Live Blog Update| Israel's genocide in Gaza
This is an entry from: Gaza live: Israel to build 'different government' in Gaza, says defence minister

Evening recap

30 May 2024 23:42 BST

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.