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

A severe sandstorm has hit the Gaza Strip today exacerbating Palestinian suffering as winds tear through thousands of tents that have provided temporary refuge to them since Israel started its war, Al Jazeera Arabic reported on Wednesday. An ongoing humanitarian blockade by Israel since March 2 means that civilians are being subject to famine-like conditions as food has largely run out. 

Meanwhile, wildfires have torn through the hills outside Jerusalem causing roads to be closed and communities to be evacuated.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked Hungary on X for withdrawing from the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Wednesday.

The ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former defence minister Yoav Gallant for “war crimes” committed in the Gaza Strip in November 2024.

Hungary announced its decision to withdraw from the ICC at the beginning of April after hosting Netanyahu and it is the only European Union member state that does not recognize the court’s mandate. 

Israeli attacks have killed 2,308 people and wounded 5,973 people since Israel broke the ceasefire on March 18, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights said among those killed were 595 children and 308 women.

Israeli military conducted a strike outside Damascus in Syria, killing one member of Syria's new security forces, Haaretz reported on Wednesday. Israel claimed it was targeting people who attacked members of the Druze community.

Syria’s foreign ministry said in a statement that it rejected "all forms of foreign interference in our internal affairs," although the ministry did not explicitly mention if it was referring to Israel in the statement.

Israeli settlers set agricultural land belonging to Palestinians on fire in the West Bank, Haaretz reported on Wednesday.

The 30th of April marks the 60th day since Israel started a complete blockade of food, water, medicine and medical supplies entering Gaza on 2 March, more than two weeks before Israel broke the ceasefire agreement on 18 March 18 to restart attacks on Palestinians in the enclave.

The UN has warned of famine-like conditions across the enclave and has called for action to stop a “humanitarian catastrophe”.

In addition, Israel’s blockade is in violation of the Geneva Conventions. Article 55 of the Fourth Geneva Convention says that an occupying power “has the duty of ensuring the food and medical supplies of the population; it should, in particular, bring in the necessary foodstuffs, medical stores and other articles if the resources of the occupied territory are inadequate”.

If the population of an occupied territory does not have adequate supplies, Article 59 says that the occupying power “shall agree to relief schemes on behalf of the said population and shall facilitate them by all the means at its disposal”.

By not providing food, water or medicine, and by denying other people and organisations, Israel continues to be in violation of its duties towards the Palestinians in Gaza.

The secretary general of the Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions (PGFTU) said that tens of thousands of Palestinian workers have been deprived of their wages for the past 17 months, Wafa news agency reported on Wednesday.  

Shaher Saad added that the estimated monthly loss for workers was around 1.35 billion shekels (approximately $373m).

In a statement on International Workers' Day, Saad said the unemployment rate had dramatically surged in Palestine since the beginning of the war in October 2023, with more than half a million people currently unemployed.

Saad explained that thousands of workers have been detained, subjected to abuse, torture and enforced disappearance, in addition to facing fines imposed by the Israeli military, for pursuing a livelihood, particularly since 7 October 2023.

He also said that Palestinian workers who had lost their jobs and livelihoods in Israel since the Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel and the subsequent war were forced to sell personal items to subsist.

About 89 percent of Palestinian workers lack any form of social protection or pension funds under the Israeli government, Saad said.   

Saad added that unemployment, poverty, and hunger are the defining themes of International Workers' Day in Palestine this year.

At least 29 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip since early this morning, Al Jazeera reported on Wednesday.

Israeli forces conducted multiple armed aids in the Nablus and Bethlehem areas in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, Wafa news agency reported.

During a raid on the town of Beita, which is south of Nablus, Israeli troops fired both live ammunition and rubber-coated metal bullets, used tear gas and sound bombs on residents, which led to skirmishes.

Israeli forces also attacked al-Khader, a town south of Bethlehem, and fired volleys of bullets and used tear gas and sound bombs.

There was no immediate information on any casualties.

Under Israeli law, the military has legislative and judicial authority over three million Palestinians living in the West Bank.

Palestinians have no say in how this authority is exercised.

The Palestinian Authority (PA) has offered assistance in helping control fires that have broken out in the Jerusalem area, The Times of Israel reported on Wednesday.

The Israeli government has yet to respond to the offer. The PA's firefighting teams have previously helped with putting out large fires in Israel.

A US federal judge on Wednesday ordered the release of Mohsen Mahdawi, a Palestinian Columbia University student and lawful US resident in Vermont. The Trump administration had detained Mahdawi during his naturalisation interview. He was not charged with any crime. 

His detention is part of a wider crackdown on pro-Palestinian students. The Trump administration has invoked a rare provision allowing the secretary of state to revoke visas and residency for individuals deemed threats to US foreign policy.

The judge said Mahdawi poses no flight risk and should remain in Vermont and attend classes at Columbia remotely. He is allowed to travel to New York City to meet with his legal team and go to Columbia.

A national emergency has been declared in Israel as huge fires rapidly spread across the Jerusalem Hills, a mountainous region near the capital. 

According to reports and footage circulating online, the blaze has reached army bases nearby Jerusalem. 

Israel has requested international assistance, with Greece, Croatia, Italy, and Cyprus deploying firefighting resources.

#شاهد| وسائل الإعلام العبري: النيران تقترب من قواعد جنود الاحتلال قرب القدس المحتلة pic.twitter.com/HNjVuqTTJr

— وكالة شهاب للأنباء (@ShehabAgency) April 30, 2025

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has condemned Israel's recent attack on Syria, calling it an "unacceptable provocation".

In his statement, he indicated that Israel is transferring its attacks on Palestine and Lebanon to Syria where it has starting "shedding blood".

"Israel's attacks on Syrian territory are an attempt to undermine the positive climate that has begun with the new administration in Syria," the president was reported to have said. 

He added that Turkey will respond to any attempts made to drag the country into further instability.

The Israeli army has threatened to attack Syria, claiming to defend Druze civilians. 

In a statement, the Israeli army said that Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir had instructed forces to prepare for strikes against "targets in Syria" if the violence against the Druze does not stop.

The army confirmed a previous attack conducted on the outskirts of the capital.

Israeli warplanes are flying over Damascus and its surroundings, according to Syrian military sources. 

A while ago, an Israeli drone struck a gathering of security forces on the outskirts of Sahnaya in the second Israeli attack on Syria today.