World

(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.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(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.

No further details were immediately released.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(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.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(LONDON) — British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has called for a snap general election in the United Kingdom on July 4, despite having until January of next year to hold one. Sunak, the leader of the ruling Conservative Party, and leaders of other political parties have already started their election campaigns.

On a rainy Wednesday, the 44-year-old delivered a surprise announcement outside the prime minister’s official residence at 10 Downing Street in London. Unlike in the U.S., Britain’s parliamentary system gives the ruling party a five-year term and allows it to call an election at any time.

ABC News Foreign Correspondent James Longman believes Sunak’s unexpected announcement is in part meant to demonstrate confidence as his Conservative Party faces an uphill struggle to extend its 14 years in power – years marked by a succession of generally unsuccessful leaders amid growing domestic problems.

“Start Here” spoke with Longman about the upcoming snap election, the likely reasons for it, and the problems that Britons and their leaders are facing.

START HERE: James, I assume the 4th of July doesn’t matter at all over there, but if you’re the prime minister and you have the power to set an election date, I imagine you do it at a time you think will be advantageous to you. Why was this so sudden?

LONGMAN: Well, I mean, that’s just our system. And I think it was a prime minister in Rishi Sunak who’s just trying to play one last hand, trying to show perhaps confidence, taking a shot, rolling the dice. Because, you know, most people assume that his ruling party, the Conservatives, are going to lose the next election. It’s just a question of by how much.

Now, this was a massive shock. It’s been bubbling for some time – the idea that he’s going to call an election soon-ish, we just didn’t know when. The system in Britain is a parliamentary system. Basically, the ruling party has five years in office and they can choose at any time to call an election. We thought that he was going to hold off for as long as possible to remain prime minister, for the conservatives to stay in government. We thought perhaps we were going to clash with a U.S. election in November, perhaps even as long as January, to try to see some kind of economic recovery and therefore sell to the country, you know, it’s not that bad, things are getting better.

But no, he came out with this shock announcement. I have to say, it was all rather depressing. He stood in the rain outside Downing Street. He didn’t look like a man about to announce an election; he actually sounded like he was about to resign. There was one point, someone with a speaker phone down the end of Downing Street played “Things Can Only Get Better,” which was the theme tune to the 1997 Labour winning election campaign. So the whole thing was pretty miserable. I think the Labour Party, the opposition, will be very happy about this, the beginning of this election. But look, it’s been 14 years of conservative control in Britain. Most people assume that they’re not going to win the election. He’s trying to take the bull by the horns, if you like. But it wasn’t a very confident start.

START HERE: What is going so wrong for his party, for the Conservatives. I mean, what what’s happening that is so politically damaging right now?

LONGMAN: Well, there’s the economics, which has been bad around the world. You know, inflation has been high in many countries. The United States, people are worried about their bills. It’s exactly the same situation in Britain. The war in Ukraine has meant that energy prices have gone up. COVID, the pandemic caused massive labor shortages. So there have been issues beyond the this conservative government’s control.

But by and large, people think that the country is stagnating. We have a huge crisis at the moment with sewage being pumped into our waterways. We have an NHS, the National Health Service, which is not working. We have massive, massive waiting lists for people to get surgeries, with ambulances waiting outside hospitals. Built lots of schools that are in buildings which are not fit for purpose. In just about every way, people look at various different issues across society and say, look, the country can’t really see the benefit of 14 years of a conservative government.

That, plus the politics of all this, because the Conservative Party seems to have been eating itself. We’ve had successive prime ministers, successive leaders. Remember David Cameron, he had to step down because he had wanted for the United Kingdom to remain in Europe. So Brexit ripped the party apart. Since his time in office, we’ve had Theresa May and then Boris Johnson and then Liz Truss, and now Rishi Sunak, and it’s just been one after the other. So I think there’s a general sense in the country that the Conservative Party are a party on the way out and they haven’t been doing themselves any favors in kind of projecting that image. It’s going to be difficult for any party after 14 years in government to project an image of that they’re the ones with the solutions, because every time they say, “We’re going to fix a problem,” people say, “Well, what have you been doing for the last 14 years?” The big question is, who’s going to be their replacement?

START HERE: So if it’s not the Conservative Party – you’d assume if Rishi Sunak is the one calling the election that he would think of himself as the frontrunner, but who is the frontrunner, then, if not him?

LONGMAN: Well, he is going to be leading the Conservative Party into this election so there’s not going to be a conservative leadership battle, another one, thank God. But the most likely prime minister is going to be Keir Starmer, who is the leader of the Labour Party. Been out of power for quite some time, like I say, 14 years. He’s been leader of the Labor Party for the last five years. He’s considered, not really a showman, I think that’s putting it mildly. He’s uncharismatic, would be more critical. Boring. his critics might say, I don’t know if in the U.S. you ever saw Mr. Bean, but he is a little bit like that. He’s got horn-rimmed specs and he’s a former public prosecutor. He’s not someone who necessarily, you know, can rouse a crowd. But I think maybe after 14 years of conservative government and all the psychodrama of Brexit and Boris Johnson and Partygate, maybe people are in this country ready for a little bit of boring.

But his issue, though, Keir Starmer, is that people don’t really know very much about him. So that’s what this campaign is going to be all about. Six hundred and fifty MPs sit in Parliament. Now, if they had a majority – Labour at the moment are so far behind given the 2019 result, which saw a massive conservative majority under Boris Johnson, that they would have to have a massive swing. So it’s all to play for.

START HERE: Right. Sometimes this results in power-sharing agreements: You’re voting for the party, not the person. So we’ll see how this all shakes out. But really wild timing here. James Longman, there in London. Thank you so much.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — As the Israel-Hamas war crosses the seven-month mark, renewed negotiations are underway to secure the release of hostages taken by the terrorist organization, as Israeli forces continue to prepare for an apparent invasion of the southern Gazan town of Rafah.

Here’s how the news is developing:

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.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(LONDON) — Kenyan mountaineer Joshua Cheruiyot Kirui, who went missing with his guide on Wednesday morning on Mount Everest, has been found dead, officials announced Thursday.

Kirui’s body was found 62 feet, or about 19 meters, below Everest’s peak, Nepal’s Department of Tourism said.

Kirui had been on a mission to summit the world’s highest peak without supplementary oxygen, attempting to become the first African to achieve the feat. He went missing above the Hillary Step.

“A no-oxygen attempt comes with its special preparations and risks,” Kirui wote on Instagram before his summit attempt. “Finally. Tonight we head up. Summit Rotation. After 10 basecamp days.”

He was accompanied by a Nepalese climber and guide, Nawang Sherpa, whose fate remains unknown. Search teams have been deployed to the mountain.

Kirui wrote that he had made extensive preparations for his summit: “Nawang Sherpa will ferry an emergency bottle of oxygen to be used; if I go lights out or if I go bananas. If I’m time barred, unfavourable weather, body limit reached: when I realize I’m no superman.”

Kirui’s death takes this week’s toll on Everest to at least three, following the deaths of two Mongolian climbers who had gone missing on May 12.

British climber Daniel Paterson and his Nepali guide, Pas Tenji Sherpa, also remain missing after their expedition was hit on Tuesday by icefall on Everest’s northern slope.

“Waiting patiently for a summit window,” wrote Paterson — a fitness trainer from Wakefield, U.K. — in an Instagram post before going missing.

Standing at 8,848 meters, Mount Everest is the highest mountain in the world. Approximately 800 people attempt to summit the mountain annually, and officials said over 450 climbers have already scaled the mountain from the Nepali side this climbing season. Over 100,000 people visit the Sagarmatha National Park in the Himalayas of northeast Nepal every year.

Reinhold Messner and Peter Habeler were the first men to summit Everest without supplemental Oxygen, achieving the feat in May of 1978.

In 2022, James Kagambi became the first Kenyan to reach Everest’s peak, reaching the summit at the age of 62.

“His indomitable will and passion for mountaineering will forever be an inspiration,” the publication Everest Today wrote of Kirui. “We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family and friends during this time of sorrow.”

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEAR KHARKIV, Ukraine) — Ukraine’s 57th Motorized Brigade is one infantry unit among many battling the new Russian offensive North of Kharkiv, and it was also amongst the first to engage the Russians as they pushed over the border.

ABC News sat down in a rare interview with Col. Oleksandr Bakulin, commander of the 57th, alongside a senior Army leader at a secret location. The military leaders talked about the latest Russian offensive, how the lack of ammunition and weapons, particularly those from America, has impacted this war in recent months and the morale of his soldiers, who had to retreat and cede territory and who are now having to fight Russians in areas that they had driven Russians from in 2022.

With the Russian offensive, the situation right now in the Northern Kharkiv region is “quite difficult,” Bakulin said.

“The battles are going on. We managed to slow down the enemy,” he said.

The Ukrainian military have stabilized the front and, for now, Russian forces are no longer advancing as rapidly as they did in the opening days of their offensive. But the Russians are still making incremental gains.

Bakulin said that the Russians “still have reserves and will bring these reserve[s] into the battle.”

About $60 billion in American military aid to Ukraine has recently been approved but the weapons and ammunition are still not here and the shortfall over the last few months has had a real impact on the fighting.

“We do understand how crucial this [US] aid is,” Bakulin said. “The whole the world understands. Yes, our soldiers are brave and courageous, but without this aid, these weapons, shells, everything, without this we would not be able to keep fighting in a war against Russia, just because we are way smaller than Russia.”

Bakulin acknowledged the withdrawals but said it was a normal part of the ebb and flow of warfare. He’s made clear he’s been enjoying being close to the Russian border.

“Firing at Russians in the Russian territory is way more pleasant than firing at them on the Ukrainian soil,” he said.

Despite the advances made by the Russians, he pushed back at the idea that Ukraine is losing the war, saying, “I personally think that we have already won this war. The question is at what point it is going to end, and at what stage.”

Bakulin said he predicts that in the end this war will be ended by a deal, saying, “Every war ends in peace talks and deals.”

And he even seemed to accept that in order for this to happen, territory might need to be given up, citing the experience of nearby Finland.

“Little Finland once fought against big USSR,” Bakulin said. “Yes, it lost some territories. But it still does exist as a country and Russia doesn’t even look in that direction. We are in a similar position, but I hope we will not lose our land.”

The war is far from over and the lack of heavy weaponry is still operationally critical. He put it succinctly when asked about the casualties caused by the lack of armaments, saying, “The sweat of the artillery soldiers saves the blood of the infantry soldiers. But if there is only sweat without the shells, then infantry soldiers pay it with their blood.”

Bakulin said he accepts that American support is essential for fighting the war, despite some dissent in Congress over how much funding the U.S. has pledged to Ukraine.

“I understand that we spent the money of their taxpayers. Money of the citizens of these countries. We understand this,” Bakulin said. “But we are fighting because we want to be with you; to be a part of the civilized world. We want to play in your team. Yes, we are going through hard times now. But I believe that we are fighting for the values that U.S. propagates in the world and it has always stood by these values.”

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) announced Tuesday it has suspended aid deliveries in the southern border city of Rafah due to security concerns amid ongoing hostilities and a lack of supplies.

The agency also said just seven out of its 24 health centers are operational and that those centers had not received any medical supplies in the last 10 days to “closures” and “disruptions” at the Rafah and Kerem Shalom crossings, according to an UNRWA statement posted on X.

UNRWA said its distribution center and the World Food Programme (WFP) warehouse are located in eastern Rafah and have been inaccessible as a result of Israel’s ongoing military operation in the area.

“We have a lot of people on the ground ready to provide aid and provide services, but without access across the borders to any supplies and without access to our distribution centers, we are simply unable to distribute food,” UNRWA spokesperson Louise Wateridge said Wednesday.

The WFP said in a post on X that it ran out of food to distribute to families in Rafah.

“Thousands of families still in #Rafah need aid,” WFP in the Middle East wrote on the social media platform.

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) dropped leaflets in Rafah and sent text messages in Arabic on May 6 calling for about 100,000 people to evacuate the eastern part of the city and to head north to the Al-Mawasi humanitarian corridor ahead of a long-promised major ground invasion into Rafah. As of Monday, UNRWA estimates that 810,000 people have evacuated from Rafah.

While the crossings in the south are either closed or have limited access, the Erez West/Zikim crossing is open in northern Gaza , which is experiencing “full-blown famine,” according to WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain.

However, in update to the U.N. Security Council on Monday, Tor Wennesland, U.N. Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, said “much more aid is needed to meet the enormous scale of the needs. … There is no substitute for the full and increased operation of existing land crossings.”

“I am deeply concerned that the current trajectory — including the possibility of a larger-scale operation — will further undermine efforts to scale-up the entry of humanitarian goods and their safe distribution to desperate civilians,” he said.

UNRWA has had intermittent challenges providing aid to Gaza since Israeli officials alleged in January that several UNRWA members participated in Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 surprise terrorist attack in Israel.

UNRWA said it terminated the accused employees after the allegations were made public. An independent investigation by the U.N.’s Office of Internal Oversight is ongoing. Meanwhile, a separate independent review released last month found that Israel has yet to provide evidence that UNRWA staff are members of terrorist organizations.

The UNRWA isn’t the only organization facing logistical challenges delivering aid. Very little of the aid unloaded from the temporary pier built by the U.S. off of Gaza has been distributed to the broader population, Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said during a press conference on Tuesday.

Ryder said 569 metric tons have landed and that U.S., Israel and the United Nations are working “to identify alternative routes for the safe movement of staff and cargo.”

Since Hamas’ surprise terrorist attack in Israel, more than 35,709 people in Gaza have been killed and more than 79,990 have been injured, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health. More than 1,700 Israelis have been killed and 8,700 have been injured, according to Israeli officials.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden’s national security adviser said Wednesday that Israel has made “refinements” to its military operations in and around Rafah following pushback from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the president’s demands.

Jake Sullivan, just back from a trip to Israel and Saudi Arabia, noted to reporters at the White House press briefing that Israel’s assault on Rafah in southern Gaza has been “more targeted and limited.”

“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,” he said.

For weeks, the U.S. had insisted Israel produce a “plan” to minimize civilian casualties in an attack on Rafah, where it said more than a million Palestinian civilians had sought shelter after being forced from other areas of Gaza.

Biden had suggested his demand to limit civilian casualties was his “red line” amid protests in the U.S. and abroad over his response to Israel’s attacks in Gaza.

Sullivan met with Netanyahu during his visit.

“I was briefed by Israeli officials and by Israeli professionals on refinements that Israel’s made to its plans to achieve its military objectives while taking account of civilian harm. 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.

“There’s no mathematical formula. What we’re going to be looking at, is whether there is a lot of death and destruction from this operation or if it is more precise and proportional. And we will see that unfold. And we will obviously remain closely engaged with the Israeli government as we go. That’s how we see the situation right now.”

Amid increased tensions over Israel’s vow to invade Rafah with the aim of wiping out what it said were the last four battalions of Hamas fighters, Biden had paused a shipment of 2,000 pound bombs to Israel that he and other administration officials said Israel could use to kill civilians in Gaza.

Sullivan’s comments come after a senior administration official said on Tuesday that Israel has taken the U.S. concerns over an operation in Rafah “seriously” and had “updated their plans.”

“They’ve incorporated many of the concerns that we have expressed and the president has expressed,” the senior official said.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(LONDON) — With the crisis in Gaza worsening, a private humanitarian group staffed with former military and intelligence officials stumbled upon a surprising hurdle in its efforts to help the United States government rush supplies to Palestinian residents by boat: For several weeks, there was little to no aid ready to move.

Fogbow, an independent outfit, said it had expected there would be large-scale donations of food, medicine and other supplies piling up at a port in Cyprus, where aid was supposed to be staged and screened by the Israelis before being shipped to the Gaza coast via a U.S.-built pier known as JLOTs, or the Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore capability.

When that aid didn’t materialize, Fogbow officials knocked on the doors of several local flour mills in Cyprus — eventually purchasing nearly 2.5 million pounds of flour that it now plans to ship in early June.

“It’s not the capacity of JLOTs,” said Mick Mulroy, an ABC News contributor and former assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East who now leads Fogbow. “It’s that there’s not enough aid” to move, he said.

Two months after President Joe Biden announced his vision of the floating pier off Gaza that would enable some 2 million meals delivered a day, the $320 million project has been off to a bumpy start. The pier, initially envisioned as a 90-day project, first struggled with bad weather that delayed its placement, as well as security concerns tied to Israel’s operations in the southern Gaza city of Rafah.

Since becoming operational nearly a week ago, the pier’s new complicating factors appear to be convincing countries to step up donations into Cyprus and enabling aid workers safe passage to distribute the supplies.

Of the 695 metric tons of aid that’s been shipped in recent days — roughly 1.5 million pounds — the United Nations’ World Food Program said it has struggled to get much of it to warehouses because of security issues. On Tuesday, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters that 11 of the 16 trucks leaving the pier last weekend were looted by desperate residents.

The U.S. also announced it was suspending food distribution in Rafah this week “due to lack of supplies and insecurity.”

Jake Sullivan, the president’s national security adviser, told reporters Wednesday that he does not see the pier as a failure.

“Aid is flowing. It is not flowing at the rate that any of us would be happy with because we always want more, but we are actually seeing good cooperation between the U.S., the IDF [Israel Defense Forces], the U.N. and other humanitarian organizations to ensure that aid goes from that pier to innocent people in need,” he said.

USAID has not said how much aid is in Cyprus now, other than to note that “thousands of tons” of aid is “in the pipeline.”

“We anticipate more assistance from additional countries and organizations utilizing and steadily scaling up the maritime corridor soon after it is operational,” USAID said in a recent statement provided to ABC News.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken told lawmakers Tuesday that “deconfliction” between aid groups and the IDF remains a serious problem, referring to steps to coordinate logistics to reduce the risk of friendly fire.

“There are good procedures in place, but we continue to see some problems at the operational level, at the tactical level where a given unit may not know in real time that a convoy is supposed to go through,” Blinken told the Senate Appropriations Committee.

“So we’re working on significantly improving that, finally fixing that to make sure that humanitarians can proceed safely,” he said.

Pentagon spokesman Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters Tuesday that aid movement has resumed with the U.S., Israel and U.N. working on identifying “alternative routes for the safe movement of staff and cargo.”

Ryder and other officials say the military is employing a “crawl, walk, run” strategy that starts out slow and builds capacity with time.

In the meantime, with its three empty barges on hand and nothing to move, Fogbow officials this month turned to buying their own shipment of aid.

Mulroy said the hope is that international donors and aid groups will offer up more supplies once they see a functional operation.

“This pier has a lifespan … and the conditions are not great,” Mulroy said. “So the longer that we don’t have large quantities of aid going in, the more we’re wasting this opportunity.”

ABC News’ Luis Martinez contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.