US envoy Witkoff denies Hamas accepted Gaza ceasefire deal

TNA’s live coverage of the latest from the war on Gaza concludes for today. Join us again at 0800 GMT for updates from the besieged Palestinian enclave.
 

UK trade envoy Ian Austin visited the Israeli port of Haifa on Monday, prompting questions from journalists and observers about the British government’s stance towards Israel amid its ongoing war on Gaza.

"Last week the UK government suspended free trade negotiations with Israel in protest at the war in Gaza. This week the UK’s trade envoy is touring Israel. Slightly mixed messaging," Sky News Arabic journalist Alistair Bunkall commented on X.

Israel’s far-right Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich, has announced intentions to establish Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip, speaking during an event marking Israel’s occupation of Jerusalem’s Old City.

"We are conquering the Land of Israel, liberating Gaza, settling Gaza, and defeating the enemy," Smotrich declared to supporters.

The crowd, some of whom reportedly chanted "death to Arabs," marched through the Old City and assaulted Palestinians.

"With God's help, we will expand Israel's borders, bring about complete redemption, and rebuild the Temple here," he added, referring to the al-Aqsa Mosque compound, which settlers stormed earlier in the day.

Medical sources have told Al Jazeera English that at least 81 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli airstrikes across various areas of Gaza since dawn.

According to the Health Ministry in Gaza, Israel’s ongoing assault has so far killed at least 53,977 people and injured 122,966 others.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanayahu on Monday vowed to bring back all hostages, "living and dead", as rescuers in Gaza said Israeli strikes killed at least 52 people.

"If we don't achieve it today, we will achieve it tomorrow, and if not tomorrow, then the day after tomorrow. We are not giving up," Netanyahu said of the duty to free the captives.

"We intend to bring them all back, the living and the dead," he added.

Israeli ground forces have reportedly crossed into an area near Meiss el-Jabal, located in Lebanon’s Marjayoun district, according to a media report.

Israel’s Army Radio stated that troops moved several hundred metres into Lebanese territory but did not provide additional information.

The widely condemned new aid distribution system in Gaza, involving private military contractors, has commenced operations with the opening of its first distribution hubs.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has assumed control of humanitarian relief efforts, despite opposition from the United Nations. The delivery of vital supplies began on a day when Israeli airstrikes reportedly killed at least 80 people in Gaza.

The organisation stated that truckloads of food, without specifying the quantity, had reached its hubs and distribution to Palestinians was under way.

"More trucks with aid will be delivered tomorrow with the flow of aid increasing each day," it said in a statement.

Israel's Minister for Strategic Affairs, Ron Dermer, reportedly warned the United Kingdom and France that Israel would move to annex parts of the occupied West Bank if either country formally recognises a Palestinian state, according to Israeli news outlet Haaretz.

Dermer is said to have informed French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot that Israel would annex areas of Area C in the West Bank and legalise several Israeli settlements.

France is due to host a conference in June with Saudi Arabia, during which the recognition of a Palestinian state is expected to be discussed.

All Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are considered illegal under international law.

Hamas’s armed wing claims its fighters launched an attack on four Israeli soldiers using multiple rocket-propelled grenades in the Shujayea neighbourhood of eastern Gaza City.

The ambush reportedly took place on al-Muntar Street, with no casualties confirmed.

In a statement, the Qassam Brigades added that their fighters also targeted several Merkava tanks in various areas of Shujayea using Yassin-105 rockets.

Washington rejected Monday an assertion by Hamas that the group had accepted a Gaza ceasefire proposal that reportedly involves the liberation of 10 hostages in two batches and a 70-day truce.

A spokesman for US envoy Steve Witkoff confirmed to AFP reporting by Axios that he had rejected claims by the Palestinian group that it had agreed to his proposal for a hostage and ceasefire deal.

Israeli human rights activist Itamar Greenberg, who previously served six months in prison for refusing military service, claims he was forced to wear clothing bearing a pro-Israel slogan while in detention following his arrest at an anti-genocide protest.

"Yesterday I was arrested with great violence at a demonstration against the genocide in Gaza," he said.

"This morning, while waiting for a court hearing, the Israeli prison guards took a sweater painted 'Am Yisrael Chai!' [The Jewish Nation Lives] and the Israeli flag on it, forced me to wear it, took a picture of me and told me that the next time I was arrested, they would tattoo a Star of David on my face. We will continue to rise up for life, justice and equality."

This morning, while waiting for a court hearing, Israeli prison guards drew “Am Yisrael Chai!” (“The Jewish nation lives!”) and an Israeli flag on a sweater, forced me to wear it, took a photo, and told me that next time I’m arrested, they’ll tattoo a Star of David on my face. https://t.co/fakMmR5tWr pic.twitter.com/LDXCEYPOMR

— איתמר גרינברג Itamar Greenberg (@itamar_green) May 26, 2025

In a phone call with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, European Council President Antonio Costa voiced his "grave concerns regarding the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza and the escalating violence in the West Bank".

He stated that he had expressed "full support for the UN Secretary-General’s five-stage aid plan for Gaza".

Costa urged "Israel to lift its blockade and allow immediate, safe, and unimpeded access for humanitarian aid and assistance, in accordance with international law and humanitarian principles".

The UN’s five-stage plan involves delivering aid to Gaza, screening and inspecting it at crossing points, transporting it to humanitarian hubs, preparing it for distribution, and ensuring it reaches those in need.

The European Council serves as the EU body representing the governments of its member states.

In my phone call today with Mahmoud Abbas, President of the Palestinian Authority, I reiterated my grave concerns regarding the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza and the escalating violence in the West Bank.

I expressed full support for the UN Secretary-General’s…

— António Costa (@eucopresident) May 26, 2025

The launch of the first Gaza Humanitarian Foundation aid distribution point in the Strip, has been delayed and will not take place today as previously expected.

Although both the Foundation and Israeli officials had earlier confirmed that operations would commence today, Hebrew media reports now indicate a postponement due to logistical challenges.

According to Channel 12 and Ynet, unnamed sources say the issue does not lie with Israel but with the American company responsible for distributing the aid.

Israel's security establishment reportedly hopes that the distribution can begin tomorrow, pending a situational assessment to determine feasibility.

Israel had blocked the entry of food, fuel, medicine, and other supplies into Gaza since early March, only easing restrictions last week to allow a limited number of aid trucks through, as the humanitarian crisis affecting 2.3 million Palestinians deepens.

Experts continue to warn of a severe risk of famine, and even the United States- traditionally a firm ally of Israel- has expressed concern over the escalating hunger crisis.

A British surgeon visiting a Gaza hospital said Monday she had "never seen so many blast injuries" as Israel ramps up operations in the coastal Palestinian territory ravaged by 20 months of war.

"I've never seen so many blast injuries in my life and I've never seen so many injuries in Gaza in my life," said Victoria Rose, a part of a British medical delegation to Nasser Hospital in south Gaza's Khan Yunis.

Rose, who has previously visited Gaza to work, said she had seen a lot of severe burns, typical injuries for people who have been in an explosion.

"We're seeing these injuries in really small children as well", Rose said from Nasser Hospital's paediatric wing.

With Israel conducting dozens of air strikes every day in Gaza since restarting bombardments on March 18, humanitarians have said that nowhere is safe in Gaza.

The surgeon added that the large burns she had witnessed during her visit "are very difficult to survive from even in the Western countries where there is no war, and we have functioning hospitals and all the medical supplies at our fingertips."

"So, here, most of these burns are going to be unsurvivable."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday he hoped to make an announcement regarding captives held in Gaza "today or tomorrow", after Hamas said it had accepted a ceasefire proposal from mediators.

"I really hope we can announce something regarding the hostages, if not today, then tomorrow", Netanyahu said in a video broadcast on his Telegram channel.

A large rally in Jerusalem marking Israel's capture of the city's east in a 1967 war descended into chaos on Monday as far-right Israeli Jews confronted and assaulted Palestinians, fellow Israelis and journalists, witnesses said.

The annual "Flag March" drew thousands chanting, dancing and waving Israeli flags shortly after far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir visited the Al-Aqsa mosque compound.

Violence broke out in the walled Old City of occupied East Jerusalem shortly after midday, a Reuters witness said, when young marchers began harassing the few Palestinian shopkeepers who had yet to shutter their stores ahead of the rally.

The marchers, mostly young Israelis who live in settlements in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, then began to target Israeli left-wing activists and journalists observing the rally.

Israeli settlers attacked women and elderlies in the old city of Jerusalem. pic.twitter.com/2LQxtb0vdN

— Eye on Palestine (@EyeonPalestine) May 26, 2025

Sweden's foreign ministry plans to summon Israel's ambassador in Stockholm over the humanitarian aid situation in Gaza, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said on Monday.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Monday that "now is not the right time to recognise Palestine as a state."

She said countries have to push Israel to allow more aid into Gaza.

Syria's Kurds will insist on a decentralised system of government in upcoming talks with the new authorities in Damascus, a senior Kurdish official said on Monday.

The Kurdish-led administration in northeastern Syria signed an agreement with the new Syrian government in March to integrate into Syria's state institutions.

The two sides are expected to meet again in Damascus "soon" to discuss the implementation of the deal, Badran Ciya Kurd, a senior official in the Kurdish-led administration, told AFP.

The Kurdish official said the delegation will demand "a decentralised, pluralistic, democratic Syria".

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened a meeting of his cabinet in a predominantly Palestinian neighbourhood Monday as Israel celebrated Jerusalem Day, vowing the ancient city would remain united under Israel, his office said.

"We will keep Jerusalem united, whole, and under Israeli sovereignty," Netanyahu said on the Israeli holiday celebrating the taking of East Jerusalem during the 1967 Middle East war, speaking from occupied East Jerusalem's Silwan.

Hamas has executed four men for looting some of the aid trucks that have begun entering Gaza, sources familiar with the incident said on Monday, as a clan leader in southern Gaza issued a challenge to the Palestinian group over guarding the convoys.

One source said the four were involved in an incident last week when six security officials were killed by an Israeli airstrike as they were working to prevent gang members from hijacking aid trucks.

"The four criminals, who were executed, were involved in the crimes of looting and causing the death of members of a force tasked with securing aid trucks," one of the sources told Reuters.

Seven other suspects were being pursued, according to a statement issued by an umbrella group identifying itself as the "Palestinian Resistance".

The majority of stocks of medical equipment have run out in Gaza, while 42% of basic medicines including pain killers are out of stock, the World Health Organization said on Monday.

"We are at stock zero of close to 64% of medical equipment and stock zero of 42% of essential medicines and vaccines," Hanan Balkhy, the WHO's Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean told reporters in Geneva.

The Israeli military issued an evacuation warning for parts of the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis on Monday, following what it said were rocket launches from the area.

"Terrorist organisations continue to launch rocket fire from your areas. The Khan Younis area is considered a dangerous combat zone and has been warned multiple times," the Arabic warning said. "Evacuate immediately to the west, to the Mawasi area."

#عاجل ‼️ الى سكان محافظة خانيونس، بني سهيلا، عبسان والقرارة
⭕️جيش الدفاع يشن هجوماً غير مسبوق لتدمير قدرات المنظمات الإرهابية
⭕️تواصل المنظمات الإرهابية اطلاق قذائف صاروخية من مناطقكم
⭕️تعتبر منطقة محافظة خان يونس منطقة قتال خطيرة تم تحذيرها عدة مرات
🔴أخلوا فوراً غرباً الى منطقة… pic.twitter.com/6T7BCf8ikD

— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) May 26, 2025

 U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said on Monday she had a candid conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the United States' negotiations with Iran.

"President Trump specifically sent me here to have a conversation with the prime minister about how those negotiations are going and how important it is that we stay united and let this process play out," Noem said during an interview with Fox News' "Fox and Friends."

"It was a very candid conversation."

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met this evening, at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem, with US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who expressed unwavering support for the Prime Minister and the State of Israel.

» pic.twitter.com/Oczy0lS322

— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) May 25, 2025

A Palestinian source familiar with negotiations aimed at securing a truce in the Gaza war said Monday that a new proposal included the release of 10 captives, a 70-day truce and a partial Israeli withdrawal.

"The new proposal, which is considered a development of the path and vision of US envoy Steve Witkoff, includes the release of 10 living Israeli hostages held by Hamas in exchange for a 70-day truce, a partial withdrawal from the Gaza Strip (and) the release of a number of Palestinian prisoners" the source told AFP, adding that mediators presented the proposal "over the past few days".

Israel launched two airstrikes in east Lebanon along the mountainous border with Syria on Monday, local media said.

The airstrikes reportedly targeted an area on the outskirts of the town of Brital in the rugged mountain area. It wasn't immediately clear if there were any casualties.

Israel continues to carry our near-daily attacks on parts of Lebanon - mainly in the south but sometimes along the border with Syria and Beirut's southern suburbs - as it vows to stop Hezbollah from rebuilding itself.

غارتان على جرد بريتال صوب النبي سراج pic.twitter.com/ZB4hFCoqdz

— AlHadeel News (@news_hadeel) May 26, 2025

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Monday that he "no longer understands" the Israeli army's objective in Gaza amid a stepped-up offensive in the Palestinian territory.

"I no longer understand what the Israeli army is doing in the Gaza Strip, with what goal the civilian population is being impacted to such an extent," he said.

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, says Israeli protesters have broken into its compound in occupied East Jerusalem.

Syrian authorities said they arrested members of an Islamic State group cell near Damascus on Monday, accusing them of preparing attacks against the country.

The interior ministry said in a statement that security forces carried out a "precise operation" in a suburb of Damascus, which resulted in "the arrest of several members" of the IS cell.

It said those detained were carrying "light, medium and heavy weaponry" as well as "explosive devices and suicide vests they were planning to use to destabilise security and stability in the region".

The operation follows a similar incident earlier in May which saw the death of one security forces officer and three IS members in the northern city of Aleppo.

Less than five percent of Gaza's cropland can be cultivated due to damage and access restrictions, "further deteriorating food production capacity and exacerbating the risk of famine in the area", according to a U.N. assessment published on Monday.

"This level of destruction is not just a loss of infrastructure – it is a collapse of Gaza's agrifood system and of lifelines," said Beth Bechdol, Deputy Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization which produced the assessment alongside the U.N. Satellite Centre (UNOSAT).

The Palestinian delegation won the right to fly their flag at the World Health Organization after a symbolic victory in a vote on Monday that its envoy hopes will lead to greater recognition within the United Nations and beyond.

The proposal, brought by China, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and others, at the global agency's annual assembly in Geneva passed with 95 in favour and four against - Israel, Hungary, Czech Republic and Germany - and 27 abstentions.

It follows a successful Palestinian bid for membership of the U.N. General Assembly last year and comes amid signs that France could recognise a Palestinian state.

Israel argued against the WHO resolution and called for a vote. Its main ally, the United States, which plans to exit the WHO, did not participate.

The Israeli government is set to mobilise up to 450,000 reservists for the offensive in Gaza, according to an Israeli political analyst on Monday.

"Today, the government is set to allow the IDF to mobilise up to 450,000 reservists — a record number since the beginning of the war," Amit Segal wrote on X.

Today, the government is set to allow the IDF to mobilize up to 450,000 reservists — a record number since the beginning of the war.

— Amit Segal (@AmitSegal) May 26, 2025

Jordan condemned a visit by far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir to the Al-Aqsa mosque compound on Monday during celebrations marking Israel's capture of East Jerusalem in 1967.

"The practices of this extremist minister and his continued incursions into the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque... do not negate the fact that east Jerusalem is an occupied city over which Israel has no sovereignty," said a statement from the foreign ministry of Jordan, the custodian of the site.

⚠️🇵🇸 Ben-Gvir et des centaines de colons ont profané la mosquée #Al_Aqsa 🇵🇸 et hissé les drapeaux d'occupation sous la protection renforcée de la police d'occupation.

⚠️🇵🇸 Les colons dansent à Bab al-Majlis, l'une des portes de la mosquée Al-Aqsa, au milieu des incursions en… pic.twitter.com/eYXNRQ0XtI

— Boban Driçlek (@bobanDriclek) May 26, 2025

Iran will survive even if there are no talks with the United States and more sanctions are applied, President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Monday according to state media, after U.S. President Donald Trump said weekend negotiations with Tehran were "very good".

"It's not like we will die of hunger if they refuse to negotiate with us or impose sanctions. We will find a way to survive," Pezeshkian said, referring to the talks over Iran's nuclear programme.

An Israeli security delegation will visit Cairo on Monday to continue talks with Egyptian officials over reaching a ceasefire in Gaza.

The discussions will address consolidating the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, coordinating border issues, operating the Rafah crossing, and mechanisms for delivering humanitarian aid, which has been piling up in North Sinai.

Israeli settlers—reportedly dressed in army uniforms—abducted and brutally beat a Palestinian man, Ibrahim al-Nawaj’a, in the Wadi Abu Ijheesh area of Masafer Yatta, according to the Wafa news agency.

Further north, in Bruqin near Salfit, settlers who had pitched a tent on Palestinian land continued to harass local residents, firing live bullets and tear gas.

Israeli soldiers also carried out several raids. In Deir al-Ghusun, near Tulkarem, troops detained and severely beat a young Palestinian man. In occupied East Jerusalem, a Palestinian was forced to demolish an agricultural structure in the Jabal al-Mukaber area under military orders.

Iran on Monday ruled out suspending its uranium enrichment as part of any potential nuclear agreement with the United States.

"This information is a figment of the imagination and totally false," said foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghai, asked about the possibility during a press briefing in Tehran.

Palestinian Mujahideen Movement slams global silence over school massacre in Gaza City

The Palestinian Mujahideen Movement has condemned what it described as international and Arab failure to stop Israel’s "genocidal and ethnic cleansing massacres" in Gaza, following a deadly Israeli strike on the Fahmi al-Jarjawi school in Gaza City.

In a statement published on Telegram, the armed group called the attack “one of the most heinous crimes against humanity,” accusing Israel of acting with impunity under international law.

It held the US administration and former President Donald Trump “fully responsible” for the school bombing and other Israeli attacks, accusing Washington of being “a genuine partner” in enabling Israel’s actions.

The group also urged Palestinians to “shake off the dust of inaction” and rise up in response to the ongoing bloodshed.

The Gaza Humanitarian foundation (GHF), based in Geneva since February, vowed to start delivering assistance on Monday.

It has promised to distribute some 300 million meals in its first 90 days of operation.

"Our trucks are loaded and ready to go. Beginning Monday, May 26, GHF will begin direct aid delivery in Gaza, reaching over one million Palestinians by the end of the week. We plan to scale rapidly to serve the full population in the weeks ahead," it said in a statement.

There was no immediate confirmation that GHF would be able to launch its aid effort Monday, however, or of how the aid would be distributed in a territory battered by war.

The UN and international aid agencies have said they will not cooperate with the group, amid accusations it is working with Israel while lacking any Palestinian involvement.

The head of a U.S.-backed private humanitarian organization tasked with distributing aid in Gaza through an Israeli-initiated plan resigned on Sunday, saying he could not abandon principles of humanity, impartiality and independence.

Jake Wood, executive director of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation for the past two months, said he resigned because it could not adhere "to the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence, which I will not abandon."

Wood's statement did not provide more details and the former U.S. Marine did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Israeli army said it detected three projectiles launched from Gaza on Monday, one of which it intercepted, as the country prepared for a nationalist "Jerusalem Day" march.

"A short while ago, three projectiles were identified from the southern Gaza Strip toward the communities near the Gaza Strip," the military said in a statement.

"Two projectiles fell in the Gaza Strip and one additional projectile was intercepted by the IAF (air force) prior to crossing into Israeli territory."