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A newborn baby and several women are among at least 82 people who have been killed in Gaza after Israeli strikes overnight, hospital officials said.
It comes as a nurse says conditions at Nasser Hospital are “beyond critical” and the hospital that was once a “major lifeline” is now barely functioning,.
“Many patients die simply because we cannot treat them in time,” the nurse, called Ahmad, told The Independent, as international condemnation over the humanitarian crisis grew.
The UN says Israel's new security processes are preventing vital aid from reaching Palestinians, amid mounting criticism of the Benjamin Netanyahu-led government within Israel.
Former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert has claimed that what Israel was doing was “very close to a war crime".
UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said that despite more supplies arriving in Gaza, none had yet reached the starving population as teams ran out of time after the Israeli military made them transfer the aid onto separate trucks.
Medecins Sans Frontiers said the “ridiculously inadequate” aid being allowed in would keep the population “barely surviving”.
The UK government is facing pressure to sanction ministers in Israel’s government.
Top EU diplomat calls for Israeli investigation after warning shots fired at diplomats
The European Union’s top diplomat has called for a full investigation by the Israeli Defence Force after video emerged of IDF troops firing warning shots as foreign diplomats toured Jenin this morning.
“Any threats on diplomats’ lives are unacceptable. Israel is also a signatory to the Vienna Convention — the obligation to guarantee the security of all foreign diplomats,” she said at an EU-African press conference, the Times of Israel reports.
The Italian government also demanded an explanation, saying that its vice consul was among those who came under fire.
Jenin has been the site of Israel's widespread crackdown against West Bank militants since earlier this year.
Rachel Clun, AP21 May 2025 15:15
Israeli military apologised after troops fire towards diplomats at Jenin
The Israeli Defence Force has apologised after video emerged of IDF troops firing warning shots as foreign diplomats toured Jenin this morning.
Video published by the Palestinian Authority’s foreign ministry shows dozens of dignitaries and minders who were in Jenin running back to their cars as gunshots are heard.
The IDF apologised but also said the group did not follow the route that had been agreed to when coordinating with the army.
The IDF said the group “deviated from the route and entered an area where they were not authorised to be,” according to the Times of Israel.
The military said the commander of the West Bank division launched an immediate inquiry, and the head of the civil administration will speak to the diplomats involved.
“The IDF regrets the inconvenience caused,” it said.
Rachel Clun21 May 2025 15:00
In pictures: Israeli demonstrators attempt to block food aid to Gaza
Right-wing. Israeli protesters gathered at the Kerem Shalom crossing on Wednesday morning in an attempt to block humanitarian aid from entering Gaza.
Israel said it has let in dozens of UN trucks though this week, but is facing mounting international pressure to increase the aid flow and abandon its intensified military campaign.
Rachel Clun21 May 2025 14:42
Week-old baby, women among 82 killed in Israeli strikes, health officials say
A newborn baby and several women are among at least 82 who have been killed in Gaza after Israeli strikes overnight, hospital officials said.
Earlier, officials said 45 had been killed in strikes overnight in Gaza.
More aid trucks left Israel on Wednesday morning, but internal notes circulated among aid groups on Wednesday said that no humanitarian trucks had left Kerem Shalom, the border crossing in southern Gaza that is operated by Israel.
The notes said 65 trucks moved from the Israel side of the crossing to the Palestinian side, but had not made it into Gaza.
It comes after the UN said on Tuesday evening that although aid had entered Gaza, workers had not been able to take it to distribution points after the Israeli military forced them to reload the supplies onto separate trucks and workers ran out of time.
Rachel Clun, AP21 May 2025 14:25
In pictures: Pro-Palestinians protest at Foreign Office, London
Jane Dalton21 May 2025 14:02
Pope Leo's full comments on Gaza aid
During his first Wednesday audience in St Peter’s Square, Pope Leo XIV appealed for aid to reach those who need it in Gaza.
“The situation in the Gaza Strip is increasingly worrying and painful,” he said.
“I renew my heartfelt appeal to allow the entry of dignified humanitarian aid and to put an end to the hostilities, the heart-rending price of which is being paid by children, the elderly and the sick.”
Rachel Clun21 May 2025 13:48
Israeli troops blockade hospitals
Two of northern Gaza's last functioning hospitals have been encircled by Israeli troops, preventing anyone from leaving or entering them, hospital staff and aid groups said this week.
The Indonesian hospital and al-Awda hospital are among the region's only surviving medical centres.
Both have come under fire this week, including shelling at al-Awda today.
A third hospital, Kamal Adwan, is out of service, its director said, citing Israeli troops and drones in its vicinity.
Jane Dalton21 May 2025 13:40
Israeli military says it killed a member of elite Hamas fighting unit in Gaza attacks
The Israeli Defence Force says it has killed a member of an elite Hamas military unit in overnight strikes on Gaza.
“Mohammad Shahin, a Nukhba terrorist in Hamas' east Jabaliya Battalion was eliminated. Shahin infiltrated Israel and participated in the brutal October 7 massacre,” The IDF said on social media.
“Over the past day, the IDF struck over 115 terror targets throughout Gaza from the ground, sea and air. The targets included launchers, military structures, tunnels, terrorist cells, and additional terrorist infrastructure sites.”
Gazan hospital officials said more than 45 people were killed in the strikes, including several women and a week-old baby.
Rachel Clun21 May 2025 13:17
In pictures: Demostration outside Foreign Office calling for more UK pressure on Israel
A group of pro-Palestine protesters have been demonstrating outside the Foreign Office today, calling for the United Kingdom to place more pressure on Israel to end its operations in Gaza.
Rachel Clun21 May 2025 12:49
Watch: British surgeon in Gaza compares Palestine to ‘slaughterhouse’
Rachel Clun21 May 2025 12:36
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