Israel fully endorses US aid plan for besieged Gaza as bloodbath continues

The New Arab's live blog on Israel's war in Gaza and other regional developments has now finished, and will resume at 0900am.

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that his country would not stop fighting in Gaza even while negotiations with Hamas take place, after the group announced the release of a hostage following talks with the United States.

"According to Israel's policy, the negotiations will take place under fire with a commitment to achieving all the objectives of the war," said a statement from Netanyahu's office.

Donald Trump on Sunday celebrated an announcement by Hamas that it would release US-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander from Gaza, with the US president saying he hoped all hostages would be released and fighting ended.

"I am grateful to all those involved in making this monumental news happen," Trump said in a post on social media, describing the release as a "good faith gesture," adding: "Hopefully this is the first of those final steps necessary to end this brutal conflict."

Egypt and Qatar welcomed on Sunday an announcement by Hamas that it would release US-Israeli captive Edan Alexander from Gaza, as part of direct talks with the United States towards a ceasefire.

In a joint statement, the countries, who along with the US have mediated talks between Hamas and Israel, called it "a gesture of goodwill and an encouraging step toward a return to the negotiating table to achieve a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, the release of prisoners and detainees, and ensure the safe and unhindered flow of aid to address the tragic conditions in the strip".

Norway's wealth fund, the world's largest, has sold all of its shares in Israel's Paz Retail and Energy as it owns and operates infrastructure for the supply of fuel to Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, it said on Sunday.

A reported plan by Hamas to release the last surviving American hostage in Gaza is a positive step forward, US special envoy Adam Boehler said on Sunday.

Axios reported that Hamas will release Edan Alexander, an Israeli-American, as part of an effort to reach a ceasefire deal and resume humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza.

Boehler told Reuters on Sunday in response to the report: “It’s a positive step forward and we would also ask that Hamas release the bodies of four other Americans that were taken."

He said President Donald Trump's Middle East swing this week helped spur the move. "The president coming to the region was helpful as was the work done on this issue by Secretary (of State Marco) Rubio and (US special envoy) Steve Witkoff."

Israeli settlers on Sunday attacked the village of Beit Lilo, northwest of Ramallah, Palestinian media said.

The head of the Beit Lilo village council, Nasr Radwan, told the Wafa agency that more than 50 armed settlers attacked the village from the eastern side and assaulted residents who tried to confront them.

No injuries were reported.

Hamas will release the Israeli-American captive Edan Alexander held in Gaza as a part of efforts to reach a ceasefire agreement and allow humanitarian aid to enter the besieged enclave, a senior Hamas official told Reuters on Sunday.

Israel's military issued a warning on Sunday for Yemenis to leave three ports in areas controlled by Houthi rebels, following Israeli strikes in recent days in retaliation for missile attacks.

"Due to the use of sea ports by the terrorist Houthi regime... we urge all people present in these ports to evacuate and stay away from them for your safety until further notice", military spokesman Avichay Adraee said in a post in Arabic on X, mentioning Yemen's ports of Ras Issa, Hodeida and Salif.

The lifeline port of Hodeida was hit in an Israeli raid earlier this week, part of Israel's military response to recent Huthi attacks including a rare missile launch that hit inside the perimeter of Israel's main airport on May 4.

Warnings similar to Adaree's message on Sunday were issued before Israeli strikes this week on the capital Sanaa.

On Friday, after the Israeli military said it had intercepted a missile fired from Yemen, Defence Minister Israel Katz vowed to retaliate against the Iran-backed rebels.

Hamas and US representatives have held direct talks in Doha in recent days, two officials from the Palestinian militant group told AFP on Sunday, with one saying there had been "progress" towards a truce in Gaza.

"Direct talks have taken place in Doha between the Hamas leadership and the United States regarding a ceasefire in Gaza, a prisoner exchange and the entry of humanitarian aid," said a senior Hamas official, adding that the talks "are still ongoing".

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will head Monday to the United Arab Emirates, his office said, days before US President Donald Trump is due to visit the Gulf state.

Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said in a statement that Araghchi -  who visited Saudi Arabia and Qatar, two other stops on Trump's regional tour, over the weekend - will hold talks senior Emirati officials "on bilateral relations as well as regional and international developments".

Hamas is in talks with the U.S. administration regarding a Gaza ceasefire and entry of humanitarian aid to the besieged enclave, a senior Palestinian official familiar with the discussions told Reuters on Sunday.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday that Tehran would not compromise its right to enrich uranium, after the latest round of nuclear talks with the United States.

"Enrichment... must continue and there is no room for compromise on it," Araghchi told Iranian state TV in Muscat, where the talks were held, adding that Iran may be open to limit the rate of enrichment "to help build trust".

Oman's top diplomat said talks he was mediating in Muscat on Sunday between Washington and Tehran included "useful and original ideas" that reflected a shared desire to reach a deal between the two arch-foes.

"We completed another round of talks between Iran and the United States in Muscat today. The discussions included useful and original ideas reflecting a shared wish to reach an honourable agreement. The 5th round of talks will take place once both parties... consult their leaderships", Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi said in a post on X.

Iran said Sunday it had concluded the fourth round of nuclear talks with the United States, describing it as "difficult".

"The fourth round of indirect Iran-US negotiations is concluded; difficult but useful talks to better understand each other's positions and to find reasonable and realistic ways to address the differences," said foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei in a post on X.

A senior US official on Sunday described the latest talks with Iran over its nuclear program positively, saying another round would take place soon.

The discussions in Oman led by US special envoy Steve Witkoff "were again both direct and indirect, and lasted over 3 hours," a senior administration official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

"Agreement was reached to move forward with the talks to continue working through technical elements. We are encouraged by today's outcome and look forward to our next meeting, which will happen in the near future," the official added.

The fourth round of nuclear talks between Iran and the US has ended in Oman after more than three hours, Iranian media is reporting.

We'll bring you more as we get it.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations has reported an "incident" 80 nautical miles north-west of the UAE's Jebel Ali port in the Persian Gulf.

The agency said a small unidentified craft had collided with a vessel and was attempting to collide with other vessels in the area.

France on Sunday backed calls for a review of the cooperation agreement between the European Union and Israel over a blockade of aid to Gaza. The Netherlands has called for an urgent review of the association agreement between the bloc and Israel.

"This is a legitimate request, and I invite the European Commission to examine it," said French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, speaking to broadcaster France Info.

Asked whether this meant that France was in favour of challenging the agreement, Barrot replied: "Let's see what analysis the European Commission will make of Israel's compliance with Article 2 of this agreement."

Barrot emphasised the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza: "I believe we must put reality into words," he said. "The reality is that the Palestinians in Gaza are starving, they are thirsty, they lack everything, and that the Gaza Strip is today on the brink of chaos and famine," Barrot said.

"I think everyone realises this," he said, describing the attitude of the Israeli government as "incomprehensible." "And it is by speaking out that we can, without a doubt, hope to influence the Israeli position."

Lebanese President Michel Aoun left to Kuwait on Sunday on an official visit, as Beirut works to mend ties with the wealthy Gulf states.

Aoun has already visited Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, and earlier this week the UAE lifted a travel ban on its citizens to visit Lebanon after years of a diplomatic rift.

Aoun said during a television interview over the weekend that he wanted investments in his country and not donations, as Lebanon looks to come out of a devastating six-year long economic crisis.

Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said Sunday that the world's "most dangerous regime", Iran, must not be allowed to obtain the world's "most dangerous weapon", amid ongoing nuclear talks between Washington and Tehran.

"Iran is the most dangerous state in the world... the most dangerous regime must not be allowed to obtain the world's most dangerous weapon," Saar said at a press conference in Jerusalem, adding that Tehran's "uranium enrichment facilities must be dismantled" and that it must be prevented from obtaining any new weapons.

Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said Sunday that unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state would force Israel to take "unilateral actions," following announcements by several countries, including France, that they plan to take such a step.

"There have been talks about an initiative to unilaterally recognise a Palestinian state... any attempt to do so unilaterally will only harm future prospects for a bilateral process and will push us for unilateral actions in response," Saar said at a press conference in Jerusalem.

The conflict in Gaza cannot be solved with military means and a political solution should be at the centre, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said in Jerusalem on Sunday.

He said that Germany would do whatever it takes to guarantee Israel's security, but this does not mean that his country cannot criticise Israel's course of action, adding that this "must not lead to antisemitism."

Wadephul repeated that the return of captives is the German government's priority.

The new foreign minister also said he is not sure whether military action in Gaza will serve Israel's security, adding that it is clear that Gaza is part of the Palestinian territory.

Pope Leo XIV appealed for a "genuine, just and lasting peace" in Ukraine and said he was "deeply saddened" by events in the Gaza Strip, calling for a ceasefire in the war.

The pope greeted crowds from the balcony of St Peter's Basilica on Sunday, in his second official public appearance since becoming the leader of the Catholic Church.

Israel's Foreign Minister Gidon Saar said Sunday that Israel has fully endorsed US President Donald Trump's aid plan for Gaza, which was laid out last week by Washington's envoy to Israel.

"Israel fully endorses the Trump Administration's plan presented on Friday by US Ambassador to Israel, Mr. Mike Huckabee," Saar said at a press conference in Jerusalem with his German counterpart, Johann Wadephul, adding that it would reach civilians directly and that Hamas would be prevented from getting "their hands on it."

Gaza's health ministry says approximately 1,500 people have lost their sight as a result of the war, and 4,000 others were at risk of going blind due to the shortage of medicines and other essential supplies because of Israel's ongoing siege.

"The health sector is experiencing a serious shortage of consumables and medical equipment for eye surgeries, which will lead to a near-total collapse of surgical services, particularly for retinal diseases, diabetic retinopathy, and internal bleeding," said Abdel Salam Sabah, director of the Gaza Eye Hospital, in a statement posted by the ministry on its Facebook page.

"The eye hospital currently only has three disposable surgical scissors that are used repeatedly, which increases the risk to patients' lives and prevents them from being saved." He noted that "many eye injuries resulting from explosions require medical supplies such as healon and fine sutures, which are on the verge of running out."

Head of the paediatric department at Gaza's Nasser Medical Complex, Ahmed Al-Farra, told Al-Arabiya TV on Sunday that the situation of children in the Gaza Strip is "catastrophic," and that "an entire generation is being targeted."

He also said the hospital is suffering from a severe shortage of essential medicines and nutritional supplements for pregnant women.

Germany's new Foreign Minister, Johann Wadephul, said that the situation in Gaza has become "unbearable."

His statement was issued before he visited Israel and the Palestinian territories on Saturday.

"I will ask about the strategic objective of the military escalation since March," he said, referring to Israel's resumption of strikes on Gaza on 18 March which shattered a two-month truce.

Wadephul stressed the need to begin ceasefire negotiations with the aim of releasing all captives and providing humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza. "The humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip has become unbearable", he said.

He said that his country strongly condemns Hamas' 7 October 2023 attack and "supports Israel's right to ensure its security," as he called on Hamas to stop the fighting and release the remaining captives.

The Israeli military said Sunday that the body of a soldier missing for 43 years had been found in the "heart of Syria" and repatriated in a special operation with the Mossad intelligence agency.

"In a special operation led by the IDF (military) and Mossad, the body of Sgt. First Class Tzvika Feldman was found in the heart of Syria and brought back to Israel," the army said in a statement.

He was killed after Israel's 1982 invasion of Lebanon.

An Israeli security official said Saturday that the war in Gaza may continue for an additional two years.

"It will take at least two years of intense fighting in the Gaza Strip to defeat Hamas," the official said, as quoted by Israel's Channel 12.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Sunday said Tehran's right to enrich uranium was "non-negotiable", ahead of talks with the United States.

"Enrichment capability is one of the honours and achievements of the Iranian nation," said Araghchi in a video before departing to Muscat to attend the fourth round of talks with the US, adding that it was "non-negotiable".

The second round of Lebanon's long-awaited municipal elections kicked off on Sunday, this time from the country's north.

Polling stations opened at 7 am (4 am GMT) and will close at 7 pm. Northern Lebanon constitutes of two governorates - the north, and Akkar - a region that is very politically diverse and mostly Sunni and Christian.

The vote had been delayed three times since 2022 due to parliamentary elections, Lebanon's crushing financial crisis, and the war with Israel.

The body of an Israeli soldier killed in battle in Lebanon 43 years ago has been repatriated in a "special operation", Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on Sunday.

"In a special operation by the Mossad and the IDF, we have brought home the body of Sergeant Major Tzvi Feldman, who fell in the Battle of Sultan Ya'akov (Sultan Yaaqoub) in June 1982 during the First Lebanon War," the statement from Netanyahu's office said.

Israel carried out a full-scale invasion of Lebanon that year, reaching Beirut. It continued to occupy parts of southern Lebanon until withdrawing in 2000.