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Aid being allowed into Gaza, but none distributed yet: UN
May 20, 2025
UN warns 14,000 Gaza babies at risk as death toll nears 53,600
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Israeli strikes on hospitals leave Palestinians without medical care

More UNRWA staff killed in Gaza; toll tops 300

One killed in Israeli strikes on south Lebanon: ministry

Over 20 countries demand Israel allow 'full resumption' of Gaza aid

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Aid being allowed into Gaza, but none distributed yet: UN

Despite Israel letting a trickle of aid into Gaza after blocking it for over two months, as yet no humanitarian aid has actually been distributed in the embattled enclave, according to the UN.

"Today one of our teams waited several hours for the Israeli green light to access the Kareem Shalom area and collect the nutrition supplies. Unfortunately, they were not able to bring those supplies into our warehouse,” UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters.

"So just to make it clear, while more supplies have come into Gaza, we have not been able to secure the arrival of those supplies into our warehouses and delivery points."

He said the aid is being kept at the loading dock due to a complex process: “Things have to cross the fence from Israel into Gaza, into an area where the trucks have to be unloaded and reloaded, and then we have to get permission from the Israeli security forces to bring our people in to pick up those trucks."

Illegal Israeli settler calls for Gaza’s eradication

In a disturbing escalation of genocidal rhetoric, an Israeli settler residing in the illegal Shiloh settlement in the occupied West Bank openly called for the total eradication of Palestinians in Gaza, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported.

According to the Israeli daily, Rivka Lafair, who describes herself as a “proud Jew” and someone who “thinks outside the box,” publicly declared her intent to “wipe Palestinians in Gaza from existence,” claiming such an outcome is part of a broader goal of “consciousness transformation” and a “necessary epistemic shift.”

Israeli negotiators in Qatar lack authority, aim to mislead world: Hamas

Hamas, the Palestinian resistance group, accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of using a ceasefire and hostage swap Israeli delegation in Doha to mislead the international community, saying the team lacks the authority to make binding decisions.

“We consider the continued presence of the Zionist delegation in Doha -- despite its clear lack of authority to reach an agreement — a blatant attempt by (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu to deceive global public opinion and falsely portray participation in a negotiation process,” it said in a statement.

The prolonged stay of the delegation, without engaging in serious talks since Saturday, is a “blatant attempt by Netanyahu to deceive global public opinion and to falsely portray participation in negotiations.”

Hamas accused the prime minister of extending the delegation’s presence “day by day without entering serious talks.”

Israel imposes ‘collective punishment’ with siege, home demolitions in West Bank

Israel continued to besiege two western towns in Salfit in the northern West Bank for a seventh consecutive day.

Palestinians told Anadolu that the army and the illegal settlers have been imposing “collective punishment” on Bruqin and Kafr al-Dik in Salfit since an attack killed an illegal Israeli settler last week.

The army has intensified home demolitions and field interrogations of Palestinians in the towns, under the pretext of searching for the assailant.

Palestinians injured in attack by illegal Israeli settlers on West Bank village

Several Palestinians, including one critically injured, were wounded when illegal Israeli settlers attacked Beitillu in northwest Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, according to Palestinian sources.

The local Voice of Palestine Radio reported that several Palestinians sustained injuries, one seriously, in the illegal settler assault on Beitillu, without providing details on the number or nature of the injuries.

Spain: Israeli offensive 'makes no sense unless it wants to turn Gaza into vast cemetery'

Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said that Israel’s military offensive in Gaza “makes no sense, unless it wants to turn Gaza into a vast cemetery.”

“The time for words and statements is over – what is happening in Gaza is too serious,” he told reporters in Brussels, where he attended a meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council.

UK Muslim group welcomes suspension of trade talks with Israel

The Muslim Council of Britain welcomed the government's announcement to suspend trade talks with the Israeli government over the ongoing "intolerable" situation in Gaza.

"This is a necessary and overdue response to the grave and ongoing violations of international law in Gaza," Mustafa Al-Dabbagh, the group’s assistant secretary-general, said in a statement.

Pakistan, Egypt discuss 'alarming' situation in Gaza

Pakistan and Egypt discussed developments in the Middle East, particularly the "alarming" situation in Gaza, where Israel has renewed its offensive, and urged the international community to ensure "consistent and timely delivery of badly needed" humanitarian assistance to the people of the besieged enclave.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in a telephone conversation with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el Sisi, hoped that the upcoming UN conference on two-state solution next month in New York would yield "meaningful outcomes," his office.

'Free Mahmoud!': Columbia University president jeered at graduation ceremony

Acting Columbia University President Claire Shipman was met with raucous jeers from students disgruntled with her handling of pro-Palestine protests and the Trump administration's attempts to deport a prominent student activist.

"Good morning class of 2025. I know that many of you feel some amount of frustration with me, and I know you feel it with the administration," she said as a chorus of boos and jeers, which had already forced her to restart her comments at Columbia College’s commencement ceremony, poured out from students. "And I know we have a strong, strong tradition of free speech at this university, and I am always open to feedback, which I am getting right now."

The rallying cry is a reference to Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia student activist and lawful permanent resident of the US, who the Trump administration is seeking to deport for his role in last year's student protest movement against Israel's war on Gaza.

Spain urges EU sanctions on Israel over 'man-made famine' in Gaza

Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares called on the EU to take concrete action against Israel over the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, describing the situation as "unsustainable, unbearable," and "inhuman."

Speaking to reporters ahead of a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels, Albares said the bloc must use "all instruments at its disposal" to exert maximum diplomatic pressure on Israel, Spanish daily El Pais newspaper reported.

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