Hello MEE readers.
Inside Gaza famine and hunger continues to loom over the Palestinian population, with aid trucks continuing to pile up on the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing, which Israel seized last week during its offensive on the area.
The US military said it has begun distributing aid to Gaza through its newly built floating pier, as trucks carrying aid have rolled across it reaching the besieged enclave.
The pier could bring up to 150 truckloads a day to Palestinians, US officials say, which is no substitute for land deliveries, where over 500 trucks entered Gaza on a daily basis prior to the war.
Here's what else you need to know about today's developments:
- Gaza death toll rises to 35,303
- Spain will not authorise ships carrying weapons to Israel to call at its ports, Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said on Friday, after the country refused to let a ship call at the southeastern port of Cartagena
- The Israeli army said the fighting in northern Gaza's Jabalia is highly intense and some of the "most violent" in the entire war on Gaza
- The World Health Organisation (WHO) says that it has not been able to get medical aid into Gaza since 6 May
- Israeli forces rescued the bodies of three hostages from the Gaza Strip, chief military spokesperson Daniel Hagari said on Friday
- In a statement on Friday, Hamas said that the US-built pier off the besieged Gaza Strip is no alternative to opening all land crossings that should be under the supervision of Palestinians
- US evacuated 17 American doctors from Gaza: State Department
- Two senior American officials held indirect meeting with Iranian officials in Oman this week in an effort to avoid a regional escalation, according to the Axios news site