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At least 27 Palestinians were killed and dozens wounded by Israeli fire near a food distribution site in the southern Gaza Strip on Tuesday, local health authorities said, in the latest bout of chaos and bloodshed to plague the aid operation.
The Israeli military claims its forces had opened fire on a group of individuals who had left designated access routes near the distribution centre in Rafah.
The US and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) launched its first distribution sites last week. The GHF's aid plan, which bypasses traditional aid groups, has come under fierce criticism from the United Nations and established charities, which say it does not follow humanitarian principles.
The private group, owned by Israeli businessmen and former military officers, claimed it had delivered 21 truckloads of food early on Tuesday and that the operation was "conducted safely and without incident inside the site".
UN human rights chief Volker Turk said on Tuesday that "deadly attacks" on civilians around aid distribution sites in the Gaza Strip constituted "a war crime".
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The Israeli military carried out a series of airstrikes in southern Syria on Tuesday night, saying that it targeted weapons belonging to the Syrian army.
This came hours after two rockets were fired from Syria into Israel.
"The Syrian regime is responsible for what is happening in Syria and will continue to bear the consequences as long as hostile activity continues from its territory," it said in a statement.
European Council President Antonio Costa on Tuesday urged Israel to lift its blockade on Gaza, which he said is facing a "catastrophic" situation.
Costa said he held a "good and substantial" phone call with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to discuss the situation in Gaza in a post on X.
"The situation in Gaza remains catastrophic," the European Council president said. "We urge Israel to fully lift its blockade on humanitarian aid and to stop its military operations."
Syria's foreign ministry condemned an Israeli strike on the Syrian province of Daraa, saying that it caused "significant human and material losses," state news agency SANA reported.
The strike came after the Israeli military said two projectiles had crossed from Syria towards Israel, an attack which the Syrian foreign ministry described as "reports that have not been verified yet."
"We affirm that Syria has not and will not pose a threat to any party in the region", the ministry said.
(Reuters and TNA staff)
The ten elected members of the UN Security Council have asked for the 15-member body to vote on Wednesday on a draft resolution that demands "an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza respected by all parties," said diplomats.
The draft text, seen by Reuters, also demands the release of all captives held by Hamas and others, and the immediate lifting of all restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza and its safe and unhindered distribution at scale, including by the UN throughout the enclave.
A resolution needs nine votes in favor and no vetoes by the permanent members - the United States, Russia, China, Britain or France - to pass.
(Reuters and TNA staff)
At least nine people were killed in multiple Israeli strikes in Gaza on Tuesday evening, Palestinian news agency Wafa is reporting.
Israeli warplanes and drones reportedly launched strikes in areas south of Khan Younis, Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, and Gaza City.
The Israel-backed organisation that has taken control of food distribution in Gaza said Tuesday it will stop operations for one day, Haaretz is reporting.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation said the pause will allow it to prepare its sites to handle the huge numbers of people seeking food.
The announcement comes on the heels of several massacres carried out by Israeli forces near its distribution hubs in recent days.
Dozens of people have been killed and hundreds injured over the past week in multiple instances of troops opening fire on crowds of desperate Palestinian civilians.
It also follows the news today that its key operational partner, Boston Consulting Group, will cease its involvement in the initiative - a move that is expected to severely undermine its operations.
The Israeli military said it has attacked targets in southern Syria with artillery fire following the launch of two rockets into Israel earlier this evening.
Local Syrian media earlier reported shelling in Daraa province.
Two projectiles were earlier fired from Syria into Israel, where they landed in open areas, the Israeli military said,
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa bears responsibility for two projectiles that the Israeli military earlier said had been fired from Syrian territory.
"We view the president of Syria as directly responsible for any threat or fire directed at the State of Israel," Katz said in a statement released by his office, adding that "a full response will follow shortly".
(AFP)
The White House said it was checking the "veracity" of reports about Israel gunning down aid seekers in Gaza, after the Red Cross said 27 people were killed in an incident Tuesday and the Israeli military said it was investigating.
"The administration is aware of those reports, and we are currently looking into the veracity of them," Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters.
(AFP and TNA staff)
The Israeli military said it intercepted a missile launched from Yemen on Tuesday, with a series of explosions heard over Jerusalem.
"Following the sirens that sounded a short while ago in several areas in Israel, a missile launched from Yemen was intercepted," the military said.
Yemen's Houthi rebels have repeatedly launched missiles and drones at Israel since it began its brutal assault on Gaza in October 2023.
Tuesday's interception was the third in as many days.
(AFP and TNA staff)
Two projectiles have in the last few minutes been fired from Syria into Israel, where they landed in open areas, the Israel military says.
It is currently unclear who was responsible for firing the rockets.
Israel's military confirmed on Tuesday it had killed a Palestinian child who threw rocks in the occupied West Bank.
In a statement on Monday, the Palestinian Authority said 14-year-old boy Yousef Fouad Faqha had died after being shot by Israeli forces in the town of Sinjil.
The Israeli military told AFP on Tuesday that the boy had been "neutralised" after he threw rocks, describing him as a "terrorist".
(AFP and TNA staff)
Qatari prime minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani held a phone call with Israeli strategic affairs minister Ron Dermer to discuss the ongoing efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza, according to Israeli news outlet Walla.
This was the first time the two men had spoken since Dermer was made Israel's lead negotiator four months ago.
Fifty-six Swiss former diplomats have condemned Switzerland's "silence and passivity" in the face of the Israeli government's "war crimes" in Gaza and called on the government to immediately recognise a Palestinian state.
In a letter to the Swiss foreign minister, the officials said Israel is pursuing "a real ethnic cleansing and a genocidal process" against the Palestinians and called on him to reject its actions.
Geneva should respond by cutting ties with the Israeli military, ending scientific cooperation that could violate international law, and recognising Palestinian statehood "without delay", they said.
United Nations chief Antonio Guterres on Tuesday slammed as "unacceptable" the deaths of Palestinians seeking food aid in Gaza, a spokesperson said, calling the loss of life in the territory "unthinkable."
"We are witnessing unthinkable loss of life in Gaza [and] the secretary-general condemns the loss of lives and injuries of Palestinians seeking aid," spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said. "It is unacceptable civilians are risking and in several instances losing their lives just trying to get food."
(AFP)
Here's more from the statement from the Red Cross, which within the last hour confirmed that 27 Palestinian aid seekers were killed this morning near a food distribution site.
"The unprecedented scale and frequency of recent mass casualty incidents treated at the field hospital is deeply worrying and illustrates the harrowing reality that civilians in Gaza are being forced to endure," it said.
"Supplies cannot currently be replenished at the rate necessary to meet the high number of casualties, which is increasing the strain on the hospital and existing stocks," it warned.
The hospital had to handle a mass casualty influx for the second time in three days on Tuesday due to Israel firing on aid seekers in Rafah.
On Sunday, 179 patients required treatment at the 60-bed hospital, mostly for gunshot and shrapnel wounds - 21 of whom were dead on arrival.
Another influx of 184 patients occurred after the violence on Tuesday.
The International Committee of the Red Cross said its field hospital in Gaza's Rafah city recorded 27 deaths on Tuesday, matching a toll given by rescuers after Israeli forces opened fire near an aid centre.
"Early this morning, the 60-bed Red Cross Field Hospital in Rafah received a mass casualty influx of 184 patients. This includes 19 cases who were declared dead upon arrival and eight more who died due to their wounds shortly after. The majority of cases suffered gunshot wounds," the ICRC said.
The organisation added in a statement that survivors of the early morning incident said they had been "trying to reach an assistance distribution site".
Gaza's civil defence agency earlier said 27 people were killed after Israeli troops fired on a crowd near a US-backed aid distribution centre.
(AFP and TNA staff)
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tuesday that a US proposal for a new nuclear agreement submitted through mediator Oman has "many ambiguities and questions".
"The written proposal we received from the US contains many ambiguities and questions. Many issues in this proposal are not clear," Araghchi said while on a visit to Beirut.
"Continuing enrichment on Iranian soil is our red line," he said.
Araghchi added that his country would submit a response to the proposal in the coming days, based on Iran's "principled positions and the interests of the Iranian people".
"We will not ask anyone for permission to continue enriching uranium in Iran. However, we are ready to take steps... to ensure that this enrichment will not lead to the production of nuclear weapons," he said.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a controversial US-backed group distributing aid in the war-ravaged Palestinian territory, on Tuesday named an evangelical Christian leader as its new executive chairman.
The appointment of Reverend Johnnie Moore - who has worked closely with US President Donald Trump on religious freedom issues - "underscores GHF's determination to pair operational excellence with experienced, service-oriented leadership," the group's acting executive director John Acree said in a statement.
The Boston Consulting Group has terminated its contract with the US-backed aid foundation operating in Gaza and has withdrawn its staff from Israel amid widespread criticism over the foundation's conduct, reports said Tuesday.
Israeli forces have prevented a group of journalists from entering Palestinian villages in the occupied West Bank during a tour organised by the directors of 'No Other Land', a documentary that won an award at this year’s Oscars.
The filmmakers, whose work highlights escalating settler violence in the region, said they had arranged the tour so journalists could speak directly with residents affected by the attacks.
In a video shared by co-director Yuval Abraham, an Israeli soldier is seen telling the assembled press that entry to the area is prohibited due to a military order.
Basel Adra, the Palestinian co-director of the film and a resident of the region, said the army stopped the group from accessing two villages where the interviews were set to take place.
"They don’t want journalists to visit the villages or speak to the people living here," Adra said. "It’s clear they don’t want the world to see what’s happening."
After the army destroyed a village and allowed settlers to invade it, they are now blocking our tour with dozens of international journalists saying they’re not allowed to enter Masafer Yatta and visit @basel_adra home. pic.twitter.com/1wEek6BeA6
— Yuval Abraham יובל אברהם (@yuval_abraham) June 2, 2025
Spain's defence ministry has cancelled plans to buy Spike antitank missiles from Israeli weapons manufacturer Rafael, Spanish media reported.
The $325 million agreement had been finalised just four days before Israel launched its war on Gaza on October 7, 2023, according to the reports.
Moscow said Tuesday that Iran had the "right" to a peaceful nuclear programme, a day after US President Donald Trump said he wanted to rule out "any" enrichment of uranium by Tehran in a new nuclear pact.
Asked about Trump's comments, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "Countries have the right to peaceful energy, the use of peaceful atomic energy must take place exclusively under the strict control of the International Atomic Energy Agency."
"We believe that countries should keep this right," he added.
Allies Iran and Russia have deepened military ties amid Moscow's offensive on Ukraine.
Peskov also repeated Moscow's support for talks "aimed at a peaceful resolution" of the standoff between Iran and the United States.
Iran’s foreign minister said Tehran supports Lebanon’s efforts to pressure Israel to end its military presence in parts of the country's south, including diplomatic moves "to expel the occupiers."
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi added on Tuesday that Iran looks forward to relations with Lebanon based on mutual respect under the new circumstances in the country following the Israel-Hezbollah war, which greatly weakened the Shia militant group.
"We look forward to having relations (with Lebanon) based on mutual respect and non-interference in each country’s internal affairs," Araghchi told reporters after meeting Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri. He added that Iran backs a national dialogue in Lebanon between rival groups.
Iran condemns the occupation of Lebanese territories "by the Zionist entity and supports all efforts exerted by the Lebanese government and people to expel the occupiers through any way including diplomatic methods," Araghchi said, referring to five posts Israel refused to withdraw from earlier this year.
Hamas described the statements made by former U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller - who affirmed that Israel committed war crimes in Gaza - as a significant acknowledgment that "condemns the Israeli occupation, confirms its crimes, and exposes the U.S. administrations' attempts to obscure the reality of this brutal war against innocent civilians in the Gaza Strip."
"Miller clearly revealed that he was not allowed to speak the truth while in office and that he was compelled to adhere to the official U.S. government narrative regarding the occupation’s actions. This exposes the deep political complicity of U.S. administrations with the occupation and their criminal cover-up of its brutal violations," Hamas said.
Hamas emphasised that this admission does not only implicate the occupation, "but also places Washington directly responsible as an actual partner in the war crimes and acts of genocide committed against the Palestinian people in Gaza -through funding, arms supplies, political and diplomatic protection, and misleading media coverage."
The group called on the international community and judicial institutions to translate these serious admissions into immediate investigations and legal proceedings, and to hold accountable all those involved or complicit in these crimes - "whether the Zionist war criminals or those who supported and shielded them."
The YouGov Eurotrack polling centre reported that public support and sympathy for Israel in Western Europe has reached an all-time low, with less than one-fifth of respondents in six countries expressing a positive view of the country.
The survey showed that Israel’s net approval rating stands at -44 in Germany, -48 in France, and -54 in Denmark, representing the lowest levels since polling on this issue began in 2016. In Italy, -52, and Spain, -55, the ratings are at either their lowest or joint-lowest levels.
In the UK, Israel's net approval is -46, slightly above its lowest point of -49 recorded late last year.
An Israeli army officer revealed that more than 10,000 soldiers have been killed or wounded during the war on Gaza.
The Israeli Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper quoted an unnamed battalion commander in the Israeli army as saying: "We have a shortage of more than 10,000 soldiers who were either killed or wounded, and several thousand others are repeatedly entering the cycle of PTSD."
According to Israeli army data, this brings the total number of soldiers killed since the beginning of the war on 7 October 2023 to 861, including 419 in ground battles that began 20 days later.
The number of wounded soldiers has risen to 5,921, including 2,987 in the ground fighting.
United Nations' human rights chief Volker Turk said on Tuesday that "deadly attacks" on civilians around aid distribution sites in the Gaza Strip constituted "a war crime".
"Deadly attacks on distraught civilians trying to access the paltry amounts of food aid in Gaza are unconscionable," Turk said.
"Attacks directed against civilians constitute a grave breach of international law and a war crime."
A source familiar with the Gaza ceasefire talks told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that a significant meeting was held Sunday in Doha between a Hamas delegation and Qatari officials.
The meeting is part of renewed efforts to revive stalled negotiations on a ceasefire and prisoner exchange between Hamas and Israel.
US President Donald Trump on Monday ruled out allowing Iran to enrich uranium under any nuclear deal between the foes - as Tehran defended what it said was its "peaceful" pursuit of fuel for power generation.
Uranium enrichment has remained a key point of contention in five rounds of talks since April to ink a new accord to replace the deal with major powers that Trump abandoned during his first term in 2018.
"Under our potential Agreement - WE WILL NOT ALLOW ANY ENRICHMENT OF URANIUM!" Trump said on his Truth Social network after the Axios news outlet said Washington's offer would let Tehran enrich some of the nuclear fuel.
Republican Trump also blamed predecessor Joe Biden for the impasse, saying the Democrat "should have stopped Iran a long time ago from 'enriching.'"
The United States has begun reducing its military presence in Syria with a view to eventually closing all but one of its bases there, the US envoy for the country has said in an interview.
"The reduction of our OIR engagement on a military basis is happening," the US envoy for Syria, Tom Barrack, said in an interview with Turkey's NTV late on Monday.
"We've gone from eight bases to five to three. We'll eventually go to one."
But he admitted Syria still faced major security challenges under interim leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, whose Islamist-led coalition toppled Assad in December.
The Israeli military said Tuesday that three of its soldiers were killed in the Gaza Strip, in what appeared to be the deadliest attack on Israel's forces since it ended a ceasefire with Hamas in March.
The military said the three soldiers, all in their early 20s, fell during combat in northern Gaza on Monday, without providing details. Israeli media reported that they were killed in an explosion in the Jabaliya area.