(WASHINGTON) — The flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza over the U.S. Army’s temporary Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore (JLOTS) system has been paused after rough seas caused parts of the pier to detach, a U.S. official told ABC News Tuesday.
At a press briefing on Tuesday an Israeli Defense Forces official also confirmed that JLOTS is not functioning after parts broke off during high seas off the coast of Gaza.
That official said that it will likely be a few more days before the pier can resume operations.
The sea conditions in the eastern Mediterranean off the coast of Gaza have already caused issues for the U.S. Army’s temporary pier system, intended to create a maritime corridor for international aid to be delivered from Cyprus into Gaza.
U.S. officials have said that the pier’s operations were always intended to begin slowly and then ramp up as more aid arrived from Cyprus. So far, the U.S. has said that 820 metric tons of aid had made it to shore.
Over the weekend, U.S. Central Command confirmed that four small U.S. Army vessels involved in the transport of cargo from sea to the 1,500 foot causeway attached to a beach in Gaza had broken free as a result of rough seas.
“The vessels broke free from their moorings and two vessels are now anchored on the beach near the pier,” said a statement issued Saturday. “The third and fourth vessels are beached on the coast of Israel near Ashkelon. Efforts to recover the vessels are under way with assistance from the Israeli Navy.”
At the time, CENTCOM said that the Israeli Defense Forces would support the recovery efforts near the pier and that the pier remained fully functional.
The rough seas off of Gaza had earlier led to delay in the initial deployment of the JLOTS systems, forcing the U.S. military to eventually set it up in calmer seas off of Ashdod, Israel, before moving it down to waters off of Gaza.
It is unclear whether this latest setback will lead to consideration of other alternative ways of transporting the aid from Cyprus into Gaza.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(NEW YORK) — A Virginia man was sentenced to time served and fined $9,000 for bringing ammunition to Turks and Caicos, avoiding a potential 12-year sentence under the islands’ strict gun laws.
Tyler Wenrich, from Richmond, traveled to Grand Turk on a cruise ship for a bachelor party in late April when ammunition was found in his possession while going through a security checkpoint, police said.
The 911 operator and emergency medical technician has remained on the island since being arrested and pleaded guilty on May 21 to two counts of possession of ammunition, for two 9 mm rounds.
“I have a lot of fear and anxiety as to what’s going to happen and I’m hoping that the judge finds some compassion and leniency in the situation that I’m in,” Wenrich told ABC News earlier this month.
Wenrich had gone shooting at a gun range with friends and said he forgot he was carrying the ammunition.
ABC News’ Matt Rivers and Wilkie Arthur contributed to this report.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Internally displaced women wait in a queue to collect aid from a group at a camp in Gadaref on May 12, 2024. (AFP via Getty Images)
(LONDON) — At least 134 people have been killed and another 979 have been wounded since May 10 as fighting intensifies between Sudan’s military and a powerful Sudanese paramilitary force in a major city of the country’s northwestern Darfur region, according to an international aid group.
Doctors Without Borders, also known by its French acronym MSF, said Sunday that the casualties were all recorded at a single hospital in el-Fasher, the provincial capital of Sudan’s North Darfur state. South Hospital is currently the last functioning medical center in North Darfur and only has around 10 days of supplies left, according to the aid group.
MSF said one of its staff members was among those killed when shelling hit his home near el-Fasher’s main marketplace.
Civilians with a range of injuries are arriving in droves at South Hospital in el-Fasher, according to MSF.
“Some have gunshot wounds, some have been wounded by bomb fragments, and others have been wounded by shelling,” Claire Nicolet, MSF’s head of emergency programs, said in a statement last Tuesday.
An estimated 505,000 people have been displaced from their homes in North Darfur since clashes escalated earlier this month between the official Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), according to the United Nations.
“Reports from el-Fasher in Sudan are terrible: deadly attacks on civilians, horrifying accounts of ethnic targeting, people too fearful of checkpoints to even flee,” U.N. High Commissioner of Refugees Filippo Grandi said in a statement last Thursday. “Deliberate violence on civilians must stop.”
A report released last week by the Yale School of Public Health’s Humanitarian Research Lab found “significant new conflict–related damage to the northeastern, eastern, and southeastern neighborhoods” from May 14 to May 20, as RSF forces gained control in “several directions.”
The SAF and the RSF, as well as their allied militias, have been locked in a bitter battle for control of the resource-rich North African nation since April 2023. The fighting first erupted on the streets of Sudan’s densely populated capital, Khartoum, before spreading elsewhere across the country.
El-Fasher is the last major city in Darfur still in the hands of the SAF. The besieged city is a key humanitarian hub and “safe haven” to an estimated 800,000 people, according to the U.N.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said last Thursday that hostilities have entered an “alarming new chapter” with the humanitarian situation “rapidly deteriorating.”
During last Friday’s U.N. Security Council meeting on the situation in Sudan, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield warned that “history is repeating itself” and “there is no time to waste,” citing the RSF’s tightened siege on el-Fasher and the SAF’s continued obstruction of aid.
“The people of Sudan have endured immense suffering at the hands of the warring parties who continue to plunge the country into a spiral of death and despair,” Thomas-Greenfield said. “Five million Sudanese are on the brink of famine, and tens of millions more are in desperate need of food.”
Palestinians gather at the site of an Israeli strike on a camp for internally displaced people in Rafah on May 27, 2024, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas militant group. (Photo by EYAD BABA/AFP via Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — As the Israel-Hamas war crosses the seven-month mark, negotiations are apparently stalled to secure the release of hostages taken by the terrorist organization, and Israeli forces continue to launch incursions in the southern Gazan town of Rafah ahead of a possible large-scale invasion.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
May 27, 4:30 PM Kuwait Specialized hospital in Rafah out of service
The Kuwait Specialized Hospital in Rafah, one of its largest, announced that the hospital had been out of service due to the expansion of the Israeli military operation on the city and the repeated and deliberate targeting of the hospital’s vicinity, hospital’s director Suhaib Al-Hams said Sunday.
The Israeli occupation repeatedly targeted the hospital, the most recent of which was targeting the hospital gate, which led to the death of two of the staff working there, as well as the injury of five members of the medical staff in a previous targeting, Al-Hams said in a press statement received by Sanad News Agency.
“We announce that the Kuwait Specialized Hospital has been out of service and the working medical teams have been transferred to the field hospital that is being prepared in the Al-Mawasi area,” Al-Hams said.
May 27, 3:39 PM Israel strike hits fuel tank, causing large fire: US official
The U.S. received information from the Israelis overnight that they believe shrapnel or something else from the strike ignited a fuel tank 100 meters away, which engulfed a tent, creating a massive fire, according to a U.S. official.
The U.S. does not have information to confirm or dispute that information. The U.S. is in the process of understanding what has happened, waiting for Israel to conduct its own investigation and determining what action to take next, according to the official.
The U.S. maintains that while they’ve warned about a major ground offensive in Rafah, that’s not what’s happening, according to the official.
May 27, 3:37 PM Hamas leader says Rafah strike shows Israel is defying international law
Commenting on the Rafah strike that killed 50 people, Hamas released a statement saying Israel’s attack on Rafah is like “the announcement of Netanyahu’s government’s defiance of international justice decisions,” referring to the International Court of Justice’s decision last week ordering Israel to stop its operation in Rafah.
“The massacre committed in the areas where its considered safe area,” Hamas leader Osama Hamdan said. “The timing of these murders during the last two days is like the announcement of Netanyahu’s government’s defiance of international justice decisions.”
May 27, 6:17 PM Netanyahu calls strike on Rafah a ‘tragic mishap’
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the strike on Rafah which killed at least 50 Palestinians Sunday, a “tragic mishap,” in a speech to Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, Monday.
“We are fighting with force in the north of the Gaza Strip, in its center, its south and in Rafah. In Rafah we have already evacuated about a million uninvolved residents and despite our best efforts not to harm the un-involved, unfortunately a tragic mishap happened last night. We are investigating the case and will draw the conclusions because this is our policy,” Netanyahu said.
May 27, 2:45 PM Death toll from Israeli strike rises to 50
At least 50 people have been confirmed dead in Israel’s strike on Rafah, with a number of victims still under the rubble, the Gaza Health Ministry said in a statement Monday. Ambulance and civil defense crews cannot reach them the victims, the statement noted.
Since Oct. 7, 36,050 people have been killed in Gaza and 81,026 others have been injured.
“Never before in history has such a large number of mass killing tools been amassed and employed together in front of the world as is happening now in Gaza, where the population is deprived of water, food, medicine, electricity, and fuel, crushing the infrastructure, destroying all institutions, disrupting sanitation, spreading epidemics, crushing the health system, implementing the siege, closing crossings, and preventing the entry of medical supplies and delegations,” the Gaza Health Ministry said.
May 27, 2:15 PM Egyptian border guard killed in shooting at Rafah border
An Egyptian border guard was killed in a shooting in the Rafah border area with Gaza, Egypt’s military spokesman said in a statement on Monday.
“The Egyptian armed forces, through the competent authorities, are investigating a shooting incident in the Rafah border area which led to the martyrdom of one of the security personnel on duty,” the statement said.
The Israeli military had earlier reported an exchange of fire on the Egyptian border and said it was discussing the incident with Egypt.
“A few hours ago (Monday), a shooting incident occurred on the Egyptian border. The incident is under review and discussions are being held with the Egyptians,” the IDF said.
Initial investigations into an incident that killed an Egyptian border guard indicate the incident occurred while there was an exchange of fire between Israeli forces and “the Palestinian resistance,” an Egyptian security source told Egypt’s state-affiliated Al Qahera News TV on Monday.
In October 2023, weeks after the war started, Israel said one of its military tanks mistakenly fired at an Egyptian position near the border with Gaza. Egypt said at the time that several army personnel were slightly injured.
Tensions between Egypt and Israel have escalated after Israeli forces earlier this month seized control of the Rafah border crossing, a key entry point for humanitarian aid. Egypt said it would not reopen its side of the crossing unless it is operated by Palestinians and accused Israel of preventing aid deliveries.
May 27, 1:52 PM UNRWA commissioner general calls scenes of Rafah after strike ‘hell on earth’
The images that have emerged after the Israeli strike on Rafah are a “testament to how Rafah has turned into hell on earth,” Philippe Lazzarini, commissioner general of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, said in a post on X.
“Children and women living in tented plastic makeshift shelters are among the killed. Many were injured. Others were reportedly burnt to death. The images from last night are testament to how Rafah has turned into hell on earth,” Lazzarini said went on.
Some UNRWA staff are unaccounted for and it’s very hard to establish contact with UNRWA teams in Rafah, Lazzarini said, adding that the UNRWA is doing its best to bring aid to people in need in Gaza.
“UNRWA is doing everything possible not to interrupt the delivery of humanitarian assistance. But with every day passing, providing assistance & protection becomes nearly impossible,” he said.
-ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman
May 27, 1:02 PM White House says images out of Rafah are ‘heartbreaking’ but maintains Israel has ‘a right’ to go after Hamas
The “devastating images” coming out of Rafah are “heartbreaking,” a White House National Security Council spokesperson said in a statement Monday, adding that even though Israel “has a right to go after” Hamas, the country also has to protect civilians.
“Israel has a right to go after Hamas, and we understand this strike killed two senior Hamas terrorists who are responsible for attacks against Israeli civilians,” the spokesperson said. “But as we’ve been clear, Israel must take every precaution possible to protect civilians.”
The spokesperson also said that the U.S. is engaging with the Israeli authorities to figure out “what happened” in addition to the IDF investigation.
-ABC News’ Michelle Stoddart
May 27, 12:18 PM ‘Outraged’: Macron calls for immediate cease-fire after Rafah attack
French President Emmanuel Macron condemned Israel’s attack on Rafah that left at least 45 people dead, saying he was “outraged” and called for “respect for international law” and an “immediate cease-fire.”
“Outraged by the Israeli strikes which caused numerous victims among the displaced in Rafah. These operations must stop. There are no safe areas in Rafah for Palestinian civilians. I call for full respect for international law and an immediate ceasefire,” Macron said in a post on X.
The Israel Defense Forces claimed it took several measures to protect civilians. The strike is now under investigation.
“The General Staff’s Fact-Finding and Assessment Mechanism is investigating the circumstances of the deaths of civilians in the area of the strike. The IDF regrets any harm to uninvolved civilians during combat,” the IDF said in a statement.
The White House has not commented on the attack yet, and the Israeli prime minister’s office has not released a statement.
-ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman
May 27, 7:58 AM Dozens killed, hundreds injured in Sunday Rafah strike, Gaza ministry says
Forty-five people were killed and 249 were injured in an IDF strike on Rafah on Sunday, the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry said Monday.
Action Aid UK had on Sunday placed the death toll higher, saying at least 50 people were killed.
IDF officials said the strike had targeted “significant Hamas terrorists” who were operating in a Hamas compound.
“The IDF is aware of reports indicating that as a result of the strike and fire that was ignited several civilians in the area were harmed,” IDF officials said on social media. “The incident is under review.”
-ABC News’ Joe Simonetti and Kevin Shalvey
May 26, 6:44 PM IDF claims 2 top Hamas officials killed in Rafah airstrike
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) claimed two top Hamas officials were killed in the deadly airstrike in western Rafah Sunday night.
The IDF said Hamas’ Chief of Staff in the Judea and Samaria wing, Yassin Rabia, and an additional senior Hamas official, Khaled Nagar, were both killed.
“Hamas’ Judea and Samaria wing is responsible for the planning, funding, and carrying out of terror attacks throughout Judea and Samaria and within Israel,” the IDF said in a statement Sunday.
The IDF claimed Rabia was responsible for “numerous murderous terror attacks, including in 2001 and 2002, in which IDF soldiers were killed.”
The IDF also claimed Nagar “directed shooting attacks and other terrorist activities in Judea and Samaria, and transferred funds intended for Hamas’ terrorist activities in the Gaza Strip.”
“Previously, Khaled Nagar carried out several deadly terror attacks between 2001-2003 which led to the deaths of several Israeli civilians and the injury and death of several Israeli soldiers,” the IDF claimed.
The airstrike in Rafah on Sunday also resulted in the deaths of at least 50 individuals, including civilians, according to Action Aid UK.
May 26, 6:18 PM Death toll in Rafah airstrike rises to 50: Action Aid UK
The death toll in the IDF airstrike that hit western Rafah Sunday night has risen to at least 50 individuals, including civilians, according to Action Aid UK.
The organization said Israeli fighter jets launched eight missiles at makeshift shelters housing internally displaced persons next to UNRWA warehouses stocking vital aid.
“We are outraged and heartbroken by the recent attacks in West Rafah,” Action Aid UK said in a statement Sunday.
“These shelters were supposed to be safe havens for innocent civilians, yet they became targets of brutal violence,” the organization continued. “Children, women, and men are being burned alive under their tents and shelters.”
Action Aid UK expects the number of casualties to rise.
-ABC News’ Victoria Beaule
May 26, 5:49 PM At least 35 killed, including civilians, in airstrike on Rafah: Gaza Ministry of Health
A deadly airstrike has killed at least 35 people inside western Rafah, near the UNRWA logistics base in Tal Al-Sultan, according to officials at the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health.
Numerous individuals remain stuck in a fire that resulted from the airstrike and in the tents destroyed by the bombardment.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed the airstrike to ABC News in a statement on Sunday and acknowledged that civilians were harmed as a result of the strike.
“A short while ago, an IDF aircraft struck a Hamas compound in Rafah in which significant Hamas terrorists were operating. The strike was carried out against legitimate targets under international law, using through the use of precise munitions and on the basis of precise intelligence that indicated Hamas’ use of the area,” the IDF said.
“The IDF is aware of reports indicating that as a result of the strike and fire that was ignited several civilians in the area were harmed,” the IDF continued, adding, “The incident is under review.”
Palestinians gather at the site of an Israeli strike on a camp for internally displaced people in Rafah on May 27, 2024, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas militant group. (Photo by EYAD BABA/AFP via Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — As the Israel-Hamas war crosses the seven-month mark, negotiations are apparently stalled to secure the release of hostages taken by the terrorist organization, and Israeli forces continue to launch incursions in the southern Gazan town of Rafah ahead of a possible large-scale invasion.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
May 27, 7:58 AM Dozens killed, hundreds injured in Sunday Rafah strike, Gaza ministry says
Forty-five people were killed and 249 were injured in an IDF strike on Rafah on Sunday, the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry said Monday.
Action Aid UK had on Sunday placed the death toll higher, saying at least 50 people were killed.
IDF officials said the strike had targeted “significant Hamas terrorists” who were operating in a Hamas compound.
“The IDF is aware of reports indicating that as a result of the strike and fire that was ignited several civilians in the area were harmed,” IDF officials said on social media. “The incident is under review.”
-ABC News’ Joe Simonetti and Kevin Shalvey
May 26, 6:44 PM IDF claims 2 top Hamas officials killed in Rafah airstrike
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) claimed two top Hamas officials were killed in the deadly airstrike in western Rafah Sunday night.
The IDF said Hamas’ Chief of Staff in the Judea and Samaria wing, Yassin Rabia, and an additional senior Hamas official, Khaled Nagar, were both killed.
“Hamas’ Judea and Samaria wing is responsible for the planning, funding, and carrying out of terror attacks throughout Judea and Samaria and within Israel,” the IDF said in a statement Sunday.
The IDF claimed Rabia was responsible for “numerous murderous terror attacks, including in 2001 and 2002, in which IDF soldiers were killed.”
The IDF also claimed Nagar “directed shooting attacks and other terrorist activities in Judea and Samaria, and transferred funds intended for Hamas’ terrorist activities in the Gaza Strip.”
“Previously, Khaled Nagar carried out several deadly terror attacks between 2001-2003 which led to the deaths of several Israeli civilians and the injury and death of several Israeli soldiers,” the IDF claimed.
The airstrike in Rafah on Sunday also resulted in the deaths of at least 50 individuals, including civilians, according to Action Aid UK.
May 26, 6:18 PM Death toll in Rafah airstrike rises to 50: Action Aid UK
The death toll in the IDF airstrike that hit western Rafah Sunday night has risen to at least 50 individuals, including civilians, according to Action Aid UK.
The organization said Israeli fighter jets launched eight missiles at makeshift shelters housing internally displaced persons next to UNRWA warehouses stocking vital aid.
“We are outraged and heartbroken by the recent attacks in West Rafah,” Action Aid UK said in a statement Sunday.
“These shelters were supposed to be safe havens for innocent civilians, yet they became targets of brutal violence,” the organization continued. “Children, women, and men are being burned alive under their tents and shelters.”
Action Aid UK expects the number of casualties to rise.
-ABC News’ Victoria Beaule
May 26, 5:49 PM At least 35 killed, including civilians, in airstrike on Rafah: Gaza Ministry of Health
A deadly airstrike has killed at least 35 people inside western Rafah, near the UNRWA logistics base in Tal Al-Sultan, according to officials at the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health.
Numerous individuals remain stuck in a fire that resulted from the airstrike and in the tents destroyed by the bombardment.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed the airstrike to ABC News in a statement on Sunday and acknowledged that civilians were harmed as a result of the strike.
“A short while ago, an IDF aircraft struck a Hamas compound in Rafah in which significant Hamas terrorists were operating. The strike was carried out against legitimate targets under international law, using through the use of precise munitions and on the basis of precise intelligence that indicated Hamas’ use of the area,” the IDF said.
“The IDF is aware of reports indicating that as a result of the strike and fire that was ignited several civilians in the area were harmed,” the IDF continued, adding, “The incident is under review.”
Palestinians gather at the site of an Israeli strike on a camp for internally displaced people in Rafah on May 27, 2024, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas militant group. (Photo by EYAD BABA/AFP via Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — As the Israel-Hamas war crosses the seven-month mark, negotiations are apparently stalled to secure the release of hostages taken by the terrorist organization, and Israeli forces continue to launch incursions in the southern Gazan town of Rafah ahead of a possible large-scale invasion.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
May 26, 6:44 PM IDF claims 2 top Hamas officials killed in Rafah airstrike
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) claimed two top Hamas officials were killed in the deadly airstrike in western Rafah Sunday night.
The IDF said Hamas’ Chief of Staff in the Judea and Samaria wing, Yassin Rabia, and an additional senior Hamas official, Khaled Nagar, were both killed.
“Hamas’ Judea and Samaria wing is responsible for the planning, funding, and carrying out of terror attacks throughout Judea and Samaria and within Israel,” the IDF said in a statement Sunday.
The IDF claimed Rabia was responsible for “numerous murderous terror attacks, including in 2001 and 2002, in which IDF soldiers were killed.”
The IDF also claimed Nagar “directed shooting attacks and other terrorist activities in Judea and Samaria, and transferred funds intended for Hamas’ terrorist activities in the Gaza Strip.”
“Previously, Khaled Nagar carried out several deadly terror attacks between 2001-2003 which led to the deaths of several Israeli civilians and the injury and death of several Israeli soldiers,” the IDF claimed.
The airstrike in Rafah on Sunday also resulted in the deaths of at least 50 individuals, including civilians, according to Action Aid UK.
May 26, 6:18 PM Death toll in Rafah airstrike rises to 50: Action Aid UK
The death toll in the IDF airstrike that hit western Rafah Sunday night has risen to at least 50 individuals, including civilians, according to Action Aid UK.
The organization said Israeli fighter jets launched eight missiles at makeshift shelters housing internally displaced persons next to UNRWA warehouses stocking vital aid.
“We are outraged and heartbroken by the recent attacks in West Rafah,” Action Aid UK said in a statement Sunday.
“These shelters were supposed to be safe havens for innocent civilians, yet they became targets of brutal violence,” the organization continued. “Children, women, and men are being burned alive under their tents and shelters.”
Action Aid UK expects the number of casualties to rise.
-ABC News’ Victoria Beaule
May 26, 5:49 PM At least 35 killed, including civilians, in airstrike on Rafah: Gaza Ministry of Health
A deadly airstrike has killed at least 35 people inside western Rafah, near the UNRWA logistics base in Tal Al-Sultan, according to officials at the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health.
Numerous individuals remain stuck in a fire that resulted from the airstrike and in the tents destroyed by the bombardment.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed the airstrike to ABC News in a statement on Sunday and acknowledged that civilians were harmed as a result of the strike.
“A short while ago, an IDF aircraft struck a Hamas compound in Rafah in which significant Hamas terrorists were operating. The strike was carried out against legitimate targets under international law, using through the use of precise munitions and on the basis of precise intelligence that indicated Hamas’ use of the area,” the IDF said.
“The IDF is aware of reports indicating that as a result of the strike and fire that was ignited several civilians in the area were harmed,” the IDF continued, adding, “The incident is under review.”
(UKRAINE) — Russian forces struck a Ukrainian shopping center in Kharkiv on Saturday, leaving four people dead and 38 people wounded according to local officials.
Sources in local law enforcement tell ABC News they expect the casualty numbers to rise as this supermarket is usually crowded on weekends and employs dozens of people. Oleh Synyehubov, the Kharkiv governor, said on Ukrainian television that they have so far identified 16 people as officially missing.
Synyehubov also said there was a second strike in Kharkiv that injured 12 people, including a 13-year-old boy.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said 200 people were believed to have been in the shopping center when the attack happened. He continued to plead with other nations for support.
“If Ukraine had enough air defense and modern combat aircraft, such Russian strikes would simply be impossible. And that is why we appeal to all leaders, to all states: we need a significant strengthening of air defense and sufficient capabilities to destroy Russian terrorists,” Zelenskyy said in a Telegram post.
ABC News’ Popova Zaliznyak contributed to this report.
Palestinians look at the rubble of a family house that was hit overnight in Israeli bombardment in the Tal al-Sultan neighbourhood of Rafah in southern Gaza on May 20, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas group. (AFP via Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — As the Israel-Hamas war crosses the seven-month mark, negotiations are apparently stalled to secure the release of hostages taken by the terrorist organization, and Israeli forces continue to launch incursions in the southern Gazan town of Rafah ahead of a possible large-scale invasion.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
May 24, 9:40 AM ICJ rules Israel must stop Rafah operation
The International Court of Justice has ruled that Israel must immediately halt its military operation in Rafah, citing “immediate risk to the Palestinian people.”
The vote was 16-2, with Israel being one of the votes against the ruling. The other to vote against the decision was Uganda.
The U.N. court has no way to enforce its decision and Israel has said it would defy any order to stop fighting.
May 24, 8:34 AM 3 more bodies of hostages recovered
The Hostage Families Forum has released a statement confirming that the bodies of three hostages have been recovered.
“It is with profound sorrow that the Families Forum bows its head following the announcement of the murder of Michel Nisenbaum, Hanan Yablonka, and Oryon Hernandez Radoux, may their memories be a blessing, at the hands of Hamas terrorists,* the statement obtained by ABC News said.
The bodies of the three hostages, who were murdered by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7, have now been returned to Israel for burial.
“The sorrowful return of Michel, Hanan, and Oryon is another heartbreak for the 125 families of the hostages, who share the pain, sorrow, and endless worry. Their return for burial provides important closure for the family members, and efforts must be made to bring all the murdered hostages back to Israel,” the statement read.
May 23, 7:03 PM 3 US service members injured, 1 in critical condition, in accident related to pier off Gaza
Three U.S. service members were injured, with one remaining in critical condition, after a non-combat accident related to the U.S.-built pier off Gaza known as JLOTS, or the Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore capability, according to U.S. Central Command.
Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, CENTCOM deputy commander, didn’t provide specifics Thursday other than saying they were non-combat-related injuries and that two of the service members had returned to duty, while the third is receiving care at a local Israeli hospital.
A defense official told ABC News the third service member is in critical condition and was injured aboard the USNS Benavidez, a U.S. Navy cargo ship. A U.S. official said it involved a forklift accident.
No further details were immediately released.
-ABC News’ Luis Martinez
May 23, 5:57 PM Over 500 metric tons of aid delivered to Gaza through pier since Friday, officials say
U.S. officials shared an update Thursday on efforts to bring aid into Gaza through the Army’s Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore (JLOTS) system, a floating pier built to transport aid to the region.
Since Friday, over 506 metric tons of aid have been transported via the pier, according to officials.
Officials from U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) held an audio-only briefing with reporters on continued aid efforts.
“Since the first shipments of this aid arrived through the humanitarian maritime corridor on Friday, the UN has been distributing more than 506 metric tons of humanitarian supplies to people in need,” Daniel Dieckhaus, Director for USAID’s Levant Response Management Team, said Thursday.
“To put it into perspective, more than two thirds of the supplies entering through this new corridor have already been distributed, or are in the process of being distributed by humanitarian partners directly to people in need,” he added.
Humanitarian aid has also been delivered through land-crossing distribution via 70 trucks that crossed the border into Gaza, according to Dieckhaus.
Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, deputy commander of CENTCOM, noted that, “In the last several days, we’ve delivered over a million pounds of aid into the hands of Palestinians,” adding, “We can all feel good about that.”
May 23, 3:30 PM Biden doesn’t say if US has evidence Israel is using starvation as method of war
President Joe Biden refused to say whether the U.S. has any evidence that would support the International Criminal Court prosecutor’s allegation that Israeli leaders are using starvation as a method of war in Gaza.
Biden was asked if that evidence exists and if the administration would commit to releasing that information before any warrants are issued, but he only reiterated that the U.S. does not recognize their jurisdiction.
“We’ve made our position clear on the ICC. We don’t recognize their jurisdiction — the ICC, the way it’s being exercised — and it’s that simple. We don’t think there’s an equivalence between what Israel did, and what Hamas did,” Biden said.
-ABC News’ Justin Ryan Gomez
May 23, 2:02 PM Israel expands operations into central Rafah: IDF
Israeli Defense Forces are now fighting near central Rafah, representing an expansion of its operations, the IDF said Thursday.
Close to 1 million people have been evacuated from Rafah, according to IDF Commanding Officer Daniel Hagari.
-ABC News’ Will Gretsky
May 23, 1:38 PM Israel expands operations into central Rafah: IDF
Israeli Defense Forces are now fighting near central Rafah, representing an expansion of its operations, the IDF said Thursday.
Close to 1 million people have been evacuated from Rafah, according to IDF Commanding Officer Daniel Hagari.
-ABC News’ Will Gretsky
May 22, 5:59 PM Egypt threatens to withdraw from Gaza mediation
The Egyptian government said Wednesday that attempts to undermine its efforts to broker a Gaza cease-fire deal could push it to entirely pull out of mediation in the conflict.
Diaa Rashwan, the head of Egypt’s State Information Services, said Egypt categorically rejected a report from CNN that claimed his government changed the terms of a Gaza cease-fire deal that Israel had already signed off on before submitting it to Hamas.
Rashwan called the report “false” and “devoid of any information or facts.”
“The ongoing attempts to cast doubt and insult the Egyptian mediation efforts and roles, with allegations that contradict reality, will only lead to further complicating the situation in Gaza and the entire region, and may push the Egyptian side to take a decision to withdraw completely from the mediation it is carrying out in the current conflict,” he said in a statement.
Rashwan added that Egypt would only open the Rafah border crossing if the Palestinian side is operated by Palestinians, reiterating that Cairo does not acknowledge the Israeli control of the Palestinian side of the crossing.
May 22, 5:18 PM Video shows 5 young women being taken hostage by Hamas on Oct. 7
The Israeli Hostage Center released a video Wednesday showing five girls being taken hostage by Hamas on Oct. 7, all of whom are considered to be alive and in Hamas custody.
Liri Albag, Karina Ariev, Agam Berger, Daniela Gilboa and Naama Levy were taken hostage from the Nahal Oz Base, according to the Hostage Center. Families of hostages criticized the Israeli government’s failure to secure their release.
“A damning testament to the nation’s failure to bring home the hostages, who have been forsaken for 229 days,” the Hostage Center said in a release.
Ayelet Levy, Naama’s mother, said in a statement that her heart was with the 19-year-old “in those horrifying moments in the horrifying day of October 7th.”
“We only see in that video a fraction of the horrible things that are going on in their surrounding in the shelter. She is terrified and wounded, there is fear in her eyes, and she is saying what she can, she is begging for her life.”
Shlomi Berger, Agam’s father, told ABC News they decided to release the video to apply pressure on the Israeli government to reach a cease-fire deal that secured the release of the hostages.
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the video is evidence of why the war must continue until Hamas is “eliminated.”
“I am shocked by the video documenting the kidnapping of our precious female observers. We will continue to do everything to bring them home,” Netanyahu said in a statement.
-ABC News’ Will Gretsky and Britt Clennett
May 22, 3:03 PM Sullivan says Israel has made ‘refinements’ to Rafah operations following US concerns
Israel has made “refinements” to its military operations in and around Rafah following U.S. concerns about harm to civilians, U.S. national security advisor Jake Sullivan said Wednesday.
“We had detailed discussions on Rafah during my visit to Israel. These have built on weeks now, as I’ve discussed with you from this podium, of discussions on a professional basis, about Rafah and about how Israel can achieve the defeat of Hamas, everywhere in Gaza, including in Rafah, while minimizing civilian harm,” Sullivan said discussing his recent trip to Israel and Saudi Arabia.
“What we have seen so far in terms of Israel’s military operations in that area has been more targeted and limited, has not involved major military operations into the heart of dense urban areas,” he said.
Sullivan said the U.S. will “now have to see what unfolds from here” and whether what Israeli officials have laid out continues to happen.
-ABC News’ Justin Ryan Gomez
May 22, 12:12 PM Israel responds to move to recognize Palestinian state by withholding funds
Israel will not transfer funds to the Palestinian Authority after Spain, Ireland and Norway recognized Palestine as a state, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced in a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The decision by Israel’s far-right finance minister could push the Palestinian government into an even worse financial situation.
-ABC News’ Will Gretsky
May 22, 12:06 PM Israel allows settlers to enter northern West Bank
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has authorized settlers to enter parts of the northern West Bank that they had previously been barred.
The Israelis previously had settlements in this area that were evacuated and then demolished in 2005. Settlements in the area will still need government approval, but this authorization will make it easier for settlers to establish outposts.
“Just as I have acted in all my positions in the governments of Israel – I will continue to develop the settlements in Judea and Samaria, to strengthen the security elements and the security of the citizens – in roads and settlements,” Gallant said in a statement.
-ABC News’ Will Gretsky
May 22, 10:08 AM White House reacts to countries recognizing Palestinian state
The White House responded to Ireland, Norway and Spain recognizing Palestine, saying President Joe Biden supports a two-state solution, but said he thinks a Palestinian state should be realized after negotiations and “not through unilateral recognition.”
With the additions of Ireland, Norway and Spain, some 143 countries now recognize the state of Palestine, according to the U.N.
-ABC News’ Michelle Stoddart
May 22, 6:09 AM Three European countries to recognize Palestinian state
Ireland, Norway and Spain said Wednesday they would recognize a Palestinian state.
“Ireland today recognises Palestine as a nation among nations with all the rights and responsibilities that entails,” Simon Harris, the country’s Taoiseach, or prime minister, said in a statement.
The recognition by the Norwegian Government is an effort to “keep alive” the possibility of a “political solution” that might end the war in Gaza, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said in a statement.
“Two states, living side by side, in peace and security,” Støre said.
The announcement drew sharp criticism from Israel’s foreign minister, Israel Katz, who said he’d been instructed to immediately recall Israel’s ambassador’s to Ireland and Norway “for consultations.”
“Today’s decision sends a message to the Palestinians and the world: Terrorism pays,” Katz said. “After the Hamas terror organization carried out the largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, after committing heinous sexual crimes witnessed by the world, these countries chose to reward Hamas and Iran by recognizing a Palestinian state.”
Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, said his country will recognize a Palestinian state on May 28.
“Time has come to move from words into action,” he said on social media. “Peace, justice and coherence are the basis of our historic decision.”
May 21, 6:19 PM Kamal Adwan Hospital suffers damage after hit four times: WHO
Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza was reportedly hit four times Tuesday, according to the World Health Organization.
The attacks damaged the intensive care unit, reception, administration and the roof, the organization said. Efforts are underway to evacuate 20 health staff and 13 patients who remain inside, according to WHO.
“We appeal once again for [the] protection of all patients and health workers. We urge for a ceasefire and safe, sustained humanitarian access,” WHO said in a statement.
Over the past few weeks, intense hostilities have reportedly occurred in the vicinity of the hospital and resulted in an increased influx of injured patients to the already overstretched facility.
Kamal Adwan is the largest partially functional hospital in northern Gaza, and the only one providing hemodialysis services.
(WASHINGTON) — Three U.S. service members have been treated for injuries related to the U.S.-built pier off Gaza known as JLOTS, or the Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore capability, according to U.S. Central Command.
Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, CENTCOM deputy commander, didn’t provide specifics Thursday other than saying they were non-combat-related injuries and that two of the service members had returned to duty, while the third is receiving care at a local Israeli hospital.
A defense official told ABC News the third service member is in critical condition and was injured aboard the USNS Benavidez, a U.S. Navy cargo ship. A U.S. official said it involved a forklift accident.
The three service members were sent to Israeli medical facilities to get more care because they required more medical care than could be provided on the U.S. ships offshore.
(GOBELSBURG, Austria) — While renovating his wine cellar, a man in Austria made a discovery far older than a vintage bottle of Merlot. Instead, he discovered a rare collection of mammoth bones, believed to date back approximately 40,000 years.
Marking one of the most significant mammoth fossil finds in over a century in Austria, according to the Austrian Archeological Institute, researchers believe the prehistoric Stone Age bones belonged to at least three different mammoths.
Winemaker Andreas Pernerstorfer discovered the bones while renovating his cellar, located in the Austrian village of Gobelsburg, about 45 miles west of Vienna, according to a Tuesday press release from the institute.
Pernerstorfer reported the bones to the Federal Monuments Office, which referred him to the Austrian Archaeological Institute of the Austrian Academy of Sciences.
Dubbed an “archaeological sensation,” archaeologists say they have uncovered several layers of mammoth bones since beginning the excavation process in mid-May.
“Such a dense bone layer of mammoths is rare,” Hannah Parow-Souchon, who is leading the excavation said in the press release. “It’s the first time we’ve been able to investigate something like this in Austria using modern methods.”
The discovery has furthered an ongoing query into how Stone Age people were able to hunt the now-extinct, giant creatures, which are members of the elephantid genus.
“We know that humans hunted mammoths, but we still know very little about how they did it,” Parow-Souchon said in the press release.
Researchers question if the cellar was the location where the mammoths died and if they were chased and trapped there, according to the release.
The collection of fossils is currently being examined by researchers and will be sent to the Natural History Museum Vienna to undergo restoration.
In 2021, an international team of researchers discovered million-year-old molars from three mammoth specimens in northeast Siberia, which marked the oldest-dating skeletal fragments ever found.
