Live: UK halts trade deal talks with Israel, summons ambassador over Gaza

Israeli forces have razed roughly 80 percent of Rafah’s buildings and refugee camps in southern Gaza, according to a report by Israel’s Channel 12, which cited satellite imagery analysis.

The widespread destruction underscores the devastating toll of Israel’s military campaign on the densely populated city, once a refuge for displaced Palestinians.

Critics argue this level of demolition reflects a deliberate policy to render Rafah uninhabitable, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Tufts University PhD candidate Rumeysa Ozturk must be transferred from Louisiana to Vermont, a federal appeals court ruled on Wednesday in a blow to the Trump administration.

Ozturk was detained by plainclothes immigration and customs enforcement (ICE) agents wearing masks on a street close to her home in Somerville, Massachusetts, on 25 March, as she was on her way to break her fast for Ramadan.

She is one of several foreign students in the US on legal visas who have been arrested by the Trump administration in its crackdown on pro-Palestinian voices.

Ozturk’s lawyers said she was arrested for co-authoring an opinion article in a student newspaper. She has not been charged with any crime.

Ozturk was driven to multiple places in three states - including New Hampshire and Vermont - before being flown thousands of miles to an ICE detention centre in Basile, Louisiana, making it difficult for her to gain access to legal help and community.

Read more: Judge says detained Turkish national Rumeysa Ozturk must be moved to Vermont

• Blunt warning delivered: A senior US official condemned Israel's handling of ceasefire negotiations in a private meeting with captives' families, reported The Jerusalem Post. The official warned Washington's patience is wearing thin after months of stalled talks.

• Saudi deal ultimatum: The representative revealed plans to proceed with a landmark Saudi agreement "even without Israeli involvement", framing the recent Houthi ceasefire deal as just the beginning.

• Direct quote: "If Israel doesn't come to its senses, even the 'Deal of the Millennium' will happen without it," the official stated, suggesting broader diplomatic consequences.

• Families briefed: Multiple attendees confirmed the unusually harsh tone at Monday's meeting, where the official stressed Israel would face "a much heavier price" for prolonging the war.

• Mass arrests in Hebron: Israeli forces detained 17 Palestinians in Yatta, including multiple sets of brothers. Activist Osama Makhamreh reported troops ransacked homes and assaulted residents during the pre-dawn raids.

• Salfit crackdown: Soldiers arrested 20 Palestinians in Deir Istiya after a three-hour operation, targeting entire families including fathers and sons. Local sources described widespread property damage and terrified women and children.

• Bethlehem operations: Four arrests were made across the city, including an 18-year-old from Deheishe refugee camp. Forces raided multiple homes in Husan village before taking one detainee.

• Qalqilya & Jenin arrests: Yahya Abu Libdeh arrested after forces stormed Kafr Saba neighbourhood. Checkpoint closure stranded 9,000 residents after alleged shooting injured two soldiers

• Dura violence: Six relatives of Abdul Fattah Al-Hreibat, who was killed by Israeli forces, were hospitalised after troops raided their home, arresting his parents and brothers while destroying property. The 20-year-old was killed earlier at a Hebron checkpoint, with his body still withheld.

Nearly 100 Democratic lawmakers have called on Israel to lift its blockade of humanitarian aid to Gaza, warning the policy is "strategically counterproductive" and damages Israel's international standing.

In a letter to Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter, the 94 representatives urged immediate action to resume shipments while working with the US and aid groups to prevent resource diversion.

"The only option to alleviate the suffering of both Israelis and Palestinians," the letter stated, is through a renewed ceasefire deal. The appeal comes as UN agencies warn of catastrophic famine conditions after months of restricted aid access to Gaza's 2.3 million residents.

The lawmakers emphasised that continued aid restrictions would further erode Israel's global position and long-term security.

• Gaza City massacre: At least 32 killed and 86 wounded when strikes hit a restaurant and market in Al-Rimal. Journalist Yahya Subaih was among the dead.

• Beit Lahia strike kills 3: An Israeli air strike destroyed the Rayan family home near Tal al-Rabi' School, raising the 24-hour death toll to 100, medical sources confirmed to Wafa.

• Displaced targeted: Two Palestinians died when bombs hit a tent shelter east of Sheikh Radwan Lake, north of Gaza City, Wednesday evening.

• Drone attack in Al-Zeitoun: Israeli forces killed Fadi Azmi Abu Ajwa and Montaser Samir Abu Ajwa in a strike on civilians on Al-Sikka Street.

• Nuseirat camp bombed: Warplanes fired heavily at the north of the camp, while a separate drone attack wounded civilians in a residential building. Al-Awda Hospital received a fisherman’s body recovered from the central Gaza shore.

• Khan Younis assault: A house bombing in Abasan al-Jadida injured multiple civilians.

The Israeli army is planning to seize complete control of the Gaza Strip, displace the entire population to a small area of land in the south and provide Palestinians with only enough food so they don't starve to death, as part of an expanded military operation ominously called "Gideon's Chariots".

Israel's security cabinet unanimously approved the plan late on 4 May, hours after the country's military said it was strengthening its capacity to operate in the besieged Palestinian territory by mobilising tens of thousands of reservists.

The plan, aspects of which are already being implemented, will fully commence if a deal isn't reached on the release of Israeli captives held by Hamas by the end of US President Donald Trump's visit to the region next week, Israeli media have reported.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged war crimes, confirmed the plan in a social media video following the cabinet meeting.

"[Gaza's] population will be moved," Netanyahu said in a video message posted on X, adding that Israeli soldiers won't go into Gaza, launch raids and then retreat.

Read more: What is 'Gideon's Chariots', Israel's latest plan for Gaza?

Good morning Middle East Eye readers, 

Here are the latest updates from the Israeli war on Gaza, now in its 579th day: 

• Houthis to continue Israel attacks: Yemen's Houthi group confirmed Wednesday's US-brokered ceasefire "does not include sparing Israel". US President Trump announced earlier this week that the US will halt air strikes after securing pledges to protect American vessels.

• Columbia University crackdown: New York Police Department arrested 40-50 students during a pro-Palestinian library occupation – the largest campus protest since Gaza war demonstrations began. Videos showed detainees zip-tied and loaded into police vans after refusing to vacate Butler Library.

• US pushes UN on Gaza aid: The Trump administration pressures UN involvement in Israel's controversial aid distribution plan, according to Washington Post sources. Critics argue the scheme risks legitimising Israel's blockade.

• Amnesty condemns displacement: The rights group declared Israel's forced relocation of Palestinians "a crime against humanity", citing systematic violations of international law.

• European powers reject Gaza plans: Six nations (Spain, Ireland, Norway, Iceland, Luxembourg, Slovenia) jointly opposed Israel's territorial ambitions, demanding: immediate lifting of Gaza's blockade; rejection of "any demographic or territorial change"; warning against "dangerous escalation" through conquest.

At least 94 House Democrats have signed a letter urging Israel to immediately allow humanitarian aid into Gaza, saying it is “strategically counterproductive.”

In the letter addressed to Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, they said: “As supporters of a strong US-Israel relationship, we write to express our opposition to the current Israeli government policy to block all humanitarian aid from entering the Gaza Strip. In addition to the harm imposed on Palestinian civilians, it is strategically counterproductive and will only hurt Israel’s international standing and longterm security. While we share concerns about Hamas diverting humanitarian assistance, we encourage your government to work with the United States, alongside humanitarian organizations, to do everything possible to minimize the risk of diverted resources without harming civilians.” 

Eric Adams has just dispatched the New York Police Department to Columbia University after more than 100 students occupied the university library, according to reports.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa said that his government was holding "indirect talks" with Israel to calm tensions between the two countries, following devastating Israeli strikes taking place since December.

"There are indirect talks (with Israel) taking place through mediators to calm the situation and try to contain the situation so it does not reach the point where it escapes the control of both sides," Sharaa told a press conference in Paris alongside French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday.

Sharaa’s comments came a few hours after Reuters reported that the UAE established itself as a channel of communication between Syria and Israel.

Syria also has relations with Jordan, Egypt and Turkey, all of whom have relations with Israel.

Turkey is a close supporter of Sharaa’s government and is negotiating a defence pact with Damascus that has unnerved Israel. Middle East Eye was the first to report that Turkey and Israel were in talks to establish their own Syrian deconfliction line.

You can read more about it here. 

The World Central Kitchen (WCK) announced on its website that it had stopped operations in Gaza on Wednesday, adding that it "no longer has the supplies to cook meals or bake bread in Gaza".

"Since Israel closed border crossings in early March, WCK has been unable to replenish the stocks of food that we use to feed hundreds of thousands of Gazans daily. In recent weeks, our teams stretched every remaining ingredient and fuel source using creativity and determination. We turned to alternative fuels like wood pallets and olive husk pellets and pivoted away from rice recipes that require more fuel in favor of stews with bread. By constantly adapting over the past weeks, we were cooking 133,000 meals daily at our two remaining WCK Field Kitchens and baking 80,000 loaves of bread each day. 

The organisation said it is still working in Gaza to supply water to Palestinian families, but that since Israel closed the border crossings, it has been "unable to replenish the stocks of food that use to feed hundreds of thousands of Gazans daily" due to Israel's blockade on food and water entering the strip.

It said that WCK trucks loaded with food and cooking fuel have been ready at the Gaza crossing since early March and that additional food and equipment were ready to be shipped to the border from Jordan and Egypt.

Last year, seven WCK aid workers were killed by Israeli air strikes in the Gaza Strip. Israel claimed it targeted WCK's vehicles because of suspicion that it targeted a WCK worker who had been allegedly a part of the Hamas-led attack on Israel.

At least 107 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip since Wednesday morning, according to Gaza medical sources, reported Haaretz on Wednesday.

Pro-Palestinian protesters occupied Columbia University's library on Wednesday, vowing to stay there as the school year ends.

More than 100 Columbia University students occupied the university’s Butler Library, saying they would stay there through the end of the school year. Public safety has attempted to kettle the building, and one student has been arrested so far. 

The students have renamed the library Basel Al-Araj Popular University after a Palestinian activist who was killed by an Israeli police unit in 2017.

Columbia students inspired a Gaza solidarity protest movement across the country after setting up an encampment last April. However, students have faced arrests, disciplinary proceedings, and expulsions as a result of their protests.

In addition, although university administration cracked down on student protests, the Trump administration has rescinded $400m in federal funding, saying that Columbia has not done enough to clamp down on antisemitism. The university has agreed to demands from the government, including revising disciplinary procedures, banning masks during protests, and allowing the government to have oversight of the prestigious Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies department.

Two Israeli reserve soldiers were left wounded on Wednesday in a shooting at Rehan crossing near the city of Jenin in the West Bank, Haaretz reported on Wednesday.

Israeli forces said in a statement that they are still pursuing the shooter.

Yossi Dagan, head of the Samaria regional council, said that he expects the government to "flatten the Jenin refugee camp" following the attack.

"I demand that the government give a response to the attack in the form of civilian settlement and order the construction of a new settlement in north Samaria," Dagan added.

"As the modern and enlightened world in the year 2025 against the cavemen from 3,000 years ago, the government of Israel has to show that we are here to win."