first step in delivering on the President’s vision of a new relationship between Syria and the United States," Rubio said, adding that Trump had made clear his expectation that sanctions relief would be followed by action by the Syrian government.The White House said after Trump met Sharaa last week that the president asked Syria to adhere to several conditions in exchange for sanctions relief, including telling all foreign militants to leave Syria, deporting what he called Palestinian terrorists, and helping the US prevent the resurgence of ISIS."President Trump is providing the Syrian government with the chance to promote peace and stability, both within Syria and in Syria’s relations with its neighbors," Rubio said.Syria welcomed the sanctions waiver early Saturday, which the Foreign Ministry called a "positive step in the right direction to alleviate the country's humanitarian and economic suffering."Syria is keen on cooperating with other countries "on the basis of mutual respect and non-interference in internal affairs. It believes that dialogue and diplomacy are the best path to building balanced relations," the ministry said in a statement.Most of the U.S. sanctions on Syria were imposed on the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and key individuals in 2011 after civil war erupted there.It is hoped that easing Syria sanctions will clear the way for greater engagement by humanitarian organizations working in Syria, encouraging foreign investment and trade as the country rebuilds. But the US has imposed layers of measures against Syria, cutting it off from the international banking system and barring many imports, and the potential for sanctions on a country to return can chill private-sector investment.The US ambassador to Turkiye, who has assumed the role of Syria envoy, said Saturday he had met the country's interim leader following Washington's lifting of sanctions on the war-torn country.Tom Barrack, who met with interim leader Ahmed al-Sharaa in Istanbul, said in a statement: "I reiterated the United States' support for the Syrian people after so many years of conflict and violence."

Gaza's civil defence agency said Saturday that an Israeli strike in the southern city of Khan Younis killed nine children from the same family, with the Israeli army saying it was reviewing the reports.Agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal said civil defence crews retrieved "the bodies of nine child martyrs, some of them charred, from the home of Dr Hamdi al-Najjar and his wife, Dr Alaa al-Najjar, all of whom were their children".He added that Hamdi al-Najjar and another son, Adam, were also seriously wounded in the strike on Friday.A medical source at Nasser Hospital, where Alaa al-Najjar works, gave Adam's age as 10 years old.Footage of the aftermath released by the civil defence agency showed rescuers recovering badly burned remains from the damaged home.Asked about the incident, the Israeli military said "the Khan Yunis area is a dangerous warzone".The children's funeral took place at Nasser Hospital, AFP footage showed.Muneer Alboursh, director general of the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, said on X that the strike happened shortly after Hamdi Al-Najjar drove his wife to work."Just minutes after returning home, a missile struck their house," he said, adding the father was "in intensive care"."This is the reality our medical staff in Gaza endure. Words fall short in describing the pain," he said."In Gaza, it is not only healthcare workers who are targeted — Israel's aggression goes further, wiping out entire families."Meanwhile, the death toll from the ongoing Israeli onslaught on the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, 2023, has hit 53,901 with 122,593 injured.Hospitals across the enclave received 79 martyrs, and 211 wounded individuals over the past 24 hours, Ministry of Health in Gaza reported in a statement day.The statement noted that the figures do not account for the hospitals in the northern Gaza governorate, as access remains impossible due to the unrelenting Israeli offensive.It further indicated that since March 18, a total of 3,747 martyrs and 10,552 wounded have been documented, with several victims still trapped under bombed-out buildings and lying in the streets, beyond the reach of paramedics and civil defense rescuers.Commissioner-General of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, has stressed that Israel's proposed aid plan for Gaza will never succeed.Posting on the X platform, Lazzarini highlighted that this model also seems to be put in place in order to support a military objective more than a real humanitarian concern.It is not possible for a humanitarian organization that truly respects basic humanitarian principles to commit to such a plan, he said.The Israeli entity seeks to impose an alternative mechanism for aid distribution through centers that are controlled by the occupying army, something that would exclude broad categories of the population, particularly disabled individuals and the elderly, from receiving essential life-saving aid.

Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli strikes killed at least 15 people on Saturday across the Palestinian territory, where Israel has ramped up its military offensive in recent days.Civil defence agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP the dead included a couple who were killed with their two young children in a pre-dawn strike on a house in the Amal quarter of the southern city of Khan Yunis.To the west of the city, at least five people were killed by a drone strike on a crowd of people that had gathered to wait for aid trucks, he said.At Khan Yunis's Nasser Hospital, tearful mourners gathered around white-shrouded bodies outside."Suddenly, a missile from an F-16 destroyed the entire house, and all of them were civilians -- my sister, her husband and their children," said Wissam Al-Madhoun."We found them lying in the street. What did this child do to (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu?"Israel resumed operations in Gaza on March 18, ending a two-month ceasefire.Gaza's health ministry said Saturday that at least 3,747 people had been killed in the territory since then, taking the war's overall toll to 53,901, mostly civilians.United Nations chief Antonio Guterres said on Friday that Palestinians were enduring "the cruellest phase" of the war in Gaza, where a lengthy Israeli blockade has led to widespread shortages of food and medicine.Limited aid deliveries to the Gaza Strip restarted on Monday for the first time since March 2, amid mounting condemnation of the Israeli blockade.The World Food Programme said 15 of its trucks were looted late Thursday night, calling on Israel "to get far greater volumes of food assistance into Gaza faster"."Hunger, desperation, and anxiety over whether more food aid is coming, is contributing to rising insecurity," it said.The Gaza City municipality, meanwhile, warned Saturday of "a potential large-scale water crisis" due to a lack of supplies needed for urgent repairs.It said damage from the war had "affected the majority of Gaza's water infrastructure, leaving large portions of the population vulnerable to severe water shortages".It added that temperatures were rising and demand was expected to increase.

United Nations chief Antonio Guterres on Friday said Palestinians in Gaza are "enduring what may be the cruelest phase of this cruel conflict" as Israel ramps up its military offensive."For nearly 80 days, Israel blocked the entry of life-saving international aid," he said in a statement. "The entire population of Gaza is facing the risk of famine."The Israeli military offensive is intensifying with atrocious levels of death and destruction."Israel resumed major operations in Gaza on March 18, ending a two-month ceasefire.Aid began trickling into the Gaza Strip this week for the first time in more than two months, amid condemnation of the Israeli blockade that sparked severe shortages of food and medicine.Guterres said Israel has only authorized for Gaza what "amounts to a teaspoon of aid when a flood of assistance is required" and again signaled that the UN won't take part in a new US-backed distribution plan."Without rapid, reliable, safe and sustained aid access, more people will die - and the long-term consequences on the entire population will be profound," Guterres told reporters.Guterres warned that of almost 400 trucks cleared for entry into Gaza through the Kerem Shalom crossing, supplies from only 115 have been able to be collected."The needs are massive -- and the obstacles are staggering," he said."Strict quotas are being imposed on the goods we distribute -- along with unnecessary delay procedures.""Israel has clear obligations under international humanitarian law," Guterres added. "As the occupying power, it must agree to allow and facilitate the aid that is needed."Israel has allowed aid deliveries by the UN and other aid groups to briefly resume until a new US-backed distribution model - run by the newly created Gaza Humanitarian Foundation - is up and running by the end of the month. The UN says the plan is not impartial or neutral, and that it will not be involved."The United Nations has been clear: We will not take part in any scheme that fails to respect international law and the humanitarian principles of humanity, impartiality, independence and neutrality," Guterres said.The UN and its partners have a plan to get the aid needed into Gaza, he said."The supplies - 160,000 pallets, enough to fill nearly 9,000 trucks - are waiting," Guterres said. "This is my appeal for life-saving aid for the long-suffering people of Gaza: Let's do it right. And let's do it right away.

Aid groups say many aid trucks have been held up at border crossing, not yet reached people in needWFP says 15 trucks carrying flour have been looted, cites 'hunger, desperation and anxiety'Israel intensifies airstrikes, hitting 75 targets in Gaza overnightIsraeli airstrikes killed at least 26 in Gaza Friday, including six Palestinians guarding aid trucks against looters, the civil defence and Hamas officials said on Friday, underlining the problems hindering supplies from reaching hungry people in Gaza following Israel's 11-week-long blockade.The Israeli military said 107 trucks carrying flour and other foodstuffs as well as medical supplies entered the Gaza Strip from the Kerem Shalom crossing point on Thursday. But getting the supplies to people sheltering in tents and other makeshift accommodation has been fitful.So far, an umbrella network of Palestinian aid groups said, 119 aid trucks have entered Gaza since Israel eased its blockade on Monday in the face of an international outcry. But distribution has been hampered by looting by groups of men, some of them armed, near the city of Khan Younis, the network said."They stole food meant for children and families suffering from severe hunger," the network said in a statement, which also condemned Israeli airstrikes on security teams protecting the trucks.Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli strikes killed 20 people on Friday across the Palestinian territory, where Israel has ramped up its military offensive in recent days.The toll from "Israeli strikes in various areas across the Gaza Strip since midnight" totalled 20 dead, agency official Mohammed al-Mughayyir said.He said there were also dozens of people wounded in the attacks, which mainly hit the centre and south of the territory.In Gaza's north, Al-Awda hospital reported Friday that three of its staff were injured "after Israeli quadcopter drones dropped bombs" on the facility.The aid groups network also said the amount of aid coming into Gaza was still inadequate and only included a narrow range of supplies. It said Israel's agreement to allow trucks to enter the war-shattered enclave was a "deceptive manoeuvre" to avoid international pressure calling for the lifting of the blockade.The UN World Food Programme said 15 trucks carrying flour to WFP-supported bakeries had been looted."Hunger, desperation and anxiety over whether more food aid is coming is contributing to rising insecurity," WFP said in a statement, calling on Israel to get far greater volumes of food into Gaza faster, more consistently and safely."As WFP has said previously, two million people are facing extreme hunger and famine without immediate action," it added.So far, Israel says it has allowed around 300 trucks to enter Gaza, a fraction of the number that aid groups say would be needed to relieve hunger among the population. But many of the trucks have been held up at the Kerem Shalom crossing and not yet reached people in need, and there has been mounting international pressure to get supplies in more quickly.A German government spokesperson said the aid was "far too little, too late and too slow," adding that delivery of supplies had to be increased significantly.

Eleven Palestinians were martyred and others wounded on Friday as Israeli occupation forces bombed a family home in the town of New Abasan, east of Khan Younis in southern Gaza Strip.According to the Palestinian news agency (WAFA), most of the martyrs were children, in what was described as a horrific massacre that adds to the ongoing crimes committed by the occupation against the Palestinian people.The agency added that several of the wounded are in critical condition, while ambulance crews remain unable to reach some of the victims due to the continued shelling.Since October 7, 2023, the Israeli occupation has been waging a wide-scale and systematic assault on the Gaza Strip, a war that has claimed the lives of more than 175,000 martyrs and wounded - most of them children and women - in addition to over 11,000 missing persons and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of civilians, in one of the gravest humanitarian disasters of modern times.

Plumes of smoke rose yesterday over the northern Gaza Strip, where Israel’s military urged civilians to evacuate, as rescuers said Israeli strikes across the territory killed more than 50 people.The latest evacuation warning for parts of Gaza City and neighbouring areas came hours after the UN said it had begun distributing around 90 truckloads of aid in Gaza — the first such delivery since Israel imposed a total blockade on March 2.The World Food Programme (WFP) later said a “handful of bakeries” had resumed making and distributing bread, while the UN said some trucks were “intercepted” by residents.Under global pressure to lift the blockade and halt a newly expanded offensive, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was open to a “temporary ceasefire”, but reaffirmed the military aimed to bring all of Gaza under its control.The vast majority of Gaza’s 2.4mn have been displaced at least once during the war.In Gaza, the Hamas government media office reported the arrival of 87 aid trucks.Palestinians have been scrambling for basic supplies, with Israel’s blockade leading to critical food and medicine shortages.UN agencies have said that the amount of aid entering Gaza falls far short of what is required to ease the crisis.AFP footage showed bags of recently delivered flour at a bakery in the central city of Deir Al-Balah, where workers and a host of machines began kneading, shaping, baking and packaging stack after stack of pita bread.“Some aid is finally reaching Gazans in desperate need, but it’s moving far too slowly,” said WFP executive director Cindy McCain.

President of Syria Ahmad Al-Sharaa received a phone call Wednesday evening from EU President Antonio Costa.The conversation addressed the EU's decision to lift sanctions on Syria, according to the Syrian News Agency (SANA).Costa considered the decision a significant boost to Syria's stability. He noted that holding the donor conference in Brussels confirms the EU's commitment to helping Syria achieve stability.President Al-Sharaa expressed his thanks to the EU president and member states for the decision to lift sanctions, describing it as a historic step that will contribute to moving the country toward a more stable future.Al-Sharaa indicated that Israeli interventions continue to affect Syria, affirming the need for the EU to stand by Syria to stop these interventions.

The death toll from continuous Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip since early Wednesday has risen to 87, with dozens more wounded, according to medical sources.Among the casualties, five Palestinians were martyred in an Israeli airstrike targeting a group of people in Jabalia.Israeli warplanes also bombed in northwestern Gaza City and carried out several other raids on the area.Earlier today, the Ministry of Health in Gaza reported that the total number of martyrs since the start of the Israeli aggression on October 2023 has reached 53,655, with 121,950 others injured.

The Sultanate of Oman has announced that the next round of talks between Iran and the United States will be held in the Italian capital, Rome on Friday.Oman News Agency (ONA) quoted Omani Minister of Foreign Affairs Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi, as saying: "The fifth round of Iranian-US talks will be held in the Italian capital, Rome, on May 23."The fourth round, held in Muscat on May 11, witnessed the presentation of a range of proposals and ideas between the two sides, reflecting their shared desire to reach an agreement.Muscat hosted the first round of negotiations on Iran's nuclear program on April 12, before alternating rounds of talks with the Italian capital, Rome

The amount of aid Israel has started to allow into war-ravaged Gaza is not nearly enough and is "a smokescreen to pretend the siege is over," the MSF aid group said on Wednesday.Israel has come under massive international pressure to abandon its intensified military campaign in Gaza and to allow aid into the territory, where humanitarian agencies say a total blockade has sparked critical food and medicine shortages."The Israeli authorities' decision to allow a ridiculously inadequate amount of aid into Gaza after months of an air-tight siege signals their intention to avoid the accusation of starving people in Gaza, while in fact keeping them barely surviving," said Pascale Coissard, Medecins Sans Frontieres ( Doctors Without Borders) emergency coordinator in Gaza's Khan Yunis."The current authorisation for 100 per day, when the situation is so dire, is woefully inadequate," MSF said in the statement."Meanwhile, evacuation orders are continuing to uproot the population, while Israeli forces are still subjecting health facilities to intensive attacks."The UN announced Monday that it had been cleared to send in aid for the first time since Israel imposed a total blockade on March 2, sparking severe shortages of food and medicine.Israel said 93 trucks had entered Gaza from Israel on Tuesday but the United Nations said the aid had been held up.

Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani summoned the Israeli ambassador Wednesday, after warning shots were fired on diplomats visiting the West Bank city of Jenin.Tajani said on X he had instructed his ministry to "summon the Israeli Ambassador to Rome to obtain official clarifications on what happened in Jenin".Israel's military said troops fired "warning shots" after the diplomats deviated from an approved route during a visit to the occupied city, adding that no injuries were reported and the army "regrets the inconvenience caused".Tajani said earlier he had spoken to Alessandro Tutino, the Deputy Consul General of Italy in Jerusalem, "who is well and who was among the diplomats who were apparently shot at near the Jenin refugee camp"."We call on the government of Israel to immediately clarify what happened. Threats against diplomats are unacceptable," he said on X.The incident came as international pressure mounted on Israel over the war in the Gaza Strip, where Palestinians waited desperately for vital supplies after the easing of a two-month total aid blockade.

Palestinians in Gaza were still waiting for aid to arrive, UN officials said Wednesday, two days after the Israeli government said it had lifted an 11-week-old blockade that has brought the Palestinian enclave to the brink of famine.The Israeli military said five aid trucks entered Gaza on Monday and 93 on Tuesday but even those minimal supplies have not made it to Gaza's soup kitchens, bakeries, markets and hospitals, according to aid officials and local bakeries that were standing by to receive supplies of flour."None of this aid - that is a very limited number of trucks - has reached the Gaza population," said Antoine Renard, country director of the World Food Programme (WFP).A United Nations spokesperson said trucks were still in the loading area of Kerem Shalom, the sprawling logistics hub at the southeastern corner of the Gaza Strip, because access to the rest of Gaza was too insecure to allow safe distribution.However, two merchants familiar with the matter said late Wednesday that at least 15 aid trucks left the Kerem Shalom crossing en route to World Food Programme warehouses in central Gaza.As some trucks left the Israeli side of Kerem Shalom, a small group of Israeli protesters angry that any supplies were being let into Gaza while hostages were still held there tried to block them."There is no flour, no food, no water," said Sabah Warsh Agha, a 67-year-old woman from the northern Gaza town of Beit Lahiya sheltering in a cluster of tents near to the beach in Gaza City.Thousands of tons of food and other vital supplies are waiting near crossing points into Gaza but until it can be safely distributed, around a quarter of the population remains at risk of famine, Renard said.As people waited, air strikes and tank fire killed at least 50 people across the Gaza Strip Wednesday, Palestinian health authorities said.The Israeli campaign has killed 53,655 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities, and devastated the coastal strip, where aid groups say signs of severe malnutrition are widespread.Gaza's civil defence agency said that more than 20 air strikes hit Khan Yunis and its surroundings overnight, with the targets including encampments for Palestinians displaced by the war, now in its 20th month.At least 3,509 people have been killed since Israel resumed strikes on March 18, following a breakdown in ceasefire negotiations.