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

Hamas has welcomed the Houthis’ vow to enforce a “comprehensive aerial blockade” on Israel, calling the move a powerful show of solidarity with Gaza.

In a Telegram statement, Hamas described the Houthis’ actions as “heroic” and praised Yemen for “restoring, in this heroic battle, respect for the values of brotherhood and the bonds of religion and Arabism”.

The group said the Houthis’ position reflected deep-rooted support for Palestinians and a clear stance against Israeli aggression.

“The Yemeni Armed Forces’ affirmation that a free Yemen will not accept the occupation’s violation of Arab lands, particularly in Lebanon and Syria, is a responsible affirmation of our shared destiny and the necessity of unifying efforts to confront the dangerous Zionist schemes targeting the entire nation,” Hamas added.

The Houthis had earlier announced plans to repeatedly strike Israeli airports in response to Israel’s intensifying war on Gaza.

One of Pope Francis’s former popemobiles is being repurposed as a mobile health clinic for children in Gaza, fulfilling one of his final wishes, the Vatican’s official media outlet announced on Sunday.

The vehicle, which the late pontiff used during his 2014 visit to the Holy Land, is now being outfitted with emergency medical equipment and diagnostic tools to support young patients in the besieged enclave, where hospitals and clinics have been decimated by Israel’s ongoing assault.

Before his death last month, Pope Francis entrusted the project to Caritas Jerusalem, according to Vatican News.

“This is a concrete, life-saving intervention at a time when the health system in Gaza has almost completely collapsed,” said Peter Brune, Secretary General of Caritas Sweden, which is helping implement the initiative.

The clinic-on-wheels will carry vaccines, rapid infection tests, suturing kits, and diagnostic devices, and will be staffed by medical professionals. Caritas intends to send it into communities cut off from functioning medical facilities as soon as humanitarian access allows.

“It’s not just a vehicle,” Brune added. “It’s a message that the world has not forgotten about the children in Gaza.”

The United Nations and aid groups operating in Gaza have refused to cooperate with a proposed Israeli-US mechanism for delivering humanitarian assistance, saying it violates core humanitarian principles, Axios reported.

In a joint statement issued on Sunday, UN agencies and NGOs said the plan “contravenes fundamental humanitarian principles and appears designed to reinforce control over life-sustaining items as a pressure tactic — as part of a military strategy.”

“It is dangerous, driving civilians into militarised zones to collect rations, threatening lives, including those of humanitarian workers, while further entrenching forced displacement,” they added.

Aid officials said Israel’s plan would dismantle the existing UN-run system and replace it with one controlled by the Israeli military.

“The UN Secretary-General and the Emergency Relief Coordinator have made clear that we will not participate in any scheme that does not adhere to the global humanitarian principles of humanity, impartiality, independence and neutrality,” the statement read.

Israel has blocked food, water, and medicine from entering Gaza since it abanodned the ceasefire in early March. UN agencies warn supplies will run out within days.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is set to visit Lebanon on 19 May to announce the disarmament of Palestinian resistance factions, by force if necessary, Middle East Eye can reveal.

Palestinian and Lebanese sources told MEE that Abbas will travel to Beirut on an official visit to meet the Lebanese president and other top officials.

During the trip, Abbas will announce the demilitarisation of his own Fatah movement as well as other Palestinian factions based in refugee camps in Beirut and across Lebanon.

Sources said Abbas has already agreed to a plan to remove Fatah’s weapons from the camps.

He will also explicitly call on other Palestinian factions fighting against the Israeli occupation to disarm—a move likely to be welcomed in Tel Aviv but one that could provoke serious unrest within Palestinian society.

Read more: Exclusive: Abbas to visit Lebanon with plan to disarm Palestinian factions

Houthi-linked outlets say US forces have carried out three air strikes near Yemen’s capital.

According to the reports, “American aggression” struck the Al-Sawad region, located just south of Sana’a. No further details have been released on casualties or damage.

Yemen’s Houthi group has announced it is enforcing a full air blockade on Israel.

The group’s military spokesperson said in a statement that the Houthis are now preventing any Israeli air traffic from passing through. 

Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has called for the bombing of Gaza’s food and electricity supplies, as the security cabinet prepares to debate the next stage of the war.

Speaking to Israeli Army Radio, Ben-Gvir said: “We need to increase the intensity and continue until we achieve total victory. We must win a total victory.” He demanded that Israel bomb “the food and electricity supplies” in Gaza.

His comments come as Gaza, home to 2.3 million people, faces what humanitarian agencies describe as an unprecedented crisis. Israel cut off all goods entering the strip in early March, triggering widespread hunger and pushing the territory to the brink of collapse.

Iran has warned it will launch a military response if the United States or Israel initiates an attack.

Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh said on state television that Tehran would not hesitate to retaliate against American and Israeli targets globally.

“If this war is initiated by the US or the Zionist regime [Israel], Iran will target their interests, bases and forces – wherever they may be and whenever deemed necessary,” he said.

Nasirzadeh clarified that Iran considers neighbouring states as allies but singled out US military presence as a direct threat.

“The countries in the region are our brothers, but America’s bases are our targets,” he added.

His comments follow a sharp warning from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who accused Iran of directing missile attacks via its regional allies. A projectile launched by Yemen’s Houthi group recently hit a road near Ben Gurion Airport, just outside Tel Aviv.

“Attacks by the Houthis emanate from Iran,” Netanyahu claimed, vowing a forceful Israeli response against what he called “Iranian terror masters.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will hold a security cabinet meeting on Sunday to review plans for expanding military operations in Gaza and potentially restarting humanitarian aid deliveries, according to government sources speaking to Reuters.

The discussion follows a Houthi missile strike near Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport on Sunday morning, which Netanyahu referenced in a social media post announcing the war's "next stage."

While cabinet approval remains uncertain, the military has already mobilised tens of thousands of reservists.

"Pressure will intensify to secure hostages' return and defeat Hamas," stated Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir as Israeli forces consolidate control over 30 percent of Gaza.

The meeting occurs amid mounting global criticism of Israel's aid blockade, imposed after a US-brokered truce collapsed in March after Israel broke the ceasefire.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has confirmed plans for a military attack against Houthi targets in Yemen following a strike on Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport, according to the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation.

The decision came during high-level security consultations on Sunday. While officials have not disclosed operational details, the move signals potential escalation after months of Houthi cross-border strikes.

The Houthis claimed responsibility for the airport strike, which disrupted flights but caused no casualties. Israel previously conducted limited strikes on Houthi positions but now appears poised for broader operations.

The United States plans to redeploy a Patriot missile defence system from Israel to Ukraine under a new minerals agreement, The New York Times reported on Sunday.

The older-model air defence battery, currently stationed in Israel, is expected to reach Ukraine by summer.

Washington has not officially confirmed the transfer, which would mark another boost to Ukraine's air defences amid stalled US congressional aid.

The US recently moved at least one of its Patriot missile defence system to the Middle East to protect Israel as the country continues its onslaught in Gaza.

The Qassam Brigades, the paramilitary wing of Hamas, said that its fighters "eliminated" a number of Israeli soldiers after luring them into “a previously booby-trapped tunnel shaft” on Saturday in southern Gaza's Rafah.

“As soon as a number of soldiers advanced to the tunnel shaft, it was blown up, killing and wounding them,” the group said in a statement on Telegram.

It added that its fighters targeted two Israeli tanks with al-Yassin 105 rockets in the area.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video address earlier today that two Israeli soldiers were killed in Rafah this morning.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to oust Hamas from Gaza, saying "fierce fighting" is continuing in the enclave.

In a video statement, he confirmed that two Israeli soldiers were killed this morning in Rafah.

“We are carrying out a plan to achieve decisive victory,” he said, referring to security cabinet discussions to expand the military's offensive on the territory.

“We’re focused on two missions: one, bringing our hostages home; two, defeating Hamas. There will be no Hamas left there. People need to understand that,” he said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel is "acting against [the Houthis] in coordination with the US" following today's missile launch targeting Ben Gurion Airport.

“We’ve acted against them in the past, and we’ll act against them again in the future. It’s not a ‘one-and-done’ - but there will be blows,” he said in a video message.

Palestinian prisoner groups have reported a sharp escalation in violence and mistreatment of Palestinian prisoners at Israel's Gilboa Prison.

According to a lawyer from the Palestinian Commission for Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs, detainees at the prison have been subjected to violent raids and beatings.

Many of the detainees are reportedly suffering from broken ribs, hearing and vision problems.

The commission reported a particularly violent raid on 21 April, when special forces stormed cells and unleashed dogs on several inmates, causing severe injuries.

The lawyer also warned of a widespread outbreak of scabies among the prisoners, adding that they are not receiving any medical treatment.

According to the report, one of the inmates, 23-year-old Ibrahim al-Ramadi from Sheikh Jarrah, has not received any treatment for chronic migraines and a congenital heart condition. He also contracted scabies.

Another prisoner, Nasser Baara, 29, from Nablus, is suffering from broken ribs and widespread bruising across his body as a result of severe beatings.