Gaza live: Israel to build 'different government' in Gaza, says defence minister

Hamas told meditators it will continue to boycott ceasefire talks while Israel lays siege to the Gaza Strip, but is ready to agree to a hostage deal if Israel ends its offensive on the besieged enclave.

“The Hamas movement and the Palestinian factions will not accept to be part of this policy by continuing negotiations in light of aggression, killing, siege, starvation, and genocide of our people,” Hamas said in a statement on Thursday.

“Today, we informed the mediators of our clear position that if the occupation stops its war and aggression against our people in Gaza, we are ready to reach a complete agreement that includes a comprehensive exchange deal.”

Hamas’s statement comes days after Israel said it is preparing to continue waging war on Gaza for another seven months, and seized the Philadelphi Corridor, a strategic strip of land between Gaza and Egypt.

Read more: Hamas says no ceasefire talks while Israel continues offensive on Gaza

The Houthi's said on Friday 14 people have been killed and over 30 wounded in US and British strikes on Yemen's Hodeidah province, Ruters reported. 

The outlet reported that the strikes targeted a radio building in Hodeidah's Al-Hawk district and port of Salif.

In a post on social media, the World Health Organization (WHO) said healthcare “is not a target”, adding that “health workers are protected under international humanitarian law and must always be able to safely perform their duties”.

The WHO sent its condolences to the families of two Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) paramedics who were killed by Israeli forces in Rafah on Thursday.

Their deaths bring to 19 the number of PRCS killed in Gaza by Israeli forces since the start of the latest conflict in October.

n a statement, the Israeli military said that two soldiers were killed on Thursday and a further one was seriously wounded. 

Their deaths raise the toll from Israel’s war on Gaza to 294. 

It's day 238 of Israel's war on Gaza. This is a recap of the last few hours to get you up to speed this morning:

• The official death toll in Gaza from the health ministry has increased to at least 36,224 Palestinians, while a further 81,420 have been wounded

• The Israeli military has killed at least 11 people in two strikes on family homes in the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza, local media reports

• Israel’s military has said it has taken “operational control” of the Philadelphi Corridor between Gaza and Egypt, in a move experts say increases the chance of escalation

• The head of Israel’s internal security service, the Shin Bet, has resisted pressure to increase surveillance on the growing protest movement against Netanyahu’s government, the Haaretz newspaper reports

• Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob said his government approved a decision to recognise an independent Palestinian state

Hello MEE readers. On Thursday, Israeli forces continued their bombardment of Rafah, with a dawn air strike that killed 12 Palestinians, according to medics.

Hamas has told mediators that it will continue to boycott ceasefire talks until Israel ends its offensive on Gaza and withdraws from the Strip. 

Hamas' armed wing, Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, claimed another series of new attacks on Israeli forces in Rafah and northern Gaza. The attacks include targeting tanks, a helicopter, and claims of killing and wounding several Israeli soldiers.

Inside Rafah, a telecoms company said that its service was cut off, raising fears about a lack of the ability for Palestinians to communicate with each other amid ongoing Israeli bombardment.

Outside Gaza, the US and UK together launched a series of attacks on several areas in Yemen that are controlled by the Houthis. The attacks come after the Houthis claimed to down a MQ-9 Reaper drone.

Yemen's Houthi movement vowed to increase their attacks "in quality and quantity" in support of Palestinians.

Here are some of the developments from today that you may have missed:

• The Saraya Awliya al-Dam, a Shia armed group in Iraq that is a part of the Iran-aligned umbrella group known as the Islamic Resistance, claims it launched a drone attack on Israel. The announcement appears to be the Iraqi group's first operation against Israel during its war on Gaza.

• The strikes on Yemen launched by the US and the UK killed one person and wounded several others, according to al-Masirah TV, a station run by the Houthis.

• The official death toll in Gaza from the health ministry has increased to at least 36,224 Palestinians, while a further 81,420 have been wounded.

• Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob said his government approved a decision to recognise an independent Palestinian state.

• A contractor for the US Agency for International Development resigned from his private sector position, saying he could no longer perform contract work for the Biden administration after a presentation he was preparing on Gaza’s humanitarian crisis was cancelled.

The Saraya Awliya al-Dam, a Shia armed group in Iraq that is a part of the Iran-aligned umbrella group known as the Islamic Resistance, released a video in which it claims it launched a drone attack on Israel.

The group claims it launched two drones at “two vital targets in the port of Haifa” in the early hours of Thursday.

The announcement appears to be the Iraqi group's first operation against Israel during the war on Gaza.

The strikes on Yemen launched by the US and the UK killed one person and wounded several others, according to al-Masirah TV, a station run by the Houthis.

The person was killed by a strike that hit the city of Hodeidah, the channel said.

The US Central Command (Centcom) said that it, alongside UK forces, launched a series of attacks on Houthi targets both inside Yemen as well as over the Red Sea.

Centcom said the two countries hit 13 Houthi targets in total and were able to successfully destroy eight unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) controlled by the Yemeni group.

Reports online said that Yemen's capital Sanaa was under bombardment on Thursday.

The attack on the Houthis comes after the group announced it had successfully downed an MQ-9 Reaper drone that was flying over Yemen — one of those drones costs $30m.

Shortly after Israel's war on Gaza began, the Houthi movement in Yemen said it was launching a blockade of all ships travelling to and from Israel. The Houthis said the move was being made in solidarity with the Palestinians, and that once Israel ended the war and lifted its siege on Gaza, it would end its blockade in the Red Sea.

The US and UK responded to the blockade by launching a wave of air strikes on Houthi territory in Yemen.

May 30 U.S. Central Command Update

Between approximately 3:15 and 5 p.m. (Sanaa time) on May 30, U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) forces successfully destroyed eight uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAV) in Iranian-backed Houthi controlled areas of Yemen and over the Red Sea.… pic.twitter.com/uxtPyVecpU

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) May 30, 2024

Detroit police on Thursday raided the student encampment of Wayne State University, which was set up last week in protest against the institution's investments in companies profiting from the war in Gaza.

Several students were arrested by police, and reports said that two women had their hijabs forcibly removed by police.

Attorney Fatina Abdrabboh says Wayne State police illegally removed hijab from a student during an arrest. 11 people arrested, she says. pic.twitter.com/kDot01zrua

— Sam Robinson (@samueljrob) May 30, 2024

Israeli forces killed at least 12 Palestinians in an air strike on Rafah on Thursday, according to Palestinian medics in Gaza.

The 12 Palestinians, whom medics said were civilians, were killed in an air strike as they tried to recover the body of a civilian. The air strike took place at dawn.

In another air strike in the Shati refugee camp in northern Gaza, another Palestinian civilian was killed, the medics said.

CIA Director William Burns reviewed a Gaza ceasefire proposal approved by Hamas earlier this month before it was submitted to Israeli officials, two current and one former Egyptian intelligence officials told Middle East Eye. 

Last week, CNN reported that an Egyptian intelligence official had “quietly changed” the terms of the proposal, surprising negotiators and leading to Israel rejecting the deal.

According to three anonymous sources cited by CNN, the proposal approved by Hamas on 6 May was different from the one originally submitted to the group by the Qataris or Americans.

The sources said the changes were made by Major General Ahmed Abdel Khalek, the deputy head of Egypt’s General Intelligence Service.

Burns was reportedly angry and embarrassed. He “almost blew a gasket”, one of the sources told CNN.

However, the three Egyptian intelligence sources told MEE that Burns was among several mediators who reviewed the draft before it was sent to Israel. 

Click below to read the full story.

CIA director reviewed Gaza peace proposal accepted by Hamas, sources say

The Palestinian movement Hamas said in a statement that they informed mediators that they are ready to reach a "complete agreement" with Israel if the country "stops its war and aggression against people in Gaza".

The deal, Hamas said, would include a comprehensive deal that would include a prisoner swap.

The UK Labour Party deselected candidate Faiza Shaheen for liking several social media posts including ones which touched upon Israel and Palestine.

The move sparked major controversy with social media users accusing the party of purging candidates critical of Israel.

Shaheen, who was due to stand for Labour in the London seat of Chingford and Woodford Green, revealed on Wednesday that she was in a state of shock after receiving an email saying her candidacy had been blocked. 

"How am I not allowed to talk about my experiences of Islamophobia and the double standards I've seen - and that we see with Diane Abbott?" Shaheen said, referring to an ongoing row about whether another Labour MP would be allowed to run for her own seat in London.

Hundreds of people took to social media to defend Shaheen, who has been vocal in her support of a ceasefire amid Israel's ongoing war on the Gaza Strip, arguing that the party was intentionally expelling candidates who are left-wing and pro-Palestinian.

Click below to read the full story.

UK: Labour drops 'pro-Palestine' candidate Faiza Shaheen, sparking backlash

Communication services have been cut off in Rafah in Southern Gaza due to "the ongoing aggression", Palestinian telecommunications company Jawa said in a statement on Thursday.

Reporting by Reuters